• Contemporary

    My Mr Manny @itlnbrt #RLFblog #malenanny

    My Mr Manny 
    Cover Love at Romance Lives Forever is a short intro to a
    book and includes a cover, blurb, buy links, and social media contacts for the
    author. Today’s featured book is My Mr Manny by Jennifer Garcia.
    Mia Balducci misses her childhood days and yearns for the big,
    Italian family that she left behind in small town Massachusetts. At the tender age of sixteen,
    Mia moves with her bachelor father to Los
    Angeles, but no matter how many years pass, it never becomes
    home to her. The years spent living with her father aren’t easy, especially since
    she can’t stop thinking about what she once had. Her enrollment in the University of Southern California promises to bring exciting
    changes to her life, but Mia winds up with big problems instead. When she runs into
    an old friend from her old hometown of Winthrop,
    she gets swept up in nostalgia, and she soon loses herself in a quickly-progressing
    romance. When the fantasy falls apart, she is left to raise her precious little
    girl, Lucia, on her own. The demands of Mia’s work schedule and Lucia’s needs increase,
    and their lives become increasingly hectic. It is soon clear to Mia that she needs
    help. Luckily, her life-saving cousin saves the day and brings the mother and daughter
    a male nanny – their new “manny.”
    After losing his high-pressure job on Wall Street, Dominic Roberts
    wants to follow his dreams to have a family. He’s already one fiancée down, and
    there are no likely prospects for another. In order to find the family he so desperately
    wants, he finds himself getting into the manny business. Since he is fully qualified
    to provide child care and is eager to leave New York City behind, his sister-in-law
    is able to land him a job in California working for his first client – the beautiful
    and intriguing Mia Balducci.
    Will Lucia like the new man in her mother’s life? Will Mia? And
    will this new trio discover the happily ever after they all so desperately seek?

    Buy links:

    Find Me Here

  • Historical

    Reluctant Duke @cmdonovan #RLFblog #historical

    The Reluctant Duke 
    Cover Love at Romance Lives Forever is a short intro to a book
    and includes a cover, blurb, buy links, and social media contacts for the author.
    Today’s featured book is The Reluctant Duke by Christine Donovan.
    Thomas Seabrook, the penniless Duke of Wentworth, walks into
    White’s for night cap. He leaves no longer in need of coin. In fact, he has become
    a wealthy man and owner of Hamilton Whaling Industries of New Bedford, Massachusetts
    and guardian of a seventeen-year-old girl. Thomas travels to Boston intent of bring his ward back and marrying
    her off to the first eligible gentleman who requests her hand. Except the first
    gentleman to ask for her, is his own brother Sebastian. Thomas refuses, because
    bloody hell, he wants her for himself.
    Emma Hamilton is not happy with her new situation. Her papa brought
    her up to be independent and assertive. How dare this stranger, this moody noble,
    dictate what she can do and not do? When she finds herself thrown into a London season, being introduced
    from one gentleman to another, looking for a husband, she realizes only the duke
    will do. How can she break through the duke’s hard exterior and find the loving,
    caring gentleman she knows he hides from everyone.

    Buy links:

    Nook – http://tinyurl.com/d8suc8w

    Find Me Here

    Website http://christinedonovanorg.weebly.com/

  • Regency

    Regency: The Temptation of Lady Serena @ellaquinnauthor #RLFblog

    Temptation of Lady Serena
    Ella Quinn, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. Let’s talk about
    your book, The Temptation of Lady Serena.
    Genre: Regency
    Publisher: Kensington
    Cover artist: Kensington
    Length: 105,800 Words
    Heat rating: Sensual
    Blurb:
    Ella Quinn’s bachelors in The Marriage Game series are charming
    and cunning when it comes to the ways of love—until the right woman captures their
    unsuspecting hearts…
    Custom-made gowns…nights at the theater…and a host of eligible
    bachelors. Accustomed to living a quiet life in the Scottish Borderlands, Lady Serena
    Weir has never had any of these luxuries. But when Serena’s brother demands she
    finally have a Season in London,
    she’s thrust into a glamorous world she’s only dreamed of…
    Robert, Viscount Beaumont remembers all too well what it feels
    like to be in love. That is why he must keep his distance from Serena. He’s only
    felt his pulse stir the way it does now when he made the mistake of loving the wrong
    woman once before. Yet the more he strives to resist his feelings, the nearer he
    is to falling under Serena’s seductive spell…
    “Supported by a wonderful cast of characters, Quinn’s thoughtfully
    drawn lovers teach each other the value of love in this delicious Regency treat.”
    ~ New York Times Bestselling author Eileen Dreyer
    Buy links:
    Kensington: http://bit.ly/1b6z328
    Amazon Canada:
    http://amzn.to/13OW4Fn
    Amazon UK:
    http://amzn.to/198ENaV
    What are your main characters’
    names, ages, and occupations?
    Lady Serena Weir is age
    26, and making her first come out. She is the daughter of the deceased Earl of Vere
    and sister of the current earl.
    Robert, Viscount Beaumont,
    is 30 years old. He is a major landowner and rake.

    Interview

    Tell us about your story’s world. What is it like in this
    period or place?
    The story is a Regency.
    It begins during the main Season in London, from
    there we move to Paris, then Yorkshire, England.
    1816 is known as the year without summer.
    What inspired you to write this book?
    This is the 3d book in
    my series The Marriage Game, however it was the second one I wrote. Robert kept
    badgering me until I had his story down. As anyone who has read the book can tell
    you, he is a very difficult man.
    Which character in your current book do you think readers
    will like the most? Why?
    Well I hope they like
    Serena and Robert. They’ve both had difficult but different experiences they’ve
    had to overcome. Robert is used to getting what he wants, but Serena won’t be bullied.
    Getting to their HEA was, at times, a struggle. One of my favorite secondary characters
    is the Dowager Lady Beaumont, Robert’s grandmother.
    Why do you write?
    Because I love it. It’s
    the best job I’ve ever had.
    Who has helped you the most in your career as an author?
    That’s a hard question.
    My mother-in-law has been my biggest cheerleader, but for actual help, it is other
    authors. My critique groups played a big part. I had a great mentor in Delilah Marvelle,
    and my agent’s assistant, Claire Cavanaugh, who taught me how to edit and polish
    my books.
    When you’re not writing, what would we find you doing?
    Social media, supporting
    other authors on Facebook and Twitter. I blog three times a week. Almost every morning
    I walk the beach and on the weekends I paddleboard.
    Are you a plotter, or do you prefer to make it up on the spur
    of the moment?
    It’s more spur of the
    moment, but I will plot a scene in my head.
    Any advice for new authors?
    Learn about the business,
    and know that this is a huge business. Join a supportive critique group, and professional
    organizations, such as RWA and its chapters. Develop your voice. Don’t give up.
    What other jobs have you held besides writing?
    Boat cleaner, sales clerk,
    musician, soldier, college professor and lawyer.
    What are you currently reading for fun?
    I’m reading Jo Beverly’s
    Malloren Series, but I’ve got new releases from Grace Burrowes, Shana Galen and
    several others on my Kindle waiting for me.
    If you could time travel what era would be your first stop?
    LOL, Regency England.
    Do you believe in luck?
    I do believe in luck.
    I also believe in hard work.
    What kind of music do you listen to while driving? Same question
    for Writing
    I don’t. I listen to
    NPR. I have to have silence when I write.
    Do you play any musical instruments?
    I play piano, but not
    as well as I used to.

    Please complete the sentence

    I love pizza with Gorgonzola cheese.
    I’m always ready for snuggling with my husband.
    When I’m alone, I write and read.

    Previous Books

    The Seduction of Lady Phoebe
    The Secret Life of Miss Anna Marsh

    Books Coming Soon

    The first book in the Marriage Game, The Seduction of Lady Phoebe
    release on September 19, 2013

    Find Me Here

     

  • Character Interviews,  Gay or MM

    Character Interview: Zach Kelly from When Love Takes Over @JacobZFlores #RLFblog

    When Love Takes Over 
    Jacob Z. Flores, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. We’re
    excited to interview your character, Zach Kelly from the book, When Love Takes
    Over.
    Genre: Contemporary gay romance
    Publisher: Dreamspinner
    Cover artist: Michael Breyette
    Length: 270 pages
    Heat rating (based on movie ratings): R
    Will broken hearts keep a porn star and author apart or will
    love take over?
    Zach Kelly’s life is a shambles. His boyfriend of three
    years dumped him, and his writing career is going nowhere. On a whim, he heads
    to Provincetown, Massachusetts, to nurse his broken heart and figure out his
    next step. He’s expecting to find rest and relaxation on the sandy beaches of Cape
    Cod. Instead, Zach meets a hunky porn star during a chance encounter at a
    leather shop he mistakes as a place to buy a belt that is definitely not for
    whipping.
    Van Pierce is smitten when shy and inexperienced Zach
    crashes through a shelf of fetish gear. Though Van’s got an insatiable appetite
    for men on and off the set, his porn persona, Hart Throb, hides a broken heart.
    He’s struggling to find the reality the porno set doesn’t offer, and Zach is
    fighting to find the fantasy that will set his writing on fire. The odd
    goofball and the suave beefcake may either find love amid Provincetown’s
    colorful pageantry where summer never seems to end–or more heartbreak than
    either can imagine.
    Dreamspinner Press http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4098
    Amazon http://amzn.com/B00EC3SRK6
    Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-love-takes-over-jacob-z-flores/1116309941?ean=2940148562511
    What are your main
    characters’ names, ages, and occupations?
    Zach Kelly is 32. He is a college English professor as well
    as a struggling author. Van Pierce is 28, and he is a star for Nasty Boy
    Studios.

    Interview with Zach Kelly

    Tell us about
    yourself.
    Oh, boy. It’s not a pretty story but here goes. My boyfriend
    of three years, Ben, recently dumped me. He gave me no explanation other than
    it was over. He was done, and he wanted me out of our apartment. I wanted to
    fix things, like I always try to do, but there was no fixing us. According to
    Ben. He was so cold and cruel that I had to leave, or I was going to lose it.
    It was the last thing I needed. You see, I work as a college English professor,
    but it’s not what I want to do. I really want to be a full time author, but my
    writing career, well, that’s going nowhere fast. I didn’t know what else to do,
    so I boarded a plane for Provincetown, Massachusetts. I needed to get away and
    find out why my relationship failed and why my writing sucks.
    Tell us about Van.
    Van? Wow! Where do I begin? He’s quite possibly the most attractive
    man I’ve ever met. He’s perfectly tanned and his smile, well, it’s a killer. It’s
    one of those smiles that hitches up to the left, the kind that reveals he’s
    both an angel and a devil merged into one. When I first saw him, I wanted to
    take him in my arms, but I just couldn’t. I’m far too shy for that. Plus, he’s
    a porn star. What could he possibly see in someone like me? I’m too awkward and
    imperfect for someone like Van.
    What do you think is your strongest point?
    Hmm. My devotion perhaps. When I make a commitment to
    someone, I see it through to the end. That’s why I wanted to work things out
    with Ben. We’d been together for three years. We owed it to each other to try
    and work things out, but Ben wanted no part of it. What could I do?
    But that’s how I’ve always lived me life. For good or bad. I
    don’t give up. I keep trying until no reason to try exists. I think that’s a
    strong quality. Although others might call it a weakness.
    What would Van say is
    your strongest point?
    That’s a good question. I don’t know. Maybe my shy and
    clumsy nature. It’s what attracted Van to me in the first place. According to
    him, I was very different from all the other men he’d met in Provincetown. Most
    guys come to town dressed in the same short shorts and muscle shirts. Not me! I
    arrived wearing baggy ass camouflaged shorts and an ill fitting blue and white
    T-shirt. I didn’t think I looked that bad, but everyone else sure did. Well,
    except Van. He liked my mismatched look. He also found it endearing when I
    crashed through a rack of fetish gear and stumbled my way into his life. Who
    knew being such a klutz would get the attention of someone like Van?
    What would Van say is your biggest weakness?
    That’s an easy one because we’ve talked about it a lot. He
    doesn’t like that I’ve lived for other people for most of my life. It started
    with my father. He had this image of perfection that I felt I had to meet, and
    when I didn’t meet his expectations, I felt like a failure. When I met Ben, I
    did the same thing. I did what he wanted and never really questioned it. I told
    you I was a hot mess, didn’t I? But I’m working on it. Van’s been helping me
    with that and so have my new friends Gary, Quinn, and Tara. They’ve been the
    best medicine for me.
    What was it like
    where you grew up?
    I grew up in a small town called Victoria, Texas. There,
    everyone knows your business, and being the son of a prominent doctor in town
    only made me more visible. It was hard living in my dad’s shadow, especially
    once his indiscretions came to light. I don’t like to talk about them though.
    It was pretty tough on me. Well, on my entire family really. I’m still trying
    to deal with everything, so needless to say, my childhood wasn’t the best.
    What do you wish was different about your life?
    I wish I had more confidence in myself. I used to as a
    child. I challenged everything—my father, life, school, the world, but that
    only seemed to get me in trouble. I learned that it was just easier to go with
    the flow. But that hasn’t worked out so well for me, has it? But I’m working on
    it. That’s part of the reason I came to Provincetown. To find myself and the
    person I once was.
    If you were given
    your fondest wish, what would it be?
    To quit my day job and work full time as an author. It’s
    really what I love to do. But I’m not quite there yet. And I need to figure out
    why. Reviews for the books I’ve published myself haven’t exactly been stellar.
    They say my characters are two dimensional and that my plots are contrived and
    over-the-top. Maybe it’s because I haven’t really lived my life yet, which
    makes it difficult to create a fictional world. You have to live and have a
    life to be able to write believable stories. At least that’s what I believe.
    Describe a place of
    perfect refuge.
    Right now, it’s Provincetown. When I first got here, I was
    stressed and unsure. But now, well, let’s just say being here has been good for
    me. The people here are great, and they are willing to take in a stranger and
    treat him like family. It’s like my troubles in Texas didn’t follow me to the Cape.
    I think that makes P-town a perfect refuge for most anyone.
    As a child, who was
    your best friend? Tell us about him/her.
    My best friend was Tommy Martinez. We’ve been friends since
    the second grade. We don’t talk as much as we used to. Which is sad. But when I
    was a kid, we were inseparable. It was also kind of tough being his best
    friend. Tommy wasn’t your average kid. He always had his shit together. Like he
    was an adult or something. Sometimes, I felt as if my dad preferred him to me
    because Tommy knew what he wanted out of his life and just went for it. Things
    were never that easy for me.
    What do you wish I had asked you? Please ask and answer it
    now.
    How about this: where do I see things going with Van?
    Truthfully, I don’t know. I like him. A lot. Probably more than I should. But
    he lives in Provincetown, and I live in Texas. Plus, he’s a porn star. What
    kind of future could the two of us possibly have?

    About Jacob Z. Flores

    Jacob lives a double life. During the day, he is a respected
    college English professor and mid-level administrator. At night and during his
    summer vacation, he loosens the tie and tosses aside the trendy sports coat to
    write man on man fiction, where the hard ass assessor of freshmen level
    composition turns his attention to the firm posteriors and other rigid
    appendages of the characters in his fictional world.
    Summers in Provincetown, Massachusetts, provide Jacob with
    inspiration for his fiction. The abundance of barely clothed man flesh and
    daily debauchery stimulates his personal muse. When he isn’t stroking the
    keyboard, Jacob spends time with his husband, Bruce, their three children, and
    two dogs, who represent a bright blue blip in an otherwise predominantly red
    swath in south Texas.

  • Historical

    Character Interview: Ellie MacKyrie from Highland Seer @willablair #RLFblog

    Character Interview: Ellie MacKyrie from Highland Seer @willablair #RLFblogWilla Blair, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. We’re excited
    to interview your character, Ellie MacKyrie from the book, Highland Seer.
    Genre: Scottish Historical Paranormal Romance
    Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
    Cover artist: Tina Lynn Stout
    Length: 324 pages
    Heat rating: Spicy
    Tagline: The Seer believes he’ll save her clan, but Donal MacNabb
    will be no one’s pawn.
    Blurb:
    Donal MacNabb is loyal to his adopted Lathan clan, yet he resents
    being a pawn in their treaty negotiations with the struggling MacKyries. The MacKyrie
    clan needs his skills as an arms master, but its Laird is bartering for more than
    Donal is prepared to give.
    Ellie MacKyrie knows the Lathan treaty will help protect her
    clan from the neighbor determined to seize her holdings any way he can—including
    forcing her into marriage. But she has another reason to want the Lathan alliance.
    She has Seen the stubborn Donal MacNabb reaching for her in her dreams.
    While Donal fights to save a clan in trouble, his desire for
    the MacKyrie Seer wars with his obligation to his Laird. Before she is forced into
    a marriage that will destroy her clan, Ellie must find the heart behind Donal’s
    gruff exterior and convince him he is the man of her dreams.

    Buy links:

    Amazon: http://ow.ly/nieMI

    Interview with Ellie MacKyrie

    Tell us about yourself.
    I am the laird of clan MacKyrie. Female lairds are rare in Scotland’s
    history, but not unheard of.
    Tell us about Donal MacNabb:
    Donal is…was…the arms master to Clan Lathan, his adopted
    home. He rarely smiles, so he can be intimidating. He’s a master swordsman. A teacher.
    My rock. He…a man…appeared in several dreams. The man I Saw might have been
    someone else, aye, but the more time I spent around Donal, the more certain I became.
    He had the skills my clan needed most, and he…appealed…to me as no other.
    What do you think is your
    greatest strength?
    I will do what is necessary for the good of my people.
    What would Donal MacNabb
    say is your greatest strength?
    I go after what I want and dinna take ‘nay’ for an answer. As
    he has learned.
    What would Donal say is
    your biggest weakness?
    That I’m too soft-hearted. It’s hard for me to make some of the
    decisions a laird must make. Then again, I suppose some decisions are hard for anyone
    to make.
    What do you wish was different
    about your life?
    Had ye asked me before I met Donal, I wouldha wished that Flodden
    never happened. That my clan remained as it was before all those deaths, my father
    and brothers still alive. I would still wish for that, but I would also wish for
    Donal to be at my side. We were decimated by the loss of our fighting men at Flodden
    in 1513. MacKyrie consists of women, children, and a few old men and lads. Few would
    know of our existence, except for the whisky we make, but our neighbors have had
    their eyes on the clan’s holdings – and me – since Flodden. The Lathans brought
    a treaty promising assistance from nearby clans, but also committing MacKyrie to
    provide the same, which we were in no position to do. I saw the Lathan treaty as
    a two-edged sword that could work for us or very much against us. Donal’s presence,
    and the men from the treaty clans he has brought to us, help to even the odds.
    What is it like for a
    woman to be laird?
    I canna speak for women who lead other clans, only for MacKyrie.
    It has been…difficult…challenging…since our men left to fight with the King.
    Our clan’s only survivor, actually a fosterling from anther clan, brought us the
    awful news, then disappeared a few months after his return, consumed by his shock
    and grief. I doubt he still lives. The few warriors my father left behind have been
    lost in skirmishes with the neighbors. The main thing that has saved us thus far
    is that the neighboring lairds are wary of each other. Should one invade MacKyrie,
    the others wouldna be far behind, and they’d fight like dogs over the scraps of
    our home. But it isna all bad. My people are my treasure, and have supported me
    in every way. We’ve made much progress, more so since the Lathans arrived, but there’s
    still much to do.
    Some men claim that a
    woman can not be a successful laird.
    A woman canna be a laird, ye say? Of course she can. She can
    even lead her warriors in battle, if she’s trained for it. And Queens have ruled
    Scotland. But a woman must maintain her authority through craft, wit, and respect
    more than strength. She must have allies.
    How does your Sight work?
    I dream, rarely clearly. I may See only a brief glimpse. Or the
    dream may last a while, but as dreams do, make little sense when I awake. Some dreams
    come to me more than once. Those, especially, I must heed.
    What advice would you
    offer other women thrust into positions of responsibility and power?
    As I said, a woman must have allies. No matter how secure her
    position within her clan, she will be beset by outsiders, and possibly from within
    her own clan. Some men will pursue advantage by any means, fair or foul. Most women
    cannot defeat a man in a physical battle unless she is very skilled or very lucky,
    so she must have champions who will fight for her. She must be able to command respect.
    But a woman walks a fine line between being perceived as a strong leader and a shrew.
    So she must also nurture her people and protect whatever it is that comprises the
    wealth of her clan. Many men believe that marriage conveys the lairdship upon them.
    That isna the case, but If she is very lucky, she will find a man to stand beside
    her, to be her strong arm, her rock and her comfort. As Donal is for me.
    Willa Blair

    About the Author

    Willa Blair is the best-selling and award-winning author of Scottish
    romance with a paranormal twist, set in the 16th century Highlands, when the old
    ways, and old talents, still shaped events.
    She always wished she had several psi talents, such as reading
    her husband’s mind, cleaning house by simply thinking about it, and flying. But
    alas, no. So she endows her historical romance characters with special talents and
    lives vicariously through them. She loves reading and writing romance novels set
    in the past, present and future.
    She realized her life-long dream of becoming an author after
    retiring from her day job to write, travel, and enjoy life. Married to her own military
    hero golf fanatic, she lives in the Texas Hill Country north of San Antonio where
    she writes, feeds hummingbirds year-round and has too many hobbies to count.

    Previous Books

    Highland Healer (Highland Talents #1)

    Books Coming Soon

    The Healer’s Gift (A Highland Talents Novella) And Highland Troth
    (Highland Talents #3)

    Contest:

    One lucky commenter will be chosen at random to win a copy of
    Highland Seer from Willa Blair, so please provide your email address.

    Find Me Here:

     

  • Contemporary

    Cover Love Risk Factors @CalisaRhose #RLFblog #contemporary

    Risk Factors 
    Today’s featured book is Risk Factors by Calisa Rhose.
    Genre: Contemporary Romance
    Publisher: Lyrical Press
    Love, like life, is not without risk. Veterinarian Vivian Dane
    has purchased her uncle’s practice in the tiny town of Wales,
    Missouri, where
    most residents still doubt her ability to treat their pets. But Viv is used to being
    considered less-worthy than her predecessors. After all, her parents are world-renowned
    wildlife vets, and most everyone is unimpressed she’s chosen to not follow directly
    in their footsteps. Now Connor, a patient’s owner, and is hot for Viv, but clearly
    doesn’t think she’s dating material because he has a daughter…who he believes no
    woman is good enough for.
    Being a perfect dad is EMT paramedic Connor’s life focus. He
    can’t seem to stay away from sexy Doctor Viv, but attraction is as far as he’ll
    ever let it go. His mother abandoned him, leaving him to be raised in the foster
    system, and then his wife abandoned both him and their daughter. He absolutely will
    not risk bringing another woman into his little girl’s life and having her feel
    the hurt of being left…again.
    Forfeiting is easier than attempting and failing. So why does
    Viv feel compelled to prove she’s a sure bet for Connor and his daughter? Can Connor
    trust Viv–and himself–enough to play the possibilities?

    Buy links:

    Amazon http://amzn.com/B00BNGXQV0/
    iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/risk-factors/id593847237?mt=11
    Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/risk-factors-calisa-rhose/1114744098?ean=2940016262291

    Find Me Here