Super Book Blast Tour for TO TEMPT AN ANGEL by Patricia Grasso

Welcome to my stop on the book tour for To Tempt an Angel (Book1 Douglas Series) by Patricia Grasso, an Historical Regency Romance available now from Lachesis Publishing.

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Patricia will be awarding a free eBook from Lachesis Publishing to a randomly drawn winner via the rafflecopter at the end of this post during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

NOTE: this book is FREE everywhere!  Buy links are at the end of this post -- why not download your own copy today?

Angelica Douglas has no idea that she’s the Countess of Melrose. What she does know is that she needs to support her family as a card shark, while finding a way to seek revenge on the men who ruined her father and sent her family spiralling down into poverty.

Robert Campbell, Marquess of Argyll, heir to the Duke of Inverary, has no idea who Angelica truly is. He just wants to watch over her and make her his mistress.

Angelica thinks Robert is simply a dashing rogue who is far too dangerous for her peace of mind. Robert thinks Angelica is an angel except when she’s being a pain in the behind.

When Robert finds out that his own father may have been one of the men who ruined Angelica’s family, he vows to keep a careful eye on her. When Angelica finds out that Robert’s father may have been one of the men responsible, she vows to stay as far away from Robert as possible. But when danger threatens, both Robert and Angelica must face the truth and let fate take the upper hand.

Enjoy an excerpt:

Towering over her, the man stood ten inches taller than her petite height of five feet, two inches.

Angelica tilted her head back to look into his black eyes.

Long moments passed. The sights and sounds and scents of the crowded Midsummer Fair disappeared as they gazed into each other’s eyes.

Recovering herself, Angelica gave him a sunny smile and produced a pair of ivory dice. She offered them to him for his inspection. Their fingers touched as he lifted the dice out of her hand; a jolt of excitement shot through Angelica, and she wondered if he felt it, too.

“I’m Robert,” he introduced himself in a husky voice. “What’s your name?”

“Angelica.”

“Are you a good angel or a bad one?” Robert teased her. “I was wondering the same thing about you,” she answered.

He smiled at that and asked, “How much have you won today, angel?”

“Four pounds.”

“Then let’s set the stake at four pounds,” Robert suggested.

Angelica hesitated and worried her bottom lip with her small white teeth. If she lost the whole day’s earnings on one toss of the dice, her family would go hungry. But if she won, she’d have eight pounds for her day’s work. Ensuring her own victory wouldn’t be difficult, but this man frightened her in some indefinable way.

“Four pounds,” Angelica agreed, unable to resist the temptation of doubling her winnings.

“What’s your main?” Robert asked, passing her the dice without bothering to inspect them.

“Seven.” Tossing twelve or crabs was the only way to lose by choosing seven, but there was no chance of that happening with her loaded dice.

Angelica shifted the dice back and forth in her hands, as if trying to get the feel of them. When she tossed the dice, a four and a three came up.

“Let it ride,” Angelica said, casting him a side-long glance, hoping to double the eight pounds.

Robert inclined his head. He placed eight pounds down to match the eight on the table.

“Sacred sevens,” she whispered, and tossed the dice. This time a six and a one showed up.

Angelica gifted him with a sunny smile and dragged the sixteen pounds closer. Good Lord, her family could eat on this for a month. If her father didn’t steal it for drink . . .

“Do you play?” she asked him, feeling confident.

Robert fixed his dark gaze on hers, and Angelica suffered the uncanny feeling that he knew she was cheating. Then he dropped sixteen pounds on the table.

A four and a three appeared on her next throw. Angelica stared at the thirty-two pounds she’d won. “Let it ride,” she said, casting him a flirtatious smile.

Surprising her, Robert dropped thirty-two pounds on the table. Angelica tossed the dice; a five and a two appeared.

“This must be your lucky day,” Robert remarked in an amused voice. Carelessly, he dropped sixty-four pounds on the table and challenged her. “Will you let it ride, angel?”

Shocked by the size of his bet, Angelica flicked out her tongue to wet her lips. Should she meet his challenge?

I'm a dog person. Who lives with 10 cats. Get the picture?

My first brush with the romance genre happened in my high school junior year. I discovered Gone With the Wind and hid it behind my American history book to read during class. (The Civil War is American history.) The ambiguous ending left me dissatisfied, though. Rhett and Scarlet needed a happily-ever-after. Believing in happily-ever-afters positively screams romantic-at-heart.

On the other hand, I love murder and mayhem as much as happily-ever-after. My usual television fare is fiction and nonfiction crime shows, not love stories. Which accounts for the mysteries I sneaked into my historical romances. Now I'm trying my hand at writing a humorous mystery, sans historical and sans emphasis on the love interest. I even prepared for my mystery-in-progress by attending the local NRA's Pistol School. Shooting pistols is great fun. I adore the .22 semiautomatics.

After graduating from high school without distinction, I earned both Bachelor and Master degrees at a state college. Again, without distinction. I held several part-time jobs during my college days: file clerk in an insurance company, long-distance telephone operator, kimono-wearing waitress in a Japanese restaurant.

And then I began my teaching career, eighteen years in the eighth grade and thirteen years at the high school. Weary with the same old routine, I decided I needed a creative outlet. So I decided to write a romance novel but only managed to talk about writing one. After five years of listening to me, a friend said to stop talking and start writing.

So I did.

I made every mistake known to man. Blunder would be a more appropriate word, but I did learn using the trial and error method. As well as studying the works of authors I admired.

After five years of writing for nothing but love, I sold my first novel. Since then, I've sold eighteen novels and won several awards--- National Readers' Choice Award New England Readers' Choice Award, Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice and KISS Awards, B. Dalton and Bookrak Awards for best-selling author. My novels have been translated into fifteen languages and sold in twenty countries.

If I had my life over, would I become a writer? Nope. I would enjoy being a Victoria Secret model. Perhaps in my next incarnation I won't be too old, too short, or too unphotogenic.

www.patriciagrasso.com

https://www.facebook.com/patricia.grasso.902

BN http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-tempt-an-angel-patricia-grasso/1005102935?ean=9781927555071

Kindle http://www.amazon.com/To-Tempt-Angel-Book-Douglas-ebook/dp/B00A2WZ1IC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401151486&sr=8-1&keywords=to+tempt+an+angel

Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/to-tempt-an-angel-2

iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/to-tempt-angel-book-1-douglas/id576045599?mt=11

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More Than Passion by JoMarie DeGioia: Super Book Blast

Welcome to my stop on the book blast for More Than Passion by JoMarie DeGioia, a Regency Romance available now from Lachesis Publishing. It is book one in the Dashing Nobles series.

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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. JoMarie will be awarding winner's choice of an eBook from Lachesis Publishing to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter at the end of this post.

Please note: This book is available for FREE everywhere it's sold -- buy links are at the bottom of this post, so grab yourself a copy!

Geoffrey Kane, Earl of Kanewood refuses to feel anything more than passion. Four years ago, his fiancée betrayed him and he has no desire to experience that again so when he meets the beautiful Rebecca Kingsley, it’s passion at first sight. And only passion.

Rebecca has led a very quiet life working for her father at a small country inn. When she meets Geoffrey she falls in love with him right away. But she’s only the daughter of a baronet and men like Geoffrey never marry country girls like her. Do they?

When Rebecca’s father tries to marry her off to a wealthy old man, Geoffrey intervenes and marries her himself. He wants her very much but he couldn’t possibly love her. Love is for fools. At least that’s what he tells himself. But a sinister enemy soon threatens to destroy all that Geoffrey holds dear, forcing him to face the truth. His marriage depends on it . . . And maybe even Rebecca’s very life.

Now enjoy an excerpt:

Chapter 1
England, 1822

Geoffrey Michael Kane, the seventh Earl of Kanewood, was hot, dusty, and tired. At twenty-eight he was still adjusting to the duties thrust upon him with the death of his father two years earlier, making frequent trips to London to meet with his solicitors. Returning from one such meeting, his carriage hit a dip in the road and skidded to a halt.

“Where are we?” Geoffrey called to his driver.

“Rutlandshire, my lord. Not far from Oakham.”

Geoffrey climbed out of the leaning carriage. “Grab the wheel then, Fields. You and I are visiting Oakham today.”

After securing Geoffrey’s travel bag behind one of the saddles, they rode into Oakham. It was late June and the weather was hot and muggy. The ride was rough and with every new bump and stumble, Geoffrey swore under his breath. For the last hour, he dismounted and led his horse into town. He wore no hat, which was the norm for him, and the sun beat down on his head. He squinted and looked at his surroundings.

The town was quite small—a village, really—but picturesque. His sharp eyes noticed a dry goods establishment, a market, a pub, and even a doctor’s office. The shingle on the side of a two-story brick building proclaimed the medical man’s residence and place of business. Just past the outskirts of the town, Geoffrey spotted the only business he was interested in today. The wheelwright’s shop. The wheelwright shared his space with the blacksmith, and both businesses appeared to do well. Geoffrey snorted. No surprise, given the rutted cobblestone road that led through town.

He brushed off his clothes. There was nothing for it. His tan breeches were stained with wheel grease and his white shirt was crumpled and smudged. He retrieved his brown jacket from behind the saddle and saw it was in a sorry shape, as well. “I don’t much resemble the Earl of Kanewood, do I, Fields?”

Fields reddened before realizing no answer was expected. Geoffrey led his horse in front of the wheelwright’s shop as Fields dismounted and rolled the offending wheel to him.

Geoffrey spied a beefy man standing in the large doorway. “Are you the proprietor?”

“Aye. William Bennett, wheelwright. What can I do for ya?”

Standing there, with an obviously-broken wheel at his feet, Geoffrey bit back a sarcastic reply. “I need a wheel fixed. This wheel.”

Bennett fingered the splintered spokes. “Aye. It’s broken.”

Geoffrey kept his exasperation in check. “Can you fix it?” he asked deliberately.

“Aye. Nothin’ to it. Fix it right as rain.”

“Good.” Geoffrey breathed.

“Goin’ ta take a few days, though.”

“A few days? Why?”

Bennett held up his right hand, wrapped in a cloth bandage. “Got me hand a bit crushed fixin’ the doc’s trap. He told me not to use it till he says it’s okay.”

Geoffrey stared at the man incredulously. “There is no one else who could fix this?”

“Nay,” the man answered. “Not around here.”

Geoffrey’s irritation began to grow to anger, but with one look at the guileless face of the wheelwright, it swiftly faded. “Well, do you have someone to get my carriage out of the road? It’s about a twenty-minute’s ride back.”

“Aye, me boy and I’ll go get it. You be wantin’ it brought here?”

“Yes, thank you. Is there a place to keep my horses?”

“Blacksmith’s got a couple stalls. Wouldn’t put these fine animals there, though. You be stayin’ here till this be fixed?”

Geoffrey thought for a moment. Perhaps a few days away from London, as well as Kanewood, would help him ponder the disquieting news he’d received from his solicitors.

“Is there an inn close by?” he asked.

“Aye. Raven’s Inn, just outside of town. Stables to let in back, fine dinin’ room.” The wheelwright scratched his chubby chin. “Can’t attest to the rooms, but I can tell ya the ale is mighty fine.”

“Thank you.” Geoffrey motioned to his driver. “Let’s head over to this Raven’s Inn, Fields. It seems we may be here awhile.”

They mounted and set off for the inn.

I write Historical Romances with a touch of mystery and Contemporary Romances with a touch of home. I'm also working on a Young Adult Dystopian Fantasy/Adventure series and a hot Contemporary New Adult Romance.

I'm a member of Romance Writers of America, Space Coast Authors of Romance and From the Heart Romance Writers.

http://www.jomariedegioia.com/

https://twitter.com/JoMarieDeGioia

https://www.facebook.com/JoMarie.DeGioia.Author

BN http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/more-than-passion-jomarie-degioia/1111327290?ean=9781897562956

Kindle http://www.amazon.com/More-Passion-Dashing-Nobles-Series-ebook/dp/B0082JA4BQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401151352&sr=8-1&keywords=more+than+passion

Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/more-than-passion-book-1-dashing-nobles-series

iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/more-than-passion/id528445065?mt=11

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