Monday 18 February 2008

My Valentine's Treasure Hunt Clue... A bit early.

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm so excited I couldn't wait and decided to post my Treasure Hunt clue a few hours early. But then again, it's probably the 19th now in Oz, so it's not too early at all. There, justification done.

Firstly, in case you don't already know, the Sensational Romance Blog is running a Valentine's Treasure Hunt this month with a fabulous job lot of great Modern Heat romances to be won. All you have to do is go to the different author blogs where the clues are posted, jot down the answers to one simple question, and then send them all in an email to our webmistress Ally Blake at win@allyblake.com by 28th Feb. The winner will be announced on the Sensational Romance blog on 29th. Don't forget you need all the answers to win the prize. A list of the difference authors and the books they're giving away is on the Blog too.

I'll be giving away a copy of my second Modern Heat/Sexy Sensation book The Mile High Club, which got a four star review from Romantic Times (under its US title The Millionaire's Blackmail Bargain) and won a Cataromance Reviewers Choice Award earlier this year. So it's not half bad, if I do say so myself.

I'm going to post two short excerpts from the first chapter and then ask an easy peasy question underneath. So here goes.... (Drum roll please).


Carmel Rourke strained to hear the footsteps in the bedroom next door, crouched against the cold enamel of the bath and tried not to breath. Now, if she could just stop her heartbeat sounding like the canon fire finale from the 1812 Overture, she might be able to avoid spending Christmas in a prison cell.

How had she ended up hiding in The Ritz hotel bathroom of a complete stranger?

Mel fisted her hands to stop them trembling and sunk down further into the bathtub as the bathroom light flashed on. A dark shape crossed in front of the gauzy layers of shower curtain.
He looked enormous.

But at least he was whistling. Maybe he wouldn’t mind when he found a mad woman hiding in his bathroom? She swallowed and prayed her stomach wouldn’t grumble. The fear and the hours she’d spent in confinement were making her head start to spin. Running water sounded and then the whistling stopped. Was that the hum of an electric shaver?

Mel tried to inch upright without putting her head too far over the lip of the bath. She needed to be ready to put her plan -- pathetic as it was -- into action. The humming stopped and the whistling started again. Then came the deafening crackle of a zipper and the thud of something hitting the floor. Mel felt her heart jump into her throat and had to suppress the yelp when a tanned, muscled forearm sprinkled with dark hair appeared above her and grasped the shower control.

Two quick twists and a deluge of cold water shot out of the showerhead. Mel squealed as the icy spray hit her full in the face.

‘What the…’

The shower curtain whipped back and towering over her was the hunk -- without a stitch on. A sprinkling of dark hair defined the contours of a hard muscled chest and arrowed down to his groin. Mel’s blood pressure shot up to boiling point as her eyes followed the arrow down completely of there own accord. Through the deluge of warming water, she saw something she knew she’d never forget as long as she lived. Her gaze rocketed back up to his face so fast it was a wonder she didn’t get whiplash. Piercing blue eyes glared at her, accusingly. But he made no move to cover himself.

Mel pushed the dripping hair off her forehead, her hand shaking so hard she thought she might be having a stroke.

‘What the hell are you doing in my bathroom?’ he shouted.



Okay, that's it, now my question is...

What's the name of the hotel where Mel is hiding from her hunky stranger?

See, I told you it was dead easy.

Right now once you've got that, you need to head on over to Nicola Marsh's blog for 21st Feb where the next clue will be posted. And if you've missed any of the other clues along the way just go back to the Sensational blog and check them out again before the 28th.

Good luck.

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