BLB Ebook Tour

Super Book Blast & Giveaway – Untangle My Heart by Maria K. Alexander

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

Today we are welcoming Maria K. Alexander to the blog. She is touring her book, Untangle My Heart with Goddess Fish Promotions and is here to share about her book. While she is here, she is also giving away a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card to someone from the tour. Use the Rafflecopter below to be entered to win. Just as a heads up – this book is free on Amazon for the duration of the tour. Don’t hesitate to pick up a copy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Untangle My Heart

by Maria K. Alexander

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

BLURB:

When her marriage ended in tragedy, Kate DiFrancesco rebuilt her life, but has never gotten over the pain of what she lost. Seeking the help of an ex-lover ignites feelings she’s promised never to have again. She’ll need to untangle herself from dangers in her past in order to break the hard shell around her heart.

Edward Weston has a lot to prove, both to his stuffy upper-crust British family, and to himself. Working alongside Kate, a woman he had a casual relationship with, stirs unexpected feelings. Helping her family makes him realize what he’s missing. For the first time, he wants more than a one-night stand.

When Kate is threatened, Edward must overcome feeling unworthy to protect the woman he loves and fight for the family he never thought he’d have.

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

Excerpt:

“Privacy is a hard thing to find around here, so you may want to lock the door. Especially when you’re wearing only a towel and my sister is on the prowl.”

“I’ll have to remember that,” Edward said, taking a step toward her. “I knew she was smitten, but didn’t think she would be waiting in the room after my shower. I was struggling with a tactful way of getting her out.”

“I’m sure you’re not accustomed to asking a woman to leave your room.”

He gave her an unapologetic grin. “No, usually not.”

“I guess it’s partly my fault. I told her I don’t have any claims to you. Apparently she took that to mean it was open season to pursue you.”

“Yet you stopped by. Why?”

“I wanted to thank you again for your help today. You dropped everything to come and help my family and that means a lot to me.”

He took another step toward her until he stood directly in front of her. “You mean a lot to me. I’d do anything I could to help you.”

She nodded in acknowledgement, not sure she could trust her voice to speak with him all but touching her.

“And you’re wrong about not having a claim on me.”

His hands found their way to her waist. Her heart thumped and she knew she should pull back, wanted to pull back. But his blue-gray eyes held her in a hypnotic state and she couldn’t move.

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

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

A romantic at heart, Maria K. Alexander spent hours as a young girl getting lost in and wishing to be one of the heroines in the stories she read. Books gave her the ability to go to another world where she loved meeting new characters, learning about their problems, and watching them fall in love.

Maria blogs and shares her writing journey with her critique partners at: http://thevioletfemmes.com.

When not writing, Maria loves to read, bake, downhill ski, visit the beach, and watch romantic comedies. Maria lives in New Jersey with her husband and children, and writes in her “spare” time between juggling a full-time job and her kids’ busy schedules.

Maria can be found:

Blog | Violet Femmes Blog | Twitter

Facebook | Goodreads

Untangle My Heart can be found at Amazon

BLB Tour – Excerpt from The Devil’s Game by S.L. Pierce & Maren Kaye

By Barb Drozdowich

THE DEVIL’S GAME

by S.L. Pierce & Maren Kaye

Published June 29th 2011 by Pierce-Kaye Books

ASIN: B0058UFEO4

Is a stranger who stalks your stalker a friend or your worst enemy?

Rachel Pendelton is determined to break from her small town past and stake out a new life for herself with a dream job in the big city. But hard work and determination are no match for whoever is working against her. When anonymous gifts show up, she’s flattered. When they appear in her locked apartment, she starts worrying. What can she do when everyone she turns to for help looks suspicious?

What she doesn’t know is that a game has begun. A game with rules as baffling as they are deadly. A game that will pit her against the criminally insane. And only one can finish alive.

Excerpt of THE DEVIL’S GAME by S.L. Pierce & Maren Kaye

CHAPTER 1

“I found another one.”

“It’s hardly a surprise that you would find something you spend your days looking for,” Dr. Gloria Pike said, setting down her pen and leaning back in her chair. They had been through this before.

“I don’t.”

“Let’s not pretend. Aren’t we past this?”

Patient X didn’t answer, and Dr. Pike knew there would be no more talking until she apologized.

“Sorry, please continue.”

“It was a man and woman. Too old to be students. Maybe training. Maybe working on a project. Anyway, it was clear she was the boss, and he was in love with her.”

“What made you think that?”

“It was so obvious. The way he kept looking at her. Hanging on every word. His eyes all over her face. Desperate and waiting for something, some sign. Even when he was laughing, moving closer, it was there. He wanted her so much.” The patient paused, staring out the window. “His eyes were blue. So blue.”

“And her? In love with him?”

“No. Definitely no. It was like a sad little dance. He would move in; she would move away. She never touched him. Even when he gave her many openings.”

“How did you feel, watching them?”

The patient paused as if the answer required thought. “Excited.”

“Why?”

“You know why.”

“Yes, I do. Do you?”

No answer.

“What did you do?” Dr. Pike asked.

“What I always do. I followed them.”

CHAPTER 2

“And the Academy Award for the best animated short film produced by a hungry grad student goes to…” Rachel could hear her heart rushing through her ears. This was it; it had to be. She was the only hungry grad student nominated this year. This was her best film. All her hard work was about to pay off in spades. But why was it taking so long to open the envelope? Wait, why is Gwyneth Paltrow making out with Billy Crystal? Open the envelope! Open the damn envelope!

The sound of Billy and Gwyneth giggling into the microphone was slowly replaced by the low hum of an alarm clock. Rachel swore several profanities as her hand slapped at the snooze button in an attempt to put an end to the irritating sound.

“Coffee,” she said out loud to her empty room. She decided to bypass her usual morning routine of fresh fruit and yoga in light of her heartbreaking loss. Especially since it was probably the only award nomination she would ever get, awake or asleep.

As she sat at her desk/art space/kitchen table savoring her heavenly cup-of-joe, her day slowly began to jell inside her brain. Today was Tuesday, which meant video production and calculus. One she loved, the other she loathed. It was heaven and hell in the span of four hours. This was her third attempt at advanced calculus, and without it, there was little hope of getting a full-time position at Mad Media Animation Studio. She was determined to get a “real job” before she turned twenty five, if for no other reason then to hold her head a little higher when her dad asked her if she needed a little extra cash, you know, to help pay for those two “artsy-type” degrees she got.

If it weren’t for Justin, there would be no hope at all. He had come to her rescue in the second week of the class, sensing her utter panic. He was incredibly gifted at translating calculus. He was also incredibly gifted at annoying her. It was so strange the way he stumbled over every word when he was talking about nothing. But open up a math book and he transformed into a loquacious chatter-box.

“Speak of the devil,” she said when she heard Sonny and Cher sing out “I got you babe” from her cell phone. Justin’s ringtone was her private joke. It referred to the movie Groundhog Day and Bill Murray’s reaction at hearing it every morning at the same time. Reluctantly, she picked up the phone and punched the little green button.

“Hey, Justin, you’re up early.” She could hear his thick nasal breathing on the other end.

“I just wanted…um.. Hi Rachel,” he said in his usual disjointed manner.

“Hi, Justin,” she said. “You wanted to ask me something?” she prompted when he didn’t respond.

“Yeah, I…how are you…I mean are you ready for the test?”

Rachel knew she was dipping her toe in dangerous waters with Justin. He was obviously not tutoring her for the fifteen dollars she made him take each time. And he wasn’t the type to come right out and ask her for a date so that she could politely refuse him and they could move past it. Oh, no. He just kept the possibility of it dangling out there like a smelly gym sock she was constantly having to politely side-step.

I’ve been completely honest! she told herself over and over. But deep down she knew it was going to end badly. It was going to end badly because as annoying as he was, he had a heart of pure gold. He loved kids and dogs. He was finishing some kind of new teaching program designed for inner-city school kids. He was funny sometimes, though not usually on purpose. And under all that God-awful geekines, he was actually kind of cute.

Don’t go there, Rachel, she told herself.

“Yep, I’m good, Justin. But thanks for calling,” she said in an I’m going to hang up now kind of way.

“Do you eat? I mean have you…or are you going to eat breakfast…do you want to meet… for coffee?” By the time he had gotten that all out, Rachel had finished her cup and was working on a second.

“Is something on your mind, Justin?” Be direct, be honest.

“Yeah… well…I mean no…not really.”

“Well, I’m glad everything’s okay. I’ve got to get going; tons stuff I’m way behind on. But I’ll see you later at class, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” he stammered.

She ended the call not waiting for his reply. She took a deep breath as she felt the caffeine pumping through her veins, accelerating her heartbeat. She walked over to the huge living room window and looked out onto the busy metropolitan street she lived on. It was a gorgeous spring day, perfect for a jog. She knew that her calculus class always went better when she’d had a good workout before hand. It helped keep her calm and focused. Not to mention the fact that she’d wimped out on her yoga this morning. If only she could muster up some motivation. Maybe a jog to the Steam Punk Café for some iced Chai. Yes, that would do it. There had to be a reward in there somewhere or she’d never make it out the door.

“Oh crap!” she said out loud. Justin. He loved the Steam Punk. As a matter of fact, he was the one who dragged her in there for her very first cup of iced Chai.

“I don’t drink weed water,” she had politely explained under her breath as they stood in line.

“Just trust me,” he had said to her with an ear-to-ear grin. Since there wasn’t much else on the menu that was fit for human consumption, she let him order – and pay.

“Here, try this,” he said, his puppy-dog face bright with anticipation. God, he could be so annoying!

The taste was unlike anything she had experienced. The exotic spices were smooth, sweet, and spicy all at the same time. And after a four-mile jog, there was nothing more refreshing. She gave a heavy sigh as she imagined the sweet luscious taste.

“Screw Justin!” she said. “I have every right to do whatever the hell I want!” And, of course she could always pretend she was happy to see him.

She began her usual pulling of dirty clothes from the hamper in search of some decent sweat pants and matching gym socks. As she was rummaging, she noticed a pungent order coming from something in her hand. It was a pair of underwear and a bra that smelled bitter and musty, but strangely familiar. She tried to remember the last time she had been out bar hopping. It had to have been at least three weeks. Note to self, she thought, tomorrow is laundry day.

As she was closing the door on her way out, she felt hot breath on her neck right before a strong hand grabbed her shoulder.

Follow the tour for THE DEVIL’S GAME!

8/14 giveaway @ Jagged Edge Reviews

8/14 author guest post @ Deena Remiel’s Place

8/15 excerpt @ Reader Girls

8/15 excerpt @ Lisa’s World of Books

8/15 giveaway @ Deena Remiel’s Place

8/16 excerpt @ Keeping Up With The Rheinlanders

8/19 author guest post @ Reader Girls

8/17 interview @ Lisa’s World of Books

8/17 excerpt @ Books Glorious Books

8/19 giveaway @ Books Glorious Books

8/23 author guest post @ Keeping Up With The Rheinlanders

8/24 author guest post & giveaway @ Workaday Reads

8/25 author guest post @ As The Pages Turn

8/26 author guest post @ Sugarbeat’s Books

8/27 excerpt @ Sugarbeat’s Books

8/27 author guest post @ Jagged Edge Reviews

BLB Tour Guest Post – The Devil’s Game by S.L. Pierce & Maren Kaye

By Barb Drozdowich

THE DEVIL’S GAME

by S.L. Pierce & Maren Kaye

Published June 29th 2011 by Pierce-Kaye Books

ASIN: B0058UFEO4

Is a stranger who stalks your stalker a friend or your worst enemy?

Rachel Pendelton is determined to break from her small town past and stake out a new life for herself with a dream job in the big city. But hard work and determination are no match for whoever is working against her. When anonymous gifts show up, she’s flattered. When they appear in her locked apartment, she starts worrying. What can she do when everyone she turns to for help looks suspicious?

What she doesn’t know is that a game has begun. A game with rules as baffling as they are deadly. A game that will pit her against the criminally insane. And only one can finish alive.

Guest Post by Maren Kaye

I’m Maren Kaye, co-author with S.L Pierce of The Devil’s Game, the story of a young woman who has a deadly brush with a stalker. But there’s a twist; Is someone stalking her stalker? Does that make them her friend? Or her worst nightmare?

For me, one of the most intriguing aspects of writing The Devil’s Game was grappling with the romance between characters who may or may not have sinister intentions. There’s no question that a hint of danger can certainly heat things up, but what is it exactly that makes dangerous men attractive? And how much danger is too much?

Two of my favorite dark romantic characters are the arrogant Mr. Darcy from Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice and the intoxicating Edward Cullen from Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. On the surface, these two ‘hotties’ seem as different as alligators and unicorns.

But to me, they are very similar in the way they drew me in.

Mr. Darcy comes across as uninterested, aloof and even repulsed by our leading lady, Elizabeth Bennet. But he’s also a very powerful man, with great wealth and social prestige. For a Victorian woman, this is the equivalent of rock star status. He could crush the Bennets with a swipe of his hand. Yet Elizabeth refuses to be treated so disrespectfully without some explanation. Sound familiar?

Edward fights his primal urges to kill and in doing so, gives his leading lady the impression that he finds her distasteful and beneath him. Both characters warn their ladies of impending doom through their actions, yet it only serves to draw the women closer. It definitely had that effect on me! What were they hiding? Don’t we all want to take a walk on the wild side from time to time? Of course, I’m fairly sure I would have a nervous breakdown if I found out I was dating a vampire. Thank God we can live vicariously through books!

I’d love to hear about some of your thoughts about what makes a dangerous man more interesting or someone you want to get away from. Who are your favorite dark romantic characters?