Sep 8, 2013

Sunday Smooch with Anna Campbell!

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!

Today we have a smooch from  Anna Campbell, but first ...

the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is -- Kaelee!


Kaelee, can you please contact Barbara - barbnelliot (at) bigpond (dot) com com to receive your copy of Miracle At Bellaroo Creek


And now for today's Sunday Smooch from Anna Campbell's A Rake's Midnight Kiss

It Takes a Lady…

Brilliant scholar Genevieve Barrett knows how to keep a secret. Her identity as the author of her father's academic articles has always been her greatest deception-until a charming housebreaker tries to steal the mysterious Harmsworth Jewel from her. She doesn't reveal that she recognizes her father's devastatingly handsome new student as the thief himself. For Genevieve, this will be the most seductive secret of all...

..To Catch a Thief!

Sir Richard Harmsworth has been living a lie, maintaining a rakish facade to show society that he doesn't care about his status as a bastard. Yet long haunted by his unknown father's identity, Richard believes the Harmsworth Jewel will confirm his claim as the rightful heir. But when Richard sets out to seduce the bookworm who possesses the stone, he instead falls for its beautiful owner. But even as she steals Richard's heart, Genevieve will be in greater danger than her coveted treasure...

Scene set-up:

When innocent vicar's daughter Genevieve Barrett chances a midnight swim on the Duke of Sedgemoor's estate, she gets more than she bargained for when rakish Christopher Evans (aka Sir Richard Harmsworth) discovers her.

Kiss Scene:

Genevieve remained motionless as Mr. Evans’s mouth skimmed hers. The brief contact set her lips tingling. In the second between that kiss and the next, her head swam with a multitude of impressions. His height, his heat, the constrained power in his arms. The satiny texture of his lips. His clean, masculine scent.

He kissed her with a purpose and fervor that curled her toes against the grass and turned her knees to water. Lost, dazed, she hooked one hand around Mr. Evans’s shoulder to keep her balance. That first tentative kiss had provided little hint of what was to come. Her girlish imaginings even less. This was like a whirlwind.


Behind closed eyes, the darkness was blacker than a starless night. Hot darkness. Beckoning darkness. Her hand clenched in his shirt, over his frantic heartbeat. She whimpered with longing against his lips.


He gave another of those low growls that reverberated not just in her ears but in her bones and slid his tongue between her lips. She tensed with surprise and tried to withdraw.


“Open for me, Genevieve,” he whispered, brushing kisses across her nose and cheeks and forehead. It was the way one kissed a child, except that his determination mocked innocence.


“We’ve kissed now,” she stammered, hardly aware what she said. “You can let me go.”


“Devil take that for an idea.” He cradled her face between his strong palms. “That wasn’t a kiss.”


“It felt like a kiss.” She struggled to sound resolute, but only managed breathless and bedazzled. She could hardly blame Mr. Evans for responding with wry amusement.


“How would you know, my sweet little lamb?”


He kissed her again. This time his tongue’s invasion didn’t seem so alien. A thrill coursed through her, tightening her breasts and settling heavily between her legs. She shifted to relieve the building pressure.


The sensation wasn’t uncomfortable. It was just…odd.


A kiss was astonishingly intimate. Her mind might insist that Mr. Evans meant trouble, but close to his big, strong body, she felt safe. Safe, yet brave and verging on some marvelous discovery. It was like entering a hitherto forbidden section of the library.


She should be frightened, but she wasn’t. His touch was inexplicably familiar, as though he’d touched her before. As though she belonged in his arms. As though she’d waited all her life for this man to set his lips to hers.


By offering her mouth, she surrendered something of her soul. The experience was overwhelming, too complex to analyze. Instead she drifted into velvety pleasure where his lips lured her with what even a novice recognized as breathtaking expertise.


Tentatively she moved her tongue, copying him. This time Mr. Evans’s growl expressed satisfaction. What remarkable communication he achieved without words.


Encouraged, she slid her tongue over his, then more daringly, she slipped it between his lips, tasting him as he tasted her. At first the activity had seemed outlandish. No longer.




Anna's book was released in Australia and New Zealand and North America in August and can be purchased on these links:




For a chance to win a copy of Anna's book:  
This kiss in the moonlight introduces Genevieve to a world of forbidden pleasure. I think we have our guilty little pleasures. What’s yours? Mine has to be Smith’s Barbecue Chips. Yum! Confess and you might win a signed copy of A RAKE’S MIDNIGHT KISS!



Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced -- and a smooch from Patchwork Family in the Outback by Soraya Lane will be posted!



Smooch Graphic by WebWeaver

64 comments:

  1. Well it's still Saturday afternoon here and I'm going to be going to be making salads for a family picnic tomorrow and fanning myself. That was a hot smooch. Good thing it's raining as well. Thanks Anna.

    Great Cover! Great Smooch! Great Picture of Anna and Sharon!

    Thanks Barbara for picking my name.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kaelee! Thanks for swinging by to say hello and good luck in the draw. So glad you enjoyed the smooch.

      Delete
    2. Hey, Kaelee! it's a fab Smooch, isn't it! I'm glad you like the pic of Anna and me - it's one of my faves!

      Delete
  2. Hi Anna and Sharon

    I could read that over and over again wow what a smooch I so lived this book MS Campbell has never dissappointed me with one of her stories they always take me on wonderful sensual journeys :)

    My guilty pleasure would have to be Tim Tams LOL always need some in the pantry they go so great with reading a good book :)

    Have Fun
    Helen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Helen, I just don't believe you - you're NEVER guilty about eating Tim Tams! ;-) Thank you for saying you enjoyed the smooch. It's always one of my favourite scenes to write.

      Delete
    2. Tim Tams sound like the perfect accompaniment to a decadent reading session, Helen!

      Delete
  3. Ooh, la, la! That was some kiss. You've done it again, Anna. He's such a rogue, this hero of yours. I hope other readers enjoy this book as much as Helen and I did!

    Sharon, what a fabulous photo of you and Anna. You both look so happy and you can almost feel the Aussie summer heat there. Obviously you're having a ball.

    Guilty pleasures - hm, how to choose one? I must say I do love the utter decadence of those evenings (rare but precious) when I get to enjoy a long soak in the bath with a good book while someone else cooks dinner!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Annie, that whole relaxation thing has become such a guilty pleasure, hasn't it? And it really shouldn't - we all need some downtime to stay sane. Thanks for saying you like the photo! And the kiss! Yes, Richard was huge fun to write!

      Delete
    2. Annie, I do like your three-pronged approach to decadence! A book, a bath AND someone to cook dinner!

      Delete
  4. Sleeping in. Since hitting menopause, I usually get 5-6 hrs of sleep, and my body needs 7-7.5.
    Yesterday I was exhausted while making supper, but then pushed myself to attend a local bar to support good friends performing in the band there at 8 pm. Hit the sack at 2 am and didn't get up till after 11 when the phone rang this morning. Pure decadence.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laney, I hear you on the lack of sleep. Man, it plays with our head, doesn't it? Oh, love the sound of your sleep-in!

      Delete
    2. Me, too, on the sleep thing! Wakefulness in the wee small hours makes for a long long day the next day. After a patch of insomnia, a really good sleep does feel like the ultimate indulgence!

      Delete
  5. You know, I think I'm going to like meeting this Mr Evans of yours! Glorious smooch, Anna!

    Guilty little pleasures? Well, last night I ate too many salt and vinegar chips while watching a sigh-worthy movie. Part of me wants to sneak off today and repeat the experience but so far my will power has held. So far...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh, chips and a movie? Nothing better. Although by choice I'd got for barbecue over salt and vinegar. I am a slayer when it comes to barbecue chips! Thanks for saying you enjoyed the smooch!

      Delete
    2. Yum on the chips, Rachel - but I like mine plain... mmm, might be time for a little snack...

      Delete
    3. So next time the three of us are together, chips will be on the menu, but we have to make sure we have plain, BBQ and salt & vinegar. ;)

      Delete
    4. This is kinda funny, like we're picky Regency spinsters or something! And the nice thing about you girls NOT liking barbecue chips is that it means all the more for MEEEEE!

      Delete
  6. Sorry I've been a bit AWOL, girls. I've been at the Brisbane Writers Festival hanging out with Love Cat Jennifer St. George. So definitely having a great time! Thanks to the Love Cats for hosting me today. I always love talking great smooches!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I'm sorry, Anna! I completely forgot about you attending the BWF! I've been out and about so I was absolutely no help holding the fort at all! Anyway, I'm glad to hear you had a great time!

      Delete
  7. I love it! And what is my guilty pleasure? hmmmmm.... coconut pie, but the way they make it back in Cartagena, Colombia. Every time I visit my mom knows that is a most for me ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oooo, Tona, that coconut pie sounds pretty special!

      Delete
    2. Tona, coconut pie sounds delicious although every time I hear about coconut pie, I'm suddenly eight years old again and laughing my head off at the silliness on Gilligan's Island!

      Delete
  8. Dark chocolate is my guilty pleasure.
    jmcgaugh (at) semo (dot) edu

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Snap, jmcgaugh! Dark chocolate is an excellent choice for a guilty pleasure!

      Delete
    2. Sharon, this is going to be a bit like the chip discussion above. I'm a milk chocolate girl!

      Delete
    3. Janie, someone once called my books 'rich like dark chocolate' - I love that!

      Delete
  9. Hi Anna

    Hope you had a great time at the Brisbane Writers Festival :)

    My guilty pleasure is a coctail, 'karma sutra' - it's a mouth-watering concoction of baileys, chocolate liqueur and ice cream, with chocolate shavings on top. Yumm! Believe me, it's better than almost anything you've ever tried. Almost...

    Michelle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle, love the naughty kick at the end of your message! Snerk! Man, that cocktail sounds absolutely delicious. Want some! Let's get together and attack some karma sutra next time I'm down your way!

      Delete
  10. Lovely smooch!!!! Genevieve is a quick learner.

    My guilty pleasure would have to be home-made fresh fruit salad ...scooped over a bowl of ice-cream. I try to tell myself it's healthy-ish. Not much success really.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary, she's pretty quick on the uptake, our Genevieve! ;-) Oh, man, fruit salad and ice-cream with fresh fruit? That's just so yummy. Especially in the summer when we've got mangoes and cherries and peaches.

      Delete
  11. Great Smooch, Anna. So lovely catching up with you and Amy Andrews today!

    Smith’s Barbecue Chips- I love, love, love them, but I would trade the chips for a slice a cheesecake. I think I could eat good cheesecake (has to be really, really good) for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Although those prawns at lunch today were also pretty special.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lurv cheese cake and I make a delicious one with strawberries and passionfruit on top. Mmmm. Now I want some...Dang.

      Delete
    2. Jennifer, at last I can claim I don't like to eat something that's fattening. I'm really not a cheesecake woman. So I'll eat the chips and you can attack the cheesecake, my friend. Lovely to see you today!

      Delete
    3. Effie, I'll stick to my chips! ;-)

      Delete
  12. I love ice cream, I could eat a whole 2 liter tub by myself *guilty look*. I live in the tropics, it's the most yummy treat on a hot day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Linda, ice-cream is fab, isn't it? I actually managed to avoid it for years but I seem to be back on the ice-cream bandwagon again. I have a particular fondness for peppermint. So fresh and cold and delish!

      Delete
  13. Oooo Anna.....hot, hot, hot lip lock.

    Lurv those rakes...they really know their stuff. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  14. My guilty pleasure is buying books! Obsessively!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sharlene, I think you've come to the right place to share that particular guilty pleasure!

      Delete
  15. Hi, Anna! I’m so glad you mentioned this on Facebook because I was unaware of this fun blog. Where have I been? I know I have found a new haunt with other ladies and kitties.

    What is my guilty pleasure? Here in the US, we have Annie’s kettle corn popcorn. It’s popcorn covered with sugar and salt. Decadent!! Yes, I’m sure I can admit that at least a few pounds on this body is from this delicious concoction. Yummy!

    Best of luck to you and keep writing those wonderful novels.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Connie, this blog is MADE for you! Cats and romance books. It should be subtitled, A Blog for Connie! ;-) Ooh, that popcorn sounds delish!

      Delete
  16. Eating gummy bears of course... Reading too... but there's nothing really to feel guilty about reading normally... Except when I feel that I have neglected my daughter for too long. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. May, I have to say I'm generally not guilty when I'm reading, except occasionally when a deadline is breathing its halitosis down my neck. The picture of you pigging out on gummy bears is actually kinda endearing!

      Delete
  17. Love "Mr Evan's growl". I can't wait to read it. My guilty pleasure would have to be reading while eating french fries and drinking a very carbonated diet coke.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Erin, I had such fun writing that scene - they're both so sure that they're going to get the advantage over the other and that's not what happens! Ooh, French fries, definitely one of my guilty pleasures. Especially the skinny shoestring ones.

      Delete
  18. Replies
    1. Thanks, BN! Actually I'm surprised we haven't had more mentions of chocolate.

      Delete
  19. I don't ever feel guilty about eating or drinking, or reading anything I choose. For me, it's not about feeling bad, but enjoying the good. I am a good gal, therefore, I take pleasure in everything I do. Sorry, that's the best answer I have.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Angela, that's a wonderful answer! I recently was asked to blog about why romance novels were my guilty pleasure and I replied that I don't feel at all guilty for reading these fabulous stories!

      Delete
  20. Mine is going to the casino with my girlfriend lol. I love all of Anna's books! and such covers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Catslady! I've been so lucky with covers, especially the last few. And I love that they reflect the tone of the story and the appearance of the characters so well.

      Delete
  21. Ooh, that is some kiss, Anna! And a lovely pic of you and Sharon -- though it must be said that you both look as if you're about to indulge in a guilty pleasure or two. ;-)

    As for me, I'll vote for hot cinnamon doughnuts. The scent is divine...not to mention the taste.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle, having Sharon to visit is a pleasure with no guilt involved whatsoever! ;-) Oh, hot cinnamon donuts! People go mad on the iced ones whereas I go for the original and the best. Can eat them until I look like a donut! Welcome back from overseas!

      Delete
  22. Loved the smooch...and the pic of you two ladies!

    My guilty pleasure are Cheetoes. Though it's hard to sneak them because they leave your fingers orange, LOL

    Marcy Shuler
    bmndshuler(at)Hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Marcy, I don't think I've ever had Cheetoes but whenever I hear about them, I think about our Cheezels which are round crunchy things with a vague cheese flavour and lots of salt. A bit like a potato chip on speed with cheese flavoring. Is that what they're like? So glad you enjoyed the smooch! Thank you!

      Delete
  23. Hi Anna,
    another wonderful book, can't wait to read it! What a kiss!

    Anything with chocolate, especially now when it's getting so dark in the evenings here in Finland. Chocolate and great books!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eva, I'm surprised chocolate hasn't made more appearances in people's list. Maybe nobody feels guilty about eating it anymore! Thanks for saying you enjoyed the smooch!

      Delete
  24. Hi Anna,
    I'm very late, but I'm glad I got to read Mr Evans's kiss - I'll try not to think of my Dad when I read the book LOL!

    That's one very very hot first kiss! Lovely!

    I have so many guilty pleasures that I really don't feel guilty about them anymore! Sneaking out to go for a swim at the beach when I should be working brings a touch of guilt still.

    Gorgeous photo of you and Sharon.

    Cath Evans xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha, Cath! Sorry about this! Should have picked a last name - will it help to realize that Evans is just made up and his real name is Harmsworth? So glad you enjoyed the kiss! Thank you! Ooh, a swim is a pleasure - swimming season has nearly started again up here. Hope to be in the pool VERY soon!

      Delete
  25. Hey, Love Cats, it's been a blast as ever. Thanks to Sharon Love Cat for inviting me to play! Love talking Smooches.

    Thanks to everyone who swung by. Don't forget to check back to see who won the copy of A RAKE'S MIDNIGHT KISS!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anna, it's been fabulous, fabulous, fabulous to have you here!

    ReplyDelete