A Season of Seduction by Jennifer Haymore - Blog Tour Oct 4 - 15

A Season of Seduction

by Jennifer Haymore

Touring Oct 4 - 15

Although the widowed Lady Rebecca has sworn off marriage, men are another matter.  London's cold winter nights have her dreaming of warmer pursuits -- like finding a lover to satisfy her hungry heart.  Someone handsome, discreet, and most importantly as uninterested in marriage as she is.  Someone like Jack Fulton.

A known adventurer and playboy, Jack seems like the perfect choice.  There's just one problem:  Jack isn't interested in an affair.  He needs the beautiful, mysterious Lady Rebecca to be his wife.  And he doesn't have much time to persuade her.  A secret from Jack's past is about to surface, and by Christmas Day, he'll be either married to Rebecca or dead.

FIVE FUN FACTS

1. After writing two books with Lady Rebecca as a young girl trying to find her place in the world, I loved writing about how she becomes a strong and independent woman in A Season of Seduction.


2. Cornwall, England, where Lady Rebecca’s property is, is one of those stark, windy places I always imagine as a setting for gothic novels. I have always wanted to write about it and visit it. Now that I have written about it and researched it, visiting is the next on the list!


3. I spent hours and hours researching the traveling time from London to Launceston, Cornwall while writing A Season of Seduction. I am always stymied by the amount of time it took to go from point A to point B using the various means of travel during this era. I’m trying to talk my husband into buying a horse for me just so I can be as accurate as possible! Unfortunately, so far, my husband is not convinced, but I’m still working on him…


4. In my last book, A Touch of Scandal, Lady Rebecca broke her arm in a carriage accident. Unfortunately, I know some things about broken arms, because my son has had two of them in two years! Lady Rebecca had the same break as my son’s first injury (a broken humerus just above the elbow), but she didn’t have access to modern medical care, so even after four years she’s still suffering from the repercussions in A Season of Seduction.


5. Christmas is my favorite day of the year, and I’d never imagined I’d be lucky enough to have the opportunity to write a historical romance set during the holiday season. Combine that with the special romance between Becky and Jack, and A Season of Seduction is definitely one of my favorites!


You can find Jennifer on twitter, Facebook and her website.


A Season of Seduction
Publisher/Publication Date: Grand Central Publishing/Oct 2010
ISBN: 978-0-446-54028-5
379 pages

A Touch of Scandal by Jennifer Haymore (Book Review)

A Touch of Scandal

by Jennifer Haymore

The last thing Garrett, Duke of Calton, expects to find while tracking his sworn enemy is the delectable, mysterious Kate. This beautiful servant girl rouses a longing the battle-scarred ex-soldier had never hoped to feel again. But when she turns out to be the sister of the man he seeks, he's convinced he's been betrayed.

Kate knows her duty to her family, yet how can she ignore Garrett's powerful pull on her heart? Or the heady temptation of his stolen -- and sizzling -- kisses? Scandal has followed the duke since the war. Now the greatest shock of all is on its way -- the one that can separate Garrett and Kate forever.

My thoughts: In A Hint of Wicked, William Fisk imprisoned Garrett for 7 years after making him lose his memory, and in so doing he lost his wife and family.  In A Touch of Scandal, Garrett is seeking revenge on Fisk.  While looking for him, he meets Kate - only to learn that Kate is William's sister. 

Kate is torn between the man she is falling in love with and with loyalty towards her family.  I am not sure why she feels so loyal to her family though, as they treat her so poorly.  She is actually employed by William and his wife Lady Rebecca, who isn't even aware that she is William's sister! 

I really like the relationship between Kate and Garrett - you know, the kind of relationship where the underdogs might finally come out on top.  I was hoping for them and hurting with them the entire way. 

~I was provided this book for review by Hachette Books.~

A Touch of Scandal
Publisher/Publication Date: Grand Central Publishing, Apr 2010
ISBN: 978-0-446-54027-8
400 pages

A Touch of Scandal Blog Tour (Mar 25 - Apr 7) and Giveaway!

A Touch of Scandal

by Jennifer Haymore

The last thing Garrett, Duke of Calton, expects to find while tracking his sworn enemy is the delectable, mysterious Kate. This beautiful servant girl rouses a longing the battle-scarred ex-soldier had never hoped to feel again. But when she turns out to be the sister of the man he seeks, he's convinced he's been betrayed.

Kate knows her duty to her family, yet how can she ignore Garrett's powerful pull on her heart? Or the heady temptation of his stolen-and sizzling-kisses? Scandal has followed the duke since the war. Now the greatest shock of all is on its way-the one that can separate Garrett and Kate forever.

Five Fun Facts

1. The heroine from A Touch of Scandal, Kate, has a younger brother, Reginald. Reggie suffers from severe asthma—something I understand, having been through it as a child and now watching my own son fight it. It’s truly a painful and frightening illness. I can’t imagine what it was like for children before proper medications were available. The prescription the doctor in A Touch of Scandal orders—prussic acid—was a common remedy for asthma. But like many medicines of the time, prussic acid has since been proven to be very poisonous—even deadly. No wonder poor Reggie didn’t improve while he was taking it!

2. In the first drafts of A Touch of Scandal, there were three “villains.” I thought that was at least one too many, so I changed one character to soften her up a bit, even almost redeeming her at the end. She’s still not a very likeable character, but she’s no longer the equivalent of the Wicked Witch of the West! Can you guess who this is?

3. I’ve been to England several times, but I have not been to Kenilworth Castle. I researched it as thoroughly as I could while writing A Touch of Scandal, and it’s definitely on the itinerary for my next visit to the UK!

4. The James family seat, Calton House, is located in the Yorkshire dales. I feel especially bonded to this part of England—I think it’s because several of my ancestors immigrated to Canada from Yorkshire. I’ve driven through the county once, and I loved it. It’s a special place.

5. One of the main characters in A Touch of Scandal is Becky, the younger sister of the Duke of Calton. I have loved writing about her, because she is the one character whose growth you can really see from the beginning to the end of the series. She is immature and compulsive in A Hint of Wicked; she crashes back to reality in A Touch of Scandal; and in the third book, A Season of Seduction, she really comes into her own and finally finds the man that will lead her down the (very rocky!) road to a happily ever after.

GIVEAWAY INFO:

I have five copies of this paperback book to giveaway courtesy of Hachette Books. For your first entry (MUST DO THIS ONE FOR ANY OTHER ENTRIES TO COUNT) - From the fun facts above, we learn that Reggie suffers from asthma - was there any childhood diseases that you or one of your siblings suffered from?  I had allergies so bad that I got an allergy shot once a week - by the time I was 14 I had learned to give them to myself - then by 17 they had all switched to foods, for which there was no shot - so after about 12 years of shots, I just got to stop them!  Be sure to leave an email address also!

For additional entries you can sign up to follow (old followers let me know), Twitter or post it on your blog. Each entry must have it's own comment. (Four entries total.)

This giveaway if for U.S./Canada only - no PO boxes and will end Apr 15!

Participating blogs:
Thoughts in Progress Feature, Giveaway, Guest Post 3/25/2010
Bibiliophilic Book Blog Feature, Review, Giveaway 3/25/2010
Book Soulmates Review, Giveaway, Q&As 3/25/2010
You Wanna Know What I Think? Review, Giveaway 3/25/2010
Just Another New Blog Giveaway 3/25/2010
Simply Stacie Giveaway 3/25/2010
Freda's Voice Giveaway 3/25/2010
A Journey of Books Review, Giveaway, Q&As 3/25/2010
Book Junkie Review, Giveaway, Q&As 3/25/2010
Long Live the Lit Feature, Guest Post 3/26/2010
Smexy Books Review, Giveaway 3/26/2010
The Book Girl Review, Giveaway 3/26/2010
Rundpinne Feature, Review 3/27/2010
Michelle and Leslie's Book Picks Review, Giveaway 3/29/2010
Who Has Time to Read Review, Giveaway 3/31/2010
My Guilty Pleasures Review, Giveaway 4/1/2010
Eclectic Book Lover Review 4/1/2010
Seductive Musings Feature, Review, Giveaway 4/1/2010
Books and Needlepoint Feature, Review, Giveaway 4/2/2010
Broken Teepee Review, Giveaway 4/3/2010
Savey Spender Review, Giveaway 4/4/2010
All About {n} Review, Giveaway 4/5/2010
Just Short of Crazy Review, Giveaway 4/5/2010
Marta's Meanderings Feature, Review 4/6/2010
My Book Addiction and More. . . Feature, Review, Giveaway 4/6/2010
Razlover's Book Blog Feature, Review, Giveaway 4/6/2010
Renee's Reads Review 4/7/2010
My Reading Addiction Review, Giveaway 4/7/2010

Winners of A Hint of Wicked

Late as usual! Here are the winners for A Hint of Wicked - I will have the How to Score winners posted later today. One Scream Away giveaway ends today - but you still have time. That one is a real page turner so if you haven't entered - get over there! Ok - winners of A Hint of Wicked:

1. Jake Lsewhere
2. Janel (already won) so - Belinda M
3. Sue W
4. Karol
5. Lee

Congrats winners!

For those of you who didn't win but would still like to read the book - order today!

A Hint of Wicked - New Giveaway!

I have 5 copies of A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore to giveaway thanks to Hachette Book Group!

About the book: CAUGHT BETWEEN DUTY AND DESIRE . . .

Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, has finally moved on. After seven years mourning the loss of her husband, Garrett, at Waterloo, she has married his cousin and heir, Tristan. Sophie gives herself to him body and soul. . . until the day Garrett returns from the Continent, demanding his title, his lands-and his wife.

TORN BETWEEN TWO HUSBANDS . . .

Now Sophie must choose between her first love and her new love, knowing that no matter what, her choice will destroy one of the men she adores. Will it be Garrett, her childhood sweetheart, whose loss nearly destroyed her once already? Or will it be Tristan, beloved friend turned lover, who supported her through the last, dark years and introduced her to a passion she had never known? As her two husbands battle for her heart, Sophie finds herself immersed in a dangerous game-where the stakes are not only love . . . but life and death.

A HINT OF WICKED

About the author: As a child, Jennifer Haymore traveled the South Pacific with her family on their homebuilt sailboat. The months spent on the sometimes-quiet, sometimes-raging seas sparked her love of adventure and grand romance. Since then, she's earned degrees in Computer Science and Education and held various jobs from bookselling to teaching inner-city children to acting, but she's never stopped writing.

You can find Jennifer in Southern California trying to talk her husband into yet another trip to England, helping her three children with homework while brainstorming a new five-minute dinner menu, or crouched in a corner of the local bookstore writing her next novel.

You can follow Jennifer on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jenniferhaymore.

Rules

1. Only residents of U.S. or Canada
2. No PO Boxes
3. Five (5) books being given away - giveaway ends July 15th.
4. Leave a comment w/email address to enter. (may leave all entries in one comment)
5. Follow my blog +1
6. Post about it on blog or any social network - leave me a link +3.
7. If someone says you referred them you will each get +3!