The winner of a selection of audio and print books based on the genre she indicated is...
Comment #9 is Shari Jung! Congrats!
Shari - an email is coming your way asking for your mailing information. Happy Reading and thanks again to all the entries!
Winner Of The Romancing Christmas Giveway Hop!
The winner of a selection of audio and print books based on the genre she indicated is...
Comment #9 is Shari Jung! Congrats!
Shari - an email is coming your way asking for your mailing information. Happy Reading and thanks again to all the entries!
Want to Win a Romantic New Year's Eve Weekend Getaway?
Here are some details from the Turnberry Isle Resort representative:
The winner of THE MOMENT receives a romantic New Year’s Eve package at the resort, valued at $1400. The package includes a two night stay, two tickets to Turnberry’s black-tie New Year’s Eve masquerade ball (hello little black dress!), and brunch for two at the Cascata Grille.
To enter, contestants would visit Turnberry Isle Resort’s Facebook contest tab (https://www.facebook.com/
The contest will be open until December 23rd.
I did go and check out the facebook contest for myself and also the resort and it really does look like an awesome place to have a romantic weekend for New Years! Living in Florida myself, this sounds exactly like how I'd like to spend New Years. If you can get yourself down to Florida or live here already, then don't wait - go enter on that facebook page!
Winner of Holiday Romances..
The winner of All I Want For Christmas and Holly's First Noel is:
Unknown aka Gena R!
Gena, I've sent your email address to Entangled and you should hear from them soon.
Congrats and Happy Reading!
Cheeky Girl Sabrina
Unknown aka Gena R!
Gena, I've sent your email address to Entangled and you should hear from them soon.
Congrats and Happy Reading!
Cheeky Girl Sabrina
Welcome Authors Ros Clarke & Faye Robertson & Enter To Win 2 Holiday Romances!
Entangled Publishing is pleased to offer new imprints, Flirts and Ever Afters. All I Want for Christmas (So nice of Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber to do the promo single for this title), by Ros Clarke, and Holly’s First Noel, by Faye Robertson, are paving the way for these two lines. We hope you enjoy our holiday gifts to you with these Christmas novellas. Flirts are priced at just .99 cents and enjoy Ever Afters for only $2.99.
About All I Want for Christmas:
Except, Hugh doesn’t know the office party is the only night of the year his friend lets her hair down. That every hour she’s away from the office is spent caring for her sickly mother. That her mother’s condition, early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, is hereditary.
W hen Hugh finds out what she’s been hiding, he’s forced to do some serious soul-searching. It’s not fair to Anna or her mother for him to get involved casually, but casual relationships are all he knows. Can he prove to himself—and to Anna—that she’s all he wants for Christmas?
Meet Faye Robertson:
Faye Robertson lives in the sub-tropical Northland of New Zealand with her wonderful husband and gorgeous teenage son. She writes fun, flirty, and sexy contemporary romances for the modern woman who likes intelligent, spirited heroines, and hunky but approachable heroes. She’s won several romance writing competitions and is a member of the Romance Writers of New Zealand. She would much rather immerse herself in reading or writing romance than do the dusting and ironing, which is why it’s not a great idea to pop round if you have any allergies. She also writes romance under the name Serenity Woods.
Meet the authors behind the Christmas magic…
Meet Ros Clarke:
This year, I have two jobs which means two office Christmas parties. Two Secret Santa presents bought (must remember to wrap them up). Two menus to choose from. Two outfits to select. Two opportunities to embarrass myself in front of my work colleagues.Fortunately, I have never embarrassed myself as much as the heroine of my Christmas novella, Anna Gardner. The office party is the one night in the year when she lets her hair down, with alarmingly predictable consequences. One too many glasses of punch and Anna always ends up at the karaoke machine. Anna has a great repertoire of Christmas classics, including Mariah Carey's hit (reprised this year with Justin Bieber!), "All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Have you seen this fun version featuring the crew of a Royal Navy warship as they come home after eight months of deployment? So much better than the Bieber version!
Last night, Anna Gardner was the life of the office Christmas party—right up until she threw herself at gorgeous advertising executive playboy, Hugh Munro. Again. Last year, Hugh let her pretend their passionate kiss never happened, but this year he’s determined to make Anna admit she wants him as much as he wants her.
About Ros:
Ros Clarke is a writer, a student, a church worker, a crafter, a blogger, a twitterer, a lazy gardener, and an appalling housekeeper. She is interested in almost everything except cricket and football (US and UK) and mostly she likes happy endings in fiction and in real life.You can find Ros at her website and follow her on Twitter!
Get a copy of All I Want For Christmas at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books On Board | Amazon UK
Get a copy of All I Want For Christmas at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books On Board | Amazon UK
Coming up with a catchy title for a book is never easy, and the title for this one went through several incarnations before we settled on the final choice. I wanted something Christmas related, and liked the idea of echoing a carol. I considered setting the story in a hospital so I could call it Holly and the I.V. Actually my first idea was to echo a line in the book where Holly comments on the amount of snow that will fall overnight, but my editor assured me “Six Inches by Morning” was more of an erotica title. Likewise, I steered clear of anything to do with the North Pole and O Come all ye Faithful, not wanting to give the wrong impression.
But eventually we settled on Holly’s First Noel, and even though a dear friend has asked, “Does that mean she’s going to have a second one when she’s finished with him?” I think the title suits the story very well. It’s a sweet and sexy tale with, I hope, an uplifting emotional message—that the magic of Christmas isn’t to be found by making a traditional dinner and creating a perfect day, but that—without being too mushy—it’s what’s in your heart that counts, and love can turn any day into a celebration. 
About Holly’s First Noel:
Music teacher Holly Jones is in a festive predicament. Her boyfriend just dumped her the week before Christmas, so why is she only depressed he made off with the mince pies? When the charming science teacher next door overhears the dreaded call and suggests she accompany him on his Scottish holiday retreat, she accepts, eager to spend a quiet week rediscovering herself.Noel Coward’s wife died on Christmas Eve three years ago. To bury the memories of that day, he spends the holidays getting drunk and watching action movies—which makes him perfect company for a fellow teacher in need of solitude. Except, instead of wallowing in his grief, Noel finds himself comforted by Holly’s presence, fascinated by her mind, and after one innocent kiss, on fire for her touch. As the snow piles up outside, the temperature inside soars, while together, they discover the human heart’s amazing capacity to heal…and love.
About Faye:Faye Robertson lives in the sub-tropical Northland of New Zealand with her wonderful husband and gorgeous teenage son. She writes fun, flirty, and sexy contemporary romances for the modern woman who likes intelligent, spirited heroines, and hunky but approachable heroes. She’s won several romance writing competitions and is a member of the Romance Writers of New Zealand. She would much rather immerse herself in reading or writing romance than do the dusting and ironing, which is why it’s not a great idea to pop round if you have any allergies. She also writes romance under the name Serenity Woods.
So tell us, what's your favorite Christmas carol and why? Leave a comment and be entered to win an ebook of both of these awesome holiday stories!
Contest is open internationally! The contest ends at 11:59 on 12/18 and a winner will be announced 12/19 so you'll have plenty of time to read these stories while you're still in the holiday spirit!
It's The Loveswept Holiday Hop Giveaway!
Good Luck & Happy Holidays to all!
INCREASE your chances to win by visiting all of the participating 'Loveswept - Holiday Hop' sites!
Winners will be contacted after 1/10/12. US Only.
Welcome To The Romancing Christmas Giveaway Hop!
The Romancing Christmas Giveaway Hop is being hosted by Reading Romances!
What you can win here: A Selection of Print and Audio Books Tailored To The Genres You Love!
You'll win at least 2 Audio Books and 2 Print Books - but maybe more!
How to enter: Just leave a comment with your favorite genres, types of stories or fav authors. That's it! If you like my blog, I hope you'll follow, but it's not required.
Open to: US Addresses Only.
Enter the other giveaways for this event!
Book Review: The Mistress' House by Leigh Michaels
By: Leigh Michaels
Published By: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Released: Februrary 2011
Historical Romance
3 Heart Review
The rules are meant to be broken…
When the handsome, rakish Earl of Hawthorne buys the charming house across the back garden from his town home, he never expects the lovely lady he installs there to ensnare him completely…
Again…
After Lady Keighley marries the earl, it seems a shame to leave the house empty, so she offers it to her childhood friend Felicity Mercer, who discovers the earl’s gorgeous cousin…
and again…
Finally, feisty Georgiana Baxter moves into the house to escape an arranged marriage and encounters the earl’s friend Major Julian Hampton late one night in the back garden. The handsome soldier is more than willing to give her the lessons she asks for…
Plenty of gossip, scandal, and torrid speculations surround the “mistress house,” but behind closed doors, passions blaze…
I feel I need to preface this review by letting it be known that I don’t like books under 100 pages, known characters from a series in a novella excluded. And while this book is just over 300 pages, it is actually 3 separate stories independent of each other. I just don’t think it gives the author enough time to build the characters, and I like my books to have a good plot.
That being said, The Mistress' House fell short on a lot of points I am very adamant about. I didn’t really get to know the characters like I would have liked. Each story had a plot – sort of – but the intimate scenes were obviously the focal point of the stories. And, the characters’ decisions and actions weren’t believable, especially for the era.
On the good side, I really enjoyed the characters in this book. They had so much potential. I was able to connect with them, even in the short timeframe. I also really liked how each story flowed into the next. The characters’ interactions and relationships, not just the romantic ones, are often my favorite part of a book.
If you’re looking for a steamy little summer read, this is just the ticket. However, if you like your books with depth and a driving, intricate plot, you might want to skip this one. I really wish Leigh, the author, would have separated each story into its own book so the characters had the opportunity to grow, and things didn’t seem so rushed. With strong personalities like these, I just know they would have come to life right off the page.
What do you think of novellas? Do you think it really depends on who the author is as to if you think they can create a whole world and draw you in with so few words?
Happy Reading!
Cheeky Girl L.A.
Awesome New Video - Dangerous Books For Girls...
You might have already seen it, but this is just too awesome not to share for those who might have missed it!
More Cuteness From Bergdorf Goodman!
So I've watched this super cute video a million times and thought I should totally share it with you all. It's from Bergdorf Goodman, the upscale department store in NYC, who is not only dog friendly but is also promoting dog and cat adoptions in their holiday promos.
Watch the video and smile. Oh, and I love that the doorman in the video is really the doorman in real life!
Watch the video and smile. Oh, and I love that the doorman in the video is really the doorman in real life!
Super Cute Christmas Giveaway From Author Maureen O. Betita!
Head over to Maureen's blog for all the details on how you can enter to win that little guy for your very own tree - and she's also giving away free books along the way too!
I'm happy to be back from my trip and hope to have the blog back up and running next week! Hope you've been reading some fabulous books!
Happy Reading!
Cheeky Girl Sabrina
I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane...To PARIS!
Sorry if you've noticed the past week that the blog has been slightly overlooked - I had a million things to both at work and home to get ready and there hasn't been much time for reading or blogging.
It will be kind of quiet around here until after Thanksgiving, but I will have a few posts during the week I'm gone so I hope you'll stop by and check them out.
I'm so excited! It's my first time to Paris or France and I've planned the crap out of this trip. My OCD planning girl gene went full out on deciding what we had to see this time and what could wait if we hopefully ever make it back again.
In the meantime, I hope you are reading something awesome and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I'm taking off on that Jet Plane today and this time tomorrow I'll be wandering the streets of Paris! :)
Happy Reading!
Cheeky Girl Sabrina
Winner of Beverly Jenkins Giveaway!
The winner of a copy of Midnight by Beverly Jenkins is...
Lynette!
An email is on it's way to you for your mailing information - Congrats and thanks to all who entered!
Welcome Guest Author Beverly Jenkins & Enter The Giveaway!
Beverly has also been kind enough to offer a giveaway to one lucky Cheeky Reads reader - a copy of her historical romance Midnight! Be sure to leave a comment or ask Mrs. Jenkins a question to be entered to win. Don't forget to include your email so I can get in touch with you if you are the winner. Winner will be chosen on Monday, Nov. 7th. Open to US and Canada residents only.
Please Welcome Beverly to Cheeky Reads!
What was it about this story or characters that really called out to you to be written? My readers have been clamoring for Preacher to have his own story since he made his debut as a secondary character in my 1999
Characters really make a story for me, so I always love to ask authors what three words would you use to describe your hero? Three words for Preacher – Stoic, layered, sexy
What three words best represent your heroine? Three words for Maggie – tough, resilient, dreamer
It seems this is very much the hero's story more so than the heroines. Do you find you like to write one journey more so than the other? Although from the gorgeous cover it might seem that the story is all about Preacher but in reality it’s about both lead characters. I always try to balance my stories so that readers know the personality and motivation of both. I’m not a big fan of lop-sided stories. J
What was your favorite part of writing Night Hawk? Any particular scenes or plot twists you couldn't wait to write? (Ok - we understand, no spoilers allowed!) Preacher is a gun toting, Bible quoting bounty hunter and I couldn’t wait to set him in motion. Near the end of the story he tells Maggie a bedtime story that not only reveals his past but broke my heart. Maggie shines with every scene. According to my readers, I’ve created many memorable female leads, but early reviews for Night Hawk rank her as one my best, and I have to agree. She is a true force of nature.
You've authored over 30 books. How do you keep it fresh and are there any tropes you love to revist throughout your books? I keep it fresh by moving between genres. I write historicals mostly, but I also write romantic suspense, contemporary romance, mainstream women’s fiction, and have written two YA historicals. Slipping back and forth keeps me from getting into a writing rut.
I love asking authors what they're reading and if they have any new books or authors they would recommend. Any you want to share with us? I am a BIG fantasy reader –so right now I’m on the third book in the Magic Bites series by Ilona Andrews; eagerly awaiting Jim Butcher’s next Harry Dresden installment, and the third book in Cameron Halley’s’ Mob Rules series. I’m also a huge Rick Riordan fan.
Where can our readers find you next? Readers can find me underground working on my next historical for
Lastly, would you give our readers a little sneak peak excerpt from Night Hawk?
Excerpt:
As the train rolled into Kansas City Madison
As it stood, all she could do to try and make herself presentable was attempt to tame her hair with her hands, but that was difficult because of the cuff on her right wrist attached to his left. Raising her arm garnered a stare from him, so she explained. “I just want to try and plait my hair before we go out into the streets.”
“I don’t think it’ll much matter.”
Her lips thinned. Ignoring him, she raised her hands to her hair again. She expected him to protest but he didn’t so, she did what she could while his arm moved in tandem like a puppet. When she was finished, she watched him slowly survey the results. Before he turned away, she thought she caught a ghost of a smile cross his unshaven face. That didn’t help her mood, but there was nothing to be done about it.
The train slowed to a stop. The other passengers grabbed the handles on their valises and carpet bags and prepared to depart.
“We’ll wait until everybody else gets off, “ he told her and placed his magazine into his saddle bag.
Maggie tersely nodded a reply while doing her best to ignore the disgusted looks the other passengers threw her way as they passed by. She knew what she looked like. She didn’t need reminding.
“Okay. Our turn.”
Maggie scooted across the seat. He led her off the train and out into the busy depot.
As she and the marshal made their way, some of the travelers stopped and stared slack jawed. A buzz went through the place. Mothers grabbed their children as if the handcuffed Maggie or the tall man in black might do them harm. One woman, wearing an expensive, bustled traveling costume looked so terrified, Maggie snarled at her like an angry puma. The woman screamed and swooned.
As people rushed to her side, the marshal didn’t break stride, but he glanced back at her satisfied face. “Stop that.”
“I couldn’t resist.”
“Try harder.”
“Yes, marshal.”
That earned her another look which she met unflinchingly.
While people continued to give them a wide berth, he headed to the end of the train to retrieve his horse.
“I’m going to undo the cuffs. If you run, I will find you.”
She believed him.
It was a magnificent smoke gray animal, even larger and more powerful looking than the one she’d ridden on her futile escape attempt from the sheriff. Bigelow led it down the plank and she watched as he greeted the animal with an affectionate voice. “We’ll be home soon, old boy. Promise.”
He handed her her old saddle bag that had been left behind in the straw when she and sheriff Wells were ordered off the train at gunpoint by Langley
“You’re under arrest, you aren’t allowed firearms.”
“But it belonged to my father, “ she protested. “That and this coat are all I have left of him.”
“Take it up with Wells next time you see him.”
“Please don’t patronize me.”
He viewed her silently for a moment.
She asked coolly, “Am I not supposed to know the meaning of the word patronize, marshal?”
“Not sure.” There was muted humor in his eyes.
“Something amusing?”
“Where’d you learn to speak so properly?”
“My father was an Oberlin graduate, and a schoolteacher before and after the war.”
“That explains it.” He mounted his horse and offered her a hand up. She accepted the help, and although the palm that closed over hers was rough and calloused, the grip was gentler than she’d assumed it would be.
“Hold on.”
She wrapped her arms around the leather duster, and he reined the horse out into the streets of
Maggie had never been to Kansas City
After another few minutes of picking their way through the thick traffic of wagons, carriages, buckboards and riders, he stopped. “We’re here.”
Maggie read Sheriff’s Office on the hand painted sign above the building’s door, and sighed resignedly. She dismounted and waited while he tied the horse’s reins to the post.
Inside, a young man wearing a star on his red plaid flannel shirt was seated behind a desk. He eyed them curiously for a moment. “How can I help you folks?”
“Got a prisoner for the sheriff. You him?”
“No, sir. I’m Deputy Peterson. Sheriff Nash is out with a posse. Bank was robbed this morning” The kid’s eyes slowly widened. “Why you’re the Preacher! I’ve seen your picture in the newspapers!”
Maggie glanced up at the marshal. Was he a famous lawman then? And why was he called Preacher? She rememberd him quoting scripture before opening fire on Langely but she didn’t know any men of god who could wield a firearm the way he had.
He didn’t speak to any of that however. “Dowd’s Sheriff Wells wants her kept here until the circuit judge comes around. Vigilantes are giving him problems.”
“Sheriff’s going to be real upset that he didn’t get to meet you.”
From the marshal’s stony set features, the deputy seemed to understand that Bigelow was there on business and nothing more. “Um, what’s she charged with?”
“Accidental death.”
“Can’t take her.”
“Why not?”
“Under instructions not to put anybody in the jail. Sheriff wants the cell empty so he can throw the bank robbers in when he gets back.”
“And that’ll be?”
The deputy shrugged. “The men he’s after are supposed to be heading to Indian Territory so, maybe be a week, two, maybe three.” His eyes brushed Maggie. “Besides, we don’t have any place to put a woman. Try the sheriff in Abilene
The deputy paused and grinned. “I can’t believe I’m talking to one of the most famous bounty hunters in the west. Heard Hanging Judge Parker down at Ft. Smith
He didn’t speak to that either. “Dowd wanted me to leave her here.”
“I understand that sir, but you can’t.”
“Is there a marshal in town?”
“Yep. He’s with the posse.”
Maggie wanted to cheer, but kept her face impassive as stone.
“Try Abilene
Bigelow turned to go. “Thanks.”
Maggie followed him back out to the street. She waited to see what he might propose next, but before he could, they heard a woman shout accusingly, “You!”
Maggie’s eyed widened at the sight of Minerva Quigley barreling down the walk towards them.
“I want that heathen arrested!” Minerva demanded angrily.
Ian sighed. Now what? “Afternoon, ma’am. Is there a problem?” She was glaring at his prisoner with such vehemence he was surprised there wasn’t steam pouring out from beneath her ugly straw bonnet. His prisoner appeared calm, but there was a hint of icy humor in her gaze.
“Somebody get the sheriff! I want her arrested!”
“She’s in custody, ma’am.”
“You’re a lawman?”
“United States Deputy Marshal,” he said hoping that would deflate whatever this might be about.
The doubt on her face was plain. In many areas of the country, men of color were not allowed to wear a star, and those that did were sometimes forbidden to arrest Whites. Judge Isaac Parker didn’t follow the practice.
By then a number of people on the walks had stopped to see what was occurring, including the young deputy who’d stepped outside to investigate the commotion.
“Why’s she in custody?” Minerva demanded to know.
“None of your damned business!” the Freeman woman responded.
Hearing that, Minerva puffed up like an outraged hen. “Don’t you dare talk to your betters that way.” She raised her parasol as if to strike her for her insolence only to have the parasol snatched from her hands and thrown forcefully out into the street where it promptly struck a teamster in the head innocently driving by. The unexpected blow caught him so by surprise he lost control of his four horse team. They reared and spooked another team pulling a load of wagon wheels, which ran into a team of bays hooked to a fancy coach, that careened directly into the path of an ice wagon that lost its load and sent a buckboard skittering up onto the crowded walk where people scrambled to get out the way. Arguments broke out as drivers confronted each other over their wrecked vehicles, spilled cargos, and runaway horses, and then fisticuffs commenced. The young deputy tried to instill order by firing his gun in the air, which of course only caused more horses to rear in fear and more collisions ensued.
A speechless Ian stared down at the woman who’d caused it all. She met his gaze with a raised eyebrow.
A short while later when things began to settle down, Minerva Quigley turned to accuse Maggie Freeman of starting the disaster, but she and the marshal were no longer there.
Thank you Beverly! Don't forget to comment to be entered to win a copy of Beverly's book Midnight!
You can find out more about Beverly, her books and buy links at her website.
Thank you Beverly! Don't forget to comment to be entered to win a copy of Beverly's book Midnight!
You can find out more about Beverly, her books and buy links at her website.
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