It Might Be Summer Where You Are...

Everyone in the northern hemisphere is talking about, and enjoying, summer. I feel like a fraud writing about my favorite summer read when it’s the middle of winter in New Zealand.

So I’m going to talk about what I love doing on a cold winter’s Sunday afternoon.  Sunday afternoon, when the rain is sleeting against my window and the wind is trying to lift my roof off, I settle down on the couch with my small quilt blanket that mum made me, the heater is on and I make myself a cup of tea and treat myself to two chocolate biscuits. Then I settle down with a book and start to read.

Sometimes I read a paper book, rare for me these days I’m afraid, as it’s quicker and cheaper here in NZ to buy my books on Kindle. Plus, I have to buy most romance books from Book Depository in the UK because NZ does not get more than 5 or 6 romance novels a month.

I love my kindle. The immediacy is the key. Plus being long-sighted, small print means I have to wear my glasses to read, while a Kindle with the bigger print setting means no glasses required. This makes snuggling up on the couch more enjoyable when I lie on my big reading pillow.

My latest reads are two historical romances and a Desire HMB by Olivia Gates. I love reading historical, no surprise there I suppose since I write historicals. I love reading them because I love a bad boy and in the male dominated 1800’s this is easy to find. The rakish lord with the virginal miss is my favorite, especially if she has a brain!

I read two books this weekend, both made me automatically go to the author’s website to look for when their next book would be released. That is how I know I’ve read a good book. I want, and must have the next one-NOW.

On Sunday I had a fun weekend hiding from the howling southerly gales and rain. I read Emma Wildes January release, Twice Fallen. I loved the book. Surprisingly, I loved the secondary romance more than the main H and h. Once I had completed her book I committed the fatal sin. I read the introduction chapter of her next book –OMG—it was so good! Then to my major disappointment it isn’t released until September. How could she do that to me? WORSE-because I live in NZ, I’m unable to pre-order for my Kindle. So I’ve had to make a diary note to buy it when it is released. Bloody Signet! Emma, can you please get them to change that policy.

The second book I read was Gaelen Foley’s, My Ruthless Prince. Gaelen is probably my favorite author. She writes beautiful, engaging characters that I can re-read again and again. She has a fabulous marketing ploy, one that I use in my books. Her epilogue is the sample of her next book and once again I have to wait until October!

So tell me, do you read the sample chapters at the back of books? Do you love an epilogue that gives a sneak peak of the rest of the story? Do you go and pre-order a book or do you simply forget about the author and perhaps look at her next book once it is released? 

I’ll give away a copy of To Wager the Marquis of Wolverstone, book two in my Wicked Wagers trilogy in eBook format to one commenter. Drawn Sunday 8th July, open internationally.