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Book Feature & Giveaway – Identity Crisis by Eliza Daly

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Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel!

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Today we are welcoming Eliza Daly to the blog. Eliza is the author of Identity Crisis and is here today to share some information about her book, Identity Crisis and also to giveaway some great prizes to commenters on the tour.

Eliza will be awarding one $20 Amazon or BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $10 Amazon or BN Gift Certificate, winner’s choice, to four (4) randomly drawn commenters during the tour. You know how to increase your chances of winning….click HERE to find the list of other blogs that are hosting and leave a comment on their blogs!

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Identity Crisis

by Eliza Daly

 

Cover_Identity CrisisBLURB:

 

 

When Olivia Doyle’s father dies under suspicious circumstances, rather than inheriting a family fortune, she inherits a new identity. She learns they were placed in the Federal Witness Protection Program when she was five years old. Her father was involved in an art forgery ring and testified against the mob. Brought up not to trust anyone, Olivia has a difficult time relying on U.S. Marshal Ethan Ryder to protect her, and to keep her secret. She fears her father may have continued his life of crime through her art gallery. She has little choice but to depend on Ethan when she realizes someone is now after her. Olivia’s search for the truth leads her and Ethan across country to a family and past she doesn’t remember.

 

At the age of ten, Ethan witnessed a brutal murder. He vowed when he grew up, he’d protect people in danger. Protecting Olivia is difficult when she won’t trust him. He soon realizes his desire to protect her goes beyond doing his job, but if his judgment becomes clouded by emotions, her safety could be jeopardized.

 

Can Ethan and Olivia learn to trust each other when they uncover secrets that will change their lives forever?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Excerpt:

 

The footsteps drew closer. Her breathing quickened. The intruder paused outside the door and she held her breath, a death grip on the pepper spray. The barrel of a gun appeared through the doorway, followed by a man. In that split second, she blasted him with a steady stream.

 

“Shit!” he yelled, snapping his head away from the line of fire.

 

Unsure if she’d made a direct hit, she flew past him, still spraying the air behind her. Although it wasn’t a blanket mist, she couldn’t help but inhale some of the toxic vapors in the air. Her eyes burned slightly and she coughed, racing down the hallway and across the open foyer.

 

She was almost to the door when the guy yelled out in a raspy voice, “Touch that door handle and I’ll shoot it off.”

 

She came to a screeching halt, unsure if he planned on aiming for the handle or her hand. The blood pulsating in her ears muffled the roar of the lawn mower as it passed by near a window. Nobody would hear her scream. She eyed the security alarm keypad on the wall by the door. Two quick steps and she could hit the panic button. Two quick steps and she might get shot. She slowly turned around, her gaze locking on the gun pointed at her from the opposite side of the foyer. Sheer panic pressed against her chest, and she sucked in a deep breath.

 

The guy cleared his throat. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” He cautiously lowered the gun, but didn’t holster it. “Unless you spray that crap again.” He blinked rapidly and ran a hand up over the top of his head, sweeping back a clump of wet hair. Her aim had obviously been off. It was impossible to spray straight when her body was shaking uncontrollably.

 

The guy’s dark hair was just shy of touching his shoulders and he had a five o’clock shadow. A black T-shirt covered his broad chest and faded, relaxed fitting jeans contradicted his rigid stance. A scar across his cheekbone, and a thin one slashing his eyebrow, added to his don’t mess with me look.

 

“I’m Ethan Ryder with the U.S. Marshals.” The man flashed a badge, then slipped it back in his pants’ pocket.

 

If the mob had hunted down her dad, who was to say it hadn’t been through a U.S. Marshal snitch? He’d trusted Roy Howard, not Ethan Ryder. Maybe he wasn’t even with the U.S. Marshals. Rather coincidental that he showed up right after a robbery.

 

“I assume you’re Olivia Doyle?”

 

At the back of her mind she heard her dad’s voice. Don’t trust him, Livvy. Be leery of people you know and certainly don’t trust someone you don’t know.

 

Eliza Daly's Author Pic-1

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Eliza Daly’s first attempt at creative writing was in fourth grade. She and her friends were huge Charlie’s Angels fans and she would sit in her bedroom at night writing scripts for them to act out at recess the following day. She was Kelly Garrett. Fast forward to the present, she’s still writing stories about beautiful women who always get their men. The journey from fourth grade script writer to published author wasn’t an easy one, but it was always an adventure and the final destination was well worth it.

 

When Eliza isn’t traveling for her job as an event planner, or tracing her ancestry roots through Ireland, she’s at home in Milwaukee working on her next novel, bouncing ideas off her husband Mark, and her cats Quigley, Frankie, and Sammy.

 

You can find Eliza on the web at:

 

Website  *   Facebook   *   Twitter   *   Goodreads

 

Identity Crisis is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, All Romance, eBooks.com, and Kobo

Interview & Giveaway with Jillian Stone, author of An Affair with Mr. Kennedy

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Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel!

Today we are welcoming Jillian Stone, author of An Affair with Mr Kennedy to the blog!  She doing a blog tour and is here for one of her stops.

To celebrate her debut release, Jillian will be giving away a signed copy of AN AFFAIR WITH MR. KENNEDY to a commenter today. In addition, all commenters will be entered in a special giveaway promotion: Jewelry inspired by the romantic notion of recapturing lost time as the French title ‘Le Temps Perdu’ A Steampunk watch necklace from the Time Travel Collection by Yolanda Pang. Cyber travel to Poetic Designs and see for yourself just how whimsical this watch necklace is! http://www.etsy.com/listing/86157293/le-temps-perdu-ii-steampunk-watch 
sugarbeat's books romance novels romance book reviewsThe AN AFFAIR WITH MR. KENNEDY promotion continues here at Sugarbeat’s Books and Jillian will post the winner on February 22  at Get Lost in a Story and her website. Comment on any of her blogs or interviews and you are entered to win. Each time you visit a different blog and leave a comment your name gets entered again! For a schedule of her interviews and blogs go to contact/press on her website. Good luck everyone!
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Barb –  Tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing.
Jillian – I live in California, and I my first career was in advertising. I started out as an art director, but also got involved in copywriting and film. I began writing full length fiction in a serious way in 2006. After writing a medieval historical, I began work on a historical romantic suspense series about an elite group of Scotland Yard detectives set in London in the Late Victorian period. The first book in the series, AN AFFAIR WITH MR. KENNEDY (originally titled THE YARD MAN) won the 2010 Golden Heart and shortly after, I accepted a three book offer from Pocket Books!
Barb –  Who are your cheerleaders?
Jillian – Who continues to encourage you to write? I am fortunate to have a wonderful network of romance writers who keep me sane and make me laugh! My family has been amazing as well. It’s not easy living with a writer on deadline.
Barb –  When you made your first sale, how did you celebrate and with whom?
Jillian – Besides happy dancing around the house? My agent, Richard Curtis, called me to present the offers I received for AN AFFAIR WITH MR. KENNEDY and we both agreed that Pocket Books offer was the one to accept. That afternoon I celebrated with my critique partner long distance (humorous popping of corks over the phone) and then went out to dinner with friends and family.
Barb –  What’s the hardest part of writing a book?
Jillian – Sticking with it, even when you think the writing is crap and the plot sucks. I find that if I just keep schlepping along most of the problems are fixed or edited out in rewrite.
Barb –  What’s your favorite part of writing a book?
Jillian – Writing a scene and the characters mysteriously take over and surprise me with something wonderful. I know, it’s metaphysical, but it really happens!
Barb –  Which scenes were the hardest to write?
Jillian – Love scenes are some of the hardest to write. You are dealing with emotion, action, dialogue, and tingling. A really good love scene has its own arc, but if you get it right––hot!
Barb –  How long did it take you to write your current book?
Jillian – The first book took about a year and a half. The second two books each took six to eight months. (I just completed book three.)
Barb –  Who is your favorite character in your new release?
Jillian – Detective Zeno “Zak” Kennedy will always be a favorite character of mine. He comes off as stern, cold and analytical, but he’s one of those still waters run deep kind of men who turns out to be…;) I don’t want to be a spoiler!
Barb –  Do you see yourself in any of your characters?
Jillian – Not as much as readers might think. To keep things interesting I like to write characters who will surprise me as I write them.
Barb –  What were the challenges in bringing this book to life? 
Jillian – Since this is the first book in The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series, I did a good deal of research on late 19th century London. I knew I wanted to write a historical romantic suspense series and got to thinking about Scotland Yard detectives. It seemed to me that Yard men were always portrayed as bumbling inspectors, five moves behind Sherlock Holmes. So I thought, what if there was an elite group of detectives? During the research phase I discovered that there really was a division of Scotland Yard created in the 1882 called Special Branch! I added a dash (as in dashing) of James Bond Steampunk and that was the start of The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard. The heroines in each book are fascinating, progressive Victorian women. There is an Impressionist painter, an industrialist and a ballerina/jewel thief/spy!
Barb –  Do you have an all time favorite book?
Jillian – I have at least a hundred all time favorites. Here’s a few: Anne of Green Gables, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Outlander, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and many more!
Barb –  Where can your fans find you?  
Barb –  Where is your work available?
Jillian – Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Powell’s, and bookstores across the country including my local Indie, Mysterious Galaxy. All of them are taking pre-orders by the way!
Barb –  Anything else you’d like to add?
Jillian – In April I have another debut release (is there such a thing as two debut releases? I guess so!) from Kensington Brava THE SEDUCTION OF PHAETON BLACK, a sexy historical paranormal about a paranormal investigator who has taken up residence in the basement of London’s most notorious brothel.
I’d like to thank Jillian for stopping by and offering such interesting giveaways!  Be sure to leave a comment with your email address to be entered!  And good luck to everyone.  I’ll leave you with the blurb…..
London, 1887. Part stoic gentleman, part fearless     Yard man, Zeno “Zak” Kennedy is an enigma of the first order. For years, the memory of a deadly bombing at King’s Cross has haunted the brilliant Scotland Yard detective. His investigation has zeroed in on a ring of aristocratic rebels whose bloody campaign for Irish revolution is terrorizing the city. When he discovers one of the treacherous lords is acquainted with his free-spirited new tenant, Cassandra St. Cloud, his inquiry pulls him unexpectedly close to the heart of the conspiracy and into the arms of a most intriguing lady.

     And Cassie is no Victorian prude. An Impressionist painter with very modern ideas about life and love, she is eager for a romantic escapade that is daring and discreet. She sets her sights on her dour but handsome landlord, but after she learns their meeting was not purely accidental, she hardly has a chance to forgive her lover before their passionate affair catapults them both into a perilous adventure.

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Guestpost & Giveway with Nancy Lee Badger – Author of Love to the Rescue

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Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Book – The Home of the Romance Novel!

Today we are welcoming Nancy Lee Badger to the blog!  Nancy is the author of several books, but is here to talk about her latest release – Love To The Rescue.  She is also giving away a cool prize to one lucky commenter! The details for the giveaway are at the end of this post.   Just have a look at the cover of the book!  It must be a good book 🙂 Without further ado, here’s Nancy:

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Women can be Firefighters, too

Thanks for having me today. I would like to share exciting moments in my life that manifested into a plot for my latest romantic suspense, LOVE TO THE RESCUE released by Red Rose Publishing. This book follows two people I introduced in DESTINY’S MOUNTAIN. Josie and Pete are firefighters in a small New England college town. Their main responsibility is running the town’s ambulance. They respond to medical emergencies, motor vehicle accidents, and all fires…just like I did after volunteering with my small town’s emergency services.

Once my youngest son turned ten years old, old enough to be left home alone, I took a course and became a First Responder, then sweated through a more difficult course to become an Emergency Medical Technician, or EMT. I joined the Rumney New Hampshire F.A.S.T. Squad. There were two other female members, and they quickly took me under their wings.

My first multi-car accident on a blustery, snowy day was a heart-stopper. I arrived quickly in my personal vehicle, and a senior firefighter pointed me toward a familiar black Jeep. The sole occupant was one of these women! I found myself in a role reversal, keeping her calm while firefighters used a HURST cutting tool to remove the steering wheel. She was gingerly placed on a backboard then removed from her totaled vehicle. During all this, I sat in the passenger seat beside her, heart pounding, with a forced smile and calming voice. After all the patients left on the ambulances and their vehicles had been towed away, the responders congregated back at the firehouse. I nearly wept.

I found myself, a year later, as the only woman on both the F.A.S.T. Squad and Fire Department. Yes, I wore bunker gear and carried a pack filled with gloves, bandages, and an oxygen tank. The large size of our rural community meant that many of us drove our personal vehicle, red light flashing, to the scene. Once in a while, my youngest son rode in the car with me when my pager blared. He has fond memories of arriving at accident scenes with me, riding in the rescue vehicle, and not-so-fond memories of when I said “Get out. Walk home.” Yes, that happened more than once, but he understood.sugarbeats books romance novels romance novel reviews book reviews

In my story, LOVE TO THE RESCUE, I wrote a particularly grueling scene where a small car tangled with a moose. I’d never responded to such a call even though moose hits were common, but I did respond to a call where a motorcyclist hit a deer. Believe me, the injuries were just as gruesome.

I also based Josie Miller on a female firefighter in a nearby town. Josie is more of a Tomboy and grew up with four older brothers (I have two younger sisters, so I had to make up that dynamic.) The woman who inspired my character was one of only a few women in the profession. She fought fires and responded to our small town in the area’s ambulance. I hope my competence working accident scenes, helping my neighbors with medical emergencies, and learning skills during training sessions were due to her influence.

House fires, chimney fires, and forest fires are some of the calls that stuck with me. These experiences have found their way into my book. My perspective gives the action and suspense a true-to-life feel that moves the underlying romance forward. No, I did not base the romance between my main characters on myself. I was already happily married to a man who often drove me to emergencies, especially late at night or during inclement weather (Trust me…northern New Hampshire has plenty of that!) The firefighters invited him to join our ranks since he was usually on the scene, and I felt better knowing from then on that he would wear his own set of flame-resistant and reflective protective clothing.

The forest fire that nearly takes the lives of my characters is also more or less a composite of calls that I have been a part of. Although I was never in real danger, the forest is a tricky place to work. Lightning strikes and careless campers kept us busy. Many times, we were required to wear hardhats and bright yellow fire-resistant shirts (the better to be seen) while we hiked up the side of a mountain to the fire site. Fun!

After my family moved to another town, I continued helping during emergencies by becoming a State of New Hampshire 9-1-1 Emergency Medical Dispatcher. Every call for help in the state came to our one room, and we handled the weirdest calls on the planet with professionalism and a bit of laughter (after we hung up, of course) It was different handling an emergency over the phone, but at least I did not have to respond during snowstorms any more.

I think back on those years as a volunteer EMT and firefighter and I am proud to say I gave my all to my neighbors in the only way I could, and I would do all over again if I was younger.  LOL! Instead, I will keep my readers entertained by allowing them to live life through the eyes and hearts of my characters.

BOOK BLURB

sugarbeats books romance novel romance book reviewsThe clashing relationship between tomboy Josie Miller and fellow paramedic-firefighter, Pete Thayer, escalates after he realizes Joe is not just one-of-the-boys. Pete has a sketchy history and has earned a reputation for one-night stands in the small town of Parmenter, New Hampshire nestled between the Mercy River, the mountains, and the state college. Since he arrived a year ago, Josie suspects he is hiding something. Something too horrible to share, even with her. Working side by side, Joe loves her job, and Pete.

They respond to accident calls, medical emergencies, and fast-moving forest fires amid sparks of another kind. Joe’s clumsiness and baggy uniform work against her when she yearns to be the kind of woman Pete wants like the pretty blonde they must rescue after her car hits a moose.

Outside influences come to play when the sister of Pete’s alleged victim shows up and accuses him of something even worse…her sister’s recent death. Once on track to be a doctor, the sister’s betrayal and lies caused Pete to run far away and keep women at a distance unless they agreed to share his bed…and nothing more.

 

Pete plans to skip town while Josie worries she has given her heart to a monster. His boss and the local police back off and he professes his innocence to Joe. After kissing her senseless, she lets him into her bed until her bothers intervene. Both keep an eye on Pete. A suicide note, some well-landed fists, stolen moments of love, and a desire to listen to their hearts lead these two heroes toward a climax filled with tension, pain, bloodshed, and atonement.

EXCERPT

“Isn’t the bachelor party still going on?” Josie said. A ghostly image of the Pete she knew filled the space. A muscled shoulder pitched toward the doorjamb. His usually golden hair fell across his face in dirty, unruly waves. He stood hunched over and one arm grasped his ribs. Her sharp inhale brought his swollen eyes up.

With slow steps, she drew closer. Her fingertips ached to caress his cheek and shake the dirt from his hair. Her heart thumped and her skin prickled. Even filthy, her desire for this man rose up, stealing the breath from her lungs. Inhaling, the odor of cigarettes wafted up. Odd. Pete doesn’t smoke.

When she lifted a hand to brush wayward strands of hair off his face, she stared at the damage. His ragged breath broke the silence.

“Pete, are you okay?”

He still didn’t speak. She wanted to return to the bright interior of the firehouse kitchen. His head lowered and she avoided his mouth. He sniffed her skin then ran gentle kisses down her check to below her left ear. Hairs at the back of her neck prickled. Ill at ease, fearing he only came on to her while drunk, she wiggled out of his grip and resumed her chores. If she let him treat her like his last one–night–stand, she’d be a fool.

Now, if I can stop staring at his tight tank top and faded jeans before I melt into a puddle on the floor…

Even covered in filth, the man exuded a sexuality she fought to ignore. She felt like she stood at a buffet only to be told “Off limits.” Damn conscience. When a hand clasped her right shoulder, she squeaked.

“Joe, you are…”

Gazing expectantly at his face, she asked, “I’m what?” Don‘t clam up now, damn it. An irresistible urge to kiss him made her swallow. His fingers tightened, spurring new waves of molten heat to spread down her chest to between her thighs. A hot surge of something wicked formed deep inside her belly. She yearned for him to touch more than her shoulder.

“You’ve been in a fight.”

He stared as if he‘d never seen her before. His disheveled appearance shocked her, even though she’d heard the rumors. He shouldn’t drink to excess. That’s a given. But, fighting? Her insides flip–flopped under his steely gaze. He didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled her to him in the doorway’s shadows.

“Hey!”

More About the Author

Nancy grew up on New York’s Long Island then earned a Bachelor of Science degree at a small state college amid the mountains of New Hampshire. She met and married the man of her dreams then settled in a tiny rural town. Nancy served as an EMT and both she and her husband volunteered as firefighters while raising two sons. She now lives in North Carolina. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Celtic Heart Romance Writers, and the Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers. Nancy writes under her own name, Nancy Lee Badger, and she also writes under the name of Nancy Lennea. Check out her latest release, DRAGON IN THE MIST   ( Buy link: http://amzn.to/uEggj1 )

Title: LOVE TO THE RESCUE

Author: Nancy Lee Badger

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Length: 78,844 words e-book

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing

ISBN-978-1-4543-0079-3

Red Rose Publishing Buy Link: http://bit.ly/nfz4Ma

Amazon Buy Link: http://amzn.to/uowdvE

ARe Buy Link: http://bit.ly/xObxso

Nancy’s Website: http://www.nancylennea.com

Nancy’s Blog: http://www.nancylennea-inlove.blogspot.com

Twitter:  @NLBadger

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/v12gxG

CONTEST!sugarbeat's books romance novels book reviews Nancy Lennea

Nancy is giving away an assortment of goodies to celebrate the 2012 London Olympics. The package includes a bumper sticker, two static-cling window decals, and a warm hat sporting the Olympic rings. She invites you to also download her e-book SECRET LOVE MATCH, and read about her heroine who tries out for the American tennis team while a hot, sexy television star pursues a romance with her. Be sure to include your e-mail in the comment box, and check back soon. Good luck!
Buy links for Nancy’s other books

Secret Love Match http://amzn.to/AE07jW

Dragon’s Curse http://amzn.to/y3Ipw0

Destiny’s Mountain http://amzn.to/y38iMY

Unwrapping Chris http://amzn.to/zjmtXx

Dragon In The Mist http://amzn.to/s2taDb

I’d like to thank Nancy for dropping by and sharing about her books!  Don’t forget to leave a comment with your email address to be included in the giveaway!