By Miranda Owen In general, I prefer the nice guy, Clark Kent-type heroes to bad boys. But if I do like a bad boy hero, I like him to have hidden depths. All the heroes on this list are nothing short of amazing, and would make great fictional dates to snuggle up with for an hour or two this month of love while reading their stories. Benedick Lisle is a vicar, a gentleman, a great listener, and a hunk. This gallery of rogues and rakes are a tantalizing group of charming yet complicated hotties. Callum MacCreath and Mick Trewlove are men bent on revenge, but are swayed by love along the way. Julian Danvers and Ruan Bettancourt fall head over heels by a woman who takes them by surprise. Rhys Tremayne makes an unlikely knight-errant, but manages to wear it well and win the woman of his dreams. Lord Dutton has taken a few well-deserved knocks over the years before proving himself worthy of Anne Staverton. I invite you to check out these six sinners and one saint.   WALLFLOWER MOST WANTED by Manda Collins. Benedick: “Don’t make a saint of me, Sophia. I’m a man. Nothing More. I do…

KEEPING YOU by Mollie Blake An interview with the cast Reporter: So how did you know Lawrence Bane? Miranda Clevely Well. Of course I’d like to think I was like a mother to him. Poor boy never knew his parents. Then again, I suppose I wasn’t a very good mother. My methods of discipline can be somewhat…harsh. No, I was more of a saviour to him. Yes, I saved him from the clutches of that pimp, Josh Black. I made him a man, gave him a comfortable home. And taught him everything he needed to know about a woman. Christine I love Lawrence like I would love a brother. He got me away from that Josh Black. Lawrence even saved my life when that bastard tried to kill me. I feel safe now, working at The Sway as Lawrence’s housekeeper, a job I can be proud of. I’m here when he needs me and I’ll do anything I can to help him. Dominic I wasn’t too sure of the guy when he first started dating my cousin. I was the one Suzy always turned to. Then this mysterious, wealthy guy employed her to do some translating work for him and…

A Review by Kym and Gidget Today’s blog was a special treat for me. I read the book along with a young reader, and then we sat down and wrote our reviews. This was her very first review, and I have to say, I think Gidget has a knack for the craft. Much more so than I do. A well-written review has insight into the reader’s mind—its audience. The review should capture the attention while bringing out positive and negative details the reader might find helpful in making a decision about the book. The review does not stay in the character’s mind where I tend to dwell. Yet as an author, I have to wonder if that isn’t where my insight should begin. Like most authors, I have stories busting at the seams to get out. This week’s blog as taught me that maybe, just maybe, I should learn something from young Gidget about engaging the reader’s imagination first, to get my stories heard. I hope you enjoy our reviews of FRAGMENTS OF THE LOST by Megan Miranda. FRAGMENTS OF THE LOST by Megan Miranda Jessa Whitworth knew she didn’t belong in her ex-boyfriend Caleb’s room. But she couldn’t deny…

There’s something I find fascinating about main characters you can’t trust. Whether they’re amnesiacs, liars, or some degree of delusional/mentally off-kilter, an unreliable narrator will keep you guessing up until the end. And they’ll make you question their version of reality. Such is the case with Astrid O’Malley, the protagonist of my debut novel, ASLEEP FROM DAY, who finds herself exploring strange corners of Boston as she tries to recover one lost—but pivotal—day of her life. Here are some other books I recommend featuring unreliable narrators: BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP by S.J. Watson: I’m a sucker for a good amnesia story, and this is one of my favorites. Every day Christine wakes up with zero recollection of who she is. She relies on a journal and help from a doctor and her husband to piece together her memories and identity, but as she discovers more about her past, things take a more sinister turn. THE RAW SHARK TEXTS by Steven J. Hall: Another great amnesia tale, but this one takes lost memories to odd and marvelous places. Eric also wakes up not knowing who he is, and follows a trail of paper clues written by his pre-amnesia self. Is…

I am so excited to be on Fresh Fiction today to talk about BY A CHARM AND A CURSE! Charm is my first novel, and I had so much fun writing it. (It’s really easy to say that now that it’s done!) Writing about a carnival let me cram in so many of the things I like: sparkling lights, intricate costumes, performers defying gravity, and a healthy dose of romance. Below, I’ve outlined Five Things You Need to Know about LeGrand’s Carnival. Let’s go! LeGrand’s Carnival is kind of a conglomeration of the Texas Rodeo carnival, the local Renaissance Festival, and the Halloween carnival my elementary school used to put on every year. I stole the rides from the rodeo carnival, the food from the ren fest, and the sense of fun and excitement from the Halloween carnival. It’s all of those things but glossier, shinier, and with a healthy dose of magic. Leslie, the owner of the carnival, and Lars, operator of the Ferris wheel and one of LeGrand’s long-time employees, were based on Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec. I’ve always loved their dynamic; how they sometimes butt heads but always had each other’s backs,…

Hi! I’m Maggie Adams, contemporary romance author. I write stories of small-town heroes and heroines, folks just like you and me that overcome hardships, and always have hope. That’s what I love about the romance genre – whether it’s a paranormal, fantasy, historical or contemporary romance, young or old, the characters all have one thing in common. They HOPE for love, for a solution to the crisis, for their Happy Ever After; or at least, a happy for now. Since I have been called “the eternal optimist” by more than one family member, I guess that’s why I am drawn to the romance genre. Truth to tell, I do try to find the bright side in any situation, but I also work at it; more often than not, that leads me into trouble, and it’s up to my family and friends to help me out! My husband of thirty years says it’s like living in an “I Love Lucy” sitcom, and my kids think I’m too old to be this naïve’, but I do try to believe the best in people. I guess that’s why no matter how sexy the story, there’s a sweetness to all my work as well….

EXCERPT MacPherson Castle—Loch Eireachd, Scotland, 1452 Fistfuls of hair fell to the bed like streams of molten iron. The growing pile, more orange than gold, resembled a dragon’s nest, and gleamed seductively in the firelight. Amber sighed at the sight. If only it were a real dragon’s nest and a beast could rise and smite all her enemies. One very much in particular. She almost smiled at the fanciful thought as she chopped off her hair. Almost. In truth, her plan was an act of desperation with little chance of success. By all that was holy, she’d need a miracle to get away this time. Grabbing another handful, she raised the knife and sawed off an even bigger chunk. The remaining strands sprang up to curl around her neck and ears, a light, airy feeling at odds with the heaviness in her heart. Laird Machar Murray would come after her, of that she had no doubt. If he found her, no amount of false hexes or curses or threats from the devil would deter him from destroying her this time. Her lost hair would grow back. Her lost spirit and soul could not. The heavy wooden door rattled as a…

Thank you for inviting me to speak to your readers about THE SECRETS OF MINDFUL BEAUTY published by Skyhorse Publishing. I’m Dr Elizabeth Reid Boyd. I’m an author and academic in the field of gender studies. My natural pen name Eliza Redgold is based upon the Gaelic meaning of my full name, Elizabeth Reid Boyd. I write contemporary and historical fiction published by Harlequin and St Martin’s Press (as Eliza Redgold) and non-fiction (as Elizabeth Reid Boyd). I also practice mindfulness and meditation, and teach these practices to my university students. In 2017, The Secrets of Mindful Beauty came out with Skyhorse Publishing, New York. I’m fascinated by how much more creative we are when we slow down and let ideas grow. Our minds are truly magical. I’ve developed some life coaching practices for creative women: mixing magic with mindfulness. These exercises based on women’s wisdom from the past will enhance your creativity. Here’s one to help you slow down and enjoy reading more. A GRACE FOR BOOKS: MINDFUL READING ‘Why have we no grace for books, those spiritual repasts – a grace before Milton – a grace before Shakespeare – a devotional exercise proper to be said before reading…

My interest in wolves was not so much in their physical details, though those are amazing (did you know wolves can smell something a mile away and hear something 6 miles away in the forest or 10 miles away in the open?) I have always been more interested in details about social structure. For example, subordinate wolves often try to bring peace to the pack after a fight between dominants. The more violent the fight, the harder the subordinates try to diffuse the situation with nose kisses and touching and licking. That’s because a Pack must work together to survive. When wolves travel, they put the weakest at the front to set the pace, then sandwich strong and weak wolves, with the Alpha at the back so that he can see everything. When writing about Silver, who is at the dead bottom of the hierarchy, I was curious to read that lower-ranking pack members are often particularly resourceful because they don’t get the pick of the kill and have to use their ingenuity to get enough to eat. I also wanted to know where some of the misconceptions about wolves came from. Like an article in the Journal of Zoology…

Have you ever had mixed feelings about a series you have read and enjoyed coming to an end? You might be relieved that the heroine gets her happily-ever-after or be thinking “No – there is so much more they can do!” That is exactly where I stand on the ending of Keri Arthur‘s Outcast Novels. This series centers on Tiger, a dechet – a super-soldier the humans manufactured to fight the species war. At the end of the war, the dechet’s were eradicated, men, women and children, by the shifters as they deemed them abominations. Tiger survived and is surrounded by ghosts of those who died in the bunker including two little ones, Bear and Cat, her constant companions. She can’t help what she is, what she was made to be but she can use her skills to help others when she has to. Unfortunately, the bombs that ended the war also tore holes between worlds and allowed the entrance of other beings that were happy to find new hunting grounds, so demons, vampires and wraiths entered the destroyed world. So now, humans and shifters alike, live in artificially lit cities as the new beings love to hunt in the…