Random Acts of Kindness-September

R.A.K. or otherwise known as Random Acts of Kindness is the brainchild of Vanessa and Isalys over at Book Soulmates. I think this is a genius idea. You put together a wish list of items that you would like to receive. Then hopefully at the end of the month someone has sent you some items from it. You in turn choose other fellow bloggers from the list and send them items from their wish list. Last month was my first time participating and I had a lot of fun. I was able to give out quite a few books and I even was given a book series I've been dying to read. If you are a fellow book lover I highly suggest joining this event. For anyone interested in participating, here's how:

• Sign up each month you would like to participate
• Show off that you are a R.A.K. participant by grabbing the button
• Create a wish list(on Amazon, Goodreads, on your blog etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K. post for the month
• If you choose to do a R.A.K. for someone, check out their wish list and contact that person for their address
• If sending an eBook you must gift through Amazon, Kobo, or Barnes and Noble
• If you receive any items during the month you participate in, please email or tweet @Bookbrunette so she can update the Google doc.
• At the end of the month SHOW US YOUR R.A.K! Make a post saying "Thank you" to whomever granted one of your wishes and then share it with Book Soulmates

OPEN TO EVERYONE!

Let's keep our International bloggers in mind and in our hearts.

Remember, there is always Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

Simple and easy!

LINKS YOU WILL NEED:
Sign up for September {HERE}
See who else is participating in September {HERE}

Guest Post with Author Ashley March and Giveaway

Hello everyone. I am so excited to welcome today's guest author Ashley March. Ashley is one of my most favorite people and her books rock! Please join me in welcoming Ashley to the blog.

Thanks so much Danielle for hosting me today as I get ready for the upcoming release of ROMANCING THE COUNTESS on September 6th! I'm so excited to be blogging at Ramblings From This Chick for the first time!


I'm going to post my first interview with my heroine soon, but first I'd like to give you a little background about the book in case you're not familiar with it yet.


ROMANCING THE COUNTESS begins when Leah George and Sebastian Medinger, the Earl of Wriothesly, receive the news that their spouses have died in a carriage accident. While Sebastian only puts together the fact his wife was having an affair with his best friend the night they died, Leah has known about her husband's affair for a year. Raised by a very strict mother to always follow Society's expectations of propriety and also embarrassed and ashamed to realize her husband didn't truly love her as she thought, she keeps the affair secret. After her husband dies, she realizes that she doesn't have to be miserable for the rest of her life. She can be free to do whatever she wishes, as long as she's willing to accept the consequences her actions might bring.


DISCLAIMER: The Following interview was conducted toward the beginning of the book. 


ASHLEY: I know what happened in the past with Ian, your husband. How do you feel now that he's gone? 


Leah: Would it be wrong of me to say that I'm relieved? Yes, of course it would be. I cried, you know, when I heard that he died. And I'm glad I cried. For a long time I thought that I'd turned into someone else, someone I didn't recognize and I didn't want to be. If I cried that must mean I still felt something. I never wished him dead, not once, even after finding Ian together with Angela. But to not admit that I'm relieved that I don't have to live the rest of my life as a shadow would be a lie, too. It's amazing to know that I can wake up tomorrow, look in the mirror, and not despise myself. 


ASHLEY: What do you intend to do now? Do you have any plans? Will you marry again?


LEAH: *laughing* The wonder of it is that I can do anything I want. There are so many possibilities and opportunities open to widows. Of course, my mother wants me to return to my family's house and live with them again, but she believes me to be the same girl who once did everything she expected. I'm not that same girl anymore, and I'm not the same woman who married Ian. I might marry again...someday. But it's not something I think about now or even look forward to. I've spent so much time doing things for other people, acting the way others wanted me to act. For a little while I want to do exactly what please me. Perhaps I'll never get married again...


ASHLEY: I heard that you are planning to host a country house party at Ian's estate--only three months into your widowhood! Surely you know this will cause a scandal. Is this what you want--a scandal, to be the center of Society's attention?


LEAH: *smiles* I have a plan, don't worry. The country house party is not to be what everyone expects. As far as causing a scandal--no, my intention is not to cause a scandal, but neither do I care if one is made. As I said before, what I do from now on, I do because I want to be happy. For now, hosting a country house party will make happy. And I'm willing to live with the consequences, whatever they may be. I'd rather be reckless and happy then obedient and miserable for the rest of my life. 


ASHLEY: And what of Sebastian Madinger, the Earl of Wriothesly? He's said that he intends to stop you from such reckless behavior so no one will suspect the truth of your spouses' affair. What do you intend to do about him?


LEAH: Sebastian is a good man, and I know he means well. But he's smart and grieving over his wife and, to tell you the truth, I think he's a little paranoid. No one is going to conclude that Ian and Angela were having an affair simply because I host a house party. If anything, they'll soon believe me more of a devoted widow than before. And as far as Sebastian and the house party...well, I didn't tell him anything about it. I suppose he could find out once the invitations are delivered to the guests, but by that time it will be too late for him to intercede. 


ASHLEY: You're not afraid of him going to the house party at all, of what he'll do when he realizes that you went against his wishes?


LEAH, laughing: Afraid? Not at all! Let him come. *smiles slyly* After all, I have a plan in place if he does show up.


To read my next interview with Leah and my interviews with Sebastian, make sure to keep up with my ROMANCING THE COUNTESS Book Tour (details at www.ashleymarch.com).


But for now, I'd like to celebrate the release of ROMANCING THE COUNTESS next week (on Tuesday!!) by giving away books! In ROMANCING THE COUNTESS, Leah is obviously a widow. In your historical romances, which type of heroines do you prefer? The shy and innocent? The self-aware and sexually aware? Debutantes? Spinsters? Widows? Who is your favorite heroine?

**Author Bio**

I was born and raised in East Texas, moved to Colorado after getting married eight years ago, and have been craving snow-free winters ever since. I have a husband who just keeps getting better and better over time and two beautiful daughters. I write contemporary and historical romances, I have two amazing critique partners, an awesome publisher (NAL), an absolutely fantastic agent (Sara Megibow of the Nelson Literary Agency) and, as can be seen above, a slight problem with using too many adjectives.

Life is simply...fantastic. 


Places to find Ashley:
Ashley's Site | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

**Giveaway**

One random commenter will be chose to win a copy of my newest book, ROMANCING THE COUNTESS, and will get a chance to send a copy of my debut, SEDUCING THE DUCHESS, to a friend (open internationally)! Also, find out how to win the ROMANCING THE COUNTESS Book Tour Grand Prize of 50+ romance novels by visiting www.ashleymarch.com!

**Bonus Giveaway**

In honor of Ashley's visit to the blog I would like to offer a copy of Ashley's e-book ROMANCING LADY CECILY from Amazon.com. I absolutely adored this book and you can check out my review here. So that means we'll have two winners. One winner will win a eBook copy of Romancing Lady Cecily, and one winner will win both ROMANCING THE COUNTESS and SEDUCING THE DUCHESS for a friend. So make sure to fill out the rafflecopter form.

*Must leave an answer to Ashley's question

*Make sure to leave an email address so we can notify the winner

*Winner will be notified within 48 hours of contest closing

Good Luck! 

Follow Friday #8

Feature and Follow Friday is a blog hop put together by two hosts:  Parajunkee and Alison Can Read as a way to help bloggers become aware of other blogs and bloggers. It's a great way to make new blogger friends.

Q. If you could change the ending of any book (or series), which book would you choose? Why and to what?

Wow, what a way to make me think. The only book I can think of is Breaking Dawn. When I read it I had to put it down several times because it just made me so angry! For me, it just felt so fake and contrived. Breaking Dawn felt like a completely different book from the others in the series and it just didn't seem to mesh well with the others. I felt like I was reading a sci-fi/fantasy, rather than a vampire love story.


 If I could change it, I would just like it to be more like the first three books. I don't want Bella to get preggers and pop out a muntant hybrid baby that grows super fast and is mated to Jacob. (Gag!) If you remove all of that I would like it so much more. 

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read} and any one else you want to follow on the list.
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers- Once Upon a Prologue & Lisa Loves Literature
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing on Parajunkee's blog.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers.

Thanks for stopping by. =)

Random Acts of Kindness: August Wrap Up

R.A.K, otherwise known as Random Acts of Kindness is put together by the lovely ladies from Book♥Soulmates. It's a way for fellow bloggers to get together and give eachother items from their wish lists. I am having so much fun participating in R.A.K. It's so rewarding to be able to gift an item that someone has been wanting. It's like Christmas every month. Here's what I gave and received this month. Did you get anything from R.A.K. this month? Please share.



Sent Out:

To Aislynn @ Stitch.Read.Cook

To Donna @ Book Lovers Hideaway

To Jen @ Romancing The Book

To Kati @ Romancing Rakes

Received:

From Aislynn @ Stich.Read.Cook

From Donna @ Book Lovers Hideaway

From Kati @ Romancing Rakes

Guest Author Post with Tessa Dare and Giveaway

Today I would like to welcome to the blog the lovely Tessa Dare. Tessa is stopping by today to celebrate her newest release A Night To Surrender from the Spindle Cove Series. So please give a warm welcome to Tessa Dare. 

Book Blasting, and Other Confessions

I'm a romance author, but I also work as a librarian. I've worked in libraries for most of my life, actually-- when I was a tender 15 years old! And before I got paid to work in libraries, I just happened to hang around them a lot. 

So books are important to me. And the preservation of books is important to me. Libraries exist to collect, organize, and preserve materials for their communities. We train small children to hold them carefully with un-sticky fingers, and turn the pages by the corners. Librarians are the first to jump to a book's defense when book banning, or -heaven forfend!--book burning is suggested.

Imagine my quandary then, when writing a romance heroine who actively and unrepentantly defaces and destroys books! Perfectly good books!

Well, to be fair--Susanna Finch, the heroine of A Night to Surrender, would argue that she does not "destroy" books. She repurposes copies of a particular book. And, she would add, that particular books is not a "perfectly good book"--it is a perfectly dangerous and damaging book. 

The book in question is called Mrs. Worthington's Wisdom for Young Ladies, and it's a literary thorn in Susanna's side.

Here's an excerpt to explain:

        Charlotte reached for the book and opened it, then cleared her throat and read aloud in a dramatic voice. "'Chapter Twelve. The perils of excessive education. A young lady's intellect should be in all ways like her undergarments. Present, pristine, and imperceptible to the casual observer.'"

    

        Mrs. Highwood harrumphed. "Yes. Just so. Hear and believe it, Minerva. Hear and believe every word. As Miss Finch says, you will find that book very useful."

        Susanna took a leisurely sip of tea, swallowing with it a bitter lump of indignation. She wasn't an angry or resentful person, as a matter of course. But once provoked, her passions required formidable effort to conceal. 

        That book provoked her, no end.

        Mrs. Worthington's Wisdom for Young Ladies was the bane of sensible girls the world over, crammed with insipid, damaging advice on every page. Susanna could have gleefully crushed its pages to powder with a mortar and pestle, labeled the vial with a skull and crossbones, and placed it on the highest shelf in her stillroom, right beside the dried foxglove leaves and deadly nightshade berries. 

        Instead she'd made it her mission to remove as many copies as possible from circulation. A sort of quarantine. Former residents of the Queen's Ruby sent the books from all corners of England. One couldn't enter a room in Spindle Cove without finding a copy or three of Mrs. Worthington's Wisdom. And just as Susanna had told Mrs. Highwood, they found the book very useful indeed. It was the perfect size for propping a window open. It also made an excellent doorstop or paperweight. Susanna used her personal copies for pressing herbs. Or, occasionally, for target practice.

Although this all felt very true to Susanna's character, I have to admit - writing it cause my librarian heart to twinge, just a little. 

So, how do you treat books? Do you buy or borrow? Are you the kind to turn each page carefully and read without cracking the spine? Or do you dog-ear the pages with abandon and use them as doorstops? 

Welcome to Spindle Cove, where ladies with delicate constitutions come for the sea air, and men in their prime are...nowhere to be found.

Or are they?

Spindle Cove is the destination of choice for certain types of well-bred young ladies: the painfully shy, young wives disenchanted with matrimony, and young girls too enchanted with the wrong men. It is a haven for those who live there.

Victor Bramwell, the new Earl of Rycliff, knows he doesn't belong here. So far as he can tell, there's nothing in this place but spinsters...and sheep. But he has no choice, he has orders to gather a militia. It's a simple mission, made complicated by the spirited, exquisite Susanna Finch--a woman who is determined to save her personal utopia from the invasion of Bram's makeshift army.

Susanna has no use for aggravating men; Bram has sworn off interfering women. The scene is set for an epic battle...but who can be named the winner when both have so much to lose?

Thanks to Tessa Dare for such a wonderful post. Everyone, Tessa Dare and Harper Collins will be giving away a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. So make sure to check out all of Tessa Dare's tour stops and comment to increase your chances of winning.

*Must answers Tessa's question above

*Must leave and email address

*You don't have to be a follower, but it is appreciated

*Open until September 2nd. 

Coming soon-150 Follower Giveaway

Hey there everyone. So I am inching ever so closely to 150 followers and I am beyond excited. Thanks everyone for following. As a thank you, when I do hit 150 followers I will be holding a giveaway. As you know I've recently just attended Authors After Dark and I came back with a crap load of swag. So for my giveaway I would like to giveaway some swag and some books. Does that sound good to you? Here are the two books I'll be giving away:

Also up for grabs will be two bags of swag from AAD. So make sure to spread the word.