Weekly Announcements - 4 Mar 2011

Join us Sunday when Michelle Styles will be here to answer questions about her latest Victorian release from Mills & Boon, BREAKING THE GOVERNESS'S RULES. She'll also be giving away two copies! Be sure to join us then.

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We'll also draw the winner of Denise Agnew's FOR A ROMAN'S HEART, set ancient Rome. You still have time to leave a comment or question for your chance to win.

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Stay with us through the coming weeks when we'll be featuring the best unusual historical authors! Elizabeth Lane, Bonnie Dee, Karen Mercury, and Christina Phillips, will be coming up. Join us!

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Remember, you don't have to be an Unusual Historicals contributor to submit good news to the weekend announcements. If it has to do with unusual historicals, we'd love to shout it out to the world! Send announcements to Carrie. See you next week...

Weekly Announcements - 25 Feb 2011

Lindsay Townsend's Bookstrand ancient world historical romances, FLAVIA'S SECRET, set in ancient Roman Britain, BRONZE LIGHTNING, set in ancient Britain of Stonehenge, BLUE GOLD, set in ancient Egypt are now half-price and less.

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Join us Sunday when Denise Agnew will be here to answer questions about her Roman-set romance, FOR A ROMAN'S HEART. She'll also be giving away two copies! Be sure to join us then.

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We'll also draw the winner of Kristina McMorris's debut, LETTERS FROM HOME, set in WWII. You still have time to leave a comment or question for your chance to win.

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Stay with us through the coming weeks when we'll be featuring the best unusual historical authors! Michelle Styles, Elizabeth Lane, Bonnie Dee, and Karen Mercury will be coming up. Join us!

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Remember, you don't have to be an Unusual Historicals contributor to submit good news to the weekend announcements. If it has to do with unusual historicals, we'd love to shout it out to the world! Send announcements to Carrie. See you next week...

Weekly Announcements - 18 Feb 2011

Lindsay Townsend has received the cover and copy for her July release, TO TOUCH THE KNIGHT, another in her very popular medieval series from Kensington.

As a pestilence sweeps medieval England, a low-born woman has only the sharpness of her wits--and the courage of her heart...

Edith of Warren Hemlet plays a dangerous game. At the knights' tourneys across the land, among the lords and ladies, she is a strange foreign princess. But in the privacy of her tent with the other survivors of her village, she is but a smith's widow with a silver tongue. They are well-fed, but if discovered, the punishment is death. And one knight--fierce, arrogant, and perilously appealing--is becoming far too attentive...

Sir Ranulf of Fredenwyke cares little for tourneys: playing for ladies' favors, when his own lady is dead; feasting, while commoners starve; "friendly" combat, when he has seen real war. Still, one lady captivates him--mysterious in her veils and silks, intoxicating with her exotic scents and bold glances. Yet something in her eyes reminds him of home...and draws him irresistibly to learn her secrets...

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Join us Sunday when Kristina McMorris will be here to celebrate the debut of LETTERS FROM HOME, set in WWII. She'll also be giving away two copies! Be sure to join us then.

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We'll also draw the winner of E. D. Walker's romance featuring a Norman knight werewolf, THE BEAUTY'S BEAST. You still have time to leave a comment or question for your chance to win.

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Stay with us through the coming weeks when we'll be featuring the best unusual historical authors! Denise Agnew Michelle Styles, Elizabeth Lane, Kris Tualla, will be coming up. Join us!

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Remember, you don't have to be an Unusual Historicals contributor to submit good news to the weekend announcements. If it has to do with unusual historicals, we'd love to shout it out to the world! Send announcements to Carrie. See you next week...

Weekly Announcements - 12 Feb 2011

Carrie Lofty's May 2nd release from Carina Press, PORTRAIT OF SEDUCTION, set in Napoleonic Austria, has its cover!

Greta Zwieg forges masterpieces. With her copies on their walls and the original paintings safely hidden, the noble families of Austria can rest assured their treasures will survive Napoleon's advances. But now Greta's uncle is changing the rules, selling her counterfeits as originals. Greta abhors the deceit. Though anxious for her family's safety in a perilous time, she is determined to put things right.

Oliver Doerger is living a lie of his own. While acting as valet for his aristocratic half-brother, Oliver saves Greta's life and is overwhelmed by the forbidden passion that flares between them. While he's not truly a servant, he is a bastard and a spy--certainly no match for a woman of such exquisite quality.

Though both fear discovery, they cannot resist each other. But when the truth comes out, and the city falls into chaos, Greta and Oliver will be forced to choose: love or duty?

In addition, Carrie's upcoming Victorian romance from Pocket, HIS VOWS TO KEEP, which is set in colonial South Africa, is available now from pre-order.

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Lisa J. Yarde will be a regular contributor at the Best Damn Creative Writing Blog, with weekly articles on writing and publication, starting in February.

Lisa will also self-publish her next historical fiction title, SULTANA, a story of murder, revenge and intrigue set in thirteenth-century Moorish Spain. Ebook versions available now at Amazon and Smashwords, while the paperback will appear in April.

In thirteenth-century Moorish Spain, the realm of Granada is in crisis. The union of Fatima, granddaughter of the Sultan of Granada, with the Sultan’s nephew Faraj has fractured the nation. A bitter civil war escalates and endangers both Fatima and Faraj's lives.

All her life, Fatima has sheltered in lavish palaces where danger has never intruded, until now. A precocious child and the unwitting pawn of her family, she soon learns how her marriage may determine her future and the fate of Granada. Her husband Faraj has his own qualms about their union. At a young age, he witnessed the deaths of his parents and discovered how affluence and power offers little protection against indomitable enemies. Guilt and fears plague him. Determined to carve his own destiny, Faraj struggles to regain his lost inheritance and avenge his murdered family.

Throughout the rugged frontiers of southern Spain, the burgeoning Christian kingdoms in the north and the desert states of North Africa, Fatima and Faraj survive ruthless murderers and intrigues. They unite against common enemies bent on destroying the last Moorish dynasty. While Fatima and Faraj establish a powerful bond, the atmosphere of deceit creates opportunities for mistrust and tests their love.

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Join us Sunday when E. D. Walker will be here to chat about THE BEAUTY'S BEAST, a Norman-themed romance. She'll also be giving away two copies! Be sure to join us then.

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We'll also draw the winner of Beth Elliott's latest steamy medieval romance, APRIL AND MAY. You still have time to leave a comment or question for your chance to win.

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Stay with us through the coming weeks when we'll be featuring the best unusual historical authors! Kristina McMorris, Denise Agnew Michelle Styles, and Elizabeth Lane will be coming up. Join us!

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Remember, you don't have to be an Unusual Historicals contributor to submit good news to the weekend announcements. If it has to do with unusual historicals, we'd love to shout it out to the world! Send announcements to Carrie. See you next week...

Weekly Announcements - 4 Feb 2011

Blythe Gifford will be quoted in the upcoming April issue of RT Book Reviews. The magazine is taking "Jane and John Doe" time traveling, and Blythe served as the expert on medieval sex, words, and undergarments. Expect some shocking tidbits!

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Don't forget, you have until Sunday to enter for your chance to win a free download of Michelle Styles's Harlequin Historicals Undone, "THE PERFECT CONCUBINE." In addition, Michelle is sponsoring a Goodreads giveaway for BREAKING THE GOVERNESS'S RULES.

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Great news from Lila DiPasqua! The Romance Dish named AWAKENED BY A KISS and THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED Top Picks of 2010!

She also received the cover for her August release, A MIDNIGHT DANCE, the next in her "Fiery Tales" series from Berkley Sensation. Inspired by the tale of Cinderella, Lila weaves a steamy story that offers a glass slipper, a dangerous deception, and an impoverished beauty determined to find her handsome prince...and make him pay. Pre-order it now! Here's the blurb:

Born into wealth, Sabine Laurent and her twin sister lived a life of luxury, their father's prestigious theater frequented by royalty and aristocracy alike. And Sabine dreamed of her own prince charming--the devastatingly handsome Jules de Moutier.

That was before the loss of her sister and her family's fall from grace--a disaster Sabine blames on the Moutier family. Now, with her father's death, she's inherited his sizable debt and the responsibility of caring for his spoiled long-time mistress and her two wastrel daughters. But with the help of Sabine's eccentric friends--the balance of her father's acting troupe--she plans to get very close to her old infatuation, seduce the rake--and make away with a fortune.

Resisting Jules's skillful mouth and tantalizing touch is not as easy as Sabine supposed. And soon she must decide whether her desire for vengeance is greater than her desire for her one and only prince...

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If anyone with e-readers missed Margaret Mallory's first book, KNIGHT OF DESIRE, her publisher is running a $1.99 special on the e-book version. Here are B&N & Amazon links. Enjoy!

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Reader and author E. D. Walker let me know that the Hearts Through History RWA chapter needs more entries for their historical-themed contest, which is open to published and unpublished authors. They've just extended the deadline to Feb. 11. For more information or to enter, visit their website.

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Join us Sunday when Beth Elliott will be here to chat about APRIL AND MAY, a Regency romance set in Constantinople. She'll also be giving away two copies! Be sure to join us then.

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We'll also draw the winner of Laura Navarre's latest steamy medieval romance, THE DEVIL'S TEMPTRESS. You still have time to leave a comment or question for your chance to win.


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Stay with us through the coming weeks when we'll be featuring the best unusual historical authors! E. D. Walker, Kristina McMorris, Denise Agnew and Michelle Styles will be coming up. Join us!

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Remember, you don't have to be an Unusual Historicals contributor to submit good news to the weekend announcements. If it has to do with unusual historicals, we'd love to shout it out to the world! Send announcements to Carrie. See you next week...

Weekly Announcements - 28 Jan 2011

Margaret Mallory's KNIGHT OF PLEASURE is a finalist in the 2010 Picture Perfect Cover Contest from the Dunes & Dreams chapter of RWA. Winners will be announced February 14, 2011. Good luck, Margaret!

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Join us tomorrow when Laura Navarre will be here to chat about her latest sexy historical romance, THE DEVIL'S TEMPTRESS, set during the Crusades. She'll also be giving away a copy to one lucky commenter! Be sure to join us then.

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We'll also draw the winner of Stephanie Dray's ancient world historical fiction debut, LILY OF THE NILE. You still have time to leave a comment or question for your chance to win.


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Stay with us through the coming weeks when we'll be featuring the best unusual historical authors! Beth Elliott, E. D. Walker, Kristina McMorris, and Denise Agnew will be coming up. Join us!

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Remember, you don't have to be an Unusual Historicals contributor to submit good news to the weekend announcements. If it has to do with unusual historicals, we'd love to shout it out to the world! Send announcements to Carrie. See you next week...

Weekly Announcements - 22 Jan 2011

Amanda McIntyre will soon re-release her CAPA nominated time-travel historical romance, Wild and Unruly and it's companion time-travel romance, Fallen Angel to Decadent Publishing. Both stories will have newly written additional content and will release in 2011. Welcome back, Sheriff Jake Sloan!

In addition, Amanda announces the gathering of a compilation of faery tales from nine celebrated authors to be released in print and available at the upcoming 2011 Romantic Times BOOKLovers convention in Los Angeles. Twice Upon a Time contains faery tales with a dash of modern magic! This "faery special" anthology includes Eden Robins, Amanda McIntyre, Sahara Kelly, Taige Crenshaw, Vijaya Schartz, Janet Miller, Joy Nash, Liddy Midnight and Kayce Lassiter, the proceeds of which will go toward defraying the medical expenses of fellow author and sister RT faery court member, Tina Gerow. The book will be published by Decadent Publishing.

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Join us tomorrow when Stephanie Dray will be here to chat about her historical fiction debut, LILY OF THE NILE, set in the ancient world. She'll also be giving away a copy to one lucky commenter! Be sure to join us then.

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We'll also draw the winner of Gillian Bagwell's Restoration Era historical fiction debut, THE DARLING STRUMPET. You still have time to leave a comment or question for your chance to win.


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Stay with us through the coming weeks when we'll be featuring the best unusual historical authors! Laura Navarre, Beth Elliott, E. D. Walker, and Kristina McMorris will be coming up. Join us!

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Remember, you don't have to be an Unusual Historicals contributor to submit good news to the weekend announcements. If it has to do with unusual historicals, we'd love to shout it out to the world! Send announcements to Carrie. See you next week...

Weekly Announcements - 8 Jan 2011

Welcome to 2011, dear readers! Now that the holidays have been consigned to history, I am happy to report that our weekly announcements posts will resume.

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Long-time contributor Karen Mercury is happy to announce that her latest is now available. WORKING THE LODE is an erotic romance set during the California gold rush and can be purchased in ebook formats from Siren Bookstrand. We'll be featuring Karen as a guest author later this winter. Congratulations! Here's the blurb:

Going to California. It's three thousand miles nearer to hell.

Mountain man Cormack Bowmaker meets up with Zelnora Sparks on the eve of California's great rush--the discovery of gold. Zelnora is fleeing from her mentor, the mighty businessman Brannagh. They are being shadowed by the most scandalous Spanish bandit in the frontier. Joaquin Valenzuela wants to rob them of their gold, but soon discovers a desire for much more. Californians call for the pickled head of Valenzuela in a jar, but his passion for the two Americans overpowers his zeal for mayhem.

They band together in their quest for riches, love, and the good life. Bowmaker is a sharpshooter, his aim true. Valenzuela will slit the throat of anyone who wanders by. Zelnora knows where to find the gold. And Brannagh will do everything it takes to stop them.

They are about to discover the frontier--within themselves.

Karen was also featured this week in an interview on Babbling About Books.

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The final chapter of Michelle Styles's serialized romance, HIS STAND-IN BRIDE, is available now, which means you can read the entire free book in its entirety!

In addition, she received the cover and blurb for "THE PERFECT CONCUBINE," a Harlequin Historicals Undone set in ancient Rome. This short story will be available in February. Here's the information:

Rome, 68 B.C.

Valeria's life is in the hands of Piso the Greek--the very man who had risen from a common sailor to wealthy ship owner following their doomed romance. He is the only man brave enough to sail the dangerous seas to Alexandria to reunite Valeria with her missing brother and restore her family's fortune. But Piso demands a high price for his help: Valeria must become his concubine and share his bed once more...

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It's been gratifying to see so many Unusual Historicals authors and past guests make year-end "best of" lists for 2010. If any of your books made such a list, please let us know!

Among the best of the year are Margaret Mallory's KNIGHT OF DESIRE and Lila DiPasqua's THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED, which both made the list of Rita's Best Reads of 2010. In addition, Carrie Lofty's SONG OF SEDUCTION and SCOUNDREL'S KISS made Wendy the Super Librarian's Best of 2010. And finally, Lorelie Brown received a special mention on Babbling About Books for her debut, JAZZ BABY.













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Join us tomorrow when Lorelie Brown will be here to chat about her Roaring 20s debut, JAZZ BABY, which is now available in paperback from Samhain. She'll also be giving away a copy to one lucky commenter! Be sure to join us then.

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We'll also draw the winner of Alex Rickloff's Irish paranormal-tinged historical romance, EARL OF DARKNESS. You still have time to leave a comment or question for your chance to win.


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Stay with us through the coming weeks when we'll be featuring the best unusual historical authors! Gillian Bagwell, Stephanie Dray, Laura Navarre, and Beth Elliott will be coming up. Join us!

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Remember, you don't have to be an Unusual Historicals contributor to submit good news to the weekend announcements. If it has to do with unusual historicals, we'd love to shout it out to the world! Send announcements to Carrie. See you next week...

Weekly Announcements - 11 Dec 2010

First up, great news! The winner of yesterday's prize package is: GAIL! Email Carrie (contact AT carrielofty DOT com) to provide your information. Congratulations!

Join us tomorrow when we wrap up our massively awesome Fourth Anniversary Bash! We'll have OMG TWELVE books up for grabs. See you then!

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In the meantime, former guest author Jan Scarbrough is back to help us celebrate Christmas early. She's giving away an ebook copy of the novella collection A GROOVY CHRISTMAS . Written by Jan and two other authors, the novellas are set in 1944, 1968, and 1975. Very cool! Just leave your comment in this post. I'll draw the winner on Monday morning, after all the Anniversary Bash hubbub has died down!

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If you haven't seen this week's posts at the RT Book Reviews blog, do check them out. Carrie Lofty, Blythe Gifford, Elizabeth Lane, Michelle Styles, and a couple intrepid Unusual Historicals contributors all wrote new material to celebrate our anniversary week.

Among those posts, Elizabeth revealed the cover to her March release, THE WIDOWED BRIDE, set in the 1920s. In addition, Michelle's post on the international market for Harlequin was linked to by Dear Author.

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Congratulations to Zoe Archer, whose second "Blades of the Rose" book, SCOUNDREL, was selected by Smart Bitch Sarah Wendell as one of her top picks for 2010. Jeannie Lin's BUTTERFLY SWORDS was also chosen! What a cool pair of selections to represent the best in exotic historical romance. We're very proud!

You can read the entire list on the Kirkus Romance Blog.

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UH reader and author Kelly Heckart wrote in to ask that we announce the release of her latest paranormal historical romance, set in 6th century Scotland. Happy to, Kelly! BELTAINE'S SONG is the second book in the "Dark Goddess" trilogy, available now from Awe-Struck.

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Would you like an early Christmas present? Bookstrand has Lindsay Townsend's romance, FLAVIA'S SECRET on offer as a free ebook from now until Valentine's Day. FLAVIA'S SECRET is set in ancient Roman Britain in 206AD. If you haven't tried one of Lindsay's books yet, here's a chance!

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We'll also draw the winner of Michelle Styles's trio of romances from Harlequin Mills & Boon. You still have time to leave a comment or question for your chance to win.

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Stay with us through the coming weeks when we'll be featuring the best unusual historical authors! Michelle Beattie, Elizabeth Lane, Alix Rickloff, and Lorelie Brown will be our guests. Join us!

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Remember, you don't have to be an Unusual Historicals contributor to submit good news to the weekend announcements. If it has to do with unusual historicals, we'd love to shout it out to the world! Send announcements to Carrie. See you next week...

Weekly Announcements - 28 Nov 2010

Yes, I know it's Sunday. Bear with me as we hurdle over technical difficulties!

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Celebrating her new Victorian historical holiday release from Decadent Publishing, A CHRISTMAS PROMISE, Amanda McIntyre will be running a Sugar & Spice/Naughty & Nice contest at Fresh Fiction! Win books, share holiday recipes and traditions from November 22 through December 15.

Widowed Irishman Brady McCormick made a promise to his young wife the day she died--to bring their son to America and begin a new life in the land of opportunity. Living in charity with a distant uncle in New York, barely scraping by, Brady is unsure he will be able to uphold the promise, much less quell the loneliness, until an angel appears at the docks, Saran Reichardt.

Headstrong and tenacious, gentlewoman Saran knows she's unlike most women of society. Dedicated to teaching and helping the impoverished, she has no need of a man to take care of her, but an accidental encounter with a stormy-eyed Irish immigrant and his young son changes her perception of what need really is. Will this holiday give them both the hope and faith they desire or will their own stubbornness keep them apart?

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Follow the Harlequin Historical Advent Calendar for Prizes, including a FREE Kindle 3G!

During the month of December, twenty-two Harlequin Historical Authors, including UH contributors Blythe Gifford and Michelle Styles, have teamed up to create an online Advent Calendar. Starting Tuesday, November 30, you can find the calendar here. Each day, click on the calendar to visit the host author's website, and you can win prizes such as signed books, gift certificates, and holiday goodies. Blythe's day will be December 12; Michelle's is December 20.

You will be asked to complete a task, such as posting a blog comment, searching for a hidden ornament, or answering a question about an excerpt. Please check the author's webpage for your instructions and to see what the daily prize is. You can enter once each day, at each of the twenty-two websites.

On December 23rd, a random drawing from among all 22 authors' entries will determine the grand prize winner of a Kindle 3-G. Please see the official eligibility rules for this giveaway.

Happy Holidays from the Harlequin Historical authors!

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Stay with us through the coming weeks when we'll be featuring the best unusual historical authors! Michelle Beattie, Elizabeth Lane, Alix Rickloff, and our fourth anniversary bash will be coming up. Join us!

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Have a good week! Remember, you don't have to be an Unusual Historicals contributor to submit good news to the weekend announcements. If it has to do with unusual historicals, we'd love to shout it out to the world! Send announcements to Carrie. See you next week...

Weekly Announcements - 20 Nov 2010

Michelle Styles has a number of good things going on this week. First, she's holding a Goodreads contest for THE VIKING'S CAPTIVE PRINCESS, that runs through November 30.

Michelle was selected by Harlequin to write a serialized Regency romance, HIS STAND-IN BRIDE, which is connected to her forthcoming December release, A QUESTION OF IMPROPRIETY. The serial will run through the first week of January. Check it out!

In addition, the UK hardback version of her latest early Victorian romance, BREAKING THE GOVERNESS'S RULES, which is loosely connected to COMPROMISING MISS MILTON, will be available in January.

'How delightful to meet you again, Miss Louisa Sibson.'

Jonathon Lord Chesterholm's eyes bored holes into Louisa Sibson's back. The former fiancée he's thought dead is very much alive...

Louisa has rebuilt her life, after being dishonourably dismissed from her post as governess for allowing Jonathon to seduce her. Now Louisa lives by a rulebook of morals and virtue--the devastating Lord Chesterholm will not ruin her again!

But Jonathon will get to the bottom of Louisa's disappearance--and he'll enjoy breaking a few of her rules along the way...

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Join us Sunday when Kate Allan will be here to chat about KRAKOW WALTZ, a Regency-era romance set in England and Poland. She'll also be giving away a copy to one lucky commenter! Be sure to join us then.

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We'll also draw the winner of Kristi Astor's first Edwardian romance, A MIDNIGHT CLEAR, from her guest appearance on Sunday. You still have time to leave a comment or question for your chance to win.

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Stay with us through the coming weeks when we'll be featuring the best unusual historical authors! Zoe Archer, Michelle Styles, Michelle Beattie and our fourth anniversary bash will be coming up. Join us!

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Have a good weekend! Remember, you don't have to be an Unusual Historicals contributor to submit good news to the weekend announcements. If it has to do with unusual historicals, we'd love to shout it out to the world! Send announcements to Carrie. See you next week...

Weekly Announcements - 13 Sept 2010

Veteran's Day was this past Thursday in the United States, and it was Remembrance Day and Armistice Day in other nations. My own parents both served in the US Marine Corps during Vietnam, which has always provided a reminder of the risks involved in becoming a service man or woman. Our heartfelt thanks to all of those who have risked their lives.

In keeping with that theme, reader Kim Adams reflected on Veteran's Day in a post that mentioned author Margaret Mallory's father, Norman Brown, among others. Check it out!

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Lorelie Brown has sold her latest historical romance--a western set in the Arizona Territories in 1882 titled CATCH ME--to Carina Press for a July release. Congratulations! Here's the blurb:

Desperation has driven Maggie Bullock to rob a bank. Her father's stomach ailment treatments at the expensive sanatorium must be paid for somehow, and Maggie absolutely refuses to watch the last member of her family die. But the daughter of a sheriff should have known that there are consequences to lawbreaking.
 
Dean Collier is the gun-toting embodiment of consequences. A bounty hunter, he's shed enough blood to know every kill takes a little shard of his soul with it. So when he's offered a sheriff's post, just for bringing a slip of a woman like Maggie to justice, he's on her trail in no time.
 
But catching Maggie is the easy part. It turns out to be much harder to get back to Fresh Springs without falling in love with the little hellcat who rides, shoots and shows a determined spirit that disproves everything Dean knew about women. Meanwhile, Maggie does her best to escape from the dangerously broken bounty hunter...

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Join us Sunday when Kristi Astor will be here to chat about her first Edwardian-set romance, A MIDNIGHT CLEAR, set in England in 1909. She'll also be giving away a copy to one lucky commenter! Be sure to join us then.

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We'll also draw the winner of Jane Goodger's latest "Christmas" romance, A CHRISTMAS WALTZ, from her guest appearance on Sunday. You still have time to leave a comment or question for your chance to win.

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Stay with us through the coming weeks when we'll be featuring the best unusual historical authors! Kate Allan, Zoe Archer, Michelle Styles, and our fourth anniversary bash will be coming up. Join us!

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Have a good weekend! Remember, you don't have to be an Unusual Historicals contributor to submit good news to the weekend announcements. If it has to do with unusual historicals, we'd love to shout it out to the world! Send announcements to Carrie. See you next week...

Weekly Announcements - 6 Nov 2010

Margaret Mallory has a new cover and information about her upcoming new series from Grand Central. THE GUARDIAN, set for an April 26th release, is book one in the "Return of the Highlanders" series set in 1513. In the series, four fearless warriors return to the Highlands to claim their lands and legacies. But all their trials on the battlefield can't prepare them for their greatest challenge yet: winning the hearts of four willful Scottish beauties. Here's the blurb for THE GUARDIAN:

After years of fighting abroad, Ian MacDonald comes home to find his clan in peril. To save his kin, he must right the wrongs from his past...and claim the bride he's long resisted.

As a young lass, Sìleas depended on Ian to play her knight in shining armor. But when his rescue attempt compromised her virtue, Ian was forced to marry against his wishes. Five years later, Sìleas has grown from an awkward girl into an independent beauty who knows she deserves better than the reluctant husband who preferred war to his wife. Now this devilishly handsome Highlander is finally falling in love. He wants a second chance with Sìleas--and he wont take no for an answer.

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Both Margaret Mallory and Stephanie Dray were nominated for RT Reviewers' Choice Awards for 2010. Margaret's KNIGHT OF PASSION was nominated in the "British Isles" category, while Stephanie, writing as Stephanie Draven, received a nomination in the "First Series Romance" category for her mythic paranormal POISONED KISSES. RT Book Reviews reviewed more than 3000 titles this year, and this list of nominees was compiled by their editors and reviewers Winners will be announced in Los Angeles at the next RT Booklovers' Convention. Congratulations, ladies!

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Lila DiPasqua's latest "Fiery Tales" collection of 17th century French-set novellas, THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED is out now! Here's the blurb:

The Marquis' New Clothes: To save her cousin, Aimee de Miran must retrieve a jeweled ring from the most sinfully seductive man at court, the Marquis de Nattes. But to search his considerable wardrobe she'll have to get very close to the notorious rake...and soon she finds herself very close to him indeed, with his clothes--and hers--utterly forgotten...

The Lovely Duckling: Reputed for his carnal skills, Joseph d'Alumbert prefers amorous encounters without emotional entanglement--until a quick-witted lady stirs tender feelings and hot desire. Emilie de Sarron suffered burns to her body as an infant, and keeps her scars--and her heart--well hidden. But Joseph is determined to peel away her inhibitions, one slow steamy kiss at a time, to reveal the beautiful swan inside...

The Princess and the Diamonds: Princess Gabrielle can't sleep at night. There is something hard in her bed. No, not just the stolen diamonds tucked under her mattress, but the handsome Marquis on it...whose carnal talents she can't resist. But he threatens her secret mission, and worse, she stands to lose far more than the diamonds--her heart is at stake!

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Zoe Archer's latest is also available now. REBEL, the third of the "Blades of the Rose" series, is set in wilderness of British Columbia. Here's the blurb:

A LONE WOLF

Nathan Lesperance is used to being different. He's the first Native attorney in Vancouver, and welcome neither with white society nor his sometime tribe. Not to mention the powerful wildness he's always felt inside him, too dangerous to set free. Then he met Astrid Bramfield and saw his like within her piercing eyes. Now, unless she helps him through the harsh terrain and the harsher unknowns of his true abilities, it could very well get him killed...

AND THE WOMAN WHO LEFT THE PACK

Astrid has traveled this path before. Once she was a Blade of the Rose, protecting the world's magic from unscrupulous men, with her husband by her side. But she's loved and lost, and as a world-class frontierswoman, she knows all about survival. Nathan's searing gaze and long, lean muscles mean nothing but trouble. Yet something has ignited a forgotten flame inside her: a burning need for adventure, for life--and perhaps even for love...

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Michelle Styles' December release, A QUESTION OF IMPROPRIETY has its cover and blurb, and is available for purchase on eHarlequin. Here ya go:

Diana Clare has had enough of London--the balls, the rakes you can never trust... Now, having returned home in disgrace, she is trying to forget what drove her from the ton.

Rake and gambler Brett Farnham, Earl of Coltonby, seems intent on making Diana remember exactly what it was like to be whirled around the ballroom and seduced by the glint in her partner's eye.

But Brett has "mistress" rather than "marriage" in mind, and Diana is not sure her reputation can stand up to another scandal....

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Join us Sunday when Jane Goodger will be here to chat about her latest "Christmas" romance, A CHRISTMAS WALTZ, set in 1894 Texas and England. She'll also be giving away a copy to one lucky commenter! Be sure to join us then.

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We'll also draw the winner of Delia DeLeest's latest 1920s-set romance, NOT LOOKING FOR TROUBLE, from her guest appearance on Sunday. You still have time to leave a comment or question for your chance to win.

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Stay with us through the coming weeks when we'll be featuring the best unusual historical authors! Kristi Astor, Kate Allan, Zoe Archer, and Michelle Styles will be our guests. Join us!

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Have a good weekend! Remember, you don't have to be an Unusual Historicals contributor to submit good news to the weekend announcements. If it has to do with unusual historicals, we'd love to shout it out to the world! Send announcements to Carrie. See you next week...

Weekly Announcements - 15 Oct 2010

An excerpt of Jean Adams' Egyptian time travel romance, ETERNAL HEARTS, is available here, along with her guest blog "Write Like An Egyptian."

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Jeannie Lin's debut novel, BUTTERFLY SWORDS, was released on October 1. It received a four star review from RT Book Reviews, as well as 9 1/2 stars from The Season and Top Pick for October.

From The Season: "The world of Tang Dynasty China Lin creates is far different from the ballrooms of Regency England or the Scottish cliffs of a highlander novel. But this historical romance is as unique and spellbinding for its meticulously researched and sweeping setting as for its suspenseful danger, and its themes of love, family, and honor. Not to mention the hero is hands down a Hero To Die For!"

Dear Author and Kobo Books are partnering in a special promotion in October. Purchase a copy of BUTTERFLY SWORDS from Kobo Books between October 1 and October 31 and be entered in a giveaway drawing. One random person will be selected to receive a free Kobo Reader. Details here.

In addition, Jeannie is continuing her road show with a signing at Barnes & Noble in Crestwood, MO on October 16, along with authors Jim and Shannon Butcher. Jeannie will also be signing at the NJRW conference literacy signing on October 23. For more info on signings, click here.

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Margaret Mallory's KNIGHT OF PLEASURE won the Georgia RWA's prestigious Maggie award in the historical category.

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The second of Zoe Archer's "Blades of the Rose" series, SCOUNDREL, has been making big news. It received an in-depth review from Dear Author, a fantastic 88 from Mrs. Giggles, and was selected as Smart Bitch Sarah's Sizzling Book Club Selection for October.

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Congratulations to Lindsay Townsend, who just accepted an offer of representation from the Roberta Brown Literary Agency.

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Michelle Styles' THE VIKING'S CAPTIVE PRINCESS has been translated into Italian as IL SEGNO DEL PECCATO, available here.

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Join us Sunday when RENEE RYAN will be here to chat about her WWII-set romance, DANGEROUS ALLIES. She'll also be giving away a copy to one lucky commenter! Be sure to join us then.

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We'll also draw the winner of JEANNIE LIN's BUTTERFLY SWORDS guest appearance on Sunday. You still have time to leave a comment or question for your chance to win.

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Stay with us through the coming weeks when we'll be featuring the best unusual historical authors! BETH TRISSEL, DELIA DeLEEST, JANE GOODGER, and LAURA NAVARRE will be our guests. Join us!

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Have a good weekend! Remember, you don't have to be an Unusual Historicals contributor to submit good news to the weekend announcements. If it has to do with unusual historicals, we'd love to shout it out to the world! Send announcements to Carrie. See you next week...