Feed Your Reader: Fresh, Funny Regency

One knight, one runaway heiress, one rollicking romance:  A breath of fresh air in Regency romance!

Proud and haughty, Lord de Waare is almost as medieval as his castle…until he accidentally abducts a governess, who turns out not to be a governess at all, and who shows this knight that his heart is not as armoured as he thought.

A girl with a dangerous past, Marina would happily disappear again, but since de Waare won’t let that happen, then the least he can do is help her clear her name. But moving back into society is dangerous for her and for the stern man she’s coming to love. She knows the rules of honour and society, and she won’t allow de Waare to compromise the principles that define him.

But de Waare didn’t become the Crusader by accepting defeat. Faint heart never won a fair lady, and de Waares always win.

“My Lady Governess is a sprightly and highly entertaining historical romance that had me laughing out loud. A great treat for fans of the genre.” – Anna Campbell, author of the bestselling Dashing Widows series

‘Extremely clever and unusual take on a Regency romance’ — Judith Gollihar, NetGalley

‘This was one of my favourite reads of 2017.’ —Sonya Heaney, NetGalley

My Lady Governess is available for now!

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Exclusive Excerpt 2: My Lady Governess

One knight, one runaway heiress, one rollicking romance:  A breath of fresh air in Regency romance!

“Miss Frome.” He smothered his incredulity. “Are you telling me you’re a fallen woman?”

She cringed. “Yes, my lord.”

 “Rubbish.”

 “I beg your pardon?” She shot blue daggers at him, even as he straightened up to look down on her in more ways than one.

 “Rubbish. If you must lie to me, try not to insult my intelligence so brazenly. I can tell a fallen woman, Miss Frome, and you aren’t it.”

 Clinging to her ridiculous defence, the blonde put up a good fight. “How dare you? I am what I say! How dare you disbelieve me on such a subject? You’re insulting,” she raged on, really panicking now and saying anything in desperation. “I’ve been the worst hussy you’ve ever met!”

Tam eyed the worst hussy he’d ever met, and went from curious about her to all-out determined that he’d find out what the hell lay behind this; under no circumstances was this little blonde idiot being letting out on her own. A fallen woman…dear God.  And this was the girl he was going to marry. She wasn’t what he had ever expected, nor what he would ever have chosen. She wasn’t his type – he liked blondes, but he liked them tall, languid and experienced, not five feet one, energetic and with as much as sense as one of his geese.

She was noisy. She was rude. She was also about to learn that telling fantastical lies to him was a very bad idea.

It only took him two seconds. Before she knew what he was about, he seized her by her shoulders, pulling her out of the chair and up into his hold, where he kissed her fast but expertly, and with impressive power.  Barely given time to gasp, she made one cut-off sound of shock before her knees rather satisfyingly seemed to give way and she surrendered. He let go to watch as she dropped back into the chair gasping; she choked, turned a dozen shades of scarlet, trembled violently, then sat with her hands clenched, speechless and with no idea where to look. Certainly not at Tam, who leaned back against the table again and didn’t have to say a word.

No, he hadn’t thought so. Fallen woman, his backside. 

My Lady Governess is available for pre-order now!

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Feed Your Reader: Gallantry, Mistaken Identity, and Beautiful Gowns…

All’s Faire in love and war…

Connie leads a double life. During the week, she is an up-and-coming designer and dressmaker, creating sleek, elegant gowns for the wealthy elite. But come the weekend, Connie becomes Lady Constance, a member of the House Felicitous at the local Renaissance Faire, creating beautiful historical garments for herself and her friends and teaching dancing to fair attendees. Fearing loss of business should her stylish clientèle discover her extracurricular activities, Connie keeps her professional life and her faire life carefully separate. However, everything changes when she’s saved from certain death by Sir Justin: a rising star in the joust and an actual knight in shining armour.

Behind his mask as Sir Justin, Dominic is confident and charismatic, but out of his armour, his courage fails him, and to his own horror he finds himself accidentally pretending to be his own best friend. Suddenly, he is in Connie’s life as two different men: the elusive Sir Justin who courts her over the internet and from behind a suit of armour and Justin’s ‘best friend’ Dominic who hangs out at her apartment and helps her move. The lie only grows bigger and Sir Justin finds himself faced with the most frightening challenge he can imagine: extricating himself from his lie and winning Connie’s heart as his true self.

But there’s something rotten afoot at the Faire, something that threatens its future, the community that has grown there, and even Sir Justin’s life. Will Lady Constance find the courage to step up and risk everything to defend her friends, save the Faire, and rescue her knight?

“I loved every minute of this fun story!” – Leah, Goodreads

“The Modern Woman’s Guide to Finding a Knight was a creative and hilarious romance taking place in an incredibly unique setting.” – Nicki, Goodreads

“A very sweet and original romance set in the faux medieval landscape of a renaissance fair.” – Laura, Goodreads

The Modern Woman’s Guide to Finding a Knight is available now!

iBooks, Booktopia, Google, Nook, Kobo, Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon AU

 

 

The Story of My Book: Haunted Ever After

by Juliet Madison

I Dedicated My Novel To A Ghost…

 I’ve always loved ghost stories, and as I’ve often experienced strong gut instincts about certain things and have learned to listen to my intuition, it’s no wonder I like writing stories with a few elements of the supernatural thrown in.

 When I started writing one of my magical romantic comedies, HAUNTED EVER AFTER, I was trying to come up with a name for my main character; a bride-to-be who becomes haunted by the wacky ghost of her fiance’s ex-girlfriend. A name popped into my mind. I liked the first name but the surname didn’t feel completely right, so I asked myself, ‘What would be a better surname?’ and instantly another one came to me.

 I Googled it and found a news article about a woman with the same name who had been murdered. Her terrifying ordeal brought tears to my eyes, and then I gasped as the article mentioned a street name close to where she was found – it was the same name as the original surname that had popped into my mind.

I decided to give my character the first name of this woman (Sally), but use a different surname than the two I had thought of. I like to think that somehow, I could give her a symbolic second chance at a happy ever after, if only through fiction. And I decided to not only name my character after her but dedicate the book to her as well, and others who have been taken abruptly and unfairly from this world.

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Mixing romance, humour and a sparkle of magic, Juliet Madison is back with a new full-length novel about a bride-to-be, a mystery and the stripper next door.

When bride-to-be Sally Marsh attends a weekend away with her bridesmaids, the last thing she expects is an uninvited guest: the ghost of her fiancé’s ex-girlfriend.

Red is quirky, loud and distracting, and Sally is soon desperate to find the reason behind her presence, so she can rid herself of her embarrassing shadow before the wedding day. Unfortunately, the ghost is reluctant to share the reason for her existence, but very enthusiastic about Ty, the surprise hen’s night stripper who keeps showing up at awkward moments.

Time is running out for Sally, but it’s also running out for Red. By the time all is revealed, Sally will be tested to the limits, and go above and beyond everything she’s ever believed in order to ensure not only her own happy-ever-after – but Red’s as well.

Feed Your Reader – The New Year’s Edition

Releasing 5 January

Elizabeth Dunk kicks off a brand-new series drawing inspiration from some of the greatest love stories in history. Opposites attract—but that doesn’t mean the road to happy-ever-after runs smooth …

Available now!

Casey Cooper left her husband and the small town of Milpinyani Springs in her dust a year ago, vowing never to return. But a favour to a friend finds her back in town—and back in her husband’s garage, where he offers her a proposition too sexy to refuse. A naked Joel has always been the one thing Casey can’t resist—but can her heart handle the heat?

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She dazzled with Secrets of Whitewater Creek, now Sarah Barrie kicks off a brand-new trilogy about small towns, secrets, and the love that saves lives.

Christmas Titles

If you love them, we’ve got them!

Contemporary Christmas!

We can recommend all of Rhian Cahill’s holiday titles, but her latest is super fun.

For a man called Chris Kringle, Christmas is the most magical time of the year.  But this year, there’s something about a certain elf that’s grabbed his attention in the best of ways. 

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Christmas Magic!

Like your Christmas with a bit of sparkle? Try this funny, sweet story about a ghost, 12 Daves, and true love…

A beautiful, uplifting holiday story from bestselling author Juliet Madison about a lonely writer, her grandmother’s ghost, a road trip, and twelve different Daves.

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Country Christmas!

The small town of Swallow’s Fall will make you feel the Christmas spirit, even if they have to force it upon you…

From the author of the internationally bestselling The House on Burra Burra Lane comes a Christmas story — country style.

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Heart-warming Christmas

Not everyone gets to spend Christmas with their loved ones, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be special…

What began as an impersonal-but-cheerful holiday gift for a soldier far from home becomes so much more…

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Sweet Christmas

Because what’s Christmas without a special treat?

It’s going to take more than a few pieces of chocolate to fill this Scrooge’s heart with Christmas cheer. Luckily Candice Cane has a whole shop full…

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Christmas that’s out of this world

For SFF fans – we haven’t forgotten you!

What if your only chance at survival was to seduce the man who broke your heart?

 

 

 

December Recipes: Rustic Rocky Road

by Sarah Belle

I am a very fussy Rocky Road eater. That’s because, for me, RR is all about ratios. I don’t like RR’s that have a very thick chocolate base and miniscule pieces of marshmallow and jelly lolly on top. Noooo. I love light, fluffy, mountainous Rocky Road with the perfect combination of marshmallow, jelly and chocolate in each delicious bite. So, here’s my own recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 bags of Pascall’s marshmallows – the coloured ones are very pretty.
• 2 bags of jelly lollies – ripe raspberries are my faves, but you can use whatever tickles your fancy.
• 2 Blocks of chocolate – you can use milk, white or dark. It needn’t be high quality, but the home brand or cooking chocolate won’t taste as good.

Method:

Chop one bag of marshmallows in half. (This is for variety in mallow-bite size!)

Empty marshmallows and jelly lollies in a large bowl. Mix them up so they are evenly distributed.

Break up and warm chocolate (either in double boiler saucepan or in microwave. Just ensure that all utensils you use with melted chocolate are completely dry- water will cause the chocolate to seize up into one big, ugly, useless ball of gunk).

When the chocolate is three quarters melted, take it off the heat/microwave and stir with a silicone spatula until it is completely melted – this prevents chocolate seizing due to being over heated.

Pour chocolate onto lollies/mallows and mix until there is a light chocolate covering on everything. Tip this mixture into a large, lined roasting pan with high sides. Gently spread the mixture around until it is relatively even- don’t compress it or you’ll lose the fluffiness. It is meant to look a bit rustic.

Pop in the fridge for 3-4 hours and try not to pick at it until the chocolate has solidified. It’s tempting to eat a little bit, and I often fail to leave it alone until it’s set.

Chop into generous slaps and devour with gusto!

(This could, potentially, last for 7 days in the fridge- but ours never makes it past 3.)

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Magic realism mixes with romantic comedy in this new novel from Sarah Belle about the dangers of internet shopping – and using magic to solve real world problems.

December Recipes – Snowballs

by Juliet Madison

Lemon Bliss Snowballs: #glutenfree! #dairyfree! #paleo!

Dry ingredients:

• 1 & 3/4 cup desiccated coconut
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup flaked almonds, crushed up a little

Wet ingredients:

• Juice and rind of one lemon
• A couple drops of vanilla essence
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 3 tablespoons honey

Mix dry ingredients together with a fork or whisk

Mix wet ingredients together

Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients using a fork, then roll into small balls, dip in desiccated coconut to cover, then place on a baking tray in the fridge until firm (about 30 minutes).

*Store in the fridge.

*Makes about 25, I think, but can never be sure because I’ve always eaten a few before I’ve remembered to count them.

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From Juliet Madison, the Queen of Romantic Comedy, comes a collection of three funny, fabulous stories with a touch of magic.

May Titles Bloom Into Life

For your reading pleasure!

Six Feet Under meets Stephanie Plum in Amy Andrews’  fresh, funny, sexy urban-family noir about a country singer who almost made it, a private investigator who’s seen too much and a mother who will cross all barriers to save her child.

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Revisit Swallow’s Fall in this beautiful short novel from Jennie Jones about an ex-military man, a single mother and the impossibility of dreams coming true.

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From the author of the romantic horror debut Beckoning Blood comes the gripping sequel that mixes blood, sex, and magic.

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Finally, all the Housewives are together at last – with four bonus stories…

Secrets Revealed! Bonus four epilogues, exclusive to this digital bind-up!

You’ve never met housewives as hot as these…They’re wealthy and glamorous. The elite of society. But appearances can be deceiving.

Books Seeking Readers – Last Chance at True Love!

We hope you’ve found your match, but we at Escape strongly advocate playing the field – at least when it comes to reading 😉 Here are the last of our lonely books, looking for love!

Exciting medical drama seeks reader who enjoys workplace romances, sexy beach interludes, and men who try to fix things. A love of sweet romance and interfering sisters is a must.

Find true love here.

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Rough-around-the-edges sci-fi romance seeks reader to engage in snarky battles of will, revel in fashionable corsets or manly body armour, and get excited about exploring a brand new world. Grace under fire needed as random fire-fights with mercenaries are likely to occur. Accurate aim and knowledge of battlefield mechanics would result in everlasting devotion and vaguely proclaimed, masculine words of an emotion that is most likely love, although that will never be explicitly admitted.

Find true love here.

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Smart-assed, grown-up romantic comedy, seeks reader with love of wisecracks. Appreciation of 80s music, 70s disaster movies, bad hair days, and a touch of murder a plus. Must be willing to handle peanut butter, have a good sense of humor, and know the value of friendship. An understanding that pizza is sexy is desirable. Aptitude for keeping government secrets, and juggling two jobs at once while finding unexpected love is essential.

Find true love here.

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Country story of the snazzy variety seeking romance reader who loves Chardonnay, humour, shooting stars and seeing how a city-chic designer loses her cool when faced with being secluded for 12 days and nights with a strong, muscly stonemason housemate. (Interest in straw hats and wellies of use.)

Find true love here.

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Enchanting, emotional book seeks reader who’s ever made a wish and wondered what would happen if it came true. If family, community, and following your passion is important to you, then we are a perfect match. I look forward to taking a stroll with you through Miracle Park, making a wish in the fountain, and watching the ocean waves tumble onto the shore. I’ll give you a date you’ll never forget.

Find true love here.

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Road trip story that breaks all the speed limits seeks reader interested in undercover heroes, heroines on the run, and the need to buckle up. No fear of gravel rash for readers who like their heroes in control and their sexual tension suspended.  BYO snacks.

Find true love here.

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Sweet medical romance seeks reader who isn’t afraid of a good cry. Must love nice guys, determined women, and tortured emotions.

Find true love here.

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Forty-something, romantic comedy looking for reader with experience in renovating homes and love lives. Proficiency with power tools and puppies optional, but may be useful when dealing with learner-driver teens and nonagenarians buying Dr Pepper and condoms. All applicant readers must be willing to listen to Iron Butterfly, eat onion rings, and deal with rats of all sizes. Reader must be prepared for kissing for all ages.

Find true love here.

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Futuristic romantic comedy seeks understanding reader with good empathy skills, who will support a 25 year old model trapped in 50 year old’s body as efficiently as a slimming spandex bodysuit. Or at least enjoy laughing at her. Especially when she gets trapped in the slimming spandex bodysuit. Perfect date: bungy jumping, followed by a better-than-sex facial, a ride on a ferris wheel (which may or may not involve getting stuck at the top), and a wild and wacky costume party.

Find true love here.

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Angsty billionaire romance with sidebar fat girl social commentary seeks reader who likes her billionaires to work for it, her heroines to have their own super charged lives, and doesn’t mind reading with her heart in her throat and her backside on the edge of the seat.

Find true love here.