Sexy new cover...

I've put a sexy new cover on  

Dangerous Flirtation

Check it out here!

How many stars...? Online reviews.

All authors love great reviews that give us four or five stars and we truly appreciate any reader who leaves an honest and thoughtful review, even if the book wasn't to their taste. Word of mouth is what makes a book fly.

But there are moments when a writer just wants to beat her head against her desk.

This morning I had an "alert" for my book Dangerous Flirtation at Barnes and Noble. I clicked to see what it was about and discovered I had three new reviews. Two were five star. Great.  Well, not so great, actually. They weren't reviews at all, but a couple who appeared to be using my book page as a contact site to fix up an illicit date - no doubt inspired by the book's title. :)  Interesting. A story idea...

But then, someone who objected to them using the review system as a dating site, ticked them off. To do that, she had to give the book a "star" - you can't leave a comment without one. Since she hadn't read the book, didn't give a hoot about the author, or the fact that writing happened to be the way she paid the bills, she casually gave it a 1 star review just so that she could make her point. This is like giving a coffee shop a bad review because you didn't like the customers sitting at the next table.

Instead of having no reviews - no problem - I now had three non-reviews that made the book look like a 3 star read.

Reviews are for those who have read the book and have something specific to say about it, even if it's just that they hated it. For everything else there is a button on the site specifically designed for reporting this kind of inappropriate use of a review site.

I've just used it. Three times.

Spring Special!

I'm hoping that Spring will have finally reappeared. After blizzards have swept across a large swathe of the UK in the second half of March, we could all do with a little warmth on our backs so that we can finally shake off a winter that seems to have lasted forever - largely because we didn't get any summer last year.

In case it doesn't deliver, I'm offering a little ray of sunshine with this fabulously sunny cover and a Spring Sale bargain price of 99c/77p/89Ec

Here's the blurb:

Rose has her life all mapped out. A job she loves, a thoughtful, reliable fiancé. Everything is just perfect until a stranger with laughing blue eyes and a roguish grin bursts into her life and turns her life upside down with a birthday kiss. Jack Drayton offers romance, excitement and passion – and he challenges her to accept. Dare she?

Here's a little tease:

A sudden quietness in the office dragged her thoughts back to her immediate surroundings. She abandoned her attempt to concentrate on the document in front of her as she realised there was someone standing at her desk. Someone dressed in a pair of well-worn denims that at her eye level stretched tightly across a pair of arrogant hips. For a moment her gaze was fixed there then, the faintest flush warming her cheeks, she forced herself to look up. Slowly.

His black t-shirt clung to a sculptured chest and broad shoulders. Above the tanned column of his neck she encountered a dangerously square jaw and a mouth that she’d once seen on a Greek statue. Eons later, she found herself looking into a pair of eyes so blue that they might have been plucked from the summer sky.

 ‘Yes?’ she asked, hoarsely, cleared her throat and tried again. ‘Can I help you?’

To read on click the links below, or you'll find it on iTunes, at Barnes & Noble. With luck it will be on Sony and Kobo, too, but they're so slow I can't guarantee it, but if they're your eReaders of choice, you can download at Smashwords

Dangerous Flirtation freebie at Smashwords

When I launched the new eBook edition of Dangerous Flirtation three months ago, I chose to give it exclusively to Amazon Kindle for 90 days in order to take advantage of the opportunity to give it to my readers free for five days. This was to give a quick boost to downloads, create a buzz, and hopefully garner a few “likes” and reviews – all essential in getting a book noticed.

It worked really well – helped in a large part by the huge number of Kindles sold over the Christmas period. Those post Christmas and New Year downloads were pure gold.

At the same time, I promised those of my readers who use a different eReader that once the 90 days were up, I would give them the same opportunity for a free download.

I have now loaded the book onto Smashwords and over the next week or two it will filter through to outlets for the Nook, Kobo, Sony and to iTunes for everyone using a Mac device. But for those of you who would like to download it free, you won’t have to wait that long.

This is a voucher that all of you who support me by visiting this blog can use to obtain a free copy – you simply type it in when you reach the checkout. Please do pass it on to reading friends who you think would enjoy it, too. The more the merrier!

MA55E

If you feel like clicking the “like” button for FB, or to tweet your download, I would be deeply grateful. If you enjoy it enough to feel like posting a review on Goodreads or Smashwords itself, you’ll hear me cheer.

Chocolate Shoes...

I'm over at The Chocolate Box today talking about how I got the idea for Dangerous Flirtation

There I was, buying a pair of shoes...

Come and find out what happened next!

A Holiday Gift - Dangerous Flirtation

I promised you a second gift for Christmas, and hope loads of you found a fabulous new Kindle under the Christmas tree so that you can take advantage of it! You can, of course, read it on your phone or your PC.

Dangerous Flirtation is vintage Liz Fielding. One of my earlier books, I've given it a light brush up and a fabulous new cover and it's yours to download free from 28 December to 1 January.

Here's the blurb -

Rose has her life all mapped out. A job she loves, a thoughtful, reliable fiancé. Everything is just perfect until a stranger with laughing blue eyes and a roguish grin bursts into her life and turns her life upside down with a birthday kiss. Jack Drayton offers romance, excitement and passion – and he challenges her to accept. Dare she?

And an excerpt

Reluctantly she lowered her window. ‘Why are you still here?’ she demanded. ‘Didn’t Anthony pay you enough to move on?’ It was hateful, but she couldn’t help herself.

       ‘There isn’t enough money in the world for that, Rosie.’ He smiled, apparently relishing the memory. ‘I told him he’d better put it back in his piggy bank and save up until he can afford to buy you a ring.’

       She stifled a groan. Behind them someone hooted politely. Jack ignored the hint and leaned on the roof of the car, staring down at her. ‘Where’s he taking you for your birthday treat? A burger bar?’

       ‘A concert and then dinner at Michel’s,’ she said, a little smugly.

       He let out an ironic whistle. ‘Just as well I wouldn’t take his cash. Which concert? The Jay Livingstone Trio is playing at the jazz club, or perhaps that isn’t quite his cup of tea?’

       She stifled a groan. She had wanted to go. It wasn’t often these days that such a group could be tempted into Melchester, but Anthony loathed jazz and she hadn’t even dared suggest it. ‘It’s not my jazz club,’ she retorted, disappointment lending a sharpness to her voice. ‘If you must know, we’re going to the Guildhall, The Shostakovich Cello Concerto.’

       ‘Wouldn’t you rather come and listen to Jay?’ he asked.

       ‘You have tickets?’ she asked, surprised. They had not been cheap.

       ‘No need. Jay’s an old friend.’ He bent down beside her window, examining her face under the lamplight. ‘What do you say?’    

       Her heartbeat began to accelerate again. ‘I...’ She tore her eyes away from his. ‘No. Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.’

       ‘I wasn’t being ridiculous, Rosie. You’d much rather come with me. Admit it.’

       ‘I’ll admit nothing of the kind.’ She put the car into gear and glared at him. Laughing, he stood up.

       ‘Better run along, then. You mustn’t be late. I’ll see you later, cheer your soul with a little blues.’ He glanced at the instrument case in his hand.

       She stared, horrified. ‘You wouldn’t?’ 

       His eyes gleamed wickedly in the subdued light. ‘I think you know that I would.’

       ‘Haven’t you caused enough trouble for one day?’ she demanded.

       His eyes teased her. ‘Rosie, my darling,’ he drawled. ‘I haven’t even begun.’ And with that he stepped back, leaving her free to drive away, but she couldn’t. Not before he told her why he was tormenting her.   

       ‘What do you want from me?’ she demanded.

       ‘Use your imagination,’ he said, roughly.

       She gasped then. She wasn’t going to use her imagination. It was a dangerous thing, the imagination. It conjured up strong hands and warm kisses to torment her.

      ‘What do you want?’ she demanded again. He didn’t elaborate, refusing to make it easy for her, but it was there in the raw challenge in his eyes and she felt as if a trap were closing around her.

     The knowledge that she had sprung it herself offered precious little comfort. She only knew that if she stayed another moment she would lose everything she wanted. Peace, contentment, security. Precious things. All Jack Drayton could offer was momentary passion, a transitory, crazy sort of excitement that would destroy her peace of mind and when it was over, leave nothing but the misery and humiliation her mother had suffered when her father had walked out on them both.

She was going to marry Anthony and she didn’t know what she was doing even talking to this man.

       The person behind had clearly had enough and an impatient horn galvanised her into action. She eased off the handbrake and stepped on the accelerator. The car shot forward and abruptly stalled. She grabbed at the ignition key, but the car wouldn’t start and the irritation from behind had suddenly become a chorus of people eager to get home. ‘Idiot!’ she said, furious with herself. Why on earth had she even spoken to the man? She was going to be late and Anthony hated to be kept waiting. There were tears pricking at her eyelids when the door opened beside her.

       He took one look at her face and swore volubly, then put an ice cold hand on hers, stopping the desperate churning of the engine. ‘Move over, Rosie. You’re in no fit state to drive,’ he said, very gently.

       ‘And whose fault is that?’ she demanded, angrily.

       ‘That’s open to debate. You didn’t have to stop.’ He threw the saxophone onto the back seat and waited and conscious of the queue of cars behind her, she moved over. He pushed the driving seat back as far as it would go and climbed behind the wheel. The car, infuriatingly, started at the first touch. Everything would start at his touch, she thought, hopelessly. Even her. Especially her.

Here are some links, but it's available in English at Amazon worldwide; download it with my warmest wishes and tell all your friends!

Amazon US 
Amazon UK 
Amazon Germany

THE GREAT ADVENT CALENDAR GIVEAWAY

DAY SIXTEEN

December 16th

Just a quick post today (I had so much ironing to catch up with!) Jill won AN IMAGE OF YOU and that's on its way to her now.

Behind the Calendar on Day 16 we have DANGEROUS FLIRTATION. I was buying shoes for my daughter in a local shop. It was decorated with balloons, birthday stuff because it was the manager's birthday. And as I paid at the counter, a couple of the staff dragged a busker in from the street to play Happy Birthday on a trumpet. It was a bit of a light bulb moment and DANGEROUS FLIRTATION was the result.

The quote on the cover is "First impressions are sometimes misleading. Not everyone is precisely what he seems to be."

For a chance to win this book, send an email to liz @lizfielding.com, Day Sixteen in the subject line, your name and address in the text and tell me your favourite "heroine" name, whether you've found it in a book (anyone's book) or it's just one you'd love to see.

Until tomorrow!