The Engagement Gamble by Nancy Fraser - Book Tour - Book Sale - Book Trailer - Jigsaw Puzzle - Guest Post - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hey, lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Nancy Fraser and her new book, “The Engagement Gamble”!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Nancy and to increase your chances of winning!

This eBook is on SALE during the book tour for ONLY $0.99!!!  See below for more details.

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!

The Engagement Gamble

by Nancy Fraser

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GENRE: Historical Romance

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BLURB:

Marshal Zack McAlister has made it his mission to protect the good citizens of Greenville, MS. In particular, one very opinionated and independent lady doctor. The only hinderance to his professional obligations are the dozen or so single women vying for his attention.

Suzanne Martindale, M.D., has quickly become a fixture in Greenville since taking over for her semi-retired predecessor. And, like Marshal McAlister, she’s been inundated with unwanted suitors.

When Zack proposes a fake engagement, Suzanne is reluctant at first and claims in order for anyone to believe they’re actually courting and in love, there has to be chemistry between them.

Zack sets out to prove they can easily fool the people of Greenville into believing their ruse. Will his smooth Cajun charm and steamy-hot kisses do the trick? Or, are they destined to be victims of their own charade?

When outside forces threaten the entire McAlister clan, can Zack keep his family, and his faux fiancé, safe? And, will a life-threatening accident show them anything, even love, is possible if you have trust?

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The McAlister family welcomes you back to Mississippi with a third adventure, and maybe a sneak peek at yet another devastating seductive McAlister man!

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EXCERPT ONE:

Greenville, Mississippi

June, 1868

“Evening, Marshal.”

“Good evening, Miss Winston.” Zack McAlister greeted the young school teacher with a nod and a tip of his Stetson before setting his hat squarely back on his head.

“I brought you some cookies,” she told him, “as a thank you for stopping those boys from tipping over our privy.”

“It was my pleasure.” Accepting the proffered plate of cookies, he added, “I’m sure my deputies and I will enjoy these immensely.”

About to open the door leading to his office and step inside, Zack was halted by Gloria Winston’s next words. “I absolutely love your accent. It’s so…so…New Orleans.”

“Why thank you, ma’am.” Zack took another step forward, anxious to extricate himself from the unwanted attention. “If you’ll excuse me, Miss Winston, I have reports to complete.”

“Please, Marshal, call me Gloria.”

He reached for the door handle and nodded. “Good day to you, Gloria.”

“Good day, Marshal.”

“Another batch of cookies?” Pete Bailey asked when Zack came through the door, a snicker slipping through the deputy’s handlebar mustache, the sound of his laughter followed quickly by a broad, tobacco-stained grin.

Zack turned toward Pete and shot him a glare. “I don’t hear any complaints from you or Tom when you’re enjoying your fill.”

“I just wish these young fillies would learn how to cook something substantial, like a stew or a loaf of bread. A man can’t live on cookies alone.”

Zack sat the plate down on the corner of the desk and took a seat on the other side. It had been the same for the past two months, ever since he’d come to Greenville from New Orleans to take over for the ailing sheriff. He couldn’t walk down the street without one of the town’s available young women throwing herself at his feet. It had been a novelty at first, but now it was just plain tiring. Zack could almost feel his jaw twitching from the hundreds of smiles he’d forced across his face in the name of civility.

“I wish they’d just give up,” Zack muttered. “Surely they can see I’m not interested.”

“You McAlister boys do tend to attract every available female for miles. It was that way for Matthew, then Jake. It’s your turn to wallow in the McAlister charm.”

“I don’t want to wallow in anything. I just want to do my job.”

“You know what you need, Zack. You need a wife,” Pete said. “Then, this parade of girlies would stop.”

“I’m not in the market for a wife. And if I were, there’s not one that interests me in all of Greenville.”

“What about that doctor lady? You two seem to get along just fine.”

“We get along because we’re both professionals, out to do a job. And, Suzanne Martindale is the last woman I’d want for a wife.”

“She seems fine to me. She sure is a looker.”

“She’s also opinionated, stubborn, tied to her career and, at her best, infuriating.”

“It sounds to me as if you’ve given the doc some serious thought.”

Zack shook his head, dispelling any notion of ‘thinking’ about Suzanne Martindale. “My idea of a good wife is someone who stays home, keeps a neat house, raises the children, and is waiting by the door when her husband gets home from a long, hard day at work.”

“That sounds about right, assuming all you want is to make babies and eat a home-cooked meal.”

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BOOK TRAILER:

Check out Nancy’s exciting new book trailer below!!!

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JIGSAW PUZZLE:

Nancy Fraser has created a fun jigsaw puzzle for her readers to play!!

Check it out here:

https://bit.ly/36moGf3

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GUEST POST:

Inside the Writing Haven of Author Nancy Fraser

My Office ... hmm. You do realize I had to clean and dust before I could take pictures to go along with this post.

All of my writing is done in my office. No time on a tablet, or hand-scribbled notes, unless the power goes out. So, for that reason, my office has to be comfortable. Other than my computer itself, with its next-level virus security, the most expensive item is my chair.

Given my butt stays in the chair for 8 to 10 hours a day, comfort was a must. Big (like aforementioned butt), and plush (also like...never mind), with Serta filling and five levels of back adjustment/recline. I love my chair.

A day bed because the office doubles as a spare bedroom for my grandson when he visits. I admit, I also use it to daydream a new scene.

The compulsory shelves for books. I don’t have as many as you’d think. A Keurig machine so I don’t have to waste time going to the kitchen for my copious cups of coffee.

The wall of book covers. While this wall is far from complete, it does highlight a lot of my early books, some of which are no longer available. Since I have over 40 covers to display, I’m in the process of replacing the covers with genre-specific posters.

My calendar that keeps me grounded and somewhat on schedule. With a new book coming out every month, I have to have the schedule within my line of sight to keep from getting distracted.

Pens, pencils, notebooks, and the requisite day planner. Even 2020 couldn’t keep me from keeping a day planner. Those of us who are fortunate to work from home had little trouble assimilating and, therefore, still needed our calendars and planners.

Those are the basics. Then, there are the extras.

Even a solitary author needs two vital things: music and company that doesn’t talk (too much) and would never think of critiquing your current work-in-progress.

My music choices change with the type of book I’m writing. For the current historical series, of which The Engagement Gamble is the third book, it was mostly classical, with a bit of country thrown in for good measure. For my April release, an ultra-steamy age-gap romance, it was Pop...specifically the new Pentatonix album. For my current work-in-progress, another steamy romance with a tortured heroine and damaged hero, it’s soulful love ballads.

And, that companion? An 1890’s marionette named Simon. He belonged to my late cousin who had him for over 40 years when she passed away and left him to me. He hangs on a planter hook above my head and occasionally gives me odd looks when I’m surfing social media when I should be writing.

It takes all of this to retain my sanity as a solitary individual...an author...who loves what she does so much she willingly locks herself in a room and only comes out when the grandkids come to play!

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MY BOOK REVIEW:

 A fantastic new addition in Nancy’s latest Book Series, “Love’s a Gamble,” that absolutely kept this reader glued to the pages!!!

This book was such a fun, quick, enjoyable read that I was able to finish in just a few sittings!!!

I had the privilege of starting at Book One, “Her Timeless Gamble,” from Nancy’s new book series, which came out in early February this year.  And, of course, I totally loved it!!  Which has become a recurring pattern for me with Nancy’s other books that I’ve been lucky enough to score a copy of.  However, when she released Book Two, “His Marriage Gamble,” at the end of February this year, I was caught up with family health issues and sadly didn’t have time to read and review her book.  Then, as things finally started settling down, I saw Nancy was already releasing Book Three, “The Engagement Gamble,” and since I was disappointed missing out on Book Two, I knew I couldn’t miss Book Three as well!  And let me tell you, I am very happy that I was able to find time to read and review her latest book as it does not disappoint!!!

Like the other two books in this series, this book also follows the ever so charming, charismatic, influential, and very attractive McAlister family.  They are the family you want – or technically shall I say want to marry into lol.

I really liked the main characters, Zack and Suzanne.  They were both friendly, honest, likable, and genuine.  I also really liked that both characters were smart, funny, caring, opinionated, stubborn, ambitious, and persistent.  They really had so much in common, so it was entertaining seeing them try to downplay it from each other and at times even deny their compatibility.  I truly admired how strong, considerate, kindhearted, and protective Zack was.  Plus, there was so much spark and passion between these two!!!  And of course, I loved the fun, witty banter these two were constantly engaging in!!!  There were many LOL moments that I was glad I was reading at home as I probably would have gotten a few strange looks at the park LOL!!!

Even though this book takes place like over a 100 years ago, I still found the story easy to connect with and the characters easy to relate to!!  I liked how grounded the main characters were regardless of their respected family, educational, and career statuses.

I really enjoyed the story line and have always found (as with this book too) the fake relationship/fake engagement angle to be so much fun, full of laughter, and occasionally a tad bit bursting at the seams with the cheesy Hallmark drama.  Although the fake engagement story line might not be a totally brand-new concept, the author was able to skillfully put a refreshing and entertaining spin on this book with her post Civil War setting, the powerful and prominent Deep Southern rooted family, and cultural ties, and of course, Nancy’s creative and clever storytelling abilities that always manage to fully engage and captivate the reader!!!

As per usual, I was impressed with Nancy’s significant depth of research that was thoroughly highlighted in this book.  Her expertise and true love of old-fashioned romance and historical content really adds value and accuracy in her writing.  She also always keeps the material educational, but not overwhelming as it was easily to grasp and follow along.

I loved being able to just pick up this book and start reading without any complications or issues.  This book has the benefits of a standalone, where I can easily jump right in even after having missed the previous book and not have any confusion or misunderstandings.  Yet, it also has the benefits of a book series by following the same family characters and setting.  Although, each book seems to focus more specifically on one particular McAlister and their love interest, the other family members tend to make multiple appearances throughout the book.  These types of book series are truly my favorites!!  As I can choose (or in reality, life can lol) which books in the series to read and if life gets in the way again, I don’t have to feel guilty about missing a book in the middle of the series and then feel like I can’t participate in the author’s book series review tour without falling behind or getting completely lost in the series.  This usually would have forced me to eighty-six the whole book series completely until I have the time to read all the books exactly in order.  Another reason I love this particular style of book series is because it allows for no books in that book series to be required reading.  For example, if there was a book or two that I wasn’t quite interested in, yet they were part of a very exciting book series that I had wanted to read, however, they weren’t set-up like these standalone book series, it could actually prevent me from reading any of the books in that entire book series, no matter how intriguing the series might have been.  I would worry what book series details I might miss out on from not reading those two books and be concerned about possible mix-ups and misunderstandings in the following series books.  However, if I forced myself to read those two books and if they touched on topics that I wasn’t comfortable with or even interested in then it would be quite hard to not only finish it but retain any of the details or information.  So, I just wanted to mention this really quick and give a shout out to Nancy, because I really do love book series – following the same cute towns, knowing and building stronger relationships with the characters.  It reminds me of TV Show Seasons lol – like a longer commitment than just a one-time show!  It is very easy for me to get invested in series characters and their growth, development, and outcomes.  I have found myself previously stuck in book series reading later volumes that I would never have read on their own, only to find out how it all ends if the characters are going to be okay lol.  So, I am very appreciative and thankful for Nancy’s skills and ability to write such strong, heartfelt, intriguing, engaging, and fulfilling book series that give the reader the power to decide which books in the series to read without facing missed book consequences.  Although, lets be honest, this last reason does not exactly apply to Nancy’s books as I personally have not come across one of her books that I didn’t want to read or didn’t fall in love with after reading lol!!!  But I appreciate the opportunity to choose which books in the series to read and even in which order.  I think this truly captures Nancy’s writing proficiency and showcases her impressive author skills.

There are some predictable scenes.  However, there are still a few very unexpected twists and turns that you won’t see coming!

This book is Book Three of the Love’s a Gamble Book Series.  As previously mentioned, this book can absolutely be read as a standalone without any issues or confusion.  Prior to reading this book I had read book one, skipped book two, and hopped right into book three without getting lost.  All three books in this book series are currently available for sale online and at most major bookstores.  The author has strongly indicated that there will be a total of SIX books in this book series.  The first three books are listed as part of Collection One.  Collection Two is comprised of Book Four, “The Inheritance Gamble,” Book Five, “The Bachelor’s Gamble,” and Book Six, “The Return Gamble.”  The last three books in this series are listed as scheduled to be released in Early 2022.  As with the previous three books, the next three books will also continue to follow the McAlister clan, their family, their friends, and their enemies!!

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it – and the book series too!  I think all historical romance readers and romance fans will like this book too!  So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading - you won't be disappointed!

 **Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations**

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AUTHOR BIO:

Nancy Fraser

Jumping Across Romance Genres with Gleeful Abandon—is an Amazon Top 100 and Award-Winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.

Like most authors, Nancy began writing at an early age, usually on the walls and with crayons or, heaven forbid, permanent markers. Her love of writing often made her the English teacher’s pet which, of course, resulted in a whole lot of teasing. Still, it was worth it.

Nancy has published over thirty-five books in full-length, novella, and short format.

When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.

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CONNECT WITH NANCY:

Website:

http://nancyfraser.ca

Newsletter:

http://eepurl.com/bxkKvD

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/NancyFraserAuthor

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/nfraserauthor

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.ca/fraser425

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/romauthor_nancyfraser

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3gC68iMStwKCr4v_S6fMIA

BookBub Author Page:

http://bookbub.com/profile/nancy-fraser

BookBub Book Page #1:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-engagement-gamble-love-s-a-gamble-book-3-by-nancy-fraser

BookBub Book Page #2:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-engagement-gamble-love-s-a-gamble-by-nancy-fraser

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7206382.Nancy_Fraser

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56882030-the-engagement-gamble

Amazon Author Page:

http://amzn.to/2twAFAA

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BOOK BUY LINKS & BOOK SALE INFO:

**The Engagement Gamble eBook is on SALE during the book tour for ONLY $0.99!!!**

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/31CPJQM

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3mbV4HT

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08YDP9YG1

Apple Books eBook:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-engagement-gamble/id1551152222

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-engagement-gamble-nancy-fraser/1138702574

Kobo US eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-engagement-gamble

Kobo CA eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-engagement-gamble

Universal Buy Links (eBooks & Paperbacks):

https://books2read.com/u/4XLMq7

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Nancy will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.