GAMBLER'S CHOICE by Linda Nightingale

Gambler’s Choice

By Linda Nightingale

A novel about people who love horses…

From The Wild Rose Press

Cover Artist:  Debbie Taylor

Editor: Mary Harmony

Tagline:   An English aristocrat and a Virginia socialite go head-to-head—and feet-to-feet—in a battle for ownership of a very special horse.

Keywords:  Horses, 3-day Eventing, equine, equestrian, horse lovers, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, gothic, books, writing, reading, new releases, The Wild Rose Press, horse books

Rating:  Spicy

Digital Price:  $4.99

Print Price:  TBA

Blurb:

Becca McQuaid came to England to find the perfect horse but instead met a darkly mysterious challenge in Austen Heath, Baron of Hampton. She’s determined to buy Austen’s stallion Gambler’s Choice. He’s determined not to sell, but the rivals are thrown together by an accident that leaves Austen with a broken leg and the threat he’ll never ride again.

Austen Heath has the title, heritage and manor house…but not the fortune. Becca is wealthy. Her charms are irresistible, but he believes she’s shopping for a Ladyship to go with her money. He has another reason to hold the sexy blonde at arms’ length—the unexplained disappearance of an old friend everyone thinks was his lover. When her body is discovered on his property, he becomes a suspect in her murder.

Excerpt:

Rebecca McQuaid was in England for one reason.

To find the perfect match.

Size was important. Becca was a tall girl. Money was of no consequence whatsoever. Becca was a wealthy girl. Heart mattered most. He must have the heart to go the distance. She dreamed of a partnership that would last a lifetime. But looks did rank quite high on her list of priorities.

“I simply can’t ride an ugly horse. That would be like dating an ugly man.” Tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder, she laughed and winked at her friend.

Meg shot her a frown, her tone accusing Becca of being an uncivilized colonist. “Rebecca McQuaid, you say the damnedest things.”

An appreciative chuckle turned her around to squint into the sun. A tall, elegant, dark figure of a man on a magnificent horse caught her imagination mid-stride. She couldn’t see the rider’s face, but she knew he’d overheard the exchange with her friend. He saluted her with a tap of his whip to the brim of his hat as he rode past. Excitement capered over her, and she smiled. The horse’s muscled, blood bay rump glistened. The stallion was sixteen-two hands, fit and impeccably groomed.

“Nice buns. That one’s good-looking enough for me.” She elbowed her friend. “Who is it?”

Meg shaded her eyes. “Gambler’s Choice and Austen Heath. Both horse and rider satisfy your criteria, my dear girl.”

“The horse is handsome.” She wished she had gotten a better look at the bay, but he was a mahogany blaze in the morning sun. “Are you telling me the rider is?”

“That’s the general consensus, but Austen hides in that rambling, dark mansion of his.” Meg studied the pair picking up a trot along the arena. “Fierce competitors. Hard to beat at Intermediate. We’ll see how they handle Advanced.”

“An Advanced horse?” Becca wriggled her shoulders. “I’m in the market.”

“Look elsewhere.” Meg’s finger jutted at Becca’s nose. “Austen won’t sell Gambler for love or money. Guaranteed. Not even for the kind of money you’re willing to spend.”

“Meggie.” She linked arms with her friend. “Everything has a price.”

Meg balked like a donkey. “You’re in a different world, princess.”

“Well, not everything. Love doesn’t have a price.” Pain wrenched her heart as a memory of the breakup with Daniel flashed through her mind. The hurt was too fresh to even think of another man. “But I’m not in the market for love.”

Becca had found that the best way to protect her heart was to play spoiled little rich girl. She had that part down pat, and, as Winston Churchill had said, There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. She was looking for a horse to fall in love with and help mend her broken heart.

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Gamblers-Choice-Linda-Nightingale-ebook/dp/B01AB2TCZU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1452498279&sr=8-2&keywords=linda+nightingale

About Linda:

Born in South Carolina, Linda has lived in England, Canada, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Atlanta and Houston.  She’s seen a lot of this country from the windshield of a truck pulling a horse trailer, having bred, trained and showed Andalusian horses for many years.

Linda has won several writing awards, including the Georgia Romance Writers Magnolia Award.   She is the mother of two wonderful sons, a retired legal assistant, member of the Houston Symphony League, and enjoys events with her car club.  Among her favorite things are her snazzy black convertible and her parlor grand piano.  She loves to dress up and host formal dinner parties.

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/LNightingale

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/LindaNightingaleAuthor

Web Site:  http://www.lindanightingale.com – Visit and look around. There’s a free continuing vampire story.

Blog:  https://lindanightingale.wordpress.com/ - Lots of interesting guests & prizes

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4839311.Linda_Nightingale

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/lbnightingale1/

Book Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03972_A_5-Y

Character Interview:

1.     Nickname:  Austen is difficult to shorten.  As luck would have it, no nickname from childhood stuck.  Once upon a time, I was called Pooh Bear by my mother.  Can you imagine a 3-Day Eventer called Pooh Bear?

2.    Currently residing in.. Somerset, England in my country estate though Virginia with its spirited fillies sounds quite nice

3.    Favorite type of pet – One of my best friends is a Mastiff named Dane.  The other is Gambler’s Choice, a handsome bay stallion.,  Neither are pets, per se.

4.    Most important goal – To be the top of my sport and a renowned horseman.

5.    Wealthy, poor, or somewhere in between? I’m the Baron of Hampton.  I have the manor, the title but not the fortune.  I am not destitute but it costs a lot to keep up Hampton Hall, and for now my dreams must languish in the wings.

6.    Secret desire or fantasy – To find the woman I love, settle down, and sire the heir to the barony.

EGGcerptExchange - Janie Franz - Discovery

Discovery (book 1 in the Ruins Trilogy)

By Janie Franz

Anthropologist Kate Ferguson stumbles upon desert ruins, ancient rituals, and psychic gifts, awakening a love that could prove deadly.

EXCERPT

Though some of Kate’s fellow graduate students would probably have noticed the superb fit of the stranger’s designer suit, it was his black hair, beginning to gray at his temples, which caught her eye. That was an odd quality in someone his age with his obvious Spanish lineage and apparent refinement. She scanned his features, taking in his sensitive mouth and a nose hinting at an Aztec hawkishness.

She quickly rejected the comparison as she turned to Dr. Swartz, her employer as well as her faculty advisor. He had accused her on more than one occasion of trying to find Aztecs under every rock as she researched Aztec/Maya links with the Arizona prehistoric peoples.

Embarrassed at the memory, she turned back to the stranger. His dark gaze concentrated on her intently for a few seconds, and then he retreated into his thoughts as if he could only focus on the world around him in brief glimpses. It didn’t seem like the muddleheaded preoccupation she’d seen among physics majors. And, it definitely wasn’t drugs—or any she had read about—since he just exhibited a piercing moment of clarity and after that withdrew. It seemed a controlled act or one repeated so often it had become habit. His ability to turn on a single moment of intense interest and concentration like switching on a floodlight—and quickly turn it off—fascinated Kate. She wondered if he had family problems preoccupying him—an errant wife or a child flunking school.

BUY LINKS

https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/museitup/romance/contemporary-romance/ruins-detail

http://www.amazon.com/Ruins-Discovery-Janie-Franz-ebook/dp/B00548AKBM/ref=sr_1_15?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1453756644&sr=1-15&keywords=Janie+Franz

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ruins-janie-franz/1103376903?ean=2940011310928

About Janie Franz

Janie Franz comes from a long line of Southern liars and storytellers. She told  other people’s stories as a freelance journalist for many years. With Texas wedding DJ, Bill Cox, she co-wrote The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Book and The Ultimate Wedding Reception Book, and then self-published a writing manual, Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid!  She also published an online music publication, was an agent/publicist for a groove/funk band, a radio announcer, and a yoga/relaxation instructor.

Currently, she is writing her tweveth novel and a self-help book, Starting Over: Becoming a Woman of Power.

Character interview

1. Nickname or name? Kate Ferguson. My full name is Kathryn but I’ve always been Kate

2. Job? I’m currently an anthropology grad student, studying connections between Aztec/Mayans and native cultures in Arizona

3. Most important goal? I want to write the definitive book on ancient peoples in Arizona.

4. Worst fear or nightmare? I have a secret—actually two. I have a gift of psychometry. That means I can sometimes feel things when I hold objects in my hands. But it is a small gift now. I just get whispers, faint feelings. My fear is that I’ll be found out and that I’ll be made fun of. The other is that even at my age, I’m still a virgin.

KATHLEEN ROWLAND - Deadly Alliance - EggcerptExchange

 Deadly Alliance by Kathleen Rowland—

Finbar Donahue, former Army Ranger, walked on the wild side in Iraq, but now he lives in the shadows. After his evasive partner, Les, was shot in a random drive-by, Finn discovers cash is siphoned monthly. He fights to keep his investment company afloat. When the late partner’s girlfriend, Amy Kintyre, applies for his bookkeeping job, Finn suspects she knows about his company drain and hires her.

Amy needs a nine-to-five with free evenings and weekends to get her fashion design business back on track. She unearths Les’ s secret bank account and alerts Finn. Freezing of the money laundering account sets off havoc within an Irish gang. Amy witnesses a gang fight between a brutal ISIS fundraising organization and the Irish. Desperate to escape a stalker’s crosshairs, she seeks refuge with Finn. As danger heats up, sparks fly hotter.

1. Nickname:  Finn. My full name is Finbar Michael Donahue.

2. Job: I own my own investment company, but who’s the chickenshit stealing money from me?

3. Level of schooling:  B.A. in finance, former Army Ranger. That was when I targeted the enemy.

Bio and Links—Kathleen Rowland

Book Buyers Best finalist Kathleen Rowland is devoted to giving her readers fast-paced, high-stakes suspense with a sizzling love story sure to melt their hearts.  Kathleen used to write computer programs but now writes novels.   She grew up in Iowa where she caught lightning bugs, ran barefoot, and raced her sailboat on Lake Okoboji.  Now she wears flip-flops and sails with her husband, Gerry, on Newport Harbor but wishes there were lightning bugs in California.

Kathleen exists happily with her witty CPA husband, Gerry, in their 70’s poolside retreat in Southern California where she adores time spent with visiting grandchildren, dogs, one bunny, and noisy neighbors.  While proud of their five children who’ve flown the coop, she appreciates the luxury of time to write while listening to demanding character voices in her head.

http://www.kathleenrowland.com/

https://twitter.com/rowlandkathleen

https://kathleenrowland.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.rowland.50

Excerpt—Deadly Alliance - conference room snippet

Amy entered the bathroom and faced a door opposite, the entrance to the Harp Hotel on the Lake. No wonder this bathroom was elegant. Waffle towels and an assortment of fragrance mists, lotions, and a milk-glass, soap pump sat on a green-marble counter next to a vintage-looking faucet. If she weren’t in a hurry, she’d spray herself with the cologne in the shamrock container.

There were two large stalls, and she peeked under the shiny white doors to make sure she wouldn’t intrude upon someone. After making sure it was empty, she headed in and hung her little handbag on a hook. About to use the toilet, she heard muffled voices. Wasn’t she alone?

Glancing upward, she spotted a vent. The voices came from a room in the hotel. Did she hear strong words?  She stepped onto the toilet seat and stood on tiptoes, straining to raise herself even higher. As she peered through the vent, she realized she was looking over a balcony and onto a large conference room. This bathroom, on the second level of the parking structure, was level with the hotel’s mezzanine.

About twenty feet below, the marble floor gleamed up at her, but the scene was far from friendly business. A half-dozen men wore turbans and black, body armor with the Takbir insignia embroidered on them. The symbol, hard to ignore this year, was white Arabic writing on their rolling-sand motif flag and displayed with every hostage crisis. Flowing robes extended half-way below their shins.

The robed men surrounded four men seated with their hands on a round table. These men were held captive, she was certain. The two facing her wearing Claddagh rings on their third fingers had visited Les. The rings married them, molded them into a brotherhood. Whether they wore suits or the Levis they’d worn on their visit, they bound together by a code of violence and silence.  For years the Waterfront Roached remained an impenetrable and unstoppable force. Until now.

The Irish Mafioso appearance was as easy to recognize as the Takbir terrorists. In her hometown of Long Beach, the Waterfront Roaches went about their business in match-match suits. The Irish Kings of Cocaine ruled the warehouse district. After scrutinizing the backs of the other two suits, one wore a fedora identical to the Irish mobster at the coffee shop. Next she zeroed in on the other man with slicked back, silver hair who’d visited Les at their condo.  Was  an Islamic gang taking over the Irish mob’s territory?

Fearing they’d see her, she cringed, but the thugs were far below. Concentrating, she tried to make out what was happening down there. She looked through the vent.  A sword gleamed upward.

THE FUNNYMAN - BY SOPHIA WHITTEMORE

TITLE: The Funnyman

 AUTHOR: Sophia Whittemore

BACK COVER BLURB: It isn't a laughing matter when Diana starts to see things in the mist which other people don’t: monsters, gods, and deadly shadows. Yet now she sees another thing, the world of the Impetus, a reality where humans are enslaved and the once-beautiful gods are actually tyrants. Diana must find a way to escape before the exiled king Fear, a vengeful murderer, hunts Diana down to get back something she's stolen from him. But will her growing feelings for the Prince Isak, the oddly sullen god of comedy, draw her into an all-out war?

EXCERPT:

"I am almost a king, Diana. My father would have to be dead for that to happen."

I hung my head, moving farther from him as I realized that we had been positioned far too close for comfort. "I’m sorry for assuming. Losing him would be a terrible thing."

"Don’t feel bad. He hasn’t visited me since I was a child." Isak turned back to the mirror, his lips so tight they were a line, a dark crease forming between his pale brows. "It’s been so long that even your great, great grandparents were nothing more than a vague idea then."

"Immortality sounds wonderful." I stopped myself when I sensed the envy creeping into my words like a poison. "I’m sorry. I mean, with your father…"

"No, don’t wish to be immortal, Diana." Now it was Isak’s turn to sound wistful. "Pray that death comes swifter, if anything." Silence fell like a heavy pall over our shoulders, but then Isak soldiered on. "And about my father, well…somebody has to fight off Fear in the world of men. Somebody has to keep you humans from killing each other, from hurting so much that you can’t feel any other wonderful thing."

"To laugh?"

"To love, to live, to feel so much that your world keeps spinning, faster and faster, in that wonderful, chaotic mess of humanity that you’d so hastily give up. Immortality is overrated. It is nothing but the ability to live through it all and not experience a single thing, to eat everything without tasting it at all." Isak’s eyes shone with a desperate need. He wanted, more than anything it seemed, to be like me, when all I wanted was to be like him.

"But it must be a great thing, to walk on the stars."

"It isn’t, not when shadows threaten you from below. One misstep and we turn into the greatest monsters humanity has ever seen."

"What, like the shadows that attacked us?" I shuddered when I thought of those writhing, clicking bodies, so ready to consume me, body and soul, till I was nothing left but a beating heart.

"No, those are just byproducts of the real monsters, like famine, disease…"

"Fear."

Isak’s eyes shifted over to mine quickly. "What did you say?"

AUTHOR BIO: Sophia Whittemore is a multiracial author with an Indonesian mother and a Minnesotan father. She penned THE FUNNYMAN during her sophomore year of high school at Benet Academy and published it when she was a senior. Her love for the English language manifested itself in eighth grade when she went to the Scripps National Spelling Bee and has continued with other languages such as Spanish and Indonesian. Her prior publications include "A Clock's Work" in a Handersen Publishing magazine, “Blind Man’s Bluff” in Parallel Ink, and winning awards in the Best Midwestern Writing competition for high school writers. She currently resides in Chicago, Illinois with her family and food-loving mini schnauzer called Tiger. Drawing on inspiration from her two cultural backgrounds, Sophia lives a life playing tennis, traveling, and writing about her dual life experiences through other characters in her works or on her blog.