Just Imagine

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Welcome to my blog! Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee and read what's on my mind. I've a vicious sense of humor, an apprecation for romance and a mad addiction to writing.

Saturday, December 28, 2019

Pirates Anyone? #HistoricalRomance



Fun news! I’ve contributed two new pirate novellas to separate multi-author boxed sets. I tried something brand new with these and wrote sister stories (literally). Both are rescue missions, each following a different couple. Two sisters with two brothers. A few scenes cross over, but the adventures are markedly different.

These are strictly historical romance and unrelated to any of my previous series (not to say they might not lead to another series down the line) Fans of the Golden Age of Piracy and Colonial America might enjoy these. The year is 1717, the settings Nassau, Yorktown, Virginia all the way up to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The heroines are Virginian Southern Belle's, the heroes Englishmen.

Find Rescued by Passion here→ viewbook.at/OnceUponAPirate

Find Taken by Sin here→ viewbook.at/PiratesPassionPlunder



Rescued by Passion is available in Once Upon a Pirate Boxed Set (steamy romance)

About the Set

Sixteen all-new swashbuckling historical romances.

As perilous battles, treachery and revenge give way to sinful kisses, no heart is safe.
Set sail to the lush heat of the Tropics, the storm-tossed Northern realms, the wild Barbary Coast, and the hazardous waters of the South Seas, for tales of scandalous adventure and smouldering desire.

Masterful pirate lords.
Courageous heroines.

Defying danger in pursuit of all-consuming love.
Matching wits to claim the greatest treasure of all.

About Rescued by Passion

Captured by pirates and auctioned off by Blackbeard, Rose is rescued by the man who abandoned her. Aware she possesses a priceless family heirloom, privateer turned pirate, Thomas saves the woman who betrayed him. Will they be able to navigate their turbulent past and stay one step ahead of those pursuing? Find out on their high-sea, passionate adventure.

Find Rescued by Passion here→ viewbook.at/OnceUponAPirate




Taken by Sin is available in Pirates, Passion and Plunder Boxed Set (erotic romance)

About the Set…

Warning : Bodices will be ripped!

What's a lady to do when she's boarded by ruthless brigands and barbarous buccaneers, kidnapped on the lawless High Seas?

Stripped to the skin by piercing eyes.
Captive and claimed by rough, strong hands.
She knows it's forbidden but how can she resist... a pirate's pleasure.

Prepare for hair-raising shenanigans.
Pirates make their own rules.

Discover seventeen wicked historical romances, in 'Pirates, Passion and Plunder'
Enter if you dare...

About my Story

Captured by Blackbeard and tied to a bed in a brothel, Hannah awaits the inevitable only to be rescued by a man with whom she shared a forbidden past. Eager to exact his revenge for Hannah's taunting missives, privateer turned pirate Luke saves her. Will they manage their dark lust while defeating the foe? Find out on the wild seas of their sinful, indecent adventure.

Find Taken by Sin here→ viewbook.at/PiratesPassionPlunder



Click HERE to enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card!

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

A Scot's Pledge (The MacLomain Series: End of an Era) #mustread



Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you’re enjoying a festive yuletide season so far and have an amazing New Year. Things have been busy in my neck of the woods with several writing projects. Today, I’m thrilled to announce the release of A Scot's Pledge, the first book in my latest Highlander series. A friends-to-lovers journey across time, A Scot’s Pledge follows Tiernan and Julie on a fast-paced adventure that’s bound to keep you on the edge of your seat. Hope you enjoy!

Purchase at Amazon
Universal Amazon Buy Link→ getbook.at/AScotsPledge

FREE in Kindle Unlimited

About the Book

Accustomed to watching over things for Clan MacLomain and their Viking ancestors, Julie had given up hope of traveling back in time for love like those before her. Until the day an old friend turned crush shows up on her doorstep in New Hampshire claiming he needs help in fourteenth century Scotland.

Having pledged to help his clan, Laird Tiernan MacLomain searches for his destined Broun in the twenty-first century. Yet he only wants the woman he's secretly loved for years. So he breaks the rules and brings Julie back to the medieval period with him. She might lack the bloodline needed to harness the power of the Claddagh, but he won't leave her behind.

Together, they embark on a whirlwind quest to protect King David II against Edward Balliol and his disenfranchised nobles, the 'disinherited.' They also face a dark threat nobody foresaw. Will Tiernan and Julie defeat it without the power of predestined love? Or will breaking the rules be their ultimate downfall and Scotland's ruin? Find out in A Scot's Pledge, an emotional and passionate journey into the turbulent onset of the Second War of Scottish Independence.

Excerpt

He had her figured out. But of course, he did. He was her best friend. “How did you get that out of everything I just said?”
“Actually, I’ve sensed it for quite some time now.” He remained perfectly blunt. “When you opened the door tonight, I knew you felt just as strongly as me.”
“You don’t know that.”
“But I do.”
“How?”
“Your heart for starters.” His eyes twinkled. “’Twas about pounding out of your chest.”
“Maybe I’d been dancing...” yeah, right, so weak, “with my friends.”
The corner of his mouth shot up. “To Christmas music?”
“It can be upbeat.”
“You hate dancing.”
“I hate sucking at dancing.”
“You dinnae suck at dancing.”
“Oh, but I do.”
“You just havenae had the right partner.”
“We’re talking about upbeat dancing,” she reminded.
“Nay, we’re talking about you trying to do what you think is the right thing,” he replied. “Pushing me away when all you really want to do is find out what it would be like…at last.”
He was way too on to her. Yet what precisely was he referring to? It sounded like they might be off the topic of dancing and on to something else. “Being cryptic like your father again, I see.”
“You know what I’m talking about.”
Definitely not dancing. Right?
“No clue.” But she could imagine so very, very well.
“You want to know what it would feel like to dance with me.” His tone dropped to a sexy octave that about curled her toes. “Then, mayhap more.”
“Definitely not interested in dancing,” she lied then grabbed at anything she could. “Okay, I’m just gonna give it to you straight.” She thought fast and came up with the perfect argument. “I think your magic going all wonky has you struggling for normalcy, something dependable, and that’s always been me. So you’re latching on to what makes you feel like you still have control over things.”
“Latching on?” he murmured, his gaze all smoldering-bedroom-eyes now. “Good idea.” His magic wasn’t so wonky that he couldn’t flick a wrist and turn the music up. Before she darted away, he reeled her close. “You’re right. Latching on to you does make me feel better.” His eyes met hers. “In control, as you say.”
This was so not a good idea. Stay strong. Step away. Think of Scotland. All the lives depending on him. You’re his voice of reason. Yet, just like it had when he embraced her earlier, all logic fled the moment she was in his arms. Her inner self-coach threw in the towel at the feel of his hard body. At the look in his gorgeous eyes.
She was in way over her head here.
Scratch that. She’d already drowned.
“You are not entirely right, though, Jules,” he murmured, tilting her chin until her eyes didn’t stray from his. As if they ever would. “This doesnae feel normal in the least.”
Had she mentioned normal at some point? Because she agreed, this felt anything but. She felt electrified, on fire, like the room—no, the whole house—was fading away. All that existed was him. His hot as hell face, his eyes, lips, the tiny braids in his hair, the plaid wrapped over his broad shoulder…
“Oh, no,” she exclaimed, realizing too late he’d pulled her right into his web.
The room was really gone.

Purchase at Amazon
Universal Amazon Buy Link→ getbook.at/AScotsPledge

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Can True Love Happen Twice? #NewRelease



I hope everyone’s enjoying a wonderful holiday season so far! Thought I’d pop in and share my latest. A Scot’s Devotion (The MacLomain Series: End of an Era, Book 2) is now available for pre-order. Interested in starting with book one? Look for A Scot’s Pledge, coming December 17th! 

Pre-order A Scot's Devotion herehttps://amzn.to/389CybQ 

About a Scot’s Devotion…

Can true love happen twice?

The last thing Chloe expects when she travels to New Hampshire is to end up with a mysterious Claddagh ring and a fated romance. If that isn't enough, she's thrown into a love triangle and destined to help a medieval country in peril.

Torn between the deceased lass he still loves and the modern-day woman meant for him, Laird Aidan Hamilton sets out with Chloe to protect King David II from Edward Balliol and his disenfranchised nobles, the 'disinherited.' A quest that ultimately means facing off with the dark brotherhood with which they are aligned.

Thrust on a whirlwind adventure alongside Scotland's Guardian, Donald, Earl of Mar, Aidan and Chloe wind up on a passionate journey neither foresaw. One that carries them down a path that tests Aidan's resolve and challenges his lonely heart. Will he remain devoted to his long lost love? Or will defeating the enemy mean embracing someone new?

Pre-order A Scot's Devotion here→ https://amzn.to/389CybQ 




Monday, December 2, 2019

Because Love Never Dies...Annie’s Gift by Barbara Bretton. #PNR


 

Happy Holidays! Today it’s my pleasure to feature Annie’s Gift (Rocky Hill Holiday Romance, Book Five) by Barbara Bretton. There's lots of fun to be had including a scrumptious holiday recipe and a fabulous giveaway. So cozy in and enjoy a festive, yuletide treat!

Genre:  Paranormal romance
Publisher: Free Spirit Press
Date of Publication:  2017
ISBN: 1973271575
ASIN:  B077BF911C
Number of pages:  80
Word Count:  20,000
Cover Artist: Erin Dameron-Hill

Book Description


Everyone knows Christmas is a time for family but not for Harry Barnes. If he had his way, he would close his eyes and not open them again until January second when all the fuss was over. Once upon a time he had loved the season but that was a long time ago. His wife Annie and daughter Erin are gone and he hasn’t spoken to his only son, Sam, in years.

The Christmas candlesticks he’d lovingly carved for Annie and their children are buried in the attic under a thick layer of dust along with memories that could break a man’s heart . . . if he still had one left to break.

After years of living on military bases all around the world, Sam Barnes has moved his family back home for keeps but they might as well still be in Japan or England or Timbuktu for all the difference it makes. His father’s heart is still closed to the idea of family and there is nothing Sam can do to change it. Not even if the only thing his twelve-year-old daughter Riley wants for Christmas is the grandfather she has never met.

But then on a snowy Christmas Eve in Rocky Hill, Harry and Sam are visited by a determined mother and daughter who have just a few earth hours to bring their family together or lose them forever. 



Let’s hear from the author…

I love holidays. I love tradition. I especially love it when you can combine the two at Christmas time. I love piling memory upon memory until the years are nothing but a sweet blur of happy occasions spent with the people you love best in the world.

Every year I attend the candlelight tour of Rockingham, the Kingston NJ (formerly Rocky Hill NJ) house where George Washington bade farewell to his troops after the Revolutionary War ended. The docents are all in period costume. A woman in a mobcap plays the harpsichord near the front room. Upstairs you can actually touch the uniform worn by Washington’s aide de camp. If you close your eyes, I swear you can hear the General’s voice ringing out over the bucolic New Jersey countryside, peaceful now after years of bloody warfare.

The kitchen isn’t part of the main house. It’s a small building off to the side near the smokehouse. The rear wall is all hearth. Guides in long dresses and white aprons hand you mugs of hot cider and offer spicy cookies piled high on earthenware plates. Outside the air is crisp and December cold, but inside the air is warm from the fire and filled with the delicious smells of nutmeg and cinnamon and candle wax.

The following Revolutionary War-era recipe has been adapted for our modern kitchens.

Mulled Cider

Ingredients

1 gallon apple cider
2 sticks cinnamon
1/4 cup dark brown sugar (optional)
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice
1 sliced lemon

Tie cloves, allspice, and cinnamon sticks in a cheesecloth bag with kitchen string. Combine cider, sugar (if using), and spice bag. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then simmer for fifteen minutes. Discard cheesecloth spice bag.

Serve cider hot, floating lemon slices on the surface.

Enjoy!



 Excerpt from Annie’s Gift

He heard a sound like autumn leaves crackling underfoot, and then felt a soft rush of cinnamon-scented air as a small form appeared then disappeared right in front of his eyes.

He watched, paralyzed with fear and hope, as she took form one more time, looking less like a hologram and more like a flesh and blood woman. The woman he had loved since he was sixteen years old.

“Annie!” Her name tore from his throat and spilled into the space between them. This was his Annie, before sorrow and sickness had taken their toll.

Bubbles of laughter danced in the air around her. "I did it! How about that, Harry? I did it!"


He reached for her hand but it was like grasping cotton candy. His brain was a bowl of overcooked oatmeal. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

The room began to spin. He could feel himself starting to go under and he put his head between his knees.

“Low blood sugar,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t miss that at all.”

“It’s not low blood sugar,” he managed, gulping in some air. “I’m talking to a ghost.”

“If you want to put it that way, I guess you are.”

What other way was there to put it? He had buried his beloved wife six months ago and now here she was in their living room acting like nothing had happened.

He took another huge gulp of air then lifted his head.

“I’m still here,” she said, her tone softening. “You can trust your senses.”

“Why?” he asked, his disbelief beginning to show cracks. “How?”

She spread her arms wide. “Look at this place! You’d never know it was Christmas Eve.”

“It doesn’t feel like Christmas Eve.”

“It would if you put some effort into it. Put up a tree. String some lights.” She aimed a sharp look in his direction. “Place the candles in the window where they belong.”

“No.”

Her brows darted into a scowl. “Did you forget your promise?”

“That promise was made a long time ago. Things change.”

“Family doesn’t.”

“I don’t have a family anymore. When I lost you, I lost everything.”

She reached out and for a second he imagined he felt the touch of her hand. But that was crazy, wasn’t it? She was no more real than Santa Claus or Easter Bunny.

“I’m here because I love you,” she said. “And because you need me tonight.”

Tears threatened to overwhelm him. He wanted to believe.

“I need you every night, Annie. That’s never changed.”

“But tonight is the night you asked for me.”

One moment he was standing there next to the refrigerator with a carton of brown eggs in his hand.
The next moment the eggs were on the floor in a yellow and white mess and his Annie was in his arms.

He had lived long enough to know that second chances didn’t happen often in life.

This time he wasn’t going to let her go.


About the Author


Barbara Bretton is the award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of fifty books. Her titles have been published in twelve languages in over twenty countries by Harlequin, Berkley, Crown, Pocket, and Free Spirit Press. When Barbara isn’t writing, she can be found knitting, reading, and cooking in New Jersey with her husband and a house filled with pets.











 Be sure to enter Barbara Bretton’s Tour Giveaway for a chance to win a $25 e-gift card to Amazon!