Aloha to Lily Dalton and NEVER SURRENDER TO A SCOUNDREL

Lily Dalton is celebrating the release of NEVER SURRENDER TO A SCOUNDREL, Book 3 in the One Scandalous Season:

A Reckless Desire . . .

Lady Clarissa Bevington is in trouble. A reckless indiscretion has left her with two choices: ruin her family with the scandal of the Season, or marry Mr. Kincraig, the notorious scoundrel mistaken as her lover. Desperate and disgraced, Clarissa vows to love and cherish a veritable stranger, a man whose eyes smolder with danger-and undeniable desire . . .

An Unexpected Arrangement
As an agent for the Crown, Lord Donovan Blackmer has spent the last two years guarding Clarissa's grandfather from an unknown assassin while disguised as the rakehell Kincraig. His mission may now be over, but his duty has just begun. Salvaging his beautiful, impetuous wife's virtue will cost him his fortune and his position as an officer-but it might save him from the ghosts that haunt his own past. When their marriage "in name only" leads to exquisite seduction, Donovan must risk the only thing he has left to lose . . . his heart.

Amazon - link
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I asked Lily what are the top five skils to be a spy ...

1. Any spy worth his salt must possess very keen skills of observation--which are so highly developed that he can’t possibly rein them in when a certain debutante enters the room.

2. Our spy must have the ability to adapt calmly and rationally to any circumstance, and without the interference of his own emotions. Which makes it all the more…wonderful and unsettling when the nearness of a certain young lady, ruffles him completely.

3. He must also have the interpersonal skills of a diplomat, and employ them not only in the interests of national security…but also to save a beautiful woman from scandal, because the idea of her being humiliated in front of all London society offends him to his gentlemanly core.

4. Self-reliance. It’s absolutely critical our operative exist in a state of solitude, even in the middle of a London ballroom, relying on no one but himself, and his own wits. He must guard his secrets, his weaknesses--and his heart, at all costs. Which makes the impulse to let down his guard…to confide in her, all the more troubling.

5. Lastly, our spy must have an immunity to the effects of torture, and never, ever lose control, thereby revealing the secrets he protects. Which makes that first kiss, and each one after, increasingly agonizing--and the eventual surrendering of his heart, nothing less than spectacular.

Lily Dalton grew up as an Army brat, moving from place to place. Her first stop after relocating was always the local library, where she could hang out with familiar friends: Books! Lily has an English degree from Texas A & M University and after graduation worked as a legal assistant in the fields of accident reconstruction and litigation. She now lives in Houston, Texas, with her family. When she isn't at work on her next manuscript, she spends her time trying out new recipes, cheering on her favorite Texas football teams and collecting old dishes, vintage linens and other fine "junque" from thrift stores and flea markets.

lilydalton.com
facebook.com/LilyDaltonAuthor

twitter.com/LilyDalton

Forever Romance is hosting a giveaway at this link.

Mahalo to Lily for her family's service in the Army!

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City 

Aloha to Lily Dalton and NEVER ENTICE AN EARL: Release Week Blitz

 

May is Armed Forces Appreciation Month ... and it is my privilege to spotlight historical author Lily Dalton:  

Lily Dalton grew up as an Army brat, moving from place to place. Her first stop after relocating was always the local library, where she could hang out with familiar friends: Books! Lily has an English degree from Texas A & M University and after graduation worked as a legal assistant in the fields of accident reconstruction and litigation. She now lives in Houston, Texas, with her family. When she isn't at work on her next manuscript, she spends her time trying out new recipes, cheering on her favorite Texas football teams and collecting old dishes, vintage linens and other fine "junque" from thrift stores and flea markets.
lilydalton.com
@LilyDalton
facebook.com/LilyDaltonAuthor

Lily is celebrating the release of NEVER ENTICE AN EARL, Book II in the One Scandalous Season series:

A Deception Most Reckless
Lady Daphne Bevington would do anything for her maid Kate-including masquerading as Kate and sneaking around the wrong side of London to settle the poor girl's debt. Yet her innocent ruse takes a scandalous turn when "Kate" runs into a handsome gentleman on a secret quest of his own. A moment of passion could cost Daphne her reputation, but how can she ignore the stranger's searing kiss?

An Arrangement Most Wicked
Lord Cormack Northmore is determined to find the immoral peer who ruined his sister. So when he learns that the irresistible woman he knows as "Kate" is the Season's most sought-after debutante, Cormack plans to use her connections to help him set a trap. Now, the closer Cormack gets to uncovering the villain who haunts the ton's ballrooms, the more he realizes that the lovely lady is in danger herself. Will he abandon his quest for revenge-or risk losing his one chance at love?
Amazon – link

Barnes & Noble – link

IndieBound – link

Forever Romance is giving away a print copy of NEVER ENTICE AN EARL to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Do you know any military brats?

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, May 3, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, May 4.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Forever Romance offers an excerpt for NEVER ENTICE AN EARL:

Kate?”

She started, realizing he spoke to her, and opened her eyes to find him studying her with amusement.

“You won’t put on those clothes as long as I’m in this carriage, will you?”

“Of course not.”

Again, he smiled, and everything inside her melted because she knew he would do the right thing. Indeed, he rapped a fist against the roof. Immediately, the carriage swayed, changing directions and decreasing speed. Cormack perched at the edge of the bench, as if prepared to exit. But then—

He moved toward her, a shadow in the night, until he half crouched, half knelt with his hands planted on either side of her legs. Her heart raced, and she breathed him in, savoring his scent and his heat. Gray eyes stared straight into hers.

Her pulse jumped wildly, taken over by a dark and pleasurable desire for a stranger. Against all good sense she liked him this close, with his attention fixed so intently on her.

“Cormack,” she whispered.

He kissed her suddenly, catching her mouth slightly open. Before she realized, she’d leaned into him, kissing him back with fervent eagerness. His tongue slipped inside her mouth, something that ought to have shocked her but instead felt completely natural. She sighed, and touched her tongue to his too. Oh, how sweet and warm he was, inside and out. Who needed dry clothes and a fire, when there was kissing?

He chuckled low in his throat.

She froze. Why did he laugh? Had she done something wrong?

She very well might have, because she’d never kissed a man, unless one counted young David Waddington from the neighboring farm, when they’d both been just twelve. It had been a hurried, sloppy affair with neither of them knowing what they were doing. Her brother, Vinson, had caught them behind the hedge and given David a fat nose, but refused even under intense interrogation, to tell their father, the viscount, why.

On the contrary, Cormack clearly knew his way around a kiss. With a slant of his head, he kissed her more deeply, easing her backward into the cushions and thrilling her with the confident glide of his tongue over her upper teeth. With each brush of his lips, each warm breath into her mouth, an invisible velvet cord that ran along the center of her body tightened and quivered. Her toes curled into the cushion.

He exhaled and murmured near her ear. “Sorry--I couldn’t help myself.”

And apparently she couldn’t either, but something told her to keep that to herself. Something held her silent, preventing her from begging for more. Her upraising, she knew, and the expectation of her family and society that she would always behave as a lady.

His face hovered her cheek, but did not kiss her. He gave her an opportunity, she realized, to reject him, to protest. The moment lasted only that long--a moment--before he bent a few inches more and nuzzled the side of her neck, just below her ear—

“All right then. You haven’t screamed…or poked out my eyes.”

He pressed his lips to the sensitive skin there. Her fingers curled in his shirt.

“Tell me if you’re opposed,” he murmured against her skin. “Tell me if I should stop.”

She couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t possibly understand why, and she wasn’t about to tell him. But his breath tantalized and tickled. With a sigh, she clasped his head there, and he found her earlobe. They sank into the corner, the shadow of his body closing over hers, a delicious blanket of heat and weight, his mouth again claiming her lips.

“Cormack—” she whispered against him, inhaling his breath. Kissing him back. “Yes.”

Beneath the coat, his hand found her bare skin, and smoothed up her thigh.

The carriage jerked to a stop.

He groaned, kissing her hard, and breaking away to stare at her though glazed eyes.

Weekly Winners

Aloha!  I am a winner - I won Kandy Shepard's THE SUMMER THEY NEVER FORGOT and Tracy Brogan's HOLD ON MY HEART.  Reviews to come ...

We have winners at SOS Aloha!

Máire Claremont and THE DARK AFFAIR
- Terri wins a signed copy from Máire.

Kate McKinley's By Invitation Series

- Catslady wins the bound edition from Forever Romance

Jane Ashford's THE BRIDE INSISTS

- Diane wins a print copy from Sourcebooks

Passionate, Enticing, and Reckless Blog Tour

- Jane wins these books from Forever Romance

Elizabeth Michels' DESPERATELY SEEKING SUZANNA

- LSU wins a print copy from me

Winners - please claim your prizes by sending your mailing address to sos.aloha@yahoo.com.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Forever Romance's Passionate, Enticing, and Reckless Blog Tour with Cara Elliott, Lily Dalton, and Vicky Dreiling

We have the triple delight in Regency Romance!  Cara, Lily, and Vicky share their top five ...

Cara Elliott's Passionate, Enticing, Reckless Top 5 List

What's something you're passionate about: Literacy, especially for kids

Name one of Hollywood's most Enticing hunks: Matthew Macfadyen

What's one reckless activity you've always wanted to try? Heli-skiing in the Rockies

Share a fun fact about your book: Caro, the drama queen, was the hardest of the sisters to write—I think I went through at least six dozen Lindt Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt bars bribing the Muse to make her behave.

Share a fun fact about you: I took up fencing for several months in college but decided I didn’t like getting poked with a sharp object and turned to squash, a sport in which you get to whack a little rubber ball against a wooden wall.

Lily Dalton's Passionate, Enticing, Reckless Top 5 List

What's something you're passionate about: Dishes. My “granny” had lots and lots of dishes, and not one matching set! It made her happy to eat on a different pretty plate every day and put them out for visitors. I think I must have inherited my love of dishes from her. My cabinets are crammed with all sorts, new and old. It’s an obsession my husband doesn’t understand.

Name one of Hollywood's most Enticing hunks: Hugh Jackman (Best Physique)

What's one reckless activity you've always wanted to try? I’d love to parasail over a bright azure sea.

Share a fun fact about your book: There’s a dangerous, wrong-part-of-town bawdy house!

Share a fun fact about you: I used to be a really great slalom water skier. I might still be…

Vicky Dreiling's Passionate, Enticing, Reckless Top 5 List

What's something you're passionate about: Downton Abbey – My Facebook readers and I are in mourning until the next season!

Name one of Hollywood's most Enticing hunks: Henry Cavill—role model for Colin/WHAT A RECKLESS ROGUE NEEDS (3/25)

What's one reckless activity you've always wanted to try? Ride in a hot air balloon (Did I mention I’m afraid of heights?)

Share a fun fact about your book: There is a pug named Hercules in the book. William and Mary introduced the pug to England in 1688.

Share a fun fact about you: I taught aerobics for ten years.

Passionately Yours

PASSIONATELY YOURS by Cara Elliott (March 4, 2014; Forever E-Book; $7.99)

The youngest of the Hellions of High Street, Caro Sloane has watched her two sisters have exhilarating encounters with dashing heroes, and now she is longing for some excitement of her own. After all, how can she write truly passionate poetry until she has experienced a Grand Adventure? But that seems unlikely to happen as she'll be spending the next few weeks in the quiet spa town of Bath, where nothing grand or adventurous ever happens . . . until she and her new friend Isobel are nearly abducted while walking on a quiet country road-only to be rescued by Alec McClellan, the moody and mysterious Scottish lord she met at Dunbar Castle.

Alec has come to England to deal with a treacherous betrayal and fears that his half-sister Isobel is in peril from an old enemy. Does he dare share his secrets with Caro? The bold and brave beauty leaves him no choice, and together they are quickly caught up in a swirl of dangerous intrigue . . . where fiery desire between them may ignite into the greatest danger of all.

Cara Elliott started writing Westerns at age five but moved on to Regency romance after reading Pride and Prejudice. (Clearly she has a thing for Men in Boots!) A graduate of Yale University, she lives and works in New York City.

Social Media Links:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

Buy Links:
Amazon
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Never Entice an Earl

NEVER ENTICE AN EARL by Lily Dalton (April 29, 2014; Forever Mass Market; $8.00)

Lady Daphne Bevington would do anything for her maid Kate-including masquerading as Kate and sneaking around the wrong side of London to settle the poor girl's debt. Yet her innocent ruse takes a scandalous turn when "Kate" runs into a handsome gentleman on a secret quest of his own. A moment of passion could cost Daphne her reputation, but how can she ignore the stranger's searing kiss?

An Arrangement Most Wicked

Lord Cormack Northmore is determined to find the immoral peer who ruined his sister. So when he learns that the irresistible woman he knows as "Kate" is the Season's most sought-after debutante, Cormack plans to use her connections to help him set a trap. Now, the closer Cormack gets to uncovering the villain who haunts the ton's ballrooms, the more he realizes that the lovely lady is in danger herself. Will he abandon his quest for revenge-or risk losing his one chance at love?

Lily Dalton grew up as an Army brat, moving from place to place. Her first stop after relocating was always the local library, where she could hang out with familiar friends: Books! Lily has an English degree from Texas A & M University and after graduation worked as a legal assistant in the fields of accident reconstruction and litigation. She now lives in Houston, Texas, with her family. When she isn't at work on her next manuscript, she spends her time trying out new recipes, cheering on her favorite Texas football teams and collecting old dishes, vintage linens and other fine "junque" from thrift stores and flea markets.

Social Media Links:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

Buy Links:
Amazon
B&N
iTunes

What a Reckless Rogue Needs

WHAT A RECKLESS ROGUE NEEDS by Vicky Dreiling (March 25, 2014; Forever Mass Market; $8.00)

WILL THE ROGUE'S PERFECT PLAN . . . Colin Brockhurst, Earl of Ravenshire, has no desire to wed, this season or any other. So when his father demands he give up his wild ways and take a wife, Colin refuses. But his father raises the stakes and threatens to sell the ancestral home if Colin doesn't comply. Now Colin has no choice but to find a wife. Unfortunately, the only woman he wants is the one whose heart he broke years ago.

LEAD TO THE PERFECT SEDUCTION?

Regardless of the ton's whispers, Lady Angeline Brenham won't settle for anything less than true love. After rejecting more than her share of suitable suitors, spinsterhood looms before her-until the devilishly handsome Colin reappears in her life with a proposition. Angeline vows to keep her feet on the ground and her heart in check. That is, until one searing kiss melts her resolve and reignites a burning desire for more . . .

Vicky Dreiling is a confirmed historical romance junkie and Anglophile. Frequent business trips to the United Kingdom allowed her to indulge her passion for all things Regency England. Bath, Stonehenge, and Spencer House are among her favorite places. She is, however, truly sorry for accidentally setting off a security alarm in Windsor Castle. That unfortunate incident led her British colleagues to nickname her Trouble.

When she's not writing, Vicky enjoys reading, films, concerts, and, most of all, long lunches with friends. A native Texan, she holds degrees in English literature and marketing.

Social Media Links:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

Buy Links:
Amazon
B&N
iTunes

Wow!  And it gets better ... Forever Romance is giving away an ecopy of PASSIONATELY YOURS, a print copy of NEVER ENTICE AN EARL, and a print copy of WHAT A RECKLESS ROGUE NEEDS.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Share something passionate, enticing, and/or reckless about you!  

2.  This giveaway is open to readers in the US.  

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, March 15, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, March 16.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore  

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

I am passionate about the beach ....

Aloha to Lily Dalton and NEVER DESIRE A DUKE

Debut author Lily Dalton wrote in her bio (link),

Lily, since her earliest days, has found a friend in books. Raised an Army brat, her family moved often, and books were constant companions who always smoothed the transition to a new location and a new set of friends.

You know how much I lurv hosting romance authors with military connections!  Lily joins me for a cozy chat ...

Kim:  I'd love to know more about your life as an Army brat - do you have a special memory? 

Lily:  There are so many! Growing up I found comfort in falling asleep to the distant sound of artillery from the practice range, and waking up to the sound of soldiers running cadence. I still get a big thrill when a Chinook or an Apache helicopter flies overhead. If I had to pick my favorite memory, it was New Year’s 1983, when I was in the ninth grade. I lived on Fort Clayton, Panama, but had gone to visit my best friend on adjacent Albrook Air Force Base. It was midnight, and we went to sit on a hillside overlooking Panama City to watch the fireworks go off all over the city. It was a spectacular view, and no one else was there. That’s because in order to get that view, we’d…er…kind of snuck into the base General’s back yard. But there wasn’t a fence, and it didn’t look like anyone was home, and we were way down at the furthest edge of the terrace…We sat watching the fireworks for about fifteen minutes before we realized there was an MP (military police officer) standing with a German shepherd on a leash not five feet behind us. He never said anything, and neither did we. We watched for another ten minutes or so and left. I’ll always remember that night because a nice MP and his guard dog let two teenage girls sit and watch the fireworks, in a place where they really weren’t supposed to be. I loved being an Army brat, and even married another one! 

Albrook AFB was home to the 6th AF prior to WWII.
Public Domain (link)

Kim:  Tell us about Texas - what is your favorite sight, smell, and sound?

Lily:  My favorite sight: In spring, you can see huge, rolling fields of bluebonnet wildflowers. They are best around Burnet and Marble Falls. People drive out in droves to take pictures in them, but you have to be careful not to sit on a rattlesnake! (Really!)

My favorite smell: Barbeque!

My favorite sound: cicadas at night. George Strait singing to 80,000 fans at Reliant Stadium. The 12th Man. Mariachis! (oops! I couldn’t stop with just one!) 

Mariachi Campanas de America visit the White House
on May 5, 2008
Public Domain (link)

Kim:  Who or what helped you along your path to publishing? 

Lily:  All the friends I’ve made through Romance Writers of America, the West Houston RWA and Northwest Houston RWA chapters in particular. They really are the most supportive and inspiring group of people and RWA as an organization is tops at keeping us educated on all aspects of writing and publishing.

Kim:  NEVER DESIRE A DUKE is a Regency romance with a holiday cover. Can you share something unique about celebrating Christmas during the Regency Era?

Lily:  In Regency times, Christmas was a low key affair compared with how we tend to celebrate the holiday now, and mostly involved a day spent with the family enjoying a nicer-than-usual-meal, and doing some sort of charity for those less fortunate. Christmas trees weren’t a custom for most, but many would hang greenery above the mantle or around the chandelier. In London, greenery—to include mistletoe--would be brought in from the country to sell on the street corners. There’s a very sweet old grandfatherly fellow in NEVER DESIRE A DUKE, Sir Keyes, who carries around a sprig of mistletoe and uses it to get kisses from the young ladies. But he’s only got so many berries on the sprig, and every time he claims a kiss he has to pluck a berry off that sprig and discard it. When there’s no more berries—there can be no more kisses claimed! Sorry, gentlemen, but those were the rules of mistletoe during Regency era Christmases! 

Public Domain (link)

Kim:  What inspired NEVER DESIRE A DUKE?

Lily:  I wrote the proposal for this book when I was having a very un-Christmassy Christmas. We were in the middle of a move from one house to another, so we didn’t decorate that year. We didn’t even have a tree. It was also unseasonably warm outside, at nearly 90 degrees. This book was my escape into an unabashedly romantic Christmas, with all the fantasy trimmings: piles of snow, gingerbread and a couple who desperately needs a Christmas miracle.

Kim:  What's next for Lily Dalton?

Lily:  The theme of my series is “One Scandalous Season” and the books tell the stories of the three Bevington sisters. In DUKE, Sophia’s scandalous season takes place at Christmas on a snowbound country estate. NEVER ENTICE AN EARL, however, opens at the height of the London Season--but not in a ballroom, as it should. Instead, in a valiant effort to save a friend, debutante Daphne Bevington masquerades on the stage of a scandalous bawdy-house. As a consequence, she finds her life--and her heart--tangled up with that of a mysterious earl, bent on revenge against someone who may or may not be very close to her. It’s been a really fun book to write, and I hope readers enjoy Daphne and Cormack’s story.

Mahalo, Lily, for joining us today!  NEVER DESIRE A DUKE is next on my TBR stack ... 

A MARRIAGE BEYOND HOPE
The Duchess Sophia has long been estranged from her husband, His Grace, Vane Barwick, the Duke of Claxton, whose rumored list of amorous conquests includes almost every beautiful woman of the ton. Yet a shocking encounter with him in a crowded ballroom—and a single touch—are all it takes to reawaken her furious passion for him. But how can she trust the man who crushed her dreams and took away the one thing she wanted most?

A LOVE BEYOND REASON

Claxton has never forgiven himself for the youthful mistake that ruined his marriage to Sophia. Now, after nearly a year abroad, the reformed rogue vows to win back the only woman he’s ever truly loved. He’ll do whatever it takes to prove he can be the honorable husband she deserves—and the passionate lover she desires. As the snowdrifts deepen outside their ancestral home, can they rekindle the flame that burned so bright and find a new path to forever?

Publishers Weekly Starred Review: “Dalton’s Regency debut resonates with genuine feeling. [...] Unlike some onenote tortured heroes, Vane is sincere and appealing. Sophia’s pain is very real, and every interaction is fraught with honest emotion. As they struggle to recapture their romance, readers will feel deep sympathy with both characters and hope for them to find happiness.”

One Scandalous Season, Book 1
Grand Central Publishing/Forever (September 24, 2013)
ISBN-13: 9781455524013 ♦ ISBN-10: 1455524018

Read an Excerpt

ORDER PRINT: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | B-A-M
Book Depository | Chapters | IndieBound

ORDER EBOOK: Kindle | Nook

I am giving away an English Holiday Treat to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about holiday traditions - do you have a special one for your family?  It can be any holiday - Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, etc.

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, September 28, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on  Sunday, September 29.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

To learn more about Lily, her books, and contact info, check out her website at lilydalton.com.

Coming Spring 2014