Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway with Bella Riley + Hope Ramsey

Meet Bella:

Bella Riley has always been a writer. Songs came first, and then non-fiction books, but as soon as she started her first romance novel, she knew she'd found her perfect career.

Since selling her first book in 2003 (under the name Bella Andre), she's written more than twenty "empowered stories enveloped in heady romance" (Publisher's Weekly). Her bestselling books have been Cosmopolitan Red Hot Reads twice and have been translated into German, Thai, Japanese and Ukrainian.

If not behind her computer, you can find her reading, hiking, knitting, or lunching with her favorite romance writing friends. Bella lives with her fabulous husband and children in both Northern California and a ninety-year-old lakefront log cabin in New York's Adirondacks.

Find Bella: Author Site | Twitter | Facebook

Meet Hope:

Hope Ramsay was born in New York and grew up on the North Shore of Long Island, but every summer Momma would pack her off under the care of Aunt Annie to go visiting with relatives in the midlands of South Carolina. Her extended family includes its share of colorful aunts and uncles, as well as cousins by the dozens, who provide the fodder for the characters you’ll find in Last Chance, South Carolina. Hope earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Buffalo, and has had various jobs working as a Congressional aide, a lobbyist, a public relations consultant, and a meeting planner. She’s a two-time finalist in the Golden Heart, and is married to a good ol’ Georgia boy who resembles every single one of her heroes. She has two grown children and a couple of demanding lap cats. She lives in Fairfax, Virginia where you can often find her on the back deck, picking on her thirty-five-year-old Martin guitar.

Find Hope: Author Site | Twitter | Facebook

Q&A w/Bella Riley:

Jamie & Kati: Who is Bella Riley? (author, mother, knitter, international woman of mystery)
Bella Riley: I'm a mother of two, wife of one, a hiker and swimmer, an avid reader and I love to laugh.

J&K: Tell us what WITH THIS KISS is about [no copying blurb :)]
BR: In WITH THIS KISS deeply hidden secrets threaten to keep Rebecca and Sean apart despite the fireworks that neither of them can deny. This book is the story of not only their journey to love – but Sean's parents, his brother and his grandmother all finally dealing with the secrets that they've been carrying in their hearts for far too long.

Q&A w/Hope Ramsay:

Jamie&Kati: Who is Hope Ramsay? (author, mother, guitar picker, international woman of mystery)
Hope Ramsay: Well I'm so many people. First I'm a wife, mother, and grandmother. I'm also a small business owner -- my company provides management services to small non-profits. I'm definitely a public affairs junkie. I watch way too much MSNBC, but do I try to keep my political views out of my fiction. I knit. I garden. I play guitar and I'm a huge fan of James Taylor and David Wilcox. And, perhaps most of all, I love, love, love to read fiction.

J&K: Tell us a little bit about LAST CHANCE BEAUTY QUEEN [no copying blurb :)]
HR: A long time ago -- well before I sold any of the Last Chance books -- I got the notion in my head that it would be fun to send an Englishman to the swamps of South Carolina. I guess I was influenced by stories of Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, who ran the British ragged during the Revolution. Or maybe I just loved the idea of a genre smashup that could be described as Oscar Wilde meats Dukes of Hazard.

This idea eventually became Last Chance Beauty Queen, which is the story of Hugh deBracy the twenty-third Baron Woolham and his quest to build a textile factory in Last Chance, South Carolina. Of course Hugh wants to build the factory on land that belongs to the heroine's family. But the twist in this melodrama is that the heroine, Rocky "Caroline" Rhodes, works for a senator who wants her to make certain His Lordship gets the land. Her job depends on making the senator happy. So Caroline finds herself in morally ambiguous territory between her family, her career, and the man who reminds her of all those sexy Regency-period dukes in the romances she's addicted to. The rest of the story is just fun -- taking Hugh to the Watermelon festival where he experiences a demolition derby, a pie judging contest, and the matchmaking schemes of the Last Chance church ladies.

J&K: What can readers expect from you next?
HR: My readers have told me they are anxiously awaiting the fourth book in the series, which is Stone Rhodes's love story. Last Chance Christmas will be available in October 2012 and in this story we also meet a very interesting heroine, named Lark Chaikin. Lark comes to Last Chance to fulfill her father's last request to have his ashes scattered on the 18th hole of the local putt-putt place known as Golfing for God. But getting permission to lay her father to rest proves difficult, and Lark soon discovers a part of her father's past that she didn't know anything about. While she's unraveling the mystery, she falls for the slow talking and manly Chief of Police. And, to everyone's surprise, the chief falls too.


WITH THIS KISS:

Love can find you when you least expect it . . . Fireworks. That's what innkeeper Rebecca Campbell wants. And no matter how close their friendship, she and her former fianc never shared that. Now, with a broken engagement behind her and a promise she's vowed to keep, Rebecca is determined to make a new life for herself in Emerald Lake. She just never expected sparks to fly this quickly . . . Coming home and falling for his little brother's girl wasn't Sean Murphy's plan. Rebecca's sweet smile and kind heart make Sean feel at home-something he's never felt before. But a secret lingers between them, and no matter how powerful their attraction, Sean can't give his heart to a woman he can't trust. Or can he? As the days pass, Rebecca and Sean find it harder and harder to deny their desire. And they are in beautiful Emerald Lake, the perfect place for falling in love . . .

Where To Buy:  Amazon(pb) | Kindle | B&N(pb) | Nook | Powell's
Book Extras: Jamie's Review
Other Books in Series:

LAST CHANCE BEAUTY QUEEN:

Dear Reader,
Gracious me, my beautiful daughter Rocky sure could use my help. I always knew she wasn't much interested in the local boys - but who'd have thought she'd come home with English royalty?
Trouble is, Hugh wants to buy some of our folks' land. We don't want to sell, but Rocky's job depends on her closing the deal. And though Hugh's obviously smitten, I'm not sure he's right for my Rocky. Oh, he's classy and handsome - and you should've seen the way he judged pies and fixed stock cars at our Watermelon Festival! - but what do we know about him, really? I know I sound like a nervous mother hen, but after forty happy years with my Elbert, all I want is to see my little girl find the same.
Well, time for me to quit chattering and get back to Miss Bray's wet set. Always nice talking to you, and remember: the Cut 'n Curl's got hot rollers, free coffee, and the best gossip in town.
See you real soon,
Ruby Rhodes

Where To Buy: Amazon(pb) | Kindle | B&N(pb) | Nook | Book Depository
Book Extras: Read an Excerpt | Kati's Review
Other Books in Series(click for excerpts):

available now

available now

coming soon

Forever Romance wants to share both WITH THIS KISS and LAST CHANCE BEAUTY QUEEN with three(3) lucky US readers. That's right, both books will find homes with three(3) readers. Isn't that fantastic? Here's how:

• Leave a meaningful comment about contemporary romances, stories set in small towns or family relationships.
• Fill out the rafflecopter form. You must leave a comment. All other entries are optional. 

A huge thank you to J.Sanders for forwarding correspondence between Hope, Bella and us. Also, thank you to the publisher for providing the giveaway and review copies.

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