Friday, May 31, 2013

Smart Girls Read Romance: A Blog for Readers! #giveaway

I'm so pleased to be included in a new blog for readers!

Yes, it's a party the whole month of our launch, and yes, there are prizes!

Each posting day (even days of the month) that day's author will offer a prize, so comment to win all kinds of good stuff, from free books to gift cards.

And...

Each SGRR commenter will also be entered in a drawing for a
Kindle Fire HD Tablet

Follow Smart Girls Read Romance, and you'll get another chance to win! (Drawing at SGRR closes June 30.)



At SGRR, we'll invite our characters for interviews, have parties, post reviews, and in general, whatever you want to see.

What would you most like me to blog about?
Let me know!  
Your ideas will enter you to win 
and 
Drawing will be held June 4th, 9pm Pacific Time.  Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you.

Debut post of SGRR is June 2 by the fabulous Caroline Clemmons.
I wonder what she's giving away!

My posting day is the 4th of each month so please pull up a cup of coffee and join me for an interview with Shelley Bates and a prize. :)

Monday, May 20, 2013

Sex, Lies, & Lariats http://amzn.com/B008EDN9T4 #western #excerpt


Much Ado About
Mavericks
Hearts of Owyhee #3

Of all the heroines in my books, I got the biggest kick out of Jake O'Keefe.  Eh, Jake?  A woman? 

That's what hero Ben Lawrence thought, too.  Here's an excerpt of Much Ado About Mavericks where the two of them introduce themselves.

Excerpt
Much Ado About Mavericks
Copyright © 2013 Jacquie Rogers

He could hardly wait to see his mother and sister, even if his stomach soured every time he thought about his childhood home.  But he had to take care of the family and ranch now that his father had died.  Worse, he had to contend with Jake O’Keefe because Pa thought his own son too incompetent to hire good people, even after four years at Harvard and nine years of practicing law.

The soda was refreshing and he took his time while she waited, not patiently, shifting her weight from left to right, then tossing a few pebbles.

“I think we should reintroduce ourselves.”  He placed the mug on the boardwalk and offered his hand.  “How do you do?  I’m Benjamin Lawrence, visiting from Boston.”

“Janelle Kathryn.”  She grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously.  “I’m surely pleased to meet you.”

He tested his shoulder to see if it still functioned after her hearty handshake.  Then, just to knock her off guard, he took her hand and kissed the back of it with grandiose gallantry.  “My pleasure, Miss Janelle.”
♥  ♥  ♥
Jumpin’ juniper berries!  Jake snatched her scorching hand away from Skeeter’s lips.  His well-placed little smacker burned hotter than a branding iron in August.  Only better, but she sure as shootin’ wouldn’t admit it to a soul.  Ever.  Of course, she had no intention of washing her hand for a month either.  That hot kiss sent goosebumps clean down to her toes.

She sucked in a deep breath and cleared her throat.  “Let’s go.”  She hopped onto the wagon and picked up the reins.

Ben leapt onto the seat and took the reins from her.  “I’ll drive.”

His thigh rubbed hers.  She didn’t know how he could think right if he tingled anything like she did.  But, he probably didn’t.  She inched away from him as the buckboard moved out of town.  She focused on the sagebrush—at least it didn’t knock her plumb senseless.  He was too damned good-looking in a dandified sort of way.  Taller than she was, too, by a few inches.  Few men were.  She stood even with Whip, who, although bent with years of hard work, was taller than the rest of the men.

It ate at her that Skeeter muddled her mind so, and she had no idea what got into her to tell him her real name.  She’d better set him straight.

“Just so’s you know, I ain’t no simpering female.  Folks around here call me Jake.  Jake O’Keefe.  I expect you ought to call me that, too.”

She nearly laughed at his horrified expression.

“Jake O’Keefe?  My foreman?”

Just what she needed—a greenhorn who didn’t think she could do a man’s work.  Well hell, she’d already proven herself better than any hand in the territory, and she wasn’t about to do it again—especially to a feller they called Skeeter.  “Yup.  And just so’s you know, Harley Blacker hired me on with the Flying B, so as soon as I show you the ropes, I’ll be leaving the Bar EL.”

He set his lips firm like he was cogitating.  She didn’t know what there was to think about—she’d laid out the deal square enough.

Finally, he said, “All right then, Jake, just so you know, my name is Ben.  Benjamin Lawrence.  I expect to be called that.”  His jaw tensed and his cheek twitched just a might.  “And I’d appreciate it if you’d stay on the Bar EL, at least until I get the family affairs settled.  I’ll be going back to Boston as soon as I can.”

“Got a woman?”  Jake could’ve slapped her own fool face.  Why the hell would she care?  But that tickly feeling deep inside seemed to make her lose all her brains.

“I have a law practice there.  And friends.”  He pulled on the right reins and flicked the left side, turning the team onto the Lawrence road.  “A lady friend, too.”

Probably some frilly-assed, sappy female who batted her eyelashes at him and giggled at any harebrained thing he said.  Men seemed to like such silly critters, although, for the life of her, she couldn’t see why.  “Well, I ain’t staying, so you’d better be on the lookout for a new foreman.  Fred’s probably your man—he’s been sourer than five-day-old pissed-in milk since the old man chose me over him.”

“Don’t want him.  I need you.”

“Tough.”

“How much is Blacker paying you?”

“Eighty dollars and found.”

“I’ll give you a hundred.”

She shook her head.  “One-twenty and found.”

“One-ten.”

“And found—ain’t interested in eating my own cooking.”  She’d starve to death if she did.  Whip had taught her how to rope, shoot, and just about everything else, but he never could teach her how to cook.  Every concoction she had tried ended up looking and smelling like fresh-branded cowhide.  Not that she’d wanted to learn in the first damned place.

He nodded.  “And found.”

“I’ll take it.  Six months I’ll give you.  But come spring, I’m working my own ranch, so you better get used to the idea.”

“One-twenty and found for any months you work after six.”

“I ain’t budging.”

“All right, for now I’ll take six months at a hundred and ten dollars and found.  Shake?”

She wasn’t so sure she wanted to feel his hand on hers again—more dangerous than a rattlesnake with a toothache.  Grabbing his hand, she gave it one shake and let go immediately, wiping her hand on her pants.  “Deal.”

But it would be a helluva long six months if she buzzed like her guts were filled with bumblebees every time Ben Lawrence took a gander at her.


Hearts of Owyhee
Where the Old West really happened!
Much Ado About Marshals
Much Ado About Madams
Much Ado About Mavericks

Friday, May 10, 2013

{Cover Reveal} BEGUILED by Urania Sarri


Urania Sarri lives in Korinthia, Greece with her husband and sons.

She holds a BA in English Language and Literature and an Msc in Teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). She specializes in teaching English to young adults and she totally adores her job. While doing so, she takes any opportunity to convey to her students the passion of reading. She is fascinated by paranormal stories and appreciates good romance whenever she gets her hands on it!

~ About the Book ~
Urania Sarri, Author

Title: Beguiled
Author: Urania Sarri
Published: Self Published
Genre: Paranormal, Time-Travel, Romance
Content Warning: Subtle Sensuality

~ Synopsis ~
The war between the present and the future has started. Compelled to cooperate with the forces of the future in order to gain Christopher back, Emma has taken on a new mission. The portal that connects the two worlds must be relocated otherwise there is no hope for humanity. But there are so many obstacles she has to overcome; Christopher has given up on their love, her best friend has been kidnapped and the life-changing truth about her family is revealed. Worst of all, a new, unexpected menace under the name Frederick, Christopher’s evil double, threatens their lives.

Will she be able to secure the future of mankind and claim the love she has fought so hard for? What if Christopher has decided to sacrifice himself again in order to save her?

In Beguiled, the second book of the Gate Deadlock series, love knows no deadlocks.

~ Excerpt ~
When the rain got me, I was still running along an unfamiliar street that seemed endless on both directions. Within seconds, the drizzle became a cold downpour that soaked me to the bone, plastering the thin shirt and jeans onto my body. My hair was sticking on my face, pricking my eyes like dozens of needles, but I didn’t stop. Lost in a haze of despair, I could not comprehend the faint voice in my head that warned me to go back. I kept running away. Where I was heading, I could not tell anymore. Everything around me seemed strange and obscure; no houses, no shelter, only the perennial olive trees and the murky veil of rain. For the last two years in my life, every day, every minute, every second had been spinning around one single pivot; that rescue mission had been the only pivot of my new life. It had defined my actions, my thoughts, and my whole existence. I had gone a long way, overcoming any personal limit and fear, transcending time, only because I was fixed on a purpose. I had left my old life behind.


I had a life once.

Now, my mission was my life. A mission that had taken me far away from my family, my friends, my studies and my future. But I did not care anymore. I had chosen my destiny. It had always been about him. Christopher. He had turned his back on me and the pivot support had suddenly vanished. I had nothing to lean on. My whole life was collapsing. I was collapsing. There was no angel coming to my rescue this time.

A sharp pain in my chest blocked my breath, forcing me to stop. But I welcomed the pain, didn’t want it to ease out. Strangely enough, it seemed to be the right thing to feel. This is how some people have died, right? Perhaps this could be the end…

“Hey, you’re standing in the middle of the street!” a voice in my head shouted. “And that yellow light approaching is about to crash into you in minutes. Can’t you hear it? You have to move to the side. Don’t just stand there. It’s a car! It’s definitely a car and the veil of hale certainly does not help. MOVE!”

Then why wasn’t I moving? Could I be waiting for the car to put an end to this excruciating obstacle race I had started?

I closed my eyes and held my breath as the roaring sound of the car approached.

~ Giveaway ~
There is an event wide giveaway. One winner will receive a free copy of Gate Deadlock (book one) in the winner’s choice of Kindle, PDF, or Print format. A second winner will receive a $10 electronic Amazon Gift Card. Giveaway is International.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, May 3, 2013

WEAR BLACK by Eilis Flynn and Heather Hiestand #jacktheripper



presents
Wear Black

Eilis Flynn and Heather Hiestand have released their first collaboration, Wear Black, a Victorian England-set paranormal historical with a romance subplot.

Amazon * Smashwords * ARe

Blurb:
Death did not end his service to the British Empire

Beneath Windsor Castle, a shadow network of immortals keeps the British Empire safe. Army captain Lucas Fitzrobbins becomes one of them when the cure for his mortal wound turns out to be a vampirism potion. He is abruptly inducted into the secret St. George Protector Society…and it’s not long before the Society’s newest recruit discovers it has dark mysteries as well…

Marked as a target

Hampering Lucas’s efforts to adjust to his after-life is An Tighearn operative Nellie Clifton, a beautiful and enigmatic assassin, who has marked Lucas as her latest quarry. But then…

Secrets are threatened to be revealed

A brutal killer stalks the seamy underside of London. Protectors and assassins alike must leave the shadows to find the fiend before their existence is revealed to the world. Tasked with the job of tracking down the murderer, Lucas discovers that the crazed butcher may have connections that go to the heart of the British Empire. One thing is certain:

The Queen must never know

Excerpt:

“We meet again, Mr. Dudley,” the black-haired stunner called out, her faint Irish accent more pronounced now. “Sorry about your companion, but business is business. My name is Nellie Clifton, in case you hadn’t been told. Pleased to meet you.”

Her tone was downright languid, the Irish clear in her words, even as she nearly twirled her sword. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to die. It would be more sportin’ if I let you learn how to use your sword first, but I see no point in delayin’ the inevitable, don’t you think?” She grabbed the tabbed cord at the edge of her helmet and yanked it off, shaking her head to loosen her curls. She slipped the goggles down her face until they rested around her throat.

“You indicated last time that you preferred to fight one-on-one, and yet here you are with your allies,” Lucas shot back, keeping an eye on the flying archer and the other woman. “Afraid of me, Miss Clifton?”

“I have me orders. I’m not a cruel person, you understand,” the woman explained, tossing the helmet to the side. “But I have other errands to run, so I decided, let’s dispatch this matter as soon as possible. I do apologize!”

See Book Lovers Buffet for this and other specially priced books. Sale runs from May 1 to May 5, 2013.