Satisfaction #WordlessWednesday
The Boyfriend Contract by Victoria James #amreading #Romance @authorspal @vicjames101
Meet the Author:
About the Book:
Growing up with an overbearing father and then her brother inherits everything she’s worked her whole life to build. Now she’s living in her grandmother’s dilapidated house in the middle of nowhere Canada, jobless, and dealing with the most annoyingly sexy contractor on the planet. Exactly when did her life become an anti-Hallmark movie?
Cooper Merrick learned the hard way that love is definitely not worth the risk. He’s happy running the family contracting business alongside his well-meaning but overly-opinionated brothers…happy enough until polished and perfect Emily enters his world. Nothing prepared him for the ways she turns his life upside down and reaches the parts of himself he’s closed off from the world.
But when he finally gets up the nerve to ask Emily out, she says her next date will need to come with a written contract and some very particular ground rules. Yeah, it sounds crazy, but why does he find himself wanting to sign on the dotted line?
Excerpt #1:
He reached out and caught her wrist, grasping it gently. She turned to him, her face becoming pink. He had no idea why he’d just done that. He knew why he wanted to; he just didn’t know why he’d given in. This could go either way. He could drop her wrist, pretend like nothing happened, and walk out of there. Or he could be the man he used to be, the one who didn’t hide from life, from emotion, from love.
She stared at him
expectantly, like there had to be a reason he’d reached out and touched her. He
saw all those moments since he’d met her flash before him, reminding him that
he couldn’t keep hiding. He saw her that first day at the Sleepless Goat, and
he remembered that feeling in
his gut, the one that told him there was something special about this woman. He
saw all her expressions of wonder as they walked through the house, he saw her
bravado the night she and his sister decided to take on Moose. He saw her
embarrassment when he taught her how to throw a ball, the day she’d struck out
at the game, her vulnerability and strength at the town hall, and then her
dejection on the pier later. He saw all of it and knew it wasn’t enough.
He knew he wanted more. He wanted to step back into the land of the living. He wanted back in on life. He had tried to tell himself it was just because she was sweet and beautiful, but he knew deep down it was more.
“I don’t need a beer. I’ll just head home.”
Her face fell, and he knew that wasn’t the answer she wanted. He hadn’t moved away, and he hadn’t dropped her wrist. It was as if, now that he’d touched her, he couldn’t make himself go back to that place without her. “Do you have plans next Saturday night?”
Her mouth dropped open. “Uh, um. Besides hiding from mice in my room? No.”
He smiled—despite these crazy life revelations, she made him smile. “Maybe I can give you a break from the mice. There’s a steakhouse restaurant in a town not too far from here. It overlooks a gorge. I think you’d like it.”
He didn’t dwell on the fact that it was the first time he’d asked a woman on a date in over a decade, or what that meant. But he knew he couldn’t keep living on the sidelines, not now that Emily had come into his life. The tension between them grew, more intense than it had ever been, because he was finally doing something about it. But what he really wanted to do was tug her over to him, to hold her body against his, and to bury his hands in her hair and kiss her until she couldn’t stand on her own.
It took him a minute to realize she didn’t exactly look… thrilled. She actually took a step back, and her neck was turning red. “I don’t think that would be a good idea. I mean it would be bad, really. Awful, most likely. You and me? Nope.” She even shook her head at the end, to add more insult to injury.
He straightened his shoulders. “Why?”
She waved a hand in his direction. “You work for me. How awful will it be if we’re a disaster couple? Then you’ll get all offended and walk off the job—”
“I’m not like that. Also, I’ll try not to be offended that you’ve already decided you’ll be writing me off.”
She gave him a sheepish smile. “Fine. Then we need ground rules. Some kind of agreement. A contract.”
He stilled. “A contract?”
She crossed her arms. “Yes.”
He rolled his shoulders, determined not to get thrown off track by her odd request. There was no denying his feelings for her anymore. How bad could this contract be?
“Fine, I’m good with contracts.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Oh.”
He grinned and pulled out the notepad and small pencil he always kept in the back pocket of his jeans. He had no idea who the hell he was anymore, but apparently he was the guy about to sign a contract with a woman for a date. Not just any woman. Emily, the only woman in five years to interest him in a relationship. “All right, go.”
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In Alaska, it’s always a white Christmas— An Alaskan Christmas by @JenniferSnow18 #Romance #NewRelease @InkSlingerPR
Today we have the blog tour for Jennifer Snow’s An Alaskan Christmas! Check it out and be sure to grab your copy today!
Title: An Alaskan Christmas
Author: Jennifer Snow
Genre: Contemporary Romance
About An Alaskan Christmas:
In Alaska, it’s always a white Christmas—but the sparks flying between two reunited friends could turn it red-hot…
If there’s one gift Erika Sheraton does not want for Christmas, it’s a vacation. Ordered to take time off, the workaholic surgeon reluctantly trades in her scrubs for a ski suit and heads to Wild River, Alaska. Her friend Cassie owns a tour company that offers adventures to fit every visitor. But nothing compares to the adrenaline rush Erika feels on being reunited with Cassie’s brother, Reed Reynolds.
Gone is the buttoned-up girl Reed remembers. His sister’s best friend has blossomed into a strong, skilled, confident woman. She’s exactly what his search-and-rescue team needs—and everything he didn’t know he craved. The gulf between his life in Wild River and her big-city career is wide. But it’s no match for a desire powerful enough to melt two stubborn hearts…
Advance Praise for An Alaskan Christmas:
“An Alaskan Christmas is heartwarming, romantic, and utterly enjoyable.”—New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster
“Prepare to have your heartstrings tugged! Pure Christmas delight.”—New York Times bestselling author Lori Wilde
“Readers will enjoy the mix of sexy love scenes, tense missions, and amiable banter. This entertaining introduction to Wild River will encourage fans of small-town contemporaries to follow the series.”—Publishers Weekly
“An exciting contemporary series debut with a wildly unique Alaskan setting.”—Kirkus
Get Your Copy Today:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo | Google
Excerpt:
The girl who’d crossed [Reed’s] mind just the night before was walking toward him with his sister. Unfortunately, she was hardly a girl anymore. Dressed in a red-and-black checked cashmere coat, cinched at her tiny waist with a leather belt, a red hat covering her mocha-colored hair and three-inch, impractical yet sexy leather boots, she was definitely not a little girl anymore.
What the hell was she doing here?
Tyler and Wade gave up their barstools to the women, waving as they headed toward a booth.
“See ya, guys,” he said. Then turning to his sister, “Hey, Cass, who’s your friend?” He wiped the bar in front of them and set down two new coasters.
His sister shot him a look that resembled a plea for help…or for something strong. Obviously this visit was as much of a surprise to her. He reached for the top-shelf premium vodka and held up the bottle.
She nodded, removing her scarf and coat. “Make it a double. This is Erika… You remember her, don’t you?” She placed her coat over the stool before climbing up.
Erika was still scanning the bar as though she hadn’t decided yet if she was going to stay.
“Um… Erika.” He pretended to think. “Right, yes, I remember—how’ve you been?”
She finally looked at him, her eyebrows furrowed. “We’ve met?”
Unbelievable. He’d only held her in the woods overnight so she didn’t have a panic attack.
“You have to remember my brother, Reed,” Cassie said, motioning for him to be quicker with her drink.
Erika’s mouth gaped slightly.
There you go. He knew he’d changed over the years. In high school, he’d been tall and lanky…skinny was a better term. Food wasn’t always plentiful at home and being active in every sport that he could play for free had him burning energy faster than his body could keep up. Luckily, he’d discovered weight training. “Hard to believe this hunk is the same guy, huh?” he asked when she continued to stare.
Her look of disbelief was quickly replaced with a disapproving, incredulous one. “Do you own this place?”
“Nope. I’m just here to encourage copious amounts of alcohol and misbehaving,” he said, his jaw tight. Within seconds, she had him feeling like the teenage kid who wasn’t sure he’d ever amount to anything. Over the years, his confidence had grown along with the size of his biceps. Very little shook him, so how this woman he hadn’t seen in years had him agitated, he didn’t know. No doubt, their history was part of it.
“He makes the best cranberry martinis in Wild River. Have a seat,” Cassie said, gesturing to the barstool next to her.
“Or don’t.” Reed shrugged when Erika hesitated.
She ignored him as she examined the barstool. Picking up a napkin, she wiped the seat before removing her coat and sitting, folding the coat over her legs. Ready for a quick exit if needed.
About Jennifer Snow:
Jennifer Snow lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her husband and four year old son. She is a member of the RWA, the Alberta Writers Guild, Canadian Authors Association and SheWrites.org. Her first Brookhollow book was a finalist in the Heart of Denver Aspen Gold contest and the Golden Quill Award. More information can be found at www.jennifersnowauthor.com
