Tag: #excerpt

Feature Post and Book Review: Half Empty by Catherine Bybee

   

Today I am pleased to share this Feature Post for HALF EMPTY (First Wives #2) by Catherine Bybee. This post includes an excerpt from the book, my book review, the book summary and info and a Rafflecopter giveaway. I hope you enjoy the excerpt, my review and as always, good luck on the giveaway!

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Excerpt: Half Empty by Catherine Bybee

They closed the bar and took their last round to the hotel lobby.

Wade had to admit he was a bit more than tipsy, and Trina wasn’t exactly sober. She’d tucked her feet under her on the lobby sofa as she described Venice in a way that made him want to visit.

“There isn’t one car?” he asked.

“No place for them. You only get around on foot or boat. Which is probably best to help counter the pasta you consume while you’re there.”

“So why did you pick Venice?”

Her eyes drifted away, something Wade had noticed happened a lot when she was lost in thought. A hint of sorrow quickly came and went, almost as if she caught herself. The smile she flashed felt forced. “I wanted isolation so I could study.”

“Study?” She rattled off something that went completely over his head.

Her dark brown eyes glistened with her smile. “I’m learning Italian.”

Wade blew out a breath. “Oh, thank God. I thought maybe that last beer was one too many.”

“I like languages.”

“As in many?”

“A few.”

He was happy to speak English. “I’m impressed.”

“Don’t be. Most Europeans are fluent in a minimum of two languages.”

“Are you from Europe?”

“No. Born and raised in Southern California. My grandparents on my mother’s side are from Mexico. Spanish was always spoken in our home.”

“So you speak Spanish as well?” He squirmed in his chair.

“Yup.”

“Now I’m feelin’ a bit inferior.”

“Language is my hidden talent,” she said.

“So how did you end up in Texas?”

Her gaze met his before she wrinkled her nose and gave a quick shake of the head. “It’s a long story.”

“Which is your way of saying don’t pry.”

She stretched out her arms. “It’s my way of saying that we’ve had a pleasant conversation, and bringing up my recent move will change all that. I’d just as soon keep this light.”

Wade wasn’t expecting her reply. “Now you’ve piqued my interest.”

“Another time,” she said.

He offered a smile that usually had women crawling all over him. “Am I going to have that chance?”

“Chance for what?”

“Another conversation.”

Her eyes bored into him as if he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. “I told you, I’m not interested.”

He lifted one eyebrow, flashed a dimple. “What if I told you I was rich?”

She burst out in laughter.

His smile fell.

“Sorry…” She appeared to pull in her mirth. “You’re gonna have to do better than money.”

“Good lord, woman.”

“Sorry.”

He scratched his head. “I’m famous.”

She bit her lip. “That explains the arrogance.”

Wade placed a hand on his wounded chest. “I am not.”

Trina tossed her head back, and her deep laugh filled the empty lobby. “My name is Wade Thomas, you don’t know who I am?” Her mimicry of him was off by several octaves.

Her laughter tickled his gut.

“I can teach you the two-step.”

She pinched her lips together, trying to contain herself.

His pride was starting to dim.

“I’m not bad looking.”

She looked him up and down … twice. “I’ll give you that.”

He lifted both hands in the air. “Finally.”

For the span of a full minute, she stared. Her smile slowly started to fall, and he knew she was talking herself out of dating him.

“Tell you what. I’m flying home tomorrow. Private charter, because I’m rich, famous, and arrogant.” He moaned on that last word.

“And good-looking.”

Now they were getting somewhere.

“I can give you a lift home.”

Trina blew out a breath. “I’m avoiding going home,” she reminded him.

“And I was thinking I needed a quick stop in Nassau … where the plane might not be able to leave right away. That tropical depressed storm and all.”

She pointed a finger in his direction. “I like the way you think.”

***

My Book Review

Rating 5 out of 5 Stars

HALF EMPTY (First Wives #2) by Catherine Bybee is the latest in her First Wives contemporary romance series with a suspense subplot carried over from the first book. This is Katrina “Trina” Petrov’s story and it can be read as a standalone, but for a full understanding of the relationship between all of the First Wives, you may want to read “Fool Me Once” the first book in this series.

Katrina “Trina” Petrov became one of the wealthiest woman in America when her temporary first husband committed suicide. As the one year anniversary of his death approaches, Trina is vacationing in Venice and does not know what to do with rest of her new life. Called back to Texas by the other First Wives, Trina tries her best to slow her return.

Stuck in a hotel due to a storm, she has the last order of food coming out of the kitchen. A charming man two seats down at the bar has missed dinner too and strikes up a conversation with Trina. She is willing to share her food, but has no interest in the man. This is an intriguing and somewhat novel occurrence for Wade Thomas, the famous country music star.

Wade Thomas finds Trina to be a novelty. She does not know who he is, she does not need his money and she does not need his connections. What he does want to do for her is to chase away the sadness in her eyes and make her smile. Sure, he wants more, but he surprises himself by wanting to take it slow.

When Trina’s best friend, Avery is brutally attacked all of the friends from book one work to take care of the threat against Trina for good. Wade may not understand everything that is happening, but he knows he wants to protect Trina and is willing to help her any way he can. A secret is about to be revealed that brings the enemy into the open and could be the death of Trina and/or her friends.

I loved Trina and Wade together. The romance was entertaining and fun with the couple’s dialogue and communications so honest and realistic. Even with the short time frame, the author does a great job of writing in a friendship before the sexual relationship. The sex does not occur until later in the book and fit there perfectly. I was also intrigued throughout the story with the suspense subplot. I am looking forward to finding out who the other First Wives will find their HEA with. I will also be looking forward to the return of the mysterious Sasha.

***

About the Book

Title: Half Empty

Author: Catherine Bybee

Release Date: July 31, 2018

Publisher: Montlake Romance

 

Summary

Trina Petrov’s marriage-by-contract was only meant to be temporary. But when tragedy strikes, Trina is left one of the wealthiest women in the world. To recover from the shock, she takes some time off in Italy, swearing not to fall for any men while there. But that doesn’t mean she can’t fall for anyone on the trip home . . .

Country-music superstar Wade Thomas is lying low in a hotel bar when he gets the cold shoulder from the woman next to him. He’s used to fans fawning at his boots, and Trina is a refreshing change—so is the fact that she has no idea who he is.

As things begin to heat up, Trina discovers that the circumstances of her late husband’s death are not what they seemed. Now she’s in trouble, and Wade isn’t about to let her out of his sight. Getting close to love and danger could get them killed . . . or it could sweep them both off their feet.

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About the Author

New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee has written twenty-eight books that have collectively sold more than 4.5 million copies and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in the hope of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the Not Quite series, the Weekday Brides series, the Most Likely To series, and the First Wives series.

 

Social Media Links

Website: http://www.catherinebybee.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCatherineBybee

Twitter: https://twitter.com/catherinebybee

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2905789.Catherine_Bybee

 

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Feature Post and Book Review: Second Time Around by Nancy Herkness

   

Hi, everyone!

I am very excited to share this Feature Post and Book Review for SECOND TIME AROUND (Second Glances #1) by Nancy Herkness. This includes an “Opposites Attract” guest post from the author, my review of the book, an excerpt from the title, and a Rafflecopter giveaway.

I loved this second chance romance and am looking forward to reading many more romances from Ms. Herkness. Good luck on the giveaway!

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Guest Post

Opposites Attract: Character Questionnaire from Second Time Around by Nancy Herkness 

Today it is a pleasure to introduce Will Chase and Kyra Dixon to readers! The hero and heroine are from Nancy Herkness’ newest release Second Time Around and the title of the story certainly is inspired by the characters’ story. The ‘first time around’ for this couple was in college when Will was dating Kyra’s roommate. This evil ex cheated on Will and while Kyra longed to comfort her secret crush, but she was firmly friendzoned.

Years later in an accidental meeting in NYC, Kyra and Will are reunited–only this time sparks fly with nothing to get in the way of igniting….except the fact that Will is a little (okay, a lot) out of Kyra’s social circle. This makes interacting with his family and friends a teeny bit awkward. But while Will may have money, he is also kind, funny, hardworking, and stubborn. Too stubborn in fact to let a little bit of status stand in the way of him and the woman he wants.

However, we have to ask: Just how different are these two characters really? Read on for a questionnaire where we find out if Will and Kyra are true opposites or if they are more alike than they realize.

 

Question #1: What can you tell us about your favorite childhood memory?

Kyra: My father worked at the Mack Truck factory so he was very wiry and muscular, even though he was short in stature. When I was a child, he would toss me up in the air and catch me. I’ll never forget feeling the strength of his hands wrapped around my waist as he boosted me up, the sense of exhilaration as I flew through the air, and the security of knowing with absolute certainty that his steely, powerful arms would be waiting for me when I came down.

Will: My parents’ house had a two story library with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and ladders on rails to reach them. It seemed like a magic cave filled with treasure to me. Once I convinced them that I would treat the books and the room with respect, they allowed me free run of it. I spent many a happy hour deciding which book to read and then stretching out on the Oriental rug to read it. Sometimes I even walked in merely to smell the scent of books waiting to be read.

 

Question #2: When you were growing up what types of activities did you enjoy?

Kyra: I was a voracious reader, and loved going to the public library where the librarians would set aside books they thought I would like. However, my favorite time spent there was wandering among the shelves until a book called out to me. Ice skating and riding my bike got me outdoors when Mom decided I’d spent too much time inside reading. Mom liked to shop, so we went “malling”, as she called it. I enjoyed that because I always got a treat.

Will: Reading was my activity of choice. However, my sister would sometimes bother me until I came to help her with her beloved horses at the stables, and I got to like that, especially because it was away from our parents. Tennis wasn’t bad. I hated sailing, which my mother forced me into. Couldn’t wait to give that up. I did the usual sports in school: soccer, lacrosse, basketball, etc. Working up a good sweat was satisfying.

 

Question #3: When it was time for college, how did you decide to attend Brunell college?

Kyra: I couldn’t afford to go far from home, so I stuck to schools in Pennsylvania. Brunell was the best school that offered me a good financial aid package. It also had a terrific English lit department, which was my passion. I only wish I had been able to finish my degree there.

Will: Brunell was my first flash of rebellion. Pops went to Harvard; Mum went to Princeton. I refused to apply to either of those. I wanted to study the classics and a noted authority on Homer taught at Brunell.

Question #4: What was your favorite part about college?

Kyra: Playing quote wars with Will Chase! Well, pretty much anything that had to do with Will. This smart, rich, golden boy from Connecticut was so alien that he fascinated me. Okay, so I loved the classes, too. I was pretty drunk on the whole “learning for the sake of learning” concept. The campus is gorgeous as well. All those brick buildings with white trim and vast, rolling, green lawns.

Will: The classics professor who made me choose Brunell, Dr. Weiss, was a spectacular teacher and mentor. His classes made me think and stretch and grow. Sometimes he’d hold class in his home where he always served the most delicious, sugary doughnuts from the local convenience mart. Every now and then, I still buy a box of those for nostalgia’s sake.

 

Question #5: What’s your career? How did you choose it?

Kyra: I didn’t exactly choose my career, if you could call it that. I needed to pay off the debt from college and my parents’ health issues and heard that bartenders at high end clubs in New York City could make a lot of money. I knew a little bit about bartending—and cooking— from working at a local restaurant in my hometown, so I packed up and moved. I also cook for the kids at the Carver After-School Care Center, which I love. But I started there only because the job offered a free apartment.

Will: I’m the CEO of Ceres, a multinational chain of cafés that I founded. I started the company because I didn’t want to join my father’s law firm, as he expected me to. Do you see a theme here? It was satisfying to battle the challenges of building a company, never knowing from day to day if it would survive or fail. Now that it’s grown so huge, I find myself restless.

 

Question #6: Do you have an active social life? What is a favorite date you have been on recently?

Kyra: Social life? I tend bar at night and cook for kids during the day. Who has time for a social life? I can’t remember the last time I went on a date.

Will: I’m the face of Ceres so I attend quite a few charity events, if you consider that a social life. I’m not sure I do. Between that and the hours I work, dating isn’t a priority. Not to mention, a broken engagement left a sour taste in my mouth when it comes to romance. My favorite recent charity event was held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where I could wander through the classic Greek and Roman art exhibits without a crowd. That was an unexpected pleasure.

 

Question #7: What are your goals for the future? Where do you see yourself in a few years?

Kyra: My most urgent and immediate goal is to pay off my debt. Sometimes it feels like a boulder crushing me into the sidewalk. If I ever manage to do that, my aspiration is to finish my college degree in English lit and get a job as an editor at a publishing house. Hey, a girl has a right to her pipe dreams, doesn’t she?

Will: My goal is to figure out where the hell I see myself in a few years. Right now, my future looks like more of the same: long hours at work, too much business travel, attending events for PR purposes, and resisting my mother’s efforts to marry me off to one of her friends’ daughters. Not an exciting prospect.

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

I love when I start a book from a new to me author and everything just fades into the background and I fall into their story. This is what happened when I started reading SECOND TIME AROUND (Second Glances #1) by Nancy Herkness. This is a second chance contemporary romance with a plot that is not unique, but the characters are so realistic and relatable, they make you feel invested in their HEA and you just have to keep turning the pages.

Kyra Dixon is from a blue collar Pennsylvania family. Will Chase is from a blue blood Connecticut family. They meet in college while Will is dating Kyra’s suite mate. College life is a great equalizer for them and they become good friends, enjoying tossing famous quotes back and forth as a personal game. Kyra would love their relationship to be more, but he is not free and she always stays aware of their social differences. When Kyra’s father becomes ill, she returns to her small hometown and does not return to school.

Ten years later, Kyra is grabbing a bite at her favorite NYC café chain and runs into Will. Will has become the billionaire CEO of the chain and is as successful as Kyra knew he would be. Kyra is working days in the kitchen of a childhood community center and nights at a high class club to pay off debts left from her mother before her death. The sparks are still there and when Will asks Kyra to accompany him as his date to a family annual event she jumps at the chance.

Kyra falls hard for Will all over again, but always feels that their social and money differences make it a relationship with a time limit. Will starts to discover all over again the things that excite him and make him feel happy with Kyra always being honest and looking at his world in a different way. Kyra loves Will, but is it enough to bridge their differences? Does Will know what he truly wants?

I loved Kyra and Will. I related personally with everything about Kyra. She especially shines in all her scenes at the center with the kids. That the center also had a canine program made it even better. Kyra is such a strong character and I was very happy with the way this author moved Will towards her, rather than having Kyra drop everything for a HEA with just his money. This author definitely has a way with realistic, in-depth characters. Besides the romance growing at a believable rate, there are well written sex scenes that are explicit, intense and smoking hot.

I highly recommend you clear some time, curl up in your favorite chair and fall in love with Kyra and Will just like I did. I am looking forward to reading many more romances from Ms. Herkness.

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Second Time Around Excerpt

“Speaking of my family, I came here with an ulterior motive.”

“Oh?” What on earth could Will want from her?

“My mother throws an annual spring garden party—she calls it her Spring Fling—in Connecticut, on the family farm. She invites the whole extended family, all her friends, and my father’s business associates. I wondered if you might be willing to come with me. Next Sunday. Short notice, I know.”

His gaze didn’t waver from her face, which made it hard to respond, since she had to concentrate on not letting her mouth fall open in astonishment.

“I, um, well, that sounds like fun.” Total lie. It sounded terrifying. But she had Sunday off from work, so she had no commitments to stop her.

“Fun?” He shook his head. “It’s stuffy and tense and boring. My family all snap at each other when no one else is listening. That’s why I’m asking you to come as a buffer.”

“When you put it that way, how can I refuse?” She would be like a fish that didn’t even know which way the ocean was. But the chance to see Will in his childhood environment was irresistible. In college, he’d dropped casual comments about racing his sailboat on Long Island Sound, or his sister getting thrown from her horse in a cross-country event, or his mother winning the club’s tennis championship. It sounded like The Great Gatsby come to life. She had to experience it just once. “I’d be happy to go with you.”

The expression that crossed his face was hard to read, except for relief. “That’s the best news I’ve had all day,” he said.

“What’s the dress code?”

“Casual. It’s outdoors. There are tents in case it rains. Although even the weather rarely dares to displease my mother.”

“‘Casual’ covers a lot of territory for women,” she said. “Not jeans, I assume.”

He thought for a minute. “Dresses, sort of colorful. Flat shoes because of the grass. Straw hats, if it’s sunny.”

“What are you wearing?” That might help.

“My uniform. Khakis and a button-down shirt. Loafers.”

“No tie?”

“Hell, no!” he said. “Shirtsleeves rolled up, too.”

She got the picture, and she had nothing appropriate to wear. She sighed inwardly. This was going to cost her more money than she could afford. However, she couldn’t resist the opportunity to journey into the exotic country of upper-crust Connecticut. Not to mention, spending time with her college crush, who was even more crushworthy now.

“Okay, a rolled-up shirtsleeves kind of dress.” She took a gulp of her club soda as she debated where to find a dress that looked expensive but was bargain priced.

“I’ll pick you up at noon. We’ll make a fashionably late entrance. Which means we won’t have to endure the party as long.”

“This sounds more and more delightful all the time.”

Will finally smiled, albeit with an edge. “It won’t be as bad for you. They’re not your family.”

“I hear you.” But at least he still had his mother and father. As complicated as her parents had made her life, she sometimes felt terribly alone without them.

He sat back against the banquette. “Now I’m looking forward to the party.”

“You don’t have to flatter me. I’ve agreed to go.” But she couldn’t stop a smile of gratification from curling the corners of her mouth.

“You might begin to have second thoughts.” He pulled out his cell phone. “May I get your number so I don’t have to track you down?”

He tapped at the phone’s screen as she rattled off her phone number.

“Do you still have my cell number or did you chuck my card?” he asked with that self-deprecating smile that always charmed her.

“Just text me and I’ll have it on my phone.”

“So you chucked it.”

The disappointment in his tone surprised her.

“No, it’s at my apartment.”

His fingers flew over the keys of his phone.

A ping sounded from her back pocket, indicating she’d gotten his text, and she started to reach for her phone.

“Read it later,” he said with a roguish glint in his eyes. He placed his empty glass on the tray. “My apologies, but I have to go. Overseas business makes for odd working hours.”

 

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About the Book

Title: Second Time Around

Author: Nancy Herkness

Release Date: July 24, 2018

Publisher: Montlake Romance

 

Summary

Kyra Dixon, a blue-collar girl from the boondocks, is dedicated to her job at a community center that matches underprivileged kids with rescue dogs. When she runs into Will Chase—Connecticut blue blood, billionaire CEO, and her old college crush—she’s surprised that he asks a favor from her: to be his date for his uptight family’s dreaded annual garden party. If his parents don’t approve, all the better.

Kyra’s not about to say no. It’ll give her a chance to be oh-so-close to her unrequited love. What begins as a little fling turns so mad hot, so fast, that Kyra finds herself falling all over again for a fantasy that won’t come true. How can it? She doesn’t belong in Will’s world. She doesn’t want to. But Will does want to belong in hers.

All he has to do now is prove it. Will is prepared to give up whatever is necessary to get what his heart most desires.

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Author Biography


Nancy Herkness is the award-winning author of the Wager of Hearts, Whisper Horse, and Second Glances series, as well as several other contemporary romance novels. With degrees in English literature and creative writing from Princeton University, she has earned the New England Readers’ Choice award, the Book Buyers Best Top Pick honor, and the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, and she is a two-time nominee for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award.

 Nancy is a native of West Virginia but now lives in suburban New Jersey with a goofy golden retriever.

 

Social Media Links

Website: http://www.nancyherkness.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nancyherkness

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NancyHerkness

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/594870.Nancy_Herkness

 

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Feature Post and Book Review: Small Town Rumors by Carolyn Brown

  

I am so happy to share this Feature Post and my book review of Carolyn Brown’s new novel Small Town Rumors. This is the perfect summer read with great characters, a sweet romance, small town life and two senior sisters that will have you laughing out loud.

Below you will find a guest post from Ms. Brown followed by an excerpt from the book and then my book review. After the book summary and author info you will find a Rafflecopter giveaway. I hope you enjoy this Feature Post, good luck on the giveaway and you just have to get a copy of Small Town Rumors for yourself.

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Top 5 Biggest Scandals in Bloom, Texas by Carolyn Brown

Welcome to Bloom, Texas, where the gossip is hotter’n than the peppers in Rick’s garden. Bloom is located just north of Sweetwater where the land is so flat that you can see all the way to where the earth curves. Well, maybe not that far but it goes out there for miles until it finally meets the sky. It always reminds me of a child’s drawing. He/she makes a line on their paper. Above it is sky with fluffy clouds. Below it is grass with wild flowers. The streets are wide and the bus comes through on the way to Sweetwater once a day.

If you want to hear the local gossip, just stop by the Main Street Café. You’ll love the burger baskets and sweet tea, but if you listen closely, you can learn who didn’t come to church on Sunday and why, who died, who had a baby and whether or not she was married. The list goes on and on, so don’t bypass the café as you wander up and down Main Street. Oh, and ask Elaine, the owner, to fix you up with a large sweet tea to go when you leave.

A couple of doors down, you’ll see a used book store. Go right on in and Amos will tell you the whole history of Bloom. If you have a seat on the sofa inside the front door, he’ll entertain you until all that sweet tea is gone with stories about the folks in town. Don’t be shy, now. He loves company.

As a stranger, you probably won’t be invited to one of the Sweetwater Belle’s club meetings, but even their exclusive meetings aren’t so secret in Bloom. After all everyone knows everything about everyone. They know what they did with whom, where it happened and what time they got home afterwards. Then they read The Bloom Daily News to see who got caught!

After all, gossip is the life blood of the community. It’s what drives the people to get out in the blistering hot sun and go to town. It’s what sets the phone lines to smoking, and why there’s more than one cell tower pretty close to the town.

There were, have been, are will be many scandals in Bloom. But five come to mind. First is the fact that Jennie Sue’s dad has been having affairs for years and every year the mistress gets younger and younger. He has his reasons but Jennie Sue doesn’t know them until she comes home. Second would be the fact that she arrives in town, right there on Main Street on a bus. Not in a rented car from an airport. Not even in her own little fancy sports vehicle, but a bus! That alone will put a strain on the phone company. Third is that she intends to be independent and since her father won’t give her a job in the oil company, she agrees to clean houses for two elderly sisters, Lettie and Nadine, who are the biggest gossips in Bloom, Texas. Fourth is that she’s seen with Rick, a local farmer, and even worse that she’s working on his farm for no money but for vegetables as pay. And number five that she has a baby buried in an unmarked grave at the Bloom cemetery. Now when that last one hits the gossip vine, it really will be hotter’n the peppers in Rick’s garden!

***

Excerpt: Small Town Rumors

“Well, well, well! Are you leaving us already? You only got here yesterday.” Lettie shoved the suitcase over and sat down across the table from Jennie Sue. Short, as round as Mabel, and sporting a kinky hairdo that had gone out of style years ago, Lettie hadn’t changed since Jennie Sue was a little girl.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jennie Sue answered. “How have you been, Miz Lettie?”

“Elaine, I’ll have a big stack of pancakes and two orders of bacon,” Lettie called out across the café.

“Got it,” Elaine yelled.

“So where are you going?” Lettie turned back to Jennie Sue.

“To find a job,” she answered.

“What kind of skills and experience do you have?”

Elaine crossed the floor and set Jennie Sue’s breakfast in front of her. “Millie will bring out your order shortly, Miz Lettie.”

“No rush. Just send me a cup of coffee, and I’ll be happy until it gets here.” Lettie waved her away with a flick of the wrist and turned back to Jennie Sue. “Now, you were about to tell me about your work experience.”

Jennie Sue picked up the saltshaker and applied an unhealthy dose to her eggs. “I have no experience, but I do have a business degree. The only thing I’m good at is keeping a clean house and organizing fund-raisers and parties.”

“Hmm.” Lettie pursed her lips. “So why didn’t you have a housekeeper up there in New York?”

“Percy was never pleased with the way they cleaned.”

“Was?” Lettie asked.

“Been divorced for over a year.”

“Oh, really?” Lettie cocked her head to one side.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Me and my sister, Nadine, lost our housekeeper a couple of weeks ago. The lady that worked for us cleaned for me on Friday and Nadine on Thursday. You interested?”

Charlotte would probably go into cardiac arrest if Jennie Sue became nothing more than a maid for her archenemies. But hey, it was a job, and Jennie Sue damn sure knew how to clean a house so well that it would pass judgment in the courts of heaven.

“I might be interested if you could point me in the direction of an apartment or a rental house of some kind that wouldn’t be too expensive,” Jennie Sue answered.

“I got an apartment over my garage. It’s pretty small, but it’ll work for a single person. I’d be willing to rent it to you furnished. You’ll clean for me on Friday each week, but the last week in the month, you won’t get paid. That’ll be your rent,” Lettie said.

Jennie Sue could imagine Charlotte throwing whatever she could get her hands on at the wall when one of the Belles called her with that bit of news. Even if she was angry with her mother over trying to mold her into another Wilshire woman, she couldn’t do that to her mother—or could she? How else would she be independent?

She picked up a piece of crisp bacon with her fingers and took a bite while she thought about the offer. It was a job that she could do. It was a place for her to live. She didn’t have to live in a shelter or sleep on a park bench. However, her mother would never speak to her again, and the rumors would be so hot that they might burn down the whole town of Bloom.

***

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

SMALL TOWN RUMORS by Carolyn Brown is a contemporary romance perfect for a summer read in the shade of a big old tree with a glass of lemonade or sweet tea. It is a sweet romance with wonderful characters and a small town setting. This was my first book from this author, but it will definitely not be my last.

Jennie Sue Baker has returned to Bloom, Texas. The minute she steps off the bus, the local café is buzzing with rumors about her return. Jennie Sue was raised to be a society belle and trophy wife, like her mother, but her marriage falls apart. Her mother goes into damage control and wants to get Jennie Sue back on track for another husband, but Jennie Sue has changed and has other plans for her life.

Jennie Sue wants to build her own life with her business degree and never again rely on a man to support her. Her mother does not understand her and her father is not willing to interfere. As Jennie Sue accepts two jobs house cleaning which includes an above garage apartment her mother is scandalized and the rumor mill is working overtime.

Rick Lawson has returned to Bloom after medical discharge from the army. He is working to keep his family’s farm running with the help of his sister, Cricket who waitresses at the local café. Rick does not believe in gossip, but he is interested to learn of Jennie Sue’s return. He sees Jennie Sue for who she is and not her past status, but he also does not believe she could ever be interested in a scarred veteran with simple dreams.

The romance between Jennie Sue and Rick builds slowly throughout the book. Kisses and hand-holding build at a realistic pace to all other eventual sex scenes happening behind closed doors. The elder sisters that help Jennie Sue are very adorable and funny. Cricket is as big a gossip as the old ladies, but is never really malicious. I loved all of the characters in this book and especially Jennie Sue’s spirit and determination. The small town of Bloom is depicted as a typical small town and I hope there are real small towns just like it.

***

About the Book

Title: Small Town Rumors

Author: Carolyn Brown

Release Date: July 3, 2018

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Summary

Everyone is talking about Jennie Sue Baker and the mess she made of her life in New York. The former high school queen bee—and wealthy darling of Bloom, Texas—has returned home after all these years, riding on a common bus and bearing two bounced alimony checks. In a town that thrives on gossip, Jennie’s fall from grace has shamed her mother, set the town buzzing, and caused old, jealous enemies to whisper in delight. They say she’s taken a job as a housekeeper, gotten a garage apartment, and might be crushing on Rick Lawson, a simple farmer with modest dreams.

As romance starts to bud, Jennie relishes what it means to follow her heart, find real new friends, and finally be herself—regardless of all the lying town chatter. But fate has another twist in store. Rumor has it that Jennie now stands to lose what matters most . . . unless she can convince Rick of one true thing—and that’s love.

***

About the Author

Carolyn Brown is a New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a RITA finalist with more than ninety published books, which include women’s fiction and historical, contemporary, and cowboys-and-country-music romance. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma—where everyone knows everyone else and knows what they’re doing and when—and they read the local newspaper on Wednesday to see who got caught. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young.

 

Social Media Links

 

Website: http://www.carolynbrownbooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Carolyn-Brown-198727816879253/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13554.Carolyn_Brown

 

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Feature Post: A Merciful Silence by Kendra Elliot

   

I am very pleased to share this feature post for A MERCIFUL SILENCE (Mercy Kilpatrick, #4) by Kendra Elliot. This post includes a message from Ms. Elliot, an excerpt, and a summary of this book. An author biography and web links are followed by a Rafflecopter giveaway. I hope you enjoy this post and good luck on the giveaway!

(My review is to follow.)

***

Message from Kendra Elliot: Mercy’s road to the FBI

Mercy Kilpatrick, the heroine from my newest release A Merciful Silence, was raised by anti-government preppers in Central Oregon. She grew up learning to live off the land, avoid law enforcement, and never trust the government. When she was eighteen, she and her father had a falling out that forced Mercy from the home.

She entered the regular world but could never leave her prepping roots behind. She eventually joined the FBI—thereby becoming the two things that her father hated most. Estranged from her family, Mercy keeps one foot in the regular world and another in her hidden past. She can’t help but prepare for the end of the world. No one at the FBI knows she escapes to her mountain hideaway every weekend where she stocks firewood, food, fuel, and medical supplies.

An FBI domestic terrorism case pulls her to back to her hometown where she must face her family for the first time in fifteen years. The case takes place in a survivalist world with which she is all too familiar, and suspects some of her family may be involved.

***

Excerpt: A Merciful Silence

Her GPS took her on a wet, winding trip thirty miles out of Bend. Mercy revered privacy, and it appeared Britta Vale did the same. The terrain was flat, with clumps of huge trees and fields of scattered volcanic rock. She took the final turn off the two-lane road and was pleasantly surprised to find a well-maintained gravel driveway. A wood fence lined one side of the drive, and Mercy idly wondered if Britta kept cows or sheep in the field. A wide creek rapidly flowed through the pasture, full of the recent rains. A few minutes later she stopped in front of an old white farmhouse. Fields flanked the house on two sides, and a small ancient grove of fruit trees was to the east.

The paint flaked from the two-story building, and large pieces of railing were missing from the wraparound deck. Lace curtains appeared at most of the windows, and a newer Ford pickup was parked next to the home. As Mercy stepped out of her Tahoe, faint barking greeted her, and she spotted a black lab inside, watching through a tall window next to the front door, alerting the residents that company had arrived. Its wagging tail defied the belligerent barks.

Overall, Mercy liked the home. It felt shy but friendly. Sequestered but welcoming.

The door opened and a woman appeared. In one hand she gripped the lab’s collar. With the other she balanced a rifle against her shoulder.

Not threatening, but making her stance clear.

Mercy approved. And stopped moving forward. Mercy stood with her right shoulder and hip slightly farther back and casually held her hands out in front of her stomach, the palms up. A nonaggressive pose, but she was ready to move to the gun in her shoulder holster if needed. “Britta Vale?”

“Who wants to know?” The woman’s tone was polite but direct. Her long hair was black. The flat-black, obviously dyed tone. Blunt-cut bangs just above Britta’s eyebrows gave her a no-nonsense look.

“I’m Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick from the Bend FBI office. You’re welcome to call them to verify me.”

“Take three steps closer.”

Mercy took three measured steps, her hands still exposed. She felt the weight of her weapon at her side and watched Britta for any warning movements. The woman stood perfectly still, the dog’s wagging tail a contrast. At this distance Mercy could meet Britta’s gaze. The woman had light-blue eyes and skin that looked as if it’d never seen the sun. She also had a huge tattoo that wrapped around the front of her neck. Mercy couldn’t read it but wondered how painful the process had been. She swallowed, imagining tiny sharp needles jabbing at the tender skin on her throat.

The woman released the dog, who instantly sat, its dark eyes still locked on Mercy.

“Are you here about Grady Baldwin?”

“Yes,” Mercy answered.

“Is he out? I’m supposed to be notified if he gets out. No one has said anything to me.” Britta’s voice shot up an octave as the words spilled out of her mouth, terror and anger flashing in her eyes. Her fingers tightened on the butt of the rifle, and Mercy tensed.

“He’s not out and he’s not getting out.”

The woman lowered her chin a notch, and her shoulders moved as she exhaled. “I have nightmares about police vehicles abruptly showing up at my home, trying to get me to safety. They’re always too late.” She nodded at Mercy’s Tahoe. “You’re clearly armed, and you have government plates, so you understand my reaction.”

“I do. You are Britta, right?” The woman acted like a survivor, but Mercy wanted to be certain.

“I am. Why are you here?”

“Yesterday we uncovered five bodies. Possibly a family—we aren’t certain about that. But each one of them had been struck in the mouth. Their teeth and jaws shattered.”

The pale woman went a shade whiter as she slapped a hand across her mouth, and the dog whined, leaning hard against her thigh.

***

About the Book

Title: A MERCIFUL SILENCE

Author: Kendra Elliot

Release Date: June 19, 2018

Publisher: Montlake Romance

 

Summary

 

For FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick, returning to rural Oregon has meant coming to terms with her roots. Raised as a prepper, Mercy is now relying on her survivalist instincts to defend her town from the people the law can’t reach. But this time, an investigation calling up a dark past for her and police chief Truman Daly may be hitting too close to home.

A rainstorm has uncovered the remains of five people—a reprise of the distinctive slaughter of two families twenty years ago. Except the convicted killer is in prison. Is this the case of a sick copycat, or is the wrong man behind bars? One person might have the answer. The lone survivor of the decades-old crimes has returned to town still claiming that she can’t remember a thing about the night she was left for dead. As the search for the truth becomes more dangerous, Mercy fears that the traumatized woman may not have buried her memories at all. She might be keeping them a secret. And there’s a price to be paid for revealing them.

***

Author Biography

Kendra Elliot has landed on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list multiple times and is the award-winning author of the Bone Secrets and Callahan & McLane series, as well as the Mercy Kilpatrick novels: A Merciful Death, A Merciful Truth, and A Merciful Secret. Kendra is a three-time winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, an International Thriller Writers finalist, and an RT Award finalist. She has always been a voracious reader, cutting her teeth on classic female heroines such as Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Laura Ingalls. She was born, raised, and still lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her husband and three daughters, but she looks forward to the day she can live in flip-flops. Visit her at www.kendraelliot.com.

Social Media Links

Website – http://www.kendraelliot.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKendraElliot

Twitter – https://twitter.com/KendraElliot

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150778.Kendra_Elliot

***

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Feature Post: Hot Asset by Lauren Layne

    

This week, I am very pleased to be sharing a feature post from Lauren Layne and her new Contemporary romance – HOT ASSET.

Below you will find a message from the author and an excerpt from the book which is then followed by a summary of the story, author info and a Rafflecopter giveaway. (Good luck on the giveaway!)

***

Message From Author Lauren Layne

Whip smart with the looks of a Greek god and lots of money thanks to his hard work — what’s not to love? Ian, the hero of my newest release HOT ASSET, has been a bachelor for a long time in the NYC dating scene, but he’s met his match with Lara McKenzie. But even though she is in his life to scrutinize his career, that doesn’t stop him from taking his best shot at seducing the buttoned-up investigator for the SEC.

So what are Ian’s top ways to woo a woman and how well do they work on Lara? Let us see:

(1) Never underestimate the power of the pickup line … until it bombs.

Ian’s the master of the pickup line; so smooth, that women don’t even know it is a pick-up line. Until Lara. He crashes and burns with everything he says in their first meeting.

(2) Flattery will get you everywhere. Usually.

Ian’s the type of guy who always knows exactly what to say to even the most skeptical of women to make her blush a little. Not so much with Lara McKenzie! She literally has no use for pretty compliments. She already knows she’s got it going on where it counts—her brains.

(3) An unexpected gesture will get you everywhere … until it doesn’t.

Ian knows the power in the element of surprise, a gift or gesture when the woman’s least expecting it. Except Lara is always expecting it. And thus, decidedly less than impressed.

(4) Keep her far away from your baggage. Unless, of course, her job is to bust your baggage wide open.

Ian knows his best chance to score is keeping a woman’s attention on the here-and-now, since his past is more than a little messy. Unfortunately for him, Lara has zero interest in his present, and every interest in his past … which holds the key to destroying his future!

(5) A little Black Am-Ex card never hurts … unless she thinks you made your money illegally.

Ian Bradley knows that being filthy rich works in his favor when it comes to women. He can afford the best restaurants, the fanciest champagne. Meanwhile, Lara would like nothing more than to prove he made every last hard-earned penny illegally …

***

Hot Asset Excerpt

I’m pulling my stapler out of my box of office crap when there’s a knock at the conference room door.

I glance up, lifting my eyebrows in surprise when I see the last person I’d expect leaning against the doorway.

Ian Bradley’s dressed impeccably in a light-gray suit, black tie, and holding two frothy concoctions.

I click my stapler twice and study him, trying to figure out his game. His expression’s friendly, but his blue eyes are calculating.

“Mr. Bradley.”

“Ms. McKenzie.” He doesn’t move.

“Would you like to come in?”

He grins. “Would you like to put that stapler down?”

The moment I do, he steps forward and, setting one of the drinks on the table, slides it toward me with a flick of the wrist. If anyone else did this, the drink would tip and fall, but Ian simply makes the cup slide perfectly across the table and into my waiting hand.

I lift the Starbucks cup and study it. “Really. Bribery?”

“Barista made two by accident. I could just give it to Kate . . .”

“Ah yes, your assistant,” I say, leaping on the opening. I’d met Kate Henley yesterday, and my initial impression of the tiny brunette was that she has one of the best poker faces I’ve ever seen.

Verdict after trying to coax her into conversation today?

The best poker face I’ve ever seen. “She said she’s worked for you for five years,” I say.

“Mm.” He walks toward the window, looks down. “They gave you the bad conference room. The other ones have a better view.”

“I’m not here for the view.”

“No, you’re here because of J-Conn,” he says, turning back around.

It’s a predictable play, fishing for information. Granted, he’s right. I’m here for J-Conn, and I’m not all that surprised Wolfe’s already put that at the top of their guesses.

But this isn’t my first rodeo.

I say nothing, instead watching him carefully for any signs of nervousness, finding none.

“Why now?” he asks quietly. “Why are you guys after me for a company that crashed ten months ago?”

“Didn’t say that we were.” He’ll find out he’s right the second I start asking questions, but that’s not today. And I have no intention of playing this game on his terms.

Not that this is a game.

But the way he’s watching me, and the Starbucks drinks . . . I can tell he thinks it’s one.

“Okay, well let’s say hypothetically you’re here because of J-Conn,” Ian says smoothly. “What would have to happen to put me on your radar?”

I set the cup aside without taking a drink. “Hypothetically, we’d have a source,” I say, telling him nothing he doesn’t already know. “Who’s alleged you had insider knowledge of the company’s future.”

“Who’s the source?”

I snort. “Really. You bring me an overpriced coffee and think I’ll just tell all?”

“Or you could swoon,” he says with a wink.

This time I roll my eyes. “I’d heard you were a womanizer, but I confess, it’s really hard to picture.”

“Yeah?” He crosses his arms and sits on the edge of the conference room table. “What have you heard? Maybe that I’m good with my hands? That when I’m with a woman, I always make sure she gets her—”

I hold up a hand. “Stop.”

Good Lord, is it hot in here? I resist the urge to undo a button on my shirt.

He smirks, then glances down at my ignored beverage. “Try the drink, Ms. McKenzie.”

“No thanks,” I say briskly, trying to remind myself that I’m Lara McKenzie with the SEC, not Lara McKenzie, Ian Bradley groupie.

He gives an exasperated sigh as though I’m an uncooperative child and stands and walks toward me. He stops a couple of feet away and, without breaking eye contact, picks up the drink I’ve set aside and holds it out. “Try it.”

“This caveman approach might work on other women, but—”

“Oh, I get it,” he interrupts, starting to set aside the drink. “You’re scared. You like your lines straight, your colors black and white, your coffee boring. God forbid you try something new, live a little—”

Before I can stop myself, I reach out and snatch the drink. My fingers brush his, and the contact is so unexpectedly electric I nearly drop the damn thing.

He shifts slightly closer. Not to crowd, or to intimidate, or to kiss, but for a whisper-quiet seduction that’s about a million times more effective than his pickup lines so far.

For a hideous moment, I want to lean in to him, to brush my lips along his jaw, to . . .

Well, hell, I realize with a jolt. The man really may be as good as his reputation after all.

I can’t let him know it. I won’t.

I stay put, giving a little lean of my own, letting my eyes lock on his as I part my lips and put the green straw in my mouth. I take a sip of the cold, wonderfully sweet beverage, and I let out an mmm noise unlike anything I’ve ever made in my life.

His eyes flare with surprise, then desire, and for a long moment I have no idea who’s seducing whom, who’s one-upping the other . . .

Ian gives a slow smile that crinkles his eyes.

“Well played, Ms. McKenzie.”

“Back at you, Mr. Bradley.” I take a victory sip—it really is delicious. “You want to play sexy cat and mouse, I can play right back, and I’ll win.”

***

About the Book

Title: Hot Asset

Author: Lauren Layne

Release Date: May 22, 2018

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: 21 Wall Street

 

Summary

 

Ian Bradley is the definition of a Wall Street hotshot: seven-figure salary, designer suits, and a corner office. His drive off the floor is just as potent. Every woman who knows him has felt the rush. But now he’s met his match in Lara McKenzie—a woman with the power to bring Ian to his knees.

An ambitious, whip-smart daughter of FBI agents, Lara is a rising star in fighting white-collar crime. Her latest case—the investigation of Ian Bradley for insider trading—could make her career. She knows a scoundrel when she sees one. Ian fits the bill: a cocky, ridiculously handsome bad boy with a slick swagger.

She’ll do anything to prove he’s guilty. He’ll do anything to prove he’s not. But it’s only a matter of time before their fierce battle of wits gets oh so hot and personal. Now, taking down Ian has become more than business for Lara. It’s become a pleasure—and there’s more at risk than she ever dreamed.

About the Author

Lauren Layne, a former e-commerce and web marketing manager, moved from Seattle to New York City in 2011 to pursue a full-time writing career. Her first book was published in the summer of 2013, and since then, she’s written more than two dozen romantic comedies, hitting the New York Times, USA Today, iBooks, and Amazon bestseller lists. She currently lives in New York City with her husband.

Social Media Hits

Website: https://laurenlayne.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurenLayneAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_laurenlayne

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6969772.Lauren_Layne

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Feature Post: Burning Up by Jennifer Blackwood

I am very excited to be sharing this feature post from Jennifer Blackwood.

Below you will find a message from the hero of Burning Up, an excerpt from the book and a Rafflecopter giveaway. This looks to be the start of sizzling hot firefighter romance series!

 

 

Message From Jake Bennett, Hero from Burning Up

Hey, everyone. I’m Jake Bennett. I’m thirty-two and live in Portland, Oregon (Jesus, this sounds like I’m creating a dating profile, which I am definitely not). I’m a firefighter and single parent. Firefighting just came naturally as a career choice. My grandfather was a firefighter. Loved to take me to the station when I was a kid, and I haven’t wanted to do anything else ever since my four-year-old self held a hose. And why would I? I get to help people in need and my day is never boring when I get to spend it with my best buddies. Besides my job, my twelve-year-old daughter Bailey keeps me on my toes. I’ve Googled and YouTubed more than I’d care to admit to keep current on her latest obsessions (seriously, I know way too much about winged eyeliner and HTML coding).

It’s been me and Bailey for over a decade and we’re not looking to add to the family. See, after her mom skipped town on us when she was a baby, I’ve had a tough time trusting people. There are a few people I do trust, which include my firefighter brothers and my best friend’s little sister, Erin Jenkins. She’s back in town for the summer, and after ten years of not seeing her, she’s not the girl next door I remember. She has curves for days, blonde hair I want to sink my fingers into, and a mouth that drives me absolutely mad. She’s off limits and yet somehow, I decided it’d be a good idea to ask her as my date to my sister’s wedding (I claim sleep deprivation and a temporary loss of sanity).

And once we get to the wedding, we’re stuck in the same hotel room together.

Someone upstairs must be tempting me, because Erin is everything that I could ever want in a woman. Smart, sexy, and irresistible. But right now, I need to focus on being a parent. I made a promise to myself and Bailey that she’d be my number one until she went off to college. There’s also the fact that Erin is leaving at the end of the summer. It’d be stupid to contemplate something that already has an expiration date. Right?

Burning Up Excerpt

“Jake, honey, can you get more ice?” Jake’s mom called from down the table.

Without as much as a glance, his chair scratched against the hardwood floor as he backed away from the table. “Sure.”

Erin caught his hand before he could make it past. “Mind if I come, too?” The thought of sitting at the table and making small talk was enough to give her hives. Plus, she’d get this weirdness all out in the open because she wasn’t going to spend all weekend with him if he was going to act like a spooked horse.

Jake looked from the hallway back to the table, clearly debating his strategy. After a few moments, he nodded.

“I think it’s in the storage room over here,” he said. It was to the point where he wasn’t even looking at her now. What the hell had she done?

Before he could disappear into the room, she grabbed his arm again.

“Jake.”

He swiveled to face her, his eyes nearly melting her into a puddle of goo. Girl. Get ahold of yourself. It’s just a freaking man. Her body and mind were obviously on different terms. “Yeah?”

“Listen, this is just getting weird. Right? It’s not just me?”

He quirked a brow. “Weird how?”

“Don’t you play it off like it’s all me.” Erin did have a knack for making situations awkward, but there was no way she was the only one experiencing this level of discomfort. She put her hands on her hips. He had to feel this, too. One minute they were laughing like old times, the next, she was subject zero of an infectious disease. “It’s like I have the plague or something.”

“Do you have the plague?” he asked, clearly amused.

“No.” Copious amounts of hand sanitizer ensured that. “But you’re treating me like I do.”

“I’m not treating you like you have the plague.”

“Poisonous warts? Dengue fever? Halitosis? Take your pick,” she said.

He moved closer to her, his scent, a mix of cologne, beer, and mint encasing her. She’d like to say she didn’t inhale it creepily, but she was still Erin Jenkins.

“None of the above.” He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple climbing his throat.

“Then what is it?” She was at the point she almost wished she hadn’t come. At least then, she could live in her delusional bubble of reminiscing about the way things used to be, when he actually hung out with her.

Perfectly straight teeth raked across his bottom lip. “Being around you just brings back a lot of memories.”

“Hopefully not embarrassing ones.”

“Those are the best kind.”

“I see.” That was not an answer she’d been expecting. Play it cool. Yeah, she was never good at listening to her inner chi.

“Erin, as gorgeous as you are in that unfairly tight dress, you are my best friend’s sister. I work with Reece. I don’t want to lose my kneecaps because of something stupid I’d do.”

“You want to do something stupid?”

He grinned, his eyes lighting up into the dangerous glint he used to have when he was younger and about to do something that he’d absolutely regret. The one that always made Erin’s knees wobble like jelly. “Yes. Insanely stupid.”

His fingers brushed against her cheek, scorching a trail down her jawline.

“Tell me, Erin. Do people still use the word ravish?”

Damn it. So he had heard her earlier. When she thought she’d kept her thoughts in her head—where they belonged. She fought back a cringe and squared her shoulders. She was a grown woman and would own up to it.

“Those who read material other than Firefighters Monthly, yes.”

“A lesser man might be offended.” He took a step forward, and she parroted the move, taking a step back, her back hitting the wall. His arms bracketed her head, caging her in. “Feel free to peruse my science fiction selection anytime you want.”

She rolled her eyes. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d call that for what it is—the worst pickup line in existence.”

“Trust me, Erin, even if I dropped my best pickup line on you, it wouldn’t work.” He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath.

“Is that so?” Little did he know that he could use single-word commands, and she’d be playing her own version of “What Would You Do for a Klondike Bar?” Except instead of ice cream, her prize would be in the form of licking other things.

***

About the Book

Title: Burning Up

Author: Jennifer Blackwood

Release Date: May 8, 2018

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Series: Flirting with Fire, #1

Summary

Unemployed schoolteacher Erin Jenkins is back in Portland, the town she hasn’t called home for more than a decade. It’s not the way she wants to spend her last days of summer: in between jobs and avoiding her mother’s snooping by escaping to the ice-cream aisle. But when the opportunity arises for her to accompany her brother’s best friend—her lifetime crush—to a wedding, summer gets a whole lot more interesting.

Firefighter and single dad Jake Bennett has built a nice, safe wall around his heart—no romance, no getting burned. That doesn’t mean he’s ruling out a fling. Considering Erin’s visit is temporary, they’re the perfect fit for a scorching no-strings one-night stand. Or two. Or five. Until the worst thing happens: Erin and Jake are feeling more. Damn that four-letter word.

Now their hearts are on the line, and when their smoldering summer comes to a close, it’s going to be harder than ever to put out the fire.

 

Author Biography

Jennifer Blackwood is the USA Today bestselling author of the Rule Breakers, Drexler University, and Snowpocalypse series. Aside from writing contemporary romance, Blackwood teaches English in Oregon, where she lives with her husband, son, and unruly black Lab puppy. When she isn’t writing or teaching, you can find her binge-watching some of her favorite TV shows, such as Supernatural and Gilmore Girls.

Social Media Links

Website: www.jenniferblackwood.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferBlackwood

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jen_blackwood

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8532549.Jennifer_Blackwood

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