• Regency

    To Be a Spy by @JessieClever #Regency #romance #RLFblog

    This quick interview includes info about the author, and introduces the story.

    About the Author

    Jessie decided to become a writer because the job of Indiana Jones was already filled.
    Taking her history degree dangerously, Jessie tells the stories of courageous heroines, the men who dared to love them, and the world that tried to defeat them.
    Jessie makes her home in the great state of New Hampshire where she lives with her husband and two very opinionated Basset Hounds.  For more, visit her website at jessieclever.com.

    Interview with Jessie Clever

    Why did you write this book?
    This story is in response to emails and reviews from readers.  They all wanted to hear more about the Black family, a family of spies during the Napoleonic Wars.  And who was I to say no?  The Black family was happy to oblige with another adventure.
    What is your favorite genre to read?
    Historical romantic fiction especially when it has an element of mystery or suspense.
    Who is your favorite character from fiction (not including your own)?
    I’m going to be clichéd and say Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird.  Ever since he was brought to life by Gregory Peck, I have this weird habit of picturing him as God.  I really do.  There’s just something comforting about that character.
    What are you working on at the moment, and will see from you in coming months?
    I have just started working on the Shadowing London series, a Regency romantic suspense trilogy that will follow the story line set up in the Spy Series short stories.
    Please tell us about your latest book.
    Samuel Black must make a decision: to be a spy like his
    father or follow his heart.
    Either is likely to give his mother chest pains.
    For Samuel is no longer a lad with the ambitious and noble
    wish of being a lamplighter to keep the seedy streets of London safe. About to
    embark on university, his mind stirs with the thoughts of creating a policing
    force in London to safeguard its citizens. Held back by his family’s legacy as
    spies, Samuel does not make his ideas known.
    But when he stops a would-be purse-snatcher, his path
    unexpectedly veers into that of one Miss Penelope Paiget, and suddenly, Samuel
    must make a choice.
    The short stories in the Spy Series:
    1. To Be a Spy
    2. To Be a Duke
    3. To Be a Lady
    4. To Be a Debutante

    The Spy Series short stories take place after the conclusion
    of the Spy Series.

    About the Book

    Title To Be a Spy: A Spy Series Christmas Short Story
    Genre Regency romantic suspense
    Author Jessie Clever
    Book heat level (based on movie ratings): PG

    Buy This Book

    Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1bOGy3O
    Nook http://bit.ly/1bzduwB

    Author Social Media

    Amazon Author Page http://amzn.to/2fCXhu
  • Modern Western

    Whispers of Forever: Mending Christmas a new #Cowboy Romance by @MaryJDressel #RLFblog

    This quick interview includes info about the author, and introduces the story.

    About the Author

    Mary found her niche in the contemporary western romance genre. She’s the author of eight western romance novels, with more on the horizon. She dabbles in the paranormal romance genre and has written two time-travel romance books, which are now out of print.
    She lives in the Great Lake Basin area in the U.S.A., and has two sons. Her career was in education working with children with learning disabilities at the elementary and middle school levels. She’s taught creative writing for a college leisure program.
    Besides writing, Mary enjoys photography, reading, going to the opera and dinner with friends, and traveling. Her dream came true when she retired and became a full-time writer.

    Interview with Mary J. McCoy-Dressel 

    Why did you write this book? 
    I wrote this spin off series because it takes place in the same small town where the Carlson cowboys from the Double Dutch Ranch Series live. The new series was created because it takes us off the Double Dutch Ranch. This series will introduce friends and acquaintances of the Carlson family and new characters who live in Canyon Junction.
    What is your favorite genre to read?
    My favorite genre to read is western romance. I love cowboys, bull riders, and the whole western scene. During the Christmas season, I like to read holiday romance novels.
    Who is your favorite character from fiction (not including your own)?
    I’ll say the same thing I said in a previous post on Romance Lives Forever. Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. LOL, I know he isn’t a cowboy. *grin* It isn’t easy to choose only one favorite character.
    What are you working on at the moment, and will see from you in coming months?
    I’m working on the second book in Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series and finishing up revisions on the fifth book in the Double Dutch Ranch Series. You’ll see these two books in 2017.
    Please tell us about your latest book.
    A Double Dutch Ranch Series spin off novel
    Rancher Jake Lawton is coming to terms with his wife’s infidelity, but he doesn’t expect to become a single dad overnight. He discovers a malicious act by his wife, which could affect both he and his son’s lives. By chance, he runs into his high school sweetheart, never expecting the same old yearnings to return with one “How are ya?” embrace. Has their unanticipated meeting arrived at the perfect time, or has years apart put an end to what should’ve been years ago?
    Beth Marconi arrives home to help care for her ailing father. In town, she inadvertently runs into her first love—the cowboy she nearly married after graduation. Sparks ignite before they say hello, but how do they start over when life has left them so bruised? When her ex comes to town, she’s forced to explain the secret surrounding her marriage. Is Jake the kind of man who will understand, or will he revert to the hell-raiser he had become when Beth left thirteen years ago?
    Filled with both anguish and hope at Christmastime, a grieving little boy and two lonely hearts pursue a second chance. Jake and Beth seek to work with what they have today instead of living in yesterday’s memories. Forever love and second chances are possible. Right?

    About the Book

    Title Whispers of Forever: Mending Christmas
    Genre Contemporary Western Romance, Holiday
    Author Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
    Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R

    Buy This Book

    Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N94UMDO
    Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whispers-of-forever-mary-j-mccoy-dressel/1125150754?ean=2940153168432

    Author Social Media

  • Sports

    Gil a new sports #literaryfiction by @daringibby #RLFblog

    This quick interview includes info about the author, and introduces the story.

    About the Author

    In addition to a thriving career as a novelist, author Darin Gibby is also one of the country’s premiere patent attorneys and a partner at the prestigious firm of Kilpatrick Townsend (www.kilpatricktownsend.com). With over twenty years of experience in obtaining patents on hundreds of inventions from the latest  drug delivery systems to life-saving cardiac equipment, he has built IP portfolios for numerous Fortune 500 companies. In addition to securing patents, Gibby helps clients enforce and license their patents around the world, and he has monetized patents on a range of products.
    Darin’s first book, Why Has America Stopped Inventing?, explored the critical issue of America’s broken patent system.  His second book, The Vintage Club, tells the story of a group of the world’s wealthiest men who are chasing a legend about a wine that can make you live forever.
    With a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and a Master of Business Administration degree, he is highly regarded in Denver’s legal and business community as a patent strategist, business manager, and community leader. He is also a sought-after speaker on IP issues at businesses, colleges and technology forums, where he demonstrates the value of patents using simple lessons from working on products such as Crocs shoes, Izzo golf straps and Trek bicycles.
    An avid traveler and accomplished triathlete, Darin also enjoys back country fly-fishing trips and skiing in the Rocky Mountains. He lives in Denver with his wife, Robin, and their four children.

    Interview with Darin Gibby

    Why did you write this book?
    Gil is one of those books I wrote for myself.  It tells a powerful story about the price required to pursue one’s dreams, and about what really matters in life. Gil’s dedication to his wife, Keri, was the main theme I wanted to convey.
    What is your favorite genre to read?
    I tradeoff between historical fiction and thrillers.
    Who is your favorite character from fiction (not including your own)?
    Johnny Nowlan from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
    What are you working on at the moment, and will see from you in coming months? 
    I am finishing up a thriller entitled Chasing Hindy. This book is about a patent attorney who thinks she’s landed her dream job with a company who has invented a technology to let cars run on water only to discover that there are other interests who are poised to make sure it never comes to market.  It should publish in March 2017.
    Please tell us about your latest book.
    Some gifts come with a price.
    Twenty years before, high school coach Gil Gilbert gave up his dream to play professional baseball so he could marry his pregnant girlfriend, Keri. When he miraculously discovers that he can pitch with deadly accuracy and speed, he must choose between his successful career and familiar family life or his chance to play with the Colorado Rockies during a player’s strike. Gil stuns the pitching staff with 100 mph fastballs and is offered a contract.
    After joining the Rockies, the world soon learns that Gil is a supernatural phenomenon and the Rockies keep winning. But Gil soon faces stiff opposition, including a frivolous lawsuit, a father who feels his son’s calling to pitch is to save souls, and threats from the striking players. As the season progresses, Gil discovers that his unexpected gift is the result of a rare disease, and continuing to pitch may hasten his own death. While Keri supports his decision to keep playing, she is fearful about her husband’s bizarre heath condition.
    Gil must decide what price he is willing to pay to live his dream.

    About the Book

    Title Gil
    Genre Literary Fiction – Sports
    Author Darin Gibby
    Book heat level (based on movie ratings): PG13

    Buy This Book

    Publisher Koehler Books
    Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Gil-Darin-Gibby-ebook/dp/B01M6W698S
    Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gil-darin-gibby/1124635993?ean=9781633933637
    Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/gil-4?utm_source=indigo&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=retailer

    Author Social Media

  • Suspense

    Solitary Man a new #romanticsuspense by @dianebenefiel #RLFblog

    This quick interview includes info about the author, and introduces the story. 

    About the Author

    Diane Benefiel enjoys writing contemporary romantic suspense. A high school history teacher in her day job, she is always searching for pockets of time to write. Diane enjoys spending time with her husband and two mostly-grown children. They recently bought a trailer and have taken to the open highway to expand their ‘been there’ list. A huge fan of the national parks, last year she visited eight, including her current favorites, Capitol Reef and Mesa Verde.  Visit www.dianebenefiel.com to stay abreast of new happenings.

    Interview with Diane Benefiel

    Why did you write this book?
    I love the idea of a strong man who falls in love with his friend’s wife – that’s what got me started on Ryder’s journey. He has to protect Brenna, and still protect his heart. Ryder was the character in my head that wouldn’t let me rest until I wrote his story.
    What is your favorite genre to read?
    I write what I read – romantic suspense. This genre has so much potential for conflict and tension that it keeps me turning the page. I love experiencing characters who get swept into dangerous situations where they must rely on each other to survive – nothing amps up sexual tension better. Another favorite genre is westerns. When I was young, I read Louis L’Amour novels and watched John Wayne movies – I think this is where I developed a love for the wide-open spaces of the West. The image of the cowboy rancher appeals to me, though in the back of my mind is a story of a female rancher that I might write someday.
    Who is your favorite character from fiction (not including your own)?
    In literature, my favorites are those characters who seek justice, like Atticus Finch and Reverend Casy. In romance fiction, a character who has stuck with me is Abigail Lowery in Nora Roberts’ The Witness. She is an amazing woman with incredible strength and resilience. She doesn’t need a man to protect her or make her whole, so when she does meet a man who challenges her comfort zone (Brooks is downright yummy), she is strong enough to meet that challenge.
    What are you working on at the moment, and will see from you in coming months?
    Speaking of westerns, I am currently finishing a romantic suspense set on a ranch in the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. The story begins with the heroine Addison arriving at the ranch of her nemesis Elijah MacElvoy after she witnesses a murder. Despite their history of dislike and distrust, Addy knows that the only place she will feel safe is with Elijah.
    Please tell us about your latest book.
    ALONE…
    After surviving a deadly Taliban attack on his unit, Sgt. Ryder Bronson returns home to fulfill a promise—to keep his dead friend’s wife safe from a scandal so dark that it threatens her life. But protecting her from a distance is essential. To be in close contact with Brenna McMurtrey means fighting the guilt and desire waiting to destroy him. Being honest with her would reveal more than his heart can bear.
    TOGETHER…
    Over a year after the death of her husband, Brenna is finally ready to move on. Yet, just as she begins to push past the grief and start living again, danger rises at every turn. Several close calls prove she is the target of a sinister scheme. Nowhere is safe, especially not home. Her next-door neighbor appears to be watching her, a handsome if bad-tempered stranger who seems everywhere at once—and whose gray eyes hold an ocean of tragedy. Even if he is capable of protecting her, a part of Brenna will still be in jeopardy. The part that believes she can never love again.

    About the Book

    Title Solitary Man
    Genre Romantic Suspense
    Author Diane Benefiel
    Book heat level (based on movie ratings G, PG, PG13, R): R

    Buy This Book

    Publisher Boroughs Publishing Group
    Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Solitary-Man-Diane-Benefiel-ebook/dp/B01M8O0T83/
    Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/solitary-man-diane-benefiel/1125021454?ean=9781539795735
    ARe https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-solitaryman-2167228-153.html

    Author Social Media

  • Suspense

    Tying a New Series w/an Old One @EmilyMimsAuthor #RLFblog #suspense

    By Emily Mims
    When I wrote ‘Solomon’s Choice’
    back in 2012, I had no idea that it would become the first book the nine book ‘Texas
    Hill Country’ series, set around the fictional lake community of Heaven’s Point
    of Verde County, Texas. I had a wonderful time with those stories. I drew
    deeply from my own lake community and quaint charm of the Hill Country of
    Texas. I used my own house in the story, and sent my heroes and heroines on the
    same moonlit boat rides and eagle watching trips I had been on. I wrote about a
    place and the people that I loved.
    At the same time, as a writer I
    recognized that series have, or should have, a finite lifetime. As long as two
    years ago I was already thinking about my next series and getting to know the
    characters as they developed in my imagination. But at the same time, I didn’t
    want to just drop the Hill Country series cold, leaving my readers wondering
    what had happened to that series and those settings and characters. So I
    decided to do something I’ve seen done a few times but not often enough in the
    world of series romance. I decided to tie the two series together, by
    introducing a couple of characters in the last book of the Hill Country series
    that would travel to Tennessee. They would become two of my heroes in the ‘Smoky
    Blue’ series, set in the folk and bluegrass music world of the Appalachian
    Mountains. Hopefully, my readers would be eager to travel with these characters
    and join them in their new setting.
    My readers have already met Ren
    Navarro, the hero of ‘Mist’, in the last two books in the Hill Country series. He
    and his friend Sawyer Ellison both find themselves in Appalachia, again
    investigating drug dealing associated with a music club. Ren and Sawyer were
    both mysterious characters in ‘Once, Again.’ Although Ren’s true nature and
    Sawyer’s true mission are not revealed until the end of that book, I wrote both
    characters with the subsequent series in mind, making sure Ren had the traits
    and talents he would need as the hero of ‘Mist’ and laying the groundwork for
    Sawyer’s continuing development as a character and his role as an eventual
    hero. As cousin to the heroes of the last two Hill Country books and a part of
    the family business, through Ren we will see Alex and Misty again, and the
    series will continue to have ties to Texas and the characters we left behind
    there.
    But not too many ties. The Smoky
    Blue series has its own characters and stories. And it is set in a part of the
    country that in many ways is very different from Texas. This time the story is
    set not around a community, but around a bluegrass nightclub called Acoustics,
    and the heroes and heroines are in some was associated with the club. Many of
    the characters are musicians. This time, I’m drawing deeply from my experiences
    as a musician and avid lover of mountain music. The jam sessions depicted are
    modeled after those I’ve played in. My dulcimer-playing heroine, Kylie, plays
    the same songs on her dulcimer that I do on mine. The ukulele-playing heroine
    of the third book, ‘Evergreen’, plays the same music I play on my uke. The
    festivals-I’ve been to every one of them. Even the dulcimer on the cover
    belongs to me. These stories are coming from a very different
    place than the others. They call for fresh characters in this new setting, with
    new challenges to face as they find the man or woman of their dreams.

    About the Book

    Title Mist
    Genre Romance/romantic suspense
    Author Emily Mims
    Book heat level (based on movie ratings): PG13
    Someone is distributing drugs out of the nightclub
    Acoustics, and musician and undercover operative Reynolds Navarro has come to
    Bristol, Tennessee to find out who. His prime suspect is the beautiful dulcimer
    player Kylie Barstow Richards, whose drug-dealing husband was gunned down and
    who has an unexplained source of money feeding into an offshore account. As
    part of his investigation, Ren must gain her trust-and access to her home. What
    better way to do that than to become her lover?
    Kylie hates liars-she has been lied to all her life and she
    vows never to be lied to again, especially by the appealing Ren Campbell. But
    with danger drawing nearer and everything Kylie’s ever wanted about to be lost
    to her, can Kylie put her faith in the man she loves but knows she cannot
    trust?

    Buy This Book

    Publisher Boroughs Publishing
    Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Mist-Smokey-Blues-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01LZBLPWO/ 

    About the Author

    Author of twenty-eight romance novels, Emily Mims combined
    her writing career with a career in public education until leaving the
    classroom to write full time. The mother of two sons and six grandsons, she and
    her husband Charles live in central Texas but frequently visit grandchildren in
    Tennessee and Georgia. For relaxation she plays the piano, organ, dulcimer and
    ukulele. She says, “I love to write romances because I believe in them. Romance
    happened to me and it can happen to any woman-if she’ll just let it.”

    Author Social Media

    Amazon Author Page https://amazon.com/Emily-Mims/e/B00FQQ247K

  • Contemporary

    Snowbound with Mr. Wrong @BarbaraWDaille #RLFblog #contemporaryromance

    Today’s featured book is Snowbound with Mr. Wrong by Barbara White Daille.

    About the Book

    Title  Snowbound with Mr. Wrong
    Genre  Contemporary romance
    Author  Barbara White Daille
    Book heat level (based on movie ratings): G
    Worst. Day. Ever. After Lyssa Barnett’s sister tricks her into reprising her role at Snowflake Valley’s annual children’s party, she doesn’t think anything can be worse than squeezing into her too-small elf costume. Then tall, dark, and way too handsome Nick Tavlock shows up to play Santa…and an unexpected storm leaves them snowbound in the isolated lodge.
    The last thing Nick wants is to spend a cozy Christmas Eve with a trio of kids and the woman who dumped him. But as much as Lyssa frustrates him, he can’t stop thinking about her. And soon, he’s fighting very un-Santa-like thoughts of kissing a certain sexy Miss Elf under the mistletoe. As Nick starts to fall for Lyssa all over again, he knows it will take nothing short of a miracle to have Lyssa in his arms on Christmas Day.

    Buy This Book

    Publisher: Entangled http://bit.ly/swmw-pg
    Amazon: http://bit.ly/swmw-amz
    Amazon Australia: http://bit.ly/swmw-au
    Amazon Canada: http://bit.ly/swmw-ca
    Amazon UK: http://bit.ly/swmw-uk
    Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/swmw-bn
    iBooks: http://bit.ly/swmw-ibooks

    Kobo: http://bit.ly/swmw-kobo

    About the Author

    Barbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom. Barbara also loves writing, reading, and chocolate. Come to think of it, she enjoys writing about those subjects, too!
    Barbara wrote her first short story at the age of nine, then typed “The End” to her first novel many years later…in the eighth grade. Now she’s writing contemporary romance on a daily basis, with a brand-new series from Entangled Bliss (Snowflake Valley), an ongoing series from Harlequin Western Romance (The Hitching Post Hotel), and many more books on the schedule.
    She would love to have you stop by her website and blog and to look for her the next time you’re on Facebook and Twitter.

    Author Social Media

    Website  http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com