The Hop and Giveaway are now OVER. Because I had so many people commenting on my blog, I randomly selected two winners instead of one and they have each been sent a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card. The winners were Meri and “Shannon Hollow Kitty Flynn”. Thanks to everyone for stopping by! Happy summer!
Welcome to the third annual SFR Brigade Midsummer Bog Hop!
To be entered for the prize available just on my blog, which is a $25.00 Amazon gift certificate, please leave a comment about science fiction romance. The winner for my blog will be randomly selected…
To enter the Blog Hop rafflecopter itself and be eligible for the Grand Prizes listed below, you’ll have to go to the main page – click HERE. (NOTE: No cash or other prize alternatives will be offered for the Grand Prizes.) You can also find the links to the other 40+ participants on the main page.
Starry Nights Blog Hop Grand Prizes:
1st $100 Amazon or B&N gift card plus 41 ebooks
2nd $50 Amazon or B&N gift card plus 28 ebooks
3rd 3 separate winners each receive $25 Amazon or B&N gift card plus 11 ebooks
In my award winning SFR novel ESCAPE FROM ZULAIRE, the two main characters have an intimate conversation under the starry skies, which is the blog’s theme. Here’s the story for the novel:
Andi Markriss hasn’t exactly enjoyed being the houseguest of the planetary high-lord, but her company sent her to represent them
at a political wedding. When hotshot Sectors Special Forces Captain Tom Deverane barges in on the night of the biggest social event of the summer, Andi isn’t about to offend her high-ranking host on Deverane’s say-so—no matter how sexy he is, or how much he believes they need to leave now.
Deverane was thinking about how to spend his retirement bonus when HQ assigned him one last mission: rescue a civilian woman stranded on a planet on the verge of civil war. Someone has pulled some serious strings to get her plucked out of the hot zone. Deverane’s never met anyone so hard-headed—or so appealing. Suddenly his mission to protect this one woman has become more than just mere orders.
That mission proves more dangerous than he expected when rebel fighters attack the village and raze it to the ground. Deverane escapes with Andi, and on their hazardous journey through the wilderness, Andi finds herself fighting her uncomfortable attraction to the gallant and courageous captain. But Deverane’s not the type to settle down, and running for one’s life doesn’t leave much time to explore a romance.
Then Andi is captured by the rebel fighters, but Deverane has discovered that Zulaire’s so-called civil war is part of a terrifying alien race’s attempt to subjugate the entire Sector. If he pushes on to the capitol Andi will die. Deverane must decide whether to save the woman he loves, or sacrifice her to save Zulaire.
Excerpt: Andi and the small group of Sectors Special Forces soldiers are on the run from rebel forces and have camped for the night:
Deverane looked up as she walked over, patting the rock beside him in invitation. “Can’t sleep?”
Shuddering as she sat, Andi rewrapped her shawl more tightly. “You’re surprised I’m having bad dreams? After everything we saw today? What time is it?”
Reaching over, he tucked the fabric more securely around her shoulder. “Still middle of the night, I’m afraid. A long time to go until sunrise chases away the nightmares.”
“That’s what I was afraid of. I’m drowsy but scared to risk closing my eyes for more than a second. There are a lot of vivid images forming a queue in my subconscious tonight. These kinds of things don’t affect soldiers, I suppose.” Leaning back, she tilted her head to look at him, eyebrows slightly raised in query.
He continued to gaze across the rippling water and said nothing for a long minute. When he did speak, his voice was low and measured. “I went into the military because the abuse and slaughter of innocent civilians do bother me. At least in the service, I can do something to prevent atrocities.”
Biting her lip, she looked away across the lake. “I’m sorry. Was I being rude? Maybe I’d better go back to bed and leave you alone.”
“No, please stay.” He grabbed at the shawl, which promptly came off her shoulder again. Their hands met as he tried to reposition the wrap and she tried to keep it from falling off. “I apologize if I sounded abrupt.”
She stared at him for a minute then smiled as she settled back down. “It’s all right. The last few days have been…rough. For both of us.”
Deverane set his pulse rifle on the rocky surface and picked up the metal cup that had been sitting on the other side. “I’d offer you a cup of coffee, but since wakefulness is your problem—”
Andi smiled ruefully. “I’d love some, but you’re right. That won’t help my insomnia.”
He drank before setting the cup down, steadying it with one hand as it rocked on the uneven surface. “I have nightmares sometimes, but from my own private collection. Have you ever heard of Merenia 12?”
”Sounds familiar.” Racking her brain, Andi chased down the reference. “It was one of the first worlds the Mawreg attacked in Sector Fourteen, wasn’t it? A long time ago?”
“Right. I’m the sole survivor.” He stacked a couple of small stones on top of each other, then toppled the tower with a flick of his finger.
“You must have been very young.” What could it have been like, going through an ordeal like that as a child?
This National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award Finalist novel is Available on AMAZON for kindle and as POD paperback Nook Kobo All Romance eBooks iTunes Xin Xii Google Play
The book trailer: