Getting It Back & Summer #RomanticIdea from Elizabeth Harmon @romanzwrter_grl

Author Elizabeth Harmon is here with her figure skating romance, Getting It Back, and some fab Summer Romantic Ideas. Everyone who knows me personally knows I’m a huge figure skating fan, and I was excited to find a romance set in that fascinating world!

Getting It Back coverBlurb:

In this second-chance romance, a former top men’s figure skating champion is willing to risk everything for a comeback–except a new start with his long lost love.

An unexpected phone call from the man who broke her heart offers Amy Shepherd an opportunity to return to the work she loves, training elite figure skaters. Except it’s just one figure skater: Him. Can she finally forgive and forget?

Figure skater Mikhail “Misha” Zaikov once had it all: medals, money and the adoration of millions. But a devastating injury put an end to his career and his romance, leaving him with nothing but regret over what could have been. His last chance to re-join the world’s top skaters is now. And there’s only one person who can help him: Her.

On Russia’s unyielding ice, Misha must reclaim what he’s lost while facing off against a talented young rival and risking further injury. But Amy soon discovers Misha’s much bigger challenges lurk off the ice. And she’s determined to keep Misha whole and healthy, even if doing so ends his shot at the gold.

Don’t miss any of Elizabeth Harmon’s Red Hot Russians. Pairing Off and Turning it On are available now!

Buy Links:
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Kobo and Carina Press.

Excerpt:

The next morning, Amy awoke first. Misha lay beside her in bed, still sleeping. He’d brought over clothes last night. His toothbrush was in the bathroom cabinet. This was just like back in Ohio, only better. Misha was no longer searching for direction. He knew what he wanted, and they were working together to help him achieve it. But she couldn’t deny that she was nervous about what would happen today, when he returned to training on the ice.

She got out of bed, and changed into her running clothes, put coffee on, then returned to wake Misha. “Hey,” she sat on the edge of the bed and gently shook his shoulder. “Time for our run.”

Nyet,” he said in a sleepy voice, and reached for her.

“You agreed to it last night. Nothing too strenuous, just enough to get your heart pumping and muscles working.”

“Don’t need running to make my heart pump,” he pulled her down onto the bed, cupping her butt through her black running tights. “As for muscles…maybe we can stay in and work this big stiff one?”

She laughed and squirmed away. “Nice try, but that muscle’s getting plenty of exercise. Rise and shine, big guy.”

She threw back the blankets, leaving him no choice but to fumble around for his pants. She waited outside and he joined her a few minutes later. They took off at an easy pace, following the path behind the center’s main buildings, then out around the pond and back. Nothing too strenuous, just as she’d promised. Their lungs filled with clean fresh air, the morning mist was cool on their skin. They returned to the guesthouse and she bent over her knees, breathing out cold air. Misha did the same. He straightened easily. “How is your back,” she said.

“Perfect. No pain at all.”

“And the rest of you? Knees? Head?”

“Knees are fine, and my head is in good place, too. Thanks to you, Amy the tiger.”

She grinned, and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. “Ready to get back on the ice?”

“Can’t wait,” he said decisively.

“You’re going to be great.”

He brushed a kiss across her lips. “For you, I will be.”

Summer #RomanticIdeaElizabeth’s Summer #RomanticIdea

Cook a romantic dinner…together!
Choose a favorite recipe (or something new), and if you have a nearby farmer’s market, shop there for ingredients. Then turn on the music, pour the wine, and prepare it together.

Bike to a weekend getaway!
For a romantic getaway close to home, book a room at an in-town B&B or hotel, and ride there on your bike!

Outdoor concert and picnic
Pack a picnic supper and head to a local park that hosts outdoor summer concerts. Music under the stars, what could be better?

Play ball!
Join a couple’s sports or game league! It doesn’t matter whether your sport is softball, sand volleyball, bowling or even trivia. Win or lose, you’re having fun together.

Teen-age date night

If there’s a drive-in theater in your area, head out to watch a summer blockbuster under the stars. Or hit the County Fair for funnel cakes, lemonade and a kiss on top of the Ferris Wheel.

Go ice skating!
Yep, even in the summer. If you’re lucky enough to have a rink nearby, it’s a great way to cool off on a sweltering summer night.

Bio:

Elizabeth Harmon loves to read and write romances with a dash of different.

A graduate of the University of Illinois, she has worked in advertising, community journalism and as a freelance magazine writer. She feels incredibly blessed to have a career that allows her to spend her days imagining “what if?” and a loving family that keeps her grounded in the real world. Her debut novel, Pairing Off, is a 2016 RITA Award Finalist.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.romancewriter-girl.com
Blog: https://elizabethharmonauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabethharmonauthor?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/romanzwrter_grl
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00RY9SY0S

Sexy Mythology & Summer #RomanticIdea by Author @Sheri_Fredricks

Ancient Mythology compared to Sexy Mythology
By Sheri Fredricks

Many thanks to Linda for hosting me on her blog today.

Greek mythology, both in art and literature, believed mythological beings once inhabited the Earth. They were god-like, creatures and people to be worshipped as deities.

SF-GreekGodWith thousands of artifacts pointing to the possibility of their existence, I wonder if mythics did indeed exist at one time. At one time, there were dinosaurs. Chinese history proclaims an emperor long dead had kept dragons. So why not mythological beings?

In my modern mythic romances, I give history a little twist and go out on a limb. Rhycious, in Remedy Maker, is born as a sexy shape shifting Centaur descended from ancient Greece. Like people everywhere, his ancestors left their country to find a new life elsewhere. They settled in the Boronda Forest.

Before I started writing this novel, my knowledge of Greek mythology was limited to what I learned in school. To educate myself, I dug into the research and crammed my head with TMI facts. Never boring, the intrinsic belief held for these beings fascinated me at each site I viewed.

And let’s face it—who wouldn’t want to meet a hot Centaur or sexy Wood Nymph?

Remedy Maker coverBlurb:

Man by day, Centaur by night, Rhycious is a remedy maker who needs his own healing.

He’s the royal physician, famous for his cures. War and posttraumatic stress disorder has broken his spirit, preventing him from finding true happiness. Then a direct order from the queen to investigate an uprising forces him out of his secluded cabin at the edge of the forest.

Patience is an optimistic, good-natured Wood Nymph who works as a mediator to ensure harmony within the Nymph sector.

Environmental pollution in the aquifer stream that feeds the taproot tree of her heart is slowly killing her. Resigned to the fact she will not live long, she sets out to discover the mysterious disappearance of her sister. Experience has taught her to deny herself the love of a male, but the gruff Centaur is different. He doesn’t push his expectations on her, only his healing nature.

When Rhycious loses his grip on reality, he believes his inability to control his disorder will drive Patience away. Nevertheless, desire flares, and Patience draws him close. Kidnapping and betrayal turn their mythic joint venture into a deadly bout.

Will their love endure when survival hinges on trusting each other?

Buy Links:

Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/1PlHSsO
Amazon.ca: http://amzn.to/1J5861F
Amazon.fr: http://amzn.to/1EnY0DK
Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/1MoFy5Z
Amazon.co.jp: http://amzn.to/1J0ajqM
Amazon.de: http://amzn.to/1TscNJJ
Amazon.com.au:  http://bit.ly/1V3rX3B
Barnes & Noble:  http://bit.ly/1iqhwL3
Kobo: http://bit.ly/20epJDZ
iBooks: http://apple.co/1YJrqXp

Here’s an excerpt. Rhycious (shapeshifting centaur) is with his Amish friend Samuel when he meets Patience (wood nymph) for the first time:

“You ever see her before?”

“No, I haven’t.” Rhy ran his hands down both bare legs and a slender exposed arm. He checked for broken bones, noting her supple skin and a clean woodsy scent.

Her blouse had an unusual design, made of homespun fibers. It had a diagonal cut neckline with tiny puff sleeves, pink and soft. Created from the same material, a short skirt flared, and was embroidered with spring-green leaves.

A tickle teased his neck again, but not from annoyance this time. He repeated the examination of her other arm. Tension curled tighter in his gut, suspicion spread like spilled wine.

Tilting her head with care, he pushed her dark brown hair from her smooth décolletage, sucked in a short breath, and froze.

“What is it? Snake bite?” Samuel raised the brass lantern higher and leaned over for a better view.

Rhy tapped his thumb against her neck. Designs a few shades darker than her natural color marred the creamy complexion. The millennia old skin formation carved its way into his painful memories. It started behind her ear, an inch wide at the hairline, and extended to the other side.

The words choked out of him. There was no use trying to hide his revulsion. “Wood Nymph.”

Sheri’s #RomanticIdea Suggestions:

Romantic Ideas don’t have to mean draining your wallet at expensive restaurants. There are plenty of affordable (and entertaining) things to do with your significant other. After all, it’s the time spent with them that matters. Here’s a few romantic ideas to try:

Go for a hike in a beautiful park.

Go to open mic night and sing your heart out.

Go swimming together.

Stargaze and name the constellations with the help of an app or book.

Try an upcycling project. (See this list of 200 suggestions.)

Sheri FredricksAlways on the hunt for the uncommon things in life, award-winning author Sheri Fredricks thrives on creating romantic adventures.

A former engineering secretary, she lives on California’s beautiful central coast. “I wanted to move away from a profession of inflexible right angles and create an unboxed world with no boundaries.” A voracious reader since her early years, Sheri found her brain crowded with stories of her own. “Ultimately,” she says, “my husband encouraged me to write them all down.”

Winner of the Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Award, and a Finalist multiple times for InD’Tale eMagazine’s Reward Of Novel Excellence award (RONE), she has numerous five-star reviews everywhere eBooks are sold.

Sheri loves to spend time at home and connecting with readers. A computer hutch keeps her focused on creating stories, but the panoramic view of life on a ranch will call her outside to play in the sun.

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