romance Archives - Page 13 of 13 - Annie Douglass Lima : Annie Douglass Lima

Summer Raines knows when it’s going to rain. She can feel it. That’s why the local weather girl’s so good at her job. Too bad she couldn’t have foreseen the tumultuous arrival of Travis Lockwood, everybody’s favorite star NFL quarterback. Make that former star NFL quarterback. Sidelined back to Texas after an injury, the golden boy is trying to steal her precious on-air time. Summer is reduced to reporting from…football games. It’s enough to make her quit and become a storm-chaser like her parents. She’s stuck with a career that’s going nowhere and a man who delights in her refusal to be charmed. Falling in love isn’t nearly as easy as predicting the weather.

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Excerpt

“So it sounds like sports reporting has become something you want to do now,” Summer said, the menu blocking her beautiful blues from his.

“The better I get, the more I like it. Maybe ESPN will come knocking soon and I’ll be off to New Yorkor wherever their studio is.”

The menu she was using as a shield tipped down just enough for her eyes to meet his. “Is that so?”

He shook his head, grinning. “Like you said, there’s nothing wrong with working here in Abilene.”

“Great. I’m never going to get my thirty seconds back. I’m not sure I’ll survive.”

“You’ll survive.” Travis loved that she didn’t shy away from teasing him. The waitress arrived with their waters and took their orders. When they were alone and she had no menu to hide behind, Travis continued, with his dimples in full effect. “I think you’ve finally stopped hating me.”

“I never hated you. I tried to hate you, but you’re too likable.” He liked that answer. He liked that answer a lot. “I am, am I?” “Less and less by the minute.”

He wasn’t buying it. “Admit it. You like me.”

“I don’t know. You never return the things you borrow, you drive a pretentious car. The list of reasons not to like you goes on and on.”

“Your umbrella is sitting right by my front door. I never remember it because it hasn’t rained in weeks.”

“Don’t make me come get it,” she warned.

He laughed. “You aren’t as scary as you used to be, Weather Girl.”

Poor Summer looked so flustered he half expected to hear all about typhoons or the average number of lightning strikes in a Texas thunderstorm. Summer managed to keep the weather facts at bay.

“Country-fried steak with mashed potatoes, pork chops with the vegetable medley and an extra side of french fries,” the waitress said as she set the plates in front of Travis. “And the half turkey sandwich on sourdough and a chicken noodle soup for the lady. Is there anything else I can get you?”

“Is there anything left back there?” Summer asked, staring wide-eyed at her dinner companion, who was already shoveling in a mouthful.

“What?” he mumbled around a bite of his pork.

“How is it humanly possible for one man to eat all of that?”

“I work hard, I play hard, I have an appetite. You should have seen me when I played ball. I could eat twice this much.”

Her giggle was better than the food. Travis finished off one plate and started on the other.

“You’re going to be five hundred pounds soon if you aren’t careful,” she said, shaking her head.

“You offering to help me work it off?”

Summer set her sandwich down. “If I remember correctly, the last time I took you running, you nearly passed out.” “I remember watching you get drenched by the sprinklers, loving every second of it. Like you were dancing in the rain. You looked beautiful.” Seeing her like that had stirred feelings he wasn’t ready to deal with then, but he was prepared to try now.

“Stop. What’s gotten into you tonight?” The corner of her mouth twitched, dying to give in to a smile.

“You say stop, but you don’t mean it,” he said before popping a giant piece of broccoli into his mouth.

“I do. I mean it,” she asserted, keeping her eyes everywhere but on him.

Travis set down his fork and slid out of his seat. Summer’s brow furrowed until he planted himself next to her. He pushed some hair back so he could see her face. “Tell me there’s nothing I can do to make something happen between me and you.”

Summer’s breathing changed, almost stopped. Her spoon fell into her soup. “There’s nothing you can do,” she said, her voice wavering.

Something was already happening. She could lie to herself, but not to him. Travis leaned in, his nose almost touching the shell of her ear as he brought his mouth closer. “Nothing? You haven’t once wondered what it would be like to kiss me?”

He could feel the heat coming off her now. Her skin turned red. She swallowed hard and her teeth bit into her bottom lip. “Don’t kiss me.” It came out like a desperate plea. As if kissing her would break her in two.

“I won’t. I promise.” He sat back, giving her a reprieve, then went back to his own side. She watched him pick up his fork and fill his mouth with some french fries. Summer grabbed her water and drank until the ice cubes were all that was left.

She was going to kiss him. Not today, not tomorrow. But she was going to kiss him. Travis had no doubt. “I’ll wait for you to kiss me. Someday soon, Summer Raines, you’re going to want to kiss me.”

Amy Vastine has been plotting stories in her head for as long as she can remember. An eternal optimist, she studied social work, hoping to teach others how to find their silver lining. Now, she enjoys creating happily ever afters for all to read.

In September of 2012, she saw a tweet about Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write contest. She entered, hoping for nothing more than a little feedback from some people in the business. Amazingly, The Weather Girl made it into the semi-finals, thanks to the many wonderful voters out there! The manuscript didn’t make it to the finals, but the editors over Harlequin were still interested. A few revisions later and The Weather Girl was contacted for publication with Harlequin Heartwarming – a dream come true!

Amy lives outside Chicago with her high school sweetheart-turned-husband, three fun-loving children, and their sweet but mischievous puppy dog.

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Tour-Wide Giveaway

– Grand Prize: $25 Amazon gift card, red umbrella, signed copy of THE WEATHER GIRL, umbrella bookmark, and decorative box (US Only)
– 5 ebooks of The Weather Girl (INT)
– April 21 – May 11

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email us at PrismBookTours(at)gmail.com with “Eva’s Blitz” in the subject line.

We’re kicking off the release of Linda’s new Harlequin Heartwarming novel and sharing an excerpt with you below! Once you’ve checked out the book info and read the excerpt, enter the two fabulous giveaways!

Eva’s Deadline

by Linda Hope Lee
Paperback or ebook, 368 pages
April 1, 2014 by Harlequin Heartwarming

Eva Sinclair finally had it all: the Seattle sea-view condo, the fancy blue car and the assistant editorship at the city’s hottest magazine. Everything she fought for since the day she walked out on her father and the Willow Beach Herald, his beloved small-town newspaper.

With one call from Mark Townson, her father’s protege, it was all gone. Her father. Her career. Her independence. And, quite possibly, her mind. Because fulfilling her father’s final wishes meant meeting a one-year deadline as Mark’s coeditor at the Herald. That’s what they call an impossible deadline. Especially when the sparks begin to fly.

Read an Excerpt now HERE!

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Praise for previous books by Linda Hope Lee:

For Tell Me No Lies: “Well-written . . . fast-paced . . . highly recommended.”

-Joyce Koehl, Romance Reviews Today

For Dark Memories: “An emotional drama and puzzling suspense . . . churns with guilt, passion, and intrigue.”

–Romantic Times

For Finding Sara: “A modern Western, packed with secrets, intrigue, and old-fashioned romance.”

–WRDF

For Loving Rose: “A heartwarming read that will tug at your heartstrings.”

–sizzlinghotbooks.net

“What a beautiful story!”

–sirenbookreviews.blogspot.com

Linda Hope Lee writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and mysteries. She enjoys traveling especially to small towns in search of story ideas. She’s also an artist, specializing in watercolor, pen and ink, and colored pencil. Photography provides inspiration for both her writing and her art. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, where many of her stories are set.

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Blitz-Wide Giveaways
April 1-15

Giveaway #1:
$50 Amazon Gift Card – International

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Giveaway #2:
ENTER TO WIN EVA’S DEADLINE BY LINDA LEE HOPE!
3 paperback copies – US and Canada
3 ecopies – International

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On tour with Prism Book Tours…

Welcome to my Book Tour stop for
His Hometown Girl

His Hometown Girl
by Karen Rock
Mass Market Paperback, Large Print, 331 pages
March 1st 2014 by Harlequin

He’d always managed to best her…

Jodi Chapman will do whatever it takes to get top care for her autistic son. If that means going home and convincing local farmers to sell their land, so be it. Even if her biggest opponent, childhood rival Daniel Gleason, is equally determined to convince farmers to buy into his co-op plan. And he’s not playing fair.

Facing off against Daniel is the last thing Jodi wants. The attraction that’s always fueled their competitiveness is as strong as ever and just as distracting. But with both their futures on the line, and years of distrust between them, how can they ever be on the same side?

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Book Depository

An Excerpt from the Novel:

Red, pink, yellow and purple flashed as she watched fireworks paint colorful patterns against black velvet. Her mouth trembled when she felt his eyes on her. “Daniel. Aren’t you going to watch the show?”

“When I see something more beautiful, I will.”

She looked at him then, her mouth parted in surprise and, as if unable to resist, he pulled her against him. The feel of him drove away rational thought, the drumbeat of her heart registering in her stomach.

“Daniel. No,” she murmured, but couldn’t move from such warm arms, every breath drawing in his faint smell of musk and fresh air, her heart full of him.

He laid his cheek against hers. “Why?” he whispered in her ear, his voice rough.

“You know why,” she whispered back, though there was no one to hear them, the distant crowd more focused on the sky. It was getting harder and harder to remember her reasons for resisting him. Her gaze drank in the shape of him—the breadth and contours of his chest, the sharp line of his widow’s peak that her fingers had traced so many times, and his eyes, above all his incredible eyes. Confronted with his nearness, Jodi understood that she was fighting familiarity, a profound kind of recognition.

He stroked the back of her head. “I know the timing is lousy, but if we—”

“But we’re not. It makes no sense when I imagine it,” she said, almost to herself, and pulled away. His absence registered, the way it had once before, as cold rushing in to fill the void.

“So you do think about it.” His eyes lit up. “About us.”

Her sigh felt as though it came from the deepest part of her. “Oh, Daniel.”

He cupped her cheeks. “We can make this work.”

Her brows came together. “Impossible. We both have too much to lose.”

He seemed ready to argue, opening his mouth and then closing it at her firm head shake. At last, he pulled her close instead. “Our loss, yes.”

The thought caught in her soul as he let her go.

She rose unsteadily, an impressive display of pyrotechnics signaling the show’s end. “I’d better get back in case Tyler wakes.”

They looked at each other. She didn’t want to go, the thought of leaving him and this beautiful moment behind an almost physical ache.

“If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” she said, her trembling voice giving her away. There was nothing more to say. Or too much.

Karen Rock has adored romance since receiving Harlequin Presents books from her grandmother each summer. She formed her Young Adult writing partnership, J.K. Rock- pseudonym for the CAMP BOYFRIEND series, with her sister-in-law and Blaze author, Joanne Rock in 2011. When Karen heard of a call for submissions to Heartwarming, Harlequin’s latest line, she was inspired by the possibilities of writing unforgettable, deeply romantic, tender love stories that mothers would feel comfortable sharing with their daughters. When she’s not writing, Karen loves scouring estate sales for vintage books, cooking her grandmother’s family recipes, hiking the ‘high peaks’, and redesigning her gardens. She lives in the Adirondack Mountain region with her husband, daughter, and two Cavalier King cocker spaniels who have yet to understand the concept of “fetch” though they know a lot about love.

For more information about Karen’s upcoming books, check out her website, Facebook page, or follow her on twitter. She’d love to hear from you!

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Tour-Wide Giveaway

Grand Prize: Hand-stitched, authentic Amish quilt (uses their overlapping heart-stitching- pattern), with matching dust ruffle for a king-sized bed, signed copies of Wish Me Tomorrow & Camp Boyfriend, and some surprise swag (US Only)

1 – Paperback/ebook copies of Wish Me Tomorrow and Camp Boyfriend (format is winner’s choice, paperback for US Only) and $20 Amazon gift card

2 – ebooks of Wish Me Tomorrow and Camp Boyfriend (INT)

March 3 – 23

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3/3 – Tour Launch & Excerpt

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Katie’s Clean Book Collection

Just Jeannies Books & Bling

First Page to the Last

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All That’s Written

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3/6