Holiday Affair Feature and eBook Giveaway

Holiday Affair by Annie Seaton
Synopsis :
Staid professor Lissy McIntyre believes that choosing a mate should be based on common sense, not runaway passion. And she would certainly never pick a rolling stone like Nick Richards for long-term love. But a red-hot, tropical romance? Oh, yeah. He’s got a body just made for sinning and his sizzling kisses leave her senseless.
When Nick blows into town, he’s stunned to discover that his no-nonsense new neighbor and co-worker is the same sultry creature he seduced for one night of forbidden island pleasure. He’s unaccustomed to staying in one place for long, but he just can’t seem to keep his hands off the multi-faceted woman. Will Nick break loyal Lissy’s heart or will she be the one woman he simply can’t walk away from?

Find Holiday Affair on :
Goodreads || Amazon  || Barnes & Noble

About Annie Seaton : 

Annie Seaton lives on the beautiful east coast of Australia, where she loves sitting in her writing chair, gazing at the ocean and writing stories. She has always been fascinated by all things historical and has found her niche writing contemporary romance and steampunk, where strong heroines and brooding heroes fight together to make their alternative world a better place.
Her debut novel, Holiday Affair, a contemporary romance set in the South Pacific was released as part of Entangled Publishing’s Indulgence line in March. The sequel Italian Affair is currently underway Watch out for the story of Tom and Brianna the sex therapist who spices up his life!
Winter of the Passion Flower was released through Lyrical Press at the same time. It is also available in print from the Books page of Annie’s website. Currently immersed in the creation of Book Two, a full length novel, the adventures of Sofia and her Scottish laird, Annie is already looking forward to the rest of the series, particularly the adventures of Indigo’s four boys: Jago and Jory, Ruan and Kit. Strong sassy heroines and rebellious heroes have a rollicking good time as they work to make the world a better place–albeit their own steampunk world.
Blind Lust, a paranormal novella will be released by Musa Publishing on 15th June.
Find Annie on :
Goodreads || Website || Twitter || Blog 

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for eBook COPY provided by the Publisher:

ENTRY FORM HERE

For 3 Extra Bonus entries Visit  the author's website and tell me something you find of interest.
For 2 Extra Bonus entries comment on my Review. 

* This contest is open WORLDWIDE.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on November 16, 2012.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED on November 17, 2012.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement. 

FOR more chances to win and other reviews, visit the other tour stops:

Blog Tour Schedule:

28th October @ Author Nicola Marsh’s Blog

http://nicolamarsh.blogspot.com

29th October @ Kindle and Me

http://www.kindleandme.com

30th October @ Book Passion for Life

http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.co.uk

31st October @ Butterfly-O-Meter

http://butterflyometerbooks.blogspot.in

1st November @ Passionate Book Divas 

http://passionatebookdivas.com

2nd November @ Bookaru Ju

http://bookarooju.wordpress.com

5th November @ Delighted Reader

http://www.delightedreader.com

6th November @A Purrfect Read

http://trh87books.blogspot.ca

7th November @ Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf

http://marthasbookshelf.blogspot.com

8th November @ Tana Rae Reads

http://tana-someofmyfavoritebooks.blogspot.com

9th November @ Close Encounters with the Night Kind

http://closeencounterswiththenightkind.blogspot.com

Book Review: Holiday Affair by Annie Seaton

This is a solidly nice contemporary romance.

Holiday Affair 
by Annie Seaton

• File Size: 276 KB
• Print Length: 126 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Entangled Publishing (Indulgence)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0
 

Book Description
Publication Date: March 15, 2012
Staid professor Lissy McIntyre believes that choosing a mate should be based on common sense, not runaway passion. And she would certainly never pick a rolling stone like Nick Richards for long-term love. But a red-hot, tropical romance? Oh, yeah. He’s got a body just made for sinning and his sizzling kisses leave her senseless.

When Nick blows into town, he’s stunned to discover that his no-nonsense new neighbor and co-worker is the same sultry creature he seduced for one night of forbidden island pleasure. He’s unaccustomed to staying in one place for long, but he just can’t seem to keep his hands off the multi-faceted woman. Will Nick break loyal Lissy’s heart or will she be the one woman he simply can’t walk away from?

Review: Lissy has a dual personality! In her home town she is a conservative, quiet history professor working toward a promotion at a University in the New England Tablelands of Australia. She hasn’t really been dating although she has a regular Friday date with a handsome, stable accountant, Tom. But this story opens with a wind blown Lissy on a sailboat in North Queensland, Australia. She is taking a vacation to help recoup from the death of her beloved Gramps.

Nick is a character who I found hard to like at first. He is the type of handsome, charming rogue who bets with the other sailors which lady from the tour he will bed each night. Ugh. His personality does go a little deeper than that so he feels a bit guilty about his bet, but not enough to say good-bye to Lissy or even leave a note after she succumbs to a passionate night after a jag of grief.

Imagine Lissy’s surprise when she is settling in back at home and discovers that the walk away man from her holiday is not only the new history professor in her department, but the new neighbor on the other side of her duplex. Lissy is further dismayed when she learns there is a connection between Tom and Nick. Common sense tells Lizzy she should run the other way but Nick makes it very difficult for her as he keeps getting in her face and interfering with her friendship with Tom.

I was captured early by the warmth of the story and knowing that the characters had a surprise reunion coming when they got back to work. Even though Nick is hard to like at first, I did enjoy the tension in the story. I admit I was annoyed by Lizzy’s weak drinking night and that she kept giving in and then expecting something more. Both Lizzy and Nick had to make some risk assessments and changes in order to move forward. Fortunately Nick realized that he could lose something special.

I enjoyed Nick’s close knit family, especially his warm mother. The romance is hot but not unpleasantly graphic. Miss Seaton uses strong, bright descriptions of settings and shares interesting local customs. This added extra strength to the story.  The writing is easy and the pacing moves well. If you enjoy solid contemporary romance that sizzles but isn't over the edge, this makes a nice choice to read.

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

Example of the strong descriptions:

The screeching of the rainbow lorikeets woke her the next morning. Lying in bed, she watched the birds hang upside down in the huge bottlebrush tree outside her window as they ate the honey from the red flowers.  Location 1195.

I received this eBook from the Publisher for an honest review. See Book Feature and Giveaway next post!.

I will add this to my ARC and New Author challenge lists.

Book Review and Giveaway: The Trouble with Cowboys by Denise Hunter

This is an enjoyable romance with several inspirational messages.

The Trouble with Cowboys
by Denise Hunter
File Size: 783 KB
Print Length: 302 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1595548033
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 2, 2012)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
Also available at: Thomas Nelson CBD B&N
Genre:  Christian Romance
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: October 2, 2012
Only one pair of boots—and the cowboy wearing them—can get Annie out of the mess she’s in.

Annie Wilkerson is Moose Creek’s premiere horse trainer and equine columnist for Montana Living. Money is tight as she tries to put her kid-sister through college and provide for her young nephew. When Annie’s column is cancelled, she’s given first shot at a new lovelorn column—and she can’t afford to turn it down. Only problem is . . . Annie’s never been in love.

Always resourceful, she reluctantly strikes a deal with the town’s smooth-talking ladies’ man Dylan Taylor: She’ll work with his ailing horse, Braveheart, if he’ll help her answer the reader letters.

Working closely with Dylan is harder than Annie imagined, and she quickly realizes she may have misjudged him. But her unwavering conviction that cowboys are nothing but trouble has kept her heart safe for years. And she can’t risk getting hurt now.

The more Annie tries to control things, the more they fall apart. Her feelings are spinning out of control, and her sister’s antics are making life increasingly more difficult. Annie knows she needs to turn the reins over to God, but surrender has never come easily.

When Dylan reveals his feelings for her, Annie doesn’t know what to trust—her head or her heart. The trouble with this cowboy is that he might just be exactly what she needs.

“. . . a story filled with romantic tension . . . Hunter’s well-developed characters and plot twists make for a delightful and inspirational journey.” —Publishers Weekly

Review: 
Annie has a lot of responsibility on her young shoulders. Her father, a cowboy, left when she was young and her mother had been through several more husbands who also left. Annie works two jobs to make ends meet for herself and her younger sister, Sierra, and Ryan, Sierra’s  young son. Annie is intent on putting Sierra through college and is frustrated that Sierra can’t hold a job long and isn’t as dedicated to college as Annie feels she should be. She understands that Sierra is still young at 20 but Annie feels she shouldn’t be out partying when she has a young son at home and needs to prepare for her future.  It is clear that Sierra is beginning to resent being “mothered” by Annie.

Annie is attracted to Dylan who is a handsome, flirty cowboy. But there is no way that she is going to get involved with a cowboy. Her mother’s history says that cowboys are trouble and they can’t be trusted. Instead Annie is dating a nice, stable banker, John, even though there may not be the zing with him that she feels with Dylan.

Dylan appears to be a flirt but he had a painful experience that has left him sour on commitment. He finds Annie attractive and more stable than a lot of women he knows. Yet he knows that she isn’t the type of woman to treat lightly. Dylan really needs Annie’s expertise as a  horse trainer to help with Braveheart, an older horse who is going blind.

Although reluctant, Annie agrees to work with the horse if Dylan will help her with her new column - advise to the lovelorn. She figures he has had plenty of experience to share in the love arena. They strike a bargain even though it is clear they won’t always agree on recommendations for the column. Annie also finds it hard to decide if her answers should be consistent with God’s advise or man’s less forgiving nature.

I enjoyed the relationship between these nice characters and their pull and resistance made for good conflict and nice sensual tension.  The situation with Sierra was definitely frustrating and created a major obstacle for Annie. I like how it worked out with a few surprises. 

Annie and Dylan are both Christians so it would seem that they might have come together sooner with a bit more openness and that was annoying ... but then there wouldn’t have been the story. There are nice messages on issues of being judgmental, relinquishing fear, trusting God and allowing Him control to accomplish the impossible. The Christian issues are handled well through life style examples rather than preachiness.

The writing has a nice easy flow and the romance is sweet with enough heat to make it interesting and enjoyable. If you like Christian and sweet romances you should enjoy this read.
  

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

Dylan's effect on Annie:

“...Have a seat. Warm enough? I can get a fire going.”
He already had–he just didn’t know it. And if she were smart, she’d stick to the porch. Location 683.

What Annie seeks: 

She wanted security and love. Commitment and chemistry. Was that too much to ask? Location 2001

I received this title through NetGalley for  Review for Thomas Nelson.

This story is set near Bozeman, Montana for my Where Are You Reading challenge. I will also add it to my ARC and New Author challenges.

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for a PRINT COPY provided by the Publisher:

ENTRY FORM HERE

For 3 Extra Bonus entries Visit  the author's website and tell me something you find of interest.

* This contest is open to US only.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on November 16, 2012.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED on November 17, 2012.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement. 

BookBlast with Giveaway $50 - Secrets of the Red Box

Secrets of the Red Box

Bonnie has secrets to keep - secrets with the potential to destroy lives, including her own. Running from her destructive and pain filled past, she recreates herself, believing she has escaped the damning evidence hidden in the red box. When her former life is revealed by a cruel twist of fate, Bonnie faces losing everything, including Glen, the only man she’s ever loved. But is Bonnie the woman he thinks she is? Set against the backdrop of the 1940s, Secrets of the Red Box is filled with intrigue and suspense - sure to keep you guessing to the very end!

Purchase Link:

Amazon 

Author Vickie Hall

Vickie is a native of Utah, but growing up, lived in the states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Nebraska. When she's not writing, she's composing music, or shopping with her sister. She loves animals of all kinds and camping with her family. Her favorite pastime is watching old movies on TCM, and unashamedly has a crush on Cary Grant.

Links:

Blog * Website 

Facebook * Goodreads

Praise for Secrets of the Red Box:

Amazing book! Wow, it caught me from the first paragraph. What detail, mystery and suspense. Loved the main character, Bonnie, so relatable. Vicki is an amazing writer. I wish she would write more books!!!

~Amazon Review

Secrets of the Red Box is a great read! Whether you're looking for a book with an intriguing and unusual plot, or a story of how life's choices effect the rest of your life, you will love this book!

~Amazon Review

Blog Tour: Be sure to check out the blog tour for the chance to win an additional $25 Gift Card.
Check back November 15 for my review and Giveaway link!

Secrets of the Red Box Blog Tour: November 5th to 20th 

Tour Schedule

Book Blast Giveaway Details

$50 Amazon Gift Card or $50 PayPal Cash 
from Author Vickie Hall

Ends 11/25/12
*You need not enter your twitter name for each entry. Simply enter it for the first person you follow and leave the others blank.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

eTreasures Author up for Award - Please Consider Voting

One of eTreasures' authors, Cindy Huefner Cromer, is among a group of authors who are up for the 2012 "50 Great Writers You Should be Reading" contest sponsored by The Authors Show. 
I'd be so pleased if some of my blogging friends would support our efforts by voting for her title! Thanks for your consideration and support.

To vote, click here to go to the contest page and you'll see a link that says, "Please click here to vote for your favorite author."

Cindy's book, Desperate Measures, is a romantic suspense with strong positive reviews.

The secret is out AGAIN…! This time lives are in jeopardy.

What should have been the perfect vacation soon became a nightmare. Caitlin Martel made a stop before meeting her family at Miami International Airport. A cryptic message waited for her. She dismissed the threat and assumed it was directed toward the brilliant scientist that she recently hired. Caitlin has no idea that a forgotten secret was about to explode and put her life in jeopardy.

When Caitlin and her family arrive on the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts, they find their dream home vandalized. In the kitchen, another message has been left. In blood, leaving no doubt that Caitlin personally is the target.

In a flashback Caitlin recalls the secret that her father, Jack Spencer, revealed to her sixteen years ago. He didn’t tell her everything. Will Jack be able to confront the truth and reconstruct the past in time to save his daughter?

Caitlin’s husband Scott, FBI Assistant Director, also believes the threats are related to Caitlin’s professional life. Once Caitlin points out the significance of what was left in their home, Scott unofficially brings his top FBI agent, Tomas Medina, to St. Kitts.

When Tomas arrives, his status is quickly upgraded and the investigation becomes official. The third threat creates a direct link to multi-billionaire Lukas Bucklin.

The suspense escalates through twists, turns, and family secrets yet to be revealed. A powerful climax unveils an unlikely alliance between two deadly and dangerous enemies.