SUGAR & SPICE BLOG TOUR: Guest Post with Author Kristan Higgins + GIVEAWAY!

Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Can you believe it?  It's already FEBRUARY!  It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating the winter holidays and such but here we are on the cusp of all things flowers and hearts.  Will wonders never cease...if I can help it, they certainly won't.  ^-^  ...and along with the help of TLC Book Tours and Harlequin Books, you're gonna have another reason to celebrate this month.  That's right!  It's time for a little blog tour fun starring a selection of titles and fabulous group of authors from the ranks of HQN Books in....

...the Sugar & Spice Blog Tour!

Yep.  It's a little bit sweet and a little bit saucy but a WHOLE lotta fun.  Today, I have the pleasure of bringing you a guest post from one of my favorite Contemporary Romance authors who shares with us a little of herself and how she gets the feels in her works just right for her readers.  But wait!  Before I reveal the WHO, let's reveal the WHY behind her being on the tour.  The WHY is simple, to celebrate the latest release in the Blue Heron series.  Ahh, you've guessed who it is now have you.  Smart little readers...but let's get that spotlight primed with a quick look at that new title, shall we?  Ready, set, here we go!

Anything for You
by
Kristan Higgins

About the book...

Before you get down on bended knee…

…you should be pretty darn sure the answer will be yes. For ten years, Connor O'Rourke has been waiting for Jessica Dunn to take their on-again, off-again relationship public, and he thinks the time has come. His restaurant is thriving, she's got her dream job at Blue Heron Vineyard—it's the perfect time to get married.

When he pops the question, however, her answer is a fond but firm no. If it ain't broke, why fix it? Jess has her hands full with her younger brother, who's now living with her full-time, and a great career after years of waitressing. What she and Connor have is perfect: friends with an excellent benefits package. Besides, with her difficult past (and reputation), she's positive married life isn't for her.

But this time, Connor says it's all or nothing. If she doesn't want to marry him, he'll find someone who does. Easier said than done, given that he's never loved anyone but her. And maybe Jessica isn't quite as sure as she thinks…

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

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Shot Through the Heart

A guest post by New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins

That horrible, awful, wonderful moment.

Call me a sadist, but I really do love writing—and reading—those scenes where my hero or heroine is—to quote the great poet Jon Bon Jovi—shot through the heart.

I only love those scenes because I know what lies ahead. And I love having the feels, that wonderful ache in my chest, the sting of tears, where I have to press my lips together or cry. That’s the mark of a great book.

In that moment of loneliness and rejection and sorrow, I always see myself. Like a lot of female characters in romance novels, I loved and was not loved in return.

I remember this one particularly painful time when I was in my twenties, dating a nice guy. His only flaw was that he didn’t love me. And I loved him! I loved him so, so much! He liked me fine. But I loved him, did I mention that?

One night, we went to a going-away party for this other couple. This perfect couple. This couple where you wanted to be her and have him. They were going to the Peace Corps, together. They were engaged, soon to be married.

While we were eating dinner, The Perfect Man reached over and stroked the Perfect Woman’s ear with one finger, and she turned to him. (I think I’ve used this gesture in at least one book, and if I haven’t, I’m going to.) There was such love between them that the air shimmered with it. Time seemed to stop for a second while they simply looked into each other’s eyes.

It was beautiful. Their love was so tangible that my chest ached. And my stomach hurt, because I didn’t have that with my boyfriend. It was undeniable and wrenching. We would never be that in love, that connected, that committed. I loved him. He liked me.

The rest of the dinner party was endless. My boyfriend was having a great time—these were his friends, not mine—and I sat, trying to be cheerful, trying not to cry, swamped by the knowledge that this wasn’t going to work.

Shortly thereafter, we broke up, and it really was for the best. It hurt, but man, it was such a relief, too! Not just to be free of our lopsided relationship, but free to find the kind of love that would make the air shimmer.

And I did. It was worth the wait.

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About the author...

KRISTAN HIGGINS is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author and two-time winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA® Award. She is the mother of two lovely kids and the wife of a brave firefighter who is also (perhaps more important) a fantastic cook.

For more information, visit her website at KristanHiggins.com

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Special thanks to Lisa at TLC Book Tours for the chance to bring this promotion to you and to author Kristan Higgins for letting us into her world for such a personal share.  I can definitely see why your writing affects readers like me, so much.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, the publisher, the tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now via Harlequin Books, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.


BEFORE YOU GO...

DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!  JUST CLICK HERE TO ENTER TO WIN ALL 10 FEATURED TITLES, A SPECIAL NOTEBOOK, AND A $50 GIFT CARD!


Until next time...GOOD LUCK...and happy reading!