Showing posts with label Risk Factors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Risk Factors. Show all posts

Friday, March 14, 2014

RISK FACTORS by Calisa Rhose



Thanks for inviting me back Melissa!

You're welcome! Always happy to have you, Calisa! 

 I’m so excited to be able to share Risk Factors with readers. Some may be saying it’s not a new book, and you’re right. But at the same time it is new in that, since Risk Factors first released a year ago, my small epublisher Lyrical Press merged with the much bigger publisher, Kensington Publishing Corp as their new digital first imprint.

What this means for many of Lyrical authors is after signing a new contract we are now Kensington authors! Cool? I think so. Here’s the refresher blurb and a never-before-seen excerpt.

RISK FACTORS

Love, like life, is not without risk.

Veterinarian Vivian Dane has purchased her uncle’s practice in the tiny town of Wales, Missouri, where most residents still doubt her ability to treat their pets. But Viv is used to being considered less-worthy than her predecessors. After all, her parents are world-renowned wildlife vets, and most everyone is unimpressed she’s chosen to not follow directly in their footsteps. Now Connor, a patient’s owner, and is hot for Viv, but clearly doesn’t think she’s dating material because he has a daughter…who he believes no woman is good enough for.

Being a perfect dad is EMT paramedic Connor’s life focus. He can’t seem to stay away from sexy Doctor Viv, but attraction is as far as he’ll ever let it go. His mother abandoned him, leaving him to be raised in the foster system, and then his wife abandoned both him and their daughter. He absolutely will not risk bringing another woman into his little girl’s life and having her feel the hurt of being left…again.

Forfeiting is easier than attempting and failing. So why does Viv feel compelled to prove she’s a sure bet for Connor and his daughter? Can Connor trust Viv--and himself--enough to play the possibilities?

CONTENT WARNING: Happy-ever-after mixed with four-legged friends.
A Kensington-Lyrical Press Contemporary Romance

Excerpt:
“Tell Dillan no sign of a baby, and Joel took the dog.”
The warmth of his breath fluffed Viv’s hair lightly and she jerked away, relaying the message as an excuse. She would take time to fill the chief in on her treatment of the animal later. News of a possible missing child disturbed her though, and she leaned to the medic again.
“What baby?”
“There’s an empty seat in here, but no sign of an infant. I’m guessing it’s with a sitter. At
least I hope so.”
As he worked his voice remained soft, constantly soothing. His honeyed tones revealed how much he cared for the people in the car. Saving lives wasn’t just a job to this man. Viv doubted his awareness of the other emergency workers as he spoke to the victim.
Tiny shivers massaged over her scalp at the gravel in his tone and the intimacy of their position. She leaned from his proximity as much for air, as to hide her shame. They were trying to save lives, and she had some misplaced attraction for a strange man who probably didn’t remember, or care, if she was next to him. Well, except that he needed small hands.
Would he appreciate her hands on him, doing who-knew-what to him? Best to stay in the fresh air and not suck up his woodsy scent. Her head swam from his body pressed close to hers. The dizziness crowding in had nothing to do with her predicament, but everything to do with the man at her side. The man, so close and so virile, caused her tummy to twirl and dance like there was no tomorrow! Who was she kidding? Viv recognized the lie. No matter how the paramedic made her feel, the accident, the moaning people in the crushed car, the dread, overwrote any nice sensations. The excuse worked for her though, shutting the other vague face inside the vehicle from her mind.
Get a grip, Dane. The dog provided an excuse to escape as she said, “I should go check the dog again.”
“Put your fingers on this vein while I hold the other one.”

***
To celebrate the re-release of Risk Factors I’ll give a free copy to one commenter in their format choice today. Not only that, but if you don’t win a copy here, Risk Factors is only $2.99 (on sale as of this writing for $2.51)!!!

Buy Links:

Author Bio:
Small-town country girl Calisa Rhose is the author of a vintage historical novella, her first sale, and typically writes heartwarming romance in a few genres; steamy contemporary and light paranormal being her favorites—so far.

She’s been writing romance since she was a teen growing up in central Oklahoma, and reading romance books even longer. It wasn’t until 2005 that she decided if “they” can do it, there was no reason why she couldn’t write and get published, too. That realization began her journey into the world of publishing. Calisa dove into writing seriously and hasn’t looked back.

Since that day she’s become more determined than ever to see her name on bookshelves. As a member of the online group Marketing For Romance Writers and several other help groups, she loves to nurture other writers however she can. She continues to grow as an author since her first sale in April 2011.

After raising three lovely daughters, Calisa now enjoys relaxing with her husband of more than thirty years. They have a small plot of dirt for their menagerie of animals that include a Guiney pig, a cat, a goat, four small dogs and two horses. She loves spending time with her five granddaughters and crafting when she’s not reading or writing.

She’d love to hear from her readers at calisa.rhose@gmail.com and you can visit Calisa at www.calisarhose.com Find out about her first books on the Bookshelf page.
Also find her on Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, Pinterest and Amazon.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Book Review: Risk Factors by Calisa Rhose

Love, like life, is not without risk.

Veterinarian Vivian Dane has purchased her uncle’s practice in the tiny town of Wales, Missouri, where most residents still doubt her ability to treat their pets. But Viv is used to being considered less-worthy than her predecessors. After all, her parents are world-renowned wildlife vets, and most everyone is unimpressed she’s chosen to not follow directly in their footsteps. Now Connor, a patient’s owner, is hot for Viv, but clearly doesn’t think she’s dating material because he has a daughter…who he believes no woman is good enough for. Being a perfect dad is EMT paramedic Connor’s life focus. He can’t seem to stay away from sexy Doctor Viv, but attraction is as far as he’ll ever let it go. His mother abandoned him, leaving him to be raised in the foster system, and then his wife abandoned both him and their daughter. He absolutely will not risk bringing another woman into his little girl’s life and having her feel the hurt of being left…again. Forfeiting is easier than attempting and failing. So why does Viv feel compelled to prove she’s a sure bet for Connor and his daughter? Can Connor trust Viv–and himself–enough to play the possibilities?

Review:

Risk Factors is the second novel I've reviewed by Calisa Rhose. Like Home, Risk Factors is a sweet romance with wonderful small town aura, although, this story is set in a more contemporary setting. The author delivers clear language and a direct storytelling style to deliver an engrossing tale of two people who overcome their differences to fall in love.

Vivian Dane is a veterinarian specialized into domestic pets who has taken over her uncle's practice. The heroine is a compassionate and courageous lady. As the story open, the reader finds her volunteering at the scene of a major auto accident, treating dogs and cattle who have been injured or traumatized. There she meets hunky hero Connor McKay, EMT paramedic, amidst the chaos.

Vivian has a quirky sense of humor, which she often uses as a self-defense mechanism. She suffers self-esteem issues thanks to the number her snotty globe-trotting wildlife vet parents have done on her. It makes her passive aggressive at times and slow to stand up for herself when she should, but she grows as the story progresses. Viv learns to value herself for what she's accomplished and provides caring medical treatment for the small town pets people bring to her practice throughout the story.

Connor is handsome, brave and committed. Daily, he puts his life on the line to rescue strangers. He is also a dedicated single father to his daughter, Janna aka Jelly Bean. The blurb description made me worry the child would be on the spoiled side but she winds up being absolutely adorable. The girl and her pet skunk, Skittles, bring a touch of whimsy to the story. I loved the child and the mother/daughter bond that formed between Janna and Vivian.

Unfortunately, Connor has some deep-seated trust issues.  As a child, his mother abandoned him and then later his wife played the same dirty trick on Connor and his newborn daughter. The hero's resultant mentality turns him into an irrationally overprotective father who is determined to prevent his daughter from ever being hurt. He does so by trying to stop Janna from ever bonding with anyone other than him.

Connor and Viv's insecurities represent the internal conflict of the story, causing most of their misunderstandings and arguments. For external conflict, Rhose utilizes an eclectic mix of human and animal emergencies help drive the story and keep everything on an even kneel. The charisma between the hero and heroine sizzles even though love scenes are sweet. 

Rhose delivers an extremely satisfying story for anyone interested in sweet small town romances with plenty of action. I don't hesitate to recommend Risk Factors.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Buy Links:

Also, Risk Factors is on Authorgraph! Get your copy signed.

Author Bio: 
Calisa Rhose is an Okie, born and bred, through and through, and proud of it. While growing up, when she wasn’t on the back of a horse, she could be found with pen and paper in hand. Her writing career began with poetry in her younger days. Then she discovered Rock-n-Roll and cute musicians. Poetry turned into stories of romance and dreams. These days she lives with the same man who convinced her to take a romantic journey with him almost 30 years ago. After raising three strong daughters she spends her days loving their granddaughters, hoping for a boy someday, and writing. 

When she’s not writing, you can find Calisa putting on her editor hat and working to help other published and aspiring writers. She is working on more projects with her favored contemporary cowboys, first responders  and firemen.


Find Calisa Rhose at: 
Website/blog  
Twitter

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Author Spotlight: Calisa Rhose



Hi Melissa! It’s great to be here today. Thank you for reading Risk Factors and I (really!) hope you loved it as much as I do. I’m ready when you are. <grin>

Calisa, No worries! As always, your stories are wonderful. I loved Risk Factors! Everyone be sure to stop back by on Thursday for my review. 

Calisa, please tell us about yourself and your writing.

I write romance because that’s what I love. I read other genres, but my writing is strictly romance at the moment.

What does your writing space look like?

I used to have a lovely cluttered room with pictures and trinkets and books all over. Since moving to the new house and having my FIL to care for, I hang out on the sofa to write. That’s where I am now.
How long have you been writing?

I began writing when I was about fifteen and decided to get serious in 2005. I wrote my first full length cowboy story with intent to publish between June of that year and June 2006 and sent it to Harlequin on July 3rd. It hasn’t been published yet.

Do you have a process for coming up with character names and book titles?

I’d love to be able to say I have this whole ‘thing’ I do to title my books or name my characters, but-- Nope. The title will come to me once I begin writing usually and all my characters pick their own names, even the secondary characters.

How do you come up with your book titles?

They usually come to me on their own once I get into the story good. Except for Risk Factors. This book title got a change request by my editor. Originally it was Perfect Dr. Viv. And though Home is the title of my first book- it’s mostly because that was the only title I could come up with while writing and it just fit. Thankfully my editor agreed.

How do you name your characters?

I don’t name my characters. They tell me who they are when they are ready to. I actually had one hero I identified as XX through half the book until he finally decided I needed to know his name. Talk about awkward.

Do you write with music going in the background? What are some of your favorite types/bands?

I do. Put on good country and I can write for hours to it. When I wrote Home for The Wild Rose Press I lived in 1960s music to keep me in the era because writing those characters in Vintage America didn’t come natural to me.

What is your favorite book genre? Who are your favorite authors?

It depends on the book and my mood but I love contemporary first responder stories and paranormal wolf shifters. I can’t name my favorite authors because there are too many, but I read Amazing Gracie and that introduced me to Sherryl Woods- beautiful story if you haven’t read it, anything by Vonnie Davis, (some) Nora Roberts, and every Brenda Novak book I’ve read so far, oh, and Sarah Grimm and AJ Nuest-- everything from these two! There are too many more to name, but pretty much any WRP or LPI author grabs my attention.

Is there anything else you'd really like our readers to know?

I’m also an editor and avid reader when time allows, but I’m a writer first and always. I’m huge on family and love animals.

Quick quiz:
Favorite food? Mexican
Favorite color? Dk green
Favorite animal? Horse
Biggest pet peeve? People who don’t try before asking for help
Dream car? 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS

Love, like life, is not without risk.

Veterinarian Vivian Dane has purchased her uncle’s practice in the tiny town of Wales, Missouri, where most residents still doubt her ability to treat their pets. But Viv is used to being considered less-worthy than her predecessors. After all, her parents are world-renowned wildlife vets, and most everyone is unimpressed she’s chosen to not follow directly in their footsteps. Now Connor, a patient’s owner, is hot for Viv, but clearly doesn’t think she’s dating material because he has a daughter…who he believes no woman is good enough for. Being a perfect dad is EMT paramedic Connor’s life focus. He can’t seem to stay away from sexy Doctor Viv, but attraction is as far as he’ll ever let it go. His mother abandoned him, leaving him to be raised in the foster system, and then his wife abandoned both him and their daughter. He absolutely will not risk bringing another woman into his little girl’s life and having her feel the hurt of being left…again. Forfeiting is easier than attempting and failing. So why does Viv feel compelled to prove she’s a sure bet for Connor and his daughter? Can Connor trust Viv–and himself–enough to play the possibilities?

Excerpt:
 Viv’s smile and throaty laughter burrowed deeper by the second, mutating into hot want that seemed to draw him to her at every opportunity. But her invitation shook him back to level ground. Dinner. With her. Vivian Dane, the woman who seemed to freely access his dreams lately, was asking him out.

Her voice fell to a low smoky grade that slid like satin over him, tightening around his chest, making it hard to breathe.
He wanted to kiss her.
Period.
There was something about her in the lab coat he couldn’t put his finger on. She appeared
so fragile and delicate in pink that matched her lips…china doll perfect. Kissable.
He opened his mouth to refuse. He couldn’t afford to get close to anyone, wouldn’t risk Janna. He knew his daughter already liked the vet, had said so. If he got involved and it all nosedived south, he couldn’t stand to have Janna hurt. Even if she didn’t know it, Viv was their veterinarian now and he’d have to see her, Jelly Bean would notice the tension--
“Connor?”
“I’d like that.”

Buy Links:

Also, Risk Factors is on Authorgraph! Get your copy signed.

Author Bio: 
Calisa Rhose is an Okie, born and bred, through and through, and proud of it. While growing up, when she wasn’t on the back of a horse, she could be found with pen and paper in hand. Her writing career began with poetry in her younger days. Then she discovered Rock-n-Roll and cute musicians. Poetry turned into stories of romance and dreams. These days she lives with the same man who convinced her to take a romantic journey with him almost 30 years ago. After raising three strong daughters she spends her days loving their granddaughters, hoping for a boy someday, and writing. 

When she’s not writing, you can find Calisa putting on her editor hat and working to help other published and aspiring writers. She is working on more projects with her favored contemporary cowboys, first responders  and firemen.


Find Calisa Rhose at: 
Website/blog  
Twitter



Thanks again for having me here, Melissa. I had a fun time.

Calisa, thank you for being my guest today. It was a blast!