Have you heard of Kindle Worlds? I admit, it was pretty much new to me, but when I found out what it was, I got excited. Especially since one of my favorite authors had a world, and I was invited to play in it.

So, KW, in case you don’t know, is basically when authors get to play in other authors’ worlds. In this case, I got to write a short novella set in the world of Carly Phillips’ Dare To Love series.  The funny thing? I had no trouble knowing which character I wanted to write. He made an impression on me when he was only mentioned by first name one time in one story.  I chose Garrett, Gabriel Dare’s bodyguard. He’s only mentioned in Dare To Surrender, (Book 3 in the series) at one time, when the heroine Isabelle asks Gabe to promise he won’t hurt her ex. Gabe’s reply is something along the lines of. “I won’t , but I can’t make any promises where Garrett’s concerned.”  She asks who Garret is, and the reply is “My Bodyguard, he’s a former SEAL.” or something along those lines (read the book yourself to find out for sure…I promise, it’s enjoyable  for more than the mention of Garrett)

Anyway, I knew I wanted to write Garrett. I’ve never written a SEAL, (although Adam from Overwatch is a former Green Beret, and Simon, and some others are ex-Army). So, the first question was: Why is he no longer a SEAL? And, how did he become the bodyguard to a billionaire?

Then came the who’s his mate question. *ggg*

Here’s what I came up with, because I like to have fun when I write.

What happens when a man who’s lost his passion meets up with a lusty woman who knows what she wants…and what she wants is him.

Bodyguard Garrett Ross likes his quiet life in his quiet building, so when the sexy girl next door hits on him, he passes. After all, this former Navy SEAL knows better than to shoot holes in his own boat, no matter how bold she is in her naughty ways. But then he gets a glimpse of the woman behind the daring facade, and he can’t help but be intrigued.

Tasha Howard prides herself on being fearless. Growing up in foster-care she learned quick that she could only depend on herself, and if she wanted something, she had to go after it. So when she moves into her new apartment and gets a good look at her mouthwatering neighbor, she decides it’s time to go hard, and go home with him.

If only her inner shy girl would quit getting in the way.

Website : https://www.sashawhte.net
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Amazon Page: https://amzn.to/1LH7ywb
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SashaWhite
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SashaWhite

Excerpt 1:

“Hold, please!” Natasha Howard hefted her duffle bag higher on her shoulder and dashed forward to catch the elevator doors before they closed. It had been a crazy busy day, and she was not in the mood to stand and wait for the thing to come back down. And she certainly wasn’t going to climb the stairs to the sixth floor hauling her gear. With the luck she’d been having, she’d likely trip and break an ankle or something.

A muscled arm shot out between the elevator doors, halting their progress, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thanks,” she huffed as she strode into the car.

“No problem.”

Instantly, her mood improved. It was him, the stud from 6B who had been fueling her fantasies ever since she moved into the building three weeks earlier. She’d only caught sight of him a couple of times, when he drove past her in the parking lot, or from her balcony as he exited the building, but he’d made an impression.

G. Ross. Yeah, she’d checked the intercom listings for a name after noting what parking stall he used. She didn’t know for sure what the G stood for, but it didn’t stop her from thinking about him. She leaned back as the doors slid shut, trying not to stare, but she couldn’t help herself. Her eyes were beyond her control, and they just stayed glued to him.

Geez, she’d thought he was good looking from afar, but there, in close quarters, he was devastating. Dark rumpled hair, five o’clock shadow shading his firm jaw and framing his full lips. Lips almost too full for a man. They should look out of place, but instead, they made her mind boggle with thoughts of how they would feel pressed against hers, or any other part of her body. Ohh, she wanted to bite and suck at them and thrust her tongue between them as she rubbed against his hard body like a cat in heat.

She bit back a hungry growl, blushing hotly when he glanced her way. Their gazes met for a brief second before he went back to staring straight ahead. Heat swamped her body and suddenly she was back in high school with butterflies fluttering low in her stomach while she struggled not to stutter and stammer when a boy she thought was cute spoke to her.

But he hadn’t said anything. And she wasn’t in high school anymore.

Before she could analyze what was happening, her mouth was running off without her brain.

“Hey, 6B, I’m your new neighbor in 6A,” she said, holding her hand out to him. “Tasha Howard.”

He pulled his gaze from the elevator buttons and looked at her with piercing dark eyes. “Garrett Ross,” he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze and shake that sent tingles up her arm, and straight to her core.

Freedom is being bold, she reminded herself.

“You don’t talk much, hmm? More of the strong silent type?” Ignoring the heat crawling up her neck she eyed his wide shoulders appreciatively.

The doors slid open and, like a gentleman, he gestured for her to precede him out of the elevator. “You looked like you had a rough day, so I thought it best to leave you alone. That’s all.”

“I look that rough?”

A heavy brow arched over those sharp dark eyes. “There’s really no good way for me to answer that, is there?”

“Sure, there is,” she said as they moved down the hallway, side by side. “You tell me I look gorgeous, and that since I’ve obviously had a frustrating — not rough, because that can be misconstrued — day, that you’d like to make me feel better by inviting me over for a welcome-to-the-building drink.”

Her door was closest to the elevator, and she slowed when they reached it. He didn’t.

“You are gorgeous, but I’m not much for drinking.” He reached his own door, less than twenty feet from hers, and unlocked it. He turned her way and said “But I hope you have a good night, and welcome to the building.”

Then he was gone, and she was left standing in the hallway with her keys in her hand and a racing heart.

She stood there like an idiot for a solid thirty seconds before clicking her deadbolt open and heading in. Damn, she’d known he was good looking from the glimpses she’d seen in the past couple of weeks, but nothing had prepared her for the impact of Garrett Ross up close…and boy howdy did she want to get personal with him. So very very personal.

And how weird was that? She never wanted to get personal with people. Tasha prided herself on being bright, bold, and shiny on the outside but never letting anyone past that hard-won shell of an exterior.

Sexual, yes. She was a normal healthy twenty-seven-year-old female and she enjoyed her body and the pleasure it provided. People seemed to forget that it was human nature to crave physical closeness. Science had proven time and time again that the human touch had healing properties. She knew it could do a shitload of damage as well, but she’d learned long ago that it was easier to heal physical damage than emotional, which meant she was a lot braver with her body than her heart.

Sadly, it seemed her hot neighbor wasn’t interested in the getting personal in any way, shape, or form.

~*~*~

Contest

So…what do you think? You like it?  Let me know what you think in the comments, and be entered to win a Download of Lush, Unfettered, or Primal.

Winner will be notified on Friday morning!

Be sure to check it out on Amazon. Sorry to non Amazon readers, but this is a Kindle World, and  it;s exclusive to Amazon. But remember you can read Kindle stories on you laptop, desktop, tablet or smart phone as well with the kindle app. 🙂

~*~*~

Excerpt 2 :

Garrett took her to dinner at a small Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, not far from the club where Steven’s— Stephanie’s show was going to be. It was a noisy place because it was packed busy on a Saturday night, but each table had an intimate vibe. Or at least theirs did as they ate and talked family. She told Garrett about losing her parents when she was seven then living in foster-care.

“Is that why you have trust issues?” he asked.

Startled, she stared at him over her veal Marsala. “I don’t have trust issues.”

He just raised an eyebrow, and she sighed. One day, she was going to get something by him. “Okay, maybe a little bit. It’s not so much that I don’t trust, it’s more that …I don’t have to have friends to be happy. I mean, I’m friendly with co-workers, and people I meet, and—“

“Everybody,” he said wryly.

She shrugged daintily. “I’m a friendly gal, but, yeah, just because I’m friendly with them doesn’t make them my friends. If that makes sense?”

“It makes perfect sense. You might not have many people you call friends or family, but the ones you do, you’ll do anything for. The rest are just background noise.”

Stunned, she stared at him. “That’s a bit callous, but, yeah, you pretty much summed it up.”

“Gavin, my younger brother, is like you. He’s a bit of a wildman, doing anything and everything to get a laugh and get along. But the people he actually cares for are few and far between.”

“Are you guys close?” she asked, taking a sip of the red wine he’d ordered for her and trying to imagine what a younger, wild version of Garrett would be like. Holy hell on the hormones, that’s what he’d be like.

“Yeah. Our dad was army; both of us went into the Navy. That should tell you a few things.”

“It was always the two of you against the world?”

He nodded, and even though he didn’t say anything more, she saw something happening with him. A flicker of  sadness in his eyes that tugged at her heart. Here sat a man who grew up in a military family, became a Navy SEAL himself, the top echelon of alpha badass dudes, had his brother, and closest friend still in the Navy, and was forced to retire while still in his prime.

It explained a lot, especially the way his smile had never really reached his eyes when she first met him. In the past twenty-four hours, though,  she’d seen those same eyes gleam with intelligence, laughter, and lust.

Wanting that again, she leaned forward and said, “How do you feel about anal sex?”

His gaze snapped to hers, and his jaw dropped open a little. Shaking his head, he chuckled. “You are a handful, aren’t you?”

She gave him a flirty look from under her lashes. “What can I say? I realized that you never did tell me what your favorite sexual position was, and we are trying to get to know each other better.” And now his mind was back in the present and not thinking about all he’d given up.

He licked his lips and gave her a look hot enough to melt her panties. “I’d have to say that, as of last night, my favorite position is balls deep in your tight, wet, pussy with your whimpers and cries echoing through the room.”

Oh.

Oh, Lord. Her panties hadn’t melted, but they were on fire. On no, that was her pussy, not her panties. Oh shit. She stared at him, lust pounding through her veins, and struggled to get her brain online again.

“Is everything okay here?”

“Everything’s perfect,” he told the waiter without looking away from her. “I think we’ll just take the bill now, though.”

Female or male, what’s the first physical feature that grabs your attention?

I recently heard of a study where women were shown 75 pictures of men, and they overwhelmingly agreed it was a guy’s smile that called to them. Now, I’m not sure if these were only headshots being viewed or if the women responding were just being PC ;-), but I will boldly admit that the first thing I notice is a man’s chest. Given the mass quantities of bare-chested photos posted to Facebook pages, I’m inclined to think I’m not alone here!

Though, for argument’s sake, let’s say the photos viewed were only headshots. (I know, where was the fun in that study??!) What is the first defining feature you notice? Is it neatly trimmed or strategically messy hair? Is it dreamy or alert eyes? Is it a playful smirk or a sexy smile? Is it a strong, clean-shaven jaw or a scruffy one?

Although I know eyes are supposed to be the windows to the soul, for me, a smile says it all. First, it can hold honesty. That’s probably the most important quality of a smile. Beyond that, my favorite expressions include the Billy Idol sneer from the ‘80s/’90s (think “Rock the Cradle of Love” or “White Wedding”). I’m pretty sure that man has left millions of wet thongs in his wake. I’m also hugely fond of the smoldering, bad-boy smirk. You know, the one that says, “I can easily make you come ten times in an hour if given the chance,” without even saying a word!

Like purposely messy hair and edgy dispositions, not all men can pull off the sneer or the smirk—or the wicked intentions they promise. Perhaps that’s why I find them so alluring. 😉

I’d love to hear what you find sexy, endearing, or engaging about facial features. Leave a comment and you’re entered to win either an autographed, print version of the Advance Reader’s Copy of Book 1 in my upcoming St. Martin’s Press trilogy releasing Oct. 6, BURNED DEEP (US delivery), or the electronic version.

And keep those bare-chested photos coming on Facebook!

Happy Autumn!

Calista

*~*

WHAT LOLA WANTS (Grand Central Publishing/Forever Romance)—NOW ON SALE!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/1K8YhMu
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/1IN53qiv

BURNED DEEP—BOOK 1 (St. Martin’s Press)—COMING OCT. 6!
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Burned-Deep-Novel-Calista-Fox-ebook/dp/B00TDQ1TPC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442428942&sr=8-1&keywords=burned+deep+calista+fox
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/burned-deep-calista-fox/1120919424?ean=9781250072511

About Calista Fox

Calista is a former PR professional, now writing fast-paced, steamy books to set your pulse racing! Her publishing houses include St. Martin’s Press, Grand Central Publishing and Harlequin. Her debut SMP trilogy opens with BURNED DEEP and concludes with a new book four, starring the trilogy’s secondary hero! She is an Amazon bestseller and has won many Reviewer’s and Reader’s Choice Awards, as well as Best Book Awards and other competitions with publication as first prize. Calista is a college graduate and teaches online writing classes. She is also a Past President/Advisor of the Desert Rose Phoenix chapter of the Romance Writers of America national organization. Visit her at: www.calistafox.com, www.facebook.com/calistafox and www.twitter.com/calistafoxbooks

Last weekend I took my miniman to Denny’s to eat Breakfast. It was a mad house. I had to wait to find a place to park. Long line inside but space at the bar. So instead of waiting on a table we just decided to eat at the counter and low and behold we could see in the kitchen and watch the cooking staff, not to mention the interaction with them, the waitstaff and the manager on duty. I’m going to call her Judy, because I didn’t ever get her name!

So, back to my story. Did I mention yet it was a mad house?? Because OMG it was nuts in there. Pretty quick we got our drinks and placed our order. Waitress, Patricia, was super friendly. I figured it was going to be forever til we got food and we settled in to watch the cooks.

Holy. Shit. I have NEVER in my life seen 3 men cook as fast as they did. And they NEVER slowed down. Not once. Only time I saw them pause was when a waitress/waiter needed them to do something. They were immediately on it and then back to the orders. Ticket after ticket they closed.

It was incredible. Kid you not I was freaking in awe. And the waitstaff? They all helped each other. Cleaning tables, taking appetizers and orders out to other peoples’ tables. Fixing issues. And Judy? She wasn’t just standing off to the side and delegating. Hell to the no. She was in the thick of all of it doing everything she could to help her people and get customers taken care of.

Now let me add in the fact I’d been sick with Strep for almost two weeks, working 11hr days at my real job. Exhaustion doesn’t do justice to how I felt that morning. But these people were just awesome AND they saved me from having to cook or clean up for breakfast.

Our food was awesome. Perfect timing on everything. And Judy’s still running around like crazy.

We got finished, I paid, was about to leave but Judy needed to know how awesome they were all doing. So I waited for her to walk back behind the hostess stand, and then I asked to speak with her. She kind of deflated, but said “Absolutely, how can I help you?” On that kind of day, one extra person shoveling shit onto your plate is the worst. So I told her everything I typed above. They were all doing amazing. What a great crew she had working for her and she herself was one of the best restaurant managers I’d ever seen. Keep up the good work and she absolutely gained me as a repeat customer.

OMG you’d think I’d handed her a million dollars. She was so excited and told me I made her day and thanked me for taking the time to tell her. I heard her passing the news to two other people as I was walking out. Paying it forward to a complete stranger who needed a pick me up and a pat on the back made me feel awesome. We need more of THIS in the world to balance out the rest of the meh going around right now.

Speaking of paying it forward — I have a HUGE bag of conference swag to give away! Print books, a bag, bookmarks, pens, buttons and maybe a few naughty somethings throw in to make your heart go pitter pat!! How do you enter to win? Easy!

Just comment below and let me know something you’ve done for a perfect stranger that made their day and yours!! I’ll let my miniman pick a random winner tomorrow. Good luck!!

Decadently Yours,
Jennifer Kacey

Need something to wet your whistle while you wait to see if you won goodies??

May I suggest a delicious bite out of the Members Only series…….. 😛

The books in the Members Only Series can be found here…
Together In Cyn
Haleigh’s Ink
A Very Ménage Christmas
Duke’s Valentine
Orgasm University
Accidental Voyeur
Roman’s To-Do List
Jenna’s Consent
Laila’s Lies

Stand Alone
Buried Permission
Beneath the Pages
Nico’s Curse
Elite Metal
Final Surrender
Violet’s Shadow in Romancing the Wolf Anthology Read the rest of this entry »

I’m busy at the moment dreaming up my next Uncharted SEALs adventure, and I got to wondering whether you knew I had a previous ex-SEAL series…

It’s a touch on the zany side because, for the heroines, I played with that old fish-out-of-water trope. They are all travel agents, having to check out the new adventure line of vacations they’re offering their clients, when you guess it—$hit happens.

For Maya in Dangerous Liaison, she’s mistaken for a drug lord’s daughter and kidnapped right out of an anti-terrorist training school.

I’ve given you a taste of Lace’s adventure below—her boat’s about to be hijacked for ransom.

And lastly, Susan in It Takes a SEAL is stranded on a desert island with her hunky SEAL.

I had fun with the stories, even more fun with the titles, they are all derived from movie titles. An author has to find the fun or her work would become drudgery. And of course, I say that while I’m sitting in my pajamas with bed head, while I begin my day’s work… It’s okay to hate me. 🙂

Comment for a chance to win Mutiny’s Bounty or a short story on this carousel!

* * * * *

Interested only in experiencing an adrenaline-packed adventure first-hand to give her credo when she books her clients’ adventure vacations, Lace McElhannon finds more excitement than she can handle when she meets and falls into bed with ex-SEAL Dex Haygood.

Fresh from protecting transport ships from Somali pirates, Dex figures his latest job will be a cakewalk, until he finds himself in deep water, swimming with sharks and trying to protect Lace when the yacht they’re sailing on is taken.

“Sweetheart, the sharks are down there.” Ice blue eyes wrinkled at the corners as the man bending over the side of the olive-green skiff pointed a finger into the clear blue depths beneath her.

Did he think she’d missed seeing the swarm, or flock, or whatever the hell you called a group of freaking sharks? They were busy ripping into the grisly bundle of fish parts and guts the dive crew had dropped to the sea floor in a wire basket—which was why she’d hurried over here.

“Exactly! Like any sane person would purposely swim with sharks?” She let her voice frag, then crimped her lips to keep from saying anything else that made her sound like she was twelve. Lace McElhannon was glad she hadn’t given him a snarky wag of her head while she’d said it. But seriously, who would blame her for being snotty? Great White sharks were swimming thirty feet beneath her toes and he wasn’t doing anything about it! Read the rest of this entry »

5 Reasons Writing a Book is Like Climbing a 14er

For someone with an admittedly short attention span (me), I seem to choose pursuits in life that require an awful lot of perseverance. So today, I’m going to talk about 5 Reasons Writing a Book is Like Climbing a 14er.

For the non-mountaineers reading this, a 14er is a mountain peak above 14,000 feet in altitude. In Colorado, where I live, there are 53 of them. I like hiking in general, but climbing a 14er is not your average scenic hike. We’re talking major elevation gains and decreasing oxygen, people. You have to want this.

At first, it might seem like writing a book—an activity during which you spend a great deal of time with your butt planted in a chair—would not be very much at all like a wilderness excursion requiring considerable physical conditioning.

VS.

But that would be wrong. Here are 5 ways in which these two activities are similar:

#1 Initial excitement of planning/deciding to do it.

Getting an idea for a new book is exciting. You’re full of ideas, planning new characters, imagining what it will be like when it’s done, and you feel powerful. You know it will be work, but the idea is just so good, it will be worth it. Deciding to climb a mountain, and picking which one, is exciting, too. You’re looking at fantastic photographs other hikers have posted, planning which routes will get you there, what physical training you need to do in the meantime, and imagining the sense of achievement when you stand at the top.

#2 At some point, you are going to ask yourself “why am I doing this?”

Every writer I know of has, at some point, looked at what they’ve written and lost hope. For one reason or another (your plot didn’t hold together as well as you initially thought, or the market for your type of story has just tanked, or any number of other writer-related insecurities), you want to abandon the project.

At some point, while hiking a 14er, many hikers (myself included) are out of breath, battered by wind, out of the ideal shape we promised ourselves we’d be in, and looking ahead at the miles yet to climb, thinking, “why did I think this was a good idea?” It would be much easier to just turn around and head back down…

(Note: with hiking, there can be safety concerns that lead to abandoning a hike. Know the difference between perseverance and foolishness. Lightning, in particular, is no joke if you’re above tree line. If a storm is approaching, get to safety. The mountain will still be there another day.)

#3 You keep going anyway.

Even when every sentence is a struggle, you keep writing. You may walk away from the screen for a little while, but you eventually come back and re-attack the project. Maybe you do have to do some editing, and work on your craft. Or maybe you give yourself permission for that first draft to suck miserably, knowing that you can always edit it later. Whatever. You keep writing, because you know that walking away would lead to regrets you don’t want to live with.

Same with 14ers. If you want to make it to the top, you keep planting one foot in front of the other. You rest, drink some water, and Just. Keep. Going.

#4 Comradery

When you summit a 14er with someone, you share a bond with that person forever. The more epic the mountain, the more epic the bond. Hikers also tend to help one another out—it’s the classic man vs. nature struggle, and all men (and women) on the mountain are in it together.

Authors do the same thing—at least, I’ve been fortunate to meet a lot of authors who think it’s important to help each other be the best we can be, whether that means helping a new writer improve her craft, or helping promote a new book you’re excited about.

#5 The Ultimate Accomplishment

There is no feeling that beats the feeling of typing the words “The End.” Except, maybe, the feeling of reaching the summit of a tough 14er. There’s a reason authors shout it from the rooftops when their book hits the shelves (or goes live at Amazon) – they’ve worked for that day. Same reason you’ll see summit photos plastered all over the walls and social media pages of an avid hiker.

It’s also the feeling that makes both writers and hikers bask in the glory for only a short while…because before long, they need to start planning the next book, or the next peak to climb.

Entrusted: A Relic Guardians Novel

To protect her country’s future, she’ll have to commit treason…

ENTRUSTED by Allegra Gray is a stunning historical Young Adult masterpiece of suspense, hope, and determination. This story follows orphaned Audrey as she’s tasked with keeping ancient relics safe from tyrannical hands and their unholy deeds. With the help of a charming adventurer, Tobias, Aubrey must do all she can to protect the relics she’s been entrusted to guard…even if it costs her life. Read the rest of this entry »

***Giveaway is closed!***

I woke up late today. I babysat last night and I’m just a little tired. Add the fact, I didn’t get my swim in yesterday, and the world just doesn’t feel right. So, I’ll make it easy on myself today and do something I love doing when I’m at a Facebook party. You get to do a little bit of work—not much—and I get to sit back and read the fun answers!

Here’s the work…

1) Subscribe to my newsletter and tell me you did (I’ll trust you): My Newsletter

2) Follow my Amazon.com author page and tell me you have: My Amazon Author Page

3) This isn’t required, but you can subscribe to my blog by scrolling down the left-hand column of this page, looking for “Subscribe to blog via email”.  That way, you’ll never miss a contest or a free read!

In addition to telling me you’ve done the things I’ve asked, answer this question, and then take a look at my Short Stories page to choose one free read (from the top three rows) for yourself…

If you could be magically transported into any television series world,
which would you choose to live inside?

*~*~*

THESE STORIES ARE NOT PART OF THE GIVEAWAY!
However, they are free if you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber!

If you love hot, sexy SEALs and an adrenaline-pumped story, don’t miss the first three stories in the Uncharted SEALs series, including my latest release, Through Her Eyes.

Click on the covers to learn more and to purchase!

Thank you, Delilah, for having me as your guest today.

Isn’t Fall a wonderful time of year? I’m looking forward to cooler weather. To me, the air thrums with excitement due to so many plans and projects. Writing is my passion, but I love the upcoming holidays.

What’s your favorite thing about Fall? I’m giving away a copy of
THE SURPRISE BRIDES: JAMIE to one person who tells me.

Several of us were talking this summer about that old movie “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and thought we’d do a spin on it. We didn’t want our historical brides kidnapped and we didn’t want them stranded in a blizzard with no way to marry. So, one of the brothers is a minister. To ease your mind, no, there is no singing in these books. 😉

We have four brothers aged from twenty-two to thirty-two who need brides. At least, their mother thinks they do. (Yeah, all mothers think that, don’t they?) This mother takes matters into her own hands, though. The four mail-order brides arrive in a blizzard that locks everyone on the ranch for almost a week. The mother convinces the four couples to go through with the wedding.

All four stories are filled with conflicts to be overcome. Mine is slightly sensual but not steamy. I believe the other four are the same—the parts I’ve read are. But they are all fun adventures for anyone who enjoys the “fish out of water” of a mail-order bride story.

You probably guessed that my latest project is THE SURPRISE BRIDES: JAMIE, one of four books simultaneously released about four brothers in Angel Springs, Colorado. One determined mama, four reluctant brothers, four mail-order brides. Meet Jamie, Caleb, Gideon and Ethan. Jamie is the eldest brother, a widower with two rowdy young children. These four books are released simultaneously by Cynthia Woolf (Gideon), Callie Hutton (Caleb), Sylvia McDaniel (Ethan), and me (Jamie).

Olivia Stewart risks everything to accomplish her dreams. She’s tired of being pitied because she’s been jilted, tired of teaching other people’s children without any of her own. When she signs with a matrimonial agency, a letter from Jamie Fraser sounds perfect. A widower with two young children will give her a head start on the family she’s determined to have. Olivia learns Colorado holds surprises that endanger her goals and even her life.

Circle F Rancher Jamie Fraser is shocked to learn his mother has written for a mail-order bride for him. He has two children and no plan to marry again. Ever! His late wife taught him women can’t be trusted. Even his beloved mother isn’t above tricking her sons to achieve her heartfelt ambitions. Now he’s stuck with a wife he didn’t want—a stubborn woman bent on changing his home and his life.

Can two strong people at odds achieve happiness? Angel Springs, Colorado is a small town that inspires big dreams. Olivia and Jamie just might find their dreams meld to form a powerful and enduring love.

THE SURPRISE BRIDES: JAMIE buy link at Amazon is: https://amzn.com/B015272I3W where it’s available in print and e-book. It’s also available at other online retailers.

Here’s a short excerpt:

That night when Olivia and Jamie were in their room, she slowly undressed. All day she’d thought about what she would say. How naïve to think she could trust this man so easily. How stupid she’d been not to ask more questions before surrendering to him.

Somehow, she had the sense of having been cheated in the marriage bed. She had no real experience to go on because she had no one in whom she could confide. Judging by the novels she’d read, though, there should have been talk after their coming together.

She faced him. “Jamie, why did you go through with the wedding?”

He sat on the bed holding the boot he’d just removed then set it on the floor. “No choice.”

What a maddening answer. She wanted to plant her fist on his handsome chin. Instead, she took a deep breath before speaking and exhaled slowly.

“Of course you had a choice. You’re the head of the family and could have refused and sent me back where I came from or set me up in town so I could meet someone else. Barring that, you could have paid me off and sent me to Denver. There’s always a choice.”

He shook his head as he started on his shirt buttons. “Not in this case. Any of those options would have caused talk. After you’d been here several nights, your reputation would have been compromised.”

“If I weren’t here, why would that matter to you?”

His hands stilled. “Ah, well, because Mama’s reputation would also have been damaged, as she pointed out to us boys.” He removed his shirt and hung it on the bedpost.

As she unfastened the ties of her petticoats, a horrible thought occurred to her and she froze. “Do you mean you don’t want more children?”

His powerful chest muscles rolled with a shrug. “Wouldn’t mind, now that we’re wed, but I was content with Jake and Cat. Matter of fact, earlier today I mentioned how nice life would be with us brothers taking our kids to visit with their cousins.” He stood and unbuttoned his pants.

She turned her back and slid off her clothes then quickly pulled on her gown. “Weren’t you lonely?”

Her back was to him and she couldn’t see his expression, but his voice sounded hard, “Look, Olivia, you seem like a nice enough woman, attractive, and intelligent. Sorry as I am you were brought here under false pretences, I don’t know what you expected to find.”

Again, she froze for a moment. Attractive? He thought she was attractive? When she turned around, he was sitting up in bed with the sheet at his hips. How could she concentrate on the conversation with all those rippling muscles and skin in sight?

Caroline Clemmons is an Amazon bestselling and award winning author of historical and contemporary western romances. A frequent speaker at conferences and seminars, she has taught workshops on characterization, point of view, and layering a novel.

Caroline and her husband live in the heart of Texas cowboy country with their menagerie of rescued pets. When she’s not indulging her passion for writing, Caroline enjoys family, reading, travel, antiquing, genealogy, and getting together with friends. Find her on her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+,  Shelfari, and Pinterest.