• Know the Hero,  Suspense

    Know the Hero from Lapses of Memory by MS Spencer @msspencerauthor #RLFblog #RomanticSuspense

    Know the Hero from Lapses of Memory by MS Spencer @msspencerauthor #RLFblog #RomanticSuspenseMS Spencer, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! We’re excited to find out more about your hero, but first, tell us about Lapses of Memory.

    Lapses of Memory by MS Spencer

    Genre Romantic Suspense

    Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R

    Sydney Bellek first meets Elian Davies in the 1950s on a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser when she is five and he is seven. They run into each other every few years after that, but while he knows from the start that she is his true love, she does not. Later, as rival journalists, they vie for scoops on international crises from the Iranian revolution to the Lebanese civil war. The handsome and intrepid Elian beats her out at every turn, even while keeping his love for her secret.

    Only after years of separation does she finally realize they are meant to be together, but this time, in a twist of fate, it is Elian whose memory of her is gone. Will he remember her before she loses heart or will their new love be enough to replace the old one?

    Know the Hero from Lapses of Memory

    Here are some fun questions to help us know your hero.

    It’s late, he’s bored. What does he do?

    Elian is never bored. He is constantly on the move, constantly investigating. He’s a famous photojournalist, covering events from the Iranian revolution to the Lebanese civil war.

    What kind of food would he impulse buy if hungry?

    I don’t know about food, but he does usually have a couple of airline-sized liquor bottles in his pocket.

    Describe the kind of clothes he prefers to wear.

    Ex-officio—LL Bean. Travel clothes for the adventurous. Like safari shirts with flaps and hiking boots.

    Does he know how to fix things?

    Not really. He’s a man of action; not a homebody.

    He tried to do something and it went badly. Tell us about it.

    The first time he and Sydney try to make love, it does not go well. Here’s Sydney telling her daughter about it years later:

    “He was magnificent. A stallion.” Sydney’s lips curled upwards.

    Olivia tut-tutted. “Yeah, right. I bet it was awkward as hell—just like most first times.”

    Sydney made a face. “I did my best not to laugh. First he couldn’t figure out how to unhook my bra. Then he tripped over his pants and fell face first on the bed. Well, to be more specific, on the cat.”

    How does he act around children he doesn’t know?

    Funny question, since he has a child he doesn’t know is his. He loves her anyway.

    What is he like first thing in the morning?

    Sexy.

    Can he use chopsticks?

    Absolutely. He has traveled all over the world and eaten all kinds of cuisine.

    Does he drink coffee? If so, how does he take it? If not, what does he drink instead?

    He likes Arab (Turkish) coffee, masbout (medium sweet).

    What apps would he have on his phone?

    None. For all but the last chapter, we meet him before the App Era.

    Android or iPhone?

    Neither. He might have a Motorola cell phone.

    Beard or clean-shaven?

    Clean shaven. He likes to show off his pointed chin. They go with his elfin ears and hair that could belong to a leprechaun. Oh, and eyes the color of the Caribbean Sea at high noon.

    Earrings/piercings/tattoos or unadorned skin?

    He had a diamond stud in his ear, which led Sydney to believe he was a privileged Ivy League bore. He gave it up in exchange for something Sydney cherished.

    Personal vehicle or public transport?

    He is known for leaping onto trucks and buses in order to get a story. Never owned a car.

    Recycle or toss?

    Recycle.

    Thanks for helping us get to know your hero!

    Where to buy Lapses of Memory

    Publisher https://www.thewildrosepress.com/books/lapses-of-memory
    Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Lapses-Memory-M-S-Spencer-ebook/dp/B01N5P9FTU
    Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lapses-of-memory-ms-spencer/1115291373
    iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/lapses-of-memory/id1196959922?mt=11
    Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lapses-of-memory-1
    Google https://play.google.com/store/books/details/M_S_Spencer_Lapses_of_Memory?id=LOdFDgAAQBAJ
    Walmart https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lapses-of-Memory-eBook/285987306
    Indigo https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/lapses-of-memory/9781509212934-item.html
    OverDrive https://www.overdrive.com/media/3217316/lapses-of-memory
    Audio / Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Lapses-of-Memory/dp/B07QB8LHBQ/
    Audible https://www.audible.com/pd/Lapses-of-Memory-Audiobook/B07QGG44ZY

    MS Spencer Social Media

    Although MS Spencer has lived or traveled in five of the seven continents, the last thirty years were spent mostly in Washington, D.C. as a librarian, speechwriter, literary editor, professional staff at a U. S. Senate committee and at the Dept. of the Interior, non-profit director, and parent. She holds a BA from Vassar College, a diploma in Arabic Studies from the American University in Cairo, and Masters in Anthropology and in Library Science from the University of Chicago. All of this tends to insinuate itself into her works.
    Ms. Spencer has published thirteen romantic suspense or murder mystery novels, with two more on the way. She has two fabulous grown children and an incredible granddaughter. She divides her time between the Gulf Coast of Florida and a tiny village in Maine.
    Blog http://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com
    Twitter www.twitter.com/msspencerauthor
    Facebook https://www.facebook.com/msspencerromance
    Pinterest http://pinterest.com/msspencerauthor/
    Instagram https://www.instagram.com/msspencerauthor/
    GoodReads http://www.goodreads.com/msspencer
    Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/m-s-spencer
    Amazon author page http://www.amazon.com/M.S.-Spencer/e/B002ZOEUC8
    Linked in www.linkedin.com/in/msspencerauthor

     

  • Know the Hero,  Suspense

    Know the Hero from Flotsam and Jetsam: the Amelia Island Affair by MS Spencer @msspencerauthor #RLFblog #CozyMystery

    Know the Hero from Flotsam and Jetsam: the Amelia Island Affair by MS Spencer @msspencerauthor #RLFblog #CozyMysteryMS Spencer, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! We’re excited to find out more about your hero, but first, tell us about the book.

    Flotsam and Jetsam: the Amelia Island Affair by MS Spencer

    Genre: Cozy Mystery/Romantic Suspense

    Book heat level (based on movie ratings): PG13

    State Park Rangers Simon Ribault and Ellie Ironstone are used to dealing with messy campers and ravaging raccoons, but when three bodies wash up on the beach, they mobilize all their powers of deduction. Who are they and how did they get to the shore of Amelia Island? Are they connected to the secretive League of the Green Cross? Or linked to a mysterious Jamaican drug ring?

    Ellie, new to Amelia Island, must penetrate a close-knit community if she wants to find answers to the mystery, all while deciding between two rivals for her affection: Thad, the handsome local idol, and Simon, the clever, quirky bookworm.

    Simon, for his part, will have to call on both his well-honed research skills to solve the case and his not-so well-honed skills as a Don Juan to lure Ellie away from Thad.

    Know the Hero from Flotsam and Jetsam: the Amelia Island Affair

    Here are some fun questions to help us know your hero.

    It’s late, he’s bored. What does he do?

    That’s easy: read. There are more books in Simon’s house than dust motes. He holds some five graduate degrees and is always looking to learn more.

    What kind of food would he impulse buy if hungry?

    Well, since Simon eats only plain hamburgers and fries, that would be his first and only choice. He does claim that at one time he was a gourmand, but there’s no solid evidence of that. At one point in Flotsam and Jetsam he is under such stress that he accepts a slice of pizza, but sadly (in my opinion) removes the anchovies before eating it.

    Describe the kind of clothes he prefers to wear.

    Since he is a State Park ranger, he wears a uniform. He’s happy with that—one less decision to make. Of course, it does lead to some confusion, since Ellie also wears a ranger uniform.

    Does he know how to fix things?

    Unfortunately, he’s one of those nerds who knows all kinds of esoteric stuff but not how to fix a toilet or employ high tech machinery. Ellie has to show him how to use a baby monitor to eavesdrop on the bad guys.

    He tried to do something and it went badly. Tell us about it.

    He kissed Ellie, and that went pretty well, until Georgia caught them and Ellie got jealous and wouldn’t speak to him. (Correction: she stopped speaking to him after she called him a louse.)

    How does he act around children he doesn’t know?

    Oh, he’s wonderful, especially with scouts. When a girl scout—acting on a dare—ends up stuck in the mud he delivers her from the jaws of an alligator in the nick of time. Or at least that’s how the other girl scouts tell it.

    What is he like first thing in the morning?

    A bit too bouncy in Ellie’s opinion. Although when he finds himself getting used to having eggs and coffee with her every morning he resists. (It’s that darn “M” word.)

    Can he use chopsticks?

    Of course! Although there’s no real need for them when you have the hamburger bun.

    Does he drink coffee? If so, how does he take it? If not, what does he drink instead?

    Black and lots of it. After the sun dips below the yardarm, beer. Like his food, he likes it plain and simple—Pabst Blue Ribbon always.

    What apps would he have on his phone?

    He wouldn’t. No need on a small island in which you know where everyone is at all times. He’s good at science (that degree in criminology) but has no use for bells and whistles.

    Android or iPhone?

    Android. He wouldn’t own an Apple product if he and it were the last things on earth.

    Beard or clean-shaven?

    Clean shaven—he likes things neat and tidy, except his house. I mean, if the house were tidied up, where would he put his books?

    Earrings/piercings/tattoos or unadorned skin?

    No artificial embellishments <he shivers>. Ellie would say he was handsome enough without, but the real reason is that after reading Ray Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man, Simon developed a phobia of tattoos.

    Personal vehicle or public transport?

    OMG, Simon’s baby is his 1966 Ford Mustang GT, with the original engine and a fully restored interior with vintage vinyl seats. Georgia claims it’s full of old magazines and books, but in fact Simon keeps it pristine. He also drives a park truck.

    Recycle or toss?

    Recycle. He’s a State Park ranger, for heaven’s sake. He picks up other people’s trash.

    Thanks for helping us get to know your hero!

    Where to buy Flotsam and Jetsam: the Amelia Island Affair

    Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Flotsam-Jetsam-Amelia-Island-Affair-ebook/dp/B07JKTXYJC
    Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flotsam-and-jetsam-m-s-spencer/1129787048?ean=2940161601945
    iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/flotsam-and-jetsam/id1439717297?mt=11
    Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/flotsam-and-jetsam-the-amelia-island-affair
    Indigo https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/flotsam-and-jetsam-the-amelia/9781509223350-item.html
    Google Play https://play.google.com/store/books/details/M_S_Spencer_Flotsam_and_Jetsam_the_Amelia_Island_A?id=bFx-DwAAQBAJ
    Indie-bound https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781509223343
    Bookstrand https://www.bookstrand.com/flotsam-and-jetsam-the-amelia-island-affair
    Walmart https://www.walmart.com/ip/Flotsam-and-Jetsam-the-Amelia-Island-Affair-eBook/299982150

    MS Spencer Social Media

    Blog https://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com
    Twitter www.twitter.com/msspencerauthor
    Facebook https://www.facebook.com/msspencerromance
    Pinterest http://pinterest.com/msspencerauthor/
    GoodReads http://www.goodreads.com/msspencer
    Instagram https://www.instagram.com/msspencerauthor/
    Linked in www.linkedin.com/in/msspencerauthor
    Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/m-s-spencer
    Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/M.S.-Spencer/e/B002ZOEUC8/

     

  • Christmas or Holiday

    Flotsam and Jetsam by MS Spencer @msspencerauthor #ChristmasRomance #Read

    Flotsam and Jetsam by MS Spencer @msspencerauthor #ChristmasRomance #ReadIt’s #ChristmasRomance Saturday on RLFblog! Join us for a collection of free reads and downloads. All genres and heat levels. This week’s featured book is Flotsam and Jetsam by MS Spencer. Bookmark this site so you don’t miss a thing.

    Welcome to Christmas Romance Saturday

    Each week, you’ll find Christmas Romances to download and read. Take a peek at each one and check out their other books. Thank you, and enjoy the books!

    Flotsam and Jetsam: the Amelia Island Affair BY MS Spencer

    Who’s littering the park with corpses?
    State Park Rangers Simon Ribault and Ellie Ironstone are used to dealing with messy campers and ravaging raccoons, but when three bodies wash up on the beach, they mobilize all their powers of deduction. Who are they and how did they get to the shore of Amelia Island? Are they connected to the secretive League of the Green Cross? Or linked to a mysterious Jamaican drug ring?
    Ellie, new to Amelia Island, must penetrate a close-knit community if she wants to find answers to the mystery, all while deciding between two rivals for her affection: Thad, the handsome local idol, and Simon, the clever, quirky bookworm.
    Simon, for his part, will have to call on both his well-honed research skills to solve the case and his not-so well-honed skills as a Don Juan to lure Ellie away from Thad.

    Buy link https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/6345-flotsam-and-jetsam-the-amelia-island-affair.html

    Yule Tied: Oops! by Anne KaneYule Tied: Oops! by Anne Kane #ChristmasRomance #Read

    Stephanie, Jackie and Caroline. The three women have been friends for years, and they’ve built themselves a nice bed and breakfast /ranch operation. But with less than a fortnight to Christmas, a ruthless banker has swindled them out of their beloved home. What will they do?
    Well, kidnapping him and holding him hostage until he decides to do the right thing sounds like a good plan. Unfortunately, it all goes hilariously wrong when they discover they’ve kidnapped the wrong man. Bondage, obedience classes and more are needed to make sure there’s a Merry Christmas this year!

    Buy link https://www.changelingpress.com/oops-yule-tied-1-b-2538

    Christmas Dreams and Santa Schemes by Barbara Lohr

    Christmas Dreams and Santa Schemes by Barbara Lohr #ChristmasRomance #ReadCan the young widow make her family’s Christmas dreams come true? Sarah’s scheming little boys might have the answer.
    Christmas season in Gull Harbor is Sarah’s chance to fill her bakery cases with holiday cookies and pastries. Recently widowed, she needs brisk sales to catch up on late taxes. Her brother-in-law Ryan volunteers to help, although her husband’s handsome younger brother has always been trouble. But her two little boys, Nathan and Justin, adore Uncle Ryan and scheme to make him the man of Mom’s dreams.
    Ryan’s motorcycle accident changed his life. So did the loss of his brother, and he made Jamie a promise he intends to keep. Mastering lemon bars and gingerbread men begins as a duty and ends as a mission. He didn’t count on sweet Sarah stealing his heart. Can she see him as more than a man with a history of bad decisions?
    Touched by his efforts, Sarah wavers. Would Jamie approve of this growing attraction? After tromping through a snowy woods, Nathan and Justin pick out the most pathetic Christmas tree ever. Maybe they see what the tree can become, not what it is. And maybe that’s the lesson of hope and love Sarah will learn this Christmas season.

    Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JQ39BJF/

    Once Upon a Christmas Kiss by Cathy MacRaeOnce Upon a Christmas Kiss by Cathy MacRae #ChristmasRomance #Read

    Step away from the Christmas rush this season and fall in love again with this amazing set of Historical Christmas tales by USA Today and bestselling authors.
    Step away from the Christmas rush this season and fall in love again with this amazing set of Historical Christmas tales by USA Today and bestselling authors! This set includes
    One Knight Under the Mistletoe by Catherine Kean
    Kissing Lord Renfred de Vornay under the mistletoe was the last thing Lady Liliana Thornleigh expected days before Christmas. When she learns Ren’s dangerous secrets, will her hatred of him intensify, or will she accept his love?
    Mhairi’s Yuletide Wish by Cathy Macrae
    What Mhàiri and Michaell receive this Yuletide season could prove more than they had ever dreamed.
    Plus many more!

    Amazon https://www.amzn.com/dp/B07J1CWS9X

    The Dread Hannigan Christmas Party by CS Myers #ChristmasRomance #ReadThe Dread Hannigan Christmas Party by CS Myers

    Who said you can never go home? What a load of malarkey.
    Sam had to go home and she had to go to the neighborhood Christmas party.
    Now that Sam had returned home, her mother’s sole mission in life seemed to be fixing her up. And this Christmas party was only the start.
    Could it get any worse?
    Don’t even ask…

    Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F9JKYX3/

    Bustles and Bells: A Holiday Steampunk Anthology by Erin HayesBustles and Bells: A Holiday Steampunk Anthology by Erin Hayes #ChristmasRomance #Read

    Wishing you Steampunk’s Greetings and a Happy New Gear!
    Join New York Times, USA Today, bestselling and award-winning speculative fiction authors as they celebrate the holidays this December in steampunk style. Tinsel and trains, tinkers and time-machines, garlands and gaslamps grace the stories in this limited-time anthology.
    Corseted ladies and cloaked lords fill your holidays with Christmas cheer—and a touch of Yuletide magic, too—in this collection full of tales of wonder set in alternate landscapes of Victorian style and steam-powered technology.
    So deck the skies with dirigibles, gather ’round the clockwork tree, and settle in with your eggnog and goggles for a steampunk celebration like never before!

    Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J3CXGDT/

    A Romance for Christmas by Kayelle Allen

    A Romance for Christmas by Kayelle Allen #ChristmasRomance #ReadAlone at Christmas. What a sad thing! When your loved one will never be home for Christmas again, what do you do? In the sweet holiday romance, A Romance for Christmas, a widow with a small child answers a knock at her door late on Christmas Eve. When she answers, everything about her holiday — and her life — changes. Love, loss, and the spirit of giving — this book is what Christmas is all about…

    Universal book link https://books2read.com/u/31MNPw

    Untangle My Heart by Maria K AlexanderUntangle My Heart by Maria K Alexander #ChristmasRomance #Read

    When her marriage ended in tragedy, Kate DiFrancesco rebuilt her life, but has never gotten over the pain of what she lost. Seeking the help of an ex-lover ignites feelings she’s promised never to have again. She’ll need to untangle herself from dangers in her past in order to break the hard shell around her heart.
    Edward Weston has a lot to prove, both to his stuffy upper-crust British family, and to himself. Working alongside Kate, a woman he had a casual relationship with, stirs unexpected feelings. Helping her family makes him realize what he’s missing. For the first time, he wants more than a one-night stand. When Kate is threatened, Edward must overcome feeling unworthy to protect the woman he loves and fight for the family he never thought he’d have.
    Untangle My Heart, a second chance contemporary holiday romance.

    Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0153Q7NZK/

    Cowboy Christmas by Margaret Tanner

    Cowboy Christmas by Margaret Tanner #ChristmasRomance #ReadZac Goodman is a gunslinger who is haunted by an injustice from his past. Jailed for a crime he did not commit because a conniving woman lied, he wanders from place to place, but always ends up returning to the cabin where he lived as a boy.
    On Christmas Eve, he finds heavily pregnant Holly O’Leary in an abandoned wagon, her cheating husband lying dead a few yards away.
    Reluctantly he takes Holly to his cabin to give birth. After delivering her little girl, he waits until she is strong enough then takes her into town and leaves her and the baby with a friend. He is shocked to find how hard it is for him to ride off without them.
    After surviving an ambush, Zac realizes that he loves Holly and wants to make a life with her and the baby, but fears his tainted past will always stand between them.
    Will this miracle Christmas baby unite two tortured souls? Or will it forever keep them apart?

    Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Christmas-Margaret-Tanner-ebook/dp/B01564ZJPU/

    A Secret Scottish Christmas by Regan WalkerA Secret Scottish Christmas by Regan Walker #ChristmasRomance #Read

    Spies and Scots and Shipmasters, oh my!
    Scotland 1819 ~ Twin brothers Nash and Robbie Powell of Powell and Sons Shipping, London, sail with their fellow Agents of the Crown to Scotland for a secret celebration of Christmastide, a holiday long frowned upon by the Scottish Kirk. But more than Christmas is being kept secret. The two brothers have accepted an assignment from the Home Secretary Lord Sidmouth to ferret out a fugitive fomenting rebellion among the Scots.
    Aileen Stephen, the only daughter of an Aberdeen shipbuilder, had to be clever, devious and determined to gain her place in the family business. She succeeded to become a designer of highly coveted ships. One night, a man’s handsome face appears to her in a dream. When two men having that same face arrive on a ship full of Londoners, Ailie wonders what her second sight is telling her. Is the face she saw a portender of the future, a harbinger of danger, or both? And which of the two Englishmen is the one in her dream?
    Older than Nash by a mere five minutes, Robbie has always been protective of his twin. When he realizes Nash is attracted to the sister of their Scottish host, he thinks to help matters along. But Nash wants no help from his brother, not where Ailie Stephen is concerned because Robbie is attracted to the girl himself!
    Two brothers vie for the affection of the Scottish lass but only one stirs her passion. Which one will it be? And what will she do when she learns they are spies?

    Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076BBG6HV

    The President’s Daughter by Seelie Kay

    The President's Daughter by Seelie Kay #ChristmasRomance #ReadBe careful what you wish for because it just might send your life into a tailspin from which you may not recover.
    When presidential candidate Jamisen Powell meets volunteer Sarah Lee Pearson, he is shocked to discover her eyes mirror his own. But Sarah was raised by two loving parents and has no questions about her heritage. Instead, after their death, she merely longs to find an extended family. She becomes convinced that Powell could be a distant relative. Powell, on the other hand, has spent twenty-five long years haunted by the memory of a daughter kidnapped from her bed. He suspects Sarah could be his long-lost daughter. As both launch separate covert searches for the truth, Sarah is found by the estranged parents of the man who raised her. Suddenly, the truth will no longer set her free. It could destroy the happy memories of her childhood. Hang on to your seat, and more importantly, hang on to your heart, as one woman discovers the true meaning of family.

    Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MNJFV8M/

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