Haven & Scott

Coming November 20 ....

BLURB:

The year is 2100. Wise people marry by registering with Bioexpa Data Match. The matchmaking company has such a near perfect record that choosing your own mate is now considered tantamount to marrying a blood relative.

Haven Thomas is a beautiful, curvy, confident woman. She's immediately attracted to her gorgeous blond, husband. But her hopes for a happy union are dashed when she realizes that her new husband thinks she's fat. She has no choice but to go through the thirty-day probation period, but after that, she plans to walk away.

Scott Fields owns a restaurant that serves healthy food and is part owner of a gym. Finding himself married to a curvy woman could prove to be a promotional nightmare unless he finds a way to spin it. Then he meets Haven. It doesn't take him long to decide that she's perfect as she is. Now he just has to convince Haven to give him a second chance.

A Minor Almost Update

I can’t believe that September is coming to an end. I wish I could say that I excelled at time management and that it had been a productive summer. But I’ve spent most of the time travelling or indulging in reading binges.  

Thankfully, Haven and Scott is basically done. My hope is that the next time I post that I can give a definitive release date. At this point, I’m thinking mid-fall.

A Second Excerpt...Because You Knew It Was Coming

I always like to post a second excerpt. Some of you have already purchased The Arrangement and made it a bestseller at All Romance Ebooks and I thank you for that. I hope you're all enjoying it. It's a summer read. Ideally, I wanted to have it out for the 4th of July weekend, but it was simply too close to my previous release. For those of you awaiting more info before purchasing, here's a bit more to whet your appetite.

The kitchen smelled of cinnamon and brown sugar, making his mouth water. A tray of muffins sat on the counter. Ariadne held one in her hand. She’d split it open and was applying butter. When she’d finished applying a perfectly even layer, he snatched it out of her hand and took a large bite. “Thanks,” he muttered around a full mouth.
     Glaring at him, she began to prepare the other half. “Where’s Erika?”
     “That’s damn good,” he groaned around the muffin. He opened the refrigerator in search of milk. “Erika’s with Ted.” As he filled his glass, he shot her a glance. She had to know about Erika’s crush, but he wouldn’t question her about it. Doing so would be asking her to betray a confidence to a friend. While he was her husband, it wasn’t in a true sense. He wanted her to consider him a friend one day as well.
     Ariadne bit into her muffin. Asher poured her a glass of milk as well. He waited until she’d taken a sip before asking, “So should I move my stuff into your room or will you be moving into mine?”
     She sprayed the floor with milk. “What?”
     He laughed at her expression. Though they hadn’t discussed it, he knew she didn’t expect to share his bed. But he simply couldn’t resist seeing her reaction. Leaning back against the counter, he allowed his gaze to run over her from the top of her head to her toes, stopping to enjoy the fullness of her breasts, the smallest of her waist, and the lush roundness of her hips. She was delight to stare at and his palms itched to explore her curves. As always, she was dressed modestly. Her pink t-shirt was buttoned to the top. Her jeans were snug but not indecent. They’d all been on the beach at some point today. Only Ariadne had taken the time to change out of her bathing suit.
     “Both Ted and Erika insinuated that I was trying to get you into bed. Would you like to clarify our sleeping arrangements?”
     Tossing a glare his way, she rolled three paper towels off the roll and dropped to the floor to clean up the milk. “I have a guest room you can use at my place.”
     “I see.” He emptied his glass in one swallow. “So you expect me to be celibate for two or more years?”
     “I intend to be.”
     “No offense, but it’s not the same thing. Isn’t celibacy your normal state of affairs?”
     She threw the paper towels in the trash with more force than he considered necessary. “Isn’t this something we should have clarified before we got married? It’s not too late for an annulment.”
     “Then we’d be right back where we were. Only worse. I would embarrass my father with one of the briefest marriages on record. And you’d have tallied up a second relationship failure within six months.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
     She mirrored his pose. “So what do you suggest?”
     He knew what he’d like to suggest but he doubted she’d be willing to grant him conjugal rights. It would take some serious finessing to get her to that point. But he didn’t doubt that he could get her there. A week ago if someone had told him that she would marry him, he would have laughed in their face. But she had. Not out of love, but that didn’t matter. She was his. If he could make her his wife, a major miracle, getting her into his bed would be child’s play.
     “We play it by ear,” he said as casually as he could.
     She laughed. “Are you thinking there’s going to be a time when I’m going to want to sleep with you?”
     He shrugged. “I don’t think you find me repellant.”
     Ariadne’s mouth twisted. “But as you’ve pointed out, celibacy is the normal state of affairs for me.”
     He studied her from beneath lowered lashes. “But it doesn’t have to be.”
     “I can’t,” she said so quickly that he knew that she had her reasons.
     He wanted to probe but he had time. He didn’t want her to think he was anxious. Though he was so primed, he was ready to toss her over his shoulder and carry her off to his bed this instant. “The offer is out there and available any time you want.” Her gaze moved over him much as his had moved over her. Her slow perusal made his body burn. Her brown eyes darkened and smoldered with heat. His dick hardened so fast it was a wonder he didn’t get lightheaded from the sudden redirection of blood flow. He took a step forward without even realizing it.
     “I’m starving!” Ted made a beeline for the muffins. He grabbed one in each hand, biting into one before he seemed to take notice of the tension in the room. “Am I interrupting something?” he mumbled around a mouth full of food

The Arrangement Excerpt

It's time for an excerpt. The Arrangement will be released next Friday. Enjoy!

     Masculine laughter floated from the direction of the kitchen. Hearing the voice of Ted Flynn, the husband of her best friend, was no surprise. But the other male…Asher Hollister.… She’d know that laugh anywhere though she hadn’t seen him since the annual Flynn New Year’s Eve party six months ago. Asher’s laughter was rich and husky and rolled over the listener like a sensual fog. Ariadne stiffened and froze in the process of entering the beach house, the sliding glass door open only a few inches. What the hell was he doing here? She whipped around to glare at her best friend Erika Flynn. Crossing her arms over her chest, she said, “You promised me he wasn’t coming this year.”
     Erika winced. “Ted invited him, but he turned down the invitation. He must have changed his mind.”
     Ariadne sighed. She wondered if she could sneak up to her room, pack her bags and leave without him noticing. This was supposed to be a much needed vacation for her. The last thing she needed was to have to deal with the animosity that existed between her and Asher. She’d intended to stay for two weeks. She doubted the two of them would last that long before weapons were drawn.
     That they would cross swords was inevitable with only the four of them inhabiting the house. She avoided him when possible, but that was difficult since they often traveled in the same circles. Sometimes she felt like she lived in a soap opera town inhabited by a limited number of citizens. But the funny thing was that Asher seemed capable of getting along with everyone with the exception of her. Everybody loved him. Especially women. For some unknown reason, he had been an ass to her since high school.
     “Might as well get it over with,” Erika said, laying a comforting hand on her arm.
     Ariadne glanced down at herself. The two of them had been lying around on the beach while Ted went out to grab dinner. The purple one piece she wore was dry. Only a small amount of sand clung to her legs and ankles.
     She opened the door the rest of the way and the two of them skirted the dining table and entered the den. It was a large open area separated from the kitchen by a curved bar. Ted leaned against the kitchen counter, bags of takeout behind him. His long legs were stretched out in front of him. His shaved head and goatee gave him a tough guy look though he was one of the nicest guys she’d ever met. Asher sat on a barstool facing him. The two men had been friends since elementary school. The same could be said for her and Erika. Prior to Erika marrying Ted two years ago, her run-ins with Asher had been minimal. After the marriage of their best friends, she really had to work to avoid the odious man. Whether he was avoiding her or not, she wasn’t certain. He seemed to relish their encounters. It was just another reason to hate him. She liked her life on a calm even keel. Some might calling it boring, but she’d choose ennui over calamity any given day.
     Asher grinned at the sight of them. His lips tipped up on the left first before spreading to the other side. It was a slow, calculated move. His pale green eyes lit up in wicked delight. Ariadne’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. She just knew he was thinking of some cruel taunt as his gaze flicked over her from top to bottom. “Well, if it isn’t my sweet belle and Miss Prim and Proper.” She didn’t have to guess which one she was.
     Erika rushed forward and received a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Ash, it’s good to see you.”
     Ariadne hugged her beach bag to her chest. “Ash,” she said with a nod. It was as much of an acknowledgement as he was going to get out of her.
     “Ari,” he murmured, knowing she’d never given him permission to use that abbreviation of her name. Only friends and family called her Ari. He was neither. “You look supremely overdressed for the occasion.”
     Her swimsuit was conservative. It was true. It had a modest scoop neck and rose up high to cover her back. There was even a ruffle skirt that hid the tops of her rounded thighs. Erika had commented that it would have been better suited to a five year old. That was different. Erika was a friend. She was allowed to criticize her wardrobe. Bristling, she replied, “I shopped for a string bikini but the stores sold out to your cadre of busty girlfriends.”
     He arched a dark brow before bursting out in laughter. “Well, you do have the impressive upper endowments I so adore.”
     That was another habit of his that she hated. Her insults never seemed to hit their mark. He always laughed it off. It didn’t help that he had the sexiest laugh known to man. The man was infuriating. Ariadne growled. “You-”
     “Come on, guys,” Ted interrupted. “Don’t get started. Erika and I don’t want to spend two weeks listening to you bicker. Ash, you promised to be on your best behavior.”
     “What?” He lifted his arms and shrugged. “That was a compliment.”

August 7 is almost here

There's not much time until the release of The Arrangement. I love the cover.

BLURB

For Ariadne Morris, it was enough that her boyfriend dumped her for her cousin, but then she finds out that they plan to announce their engagement at the annual family reunion. Spending time at the beach with friends seems like the perfect getaway. Unfortunately, Asher Hollister, her high school nemesis, shows up.

Asher Hollister enjoys riling up the ever so proper Ariadne. When he learns about her situation, he offers her a solution--marry him. The marriage will help him repair his reputation before his father runs for governor. He tells Ariadne that the marriage will be temporary, only Asher already knows that he never wants to let her go.

The Arrangement

So my next book will be called The Arrangement. The release date will be August 7. I'll post the cover art, a blurb, and an excerpt in coming weeks. Keep enjoying your summer!

Disappearing Books and Other Stuff

Some of you may or may not have noticed that some of my books disappeared off Amazon and other sites. (Friends, Winning Dawn, The Matchmaker, and Possessed) All of those books were published with Sugar and Spice. They decided to return the publishing rights to their authors and took down the books on July 1. I haven't decided all the specifics of what I'm going to do about them yet, but I will republish them in time.

For those of you waiting to hear more about Haven & Scott, I haven't picked a publication date, but it will be out this year. The wait won't be too long.

Last, but not least, I should mention another release that I have planned. I'm waffling on the title, but have chosen thus far to call it The Arrangement. This one is for those of you out there who just want a novel about regular people set in a contemporary time frame. At one point, I'd planned to have it out this weekend, but who knew self-publishing could be so exhausting? Look for this one to be out by the end of the month or August at the latest! More details on this to come very soon.

And lest we not forget, Happy Independence Day! Have a happy and safe weekend.