• Contemporary

    Character Sketch: Julia, One More Second Chance @JanaRichards_ #RLFblog

    One More Second Chance
    by Jana Richards 
    Message from author Jana Richards:
    Today I’m here at Romance Lives Forever with Julia Stewart from
    my new contemporary romance release. Before we talk to Julia, here’s the blurb from
    One More Second Chance, which is part of the Lobster
    Cove
    series from The Wild Rose Press.
    Dr. Alex Campbell has an agenda–finish his contract to provide
    medical services in Maine, pay off his medical school debt, and head back to his
    real life in San Diego. But when he meets Julia, all his carefully laid plans are
    put in jeopardy.
    Julia Stewart, Lobster Cove’s high school principal, swears she’ll
    never let another man drag her away from the home she loves. Her aging parents need
    her, and the Cove is where she wants to raise her daughter. When her mother’s illness
    brings her and the big city doctor closer together, panic sets in. Her marriage
    taught her men don’t stay.
    Can she put aside the heartaches of the past and trust Alex enough
    to accept the love he’s offering? Or will her fear of abandonment mean she’ll send
    him away forever?
    Tell us about yourself.
    Where are you from?
    I’m from a small town in Maine called Lobster Cove. The Cove
    is located on Mount Desert Island, just down the road from Bar Harbor. I love this
    town. I love the people here, I love the ocean, and I love my family. Lobster Cove
    is a beautiful place to call home and I never want to leave.
    But you did leave at one
    point, right?
    Yes. My ex-husband and I spent a few years teaching in Thailand.
    Russ loved it there, but I was homesick a lot of the time. When I got pregnant,
    I wanted to come home and give birth to my daughter in the States. Russ was never
    happy back in Lobster Cove, especially when I got the job as principal of the high
    school, and essentially became his boss. When Ava was about three he demanded that
    we go back to Thailand.
    Why didn’t you go?
    I was going to. I was afraid if I didn’t our marriage would be
    over. But in the end it didn’t matter. Russ went on ahead to find us a place to
    live. A few days later I got a call from him. He told me he didn’t want me to come.
    He didn’t love me anymore.
    That must have been very
    painful for you.
    It was, but with help from my parents and my friends, I got through
    it. And Ava helped me, too. I had to be strong for her. She’s the joy of my life,
    and I intend on raising her here in Lobster Cove.
    How old is Ava?
    (smiling) She just turned six the other day. We had seven six-year-old
    girls at her birthday party. My ears are still ringing from all the excitement.
    (smiling) I remember those
    days. So you’re a teacher?
    Yes. I’m presently the principal of Lobster Cove High School.
    Do you like being a principal?
    I do. I love the kids, and I love teaching, though these days
    I’m more of an administrator than a teacher. Sometimes I miss being in the classroom.
    But as principal, I have the opportunity to really make a difference in my students’
    lives. But affecting change can be difficult. As much as I love Lobster Cove, people
    can be pretty set in their ways here.
    Let’s get to the juicy
    bits. Tell me about your relationship with Alex Campbell.
    (shifts uncomfortably in her chair) There’s nothing to tell.
    I don’t have a relationship with him. Not really.
    I don’t believe that and
    I don’t think you do either. Tell me about your first meeting.
    I thought he was an arrogant jerk when I first met him. Alex
    is a doctor, and when I took Ava to the ER with a broken arm, he accused my mother
    of abusing her!
    And then?
    (Sighs) Then we discovered what was really going on with my parents.
    Alex has been very supportive.
    Not to mention easy on
    the eyes.
    (sits up straighter) It doesn’t matter how handsome he is, or
    how beautiful his eyes are, or even how compassionate he is. When his contract with
    the Island Health Board is up, he’ll be leaving Lobster Cove. End of story.
    It doesn’t have to be
    the end. You could go with him.
    (shakes her head) No, I couldn’t. Even if our relationship was
    at that stage, which it’s not, I’m never leaving Lobster Cove again. My life is
    here, and so are my responsibilities.
    But what if he stayed?
    He’s not going to do that. There’s nothing in a small town like
    Lobster Cove to entice a big city doctor like Alex.
    Nothing but you. Maybe
    you could ask him to stay.
    (turns away) If he stayed because I asked him to, he’d only grow
    to resent me. It’s better this way.
    Better for who? Not for
    Ava. She adores Alex and she needs a father. And not for you. If you don’t tell
    him how much you care for him, he’s going to walk away. Is that what you want?
    (gets to her feet) This interview is over.
    Don’t let your chance
    for love slip away, Julia.
    (Julia hurries away.)
    (calls after her) Don’t
    lose him because you’re scared. Ask him to stay!

    About the Book

    Title: One More Second Chance
    Author: Jana Richards
    Genre: Contemporary Romance
    Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, the Lobster Cove Series
    Release Date: February 6, 2015
    Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R
    They drank their tea in silence, but the silence didn’t feel
    awkward. Julia felt soothed, the stress slowly leaving her body. Perhaps her grandmother
    had been onto something. The tea seemed to be working.
    She finished the last of it and set down the cup. “I should
    be going. I left Ava with Tracy, and she’s probably hungry by now.”
    Julia got to her feet and headed to the front door, with Alex
    following her. “Thanks for the tea, and for listening. I guess I needed both
    today.”
    “Anytime. Seriously, Julia, anytime you need to talk, about
    anything, give me a call.”
    She wondered if he was speaking as a doctor, as a friend, or
    as a man. Which one did she want him to be?
    “Thank you.”
    “I’ll try to keep an eye out for your folks, see if there’s
    anything I can do for them.”
    She was touched by his offer. “I really appreciate that,
    but I know how busy you are.”
    He waved away her concern. “It’s no big deal. I appreciate
    my grandmother’s neighbors checking in on her, and I’d be happy to do the same.”
    He really did understand how she felt. “In that case, thank
    you.”
    She opened the front door and stepped outside. Turning to Alex,
    she smiled. His thick hair had begun to dry, and the dark strands gleamed in the
    spring sunshine. Her breath caught in her throat at his beauty.
    “Bye, Alex.”
    “Bye. Take care.”
    Julia hurried down the steps and across the lawn to her car.
    An appreciation for his looks was as far she could take any relationship with him.
    Her life was too complicated, too full already. And she would never get involved
    with a man who planned to leave Lobster Cove in only a few more months.

    About the Author

    When Jana Richards read her first romance novel, she immediately
    knew two things: she had to commit the stories running through her head to paper,
    and they had to end with a happily ever after. She also knew she’d found what she
    was meant to do. Since then she’s never met a romance genre she didn’t like. She
    writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and historical romance set in World
    War Two, in lengths ranging from short story to full length novel. Just for fun,
    she throws in generous helpings of humor, and the occasional dash of the paranormal.
    Her paranormal romantic suspense “Seeing Things” was a 2008 EPPIE finalist.
    In her life away from writing, Jana is an accountant/admin assistant,
    a mother to two grown daughters, and a wife to her husband Warren. She enjoys golf,
    yoga, movies, concerts, travel and reading, not necessarily in that order. She and
    her husband live in Winnipeg, Canada with their Pug/Terrier cross Lou and several
    unnamed goldfish. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her
    website at www.janarichards.com

    Buy This Book

    Author Social Media

    Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2892274Jana_Richards
    Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/janarichards
    Newsletter Signup: http://www.eepurl.com/m3UnT
  • Contemporary

    Time Out Valentine @melindadozier #RLFblog #Geek

    Time Out Valentine
    by Melinda Dozier
    Cover Love includes a cover, blurb, buy links, and social
    media contacts for the author. Today’s featured book is Time Out, Valentine.
    Author Melinda Dozier
    Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
    Release Date: January 21, 2015
    Word Count: 18K

    About the Book

    Lexi’s life is one big dump. Or so she thinks. To keep her
    mind off her latest breakup, she stays busy with work. It’s no big deal, since
    writing for Time Out Portland Magazine is a blast…except for the one small
    snag – Grant Reeds. Grant, a shy but sexy computer geek, is new to Time Out,
    working as the Networking Director for the online magazine. Even though Lexi
    thinks he doesn’t notice her, he sure as hell does. The owners have a plan for
    their upcoming Valentine’s Special, pairing up the two to explore romantic date
    ideas around the city. Soon, Lexi and Grant learn that the old adage,
    “Opposites Attract,” can ring true.

    Buy This Book

    Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00RASDUTS
    Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Time-Out-Valentine/book-yYA2K7SnFUSuL1kAU8LAhQ/page1.html?s=mfws6h0hQ0aRNbe-wLUbRQ&r=4
    Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/time-out-valentine-melinda-dozier/1121088879?ean=2940150238985

    About the Author

    Melinda is a multi-published contemporary romance author
    with books from Crimson Romance, Swoon Romance and The Wild Rose Press
    represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency. She lives in
    Guatemala, Central America with her husband/college sweetheart who brings
    “mucho amor” to her life. Melinda enjoys being the queen of her
    household and dreams of being pampered fully by her three boys once they are
    grown. Melinda’s guilty pleasures include reality t.v., traveling, blogging and
    playing Zynga games.

    Author Social Media

    The Wild Rose Press: http://goo.gl/F3IG1W
    Sign up for Melinda’s newsletter http://eepurl.com/vRwpL
  • Contemporary

    #amreading Lady of the Knight a new #scifiromance by @mjschiller #RLFblog

    Lady of the Knight
    by MJ Schiller 

    This quick interview includes info about the author, and introduces
    the story.

    About the Author

    M.J. Schiller is a lunch lady/romance-romantic suspense writer.
    She enjoys writing novels whose characters include rock stars, desert princes, teachers,
    futuristic Knights, construction workers, cops, and a wide variety of others. In
    her mind everybody has a romance. She is the mother of a twenty-year-old and three
    eighteen-year-olds. That’s right, triplets! So having recently taught four children
    to drive, she likes to escape from life on occasion by pretending to be a rock star
    at karaoke. Uhh…you won’t be seeing her name on any record labels soon.

    Interview with M.J. Schiller

    Why did you write this
    book?
    The first book in the series, Leap Into The Knight, was inspired
    by a reoccurring dream. After I finished writing it, I realized the story wasn’t
    over…
    What is your favorite
    genre to read?
    Romance in pretty much any form, but I prefer contemporary or
    romantic suspense.
    Who is your favorite character
    from fiction (not including your own)?
    You can’t make me choose between R.T. Wolfe’s Reed men from the
    Black Creek Burning Series! First, there was Nathan. I fell in love with him and
    didn’t think I’d like Andy’s story, but I did. And then Duncan in the third book
    turned out to possibly be the hottest of them all!
    What are you working on
    at the moment, and will see from you in coming months?
    The third book in the Romantic Knight Trilogy is on my laptop
    but next up is a contemporary romance titled “Blackout.” It is part of
    my Real Romance Collection and follows the story of Faith and Max…and Eli. Uh-oh!
    Yes, Faith and Eli are brought together by a blackout, and ripped apart by a second
    blackout. Max steps up to fill the void, but then Eli returns! Yeah, it’s quite
    a mess I get these three characters in. I hope it is a story that will touch you
    and make you dream about alternate endings!
    Please tell us about your
    latest book.
    Title Lady of the Knight
    Genre sci-fi romance
    Author M.J. Schiller
    Book heat level (based on movie ratings): PG13
    Can she betray the man she loves in order to save him?
    Newly wed, Maggie is trying to figure out how life married to
    a Knight of the High Order is supposed to work. Then an explosion rips her husband
    away from her. Everyone believes him to be dead, but in her heart she knows it’s
    not true. How is she supposed to find him when others think she’s crazy for even
    looking?
    Will he betray The Order to make his way back to her?
    Darius’s captor wants information about Council members. If the
    Knight is killed keeping The Order’s secrets, his newfound life with Maggie will
    come to an abrupt end. Will duty win out over love?
    And will he betray his best friend for the woman he loves?
    Orion has learned to keep his distance from Maggie, but when
    circumstances throw them together in a very intimate way, how can he be expected
    to remain a loyal friend to Darius? He may be a Knight, but he’s human, too. He
    wants to do what’s right for all of them, but what’s right is becoming increasingly
    unclear.
    When hearts are pulled in separate directions, each painful decision
    they make could affect them all. Join us for another Romantic Knight!
    MJ Schiller 

    Buy This Book

    Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lady-of-the-knight-mj-schiller/1121154194?ean=2940149951963
    Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/lady-of-the-knight-3
    iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/lady-of-the-knight/id964388592?mt=11

    Author Social Media

  • Suspense

    5 Easy Questions: Daughter of Valor @EmilyMimsAuthor #RLFblog #romsuspense

    Daughter of Valor
    by Emily Mims 
    Emily Mims author of Daughter of Valor answers five easy questions
    to help readers get to know her better.
    What’s your favorite
    down-home family style meal?
    Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and black-eyed peas
    Describe the perfect
    vacation.
    A road trip! My husband and I like to pile in the SUV, set
    the GPS (or not) and go where our curiosity takes us, having destinations in
    mind but at the same time the freedom to stop and explore if we see something
    that interests us.
    What are your
    hobbies?
    I play four instruments and perform in two bands, a dulcimer
    band that plays old Appalachian folk music and an all-ukulele band that plays a
    mixture of fun numbers
    When you read for
    pleasure, what kind of books do you choose?
    Romance novels-what else?
    What kinds of things
    do you read when you’re researching a new book?
    Wow-that depends on the book. For ‘Daughter of Valor’ and
    its two accompanying Lunchbox romances, I Googled everything from prostheses to
    IED and RPG explosions to grenades to paraplegic sex. I also do hands-on
    research. For my next book, ‘Never and Always’, I learned to make soap.

    Author Bio

    Author of twenty romance novels, Emily Mims combined her writing
    career with a career in public education until leaving the classroom to write full
    time. The mother of two sons and grandmother of three, she and her husband Charles
    live in central Texas but frequently visit grandchildren in eastern Tennessee and
    Hawaii. She plays the piano, organ, dulcimer and ukulele and belongs to two performing
    bands. She says, “I love to write romances because I believe in them. Romance
    happened to me and it can happen to any woman-if she’ll just let it.”

    About the Book

    Title ‘Daughter of Valor’
    Genre romantic suspense
    Author Emily Mims
    Book heat level (based on movie ratings): PG13
    Wounded war hero Holly Riley has come to the lakeshore community
    of Heaven’s Point to recover from her injuries and build a new life for herself
    and with her band of fellow wounded warriors. Temporarily employed as a nanny to
    Congressional candidate Jimmy Adamcik, Holly and Jimmy quickly begin to care for
    one another in spite of Holly’s distrust of politics. But Jimmy finds himself sucked
    deeper and deeper into the seamy side of the political process, and an old enemy
    from Jimmy’s past targets Holly’s soldiers one by one. Will Jimmy and Holly’s love
    survive the double onslaught-or will they be the final target of their unknown enemy’s
    rage?

    Buy This Book

    ARe https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-daughterofvalor-1720943-149.html

    Author Social Media

    Blog www.emilymims/com/blog
  • Contemporary

    Coming Home (Santa Monica Trilogy) @Jill_Blake_ #RLFblog #contemporary

    Cover Love includes a cover, blurb, buy links, and social
    media contacts for the author. Today’s featured book is Coming Home (The Santa
    Monica Trilogy, Book 2.)
    Genre Contemporary
    Author Jill Blake
    Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R
    Eight years ago, Grace went to New York to meet the father she
    never knew. Drawn into a frenetic life among Manhattan’s uber-rich, she ends up
    staying. But when her new marriage collapses in a firestorm of scandal, she flees
    back to California to recover.
    After his college girlfriend dumped him without explanation,
    Logan spent eight years building his career and sampling some of L.A.’s finest talent.
    Now that Grace is back in town, Logan can’t stop thinking about her, and wondering
    What if…?
    Sometimes first love deserves a second chance.

    Buy This Book

    Amazon: http://amazon.com/dp/B00OZR19C2

    About the Author

    A native of Philadelphia, Jill Blake now lives in Southern California
    with her husband and three children. During the day, she is a physician with a busy
    medical practice. At night, she pens steamy Contemporary Romances.

    Author Social Media

  • Contemporary

    Framily Ties in Enticing Hart: Mae Hancock @Hancockfiction #RLFblog #LGBT

    Enticing Hart
    by Mae Hancock 
    I think the family unit is considerably
    different from how it once was in western society. A friend of mine calls this framily and I’m inclined to go with her on
    this one because we so often see households made up of three or four generations.
    Relatives from the extended family and friends make up part of this family = fr-amily. In the case of The Red Fox Ranch,
    there is an absent mother and this leads to various people taking over the number
    of functioning roles that a mother would usually perform.
    Then, there are the friends who come
    to live and make up the clan of people who have a common ground, similar ideology,
    interests and who all love and look out for one another. I wanted the Red Fox Ranch
    to reflect all of these new dimensions of the family and as the first story Enticing Hart and the series as a whole progresses,
    readers will see the development of the ‘framily”.
    On the idea of the family unit and
    caring, another theme further explored in the story is that of looking after someone
    who is ill. This is particularly difficult for a young person who is just finding
    his or her feet in the world. I know from first hand experience, this can be stressful,
    tiring; financially draining and can have a big impact on your social life. Most
    of us work through illness with the help of other family members but I wanted to
    convey what might happen when someone who is unscrupulous, probably even mentally
    unbalanced, and in all likelihood has psychopathy, is then left to their own devices
    in caring for someone who is vulnerable. Abuse of vulnerable people often goes unnoticed
    as in this story. Fortunately the care for someone in my story extends outwards
    from a family who is close to the victim of abuse and this corrects the imbalance.
    I really enjoy exploring the dynamics
    of family relationships, particularly over generations. In the case of the Red Fox
    Ranch, grandma is accepting of her children’s sexuality and in many ways is a progressive
    thinker. Nevertheless, she’s a cantankerous older lady who often speaks the truth
    where it needs to be said. Oak loves his grandmother very much and she’s already
    noticed the spark between him and Hart. She’s the elderly lady that is a keen observer
    of human nature. She’s often aware that she’s a being difficult and plays on it
    to her advantage or to find out more information from a situation. I think the older
    lady is a universal character—we all know a ‘grandma’ type who has a twinkle in
    her eye and is able to influence our actions because we believe she is older and
    wiser.
    Enticing Hart

    About the Book

    Hart Emile is tired of cruising for
    guys, living a soulless existence. He needs a change; so when an acquaintance gives
    him the number of the gay friendly Red Fox Ranch that’s hiring for staff, he heads
    south.
    Oak Redman is eighteen years old and
    desperate to explore his awakening sexuality. The moment Hart lays eyes on the handsome
    young rancher he’s smitten. Not only is Oak hot, spirited and very persistent, he
    is also the ranch boss’s son and strictly off limits. Hart tries to fight his feelings
    and to respect his boss and the family who quickly become dear to him, but after
    Oak’s grandma suggests he gets with Oak he can’t deny himself the most exciting
    and enticing man he has ever met.
    Hart’s not the only man to have noticed
    how sweet and charming Oak Redman is. A family friend, Steve, is also anxious to
    have the affections of the young rancher. Can Hart work out Steve’s dark secrets
    before it’s too late and keep his job, his lover and his life?
    Title Enticing Hart
    Genre Gay Romance
    Author Mae Hancock
    Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R
    Publisher Loose Id

    Buy This Book

    Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1B7Ivj9
    ARe https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-enticinghart-1724320-340.html?referrer=6bdb1f9160564c0525b41f36e51861a0

    About the Author

    Mae Hancock enjoys reading all types of literature from thrillers
    to romance. She is interested in people who experience social marginalization and
    these are often themes that appear in her stories. She’s written erotic literature
    for pleasure for a long time, but it’s only recently she’s put romance and erotica
    together and found she enjoys writing about the exciting journey we all go on when
    falling in love. Her interests include cultural history, particularly in the Greek
    and Roman worlds.

    Author Social Media

    Website http://www.maehancock.com