Happily Every After . . . and a doughnut wall

Over this weekend, I attended my brother's wedding. It was lovely like most weddings are. They said I do and then we hurried to the party. And then they revealed the most spectacular thing: A doughnut wall that the groom had made. Now, that's love! Two layers of doughnuts dangled on each peg. There were even doughnuts with gummy bears and bacon on it. Fun! My eyes were as round as the doughnuts. I ended up trying the Oreo cookie doughnut. Yum!

Every year, brides and grooms are getting more creative with their celebration. Mine was traditional in nature. Bride, groom, cake, band, drinks. It was absolutely lovely as well. But, would I have wanted a doughnut wall if I had thought about it? (I'm infatuated with doughnuts, so probably yeah.) Or something else? What would you (or will you) want at your wedding?

Until next time, 

Nicolette Pierce

Veronica Reviews: AN UNWILLING EARL by Sharon Cullen

An Unwilling Earl

Sharon Cullen

4.5 Stars

 

“Strong people are scared all of the time.  Facing their fears is what makes them strong.”

Widowed solicitor Jacob Ashland has just recently inherited the title Earl of Ashland.  His entire life is being turned upside down, and when he is approached by Lady Morris to hunt down her missing niece, Charlotte, he suspects there is something more behind her request. 

London is being terrorized by a gruesome killer of women.  Jacob and his best friend have been meeting to trade theories on who could be the murderer as well as trying to locate Lady Morris’ missing niece, Charlotte, and hoping she has not fallen victim to this slasher.

 

In the dark of night, orphaned Charlotte flees from her aunt and cousin.  Fearful of what is going on under the roof of her tyrant aunt, she finds herself dressed as a lad and literally running right into the Earl of Ashland.  Being kind of heart, Jacob takes Charlotte into his home and offers sanctuary.  But as their days together pass, they find themselves becoming fast friends…companions…and awaken a love that cannot be denied.  Charlotte must find the strength finally trust Jacob with the secret of why she fled her aunt’s home before their love affair comes to a deadly end.

An Unwilling Earl is not at all what I was expecting!  Do not let the blurb fool you into thinking this is your typical historical romance.  Within these pages lies a murder mystery, and while I had guessed the killer’s identity, it was quite an adventure to see how Charlotte and Jacob worked together to bring the murderer to justice as well as heal old wounds and find true love.  Very much recommend and look forward to reading more from this author!

 

Sharing what I love, 

Veronica

Is It Hot In Here?

Hello, gentle readers!

It’s a hot one in Phoenix (not as hot as yesterday or the day before, but still…)! I turned on my air conditioner. Some of you might think this is late in the season (it is the middle of April, after all, and I know a few people who turned on their air in March), but the weather, up until rather recently, has been so pleasant, I haven’t had the need.

Of course, there is also the game I play…how long can I tolerate the soaring temperatures before I give in and turn on the A/C (I play the same game with the heat in the winter). If we’re keeping score, I beat last years’ game!

We hit our first 100 degree temperature on Friday (at least, according to my thermometer under the carport…I don’t think it’s official yet). I will admit, I was spoiled by our lovely spring here and wasn’t quite ready for it. Then again, I’m at that lovely age where I don’t know if it’s a heat wave or a hot flash!

I’m moving along on my current work in progress, though sometimes it seems like slow going. The voices are in my head (along with a whole chorus of other voices, screaming “write my story” but there’s only so much time, you know?).

It’s amazing to me, after all this time—I’ve been writing since I was fourteen—that I still have words left, but then I look at Jennifer Ashley and Victoria Alexander, two of my favorite authors, and the words are still coming for them (and a lot more than me), and I am filled with hope that the words will never stop.

Speaking of those words, I should get back to it. Wife for Hire will not get finished by itself.

Until next time, remember to spread kindness wherever you go.

Marie

VICTOR by Kate Hill and a Chance at a $10 Amazon Gift Card

Fangs and Fists 3: Victor

By Kate Hill

♥♥ GiveAway ♥♥ 

Kate is giving away a $10 Amazon GC during the tour. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Remember there is a chance to enter everyday so be sure to follow the Blog Tour. You may find the tour schedule and locations here https://bit.ly/2G1mPye

About Fangs and Fists 3: Victor:  Werewolf gladiator Victor vows to escape captivity by demons or die trying--which nearly happens when his latest opponent takes him by surprise. Jolanda is a member of a secret pack of wolf witches who want to free their kin from the dreaded demon tower. Strengthened by the power of her pack, she defeats Victor in the arena and demands that he be given to her as a mate. Alone, they surrender to their overwhelming lust for each other, but Jolanda needs him for more than sex. She's been sent to rescue the captive wolves and Victor is the Alpha she needs to help her. Together he and Jolanda plan a mass escape from the tower, hoping to strike a blow the demon masters will never forget. Genres: Dark Fantasy, Futuristic, Paranormal, Romance Buy Links: 

• Amazon - https://amzn.to/2UAUM2c
• Changeling Press - https://www.changelingpress.com/victor-fangs-and-fists-3-b-2610

*♥*♥*♥*15% off any order when you shop Kate Hill *♥*♥*♥*

Code: Fangs-and-Fists

Will work on the entire cart, as long as there's one Kate Hill book in the cart. 

Only at Changeling Press

~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~ Excerpt:

Two demon guards clad in black body armor entered the barracks. Their red eyes glowed behind dark face shields. They approached Victor and one guard said, “Get up and come with us.” All the guards sounded and looked alike. They were even the same height and body structure. Victor knew better than to refuse. There would be no point in fighting, even if he was so inclined. He guessed he would be going to one of two possible places. It would either be the punishment chamber because he’d killed Slate too quickly or -- and this was more likely -- to the demon masters who had bargained with him to kill for their entertainment. The guards brought Victor out of the barracks and down a steel corridor to an elevator at the end. They boarded it. Except for the soft whir of the elevator descending, there was silence. It stopped with an almost imperceptible lurch. The door opened and Victor, accompanied by the guards, stepped into a spacious room with an enormous glass ball in the center of it. Several couches surrounded it. While the upholstery resembled leather, Victor’s sense of smell told him the couches were covered with material that hadn’t come from any four-legged animal. He’d been in this room before. Here, the demons had bargained with him for the lives of his fellow gladiators, their mates, and their cubs. Here, he’d traded his integrity and his soul for their lives. The guards disappeared into dark corners of the room. Since he had no intention of sitting on the foul furniture, Victor stood near the glass ball and waited. The ball glowed faintly at first. Then it brightened. From within, two demon masters -- one male and one female -- stared at him. He knew they weren’t actually there. The ball was similar to television. He could see and hear them, but they were far away. The male had ink-black, elbow-length hair. Tall and slim, he was dressed from head to foot in red. The female had short white hair. Her skin was nearly as pale as her form-fitting white dress. Both demons stared at him with black eyes. “Your game has improved, Victor,” said the male, “but I’m afraid you still haven’t mastered the art of performing. Your kills aren’t entertaining enough, but for now that’s beside the point. We haven’t called you here to critique your style, but for another reason.” “We have something special planned for you,” the female continued. “There’s a new contender in the tower -- one who has seen you fight and wishes to face you in the arena.” ~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~  
Other Books in the Series: Fangs and Fists 1: Bolt Buy Links:

• Changeling Press -https://www.changelingpress.com/bolt-fangs-and-fists-1-b-2562?series_id=484
• Amazon: https://amzn.to/2WPqPsA

Fangs and Fists 2: Grit Buy Links:

• Changeling Press - https://www.changelingpress.com/grit-fangs-and-fists-2-b-2592?series_id=484
• Amazon - https://amzn.to/2Umj4gP

~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~  

About the Author: The child of a painter and a psychic dreamer, Kate Hill feels spirituality and storytelling go hand-in-hand. She loves the scent of gardenia, the sound of wind chimes and the taste of honey. By listening to what isn’t said, she creates works based on unspoken desires. Kate prefers blurred gender lines and many varieties of romance. In a world where passion must at times be restrained, she believes erotica is a pleasure to be shared. With her stories she would like to make her fantasies yours and hopes you enjoy the ride. She also writes under the name Saloni Quinby. Please visit her online at:

• kate-hill.com
• twitter.com/katehillromance
• twitter.com/compbeastsblog
• facebook.com/compellingbeasts/
• facebook.com/katehillsaloniquinby/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cowboy & Western Romance Spring Giveaway Bonanza with a chance for an eReader and 25 books!

I’ve teamed up with 25 fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of Cowboy & Western Romances to 2 lucky winners, PLUS a brand new eReader to the Grand Prize winner!

Oh, and did I mention you'll receive a collection of FREE reads just for entering? 😁

You can win my novel Trace's Trouble, plus books from authors like Jillian Neal, Shirleen Davies, Margaret Brownley, and more.

Enter the giveaway by clicking here 

 👉 bit.ly/WesternRomance-Apr2019

Good luck and enjoy!

Always, Lexi 

lexipostbooks.com  

Dark Road Home by Karen Harper

A great mix of romance and suspense mixed with the Amish lifestyle!

A quiet Amish community in Maplecreek, Ohio finds itself plagued with a tragedy, change, and acceptance.

Brooke Benton moves into town to leave behind the corporate lawyer world and looking for peace and quiet.

Daniel Brand grew up in Maplecreek, left to see what was beyond the quaint border, and has returned to reclaim his Amish heritage. 

Not long after they both move to town, a brutal murder of several young people in a vehicle/buggy collision tests the strength and Amish ways of the community. 

Amish want to mourn the lost children and keep the outside legal system from intruding.

Brooke yearns to use her legal knowledge to find the killer.

And then there’s Daniel, who struggles with the need to remain truthful to Amish ways, not let a worldly woman like Brooke enter his heart, and whether to find or ignore the killer.

Justice must prevail, and Daniel grudgingly and slowly partners with Brooke to search for the killer.  And who knows, maybe it’s okay to be Amish and love someone of another belief.

Brooke didn’t want to meet a man.  Simple is better, but when you have to deal with justice and high emotions, sometimes lovely things arrange themselves.

Keep reading,

Dawn

WICKED WAGER by Beverley Oakley and a Chance to Win a Signed Book!

Wicked Wager

By Beverley Oakley

♥♥ GiveAway ♥♥ 

Beverley is giving away a signed print copy of The Duchess and the Highwayman during the tour. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Remember there is a chance to enter everyday so be sure to follow the Blog Tour. You may find the tour schedule and locations here https://goo.gl/XTRwwr
 

About Wicked Wager: Can innocence survive the machinations of a malevolent society beauty and a charismatic rake? Two weeks before her nuptials to her cold, harsh cousin, virtuous Celeste Rosington finds herself in the arms of notorious libertine, Lord Peregrine. The unexpected encounter is, at first, shocking, but as Peregrine’s charm weaves its magic, becomes a welcome distraction from Celeste’s troubles. Isn’t she already the subject of whispers due to her involvement in the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy plantation magnate? It was a role orchestrated by her demanding husband-to-be in which Celeste had failed spectacularly. Nevertheless, Celeste has no intention of sacrificing all of her scruples for a man she knows is only toying with her. One kiss from handsome, charismatic Viscount Peregrine will surely be enough to give her the strength to fulfil her marital obligations? But what if one kiss is not enough? With her reputation in the balance, Celeste must navigate the treacherous waters of envy, intrigue and deadly secrets, unaware she’s the unwitting pawn in a wicked wager between a ruthless society beauty and delicious, dissolute Lord Peregrine. Could Peregrine really be a party to such perfidious plans? Will his reckless charm be the final undoing of a young woman once respected for her virtue and piety? Or will Peregrine discover that true love is more powerful than greed and ambition in time to save Celeste from the terrible fate that otherwise awaits her? Genre: Georgian Historical Romance Buy Links:

• Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Wz1Mtx
• all eBook formats: books2read.com/u/49WoqW
• Paperback: https://amzn.to/2Wz2jM3
• Large Print paperback: https://amzn.to/2WA22bI

~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~ Excerpt: The last of the applause drifted away and for a few seconds the shrill cries of the orange sellers held sway. Rising from his ironic bow for the benefit of his companion, Lord Peregrine held back the red velvet curtain that had afforded them privacy so that Xenia could pass through and join the throng of theatregoers descending the sweeping staircase. He saw that she had fallen into conversation with a club-footed general whose more than interested eye swept appraisingly over Xenia’s abundant assets, and once again Perry felt again the familiar heating of his loins that only Xenia could inspire with a mere incendiary glance. The contours of her sack-back gown, adorned with a row of bows the length of her stomacher, recalled the more lascivious of those thoughts he’d entertained for the past decade: what it would be like to undress her, layer by layer by layer. He could only imagine how many layers there might be, but the prize would be worth the exquisite torture of restraint. He’d not revealed quite how much her proposition tonight had taken him by surprise, and the fact he’d agreed fuelled him with an odd combination of conflicting sensations: raging lust tempered by the knowledge that he’d just sunk to depths of moral depravity that might make even his uncle squirm in his grave: seduce an innocent on the eve of her nuptials. Except that Xenia maintained the young woman’s ingenuousness was a ploy. Still, Miss Rosington retained her standing in society as a paragon of virtue. What right had he to assume otherwise, just because it was convenient? He was diverted by a squeal to his left. Xenia was moving ahead, caught up by the crowd, her head bent to absorb the admiration of her club-footed general. Peregrine meanwhile found himself unable to continue, due to the fact the young woman in front of him had snagged her skirts on what appeared to be a nail or splinter protruding from one of the supporting beams. No one could move until she’d freed herself, and as Peregrine was directly behind her it was incumbent upon him to act the gentlemen and so enable the rest of the pulsing crowd to forge ahead. ‘Please be careful, sir, it’ll tear and it’s the first time I’ve worn it,’ the young woman warned as he took a handful of stiff silk in one hand. ‘It’s my finest.’ She twisted her head round to address him. As her lips parted, revealing a set of near perfect small white teeth, and her worried blue eyes bored into his, Peregrine felt a jolt of something unidentifiable plummet like a stone to the pit of his stomach. No, further than that, for without a doubt his groin was reacting with something akin to roiling hunger. And, surprisingly, with an intensity that exceeded the dull throb of ten years of wanting Xenia like a frustrated schoolboy. Close to, Miss Rosington was exquisite, her pale white and rose-blushed skin far more lustrous than when seen from a distance through opera glasses. Her powdered coiffure, dressed to fashionable heights, accentuated high, rounded cheekbones; and with growing excitement he followed the sweep of her graceful neck to a bosom that was rising and falling with surely greater rapidity than fear of what peril her gown might face. He liked to think that was so, as her candid look met his and the connection between them seemed like the sharp tug of some inner cord, forcing him forward, his hand brushing hers, nestled beneath a froth of silken furbelows, as they both reached for the undamaged silk petticoat, now released. ‘No harm done,’ he murmured as she drew herself up, her companion, the black-eyed viscount to whom she was affianced, returning to claim her, drawing her away with the barest of thanks. All over in a matter of seconds, and at what cost? For while silk skirts and dignity had escaped with minimal damage, Peregrine was the first to concede, as he watched her graceful back with pounding heart and aching groin, that a great deal of harm had indeed been done. ~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~  

About the Author: Beverley Oakley is an Australian author who grew up in the African mountain kingdom of Lesotho, married a Norwegian bush pilot she met in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, and started writing historical romances to amuse herself in the 12 countries she’s lived as a ‘trailing spouse’ (in between working as an airborne geophysical survey operator, a teacher of English as a Second Language, and writing for her former newspaper). Her Scandalous Miss Brightwell series was nominated Best Historical Romance by the Australian Romance Readers Association. She is also the author of the popular Daughters of Sin series, a Regency-era ‘Dynasty-style’ family saga laced with intrigue and espionage. Under her real name Beverley Eikli, she writes Africa-set romantic suspense, and psychological historical romances. The Reluctant Bride won Choc-Lit’s Search for an Australian Star competition and her Regency tale of redemption The Maid of Milan was shortlisted in the Top Ten Reads of 2014 at the UK Festival of Romance. Beverley lives north of Melbourne (overlooking a fabulous Gothic lunatic asylum) with the same gorgeous Norwegian husband, two daughters and a rambunctious Rhodesian Ridgeback. You can read more at beverleyoakley.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway