Warm Up Your New Year - 'The Snow Bride' is now out!

She is Beauty, but is he the Beast?

Elfrida, spirited, caring and beautiful, is also alone. She is the witch of the woods and no man dares to ask for her hand in marriage until a beast comes stalking brides and steals away her sister. Desperate, the lovely Elfrida offers herself as a sacrifice, as bridal bait, and she is seized by a man with fearful scars. Is he the beast?

In the depths of a frozen midwinter, in the heart of the woodland, Sir Magnus, battle-hardened knight of the Crusades, searches ceaselessly for three missing brides, pitting his wits and weapons against a nameless stalker of the snowy forest. Disfigured and hideously scarred, Magnus has finished with love, he thinks, until he rescues a fourth 'bride', the beautiful, red-haired Elfrida, whose innocent touch ignites in him a fierce passion that satisfies his deepest yearnings and darkest desires.

Now out at Bookstrand Publishing 2011
15% discount until January 3! Order here.

Read Chapter One

Here is another new excerpt to tempt you:

She smiled, and he could see her smile. “Magnus.” She stroked his hair. In this kind semi-dark, oily blackness, he could feel whole again, and then, as she skimmed herself on top of him, he recognized that she made him whole. They could be in bright summer sun in an Eastern pleasure garden and he would feel needed, handsome, desired.

She truly wanted him, he thought in wonder, as she undid his tunic and fumbled with his belt, whispering, “Let me, let me, you are so big, my lovely troll...”

She kissed him on his mouth, jaw, chin, throat, and chest, light, swift embraces that poured heat and honey into him. Her hands trailed up his arms and legs, down his flanks and across his belly.

She was shy and bold together. “Do I do right?” she whispered, and he nodded and caressed her in return, delighting in her sleek, lithe shape, though all too soon, she lifted his hand away.

“Do I do right?” she asked again. “Only, I have not, not...” she paused as if seeking words, and he understood at once.

His bold, shy, loving little witch was a virgin.

And she chose me.

The brutish part of him wanted to holler her name to the rafters and make her his at once, but Elfrida needed more than that, far more. Her first time, he thought tenderly, shaken out of any doubts of her wanting him by her own brave, sweet admission.

“Never fret, my sweet, we shall do well together.” He slowed his caresses, wanting her to delight in them and to take only pleasure, never pain or fear, from their union.

“You are too sweet in your favors,” she breathed as he touched her. “You make me forget and stop—Magnus!”

She shuddered above him as he lightly tongued her breasts, her head falling back as she surrendered to the moment.

His desire was strong, but he told himself to forget it. He knew Denzil was out there in the hall, prying and spying, even if he had a girl of his own, but told himself to forget that, too.

Love Elfrida as she deserves to be loved.


Feeling took the place of thought. He gathered his witch-lass close and turned her to her side, shielding her from greedy eyes with his own rough body.

He nuzzled her breasts and settled her in the crook of his arm, running his fingers slowly down the smooth links of her spine. He heard her swallow and felt about for his flagon, offering it to her.

She gulped a draft and spluttered thanks in her own dialect, her voice strangled into a gasp as he dripped the mead onto her nipples and tenderly licked it off her. She raked at her clothes and his, endearingly clumsy in her need, slipping her hands into the revealed gaps in his tunic and braies to touch and caress him. By the single torchlight he saw her eyes, wide with looking—she could not see enough of him. And she kissed his arms and legs, once even his peg leg, and flicked her hair teasingly across his loins, too diffident to caress him intimately, without invitation.


Happy 2012!

Lindsay Townsend
THE SNOW BRIDE http://www.bookstrand.com/the-snow-bride

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Out Now: Love Reversed by Zenobia Renquist


Love Reversed
by Zenobia Renquist

Changeling Press

eBook ISBN: 978-1-60521-747-5
Genre: Erotic Romance, Interracial, Paranormal/Fantasy, Magic, Suspense/Action
Price: $4.49/US

It's only an even swap when both parties are satisfied.

Cinnamon came to the Hawaii celebrity retreat to meet her favorite actress. Calhoun crashed to find answers about his missing uncle. Neither of them signed on for the part of the tour that included body swapping. They have to find a way to switch back without anyone realizing their predicament. Long nights of searching for answers become even longer when curiosity takes over. It's a once in a lifetime chance to see how the other half loves, they don't plan to let it slip away.

Buy Now: http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1749

Read the first full chapter online at D. Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters blog on 02 January 2012.

EXCERPT:

“Sit.” Calhoun pointed at the bed.
She lowered herself slowly and folded her hands in her lap, a very defensive pose that made Calhoun want to shake her. He didn’t like seeing his body like this. Beyond it being disconcerting, it was damn annoying. The sooner they switched back, the better.
Until then, he needed time to think. He started for the door. “Get some sleep. I’ll meet you in the morning.”
Cinnamon jumped off the bed and grabbed his wrist, pulling him back.
“Shit! Lay off. Lay off.” He yanked out of her grip and rubbed his wrist.
“Sorry.”
“Why’d you grab me?”
“You’re not going anywhere in my body. You might finish what you started earlier.”
“Lady, that is the last thing on my --”
“Bullshit! You’re a guy and you’re in a woman’s body -- literally. There is no way that isn’t what you’re thinking. I’m not letting you do perverted things to my body. You’re staying right here where I can keep an eye on you.”
Calhoun couldn’t argue since she wasn’t far off the mark. Actually, that was a bull’s-eye. He faced the room and her. “What do you propose we do?”
“We stay in this room until we change back.”
“All night and all day?”
“If that’s what it takes,” she said, crossing her arms.
He couldn’t help smirking at his most fearsome expression used against him. Was that what determination looked like on him? No wonder people got scared, not that he thought Cinnamon could back up the threat that look promised. He was more worried about her hurting him unintentionally, so he would concede to keep the peace. “Fine. That plan’s best anyway. If we tip off the old fogies that we’ve caught on, they may up the schedule.”
“Flint has been watching you since you got here.”
“I snuck in but it looks like I’m on the menu too. That’s the only reason they didn’t kick me out, I’m betting.” He looked around the room. “Who gets the bed and who gets the floor?”
“Normally, I’d say I get the bed, but circumstances being what they are…”
“We could share.”
“Or not and say we did.”


Buy Now: http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1749

--
Zenobia Renquist
Discover Different and Unique Romance
http://zenobiarenquist.com
Caveat Emptor Series - Follow three couples as they struggle with love during a vampire-mage war.

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New Release: COLE (Red, Hot & Blue)


One night can leave a trail a decade long.

Red, Hot & Blue, Book 5

Ten years ago, a wicked curve ball and a scout for the major leagues gave Cole Ryan his big break. Before he set foot on the bus to training camp, Lizzie Barton gave him everything…then inexplicably broke his heart.  Now he’s back in Pigeon Hollow with a bum arm and a cancelled contract. Lizzie is still there, still keeping her secrets. Still haunting his dreams.

To make sure Cole would have the future he wanted, Lizzie kept her crush on her older brother’s best friend to herself. But in this small town, there was no hiding the results of her one and only night in his arms. With Cole away playing ball, it was easy to pretend he would never know. But now that he’s back it’s only a matter of time.

Right about the time Cole figures out what he left behind, cameras for a reality TV show arrive to film Lizzie’s brother. And suddenly Cole is scrambling to keep the spotlight out of his and Lizzie’s private life…and to convince her they can still make both their dreams come true.

This book has been previously published and has been revised from its original release.

Warning: Contains love that conquers a decade of sitting on the bench…and one night of sex that resulted in a big change in two lovers’ lifetime stats.

EXCERPT (G-rated)

“Hey, Cole.” One of the guys bumped Cole’s fist with his own. “You should have been at the game today. Jared here hit a grand slam. Maybe he’ll be joining you in the majors one day.”
“Sounds good.” Cole slapped Jared on the back. “I wouldn’t mind another local boy there in the city with me.”
Jared shook his head. “Nope, big-city life’s not for me. I’m staying right here.
But it was nice to rub it in the other team’s faces today that Pigeon Hollow doesn’t lose to anybody.”
Another cheer rose and Cole shook his head and laughed. He better drink his fill fast, because as noisy as these guys were, this secret party was on borrowed time already.
Cole scanned the clearing and noticed that scattered amid the guys were a few girls milling around. Among them, tucked off in a corner looking embarrassed while holding a cup but not drinking, was Bobby Barton’s little sister, Lizzie. Only she didn’t look like she used to. Somehow since he’d been away she’d absolutely blossomed. Her dark hair was still long and wavy, but it wasn’t in pigtails anymore. She still wore the T-shirts and denim mini-skirts he was used to seeing her in, but boy-oh-boy, she really filled them out nicely now.
She’d always been a good kid—kind, smart, sweet, but that was it. She’d been a kid. Now… Wow.
A wave of guilt hit him. If Bobby ever saw him looking at Lizzie like this he’d slug him. Cole took a closer look around the clearing and realized that although Lizzie was here, Bobby wasn’t.
Cole poked the guy closest to him. “Hey, where’s Bobby at?”
“He’s always busy now. He’s been working at the grocery store and taking classes at the community college. Getting a degree in criminal justice or something so he can join the sheriff’s department.”
Cole nearly choked on his beer. “Really? The sheriff’s department? Wow.”
He felt guilty he’d lost touch with his best friend from high school while away at college. It wasn’t intentional. It was just tough playing ball in college while trying to keep up with classes. Weeks had turned into months, and before he knew it the whole school year had flown by.
He glanced at Lizzie again. Even as a child she’d always had the trademark
Barton dark hair and brilliant blue eyes that made all three distinguishable as siblings. Now, Lizzie had the body of a woman too. What a change from the little rug rat who used to trail along behind him and Bobby for as long as he could remember. Smiling at the memory, Cole started to work his way over to her.
Hell, it couldn’t hurt to say hi and ask about Bobby.
When he reached her side she smiled up at him—right as all hell broke loose.
Spotlights flashed on, making the clearing bright as day. The sheriff and two deputies strode out of the trees, yelling for everyone to stay right where they were. Cole didn’t think twice. After flinging both his and Lizzie’s beer cups into the bushes, he grabbed her and pulled her into the shelter of the trees.

http://catjohnson.net/cole/

www.CatJohnson.net


iBookstore iTunes
Don’t miss the lead-in to COLE (RHB, BOOK 5)
JARED (RHB, Book 4)
COMING MARCH 2012
BOBBY (RHB, BOOK 6)

REVIEWS:
"If you are looking for a nice romance with a great story line, and not too long, Cole would be the book for you. I was very impressed with the plot and writing..." Angela, Sizzling Hot Book Reviews 

‎"I highly recommend all of the books in this series but I'll admit, I hold a particular place in my heart now for Cole." Lee, Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

"...a story that will pull your heartstrings and make you wish you could get your hands on the next installment from Pigeon Hollow right now. Ms. Johnson has written a poignant story where your heart goes out to both the hero and heroine. Ms. Johnson gives detailed insight into both characters minds with her distinctive writing style. Cat Johnson has written another keeper, this series from Pigeon Hollow continues to keep us readers coming back for more and I cannot wait for the next installment." Kennedia, LASR-Whipped Cream Erotic Romance Reviews

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New Release! Naughty: Full to Bursting, A Lesbian Christmas Short


If your holiday season is lacking in lesbian strap-on sex (and on a waterbed, no less!) then my new short ebook "Naughty: Full to Bursting" just might be for you. If it's lacking sex toy double penetration, then look out, sex ahead!


Naughty: Full to Bursting
By Giselle Renarde
Genre: Lesbian Erotica

Blurb:
After six months together, Wanda still hasn't told her children Janelle is more than just a friend. Janelle spends every evening at the house, helping with dinner and homework, but come 10 or 11 at night Wanda always sends her home. Their only chance for debauchery comes one weekend a month, when the kids visit their grandparents. With Christmas on the way, will tensions build too high for Janelle to handle, or will she be fully satisfied by Wanda's big, sexy gift?

Sample

“Wanda?”

Janelle sat up in the middle of the mattress, cradling the covers in both hands. Her back was bare, chilled not by the temperature of Wanda’s cozy home, but by her apprehension. The house was too quiet.

“Wanda?”

There was a squeak on the stairs and then a creak on the landing before Wanda appeared in the doorway. Janelle struggled with where to look first: she glanced at her woman’s face, but she couldn’t glean any emotion from that stony expression before her gaze shot down between Wanda’s thighs. Should she laugh or should she gasp? It was…wow, it was huge!

“Lost for words, little girl?” Wanda strutted into the bedroom, and that mammoth dildo bounced with every step. “Hey, you said you wanted more. I figured I'd give you part of your Christmas present a little early. Doubt you’ll be calling out for more after I fuck you with this monster.”

Janelle could feel saliva collecting under her tongue, and she forced herself to swallow. She couldn’t even remember what she’d been thinking about before. Now that she’d laid eyes on that big, veiny cock, she only wanted one thing.

“It’s new,” Janelle stammered, feeling like an idiot. Of course it was new, it was her Christmas gift!

The strap-on they usually used belonged to Janelle, but it was cheap, hard to wrangle, and the dildo that came with it was nothing to write home about. This new one was less a harness than a sleek pair of jockey shorts with a reinforced waistband and O-ring. Janelle had only ever seen them online, but that stretchy black fabric fit Wanda’s round ass like a wet dream.

Wanda crept up next to the bed, proud as punch, letting the new toy sway side to side. “Wanna touch it?”

Buy Link: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=79_108&products_id=3475

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Greet the New Year by Hanging with a Time Surfer!

Merry Christmas (or "Happy Holidays" if that suits you better) and a Happy New Year! :-)


With the old year quickly passing,and the new year quickly approaching, what better than to post an excerpt about someone who experiences the passage of time a bit differently? And what better excerpt than from my time travel erotic-romance story, Hanging with a Time Surfer?



Hanging with a Time Surfer
by Celine Chatillon
Liquid Silver Books
http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/books/hangingwithatimesurfer.htm


When Shelby meets the mysterious Quentin it's lust at first...grope. Deciding that it's time she made some changes in her life, Shelby agrees to accompany her new lover on a trip, only to discover that Quentin is indeed the rogue 42nd century time agent he says he is. Surfing the Time Vortex on his "time board”, the pair experience erotic adventures throughout history from the distant past to the Civil War era to the future… where an orgy ship houses an evil nemesis ready to cash in on the reward for Quentin's capture. Will Shelby be able to use her newly acquired sexual skills to save her man and return to St. Louis before it’s too late?

WARNING: This novel contains group sex, m/f/m, f/f, alien sex, oral sex, spanking, bondage


An excerpt from Hanging with a Time Surfer:

How can I say no to such a sexy man?

Shelby Schwartz moaned in her sleep and rolled to her back. It had been difficult drifting off to sleep in the weeks since Graham had left her, but tonight was different. Exhausted by a long day at the office, she had collapsed into bed and fallen quickly into a deep sleep. A deep, erotic-dream-filled sleep that made her hunger for a man’s intimate touch to pleasure her throbbing pussy... Instead she knew she would have to gratify her own sensual needs. Half asleep she reached over to the bedside table and groped around for her well-used vibrator.

She screamed as she felt the warmth of a human hand instead.

“Who are y-y-you?” she stammered, sitting up in bed and reaching for the lamp switch. The stranger removed her hand from the toggle before she could switch on the light and cradled it tenderly in both of his.

“No need to be upset. I won’t harm you. I was just passing through, and I heard you moaning in you sleep. I figured you needed a little... help.”

Help. Yeah, that’s exactly what she needed--help to find her phone and to dial 9-1-1 before she ended up chopped into soup-sized bits in this maniac’s food processor.

“I... I didn’t realize my voice carried quite so well through these brick walls.” She slowly curled her legs beneath her, preparing to bolt from the opposite side of the bed, explode toward the exit and fly down the steps and out the front door before her visitor even had a chance to go for his machete. “Or maybe I need to replace the windows. Pity, since the contractor told me they were top of the line.”

“Yes, there are. I can tell you’ve done a great job rehabbing this old brownstone. But don’t worry--it’s sound proof. I heard your sighs in my own dreams, and I surfed on in to investigate. Is this twenty-first century Saint Louis?”

Shelby blinked and stared hard toward the man with the resonant baritone voice kneeling next to her bed and holding her hands. She could only make out his silhouette in the darkness--and what a silhouette it was!

He was built like a Rams linebacker with broad, muscular shoulders tapering down to svelte waistline to what she could only assumed was a nice ass . And the big, strong hands that held hers made her imagine only how well-endowed he’d be in the crotch area... What a shame he was a common criminal who broke into single women’s homes and scared them half out of their wits at one o’clock in the morning. If she had brought him home from the bar she frequented after work, she would have been more than happy to put her vibrator away and ask if he’d like to help scratch her “itch”.

“Twenty-first century?” she said slowly, deliberately. Okay, maybe her visitor was just a plain ol’ delusional psycho and not a chainsaw murderer or run-of-the-mill rapist. If she could keep him talking, she stood a chance of getting out of this situation unharmed. “What century do you think you live in? The eighteenth?”

Shelby could have sworn she heard a smile in the stranger’s silky voice as he answered, “Why, the forty-second, of course.”


Hanging With a Time Surfer is available at Liquid Silver Books and in Kindle formats at Amazon:
http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/books/hangingwithatimesurfer.htm

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Christmas Hope

His fingers squeezed hers in a warm, comfortable handshake, and a spark of excitement shot up her shoulder.

How long since Josh’s touch elicited anything remotely as exhilarating as this?

“Hope,” she introduced herself. Then, after a tiny hesitation, she added, “Clark. Hope Clark.” There. She’d done it. Used her maiden name again and the world hadn’t collapsed in a tearful heap around her.

“May I buy you a drink, Hope Clark?”

“You may.” With that, she put a big, fat, Giuseppe-shaped tick next to Action Point Two on the list. Action Point Two, Meet Other People.

Action Point One had been Going On This Cruise As A Single Person. Originally, she had booked it as their tenth wedding anniversary celebration, a deluxe stateroom with a huge bed and a balcony, lured by the photo of a couple taking their morning coffee on their private sun-drenched deck. To Hope, the picture represented the very essence of contentment. A lazy day spent with the man she loved….

“Do you like Club Penguin?”

The question brought Hope back from her dreamland. “Pardon?”

“Club Penguin,” Giuseppe repeated. His voice, thick and rich, made Hope think of Christmas eggnog. “The bar on Level Eight. Shall we?”

She nodded. Didn’t care which bar. Tick the box next to Action Point Two, that’s all she wanted.


More here: http://redrosepublishing.com/books/product_info.php?products_id=1150

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Warm up your winter: 'The Snow Bride'

She is Beauty, but is he the Beast?

Elfrida, spirited, caring and beautiful, is also alone. She is the witch of the woods and no man dares to ask for her hand in marriage until a beast comes stalking brides and steals away her sister. Desperate, the lovely Elfrida offers herself as a sacrifice, as bridal bait, and she is seized by a man with fearful scars. Is he the beast?

In the depths of a frozen midwinter, in the heart of the woodland, Sir Magnus, battle-hardened knight of the Crusades, searches ceaselessly for three missing brides, pitting his wits and weapons against a nameless stalker of the snowy forest. Disfigured and hideously scarred, Magnus has finished with love, he thinks, until he rescues a fourth 'bride', the beautiful, red-haired Elfrida, whose innocent touch ignites in him a fierce passion that satisfies his deepest yearnings and darkest desires.

Coming Dec 27th from Bookstrand Publishing 2011
15% discount until January 3! Pre-order here.

Read Chapter One

Here is another excerpt to tempt you:

Magnus was worried. The fire he had made should have brought his people. It was an old signal, well-known between them. His men should have reached the village by now—that had been the arrangement. They were bringing traps and provisions in covered wagons, and hunting dogs and horses. He had been impatient to start his pursuit of the Forest Grendel and so rode ahead, returning with the messenger until that final stretch when the man turned off to his home. He had ridden on alone, finding the wayside shrine.

But from then, all had gone awry. Instead of the monster, he had found an ailing witch, and the snowstorm had lost him more tracks and time.

Magnus shook his head, turning indulgent eyes to the small, still figure on the rough pallet. At least the little witch had slept through the night and day, snug and safe, and he had been able to make her a litter from woven branches. He would give his fire signal a little longer and then return Elfrida to her village. There he might find someone who could translate between them.

Perhaps she did have power, for even as he looked at her, she sat up, the hood of her cloak falling away, and stared at him in return. She said something, then repeated it, and he drew in a great gulp of cold air in sheer astonishment, then laughed.

“I know what you said!” He wanted to kiss her, spots and all.

He burst into a clumsy canter, dragging his peg leg a little and almost tumbling onto her bed. She caught him by the shoulders and tried to steady him but collapsed under his weight.

They finished in an untidy heap on the pallet, with Elfrida hissing by his ear, “Why have you done such a foolish thing as to burn all our fuel?”

He rolled off her, knocked snow off his front and beard, and said in return, “How did you know I would know the old speech, the old English?”

“I dream true, and I dreamed this.” She was blushing, though not, he realized quickly, from shyness.

“Why burn so wildly?” she burst out, clearly furious. “You have wasted it! All that good wood gone to ash!”

“My men know my sign and will come now the storm has gone.” He had not expected thanks or soft words, but he was not about to be scolded by this red-haired nag.

“That is your plan, Sir Magnus? To burn half the forest to alert your troops?”

“A wiser plan than yours, madam, setting yourself as bait. Or had your village left you hanging there, perhaps to nag the beast to death?”

Her face turned as scarlet as the fire. “So says any witless fool! ’Tis too easy a charge men make against women, any woman who thinks and acts for herself. And no man orders me!”

Magnus swallowed the snort of laughter filling up his throat. He doubted she saw any amusement in their finally being able to speak to each other only to quarrel. Had she been a man or a lad, he would have knocked her into the snow, then offered a drink of mead, but such rough fellowship was beyond him here.

“And how would you have fought off any knave, or worse, that found you?” he asked patiently. “You did not succeed with me.”

“There are better ways to vanquish a male than brute force. I knew what I was about!”

“Truly? You were biding your time? And the pox makes you alluring?”

“Says master gargoyle! My spots will pass!”

“Or did you plan to scatter a few herbs, perhaps?”

He thought he heard her clash her teeth together. “I did not plan my sickness, and I do not share my secrets! Had you not snatched me away, had you not interfered, I would know where the monster lives. I would have found my sister! I would be with her!” Her voice hitched, and a look of pain and dread crossed her face. “We would be together. Whatever happens, I would be with her.”

“This was Christina?”

“Is Christina, not was, never was! I know she lives!”

Magnus merely nodded, his temper cooling rapidly as he marked how her color had changed and her body shook. A desperate trap to recover a much-loved sister excused everything, to his way of thinking.

She called you a gargoyle! This piqued his vanity and pride.

But she does not think you the monster, Magnus reminded himself in a dazzled, shocked wonder, embracing that knowledge like a lover.

Lindsay Townsend
http://www.lindsaytownsend.net

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A Wizard for Christmas

New Paranormal Romance Novella! Just in time for the Holidays!
A Wizard for Christmas
By Dorothy McFalls
Published by: Barking Dog Press Dec 2011
$0.99 from all ebook retailers
Get your copy today from: Amazon, Smashwords, or Nook

Blurb:
Holly desperately wants a perfect Christmas, and she's perfectly willing to make herself miserable getting one. Unfortunately, there are mystical forces at play that threaten more than her holidays...her life is in danger. And the only one who seems to know what's going on is a darkly handsome, but mysterious, wizard who makes her want to add "romance" to this year's Christmas wish list.

Excerpt: 

Christmas music was being piped onto the streets. Deck the Halls and Fa, La, La, La, La....Holly was ready to deck something. Fa, La, La, La, that.

Her suitcase toppled over again.

And again she had to stop, put the suitcase back on its wheels before she could continue dragging her personal albatross down the street. Why had she packed so many clothes? This was insane.

A few bouncy steps further, the suitcase hit a deep rut and one of the wheels got stuck. Brilliant. It took some effort to pry the wheel from the crack in the walk. And she was getting colder by the minute.

When she started pulling it again, she ran straight into an arm. A healthy male arm.

"Need a hand?" Hadrian asked. He was leaning against the storefront and blocking her way. He smiled. It made her stomach do a little flip.

"I-I'm okay," she said, and tried to push him out of her path. She didn't trust him. He was too interested in her, and she didn't understand why.

"Didn't you say you were going out of town?" His brow kicked up as he eyed her suitcase. "I didn't realize you were walking to your destination."

"I'm heading over to the train station."

"Really? That's blocks from here. Let me drive you."

Her throbbing feet wanted to scream, "Yes!" She'd dragged her suitcase from one end of town to the next in search of a non-existent hotel room. Her feet didn't want to take another step. Ever.

"I'm okay," she said, much to her feet's chagrin. But if he drove her to the train station, there would be a good chance he'd insist on staying with her until her train left. And she had no ticket because she had nowhere to go, and what was she doing telling complete strangers about her fantasy trip home in the first place?

She pushed him out of the way and hauled herself forward. He caught the handle of her suitcase.

"You're limping," he said.

"I'm fine." She tried to pry his hand loose.

"You're exhausted."

"I'm not." His fingers wouldn't budge.

"You're afraid of me."

Her gaze flashed up to his face. He looked harmless, but then so did many of the mass murderers caught in recent years.

"I'm being reasonably cautious," she said, tugging at the handle with all her weight. "Let go of my suitcase or I'll scream."

He let go so fast she nearly smashed her face against the sidewalk.

"You know me, Holly." He sounded so darned reasonable. "Deep in your heart, you know me. You know I'm not a threat to you."

"Perhaps. But maybe I'm not a very good judge of people. There is no Oblique Café. No one in my building has ever heard of it. I think you drugged me. Or hypnotized me."

"Hypnosis? Really? That's the best your wildly imaginative mind could come up with?"

"Goodbye Hadrian. Have a very merry Christmas."

She stuck her chin in the air and hoped she looked determined when she felt anything but. Tears stung the backs of her eyes. This was her chance, perhaps her
one chance to spend Christmas with someone. Anyone.

She stopped, but didn't turn around.

"What if I told you I didn't have anywhere to go?" she asked the empty space in front of her.

"I'd ask what happened to your apartment," he answered.

"It's a long story."

"Hmmm..."

"It's a
stupid, long story," she amended.

"There's plenty of time to tell it, you know. There's six days before Christmas."

She wanted to laugh. But if she did, she'd probably end up crying. So she bit her lower lip.

"What should I do?" It was a desperate plea. A question framed more for herself than for anyone else.

"Come to the café with me. Jake has a room upstairs. It's not the Ritz, but it's comfortable. And affordable."

His offer sounded like a blessing.

"But there is no café."

"Not in this world. But, Holly, it does exist." He held out his hand. "Believe me. It exists as a refuge for people like you...and me."


Get your copy today from: Amazon, Smashwords, or Nook

For more information, visit Dorothy at her website: www.dorothymcfalls.com
Or learn more about Dorothy's White House Gardener mystery novels written as Dorothy St. James at www.dorothystjames.com

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A COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS by Cat Johnson



Sexy, independent, corporate executive Casey Harrington’s life and career were shaped by a childhood Christmas wish left unfulfilled. Now, twenty years later on a Colorado cattle ranch, she finally gets everything she’s always wanted—both a hot cowboy and a dream job.

But Bonner “Blue” Boyd is a rancher and Casey is a New Yorker, and even if the sex between them is hot enough to start a prairie fire, they both know that city and country might mix for a week, but it can’t work for a lifetime. Or can it?

When a dramatic turn of events reunite Bonner and Casey, this time on her turf in her city, she has to prove to her displaced cowboy he belongs with her, no matter where they end up. Luckily Casey knows the quickest way to a man's heart is slightly lower than his stomach. 

EXCERPT (PG 17)
As she pulled up to her sister’s split level ranch in the suburbs and saw the door open and the two girls run out before she’d even gotten her car door open, Casey had to smile. Her nieces didn’t care that she wasn’t married and didn’t have kids. They didn’t give her the cold shoulder when she was traveling for business and had to miss a family event. To them, she was the coolest aunt on earth.
“Aunt Casey!” Jenna crashed into Casey’s stomach and wrapped both arms around her. Courtney followed seconds later. Luckily their eight and ten year old bodies weren’t heavy enough to knock Casey over with the full body tackle. She did hold the wine bottles a bit tighter before she dropped them and bathed the driveway in Beaujolais Nuveau. “Hey, you two. I missed you.”
“Me too. We want you to tell us all about the cowboy ranch.” Courtney practically bounced with excitement.
“It was a cattle ranch.” Casey laughed, though Courtney wasn’t exactly wrong. There sure had been one hell of a cowboy there. The familiar feeling of longing settled in her chest. She pushed it aside. “In fact, I think I have a few pictures in my cell phone.”
“Yay! I wanna see.” Courtney led the way to the house with something that looked like a half skip, half jog. Casey wished she had half the energy these girls did. Though she supposed back when she was eight, she didn’t just walk anywhere either.
Jody laughed in the doorway. “Glad you’re here. They haven’t stopped talking about Aunt Casey all day. I thought Kent was going to lose his mind if he had to tell them again how many more minutes until you arrived.”
Casey laughed and waved at Kent where he squatted in front of the fireplace, putting in a log. “Hey, Kent. Happy Thanksgiving.”
“You too, Aunt Casey.” He smiled. “Let’s pop that wine.”
Jody grabbed the bottles from Casey. “I’m on it. Turkey will be ready in a few minutes.”
“Sorry, I didn’t get here earlier. I tried to get some work done before I left and lost track of time.”
“Oh, don’t worry. The girls will make up for lost time, I’m sure.” Kent closed the fireplace’s screen and brushed his hands together. “So how was Colorado? You survived ranch life I see.”
“It was actually really great.” Did her cheeks look as red as they felt? Casey still couldn’t manage to think about the ranch without blushing, even a month later.
“Aunt Casey, sit next to me.” Jenna bounced onto the couch cushion.
Courtney frowned. “No, she has to sit between us. I wanna see pictures of the cowboys.”
Casey glanced at the girls. Courtney, at least, seemed to have inherited her cowboy fetish. Perhaps it was genetic. “You’ll both get to see. Don’t worry.”
“Well heck, if there’s pictures of cowboys, I wanna see them too.” Jody carried out three glasses of wine from the kitchen.
“Oh really? This is new. I seem to remember someone—Jody—trying to talk me out of asking Santa for the Cowboy Cody doll for Christmas.” Casey leaned close to Courtney. “Your mom wanted me to ask for a Barbie instead back when I was your age.”
“Who’d rather have a Barbie than a cowboy?” Courtney screwed up her mouth dramatically.
On the other side of Casey, Jenna shook her head. “No, Barbie’s way cooler. She’s got all those fun clothes.”
“Jenna’s definitely your daughter.” Casey shot Jody a look.
“If I hadn’t given birth to her, I’d wonder if Courtney is yours.” Jody cocked a brow. “So speaking of cowboys…did you meet anyone interesting on your business trip?”
“I met quite a few interesting people.” Casey concentrated on the wine glass in her hand.
“Oh my God. You met a man.”
“What?” Casey’s attention snapped to her sister. She tried to look innocent and rolled her eyes. “No. Why do you say that?”
“You’re blushing. And you can’t hold eye contact.”
Casey forced herself to look at Jody, and found her grinning from ear to ear.
“There’s nothing to talk about.” Casey shook her head, but she couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her lips just from the thought of Bonner.
“Oh, that’s it. You’re going to spill it all. Come into the kitchen with me. We’re going to talk.” Jody reached down and grabbed Casey’s hand, pulling her off the couch. Jenna and Courtney jumped up to follow. “You girls stay here and help your father watch the fire.”
Kent’s eyebrows rose. He glanced at the single log, barely burning. “Um, yeah. I could use the help.”
“But she’s going to show us pictures.” Courtney stamped her little foot and Casey couldn’t help but smile, knowing she’d done that at her age. Hell, she still did it sometimes.
“My phone is right here in my purse. You can look at the pictures while your mom and I go…check on the turkey.” Resigned now, Casey gave in. When Jody was after something, she could be relentless. She’d have to feed her sister some details about meeting Bonner, but definitely not all of them. No way. Her cheeks heated at the thought.
Casey located the pictures of the ranch on the phone. The first picture was of Bonner with Misty. She’d taken it the day before she left. Just looking at his picture, his blue eyes piercing under the brim of his hat, took Casey’s breath away.
She handed the phone to Courtney. “Here you go. Make sure to share with your sister.”
“I will.” Wide-eyed, she cradled the phone in both hands and stared at the screen.
Jody glanced over her daughter’s shoulder at the picture of the cowboy in the blue shirt with the black and white dog. “That him?”
Casey let out a laugh. It was no use trying to hide it. “Yeah.”
“Kitchen. Now.” Jody spun on one heel and strode to the doorway.
Kent stood to come look over the girls’ shoulders. He cocked one brow when he saw the picture. “You really do have a cowboy fetish, don’t you?”
As Casey watched Courtney become totally engrossed in the photo of Bonner, even zooming in on it to see him closer, Casey laughed. “I wouldn’t get so cocky if I were you. Apparently so does your daughter.”
“Daddy. Can we go to Colorado?” Courtney glanced up as Jenna tried to grab the phone.
“Yeah, I’m starting to see that.” He grimaced and then leaned down closer to his daughters. “We’ll talk about it later. Now what other pictures does Aunt Casey have on there? Are there any cows?”
Smiling, Casey made her exit, only to find Jody tapping her foot in the kitchen waiting for her. “So…”
“So his name is Bonner. He’s a former state rodeo champion and now he runs the Maverick ranch. He’s an honest to goodness cowboy, Jody. He straps on his spurs and chaps and hops on a horse to head to work in the morning the way most men grab their briefcases and get on the subway.” Now that Casey had started to talk about Bonner, it seemed she couldn’t stop.
“Age?”
“Early thirties.”
“Single?” Jody was like a prosecutor and Casey was the hostile witness on the stand.
“Divorced ten years ago. He got married young. The bitch made him quit rodeo at the peak of his career and then left him.” Casey found it very easy to be jealous of the woman Bonner had given his name to, and she’d never been the jealous type. Interesting.
“Is he looking to get married again?”
That question gave Casey pause. “I don’t know.”
Jody studied Casey intently for a moment. “Are you interested in getting married?”
Casey opened her mouth to give her rote answer, the one she’d been giving friends, relative and colleagues for most of her life, that she was focusing on her career. But it seemed she couldn’t say the words today.
“Oh my God. You are!” Jody had never looked happier.
Sputtering, Casey didn’t know what to say to undo the damage. Before she knew it, Jody would likely have their mother on the phone announcing her engagement to a man she’d had a week of incredible sex with but hadn’t spoken to since.
She took a steadying breath and gathered her thoughts. “Jody. First of all even considering a relationship with him would be nuts. He’s a real live cowboy. I’m a New Yorker.”
Jody pursed her lips while considering that. “I am having some trouble picturing you living on a ranch. And you’d probably die if you were away from the city for too long.”
The truth that she and Bonner were from two different worlds and because of that would never be together for more than casual sex a few times a year when she visited the ranch, hurt a little too much. Casey needed to lighten this conversation before Jody saw that she’d already started to fall for a man she had no future with.
“You don’t know the half of it. You should have seen me using the outhouse.”
Jody nearly spit her mouthful of wine out at that. “That I would pay to see. All right, so I see the difficulties. But tell me you at least had a little fun with him. I’m sure your cowboy, unlike that Cody doll you wanted, was anatomically correct. Right?”
“Jody!” Shocked, Casey still couldn’t stop the grin. “And yeah. He was. Very.”

MORE INFO AT CatJohnson.net

AVAILABLE NOW AT:

"In a nutshell, A COWBOY FOR CHIRSTMAS has it all.  A sexy cowboy, feisty heroine, great secondary cast, HOT SMEXIN', a couple of twists and turns that I didn't see coming and a totally SIGH-WORTHY ending!!!" DiDi, Guilty Pleasures 

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New Release - WHC: Stripping Christmas by Zenobia Renquist


Out Now!!

Stripping Christmas
White Hot Christmas (multi-author series)
by Zenobia Renquist

Changeling Press

eBook ISBN: 978-1-60521-716-1
Genre: Erotic Romance, Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, Fey/Elves, Interracial, Magic, Christmas
Price: $2.99/US

Alex is firmly on the naughty list, and she wants Santa to join her.

Alex thought she was going to a job. Instead she ends up marrying the heir to the title of Santa Claus. The vows have been said and cannot be taken back, even if Alex isn't the ideal bride Kris was hoping for to re-energize the powers of the House of Kringle. But Alex is about to teach him that being a little naughty -- or a lot -- can go a long way.


Buy Now: http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1740

Full first chapter available online at D. Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters blog on 20 December 2011.

Purchase this title and/or any of the other White Hot Christmas titles and you are entered to win Free eBooks for a Year from Changeling Press. Each purchase of a White Hot Christmas title is an entry. Contest ends 31 December. Full details available HERE.

EXCERPT:

Alex wasn’t going to get anywhere arguing about the marriage thing. She tried a different tactic. “What website?”
Kris walked over to a large desk. Alex followed him. Kris pulled up the website in question and gestured to it. “It seemed the perfect place to find my bride after searching this past year to no avail.”
Alex rolled her eyes at the title of the site -- Finding Your Perfect Mrs. Claus. It was her boss’s idea of getting into the holiday spirit. She said, “Show me what you clicked on to get to me.”
The page had two buttons -- one said Naughty and the other said Nice. Naughty referred to strippers who did full nudity, while Nice referred to strippers who went down to a string bikini.
Kris clicked the Nice button, which led to a page of pictures. Alex’s picture was the last on the page. Kris said, “I looked through all of the girls and found you the most desirable as my wife.” He clicked on her picture and loaded a page featuring stats about Alex -- age, height, weight, likes, etc -- and a vid of Alex wearing a Mrs. Claus ball gown while handing out presents to a room full of happy men.
Gesturing to the vid, Kris said, “You are a bringer of joy. Looking at this video confirmed you would be my perfect wife. I paid the dowry and here you are.”
Alex snorted. “Dowry, huh?” He had to mean the private party fee to have her strip on location.
“It was a small sum, but I paid it gladly.”
“Did you click on the button that says more?” She pointed to the bottom right of the screen.
Kris clicked the button. Another page loaded, showing the second half of the vid that had started on the previous page. It showed Alex ripping open her Mrs. Claus breakaway dress to the hooting and hollering of the men who had just gotten her presents. She danced on and around a pole while men stuffed money down her bra and panties.
Alex watched as Kris turned pale and his ears drooped until they were almost folded in half. His look of horror returned.
“What… what are you doing? This is naughty. This is extremely naughty. No wife of the House of Kringle should do such things as this.”
“Next time click the more button,” Alex said with a shrug. “Look, Kris. It’s no big if you don’t want me here. I’ll talk to my boss and get your money back. We can chalk this up to a fun mistake and go about our lives. Just tell Noël to bring the car around and take me home.”
“You cannot go home.”


--
Zenobia Renquist
Discover Different and Unique Romance
http://zenobiarenquist.com
Caveat Emptor Series - Follow three couples as they struggle with love during a vampire-mage war.

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MISTLETOE EVERYWHERE, Regency Christmas comedy

BLURB:
A man who sees mistletoe everywhere is mad--or in love.

Charles sees mistletoe. Not surprising, since he's spending Christmas at Mistletoe Manor. But why does no one else see it? And why does it always appear above Penelope, the despised lady who jilted him after their last meeting?

Penelope wants nothing to do with the faithless Charles, the man who cried off after she accepted his marriage proposal. But he still stirs her heart--and he stares at her all the time. Or rather, he stares at the empty ceiling over her head…What does he see?

According to folklore, mistletoe is the plant of peace. Can Penelope and Charles, so full of hurt and anger, heed the mistletoe's message and make peace?

EXCERPT:

After Charles had heaped his plate with more food than he wanted, he took one of the empty chairs at the table bottom, as far from Penelope as possible.

His tensed muscles eased as he joked with his friends. Smythe made a comment and Charles turned to answer. He caught sight of Penelope…and a monstrous bunch of mistletoe above her.

"Gordon? What is it?" Smythe swiveled in the direction Charles was staring. He looked up and down, and from one side to the other. "I say, with your mouth hanging open like that, you must see something spectacular, but damned if I know what it is."

With an audible click, Charles clamped his jaw shut. "I thought I saw…" He forced his gaze back to his companion. "Nothing. I imagined I saw mistletoe."

Smythe's eyebrows rose. "Mistletoe?"

"Yes. The house is named 'Mistletoe Manor', so the place is filled with mistletoe decorations. Pictures, wall hangings, ceiling trim, whatnot."

"Indeed." Smythe's eyebrows rose higher. "That 'mistletoe' you saw is over that Miss Lawrence. Lovely little filly." His lips curved into a knowing grin. "My jaw dropped the first time I saw her, too."

Charles stiffened. "I was not looking at Miss Lawrence. I believed I saw mistletoe over her."

"'Mistletoe'." Symthe's grin widened. "Of course."

And I hope you got what you wanted for Christmas, too!

All REVIEWS are here:
Buy links:
The Wild Rose Press:
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=176_138&products_id=4295

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Mistletoe-Everywhere-Christmas-ebook/dp/B004AHKBQW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1309011079&sr=1-1

All Romance Ebooks:
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-mistletoeeverywhere-484008-160.html

Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mistletoe-everywhere-linda-banche/1029164492?ean=2940043343673&itm=1&usri=mistletoe%2beverywhere

Author Bio:
Welcome to My World of Historical Hilarity!

I'm Linda Banche, and I write witty, sweet/sensual Regency romances with nary a rake or royal in sight. Most contain humor, some fantasy, and occasionally a little paranormal. But comedy is my love, and I've created my own wacky blend of humor and Regency with stories that can elicit reactions from a gentle smile to a belly laugh.

Like many other romance authors, I read romances for years before I wrote my own. Once I tried, I quickly discovered how difficult writing is. Did I stop? No, I'm persistent--that's French for "too stupid to quit".

I'm a two-time EPICON finalist, I live in New England and like aerobics and ducks.

So, laugh along with me on a voyage back to the Regency era. Me and my ducks. Quack.

I have four Regency novellas, all from The Wild Rose Press. LADY OF THE STARS (time travel, finalist in Science Fiction Romance in the 2010 EPIC eBook Contest), PUMPKINNAPPER (finalist in the 2011 EPIC Contest in the Historical Romance category. I'm two for two now. I've entered the EPIC contest twice, and I've finaled twice.), MISTLETOE EVERYWHERE, and my latest, GIFTS GONE ASTRAY.

Thank you all,
Linda
Linda Banche
Welcome to My World of Historical Hilarity!
http://www.lindabanche.com/

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