BooksChatter: ☀ Lyrical Press Contemporary Romances: A. Charles, H. McGovern, D. Julienne

Thank you for joining us for The Lyrical Press Contemporary Romances Tour! Our featured titles today are:

Putting Out Old Flames (Pineville, #1) by Allyson Charles
A Moment of Bliss (A Honeywilde Romance, #1) by Heather McGovern
Love, Lies, And Alibis (Twisted Sisters Club, #3) by Deb Julienne

Below you will find synopsis, excerpts, and purchasing links for each novel, as well as author bios and stalking information.

The authors will be awarding digital copies of all 3 books to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Please do take part: comment on our post and follow the tour where you will be able to read other excerpts (☀).

Synopsis | The Books | About the Authors | Giveaway

Lyrical Press Contemporary Romances Books

Putting Out Old Flames (Pineville, #1) | A Moment of Bliss (A Honeywilde Romance, #1) | Love, Lies, And Alibis (Twisted Sisters Club, #3) |

Putting Out Old Flames by Allyson Charles

Too Hot To Handle

Jane Willoughby has a temper. Sure, in her day job answering calls for 911, she can keep her head no matter what the emergency. But when her ex appears on her doorstep on her first sick day in years, expecting her to act happy he’s her co-chair for the annual fireman’s ball, she feels a little righteous wrath is justified.

Chance McGovern broke up with her with a greeting card, for crying out loud. He doesn’t get to just sprout some washboard abs and put on a uniform and behave like any other tasty firefighter.

Jane has no idea what’s happened to Chance in the last nine years—and no interest in finding out. Not even a teeny-tiny spark. No matter how hot he is. Or how well he remembers the little things that make her laugh, and cry, and spontaneously combust.

And she’s going to be working with him one-on-one. At least there’s a fireman on call . . .

[16 August 2016, Lyrical Shine, 234 pages. This is the first book in the Pineville series.]
PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and excerpt below. Read the first two chapters with Amazon Look Inside.

Excerpt

Chapter One

      On a good day it could take a backhoe to pry Jane out from beneath her soft cotton duvet. The goose down bedspread in a faded blue paisley had been an indulgence, but one that was worth every penny. When she snuggled into bed at night, the duvet kept her cozy through the long Michigan winters, but was light enough to breathe through the warm summers. Sleeping under her duvet was like being cocooned in a cloud. It usually took her three rounds of hitting her snooze button in the morning before she could drag herself out from its inviting comfort.
      And that was on a good day. Not a day when her head pounded like the drum section of a marching band and her limbs ached with fatigue.
      Jane kicked the twisted sheets from her feet, and cocked her head. There it was again. The knocking was definitely coming from her front door, not her head. She groaned. Couldn’t a girl get a sick day to herself? She wasn’t asking for much. The last time she’d taken time off work due to illness, a different president had been sitting in the Oval Office.
      Looking into one disgruntled green eye, she sighed. Cyclops didn’t approve of visitors almost as much as he didn’t approve of her sleeping the day away. The orange tabby circled three times on his pillow before turning his back on her and coiling himself like a garden hose.
      Message received. Her ornery pet couldn’t have said Get your lazy butt out of bed more clearly than if he’d written the message on a whiteboard.
      Crawling through a sea of used tissues to the edge of the mattress, she swung her legs over. Whoever was at the door was persistent, she’d give him that. Stumbling, she took two steps to her closet, pulled a cotton robe on over her boxer shorts and T-shirt, and headed for the front door to her apartment.
      Before opening the door, she gave one more solid blow of her nose, happy to discover she’d mostly dried up while she’d napped.Her face felt altogether too crusty for her liking, but considering her head was so congested it just might explode, Jane didn’t care.Even if that hunky Thor actor stood behind her door, he was just going to have to deal with how she looked.
      Concerned blue eyes and wind-blown tufts of white hair greeted her across the threshold. “Jane, are you all right? When you didn’t answer the door right away, I thought maybe you’d forgotten about our meeting.”
      Her head fell back on her shoulders. “Judge Nichols. I did forget. I’m sorry.” She stepped to the side and swept an arm toward the living room. “Come on in.”
      [...]

Putting Out Old Flames
Available NOW!

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A Moment of Bliss by Heather McGovern

Nestled in the lush green mountains of North Carolina, the Honeywilde Inn will be a romantic’s dream getaway—if only the Bradley siblings can keep it running. It will take a combination of hard work, good luck, and the kind of love that dreams are made of…

Roark Bradley is no stranger to responsibility. Growing up, he practically raised his younger siblings while his parents threw themselves into working the inn—and arguing with each other. Determined to make the Honeywilde shine once more, Roark jumps at the chance to conduct business with a no-nonsense event planner who approaches him about celebrity nuptials that could put the inn back on the map. If only it wasn’t so tempting to discuss some no-strings attached pleasure with her instead…

Madison Kline is done with weddings—at least personally. Her own youthful mistake is a well-guarded secret, and one she refuses to repeat. But as she and bold, broad-shouldered Roark work together to make a rock star couple’s wedding a reality, she finds herself wishing romance didn’t feel like a four-letter word. Can either of them surrender their hard-won independence and workaholic ways for something sweeter—and even more rewarding?...

[16 August 2016, Lyrical Shine, 264 pages. This is the first book in the A Honeywilde Romance series.]
PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and excerpt below. Read the first two chapters with Amazon Look Inside.

Excerpt

Chapter 1

      Madison lifted her chin and sniffed the lobby again, thankful no one was around to see her bang-up bloodhound impression.
      She was at the inn to work; to make the impossible happen with her skill and professionalism. But right now something smelled like fresh-baked heaven covered in sinful cinnamon frosting, and she had to find out what.
      The reception area held no piles of cookies or cakes. No candles or bowls of potpourri; only a single flower arrangement centered on a mahogany table the size of her car. She leaned over and gave the flowers a good long whiff.
      Someone behind her cleared his throat in a deep rumble.
      Crap.
      “May I help you?” A man—too good looking and looking too amused—stood beside the reception desk. Tall and broad enough to fill the doorway behind him, he struck a serious figure in his dress shirt and slacks, but he held a tiny, frilly edged, peach-colored towel in one hand.
      “Your gladiolus smells like cookies,” she told him.
      One dark eyebrow crept up. “I’m sorry, my what?”
      She pointed her finger, an accusatory arrow right at the lobby’s floral arrangement. “This flower. It’s a gladiolus, but it smells like cookies.”
      “It’s not the flowers.” He closed the space between them in three long strides, and Madison’s pulse jumped at his approach.
      “I’m Roark Bradley, owner of Honeywilde Mountain Inn and Resort. Is there something I can help you with?” His Southern drawl rolled the words off his tongue, like rough rocks that’d been tumbled smooth. He made the question sound so much more appealing than it really was.
      She knew exactly who Roark Bradley was, from Honeywilde’s website. She wasn’t about to tell him that though, or that he was even better looking in person.
      “Madison Kline.” She stuck out her arm.
      Her plan was to take charge of this meeting and keep the upper hand until she got her clients what they wanted. So far, she’d managed to get busted sniffing the flowers and eyeing the owner.
      All she could do now was hope her palm wasn’t sweaty.
     [...]

A Moment of Bliss
Available NOW!

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Love, Lies, And Alibis by Deb Julienne

Sometimes it all adds up to love . . .

By day, Kathryn Wallace is a dowdy, introverted financial whiz whose sole focus is her career. But after hours, to protect her professional interests, she lets loose as Kat Grantham, a sexy, smart, incredibly sassy female dynamo unafraid to speak her mind. Whoever she is, it won’t matter if she’s in jail, indicted for insider trading at her family’s brokerage firm. But one thing’s clear, her heart is not part of the equation. Until a hot variable walks through the doors of her firm . . .

Ben Higgins is working undercover as Bernie “the nerd” Higgenbottom. Somehow he can’t quite believe the innocent “librarian” he’s been sent to investigate is at the bottom of a potentially huge SEC scandal. Until he discovers she’s not who or what she appears to be—and that she’s being set up by someone inside the firm. Now, as much as Ben wants to get Kat under the covers, he’ll have to stay undercover to protect her from a ruthless Wall Street bully . . .

[16 August 2016, Lyrical Shine, 198 pages. This is the third book in the Twisted Sisters Club series.]
PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and excerpt below. Read the first chapter with Amazon Look Inside.

Excerpt

Chapter 1

      As the last strains from the long version of “Friends in Low Places” faded, Kat Grantham threw her arm across Jill’s shoulders and two-stepped them toward the bar.
      Jill Kincaid laughed as they merged into the crowd coming off the other dance floor. “What kind of a dance was that?”
      “Consider it creative country dancing. The beat was too slow, so I snapped it up a bit. Dancing is a better workout than the gym.”Kat hit the club at least three times a week to dance off her frustrations and her fetish for quality food.
      “And just as smelly,” Jill said as they sidestepped around a staggering, sweaty guy who must have bathed in cheap cologne.
      “No kidding.”
      A curvy brunette squealed as she hopped off the mechanical bull, launched into the cheering crowd, and headed to the barber chairs for a victory shot.
      The Metronome was the hottest nightclub in downtown Sacramento, packed for Karaoke and Country Tuesday. Kat half expected the fire marshal to start kicking bodies out.
      When they finally made it back to their bar stools Kat drained her drink then leaned in to tell Jill she was ready to leave.
      A deep masculine voice boomed in her right ear. “I’d offer you a cigarette, but you’re already smoking hot.”
      Kat choked on her water. “What did he say?”
      Jill snorted. “Don’t ask.”
      The guy leaned over, this time whispering, “Do you like my shirt? Remember it because you’ll be ripping it off later.”
      Good thing she’d finished her drink or she’d have sprayed it across the bar.
      Reflected in the bar mirror, chest out in a practiced pose, stood the man who’d been hitting on her the past couple of months.He was staring at her ass and licking his lips.
      “Who does he think he is?” Kat flicked her thumb in his direction.
      Jill shrugged and knocked back a shot of tequila. “Ignore him.”
      “What an ass.” Kat took a deep breath, spun her chair around, tipped her head back, then stared down her nose at him. “Can I help you?”
      From his sandy-blond hair, to his baby blues that matched his dress shirt, to his fancy Italian loafers, he was impeccably dressed. A beautifully tailored charcoal-grey pinstriped suit showcased his captivating physique, and the pants hugged his hips.
      Big deal…so he was hot. His ignorance made her want to throw up.
      “You heard me, Baby. I’m fighting the urge to make you the happiest woman on Earth tonight. How about we ditch this place and see what we can come up with?” He moved like a hula girl bobblehead, complete with swiveling eyebrows and hips. Then he had the nerve to wink while jingling the change in his pocket.
      Why did the gorgeous ones have to act like they think they’re a gift to women? “You’re joking, right?” An indelicate chuckle escaped her lips.
      The grin slipped from his face. She wouldn’t have been surprised to look down only to find that bulge in the front of his pants drop to his ankles like a rolled up sock. Guys like him would try anything.

Love, Lies, And Alibis
Available NOW!

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About the Authors

Allyson Charles | Heather McGovern | Deb Julienne |

Allyson Charles lives in Northern California. She’s the author of the contemporary romances Putting Out Old Flames and The Christmas Tree (Lyrical Press).

A former attorney, she happily ditched those suits and now works in her pajamas writing about men’s briefs instead of legal briefs.

When she’s not writing, she’s probably engaged in one of her favorite hobbies: napping, eating, or martial arts (That last one almost makes up for the first two, right?).

One of Ally’s greatest disappointments is living in a state that doesn’t have any Cracker Barrels in it.

Follow Allyson Charles:

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Heather McGovern writes contemporary romance in swoony, southern settings. While her love of travel and adventure takes her far, there is no place quite like home. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and son, and a collection of Legos that’s threatening to take over the house.

When she isn’t writing, she’s working out, or binging on books and Netflix.

She is a member of Romance Writers of America, as well as Carolina Romance Writers, and she’s represented by Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency.

Connect with Heather. She’d love to hear to from you!

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As a long-time member of both Romance Writers of America (RWA) and her local RWA Chapter, the Sacramento Valley Roses, Deb Julienne fills the hours she’s not writing romantic comedy and romantic suspense with her day job at a Silicon Valley Corporation and playing in the kitchen concocting her award-winning jams, jellies, preserves, and sauces (with alcohol of course).

Deb resides in the Tahoe National Forest Basin

Follow Deb Julienne: