BLURB:
Beth Sergeant and Nick Chester come from
opposite ends of the social food chain. While he sees a rare beautiful woman
without an agenda, she sees a wealthy playboy. Can he convince her to let go of
her insecurities and take a chance on love, when challenges from his past force
her to reveal her most guarded secret?
Owner of La Bella Vita, a five-star day spa nestled in the affluent
suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, Beth Sergeant knows her elite clientele first
hand. She attended their private schools. She was even engaged, although
briefly, to one of their most recognized bachelors. But she never fit in to
their social-elite world.
After losing his parents to a car accident at a young age, Nick Chester
was raised by his grandfather, the wealthiest man in Nashville. When he chooses
to socialize, he has a never-ending list of exclusive events and beautiful
women vying for his attention. Yet he never lets himself forget that everyone
has an agenda.
Beth can’t resist Nick’s charm and accepts an invitation to dinner,
despite her deep-seated insecurities. She proves she’s nothing like other women
Nick's dated and learns to trust him in return. But just as the last of their
resistance crumbles and true love is within reach, challenges from Nick's past
threaten to destroy everything and force Beth to reveal her most guarded
secret.
EXCERPT:
They
stood so close she could feel the heat coming from his skin. A hint of his
cologne, mixed with leather and the smell of old books, filled her nose. Her
eyes moved to his lips and she wondered if he was going to kiss her.
Oh,
God help her, she wanted him to.
In
her dreams, his lips had been soft and sweet. He’d been gentle at first, slowly
caressing her mouth as he held her face in both hands. Then he slid his tongue
across her lips, coaxing her to open. When he took her mouth deeper, an
electric current sizzled between them and her body tingled everywhere they
touched. Every part of her melting into him. She was lost.
She
felt his arms come around her, bringing her even closer, but it didn’t seem to
be enough. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair. Slide her hands
across the taut muscles of his chest. She needed—.
A
sound from the hallway startled her and she raised her eyes to meet his. She
had no idea how long she’d been staring at his lips and remembering the dreams
she would never admit to having. Heat flooded her cheeks as she read the
smugness on his face. It had been long enough for him to read her thoughts. But
the intensity she felt from his gaze told her it didn’t matter—he wanted the
same thing.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Home is where
you hang your hat. A native Missourian, my family relocated twice during my
teenage years, taking me from a high school freshman class of over 1,200
students to living in a small town in Kentucky with a total population of less
than 1,000.
Home is where
your heart is. Despite the culture shock and challenges of those shy, teenage
years, I met my true love in that tiny town and I couldn’t be more grateful for
the opportunity to experience a community where everyone waves, calls you by
name, and treats you like family.
My husband
and I live in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee with our eighteen-year-old
son and three dogs. When I’m not working or writing, I can be found with family
and friends. I love to bake in the winter, grill in the summer, and on
occasion, I sneak away from everyone and curl up with a good book.
I hope you
enjoy my stories. Each one touches on modern day issues, fears, and challenges
that women face every day. And each one illustrates that love is within reach
if you let down those walls and allow your heart to open. Our lives and
experiences are so much more meaningful when we have someone to share them
with.
LINKS
Barnes &
Noble http://bit.ly/RnxlBC
Soul Mate
Publishing http://bit.ly/VwT9ZI
Twitter http://bit.ly/VXuYZx
Facebook http://bit.ly/RnxlBC
Cynthia
will be awarding the following prizes to three randomly drawn commenters during
the tour either one $10 Starbucks GC, one $10 Amazon GC, or one $10 Soul Mate
Publishing GC.
BLURB:
Self-professed Christmas addict Gia Dixon, and
by-the-book Ethan Castle have been best friends all their lives. When tragedy
strikes Ethan’s family, Gia’s the rock he depends on to pull him through the
darkest days. Then, a shared, long-forgotten memory leads to an unexpected yet
tender kiss. Can a simple Christmas dare
help them find true love?
Excerpt:
Funny how times had changed, Gia thought to herself. How was
it possible to have gone all these years and not have thought of him
romantically? Yet now all she wanted to do was steal a minute alone to kiss him
again. Or more.
She saw headlights coming down the road and opened the door,
preparing to walk out to meet him.
“No, ma’am,” she heard Ethan call out. He was already
getting out of his Jeep and motioned for her to turn around and go back inside.
She was unsure what to make of it, but did as he asked. Then
she heard the doorbell ring. Slowly she
opened the door, and saw his smiling face. She backed up a step to allow him to
walk inside.
“We may be taking things slow, but I’m still going to do it
the right way. When I ask you out on a date, I’ll park and come to your door.
If this were seven years ago and you were living at home, your dad would have
kicked my ass if he ever caught me letting you just walk out to the curb to get
in my car.”
Gia could easily recall the many times her father had
complained about that when other boys had done it to her.
“How right you are. My mistake.” She laughed. “From now on
I’ll expect to be courted properly according to the Henry Dixon Dating Manual.”
“Besides, stealing a quick moment alone behind closed doors
gives me the opportunity to do this.” He pulled her into his embrace to softly
kiss her.
When their lips parted, she commented, “I don’t think Daddy
had that in mind when he made up that particular rule. But you score extra
points for showing initiative.”
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Joan Chandler
is a Florida native who has lived in the Deep South all of her life. She is
married with two children who are her pride and joy. She lives a double life of
sorts, holding down a nine-to-five job during the day, and writing steamy
romance at night—often with her black cat curled up in her arms as she types.
When she’s
not spending her spare time working on her next novel, she loves to go camping,
sharing girls’ night out with her friends, walking her two dogs, and watching
football.
Twitter
account: @joanchandler1
Find me on
facebook: Joan Chandler
Previously
published works are Perfectly Imperfect, and No Regrets. Both are available at:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=joan+chandler
Barnes &
Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/joan-chandler?keyword=joan+chandler&store=allproducts
Joan will
be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card, winner's choice, to a
randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $10 gift card to Bath &
Body Works to a randomly drawn host.
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They
stood so close she could feel the heat coming from his skin. A hint of his
cologne, mixed with leather and the smell of old books, filled her nose. Her
eyes moved to his lips and she wondered if he was going to kiss her.
Home is where
you hang your hat. A native Missourian, my family relocated twice during my
teenage years, taking me from a high school freshman class of over 1,200
students to living in a small town in Kentucky with a total population of less
than 1,000.
Funny how times had changed, Gia thought to herself. How was
it possible to have gone all these years and not have thought of him
romantically? Yet now all she wanted to do was steal a minute alone to kiss him
again. Or more.
As Lucy sat down in the graveyard against an aging oak tree,
she caught her breath and thought of all the ways Kate had helped her to be
stronger. She thought of how hard her sister pushed her to go to ESPA because
Kate believed in her so much. Lucy knew she'd disappointed her sister when she
decided not to go to the school. She told herself it was because it was too expensive
for her parents and she would miss her friends and family too much to go, but
deep down, she knew it was because she was afraid that she wasn't talented
enough and she would embarrass herself and her parents.
