Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Interview with Carolyn Brown.


Before we go into the interview, I wanted to tell you about the author herself.
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author and RITA® Finalist, Carolyn Brown, has published more than sixty books. Brown presently writes both women's fiction and cowboy romance. She has also written historical single title, historical series, contemporary single title and contemporary series. She lives in southern Oklahoma with her husband, a former English teacher, who is not allowed to read her books until they are published. They have three children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. For a complete listing of her books (series in order) check out her website at www.carolynlbrown.com


Here is the interview you have been waiting for:

Good morning and thank you so much for inviting me to your site to talk about Hot Cowboy Nights. There is definitely excitement in southern Oklahoma today as this book hits the shelves in book stores. Lizzy and Toby are so happy to see their story out there for everyone to read.



1. What is your writing process? I’m an early riser and I’m very fortunate to have an office in my house so my schedule is the same six days a week. I stumble across the hallway and try to get a thousand words written before I have breakfast with my husband, Mr. B. After that I go back to the office and write two thousand more before lunch. If I’m not disturbed I try to get at least a couple of thousand more done before the afternoon is over. That’s a perfect writing day but alas, there are not many of those in every week but I’m grateful for the ones I can have because those are “happy days.”



2. Who has influenced your writing career and why? Every author I’ve read, every friend who’s encouraged me, ever fan who’s written a note or given a review on one of my books, my husband who supports me, my family who keeps my feet grounded in reality…basically everyone who has touched my life has influenced my career.



3. What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write in Hot Cowboys Nights and why? I love the chapter toward the end of the book when Mitch finally gets his comeuppance and Lizzy gets the closure that she’s been needing since Wild Cowboy Ways.



4. Cowboys appears to be a favorite of yours. Is there a reason behind that and why?  Write about what you know is a good reason for that. I live in cowboy land. And besides all that, cowboys love their women, they are sexy and they really love their mama! 



5. Reading series is a favorite of my. When you write a series, how do you come up with a town, the characters, and the different books?
Series are so much fun to write because the story doesn’t have to end with the first book. It can keep going through secondary characters who always show up in my mind wanting their story told—like Lizzy, who was a secondary character in Wild Cowboy Ways. She and I had some really long talks in that book when I tried to get her to dump Mitch and it took writing Hot Cowboy Nights for her to have closure on that issue. That would answer the question about characters and different books. But coming up with a town? Sometimes that’s a joint effort between me and my awesome editor, Leah. It took a joint effort to figure out that Dry Creek was the perfect name for a town close to the Lucky Penny ranch. But once we decided, it fit perfectly.

Ms Carolyn Brown, 
Thank you for allowing me the honor to have this interview.  I have to admit that cowboys are a favorite of my to read.  All of the cowboy books I have read they are always there for their woman and love them.  I love reading about small towns, too.  I love the idea that everyone knows everyone and they help when you need it.  With Lizzy, those nosy ladies was a hoot to me.  I do not think I would have liked how nosy they were, but the idea that the town cares for everyone warms my heart.  
Happy Reading!
Melissa


Release Day Blitz: Hot Cowboy Nights

Today is the Release Day for Hot Cowboy Nights by Carolyn Brown.  This is part of a series called Lucky Penny Ranch.  This is Book #2.  
THE LUCKY PENNY RANCH SERIES

Wild Cowboy Ways, #1
Hot Cowboy Nights, #2
Merry Cowboy Christmas, #3 (September 2016)
Wicked Cowboy Charm, #4 (January 2017)


Excerpt:
Lizzy let herself into the house quietly and went straight to her room. She heard the rattle of glass as her mother unloaded the dishwasher, but Lizzy didnt want to talk to or see anyone that night. Especially her mother. Mama wouldve immediately sniffed out the lie, and the house would have exploded if Lizzy had admitted that shed been screwing around with Toby Dawson almost every day for three weeks.
It was nothing short of a miracle that they hadnt gotten caught.
Already the rumors were hovering like buzzards waiting for roadkill. From day one the Lucky Penny couldnt buy an ounce of good luck, and everything that happened on the ranch was fodder for the gossip mill. Half the folks in Dry Creek, Texas, were hoping that Blake and his family joined the long list of owners who failed at trying to make the Lucky Penny a profitable ranch. The other half was rooting for the three Dawsons—Blake, Toby, and their cousin, Jud, who would be joining them in the fall.
Lizzy pulled off her boots, kicked them somewhere close to the closet door, and changed into a faded nightshirt that she pulled from last weeks laundry still tossed in the rocking chair in the corner. Cleanliness was a virtue, according to the Good Book, but neatness was not mentioned. Unlike her sisters, Allie and Fiona, Lizzy must have been out chasing butterflies or playing with baby lambs when they passed out neatness be- cause she didnt get a bit of it.
She fell back on the bed, legs dangling off the side and her head nowhere near a pillow. Staring at the ceiling with nothing but the small bedside lamp to light the room, she let the past run through her mind again for the hundredth time since Mitch had called to tell her he loved another woman. He and the preachers daughter had decided to become missionaries, and he would preach at the little church theyd gone to Mexico to build.
Her world had shattered. And then Toby had taken her in his arms at Blake and Allies wedding and she realized maybe all wasnt over for her after all. Hed charmed her and made her feel alive again—like a woman to be desired. It hadnt ended with the dance but theyd talked on the phone, exchanged text messages, and when he moved to town they were both primed and ready for a hot little affair. But that night when Allie told them she was having a girl, Lizzy knew it was time to end the secretive, wild nights.
Lizzy crawled under the covers and turned out the light.
So which was she? A sweet little preachers-wife type who would let her husband lead her around by his every whim, like shed been with Mitch? Or a brazen hussy, like the loose women whod founded Audreys Place, who took what she wanted from life and didnt have any regrets?
Shed far rather be the latter if she had to choose. Shed come out of the Mitch experience a stronger woman than ever, and shed been honest when she told Toby that it hadnt made her shy away from guys in general. And it damn sure hadnt made her feel sorry for herself. It had taught her to be brutally honest and not let anyone try to change her into something she wasnt.
She picked up her phone to check for a sexy text message from Toby, but there was nothing. Nada. Nil. Zilch. Not a single missed message. Finally she wrote one to him: Changed my mind. See you tomorrow at six at Mamas store.
                With one thumb on the delete button and the other on the send button, she sat there in the darkness, her body telling her to send the message and her heart telling her that she was in for misery if she didnt press delete.



You can get this book from the following sites:    
Author: Carolyn Brown
Series: Lucky Penny Ranch, #2
On Sale: May 31, 2016
Formats: Mass Market & eBook
Price: $7.99 USD

Let’s give ‘em something to talk about…
If gossip is the lifeblood of a small town, then Lizzy Logan has been its beating heart. After being dumped by her fiancé for another woman, she could have decided to crawl under a rock. But no, she'd rather really set tongues wagging by "moving on" with one of the hottest cowboys in Texas, who happens to live next door at the Lucky Penny Ranch. Those busybodies don't have to know it's actually all pretend. And just because Lizzy has no aim to tame her wild, blue-eyed neighbor doesn't mean she can't enjoy the ride of her life.

Toby Dawson never was and never will be the settling-down type. But what harm could there be in agreeing to be Lizzy's pretend boyfriend? They'll put on a show for a few weeks and be done. Yet the more he gets to know Lizzy-really know her-the harder it is for him to keep his hands off of her in private. Soon this rough-and-ready cowboy is hoping to heal Lizzy's bruised heart and turn their fake affair into a true romance…


AUTHOR INFORMATION

New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author and RITA® Finalist, Carolyn Brown, has published more than sixty books. Brown presently writes both women's fiction and cowboy romance. She has also written historical single title, historical series, contemporary single title and contemporary series. She lives in southern Oklahoma with her husband, a former English teacher, who is not allowed to read her books until they are published. They have three children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. For a complete listing of her books (series in order) check out her website at www.carolynlbrown.com



ABOUT FOREVER



RAFFLECOPTER 


a Rafflecopter giveaway OR http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/26635ce2327/?

Monday, May 30, 2016

Review: Conquered Match

For this review, I chose Conquered Match by Lynne Silver. 

Here is a brief description from Goodreads:
The Program: an organization of elite soldiers with superior strength, agility, and intellect. These men put their lives on the line to execute the government’s most dangerous missions.

When soldier Ryan Lopez learns his beloved wife, Thea, has betrayed his team by going to the media and spilling Program secrets, he takes matters into his own hands and punishes her the only way he knows how—by seducing her until she’s begging for release.

The more Ryan takes control of her body, the more he realizes he’s never fully understood Thea’s dark desires. And now that he’s had a taste, he doesn’t want to stop. Testing both their limits in a night of unbound passion, it will take every bit of Ryan’s strength to prove to the woman he loves that she is also his conquered match.
 




This is book #3 in the Coded for Love series.  Book #1 is Heated Match.  Book #2 is False Match.  Book #4 is Desire Unmatched.  Book #5 is Desperate Match.  Book #6 is First Match.

This was a short and well written read.  Thea betrayed everyone including her husband when she went to the media about the Program.  Now Ryan has to deal with the fall out.  What will his punishment be for his wife?  Will he trust her again?  Will they continue to be husband and wife?

I have loved the other books I have read in this series and I loved this one, too.  I can not wait to read the others.

☆☆☆☆☆
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
Recommend this book? Yes! Author? Yes!
Read more from this author? Yes!

Happy Reading!
Melissa 
Review coming next: Nookietown by V.C. Chickering

FTC Disclosure: The Publisher/Author/Book Tour Company has provided me with a copy of this book for review or I have purchased the book with my own funds.  The opinion I share about the story are mine and have not been influenced by the The Publisher/Author/Book Tour Company if received for review.

Review: SEAL of Honor: Shadow

For this review, I chose SEAL of Honor: Shadow by Dale Mayer.

I received a copy of the ebook for a honest review of this book.

Here is a brief description from Goodreads:
Shadow's life has been an uphill struggle. No wonder he's so damn good at dealing with the hard, the difficult, and the dangerous. 

Shadow's all about being a SEAL. The one world he's comfortable in. He knows what he can do, when to do it, and how to do it ... until he sets off on a mission to rescue Arianna and her family, and his world goes from controlled action to chaos. Who knew women like her existed? 

Arianna struggles to deal with the foreign world she’s been plunged into. Kidnappings, beatings, threats. SEALs. The only good thing is the darkest, most dangerous-looking saviour she’s ever met. And he doesn’t know what to do with her. 

Well, she has a good idea, but will they get that chance? Not if the kidnappers have anything to say about it. 

Arianna has been marked for extinction, and it’s up to Shadow to save her … before it’s too late and he loses something he had no idea he wanted in the first place … but now he can’t live without. 


I love this series and I can not wait to read more.  I have read Mason, Hawk, Swede's books.  Loved those and loved this one, too.  I am not sure which one is my favorite yet.

Shadow has not had an easy life and his life is all about being a SEAL.  Shadow and his team are on a mission to saw Arianna and her family.  Her dad is a Senator and they went to their family's cabin for some rest, but they were kidnapped.  The SEALs were sent in to save them.  Will Arianna and her family be saved?

My favorite thing in all 4 books is when the SEALs calls dibs on the female they want.  Because if he doesn't, then another team mate might. 



☆☆☆☆☆
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
Recommend this book? Yes! Author? Yes!
Read more from this author? Yes!

Happy Reading!
Melissa 
Review coming next: Conquered Match by Lynne Silver

FTC Disclosure: The Publisher/Author/Book Tour Company has provided me with a copy of this book for review or I have purchased the book with my own funds.  The opinion I share about the story are mine and have not been influenced by the The Publisher/Author/Book Tour Company if received for review.

Review: Praline Dreams

For this review, I chose Praline Dreams (Shara Azod's Flavors) by Reana Malori.

I received a copy of the ebook for a honest review of this book.

Here is a brief description from Goodreads:
Reese Michaels and Dana St. John had been friends since grade school but allowed teenage angst and raging hormones to pull them apart. After years of denying his feelings, Reese has decided that he is no longer willing to wait. 
He knows that it's time to make Dana to realize that she is the only woman for him. His plan of seduction reconnects two people who have filled each other’s dreams. Will one night be enough or will Reese and Dana discover that your first love is the one you never truly forget



This was a quick read and well written.  Reese and Dana have been friends since grade school.  By the time they were teenagers, Dana realized she is in love with Reese, but he did not see it.  Many years have passed and Reese has decided that he wanted Dana and he could not wait any longer.  Will Dana let her guard down so they can finally be together?  Will things work out for the best for them?

I wished we could have seen the in between years, which to me are the years they were apart.  What did they do?  

☆☆☆☆
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommend this book? Yes! Author? Yes!
Read more from this author? Yes!

Happy Reading!
Melissa 
Review coming next: SEAL of Honor: Shadow by Dale Mayer

FTC Disclosure: The Publisher/Author/Book Tour Company has provided me with a copy of this book for review or I have purchased the book with my own funds.  The opinion I share about the story are mine and have not been influenced by the The Publisher/Author/Book Tour Company if received for review.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Review: Hot Cowboy Nights

For this review, I chose Hot Cowboy Nights by Carolyn Brown.

I requested ARC copy of the ebook through Netgalley in exchanged for a honest review.

Here is a brief description from Goodreads:
LET'S GIVE 'EM SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT . . .
If gossip is the lifeblood of a small town, then Lizzy Logan has been its beating heart. After being dumped by her fiancé for another woman, she could have decided to crawl under a rock. But no, she'd rather really set tongues wagging by "moving on" with one of the hottest cowboys in Texas, who happens to live next door at the Lucky Penny Ranch. Those busybodies don't have to know it's actually all pretend. And just because Lizzy has no aim to tame her wild, blue-eyed neighbor doesn't mean she can't enjoy the ride of her life. Toby Dawson never was and never will be the settling-down type. But what harm could there be in agreeing to be Lizzy's pretend boyfriend? They'll put on a show for a few weeks and be done. Yet the more he gets to know Lizzy-really know her-the harder it is for him to keep his hands off of her in private. Soon this rough-and-ready cowboy is hoping to heal Lizzy's bruised heart and turn their fake affair into a true romance . . . Also in the Lucky Penny Ranch series: Wild Cowboy Ways Merry Cowboy Christmas Wicked Cowboy Charm
 

This is book #2 of 3.  Book #1 is Wild Cowboy Ways.  Book #3 is Merry Cowboy Christmas (due out on September 26, 2016).  In the description above, there is a Book #4, Wicked Cowboy Charm.

Once again, I loved being in this small town with the nosy older ladies, who did not give up on Lizzy.  Preaching to her about her "sins", but what they were doing were worse.  How were they helping Lizzy?  Their views of her life are not want she needed.  To be married to a preacher, who tells her what to do, how to act, and what to wear and eat is not a life.  I think Lizzy was lucky that her fiance ran off with another woman.

Toby is one of the owners of the Lucky Penny.  He is a player.  He does not do relationships or so he thought until he met Lizzie.  Her sister and his brother have married.  There is something about Lizzie.  Will Toby give up his player days for a lifetime of memories with Lizzie?  

I can not wait to read the other books in this series.
☆☆☆☆☆
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
Recommend this book? Yes! Author? Yes!
Read more from this author? Yes!

Happy Reading!
Melissa 
Review coming next: Praline Dreams (Shara Azod's Flavors) by Reana Malori

FTC Disclosure: The Publisher/Author/Book Tour Company has provided me with a copy of this book for review or I have purchased the book with my own funds.  The opinion I share about the story are mine and have not been influenced by the The Publisher/Author/Book Tour Company if received for review.

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Review: A Thousand Yesteryears

For this review, I chose A Thousand Yesteryears by Mae Clair.

I received a copy of the ebook for a honest review of this book.

Here is a brief description from Goodreads:
Behind a legend lies the truth…As a child, Eve Parrish lost her father and her best friend, Maggie Flynn, in a tragic bridge collapse. Fifteen years later, she returns to Point Pleasant to settle her deceased aunt’s estate. Though much has changed about the once thriving river community, the ghost of tragedy still weighs heavily on the town, as do rumors and sightings of the Mothman, a local legend. When Eve uncovers startling information about her aunt’s death, that legend is in danger of becoming all too real . . .

Caden Flynn is one of the few lucky survivors of the bridge collapse but blames himself for coercing his younger sister out that night. He’s carried that guilt for fifteen years, unaware of darker currents haunting the town. It isn’t long before Eve’s arrival unravels an old secret—one that places her and Caden in the crosshairs of a deadly killer . . .
 



This book drew me in and would not let go.  I loved the suspense, mystery, paranormal, and a little bit of romance added in.  Who is trying to scare Eve Parrish from her aunt's home and business?  



I have not read anything about the Mothman and I was intrigued.  I wanted to know if the Mothman was true, why her aunt did this or that (read the book to find out), and why was Caden so haunted.

I can not wait to read the next book in this series.


☆☆☆☆☆
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
Recommend this book? Yes! Author? Yes!
Read more from this author? Yes!

Happy Reading!
Melissa 
Review coming next: Hot Cowboy Nights by Carolyn Brown

FTC Disclosure: The Publisher/Author/Book Tour Company has provided me with a copy of this book for review or I have purchased the book with my own funds.  The opinion I share about the story are mine and have not been influenced by the The Publisher/Author/Book Tour Company if received for review.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Review: The Bad Decision Legacy

For this review, I chose  The Bad Decision Legacy by Morgan Kay.

I received a copy of the ebook for a honest review of this book.

Here is a brief description from Goodreads:
The Men of Machismo series revolves around nine friends who worked together in a male revue. Each book follows the life of a different former dancer seven years later. The Bad Decision Legacy is Will and Tonya’s story. 


Tonya’s psychotic ex is stalking her. Not the best time to meet men, still her best friend begs her to show up for blind date dinner. Her plan includes the meet and greet, then heading home. Of course, she never expected a man who sent every hormone in her body into high alert. Will looked like her next bad decision. 


Will’s work as a divorce lawyer included discouraging embittered women from ramming their soon to be exes with the car or setting fire to their husband’s latest girlfriend. No wonder he fell hard for Tonya. The first woman he met with no agenda, well almost none. It’s obvious Tonya is knee deep in trouble, but refuses to ask for help. Instead of running the other way, he contemplates dashing into the tornado she refers to as her life. With any luck, he might survive. 



This is the first book in The Men of Machismo.  Tonya's best friend begs her to come to dinner to meet a friend of her husband.  Tonya did not want to be set up on a blind date, but she did go.  Will is a divorce lawyer and he sees it all. 

I loved this story line.  I don't think I have read a book where the heroine had a stalker.  Tonya has been receiving threats from her ex.  She thinks that Will is her next bad decision, but is she correct on that?  Could Will be the kind of guy she should be dating?  

 Have you ever been set up on a blind date?  I was over 22 years ago and I married him.   I look forward to reading this series, The Men of Machismo.


☆☆☆☆☆
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
Recommend this book? Yes! Author? Yes!
Read more from this author? Yes!

Happy Reading!
Melissa 
Review coming next: A Thousand Yesteryears by Mae Clair

FTC Disclosure: The Publisher/Author/Book Tour Company has provided me with a copy of this book for review or I have purchased the book with my own funds.  The opinion I share about the story are mine and have not been influenced by the The Publisher/Author/Book Tour Company if received for review.