Sara Humphrey's The Good, the Bad and the Vampire Blog Tour with a Spotlight and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Sara Humphrey here at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway.

Thanks Sara and Sourcebooks for allowing me to join the The Good, The Bad and the Vampire Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Sara!

Sourcebooks
January 2016 Pub
Mass Market/ $7.99
9781402274152
The Good, the Bad, and the Vampire
Sara Humphreys
Paranormal Romance

Excerpt

Trixie couldn’t remember the last time she went to a little girl’s birthday party but it certainly wasn’t since becoming a vampire.

Olivia and Doug might have been two of the world’s most powerful vampires, but they had also become the first vampire parents in recorded history. Today was their daughter Emily’s second birthday and they were throwing her a big old party, complete with birthday cake and balloons.

Trixie had gone back and forth all day long about whether or not to attend.

Being around little Emily was bittersweet on a regular day and the birthday celebration would only heighten Trixie’s struggle. But choosing not to go would have been selfish. Trixie’s personal drama wasn’t Emily’s fault, and she didn’t want to disappoint the adorable little redheaded cherub. Not only that, Emily was Olivia’s daughter and since Olivia was Trixie’s maker, that made her family.

Not showing up would have been rotten.

Olivia would have understood if Trixie bailed out; she knew her better than anyone else. But Olivia’s Bloodmate, Doug, wouldn’t understand her absence from such a celebrated event. Neither would the other members of the coven.

Nope. Trixie decided to do what she always did. She’d put on a smile, make a wise-ass comment or two, and act like nothing and nobody bothered her.

A familiar voice pulled her from her thoughts as she strode down the stone hallways of the Presidium’s underground facility, buried deep beneath Fort Tryon Park and The Cloisters in New York City,

“Well, smack my ass and call me Sally.”

The deep southern drawl echoed around her, stopping Trixie dead in her tracks. A shiver of lust whispered beneath her skin as it usually did whenever he was nearby, but she swiftly shoved it aside.

“Okay, Sally.” Trixie rolled her shoulder and fought the buzz of attraction. “But you can smack your own ass.”

“What’s the matter, darlin’?” The rumbling baritone of his voice soaked with that southern twang, drifted over her shoulder but she didn’t spare him a glance. Trixie continued toward Olivia and Doug’s apartment door, forcing herself to put one foot in front of the other. “Don’t I even get a hello?”

“Hello, Dakota,” she said, with a roll of her eyes.

Coming to this little gathering for Emily was difficult enough and his arrival only ratcheted her anxiety up a notch. Damn it. Why wasn’t he out on patrol? Over the past few months, the cocky and admittedly gorgeous sentry, had become more and more present in her little corner of the universe.

Trixie fiddled with the box in her hands, the one she’d wrapped carefully with the pink and white skull and crossbones paper. She didn’t even bother to put a card with it. Everyone would know who’d brought it. She was the only coven member with bright pink hair and a penchant for skulls and crossbones, after all.

“That your present for little Emily?” He asked. “You wrapped it real nice.”

He got closer by the second.

“No,” Trixie snorted. “I just like carrying around a gift wrapped box for the hell of it. You know, for shits and giggles.”

She was being a snot but she couldn’t help herself.

Trixie kept her gaze pinned to the mammoth mahogany door at the end of the hallway and tried not to notice that he’d sidled up next to her, his stride matching hers.

Dakota Shelton, the newest sentry for the Presidium, the vampire government, was not an easy man to ignore.

His six foot two inch broad shouldered frame towered over her easily but there was something else about him that set her on edge. It was the way he carried himself. He moved effortlessly and casually, as if he was just the good-old boy from Texas he claimed to be.

But Trixie knew better.

Bio:

Sara Humphreys is the award-winning author of the Amoveo Legend series. The third book in the series, Untamed, won two PRISM awards: Dark Paranormal and Best of the Best. The first two novels from her Dead in the City series have been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award. Sara was also a professional actress. Some of her television credits include A&E Biography, Guiding Light, Another World, As the World Turns and Rescue Me. She loves writing hot heroes and heroines with moxie, but above all, Sara adores a satisfying happily-ever-after. She lives in New York with Mr. H., their four amazing sons, and two adorable pups. When she's not writing or hanging out with the men in her life, she can be found working out with Shaun T in her living room or chatting with readers on Facebook. For a full list of Sara's books and reading order, please visit www.sarahumphreys.com

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af7266/

Wednesday Wish List

Please list the books/manga/manhwa/yaoi manga from your wishlist that you are hoping to add to your shelves in a comment, thanks.

The author of The Union Street Bakery and At the Corner of King Street returns to Alexandria, Virginia, with a heartfelt tale of reconnection.

Rae McDonald was fifteen when a car accident took her sister’s life and threw her own into reckless turmoil. When she got pregnant a year later, she found a loving couple to adopt the child. Since then, she’s buried her grief and guilt under a heart of stone.

Lisa Smyth survived the fateful crash, but never told the truth about what happened. And when a family obligation draws her back to Alexandria, the weight of Lisa’s guilt grows heavier by the day.
As both women confront a past refusing to be forgotten, long-buried artifacts are discovered by the Shire Architectural Salvage Company that point to a shared history between families. Now, Rae and Lisa must finally ask themselves if denying the past is worth sacrificing the future.

Manga:

Anise Yamamoto has been told that if she ever removes the rose choker given to her by her father, a terrible punishment will befall her. Unfortunately she loses that choker when a bat-like being falls from the sky and hits her. Anise is granted four cards representing four knights whom she can summon with a kiss. But now that she has these gorgeous men at her beck and call, what exactly is her quest?

High school student Anise Yamamoto is the “Rose Princess” of four handsome Rose Knights. Anise and her knights are fighting to defeat the Fake Rose Knights, but Kaede is losing to Shiden, the powerful Purple Rose, and faces death. The time has come for Anise to awaken him with a kiss.

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she’s never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

Himari Momochi inherits Momochi House, an estate that exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms. Four friends come over to visit Himari, but Aoi can sense that one of them is no longer alive. This spirit is absorbing Momochi House’s power and is quickly transforming into a demon. Will Himari be able to stop its progression and save her friends?

Little did Nao Kogure realize back in middle school that when she left an umbrella and a box of bandages in the rain for injured delinquent Taiga Onise that she would meet him again in high school. Nao wants nothing to do with the gruff and frightening Taiga, but he suddenly presents her with a huge bouquet of flowers and asks her to date him — with marriage in mind! Is Taiga really so scary, or is he a sweetheart in disguise?

New Releases 2015 (Dec 29)

 

New Releases

In this explosive new thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson delves into the deep bond between two sisters and their shared dream that becomes a harrowing nightmare of madness, hatred and jealousy.

Cassie Kramer and her younger sister, Allie, learned the hazards of fame long ago. Together, they’d survived the horror of a crazed fan who nearly killed their mother, former Hollywood actress Jenna Hughes. Still, Cassie moved to L.A., urging Allie to follow. As a team, they’d take the town by storm. But Allie, finally free of small-town Oregon, and just that little bit more beautiful, also proved to be more talented — and driven. Where Cassie got bit parts, Allie rose to stardom. But now her body double has been shot on the set of her latest movie — and Allie is missing.

Police discover that the last call to Allie’s phone came from Cassie, though she has no recollection of making it. Instead of looking like a concerned relative, Cassie is starting to look like a suspect — the jealous sister who finally grew sick of playing a supporting role. As the tabloids go into a frenzy, Cassie ends up on a Portland psych ward. Is she just imagining the sinister figure who comes to her bedside, whispering about Allie — a visitor of whom there is no record? Is someone trying to help—or drive her mad?

Convinced she’s the only one who can find Allie, Cassie checks herself out of the hospital. But a sudden slew of macabre murders — each victim masked with a likeness of a member of Cassie’s family — makes Cassie fear for her safety and her sanity. The only way to end the nightmare is to find out what really happened to Allie. And with each discovery, Cassie realizes that no one can be trusted to keep her safe — least of all herself.

Dear Reader,

You Don't Know me was the first romantic suspense novel I ever wrote. It was originally published as Tangled in the early 90s under the pseudonym Nancy Kelly. I'm delighted that it's finally available again in this repackaged edition.

Everyone in Wagon Wheel, Oregon, knew that Thomas Daniels was a mean, violent man, twisted by liquor and hate. His stepdaughters, Dinah, Denise, and Hayley, knew it better than anyone. And then, with one desperate act, their lives changed forever.

Now, years after he disappeared, Thomas Daniels’s remains have been found and a murder investigation is underway. All three sisters -- Dinah, a respected journalist, acclaimed actress Denise, and Hayley, hungry for her own chance at stardom -- find their lives intersecting and unraveling again. And piece by piece, they'll confront the truth about that deadly night -- and the dark secrets that could turn one of them into a killer. . .

With its new title and new cover, You Don't Know Me feels like a whole new book to me -- one I hope you will enjoy as much as I do!

Nancy Bush

Welcome to Torte-a small-town family bakeshop where the treats are killer good.

It's the dead of winter in the sleepy town of Ashland, which means no tourists - and fewer customers - for Jules Capshaw and her bakery. But when she's asked to cater an off-season retreat for the directors of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, business starts heating up until Jules finds a dead body in the freezer.

Someone at the retreat has apparently iced the bartender, a well-known flirt with a legendary temper-that is, before a killer beat him to the punch. Then, from out of nowhere, Jules's own ex-husband shows up at the shop - and soon becomes a suspect. With accusations piling up higher than the snow-and thicker than a chocolate mousse cake - Jules has to think outside the (recipe) box to find the real culprit and make sure he gets his just desserts.

Cozy Review: A Likely Story

 

I've finished "A Likely Story" the 6th book in her Library Lover's Mystery series by Jenn McKinlay.

Product Description

A new hardcover in the Library Lover's mystery series from the New York Times bestselling author of On Borrowed Time. Small-town librarian Lindsey Norris must solve a murder and a missing person's case involving two reclusive brothers.

NOT HIS BROTHER'S KEEPER

Delivering books to the housebound residents of the Thumb Islands, just a short boat ride from the town of Briar Creek, library director Lindsey Norris has befriended two elderly brothers, Stewart and Peter Rosen. She enjoys visiting them in their treasure-filled, ramshackle Victorian on Star Island until she discovers that Peter has been killed and Stewart is missing. Now she's determined to solve a murder and find Stewart before he suffers his brother's fate.

About the Author

Jenn McKinlay is the New York Times bestselling author of the Library Lover's Mystery series, the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series, and the Hat Shop Mystery series. She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband and children.

Product Details
Series: A Library Lover's Mystery (Book 6)
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (November 3, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425260747
ISBN-13: 978-0425260746

My Review:

3.5/5

Weekly Book Reads (Dec 28)

 Weekly Book Reads

Weekly Book Reads is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews:

Post the books read last week and books you plan on finishing this week.

Read Last Week:

1.  The Promise (1st Part) - Robert Crais
2.  My Kind of Wonderful - Jill Shavis
3.  The Likely Story - Jenn McKinlay 

Weekly Book Reading:

1.  Obsessive Falls - Christina Dodd
2.  The Promise (2nd Part) - Robert Crais
3.  On Thin Icing - Ellie Alexander
4.  Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun Vol. 1 - Izumi Tsubaki
5. The Honor Student at Magic High School Vol. 1 - Tsutomu Sato 

Bunny Express Saturday 2016 (Dec 26)

Bunny Express Saturday is hosted every Saturday at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews.

I received these in the mail this week.

For Review:

Valerius isn't a popular Dark-Hunter - he's a Roman, which means that the largely Greek Hunters have a major grudge against him and his civilization for superseding them. To make things worse, he's very conscious of his aristocratic background and breeding. So it serves him right when he runs into Tabitha Devereaux. She's sassy, sexy, and completely unwilling to take him seriously. (Not to mention that she's the twin sister of the wife of former Dark-Hunter Kyrian - Val's mortal enemy.) What Tabitha does take seriously is hunting and killing vampires-and soon she and Val have to grapple with the deadliest of all Daimons - one who's managed to come back from the dead, and holds a serious grudge against both of them. To win against evil, Val will have to loosen up, learn to trust, and put everything on the line to protect a man he hates and a woman who drives him nuts, in Seize the Night by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Welcome to Torte-a friendly, small-town family bake shop where the treats are so good that, sometimes, it's criminal.

After graduating from culinary school, Juliet Capshaw returns to her quaint hometown of Ashland, Oregon, to heal a broken heart and help her mom at the family bakery. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is bringing in lots of tourists looking for some crumpets to go with their heroic couplets. But when one of Torte's customers turns up dead, there's much ado about murder.

The victim is Nancy Hudson, the festival's newest board member. A modern-day Lady Macbeth, Nancy has given more than a few actors and artists enough reasons to kill her but still. The silver lining? Jules's high school sweetheart, Thomas, is the investigator on the case. His flirtations are as delicious as ever, and Jules can't help but want to have her cake and eat it too. But will she have her just desserts? Murder might be bad for business, but love is the sweetest treat of all.




 

Welcome to Torte - a small-town family bakeshop where the treats are killer good.

It's the dead of winter in the sleepy town of Ashland, which means no tourists - and fewer customers - for Jules Capshaw and her bakery. But when she's asked to cater an off-season retreat for the directors of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, business starts heating up until Jules finds a dead body in the freezer.

Someone at the retreat has apparently iced the bartender, a well-known flirt with a legendary temper - that is, before a killer beat him to the punch. Then, from out of nowhere, Jules's own ex-husband shows up at the shop - and soon becomes a suspect. With accusations piling up higher than the snow - and thicker than a chocolate mousse cake - Jules has to think outside the (recipe) box to find the real culprit and make sure he gets his just desserts.

"It's cold. And dark. I can't breathe."

Successful, ambitious state prosecutor Grace Courtemanche is at the top of her game. Then she gets a chilling call from a young woman claiming to be buried alive. Desperate to find the victim before it's too late, Grace will do whatever it takes even if it means excavating the darkest secrets of her own past and turning to the one man she thought she would never see again.

FBI agent Theodore "Hatch" Hatcher is a man without roots - and that's the way he likes it. But when a grisly crime shatters Cyprus Bend, Florida, Hatch is dragged back to the small town - and the one woman - he hoped was in his rearview for good. Forced to confront the wreckage of their love affair, Hatch and Grace may just find that sometimes the deepest wounds leave the most beautiful scars - and that history repeating itself may just be what they need to stop a killer and save their own hearts.

Hot military heroes, the women who love them, and the dogs that always have their backs. EXTREME HONOR is the first book in a high adrenaline contemporary suspense series from Piper J. Drake.

Thanks Hachette Book Group Canada, Hachette Book Group and St. Martins Press!

Happy Boxing Day

I want to say Happy Boxing Day to my followers and friends!

Christmas Dessert Recipe: Special Holiday Fruitcake

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 25 min. Bake: 1 hour + cooling
MAKES: 24 servings

 

Ingredients 

2 packages (8 ounces each) pitted dates, chopped
1 pound chopped candied pineapple
1 pound red candied cherries
1/2 pound walnut halves
1/2 pound Brazil nuts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
Dash salt
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Directions 

1.  Preheat oven to 300°. Grease well and flour two 8x4-in. loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine dates, pineapple, cherries and nuts. In a small bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; stir into fruit mixture until well coated. 

2.  In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks until slightly thickened. In another bowl, beat egg whites and vanilla until stiff peaks form. With a spatula, stir a fourth of the egg whites into egg yolk mixture until no white streaks remain. Fold in remaining egg whites until combined. Add to fruit mixture; gently fold until blended. Pour into prepared pans. 

3.  Bake 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 20 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Wrap tightly and store in a cool dry place. Using a serrated knife, cut into slices. Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).  

Christmas Dinner Recipe: Glazed Ham

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 5 min. Bake: 1-1/4 hour
MAKES: 16 servings

Ingredients

1 boneless fully cooked ham (about 5 pounds)
3/4 cup honey mustard
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch allspice

Directions

Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake at 325° for 1 hour. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon about 1/3 cup over ham. Bake 15 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 140° and ham is heated through. Heat remaining glaze to serve with sliced ham.

Yield: about 16 servings (1 cup sauce).

Note: As a substitute for honey mustard, combine 1/3 cup each honey and Dijon mustard.

Christmas Dinner Drink: Cranberry Glogg

TOTAL TIME: Prep/Total Time: 30 min.
MAKES: 7 servings

Ingredients

4 cups cranberry juice
2 cups ruby port wine or grape juice
1 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks (3 inches)
4 cardamom pods, crushed
6 whole cloves
Additional cinnamon sticks, optional

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, combine the cranberry juice, wine, raisins and sugar. Place the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves on a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with string to form a bag. Add to the pan.

2. Bring just to a simmer (do not boil). Reduce heat; simmer gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until flavors are blended. Discard spice bag. Serve warm in mugs with additional cinnamon if desired.

Yield: 7 servings.

Christmas Morning Recipe: Breakfast Enchiladas

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped green chilies, undrained and divided
3/4 teaspoon salt

Enchiladas

1 pound spicy ground pork sausage
12 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped, divided
remaining chopped green chilies, drained
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
cheese sauce (recipe to follow)
8 (8 inch) flour tortilla
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
garnish with tomatoes, green onions and fresh cilantro

Directions

Cheese Sauce

1.  Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; whisk in flour and continuing stirring while cooking for one minute. Increase heat to medium and gradually whisk into milk, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in cheese, half of chilies and salt.

Enchiladas

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.

2.  Crumble sausage into a large skillet. Cook over medium high heat, stirring often until meat is no longer pink. Remove from pan. Set aside.

3.  In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk until well combined. Whisk in green onion, cilantro, of half of tomatoes, remaining chopped green chilies, salt and pepper.

4.  Return skillet to stove and melt butter over medium heat. Pour egg mixture into skillet and cook without stirring until eggs began to set on bottom. Draw a spatula across the bottom of the pan to form large curds. Continue to cook and draw spatula across bottom of the pan until the eggs are thickened and cooked through but still moist. Remove from heat and fold into 1 1/2 cups cheese sauce and sausage.

5.  Spoon about 1/3 cup egg mixture down the center of a flour tortilla, roll up, and place steam-side down in prepared baking dish. Repeat for remaining tortillas. Pour remaining cheese sauce evenly over top of rolled tortillas. Sprinkle with 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese and remaining tomatoes.

6.  Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve while warm.

Christmas Breakfast Drink: Brilliant Christmas Sunset

TOTAL TIME: Prep/Total Time: 5 min.
MAKES: 4 servings

Ingredients 

Crushed ice
4 tablespoons pomegranate juice or grenadine syrup
4 cups orange juice

Directions

1. Add ice to four glasses.
2. Pour 1 tablespoon pomegranate juice or grenadine syrup over ice in each glass.
3. Slowly add 1 cup orange juice.
4. Stir if desired.

Yield: 4 servings.

Merry Christmas!

I would like to wish my blog followers and friends a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Wishing the best to you, your family and pets!

Christmas Morning Recipe: Overnight Blueberry French Toast

 

Ingredients

French Toast

10 - 12 slices Texas Toast or thickly sliced bread, cut into 1 inch cubes, divided
2 (8 ounces) block cream cheese, cubed
2 cups fresh blueberries, divided
12 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Topping

1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1.  Prepare a 19 by 13 inch baking dish with a light coating of cooking spray. Line the bottom half of the baking dish with half of the bread cubes. Layer with cream cheese cubes and blueberries. Top with remaining bread cubes; set aside.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together, eggs, milk, vanilla, syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour evenly over bread mixture making sure to coat all of the bread with egg mixture. Cover tightly with foil and in refrigerate overnight.

3.  In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep dish covered with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes or until center is firm to the touch.

4.  Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan stir together sugar, cornstarch and water and bring to a boil; stirring constantly. Reduce heat and stir in remaining cup of blueberries and simmer for approximately 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in butter until melted and pour in mixture of baked French toast. Serve while warm.

Jill Shavis's My Kind of Wonderful Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Excerpt, Giveaway and Review

 

I am so excited to have Jill Shavis here at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Review.

Thanks Jill and Hachette Book Groups/Forever for allowing me to join the My Kind of Wonderful Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Jill!

MY KIND OF WONDERFUL by Jill Shalvis (December 22, 2015; Grand Central Publishing Mass Market; Cedar Ridge #2)

UNEXPECTED AND UNDENIABLE

Bailey Moore has an agenda: skiing in the Rockies, exploring castles in Europe, ballroom dancing in Argentina. Now that she has a second lease on life, she's determined not to miss a thing. What she doesn't realize is that item #1 comes with a six-foot-one ski god hot enough to melt a polar ice cap. She doesn't want to miss out on him either, but Hudson Kincaid isn't the type of guy to love and let go. And as gorgeous as Cedar Ridge is, she's not planning to stick around.

As head of ski patrol at his family's resort, Hud thinks he's seen it all. But never has he run into someone like Bailey. She might look delicate, but her attitude is all firecracker. And her infectious joy touches something deep within him that he's been missing far too long. Now he'll just have to convince Bailey to take a chance on her biggest adventure yet something rare and all kinds of wonderful.
Buy the Book!

Amazon
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iBooks
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BAM

Start from the beginning with book one in the Cedar Ridge series, SECOND CHANCE SUMMER!

RESCUE ME

Cedar Ridge, Colorado, is famous for crisp mountain air, clear blue skies, and pine-scented breezes. And it's the last place Lily Danville wants to be. But she needs a job, and there's an opening at the hottest resort in her hometown. What has her concerned is the other hot property in Cedar Ridge: Aidan Kincaid — firefighter, rescue worker, and heartbreaker. She never could resist that devastating smile.

The Kincaid brothers are as rough and rugged as the Rocky Mountains they call home. Aidan has always done things his own way, by his own rules. And never has he regretted anything more than letting Lily walk out of his life ten years ago. If anyone has ever been in need of rescuing, she has. What she needs more than anything are long hikes, slow dances, and sizzling kisses. But that can only happen if he can get her to give Cedar Ridge-and this bad boy - a second chance.

Buy the book!

Amazon
B and N
iBooks
GooglePlay
Kobo
BAM

Excerpt

When the knock came at the door, Hudson had just gotten out of the shower. Wrapping a towel around his hips, he grabbed the money he’d left on the foyer entry table and pulled open the front door.

But it wasn’t the pizza guy.

Instead, Bailey stood there. She lifted her head slowly, her gaze taking in his body.

Her mouth fell open.

He let out a rough laugh and gripped the doorjamb at either side of him to stop himself from reaching for her. “You can’t look at me like that and tell me nothing’s happening between us.”

“Yeah, and while we’re on the subject…” She lifted her gaze to his and blushed. “I might have been…hasty in some of the things I said last time I saw you. That’s why I’m here. I came to retract part of it.”

He stilled. Or most of him did. One particular appendage did the opposite of being still. “Which part?”

She swallowed hard and stepped into him, setting her hands on his stomach. Head bent, she stared at her fingers on his bared skin, her brow furrowed in concentration.

Up or down, babe. Either way works, but I pick down…

“I don’t know how to say this, that’s all.”

“Just say it,” he said quietly. “You can say anything to me, anything at all.”

“Okay,” she said. “I’m having trouble finding words because I’ve never done this before.” She drew in a deep breath. “What I’m trying to say is that I want a one-night stand.” She met his gaze, clearly waiting for his reaction.

He opened his mouth and then closed it again.

“With you,” she said. “In case I wasn’t clear. I want you.”

“For tonight,” he clarified.

“Yes.”

Just one night? Ignoring the unmistakable flash of disappointment—what the hell was that about?—he pulled her inside, kicked his door shut, and gently pushed her up against the wood and cupped her face. “You need to be sure.”

“I am.” She blinked. “Are you? Because it’s okay if you’re not. I can find someone else. I can make a list.”

This stopped him. She could make a list? Of who? Not important, he told himself. Shake it off. “You’re not going to need a list for this, Bailey.”

She stared at him. “No?”

Hell no. “I already told you that I want you. Now I’m going to show you.” He gave her a few beats to absorb that before he leaned in and kissed her, putting every ounce of his want and need into it. In answer, she moaned and wound her arms around him.

Without breaking the kiss, he straightened and cupped the backs of her thighs, encouraging her to wrap her legs around his waist.

And then he carried her to his suite.

About the Author:

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is mostly coincidental. Look for Jill's bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Connect with the Author!

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

Giveaway

http://bit.ly/1mfhfNj 

Christmas Dessert Recipe: Grandma's Christmas Cake

 

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 25 min. Bake: 45 min. + cooling
MAKES: 12 servings 

Ingredients 

2 cups sugar
2 cups raisins
2 cups water
1 cup butter, cubed
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and cloves
1 cup chopped pecans

BRANDY BUTTER SAUCE

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup butter, cubed
1 cup sugar
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/4 cup brandy

Directions 

1.  In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, raisins, water and butter. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat; cool.

2.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Add raisin mixture; beat until blended. Fold in pecans.

3.  Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

4.  For sauce, in a large saucepan, bring cream to a boil; stir in butter and sugar until smooth. Reduce heat; stir a small amount of hot liquid into egg yolks. Return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Cook until sauce is slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon (do not boil). Remove from the heat; stir in brandy. Serve warm with cake. Yield: 12 servings.

Wednesday Wish List

Please list the books/manga/manhwa/yaoi manga from your wishlist that you are hoping to add to your shelves in a comment, thanks.

In this explosive new thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson delves into the deep bond between two sisters and their shared dream that becomes a harrowing nightmare of madness, hatred and jealousy.

Cassie Kramer and her younger sister, Allie, learned the hazards of fame long ago. Together, they’d survived the horror of a crazed fan who nearly killed their mother, former Hollywood actress Jenna Hughes. Still, Cassie moved to L.A., urging Allie to follow. As a team, they’d take the town by storm. But Allie, finally free of small-town Oregon, and just that little bit more beautiful, also proved to be more talented — and driven. Where Cassie got bit parts, Allie rose to stardom. But now her body double has been shot on the set of her latest movie — and Allie is missing.

Police discover that the last call to Allie’s phone came from Cassie, though she has no recollection of making it. Instead of looking like a concerned relative, Cassie is starting to look like a suspect — the jealous sister who finally grew sick of playing a supporting role. As the tabloids go into a frenzy, Cassie ends up on a Portland psych ward. Is she just imagining the sinister figure who comes to her bedside, whispering about Allie — a visitor of whom there is no record? Is someone trying to help—or drive her mad?

Convinced she’s the only one who can find Allie, Cassie checks herself out of the hospital. But a sudden slew of macabre murders — each victim masked with a likeness of a member of Cassie’s family — makes Cassie fear for her safety and her sanity. The only way to end the nightmare is to find out what really happened to Allie. And with each discovery, Cassie realizes that no one can be trusted to keep her safe — least of all herself.

Dear Reader,

You Don't Know me was the first romantic suspense novel I ever wrote. It was originally published as Tangled in the early 90s under the pseudonym Nancy Kelly. I'm delighted that it's finally available again in this repackaged edition.

Everyone in Wagon Wheel, Oregon, knew that Thomas Daniels was a mean, violent man, twisted by liquor and hate. His stepdaughters, Dinah, Denise, and Hayley, knew it better than anyone. And then, with one desperate act, their lives changed forever.

Now, years after he disappeared, Thomas Daniels’s remains have been found and a murder investigation is underway. All three sisters -- Dinah, a respected journalist, acclaimed actress Denise, and Hayley, hungry for her own chance at stardom -- find their lives intersecting and unraveling again. And piece by piece, they'll confront the truth about that deadly night -- and the dark secrets that could turn one of them into a killer. . .

With its new title and new cover, You Don't Know Me feels like a whole new book to me -- one I hope you will enjoy as much as I do!

Nancy Bush

Welcome to Torte-a small-town family bakeshop where the treats are killer good.

It's the dead of winter in the sleepy town of Ashland, which means no tourists - and fewer customers - for Jules Capshaw and her bakery. But when she's asked to cater an off-season retreat for the directors of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, business starts heating up until Jules finds a dead body in the freezer.

Someone at the retreat has apparently iced the bartender, a well-known flirt with a legendary temper-that is, before a killer beat him to the punch. Then, from out of nowhere, Jules's own ex-husband shows up at the shop - and soon becomes a suspect. With accusations piling up higher than the snow-and thicker than a chocolate mousse cake - Jules has to think outside the (recipe) box to find the real culprit and make sure he gets his just desserts.