My Blog's 10th Year Birthday Bash: Vanessa Riley's book giveaway

Welcome to the 31st day of my blog's birthday bash!

Please welcome my author friend Vanessa Riley as she closes out my blog's birthday bash (today is the last day of the month-long celebration)!

Vanessa is here to give away one of her books!

Enter the book giveaway contest via the Rafflecopter widget the end of this blog post. Only residents of the USA are eligible to receive a signed paperback copy of this author's books. International residents will only receive ebook copies due to costs of mailing books outside of the USA.

Let's learn a little bit more about Vanessa and her book ...

Author Bio:

Vanessa Riley writes Regency and Historical Romances of dazzling multi-culture communities with powerful persons of color. 

Vanessa writes for historical romance readers who admire and acquire books that showcase women who find joy in sweeping kisses and strong sisterhoods. Even in the darkness, she promises to give you laughs and to show you how light always prevails and how love always, always wins.

Vanessa holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and a master’s in industrial engineering and engineering management from Stanford University. She also earned BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Penn State University. 

She has been a radio anchorwoman and church announcer. Vanessa is President-Elect of The Beau Monde, a specialty History Chapter. She is also a member of Georgia Romance Writers, NINC, and Historical Novel Society. She is on the Board of Directors of Christian Book Lovers Retreat where readers escape for a weekend of fun, faith, and connection to the author community.

Vanessa loves cooking her Trinidadian grandma's cake recipes and collecting Irish crochet lace.

Vanessa is represented by Sarah Younger of the Nancy Yost Literary Agency.

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Back Cover Blurb for The Bittersweet Bride:

Widow Theodosia Cecil needs a husband to help protect her son. The former flower seller turned estate owner posts an ad in the newspaper, and no one is more surprised than she when her first love, the man she thought dead, reappears. 

Ewan Fitzwilliam has been at war for six years. Now, the second son of a powerful earl is back but his beloved Theo needs a husband and will not consider him. She believes Ewan left her—in desperate straits—so she denies the feelings she still harbors for the handsome, scarred soldier. 

Theo and playwright Ewan must overcome bitter lies and vengeful actions that ruined their youthful affair. Theo must reveal her deepest secret in order to reclaim the love that has long been denied.

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Connect with Vanessa:

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/VanessaRileyAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VanessaRiley/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/vanessarileybooks/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessarileyauthor/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Vanessa-Riley/e/B00C55DARS/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6949811.Vanessa_Riley

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/vanessa-riley/

Website: https://vanessariley.com

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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below:

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Let Love Bloom: The Bashful Bride

Interview with Vanessa Riley about her book The Bashful Bride:

Alexis: What inspired you to write this story?

Vanessa: My daughter actually inspired this one. She and a group of her friends have crushes on late night talk show hosts. It amused me to discover this and also made me aware that my late night writing schedule has allowed her to stay up too late. Bad parenting skills. 

Alexis: Why did you title your book, “The Bashful Bride”? 

Vanessa: Ester is shy. She is a big dreamer but is more comfortable helping you with your plans than she is living them for herself. Ester’s bashful but inside is a heart of a lion.

Alexis: Why did you choose to set your story in London, England?

Vanessa: I love London and its perfect backdrop for the Regency novels.

Alexis: Describe how you did research for this story. What was the most challenging aspect of the research? 

Vanessa: I do a great deal of research for my stories. I search through court filings, old diaries, newspapers, and history books. The most challenging aspect of research is how to present facts that differ from what one sees on TV or from preconceived notions. I show a different viewpoint of history, and I want people to enjoy it and not feel overwhelmed when they realize that what they thought was true, might not be.

Alexis: Arthur Bex is the hero of your story. What’s he like? Describe his heart, looks, and motivation. Talk briefly about his background too. 

Vanessa: Arthur Bex is hiding a secret. He survived an incident and made a choice that meant he lost everything. He lives in fear that once the truth outs, he’ll lose everything again. He is motivated to right wrongs and to protect his heart, but to love is to be vulnerable. That’s his struggle.

Alexis: Ester Croome is the heroine of your story. What’s she like? Describe her heart, looks, and motivation. Talk briefly about her background too.

Vanessa: Ester is shy and sheltered. Eloping with Bex is her first step out into a world she is no longer under her father’s protection. It’s scary, but she wants her own dreams. She just hasn’t decided if she’s ready to fight for them.

Alexis: What role does a friend's newspaper advertisement for a groom play in bringing Arthur and Ester together?

Vanessa: A dear friend of Ester, Frederica Burghley, has been placing advertisements in a newspaper for a husband. When she nets Arthur Bex, Frederica steps aside for Ester. Strong friendships want each member to be happy. Frederica, though desperate for a husband, wants Ester to be happy. 

Alexis: What or who threatens to tear Arthur and Ester apart? Why?

Vanessa: Secrets and fear are the things that tear them apart. Arthur’s secret is dreadful, but his unwillingness to share his burden with Ester is a deal breaker. Ester wants everything in a neat safe box. She is unprepared for how messy the real world can be.

Alexis: Arthur is a famous actor. Ester is a shy heiress. Is this a story of opposites attract? Why or why not? 

Vanessa: Not really opposites. They have a lot of things in common including a love of Shakespeare.

Alexis: What it about Arthur that made Ester fall in love at first sight?

Vanessa: Ester fell in love with Bex when she saw him perform on stage. His acting and his voice won her heart over.

Alexis: What is it about Ester that intrigues Arthur and makes him want to protect her at any cost?

Vanessa: He wants a forthright woman who will believe in him. He sees that in Ester. She’s very strong in her opinions.

Alexis: Why it is important to Arthur to marry a woman of “good character” and in what ways does Ester fit that bill?

Vanessa: Ester believes in truth and is passionate about it. Arthur is passionate about his fight for abolition. They both are fighting the good fights. Arthur believes that if she can truly love him, then she’ll fight for him.

Alexis: If you could spend a day with your main characters, what would you do and why?

Vanessa: We’d probably all go see Shakespeare in the park. I think we would have a blast.

Alexis: What do you want readers to remember most about The Bashful Bride?

Vanessa: That forgiveness starts with forgiving yourself. If you can’t forgive yourself, you will be held in bondage, and you will hold others in bondage. Ester and Arthur each have to come to a place of forgiveness before they can move forward and love freely.

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Vanessa! God bless you and your writing.

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Author Bio:

Vanessa Riley writes Regency and Historical Romances of dazzling multi-culture communities with powerful persons of color. 

Vanessa writes for historical romance readers who admire and acquire books that showcase women who find joy in sweeping kisses and strong sisterhoods. 

Even in the darkness, she promises to give you laughs and to show you how light always prevails and how love always, always wins. 

Vanessa juggles mothering a teen, cooking for her military-man husband, and speaking at women's and STEM events. She’s known for her sweeping romances and humorous delivery of poignant truths. 

You can catch her writing from the comfort of her southern porch with a cup of Earl Grey tea.

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Book Blurb for The Bashful Bride:

A friend's newspaper advertisement for a groom nets the most famous actor in London, Arthur Bex. Shy heiress Ester Croome proposes to elope with the handsome man, who she's secretly loved for two years, in order to escape an impending engagement arranged by her overbearing family. 

Trying to outlive the shadow of his villainous uncle, Bex needs to marry quickly—to a woman of good character. And smart, beautiful Ester fits the bill. But a harrowing trip to Gretna Green and dangerous abolition rallies prove to be a more treacherous stage than either imagined. Infatuation and a mutual love for Shakespeare might not be enough to bind a couple looking to outrun the chains and secrets of family and the past.

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Buy The Bashful Bride on Amazon

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Connect with Vanessa:
Website - www.vanessariley.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/VanessaRileyAuthor
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/VanessaRiley
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/regencymaid
Instagarm - https://www.instagram.com/govanessariley

*Sign up for her newsletter to get access to free stories, giveaways, and more at:
www.VanessaRiley.com

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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below: SaveSave

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Fall into Love: Vanessa Riley's story

Metals, My Marine and Fire
A Fall into Love story by Vanessa Riley

Never joke about improbable circumstances. They just might come true.

I was working on my doctorate at Stanford. My field was the sexy world of martensitic transformation of metals. Yes, hard stuff (that was a joke for all the scientific nerds out there as Martensite is the hardest state of metal on the Brinell scale—I digress). I had dreams of using this laser driven technology to revitalize the metal die cast industry. I was not thinking of marriage. I wasn’t worried or bothered by it. My aunts differed on this opinion. Mama too.

So, my ever-meaning friends or family would try to set me up with a good catch. The last time that happened, I met a stalker who was convinced God said I was the one. I politely told him that I missed that dispensation from on High. I developed a clever motto to stop repeat occurrences, a personal motto. If God showed Moses a burning bush, surely, he could give one to me. That seemed to cool off most suitors and friends. Who could come up with a burning bush and not set off California wild fires?

God.

Then, what had happened was…I met a Marine reservist—tall, handsome, perfectly grounded in the Word (of God) who worked on metal planes for United Airlines—catnip. We went out on a date. He’d chosen a restaurant that had a fire pit. He sat on one side, I on the other. As he’s telling me about his job working on big triple seven aircrafts, I see a burning bush. The flames of the pit reflected upon his glasses and the irises of his chestnut-brown eyes. Red and gold flames seemed to leap across his face, as how a bush would burn but remained uncharred.

But God.

I remember thinking to myself, half-praying silent prayers in my head, so this is the one. Not bad. You got me, God.

My metal-loving military husband celebrated our twenty-first anniversary this year in August and I still melt a little in front of a roaring fire.

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Author Bio: 

Vanessa Riley worked as an engineer before allowing her passion for historical romance to shine. A Regency era (early 1800s) and Jane Austen enthusiast, she brings the flavor of diverse peoples to her stories. 

Since she was seventeen, Vanessa has won awards for her writing and is currently working on two series. 

She lives in Atlanta with her military man hubby and precocious child. 

You can catch her writing from the comfort of her southern porch with a cup of Earl Grey tea. 

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Book blurb for No Hiding For The Guilty (Heart of a Hero) (Volume 5): 

What if superheroes were mortals who lived and loved during the Regency? The Heart of a Hero Series tells all. The military leaders of the fraught Almeida Siege are dying, but not fast enough for a chef with a grudge to bear and axes to sharpen. 

Using her position as cook to the famed inventor, Lord Hartland, Isadel Armijo learns that one of the butchers responsible for slaughtering her family will sup at Hartland Abbey at month's end. The chef is determined to serve the guilty man his last meal, one with a cake possessing a controlled detonation so she can watch him die. Only one person can teach her how to whip eggs with black powder, Wellington's hulking explosives expert, Hugh Bannerman. Can she persuade the recluse to return to society to help avenge her family with a dessert to-die-for? 

With his soul in torture for the lives his actions have decimated, the hulking Hugh Bannerman is convinced his sins have manifested into leprosy. As the surviving member of his family, how can he take his place in society knowing his uncontrollable anger increases the spots discoloring his skin and puts others at risk? No, he’ll remain in hiding until the Almeida Killer finds him or the incorrigible chef Isadel causes too much trouble, concocting a deadlier course, one part hope, a sprinkle of crazy, and a maddening sauce of desire.

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Buy Vanessa’s book on Amazon 

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Connect with Vanessa:
Website - www.vanessariley.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/VanessaRileyAuthor
www.facebook.com/ChristianRegency
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/VanessaRiley
Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/regencymaid
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/govanessariley

Sign up for Vanessa’s newsletter:
http://christianregency.com/subscribe.html

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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway