Blog Tour- THE FIREFIGHTER'S CINDERELLA by @SonyaWeiss With An Interview & Giveaway!

I am stoked to be hosting a stop on the blog tour for THE FIREFIGHTER'S CINDERELLA by Sonya Weiss! I have an interview with Sonya to share with you today check it out and enter to win the giveaway below!

About the Book:

Title: THE FIREFIGHTER’S CINDERELLA

Author: Sonya Weiss

Pub. Date: November 18, 2019

Publisher: Entangled Publishing LLC (Bliss)

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 200

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo

What’s a Cinderella to do when she’s accidentally kicked her Prince Charming in the face and broken his nose? Hold an audition, of course.

Harper Bailey is desperate to keep her family’s amusement park business up and running, but her employees keep quitting, and the man playing prince to her Cinderella in the company’s mainstage show is just the latest casualty. When sexy firefighter Rafferty Bradford, the most eligible bachelor in their small town, offers to step in, Harper agrees--reluctantly. After all, she and Rafferty are ex-best friends with a ton of past history. Surely they’ll have zero chemistry onstage.

Rafferty has his own reasons for agreeing to play Prince Charming, and none of them are good. If Harper finds out the truth, it’ll just reinforce every rumor she’s believed over the years about Rafferty’s bad rep. But when their chemistry explodes both onstage and off, he’ll have to choose between happily-ever-after for himself...or the Cinderella he’s fallen for.

Interview:

Hey Sonya!! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books I’m glad you could stop by for a chat! THE FIREFIGHTER’S CINDERELLA sounds AWESOME and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!

For the readers: can you tell us a little bit about the THE FIREFIGHTER’S CINDERELLA and the characters?

Thank you for the warm welcome! The Firefighter’s Cinderella is the last book in a series that feature firefighter heroes and the women they love. This one is the story of Rafferty Bradford who comes from a close-knit family of firefighters. He portrays himself as a playboy but only because he’s hiding a heartbreak.

The heroine, Harper, is in charge of running the family amusement park, and needs Rafferty to fill in as the new Prince Charming after she accidentally kicks the former one in the face and he quits. She and Rafferty used to be close friends but that friendship ended after a fall out between the two.

The story is about two people finding their way back to each other not just as friends but as a meant-to-be couple. 😊

What are you working on now?

I’m working on the edits for a new series releasing next year.

Were any of the characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?

No…well…I had someone like Grandma Jean in my life.

Who was your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?

I liked writing the characters as a whole but favorite was probably Harper. I don’t think I have a least favorite.

What is your favorite passages/scenes in THE FIREFIGHTER’S CINDERELLA?

That would have to be when Rafferty and Harper were at a barn…I think because this was when Harper realized that she and Rafferty were both playing it safe.

“Pretty song,” she said softly.

“For a pretty girl,” he answered and held out his hands.“Let’s not waste it.”

Another memory to add to the what could have been file. Harper walked into the circle of his arms, questioning her ability to keep her heart as guarded as she’d 

hoped.

It had been easier to keep her distance when she thought Rafferty was a shallow playboy only interested in himself. After spending time with him in the supply room and at the castle, she’d learned that he, too, had a heart scar and, like her, protected himself.

He waltzed them across the hayloft, and Harper didn’t want to be careful, not while she looked up into his handsome face and her heart beat a hundred miles a minute.

“I know you’ve been hurt,” Rafferty said abruptly, holding her gaze. “But I want you to know that I meant what I said in the supply room. I’ll keep you safe.”

  

What kind of research did you have to do for the story?

I’d interviewed firefighter’s in the beginning of the series. So I still had all that research. For this book, I interviewed someone who used to work with horses in a therapeutic setting because I wanted to get the horse riding part right. And I also interviewed a woman who’d gone through a live burn drill.

Who is your ultimate book boyfriend?

I’d have to think about that. Too many to name just one. Don’t want to make the other ones jealous. LOL!

What inspired you to write romance?

I just love romance. It’s so beautiful. I love that happily ever after. Two people who walk through life together and have each other’s back. You know everything won’t be perfect, but they won’t go through it alone.

When I watch a movie or a TV show, if it doesn’t have a strong romance, I usually lose interest.

Lightning Round Questions

What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

On my TBR-Supernova by Marisa Meyer and The Toll by Neal Shusterman.

What Hogwarts House would the Sorting Hat place you in?

Love Harry Potter! Definitely Gryffindor

Twitter or Facebook?

Both equally

Favorite Superhero?

Superman

Favorite TV show?

I have so many of these! One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, The X-Files, NCIS, Merlin, Farscape, Lois and Clark-the New Adventures of Superman, Stranger Things…

Sweet or Salty?

Sweet

Any Phobias?

Really tall bridges.

Song you can’t get enough of right now?

This one is an old one but Luke Bryan’s “Do I” is one I’ve been playing over and over again.

2019/2020 Movie you’re most looking forward to?

Wonder Woman 1984.

Thanks so much Sonya for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read THE FIREFIGHTER’S CINDERELLA!

Thank you for having me! 

About Sonya:

Sonya Weiss writes contemporary romance and young adult novels. She believes that every love story deserves a happy ending.

She’s the author of several series including: Stealing the Heart, Fire and Sparks, Seduced by Love and the Tazavorn trilogy.

Sonya is represented by Eva Scalzo at the Speilburg Literary Agency.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will win a $15 Amazon GC, International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

11/18/2019	Introvert Booklover	Excerpt
11/18/2019	Two Chicks on Books	Interview
11/19/2019	BookishRealmReviews	Guest Post
11/19/2019	BookHounds	Interview
11/20/2019	Cuz I'm a Nerd	Guest Post
11/20/2019	Books_andPoetrii	Guest Post
11/21/2019	Lilly's Book World	Review
11/21/2019	Ginger Mom and Company	Review
11/22/2019	Gimme The Scoop Reviews	Review
11/22/2019	Sometimes Leelynn Reads	Review

Blog Tour- CATCHING HER HEART by Jody Holford With Teasers & A Giveaway!

I am stoked to be hosting a stop on the blog tour for CATCHING HER HEART by Jody Holford! I have an excerpt to share with you today check it out and enter to win the giveaway below!

About The Book:

Title: CATCHING HER HEART

Author: Jody Holford

Pub. Date: September 9, 2018

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC (Bliss)

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 289

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo

When a beautiful brunette driver meets Nashville Slammers catcher, Sawyer McBain, at the airport, he figures it's his lucky day. Sure, he's usually pretty guarded around people, especially after what happened with his ex, but he can definitely enjoy the car ride. Until she passes his apartment...and keeps driving. All of a sudden the woman seems a lot less like romance material and a lot more like a kidnapper. What gives?

Slammers executive Addison Carlisle needs one little favor. Sure, she may have kinda maybe kidnapped one of her professional baseball players, but it’s for a really good cause. She desperately needs someone high-profile to auction off that night for the multiple sclerosis society she’s chairing, but he insists he wants a favor in return.

Soon Addie and Sawyer are trading completely ridiculous I.O.U.s, like being his plus-one to his grandmother's poker game or keeping each other company at the driving range. But when their agreement goes from flirty to fiery, neither is ready to let their guard down for a shot at love.

Each book in the For Love of the Game series is STANDALONE:

* Covering All the Bases

* Catching Her Heart

Now on to the teasers!

About Jody:

I'm a mom and wife first and many things after. I'm a best friend and a regular friend. A daughter, sister, auntie, and a teacher. I am a book lover, a shopper, a pajama-wearer, movie-watcher, worrier, over-thinker, and a wanna-be-good-Samaritan. I'm a Gemini, a nervous talker, and an emotional writer. I am represented by Frances Black of Literary Counsel.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Amazon Author Page | BookBub | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $15 Amazon Gift Card, International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/9/2019- BookHounds- Excerpt

9/9/2019- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt

9/10/2019- Simply Daniel Radcliffe- Review

9/10/2019- Colorimetry- Excerpt

9/11/2019- Southern Girl Bookaholic- Review

9/11/2019- Abooktropolis- Review

9/12/2019- Novel Novice- Review

9/12/2019- Jaime's World- Excerpt

9/13/2019- Books a Plenty Book Reviews- Review

9/13/2019- Smada's Book Smack- Excerpt

MISCHIEF & MAYHEM by L.E. Rico .99 Sale Blitz & $10 Amazon GC Giveaway!

I am so excited that MISCHIEF & MAYHEM by L.E. Rico is ON SALE for .99 today that I wanted to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author L.E. Rico, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card, International, courtesy of L.E. and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

About the Book:

Title: MISCHIEF & MAYHEM

Author: L.E. Rico

Pub. Date: July 9, 2018

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC (Bliss)

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 315

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo

Welcome to Mayhem, Minnesota, home of the Knitty Kitty, The Little Slice of Heaven Pie Shop, and O’Halloran’s Pub—owned by the four young women known as The Whiskey Sisters.

In the wake of her divorce, Jameson O’Halloran has gone man-vegan. And this is one diet she’s determined to stick with. Even when her long-lost ex-brother-in-law shows up looking like two scoops of double dutch dipped in chocolate… She’s not giving in. Been there and still wearing the messy T-shirt.

It’s been a decade since Scott Clarke left his family and his hometown, never to return. But when tragedy strikes, he finds himself dragged back to the land of gossip, judgment, and the one woman he absolutely, positively, without a doubt can never have. His brother’s ex is off-limits. He just needs to keep repeating that to himself until it sinks in.

Excerpt:

The shelf is a little too high for my short self, and I’m only able to brush the dishes with my fingertips.

“Oh, here, let me help you with that…”

Before I can object, he’s standing behind me, reaching over me to get the dishes. For a brief second, his front is pressed against my back. His broad, muscled, perfectly sculpted front. I feel a wave of unwelcome warmth beginning under my collar and creeping up my neck.

“Thanks…” I murmur awkwardly, keeping my back to him for a moment longer in an attempt to quash my blush.

 “Okay. I’m just going to grab a shower before my brother gets here, if you don’t mind.”

“Nope. Not at all,” I say quickly. “You go right ahead.”

Once he disappears around the corner, I silently smack my palm to my forehead.

What was that, Jameson? Why the blush? He’s just your ex-husband’s brother, that’s all. This is insane. I’ve got to stop this childish behavior. No. More. Men. Remember? No thinking about men. No looking at men. No fantasizing about men.

Especially not that man!

I’m still shaking my head and silently berating myself when I hear him behind me.

“Hey, Jameson, do you happen to know if my dad keeps an extra toothbrush around? I dropped mine in the toilet and…”

I don’t hear the end of his sentence because, when I turn to face him, I suddenly can’t hear anything. I’m too entranced by the sight of him wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

Oh, crap, oh crap, oh crap… I am in so much trouble here. No men. No men. No men… I repeat the mantra over and over again in my head, but clearly the rest of my body isn’t getting the memo.

Q&A With L.E.

How did you pick Minnesota to be the location of the Story?

L.E. (Lauren): My primary career is as a classical music radio DJ and when I was in my late twenties, I had the chance to work for a nationally syndicated service called Classical24—which happened to be based in St. Paul, MN. Even though I’d lived all over the east coast, I knew the Midwest was a whole other world, so I was pretty scared when I got there. But the Minnesotans welcomed me with open arms and helped me weather (pun totally intended) my first winters, buying and maintaining my first house and my ongoing struggle with depression. I had friends almost immediately and was totally enamored of the quirky, cool community around me. The polka mass at the local Catholic church, the obsession with hotdish, and the state fair—where everything is on a stick and Princess Kay of the Milky Way reigns supreme, were some of my favorites. Honestly, had I not met my husband and moved back to New York, I’d probably still be there now!

Was it always your intention with this book to do it about a sister and then two brothers?

L.E. (Lauren): Yes. We first see Jameson in book one, Blame it on the Bet and it’s clear that her marriage to Win is in trouble. Knowing that her book would be next, I was already concocting scenarios for her to find love after divorce and by having someone who’s been away for so long, I was able to use him to reintroduce the readers —who may or may not have read Blame it on the Bet—to the whacky town of Mayhem and its quirky residents. Plus, I knew it would make Win craaaazy! And that’s always a bonus :^)

Was it always your idea to have different issues like stroke, adoption, working in foreign countries a part of the story or it just came as the story flowed?

L.E. (Lauren): It all came as the story unraveled under my fingers. My characters often tell me what their stories are, believe it or not! I start off with a very basic idea of who they are and then the events just kind of unfold. 

Adoption played into this story. Was that something you researched or did you know someone who went through that?

L.E. (Lauren): I have two uncles who were adopted—the youngest of whom is two years younger than me. He and I grew up more like brother and sister and we’re still very, very close today. And, while I didn’t purposely set out to write a story about adoption, it was easy to paint that kind of attitude that we were raised with—family is family is family, blood or not. In the case of my elder uncle, my grandparents had to fight for him when, mid-adoption, a “white” family was interested in taking him (my grandparents are Latino). Those were totally different times—even though it was just in 1961—and it was a battle but they never backed down. So this idea that Big Win and Marjorie would do whatever they had to do to adopt that child and keep him—and his identity—safe wasn’t foreign to me.

Was the county fair always part of your original story?

L.E. (Lauren): Ohhhhhh yeah… I’ve never seen anything like the Minnesota State fair. The food is all deep-fried and on a stick, the rides are amazing, there are people walking around in bee costumes for the honey judging. And, of course, there’s Princess Kay of the Milky Way and her royal court— the inspiration for my Princess Mary of Midwestern Dairy. They really do make a butter bust of her! How could I NOT include that?! Although, I have to admit that the float catastrophe was all mine.

Do you have a process that you come up with when you are choosing names and personalities of your characters?

L.E. (Lauren): I’ve run through most of the guy names I like so I sometimes use a name generator for help with that. I’ve got a ton of girl names, though. Sometimes I consult a baby names book. The personalities just kind of unfold as I write. I had a good idea of who Jameson, Win and Big Win were based on Blame it on the Bet. Scott was a mystery to me—I had to figure out what it was about him that kept him from coming home and confronting his past for a full decade. Oh, and then there’s little Jackson…God help us all. He was the most fun of all! I’m at a loss for what I’ll do with him as he gets older in the upcoming books!

Do you use daily events sometimes as your inspirations?

L.E. (Lauren): Oh, sure, all the time! The character of Bryan, Hennessy’s boyfriend, is basically me when I first moved to Minnesota. I was the fish out of water—especially when it came to things like winter preparedness and regional foods like lutefisk (yuck!) and cheese curds (yum!). But more than events it’s people I know who inspire my characters. Janet Lahti, the pie-making mystic is actually an aunt of mine. She’s a bit of a psychic and has had some really spooky occurrences over the years. Julie Freddino, aka The Knitty Kitty, is a girlfriend of mine who took up knitting and gave me a pussyhat last year. It gave me the idea for her business and she picked out her own purple hair.

Did you always have big Win getting sick at the beginning in your draft?

L.E. (Lauren): Oh, yeah. In the absence of the late “Pops” O’Halloran, Big Win is the paternal figure here. So when his life is in serious jeopardy, it’s a crisis that sucks them all in—the sisters, Win Jr, Scott—even Jackson is effected by the fall of his “goppa.” So it’s a good thread to bring them all together in shared fear and stress and grief. And with his life on the line, it was an opportunity for me to explore the kind of man he’d been when he was younger—when Scott and Win came along. It was also a chance to really see his incredible strength and the love that comes with that.

Was that scene considered the hook to the story?

L.E. (Lauren): I’m big on starting things right smack in the middle so that the reader is immediately thrown into the deep end. And that image of Big Win on the floor with Jameson giving him CPR and little Jackson wailing in the background—well, it doesn’t get a whole lot more high-stakes than that.

When you began to write this book did you know it was going to be a romance and a mystery?

L.E. (Lauren): Bringing Scott home was easy—his father’s health crisis put him in an impossible position. He had to come back. But that begs the question—if he’s such a great guy, why did he leave in the first place? So, yeah, it was kind of a mystery for me as well while I sorted out what kind of demons might make someone run away from their family—from their life—for a decade.

When do you know that the time in the story calls for humor, like the float scene at the fair?

L.E. (Lauren): Honestly, I didn’t even know I was funny until the reviews came in for book number one—Blame it on the Bet. So it was pretty scary approaching Mischief and Mayhem thinking I HAD to be funny. But I found my way. There were a couple of early drafts that were just way too dark and my editor helped me find my way back to a more lighthearted, funnier place—like Princess Mary showing up at the pub and the iguana on the plane. Of course, there’s always going to be something around the Knitty Kitty. But, yeah, that float scene—it was totally organic and it STILL cracks me up!

If your book was made into a movie who would you have play…

L.E. (Lauren): Yikes! This is always tough for me…

Jameson: Rose Leslie

Scott: Theo James

Win Jr.:  Alex Pettyfer

Win Sr.:  Treat Williams

What song or songs best describes your couple or book as a whole?

L.E. (Lauren): It’s the theme song from the prologue through to the epilogue—with a generation in between:

“Make You Feel My Love” – Garth Brooks

 “Make You Feel My Love” – Adele

What is your next project and when is due out?

L.E. (Lauren): I’ve just released a new, non-Whiskey novel, Counterpoint about two concert pianists who bond over a tragic past, a dismal future, and their love for one another.

2019 will also see books for the remaining two sisters, Walker and Bailey.

About L.E:

Award-Winning author Lauren Rico also happens to be  one of the top classical music broadcasters in the country. Her voice is heard nationally on SiriusXM’s Symphony Hall channel, as well as on radio stations in New York City, Charlotte, and Tampa. She’s even been known to accompany travelers as they fly the skies over Thailand, Oman, and China as part of the in-flight entertainment on several airlines. Her love and passion for classical music have allowed her to breathe new life into the stories of the great composers.

And now Lauren is telling some stories of her own…

Beginning with her erotic thriller, Reverie (Harmony House Productions, 2016), she set out to “put the sexy back in Bach,” creating a riveting tale of passion, deception and redemption set against the backdrop of an international music competition. She rounded out the trilogy with Rhapsody (Harmony House Productions, 2016) and Requiem (Harmony House Productions, 2017).

From there, Lauren partnered with Entangled Publishing, LLC, to create the first in her Symphony Hall series of romance novels, Solo (Entangled Publishing 2017). Her most recent release, Mistletoe in Mayhem, is the third in the five-book Whiskey Sisters series (Entangled 2018). Upcoming projects include two more Whiskey Sisters romances, a follow-up to Solo and a super-secret, as-of-yet-unnamed thriller.

Lauren hopes to bring classical music to a new audience by showcasing it in twisty, steamy stories that grab the reader and keep them turning pages — and YouTubing the music — into the wee hours.

When she’s not on talking on the radio or typing on her laptop, Lauren enjoys time with her husband and spectacularly spoiled mini-schnauzer.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Book Bub

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will win a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card, International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway