Friday, April 10, 2015

Fools Rush In - An April Fools Day Anthology


Suzie Jay – Operation: Tom Foolery


Maddison Leary can’t stand her job. She wishes she could quit but can’t afford it. Things start to look up when her usually mean spirited boss Angela asks for her help to organize an April Fools’ Day prank to play on her brother Tom. Maddison is relieved to see Angela’s fun and playful side until she realizes there is evil intentions behind this prank. Now she is involved and can’t see a way out. The last thing she wants to do is hurt the kind hearted and very handsome Tom Pritchard. Can she save herself and Tom from an April Fools’ Day disaster?

Suzie Jay is a mum of six who lives in Australia with her delicious husband and band of little misfits. She is a former school teacher who escaped to torture the world by sharing what’s inside her head. This is her first published work and it will be followed closely by her debut novel: Walk on the wild Side. The reinvention of Violet Monte which will be out in May of 2015.

S.E. Babin – Fool Me Once

http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=blisbookprom-20&l=ur2&o=1
When Alex snags the attention of Beckett Dean, the most popular guy in high school, she knows something is afoot.  After all, she’s nerdy, awkward and her braces can be seen from outer space. Surely Beckett’s interest isn’t romantic.
Beckett is focused on popularity and maintaining his rep as one of the coolest guys in school. When Alex becomes a target for the town’s annual April Fools’ joke, Beckett reluctantly befriends her, only to ultimately ruin the rest of her high school days. Devastated at his behavior, he tries for weeks to apologize. Alex, though, wants nothing to do with him.
Fast forward several years. Alex is successfully running her own business. She still thinks about Beckett, but in an angry stabby way.  When their paths collide once again, will Beckett’s apologies still fall on deaf ears or will she finally grant him the forgiveness he seeks?

S.E. Babin has a passion for writing books with a paranormal twist. Whether it’s romance or mystery, she loves taking the norm and turning it into the extraordinary. Her love of reading turned into a curious exploration to see whether or not she could write her own novel. Beginning with random, terrible poetry and a slightly popular reimagining of Beowulf’s Grendel in her high school English class, Sheryl spent way too much time in the library, killing any chance of her becoming a cheerleader or anything even remotely cool. 

Laurie Baxter – Who Does He Think He’s Fooling?http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=blisbookprom-20&l=ur2&o=1

It’s April Fools’ Day at ACME Office Amusements and boss Jessica is encouraging a little friendly pranking. But pals Tom and Amy have other things on their minds after an uncomfortable incident the night before has left things more than a little awkward between them.

Laurie Baxter has degrees in both puppetry and screenwriting because let’s face it, majoring in English would have been no more useful and way less fun. She loves chocolate, ice cream, chocolate ice cream, dogs, New York City, old movies, modern architecture, all kinds of theater, and music from before she was born. Her eighth grade English teacher told her to become a writer, so she did.

Whitney Dineen – Fools In Lovehttp://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=blisbookprom-20&l=ur2&o=1

Forty something, Corrine Breslin, is divorced and feeling fabulous for the first time in years! Enter a business trip to Chicago and an accidental run-in with former high school debate partner, Ryan Rosco. April Fool’s Day weaves a magic spell on this couple, insuring a happy ending for all.

While attending the University of Illinois in Chicago, Whitney Dineen was discovered by a local modeling agent and began an unexpected career as a plus-size Ford model. She modeled in New York City before moving to Los Angeles with her husband. During “The Hollywood Years,” Whitney was bitten by the writing bug and started creating characters that are inspired by strong women with a great sense of humor. She is the author of the best-selling romantic comedy, She Sins at Midnight. Her second book, The Reinvention of Mimi Finnegan, is due out in May, 2015.  In addition to writing romantic comedies, Whitney has also created a series of adventure books for girls. The first of which, Wilhelmina and the Willamette Wig Factory, will be released in the autumn of 2015. Whitney and her husband live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where they raise their children, chickens and organic vegetables.

Celia Kennedy – April’s Foolhttp://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=blisbookprom-20&l=ur2&o=1

When you hitch your wagon to a star, you might find yourself in an awkward situation!
Talia Rhodes, Personal Assistant to celebrity Shane Clarke, finds her vacation on hold when her boss goes missing! Getting the answers means following a trail from a police station in Mexico to a coffee shop in Melbourne, Australia! One long plane ride later, Talia comes face to face with her boss – will the joke be on her?

Celia Kennedy was born in Wurzburg, Germany on a military base. Her parent’s penchant for traveling has stuck with her, she’s lived in and traveled through several countries.
The imagined world has always fascinated Celia. She has studied Art History, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, and Architecture. Her thirteen year career at UW in Seattle ended in 1996. Not wanting to be homeless, she left the academic world and worked as a Landscape Architect, married the love of her life, became a mom, been PTA President, as well as Boy and Girl Scout Leader.
The unimaginable wealth in her life is the most fascinating thing to her.
Her love of travel, the designed and natural world, friendship, self-discovery wine, chocolate, AND love are the foundation of her life and books.
Celia has published Charlotte’s Restrained, The Accidental Stalker, Kathleen’s Undressed, The Accidental Enigma, Venus Rising, Sugar It’s Cold Outside (Cupid on the Loose Anthology). She will publish Tears in the Rain on April 15 (May the Fourth Anthology).

Amy Gettinger – Don’t Prank Me Now, Prank Me Later

What happens when your mischievous fledglings get old enough to assemble a car in the house? How do you get that Play-Doh smell out of your shoes once they’ve been filled with it? And can you revive a friendship that well-deserved anger has blocked for years? These are the questions Xenia Marcks deals with in this fun and pranky April Fool’s Day story.

Amy Gettinger lives in Orange County, California with her husband and her two piteous poodles under the shade of a very old eucalyptus windrow full of crows and wild parrots. When she’s not writing novels, she’s creating Reader’s Theater plays and coaching a local senior group to perform them, complete with feather boas and tiaras.

Engy Albasel Neville – Fool’s Luckhttp://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=blisbookprom-20&l=ur2&o=1

Amy McKinsey had everything going for her except for one small thing … a serious case of bad luck.
Amy had a great job at Glitz, a lifestyle and fashion magazine in Los Angeles. With a promising career in marketing, great friends and a fabulous wardrobe, it diverted attention from her being a magnet for mishaps.
Her job was on the right track until her new boss, Sarah, a beautiful and vicious young socialite with zero work experience arrived on the scene, determined to wreak havoc on the marketing department starting with Amy’s job.
Beaten down and disheartened by Sarah’s daily verbal assaults, Amy pursued her dream job at Condé Nast in NYC in hopes of a new beginning. Was it possible to leave her misfortunes behind?

Engy Albasel Neville is a working mom, a brand consultant professional with 15 years experience managing brand initiatives for fortune 500 companies, a certified yoga teacher and an aspiring amateur chef.
Her favorite hobbies include traveling, gardening, cooking and writing with the latter more of a calling than hobby. She’s also a self proclaimed bookworm.
Engy lives with her husband, two active toddlers and super hyper dog on Long Island, New York.

Connie Stephany – Fooled Around and Fell In Lovehttp://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=blisbookprom-20&l=ur2&o=1

Tom Parker had been prey to his mom’s April Fool’s pranks for as long as he could remember.  Getting back at her was long overdue and this was the year he’d make it happen.  With a little coaxing, he was able to convince his best friend, Colleen Toogood, to help him pull it off. All it would take was a fake engagement and his great-grandmother’s wedding ring.  What could possibly go wrong?

Connie Stephany is a self-published author, whose first book, Second Chances, was published in December of 2014. 
She has been reading romance novels her entire life, and decided to try her hand at writing one!  Although it took several years between writing her first book and publishing, her second book will be (hopefully) much faster to market and is plotting it out now.
Connie lives in Zimmerman, Minnesota with her husband of 15 years, 3 children who are 14, 13 and 8 and a dog named Millie.
Connie’s dream is to become a famous author one day, where she can write books people cannot wait to read.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Girl Before a Mirror - Review & Giveaway

Review by Meg Munson
An account executive in a Mad Men world, Anna Wyatt is at a crossroads. Recently divorced, she’s done a lot of emotional housecleaning, including a self-imposed dating sabbatical. But now that she’s turned forty, she’s struggling to figure out what her life needs. Brainstorming to win over an important new client, she discovers a self-help book—Be the Heroine, Find Your Hero—that offers her unexpected insights and leads her to a most unlikely place: a romance writers’ conference. If she can sign the Romance Cover Model of the Year Pageant winner for her campaign—and meet the author who has inspired her to take control of her life—she’ll win the account.

For Anna, taking control means taking chances, including getting to know Sasha, her pretty young colleague on the project, and indulging in a steamy elevator ride with Lincoln Mallory, a dashing financial consultant she meets in the hotel. When the conference ends, Anna and Lincoln must decide if their intense connection is strong enough to survive outside the romantic fantasy they’ve created. Yet Lincoln is only one of Anna’s dilemmas. Now that her campaign is off the ground, others in the office want to steal her success, and her alcoholic brother, Ferdie, is spiraling out of control.

To have the life she wants—to be happy without guilt, to be accepted for herself, to love and to be loved, to just be—she has to put herself first, accept her imperfections, embrace her passions, and finally be the heroine of her own story.

I have read all of Liza Palmer's books and I really enjoyed this story.   I found it hard to put down and couldn't wait to see how it all unfolded.  This is a great story about women and Anna's journey to self-discovery.  I loved Anna and her relationship with her assistant Sasha.  They provide a good balance for each other.   There is a lot going on in this book, but it is written so well and all comes together nicely.  This is a charming story with many laugh out loud moments.  One thing I enjoyed with this story was it was not predictable.  There were several moments I was surprised.  This is a great read and you will not be disappointed!

Purchase the book at:

About the Author:
Liza Palmer is the internationally bestselling author of Conversations with the Fat Girl, Seeing Me Naked, A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents, More Like Her and Nowhere But Home.  An Emmy nominated writer, she lives in Los Angeles, and is hard at work on her next novel and several film and television projects.

Connect with the author at:

2 lucky winners a print copy of
Girl Before A Mirror
US Only

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Wednesday, April 8, 2015

The Cinderella Princess - Interview & Giveaway

Blurb:
Thanks to a philandering father, ad exec Emily Rodgers knows happily ever after doesn’t exist. Relying on a man only leads to heartache. She takes care of herself, and work defines her life. But Emily soon finds herself in the hands of a real-life prince who defines the words charming and sexy. Not to mention reckless. If Prince Lucas doesn’t find a royal bride, Emily’s dream of being named a partner at the advertising firm will die.

Luc’s fun-loving ways have made him a magnet for scandal. His father gives Luc an ultimatum—find a wife on a reality TV show or be disowned. Rules require him to marry nobility, but after he meets the uptight American sent to find him find a princess bride, his search for Cinderella might be over. Too bad Emily wants nothing to do with him. Perhaps he can show her that fairytale endings can happen in real life…

Purchase the book at:

“12 Things About Melissa”

1.    I was born on the east coast, but moved to California when I was one. I’ve always considered myself a west coast girl and said I’d never live east of the Rockies. So far I haven’t! But I married a great guy from New York and we had the wedding on Long Island. When we were checking out reception sites, a couple of the people (men) we spoke with seemed more like mafia hit men than wedding coordinators. I’ll admit I was a little freaked out and realized this was going to be very different than getting married in San Francisco, where I lived at the time.

2.    Red is my favorite color. If you want to be more specific, cardinal red.

3.    I was a member of the LSJUMB (Stanford Marching Band) and on the field during “The Play” against Cal during the Big Game my freshman year. The football players ran right past me as I was trying to get off the field.

4.    My mom and sister claim that when I was dating my husband I told them that if he married me, I’d live in a tent. I don’t remember ever saying that. A cabin, yes. A yurt, maybe. But a tent? They have to be joking or revising our family history.

5.    I collect castles. I have all sorts on the shelves of my office, including a snow globe. When I was backpacking through Europe, I bought a poster at Neuschwanstein Castle. I also bought a tube. I carried that thing for weeks, but the poster made it home with me undamaged. I still have it!

6.    My senior year of high school, I read my first category romance, a Harlequin Romance, as part of an AP English assignment studying genre fiction. I put so much time into writing a back cover blurb for my story. Needless to say I was hooked on those books. A classmate and I talked about writing one together. We never did, but the seed of being a writer was planted. I read Harlequin, Silhouette and Loveswept romances all through college. They were my escape from engineering problem sets!

7.    Breakfast/brunch is my favorite meal to eat out.

8.    My first published piece was an essay in an airline inflight magazine. They held a contest for employees to submit articles. Mine was the second they published. I was so excited to see my name and picture in print for the first time!

9.    The Blacklist is my favorite and the only television show I watch. I only have time for one. Each season my son picks out a show for us to watch together. This year he picked Blacklist again. I’m so glad because I really love James Spader!

10.I foster senior cats for a local non-kill shelter. My family and friends call me a crazy cat lady. I’d have to agree and don’t mind at all. I’m a foster failure, too. We adopted one of our first fosters, Miss Mousie, after a group of romance and mystery authors helped me raise money for the rescue so the cat could have expensive surgery. Miss Mousie sits with me while I write. I call her my assistant and muse. I used her name in THE CINDERELLA PRINCESS for my heroine’s stuffed white cat. That’s why there’s one in the prize pack I’m giving away.

11.I love doing crafts, doesn’t matter what kind. It’s one reason I don’t do collages for my books. I’d just want to do that and not write!

12.I always wanted to be a princess and writing royalty-themed stories is an easy for me to do that outside of daydreaming. So far, I’ve fallen in love with Prince Richard, Prince Nico, Prince Alejandro and the latest one, Prince Luc! Not to mention princes in other authors’ works!

About the Author:
With a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, Melissa McClone worked for a major airline where she traveled the globe and met her husband. But analyzing jet engine performance couldn’t compete with her love of writing happily ever afters. Her first full-time writing endeavor was her first sale when she was pregnant with her first child! Since then, she has published over thirty romance novels with Harlequin and Tule Publishing Group. She’s also been nominated for Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award. When she isn’t writing, you can usually find her driving her minivan to/from her children’s swim practices and other activities. She also sends care packages to deployed service members and fosters cats through a local no-kill animal shelter. Melissa lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three school-aged children, two spoiled Norwegian Elkhounds and cats who think they rule the house. They do!

Connect with the author at:

Melissa is giving one lucky winner:
A SIGNED copy of The Honeymoon Suite
A white stuffed cat
Princess chocolate
Lollipop bouquet and swag
(bookmarks, pen, post-it pad)
Open INTERNATIONALLY!


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Tuesday, April 7, 2015

How To Lose a Groom in 10 Days & The Wedding Audition - Giveaway





How to Lose a Groom in 10 Days The Wedding Audition
Runaway Brides Series (#0.5 & #1.0)
By: Joanne Rock and Catherine Mann
Releasing April 7th, 2015
Tule Publishing


How to Lose a Groom in 10 Days

He thought their love was a grand slam, until his bride calls foul…

After an impulsive courthouse wedding with one of baseball’s rising stars, Melanie Webb wonders if she’s fallen victim to lust at first sight. She hardly knows Grady Hollis, the Atlanta outfielder who swooped into her Florida hometown and charmed the socks—and more!—right off her. She couldn’t resist when he proposed under the stars right on the outfield. But when the aftermath means moving to Atlanta and following him around the country for his eight-month a year travel schedule, she gets cold feet.

But Grady has never been a man to give up on a dream and Melanie is everything he ever hoped for in a woman. He knows if only he can persuade her to come along for the ride, he’ll convince her that their forever can be something special… with a love every bit as fiery as the passion.

Purchase the book at:

The Wedding Audition

The tabloids call her the Hit and Run Bride after reality show star Annamae Jessup walked out on Atlanta's favorite baseball player on cable television. Eager to escape her notoriety, Annamae takes a road trip to find the grandmother she’s never met and winds up discovering a whole lot more than a band of back woods relatives. There's no escape from reality TV, even in Beulah, Alabama, population 3000.

The last thing Wynn Rafferty needs in his new life is a spoiled television princess who can’t even know his real name. He’s in temporary witness protection as an apple farmer after his undercover work put his life in danger. He needs to lay low until the heat dies down from his last case— even if he sucks at growing apples as badly as he sucks at relationships. But Annamae turns his new town into a media circus, unwittingly threatening the lives of him, her and most of Beulah. Wynn is an expert at keeping the world at arm’s length, but when it comes to Annamae, the only way he can keep her safe is to keep her very, very close.

Purchase the book at:

Publisher:  http://tulepublishing.com/

Excerpt:  HOW TO LOSE A GROOM IN 10 DAYS
“Official?” Melanie squeaked, her voice a breathless rasp with panic and form-fitting shapewear squeezing the ever-loving life out of her.
“You make a better Mrs. Hollis than I could have ever hoped for.” Grady’s blue eyes went darker. Serious.
            Any other woman on the planet would have swooned at the declaration. She felt her throat close. Her skin itched like she might be getting hives. Had she really just married a man she’d known for the extent of one spring training season? Yesterday, she kept thinking he’d back out of it before they really said “I do.” She’d counted on it even, not packing up all her old apartment, certain he wasn’t really serious.
            How many pro ball players had she seen come and go from Kissimmee, flirting with the local girls for a few weeks before heading back to their real lives?
            “I--” She couldn’t breathe. Or think. Or even begin to imagine how she could carve out a life at his side when major leaguers lived on the road for the better part of eight months each year.
            Had she used this marriage and this great guy as a means to finally escape Kissimmee? Her troubled family that she hadn’t even invited to the wedding? She clutched her little bouquet of peonies tighter. They’d cost more than her dress, but Grady had surprised her with the flowers. Insisted.
            Guilt surged faster than Grady’s fans after a win.
            “You deserve much more,” she rasp-whispered, an underwire support jabbing her left breast like an accusing finger. “I’m so sorry.”
            He frowned. His hands lifted to cup her shoulders.
            “What are you talking about?”
            Wasn’t it obvious? One of baseball’s hottest rising stars had just eloped with a glorified temp worker who was so deep in a panic attack she couldn’t draw a full breath.
            Her eyes stung as she thought about all the ways she was about to hurt him. But wasn’t it better for him to find out now what a mess she was inside than later? The marriage could be annulled. Right?
            Behind them, the judge cleared his throat.
            “Your paperwork?” Craggy Face lifted the certificate off his desk and waved it meaningfully in their direction. “And tell the next couple they may step forward, please.”

            Melanie didn’t bother answering. As soon as Grady turned to retrieve the papers, she sprinted out of the Wedding Room as fast as her pink high heels would take her.

Author Info: Joanne Rock
Three-time RITA nominee Joanne Rock has never met a romance sub-genre she didn't like. The author of over seventy novels enjoys writing contemporary romance and medieval historicals alike, recently exploring Young Adult romance under a pseudonym. An optimist by nature and perpetual seeker of silver linings, Joanne finds romance–in all its forms-- fits her life outlook perfectly. When she's not writing, Joanne enjoys travel, especially to see her favorite sports teams play with her former sports editor husband and three athletic-minded sons.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Author Info: Catherine Mann
USA Today bestseller and RITA Award winning author Catherine Mann writes contemporary romance for Berkley, Harlequin, Sourcebooks and Tule. With over sixty books released in more than twenty countries, she has also celebrated six RITA finals, an RT Reviewer’s Award finalist, three Maggie Award of Excellence finals and a Bookseller’s Best win. Catherine and her flyboy husband live on the Florida coast where they brought up their 4 children – and still have 5 four-legged, furry “children” (aka pets).

Catherine is an active volunteer with an animal rescue, serving on their Board of Directors and fostering over 200 puppies, ill dogs, and dogs with service/working potential.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

US prize: 
For the Runaway Bride's Great Escape--
A heart-print tote, Scarf for going incognito, and cute dark sunglasses. 

INTL prize: 
A print copy of Catherine Mann's RESCUE ME and Joanne Rock's
NIGHTS UNDER THE TENNESSEE STARS.

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