March 2010On Sale: March 1, 2010Featuring: Gavin Jackson; Nike Alexander224 pages ISBN: 0373276699EAN: 9780373276691Mass Market Paperback$4.99 Romance Suspense Buy at Amazon.com His Woman In Commandby Lindsay McKenna Captain Nike Alexander is in Afghanistan for one reason only—to use her pilot skills. She doesn’t have time for men, especially military men. Playing hard to get with Captain Gavin Jackson comes as naturally to Nike as flying one of her Apaches. But Gavin’s sexy-as-sin smile is making it harder and harder to say no. Captain Gavin Jackson loves a challenge, but has never encountered one as stunning as Nike. Just as the ice between them thaws, Nike finds herself in a dangerous situation. Now Gavin will have to use his expertise as a special ops soldier to rescue the woman he can’t live without… Excerpt "Twenty bucks says you can’t get that good-lookin’ woman to come over to our table and have a beer with us," Staff Sargeant Neal Robles challenged. Captain Gavin Jackson, leader of a ten-man Special Forces team, squinted in the semidarkness of the officers’ club—a tent on the most dangerous border in the world: between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It was the last day of their two weeks of…

Seven Deadly Sins #1 February 2010On Sale: January 26, 2010Featuring: Moira O’Donnell; Rafe Cooper416 pages ISBN: 0345511670EAN: 9780345511676Mass Market Paperback$7.99 Paranormal, Romance Suspense Buy at Amazon.com Original Sinby Allison Brennan Haunted by chilling memories of demonic possession and murder, Moira O’Donnell has spent seven years hunting down her mother, Fiona, whose command of black magic has granted her unprecedented control of the underworld. Now Moira’s global search has led her to a small California town that’s about to become hell on earth. Tormented by his own terrifying past and driven by powers he can’t explain, ex-seminarian Rafe Cooper joins Moira’s dangerous quest. But Fiona is one devilish step ahead. Hungry for greater power, eternal youth, and stunning beauty, the sorceress is unleashing upon the mortal world the living incarnations of the Seven Deadly Sins. Together with a demonologist, a tough female sheriff, and a pair of star-crossed teenagers, Moira and Rafe are humanity’s last chance to snatch salvation from the howling jaws of damnation. Previous Picks Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Although I had published nonfiction for many years and worked as an editor, I wanted to be a novelist. I made every mistake imaginable as I taught myself how to write. Then I wrote what I thought was upmarket women’s fiction, a book the publisher later titled INTERN. When I began searching for an agent, I was dismayed by the lack of response. Those who bothered to reply said they would get back to me in three months or longer. One day, I e-mailed a wonderful woman who owns a regional publishing firm where I had sold a nonfiction book several years before. She gave me the name of an agent she said was the best she knew. She also said that she didn’t know if the agent was taking new writers because she had become extremely successful. I sent an e-mail query with the publisher’s name in the subject field. Within five minutes, the agent wrote back and asked to see the first 50 pages of my novel. I sent them, and she phoned me the following week. After we chatted a bit, she said, “I’m ready to commit if you are.” Those were the sweetest words I had…

Crossroads Crisis Center March 2010On Sale: March 16, 2010352 pages ISBN: 1601422059EAN: 9781601422057Paperback$13.99 Romance Suspense, Religious Fiction Mystery Buy at Amazon.com Forget Me Notby Vicki Hinze THEIR ELUSIVE ENEMIES TOOK EVERYTHING. NOW THEY WANT MORE. Crossroads Crisis Center owner Benjamin Brandt was a content man—in his faith, his work, and his family. Then in a flash, everything he loved was snatched away. His wife and son were murdered, and grief-stricken Ben lost faith. Determination to find their killers keeps him going, but after three years of dead ends and torment, his hope is dying too. Why had he survived? He’d failed to protect his family. Now, a mysterious woman appears at Crossroads seeking answers and help—a victim who eerily resembles Ben’s deceased wife, Susan. A woman robbed of her identity, her life, of everything except her faith—and Susan’s necklace. The connections between the two women mount, exceeding coincidence, and to keep the truth hidden, someone is willing to kill. Finding out who and why turns Ben and the mystery woman’s situation from dangerous to deadly. Their only hope for survival is to work together, trust each other, and face whatever they discover head on, no matter how painful. But will…

Do you know what the three sexiest words on the planet are? Fifty Percent Off. No, wait, I take that back. I thought of something even sexier: Seventy-five percent off. Well, if that’s sexy, what about eighty-percent off? Baby, I’m yours. Don’t we love sales! Well, I do. (I bet you never guessed that.) But I have learned the hard way that something isn’t necessarily a bargain just because it’s on sale. In fact, when we’re out there snagging things on sale we can sometimes find we’ve got a tiger by the tail. So, to help all of us bargain hunters learn to know when to shoot and when to run back to shelter, I’ve come up with a simple three-question checklist. By the way, I recently neglected to use my checklist and got snared when my greedy eyes fell on an amazing pair of shoes on sale at Penney’s for eighty percent off. Eighty percent! They were absolutely gorgeous so of course I had to buy them. What a steal! What an amazing bargain! What a . . . disaster. It’s been a while since I’ve worn heels that high. (Like the eighties!) Trust me, walking in fashion stilts…

Jen’s JewelsGet the lowdown on your favorite authors with Jennifer Vido. I have always been fascinated with the art of knitting. As a child, I would watch in awe as my mother would create beautiful afghans and colorful scarves. She always seemed so relaxed and at ease while masterfully designing her next creation. When the time finally came for me to join in on the fun, it didn’t take long for the “ooh” and “ahh” factor to quickly fade away. Knit one. Purl two. Whatever! Let it suffice to say that it’s not as easy as it looks! Cooking has always been an interest of mine despite my lack of aptitude. Sure, I can whip up a tasty meal courtesy of my ever-reliable crock-pot. As far as I am concerned, being able to cook an entire meal in one pot is worth its weight in gold. However, when the task of grilling meat while simultaneously sautéing veggies with perhaps a side of you-name-it comes into play, that’s when I call in the reinforcements…my husband and sons! This month’s Jen’s Jewels Lucie Snodgrass is always a welcomed guest in our home. A culinary expert in her own right, she has cleverly…

Books, that is. One of the topics authors, agents and editors spend a lot of time discussing is the publication of a book in hardcover or paperback. Like many new authors, I had long imagined walking into a bookstore for the first time and seeing that shiny hardcover on the shelf. So I was a little disappointed when I learned that the publisher had decided to publish my first novel, THE KOMMANDANT’S GIRL, as a trade paperback instead. The reason was simple: numbers. The sales force had discovered they could get a lot more books into the stores in trade paperback format than hardcover. For me, the decision turned out to be a winner. Not only were we able to get more books into the stores, but we were able to get into stores that only have a limited book selection and tend to take more paperbacks, such as Sam’s Club, which otherwise might not have been possible. Trade paperbacks seem to be a natural fit for book clubs and other reading groups, too. And let’s face it, it is far easier to ask family and friends to shell out $12-$15 for a trade paperback than $20 plus for a…

February 2010On Sale: February 2, 2010Featuring: Jude St. Laurent; Lily Vale288 pages ISBN: 0451229118EAN: 9780451229113Trade Size$15.00 Romance Suspense, Romance Erotica Sensual Buy at Amazon.com I Spy A Wicked Sin by Jo Davis Desire is the ultimate deadly weapon. The author of When Alex Was Bad and The Firefighters of Station Five series provides another titillating two-pronged mission: seduce…and eliminate. Jude St. Laurent is a former assassin for SHADO, a covert homeland security agency. After a mysterious accident, he’s lost all memory of his former life, and embraces his new identity as a hedonistic artist. But when he’s haunted by visions of the past, he turns to his new personal assistant for help-and she knows just how to make him forget. Jude doesn’t know that Lily Vale is a secret agent who uses sex to manipulate her targets-and always gets her man. But her mission takes a turn when Lily realizes that there’s more to this case, and Jude, than meets the eye. If she’s going to save them both, she’ll have to find out who’s pulling the strings… Undercover erotic espionage tale. Previous Picks Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

I felt like I was taking my life in my hands when I pitched the idea for ON THE STEAMY SIDE to my editor. Sure, it was a continuation of my culinary romance RECIPE FOR LOVE series, starring a character she already knew and loved from CAN’T STAND THE HEAT, but the concept . . . well, my original idea was a sort of homage update of Charlotte Bronte’s JANE EYRE: a classic governess story in which the innocent heroine falls for the brooding, sophisticated father of her charge, turning his life inside out and upside down in the process. For my purposes, there was also the added element of food—the hero, Devon Sparks, is also a jaded celebrity chef who’s afraid he’s lost his palate when his fancy, experimental food falls flat during a short stint at Market, while the owner is away. And the nanny, Lilah Jane Tunkle, has never worked in a professional kitchen (much less a testosterone-fueled NYC establishment) but has been steeped in good, old-fashioned Southern cooking since she was little. Guess whose food Devon’s son, Tucker, would rather eat? Because yeah—that’s the other essential ingredient in the governess romance: A kid! By the time…

March 2010On Sale: March 2, 2010Featuring: Sarah McElyea; Quinn Rafferty336 pages ISBN: 0425232417EAN: 9780425232415Trade Size$15.00 Romance Suspense Buy at Amazon.com Brokenby Shiloh Walker The hardest battles are fought within… The national bestselling author of Fragile returns with a luscious new blend of sex and suspense. Quinn Rafferty is working as a bounty hunter for a private detective agency in St. Louis when a new neighbor catches his eye. He’s drawn to her-but he has his own soul to mend before he can worry about anyone else. Sarah McElyea is on the run, but not for the usual reasons a woman goes on the lam. She has a plan for her future. And as much as she finds herself attracted to her gruff, tough neighbor, she can’t risk telling him the secrets she’s hiding. But Quinn must get closer to Sarah when she turns out to be the target of his new missing persons case, and both Quinn and Sarah will have to expose their true feelings-as well as their fragile hearts-if their love is to survive. A suspenseful story of heartache and romance with a few surprises for added drama. Excerpt He opened the door— And stopped dead in his…