My Books!

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Lizzy



Lizzy
by Krystal Shannan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Keeping secrets is dangerous…and painful.

The last man who found out Lizzy MacLaughlin’s secret left without so much as a goodbye. Now, utterly in love, Lizzy holds her breath that her six-month relationship with retired army ranger, Ethan Hart, won’t end the same way.

Life is never perfect…or easy.

Ethan is head-over-heels in love with Lizzy, and warring schedules make time together precious. Determined to be together without interruptions, they plan a weekend getaway at his lake house –unaware the past Ethan is trying to ignore is coming hell-bent on destroying what Ethan holds most dear.

Will Lizzy’s secret tear them apart, or will something far worse threaten their very lives?

EXCERPT:



“Mom has given the stink eye to every guy that’s ever taken me out. She has to make up for Dad not being here.”

A surge of jealousy wormed its way into his mind. “How many guys have you been out with?”

“Simmer down, soldier.” She giggled and winked. “My love life is boring and consists of one guy in high school and two guys in college. I wasn’t a nun, but it wasn’t like I got around either. You have nothing to be all caveman about.”

“Sorry, I was having a moment.” He really was. The thought of any other man touching her, kissing her, putting hands anywhere on her body made his blood boil.

“No worries, but would you mind terribly going and getting me a plate of bread and cheese. I swear the buffet smells like something died and then came back to life, but I’m starving and desperate.”

His concerns returned full-force with her joking comment about smelly food. Something was going on with her. It’d been nearly a week since he’d seen her eat any meant and that was very out of character.

“Sit here, baby. I’ll be right back.” He helped her into a chair at an empty table and then went to the buffet table.

The spread of food ranged from deliciously smelling barbeque, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, cole slaw, and trays of crackers, cheese, and fruit. Nothing smelled out of the ordinary to him, but he grabbed an assortment of crackers and cheese, along with a few pieces of fruit, just in case she might want some.

He walked back to her and set the plate in front of her along with another glass of water he’d snagged from a passing server.

“Thank you.” She smiled and popped a cracker in her mouth.

“Anything for you, baby. I’m sorry you aren’t feeling well.”

“I’ll be fine. I promise. I’m already feeling better,” she answered and bit into a slice of cheese. “This is really good.”

“Little sis, you okay?” Karen said you weren’t feeling well.” Caiden’s voice over his shoulder startled him. He was the only one of Lizzy’s brothers who could sneak up on him.

“I’m fine, Caiden. Don’t you dare go telling Trevor or Harvey. I got a little overheated outside. I’m fine. Ethan is taking good care of me.”

Her big brother snorted and Ethan bit back a grin. The MacLaughlin brothers all liked him, but after walking into the dressing room this morning with Lizzy’s sparkly lip-gloss smeared on his mouth, they were rescinding their approval temporarily.

“I’ll come back in a little while and check on you again.”

Ethan turned in his chair and met Caiden’s hard glare. “I won’t leave her.”

“I know.” Caiden sighed and nodded. He stepped toward his sister and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

She smiled and patted her brother’s arm. “You worry too much. Go back to Lina and enjoy the party.”



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Paranormal Romance author, Krystal Shannan, lives in Texas and is married to the love-of-her-life. They have a spunky young daughter who believes in fairies. Krystal professes to loving shoes, but avoids wearing them at all costs. She teaches in the public schools and writes as much as she can in her free time. If any more spare time can be squeezed from her day, she enjoys reading romance in all genres, but especially paranormal. If it has a 'Happily Ever After', she's on board!

She is an active member in her local RWA chapter DARA.

Krystal Shannan

Putting Magick in Romance one Soul Mate at a Time.

Contemporary Romance
Indie Published

Available now @



Receive a free book for subscribing to my NEWSLETTER!



Facebook Friend & Fan | Newsletter | Blog




 Krystal will be awarding a necklace pendant depicting the cover of Lizzy to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so follow her tour and comment often. You can find her schedule at




Wednesday, April 2, 2014

What a Brides Wants


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Kelly will be awarding a $20 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour. Remember, the more you comment, the better your chances to win.

What a bride wants…

Ella Grace Emerson adores her father, but he keeps trying to marry her off to every eligible rancher in Montana. When he puts an ad in the paper on her behalf – for a docile house-husband – Ella retaliates with one of her own, pinned to the noticeboard of the local saloon. No husband required, housebroken or otherwise. What she wants is the perfect lover.

What a bride needs…

Newcomer Cam Sawyer is perfectly willing to tear up the sheets with Ella and be her partner in chaos. She wants a bad boy and he’s had experience aplenty. But what she really needs is a strong and loving partner, and until Sawyer stops running from his past he can never be that.

Sawyer’s the one Ella wants. But can he be the man she needs?


Now enjoy an excerpt:

Jo snatched for the Copper Mountain Courier at the same time Ella did. Ella got there first and wore Jo’s slender body slamming up against her side a heartbeat later.

“Oh, look,” Jo said helpfully. “A picture of you. And it’s a good one.”

“Color too,” Mardie pointed out. “Only colored ad on the page. Makes it pop.”

“Make it stop,” muttered Ella as Mardie hastened away, trying to disguise her smile.

The heading on the ad was arresting.

DOCILE HOUSE HUSBAND WANTED

They read in silence. Moments later, Jo’s hand crept up to cover her mouth.

“If you laugh—” Ella threatened darkly. At which point her sweet and ever loving childhood companion did a mighty fine impression of someone about to cough up a cow.

It was a full one minute and thirty-seven seconds before Jo could even speak. “I’m not laughing. I was choking.”

“Have you read down further?”

Jo nodded vigorously. “I particularly like the bit about him needing to be able to cook, clean, iron, keep a tidy house, and raise well-mannered, obedient children.”

“And the rest?”

“Well, who wouldn’t want a man who’s committed to due diligence, the greater good, and sparkling silverware?”

Ella drained her drink in one long swallow and signaled for another. “I’m going to kill him.”


Accidentally educated in the sciences, Kelly Hunter didn't think to start writing romances until she was surrounded by the jungles of Malaysia for a year and didn't have anything to read. Eventually she decided that writing romance suited her far better than throwing sterile screw-worm flies out of airplane windows, and changed careers.

Kelly now lives in Australia, surrounded by lush farmland and family, 2 dogs, 3 miniature cows, a miniature pig, a 3-legged cat and a small flock of curious chickens. There are still flies, but their maggots don’t feed on flesh. Bargain.

Kelly is a USA Today bestselling author, a three time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and loves writing to the short contemporary romance form.

Visit her at www.kellyhunter.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelly.hunter.73307?ref=tn_tnmn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KellyHunterova

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Kelly-Hunter/e/B0034PYXL0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1395350607&sr=1-2-ent

Barnes and Noble author page: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/kelly-hunter

Monday, March 31, 2014

What's In a Name?




Shakespeare said a rose by any name would smell as sweet, but I wonder about that. If we called roses skunk cabbage would it affect our perception of them? I choose my characters’ names with great care simply because in my mind, certain names are associated with certain characteristics. For example, Phaedra sounds like a girl on an adventure while Jane is the heroine of a cozy mystery.
In my new mainstream romance Blue 52 my hero’s name is Richard Henry Lovinggood III, and they call him Hank because his father is called Richard and his grandfather is called Henry.  Let’s take a look at the meaning of these names.

Richard is derived from German and means powerful ruler. Have there been any powerful rulers by that name?  You betcha.  Think King Richard the Lionheart of England. It fits my story perfectly because Hank’s father was the president of the United States. Currently, Richard is the 124th most popular boy’s name in America.

Henry is my hero’s middle name. This name too is of German origin. It means power and ruler. Again, the name is appropriate because Hank’s grandfather is a powerful senator. There have been a lot of famous Henrys too.  King Henry II who established common law in England is one. Currently Henry is the 43rd most popular name for a boy.  

Do these names fit Richard Henry Lovinggood III? They sure fit his father and grandfather. Truthfully, at the beginning of the book they don’t, but by the end…. Well, that’s a story for another time.