Thursday, September 27, 2018

Whiskey Sour by Nazarea Andrews - Release Day!

 

Today we are celebrating the release of WHISKEY SOUR by Nazarea Andrews. Whiskey Sour is an adult contemporary romance, standalone novel, and it is the fourth book in the River Street Bar series. 



Book Description:

Calvin Landers is a mess. He has a great job and a steady string of men and women in his bed, and has been in love with the same couple for so long he can't remember a time when he wasn't. Coming off fresh heartbreak, he's ready to move on, to give up on romance and sex altogether and moves in with his best friend, Davis, while he looks for something more permanent and tries to figure out what the hell he's doing with his life. Ava Liu isn't looking for anything more than something to distract her from the book she's supposed to be translating. Something to distract her from why the hell she's in River City in the first place. But the boys who share a fence are more than a little distracting and pushy, when they realize just how much Ava needs someone--and how much they all need each other. Sometimes life happens just when you stop looking.


EXCERPT: 

There’s a man there, in faded jeans and a green henley and a big grin—although, that grin kind of stutters, dips into confused and speculative as he stares at me.
“Uh. This is—I’m looking for 9800 Blackmore Lane?”
I point to the side, where the old Miller house is sitting in all its innocent glory. “I’m 8900. Go bang on the right door.”
He gives me an apologetic smile and wags a coffee at me.
It’s a coffee from Cool Beans Cafe, something I only get when I can talk Kip into grabbing it before she drops in. And that’s rare enough—she has opinions about how much coffee I drink.
“Peace offering?” he says, with a hopeful little smile that shouldn’t be as charming as it is.
I huff and snatch it from him, inhaling the scent. I give a tiny noise, soft and satisfied. Then I blink, because a stranger is still standing on my porch staring at me, bemused.
“Sorry for snapping,” I mumble.
He laughs. “Sorry for being the unobservant dick who woke you up so early.” I smile at that, pleased, and he extends a hand. “Davis Emmerson. I’m moving into 9800.”
“And you don’t know what it looks like?” I say skeptically.
He laughs and blushes, rubbing the back of his neck in the most adorable display of self-conscious embarrassment I’ve ever seen. “Yeah, no. My best friend is moving in first—he came yesterday. He picked the place. I’m just here for the excellent wifi.”
Oh. Interesting.
“Well, I’m sorry, ma’am. I’ll let you get back to your morning.”
“Ava,” I offer shyly and he glances back at me. “My name. It’s Ava.”
A smile slips over his face and he nods. “You should come by tomorrow. I’m making cookies.”
Surprise flickers in his gaze, but he grins as he backs down the stairs. “I will. See you soon, Miss Ava.”
I breathe through the flush on my skin and shut the door as he hits the sidewalk. Then I sit in my favorite chair and slowly savor my coffee, letting my mind drift aimlessly while I do.
It’s only when the coffee is gone and I’ve dressed and done my makeup for the day—it’s only then that I panic.
I have no fucking clue how to make cookies.




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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  

Nazarea Andrews (N to almost everyone) is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. Which means she writes everything from zombies and dystopia to contemporary love stories. When not writing, she can most often be found driving her kids to practice and burning dinner while she reads, or binge watching TV shows on Netflix. N loves chocolate, wine, and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. N is a self-professed geek and enjoys spending her spare time lost in her favorite fandoms and can often be found babbling about them on social media. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, spoiled cat and overgrown dog. She is the author of World Without End series, Neverland Found, Edge of the Falls, and The University of Branton Series. Stop by her twitter (@NazareaAndrews) and tell her what fantastic book she should read next.  
AUTHOR LINKS:
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Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Twilight of the Elves by Zack Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos: Waiting on Wednesday




I am so excited about this Middle Grade fantasy coming 
13 November 2018!
The Adventurers Guild: Twilight of the Elves is the second book in the Adventurers Guild Series from Zack Loran and Nick Eliopulos and it is one of my most anticipated reads of 2018!

Yep, that's right a Middle Grade Fantasy Read is one of my most anticipated reads of the year, you 'guys' don't knock it till you try it!  






Book Description:

I should probably start at the beginning, Zed wrote, when things first went wrong.

Zed, Brock, and their friends may have saved Freestone from destruction, but the fight against the Dangers is far from over. No one knows what to expect next from the dark power that forced the elves to abandon their city. And the influx of elf refugees in Freestone strains resources and brews resentment among the townspeople. Things have shifted between best friends Zed and Brock, as well, with their friendship crumbling under the weight of the secrets they're keeping from each other.
When tensions reach an all-time high, Queen Me'Shala, leader of the elves, approaches the Adventurers Guild with a mission. She wants a small group of adventurers to go behind the king's back on a covert mission to save her city, and Zed, Brock, Liza, Jett, Micah, and their elven friend Fel join the quest. To face a powerful form of magic thought to be extinct, the adventurers will have to learn how to rely on each other and fight harder than ever before.



Don't miss this second installment of Zack Loran Clark and Nicholas Eliopulos's Adventurers Guild trilogy, where the stakes are raised, the action is breathless, and the dangers will stop even the bravest of hearts.



I got the chance to ask Nick and Zach this question:

"When dual writing how did you build such an intricate and believable fantasy world with out going over the top?
 Even on my own, much less with a writing partner, a world I created would likely look like a Jackson Pollock painting; an explosion of information."

and they sent me back this amazing response, check it out:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi All-books-readers! 

We’re Zack Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos, authors of THE ADVENTURERS GUILD, a fantasy trilogy for young readers. The second book in the series, TWILIGHT OF THE ELVES, is out this November. 


We’re commandeering this post to talk a little bit about world-building. It can be tricky navigating exactly how many details to fit into your story without the common pitfall of fantasy TMI. Here are some of the pointers we kept to while crafting our setting. Join us in our world-building mutiny! 



1. Is there a high concept? 

We’re both avid fantasy fans and tabletop gamers, and our goal with TAG was to bring the magic of settings like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Dragon Age, and of course Lord of the Rings to younger readers. Not every fantasy needs to be "high" concept — many of our favorites aren’t — but having a clear vision of what we wanted to accomplish with our series helped a lot in shaping the details. 




THE ADVENTURERS GUILD takes place in a world that will be familiar to anyone who’s ever seen a Hobbit movie or rolled a d20. There are elves and wizards and monsters — except in our books the monsters have already won. Hundreds of years ago, a disastrous ritual flooded the setting with supernatural horrors, effectively ending civilization. Now, the city of Freestone is one of only a handful of survivors, and few ever leave the protection of its walls. 


Knowing the tropes we wanted to play with, we were able to use them as a frame for our world-building. Freestone’s whole social structure is literally built upon four archetypal fantasy “classes,” and from there we were able to expand with our own twists! 



2. Is it fun / interesting? 

Yes, it’s probably important that you know how your fantasy denizens get their water and clear their waste. If you’re lucky, someone will love your story enough to try to stump you by asking! But urban planning can make for a dull read, especially if the audience is younger. If you sense yourself beginning to lecture, try to test the facts you’re putting out there. Are they adding something cool or exciting? 



3. Is it important to the story? 

Sometimes, though, that boring old water supply gets poisoned by an evil dragon-worshipping cult, and then all the talk about the town’s well-regulated aquifers suddenly comes back! There’s nothing we love more than the goose bumps after a seemingly innocuous detail becomes a dangerous turn in the plot. 



4. Put it in dialogue. 

Honestly, just having your characters deliver some of the world-building can take the strain off your expositional load. Putting information in dialogue also forces us to think about brevity and tone. Would my protagonist really spend a paragraph talking about how the chamber pots are emptied into the River Stynx? Or would she joke that her friend smells like he took a swim off the wrong bank? 


5. Bring a friend. 

You know the world you built inside-out, and that can make it hard to recognize when some element of your world-building is redundant, unclear, nonsensical, or repetitive. (Wait.) Ask a friend — one who doesn’t already know your city layout or monster food chain — to read your writing and give you honest feedback. They’ll be able to point out your blind spots. (And all writers have to get used to criticism eventually!) 


6. Write an appendix. 

If you’ve done more world-building than you can (or should) fit into the book itself, keep in mind that there are a ton of other venues for sharing that information. An appendix, a website, a behind-the-scenes pamphlet . . . Put all that lovely detail where people who care can find it, and that will lessen the sting of cutting it from the story proper. We’ve shared a lot of our own extra world-building material on our blog at www.dayofdangers.com


7. Save it for the sequel

One of the joys of writing a sequel is that you have a bit more breathing room. With a first book there is a lot of pressure to introduce your world and your characters in a succinct way. But anyone who comes back for the sequel has already been won over, at least a little, so you have some breathing room in book two. We show off a little bit more of the world we built in TWILIGHT OF THE ELVES, hoping fans of the series will be happy to spend time there. We certainly were! 


There you have it – the inside scoop on how we handled world-building. We hope these tips prove useful as you craft castles, populate enchanted forests, and, yes, plumb the depths of fantasy plumbing. Now go forth and create! 


Zack & Nick





If you haven't already check out book 1, The Adventures Guild.  Here's a link to my review in case you were interested, click on book cover:




Book Description:

Few ever asked to join the Adventurers Guild. . . . Their members often died young.

In one of the last cities standing after the world fell to monsters, best friends Zed Kagari and Brock Dunderfel have high hopes for the future. Zed desperately wishes to join the ranks of the Mages Guild, where his status as Freestone's only half elf might finally be an asset. Brock, the roguishly handsome son of merchants, is confident he'll be welcomed into the ranks of the Merchants Guild.

But just as it seems the boys' dreams have come true, their lives take a startling turn . . . and they find themselves members of the perilous Adventurers Guild.

Led by the fearsome Alabasel Frond, the guild acts as the last line of defense against the Dangers-hungry, unnatural beasts from otherworldly planes. And when the boys uncover a conspiracy that threatens all of Freestone, Zed, Brock, and their new allies-Liza, a fierce noble, and Jett, a brave dwarf-must prove their worth once and for all.


This start of a thrilling new series is sure to be a hit with readers who like their fantasies clever and action-packed, with tons of humor and heart.






ZACK LORAN CLARK and NICK ELIOPULOS grew up in Florida and now live in New York. Best friends, they get together to play Dungeons & Dragons every week. Zack fervently hopes that magic is real; Nick desperately hopes that monsters are not. The Adventurers Guild is their first novel.


Zack Loran Clark 


Nick Eliopulos


Quick Fall by Michelle Dayton - First Look Excerpt and Giveaway





Get Your First Look at QUICK FALL by Michelle Dayton! 


Here’s your FIRST LOOK at QUICK FALL by Michelle Dayton! Join us as we get our first peek at this spicy, yet sweet opposites attract romance. Check out the excerpt and enter to win a gift card and advanced reader copies!

Find out what happens in QUICK FALL by Michelle Dayton, when sparks fly between Justin Tracy, the eternal ladies man, and his new tenant, Maddy Trainor, a feisty single mom. It was supposed to be uncomplicated fun and sexy times ... it wasn’t supposed to be love. Fans of Christina Lauren and NO MORE MR. NICE GUY by Amy Andrews will love this spicy and sweet opposites attract romance.




Book Description:

Justin Tracy, the perennial life of the party, is used to being teased by his friends about his success with the ladies. Not that he’ll ever get serious with one. Why should he? His life is absolutely perfect the way it is. But at his brother’s bachelor party, a drunken bet about his womanizing skill gets a little out of control. Before he knows it, his friends have invited his new tenant – a woman he’s never even met – to go to his brother’s wedding with him.

Single mom Maddy Trainor has just moved back to Chicago, ready to reclaim her life and conquer the city. Maddy’s determined to get her new business off the ground and build a happy home for her son, Teddy. She didn’t expect a gorgeous landlord, but ogling Justin Tracy is definitely a bonus to her new apartment.

Justin intends to apologize to Maddy for the out-of-the-blue wedding invitation and get gone, but his new neighbor turns out to be funny, whip-smart, and sexy as hell. Why not take her to the wedding for real? Just as friends, of course. To Maddy, the wedding – one night of champagne and dancing with a self-admitted Peter Pan – sounds like amazing no-strings fun. But the sparks that blaze between the two of them can’t be contained to one night. And two people who think they have life figured out are about to realize they know nothing about love …






Quick Ride Excerpt
Copyright © 2018 Michelle Dayton

Justin caught Maddy in his arms just as she turned to head back to their table. “Not so fast,” he said. “May I have this dance?”

Her cheeks were flushed from the exercise, and her eyes glowed like candles again. “Absolutely.”

He pulled her close. So close he could smell the shampoo she’d used on her hair. She moved her hands up and down his biceps before settling them lightly on his shoulders. He gripped her hips, loving how they swayed back and forth beneath his touch. 

Everything felt so good that half the song passed before he spoke again. “You looked great out here,” he murmured into her hair.

She tipped her head back. “I told you I love to dance.” 

He moved his hands from her hips to her lower back so that she was pressed even tighter against him. Then he whispered in her ear, “You did not tell me, however, how sexy you look while doing it.” Bizarrely, on their own, his lips traveled down and pressed a kiss to the skin beneath her earlobe. 

What the hell was he doing? He was never into PDA. Occasionally, he’d put his arm around a woman or give her a teasing kiss on the cheek—the kind that came with a smacking sound effect. He didn’t even usually hold hands. 

But here he was, in public, with his mouth on Maddy’s skin. And it wasn’t a dry peck either. His lips wanted to explore. His tongue was dying to taste her. Briefly, he let it. 

She shivered against him, moved her own hands higher so they were locked around his neck. “Some things you just have to find out for yourself.”

The words were a throaty chuckle, said with the cadence of a confident woman. He went hard as a rock. 

Pressed so tightly against him, she could hardly fail to notice. Would she pull away, deflect, pretend they weren’t rubbing against each other as much as physically possible in public? 

She didn’t. In fact, she did something between a whisper and a moan, stood on her toes, and kissed his throat.

Jesus. “When this song ends, you’re going to have to shield me as we walk back to our table.” His voice was a desperate laugh. “You’ve put me in a … complicated position.”

She squirmed against him, making it worse. “Really?” she said innocently, arching an eyebrow. “This position seems fairly simple to me.” She laughed, low in her throat. “I’m guessing you know positions that are a lot more complicated.”




Meet Justin’s older brother, Garrett Tracy! 

FAST RIDE is on sale for $.99! Grab your copy today! 





Enter to win a $15 Amazon gift card 
and eARCs of QUICK RIDE! 
10 will win copies!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway






About Michelle Dayton:
There are only three things Michelle Dayton loves more than sexy and suspenseful novels: her family, the city of Chicago, and Mr. Darcy. Michelle dreams of a year of world travel – as long as the trip would include weeks and weeks of beach time. As a bourbon lover and unabashed wine snob, Michelle thinks heaven is discussing a good book over an adult beverage



Follow Michelle: 
  Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Amazon ~ BookBub






Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Lost in Bliss by Lexi Blake - Release Day Review

       


 

Amazon ~ Barnes&Noble ~ iBooks ~ 

Kobo ~ GooglePlay ~ Smashwords ~ Print


Author: Lexi Blake writing as Sophie Oak
Publication Date:  25 September, 2018
Publisher: DLZ Entertainment, LLC
Series:  Lost in Bliss, book 4
Genre:  Contemporary Erotic Romance, MFM
Age Recommendation: 18 and Up
Rating: 4 Stars
~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~ 


Book Description:

Laura Niles walked out the door and never looked back. As she left Washington, DC, her career was in ruins and her love life decimated. Her desperate flight eventually led her to Bliss, Colorado, where she managed to find a new home and a little peace. That will have to be enough because Laura cannot imagine finding happiness without the men she left behind. For five years, Rafe Kincaid and Cameron Briggs have searched for the only woman they ever loved. When she disappeared, everything became crystal clear. For one night, everything had been perfect and instead of embracing what they had found, they let it all slip away. They had let worries about their FBI careers and what others might think destroy the most precious gift they had ever been given. Now they have finally tracked her down, and they want answers. Laura is shocked when her former loves show up in her new home. When the full force of the FBI arrives with them, Laura knows that the quirky little town is in for a rough ride. The killer that ruined her life has been watching and waiting for the opportunity to strike again. For Rafe, Cam, and Laura it’s time for second chances — to stop a monster, and to reclaim everything they lost.    



My Review:

I really enjoyed Lost in  I think because the suspense aspect of this one was so much more diabolical   I don't know but that just really made it fresh for me, but the romance wasn't quite what I have come to love in this series. 

 I loved that we got the Bliss charm that we have grown to love, though I wouldn't have minded a bit more of the quirky.  The romance between the three main characters was swoon worthy but it was also missing a little bit and I think it was just Rafe and Carmeron throwing me off.  I loved them individually...though it takes Rafe a long time to get himself in the game and I wanted to shake him a time or two, but the constant back and forth with turns threw me off for a long time in this book.  Typically the MFM seems to work so seemlessly together that I don't even notice that it's an a-typical relationship, but this one kind of set me on edge a little.  I wanted them to just get it together for the majority of the book and realize that they can make a threesome work.  

This story is really a second chance romance read, the love that can never be forgotten.  I adored how Cameron spent years of his life with the sole goal of tracking his love down.  I loved the redemption aspect for both heroes but also especially for Rafe who I think needed redemption more than any one else out of the threesome.  He needed his butt proverbially kicked and he gets it in this book.  Laura is the firecracker we never knew she was but always hoped was under there.  I adored that she wasn't willing to settle and to let those two men profess to love her but not truly understand what it means to love her.  Even if this doesn't end up being your favorite of the series I know that it will still have you wanting more and more!  

I loved the set up for the coming books, oh how my heart breaks for Logan, his story is going to be an emotional roller coaster I just know.  Caleb the town Dr, I can't wait for your book and for our local Russian and our sweet Holly to straighten you out, haha.  

Bring me ack to Bliss, Colorado!  I can't wait for book 5!  

~ HAPPY READING ~
   



Excerpt:

 Rafe didn’t miss the way Laura’s body went still, her muscles stiffening where a moment before she’d been laughing with her friends. She changed the second she became aware of them. It wasn’t the greeting he would prefer. Back when they were friends, when she would see him coming, her whole body would go soft and a welcoming smile would transform her face from something professional to an intimate visage, one only meant for someone close to her. He’d taken great pride in the fact that he’d only ever seen that look on her face for one other person. “Hello, bella.” She frowned at him. Even with her lips turned down, she was stunning. She looked only slightly out of place in her yellow heels. The rest of her outfit was charmingly Western. She had on a full cotton skirt, a yellow tank top, and a light denim jacket. It wasn’t far off from what many of the other women were wearing, yet Laura made it seem elegant. Everything she did had an air of grace to it, even when she was bitching at him. “I thought I asked you to stop calling me that.” He wasn’t going to let her push him. He gave her what he hoped was an easy smile. “And I asked you to stop calling me asshole. I doubt you’ve done that. Dance with me.” Her eyes widened, a look of horror crossing her face. “No.” “Come on, baby. Don’t say no.” Cam crowded her, but she held her ground. Those heels were planted firmly in the grass beneath her. “I can’t dance with you until you dance with him. I lost the coin flip.” “Oh, that’s romantic.” Her hands found her hips, and those gorgeously full lips pursed. “Every woman in the world wants to be won by the flip of a coin.” “We didn’t have time to play cards,” Rafe admitted. He was well aware that people were listening in. Oh, they were pretending to be doing other things, but they leaned over and then talked behind their hands. The citizens of Bliss seemed to be enjoying the drama. Damn, he couldn’t get used to it. In DC, no one paid a bit of attention to what was going on around them. He tried to ignore it. “We weren’t sure how else to handle it, bella. You have to teach us.” Her lips rose in a sarcastic grin. “See, that’s easy. Let me teach you how to handle a situation like this. You both turn around and walk out the way you came in. You get in your car and drive to Alamosa and get on a plane back to DC.” Cam sighed. “That’s not going to happen.” Cam ran a hand up her arm, and Rafe was satisfied with the way she shivered. She still responded to Cam. Would she respond to him? He reached out and took her hand, studying it. Her hand was small in his, her skin fair against his olive tone. Her nails weren’t as long as she used to keep them, but they were still manicured and painted a pretty pink. “Come on and dance with me. We came all this way. We’ve looked for so long. Can’t you spare a moment of your time? I promise to behave.” He wouldn’t behave. He had every intention of reminding her of the chemistry they’d had, but he wasn’t going to announce it. “Fine.” She pushed off of the picnic table she’d been leaning against. “One dance and that’s all.” “With both of us,” Cam added quickly, pushing the advantage. “It’s only fair. Otherwise, we’ll both dance with you here and now.” There it was. Rafe’s heart soared. Her eyes had flared momentarily, and it wasn’t with disgust. When they had checked into the odd motel at the edge of town, they had decided it would be best to come at her together. She’d been turned on by sex with both of them. They needed to remind her of what they had to offer.    



   
NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.

FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~

 WEBSITE ~ AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Make Me Fall by Sara Rider - Release Week Spotlight



Enemies make the worst neighbors, but the best lovers in Sara Rider’s MAKE ME FALL, the second book in her standalone Books & Brews series. 

Eli doesn’t have a lot of sympathy for his uptight neighbor, Nora, until he hears about her “un-datable” status and all it takes is one disastrous date with Nora for Eli to fall hard. 

Fans of Lauren Layne, Jenny Holiday’s ONE AND ONLY, and THE FINE ART OF FAKING IT by Lucy Score will devour this opposites attract, fun buy sexy romance.




Book Description:

After losing her job, her home, and her friends in her divorce, Nora Pitts is determined not to make the same mistakes when she starts over in the small town of Shadow Creek, Washington. No more toiling away in the lab at the expense of her social life, and definitely no more men. Ever. But making friends in her thirties is so much harder than she anticipated. And when it comes to her gorgeous yet obnoxious neighbor, it’s a whole lot easier to make enemies.

Eli Hardin doesn’t have a lot of sympathy for his uptight neighbor, until he overhears her so-called new friends making fun of her un-datable status. Suddenly he finds himself volunteering for a date with a woman who’s been leaving angry hate-notes in his mailbox, and in way over his head. Because all it takes is one disastrous date with Nora for Eli to fall hard.

But falling for Eli isn’t something Nora’s ready for—not when he’s her complete opposite, and especially not when he turns out to be the best friend she’s made in Shadow Creek. But as her attraction and her feelings for Eli grow hotter, resisting him might just lead to heartbreak anyway.






MAKE ME FALL Excerpt: 
Copyright © 2018 Sara Rider 


Eli marked off twenty-six and three-quarter inches as precisely as he could and lifted the blade of the circular saw. 

“Oh my God, I soooo wasn’t kidding,” one of the women next door said loudly. “Nora really does need to get laid.” 

His shoulders tensed. This wasn’t the first time he’d overheard the women loudly shit-talking his neighbor behind her back. He had no idea why she hung out with them. 

“Maybe you should set her up with someone,” another woman added. 

The other two laughed. “Can you imagine Nora on a date? She’s so uptight and frigid. Who would want to date her? No lay is worth that kind of torture. Can’t you just picture her busting out her bottle of sanitizer before the poor sap tries to hold her hand?” 

His jaw tensed and he felt the last of his patience snap like an icicle in his warm hands. He sliced the saw through the wood, threw his protective glasses onto the ground, and marched over to the waist-high chain link fence. “I’d do it.” 

All three women turned to look at him like he was a space alien who’d just beamed down to earth. The one who’d been talking the most leaned forward in her seat. “What did you just say?” 

“You heard me. I’d go out with her.” 

“You can’t be serious.” 

The more this woman pushed, the more he wanted to put her in her place. No, Nora was not the kind of woman he would normally ask out—mainly because she was one of the few who didn’t seem to fall for his charm. In fact, he was pretty sure she didn’t think he had any charm whatsoever, but she was attractive and smart enough to read a book every month. That alone made her more dateable than half the population in this town. “Sure as hell am.” 

The woman leaned forward, smiling at him like he was freshly caught prey in her snare. “If you’re looking for a date, I could show you a much better time.” 

He shrugged, keeping his fake smile on his face. “No thanks. Backstabbing and mean isn’t my type.” 

He probably enjoyed the shocked look on the woman’s face a little too much, but it was seriously fucking rude to trash-talk the hostess while sitting on her porch and eating her canapés. 

The screen door slid open right at that moment. Nora walked out with a plate of decadent-looking mini-chocolate cakes that made his mouth water on sight. Her eyes darted from her friends to him and back again. “Um, what’s going on?” 

He rested his hands against the old chain-link fence. “What’s going on is that your so-called friends are talking trash about your love life behind your back and don’t seem to think you can get a date. So I volunteered.” 

“You what?” 

“Volunteered. You and me. Tomorrow night at seven. I’ll drive.” 

She slammed the cake tray onto the coffee table and set her hands on her hips. She looked around, like she couldn’t decide where to focus her anger. Of course she settled on him. “Who says I’d want to go out with you?” 

He raised his eyebrow, liking the way she got flustered around him a little too much. “Got better plans?” 

Even at the distance between them, he could see her suck in a breath. Her mouth hardened into a flat line, but she didn’t say no. 

“Tomorrow. Seven. Dinner. Oh, and consider making new friends who aren’t so damn mean. These ladies don’t deserve any of those amazing-looking cakes.” He grabbed his plank of wood and headed into the house, wondering what the hell he’d just gotten himself into.




Want Some More Books & Brews from Sara Rider? 
Pick up a copy of RIGHT KIND OF LOVE today! 




Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card and six digital copies of REAL KIND OF LOVE!





About Sara Rider:

   
Sara Rider writes contemporary romance full of heart, heat, and happily ever after. She lives in British Columbia with her husband and daughters. She spends far too much time in public libraries and never leaves the home without her e-reader stuffed in her purse.



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Don't Touch My Petunia by Tara Sheets - Excerpt Tour and GiveAway



A woman with garden magic finds out the builder in charge of remodeling her florist shop is the same man who broke her heart over a decade ago. In spite of best laid plans, they find themselves falling head over hearts in this whimsical romantic comedy where opposites attract, sparks fly, and magical mayhem ensues.


Available September 25th – DON’T TOUCH MY PETUNIA, a new book in the Holloway Girls series by Tara Sheets.




Book Description:

Pine Cove Island is the kind of enchanting place where anything is possible . . .

The Holloway women each have a special gift, passed down through generations, each one a little different. Juliette possesses a magical green thumb, which makes her job managing the local florist shop a dream. She may be a bit wild, but she knows what she wants: to save enough money to buy the shop from her boss. Then in marches Logan O’Connor, more annoyingly handsome than ever, turning all her plans upside down.

Logan hasn’t been back on Pine Cove Island since he was eighteen and broke Juliette’s teenage heart. Now it turns out he’s her boss’s nephew—and will be spending his days remodeling the shop and barking orders. At her.

For the sake of the business, Juliette will have to ignore their simmering attraction and work with Logan. But that doesn’t mean she has to make things easy for him. Because no one knows better than she that one tiny, perfectly planted bit of garden magic could uproot Logan’s own plans and keep him out of her way. And nothing would make her happier. At least that’s what she thinks . . .



Excerpt:

It was ten o’clock in the morning by the time Logan strolled in to work. Juliette tried to tell herself it didn’t matter; his job was his business. But that wasn’t entirely true. As the standing manager of Romeo’s Florist Shop, it was her responsibility to oversee everything that went on, which included the business of Romeo’s slow-moving, swaggering nephew. 

“Nice of you to finally make it in,” she said when he came through the back door. She’d spent the morning swamped with customers and orders, and in the middle of it she’d had to deal with Logan’s lumberyard delivery all by herself. 

He walked over to the coffeepot and poured himself a cup from the new machine. His face looked drawn, and there were dark shadows under his eyes. 

Juliette crossed her arms and opened her mouth to speak, but Logan held up a hand. 

“Before you start,” he said, “you should know that my answer to everything for the next five minutes is going to be ‘coffee.’” 

“You should know that you’re late,” she tossed back. “We open at eight o’clock here.” 

He raised his mug in salute and took a sip. 

“The lumber company stopped by this morning at eight-thirty,” she continued, “and since you weren’t here, they started dumping all the supplies by the front walkway. And this time, the store was filled with customers.” 

Logan leaned against the counter and regarded her with bloodshot eyes. He took another slow sip. 

“What is wrong with you this morning?” she blurted. “You look like you drank one too many shots of tequila last night and had to crawl home on your lips.” 

His mouth lifted at one corner as if he found her amusing. 

“It’s not funny,” she said with growing annoyance. “You’re supposed to be here on time so you can handle all the remodel stuff.” 

He closed his eyes and rubbed his face with one hand. “A friend kept me up all night.” 

An image of the pretty blonde from the bonfire flashed across Juliette’s mind. She’d been wrapped around him like a human pretzel, and it hadn’t seemed to bother him. 

Juliette bristled. “Look, if you want to party all night long with Suzy Sunshine, go right ahead. But you’re still expected to show up on time and get some actual work done here. The rest of us have to do our jobs. I’m sure Romeo wouldn’t be thrilled to know you were dragging in two hours late on your second day of work.” 

Logan stopped with his cup halfway to his mouth. “Suzy Sunshine?” 

“That girl from the barbeque.” 

He frowned. “You mean Bella?” 

“Whatever.” She wouldn’t know. Because she didn’t care. 

“We weren’t partying,” he said casually. “Not all night, anyway. I wasn’t up for it.” 

She had the sudden urge to throw something at him. Instead, she smiled sweetly. “Stamina problems, huh? Not a shocker. It’s your second day on the job and you can’t even keep up.” 

Logan set his cup on the counter with a thud, an unspoken challenge in his eyes. 

All Juliette’s nerve endings went on high alert. She suddenly felt like a rabbit in plain sight of a wolf. 

His gaze slid lazily down her body in a sensual caress, then back up to linger on her mouth before meeting her eyes. “I have no problems keeping up, Juliette.” He drew her name out on his tongue like he could taste it. “I’d be happy to prove it to you, if you don’t believe me.”


More from the Holloway Girls series
Don’t Call Me Cupcake



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About Tara Sheets:


TARA SHEETS is an award-winning author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. Her work has earned first place recognition in literary contests nationwide and her debut novel, Don’t Call Me Cupcake, won the 2016 Golden Heart® award sponsored by Romance Writers of America®. Tara began her career as an author in the Pacific Northwest, inspired by the rain and the misty mountains and the rivers of Starbucks coffee. She now lives in the warm, wonderful South where she can stand outside with no coat on, and she finds that pretty inspiring too. When not writing, Tara enjoys life with her book-loving family and a book-eating dog named Merlin. She is represented by Sarah Phair at Trident Media Group.



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