#TeaserTuesday – ONE SUMMER NIGHT Free Read!

This morning I’ve got a teaser for you from ONE SUMMER NIGHT, #1 in my At the Shore Contemporary Romance series set on the Jersey Shore. The e-book for ONE SUMMER NIGHT is currently free at the following retailers:

Order

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2krMwfE
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2kYLWZV
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kNuo0p
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2ik8EfG
iBooks: http://apple.co/2qsqdwx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fuEphL
Audible: https://amzn.to/2l2D0S2
Radish: Read three chapters for free – http://bit.ly/2AERQFk

And here’s your teaser and free read!

Teaser

An offer that’s impossible to accept . . .

Maggie Sinclair has tried everything to save her family’s business, including mortgaging their beloved beach house on the Jersey Shore. But now, she’s out of options.

The Sinclair and Pierce families have been neighbors and enemies for almost thirty years. That hasn’t stopped Owen Pierce from crushing on Maggie, and he’s determined to invest in her success. Now he has to convince her that he’s more than just trouble with a capital T…


Excerpt

With keen interest, Owen Pierce took note of the three women as they hurried away from the dais and into the Sinclair mansion.

“Put your eyes back in your head, Bro. She’s nothing but trouble,” Jon warned in low tones.

Owen bit back the retort that if anyone knew about trouble, it was his brother. Jonathan had always marched to a different drummer and had set out on his own as a teenager to explore what he wanted out of life. Now a successful entrepreneur, he had captured the media’s attention with his innovative designs and daring adventures. That left Owen to shoulder most of the burden of the family’s real estate business, as well as deal with his father’s anger over Jonathan’s latest newsworthy escapade.

He envied his brother’s carefree spirit and determination, especially as Maggie Sinclair marched back onto the patio with her friends, an angry bride, and an obviously inebriated groom. Both the bride and groom looked far from happy as they approached the elaborate multi-tiered wedding cake that had been wheeled out to the middle of the makeshift dance floor.

He worried the bride might plunge the long knife she held into her new husband, but luckily for the newlyweds, Maggie directed the blade toward the cake.

Jon playfully elbowed him. “Seriously, Owen. She’s not for you. Father declared the Sinclairs off-limits ages ago. He would have a stroke if he thought the two of you were involved.”

Involved with Maggie Sinclair, Owen thought and sighed with regret.

In a way, he’d been involved with her forever. He’d like to chalk it all up to a sloppy, hurried, and stolen kiss at eighteen and the allure of forbidden fruit. But since that kiss, he’d watched her mature into a smart, beautiful woman. One who was willing to work hard for the town and business she cared about as well as friends and family. With every encounter, he’d grown more intrigued with the person Maggie had become.

But his father had come down hard on them about mingling with the Sinclairs right after Maggie’s mother’s death. For years, they’d been unable to come to their Sea Kiss home, and even when they’d returned, they’d done so without their father, who refused to be so close to the family he thought had wronged him.

Not that Owen expected that Jon would kowtow to such rules, since his brother was the kind of man who didn’t hesitate to take what he wanted.

He arched a brow and met his brother’s blue-eyed gaze, which glittered with a mix of undisguised challenge and amusement. “Do you think you’re the only one entitled to a little adventure in your life?” he said.

Jon chuckled. “My kind of adventure is way safer than what you may be considering.”

“Why’s that, Li’l Bro?” he asked, appreciating the sight of Maggie in a dusty-rose gown that hugged dangerous curves. Her chestnut-brown hair fell to her shoulders in soft waves and framed ice-blue eyes and a sassy, sexy face that snared his attention every time he saw her.

Jonathan took a last sip of his champagne and barely stifled another laugh. With a shake of his head, he replied, “Because all I risk is an occasional broken bone, but that…” He jerked his head in Maggie’s direction as she stepped back beside Connie and Emma. “That will break your heart.”

Free beach read ONE SUMMER NIGHT contemporary romance

#TeaserTuesday – WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER Free Read

The second book in the AT THE SHORE contemporary romance series, WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER, comes out on June 5, but it’s now available for pre-order! I’ve always been a sucker for second chance at love stories and it just felt right that WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER would be about two very different people who fall in love during one glorious summer, but can’t make it happen. It was both a lot of fun and very emotional to get Connie and Jonathan together. I also loved exploring the real reason for the Pierce-Sinclair family feud and revealing the truth about where Jonathan and Owen’s mother has been for so many years! I hope you’ll like that as well.

I’m happy to say the book is getting really nice reviews! Here’s what Amy Alessio at Booklist had to say about WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER:

“Realistic yet successful second-chance romance stories are rare and always popular, and this is an excellent addition to the genre.”

To read the first part of the prologue, you can visit https://wp.me/p7KDGz-6eR.

And now, another little teaser from the prologue!

Connie’s heart thudded almost painfully in her chest as she wondered how, in a week’s time, she could leave him. The ache deepened beneath her breastbone and she put her hand there and rubbed to assuage the hurt.

What had started as a summer fling with a funny, smart, and beautiful boy had turned into something so much more, with an incredibly amazing man. Falling in love with Jonathan hadn’t been in her game plan, but he was just too hard to resist.

She should have resisted. He was a Pierce. She wasn’t a Sinclair, but Maggie was like a sister and that stupid family feud was still going strong, as far as she knew.

He was going back to Villanova in a week and she’d be returning to Princeton. The colleges were not all that far apart, but if she was to execute her game plan, she had to stay in the game, which meant studying and more studying. Not nights spent in bed making love and days spent daydreaming about the nights. But like Adam with Eve, now that she’d had a bite of such delicious forbidden fruit, she didn’t know how she could go on a Jonathan-free diet.

At the moment, she could just admire his sun-streaked light brown hair waving wildly around a masculine face with chiseled features. A sexy dimpled grin was on his lips and his eyes glittered with a blue as enchanting as a Sea Kiss summer sea.

That ache in her heart rocketed to life again together with an almost unbearable lightness in her soul. For so much of her life she’d been driven to accomplish more and more, but with Jonathan, she could just be herself. No goals or responsibilities. Just…happy.

And so, in the blink of an eye, her game plan altered. She could see it all so clearly, only now Jonathan was there beside her at each step. Finish college. Head to law school. Pass the bar. Get a job in a big New York City law firm so she could help her family financially, as well as others who had legal problems and couldn’t afford representation. Become a partner. Marry Jonathan. Or maybe marry Jonathan and then become a partner. She didn’t want to wait too long to be with him forever.

Not that she’d ever pictured getting married to anyone before, since her home life hadn’t been anything great. But for Jonathan, she’d make an exception.

As she snuggled into the curve of his arm and pillowed her head on his broad shoulder, she sighed and said, “I can’t believe the summer’s almost over.”

He grunted his reply in a too-typical male way. “Sucks.” But then he surprised her by adding, “I’d like to keep on seeing you once you’re back in school.”

She smiled, pleased by his admission, and glanced up at him. There was a contented smile on his full lips and the first hint of a dimple. The hard line of his jaw had a bit of blond stubble from an evening beard. She ran her hand up to brush away a lock of his hair.
“I’d like that, too,” she said.

His smile broadened and the dimple fully emerged, drawing attention to that luscious mouth. She couldn’t resist surging up to skim a kiss along that dimple and the corner of his lips.

“What was that for?” he asked.

She wanted to say because he made her happy, but she hesitated. She’d seen what could happen to a woman whose happiness depended on a man, as she’d watched her mother lose herself and her dreams.

“As a way for you to remember me until we visit each other at college,” she said instead.

Tension crept into his body, impossible to miss. Enough to worry her. She pulled back from him. “I thought you wanted us to see each other. At least, that’s what you said a minute ago.”

A chagrined look passed across his features, stirring the worry inside her.

“I do, only… I won’t be at college this year. I’m not going back to Villanova.”

She searched his face, finding it hard to believe, but he appeared deadly serious.

“What do you mean you’re not going back? Did something happen? Are you transferring to another school?”

Order

You can purchase WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER at these retailers:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2y6hi4h
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2y92UIQ
B&N: http://bit.ly/2BJNcov
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2hKg3BW
iBooks: http://apple.co/2hKgP1J
Kobo: Coming Soon!

Also, don’t miss out on the special 99 cents pricing on ONE SUMMER NIGHT! You can purchase ONE SUMMER NIGHT at the following retailers:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2krMwfE
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2kYLWZV
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kNuo0p
iBooks: http://apple.co/2qsqdwx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fuEphL
What Happens In Summer Booklist Review

#FridayFun One Summer Night Playlist #AttheShore

Admit it, there are some songs that bring back memories every time you hear them. Whether it’s thoughts of hitting the open road on your way to the beach (or the shore as Jersey folk like to say) or of a special time in your life, those songs stick with you.

Wouldn’t it Be Nice by the Beach Boys is one of those songs! Being down the shore on summer nights brings the sounds of the Beach Boys to mind for sure. But this song is doubly special because it’s “Our Song.” It was part of the soundtrack for the movie Shampoo which was my first date with my husband. Being without transportation, we went to see the movie together on campus at Villanova. Brings back good memories every time I hear it.

FYI – this song is from the Pet Sounds album which is considered one of the best albums of all time. If you love the Beach Boys like I do, check out Love and Mercy which is the Brian Wilson story and has a lot on the creation of the Pet Sounds album. Fabulous movie.

Have a great weekend and if you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to sign up for the May 11 Cover Reveal event on Facebook.

Please click here if you can’t see the Beach Boys Video below or cut and paste this link: https://youtu.be/lD4sxxoJGkA.

#WriteWed Glorious Summer Mornings

I’ve been struggling with a story for the last few weeks. Don’t know why, but something hit me the other day that just was a big “Duh!” and made everything make sense finally.

I guess this is why you should outline a story first, but I’m really still a pantser. To some, I would call it being “organic” which is BS for I’m a pantser. LOL.

But this realization came to me as I was taking a stroll along the boardwalk, working out some plot issues and wondering if I would ever finish the story. It was a glorious summer morning (summers start on Memorial Day down the shore!) much like this morning. Bright blue sky. Slight breeze. Not too hot or too cold. Lovely.

Days like that lift me up and inspire. You could say the clear they cobwebs out of my brain so that the “Duh!” moment can happen and the story can progress.

So, that’s my Write Wednesday for today. I’ll leave you with this photo of some lovely lilies I saw in Bryant Park this morning as I walked to my office.
Bryant Park Lilies

STRONGER THAN SIN Awakenings Excerpt on Wicked Wednesday

This Wicked Wednesday I’m offering up an excerpt from STRONGER THAN SIN that I’ve titled “Awakenings” because as Jesse and Liliana are thrust together, understanding awakens desire, especially in Jesse. He’s been alone for so long that Liliana’s caring and compassion are almost overwhelming.

If you cannot see the excerpt below, you can click here. Don’t have the time to read it now or want a more private moment? You can click on download to save it to your electronic reading device.

Stronger Than Sin Excerpt Awakenings

If you’ve bought STRONGER THAN SIN, many thanks for your support. If you haven’t, click here for more information on STRONGER THAN SIN or take a moment to stop by one of these booksellers to check it out.

Order at Amazon
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Indiebound

Wicked Wednesday – THE LOST and some good news!

Today is a very exciting day! I’ve got some good news for all of you who like my Nocturne novels. Nocturne has just acquired three novellas from me for their BITES collections. Even more exciting, one of the stories will feature Diana Reyes and Ryder Latimer, two of my favorites. For those of you who have read FATE CALLS in HOLIDAY WITH A VAMPIRE and FURY CALLS, you may have a clue on what might be happening in this story.

Other good news in case you’ve missed it is that the SINS series will be expanding with the addition of the Hunters, a unique race locked in a life and death battle to survive. The first book in the SIN HUNTER series, THE LOST, will be available in August 2011 and will have some exciting new characters for you with wickedly interesting powers. (You’ll get to see just one of them in this little teaser I’m posting for you today!). You will see some familiar names, including another member of the Carrera family – Bobbie – a Marine who has been wounded in Iraq and has come home to heal both her physical and emotional wounds.

So without further ado, here’s a little wickedness from THE LOST.

The LOST Paranormal Suspense by Caridad Pineiro

Thursday 13 – Things to do Down the Shore!

There is nothing more that I like to do than to go Down the Shore as the Jersey folk say. (The real Jersey folk and not Gym/Tan/Laundry crowd from that show that will remain nameless). Being down the shore is so relaxing and stimulates my creative juices. I get a mess of writing done whenever I am there.

So today I am sharing with you those things that I love to do Down the Shore. The real Jersey Shore.

1. Walk along the boardwalk from Avon-by-the-Sea up to Asbury Park. Each town along the way – Avon, Bradley Beach, Ocean Grove and Asbury – has a unique flavor and peaceful surroundings.

2. Grab a lobster dinner at the Columns in Avon. The views of the ocean are great and the food is good.

3. Grab a book and a beach chair and relax in Bradley Beach. Much less crowded than at other beaches and totally family friendly.

4. Go for a bike ride along Ocean Avenue. We’ve gone as far as Long Branch and it’s a fun ride with views of the ocean and some really amazing homes.

5. Lunch at Windmill Hot Dogs. Yum.

6. Browse the many interesting shops along Ocean Grove’s Main Avenue.

7. Explore Ocean Grove’s amazing Victorians and the totally unique tent city.

8. Hit Asbury Park’s Convention Center, Paramount Theatre, WunderBar or Stone Pony for some music or the Jersey Shore Roller Girls.

9. Get some tomato pie from Vic’s or Pete and Elda’s.

10. Get a cannoli from Del Ponte’s in Bradley Beach.

11. Take in a movie at the Palace Theatre Beach Cinema, an eighty year old landmark in Bradley Beach.

12. Visit the library for one of their books, art shows, workshops or community events.

13. Stop and listen to the Pavilion Praise on the Ocean Grove boardwalk on Sunday mornings. No matter what your religious bent, you will feel the positive vibes with the melding of faith and nature on a glorious summer morning.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Thursday Thirteen. I welcome you to add any of your suggestions for what you like to do Down the Shore in the comments section.

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