October Salon!

There were no tricks, only treats as we gathered together to celebrate Romance this October.

Virginia Kantra charmed us with a trick or treating scene from Carolina Girl.

Ally Blue cranked the heat with a reading from her ghostly Demon Dog.

And Kianna Alexander took us back to the Antebellum with her Freedom's Embrace.

We won't be back until January!  The LJS RDU Directors wish you all the very best of holidays!

Come FALL in love at the October Salon

With Autumn in full swing, we at Lady Jane's Salon Raleigh-Durham are happy to bring a little warmth and
to your nights this October.

ALLY BLUE will read from DEMON DOG, her spooky mystery with unusual hot dog toppings...

One juicy mystery, mustard and relish included.

Three years after solving the hundred-year-old murder case that brought them together, Greg Woodhall and Adrian Broussard have settled into life together in the colorful college town of Chapel Hill. Adrian’s doctorate research and Greg’s two jobs keep them busy, but they have each other and life is good.

When Greg is offered the chance to help Bay City Paranormal scope out the historic PlayMakers Theater’s rumored spirits, he’s excited to get involved—at first. But as the protoplasmic trail unexpectedly shifts to DogOpolis, where Greg works part time, he senses something in the air besides the mouthwatering aroma of gourmet hot dogs.

There’s an entity that the team can’t quite get a handle on, but it’s creating havoc in Greg’s relationship with Adrian. Things that leave him doubting his own sanity. When the team finally uncovers the truth, no one is prepared for the danger—or what they’ll have to do to stop the thing plaguing DogO before it stops them. Permanently.

(Warning: This book contains a spooky mystery, unusual hot dog toppings, and a fast food joint that may or may not be haunted. May cause random hot dog cravings.)

KIANNA ALEXANDER will read from her latest release - FREEDOM'S EMBRACE. 

Jonathan is the only doctor within several days’ ride of Graham, Pennsylvania, and he’s desperate for a nurse to assist him. His salvation comes in the form of Naomi, a runaway slave who shows up ill on his doorstep. When she agrees to be his nurse in exchange for treatment, his world lights up.

Unfortunately, not everyone in town approves of Jonathan’s new nurse. His mother and some of his patients express their distaste, but she’s captured Jonathan’s heart, and he’ll defend her at any cost.

When Naomi’s former master rides into town, Jonathan discovers just how far he’ll go to keep the woman he loves from being torn from his arms, and from freedom’s embrace.

And finally, VIRGINIA KANTRA will read from CAROLINA GIRL from her Dare Island Series.

Meet the Fletchers of Dare Island...

Steady Matt, the son who stayed Ambitious Meg, the daughter who never looked back And warrior Luke, the Marine who thought he'd never return

Back in high school, Meg Fletcher had a huge crush on her brother's best friend, sexy Sam Grady. But Meg had places to go, and Sam had things to prove, and except for one disastrous New Year's Eve, she never acted on her attraction.

Years later, in the wake of her company's restructuring, Meg is back in her family home in the beautiful Outer Banks to nurse her wounds and plot her corporate comeback. The last thing she needs complicating her life and her plans is Sam, all grown up and irresistible as ever. But this time Sam is determined to make Meg notice him...

Carolina Girl is a reunion story, about first times – first crush, first sex, first big, big mistake – and second chances. It's about our fears of turning into our mothers and our discovery that maybe Mom isn't exactly the person we thought she was. It's about Meg and Sam. I hope you enjoy their story!

September 2013 Salon!

We had a lovely evening at the September Salon!

We were so pleased to welcome back Heather McCollum, founder of the Shout Against the Whisper campaign against ovarian cancer.  September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month, and she spoke a little about her own fight and informed us all about the near silent symptoms of this deadly disease.

A great crowd came out to celebrate Romance and support our fabulous charities.

Everyone was thrilled to hear Sarra Cannon read from her New Adult Romance, The Trouble with Goodbye.

Samantha Kane had us all grinning as she read from her Regency Historical Tempting a Devil.

And Deb Marlowe rounded out the night with another Regency Historical as she read from her novella, An Unexpected Encounter.

















See you in October!

At the September Salon...

We're excited to have New Adult author SARRA CANNON reading from her latest release
THE TROUBLE WITH GOODBYE...

One night can change everything…

Two years ago, Leigh Anne Davis shocked everyone in tiny Fairhope, Georgia when she broke up with her wealthy boyfriend to attend an Ivy League university a thousand miles away. At school, she finds a happiness and independence she’s never known.

Until one terrifying night takes it all away from her.

With no place else to go, Leigh Anne heads home to reclaim her old life. A life she worked so hard to escape. On the outside, she seems like the same girl everyone has always known. But deep inside, she’s hiding a terrible secret.

That’s when she meets Knox Warner, a troubled newcomer to Fairhope. His eyes have the same haunted look she sees every day in the mirror, and when she’s near him, the rest of the world fades away. But being with Knox would mean disappointing everyone all over again. If she wants to save what’s left of her old life, she has no choice but to say goodbye to him forever.

Only, the trouble with goodbye is that sometimes it’s about courage and sometimes it’s about fear. And sometimes you’re too broken to know the difference until it’s too late.

Lady Jane's Salon RDU's own DEB MARLOWE will read from her latest Regency-set novella AN UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER from her Half-Moon House Series...

Tall, practical girls might not be worth much in a man's world, but Miss Lisbeth Moreton knows she's worth more than the squire's prized heifer. To change her fate, she's run off to a date with destiny at the British Museum.

Her would-be swain never shows, but an unexpected encounter with Lord Cotwell and his lonely ward might lead to altogether new prospects . . . and perhaps to love.

And SAMANTHA KANE will round out the night, reading from TEMPTING A DEVIL...

As wealthy and beautiful as she is desperate, Harriet Mercer can have any man she wants—which makes picking the worst of the lot quite easy. By convincing the ton she is a ruined woman, Harry hopes to outwit the greedy, conniving cad blackmailing her into a loveless marriage. Roger Templeton is a rogue with a scandalous reputation, no expectations, and no shame. He is perfect for Harry’s fall from grace. Her brazen attempts at a very public seduction are delightful fodder for gossip . . . and pure torment for Roger.

With his pockets as empty as his heart, Roger is in no mood for games and decides to show Harry how foolish it is to tempt a devil. But behind her mesmerizing golden eyes, he sees something unexpected: a woman in trouble. Her scandalous behavior would be amusing if he wasn’t captivated by her lush, curvaceous beauty. Worse, every libertine bone in his body has turned traitorously noble. Only a rake would seduce her. But only a gentleman in love can save her.

Lady Jane's Salon June 2013

It was a hot and stormy Southern night, but LJS RDU took the heat up a notch!

Tammy Falkner and Claudia Dain

Tammy read from her bestseller, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

Mari Freeman thrilled us with her Valkyries, reading from Dirty Little Freaks

And Gina Lamm had us laughing with her Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl

We had such fun and we always enjoy the fabulous mix of readers, authors, librarians and booksellers who frequent the salon, but this month we have to send out a huge THANK YOU for our generous attendees.  We collected an entire truck full of donations that will go to help SafeSpace in their work with women and children who are victims of domestic abuse!  Thank you all!

A Little Heat at the June Salon

To start off this summer, we are happy to bring you three more wonderful romances readings at the June Salon....

...BUT first, we're doing something a little different this month for one of our charities - Safe Space of North Carolina. They are looking for donations for their Thrift Shop, which helps to fund the charity. So instead of a slightly used romance novel, this month you can take the chance to de-clutter your space for Safe Space. So this month only,  you can bring a box or tightly tied bag of new or gently used clothes for admittance into the salon.  AND now back to our regularly scheduled blog...

Award winning author TAMMY FALKNER will read from her latest release - TALL, TATTED and TEMPTING.

She’s locked up tight. But he might be the key. 

Logan Reed is tall, tatted and tempting. Kit’s a woman with a mean right hook and a secret. 

Kit wants a tattoo, but Logan sees more than the pain and hopelessness in her drawing. He sees her. He sees her in ways no one ever has.

Logan’s not disabled; but he hasn’t spoken in eight years. He hasn’t needed to. Until he meets Kit. 

Logan doesn’t know everything about her. Kit doesn’t know anything about herself, until she has to sacrifice all she ever wanted to save what’s most important to him.

~ * ~

MARI FREEMAN will be reading from DIRTY LITTLE FREAKS, (before it even hits the shelves!) the second in her Valkyrie's Vow series.

Valkyries have just three rules:

1. Claim your charge.

2. Deliver said charge.

3. Make a clean exit.

Such easy rules to follow—and even easier to break.

When Swan dawdles on the job, it leads to some hot ’n’ heavy fun with two sexy Spartans. And there could be a lot more…if a meddling sibling, a mad Valkyrie and a few animated corpses don’t ruin the mood.

~ * ~

And GINA LAMM will read from her latest release THE GEEK GIRL AND THE SCANDALOUS EARL.

The Stakes Have Never Been Higher...

An avid gamer, Jamie Marten loves to escape into online adventure. But when she falls through an antique mirror into a lavish bedchamber—200 years in the past!—she realizes she may have escaped a little too far.

Micah Axelby, Earl of Dunnington, has just kicked one mistress out of his bed and isn't looking to fill it with another—least of all this sassy, nearly naked woman who claims to be from the future. Yet something about her is undeniably enticing...

Jamie and Micah are worlds apart. He's a peer of the realm. She can barely make rent. He's horse-drawn. She's Wi-Fi. But in the game of love, these two will risk everything to win.

A Season and A Night to Remember at Lady Jane's Salon RDU!

 We enjoyed a lovely Spring evening, grand company and readings from the Regency Historical Anthology, A Season to Remember.

Catherine Gayle started us off for the evening reading from her story, To Enchant an Icy Earl.














Ava Stone followed up with a spirited rendition of My Lord Hercules.

And Jerrica Knight-Catania-who traveled from Florida to read with us!- finished up with A Penny for Your Thoughts.


Thanks to all of you who attend and help us lift the genre and support our fabulous charities!

At the April Salon...

This is a first for us at Lady Jane's Salon Raleigh-Durham. While we always have three authors read aloud at LJS RDU, we haven't ever had three authors read from the same book. But there is a first for everything. Catherine Gayle, Ava Stone, and (all the way from Florida) Jerrica Knight-Catania will introduce us to the Bartlett family as each will read from their Regency anthology A SEASON TO REMEMBER.

In CATHERINE GAYLE’s To Enchant an Icy Earl...

As the Earl of Fordingham, Tristan Cavendish has lived by the code his father beat into him for so long he’s driven everyone in his life away, including his brother. Now he is alone. Loneliness dictates he must change, so he sets out to make amends with his only sibling. Alas, his brother seems none too inclined to hear him out, and a woman who must be a vision from Fordingham’s dreams walks into his path. Now, more than ever before, he knows he must change his ways or risk driving her away as well…but how?

Miss Calista Bartlett is on the hunt for a husband—but one who is nothing at all like the betrayer who was her former beau. When she sees the Earl of Fordingham across the room at a soiree, she knows she’s found the very man who is everything her one-time beau was not. Fordingham presents an icy façade to the world, but Calista discovers a passionate man who kisses her feverishly and warms her through to the bones. Can she ever convince him to let down his guard permanently?

~ * ~

In AVA STONE’s My Lord Hercules...

Miss Miranda Bartlett is on a mission to locate her missing friend. Determined hoyden that she is, she’ll do whatever it takes to get the answers she seeks too, even if that means dressing like a dandy, sneaking into a gaming hell, and surrounding herself with London’s worst reprobates. However, she didn’t plan on bumping into a Herculean gentleman along the way. The handsome and honorable Lord Harrison Casemore immediately thwarts her plans and seems determined to save her at every turn, making it more than difficult to accomplish her task.

Ever since Harry Casemore spotted the exotic temptress trying to pass herself off as a fop, he’s been drawn to her. He hasn’t figured out what she’s after, but he’s fairly certain he’d sell his soul if she’d just let him help her with whatever it is.

~ * ~

In JERRICA KNIGHT-CATANIA's A Penny For Your Thoughts...

Miss Penelope Bartlett has had a rough year, to say the least. She lost her eldest brother and her father in one fell swoop, and to make matters worse she had to miss out on her very first London Season. Now she's in the thick of the Little Season and all she wants to do is run away. It's torture to watch her siblings fall in love and she's simply not in the mood to make merry with all of them. Especially when they treat her as if she's still a little girl in leading strings. 


Enter Drake Lockwell, Viscount Flitwick. He, too, is typically eager to escape crowded ballrooms and matchmaking mamas in favor of his own company in a deserted garden or library. But a chance meeting in his brother’s garden one night changes everything. Miss Bartlett is young and impetuous, yet he can't help but fall prey to her charms. Perhaps she will be the one to finally mend the hole in his heart...

Or will his secrets be more than Penelope is able to handle?

Ringing in Spring at the March Salon!

What a great night of fabulous readers we had!

Jennifer Lohman, reading from her about-to-be-released The First Move

Jeanne Adams thrilling us with her romantic suspense, Deadly Charms
















Nancy Northcott, transporting us with her paranormal, Renegade

Many thanks to all of our guests.  Thanks for making it such fun!

At the March Salon...

It's St. Patty's Month at Lady Jane's Salon, and as always, we'll be celebrating romance at the Hibernian Irish Pub. So staying with that theme - if you're lucky, you know like if you have the Luck o' the Irish, you might get to hear the restaurant's manager say a few words with his lilting Irish accent. Either way, you'll certainly be lucky enough to hear...

NANCY NORTHCOTT will read from RENEGADE, the first book in her Protectors Series.

SHE ENFORCES THE RULES
 

As the mage council's sheriff for the southeastern United States, Valeria Banning doesn't just take her job seriously, she takes it personally. So when a notorious fugitive and supposed traitor risks his life to save hers, she has to wonder why. To find the answer, she’ll have to put everything on the line, starting with her heart.

HE BREAKS EVERY ONE OF THEM 

As a mage, Griffin Dare is sworn to protect innocents from dark magic, which is how he finds himself fighting side by side with the beautiful Valeria Banning. But when the council finds out the two have been working together, the pair must run for their lives--from the law, the threat of a ghoul takeover, and a possible council mole.

NOW THEY ARE EACH OTHER’S ONLY HOPE

~ * ~ 

JEANNE ADAMS will read from DEADLY CHARMS, her most recent release.

Who is the woman with the charm bracelet and why is someone trying to kill her?

Murder and espionage are fairly common in Washington, DC, but when DOD Contractor Dr. Robert Jackson and his fiancée, Mira Alexander go missing from his posh home in a gated community, it's news. With two dead thugs, and a dead woman in his house, it's obviously foul play, and national security could be compromised. However, no one connects the battered Jane Doe, wearing only a charm bracelet and dumped in lonely, isolated Bannion County, Virginia, with the high-powered tech politics of Washington, DC.

With reluctant help from local jeweler Suzanne Packe, Bannion County Sheriff Reece Bowen must unravel the identity of the unconscious Jane Doe through the only clue he has - her heavy, ornate silver charm bracelet. But the killer is working to find her as well. The killer will use her as leverage to get Dr. Jackson to give up technical secrets, or as proof that the killer will do anything - including killing Mira - to get what he wants. Can Reece and Suzanne identify her in time to protect her? With the FBI and Homeland Security closing in, can the killer get to Robert and Mira, and carry out his plan? Sparks fly and national security hangs in the balance as Suzanne and Reece work together to uncover Mira's identity before the killer finds her...

~ * ~

And JENNIFER LOHMANN will read from THE FIRST MOVE, which will be on the shelves next month!

An unlikely encounter…but he’ll take it! 

It seems like fate…or something! When Miles Brislenn spies the girl he had a crush on in high school-at his ex-wife’s wedding, no less-he can’t let the opportunity pass. He might not have had the courage to talk to Renia Milek back then, but he definitely does now. And that’s not the only thing that’s changed. Gone is the rebel Renia used to be. In her place is a beautiful woman who’s reserved, cautious…and holding on to secrets. For Miles, this second chance with Renia is too important to let her past stand in their way. He’ll do whatever is necessary to help her accept her choices and move on-even if that means a salsa lesson or two! Because now that he’s made the first move, he wants the second to be hers.

February 2013 Salon

Many thanks to our readers and guests for a fun night!

Erin Knightley reading from A Taste for Scandal

















Marquita Valentine (and her Mom) had everyone in stitches reading from Drive Me Crazy

Claudia Dain reading from A Chance Encounter from the anthology An Encounter at the Museum

We laughed all night, ladies!   Thank you for a great evening!

It's February at the Salon...

Happy Valentine's Month...

And speaking of Valentine's, this month at Lady Jane's Salon Raleigh-Durham, we're happy to have MARQUITA VALENTINE reading from her latest release DRIVE ME CRAZY, from her new Going the Distance series.

NASCAR racer, Carter Ambrose, has finally decided to take his doctor’s advice and find a new occupation before another wreck on the track kills him. Only his doctor hadn’t counted on his little sister’s best friend, Melanie Ann Smith, crashing his weeks of solitude with her short skirts and platform heels. And that’s not the least of his problems. His mother has decided that she wants grandchildren and the only woman that's good enough for the job-his ex-fiance.

Twenty-four year old Troublemaker Extraordinaire, Melanie Ann Smith, isn’t asking for much out of life: a house without wheels, to travel further than her home state and her best friend’s older brother, Carter Ambrose. Only three things stand in her way: juggling all of her odd jobs, keeping her daddy from gambling away all of their money and getting Carter to see her as a woman.

Soon Melanie and Carter agree to a temporary relationship. One with benefits that is mutually satisfying in every way, or so each believes. And just when they are ready admit their feelings, family secrets are exposed, threatening Melanie and Carter's fragile relationship.

Will Carter risk it all for love, or will Melanie be left holding the trophy for second place?

~ * ~

Up next will be ERIN KNIGHTLEY, reading from A TASTE FOR SCANDAL, her latest Sealed With a Kiss release...

A TEMPTING DIVERSION
Things have always fallen into place for Richard Moore, Earl of Raleigh. His good looks, abundance of charm, and the small matter of being heir to a marquisate make him quite the catch. So when a delectable young woman wants nothing to do with him, he can't help but seize the irresistible challenge.

AN UNLIKELY COURTSHIP
Jane Bunting knows all about responsibility—she has managed to support herself and her brother with their bakery—but she knows nothing of excitement or passion. When dashing Lord Raleigh crosses the threshold of her shop, she has no idea of the potential danger to her reputation . . . or to her heart.

AN IMPOSSIBLE MATCH
Neither imagined things would go so far—until the night their worlds collide, irrevocably changing both their lives. But when duty calls for Richard, and with everything Jane has worked for suddenly at stake, will their taste for scandal be their downfall?

~ * ~

And finally, Lady Jane's Salon Raleigh-Durham's own CLAUDIA DAIN will read from her latest Regency novella  A CHANCE ENCOUNTER which can be found in the anthology An Encounter at the Museum. (And for those of you out there who have been waiting - patiently, or otherwise - for the next installment in Claudia's Courtesan Chronicles, your wait is over!) 

Jamie Caversham is a bastard, quite literally. He is bound for Canada and a new life after one last visit to the British Museum . . .  where he meets Elizbeth Ardenzy. 

Elizabeth is betrothed (nearly), her life planned to perfection by her father. Unless a bastard convinces her her to run away to Canada first. 

Adventure Time at Lady Jane's Salon RDU January 2013

It was an eventful night at LJS RDU!  We lost two directors to illness, we had tornado warnings, the power went out (only briefly, thank goodness, especially since it stayed out a block up the street!)  But someone was smiling on us, because the lights stayed on, our three wonderful readers all made it safely, our delightful attendees braved the wind and weather and we had a great night!

Cynthia Cooke read from Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies.

Heather McCollum not only read from Captured Heart, but she taught us to make tinctures and poultices and brought her own Highlanders to be doctored!

And we were thrilled to welcome Lady Jane's Salon founder Hope Tarr, who read from Operation Cinderella and brought along her audio publisher from Audio Realms. 

We were also thrilled to welcome a representative from our new charity SafeSpace and donate a gift for their silent auction.  We sincerely hope it helps in their mission to help women and children who are victims of domestic abuse.

Thank you all, for a wonderful night!