Blog Tour: Tartan Takeover with Karen Ranney ~ Book Spotlight and Giveaway!

Hey Guys! I am excited to be teaming up with BookSlapped on this awesome blog tour for Karen Ranney! This post is to spotlight book 2 in Karen's Clan Sinclair series, on-sale now, which features Logan and Mairi. Enter the giveaway for a chance at some cool prizes! I'll have reviews of book 1 and 2 later in the week but do yourself a favor and pre-order now! 
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About The Book:
Inline image 4The next sizzling romance in New York Times bestselling author Karen Ranney's Clan Sinclair series...

Logan Harrison is looking for a wife. As the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, he needs a conventional and diplomatic woman who will stand by his side and help further his political ambitions. He most certainly does not need Mairi Sinclair, the fiery, passionate, fiercely beautiful woman who tries to thwart him at every turn. But if she's so wrong for him, why can't he stop kissing her? He is completely bewitched.

Mairi Sinclair has never met anyone like Logan Harrison, the perfect example of everything she finds wrong with the world. He's also incredibly handsome, immensely popular, and impossible to resist. His kisses inflame her and awaken a passion she can barely control.

Can two people who are at such odds admit to a love that would bind them together for life?



Order Your Copy Today!

Karen Ranney
More on the Author:
New York Times bestselling author Karen Ranney was first published in 1995. Since then, she's gone on to write dozens of historical romances, most of them set in Scotland.

Her books have been described as evocative, intensely romantic stories featuring characters who leap off the page.


~*~GIVEAWAY~*~
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A Peek into the Sausage Factory… with Alison DeLaine [Guest Post + Giveaway]

Happy Spring everyone! It feels a bit like fall but I am not complaining. Soon it'll be sweltering outside and guess where I'll be... Curled up under an air conditioner catching up on reads! I have so many life updates to share with ya'll, including being |  | this close to finishing undergrad, but more on that later. Today we have one of my fav new(er) authors on the blog celebrating the release of her second novel! She literally left me in tears from laughter after her last appearance so you guys can expect more of the same today. 
Without further adieu:

About Alison:

Alison DeLaine lives in rural Arizona, where she tries to keep her hillbilly side under control (but generally fails) and can often be found driving a dented old pickup truck out to her mining claim in the desert. When she’s not busy striking it rich, waiting on spoiled pets, or keeping her husband in line, she is happily putting characters through the wringer. Alison is a two-time Golden Heart® finalist and currently writes historical romance for Harlequin HQN.



Find Alison Online: Website | Facebook | Twitter

About the Book:
A WEDDING BY DAWN
Buy Links at Bottom of Post

A hellion on the run.

Lady India Sinclair will stop at nothing to live life on her own terms—even stealing a ship and fleeing to the Mediterranean. At last on her own, free to do as she pleases, she is determined to chart her own course. There's only one problem….

A gentleman determined to possess her.

Nicholas Warre has made a deal. To save his endangered estate, he will find Lady India, marry her and bring her back to England at the behest of her father. And with thousands at stake, he doesn't much care what the lady thinks of the idea. But as the two engage in a contest of wills, the heat between them becomes undeniable…and the wedding they each dread may lead to a love they can't live without.

The Guest Post:

A Peek into the Sausage Factory...
a Guest Post by Alison DeLaine


We've all heard that old adage about watching sausage get made. I'm convinced the principle holds true for watching books get written. If you actually did observe this entire process, you might never read again! It's that messy.



Which is why I'm not going to tell you about all those bits of tired dialogue and eye-rolling prose littering the DeLaine factory floor. I want you to think my stories flow perfectly formed from my fingertips like...
um...
Well, there goes the sausage metaphor.

As messy as my process was, A Wedding by Dawn was especially fun to write. I already knew Nick and India from my debut novel, A Gentleman 'til Midnight, and I knew they would hate each other. Well, "hate" may be a bit strong. Let's just say that Nick would not have considered Lady India for a single second were it not for the money that came with marrying her. And India would rather have given her virtue to a stranger than give herself to Nick in marriage.

At least, that's how it starts. If you're a romance reader, I don't have to tell you that's not how it ends. But getting these two together wasn’t easy! And sometimes, as an author, I am my own worst enemy.

Since this is a behind-the-scenes post, I'll share a few glimpses into the sausage factory after all by revealing three Important Lessons I learned while writing A Wedding by Dawn:


1) A Romance Hero cannot have, shall we say, an anatomical failure. Not even if he's been drinking heavily. Apparently, some kinds of realism are undesirable in a romance novel. (Who knew?) The Romance Hero must be able to "stand at attention" under any and all circumstances. So rest assured, you'll not have to worry about any unseemly moments of underperformance from Nick.


2) A Romance Heroine must have certain standards of modesty. Just call me Alison "Taking things too far" DeLaine. I could fall back on the old "just doing what the characters told me to do" excuse, but the fact is, I'm the one who thought it would be a good idea for India to bare all in her quest to prove herself unmarriageable. Enter my editor... and exit the semi-public nudity. My bad.


3) A Romance Author should not use the dart-board approach to decide when and where the Romance Couple will consummate their relationship. Seriously, there was a point at which I had absolutely no idea when Nick and India would first do the deed. Here? There? (No, not everywhere. Sorry.) Don't get me wrong... There's plenty of spicy stuff. I mean, there has to be lots of lead-in before the Big Scene, right? But when it came to that Special Moment, it wasn't until one of the very last drafts that I finally realized, "Yes! Now!" (At which point, fortunately, I had already learned Lesson #1.)

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A WEDDING BY DAWN  will be on-sale  TOMORROW (4/29/2014) ! 

Order your copy of A WEDDING BY DAWN today! 
Amazon (paperback) | Amazon (kindle)
Barnes&Noble (paperback) | Barnes&Noble (kindle)

~*~GIVEAWAY~*~
Alison has generously offered to give away a copy of her latest novel, A WEDDING BY DAWN, to a lucky commenter!All you have to do is comment below with your favorite historical dish  AND fill out the rafflecopter form below. Giveaway ends 5/12 at midnight! A winner will be chosen/emailed and announced shortly thereafter!


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Review + Giveaway: Waiting on You by Kristan Higgins

WAITING ON YOU by Kristan Higgins is rife with emotion and not as cookie-cutter as you'd expect a small town contemporary romance to be; These quintessential Higgins characters learn lessons in love, forgiveness and acceptance that keeps a reader engaged until the final page.

Colleen O'Rourke is the beloved bar owner/matchmaker in the small town of Manningsport, New York. She has found contentment with her lot in life with the help of some awesome friends, loving and supportive (often times annoying) family, prosperous business with unique regulars, and a faithful dog named Rufus. That's not to say the betrayal of her first love marrying another woman or her father's infidelity and subsequent neglect doesn't make her feel blue or seek out the reassuring attention of the nice but mysteriously unappealing gentleman of Manningsport. Colleen's unattainability mixed with her nurturing disposition makes her pretty popular. Will the calm she worked so hard to develop be disrupted beyond repair when a blast from the past blows into town?

10 years, a miscarriage, failed marriage, and sick uncle later, Lucas Campbell finds his way back to the small town that never really felt like home. His only family included an aunt that went above and beyond to make him feel like an outsider, a dimwitted but lovable cousin, and the kind but preoccupied (and pussy-whipped) brother of his father. The only person that made Manningsport worth living in, back then and now, was Colleen O'Rourke- but she currently regards him as the asshole who refused to marry her because he wasn't ready one moment and then turns up engaged the next. Despite the awkward tension, Lucas has to insert himself back into the fold of the town- if only to honor a dying wish and see his cousin settled before Uncle Joe's passing. It wouldn't be nearly as frustrating if his ex-girlfriend wasn't butting in at every turn and trying to set the cousin up with someone who was obviously a waste of time (or was she?).

Characters both young and old learn from their mistakes and find contentment in exactly who they are. When misunderstandings from the past float to the surface, a second chance at first love just might persevere.

My Rating:

My Favorite Part of the Book: Was the complexity of the relationship between Colleen and her father. This dynamic resonated with me deeply and was written in a very convincing and poignant way. I love when I can see little pieces of myself and true life struggles in the books that I am reading and it's nice to be on the outside looking in on something that hits close to home.  I connected a lot more with the characters because of this.

Every time I read a book by this author I have some pop culture comparatives to mention; This book was like Cheers meets the soap opera Passions (anyone else remember Passions!?!). I tend to shy away from small town novels because they can read too cookie cutter (and honestly too staid) to me- and for a short time in the beginning of the novel I started to worry this one would follow suit. Sure enough, Higgins worked her magic and delivered characters and plot twists that kept me engrossed with the story all the way through. I appreciated the flaws of the characters (not just protagonists) and the very real way the author chose to address those insecurities and short comings. I also appreciated a female protagonist who actually knew she was pretty, not pulling the whole "I-am-a-simple-small-town-girl-with-no-idea-how-gorgeous-and-irresistible-I-am", but Colleen did start to irk me when her beauty and her promiscuity became a repetitive theme she liked to use as a defense mechanism. And as hilarious as #TeamMenopause was, some of their conduct (and specifically a scene at a single's painting class event) just read too dramatic for me. Still, this book is classic Higgins and delivers a story ripe with characters worth reading and plenty of inspirational messages to take home.

***GIVEAWAY***
Little Bird Publicity and Kristan Higgins would like to offer a copy of WAITING ON YOU to one (1) lucky commenter! Comment on this review AND fill out the rafflecopter form below to be entered. This giveaway is open to US only (no P.O. Boxes please) and will end April 17th. A winner will be chosen and emailed.


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For the Love of Breeches...with Alison DeLaine (Guest Post & Giveaway)


I am as pleased as ever to welcome to the blog a debut author whose upcoming novel will sail into your hearts in no time. She's on the blog today to share in our mutual adoration of a very necessary undergarment ;)
Without further adieu:

About Alison:

Alison DeLaine lives in rural Arizona, where she tries to keep her hillbilly side under control (but generally fails) and can often be found driving a dented old pickup truck out to her mining claim in the desert. When she’s not busy striking it rich, waiting on spoiled pets, or keeping her husband in line, she is happily putting characters through the wringer. Alison is a two-time Golden Heart® finalist and currently writes historical romance for Harlequin HQN.



Find Alison Online: Website | Facebook | Twitter

About the Book:
A Gentleman 'Til Midnight


Click cover for excerpt | Buy links below
Read my Review: here
The complication they don’t want…
Lady Katherine Kinloch survived captivity once. Now the notorious captain of her own ship, she refuses to let anyone jeopardize her hard-won freedom. But on a voyage to England to fight for her family’s endangered estate, Katherine is thrown off course when she unknowingly rescues celebrated naval captain James Warre…a man who stands for everything she despises.

The passion they desperately need…
Haunted by regret for his role in her dark past, James is determined to be more than the cold, calculating officer Katherine expects. Her seduction is his obsession, but his pride hangs in the balance if he gives in to temptation. And hiding beneath the scorching attraction between them lies a secret that could force the two apart for good.

The Guest Post:

For the Love of Breeches...
a Guest Post by Alison DeLaine

What's Not to Love Inside Breeches?

Oops. I meant to say about breeches. Seriously. There’s a lot to love about them. Any woman worth her salt fantasizes about the days when a girl could ogle a man's legs without having her view obstructed by extra yardage. (Of fabric. What kind of blog post do you think this is?)

Breeches were the mini-skirts of their day--except the male/female roles were completely reversed. And some of those men had a damn fine pair of legs. Which, of course, is exactly how I envision my hero in A Gentleman 'til Midnight. Because I just wouldn't write a hero who didn't have good legs. And by "good," I mean strong, muscular, and powerful enough to sustain the leverage required for a good, long--



Well, never mind about that. Let's just say that for Captain James Warre (aka the Earl of Croston), performance isn't an issue:

     “Touch me, Katherine,” he rasped, but she was already there. Her hands moved over the front of his breeches—too slow, too soft. His breeches were so tight it hurt. Ah, God—he undid the fastening and…"
And you’ll just have to read the book for the rest, because it wouldn’t be appropriate on a family blog like NARB.

As you can see, breeches play a very crucial role in the historical romance. Really, as an author, I'm not sure what I would do without them. I like to imagine that a man's breeches could reveal… well… all kinds of things about what he might be thinking. In A Gentleman ‘til Midnight, my heroine is pretty sharp about these things. Her cutlass is pretty sharp, too, and comes in handy when cornered by an unwanted rakehell: 

     Apparently sensing victory, the duke pushed away from the railing and took a step toward her. “I’m very sure when I meet a woman who would appreciate my strengths.” There was just enough light filtering from the windows to see his strengths bulging hard inside his breeches.
     “Oh, yes. I certainly can appreciate them.” Katherine feinted with her left hand as though she meant to touch him.
     “Then by all means, let us— Bloody hell!” The duke jumped back three feet when she whipped her cutlass from its hiding place in her skirts.


Let’s just say the poor duke’s breeches ended up a casualty of that encounter.

Really, the saddest thing about breeches in a historical romance is that at some point—yes, it’s true—they must be pulled up and refastened. For my Captain Warre, that certainly marked a low point:

     Was that it, then? A hasty farewell as he buttoned his breeches and stepped out of her coach two streets away to avoid being seen? Sod it all, he’d made a bloody mess of things.

There’s just so much implied in a phrase like “he buttoned his breeches,” isn’t there? But if implications aren’t enough for you, I’m giving away a FREE copy of A Gentleman ‘til Midnight to TWO lucky people who comment here on or before December 23rd! Winners will be chosen on December 24.



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A Gentleman 'til Midnight  is available for Pre-Order right now wherever books are sold and will be released on December 31st, 2013.

Pre-order A Gentleman 'til Midnight today! 
Amazon (paperback) | Amazon (kindle)
Barnes&Noble (paperback) | Barnes&Noble (kindle)

~*~GIVEAWAY~*~
Alison has generously offered to give away two (2) copies of her debut novel, A Gentleman 'til Midnight, to two (2) lucky commenters! What a special treat, just in time for the holidays! All you have to do is comment below with your favorite piece of historical apparel AND fill out the rafflecopter form below. Giveaway ends 12/23 at midnight! Winners will be chosen and announced on Christmas Eve!


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