Can Romance Keep Us Sane?
Feb 01, 2021 10:06 pm
In This Issue:
On the Double Dare Front
Happening Now
Can't Miss Reads
Stuff I Love
Hey Insider!
Sick of being stuck inside? What tricks have you learned to keep yourself sane? I have found online pilates for only 15 minutes a day, Zoom calls with distant (and nearby friends), lots of romance movies, The Flight Attendant on HBO Max, and reading, oodles of reading. Escaping with a billionaire boyfriend sure helps pass the time.
And then there's writing...
I woke up yesterday with an idea about the Crazy Eights and their friends, the result of wonderful input from a reviewer of Dare to Hope. She wasn’t the first one to suggest it, but she was the one who got through to me. Women who have been friends for thirty years don’t always get along, don’t agree on everything. In fact, they get on each other’s nerves. One person’s need to have the last word, another’s hyena laugh, the third’s ability to sleep anywhere while everyone else is awake tossing and turning. These women are like sisters, and I have both friends and sisters – none of them are perfect all the time
I have been working on character descriptions that include some of these odd and annoying quirks. Do you have a favorite you want to suggest?
I loved this book and the entire Walsh series. From the sass and humor, to the hot, hot sex, I kept reading, getting the next book and reading all night. I couldn’t get enough of these brothers (and one sister) , their interactions, their history, and the author’s knowledge of preservation architecture and Boston. I do love Boston.
All of you who follow me know that Kate C. is one of my favorite authors. If you haven’t discovered her yet – start with Underneath It All, and you’ll be a fan. With more than 500 5-star reviews, I am not the only one who believes in this novel. Download it today – this offer won’t last!
First a few books from that are free right now:
Her innocence lost, Christine Daaé is in despair. She has no family to go to. Her fiancé is about to cast her off. She is just an orphan. A singer from Sweden, with a scandalous past as a dancer.
She is driven into the arms of the one man prepared to rescue her. The one man who will accept her despite her loss of innocence. The one man who will kill to save her… and does. The madman. The genius. The legend. Erik, the phantom of the opera!
Christine has to be honest with herself. This hideously deformed criminal is her true love. Will their soul connection, and his desire to live a normal life, make him the loving husband he has always yearned to be? Or is his mind twisted beyond repair?
I'm about to jump into the canal and pull her to safety when I stop at the edge of the towpath. What if I do nothing...?
The Adulterer's Handbook is the story of a happily married man, desperately trying to prevent his wife from finding out about his affair. For months he is successful, but then things take a dark turn...
A love story, a betrayal, an accident, a murder? You decide.
Lee Bolton has it all: a wonderful wife who he adores and two lovely children. But something is missing from his marriage.
Sophia Miller, the office temptress, offers to fill the gap and they begin a carefully regulated and orchestrated affair.
Lee, delighted with his new and improved sex life, walks a tightrope of near discovery; forever trying to keep his secret safe.
But Sophia wants more. She wants it all.
The man with a black heart has found someone to love.
Theodore ‘Teddy’ Black is an exceptional knife fighter and hand-to-hand combat expert, he's perfectly placed to infiltrate an illegal cage fighting ring. He’s also head-over-heels for Jenny Smith.
Jenny, the focus of his live-in protective detail.
With both Jenny and Black living on a constant knife edge, tension explodes between then, an attraction neither can try to deny. Jenny knows better than to get between Black and his job, but she manages to push the strict boundaries he's set her.
When he promises her a single dirty night together, she doesn't know if it's the start of something incredible, or the end of everything she cares about.
Identity of the Heart (Hidden Hearts #1)
The online dating profile was supposed to be just one more in the line of clever practical jokes between Marcus and his best friend Rogue.
When Ivy contacts Tristan to get to the bottom of a mystery with her online profile, none of them could imagine what they would find out about each other and themselves.
Sheltered Hearts ( Hidden Hearts #2)
Is it possible to fall in love with an online profile? Jessica has wondered that ever since she stumbled across Mitch's profile on a dating website. She never expected to come face-to-face with the handsome guy who has a soft spot for animals and search and rescue.
A stray dog Jessica named Hope changes all that in a hurry, and both of their lives may never be the same.
Hearts of Jade (Hidden Hearts # 3)
Jade views her life in terms of before and after. When her brother committed suicide, Jade thought her heart would never heal.
Declan has been friends with Jade for years, but he would like to be so much more. As a street musician, Declan wonders if he has anything to offer the talented tattoo artist.
When a series of adversities strike, Jade finds her heart softening toward the eccentric musician. Can they find the strength to work together to prevent one more tragedy in their lives?
Port in the Storm (Hidden Hearts Novella # 1)
Sam is the kind of guy who is everyone's best buddy. He had given up on the idea of ever finding his one true love. However, he is about to be knocked off his feet by the woman of his dreams.
Now, if Sam can only convince Taylor that not all men are evil, things would be perfect.
Three full-length romantic comedies about sassy women and the men who win their hearts.
10 Dates: When Joanie's flaky fiancé puts their wedding on the back burner, her friends take matters into their own hands. Ten blind dates in as many days seems like an outrageous idea — but is it just zany enough to help Joanie find true love?
10 Dares: When Melinda's stress starts to get the better of her, her friends come up with an idea to put the fun back into friendship — but will ten dares help her loosen up and find love, or might they just send her over the edge?
10 Lies: When Katie wins a luxury holiday, she figures a little R & R time is just what she needs.
Enter Jackson Quinn, the hot doctor who she'll probably never see again. There’s no harm in a few tall tales told to a holiday fling, is there?
Until he shows up on her home turf.
Can Katie cover her tracks or will Jackson be her undoing?
Gossip queen meets her match in a sexy movie star
Gossip writer + 1 A-list movie star = 1 fake relationship…or does it? After breaking a story that rocks Hollywood, Talia is the top gossip writer around. One night will put all of that into question. The writer becomes the story when she gets caught doing the walk of shame from A-lister Zee Jaxon’s home. To save both of their reputations he suggests a fake relationship. Pretending should be easy. It shouldn’t mean the fake feelings become real. Accepting the real feelings means the lies they’ve told are even harder to hide. When the truth comes out can their love survive or will everything just fade to black.
How do you decide what to read? A great cover, a compelling blurb? The number of five-star reviews? I suspect it is all of the above.
Authors are always asking – begging – for reviews. You know they want them, but what’s in it for you?
When you write reviews, you help your friends discover books. Like an online version of calling to say "You have to read this book!" Your friends tell two friends, and they tell two friends and, you get it. Now your favorite author builds a following so they are better poised to keep writing.
You can help others find great reads, and you can use their reviews to do the same. Just think about why you read what you read – great plot, relatable characters, that wonderful happy ending – and write a few sentences for your fellow readers. Think of it as a long-distance version of sharing a great read with a friend.
How to write a review? Most important, keep it honest. Don’t do a summary of the story, focus on why you loved the book. Amazon and Goodreads reviews reach the most people and you don’t have to buy on Amazon to review on Amazon (provided you buy $50 of any goods in the last year).
Today, I have a way to make this process even easier! Here is the link to a form you can use to build your reviews. Use it over and over. My thanks to the brilliant Jane Friedman for the form.
Be a part of the reader community and keep books coming from authors like me and others. Write a review today.
Want to leave a review for one of my books? See links to my books on Amazon at the end of this email – or leave a review on Goodreads.
Stay warm, stay safe,
ARE YOU CAUGHT UP ON YOUR
MADISON MICHAEL?
The Beguiling Bachelor Series:
The B&B Billionaire Series:
The Double Dare Romance Series
Standalone Stories:
Broken Time: A Time Travel Romance
