Guest Blogger Kira Sinclair

Please join us as we welcome our friend and Heart of Dixie chapter-mate, Kira Sinclair. She is going to visit with us and chat about her February release!

Out of Disaster

Have you ever had a nightmare turn into a wonderful dream? I'm not talking about a literal nightmare, but the kind of gut twisting situation that left you reeling. Maybe it was an embarrassing situation that happened in high school. Or a relationship that fell apart. Or a job you lost. Something that left you feeling disappointed, upset and probably emotionally drained.

For Lena Fuller that moment comes when she faces her fiance at the altar and learns he cheated on her...with her cousin. In a few seconds the perfect life she envisioned for herself, and always thought she wanted, crumbles around her. Betrayal, anger, and pain accompany the chaos of discovery and all she wants is peace. A chance to escape and figure out what happens next.

The honeymoon at Escape, an exclusive adults-only Caribbean resort, sounds like the perfect haven. Especially when her best friend Colt Douglas - a globetrotting filmmaker she hasn't seen in awhile- agrees to go with her. Between moon drenched nights, romantic dinners and getting lost in the jungle together overnight, it doesn't take long for Lena to realize there's more to what she feels for Colt. And that she never would have been happy with her ex-fiance.

Out of the disappointment of losing what she thought she wanted, Lena finds something better.

Has that ever happen to you?

Kira

Kira Sinclair's first foray into writing romance was for a high school English assignment; not even being forced to read the Scotland set historical aloud to the class could dampen her enthusiasm, although it definitely made her blush. She sold her first book to Harlequin Blaze in 2007 and hasn't looked back. Her newest release, Bring it On, the first book in her Island Nights trilogy, hits shelves in February. It will be followed by Take It Down, in March and Rub It In in April. She loves to hear from readers! You can contact her at kira@kirasinclair.com or visit her website www.KiraSinclair.com

Rhonda Nelson's The Phoenix

This week I am reviewing the book The Phoenix by Rhonda Nelson.  This is a Harlequin Blaze book.  
The cover, as you can see, is just red hot!  I also really liked the tag line that was on it "Some guys burn hotter than others."  It just seemed like the kind of book to warm up my cold winter night, and I was right.

The premise of the book is really cute...the heroine, Charlie Martin,  is an investigator and so is the hero, Jay Weatherford.  In fact, the Jay was hired for the job at a top security firm that Charlie had applied for.    Charlie was hired at a rival firm and they both ended up assigned to the same kidnapping case but hired by different people to solve the crime.  In fact, it wasn't a kidnapping at all but was a dognapping.  That's right, a dog had been snatched and was being held for ransom, but not just any dog.  A very rich dog.  It was a dog that had been left millions of dollars by its owner. 

Charlie's dad hasn't spoken to her since she left the police force for private investigation/security work and Jay is struggling to deal with some demons that were chasing him since his unit was attacked in Baghdad.  So as you can see there is a lot of tension to go around, Jay got the job Charlie wanted and now they are both trying to find this millionaire dog.  On top of all of this when they meet it is extremely obvious to both of them that they have a physical chemsistry that is off the temperature charts hot!

This book delievers all of the humor and heat that I have come to expect from a Rhonda Nelson book.  I love how she always makes me laugh.  It is one of the many reasons I buy every book she writes but this book had a  romance between two secondary characters Miss Aggie and Smokeythat I found extremely charming and sweet.  It proved yet again that you are never too old for love, if you are willing to take the chance.

I was correct in my original thought that this would be a great book to curl up with on a cold night.  It was sizzling hot and a great read!

Have you read anything recently that warmed up your cold winter days, or better yet nights?

Rhonda Nelson's Yummy Portuguese Bread

I bet this bread would be great to eat while snuggled up on the couch with a cup of tea while reading Rhonda's newest release, THE SUVIVOR.  The heat from the book would probably keep your bread and tea warm!

Rhonda writes:

Because the weather has turned cooler and nothing says fall like the smell of homemade bread cooking, I thought I’d share this recipe with y’all today. I made this myself over the weekend and it turned out so well I’ll definitely be making it again. It’s a very tasty, sturdy bread, which slices well and, as I discovered on Sunday morning, makes excellent French toast. This recipe is for a bread machine because the other way is too intimidating for me. Also, I don’t like to get my hands sticky and flour-y. *shudders* If you don’t have a bread machine, then I’m sorry, I can’t help you. I have no idea how to tell you to make it the way they did in the olden days, before bread machines. (Jean might have a suggestion, though.) Have a good weekend!

Portuguese Sweet Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk

• 1 egg

• 2 tablespoons margarine

• 1/3 cup white sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 3 cups bread flour

• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

1.) Add ingredients in order suggested by your manufacturer.

2.) Select "sweet bread" setting.

Book Report: Real Men Wear Plaid

When we started this blog .we intended to review books. I have not done a very good job of making this happen, probably because I didn't have a plan. Now, I  have one.  I am going to do a monthly book review and give the book to a lucky commenter  Normally, my review will appear the last week of the month, but I'm a week early this time because I am going to be at the Romance Writers of America National Conference next week. 


The book I would like to talk about this month is Real Men Wear Plaid,  by my Heart of Dixie Chapter-mate, Rhonda Nelson.  This Harlequin  Blaze  was just the red hot read this single girl needed!  I love men in kilts and this book delivered them in triplicate. It is comprised of three stories about Scottish brothers who all fall in love with sweet girls from the American South. As a Southern girl myself,  I adored the premise that no one can resist our charms.

In the first story, Ewan MacKinnon (The Wanderer) meets Gemma as they are both hiking along The West Highland Way.  It turns out they are both making the trek as a journey of self-discovery, but what they actually find is sizzling passion along with the answers they were seeking within themselves.

In The Warrior, Cam MacKinnon, has bought the castle of his dreams and runs it as a bed and breakfast that specializes in fishing and murder mystery parties--which he secretly writes.  His hard fast rule against fraternizing with guests goes by the wayside when finds he can't resist Summer's sexy southern charms.  What they expect to be one weekend of holiday fun, turns into a lifetime of  true love.

The final story is about Alec MacKinnon (The Wayfarer) and his best friend and mentor's daughter, Isla.  Before meeting her, Alec expected Isla to be a spoiled selfish American, but she turns out to be nothing like he expected and nothing short of  irresistible!

I loved that these stores showed three very different paths to finding a lifetime passion and that  love doesn't respect borders or boundaries.  It can happen any time and any place, especially when you least expect it!

I recommend this book to anyone who likes a steamy romance with rich satisfying characters, full of the joy of finding love. 

I will announce the winner of this month's book tonight at 10:00 p.m.

What is your favorite book where the men wear plaid?