Food and Travel and 'The Sinner's Marriage Redemption' - Annie West

If you know me you'll also know that some of my favourite things are food, travel and romances. What's not to like? So it's with great pleasure that I share the news my latest romance, THE SINNER'S MARRIAGE REDEMPTION, is on sale now. It's one of a collection called the Seven Sexy Sins! Yes a book for each sin. I'm thrilled by this story. Writing it was fun and challenging too as it's different from any romance I've written. it definitely had a different vibe when I wrote it and redeeming a hero with Flynn's particular hangups was a fun challenge. But I fell for him along the way, which made it far easier. One of the great things about this story was the fact that I got to do some wonderful research for the book which included travel to a place I've always wanted to visit, and of course the chance to taste some local treats. What could be better? So strap on your seatbelts ready for a little armchair travelling and tasting.

First up though, here's a taste of what the story is about. 

A merciless mission  

There are three goals self-made magnate Flynn Marshall set out to achieve:

1. A multimillion-dollar business empire

2. Acceptance in the highest echelons of society

3. A wife to make him the envy of all men!

Flynn’s ruthlessly accomplished his first goal and he’s on his way to the second. As for the third, he will rush stunning, well-connected Ava Cavendish to the altar at the first opportunity. A trophy bride should complete his plans, but passionate Ava and the desire she inflames in this untouchable CEO threaten to turn his carefully ordered strategy on its head…

 

And now to the travel. I've posted the Australian cover here as it includes a location shot. It's a bit hard to make out but do you recognise this gorgeous European city?

 

Okay, that was a tough one. The city is Prague in the Czech Republic - filled to the brim with quaint buildings and bridges, spectacular views and a river that turns the red roofed city into something quite special. The first part of THE SINNER'S MARRIAGE REDEMPTION is set in Prague. In fact every scene is based on somewhere I visited! Here's a quick peek of the town hall square from the top of the clock tower.

 

And here's proof that I was there. This is on the long, hot walk up to the citadel. No, that's not red wine I'm drinking, but cherry juice.

 



 

One of the local treats on offer was this spiral of deep fried potato. If only the weather had been cold I'd have been tempted. But I visited in a heatwave. I'll have to go back in winter when I hear the city is just gorgeous too.

 

That didn't stop me from trying the hot dishes on offer at night. Here's my first evening meal in Prague - pork with sauerkraut, two sorts of dumpling and a local beer. The Czechs really love their dumplings!

 



 And of course I needed to try the local version of a kebab in a cellar restaurant! I must admit though that the size of the serve surprised me.

But one of the best things about Prague in warm weather is the ice cream, often with fruit. Sigh. This was at a pavement café in Wenceslas Square and it tasted as good as it looks.

 

Do you have a favourite food or drink treat for summer? I'd love to hear.

It's winter in Australia now but I'll store up suggestions for the warmer months.

 

If you want to see more photos of Prague, drop by my website and you'll find some of the places that inspired the book on the page for THE SINNER'S MARRIAGE REDEMPTION. There's also a contest running till 10th August with chances to win signed books.

 

And if you want to snaffle a copy of my Sinner, here are a couple of links to buy:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Book Depository

Kobo

Harlequin





The Sheikh's Sinful Seduction Releases Tomorrow!

I try to write my blog posts ahead of time. This month I was feeling very uninspired so I was reading an article called 28 Blog Post Ideas For February. It was chock full of good advice and all the topics made me go, "Meh."

Then I went back to suggestion #7 and it said, "Give something away." My poor, beleaguered brain thought, "I could give away a copy of my new release, The Sheikh's Sinful Seduction." Then, in a very slow turning of the cogs, I realized this post would come out the day before the book releases on Amazon. Sheesh! Of course I should mention that here.

Writing is hard, people. Promotion is next to impossible when your mind is wired for fiction. Hard facts just don't penetrate.

But I DO want to share this book with you. If you haven't heard about the concept yet, it's based on the seven deadly sins. Harlequin, however, only does things sexy so they're the Seven Sexy Sins. You might have seen this blurb in their Reader Catalogue if you're a subscriber:

Yes, they've even covered sloth--and Cathy did it very imaginatively, too! Me, I was given the easy one: Lust. And I adored writing this story. I had so much fun thinking of all the ways it was positively sinful for these two people to get together and yet the sexual pull is impossible to resist. Of course there are very permanent consequences to their giving into their desire.

Here's the back cover blurb and you'll see what I mean:

Ruled by duty… 

A king among men, Sheikh Zafir cannot allow emotion or feelings to color his judgment. His carnal desires must be curbed for the sake of peace in his kingdom. But his control is tested by the feisty Fern Davenport; Zafir must have her. 

Driven by desire… 

Innocent Fern Davenport tries to resist the sheikh's skillful seduction—she knows that he could never marry her. But under the blistering sun an incendiary thirst awakes, and one incredible night results in a very lasting consequence. 

Now this sheikh must claim his heir and his bride!  

Book Two in Harlequin Presents Seven Sexy Sins series—The true taste of temptation! 

I'll share an excerpt here too:

Fern usually walked away when feeling picked on, but despite the seventeen square kilometers around her, she didn’t have anywhere to go. The only place she could hide from Zafir was her own quarters, so she ducked into them. She bent under the light weight of the silky red fabric to pick up the pole from the ground and worked her way to the center, where a grommet awaited on the roof and the floor.

Of course it wasn’t as easy as it looked. She got the top one hooked in, but even though the tent wasn’t heavy, the tension in the fabric was resistant to her attempts to align the bottom of the pole into the floor.

“You spaced the pegs too far away,” she told him, hearing her mother’s voice and cringing.

“I’ve pitched more tents than you have, Fern,” he drawled and she narrowed her eyes at him even though they couldn’t see each other. Another pole made a zipping noise as he slid it into the pocket that would form one of the corners. “Let me finish this part then I’ll help you.”

Oh, great. I’ll just stand here looking stupid then. The tent shifted on her hair, making it crackle with static. She debated crawling out, but couldn’t make herself go out there and face him.

Another zip, zip, zip sounded and he had the back and walls stabilized. Leave when he comes in, she thought, but he lifted the front of the tent and took up all the space, bringing the middle of the tent pole so it slid through her light grip and the roof climbed as he neared her. Then he was standing before her, the narrow pole between them, his tanned face tinged by the translucent red of the fabric, his gaze fixed on hers.

He slid his hands over her limp ones and guided the bottom end of the pole into place. She tried to look away, but he was tall and very close. He smelled good. Earthy and sweaty, but not overpowering. Masculine and intriguing. Aside from her mother’s specialist, she’d never met a man with such an air of command and that physician had been white-haired and potbellied.

Zafir was in his prime, not just healthy, but radiating supremacy. In the back of her mind, she knew she was behaving like some kind of rock-band superfan, speechless in the presence of a man with star quality, unable to move, but he was so incredible. She found herself staring into his eyes for too long. She knew it was too long, but she couldn’t look away from those crystal blue-green depths. They quested, delving into hers, demanding something she didn’t even understand.

Say something, she thought, and let her tongue wet her lips.

His gaze lowered to her mouth. Her breath evaporated. She found her own gaze dropping to his mouth, wondering how it would feel to have those smooth lips rubbing against hers.

Her heart was fluttering like a trapped bird, her pulse pounding in her ears. He lifted his hand to hover hotly next to her cheek, scorching her. His brows jerked in some type of struggle. Was he going to kiss her?

It was remarkable yet terrifying. Did she really want to do this? It was so wrong, but he was right there.

“Miss Davenport, are you in there?” Bashira called from outside. Fern’s heart went into free fall. Her conscience gave her a hard shake and she jerked back, shocked.

“I am,” she stammered, discovering her hand was still trapped under Zafir’s on the pole.

His grip tightened briefly before he released her with a flare of his fingers. He lifted away his touch as though she’d burned him. A muscle ticked in his cheek. He looked very displeased. Accusatory, but also confused.

She surreptitiously touched her mouth, and avoided looking at him as she edged around him to open the flap of the tent.

~ * ~

And now I'll ask you a terribly challenging question to qualify you for the giveaway. Which cover do you prefer above? Sexy, Presents or M&B Modern? (Red, White or Blue?) I will randomly draw from all the comments for one signed copy on Sunday morning (Feb 22) so check back Monday for news of the winner. (Note: I'm Pacific time.)

If you want to go ahead and buy your own copy of The Sheikh's Sinful Seduction, the quick links are here: 

Amazon: US | Canada | UK  

eHarlequin | Mills & Boon Aus | Mills& Boon UK 

Chapters | Nook | Kobo | ARe | BooksaMillion

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Have a great week!