Happy Wine and Books Wednesday, everybody. Our favorite day of the week! This week's pairing is brought to you by Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery's Chardonnay and Author Frost Kay's dark fairy tale, The Hunt. And what a beautiful pair these two make. If you love your fantasy romance with a rich, flavorful chard on the side then look no further. Pour yourself a glass of Sebastiani, find your favorite reading spot and settle in for fairy tale adventure. Happy reading!

Death marked her from her very first breath.

Being sired by a Madrid is supposed to be a blessing, but for Tempest, it's a curse that leaves her orphaned, penniless, and enslaved to a blood thirsty crown on the brink of war.

Found too unruly to become a ward of the court, she's thrust into the care of the King's Hounds - the assassins and warriors responsible for protecting the kingdom. Driven by rage and an oath to avenge her mother's memory, Tempest throws herself into training.

But becoming the first ever female assassin isn't enough. Now, she must obtain the heart of her kingdom's most feared enemy - the jester - a deadly shapeshifter hidden in a land twisted by myth and darkness.

Revenge is never easy or cheap. Tempest is willing to sacrifice everything to see justice served. Even her own soul and freedom.

Enter the world of the Twisted Kingdoms at your own risk where monsters wear pretty masks, good and evil are at war, and fairy tales don't exist. If you love fiery heroines, sexy villains, enemies-to-lovers romance, pulse-pounding action, mafia undertones, and dark fairy tales, you need to discover the new series readers are comparing to Holly Blacks's Cruel Prince and Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z17KZGJ

"They'd found each other in a dream world...
... a place so illusive that to meet someone there defied fate."

 Crystal Tide
Tides of Atlantis

Read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DYXVWHK

Happy Monday! I hope your week is getting off to a great start. Here's a dreamy little book moment from  Crystal Tide to get your day going. This scene finds Kay in what she thinks is a hallucination brought on by a psychic's meddling. She's swept away to an ancient time, landing in the palace of King Amphere who believes her to be a present sent to him from the gods. Never mind that he happens to look an awful lot like her sexy captor, the damnable Xieran who's accused her of being a spy! Read on for a moment of romance.

Amphere’s eyes flicked around the space then came back to her. She sank further down into the pillows. He really did smile then... and moved closer, swallowing up the bare distance between them.
“It’s just a resting place,” he said, his voice low and silky.
“A resting place?”
He nodded.
“A place to rest,” he kneeled down on the floor, his strong thighs, golden and naked, parted the sides of his garment. His eyes swept the length of her, making her skin prickle all over.
“… among other things.”
Kay’s eyes widened.
His chest was so broad. All of the muscles on his torso and arms gleamed in the torchlight. Sweaty, she thought trying to bring up an appropriate amount of disgust. Dirty. Think dirty she told herself. All that did was bring to mind more lascivious thoughts. Sweat on him looked good. Salty. She licked her lips.
“Uh… I-I’m not tired,” she said.
His head dropped down. He looked up at her through his thick, dark lashes.
“That’s good. Neither am I.”

***

There you have it! Your Monday Moment in Romance. For more moments with Kay, Xieran and... ahem... King Amphere, pick up a copy of Crystal Tide today.

Desires and Passion are brewing in the Tides - as unexpected as a hurricane and as old as an ancient land.

“That’s the funny thing about will…sometimes your own bumps up against that of another’s.” ~Xieran Amphere, Crystal Tide


Devastated by the loss of both parents and running scared after a break-in at her home, Kay Laurens jumps on the first plane out of Denver heading south to Miami. There she meets up with, of all people, a love psychic for answers. On the tip of the Bermuda Triangle, she is swept up into the dark world of an ancient cult and sent on the ride of her life. Then her incense induced visions come to life in the form of an inter-world travelling, suspicious and sinfully hot immortal agent for Mt. Olympus.

Xieran has no memory of who he was before being stolen by Hermes. The Greek god uses him to enter Earth's sphere under the guise of an affluent art dealer in search of an elusive artifact which, if he can find, will win him his freedom. When his latest mission is brought up short by a female grad student breaking into his complex travel system, he can’t help but be suspicious. It makes no difference that he finds her more and more irresistible with each encounter. With demon outbreaks, nefarious characters working in the Underworld and a power struggle of epic proportions going on, no one can be trusted.

As they are thrown into the Tides together, Kay and Xieran set out on a whirlwind adventure, racing through the streets of Rome, Miami and even Western Australia to chase down the answers that will win them their freedom from the overbearing gods. Will they come to terms with destiny and conquer the evil taking over the Tides, or will they succumb to the passion growing between them?

18+ This book contains some sex violence and adult language. If such things offend you, please don't buy this book.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DYXVWHK

Happy Wine / Book Wednesday! Today's pairing is brought to you by Author, Eve Kasey's Touched by love from the Her Hands series and Imagery Chardonnay. These two make a dynamic duo that I know you are going to love. Grab up a copy of this charming contemporary romance and fill your glass with some delectable Imagery Chard for the perfect reading experience!

One night, everything they want.

When you lose your parents and get surprised with the psychic "gift" of learning an object's history through touch, you start to wish life were simpler. Predictable. Nora's senior year of college is anything but. As she struggles to get used to a new place, a meddling grandmother, and a boss who wants her to move on, she also finds herself getting too close to Liam Walker, the gorgeous professor who blew onto campus like a tempest.

Liam had to get out of LA fast. That's how he ended up teaching in Tacoma, Washington - the land of rain and recycling. He just wants to rebuild his life, realize a childhood dream of a Leonardo da Vinci exhibition, and ignore how drawn he is to the student in the back row of his Renaissance Art class. Every look, every touch, every conversation tells Liam that Nora Merano is everything he's ever wanted when he shouldn't want anything at all.

The attraction between them can't be denied. They make a deal: one night, everything they want. The night turns out to be too much and not enough. Liam is too unpredictable for the quiet life Nora craves. Nora doesn't fight for anything, including what Liam feels between them. Will Nora and Liam stay firmly on their separate paths or will they allow themselves to be Touched by Love?

Note: This steamy contemporary romance (with a hint of historical!) can be read as a standalone in the Her Hands series and offers a guaranteed happily ever after.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084BRBYQK

From my review:

An addictive reading experience. I loved the couple—Nora and Liam. The tension between them was perfect and I had the best time watching them work through everything keeping them apart. Nora was intensely likeable and Liam was absolutely dreamy. The secondary romance added to the suspense and I liked how it gave us the chance to fully delve into Nora’s gift—something that showed up in the first book in this series. Very well done! Would recommend to readers who love contemporary romance with unforgettable characters.

*Swoon* Ronan - the ultimate hero. Meet him on his magical Isle of Poseidon in Moontide

Good morning, lovely readers! Happy Monday. About that... Monday I mean, I thought I might try something new here on the blog to start the week off right. Here is a special "Monday Moment" from my book, Moontide. Short and sweet, just a little teaser scene packed with a yummy bit of romance featuring one of my favorite couples--Ronan and Cindy. In this scene, we get a peek at the lost island of Atlantis that Ronan calls home. Even surrounded by the extraordinary beauty of a magical island though, all Cindy can think about is the man who brought her.

Moontide, Tides of Atlantis book 1

“So what do you think cara?” He asked ambiguously.
What did she think? She thought she’d like the taste of his skin on her tongue!
His eyes twinkled. She swore he could read her mind.
“Of the island,” he prodded.
“Oh,” Cindy said shaking her head to clear it, “right, it’s incredible.”
Her eyes wandered to his pecs, hard and bare where his shirt gaped open, then back up to his face. She cleared her throat.
“I-is it like this all over, the whole place I mean?”
Ronan shook his head, keeping his gaze on her.
“No, it has many different terrains, many lovely spots, and many dangerous ones as well,” he reached up to stroke the side of her cheek. She got the feeling they weren’t just talking about the island. “This is one of my favorite places. I come here to be alone.”
She swallowed.
“I can see how this would make a nice little hide out.”
The tight area buzzed with desire. It made every cell in Cindy’s body strain with anticipation, waiting for his touch. A bird called out, startling her as it flew overhead and she looked up. Without warning, Ronan pulled her to him, claiming her lips again. Her mouth met his eagerly, hungrily… finally!
She’d been tense with waiting, had wanted him ever since they’d kissed in the cave behind the waterfall… and back in Miami on the beach, and in her hotel room, and at the lighthouse. She figured she was pretty much a powder keg of lust by now.
She pushed both of her hands against his chest and a low sound came from deep within him. Then he lifted himself up and brought her underneath him all in one movement. Cindy shivered.
He’d been throwing kinks in all of her best laid plans since the moment she’d first set eyes on him. She’d had no control over anything since he’d stalked out of that rock wall two nights ago, not even in her dreams.
As they kissed, something warm and liquid flowed through her. His tongue plunged into the recesses of her mouth, bringing on a flood of need that made every part of her thrum with heightened sensitivity. The rough pads of his fingers caressed her neck then her chest and she shivered again.
He pulled up just enough to focus on her face.
“Are you cold, cara?”
He didn’t wait for her answer before covering her body with his own then he seared her with another kiss that left her feeling anything but cold. In fact, everywhere they touched she burned. She drove her fingers into his hair and wriggled underneath him trying to get… what? More contact… less? She didn’t know, but she needed something to quell the ache that was building inside of her.

***

There you have it--your "Monday Moment." If you'd like to read about all of Ronan and Cindy's moments, pick up a copy of Moontide on Amazon!

Upon A Moonswept Tide…
Trapped in time…Ronan Garring is a man of action; a ship captain who has sailed the seas from Europe to the Caribbean…in the seventeenth century. When he is tricked by a sea nymph, he is sent to a deserted island in Poseidon’s realm to serve the gods for all time. On a mission to modern day Miami, he finds his earth home crawling with underworld evil and is waylaid by an enchanting human woman who seems to stall his attempts at completing his quest at every turn. He can’t be sure if she is an entirely innocent wrecking ball or the agent of a more sinister force. Against all his good intentions, he finds himself continually, albeit pleasantly, entangled with her both in this world and beyond.
Searching…for a friend whose gone missing, Cindy Pierce left the Rocky Mountains for the beaches of Miami to try to make sense of, what looks to be, a hopeless case. As the trail grows cold, she stumbles into an intriguing dark stranger and is literally knocked flat. Fierce and intense as he is, towering over her and exuding old world masculinity, she can’t help her body’s immediate response to him. When she finds herself being chased across the southern tip of Miami and into the Florida Keys by the handsome foreigner however, she’s convinced he’s not only psychotic but intent on doing her harm. Once she finds herself in his arms again though, her attraction to him can’t be denied and neither can the fact that he may be the only one who can save her from the dark forces at work on the beach.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B079YV29C1

18+ This book contains some intimate scenes and adult situations. If such material offends you, please don't buy this book.

Tides of Atlantis Series
Mankind and the gods alike have grown complacent and the restless forces of the underworld that have been simmering beneath the surface are coming out to play. They will not stop until their thirst for vengeance is satisfied and all worlds have returned to yawning pre-time chaos.
Ten lost kings ─ sons of Poseidon─ and rulers of a condemned land are our last hope…if only they can be found. Cursed by the gods after the fall of Atlantis, the kings have passed into anonymity with no memory of who they are. Forces of both good and evil are hunting them. Poseidon needs them to win the war for the universe. Evil is bent on their destruction.

Join the race to find the kings in Amanda V. Shane’s new Tides of Atlantis series and help them to discover their soul mates, the women who will win their lost hearts and help them fulfill their destiny!

It's Wine and Books Wednesday again! This week, I have another fabulous "stay home and read" pair for you. Author Melanie A. Smith's Never Date A Doctor and indie wine maker, Stefano Di Blasi's Sicillia Zibibbo Catarratto 2018. That's a mouthful! But one you're sure to enjoy. Never Date a doctor is another great contemporary romance by Smith and your reading experience will only be enhanced by this fresh, crisp wine. In a word--delicious! Grab up your copy of Never Date A Doctor today and pour yourself a glass. Happy Wine / Book Wednesday, everybody and happy reading!

Some lessons are more fun when learned the hard way... 

What's the first rule of nurse's club? That's right: Never date a doctor. Which Sasha Suvorin has no intention of doing anyway, since she's a nurse at Rutherford Hospital by day and working on her master's degree by night. Who has time for dating, much less dating someone you work with? Bad idea much?

That is, until the sexy British Dr. Caleb Thompson starts at her hospital. It also doesn't help that he's exactly her type with his dark hair, blue eyes, and rockin' bod. Or that he's not your typical arrogant and bossy surgeon. But Sasha isn't so easily convinced, and she soon discovers Dr. Hottie has a past that puts a stop to whatever she might have been feeling before anything ever starts between them.

Unfortunately, working together means facing temptation. Every. Single. Day. Is Sasha strong enough to resist what might just be the perfect man? And if she gives in, will Cal's past stay in the past? Sasha may be used to playing it safe, but life has a way of teaching its lessons ... one way or another.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B08377PWN2

From my review:

What a fun book! Great hospital setting with lots of steamy tension and hot romance between nurse Sasha and ‘the doctor with the accent’ (swoon), Cal. This is a quick read that delivers on all my favorite romance themes and adds in what Ms. Smith is known for—suspense. I definitely recommend to anyone who loves hospital setting romances.

What a fun book! Great hospital setting with lots of steamy tension and hot romance between nurse Sasha and ‘the doctor with the accent’ (swoon), Cal. This is a quick read that delivers on all my favorite romance themes and adds in what Ms. Smith is known for—suspense. I definitely recommend to anyone who loves hospital setting romances.

It's that day again! Time for books and wine, two of our favorite things here on the blog. This Wine Wednesday, I have a super hot pair for you, both direct from my home state. One of my favorite authors, best seller Pamela Clare, brings us another terrific adventure romance with Slow Burn, the second book in her Colorado High Country series. I'm loving these novels set in the Colorado mountains and featuring the hottest rescue team you'll ever find. Slow Burn pairs perfectly with this absolutely beautiful Savignon Blanc from Colorado's own Grande River Vineyards. I found this lovely bottle at a "Wine in the Pines" event last fall and took a picture for the blog right there on the spot (my husband's arm is even in the background, lol). Between Clare, a Colorado author, Slow Burn and Grande River, this post is filled with all kinds of love for my home state and I want you join in on the experience. Grab up a copy of the book,  fill your glass with some crisp, delicious  Grande River Sav Blanc and slip away on your very own Rocky Mountain adventure.

Happy Wine Wednesday, everyone and, as always, happy reading!

Victoria Woodley is done with men. Fresh off a dating nightmare, she flies from her home in Chicago to Scarlet Springs to take part in her best friend’s wedding. Who picks her up at the airport? Eric Hawke. Of course. She made a fool of herself over him last time she was here. He’s cocky, charming, and sexy as sin. But the fact that she’s attracted to him is all the proof she needs that he’s bad news. She would ignore him if she could. But he’s the best man, and she’s the maid of honor. She can’t just tell him to jump in a lake—especially not when her lips are locked with his.

Eric isn’t looking for a relationship. Between running the firehouse and volunteering for the county’s search and rescue team, he has enough on his plate. He doesn’t need to get tangled up with a woman from the big city, especially one whose idea of roughing it is going without designer coffee. Yet from the moment he looks into Victoria’s big brown eyes, the attraction he feels is too strong to deny. Faster than he can imagine, the spark of desire that has smoldered between them since the first day they met will flare into full-blown passion.

But can Eric convince Victoria to set aside her doubts and trust him with her heart before their time together runs out?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYVS8YX

Hello, fellow book and wine lovers, happy Wine and Book Wednesday! I hope you all are doing well and getting through this crazy spell of having to stay home. This week, I have the perfect pairing for you to help pass the time. Radiance by Bestselling Author, Grace Draven, and the beautiful Ondine Chardonnay from my indie wine makers' stash. Both are rich, full and fantastic! Grab your glass, grab the book, then get ready to be swept away. Happy Wine Wednesday, everyone, and as always, happy reading!

~THE PRINCE OF NO VALUE~

Brishen Khaskem, prince of the Kai, has lived content as the nonessential spare heir to a throne secured many times over. A trade and political alliance between the human kingdom of Gaur and the Kai kingdom of Bast-Haradis requires that he marry a Gauri woman to seal the treaty. Always a dutiful son, Brishen agrees to the marriage and discovers his bride is as ugly as he expected and more beautiful than he could have imagined.

~THE NOBLEWOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE~

Ildiko, niece of the Gauri king, has always known her only worth to the royal family lay in a strategic marriage. Resigned to her fate, she is horrified to learn that her intended groom isn’t just a foreign aristocrat but the younger prince of a people neither familiar nor human. Bound to her new husband, Ildiko will leave behind all she’s known to embrace a man shrouded in darkness but with a soul forged by light.

Two people brought together by the trappings of duty and politics will discover they are destined for each other, even as the powers of a hostile kingdom scheme to tear them apart.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S5IDLEQ

From my Review:
Heart Melting Fantasy Romance
I loved the medieval fantasy world setting of this book. I had been wanting to read one of Ms. Draven’s books for a while and I’m so glad I did. Radiance was a different kind of romance. The two leads are different species and absolutely do not find each other physically attractive, but the way they come together is so beautiful. It was really fun to watch the relationship between Ildiko and Brishen grow to a fever pitch and I can’t wait to read the second book in the Wraith Kings series now.

For more wine and book fun, join me on Facebook in my new group https://www.facebook.com/groups/204308960991656/