The Wolf Wore Plaid (+ Giveaway)

I have long been a fan of author Terry Spear and her various shape shifter series so it’s with delight I get to tell you about her latest release, THE WOLF WORE PLAID, the sixth installment in her Highland Wolf series.

The Wolf Wore Plaid

by Terry Spear

Publication Date: 4/27/2021

An overprotective wolf meets his match in the Scottish Highlands of today…

Heather MacNeil has never backed down from a fight. So when some shady shifters from a neighboring enemy clan come looking for trouble, she refuses to feed their satisfaction. There’s only one wolf that makes her go soft…

For packmate Enrick MacQuarrie, the work as second-in-command never ends—as the feud ignites, clan security is more vital than ever. But a certain unpredictable, feisty Highland lass is determined to stand up to the aggressors, and Enrick is equally determined to protect her.

The action builds as Heather and Enrick grow closer, but will they be willing to sacrifice their wild friendship for true love?

THE WOLF WORE PLAID is available to purchase at the following links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3s2cNnq

B&N: https://bit.ly/3bTZakr

Apple: https://apple.co/2NqTl4D

Kobo: https://bit.ly/30SihVR

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3rY3K73

BAM: https://bit.ly/3rS5U89

 

Now here’s an excerpt for your reading pleasure.

“We’ve heard so much about your shop that we had to come and check it out,” Robert said, leaning against her counter. 

She didn’t believe him for an instant. Her phone was sitting on the ledge below the high counter and out of his sight, so she started to text Ian to see if he could send some backup, other than her three brothers—Oran, Jamie, and Callum, who would just as likely kill the men and ask questions afterward—if she needed the help. 

The doorbell jingled again, and she looked up to see who it was, afraid it would be more of the Kilpatricks’ kin. Instead, Enrick MacQuarrie pulled the door closed behind him, and a bit of relief washed over her. Now he was a welcome sight. Not for his supposed interest in dating her. That was so far-fetched, she couldn’t believe Lana would even think it. But Heather knew he would be all protective when it came to her or any other she-wolf of the MacNeill pack. 

She didn’t send the text message to Ian, figuring Enrick would deal with the Kilpatricks if they gave her any trouble. 

Not that she was totally reassured. Anything could go wrong, and she sure didn’t want Enrick hurt either. 

He looked so much like one of the men wearing a New York T-shirt while they waited for their steak pies that he could have been his double. Ever since Guy McNab had made it big as a film star in America, Enrick had been mistaken for him whenever he ventured out of the area. 

Enrick was the middle triplet brother of Grant and Lachlan MacQuarrie, tawny-haired and good-natured—except if he was defending the pack members or his friends, then watch out. He had a warrior’s heart, yet Heather had seen a real soft side to him too—playing tug-of-war with the Irish wolfhound pups, chasing the kids around the inner bailey in a game of tag, growling as if he were a wolf in his fur coat and making the kids squeal in delight. She’d seen him playing with his brothers as wolves and he was totally aggressive then, not wanting either of his brothers to win the battle between them. And in a snowball fight, he was the fastest snowball maker and thrower she’d ever seen. If they played on teams, she wanted him on hers. 

So he did let his hair down, so to speak, with the kids and with his brothers and others. With her? He clearly thought she was trouble. 

At least he was a wolf with a pack friendly to her own, and she smiled brightly at him, glad he was here in case she needed him. 

There was no smile for her, his look instead dark and imposing as he glanced from her to the Kilpatrick brothers, still trying to figure out what they wanted to buy. She hoped Enrick wouldn’t start a fight. They had so many customers, and she didn’t want to see a brawl break out in front of them. It surely wouldn’t help business. 

Robert pointed to the sign on the wall listing the kind of pies they sold. “We’ll take a couple of the steak and kidney pies to go.” 

Okay, so they weren’t causing trouble. Yet. They hadn’t noticed Enrick’s arrival, and she hoped he wouldn’t cause things to get ugly when the other men were behaving…for the moment. Enrick was observing them with a do-anything-I-don’t-like-and-you’ll-die look. 

Robert leaned against the oak countertop. “We hear there’s supposed to be a movie filmed at one of the castles nearby.” 

As her heartbeat quickened, Heather’s gaze darted to Enrick’s, and he raised his brows at her. Man, she was about to give the secret away in that one little glance at him. She knew he would question her next, once the men left. He could probably hear her heart suddenly beating way too fast. 

“We had a movie filmed at our castle a few years back, but that’s it.” Heather placed their order with Rush stamped on it. She’d never used the stamp before, but this was certainly one of those times it came in handy. 

“Not that film. A new one. More of a…fantasy,” Patrick said, “featuring wolves, even.” 

“At the MacNeills’ castle? No,” she said, shaking her head. She wasn’t lying. Ian MacNeill swore they would never have another film shot at their castle. At the time they’d been in dire straits financially, and the only way to keep the castle solvent was to do the film. Wolf packs had to keep their identity secret. Having tons of nonwolves traipsing through Argent Castle and the grounds could be problematic. Her pack had had to send a couple of newly turned wolves to stay with the MacQuarries, just so the human cast and crew wouldn’t have the surprise of seeing the newbies shift during the full moon. 

***

Excerpted from The Wolf Wore Plaid by Terry Spear. © 2021 by Terry Spear. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

Meet the Author: Terry Spear

USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear has written over sixty paranormal and medieval Highland romances.

A retired officer of the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry also creates award-winning teddy bears that have found homes all over the world, helps out with her grandbaby, and she is raising two Havanese puppies.

She lives in Spring, Texas.

Thanks for stopping by today. Be sure to enter the giveaway below and if the Rafflecopter widget doesn’t show up you can still enter by clicking HERE.

I’m not sure what seems more intriguing, making a movie in a castle or the wolves. What about you, which do you think?

Rafflecopter: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Deep River Promise (+ Giveaway)

 I’m delighted to tell you about author Jackie Ashenden’s upcoming release, DEEP RIVER PROMISE.

Deep River Promise

by Jackie Ashenden

Series: Alaska Homecoming #2

Publication Date: 3/30/2021

Genre: Contemporary

Coming home was the easy part. Facing her will take everything he’s got…

Silas Quinn hasn’t been back to Deep River, Alaska, in years, not since he joined the army. He left behind the best friend he’d ever had. But he knew Hope Dawson was meant for bigger things than Deep River—and he—had to offer. What he didn’t know was that when he left, he took Hope’s dreams right along with him…

Then tragedy strikes and sends Silas home, and the entire town is thrown into chaos when they learn what brought him back—he’s inherited ownership of the town and the newly discovered oil reserves under it!

Hope gave up on ever getting out of Deep River. Her mom needed her, then her grandfather died and left her the local hangout to run. Now Si is back in town, stirring up old feelings—including her anger at being left behind. His return brings Hope an offer that can change her life. Love, or adventure, are almost within reach—but she can’t have both…

DEEP RIVER PROMISE is available to purchase on the following sites:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3hsfJEJ

B&N: https://bit.ly/2YtdERp

Apple: https://apple.co/32jN528

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3qL0U4y

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/2EyV4QC

BAM: https://bit.ly/3lhdh6b

Books2Read: https://bit.ly/2MbQjAC

Now here’s an excerpt for your reading pleasure.

Damon Fitzgerald woke with an excruciating headache and the sense that he was being stabbed slowly but relentlessly through one eye. The headache was familiar—usually a sign he’d imbibed a little too heavily the night before—but the stabbing sensation not so much.

Cautiously, he raised one hand to touch the eye currently being stabbed only to encounter his own eyelid. So. Not being stabbed then. That was a relief.

He was still a little disoriented though, and his mouth felt like the bottom of a birdcage, so it took him some time to realize that the stabbing sensation was coming from the sunlight shining through a gap in the curtains and straight into one eye.

Sun. He hadn’t seen the sun for at least three days, due to the weather being crap, which was strange for LA…

Which was when he remembered that he wasn’t in LA. He wasn’t even in Juneau, where he’d been for the last couple for weeks.

No, it was worse than that. Way worse.

He was in a room over the Happy Moose bar in a tiny, privately owned town called Deep River, smack bang in the middle of nowhere, Alaska. And he’d been stuck here for three days because the weather had been so bad he hadn’t been able to fly out.

Damon lay there for a moment as the realization settled through him, trying to reorient himself, because he’d definitely over imbibed the night before and this hangover had teeth. Then with a sudden start, he remembered that sun was a good thing.

Sun meant the weather was better, which in turn meant he could get the hell out of here and back to LA.

Rolling off the bed, he dragged himself over to the french doors that led onto the room’s tiny balcony, shoved them open, and stumbled out onto the balcony itself, just to check that the sun was real.

Sure enough, though it must have been early in the morning, the sun was actually shining, the sky a bright, almost painful blue, making the white caps of the mountains looming on all sides look extra white and extra sharp.

Ahead of him was the deep, rushing green of the river the town was named for. Deep River. It had been settled during the gold rush at the end of the nineteenth century by the West family, who’d bought the land Deep River sat on and leased out bits of it to anyone who wanted a place to call home.

A quirky little town, as Damon had spent the last three days finding out.

Deep River consisted of a ramshackle series of buildings clustered on the side of the river, connected by a boardwalk that projected out over the water and a narrow street that ran behind the buildings on the land side. They were old, those buildings, the paint on them faded, the wood cracked and worn through long exposure to rain and sun and snow. Not as picture-postcard as the ones in Ketchikan to the south, but there was definitely a certain vintage charm to them. Like a group of elderly ladies whose beauty was a little faded and careworn, they still possessed the ghost of their stunning youth, a certain timeless magic that tugged at the heartstrings.

Houses very similar to those at the water’s edge were scattered up the hill behind the town, and there were a few more buildings along from the boardwalk, huddling against the hill’s side.

A set of wooden steps led down from the boardwalk to a dock where several fishing boats and trawlers were tied up, but since it was comparatively empty, most of the boats must have gone up the river to the sea for a day working the nets.

Damon took a deep breath and then another, the fresh bite of the air settling his headache and cooling his skin, waking him up. He wasn’t a small-town kind of guy, but there was something quite majestic about the mountains and the forested hills that loomed above him. Especially now the sun was shining.

He’d complained about the rain the night before to one of the locals, who’d then informed him of Deep River’s average rainfall, which was some horrendous amount that sounded just wrong to someone from LA.

Still, it did explain the solid three-day downpour and made him feel lucky that it was a beautiful day now.

Movement below him caught his eye, and he glanced down at the boardwalk.

The kid was there again, skulking by the big wooden pole stuck in the boardwalk that had “Middle of Nowhere” painted down the side. A tall, gangly teenager dressed in jeans and a black hoodie.

He always seemed to be in Damon’s vicinity, and if Damon didn’t know any better, he’d say he was being followed.

Though surely it was a little too early in the morning for teenagers? Weren’t they supposed to sleep past twelve or something?

The kid was looking straight at him, though he was too far away for Damon to see what expression was on his face. The fixed way the kid was staring was slightly unnerving.

A woman came suddenly into view. She had shoulder-length blond hair, and it was blowing around in the wind, a bright counterpoint to the plain jeans-and-T-shirt-combo she wore, a parka pulled on over the top, and she moved with great purpose to where the kid stood. She spoke to him a second and then turned her head, and Damon found himself under the intense scrutiny of two people.

His skin prickled, cool air moving across it. Moving everywhere across it.

Aw hell. He’d neglected to dress before stumbling out onto the balcony, and since he always slept naked… Yeah, no wonder both the woman and the kid were staring.

***

Excerpted from Deep River Promise by Jackie Ashenden. © 2021 by Jackie Ashenden. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

Meet the Author

Jackie Ashenden has been writing fiction since she was eleven years old. She used to balance her writing with the more serious job of librarianship until a chance meeting with another romance writer prompted her to devote herself to the true love of her heart – writing romance. She particularly likes to write dark, emotional stories with alpha heroes and kick-ass heroines. She lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

Now be sure to enter the giveaway below.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Have you ever lived in Alaska or wanted to?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Once Upon A Mail Order Bride (+ Giveaway)

I’m delighted today to share with you an excerpt from author Linda Broday’s just released, ONCE UPON A MAIL ORDER BRIDE, the fourth installment in her Outlaw Mail Order Brides series. 

Once Upon a Mail Order Bride

by Linda Broday

*Series: Outlaw Mail Order Brides #4

*Publication Date: 11/24/2020

*Genre: Historical Western

An outlaw falls for his mysterious mail order bride in this sweeping western epic by beloved author Linda Broday.

Accused of crimes he didn’t commit, ex-preacher Ridge Steele is forced to give up everything he knew and make his home with outlaws. Desperate for someone to confide in, he strikes up correspondence with mail-order bride Adeline Jancy, finding in her the open heart he’s been searching for. Upon her arrival, Ridge discovers Addie only communicates through the written word, but he knows a little of what trauma can do to a person and vows to stand by her side.

Addie is eager to start a new life with the kind ex-preacher and the little boy she’s stolen away from her father—a zealot priest of a terrorized flock. As her small family settles into life at Hope’s Crossing, she even begins to find the voice, and confidence, she’d lost so long ago.

But danger is not far behind, and her father will not be denied. While Addie desperately fights the man who destroyed her childhood, a determined Ridge races to the rescue. The star-crossed lovers will need more than prayers to survive this final challenge…and find their way back to each other again.

ONCE UPON A MAIL ORDER BRIDE is available for purchase at the following links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2M22BYz

B&N: https://bit.ly/2X7YIb2

Apple: http://apple.co/2GD8xs8

Kobo: http://bit.ly/356oFMh

Bookshop: http://bit.ly/2GyUVhq

BAM: https://bit.ly/3canRGc

Walmart: http://bit.ly/3k4LFPV

Books2Read: http://bit.ly/38lQTo6

Now an excerpt for your reading pleasure. 

Ridge glanced at the woman sitting next to Josie with a black lace scarf covering her head and obscuring most of her face. She seemed to huddle deeper into the folds, as though wishing to escape his notice. 

He started around the wagon to help his bride down and introduce himself when Luke Legend steered him away from the others. 

Luke kept his voice low. “There’s something you need to know before you meet Adeline.” 

His chest tightened. Was she disfigured? Was that the reason for the veil? “What’s that?” 

“She can’t speak.” 

Shock jolted Ridge. “What do you mean she can’t talk? Can’t for a medical reason? Did someone cut out her tongue?” 

He’d heard how bad prison was and had once met a convict who shook and jerked all the time. Someone had used him as a test subject for a new device, rigged up with paper soaked in saltwater and something to do with zinc and copper. 

A search of his memory brought no recollection of Adeline mentioning this in the few letters they’d exchanged. 

“Nothing like that,” Luke assured him. “It’s more like she won’t try. The doctor at the prison said they kept her in isolation for the whole three years as part of her punishment. With no one to talk to, she seems to have forgotten how. Anyway, she’s going to require a lot of understanding.” Luke shifted and the silver conches running up the sides of his black pant legs flashed in the sunlight. “There’s more.” 

Good Lord, what else? What did that prison do to her? 

“Someone’s hunting her.” 

A wave of fury crashed over Ridge. His voice held a sharp edge. “Who? And for what reason?” 

“Don’t know, but Adeline does. I was waiting for her at the prison and overheard two men talking about her. One said the best time to grab her was when she came out, and that the money for the job would keep them well off.” Luke grinned. “I took her out the back way.” 

“Dammit!” Ridge studied the faint bruises on his friend’s jaw that said he’d had to fight to keep Adeline safe. Anger rose. Ridge clenched his fist. Whoever wanted to harm her would now have to deal with him. 

“When they realized what we’d done, they chased us. I was barely able to get her onto a train to Fort Worth.” Luke paused. “Wish I knew more.” 

“Makes two of us.” 

“The question is…do you still want to marry a hunted woman? One who might never speak?” 

Here was an excuse if he wanted to take it. It was unlikely that anyone would fault him for it. Only one thing wrong with that—he wasn’t happy the way he was. He needed more from life than merely existing from one day to the next. And what about Adeline? His rejection might finish the process of destroying her. Plus, she needed protection—and that was something he at least knew how to give. 

“Yes, I’ll marry her—if she’ll have me.” 

Luke slapped his back. “Then I’ll introduce you and we’ll plan a wedding.” 

Ridge took some nervous breaths and matched Luke’s stride as they moved toward the wagon. Luke helped her down. She didn’t lift her head. Ridge, well over six feet, towered above the slim, petite woman. 

Adeline wore a simple dress of blue calico that hugged in all the right places. Ridge grew warm thinking about running his hands over those curves. The strands of blond hair poking from the heavy black scarf were golden in color, deep and rich. 

Luke put an arm around her. “Miss Jancy, meet your bridegroom, Ridge Steele. I personally vouch for his character. I’ve fought by his side and know he’s a good man to have around. He’ll fight for you until you’re strong enough to do it yourself.” 

She stood rooted in silence. Ridge wished he could see her face. 

“That’s a promise, Miss Adeline.” Ridge cursed his suddenly raspy voice. She struck him as a wounded, exhausted little wren, battered by heavy storms. “Thank you for coming. I’m only an outlaw, a wanted man with little to my name. But everything I have is yours—if you want it.” 

She lifted her head and removed the black scarf. Kissed by the sunshine, her hair curled around her shoulders and flowed down her back. Emerald eyes stared up at him, framed by thick dark lashes and a jolt raced through him. 

Here stood the brave, determined woman he’d seen under a Fort Worth night. 

Ridge sucked in a breath. He’d been right in thinking she’d be pretty in the daylight. By God, she was beautiful. Although the others stood there, they’d somehow melted away. Adeline was the only person he could see. Shoulders squared, her determined gaze bored into him and her chin raised a notch. Despite everything, she had fight left in her. He’d probably find out how much if he didn’t watch it. 

Did she recognize him as well? Her expression didn’t indicate if she did. But then it’d been dark that night, and his Stetson had shielded most of his face. 

He brought her hand to his lips and cleared his throat. “Miss Adeline, I’d be honored if you’d be my wife. Will you accept my proposal?” 

One jerk of her head confirmed her answer. 

“Is tomorrow too soon? Or would you rather wait a few days?” 

Panic crossed her face. Taking the paper and pencil Luke handed her, Adeline wrote, “Tomorrow.” 

***

Excerpted from Once Upon a Mail Order Bride by Linda Broday. © 2020 by Linda Broday. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Meet the Author

At a young age, Linda Broday discovered a love for storytelling, history, and anything pertaining to the Old West. After years of writing romance, it’s still tall, rugged cowboys that spark her imagination.

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Linda has won many awards, including the prestigious National Readers’ Choice Award and the Texas Gold.

She resides in the Texas Panhandle where she’s inspired every day.

Her love of history and the Old West was born from watching TV westerns and visiting museums and libraries. She has always been an avid reader and books opened up entirely new exciting worlds that seemed limited only by her imagination.

Cowboys have always fascinated Linda and she often thinks she was born 150 years too late. She loves writing about those men, their ladies, and the struggles they endure in trying to carve out a small place to call home.

For more on Linda and her writing, visit her website at https://lindabroday.com/

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope the excerpt entices you to pick up this book. Also be sure to enter the giveaway below. If the Rafflecopter widget doesn’t show up, you can still enter by clicking HERE.

Isn’t there just something magical about the old west and the love stories inspired by it?

 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

In Deep (+ Giveaway)

It’s a pleasure today to share with you author Blue Saffire’s newest release, IN DEEP, the second installment in her Blackhart Brothers series.

Join in today and read an excerpt from this tantalizing story, as well as for your chance to enter Blue’s giveaway.

In Deep

The Blackhart Brothers Book 2

by Blue Saffire

Publication Date: 8/4/2020

I’ll do anything to protect what’s mine…

The last thing I needed was a call from my old precinct letting me know my knucklehead nephew had been picked up for skipping class. Still, I figured it would be an in-and-out visit. Quick. Simple. But the moment I heard her voice, I should’ve known it would be anything but easy.

I wasn’t expecting the feelings that came roaring back the moment I laid eyes on the saucy detective with the gorgeous smile, but I probably should’ve seen it coming. Our history is one for the books, and it's a page-scorcher. And now here she is, standing in my way, and I can’t seem to remember why I ever let her leave my side.

It looks like the sparks between me and Detective Danita Moralez are as intense as ever, but she’s also more guarded than before. Two years ago, she walked out of my life because she wasn’t willing to reveal the dangerous truth about her undercover work. This time, she’s not going to get away so easily. 

IN DEEP is available for purchase at the following sites:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3i9IhUj

B&N: https://bit.ly/2CIFFfN

Apple: https://apple.co/3hVW54q

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3fSJEVK

BAM: https://bit.ly/2OMPf3R

Now here’s an excerpt for your reading pleasure.

Excerpt

“Man, we miss having you and Quinn around here,” Stevens says beside me.

I hear him, but I’m too busy following Moralez with my eyes. She’s gorgeous. Smart and sexy. I love it.

Cal talked about her bust the entire ride here. You would think he had some part in her victory. I don’t know what I was expecting, but the woman I’m staring at isn’t it.

Her tight blue jeans hug her hips with the affection of a long-time lover. Those sexy heels on her feet have me tilting my head to the side as I study her. Damn, the sway of her hips is perfection. I noticed earlier that she has a great pair beneath that T-shirt.

Her voice hit me in my gut from her first word. That smoky rasp is seductive in its own right. Soft, yet a bit hoarse.

Her warm, deep-brown skin is a rich espresso tone. Her eyes are the color of amber whiskey, quite the contrast to her skin. Her dark hair is pulled back in a tight bun.

I can’t help wondering what her locks look like down. Would they fall in her face as she looks at me beneath her? From the waves in the strands brushed from her face, I bet it’s wavy when it’s loose.

Her last name is Moralez, but she looks like she could be of mixed heritage. Not that I’m naive enough to think she couldn’t be fully Latinx. My trips to Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic alone have taught me better than to make that assumption. Which is why I want to get to know her better. I want to ask questions and find out all about her.

“You know that’s not going to happen, right?”

I turn to Jennings, another of the good guys around here. “You think not?” I say with a grin.

“I know not. She’s been around here for what? Two or three years. Not one guy, or girl for that matter, has been able to bag her. Forget it.”

“Just because you failed doesn’t mean I don’t have a shot.”

Stevens groans beside me. “I don’t know. I’m with Jennings on this one. You don’t stand a chance. At first, I thought it was a cop thing. You know, like she was against dating one of us. Then I thought it was a White, Black thing, but I’ve seen her turn down everyone. White, Black, Hispanic, male, female, cop, lawyer, bartender. She’s a closed case.”

“Are you assholes sure she’s single? I didn’t see a ring, but that means nothing,” I think out loud.

“I thought that too,” Jennings says. “We were partners for a little bit. Before I moved to the special unit. It’s just her and her dog. She’s single, single.”

I sit back and think on that. It’s not enough to deter me. I want her to tell me she’s not interested. From the vibe I got from her earlier, I don’t think I’m up for as big a challenge as these guys think.

“Good luck,” Stevens says.

“I got twenty that says he crashes and burns,” Jennings snorts, slapping a twenty on the table.

“What do you say, Kev? You think you can win me a twenty?” Stevens says to me.

“You should double the bet,” I say as I watch Moralez and all her sexy curves disappear into the ladies’ room.

***

Excerpted from In Deep by Blue Saffire. © 2020 by Blue Saffire. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

Meet the Author

Author Blue Saffire

ABOUT BLUE: As a young girl, Blue’s mother introduced her to the world of love and music through movies, but once she got her hands-on books, an author was born.

With more than thirty contemporary romance novels and novellas under her belt, she’s now an award-winning, bestselling author.

She lives with her husband on Long Island.

For more about Blue and her writing, visit her website at http://bluesaffire.com/

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Be sure to enter the giveaway below. If the widget doesn’t work, you can go HERE and enter.

What do you think about the little twist here – the lady is the detective?

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway