Let the "Dangerous Favor" party begin!

Happy Valentine's Day! (Or almost-Valentine's Day, if you're here on Monday.) And welcome to my online book launch of Dangerous Favor! I couldn't think of a better time to share my newest sweet medieval romance with you. I'm giving away prizes, of course, and gifts to everyone who visits (think chocolate!). But first, a little bit about Dangerous Favor:


Here is the back cover blurb:

Mathilde needs a champion.

Her father has been accused of stealing from the king, an allegation that has reduced her family to poverty. She has one chance to find and marry a man who can help her prove her father's innocence. Lord Therri, heir to a rich barony, has the wealth and connections Mathilde needs to delve into the mysteries of her father's past. Furthermore, Therri embodies all her romantic dreams. 

Etienne, the younger son of a disgraced family, has neither wealth nor connections, but is smitten with Mathilde at a glance. She finds the knight intriguing, but believes he is only out to seduce her. While she seeks for a way to win Therri's attention, Etienne tricks her into granting him her favor, an embroidered white ribbon, for a tournament, setting in motion a dangerous chain reaction of events. Can Etienne save Mathilde from a nightmare from her past and prove himself the true hero of her dreams?

And of course, I can't let Valentine's Day go by without sharing a sweet, romantic excerpt with you. (Okay, so I snipped just a couple of words out so as not to give away a tiny bit of the plot, but this scene reads true without them.)

It occurred to Mathilde that Etienne might interpret her remark as evidence of her own lack of skill in the kitchen.

She added hastily, “I am not in the habit of burning something as simple as gruel. Since my father was forced to let our cook go, I have been responsible for all our meals. Father teases me that if he had known he had such a talented cook for a daughter, he would have turned Gilles off years earlier.”

“You cook?” A flicker of surprise animated his drowsy gaze. With an effort, he drew his right elbow under him to prop himself up. “Nay, your fragile fingers never wielded a flesh-hook or turned the weight of a boar on a spit.”

“Father drafted a scullery boy from the fields to help me lift the heavier pots and to dress game as large as boars. And my fingers are not fragile!”

“They are so slight I wonder their delicate bones have not shattered ’ere now. Such ethereal extremities were intended only for the gentle drawing of an embroidery needle or the sweet plucking of a harp’s strings.”

“I play the flute, not the harp. And I will prove to you that my fingers are quite strong!”

She crossed the tent, set the bundle of bread and cheese on the stool next to the cot, then grabbed Etienne’s hand and squeezed.

“Mercy, my lady!” he cried.

But his green eyes twinkled as they had that first night she had met him in Grantamur’s hall. Her squeeze had as much effect on his strong, broad palm as she imagined it would have had on a stone. She flushed with embarrassment at her boast—and with confusion at the disturbing tremor she felt as his long brown fingers wrapped themselves about her own.

“Let me go,” she whispered.

“Afraid Therri will see me holding [your] hand?” he said, echoing her earlier warning. “I suppose that would give him a bit of a jolt.”

He laughed softly, an utterly disarming sound that caused a catch in her breath.

“I’m not holding them tightly, you know,” he said after a moment of flustered silence on her part.

“What?”

“Your fingers. I don’t want to break them. I am only holding them lightly—see?” He lifted her hand, bouncing it slightly as though weighing it in his.

He was right. He cradled her fingers as gently as a mother might cradle her cherished babe. ’Twas not by force of strength that he held her trapped, though quiet power emanated from his touch. If her fingers continued to nestle in his, ’twas because she willed them to.

Somewhere in some far corner of her mind the word seducer whispered. But ’twas more than his mysterious charm that held her now. She did not know why she thought suddenly of the grey-haired knight and his menacing gaze. But with her hand in Etienne’s, the threat of that memory seemed to ebb, replaced with a warm promise of safety.

To celebrate the release of Dangerous Favor (available now on Amazon), I'm giving away not one, not two, but THREE prize packages!

(1) A Dangerous Favor tote bag containing a Dangerous Favor mug, a Dangerous Favor mouse pad, and a copy of Dangerous Favor (print version), a box of candy, and some swag.

(2) A Loyalty’s Web tote bag containing a Loyalty’s Web mug, a Loyalty’s Web notebook, a copy of Loyalty’s Web (winner’s choice of print or Kindle version), a box of candy, and some swag

(3) An Illuminations of the Heart tote bag containing an Illuminations of the Heart mug, an Illuminations of the Heart notebook, a copy of Illuminations of the Heart (winner’s choice of print or Kindle version), a box of candy, and some swag

And EVERYONE who enters will receive a 2 oz box of chocolate and some swag (bookmarks, magnets, pen, and a special Dangerous Favor white ribbon).

(**If you already own a copy of Loyalty's Web or Illuminations of the Heart, you may still enter for the other prizes in the package. Just leave a comment with your entry letting me know you already have the book.)

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post. To get your box of chocolate and swag, you must also email me your mailing address to jdipastena@yahoo.com, because obviously I can’t send you your candy if I don’t know where to send it. J (Addresses will not be kept and you will not be added to any mailing lists)

Deadlines for entries is February 14, 7:00 PM MST.

OFFICIAL RULES:

• NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
• USA entries only
• Entrants must be 18 years or older
• Giveaway opens February 13, 2012 and runs through February 14, 2012
• Winners will be selected on February 14. Winners have 48 hours to respond to an email notifying them of their win.
• Prizes not claimed within 48 hours will be reawarded
• Sponsor name and contact info: Joyce DiPastena, jdipastena@yahoo.com or PO Box 673, Kearny, AZ 85137
• Legal venue: Arizona (no, this doesn't mean you have to be from Arizona to enter!)
• VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW