Tuesday, July 30, 2013

The Other Side with Zee Monodee #IslandGirlsTrilogy #RomCom #NewRelease




I'm thrilled to introduce my friend and fellow Decadent Publishing author Zee Monodee and her new release. Check out the details on this wonderful new book, its HOT cover, and its author. Thanks!
Title: The Other Side
Series: Book #1 in the Island Girls Trilogy
Author: Zee Monodee
Line: Ubuntu (geared to African Romance)
Publisher: Decadent Publishing, LLC
Release date: July 30, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Romantic Comedy/ Interracial Multicultural Romance/ Bollywood
Length: 272 pages
Heat Level: Sensual/ 2 flames

About this book:
Divorce paints a scarlet letter on her back when she returns to the culture-driven society of Mauritius. This same spotlight shines as a beacon of hope for the man who never stopped loving her. Can the second time around be the right one for these former teenage sweethearts?
Indian-origin Lara Reddy left London after her husband dumps her for a more accommodating uterus—at least, that’s what his desertion feels like. Bumping into him and his pregnant new missus doesn’t help matters any, and she thus jumps on a prestigious job offer. The kicker? The job is in Mauritius, the homeland of her parents, and a society she ran away from over a decade earlier.
But once there, Lara has no escape. Not from the gossip, the contempt, the harassing matchmaking...and certainly not from the man she hoped never to meet again. The boy she’d loved and lost—white Mauritian native, Eric Marivaux.
Back when they were teens, Eric left her, and Lara vowed she’d never let herself be hurt again. Today, they are both adults, and facing the same crossroads they’d stood at so many years earlier.
Lara now stands on the other side of Mauritian society. Will this be the impetus she needs to take a chance on Eric and love again?

Buy Links:
About the author

Zee Monodee

Stories about love, life, relationships... in a melting-pot of culture
Zee is an author who grew up on a fence – on one side there was modernity and the global world, on the other there was culture and traditions. Putting up with the culture for half of her life, one day she decided she'd stand tall on her wall and dip toes every now and then into both sides of her non-conventional upbringing.

From this resolution spanned a world of adaptation and learning to live on said wall. The realization also came that many other young women of the world were on their own fence.
This particular position became her favorite when she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of writing – her heroines all sit 'on a fence', whether cultural or societal, in today's world or in times past, and face dilemmas about life and love.
Hailing from the multicultural island of Mauritius, Zee is a degree holder in Communications Science. She is a head-over-heels wife, in-over-her-head mum to a tween son, best-buddy-stepmum to a teenage lad, an incompetent domestic goddess, eternal dreamer, and an absolute, shameless bookholic. When she isn’t penning more stories and/or managing the Ubuntu line at Decadent Publishing, you can bet you’ll find her with her nose in her tablet, ‘drinking in’ a good book.

Tidbits about this book & series
- The Island Girls trilogy follows the 3 Hemant sisters – Lara, Neha, Diya – over the span of the 2000-2010 decade, chronicling the changing face of the Mauritian society over that crucial period.
- Mauritius, where this trilogy takes place, is a small tropical island in the southern Indian Ocean. There are no natives, and the land has been entirely populated by immigrants. Under Dutch rule in the 17th century; French rule until 1810; then a British colony from 1810 to 1968 when it reached independence, the island is a mix of races and religions.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Blaming a divorce on Nora? NORA ROBERTS LAND by Ava Miles #NewRelease #Romance

Ava Miles, author, NORA ROBERTS LAND
Welcome, Ava! Congrats on your new release. So glad you had time to stop by today to chat about your book. Tell us a little about yourself.

Thanks so much, Joya, for having me on your blog today. I’m really excited to share how my debut contemporary romance novel NORA ROBERTS LAND came about. Yes, you heard that right? It has Nora Roberts name in the title. Nora is in my local writing chapter up here in the Washington Metro area, and when I had the idea for this story, I told her all about it and received her blessing. So totally awesome!

Well, what does Nora have to do with my novel you might ask? Actually, it’s based on what happened when my sister was getting divorced. Her now ex-husband blamed their divorce on her reading too many Nora Roberts novels, saying they put ideas in her head about happily ever after. Can you believe that? Well, I finally realized this would make a great story. My character, Meredith Hale, returns to her hometown to debunk her ex-husband’s notion that Nora’s novels caused their divorce. She’s going to prove happily ever after exists, or what I call NORA ROBERTS LAND, by finding her own steamy hero in her small town of Dare Valley, Colorado.

This is the first book in the Dare Valley series. On August 13, the next book comes out. It’s called FRENCH ROAST and is the story of Meredith’s sister, Jill, a small town business wiz, who teams up with her childhood best friend to start a restaurant—a guy she’s had a crush on for years. I’m really excited about this next book in the series since much of the foodie-related items are drawn from my time as an apprentice and private chef.

So that’s a nice segue to what my hobbies are. I love food—eating it, cooking it, and shopping for it. And writing, of course. I also sculpt, swim, and love to travel.

Wow, that's a really interesting background to your story. Very cool that Nora Roberts supports your story idea. In general, what inspires you to write?

Honestly, I don’t need any trappings. Heck, when I was working in my old career, I was writing in war zones. My inspiration comes from my emotionally compelling characters who know how to be funny and heartfelt. They tell me their story, and I write it down until they tell me it’s perfect. They’re slave drivers really, but when they’re your best friends, you’ll do anything for them, right?
 
Good point! If you wrote in war zones, I'd imagine you can write any where, under any circumstances. What would be a *perfect day* for you?
Wow, a perfect day for me is being happy for no apparent reason. I love those days. Nothing ruffles my feathers. I can sit back and simply enjoy everything that is my life. Laugh simply because I feel like it.
Oh, and meeting Oprah. That would also be a perfect day. Hah! Since I’ve already met Nora and see her a little here and there through chapter events, I can’t say her anymore.
 
For sure! Sheesh. You've met Nora and then you COULD meet Oprah. Now that's what I call fun company! Can you tell us about the setting of your release? Why did you choose it?
Ah, my small town of Dare Valley, Colorado is so awesome! I even drew up a map of it and all the local shops, which is in the front part of every book in the series. I’m originally from a small town and from small town people, so that’s the kind of place I wanted to write about. I loved the idea of having small, independent businesses with local color like Don’t Soy with Me, the heroine’s coffee shop in FRENCH ROAST, or an Irish bar called Hairy’s because the owner filled in the business license wrong and the name stuck. Since NORA ROBERTS LAND is centered around my heroine going home to help their family newspaper, I took a page out of our family history. Our family has a newspaper in a small town in the Midwest. In many ways, Dare is my ideal small town.
 
I love small towns! What a neat idea for a setting. What’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for you?
Wow, that’s a tough one. One that stands out is having a really romantic gourmet meal cooked for me. Being the former chef, not too many people cook for me, so this was super special—and nerve racking for the guy. It came with fancy cloth napkins and candles and everything. And the food was really great. It’s rather like my hero in FRENCH ROAST, who cooks for Jill, making her mouth water not only from his steamy self, but also his gourmet food. Did I mention he’s a chef too?


 
 
Excerpt, NORA ROBERTS LAND
Meredith dropped her gaze from Tanner’s face and studied the strong arms filling out his gray dress shirt. She remembered what those muscles looked like dripping wet. Whimpering would be totally inappropriate, but she wanted to. God, the man was as intoxicating as Valrhona bittersweet chocolate.
He put his hands on either side of her, brushing their bodies together in a wildly tempting caress. “Maybe we could go out for breakfast after our next swim.”
The idea of going out for breakfast with this man fired up her imagination about other things…like wild sex and a sleep over. She leaned back for breathing room, but there was nowhere to go. He surrounded her. She couldn’t smell anything but him, and the counter was biting into her back.
He had her body purring, but that damn wounded part of her was sounding the alarms. Her lack of confidence—courtesy of Rick-the-Dick’s hurtful parting words—clanged like a train trolley.
And Tanner was a journalist. Just. Like. Rick.
She pushed him back with a hand to his hard, muscular chest, needing space. She searched for the caramel apple pie Jill had brought home from the coffee shop and raced over to it. Her hands shook as she took out the plates and dessert forks. Deep breaths seemed like a good idea to clear out Tanner’s musky smell, but she couldn’t seem to take in a full one. Her lungs had deflated like balloons after a disappointing party.
“I can’t…have breakfast with you,” she rasped, frantically touching her bustier. Even that wasn’t doing much to restore her confidence. Damn it.
Tanner’s boots scraped across the tile floor. She could feel the heat of his body behind her, and she imagined him gazing at that mole he’d mentioned. She wanted to lean back against him, but was suddenly afraid of how much she wanted him and where it could lead—especially with her family in the next room.
“Why can’t you?”
“I don’t date journalists. Ever.”
He turned her around. She stood stiffly in his hold.
“Neither do I…usually. But I don’t want to talk about journalism with you, Meredith.”
 
Purchase NORA ROBERTS LAND:
 
Connect with Ava:
www.avamiles.com facebook.com/AuthorAvaMiles pinterest.com/authoravamiles
facebook.com/NoraRobertsLand twitter.com/authoravamiles plus.google.com/110201714901830875706

 

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Release Day for #ReunitedInDanger! #romance #suspense #entangledpublishing #prizes

It's here! It's here!! Reunited in Danger, my latest romantic suspense, is available today!



 Here's a peek at my upcoming blog tour, an exclusive excerpt, and a chance to win big prizes. Be sure to scroll down for your chance at a $25 gift card to Amazon/Barnes&Noble AND a Baltimore cookout basket of goodies.

Exclusive Excerpt:

She straightened her shoulders. “Why did you lead me to think I meant something to you and then leave me without even saying goodbye? Do you know how I felt, knowing you’d been arrested for fighting, and then learning you’d left for the Marines as soon as the police released you?”

   You’re wrong for her, Keely’s mother Lillian had told him at the police station the night he’d been arrested. He’d called Ben to pick him up when the charges were dropped, but Lillian had shown up, instead. He’d been a messed up, angry kid, and he’d believed   Lillian when she said Keely deserved better. Which was why Lillian had ordered him to disappear from Keely’s life. And he had.

   He wouldn’t tell Keely now. Why tarnish her memories of her mother? Besides, he’d agreed with Lillian. Probably would have come up with the idea on his own, eventually.   The arrest and Lillian’s pressure had only made it easier.

   “Yeah, just as I thought,” Keely muttered. “You had no good reason. When I reached out with an olive branch three years ago, why didn’t you return any of my calls?”

   “I had to work. Criminals don’t take time off.” He shifted in the chair. Was this what it felt like to be interrogated? He sat ramrod straight, his muscles tense. All he needed was a hot lamp in his face and a good cop and bad cop across from him. On second thought,  Keely seemed to be doing fine in the bad cop role.

   She moved her hands to her hips and took a few steps toward him, then tripped on a discarded book. He shot out of the chair and caught her by the waist as her arms flailed.   Her hair swung forward over her shoulders and her mouth was suddenly close enough to kiss. A few more inches, and he’d be able to taste her sweetness, relive the feel of her lips. He swallowed. She probably had no idea how beautiful she looked. And how he longed to touch her.

   Her wide-eyed gaze searched his, then she blinked. “I can stand on my own.”

   Reluctantly, he let go, returning to the chair to put distance between them again.

   Her eyes shone, but he knew she would never cry in front of him. Guilt had him wondering how many times his actions had sent her to her room to cry alone.

   She ran a hand over her chin. He wanted to cup that chin and brush his lips against hers.   This was why he’d stayed away so long.

   How could he possibly spend time with her and not touch her?

   Maybe it didn’t matter. He’d be leaving soon and the temptation to be with her would be gone. But the memories that haunted him would never leave.


Reunited in Danger buy-links:





The Blog Tour:
Wednesday, July 10 What Every Betty Said
Thursday, July 11 Seeing Night Reviews
Friday, July 12 Ex-Libris
Monday, July 15 Manga Maniac Cafe
Wednesday, July 17 Romance Bandits
Wednesday, July 17 Fade Into Fantasy
Friday, July 19 Sugar and Spice Reviews
Monday, July 22 Reading Between the Wines
Tuesday, July 23 Forget the Housework I'm Reading
Thursday, July 25 Janna Shay
Friday, July 26 Random Musings of a Curious Mind
Monday, July 29 Picked by Poison
Wednesday, July 31 Storm Goddess Book Reviews and More
Thursday, August 1 Cocktails and Books

And Now...the prize information! Use the Rafflecopter for your chance at a $25 gift card AND a Reunited in Danger Baltimore cookout packet.

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Monday, July 1, 2013

Summer fun, a free book, and a new release! #ReunitedInDanger #romance #summer

The Chesapeake Bay in Baltimore. A great place
to get cooled off in the summer, and the setting for
Reunited in Danger.
Are you an avid reader? If you're like me, maybe you think there's no better time to read than summer! The slower pace, longer days, and sunshine make it the perfect time to crack open a new book or download it to your eReader. Whether you like to read under an air-conditioning vent, on a sandy beach, or by the Chesapeake Bay in Baltimore, is there a spot that's beckoning to you?

I've got lots of really cool stuff going on these next few weeks as we celebrate my newest release--Reunited in Danger. It's a romantic suspense novel, set in Baltimore, near and on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. What is it about the water that makes us breathe deeper, relax our muscles, and smile?  Harborplace in Baltimore is one of my favorite places to visit in the summer because of the harbor.

The bay  is a place where boaters can feel the spray of the cool water and the heat of the sun. It's a place where tourists can board a pontoon, take panoramic pictures of the city and watch the sun set.
Hundreds of rivers and streams drain into the Chesapeake Bay. And that's another fun summer activity--splashing in a river or stream. There's nothing like donning a pair of old shoes and taking a cool walk through a babbling brook on a hot and steamy day. What's your favorite water activity? I'd love to hear about it.

Be sure to use the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win one of five autographed print copies of Beneath the Surface via Goodreads. I hope you'll consider adding Reunited in Danger to your "want to read" pile, too!
As always, thanks for your support!

 




Reunited in Danger releases in ONE WEEK! I'm celebrating by giving away five print copies of my award-winning romantic suspense novel, Beneath the Surface.










Reunited in Danger...
releasing July 8th.





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