Contemporaries to covet

Winners of the Contemporaries to Covet giveaway!

9 Apr2013 posted by Kat

April looks set to be a contemporary romance bonanza, judging by the comments on last week’s contemporaries to covet post!

The winner of a $10 gift certificate to the online bookseller of her choice is…Natalija!

Congrats, Natalija! Email me and let me know where you’d like your g.c. for: romancingkatrina[at]gmail[dot]com.

Natalija said in her comment:

I’ve become a huge fan of Jane Graves after reading “Black Ties and Lullabies” and I’ve enjoyed each of the books I’ve read so far, but my favourite has to be “Tall Tales and Wedding Veils”. I love books set in Vegas
Looking forward to reading “Cowboy Take Me Away”.

Have a great week!

That means that Natalija also won a $10 g.c. for Jane Graves! Woo hoo! I’ll contact Jane and let her know.

Thanks for entering the giveaway, everyone!

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Filed Under: Contemporaries to covet, Contemporary romance spotlight, Giveaways, Winners

Contemporaries to covet in April – & giveaway!

1 Apr2013 posted by Kat

Happy April, everyone! I hope the sun is shining wherever you are. Today is the first day for several days that we haven’t woken up to snow on the ground. It actually felt a little like Spring – hallelujah!

Since today’s the first Monday of the month, I’m doing my special Contemporaries to Covet giveaway. I’ll tell you which contemporary romance novels being published this month I’m most looking forward to. I want to know what you’re coveting, and I’ll choose one person to win a $10 gift certificate for herself AND for the contemporary romance author she mentions.

Giveaway details are below, but first, here’s what I can’t wait to read this month!

Love Irresistibly by Julie James

HE’S USED TO GETTING WHAT HE WANTS…

A former football star and one of Chicago’s top prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cade Morgan will do anything to nail a corrupt state senator, which means he needs Brooke Parker’s help. As general counsel for a restaurant company, she can get a bug to the senator’s table at one of her five-star restaurants so the FBI can eavesdrop on him. All Cade has to do is convince Brooke to cooperate—and he’s not afraid to use a little charm, or the power of his office, to do just that.

AND WHAT HE WANTS IS HER.

A savvy businesswoman, Brooke knows she needs to play ball with the U.S. Attorney’s office—even if it means working with Cade. No doubt there’s a sizzling attraction beneath all their sarcastic quips, but Brooke is determined to keep things casual. Cade agrees—until a surprising turn of events throws his life into turmoil, and he realizes that he wants more than just a good time from the one woman with whom he could fall terrifyingly, irresistibly in love…

My two cents
Julie James is one of my all-time favorite romance authors. When non-romance readers ask me why I love romance, she’s one of the authors I point them to. I don’t have many auto-buy authors, but she’s certainly one of them!

Publication date: April 2, 2013
Read an excerpt

Buy it at: Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | Powell’s

Winners of my Contemporaries to Covet giveaway!

14 Mar2013 posted by Kat

Wow – so many people stopped by last week to share which March contemporary romances they’re most looking forward to.

The winner of a $10 gift certificate is…June M!

Congrats, June! Email me and tell me which online bookstore you’d like your gift certificate for: romancingkatrina[at]gmail[dot]com

In her comment, June said:

I am really looking forward to reading Vivian Arend’s new book ADRENALINE. I love her stories, both the contemporaries and her Wolfies books:)

That means that June won a $10 gift certificate for Vivian Arend, too! I’ll email Vivian to let her know.

I’m continuing my blog vacation this week so I can get through some of my preparing-for-baby to-do list, but I’ll be back on Monday with an interview with Ruthie Knox, so come back then! And have a great weekend, everyone!

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Filed Under: Contemporaries to covet, Giveaways, Winners

Contemporaries to covet in March – & giveaway!

4 Mar2013 posted by Kat

Delft

How can it already be March? On Saturday, the sky over the Netherlands was covered by one thick gray cloud and it was just above freezing. Here’s a picture to prove it. Smarty Pants and I were in Delft this weekend, home of the painter Vermeer (The Girl With The Pearl Earring) and of the church where Dutch royals are buried. Here’s the tomb of William of Orange, who was assassinated in Delft in 1584 and was the founder of the current line of Dutch monarchs.

William of Orange’s tomb

Yesterday, there were a few patchy rain clouds but the temperature had risen a few degrees. I haven’t been outside yet today, but the sun is shining so hard it hurts my eyes – not that I’m complaining! Roll on, Spring!

Anyway, we’re not here to talk about history or the weather. Just like the first Monday of every month, I’m here to celebrate new contemporary romance releases. I’ll tell you below which March contemporary romances I’m most looking forward to. If you leave a comment and tell us which March contemporaries you’re coveting, you could win a $10 gift certificate for yourself AND the author you mention.

Giveaway details are below, but here are the books I’m looking forward to this month.

Thrown by a Curve by Jaci Burton
She thinks she knows this player—but he has a few surprise moves.

For Alicia Riley, her job as a sports therapist for the St. Louis Rivers baseball team is a home run—until she becomes the primary therapist for star pitcher, Garrett Scott. Out of the lineup with an injury, he’s short-tempered, hard to handle, and every solid inch, a man.

Right now, the only demand he’s making on Alicia is that she get him ready to pitch in time for opening day. Except the sexual chemistry between them is so charged, Alicia’s tempted to oblige Garrett just about anything. But both their careers are at stake—one bad move and it’s game over for both of them.

Garrett also feels the hot sparks between them, and the way he figures it, what better therapy is there than sex? Now all he has to do is convince the woman with the power to make the call.

My two cents
I’ve only read one Jaci Burton story – her novella The Best Thing in Carina Press’s 2012 Christmas anthology – but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Plus, as you know I’m a huge fan of sports romances, so this book is at the top of my I-Want list.

Release date: March 5, 2013
Read an excerpt

Buy it in print at: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Books-A-Million

Buy a digital copy at: Amazon | B&N | Kobo Books | iBookstore

Uncommon Pleasure by Anne Calhoun

From a “fresh and imaginative” (The Romance Studio) voice in erotic romance come the tales of two women, each daring to challenge the toughest of men…but in these edgy, heated encounters, the greatest thing she’ll risk is her heart.

In Over the Edge, after a tragic incident during Ty Hendricks’ last tour of duty he cut off all connection with anyone he cares about—until a night with Lauren Kincaid draws him reluctantly back into the world. Lauren sees a wounded man in danger of losing everything to his inner demons, but the sensual, no-holds-barred fight for Ty’s soul could cost Lauren her heart.

In All on the Line, Abby Simmons fell hard for Lieutenant Sean Winthrop, but he sacrificed their relationship when he deployed to Afghanistan. Now he’s home, full of regrets and intent on winning back the woman he never forgot. Abby gives Sean her body but holds her heart aloof, until one night of pleasure forces her to choose her U.S. Marine…or life without him, forever.

My two cents
Again, I’ve only read one Anne Calhoun story – and again it was a Christmas novella (Breath on Embers) from Carina Press. It made me cry, even though I’d been warned that it would and so I’d steeled myself against it. Anne Calhoun’s characters snuck past my defenses. I’m looking forward to that happening again.

I also look forward to having Anne as a guest on this blog. She’ll be doing an interview and giving away a copy of Uncommon Pleasure on March 25th.

Release date: March 5, 2013
Read an excerpt

Buy it at: Amazon | B&N

Winners of my Contemporaries to Covet giveaway!

26 Feb2013 posted by Kat

Wow, there were so many wonderful-sounding contemporary romances released in February! Thanks to everyone who stopped by to recommend one.

The winner of a $10 gift certificate to the online bookseller of her choice is…Wanda Barefoot!

Congratulations, Wanda! Let me know which site you want me to buy your gift certificate for: romancingkatrina[at]gmail[dot]com

In her comment, Wanda said:

I SOOOO want to reat The Best Man by Kristan Higgins! That is the one book I most look forward to. I fell in love with her writing when I read my first book, Just One of the Guys, and it’s still my favorite book. It had EVERYTHING. Lots of romance and I laughed and cried throughout the book. I feel like a broken record when I say this, but, it would make an awesome movie! (hint, hint all you producers out there!) If you haven’t read it I HIGHLY recommend it.

That means that Wanda won a $10 gift certificate for Kristan Higgins, too! I’ll email Kristan to let her know the good news.

Everyone, this week you can win A Fine Romance by Christi Barth - which is one of the March contemporary romances I’m looking forward to. Good luck!

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Filed Under: Contemporaries to covet, Contemporary romance spotlight, Giveaways, Winners

Contemporaries to covet in February – & giveaway!

18 Feb2013 posted by Kat

I’m sorry that I’m publishing this post half way through the month, friends! I usually publish my contemporaries to covet posts on the first Monday of the month, but this month I had a couple of interviews with the wonderful Manda Collins and Sarah MacLean that I wanted to get up right away.

For those of you who are new around here, every month I let you know what contemporary romance novels coming out that month I’m most looking forward to reading. Leave a comment telling us what February contemporary romances you’re coveting, and you could win a $10 gift certificate for you AND the author.

Giveaway details are below, but first here are the contemporary romances I can’t wait to read this month.

Hip Check by Deidre Martin

Esa Saari is a hockey player for the New York Blades with a bad-boy rep both on and off the ice. But when he suddenly becomes the guardian of his eight-year-old niece, Nell, he knows his excessive lifestyle is about to get body checked.

So he hires a live-in nanny. Her name is Michelle Beck, and she gets along great with Nell. What surprises him, though, is that he instantly hits it off with her, too. Getting romantically involved would be a bad idea, but he’s finding it impossible to ignore the intense connection between them.

Michelle, however, takes her job very seriously, and must decide whether to listen to her head or her heart. And Esa’s got to decide if he can give up his bad- boy image for the love of a good woman…

My two cents
I love sports romances and, though I’ve never seen a hockey game (either in person or on TV), hockey players are among my favorite romance heroes for some reason. Oddly, despite my love for hockey heroes, I’ve never read a book by Deidre Martin, who’s written twelve books about a hockey team. It’s high time I give her a shot.

Release date: Feb 5, 2013
Read an excerpt

Buy it at Amazon | B&N

Winners of my Contemporaries to Covet giveaway!

15 Jan2013 posted by Kat

Update: Cindy Gerard is giving away her prize to one lucky reader. How cool is that? So instead of sending Cindy a gift certificate, I’m going to give away her romantic suspense Killing Time on Twitter tomorrow. Make sure you follow me on Twitter and keep an eye out tomorrow!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by my Contemporaries to Covet post last week to say which new contemporary romances you’re looking forward to reading in January. There are LOADS of great suggestions there!

The winner of a $10 gift certificate to the online book seller of her choice is…Susan T!

Congrats, Susan! Email me at romancingkatrina[at]gmail[dot]com and let me know which website you want me to buy your gift certificate at.

In her comment, Susan said:

There are alot of new releases in January but the one I’m most looking forward to is Cindy Gerard’s Killing Time.

That means that Susan won a $10 gift certificate for Cindy Gerard, too! I’ll contact Cindy to let her know.

Everyone, this week you can win Beverley Kendall’s new adult novel When in Paris…

Good luck!

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Filed Under: Contemporaries to covet, Contemporary romance spotlight, Giveaways, Winners

Contemporaries to covet in January – & giveaway!

7 Jan2013 posted by Kat

People, it’s 2013. Can you believe it? You know what that means? We have a whole year of wonderful new books to look forward to. I can’t wait.

The first Monday of every month, I do a special giveaway. I tell you about the contemporary romance novels that are coming out that month that I’m most looking forward to reading (or have read advance copies of and can highly recommend). I ask you to tell me what you’re coveting, and one lucky commenter will win a $10 gift certificate for herself and for the author she mentions. What better way of showing our love to our favorite authors than by helping them read more, too?

Giveaway details are below, but here are the contemporary romance novels I’m craving in January. It’s going to be a great (though possibly expensive) month for contemporary romance!

The Other Side of Us by Sarah Mayberry

The best thing between Oliver Barrett and Mackenzie Williams is a fence. Ever since Oliver’s new-neighbor gestures were met with unfriendly responses, he’s decided to keep his distance. After all, he’s in this seaside town to get his life on track again. That doesn’t include working hard to get on Mackenzie’s good side—no matter how intriguing she may be.

His intentions are put to the test, however, when his dog becomes infatuated with hers. The two crafty canines do their best to break down the barriers between the properties. And where the dogs go…well, the humans must follow! It doesn’t take long for a powerful attraction to build between Oliver and Mackenzie. They soon discover that the worst of first impressions can lead to the best possible outcomes….

My two cents

I love Sarah Mayberry’s books, and at 85,000 words this is a longer Harlequin Superromance than she’s ever written, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what she’s done with the extra space to stretch herself.

Buy it at Amazon | B&N

Winner of my Contemporaries to Covet giveaway!

11 Dec2012 posted by Kat

Wow – so many people stopped by to recommend contemporary romance novels coming out in December. It’s a great month for books! My Christmas wish list is growing out of control.

The winner of a $10 gift certificate to the online retailer of her choice is…catslady!

Congratulations! Email me at romancingkatrina[at]gmail[dot]com and let me know where you’d like your g.c. for.

In her comment, catslady said:

I just got my first Kate Lane novel and looking forward to it. And I too enjoy Helen Kay Dimon so I pick hers

Which means that catslady also won a $10 gift certificate for HelenKay Dimon! I’ll contact HelenKay to let her know.

I’ve got another couple of giveaways coming up in the next week, so stick around.

I hope you’re all having a wonderful holiday season so far!

3 Comments
Filed Under: Contemporaries to covet, Contemporary romance spotlight, Giveaways, Winners

Contemporaries to covet in December

3 Dec2012 posted by Kat

Happy December, everyone! It’s my favorite month of the year. I might be in my 30s, but the approaching holiday season still fills me with excitement.

For those of you who are new here, welcome! The first Monday of every month, I do a special giveaway. I tell you about a couple of contemporary romance novels being published this month that I’m looking forward to, and you tell me what you’re looking forward to. One person will win a $10 gift certificate for herself AND for the author she recommends. Fun times!

More details about the giveaway are below, but first, here are the December contemporary romances I can’t wait to read.

We’ll Be Home for Christmas by HelenKay Dimon

No man likes having his bedroom skills described as forgettable, but that’s just what Lila Payne does when she runs into Spencer Thomas again. When she discovers that he’d lied about his name during their brief three-day romp a few months before, she’s so angry that she pretends she doesn’t remember him.

Spence regrets his deception, but not as much as he regrets that their time together didn’t last longer. When she shows up in his town, looking to revitalize her uncle’s mountain resort, Spence is determined to help. Maybe rescuing Lila from a hopeless renovation project will get him in her good graces—and back in her bed.

Lila has no interest in being rescued, and Spence is insulted by her stubborn rebuffs and her “faulty” memory. But when rehab work turns into an after-hours meeting, the two of them are in for a night that just might prove unforgettable…

Buy it at Amazon.com | B&N

My two cents

I love HelenKay Dimon’s novels, and I love Christmas novellas, so what could be more perfect? Plus, I love stories where couples meet after an affair went bad.

This novella is available for purchase on its own or in a collection of two others (by Jaci Burton and Christi Barth) entitled Romancing the Holidays. Both the novella and the collection are out today, so you can download them right now!
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