My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

I’m delighted to tell you about a fascinating story that I wanted to share with you yesterday when it became available in reprint as a paperback, but my internet delayed me until today.

MY LOVELY WIFE (Berkley Trade Paperback Reprint; March 3, 2020), Samantha Downing’s smash debut about a husband and wife duo who kill together, is now available in paperback. This delightfully twisted domestic-suspense thriller launched last year to the praise of readers across the country and established Downing as a writer to watch—and for very good reason.

After watching a documentary about a husband who forced his wife to help him kidnap a young woman and keep her captive for years, Samantha had a terrifying but intriguing thought: Women never do this to other women… but what if they did?

Enter Millicent, a real estate agent living with her husband and two children in a gilded suburb of Central Florida. When Millicent and her husband commit their first murder, it’s accidental. But they are surprised to discover how the shared secret injects new life into their relationship.

The second time a woman goes missing, it isn’t an accident. But even though they think they have this crime perfectly planned, it’s the deadly secrets they’re keeping from each other that may just be their undoing.

The new paperback is available with a dark new cover. Here’s a brief synopsis from Amazon:

Dexter meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith in this wildly compulsive debut thriller about a couple whose fifteen-year marriage has finally gotten too interesting...

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We're your neighbors, the parents of your kid's friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have our secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.

Author Samantha Downing

About the Author:

Samantha Downing currently lives in New Orleans, where she is furiously typing away on her next thrilling standalone. My Lovely Wife is her first novel.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope if you haven’t already checked out this intriguing thriller you will now. Have you ever thought “women don’t do this to women” in the same manner Samantha did?

Splendor Before the Dark

I’m delighted today to share with you a recently released paperback by author Margaret George, THE SPLENDOR BEFORE THE DARK, a historical epic starring the Roman Emperor Nero as he faces the forces of nature to save the city of Rome.

THE SPLENDOR BEFORE THE DARK picks up where Margaret’s last novel, The Confessions of Young Nero, left off, with the naïve teenager becoming the Emperor of ancient Rome and securing his power. Now in his tenth year on the throne, during the ill-fated, final four years of his short life, Nero faces the biggest challenge to his authority yet: The Great Fire of Rome.

Known for his lavish parties, creative performances, and passion for high-stakes athletic competition, Nero has never been a typical emperor. Breaking the shroud of secrecy that normally surrounds the position, Nero is practically a Roman rock star—he performs his own songs in front of massive crowds, trains and competes athletically, and cannot resist the beautiful and powerful women that surround him. But when Rome is engulfed in the Great Fire, Nero must find a way to restore the artistic and cultural splendor of the city he loves. Challenged by his enemies, and unsure if he can even trust his friends, Nero attempts to outrun his own reputation and escape the web of betrayals that is the Roman court.

With the beautiful and cunning Poppaea at his side, Nero commands the Roman empire, ushering in an unprecedented era of artistic and cultural splendor. Although he has yet to produce an heir, his power is unquestioned.

But in the tenth year of his reign, a terrifying prophecy comes to pass, and a fire engulfs Rome, reducing entire swaths of the city to rubble. Rumors of Nero’s complicity in the blaze start to sow unrest among the populace—and the politicians....

For better or worse, Nero knows that his fate is now tied to Rome’s—and he vows to rebuild it as a city that will stun the world. But there are those who find his rampant quest for glory dangerous. Throughout the empire, false friends and spies conspire against him, not understanding what drives him to undertake the impossible.

Nero will either survive and be the first in his family to escape the web of betrayals that is the Roman court or be ensnared and remembered as the last radiance of the greatest dynasty the world has ever known.

For those who aren’t familiar with the author here is a bit of background on her.

Author Margaret George

Margaret George specializes in epic fictional biographies of historical figures, taking pains to make them as factually accurate as possible without compromising the drama. Her THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF HENRY VIII had its 30th anniversary this past September and continues to be popular. ABC-TV based its 1999 Emmy-nominated “Cleopatra” miniseries on her THE MEMOIRS OF CLEOPATRA. All of her books have been bestsellers, with twenty-one foreign translations.

Margaret’s father was in the Foreign Service and so she lived overseas for her early life, in such different places as tropical Taiwan, desert Israel, and cold war Berlin, all of which were great training for a novelist to be. She started writing ‘books’ about the same time as she could write at all, mainly for her own entertainment. It was a diversion she never outgrew. Her published works are: THE AUTOBIOGAPHY OF HENRY VIII, MARY QUEEN OF SCOTLAND AND THE ISLES, THE MEMOIRS OF CLEOPATRA, MARY CALLED MAGDALENE, HELEN OF TROY, ELIZABETH I, and an illustrated children’s book, LUCILLE LOST.

Margaret lives in Madison, Wisconsin, and Washington DC, and has a sextagenarian tortoise as a pet.

Thanks for stopping by today. Have you ever thought of Nero as a rock star?

The Gamble, Sweet Dreams, Lady Luck {+ Giveaway}

Today is a fun day as the new paperback editions of THE GAMBLE, SWEET DREAMS, and LADY LUCK by Kristen Ashley are in stores.

I’m glad you stopped by today because you have the chance to win one (1) of five (5) sets of The Gamble, Sweet Dreams, and Lady Luck being given away!

THE GAMBLE by Kristen Ashley (June 20, 2017; Forever Trade Paperback; $9.99)

SWEET DREAMS by Kristen Ashley (June 20, 2017; Forever Trade Paperback; $9.99)

LADY LUCK by Kristen Ashley (June 20, 2017; Forever Trade Paperback; $9.99)

ANNOUNCING THREE BEAUTIFUL NEW TRADE PAPERBACK EDITIONS FROM THE COLORADO MOUNTAIN SERIES!

THE GAMBLE

Life isn't meant to be perfect. It's meant to be lived . . .

Nina Sheridan thought she'd found the perfect man who would become the perfect husband. She was wrong. When Nina realizes the man she planned to grow old with doesn't know her at all, it's time to rethink her idea of perfect. And what better place to get her life in order than a remote Colorado mountain town halfway around the world?

          Gnaw Bone, Colorado, may not be flashy or cosmopolitan, but it's got a brand of hospitality all its own. Nina isn't entirely sure she's ready to trade the life she thought she wanted in England for cozy evenings in her mountain retreat, and she definitely isn't sure she's ready to handle the connection she feels to the owner of her rental house, Max Holden . . .
          Nina didn't come to Colorado to find love, but even the best-laid plans can go awry. Now, if Nina can let go of her past, Max-and a future in Gnaw Bone-might just be the perfect second chance she's been waiting for.

Buy the Book!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2pGUXVV

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2qbOF44
IndieBound: http://bit.ly/2raSZ28
Target: http://bit.ly/2pHrHiX

Add The Gamble to your shelf on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2ptNSwR

SWEET DREAMS

When you lose everything, anything is possible.

Lauren Grahame needs a whole new life. A simpler life. After leaving her cheating husband, she moves to Carnal, Colorado, takes a job as a waitress, and realizes she might have finally found the hometown she'd been searching for. Except things are about to get a lot more complicated . . .

          Lauren's fresh start does not include her growing feelings for her boss, Tate Jackson. She'll take the new friends, the new job, not to mention the incredible banana bread from the local coffee shop, but love is not on the agenda.
          However, the people of Carnal know chemistry when they see it, and they're not about to let Tate and Lauren miss their chance.

Buy the Book!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2rb5k6H

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2pGOESz
IndieBound: http://bit.ly/2qb20Ky
Target: http://bit.ly/2pHrHiX

Add Sweet Dreams to your shelf on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2ptNlLd

LADY LUCK

All you need is a little luck.

Lexie Berry has had nothing but bad luck. You name it, Lexie has probably survived it-or worse. But there's only so much bad luck a girl can take, and now one promise is all that stands between her and a brand-new life.

          When that promise brings her to Carnal, Colorado, Lexie isn't sure the rough, yet strangely charming, town is for her. But there's something Carnal has that might just make staying around worth it . . . and that's Ty Walker.
          For five years, Ty was imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. Now he wants revenge on the people who framed him. Lexie knows there's a difference between vengeance and justice, and she'll do everything she can to make sure Ty gets the latter. And with the good people of Carnal on their side, Lexie and Ty might finally find their luck is changing for the better.

Buy the Book!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2raJy2O

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2r9wr13
IndieBound: http://bit.ly/2qbXAmt
Target: http://bit.ly/2qc08kt

Add Lady Luck to your shelf on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2qBpB8d

About the Author

Kristen Ashley grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana, and has lived in Denver, Colorado, and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multigenerational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland, and Kristen grew up listening to the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon, and Whitesnake.

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

Social Media Links

www.kristenashley.net

www.facebook.com/kristenashleybooks
www.twitter.com/kristenashley68

Giveaway

Enter to win 1 of 5 sets of The Gamble, Sweet Dreams, and Lady Luck! To enter just click on the Rafflecopter widget below.

Thanks for stopping by. Which do you prefer paperback or hardcover or does it really matter as long as it’s an enjoyable read?

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