Available Now: Changing the Future by Paula Martin

CHANGING THE FUTURE
Paula Martin

$4.99

BUY HERE

99c/p through 27 January

Single parent, Lisa Marshall, loves her teaching job and living in the English Lake District. It had been a struggle, but she's finally happy again. But when volcano expert turned TV celebrity Paul Hamilton arrives at the school, everything she'd worked hard for crashes down around her. Years ago, she'd been madly in love with Paul and thought nothing could tear them apart. She'd been wrong.

Paul had thought Lisa was the love of his life; he'd wanted to spend his life with her. When he suspected she'd cheated on him with her boss, everything they'd worked toward shattered in an instant. Had he known she was teaching at the same college, he never would have accepted a short-term contract in the geology department. It was painfully obvious Lisa wasn't happy about his appearance either.

Now, forced to work together, they must find common ground to keep the peace. As memories of what they'd once had resurface, is it worth try finding their way back to each other? Is there anything left to rekindle? Or will their new-found trust be completely destroyed when Paul learns that Lisa is still keeping secrets from him?

• • •

Still with plenty of time once she’d parked her car, she headed for the Old House, the Victorian mansion in the centre of the college campus. It now served as the college administration centre, and she spent a few minutes chatting to Beth Andrews, one of the admin. assistants, before collecting her final schedule for the summer term.

As she left the office, a voice hailed her. ‘Hey, Lisa, had a good Easter?’

She turned to greet Millie Shepherd, her colleague in the TV Journalism department. ‘Yes, great, thanks. I was about to come looking for you, actually. D’you have time for a coffee? We need to talk about the new schedule.’

Millie’s green eyes twinkled as she grinned. ‘You know I always have time for coffee.’

They set off along the covered walkway linking the Old House with the modern Charlton Building, named after the nineteenth century owner of the estate. Lisa was laughing at her friend’s account of her kayaking efforts during the Easter weekend when Millie said suddenly, ‘Hey, look, Fiona Hall’s found herself a new man.’

Lisa followed her glance to the two figures on the path leading diagonally across the lawn toward the Charlton. Even from a distance, their colleague Fiona Hall was unmistakable; immaculate as always, in a tight-fitting green skirt and jacket. Lisa had long since ceased to compare her own clothes–usually tailored trousers and a crisp cotton shirt–with Fiona’s designer outfits.

As her gaze moved to the man walking with Fiona, she frowned. There was something familiar about the tall, slim figure–the way he walked, and the way he tilted his head as he listened to Fiona.

Don’e, she told herself, but still couldn’t take her eyes off him. As the gap between them lessened, her blood started to run cold. It wasn’t…it couldn’t possibly be—

The man lifted his hand to flick back a stray strand of light brown hair from his forehead, and she knew it was Paul.

For an insane moment, she wanted to run towards him, be scooped up in his arms again, see the laughter in his blue eyes, feel his soft and sensual mouth against hers.

Stunned by her reaction, by feelings she thought she’d totally suppressed, she stopped abruptly. Another thirty seconds, and they’d come face-to-face. Total panic made her heart thump against her ribs.

‘I-I’ve just remembered–erm, I need some–some class lists.’ Without waiting for Millie to reply, she turned and quickened her pace back toward the Old House.

Dimly, she heard Millie call out something about coffees in the cafeteria. The whole world had receded, and she was aware only of the painful pounding in her chest. Shock mixed with incredulity. Paul here at Hillside? Her mind simply refused to believe what her eyes had seen.

When she reached the Old House, she went straight to the ladies’ room. To her relief, no-one else was there. She didn’t dare think, didn’t dare allow herself to feel anything. Not until she’d managed to control the trembling which shook her whole body.

She glanced at her reflection in the mirror. The blood had drained from her face, and her brown eyes looked back at her with shock and panic. ‘Oh God,’ she breathed. ‘Oh, dear God—’

Had she really seen Paul Hamilton again?

• • •

Paula Martin lives near Manchester in North West England and has two daughters and two grandsons. She had some early publishing success with four romance novels and several short stories, but then had a break from writing while she brought up a young family and also pursued her career as a history teacher for twenty-five years.

She returned to writing fiction after retiring from teaching, and is thrilled to have found publishing success again with her contemporary romances.

Apart from writing, she enjoys visiting new places and has travelled extensively in Britain and Ireland, mainland Europe, the Middle East, USA and Canada. Her other interests include musical theatre and tracing her family history.

Find Paula Online:

Website - http://paulamartinromances.webs.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/paulamartinromances

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RomancesbyPaulaMartin

Blog - http://paulamartinpotpourri.blogspot.co.uk

Blog - http://heroineswithhearts.blogspot.co.uk

Tirgearr Publishing - http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Martin_Paula

Available Now: Irish Shadows by Paula Martin

IRISH SHADOWS
Mist na Mara series, #5
Paula Martin

$5.99

BUY HERE

(99c through Sunday 1st of July)

After a heart-breaking experience, Rose Finlay has vowed never to give another man a chance to hurt her – until Liam McKenna arrives at Mist Na Mara Arts Centre to organise an anniversary celebration event. Liam has his own reasons for not wanting to embark on a new relationship. But both fight the mutual magnetic attraction.

Shocks await them when Liam meets the boy his sister gave up for adoption twenty years earlier, and Rose’s ‘ex’ makes contact with her thirteen-year-old son.

Rose then discovers a betrayal which has divided her family since the Irish Civil War in the 1920s.

Will Liam and Rose be able to resolve all the shadows from the past in order to find a future together?

• • •

Rose Finlay let out a grunt of frustration as she flung open the kitchen door. It crashed against the side of the tall store cupboard, and her two assistants jumped.

‘Uh-oh,’ Cait said. ‘What’s up, Rose?’

‘He’s going to use a catering company,’ she snapped, tugging on her white jacket and pushing her fair hair into the cotton beanie cap.

Cait held up her hands. ‘Whoa, hold on. Rewind, will you? Who’s he?’

‘An American friend of Guy’s.’

Amy, the nineteen-year-old kitchen assistant, widened her eyes. ‘You mean Brad Pitt?’

Cait did a double-take. ‘Huh?’

Despite her annoyance, Rose couldn’t help but laugh at Cait’s astounded expression. ‘He came in here this afternoon, asking where Guy’s office was, and Amy thought he looked like Brad Pitt, but I don’t think he looks anything like him. I suppose he has the same shape of face, but his hair’s much darker, for one thing, and—’

And he was better looking than any man had a right to be. Blue eyes, wide forehead, high cheekbones, strong jawline – and a hint of dimples when he smiled.

Picturing him caused an odd fluttering in her stomach, the same fluttering as when he’d appeared earlier at the kitchen door, and when she saw him again at the meeting in the staffroom. She dismissed it as a normal female reaction to a good-looking man, and went on, ‘Anyhow, his name’s Liam McKenna, and it seems he’s some whiz-kid organiser who’s done events all over the world. He’s here to organise a big celebration in May for Mist Na Mara’s fifth anniversary.’

‘And he’s using a catering company?’ Cait frowned. ‘Why can’t we do the catering?’

Rose lifted the lid of the pan in which the tomato soup was simmering, gave it a stir, and dipped a teaspoon in to check the taste and texture. ‘Obviously he doesn’t think we’re capable of large-scale catering.’

‘Huh!’ Cait’s huff mirrored her own displeasure at the apparent snub. ‘Didn’t you tell him we cater for large numbers almost every weekend?’

Rose thought for a few moments and sighed. ‘I didn’t, because he was talking about hundreds of visitors, not the thirty-odd we cater for when we have art and drama workshops. Besides, I’m not exactly tried and tested, am I? I’ve only been here for three weeks.’

‘But everyone’s raving about your meals, Rose. Joyce Daly said the sauce you served with the sea bass last Sunday was the best she’d ever tasted – and believe me, Joyce doesn’t hand out compliments unless she means them.’

Rose nodded. She’d already learned that the buxom, middle-aged housekeeper was a no-nonsense, say-what-you-think type of woman. ‘Aye, she asked me for the recipe.’

‘You should get her to have a word with this Liam Wotsit fella, and tell him he should be using in-house catering.’

‘McKenna. Liam McKenna.’

‘That’s a very Irish name. Wonder if his ancestors were Irish?’

Rose shrugged. ‘Possibly, but I doubt we’ll have much contact with him.’

Which, if she were being honest with herself, was perhaps as well. She didn’t want to think about this American who provoked the same tingling of nerve endings she used to feel every time she saw Harry Taylor.

She pushed the memory back into the dark recess of her mind. Maybe all men weren’t like Harry, as Marina, her one-time landlady in Dublin, had repeatedly told her, but nothing had changed her determination to stay well clear of them.

‘Forty-five minutes, girls,’ she said, eyeing the clock. ‘Cait, are the pies ready for the oven?’

‘Yes, and I just put the potatoes in.’

‘I’ve nearly finished prepping the veggies,’ Amy added. After tossing another handful of cubed carrots into the pan, she went on, ‘Rose, please may I serve in the dining room tonight?’

Cait laughed. ‘She wants to see her Brad Pitt lookalike again. Come to think of it, so do I.’

Rose forced a smile. She and Cait usually took the heated food carts to the dining room, but tonight she was quite happy to let Amy take her place. She wasn’t sure why Liam McKenna had unsettled her. It could simply be because she was angry at being overlooked as a caterer for the anniversary event, but whatever it was, the less she saw of him, the better.

• • •

Paula Martin lives near Manchester in North West England and has two daughters and two grandsons. She had some early publishing success with four romance novels and several short stories, but then had a break from writing while she brought up a young family and also pursued her career as a history teacher for twenty-five years.

She returned to writing fiction after retiring from teaching, and is thrilled to have found publishing success again with her contemporary romances.

Apart from writing, she enjoys visiting new places and has travelled extensively in Britain and Ireland, mainland Europe, the Middle East, USA and Canada. Her other interests include musical theatre and tracing her family history.

Find Paula Online:

Website - http://paulamartinromances.webs.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/paulamartinromances

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RomancesbyPaulaMartin

Blog - http://paulamartinpotpourri.blogspot.co.uk

Blog - http://heroineswithhearts.blogspot.co.uk

Tirgearr Publishing - http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Martin_Paula

Available now: Her Only Option by Paula Martin

HER ONLY OPTION
Paula Martin

$4.99

BUY HERE

(99c through Sunday, 27 May)

Neve Dalton loves her job as a tour guide on a River Nile cruise ship as much as she values her independence. She isn’t ready to settle down with her Egyptian boyfriend, despite his repeated proposals and his father’s desire to see him married.

Nor is she ready to meet Ross McAllister, a compelling and fascinating archaeologist. She struggles against her growing attraction to him until she can no longer ignore what her heart is telling her.

When she starts receiving cryptic messages, and Ross’s work in the famous Valley of the Kings is threatened, Neve has to make a heart-breaking and life-changing decision which she feels is her only option.

Can they discover whose enmity is forcing them apart before it’s too late?

• • •

Neve Dalton smiled as she changed into her white bikini. Five hours of freedom, and she intended to spend at least four of them relaxing. And woe betide anyone who disturbed her.

Clutching a towel and a canvas bag with her sunscreen, e-reader, and bottle of water, she sprinted up three flights of curved stairs from her staff cabin to the sundeck of the Lady Nadia cruise ship.

The only person there was the barman, who was restocking the large fridges at the stern, and she nodded in satisfaction at the sight of the deserted decks of the cruise ships moored on each side of the Nadia. Although she loved her job, she always enjoyed this peaceful interlude between the departure of one tour group and the arrival of the next.

She chose a sun lounger near the rail, from where she could see across the deck of the neighbouring ship to her favourite view. The blue Nile and the white Theban hills on the far side of the river shimmered in Egypt’s furnace-like afternoon heat.

After daubing herself liberally with sunscreen, she adjusted the large parasol to give some protection from the burning sun, and opened her e-reader to catch up with the latest articles in the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. Once she’d done that, she leaned back, relaxed, and closed her eyes.

Less than ten minutes later, conscious of something she couldn’t quite define, she half-opened one eye. A broad chest, partly hidden by an unbuttoned blue shirt, filled her line of vision.

Squinting against the brightness, she saw strong arms and well-formed hands, which curved over the top rail of the neighbouring Lady Amirah’s sundeck. Her gaze travelled down, taking in the chest with its smattering of dark hair, the curve of slim hips in well-fitting red swimming trunks, and long, muscular legs.

Mmm, rather nice.

‘Good afternoon,’ he said.

Embarrassed by her survey of his body, she looked up at his face. Even though he wore sunglasses, she knew he was staring at her.

‘Oh – hello.’ She sat upright and wished she could pull her large towel around her as a shield against his scrutiny.

He slid his sunglasses to the top of his head, flattening his thick, dark hair, and her breath hitched at the sight of his amazing blue eyes. They reminded her of the shimmering ultramarine water of the ship’s swimming pool. His tanned features were as impressive as his strong physique – broad forehead, high cheekbones, the slight indent of dimples in his cheeks, a wide mouth, and a finely chiselled jaw.

Some primeval response stirred inside her.

‘I was admiring your beautiful figure.’ His deep voice held the faint trace of a Scottish accent. ‘I hope you don’t object?’

A shaft of disappointment quenched her initial spark of interest. For some reason, she’d expected him to be different from the smooth-talking posers who sometimes tried to chat her up. Instead, it seemed he was simply another cruise ship Casanova who thought flattering words in a deep, honey-rich voice would make women fall at his feet.

Politeness to guests was rule number one, however, since he was on the Amirah, one of Nadia’s sister ships. Her professional persona surfaced. ‘Not at all.’ She kept her voice casual while giving what she hoped was her best I know your type and you don’t impress me one bit smile.

‘You look lonely,’ he said.

Since her coolness hadn’t put him off, she reached for the bottle of sunscreen from the small table next to her lounger. ‘I’m enjoying the solitude. It doesn’t happen very often.’ Maybe he’d take the hint from that.

He didn’t. ‘Where’s everyone else?’

‘If you mean the guests, they’ve gone to the airport. The next group is due to arrive about five o’clock.’

‘Ah, you’re staff, are you? What do you do? No, don’t tell me—’ His glance slid down her body again. ‘With a figure like yours, you have to be with the Health and Fitness Club.’

‘I’m a tour guide,’ she replied, with as much dignity as she could muster.

‘Oh, one of those.’

She bristled with indignation. Not just a cruise ship Casanova, but a rude one, too. ‘One of those? What’s that supposed to mean?’

He shrugged. ‘You hear them everywhere you go. Churning out half-baked facts from poorly written and often inaccurate guidebooks.’

Her indignation flared into annoyance. ‘And that’s what you think tour guides do?’

‘Most of them, yes.’

The man was insufferable. If she wasn’t so annoyed by his condescending dismissal, she’d tell him she held a degree in Egyptology. But he wasn’t worth the effort. Anyway, he’d probably make another derogatory comment in response.

‘And what do you do?’ she asked with sugar-coated politeness.

‘I’m an archaeologist.’

‘Oh, one of those.’

• • •

Paula Martin lives near Manchester in North West England and has two daughters and two grandsons. She had some early publishing success with four romance novels and several short stories, but then had a break from writing while she brought up a young family and also pursued her career as a history teacher for twenty-five years.

She returned to writing fiction after retiring from teaching, and is thrilled to have found publishing success again with her contemporary romances.

Apart from writing, she enjoys visiting new places and has travelled extensively in Britain and Ireland, mainland Europe, the Middle East, USA and Canada. Her other interests include musical theatre and tracing her family history.

Find Paula Online:

Website - http://paulamartinromances.webs.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/paulamartinromances

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RomancesbyPaulaMartin

Blog - http://paulamartinpotpourri.blogspot.co.uk

Blog - http://heroineswithhearts.blogspot.co.uk

Tirgearr Publishing - http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Martin_Paula

Available Now: The Mist na Mara Series by Paula Martin

MIST NA MARA SERIES

Paula Martin

~ Each book specially priced at just 99c/99p through Wednesday the 15th ~

IRISH INHERITANCE
Mist na Mara, #1
$3.99
BUY HERE

English actress, Jenna Sutton, and American artist, Guy Sinclair, are thrown together when they find they’ve jointly inherited a house on the west coast of Ireland. Neither knows their connection to their unknown benefactress, but set about unravelling the intriguing tale of a 19th century love affair. Despite their personal reasons for not wanting romantic involvements, Jenna and Guy feel their growing attraction.

When local property agent, Eve Callaghan, appears to have her own agenda, friction builds over Jenna and Guy’s decision about the house and its contents.

Will their Irish inheritance bring them together - or drive them apart?

• • •

IRISH INTRIGUE
Mist na Mara, #2
$3.99
BUY HERE

Actress Charley Hunter is forced back to Ireland to complete her filming of a TV drama series. She still hasn’t come to terms with losing her husband there two years ago, so the last thing she expects is her instant attraction for the local veterinarian.

After Luke Sullivan’s divorce, he vowed to concentrate on his two young children and his busy veterinary practice. Falling for Charley certainly wasn’t in his plans.

While trying to find their way together, Luke is suddenly faced with a series of unexplained crises at his clinic, as well as his ex-wife filing for custody. And has Charley put his children in danger? Has she betrayed him? Can they reconcile their differences and find love?

• • •

IRISH SECRETS
Mist na Mara, #3
$3.99
BUY HERE

While working at Mist Na Mara Arts Centre, Kara Stewart embarks on a search for her mother’s birth parents; she’d been adopted in the 1960s by an American couple. Kara soon realises the task is not as simple as she’d anticipated when she’s meet with a wall of secrecy surrounding Irish baby adoptions.

Ryan Brady is hiding the secret of his real identity, but when he offers to help Kara trace her Irish family, his attraction to her is undeniable.

As the mystery unravels, secrets drive a wedge, not only between Kara and her mother, but also between Kara and Ryan.

Can Kara and Ryan find a way to heal the rifts created by all these secrets and find love?

• • •

IRISH DECEPTIONS
Mist na Mara, #4
$4.99
BUY HERE

After a devastating car accident which halts her career as a professional dancer, Ellie Vaughan relocates to beautiful Connemara in the west of Ireland, where she finds a new life teaching at the Mist Na Mara Arts Centre.

When she’s teamed up with Irish actor, Dan Nicholas, to work on a musical at the local school, they’re instantly attracted to each other. Their mutual attraction grows, until Ellie discovers Dan has deceived her. He, in turn, is angered by what he believes is her lack of honesty.

Deceptions mount as Ellie’s former dance partner and Dan’s ex-girlfriend add to the complications, and a thirteen-year-old schoolboy is hiding his own secret.

Can Ellie and Dan find a way to overcome all the obstacles that threaten their future together?

The Mist na Mara series is specially priced at 99c/99p through Wednesday, the 15th.
Grab the whole series today for just $3.96!