PJ's Birthday Giveaway #10 - - Julie Anne Long

 

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #10

Julie Anne Long

After Dark with the Duke

Last but never least, Julie Anne Long is not only one of my all-time favorite authors but she also shares my birthday! I couldn't possibly have a birthday giveaway and not include at least one of her books.

After Dark with the Duke is a book that took my breath away (read my Top Dish review). When I was almost midway through reading, I sent a text to the author and when I turned the final page I sent her the one below:

"I am ruined. Totally, completely, utterly ruined. Do you know how many books I have in my read/review queue? How am I supposed to read them now? All I want to do is simmer in the stunningly beautiful, all-encompassing emotion of this book, of these characters. I can't just move on to something else. This is my favorite book this year. It's my favorite book of ALL the books you've written - - and I've read every single one of them. I might as well change the name of my review to "gush fest" because that's exactly what it's going to be. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. But, seriously, RUINED!"

When you find an author whose words have this kind of an impact, you buy every book she's written that you can get your hands on and every new book that's published. Yes, she does have her own keeper shelves (plural) in my home library.  

Here's the blurb for After Dark with the Duke:

After Dark with the Duke

by Julie Anne Long

She arrives in the dead of night, a mob out for blood at her heels: Mariana Wylde, the “Harlot of Haywood Street,” an opera diva brought low by a duel fought for her favors. But the ladies of the Grand Palace on the Thames think they can make a silk purse from scandal: They’ll restore her reputation and share in her triumph...provided they can keep her apart from that other guest.

Coldly brilliant, fiercely honorable, General James Duncan Blackmore, the Duke of Valkirk, is revered, feared, desired...but nobody truly knows him. Until a clash with a fiery, vulnerable beauty who stands for everything he scorns lays him bare. It’s too clear the only cure for consuming desire is conquest, but their only chance at happiness could lead to their destruction.

The legendary duke never dreamed love would be his last battleground. Valkirk would lay down his life for Mariana, but his choice is stark: risk losing her forever, or do the one thing he vowed he never would...surrender.

Have you read Julie Anne Long? Do you have a favorite of her books?

Do you enjoy redemption stories?

Thank you for celebrating my birthday with me today!

Since this is the last post, share with me how  you celebrate your birthday. Do you have any traditions? 

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, September 22 will receive a print copy of After Dark with the Duke. 

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*If posting anonymously, comment must include an identifying screen name or email to be entered in giveaway.

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #9 - - Mona Shroff

 

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #9

Mona Shroff

The Second First Chance

Mona Shroff is an absolute delight. I had the opportunity to meet her at two events this year and had the best time chatting with her about books and life. Her books are engaging, often messy, romantic, and filled with relatable emotional depth. I knew I wanted to share them with you so I made sure I came home from the last event with a signed copy of The Second First Chance. Yes, it's a second-chance romance and yes, it has an emotional, hard-won, happy ending. Here's the blurb:

Strength comes in many different forms.

Riya Desai and Dhillon Vora grew up together. Sharing secrets, hiding in their tree house, they were playmates, best friends and later—as teenagers—almost something more. Until the devastating house fire that ripped them apart, claiming the life of Dhillon’s father and Riya’s big brother, Samir. Riya and Dhillon have barely spoken since that terrible night, but they both made big decisions based on that fire.

Riya has chosen to fight fire with everything she’s got, but it’s not easy. As the only female firefighter and one of the only people of color at her fire hall, she has to prove herself over and over. Plus, she’s hidden her career from her family.

Dhillon wanted to heal things, so he became a veterinarian. When a chance encounter with a rescue dog throws Riya and Dhillon together again, he’s furious at her career choice. After what happened to them, how can she run into fires on purpose? For Riya, Dhillon’s anger is unacceptable: How can he not see that she’s protecting others from the very losses they both experienced?

Have you discovered Mona Shroff's books yet?

Have you ever made a life-altering decision based on a single event?

What's your favorite firefighter (male or female) romance?

One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM, September 22 will receive a signed print copy of The Second First Chance.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*If posting anonymously, comment must include an identifying screen name or email to be entered in giveaway.

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #8 - - Roxanne St. Claire

 

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #8

Roxanne St. Claire

Hush, Puppy

I've been reading books written by Roxanne St. Claire for more than twenty years. Seventeen years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting her in person for the first time after winning a book from her and discovering from the return address that she lived around the corner from relatives I visited a few months later. No, I did not surprise her by showing up on her doorstep uninvited. Yes, she did invite me to get together. :)  

In the years that have passed since that first meeting, I have followed her from steamy romantic suspense to sensual contemporary romance to a feel-good contemporary series featuring a big, loving Irish-American family and rescue dogs to an offshoot series featuring two matchmaking grannies and more dogs. Her books never fail to engage my emotions, make me laugh, and give me a happy, heartfelt HEA. 

The book I'm giving away today is Hush, Puppy (read my review), a 5-star read about which I said in my review, "This book is everything I wanted, everything I needed. It's sweet, funny, deeply emotional, and so doggone good that it left my heart overflowing with joy. So much so, that as soon as I turned the final page all I wanted to do was go back to the beginning and read it all over again."  Hush, Puppy is book five in The Dogmothers series which is described by St. Claire as follows: "Two matchmaking grannies are opposites in life but lined up on love. One has the steel spine of a Greek warrior, the other the heart of an Irish poet. Together, along with a duo of darling dachshunds, these two won’t stop until all their grandchildren are hooked, hitched, and happy."

Hush, Puppy

by Roxanne St. Claire

John Santorini faces a whirlwind summer. Juggling business woes and troubles at his Greek restaurant, his world shifts when a lively little girl takes a liking to his mischievous new puppy at the park. Things get even more complicated when his grandmother insists he spend time with the little girl’s beautiful single mom, a young widow who’s new to Bitter Bark.

Summer Jackson might have come to Bitter Bark to find someone from her past, but an unexpected encounter with a charismatic dog owner has her thinking about the future. She’s enchanted by John’s warmth, especially when his puppy helps fix her daughter’s struggle with a stutter. But when shadows from the past threaten their new love, will John have to settle for a Summer fling…or do the Dogmothers have the recipe for romance one more time?

Have you read any of Roxanne St. Claire's books?

Do you enjoy romances with animals in them? Which animals are your favorites?

Do you have any pets? Tell me about them.

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, September 22, 2025 will receive a signed print copy of Hush, Puppy.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*If posting anonymously, comment must include an identifying screen name or email to be entered in giveaway.

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #7 - - Sonali Dev

 

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #7

Sonali Dev

There's Something About Mira

I've been a fan of Sonali Dev's books since her debut novel was published in 2014. I've read them all. I've loved them all. But, even in the exalted company of her many 5-star reads, there's something special about There's Something About Mira. It kept me reading until 3:00 AM, earned a Top Dish rating (read my review), and even now, seven months after finishing this story, I'm still thinking about the characters. If you enjoy a beautifully nuanced story about parental expectations, social issues, fate, finding yourself, and opening your heart to both love for yourself and the love others choose for themselves, you'll want to read There's Something About Mira too. 

There's Something About Mira

by Sonali Dev

Mira Salvi has the perfect life—a job she loves, a fiancé everyone adores, and the secure future she’s always imagined for herself. Really, she hasn’t a thing to complain about, not even when she has to go on her engagement trip to New York alone.

While playing tourist in the city, Mira chances upon a lost ring, and her social media post to locate its owner goes viral. With everyone trying to claim the ring, only one person seems to want to find its owner as badly as Mira does: journalist Krish Hale. Brooding and arrogant, he will do anything to get to write this story.

As Krish and Mira reluctantly join forces and jump into the adventure of tracing the ring back to where it belongs, Mira begins to wonder if she is in the right place in her own life. She had to have found this ring for a reason…right? Maybe, like the owner of the lost ring, her happy ending hasn’t been written yet either.

Have you read Sonali Dev?

Do you enjoy books with cultural representation (such as the Indian-American rep in Dev's books)?

What's the last book that kept you reading late into the night?

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, September 22, 2025 will receive a signed print copy of There's Something About Mira. 

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*If posting anonymously, comment must include an identifying screen name or email to be entered in giveaway.

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #6 - - Jean Meltzer

 

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #6

Jean Meltzer

Magical Meet Cute

I haven't met Jean Meltzer in person but she's an author whose books I enjoy reading. Her romcoms are well crafted, with well developed, engaging characters, strong Jewish representation, and, in the case of Magical Meet Cute, some magical realism as well. Hellie reviewed this title for the blog, giving it our highest Top Dish rating (click to read) and saying, "The premise is a hoot and a treat - and I thirstily read this book down like the cool drink of lemonade, sweet and tart and refreshing, that it is." Here's the blurb for Magical Meet Cute:

Magical Meet Cute

by Jean Meltzer

Is he the real deal…or did she truly summon a golem?

Faye Kaplan used to be engaged. She also used to have a successful legal practice. But she much prefers her new life as a potter in Woodstock, New York. The only thing missing is the perfect guy.

Not that she needs one. She’s definitely happy alone.

That is, until she finds her town papered with anti-Semitic flyers after yet another failed singles event at the synagogue. Desperate for comfort, Faye drunkenly turns to the only thing guaranteed to soothe her—pottery. A golem protector is just what her town needs…and adding all the little details to make him her ideal man can’t hurt, right?

When a seriously hot stranger mysteriously turns up the next day, Greg seems too good to be true—if you ignore the fact that Faye hit him with her bike. And that he subsequently lost his memory…

But otherwise, the man checks Every. Single. Box. Causing Faye to wonder if Greg’s sudden and spicy appearance might be anything but a coincidence.

Have you read Jean Meltzer's books yet?

If you summoned a golem, what characteristics would you want him to have?

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, September 22, 2025 will receive a print copy of Magical Meet Cute.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*If posting anonymously, comment must include an identifying screen name or email to be entered in giveaway.

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #5 - - Maria Lokken

 

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #5

Maria Lokken

Operation Blackout

Maria Lokken and her twin sister, Marisa gave me my first opportunity to review books at Romance Novel TV, the site they were running at the time. Fast forward 17 years (OMG!), and Maria is now writing romantic suspense novels for Harlequin Romantic Suspense that keep me on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning pages late into the night and then reviewing them at my own site. It's amazing the twists and turns life takes. 

Maria's next book, Operation Blackout (10/28/25), is book two in her series featuring the cybersecurity expert men of the Ramirez family. Book one, Breaking the Code, was released February 25, 2025 and book three, The Vanishing Trail is due to be published May 31, 2026.

Here's the blurb for Operation Blackout:

Operation Blackout

by Maria Lokken

Her identity is erased and replaced with a criminal record

A stranger is the only man she can turn to for help

When Jordan Logan infiltrates a company’s mainframe, the world-class hacker becomes the hunted—by the very people who hired her. Only by teaming up with Max Ramirez can she clear her name and restore her life. But convincing the cybersecurity expert that she’s the real Jordan Logan is as challenging as the attraction simmering between them. Max can’t trust Jordan…and Jordan doesn’t trust anyone. They’ll create a plan to bring down the culprit. But will their intimate, conflicted dynamic prevent justice from being served?

Do you enjoy romantic suspense novels?

Have you read Breaking the Code?

Jordan Logan is a woman who needs fuel - frequently - in order to function. What's your go-to snack(s) when the hunger bug bites?

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, September 22, 2025 will receive a signed print copy of Operation Blackout. 

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*If posting anonymously, comment must include an identifying screen name or email to be entered in giveaway.

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #4 - - Christy Swift

 

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #4

Christy Swift

Celebrity Crush

Christy Swift landed on my radar earlier this year when Forever sent me an early copy of her debut romcom, Celebrity Crush (read my review). A few months later, I met her in person when I attended a reader/author event at a library a little over an hour away. Then, while chatting with her at that event, I discovered she's a local-to-me author! Needless to say, by the time I left that event she had been added to my "support local authors-buy their books" list. 

Celebrity Crush plays into those fantasy crushes we've probably all nurtured for a favorite actor, musician, sports idol, etc. Except, in Swift's version, the two actually meet and what happens next had me laughing, swooning, and gasping at the twists and turns of this engaging story. Here's the blurb:

Celebrity Crush

by Christy Swift

Author Emmy Ellison is a sucker for a page-turning happy ending, but she’s no longer counting on one for herself. If she stays focused on her career goals instead of her love life, she just might find success. And now that her latest novel is about to become a movie, she’s determined to become the latest social media sensation.

When her secret celebrity crush (the real-life inspiration for her romantic hero) accepts the starring role in the big-screen adaptation of her book, she’s determined to team up with a fake dating scheme—now that he’s in need of some good PR of his own. Ideally, she can ride the wave of popularity all the way to the top of the bestseller lists. But when the harsh spotlight of fame exposes the truth, will they try to turn their on-camera chemistry into a real-life relationship?  

Swift recently revealed the cover of her next book in this series, Hollywood Hookup, which will be released February 10, 2026. Here's the cover and blurb:

Hollywood Hookup

by Christy Swift

A former movie star is thrust back into the celebrity life where she finds herself competing for a date with her longtime crush in this funny and heartwarming rom-com about second chances and rediscovering your true self. 

  Once a teenage TV star, she’s reinvented her life. Now her very public celebrity crush has put her back in the spotlight.
Josie Days has worked hard to forget who she used to be. Once upon a time, she was one of Mexico’s favorite bilingual teen stars—until one disastrous decision ruined her budding career. These days, Josie’s happy to keep things very off-camera as a makeup artist. That is until her best friend ropes her into a charity game show where the prize is a date with her forever celebrity crush: impossibly charming Irish “It” boy Sean O’Sullivan.

Josie has no interest in winning. In fact, she’s trying to lose—and fast. But Sean is interested in more than a game. The problem? Josie isn’t who he thinks she is. And when the cameras start rolling and her past is exposed, she’ll have to decide if she’s ready for the spotlight again—or if her second act never should have started.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

Have you discovered Christy Swift yet?

Do you have any local (to where you live) authors? Have you met them in person?

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, September 22, 2025 will receive a signed print copy of Celebrity Crush. 

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*If posting anonymously, comment must include an identifying screen name or email to be entered in giveaway.

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #3 - - Xio Axelrod

 

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #3

Xio Axelrod

Girls with Bad Reputations

Have you discovered Xio Axelrod yet? If not, you're missing out on some terrific contemporary romance. I met Xio at a RWA conference several years ago when we randomly started chatting while waiting for an event to begin. I hadn't read her books but had such a lovely time visiting with her that I immediately looked her up and downloaded one. In the book I'm giving away today, Girls with Bad Reputations, Axelrod combines two of her real life loves, writing and music. Here's the blurb:

Girls with Bad Reputations

by Xio Axelrod

Once upon a time, the pressure to be the perfect daughter nearly broke Kayla Whitman. Desperate to find an outlet away from her controlling mother, she picked up a pair of drumsticks, forever altering the rhythm of her life. Since then, she's been determined to make her own way, finding her home with her bandmates even as she fights to keep her past and her present firmly separate.
Things were simple enough when the Lillys were playing local gigs at dive bars, but now they're on their first official tour―and all Kayla can see are warning signs. Desperate to escape the worry churning inside her, Kayla finds solace in quiet tour bus driver Ty Baldwin...and discovers in him a kindred spirit like no one she's ever met before.
Their connection is immediate and intense, but when increasing scrutiny from the press threatens to destroy Ty's newfound peace and Kayla's carefully guarded secrets, Kayla's forced to make an impossible choice: pursue her dream and risk destroying everyone around her. Or give in and lose the chance of ever becoming the person she's always known she could be.

Have you read Xio Axelrod yet?

What type of music do you enjoy?

Do you have a favorite singer or group that you follow? Have you seen them in concert?

One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM, September 22, 2025 will receive a print copy of Girls with Bad Reputations. 

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*If posting anonymously, comment must include an identifying screen name or email to be entered in giveaway.

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #2 - - HelenKay Dimon

 

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #2

HelenKay Dimon

Moorewood Family Rules

and

The Usual Family Mayhem

I've been reading - and enjoying - HelenKay Dimon's romantic suspense novels for years. In 2023, Dimon took a detour with her writing and I was delighted to take that journey with her. 

I had no idea what to expect when I began reading Moorewood Family Rules but I soon discovered a quirky, twisty, cringey, laugh-out-loud gem of a book about a highly dysfunctional family of con artists that I could not put down. As I shared in my Top Dish review (click to read), "I gobbled up this book like a bag of Peanut M&M's after a 40-day fast." Yes, it really was that good. 

Moorewood Family Rules

by HelenKay Dimon

One day a con man met an heiress, wooed her, married her, had two kids…and kept on conning. Jillian Moorewood is the oldest child from that meet-cute-gone-wrong marriage. The stable one. The sensible and dependable one. The one who protects and fixes. The one who went to prison to save their sorry butts. Now, thirty-nine months later, she’s out and she’s more than a little pissed.

Finally home she finds the scheming clan in full family fleecing mode. They all claim they didn’t really agree to Jillian’s previous go-legit-or-else ultimatum before she went away. They viewed it as a “suggestion” then ignored it. So, business as usual. But Jillian is done with the lies and fakery. She demands the whole messed-up crew clean up its act, and this time she’s not kidding—she has the leverage to make it happen.

Problem is, her life is in shambles, but with the help of a great aunt (crooked but loveable), a bodyguard (who is a nice surprise after three years in prison), and a few allies (all working undercover), Jillian starts to put herlife back together. She kicks out a few mooching relatives living under her roof, sets limits on everyone’s access to the money, ducks from their various attacks, and sees if that bodyguard is maybe interested in sticking around for a while. For the first time, she’s Jillian Moorewood, her own woman, and she’s ready to figure out who she is.

Two years later, Dimon wrote a second book in the same vein. The Usual Family Mayhem (click for review) has the same quirky, twisty, humorous vibe but with a different family and mystery. It's filled with feminine empowerment, plenty of humor, a bit of romance, and two white-haired grannies who may, or may not, be dishing out sweet revenge on behalf of women who have been wronged. 

The Usual Family Mayhem

by HelenKay Dimon

Kasey Nottingham needs a splashy idea at her company where they find and develop the next big thing for investors—her job depends on it. Impulsively, she pitches Mags’ Desserts, a beloved small-town business run by her grandma Mags and live-in “best friend” Celia, two women who overcame deadbeat husbands and financial ruin to build a word-of-mouth clientele. Kasey expects her boss to say no. Instead, he sends her home to North Carolina to land the deal…and now she has a problem.

Mags and Celia aren’t interested, which isn’t a surprise, but something else is going on in their kitchen. Locked cabinets. Cryptic conversations. Unexpected notations on business records. The ladies have secrets and whatever they’re hiding is big. As reports of mysterious deaths of abusive men in the area surface—all in households that recently received a delivery from Mags’ Desserts—Kasey worries Gram and Celia have gone into the poison pie business.

As investors start circling, Kasey enlists Jackson Quaid, Celia’s nephew and Kasey’s long-time crush, as her reluctant investigation assistant. Jackson is practical. Kasey has a wild imagination. Together, they dodge Kasey’s boss and gather intel. And kiss. Lots of kissing, though probably not the best idea to start an unexpected romance. Doing it while keeping two feisty ladies from going to jail for knocking off bad husbands—even if those husbands deserve it—might be impossible…but Kasey never shied away from a challenge.

 

Have you read HelenKay Dimon yet?

What's the last book you gobbled up like a bag of your favorite candy?

Are you a baker? What's your "special" dish? 

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, September 22 will receive a print copy of Moorewood Family Rules and The Usual Family Mayhem.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*If posting anonymously, comment must include an identifying screen name or email to be entered in giveaway.

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #1 - - Cathy Maxwell

 

PJ's Birthday Giveaway #1

Cathy Maxwell

A Touch of Steele

Have you read Cathy Maxwell's books? She's one of my favorite authors and people. Also, one of the most generous. And, she never fails to make me laugh, both in her books and in real life. 

She recently wrapped up her A Gambler's Daughters trilogy with A Touch of Steele. Filled with sensual romance, mystery, family dynamics, adventure, and sprinklings of Maxwell's well-known humor, it's the book I've been anticipating since chapter one of book one of this trilogy. I'm very happy to say it did not disappoint! Here's the back cover blurb:

From the moment the enigmatic Mr. Steele “almost” kissed her on a Dublin street, her world was forever altered. He commands the respect of rogues and nobles alike . . . and Gwendolyn owes him a favor.

She believes he owes her a kiss.

Beckett is a lone wolf. However, he needs Gwendolyn to discover the secrets of his past. He has no choice but to seek her help—even though she threatens the walls he has carefully erected around his heart.

He doesn’t need a woman in his life; she knows he can’t live without her.

Together, they must navigate a world of deception, where love defies the odds and secrets threaten to unravel everything they hold dear. Will they find a future together, or will the past tear them apart?

Next up for Cathy Maxwell is Curves for the Rakish Duke (April 2026), part of the multi-author Busty Bodice Club historical romance series. Follow Cathy on social media for more information.  

Have you read Cathy Maxwell yet?

Have you read any of the books in the A Gambler's Daughters trilogy?

Tell me about a book you've read that made you laugh. 

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, September 22 will receive a signed paperback copy of A Touch of Steele. 

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*If posting anonymously, comment must include an identifying screen name or email to be entered in giveaway.