What a crazy few years! by Bronwen Evans

Hi everyone

Waving from lockdown in New Zealand. Thank you, Judith and Sarah, for inviting me back to Romancing the Genres. I haven’t been with the blog for a while (I don’t blog much at all anywhere actually) and it’s fun to look back and take a moment to review what I’ve been up to as often we don’t look back. I’m up to 27 books published now and the list is growing. I never thought that would happen…

Bronwen Evans

April 25^th is ANZAC Day (Australian New Zealand Army Corps). This holiday marks the anniversary of the first key military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War (1914-1918). It’s a public holiday where we remember those who have sacrificed their lives for us during wartime. It seems very poignant that at this very moment we have another brave bunch of front line professionals working at risk to themselves to help us against an invisible enemy COVID-19—health professionals, police and firemen etc. I can’t thank these people enough.

NZ has been in lockdown since mid-March. Everything is closed except supermarkets. Isolation isn’t that hard for me as I work from home anyway, but not being able to visit with friends etc. is surreal. We are allowed to walk our dogs or bike ride but must stay 5m away from others, so many of us are walking in the middle of the streets which are empty of cars.

I must admit I haven’t done much writing in this stressful time. I’m still writing Regency romances, although my output has slowed a bit. Two years ago I was diagnosed with a health condition that means I can no longer write for traditional publishing houses because I have flare ups, and when I have a flare up I can’t write. Plus stress often leads to a flare up, and deadlines stressed me completely. That meant I kept missing deadlines and that is not very professional, or fair, on my publishing house. So I made a decision (my agent wasn’t that happy about it) and I’m now only self-publishing my stories. My agent still looks after my audio and foreign rights. This has made a big difference to my creativity and life as I have less stress.

I still use an editor and copy-editor but I pay for them myself. I write a complete first draft before I book a slot with my editor so that I don’t muck them around either. This way I don’t miss a delivery date as they too are self-employed and I can’t take a slot that a paying client could have used. However, this does mean I can’t really plan out quick releases as sometimes I have to wait 3 months to get a slot with my editor.

I’ve also tried my hand at writing contemporary romance and I’m enjoying the variation this gives me. I’m publishing 2 contemporary romances this year and 3 Regency romances (2 are novellas) so I’m pretty busy.

Reckless Curves: Bad Boy Autos – Drive Me Wild series book #1 is my latest April release. It’s a reunion, wrong side of the tracks, secret baby story.

From USA Today Bestselling Author, Bronwen Evans, comes her latest sexy contemporary romance! A secret baby, best friend’s little sister romance set in Bad Boy Autos. Think Fast and Furious but nothing illegal!

Thomas (Tom) Lorde’s morning couldn’t get any worse. One call changes everything. Apparently he’s a dad. He should be on the phone to his lawyer. He wouldn’t put it past a woman—any woman—to lie to get at his hard earned money. His mother trapped his father into marriage and then left them both for deeper pockets. But when the news is delivered from between the sweet lips of Kendra Black, his best friend’s out of bounds little sister, and his one major ‘fucking’ mistake, he knows he’s screwed and that she’s not lying.

Kendra Black knew contacting Tom would be a mistake. Three years ago, he’d made it very clear he had no feelings for her. He slept with her and then flew to Europe without a backward glance. However, he left more than a broken heart behind. He might not want her, but now that’s he’s back in California, her son, their son, Connor (Con) Black, deserves to know his father. What she hadn’t expected was Tom’s old-fashioned lap of honor. He wants to marry her. Why couldn’t he simply be a weekend dad like her father? She can’t deny the physical attraction is still there. He might be okay with a marriage based on hot, raw, animalistic sex and only sex, but she wants more. She deserves a man who loves her and she refuses to wave the checked flag until he gives her his heart.

Buy links are on my website - https://www.bronwenevans.com/books/drive-me-wild/reckless-curves/

Other than that I am supposed to be building a new house this year, but it’s on hold as New Zealand is in lockdown for Covid-19. I think it’s going to be a slow building process as the Government takes us slowly out of lockdown. We suspect we will be seesawing in and out of lockdown for the rest of this year, but I’m hoping to be in my new house by Christmas.

Duke and Brandy

That’s about all my news, not very exciting I know, but I still enjoy walking my two Cavoodles, Brandy and Duke. They are now 7 and 6 years old. It seems like only yesterday they were little puppies.

Please stay safe, everyone and all I can say is thank goodness for eBooks so I always have a book at hand.

Cheers

About Bron:

USA Today bestselling author, Bronwen Evans grew up loving books. She writes both historical and contemporary sexy romances for the modern woman who likes intelligent, spirited heroines, and compassionate alpha heroes. Evans is a three-time winner of the RomCon Readers’ Crown and has been nominated for an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award. She lives in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand with her dogs Brandy and Duke.

You can keep up with Bronwen’s news by visiting her website

www.bronwenevans.com

and get a FREE book by signing up to her newsletter

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Past Entertainments

I love the Regency period and the activities the peerage indulged in. In particular, for men, the hunting season was eagerly anticipated. The traditional end of the London Season was considered the Glorious Twelfth of August, which marks the beginning of the shooting season. Society would retire to the country to shoot birds during the autumn and hunt foxes during the winter, before coming back to London again with the spring.

It’s pretty obvious that to chase foxes, and hunt game of any kind, you had to have a large country estate, hence why hunting was a sport for the wealthy. Those who did not have the means to own such large estates, were ever hopeful to be invited to join a shooting party at a wealthy man’s hunting lodge. Remember, hunting on someone else’s land was considered poaching (theft), and the penalties for such activities were severe, sometimes resulting in deportation or even hanging.

Just the name ‘hunting lodge’ sets a vivid picture in my mind of cool autumn days, big log fires and men playing billiards after dinner. For the bastion of gentry, a hunting lodge was seen as a necessity. What else were you to do with your time when the London social season finished? They had to have something to do with their time.

In my soon to be released on 16 August, A TASTE OF SEDUCTION (book #5 in my Disgraced Lords series), my hero, Lord Hadley Fullerton, owns a hunting lodge in Surrey. As the second son of the Duke of Claymore, Hadley was left Lathero by his grandfather. However, he used part of the large estate to grow grapes and make sparkling wine. Why? Because he needed an escape from life when the love of his life married another, breaking his heart.

I have based Hadley’s home on Cranborne Manner, in Dorset, Southern England. The Manor is the home of Viscount Cranborne, the eldest son of the 7th Marquess of Salisbury. Isn’t it lovely. It really sparked my imagination as to what it must be like to sit in the drawing room with a brandy in hand and a roaring fire in the grate against the cold.

The original Manor house was built as a royal hunting lodge for King John in the 12th century. Cranborne Chase was a royal hunting ground from at least the time of William the Conqueror until the 17th century.

In 1604 the Manor and its surrounding land was acquired by Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of

Salisbury and Chief Minister to Queen Elizabeth I and James II. Under the 2nd Earl, in 1647, the west wing was remodelled by Captain Ryder, an associate of Inigo Jones. At the beginning of the 17th century the garden was laid out by Mounten Jennings and John Tradescant who supplied many of the original plants.

The estate consists of a 3,000 acre in hand farm and over 1,700 acres of woods, as well as the park and gardens.

Hadley has used many acres to grow his grapes and after five years has begun to produce very good wines. The duty on French brandy and wines during the Napoleonic wars and shortly after, also saw the rise in sparkling wine produced in England.

One of the first men to plant commercial vines in the UK was the Honorable Charles Hamilton, the 9^th and youngest son of the Earl of Abercorn. As you can see, younger son’s had to make a living.

Charles created Painshill Place in Cobham, Surrey in 1738. Painshill is now run by a trust and you can still visit to see the wonderful gardens and follies he created. Included in the gardens were an Abby, a Roman temple, a Turkish tent, a Temple of Bacchus, a fantastic shell-filled grotto, a hermitage, and some Roman steps. The picture below is the vines planted near the Abby. By the late 18^th century, Painshill was selling 6 variety of wines for 60 guineas a barrel (equivalent of 7,500 pounds in today’s terms). Highly profitable for it’s day.

The production of wine in England was, and still is fraught, with problems given the unpredictability of the weather. Hadley was a brave, if not a tad desperate man to try, but as he’s my hero and I love him, he does succeed—both in love and in viticulture.

A TASTE OF SEDUCTION releases 16th August (available for pre-order) and is a reunion or second chances story.

The flames of desire fuel a torrid reunion as bestselling author Bronwen Evans returns with another captivating novel of the Disgraced Lords. See why Jen McLaughlin raves, “Bronwen’s historical romances always make the top of my reading list!”

Lady Evangeline Stuart chose to wed a tyrant with a title, or so society believes. That was five years ago—five long years that she could have spent with her first and only love: Lord Hadley Fullerton, the second son of the Duke of Claymore. Now Evangeline is a widow, and her soul cries out for Hadley. But when they see each other at last, everything has changed. The passion in his eyes has been corrupted by betrayal. Somehow Evangeline must regain Hadley’s trust—without revealing the secret that would spoil the seduction.

Hadley is determined not to be distracted by Evangeline. He and the other Libertine Scholars are in pursuit of an enemy who has been striking at them from the shadows, and Evangeline’s mere presence could be dangerous. But with one smile, one touch, one taste of Evangeline’s lips, Hadley’s resolve is overpowered by far more pleasant memories. As the two enter into a discreet affair, Hadley vows to give her his body, never his heart. That, she will have to earn.

Here’s a snippet:

The doors to the garden were closed, so it wasn’t the roses that attracted her immediate attention. Instead she found her eyes drawn to a massive portrait hanging above the large fireplace. The painting was exquisite. You could almost see the willow’s branches waving in the breeze. The woman sitting under the tree was her, yet wasn’t her.

Evangeline had not seen this painting before, so it must have been painted after she had been abducted. The other clue was the way Hadley had portrayed her. She looked quite beautiful, her hair falling in waves around her bare shoulders, her profile exquisite, until you looked closer. Her eyes were cold and hard, her smile pure evil. The coldness and artifice made this woman, the woman who looked exactly like her, a stranger.

Evangeline drew in a deep breath. Someone in pain had painted the image; it was obvious in every stroke of the brush. He’d been so hurt, surely as hurt as she had been. She had to keep remembering that she wasn’t the only victim.

Torbet came to stand beside her as she gazed at the painting.

“He painted for months after you left. I think expressing his bitterness and hurt on canvas was cathartic for him. Unfortunately, as soon as he finished this he never painted again.”

“That is indeed a shame. He loved painting, and he was very good.”

Torbet nodded. “Perhaps now that you have returned he’ll start painting again.”

She looked once more at the portrait before her. “I hope so.” And she truly did. Painting had always soothed Hadley and filled his life. Torbet was the one who had seen his talent and nurtured it.

Taking leave of the butler, she made her way through the rose gardens, down past their special willow tree, and out the back gate to the small hilly fields behind the stable, where the land sloped down toward a stream.

She put her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun and drank in the beauty of the vineyard in front of her. She noted a few men working among the vines, yet only one man drew her eye . . . the man who stood in the middle of the farthest row, bent over working.

His coat was off, he wore no waistcoat, and his shirtsleeves were rolled up, revealing tanned arms. If not for the cut of his trousers and the innate presence about his person, he could have simply been another farm laborer.

As she watched, one of the men called to Hadley, indicating he was not doing something correctly. Hadley made his way to the worker’s side, allowing him to demonstrate—it looked like they were tying the vines to twine hung between the posts.

He didn’t notice her arrival, and she moved under one of the many willows lining the stream, into the deep shadows of the overhanging branches. The shade cooled the heat she felt at the knowledge that tonight she would be in the embrace of those strong tanned arms once again.

The men patiently showed Hadley how to prune the vines and tie them down. He worked alongside them, and when they handed him the pail of water, he drank from the ladle with the rest of them.
This was what she had always admired and loved about Hadley.

He was the son of a duke, yet he treated everyone with equal politeness, grace, and importance. No doubt his upbringing, watching his father behave worse than the lowest cad and brute, was at the heart of his ability to cross the barriers of the class system. He had always had an affinity for those less fortunate. That was probably why, when they’d met, he hadn’t minded that her family was poor, even though a second son, especially a second son of a duke, usually looked for a financially advantageous match.

She now understood how much he must have loved her to be willing to run away to Gretna Green. Did he love her still?

I hope you enjoy A Taste of Seduction because I loved writing Hadley’s story. Check out the reviews on Goodreads….

Do you enjoy second chance romances? What’s your favorite trope?

Pass That Book Along

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women's Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual traditions that nurture the soul.

These days with digital books on e-readers it’s more difficult to share a favorite read with others. But with the upswing in e-readers and digital publishing more books are available at lower prices (usually) than paperbacks. 

Although I didn’t get much writing done in April (several blog posts for a couple of thousand words), I did get Lots of reading in. Here are my recommendations for great summer reads.

Courtney Pierce’s “The Executrix” entertained me on my flight to and from Arizona. Much easier for me to read ‘paper’ than digital on the plane. Having been an executor of an estate (or two) before, I will admit my challenges were different (brothers rather than sisters) and no mobsters or manuscripts. Ms. Pierce blends mystery and humor into an entertaining read. “Indigo Lake”, Book Two in this series is available now.

Vivienne Lorret’s The Wallflower series as well as her Rakes of Fallow Hall series kept me sitting in the chair with my feet up, sipping either tea or ice water (I was in Arizona at the time). Ms. Lorret’s characters came alive and I was especially pleased to see them reappear in each book of the series. Not just in a brief sentence or two mention somewhere along the way but as integral to the current story-line.

Christy Carlyle’s first two books in her Accidental Heirs series (One Scandalous Kiss, One Tempting Proposal) with Avon were also on my Kobo. (The third book in the series is now available). Having read Ms. Carlyle’s Whitechapel series as well as several of her short stories, I was familiar with her writing style. She did not disappoint. 

Another author I read on my trip was Diana McCollum. Her first novella, The Witch With The Trident Tattoo, continues the Coastal Coven series she started in the anthology Love and Magick. Ms. McCollum’s creativity shines in the book’s concept and characters. I will admit to loving James! Shoe fetish and all.

Also on my Kobo are several anthologies. I love to read anthologies if there is an author I know because I assure myself of at least one story I’d love. However, I’ve met several new-to-me authors. Both Collette Cameron and Bronwen Evans had stories in at least one of the anthologies I’ve read or am reading. Once Upon A True Love's Kiss and Passionate Promises.

Paty Jager is another author whose books I enjoy. I particularly loved her Spirit Trilogy because of the Nez Perce spirituality. I’ve also read her Halsey Brothers series as well as her mysteries. Isabella Mumphry and Shandra Higheagle stories are well-crafted with just the right amount of suspense for me.

Looking at the list of Genre-istas whose books I’ve enjoyed in the past, I don’t want to forget Margaret Tanner who writes Australian historical romance among other genres and M.L. (Matt) Buchman who writes contemporary romance. Matt’s post on his newest release “Flash of Fire” will certainly be on my Kobo soon!

And last but not least, check out my Sacred Women’s Circle series either on my website or my author page at Windtree Press.

You’ll find the Genre-istas sharing favorite books/authors during our 5^th Blog-O-Versary this month. Hope you’ll share yours with us!

Follow me on Twitter: @JudithAshley19

I’m also on Facebook

© 2016 Judith Ashley

Favorite Tropes - Compromised by your brother’s best friend…

What must it be like to suddenly find yourself marrying someone whom is merely a friend of your brother? In my latest release, A WHISPER OF DESIRE, my heroine, Lady Marisa faces exactly that. For some cultures there is nothing unusual in marrying a man who is a virtual stranger, arranged marriages still thrive today. However, Marisa’s marriage is not arranged, she is left with no choice because an enemy sees Maitland, the Duke of Lyttleton, compromises her.

Marisa is a sensible woman and realizes she has no choice but to marry Maitland. At least he’s not a stranger. She has known him since she was a little girl. But think about the wedding night!

Lucky for her, Maitland is an honorable man and he does not push her to come to his bed, instead he let’s her decide. Marisa does find the ‘cold Duke’ as he’s called attractive, however, is lust and respect enough to build a marriage on? Their situation isn’t helped by the fact their enemy is still out there, targeting them.

Here’s the blurb:

Sensual heat melts the ice in the new Disgraced Lords novel from USA Today bestselling author Bronwen Evans, as a marriage of convenience leads to delightful pleasure—and mortal danger.
 
Lady Marisa Hawkestone’s nightmare is just beginning when she wakes up naked, with no memory of the night before, lying next to Maitland Spencer, the Duke of Lyttleton—a man so aloof and rational he’s nicknamed “the Cold Duke.” A scandal ensues, in which Marisa’s beloved beau deserts her. As a compromised woman, Marisa agrees to marry Maitland. But on her wedding night, Marisa discovers the one place the duke shows emotion: in the bedroom, where the man positively scorches the sheets.
 
Taught from a young age to take duty seriously, Maitland cannot understand his new wife’s demands on his love and affection. Marisa’s hot-blooded spirit, however, does have its attractions—especially at night. In retrospect, it seems quite silly that he didn’t marry sooner. But being one of the Libertine Scholars requires constant vigilance, even more so when the enemy with a grudge against his closest friends targets Marisa. Now Maitland must save the woman who sets his heart aflame—or die trying.

How does Maitland compromise her? Let’s see:

Marisa spun round and made to reach for the quilt lying at the end of the bed when a voice yelled, “Christ, Marisa, what on earth are you doing in my room?” She watched in disbelief as Maitland Spencer, Duke of Lyttleton, sat up, swiped a hand over his eyes, and muttered, “What a beautiful sight. I must be dreaming.”

Marisa grabbed for the quilt to cover her nakedness. While His Grace fell back among the pillows, holding his head and murmurring, she took a moment to look round the room. It certainly wasn’t her bedchamber. How had she got here?

When she gazed back at Maitland her mouth dried and her face heated. The sheet had slid down his body and exposed his muscled chest, and her eyes followed the trail of hair down to where it disappeared under the sheet lying below his hipbones. Looking at the cut of muscle above his groin, emphasizing his hips, was like looking at perfection. She didn’t think she’d ever seen anything so beautifully masculine. Her eyes roamed back up over his torso to meet eyes flared with passion and a quirked eyebrow.

“Do you like what you see?” he asked with a gravelly, “I’ve just woken up with a bad head” kind of voice. When she remained speechless, he added, “You know, after our tête-à-tête in the alcove this evening, I thought I’d made it clear I was attracted to you. There was no need to drug me in order to have your wicked way with me.”

“Drug you,” she spluttered. That was what the unusual taste in her mouth was. She’d been drugged. “I certainly didn’t drug you.” A terrible thought entered her head. “Did you do this to try and compromise me?”

He laced his hands behind his head, leaving the sheet low on his hips, understanding perfectly well what the sight of his nakedness was doing to her.

“I was joking, little one. We have obviously both been drugged and placed in this room. I suspect that the door’s locked.” He didn’t look any happier than she did at their predicament. He’d closed his eyes and the frown deepened on his brow. She stood silently watching him, hoping he’d come up with some miraculous solution to this dreadful situation....

I don’t have a brother, only four sisters. Did you ever fall for your brother’s best friend? Or does this only happen in books or TV or movies?

I'm running a contest for release month - a lovely gift basket including a Kindle Fire.

A WHISPER OF DESIRE

Amazon -> http://amzn.to/1krgxez

B&N Nook -> http://bit.ly/1My6tam

iBooks -> http://apple.co/1k9AnLO

Kobo -> http://bit.ly/1H5WSv1

Google Play -> http://bit.ly/1P8vUpx

“If you are a lover of romance and don’t mind a little heat, Evans’s novels are the way to go. She constantly reminds us what passion is all about, and because she is so on point with her facts and lively characters, you just can’t go wrong. Her latest is suspenseful, well written and a great read all around.”—RT Book Reviews 41/2 stars
 
“A must-read . . . delightful . . . I laughed out loud, I cried, I wept and I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.”—Night Owl Reviews (5 stars)

It's Not What I Have...

Dear Readers

This month brings us Thanks Giving in the USA. Here in New Zealand, we don’t celebrate Thanks Giving but I like the idea. You’d think being a romance writer that I’d constantly remember to spread the love and not take anyone for granted. But we all need a reminder of what life is about. It’s about those we love and the achievements and battles we go through.

I’ve had a pretty tough year this year. I lost a family member to cancer in July after a ten-month ferocious battle. I also have three friends currently battling cancer, and I’m praying for great outcomes for each of them.

During this time I had to write. I had publishing commitments and unfortunately I was late delivering my book. Sometimes it’s hard to write when life gets in the way. However, my editor and agent were so supportive. I’m thankful for that.

I have just finished writing my latest book, A Touch of Passion, book #3 in my Disgraced Lords series, due for release 24 March 2015.  I’ve had to write it during a terrible time but I think it’s made the book stronger. It really focused me on love and loss, just what the book is about.

My hero, Grayson, has experienced loss and is now scared to love. Lucky for him, my heroine, Portia, shows him loss is nothing to fear, for the fabulous memories stay with us and we are much better for having known those we lose. 

Here is the blurb:

In the latest Disgraced Lords novel from USA Today bestselling author Bronwen Evans, a vivacious thrill seeker clashes with her dutiful defender—causing irresistible sparks to fly.

Independent and high-spirited, Lady Portia Flagstaff has never been afraid to take a risk, especially if it involves excitement and danger. But this time, being kidnapped and sold into an Arab harem is the outcome of one risk too many. Now, in order to regain her freedom, she has to rely on the deliciously packaged Grayson Devlin, Viscount Blackwood, a man who despises her reckless ways—and stirs in her a thirst for passion.

After losing his mother and two siblings in a carriage accident years ago, Grayson Devlin promised Portia’s dying brother that he’d always watch over his wayward sister. But having to travel to Egypt to rescue the foolhardy girl has made his blood boil. Grayson already has his hands full trying to clear his best friend and fellow Libertine Scholar of a crime he didn’t commit. Worse still, his dashing rescue has unleashed an unforeseen and undesired consequence: marriage. Now it’s more than Portia he has to protect . . . it’s his battered heart.

Learn more about the book and Pre-Order here:

This year has made me even more conscious of remembering to take the time to speak and share time with those I love. Don’t take anyone for granted.  I’m grateful for the time I had with my family and they are all in my heart.

Here’s a little picture that sums it up nicely.

Happy Thanks Giving to you all.

Emotional Novellas-It’s All In The Plotting

I’ve written 5 x long romance stories (over 95,000 words), 1 x category contemporary about 50,000 words and 3  x 39,000 word novellas. Many writers, and readers, have asked me whether I find writing different length books difficult. How do I develop deep, believable characters, in a shorter book? The answer is it’s not difficult!

It’s in the plotting.

When I write a romance, I love immersing myself in the characters' world. I try to make the characters real, likeable and human –that often means flawed. When you have a character who has deep, inner emotional problems, you need to be able to write a character arc that allows them to face their fears and grow. How can you do that in a novella?

I’m a plotter, so I usually know how their character arcs are going to develop before I start writing the story. I use Michael Hauge’s Six Act Story Structure (I think I’ve mentioned him before).  His tried and true plotting method is structure into 6 acts that have approximate percentages for growth across the book, all centred around 5 turning points. For instance, the first 10% of the book is about the here and now. What does the character believe about himself at the beginning of the book (even though he may be kidding himself)?

Michael says: The opening 10% of your screenplay must draw the reader, and the audience, into the initial setting of the story, must reveal the everyday life your hero has been living, and must establish identification with your hero by making him/her sympathetic, threatened, likable, funny and/or powerful.

If you use a plotting tool like this, you can see how easy it is to write any length book. Simply take the percentages and apply them. If I want to write a novella of say 20,000 words, then Stage 1 will be 2,000 words. Stage 1 will be 9,500 for a 95,000 word novel.

Shorter stories mean tighter character development. I thoroughly recommend having a road map to follow, or a plot outline of the story first, because showing a believable character growth in shorter books is the key to an emotionally engaging novella.

My first novella, To Dare the Duke of Dangerfield, was a Top 5 Finalist in the Kindle Book Review Indie Romance book of the Year 2012 and was a finalist in RomCon Best Historical 2012.

It’s currently FREE over at SMASHWORDS with the following Coupon code REW25 at checkout ow.ly/uf9FT 

Goodbye 2013 - Welcome 2014

What’s in a year?

A lot I hope!

I saw the New Year in on Tuesday night with a group of friends. We went out for dinner. Of course the big topic around the table was New Year resolutions.

I’m starting a new stage in my life this year. I’ve moved cities, I’m living in an area of NZ I’ve never lived before, and I’ve been blessed to be able to build a new house in a dream location, set in vineyards, overlooking the sea. So I’m feeling pretty contented.

I’m usually a very goal orientated person so it was quite interesting that I decided I didn’t want to ruin my contentment with things like must do, have to, etc

However, I did decide that I WANTED to write more and eat less. That’s the limit to the goals I’ve set myself this year.

The writing more is because I have so many stories in my head at the moment that it’s getting crowded, and because I have a few books under contract. I have three books to write by July this year – busy!!!!

Plus I have three books being released by June this year, A Kiss of Lies coming January 14^th, Invitation to Passion in late March, and A Promise of More in April.

It’s going to be a busy year, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.

I hope whatever resolutions you’ve made help you with your dreams for the year but don’t stress you out. After all, if I’m healthy and happy, as are my friends and family, I know the year will be okay.

Take care and I hope you all have a wonderful 2014!

A Kiss of Lies – January 14 2014

Desperate to escape her abusive past, Sarah Cooper disguises herself as a governess in the employ of Christian Trent, Earl of Markham, the man who, long ago, she fantasized about marrying. Despite the battle scars that mar his face, Sarah finds being near Christian rekindles her infatuation. A governess, however, has no business in the arms of an earl, and as she accompanies Christian on his voyage home, Sarah must resist her intense desires—or risk revealing her dangerous secrets.

One of the renowned Libertine Scholars, Christian Trent once enjoyed the company of any woman he chose. But that was before the horrors of Waterloo, his wrongful conviction of a hideous crime, and his forcible removal from England. Far from home and the resources he once had, Christian believes the life he knew--and any chance of happiness--is over ... until his ward’s governess sparks his heart back to life, and makes him remember the man he used to be. Now Christian is determined to return to England, regain his honor, and win the heart of the woman he has come to love.

“A Kiss of Lies is one of those books that made me laugh and cry. In its sensual and tender moments, it brought tears to my eyes, and the witty banter between characters made me smile again and again. No one writes wounded characters who are healed by the power of love like Bronwen Evans. This is a book sure to touch your heart.”—Bestselling author Shana Galen

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