Release Day Blitz: Saved By Time by Jennae Vale

The ninth book in the Thistle & Hive Series
 is finally available!! 

Saved By Time

(The Thistle Hive Series, Bk #9)

by Jennae Vale

Blurb:

Tina Carrera is looking for the love of her life and so she does what anyone else in her position would do. She calls on Edna Campbell of The Thistle & Hive Inn. Edna is more than happy to help her by sending her back in time to Breaghacraig where she promises Tina will find her man.

Donal McCabe isn’t interested in settling down. He likes his life exactly as it is. Unfortunately for him, fate has intervened and sent him a wee daughter he was unaware of. Responsibility isn’t something Donal is known for and he has no experience with being a father. He sees his carefree life crumbling before his eyes, but If he can find a willing woman to be his wife in name only, he just might be able to continue his womanizing ways. 

As luck would have it, a lass from the future arrives just in time to save him. The only problem is that he’s lied to her from the start and when she finds out the truth she wants nothing to do with him. Donal finds himself falling for her, but is it too late to keep her from returning to her own time.

Available for purchase at

Kindle | iTunes | Kobo | Nook

Excerpt 

He’d made a bad showing on the practice field this day. Marcas was angry with him and let him have it by putting every ounce of that anger into his sword and dirk. Luckily they weren’t battling to the death, because Donal was sure he’d be dead now. He apologized to him and to Tam and Jock, all of whom said they would back off on their interest in Tina if he was truly looking at her for more than just a roll in the hay. He assured them he was. Not that it mattered, he was sure she wouldn’t want anything to do with him now that she’d seen what an arse he could be. It had been a rough time since that night and he wasn’t proud of himself for what happened. He dropped his head to his chest as he made his way to the well where he poured a cool bucket of water over his head. He shook the water out of his hair and rubbed it from his face.

“Looks refreshing,” Tina said, from behind him.

The sound of her voice hit him in the gut. He turned slowly to see her smiling warmly at him. Saints be praised. It didn’t appear she was angry with him, but he’d better be sure of it. “Tina.”

“I’ve been looking for you,” she said.

“I didn’t think ye’d ever want to see me again.”

“I wasn’t sure I did.”

“Tina, I want to apologize for my behavior the other night. I was jealous that ye were laughing with Tam. What I did was wrong. Can ye forgive me?”

“I can, because you were man enough to admit you did something you shouldn’t have.”

Relief swept over him. He felt lighter than he had in two days. It welled up from inside of him.

“I do have one question for you, though.”

The hope disappeared. Maybe she’d forgiven him, but still didn’t want him. “Jock and Marcas told me that the only reason you were interested in me was so I could be a mother to Elena. Is that true?”

Damn it! He couldn’t believe they’d told her that. He plunked himself down on the edge of the well. Logan had told him to use his words. He was much better with a sword and dirk, but he was going to have to tell her something. Deciding that honesty was his best path forward, he took a deep breath and spoke to the ground at her feet.  “It was true.” He scanned her face for a reaction, but there was none, so he barreled on. “I thought ye’d be a good mother to her and I admit that at first that was my only interest.” He hurried to continue, willing her to believe him. “But as I’ve gotten to know ye, my heart has opened to ye. Ye are more than I deserve and everything I want.”

She didn’t say anything and that made him nervous, but after a moment she surprised him by moving closer. So close in fact that the heat of her body sent waves of her intoxicating scent wafting over him. He sat perfectly still, not wanting to do anything that might cause her to move away. She placed her hand on his chest. “My heart is yours,” she said before leaning in to kiss him.

Donal had never in all his years felt so unprepared. Her kiss was soft and sweet. He placed his hand on her waist and pulled her closer. Neither of them cared that they were in the middle of the courtyard where everyone could see them. It was as if they were alone in their own little world where the only thing that mattered was the tenderness they felt for each other.

Tina pulled back just enough to gaze into his eyes before leaning her forehead on his. “That was amazing,” she said.

“Aye,” was about all he could manage.

She glanced around and seemed to realize they weren’t alone. “I should go.”

“No. Please. Not yet.” He looked down at his kilt and Tina did the same.

“Oh!” she squealed. “I’ll stay right where I am, or maybe I should move back.”

“Right where ye are is fine, lass.” Having her so close was not going to help, but he needed to know she was real, that this was real. He would never have imagined his day would be this good.

“Okay. How’s Elena?” she asked.

“She’s with Doreen. She has been sleeping well, as I am sure ye know. I was going to get her now that I’m done.” He looked into her eyes and saw his future. She would be his.

“Looks like you’ve got a bruise on your cheek.” Her fingers gently touched his face.

He removed her hand. “That isnae helping,” he said.

“Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” She giggled at him and his heart took flight.

“Would ye like to come with me to get Elena?”

Thistle & Hive Series

Grab the full series here!

Also Available in Audiobooks!!

Available for purchase at Audible


Available for purchase at Audible

Available for purchase at Audible

Available for purchase at Audible

Now available in audio "A Turn In Time (book 5)" 

Available for purchase at Audible

About The Author

Jennae Vale is an author of romance with a touch of magic. Her Scottish Medieval time travel series The Thistle & Hive, Books One through Four, is available in print and ebook versions from Amazon. The first book in her new series, The Mackalls of Dunnet Head has been released, with more to come throughout 2016.

Jennae started life in Massachusetts as part of a large extended Irish and Italian family of imaginative story tellers, but now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, her dog, two cats and four chickens. Storytelling is her passion, but Jennae also loves to quilt, cook, read and indulge in her crafting obsession when she’s not writing.

You can find Jennae at 

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Presented By

Spotlight Tour and Giveaway: "Rules of Ascension" by Suzy Knight

Rules Of Ascension
By Suzy Knight

Blurb: 

As a child, Lady Elsabeth Durnfir dreamed of marrying a prince, but after seeing her elder sister’s personality make a complete 180 degree turn after her engagement to Crown Prince Henry of Estoria is announced, Elsabeth has traded in her childish hopes of a fairytale wedding for the equally unlikely hope of inheriting Durnfir Manor and the surrounding land.

Life at court is not something she is interested in, or good at, but in order to help prepare for her sister Alicia’s wedding, Elsabeth must live at court for an entire year. As well as trying to fit in at court while living up to her sister’s reputation, Elsabeth has a secret to keep. But, court is full of secrets that are all about to come to light.
How will Elsabeth survive court without destroying her family’s reputation—and how can she get Prince Frederick, the renowned rake, to stop teasing her?

Available for purchase at

   

Excerpt

The high table had never been so full. The king and queen sat in the center, as always, with Georgiana on the queen’s left and Henry on the king’s right. However, Alicia was in Frederick’s normal place at Henry’s side, leaving Frederick no choice but to sit between Elsabeth and Georgiana, not willing to subject one as innocent as Elsabeth to Georgiana’s stern gaze of disapproval.

Food was served within moments of him sitting down; the kitchen had pulled out all the stops tonight. Frederick watched as his plate became laden with thick cuts of roast beef; golden, crispy potatoes, and thick gravy. The servants knew his habits well, giving him only the smallest helping of greens but loading him with still-warm rolls of bread and the thickest of the beef slices they had.

Not long after Frederick demolished his first roll, the king called for a toast to the happy couple. This was a precedent that would set the theme for the evening, for every few minutes there was yet another toast. Frederick sipped at his wine, sometimes only pretending to drink, knowing the evening meal was going to be long the toasts were not likely to stop, and he hadn’t quite recovered his head from the night before. However, after the fourth or fifth toast, he noticed Elsabeth swaying a little in her chair as a servant dashed forward to refill her wine goblet. The flush in her cheeks confirmed his suspicions as another lord stood to toast the couple. The prince leaned in to Elsabeth and whispered in her ear. “Pace yourself, sip the wine or simply pretend to drink. If you get too drunk, you’ll fall out of your chair, and then what would Lissy say?”

Elsabeth hiccupped, her big blue eyes staring at him from under her dark, long lashes. Seeming to have to concentrate on her motions, she nodded and put the cup down, glaring at it suspiciously. A smile tugged at the prince’s lips as he watched her frowning at her cup as though the cup itself were to blame for her inebriation.

Georgiana leaned past Frederick to glower at the young woman. “Is she drunk?” she hissed, eyebrows knitted tightly with judgment. Frederick felt that same knot in his stomach that he had felt earlier when Elsabeth had floundered under the queen’s questioning. It was almost a protective feeling, which didn’t make sense, as he didn’t know her at all. Besides, I never go after innocents—I only ever pursue women who understand that I’m not promising anything.

Nonetheless, he turned in his chair and rested his chin on his hand, careful to position his elbow quite obviously on the table, blocking Georgiana’s view. His distraction worked. “Get your elbow off of the table at once! Are you a heathen?” Georgiana’s whisper could cleave wood, the tone was so sharp. With a flash, she hit Frederick’s elbow with the bottom of her fork, causing him to curse and rub at the offending body part.

“Jeez, Georgiana. Is there really a need to turn to violence?”

“It’s all you men seem to understand.” She sniffed and turned away, focusing on her own meal once more.

New to the castle, the servants played it safe by putting a little of everything on Elsabeth’s plate. But, Frederick noticed her request second helpings of everything except the gravy. If the way she gazed longingly at the steaming tureen was anything to go by, he suspected her refusal of the gravy was in accordance with her wish to lessen the chance of spilling on herself.

Frederick sighed and sat back in his chair, watching Elsabeth play with the food on her plate. He felt himself smiling again as he watched her keep dropping her potatoes, her coordination suffering greatly from the amount of alcohol she consumed. There was something endearing about her, but it’s not like he could bed his future sister-in-law to get her out of his system.

“Will you tell me something?” he asked, leaning forward to take her fork from her slack grip. She pouted at him, following the fork with her gaze.

“Sure,” she mumbled, watching as he speared a golden potato and waved it tauntingly before her.

“Why were you so floundered by my mother’s question? Surely there are things you enjoy doing?”

“Of course,” sighed Elsabeth, gaze still focused on the potato he held out. “But I promised Alicia I wouldn't tell about the embroidery and nothing else I do is very ladylike.”

“What do you mean by ‘not very ladylike’?” He fed her the potato and speared another.

“Well, I teach the village children to read, and in return they teach me dancing. Alicia says I shouldn’t dance like a commoner. I like to walk through the gardens while the dew is fresh, but it ruins my dresses. I don’t much care for fashion, but I like sewing.” She opened her mouth patiently, expecting a reward for her answer. He obliged, holding out the second potato. Spearing a third, he twirled it while he contemplated his next question.

“Why can’t you tell anyone about your embroidery? That’s a very ladylike hobby. You must have seen how much my mother enjoyed the piece Lady Alicia made.”

Elsabeth shook her head and wobbled slightly in the chair. “I have a secret. Lissy made me promise.”

“I won’t tell anyone, I promise,” he whispered, leaning closer and teasing her with the potato, touching it to her lips and pulling it away before she could bite. A swipe of her tongue across her lips almost made him forget why he was trying to get information.

With a moan, Elsabeth nodded. “Okay, but you can’t tell anyone! Lissy can’t sew at all, so I can’t tell anyone that I can, or they might notice that my work is identical to the work that Lissy claimed as her own.” With a triumphant grin, she leaned forward and snatched the bite of potato, chewing happily.

Frederick sat back in his chair, watching Elsabeth as she reclaimed her fork and enthusiastically attacked her vegetables. Why would Alicia lie about that? It’s not as though Henry would care if she were able to sew or not. Yet she made her sister promise to keep it a secret? Frederick didn’t think Elsabeth was lying, but it gave him something to think about. He knew how the court worked, a skill with embroidery got you close to the queen—could Alicia have planned it all in order to get herself close to Henry? He shook his head clear of such thoughts. Henry is cautious, and Georgiana is like a hawk. There’s no way anyone would be able to trick their way into the royal family.

He focused on Elsabeth once more, smiling as he watched her eating with such exuberance. She seemed completely at ease, now that her inhibitions had melted away. It was hard not to laugh at her disastrous attempts to feed herself, her coordination having suffered greatly, but he didn't think he could feed her again. Not if she was going to moan in pleasure with every bite.

When the meal was finished, it was time to dance. Queen Charlotte and King George followed Lady Alicia and Crown Prince Henry out onto the floor. Georgiana had disappeared again, which left Elsabeth with Frederick. He helped her out of her chair, trying not to let others notice how heavily she leaned on him. At least she isn't tripping over her dress anymore. The music started before they reached the floor, where the tables had been pushed aside to make a dancing area. Other couples joined the royal family, giving Frederick the chance to pull her in closer than was appropriate. Only because I need to be able to hold her upright, that’s all there is to it, he told himself, ignoring the curious glance Henry shot across the room.

Their fingers were entwined and his other hand rested on her lower back, his thumb gently rubbing small patterns. He was careful to move slowly and not to turn her too often, but he couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as he watched her bite her lip in concentration. “Are you doubting me again, Ellie?” he whispered, making her head snap up. She glared at him.

“My name is Elsabeth. And I've never once doubted you, so there.” She stuck her tongue out at him, and he struggled to quiet his laughter. He tugged her closer so her hips were pressed against his.

“I’m sorry, Elsabeth, I’m glad to be thought of so highly by such a discerning young lady.” She shivered and looked up, her eyelids fluttering with the effort to keep them open.

“Are you teasing me?” she said, her head tilted to one side like a curious puppy.

He smiled, his gaze locking with hers. “Never.”

About The Author

Suzy Knight is an average English girl, who after completing a degree in boring business management decided to travel halfway around the world to the land of kpop and kimchi to be a teacher.   Whilst in Korea, Suzy rediscovered her passion for writing and managed to write the novel Love and War in between working at her academy and volunteering with animal rescue. Two years later and she’s back in England with her rescued Korean puppy, Panda.   Now she is working on her next novels, while training Panda to be less nervous.  You can find Suzy at  

         

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Presented By

Spotlight Tour & Giveaway: Two Shades of Seduction by Monica Burns

Two Shades of Seduction Box Set

By 

Monica Burns

Available for purchase at 

          

Book Review (Guest Reviewer): Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
By Seth Grahame-Smith

Synopsis: 
When Abraham Lincoln was nine years old, his mother died from an ailment called the "milk sickness." Only later did he learn that his mother's deadly affliction was actually the work of a local vampire, seeking to collect on Abe's father's unfortunate debts.

When the truth became known to the young Abraham Lincoln, he wrote in his journal: henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become learned in all things—a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose."

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for reuniting the North with the South and abolishing slavery from our country, no one has ever understood his valiant fight for what it really was. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled uponThe Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time—all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War, and uncovering the massive role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

Goodreads

Available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Paul's Review:

I was very skeptical when I first saw the title of this book, and I dismissed it muttering something to myself along the lines of ‘What a crock!’

Book Review: Oh, Cherry Ripe by Claudy Conn

Oh, Cherry Ripe
By Claudy Conn

Synopsis:

Cherry Elton was beside herself! Her own mother had arranged a marriage for her to a man she had never even met. She had no choice but to run away.

Sky Westbrooke had no wish to marry, but his mischievous siblings sorely needed a firm maternal hand. Yet, how could he court his unseen bride, when into his employ had come the most remarkable, enchanting governess?

And Cherry, playing at being a governess was smitten by the handsome, cavalier Lord Westbrooke. His stolen kisses left her breathless—yet, he was betrothed to another. Whatever was a love struck governess to do?

Goodreads
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Nobles

Viviana's Review
This was the first book I've read from Author, Claudy Conn. It will definitely not be the last. The story developed at a nice pace and it was great, easy read. I started and couldn't put it down until I finished. There were moments with humor, others that were heartwarming and oh yeah, sexy ones too!!