GUESS WHAT?????

 It's time for us to celebrate again because...

I have ANOTHER contract! Whooohoooo!

This is for BROKEN ROAD, another contemporary romance novella from Decadent Publishing. It is set in my beloved fictional village of Glenhalish in the Highlands of Scotland. The heroine is Cat, the best friend of Meggie MacDougall. Readers who have read my Honor Guard stories will be familiar with the hero, Ian MacKenzie. I hadn't planned on the two of them getting together, but they made it clear to me that I had to follow their story instead of my own!

Here's the unofficial blurb:

Catriona MacGregor has been in the wee village of Glenhalish, Scotland since she turned eight. She leads a quiet life, working in the local school and spending time with close friends. She’s content to sit back and be an observer of the life around her. Until a recently deceased family friend leaves her a flat in Edinburgh and challenges her to spread her wings.

With his work as an international bodyguard, Ian MacKenzie has no time for a serious, committed relationship. But when he comes home to Glenhalish for a visit and to clear his mind, he is drawn to the down-to-earth lass. 

As they begin to spend more time together and embark on a friends-with-benefits arrangement, Cat soon discovers exactly what she wants for herself and it involves all of Ian- body, mind and soul. Ian admits to a comfort with her he’s never experienced before, but truthfully it frightens him. He’s not ready for the intensity they share.

 

Can this Highland lassie steer her lad back onto the right path to a love that will last a lifetime?

 

This is my FIFTH book contract this year! I'm feeling kinda generous, so if you leave me a comment today or through the weekend, I'll draw a couple of winners on Monday for some UK swag.

 

Carry Me Home Tour Coming Soon!

 

Folks, Monday, July 15th starts my blog tour for one of my favorite of my books, Carry Me Home! I've put the dates and places I'll be "guesting" in case you want to drop by.

15th: Krista Ames

16th: Snifferwalk Books 

18th: Melissa Mackinnon

19th: Reader's Edyn

20th: Melissa Kendall

22nd: Harlie's Books

23rd: Jessica E. Subject

29th: Storm Goddess Book Reviews 

30th: Book Reviews and More by Kathy

31st: Deal Sharing Aunt

Coming July 10th!

 

BLURB

Meggie MacDougall often dreams of Quinn O’Connell, the sexy Irish football coach who swept her off her feet in Dublin. But what happened in Dublin must stay there. She has responsibilities at home, and she refuses to fuel the gossip fires in Glenhalish.

 

Quinn has never forgotten Meggie and the explosive weekend they shared. Overwhelmed by memories of her passion, beauty, and zest for life, he jeopardizes his cushy career to find her and test the connection between them.

 

When Quinn arrives in her Highland village, Meggie is determined to ignore him. However, she isn't prepared for the claim he lays on her heart with his sexy charm and his tender soul.

 

Will pride and fear keep Meggie from embracing possibilities, or will Quinn's gentle persistence break down her defenses and lead her to a silent surrender?

 

EXCERPT

Quinn came toward her, the ball juggling between his feet. “Get him, Miss Meggie!” someone called from across the pitch.

Her heart rate, already soaring, tripped at the sight of her man. Her nerves tightened, her muscles clenched. She rocked on the heels of her feet. She’d steal the ball for her team.

He closed the distance between them. Meggie pushed against his rock-hard abs and tangled with his feet. He tugged on her ponytail, slid his foot between hers, and sent the ball to his teammates.

Meggie yelped, her arms flailing to her sides. Her feet remained tangled with Quinn’s, and she lost her balance.

Quinn’s arms circled her waist and twisted her so his body took the brunt of the impact with the dirt-packed earth. She rolled to the side, still cradled in the crook of his arm and with the pressure of his delicious body over every inch of hers. “Are you all right?” He propped himself up and brushed her hair away from her face.

“Aye. Thank you for taking the fall for us.”

“You’re down here with me, aren’t you?”

“Aye, but you protected me. Thank you, my Irish knight.”

“My pleasure, my lady.”

Aye, she was his lady and she decided she rather liked it.

He leaned down and claimed her mouth.

“Is she hurt?” one of the lads yelled. The ground trembled beneath their feet.

“Aye, ye daft fool. He’s giving her mouth-to-mouth,” yelled another.

Together they both giggled and ended the kiss. “You should probably let me up before they call for an ambulance.”

“Right.” He jumped to his feet. “No worry, boys. She’s fine.” She missed the feel of him against her body. As she propped herself on her forearms, he reached down and pulled her to her feet.

 

A Few Words From Meggie...

 

 

Hiya! Alexa and I are so glad you've stopped by to join us. We're so excited to celebrate the release of Alexa's new book, Carry Me Home, that is part of the new Tease line. Oh, wait. I suppose I should tell you who I am. My name is Meggie MacDougall. The hero in Carry Me Home is Jamie MacDougall, me oldest brother. (Aye, I talk with an accent. I'm Scottish, after all!)

 

Do you want to know how this story came about? Aye? Well, one of Alexa's grand editors emailed and asked her to be a part of Decadent Publishing's new project, Tease. Naturally she was honored and excited and a bit nervous. But how wonderful to be asked!

 

 



Straight away Alexa knew she had the perfect couple for this lovely little story-  Jamie, and his wife, Mary. You see, all three of us are a part of Alexa's very first book, Her Highland Champion. After Alexa finished that story, she knew all we MacDougalls had a lot more to say and do. So, after the editor asked her to write for Tease, Jamie and Mary's impending divorce took over Alexa's mind and she went to work writing Carry Me Home. It was a whirlwind of a story, although a heartache for us all. I mean, me daft brother was about to lose the only lass he'd ever loved and if.... Och! I cannit share anything else. I promised Jamie, Mary and Alexa I'd not say too much. For some reason they all think I talk too much!

 

All right. All I'll say now is if you want a good cry and a good laugh, then get on your way to buying this book as soon as you can. You'll not be disappointed.

 

Now, since this is part of Alexa's Release Party for Carry Me Home, let's get to the question you need to answer for a chance at a prize. Have any of you come across a secondary character you definitely wanted to learn more about?

 

(Remember, leaving comments on any of Alexa's blog spots this week can put you in the running for one of the FIVE prizes she's offering! Scroll down to Monday to see the list of places you can read more about Carry Me Home! AND if you tweet about it, which will give you MORE chances to win, make sure to include me @AlexaBourne and #CMHReleaseParty!)

 



Sneak Peek Sunday!

Welcome back to Sneak Peek Sunday, where authors post 6 paragraphs of a published work or a work-in-progress for your enjoyment! To see who else is participating, visit here!

It's almost here! In just THREE more days Carry Me Home will be available for purchase! I'm so excited! I hope you enjoy this next excerpt from the very first Decadent Tease Entice book! I hope you like it enough to put the book on your To Be Read list.

He hurried to block her path. "Lass." Grabbing her forearm, he said…nothing. Instead, his gaze traveled along the length of her. Twice.

"What do you want, Jamie?" She’d not get caught up in his soulful amber eyes. No, she would not.

"You’ve had your bit of fun, but I want you to come home." He tilted his head to one side and drifted his fingertips along her bare arm.

She yanked away. "I’ve come to get my papers from you, to say good-bye to those I love, and to move on with my life." She stepped around him and continued down the path to the center of Glenhalish. "I’ll be at the Kierlain House until Sunday. Please bring the forms and leave them with the front office."

"I don’t have them." He nearly shouted with glee. "I tossed them out."

"I thought you might say that." Smiling on the heels of another small victory, she fished through her handbag and pulled out another copy of the divorce papers. She’d come armed with a half-dozen copies just in case he chose to be difficult. She strode back to him with her chin held high and slapped the papers against his chest. "Here."

SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Carry Me Home is available EARLY on the Decadent Publishing website and the All Romance Ebooks website!!!!

Six Sentence Sunday!

Welcome to my snippet for Six Sentence Sunday! You can find other participants here.

This week I'm sharing a snippet from my current work in progress, Silent Surrender. I'm hoping to get a HUGE chunk of work done on it this coming week so that I can submit it to my epublisher by the end of January. This is a short, contemporary romance set in the Scottish Highlands. If you read my first book, Her Highland Champion, you'll recognize the setting and some of the characters. The heroine in this story is Meggie MacDougall who works part of the time in the family pub and part of the time in the B & B from that first story. Here's the really, really unofficial blurb for this story so far:

To Quinn O'Connell, working as a football coach meant everything to him until a chance encounter with vacationing Highland lass Meggie MacDougall showed him just how to live.

Well? What do you think? Yeah, I know, the blurb's not that great, but I'm pretty happy with my six sentences. See if you agree!

He'd come to find a woman, but he'd bought the train ticket before he could think this plan through. What if she didn't remember their wild, sex-filled weekend when she'd come to Dublin? No, that wasn't likely. He had enough faith in his ability to charm and satisfy a woman, but what if she didn't want to see him? That was entirely possible, but he wouldn't let it discourage him. The bottom line was he'd come for Meggie and Quinn was used to getting what he wanted.

My Print Cover!!!! It's Here, It's Here!!!

 

This is the cover for my 3 Honor Guard novella anthology. Her Highland Champion, Fractured Paradise and Simple Treasures will be released as one PRINT book. Isn't this cover AWESOME???? That's Castle Stalker in the upper right hand corner and the Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland, England in the lower left corner. That bridge is the bridge my mom used to walk across as a kid and she and I have walked across it together as well. I am in awe of this cover and I cannot WAIT to hold the book in my hands! It also makes me want to write more stories set in England and Scotland.

And just to tempt you, here's the unofficial back cover blurb:

The International Protective Network hires the most efficient operatives to protect their clients, but what happens when those employees need to face their personal demons in order to get the job done?

A broken-down bodyguard with no confidence...an American lass with no memory...a technical analyst more confident with computers than people...a lad living in the past...a new operative with something to prove...a former soldier struggling with her war scars.

In the cozy communities of the British Isles, three couples charge through the dangers confronting them in order to find truth, justice and the love they deserve.

My Happy Place

Come see pics and hear about my Happy Place, Glenfinnan Scotland, an how it inspired me to write Her Highland Champion! Just click.....HERE!

Six Sentence Sunday-Silent Surrender!!!

Welcome back for another Six Sentence Sunday snippet from my current Work-In-Progress, Silent Surrender. If you're interested in reading other authors' snippets, visit www.sixsunday.com for links!

This short story is coming along so well, I'm hoping to submit it to my publisher in about another week. Wish me luck!

Now, if you've been here over the last few weeks, you've met Meggie and Quinn. They had a one-night-stand a while back in Dublin while Meggie was on vacation. Now back home in Scotland, she's mortified to find her favorite Irishman has come for her. She's trying to get rid of him, and has decided to go home and relax. But when she gets home, she finds her brothers (Jamie is one), their friend Duncan, and....you guessed it: Quinn.

“You don’t belong here,” she whispered harshly.

“Do you two know each other?” Jamie asked.

“No,” she snapped at the exact moment Quinn answered, “Yes.”

Her brothers traded glances while Duncan picked at the label on his beer. Except for the commentators discussing the football match, no other sound circled the room.

Why couldn’t the floor open up and swallow her whole?

I'm so excited for this story, and I LOVE this part! What do you think?