Not long ago I was discussing one of the sub-plots in my latest release When a Marquis Chooses a Bride with someone, and they were surprised to hear that human trafficking had been going on for over two hundred years. They thought it was a modern problem. In fact, it’s been going on for over a millennium, but I will focus on the Regency era.

As readers and writers we tend to idealize certain periods in history, and the Regency is one of them. We focus on Mayfair and think that all parts of England were safe, when even Mayfair, the most exclusive area of London was not truly safe. Not only were there slums that even soldiers thought twice about entering, but predators roamed the town.

Well-bred ladies were admonished not to walk or ride alone for good reason. It was not uncommon for young women just up from the country to disappear and wind up in a brothel. After that, most of them could not return to their families. Why? Because the women were blamed for their situations and their families would not take them back.

Children as young as four and five were kidnapped and made to work for thieves because if caught, they would be transported and not hung.

There were private charities that helped both women and children, but they were few and far between. Many people in government believed that the poor, even children were responsible for the way their lives turned out.

In When a Marquis Chooses a Bride, the heroine, Dotty, is one of those ladies who worked at improving the lives of people caught in bad situations.

A furious female voice Dom knew well rose above the rabble. “He is only a small, hungry child. You will not arrest him.”

Thea. He should have known. Quickening his stride, he swiftly arrived at the gathering of street cleaners, vendors, and the merely curious. The small crowd of onlookers parted for him. At the middle of the scene was Thea squaring off with a sturdy-looking farmer. An underfed, filthy child of perhaps six or seven years clutched an apple in one grubby hand and her skirt in the other, clearly recognizing her as his savior.

“How much for the apple?” she demanded of the farmer.

“That ain’t the point, miss,” the man said belligerently, spittle flying from his mouth. “He’s a thief and deserves to be punished.” The child ducked behind Thea as the farmer leaned to one side. “Hanged or transported.”

Thea’s chin rose as she stood her ground. “I am not saying he was right, but you might steal too if you were starving. The law in this case is too harsh.”

Dom’s cravat threatened to choke him. The law she referred to was one he had supported.

When a Marquis Chooses a Bride Blurb

Thanks to their large extended family and unconventional courtship, The Worthingtons have seen their share of scandal and excitement. But nothing has prepared them for this…

The Dowager Lady Worthington isn’t quite sure what to make of country-girl Dorothea Stern. As the granddaughter of the Duke of Bristol, Dotty is schooled in the ways and means of the nobility. But her sharp wit and outspoken nature has everyone in a tizzy. Especially their cousin, Dominic, the Marquis of Merton.

Prematurely stuffy, Dom was raised by his cheerless uncle to be wary of a host of things, including innovation, waltzing, and most perilous of all: true love. Still, there’s something about Dotty, beyond her beauty, that Dom cannot resist. But the odds are against him if he intends to win her as his bride. Will he choose loyalty to his family—or risk everything for the one woman he believes is his perfect match…

When a Marquis Chooses a Bride Buy Links:
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/1OPiCIK
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/1oP58HL
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/1ILP9mR
B&N: https://bit.ly/1QTj93N
Books a Million: https://bit.ly/1QrfpkA
Kobo: https://bit.ly/21HhiAL

About the Author

Bestselling author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them. She has just finished her first series, The Marriage Game, and her new series, The Worthingtons, began in April 2016.

She is married to her wonderful husband of over thirty years. They have a son and two beautiful granddaughters, and a dog. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true and are now living on a sailboat cruising the Caribbean and North America. Europe is next!

Website: www.ellaquinnauthor.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor
Twitter www.twitter.com/ellaquinnauthor
Blog https://ellaquinnauthor.wordpresscom

Delilah, thanks for having me over today.

So last year at RWA in NYC, my publisher made a statement that they are looking for sexier cozies. If you know cozy mysteries, they’re mostly low on sex, low on gore, and high on fun.

Then they pushed the envelope. They said my new release was going to be the first in this new experiment. Which made me nervous. How hot were they looking for? Would I disappoint them? And could I write a hotter cozy? I’m kind of a slow steam girl. Even the romances I’ve written are considered mild in this world of 50 Shades.

I sat my editor down and asked her straight out. What are you expecting?

Her answer comforted me. Whatever the story needs and whatever you’re comfortable with.

That’s why I love writing for my publisher. They get me.

After that Spotlight, several mystery authors reached out to me. Apparently a lot of people have been writing sexy cozies, but haven’t been able to find a home for the stories at a traditional publisher. The world of publishing is changing and this is just one example. The writers are out there for all kinds of different books, and the readers are waiting for new experiences.

And so A Story to Kill has a strong reunion romance trope. I even added in a Benjamin Braddock moment for the couple. But it’s not all about the relationship. It’s about the writer’s retreat Cat is starting up in her hometown now that she inherited the Victorian from her ex-husband. It’s about the college and the characters who work and study there. And it’s about the library which plays a big part in the town and the book.

If you haven’t tried a cozy mystery before, I hope you take a chance on the story.

Lynn

A Story to Kill

Former English professor Cat Latimer is back in Colorado, hosting writers’ retreats in the big blue Victorian she’s inherited, much to her surprise, from none other than her carousing ex-husband! Now it’s an authors’ getaway—but Cat won’t let anyone get away with murder…

The bed-and-breakfast is open for business, and bestselling author Tom Cook is among its first guests. Cat doesn’t know why he came all the way from New York, but she’s glad to have him among the quirkier—and far less famous—attendees.

Cat’s high school sweetheart Seth, who’s fixing up the weathered home, brings on mixed emotions for Cat…some of them a little overpowering. But it’s her uncle, the local police chief, whom she’ll call for help when there’s a surprise ending for Tom Cook in his cozy guest room. Will a killer have the last word on the new life Cat has barely begun?

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, Lynn Cahoon is an Idaho expat. She grew up living the small town life much like the settings she now writes. Currently, she’s living with her husband and two fur babies in a small historic town on the banks of the Mississippi river where her imagination tends to wander. Guidebook to Murder, Book 1 of the Tourist Trap series won the 2015 Reader’s Crown Award for Mystery Fiction. Find out more at: www.lynncahoon.com

Links:
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Story-Kill-Cat-Latimer-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0190HGVK6/
Goodreads –https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5857424.Lynn_Cahoon
Twitter – https://twitter.com/LynnCahoon
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LynnCahoonAuthor
website – https://lynncahoon.com/
Amazon author page – https://www.amazon.com/Lynn-Cahoon/e/B0082PWOAO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

UPDATE: The winner of the free Lone Star Lover book is…Tami Czenkus!

* * * * *

Depending on how long you’ve been reading me, you might not be aware of my naughty cowboy ménage series, Lone Star Lovers. There are nine books, so far. And I do plan more because I can’t stop writing them. All my sexiest fantasies are rolled up in those stories. Two cowboys, three cowboys, four… All that attention on one lucky girl… Feel the heat. Read a snippet from Reined In.

Comment for a chance to win your choice of
one of my Lone Star Lovers books! 

Reined In

Who says a cowgirl can’t have it all?

Lone Star Lovers, Book 7

Stormy is a rancher’s daughter through and through, and although she went away to college, her soul is firmly rooted in home ground—and the cowboys she grew up tormenting. When she hears her father might be selling the ranch, she packs her bags and high tails it for home, terrified she might never get another chance to lasso the heart of one of her cowboys before the hands scatter to the four winds.

For Cam and Joe, foreman and wrangler on the ranch, Stormy was a pain in the seat of their Wranglers. But when she roars back onto the ranch, the spoiled brat they remember emerges from the cloud of dust in skin-tight jeans and spike heels and all grown up.

It only takes a hot second to figure out she’s hell-bent on seduction. But if she thinks they’re going to make it easy for her to pick which cowboy she wants most, she’s sadly mistaken. And who says she has to choose one?

Warning: Contains cowboy-style spanking, flogging, and hog-tying. And a cowgirl who loves every minute of it.

Cam gave him a glare but gentled his expression when he turned back to Stormy. “You didn’t call before you came. Seems like this trip was rushed. Why don’t you tell us what really brought you here, sweetheart?”

Joe nearly groaned at Cam’s direct approach. Stormy would shut down faster than a burger joint at midnight if dared to tell the truth without a little persuasion.

Stormy shrugged, a pout pushing out her lower lip. “I graduated a month ago. I’m considerin’ my options. Maybe I just needed a break to think.”

“The ranch is a long way from Austin,” Cam said softly. “What’s this really about?”

Stormy’s mouth dropped open and then snapped closed again. Her gaze narrowed.

Joe knew from that look that she was getting ready to let lose some smartass comment—out of habit—to protect her pride. But Joe didn’t want her to keep her armor in place or tell them a lie. She needed a little push. Something to cloud her mind before she thought of another lame excuse. He was pretty damn sure he knew exactly why she’d run straight to the ranch.

He leaned toward her, crowding her against the counter. He set his beer aside, plucked hers from her nerveless fingers and then bracketed her slender body as he clenched the edge of the counter. “I promise if you tell the truth, you might get what you’re after,” he drawled.

She swallowed hard, her gaze widening, clinging to his.

He slid a thigh between her bare legs. They clamped around him. But to keep him from raising it higher or to hold him there? He couldn’t tell.

Her lips parted and her breaths shortened.

“Am I botherin’ you?”

She swallowed hard and flashed him a glare. “When don’t you bother me, cowboy?”

Since she hadn’t shoved him away, he pressed harder, bending his neck so his face hovered over hers. She clenched her thighs tighter around his knee. “Disappointed I didn’t punish you on the spot when you ground your heel into my hand?”

She hesitated and then tossed back her silky hair. “I did wonder why you held back,” she said, sounding a little out of breath. “You’re always quick to jump down my throat.”

“Oh, I wanna come down your throat all right.”

Cam snorted beside them, drawing both their gazes. “Shall I leave you two alone?”

“Why?” Joe asked, his gaze dropping to Stormy’s again. “She’s not shy. Fact is, I think Peaches wants us both here. Don’t you, sugar?”

This time, her eyes rounded and welled with tears.

Cam muttered under his breath.

But Joe wasn’t ready to relent. Not when damp heat soaked the top of his jeans-clad thigh. “There’s no shame in tellin’ the truth,” he whispered. “We’ve both been waitin’ a long time for you to grow up. All you have to do is tell us you’re ready.”

She licked her bottom lip, pretty Peaches with her face devoid of makeup and pretense, looking impossibly lovely and young—and afraid.

“Baby, for once, tell me the truth.”

“I’m not sure what I want, or even who I want,” she whispered.

Joe quirked up one side of his mouth and leaned closer, his mouth an inch from hers. “Now that’s a lie. You kissed him.” He arched a brow. “Think I didn’t know? I watched. But you liked it when I spanked you too. Both those things happened a long time ago, but you’ve thought about us, haven’t you?”

She nodded, her breaths growing more ragged by the moment.

“It’s okay to tell us,” Joe said, his voice deeper now, raspier. “Do you want us both?”

“Joe,” Cam said, anger in his tone.

Joe shook his head, not looking away from Stormy’s widening eyes. “Cam, you just wait. We’re friends. I love you like a brother. But I want her—just as bad as you do. And Peaches here—she’s enough woman to handle us both. I’d stake my next paycheck on that fact.” The way the pupils in her silver-blue eyes dilated confirmed it. “Sweetheart, you wanna find out if that’s true?”

A thin moan broke from her lips, and Joe bent to capture it, pressing his mouth against hers and forcing his thigh higher, rubbing it against her pussy.

She pushed against his chest for all of a second and then glided her hands up to cup the back of his head, her fingers threading through his hair and pulling.

Joe groaned into her mouth and thrust his tongue inside.

She’d brushed her teeth before she’d left her room. She tasted like mint. Her body quivered, vibrating against him, and more liquid wet his knee. Her thighs squeezed around him, grinding down, and he was lost.

He clamped his hands around her waist and pulled her from the counter, then slid them down to cup her ass. He dug his fingers into the soft, sweet curves he’d fantasized about for years. The kiss deepened. Her tongue stroked his and their mouths rubbed in slow, melting circles.

A throat cleared beside them, and Joe broke the kiss, breathing hard as he stared into her face. Two spots of color blazed across her cheeks. Their heads turned slowly, reluctantly, toward Cam.

Joe knew what he had to do, but letting go of her ass nearly made him weep. His fingers clung for a moment longer and then loosened. He slid to her side, a hand cupping a full breast. “Cam’s turn,” he whispered in her ear.

Huge thanks to Delilah for bringing me back to her blog again! I’m currently writing my sixth Love & Murder book. My seventh if you count the short story I wrote exclusively for my newsletter subscribers. I started the series out of love. I was writing contemporary romances when my good friend was in the hospital, dying of cancer. I just couldn’t write the same books. Instead I wrote a story about love and murder and pets and life, with a strong woman character that I based on my friend who’d been a cancer warrior for about fifteen years—and now the damn cancer was winning. When I told her that I was basing the heroine of Truth About Love & Murder on her, she smiled widely.

It’s been almost two years now, and I will always think of Liz when I read the book. My heroines in the other Love & Murder books are still strong, though they’re no longer based on my friend. I just like hanging around with strong women in real life and in fiction—my books and books by other authors.

Here’s the blurb and an excerpt from my free short story, Unforgettable Love & Murder:

When Allie Dalmon was eleven, she killed a man. No one knew except the boy who went away … and now he’s back.

Twenty years after his mother’s boyfriend tried to kill him, former Navy SEAL Zach Winters returns to Trouble Bay. He’s never forgotten the moment he’d looked up from his would-be killer’s dead body into the wide eyes of the girl leaning over the rock fence on the cliff above him. The girl who’d saved his life.

Allie remembers the boy, too. She’s a therapist for the school system now, along with her therapy dog. She’s recently had an an awkward break-up, but her life is still good, and Zach doesn’t owe her anything.

Then he sees someone watching her house, and he’s not leaving. He’s found a woman to serve, protect, and defend … and, maybe, something more…

♦  ♦  ♦

As he turned and opened the storm door and headed outside, she knew that he’d wanted to kiss her and he’d held back.

She liked a man who could hold back.

Sometimes she liked a man who couldn’t.

Instead of striding down the sidewalk, he headed across the lawn, toward the house next door. The sky was darkening, but it was still light enough to see outside. She even spotted headlights on the road halfway between her home and his rental, though the lights didn’t seem to be moving. Then her gaze drifted back to him.

With a shake of her head, she closed the door, feeling lighter. As if a heavy burden had been lifted off of her shoulders.

Dora barked, and Allie laughed and bent down. ‟You’re agreeing with me. You’re agreeing with Mama.”

Allie lifted Dora and held her against her chest, then spun around, laughing.

The doorbell rang, and she finished her twirl before she stopped, feeling dizzy for a few seconds. She set Dora on the floor, then stepped forward, smiling. He was back already.

She opened the door, and her smile dropped. Zach stood outside, but this was a different man. He was frowning. Hard. The civilian was gone, and she was looking at the SEAL.

‟Someone’s in a car on the road,” he said, ‟watching your house.”

Sign up for my newsletter to get the free story.

About the Author

A USA Today bestselling author, Edie is funnier on the page than in real life. A multiple award-winning writer, she writes stories with heart and attitude. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and one important cat. She’s happy to be able to do what she loves nearly every day.

You can visit Edie at www.edieramer.com, where she also blogs. She loves hearing from readers.

Hi, it’s me again, Donna Michaels, and this whole summer has been cowboys for me. Yep, I’ve been in my writing cave all summer with these handsome fellas! I do love my job!!

This past June, I released HER INDULGENT COWBOY, Book 7 in my hot, humorous, heartwarming Harland County series. For over a decade, Lacey has had the hots for her brother’s buddy, Jesse, but the cowboy’s preconceived ideas about her always kept him at bay. Worn down by a desire too strong to ignore, the two eventually give in to their heated attraction, but will they give up control long enough to discover the truth behind their attitudes? Lacey was a hoot to write. Even I had to rein her in when her mouth got in the way.

As you may have read earlier this month, I was asked by the wonderful Sable Hunter to help launch her Hell Yeah Kindle Worlds! It was an honor and I’m thrilled HER HELL YEAH COWBOY, my Harland County/Hell Yeah KW crossover novella has been in the top 3 bestselling Kindle Worlds Western this month. Thank you so much for help making that happen!  My heroine, Chloe is a lot like me in the fact we sometimes channel Lucy and/or Ethel. Poor girl. The one cowboy she did not one to meet when she returned to Texas is the man I made her literally walk into with her hands laden with an order of Buffalo wings. 🙂

Chloe Davis is a danger to herself and those around her, so entertaining thoughts for the sexy cowboy wearing her hot sauce should be a no-no…not a hell yeah—especially considering he’s the guardsman linked to a horrible instance in her past.

And finally, I’m so excited to have a release date and to finally share the blurb to my very first release with Entangled Publications!! IN THE RANGER’S ARMS is the first book in my cowboy series The Men of At Ease Ranch, releasing November. 28^th!

No amount of training could’ve prepared him for her.

Former Army Ranger Stone Mitchum doesn’t have time for sex. Since starting a company with his brother and two buddies, he’s had more important things on his mind. Like transitioning veterans back into society. But when his curvy new tenant falls into his arms—literally—his libido snaps to attention.

Jovy Larson has four weeks to prove she’s worthy of taking over the family business. Her challenge? Sell gluten-free, vegan food—in the middle of cattle country, Texas. It’s a tough task, but not half as tough as fighting her attraction to her sexy, surly landlord.

Before she knows it, Jovy’s tangling sheets with the hot cowboy, stalked by a jealous cow, and strategizing ways to help Stone’s ranch. But by the time her lease runs out and the test is over, she’s faced with a new challenge…competing against Stone’s sense of duty to win his heart.

You can find all of these cowboys at my website: www.donnamichaelsauthor.com

Speaking of these cowboys, all of them are also military, so I have a question for you.

Do you like reading about military cowboys? Or do you prefer your heroes to be one or the other—cowboy, or military?

A big thank you to Delilah for hosting me!

Thanks for reading,

~Donna

ABOUT DONNA MICHAELS

Donna Michaels is an award winning, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of Romaginative fiction. Her hot, humorous, and heartwarming stories include cowboys, men in uniform, and some sexy, primal alphas. With a husband in the military fulltime, and a household of nine, she never runs out of material to write, and has rightfully earned the nickname Lucy…and sometimes Ethel. From short to epic, her books entertain readers across a variety of sub-genres, and one has even being hand drawn into a Japanese translation. Now, if only she could read it.

If you’re interested in keeping up with Donna’s news, and exclusive contests, please sign up for her newsletter here:
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You can also find her here:

Website:  www.donnamichaelsauthor.com
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