Maria Geraci Winner

The randomly chosen winner of an autographed copy of THAT THING YOU DO

plus some beach swag from Maria Geraci is:

Glenda

Congratulations, Glenda!

Please send your full name and mailing address to:

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Today's Special - - Maria Geraci

Andrea and I are delighted to welcome Maria Geraci back to the Dish today. Maria's new book, That Thing You Do kicks off her Whispering Bay series and will be followed by Then He Kissed Me (5/19/15) and That Man of Mine (6/9/15). Count me one happy reader!

Maria writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction with a happy ending. The Portland Book Review called her novel, The Boyfriend of the Month Club, “immensely sexy, immensely satisfying and humorous.” Her fourth novel, A Girl Like You, was nominated for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA ® award. Her current addictions include watching the STARZ adaptation of OUTLANDER to drool over Sam Heughan, hitting the beach on the weekends, and searching for the perfect key lime pie recipe (but not the kind they served on Dexter).

www.mariageraci.com

https://www.facebook.com/MariaGeraciBooks

https://twitter.com/MariaGeraci

Welcome back, Maria!

I’m so happy to be back at The Romance Dish! Thank you to PJ and Andrea for hosting me today. This past year I’ve done something I wasn’t sure I could. I wrote 3 books nearly all at once. And while my family thought I was crazy (I thought I was going crazy myself!) now is the fun part—seeing those books come out for the rest of the world to read.

All three books take place in the fictional town of Whispering Bay, Florida and incorporate the characters from my first two books, my Bunco Babes series, so it was almost like coming home again. I really loved writing these stories and I hope you’ll enjoy reading them.

In the first book in the series, THAT THING YOU DO, Allie and Tom who were once high school sweethearts, must reluctantly join forces to figure out what’s causing the strange goings on in the town’s old abandoned senior center. Tom wants to tear the building down, but Allie wants to investigate it. Add in the fact that their relationship ended on a very bad note and sparks soon begin to fly. Here’s a snippet from the opening scene in which Tom discovers Allie snooping around inside the locked building.

Allie tried not to stare, but it was impossible. This certainly was not the Tom Donalan of her fantasies. The ones she had (only occasionally) after eating too much Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey. In that world Tom Donalan had a beer belly, was bald, and missing a couple of front teeth. A lot of deterioration for only twelve years, but, hey, a girl could dream, right?

This Tom Donalan, on the other hand, had far superseded the promise made by his high school boyish good looks. Tall. Broad shouldered. With a full head of dark blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He stood there staring at her with his arms crossed over his chest like he was Captain Friggin’ America in charge of the planet.

He looked angry, which didn’t make sense. She was the wronged party here! He’d practically attacked her, for Pete’s sake.

She took a deep breath and tried to act as if running into her ex was an everyday occurrence. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Tom Donalan. I see you still have all your teeth.”

He blinked and shook his head. “What?”

I see you still have all your teeth.

Argh!

Of all the Tom Donalan scenarios she’d played in her head over all the years, this was not what she was supposed to say to him. She was supposed to be witty. Charming. He was supposed to be dumbstruck by her brilliance. He was at a loss for words, all right.

Allie pasted a smile to her face and tried again. “You need to be more specific. What, as in, what’s my favorite color, or what do I have programmed on my DVR for tomorrow night, or what—”

“What, as in, what are you doing inside this building?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I could ask you the exact same question. Where’d you come from anyway?”

“I was driving by and I saw a car in the parking lot. So I stopped to investigate. Now it’s your turn. What are you doing back in town? I thought you lived in Tampa.”

He knew where she lived? “I don’t need a reason to come back home. Certainly not one I need to run by you, anyway. And I thought you lived in Atlanta.”

“Things change,” he said.

“Right. Things change.”

“So are you going to answer me or not?”

The way he stared at her made Allie squirm. Instinctively, she went to run a hand through her hair, then remembered that she’d pulled it back in a ponytail. She didn’t need a mirror to know exactly what she looked like. Ratty shorts, skinned up knee, no makeup. Her When-I See-Tom-Donalan-Again-Revenge-Fantasy was officially zero-for-two now.

As you can see, running into her ex has Allie more than a little frazzled! I think we all dream of looking like a runway model when we run into the One Who Got Away. 

Has this ever happened to you? Have you run into your ex looking not as good as you’d prefer?

Leave a comment, and I’ll randomly select one person to win a signed autographed copy of THAT THING YOU DO, along with some beach swag! (US only)

Deadline for comments to be entered for giveaway is Midnight PST, April 28, 2015.

Allie Grant doesn’t believe in second chances. She does, however, believe in the power of a permanent paycheck. So when a tipster reports that the soon-to-be demolished senior center in her hometown is haunted, Allie hightails it to Whispering Bay to get the scoop that could secure her dream job at Florida! magazine. What she finds, though, is far scarier than any ghost. Cue her ex-boyfriend, sexy construction foreman Tom Donalan. 

When Tom catches Allie poking around his construction site, he quickly realizes his former high school flame is just as feisty as ever. And, heaven help him, her irresistible, mile-high legs still take his breath away. But Tom isn’t about to delay the building’s demolition because of a silly ghost story. 

With neither of the stubborn exes backing down from their opposing positions, sparks fly. And, underneath the surface, the fire of their old attraction burns as hot as ever. When strange things start happening with increasing frequency around town, even a tough skeptic like Tom is tested. The question is, can Allie and Tom stop fighting long enough to get to the bottom of Whispering Bay’s ghost problem—and the more important matter of mending their broken hearts?

Maria Geraci winner!

The winner of a copy of A GIRL LIKE YOU by Maria Geraci is:

wendy p

Congrats, Wendy! Please send your full name and address to theromancedishATgmailDOTcom with "Maria's winner" as the subject and I'll forward your info to Maria. Thanks to everyone who stopped by during Maria's visit!

Review -- A Girl Like You

A Girl Like You

By Maria Geraci

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: August 7, 2012

As I mentioned in the introduction of Maria Geraci’s guest blog on Wednesday, she is an author that surprised me—in a GOOD way. When I read the blurb of the first book of hers I read, Bunco Babes Gone Wild, I figured it would be a cute read. I was right, but it was so much more. It was fun, romantic, and an absolute delight! The same can be said of her latest, A Girl Like You. In fact, it is her best book yet and now my favorite! 

Emma Frazier is a journalist for Florida!, a popular Florida magazine. She lives in Tampa, loves her job, gets along well with her coworkers, and has great friends. She’s smart, upbeat, and works hard, but knows that with her average looks and size 12 body, she will never be a runway model. And she’s okay with that. What she isn’t okay with is being referred to as the “ugly friend”. Emma overhears an acquaintance say this to her best friend, Torie, who promptly chews out said acquaintance. Emma pretends like she doesn’t hear it to spare anyone embarrassment, but it does hurt. Especially when that very same acquaintance ends up going home with Emma’s boss, Ben...who Emma has had a crush on for months. 

In an attempt to impress Ben, Emma says that she can get an exclusive interview with famous NASCAR driver Trip Monroe. Emma and Trip grew up in the same small Florida town, Catfish Cove, and graduated high school the same year. Granted, they weren’t the best of friends, but how hard could it be to score an interview with an old classmate? As Emma finds out, it’s a lot harder than she thought. But the determined Emma doesn’t give up. A visit to Catfish Cove stirs up old memories, renewed friendships, and new feelings which eventually lead to a whole lot more. 

I love this book! It is not your typical romance (after all, there are four possible heroes) and that’s what I love about it. I was constantly surprised and it kept me turning the pages. Plus, I love that it is set in Tampa, where I used to live. So many places were familiar to me. J Ms. Geraci’s writing is sharp and her heroines are smart—not just in the “book smart” way, but also in the decisions they make. Emma knows she’s not the prettiest girl out there, but even when dating a good-looking guy, she is intelligent enough to acknowledge when he isn’t her dream. Instead of being/staying with him because he is attractive and isn’t a jerk, she makes the right decision to break it off...and eventually finds her dream. She is one of those congenial characters that so many women can instantly connect with. And I was completely satisfied with who she ended up with. 

Romance, chick lit, women’s fiction... No matter what you call A Girl Like You, one thing is for certain—it will surely please! I highly recommend it!

~Andrea

Today's Special -- Maria Geraci

Every once in awhile, you read a book that surprises you with how much you like it. Such was the case with Maria Geraci's Bunco Babes Gone Wild. I loved it! (You can check out my review here.) I have since read her other books, Bunco Babes Tell All and The Boyfriend of the Month Club, and enjoyed both. I'm currently reading her latest release, A Girl Like You, and it is an absolute delight! Her books are fun and always put a smile on my face. Please help me welcome Maria as she dishes about what she writes!



 

Thank you, Andrea and PJ for inviting me to guest blog today on The Romance Dish!

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I write and how others perceive it.

If you ask any of my friends or relatives how they would categorize my novels, they would say “it’s a romance.” If you ask my agent or my editor, they would say I write “women’s fiction.” If you asked most reviewers they would tell you “chick lit” and if you asked me, I would say “fun, romantic women’s fiction.” But regardless of how you label my novels, there is no question that in each and every one of them the story centers around a female protagonist searching for love and her place in life. There is always a hero (sometimes more than one) and a happily-ever-after that includes my heroine finding her perfect man. If that isn’t romance, then I don’t know what is.

In my latest novel A GIRL LIKE YOU my main character Emma has four potential love interests (yes, four!). When I began writing the book, I was certain which character Emma would end up with. However, halfway through my first draft I realized the character I thought was right for Emma, wasn’t. I’ll admit, I got a bit panicked, but by the time I was three fourths through that draft I realized who Emma’s perfect guy was and the story all fell into place. I loved writing this story and I loved being surprised by Emma’s final choice. But mostly, I love writing the kind of romance that allows me the freedom to have fun with my characters and give them the happily ever after they all deserve!

What’s your favorite element of a romance? The falling in love? The happily-ever-after? The meet cute?

Andrea here: Maria has graciously offered to send one commenter living within the U.S. a copy of A GIRL LIKE YOU! 

  

What if you found out you were the ugly friend?

Emma Frazier is smart, hardworking, and loves her job as a journalist for a Florida lifestyle magazine. Emma knows she’s no great beauty, but she’s pretty certain she has a shot with her handsome new boss, Ben Gallagher—until Emma overhears a mutual acquaintance refer to her as the “ugly friend.” In an effort to reclaim her battered self-esteem, Emma decides to impress Ben at work by promising an exclusive interview with NASCAR legend, Trip Monroe.

Emma and Trip went to high school together and although it’s been fourteen years since they’ve spoken, Emma is certain she can score an interview with the elusive super star. But connecting with Trip turns out to be harder than Emma imagined. Her quest for the interview leads her back to her tiny hometown of Catfish Cove, where old secrets and a new romantic interest shake up Emma’s views on life and teach her that maybe the key to finding true love is as simple as accepting yourself for the person you were always meant to be.

Today's Special -- Maria Geraci

We are so happy to welcome back fun, contemporary author Maria Geraci to The Romance Dish! I say fun because her books are so much fun to read! She is the author of the popular Bunco Babes Tell All and Bunco Babes Gone Wild. Read Andrea's review of the latter here. Her newest, The Boyfriend of the Month Club, releases today! Read Andrea's review below. Needless to say, she enjoyed it! Welcome, Maria!



Holiday Traditions
by Maria Geraci


Thank you to the wonderful ladies of The Romance Dish for having me here today! I’m excited to be talking about my new release, The Boyfriend of the Month Club and holiday traditions.

The Boyfriend of the Month Club is a romantic comedy about a woman who turns her dysfunctional book club into a boyfriend club, where members come together to discuss the men they’ve dated, comparing them to classic literary heroes and villains. Here’s the back cover blurb:

At thirty, Grace O’Bryan has dated every loser that Daytona Beach has to offer. After the ultimate date from hell, Grace decides to take matters in her own hands and turns her dwindling book club into a boyfriend of the month club, where women can come together to discuss the eligible men in their community. Where are the real live twenty-first century versions of literary heroes such as Heathcliff and Mr. Darcy?

Could it be successful and handsome Brandon Farrell, who is willing to overlook his disastrous first date with Grace and offers financial help for her parents’ failing Florida gift shop? Or maybe sexy dentist Joe Rosenblum, who’s great with a smile but not so great with commitment? Unfortunately, just like books, men cannot always be judged by their covers...

This book was a lot of fun for me to write, especially because my main character, Grace, is half-Cuban. I’m Cuban-American myself, and I gave Grace a really quirky family, including her Cuban grandmother, Abuela. Abuela is a font of wisdom. After Grace “messes” up with Joe, her dentist, she goes to Abuela for some sage advice.


Abuela managed to keep one eye on the screen and gaze at Grace at the same time. “What’s the problem, mi amor?”

“I need to apologize to someone. I was thinking maybe a nice card or—”

“Man or woman?”

Grace hesitated. “Man.”

“Flan,” Abuela blurted. “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. When your abuelo Pedro was courting me, my mother used to make him flan. He couldn’t resist it. Make him a flan and he’ll throw himself at your feet.”

Grace didn’t want Joe at her feet, but maybe Abuela was onto something...


The chapter in which Abuela teaches Grace to make flan was especially near and dear to me. I used my own mother’s traditional flan recipe in the book. If you’re not familiar with flan, it’s a custard like desert. My mom’s recipe uses cream cheese, so this particular flan has a cheesecake like taste to it. It’s delicious and really easy to make, and a holiday tradition around my house.


FLAN DE QUESO
•1 -8 ounce cream cheese
•1 tsp vanilla
•1 can 12 ounces evaporated milk
•1 can 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
•½ cup sugar + 2 cups of sugar for the syrup
•5 eggs
•Pinch of salt

Combine all the ingredients (except the 2 cups of sugar) in a blender and set aside.

In a large skillet melt the 2 cups of sugar over medium/high heat until the sugar completely melts into a syrup. Pour the syrup into a baking pan with a circle in the center (like a Bundt pan) making sure to cover as much of the pan’s surface with the syrup as possible. Let it set for a few minutes. Carefully pour the liquid egg mixture in the pan over the set syrup. Place the pan inside a larger pan filled with an inch of hot water (a baño de Maria ) and place the whole thing in a 350 degree oven. Cook for 35-45 minutes until set. Let cool to room temperature and chill well. Before serving, let the chilled flan sit out on the counter for about 20 minutes (so the syrup warms up a bit), then turn onto a plate letting all the syrup drip over the custard. Serve and chill any leftovers.


What holiday deserts do you make every year? Leave a comment, and I’ll randomly select two people to win an autographed copy of The Boyfriend of the Month Club and a special Boyfriend of the Month Club desk top calendar for 2011!


Maria Geraci writes fun, romantic women’s fiction. She lives in north Florida with her husband and children and two dogs and two cats. You can visit her website at http://www.mariageraci.com/ and her facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/MariaGeraciBooks

Review -- The Boyfriend of the Month Club

The Boyfriend of the Month Club
By Maria Geraci
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Release Date: December 7, 2010





If it wasn’t for bad luck, she’d have no luck at all. This is the saying that ran through my head with regards to Grace as I read Maria Geraci’s latest amusing contemporary, The Boyfriend of the Month Club.

At thirty years old, half Cuban, half Irish Grace O’Bryan has had her fill of dating the wrong men. She runs the family business, a tourist trap called Florida Charlie’s, which was founded fifty years ago by her grandfather. While Grace enjoys her job, she doesn’t love it. But since her brother wanted to be an attorney instead, it sort of fell to Grace to do her familial duty and run it. When she finally gets asked out by Daytona Beach’s most eligible bachelor, Grace is ecstatic. But since her luck isn’t so good (see quote above), the date turns out bad. Very, very bad. (But actually quite hilarious.) So, Grace vents about it to her book club pals. They talk it out and decide to turn their monthly book club into a boyfriend club, where they’ll rate and review the local men they’ve dated in order to enlighten other women. One of the other gals even creates a program where she can plug in four words describing the men and it will compare him to a past literary hero or villain. Little does Grace know that while on that very, very bad date, she just may have met the man of her dreams.

This book was a really fun read! I was smiling and laughing from beginning to end. Not only did I enjoy the interactions between Grace and the men in her life and Grace and her girlfriends, but I also love the relationship she has with her family. They are a tight-knit bunch, much like my own. They’re always there for each other and aren’t afraid to tell it to you like it is . . . especially Grace’s abuela. She is an absolute hoot! I didn’t envy Grace as she had to choose between two very sexy men—Brandon Farrell, the rich said eligible bachelor, and Joe Rosenblum, her gorgeous new dentist.

The fact that this story is set on the east coast of Florida was a big plus for me as I was born and lived there for many years. It brought back a lot of great memories from my childhood. And Ms. Geraci gets bonus points for mentioning and including a short scene set in my favorite grocery store, Publix! Reading The Boyfriend of the Month Club is a great way to spend a cool winter’s day or a day at the beach. Or if you’re in Florida, both!

~Andrea

Review -- Bunco Babes Gone Wild

Bunco Babes Gone Wild
By Maria Geraci
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: October 27, 2009





What happens when you combine twelve women, a handful of dice, some gossip, and lots of frozen drinks? A rip-roaring good time!

Georgia Meyer arrives in Whispering Bay, Florida, to visit her sister, Frida, and in desperate need of some time to think. She is currently the CFO of a major electronics company in Birmingham, Alabama, and is dating the company boss, Spencer Moody. For their five year anniversary dinner, Georgia is expecting a proposal and a ring. Understandable after five years together. Instead, she receives a calculator. An expensive calculator, but still. So Georgia drives down intending to stay only a couple of days reflecting on what to do and ends up getting roped into playing Bunco with Frida and her friends, the Bunco Babes. After several (or more) drinks, the gals start to get a bit rowdy and one of the Bunco Babes gets asked to show off her new boob job. She flashes them and then another gal flashes hers and then as Georgia describes it:

After that, all hell broke loose. Everyone was flashing. It was a blur of nipples and pale-colored flesh. There were big boobs, little boobs, somewhere-in-the-middle boobs. Sort of like an R-rated version of Dr. Seuss.

At this point, I was laughing out loud! And then, of course, who would walk in while Georgia was flashing hers but the gorgeous guy she had a slight run-in with earlier, Dave Hernandez. And by the look on his face, he likes what he sees. They’re both in Whispering Bay “temporarily”, but Georgia’s frequent interactions and growing attraction to the sexy construction worker make her really question whether Spencer is the one. Or could what she feels for Dave be the real thing?

This book was so much fun that I gobbled it up! I enjoy playing Bunco and you can tell Ms. Geraci does, too. Not only does she showcase the budding, hot romance between Dave and Georgia, but also the importance of having great girlfriends. These women know everything about each other and always stick together to help when a friend is in need. I wanted to be a Babe! Plus, there are a lot of great recipes included along with short snippets about a few real Bunco groups. If you’re looking for a great book that’s funny and quick to read, pick this one up!

~Andrea

I enjoyed Bunco Babes Gone Wild so much, I'd love to give a copy away to one lucky commenter today!

Winners, winners, winners!!

We have more winners!!

Maria Geraci has picked a winner of a signed copy of Bunco Babes Gone Wild and the winner is:

jedisakora!

Congrats, jedi! Please send your full name and address to mariageraci1ATgmailDOTcom with "Romance Dish winner" as the subject!

*******

The winner of a signed copy of Half Past Dead from Zoe Archer is:

Wendy!

Congrats, Wendy! Please send your full name and address to zoeATzoearcherbooksDOTcom with "Romance Dish winner" as the subject!

*******

Joss Ware has picked a winner of a signed copy of Beyond the Night and the winner is:

JulieJustJulie!

Congrats, Julie! Please send your full name and address to jossATjosswarebooksDOTcom with "Romance Dish winner" as the subject!

*******

Thanks and congratulations to the winners!!

Guest Author Maria Geraci wants to know what you're reading

Maria Geraci, author of Bunco Babes Tell All and the newly released Bunco Babes Gone Wild, doesn't just write about Bunco . . . she plays it regularly. Talk about writing what you know! Born and raised in Florida, she describes her road to publication as more like a detour. Please help me welcome Maria to The Romance Dish as she asks . . .


What are you reading this Holiday Season?

Shopping. Baking. Sending Christmas Cards. Cleaning… The list goes on. Every holiday season I stress out just thinking about all I have to get done. It’s enough to make my inner Scrooge wish for January 2. So whenever I feel a ba-humbug coming on, I take a deep breath and try to remember the reason for the season, and that no one really cares if my house is a little dusty except me (and maybe my mother-in-law) and that I’m only human and can only do so much. That’s when I try to slip in some Me Time. Because you know the old saying, “If Momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” And what makes this Momma happy is reading a good romance!

The holidays are a time when the familiar makes me feel comfy, so it’s the perfect season to reread an old favorite. A good Jennifer Crusie, my couch, and a hot cup of cocoa (with whipped cream on top) go a long way in reviving my holiday spirit. I’m currently reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. And loving it. But then, Pride and Prejudice is a standard favorite of mine, so in a lot of ways it feels like an old friend (with a new twist, of course).

What are your favorite romances? Do you reread them? What are you reading this holiday season? Leave a comment below and one random winner will receive an autographed copy of my new release, Bunco Babes Gone Wild.



BUNCO BABES GONE WILD
Berkley, November 2009

Georgia Meyer needs some time to think—and what better place to get her head on straight than Whispering Bay, Florida, in the company of her sister Frida and her sister’s Bunco friends, better known as the Bunco Babes? Georgia’s boyfriend—and boss—Spencer Moody made a slight miscalculation in the romance department and gave her a calculator instead of an engagement ring. So she needs some sisterly advice, in between rolling dice and drinking frozen margaritas, as to her next move.

While considering subtracting Spencer, Georgia meets the very handsome Dave Hernandez. Unfortunately when a Bunco night gets a little out of hand, Georgia reveals more of herself to Dave than she intended. Now, as she helps the Babes prepare for a Bunco Black Tie fundraiser, she needs to search her heart—and keep her shirt on—long enough to decide if a love affair with Dave might be a dream come true or just a flash in the pan.