Romance Teaser and Giveaway

Lauren pushed away from the porch railing. Caleb was here. Why did that feel like something to celebrate? The rubber squeak of the balloons yanking against their ribbons, the fragrant homemade pizza smell wafting out the open windows and the rustle of the breeze in the trees faded into the background. Caleb strode through the gravel, looking shower-fresh in a blue T-shirt and worn jeans. He was every inch the salt-of-the-earth man she believed him to be. (pg. 129, A McKaslin Homecoming by Jillian Hart) Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. The rules are easy and I only cheated a little. Grab your current read, open to a random page, and give us two teaser sentences. Remember, no spoilers. I cheated for a good reason though. This one just came in the mail yesterday from Harlequin Ambassadors with four others to give away. Here's the...
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Montana Destiny by R. C. Ryan with Giveaway

Montana Destiny by R. C. Ryan I'm sorry to say this romance just didn't work for me. This is the second in the trilogy that began with Montana Legacy, which I enjoyed. This centers on the second of three cousins, Wyatt, who after spending years traveling the globe has settled down at his family's ranch in Montana, in part to search for a legendary treasure, but also because it's the only place that truly feels like home. His love interest is the local EMT, Marilee Trainor, a woman who loves her independence. Of course, the two fall madly in love, face life-threatening situations due to the treasure, have a fight, get back together. I'm assuming there's a happy ending, but to be honest I didn't get that far. I mentioned to my brother the other day that I wasn't really enjoying the story, that I didn't really care about the characters. It's just too predictable and some of the lines are downright corny,...
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Another Teaser from Montana Destiny

When Marilee remained silent she added, "For now, why not just enjoy his company. And if things start heating up, you're going to have to trust your instincts. Hey. You're a big girl now, playing in the big-girl league." (pg 70, Montana Destiny by R C Ryan) I have a feeling that I'm going to want to smack Marilee sooner or later. She's one of those women who is so wrapped up in her independence that she can't see that the man's one of the good guys and really loves her. Of course, that's a character often seen in romance and she'll figure it out before the book's over. Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. The rules are easy and I only cheated a little. Grab your current read, open to a random page, and give us two teaser sentences. Remember, no spoilers. I received my copy from the publisher...
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Soulless by Gail Carriger

Soulless by Gail Carriger This is my first foray into light steampunk, in this case an alternate Victorian England overlayed with advanced mechanicals and technology. Werewolves and vampires are an accepted part of society, at least in Britain, and the science and technological advances are thanks in part to the vampires, who are interested in the sciences for reasons of their own. Actually, for me it read more like a paranormal romance with some steampunk elements. I would also consider the book a comedy of manners, reminiscent of Austen's stories, with  vampires and others included in high society. Alexia Tarabotti is a soulless spinster who would rather sit in the library having tea than attend the fancy ball. Unfortunately, in the first scene of the book, that's where she is rudely attacked by a vampire, and she of course has no choice but to kill him. Luckily her soullessness gives her the ability to negate the magic in others - vampires lose...
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Happy Ending Guaranteed

With absolute clarity Wyatt watched as Marilee calmly adjusted her earphones and spoke to the nameless, faceless entity at a control tower too far away to do more than listen and record. There was an odd sound that Wyatt recognized in the dim recesses of his mind as wind, whistling past the plane as it hurtled toward the ground at a speed that seemed a hundred times faster than his thundering heart. (pg 99, Montana Destiny by R C Ryan) I just started this one, but one thing I enjoy about romances is that you know true love will win out. There may be plane wrecks, fights, kidnappings, who knows what, but in the end, the two characters are going to be together. I like that predictability; it lets me relax and enjoy the story. Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. The rules are easy and I only cheated a little. Grab your current...
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Flirting With Forever by Gwyn Cready

Flirting with Forever by Gwyn Cready I don't know that I've ever read a time travel romance before this one. Apparently I've been missing a fun sub-genre. This is a fun, sexy romp. In present day Pittsburgh, art historian Campbell Stratford is working on a manuscript, a sexy tell-all "fictography" of a seventeenth-century painter that she hopes will help her get the promotion she's after. To her surprise, she discovers a time portal that transports her back to that time, straight into the home of painter Peter Lely, portraitist to Charles II. Here's where it gets a little confusing. Peter Lely is dead and has been recruited by the Guild protecting dead artists to sabotage Cam's project. So he's traveled back to that point in time, too, knowing that he will meet the writer then. Sparks fly, but after a night of seduction, Cam returns to the present and realizes she's been betrayed. But, Peter manages to travel to modern Pittsburgh, in theory...
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