Congratulations to the winners and thanks so much to everyone for taking part!

First Prize: Mary Doherty
Second Prize: Winnie Lim
Third Prize: Heather – Red Headed Book Worm

Welcome to the Rock*It Reads Heating Up the Holidays Blog Hop. There are 15 stops on the blog tour. The more blogs you visit and comment on, the greater your chances of winning the grand prize, a $75 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble or Amazon, and a huge collection of books from the authors of Rock*It Reads. Smaller prizes will be available at each stop along the way.

Good luck, and have fun!

To heat up your holidays with fun prizes, Rock *It reads asks: what would you do with a hot hero over the holidays?
Snuggle by the fire, a romantic sleigh ride, ice skating, sipping hot chocolate, or something a little more intimate…? Here are fun things the heroes of some of my books would do for Christmas.

Escape with a Rogue

Jack Travers is a prisoner on the run from desolate Dartmoor war prison. Convicted for a crime he didn’t commit, Jack must escape to protect Lady Madeline Ashby, who has become the target of a fiendish killer. As Jack and Madeline race together across the moors, he believes a convict could never have a happily ever after with an earl’s daughter.

If he and Madeline were celebrating Christmas, Jack would move heaven and earth to make it perfect for his family: he would chop the yule log and bring it in by sleigh, he would help Maddy hang greenery and mistletoe, and he would sing and play with his children. Jack would love a sweet and happy family Christmas. Here’s an excerpt that shows what he longs for:

With the same gentle touch he’d used on her, Lady Madeline traced the line of his throat.

A noble man would stop now. But Jack couldn’t. As she stroked his neck, he went rock hard, panting in response.

“I’ll never forget what you made me feel in the stone hut, Jack.” Her voice flowed over him like a siren’s song—rich, husky, and magical. “You made me want to know more.”

More. “You want to know about carnal pleasures?” His voice was raw and scratchy.

Desire lit up her eyes, making the golden flecks gleam in the blue depths. She drew her chin up, bold and strong and courageous, but so sweetly vulnerable it broke his heart. “I desire you and trust you. I don’t care about your past, Jack Travers. I want you.”

A Gentleman Seduced

Lucien, Viscount Pembroke meets daring innocent Diana at a brothel, where she is in disguise, intrigued to learn about the wicked sensual world of gentlemen. He gallantly comes to her rescue when her identity is almost discovered.

Lucien is a viscount notorious for seeking pleasure—when Diana first sees him, he is playing blind man’s bluff naked with a ring of courtesans. He would never just snuggle by the fire; he would think of all sorts of wicked games to go with it, such as being tied up with red silk ribbons. Here’s an excerpt that hints at what Lucien might do with his heroine at Christmas with a bathtub filled with steaming water:

Lucien dipped his fingers in the bath water. A slow smile curved his mouth. “Perfect.” He walked around her and she shivered in anticipation as he touched her shoulders.

Diana was not prepared for the scandalous sensations she felt as Lucien stripped away her clothing. He dealt deftly with the tiny blue buttons of her sister’s gown, his lips kissing the back of her neck as he worked. All those delicate kisses sent her inhibitions reeling.

She couldn’t begin to imagine what he had in mind.

Heart hammering, she let her dress fall to the ground. She wore a low cut demi-corset over her petticoats and a gossamer-fine shift. He untied the stays with swifter precision than her lady’s maid.

“Lucien…”

“Yes, pet?” He unhooked her corset and dropped it to the rug.

“Do you intend to join me in the bath?”

Blood Fire

The hero of my newest release from Kensington, Blood Fire, is Matthew, the Earl of Sutciffe. He is now a vampire, but one doomed to die in a fortnight unless he can win a woman’s love—and the woman he loves is Octavia, who has a huge secret of her own.

A world traveler and explorer, Matthew would be fascinated by the customs of his day: caroling, playing a game of snapdragon (which involved eating flaming brandy-soaked raisins), kissing beneath mistletoe, riding in a horse-drawn sleigh. He would want to explore them with Octavia, who is more than a usual Regency heroine—she is also a succubus who captures his heart.

So what would you do with your favorite hero (real or fictional) at Christmas?

Leave a comment for a chance to win one of 3 prizes here and to take part in the Grand Prize at Rock *It Reads!

• 1st Prize: $20 Amazon Gift Certificate and Ebook version of ESCAPE WITH A ROGUE
• 2nd Prize: A signed copy of BLOOD FIRE and Ebook version of ESCAPE WITH A ROGUE
• 3rd Prize: Ebook version of A GENTLEMAN SEDUCED

Don’t forget to visit the other authors on the Blog Hop for more chances to win!

Excerpt from A Gentleman Seduced, © 2004 Sharon Page
Excerpt from Escape with a Rogue, © 2012 Sharon Page

Blood Fire is now available!

RT BOOKreviews gives it 4 ½ stars and says, “An unusual allegiance of villains adds special interest to this love story. It’s not your typical Regency romance, but is laced with the era’s flair and imbued with the full flavor of a paranormal. Page’s imaginative character development and an exciting plot are well worth the read.”

Lady Octavia Grenville, came into both her magic powers and her strange need to have sex to survive. She had known she was dying of a mysterious illness, and she wanted to have one night of pleasure before she died. Attending a masquerade in a daring costume, she flirted outrageously—and as an earl’s daughter, she had never done anything improper. Until a gorgeous rogue swept her off her feet and into his bedroom…

Here’s a brief excerpt of Blood Fire:

She was in trouble.
Octavia surveyed the glittering crowd that filled the small ballroom of the duke’s house. Where was Sutcliffe? That was one flaw with her scheme. This was a masquerade, though it seemed the idea was to wear as little as possible, at least for the female guests. All the gentlemen were masked.
Even a small strip of a black mask around a man’s eyes changed his appearance to an astonishing degree.
Octavia stared at dozens of men, trying to distinguish features disguised by the various masks, but she was certain she had not seen the Earl of Sutcliffe.
He was a notorious libertine. Surely he would have taken the bait of the invitation. Most of the women here were almost naked. Some wore only their corsets and stockings, along with heeled slippers. Their private parts, bottoms, nipples were entirely on display. Other women wore gauzy, fanciful costumes.
Octavia sipped champagne from a flute given to her by a footman—a footman who had been bare-chested and wore only breeches and boots. Nervously, she looked around.
She saw two fairies with jewel-rimmed gossamer wings. Brightly colored satin skirts barely covered their derrieres.
In polite society, it was shocking to show one’s ankles. Here, it seemed shocking not to reveal one’s legs or breasts. One woman wore only veils in the style of Salome. Another was also dressed as a harem girl, wearing a sparkling jeweled top over which her full breasts jiggled. Her stomach was bare, and a large ruby flashed in her navel.
To think Eliza had been shocked by her costume. It made Octavia smile to remember the way her friend’s jaw had dropped when she’d emerged from behind the screen in her bedchamber. She wore a draped Grecian style dress with no underpinnings beneath. Her breasts moved freely beneath the clinging, silky fabric, and the skirt fit tightly to her hips and legs, outlining their shape. She had needed an easy costume, and one she could readily hide with a cape. Her arms and shoulders were bare, and the flowing skirt was slit, revealing her legs.
She felt deliciously shocking.
She had braided her blond hair in an elegant Grecian style, and her gold mask covered her face from her hair to the top of her lip. The excitement of wearing the costume and then sneaking out of her house had made her feel stronger. She’d felt the way she had before she became sick—happy and excited.
It had been all the more thrilling when she’d thought of what was going to happen. When she’d imagined what she would say and how bold she would be with Sutcliffe.
Yet now, she couldn’t find her quarry, and she stood on tiptoe to take another look around the crowd—
“You are unique, my dear. Unlike every other woman in this room, you are mostly covered up.”
The deep, masculine voice rippled over her shoulder at the exact same moment fingertips brushed down the length of her spine. The silk of her dress was so thin it felt as if the man touched her bare skin. Octavia jerked around, gasping.
Blue eyes gazed down at her. The man’s lids were sultry and heavy, rimmed with dark lashes, but his sapphire irises appeared empty and cold. His dark brown hair fell in waves to his shoulders and drifted over his mask.
It was Sutcliffe.
He was dressed as a wizard, with a flowing robe of black silk belted at his waist. Stars and moons were embroidered on it with silver thread. He wore a tall, pointed black hat, one that was crooked at the end. His robe was slightly open at the top, revealing his bare skin.
Was he naked underneath?
Excerpt from Blood Fire by Sharon Page ©2012. All rights reserved.
 

RT BOOKreviews gave me a terrific interview on my new self-published book ESCAPE WITH A ROGUE—first in my Regency Prison Break series.

If you’d like to find out more about the story that garnered an RT Top Pick, please check out the interview.