Sunday, April 26, 2015

The Santa Monica Trilogy

Contemporary Romances set in Santa Monica, California




The Santa Monica Trilogy


Genre: Contemporary Romance
Mature content, 18+. Heat level: 4 (out of 5)



Contemporary Romance set in Santa Monica, CA - standalone novel that pairs a single mom and playboy doc-turned-writer.

Without a Net (Book 1)
~ Eva & Max ~

Betrayed by her husband, single mom to her young son, struggling to keep head above water, the last thing Eva needs is another philandering male. But when her best friend’s older brother offers her a job, can Eva resist what may be the biggest adventure of her life?
  


Contamporary Romance set in Southern California - standalone novel. Sometimes first love deserves a second chance.


Coming Home (Book 2)
~ Grace & Logan ~


Eight years after she leaves for New York, scandal sends Grace fleeing back home and into the arms of her old college boyfriend. But can their second chance at love survive when past betrayals threaten to undermine their newfound trust?


Contemporary Romance set in Southern California - standalone novel follows lawyers on opposite sides of the case who fall in love despits the odds. Second chances, enemies-to-lovers.



Balancing Act (Book 3)
~ Angie & Zach ~


When Angie goes head to head against her old nemesis Zach, “backroom negotiation” takes on a whole new meaning. As lawyers on opposite sides of a case, they’ve got plenty to argue about. But legal wrangling takes a backseat when their mutual attraction threatens to spin out of control. 


Monday, April 20, 2015

Balancing Act ~ #NewRelease #ContemporaryRomance

The Santa Monica Trilogy: Angie & Zach
Balancing Act (Book 3)

Jill Blake's Balancing Act (The Santa Monica Trilogy, Book 3)


When Angie goes head to head against her old nemesis Zach, "backroom negotiation" takes on a whole new meaning. As lawyers on opposite sides of a case, they've got plenty to argue about. She's an environmentalist. He's in-house counsel for a land developer.

But handling difficult clients, interfering family and friends, and courtroom battles proves easier than facing a growing mutual attraction that threatens to spin out of control. While Angie wants to believe there's more to life than legal briefs, she's been burned before. Can she learn to trust Zach, or will complications of his playboy past derail any chance of a happily-ever-after?

(Please note: Though this is the third book in the Santa Monica Trilogy, it can be read as a stand-alone novel.)


Release date: May 11, 2015
Available for pre-order on Amazon

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“Heard your dad’s company is getting sued.”
Zach dove for the ball, slamming his shoulder against the floor. “What?”
Mike gave him a hand up. “Saw it in the CNS dinger on the way over. You didn’t know?”
Zach scowled. As in-house counsel for Stewart & Landry LLC, it was his job to know. That’s why he regularly monitored the Courthouse News Service, and kept tabs by phone and email. It figured this would happen the one day he headed out the door without checking.
He swiped an arm across his sweaty forehead and readjusted his grip on the racquet. “Your serve.”
Another minute passed in silence, punctuated by grunts and the slap of the ball against polyurethaned hardwood and tempered glass.
“So who’s the plaintiff?” Zach asked when the volley ended.
Mike shrugged. “Some woman claiming CEQA violations.”
No surprise there. The California Environmental Quality Act was the bane of every developer’s existence, and a cash cow for any shady real estate lawyer who could find a tree-hugger willing to take up the cause.
“Damn leeches,” he muttered.
“What’s that?”
“You’d think people would be grateful that we’re infusing life into a sluggish economy.” He struck the ball with such force that it rebounded off the back wall and would have hit Mike if he hadn’t jumped out of the way. “If not for us redeveloping the area, they’d have nothing but urban blight on their hands. Some of those buildings are barely standing, with so many code violations they should have been razed decades ago.”
“Hey, don’t kill the messenger. If you want to be angry, take it out on the plaintiff’s attorney.”
“And who’s that?”
“Judge MacDowell’s daughter. Alice? Anna? Something with an A.”
Zach drew up short. “Angie?”
“Angela. That’s it. Pretty hot commodity in real estate law, from what I hear.”
“Yeah.” Zach forced his attention back to the game.
“Pretty hot in all respects, come to think of it.” Mike grinned. “The ass on that babe…”
Zach gritted his teeth. “Grow up, would you?”
“Oh, please. Like you haven’t thought the same thing?”
“Not about her.”
“What, are you blind?”
“No. But her sister’s a friend of the family.”
Mike blinked. “Then what’s she doing suing you?”
“I don’t know. But I’m sure as hell going to find out.”

~

The raised voices outside her office gave Angie a few seconds’ warning before the door burst open and a glowering Zachary Stewart stormed in.
“What is this crap?” He flung a large manila envelope on her desk.
“Hello, Zach.” She got up slowly. “I see the process server found you.”
“What the hell are you trying to pull here?”
Angie took her time responding. It wasn’t every day that six feet of ripped, fire-breathing male invaded her office. Her gaze slid down the broad shoulders and lean waist. Oh, my. The things he did for a navy pinstriped suit and oxford shirt should be illegal.
By the time she’d worked her way back up to meet his gaze, she could almost feel the anger rolling off of him in waves.
“You seem a little hot under the collar, Zach. Would you like an ice water to help you cool down?”
His blue eyes narrowed. “Knowing you, that water would likely get spilled ‘accidentally on purpose’ down my suit. No thanks.”
“You overestimate my aggressive tendencies.”
“I don’t think so. I still remember how you negotiated your sister’s settlement. You could teach a Doberman a thing or two about aggression.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Roger and your dad started S&L together. It was only fair that Roger’s widow get compensated for his share of the company. And in case you forgot, there was no buyout agreement in place when he died. I wouldn’t have had to push so hard if there had been.”
“A buyout agreement wouldn’t have covered all the legal problems Roger caused,” Zach retorted. “In case you forgot, he was dabbling in suspect investments on the side.”
Angie bit her lip. Zach didn’t even know the half of it. Luckily, Eva had managed to emerge—with Angie’s help—from the legal and financial nightmare following her husband’s death. She’d had to sell her house and scramble for a job, but in the end, everything had worked out for the best.
Zach’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“In any case, that’s over and done with. But this—” he leaned forward and jabbed a finger at the paperwork he’d tossed on her desk “—is ridiculous, and you know it. S&L has jumped through all the regulatory hoops mandated by state and local government. Your client had plenty of time and opportunity to voice her concerns. The Environment Impact Review was released for public comment over a year ago. And in that time, the city council, planning commission, and rent control board have held dozens of hearings. Everyone’s objections were duly noted and addressed.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. The objections were swept aside and ignored. A de minimis change in your developmental agreement that doesn’t trigger further review of traffic and environmental impacts makes a mockery of the whole process. The city council basically rubber stamped whatever plans you put in front of it, with complete disregard for the residents’ concerns.”
“Everything S&L did was by the book,” Zach said.
“Maybe in your view, but my client sees it differently. And at this point, the only way to get the city council to sit up and take notice and hopefully redress her grievances is exactly this.” She nodded toward the manila envelope between them. “And while the courts re-examine everything, the injunction we’re requesting will at least prevent you from demolishing my client’s home.”
He scowled. “This is extortion, plain and simple. S&L made a more than generous offer for relocation payments to the residents. Your client was the only one who refused to sign.”
“She had good reason.”
Zach took a deep breath. “Look, let’s cut to the chase here. What will it take for this to go away?”
“If you’re asking me that, you obviously haven’t read our complaint carefully enough. It’s all spelled out in black and white.”
“I read it,” he said. “And it’s complete bullshit.”
Angie shook her head. “For shame, counselor. Is that the kind of language they teach you at Harvard Law?”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Angie…”
“You know the drill, Zach. Thirty days to file your answer.” She ushered him toward the door. “I’ll see you in court.”


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Special introductory price of only $0.99!


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Thursday, April 9, 2015

And now for something completely different...

Those of you who know me won't be surprised when I say that I cut my teeth on Agatha Christie. By the time I was 12, I had read forty-two of her mysteries. This put me one book ahead of my friend, with whom I was competing to see who could read the most Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple mysteries over summer break.

In the years that followed, I discovered Raymond Chandler and Ruth Rendell, Robin Cook and Jonathan Kellerman, Tess Gerritsen and Dennis Lehane.

Eventually, of course, I expanded my reading repertoire to include other genres--most notably, romance, which is what I write.  But my first love was mystery.  So it is with great pleasure that I introduce my guest today, Robert Germaux. Robert's new book, Small Talk, is now available on Amazon.









About the Book:


A serial killer has the people of Pittsburgh on edge, and Detective Daniel Hayes and his hand-picked Special Assignment Squad are working feverishly to solve the case before more innocent lives are lost.  But the killer proves to be a formidable foe, whose viciousness appears to be matched only by his ability to elude capture.

Throughout Small Talk, the reader is given glimpses into the mind of this cunning and sadistic murderer, an individual who seeks a face-to-face confrontation with his pursuers, a confrontation Daniel is only too willing to provide.





About Robert Germaux:


Robert Germaux and his wife, Cynthia, live outside of Pittsburgh. After three decades as a high school English teacher, and now a good many years into retirement, he is beginning to have serious doubts about his lifelong dream of pitching for the Pirates. Small Talk is Robert Germaux’s second book. His first book, The Backup Husband, is a contemporary romance novel, available on Amazon.
 
 
*******
 

Robert Germaux Author Q & A


I see you were a high school English teacher for thirty years. That’s quite an accomplishment!  Were you doing much writing during this time?

No, I wasn’t, mainly because I was too busy grading my students’ papers, along with doing the thousand-and-one other things involved with teaching.  And to be honest, I really didn’t think of myself as a writer during those years. 

What made you decide to take the plunge and publish your first book, The Backup Husband?

Pretty much just the desire to put my work out there, to see if it was as good as I hoped it was.

Why did you take the Indie route?

I’d written several books about a private detective named Jeremy Barnes, but my agent and I hadn’t been able to find a publisher for them.  I knew how popular eBooks were becoming, so I thought I’d try that route. 

The Backup Husband is a contemporary romance novel. Small Talk is about a serial killer. Was this a conscious decision to keep your book genre choices open?

No, not really.  I’d had the idea for The Backup Husband floating around in my head for some time, and after I wrote it, I thought it might be the best book for my initial foray into the world of eBooks.  My other books are all crime novels, and that’s the genre I most enjoy. 

What kind of research did you do for Small Talk?

I was fairly knowledgeable about standard police procedures, but I had to do a lot of research into the technical aspects of the investigation by Daniel and his squad, things like facial recognition software, etc.  I also had to educate myself about what can be learned at autopsy, which wasn’t my favorite part of the research for this book.

What would you say has been the most difficult thing about Indie publishing?

I knew next to nothing about Indie publishing, and at first, it seemed as though every time I learned something, that led to two or three other “somethings” I had to learn.  It was very frustrating.

Are you currently working on a new book?

I’m finishing the final edit on One by One, the next case for Daniel and the Special Assignment Squad. 

Do you have any advice for new Indie authors?

I would recommend that they educate themselves as much as possible about the world of Indie publishing, but even more important, try to find someone who already knows all this stuff and is willing to guide you through the process.  When I decided to put The Backup Husband online, I had no idea what I was doing, which made for a long and arduous experience.  With Small Talk, I’ve been lucky enough to have Susan Barton in my corner, making the whole process a delight.


Rafflecopter Giveaway:





Readers can connect with Robert Germaux via his website, Facebook, Twitter and Amazon. 
Review copies are available upon request via contact form here. 
 


Wednesday, April 8, 2015

#NewRelease ~ Contemporary Romance Series!

Series:
McCallister’s Paradise
Genre:
Contemporary romance on a tropical island
Author:
Chantel Rhondeau

Now available:

Happy Endings
Diving Into Love
For Love or Charity




Fall in love with the strong men and smart women of McCallister’s Paradise!


At their tropical island resort, the McCallister family works hard. Life in
Paradise should be perfect. After all, the place is great for a romantic
getaway. Unfortunately, the five McCallister siblings are still searching for
their happily ever afters… and romance always seems just out of reach.


But determined hearts won’t be denied. And when love is on the line, a McCallister
doesn't fall halfway!

Purchase Links:




Produced by www.drgraphicexpressions.com





Art by http://edhgraphics.blogspot.com/

Happy Endings - Book 1 (on sale for just 99 cents!)

Handsome, wealthy Quinn McCallister is the most eligible bachelor on McCallister’s Paradise. Making his family's island resort a success is all that matters to this workaholic. Everything changes when he meets the beautiful new massage therapist...

Larissa Benner may have survived cancer, but its aftermath left plenty of problems besides the
ever-looming fear of relapse. Her family nearly went bankrupt paying for her life-saving treatments. She desperately needs the full-time therapist position on the
island and the benefits that come with it. The last thing she wants is problems with her boss, or a complicated office romance.


It’s hard for her to resist Quinn’s charms—or his passionate side. However, Quinn is married to his job. The choice between love and work is tough for him to juggle and has Larissa scared. If the cancer recurs, could she count on him to be there for her? Or would he leave her to face it alone, ending her relationship
in tragedy?




Diving Into Love - Book 2
Art by http://edhgraphics.blogspot.com/

Parker McCallister is the playboy of the family, never having a care in the world beyond his next fling. When Sierra Burns nearly runs him down on horseback, she challenges him in ways he's never experienced. Now all he has to figure out is how to capture this beauty's heart, and this time it is about more than sex and fun for him. 

Shortly after meeting Parker, disaster strikes for Sierra and her secret troubles are revealed. Now she needs his help in the worst way. The only problem is she wants to earn her place in life and have a chance to be the person she wants to be, not who her rich parents expect of her. Taking charity from Parker or his family would feel like a lie to her convictions, and she doesn't want dating him to be a condition of accepting their help. 

Despite her hesitations, Parker's charms and charisma are hard to resist. Just when she gives up fighting against the attraction and allows herself to hope for love, his past foists a surprise on the new couple and throws Sierra's life out of balance...again.






Art by http://edhgraphics.blogspot.com/

For Love or Charity - Book 3

Sydney McCallister isn't looking for love, especially not from an overbearing man demanding money for his charity after missing the cutoff date for proposals.
Doesn't Matthew Coleson realize his organization isn't the only one hoping for a grant from the McCallister family? Tired of dealing with the constant stream of angry people and feeling terribly homesick besides, Sydney wonders if she should give up on New York and head back to the family's island resort. 


When Sydney's office is trashed and she receives a threatening message, she's certain Matt must be responsible. After confronting him, however, she learns
there is more to this man than is apparent at first glance. There's something about his eyes... besides, who can resist a man who helps homeless people get back on their feet? He seems to truly care about people and swears he would never hurt anyone.


Together, they work to uncover the identity of the person threatening Sydney, and Matt
seems determined to keep her safe. Questions remain for her, despite the excitement Matt brings to her life... Does he care about her for herself, or is he more interested in her family money and what that could mean for his charity?


Love's Ride - Book 4 and Cooking Up Love - Book 5 coming soon!




About the Author:


Best-selling author Chantel Rhondeau
once thought a great mystery or fantasy book with strong romantic themes was the highest level of reading bliss. After reading her first romantic suspense novel, she never looked back. Chantel is author of six romantic suspense novels, a Christmas novella, and the new McCallister’s Paradise series. She lives in the western United States, and when she's not writing she loves playing cards with her family, bowling on leagues, and snuggling with her lazy kitties.




Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChantelRhondeau
New release mailing list: http://bit.ly/1qKSN0q
Check out all Chantel's available titles: http://www.chantelrhondeau.com/p/my-available-titles.html



Monday, April 6, 2015

#NewRelease ~ Contemporary Romance

Looking to fill your virtual bookshelf with more good reads?
Look no farther than Lyssa Layne's latest contemporary romance...


TITLE: My Favorite What If
AUTHOR: Lyssa Layne
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
PUBLICATION DATE: April 7, 2015
COVER DESIGN: Kage Cover Designs
LENGTH: 54,000+

Synopsis 

One year after Jacob "Smitty" Smith is stood up at the altar, his good friend Jules encourages him to redeem his honeymoon package before it expires. Reluctantly, he agrees, and finds himself sitting beside free spirit Sloan Talbott, who is attending her sister's destination wedding at the same resort. Both have been hurt. Neither is looking for love. Will one week in paradise be a fling to remember or could it possibly lead to something more?

Book Links
Barnes & Noble

Excerpt

Carrying my cup of coffee, I walk back to my bedroom and look into the suitcase. So far everything looks alright—swimsuit, shorts, t-shirts, dress slacks, and dress shirt. Jules came through on her other promise to go to the store for the trip—deodorant, soap, toothpaste, condoms. Wait, condoms?!

“Jules, what the hell is this?” I ask, holding up the box of Trojans.

Not missing a beat, she grabs the box from me and throws it back in the suitcase, zipping it up. “I got everything you could possible need. Soap, toothpaste, Pepto, Pedialyte—”

“And condoms?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had another preferred method of safe sex,” she quips as she pulls my suitcase off the bed and drags it to my front door.

“And just who do you think I’ll be having sex with?”

She shrugs as she walks back to the bedroom and shoves a pile of clothes in my arms. “I don’t know, I don’t care, but you need to get laid. So go to paradise, find some lucky woman, and get some.”



Other Books by Lyssa Layne

If you want to find out more about Smitty's friend, Jules, check out Everybody's After Love


Boxed Sets

Next Release
Lyssa's next release Until You Fall In Love and will debut June 9


Single mom Jordan Glastetter doesn't know how she'd survive without her best friend, Abram Tomko. He's the father her son never knew and he's the rock she's always leaned on. When Abram's father suffers a heart attack, it's Abram's turn to depend on Jordan, finally seeing her as the woman she's become and not the little girl he grew up with. Will they risk their friendship for a chance at love?


About the Author

Lyssa Layne is first, and foremost, the proud momma to her precious daughter, AR. In addition to working full-time and being a mommy to AR, she is also an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, a runner, blogger, and an infertility survivor.
Having watched one too many medical dramas and being inspired by author Rachelle Ayala, who introduced her to the world of indie writing, Lyssa decided to try her hand at writing a romance story. Her attempt turned into the Burning Lovesick series. You can find Lyssa’s own interests throughout her stories although all stories are fictional.
Contact Lyssa via...

Facebook Party & Takeover
Friday, April 10 Lyssa will be taking over the One-Click Addict Support Group
Also, join the My Favorite What If Gossip Fest one week after it's release so that we can chat about Smitty & Sloan, discuss their future, and share other spoilers. The party will be April 14 at 8PM CT. Join the fun here!

Giveaway/Rafflecopter
Enter to win a Lyssa Layne ebook of your choice, this pair of Love earrings, or a piece of surprise jewelry from La Jolie Fille Boutique. Rafflecopter will close April 14.

a Rafflecopter giveaway