Women's Fiction

I’m Going on a Book Tour!

June 13, 2014 2 Comments

Hey, everyone, and happy Friday! It’s been quite busy, fun, and sometimes hectic here in my world (dealing with an inner ear problem that has caused me to experience vertigo, which isn’t fun, going to see the last George Strait concert with my sister–thank goodness I was feeling okay that night, and working on another draft of my next book, Cards from Khloe’s Flower Shop), but things are looking up, and I have some awesome news to share with you.

Starting this Monday, I’m going on my first book tour with Chick Lit Plus, and I can’t be more excited! Also, from the 16th thru the 30th, you can get your copy of “The Right Design” for only $0.99 (only on Kindle and Nook)!

Purchase links: Amazon Barnes & Noble

Be sure to check the following dates to see all the stops, or click HERE to go to my CLP Blog Tour page:

June 16th – Keep Calm and Blog On – Review

June 17th – Relatively Yours – Guest Post & Excerpt

June 18th – eBook Addict – Guest Post

June 19th – Storm Goddess Book Reviews – Review & Q&A

June 20th – Karen’s Korner – Review

June 23rd – Jiha’s File – Review

June 24th – Samantha March – Q&A & Excerpt

June 25th – Clippings in the Shed – Guest Post

June 27th – Elke Feuer – Guest Post & Excerpt

June 30th – Chick Lit Plus – Review

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Have a wonderful weekend, family, friends and followers!

Safe & Sound

June 13, 2014 1 Comment

“Safe & Sound” by T.S. Krupa

Blurb: When Jill met Jay Greenfield she knew she had found her forever love. She was a kindergarten teacher, he was a high-powered attorney and their lives were perfect. But when a tragic accident takes Jay’s life, this young bride is left to pick up the pieces.

Jill finds herself a young widow facing multiple decisions she thought she had a lifetime to decide. With support from her childhood best friends, Lanie and Stella, Jill attempts to piece her life back together. With nightmares plaguing her dreams and the struggles of constant grief over Jay’s passing, Stella and Lanie keep near constant vigilance over her.

In the process of settling the estate, Jill learns that her husband was not quite the man she thought he was. She finds herself transported to the small beach town of Oak Island, North Carolina. But the fairy tale ending she envisioned no longer exists. She must face the reality that Jay is gone as she finds herself having a chance at love one more time.

Safe & Sound follows a yearlong journey of love, loss, friendship, and conquering the unexpected.

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Click HERE to read the first three chapters of “Safe & Sound”

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**About author, T.S. Krupa: T.S. Krupa was born in New Haven, Connecticut. Raised in a Polish household with a blended American culture, she is fluent in Polish. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Franklin Pierce University,where she also played field hockey. She earned her Master’s from Texas Tech University and recently graduated with her Doctor of Education from North Carolina State University in 2014. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and her dog. Safe & Sound is her first novel.

**Contact T.S.: Email Website Facebook Twitter

One Night in Paris

June 10, 2014 2 Comments

“One Night in Paris” by Juliette Sobanet

Synopsis: From bestselling author Juliette Sobanet, One Night in Paris is a heartwarming and enchanting journey back to Jazz Age Paris.

When Manhattan attorney Ella Carlyle gets a call that her beloved grandmother is dying, she rushes to Paris to be by her side, against the wishes of her overbearing boyfriend. Ella would do anything for her grandmother and jumps at the chance to fulfill her dying wish. But things take a mystical turn when Ella is transported to a swinging Parisian jazz club full of alluring strangers…in the year 1927! As the clock runs out on her one night in the City of Lights, Ella will attempt to rewrite the past—and perhaps her own destiny as well.

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Excerpt:

One Night in Paris

by Juliette Sobanet

Excerpt from Chapter 4, after Ella has traveled back in time to a jazz club in 1920s Paris…

“You look lost.”

A deep male voice travels over the lively jazz music and snaps me out of my daze. A young man with dusty-blond hair and boyish blue eyes is leaning against the bar right next to me and shooting me a curious grin. The top button of his white collared shirt is open, and the gray vest he’s wearing is a little snug around his chest.

He waits patiently for me to pull my eyes from his chest.

“Lost? You could say that,” I respond, embarrassed, before taking a long sip of champagne.

When I resurface for air, his hand is outstretched.

“Let me help you find your way,” he says. “I’m Leo Knight. American, a writer . . . well, aspiring writer. You?”

I slip my hand into his, noticing how warm it feels. How comfortable.

“Ella Carlyle, and I . . . I’m . . .” I pause, realizing I can’t tell this guy who I really am. So instead, I tell him what I always wanted to be when I was growing up, what I trained to be before my lawyer parents told me they wouldn’t support such an impractical career. “A ballet dancer,” I finish. “And I’m American too.”

I catch those inquisitive blue eyes of his running up and down my legs. “You’ve certainly got the gams for the ballet, if you don’t mine me saying so, miss.” He twirls his gray cap around on one finger, his warm grin revealing a dimple in his left cheek. “And the face for it too. Ballet dancers have the prettiest faces. But yours . . . well, I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

A flush that starts at my toes creeps all the way up to my cheeks, surely turning them the color of a strawberry in summer. I’m not usually this susceptible to pickup lines, but this guy is such a breath of fresh air compared to the hard-edged Manhattan types back home—he’s got charm and charisma, and to be honest, I’ve never seen anything quite like him either.

How did the women of this era get anything done with all of these gorgeous men popping up around every corner?

Catching a glimpse of Lucie and Jean-Philippe bopping around on the dance floor like two lovesick teenagers, I remind myself that this isn’t the time to get wrapped up in my own schoolgirl crush. I’ve got two important tasks to accomplish. And although I’m not 100 percent certain what exactly those tasks entail other than protecting Lucie and hoping that in doing so, I will find a way back to my grandmother’s bedside, I am certain that flirting with this handsome stranger isn’t going to get me closer to either.

Leo pushes off the bar, then fastens his cap atop his head. “Care to let me take you for a twirl out on that dance floor, Ella Carlyle?”

“No, really, I can’t,” I say, but Leo takes a step closer to me, the scent of his cologne and the proximity of his tall, firm body making me regret my answer.

“Oh, I see what’s going on,” he says with a sly grin.

He’s so close now that his warm breath is tickling my lips. I should turn and walk away. I need to watch out for Lucie. But a tiny part of me—the part that has been yearning for something new, something different, something exciting to happen in my life—speaks up.

“What’s that?” I ask, shooting him my own flirtatious smile.

“The ballerina doesn’t think a writer from Saint Louis has any moves.” He offers me his hand once more. “Let me prove you wrong, Mademoiselle Ella.”

Peering over my shoulder at Lucie, who is now wrapped tightly in Jean-Philippe’s arms, I figure just one dance won’t hurt anything. It will buy me a few minutes to think, to figure out my next move.

“Deal,” I say, giving Leo my hand.

Just before we reach the dance floor, I lean into Leo’s ear and whisper. “I have a confession to make. I don’t know how to do the Charleston.”

“A ballet dancer who doesn’t do the Charleston,” he says, his eyes lighting up with the challenge. “Well, I never.”

“I don’t get out much,” I admit. “Not to places like this, anyway.” If he only knew.

“Well, Miss Ella Carlyle, tonight is your lucky night.” Leo winks at me as he ushers me onto the dance floor.

With his hand around my waist and his body pressed closely to mine, I realize it’s not likely I’ll get much thinking done during this dance.

***Excerpted from ONE NIGHT IN PARIS by Juliette Sobanet (January 2014). Reprinted with permission from Amazon StoryFront.

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**About author, Juliette Sobanet:

Juliette Sobanet earned a B.A. from Georgetown University and an M.A. from New York University in France, living and studying in both Lyon and Paris. She worked as a French professor before turning a new page in her career, penning romantic women’s fiction with a French twist. She is the author of six Paris-based romances, including the bestselling Sleeping with Paris. Her upcoming Confessions of a City Girl series will release in 2014. Today she lives in San Diego, where she devotes her time to writing, eating chocolate, and dreaming about her next trip to France.

**Contact Juliette: Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

**Click HERE to enter the giveaway!

**Click HERE to share on Facebook!

**Click HERE to see other stops on Juliette’s IndieSage Blog Tours!

Heather Grace Stewart

June 9, 2014 3 Comments

About author, Heather Grace Stewart: Heather Grace Stewart is a Canadian magazine writer, author, and poet. Her first poem was published in her school newsletter when she was five, and she’s been hooked on writing ever since. Heather’s debut novel, Strangely, Incredibly Good, will be released by Morning Rain Publishing on June 5, 2014. Heather’s screenplay The Friends I’ve Never Met is her bestselling Kindle book to date, reaching #28 in Action & Adventure in Women’s Fiction in November 2013. Her third poetry collection, Carry On Dancing (Winter Goose Publishing, March 2012) charted on print and Kindle bestseller lists in Poetry and Canadian Poetry in Canada, the US, and the UK. Heather is also the author of the Kindle bestselling poetry collections Leap and Where the Butterflies Go, two non-fiction books for youth, and a book of children’s poetry,The Groovy Granny. Born in Ottawa, she lives with her husband and daughter near Montreal. In her free time, she loves to take photos, scrapbook, cartoon, inline skate, dance like nobody’s watching, and eat Swedish Berries — usually not at the same time. For more information, visit Heather’s blog and her official website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

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GUEST POST

I Ate Bugs for This: My Road to Becoming a Chick Lit Author

by Heather Grace Stewart

My road to becoming a chick lit author has been a long one, and it has taken some rather sharp turns, too.

I didn’t actually set out to be a chick lit author. I didn’t even set out to be a women’s fiction author. For the record, I don’t believe any book should be labeled as just one genre, or that only women can read books by women. I just wanted to write the kind of book that I wanted to read myself.

Since the time I could write sentences, I’ve known I love the feeling of creating a story, getting it down on paper, and sharing it with others to entertain them. I love the process of recording that story so much I often lose track of time. Days could have gone by if my mother hadn’t come to collect me in our basement playroom when, at ten, I got my hands on Grandmother’s old Underwood typewriter and wrote a poem about a swing, and all the children it had loved.

After I volunteered at our local newspaper at 15, and worked as a writer-reporter for a local TV news show at 16, I knew I had the writing bug. I decided to get a Journalism graduate diploma after studying Canadian Studies (English, French lit and History) for four years at Queen’s University.

Back then, I had no clue I’d one day be penning a humorous tale about a modern day woman who meets a genie. I’ve always been fascinated with people, though, and love telling their stories. My first newspaper column, ‘Grace’s Goad,’ one that went with the gig of Chief Reporter at The Monitor when I graduated from J-school, was an eclectic mix of interviews with citizens, politicians and war veterans. When I became an associate editor at Harrowsmith Country Life, Equinox and Canadian Wildlife magazines, I really loved speaking to the freelance writers and photographers who called in. I soon realized that was because I, too, wanted to freelance.

As a freelancer, I started a column about being a 20-something, ‘Hangin’ Out,’ for my alma mater magazine, The Queen’s Alumni Review. I wrote about graduates still living at home at 29, dating, getting married, having babies. I even wrote about being a single 20’s chick whose cat pooped on the floor in front of me if he didn’t like one of my dates. I wasn’t always writing about women, but I was always telling people’s stories; getting to the heart of what made them want to get up in the morning. I also got to travel a great deal in my 20’s, often on press junkets. I floated in the Dead Sea, spent my 29th birthday line dancing with strangers in Nashville, and I trekked a B.C. mountain with a llama as my hiking buddy.

All this while, I was becoming a novelist, and didn’t even know it. Here’s to all the times I chased after a city bus because I was late for a press conference, and tore my nylons and broke a heel in the process. Here’s to the time I had to eat crickets and beetle larvae sauteed in a tomato sauce, so I could authentically “describe the taste,” for children reading the kids’ magazine, Wild!

So, finally, here’s to the journey! It was all worth it, and it was all Strangely, Incredibly Good.

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“Strangely, Incredibly Good” by Heather Grace Stewart

Book Description: Cat Glamour is an overweight 38-year-old divorcée who is struggling with finances, self-esteem, and balancing her personal life. While her 91-year-old, decidedly different, grandmother provides emotional support, Cat needs to take control of the life that has been shattered by her abusive ex-husband and tragic events of the past. On the day Cat decides to start an exercise routine, the last thing she expects is a modern-day Genie to pop out of her Wii machine. Unfortunately for Cat, her Genie is somewhat unreliable in his wish-granting capabilities. In a series of hilarious misadventures, he sends Cat to a castle in France and back in time 20 years in an attempt to solve both Cat’s weight issues and emotional stresses. Cat’s journey is one filled with quirky adventures, realistic love, and above all, self-discovery.

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**Click HERE to see more stops on Heather’s Fictionella Book Tours!

After the Honeymoon

June 6, 2014 Leave a Comment

“After the Honeymoon” by Janey Fraser

Blurb:

Three couples. One honeymoon destination….

Emma never wanted to marry Tom, let alone go away without the children. But then the girls at work give her a honeymoon voucher . Enter Yannis, the local lothario…

Winston is the nation’s Keep Fit bachelor darling. Newspapers are agog when he marries Melissa, newly-divorced mother of two. But when her teenagers disrupt their honeymoon, his past is revealed….

Rosie was homeless and pregnant when she arrived at the Villa Rosa, sixteen years ago, but now she’s the owner. Winston might not remember her, but she’s never forgotten him…

By the end of the week, none of their lives are the same. But what happens after the honeymoon?

JaneyFraserPic **Contact author, Janey Fraser:

Website Facebook Twitter

**Additional comments:

“After The Honeymoon” has had some great five star reviews on Amazon. ONE HONEYMOON DESTINATION. THREE COUPLES. SIX SECRETS. BOOKYOUR FLIGHTS NOW!

“After the Honeymoon” is published by Arrow, Random House.

Honeymoon in Paris

May 29, 2014 1 Comment

“Honeymoon in Paris” by Juliette Sobanet

Blurb:

The sassy heroine of Sleeping with Paris is back! And this time, chocolate-covered French wedding bells are in the air…

It’s only been a month since Charlotte Summers reunited with her sexy French boyfriend, Luc Olivier, and he has already made her the proposal of a lifetime: a mad dash to the altar in the fairytale town of Annecy. Without hesitation, Charlotte says au revoir to single life and oui to a lifetime of chocolate in bed with Luc. She’s madly in love, and Luc is clearly the one, so what could possibly go wrong?

As it turns out, quite a lot…

On the heels of their drama-filled nuptials in the French Alps, Luc whisks Charlotte away to Paris for a luxurious honeymoon. But just as they are settling into a sheet-ripping, chocolate-induced haze, a surprise appearance by Luc’s drop-dead gorgeous ex-wife brings the festivities to a halt. Luc never told Charlotte that his ex was a famous French actress, or that she was still in love with him. Add to that Charlotte’s new role as step-mom to Luc’s tantrum-throwing daughter, a humiliating debacle in the French tabloids, and the threat of losing her coveted position at the language school—and Charlotte fears she may have tied the French knot a little too quickly.

Determined to keep her independence and her sanity, Charlotte seeks out a position at Bella magazine’s new France office while working on a sassy guidebook to French marriage. But when Luc’s secret past threatens Charlotte’s career and their future together, Charlotte must take matters into her own hands. Armed with chocolate, French wine, and a few fabulous girlfriends by her side, Charlotte navigates the tricky waters of marriage, secrets, ex-wives, and a demanding career all in a foreign country where she quickly realizes, she never truly learned the rules.

My Review:

After I read “Sleeping with Paris” by Juliette Sobanet, I was in instant fan, so I was very excited to read “Honeymoon in Paris”.

This book was easy to get started reading, as I was happy it picked up not too much later after the prequel ended. I missed Juliette and Luc together, and I especially missed reading Luc’s sexy accent.

The characters were very well written, funny, and very intriguing, especially the new characters. There was a lot of mystery in this one (maybe a little too much), and I wished there would’ve been more of was more interaction between Charlotte and Luc. In the end, it made sense why there wasn’t, but with all the interaction they had in “Sleeping in Paris”, I wanted more passion. With all the twists and turns in this book, I was pulling for the newlyweds, hoping that it would end well. Thankfully, I was very happy with how the book ended, mainly because I really think Charlotte and Luc had something special.

In closing, Juliette Sobanet is a terrific author who draws readers into the lives of her more than likable characters. While I don’t speak French, she made it easy to understand what was saying. This was my second book by Juliette, and I cannot wait to read more by her, as this book did keep me interested. I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants a sexy, cute, mysterious read.

I give this book 4 stars!

**Due to personal issues, this is a late review**

**Click HERE to see more stops on Juliette’s Indie Sage Blog Tours**

**About author, Juliette Sobanet:

**Contact Juliette: Website Facebook GoodReads Twitter

BOOK FEATURE: Escape for the Summer

May 22, 2014 1 Comment

EscapeForTheSummer

“Escape for the Summer” by Ruth Saberton

Blurb:

Can Andi Evans find the strength to start again?

Betrayed and broken-hearted, redundancy is one shock too many for Andi. Suddenly single and in debt, a working holiday in the Cornish seaside town of Rock appears the perfect solution. Determined never to trust again, will a chance meeting with a stranger change her mind?

Disillusioned with useless boyfriends, Angel is determined to find a man who will keep her in style. Heading to Rock, summer playground of the rich and the royals, seems an inspired move until a case of mistaken identity threatens a romance that has started to mean more than she expected…

Actress Gemma is no stranger to diets and disappointments. When the future of her career hangs in the balance, she prays moving to Rock solves her problems. With a new reality TV show being filmed in the idyllic seaside town, can she avoid pasties and ice creams for long enough to win a role?

Arriving in beautiful Cornwall, all three girls are hoping for a holiday season to remember. But will this be for the right reasons? Or, as emotions run higher than the tide, will the summer escape turn their lives upside down?

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…The real life inspiration for the book…

‘Escape for the Summer’ is the tale of three young women who, fed up with useless boyfriends/rubbish jobs/the city, throw caution to the wind and head to Cornwall.

There’s a great story behind this book, better than anything I could dream up! It was late summer 2011 and my boyfriend and I were on the river for the annual Fowey Regatta when we noticed a hire boat careering around like crazy, driven by four twenty-something girls, all having the time of their lives and shrieking with contagious excitement. I instantly wondered who they were and why they were in Cornwall. Were they on a hen weekend? A holiday? Did they live nearby? What on earth were doing on the water? My mind started to whirl…

I wanted to ask them if I could take their picture but just as we were about to steer our boat over they almost crashed into us and, a few splashes later, we got chatting. I managed to give them my email and took a few snaps on my mobile camera before they were gone, far away across the river and into my imagination. When I arrived home that evening I began to make some notes and soon “Escape for the Summer” was taking shape.

Once the novel was written I really wanted to trace my girls, who in my mind had become Andi, Angel and Gemma from the book, and thank them for being the inspiration of “Escape for the Summer”. I still had the picture I’d taken so I posted this onto my website and my Facebook Author page and crossed my fingers. A few weeks later I was thrilled to receive an email from one of the girls, Kelly, who couldn’t believe that I’d written a book inspired by them. A friend of hers had seen my website and was amazed to recognise the girls in my picture. Kelly filled me in on their real identities and, although I hate to say it, the truth is even better than fiction! One is a WAG, one a fashion designer, another works in fashion and the final girl is a teacher. They were renting a cottage with four other friends and had all been to Uni together. Every summer they meet up for a reunion holiday in Cornwall. This year they are gathering for a wedding and there is even a baby on the way too. This is quite a novel in itself and I’m very tempted to ask them for some more pictures!

I’ve sent each girl a copy of the book and they have promised to keep me up to date with their adventures. I can hardly wait and my fingers are already poised over my keyboard!

Below is a picture Kelly emailed me – taken just before they all set sail – and those smiling faces really sum up the optimism, fun and friendship of my three heroines in “Escape for the Summer”. I hope my readers enjoy this book every bit as much as I loved writing it.

Now to find out what happens next…

RuthSebertonPic

**About Ruth Saberton: Ruth is the Amazon top ten best-selling author of Weight Till Christmas, Rearranged, Katy Carter Wants a Hero, Ellie Andrews has Second Thoughts and Amber Scott is Starting Over. She also writes commercial women’s fiction under the pen names Jessica Fox, Lucy Hepburn and Georgie Carter. Ruth has been shortlisted for the RNA’s prestigious ‘Romantic Comedy of the Year’ award. Born and raised in the UK, Ruth is currently living in the Caribbean, on the beautiful island of Grand Cayman.

Ruth Saberton is represented by the Eve White Literary Agency (www.evewhite.co.uk). For further information please visit her website: www.ruthsaberton.co.uk.

Kathryn R. Biel

May 21, 2014 6 Comments

Kathryn R. Biel: Kathryn Biel hails from Upstate New York and is a spouse and mother of two wonderful and energetic kids. In between being Chief Home Officer and Director of Child Development of the Biel household, she works as a school-based physical therapist. She attended Boston University and received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from The Sage Colleges. After years of writing countless letters of medical necessity for wheelchairs, finding increasingly creative ways to encourage the government and insurance companies to fund her clients’ needs and writing entertaining annual Christmas letters, she decided to take a shot at writing the kind of novel that she likes to read. Her debut novel, GOOD INTENTIONS, was released in 2013, and her second novel, HOLD HER DOWN was released in 2014. Her musings and rants can also be found on her personal blog, Biel Blather.

**Contact Kathryn: Website

GUEST POST

I’d like to thank Isabella at Chick Lit Goddess for letting me drop by and guest blog. Today, I’m writing about why I write women’s fiction. That answer is easy. It is because I read women’s fiction. That is the genre I most often find myself reading. I particularly enjoy the sub-genre of chick lit (AKA romantic-comedy). When I started writing with my first novel, Good Intentions, I had every intention (no pun intended) of writing a book that would be comparable to a chick-flick movie. I didn’t even know that these genres really existed. With my second novel, Hold Her Down, I specifically went in with a more dramatic and dark feel, knowing that it would place the novel squarely in the women’s fiction category. I was trying a different approach and actively trying to hone my writing craft by changing voice and tone. My third book will be more a of departure into the chick lit sub-genre of women’s fiction. Again, it was a purposeful exercise to try out a different voice and perspective.

Additionally, I write as an escape and as therapy. Sure, I have an overactive imagination, but I write to help me deal with my life. Despite the exterior of anyone’s life, there are often layers upon layers that the outside world never gets to see. There are times that are tougher than others and writing has become the outlet for me to deal with things. I started blogging to help work through some issues, but quickly realized that I cannot really discuss what issues are going on in my life without betraying the confidences of those around me. However, when I write, I can work through some of those issues. It is generally not a literal translation—the mother in Hold Her Down is nothing like my mother. But when I’ve had battles for control, say, in my job, it could translate to Elizabeth’s battles with her mother Agnes.

As some close friends and my beta readers started giving me feedback on Hold Her Down, I realized that my writing is not only therapeutic for me but for my readers as well. Many of my readers have been able to identify strongly with Elizabeth, the main character, and the struggles she faces as she loses her own identity for the sake of her family. As women, I think many of us have the tendency to put ourselves way on the back burner without even realizing it. Reading about someone who is struggling with some of the same issues can be cathartic for the reader. I know, as my characters grow in strength, so do I. I hope the same for my readers!

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**Blurb:Elizabeth Zurlo is lost. She’s a wife, a mother, a teacher, a PTA volunteer—but somewhere along the way, she’s lost herself. Depression and despair can lead to desperate measures and when she is pulled back from the brink of suicide, Elizabeth slowly tries to rebuild her marriage and reclaim her life. Just as she has finally started to put herself back together, a scandalous novel rocks her small town … and costs Elizabeth her social standing, friendships and ultimately, her marriage. However, the man who seemingly destroyed Elizabeth’s life, helps her realize who she is and what she needs to do to become the woman she’s not only capable of being, but the woman she used to be.

**Buy “Hold Her Down”: Amazon Barnes & Noble iTunes Kobo Smashwords

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**GIVEAWAY**

Along with checking out other stops on Kathryn’s Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours, click HERE to be entered to win a print copy of the book! Please note this is open to US residents only!!

BOOK FEATURE: Unforgettable You

May 19, 2014 1 Comment

“Unforgettable You” by Georgina Penney

Blurb: After months working on an oil rig in the Atlantic Ocean, engineer Jo Blaine can’t wait to get home. Her job is tough, and she is desperate for some long overdue girl time. The last thing Jo needs when she walks through her front door is to find a strange man staying in her house. When she learns that her uninvited guest is none other than Stephen Hardy, she’s tempted to head straight back out to sea.

Stephen has always felt guilty for the part he played in ruining Jo’s life years earlier and immediately jumps at the chance to make things up to her by looking after her apartment and her giant cranky cat. It takes some fast talking, but Jo is finally convinced to let him stay. And by the time she leaves for her next shift at work, they’re both eagerly anticipating her return.

But as they grow closer, it soon becomes clear Jo is hiding something about her past that is coming back to haunt her. After a lifetime of taking care of herself and her sister Amy, Jo isn’t used to sharing her problems, especially when they involve her messy family history. But when threats start to escalate, Jo must decide whether to trust Stephen before her stubborn independence places them all at risk.

EXCERPT:

This was not cool. Not. Cool. Her house was supposed to be empty. Her cat was supposed to be at her sister’s and there wasn’t supposed to be a . . . man anywhere within a good twenty metres of her right now, even if he was her best mate. She’d spent the last sixteen weeks surrounded by Y chromosomes and all she’d been looking forward to was a blessedly empty, male-free environment.

Scott finally answered, his tone suitably shocked. ‘Jo? What time is it over there?’

‘It’s eight in the morning. I’m home. In Perth. Where are you?’

‘Home?’ Scott’s deep voice momentarily took on choirboy heights he hadn’t achieved since pre-puberty. ‘You’re supposed to be on holiday in Brazil!’

Jo squeezed her eyes tightly shut. ‘Yes. Home. I cancelled the holiday because I wanted to be home. You know, that place I like to come when I’m not on some rusting oil rig in the middle of nowhere? You know that place? The place you were looking after. The place currently being lived in by someone who has feet the size of yours. The place currently containing my cat, who should be at Amy’s.’

‘Ahh. Yeah. About that.’

‘Yeah, about what? What the hell is going on?’

There was a moment of silence and then a dull thud as if something had been hit, quite hard. ‘I’ll explain, but it’s probably better I do it in person.’

‘What? Why? I just want an answer and I want it now!’

‘You’ll get one . . . just . . . just stay there. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. We’ll get all this sorted out. I’m sorry, Jo.’

Jo scowled, turning around, taking in the disorder and feeling a renewed sense of outrage. ‘You bloody well better be. And bring me some goddamn coffee. I haven’t slept properly for days and all I wanted was to have a shower and fall into bed and instead—’

‘Ten minutes,’ he said with an edge of frustration in his tone that had better not be aimed at her. Given the mood she was in at the present moment, she’d be able to take Scott on one-on-one. They didn’t call her Krakatoa out on the rigs for nothing.

Jo hung up, looking around until her eyes settled on her bedroom door.

There was no way Scott would make it in ten minutes, let alone fifteen, and she was tired.

Shooing Boomba out of the way with her foot, she headed for her room.

The feeling of tiredness was blasted to smithereens the minute she pushed the door open, took in the contents of her bed and roared with rage. ‘Who the hell are you?!’

‘AAGGHH! Gnph.’ The very naked, very buff and all-over tanned blond man who’d until that moment been sleeping spread-eagled on her bed shouted in surprise, leapt to his feet, tripped over Jo’s cat and fell facedown on the floor.

**Contact Georgina Penney: Website Facebook Twitter

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