Thursday 21 May 2015

New Release: Then He Kissed Me by Maria Geraci


Then He Kissed Me

Whispering Bay # 2
By: Maria Geraci
Releasing May 19, 2015
TKA Distribution


Then He Kissed Me

Whispering Bay Series



Lauren Donalan was once Whispering Bay’s golden girl—the rich, bubbly blonde cheerleader who married the high school football star. When her mediocre marriage falls apart, she returns home and starts a vintage clothing business, determined to prove she’s more than just a pretty face with a trust fund.

Nate Miller may have been a nerd in high school, but now he has a beautiful girlfriend and is set to take over Doc Morrison’s medical practice. Still, the good folks of Whispering Bay find his no-nonsense approach more than a little unsettling, leaving his future in town a great big question mark. And things go even further downhill when his well-intentioned marriage proposal goes awry.

Lauren doesn’t need a man to complete her, yet when she finds herself set up on a date with Nate, she can’t help but notice how sexy and confident he is. In fact, every time the former introvert kisses her, she sees fireworks. But, only a big love will make Lauren change her mind about commitment. As Nate attempts to win Lauren over, a real estate co-op threatens Lauren’s business—and Nate’s ex still has a thing or two to say about their previous relationship. Now Lauren has to decide to go big or go home, in business, as well as in love.


Nate parked his car in front of Can Buy Me Love. It was almost seven-thirty. Officially, the shop closed over an hour ago, but there were still lights on in the store. There was also a black pickup truck parked along the side of the shop. He recognized that truck. It belonged to Tom Donalan.
His gut clenched. An odd reaction, really. Lauren and her ex had a friendly relationship. There was no reason Tom shouldn’t be here. But, there was no reason he should be here, either.
He glanced at the single long stemmed red rose and the take out basket from The Harbor House lying on the passenger seat of his car. He’d ordered the same thing they’d had on their date—the salmon with the house vegetables for her, and a surf and turf for him. He’d also bought a bottle of the Pinot Noir, along with two big slabs of cheesecake. He told the hostess the take out was for a special occasion and she’d presented him with a wicker basket, complete with top of the line disposable plates, silver ware, tablecloth and even candles.
He could keep it all in the car. He could walk into the shop and act causal like he’d just stopped by to say hello. And if for some reason things didn’t seem…right, he wouldn’t make an ass of himself.
But his gut kept telling him that Lanie was wrong. Lauren wouldn’t lie to him. Of course, his gut had also told him that proposing to Jessica was a good thing. But Lauren wasn’t Jessica.
The hell with it. He scooped up the rose and the basket of food. As long as there wasn’t someone around taping him for the benefit of YouTube, he could survive whatever happened tonight.
He opened the shop door. A bell above the entrance chimed. Laughter, hers, mixed with a deeper, masculine laugh, drifted from somewhere in the back of the store. His ears began to buzz. He gripped the rose a little too tightly, causing a thorn to nick his finger.
“Sorry! We’re closed!” he heard Lauren shout. She walked out to the front of the shop with a grin on her face and her cheeks flushed. She had on a dress he’d seen her wear to work before, a short sleeved blue thing that brought out the color of her eyes. But she had on flip flops and her hair was pulled back in a headband, like she’d dressed down to do physical work. There was a smudge of dirt on her nose. She startled when she saw him. “Nate. What are you doing here?”
“I came to bring you dinner. And this.” He thrust the flower at her. “Happy birthday.”
Oh!” She glanced inside the basket. “You brought all this for me? This is incredible.” She noticed the blood on his finger and grabbed a Kleenex from a box she kept on the check-out counter, then pressed it against his finger to staunch the trickle. She looked surprised, but happy. Nate had a sudden urge to pick her up, lay her across the counter and—
“Hi, Nate,” Henry said cheerfully. He and Tom came walking out of the back storeroom. Both of them had dust in their hair, like they’d been working, too. Henry took in the rose and the basket and his face went blank.
Tom shook his hand. “Hey, man. Good to see you.” Tom’s gaze was more discreet than his son’s, but he, too, was checking out the situation with the flower and the food.
Lauren glanced between all three males, and smiled. “Tom and Henry came by with some balloons for my birthday,” she explained to Nate. “Unfortunately for them, I roped them into moving some stuff out of the storeroom.”
“We wanted to take her out for dinner, but Mom says she has too much work to do to eat,” Henry said. It was subtly put, but a message, nonetheless.
Lauren put her arm around her son’s shoulder. “This guy already surprised me this morning with breakfast. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, fresh squeezed orange juice. All my favorites.”
“Ah. Very nice,” Nate said.
“Do you need me to walk Hector tomorrow morning?” Henry asked. “Because I can if you do. I just need to do it early, on account of Dad and me going fishing.”
“As a matter of fact, I have Hector covered for the morning, so, no worries.”
“Okay, cool,” Henry said, his tone neither friendly nor unfriendly. He pointed to the wicker basket. “What’s in there?”
“Just some seafood. And cheesecake,” Nate said.
“Mom likes key-lime pie better than cheesecake,” Henry said.
Lauren and Tom exchanged a look. She gave Tom some kind of unspoken signal with her eyebrows. He hesitated a moment, then went into action. “Hey, son, why don’t we go grab that pizza we talked about and let your mom get back to work?”
“On her birthday?” Henry said.
Lauren hugged her son. “Oh, baby, you’ve already done so much. And I love my balloons. Go on with your dad. Remember, we’re officially celebrating tomorrow with dinner at Grandma and Grandpa’s.”
“Okay,” Henry said reluctantly. “But don’t forget to bring your balloons home.”
“I won’t,” Lauren promised.
Henry gave Nate a parting look that said the jury was still out on whether or not he approved of them. Lauren waited till they were out the door, then she locked it and flipped the sign to read CLOSED.
She walked over and reached up to kiss him on the cheek. “I love my son to pieces, but I thought they’d never leave.”
“So, it’s okay that I came by? Or, should I leave, too?” Just because she seemed happy to see him didn’t mean she wanted him to stay. He knew how important this maternity clothing line was to her and how much work she’d already put into it. Her display at the Spring Into Summer festival could be a big opportunity for her.
“Okay? Let’s see,” she teased, “You just brought me a rose and dinner. Yeah, I’d say that’s okay.”
“What about Henry? I didn’t think you wanted him to know about us.”
“I don’t think he’ll have to go to therapy just because you came by with dinner. And a little break right now isn’t going to kill me.”
“I could stay and help,” he offered. “Think of it as my present to you.”
“My present, huh?” She glanced at the locked door and Nate could have sworn her cheeks went pink. “As a matter of fact, I was lying in bed last night thinking of another present you could give me. But, you’ve already brought me so much. Dinner and a rose. I don’t want you to think I’m being too…greedy.”

Flushed skin, bright eyes, and a huskiness in her voice that hadn’t been there before. All three signs added up to only one logical conclusion. Lauren wanted him. 


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Link to Follow Tour: Here



Maria Geraci writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction with a happy ending. The Portland Book Review called her novel, The Boyfriend of the Month Club, “immensely sexy, immensely satisfying and humorous.” Her fourth novel, A Girl Like You, was nominated for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA ® award. She lives in north Florida with her family, which includes a very needy chihuahua, an extremely needy dachshund and a not-so-needy cat (guess which one she likes best?). You can reach at her www.mariageraci.com
Author Links: Website |Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Rafflecopter Giveaway (Grand Prize: Vera Bradley Beach Tote and a Second prize for a Signed Print Copy of That Thing You Do)

Cover Reveal: Relinquish by M.N. Forgy


Relinquish by M.N Forgy released on June 17th!
The story where a girl follows the only route to survive, the path of prostitution. What she didn't know was that road led to her worst nightmare.





In my world, there is no such thing as love. It is just a lie we whisper into our client’s ear. Love is foreign and hazardous. What I did not expect was to bare my soul to a man who is as egotistical as he is dangerous.

His name is Landon. Despite his blackened soul, he tried to save me, but what he didn't expect was my torturous fate to catch up with me.
To your father, I'm the escort.
To your mother, I'm the whore.
To the legal system, I'm the prostitute.
In the end, I'm just the other woman.
I have no idea if I will continue to survive, if I will ever find my path aside from the gritty streets I know so well. There is a good chance I will wind up in the ditch like most women in my position. Surrendering to my fate is the only choice I have. I must relinquish it all.




M.N. Forgy was raised in Missouri where she still lives with her family. She's a soccer mom by day and a saucy writer by night. M.N. Forgy started writing at a young age but never took it seriously until years later, as a stay-at-home mom, she opened her laptop and started writing again. As a role model for her children, she felt she couldn't live with the "what if" anymore and finally took a chance on her character's story. So, with her glass of wine in hand and a stray Barbie sharing her seat, she continues to create and please her fans.

Stalk Her: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads




New Release & Review: Shuttergirl by CD Reiss



Are you ready for a different kind of love story?
Meet Michael & Laine in this Hollywood themed second chance romance by CD Reiss!


Barnes & Noble - http://bit.ly/1d3hzub


ShutterGirl Book Trailer:




ONE movie star on the cusp of greatness
ONE broken girl who touched him
TEN years to forget her
A MILLION stories in Hollywood


I am not hurt.

I don’t need a second chance with him, or a life I thought I had.

While he was out forgetting me to become a movie star, I was building a career out of nothing. A career as a paparazzi, but a career. For a foster kid who bounced around every home in Los Angeles, that wasn’t easy.

This camera is all I have.

He’s nothing to me. Every time I take his picture and sell it, I remind myself that I did it all without him or his approval, his cinnamon smell or his clear green eyes. He lights up the screen like a celestial body, but he’s nothing but a paycheck to me.

He can throw my camera off a balcony, and nothing has to change. We can stay king and queen of the same city, and different worlds.

Except this is Hollywood, and here, anything can happen.



I stroked his hair, waist deep in peace, all worry gone for the moment, and floating in no more than an ocean of gratitude. I must have been more vulnerable than I realized, or he’d reopened some wound with his kindness, because though my sweet reverie stayed, as the minutes passed, a layer of need fitted itself on top of it.
I needed to tell him, if not the details, the outlines of who I was.
“I want you to know,” I whispered, starting somewhere small, then everything I didn’t want to say spilled out. “I have stuff. I’ve never been to jail, but you know, it’s stuff, and it’s ugly, and it scares me. Because, I mean, you’re so perfect, and I’m… I’m just a mess. I’m not whole. I’m a bunch of pieces of a person I cobbled together.” My eyes got wet when I thought of the comparisons between us and that picture in my silverware drawer. “So if you have to move on when you realize that, I’ll understand. You have an image, and if anyone understands protecting a career, it’s me. I mean, I’ll be mad, don’t get that wrong, but also.” I swallowed and blinked, shifting my head so he wouldn’t feel the tear on his forehead. “I won’t blame you.”
I waited for an answer. Anything. A change in position or a word on any subject. The weather. Sports. Something. But all he did was breathe.
I smiled so wide, tears fell into my mouth. He was sleeping.


Shuttergirl is about a second chance, slow burn romance which breaks down barriers to beat the odds. Don't be fooled into thinking this is a Hollywood style, glitzy and sugar-coated story, because it isn't. This is a gritty and realistic portrayal of two people who technically should not strike up a relationship under any circumstance.

Laine Cartwright has never forgotten the boy who befriended her during her brief spell at Breakpoint School. As a child she spent most of her time being shifted from one foster home to another and Michael Greydon is one positive memory from her past she's unwilling to let go of.

To the outside world Michael Greydon has the world at his feet. The son of actors, he was born into Hollywood royalty and is on the verge of super stardom in his own right. However, his “perfect” life is far cry from reality. Every time he sees “Shuttergirl,” he remembers the beautiful girl who watched him practicing tennis at school and who abruptly disappeared from his life, leaving a lasting impression.

This is a romance about two people that appear to be at the opposite ends of the spectrum...a movie star and a papparazzi girl. Laine is a survivor and a woman of integrity and Michael is truly a good guy in a sea of sharks that is the film industry. The plot moves effortlessly between the alternating point of views of the protagonists leaving us in no doubt about the chemistry and emotional attachment between them. One of the surprising things (to me) is the impact of the setting to this story. Los Angeles is a multifaceted character entwined in the lives of Michael and especially Laine. We see so much of this city through Laine's eyes as she ducks and dives through the back alleys, hiding behind the lens of her beloved camera. All in the name of survival.

This is the first book I have read by this author (although I do admit to having unread e book copies on my Kindle). I'm impressed by the fluidity of her writing and will be reading more from her very soon.

***arc generously received in exchange for an honest review***

CD Reiss is a USA Today and Amazon bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn’t pick up, she’s at the well, hauling buckets.

Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master’s degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere, but it did embed TV story structure in her head well enough for her to take a big risk on a TV series structured erotic series called Songs of Submission. It’s about a kinky billionaire hung up on his ex-wife, an ingenue singer with a wisecracking mouth; art, music and sin in the city of Los Angeles.

Critics have dubbed the books “poetic,” “literary,” and “hauntingly atmospheric,” which is flattering enough for her to put it in a bio, but embarrassing enough for her not to tell her husband, or he might think she’s some sort of braggart who’s too good to give the toilets a once-over every couple of weeks or chop a cord of wood.

If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.



GIVEAWAY & NOTE FROM AUTHOR

I am so happy with the response to Shuttergirl, and I cannot wait to send Michael and Laine out into the world, because who doesn’t swoon over a second chance at love?

It’s a new genre for me, and I’m exploding with excitement, so I’ve dropped some fantastic reasons for readers to get the book right away.

TREAT YOURSELF LIKE A MOVIE STAR!
$500 Spa Gift Card

If you could get an hour, or ten away from the daily grind of paparazzi and interviews (or the job and kids), what would you do?

Get a foot rub/slash/pedicure? A massage? Maybe something called a Sleep Treatment that right now sounds better than sex?

Maybe you’d bring a friend or two, or maybe you’d just get a manipedi when you wanted one. Because the life of a megastar ain’t for the weak-willed or lazy, and running from paparazzi can really wear down a girl’s nails.

Woodhouse Spas are no joke. They’re all over the country and they’re….sigh. Fabulous. But if you don’t live near one, we can do Burke Williams, Halcyon Days or Red Door.

HOW TO ENTER


Take the fun SHUTTERGIRL READER QUIZ!
The link to the quiz is in the back of the book, and yes, that’s the ONLY place to find it! There are bonus questions relating to Jonathan and Antonio for extra prizes. You have until June 3rd to enter! That gives you a solid two weeks to read the book and get your chance at a $500 movie star spa treatment!

If you are a paperback reader, email me and we’ll work it out .


Thank You