Passionate Pursuit by Tina Donahue #Erotic #Historical #Romance

Tina will be awarding 5 of her backlist ebooks to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

BLURB:

Andalucía Spain, 1489: Innocent Beatriz is desperate to escape the threat of a miserable marriage to a cruel Marquis. Forced into the betrothal by her ruthless merchant papá, her only hope is to conceal her identity and become a servant in a nearby castle—a life drastically different from her comfortable upbringing.

Tomás doesn’t know what to make of his well-spoken new servant girl. Her beauty and charm captivates the military hero; her mysterious nature intrigues him. And the desire she ignites burns brighter with each glance, as does his longing to claim her for his own.

Beatriz can’t resist Tomás’ passion nor deny the heat of her own. But neither the lush countryside nor the walls of the opulent Moorish castle can entirely protect her—and if he were to discover her secret, she could be torn away from him forever. Yet how can she sustain his love if she’s living a lie?

EXCERPT

Tomás paced, wanting to see Beatriz so badly he didn’t care about her past in the least. There had to be a reasonable explanation as to what she’d told the others. No matter what it might be, her history wasn’t their business, anyway. She might be ashamed of where she’d come from, how she’d lived, and told a more acceptable tale in order to hold her head high. Who could blame her?

His wait seemed endless, but at last the hour for her dusting had arrived. Her footfalls sounded in the hall.

The moment she was inside and had closed the door, he crossed the room, pulling her into his arms. “I missed you so much I thought of little else.”

He kissed her deeply, tenderly, then passionately, unable to decide what he needed most. He swung her around, set her on her feet, and trailed kisses over her temple, cheeks, forehead, and the tip of her nose. “Did you miss me?”

Tears shone in her eyes.

“You did.” He hugged her as hard as he could without harming her. “We need to talk. I have something to say.”

“I do too.”

He stilled at her forlorn tone and eased back. “Are you with child?”

She shook her head quickly, her cap slipping to the side.

He righted the thing for her. “Are you ill?”

“No.”

“Your mamá is ailing again?”

“No. If you let me speak, I can tell you.”

“I have to go first. Please.” He held her hands. “I love you. I have from the moment we met. These last days have been unbearable without you. I want you near to me always, as my wife.”

She stared harder than Nuncio had. “What?”

Tomás grinned at how he’d surprised her this time, even better than their day in the harem. “Wed me.”

The color drained from her face.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Tina is an Amazon and international bestselling novelist in erotic, paranormal, contemporary, and historical romance for traditional publishers and indie. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have praised her work. Three of her erotic novels (Freeing the Beast, Come and Get Your Love, and Wicked Takeover) were Readers' Choice Award winners. Another three (Adored, Lush Velvet Nights, and Deep, Dark, Delicious) were named finalists in the EPIC competition. Sensual Stranger, her erotic contemporary romance, was chosen Book of the Year at the French review site Blue Moon reviews. The Golden Nib Award at Miz Love Loves Books was created specifically for her erotic romance Lush Velvet Nights. Two of her titles (The Yearning and Deep, Dark, Delicious) received an Award of Merit in the RWA Holt Medallion competition. Take Me Away and Adored both won second place in the NEC RWA contest (different years). Tina is featured in the Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market. Before penning romances, she worked at a major Hollywood production company in Story Direction.

FB Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/DonahueTina1/

Email: tinadonahuebooks@gmail.com

Website/Blog: http://tinadonahuebooks.blogspot.com/

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Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/1ChWFkO

My page at TRR: http://bit.ly/1vb7eEc

EC Author Page: http://bit.ly/1Dh9wor

Samhain Author Page: http://bit.ly/1Bvw6mL

Sweet ‘n Sexy Divas: http://bit.ly/1ChWN3K

Romance Books 4 US: http://bit.ly/1JPtfeS

PASSIONATE PURSUIT BUY LINKS

Amazon: https://goo.gl/nlXOwI

Amazon CA: http://goo.gl/OQoyKI

BN: http://goo.gl/pajgic

Kobo: https://goo.gl/ZjVJJ2

Books a Million: http://goo.gl/FqvCzl

Penguin-Random House Canada:  http://goo.gl/WsuyMm

Fantastic Fiction: http://goo.gl/uAlGdE

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OMG - why have I only just discovered this?

Don't get me wrong. I love Love LOVE the big brand nail polishes. There is nothing wrong with them. However, I'm on a quest to find indie polishes. In particular, Australian indie polishes. And I'm excited to say I've not had to look long or hard to find a brilliant indie polish - Bella Belle (who, I believe, are located in the same are as me!). They also do a lot of local markets - so you can either order online and pick up in person, or check them out at the next market.

I picked up the two colours (as featured in the photo) - Grey Is The New Black (from their thermal collection) and Raspberry Beret (from their A|W16 collection).  

I've done a few swatches and nail art designs with the colours (images to come - I'm just waiting for a sunny day to take photos!) - and they are amazing to use. You get an opaque coverage in two coats. The polish itself is smooth and creamy and has a good consistency.


TAKEN FROM THEIR WEBSITE:
'...Our polishes are hand made with love in our Melbourne studio. They are '5 FREE' which means they are free of 5 BIG nasties... Formaldehyde, Toluene, Camphor, TSF Resin & DPB. They are vegan friendly & cruelty free...

So, if you are wanting to venture in to the world of indie polish, I highly recommend Bella Belle. You can check out their online store HERE.

Have you used this brand? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Alice Through The Looking Glass by OPI

I have to admit when I first saw this colour - A Mirror Escape by #OPI from their #AliceThroughTheLookingGlass collection, I was dubious. It looks like liquid gold with flecks of silver/pink. It's not a glitter polish and I wasn't sure how this would apply. But, I was willing to give it a go.

What can I say? I LOVE it. You'll get an opaque finish in two coats and when it dries it kind of has a bashed metal look. I did apply a coat of #sechevite because without the top coat it feels kind of rough. Even if it didn't feel rough still apply a top coat to extend the longevity of your #mani and to make the colour pop.

The other colours I used are all from the #AliceThroughTheLookingGlass collection -


#HavingABigHeadDay
#OhMyMajesty!
#FearlesslyAlice
#nailpolishobsession #nailart #nailstamping #MoYou #nailpolish #nailglamour

All In by Simona Ahrnsted Contemporary Romance

Simona will be awarding a print copy of ALL IN (US/Canada only) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

BLURB:

In the cutthroat world of Sweden’s financial elite, no one knows that better than corporate raider David Hammar. Ruthless. Notorious. Unstoppable. He’s out to hijack the ultimate prize, Investum. After years of planning, all the players are in place; he needs just one member of the aristocratic owning family on his side—Natalia De la Grip.

Elegant, brilliant, driven to succeed in a man’s world, Natalia is curious about David’s unexpected invitation to lunch. Everyone knows that he is rich, dangerous, unethical; she soon discovers he is also deeply scarred.

The attraction between these two is impossible, but the long Swedish nights unfold an affair that will bring to light shocking secrets, forever alter a family, and force both Natalia and David to confront their innermost fears and desires.

Excerpt:

Michel nodded. After all, this was what Hammar Capital did. Their team of analysts searched for companies that weren’t doing as well as they should be. David and Michel identified the problems—often incompetent leadership—and then vacuumed up shares in order to put together a majority holding

Then they went in, brutally, took over, broke the company into pieces and restructured, sold, and profited. They were better at this than almost anyone else—owning and improving. Sometimes it went smoothly. People cooperated, and Hammar Capital was able to drive its agenda. Sometimes there was a fight.

“I’d still like to get someone from the owning family on our side,” David said as southern Stockholm spread out beneath them. Having one or more of the big shareholders, some of the giant retirement fund managers, for example, on your side was critical for success in a hostile takeover this big. David and Michel had spent a lot of time convincing the managers, attended endless meetings, and run the numbers countless times. But winning over someone from the actual owning family had several advantages. In part, it would be an enormously prestigious symbolic win, especially with this firm, Investum, one of Sweden’s biggest and oldest companies. It would also automatically win over a number of other shareholders who would vote in favor of Hammar Capital if David and Michel could show that they had someone from the inner circle on their side. “It would make the process a lot easier,” he continued.

“But who?”

“There is one person who actually has gone her own way in that family,” said David as Bromma Airport came into view on the horizon.

Michel was quiet for a bit. “You mean the daughter, right?”

“Yes,” David said. “She’s an unknown but considered to be quite the talent. It’s possible that she’s dissatisfied with how the men are treating her.” Investum wasn’t just an old and traditional company. It was patriarchal in a way that would make the 1950s seem modern and enlightened.

“Do you really believe you can win over anyone from that family?” Michel asked hesitantly. “You’re not exactly popular with them.”

David almost laughed at the understatement.

Investum was controlled by the De la Grip family, and the company did billions of kronor worth of business a day. Indirectly Investum, and thus the De la Grip family, controlled close to a tenth of Sweden’s GNP and owned the biggest bank in the country. Family members sat on the board of directors of close to every major Swedish company. The De la Grip family was upper-class, traditional, and wealthy. As close to royalty as you could get without actually being royal. And with significantly bluer blood than any member of the House of Bernadotte, Sweden’s royal family. It would be unlikely for David Hammar, the upstart, to get anyone from the innermost circle— known for their loyalty—to change sides and join him, an infamous venture capitalist and corporate raider.

But he’d done it before, convinced a few family members to join forces with him. That often meant leaving a trail of broken family ties behind him, which he usually regretted, but in this case it would be a welcome bonus.

“I’m going to try,” he said.

“That’s damn near insane,” said Michel. It wasn’t the first time in the last year he’d uttered those words.

David nodded briefly. “I already called to set up a lunch meeting with her.”

“Of course you did,” said Michel as the helicopter started its descent for landing. The flight had taken less than thirty minutes. “And what did she say?”

David thought about the cool voice he’d gotten on the line, not an assistant’s but that of Natalia De la Grip herself. She had sounded surprised but hadn’t said very much, just thanked him for the invitation, and then had her assistant confirm the lunch appointment by e-mail.

“She said she was looking forward to our meeting.”

“She did?”

David laughed, tersely and joylessly. Her voice had been distinctive in that patrician way that almost inevitably triggered his disdain for the upper classes. Natalia De la Grip was one of about a hundred women in Sweden who had been born with the title of countess, the elite of the elite. He hardly had the words to express how little he thought of that kind of person.

“No,” he said. “She didn’t say that.” But then he hadn’t expected her to, either.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Simona Ahrnstedt was born in Prague and is a licensed psychologist, a cognitive behavioral therapist, and most importantly, a bestselling author. As her novels have swept bestseller lists in her native Sweden, she has become a spokesperson for books by women, for women, and about women. Her provocative women’s fiction has been sold in multiple languages as well as audio format.  She lives outside of Stockholm, Sweden, with her two teenagers.

Buy Link:

http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/32460

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-in-simona-ahrnstedt/1122748679

https://www.amazon.com/All-High-Stakes-Simona-Ahrnstedt/dp/1496706196/ 

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