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Sunday, July 31, 2016

Book Tour Grand Finale: Sophie's Path by Catherine Lanigan (Giveaway)

On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

Book Tour Grand Finale for
Sophie's Path
By Catherine Lanigan

We hope you enjoyed coming along with us and Frenchie, as we got to know more about Sophie's and Jack's stories! If you missed any of the tour stops, go back and check them out now...

Launch - From Frenchie's Point of View



Bark! Sorry. Hi! My name is Frenchie. I’m a six and a half pound Yorkie Poo and I’m here to welcome you to “The Shores of Indian Lake” series by Catherine Lanigan. If you are returning to our small town, I’m glad to meet you, too. This is a new role for me, being a star, I mean. I’ve been a rescue dog, which wasn’t fun. I like to have a family. In fact, I have to have humans to love. Humans can be fun but they can also be pretty clueless about the essentials in life. Take Sophie Mattuchi and Jack Carter, for instance. I thought I’d never get these two together.

Katie's Clean Book Collection - Review

"I adored Frenchie, the dog, who really helped thread the story line together. The characters are multifaceted and have depth. I love the process they each developed in. This is a town that I would love to read more about.

I recommend this to readers who enjoy a clean romance with good characters and depth."



Rockin' Book Reviews - Excerpt

Still, the guy moved with the grace of a panther. He was the kind she couldn’t help being attracted to. Her nerve endings sizzled as if touched with electrodes. She couldn’t stop the pounding of blood through her veins that didn’t come from exercise. It was automatic. She was being Sophie.

Brooke Blogs - Sophie Mattuchi



Jeremy was a heroin addict. Sometimes he would pass out and forget to feed me or give me water. He loved me very much and I loved him. That’s when he decided he had to give me up. The day we met Sophie, I knew she had a heart as big as outdoors.

Hardcover Feedback - Review

"I really liked Sophie. I loved her desire to help others, how she volunteered and helped her friends, but I didn't like how she stretched herself so thinly...but thought it was nice she had people in her life that cared and tried to keep her in check."



Wishful Endings - This or That

Are you guys ready to get to know a little more about Catherine? Here we go:

Chocolate or fruity candy?
Chocolate… Always

I'm with you there 100%. :) Read a book or watch TV?
Read and read more. I seldom watch television anymore, but I do watch movies on DVD.

Nicole's Book Musings - Jack Carter



Meeting Jack for a little dog like me was pretty intimidating at first. He’s a big guy. Strong. And handsome—for a human. He looks like that movie star, Hugh Jackman. Jack’s been running for years. The first thought in my head was that if I came to live with him, he might want me to run with him. He has long legs. Mine are short and I knew this wasn’t going to work.

EskieMama Reads - Excerpt

Sophie continued drying his pants’ legs, pretending she hadn’t heard what he’d just said. She was thankful she was on the floor because being this close to Jack, in this intimate setting, had turned her bones to jelly.



deal sharing aunt - Interview

What would you like my readers to know?

I especially love to hear from readers. It is from your comments and desires that I steer my course of the next book. God willing, I hope to write 26 Shores of Indian Lake stories in all. In each of the up-coming books, I introduce new characters who will have their own stories in the future. Mrs. Beabots will always be the anchor that holds everyone together, the matchmaker who wants to see every one happy.

Colorimetry - Humans Can be So Silly



As a dog, I hear a lot of gossip and advice-giving. I heard every word of Sophie’s concern for me when she and Mrs. Beabots were making tarts for the Recovery Alliance.

Jack’s office is a hot-bed of confidential material. Of course, this is due to his clients who are buying insurance to protect their children and families. But sometimes, they don’t want insurance for errant children or grandchildren. Sometimes they have lost their jobs and have to stop their premiums. Or some have medical issues. It’s really sad what humans have to deal with sometimes. No wonder they need us dogs so desperately to love them.

Getting Your Read On - Review

". . . but the story is a good one and worth sticking with. If you love a gentle romance with slow build, you will love this book."

underneath the covers - Nurses Make Great Girlfriends



I’ve decided that if I were a human and since I’m female, I’d be a nurse like Sophie. For starters, even though she was on her “self-improvement” regime and she was eating healthy, her nursing career also taught her that we all only live once.

Falling Leaves - Review

"I definitely recommend this book to everyone, whether you're in the middle of struggle or you're just content with your life.

A story of trust, forgiveness, hope, pain, death and love that you will cherish."

Sophie's Path

Sophie's Path

by Catherine Lanigan

Adult Contemporary Romance
ebook & print, 384 pages
July 1, 2016 by Harlequin Heartwarming
Shores of Indian Lake #6


Her choice. His consequences.

Nurse Sophie Mattuchi has seen a lot of angry patients in the ER, but no one's ever rattled her like Jack Carter. He has no right to blame her for his friend's death. Sophie did everything she could. Didn't she? Yet his accusations sting, and that sets off all kinds of internal alarms. She's never cared this much about any man's opinion of her. But Jack is different. He stirs up feelings. Strong feelings. Guilt. Anger. Attraction. Curiosity. Sympathy. Sophie's definitely not interested in Jack, but even if she was, he'd never forgive her for the decision she made that night in the hospital. Would he?

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Review: No Limits by Katherine Garbera

No Limits

by Katherine Garbera

Western Contemporary Romance
ebook & print, 224 pages
September 1, 2016 by Harlequin Blaze
Space Cowboys #1


Some cowboys are outta this world…

Astronaut Jason "Ace" McCoy tried to escape Cole's Hill, Texas—and the memory of Molly Tanner's dark eyes and strawberry-scented hair—among the stars. Now he and Molly have jointly inherited her father's struggling ranch. And having failed his latest medical tests, Ace is on leave—maybe forever.

He's determined to sort things out with the ranch and get back to Houston as soon as possible. What he wasn't counting on is that Molly's only gotten more beautiful over the years…and she still wants him. The passion between them is hotter than rocket fuel—and just as dangerous. He can't promise anything as long as there's a chance to go on another mission. But even in orbit, this attraction has no rules…and no limits.


Pre-Order now!


Friday, July 29, 2016

Review: Recipe for Redemption by Anna J. Stewart

Recipe for Redemption

by Anna J. Stewart

Adult Contemporary Romance
ebook & print, 384 pages
June 1, 2016 by Harlequin Heartwarming
Butterfly Harbor #2


From the frying pan…

Abby Manning has to take home first prize in an amateur cooking competition to save her town’s landmark inn—and longtime home for her ailing grandmother. Too bad the Butterfly Harbor innkeeper is a complete disaster in the kitchen. Undeterred, Abby asks her latest guest to teach her the basics.

A family tragedy and ensuing scandal derailed Jason Corwin’s high-profile career. But is the gifted celebrity chef going to let one mistake define the rest of his life? Add in a generous helping of mutual attraction and another burgeoning scandal, and it could be a recipe for star-crossed romance…or disaster, especially if a win for Abby costs Jason his professional future.


Sale Blitz: I Spy a Duke by Erica Monroe (Excerpt)

I Spy a Duke

by Erica Monroe

Historical Romance Suspense
ebook and print, 255 pages
October 5, 2015 by Quillfire Publishing
Covert Heiress #1

Only $0.99
July 25th - August 6th

In the first Covert Heiresses novel, a governess with a desire for revenge enters into a marriage of convenience with a duke with more secrets than she anticipated…

SHE WANTS REVENGE…
When bluestocking Vivian Loren becomes the governess for the wealthy Spencer family, she’s searching for clues about the murder of her brother, not a husband. But Vivian didn’t count on James Spencer, the infuriatingly handsome Duke of Abermont.

HE NEEDS A WIFE…
As head of Britain’s elite intelligence agency, James has no time to woo a wife. When he discovers Vivian’s quest for answers has made her a pawn in a treacherous plot, James realizes they can help each other. She’ll become his duchess, and he’ll keep her safe from one of Napoleon’s deadliest spies.
What begins as a marriage of convenience quickly becomes anything but, as they find out love is the most dangerous mission of all.

“Monroe creates an entertaining albeit slightly dark world filled with spies, humor, wit, intrigue, suspense, and an emotionally rich romance. Though heavily character driven, Monroe does a wonderful job of balancing the dynamic characterization of her characters with a story rich in details and plotlines.” –Smexy Books
“Filled with intrigue, danger, spies, loss,grief, secrets, passion, engaging characters, to say the least and of course romance, passion and finally finding love amongst grief and angst…feisty, dangerous and courageous females makes this a not to miss series.” –My Book Addiction
“A quick moving espionage subplot coupled with liberally peppered humor, introspection, kindness and simmering attraction adds to the momentum of this novel. Showcasing this author’s writing talent and marvelous imagination I Spy a Duke could easily be called I Spy a Great Read!” –Jenerated Reviews
“I get as giddy as a schoolgirl when an Erica Monroe Historical is going to be released! Ms. Monroe always makes the time period and the British settings come alive with the glorious details that she provides. And then her characters are so engaging: serious, vulnerable, and loyal.” –Lightning City Book Reviews

Book Tour: Sophie's Path by Catherine Lanigan (Review, Giveaway)

On Tour with Prism Book Tours.
Welcome to Sophie's Path Book Tour!

Sophie's Path

Sophie's Path

by Catherine Lanigan

Adult Contemporary Romance
ebook & print, 384 pages
July 1, 2016 by Harlequin Heartwarming
Shores of Indian Lake #6


Her choice. His consequences.

Nurse Sophie Mattuchi has seen a lot of angry patients in the ER, but no one's ever rattled her like Jack Carter. He has no right to blame her for his friend's death. Sophie did everything she could. Didn't she? Yet his accusations sting, and that sets off all kinds of internal alarms. She's never cared this much about any man's opinion of her. But Jack is different. He stirs up feelings. Strong feelings. Guilt. Anger. Attraction. Curiosity. Sympathy. Sophie's definitely not interested in Jack, but even if she was, he'd never forgive her for the decision she made that night in the hospital. Would he?


Thursday, July 28, 2016

Release Tour: Aaron's Honor by Lindsay Cross (Excerpt, Giveaway)


Welcome to Aaron's Honor Release Tour!

Aaron's Honor

by Lindsay Cross

Romantic Suspense
ebook, 125 pages
July 19, 2016 by Kindle Worlds
Men of Mercy #8
Special Forces Operation Alpha Kindle World


As a Special Forces operative, Aaron Spears treated relationships like Tangos. He’d seen the wreckage of his Task Force brothers' attempts and had no desire to put any woman through the hardship. He had one purpose – serve his country and protect his teammates. Then Celine Latimer walked into his life and turned his world upside down.

Celine Latimer thought she’d hit the jackpot when hunky SF operative Aaron Spears asked her to accompany him to the high-profile wedding of Senator Cotter’s daughter. They’d get to spend two weeks together while Aaron pulled guard duty for Caroline Cotter and Celine intended to use every spare minute, seducing the man she’d had a crush on for over a year.

The time and place proved to be more of a barrier than either of them realized. With his commander watching his every move, Aaron couldn’t afford to show any weakness. That meant ignoring Celine.

Rejected and hurt, Celine packed to leave only to be caught in a kidnapping plot against the Senator. Here she sat, in a hut in the Middle East, waiting on a rescue that may never come.

He'd sworn to protect and he'd failed. Now Aaron lived for one purpose- to rescue the woman he lost before she’s sold into slavery and spend the rest of his life making her see how much he loves her.



Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Release Boost: Matronly Duties by Melissa Kendall (Excerpt)


Welcome to Matronly Duties Release Boost!

Matronly Duties

by Melissa Kendall

Romantic Sci-Fi
ebook & print, 260 pages
July 27, 2016 
Centuries after the asteroid that sent Earth into the ice age, the remaining humans live in underground sanctuaries. As the Impact Bi-Centennial Anniversary approaches, Bethanie Greene prepares to take her place as the Government's new leader. Or so she thinks.

With her life planned out, Bethanie trains to become the next Matron of the underground nation of Oceania. Until six weeks shy of taking office she's kidnapped by extremists; then rescued by a handsome stranger.

Harboring a deep-seated resentment of the government, Howard James struggles to survive in a world where those in power wished he didn’t exist. Ironically, he finds himself rescuing the soon-to-be head of the government, Bethanie Green. Torn between his resentment of everything she represents and her beauty, Howard shows Bethanie a different side of life in Oceania, while at the same time opening her eyes to the injustices of the government she is meant to lead.

Can Bethanie trust this man? Who is this handsome stranger who fights everything she believes in?. And he gets under her skin like nobody has even dared before. 
Against all odds, Bethanie must decide if her heart and her duties can coexist.


Release Tour: Seaside Lovers by Melissa Foster (Excerpt)


Welcome to Seaside Lovers Release Tour!

Seaside Lovers: Grayson Lacroux

by Melissa Foster

Contemporary Romance
ebook & print, 300 pages
July 20, 2016 by World Literary Press
Love in Bloom: Seaside Summers #7


Seaside Summers is a series of stand-alone romances that may also be enjoyed as part of the larger Love in Bloom series.

"You can always rely on Melissa Foster to deliver a story that's fresh, emotional and entertaining. Make sure you have all night, because once you start you won't want to stop reading. Every book's a winner!" New York Times Bestselling Author Brenda Novak

"Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!" New York Times Bestseller Lauren Blakely

In SEASIDE LOVERS... 

After months of long-distance communication, actress Parker Collins and artist Grayson Lacroux finally plan to reconnect in the seaside town of Wellfleet, Massachusetts. But Parker never shows, and weeks pass without a word, leaving Grayson to believe he's misinterpreted their budding relationship.

Parker has been running on autopilot ever since she lost her friend, mentor, and the only family she's ever known, Bert Stein. Armed with junk food, tequila, and her big, lovable dog, she's prepared to hole up and mourn--and determined to mend a fence Bert had never been able to with his estranged and bitter brother. But Parker didn't count on the sinfully hot artist she's been fantasizing about for nearly a year walking in on her grief-induced drunken night.

When Grayson stumbles across Parker, he has no idea what to make of the gorgeous blonde who blew him off despite the heat sizzling between them. But that doesn't stop him from feeling protective of the woman who's consumed his thoughts for months, and when he learns of Parker's plans to confront an angry old man, he refuses to leave her side. As Parker's past unfolds, they're led on an unexpected journey of discovery. Their connection deepens, and late-night fantasies become passionate realities, until good intentions spark painful secrets, threatening the love they've found.



Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Release Celebration Day Three: Dark Minds by Michelle Diener (Giveaway)

On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

Welcome to day three of the Release Celebration for
Dark Minds
By Michelle Diener

Dark Minds is book three in the Class 5 Series. Michelle is sharing about the Class 5 world today. If you missed Michelle's release-day message, go read it HERE, if you missed about the rise of the genre, go check that out HERE, and don't forget to check out the entire series, sign up to review (if interested), and enter the giveaway below...


Dark Minds

by Michelle Diener

Adult Sci-Fi
ebook, 331 Pages
July 22, 2016
Class 5 #3

The mind is the most powerful weapon of all . . . 

Imogen Peters knows she's a pawn. She's been abducted from Earth, held prisoner, and abducted again. So when she gets a chance at freedom, she takes it with both hands, not realizing that doing so will turn her from pawn to kingmaker.

Captain Camlar Kalor expected to meet an Earth woman on his current mission, he just thought he'd be meeting her on Larga Ways, under the protection of his Battle Center colleague. Instead, he and Imogen are thrown together as prisoners in the hold of a Class 5 battleship. When he works out she's not the woman who sparked his mission, but another abductee, Cam realizes his investigation just got a lot more complicated, and the nations of the United Council just took a step closer to war.

Imogen's out of her depth in this crazy mind game playing out all around her, and she begins to understand her actions will have a massive impact on all the players. But she's good at mind games. She's been playing them since she was abducted. Guess they should have left her minding her own business back on Earth…


AmazonB&N

Creating the World of the Class 5 Series

A few days ago, DARK MINDS, the third and final book in my Class 5 series was released. I have had a lot of readers express disappointment that this is the final book. They love the world and they want to keep exploring it.

Nothing is sweeter to me than hearing that the world I've created in my head is a place people want to linger. I am working on a new series, though, and hope everyone loves the new one just as much.

When I started the Class 5 series, it wasn't really with a series in mind. The main character in DARK HORSE, the first book in the series, Rose, came to me so strongly, with such a compelling story, I set aside the historical I was working on and jumped right in to write it. It was only near the end of DARK HORSE that I realized there was still a lot of the story left to tell, and the Class 5 series was born. 

I know the fact that Rose and the world she found herself in was so clear in my head and so vivid in my imagination helped me create such a strong world for the series as a whole. I had invented way more in my head than ended up on the page in DARK HORSE, and that gave me scope to include the greater world of the Class 5 series or explore things I only touched on in DARK HORSE in the other two novels.

The part of the universe where my heroines Rose, Fiona and Imogen find themselves is run by a coalition of five races. I only go into detail about the culture of the Grih, the race my human heroines have the most affinity for, but I do lightly touch on aspects of the other four's cultures. It was fun creating the worlds and customs, the look and feel of the places my heroines are forced to go, and I like to think that while they're there unwillingly at first, I've made the places interesting enough, sometimes even magical, so that they can see good in their new part of the universe, as well as bad.

If you are already a fan of the world of the Class 5 series, I hope you love DARK MINDS, and if you haven't tried the series yet, I hope you'll consider giving it a go. If action, adventure, and romance appeal, you won't be sorry you did.

— Michelle Diener

Promo Tour: Rookie Mistake by Dakota Madison (Excerpt, Giveaway)


Welcome to Rookie Mistake Promo Tour!

Rookie Mistake

by Dakota Madison

Romantic Comedy
ebook, 109 pages
June 16, 2016 by Short on Time Books
The California Dreamers #4


When a police recruit reports for duty he discovers his wild one night stand from the previous weekend is his new field training officer.

ROOKIE MISTAKE is a romantic comedy novella by USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Dakota Madison.

After serving seven years as a police officer in a small beach community is Southern California, Maya Navarro feels like she’s finally been accepted by her peers. Now as a newly appointed Field Training Officer she can finally make her mark.

Returning to California after serving two tours of duty in Iraq Cody Jackson makes the decision to become a police officer. He graduated from the Academy with flying colors and just has to make it through his field training to become a full-fledged member of the force.

Maya and Cody are both nursing broken hearts when their best friends push them into a one-night-stand with each other. Even though their wild night together is the hottest sex either one of them ever had they part ways believing they will never see each other again.

Until Cody reports for his first day of field training and discovers that Maya is his supervisor. Maya would rather die than admit to her sergeant the reason she can’t oversee Cody’s training. So she’s stuck with him for ten weeks of very close and personal contact on a daily basis. As things heat up between them they need to remain strictly professional, or risk ruining their careers.

Monday, July 25, 2016

Promo Tour: Carnal Whispers: Mind Stalker by Reily Garrett (Excerpt, Giveaway)


Welcome to Carnal Whispers: Mind Stalker Promo Tour!

Carnal Whispers: Mind Stalker

by Reily Garrett

Romantic Suspense
ebook, 270 pages
July 11, 2016
Carnal Series #3


To know another’s mind is to revel in the depths of truth, cringe in the face of past and imagined horrors, and suffer their dreams, all while searching for balance and serenity.

Daniele— a young woman, mysterious, gentle, and loyal, cloaks knowledge that could destroy millions while thumbing her nose at fate and hiding in plain sight. Concealing her talent means isolation despite her fantasies of a normal life.

Marc—owner of Ambrosia, a BDSM club, is determined to coerce his way into her life and her confidence, adapting unique scenes to free her from the shackles of fear and low self-esteem while staying one-step ahead of a psychopathic stalker and a branch of the government that answers to no one.

Each must rely on the other to survive a world where betrayal and deception, desire and trust, weave a fabric that transcends time.

Book Tour: Spring Fling Kitty by Rachelle Ayala (Review, Giveaway)


On Tour with Beck Valley Books
Welcome to the Spring Fling Kitty Book Tour!

Spring Fling Kitty

by Rachelle Ayala

Adult Contemporary Romance
ebook & print, 272 pages
May 30, 2016 by Amiga Books
Have a Hart Romance #3

Heartbreaker Connor Hart, one of the youngest fire chiefs in the country, is planning on marrying Dr. Elaine Woo, a woman who pretended to cheat on him with his best friend many years ago. She bought him a Dalmatian puppy, he gave her a ring—and the women of San Francisco are about to lose their most eligible bachelor.

Artist and poet Nadine Woo is down on her luck. The cast-off half-sister of Dr. Elaine Woo, she doesn’t measure up, according to her strict and distant father. When Nadine and her mother are about to be evicted from their apartment, she gets an interesting offer from her sister. Seems she’s in need of a little help concerning her relationship with Fire Chief Connor Hart.

As soon as Nadine meets Connor, she knows she’s in for a rough ride. Connor is the fireman who rescued her and her little gray kitten, and she’s never forgotten how safe she felt in his arms.

When Nadine takes her sister’s place at a spring fling weekend with Connor, love ignites, and there’s no going back.

Can a spunky little kitty show Connor and Nadine that doing the wrong thing is sometimes right, especially when it comes to love?
"Beautiful romance with a touch of suspense, great combination!” - Amazon review
"A beautiful, heartfelt story. Love saw. Love came. Love conquered. I truly recommended everyone to read this book." - Amazon review
About heroine Nadine Woo - "A free spirit is a gift in my eyes. It's what makes her beautiful. It's what makes Connor love her. It's what brings life to this story." - Corissa Palfrey

Only 99c on August 8 onwards

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Review & Excerpt: Dandelion Wishes by Melinda Curtis

Welcome to Harmony Valley!

This small town at the northernmost edge of Sonoma County wine country is in trouble. It's so remote the sagging California economy of the past few years has driven businesses out, and without jobs, everyone under the age of 65 has left town. The 70 or so residents remaining are set in their ways.

Join Harmony Valley residents as youth returns to help save their town.

Dandelion Wishes

by Melinda Curtis 

Adult Contemporary Romance 
ebook & print, 379 pages 
October 1, 2013 by Harlequin Heartwarming
A Harmony Valley Novel # 1

Sometimes wishes do come true, she'd heard it said...

Will Jackson was a control freak and a killjoy. He had been since they were kids. He'd made it his mission to come between Emma Willoughby and her best friend--his little sister--all their lives. But why? Until the day of the accident, Emma had always thought of herself as adventurous, not dangerous.... And then her friend had almost died.

She desperately needed to apologize, to try to explain, if she could. Will had managed to keep the two apart while Tracy was in the hospital, but now that she was home in Harmony Valley, the winemaker wannabe had to understand that getting past this was the only way they could heal. And yet even if Tracy was able to, Emma wasn't sure she could forgive herself. And Will had made it abundantly clear: he wouldn't sleep until he'd found retribution.


"This is a charming read, fresh and original, that will pull at your heartstrings." Long and Short Reviews
 

Release Celebration Day Two: Dark Minds by Michelle Diener (Giveaway)

On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

Welcome to day two of the Release Celebration for
Dark Minds
By Michelle Diener

Dark Minds is book three in the Class 5 Series. Today Michelle is sharing about the rise of the genre. If you missed Michelle's release-day message, go read it HERE, and come back on Tuesday, July 26th, HERE to read about the Class 5 worldFeel free to sign up to review Dark Minds (if interested) and enter the fabulous Amazon/book giveaway as well. So check those all out below!


Dark Minds

by Michelle Diener

Adult Sci-Fi
ebook, 331 Pages
July 22, 2016
Class 5 #3

The mind is the most powerful weapon of all . . . 

Imogen Peters knows she's a pawn. She's been abducted from Earth, held prisoner, and abducted again. So when she gets a chance at freedom, she takes it with both hands, not realizing that doing so will turn her from pawn to kingmaker.

Captain Camlar Kalor expected to meet an Earth woman on his current mission, he just thought he'd be meeting her on Larga Ways, under the protection of his Battle Center colleague. Instead, he and Imogen are thrown together as prisoners in the hold of a Class 5 battleship. When he works out she's not the woman who sparked his mission, but another abductee, Cam realizes his investigation just got a lot more complicated, and the nations of the United Council just took a step closer to war.

Imogen's out of her depth in this crazy mind game playing out all around her, and she begins to understand her actions will have a massive impact on all the players. But she's good at mind games. She's been playing them since she was abducted. Guess they should have left her minding her own business back on Earth…


AmazonB&N

The Rise of Science Fiction Romance and Space Opera

It started in 1977. :) 

I was too young to watch the first Star Wars movie, but classic space opera is epitomized by the Star Wars franchise. It became a cultural phenomenon because it was fresh, it was exciting, and it explored other galaxies and worlds. 

Nearly forty years later, I don't think the interest in any of these things has waned. We've had another six Star Wars movies since then, each as commercially successful as the last, and we've had a plethora of other space operas, from Star Trek, to Battlestar Galactica, Guardians of the Galaxy and the darker Serenity. We can't get enough of them.

Space opera is about exploring new worlds and finding adventure, love, and action. It is just such fun. Even when exploring serious topics or when it incorporates bittersweet threads, there is a wonder and excitement to the genre that I absolutely adore.

Amazing strides in space exploration, like Juno's successful trip to Jupiter, only fuel the fire of our imaginations and our wonder at the amazing universe we live in. Who wouldn't want to explore what's out there from the safe and comfortable seat of our armchair?

And the great news is that more and more readers are finding space opera and science fiction romance novels that give them the same thrill ride as the movies.

Just over a year ago, when I released my space opera novel, DARK HORSE, I didn't really know what to expect. My previous books had been historicals and fantasy novels, but as a hard-core science fiction fan, and a massive fan of the space opera movies mentioned above, I had worked for eight months on DARK HORSE, even though I knew the sensible thing was to stick to the genres I was already established in.

Taking that risk paid off for me. Because people, as I've said above, love space opera, and science fiction romance. DARK HORSE became my most successful book, and has won me awards and bestseller status. It is the first book in my Class 5 series, and I've since published a second book, DARK DEEDS, which has done just as well. On July 22nd, the third and final book in the series, DARK MINDS, was released, and I hope readers love it just as much as they did the first two. I certainly loved writing it.

— Michelle Diener

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Review & Excerpt: Dante's Gift by Aubrey Wynne

Dante's Gift

by Aubrey Wynne

20th Century Historical Romance
ebook & print, 102 pages
November 9, 2015 by Plato Publishing
Chicago Christmas #1


Kathleen James has put her practical side away for once and looks forward to the perfect romantic evening: an intimate dinner with the man of her dreams—and an engagement ring. She is not prepared to hear that he wants to bring his grandmother back from Italy to live with him.
Dominic Lawrence has planned this marriage proposal for six months. Nothing can go wrong—until his Nonna calls. Now he must interrupt the tenderest night of Katie’s life with the news that another woman will be under their roof.

When Antonia’s sister dies, she finds herself longing to be back in the states. An Italian wartime bride from the ‘40s, she knows how precious love can be.

Can her own story of an American soldier and a very special collie once again bring two hearts together at Christmas?

“Wynne has crafted a beautiful story guaranteed to warm you heart and make you sigh.” - Kishan Paul, author of Blind Love and Second Wife
“…a story of romance, that just by itself will have you misty eyed.” - Celeste Williams, reader
“Truly romantic…a book that you will not be able to put down.”- Books Are Love