The Blighted Troth by Mirella Patzer

Blurb: A compelling story of love and treachery, faith and loss, forgiveness and triumph in the turbulent world of 18th century New France. In 1702, Emilie Basseaux lives with her widowed mother in New France. On the eve of her wedding to Robert Lanzille, she catches the eye of the settlement’s unscrupulous overlord, Seigneur Richard Tonnacour who threatens to kill the parish priest if he performs their marriage. This sets off a catastrophic chain of events that turns her life, and that of her betrothed, into a desperate flight for their lives, separating them, and sending them straight into the arms of peril. Emilie and Robert’s plight sweeps them into the convents and taverns, the riots and small-pox epidemics of New France where they face death and discover the true meaning of love and forgiveness. The Blighted Troth is a retelling of the classic novel, The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi) by Alessandro Manzoni. Inspired by this epic Italian classic novel; a new and captivating tale in a new setting, a new century, and with new plot twists while remaining faithful to key story elements.

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What He Taught Her by Anne Whitfield

Blurb:
Rob Healy has everything he wants, or will have once he’s built his new resort on a small island in the Pacific. A woman in his life isn’t planned at the moment, but when he sees Cassandra Kearns in the foyer looking stiff and out of place amongst the holiday makers his interest is spiked. What is a beautiful woman doing wearing a business suit and holding a laptop doing on an island resort, especially when there are no conferences booked that week?
Cassandra Kearns is fleeing New York and all that makes her comfortable for two idyllic weeks in the tropics. She’s stressed, overtired and close to breaking point. Her divorce is finalised, her daughter is grown and she’s realising that she’s on her own and dare she say it - lonely.
She needs to take some time and recharge her batteries. But how is she to do that? She’s worked 24/7 for years. Does she know how to have fun?
When Cassandra meets Rob she rejects the spark of attraction she feels. A man in her life, after the betrayal of Oliver? She’d rather eat broken glass!
Yet Rob is persistent, he’s funny and he’s gorgeous, but what exactly does he want?

Excerpt:
The music changed to a faster tempo and some of the couples got up to dance. Rob got them another bottle of wine and refilled her glass. Cassandra studied him as he secured the bottle back in the sand. Had she ever met such a man as him before? Yes, he was attractive, but he had something else that drew not only her attention, but the stares of other women around him.
There was magnetic quality about Rob, a mixture of a devil-may-care attitude and an inner strength of purpose which fascinated her. Desire grew inside her, igniting, and she felt a delicious heat in the pit of her stomach. It had been so long since she'd throbbed in need for a man’s body.
  Reggae thumped out of the speakers. Rob stood and held out his hand. “Come on, let’s dance.”
“Really?” She stared, as he helped her to her feet. “You dance?”
 “Don’t you?” He led her closer to the fire.
“I haven’t for a long time, and the men I know never dance, at least not to this type of music.”
  He didn’t answer her as the music was turned up, and the Jamaican rhythm of steel drums and a Caribbean voice urged them to let themselves go.
Fired by the wine, the heat of the fire, and the music filling her senses, Cassandra was transported to another world, one full of sensual stimulus, of earthy primal urges: to eat, to frolic, to cavort. Nature’s way was very powerful, and she didn’t fight against it.
  She raised her arms and swung her hips, dancing as she hadn’t done for a very long time. Laughing, Rob twirled her under his arm. The flames reflected off her gold shimmering dress. All the guests were dancing now, the music infectious, the atmosphere festive. Everyone seemed to just want to have fun, forget their problems and dance.
Cassandra squealed as Rob lifted her off her feet and spun her around. He stepped aside, grinning as a guy in his twenties came up to her and did a bit of dirty dancing with her, grinding his pelvis against hers, and she threw her head back and laughed. She felt young and completely alive. Within moments, he’d gone on to another woman, a young twenty something wearing hardly anything at all. The people around her were happy, and it had been forever since she'd felt this way.
  The music changed to Salsa, and Rob took her in his arms and pulled her against him. Sexual need lit his blue eyes. He hungered for her. Her skin heated, longing for his touch.
Her smile melted away as the length of his body moved as one with hers, their steps not perfect, but instinctive, powerful. His shoulders muscles bunched beneath her hands. She ran her fingers down his back, and he tightened his hold even further.
  They were locked in a dance as sexy and sensual as actually making love. Rob’s eyes never left hers, his mouth only inches from her touch. His hands cupped her hips, guiding them against his own. She shimmied, turned and, with her back to him, danced in a way she’d never done before. Every provocative movement was a gesture of intimacy, of want, of promise. Through music, their bodies touched, sending silent messages to one another. Rob flipped her around to face him again and slipped his thigh between hers. His hands slid down over her bottom, and she gasped at the ache throbbing inside her.
The music changed again, back to a pumping beat. Rob slowly released her, and she regained some of her sense and took a step back. Shocked at her wanton behaviour, her smile was perfunctory.
  God, she hoped she hadn’t humiliated herself. She desperately wanted to sit down. What had gotten into her? She turned away from the bonfire and wandered away from the other dancers. Rob kept pace with her.
“Would you like to go for a walk up the beach?”
  “No!” She jumped at the harshness of her refusal. “I mean no, sorry, thank you. I think it is time I went back to the beach house.” She gathered up her purse and shoes from the blanket, refusing to make eye contact.
“Cassie...”
  “Please, Rob. I must go. Thank you for tonight. I had a great time.” She flashed him a tortured look, silently begging him not to say or do anything else. “Good night.”
As fast as she could run in the soft sand, she left the beach and headed up to the steps to the path. “What a mess,” she cried. Not bothering to put her heels back on, she ran along the shadowy path, away from Rob—wishing she could run away from the feeling he brought out in her, too.

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The Breadwinners by Jan Hurst-Nicholson

THE BREADWINNERS

By

Jan Hurst-Nicholson

When an ambitious young immigrant opens a bakery incompetition with his vengeful former employer it is the beginning of a bitterrivalry that spans three generations of hatred, jealousy, passion and betrayalas the bakeries grow from small family businesses into large corporations.

It is New Year’s Eve 1924 and the fiery and volatileCharles McGill is devastated when Addy Brody, the woman he loves, announces herengagement to Lucas Connelly, his friend and co-worker.  Charles drownshis sorrow in drink and seduces Hilde Richter, the unattractive daughter of awealthy Durban businessman. When Hilde finds she is pregnant her father offersto set up the penniless Charles with his own bakery if he will marry her.Charles readily agrees and, unknown to Hilde, the two men draw up a contract.It is the beginning of a battle for supremacy between Charles, Lucas, and MilesDavenport, their former employer.

As the bakeries grow and prosper, acrimony begins within thefamilies, pitting brother against brother, and Charles becomes increasinglydissatisfied, realising that success means nothing if he cannot have the womanhe loves.

The story covers a period of sixty years and leads usthrough the fortunes, joys and sorrows, successes and failures of the threefamilies as they survive the great depression, the war years and the isolationof South Africa.

At 118, 000 words, THE BREADWINNERS is an epic family sagathat explores the adage, ‘from clogs to clogs in threegenerations’. It is based on the baking industry where the author workedfor several years, and gives revealing insights into the growth of Durban andthe baking industry. It will appeal to readers who enjoy historical fiction setin exotic locations, and those who read authors such as Barbara TaylorBradford, Catherine Gaskin and Belva Plain.

The Breadwinners kindle. Amazon.com http://amzn.to/9JK0zo   $0.99

The Breadwinners kindle. AmazonUK    http://amzn.to/ahQ2Sk 70p

Regency Buck Antholgy

REGENCY BUCK ANTHOLOGY
Three novellas
* HOW TO TAME A RAKE
*STIRRING PASSIONS
*LOVE AND WAR
Buy link: http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/books/RegencyBuck.html

Available individually in e-book form

How To Tame A Rake
It was plain to see from the moment Wilhelmina arrived at his country estate that the devastatingly handsome Blake, Viscount Dangerfield, disapproved of most everything about her.

The codicil to his father’s will came as an unpleasant shock to Blake, Viscount Dangerfield. He had no desire to tie himself down at all, let alone to Wilhelmina--a skinny urchin, barely out of the schoolroom, with mousy hair, no bosom, and a hoydenish disposition.

Stirring Passions:
Lord Laurence, Katherine Kilgarth’s childhood companion, has certainly grown up into a stuffy young man! Time was when he would’ve been as intrigued by the strange going’s on at Broughton Hall as she was, but she had no intention, whatever he said, of simply ignoring the intriguing mystery.

Love And War:
She couldn’t accuse him of paying her Spanish coin! Gyles Devereux made it clear he had no wish to marry at all but was constrained by his circumstances. She could not be expected to keep refusing Lord Devereux, she thought crossly. She was only flesh and blood after all. What woman on earth could resist the pleas of a man such as Devereux?

Trencarrow Secret by Anita Davison

Trencarrow Secret by Anita Davison

Isabel Hart is afraid of two things, the maze at Trencarrow where she got lost as a young child, and the lake where her brother David saved her from drowning in a boating accident.

With her twenty-first birthday and the announcement of her engagement imminent, Isabel decides it is time for her to face her demons and ventures into the maze. There she sees something which will alter her perceptions of herself and her family forever.

Isabel’s widowed aunt joins the house party, where her cousin confides she is in love with an enigmatic young man who surely cannot be what he pretends, for he is too dashing for homely Laura.

When Henry, Viscount Strachan and his mother arrives, ostensibly to use her ball as an arena for finding a wife, Isabel is determined not to like him.

As more secrets are revealed, Isabel doubts she has chosen the right man, although her future fiancé has more vested in this marriage than Isabel realizes and has no intention of letting her go easily.

Will Isabel be able to put her preconceptions of marriage behind her and take charge of her own life, or is she destined to be controlled by others forever?

Order from MuseIt Up Publishing

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The House of Women by Anne Whitfield

The House of Women by Anne Whitfield

Blurb

    Leeds. 1870. Lonely and brokenhearted, Grace Woodruff fights for her sisters’ rights to happiness while sacrificing any chance for her own.

   The eldest of seven daughters, Grace is the core of strength around which the unhappy members of the Woodruff family revolve. As her disenchanted mother withdraws to her rooms, Grace must act as a buffer between her violent, ambitious father and the sisters who depend upon her. Rejected by her first love and facing a spinster’s future, she struggles to hold the broken family together through her father’s infidelity, one sister’s alcoholism, and another’s out-of-wedlock pregnancy by an unsuitable match.

   Caring for an illegitimate half-brother affords Grace an escape, though short-lived. Forced home by illness and burdened with dwindling finances, Grace faces fresh anguish –and murder– when her first love returns to wreck havoc in her life.  All is not lost, however. In the midst of tragedy, the fires of her heart are rekindled by another. Will the possibility of true love lead Grace to relinquish her responsibilities in the house of women and embrace her own right to happiness?

Excerpt

Grace blinked to clear her frozen mind as her mother and Verity climbed the staircase. If Verity was here then was William here too? Movement at the door caused Grace to close her eyes. She couldn’t bring herself to open them and see the one man she’d longed for since she was sixteen.

‘Miss Woodruff?’ Doyle inquired at her shoulder.

Startled, she spun to face him, but she was blind to him, blind to everything but the sensation of having William here. Crazily, she wondered if she would swoon like a maiden aunt.

Doyle’s hand reached out, but he quickly tucked it behind his back. ‘What is it, Miss Woodruff?’

Grace swallowed, feeling the fine hairs on her arms and nape prickle. He is here.

‘Good evening, Grace.’

At the sound of William’s deep velvety voice, her heart stopped beating, only to start again at a rapid pace. Her stomach clenched and her legs felt unable to support her anymore. Slowly, she swivelled to gaze into William’s blue-green eyes and knew she was lost again. William smiled his captivating smile. He had aged, no, matured since their last meeting. He looked leaner, but broader in the shoulders. There was an aura about him, something that females of any age wanted. He made all other men around him seem insignificant. A magnetism, a mystical air surrounded him, catching Grace in its clutches once more.

Order The House of Women from Amazon.com, or The Book Depository, which has free postage.

For more information about Anne Whitfield, please visit her website.

http://www.annewhitfield.com

Shadows by Jen Black

Shadows by Jen Black

Genre: Contemporary romance with ghosts

Blurb:

Melissa thinks she’s taking a huge risk in going on holiday with Rory Hepburn. He may be gorgeous, but she only met him three days ago. But when she sees the old watermill in rural France, she is delighted. Within ten minutes of her arrival, she sees the man in black, but thinks nothing of it. Concentrating more on keeping her secrets and sleeping alone, she is shocked when ghosts disturb her first night at the mill. Not just one ghost, but two. When Christope arrives at the mill, the chic Frenchman regards Melissa as his soul mate, and Melissa knows she’s in real trouble.

A chilling tale, written with humour and drenched in the sights and perfumes of the rural Dordogne, this is a must-read tale for those who like a romance with a ghostly twist.

Amazon UK link:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shadows-ebook/dp/B0052O4CZ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306610637&sr=1-1
Released 24^th May 2011 by Sapphire Blue:
http://www.sapphirebluepublishing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=118&osCsid=a20ceebd00e8092d01a8a771526ddf5b

This Jen’s fifth published book, and her first contemporary tale. In many ways writing about character in this century is easier than writing about people in the sixteenth or eleventh centuries. Things like brand names, distances, food and fashion are more important for today’s readers because a contemporary hairstyle speaks volumes about a character’s personality now, but much less so in the previous centuries.

Get er Done by Michael Martel

There's just too much to do!!!

There is a lot to do. There is a lot to do at home or at work. Sometimes it just feels overwhelming. Don't you wish you could be more productive?

The Special Forces Green Berets are known as masters at getting things done. By normal standards, some of their missions would be deemed impossible. Often times they are expected to operate far behind enemy lines with limited resources. Their training gives them principles and techniques in being extremely effective and doing more with less. By using some of their principles you will be able to:

● Plan and use your time more effectively
● Increase your confidence
● Reduce distractions
● Train for success
● Improve commitment
● and much more

Michael Martel uses his real experiences as a Green Beret to illustrate how you can use these techniques in your life to “get er done.” It is a great, interesting read that will make you much more effective in your daily activities.

http://mikemartel.com/get-er-done/

Better Than 8 by Erin Jamison

Better Than 8 by Erin Jamison

blurb

Amara Simmons has always fantasized about having two lovers but believes it is just that: a fantasy. She likes her men “gifted”, if you know what I mean. At the suggestion of a friend she registers for an online dating website for well-endowed men called betterthan8.com. She believes nothing will come of her site membership but after months of flirting online via email and instant messaging, she’s shocked to discover that she’s fallen for a gorgeous Latin man that has the potential to be her everything – except he never calls and she has no idea why. Nursing a broken heart she is totally unprepared to meet her would-be Latin lover in person much less at the negotiation table of a multi million-dollar real estate deal. In Puerto Rico, passion ignites. Promises are finally fulfilled and the lines of reality blur when her fantasy finally blooms to life. Can Amara have it all: the deal, the man, and the fantasy?