Long and Short Reviews welcomes Carol Burnside who is celebrating the recent release of Brazen.
Because of a secret not hers to tell, spinster Rachel must marry quickly, and Angus is the first man who comes to mind. He’s a hard worker and strong. She’s seen him eyeing her and senses hunger in his gaze. Rachel goes to Angus, the local blacksmith, alone at night and asks him to marry her.
Although eager to accept her brazen offer, Angus is suspicious, thinking it’s some kind of prank and she’s been put up to this to embarrass him. After all, what would a lady like Rachel want with the likes of him? His work is hot and dirty, and his lineage doesn’t exactly have the pedigree ladies look for.
When he realizes she’s sincere, his heart won’t let him refuse her, but even the road to a quick, convenient marriage isn’t smooth. Angus keeps his feelings for Rachel hidden. After the ceremony, Rachel finds a distance she can’t bridge…until tragedy strikes.
Will they ever find the courage to declare their love, or will their stubborn need to protect their hearts prevail?
Enjoy an Excerpt
Angus had finished washing the last of his supper dishes when he heard a soft knock at his back door. Who the devil could that be?
He opened it cautiously, seeing the hem of a fancy lace-and-lemon dress in the slice of light from his doorway, quite similar to the one he’d seen Miss Dunn wearing tonight. Of course, it wouldn’t be her.
“Who’s there, Miss? Show yourself.”
“It’s Rachel Dunn, Mr. Brody.” Her voice held a slight tremor, but she made no move to obey him. “May I speak with you?”
His heart thumped faster upon hearing her soft reply. Rachel here? “And John? Is he with you?”
“I come unchaperoned with a matter of some importance.”
She risked her reputation to speak with him? “I see.”
But he didn’t see, couldn’t fathom why she would seek him out. The fact that he was this close to her, alone and having a conversation, stunned him.
“Might I gain entrance before someone happens along and sees me, Mr. Bro—”
“Angus. My name is Angus.” His breath hitched at the thought of hearing his given name pass her lips. Calling himself all kinds of a fool, he stood aside. Rachel rushed past him like a flash of sunshine, and he shut out the night.
Her gaze darted around the room much like a rabbit seeking the nearest escape route. Angus stifled a sigh and moved from between her and the door. His size frightened most women.
The oil lamp he’d placed on the bedside table threw a dim glow around the room. He turned up the wick, enough that he could see color had risen high in her cheeks.
“Oh, dear! This is your…”
“Uh, yes.” He grabbed the lamp and gestured to the doorway on the opposite wall. “The kitchen is through there. I’m sorry. This is a shotgun house. I built my room at the back, as far away from the heat of the smithy as I could get.”
And he was running off at the mouth. Not his finest hour.
She turned to him with a tight smile. “Not your fault I turned up unannounced at the back door.”
Damn, but she was a pretty thing with her large, upturned eyes and high cheekbones. Not a short bit of fluff that hit him mid-chest like most, but willowy. Sturdy and soft at the same time.
“Nice place you have here, Mr. Bro—” She pressed her lips together. He held his breath. “Angus.”
“Thank you.” He praised whatever had sent her to his door.
About the Author: 
Carol Burnside is an award-winning author of “Sizzling romance with heart and humor.” Her personal second-chance-at-love story resulted in an enduring marriage to her high school sweetheart. They reside in the Texas hill country, where Carol enjoys visiting wildlife from her covered back porch. Like any true southerner, she drinks tea in some form year-round. Carol’s novel length manuscripts have placed in numerous contests and won several, including the prestigious Maggie Award for Excellence. She also writes as Annie Rayburn.
Amazon reviews say Carol’s books are:
“Highly captivating!” “intriguing and a wonderful read” “Emotional and heartwarming” “Engaging!” and “Great reading!”
Buy the book at your favorite online venue.
A steamy second chance…
Cate Beauman is the multi-award-winning, international bestselling author of The Bodyguards of L.A. County series and the Carter Island Novels. She is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense and contemporary stories.
Ariel Anson thinks she has her life in order. She’s young, smart, and beautiful, even if she doesn’t believe the beautiful part. She’s a paralegal with a great career and a fiancé who’s a CPA. You just can’t get any steadier than that.
Gail Roughton is a native of small town Georgia whose Deep South heritage features prominently in most of her work. She’s a paralegal who’s lived in a law office for over forty years, during which time she’s raised three children and quite a few attorneys. She’s tried retirement but it didn’t take. Through it all, she’s kept herself sane by writing novels and tossing them into her closet. Thanks to BWL Publishing, Inc., most of those novels have now emerged in published form. A cross-genre writer, her books range from humor to romance to thriller to horror and she’s never quite sure what to expect when she sits down at the keyboard. She usually has a project or two on the backburner but doesn’t discuss them for fear of jinxing herself. Given her affinity for the supernatural, this should come as no surprise to any reader.
The Peacekeeper. When his shy neighbor knocked on his apartment door, Phate’s mission to stay off the humans’ radar until the rescue team arrived changed in a blink of an eye. He not only wants to tell this delectable human about alien existence, but he also wants to take her back to Thelli with him.
A. M. Griffin is a mother of three, dog owner (and sometimes dog owned), a daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She’s a hard worker whose two favorite outlets are reading and writing. She enjoys reading everything from mystery novels to historical romances and of course fantasy romance. She is a believer in the unbelievable, open to all possibilities from mermaids in our oceans and seas, angels in the skies and intelligent life forms in distant galaxies. 
In the captivating world of When A Taker Dreams, secrets unravel, and destinies collide. Meet Steele Coltrane, the enigmatic older brother of Ryker, and the illegitimate oldest son of their powerful father, Colbert Granger.
Janae’s family is from Louisiana and Georgia. She is the middle child of three. She began her writing career as a teenager in high school writing steamy love scenes for her classmates. She wasn’t convinced as a writer until her English teacher found her stories and told her she should be a writer. She treasured those words for all of her adult life. She has a bachelor’s degree in information Technology. She is a dedicated mother, friend and writer. She is usually found hunched over her laptop dreaming of different ways to entertain. She lives in Savannah, Ga with her cat Persephone and son. She loves dogs and wants to own a Husky and loves making people laugh and feel comfortable. She has a podcast called How Not To Write with Janae and her favorite color is blue. She is a Cancer.
