Double Releases!

(cue the double rainbow song, cuz you KNOW I love it!)

Ahem.

In just two weeks Marriage Made on Paper will release on Mills and Boon UK…and An Accidental Birthright will release on eHarlequin! Both books will be in stores by the beginning of April! And I have a couple of snippets for you, one from each book.

I’ve posted a bit of A Mistake A Prince and A Pregnancy before, but since it’s getting its new incarnation as An Accidental Birthright, it gets to go again!

“I don’t have a lot of time, Ms. Whitman.”

Anger flared through her. He didn’t have a lot of time? As if she had any spare moments just lying around. It was difficult for her to take any time off of work. Every case they handled was vitally important to the people involved. They were advocating for those who couldn’t advocate for themselves, and by taking the afternoon off to drive up here and talk to him she was leaving her clients in the lurch.

“I can assure that you my time is valuable too, Mr. Rossi,” she said stiffly. “But I need to speak with you.”

“Then speak,” he said.

“I’m pregnant,” she said, wishing, even as she said the words, that she could call them back.

A muscle in his jaw ticked. “Am I meant to offer congratulations?”

“You’re the father.”

His dark eyes hardened. “You and I both know that isn’t possible. You may not keep record of your lovers, Ms. Whitman, but I can assure you I’m not so promiscuous that I forget mine.”

Her face heated. “There are other ways to conceive a child than sexual intercourse, as you well know. When Melissa from ZoiLabs called she implied that I worked there but I’m a…I’m a client of theirs.”

He froze, his expression hardening like granite, his jaw tightening. “Let’s go into my office.”

She followed him through the large living area of the house and through a heavy oak door. His home office was massive, with high ceilings that were accented by rich, natural wood beams. One of the walls was made entirely of glass and overlooked the valley below. There was nothing as far as she could see but pristine nature. Beautiful. But the view was cold comfort in the situation.

“There was a mistake at the clinic,” she said, keeping her eyes trained on the mountains in the distance. “They weren’t going to tell me, but one of my friends works there and she felt I…that I had a right to know. I was given your donation by mistake and there was no log of your…of your genetic testing.”

An Accidental Birthright deals with honor, and two people very much trying to do the right thing when faced with an impossible situation that isn’t of their making. I was fascinated by the idea of two people who didn’t even have that basic, sexual attraction in common as a foundation, dealing with a surprise pregnancy. And with all the clinic mix-ups in the news, it was instant inspiration. I enjoyed watching Alison and Max step up the the plate to deal with a hard situation, and finding love in the process.

And this is the beginning of Marriage Made on Paper. I had so much fun writing this one. Lily and Gage wrote their conversations for me. They both had a lot to say…and they both have some very strong opinions. Watching them spark off of each other was a an extremely rewarding writing experience.

Lily Ford wasn’t thrilled to see Gage Forrester standing in her office, leaning over her desk, his large masculine hands clasping the edge, his scent teasing her, making her heart beat at an accelerated pace. She wasn’t thrilled to see Gage, the man who had turned her down, but her body seemed to be on a different wavelength.

“I heard that Jeff Campbell hired your company,” he said, leaning in a little more, his shoulder muscles rolling forward. He certainly didn’t spend all of his time behind a desk in a corporate office. A physique like that didn’t happen on accident. She knew that from personal experience.

It took her four evenings a week in the gym to combat the effects of her mostly sedentary job. But it was important. Image counted for a lot, and it was her job to keep the images of her clients sparkling clean in the public eye. She felt that if her own image wasn’t up to par she would lose her credibility.

“You heard correctly,” she said, leaning back in her chair, trying to put some distance between them. Trying to feel like she had some measure of control. It was her office, darn it. He had no call coming in here and trying to assume authority.

But then, men like Gage operated that way. They came, they saw, they conquered the female.

Not this female.

“So, are you here to offer me congratulations?” she asked sweetly.

“No, I’m here to offer you a contract.”

That successfully shocked her into silence, which was a rare thing. “You rejected my offer to represent your company, Mr. Forrester.”

“And now I’m extending you an offer.”

She pursed her lips. “Does this have anything to do with the fact that Jeff Campbell is your biggest competitor?”

“I don’t consider him a competitor.” Gage smiled, but in his eyes she could see the glint of steel, the hardness that made him a legend in his industry. You didn’t reach greatness by being soft. She knew it, she respected it. But she didn’t necessarily care for Gage, or his business practices. Generally speaking, she thought what he was somewhat morally bankrupt. But an account with Forrestation Inc. would be a huge boon for her company. The biggest account she’d ever had.

“Like it or not, he is your competitor. And he’s quite good at what he does. He doesn’t leave half the mess for me to clean up that you would.”

“Which is why he isn’t really my competition. He’s too politically correct, too concerned with his public image.”

“It wouldn’t hurt you to be more concerned with it. The endless stream of actresses and supermodels on your arm don’t exactly give off an aura of stability. Plus you’ve had a series of very unpopular builds lately.”

“Is this a free consultation?”

“No. I’m charging you by the half hour.”

“If I remember correctly your services aren’t cheap.”

“They aren’t. If you want cheap, you have to suffer incompetence.”

I enjoyed the dynamic of Gage of Lily in Marriage Made on Paper. Because Lily is Gage’s PR specialist, and that means she’s hired to tell him what to do in a sense. She has an area of expertise he does not, and he has to defer to her. So even though he’s her boss, she has quite a lot of power in the relationship. The two of them have a lot of mutual respect for each other, and eventually, even kind of a friendship. Of course…those darn romantic sparks get in the way. And Lily doesn’t like to give up control…and that seems like a challenge to Gage…

So there you have it! An intro to my next releases! 🙂

AN ACCIDENTAL BIRTHRIGHT releases in North America in April (on eharlequin in March) and MARRIAGE MADE ON PAPER will be on the shelves in the UK in April and on Mills and Boon UK in March!