Spotlight & Giveaway: The Marriage Auction by Audrey Carlan

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Audrey Carlan to HJ!

Hi Audrey Carlan and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Marriage Auction!

 
Hi new friends!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

We’re calling it the ultimate binge series and it truly is. Imagine four women entering themselves into an auction where they are guaranteed at least three million dollars for three years of marriage. What would it take for YOU to do the same? Why would they do it? Learning the reasons behind why they put themselves up for auction and why the bidders choice to purchase a wife in this manner, is all part of the fun when you enter this wild adventure!
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

Three years.
Over a thousand days.
By the time the contract was up, I’d be twenty-seven and rich. Losing three years of my youth didn’t matter to me. Losing three years with those I loved was a harder pill to swallow.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

This saga is an adventure. Imagine reading your favorite television show. Every “episode” is a new look into what makes each character tick. There’s suspense, spice, violence, excitement, sisterhood, new love, old love, family drama and more. You will be swept away by this racy, soap opera type journey. And you’re not reading about one couple as the story progresses, you’re reading about four! So much to enjoy but at a face pace that keeps you turning those pages and dying to find out what is going to happen next. I’ve never written anything more addicting in my life!

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

There isn’t anyone character I prefer over another. Of course, they each have their own unique talents, skills, and quirks that make them loveable or in some cases, despisable.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

In the beginning, you will be howling with laughter at what takes place during the candidate “makeovers” so they are ready and look their best for the auction. Readers talk about those scenes all the time as being some of their favorites!

Along with a lot of love and friendship, there are definitely some seriously taboo topics and content warnings that need to be paid attention to. Those can be found in the first pages of the book and on my website.

This saga is spicy. I would give it a 3.5 chili peppers out of 5 so keep that in mind. You will be getting graphic depictions of sexual acts. I believe love is erotic and my characters go through all of the same experiences that real life people do when it comes to being intimate with someone for the first time. Sometimes it’s rip the clothes off and other times it’s lets get to know one another first. There’s something for every romance reader.

Readers should read this book….

This saga is the perfect escape from real life. It has characters that you can connect to personally, some that you root for, laugh with, and others that will rip your heart in two. There’s also suspense so you truly never know what’s going to happen. I also enjoy redeeming characters that you may not have liked in the beginning but now are in complete love with. I promise you will go through an emotional roller coaster with each of these love stories but I always….ALWAYS write a happily ever after. Trust the process friends, it’s going to be a bumpy ride!

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

All four books of this saga release on the same day, January 24th. In late April we’re also releasing Madam Alana a deeper look into the madam behind the auction. Once you’ve read the four books, you’ll be able to go back in time to learn how it all started and how Alana took over the auction and made it what it is today.

Every week I also post an episode or two of The Marriage Auction Season 2 on Amazon’s Kindle Vella. All new characters up for auction and new adventures to experience! Of course, with pop ins from the readers favorite characters from season 1!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Enter to WIN a fabulous TMA GIFT BOX!! Including a Signed Paperback of THE MARRIAGE AUCTION: Season 1, Volume 1 + $100 Amazon Gift Card!!

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What would you do for 3 million dollars?

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*Rafflecopter hosted by the autor
 

Excerpt from The Marriage Auction:

The moment I hit the top step, the lights were blinding. My instinct was to cover my eyes to try and shade my view so I could see the audience, but that wouldn’t look pretty or elegant. I was shooting for both. Instead, I smiled wide as though I were on the runway for a Miss America pageant, not about to be auctioned off for an arranged marriage.

“What did I tell you, ladies and gentlemen? We have a feast for the eyes this evening.”

I chanced a glance at Madam Alana and preened for her benefit. Then I walked my slinky self down the runway and stopped at the X at the end. I placed both my hands on my waist in the Wonder Woman pose I’d perfected with my stylist. Then I turned to the side and rested my hand on my slight booty. I didn’t have a lot of junk in the trunk, but a stripper knew exactly how to showcase her body.

I worked each side, turning around and making small movements that I knew would highlight this feature or that. Then as I stared into the blackness of the bidders, I knew there were dozens or more eyes on me. So I lifted my hand up to my mouth and blew a kiss toward the audience, ending it with a flirty wink.

“Let’s hear it for Ruby Dawson, my friends,” Madam Alana stated, and I was surprised to find the attendees clapping and the sound of fists hitting wooden tables rumbling through the open room.

With an exaggerated hip sway, I glided to the first X nearest Madam Alana and spun slowly into the standing pose I’d chosen with my stylist.

“Ruby Dawson is twenty-one with blue eyes and blonde hair. She is naturally five foot ten. Her interests include dancing, reading, walks along the beach, and picnics. She is a high school graduate with no record of any kind and has the sweetest Southern accent.” Madam Alana spoke softly into the microphone, making me sound amazing when I was anything but.

I clenched my jaw as she continued. If I was honest, I couldn’t remember the last time I read a book, but then again when asked my hobbies, I wasn’t about to put down stripping, shooting back beers while watching a football game, or enjoying a honky-tonk night at the local pub. So I did what any good liar would do. I put down my sister’s hobbies.

“Before we move to the lingerie portion of our show, it’s time to ascertain interest in Ms. Ruby Dawson, candidate number three. For all those who are eligible in this auction, please select the Yes, No, or Maybe button on your remotes.” Madam Alana held up the device I imagined each bidder had.

A slither of uncertainty wove through my veins as I held my pose. She’d never said anything about a rating system. Which was probably wise. Knowing that we would be rated before the bidding even began was a definite hit to my confidence.

Madam Alana turned to look at me and then toward something at my back. I followed her movements and eased to the side. A giant screen taking up most of the stage hung from the ceiling. On the screen was the headshot I’d taken earlier after my hair and makeup had been done. Next to the image were my physical stats. Everything was there. My age, height, weight, bra size, dress size, shoe size, and everything in between. If I wasn’t already so shocked, I’d be terrified.

Then I watched with dread as the screen changed and the audience results were clearly displayed on the screen.

My entire body heated, and my heart soared right along with my confidence. I read the scores on the screen.
YES – 20
NO – 15
MAYBE – 15

Fifty eligible bachelors were out there, and my odds of securing one of them were awesome. Twenty of them were very interested and another fifteen had said maybe. I could work with those numbers. I turned to the audience, beaming.

“Well, it looks like we’re going to have quite the auction. Ruby, you may head offstage. It seems I am not the only one who is eagerly awaiting to see you return.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

From #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Audrey Carlan, discover The Marriage Auction: Season One, Volume One

You can now dive into the Kindle Vella phenomenon with over 1 MILLON READS. This saga has ranked #1 for over a full year and continues to break records each month as America’s favorite serial. Each volume contains more than 10% new content that includes two never before scenes from some of our favorite couples.

What would you do for three million dollars?

Four young women enter into a clandestine auction to be married to the highest bidders. For no less than a million dollars a year, for three years, each woman will do what it takes to secure her future. Entangled in a high-stakes game of money, lust, power, and the hope for absolution, this group of women becomes a sisterhood unlike any other.

Once chosen by a man she’s never met and agrees to marry sight unseen…there is no going back. Hidden secrets, wicked desires, fiery couplings and intense family drama are all part of the deal when you willingly enter into The Marriage Auction.

You may now kiss the bride…
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Meet the Author:

Audrey Carlan is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal best-selling author. She writes stories that help the reader find themselves while falling in love. Some of her works include the worldwide phenomenon Calendar Girl serial, Trinity series and the International Guy series. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages across the globe. Her title Resisting Roots was recently made into a movie and can be watched on the streaming service PassionFlix.
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