Fresh Pick for Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016 is LADY BRIDGET’S DIARY by Maya Rodale #RomanceWednesday a delightful new series begins About LADY BRIDGET’S DIARY In the first novel of Maya Rodale’s stunning new series, an American heiress must learn to navigate London society and an infuriatingly irresistible rake . . . Lord Darcy is the quintessential Englishman: wealthy, titled, impossibly proper, and horrified that a pack of Americans has inherited one of England’s most respected dukedoms. But his manners, his infamous self-restraint, and his better judgment fly out the window when he finds himself with the maddening American girl next door. Lady Bridget Cavendish has grand—but thwarted—plans to become a Perfect Lady and take the haute ton by storm. In her diary, Bridget records her disastrous attempts to assimilate into London high society, her adoration of the handsome rogue next door, her disdain for the Dreadful Lord Darcy, and some truly scandalous secrets that could ruin them all. It was loathing at first sight for Lady Bridget and Lord Darcy. But their paths keep crossing . . . and somehow involve kissing. When Lady Bridget’s diary goes missing, both Darcy and Bridget must decide what matters most of all—a sterling…

Can’t wait until April? We can’t either because it’s when Samantha Chase’s new book releases! You can pre-order LOVE WALKS IN now, which we highly recommend, and as a treat–don’t we all deserve one in February–here is an exclusive sneak peek! It took a full minute for Hugh to realize he was staring at nothing but his window before he shook his head to clear it and made his move. In a flash he was silently through the window, and his sexy intruder hadn’t noticed. She was looking around the dimly lit room and unfortunately, he couldn’t get a good look at her. Standing in the corner, he continued to observe. If she was going to try and steal something, he wanted to be certain to catch her in the act. In a perfect world, he’d hit the lights as soon as she took something that clearly didn’t belong to her so he could press charges. He hated people touching his belongings—especially when they so blatantly held such little regard for his privacy. But who was she? Why was she here in his office? “Finally,” he heard her mutter. Stepping closer to his desk, he reached for the small lamp…

When I began the duet, The Princes of Xaviera, I thought I’d do something fun with two princes who are forced into marriages of convenience. As part of a treaty, the first prince, Dominic, is promised to marry a princess from Grennady, but he gets a one-night stand (Ginny) pregnant and their child will be heir to Xaviera’s throne. So Dom and Ginny must get married. So what happens to the princess and the treaty? Well, Dom’s younger brother Alexandros is forced to take Dom’s place. A playboy who has no desire to reign or marry? He’s not happy at all. But we have two princes forced into marriages with women they don’t really know. Lots of fun! Both books are filled with the glitz and glamour of the life of a royal. In book 1, PREGNANT WITH A ROYAL BABY, Ginny is an American school teacher, forced to fit into the kind of life she’d never even dreamed of. Royal hairdressers, dressmakers and chefs are enough to put her in awe. Outside the palace with sightseers and the press, things are even more difficult. But Ginny’s got the American spirit that she can overcome any obstacle and ultimately she…

It’s cold where I live. There’s snow on the ground and my cat spends her days on my lap even when I have to reach over her back to type. Her favorite thing to do is go outside for a while and get nice and cold. Then she runs inside and worms her chilly, wet nose to some part of my body. Her favorite spots are under my shirt against my belly or if I’m sleeping, she’ll settle against my neck. Brrr! That’s Cinnamon’s favorite winter activity (as far as she’s told me). But I have a few favorite things to do when it’s nippy outside. Guess which is my current favorite! Curling up with a good book while lounging under a thick blanket. And my cat purring against my belly. An extra chocolately mocha hits me just right on a cold morning. Fun leggings. It heats up the house with yummy smells! Racquetball tournament season. Every weekend, I’m making grown men cry as I trounce them on the court. Answer: C — Fun leggings! I bought a package of cheap fun print thermal leggings. They’re too hot to wear other times of the year, but in winter, I love…

Dear Readers, I’m so excited to be on Fresh Fiction today celebrating my new release, BORROWING TROUBLE. Brady Benson, BORROWING TROUBLE’s hero, first appeared in the fourth book of my Nugget Romance series, STARTING OVER. I liked him so much that I wanted to give him a book of his own. That’s the thing about writing minor characters. You never know when he or she will worm their way into your heart and beg you for their own happily ever after. I’ve had some secondary characters who would’ve taken over an entire book if I’d let them. Brady’s a chef and I’m a former food writer so already we were a match made in heaven. He was also mysterious. In Starting Over he’d arrived in Nugget running from a secret. The honest truth: I hadn’t worked out his secret yet. For that book the important thing was to give him an air of intrigue and if I never used him again—or continued using him only as a minor character–so be it. I like writing character-driven stories and I like writing stories where traditional rolls are flip flopped. For instance, Brady spends his days in a kitchen and the heroine, Sloane…

We all know about Colin Firth emerging from the lake. (Right???? If not, here’s a little primer on “the scene that changed everything.”) Mr. Darcy and his soggy shirt are the stars of what is probably the most popular Jane Austen adaptation out there, the 1995 miniseries that also starred Jennifer Ehle as Lizzy Bennet. And, hey, you’ll get no argument from me. That series is a delight from start to finish. But how about some lesser-known Austen adaptations and Austen-inspired movies and TV shows? Without further ado, I give you my four favorites. The 2007 version of Persuasion, starring Sally Hawkins as Anne Elliot and Rupert Penry-Jones as Captain Wentworth. Interestingly, PERSUASION isn’t my favorite Austen novel. But this adaptation! It is glorious. I’m particularly fond of the last scene, where Anne goes running after Captain Wentworth, tearing though the streets of Bath in a most unladylike manner as the camera jiggles around like crazy. Oh, my heart! The Jane Austen Book Club, a 2007 Hollywood movie about a group of friends who start a Jane Austen-reading book club to cheer up one of their members, who has just been dumped by her husband. If I recall correctly, this…