Spotlight:Fooling Around With Cinderella by Stacy Juba

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FOOLING AROUND WITH CINDERELLA

Storybook Valley #1

Stacy Juba

Released November 9th, 2015

Self Published

What happens when the glass slippers pinch Cinderella's toes?

When Jaine Andersen proposes a new marketing role to the local amusement park, general manager Dylan Callahan charms her into filling Cinderella’s glass slippers for the summer. Her reign transforms Jaine’s ordinary life into chaos that would bewilder a fairy godmother. Secretly dating her bad boy boss, running wedding errands for her ungrateful sisters, and defending herself from the park’s resident villain means Jaine needs lots more than a comfy pair of shoes to restore order in her kingdom.

First in the Storybook Valley series, a blend of sweet romance, chick lit, and fairy tale fun.

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Dylan scrutinized Jaine, arms folded across his royal blue shirt with the Storybook Valley logo stamped over the left in white block letters. “Do you wear contacts?”

“I have plenty of media contacts. Wait. Did you say wear contacts? You mean instead of these?” Jaine fingered the earpiece of her gold-rimmed glasses.

“Right. Contact lenses.”

She gave a nervous chuckle. “I scheduled a consultation in college, but was too squeamish to insert the lens. I was more comfortable in glasses.”

Was she really justifying her vision enhancement choices to her prospective new boss? Maybe he intended to discuss medical benefits. Or did he think she looked nerdy? What was the saying? Guys don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses? Not that she wanted him to make a pass even if he was hot.

“How blind are you without glasses?” Dylan persisted.

“You wouldn’t want to drive with me.”

“How about if you’re walking around a building? Are you in danger of hurting yourself?”

This interview had taken the Mad Hatter Freeway from Fairy Tale Land into Wonderland where nothing made a damn bit of sense. Did this guy have a glasses fetish, like those weirdoes with shoe fetishes?

“I should be okay. I take them off for special occasions.” In fact, Jaine’s older sister Bree, who was getting married in August, remarked just last week, “You are losing the glasses for my wedding pictures, right?”

What the hell. She’d be a good sport and hope Dylan would be so grateful to pick the brain of a real, flesh and blood, bespectacled person that he would appoint her marketing director. Jaine removed her glasses and the fine details of her surroundings fuzzed. She nodded toward the framed print hanging on a side wall, the picture a wash of symbols and colors. “I can tell that’s a park map, but the words and images smear together.”

And that was myopia in a nutshell. Jaine adjusted her glasses back into place so she could see his reaction. Dylan examined her with such intensity that a blush stained her cheeks. She patted her blonde French braid, in case stray strands were straggling out.

“Here’s the situation,” Dylan said. “I took over the general manager position a few months ago. I’m evaluating possible changes and researching how other theme parks run. My grandfather and father have worked with a marketing firm for years to create our brochures, billboards, print, and radio ads.”

Jaine’s shoulders caved, imperceptible to him, but it felt as if her whole body was sinking.

No fairy tale job ending for her.

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Stacy Juba got engaged at Epcot Theme Park and spent part of her honeymoon at Disneyland Paris, where she ate a burger, went on fast rides, and threw up on the train ride to the hotel. In addition to working on her new Storybook Valley chick lit/sweet romance series, Stacy has written books about ice hockey, teen psychics, U.S. flag etiquette for kids, and determined women sleuths. She has had a novel ranked as #5 in the Nook Store and #30 on the Amazon Kindle Paid List. 

When she’s not visiting theme parks with her family, (avoiding rides that spin and exotic hamburgers), or writing about them, Stacy helps authors to strengthen their manuscripts through her Crossroads Editing Service. She is currently writing the next book in the Storybook Valley Series, Prancing Around with Sleeping Beauty.

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New Release Spotlight: Forged In Fire by Lindsay McKenna

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FORGED IN FIRE

DELOS #3

Lindsay McKenna

Releasing Dec 3rd, 2015

Blue Turtle Publishing

Pediatrician Dara McKinley loves her job. So how could she say no when her sister asks her to come to Kabul for a few weeks to offer medical assistance at a local orphanage? Terrified of the
dangers surrounding her, Dara finds unexpected solace in the protective arms of Sergeant Matt Culver. Transfixed by the warrior with the exotic gold eyes, can Dara overcome her fears?

Matt, a Delta Force operator, has always listened to his instincts, and they have yet to steer him wrong. So when he sees the alluring blond belly dancer at Bagram’s annual holiday show, he knows without a doubt that she’s “the one.” Now he just has to convince her to take a chance on him…and love. If they survive…

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As Matt stood close to her on the sidewalk, she lifted her gloved hand and placed it lightly against his bomber jacket. His long mane and beard gave him a fierce, primal look, which she actually found exciting.  She wanted to lie down with this beautiful man and feel his warm body beside her.  Dara’s gaze drifted to his sexy mouth. How she had fantasized kissing it, feeling his warm lips on hers. She saw his eyes narrow as they instinctively moved closer to each other, their body heat mingling in the below-freezing air. The moment was so full of promise that Matt slid his hand down the small of her back and tugged her gently forward, giving her the chance to hold back if she wasn’t ready.

            Oh, but she was ready. As the wind blew against her hair, he instinctively lifted his hand and curved the strands away from her face. Dara leaned closer, closing her eyes and feeling Matt’s moist breath against her face. Again, she felt his hand pressing her solidly against him.

            He was so strong, so grounded, that she allowed herself to flow into him, feeling him shift slightly as he leaned down to capture her upturned lips in a gentle kiss.

            His mouth brushed hers, inviting her to respond, and his kiss brought a small sound of pleasure from her. Dara felt him hold her tightly, his erection needing to be free, now pressing against her belly, warming her and flooding her with hunger and desire.

            Again, his mouth grazed hers, nudging her lips open, coaxing her to respond more fully, and she did. Dara slid her other hand around Matt’s shoulder, her fingers against the nape of his neck. She smelled the Afghan lye soap he’d used, which mingled with his own male fragrance. Hungrily, she breathed it in as his mouth moved even more firmly against her own.

            Matt gripped her shoulder, bringing her flush against his chest. Her nipples instantly grew hard; she wanted his mouth upon them, wanted him to tease them, forgetting about the wind, the cold, the possibility of being observed. For once, Dara allowed herself to get lost in the heat and light of Matt’s gentle probing. She could feel him gauging her responses, allowing her the time and space to decide just how far they should go in exploring one another.

            As his fingers dug more firmly into her shoulder, she felt her body arching against him, her lips parting, and boldly she touched his lower lip with the tip of her tongue. That one movement brought renewed urgency to them both, and she felt Matt quiver with need for her.

            Dara pushed closer, her whole body humming, the heat arcing from her breasts down through her belly. She felt dampness between her thighs and knew he could take her at this moment, anywhere, and she would respond freely, because the world around them had disappeared, and only the two of them existed.

            As he slid his hand beneath her neck, his fingers tangling through the strong, silky strands of her hair, he angled her to bring her mouth closer. Both of them were breathing erratically now, and Dara was lost in Matt’s arms, loving the way he held her. Matt was a first for her. She’d never had such a sensitive, considerate lover.

            Dara moaned as he pulled her closer to his straining body, knowing she couldn’t bring Matt inside her B-hut because men were not allowed in the women’s quarters. But her frustration was already curling through her throbbing lower body and she kissed him more fervently, wanting all of him and knowing she couldn’t have him, at least not now.

            An MP Humvee slowly turned the corner down at the end of the street and both Dara and Matt pulled away. She looked at him with a combination of frustration and amusement. “Wow. Has anyone ever told you how good a kisser you are?”

            “I’ll never kiss and tell,” he teased, his voice still thick with desire.

            The MPs drifted by and moved on down the street. Safe from curious eyes, Dara stared up at Matt, her body still on fire. “I wish,” she whispered, sliding her hand up his leather-jacketed chest, “this didn’t have to end tonight.”

            “That makes two of us, sweetheart.” Matt threaded his fingers through her hair, watching her lashes lower with pleasure at his touch. He looked around and then met her upturned gaze. “What if I told you there was a somewhere we could go to be together? A place that was totally private, where we wouldn’t get chased out by MPs.” He grazed her cheek with his thumb. “Would you be interested?”

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Lindsay McKenna lives her life as a risk taker, and it shines through the books she loves to write:
romance, adventure and suspense. She started writing at age thirteen and continues to hone her writing skills to this day. She sold her first romance novel in 1981. The rest is history.

Because she went into the military, this experience became the backbone of her writing—she is credited with writing the first military romance novel (Captive of Fate, 1983, Silhouette Special
Edition) and has created a thriving sub-genre within the romance field! As a New York Times Best Selling author, she has sold 23 million books and in 32 foreign languages in her career thus far. Her many experiences in the U.S. Navy are backdrop for her understanding of the military in general, and also her very successful Morgan’s Mercenaries, which is an ongoing series in Silhouette to this day! Forty-five books strong!

Lindsay has gone Indie in 2015 and has created a new family saga on par with Morgan’s Mercenaries It is known as the DELOS SERIES. There will be paperback and eBooks created under Blue Turtle
Publishing, her company for her fans. Readers who love Morgan and his family are bound to fall in love with the Culver family. Delos is romantic suspense, which Lindsay is well known for. It took her five years to create and bring DELOS to her readers. It was worth the wait, but we’ll let you decide that.

Lindsay loves to hear from her readers and loves to know what they’d like to see her write next. Stay up with the latest on the Delos Series here. Please visit her Web site at www.lindsaymckenna.com. And be sure to sign up for her free quarterly newsletter. It contains exclusive content found nowhere else on the Net. Plus, giveaways and other surprises, to her loyal and faithful subscribers!

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Grab a FREE Ebook copy of 

LAST CHANCE

The Prequel Novella to NOWHERE TO HIDE

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Don't miss DELOS Series Books 1 & 2, 

NOWHERE TO HIDE & TANGLED PURSUIT

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Spotlight: SnowFlake Bay by Donna Kauffman

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SNOWFLAKE BAY

The Brides of Blueberry Cove #2

Donna Kauffman

Released Sept 29th, 2015

Kensington: Zebra

There’s no place like seaside Blueberry Cove, Maine, at Christmas—and there’s nothing like a wedding, the warmth of the holidays, and an old crush, to create the perfect new start…
Interior designer Fiona McCrae has left fast-paced Manhattan to move back home to peaceful Blueberry Cove. But she’s barely arrived before she’s hooked into planning her big sister Hannah’s Christmas wedding—in less than seven weeks. The last thing she needs is for her first love, Ben Campbell, to return to neighboring Snowflake Bay…

As kids, Fiona was the bratty little sister Ben mercilessly teased—while pining after Hannah. But Fi never once thought of Ben like a brother. And that hasn’t changed. Except Fi is all grown up. Will Ben notice her now? More importantly, with her life in a jumble, should he? Or might the romance of the occasion, the spirit of the season, and the gifts of time ignite a long-held flame for many Christmases to come…

Something old might just become something new…

Big hands gripped her shoulders again and turned her back around. Then she felt rough, thick fingers gently tug at the scarf until her face was completely uncovered, or at least most of it was. Curls still clung to her eyelashes and errant wool fibers remained plastered to her Chapsticked lips.

She finally looked up at him. What the hell. She couldn’t possibly be more mortified around him now than she had been during pretty much every waking, breathing moment of her adolescence, could she?

Any latent, exceedingly selfish hopes she might have harbored that time and age had been unkind to him were extinguished with that one simple glance. He was … beautiful. He’d always been beautiful. Thick, chestnut-brown hair that was forever in need of a trim topped a pair of always twinkling eyes the color of Maine evergreens, and a ready grin set between a strong jaw and sharp cheekbones. Only now, age and time had somehow transformed him into a man who was more rugged, more handsome, more genuinely, heart-grippingly sexy. The kind of sexy a thirteen-year-old couldn’t even begin to appreciate, but the thirty-two-year-old woman standing before him could all too well.

His body was as ruggedly appealing as his face, with broad shoulders to match those wide palms, and the kind of muscles roping his arms and biceps that even the green plaid wool jacket he had on over a faded red hoodie did little to hide and everything to enhance. She didn’t dare look lower. Didn’t have to. He’d always been athletic and agile despite his size. Looking at those long legs and perfectly muscled thighs wasn’t necessary. She imagined them anyway, remembering far too many summers spent watching him and Logan from her bedroom window as they played pick-up basketball at the hoop mounted to the front of the carriage house, in nothing more than gym shorts and gleaming, honey-gold skin.

It seemed so unfair, she thought, even as she drank in the sight of him like a woman who’d been in the desert since, well, since the summer of her eighth grade graduation. Which was when he’d left town, and her unrequited love, in the unnoticed and seriously pathetic dust.

“Hello, Ben,” she said, seeing the wisps of wool still clinging to her lips dance briefly in the warm, dry air. She wanted to close her eyes. Hell, she wanted to dig a hole to China. Instead, she forced herself to maintain eye contact. Adult. Mature. Not thirteen. Not stupidly pining for a guy who never once thought of you as anything but his best friend’s annoying, bratty kid sister.

At the moment, however, he looked sincerely happy to see her. That shouldn’t have made her knees knock. Or her thighs clench.

“I didn’t know you were back in town,” he said.

“That makes two of us,” she said, thinking that her heart had to be pounding against her chest so hard, if she looked down, she’d surely see a cartoon version of it pumping out through her coat. Her fireplug red, down-filled coat.

Yeah.

Her karma clearly didn’t include things like having the sexier-than-ever Ben Campbell reenter her life when she had on cute yoga pants and was in some innocent but super suggestive pose that had him immediately wondering why in the hell he’d never noticed her before.

“You, uh …” He made a brief motion toward her mouth, and then that gleaming white grin flashed. “Either you’ve been slimed by your scarf, or you have a very unfortunate fungal issue. Either way—” He reached past her to nimbly snag a napkin from the holder she’d half buried under her satchel. “Here,” he said, offering it to her.

Aaaaand humiliation complete. Forever thirteen. Ah well, what the hell. Might as well own it. She tugged off her gloves with her probably wool-coated teeth, then took the proffered napkin. “Thanks,” she said, and turned to put her gloves on the marble countertop and do the best she could without benefit of a mirror to de-fungi herself. Turning back around, she crumpled the napkin in her hand and gave him a wry smile. “Better?”

“Mostly,” he said.

She went stock-still again when, teasing grin still firmly in place, he stepped closer, bowed his head, and gazed ever-so-intently at her mouth. She had no idea how her legs held her upright as every one of her adolescent fantasies came screaming back to mind, but in a far—far—more adult fashion. Surely, he couldn’t mean to—

He brought his hand up—not to cup her cheek so he could lower his lips to hers—but to pluck away the few remaining fibers that still clung to her lips.

What did it say that the tips of his fingers brushing her lips elicited a far greater response from her body than the last man she’d actually gotten naked with? Nothing positive, she was sure. About her, or about poor, couldn’t-find-an-erogenous-zone-if-it-was- staring-him-in-the-face Charlie. Which, sadly for them both, one rather universally well-known zone had been.

“Now you’re good,” he said, smiling again as he stepped back.

No, not really, she thought. But you sure are. She swallowed against a throat that was suddenly a dry wasteland, while other parts of her were … decidedly not. Oh, so, very, very good.

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USA Today bestselling author of the Cupcake Club Romance series, Donna Kauffman has seen her books reviewed in venues ranging from Kirkus Reviews and Library Journal to Entertainment Weekly and Cosmopolitan. She lives just outside of DC in the lovely Virginia countryside, where she is presently trying to makeover her newly empty nest into something that doesn’t have to accommodate piles of sports equipment falling out of her coat closet (okay, out of every closet...and under every bed....), size 13 cleats and sweaty uniforms cluttering her foyer (and stairwell, and laundry room, and...), and a kitchen that should have come with a traffic light. And a pantry monitor. (Anyone with a clever idea on how to repurpose lacrosse sticks into matching reading lamps, she’s all ears!) When she’s not stripping paint, varnishing an old auction house find, or trying to avoid bodily injury with her latest power tool purchase, she loves to hear from readers!

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