Tomorrow is the Book Birthday for NEVER A BRIDE and I’m so excited to share Carlo and Emma’s story with you! To celebrate the release it’s giveaway time! For a chance to win a $50 Gift Card, please visit my Facebook Fan Page and share the giveaway post and tag a friend in the comments section. Each share and tag is a chance to win the giveaway. The giveaway will be open until midnight EST Friday January 24. A winner will be selected over the weekend and announced on Monday, January 27. To purchase NEVER A BRIDE, please visit http://bit.ly/NeverABride. P.S. I could so totally see Emma and Carlo doing this on their wedding day!
#WriteWed – Free Read from Never a Bride
From the moment that wedding planner Emma caught the bouquet at Maggie and Owen’s wedding in ONE SUMMER NIGHT, I knew that she was due for her own very special story and happily-ever-after. I knew Emma would need someone very special to help her get over a difficult family history and I also suspected that sexy caterer Carlo was just the man to do it! I hope you’ll think so as well. And now, a little teaser and free read from NEVER A BRIDE.
Teaser
Emma never dreamed that the happily-ever-after would change her life. . .
But as her two best friends find love, Emma worries about what her future will bring. She has seen all too often what happens once husbands and children arrive. She puts on a brave face because she wants her buddies to be happy, but as a wedding planner, she has seen one too many marriages go south. Not to mention her parents’ bitter divorce which has soured her on the idea of marriage for herself. She can’t imagine ever finding a man who can bring her a forever kind of romance.
He’s been in love with her forever and can’t understand why she can’t see it. . .
Carlo da Costa knows why Emma avoids relationships and yet he can’t help but wonder how someone who puts such love and care into others’ dreams can’t allow herself to believe in the fairy tale. He sees the yearning on her face when she spends time with him and his big boisterous family and knows that deep inside, she wants the same thing. Carlo hopes that one day he can provide her with that because he’s sure Emma holds the key to his heart in her hands.
Excerpt
Prologue
The bouquet shot toward her head like a spaceship launched at the moon.
Emma Grant had no time to deflect the missile. She tangled her fingers into the luscious petals of the peonies, roses, and hydrangea, rousing fragrant floral scents as the bouquet grazed her face. When she was in wedding planner mode, she would have taken the time to appreciate the freshness of the blooms, but tonight she was also a bridesmaid and best friend and totally unhappy about her current predicament.
Flowers fisted in her hand, Emma whirled to face her other best friend and maid of honor, Connie Reyes, who with a subtle hip check, had knocked Emma straight into the path of the flying tussie mussie. “I thought you were my friend!”
“Totally,” Connie said with a broad smile and waltzed off to the side of the dance floor to where Carlo Gonzalez, her caterer extraordinaire and longtime man crush, stood with some of his wait staff.
Her friends thought Carlo was the man to give Emma her happily-ever-after, except it wasn’t possible that someone like Carlo could love someone like her. She was broken inside and had been for some time while Carlo was everything good in this world. A loving son and a supportive brother. A go-to-guy for her and so many others. But a lover? Even though her insides ignited at the thought of making love with the incredibly handsome Carlo, Emma knew it could only lead to misery on way too many levels.
He was her business partner of sorts and she valued how well they worked together. They had even talked about forming an event planning business more than once so Emma could have her own company and Carlo could expand his. Not to mention that he was her best friend and she couldn’t imagine not having him in her life, but she was certain that was what would happen if they tried to go from friends to lovers and it didn’t work out.
But Emma’s fears weren’t keeping Connie from trying to drag Carlo into the center of the dance floor for the next part of the wedding ritual. He protested at first and as all eyes settled on him as he balked, embarrassment engulfed her. His hesitation confirmed to Emma that changing the nature of their relationship was not necessarily something he wanted to do either.
Others soon joined in to offer Connie assistance and Carlo finally relented, although clearly reluctant. The handsome caterer stood with the other single men, and as the groom prepared his garter toss, Emma closed her eyes and mumbled a prayer beneath her breath.
“Dear Lord, please be good to me,” she said and half-opened her eyes to watch.
Apparently God wasn’t listening since the garter flew across the air, and like a horseshoe tossed at a ring, the circle of baby blue satin ribbon and beige lace landed on Carlo’s index finger, earning hoots and shouts from all gathered at the perfect catch.
Emma groaned and popped her eyes wide open as Carlo stood there, dangling the garter for all to see. A stain of color marred his cheeks as he peeked at her with a chagrined smile.
The heat of a blush erupted all across her face and up to her ears. She half glanced at Connie who had returned to stand by her and Emma said, “I will kill you for this. When you least suspect it, it will happen.”
Connie couldn’t stifle her chuckle, and when the groom’s brother and best man Jonathan Pierce strolled to her friend’s side, Connie high-fived Jonathan for his assistance with the plot. Connie murmured something to him that Emma couldn’t quite hear as the band launched into a sexy riff to continue the wedding tradition. Carlo sauntered over, garter dangling from his finger as someone placed a chair for her to sit on in the middle of the makeshift dance floor.
“The quicker you get it over with, the easier it will be,” Emma thought, hurried out, and unceremoniously plopped onto the chair. It was like taking off a bandage with a quick rip. It cut the pain much like she wanted to lessen the humiliation of Carlo being forced into this wedding tradition.
The sexy music continued as Carlo kneeled before her and mouthed “Don’t worry.” In deference to the fancy event being held at the Sinclair beachfront mansion, he was dressed in a tuxedo. The black of the tux emphasized the deep brown of his thick wavy hair. The electric white shirt was the perfect foil against olive skin that still bore the remnants of a summer tan. He smiled at her, his teeth toothpaste bright and perfect. The smile was brilliant and transformed the chiseled features of his face. Made his chocolate brown eyes gleam with a mix of amusement and awkwardness.
It was way too easy to picture him as the groom. Her groom, but that was an impossible wish. As his gaze locked with hers, she detected something different for a moment. Something dangerous that she tried to convince herself wasn’t there. There was no way that was there, she told herself.
She silently pleaded with him not to make the situation worse. Ever the gentleman, he heeded her plea and kept it clean as she looked up toward the inky night sky to avoid watching him. His touch was deferential while he slipped the lacy fabric past her shoe and ankle, but even the faintest whisper of his rough palm against her skin had her trembling inside and heat racing across her body. He moved the garter up a little higher to her calf and paused, forcing Emma to look at him to find out the reason for his delay.
Carlo grinned sexily and the fire at her core ignited into a five-alarm blaze. He was just so damn handsome and it was impossible not to imagine doing more with him. He inched the garter past her knee, his palm teasing her smooth skin, but stopped there despite the entreaties of the single men to go ever higher. He wagged his head, shook his finger in a no-way gesture, and tenderly draped Emma’s gown back over her legs.
Emma met his gaze once more, thankful, but this time it was impossible to miss that his look was filled with yearning. With that emotion, she had maybe hoped for and dreaded at the same time. And then Carlo did something totally unexpected and decidedly risky. He wrapped an arm around her waist, urged her to her feet, and slowly drew her close.
Her knees trembled and her heart pounded so loudly, she barely heard the music and cheers from those who’d maybe had a little too much to drink during the festivities. Carlo steadied her, keeping his arm around her waist as he cradled her jaw. Slowly he leaned toward her and tilted her face up with the gentlest pressure.
She could have backed away. Could have stopped him, but truthfully she didn’t want him to stop. She inched up on her tiptoes to meet his lips.
Order
NEVER A BRIDE is available at the following retailers:
Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/2MLZRyK
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1482927575
B&N: bit.ly/BN_Bride
Kobo: bit.ly/kobo_Bride
Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/437777098
#ManCandyMonday – Carlo from Never a Bride
From the moment that Carlo stepped onto the page I fell in love with him and I knew he was the perfect match for never-happily-after wedding planner Emma. Carlo is patient, kind, hard-working, and totally sexy. I pictured him with dark hair and a bit of a broody look even though he’s quite optimistic and friendly. You might be wondering why this hero’s name is Carlo and not Carlos and the reason is that his mom had a thing for Italian names when she decided to name Carlo and his two younger brothers, Paolo and Tomas. Speaking of younger brothers, I can’t wait to write a spin-off to the series featuring younger bad boy Paolo and Army Ranger Tomas. You’ll get to meet them as well in NEVER A BRIDE and I hope you’ll like them as much as I do!
NEVER A BRIDE is now available for pre-order at the following retailers:
Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/2MLZRyK
Amazon Paperback: Coming Soon!
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1482927575
B&N: bit.ly/BN_Bride
Kobo: bit.ly/kobo_Bride
Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/437777098
#WriteWed – Getting Ready for a Wedding
I am so so excited that Carlo and Emma’s story will be out on January 21. I have loved these characters from the moment they first appeared in ONE SUMMER NIGHT and I am so happy with how NEVER A BRIDE turned out!
In this scene, Carlo is getting ready with the groom-to-be and his friends when Emma pops in to check out how they all look in their wedding suits. It’s tough for Emma not look at Carlo and think about more with him, but Emma doesn’t believe happily-ever-after is possible for her. But with every day that passes, it’s harder for both Carlo and Emma to deny what they are both feeling.
Excerpt
A week after the men had selected their clothing, the Pierce brothers paraded before Emma in their custom fitted suits, doing a really bad imitation of runway models. With their blonde good looks the Pierce brothers actually could be models. Owen had the kind of refined air you’d see for a luxury watch or perfume ad while Jonathan was better suited for a 4×4 or sports ad. As they playfully posed, she laughed and shook her head.
“Come on, guys. Get serious,” she said, but was happy to see that Jonathan was able to get his normally uptight brother to relax and have fun for a change. With both Maggie and his younger brother in his life, Owen had definitely changed for the better.
The snick of a door opening had her turning toward the dressing room where Carlo had been getting dressed.
Despite his denial last week, Carlo was definitely a suit kind of guy, Emma thought as he strolled out of the dressing room for a final fitting.
His body was perfection. His face all chiseled lines that a sculptor would envy. A five o’clock shadow darkened his look, making him appear dangerously bad boy sexy. Carlo would be everywoman’s secret fantasy lover, which made Emma want to hide him all for herself. Undress him slowly, peeling away that elegant veneer to get to the raw power beneath.
As he stopped to stare at himself in the mirror, he yanked at the suit’s lapels and his full lips thinned before finally breaking into a smile that spread up into his chocolate brown eyes. Turning, he raked back a lock of tousled hair as it fell forward. He held his hands out as if to ask her what she thought and warmth suffused her as she remembered what was hidden beneath the expensive cotton shirt and bespoke suit.
“You look wonderful,” she said as she tried to examine him on a professional level and pushed away her earlier fantasy.
The men had chosen soft charcoal grey color for the suits with brilliant white shirts. Jonathan’s ensemble boasted a pale pink tie with tiny seafoam polka dots to match Connie’s blush gown while the groomsmen had deep seafoam green ties with pale pink stripes to complement the bride and the bridesmaids.
As the four friends all gathered to stand together, it occurred to her they couldn’t have a more handsome group of men. Even Jonathan’s business partner Andy, whose look sometimes bordered on mad genius, had trimmed his hair and beard, revealing a strong jaw and bringing attention to his bright blue eyes.
But no matter how handsome the men, there was only one who made her heart stutter and her insides clench with need.
Carlo.
Order
You can order NEVER A BRIDE at the following retailers:
Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/2MLZRyK
Amazon Paperback: Coming Soon!
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1482927575
B&N: bit.ly/BN_Bride
Kobo: bit.ly/kobo_Bride
Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/437777098
#WriteWed – A First Night Together from Never a Bride
Good morning! Welcome to a little teaser from NEVER A BRIDE, my January 21, 2020 contemporary romance release. In this scene, Carlo and Emma have spent the night together, but probably not in the way that both would have expected.
Teaser
Emma woke to tempting warmth and a teasing tickle against her cheek. Half asleep, she tried to smooth away whatever was causing it and encountered a wall of hard muscle and crisp chest hair. She groaned and screwed her eyes shut as memories of the night before pummeled her brain.
“You okay?” Carlo said and his deep voice rumbled through her, awakening other parts of her body.
“I am so so sorry,” she said and met his amused gaze.
“I have to confess that in all the dreams I had about our first night together – ”
“You dreamed about us being together?” she asked and her heart pounded, rushing blood to all those already alert parts.
With a half-grin, he shifted so they were face-to-face on the pillow and covered the hand she had splayed on his chest. “I never imagined our first night together or the morning after would be quite like this.”
There was no mistaking the look in his eyes and what he had expected, but that didn’t keep her from saying, “What did you imagine?”
Order
Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/2MLZRyK
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1482927575
B&N: bit.ly/BN_Bride
Kobo: bit.ly/kobo_Bride
#TeaserTuesday – Never a Bride #3 in the At the Shore Series
Thanks to her dysfunctional family life, wedding planner Emma Ryan plans to never be a bride. There’s just one hitch in that plan: Gorgeous, sexy, caring and all too perfect Carlo da Costa, her best friend and caterer extraordinaire. According to her friends, Maggie, Connie, and Tracey, Carlo is the Prince Charming who can change Emma’s views on marriage but Emma is afraid to risk a relationship with Carlo. She can’t imagine not having Carlo in her life as a friend and business partner, but she can’t deny that at times – a lot of times actually – she dreams of what they could have together.
NEVER A BRIDE will be out in January 2020 and is now available for pre-order at the following retailers:
Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/2MLZRyK
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1482927575
B&N: bit.ly/BN_Bride
Kobo: bit.ly/kobo_Bride
I hope you’ll check it out! And now, a little teaser and excerpt from NEVER A BRIDE.
Teaser
Emma never dreamed that the happily-ever-after would change her life. . .
But as her two best friends find love, Emma worries about what her future will bring. She has seen all too often what happens once husbands and children arrive. She puts on a brave face because she wants her buddies to be happy, but as a wedding planner, she has seen one too many marriages go south. Not to mention her parents’ bitter divorce which has soured her on the idea of marriage for herself. She can’t imagine ever finding a man who can bring her a forever kind of romance.
He’s been in love with her forever and can’t understand why she can’t see it. . .
Carlo da Costa knows why Emma avoids relationships and yet he can’t help but wonder how someone who puts such love and care into others’ dreams can’t allow herself to believe in the fairy tale. He sees the yearning on her face when she spends time with him and his big boisterous family and knows that deep inside, she wants the same thing. Carlo hopes that one day he can provide her with that because he’s sure Emma holds the key to his heart in her hands.
Excerpt
Prologue
The bouquet shot toward her head like a spaceship launched at the moon.
Emma Grant had no time to deflect the missile. She tangled her fingers into the luscious petals of the peonies, roses, and hydrangea, rousing fragrant floral scents as the bouquet grazed her face. When she was in wedding planner mode, she would have taken the time to appreciate the freshness of the blooms, but tonight she was also a bridesmaid and best friend and totally unhappy about her current predicament.
Flowers fisted in her hand, Emma whirled to face her other best friend and maid of honor, Connie Reyes, who with a subtle hip check, had knocked Emma straight into the path of the flying tussie mussie. “I thought you were my friend!â€
“Totally,†Connie said with a broad smile and waltzed off to the side of the dance floor to where Carlo Gonzalez, her caterer extraordinaire and longtime man crush, stood with some of his wait staff.
Her friends thought Carlo was the man to give Emma her happily-ever-after, except it wasn’t possible that someone like Carlo could love someone like her. She was broken inside and had been for some time while Carlo was everything good in this world. A loving son and a supportive brother. A go-to-guy for her and so many others. But a lover? Even though her insides ignited at the thought of making love with the incredibly handsome Carlo, Emma knew it could only lead to misery on way too many levels.
He was her business partner of sorts and she valued how well they worked together. They had even talked about forming an event planning business more than once so Emma could have her own company and Carlo could expand his. Not to mention that he was her best friend and she couldn’t imagine not having him in her life, but she was certain that was what would happen if they tried to go from friends to lovers and it didn’t work out.
But Emma’s fears weren’t keeping Connie from trying to drag Carlo into the center of the dance floor for the next part of the wedding ritual. He protested at first and as all eyes settled on him as he balked, embarrassment engulfed her. His hesitation confirmed to Emma that changing the nature of their relationship was not necessarily something he wanted to do either.
Others soon joined in to offer Connie assistance and Carlo finally relented, although clearly reluctant. The handsome caterer stood with the other single men, and as the groom prepared his garter toss, Emma closed her eyes and mumbled a prayer beneath her breath.
“Dear Lord, please be good to me,†she said and half-opened her eyes to watch.
Apparently God wasn’t listening since the garter flew across the air, and like a horseshoe tossed at a ring, the circle of baby blue satin ribbon and beige lace landed on Carlo’s index finger, earning hoots and shouts from all gathered at the perfect catch.
Emma groaned and popped her eyes wide open as Carlo stood there, dangling the garter for all to see. A stain of color marred his cheeks as he peeked at her with a chagrined smile.
The heat of a blush erupted all across her face and up to her ears. She half glanced at Connie who had returned to stand by her and Emma said, “I will kill you for this. When you least suspect it, it will happen.â€
Connie couldn’t stifle her chuckle, and when the groom’s brother and best man Jonathan Pierce strolled to her friend’s side, Connie high-fived Jonathan for his assistance with the plot. Connie murmured something to him that Emma couldn’t quite hear as the band launched into a sexy riff to continue the wedding tradition. Carlo sauntered over, garter dangling from his finger as someone placed a chair for her to sit on in the middle of the makeshift dance floor.
“The quicker you get it over with, the easier it will be,†Emma thought, hurried out, and unceremoniously plopped onto the chair. It was like taking off a bandage with a quick rip. It cut the pain much like she wanted to lessen the humiliation of Carlo being forced into this wedding tradition.
The sexy music continued as Carlo kneeled before her and mouthed “Don’t worry.†In deference to the fancy event being held at the Sinclair beachfront mansion, he was dressed in a tuxedo. The black of the tux emphasized the deep brown of his thick wavy hair. The electric white shirt was the perfect foil against olive skin that still bore the remnants of a summer tan. He smiled at her, his teeth toothpaste bright and perfect. The smile was brilliant and transformed the chiseled features of his face. Made his chocolate brown eyes gleam with a mix of amusement and awkwardness.
It was way too easy to picture him as the groom. Her groom, but that was an impossible wish. As his gaze locked with hers, she detected something different for a moment. Something dangerous that she tried to convince herself wasn’t there. There was no way that was there, she told herself.
She silently pleaded with him not to make the situation worse. Ever the gentleman, he heeded her plea and kept it clean as she looked up toward the inky night sky to avoid watching him. His touch was deferential while he slipped the lacy fabric past her shoe and ankle, but even the faintest whisper of his rough palm against her skin had her trembling inside and heat racing across her body. He moved the garter up a little higher to her calf and paused, forcing Emma to look at him to find out the reason for his delay.
Carlo grinned sexily and the fire at her core ignited into a five-alarm blaze. He was just so damn handsome and it was impossible not to imagine doing more with him. He inched the garter past her knee, his palm teasing her smooth skin, but stopped there despite the entreaties of the single men to go ever higher. He wagged his head, shook his finger in a no-way gesture, and tenderly draped Emma’s gown back over her legs.
Emma met his gaze once more, thankful, but this time it was impossible to miss that his look was filled with yearning. With that emotion she had maybe hoped for and dreaded at the same time. And then Carlo did something totally unexpected and decidedly risky. He wrapped an arm around her waist, urged her to her feet, and slowly drew her close.
Her knees trembled and her heart pounded so loudly, she barely heard the music and cheers from those who’d maybe had a little too much to drink during the festivities. Carlo steadied her, keeping his arm around her waist as he cradled her jaw. Slowly he leaned toward her and tilted her face up with the gentlest pressure.
She could have backed away. Could have stopped him, but truthfully she didn’t want him to stop. She inched up on her tiptoes to meet his lips.
Original Wedding Image by StockSnap from Pixabay
#WriteWed – What’s Up With the At the Shore Series and Celebration Time!
Many of you have been writing to ask when #3 in the At the Shore series will be coming out! Thank you! I’m happy to say that I’ll be releasing #3, tentatively titled A SEA KISS CHRISTMAS, on November 12th just in time for the holiday season. I love Emma and Carlo’s story and I hope you will also. Plus you’ll get to meet Carlo’s sexy brothers Tomas and Paolo and I hope to do their stories sometime next year.
Next year is also going to be exciting since I’ve accepted an offer from Hallmark to do a book for them and cross your fingers that it’ll be chosen to be a movie. The tentative title of that book is SOUTH BEACH LOVE and as you can guess from the title, the book is set in South Beach and the nearby Miami area. As soon as I can tell you more, I will, but for now, look for it to possibly be out in June 2020!
I’m also working on preparing the next books in THE CALLING IS REBORN vampire novels for release. I’m hoping to get DEATH CALLS out in the next month. In the meantime, the first three books in the series are out and I’ve got them specially priced at 99 cents. Just follow this link to check them out: https://amzn.to/2WxQBFd
Also look for the re-release of my sexy paranormal Nocturne Cravings novellas, The Vampire’s Consort, Amazon Awakening, and Night of the Cougar. They are also specially priced for 99 cents at the various online retailers.
Lots of good things happening and I want to thank you all for your friendship and support! I hope all is going well with you!
Original Concert Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay