Limited Time Free Read

 

 

Been craving a relaxing, happy summer read? Right now, Fit for a Queen is free at all major retailers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Retailers in other countries may match this deal, so if you live elsewhere, check your favorite.

 

Fit for a Queen is the first book in the Royal Scandals: San Rimini series, but can be read as a standalone novel (no cliffhangers!) If you haven't tried this series, now is the perfect time. If you've already read Fit for a Queen, tell a friend!

 

Here’s the back-of-the-book info to whet your appetite:

She holds the secrets of a queen. He’s been hired to watch her.

Daniela D’Ambrosio is the most trusted employee of Sarcaccia’s Queen Fabrizia, managing the queen’s schedule and ensuring she never makes a misstep in public. But when Fabrizia sends Daniela to organize the belongings of San Rimini’s late queen for a charity auction, Daniela finds a locked closet full of treasure, a suspicious king, and an attractive handyman who seems strangely familiar.

Following a harrowing stint in the military, Royce Dekker now runs his own security firm in San Rimini. When he goes undercover to safeguard the late queen’s possessions, Royce learns that the woman organizing the auction project is none other than Daniela D’Ambrosio, the stunning beauty who’s fueled his late-night fantasies ever since their stolen night under the stars.

When Daniela recognizes Royce, she realizes there is more to the palace job than she was told. But can she trust the sexy man standing guard over her as she works? Or will Royce discover that Daniela also has secrets to uncover?

 Get it at your favorite ebook retailer today!

 

 

Special Sale Event: Fit for a Queen

I just learned that the first title in the Royal Scandals: San Rimini series, Fit for a Queen, is included in a fabulous Valentine’s Day sale hosted by Books2Read. Focused on highlighting the range of romance novels, the event features stories in different categories, ranging from historical to paranormal to LGBTQ to contemporary.

Only seven novels were chosen for the contemporary romance category, so having Fit for a Queen there is a thrill.

To access the sale event and all participating retailers, visit the Books2Read Every Kind of Love Story sale site. The sale is good in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, though retailers in other countries and at a variety of retailers are likely to price match, so check your favorite.

 

If you’ve already read Fit for a Queen, send the link along to a friend. This is the first time the book has been on sale, so it’s an excellent opportunity to give the series a try.

Sale Alert: Christmas With a Prince

 

We're almost to the end of 2020 and happily I have some good news to share today.

If you're craving a dose of holiday optimism (featuring a winery wedding, a secret Christmas tree, and a second chance romance), CHRISTMAS WITH A PRINCE is currently on sale in the US/UK/CA/Australia/NZ for only 99c/99p. Prices are good at Apple, Amazon, Google Play, BN, and Kobo. Other countries and retailers may price match, so check your favorite. 

This price is good through December 26th. Grab it today!

Chirp Audio Deal on Scandal With a Prince

Great news for audiobook listeners! Right now, Chirp Books is offering a great deal on the audiobook of Scandal With a Prince. For a limited time, you can get the audiobook for only $2.99. It's narrated by talented actress Hollis McCarthy, who's received fantastic reviews for her audio productions. I love her work and think you will, too.

If you haven’t heard of Chirp Books, it’s a sister company of BookBub, a website and newsletter that features book deals, reviews, author info, and new release updates. To use Chirp, you can download the app for either iPhone or Android, and then listen to audiobooks either via streaming or download.

Chirp is fairly new, so I’d love to hear what you think of the service. Post to the comments or drop me an email. Thanks!

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UPDATE: Apple Books has price matched this deal! You can download by going here, or by using the app on your smartphone.

Five Ways To Find The Time To Read

 When I meet someone new and they learn that I’m an author, their first response is often, “cool!” followed by a lamentation on their lack of reading time. They tell me how much they love books and that reading relaxes them, or they’ll share a fond memory of a favorite book. Occasionally, they’ll say they’ve made a New Year’s resolution to read more.
 
They’ll ask how much I read, and how I find the time to do it.

In answer to those questions: I read around fifty to sixty books a year. This year the number will be higher. It’s Halloween, and a check of my reading log shows I've completed 76 novels and four novellas. I started book number 77, Gregg Hurwitz's Hellbent, last night. There were also three books that I didn’t—and likely won’t—finish.

So how do I find the time, given my workload and family obligations? Simple: I make it. The investment is well worth it. Not only does reading make me a better writer, it lets my imagination fly and offers a respite when I’ve had a stressful day. 

If you want to make more time for reading, here are five easy tips:

Carry A Book At All Times. It doesn’t have to be bulky. If you have a phone with you, you have books with you. There are several apps available for reading, either via your phone’s app store, such as Apple Books, or by checking out Amazon’s Kindle App page, the Kobo App page, or Barnes & Noble’s Books App page. Have a few minutes of downtime? Instead of playing Minecraft or solitaire while waiting to meet a friend or to catch your bus, open your book and read. Prefer not to read on a phone? A Kindle, iPad, Kobo, or other device works, too. Then there are good old paperbacks. (Those still work!)

Consider Audio. I admit, I wasn’t sure I’d like audiobooks. On the recommendation of a friend, I did a free trial at Audible and was hooked. Now I listen in the car, while walking the dog, and while doing yardwork. If I’m at a particularly good spot in a story, I’ll forgo music while I run to listen. It’s amazing how a great narrator can bring a book to life. Audiobooks are less expensive and more accessible than in the days of tapes and CDs. You can listen on your phone and through many car speakers, either through programs like Apple CarPlay or via Bluetooth or by using an Aux cable. Now lulls in my day can be filled by a good book, even when my hands aren’t free to hold one.

Don’t Like It? Don’t Read It. No matter how many people rave about a book, if you aren’t enjoying it, it’s fine to quit reading. It took me years to allow myself to dump a book without finishing it. Silly, maybe, but there are thousands of wonderful books in the world. Why waste your precious reading time on one that doesn’t fire your imagination or entertain you in some way? Why slog through a horrible-to-you story when you can race through two or three great ones in the same time frame? Apologies to the late Aldous Huxley, but for me, reading Brave New World felt like trudging through ankle-deep mud in a cold headwind. I quit about a third of the way through, then read a fantastic romance novel and a thriller in the same amount of time it had taken me to slog through that third of a book. Lesson learned.

Keep a Log. I started keeping a log in 1999. It’s fascinating to look back on what I’ve read and enjoyed. Seeing the breadth of titles keeps me from getting in a reading rut. It also reminds me of authors I’ve enjoyed in the past so I can search for what they’ve written recently. There are several websites and phone apps that can manage a reading log for you, or you can go the old school route, as I do, with pen and paper. It’s a legit reason to buy a Moleskine or that cool notebook you’ve been eyeing on Etsy.

Share. Book clubs in my neighborhood tend to be more about the wine than the books, but some balance social time with meaty discussion. If you’re interested, ask your friends and neighbors if they belong to a book club, and ask them how it runs to see if it might be a good fit. If you can’t find one, why not start one? If book clubs aren’t your style, consider joining a site like BookBub or Goodreads, where you can discover new books and authors, read or write reviews, and discuss your favorites on message boards. Many authors have profile pages where they answer reader questions and make book recommendations.

The more you read, the more you’ll want to read. You’ll discover your own ways to fit reading into pockets of otherwise wasted time in your day.

Have great ideas of your own? Share them in the comments. In the meantime, go forth, find a great book, and enjoy.

Five To Try: Paranormal Romance Series

It’s October, a time when the human mind wanders to thoughts of the supernatural and things that go bump in the night. If your reading tastes follow that path, here are some paranormal romances to fit your mood.

Moon Called, by Patricia Briggs. This is the first book in the Briggs’ much-loved Mercy Thompson series, and I was hooked by the end of the first page. Need a strong female warrior to cheer? Wolves that become human (or is it vice versa?) Vampires who may or may not be friendly to humans? All this with a great romance storyline will have you hooked, too. Currently only $2.99 on Kindle or on . 

Kiss of Midnight, by Lara Adrian. Lara’s books are some of my favorites, and I can’t recommend her work highly enough. If you’re interested in an early autumn binge read of vampire romance, start here to enjoy her Midnight Breed series. As I post this, the book is available for $2.99 in and on Kindle.

Shadowland, by Meg Cabot. This is the first title in Meg’s Mediator series. Most readers know her for The Princess Diaries, but these stories are my favorite of hers. The main character, Suze, is a mediator, a link between the living and the dead, and a cowboy ghost lives in her bedroom. Adventures and romance ensue, and it’s fabulous.  Get it from or on Kindle.

Dark Lover, by J.R. Ward. This book launched a series that has had romance readers obsessed for years and pre-ordering each new release. J.R. Ward is one of the most talented romance authors writing today. If you haven’t read her work, start here. Currently, this first title in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series is only $2.99 at and for the Kindle.

Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs, by Molly Harper. I haven’t read this yet, but I bought it a few weeks ago and it’s nearing the top of my To Be Read pile. I’ve heard raves for its romance and the humor. This is the first book in the popular Jane Jameson series, and is available from and on Kindle. I’ve heard that the audio edition is also fantastic. If you’ve read it, share your thoughts in the comments (but no spoilers, please! I can’t wait to dive in.