Harlequin Heartwarming Thanksgiving with Karen Rock! Giveaways Galore!

On tour with Prism Book Tours.

We'll be highlighting 13 FREE short stories by beloved Harlequin Heartwarming authors that will be available from Harlequin during November. All Heartwarming titles are 30% OFF during November from Harlequin as well! Use code HEART1115.

TODAY'S FREE SHORT STORY:

Thankful for You by Karen Rock

A HAPPY REUNION?

Way back when, Hunter Boone thought he and Josie Stephens had something that would last forever. Then she got her ticket out of town and took off—alone. The hurt nearly tore him apart. By the time Josie realized she'd made a mistake, Hunter had already married.

Now Josie's back in Stonewall Crossing, and while instant fire flares between them, she can't come between the now single dad and his son. As the whole town gets ready for Christmas, Josie finds it hard to avoid Hunter. No matter how much he tempts her with the promise of a future together, she has to tell herself—for her own survival—that relationships just aren't her thing…

Maggie James has worked hard to get over her commitment phobic ex, Lt. Eric Langley. Yet old feelings resurface when they’re reunited to put on a Thanksgiving dinner for foster children displaced by their group home’s fire. She still loves Eric, but she’d grown up vowing to have the traditional, nuclear family her loving parents provided and won’t accept anything less. This time around, does she dare give them a second chance?

After watching his vibrant mother retreat from life following his firefighter father’s tragic death, Lt. Eric Langley vowed never to inflict that pain on anyone, especially Maggie. When she’d begun talking kids, marriage, it’d nearly killed him to break things off. But how could he take the risks his job required, if he worried about a family counting on his safety? Although he’d shut away his pain when he and Maggie had broken up, his old feelings rush back after one glimpse of her beautiful face. He should want to avoid her, but feels thankful for this time together instead. Is it possible some surprising wisdom from the children he saved, could rescue him, too?

Read it HERE!

Thankful for You Guest Post by Karen Rock

Three years ago, I taught ELA to 8^th graders and spent nights co-authoring a teen romance series, CAMP BOYFRIEND with my dearest friend and sister-in-law, Harlequin romance author, Joanne Rock. When her agent forwarded an email from Victoria Curran, Senior Editor of Harlequin Heartwarming, I was intrigued. In the note, Victoria asked if Barbara, (Joanne’s and now my agent) had any authors interested in writing wholesome romance that mothers would feel comfortable sharing with their teenage daughters.

I’d never written adult romance before, and nearly deleted the forwarded note. Yet something held me back. The next day, on my way to work, I passed the home of a couple my husband and I have been friends with for years. They have one of the most beautiful, moving love stories of all time. While in nursing school, Marty contracted leukemia and thought he’d have to leave the program and lose the woman he’d recently begun dating and fallen for. Cathy, however, refused to let go of Marty. She didn’t give up on her new love because she wanted it to be forever. She stayed by his side during his treatment and kept him up to date with his school work so that they graduated together. Twenty five years later, they’re still happily married, have three lovely children and Marty is cancer free.

I mulled over their story all day and thought how much I wanted to write a love story between two people when tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed. I wrote a quick proposal to my agent which was later on accepted by Victoria and, after writing chapters and gaining a contract, my very first Harlequin Heartwarming novel, WISH ME TOMORROW was born.

I love writing Heartwarming novels because they are deeply emotional and extremely romantic. As they are “clean reads” the author has lots of page room to devote to developing the love between two compelling characters and their journey to find it. I believe that the awards I, and several of my fellow Heartwarming authors have won for these heartfelt books demonstrates just how moving and intricate these uplifting stories are. Chicken Soup for the Heart? Maybe…

I’m grateful to have published six of them thus far with three more on the way. My most recent Heartwarming project is one of three, connected novellas in Harlequin Heartwarming’s Christmas anthology out this month, about a holiday destination wedding gone awry, WINTER WEDDING BELLS as well as my Thanksgiving short read THANKFUL FOR YOU available for free download at eHarlequin.

I’m thankful for many things this holiday season and at the top of the list is being a part of the wonderful Heartwarming family! If you are interested in learning more about me or my books, please stop by http://www.karenrock.com or click on the follow button beneath my picture on Amazon’s author page http://amzn.to/1NSRVrT  You can also find me on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/karenrock5 or facebook at http://facebook.com/karenrockauthor 

Happy Holidays everyone!

Karen Rock is an award-winning YA and adult contemporary author. She holds a master’s degree in English and worked as an ELA instructor before becoming a full-time author. Most recently, her Harlequin Heartwarming novels have won the 2015 National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award and the 2015 Booksellers Best Award. When she's not writing, Karen loves scouring estate sales, cooking and hiking. She lives in the Adirondack Mountain region with her husband, daughter and Cavalier King Charles spaniels.

Website - Goodreads - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest

Other Heartwarming Titles by this Author

 
 
 

TOUR SCHEDULE

Don't miss any of these FREE novellas or the extra tour content! Stop by each of the tour stops each day:

11/2: Snow Day Baby by Amy Vastine
Singing Librarian Books, The Power of Words, & Katie's Clean Book Collection

11/4: Wedding at Turkey Run by Liz Flaherty
My Love for Reading Keeps Growing, Babs Book Bistro, & Heidi Reads...

11/6: Her Thanksgiving Soldier by Leigh Riker
Letters from Annie (Douglass) Lima, Mel's Shelves, & Brooke Blogs

11/9: Mr. Right All Along by Jen Snow
Katie's Clean Book Collection, Min Reads and Reviews, & Love thy Shelf

11/11: Falling for the Cowboy by Sophia Sasson
Kindle and Me, The Power of Words, & Colorimetry

11/13: The Marriage Gift by Tara Taylor Quinn
deal sharing aunt, Babs Book Bistro, & Brooke Blogs

11/16: Heart of a Hero by Pamela Tracy
Writing Pearls, Wishful Endings, & Waiting For Wentworth

11/18: Thankful for You by Karen Rock
Christian Chick's Thoughts, Getting Your Read On, & Love, Laughter, Friendship

11/20: Autumn at Jasper Lake by Carol Ross
Reading Is My SuperPower, I Am A Reader, & Colorimetry

11/23: The Firefighter’s Promise by Kate James
Canadian Book Addict, Mel's Shelves, & Beck Valley Books

11/24: Wedding of His Dreams by Cari Lynn Webb
Bookworm Lisa, Kindle and Me, & Zerina Blossom's Books

11/25: The Sweetheart Tree by Rula Sinara
The Written Adventure, Reading Is My SuperPower, & Writing Pearl

11/26: Married by Thanksgiving by Melinda Curtis
Heidi Reads..., Love, Laughter, Friendship, & Singing Librarian Books 

11/29: Grand Finale
11/30: Facebook Party

GIVEAWAYS

Goodreads Giveaway

13 Harlequin Heartwarming Books
Enter on Goodreads HERE.

Pinterest Giveaway

 

Pin one or both of these images to spread the word and enter to win this adorably festive Thanksgiving Table Set:

Pinterest Prize includes: four reversible, quilted placemats, four matching napkins, hand-painted matching napkin rings, matching table runner, matching quilted hot pad/trivet, floral centerpiece in pot, and hand-crafted pilgrim pair.

- Enter via the Rafflecopter below

- Open to US/CAN only

- Ends December 4th

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Tour Giveaway

Grand Prize: Harlequin Heartwarming Year Subscription (Provided by Harlequin and to US/CAN only)
$40 VISA card (US only)
13-Book Heartwarming Prize Pack: The Best Laid Plans, Back to McGuffy's, If I Loved You, Love, Lies & Mistletoe, First Comes Marriage, Once Upon A Marriage, Small Town Secrets, Winter Wedding Bells, If Not For A Bee, When The Right One Comes Along, Wedding of His Dreams, After The Silence, and A Memory Away (print copies if US, ebooks if international)
9-Book Prize Pack: The Best Laid Plans, If I Loved You, Love, Lies & Mistletoe, First Comes Marriage, Once Upon A Marriage, When The Right One Comes Along, Winter Wedding Bells, If Not For A Bee, and After The Silence (print copies if US, ebooks if international)

Ends December 4th

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FiRsT CrUsHeS- With Guest Kimberly Krey and an awesome book Giveaway!

We all know what it’s like to have a school-aged crush. To be so aware of someone as they move about the room that you can barely focus. Or remember busying yourself in the hall when they walked by so you were doing anything but staring at them and acting all stalk-ish like? Yeah. And we weren’t sure whether they liked us back or not and we weren’t sure if we’d ever know because having our friend ask their friend was (an option – I’m not gonna lie) but scary. So we put that part off and pine after them in silence (except all the times we gush about it to our friends, of course) and we’re just left with this giant ache in the center of our chest. Something that feels quite literally like we’re being crushed.

Well… we thought it would be fun, Aimee and I, to talk about our FIRST CRUSHES! And not just our first crushes in real life. But our first crushes in movies and TV too. But this here goes both ways, because we want to hear about YOURS too! It’s what that little comment box is for.

Here we go. I’ll start:

My first crush was a kid named Cory Vandenburg. I was in the first grade. I have a distinct memory of chasing this blond-haired boy fiercely about the grassy playground. Did I catch him, you ask? Of course. I’m a very fast runner. Always have been, to poor little Cory’s dismay. What did I do with him once he was caught? He-he. I tackled him to the ground, held back his hands, had a friend steady his head for me, and then I kissed him on the forehead. And on both, rosy-from-trying-to-outrun-me cheeks.

Sorry if this is frightening to any young children out there.

So uh, onto Aimee’s first crush story…

Okay, well, my first crush was Bill Norlander and it’s funny because I was also in the first grade.  Bill must have been some sort of first grader stud because all the girls wanted to sit by him during reading time and during films.  Including me.  Once he even held my hand.  We used to play a game on the playground called King of the Mountain.  I only played when Bill was playing because if I knocked him off the half buried tire, he had to give me a kiss on the cheek. And that, my friends, was worth playing for!

I have a list of TV crushes that dates all the way back to… well… a long time ago. To simplify things, I’ll just, ya know, list them off. Like so:

Zack from Saved by the Bell – blond, preppy, need I say more?

Ricky Schroder from Silver Spoons – blond, adorable. Loved.

Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties – good looking, cocky beyond reason, and hilarious. This crush lasted the longest for me. I have always just loved Michael J. Fox.

  

Seriously?  If those date back to a long time ago, then I am ancient.  Haha  Here are mine:

Bo Duke from the Dukes of Hazzard.  Every Friday night in 4^th grade.  I was even a member of their fan club!

Kirk Cameron- he was plastered on my bedroom wall in Jr. High and I watched him faithfully every week on TV.

 

Oh… My… Goodness! How did I forget about Bo? I was quite in love with him too! Now, onto movie crushes. I know I had tons but I’ll keep the list short and sweet:

Karate Kid – yep. Loved.

The Coreys. You know, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman. Was crazy about both.

Ferris Bueller? Yes, please. Big Crush.

I loved the Karate Kid too.  He made a splash on my crush wall at one point. 

Luke Skywalkerfrom Star Wars- I think I have a thing for the good guys…

Captain America- okay, that might be a recent and up to date one, but it’s still a movie crush!!  

So there you have it. You know all our wildest secrets (not really), and now we want to know yours! (Really.) Who were you crushing on back in the day? Do we have overlap happening here, because that would be fun. As long as you remember one important thing: I saw him first…

Posting with Kimberly is filled with fun and awesomeness.  She is honestly the best.  I'm so glad she agreed to do this random post with me.  And, because of her awesomeness, she is also providing for 5 ebook copies of her latest book, Jade's Cowboy Crush (which I loved, see my review HERE).  Just enter below!

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Starflower Blog Tour with a Guest Post and Giveaway!

On Tour with Prism Book Tours...

Starflower
Tales of Goldstone Wood #4
by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Paperback, 400 pages
Published November 1st 2012 by Bethany House

Premise:
When a cursed dragon-witch kidnaps the lovely Lady Gleamdren, Eanrin sets boldly forth on a rescue mission...and a race against his rival for Gleamdren's favor. Intent upon his quest, the last thing the immortal Faerie needs is to become mixed up with the troubles of an insignificant mortal.

But when he stumbles upon a maiden trapped in an enchanted sleep, he cannot leave her alone in the dangerous Wood Between. One waking kiss later, Eanrin suddenly finds his story entangled with that of young Starflower. A strange link exists between this mortal girl and the dragon-witch. Will Starflower prove the key to Lady Gleamdren's rescue? Or will the dark power from which she flees destroy both her and her rescuer?

Today I am spotlighting part one of a three part guest post series as part of this blog tour. I'm so happy that Anne took the time to share this with us!  Thanks, Anne!

To Love is to be Bound:  Part One

"It's a terrible thing, love," Eanrin said. "Love is the most dreadful end."

So says the hero of my newest novel, Starflower. An odd sentiment for a hero, particularly in a fairy tale. If we can't believe in the triumphant power of True Love here in a magical world of faeries and dragons and magic, where can we turn?

But there is a certain truth behind Eanrin's statement, odd though it may sound. Love is the most powerful binding force in the world. But that's just it . . . love is a binding. As soon as a heart opens itself up to love, suddenly someone else becomes more important than the all-consuming Self. Without love, people are free to focus on their own needs and desires exclusively. There is a freedom in this form of selfishness, a freedom that is difficult to relinquish.

Enter love, and this freedom is no longer an option.

Love means vulnerability. You can never control another person. You can never make them do, think, or behave how you want. So to love someone else means to open yourself up to hurts and heartaches you cannot control. The armored safety of selfishness vanishes in the exposed weakness of love.

In Starflower, we see many characters battling the terror that is love. We see Eanrin, the selfish immortal suddenly faced with a chance to change, to soften his heart--and reduced to quivering horror at the possibility. We see the dragon-witch, Hri Sora, and her vengeful fury at the one she once loved.

Foolish! Hateful! She had loved because she knew no better, and she had made herself vulnerable before him. The fiend. The Beast, unfit to lick the soles of her feet! And he must die. He must die, for she had loved him, and love was not to be borne! (p. 289)

For Hri Sora, loving made her a slave. And she prizes her freedom and her power far too highly to stand for any form of slavery. Love is the ultimate weakness.

But Starflower goes on a much deeper exploration of love than this. While we glimpse the hearts of Hri Sora and Eanrin, we also are led into the heart of the title character herself. And Starflower's perspective on love is very different.

About the Author:


Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a passel of cats, and one long-suffering dog. When she's not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and studies piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. She is the author of HEARTLESS, VEILED ROSE, MOONBLOOD, and STARFLOWER, with DRAGONWITCH due to release in 2013. HEARTLESS and VEILED ROSE have each been honored with a Christy Award.

Find & Follow:

Facebook

Twitter

Website/Blog

Goodreads

The Dragonwood Series:

Heartless

Veiled Rose

Moonblood

Starflower

Dragonwitch

Get Your Copy:

Bethany House
Barnes & Noble
The Book Depository
Amazon:

Check out the entire December Tour!

3 - Laura @ Colorimetry - Launch!
3 - Sarah @ Letters to the Cosmos - Review
4 - Kathy @ I Am a Reader, Not a Writer - Excerpt
4 - Kari @ Kari's Crowded Bookshelf - Review
5 - Aleksandra @ Aleksandra's Corner - Guest Post - Inspired by Cats I
6 - Lisa @ Bookworm Lisa - Guest Post - Inspired by Cats II
6 - Mandy @ The Reading Diaries - Review
7 - Alicia @ Mortality Bites - Dragonwitch page REVEAL

7 - Naj @ Unputdownable Books - Guest Post - Inspired by Cats III

9 - Lissette @ Passion and Life - Guest Post - Night Terrors

10 - Laura @ Colorimetry - Review

10 - Bonnie @ A Backwards Story - Review

12 - Aimee @ Getting Your Read On - Guest Post - The Faces of Love I

12 - Kimberly Krey @ Kimberly Krey - Guest Post - Drafts

13 - Abbi @ Christian Novels - Tales of Goldstone Wood Reviews

13 - Mandy @ The Reading Diaries - Interview

14 - Ivy @ Open the Page - Guest Post - The Faces of Love II

16 - Alicia @ Mortality Bites - Review

17 - Len @ Musings of a Reader Happy - Hightlight/Excerpt - Meet Dragonwitch

17 - Jen @ Literally Jen - Review

18 - Beth @ Living a Goddess Life - Review

19 - Rach @ Stressed Rach - Guest Post - Illustrated Sneak Peak

19 - Christy @ Christy's Cozy Corners - Review

20 - Heather @ Proud Book Nerd - Review

20 - Heidi @ Geo Librarian - Guest Post - The Faces of Love III

21 - Jaime @ Goodreads - Review

21 - Finale @ Colorimetry - Giveaway winner announced.

Catch the Christmas Read-along!

Giveaway:

Grand Prize

GRAND PRIZE: The first four books The Tales of Goldstone Wood: Heartless, Veiled Rose, Moonblood and Starflower + SWAG! 2nd place is a copy of Starflower + SWAG!

2nd Prize

Enter to win until 12/20. Winner to be announced 12/21. Open to anyone who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here & on Colorimetry as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Void where prohibited by law. 

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