Saturday, June 28, 2014

FREE read! 'Her Dakota Man (Dakota Hearts Book 1)' by Lisa Mondello



Genre: Contemporary romance
ISBN: 978-1-9405-12-006
ASIN: B00FRSX700
Word Count: 37,000 words
Cover Artist: Purple Girl Design


Blurb/Book Description: 

She needed to risk the truth to get a second chance...

Poppy Erickson had spent the year wondering how all their lives might have been different after hearing the deathbed confession of her childhood friend. She'd left South Dakota years ago because she couldn't bear to watch the man she loved loving another woman. But now she knows the truth. She'll keep the promise she made to a friend, but will Logan understand when he learns the truth? More important, can they again recapture the passion that had been between them all those years ago?

He needed to face the past to get the love of a woman he thought he'd lost…

Everyone knows that the Dakotas didn't get the name Badlands for nothing. Harsh weather and rough living are a way of life. But single dad, Logan McKinnon, had seen more than his share of bad times after the death of his wife a year ago. The last thing he needs is Poppy Erickson, an old flame and his late wife's best friend, showing up unannounced to help after devastating floods nearly washed away their hometown. With no place to stay in town, he has no choice but to offer her a bed at his house.

But can he live under the same roof with a woman he'd once loved passionately without feeling he's betraying his late wife?


Read an excerpt:

One look on Logan McKinnon’s face told Poppy that his foul mood had very little to do with the devastating destruction all around the Badlands of South Dakota…and everything to do with her showing up in town after nearly ten years. 
She didn’t have to be standing next to him to feel his anger simmering just below the surface of his composureSitting in her rental sedan was close enough.  What the hell was she thinking coming back home?  Why had she made that ridiculous promise to Kelly?
She parked the car next to his truck and took a deep breath, mumbling under her breath as she pulled the door handle, “This may just turn out to be the stupidest thing you have ever done, girl.”
Truth was, even as pissed off as Logan looked, he was still an amazing sight to see.  Part of her had hoped that she was wrongThat she’d gotten over him a long time agoThat she’d take one look at him, make sure he and Keith were okay, and be able to get back in her car and drive right to the airport in Rapids City.
He turned to her, standing tall and proudHis thick dark hair blew in the March wind, fluttering around his face and making him all the more strikingly handsome.
Yep.  Stupid.
 He was taller than she’d remembered, and he’d long since lost that too-lean teenage body that had driven her crazy in her youthHe worked hard on his ranch and it showed in how much his arms and chest had filled with muscles.
Despite the cold, he’d taken off his jacket while he worked in the yard and Poppy had a clear view of just how much his male body had filled out in places she’d dreamed of touching.
Lord, help herShe was in troubleAnd she hadn’t even stepped out of the car yetShe pushed the door open and stepped outside to get it over withIt was either going to be the shortest visit on record…or a life changing experience she’d been dreaming of ever since she was a teenager.
“Hi, Logan.”
Logan starred at he for a long, agonizing momentShe read the emotional tug of war playing on his face as the sudden chill from the South Dakota winds bit into her exposed skin like a whip.
Then his expression turned hard“What are you doing here?”
He must have heard the car drive upBut Logan’s four-year-old son, Keith, remained focused on the mud puddle he was poking a stick into to even notice anyone was around. That was goodThe next few minutes would go easier for both of them if Keith weren’t aware of the tension.
Logan stared at her as if he’d been startledOr maybe too focused on making sure his four-year old son, Keith, was safely playing nearby to notice her car had driven up. 
Or perhaps he’d been too pre-occupied with assessing the damage the recent angry South Dakota weather had done to his propertyPoppy had seen just how Mother Nature had shown no mercy to her childhood town as she drove from the airport to the ranchShe couldn’t exactly blame Logan for being in a foul mood because of that.   
Seeing her was just the icing on the cake.  
“What the hell are you doing here, Poppy?” he repeated.
She took in a deep breath, smelled the muddy earth and decay all around her, and said, “I came to help.”
He took one long look at her, from her high-heeled boots, up the length of her legs, pausing at her hips. She could almost feel his eyes as if he were staring at the flesh beneath her fresh pair of blue jeans. When his gaze finally reached her face again, she slid her sunglasses to the tip of her nose and stared right back at him in challenge.  A slow smile played on her lips.  She could never last as long at this as Logan before caving into laughter.  But she knew Logan was in no laughing mood.
“Poppy EricksenRudolph was practically washed off the map from all that rain we had?  After all this time, what makes you think I need anything from you?”
Even though his voice was even, she could tell he was still pissed. But he’d never show itKeith was still poking at the mud and puddles on the driveway just a little ways away, completely unaware of present company. 
“What’s the matter, LoganYou don’t look happy to see me,” Poppy said, pulling her sunglasses off her face with a wary smile.


FREE read at the following retailers!

Author Bio:

New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling Author, Lisa Mondello, has held many jobs in her life but being a published authors is the last job she'll ever have. She's not retiring! She blames the creation of the personal computer for her leap into writing novels. Otherwise, she'd still be penning stories with paper and pen.

Her first book, All I Want for Christmas is You won Best First Book in the Golden Quill. Her books have finaled in the HOLT Medallion, and the Colorado Award of Excellence contests. In 2011 she re-released her award winning book All I Want for Christmas is You along with a re-issue of her romantic comedy, The Marriage Contract, with a new contemporary romance called The Knight and Maggie's Baby.

In 2012 she reissued the first 3 books of her popular Western Romance Series TEXAS HEARTS including Her Heart for the Asking, His Heart for the Trusting and The More I See. Writing as LA Mondello, her romantic suspense, MATERIAL WITNESS, book 1 of her Heroes of Providence series made the USA TODAY Bestsellers List. You can find more information about Lisa Mondello at lisamondello.blogspot.com.

Author web links:

http://www.lisamondello.blogspot.com

@LisaMondello

https://www.facebook.com/LisaMondello.Author

Friday, June 27, 2014

'Ten Brides for Ten Heroes: An Anthology'


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The authors will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to TWO randomly drawn winners via Rafflecopter during the tour. Please click the banner to see the other stops on this tour.



Ten Brides for Ten Heroes spans the gamut of the ever-popular wedding romance genre—from heartwarming laughter to thrilling adventure, from sweet to steamy. This 10-book bundle features novels by New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors. So get ready to toss the bouquet and say, "I do!" as ten brides risk it all to find their happy ever after.



About the stories:

Wedding Fever by Patrice Wilton 
- The romantic comedy series, Serendipity Falls.

Mila O’Reilley owns Wedding Fever, a bridal boutique in Serendipity Falls Mall. She sells more than dresses, she sells dreams along with the belief in happily-ever-after – a sentiment she personally doesn’t share. Can a jaded bridal consultant and a cynical news reporter uncover the true mystery of Serendipity Falls without being swept away in the madness?

Find Patrice at: http://www.patricewilton.com

The Army Doctor's Wedding by Helen Scott Taylor 
- The Army Doctor's Series

Major Cameron Knight throws himself into the danger of front-line, battlefield medicine to keep the demons from his past away. When he rescues an injured charity worker who's saved a tiny newborn baby, he marries her so they can take the orphan back home for surgery. With this brave woman he finally has the chance to redeem himself and find love.

Find Helen at: http://www.helenscotttaylor.co.uk/

Wedding Surprise by Mona Risk 
– The Holiday Babies Series

Claire and David faced many challenges over the years. Finally, Claire's dream of a wonderful white wedding to the man she loves is about to come true. Two weeks before the wedding, Adriana, the high-school classmate who’s tried to snatch David several times, makes an announcement that threatens to destroy the couple's happiness. Is Claire and David’s love for each other strong enough to turn the worst wedding surprise into the best?

Find Mona at: http://www.monarisk.com

Tomboy Bride by Alicia Street 
– The Dance 'n' Luv Series

Kendra returns home for her brother’s wedding determined to get her age-old crush to finally see her as more than a tomboy. But will her game of making him jealous with a hot and handsome faux-beau make him fall for her—or backfire and leave her in ashes?

Find Alicia at: http://aliciastreet-roystreet.com

Destination Wedding, by Rebecca York 
– The Decorah Security Series

From the moment Nick Cassidy signed on as one one of Camille Norland’s bodyguards, sexual sparks flew between them. Although determined to keep his emotional distance from her, Nick is forced to admit his real feelings when she’s kidnapped by a ruthless Russian mobster with matrimony in mind. Can Nick rescue her before the wedding night? Can they escape from Victor Zanov’s tropical island death trap? And can they come to terms with their complicated relationship?

Find Rebecca at: http://www.rebeccayork.com

Summer of Love by Annie Jones

Brides, Beehives and Barbecue! Can mother daughter mayhem be far behind? Bless her heart, it's 1967 and a determined southern bride isn't sure love is really all she needs.

Find Annie at: http://theanniejones.com/

Return of the Runaway Bride by Donna Fasano

Savanna returns to her hometown to explain why she fled on her wedding day, but she never imagined how her escape all those years ago changed Daniel. Can she make him understand—and forgive?

Find Donna at: http://www.DonnaFasano.com

Single and Searching by Rita Herron

A woman looking for love... A reporter looking for a story... A mad rush to find a criminal... When the truth comes out and danger strikes, will they succumb to the passion burning between them?

Find Rita at: http://www.ritaherron.com

Here Comes the Bride by Theresa Ragan

Samantha Johnston, a reporter for the LA Beat, attends the wedding of one of America’s hottest actors in hopes of learning the identity of his mystery bride, and ends up saying, “I do.”

Find Theresa at: http://www.theresaragan.com

Love Me Tender by Mimi Barbour 
– The “Elvis” Series

After her year in Texas as an exchange student, Annie leaves pregnant and heartbroken. Nine years later she returns to introduce her eight-year-old son to his American family. And to the man who still haunts her dreams – the handsome, embittered rancher who never knew he’d fathered a son.

Find Mimi at: http://www.mimibarbour.com

LINKS:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tenbrides

Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/TowPHk

Apple Link: http://ow.ly/yvCNZ

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, June 26, 2014

'Setting Old Scores' by Mike Sposs


Blurb:

Kevin Kelly runs into his childhood girlfriend from the old inner city neighborhood he grew up in. They resume their relationship after she reveals what was at the heart of their original breakup. It turns out she was afraid to tell him of her biracial roots. The girlfriend, Pat Washington is finishing her doctorate in music & is auditioning to join a symphony orchestra. As Kevin struggles to get the relationship restored he strives to solve a decade old murder that happened on a hot summer night when riots broke out in his old neighborhood. Pat and her mother show enormous courage and heart when they decide to confront their history. Kevin reconnects with friends Willie Smith, and Matt the Tunnel Rat to solve the mystery. Great musical references and links to sixties and seventies music. The humor is plentiful. The romance is a great story.

Read an excerpt:
As he packed, Kevin noticed that Pat did have one picture stuck in the corner of her bedroom dresser. It was an old picture. Kevin had been in the room before and seen it there before. It was a black & white of the two of them together outside the house. They were just teenagers, tall and thin. Big smiles on their faces and arms around each other. The picture had to be ten years old. 
Kevin picked it up and studied it. Pat came over and stood next to him as he looked at it. Then she said, "I thought about taking it down today so you wouldn't know I had kept it up there all these years. I want to be more like you, more honest with my feelings. So I left it up there. Believe me; I have looked at that picture often. I prayed for you lots of nights before I went to bed, especially when you were in the service. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you."

Hannah was in the living room. The sun porch bedroom could be closed off from there only by a set of French Doors. She could see the two of them in there looking at the picture. She heard the conversation, and attempted to rescue her daughter from it. She called out to ease the situation and said that she was going to get her camera and retake that same picture of them, today.

http://amzn.to/1iLdVGJ

Author Bio:

Mike Sposs lives in Minnesota and has sailed all over the world as a merchant mariner. He grew up in a inner city neighborhood that was burned out during the race riots of the mid sixties. He loves motown music, and jazz. He sailed during the Vietnam era on old ships pressed into service hauling munitions and explosives.

Hot summer romance for just 99 cents! 'Love Bats Last' by Pamela Aares



LOVE BATS LAST
Book One in the Heart of the Game series

A stormy night changes their lives forever...

The baseball diamond isn't the only field for All-Star player Alex Tavonesi; he also runs his family's prestigious vineyard. What he can't seem to run is his love life. He's closing in on the perfect vintage and the perfect game, but so far the perfect woman has eluded him.

Veterinarian Jackie Brandon is eluding her aristocratic past and memories of a soccer star who jilted her just before their wedding. She devotes herself to a marine mammal rescue center on the northern California coast, where hundreds of seals and sea lions are washing up dead.

A chance meeting in a midnight storm brings Alex and Jackie together to rescue a stranded whale. Watching her work, he realizes she's the passionate, courageous woman he thought he'd never find--he just has to overcome her deep distrust of jocks. Jackie’s passion and courage lead her to discover what's killing the sea mammals. The culprits want to silence her, and Alex is the only one standing in their way. What will he sacrifice to save the woman he loves?

Love Bats Last is available online as a print or eBook at all of your favorite booksellers.

Read Chapter 1

Chapter One

She should’ve asked for help.
Jackie gunned the motor and ran the inflatable Zodiac up onto the muddy riverbank. At eight that morning, putting in downriver to collect soil and water samples had been a good idea. At two in the afternoon, the work was grueling. She should’ve listened to Gage and brought an intern. Somebody. Anybody.
She tied the stern line of the Zodiac to an overhanging willow branch. A startled kingfisher squawked at her and flew upriver. She looped the strap of her backpack over her arm and slid over the side of the boat. Her feet sank deep into the mud. Cold water seeped over the top of her boots, and she grabbed at the willow branch and fought to keep her balance.
She dragged her feet out of the mud and stomped up onto a crescent of beach, muttering under her breath. She’d take climbing a solid wall of granite over mincing about on slippery riverbeds any day.
Stepping carefully, she inched along to where a narrow trail led up from the river. Thick willows lined the riverbank and hid everything above them. Deer tracks in the mud told her this was a place where animals came for an evening drink.
Shielding her face with her hand, she squinted upriver. If she worked fast, she could cover another mile, maybe two, before dark, gathering water samples along this stretch of river. She’d still have time to get back to her truck, winch the Zodiac onto its trailer and drive the samples back to the lab.
Nothing she’d discovered in the past two weeks added up. Someone had dumped a massive amount of fertilizer near the mouth of the river where it met the San Francisco Bay. The fertilizer had caused the worst diatom bloom ever recorded in the North Bay, and the bloom was killing harbor seals in the area. But fertilizer was expensive. Dumping that much fertilizer made no sense.
It was more than a puzzle to solve.
They’d rescued twenty seals in just the past week and however the stuff was getting into the water, she was determined to stop whoever was responsible. Seals and whales, all the marine animals, had enough problems without adding dumped chemicals into the mix.
She shrugged her backpack off her shoulders and pulled out her GPS and map. The map showed two vineyards just above where she’d landed, the first of several north of where the Susul River met the San Francisco Bay. She pulled her notebook and a sample jar from the backpack. Water lapped at her feet as she squatted to scoop some of the muddy soil into the jar. She snapped on the lid and wrote the coordinates on the front label.

She stuffed the sample jar and map into her knapsack and tossed it over the side of the Zodiac. With a flick of her hand, she freed the line from the willow branch and turned to push the boat from the tiny beach. It didn’t budge.
Bracing herself in the mud, she put her shoulder against the pontoon and shoved hard. It didn’t move even a fraction of an inch.
Great.
She was two miles from where she’d parked her truck downriver and didn’t relish the idea of trying to find a vineyard hand to help her. There’d be questions. Questions she wasn’t prepared to answer, not yet.
She walked to the bow of the Zodiac. It jutted up, maybe just enough for her to hang her weight from the front and pop up the midsection. She stepped into the river and sucked in her breath as she sank neck deep into an eddy pool. Feeling with her feet, she found a flat rock that gave her solid footing. She reached up and wrapped the bowline around her hands and tugged her full weight against it. Her hands slipped and she splashed back into the chilly water.
“It’s a bit early in the season for a swim.”
Adrenaline shot through her as she scrambled to her feet. A tall and ridiculously handsome man stood blocking the trail. He looked like he’d been airlifted out of a men’s fashion magazine. He squatted, bringing him to her eye level. She froze, unprepared for the intensity of his gaze. He had deep blue eyes, the color of the sea before a storm. Those eyes crinkled as a slow, easy smile curved his lips.
“Just testing the water,” she said with a bravado she didn’t feel.
Goose bumps rose along her arms as she sloshed out of the water and stepped onto the riverbank. She wished they were just from the cold. To give her hands something to do, she brushed ineffectively at the mud on her jeans.
“Can I give you a hand?”
He held a half-eaten sandwich, one of those piled-high deli sandwiches that Americans loved. Her stomach grumbled; she’d forgotten her own lunch. But this was no time to be thinking about food.
He didn’t look dangerous. But the expensive-looking slacks and perfectly tailored shirt he wore were out of place. She was from England—she knew a custom-tailored shirt from a Savile row tailor when she saw one. Why anyone would be wearing a three-hundred-dollar shirt and Prada loafers in river brambles was anybody’s guess.
“No,” she said, backing up a step. “I was just leaving.”
His assessing gaze sent a shiver down her spine, pushed it deep. She tugged at her shirt. Wet and plastered against her skin, it was almost transparent. She didn’t have to look down to know he could see her nipples puckered from the chilled water. She wished she’d taken the time to put on a bra.
She glanced up, and he quickly averted his eyes. Every cell in her body suddenly said flee.
She leaned over the pontoon and grabbed her backpack, rummaged to the bottom, found her jacket and pulled it on. She felt his eyes on her once again as she tugged up the zipper. At least she didn’t feel naked anymore.
She put a hand on the Zodiac, wishing that her touch would magically free it.
“What brings you up here? I don’t see many people boating in this stretch of river—just the occasional kayaker doing some bird watching. It’s mighty shallow.”
He gave her the perfect answer.
“I was looking for nesting clapper rails.”
“That shouldn’t take long,” he said. “There’ve only been a few sightings in this area since I’ve lived here. They’re endangered, you know.”
The man knew something about birds. And he was local. Could be good. Could be bad.
“I know.”
He quirked his brow. “And you’d be more likely to find clapper rails in the fields, wouldn’t you?”
He thought she was a clueless bird watcher. She should’ve chosen a different bird, but she really didn’t know the birds of the region all that well, except for the marine birds.
The man smiled again.
A smile shouldn’t send a zip of unnerving energy straight into her, but it did. She’d sunk herself in her work for so long, studiously avoiding exactly that kind of smile. He had the ease of a man who knew the effect he had on women. An ease she knew only too well, having once fallen prey to it at the hands of another man who knew how to wield his charm and allure.

She looked away from his face and down to his hands.
“Nice-looking Zodiac,” he said. “But you couldn’t have come up from the bay. It’d take you half a day with that small motor. You put in somewhere south of here?”
An observant man. Usually she liked that type. She tried not to be dazzled by his near perfect physique and a face that was more handsome than any man should be allowed. It was distracting. And dangerous. That she also knew from experience.
“I might ask what you’re doing here,” she said, deflecting. She eyed the Zodiac, assessing another approach to freeing it from the mud.
“Eating,” he said with the same dazzling smile.
A wise guy. From his polished American accent and fine clothing, obviously a very wealthy and well-educated wise guy. But he didn’t have the body of a businessman.
He grinned and waved the sandwich at her.
“There’s a great deli about two hundred feet from here. Can I buy you a sandwich? You look like you could use one.”
She dragged her hair away from her face. She’d love a sandwich. But there was a mile of river to sample between here and the vineyard properties to the north. And she didn’t want to answer questions. He looked like the type to ask plenty of them.
“Thanks, but I have to get back.”
“Back where?”
Right. Not the cleverest of responses on her part.
“Back to, um...”
Jeez. Tracking down water samples had made her feel like she was in some sort of cheesy spy novel or something. This guy was just a guy having lunch near his local deli. Right. Dressed in expensive clothes and eating a sandwich by a really crummy spot in the river. She might be good at chasing down the mysteries of marine mammals, their lives, their health and the way the bigger picture affected them, but she was never much good at figuring out people.
“Back to work,” she said flatly.
“Where do you work? Can’t be around here.”
It was a simple question, a question she’d answered hundreds, maybe thousands of times. She hated to lie, usually didn’t have any reason to, but it was hard to ignore the small voice telling her to do just that. Maybe the sun had addled her brain. And she hadn’t been sleeping well. She’d read that lack of sleep could make you paranoid, make you read things into situations that weren’t there. She really should get more sleep.
“I work at the California Marine Mammal Center,” she said as she pulled her foot from the muck and edged closer to the Zodiac.
“The seal hospital near the Golden Gate Bridge?”
The Center was known for their quick response in rescuing injured marine mammals, doctoring them up and returning them to the ocean, but the work went far beyond that. Yet right now she didn’t feel like explaining.
She nodded.
“I’ve been meaning to get over there. For about ten years,” he said with a laugh.
“Evidently not a priority,” she said, trying not to like the sound of his laugh. “Or if it is, maybe you’re direction challenged?” She hadn’t meant to engage him, but his smooth manner was like oil on a hillside, and she just kept sliding along.
He sprang up from his crouch with a catlike, almost effortless, motion and took a couple steps down the path toward her. She stepped back and nearly lost her balance as her foot sank into the mud.
She fisted her hands against her hips, and he stopped walking.
“I heard you’re having a rash of seal deaths,” he said, suddenly serious. “Any clues as to what’s causing the diatom bloom?”
Her breath hitched in her chest. People in the Bay Area knew about the seal strandings; reports been all over the news. But most didn’t know about the diatom bloom or if they did, they didn’t get the connection. Maybe he was a scientist. But he didn’t look like a scientist. Scientists never had muscles like his.
“It’s too early to tell.” At least it wasn’t a complete lie. It was too early to tell. “I really have to be going.”
She turned and pushed her shoulder against the pontoon. Color crept into her face. She was stuck, in more ways than one.
“Here,” he said as he closed the distance between them. He bent down and put the sandwich on a rock. “Hop in. I’ll shove you off.”
She tilted her head and shaded her eyes. Maybe he could do it; he looked incredibly strong. His shoulders reached beyond those of most normal men. Only movie thugs and athletes had shoulders like that.
God, she was being ridiculous. Letting him shove her off was the best solution. Maybe the only one.
“Okay,” she said.
Their gazes locked, and she felt both trapped and held.
“I don’t bite,” he said.
There it was again, that easy, wide smile. She was really losing it if she could let herself be charmed by a stranger standing on a riverbank.
Before she could move away, he closed his hands around her waist and lifted her over the side of the boat.
“Straddle the pontoon on the opposite side,” he said as he released her. “Lean into it.”
The confidence of his tone told her he was used to giving orders.
He walked to the bow of the boat and stepped into the water. She noticed that he didn’t fall into the eddy pool. Maybe he knew this stretch of river very, very well.
She hung her weight against the pontoon and watched his arm muscles work as he gripped the bow line and levered his shoulder against the boat. With perfect control he tipped the bow down. The bottom of the boat sucked up off the riverbed with a sigh and a slurp, and with a firm, steady motion, he pushed the boat into the river.
“You might need this.” He grinned and tossed the bow line over the side. She caught it with one hand.
“Nice catch,” he said as he stepped out of the water.
Mud covered his expensive shoes and stained up his pant legs. He apparently didn’t notice or didn’t care.
Her hands shook as she started the engine. Only then did she remember she hadn’t thanked him. She waved and shouted thanks over the buzz of the motor.
“My name's Alex,” he said as he waved and stared after her. “Maybe I'll see you around these parts again.”
Not if she could help it. Maybe he wouldn’t notice that she was headed north, upriver to the vineyards. Besides, why would he care?
“There aren’t any marine mammals up that way,” he shouted with a puzzled smile. “No clapper rails either.”
She shrugged and looked resolutely upriver.
So much for not noticing.

Book links
Amazon US \ Amazon CA \ Amazon UK \ B&N \ Kobo \ iTunes Smashwords \ All Romance

~~Read my review here! Loved it!~~

~~Also check out Book 3 Fielder's Choice~~

About the Author

Pamela Aares is an award-winning author of contemporary and historical romance novels and also writes about fictional romance in sports with her new baseball romance book series titled Heart of the Game.

Her first book, Jane Austen and the Archangel (Angels Come to Earth, #1) was released in 2012. Midnight Becomes You, the second in the series will release this year as will the celebrated historical romance novel, The Lady and the Patriot

Her popularity as a romance writer continues to grow with each new book release, so much so, that the Bay area author has drawn comparisons by reviewers to Nora Roberts.

Pamela Aares writes romance books that she loves reading, particularly those that entertain, transport and inspire dreams while captivating and tugging at the heart. She takes her readers on a journey with complex characters in both contemporary and historical settings who are thrown in situations that tempt love, adventure and self-discovery.

Before becoming a romance author, Aares wrote and produced award-winning films including Your Water, Your Life, featuring actress Susan Sarandon and NPR series New Voices, The Powers of the Universe and The Earth’s Imagination. She holds a Master’s degree from Harvard and currently resides in the wine country of Northern California with her husband, a former MLB All-Star and two curious cats.

If not behind her computer, you can probably find her reading a romance novel, hiking the beach or savoring life with friends. You can visit Pamela on the web at http://www.PamelaAares.com.

Author Awards
  • San Francisco Area Romance Writer’s Association, The Heart-to-Heart Award, The Lady and the Patriot, 2013
  • Golden Apple Award, The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos
  • International Wildlife Film Festival, Our Vanishing Forests
  • Christopher Award, Our Vanishing Forests
  • NAAEE, Best of Show, Our Vanishing Forests

Author Web Site

PAMELA AARES is an award-winning author and filmmaker. If you’d like to know more, including info on her newest books, or to sign-up for her book release alerts e-newsletter, please visit her Web site: http://www.PamelaAares.com.

Follow Pamela Aares:

Review of 'Timeless Escapes: A Collection of Summer Stories'


Timeless Escapes: A Collection of Summer Stories

by Ruth A. Casie, Lita Harris, Emma Kaye, Nicole S. Patrick, Julie Rowe

Introduction by Roxanne St. Claire


Genre: Contemporary, Time Travel, Military, Medical Romances
Publisher: Timeless Scribes Publishing
Date of Publication: May 29, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-9910520-2-8
Number of pages: 280
Word Count: 68,000

Cover Artist: Julie Schroeder Designs

Book Description: 

Escape to the Virgin Islands where the bonds of marriage are renewed, friends become lovers, and new love is given a chance to thrive.

Ruth A. Casie ~ Second Chance by the Sea Married for ten years, she and her husband have grown apart. When they go back to the Virgin Islands for a family funeral, they find their marriage was never registered. Will an impending disaster be the final straw that breaks them up or will it rekindle their love and send them back to the altar for a second chance?

Lita Harris ~ Chasing Fireflies Soured on love by a recent breakup, a travel agent with a fear of flying and open water takes a trip to the U.S Virgin Islands. She meets a boat captain who challenges her fears. Will she survive her breakup and find happiness in the arms of another man?

Emma Kaye ~ In Her Dreams When an author escapes to the Virgin Islands to work on her latest book, she’s swept back in time to Regency England and must decide whether the love she finds with an English lord is real or only in her dreams.

Nicole S. Patrick ~ Poseidon’s Strength A beloved hero’s death leads his sister and his best friend, who have never seen eye-to-eye, to discover that helping family can be their happy medium, and possibly lead them to uncover a love that's meant to be.

Julie Rowe ~ A Pirate’s Vacation A doctor grieving the death of her husband, buys a B&B in the Virgin Islands in need of a lot of fixing. Her old flame arrives to help with repairs, but will she let him heal her shattered heart?

Read an excerpt from Poseidon's Strength:
“Hello, Ryan.” 
He swung around. “Well, that explains things,” he mumbled under his breath.

Five foot-eight inches of long legs, blond hair, and the smallest bikini he’d ever laid eyes on walked into the room and the oxygen was sucked out. 
Faith Reagan. 
Sam’s sister was a beautiful as ever. She gave him a cool stare and walked into the kitchen. And apparently just as warm and fuzzy too. So much for a little R&R. 
He shot a glance at Jenna, who pretended to study the condensation on her iced tea glass like it was a pirate’s treasure map. 
“Earthy-crunchy girl” was the name he’d made up to tease Faith with when he was young and stupid. He felt bad about that. A little. 
However, Faith had no problem expressing what she thought of him—a shallow, animal-eating, fast-car-loving-mucking-up-the-environment jerk. 
Ah, the memories came tumbling back.

**My thoughts**

What could be more perfect than finding love on a tropical beach? These five romance writers got together to create their own little slice of paradise, taking place on St. Thomas. Each one featured her own set of characters, finding their way again in love and life, within a span of a few days to a couple of weeks on the island. The characters and the general framework do overlap from story to story, so you will see "familiar faces" throughout. You will also recognize a couple of major incidents, such as the big storm.

I felt like the stories got stronger as the book went on, and I found myself liking each subsequent story more than the previous one. I am not a fan of regency romances, but was entertained by the middle story "In Her Dreams," mostly because it was a writer essentially falling into one of her own plots. I felt like the last two stories, "Poseidon's Strength" and "A Pirate's Vacation" felt like the most real of the collection. Or else I am just a sucker for old flames and old friends finding each other again. 

Each one of these stories could be further developed, taking the characters forward into their lives after the storm. For the one where characters find each other again, it could be fun to have more stories about their past. They wouldn't work for this collection, but perhaps some of these characters will make an appearance elsewhere at some point. Quick summer read.

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About the authors:

About Ruth A. Casie:

A seasoned professional with more than twenty-five years of writing experience in communications and marketing for a large financial institution, she gave way to her inner muse and began writing a series of historical fantasy romance and contemporary romance novels. Ruth is published by Carina Press and Harlequin Books.

When not writing you can find her home in Teaneck, New Jersey, reading, cooking, doing Sudoku and counted cross-stitch. Together with her husband, Paul, they enjoy ballroom dancing and going to the theater. Ruth and Paul have three grown children and two grandchildren. They all thrive on spending time together. It’s certainly a lively dinner table and they wouldn’t change it for the world.

You can read more about Ruth online at http://www.RuthACasie.comon Twitter at twitter.com/RuthACasie, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RuthACasie


About Lita Harris:

Lita Harris spends her time between New Jersey and the Endless Mountains region of Pennsylvania, where she writes most of her books. She also lived in Alaska for a short time just for fun. An avid crafter, unused supplies clutter her basement and attempts at making pottery, jewelry, and stained glass are proudly displayed in her house, usually behind a picture or holding a door open. She also makes candles and homemade soap. With enough books to stock a small library she may need to construct a building to store her literary obsessions.

She writes in multiple genres, including women’s fiction, contemporary romance, paranormal, and cozy mysteries. For more information about Lita, please visit her website at www.LitaHarris.com or at twitter.com/litaharris and facebook.com/litaharrisauthor.


About Emma Kaye

Emma Kaye is married to her high school sweetheart and has two beautiful kids that she spends an insane amount of time driving around central New Jersey. Before ballet classes and tennis entered her life, she decided to try writing one of those romances she loved to read and discovered a new passion. She has been writing ever since. Add in a playful puppy and an extremely patient cat and she’s living her own happily ever after while making her characters work hard to reach theirs.

For more information on Emma, please visit her online at www.emma-kaye.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/emmakayewrites, or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/emmakayewrites.


About Nicole S. Patrick:

Nicole S. Patrick has always loved to read, and in her teenage years, she “borrowed” her mom’s books to sneak away and become lost in the world of romance. After more than ten years in the corporate world of tech recruiting and HR management, she decided to stay home and raise children. But with so many romantic stories and characters floating around in her head, when the kids napped, she was compelled to put those words on a page and pursue this crazy dream of becoming published. Nicole writes romantic suspense and her heroes are those alpha males in uniform. She lives in New Jersey with her real-life hero, her husband, and her two sons.

For more information about Nicole on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Nicole S. Patrick, www.twitter.com/NicoleSPatrick, or please visit her website at www.nicolespatrick.com.


About Julie Rowe:

Julie Rowe’s first career as a medical lab technologist in Canada took her to the Northwest Territories and northern Alberta, where she still resides. She loves to include medical details in her romance novels, but admits she’ll never be able to write about all her medical experiences because, “No one would believe them!” In addition to writing contemporary and historical medical romance, and fun romantic suspense for Entangled Publishing and Carina Press, Julie has a short story in The Mammoth Book of ER Romance (September 2013). Her book Saving the Rifleman (book one of the War Girls series) won the novella category of the 2013 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Her writing has also appeared in several magazines such as Today’s Parent, Reader’s Digest (Canada), Canadian Living, and Romantic Times Magazine.

For more information about Julie, please visit her online at www.julieroweauthor.com, on Twitter @julieroweauthor, or at her Facebook page: www.facebook.com/JulieRoweAuthor.



The authors will be awarding the following prizes during the tour:

First prize - $50 gift certificate plus ebook Timeless Keepsakes by Ruth A. Casie, Lita Harris, Emma Kaye, Nicole S. Patrick, Julie Rowe

Second prize - $25 gift certificate plus 3 ebooks 1) Molly Gets Her Man by Julie Rowe 2) Knight of Runes by Ruth A. Casie 3) Timeless Keepsakes by Ruth A. Casie, Lita Harris, Emma Kaye, Nicole S. Patrick, Julie Rowe

Third prize - 3 ebooks 1) Love at Christmas by Lita Harris 2) Time for Love by Emma Kaye 3) Timeless Keepsakes by Ruth A. Casie, Lita Harris, Emma Kaye, Nicole S. Patrick, Julie Rowe

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