Sunday Smooch... with Rachel Bailey

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!

Today we have a smooch from  Rachel Bailey but first,


... the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is Sharlene!


Can you please contact rachel (at) rachelbailey (dot) com to receive your copy of The Summer of Jake.



And now for today's Sunday Smooch from The Nanny Proposition:

Two babies…one scandalous secret!

Discovering he's the father of an orphaned newborn rocks botanist Liam Hawke's world. But that's where nanny Jenna Peters fits in—a single mother herself, she immediately works her magic on his newborn daughter. Soon Liam himself can't resist being spellbound by this beauty.

Jenna tries to keep her irresistible boss at arm's length but it's a losing battle. Once Liam finds out who she really is, she'll have to say goodbye to the man she loves and their unconventional family…unless the seductive single dad makes her a proposition this undercover princess can't refuse!




Scene set-up
To give Jenna a break from looking after the two baby girls, Liam has taken her out for dinner, while the housekeeper watches the sleeping babies. They've just arrived home...


Smooch  -


As they pulled up in Liam’s Jeep in front of the house, Jenna tried to stave off her disappointment that the night was ending. It wasn’t a real date. She couldn’t let herself think that, and the sooner she was tucked up in her bed—alone—the better. Safe from fantasies that Liam had actually invited her out and that she was free to follow her attraction in whatever direction it led….

Then Liam leaned across and stroked her cheek with a feather-light caress, and all her attempts at being reasonable went up in smoke. She felt herself tremble under the touch but she didn’t dare move, hope and doubts and anticipation warring inside her.

“Thank you for a lovely evening,” he said and let his hand fall. That didn’t seem to break the connection, though—it was as if the very air in the Jeep crackled.

There was no use denying she wanted him to kiss her, had never wanted anything more. And it didn’t seem as if he was bothering with denial anymore either. His eyes darkened as he focused on her mouth. Her lips parted and she drew in a shaky breath, but he didn’t come closer. The moment felt suspended in time, neither of them moving. Then his eyes changed, became pained, and his head swung away.

“We’d better go inside and check on the babies,” he said and opened his door.

Suddenly cold, she blinked. The babies. Of course. She was the nanny, after all, not someone he was dating. But her traitorous body wasn’t as easily convinced.

She pulled herself together and went with him into the house. Katherine had left a note on the hallstand saying that everything was fine, and Bonnie was sleeping soundly with her. They crept up to check on Meg, who was also fast asleep.

Jenna gave her daughter a soft kiss on her round head, then hesitated in the hall, unsure of how to end the night. There was so much unfinished between them that she had no idea of what to do, and Liam didn’t seem to be in a rush.

Perhaps simplest was best. “Well, good night, then,” she said.

“I always walk a date to her door.” He waved an arm toward her room.

“Okay,” she said, not really sure how to take that.

They took the few steps to reach her room, then she turned to look up at him. He propped a shoulder against the doorframe, his gaze smoldering. A wave of heat rushed over her skin, and suddenly she didn’t want to do the safe thing anymore. Taking a risk was by far the more interesting option. She moistened her lips and hoped her voice sounded steady. “Isn’t a kiss at the door part of that tradition?”

Liam stilled, studying her face. “You want me to kiss you, Jenna?” His voice was low and rough.

“Oh, yes,” she said on a soft breath.

He groaned and his eyes closed for a heartbeat, and she thought she might never breathe again. Finally, his head came closer until his lips met hers in a kiss that was sweeter than any they’d shared before. Their other kisses had been stolen and had been all about attraction. This was more of an exploration, and more intense for it.

His hands found hers and their fingers entwined. When her knees wobbled, she leaned back against the door, and Liam pressed against her, not letting her fall. His body was scorching hot through her clothes and she wanted more, wanted everything.

Jenna is a princess in hiding, and not even Liam knows at this point, so tell me, can you keep a secret? Are you the person who's so good at secrets that you can plan a surprise birthday party for someone you're close to? Or do you always give the game away too soon?
I have a copy of The Nanny Proposition (which is on the shelves now) to give away to one person who leaves a comment!

Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced and a smooch from Susanne Bellamy will be posted!

Smooch Graphic by WebWeaver

Party Time! Welcoming New Love Cat, Bronwyn Jameson!

It's party time here at the LoveCats DownUnder and what a party! It's our absolute thrill to welcome our newest LoveCat: the multi-talented, great-with-animals, gifted author, BRONWYN JAMESON.

 

Yay! There's great excitement here as we welcome Bronwyn, one of the stars of Harlequin Desire, to our group. We're celebrating with some fantastic give aways, but more about those soon.

Bronwyn is a personal heroine of mine. She's a triple RITA finalist and nominee for the Romantic Times Series Storyteller of the year. She's a bestseller whose books are loved worldwide. If you don't know her stories and want to find out more, here's a link to her website. Her support of other writers resulted in her recently being awarded life membership of Romance Writers of Australia.

 

As you can see, we've taken the opportunity of Bronwyn's welcome party to launch our new look website. Isn't it lovely? We're so pleased with the results and of course, welcome your thoughts on how well it works for you. We're also launching a LoveCats DownUnder FaceBook page.

 

But in the meantime, let's get this party on the road by interviewing our newest LoveCat. Bronwyn took time out to answer a few questions. Here she is:

 

1) Does anyone with fur, feathers or scales share your life now, or in the past?

 

I live on a farm so am surrounded by fur, feathers, scales and particularly wool.  I'm a bit of a horse nut.  Currently we have eight with another (baby) due in a few weeks time.  Mum's name is Jenna and right now her baby bump is huge.  I have a Jack Russell, imaginatively named Jack, who is rather talkative and boisterous and all those other fabulous JR traits.  He believes it is his duty to keep the "scales" population down in summer, which is REALLY stressful given the venomous strike of the eastern brown snake.  L

 

Horse baby (Floo)

 

2) Even though you're now a Cat, if you could be any mythological creature, which one would you be?

 

Pegasus.  A horse.  That flies.  How cool would that be?

 

3) What was the first category book you read?

 

Not the first category book – I devoured the serialised Mills & Boons in my mum's English Woman's Weeklys from a tender age – but the first Desire I read was Private Reasons by Justine Davis.  It featured an uptight hero with dark secrets, a strong free-spirited heroine, a troubled teenager and a totally cool black horse.  Also hay, jeans and hot attraction.  I loved this book in the 90s and, in a recent re-read, loved it all over again.

 

4) What was the last category book you read that you loved?

 

I've just finished Driving Her Crazy by Amy Andrews, a fun and funny road trip starring a cranky photographer and a smart-mouthed journalist (she drives him more than a little crazy.)  But beneath the banter there are real issues, which give the story depth and strength.  Loved it. 

 

5) What's something we wouldn't know about you?

 

Hmm.  Did you know I was on Wheel of Fortune (twice) and won a car?   

 

6) We all know you as a wonderful Harlequin Desire author. In honour of your arrival the other LoveCats are giving away some fantastic ‘Items of Desire’ as prizes today. Can you share with us your own favourite Item of Desire?

 

Not so much an item, but one of my favourite things is travel and I wish I could travel like my Desire characters, with private jets and limousines and five-star hotels and concierges at my beck and call.  First class travel is the object of my desire.

Thanks, Bronwyn. Wow, you must have had nerves of steel to make it onto Wheel of Fortune twice! That's so impressive. It's wonderful to have you on board as a LoveCat. We know you're going to fit right in.


Bronwyn at recent Fremantle Booksigning

To celebrate the LoveCats are banding together to offer some great prizes which will be given to 2 winners drawn by our newest Cat, Bronwyn. Here's what's on offer:

One winner will receive:

A miniature Art Deco clock from Bronwyn Jameson
‘The War Hero’s Locked Away Heart’ by Louisa George
Some nice stationery from Jennifer St George
A backlist book from Sharon Archer
A desirable gift from Yvonne Lindsay
‘The Man Who Saw Her Beauty’ by Michelle Douglas
Luscious hand dream from Barbara DeLeo
An e-copy of ‘Taming the Tycoon’ by Amy Andrews
A scented, desirable gift from Helen Lacey
‘Countering His Claim’ by Rachel Bailey
Turkish delight and gourmet chocolate from Annie West
‘The Gift of a Child’ by Sue MacKay

 The other winner will receive:

‘The Diamond Collection’ by Bronwyn Jameson

A desirable gift from Rachel Bailey
‘An Enticing Debt to Pay’ by Annie West
A pretty crystal necklace from Michelle Douglas
‘A Date With Destiny’ by Helen Lacey
A desirable gift from Sue MacKay
‘One Secret Night’ by Yvonne Lindsay
A desirable gift from Amy Andrews
An e-copy of ‘Dishing Up Desire’ by Barbara DeLeo
A desirable gift from Sharon Archer
An e-copy of ‘The Love Deception’ by Jennifer St George
A pohutakawa coin purse from Louisa George

To get the ball rolling, here's a question from Bronwyn: What is your favourite object of desire?
Just leave a comment to be in the prize draw. Winners' names will be posted on site just before our next Sunday Smooch so don't forget to come back and check for news.

Playing With Friends

 

My April release, No Stranger To Scandal, is part of a continuity with five other Desire authors. All our books are part of the same bigger story set in Washington, D.C. - a bachelor president with a secret love child, a phone hacking scandal, a congressional investigation and conflicts of interest all over the place. Such fun!

Part of the fun of writing a continuity book is working with the other authors - chatting to work out the details of who did what, when, so all the individual plots work seamlessly with each other. I knew some of the authors before we started writing, but it was great to get to know others a bit more too.

(Another fun tidbit - this is the first of my books to come out in the US and Aust/NZ in the same month. The US cover for No Stranger To Scandal is the one at the top and the one in black and pink is the Aust/NZ cover. They're so different in tone, aren't they?)

 

The books in the Daughters of Power series are:

 

Barbara Dunlop, A Conflict of Interest

Michelle Celmer, Bedroom Diplomacy

Robyn Grady, A Wedding She'll Never Forget

Rachel Bailey, No Stranger To Scandal

Andrea Laurence, A Very Exclusive Arrangement

Jennifer Lewis, Affairs of State

 

So tell me, have you worked on a project lately with some friends? Or done something fun with a group of friends?

 

Time Travel Anyone?

by Robyn Grady

One of my favourite kinds of story involves time travel. A dear friend, Christina Phillips, introduced me to A Time Traveller’s Wife in 2004 and while I love Rachel McAdams and that movie, my God, the book was a thousand times better. That last few pages are designed (I'm sure) to go around and around in your head. Such a happy bittersweet ending :sniff:

I adored Ashton Kutcher in The Butterfly Effect. Each time his character goes back in time to make things better, he becomes more heroic but the complications grow too. What a job to keep track of the logistics of those stories!

Lately, I’ve been watching Dr. Who. Wasn’t a fan of the 70s version. That guy – and his scarf - didn’t appeal to me at all. Even as a girl, I viewed the production aspects as unsophisticated. (Apologies to any original Dr. Who fans out there!) However, these latest episodes are, IMHO, incredibly well done. Sharp dialogue, most of the time terrific costumes, and the plots for each episode are gripping, ranging from futuristic scenarios to alien invasions to ghosts stories from times gone by.

One of my faves is when Dr. Who and Rose travel back to Victorian England where they visit a spooky country manor with the “I am not amused” queen herself. There’s a huge diamond involved in the mystery, but best of all, there’s a werewolf! At the end of that episode, the Queen states that she intends to form an enterprise that will investigate paranormal and other strange happenings. The Torchwood Institute! So now there’s another series I need to buy J 

Do you have a favourite time travel book/movie? Maybe you’re a fan of the new – or the old - Dr. Who? Or do you prefer your stories firmly rooted in reality?

Sunday Smooch!

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!


Today we have a smooch from Strictly Temporary by Robyn Grady, but first ...

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


Congratulations, Eli! Can you please contact Louise at mail (at) louisecusack (dot) com and she'll send you a ecopy of Daughter of the Dark.

And now for today's Sunday Smooch from  Strictly Temporary by Robyn Grady ...

Discovering an abandoned baby in the backseat of a taxi was not on hotelier Zack Harrison's agenda. Luckily, a stunning stranger comes to his aid—and piques his interest. But before Child Services can arrive, a snowstorm strands the trio in Zack's luxurious Colorado cabin.

Trinity Matthews wants to resist Zack's advances, but his care and concern for her and the baby soon have her melting. As the snow falls and the heat sizzles, it's not long before Trinity's sleeping in his bed. And she finds herself wondering if their temporary arrangement could have permanent effects.

(Excerpt from Strictly Temporary...)

“Thing is,” she said. “I don’t have family to fall back on, and sometimes both a mother and father drop out of the picture, for one reason or another. I have friends,” she went on. “Good friends. But no one I’d want to trust enough with a child of her own if something, you know, ever happened. And I have nothing against adoption. Heck, I would’ve loved to have been adopted by a loving family. And, when it’s needed, I can’t slight good foster care.” She took a breath. “Life is about choices. I’ve chosen not to go down that having-my-own-children path.”

Trinity looked from the bed of flickering flames back to Zack.

A crease formed between his brows, he shifted and lay down on his side too. Propped up on an upper arm, he set his jaw cupped in that palm. After a curious moment of his intense gaze skewering hers, she shifted too, and frowned.

“You mean not get married, have children? I thought you sacked the boyfriend because he didn’t approve of kids?”

"That's right. He didn't approve of them at all. I mean, you might not want to be a father, but you like your neices and nephews, don't you? You like this baby?"

"She can be noisy and smelly and has caused me a ton of worry. But sure I like her." He slanted his head and then nodded, "Who wouldn't?"

"I mihgt not plan to have any of y own, but I couldn't spend my life with someone who thinks kids are a waste of space."

His lips twitched. "Bet he didn't like puppies, either."

"Or kittens."

Zack was kind enough to smile softly. "You were right to ditch him." Then he shifted and changed the subject. “What about your professional life?” he asked. “What are you working toward?”

“One day I hope to be the Editor in Chief of the biggest glossiest magazine around. Basically world domination in my field.” She added, “While staying clear of men who tell bad chicken jokes.”

“No getting away from me tonight.”

She put on a sigh. “Guess I’ll suffer for a good cause.”

The tease in his eyes gradually took on a vaguely different light at the same time the quirk lifting one side of his mouth faded away and the dawn of a different awareness began to ripple between them. The crackle from the fire sounded louder, the rise and fall of his chest became deeper and the air surrounding them started to spark. Pumping in and out of the light, the pulse at the side of his throat throbbed faster and, entranced, her body responded to it all.

Her breasts came alive, swelling, heating. Low inside a delicious ache flowered and grew. She watched his lips part slightly, saw his eyes darken more, then he reached out and a hot fingertip trailed her jaw. That delicious ache spread south – a sweet, raw burn. 

When he brushed back hair fallen over her face and his hot palm stayed to cup her cheek, all the oxygen in the room disappeared. Suddenly heavy, her eyelids drifted shut as her body – her very essence - gravitated unerringly toward his. With the lights out, with this extraordinary man she barely knew, everything felt so unreal. So...imminent. She didn’t want to think about who he really was. That before today she would have given him less than the time of day. At this moment, he truly was irresistible.

“Your hair,” he said in a deep drugging voice. “A wave came loose from its tie.”

“Oh.” She breathed in. Out. Then the words just slipped past her lips and she said it. “I thought you might’ve wanted to kiss me.”

That pulse in his throat beat twice as hard and, while she held her breath, he blinked slowly once. “Actually, I’ve wanted to do that all night.” He leaned across and his mouth grazed hers, first slowly one way then the other. “Trouble is,” he murmured, “if I kiss you now, I won’t want to stop.”

She quivered to her pom-pom topped toes and clapped a hand over her scruples’ eyes.

Who said anything about stopping?

But then her thoughts slid back to what had brought them here in the first place. “What about the baby?”

“You’re right,” he agreed even as his lidded eyes drifted shut as he leaned that inch closer and his mouth feathered over hers again. “We should think of our responsibilities.”

But his mouth lingered and as his drugging scent burrowed deeper, Trinity couldn’t recall a single reason why she shouldn’t fan her palm up over his shoulder and bring herself delectably, irreversibly close. When he tasted the corner of her mouth – a deliberate, potent caress - that beautiful ache flooded her core and the last remnants of commonsense shut down. She’d be lucky to remember her own name.

The tip of his tongue slid a deliberate line across the seam of her lips. “Maybe if we just snuggled up?” he said and she felt his grin. “You know. To keep warm.”

When his sandpaper chin grazed up the side of her face and he dropped a kiss on the shell of her ear, the knowledge - the intense glow of longing - was too much. Near dizzy with need, she told him in a husky voice, “I think snuggling would be okay.”

A big palm traced down her side. She heard a sigh – her own - and then he was kissing her in earnest and with an innate skill that left her reeling.

Strictly Temporary is on US shelves in July, Australia and New Zealand in August.

To be in the draw to win a signed copy, leave a comment below:

Have you ever been stuck somewhere with no means of escape? 


Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced -- and a smooch from Waking Up with his Runaway Bride by Louisa George will be posted!

Robyn's Strictly Temporary Winners!

I've had an incredibly busy couple of days so apologies for not replying to yesterday's comments.

To help make up for my absence, I have not one but FIVE winners!

Catherine, Maybelle, Laney4, Daisyrose and BN100!

Please contact me at robyn.grady.author (at) gmail.com with your postal address and I'll organise for a book to be sent out.

Whether I do, or weather I don't.

by Robyn Grady

One of the most rewarding parts about putting a story together is making sure research is sound. Facts need to be true and correct. At the same time there’s always an element of poetic license that comes into play.

Many readers’ favorite towns are fictitious. Bonus? The author doesn’t need to worry over whether, for instance, a character can actually take a connecting bus from this street to that road, or what a realistic temperature might be at a given time of year. We writers pay attention to those things. J

When I began sketching out my latest Billionaires and Babies book, I wanted it set in Colorado. I’d done some research and had big plans for a snowstorm as well as an interesting forced proximity premise. I knuckled down, fleshing out characters and making sure motivation was right. Plot points were hashed out, too. Even had the ending in mind. Then the scheduled date for release was shifted to a month that didn’t particularly work with snowstorm season.

Time to get inventive!

What about a freak snowstorm? Weather all around the world has been severely off whack. Here on the east coast of Australia we’d been gripped of drought for many years. These last couple of seasons, however, have seen unprecedented floods and even snowfall where there’d been no recorded evidence before. Older folk are shaking their heads. What’s the world coming to...

There’s a saying in publishing: It’s all in the execution!

So I lifted my chin and decided that research and facts would join hands with anomalies and conjecture. And I got to write my scary snowstorm. My characters get stranded alone together and –

Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out what happens next.

To be in the draw to win an advance copy of Strictly Temporary, just leave a comment. Have you ever been stuck because of freakish conditions? Or maybe your neck of the woods has been affected by the weirdest weather lately. I watched Day After Tomorrow again the other night. Hopefully it won’t get that bad - at least not in our lifetime. 

Robyn's Billionaires and Babies Winner!

Congratulations Lanie4!

You've won a copy of Bargaining for Baby and Baby Bequest.

Please contact me at robyn.grady.author @ gmail (dot) com with postal details and I'll organize for the books to be delivered.

Thank you everyone for entering and a Happy Easter to all!

Robyn

I'm Sexy And I Know It

by Robyn Grady

Romance novels give readers such a wide variety of heroes to enjoy. Some are the big brooding type (think Mr. Darcy). Some are witty with oodles of boyish charm (pretty much any movie Hugh Grant's been in). The heros I write tend to dip in both pools although they are always confident. They are the men who don't hesitate taking charge in a crisis and getting everyone out of that burning building or off that sinking ship.

The hero I'm writing at the moment - Dex Hunter, second born son in my Hunter Pact Series for Desire - is even a little showy. He owns a movie production company in Los Angeles and doesn't mind basking in his own limelight. But Dex does have his limits...

Unlike this guy.Sparkling brief swimmers and, let me just say, a rather toned bod coupled with some pretty amazing moves and an appreciative audience...Australian beaches rock!

Romance is Key!

Yep. I'm old-fashioned.

I adore red roses on Valentine's Day. I love the meaning filled cards my husband and I swap. I like to be reminded that I'm special in someone's life and let that someone know that they are equally special in mine.

In ways which count we show each other, no matter what, we're never alone. I think that's the kind of love most people search for and some are lucky enough to find. Days spent with simple pleasures, kind words, lots of laughter and understanding when it's needed most.

Can you keep a secret?

We never had a honeymoon. And given this year is the year I intend to make a few things happen, I've organized a bit of a trip closer to our anniversary month. I'll give you some hints... Leis and sunshine...first-class entertainment and, no doubt, way too much food...the Pacific Ocean and a suite with its very own balcony view.

I haven't told you-know-who yet. Maybe he'll suggest we renew our vows. He's that kind of guy.

So are you a flowers on Valentine's Day type, or maybe someone who views V Day as more a commerical money spinner? I see Easter eggs are out in the stores already...

P.S. Don't forget to enter my Valentine's contest here for the chance to win flowers, champagne and two fabulous romantic reads by Rachel Bailey and Amy Andrews!

In romance, how real is too real?

by Robyn Grady



One of the reasons I love romance fiction is the fact that there seems to be a story for everyone! Harlequin offers a wide range of tones, with various levels of sensuality (from sweet to scorching!) as well as lines that provide pure fantasy to real life grit and anywhere in between.

I love fantasy. There seems to be endless variations on the Cinderella theme. The movie Enchanted literally takes the fairytale and drops it dead centre of the realities of New York. An old hobo steals the princess’s tiara. A divorcing couple get nasty at the lawyer’s office. But the flavour is still deliciously light.




Then there’s Nicholas Sparks’s The Notebook (yes, I know he writes ‘love stories’ but the romance in this tale is monumental.) While there are lighter moments, the deeper subject matter propelling this story is dark: unfaithfulness, debilitating illness, treachery on a level that turns your stomach even while you sympathise with the reasoning. The close of the book is poignant – we feel hope and gut-wrenching sadness as well as a frightening sense of: ‘This could happen to anyone. This could happen to me’.

I like light. I love the escape! But I think I like heavy more. Not ‘hand to the brow’ over-the-top drama but fiction reflecting real life issues, particularly in romance where a happy ending is guaranteed no matter how tough the battle to get there.

My latest Presents - Fearless Maverick - is part of an editorial-driven continuity (that is the editors create the characters and general story arcs). Early in the story we discover that the heroine was in an accident and wears a lower-leg prosthesis. Some readers/reviewers loved the story! Romantic Times awarded it four and a half stars and said,
‘This fast-paced romance will grab readers from the start and not let go, with unforgettable characters, excellent witty and descriptive dialogue and a plot that gives us incredible in-depth detail -- it reads like a much longer novel.'

But other readers felt – well, the term I’d use is betrayed. They weren’t happy that a story, which is meant to be filled with high-stakes, should get this close to reality.

I puzzled over the responses to this book being so polarised. They loved it or, well, they didn't. Which leaves me with an interesting question about how to approach future works. But I have to say that I’d much rather have a strong response to my characters and their stories than mediocre ones.

Do you have any examples of what’s too far in romance for your tastes? Or what’s just right!

Texas Cattleman's Club - The Showdown!

The long-running TCC series is a favourite with Desire readers. When I was asked to contribute to this lastest set of stories, I was blown away. The chance to work alongside these truly amazing authors in a group of connected books? My answer was a resounding, “You bet!”

At my story’s start, star-chitect Daniel Warren is a visitor to Royal - home of the band of dedicated men who head the TCC. However, Daniel is no stranger to the south and he’s not too thrilled about the memories, and sense of guilt, this assignment has dredged up. He’ll help a gutsy friend campaign for president of the club – a woman, no less. Then he’s outta there, back to New York City where he belongs.

But when an attractive, sophisticated younger woman knocks him sideways by taking control and inviting herself into his hotel room, Daniel must accept that while he might not have been looking for trouble – or passion - in Royal’s maverick heiress, Elizabeth Milton, he’s found it in spades.

The series kicks off with One Night, Two Heirs this month! The author? USA Today bestselling author, Maureen Child! And here’s the rest of the incredible line-up…

Brenda Jackson, Katherine Garbera, Kathy Denosky, Barbara Dunlop as well as yours truly.







Daniel and Elizabeth’s story – Playboy Millionaire, Maverick Heiress – hits the NA shelves in October and is available for preorder now! Thank you to New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery for her fabulous quote.

What's your favourite series? Any genre!




Visit Robyn's website for a chance to win a copy of her latest UK duo release.