by Joanne Wadsworth | Nov 19, 2014 | Author Blog, Highlander's Faerie
A cover reveal and pre-order release day in one.
A mischievous faerie. A warrior protecting his clan. And a twenty-first century woman he’s soul bound to. John MacDonald has now met his match.
HIGHLANDER’S FAERIE
Highlander Heat, Book Five
Coming December 26th, 2014
Available for Pre-Order at: Amazon Kindle
HIGHLANDER’S FAERIE
Traveling through time…for a Highlander.
With her dying breath, Katherine MacLean makes a wish inside a faerie circle, a wish that sends her traveling through time and into the arms of the warrior the fae have bound her soul to. She is the progeny of two great clans, MacLean and MacDonald, but with a vicious feud raging between them, she’s called by the fae to unite and bring about some peace.
Highland warrior John MacDonald holds a piece of Katherine’s soul and only through him can she survive. When Katherine escapes him to the enemy’s land to see to the fae’s mission, everything within him demands he make chase and protect her.
Once Katherine joins her MacLean kin, she discovers her mission is not quite as it seems. Can she find a way to claim the warrior her soul hungers for…without becoming the one who ignites the feud?
–ooOoo–
Available for Pre-Order at: Amazon Kindle
–ooOoo–
Thanks so much for joining me today. Take care this week.
~ Joanne
by Joanne Wadsworth | Oct 20, 2014 | Author Blog, Highlander's Guardian
I’ve been waiting eagerly to show you this cover.
HIGHLANDER’S GUARDIAN
Highlander Heat, Book Four
Coming October 31th, 2014
Available for Pre-Order at: Amazon Kindle
HIGHLANDER’S GUARDIAN
Wishing…for a Highlander.
Annie MacLeod needs to choose a husband before the king decides on one for her. Once she arrives at court, she begins searching for a suitable match, except she soon discovers the one man she’s always desired is the one man she can never have.
Highland warrior guardian Colin MacLean has long been captivated by Annie. She’s the girl he grew up adoring, and the woman who now holds his heart, yet he’s at court for a very specific reason. His mission is to free his chief from the king’s dungeons, not to taste the sweet temptation of a love that can never be.
When treachery abounds and Annie is kidnapped by Colin’s enemy, desire and duty war within him. Can he find a way to rescue the woman he loves…and save the chief he’s given his loyalty to?
NEVER BEFORE SEEN EXCERPT:
Colin stormed down the steps and along the pebbled path twisting through the trees, his hold on Annie’s hand firm.
“Slow down, Colin.”
“MacDonald touched you.”
“That happens when couples dance.”
“You’re no’ a couple.” He strode around a thick trunk and thumped it with his fist. “He touched you, and I could do naught about it.”
“I’m sorry.” Breathing hard, she caught his other hand before he could hit the tree again. “’Twas just a dance.” She squeezed his fingers. “One single dance.”
“I said I’d aid you in choosing a husband, but it’ll never be him.” Hell, her soft touch scorched him like a brand. He pressed her against the tree and planted his hands either side of her head. Looking into her beautiful eyes, he allowed his anger to dispel. “I’d never hurt you, but I’d kill to keep you safe. Make no mistake about that.”
“This feud between the clans must come to an end. Times are changing and I have a chance to make a difference. Please, make no mistake about that.” She smoothed her hands over his chest. “I have no’ said aye to James, but only agreed to see where things might lead. I’m still very open to anyone you might suggest a match with. Give me some choices.”
“I need time.” He pulled her into his arms, tucked her cheek against his chest and breathed in her intoxicating rose scent.
“Something I’m running out of.”
“I’m well aware, but you need a husband who understands how much love you have to give, that you thrive when your clan remains close by. A MacDonald cannae provide that when we’re at war with them.” Gently, he stroked down her sides and over the soft swell of her hips. He shouldn’t touch her so, except he couldn’t help himself, not after what he’d witnessed on the dance floor. He wanted to rip MacDonald’s arms from his sockets and slice his head from his shoulders. Aye, and he still might.
“Colin?” She lifted her head and met his gaze, her eyes deep pools of midnight-blue he wanted to drown in. “I’m used to you touching me, but no’ quite like this.”
“I’m simply comforting you.” He had no control over his emotions right now. All he wanted to do was to lower his head, take her mouth with his and kiss her as he’d secretly desired for three long years. If only she didn’t tempt him beyond his endurance, except this day, she’d unleashed the deepest craving he’d ever suffered. Now, desperate emotions warred within him as everything about her called to him. “I’m your guardian and I will remain so.”
Words he needed to tell himself over and over to make certain they stuck.
“So you’ve already told me. Speak to me.” She reached up on her toes and brushed her soft lips across his cheek. Temptation warred within him. If he turned his head a fraction, their lips would meet.
“This is one issue I dare no’ speak of. For both our sakes.”
–ooOoo–
Available for Pre-Order at: Amazon Kindle
–ooOoo–
Thanks so much for joining me today. Take care this week.
~ Joanne
by Joanne Wadsworth | Oct 4, 2014 | Author Blog
ECLIPSE LAKE
Small towns hold the darkest secrets.
Fifteen years after leaving his criminal past and estranged brother behind, widower Dane Carlisle returns to his hometown on the banks of sleepy Eclipse Lake. Now, a successful businessman, he has kept his troubled past a secret from most everyone, including his seventeen-year-old son.
But memories in small towns are bitter and long.
Ellie Sullivan, a nature photographer for a national magazine, has a habit of ping-ponging across the map. Her latest assignment leads her to Eclipse Lake where she becomes caught up in the enmity between Dane, his brother Jonah, and a vengeful town sheriff. When freshly-discovered skeletal remains are linked to an unsolved murder and Dane’s past, Ellie is left questioning her growing attraction for a man who harbors long-buried secrets.
–ooOoo–
A huge welcome to Mae Clair and her wonderful new book Eclipse Lake.
Thank you, Joanne, for allowing me to take over your blog today! I’m delighted to be here and share my newest release, ECLIPSE LAKE.
I’ve always enjoyed writing books that play heavily on character relationships. That’s particularly true when it comes to family dynamics. In all the books I’ve written you’ll find a strong emphasis on a particular family tie, severed by conflict, eventually restored. I like putting my characters through the wringer, tearing them apart, then paving the way for reconciliation.
Two items that blend well with that storyline are romance and mystery. In my latest, release, ECLIPSE LAKE, I introduce my readers to two brothers, Jonah and Dane, who have been estranged for fifteen years, living on separate coasts. That’s suited both of them fine until the younger brother, Dane, attempts to fulfill a vow made to his late wife. For the sake of his adopted son, he decides it’s time to make peace with Jonah.
But returning to his hometown—a sleepy community tucked on the banks of a resort lake—places him dead center in an unsolved missing person’s case.
Ellie Sullivan, a photojournalist on assignment in Eclipse Lake, finds herself falling for Dane despite the secrets he harbors. Why does he avoid talking about his past and what he does for a living? How is he involved in the disappearance of a local girl who went missing fifteen years before? Why does his brother treat him so coldly, and the town sheriff react with hostility at the mere sight of him?
At its heart, ECLIPSE LAKE is a mystery and a romance, but it’s also a book about healing and forgiveness. About family ties, overcoming obstacles, and believing in the better good. I’m delighted to share it today.
Purchase ECLIPSE LAKE from Amazon
Add ECLIPSE LAKE to your Goodreads List
Mae Clair opened a Pandora’s Box of characters when she was a child and never looked back. Her father, an artist who tinkered with writing, encouraged her to create make-believe worlds by spinning tales of far-off places on summer nights beneath the stars.
Mae loves creating character-driven fiction in settings that vary from contemporary to mythical. Wherever her pen takes her, she flavors her stories with mystery and romance. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania and is passionate about cryptozoology, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail and cats.
Mae Clair has been chasing myth, monsters and folklore through research and reading since she was a kid. As an adult, she stumbled onto the field of cryptozoology and realized there were others like her who loved speculating about weird and wonderful creatures.
Discover more about Mae on her website and blog at MaeClair.net
You can find Mae Clair at the following haunts:
Website and Blog
Twitter (@MaeClair1)
Google+
Facebook Author Page
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads
Thanks for dropping by, Mae. I always love having you here.
by Joanne Wadsworth | Sep 1, 2014 | Author Blog, Highlander's Charm
I’ve been waiting eagerly to show you this cover.
HIGHLANDER’S CHARM
Highlander Heat, Book Three
Coming September 11th, 2014
Available for Pre-Order at: Amazon Kindle
HIGHLANDER’S CHARM
Traveling through time…for a Highlander.
Lila MacIan makes a wish upon a sixteenth century charm gifted to her by her missing grandmother, a wish that sends her traveling back into the past and to a warrior her charm has bound her to. With a vicious feud raging between the clans, she withholds her true identity from him, except he’s seen her grandmother and now she must do whatever it takes to find her.
Highland warrior Calum MacLean is bound to a woman who holds an identical charm to his. Visions assail him, of the two of them intimately together, and as Lila escapes him for the enemy’s land, his soul demands he protect and aid her.
Once Lila is reunited with her grandmother, she discovers she was born in the past to the MacIan laird, Calum’s arch enemy. Can she find a way to save the man her soul cries out for…set her past to rights and remain in her true time?
NEVER BEFORE SEEN EXCERPT:
At the cave, Calum knelt and rested his cheek near Lila’s lips. Her breath fluttered across his skin and relief poured through him. If he’d been any later in finding her, he’d have lost her.
Quickly, he dug a small pit in the sandy dirt. He pulled the stringy bark off a log, struck flint with his dirk, and coaxed the sparks to life. He built the fire into a crackling blaze with the twigs and wood.
“Mmm, Calum.” She wriggled and stretched.
“Aye, I’m here.” He spread his spare plaid closer to the heat of the flames, scooped her up and laid her in front of him. With his body curved around hers, he tried to share as much of his own heat as he could.
“That’s good. Sooo good.”
“You should have remained at Duart.” He tucked a lock of her black hair behind her ear then wiped grit from her cheeks and chin.
“Sorry, what? Did you get the hot chocolate?”
“You’re teasing me?” Aye, she was, going by the mischievous tilt to her lips. “What is this hot chocolate you speak of?”
“You have to try it. You take chocolate powder and stir it into frothy milk then toss a big gooey marshmallow on top. Delicious. The waitress at my local coffee shop makes the best ones.” She pushed her hands from the confines of his tartan and wiggled her fingers before the flames. “After I fell into the stream I thought Nanna was here, or I was back home, or something. Remind me to never drink icy water on an empty stomach again.”
“What I’ll do is never allow you to swim in the loch again.”
She squirmed around. “I couldn’t stay at Duart, not when I have to get to Ardnamurchan.”
“Margaret told me where you’d gone. Why do you believe your grandmother left for MacIan’s territory?”
“If I told you, you’d get angry, and right when I want to show you some appreciation for saving my life.” Her silver eyes lit. “Want to know how?”
“By showing me your heart shaped mole?” Nay, he shouldn’t encourage her. She needed to rest.
“I missed you, Calum.” She leaned in and kissed him. “After I swam away, I felt as if I’d left part of me behind. Each mile dragged.”
“You willnae leave me again.” He brushed his lips across hers, wanting desperately to imbibe further and drink in her sweet taste. An urge to show her exactly how much he’d missed her burned through him. Aye, this was their cave, the one where he would—damn it, she was still weak and needed to conserve her strength.
“That mole on my belly”—she melted against him—“I want you to see it. Can you help me take this wetsuit off? I want to feel more of the fire’s heat on my skin.”
“I—I set the snare.”
“Then I’d say it caught me.” Her sweet mouth lifted and he traced her plump lower lip.
No more. He had to get out of here. He shot to his feet and dived out of the cave.
“Hey, where are you going? That’s not the kind of snare I meant, mister.”
“I’ll return with food,” he called back. “If you wish to change, there’s clothing in the sack Margaret packed for you.”
Her sigh followed him into the dark as he marched on.
–ooOoo–
Available for Pre-Order at: Amazon Kindle
–ooOoo–
Thanks so much for joining me today. Take care this week.
~ Joanne
by Joanne Wadsworth | Aug 19, 2014 | Author Blog, Highlander's Charm
HIGHLANDER’S CHARM, Highlander Heat #3.
I can’t wait to bring you HIGHLANDER’S CHARM, book three in my Highlander Heat series. This book will release late September 2014, so it’s coming soon. And for some more delicious Highlander Heat news. I’ve just wrapped up book four in the series, and Highlander’s Guardian has a tentative release date set for January 2015.
In the meantime, here’s an excerpt from Charm which I hope you enjoy.
EXCERPT:
Lila strode along the thinning, scrub-lined path. At the edge of the loch, a hundred shirtless warriors wielded swords in a battle of strength against one another. Another hundred swam toward a small island in the middle of the waterway.
Among the half-naked men, Calum swung his two-handed claymore down on his opponent’s. His shoulders and arms were thick, strong, and packed with muscle. A healthy sheen of sweat glistened across his glorious abs. He shoved forward and the force of his move sent the warrior he fought against stumbling backward. So impressive.
Yes, one quick goodbye with Calum and then she’d be away.
She threaded through the battling men, all far too intent on killing each other. It was as if they were each other’s mortal enemy, and if this was training, she shuddered to think what an actual battle would look like. She darted through then fell in behind the one she was after. “Calum, I—”
He jerked around. “Lila? What are you—”
“Behind you.” The warrior he battled raised his sword.
Calum whirled, barely catching his opponent’s blow. “Get back, Lila.”
A blade whistled past her ear, and hot air pulsed all around. She was blocked, on every side. “Get back to where?”
“Hold onto me.” Calum scooped her against him then dodged through his warring men until they reached the edge of the flat.
“I’m so sorry.” She plastered her face against his chest, her heart beating so loud it pounded in her ears. “I didn’t know that would happen.”
“They cannae see any but their opponent when their blood roars for the fight.” He gripped her hand and tugged her into the thick copse of surrounding pine trees. Nesting birds twittered within the highest branches. “How did you manage to slip past the tower guardsman?”
“I was with Margaret and we didn’t have an issue. I needed to come. I had to see you.”
“Then speak.” He slid his claymore into the sheath strapped to his bare back.
Oh, now she had to find a way to say goodbye without actually coming out and saying it. “You left so quickly this morning.” Okay, a good start.
“That is hardly an adequate reason for the risk you just took with your life.” He backed her against a wide trunk, his gaze dropping to her lips.
“I wanted to thank you for saving my life and pulling me from the loch.”
“You did that last eve.” He dipped his head, urged her lips apart and from one heart-stopping breath to the next, swarmed her senses with a ferocious kiss. Every inch of her sizzled, burned and throbbed.
“Once didn’t seem enough,” she said when he finally eased back.
“My apologies. I had to kiss you.” He caressed her sides, roamed down and scooped her bottom. He lifted her higher and pressed his hard length against her belly. “Do you feel our connection?”
“Yes.” She seized his powerful biceps and held on. “I’m not sure what we’re going to do about it though.”
“I do. In the cave, I saw a vision of your beautiful hair spread like black silk over my tartan. I’ve wished since for that vision to come true.” He kissed her again, so deeply their breath mingled as one, his hardness a hot brand and making her want more.
Although it was more she couldn’t have, not when she had her own mission ahead of her. She had to find her grandmother, not duel with Calum.
Yes, it was time to go.
–ooOoo–
Look out for the cover reveal in just a few weeks. It’s coming soon.
I wish you all a wonderful week. 🙂
by Joanne Wadsworth | Jul 16, 2014 | Author Blog
SOLSTICE ISLAND
Can an ancient leviathan work magic between a practical man and an idealistic woman?
Rylie Carswell is an amateur cryptozoologist in search of a mythical creature, the Sea Goliath. In order to reach Solstice Island, a location the ancient leviathan is rumored to haunt, she’s forced to hire charter boat captain, Daniel Decatur.
Initially, Daniel wants nothing to do with the trip or the fool woman waving double payment in his face. Convinced she’s yet another loony treasure hunter looking for gold on the remote island, he reluctantly agrees. An embittered neighbor wants to have his charter license yanked, so the extra cash will help him stay afloat.
It doesn’t take long for Daniel to realize Rylie is after the same beast his parents were tracking when they mysteriously vanished ten years earlier. He’s avoided all links to cryptozoology ever since, but the smart and sexy cryptid hunter has him second-guessing his oath and wondering what he’s signed on for.
Warning: A family legacy, glowing plankton and rough waters.
A huge welcome to Mae Clair and her wonderful new book Solstice Island. I love this blurb. If there’s a mystery to be unravelled, a hunt ,and an mythical creature, I’m there. Here’s Mae.
Thank you for letting me take over your blog today, Joanne. I’ve brought along my romantic adventure novella, SOLSTICE ISLAND and a Top Ten List I hope your readers find intriguing. It’s summer in my part of the globe, so I thought your readers might enjoy a short summery read with a coastal setting. With that in mind, I give you:
The Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Read Solstice Island by Mae Clair:
10 You’ll meet a hot charter boat captain trying to live down his family legacy.
9 You’ll encounter a spunky heroine cryptozoologist, determined hot captain should embrace said family legacy and all the baggage that goes with it.
8 You’ll be able to impress all your friends with your stunning new knowledge of cryptozoology.
7 You may find yourself struck by the uncontrollable urge to look up blurry images of strange creatures online or go on a cryptid hunt (think Loch Ness, Big Foot, and the Jersey Devil).
6 You’ll learn why you should never ignore a craving for mint chocolate chip ice cream.
5 The next time your boat is attacked by a rampaging sea monster, you’ll know precisely what to do.
4 You’ll be swept up in a tale of romance, adventure, and folklore.
3 You’ll uncover buried treasure, thwart a villain, and discover a new use for a boat oar.
2 As a 72 page novella, SOLSTICE ISLAND makes a quick summertime read.
And the number one reason you should read SOLSTICE ISLAND:
1 You can buy it on Amazon for just $.99!
How can readers find you and your book, Mae?
Mae Clair has been chasing myth, monsters and folklore through research and reading since she was a kid. As an adult, she stumbled onto the field of cryptozoology and realized there were others like her who loved speculating about weird and wonderful creatures.
Her blog, From the Pen of Mae Clair, features a weekly post each Monday where she examines a different myth or urban legend. In 2013, she journeyed to West Virginia to learn more about the legendary Mothman, a creature who will factor into an upcoming novel.
As a writer, she pens tales of romantic mystery flavored with a twist of myth or folklore. Married to her high school sweetheart, Mae lives in Pennsylvania. Her passions include cats, history and exploring old graveyards. Look for Mae on her website at MaeClair.net
You can find Mae Clair at the following haunts:
Website and Blog
Twitter (@MaeClair1)
Google+
Facebook Author Page
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads
Purchase SOLSTICE ISLAND from:
Amazon
Add SOLSTICE ISLAND to your Goodreads TBR
Thanks for dropping by, Mae. I always love having you here.
