July Releases

No better way to celebrate a new month than 6 new books!

Enjoy 🙂

A Date With Dr Moustakas by Amy Ruttan (Hot Greek Docs)

A date with her former flame…

Brings the past flooding back!

In this Hot Greek Docs story, doctor Naomi thought her ex didn’t want kids. So she’s shocked to find Dr. Christos Moustakas at her new workplace—and he’s now a single dad! Chris has dropped his playboy ways, but he still has a hold on Naomi’s heart. And if she can now reveal their secret loss, it might finally give them another chance…

 

Back In Dr. Xenakis’ Arms by Amalie Berlin (Hot Greek Docs)

She can’t resist the doc from her past!

But do they have a future?

In this Hot Greek Docs story, obstetrician Erianthe Nikolaides is returning home to Mythelios and dreading seeing her sinfully hot ex, Dr. Ares Xenakis! She’s still haunted by the devastating circumstances of their breakup. To truly heal she must share her pain with Ares, but when a scorching kiss reignites their desire, dare Eri risk her heart a second time?

 

From Doctor To Princess by Annie Claydon

He’s her reluctant patient…

But might she soon be his royal fiancée?

Dr. Nell Maitland escaped her unpleasant former boss to become private physician to Dr. Hugo DeLeon—who’s also a crown prince! But doctors make the worst patients—especially when they’re as distractingly handsome as Hugo. When her past catches up with her, Nell must fake an engagement with the prince who makes her heart pound! Might she become his princess for real?

 

Locked Down With The Army Doc by Scarlet Wilson

There’s a crisis in paradise!

But is her heart at risk…?

When Dr. Amber Berkeley met ruggedly handsome Jack at a conference in Hawaii, she never imagined they’d end up locked down together in the middle of a hurricane! Army doc Jack’s take-charge attitude pushes straight-talking Amber’s buttons—until their sparks ignite into a fierce attraction! Amber has a “no doctors” dating rule for good reason, but amid disaster rules are meant to be broken…

 

The Brooding Surgeon’s Baby Bombshell by Susan Carlisle

One night, unexpected consequences…!

But can they be a family?

After sparks fly with Dr. Gabriel Marks at a conference, nurse Zoe Avery’s left with a permanent reminder of their night together. Knowing Gabe doesn’t want kids, Zoe decides she’ll have the baby alone. Then Gabe moves to the same city just as pregnant Zoe needs a temporary home. Gabe comes to her rescue, but can they overcome their hurdles and become a family?

 

The Doctor’s Cinderella by Susanne Hampton

One magical night…could change their lives forever!

After her ex leaves her penniless, nurse Molly Murphy takes an admin job in doctor Ryan’s practice. When Ryan needs a date for a charity ball, Molly finds herself wearing a gorgeous gown and sipping champagne for one sparkling night. But her Prince Charming guards his emotions closely. Dare they trust what’s in their hearts to find their own fairy-tale ending?

 

 

 

 

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Somebody’s watching me!

Well, I knew that already.  One of the things that I was told when I first ventured onto the internet, back in the old days of dial-up connections, was that you’re never alone.  It went against all of the things I’d learned about the world up until then – you can be sitting behind locked doors and closed curtains, and yet what you do is still out there somewhere.

And that’s something which has hit the news recently.  I’ve been getting emails and notifications about internet privacy, following reports concerning the collection and use of internet data.  And the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation means that come May 25th, those of us in Europe will not only have the right to know what kind of information is collected, but also to see a copy of the actual data.

So – I’m not going to comment on individual cases 🙂  But I welcome an increased accountability for the way information that’s collected from the internet is used.  And I welcome accountability over what people do on the internet – bullying, revenge porn, and intrusion on privacy are real and devastating problems, which affect people of all ages, many of them young.  We must protect them.

But on the other hand, the internet is full of places we love to go.  (I hope that this is one of them!).  Safe places, where we can meet new friends, who we might not otherwise get to know.  See things that we might not otherwise get to see.  I used to teach a weekly class on internet use at a care home for the elderly, and it provided a window on the world.  Ladies who’d been unable to ‘hit the shops’ for years, were suddenly able to take their time browsing the season’s new fashions again.

I guess, like almost everything that’s driven by human nature, the internet has its good and bad sides.  And like any relatively new phenomena, we’re learning.  How to be safe.  What’s appropriate.  How to be polite.  What we need to protect ourselves and others from.  For me, these are important issues that need to be thought about – but they don’t mean that I’ll be switching off my broadband any time soon.  Despite all its problems, the capacity for human interaction that the internet provides us with, is immensely valuable to me.

And – here comes my ‘romance writer’ point of view 🙂  We’ve heard about ‘profiling’ and that’s a term I’d always applied to the kind of thing that the FBI did with criminals.  But it seems that the practise has been extended to the innocent internet user.  I happen to think that we’re all a lot more than that, though.  I write about characters who, at first glance, shouldn’t be together but who are ultimately completely right for each other.  There’s something wonderful about the human spirit, which defies any attempt to pin it down.  We all might fall into a number of demographic groups, but those groups don’t define us.  Like the characters in a romance, we all have the capacity to think for ourselves and break out of the boxes we find ourselves in.

Finally – let’s bring the discussion home.  Like many sites on the internet, this blog carries ads from time to time.  I don’t see what those ads are because I have an account that allows me to post on this site, but I know they’re there.  It’s the price we pay – we get to run our blog for free and the cost of that is borne by the advertising.  I do see ads on other sites, and I view them as something that’s necessary to cover their costs.  I can’t help wondering at times why anyone ever thought that the targeted ads I see might apply to me – but then maybe that’s my point.  ‘The machine’ might be doing its level best to define me, but so far it doesn’t appear to be doing all that well 🙂

What do you think?  As you’re here then, like me, you obviously haven’t deserted the internet in disgust.  What makes you stay?

Behind the Dedication

The dedications for our books mean a lot to us – and we know that readers sometimes wonder what’s behind them.  So four of our authors have chosen dedications from their books, and explained.  We hope to be coming back to you from time to time with more ‘Behind the Dedication’ blogs.

Amy Andrews – The Midwifes Miracle Baby

This was my debut novel and I dedicated to a midwife called Karen. The heroine in the book is a midwife fighting the male dominated obstetric establishment to set up a natural birth centre at the hospital she works in. The midwives at the hospital where I gave birth to both my children went through a similar battle to get their birth centre up and running and although it wasn’t ready in time for the birth of my son, it was for my daughter and my midwife Karen, who also delivered my nephew a few years later, was the most amazing woman. Giving birth is such a personal, intimate experience, to have someone who believes in you and your power to do this incredible thing and to be your advocate is a big deal, how could I not dedicate this book to her?

Claire West has sworn off dating and love due to a genetic illness in her family. She doesn’t want to become a burden to a husband in the future, nor does she want to pass her illness on to a child. Unable to have a child of her own, Claire strives to ensure other families have safe births and healthy babies in the birthing center that she runs. The on-call doctor, Campbell Deane, is smitten with Claire and refuses to take no for an answer in his pursuit of her. Eventually he wears Claire down, and Claire discovers she’s in love with him. It might take a miracle for Claire to overcome her fears and open her heart.

 

 

 

Susan Carlisle – Heart Surgeon… Hero… Husband?

My first book Heart Surgeon… Hero… Husband? did have a special dedication. It was to a beautiful friend named Raina. I once asked her where her name came from. She told me it was from a romance novel. Her mother loved to read them and named her after a heroine. Sadly, Raina was killed. When I started writing romances I knew who my first book would be dedicated to. I made sure Raina’s mother received a copy. I miss Raina everyday. She would have been proud of me.

Discovering that her tiny son desperately needs a new heart terrifies Hannah Quinn—especially when she realizes ex-flame Scott McIntyre is the skilled surgeon in charge of the transplant. Entrusting her baby to Scott’s miracle-working hands is one thing, but whether Hannah’s own heart will survive Scott’s devastating charm intact is quite another…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fiona McArthur – Healed by the Midwife’s Kiss

Fiona’s chosen a dedication which is self explanatory:-

“Dedicated to Finn, author Kelly Hunter’s legend of a four-legged friend who went to doggy heaven while I was writing this book. It just seemed right to say there are heroes called Finn everywhere. Vale Finn.”

Finn can’t imagine loving anyone again…but could one woman change that forever?

After Dr Finn Foley’s wife abandoned him and their adorable baby daughter, he threw himself into being a father. But when he meets a kindred spirit in widowed midwife Catrina Thomas, he can’t resist getting to know her better. One sizzling kiss later, the happiness Finn has been searching for finally seems within his grasp…if only he’s willing to claim it!

 

 

 

 

Annie Claydon – Healed by the Single Dad Doc

Annie dedicated her book ‘To Kate.  Wishing you unicorns.’  Annie asked Kate to tell us what unicorns mean to her:-

Kate says – ‘Back in 2014 I found out I had cancer for the second time. I took the news particularly hard. In order for me to create the positive mindset I needed to help get me through the treatment, fear and emotional turmoil, I asked my friends to ‘send unicorns’. The outpouring of love, and unique and wonderful ways in which people rose the occasion helped buoy me through the most difficult time of my life. I have been in remission for almost 4 years now and people still send unicorns. Every single one brings me absolute joy and reminds how lucky I am. Not just to have survived cancer, again, but also to be surrounded by such magnificent people.’

Could single dad Ethan be the one…

…to put Kate together again?

When kind-hearted single father Dr Ethan Conway comes to vet Kate Foster’s rescue one night, it forges an unexpected bond between them. Could Kate be the perfect woman for Ethan and his young son to let into their life? If Kate can learn to trust again and let Ethan help her perhaps they can both move on—and be a family!

 

March New Releases

March is going to be a busy month!  Get set for healing, redeeming, resisting and temptation – along with a miracle!

 A Child to Heal Them, by Louisa Heaton

Might saving a little girl…

… help mend their broken hearts?

When ex-doctor Tasha Kincaid escapes to Africa to teach, haunted by the loss of a young patient, she never expects to find now-widowed Quinn Shapiro—the doctor who once broke her heart. But a pupil is sick and she needs his help! As they care for little Abeje, Tasha finds herself falling for Quinn again… Could healing this child help them embrace a future together?

 

 

Healed by the Single Dad Doc, By Annie Claydon

Could single dad Ethan be the one…

…to put Kate together again?

When kind-hearted single father Dr Ethan Conway comes to vet Kate Foster’s rescue one night, it forges an unexpected bond between them. Could Kate be the perfect woman for Ethan and his young son to let into their life? If Kate can learn to trust again and let Ethan help her perhaps they can both move on—and be a family!

 

 

Redeeming the Rebel Doc, by Susan Carlisle

She was hired to rebuild his reputation…

But will this doc be too hot to handle?

After successfully fighting a year-long lawsuit, handsome and rebellious surgeon Rex Maxwell is ready to get back on top of his game! So when buttoned-up but beautiful PR exec Tiffani Romano insists on making him the centre of his hospital’s campaign he reluctantly agrees. And even though she tries hard not to let him, Rex is determined to get under her skin…

 

 

Resisting her Commander Hero, by Lucy Ryder

Frankie doesn’t need a hero…

But can she fight her attraction to Nate?

Paramedic Frankie Bryce is finally over her crush on her late brother’s best friend, ex-Navy SEAL Nate Oliver—but then he returns to their hometown, acting as if she’s still the wild-child teenager he has to protect because he promised her brother he would! Frankie’s all woman now, and she definitely doesn’t need rescuing! The trouble is, this super-sexy hero is impossible to ignore…

 

Tempted by the Hot-Shot Doc, by Becky Wicks

Three weeks with a gorgeous TV doc…

How long can she resist?

Madeline Savoia is thrilled to be writing sexy, infamous Ryan Tobias’s biography—and to be accompanying him to the Amazon to film his TV show! She won’t be tempted. She’s just suffered a break-up and Ryan’s only interest is in saving lives—perfect! But their passion sizzles even before they reach the rainforest! Is three weeks up-close-and-personal enough to become for ever?

 

 

The Doctor’s Baby Miracle, by Tina Beckett

Losing a baby tore them apart…

Can having another reunite them?

Losing their daughter left doctors Tucker and Kady heartbroken, and when Tucker couldn’t face trying for another child it left their marriage in pieces. Meeting again at a medical event, they find their memories are reawakened—along with their scorching chemistry! But Kady still longs for a baby…and Tucker must finally face his fears if he’s to find happiness with her again…

January Releases

Six new releases to get the New Year off to a great start!  We have a King, a Prince and a Duke – as well as Army Docs and two stories from The Sinclair Hospital.  Enjoy!

Pregnant with his Royal Twins, by Louisa Heaton

New year, twin babies!

Midwife Freya MacFadden has stuck to night shifts since she was injured in an acid attack. But a hospital costume ball offers her the chance to hide her scars, and, lost in the moment, she seizes a passionate encounter with a handsome stranger. Leaving her pregnant…with his twins!

Desert prince Jameel Al Bakhari fought hard for his medical career, far from his kingdom of Majidar. And he’ll fight for kind and courageous Freya and their babies, too! But first Jamie must show her how beautiful she really is!

 
The Surgeon King’s Secret Baby, by Amy Ruttan

A family by New Year’s Eve?

Reagan Cote left war-torn Hermosa thinking the gorgeous surgeon she’d shared a brief affair with was lost on the front line. So she clung to the child she was carrying.

While Kainan Laskaris’s voice is damaged, he’s alive. And when he finds Reagan in Toronto and discovers he’s dad to their sick baby boy, he asks her to marry him. Now he’s king of Hermosa, he needs a queen and heir, but before she’ll accept, Kainan must prove that marrying Reagan means more than claiming his kingdom.

 

Forbidden Night with the Duke, by Annie Claydon 

One stolen kiss…

Nurse Megan Wheeler won’t let that passionate kiss, or the way she feels about Jaye Perera, ruin her dream job. Yes, he may be a duke, a doctor and devastatingly handsome but he’s also her future boss, and that’s a boundary she won’t—can’t—cross!

But working side by side under the Sri Lankan sun is a delicious torture. One that reveals to Megan a different side of guarded Jaye… After the hurts they’ve both experienced, can they learn to trust in love again?

 

Tempted by Dr. Off-Limits, by Charlotte Hawkes

One night is never enough…

For trauma doc Major Elle Caplin, spending one night in Lieutenant Colonel Fitzwilliam’s arms is out of character but oh so good! It’s meant to be a one-off, until Fitz shows up on her army base!

Fitz doesn’t do long-term—he knows he’s bad news to anyone he cares about—and learning that he’ll be working with capable flame-haired Elle puts her in the strictly off-limits category. But with the memory of their hot, life-changing encounter keeping him awake, suddenly Fitz is tempted to break his one-night rule!

 

Reunited with her Army Doc, by Dianne Drake

Can he trust her with his heart?

Army doc Caleb Carsten will do anything for his gifted son—even if it means returning to his hometown of Marrell and working for Leanne Sinclair, the childhood crush who once broke his heart.

Leanne is thrilled to meet Caleb again. But why can’t she remember more about their past, and what she did to hurt him so badly? And if Leanne can’t show Caleb she’s changed, will he ever trust her with his heart?

 

Healing her Boss’s Heart, by Dianne Drake

Daring to love again…

When handsome surgeon Jack Hanson returns home, he’s not looking for love. His guilt over his wife’s death means he’s never going to risk his heart again! But feisty new employee Carrie Kellem can’t help but intrigue him…

Carrie’s tough childhood has made her independent; she doesn’t need anyone! Until she meets Jack… And suddenly Carrie wishes she wasn’t alone. Can she help Jack to let go of the past and see that he has a future with her?

Words of the Year

This blog took a while to write (and my apologies for being late with it!).  Part of the problem was my topic.  The Collins Dictionary announced their ‘Word of the Year’ yesterday, which seemed to me to be a good conversation starter.  It was, unfortunately, also a cue for me to spend an inordinate amount of time doing some internet research.  Words of the Day, Words of the Year.  Popular words, and words which have fallen into obscurity.  Words which aren’t strictly speaking words 🙂 …

Because the Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year for 2015, was an emoji – the ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ emoji.  I remember a bit of discussion about it at the time, but I’m not sure that anyone can deny that emojis are now an established part of the way that we express ourselves.

This year, the Collins Dictionary Word of the Year isn’t strictly a word either – it’s two.  ‘Fake News’.  Amongst the runners-up my favourites were ‘cuffing season’ – which is apparently the ‘period of autumn and winter when single people are considered likely to seek settled relationships, rather than engage in casual affairs’.  As a romance writer I feel I need to work that into a book somewhere.  And ‘unicorn’.  I’m not entirely sure why that’s a candidate, but who doesn’t like unicorns?

I couldn’t find a Word of the Year from Webster’s Dictionary, but it I learned a bit from their Words of the Day – I’ll be sure to use ‘lagniappe’ (a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase), at the first available opportunity.  And from the Macquarie Dictionary’s list of words which have been suggested for inclusion, comes the word ‘hepeated’, which is when an idea is ignored when suggested by a woman, but loved when suggested by a man.

And who could resist ‘Snollygoster’?  I don’t even need to know what that means to love it!

Everyone has their own favourite words.  At the moment I have a cold, so ‘honey’ and ‘lemon’ are pretty high on my list.  I have a love/hate relationship with ‘manoeuvre’, which I have spelled out on my fridge door, because however many times I type it, I never spell it right the first time 🙂  I think ‘rose’ is a lovely word.  And, for some reason that I can’t quite put my finger on, I like the word ‘impetuous’.  What are your favourites?

Going Back to my Roots, by Annie Claydon

When I was little, one of the first things our family did when visiting a new place on holiday or days out, was visit the churchyard.   I never quite knew why, but as I grew older, the reason why my Mum would stare at each of the weathered gravestones in turn, quietly making out the words on them while we played in the sunshine, became apparent to me.

My mother was orphaned when she was very young, and knew very little about her parents’ families.  And when she went to a new place, she looked for them.  However small the chance of finding them, she never gave up.

In my twenties, the search became a little more focussed.  Records became available, for amateur genealogists to painstakingly search through, and I used to go with my mother, helping her lift the heavy record books and flip through miles of microfiche.  Because we had very little to start from, we didn’t get very far.

And then, in 2001 the 1901 census became available online.  At last, we had a database – a searchable record, of everyone living in the UK in that year.  I applied myself to the problem once again, and found four families who I was sure were related to us.  It gave us a place to start when looking at the paper records and it was a huge and exciting step forward!

Over the years, more and more became available online.  One by one, the census records back to 1841 were digitised, along with parish records and other information and slowly I began to build a picture.  There were a lot of false starts and red herrings along the way – I learned that three separate pieces of information are necessary before you can make a definite link between generations, and that’s often difficult to find.  I also learned that just because something’s written down, it isn’t always accurate – in the days before centralised records existed, when information was given verbally, there were often spelling mistakes and sometimes a little deliberate massaging of the truth.

But finally we came full circle – although this time it was me who organised the outing and not my parents.  My mother and I stood in a country churchyard together, on a sunny day much like those of my childhood, deciphering the worn letters on the gravestone of her 4 x greats grandfather.

I know it meant a lot to her, and over the years the search had come to mean a lot to me. People who started out as just names and dates began to emerge as real people, as I put them into the context of where they lived and when, and what they did.  We didn’t have any lords and ladies, but we had something we liked much better – a diverse mix of miners, seafarers, shopkeepers, farmers, smugglers, shoemakers, schoolmistresses…  Families who were servants and families who had servants.

There were tales of terrible suffering – the woman who became destitute and died in the workhouse.  The mother who lost three of her children in one month, perhaps to an epidemic in the village where she lived.  Stories of endeavour – the young couple who left the poverty of the pit village where they were born, and ended up living on their own means in a prosperous London suburb.  And there was the family wedding where, between them, the bride and groom’s siblings numbered twenty five!  A family tree stretching back to the 1600’s in some places.  If the records indicated that some of our family might have been rogues, we couldn’t have cared less.  They were our rogues.

Now, I think that I’ve probably exhausted all of the available records, and gone about as far as I can – I was lucky to be able to find out so much.  And I wonder sometimes why it was so important to me to keep going, long after I’d answered my mother’s questions about her grandparents and their families.  But it was something we both loved – finding where each new generation lived and worked, and looking up the historical events which shaped their lives.  It gave both of us a feeling of place and belonging, and we found out that we belonged in a few places we’d never imagined!  It was a tale of ordinary families who’d somehow, despite all the odds, managed to survive through hundreds of years.  Theirs were the shoulders that we stood on.

And most of all, it gave us stories.  Even if there was no way that we could really know the reasons for our ancestors doing the things they did, it didn’t stop us from making a few guesses 🙂  My sister, who always stubbornly thought the best of everyone, made up sweet stories.  My mother, ever the pragmatist, imagined more practical motives.  And I wondered what I might have done in my ancestor’s shoes.  Perhaps that’s the appeal for me – as a writer one of the things that fascinates me is putting my characters into different situations, and wondering what I might do.

What about you?  Do you love your old family stories?  If you have any you’d like to share, I’d love to hear them.  Or, although one doesn’t necessarily exclude the other, do you prefer to look forward, rather than back?