Thursday 27 February 2014

Tirgearr Publishing Anniversary Sale

Irish independent publisher, Tirgearr, is having a fantastic anniversary sale on all their e-books from today though Sunday. Huge bargains, as ALL titles are only 77 pence on Amazon UK and 99 cents on Amazon US! You can view the great variety of titles on the Tirgearr Publishing website or on their Amazon pages.

The sale includes my own two books:

Midwinter Masquerade - full length Regency set in Scotland.






 
The Aphrodite Touch, short contemporary novella set on Cyprus, with touches of mythological fantasy!











Happy reading!

Romy Gemmell


 

 

Wednesday 26 February 2014

Bride for a Champion - Now on Amazon & More. Plus free First Chapter

I Command you to marry the bearer of this letter.

Lady Alice Martinswood has no choice but to obey her dead father’s final instruction. His choice is his champion, the mercenary Simon Paton. To Alice, the handsome, arrogant Simon is a dangerous, seductive stranger.

Bewitched in turn by Alice, Simon is appalled when he discovers that Alice’s father disowned Henrietta, her younger sister, when Henrietta fell in love and eloped. Simon promises Alice that he will help her find her sister.

Still having nightmares after witnessing the sack of Constantinople, Simon misunderstands Alice’s tears of joy on their wedding night. Swearing not to hurt her again, he decides he must not touch her—a promise he finds impossible to keep, especially when Alice vows to beguile him…

Meanwhile Simon and Alice trace Henrietta to medieval London, wandering together through the perilous, exciting streets. Will they find Henrietta? Will they find true love with each other?

Available Now 
   Read Chapter One here.

Order now  from Bookstrand Publishing

And from Amazon and Amazon UK   Barnes and Noble Apple  Google  Kobo NookUK

Please see my other medieval romances from Siren-Bookstrand - The Snow Bride, A Summer Bewitchment 

Lindsay Townsend

Sunday 23 February 2014

Historical romance ~ Victorian England ~ DARK WHISKY ROAD

Blurb: For an ex-duchess, obeying orders proves difficult. But Melanie has little choice. Scarred and cheated out of her widow's entitlement, she accepts a post as housekeeper in remote Gavington House where widowed Lord Jarrow rears his young daughter. He has secrets, and Mel's curiosity will not let her rest until she has discovered what it is that occupies both him and his friend Mangerton. Soon she is embroiled in lying to the Excise men…and dealing with gunshot wounds in the night.

"Ms. Black consistently writes outside the mold, the formula, or the whatever-it-is of historical romance. Her style, to include the sometimes wry, sometimes quotidian, and almost always refreshing take on her characters and the period she portrays, is a breath of fresh air. Additionally, the two main characters are ones you might want to spend time with outside the confines of a Kindle, and the minor characters are equally well-drawn, beyond the trite and true.
There's a lot of junk out there, folks, so spend your time and money wisely. This is a book I can recommend without reservation, and I don't usually like historical romances." From Margaret Chrisawn's review


Excerpt: Chapter One
Melanie Grey pulled down the veil attached to her hat and glanced cautiously through the window as the horses slowed and turned into the inn yard. The door of the grey stone building stood open and a grey cat, tail curled neatly around its front paws, sat on the windowsill. Oak trees flourished behind the inn, their leafy branches bowing low over the heavy slate roof. Smoke from the squat chimney coiled and drifted into the still air.
It was a far cry from the grand hostelries of southern England she had frequented in the past. So much quieter here; no sign of frantic stable-boys and grooms hurrying to change the horses before the next coach arrived. Faded paint curled from the ancient sign of a blackbird above the inn doorway.
She heard voices. Angry voices. Frowning, she leaned closer to the coach window. In the dusty space between an abandoned wheelbarrow and the stable door, a tall youth argued with a child. Something the child said made him raise his hand and he slapped the boy, who staggered under the blow.

Melanie gasped, one hand rising to her mouth. The child, no more than eight or nine, did not cower away; instead, crimson with rage, he recovered his balance and kicked out with a hob-nailed boot that connected with the youth’s shin bone. Dancing out of reach, he yelled something that made the older lad snarl and lunge toward him.

Cold with horror, knowing she ought to intervene, Melanie grabbed the leather strap, released the window and their rough voices poured into the coach.
‘Come ’ere, you little guttersnipe!’
‘Not bloody likely!’ The child skipped nimbly out of reach.

‘Stop! Stop at once!’ Because she was afraid, her voice carried no conviction. The young man ignored her, but the boy saw her and offered a swift, gap-toothed grin as he backed rapidly away from danger. He collided with the gentleman leading his horse around the front of Melanie’s coach.

‘Ouf! Steady, lad!’ The man gripped the child’s shoulder to keep him upright. ‘What’s amiss here?’ His expression hardened as the bully, fists clenched, advanced on them both and he pushed the boy behind him.
Melanie, weak with relief, shuffled back into her seat. The boy was saved. She need do nothing. Once she would have been out there in the dust of the inn yard, standing toe-to-toe with the bully and caring not a jot for his regard. Her accident had scarred more than her face, she thought ruefully.

‘What’s going on here?’
‘That’s my uncle Bert,’ the boy’s voice cried.
‘He’s your uncle, you say?’ The gentleman’s cultured, mellow voice sounded faintly amused. Or was it disbelief she could hear in his warm tone? ‘Then he should protect you rather than beat you.’
Edging forward, Melanie risked another glance at the scene outside. The grooms, who should have been changing the horses, loitered in a group by the stable door, grinning.

The child glared at his relative and stuck out his tongue.
The youth, his face ugly with temper, took a step towards the boy. ‘That lyin’ young varmint needs a lesson in doing as he’s told! Come ’ere, Toby Redman, before ah lose me temper and clatter yer ’ead against t’wall.’
Melanie shuddered.

Dark Whisky Road is available on Amazon Kindle: Here

Tuesday 18 February 2014

Anything for Him - Walk on the Wild Side!

post by Lily Harlem


Do you like a heroine who walks on the wild side? If so check out Anything for Him written by myself and Natalie Dae and published by Mischief at HarperCollins. It's only 49p on Amazon UK and cheap as chips on Amazon too! But be warned, it's a twisted tale of obsessive love and dark, dirty desires and all set in London.

Friday 14 February 2014

The Brit Babes Anthology

A VALENTINE PRESENT, JUST FOR YOU – THE BRIT BABES ANTHOLOGY - “SEXY JUST WALKED INTO TOWN” - GO GRAB YOUR FREE COPY THEN CURL UP WITH YOUR LOVER AND GET IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE. 



Sexy Just Walked Into Town is a collection of delicious erotic and romantic stories from the Brit Babes. This group of eight British authors have put together a book of tales to tease and tantalise you, each one a sample of the individual Babes’ voices and styles. You’ll find contemporary, BDSM, same-sex loving, ménage a trois, paranormal, sporty, military, Rubenesque and more. There’s something to suit everyone here including a few Brit Babe collaborations.

Ranging from sweetly vanilla to so-hot-it-will-blow-your-mind, the Brit Babes aim to please in every literary fantasy department. Their heroes are strong, determined and soul-achingly divine and their heroines sassy, sexy and not afraid to grab what they want. Passion and pleasure is the name of the game, romance and raunch a top priority and it all comes with a delightful sprinkle of kink.

With a whole host of awards, best-sellers and accolades between them, the Babes know you’ll find something in this anthology that will keep you turning the pages and squirming on your seat. Then, if you like what you read here, check out the individual authors’ websites to investigate their collection of published works. Also visit the Brit Babes' home on the web which acts as a library for the hundreds of books published by them. Tell your friends, spread the word, because one thing you can be sure of, is when the Brit Babes arrive, sexy has just walked into town!

And please, if you enjoy this anthology, leave a review. The Babes will be forever grateful.





AVAILABLE FREE/DISCOUNTED FROM

SMASHWORDS  - FREE

Monday 10 February 2014

If You Only Knew.... About Cakes




In my latest novel, If You Only Knew, one of the characters called Faith owns and runs a coffee shop in a village set in Derbyshire's Peak District. Cakes (understandably!) feature a lot on the menu in the coffee shop and muffins are a particular favourite, so I thought I'd share with you Faith's recipe for her ever-popular gluten/wheat free muffins:




Gluten Free Muffins 

Basic Ingredients
2 cups of medium oat bran
1 cup of milk (can be diary free milk alternative for a vegan version of the muffins)
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 medium size bananas.

Optional Ingredients:

Blueberry Muffins:
A couple of handfuls of blueberries
Pinch of cinnamon or mixed spice

Chocolate Muffins:
A standard size bar of milk or dark chocolate broken into small pieces

Tropical Muffins
A can of drained pineapple chunks, chopped into small pieces


Method
1. Put the oat bran and baking powder into a bowl.
2. Mash the bananas in a separate bowl, then add the milk and oil.
3. Add the dry ingredients into the bowl with the banana, milk and oil.
4. Add in your chosen optional ingredients (see above).
5. Spoon the combined mixture into paper cases or a muffin tin.
6. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees centigrade.


Muffins-of-choice for the characters in If You Only Knew:


Faith - Vanilla & Blueberry
Zane- Triple Choc
Matt - Spicy Apple



I'd love to share with you some info about If You Only Knew, which is currently on offer at just 99p....


Is the past about to destroy the future for Faith when she discovers her new boyfriend and her first love are in business together?

Faith owns The Coffee Pot in the outdoor adventure sports mecca of Derbyshire's Peak District. She hasn't had a man in her life for a while, as she has been too busy serving cakes to weary rock climbers and mountain bikers to find time for the complications of a relationship with the male of the species.

Then Zane and Matt arrive on the scene as the new owners of the Carrdale Adventure Sports Centre.

Dating Zane, she soon discovers he’s not the Mr Perfect she thought he was; and why is he so reluctant to talk about his past?

As for Matt – well, to Faith he isn't Matt at all because he was a completely different person when he broke her heart all those years ago.

With her new boyfriend and her first love running Carrdale as business partners – Matt out to cause trouble and Zane keeping secrets – Faith struggles to keep the peace between them whilst trying to figure out how she feels about the two men in her life…

You can find If You Only Knew in paperback and ebook now on Amazon.


Read an extract from If You Only Knew:


This couldn't be happening.
Zane had said his business partner was called Matt. She was sure of it. Yes, he’d definitely just introduced him as Matt. But the man standing before her wasn't Matt.
It was Aaron.
Faith wiped her hands on a tea–towel. She wanted to speak, but couldn't get her brain into gear enough to make her mouth form the words.
She’d thought Aaron was gone from her life.
It looked as though she was wrong.
She took a step back, wrapping her arms around herself. Suddenly she felt cold and shaky. Aaron was back? This was impossible.
Yet here he was, standing in her kitchen. She felt dizzy and light-headed.
How should she react? Should she admit they knew each other? Why had Aaron changed his name to Matt anyway? Would he prefer it if the fact they knew each other was kept quiet?
But she knew she couldn’t keep something like that from Zane.
As she debated what to say and do next, the room remained awkwardly silent. Zane was looking at her questioningly.
What should she say?
Come on, think, woman. Think.
Too late. Aaron spoke first.
“Faith, it’s amazing to see you again after all these years.”
OK. So he didn't want to keep it a secret that they already knew each other.
“Aaron,” she managed to say. “This is a bit of a shock.”
“That’s an understatement,” Matt replied, stepping forward to pull her into a hug.
“Hang on a second,” Zane said, pushing into the room. “Aaron? That’s your proper name isn’t it?” He raised enquiring eyebrows at Matt. “What’s going on? You two already know each other?”


------------------
About The Author 

Zanna Mackenzie lives on the Derbyshire/Leicestershire border with her husband, 4 dogs, a vegetable patch that’s home to far too many weeds and an ever expanding library of books waiting to be read.

Being a freelance writer and editor of business publications is her ‘day job’ but, at every opportunity, she can be found scribbling down notes on scenes for whatever novel she’s working on. She loves it when the characters in her novels take on minds of their own and start deviating from the original plot!

If You Only Knew is Zanna’s third novel; her previous books The Love Programme, and How Do You Spell Love? were both published in 2013.

Find out more about Zanna on her blog www.zannamackenzie.blogspot.co.uk, on Twitter via @ZannaMacKenzie or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/zanna.mackenzie



Find out more about Zanna at:
Twitter: @ZannaMacKenzie








Sunday 9 February 2014

Broken Hero re-release.

I'm enjoying re-releasing my old back list into ebook formats on Smashwords.com and Amazon sites.

The latest one I've put online is my World War II novel, Broken Hero.


Blurb:
Audrey Pearson's life changed dramatically when WWII broke out and her large home, Twelve Pines on the East Yorkshire coast, became a convalescence home for wounded soldiers. Her life is no longer lavish with entertainment, beautiful clothes and surrounded by a loving family. Soldiers, physically and mentally wounded now fill her home. The smell of disinfectant replaces her mother's perfume and gone are the friends and acquaintances - instead nurses roam the hallways. 
Captain Jake Harding, a doctor training in psychiatry arrives at Twelve Pines. Audrey immediately finds herself attracted to the Captain, but he is remote towards her. Puzzled by his cold behaviour, Audrey tries to learn more about the handsome Captain. He reveals that he's lost a wife and baby in childbirth and refuses to ever remarry. 
However, despite this, Audrey believes she can change his mind and make him aware he doesn't have to spend his life alone.The ice around Jake's heart begins to melt. For years he has rejected the possibility of finding love again because of the pain it caused him before, but the beautiful Audrey shows him her love and she needs someone to love her in return. 
Could he honestly walk away from her, from the love that could be his? 


Available for Kindle and all other online forms of reading devices.
Amazon USA $1.99
Amazon UK £1.25
Other formats at Smashwords.com $0.99

Wednesday 5 February 2014

New title in Passionate Pursuit series

Love writing about my sexy, pointed eared elves. There will eventually be eight in the series, and this is book five.

This is my newest book in my Passionate Pursuit series. Here's an excerpt to whet your appetite.  They're handsome and lovable, and fun to read about. Warning, this is erotica.
 
"He found her in the music room, staring out the window into the dark night.

He came up behind her and turned her slowly in his arms until she faced him. Tears were running down her cheeks, and when she saw who held her she sobbed and laid her dark head on his shoulder.

Astonished at her acceptance of his embrace, he handed her a handkerchief and held her while she gulped, mopped at her tears, and then relaxed again in his arms. The feel of her beautiful body so close to his almost broke his control. He kissed her hair softly and sweetly as she nestled closer. Unable to stop himself, he lifted her face and claimed her mouth. Their kiss blazed into instant heat and he groaned as he ran his tongue around her soft lips, demanding she let him in. Her hesitancy surprised him. It seemed more as if she didn’t know what he wanted rather than the reluctance he’d expected. Gently nipping her lower lip, she gasped and he thrust his tongue in to finally taste her sweetness.

Dear lord of all the elves, she tasted better than butter and vanilla icing. He’d noticed before she always wore a scent that smelled like daffodils, and he sucked on her tongue as he breathed in the evocative fragrance. She caught on quickly, running her tongue around his lips as soon as he released it, and then allowing him to deepen the kiss.

Holding her tightly with one arm, he freed the other to caress her face and then her shoulders, and finally he let his hands roam along the sides of her breasts and down to her narrow waist. Afraid to truly explore her breasts and nipples, he contented himself with tracing the shape of the perfect rounds and cupping them in his hands.

She made no attempt to stop him, and his cock raged almost out of control. Dear elves, he didn’t want to shoot his cum in his pants, but he was very near to doing just that. She was so damned delectable, so perfect for him, that he pushed her against the wall and ground his rigid cock against her soft body.

A mistake. Whether the size of his cock frightened her he didn’t know, but she suddenly pushed him away and slid from under his arms.

“Rurik, I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me. I didn’t mean to lead you on like that.”

He finally gulped in enough air to answer.

“My love, and you are my love, don’t look so startled. I’m the one to apologize. I pushed you much too fast. I can’t feel truly sorry, though, it was simply too wonderful to have you in my arms.”

She’d sped to stand half-way across the room and was eyeing him warily.

“You can’t mean that, it’s too soon. We barely know each other. I never should have encouraged you on like that. I’ve never acted like a slut before.”

Rurik believed her. Her every response had been innocence itself. He found the fact she’d apologized to him the most endearing words he could envision.

“As I said, Reina, I rushed you. You are not a slut in any sense of the word. You are my love, but I’ll not push you right now. I’ll prove it to you soon, though.”
 
Available at Ellora's Cave, Amazon, Kindle and my website, jswriter@earthlink.net