Happy Halloween

Hi everyone and happy Halloween.

To celebrate the day and my new release, I thought I’d post another snippet from Black is the Colour. It’s a medieval fairytale and just the sort of thing to curl up with on All Hallow’s Eve.

The inspiration for the story came from an old folk song, a picture I stumbled across and the Grimm’s tale - Jorinde and Joringel.

Don’t forget I’m running a giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift Card. To enter just tell me what’s your favourite fairytale. The link is below.

Blurb

Ciana has loved Oran all her life and nothing, not even her father will prevent them from being together. But the Mayor of Stonemark has higher aspirations for his daughter than the village blacksmith. He engages the help of a witch and dark magic to bend Ciana to his will.

Oran knows that he doesn’t deserve Ciana. But their love is stronger than the metal he forges and welds. She has his heart and he will never turn from her no matter the cost.

Separated, Ciana will need all her strength to journey through the deep forest and save Oran from the witch’s curse. Alone and with only a trail of black feathers to follow, Ciana will fight against the odds and attempt to bring her lover home.

 

Excerpt

The sense of freedom and weightless surged through Oran as he flew through the sky. He could fly forever, nothing could stop him – nothing would tether him to the ground. He soared upwards and then he let the wind currents carry him over the great forest below.

Kraaah! He called out in joy as the wind ruffled across his feathers and gently buffeted his body. The world stretched out before him. Past the forest sat the grey marsh and beyond that the purple haze of the mountains. The world was his and he could see forever. Why had he ever limited himself to one small plot of earth – when this had been waiting for him?

But something had stopped him from leaving when he had been a man. Oran tried to recall what it was – something had hold of him and would not let him go. Oran turned slowly and circled over the forest – something or someone wanted him to stay; but why?

His gaze fell back to the distant mountains; they beckoned him with their stillness. He couldn’t stay here; he needed the cold wind and wild. His heart soared as he turned his back on the old forest and flew towards the desolate marsh.

Oran swooped down and flew over the boggy mud, water and reeds. There was a sense of desolation and sorrow which seemed to permeate the marsh. It seeped over him like a fine, misty drizzle of rain on a winter’s day. It pulled him down as if it wanted him to stay but Oran could see the mountains and he pushed on.

Ahead, in the middle of the marsh was a half toppled ring of standing stones. Oran’s interest was snagged; they looked as if they were covered in something black.

As he neared he saw the stones were covered by a multitude of ravens. They called to him – Come brother join us – you are home.

My brethren! My brothers!  Oran thought as the ravens took to the sky. The air was filled with a dark blanket of black feathers as the ravens spiralled upwards.

Join us brother. Join us and be free!

Oran hesitated for an instant as he watched as the ravens flew above him. His heart bubbled with belonging as he flapped his wings and took his place with his brethren.

Amazon Buy links –

U.S.    http://goo.gl/f3juDg

Canada  http://goo.gl/wbGltB

UK    http://goo.gl/JzgHuP

AUS   http://goo.gl/Cpa6NE

 

In other news, Seizing Heaven was featured on MFRW Blog– yay! You can check it out here -

http://mfrw-authors.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/book-spotlight-seizing-heaven-by.html#.VFLANcscR9A

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Nicóle  xx

- a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlight - Devika Fernando

Hi everyone!

Today in the spotlight we have the lovely Devika Fernando. Devika has dropped by to share with us her brand new release – Kaleidoscope of Hopes.

 

Almost as soon as Devika Fernando could write, she imagined stories and poems. After finishing her education in Germany and returning to her roots in Sri Lanka, she got a chance to turn her passion into her profession. Having lived in Germany and in Sri Lanka with her husband has made her experience the best (and the worst) of two totally different worlds – something that influences her writing. Her trademark is writing sweet, yet deeply emotional romance stories where the characters actually fall in love instead of merely falling in lust.

 

What she loves most about being an author is the chance to create new worlds and send her protagonists on a journey full of ups and downs that will leave them changed. She draws inspiration from everyone and everything in life.

 

Besides being a romance novel author, she works as a self-employed German web content writer, as a translator, and as a faithful servant to all the cats, dogs, fish and birds in her home. When she’s not writing, she’s reading or thinking about writing.

 

Blurb

High hopes mean big disappointments. Nadia has learned that lesson the hard way. Single, struggling to make ends meet, and hurt by the past, the last thing she needs is another complication. When her new boss – a handsome, secretive widower with a child – moves in next door, their worlds collide. Sweet hopes bloom again, but both of them are burdened by tragic secrets. Should she give love a second chance?

 

Amazon: http://t.co/rbWR1iJWll

Smashwords: https://t.co/LDAKfwTYfD http://t.co/8Klx4BkkS5

Excerpt
 

The next song came on, Don’t Speak by No Doubt, and one of his hands was crawling up her spine, causing goose bumps to rise. It came to rest exactly at the spot where her deep neckline revealed her skin. His thumb caressed the tiny square inch of bare skin, sending one delicious shiver after the other down her spine.

God, this felt wonderful!

Years and years of solitude melted away. She shed all her insecurities and inhibitions like a bride lifting her veil after the wedding ceremony to entrance the groom with her beauty. One of her hands wandered from his shoulder to his chest where it came to rest over a heart beating as fast as hers.

She felt him pull her closer, and closer still, until their bodies were molded against each other and every move caused incredibly tantalizing friction. The light cotton of her summer dress was torture against her skin, as was the way his fingers on her waist massaged and pressed with just the right amount of pressure. If he pulled her any closer, she’d break through clothes and skin, and fall through his body right into his heart.

She recalled the almost hungry looks he had shot her during the day, the countless times he had found an excuse to touch her. Was he as drawn to her as she was to him?

 

You can find Devika here -

 

http://www.devikafernando.com

https://twitter.com/Author_Devika

https://www.facebook.com/devikafernandoauthor

http://www.pinterest.com/devikafernando1/

https://plus.google.com/+DevikaFernando

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7980006.Devika_Fernando

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00ISH0RD2

 

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Nicóle  xx

 

 

 

Bewitching Blurbs

Hi everyone and welcome to another Bewitching Blurbs.

There are some absolutely fabulous titles this week – enough to give the credit card a damn good pounding. J

 

 

 

 

The Boyfriend Sessions

By Belinda Williams

Christa Morrison has commitment issues, a fact that quickly becomes apparent after she flees a romantic proposal in Paris, the thunder of impending wedding bells ringing in her ears.

Back in Sydney, she turns to her closest friends for reassurance. Instead they offer her a startling and painful diagnosis: she's a relationship junkie. The cure? An extreme rehabilitation program guaranteed to reform even the most L-word illiterate.

With her girlfriends along for the ride, Christa commits to their radical plan and the chances of recovery look good. The only problem is Max Spencer. The one guy Christa—and her friends—never expected her to fall for. But he's proving to be a temptation she may not have the willpower to resist ...

For a shot at happiness, is being with Max worth betraying her friends? And will Christa have the strength to trust her heart when her colorful relationship history comes back to haunt her?

It might just be enough to make a poor girl leave the country (again).

http://www.amazon.com/Boyfriend-Sessions-Belinda-Williams-ebook/dp/B00N4C9A1Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1414559614&sr=1-1&keywords=the+boyfriend+sessions

 

Nights of Passion

By Sophia James

One Unashamed Night

Living in a gray world of silhouette, Lord Taris Wellingham conceals his fading eyesight from society. He has long protected himself from any intimate relationships.

Plain twenty-eight-year-old Beatrice-Maude Bassingstoke does not expect to attract any man, especially not one as good-looking as her remote traveling companion.

Forced by a snowstorm to spend the night together, these two lonely people seek solace in each other's arms. The passion they unleash surprises them both. Then a new day dawns...

One Illicit Night

After one uncharacteristically wicked night, the once-reckless Eleanor Bracewell-Lowen now leads a safe and prudent life.

On his return to London's high society, Lord Cristo Wellingham looks different from the man she knew so briefly in Paris, but he is still as magnetic...

In his cold amber eyes Eleanor detects something she has seen mirrored in her own—longing. His touch invites passion, but this is a man who could destroy her good name with just one glance...

http://www.amazon.com/Mills-Boon-Passion-Unashamed-Illicit-ebook/dp/B00N8IB4GA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414560080&sr=8-1&keywords=nights+of+passion+sophia+james

 

A Pretty Mess

By Carla Caruso

Sometimes, to come clean, you've got to get your hands dirty ...

Celeste Pretty, a self-confessed neat freak, has found the job she was born to do: a professional organiser, de-cluttering people's homes and workplaces. Her new business gets off to a cracking start when she lands her first client, health and fitness guru Natalia Samphire, in the well-heeled suburb of Astonvale. But things get messy at Natalia's mansion when Celeste finds a blackmail note and other mysterious items. And then there's Lenny Muscat, the sexy builder renovating the place, whose constant presence is muddling Celeste's usually organised brain.

When things get decidedly suspicious at the mansion, she and Lenny have to team up to investigate. But will Celeste emerge with her heart and professional reputation unscathed?

This is the first in the Astonvale series.

http://www.amazon.com/Pretty-Mess-Astonvale-novel-ebook/dp/B00KEZ7W0M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1414560330&sr=1-1&keywords=a+pretty+mess

 

Bound By His Desire

By Nicole Flockton

Nick Rhodes has been burned before, so when he hires a new assistant, he has one rule: no emotional attachments. On either side. Pamela Bishop is everything he needs in a professional colleague, and comes with an ironclad guarantee – she absolutely will not fall in love with him.

Pamela Bishop has only one goal in her new job: getting on top of the mountain of debts incurred through her mother’s medical expenses. Jeopardising this chance by falling in love with her arrogant, if handsome, employer is the last thing she would ever do.

But as the lure and romance of New York City surrounds them, and Pamela and Nick find themselves spending more and more time together, they can no longer ignore the attraction flaring between them.

Nick has always lived by his own rules – can he learn to break them in time to grab this one chance at happiness?

http://www.amazon.com/Bound-His-Desire-Book-ebook/dp/B00NAI37OA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414560570&sr=8-1&keywords=bound+by+his+desire

 

Australian Outback

By Barbara Hannay

Outback with the Boss

Grace Robbins and her new boss, Mitch Wentworth, had managed to deny their attraction until they got lost together in the Australian wilderness. Away from civilization, their lives potentially in danger, their true feelings surfaced. Then they were rescued....

Back at the office, Mitch was every inch the boss and Grace was determined to keep a cool head. But they were both fighting the memory of their nights in the outback—and maintaining a professional distance might not last for long....

Outback Baby

Will a baby bring them together?

Max Jardine always behaves like a bossy big brother to Gemma Brown. Except for one night five years ago—a night they have never talked about since. But now Gemma is moving into Max's remote Outback home to help him care for a friend's baby....

Seeing stubborn, gorgeous Max with a baby in his arms confuses Gemma—almost as much as it intrigues Max to see Gemma all grown up! And tension mounts as they confront the past....

A Bride at Birralee

When Sydney girl Stella Lassiter discovers that she's pregnant, she travels to the Outback seeking her ex-boyfriend for help, only to bump into the one man she's hoping to avoid—Callum Roper.

A year ago Callum had been drawn to Stella at a party, but quickly realized she was off-limits. Now, however, he is determined to make her unborn baby part of his family. And marriage seems the perfect solution...

http://www.amazon.com/Mills-Boon-Australian-Outback-Birralee-ebook/dp/B00N8IB4W4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414561299&sr=8-1&keywords=australian+outback+barbara+hannay

 

Pirate’s Serenade

By Erin Grace

 Grace is plotting a course for unknown territory.

When young Grace Hathaway decides to escape from the threat of marriage to a horrible man, she takes her fate into her own hands, stowing away on the Serenade with the aim of sailing to Spain.

Captain Marcus James is haunted by a violent past he can barely remember except in the dark murky sea of his dreams. Competition with government traders has seen him take on illegal hidden goods, just to keep The Serenade and her crew afloat. The last thing he needs is undue attention from the wrong quarters, and the last thing he expects to find is Grace.

Facing stormy seas, bloody battles with pirates and a sizzling romance, will Grace and Marcus find a port of call?

http://www.amazon.com/Pirates-Serenade-Erin-Grace-ebook/dp/B00OXIT2U4/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1414563164&sr=8-9&keywords=erin+grace

  

Black is the Colour

By Nicole Hurley-Moore

Ciana has loved Oran all her life and nothing, not even her father will prevent them from being together. But the Mayor of Stonemark has higher aspirations for his daughter than the village blacksmith. He engages the help of a witch and dark magic to bend Ciana to his will.

Oran knows that he doesn’t deserve Ciana. But their love is stronger than the metal he forges and welds. She has his heart and he will never turn from her no matter the cost.

Separated, Ciana will need all her strength to journey through the deep forest and save Oran from the witch’s curse. Alone and with only a trail of black feathers to follow, Ciana will fight against the odds and attempt to bring her lover home.

http://goo.gl/f3juDg

(Yeah, well I had to include it didn’t I? Not that I’m biased or anything!)

 

So here’s this week’s offerings, hope you enjoy them. Right, I’m off to do some book buying...

 

Until next time.

Thanks for stopping by.

Nicóle xx

 

 

Black is the Colour - Release Day & Giveaway

Hi everyone.

Strike up the fanfare and let loose the doves – it’s release day!!!

Black is the Colour my medieval fairytale and has arrived just in time for Samhain.

Samhain (pronounced Sah-win or Soh-win) is a Gaelic festival and if we were sitting in the northern hemisphere (which I’m not) we would be marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter and the dark half of the year.

It was/is celebrated from sunset on the 31^st of October to sunset on the 1^st November. This night was believed to be ‘outside of time’ when the veil between the mortal world and the spirit realm was at its thinnest.

In the 9^th century the Roman Catholic Church declared that the 31^st October would become All Hallows Eve (the Christianized feast influenced by the old Celtic harvest festival), the 1^st of November would become All Saints Day and the 2^nd November ,All Souls Day. Things change, merge and are forgotten and now Halloween marks the eve of the 31^st of October.

Which brings me back to Black is the Colour. What better way than to celebrate on Samhain, All Hallows or Halloween than to curl up with a dark fairytale?

I have always loved fairytales and myths and I hope my story conveys some of the atmosphere and magic of the originals.

 

To celebrate Black is the Colour’s release I’m giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card. To be in the draw just enter my Rafflecopter and tell me –

What’s your favourite fairytale?

 

Blurb

Ciana has loved Oran all her life and nothing, not even her father will prevent them from being together. But the Mayor of Stonemark has higher aspirations for his daughter than the village blacksmith. He engages the help of a witch and dark magic to bend Ciana to his will.

Oran knows that he doesn’t deserve Ciana. But their love is stronger than the metal he forges and welds. She has his heart and he will never turn from her no matter the cost.

Separated, Ciana will need all her strength to journey through the deep forest and save Oran from the witch’s curse. Alone and with only a trail of black feathers to follow, Ciana will fight against the odds and attempt to bring her lover home.

 

Round double, double you go,

Until black feathers upon you grow.

Beak and claw, talon and wing,

Now with raven’s voice you shall sing.

To the heavens you shall fly,

It is my will –

So say I.

Black is the Colour is the first book in the Tales from the Hearthfire series.
 

Shortened Amazon link - http://goo.gl/f3juDg

 

Excerpt

 

Oran’s arms were around her, holding her tight. She snuggled against him to capture his warmth. Outside the wind had picked up. It caused the branches to scratch against the cottage walls. Ciana closed her eyes but there was something that wouldn’t let her sleep.

She tilted her head back and looked at Oran. His eyelids flickered for an instant before closing altogether. His dark hair had fallen forward and obscured part of his face. Reaching up, Ciana brushed it back.

“You should sleep. The dawn will be here soon enough and we have a long journey ahead of us,” he said as he tightened his grasp.

“I know, but I can’t settle... it’s as if...”

“What?”

“Oh, I don’t know. It’s as if something isn’t right.”

“All is well, my love,” he answered sleepily. “It's been an eventful day. You’re worried that your father will come after us but we will soon be far beyond his reach.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“We’ll be long gone before he even returns. Fear not,” he said as he kissed her shoulder. “We’ll be at Havensport in three days and the very thought of Stonemark will be far behind us.”

“I’m sure that’s true,” Ciana said as she closed her eyes and willed herself to fall asleep. But the wind shrieked and circled the cottage and Ciana could not shake the feeling of foreboding.

“Of course I’m right. There is nothing to worry about...”

The door burst open with a bang. The wind tore around the room, circling the bed. With it came leaves, sticks and debris from the woods. Oran threw himself over Ciana in an attempt to shield her from the maelstrom. The wind howled like a banshee and the bed shook, until she was sure that both of them would fall.

“What’s happening?” Ciana shouted.

“I don’t know – nothing natural I’ll wager,” Oran said as buried his head above hers. “Just hold on, love and wait for it to pass.”

 But it didn’t. The wind became stronger and rattled the cottage until Ciana thought the whole thing would blow away. Ciana wrapped her arms around Oran’s waist but let out a cry as a branch dragged across her forearm, scratching and snagging her flesh until it bled.

“Put your arms beneath me and keep down – I’ll protect you.”

“But who will protect you?”

“I’ll be fine as long you’re safe. Everything will be...” Oran broke off as the wind tugged at his body. It began to lift him up.

Ciana grabbed his arms and tried to anchor him to her. “You can’t have him!” she screamed against the circling wind. “You can’t have him!”

Oran held on to the rough wooden bed head and she felt his muscles strain and bulge as he gripped on. “Ciana, I...”

The vortex spun quicker around the room. Noise thundered in Ciana’s ears as she was buffeted by more twigs, leaves and black feathers. She held onto Oran until her knuckles were white and her nails dug into his skin.

“I won’t let you go.”

His dark eyes locked onto hers for a moment. “I love you.”

“Nay, I won’t let you go...” But even as the words fell from her lips her grip slipped.

The force of the wind lifted Oran off the bed. The leaves swirled around him and swallowed his body so only his outstretched arms and head were visible. The strength of the whirlwind wretched Oran from Ciana’s grasp, the bed head snapped and with one final look Oran was dragged off the bed, back through the open door and into the night dark wood.

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Nicóle.  xx

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal - Black is the Colour

Coming soon

Black is the Colour - a fairytale

 

 

 

 

Ciana has loved Oran all her life and nothing, not even her father will prevent them from being together. But the Mayor of Stonemark has higher aspirations for his daughter than the village blacksmith. He engages the help of a witch and dark magic to bend Ciana to his will.

        Oran knows that he doesn’t deserve Ciana. But their love is stronger than the metal he forges and welds. She has his heart and he will never turn from her no matter the cost.

         They plan to run away and start a new life far beyond her father’s reach. But their escape comes too late.

         Separated, Ciana will need all her strength to journey through the deep forest and save Oran from the witch’s curse. Alone and with only a trail of black feathers to follow, Ciana will fight against the odds and attempt to bring her lover home.

 

Round double, double you go,

Until black feathers upon you grow.

Beak and claw, talon and wing,

Now with raven’s voice you will sing.

To the heavens you shall fly,

This is my will –

So say I.

 

 

 

The Lords of Foxwoods Hall - Release Day

Hi everyone.

Well, the official release day for the Lords of Foxwoods Hall has finally arrived. *Cue the trumpets and release the doves*

 

It’s a boxed set of Capturing Bliss and Seizing Heaven. So you get double the Reynard men in the one set.

 

 

Capturing Bliss

In 12th-century England, love isn’t part of the marriage equation. But Lady Blissot de Woodville adores her younger sister too much to see her suffer such a fate. Instead, Bliss recklessly switches places with her sister—and marries a total stranger under false pretenses! Fortunately, she soon discovers she shares a rare passion and genuine love with her new husband, the ardent Lord William Reynard. Yet the happier Bliss becomes, the more her secret weighs heavily on her heart…because one desperate lie could destroy everything she’s come to cherish.

Seizing Heaven

Lord Savaric Reynard is intent on marrying the widow of Blackstone Manor, that is, until fate and the Reynard betrothal ring get in the way. On his way to meet the widow, Savaric is waylaid by Rosamund, an artist and a traveler. He doesn’t believe in magic or the old family legend that the Reynard betrothal ring has the power to choose the right and true bride. Savaric soon discovers he can try and run from Fate, but one way or another it just might catch up with him.

 

Amazon Shortened Links

Print Version - http://goo.gl/pF6OFH

Ebook -   http://goo.gl/1ndI9w

 

Seizing Heaven

 

Savaric stared at the bedraggled girl who stood shivering in front of his fire. Rosamund’s dark eyes stared out from her pale face, and her hair fell like wet, twisted skeins of black silk. Her dark green dress was soaked, and its skirts dripped onto the stone hearth. The thin, worn material hugged the girl’s slender form. Too thin...she was too thin. A frail spiral of guilt rose inside of him. Why hadn’t he noticed that before, and how could he have left her to the mercy of the storm? But there was something else mixed with the guilt...a feeling, a reaction that had no place within him. His mind was set and his future mapped out; for the sake of Foxwoods, he was to wed Marsilia. So why did his eyes linger on Rosamund’s loveliness? His body reacted to her dark and dangerous beauty, hardening, clenching, and straining to touch. He was reminded of the tales his father had told him when he was a boy. Ancient tales, all about the sprites and faeries of the tangled woods...beings from the hidden world who tricked and lured men to their doom. Was Rosamund woman or sprite? Was she there to lure him from his path?

“Be gracious, Savaric. Rosamund has travelled through the storm to return our family’s ring. A task she did not have to do.” Amice handed her nephew the pouch. “I trust from now on you will guard it better?”

Savaric heard his aunt’s soft rebuke as his fingers closed over the leather. “You have my word, Aunt Amice. I will not be parted from it again.” Looking back at Rosamund, he gave her a brief nod. “You have my thanks, Lady. ’Twas a good deed, and one I will compensate you for.” The faster she was gone from under his roof, the faster he would find peace.

The girl straightened, and her eyes narrowed when she addressed him. “Sir, I do not want your coin.”

“Then what do you want? Come, you came to Foxwoods with a purpose.”

“I want nothing from you, Lord Reynard. I was honour-bound to return the ring, and I need no money for that.” Rosamund’s voice was even, but he saw a spark of indignation in her eyes.

“And what do you know of honour?” The words slipped out of Savaric’s mouth before he could stop them.

“Savaric!” Amice gasped.

“More than you, I wager,” Rosamund said as her hands fisted by her sides. “I have returned your possession, and yet you choose to insult me. You may be a fine lord, but I found better manners and more kindness from a woodcutter I passed on the road.”

Rosamund stepped away from the hearth and dropped into curtsy before Amice. “May God grant you blessings, Lady. I thank you for your sweet words, but I should leave. ’Tis better that way.”

“Nay, I will not have it. I will not allow you to go back into the tempest. I insist that you accept our hospitality. You will have dry clothes, a warm bed, and food. We are in your debt, child, and once Savaric recovers his manners, he will be in agreement.” Amice stood up and took the girl’s hand. “Now, I shall not hear another word about it.”

Savaric saw the hurt in Rosamund’s eyes, and another wisp of guilt fanned over him. She made him react, and it confused him beyond reason. “Forgive my words. My aunt is correct, Rosamund. You are welcome and safe at Foxwoods.” He turned on his heels and strode to the door. He would avoid the girl as best he could. In the morning she would leave, and everything would fall back into place.

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

And please buy a copy of The Lords of Foxwoods Hall... go on... you know you want to.  ;)

Oh, and before I forget – have you signed up for my newsletter yet? It’s a bit of fun with news, snippets and prizes.

www.nicolehurley-moore.com

Nicóle  xx