Giveaway! First chance to read ONE DANCE…

May
2010

Warning: Loooong post ahead. But so worth reading to the end. 🙂

I returned from RT on Sunday – and what did I find awaiting me? My first two print copies of One Dance with a Duke!
There is something so special about seeing your book in its bound form for the very first time. A big part of me just wants to clutch my preciouses to my chest, but instead I’m going to give at least one of them away. Today! Here! But that’s not all!

You see, I worked very hard on One Dance with a Duke, and I am so proud of it–as I am of all the books I’ve written for Ballantine. But while I was at RT, it also hit hard for me how very proud I am to be a Samhain author. It was just about a year ago that my very first published work, a tongue-in-cheek novella called The Legend of the Werestag, was unleashed on the world as an ebook from Samhain Publishing. As a small press, Samhain is on the cutting edge of innovative romance. I tell you, the editors and authors were everywhere at RT, just bubbling over with excitement about new titles, print programs, awards.

I had the pleasure of hanging out with Kate Davies, who won the 2009 RT Reviewer’s Choice award for Best Indie Press Contemporary Romance, for Lessons Learned. Kate (pictured left, next to author Wendi Darlin) was kind enough to sign a copy for me at the Bookfair. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but hello–it’s an RT Reviewer’s Choice winner, which means it must be fabulous. (And I am so not saying that because I also won an RT award.)

While in Ohio, I also had the pleasure of having lunch with Janie Mason (and why didn’t I take her picture?), the author of one of my favorite Samhain titles, Servicing Rafferty. This is a sexy, charming friends-to-lovers romance featuring characters who have stuck with me ever since that first read.

Blogger Lisabea, who writes m/m (male/male) romance as L.B. Gregg, was my partner-in-crime for the champagne reception and Mr. Romance pageant. (The champagne would be responsible for our “rosy glow” in this picture, I think!) After leaving RT, I bought her Samhain release, Catch Me if You Can, figuring if Lisabea was even one-tenth as entertaining in prose as she is in person, I knew I would in for a treat – and I was sooo right.

Then yesterday, Leslie Dicken‘s fabulous Beauty Tempts the Beast came out in a print edition. I read this last year as an e-book, and I loved it. It’s a sexy, gothic historical romance–think Daphne duMaurier, only scorching hot. A funny coincidence is that her hero is named Lord Ashworth. That’s the title of my own scarred, tortured hero in Twice Tempted by a Rogue, so I felt an immediate kinship. 🙂

And I can’t forget Lorelie Brown‘s amazing Jazz Baby! What could be more sultry and smoldering than a romance set in the Prohibition era? Jazz, gin, a speakeasy, bootleggers, and a hot undercover agent. Oh, yeah. 8)

I could go on and on. So many good books!

So to recap, here are the books I’ll be giving away:

One Dance with a Duke (print, exclusive early copy!)
Lessons Learned (print or ebook, winner’s choice)
Servicing Rafferty (ebook)
Catch Me if You Can (ebook)
Beauty Tempts the Beast (print or ebook, winner’s choice)
Jazz Baby (ebook)
The Legend of the Werestag (ebook)

To enter, just comment and list the three titles that most tickle your fancy. Clicking on the titles above will give you blurbs and excerpts. (And no, you will not be disqualified if One Dance with a Duke is not in your top three. 🙂 ) Using Random.org and some kind of alchemy, I will create a list of winners. Because these are but a fraction of the awesome titles Samhain has to offer, there will also be two $10 gift certificates to My Bookstore and More in the pot.

This is a one-day contest. For serious. Entries will close at noon Pacific time on Thursday, and I will post winners Thursday night so I can get to mailing prizes on Friday. So get the word out and get your entries in!

(Note: Please don’t hesitate to enter if you don’t have a special e-reading device. All Samhain titles are available in DRM-free HTML and PDF formats, which means they can easily be read on any computer. If you’re reading this post, you can read a Samhain ebook.)

Lois M.
May 5th, 2010 at 10:25 am · Link

Hi on this fine day! 🙂 My choices are —

definitely One Dance with a Duke
Beauty Tempts the Beast
and Lessons Learned 🙂

Lois

Kali
May 5th, 2010 at 10:06 am · Link

Well of course One Dance with a Duke is the first title that tickles me silly! Number 2 would be Catch Me If You Can!! I’m super excited to read it. And Number 3 has to be The Legend of the Werestag simply bc it’s such a great title and concept! 😉

Bonnie Ferguson
May 5th, 2010 at 10:15 am · Link

My three choices would be:

One Dance with a Duke

Beauty Tempts the Beast

Lessons Learned

Thanks for the awesome contest.

Noelle Pierce
May 5th, 2010 at 10:15 am · Link

One Dance With a Duke
Beauty Tempts the Beast
The Legend of the Werestag

Claudine JM Thompson
May 5th, 2010 at 10:17 am · Link

It’s great to see you doing well. I loved your first series and can’t wait for the second to be released. Glad they are being released back to back. You were one of my new favorite authors last year.
One Dance with a Duke, Lessons Learned and Beauty Tempts the Beast would be my choice if I were so lucky. 😀

Sarah
May 5th, 2010 at 10:19 am · Link

My three choices are:
One Dance with a Duke
Servicing Rafferty
Jazz Baby

Lori
May 5th, 2010 at 10:22 am · Link

Hi Tessa. Congrats on your author copies! So exciting. And yes, Lisabea is as great a writer as she is in person. So proud of our LB 😆

Here’s my 3 choices:
One Dance With a Duke
Servicing Rafferty (who doesn’t love friends to lovers?)
Twice Tempted by a Rogue

Thanks for an awesome giveaway. Although, it’s not like I need a giveaway to spend a freaking fortune at Samhain. Almost every week. Ugh.

Hellion
May 5th, 2010 at 11:26 am · Link

Yeah!!

One Dance With a Duke
Lessons Learned
Beauty Tempts the Beast

Thanks…congratulations to the winner (though I greedily hope it’s me!) *grins*

Fran/Hellion

virginia S. Whitton
May 5th, 2010 at 10:30 am · Link

My three favorite would be :
One Dane with a Duke
Beauty Temps the Beast
and Lessons Learned

Laura B.
May 5th, 2010 at 10:30 am · Link

Jazz Baby

Jane Conner
May 5th, 2010 at 10:34 am · Link

What a super contest!
Choice #1 was obvious and choosing #2 and #3 was easy since I own the other titles. They were indeed great.

1. One Dance with a Duke
2. Beauty Tempts the Beast
3. Lessons Learned

GrowlyCub
May 5th, 2010 at 10:35 am · Link

I’d love to read:

One Dance with a Duke
Servicing Rafferty
The Legend of the Werestag

Those last two are fab just for the titles alone…lol

AimeeMarie
May 5th, 2010 at 10:35 am · Link

My favorite three are:

Beauty Tempts the Beast ( I also read this in e-form and LOVE LOVE LOVED IT!

Catch Me If You Can

Once Dance With A Duke

And thanks for such a kick a** contest!

Calila
May 5th, 2010 at 10:48 am · Link

So hard to choose but I’d love either

One Dance With A Duke

Beauty Tempts The Beast

Servicing Rafferty.

Thanks….this is a great contest!

Gwen Hernandez
May 5th, 2010 at 10:58 am · Link

Thanks for having the contest, Tessa. You’re on my TBR list next time I go book hunting. Love the covers for the new series.

Here are my picks:
1. One Dance with a Duke
2. Lessons Learned
3. Jazz Baby

Thanks!

Julie
May 5th, 2010 at 11:03 am · Link

How cruel you are to make us choose only 3…

Carrie
May 5th, 2010 at 11:04 am · Link

Here are my top three (It was so hard to choose):

One Dance with a Duke
Lessons Learned
Beauty Tempts the Beast

Thanks for the great contest!!

Sherry Palmer Walter
May 5th, 2010 at 11:04 am · Link

Thanks for the great reads you write. My choice out of these would be
One Dance With a Duke
Beauty Tempts the Beast
The Legend of the Werestag

Thanks for the chance to win some great books.

Emily Sorokes
May 5th, 2010 at 11:04 am · Link

One Dance with a Duke (counting down the days for this one!!)
Lessons Learned (love the idea of a far away land with a prince!)
Servicing Rafferty ( sounds cute!!)

Thanks so much!! =)

Sidney Ayers
May 5th, 2010 at 11:08 am · Link

Mine are…

One Dance With a Duke (duh!)
Beauty Tempts the Beast
The Legend of the Werestag

Why.. oh… Why did you have to limit it to only 3? LOL

limecello
May 5th, 2010 at 11:08 am · Link

Ooo my top three are:
One Dance with a Duke
Lessons Learned
and…
Beauty Tempts the Beast 😀

Thalia
May 5th, 2010 at 11:12 am · Link

Great book choices!

If I won, I’d love:
One Dance with a Duke
Servicing Rafferty
Beauty Tempts the Beast

ms bookjunkie
May 5th, 2010 at 11:13 am · Link

I’m intrigued by Servicing Rafferty and Beauty Tempts the Beast… and I really want an early copy of One Dance with a Duke, even though I’ve pre-ordered it already. 🙄

(The rest I pretty much already own…)

Julie
May 5th, 2010 at 11:18 am · Link

What an excellent way to celebrate! My choices:

Once Dance With A Duke
Lessons Learned
Beauty Tempts The Beast

Thanks so much for this chance to win!

Ami Weaver
May 5th, 2010 at 11:19 am · Link

Only three? 😀

One Dance With A Duke
Beauty Tempts the Beast
Lessons Learned

Glossaria
May 5th, 2010 at 11:42 am · Link

Oooh! Lovely, lovely giveaway!

My first choice would be One Dance with a Duke (of course), followed by Lessons Learned, and Beauty Tempts the Beast. Print would be preferable because e-format chains me to my computer, at present (not that I’m not chained there often enough already…). (Legend of the Werestag is great too, but I bought that one already! 😉 )

Shabana Y
May 5th, 2010 at 11:49 am · Link

🙂 I totally understand the “seeing the bound and printed copy thing”

We recently revived our campus Literary magazine (it’s not the same as have a personally published work) but my name and other are in it as editors or contributors and it was so exciting to finally have the complete copy!! I have about 4 copies now 🙂

iokijo
May 5th, 2010 at 11:49 am · Link

I wish I could have gone. It sounds like you all had so much fun. Congrats on the award, and the arrival of 1st prints. : )
Thank you for giving us all a chance at these great reads.. good luck everyone

One Dance with a Duke
Beauty Temps the Beast
Jazz Baby

Mrs. Hanson
May 5th, 2010 at 11:54 am · Link

What an amazing contest! Thank you for sponsoring it!!

One Dance with the Duke
Jazz Baby
Servicing Rafferty

Thank you again!!

rene
May 5th, 2010 at 11:59 am · Link

Wow, what a fab giveaway! All of these books sound great. But since I have to pick three, they are:

1. One Dance with a Duke
2. Catch Me if You Can
3. Jazz Baby

Thank you for doing this!

Alexandra
May 5th, 2010 at 12:14 pm · Link

1. Legend of the Werestag – because I like me some shifter loving, and honestly, I think it’s the best title ever! 🙂

2. Servicing Rafferty – because there are not enough stories around where the hero falls in love with the “little sister” who isn’t his little sister! (Otherwise it wouldn’t be sexy, but very creepy. I am old school like that.)

3. Beauty tempts the Beast – scarred and ruined face? Say no more, I am sold!

Heather Ledford
May 5th, 2010 at 12:20 pm · Link

#1: One Dance with a Duke
#2: Lessons Learned
#3: Beauty Tempts the Beast

Sewicked
May 5th, 2010 at 1:02 pm · Link

😀 all of them?
Seriously, One Dance w/ a Duke, Legend of the Werestag & Beauty Tempts the Beast

Danielle Yockman
May 5th, 2010 at 1:09 pm · Link

So many good ones! But here are my 3 picks. 🙂

One Dance with a Duke (print, exclusive early copy!)
Lessons Learned (print or ebook, winner’s choice)
Beauty Tempts the Beast (print or ebook, winner’s choice)

Hannah
May 5th, 2010 at 1:18 pm · Link

I’d love to read all the books but my top three picks are:

One Dance With a Duke
Beauty Tempts the Beast
Jazz Baby

Ann Marie
May 5th, 2010 at 1:19 pm · Link

Sounds like the conference was great! Here are my three picks:

One Dance with a Duke
Lessons Learned
Servicing Rafferty

Kelly S
May 5th, 2010 at 1:29 pm · Link

Congratulations on your new book and thank you for generosity in giving one copy away along with all the rest.

My top three are:
1) One Dance with a Duke
2) Legend of Werstag
3) Lessons Learned

Nicole S.
May 5th, 2010 at 2:02 pm · Link

My three would be:

1. Servicing Rafferty
2. Lessons Learned
3. One Dance with a Duke

But PS: Those who haven’t read Jazz Baby yet, OMG it was sooooooooo good. I loved it!

SonomaLass
May 5th, 2010 at 2:06 pm · Link

I’m so glad RT is on our coast next year! I feel like I really missed out.

I already have some of these titles, but I’d really like to have them all! If I have to pick three, I guess they are
One Dance with a Duke (can’t resist!)
Servicing Rafferty
Catch Me if You Can

What a fabulous time this is to be a reader. Well, not in terms of price wars and formatting hassles, but definitely in terms of what great books are out there!