Since Donna and Stacy were so entertaining yesterday I felt you would want to now more about them. I invited them back. I love their covers and their excerpts! (Pssst, More prizes, too!)
Hey, Donna! This cover is HOT! Tell us about the book, please.
There’s Only Been You by Donna Marie Rogers
The Wild Rose Press/Champagne Rose
ISBN: 1-60154-327-1
“...wonderfully heartwarming...” ~ 4-Stars* Romantic Times BOOK Reviews
"There's Only Been You is a heartwarming story of family and a second chance at love.
Reading Donna Marie Rogers is like coming home." ~ Best-selling, Award-winning author Tori Carrington
Blurb:
Lies, drugs and a videotape are the reasons young lovers Sara Jamison and Mike Andrews have spent the last eight years apart, each believing the other betrayed them.
Sara has no clue where Mike's been all these years, but she knows where she's been—busy raising their son. Two weeks after he accused her of cheating and disappeared from her life, Sara discovered she was something she never expected to be—an unwed pregnant teenager. But with the love and support of her annoyingly alpha-male family, she's managed to make a good life for herself and her young son. She even owns her own business, Sara's Bakery, which she's built into a thriving success. Sure, she works too hard and her social life is nonexistent, but for the most part, she’s content.
Until the day Mike walks into her bakery and back into her life.
Excerpt:
Sara was in the kitchen when she heard a truck pull up in front of the house. She ran into the living room and peeked out the window. Mike. She ran back into the kitchen and checked on the meatloaves. The cheese hadn't melted yet so she'd give them a few more minutes. She glanced at the table. Perfect.
"Ethan, are you ready? He's here!" she called out. When she didn't get a reply, she hustled down the hall to his bedroom and rapped on the door. "Ethan?"
"Come in," she heard him mumble.
Sara opened the door and saw him sitting on his bed with a Power Ranger action-figure clutched in his fist.
He looked scared to death and Sara's heart gave a little lurch. She sat down beside him on the bed. "You have the same look on your face as when you're going to the dentist." He had on a brand-new pair of jeans and his favorite Spiderman T-shirt.
"I was just thinking," he said.
Sara waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't. He's so much like Garrett. "About...?"
He turned his head and gazed up at her. "What if my dad don't like me?"
"Oh, sweetheart!" She put her arms around him and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Your daddy is going to think you're the best thing since chocolate chip cookies, I promise."
"But his dad didn't like him."
Sara frowned. "Where did you hear such a thing?"
He shrugged one shoulder. "I heard Uncle Garrett and Uncle Nicky talking about it."
"You were eavesdropping? What did I tell you about that?" she gently chided him.
"Sorry. It's just that I wanted to know more about my dad, and I accidentally heard 'em talking. Then on purpose, I stayed and listened."
"Ethan, when you're older I'm sure your father will tell you about his own father. But in the meantime, I promise, your daddy already loves you and can't wait to meet you."
"Really?" He looked so hopeful Sara felt her heart swell with love for this incredible little person that was her son.
"Really and truly, honest to God. Now," she rose to her feet and motioned toward the door, "ready to go meet your father?"
Ethan slid off the bed and eyed the Power Ranger figure clutched in his hand as if trying to come to a decision. Finally, he set it down on the bed and said, "Okay, I'm ready."
***
There’s Only Been You is available at TWRP, Amazon, & B&N
~~~~~
Meant To Be by Donna Marie Rogers (sequel to There’s Only Been You)
"Witty and heartfelt, with an unforgettable cast of secondary characters. Meant To Be is a definite page-turner!" ~ Lori Foster, NY Times bestselling author
Meant To Be is available at TWRP, Amazon, & B&N
Donna Marie Rogers inherited her love of romance from her mother. Romance novels, soap operas, Little House On the Prairie--her mother loved them all. And though it wasn't until years later Donna would come to understand her mother's fascination with Charles Ingalls, Donna's love of the romance genre is every bit as all-consuming.
A Chicago native, Donna now lives in beautiful Northeast Wisconsin with her husband and children. She's an avid gardener and home-canner, as well as an admitted reality TV junkie. Her passion to read is only exceeded by her passion to write, so when she's not doing the wife and mother thing, you can usually find her sitting at the computer, creating exciting, memorable characters, fresh new worlds, and always happily-ever-afters. Donna also writes erotic romance as Liza James.
Donna Marie Rogers ~ www.DonnaMarieRogers.blogspot.com
Trust In The Lawe, Book 1 in the Colorado Trust Series by Stacey Joy Netzel is published by The Wild Rose Press.
Love without trust cannot survive ~ but there's more than their hearts in danger...
Kendra Zelner has three brothers: Eight-year old Noah she's determined to protect, Joel who has no clue she exists, and Robert who wants her dead.
With reason to be distrustful of cops, she takes Noah and flees their Manhattan home for Joel’s ranch in Colorado. Under the pretense of needing a job, she plans to hide out until her twenty-fifth birthday, when she’ll inherit her trust fund and legally gain custody of Noah away from Robert’s greedy hands. Unfortunately, her brother’s sexy, infuriating ranch manager insists on demolishing her defenses and digging into her past.
Colton Lawe has good reason to suspect Joel’s beautiful, long-lost sister isn’t what she seems—the little liar stole from him! He silently vows to expose her secrets, but long hours together on the ranch fosters a closeness and fiery attraction neither of them expects. Can Kendra trust Colton with the full truth before Robert finds them?
EXCERPT:
In the darkened bedroom, Kendra sat straight up and strained her ears to pick up anything unusual. Any sound to explain why she suddenly found her eyes wide open in the middle of the night without having had the dream.
A glance at the clock brought her up short. It was only ten-thirty. In the absence of any other explanation, she began to imagine that Robert had found them. Her heart pounded so hard in the acute silence, she heard the thump of each beat.
Then she heard a sound that chilled the blood in her veins—the muted sounds of footsteps on the kitchen linoleum. They were too heavy to be Noah’s…
Noah!
She flew out of bed and peered into the hallway. All clear. Pressing against the wall, she scurried to the entryway between the living room and kitchen. A quick glance revealed the living room to be empty.
In the dim illumination from the light above the sink, she saw the kitchen was, too. Whispering across the floor in her bare feet, she grabbed a butcher knife and went to check on Noah.
She froze at the sight of a hulking shadow backing out of his room. If he hurt Noah…A blinding red wave of anger swept through her and she sprang forward, the knife raised high. “Leave him alone, you monster!”
The shadow’s arm rose to deflect her attack. He was definitely real, not a dream.
Flesh and blood after her brother. She had to stop him.
That single thought screamed inside her head. When his hand closed over her wrist, the one with the knife, the one thing she’d mastered in self-defense class flashed back.
She dropped the knife and seized his wrist with her free hand. Pure adrenalin gave her the strength to twist her back to his chest and plant her feet. Using his own weight and forward momentum against him, she bent at the waist and heaved him over her shoulder.
He landed flat on his back with a loud thump. The breath whooshed from his lungs. She heard a strangled gasp and squatted down, scrambling to locate the knife. The bite of the blade had her reaching with her other hand for the handle.
Ironically, a rush of temporary relief shook her knees even more.
She braced her free hand against the wall for support as she rose with the knife extended in front of her.
Slightly crouched, she swept her hand back and forth along the wall until she located the light switch. One flip and she’d confront Robert face to face. Her heart clogged her throat, but she forced her fingers to move.
The hallway lit up. Kendra nearly dropped the knife again as her other hand flew to her mouth in astonished horror.
Colton?
He lay on the floor in front of her, squinting in the bright light. Then his gaze fixed on the nine-inch blade in her hand, and he scooted to sit against the wall.
What was he—her gaze narrowed before she spun around and hurried inside Noah’s room. Assured he was unharmed and still sleeping soundly, she returned to the hall to find Colton picking himself up off the floor.
Dizzying relief gave way to anger. He’d scared the living daylights out of her! “What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded.
His green eyes narrowed. His attention dropped to the hand at her side and then, without a single word, he strode toward the kitchen. She rushed after him and he whirled to face her. She jerked the knife up in automatic warning. “Stay there. I asked you a question.”
His gaze caught hers and held. The challenging glitter in his eyes held her immobile as he took a deliberate step forward and slowly reached to close his hand over her fingers on the handle. Heat from his touch radiated up her arm and through her entire body. She tried to pull away and his gaze darkened in tandem with the tightening of his grip.
“Threaten me again, and you’d better be damn sure you succeed the first time.”
~*~
Buy Links: The Wild Rose Press, Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook, ARe
Trust In The Lawe, and the other two books in the series, Shattered Trust and Shadowed Trust, all received 5 Stars and a REVIEWER TOP PICK from Night Owl Reviews. want to read. Well done, Ms. Netzel!” Read full review.
Thank you for reading!
Stacey Joy Netzel
Blog and Website: www.StaceyJoyNetzel.com
COLORADO TRUST SERIES
Love without trust cannot survive ~ but there's more than their hearts in danger...
TRUST IN THE LAWE, SHATTERED TRUST, SHADOWED TRUST
Wisconsin native Stacey Joy Netzel fell in love with books at a young age, so for her the graduation to writing them was natural. A member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and Wisconsin Romance Writers (WisRWA), she credits her parents for encouraging her dreams of becoming a published author, as well as the very talented friends she’s made in WisRWA since joining in 2004. Her books have received numerous 5 Star reviews from reviewers and readers alike, and her Christmas anthology, MISTLETOE RULES, took 1st place in WisRWA's 2010 Write Touch Readers' Award. Check out her romantic suspense Colorado Trust Series, Trust in the Lawe, Shattered trust, and Shadowed Trust. Other titles include: Lost In Italy, Ditched Again, Welcome to Redemption Series, Chasin’ Mason, Dragonfly Dreams, If Tombstones Could Talk.
An avid reader and big fan of movies with happy endings, Stacey lives in Wisconsin with her husband and three children, a couple horses and some barn cats. She works part-time as a travel agent, and in her limited free time she enjoys gardening, canning, and visiting her parents in Northeastern Wisconsin (Up North) at their cabin on the lake.
NOW FOR THE PRIZES! Drum roll, please.
Donna, you said there were more prizes?
Stacey and I will give a download each of our stories to one commenter.
Comment more than once for a better chance to win.
If you missed yesterday's blog, go back and read it!
Loved reading these excerpts! You both are so talented with the ability to develop hooks that pull a reader in and keep us there! Good luck with your books! They're both winners!
Good morning, Judy! Thank you very much--glad you enjoyed the excerpts. :) Have a great day!
What fun! Two enticing excerpts to begin the day! Very nice, ladies.
Donna - your book sounds like a warm, emotional read.
Stacy - that was an exciting scene, didn't know where it was going to lead. Well done.
Great to see you here, Stacey and Donna.
I can attest to how well both of you can draw a reader in.
Looking forward to reading more and more by both of you.
Patrice--Donna writes excellent emotional scenes with kids and adults alike. Glad you enjoyed mine, too.
Mal, thanks so much! Looking forward to your debut soon where you can demonstrate your own talent for drawing the reader in.
Good afternoon, Stacy and Donna!
Great excerpts, ladies. With writing like that and covers like you have, there is no need to wish you sales, but I will!
Thanks for visiting us.
Enjoyed day 2 as much as day 1! Enjoyed the excerpts.
Sorry I'm a bit late on the tail end here--
Mary, Autumn and Nightengale--thanks so much! We appreciate you having us here.
Excellent excerpts! Gotta read both!
One more thank you for everyone stopping by.
The winner of an ebook copy of each of our books is....
MARY RICKSEN!
Congratulations! We'll be in touch. :)
Thanks again for visiting us, and thanks for your excerpts. Great read, ladies.