A special THANK YOU to the authors of TEXAS ROMANCE WEEK
I hope you enjoy this glimpse into some of the authors who will be hosting the
Facebook Event. To join the chat and be eligible for prizes (including one from this post)...
click "going" on our Facebook event, leave a comment today and throughout the week.
KELSEY BROWNING
What I love most about
Texas: Besides my family, what I love most is the food. We lived overseas for
almost five years, and I pined for good TexMex and a decent margarita. At a
hotel in Qatar, I once ate what was supposed to be a chicken taco. They'd
seasoned it with curry powder.
TexMex + curry = blurg!
RUNNING THE RED LIGHT
After wearing a “Least Likely to Succeed” label all her life,
Roxanne Eberly is hell-bent on making her Red Light Lingerie store successful.
Although the residents of small-town Shelbyville, Texas, are a
little…lingerie-resistant, she’ll win them over eventually. So when a former
employer sues her, putting a major wrinkle in her careful plans, she
reluctantly accepts help from hot-stuff Houston attorney Jamie Wright. Jamie’s on track to become his firm’s youngest partner, but
discovers an unwritten prerequisite—marriage. Turns out, the only woman he
wants is Roxanne, but peddling thongs and sex toys isn’t a suitable career
for the spouse of an up-and-coming attorney. Jamie’s tangled up in
Roxanne’s lawsuit, her life and her lingerie. But if they’re ever going to make
it work, Roxanne’s big-city boy will have to decide what he values more: the
career he always thought he wanted or the woman he never thought he’d fall for.
ANGI MORGAN
What I love most about Texas: Everything. Well, I'm biased. Sunsets. People. Driving in a different direction and an hour later having a total different landscape (okay, it's more than an hour if you're in West Texas). The history and heritage. So many stories could happen in Texas--from astronauts and businessmen to vintners and zoo keepers. Not to mention the cowboys, ranchers, and oilmen. I love good TexMex, love a good two-step and western swing. (Yes I was raised on Bob Wills.) Again, I'll admit I'm biased. My family's been here since 1750.
NAVY SEAL SURRENDER
A
NAVY SEAL RETURNS TO TEXAS TO FIND HIS FAMILY IN TROUBLE AND HIS HIGH SCHOOL
SWEETHEART IMPOSSIBLE TO RESIST…
Navy SEAL John Sloane thought he'd
come home to Texas to save the family ranch and reconnect with his estranged
twin brother. He never expected to reunite with the girl whose heart he broke.
But when Alicia Adams's daughter is kidnapped, the fearless SEAL jumps into
action.
However, the off-book op poses
unfamiliar dangers to John, none more risky than his feelings for Alicia. To
regain her trust and protect her from the kidnappers, he'll risk his career and
even his life. It all hinges on one daring scheme that could prove he's the
hero she needs—or break her heart all over again….
ANN DEFEE
What I love most about Texas: Spring–when the bluebonnets
and Indian Paintbrush wildflowers color the landscape in shades of blue and
red.
BEYOND
TEXAS
There’s no place like Texas. And there’s
no one like a Texan!
Twinkie Sue Carmichael and her mother own
the Clown Motel in Mirage, Texas, known for its mysterious desert lights. She’s
also the mayor. Like everyone else in these parts, Twinkie’s worried about the
goings-on at nearby Fort Huacha, an abandoned military facility, which has been
taken over by a group of men calling themselves the “Brothers.”
When Cole
Thornton comes to Mirage—with his own questions about the Brothers—Twinkie’s
hormones go on high alert. So does her internal alarm. Is this great-looking guy really what he
seems? But Cole and Twinkie fall in love (or certainly lust!), surrounded by an
eccentric cast of characters, from her cohort of girlfriends to her sheriff ex-husband.
From Cole’s high-powered family to his ex-partner. Not to mention his missing
sister, a group of young pregnant women and a houseful of retired hookers. But
as the Brothers and assorted other bad guys learn, you don’t mess with Texans!
CYNTHIA D'ALBA
What I love most about Texas: I love how diverse Texas
is...From canyons to mountains to urban setting to huge ranches to wine
country. And who doesn't love a man with a deep Texas drawl!
TEXAS TANGO
Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 2
Their wedding might be fake, but there’s no faking the mutual attraction.
Dr. Caroline Graham is happy with her nomadic lifestyle fulfilling short-term medical contracts. No emotional commitments, no disappointments. She’s always the one to walk away, never the one left behind. But now her great-uncle is gone and her grandmother is on her deathbed, more concerned about Caroline’s lack of a husband than her own demise. What’s the harm in a little white lie? If a wedding will give her grandmother peace, then a wedding she shall have.
Travis Montgomery has one dream left—to build the ranch he and his wife planned before he lost her to cancer. There’s just one thing standing between him and the last bit of acreage he needs—a last living heir who has one traveling foot out the door…and an unusual request that challenges his determination to never again place his heart at risk. The land he wants in exchange for a faux marriage. Everyone wins. Until things start to snowball…and the hearts they stand to lose are their own. Warning: This book contains a tortured widower who doesn’t want a wife and an independent doctor who doesn’t want a husband. Hot stuff between the sheets and failed efforts to avoid emotional involvements.
CARO CARSON
What I love most about Texas: I love the dancing, because
the two-step and the waltz are so romantic--with the right cowboy.
THE
BACHELOR DOCTOR’S BRIDE
Cardiologist Quinn MacDowell has no time
for affairs of the heart--especially those not related to his job. But when a
black tie affair throws him together with bubbly Diana Connor, she gets
underneath his white coat like no woman has before. Quinn is determined not to
let this chance at happiness dance out of his reach.
Opposites may attract, but Diana doesn’t
believe they make permanent matches. If the hunky doctor with the icy façade
knew how much baggage she actually came with, he’d run the other direction.
When her plan to keep things cool gets blown away by a Texas storm, these polar
opposites must decide if the heat between them will burn for a summer, or
forever.
SHAUNA ALLEN
What I love most about Texas: I love the vast, raw, and
lush beauty of the Texas Hill Country.
It is a place of peace for me, and one of God's lesser-known treasures
on Earth in my opinion.
CHARLIE'S ANGEL
Charlie’s back!
Miserable and unsettled in his
predictable, suit-and-tie existence, Charles Benson, Jr. is finally waking up
and realizing a few things.
He hates his life.But instead of a change, he finds himself
thrust deeper into the same ol’, same ol’, only worse.
Or is it?
Kami Monroe.
Tattooed. Pierced. Outspoken. Fiercely
sexy. Jaded after being burned by an unreliable
dreamer, she rolls her eyes at Charles’s uptight monkey suits and Polo shirts,
even as she secretly craves the stability he represents . . . not to mention
the unexplainable and explosive chemistry sizzling between them.
There’s only one thing stopping them.
Each other.
Second chances . . .Add to the mix an angel getting one last
shot at Love Detail before moving up the ranks, and you could have a match made
in Heaven . . . if they’d just get the hell out of the way.
JAX GARREN
What I love most about Texas: Bluebonnets filling the roadsides and
pastures in the spring (even in the city!). My mother used to read me the
Legend of the Bluebonnets when I was a kid, and I loved that a little girl is
the heroine. The flowers start blooming around my birthday (March 11), and
they're still my favorite present every year!
HOW BEAUTY MET THE BEAST
BOOK
1 IN THE TALES OF THE UNDERLIGHT…
THE BEAST
Scarred. Damaged. Living with a terrible
secret. Agent of the Underlight Wesley “Hauk” Haukon has nothing left but the
fight for liberty against the oppressive Order of Ananke. He’s starting to lose
hope…and then he sees her.
THE BEAUTY
Despite her night job as a burlesque
dancer, Grad student Jolie Benoit has always played the mostly good girl. That
all changes following a scorching sexual encounter with a stranger whose face
she doesn’t see. After she’s kidnapped by thugs, and rescued by a man with a
familiar voice, Jolie becomes a pawn in a struggle she never knew existed.
Hauk knows he cannot have her, and
resolves to protect his heart and his secrets. But as they work together and
grow closer, he finds a new reason to keep fighting. Dare he risk hope in a new
life, one where Jolie can see past his ravaged face and where their friendship
can grow into something more?
HEATHER LONG
What I love most about Texas: The rich and diverse
history and environment. You really can find just about ANYTHING you love here.
WANTED: ALIVE or FEVERED
Meet Jason Kane. The third son, the
secretive one, the keeper of lies—he’s driven by personal demons he can’t
outrun. A man on a mission, he wants what he can never have.
When the spirit fever struck a town, a
village, or an outpost, it left few—if any—survivors. The white man blamed the
Indian, saying they used their mojo on them.
The Indians blamed the white man for angering the spirits. The survivors knew it didn’t matter. The Fevered were forever changed.
Threats overshadow everything they are
trying to build…
Jason’s always been the outsider, the one
with dreams and aspirations to leave Dorado. Rising from the ashes is
bittersweet, but he keeps his grief private. His enemies know where he is and
his family wishes he was gone, so he throws himself into building the town they
love even as his heart remains decimated.
She left to pursue a dream and returns to
a nightmare.
Olivia Stark grew up in Dorado, the town
darling despite the severe handicap of blindness. When Jed Kane offered to pay
for her admission and expenses at a special school for the blind back east, her
parents sent her away. The four years gone from Dorado were a struggle, but
nothing can compare to returning home to find everyone—everything—she knew in
ashes.
Conspiracy, controversy, and craving
block him at every turn.
When Olivia arrives in the half-built
town, Jason’s world turns upside down. Her grief rends his soul, but he rejects
her lest anyone discover what she means to him. Desperate to send her away,
he’s not prepared for her steadfast refusal. Olivia’s waited for Jason most of
her life and she won’t leave him now.
LORI WILDE
What I love most about Texas: The friendly people!
LOVE WITH A PERFECT COWBOY
Melody Spencer had long-ago wiped the
dust of Cupid, Texas, off her cute shoes . . . and done her best to forget the
chiseled jaw and strong arms of cowboy Luke Spencer. Their families might be
part of a long-time feud, but he was her very first love, even if it turned out
they never wanted the same things.
But now Luke's come striding back into
her life, tempting her with the memories of long, lazy evenings and hot,
passionate kisses. And he has an ulterior motive—as Mayor of Cupid, he knows
Melody's business savvy can help save their beloved hometown. His smooth
talking might get her to Texas, but that doesn't mean he'll get her in his bed.
Still, people do say love can be more perfect the second time around . . .
MELISSA CUTLER
What I love most about Texas: The way "Yes, ma'am" sounds
from the lips of a man with a Texas drawl.
THE TROUBLE WITH COWBOYS
Cowboys have never been good for Amy Sorentino. First her hard-riding father bankrupted the family farm. Then her all-hat-no-cattle boyfriend sold her out on national television, ending her promising career as a chef.
Now she and her squabbling sisters have partnered up in a final attempt to save their land by starting an inn and local restaurant. So it figures that with everything on the line, Amy's key supplier is just the kind of Stetson-tipping heartbreaking bad boy she's sworn to avoid. But Kellan Reed has a few secrets of his own--and cowboy or not, Amy can't resist this kind of wild ride...
RANDI ALEXANDER
What I love most about Texas: Of course I love cowboys the best, but
besides those hot hunks, Texas has everything a state could offer - from green
hills to dry desert, from ice and snow to the Gulf of Mexico. You can be in a
dozen different environments just by taking a road trip.
HEART OF STEELE
Actress Tracy Hartman can’t believe she
just punched country western superstar Steele McLairn in the mouth. And of
course, somebody recorded it! Now, the thing has gone viral and to avoid their
being harassed by the tabloids, Steele convinces Tracy to head out of LA with
him. In a cozy, remote spot, they find the desire they’ve been feeling for each
other has grown into full-blown lust.
Steele can’t believe his luck. Alone with
Tracy, and all it took was taking a punch to the mouth. She’s funny, sweet,
sexy, and ready to experience every wild thing Steele hungers to do with her.
But their time together is cut short, and hidden family issues threaten the
trust they’ve built. Can they find the courage to confide in each other, or
will their secrets force them apart?
KATIE LANE
What I love most about Texas: There's so much to love
about Texas--hot cowboys included. But
the thing I love the most is the friendly people. You can't walk down the street without
someone saying "Hey!" or
"How y'all doin'?' Every time I
travel to Texas, it feels like coming home.
A MATCH MADE IN TEXAS
Living with four over-protective brothers
is enough to make a good girl go bad. But the day Brianne Cates hits the road
for a taste of freedom, she gets more trouble than she bargained for when she’s
arrested by a sexy sheriff in mirrored shades. Now doing a stint of community
service, she’s not going to let a cowboy cop like Dusty Hicks mess with her
newfound independence-even if he awakens every wicked fantasy she’s ever had.
In Bramble, Texas, Dusty is the law. That
means no leniency for the gorgeous rebel whose highway antics almost got them
both killed. The divorced lawman doesn’t need another rich, pampered princess,
even if Brianne has the lushest body and sweetest smile in the whole darn
state. But even as Brianne proves that she lives to walk on the wild side,
Dusty begins to wonder if maybe he has what it takes to tame her….
LEAH BRAEMEL
What I love most about Texas: The people!
SLOW RIDE HOME
Losing his father was hard enough, but
now Ben Grady must face the fact that he and his brother may not be sole owners
of their beloved ranch. To protect his family’s legacy, he’s forced to rely on
the legal prowess of the woman who stars in his erotic fantasies: Allie
O’Keefe. Ben’s never forgotten the illicit encounter they shared fifteen years
ago—or forgiven himself for letting her go.
Allie thought she’d moved beyond the
scandal that cost her Ben in the past. But working so closely with the
seductive rancher arouses the wild child within the cautious woman she’s
become. Though she tries to keep business and pleasure separate, Allie soon
gives in to temptation, and discovers Ben’s sensual skills surpass even her
X-rated memories…
Allie has every intention of leaving
Bull’s Hollow forever after her investigation is complete. But there are a few
complications. Not the least of which is that while saving the ranch, Allie’s
lost her heart.
ELLE JAMES
What I love most about Texas: I lived in Texas for 20 years and loved
everything about it. From the hill country to the San Antonio River Walk. The
mix of cultures and the hard-working men and women who make it their home.
Everything is bigger in Texas, including hearts. Many of my books are set in Texas
for that reason.
SEAL's DESIRE
SEALED WITH A KISS boxed set
Navy SEAL Remy LaDue wants Mitchell
Sanders, but hasn't made a move since he slept with her the night of his buddy,
her former boyfriend's funeral. A year later, his plan to be her Valentine date
runs amuck when he finds her undercover as a stripper at a local club.
NCIS agent Mitchell Sanders never wanted
to settle, dedicated to her job and justice is finally ready to commit to the
SEAL she accidentally fell in love with. When her friend, a female navy
officer, goes missing she puts her love life on hold and goes undercover to
find her friend, only to discover her SEAL is back in town and threatening to
blow her cover.
Remy and Mitchell join forces to find her
friend and uncover a human trafficking organization in the darkest heart of
Virginia Beach while their attraction for each other burns hotter than the sun.
LIZ TALLEY
What I love most about Texas: My first series of books was set in East
Texas, which is pretty much similar to the area in which I live with rolling
hills, pastures and stretches of pine forests. It’s funny because people don’t
think of pine trees when they think of Texas, and that’s what I like the most
about the state – the diversity. It has everything >>grin<< I’m happy to say I just
penned another story set in Texas. It’s good to be back in the Lone Star state!
A LITTLE TEXAS
Growing up in tiny Oak Stand gave Kate
Newman all the Texas she'd ever want. Her bold personality is better suited to
a city that never sleeps. So coming back to take care of unfinished business is
like squeezing into last decade's jeans. A bad idea all around. Her only
diversion is Rick Mendez. Enigmatic and irresistible, he's got a heart as wild
as her own.
They're so good together, Kate dares to
peek beyond the end of her stay. But what are the odds for a guy with deep
roots in the same soil a girl can't wash off fast enough? Seems more likely
that when Kate heads for the bright lights, a little piece of her will be left
behind.
What I love most about Texas: I love many things about
Texas - the vastness of the land, the pride with which Texans swagger, the rich
history of the former Republic and the drive to create a legacy that echoes
across the land today.
NICHOLAS
The Circle Eight
Even in the darkest of shadows, love can
light the way.
Nicholas Graham is caught in the middle:
of his family, of his desires, of his own unhappiness. After he meets Winnie
Watson, his self-imposed curmudgeonly existence pales in comparison to spending
time with her. He wants to be with her, to get to know her. She is a beacon to
all the secret cravings he has controlled. Until now.
Winnie Watson endured, and survived, a
horrendous childhood that would give others nightmares. She started over, a new
name, a new goal in life. Then she met the Grahams and everything went
sideways. She’s done the unthinkable and struggles to accept it. She wants to
forget it all again, but the specter of Nicholas Graham, physical and in her
dreams, won’t let her move on.
Caught between their needs, their wants,
and what the world will allow them, Nick and Winnie are doomed from the moment
they met. However, love will teach them that even the biggest obstacles can be
overcome if you believe in love.
MYLA JACKSON
What I love most about Texas: I love Texas because it's big, friendly and still a little on the wild side! People go out of their way to help others and there are so many men wearing jeans and cowboy boots. And boy do they wear those jeans well! Yeehaw!
BOOTS & TWISTERS
Ugly Stick Saloon, Book 7
Two ranchers are about to get Lucky—in more ways than one.
Lucky Albright’s unlucky streak is so long and wide that she’s been run out of one town and it looks like it may happen again.
When she finds herself out of money and out of gas in Temptation, Texas, a part-time job from the kind owner of the Ugly Stick Saloon gives her a glimmer of hope that this time things will be different.
Trent Jameson and Isaac Moore have always believed you make your own luck, but a black cloud of disaster seems to hover over their new hand. Under a tumbling stack of hay, Isaac discovers what Lucky’s hiding beneath baggy clothes and a tough exterior. Enough sexy curves to satisfy both men’s appetites.
But it isn’t long before Lucky’s history starts wreaking havoc all over town. It’ll take a force of nature to help the ranchers convince the law, the Garden Club—even Lucky herself—that now is no time to hit the road.
Warning: Hot cowboys meet hot cowgirl, and there’s a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on in Temptation. Get your twist-and-shout on at the Ugly Stick Saloon!
KC KLEIN
What I love most about Texas: I love that the tea is
sweet, the hats are big, and the jeans are tight. Can't go wrong with that combo.
HUSTLIN' TEXAS
Only
one person in Oak Groves is happy to see bad girl Nikki Logan back in town…
Oak Groves’ most beloved bachelor, Jett
Avery, lives by a simple set of rules. Getting involved with a complicated
woman isn’t one of them. He learned that the hard way two years ago when he
spent one of the most incredible nights of his life with Nikki Logan. But then
she hightailed it out of town, never to be seen again—until now. It might be
time to break one of those rules…
Picking up the pieces of her life, Nikki
is back in Oak Groves, face to face with the one man she’s done her best to
forget. But she has her reasons for being here—and they don’t include winding
up in bed with Jett. Especially since he’ll never forgive her once he finds out
the truth about why she’s back…
LISA MATTHEWS
What I love most about Texas: I
have only been to Texas once and it was a very short trip, but I fell in love
with the food, the rough beauty of the landscape, and I have a great desire to
go back.
CUPCAKE COWBOY
Raised to be a rancher and filled from
boots to hat with stubborn determination, Jackson Dawson has chosen a career
path no one saw coming. Cupcake baker.
The hitch in his plan? His equally
stubborn, former pastry instructor Cass, who cautioned him even as she stole
his heart.
Cass is willing to yield, but will
Jackson bend, in this battle of wills where sugar and spice make everything
naughty and oh so nice?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Texas Romance - Celebrating books & love Texas-style!
A Facebook event from March 2nd through 9th. Different hosts all week.
Different "door" prizes throughout each day & Gift Cards drawn by a randomizer.
What do you have to do? Just check it out and leave comments.
Leave a comment today, click "going" on the event page and you're eligible for an "extra."
I'll draw for a copy of my May release: NAVY SEAL SURRENDER.
Just let us know what you like most about Texas or why you enjoy stories about Texas.
What do YOU love most about Texas?
Today’s
dropped name is Lori Wilde. Lori writes western/cowboy romance for Avon Books
and I met her at my first Avon signing at RWA 2012. She’d been tapped to read
my Avon debut The Rancher and the Rock
Star, and blog about it on release day. I was so thrilled with her review
and the way she asked her readers to check out The Rancher and the Rock Star. I thanked her profusely both by
writing to her and in person when I caught sight of her name tag. A day later I
proceeded to embarrass myself when she asked me to sign a paperback copy for
her mother. “And your name?” I asked. 
