Wednesday, 27 September 2017

~*~*~BLOG TOUR~*~*~ THE QUEEN BY SKYE WARREN

SBPRBanner-The QueeN-BT.jpgThe Queen, the stunning conclusion of the Masterpiece Duet from Skye Warren is available NOW!

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The Queen by Skye Warren

Publishing Date: September 19th, 2017

Genre: Contemporary Romance

THE FINAL BOOK IN THE MASTERPIECE DUET
I have one chance at a new life. A college education. A future outside of Tanglewood's dark walls. For a breathless moment it seems like I might actually escape.
Then I get a phone call from home.
Damon Scott is my own personal dragon, the fight I've always lost, the secret hope of my heart. And he needs my help right now. Only my mind can solve the puzzle of his long-lost sister. Only my presence can keep him sane as the city fights against him.
Only my heart can unlock a man with such a tragic past.
This is my final gamble, with everything at stake. One last game to win a future for both of us.
And a love strong enough to break the city apart.
THE QUEEN is the final novel in the bestselling Masterpiece duet, about a game of lies and loyalty, of betrayal and power, and ascension to the city's throne.

Excerpt:

“I’m looking for my dad. He works for you.” That earns me a small smile, his lids low. “He does more than work for me. Does he tell you about his day when he calls me? About threatening people for money? About following through?” Acid burns my throat, because Daddy never mentions that. And I’m not naïve enough to think it hasn’t happened. When I’m in at one of the best colleges in the country, while I live in that dreamworld of numbers and Greek symbols, he’s doing dirty work for a dangerous criminal king. “So where is he now?” An indolent shrug of one shoulder. “I haven’t seen him. Though I did hear through the grapevine that he started gambling again.” He makes a tsk sound. “That’s never a good thing. Once debts start to pile up, how can I trust him to be loyal? I can’t.” My blood runs cold. “Did you do something to him?” “Let’s be clear, sweetheart. Whatever happened to him, he did it to himself.” The cold silver of his eyes tells me Damon’s conscious would not ache for even one second over my father’s death. “You asshole,” I hiss, unable to hide my anger any longer. A man steps forward, someone I’ve never seen before. He’s wearing a suit that’s been undone in most of the ways it can be, rumpled and pushed aside. I barely have time to register his aggression, his instinctive response to my insult. How does a man obtain that kind of blind loyalty? The man reaches for me, his fingers brushing my wrist. That’s how close he gets before everything shatters. Damon moves so fast he’s a blur. When he stills, he has the man pressed against the wall, arm twisted at a strange angle. “No one touches her.” Damon’s voice is quiet but it carries through the crowded hall. A rustle moves through the crowd, half awareness, half movement. The way they look at me has changes, the hostility faded away, replaced by something else. Maybe deference. Or fear. I’m under Damon Scott’s protection now.

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About Skye:

Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance such as the Endgame trilogy. Her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.

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~*~*~NEW RELEASE~*~*~ RACER BY KATY EVANS

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Racer by Katy Evans Publication Date: September 28th, 2017 Genre: Contemporary Romance

Racer, an all-new standalone in the Real Series from New York Times bestselling author Katy Evans is LIVE!

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A bad boy with something to prove.
A woman with a mission.
The race of their lives.
The love of a lifetime.
I don’t think his parents expected him to live up to his name—Racer Tate—but once he felt the adrenaline rush behind the wheel, he was addicted.
He's the fastest, fiercest driver around.
Scouting new talent brings me to his doorstep...
but his smile sends me to my knees.
The sexy, mysterious Racer Tate is not the kind of man a girl like me falls for. He's secretive, reckless, elusive. But his proximity pushes me beyond reason, and his kiss....
This is our last chance to win, and he is our only hope. I'm supposed to watch him—make sure he doesn't get into trouble. But it's an impossible task. And now the one in heart wrenching, toe-curling, soul-crushing trouble is me. Because when your heart belongs to someone, their truths become your own, and their secrets become your salvation...or your curse.
He says he wants me. He says I'm the One. But he also thinks he'll break my heart, one piece at a time until it's gone.

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Read Today!

Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/JFvQ6D
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About the Author:

Katy Evans is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Her debut REAL shot to the top of the bestselling lists in 2013 and since then 9 of her titles have been New York Times bestsellers. Her books have been translated into nearly a dozen languages across the world. 

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Connect with the Author:

Email: katyevansauthor@gmail.com
Twitter @authorkatyevans
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~*~*~EXCERPT REVEAL~*~*~ SICK FUX BY TILLIE COLE








When Ellis Earnshaw and Heathan James met as children, they couldn’t have been more different. Ellis was loud and beautiful – all blond hair, bright laughs and smiles. Heathan was dark and brooding, and obsessed with watching things die.
The pair forged an unlikely friendship, unique and strange. Until they were ripped apart by the sick cruelty of others, separated for years, both locked in a perpetual hell.
Eleven years later, Heathan is back for his girl. Back from a place from which he thought there was no return. Back to seek revenge on those who wronged them.
Time has made Heathan’s soul darker, polluted with hatred and the thirst for blood.
Time has made Ellis a shell of her former self, a little girl lost in the vastness of her pain.
As Heathan pulls Ellis out of her mental prison, reviving the essence of who she once was, down the rabbit hole they will go.
With malice in their hearts and vengeance in their veins, they will seek out the ones who hurt and destroyed them.
One at a time.
Each one more deadly than the last.
Tick Tock.
Dark Contemporary Romance. Contains explicit sexual situations, violence, disturbingly sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language and very mature topics. Recommended for ages 18 and over.





Please note : this is excerpt is unedited and subject to change.



I placed the foot of my cane on the floor and looked to the left. The sound of light breathing came from around the corner. I made to move, but my heart slammed into a fast beat, stopping my feet in their tracks. My nostrils flared as I closed my eyes and tried to suck in deep breaths. I never did this, never had this kind of reaction to anything. Not in eleven years. Not when I was trapped in darkness. Not even when the guards came to “meet the young kid.” Not when we got out—bloodily, savagely, darkly. Especially not when my knife plunged into the guards’ hearts and I watched the life fade from their eyes, the pure fascination of losing one’s life essence occupying my mind.
But this was Dolly. The only person I’d ever given a shit about.
A slick tar pumped through my black heart as I thought of her. She was the blood that gave me life.
I had no idea what state I would find her in. Whether or not her fragile mind had been destroyed. Whether or not her glass heart had been shattered. No hope of salvation.
I had no idea if my only reason for living could be saved. I shook with venomous anger when I let my mind imagine the hell those sadistic cunts would have put her through in my absence. But Chapel’s words rang in my ears . . . Unleash the anger only on those who deserve it. Let it build within your heart like a well swelling with water . . . then unleash hell on those who took your freedom.
Opening my eyes, I breathed through my rage and silently rounded the corner . . . I stopped. There she was, sitting in a chair. I sucked in a breath and heard it rattle in my ears. Her hair. Her hair was pulled back into a long braid, the woven strands falling to her lower back. And she was dressed in black. Long, baggy sleeves covered her arms.
Motherfucking black. Dolly didn’t belong in black. Only color. Blue and white and gold and motherfucking pink.
I edged around the perimeter of the room until I faced her. My heart tore down the center and I had to hold back a loud snarl when I saw her curled up on the seat, a thick blanket over her thin legs and waist as she stared lifelessly out of the window. The window that overlooked the once-manicured lawns, now nothing but high-reaching weeds and too-bushy trees. I looked across at what she was watching, in the direction of what held her so captivated.
My heart was severed completely, the two parts of its flesh repelling the other, trying to escape the rage and pain and fucking consuming darkness.
She was staring at the spot where we used to play as kids. Where she had found me all those years ago, ripping the colorful butterfly apart in my hands. I moved into her line of sight, but her blue eyes didn’t lift to meet mine, just stared through me as though I wasn’t even there. I crouched down and studied her face. Porcelain skin. Full lips. Fucking perfection.
But there was no life left in her.
I had never felt fear before, but I imagined the sinking hole I felt dropping in my stomach was something like it. A sinking feeling that Dolly had gone to a place from which there was no escape, a prisoner in her own mind.
Fragility consumed.
“Dolly darlin,’” I rasped, my voice fucking breaking.
Twenty-one. She was twenty-one and more beautiful than I could ever have imagined.
Perfection.
My living doll.
A strand of hair lay over her face. My fingers clenched and unclenched as I tried to force myself to touch her. But I couldn’t. I hadn’t touched or been touched in years. I didn’t know how to anymore. Allergic to human affection. Repulsed by the degrading feeling of touch.
I . . . I . . . I couldn’t.
As I opened my mouth to speak to Dolly again, a loud gasp sailed through the air behind her. I straightened, gripping my cane, to see a familiar old face appear. I watched, the sinking hole quickly replaced by dark satisfaction as the blood drained from her face. “Good Lord,” she whispered as I smoothed down my black cravat and vest.
I glared at the bitch. Leaning casually on my cane, I said, “More like Lucifer, I would think.” I nodded in her direction “To you, anyhow.”
Mrs. Jenkins swallowed and tried to back out of the room. “Ah-ah,” I tutted and shook my head. She immediately stilled, eyes fixed on mine.
“He . . . Heathan James . . . it’s . . . it’s not possible . . .” she stammered and ran her eyes over me. Every inch of me.
“Rabbit.” The bitch flinched at my correction. “I am Rabbit. The motherfucking White Rabbit. So never fucking utter that peasant name to me again.”
Her skin paled, and her eyes fell to Dolly sitting on the chair. Dolly still hadn’t moved. I shifted my grip on the box I had brought inside, about to hold it out to Mrs. Jenkins when she asked, “How are you here?”
I threw the box across the room. It landed right at her feet. “Dress her.”
“Wh-what?” Mrs. Jenkins asked.
I pointed to the box at her feet. “Dress her. It wasn’t a request.” Mrs. Jenkins shook as she picked up the box and moved to where Dolly sat. Dolly didn’t look at her either. Mrs. Jenkins opened the lid of the box and gasped again.
Her old, wrinkled eyes snapped up to mine. “No—”
Before she had even finished the sentence, I had reached into my pocket and pulled out my knife. I ran the flat side of the blade down my cheek. Slowly. Controlled. Watching her terrified gaze track my every move. “You’d best do as I ask, Mrs. Jenkins. My patience and tolerance for you appear to be at an all-time low.”

Tillie Cole hails from a small town in the North-East of England. She grew up on a farm with her English mother, Scottish father and older sister and a multitude of rescue animals. As soon as she could, Tillie left her rural roots for the bright lights of the big city.

After graduating from Newcastle University with a BA Hons in Religious Studies, Tillie followed her Professional Rugby player husband around the world for a decade, becoming a teacher in between and thoroughly enjoyed teaching High School students Social Studies before putting pen to paper, and finishing her first novel.

Tillie has now settled in Austin, Texas, where she is finally able to sit down and write, throwing herself into fantasy worlds and the fabulous minds of her characters.

Tillie is both an independent and traditionally published author, and writes many genres including: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance, Young Adult and New Adult novels.

When she is not writing, Tillie enjoys nothing more than curling up on her couch watching movies, drinking far too much coffee, while convincing herself that she really doesn’t need that extra square of chocolate.


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~*~*~NEW RELEASE~*~*~ LONG TALL COWBOY CHRISTMAS BY CAROLYN BROWN




LONG, TALL COWBOY CHRISTMAS (Happy, Texas #2) by Carolyn Brown
On Sale: September 26, 2017 | Publisher: Forever
Mass Market: $7.99 USD | eBook: $6.99 USD
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"Genuinely sweet." – Publishers Weekly


A heartwarming holiday read from USA Today bestselling author Carolyn Brown – Nash Lamont is a man about as solitary as they come. That's exactly why ranch life in middle-of-nowhere Happy, Texas suits him. So what the heck is he doing letting a beautiful widow and her three rambunctious children temporarily move in? Before he knows it, they're stringing Christmas lights and decorating the tree... and he's having the time of his life. But after everything he's been through, Nash knows this kind of happiness doesn't last.

Kasey Dawson thought she'd never get over the death of her husband. Nash, with his strong hands and infinite patience, is stirring something she hasn't felt in a long time. Kasey knows the sexy cowboy isn't telling her everything about this past, though. And she refuses to risk heartbreak all over again. But her kids have a plan of their own: Nothing will keep them from having a real family again-even if it takes a little help from Santa himself.

Buy The Book
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2eBm1mx
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2gCkRYq
Books-A-Million: http://bit.ly/2hm4Civ
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2gIbE4s
iBooks: http://apple.co/2xLTUcH
IndieBound: http://bit.ly/2xl04kn
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2x8n08U


THE HAPPY, TEXAS SERIES
TOUGHEST COWBOY IN TEXAS, #1
LONG, TALL COWBOY CHRISTMAS, #2
Series Page on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2oEqffF

REVIEW

Star Rating: 3.75 stars

Cowboys! Even more cowboys! 

I never ever ever thought I would love me some cowboys but dang do I love me some now.

I will say I came into this series in the middle, I have not read the first one but I will for sure read it now. 

The aspect that this book takes is so..real life. There is always a chance something won't work but there is also that chance that it could. 

I want to do badly give 4 stars for this one but during some point I got lost and just had to start over and finally found it. The writing is good but if I can get lost then I have issues. 

Overall, not a bad read 👍


EXCERPT

Padding out of the room in her flannel pajama pants and an oversized faded shirt, Kasey found Nash washing dishes and no kids in sight.
“Shhh…” He put a finger over his lips. “They just now dropped off for naps. If they hear your voice, they’ll wake up.”
She frowned and pointed toward the dining room. “What is that?”
“Camping out,” he explained.
A white sheet had been draped over the dining room table, creating a tent. Underneath were pillows, books and two sleeping children.
“They’re camping and I’m watching out for bears and skunks,” he explained. “Hungry?”
“Starving. I’m always nauseated at the onset of one of the headaches and afterwards so hungry I could eat one of those bears if you catch it.” She caught a whiff of Italian food. “You cooked?”
“Of course,” he said. “Sit down right here and let me work on your neck. Lots of headaches are stress related and come out of the neck.”
She eased down into a chair and Nash went to work on her temples first, placing his hands on her cheeks so that his thumbs worked on the spots between her eyebrows and hair line. Making lazy circles and increasing the pressure every few seconds, he kept up the massage for a good five minutes before moving around to the back of the chair. He took her neck in his hands, heating her hormones to the boiling point. Rolling it around in his hands, she could feel the tension leaving her body by degrees. Then he began to massage her shoulders, digging his fingers into the knots and dissolving them. The pain in her head dissolved to half strength and her stomach grumbled.
“Now for food. Sit right there and I will bring it to the table.”
Kasey couldn’t remember the last time a man had waited on her.  “God, this is amazing,” she said after taking a bite of the spaghetti he put in front of her. “Did you make the sauce from scratch?”
He nodded. “Just like my cousin Amanda taught me. She married an Italian, and she’s an amazing cook. After eating her marinara, that stuff you buy in a jar at the grocery store is pretty bland.”
 “You cook and watch kids, run a ranch—what can you not do?” Kasey asked.
“I’m not real good at talkin’ to most people,” he said.
“That’s not what I see.” She almost groaned when she bit into a slab of garlic bread. 
“Oh yeah? And what do you see?”
“I see a man who’s got some demons, but you talk to me just fine,” she told him between bites.
“Well, you’re special,” he replied softly.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author and RITA® Finalist who has sold more than 3 million books. She presently writes both women's fiction and cowboy romance. She has also written historical single title, historical series, contemporary single title, and contemporary series. She lives in southern Oklahoma with her husband, a former English teacher, who is not allowed to read her books until they are published. They have three children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. For a complete listing of her books (series in order) check out her website atCarolynLBrown.com.

Author Information
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Tuesday, 26 September 2017

~*~*~COVER REVEAL~*~*~ THE RIVALRY BY NIKKI SLOANE

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She won't be able to resist this TIGHT END. The Rivalry by Nikki Sloane releases on NOVEMBER 21st!
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PREORDER NOW
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Sign up for email updates: http://www.nikkisloane.com/therivalry/
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RIVALRY_preorder This tight end is at the top of his game. He’s good with his hands, even better with his sexy mouth, and the best at making me forget my own name. His—ahem—stats are perfect. But I can’t fall for him. He might be everything I want, all rolled into a glorious package of gridiron god, but there’s one teeny-tiny problem. The vile, loathsome team I’ve spent my entire life hating—my beloved school’s arch-rival? This guy is their star player.

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  About the Author: Nikki Sloane landed in graphic design after her careers as a waitress, a screenwriter, and a ballroom dance instructor fell through. For eight years she worked for a design firm in that extremely tall, black, and tiered building in Chicago that went through an unfortunate name change during her time there. Now she lives in Kentucky and manages a team of graphic artists. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, is married with two sons, writes dirty books, and couldn’t be any happier. Stalk Nikki: Website: http://www.nikkisloane.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikkisloaneauthor/?fref=ts Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AuthorNSloane Amazon: http://amzn.to/2fsTzpI Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NikkiSloane
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~*~*~NEW RELEASE~*~*~ SCANDALOUS BY LJ SHEN

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Scandalous, the highly anticipated next standalone in the Sinners of Saint Series by LJ Shen is LIVE!

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Scandalous by LJ Shen

Publishing Date: September 29th, 2017

Genre: Contemporary Romance

They call him The Mute for a reason.
Hard, cold and calculated, he rarely speaks.
When he does, it’s with disdain.
When he does, his words aren’t meant for me.
When he does, my stomach flips and my world tilts on its axis.
He is thirty-three.
I am eighteen.
He’s a single dad and my father’s business partner.
I’m just a kid to him and his enemy’s daughter.
He’s emotionally unavailable.
And I am…feeling. Feeling things I shouldn’t feel for him.
Trent Rexroth is going to break my heart. The writing isn’t just on the wall, it’s inked on my soul.
And yet, I can’t stay away.
A scandal is the last thing my family needs. But a scandal is what we’re going to give them.
And oh, what a beautiful chaos it will be.
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Read Today!

(Free in Kindle Unlimited)
Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/rBwXhs
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Start the Series of Standalones Today!

(Free in Kindle Unlimited)
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Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2hUo31f

About LJ Shen:

L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat. Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets peoples’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards. She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

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Monday, 25 September 2017

~*~*~NEW RELEASE~*~*~ THE CORNER OF FOREVER AND ALWAYS BY LIA RILEY




Title: THE CORNER OF FOREVER AND ALWAYS
Author: Lia Riley
Series: Everland, Georgia #2
On Sale: September 26, 2017
Publisher: Forever
Mass Market: $7.99 USD
eBook: $5.99 USD


Fairy tales aren't ever what they seem . . . 


Tuesday Knight's dream of Broadway stardom has flopped, leaving her unemployed and brokenhearted. Ready to quit kissing frogs and make her own happily-ever-after, she takes a job as a princess in Everland, Georgia's historical amusement park. 

Mayor Beau Marino lives an unenchanted existence-all work, no play-which is fine by him. After his marriage ended in disaster, the last thing he wants in his life is more drama. But Everland's new free spirit has a talent for getting under his starched collar. 

When the town's beloved but bankrupt park might be shut down, Tuesday and Beau face a choice. Can they join forces, save the day-and each other? Or will their fierce battle of wills destroy any chance of a fairy-tale ending?

In the tradition of New York Times bestselling authors Kristan Higgins, Jill Shalvis, and Marina Adair, comes the second book in Lia Riley's Everland, Georgia series about two city sisters finding love in a small town.

BUY THE BOOK HERE



THE EVERLAND, GEORGIA SERIES

IT HAPPENED ON LOVE STREET, #1
THE CORNER OF FOREVER AND ALWAYS, #2


REVIEW

Star Rating: 4 stars

Totally found a new author to stalk 😏 

I love finding these gems! Although I do need to read first books in the series so I understand what's going on but hey it happens, right?

I loved Tuesday and Beau, perfect people IMO.

The dynamic throughout is amazing and the writing is something I love the most when I find a new author. That's what draws me in the most.

Getting lost in a new world with new characters and the story is what drives me to read and this one did not disappoint in the least.

I look forward to more from Lia.


EXCERPT 

“I’m nervous.” The tightness in his tone backed up the muscles bunching near the hinge in his jaw. And the simple, honest admission did something to her that no amount of flirtatious back-and-forth ever would.
“So am I.” She began buttering the dish. “Who taught you how to cook?”
He stirred the chocolate in the double boiler, hands clenching the spoon. “Mama used to say that a man needed to know three things: how to fix a dessert, iron his own shirt and sew a button. That some day future women would thank her.”
        “Smart lady.” Tuesday laughed, grateful for a moment to recalibrate, to slow her racing heart. “I suck at ironing by the way.”
        Beau gave her a resolute stare. “I make my own starch.”
        “Stop.” She nearly dropped the dishtowel. “No, you don’t.”
        “One tablespoon of cornstarch in two cups of water.”
        Her gaze fixed on the rare smile tugging the corner of his mouth. The revelation was oddly endearing. “I’m not sure whether to be impressed or terrified.”
        “Your mama didn’t teach you these things?”
        Tuesday thought. “We grew up in small town Maine.”
        “Sounds cold.”
        “So, so cold. So much snow. So much cold. Beautiful though.”
        “I’d like to check it out, in summer.”
        “Yeah, good idea. My dad ran a maple sugarbush farm, made homemade maple syrup. Mom was his opposite. He loved being outdoors. She liked being inside. I guess they were opposites,  must have attracted at some point but over time they repelled each other. Pushed one another further and further away. She left when I was in high school. Moved down to New Hampshire where she was from and met a banker. They live in the suburbs. She has a housekeeper now.”
        “She abandoned your family?”
        “I. . .you know, I don’t know. My sister thinks so. I was the baby. My mom used to love to style my hair. She could do so many intricate braids. We didn’t have much money but she’d shop at thrift stores and garage sales and find me cute dresses. Sometimes I’d find her sad and I’d try to cheer her up. I’d ask her to brush my hair and she would,  even though sometimes I could hear her sniffling and I knew if I turned around I’d see her crying.”
        Tears sprang to her eyes and she ground her fists into them. “Wow. Hello! Where'd these come from.” God, way to keep things light. Her inconvenient emotions would probably sink the night.
        “I’m sorry that happened.”
        “Me too.” She took a breath. Then another.
“Can we return to the regularly scheduled programming? Chocolate is always the cure.”
        Beau looked like he might press forward but changed his mind at the last moment. “My mama taught me how to separate yolks from whites. Can I show you?”
        “I won’t pretend that I have skills. Instruct away.”
        “Okay, pick an egg, any egg.”
        She selected a brown one and he stepped behind her, her back heating against his  chest. His arms slid over hers. “Now what you do is give it a tap to open the shell. No! Not so big, just a little one.” His hand engulfed hers, guiding the movement. “Good. That’s real good. Now let the yolk settle in one side. That’s it. Now you start to transfer the egg back and forth and back and forth, let the white run out like that until voila! All you have left is the yolk.”
        Tuesday gawked at the golden yolk in the shell. “Martha Stewart eat your heart out.”
        He checked the chocolate and milk, it had melted down into a decadent pool.
        “Can we eat that as is? I’m sure the souffle is amazing and all but hey, a bowl of melted warm chocolate is going to do me fine.”
        His laugh was just as decadently rich. “Haven’t you ever heard that good things come to those who wait?”
        “Sure, by people waiting,” she quipped. “They need something to tell themselves.”
        That really got him going, his deep laugh rich as sun-warmed molasses. “Let me make you a deal.”
        “I’m not agreeing until I hear the terms.”
        “Smart woman. When you have this dessert, you are going to say it’s better than the best sex you’ve ever had.”
        She set her hands on her hips. “You have a low opinion of my sex life.”
        “Nah.” He winked. “Just a very high opinion on my soufflé.”
        She arched a brow. “You’re on.”  
        Standing behind her he continued to help guide her effortlessly through measurements and pouring, mixing and stirring. He didn’t grind on her or get perverted, not that she’d have minded. Chocolate was meant to be an aphrodisiac and she’d never experienced anything so sexily mundane as chatting over nothings in the kitchen with a man who didn’t try to cop a feel. He appreciated and and even savored her for who she was and what she offered which right now was fully dressed fairly polite company.
        In fifteen minutes he opened the oven and slid the soufflé in.
“And now?”
        “We wait,” he answered. “Until it’s puffed on top and jiggly in the center.”
        “You have a way of making cooking sexy.”
        “Do I? I guess that helps even the field.”
        “How so?”
        “You make breathing look sexy.” His gaze lingered on hers for a few beats before he turned and began to wash the dishes.
She stared at the back of his head, his broad shoulders, his narrow hips, blinking in surprise. He seemed wholly unaware that he’d broken her heart and put it back together, refashioned into something new, stronger and brighter.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lia Riley is a contemporary romance author. USA Today describes her as "refreshing" and RT Book Reviews calls her books "sizzling and heartfelt." She loves her husband, three kids, wandering redwood forests and a perfect pour over coffee. She is 25% sarcastic, 54% optimistic, and 122% bad at math (good thing she writes happy endings for a living). She and her family live mostly in Northern California.


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