All posts by Beth Williamson

Beth has never been able to escape her imagination and it led her to the craft of writing romance novels. She’s passionate about purple, books, and her family (not to mention long cruises). She works full-time (DDJ) and writes romance novels evening, weekends, early mornings and whenever there is a break in the madness. Beth squeals when she hears from readers so get to e-mailing her.

Endless Heart is out in the wild!

I’m pleased to announce the book 3 in my Heart series, ENDLESS HEART, is out in the wild in ebook! Yipee!! This was a very emotional book for me, full of intensity and two characters who spent their time making sure everyone knew just how rotten they were.

I took Lettie and Shane, wounded souls without much to say for themselves, and brought them together. They were definitely the most damaged couple I had but honestly, for Lettie, she had to find someone who could sit at the bottom of the barrel with her. Otherwise she couldn’t love him. Her man had to know what suffering was and Shane sure as heck did.

I threw in some mysticism, plenty of tears, hot scenes between Lettie and Shane, and a few familiar characters along with a few new. I helped them fall in love, but I also helped them forgive themselves and become the people they wanted to be.

The product warning for the book says it all…

Get ready for a deep, intense love story that will leave you crying, cheering, shouting, squirming and sighing. Prepare for a hero who needs to be held, a heroine who needs to be loved, and a story that needs to be told.

I’ve got a bunch of excerpts on my blog for your reading pleasure. You can pick up a copy at Samhain Publishing for 30% off until midnight on Monday, June 4th!

And the cover? What can I say? Scott Carpenter is a genius – the cover is amazing. 🙂

Endlessly in love

It’s 25 days until the ebook release of ENDLESS HEART, my third book in the HEART series. May 29th approaches! Needless to say I’m excited and thrilled to have this book published, more so than I anticipated.

When I began the journey of the HEART series with RUTHLESS HEART, I fully anticipated three books in the series. However, as a writer, nothing ever goes the way I plan it. The characters take over and, generally, all hell breaks loose. RUTHLESS HEART was no exception. Grady and Eliza taught me a lesson in following my heart, and falling in love.

I followed up with RESTLESS HEART, this is Angeline’s story, the sweet sister who ran from an abusive husband in RUTHLESS HEART. It was a gentle, sweet story with two characters who fell in love and found their mates. It didn’t have the bite or roughness of its predecessor. It was a different story, and again, I listened to Angeline and Sam, and their story was steeped in deep feelings with a smattering of Native American mysticism.

The last story to be told was Lettie’s. Ah, Lettie, my tough, outspoken dame with a chip on her shoulder the size of Wyoming. She had lived with that abusive husband for five years, long enough to develop a thick skin and pain so deep, she didn’t ever believe happiness or love were in store for her. Along comes Shane, quite possibly the most damaged hero I’ve ever written (that’s saying a lot too). He blamed himself for a great deal of dark happenings, and stayed in the shadows of his own misery.

There were never two people who deserved love than these two. ENDLESS HEART was a story that had to be told, no matter what. It’s an intense, emotional story that made me weep, made my heart thump and rejoice. I hope readers fall into Lettie and Shane’s world, and ready themselves for the ride of a lifetime.

 

Musing about cowboys

In case you haven’t heard, I have a new novella out titled A COWBOY’S MUSE. It’s not my first mash-up story but it’s by far the most fun! 🙂

The premise is that Clio, daughter of Zeus and muse of history and books, peeked into one of her father’s books she shouldn’t have and BAM she’s stuck in 1875 Texas, powerless. Then along comes our reluctant lawman and man of the day, Ace Nevada. He doesn’t want to help the strange woman dressed in a purple peek-a-boo nightie in public, but she has no one else.

Thus begins the fun, sexy novella I really enjoyed writing. Ace was the alpha male who didn’t realize how quickly he was falling for Clio. And Clio? Well she was a goddess who finally learned what it meant to be human.

How about an excerpt? But of course! Enjoy!

***

Clio spent most of her time reading books. Books and family were her life. She tried to spend some time on Earth, but really, it was minimal.

I should have tried harder.

Her belated thought meant nothing when she slammed into the water in a wooden container, spraying the filthy muck five feet into the air. A round of cursing and whinnies decorated the air and she tried not to swallow any of the nasty stuff that surrounded her. She had landed in a horse trough. A trough!

A hand grabbed her arm and yanked hard. She flew out of the water only to land on her knees in the dust, coughing and sputtering. Trying to forget what the water smelled like or what animals—two or four legged—had been drinking from it. Her stomach heaved and she fought against it.

“Somebody get her a towel or something,” a deep voice said. “For Chrissakes, stop staring, Billy! Ain’t you ever seen a woman in a purple peek-a-boo before?”

“Not like that, Ace. I was hoping to get a look at her…” answered another voice, this one a bit whiny.

“Shut up and get back inside that damn saloon before I shoot you, you stupid cowpoke.”

Just when she had gotten her breath back, a green cloth was shoved in her face.

“Here, dry off with this.”

Clio accepted it gratefully and pressed her face into it. It smelled of smoke, sweat and something she suspected was whiskey.

“It’s a tablecloth. There ain’t much else to find in this part of town.”

She took a deep breath and reemerged from the cloth to look up into the face of the man who had pulled her from the trough. He had longish, chocolate-brown hair that brushed his collar and matching eyes, framed by lashes that would make any woman jealous. He was no woman though, that much was for certain. His face was hard, his expression even harder. He wore a black hat, a gray shirt with a black leather vest, a dark-colored neckerchief and denims, with some pointy boots on his feet.

What really drew her attention, though, was the gleaming silver star pinned to his vest.

“Are you an officer of the law?”

One brown eyebrow went up as he frowned at her. “Do you need any help besides what I already gave?”

Clio stood and sourly noticed he did not offer his assistance and even though she nearly fell on her head in the dust. She finally noticed her surroundings and gasped in surprise.

Oh hell and damnation. She shouldn’t have sneaked her father’s book, or read the words aloud. Honestly, she knew books had power, but this was beyond expected. She had cast a spell on herself and gone back in time! Not only the past, but from the looks of things, the Old West. In front of her, at least a full head taller, stood her savior.

“Problem?”

She bit her lip and contemplated her question before asking it. Clio certainly didn’t want to raise any more suspicion than she already had. “Can you tell me where we are and what day it is?”

There, that ought to be as innocuous as she could make it.

“It’s Tuesday and you’re standing in front of The Iron Bell saloon.”

She shook her head and was mortified when a bit of green goo flew from her hair to land on his vest. She watched in horror as it slid toward his exceedingly firm stomach.

“No, I mean town and state. And the actual date if you wouldn’t mind.”

Both eyebrows went up this time and his gaze raked her up and down. “You must’ve hit your head right good, lady. This here is Peyote, Texas, and it’s the fifteenth of June.”

“Yes, I believe I did hit my head. Can you also provide the year?”

This time he stepped back a pace and his hand crept close to the dark pistol she noticed riding his thigh. Her pulse notched up.

“It’s 1875. Now what kind of game are you playing?”

Clio had no words. She was in Texas, 1875! She closed her eyes and focused on Mt. Olympus, trying to return there as she always could. It was no use. Nothing happened.

She didn’t intend on traveling to earth or back in time. Books had never harmed her before now. If only she hadn’t sought out her father’s book. Ever curious, okay nosy, she had been looking for the gold edged book for some time. It was the one tome she hadn’t read or even been able to touch. Clio could hardly be blamed for wanting to seek it out. According to lore, Zeud had walked amongst humans, but she hadn’t believed it was all true. Now she knew it must be because here she was. On earth, unable to return. Perhaps she missed part of the spell when she read it aloud.

Was she mortal for good? Would she ever be able to return to Mt. Olympus and her family? Her father would be furious, that is, if he ever found her.

 

*****

 

Ace Nevada looked at the little, black-haired thing in front of him with a good dose of doubt. He had no idea how she ended up in the trough in front of the saloon and she sure as hell didn’t look familiar. He knew everyone in this town on sight. He had a knack for remembering faces. And bodies.

He surely would have remembered the graceful curves currently getting hugged by that wet, purple frippery. She had a fabulous pair of tits too—more than a handful with hard nipples poking out. Yes sirree, he would have remembered her down at Martha Ann’s, not that he visited the whorehouse very often except for business.

This one would have definitely gotten his attention for pleasure. He had the sinking feeling she was a bit touched in the head though. That purple frock belonged in a whore’s bedroom, not out on the street, even in a town like Peyote.

“You belong down at Martha Ann’s?”

Her eyes, which he noticed were an amazing shade of dark green, held no recognition at the name of the madam’s.  “I do not know anyone named Martha Ann.”

He tried a different tactic. “How did you get here?”

“I’m not sure. I, um, can’t remember.”

He frowned. “Maybe you hit your head too hard when you landed. I’ve heard of that before. Folks losing their memory after getting hit upside the head.”

She closed her mouth and nodded slightly as though the idea had merit. What the hell did he know?

“Where are you from?”

She glanced up at the sky then down at her wet outfit. It was sticking to her like a second skin. She pulled at it, but it only made it worse. Hell, she was shivering. He felt a tug of pity for her and draped the tablecloth around her slender shoulders.

“Mount Olympus.”

He searched his memory for the town. “That somewhere near St. Louis?”

She shook her head and gazed around like a scared kid. “No, a little farther north.”

“What’s your name, honey?”

Her gaze snapped back to his, her expression downright forlorn. “Clio. My name is Clio.”

He sighed heavily. She was obviously a fish out of water and more than likely not a penny to her name. Might have been lying about not knowing how she got there, but some of what she said appeared to be truth, mixed up with fibs of course. No matter what, she was his responsibility, dammit. Sometimes being the sheriff was annoying. He wasn’t about to lock her up, which meant he only had one other choice.

“I’m Ace Nevada. Let me take you down to Maybelle’s boarding house, Clio. She might be a tough old broad, but she’ll take care of you. I don’t suppose you have a suitcase with some other clothes, do you?”

He knew she was going to say no and wasn’t disappointed when she shook her head. Of course she didn’t.

Ace turned on his heel and started walking away. He paused when he realized she wasn’t next to him. He glanced back at her.

“Let’s get going, Clio. The day ain’t getting any younger and that purple frock of yours ain’t getting any drier.”

Musing with a cowboy

What’s up with me? Well, I’ve been musing with a cowboy. 🙂 Yep, you read that right. A cowboy, a muse, and a match made in heaven.

My latest release is a novella, A COWBOY’S MUSE. I took a mash-up of time travel, mythology and good ol’ fashioned western and turned on the blender. The result is a fun, sexy story that I had a ball writing. It was a challenge, to be sure, to mash those genres together, but worth the effort.

Clio is a goddess who is immortal yet she’s never truly lived. Getting knocked into 1875 Texas gives her that chance. While Ace, well, he’s a cowboy who finds himself wrapped up in a purple-clad goddess and he can’t do anything else but hang on for the ride. I love it!

Here is the blurb:

Clio is not only the muse of history, she has virtually lived her life through books. When a lightning strike sends her through space and time, Clio finds herself in the Old West with no way of getting home and none of her powers. Relying on her book learning is not working out like she’d hoped.

Ace Nevada is an unwilling sheriff who has spent the last year trying to get out of town. When a crazy woman lands in the horse trough in front of a saloon, he finds himself strangely attracted to her. He can’t help himself from sampling her lips or her incredibly lush body.

Clio learns how to be human and Ace remembers what it is to be human. They are two halves of the same whole. Mates. When Clio’s powers return, will their love pass the test of time?

***

And now for an excerpt…

***

“Watch that beef stew, Clio. I’ll be back in a few shakes,” Maybelle said before she dashed out of the kitchen as fast as her small legs could carry her.

Clio wondered what was happening, but grabbed the spoon and stirred the bubbling beef stew on the big, black cook stove. The potatoes danced merrily in the brown liquid and the scent teased her nose. Everything she’d experienced as a mortal, including food, was sweeter, spicier, more intense than anything she’d ever had before.

One moment she was contemplating how delicious the stew would taste, the next she was pressed up against the wall with a very hard male body pressed against her.

“What did you think you were doing?” Ace hissed into her ear.

“Let me go.” It was like trying to move a boulder as she pushed against him.

“I was in your bed and between your thighs last night, and today you had your hands on other men.”

He ground against her. She couldn’t stop herself from responding and pushing her softness into his hardness. Her nipples pebbled and skittered against her new chemise. She was immediately damp between her thighs. It was amazing how quickly her body remembered his, like a dream she fell right back into.

“Let me go,” she repeated. “Maybelle is going to be right back.”

His hands grasped her wrists and held them above her head.

“You’re mine, Clio. No other man is getting to touch all of you while I am. You are branded, do you hear me?”

He bit her neck then licked it, and kissed it roughly.

“You wear my brand, like there’s an A on you for the world to see.”

That’s when she got angry—real angry. “Haven’t you ever heard of the Scarlet Letter? How dare you compare me to an adulteress like Hester Prynne as if I should be proud of it?”

“The Scarlet what?”

Clio kicked him in the shin and he let her wrists go. She twisted and pinched him under his arm, a trick that always worked with her big sisters.

“Ouch! Shit! What the hell are you doing?”

She kicked the other shin and stomped on his foot. He fell backwards and landed on his perfectly-formed behind.

A surge of power rushed through her. The power of choice. Of being a woman. “Next time you want to talk to me, don’t treat me like that. I deserve respect and care. You had one mistake coming. That was it.”

Deep in the throes of a new idea

I’m writing one of my Brava books which is due in 2 months but I am also deep in the throes of a new idea. It’s a fascinating new proposal that I absolutely am in love with. It’s historical, but paranormal, and a new genre for me.

I’m obsessed!

Writing two books at once (oh, and did I mention the erotic novella and  short story I need to finish?) is not easy. In fact, I usually avoid it. In this case, however, I am in love with both stories at once. I have to remind myself when I start writing, okay, who is the heroine? who is the hero? what’s their backstory? I try to work on one for a couple days, then switch to the other.

I’m getting dizzy. LOL.

I think I will get another 20 pages more written of the “new” story then send it to my agent for her looksee. Then I can focus on the Brava novel (and the short story and the novella) for a while.

After all those are done, I’m going to start on Endless Heart, the third book in the Heart series I’ve written as Emma Lang. This will not be published by Brava, but I have pitched to my editor at Samhain and she’s most interested. Yay!

I’ll keep myself busy writing for sure. LOL. I’ve been using Dr. Wicked’s fabulous Write or Die. It’s keeping me on task and man am I getting words on “paper”. 🙂

Here’s to a fabulous weekend and lots of writing done!

Feeling Restless

January 25 is coming up fast – hard to believe it’s almost 2011! RESTLESS HEART, my second book as Emma Lang, hits the shelves on that auspicious day. Woot!

RESTLESS HEART was a different kind of book for me. Many of my books, and especially RUTHLESS HEART the book before this one, have some laugh out loud humor as a natural extension of the characters. RESTLESS HEART had some but the hero and heroine didn’t have that sarcastic streak.

Instead, they were both very damaged souls, looking for something, anything, to pull them from the darkness they existed in. And when I say existed, that’s the right word. Angeline lived a lie each day while Sam lived in pain. It was an intensely emotional book to write and I found myself falling into the dark emotions the characters were feeling.

It wasn’t the first time, but I had to struggle to keep myself above water with it. I think the scenes that really pull you in as a reader, totally pulled me in as the author. It’s a failing I have, being very emotional (I’m an easy cryer too), but that failing makes my characters live in breathe IMHO.

I hope y’all enjoy Angeline’s story when it releases January 25th from Kensington Brava. Below is an excerpt to whet your appetite!

***

When he arrived at the Blue Plate, instead of heading inside to eat, he found himself walking around to the back. To where he’d first seen Angeline reading on the steps back in October. A lifetime ago it seemed. He didn’t know what compelled him to walk back there, but when he did he found Angeline gathering wood from the pile without a coat.

“Angel, what are you doing? You’ll freeze to death.” He took the wood from her as she stared at him, her nose red from the cold.

His arm brushed her breast, earning a surprised yelp from her and an instant hard-on from him. Her scent washed over him, feeding his arousal, making him nearly careen out of control.

He leaned toward her, the wood forgotten, the coolness of the air a distant memory. She licked her lips, the nip in the air making them a darker pink. Sam moved as if in a daze, his body buzzing with only one thought.

Kissing Angeline.

His blood thrummed through his body and he swore the air between them crackled as he came within an inch of being pressed up against her. She sucked in a short breath, her blue gaze as wide as the sky above.

Against his will, with his mind screaming for him to stop, Sam leaned forward and kissed her. Oh God, her lips were softer than anything he’d ever felt in his life. She tasted of coffee, of woman, of an angel’s sweetness. He brushed her lips again, their breaths mingling in the cold air in a small poof of whiteness.

Sam groaned and stepped back, this time it was his body howling in agony. His dick hammering against the buttons that held it back.

What the hell had he just done?

Angeline shivered and licked her lips again. “What did you call me?”

Sam stopped, completely flummoxed by her question. He expected her to slap him, kick him in the balls or at least turn and leave him standing there like the idiot he was. “I don’t know. What did I call you?”

“You called me Angel.” She shook her head slowly. “Believe me, I am no angel, Samuel.”

He needed to apologize, but didn’t know how. Sam wasn’t used to the softer things in life. A warrior at heart, he could hardly bear not taking this woman to his bed. He wanted her with the heat of a thousand suns.

“You look angelic to me. And please, call me Sam.”

Was that the best he could do? Moron.

“Don’t let the outside fool you. Nothing about me is angelic.” She backed up toward the stairs and stumbled.

Sam grabbed her by the elbow and she gasped, her gaze again slammed to his. He wanted to gasp too. Touching her sent a jolt through him unequaled in his life. As if a bolt of lightning had come down from the clear sky and slammed into them. Every hair on his body stood on end.

Her mouth opened and she scrambled to her feet, apparently eager to stop touching him. Sam rubbed his hands together to prevent him from reaching for her again. He didn’t necessarily believe in the gods or the spiritual teachings of his mother, at least what he could remember of them.

Yet, the gods in their wisdom had obviously made this woman to be his other half, the white to his black, his mate. There could be no other explanation.

Post-RAW 2010

I just attended my second Lora Leigh’s Reader Appreciation Weekend in West Virginia in September. It was so much fun!

My mom attended again with me and had a ball. Here is a picture of us at the pajama party.

I also ran into so many friends, new and existing. I dressed as Calamity Jane for the costume ball. Here is me holding a gorgeous Lorelei James at knife point.

Next year RAW will be in Flintstone Maryland, and I’m so looking forward to it. To read a full post of the conference, check out Nikki Duncan’s post on the Borders True Romance blog.

Inspiration

One of the questions asked by readers a lot is “where do you get your ideas from?” In other words, what inspires me. It can be a hard question to answer to be honest.

I’m inspired by things like a rundown old house on the side of the road, an overheard conversation between two strangers, or sometimes even seeing a basket at the flea market. There are auditory and visual inspiration points every moment of every day.

Occasionally, my inspiration sprouts from dreams. For example, my current WIP is based on a dream I had about a cursed marble. Yep, a blue marble that is supposedly hexed and brings the owner bad luck. I woke up and just started writing it, based on hazy images from my dream.

I think creative people, such as writers, musicians, artists, all gather in what’s around them. We’re like human-sized sponges absorbing in everything. I guess if you squeeze us, you get juice. 😉

I love to play this game when I pass by something or someone interesting, where I try to write a past. For example, is that man going to meet his lover or his wife? Perhaps he got fired today and doesn’t know how to tell her. Or how about that farmhouse? Was it built before the Civil War or after? The man who built it could have had no wife but hoped for one so he built it big. Or perhaps he built a really small one because he didn’t want a wife.

The stories are all around me, a constant din that can be really loud or only a whisper. And that, ladies and gents, is where my inspiration comes from.

Release mania

This Tuesday, June 29, marked my first release as Emma Lang, RUTHLESS HEART. I posted a week’s worth of teasers on my blog, giving folks a view into the heart of the book. If you haven’t read them, what are you waiting for? LOL. Seriously though, I am very proud of this book and I hope readers like Eliza and Grady. They’re the most opposite hero and heroine I’ve ever written.

On the heels of this week’s release is next week’s, my erotic romance novel with Berkley Heat, UNBRIDLED hits shelves July 6. This was by far the hottest book I’ve written, obviously it’s for Heat, but it also contains my first true menage scene, and my first full length contemporary erotic romance. I’m nervous about how it will be received by readers.

So to quell my nervousness, and to introduce y’all to Alex and Connor (he is a seriously sexy cowboy), I’m going to kick off the weekend here by posting excerpts of UNBRIDLED.

First off, let me say, the cover is smoking hot. I mean, scorchingly sexy. I think it’s got to be the best I’ve ever had and that’s saying a lot because my Samhain covers are fantastic.

Now for you my esteemed readers, here is excerpt #1 of UNBRIDLED for your reading pleasure.

***

After retrieving her laptop from the trunk of the car, Alex entered the house again and set the empty iced tea glass at the check-in desk, then made a beeline for his office. She almost hoped he wasn’t there so she could snoop around.

There was no shame in snooping. Sometimes she could find out a lot of things simply by looking when no one was around to keep information from her. The hallway and the office were empty and Alex smiled grimly as she set up her laptop on his desk. It didn’t matter if he ran the place; if she was half owner, he could find another place to perch.

The laptop found a secured wireless network but she couldn’t find the password anywhere on his desk, although she did look through all the drawers just to be sure. There was a bottle of mouthwash, a toothbrush and toothpaste with floss in the bottom drawer. Obviously Connor had good oral hygiene, which was a plus in Alex’s book.

She found notebooks, pens, a thumb drive and a neat stack of invoices for feed, hay and veterinary services. The thumb drive intrigued her so she plugged it into her laptop and took a look-see at the contents.

“Find anything interesting?”

She didn’t look up at the voice because she knew it was Connor at the door. “Not yet but give me a few more minutes.”

“That drive contains the guest records for the last six months. No trade secrets or incriminating evidence.”

She saw him standing in the doorway out of the corner of her eye as she paged through the spreadsheets on the drive. He was telling her the truth, and that pissed her off, for whatever reason. She wanted him to get caught in a lie. It would make it easier to dislike him.

“Okay, now I want access to the real books. Not just guest records, fascinating as they might be.” She tapped her laptop. “Give me the network key and I’ll find what I need.”

His gaze narrowed. “I don’t work for you, and I sure as hell don’t take orders from you.”

Ah, she’d finally riled the calm Connor Matthews. Good, she’d rather have him rattled than annoyingly calm.

“I beg to differ. If I own half this ranch, then you do work for me.”

“There’s a clause in the will giving me the position of chief operating officer for the ranch. That means I work for the estate, not you.” He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him, looking more like a stalking panther than a man. She shivered at the predatory gleam in his eye.
Perhaps she shouldn’t have stepped on his paw.

“Six of one, half dozen of another. You are responsible for giving me information when I want it.” She stood as he loomed over her. No need for intimidation tactics. Her pulse thrummed fast and heavy as she caught wind of his scent. Why did he have to be so damn attractive?

“I don’t have to give you anything you demand. Didn’t anyone tell you that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar?” He leaned in so close, she could see the flecks of dark green mixed with the lighter green of his eyes.

“Who says I want to catch flies?” Why was her voice so breathy?

“You’re bossy.”

“You’re annoying.”

She didn’t want to kiss him, but damn if she didn’t find herself wrapped around him with her lips locked against his. After an initial moment of surprise, he pulled her close and she felt every inch of his hardened body against hers. My, oh my, he was definitely in shape. If she had been sober the night before, she wouldn’t have woken up alone; that was for sure.

Her nipples tightened fast and she ground them against his hard chest, eager for more. His hands cupped her ass, pulling her against an erection she really wanted to see up close and personal. Connor was well endowed and she couldn’t have been happier about that.

Their tongues rasped against each other, sweet wet heat she wanted repeated between her legs. Their clothes were annoying and preventing her from actually feeling skin on skin. She managed to get herself up on the desk, then spread her legs wide and pulled him into the vee of her pulsing core

.
****

Trying something different

You know, I’ve been writing western historical romance for about 14 years. It’s my favorite genre (obviously) and the one I feel most comfortable in. You know, like one of those old cushiony chairs that fits your (my big) butt just right? That’s western historical romance for me. Many would argue that I likely lived a full life back then and had memories of that past life. That’d be really cool if it were true. 🙂

However, I do try different genres. I’ve delved into short contemporary erotic romance with M/F and F/F, as well as some scorchingly hot erotica with a splash of romance.

On July 6, I take that dabbling to a new level with the release of my first erotic romance single title, UNBRIDLED. When I was writing the proposal, I kept thinking, can I do this? A full 80K+ book? I knew I could do it with historical western, but erotic contemporary? I have to admit, I was nervous.

I’m pleased to say I wrote the book, delivered on time, and I’m really happy with the story. I connected with the heroine, Alex, and the hero, Connor, as I do with all my H/H. It’s a good story, if I do say so myself, and full of extremely hot sex with a lot of romance, and yes, there is a wonderful HEA.

The cover is absolutely kickin’ too.

I’m on pins and needles, y’all, until the release date, which seems to be looming so close! Three months to go! I’ll be doing contests and promos all over the place so stay tuned for that.

Here is the blurb and an excerpt for your reading pleasure…

Hell hath no fury like Alex Finley…

For as long as Alex could remember, life had taken everything from her. Her father had abandoned her and her dying mother, only to return upon her death to reclaim the family’s Wyoming ranch—with a new wife. Alex’s rage drove her away to Los Angeles to live with a man who could never satisfy her.

Only after ten years does she come home—and she hits the town with a vengeance, unleashing her pent-up lust on willing cowpoke Connor Matthews. But she’s in for several shocks. It turns out that the ranch is now a resort, that her late father split the estate between Alex and her young step-brother, and that Connor—the bucking bronco she wants in her bed—is running the place.

Now, Alex is torn between accepting a new family, and a lover who can give her everything she needs—or selling out to a smooth-talking neighbor and leaving the past behind her. But only when her life is on the line does she realize what she desires most of all…

Excerpt

Monday morning came and with it the sun, thank God. Connor balanced the muffin on top of the to-go cup and opened his office door. At first he could hardly believe what he was seeing; then he realized that Miss Alex Finley had set up her own workspace on his desk.

“What the hell are you doing?”

She glanced up from her laptop. “Working on the books. Just in case you forgot about giving me the job yesterday.”

He gritted his teeth at her sarcasm. “It may come as a surprise to you, but this is my office. I work here, not you.”

As he set the coffee and muffin down, she made a grab for it. Connor held firm to the cup, but she managed to snatch the muffin.

“Is this cinnamon chip? Oh, these were my favorites growing up. Bernice bakes the best muffins, doesn’t she?”

As he watched her take a big bite of his breakfast, Connor had to hang on tight to his temper with both hands. It was like trying to control a team of eight with dental floss, but he managed.

“I let you do the accounting work, but I never intended for you to do it here. There isn’t enough room.” He sat down and booted up his own laptop.

She shrugged. “There’s no other office free, so unless you want me working on the books in a public area where everyone can see exactly what I’m doing, then it’s going to be here.”

“What about your cabin?”

She picked up the next invoice and read it with her brow furrowed, concentrating on the trash collection fees. “The WiFi sucks that far away, so here I am. You’ll just have to deal with it.”

Connor gritted his teeth and counted to ten. The fact she was right rankled him more than the fact she stole his muffin. He should have made arrangements for her to have a private office, at least temporarily, until she decided Finley’s wasn’t the place for her.

“Couldn’t you have asked me?”

One slender brow rose. “Ask permission to work in this office? I am half owner in this ranch, am I not? I don’t think I need permission to contribute to the financial well-being of Finley’s.”

“I don’t like sharing my office.” Connor punched in his password with enough fervor to hurt his fingertips, which was saying a lot.

“I could tell.” She smiled sweetly. “Is there a way to order more muffins and coffee? I’m starving.”

Connor gestured to the door. “The mess hall is down on the south side of the ranch. You can’t miss it. It’s a big building with tables and chairs for people to eat.”

Alex surprised him by laughing. “You make it hard to be a bitch sometimes, Matthews.”

“Then don’t be one.”

“Ha, as if that’s going to happen.” She shook her head. “You’re not getting off that easy. You will just have to deal with me playing in your sandbox.” She popped a piece of muffin in her mouth.

“Then stop throwing sand in my face.”

Alex smiled at him and went back to the invoices. At least it appeared she really was working, and he didn’t know whether or not to be surprised. He tried to focus on the schedules but he kept glancing back at her while she worked.

She entered each invoice in the stack individually, then picked them up and reviewed them against what she entered. On the third pass, he had forgotten what he was doing and watched her reaction instead.

“What is it you’re doing?”

“I’m categorizing the expenses properly. You put all the barn supplies into one lump instead of separating them by type. They should be split out that way to better track what you’re spending.” She glanced over at him. “Did you know you’ve been paying about thirty percent more for feed than you did last year?”

He was startled by the figure. “What are you talking about? We haven’t changed feed supplier or type of feed. I find it hard to believe—”

“Whether or not you believe me is irrelevant. I went back over these invoices for the last year and discovered what was happening.” She gestured to the stack, which was when he realized they were all from Hanson’s, the feed supply house.

What threw him off was that some were on blue paper, others on pink, and the top few were white. He didn’t remember them changing the color of the invoice, but they obviously had. What else had he missed?

Connor realized she was waiting for him to ask the obvious question. “What was happening?”

Her face lit up as if she’d just discovered how to turn lead into gold. Alex obviously did enjoy accounting and all it entailed. “Hanson’s supplies more than feed to the ranch. They also sell us saddle soap, some other leather conditioners and applicators, some stall cleaner, hay bags and winter stuff like bucket deicers. Each kind of supply was on a different invoice until about six months ago.”

Despite his annoyance with Alex, he was interested in what she’d found. Hanson’s did supply various types of supplies to them. They were reliable and their feed was good quality.

“Since you are being a stubborn ass, I’ll tell you what I found. When they started billing everything together on the white invoices, someone got greedy and started charging more for the same amount of feed.” She looked at him triumphantly.

Connor was impressed but skeptical. “What if the price of feed went up?”

“I checked with other suppliers online. Hanson’s is by far the highest priced, well above what they should be charging. You’re getting taken by a clever billing person at this place. I’ll have a report ready in half an hour that details the discrepancies.” She smiled and he saw just how attractive Alex was. He knew she was pretty but obviously when she was passionate about something, even accounting, her appeal went through the roof.

As long as it didn’t go through his pants again. Jesus, this was the desk they’d had their afternoon quickie on. Now they were talking about feed invoices and pretending nothing happened.

“So, Sherlock, I suppose you want to confront them about this?”

“Hell yes! Let me get everything together and we can drive there and show them we know what they’re up to. We can show them not to mess with Finley’s.” She ate the last of the muffin; then before he could stop her, she took his coffee and helped herself.

Alex made a face and handed the cup back to him. “Ugh, sugar in your coffee? What kind of cowboy are you?”

“The kind who can’t jump in the car and shake some papers at our feed supplier.” He threw the cup in the trash, unwilling to put his mouth where hers had been. It had a sexual overtone to it and he needed to keep thinking with his big head.

“Why not? Don’t you do anything fun around here?” She sat back and stretched, pushing her breasts out like she was intentionally taunting him.

Perhaps she was and, damn it to hell, it was working. His dick stirred at the sight of her pillowy tits, at the nipples he could see just slightly hard beneath the T-shirt.

“See something you like, cowboy?” She’d caught him staring, of course.

Connor decided to play it cool, just as she’d been. “Yup, sure did. That’s a mighty fine rack you got there, Alex. You must be proud.”

Shock rippled across her face, but she tucked it safely away quickly. “Why, thank you, Connor. I am proud. My tits are my best feature, don’t you think?” She leaned over the desk, affording him a few of the cleavage peeping up through the V-neck of the shirt.