Chat at Love Romances

I’ll be chatting tomorrow (Feb 28) from 1-3pm EST at the Love Romances Cafe. I’d love for everyone to drop by and keep me company

One Love for Liv By Marianne Arkins

Fellow Samhain author, Marianne Arkins is doing a blog tour this month. Her delightful book, One Love for Liv released on Feb 12 with mine. To learn more about Marie, click here or here.

One Love for Liv by Marianne Arkins

Blurb:
Liv is out to prove her high society fiancé is cheating on her. Can she do it without breaking a nail—or falling in love with Mike the mechanic?

Olivia “Liv” Leigh, wealthy socialite and spa owner, suspects her fiancé of cheating on her. Drastic steps are required to discover whether appearances are deceiving. And if those steps require a bit of stalking, a change of appearance, a hippo-sized dog named Spike, and sacrificing her manicure to clean house for a sexy-but-sloppy man whose neighbor is determined to break several of the strangest Guinness world records, why should that be a problem?

Mike, a happily single auto mechanic, is more than content sharing his bachelor pad with piles of laundry, dirty dishes, and a sneaky ferret. But when a half-crazed woman in a bad wig shows up on his doorstep, what’s a nice guy to do?

Why, invite her in, unknowingly help her in her search for the truth and, in the process, fall head over heels for a woman who’s never been less his type.

Excerpt:

Liv drove past the VW and parked around the corner. Nervous in these strange surroundings, she stepped out of the car. First one foot cautiously touched the pavement, then the other.

Litter dotted the sidewalk, and she sidled around a huge wad of pink chewing gum that glistened on the cement to her right, practically pulsating in the sunshine. The wooden fence beside her was covered in graffiti, mostly silly scrawls of people’s names and the objects of their affections.

With a glance over her shoulder at the beat-up sedan, she gave thanks she wasn’t driving the Miata after all. This neighborhood made her terribly uneasy, and her sweet car probably wouldn’t last an hour parked on this street.

She hurried up the sidewalk to the corner, grateful for the first time she was wearing sneakers instead of her usual pumps, and peered around to make sure Daisy wasn’t looking. Of course, she probably wouldn’t recognize Liv, but it was still good to be careful.

She trailed Daisy until the redhead turned up the walk toward the complex and moved behind some thick evergreen bushes. Liv broke into a trot, not wanting to lose her.

As Liv turned the corner, she nearly ran Daisy over. The woman had stopped to check her mail at the wall of mailboxes just outside the complex.

Liv leaped back and slipped between two parked cars, squatting down to hide for a moment until she realized she couldn’t see anything. She duck-walked up a few cars until she could lean down to peek underneath and watch Daisy’s feet to note when she moved on.

Utterly focused on the sight before her, she had no warning before the driver’s door beside her swung open, clipping her sharply on the head. She flew backward, sprawling into the street and thumping her skull on the pavement. Tires squealed nearby as a moving car whipped around her flattened body.

“What the—?” From a million miles away, a man shouted in surprise. She heard the thump of footsteps but couldn’t seem to open her eyes. “Hey, lady.” A huge, heavy hand shook her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Something warm and wet swiped her face, both reviving and disgusting her. She kept her eyes closed and limply swatted at it. Her hand hit fur. “Ugh.”

“Spike, back off.”

Spike? What was going on? She gave a low moan and tried again to force her eyelids to obey her will, finally succeeding after a Herculean effort. A tanned face covered in five o’clock shadow and smears of black grease swam in front of her. Next to him, its neck surrounded by a studded black leather collar, sat the biggest brown dog she’d ever seen. The creature had drool suspended from its mouth and it looked as if it had swallowed a sneaker with the laces hanging out. Dear heavens, was that what had licked her?

The voice spoke again, and this time she saw the man’s lips move, though they seemed oddly out of sync with his words. The last time that had happened was when she’d seen Shoot the Piano Player in French with English subtitles.

“You don’t look so good. Maybe I should call for an ambulance or something. I whacked you pretty hard.” He touched her forehead and she tried to move away from those greasy hands. Did she have a smear on her skin?

“No, don’t call an ambulance.” Liv was dismayed at how feeble she sounded, but the last thing she needed was to draw more attention to herself. How would she explain that to Geoff or her father? “I’ll be okay. Just help me up.”

“If you’re sure.” Strong, firm hands slipped under her arms and pulled her easily to her feet. The dog leaned against her and shoved its head under her hand. She flinched at the feel of its bony, fur-covered skull even though she appreciated the support. It wasn’t enough, though, and her legs wobbled beneath her.

“Whoa there, Nelly.” The man tightened his hold and steadied her. “Maybe you should come inside and sit down for a couple of minutes. I could give you an ice pack for your head.”

Liv drew herself up to her full height, all five feet, two inches of it—damn, now she missed her three-inch heels—and declared, “I would no more go into a strange man’s house than…than…” She hated that the man only grinned and watched her sputter. She lost the little bit of strength she’d summoned and sank down onto the sidewalk. “I’ll sit on the curb. Just get your ugly dog away from me.”

“Spike? C’mon, he’s gorgeous.” He gave the monster a vigorous scratch all up and down its body. “And he’s not my dog, but don’t worry, he’s a marshmallow.”

“I don’t like dogs.” She dropped her aching head into her hands and peeked through her fingers to watch as the man dragged the dog a few feet away. Spike stared at Liv with droopy brown eyes for a couple moments before he turned and trotted into the apartment complex. Thank heavens.

“Look, you can’t sit out here by yourself. What if you have a concussion and pass out?” The man squatted beside her. “Do you live nearby? I could take you home.”

“I don’t live anywhere around here.” Heaven forbid. Liv waved off his offer with a flip of her hand. “I just need a few minutes to gather my wits.”

“I don’t feel right just leaving you here. Maybe you could go to my neighbor’s? Daisy is a pretty harmless woman—at least if you’re not a man—and from where I’m sitting, it’s obvious you’re no man.”

“Daisy?” That was impossible. What were the odds?

“Yeah.” He grasped her elbow and helped her stand again. Despite the grease and calluses, his hand was oddly gentle and comforting. “I bet you’re seeing double, and you can’t drive in that condition.”

Annoyed he was right, and interested in checking out where the competition lived, she reluctantly agreed. They walked side-by-side into the complex, each step making her head throb more.

“I’m Mike, by the way. Mike Peck.”

She looked up at him, really seeing him for the first time. He was unbelievably tall, well over six feet, and wore some kind of gray coverall that had his name embroidered on the patch affixed to the front.

She squinted at the smaller lettering above his name. Doug’s Import Auto Shop. Saved by a grease monkey. How exactly right for her day.

Monday Morning Quiz

I’m supposed to be getting my kids up and ready for the day but instead I’m mindlessly surfing the net and I ran across this quiz. As a writer, I just had to take it. (Acutally I’m a sucker for quizzes of any kind. I’m a dash. Take it yourself and let me know what mark you are….

You Are a Dash

Your life is fast paced and varied. You are realistic, down to earth, and very honest. You’re often busy doing something interesting, and what you do changes quickly. You have many facets to your personality, and you connect them together well. You have a ton of interests. While some of them are a bit offbeat, they all tie together well. You friends rely on you to bring novelty and excitement to their lives. (And while you’re the most interesting person they know, they can’t help feeling like they don’t know you well.) You excel in: Anything to do with money You get along best with: the Exclamation Point

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

Greek Caponata

I also tried another recipe from the same episode of Everyday Italian where Giada made the baklava, it’s called Caponata and it’s basically a roasted vegetable salad. I am sadly not a good vegetable eater. I want to love vegetables but most of the time I simply eat them because I think I must, but this recipe made me eager to get in some veggies with my dinner. The flavors of garlic and oregano with the eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes were so yummy mixed together. I served it over thickly sliced rustic bread like Giada did, and all we ate with it was some cheese and nuts. I’ll definitely make it again. You can find the recipe here.

Simple Baklava

I’ve never made baklava before but during a rare quiet moment last week, I sat down and watched Everyday Italian, my favorite cooking show. When I saw Giada di Laurentiis make a simplified version of baklava using a mini muffin tin, I knew I had to try it no matter how much phyllo dough intimidates me. One morning last week while I had a few moments to myself, I tried her recipe and it came out great. I even managed to separate the sheets of phyllo and butter them without much trouble. I highly recommend giving it a try.

A Persistent Attraction Available Now!

A Persistent Attraction is now available so hop on over to Samhain and get your copy. Buy it here!

Countdown: A Persistent Attraction Excerpt #2

One Day Until the Release of A Persistent Attraction

Here’s a second excerpt to get you ready for the big day….

Rhys ran after Amanda. He wasn’t letting her go until he knew why she’d come. As much as his clouded mind wanted to believe she’d finally succumbed to his sensual lure, he knew better.
He reached her as she started down the steps to the street. He caught her waist and pulled her against him.
Once she caught her breath, she began to struggle. “Let me go.”
“You’re not leaving until you tell me why you came.” He fought to ignore the delicious sensations coursing through his body as she writhed against him, rubbing her tight, barely covered derrière against his thighs.
“You are in no condition to help me,” she snarled.
“Stop this before we draw unwanted attention. I’m not letting you go until you agree to talk to me.”
He watched as she glanced from side to side, likely looking to see if they had attracted onlookers. Eventually, her struggles ceased. “Fine. If you promise not to touch me again, I’ll come inside and talk to you.”
“You ask much considering how you are dressed, but nevertheless, I won’t touch you even if you beg me too.”
“You needn’t worry about that.”
“Ever so confident, are we?” he asked, before turning to go back into his house.
She followed him into his study and eyed him closely as he sank into a leather chair.
“Can you possibly be sober enough to comprehend what I’m saying?”
He cursed his stupidity. If only he’d known she was coming, he never would have drunk so much. What had made him want to lose himself in the bottle anyway? The answer nagged at his consciousness, but he couldn’t quite catch it. His mind was filled with base urges that made him want to use Amanda’s body in a way no man should.
Why did she look so angry? Oh, right, she’d asked him a question. What was it? Sober. Was he sober? No, definitely not. Maybe he could fake it. He sat up straighter. “Get on with your story. I’m tired of waiting.”
She looked ready to murder him, but the rapid rise and fall of her chest had him mesmerized.
“I would ask Aunt Claire for help, but as you probably know, she’s been in poor health recently. I refuse to endanger Elise. Mark and Cassandra have enough to think about, and they are too far away. You were the only other person I could think of.”
She said the last sentence as if the very idea of speaking to him disgusted her.
“I’m sorry you are faced with such an odious option. I’m still waiting to hear what this problem is.” He stood and leaned over his desk to grab the whiskey decanter. “Would you like some?”
“No thanks. I prefer not to dull my senses when I’m near you.”
“No, you mustn’t give an evil rake a chance at seduction.”
Her pink cheeks brought him satisfaction.
“I received this note the afternoon before the Leightons’ ball.” She extracted a piece of paper from the waist of her breeches and handed it to him.
It was warm from her body. The feel of her heat made his cock harden instantly. He unfolded the paper and forced his tired eyes to focus on the words.
When he finished reading he was ready to use his bare hands to strangle the man who’d written it. The cold terror that ran down his spine sobered him. “Why didn’t you come to me the day you received this?”
“I thought it was a joke. I figured some man I’d jilted sent it to frighten me.”
“Damn it, Amanda. You were almost killed.”
“I’m fine. But I received a second letter today. That’s why I came. He wants me to meet the same demand in three days.”
“And you want me to help you find him before then?”
“Yes.” She kept her jaw tight as though her response pained her.
An evil idea came to him. He had every intention of finding this bastard and making him pay dearly for harming Amanda, but her situation had given him a wonderful opportunity to toy with her. For just a second, reason broke through his alcohol-laden haze. He knew better, but he couldn’t stop himself.
“I deserve some payment for my assistance, don’t you think?”
“What?” Amanda’s eyes widened.
“Every day that I’m helping you, I will be given one chance to seduce you.”
She shook her head back and forth vigorously. Her fists clenched at her sides. He watched her attempt to get her anger under control. For a few moments, he thought she would send the vase on the table next to her toward his head, but she reined herself in.
“You told me that if I ever needed help, I should come to you. I should have known better than to trust you. Mark may think you have a heart under your detached façade, but he’s wrong.” She stood and grabbed her cloak from the back of her chair. “I’ll handle the problem myself.”
He cursed himself and considered following her once again, but decided against it. Instead he rang for Meadows. When the valet appeared, he said, “I want Miss Halverston followed and guarded. She should be in the sight of one of my men any time she leaves her aunt’s residence.”
“Yes, sir. Anything else?”
“No, that is all.” He sat at his desk and proceeded to drain the rest of the whiskey. His last thought before he passed out over the hard wooden surface was that he could never drink enough to forget the feelings Amanda stirred in him. Feelings a man like him should never have.

Countdown: Researching the Regency

Two Days Until the Release of A Persistent Attraction

Here are some of the resources I use frequently for Regency era research:

Books:
What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool
Our Tempestuous Day: A History of Regency England by Carolly Erickson.
The Prince of Pleasure and His Regency by J.B. Priestly
Life in the English Country House by Mark Girouard
English Landed Society in the 19th Century by F.M.L. Thompson

Websites:
The Regency Collection
Regency England
Republic of Pemberly
Online Etymology Dictionary

Countdown: Becoming A Romance Reader

Three Days Until the Release of A Persistent Attraction

I first started reading historical romances in the early 90s. Here are some of my favorites that addicted me to the genre:

Mary Jo Putney’s Fallen Angels series particularly Thunder and Roses
Jane Feather’s V series, particularly Velvet
Untamed by Elizabeth Lowell
The Ruby by Christina Skye
Reckless by Amanda Quick

Some more recent reads that have gone on my keeper shelf:

Never Deceive a Duke by Liz Carlyle
Lord of Ice by Gaelen Foley
My False Heart by Liz Carlyle

What books turned you into romance readers? What are your current favorite?

Countdown: How Rhys and Amanda met

Four Days Left Until the Release of A Persistent Attraction

Rhys and Amanda first met when Cassandra and Mark were investigating the nefarious activities of Cassandra’s deceased husband in Book 1: A Carnal Agreement. Rhys was shocked by his reaction to such a young innocent woman, and when he learns that she is as strong and self-reliant as her older sister, he fears his heart has been stolen. Here’s their first encounter…..

Excerpted from A Carnal Agreement

Mark looked around when Cassandra said “Mr. Stanton” as if registering Stanton’s presence for the first time. Rhys stood from his chair and bowed toward Amanda. “We have not been properly introduced, but I can only assume you are Cassandra’s sister. You are a perfect replica of her except for your most exotic eyes.”

He walked behind Amanda and reached his arms around her as if to undo the clasp of her cloak. “May I?”

Amanda nodded and he took the cloak from her shoulders. Rather than putting it down, he held it over his arm, letting his fingers run absently over the fabric. Cassandra should have scolded him for flirting with her sister in such a ludicrous manner, but she found it rather amusing, so she simply introduced them.

“Rhys, as you guessed, this is my sister, Miss Amanda Halverston. Amanda, this is Mr. Rhys Stanton. He is a friend of Mark’s.”

Amanda gave Stanton a withering look. “I would prefer if you did not maul my cloak. It was given to me by my aunt, and I am rather attached to it.”

Stanton looked down at his hands as if he had not realized what he was doing. “Of course. I meant no harm. It is a beautiful garment, almost as beautiful as you.”

Mark scowled at him. “What’s wrong with you, Stanton? This is no time for your ridiculous games.”

Stanton shook his head. “Do forgive me. I was quite overcome by the young lady.”

Mark gave him a withering look. “Take a seat.”

Purchase A Carnal Agreement in print.

Purchase A Carnal Agreement in ebook.