Unwrapping a Spotlight Stop on THE TROUBLE WITH VAMPIRES, an Argeneau novel by Lynsay Sands Blog Tour with #excerpt and #giveaway

THE TROUBLE WITH VAMPIRES
Argeneau Series, Book 29

Lynsay Sands

Available Now from Avon Books at

Amazon  |  Avon Romance  |  Kobo

Barnes & Noble  |  Google Play  |  iBooks

Irresistible desire and thrilling suspense combine in this electrifying new Argeneau novel from New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands.

For close to three thousand years the imposing, impossibly handsome Santo Notte has fought in armies across the world and battled his own, more personal enemies. Of all the places he might expect to encounter his life mate, a quiet corner of upstate New York doesn’t seem likely. But as soon as he makes contact with history professor Petronella Stone, while hunting down a suspected rogue immortal, he knows that she will be the greatest adventure of his eternal life.

He expects her to be surprised, confused, even overwhelmed. What he doesn’t expect is that Pet has a secret history of her own. There’s no mistaking the mind-blowing, mutual pleasure they share. But as Pet struggles to protect her nephew from a danger lurking too close to home, Santo realizes there’s another threat to her safety—him. And claiming their passionate future will be impossible until he leaves his past behind, forever…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Excerpt:

Prologue

“911. What’s your emergency?”

“Hi . . . um . . . I’m not sure if I should be calling you or the police.”

“Is this an emergency?”

“It might be. I’m not sure . . .”

“Just tell me what’s happening, son. Is someone there sick or injured?” When the boy didn’t respond at once, the operator asked, “Are your parents arguing and it’s scaring you? Are they getting violent?”

“No! No. It’s our neighbor. Well, not really our neighbor, but his cousin who’s visiting. He . . . er . . . he’s sick . . . I think.”

“You think?”

“No. He is. He’s sick. And I think he may be dangerous. I’m afraid he’ll hurt Mr. Purdy.”

“Mr. Purdy?”

“My neighbor.”

“Right. And you think this cousin who is visiting him is sick and dangerous?” the operator asked, doubt obvious in her voice. “If so, why hasn’t this Mr. Purdy called instead of you?”

“I’m worried maybe his cousin won’t let him.”

There was a long pause, and then the operator sighed and asked, “What kind of sick is dangerous, son?”

“He . . . er . . . I think he might be suffering from Renfield syndrome.”

“From what?”

“Renfield syndrome,” the young voice repeated reluctantly.

“What’s that?”

“It’s . . . er . . .” The boy paused, and when he continued, there was a grimace in his voice. “It’s a sort of vampire personality disorder. The—”

“Vampire!” the 911 operator squawked. “You think your neighbor’s a vampire?”

“No! No, I think his visiting cousin thinks he’s a vampire. That’s what Renfield syndrome is and—”

“Honey, there is no such thing as vampires,” the 911 operator said over the boy’s explanation.

“But he—”

“There’re no buts here, kiddo. You need to cut the nonsense and get off the phone. You can get in a lot of trouble for crank calling 911. There are real people out there who need help and calls like this might prevent them getting through. Someone could be dying while you’re wasting our time with this prank.”

“This isn’t a prank,” the boy said earnestly. “I really think he thinks he’s a vampire. He has fangs and—”

“And I really think you need to stop watching horror movies and take yourself to bed. I’m writing down your number, boy, and if you call again, the police will be dispatched to your house and they could arrest you for this. Don’t call again.”

A sharp click sounded. It was followed by a dial tone.

About the Author:

 

LYNSAY SANDS is the nationally bestselling author of the Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series, as well as numerous historicals and anthologies. She’s been writing stories since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there’s occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon

Tour Wide Giveaway

To celebrate the release of THE TROUBLE WITH VAMPIRES by Lynsay Sands, we’re giving away a paperback copy of Vampires Like It Hot!

GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS:  Open to US shipping addresses only. One winner will receive a paperback copy of Vampires Like It Hot by Lynsay Sands.  This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Avon Romance. Giveaway ends 5/5/2019 @ 11:59pm EST. Avon Romance will send the winning copy out to the winner directly. Limit one entry per reader and mailing address.  Duplicates will be deleted.  

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

This promotion is brought to you by Pure Textuality PR.

Also available in print, hardback, and audio versions.

My Stop on the ACCIDENTAL ROMANCE Page Hop with #Giveaway

What's the best way to celebrate a new book? 

How does a $25 gift card sound? I thought so! 

What if I told you there were multiple giveaways? 

Even better!

For 24 hours, we’ll be celebrating the release of Silverblade’s much anticipated sequel: ACCIDENTAL ROMANCE. Grab it now for 99¢ while you can! 

All you have to do is go over to Facebook and "hop" from page to page to find 30+ giveaways!

Here is the Master List so you can choose where you'd like to start or follow the hop in order...the link to the next stop can be found just after the Giveaway - that's right...just scroll down to the Rafflecopter to enter. 
Be sure to give a 'like' to each of the others as you visit their FB pages, including mine to keep up on what's new with each of us. 

Be sure to enter MY Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance at a $10 Amazon Gift Card (This Giveaway has Ended)
but in the meantime, be sure you also enter Bella's Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance at a $25 gift card and more giveaways along the way! 
(Winners will be randomly chosen and announced by each author separately.)

Accidental Romance - Book 2

by Bella Jeanisse

Even with the job of your dreams, you can’t have it all… or can you?

Bassist Zack Bryant has gotten his big break, but it may come with a price. Zack is torn between his career and the beautiful but off limits daughter of his lead vocalist and mentor, Shane Martin. In order to keep his job with Silverblade, he has to stay away from Abigail. It’s harder than he expects, especially when she visits them on the road.

Abigail Turner will do anything to capture Zack’s heart. Even though he’s made it clear nothing can happen, she won’t take no for an answer. Getting to visit them on tour was hard enough, but Abigail refuses to let Zack go without a fight. Now if only she can keep her father from learning of her true intentions.

ebook:

Amazon US || Amazon UK || Amazon AU || Amazon CA
iBooks US || iBooks UK || iBooks AU || iBooks CA ||
B&N || Smashwords || Kobo

Paperback:

Amazon US || Amazon UK || Amazon AU ||Amazon CA

Get To Know Silverblade HERE

~*~*~*~*~*~
For hop updates and giveaway results, 
we encourage you to “like” author’s pages along the way. 
~*~*~*~*~*~

 Welcome to Unwrapping Romance, my name is Amy Valentini and many of you already know me as a blogger of romance and reviewer, but I am now also a independently published author. I hope you will seek out my books under Amy Valentini and enjoy reading them as much as I have enjoyed writing them for you. I have the first three books in the series, Seekers of the Past currently available at Amazon on Kindle, in print, and free at Kindle Unlimited. The good news is print books are still shipping for free at Amazon until January 31st. 

On February 14th - Valentine's Day for those who might have forgotten - I will be releasing a standalone contemporary romance reminiscent of your favorite romantic comedies, When It Doesn't Stay in Vegas
I hope you will take a chance on my humor and give it a read. I think you will enjoy it and even get a laugh out of the antics of some of the characters. Click HERE to read excerpts from this upcoming release plus my others. 

Things that happen in Vegas need to stay in Vegas…

After in indulging in too much champagne and a one-night stand in Vegas with a very sexy man, Abby Matheson prays what happened there stays there. Only she can’t get the incredibly passionate night with the amazing man out of her head.

Mitch Braxton can’t forget the incredible woman he spent a passionate night with only to find her gone in the morning having left no note behind—only her crystal heart pendant. Unable to even recall her name, he fears he will never see her again.

When it doesn’t stay in Vegas…

When Abby discovers her mystery man is the CEO of a company her boss is determined to take over, she must forget the man as well as that night. Her hope is no one finds out about Vegas because the merger and her job are now on the line. Discovering Mitch at his sister’s wedding is the last thing she expects and even as she tries to keep her distance, she wants him even more. Is it once more just lust or is there wedding magic in the air? And will she lose her heart as well as her career?

Be sure to check out my Seekers of the Past series!

  

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I hope you entered both my giveaway and Bella's before you go. You may visit the next stop on the hop from here by visiting author, Erica Marselas at her Facebook page. 
https://www.facebook.com/EricaMarselas

Happy Hopping!

If you’d like to be a part of other release day activities, join Bella’s reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/866525666714069/

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by or associated with Facebook.

Giveaways end at 9 am ET January 28, 2019. 

No purchase necessary to enter.

It's My Birthday and I want you to join me... #Giveaway

Today is my birthday. I don’t celebrate it because I have no one to celebrate it with…except you, my readers. However, birthdays tend to make me think about the past, and the future. Where have I been, where am I going? This year, my birthday is a bit brighter and my thoughts for the future more within reach than ever before. I finally made that amazing plunge into the publishing pool with my first romance novel, SEEKERS OF THE PAST. I hope you’ll all take a chance on me and read it. I think you’ll enjoy it very much as well as the next books to come in the series of the same name. 

The story is steeped in secrets from the past, family history, and the possibility of hidden treasure. It also begins a journey for Emma and Sam as they explore family history only to answer some questions while stirring up more. Go here to read an excerpt.

As my thoughts go to that bright spot in this last trip around the sun, I realize that it’s been a year containing another adventure. Over the past several years, I have been researching our family history, tracing both sides back to the old countries. I had managed to trace the family lines back to origins in Germany, France, and Sweden and had assumed the story of my great grandmother’s family coming from Ireland to America was proof positive of our Irish genetics, although questions had arisen as to whether not her father might have come from Scotland rather than Ireland.

This past winter, I took one of those popular DNA tests. I used MyHeritage.com but I’m sure you’ve heard of the others as well—AncestryDNA.com, and 23andMe.com.

My DNA Results:

I have to admit to being surprisingly impressed with the results of my test. It didn’t just say that I was part percentage this country or that, but instead told me the regions where my DNA originated. As you can see from the map showing from where my ancestral roots came and the percentages of those in me, I truly am a mutt. Of course, everyone carries their own separate percentages but the most amazing discovery was that I carried absolutely no Irish origins but instead, carry a large chunk from Scandanavia. I knew about the Swedish origins but since it is well known that the Vikings populated parts of Scotland, I have now have a very good reason to believe that my great-great grandparents most likely came from Scotland rather than Ireland. Either way…it’s a good explanation of my red hair.

I haven’t found any secrets regarding lost treasure or an ancestor who was royalty or a murderer, but it’s been interesting all the same. However, I did discover that my Scottish ancestors’ surname is related to a Norwegian Noble Family name. I’m sure they weren’t nobility but they might have been part of that clan.

Rebuilding the story that is a family’s history is fascinating, exciting, and downright fun. Have you tested your DNA yet? Do you plan to? What would you like to find in your family history that you don’t already know? Oh, what the heck…just try it out and see what exciting and unexpected things pop up. Modern day treasure hunting—just like Sam and Emma in SEEKERS OF THE PAST.

Now…since it is my birthday and my party, so to speak and since I don’t have anyone to share it with, I’d like to invite you to join me in celebration, and it might just be you who receives a gift. I'd love for you to enter the following giveaway for a chance to win a copy of my exciting new romance novel which takes you on a journey to where the past meets the present and love lives forever. Hurry, it's all over at midnight July 7th!

Good Luck and Happy Reading Everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Unwrapping a Stop on the SECRET BURDENS by Suzanna J Linton Blog Tour with #Excerpt & #Giveaway

 SECRET BURDENS

Stories of Lorst #3
by Suzanna J Linton

A New Adult Fantasy

Available Now at

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

Secrets can heal — and destroy.

Jarrett failed everyone close to him.

In disgrace, he resigned his position as Captain of the Royal Guard and entered self-imposed exile in the Eastern Forests. As a common soldier, he fought the remainder of Marduk’s monsters.

A surprise summoning, though, brings Jarrett back to Bertrand. He finds Clara nearly bedridden from an assassination attempt. Tension between Lorst and Tier runs high. In need of someone she trusts, Clara appoints Jarrett Captain of the Seer’s Guard over his protests.

He searches for both her enemies and his sense of honor. However, his investigations threaten to expose secrets that could ruin them all and shake Lorst to the core.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EXCERPT:

Jarrett scrubbed himself with the long-handled brush. Satisfied that every part of him was sudsy, he stepped down into the cold pool. His breath caught at the icy water. It was almost too late in the season for outdoor bathing. The poplars ringing the spring wore the bright gold plumage of autumn. But being able to put his whole body in water, no matter its temperature, was really the last luxury allowed to him.

Besides, the cold water helped rid of him of a worry that had been crouching in the back of his mind.

Once rinsed, he climbed out and dried with a scratchy towel. He shivered as cold wind swept over his bare skin, raising goosebumps in its wake. The trousers he fumbled with nearly slipped out of his half-numb fingers.

“Sergeant?”

A soldier from the outpost stood at the rise over the spring.

“What is it, Walter?” Jarrett asked, pulling on his wool tunic. The warmth felt glorious against him. He ran his fingers through his short-cropped hair.

“The captain summons you, sergeant.”

“Tell him I’ll be right there.”

Walter saluted and walked away. Jarrett jammed on his gloves, pausing long enough to examine the mottled, scarred flesh of his left hand. Once again, the memory of the salamander’s scream echoed through his mind. He shoved on the glove and buckled on his sword.

During the walk to the outpost, the worry he’d been carrying since summer rose in his mind. And there was nothing to kill or a task to complete to help him ignore it.

Clara had not answered his letters. He wondered if she was angry with him for leaving, despite his best efforts to explain it to her. Stubborn woman.

The thick wooden walls of the outpost rose before him as he came up the path. It sat on the edge of Vernon’s Luck, a small town deep in the Eastern Forest. Not far away, Lord Stanley lived in his estate. From there, he ruled his small fiefdom. Jarrett had never met the man. Rumor had it that he was fair and honest.

As Jarrett passed through the gate, he nodded at the soldiers on guard duty. No one there recognized him as the former Captain of the Royal Guard. To everyone, from armorer to scullery maid, he was only Sergeant Jarrett and he thanked the Mother for small mercies.

It was bad enough that his own memory didn’t let him forget about his failures. He didn’t need other people reminding him.

After swinging by the barracks to drop off his toiletries, he walked into the big main building to the captain’s office. Jarrett knew men who loved to decorate their offices and sleeping quarters with every comfort. Captain Andrew worked out of a room stark in its simplicity.

A spacious desk, a table with chair by the window, a bookcase with battered volumes, and a series of cubby-holes bristling with rolled papers were the only items there other than the man himself. It looked almost incongruous against the deep red paint applied by its last occupant. Andrew, a large man with the shoulders of a bull, sat in the chair by the window, taking advantage of the brilliant sunlight. He held sheaves of paper: reports from patrols, no doubt. Jarrett saluted him.

Dropping them onto the table, Andrew saluted back. “You’re a lucky man, sergeant.”

“Sir?”

“I received an order to relieve you of duty immediately and send you to Bertrand as quickly as your horse can carry you. With it came this letter.” He held out a thick, folded letter.

The moment Jarrett touched it, he recognized the weight of the paper. It was the kind especially made for the Palace. The handwriting addressing it to him appeared familiar. He flipped it over and surprise lit through him. Clara’s seal, a star surmounting an eye, stared back at him.

“As of this moment, Sergeant Jarrett, you are relieved of all duty and are ordered to leave tomorrow morning. A caravan is going in that direction, so you’ll go with them.”

“The roads are quiet,” Jarrett replied. “More or less. I should be able to make the journey on my own.”

“Maybe so, but it’s never a good idea to tempt destruction. You’ve been a good soldier. I hate to see you go.”

“Did the orders say where I’m to report?”

“To the Lady Clara, with full rank of captain restored. That’s all the orders said. I assume details are in the letter. This is your copy of your orders.” He held out another folded piece of paper.

Jarrett took it. “I’ll miss risking my life in this damn forest, sir.”

Andrew snorted. “I’m sure you will. You may go. I’m sure you have plenty of packing to do.”

“Thank you, sir.” Jarrett saluted and departed, barely waiting for the captain to return it.

In the two months spent toiling and bleeding in the Eastern Forest, he had written Clara three letters. He knew it was odd. Normally, only very close friends, relatives, and lovers exchanged informal correspondence. However, after everything they’d been through together, Jarrett felt he’d earned the privilege. Besides, he’d left her still suffering from the after effects of her spirit journey. Surely letters full of the funny antics of soldiers would be welcome to a sick person.

However, none of his letters were answered. After the third one, he stopped trying.

Friends from among the Royal Guard, who occasionally wrote, said Clara was rarely seen outside her quarters. Her father died mere weeks after arriving at the Palace. Whether old age, a consequence of his long journey, or the sudden change in diet, no one knew for sure. And the betrothal between Clara and Emmerich still remained unofficial: the Council sat in deadlock over approving it. According to Jarrett’s contacts, King Precene of Tier wanted Emmerich to marry one of his daughters. Such a marriage made for a military and political alliance that could bring an end to centuries of war and uneasy truces. Half of the Council wanted to grasp at it while the other half supported Emmerich, mostly out of a desire to spite Tier.

Now with a letter in hand, Jarrett wasn’t sure what to think. He certainly didn’t expect concern and anticipation to turn his stomach inside out.

Privacy not being in abundance in the barracks, he found a measure of it in the outpost’s chapel. Only a few of the more devout of the servants and soldiers ever went there. He entered the narrow room, to find it occupied only by the statue of the Mother at her spinning wheel, with the Child standing by her knee.

Jarrett sat in a pew in a far corner, by a stained glass window. Red and blue light streamed over the worn, dark wood. He broke the letter’s seal and unfolded it.

Jarrett,

Bertrand is as alive and bustling as the day you left. The Palace prepares for winter. Bruin says it’s still weeks away. The harvest festival will be soon and it’s all my maidservants can talk about. Mistress Catriona has begun making her amazing apple and pumpkin turnovers. She asks me about you but I can’t tell her anything.

I’ve written letters but have received no reply. If you suffered misfortune, I’m sure I would have been informed, so I can only conclude that you’re too busy killing monsters and stealing pastries from the outpost kitchens.

Emmerich granted me the temporary ability to issue military orders. Please don’t be angry that my first one was to bring you back. Don’t dawdle. I have a task that requires your immediate attention.

Your friend,

Clara

As Jarrett folded the letter, he wasn’t sure what to think or feel.

First, the letter was little better than a note and it left him feeling underwhelmed. After two months, he thought there would be more to say. Secondly, it didn’t explain why no one saw her outside her rooms or if she’d recovered from her illness. It certainly didn’t explain why she wanted him back, given what she knew about his leaving. Thirdly, it only strengthened his concern.

She really had written him. How could Lady Clara’s letters become waylaid? Despite the monsters, letters and packages flowed freely. He certainly hadn’t missed any from his friends. Missives from a noble of Clara’s prominence would have higher priority. In fact, they would come through with the Royal Messenger, who visited the outpost once a week, while Jarrett’s regular correspondence ran through the merchants. Suspicion arose but he wasn’t sure who to direct it toward.

Instead of making him feel better, the note only brought a new chill to his spine.

 

 

Other books in the Series:

  

About the Author:

Suzanna J. Linton was born in Charleston, SC but grew up in rural Orangeburg County. At age eight, she tried to read The Secret Garden by herself. After following her mother around for a day, asking questions about the Yorkshire accent, she gave up, but that didn’t deter her in developing a deep appreciation for books and the worlds to which they open. A few years later, she wrote her first poem, which eventually led her to try writing fiction.

In 2002, she went to the summer program at the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, where she refined her poetry and wrote her first decent short story (before this, she mostly wrote novels along with her poetry). In 2003, Suzanna began attending Francis Marion University, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s in English.

Today, she continues to live in South Carolina with her husband and their menagerie of animals.

You can read more about Suzanna and her current projects at suzannalinton.com.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon

TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY

To celebrate the release of SECRET BURDENS by Suzanna J. Linton, we’re giving away a $25 Amazon gift card!

GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS:  Open internationally. One winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR.  Giveaway ends 7/27/2018 @ 11:59pm EST. Pure Textuality PR is responsible for the delivery of the prize(s). Limit one entry per reader and mailing address. Duplicates will be deleted. 

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

 This promotion is brought to you by Pure Textuality PR.

Unwrapping a SEEKERS OF THE PAST by Amy Valentini Character Interview Promo

Introducing a series like no other—the Seekers of the Past series will take you on a journey where the past meets the present and love lives forever.

Seeking the Past...

Emma Wells has uncovered clues that might prove an old family tale as being true. Strange things lead her to question whether her grandfather’s death may not have been an accident and goes in search of something worth killing him for buried on her property. When she asks an old friend to assist, the man who comes in his place is the last person she ever wanted to respond to her call for help.

                             

Seeking a Second Chance…

Sam Martinelli has been hoping for a reason to get close to the woman he still loves since he destroyed their relationship five years ago. His foolish actions drove her away then, but now he’s hoping his expertise as well as time working with her allows him another chance.

Uncovering Secrets...

When Emma’s suspicions prove to have substance, she convinces Sam to help her even if he still carries doubts. Being with him again, she begins to question her heart and past as well as her foolish pride. When things take a dangerous turn, Emma realizes she must trust the man she trusts least, especially when the past collides with the present and the truth of it all is uncovered.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hi Everyone!

I am so excited that my debut romance, SEEKERS OF THE PAST, is releasing everywhere next week on July 10^th. I hope you’ll all give it a try in either digital ebook or print version. This series is going to take you on a journey into a family’s history in search of the answer to a question first asked in SEEKERS OF THE PAST. Sam and Emma are those Seekers of the Past. I hope you’ll enjoy the adventure, the romance, and of course, the happily ever afters.

In the meantime, I’d like to introduce you to the hero of SEEKERS OF THE PAST, Sam Martinelli.

When I first conjured up Sam, I gave him several other names until I realized

how much he reminded me of one of my favorite actors—Sam Elliott. I knew right away that he had to be named Sam and it turned out to fit him perfectly. I hope you’ll agree.

I asked Sam - Sam Martinelli, not Sam Elliott - to join me here today to talk a little bit about his history with Emma. At least, I hope he’ll open up to us about her. They have had a troubled time together, and for the past five years been separated. Perhaps we can get him to open up to us and tell us how he feels about her.

I hope you’ll make him feel welcome. So without further ado, please help me welcome, Dr. Sam Martinelli to Unwrapping Romance…

A tall, dark-haired man with a mustache and a bit of scruff on his jaw enters the room, wearing a light gray T-shirt, with the letters U – V – A across the front, a pair of jeans that fit him just so, and athletic shoes that have seen better days. With a smile, he extends his large hand to me and a little bit of me suddenly fan-girls when his honey-colored eyes framed by long dark lashes sparkle, and he gives me a sexy wink.

Amy: [taking his warm hand] Dr. Martinelli, welcome to Unwrapping Romance. It’s a pleasure to have you here today. Please, have a seat.

Sam:  Please Amy…you know you can call me Sam. After all, you and I are already very well acquainted.

[As if his deep voice, laced with a southern drawl, hasn’t already captured my attention, he leans in and presses a kiss to my cheek. I think my knees wobble a bit]

Amy: [chuckling] This is very true but I want everyone to know that you carry a title as a Doctor of History and Archaeology at the University of Virginia.

Sam takes a seat across from me and squirms a bit in his chair while he runs his long fingers through his thick wavy dark hair.

Sam:  I appreciate that, darlin’, but that’s my everyday life. I believe you asked me here today to talk about another Doctor of Archaeology.

Amy:  Well, yes…I did want to talk to you about Dr. Wells. If you’re willing, that is?

Sam shifts in his chair again and leans back. With an audible sigh, he smiles and nods.

Amy:  I know this is a touchy subject since you two parted under rather adverse conditions.

Sam:  Adverse! [laughing]

I’d say adverse is a good descriptor for her walking in on me in bed with another woman. To say she wasn’t happy about it would be an understatement. I’m lucky she didn’t rip the hair out of the blonde I was with, and didn’t cut some important parts off me with her favorite and scary looking knife she carries strapped to her leg when she’s working a site.

Amy:  Oh my…well, can you blame her?

Sam scowled, ran his fingers through his hair again and sighed.
He’s obviously uncomfortable with that idea.

Amy:  So tell me about her, Sam. You will be seeing her again soon. Isn’t that true?

Sam:  [smiling] Yes, I will. Of course, she doesn’t know it yet but I’ll heading to her family farm in a few days. She wanted our old friend, Dr. Walt Bingham to come but he’s recovering from a medical issue and so has asked me to go in his place. I will tell you this…I don’t expect a happy welcome.

Amy:  Then why go? Why not just have Dr. Bingham tell her he can’t come?

Sam:  [chuckling] Because I want to go. I want a chance at making things right between us. I admit it. I screwed up five years ago. Not only that night…you see, I got really drunk after her father’s funeral because I was hurting too even as I knew she was hurting. Only when I offered to comfort her, she told me to go away. That hurt. I didn’t intend to get drunk, and certainly didn’t intend to pick up one of the coeds from the university. She was just there and offered me a ride home. I hadn’t even thought I had drank that much but I was really out of it by the time we got back to my apartment. I honestly barely remember getting home much less what happened after that. I do slightly remember Emma coming in, standing in the doorway, and seeing the pain in her eyes. Then everything went black.

Amy:  Did you go to her the next day and apologize? Beg her even.

Sam:  That was my second mistake. I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined it in my drunken state or it had actually happened…any of it actually. When I woke in the morning…with a killer hangover, by the way…I was alone. It wasn’t until I sought her out later in the day that I found out from her roommate that Emma had left town. She’d accepted a dig out of country. I wasn’t even sure about that until much later when my friend, Walt, filled me in. Her roommate told me all about her walking in on me with this girl. Seriously, I didn’t remember much of anything about the night before.

Amy:  Don’t you think she’d have understood that, if you had explained?

Sam:  I tried. Once I found out where she was, I tried contacting her. She wouldn’t take my calls. She blocked me on email and text. I was at a loss as to how to make things right. After my obligations at the university were done that school year, I considered traveling to Central America and just showing up at the site, but then Walt told me she had a new guy in her life. I was done. I had blown it big time and knew if she wanted me in her life, she would’ve let me explain.

Amy:  So why do you think she will be willing now?

Sam:  [laughing aloud] I don’t. She’s liable to throw me off the property or even have me arrested for showing up, but when I went to her grandfather’s funeral with Walt…well, I stayed back so she doesn’t know I was there…but I watched her. She still needs me, I know it. She was alone…no guy there to comfort her so I’m hoping she’s still single.

Amy:  Well, Sam, hope can carry you far especially when you lead with your heart. Do you still love her?

Sam:  Oh yeah! More than life itself. There is no one else for me and there hasn’t been a day since she left that I haven’t thought about her. I can only help it’s been the same for her.

Amy:  Well, I’m crossing my fingers for you, Sam. I believe in true love and if you two are meant to be together, it will happen. You have to believe and take a chance. Nothing worth having is easy but if you give up, you’ll never know.

Sam:  Kind of like you finally making the leap into publishing and sharing our story with your friends, right?

Amy:  [laughing] Yep, exactly like that, Sam.

Sam leans forward, rests his strong looking forearms on his denim-clad thighs and grins at me with a sexy and inquisitive lift of one dark eyebrow.

Sam:  So…are you going to clue me in on whether or not I succeed with Emma?

Amy:  [laughing] Sorry. No can do, Sam. If I do that, it will ruin the story for everyone now…won’t it?

Sam:  I guess you’re right. Besides, it would probably take all the fun out of it too. Right?

Amy:  Most definitely. Trust me when I say you’re both in for an adventure.

Sam:  I like the sound of that. [Laughing]

Coming to his feet and his full height, he takes my hand and pulls me to stand in front of him. I have to look up and trust me, that’s no hardship.

Sam:  Thank you, Amy.

Then he pulls me into a big bear hug and I envy my heroine, Emma Wells, her good fortune that this man loves her so and is willing to fight for her one more time.

When he leans away, he smiles down at me.

Amy:  I wish you great luck, Sam, and thank you for coming to talk with us. It’s been a delight and I’ll just say that if Emma doesn’t want you, you just come on back and see me.

Sam laughs, presses a kiss to my cheek then releases me.

Sam:  I’ll keep that in mind, darlin’. Have a good one and I hope all of you will read my dear friend’s story about my Emma girl and me—especially me, most likely making a fool of myself. I believe Amy even has a chance for a couple of you to win a copy of the story. Isn’t that right?

Amy:  It is, Sam, it is. I know you have to get back to pack for your trip to see Emma so I’ll let you go but please, I hope you will come back and visit again. Maybe next time, Emma will be with you.

Sam:  From your lips to the gods’ ears. Have a good one. Bye y’all.

[Sam waves as he heads out the door, closing it behind him as he leaves]

Amy:  If Emma is smart she won’t turn that one away, don’t you think?

Well, Sam mentioned about my having a couple of copies for two lucky people and he’s absolutely correct. I haven’t held a giveaway in a very long time but there is no more appropriate opportunity than the debut of my first romance novel, SEEKERS OF THE PAST, the first in the series by the same name. So on to the giveaway and its rules.

GIVEAWAY

Two Signed Print Copies of

SEEKERS OF THE PAST by Amy Valentini

Cancelling this GIVEAWAY
because of lack of interest. Please see Unwrapping Romance's FB page 
for another chance to win. Thanks!

Have a great day and Happy Reading Everyone!

SEEKERS OF THE PAST, a Seekers of the Past novel by Amy Valentini, indie published, available for pre-order now and releasing on July 10, 2018 in ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobobooks, and Smashwords.

The full-length print version, 394 pages, is available now at Amazon.

If you would like your purchased print copy signed, please contact me for suggested instructions. I’d love to sign it for you.

Don't forget to add SEEKERS TO THE PAST to your Goodreads shelf as well.