New Contemporary Fiction Releases

Star-Crossed Parents by C.J. Carmichael, Harlequin Superromance
ISBN 9780373714292

"When Leigh Hartwell's 18-year-old daughter runs off with a guy she met online, the New York City dentist heads to New Hampshire to bring her home.  Once there, her daughter refuses to leave her new boyfriend, and Leigh soon finds herself attracted to the boyfriend's father, retired baseball player Sam Wallace.  Star-Crossed Parents is an enjoyable and emotionally satisfying story.  Leigh and Sam aren't looking for love, but they find it anyway."  --  Alexandra Kay, Romantic Times BOOKkreviews

Deputy Sheriff Nick Rogers found out small-town life meant adjusting to two things--gossips and Laney Cavanaugh.  And neither was much help in solving a bridal shower murder.

Some days it appeared like everyone in Whitehorse had a secret--including their new lawman.  And falling for Laney wasn't a good way to maintain a low profile.  Nick might have been new to Whitehorse, but he wasn't above getting his hands dirty. Even if everybody in Laney's family had it in for the victim, and they were fixing for a fight. Wedding bells were always trouble, and, unfortunately, trouble always had a way of hunting Nick down.

The Other Woman's Son by Darlene Gardner, Harlequin Superromance, ISBN 0373714319

He'd do anything for his family...

Clay Dillon is everyone’s hero--especially to his family.  So when his kid sister needs a kidney, he tracks down Jenna Wright.  Jenna’s the only one who can help, but to gain her trust he has to lie.

Jenna believes Clay can be everything to her until she finds out who he really is--the son of the woman who ruined her life.  In that instant Jenna’s dreams for a future with Clay dissolve.  Jenna is in so deep, she actually considers doing what Clay asks. But  how can she help his family at the expense of her own?

Pearl Jinx by

Caleb Peachey is an ex-Amish Navy SEAL heading a Jinx, Inc. hunt for cave pearls in a Pennsylvania cavern.

Crazy Claire Cassidy is the historical anthropologist placing roadblocks in the path of the prickly fortune hunter.

Will Caleb be reunited with his Amish family after 17 years of shunning?

Will Claire convince the dour man to give up a life of excitement and daring to become, of all things, a farmer?

Laughter guaranteed in this tale which includes a snake named Sparky, a Cajun matchmaker named Tante Lulu, and an Amish girl who wants to be the next J-Lo on American Idol.

Mandy Newman won the biggest lottery in history...  She and her coworkers picked the right numbers, and hit the jackpot--and then someone stole the ticket.

Now Mandy's fellow winners are being murdered one by one--and an attempted drowning convinces Mandy she's next on the killer's hit list.  She needs help to recover the ticket, and protection from the murderer--and she finds both, wrapped in the sexy form of DEA agent Zachary Taylor.

But Zack abandoned Mandy once before, so relying on him doesn't come easy.  If she's going to trust him, he needs to start telling her the truth. Yet, she must do the same--since Mandy has a secret that could devastate them both. While on the run, Mandy and Zack struggle between sparking sensuality and latent distrust. But can they overcome the past as a killer attempts to destroy their future?

Nothing’s hotter than a disaster in the making....  After three romantic flame-outs in a year and a restaurant career going nowhere, Dani Buchanan needs a fresh start.  She goes looking for her biological father, but never expects to find a senator running for president.  As his long-lost “love child,” Dani could seriously derail the election--something his handsome campaign manager Alex Canfield isn’t going to let happen.  Dani isn’t about to let Alex run her life, no matter how tempting she finds him--and Alex isn’t going to allow Dani to melt his cynicism, no matter how close he has to get.  The last thing either of them wants is love, especially with scandals brewing and family trouble on the way.  But Dani and Alex are forced to trust each other, and when trust turns to passion, the potential for disaster is only a tabloid scandal away.

 Stunning gallery owner Laura Parkerson's life is turned upside down by the appearance of Jed Brodie. Not just because he's broodingly handsome--but because Jed is her late fiancé's twin.  Looking at him, Laura feels butterflies. He's nothing like his twin brother--but how can she be sure she's not just bewitched by the mirror image of a man she once promised herself to?  Laura's falling in love with the forbidden brother....

Teddi Bayer is back in a summer romp in the Hamptons, where a mafia don's interest in her mother complicates her chaotic life.  Luckily, Det. Scoones is on the case in the novella, "Who's That in the Itsy-Bitsy, Anyway?"

Their attraction can't stay covert forever...  Special agent Maggie Fitzgerald has her mission.  Go deep undercover as reclusive journalist Caleb Gomez’s cleaning woman. Then swipe his intel on infamous crime lord Benny Delgado.

Unfortunately Caleb is much more, well, everything than Maggie bargained for and she’s this close to letting down her guard and revealing all.… But how long can she lie to the man she’s falling for?

With Benny hunting for Caleb, Maggie’s got to decide if coming clean with Caleb will put more than just her mission in jeopardy. It could kill any chance they have together, too.

Her child returns...

Sara Calhoun has a perfectly orchestrated life.  Until she opens her door one morning to come face-to-face with Ryan, the son she’d loved...and given up for adoption twenty-one years ago.  Sara’s memory of the night Ryan was conceived is virtually nonexistent, but the aftermath continues to haunt her.  Three men went to jail after that night, but were they guilty?  And which one is her son’s father?

Ryan, now a police officer, believes the case is rife with inconsistencies, but the only man who can help them uncover the truth is Mark Dalton--one of the accused. Still, Sara can’t believe she feels so…secure with Mark. He’s an enigma and her worst nightmare, isn’t he?

Or maybe not....

Midnight Prince by Dani Sinclair, Harlequin Intrigue, ISBN 0373692706

Kelly O'Donnell was anything but a damsel in distress.  But after her father's murder, she found herself struggling to save the family business. Of course she wanted answers.  But first she needed a champion, someone wealthy and experienced enough to help her succeed.  What she got was pure intrigue.

Reece Maddox was not about to jeopardize his cover as a special agent--or his mission to catch the killer.  So the notorious bad boy disguised himself as James Prince, Kelly's rich, sexy--and mysteriously unseen--partner.  A flawless plan, until he found himself falling in love with the very woman he'd pledged to protect.

Father Material by Kimberly Van Meter, 9 Months Later, Harlequin Superromance, ISBN 0373714335

One night is all it takes...

One night of loosened inhibitions and Natalie Simmons’s world has come completely unraveled.  It must have been the experience of the white-water rafting.  Or maybe it was the result of being dumped and on the rebound.  Either way, she let down her guard--and now she’s pregnant with a stranger’s baby!

A stranger who is a thrill-seeking river guide, a nomad beholden to no one.  What does Evan Murphy know about settling down or being a father?  They couldn’t be more wrong for each other, which is why Natalie is so determined to go it alone.

But Evan’s got other plans.…

9 Months Later--It’s not what they’re expecting.

This is the first book in the sensual and suspenseful Four Brothers of Colts Run Cross series.

Langston Collingsworth was a man to be reckoned with.  Powerful and president of the family oil business, opportunists looked at him and saw money, but he saw the land as his life force.

It happened innocently enough...a young girl needed his help.  But her mother was none other than Trish Edwards--Langston's high school sweetheart--the only woman he'd ever loved.  Could Langston trust Trish after the years of deception?  But then he had no choice.  No Collingsworth would ever turn his back on a woman in danger!

The Lazaridis Marriage by Rebecca Winters, Harlequin Romance, ISBN 037303962X

Her Mediterranean marriage proposal...

Tracey Von Axel is a party-girl heiress, famous for shopping and socializing.  But she's determined to shed her image and show she has what it takes to run her family's empire.

Old family friend and Greek billionaire Nikos Lazaridis agrees to help Tracey--but he'll do it by taking her out of the boardroom and back to basics!

In a tumbledown Greek farmhouse, working the land from dawn till dusk, Nikos tests her resolve at every opportunity. But as the sun sets over the fields, Nikos begins to find it's his own resolve that's being tested.

Nine to Five--From city girl--to corporate wife!

Nothing ever goes right for Anne Royle--the fair-haired middle sister no one ever seems to notice--especially on the night of London’s most anticipated society rout.  Thinking she's learned of evidence that might prove her noble heritage, Anne slips unnoticed into an earl’s bedchamber to search for a bundle of secret letters.  Suddenly, she is embroiled in a scandal with the rakish earl, one from which even her clever sisters and the Old Rakes of Marylebone can’t extricate her.

Laird Allan, the newly belted Earl of MacLaren, enjoys the life of a consummate bachelor.  And, after one disastrous experience being publicly jilted, he intends to keep it that way.  Until, during a rout at his home, Laird and Anne’s lives unexpectedly collide, when he stumbles upon her--a woman he’s never seen before--rifling through his bedchamber.

Suddenly their worlds are cast into turmoil, when they are discovered, by all of society, wrestling atop his tester bed--and when questioned about her identity, the young woman has the audacity to claim she is his betrothed!

From New York Times bestselling author Susan Johnson and Sylvia Day and Noelle Mack come three sizzling stories about the art of seduction...

IT STARTS WITH ONE PERFECT KISS...

Justin, the Marquess of Fontaine, and Lady Sophie Milton-Riley have no desire to marry.  To satisfy their mothers' insistence that they would be quite right together, they set out to demonstrate how completely ill-suited they are for one another.  Justin is allergic to her perfume.  Sophie dislikes his dogs.  He prefers blondes; she, brunette men.  But the more they seek to prove how wrong their union would be, the more right things feel. And when opposites attract, there's no denying the sparks or the heat...

New Paranormal Fiction Releases

A Distant Magic by Mary Jo Putney, Del Rey, ISBN 9780345476913

Third in Mary Jo Putney’s Guardian series, A Distant Magic features Jean Macrae, the fierce veteran of Culloden who appeared in the earlier Guardian novels.  Jean is enjoying a pleasant journey to Marseilles to visit friends--until she is kidnapped by a dangerous pirate captain.

Betrayed into slavery by Jean’s father, Nikolai Gregorio has sworn blood vengeance on the whole family.  But Jean is his match, and together they forge an alliance to fight slavery.  Aided by Adia, an African sorceress, they travel through time to protect the fragile beginnings of the abolitionist movement--and together they forge a love that changes them both forever.

Nate's on a treasure hunt--to find the other gold ball his former girlfriend has secreted between her legs.  What's she doing playing with sex toys at her wedding rehearsal anyway?  And can he get close enough to find it before she says "I do" to the wrong man?

Lexi isn't sure why she picked today of all days to try out the Ben Wa Balls, but they have her primed for sex...and thinking of one sexy, bad-boy mechanic.

Nate isn't sure he's the man Lexi needs for the long haul and he sure never planned on abducting her, but when he finds himself crashing her wedding rehearsal, that's exactly what he does.  She fires his engines like no other and this time, he's playing for keeps...unless she runs over his heart.  Again.

A dedicated scientist, Laura Manning has an I.Q. that's off the charts.  But beneath her pristine white lab coat is a curvaceous body that craves satisfaction.  She finds it hard keeping her mind on the experiment and off what's under the lab coat of her bad boy research partner, Jay Cutler, whom she's working with to develop a libido suppressant, an "antidote" for a society gone sex-mad, pumped up and over-stimulated by the miracle of Viagra.

With time running out, Jay offers to act as a human guinea pig, injecting himself with the libido suppressant.  Laura's role requires lingerie, soft music and candlelight.  Her job is to entice him, to determine if the suppressant tamps down his desires.  Rather than cooling the flames of lust engulfing them, their "antidote" only heats them up and there's only one scandalous way to deal with it!

Suddenly long days of laboratory work are giving way to sizzling nights of sensual experimentation--and a different kind of "chemistry" that leaves Jay and Laura breathless and gasping for more! Their professional careers may depend upon a successful climax--and there are dangerous competitors determined to steal their research. And maybe their pleasure games have gotten a bit out of control.  But who in her right mind would want to pull the plug on her man's libido when the loving is this deliciously hot?

He was a professional gunman, not a murderer.  Falsely accused of a crime he didn’t commit, Landon Jeffers is on the run from a posse determined to see him dance at the end of a noose.  Passing through a desolate stretch of Arizona desert on a route he’s sure will throw them off his trail, he makes a discovery that will change his life forever.  Silver.

Never one to throw away an opportunity to line his pockets, Lan decides to settle in and dig his way to a fortune.  But what are the brilliant glowing orange stones he also unearths?  What is this strange fascination he feels for them?  More importantly, why have his dreams of silver riches morphed into images of moonlit nights, howling wolves and an Indian brave whose piercing black eyes turn to reddish/orange fire?

A chance meeting between two hikers turns steamy.  But an accident, amnesia and an unexplained wedding ring stop the burgeoning affair right in its tracks. When a snowstorm traps them in a cabin, their passion brings on a thaw in winter.

July 5, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, Join Karina Bliss in the NovelTalk chat room.

July 10 - 15, Mallory Kane will be attending Thrillerfest in New York during the second week in July. 

July 11, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, Join Darragha Foster in the NovelTalk chat room.

July 11 - 14, Many NovelTalk authors will attend the RWA National Conference "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing, including Ann Christopher, Sylvia Day, Delilah Devlin, HelenKay Dimon, Natalie Dunbar, Diane Gaston, Elle James, Lisa Renee Jones, Patricia Sargeant, Eve Silver, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Joanna Wayne, Lori Wilde. Hyatt Regency Hotel, Dallas, TX.

July 11-14, Vicki Lewis Thompson will present a workshop with author Peggy Webb titled "Dying is Easy...Comedy is Hard" at the RWA National Convention, Dallas, TX.

July 11-15, Eve Silver will be at the RWA National Conference in Dallas Texas. She will participate in the literacy signing (Wed. July 11, 5:30-7:30). She will also participate in a PAN panel, Paranormal or Urban Fantasy, on Saturday from 11-12, along with Lori Handeland, Kelley Armstrong and Kim Harrison. July 13, 11:00 a.m. - Noon, Sylvia Day, Delilah Devlin, Lisa Renee Jones, and Elle James are presenting the workshop "The Great Taboo: How to Turn Professional Jealousy into Admiration and Support." RWA National Conference, Dallas, TX.

July 18, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, Join Cait London in the NovelTalk chat room.

July 19, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, Join Joanna Wayne in the NovelTalk chat room.

July 20, 9:00 a.m., Anna DeStefano will be giving a three-hour intensive, hands-on workshop that will take participants through her process for planning through character, drafting and revising manuscripts. Don't miss this and other great workshops at this year's Harriette Austin conference!! University of Georgia, Athens, GA. 

July 20, 7:00 p.m., Charlotte Maclay will be speaking on "The Business of Romance: what's in, what's out and trends in the publishing world". She will also be signing her romantic suspense, Make No Promises.  Southwest Manuscripters, Pacific Inn, 5481 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA.

July 23, Redondo Beach Library, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Linda O. Johnston will be on a panel discussing “Murder on the Light Side.”

July 25, Cypress, California, Library, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Linda O. Johnston will be on a panel discussing “Shades of Black.”

July 25, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, Join Sylvie Kurtz in the NovelTalk chat room.

July 27, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, Join Ann DeFee in the NovelTalk chat room.

Sylvie Kurtz will be the guest author at Ask An Author Pro from August 6-10, 2007. 

August 11, 2:00 p.m., National Bestselling Author Annette Blair will be signing the first copies of Sex and the Psychic Witch, the first book in her Triplet Witch Trilogy, along with copies of her Accidental Witch Trilogy: The Kitchen Witch, My Favorite Witch, and The Scot, the Witch, and the Wardrobe at the Borders in No Attleboro Massachusetts almost directly across from the Emerald Mall. Borders Books, 1212 S Washington Street, Route 1, North Attleboro, MA.  

Sylvie Kurtz will be teaching a month-long online class for the Kiss of Death Chapter's Coffin in September 2007. Come learn "How to Grow a Story Spine". You don't have to be a member of KOD to join the class. Check their website for more details. 

Sylvia Day has been invited to attend NYT bestselling author Lora Leigh's Reader Appreciation Weekend (RAW) September 14-16. For more information about this event and to view of the list of attending authors, please visit the website.

September 30, Linda O. Johnston will be on a panel discussing “Murder Most Cozy: Crime on the Lighter Side." West Hollywood Book Festival.

October 11, Linda O. Johnston will discuss how a writer can take an idea or theme that has been done before and make it yours. Mystery Bookstore, Westwood, CA.
 

Carolyne Aarsen is a Canadian.  Canuck.  Whatever you want to call her, eh?  Canada is the setting for most of her books, so what could be more Canadian than a Canuck Canoe chock full of cleanser (actually it's soaps, but she was going for alliteration) along with an assortment of her books. 

Melanie Atkins invites you to participate in her monthly contest. Prizes change each month.

Toni Blake is giving away a prize pack containing autographed copies of both Tempt Me Tonight and Swept Away, along with items from her Cafe Press store! 

Enter K. Celeste Bryan's book-give-away contest by simply visiting her website.  Each month a copy of Sky Tinted Water or Beneath A Crimson Sky will be given away until January of 2008. You need only enter once to remain active until the end of the contest.

Check out C.J. Carmichael's monthly contest as well as an exciting new excerpt from Star-Crossed Parents and enter to win autographed copies from C.J.'s backlist.

Become a Laird...or a Lady. Kathryn Caskie's June/July grand prize contest winner will be given a (very) small plot of land known as Glencairn in the historic Scottish Highland County of Caithness along with legal documentation and a land title proclaiming the winner Laird (or Lady) of Glencairn!  Verra cool prize indeed.  Five other entrants will win signed cover flats and goodies from top Avon authors such as Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Christina Dodd, Samantha James, Julianne MacLean, Sophie Jordon, Anna Campbell, Sari Robins, Toni Blake, Cathy Maxwell, Robyn Dehart, Shana Galen, Isabel Sharpe, Sophia Nash, Alexandra Benedict, Anne Mallory, Laura Lee Guhrke, Shirley Karr and many others.  Ends July 31.

Lisa Childs will be giving two winners an autographed copy of Persecuted, book two of her Witch Hunt series, on July 20.

Answer Ann Christopher's question for a chance to win signed copies of all three of her books! 

Ann Cory's July Contest - Spoil Me! To coincide with the July 21st release of her sexy story, Spoiled Candy, Ann will be giving away some gifts to indulge and pamper. If you're looking to be spoiled--in a good way-please visit her site for all the details. 

Sign up for Dee Davis's newsletter to win an autographed copy of Hell on Heels. 

One winner will receive a selection of autographed Sylvia Day titles in a collector's tote bag, along with a promo prize pack. Ends October 30.

Anna DeStefano's celebrating summer and the success of her Coach Boutique in Brenda Novak's JDRF auction by giving away a Signature Suede Shoulder Tote in her website contest.  Leave a comment in her blog by July 31st to be entered!!!

HelenKay Dimon is running a contest to celebrate the release of her first single title, Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy. Check out her website for more details.

Mary Gardner will be holding contests for her newsletter subscribers.  Get in on the fun and join her newsletter group by sending an e-mail to MaryGardner-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.  You never know when she will hold a drawing with a prize of one book of your choice ($10.00 of less) sent directly to you from Amazon.com.

 To celebrate her new website, Diane Gaston is starting a countdown to her next book, The Vanishing Viscountess, January 2008. Starting in July, Diane will be giving away copies of two of her books, leading to a Grand Prize in December.

Please stop by Cindy Gerard's website to catch up on the latest news and to sign her guest book which automatically enters you in her monthly contest.

Lisa Renee Jones has a monthly drawing for a bag of books and promo goodies drawn from her newsletter list. Join here.

The scent continues! As the release of her November Regency historical Rogue's Lady approaches, Julia Justiss continues the lavender theme begun in the last contest by offering three lucky winners a trio of lavender sachets. The sachets are made up as little 4-inch party dresses (not Regency, alas, but very pretty) displayed on wire hangers, perfect to tuck in a drawer or hang in your closet. Bring the soothing scent of lavender to your wardrobe! Enter using the form on her contest page for details.  Ends July 21.

Mallory Kane is holding a summer contest for a chance to win 4 hand-crafted greeting cards from her original "Reading" collection. Visit her contest page and follow the directions there to enter.  Ends August 30.

Sylvie Kurtz: Win a signed copy of Eye of a Hunter and Pride of a Hunter as well as a dragon zipper pull.

Since her latest novels--Secret Contract, Ironclad Cover, My Bodyguard and Intimate Details--are all about second chances, author Dana Marton is putting on a Second Chance Contest.  Have you ever done anything that you'd love to erase?  What was the biggest mistake of your life?  Would you do absolutely anything to be able to correct it?  The heroines in the books listed above face these questions and now it's your time to consider them.  Email your answer to danamarton@yahoo.com by July 31, 2007 to be entered into a drawing for an early copy of Intimate Details.

To celebrate the release of her next book on August 7th, Maureen McKade will give away two autographed copies of A Reason to Believe. Sign up now and you could be one of the two lucky winners!

Contests abound on Jenna McKnight's site! Treasure hunts, gift card drawings, prizes, and more. Always something new and different.

Ready to put on your sleuthing hats? Julie Miller is hosting her summer book giveaway contest on her website going through July 20. For a chance to win a signed copy of her August/September Precinct: Vice Squad books, Up Against the Wall and Nine-Month Protector, check out the contest page at her website. And look for a copy of her January 07 Intrigue, Beast in the Tower.

A chance to win a free book every month at Stevi Mittman's website just by subscribing to her newsletter!

One reader with the correct answer to Joy Nash's July question will win a copy of Book #2 in Dorchester Publishing's bestselling Immortals series, Immortals: The Darkening by Robin T. Popp. 

Win a sterling silver quizzing glass! To celebrate the release of her newest Regency historical, Tempting Juliana, Lauren Royal is giving away the quizzing glass on the book's back cover once every month through September! Visit her contest page for more details.  Ends September 30.

Enter Patricia Sargeant's monthly Reader Appreciation Contest to win promotional prizes.

Visit Roxanne Rustand's website for monthly drawings for autographed books and other gifts, and be automatically entered in a year-end drawing for a gold and ruby necklace!  Ends December 2070.

Every three months Kathryn Shay will give away three copies of her backlist (when available) or her upcoming release every three months. Visit her contest page for more details.

To celebrate the release of her summer/fall books, Dark Prince (August), Demon's Kiss (October), and Driven (September, under the pseudonym Eve Kenin), Eve Silver is offering an advance copy of Driven and other great goodies to one lucky winner.  Check out her website for your chance to win.

Kate Steele is at it again! To celebrate the first of her two new June releases, Red Cloud Wolves 1, Silver Dreams from Changeling Press, she's offering a new contest. For your chance to win, join Kate's Yahoo group. All members of the group are automatically entered. It's just that easy! Good Luck!

Kay Stockham has a very special Launch Party Scavenger Hunt starting this month with the release of His Perfect Woman.  In honor of her breast cancer survivor heroine, Kay is giving away a Longaberger Horizon of Hope tote and accessories.  Sign up for Kay's newsletter to receive contest questions and instructions on how to enter to win this fabulous prize!  Ends August 31.

BOOKS, BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS from Vicki Lewis Thompson. What would summer be like without books to read? Pretty boring if you ask me. That's why I'm giving away a special prize to one lucky reader this month; a set of six of my "black cover" reprints from Harlequin, including As Time Goes By, Be Mine Valentine, The Bounty Hunter, Cupid's Caper, It Happened One Weekend, and Loverboy.  

Enter Stephanie Tyler's monthly contest to win an Amazon gift certificate and check in at Writeminded for spontaneous book and goodie giveaways and more!

For her July contest, Linda Warren will be giving away a copy of The Bad Son and a Texas beaded bookmark. The winner will be drawn from readers sharing their favorite summer recipes. The winner also gets their recipe posted on Linda's website.

Joanna Wayne will be giving away two copies of 24 Karat Ammunition a month. Winners will be randomly selected and named on the following month's contest page.  

Pat White Win a copy of Ring Around My Heart & Seattle Chocolates.