The Virgin's Shock Baby is Out NOW!!

 

My new Harlequin Presents/Mills & Boon Modern, The Virgin's Shock Baby, is out now!! I'm super proud of this story, it has (I hope) all the passionate intensity Presents demands and an alpha hero to die for in billionaire Italian corporate raider Dario De Rossi while Megan Whittaker is a sweet, vulnerable heroine who discovers a strength she never knew she had in Dario's arms. I also had a lot of sexy fun with the Pregnesia trope, something I have never done before but ALWAYS wanted to do...

Here are some of the things readers have been saying about it:

"Overall, a fantastic read. Not to be missed." 5 stars, Brenda, Goodreads

"This was my first book to read by Heidi Rice and I LOVED IT!!!! " 5 stars, Dawn Nicholson, Goodreads

"At times an intense, passionate romantic story with strong characters in both the hero and heroine and both characters deserved the HEA. Loved it." 5 stars, Geraldine, Goodreads

I hope you'll give it a go and let me know what you think...

Happy Pub Day to Me!

Yippee, it's finally here, the day I've been waiting for for months.... The publication day of my second women's fiction book Summer at Willow Tree Farm!

It's out in ebook as of today (it'll be going into print next April) with HQ Stories. And to celebrate I decided to do a little video about the place that inspired the story!

I'd love to know what you think??

Daring the Bad Boy is OUT!

After sadly neglecting this blog (because I have been busy writing - honest) I'm super excited to announce the release of not one but TWO new books this month...

First off, we have my Bad Boy Short from Tule Publishing just in time for Valentine's Night (which is the night it's set!!):

Daring the Bad Boy

 

Here's the smokin' hot cover ... I hope you all appreciate the hours and hours of research that went into finding that cover photo:

And here's the blurb!

What happens on Valentine’s Night, stays on Valentine’s Night... That’s the rule.

After a trip home to bury his father, US photographer in London Caleb Landry finds himself stranded in a Soho bar full of boozy women brooding his way through his least favourite night of the year. 

But when college art teacher Rosie Smith tries out the cheesiest pick-up line ever on him, Cal becomes captivated by this good girl with a filthy mind – especially when he discovers she has a V-Day allergy of her own. So he dares her to one smokin' hot Valentine’s night hook-up with no questions asked, satisfaction guaranteed...

But when Valentine’s Night turns into the morning after, suddenly Rosie's asking questions she shouldn’t, and putting Cal in danger of breaking his number one rule...

Hope you like the sound of that!

The OTHER new book which is out later this month is my first women's fiction book.

So Now You're Back is coming out with Harlequin MIRA UK on 25th February... And is already available for pre-order...

Will keep you posted with release news, but until then, if you're in the UK or Ireland, you might want to enter my Goodreads Giveaway of the book BEFORE 11th Feb.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

So Now You're Back

by Heidi Rice

Giveaway ends February 10, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

You might also notice that my blog has had a little bit of a re-design.. That's because I've been hard at work with the lovely guys from The Website Shop in Dublin's Fair City to get my website re-designed... All will be revealed very soon.

All right, back to the grindstone!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas...

Just popping in to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'm deep in revisions for my first Single Title book which will be out in August next year (hopefully) under the title Love, Cake and Having It All. Very excited about this book. If you want a few more clues to the content check out my Pinterest board. Or the Coming Soon page on my website.

I'm also going to help teach the Mills and Boon writing masterclass on 24 January 2015. Tickets are almost sold out but if you want to spend the day with me and the M&B eds learning how to become a best selling romance writer early bird prices are still available here.



Have a wonderful Christmas and see you in 2015!

Smexy Cover Reveal for Cosmo #2

My cover and blurb have arrived for my 2nd Cosmo Red Hot Read which is out on digital October 1st... I LOVE that guy, the perfect combo of hot and cute for my hero Brent O'Neill.

The Buff Cover

 

The Blurb

#WorstDatesEver

After a nasty breakup, Tally Gladstone has no interest in anything serious. But she's dipped her wary toe back into dating with a few blind dates — all bad... Or Worse. The only good thing to come out if it is a sizable following on social media. Her latest date is doomed from the get-go — he isn't even straight! But at least he knows someone who meets her every very exacting wish.

#EpicHotLover?

American-in-London  Brent O'Neill is everything she wants — on paper. He's hot, sexy and emotionally off-limits. Tally can play all she likes without getting burned. He's so good in bed he's addictive. But her millions of social media followers want disaster, not boring-ever-after. They might get their way yet — how is she going to walk away before her heart is in tatters?

Watch this space for a sneak peek.... Coming soon.

Introducing Beach Bar Baby... My next Harlequin KISS/Modern Tempted!

In the spirit of the season - Spring (in case you were wondering) - I've just added two new pages to my website. One for the fabulous short story collection from the authors of the RNA, Truly Madly Deeply - which includes a sneak peek of my offering The Fundamental Things - and one for my next Harlequin KISS/Modern Tempted book Beach Bar Baby.

I'm super excited about this story because it brings to a close my 'unofficial' Brothers and Sisters series of books which started with Rye and Maddy's story - Surf Sea and a Sexy Stranger - way back in 2010 and finished last year with Zane and Iona's story - Too Close for Comfort... Or at least I thought it had concluded with Zane and Iona. But I kept having this niggling feeling that my Cupcakes and Killer Heels heroine Ruby Delisantro's best mate and business partner Ella needed her story told too. But I just couldn't figure out what it would be, until gorgeous boat captain and Bermuda beach bum Cooper Delaney popped into my head. And suddenly everything became clear - or rather smoking hot!

Anyway, the book's out in May/June and you can check out a sneak peek here. For details on all six of the books in the Brothers and Sisters series and how they're connected you can check out my backlist page here.

Truly Madly Deeply Launch Day... Time to Partay!

Hey all

Just joining in the fun today for the launch of the fan-tabulous 24 (or 35 if you're buying on digital) Short Story Collection Truly Madly Deeply featuring some of the rising stars and bestselling authors of the RNA (that includes me, just in case you were wondering).

We're over on the Truly Madly Deeply Facebook Page  or you can connect with us on Twitter @RNATweets with the hashtag #TrulyMadlyDeeply (obviously!) if you want to join us for lots of fun and frolics today (BTW I've already nabbed Jamie Dornan as my virtual date and he said Hell Yeah... so forget it if you wanted to ask him).


But I'm also blogging here about:

The Inspiration for The Fundamental Things

For pictorial inspiration you can check out my Pinterest page...

These are the lifts in question.... Sans Josh & Antonio

Basically though, I got the original idea one day while at my other job working for a magazine as a film journalist. The magazine is based in some super swanky offices just behind the Tate Modern on London's South Bank. In fact the offices are so swanky they often get film crews there filming. Among some of the things to be shot there are Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and an episode of Spooks (yes WITH Richard Armitage in). Anyway, I've worked there as a freelancer for years and NEVER got to meet anyone famous. But I was uber-peed off a couple of years ago when I got into work to hear that Woody Allen was in the building shooting and he had with him Josh Brolin and Antonio Banderas... And some other tart who worked in the building had got stuck in the lift with Josh and Antonio for 20 minutes that morning... I mean, seriously? How fricking close do you need to get and NOT get to meet Josh Brolin and Antonio Banderas? Anyway, I pulled my disappointment - and my over imagination - out of the bag on that one when I came up with the premise for my story.

Then I started to ask the romance author's favourite question... What If?

What If... The guy you got stuck in the lift with wasn't a movie star, but your childhood sweetheart?

What If... You hadn't seen him in 22 years but you still hated his guts for a very good reason?

What If ... That reason wasn't as valid as you thought and finding out the truth might change your life/ and his in a very fundamental way?

If you'd like to be in with a chance of winning a copy of Truly Madly Deeply with my story - and tons of other fabulous stories - in it. Then you could enter the Rafflecopter posted below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

So now it's time to PARTAY!!! 

Happy V-Day with a Sneaky Sneak Peek of my Truly Madly Deeply story

Happy Valentine's Day everyone...

Hope yours is full of love whether it comes from your other half, your kids, your BFF, your Facebook friends, your Mum and/or Dad, your cat, your dog, your golfish, your favourite chick-flick or your favourite romance novel. Because in the words of a particularly cheesy (but very appropriate for the purposes of this blog) song Love Is All Around so let's think outside the box and celebrate love wherever you find it this V-Day. You don't have to be hooked up to enjoy it, IMHO!!

And in the spirit of spreading the love for a price (because let's face it V-Day is a little bit about commercial exploitation too - hello card companies, thanks for that!) Here's a sneaky sneak peek of my short story in the fabulous Truly Madly Deeply RNA collection just out from M&B...

The Fundamental Things 

by 

Heidi Rice

Elizabeth Ryan and Lorenzo Kelly haven't seen each other for over 20 years, when they get stuck in a lift together for 20 life-changing minutes... 

-->

Unbelievable. Of all the lifts, in all the office blocks, in the whole of London, the biggest mistake of my life has to walk into mine.

Elizabeth Ryan sent up a silent prayer for invisibility as she inched behind two suited executives. Her back bumped against the mirrored wall in the executive elevator at Stokes and Company’s brand new twenty-eighth storey tower in Canary Wharf. Unfortunately, someone up there wasn’t listening, because she failed to disappear.

Lorenzo Kelly.

The name whispered across her consciousness as heat crawled up her neck and flared across her scalp.

Twenty-two years since she’d last seen him and yet recognition had blasted her in the sternum as soon as he’d edged into the crowded lift. Which was surprising, because that fitted steel-grey designer suit was one heck of a departure from the wrecked jeans and third-hand leather jacket he’d lived in at Hillbrook Secondary.

Thank god he was absorbed in the lift monitor and hadn’t looked her way. One glance at those heavy-lidded bedroom eyes a moment ago had been more than enough to make her heart swell up and stop beating for several crucial seconds. Funny how even after two plus decades, and what looked like a major GQ make-over, those slightly slanting emerald green eyes still made him look as if he’d just gotten out of bed — or was about to lure her back into one....

Wanna read some more? Or enjoy 23 other fabulous short stories from the likes of Fiona Harper, India Grey, Adele Parkes and Katie Fforde for the bargain basement price of £7.99? Then pick up a copy online, at Mills and Boon now, or in stores on 21st Feb...

But even if you don't want to buy my book, I hope you have a brilliant day (how generous is that?). Why not tell me what you're doing today in the comments? And remember it doesn't have to be luvey dovey with your honey, just something that spreads the lurve. I'm going to be having coffee shortly with my oldest son and maybe watching a couple of episodes of HBO's Girls! Then tucking in to the rest of my RITA books... How's that for spreading the love?

TWO New eBooks out in January! Get your sneak peeks here.

Wow!! I've been working hard recently. Because I have two new ebook releases out in January 2014.

First up is my very first Cosmo Red-Hot Read (think KISS but with added sexy bits!). 10 Ways to Handle the Best Man is the story of uber-efficient maid of honour Sabrina Millard and Connor McCoy, the bad man she's going to have a very hot time trying to turn into a best man.... The good news is, Sabrina has a ten-point plan... The bad news is, Connor isn't the type of guy who follows instructions - at all.

Check out a sneak peek here from the first chapter.

And next up, I have my first POP book for Harlequin E - Movie Bliss: A Hopeless Romantic Seeks Movies to Love. Like it says on the tin, this is an ebook of romance-landia friendly film picks from my cache of favourites. So if you want to know how to obtain movie bliss without the use of control substances, this ebook's for you!

Check out my take on Bridget Jones's Diary here.

Win a Copy of Too Close for Comfort, my 1st Harlequin KISS novel

The lovely UPS man delivered a big ole box of books today of my first ever Harlequin KISS novel!! So how excited am I??

Too Close for Comfort is due out on May 21st in North America and features drop-dead delicious Mexican-American PI Zane Montoya - who appeared briefly in my last Harlequin Presents Extra One Night So Pregnant  and got everyone hyperventilating - well, me anyway!

So I just had to write Zane's story. But I wanted to find him a heroine who would really challenge him and get behind that sexy, devil may care charm to the tortured and tender soul beneath. Step up Iona MacCabe, a feisty Scottish wildlife artist who's in California to track down the deadbeat who conned her father out of his life savings... Unfortunately said deadbeat is also on Zane's hit-list, and the last thing Zane needs after staking out the guy's motel room in Morro Bay for most of the night is some reckless kid breaking into the room and screwing up a six-month operation...

Uh-oh, I see trouble ahead... And moonlight and dancing and lust and... well you get the picture!


You can read a sneak peek from the first chapter of Too Close on my website here: 

Psst.. This copy of the book also features a seriously smexy free novella by Aimee Carson called The Wedding Dress Diaries: the stunning intro to our wonderful Harlequin KISS continuity The Wedding Season by Aimee C, Amy Andrews, Yours Truly and Kimberly Lang...Which I guarantee you will not want to miss... I'm still fanning myself after reading it a couple of months ago!

So if you'd like to win a free copy of Too Close for Comfort (with Aimee's bonus novella), you can either enter the Goodreads Giveaway listed on the sidebar of this blog (which will be approved shortly and runs until 15th May!).

Or Enter the Rafflecopter below (PS, if you need help with the answer to the question, check out my website page for the book above!).


a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Sneak Peek of Too Close for Comfort...

Yay! Thanks to the hard work of my wonderful web lady Heather I now have a sneak peek of my next book – Too Close for Comfort – up on my website.

This is the story of dropdead gorgeous Mexican-American PI Zane Montoya who appeared as the hero's half-brother in One Night, So Pregnant!  And reckless Scottish wildlife artist Iona McCabe...  if you want to find out how they meet in the opening chapter check it out here.

The book is out in June as a Harlequin KISS in the US and as a Mills and Boon Modern in the UK...  And hopefully all those people who asked for Zane's story won't be disappointed.

Summer in Sicily... Hot, in more ways than one!

Just back from my relaxing holiday on the lovely Italian isle of Sicily. It really is a gorgeous place, rustic unspoilt and the locals were super friendly. The tiny town where we were staying was having a fiesta the night we arrived, which turned out to be very fortuitous as we couldn't find our villa. Ended up with a car load of local guys leading us to the place after a faltering exchange with us talking in English, them talking in Italian, and lots of gesitculating over the rather crap map from the holiday company. Am thinking this may be the start for a book!!

The weather was blazing sunshine everyday which unfortunately meant I couldn't do a thing except laze about the pool or at the local beach - where I did a lot of very valueable research watching the buff young local guys show off their tanned abs... Gotta love Italian men, they don't half know how to flaunt it! Sadly I could not get any pictorial evidence of this inspiring pastime for my blog as I had my slightly older but no less sexy husband sitting next to me! So have added in a few others pics to make you salivate.

The other rather liberating thing was that there was no internet connection to speak of... Amazing how productive you can be when you have no access to Twitter, Facebook, email or my latest internet time-suck obsession Goodreads (am now a Goodreads author if anyone wants to go Friend me as I'm feeling a little lonely). So have now written the first three chapters of my next book...

Which involves an events planner called Tess Tremaine who ends up ever so slightly pregnant after she gets dumped by her boyfriend and ends up having super hot rebound sex in a closet with a New York billionaire called Nate Graystone. Tess is a former wild child turned demure career woman who's cover has just been blown in spectacular fashion... Can she pick up the pieces of her shattered image? Go back to being a good girl again? And how is arrogant, super sexy and totally aloof Nate, who she only knows in a biblical sense, going to deal with the prospect of fatherhood? Not well as it turns out!

Very excited about this one, scenes literally pinging into my head while lounging by the pool in the sun. That said, I know I am in the first flush of love and will probably want a divorce by chapter ten.

In other news, also returned to discover a super classic cover for On the First Night of Christmas in it's US/Harlequin Presents Extra incarnation. What d'you think? So different from my Riva cover... More Christmassy, very classy but a little less sexy maybe?

Which one do you prefer?

I'll be doing a giveaway on Goodreads and a comp here on my blog as soon as I have my author copies...

Come on Mr Postman, get a move on!

Nick and Eva's Story has a title!

Woohoo! Nick and Eva's story is now called.... Wait for it:

The Good, The Bad and the Wild

I let you guess who's the good and who's the bad. It's gonna be out in the UK as a Riva in March 2012 (I hope!). Will be posting a sneak peek on my website once I have some cover art... But to get you in the mood, here's a lovely istock photo of The Golden Gate Bridge where Nick and Eva take their first wild ride to be followed by one heck of a wild night!