Kathy from I Am a Reader, Not a Writer, and Tristi Pinkston are hosting another great giveaway! We all have things we're thankful for, and we all have goodies to give away too.
~ * ~
For this international giveaway, enter to win one of TWO romance e-books:
1) Historical Romance: A Love By Any Measure by Killian McRae. 11/8/11 is the official release date for this angsty Irish bodice-ripper! You can read an excerpt at the end of this post.
2) Romantic Suspense: Bad Behavior, book two of The Conduct Series by Jennifer Lane. (Book one, With Good Behavior, is on sale for $.99 the month of November.)
You can also enter to win a Kindle Fire on the right side of my blog. (No joke---I'm joining other authors to offer a brand spankin' new Kindle Fire to one lucky reader, and this giveaway is international).
Entries now closed. Stay tuned for the winners' names!
Accusatory, hostile glares traced
Maeve’s every step. Two options lay before her: be apologetic and claim this
was only business and nothing was going on between she and August – an effort
which Maeve knew would fail, as the truth of her conflict would be evident on
her face; or she could bluff and take on an air of authority. In this second
scenario, the other workers would at least fear losing their position for
saying anything, if they believed she was indeed Grayson’s girl.
“We open in thirty minutes, and I
don’t see a single loaf in the window,” she barked with false confidence. “Hop
to it, eh?”
Maeve drew her eyes to the most
fidgety of the shop girls, Clara, whom she knew would be all too eager to
please and not dare speak a cross word. With a flex of her arm and pointing of
a finger, Clara’s petite frame practically sprang to the back room. As Maeve
turned to exit the shop to follow August, a cacophony of banging pans near the
ovens arose and baked loaves were shoved in to the display glass.
The stairs to the manager’s
apartment lay behind a cast iron gate on the side of the building. Maeve waited
for August to exit and lead to the quarters that must have been the previous
owner’s. August’s green eyes twinkled in fervent delight. He still had not
understood what he had wrought, making her believe that his intentions had been
benevolent despite the dreadful consequences they were likely to bring.
Maeve passed through the door. He
followed and waited to be lauded and thanked for his keen plan and humble
generosity.
“How could you be so daft?!” Her
arms flew up as her balled fist walloped his chest.
He attempted to stutter a
response, but she cut him to the quick.
“What did you expect they would
think? I’ve been only a shop girl, and that only for a short time. And then
some bloody Englishman sweeps into town, puts me up at his place, buys the
bakery, and makes me manager?”
“I…?”
“Don’t you see what this does?
Brand me a whore, is what. And for what? Just to have a place where you could
continue this arrangement in private with me now that your sister and middleman
are privy? Has a fortnight without driven you to insanity?”
Without courage, or perhaps, will
to look at her, August shook his head wildly and sat on a stout wooden stool
next to the door.
“I never .... It wasn’t my
intention.....” He paused, collecting his thoughts before finally making a
better retort. “Oh, Maeve, I didn’t think. I... I ... I was only thinking
about... you. This wasn’t what I meant to happen.”
She scoffed with a cackling grunt.
“Aye? And just what did you intend to accomplish by this maneuver then?”
“Your freedom.”
August finally chanced an upward
glance on the heel of his sincere admission. Maeve shrank back, perplexed.
“You are asked far beyond what
should be of someone who’s already given so much. You went as far as to broker
a deal with me that nearly cost you your chastity. I don’t want you to have to
choose between having a home and having a choice. And if it’s just a question
of money —”
“I never asked you for money. I
never asked you for … this.”
He gave a weak half-smile. “I
know. You’d rather rent your innocence to me than sacrifice your pride for a
penny. If I could have simply given you money, I would have. But I could, at
least, have seen the ramifications of that action. Instead, I decided to create
an opportunity for you to earn your security. I thought, if I gave you the
bakery...”
Maeve’s frame eased a little as
she began to understand. Crossing the room, she kept her body turned away, yet
laid a hand tenderly on his shoulder. She was surprised to feel a twinge of
sadness.
“And you would... What about our
contract? I still want the cottage, even if I’m living in town. What would I
need to do? Would you have to come to town, or would I have come to...?”
“You’d still do that? Just to keep
the cottage? Even with this apartment, you’d do anything to still have... the
cottage?”
He turned toward her and gazed
hopefully into her eyes, as though his very ability to breathe depended on the
answer to his query. “Would you not want to be with me, Maeve?”
Brown eyes darted wildly around
the room, looking to focus on anything but the optimism etched in his every
feature. Yes, she’d want to be with him, but what did it matter? In the end,
there was no way of being with August, there was only being under him. If there
was a sliver of possibility, a minute modicum of chance that they might ever be
together, she’d throw herself at it full force. But wishing simply couldn’t
make it so.
Thank you for the excerpt, Killian McRae! Check out A Love By Any Measure.
Thank you for the excerpt, Killian McRae! Check out A Love By Any Measure.
Comments
It really doesn't matter their names....as long as they're are Highlanders, I'm good :0)
Thanks for the giveaway.
-BJ
Thanks for the giveaway!
darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com
GFC Darlene
Darlene... You can't go wrong with a detective.
Arianne... Oh, those rogues. We love the hate them, and hate to love them.
I am having a hopping good time going to all the sites! I love visiting with old friends and finding new authors and books to add to my wish list. <^_^> !!
Thank you for being part of the hop and for the chance to win!
reneebennett35 at yahoo dot com
Sue B
Darlene, I'll have to find out more about Detective Pescoli.
Nay Nay, that's great you're having such a good time! I'm in editing hell but I hope to enter some of the giveaways too.
My fav romantic character- picking one would be tough- hmmm. Mr. Darcy or Captain Wentworth from Jane Austen.
My fav historical character is from a book by Susan Johnson Hazard Black.
luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com
desitehblodne@msn.com
Thanks for the giveaway!
Donna @ The Happy Booker
ahappybooker at gmail dot com
Thanks for the giveaway!
Donna @ The Happy Booker
ahappybooker at gmail dot com
Thanks for the giveaway
Judy
magnolias_1[at]msn[dot]com
kalea_kane(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thanks for the chance win your giveaway.
cindymacbeth at gmail dot com
rhett and scarlett
fav romantic suspence deff have to agree with the personw ho siad pascoli since reading those books by lisa jacksons i love how strong and tough she is
misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com
dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com
ainfinger@comcast.net
Thanks for the giveaway!
Mary
mary_reiss @ hotmail.com
BornajhawkATaolDOTcom