Jill Shalvis's firemen - you can get them here!

Jill Shalvis has two Harlequin Blazes available - FLASHPOINT most likely isn't on shelves any longer, but is available for purchase at online booksellers. FLASHBACK is currently available in stores and online.
Both are great reads with plenty of Jill's humor, steamy passions and a touch of suspense and danger. I'm giving away the pair to one person here. All you have to do is post a comment and you're entered. Feel free to chat about Jill's books - do you have a favorite book? Maybe a favorite character, locale or scene?
I'll draw a name in the evening on August 5 (US/Canada addresses only, please) - if you send a friend over and they mention your name, I'll throw your name in an extra time for each friend doing the mentioning. If the winner already has one of these books and would like to decline that one in favor of another person winning it, that's just fine - I'll happily draw another name for that book.
It's almost Friday!!
Laurie

The winner of IN DANGER is -

SARITA!! Congratulations! It took shopping at four different WalMarts in three different counties before I finally found a copy - whew! Thanks to everyone to entered the contest! I'll be announcing another contest soon, maybe as early as tomorrow evening, so please stop back! Sarita, please contact me at ljodamron@gmail.com with your mailing info by Friday evening. You all know the drill - if I don't hear from Sarita by Friday evening, I'll pull a new name from the bowl!
I loved reading all of your comments about Alison's books. I've loved her work for a very long time now and hey, Caffey? Yes, the shower scene in THE SWEETEST TABOO definitely takes the cake as far as shower scenes go!
I hope everyone is having a great week!
Laurie

Anything for a buck

My youngest daughter has always been game to do (almost) anything for a dollar. From the time she was small, her sister would ask "Hey, Kelsey, I'll give you a dollar if you'll . . ." We enjoy antiquing and stop at almost every antique mall, shop, store, hole in the wall, you name it, that we see when we're traveling. Earlier this month we stopped at an antique store outside of Kent when we went to open Kelsey's bank account, stroll around campus and check out the downtown. Almost immediately, Lindsay is saying "Kelsey, I'll give you a dollar if you'll act like you're drinking from that giant milk carton." Did she do it? You betcha.

Put on a seagull mask? No problem.

Dress in Colonial garb and play the piccolo with her friend's dad for a day-long Giant Eagle/Samuel Adams beer July 4th fife/drum promo? Absolutely! Of course, this one paid 250 bucks, so she jumped at the chance.

So I'm curious - what would YOU do for a buck - or given inflation, five or ten bucks? Me? I'm not very adventuresome and won't do much of anything. Are you a daredevil? I'll admit that I'm a big fud and rarely step outside my comfort zone.

On another note - did anyone notice the links I've added down the side of my blog? It only took me a couple of years to figure out how to do it (doh) - I'm very pleased with myself but at the same time, embarrassed that I didn't figure it out sooner! I'll be adding more in the near future. The only downside is I lost my hit counter at the bottom and seeing how it was close to 19,000 hits, I hate to start over at zero - I'll most likely forego another counter. And I was so very proud of each and every one of those hits!

I hope everyone has a great week! Reviews and another contest coming soon - maybe even tomorrow!

Laurie

Alison Kent's IN DANGER - there's a contest!

Alison Kent has a new release, a re-release actually, IN DANGER - available now at your local WalMart. IN DANGER is a combination of THE SHAUGHNESSY ACCORD and THE SAMMS AGENDA, the second and third releases in the SMITHSON GROUP 5 series. Below are reviews I wrote as a reviewer for Sensual Romance Reviews when these two first released. Check them out and then read below for contest info.

The Shaughnessey Accord is Book 2 in Alison Kent's latest series about the spies extraordinaire of the Smithson Group.
Tripp Shaughnessey and the other SG-5 team members were secretly monitoring Glory Brighton's Spuds & Subs Sandwich Shop in an attempt to take down the Spectra agent who was, unbeknownst to Glory, running an illegal stone operation with Marian Diamonds, out of her shop. Glory was taking inventory in her storeroom, thinking how she would like nothing more than to have a little taste of Tripp, when he comes into the storeroom and acts on his own desires for Glory. Just as Tripp finds that his desires are matched by those of Glory, Spectra thugs come into her shop and take her customers hostage. Glory sees Tripp's true identity as he and his fellow SG team members, identities concealed, quickly and easily take down the bad guys and then just as quickly and easily disappear. After they had time to further explore their feelings, Tripp and Glory both knew that these feelings could not be ignored and they could not imagine being without one another.
This book has characters typical of Alison Kent. Tripp Shaughnessey is witty and charming, intelligent and daring, and humble enough to admit that he is a better man with Glory in his life. Glory is a real bright spot. She is kind and gentle, but has plenty of moxie when necessary. Together they are combustible. Each book in this series can stand alone, but I recommend reading in order for the fullest enjoyment. This book has my very highest recommendation.

"More action, intrigue, and love from the adventuresome Smithson Group."
Katrina Flurry was a beautiful woman, no denying it. That beauty attracted the attentions of Spectra's Peter Deacon who enjoyed having Katrina on his arm, a place she enjoyed being as it gave her the high society chatter she needed for her column, Cosmopolitan Arm Candy.
Since Deacon is sitting in prison after being taken down by Smithson Group's Christian Bane, keen interest in Katrina had been picked up by a Spectra hitman. Enter Julian Samms, also of Smithson Group, to keep Katrina alive. The two of them flee to a safe house to await word that the assassin is no longer a threat. Between the emotional rush of fleeing a ruthless killer and their mutual attraction to each other, it was inevitable that sex between these two would happen quickly and that it would be explosive. Katrina turns out to be much more than just a pretty piece of fluff as Julian had first thought. The killer eventually catches up with them, kidnapping Katrina, and Julian is forced to face emotions that he had long felt he was unworthy of because of a tragic incident in his past.
Alison Kent has quite a run going with the action and intrigue of the men from Smithson Group and, of course, the women who love them. The Samms Agenda is no exception. These adventuresome spies are a pleasure to read about, each and every one; I am sure the only disappointment will be that their stories aren't longer.

Ok, who's interested in a copy of IN DANGER? I see lots of hands going up! I'm going to run this one for a week - I'll draw a name on Tuesday, July 29 from everyone who posts here (US/Canada addresses only, please). I have to admit that I haven't been able to get my hands on a copy of IN DANGER yet. I've checked my local WalMart three times in the past week and have even gone to a neighboring county . . . in search of . . . and have come up empty handed. One way or another I will get a copy, hopefully by next Tuesday.

Have you read Alison Kent before? Do you have a favorite book? Maybe you're super excited about her future releases? Please tell us! Or if you prefer, just say you're interested in this one - either way, I'll enter your name in the draw!

Have a great day!

Laurie

The controversy virus

I'm sick. Sick of politics, politicians, campaigns, you name it. I hate political talk, always have, always will. I appreciate and respect our right to vote and have a say in who our leaders will be and I don't begrudge anyone else the right to discuss politics, but I won't do it - except maybe to bitch about the bombardment of advertising spots on television and the money that is being wasted to make that advertising happen.
The money that is spent on elections breaks my heart. I think of how many hungry children could be fed with those millions of dollars, needy families assisted, or how many elderly could fill their prescriptions with just a drop of it.
My biggest complaint about politics lies in the arguments, accusations, and the insults - I just hate it. Talking someone else down in an effort to make yourself look better doesn't work for me. I still believe in "If you can't say anything nice . . ." - Well, at least for the most part - I say my fair share of not nice things as Judy and Stacy can attest - they both know I'm going straight to hell, but strangely neither seems to have a problem with it. I think they both feel that I'll be in good company. lol
The least bit of controversy makes me very uncomfortable. The late Tim Russert was a political genius and I admired his incredible knowledge of the process and the players, but I couldn't watch his show - or any other program where discussions might become heated.
I will continue to research both candidates on my own and will make what I feel is an informed decision come November, but in the meantime I'll be watching much less CNN or FOX news. I know what you're thinking, that I should just get my balls out, put them on and get over it. I guess I feel that my political and religious beliefs are personal to me and I don't want to share my opinions on them.
What about you? Do you like the political process? Are you closely following the campaign? I'm not asking for personal opinions about candidates or issues, I'd rather not go there - I'm just curious as to how many of you enjoy politics and political discussions. I have a boss who lives and breathes politics - from our local government all the way to the top. He loves to research it, talk it, argue it - needless to say, I avoid him as much as possible!
Look for reviews and some great contests coming soon!
As always, thanks for stopping!
Laurie

Romancing the Blog - you're invited!

I'm the columnist today at Romancing the Blog - http://www.romancingtheblog.com/blog/ - if you have an opportunity, please stop by - I'd love to know your thoughts!

Have a great weekend! Keep an eye out for upcoming reviews for Nicole Jordan and Sasha White's upcoming My Prerogative!

Laurie

Happy Birthday to me!

It's official, I'm older than dirt. My birthdayometer rolls over to 49 today. Pretty incredible as I definitely don't feel that old and I don't think I act that old. Most days, that is. Some days I feel older than my mother. Tim has to work tonight, but the girls and my mom and I are going to Chipotle for dinner and then to the ice cream shop after for a treat.
I plan to have more contests going up very soon, so please stop back for those. My next review will be for the third book (Seducing a Bride) in Nicole Jordan's latest series. In the meantime, I thought I'd share some birthday wisdom from the incredible Maya Angelo.
Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday. Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older. And, there on television, she said it was "exciting." Regarding body changes, she said there were many, occurring every day...like her breasts. They seem to be in a race to see which will reach her waist, first. The audience laughed so hard they cried. She is such a simple and honest woman, with so much wisdom in her words!
Maya Angelou said:
"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."
"I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights."
"I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life."
"I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as "making a life."
"I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance."
"I've learned that you shouldn't! go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back."
"I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision."
"I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one."
"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."
"I've learned that I still have a lot to learn."
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Have a great day!
Laurie

RESCUE ME Winner

The winner of RESCUE ME is Cheryl S. Yay, Cheryl! Please email me at ljodamron@gmail.com with your mailing info by Tuesday. If I don't hear from Cheryl by Tuesday evening, I'll draw another name.
Thanks to all who entered!
What is everyone doing this weekend? We're going to a much-anticipated exhibit at The Ohio Historical Society in Columbus tomorrrow - Capture the Moment: Pulitzer Prize Photographs. We've looked forward to this for weeks and were excited to learn that they have another exhibit also showing now titled It Happened in Ohio: The Kent State Shootings. With Kelsey heading off to Kent State next month (sniff), this should be especially interesting.
Have a great weekend!
Laurie

THE DOCTOR'S DECEPTION by Kathleen Grieve

Kathleen Grieve has a new release, her very first, available now from The Wild Rose Press. THE DOCTOR'S DECEPTION is a medical romance and who better to write a medical romance than an R.N.? I hope you'll check out the blurb, excerpt and review below - this isn't the last we'll be seeing of Kathleen Grieve!!

Heart Surgeon Stone Lassiter has successfully transplanted beating hearts. It's his own that is causing him the most agony. With a death bed promise to his fiancée, he's driven to open a transplant center in her hometown, and arrives at Deerborne County General Hospital. Single minded in his focus, he inadvertently alienates the nursing staff he needs to make his dream a success. He sets his stethoscope on intensive care nurse, Faith Daniels, to improve his image.
Nurse of the Year, Faith Daniels has passed every nursing exam, but when faced with the task of the MCAT, she has severe test anxiety. Burned by her ex-husband, who used her while she put him through law school, she has become focused on passing that darn exam, and achieving her own dream to become a doctor in her own right.
Will the white lie Stone tells Faith jeopardize the love they find?

Check out an excerpt here - you'll be tempted, I promise!

My Romance Junkies review:

When you put together a strikingly beautiful nurse with trust issues thanks to a cheating, no-good ex-husband, and a gorgeous doctor with a guilt-ridden past and a single-minded goal for the future, how could there not be an abundance of emotion? Readers get this (and more!) in Kathleen Grieve’s THE DOCTOR’S DECEPTION.

Faith Daniels has bounced back from an ugly, insulting divorce, keeping busy as a much-loved nurse; even earning the distinction of Nurse of the Year at Deerborne General Hospital. When she repeatedly draws the short straw amongst the nurses, forcing her to work with the impossibly difficult heart surgeon, Dr. Stone Lassiter, she thinks she’s simply unlucky. Stone is known as being cold, angry and downright nasty and working alongside him is just plain torture, regardless of how gorgeously masculine he is. Faith’s biggest dream is to someday be a doctor herself, but she’s been unable to pass the MCAT, freezing up every time she’s made the attempt. Stone offers to help Faith overcome her anxiety issues in exchange for her attending a hospital charity ball as his date; she decides to take him up on his offer. The last thing in the world that she would have expected is an undeniable, unstoppable attraction between her and Stone. When a misunderstanding makes it appear that Stone has deceived her, just as her ex-husband had, her pain is crushing.
Dr. Stone Lassiter doesn’t realize how much the nurses in his department dread working with him. When a colleague tells him that the transplant center that’s been Stone’s dream since losing his fiancée to heart disease years before is in jeopardy because of repeated complaints about him, he knows he has to do some serious damage control. He’s certain that being seen with Faith will go far in patching up his tattered reputation. What Stone doesn’t expect is to fall completely for the sweetly wonderful Faith. Just when he begins to put the pain and heartache of the past behind him and he’s happily thinking of a future with Faith, a misunderstanding with devastating consequences rips his plans to shreds.
I personally feel that Kathleen Grieve has a real winner with her first release. This book has everything a romance reader could possibly want with realistic characters who aren’t syrupy sweet or too good to be true, and emotions that in one way or another have been experienced by each and every one of us at some point in our lives. Faith is a strong heroine, despite past heartaches inflicted by her ex-husband. She’s beautiful, motivated and bright, and driven to succeed. Stone is well-respected for his abilities as a heart surgeon, but past promises have made him oblivious to everything but overwhelming guilt over the death of his fiancée years before. THE DOCTOR’S DECEPTION definitely does not read like a first book and I look forward to many future releases from Ms. Grieve. If you enjoy great romance with a medical setting, steamy passion, and a tortured hero that you’ll find yourself rooting for, I highly recommend THE DOCTOR’S DECEPTION.

Click here to go to The Wild Rose Press for purchasing information.

Kathleen will be guest blogging here in the near future - watch for details coming soon!
Thank you, Kathleen, for the opportunity to read and review THE DOCTOR'S DECEPTION for Romance Junkies - and thanks, everyone, for stopping by to check it out!
Laurie

RESCUE ME - An anthology of steamy romantic suspense

I read a great book over the weekend - RESCUE ME - a three author anthology from Cherry Adair, Lora Leigh and Cindy Gerard. I'm not taking time to put up snazzy links with their websites, but have provided them below - I suggest checking them out, although I'm not finding Cherry Adair's to be very current. I hope that means that she's hard at work on another book!

http://www.t-flac.com/

http://www.loraleigh.com/

http://www.cindygerard.com/index_home.php

My favorite romance genre of all is suspense, and these three authors are some of the very best at writing romantic suspense. While Lora Leigh's story is (IMO) the most sensual of the three, I found it very similar to one of her previous releases, Hidden Agendas.

I highly enjoyed this anthology and give it a very strong recommendation.

I've decided to give away my copy of RESCUE ME. Yes, it's been read, but it looks "almost" new. If you're interested, just leave a comment here - I'll let this one run a while - until Friday evening. As usual, US/Canada addresses only, please.

Another good book I finished this weekend is by new author Kathleen Grieve, titled THE DOCTOR'S DECEPTION, a medical romance from The Wild Rose Press. Kathleen is going to be a guest blogger here soon, so be on the look out for that.

Have a great week!

Laurie

LuAnn McLane's winner . . .

is Flip! Congratulations, Flip! Thanks to everyone who entered! Flip, please email me at ljodamron@gmail.com with your mailing info - I'll forward it to LuAnn and your book will come directly from her. If I don't hear from Flip by Wednesday evening, I'll announce a new winner.

Thanks everyone for your great comments - I hope you'll all grab a copy of A LITTLE LESS TALK AND A LOT MORE ACTION - it is great fun. If you're one of the few who hasn't read LuAnn's work, do yourself a favor and get some of her books!

Most of all, thank you LuAnn, for generosly offering a prize to the readers here!

I hope everyone has a terrific week!

Laurie

NO ONE WANTS TO WIN? I'VE DRAWN NEW NAMES - AGAIN!

I can't believe that I'm having such a difficult time giving books away here lately. Maybe I'm not making it clear that I do not track down those who win something here to get mailing information - it's up to the winner to check back and see if they're a winner. If I happen to already have the mailing info, I'll go ahead and send the prize. If not, the winner needs to contact me.

New winners:

Kay Stockham's autographed copy of HIS SON'S TEACHER - Tee!

Lisa Renee Jones' three-book prize pack - Arkiern!

I have a mailing address for Tee and will be sending her book out, but I need Arkiern to email me with her mailing info at ljodamron@gmail.com - by Tuesday, please.

Have a great weekend, everyone - and don't forget about LuAnn McLane's contest - scan down a bit for details!

Laurie

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

I'd like to wish all of my American friends a very happy Fourth of July! To my Canadian friends, a belated happy Canada Day! Does anyone have anything special planned? We're going to my cousin's house for a cookout Friday evening and then might go watch our city's fireworks. Most likely my cousin's husband will have some good fireworks since he travels the country for his business - they live in the country, so it won't disturb neighbors if we make some noise! I'll be baking a honey bun cake, always a huge hit. Our city is having its parade on Saturday afternoon because all surrounding communities are having theirs tomorrow and they want them to be able to participate as well. This parade is being touted as the biggest parade in our city's history, so it should be a good one. I love seeing the bands (this will be Kelsey's first year in a long time to be a spectator since she's not marching), the kids on their decorated bikes, the fire trucks, the veterans in convertibles and the baton twirling groups! When I was in elementary school I was a twirler - man did I ever feel special when we marched in parades!
Let us know what you're doing to celebrate. Do you have any fun traditions?
Have fun, but please be careful if you're out on the road.
Laurie
xo

LuAnn McLane's latest - A LITTLE LESS TALK AND A LOT MORE ACTION - and there's a prize!

LuAnn McLane has a new release, A LITTLE LESS TALK AND A LOT MORE ACTION - with a title like that, how could it be anything but great fun? I love LuAnn's writing style and her first person writing, including A LITTLE LESS TALK, is second to none.

Here's a great excerpt to tease and tempt!

My review:
When Macy McCoy watches her best friend Jamie Lee get married, she feels as though life is passing her by. She's been in love with Jamie Lee's brother Luke for years, but he's a well-known former football player, definitely playing in a different league than Macy. Or so she thinks. When a hair emergency brings a famous country singer into the small salon where Macy and Jamie Lee are stylists, Macy's boring life does a complete turnaround and suddenly she's rubbing elbows with Nashville singers and songwriters. She even lands herself a spot on a reality cooking show. The only thing missing in Macy's life is the one thing that she wants the most - Luke.
Luke Carter has admired his sister's best friend for quite a while, especially after spending a significant amount of time with her while helping with his sister's wedding preparations. Having turned to coaching football after a career-ending injury, Luke decides to focus on coaching job prospects while giving Macy room to explore her newfound life changes. It's not easy to keep his hands off Macy and while she might think he prefers tall, thin model-types, he finds Macy's less-than-statuesque curves the hottest thing around.
LuAnn has another successful romantic comedy on her hands with A LITTLE LESS TALK AND A LOT MORE ACTION, that's for certain! I've found that sometimes in first person writing, the male POV gets lost. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to make first person writing work by successfully covering all of the bases, but LuAnn does it flawlessly. This book has fun at every turn - characters that are devoted to one another while not taking themselves too seriously, lighthearted fun, and enough country music references and information about Nashville hotspots to fill a travel brochure. While it does offer an abundance of laughs and charm, it doesn't skimp on the romance or passion, and secondary romances are a great bonus for readers. Don't miss this fun read - it's perfect for the pool, the beach, or wherever you might be spending time this summer!

I'll make it easy for you to get your hands on your own copy - here's a quick link to Amazon, so if you can't get to the bookstore, scoot right over and snag your own copy - remember how important those first week sales are to authors!
LuAnn, I can't thank you enough for allowing me to do this review for you! Luke and Macy are absolutely adorable and their story is fun and charming - the most fun I've had reading for a long time!
Thanks everyone for checking out LuAnn's book!
Now for the prize - LuAnn has put up for grabs a copy of TRICK MY TRUCK BUT DON'T MESS WITH MY HEART - woohoo! I'll draw a winner from everyone who posts here (US/Canada addresses only, please) on Sunday, July 6th - please remember that it's up to you to check back to see if you're a winner! Thanks, LuAnn!
Laurie