BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Word of Honor @LaurenLinwood #MFRWauthor

MFRW Author Lauren Linwood released Word of Honor, Book #1 in the Knights of Valor

series.
Merryn Mantel and Geoffrey de Montfort have loved each other since childhood. Once betrothed, Geoffrey leaves for the wars in France for five long years. Upon his return, the two marry and spend one blissful night consummating their love and making plans for their future.

But her new husband vanishes the next day without a trace. Merryn grieves for almost seven years—and then Geoffrey returns to her—changed from the boy and man she knew and worshiped. This stranger refuses to reveal where he has been and why he stayed away for so long.

Will her husband’s silence create a rift too large to heal, or can Merryn and Geoffrey recapture the love they once shared?

EXCERPT

As Merryn started to nudge Destiny on, she heard hoof beats approaching in the distance. A rider topped the hill and stopped. She watched as his head turned to drink in the view.
Geoffrey!
Her heart sang as she kicked her heels. Destiny took off like the wind, bringing her closer to her beloved.
“Merryn!”
She heard his call and watched him gallop toward her. Her heart beat fast. Would he be the same? Would he still care for her? She’d loved him since she was a child. She knew that love had been returned before he left for the wars in France. The one, chaste kiss they’d shared had been her sweetest memory these past five years.
They reached one another. He leapt from his saddle as she dropped her reins. Before she could dismount, he grabbed her waist and pulled her from her horse.
His mouth crashed down on hers. In hunger. In longing. In need. Merryn gave up to his kisses willingly. She wrapped her arms about his neck. He parted her lips and plunged in, his tongue mating with hers, his mouth dominating her, his arms tightening about her.
She felt her knees weakening as he left her breathless. Suddenly, he swept her off her feet. His mouth never left hers as he twirled round and round. She grew dizzy.
So must he, for he slowed and set her back on her feet. He broke the kiss and gazed at her so lovingly, she knew nothing had changed.
Except it had.
Her entire body now vibrated, humming with tension. His kisses had awakened a sleeping giant within her. She’d watched animals mating in the woods. She was ready to do the same. Desire for him flooded her.
“I thought you’d never come home,” she said breathlessly.
“I thought I’d never be home.” He laughed. “But here I am.” He pulled her close. Her breasts pressed against his broad chest. They seemed so sensitive beneath her smock and kirtle.
They stayed in an embrace some minutes, happy in their very nearness. Finally, Geoffrey pulled away.
“I am home for good, my love.”

ABOUT Lauren Linwood
Lauren’s historical romances use history as a backdrop to place her characters in extraordinary circumstances, where their intense desire for one another grows into the treasured gift of love. Her romantic suspense novels feature strong heroes and heroines who unite to defeat a clever antagonist and discover a deep, abiding love during their journey.

A native Texan, Lauren is an avid reader, moviegoer, and sports fan who manages stress by alternating yoga with long walks. She plans to start a support group for Fixer Upper addicts—as soon as she finishes her next piece of dark chocolate.

Website: http://www.laurenlinwood.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laurenlinwood
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LaurenLinwood
Blog: http://www.laurenlinwood.com/write-up-my-alley-2/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Lauren-Linwood/e/B00CSSG8BC
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7091840.Lauren_Linwood
Google+:  https://plus.google.com/+LaurenLinwood/about

On #Thursday13 learn all about Ghost Walking from #MFRWauthor Ally Shields

#MFRWauthor Ally Shields teaches us Ghost Walking

Ally Shields is a Midwestern writer with a love for mystery and the paranormal. Following a career in law and juvenile justice, she took up full-time writing in 2009. In 2012 her first paranormal was published, and she has two completed urban fantasy series. Ally loves to travel and includes many of those settings in her novels. Readers are welcome—and encouraged—to contact her through her website or track her down on Twitter (@ShieldsAlly).

 
 
                    Ghost Walking 
(A Maggie York Paranormal Mystery Book One)
Genre Paranormal/Suspense
Publisher  Etopia Press

Blurb
New Orleans' homicide cop Maggie York is at the top of her game until a sniper's bullet changes everything. She flatlines, comes back. But not quite the same. She sees and hears things...ghostly things.
Six months later the voices have faded but Maggie's still on medical leave from alleged PTSD. If only. Frustrated, she sets out to track down her shooter, but things get complicated...a ghost wants his own murder solved, and sexy homicide cop, Josh Brandt—her replacement—wants her to butt out of his case.

Unraveling her case draws them down twisted but intersecting paths…and Josh grows wary of how the attractive redhead is staying one step ahead of him. Despite mutual suspicions they continue to track the killer…knowing failure may cost Maggie her life.
  Buy Link Amazon

Since my heroine Maggie York is haunted by ghosts of murder victims, it seemed fitting for her to help me compose a list of thirteen famous ghosts. Here's the group we chose, in no particular order.
1. The Hitchhiking Ghost is a very young girl who appears at the side of a dark road, claiming she's lost and needs a ride home. When rescuers arrive at her address, the girl in the backseat has vanished and occupants of the house report having a daughter who died years before.
2. The Ghost of Christmas Past (A Christmas Carole), a rather harsh dose of truth.
3. Man in Gray, an English aristocrat who haunts Drury Lane in London. Stay out of his way...he carries a sword.
4. King Hamlet is probably the best known of Shakespeare's many ghosts.
5. The Bell Witch (Kate Batts). In Ghost Walking, Maggie York's relatives warn her to avoid ghosts like this notorious, vengeful spirit haunting a Tennessee farm family since 1817.
6. (tied) Slimer, the green ghost from Ghostbusters movies; Casper, The Friendly Ghost from comic books and movies.
7. Anne Boleyn, whose headless spirit haunts the Tower of London where she was executed.
8. Bloody Mary is reputed to have murdered her own children. If you want to see her, repeat her name three times while standing in front of the mirror in a darkened bathroom.
9. Elvis, who hangs around Graceland reportedly hiding from his overzealous fans.
10. The Brown Lady was photographed in 1936 on the stairs of Raynham Hall, Norfolk, England. Lady Dorothy had been confined there by her brutal husband until her death.

And for the last three, we selected some of the White House ghosts, those former inhabitants who have refused to leave.

11. Abraham Lincoln has appeared so often since his death he has earned the title of The White House Ghost. Most reported sightings occur in the Lincoln Bedroom and the Yellow Oval Room.
12. Dolley Madison originally planted the Rose Garden. When attempts were made to change it, she appeared and protects it to this day.
13. Abigail Adams hung laundry in the East Room. Recent staff have reported smelling wet laundry and her scent of lavender.

Watch a short teaser  of the book: 
 

You can find out more about the author here:
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Book Spotlight: Knights of Stone @LisaCBooks #MFRWauthor

MFRW author Lisa Carlisle released Knights of Stone: Mason, an Erotic Paranormal

Romance.
After a bloody and divisive battle twenty-five years ago, the inhabitants of the Isle of Stone—namely, gargoyles, tree witches, and wolf shifters—have lived apart, divided by borders none are permitted to cross. But when Kayla, a tree witch, hears about the unconventional rock concerts that are the talk of gargoyle territory, she sneaks away from her coven to see for herself. Night after night, she returns, not just for the music, but for one particular gargoyle who shifts into human form to play guitar at these avant-garde shows.
Her attention has not gone unnoticed. For several nights, Mason has kept watch for the pixie-like female. He plans to seduce her, unaware that she’s not just a visitor from another island. But when he discovers she’s one of the tree witches, he knows that no matter how strong the temptation, anything between them would be forbidden.
Despite the obstacles that should keep them apart, Kayla and Mason can’t resist their dark attraction and meet in secret, but other elements on the isle command their attention. The magical cloak created by the three clans on the island is thinning, leading to repercussions for all. Kayla and Mason are soon caught in the middle of it, and their actions may change the fate of the isle forever.

BUY LINK

REVIEWS
“Kayla and Mason fall in love despite their differences, despite being different. It is a new way of telling Romeo and Juliet. You cannot be with them because of something their ancestors did, and the kids saying I do not care about that, I want to be with them regardless. A lesson many of us need to learn. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting something a little different from their normal.” ~ 5* from Books and Beyond Fifty Shades

“I love a paranormal book that has multiple beings, in this book there are Gargoyles, witches and  wolf shifters. The plot has twists and turns taking you through such a unique and mysterious world… Great story, great characters… Very unique!”  ~ Up All Night, Read All Day Book Reviews

EXCERPT

Murmurs of astonishment burst from the crowd as the transformation began. Their cries of fervor grew louder as the monstrous statues transformed into taller, slimmer figures with the bronzed skin of warriors who battled under the midday sun. The tartan fabric fell over their thighs as they stood erect, covering their nudity.
Kayla barely blinked, mesmerized as always, as the statue before her stood to full height, taking on the form of a human male, but with beautiful raven wings. Hair just as black snaked rebelliously past his chin. The stony eyes flickered with animation, turning to a mossy green. His deep gaze seared the audience, seeming to burn anything in the path. When he found Kayla, he stopped. His expression was unreadable, but the intensity in his unblinking eyes made her swallow. She froze under the scrutiny as if hypnotized, unable to break eye contact. Her stomach lurched, heart pounded, and every muscle in her body tightened, fueled with blood now scorching through her veins. His penetrating appraisal affected her so. When his eyes took on a smoldering glint, her skin tingled and a red-hot awareness grew between her thighs.
He broke the stare and continued to assess the audience. She gasped, not realizing she had been holding her breath, and panted while she tried to breathe at a normal rate.
He turned on robust legs and strode to a guitar stand. She tore her eyes from him to note the other gargoyles. They, too, had shifted into the form of striking males. One had black hair draped further down his back, one had long blond hair, and two had reddish-brown hair—one wavy and shaggy, the other straight. They took their place at other instruments. She sought the guitarist again and caught the first sound of the pick striking the strings. On hearing the guitar projected through the amp, the crowd roared again, pressing Kayla forward.
The freak show was about to begin.
Spotlights flooded the musicians, powered by solar panels near a massive amplifier. The guitarist continued playing and the others joined in, playing a raucous crossover between hard rock and heavy metal. The one with long blond hair grabbed hold of the microphone and belted out a shattering cry that sounded like a call to battle. The crowd went pin drop silent to listen and then cheered in unison as the band played on. The front man sang piercing growls and low croons about the Knights in Stone, the protectors of the ancient forests, battling against the evil tree witches.
Kayla’s coven.

ABOUT Lisa Carlisle
USA Today bestselling author Lisa Carlisle loves stories with dark, brooding heroes and independent heroines. Her romances have been  named Top Picks at Night Owl Reviews and All Romance Ebooks. When she was younger, she worked in a variety of jobs, moving to various countries, before returning to the U.S. She’s now married to a fantastic man, and they have two kids, two kittens, and too many fish.

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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6463824.Lisa_Carlisle