Monday, January 25, 2016

The Cinderella Princess by Melissa McClone






Will Cinderella make it to the ball? She did in the fairy tale, but in these fresh takes on the original, just about anything can happen—and usually does. Fifteen romance authors have served up delicious samples of their Cinderella-themed stories, along with a feast of tasty treats and glitzy party ideas. Tap into your inner princess and indulge in excerpts sparkling with dream-come-true romance, nail-biting suspense, haunting magic, bubbly chick lit humor and tear-jerking heartaches.

After sampling our tasty morsels, you’ll find a treasure-trove of recipes and ideas to inspire your next party. Let the Glass Slipper Sisters style your regal table to perfection, thanks to the gorgeous, but quick and inexpensive adornments and easy-to-prepare scrumptious delights. You’ll even find a few party games that can be adapted for your royal guests whatever their age. Excerpts from the following books are included within the pages.

Cinder the Fae by Rebekah R. Ganiere
Cinderella Had it Easy by Jennifer Connor
The Cinderella Princess by Melissa McClone
The Cinderella Series ~ the collection by Kae Elle Wheeler
Cinderella's Enchanted Night by Amber Daulton
Fairy Tale Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories by Lisa Scott
Fooling around with Cinderella by Stacy Juba
Home Sweet Texas Home by Caroline Clemmons
Nobody's Cinderella by Joan Reeves
Pumpkin: A CinderMama Story by Ines Johnson
Savage Cinderella by P. J. Sharon
Second Chance Cinderella by Sharon Kleve
Spellbound Cinderella by Angela Ford
The Thin Person Inside by Rochelle Weber
Wishful Thinking by Lynette Sofras

You can get The Cinderella Treasure Trove for free at the following venues:

BN:         http://tinyurl.com/cttriwbn

We call ourselves the #GlassSlipperSisters, and for the next few weeks, I plan to host each of my fellow Glass Slipper Sisters, and highlight her book. This week, I’d like to showcase The Cinderella Princess by Melissa McClone.

The Plot:

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…

Bio:

USA Today bestselling author, Melissa McClone has published over thirty novels with Harlequin and Tule Publishing Group and been nominated for Romance Writers of America's RITA® award. With a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, Melissa 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! When she isn't writing, you can usually find her driving her minivan to/from her children's swim practices and other activities. Melissa lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three school-aged children, two spoiled Norwegian Elkhounds, two goldfish, and a few cats who think they rule the house. Because they do!

Buy Links:
Amazon:
Barnes and Noble:

Sunday, January 17, 2016

The Cats Of Cullaby Creek by Kimbra Kasch




Think The Animorphs” Grown Up

TAG LINE:

Love is in the air, something else is in the water

THE PLOT:

When Savannah meets Kyle, its love at first sight. And why wouldn't it be? He's perfect, as far as she can tell. But when she starts finding dead animals in her yard and hears something scratching at her window at night, she starts to worry. What’s worse? Kyle appears whenever things go wrong. Maybe he isn't everything she thought he was—maybe he's something more. It's a complete mystery until she discovers the water in Cullaby Creek is being bottled and sold as vitamin “infused” water. Mistic Water promises the impossible. And then, like a magical elixir, it delivers. People who drink it feel younger, smarter, faster...healthier. But it doesn’t take long before side effects hit. Everyone begins to change or “tate”. Some are becoming dangerous animals. Literally. And the secret to what they are tating into has to be in the water…or is it something more?

BIO:

I grew up in a family with 9 kids and grandma living in the back bedroom. Not surprising that I have a few stories to tell, especially since we only had one TV.

I spent my days reading and, later, trying to create another world where I could escape all those brothers and sisters—and grandma—by writing. Maybe that's why I love books so much. Well, that and the fact that I was near the end of that long sibling-chain and never had the clout to pick the TV shows we watched. But I'd run home after school to catch the last fifteen minutes of Barnabus Collins in Dark Shadows...

I still love to run or maybe I should say, I love to wog (a cross between walking and jogging).

Here in Portlandia, I love Halloween-themed runs—where people don costumes and run. It's a lot of fun...and I know those two words don't always go together: fun...and...run. But here, in the damp days of fall, it is. And, with all those Halloween-themed runs, I guess Dark Shadows had more of an influence than some people might think. Even today my favorite author is Stephen King. My all-time favorite book is Salem's Lot.

My favorite romance novels are The Hunger Games...okay, I know, it's really a survival book but isn't that what every romance novel is about—surviving the aftermath of everyday life and still having enough emotion left in your relationship, at the end of the day, to feel romantic? Then there were the romance series: Twilight, Fifty Shades, and more but I also love paranormal, horror and even light books like Dewey the Small Town Library Cat. Mainly, I just love to read…and write.

I've just had my first novel published and am looking to share it with the world. It's a story I was inspired to write after visiting Hamlet's Castle and seeing an enormous Viking statue down in the tunnels next to the dungeons.

Sorry to be so long-winded but did I say I love to write, and talk, and knit, and sew, and bake... I could go on but I'll stop by saying, I hope you'll stop by my blog, send me a tweet, or check out my Facebook page. I'll be sharing news about new books over there.

Thanks for listening and, hopefully, reading ;D

EXCERPT:

Kelly and Kyle

These two shared some sort of history. And now I was in the middle of their story.

Sparks flew through the air. But, they didn’t seem to notice—or maybe they just didn’t care how uncomfortable they were making the rest of us.

I scanned the room. The terribly odd thing was that while they stood in the center of the cafeteria—arguing—everyone’s eyes were on me.

What is so interesting about me?

After a few seconds, I heard whispered accusations slammed back and forth, like a ping-pong ball. My name, muttered in odd and angry tones. No one seemed to mind staring at me, but only the bravest few were sneaking sideways glances over at Kelly and Kyle, hoping no one noticed.

This wasn’t what I needed on my first day at a new school. I hadn’t come here looking for instant enemies, but I knew I’d accidentally stirred a private pot and things were already starting to boil.

I needed to do something and quick. From the sounds floating around me, if they got into an actual argument, I was going to get the blame.

I spit out the first words I could think to say, “What’s a new kid to do, after school, around here… for fun?”

Kyle sighed and chuckled, “That depends on what you’re hoping to find and what you think is fun.” He stepped back away from Kelly for a moment. “You big city kids always think something needs to be going on. But in real life, in a small town, not much ever happens.”

“We could ask my Mom to drive us into Astoria to do some shopping,” I suggested. It was a little too obvious—even to me—Kelly wanted me out of the picture and was trying everything she could think of to keep me away from Kyle. I almost felt sorry for her—but only for a second.

“Or,” Kyle sat down and nodded for me to join him. I could feel a warm rush of air and his scent worked its way up inside my head. I barely heard him finish, “We could go for a run.”

“What?” Kelly demanded, clenching her hands into tight-balled fists at her side.

“Savannah,” Kyle lowered his voice and said my name slow, putting an emphasis on the last syllable, like it was a soft sigh, ‘ah’. And, for the first time in my life, I loved the sound of my own name. “Is a runner. And she’s fast. Aren’t ‘cha?” He nudged me and moved even closer. I could barely think. His smell overpowered my senses; it was the sweet woodsy scent of him that took me by surprise. I closed my eyes and drank it in.

When I opened them back up, Kelly’s eyes were shooting red flames of rage straight at me.

I gazed at Kyle and felt a warmth in my stomach again. It was working its way up into my chest. “That’s not what you said this morning,” I laughed then spun away.

“You two went running this morning?” Her voice came out in a squeak that broke into a high-pitched screech, like fingernails on a chalkboard.

“Yeah,” Kyle said casually, then back to me he added, “And, I’d like to see how fast you are.”

I wondered if everything he said was going to have a double meaning but I wasn’t ready to question his motives. He was my only real friend in this place, and it looked like I was going to need a few because I was making more than a few enemies, without even trying.

“I could use the exercise,” I nodded, looking around the table at the other kids’ faces and wondering why no one else had said a single word. “Plus, you could show me around the town.”

“No problem,” Kyle agreed, and I couldn’t help looking forward to it, even though I knew Kelly wasn’t going to be happy about my running off with Kyle. “But I only think it’s fair to warn you, there’s not much to see—so don’t get your hopes set too high.”

“Great—I mean about the exercise,” I smiled, and without even thinking how it might sound, I added, “Then it’s a date.”

Kelly only heard one word and it was like I’d pulled back a rubber band—hard—and snapped it against her forehead.

She wailed like a wounded animal, “Agghhh!” and spun around on her heels, stomping out of the room.

Kyle shrugged and started to walk toward the exit, then he twisted around to call out, “I’ll meet you out by the flag post after seventh period.” His lips curled softly, throwing me a quick backwards nod, “And, remember, it’s a date.” The last thing I saw was his warm, sensual grin, as he glanced around the room before he gave me an exaggerated wink—meant more for everyone else to see than for me, and then he disappeared out into the hall.

I wished he would have used a different word because he didn’t need to rub it in.

I shrugged. Who cares? I told myself, he’s been the nicest person in the entire school. If it weren’t for Kyle, I wouldn’t want to ever come back to Mist High.

The rest of the day dragged on and on. All I wanted was to see Kyle again, with his sleek body and powerful frame. But what I found fascinating was the casual way he had about himself. He said whatever he wanted, while I worried about everything I said, how it would be taken, and what people would think of me.

Somehow, Kyle was working his way into my system, like a powerful drug. And I was beginning to feel addicted. I couldn’t wait for our meeting out by the flag post.

Finally, after what seemed like absolutely for…ev…er, the bell rang.

I rushed out of class, down the hall, and out the front doors of the school to meet up with Kyle.

But as I got closer, my spine tingled. Something was wrong. I could feel it. Then I knew why.

Kyle wasn’t standing underneath the flagpole; someone else was there, waiting for me.

“Kelly,” I muttered under my breath.

She stood beneath the red, white, and blue banner with an enormous grin carved into her face, like a giant jack-o-lantern beaming up at me. But this look was way more sinister and gloating. My knees suddenly felt weak and my throat went dry.

This girl just kept surprising me.

RELEASE DATE: January 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-62135-483-3

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