1–What is the title of your latest release? Hitched to the Gunslinger 2–What is it about? A notorious and grumpy gunslinger wants nothing more than to retire and live out his days napping somewhere quiet but instead stumbles into this hole-in-the-wall town and finds himself promptly fake engaged (and then real married) to a morbidly optimistic and determined woman who never gives him a moment’s peace. The rest of the zany townsfolk talk him into becoming the sheriff and he find a way to defeat a corrupt landowner who is terrorizing his new wife and the town while chasing after his own HEA. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  It’s wild west but it’s also green and pretty. It’s still remote and untamed but not the tumbleweed dustbin I often think of when picturing a wild western town. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  She’s more patient with Gray’s antics than I pictured her being. I’d go into a scene picturing her irritated and it would end up really fun, with her playing off Gray’s surliness and egging him on almost rather than being offended by it. 5–Why will readers love your hero?  He is so…

Danielle: Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Christi, and congrats on the release of your new book, ALONG CAME A LADY! We’d love to hear more about it and the set up for this new series, All the Duke’s Sins.   Christi:  Danielle! I’m so excited to be back here chatting with you!! Thank you for both having me, and the warm congrats. Fun fact about me and Fresh Fiction…Fresh Fiction was one of the first blogs to ever host me, back when I began publishing. As such, it’s always special being here! And, I’m really excited to share more about my All the Duke’s Sins series. The series centers on the Audley family: three brothers and a sister who live and work in a mining village in Regency, England…and who also happen to be the illegitimate children of the Duke of Bentley!  Rafe is the eldest of the Audley family. Two things matter more to him than anything. First: his family. He is the protector of his younger siblings. The second being his role as foreman of the Cheadle mines. Rafe lives to thwart his father. He believes his father is a ne’er do well who abandoned his children…however, there…

Beck watched the heavily gunned galleon sweep around the small isle, the wind filling its sails. After six months of patrolling the waters off the west coast of Scotland, Beck wouldn’t let this chance of capturing the most notorious French pirate slip past him. If the bastard outgunned them, he would use some intimidation to slow him down until Cullen could attack the Borreau from the other side. “Gavin,” he yelled, “are the men ready?” Gavin’s mouth dropped open, frozen, as he gazed past Beck. Beck pivoted on his boot in time to see… Eliza? The woman wore sailor’s clothing. No petticoats, but the breeches that she’d worn under her skirts. Tall boots hugged her shapely legs up past her knees. She wore a longish coat of wool and leather with an intricate braid trim, a white tunic, and a floppy hat over her hair. A crossbow swung by her side. She charged across the deck, Alice, who was also dressed in trousers, hurrying behind her with a lantern. “Holy Lord,” Rabbie said next to him. “Beck,” Drostan yelled, pointing at Eliza. As if he hadn’t seen her. Half his men had stopped to stare at the lass as she…

He’d called her sweetheart. Oh, she knew he’d done it to annoy her parents, to make them believe that her marriage to Ash was a true marriage in every way, but still…when he said it, she’d felt a deep, corresponding thump in the region of her heart, as if it had been an­swering him. Ash had been nothing but kind since their wedding, and before it, for that matter. At first, after her late husband’s abuse, she couldn’t bear to be touched, but now, nearly a year later, she was trying to get over that. She still flinched sometimes when someone touched her, especially when she wasn’t expecting it, but she would recover. She refused to allow that brute to con­trol her life even after he’d left it. Ash always stepped back from any situation, sepa­rated himself from it. He was a man of intellect, not of passion. He either asked for her permission before he touched her or drew back if she responded with a flinch. She felt safe with him. She did not want passion. The oars dipped in the water, the distant sound of life on either side of the wide expanse muted, occa­sionally echoing off the…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE BREATH BETWEEN WAVES 2–What is it about? It’s an historical sapphic romance set aboard the fateful maiden voyage of RMS Titanic, where the main character, Penelope Fletcher, is moving to America and is sharing a cabin with Ruby Cole, a free-willed Irish woman who Penelope is immediately drawn and attracted to. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book? That it’s just one place? But in all honesty, the Titanic was such an incredible ship for its time and the sheer luxury and glamour of it was fun to reproduce while writing—even if the characters are sailing in Second Class and so don’t really experience much of the more lavish amenities. 4–How did your heroine surprise you? The way she handles the sinking. All throughout we see that Penelope isn’t really sure of herself or where she stands in the world, or with the people in her life. But the sinking brings out another side of her that I really hadn’t expected as I was planning and drafting it. 5–Why will readers love her love interest? Because she’s spunky. And outgoing. She is one of those people who has…

1–What is the title of your latest release?  HIGHLAND LEGEND 2–What is it about? An arrogant, skilled fighter finds love in the most unexpected way…   Magnus Stewart, aka “The Eagle” is the bastard son of a duke, and his royal blood has never been anything but a curse. Among the mystique and riches of the legendary fight club Ludus Caledonia, Magnus battles his way to the top. Lady Diantha de Mora in desperation seeks his help. When Magnus reluctantly comes to her aid, his fate is changed forever in one night. With enemies at every turn, it’ll take muscle and a miracle for them to make it to the Highlands alive. There Magnus can reclaim his destiny, as Diantha reclaims his heart. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  This entire series is set a little bit later, history-wise, than I’m used to writing, so researching Tudor Scotland was interesting. But what I like most is the heart of the series – an exclusive fight club known as the Ludus Caledonia. Think “Gladiator” (the movie). The bond between these warriors is so strong and it truly is a brotherhood. These men may fight each other on…

Danielle: Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Olivia!  Can you tell our readers a little bit about your series, Unlikely Duchesses? Olivia: The “Unlikely Duchesses” series features feisty women who seek employment as a governess in the home of a duke.  They’re slightly scandalous, not perfect ladies, and of course, they don’t care a fig for the rules of high society. Book 1:  THE DUKE I ONCE KNEW showcases Max Bryce, the Duke of Rothwell, a rake who was rejected by his first love, Abby Linton, the girl next door. When he meets the spirited spinster again fifteen years later, Abby is governess to his sister and scornful of the rogue that he’s become.  Yet the old spark is still there, fanned into flames by their sizzling encounters. Book 2:  FOREVER MY DUKE features Hadrian Ames, the Duke of Clayton, whose ordered life is turned topsy-turvy when he meets a lively American woman. Natalie Fanshawe is hard-working, independent, and plucky, with a definite preference for America’s system of equality over England’s class hierarchy.  The last thing she wants is to marry a duke! Book 3:  WHEN A DUKE LOVES A GOVERNESS continues the series with a penniless hatmaker who dreams of…

Bastille Day on July 14 commemorates of the birth of modern France—a process that was lengthy, violent, and controversial.  But who can resist reading stories about a country so synonymous with wine, culture, fashion, elegance, and savoir-faire, most of the tales featuring real historical figures? We begin chronologically with THE SHADOW QUEEN by Sandra Gulland.  Claude des Oeillets, a real young woman from the theatre and daughter of a famous actress, narrates a story that describes the controversy and strife during the “war of the theatres” between Corneille, Moliere, and Racine and the opposing church.  During those days, she meets the beautiful, arrogant aristocrat who later becomes Madame de Montespon, Louis XIV’s mistress and “shadow queen” of his court. Recruited years later to become Madame’s personal attendant, Claude is brought into the heart of life at Versailles—the politics, the intrigues, and Madame de Montespon’s increasingly desperate and dangerous efforts to hold on to her royal lover.  An intriguing look at the decadent court of Louis XIV from a new perspective. We move forward to the eve of the Revolution in FINDING EMILIE by Laurel Corona, that also fictionalizes the lives of real people.  Daughter of brilliant and unconventional mathematician Emilie…

1–What is the title of your latest release? JOHN EYRE: A TALE OF DARKNESS AND SHADOW 2–What is it about? JOHN EYRE is my dual timeline, partially epistolary, partially gender-reversed, supernatural Victorian gothic retelling of Charlotte Bronte’s JANE EYRE (and one other Victorian classic I can’t reveal without spoiling the story). It’s about strength, allyship, the struggle between light and darkness, and the battle with real-life monsters. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I loved being able to incorporate all of my favorite Victorian gothic trappings. There’s atmosphere and creepiness galore. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  Bertha Mason Rochester may well be the strongest heroine I’ve ever written. Not because she started out strong, but because, in a deeply horrifying situation, she finds a level of strength she didn’t know herself capable of. By the end of the story, she’s become a formidable opponent. Truly a force to be reckoned with. 5–Why will readers love your hero?  He’s thoughtful and compassionate, and he knows how to listen. He doesn’t start out as an ally—a man willing to risk his reputation to help a woman—but by the end of the novel, he understands what it means…

Welcome to the 2021 Summer BBQ Recipe Roundup! We have a fabulous lineup of authors with new books, delicious recipes perfect for summer parties, and BOOK GIVEAWAYS. Follow along all week to see who is joining us. You’ll learn about new books and find your next great recipes. Plus, there are chances to win books, too!  To kick things off, historical romance author Minvera Spencer shares a sweet treat, perfect to nibble on while chatting with friends on a deck or patio. Her new book, OUTRAGEOUS, the second in the Rebels of the Ton series, is a high stakes battle of wits that pits two people against each other initially… until pesky attraction starts to come into play! *** “TWO-FILLING” PECAN BRITTLE My mom calls this pecan brittle “Two-Filling Pecan Brittle” because she broke not one, but TWO dental fillings one Christmas. But that didn’t make her stop eating it…. (Image from Food Network) Ingredients 1 1/2 cups toasted chopped pecans (the toasting is up to you and you can substitute other nuts if you don’t have pecans) 1 heaping tablespoon salt 1 cup water 1 1/4 cups light corn syrup (you could use dark but you’d get a different…