Howling Good Hop!

Hi, everyone! Welcome to the Howling Good Hop. It's been quite a while since I've participated in one of these, but I'm looking forward to all the exciting excerpts and tidbits.

SHIFT HAPPENS

In my latest release, I returned to my romantic comedy roots. I'm a bit of a goofball, so being able to make readers laugh (and fall in love) is one of my all-time aspirations. Shift Happens is the first book in a brand new series, I HEART Shifters. Normally promotion is a bit of a headache, but the title made tag lines and catchphrases pretty much write themselves. Check out a few of my favorite promo teasers below...

Told you. I'm a goof. But who doesn't appreciate a little humor with their romance? I certainly do. In real life...oh, the stories I could tell. ESPECIALLY a hilarious tidbit about me falling off the bed with my husband early on in our relationship. But that's a tale for another day.

Want to know more about Shift Happens? Keep reading and enjoy the remainder of the hop!!

Ellie Reynolds runs a nail salon that caters to shifters of all varieties. The proverbial shift hits the fan when billionaire mogul Jackson Lawrence walks in the door and offers Ellie two million dollars to sell her shop. Ellie has no intention of selling out, especially to someone who plans to bulldoze her shop to the ground and replace it with a fast food joint. Their battle of wit and will is brought to a sudden halt when Jackson’s enemies appear, throwing them into a fight for their lives.

Jackson believed he’d left violence behind when he resigned his position with the Blood Wolves, a secret shifter military group, but someone wants his company’s cyber invention and will stop at nothing to get it. He didn’t mean to drag Ellie into his mess, but he’s willing to do anything to protect her and the firewall his friend created...anything except fight his attraction to the outspoken redhead he’s suddenly responsible for. Jackson soon learns Ellie is hotter than he first gave her credit for...like dragon hot...and life is about to get a whole lot more interesting.

Sometimes shift happens when you least expect it.

Reader Note: contains BBW heroines, billionaires, humor, werewolves, dragon shifter, and paranormal erotic romance elements

Excerpt:

At exactly eight forty, Jackson returned to the counter. “According to previously stated policy, your eight thirty appointment is canceled. May I speak with you now?”

She glared at him but finally relented. “Fine. But if Mrs. Sussman shows up, you’re out of here.”

He lifted an eyebrow and nodded. “Fair enough. Your animosity is a bit of a mystery, but I think you’ll be happy once you hear what I have to say.”

His assessment was spot-on. What was it about him that pricked her ire, besides the overwhelming libidinal response? Typically she wasn’t a hateful sort of person, but instinctively she knew she had to be careful around him. He threw her off-balance, and she didn’t like the feeling. “I’m sure you’re used to women falling over themselves to talk to you, but I’m not your typical female.”

He smirked. “I can tell.”

A flush burned her from head to toe at the implication. She wasn’t skinny or particularly beautiful, but damn, couldn’t he show a bit of interest? She had big boobs, after all. What man didn’t like big boobs? Unless he was—

She glanced at him. Nope. Definitely not gay.

Wait. What was she doing? Did she want him to show interest?

Oh God, she did.

“Is there a place we can go to talk?”

She plucked a piece of lint from her smock and flicked it away. “Here’s fine. Say your piece. I’m a busy woman.”

Another smile crossed his face, soul-shattering because this time it was directed at her. “I like you, Ellie Reynolds.”

Something was wrong with her knees. Had to be. They kept giving out on her. Was twenty-five too young to have arthritis? Was it even possible for her to have it? Suddenly she wished she’d paid more attention when her mother taught her about her shifter heritage, if only for medical purposes.

In an effort to maintain control of the conversation, she borrowed one of her Nana’s favorite expressions. “Stop blowing smoke up my ass and get on with it.”

The tolerant light in his eyes extinguished. She wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it herself, but his entire demeanor transformed, becoming the man she recognized on the cover of business and financial magazines, the man who bought and sold property for a living. “I want to buy Polished.”

Shock held her immobile. “What would a savvy businessman like you need with a small-time salon?”

“I have an investment opportunity, but I need your building to complete the transaction. I can’t go into further details. Contract negotiations, you understand.”

Actually she didn’t. She’d bought Polished, scoring a hell of a deal when the previous owner died and the son agreed to take a low-ball offer. “I see. How much are you offering?”

Not that she would consider it, but it couldn’t hurt to ask.

“Two million dollars.”

She choked on her spit. “Come again?”

 

 

 

BUY SHIFT HAPPENS NOW AT:

http://www.amazon.com/Shift-Happens-Heart-Shifters-Book-ebook/dp/B00WGX0CXE

Be sure to enter the RAFFLECOPTER contest at

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/011196f43/?

 

And discover the remainder of the hop at http://www.thesnarkology.com/howling-good-hop-2015/

GUEST AUTHOR: Libby Waterford with Endless Devotion

Help me welcome Libby Waterford. Thank you, Libby, for dropping by for a visit!

 

 

 

One of my favorite aspects of setting is weather. I know some teachers advise writers never to write about the weather, but perhaps because I live in almost perpetually sunny and mild Southern California, I like writing, and reading, about the weather and I actually think “It was a dark and stormy night…” is a great way to start a book.

Weather can set the mood, inform plot, and even mirror themes. My novella Endless Devotion takes place in Massachusetts in late May on a particularly humid early summer weekend. The sultry, wet heat sets the tone for a sizzling sexy weekend, and a surprise rainstorm causes an already emotionally heightened scene’s tension to ratchet up even further.

Weather can reinforce a setting’s attributes, and the wrong weather at the wrong time can cause an interesting dissonance that affects the path of a book. Can you think of a favorite novel where the weather adds something to the story?

 

 

About the Author

Libby Waterford writes steamy contemporary romances. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons, where she works off her weekly pilgrimage to In-N-Out by swimming and climbing the city's secret staircases.

 

Author Links

 

Website: http://libbywaterford.com

Email: libby@libbywaterford.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/libbywaterford

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LibbyWaterford

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/libbywaterford

Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/libbywaterford

 

 

 

 

 

Blurb

What better way to keep her ex at a distance than by becoming engaged? Of course, Katya Noskov’s betrothal to a fellow Weston University professor is just a sham, but she’ll do anything to avoid becoming ensnared in the seductive trap set by Devak Batra, her charismatic ex, who just happens to be the US Secretary of Education.

Dev arrives on Weston’s campus to give the commencement address at the graduation ceremony and to propose to Katya while he’s at it. The last thing he expects is for her to announce her engagement to someone else. Undaunted, he’s determined to talk her out of her betrothal and back into his bed.

When Katya and Dev come together, sparks fly, clothes come off, and nothing, not even an engagement ring, can stop them from acting on their physical desires. From passionate stolen kisses to trysts in the rain, these two can’t keep their hands off each other, but steamy sex can’t resolve Katya’s reasons for leaving Dev in the first place. He must show he can make room for her in his life, not just his bed, if she can consider a future with the sexiest member of the Cabinet.

Will Katya’s fake engagement lead to a real proposal? Can Dev’s devotion survive distance, lies, and acts of congress?

The third of three erotic novellas set at the reunion and commencement weekend at Weston University, where lust leads to true love.

 

Excerpt from Endless Devotion

Katya wrapped her bathrobe around her body, intending to make use of the sumptuous bubble bath her mother had given her for her last birthday, and to lose herself in the latest Elizabeth George novel. The antiquated doorbell shrilled at the front of the house.

It wasn’t terribly late, but she couldn’t imagine who would be stopping by. She peered through the window beside the door. Dev stood there, something bunched in his left hand. He seemed calm, assured. He wasn’t easily rattled, and his equanimity suddenly made Katya want to wipe the impassive look off his face.

She yanked open the door. “Yes?”

“You left your trench coat in my car.”

She grabbed it out of his hands. “Thanks.”

“So, back to the idea of breakfast. Perhaps you and Edward could both join me—”

Katya lunged forward and plastered her lips to his, stopping his flow of words, commanding the entirety of his attention for at least this one moment. She didn’t want to listen to any more of Dev’s plans or hear her fake fiancé’s name come out of his mouth one more time. She didn’t want to think about the lie she’d told or Dev’s reasons for being here. She wanted some peace from the war raging between her brain and her body’s primal need to feel this man’s skin against her own.

She’d make this moment last as long as she could in the hopes of gaining some relief from her interior battle.

He kissed her back, adjusting his posture so, despite his greater height, she didn’t have to stand on tiptoe to meet his lips.

“Yes,” she murmured into his mouth, owning her need for the first time that night and loving the rush of power her sudden freedom from indecision brought her. She filled her fist with his thick black hair, tossed aside the trench coat, and grabbed his tight, delectable ass with her other hand. She ground herself into his body, making her intentions unmistakably clear. She detected his arousal as he groaned and wrapped long arms around her waist, locking her to him.

They had always been like an erupting volcano when they’d come together, hot, heedless of anything in their path. Now they grappled and moaned and tried to out-kiss each other, stealing each other’s breath away. Katya barely registered the fact they were still on her doorstep and their coupling was visible to the world until Dev’s voice, scratchy with need, broke into her consciousness.

“We’re going to”—he kissed her—“get arrested for disturbing the peace.”

 

Buy Links

Amazon | All Romance eBooks | Kobo | Google Play

The Weston University Novella Series

Book One: Passionate History

Book Two: Sweet Imperfection

Book Three: Endless Devotion

Fun With Memes

With the release of Shift Happens, my inner "fun girl" returned and I had a blast creating promotional teasers for my new release. Shift Happens is a humorous tale, so it was only fitting the teasers were equally funny.

Check out my collection below and tell me which is your favorite!