I'm so sorry I'm so late posting the winner of the ecopy of A MOST NAKED SOLUTION by Anna Randol. We were hit with a very violent and very sudden storm Friday night that took down our neighbors' tree which took out the power lines and is still laying across our driveway. The power lines are still down and so we are left with no power, no water, and no Internet since the cable line is down, too. I'll have to deal with getting that back up and running after we get the power back. [sigh]
I'm borrowing from a friend to get this posted and set a post for Tuesday, a guest reviewer which I hope you will enjoy.
Now for the winner of an ecopy of A MOST NAKED SOLUTION by Anna Randol:
The Winner IS:
Julie Beasley
I've notified Julie by email so I hope she will check her mailbox
and her SPAM folder in case it goes in there. : )
Hopefully, I'll be back up and running as usual very soon, in the meantime,
On Monday, I posted my review of Anna Randol's newest release A MOST NAKED SOLUTION, novella now available from Avon Impulse. It's a murder mystery regency romance novella well worth reading - if you'd like to read my review, CLICK HERE but hurry back because Anna and I are about to embark on a journey back through time in hopes of learning more about the events surrounding the book's mystery!
* * * * *
Anna
Randol, author of the newly released novella, A MOST NAKED SOLUTION, and I are
here at the tavern owned by Mr. and Mrs. Haws in the village of Weltford in
England, the year is 1816. The tavern is well-kept and clean. Oak paneling.
Roaring fire in the hearth. We’re tucked away in a quiet corner with a good
view of the town out of the window.
A handsome,
well-dressed lord and blond, almost ethereal lady enter and go straight to the
bar to speak with Mr. Haws, the owner of the establishment.
Haws:
(shifts behind the bar, the rag in his hand slowing) Lord Grey. Lady Harding.
It’s a surprise to see you both again. (pauses) So soon.
Lord
Grey: I’ve come to ask again if you remember any strangers from around the time
of Lord Harding’s murder. Lady Harding has come along to tell you how grateful
she’ll be for any help.
Lady
Harding: (hesitates) Of course.
Haws:
(lowers his eyes to the top of the bar) Well, er …
Mrs. Haws explodes out of the kitchen. A
look passes between her and Lady Harding.
Lord
Grey: (watches the two women and sets his jaw before returning his attention to Haws) I know two men were here after
the murder. Two men from London.
Lady Harding pales. She and Lord Grey
whisper back and forth. Despite Anna and my best attempts, we cannot
overhear what they say. However, we do hear Lord Grey’s growl. Sophia quickly backs
away, her face wary.
Amy:
(lowers her voice so only Anna can hear) Do you think we should—
Mrs. Haws throws a mug of ale in the man's
face before we have a chance to act. Anna and I stare at each other wide-eyed
as he mops up the mess, and we’re definitely disappointed when the pair leave a few
moments later.
Mrs. Haws comes over to our table, the
steaming meat pie we ordered in her hands. The crust is golden and flaky and
just a touch of rich, brown gravy is bubbling out from under the crust. Considering her treatment of Lord
Grey, we are a trifle hesitant to take the pie.
Mrs.
Haws: (winks) I’m not normally in the habit of throwing things at my customers.
Anna:
(eyes her warily but then takes the pie) What was going on over there?
Mrs.
Haws: (frowns) Lord Grey may be justice of the peace, but I won’t have him scaring
women in my tavern. Especially not Lady Harding. The poor chick’s been through
enough.
Amy:
What precisely has she been through?
Mrs.
Haws: (sighs) What with the death of her beast of a husband, then Lord Grey suspecting
she had something to do with it. The man finally pries himself away from his
mathematics and it’s to investigate the murder.
Anna:
(eyes wide) Did she have something to do with it?
Mrs.
Haws: (glares) If you think that, then you’re as blind as his lordship. She’s a
sweet, dear lady, and if she wants me to keep quiet about the two men that were
in the tavern at the time of her husband’s death, I’ll do it.
Anna and Amy glance at each other.
Amy:
(lowers voice) She asked you to keep quiet about something?
Anna:
(glances at Amy) That seems rather suspicious.
Mrs.
Haws: (scowls) Now look what you have gone and made me say. Now eat your pie before I
have to take my rolling pin to both your backsides.
We quickly grab our forks and plates and scoop a
hearty portion for ourselves.
Amy:
(calls out as Mrs. Haws walks away) Is there something between the two of them?
They couldn’t seem to keep their eyes off each other.
Mrs.
Haws: (a smile crosses her face) She did love him as a girl, you know. She
wrote him the only letter he received while he was in the army. (Her smile
turns to a grimace.) Of course, he never wrote her back.
Anna:
(frowns) How very sad. (suddenly smiles) But then perhaps now that they’re together again—
Mrs.
Haws: (winks, smiles, and lowers her voice) Hush now, don’t jinx it.
* * * * *
Blurb for A MOST NAKED SOLUTION:
Sometimes the best solution is found in bed . . .
Lady Sophia Harding:
beautiful, blond, and . . .capable of murder? That's what Lord Camden Grey
intends to find out. It is Camden's duty to uphold the laws of the land. His
neighbor's pale beauty and winsome grace don't make her the most likely
suspect, but is the innocent and altogether beguiling look in her eyes the
truth, or is she secretly a scheming seductress?
Lord Camden Grey is
entirely too distracting and too smart. Sophia knows that to keep her family's
secrets, she must avoid any entanglements with the powerful and brutally
handsome man. But the pull of their mutual desire is all-consuming. Can Sophia
trust Camden with the truth when she knows it might kill the love that has
grown between them?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Anna Randal writes sultry, adventurous Regency romances for Avon. Her first
novel, A Secret In Her Kiss, earned a
starred review and Top Pick in Romance from Publisher’s
Weekly, who called it a “...masterful debut…[that] spins a tale replete
with mystery, espionage, and memorable romance.” When she’s not plotting fun,
sexy storylines, Anna’s usually eating dark chocolate, having wild dance
parties with her kids in the living room, or remodeling her house one
ill-planned project at a time.
Our trip to the past was brief but we've learned that Lady Sophia Harding has friends who love and care about her. Mrs. Haws is even hopeful for a lasting romance between Sophia and Lord Grey even if she did throw ale in his face.
I'd like very much to thank Anna for traveling with me and creating such a delightfully fun post for our Wacky Wednesday (I did help a little by giving her the idea.) It's obvious that her creative talents know no bounds. Thank you, Miss Anna and know that you are always so very welcome here at UNWRAPPING ROMANCE. xoxo
Now, Anna and I would like to ask if you could travel to the past, what event would YOU like to eavesdrop on?
One lucky commenter will win an ecopy of A MOST NAKED SOLUTION from Anna to celebrate the release of this most excellent novella. Please leave a comment & a valid EMAIL ADDRESS for as I've said before, if I can't contact you, you cannot win. This Giveaway is OPEN TO EVERYONE and will run until 11:30PM EDT Friday, June 29, 2012 and the winner will be announced on Saturday after being notified by email. (See why that email address is important?)
Happy Reading Everyone and Good Luck!!
A MOST NAKED SOLUTION, a novella by Anna Randol, Avon Impulse, now available in ebook format.
When Anna Randol debuted with A SECRET IN HER KISS, I knew I would want to read everything this young author wrote so imagine my delight when Avon asked me to read an eARC for Anna's upcoming new release - a novella sequel to her first called A MOST NAKED SOLUTION. This historical romance novella releases TOMORROW!
Doesn't she get the most beautiful covers!?
Blurb for A MOST NAKED SOLUTION:
Sometimes the best solution is found in bed . . .
Lady Sophia Harding: beautiful, blond, and . . . capable of murder? That's what Lord Camden Grey intends to find out. It is Camden's duty to uphold the laws of the land. His neighbor's pale beauty and winsome grace don't make her the most likely suspect, but is the innocent and altogether beguiling look in her eyes the truth, or is she secretly a scheming seductress?
Lord Camden Grey is entirely too distracting and too smart. Sophia knows that to keep her family's secrets, she must avoid any entanglements with the powerful and brutally handsome man. But the pull of their mutual desire is all-consuming. Can Sophia trust Camden with the truth when she knows it might kill the love that has grown between them?
* * * * * *
The novella, A MOST NAKED SOLUTION by Anna Randol is a wonderful sequel to A
SECRET IN HER KISS. This was the novel where we first hear of Bennett Prestwood’s sister,
Sophia, whose marital condition Bennett frets over even as his heart and
protection are claimed by Mari Sinclair. We learn that Sophia has entangled
herself with a husband who is less than honorable in regards to her respect and
Bennett has long suspected of her abuse. Bennett, it turns out, was not wrong in his
assumptions.
Lady Sophia Harding now finds herself the widow of Lord Harding after the man
is shot dead, presumably by a poacher. When Lord Camden Grey, the Justice of the
Peace for the village of Weltford, has evidence brought to his attention that the man may have actually been the victim of a hired
killing, he sets out to solve the crime. His main
suspect, the dead man’s wife and the same woman who had claimed his heart so many years
earlier.
In A MOST NAKED SOLUTION, Anna has continued the story first brought to our
attention in A SECRET IN HER KISS but without taking anything away from either
story. A MOST NAKED SOLUTION stands alone in its tale containing a murder mystery, a
second chance at love, and how that love can clear the mind, the conscience, and
the soul.
Lord Camden Grey, with his mathematically analytical mind, has more than a crime
to solve. He’s been so caught up in his attempt to impress his father by solving
a mathematical mystery that he’s ignored the mystery of his heart – his
unrelenting attraction and desire for the young girl who used to linger in the
hallway to listen to his tutorial lectures on mathematics. Now he is faced with not only confronting that part of his heart that he's shut away but he's also faced with the prospect that Sophia may also be involved in her husband murder.
Lady Sophia Harding, on the other hand, has never forgotten her first love or the assumed rejection she’d felt
after writing Camden of her love and respect while he was away at war. Despite
the cruelties she was forced to endure at the hands of a husband who claimed to
love her, her heart refuses to allow Camden to keep himself from her even while
he believes her capable of murder. So who did kill the dastardly Lord Richard Harding and why? Was it Sophia or someone who loved her enough to protect her from such a monster? Was it someone who wants to see Sophia go down for the crime? All will be revealed in A MOST NAKED SOLUTION.
A MOST NAKED SOLUTION by Anna Randol is a novella of dimension containing
multiple levels of plot and intrigue. Anna proved herself a talented story
teller with A SECRET IN HER KISS but has acknowledged herself even more improved
with A MOST NAKED SOLUTION. The characters are believable and extraordinary in intelligence and personality. Many questions are put forth to the reader and then summarily answered easily and intelligently - except for one unanswered question left at the end. I can only hope that this question will lead us to the next creative story from this talented author.
I highly
recommend A MOST NAKED SOLUTION by Anna Randol to anyone who enjoys a bit of murder
and intrigue with their delightful Regency Romance.
Happy Reading Everyone!
BTW, join Anna Randol and myself as we go on a time traveling adventure this coming WACKY WEDNESDAY - she's even offering a giveaway!
A MOST NAKED SOLUTION, a novella by Anna Randol, Avon Impulse, release date - June 26, 2012 in ebook format.
