Romancing the Hop

One of my all-time favorite movies is Romancing the Stone.  Romance and comedy go hand in hand in this wonderfully plotted story, with characters you cared about and fell in love with from the first screen images until the last.  You (the viewer) couldn’t help but be swept up in the life of Joan Wilder, romance novelist, as she lives the life she’s written about but has never experienced.

Have we ever experienced true romance?  Is it candlelight dinners and flowers and long walks on the beach?  Or is it risking your all, fighting beside your significant other, to rescue them and save the day?  Not just Romancing the Stone fits this definition, but Last of the Mohicans (Daniel Day Lewis, be still my heart!), Star Wars, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

What are you willing to lose to gain everything?  How do you gauge romance in your life?

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO BE ENTERED IN BOTH THE GRAND PRIZE AND MY BLOG PRIZE.

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 100 times!

Now what are those prizes?

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $130 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: The following Swag Pack!

The prizes for my blog giveaway are a book from my backlist (excludes Only Scandal Will Do) and a Scandal Swag Pack to three random commenters.

My characters in Only Scandal Will Do are more than willing to fight alongside each other-
-or facing one another!  Lady Katarina is capable of meeting any man with a sword in her hand, while Duncan Ferrers, Marquess of Dalbury, itches to meet her–in more ways than one! Katarina leads him a merry chase and they must learn all the facets of romance before they are truly satisfied.

Excerpt from Only Scandal Will Do:

“I assure you, there was never a night like that before.” Lord Dalbury spoke quietly, and Katarina sensed a tension in him. “I had never done such a thing before. Never participated in such an auction. Never tried to take a woman unwillingly to my bed.” He stopped speaking. Just stopped. Then his breath hissed as though he’d slowly released it.

“I cannot find the words to tell you how deeply I regret I was not a better man who night.” He paused, and she held still and waited. “What I tried to do was madness, without thought, without honor. I do not even have an excuse other than my base desires, and that your abundant charms overwhelmed me.” His face was shadowy in the scarce light of the sickle moon, but he sounded contrite. “I have no right to ask for your forgiveness. I have no right to expect it. But I would ask you to allow me to attempt to remedy the situation.”

Kat shook her head slowly. “What on earth do you believe you could do, Lord Dalbury, that could even come close to a remedy for the terror and humiliation you put me through? Do you think now that I have met you, heard your feeble attempts at an apology, and rejected them, the memory of that night will magically disappear?” She fought to control her anger, though she yearned to blast him with it. “What magic potion would you have me take that would erase the memory of you pinning me to the bed? Because if you have such an elixir, then yes, I will gladly take it from you and obliterate you absolutely and irrevocably.”

He stood silent at her words, then said simply, “I have only myself to offer, my lady.”

“You would have me kill you, my lord? In that, too, I agree I would oblige you, but not at the cost of my own life. I understand the English law punishes those who do murder quite severely.” Kat was astonished when he lurched backward, as from a blow.

“No, my lady, I would not have you kill me,” he said, sounding grimly amused. “Though indeed that would probably give you most satisfaction. I meant I would have you marry me.”

His words surprised a laugh out of her. “Marry you?” The laughter grew. “I see, my lord, you think me both a whore and a fool.”

“I think you are neither, Lady Katarina.”

“Then you are the fool to believe I would put such a man as you in control of every aspect of my life.” That he thought she would even entertain the suggestion was insulting.

The pale moonlight shadowed his face, but she could read displeasure there just the same. “You judge me solely on one act that, I assure you, was grossly out of character for me. You cannot possibly know what kind of husband I would be.”

“And never will, Lord Dalbury. I can swear to you that I would not marry you if I were in Hell and you were my only hope of Heaven.”

He inclined his head toward her, a faint smile touching his lips. “I believe you made a similar claim about dancing with me, Lady Katarina. Yet we have indeed enjoyed a dance together despite your words.” His tone was soft, the sensuous, cajoling one he had used to seduce her that night in the House of Pleasure.

Kat trembled, recalling the incredible sensations of his hands, his mouth on her body. Damn. He could not do this to her again. Not just with his voice.

“Is there nothing that would entice you to leave your Hell for my Heaven?”

She struggled to answer, opened her lips to deny it, only to find her mouth completely sealed by his.

Only Scandal Will Do is available at Amazon, iTunes,  and All Romance E-Books.

Don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered in all the giveaways!  Now, if you want to hop on, click the blog hop image below and it will take you to the blog hop list.  Happy Hopping!

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130 Responses to Romancing the Hop

  1. Shan M's avatar Shan M says:

    I would give up everything.
    sam1slim1@gmail.com

    Like

  2. Shan M's avatar Shan M says:

    I would risk everything I have now to gain everything I need and want in life. I have never had the pleasure of having a grand romance. I would give up all to have that one moment in time where I felt truly loved and cherished.

    sam1slim1@gmail.com

    Like

  3. ronnkelly3's avatar ronnkelly3 says:

    Thank you for the giveaway..

    ronnkelly3@aol.com

    Like

  4. Paloma Beck's avatar Paloma Beck says:

    Spot on. Romance in its most gritty sense is fighting a cause together. Hand-in-Hand. Beck.Paloma@Gmail.Com.

    Like

  5. Qwillia's avatar Qwillia says:

    I loved Romancing the stone. Jewel of the Nile was okay, but not as great as the first movie.
    qwilliarain(at)gmail(dot)com

    Like

  6. Vanessa N.'s avatar Vanessa N. says:

    Great excerpt. I love Romancing the Stone movie.

    mythic021@gmail.com

    Like

  7. Fun Hop! Romance is fundamental to a happy and content life (at least that’s how I feel). I have the pleasure of saying that I married my first love. I met my husband my first year of college and he was my first boyfriend too! krystalshannan(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Like

  8. Eileen's avatar Eileen says:

    I think it is the little things that romance me. getting the paper for me on a Sunday morning so I can read it, buying me a candy bar from the vending machine one afternoon for me are two of the things he’s done for me.
    Your excerpt sounds good. Thanks.
    edor628@verizon.net

    Like

  9. Pingback: Sweet Saturday Sample: 9/01/2 Time Enough To Love–Betrothal “A Stir of Desire” | jennajaxon – jenna's journal

  10. Veronika's avatar Veronika says:

    I love everything romance! That’s why I read romantic books! Thank you for the giveaway!
    verusbognar (at) gmail (dot) com

    Like

  11. Tessa's avatar Tessa says:

    I have the love of my life, he and my family are everything to me. I would do everything so that everything is good with them.

    Like

  12. thank you for the giveaway!

    Like

  13. Elizabeth H.'s avatar Elizabeth H. says:

    No romance…in my real life any way 🙂 If I did have a romance, I couldn’t give up a lot for it right now since I’m a single parent. Check back in 12 years! Thanks for joining the hop and for the awesome giveaway!

    ehaney578 at aol dot com

    Like

  14. Cassandra's avatar Cassandra says:

    Thanks for the awesome and amazing giveaway!
    cassandrahicks1989@yahoo.com

    Like

  15. pc's avatar pc says:

    For true love, the only things not to give up would be family and your inner self…everything else is open!
    I’ve got Only a Scandal…a great story! Thanks for the giveaway chance!

    ivegotmail8889@yahoo.com

    Like

  16. Delphina's avatar Delphina says:

    What a fun hop! delphinareadstoomuch at yahoo

    Like

  17. Shannon G.'s avatar Shannon G. says:

    Wow! What would I be willing to lose… that’s a tough one. As for my romance… I don’t have any – except in the pages of what I am reading at the moment LOL I love Romancing the Stone!

    bas1chsemail at gmail dot com

    Like

  18. Denise Z's avatar Denise Z says:

    Thank you for participating in this fun hop 🙂
    dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com

    Like

  19. JanD's avatar JanD says:

    I love Romancing the Stone and specially Last of the Mohicans.
    bituin76 AT hotmail DOT com

    Like

  20. J.F.A's avatar J.F.A says:

    Hi i would like to be entered in the grand prize giveaway please! its great that your doing this giveaway!

    Like

  21. yganoe's avatar yganoe says:

    I have been married for 28 years and it’s not jewelry and flowers, it’s taking out the trash without saying anything, or watching what I want to watch instead of his favorite show…
    Yvette
    yratpatrol@aol.com

    Like

  22. Sharon Clare's avatar Sharon Clare says:

    Love those action packed romances. What would I be willing to lose to gain everything. I’d have to say material goods.

    sclare(at)sharonclare(dot)com

    Like

  23. cathy m's avatar cathy m says:

    I have been married to my high school sweetheart going on 36 years now and it is always the little things that he does that I appreciate the most. Bringing me my morning coffee, holding hands at the movies and bringing home a bouquet of flowers, just because.

    Caity_mack@yahoo dot com

    Like

  24. Monica's avatar Monica says:

    I so want to read Only A Scandal Will Do. I enjoyed the excerpt so much I put the book on my Amazon wish list.
    What would I be willing to lose to gain everything? Maybe my financial security- a person can always work and make more money.
    mcv111 at hotmail dot com

    Like

  25. Sue Fitzgerald's avatar Sue Fitzgerald says:

    Romancing the Stone was such a great romance…sigh.

    fitzgerald_sue at yahoo dot com

    Like

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