It's been a difficult year for most of us, certainly one with many changes.
Some of us wrote more, some less; some read more or tried out different genres. All in all, I think the world of literature has kept people sane.

As for me, I released the first novella in my small town romance series. I also made a second chance romance novella available that was previously part of an anthology, and I recently published my first short story (with a paranormal twist). And as of 2020, all my books are enrolled in Kindle Unlimited.
Seeking Love: mybook.to/seekinglove
Paper Hearts and Promises: mybook.to/paperheartsandpromises
​Raven's Return: mybook.to/ravensreturn 

Thank you to all those of you who were part of my author's life this year! May 2021 treat you kindly! I'll leave you with a poem I wrote today:

Hang On

It’s been a year of challenges and fights
But it didn’t manage to snuff out our lights
As we paid more attention to everyone’s plights

Hang on, stand tall
Together we’re strong
Remember, it wasn’t all
Sad, bad, or wrong

It’s been a year of changes and rules
Of empty restaurants and vacant schools
But we did learn how to use helpful new tools

Hang on, don’t cry
It could have been worse
Wait as time goes by
For the blessing after the curse

It’s been a year of realizations
As a virus spread across all nations
And we relied on important regulations

Hang on, you got this
You’ve made it this far
Don’t forget or dismiss
How resilient we all are

It’s been a year of lockdowns
Of heroes wearing masks, not crowns
Of online lives in eerily empty ghost towns

Hang on, you’ll make it through
For endings bring new beginnings
Rely on that spark inside of you
Count your blessings and winnings

It’s been a year of us longing for
People and things we can’t have anymore
But it brought innovation and courage to the fore

Hang on, smile again
There’s a lesson to be learned
Even if you don’t know when
You’ll receive what you’ve earned
​

I haven't uploaded a #SneakPeekSunday post in a while but today seems like the right time to share my latest WIP (work in progress) with you. There's only one more chapter left to write, and then "Sweet Surprises" will move into the editing phase. I'm hoping for an October release for this 3rd book in the Inn Love series. Here's an exclusive first look at the cover and blurb, plus a short (unedited) excerpt to whet your appetite.

Italy has always fascinated Victoria. Now that the interior designer from America is there to help convert a grand old villa into an inn, it feels like a dream come true – even more so when she falls head over heels in love with the handsome gardener. The few precious days she shares with Riccardo make her rethink every decision she’s ever made in life. But just when Victoria is ready to make a leap of faith, she learns that her irresistible Italian isn’t who she thinks.
 
Will their love be enough to overcome the obstacles, or should she leave Bella Italia and her mysterious billionaire lover behind once and forever?

Shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, Riccardo strode around to the back of the vast building and found his way to the far corner of the property. He hadn’t come far in his quest last afternoon, although the worst of the debris and vines had been cleared away. Perhaps another three hours of work and he’d be able to reveal what lay hidden—and nearly forgotten—beneath. Searching for the right spot by memory more than by sight, he crouched low and touched the corner of a mossy stone peeking out.

“Are we disturbing your peace?” he asked in soft Italian, whispering as though in a graveyard. “Or are we doing the right thing and actually bringing you peace at last?”

There was no reply, of course. The dead can’t speak, though he knew from experience that they could haunt you in your dreams if you gave them permission to.

“I’ve seen many different methods how people tame a garden gone wild but this is definitely the first time that someone is trying to use verbal persuasion,” a voice broke into his gloomy thoughts.

Startled, Riccardo rocked back on his heels so fast he lost his balance and toppled onto the ground. With a mortified ‘mierda’, he scrambled to find his footing and his scraped dignity and saw himself confronted with a held-out hand.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Sighing, he accepted the help that he probably didn’t need because it seemed impolite not to do so. The American’s hand wasn’t as soft as one would have expected it. A hint of callouses and blunt though neatly rounded nails spoke of a woman who wasn’t afraid to get hands-on, just as he’d suspected from watching her. Her grip was firm and warm when she pulled him to his feet, and Riccardo belatedly remembered his manners and murmured his thanks.

“There’s no need to apologize. I should expect you somewhere on the property at all times.”

He let go of her hand, wondering why he felt this odd spark and tingle where their skin had touched. His gaze traveled up, taking in her navy-blue jeggings that were now dust-stained at one knee and her figure-hugging yet modest black T-shirt. She wore her hair bound together in a high ponytail, accidentally adorned with a fallen leaf. His fingers itched to pluck it out, to run through her hair and find out whether it was as soft as it looked.

Their gazes meshed, and she must’ve seen something in his that brought color to her cheeks and made her break the connection.
​
“It’s my duty to be everywhere,” she said somewhat brusquely, wiping her hand on her thigh. To get rid of whatever dirt he might’ve left on it? Or because she’d felt this tingle too?

Catch up before the new release!
Books 1 and 2 of the Inn Love series will whisk you away to a cottage in England and a log cabin in the Canadian Rockies.
Tantalizing Temptations | Hidden Hopes

This poem was inspired by a multi-author chat, where we 'girls' talked about women needing to come into their own, and how difficult it can be to just say 'no', to demand time, to gain some independence, or strive for the love (and life) we deserve.
Thanks for the conversation and inspiration, Andaleeb, Aarti, Preethi, Ruchi, and Milan.
​

​Allow Yourself to Be
 
Allow yourself to feel
Give it time to heal
Trust yourself, keep that chin up
Nobody else can make it stop
It’s in your hands, even if they tremble
Sometimes in life you need to gamble
You’re stronger than they think you are
Life goes on, you’ve already come so far
Take care of yourself, first and last
To brave the future, embrace the past
 
Allow yourself some time
Self-acceptance is no crime
Dig deeper, fight harder, keep going
Enough with the scraping and bowing
You’ve learned your lesson the hard way
Regret won’t make the pain or scars go away
It’s in your hands now, even if they shake
You’ve given so much, it’s your turn to take
You aren’t weak for needing a break
Persevere, there’s so much at stake
 
Allow yourself to hope
Take your time to cope
Slow and steady does win the race
Tackle challenges at your own pace
Move on, whether you crawl or run
Don’t permit yourself to come undone
Acknowledge your power that they ignore
Spread your wings so you’ll eventually soar
Unleash your inner dragon, your witch
Seek shelter within, get out of this ditch
 
Allow yourself to simply be
Unrestrictedly, unashamedly
'No' is a word you’re permitted to say
Nobody can ever force you to stay
Dust yourself off and dry those tears
Relearn to love and to face those fears
Your fate lies in your hands, even if they’re unsteady
You’ll know it deep down when you’re finally ready
It’s your body, your mind, your heart to give
It’s nobody’s business, it’s your life to live

What's the best way to spend the weekend? Reading, of course! So I've got a freebie and a new release by an author friend of mine that I'd like to share with you. Happy reading!
​

★FREEBIE, NEW RELEASE ★
 
Better With You is FREE and Fighting For You is LIVE! #1click and meet Gianna Gabriela’s Sexy Football Players. 
 
BETTER WITH YOU- FREE!
 
Anyone can break. It’s a choice to stay broken. 
 
US: http://amzn.to/2ErtVOF
UK: http://amzn.to/2BYtoCg
CA: http://amzn.to/2EvAy2A
AU: http://amzn.to/2GdVur9
 
 
FIGHTING FOR YOU - NOW LIVE!
 
US: https://amzn.to/2E7tuZv
UK: https://amzn.to/2RzTkbH
CA: https://amzn.to/2So6oAM
AU: https://amzn.to/2zCxoWe
 
Giving up isn’t a choice… but what if you’re tired of fighting?

* * *

Gianna Gabriela is a small-town girl living in the Big Ol' City of New York. She considers herself an avid reader and a hopeful writer. She's been reading for years and calls it her addiction. Her favorite genre is anything in the YA/NA Romance realm. She's a writer of the alphas you want and the strong heroines you need.

I'm excited about a new book of mine which will be released in September. It's called Hidden Hopes and it's Book 2 of the Inn Love series that I decided to write because I'm not just an author but also an innkeeper. Book 1, Tantalizing Temptations, is set in England. This upcoming novel will take readers to Canada.
To read the blurb, click here. For more info on the series, click here. And now, let's have a look at the cover and enjoy a first excerpt!
​

He turned his head, and once again she wished the hoodie and sunglasses would go so she could try to read his face. This mysterious, constantly brooding stranger was beginning to get under her skin.

“How can you be best friends with someone you’ve never met, never had any face-to-face conversation with or gone out with to have some fun?” he asked.

Hope frowned. “What’s all that got to do with being friends? I mean, I sure wish we lived closer so we could do stuff together… But we have the Internet for that, and we’ve grown incredibly close over the years. I don’t think anyone knows as much about me as she does, not even my parents.”

He was shaking his head slowly, and she had the distinct feeling that there was a frown on his face too.

“But how can you be sure it’s real?”

“What do you mean, real?”

His hand rose as if to run through his hair and fell back down uselessly. “I mean… So many people use the internet to deceive and pretend, to be someone they’re not. How can one ever be sure that a person is really who he or she claims on Facebook or wherever. How can you trust someone essentially anonymous with personal details, let them into your heart? What if it’s all a ruse to get something out of you? Fake photos or all the answers tailor-made to be whatever you want them to be?”

Her brows rose. “You’ve got serious trust issues, Mister,” she said before she could stop herself.

There was a scoffing sound from him, and this time his hand came up to scrub over his beard.

“Yeah, of course I do. Anyone with a sane mind would, in this day and age. Have you never heard about all those frauds and scams? About spectacular, freaky online dating failures? The internet’s no place for real friendships or for finding one’s true love.”

Hope sat up a little straighter, feeling personally attacked. “I get your point. It’s always good to be suspicious to some extent.” She grew agitated, gesticulating. “But don’t you think people deserve a chance? 

* * *

What about you? How do you feel about online friends? Let me know in the comments!

It's been a while since I last shared a #TeaseMeTuesday excerpt. Little Annie thought it sounded like fun, so here's a snippet from 'her' book. Tantalizing Temptations released last year and is Book 1 of the Inn Love series.
​

He held out a hand. “Call it a day. Come down and join me for a drink.”

A voice inside her was yelling a dozen reasons why that was a bad idea, but the only thing she could hear properly was her own voice agreeing.

Samantha laid her hand in his and let him pull her up. For a moment, they stood toe to toe, and the air around them seemed to shimmer to life, crackling and sizzling with the promise of what could be and probably soon would be. Jonathan’s eyes crinkled in a smile that was pure awareness. He waited until her breath hitched, then dropped her hand and stepped away.

“I took the liberty to already arrange something nice and cozy for us,” he said, his voice slipping into a slightly lower register.

She had to swallow hard before she found her voice. “I could’ve refused the invitation. Are you really so sure of yourself?”

A small frown flickered over his face. “No. Not when it comes to you, if I’m honest.”

He turned and she followed him out and down the stairs, mulling over his words. Did it mean he found her difficult to read? Did he think she was playing hard to get? Was she? Heck if she knew her own mind these days, let alone her heart.

Her thoughts came to a stand-still when Jonathan led her to the living room, which would soon be the inn’s common room. He’d left the lights off but lit the fire and some of the candles they had ordered two days ago. The summer nights here could get surprisingly cool, even though the fire was more about a cozy atmosphere rather than actual warmth. The room was awash in softly flickering light, the hiss and crackle of logs, the barely-there smell of smoke mixing with the delicate vanilla and rose of the scented candles.

Samantha stood there, staring. It had the feel of a candle-light dinner, intimate despite the size of the place. Was this…was this his idea of a first date? Was he romancing her?

When she turned, she stifled a gasp. Jonathan had walked right up to her. He was standing there in touching distance, head slightly tilted, his gaze drinking her in. For a moment, she felt self-conscious. She was probably looking frazzled from work, was dressed in her usual ensemble of jeans and a button-down shirt, had let her hair out of her ponytail some time ago to comb her fingers through it and think. But his gaze told her none of it mattered to him, as if he saw a woman she didn’t. The woman inside her? The woman she wanted to be?

“Beautiful,” he whispered. “The light does magical things to the color of your hair.”

His right hand lifted, and his fingers brushed so softly over her head that she barely felt them. She wanted to grab it, press it down more firmly. To lean her cheek into his touch, slide her body into his embrace.

She did nothing of the sort, only held his gaze. There was that knowing smile again, so free of smugness but so potent. “Let’s sit down and sip some wine.”

Buy links:
Amazon - http://bit.ly/2yHAnOf
Apple iBooks - http://apple.co/2kICjQn
B&N/Nook - http://bit.ly/2xB4u51
Kobo - http://bit.ly/2zitpfB
GooglePlay - http://bit.ly/2xBALhe
Smashwords - http://bit.ly/2xAkhFV

Read the blurb here: http://bit.ly/2xAkqZZ

Earlier this year, Mike Wells and I released another co-authored novel, Book 4 in the romantic suspense series "Forbidden". It ended on a cliffhanger - but you've been left hanging for long enough. Book 5 is on sale now! Below are the buy links and an exclusive first excerpt as this week's Sneak Peek Sunday snippet.
​

​Blurb:

Feeling that she has no other choice, Jayne Clark trusts her instincts and takes the blackmail problem into her own hands. As she chases the criminal all over Europe, her business partner, Beatrice, becomes increasingly angry with her for not shouldering her share of the responsibility at the restaurant. Jayne feels tremendous pressure preparing the grand opening, searching for the blackmailer at the same time and trying to keep her fractured relationship with Robert intact. Is she really ‘losing it' under the all the stress, or—as unlikely as it seems—is she on the right track?

Excerpt:

​“Un momento,” the waiter said sympathetically. “I ask-a somebody for ‘elp who speak good English.”

He vanished into the cafe, and she heard raised voices talking in almost superhuman speed.

A moment later, the man returned with a short, heavyset man in a cowboy hat.

“You want go Nahunta?”

“No, I want to go to Cunheira.”

“No, you want go to Nahunta.”

“No, I want to go to Cunheira.”

The man in the cowboy hat gave a shrug. “Nahunta, Cunheira, same thing.”

Jayne frowned. “How can they be the same place?”

The man shrugged again and nodded to one of the pickup trucks. “I can take you most way there.”

She looked at the truck. “Cunheira…?”

He smiled. “Sí, Cunheira.”

Jayne felt a little uneasy. She looked him over—the man was clean and relatively well dressed, in jeans and a checkered shirt. He had a pen and sunglasses sticking out of his pocket. She could see a beaded wooden crucifix hanging from the rear view mirror. He seemed relatively harmless.

“How much?” Jayne said.

He waved his hand, “I no taxi, I take you there free, on way to my farm.”

Jayne hesitated, and he shrugged and went over to the truck and climbed in.

She quickly left enough money on the table to pay for her food, grabbed her carry on, and hoisted it into the back of the truck before the man could get back out and help her.

 
* * *

Fifteen minutes later the truck was winding through the lush green foothills outside of Astorga on a two-lane highway. The town’s Santa Maria Cathedral, which Jayne had read about online, was now occasionally visible in the distance on the right-hand side of the road—apparently it was the main tourist attraction here, a gigantic baroque structure with a number of spires and towers.

The man in the cowboy hat, whose name Jayne learned was Horacio, had switched on the truck’s radio. Spanish folk music was blaring over the speakers. He drove fast, as if he was late for something, and kept glancing at his watch.

“Why you want go to Nahunta?” he said.

“Cunheira,” she corrected.

“Sí.” Horacio glanced at her clothes and espadrilles. “You do not seem like type.”

Type? she thought. She supposed he meant he didn’t look like a hiker. She told him the same lie that she’d given the waiter about being an archaeology graduate student.

“Ah,” he said, nodding. “Ruins, I seen them up there.” He laughed. “We have such ruins everywhere in Spain! We pay them no attention.”

Suddenly he slowed and turned down a dirt road that began to climb much more steeply, avoiding potholes, the interior of the vehicle rattling, the crucifix swinging wildly. “Matías good man. He take you to Na—Cunheira.” Horacio motioned helplessly. “My truck cannot go there, not possible.”

“I see,” Jayne said. She supposed that Matías had an SUV or a jeep.

They continued around several craggy hills covered in scrub and finally came to a stop in front of a makeshift trailer, made of rusted aluminum. The area around it was scattered with junk—old washing machines, refrigerators, barrels, plastic water jugs, an old mattress…

The driver got out of the truck, grabbed Jayne’s carry-on from the back, and they walked through the dirt up to the entrance, the door hanging a little askew.

“Matías!” Horacio screamed at the top of his lungs. “Matías!”

They entered the shack, which was dimly lit inside. Jayne could hear what she thought were chickens clucking somewhere out back.

A rail thin man with a scraggly beard, about thirty, wandered inside from that direction, his dirty hand grasping a bottle of wine by the neck. Shirtless, he wore a pair of ragged trousers and was barefoot.

He squinted at them in the dim light, then let out a belch that Jayne could smell from where she stood.

“She want-a go Nahunta!” Horacio shouted. His voice was so loud that Jayne jumped.

“Sorry,” Horacio said to Jayne and pointed at his own ear. “Matías cannot hear so good.”

Matías squinted at her, glanced down at her clothes, and looked back at Horacio. He took a swig of the wine, then asked a question in Spanish.

Horacio motioned to her. “He wants to know if you brought your own donkey?”

Jayne laughed. “No, I left him at home.”

Neither man cracked a smile.

Matías reluctantly set the wine bottle down on a table and motioned for Jayne to follow him outside. They were soon standing out in the bright sunshine again, passing through a clucking flock of chickens, and went around the corner, where two gray donkeys were tied to a tree.

“Are you kidding me?” Jayne said, looking at Horacio.

He pointed his brown hand up the boulder-strewn slope of the mountain. “Only possible go up Nahunta by donkey, cannot drive. Matías take you there, no problem.”

(Book 6 will release on the 14th of November. You can pre-order it here.)

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨) SURPRISE UNVEILING ROMANCE GIVEAWAY¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)

We are celebrating #romance by having a “SURPRISE” giveaway! 25 authors have come together to offer 1 ebook + a “Surprise Giveaway”. Could be #ebooks #paperback #swag #amazongiftcard & MORE>. Enter with the rafflecopter link PLUS join the Facebook Event and meet each author!!!

#LIKE #SHARE #TAG #GIVEAWAY #FREE #AMAZON

Get your books and enter the giveaway by clicking here: http://www.shannynleah.com/free-books-and-giveaways.php


Authors participating & the day of their “unveiling”.
Aug 8: Angela Scavone
9: Bella Emy
10: Cailin Briste
11: Connie Lafortune
12: Brianna West
13: Virginia Lee Johnson
14: Bonnie Edwards Author
15: Kelly Moore
16: Crystal S Authoress
17: Alyssa Drake
18: Bree Kraemer
19: Whitley Cox
20: Kimberly Reese
21: Author Amelia Bronson
22: Andrew Mackay
23: Author Isabel Love
24: Author J.A. Miller
25: Tracy Lorraine
26: Jeanne St. James
27: Chloe Quinn
28: Lexi Miles
29: Shannyn Leah & Devika Fernando
30: Kayla Reese
31: Erica Lynn - Erotic Romance Author

Looking for some weekend reading? Forbidden 4 (Lady Sotheby's Curse), the sequel to the romantic suspense series I have coauthored with Amazon-bestselling author Mike Wells from America, is out now.

Blurb

It's been almost a year since Lady Eleanor Sotheby leaped from a hotel balcony into the abyss. Jayne Clark is now living an entirely new life in Oxford, England, with Robert Astor, the man she loves. The horrific memories are finally starting to fade.

That's when the malicious envelope arrives in the mail.

It's a blackmail letter.  
​
And the criminal behind it threatens to destroy everything.
​
Buy Links

Amazon
Barnes&Noble (Nook)
GooglePlay
Apple iBooks
Kobo

Haven't read Books 1 to 3 yet? Book 1 is a free download.

Want a taste of the eBook before you buy it? I've been serially publishing Book 4 on my blog. Click here for the first post (a part is added daily).

All good things come in threes...which is why I've decided to offer my three royal romances in one box set at a special discounted price! If you buy the box set that was released today, you save 3 bucks compared to buying each eBook separately.

Amazon buy link: http://mybook.to/royalboxset

This bargain box set contains three full-length novels, also separately published as Book 1, Book 2 and Book 3 of the Romancing the Royals Series.

3 irresistible princes - 3 extraordinary women who turn their lives upside down

Book 1 - The Prince's Special Bride

Marie doesn’t believe in fairytales and needs no handsome prince to rescue her from misery – but everything changes when she falls in love with Crown Prince Christian of Taragonia. When his sister invites Marie to the palace, their lives collide and leave them both fighting their forbidden attraction.

Prince Christian has no place in his life for love or for a woman who doesn’t fit into the royal scheme of things. But vivacious Marie steals his heart and puts all he has lived for at stake. When the media gets wind of their affair, he has to make a difficult decision.

Will the unlikely couple have a chance at a happy ending?

Book 2 - The Prince's Stubborn Bride

Princess Olivia has just lost her husband. She is all alone in a foreign kingdom in desperate need of a ruler who can make it prosper again. Prince Sebastian is the only one who can help her prevent an uprising – but he has a reputation for being a loner and a rebel. Can she trust him when it seems that everyone else has a hidden agenda?

Prince Sebastian of Visteria once vowed to stay away from all royal obligations, but there’s no way he’ll leave his brother’s young widow in the claws of scheming ministers fighting to bring the monarchy to its downfall and ruin the people’s future. What he hasn’t counted on is the instant attraction sparking between the two of them.

Is a happy ending possible for these two royals who are too blind to realize they’re made for each other?

Book 3 - The Prince's Surprise Bride

When Jessica is accidentally involved in the kidnapping of the Crown Prince of Eirik, her life turns upside down. Not only does she start questioning everything she has taken for granted, but she also falls head over heels in love with the charming Norse royal. Reality returns with a vengeance after their short but exhilarating time together, and Jessica is forced to bury all hopes for a love-filled fairytale and fight for her future as well as her ailing father’s health. But then Prince Erik makes her an offer too good to refuse. Should she listen to her heart or her head?

Prince Erik has always put his kingdom before himself, but that changes when fate tempts him with this amazing woman from Germany. He is determined to win Jessica over, even if it means opening up old wounds. When push comes to shove and not only his heart but also his country is at stake, will he find the strength to make love overcome all obstacles thrown into their path?

Did you know that there are two other box sets of my books available?

Once bitten, twice shy… What if life threw a second chance at love your way?

This set contains two books at a special discount price that can be read as separate, stand-alone romance novels with a happy ending: Kaleidoscope of Hopes & When I See Your Face.

You can download the second chance romance set (sweet & clean) here.

​
​The special bargain set below contains two full-length multicultural romance novels for the price of one.
The ebooks are also separately available as SAVED IN SRI LANKA and SEDUCED IN SPAIN, Books 1 and 2 of the Romance Round the World Series.

You can download the ebook here - or treat yourself to the paperback, which is also available on Amazon.

And don't forget: I have a new release coming out on June 30th - Book 4 of the Forbidden romantic suspense series coauthored with Mike Wells, titled Lady Sotheby's Curse. Pre-order links here!