“Dibs on the unicorn!”
Dodging through the maze of partiers crowding the beach at
the seaside park, Mac sprints across the rocky sand toward the gleaming carousel.
The hostesses give chase with AJ in the lead.
She shoots Mac a wry grin. “Excuse me, but Dibs is mine!”
She waggles her brows and leaps onto the merry-go-round’s wooden floor at Mac’s
side.
Lilly rolls her eyes as the two laugh and tussle over the
wooden horse with a golden horn. “There’s another right beside you, ladies.”
Mary chooses an elegant swan while Lyn swings her leg over a
dancing stallion. Melissa scowls at a brightly colored, squat bird. “Really?”
Mac climbs aboard the second unicorn as AJ holds up her
phone to snap a picture. “We’re in England, sweetie. They do things differently
here.”
Slipping onto the bird’s back, Melissa strikes a pose then
blinks at the flash. “You’re not kidding. I’ve never seen a carousel with a
chicken before.”
The hostesses laugh as
tinkling music fills the air and the ride begins to move.Templeton Cove spins around them. Lounge chairs line the
shoreline fronting the quaint seaside town. Small fishing vessels bob on the
water beyond a large party tent. Children race over the sand, squealing their
delight over the flight of a kite.
Mac grins as the carousel slows to a stop.
“There’ll be
plenty of time for that, chickie. For now, I’m sure Oliver’s got some goodies
prepared for us.”
She leaps from the unicorn and the hostesses head for the tent.
“I need a beer. It’s time to toast Rachel Brimble and celebrate her book, WHAT BELONGS TO HER.”
prepared for us.”
She leaps from the unicorn and the hostesses head for the tent.
“I need a beer. It’s time to toast Rachel Brimble and celebrate her book, WHAT BELONGS TO HER.”
She's ready to take back what's hers
Since the
moment a local crime boss claimed ownership of her family's fairground, Sasha
Todd has dreamed of righting the wrong. Now it's time to act, and backing down
from the man's estranged son is definitely
not an option. After all, giving up her legacy to hot-blooded John Jordon means
losing the chance to finally heal the wounds in her past.
Stopping
John in his tracks—and resisting the sizzle between them—is Sasha's best
defense. But there's more to him than she thought, which changes everything.
With what matters most at stake, she'll have to risk a brand-new future with
John, or walk away from the man whose heart belongs to her.
PURCHASE LINKS:
EXCERPT
He turned and his dark blue
eyes, aflame with anger, pinned Sasha to the spot. She forced herself to stand
still as his gaze languidly glided over her face, lingering for a moment at her
lips. No smile lifted the corners of his mouth. No softness seeped into his
hardened study.
She smiled even as her
stomach knotted. “Hi.”
He continued to stare.
Okay,
so he’s got that sexy, broody thing going on, but since when does a guy––any
guy––leave me speechless? Say something…
“Well, you’re all sorts of
angry, aren’t you?” Great, Sasha. Just
poetic.
He lifted an eyebrow and
turned his focus back to the ride.
She frowned and glared at his
profile, feeling like an idiot. The guy needed to take a serious chill pill.
Did he think he had a monopoly on being pissed off? Wakey,
wakey, Mister, the entire human race holds a grudge of one kind or another.
“I was only trying to make
conversation. If you don’t want to talk to me, that’s fine.” She shrugged. “I
haven’t seen you before and, as I’m the person running things around here, I
thought you might appreciate a friendly word, a kind welcome. My name’s Sasha––”
“I know who you are.”
She stiffened. The deep,
smooth lilt of his upper English class voice filled her with equal measure of
attraction and warning. “Pardon me?”
He faced her and crossed his
arms across his broad chest. “You’re Sasha Todd, exceptionally pretty and
svelte manageress of this fairground, known so lovingly as Funland. You work
for Kyle Jordon. Although, while Kyle’s currently boarding at Her Majesty’s
pleasure in prison, you are undoubtedly forced to answer to his bull mastiff of
a lapdog, the wonderfully charming and partially toothed Freddy Campton. Am I
right?”
Sasha crossed her arms,
mimicking his stance as irritation simmered inside her. “Yes, but who––”
“How do you feel about that,
Miss Todd?”
“What?”
“Moreover, how are you going
to feel knowing from tomorrow, you’ll be answering to me and not him?”
Sasha froze as his words
filtered through her mind. Her heart pounded and hot heat seared her cheeks.
What the hell did he just say? She uncrossed her arms and splayed her hands on
her hips. “Is this some kind of joke?”
A flicker of amusement lit
his eyes before he blinked and they turned cold once more. “No joke. From
tomorrow you’ll be reporting to me.”
Panic and disbelief hurtled
through her. Who the hell does this guy think
he is? She
huffed out a laugh. “I don’t think so. Who are you?”
“Your new boss.”
She grinned, hoping it would
coerce some semblance of a smile to his lips and make him tell her he was
kidding. “Very funny. You’re a funny guy, Mr…”
“You don’t believe me?” His face
remained unnervingly impassive.
Okay, enough was enough. Sasha
glared. “I asked you who you are. If you want to toss a revelation like that at
me, the least you can do is tell me your name. Not that I’m likely to believe a
word you say after this little, slightly creepy, performance.”
He uncrossed his arms and
offered his hand, which she took without thinking. His hand enveloped hers.
Warm, smooth and unnervingly large. Why did she have the sudden and unwelcome
suspicion nothing about this guy was small or
weak?
“John Jordon.” He shook her
hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Rachel
lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the
UK. After having several novels
published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. In
2012, she sold two books to Harlequin Superromance and a further three in 2013.
She also writes Victorian romance for Kensington--her debut was released in
April 2013 and she has since signed for three more.
Rachel
is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of
America. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or
walking the beautiful English countryside with her family and beloved black
Lab, Max. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West
England.
She
likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow
romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!
Links:
***GIVEAWAY***
Contest ends on Sunday and everyone who comments is eligible.
(We reserve the right to waive the prize in any week when there are not enough contestants for a draw to be deemed fair and unbiased)
Good Morning Rachel - welcome to your Roast. Looks like being a lovely summer day for a beach party. after the rain and thunder last night!
ReplyDeleteHi Hywela - I am so happy to be here and was grinning like a loon at the intro! Was that a whopper of a storm last night?? Provided a much need clear of the air though! :)
ReplyDeleteSO looking forward to chatting with your visitors today!
Rachel x
Yes, it's much nicer and fresher today! I have to admit to sleeping through most of the thunder, although it did wake me up once!
ReplyDeleteMornin' chickies! Hiya Rachel. Mwuahhhh! Congrats sweetie.
ReplyDeleteI'm SO glad the rain stopped. On my one and only trip to visit the beach in England (Brighton) that's all it did so we were forced indoors and instead of watching hunks on the beach, we enjoyed high tea. :-)
LOL! When were you in the UK, Mac?? Hope you'll visit again...would love to show you around Bath and Salisbury :)
ReplyDeleteGod, it was years ago. My sis was doing a year there and the rest of the sisters descended on her. I LOVED the history...and the pubs. :-) We didn't get to Bath, though it was on my list. I hope to go back sometime and see Ireland and Scotland at the same time. It's on the bucket list.
ReplyDeleteHi Mac! Hmmmm you didn't mention visiting Wales if you come over again! It's wild and beautiful (well, outside the towns it is of course) and naturally the weather is brilliant sunshine ALL the time! :)
DeleteRachel, I've been through Bath, but never stopped there. Will have to try and rectify that sometime.
Ready and waiting, ladies! Love Bath and love Wales :)
DeleteHi Rachel. Great place to have a Roast. I love the beach. And, I love the blurb for your book. This one is definitely going on my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteHi, Lilly! Thank you so much - hope you enjoy Sasha's and John's story :)
DeleteAhh Romance, the beach, a carnival and of course . . Oliver. What could be better? Thanks Rachel!
ReplyDeleteHi Donna! I Loved writing this book - Templeton Cove is my dream place to live :)
DeleteYour book sounds really good. Really nice cover. I would love some cotton candy and one of those caramel apples. Yummy! The beach looks pretty today.
ReplyDeleteSue B
katsrus(at)gmail(dot)com
Ha ha, Katsrus! Enjoy the fun of the fair ;)
DeleteHi lilly, Donna and Sue, Candyfloss (the Brit version of cotton candy), toffee apples - and some icecream to help y'all keep cool coming up.
ReplyDeleteI think when I was a kid we called them toffee apples here. I like the name Candyfloss. Love ice cream too. I have a huge sweet tooth. LOL.
ReplyDeleteSue B
Just be careful with those toffee apples, Sue. You might LOSE a sweet tooth. :-)
DeleteYep, here in the UK, they're toffee apples, cotton candy is candyfloss, chips are crisps, jelly is jam, - but I think ice cream is universal! I have a sweet tooth too, at a restaurant I always look forward to the sweet more than the main course!
ReplyDeleteI hear ya, ladies! Sorry I haven't been around much today - that's the trouble with being across the pond :/ off to bed now but will be back in the morning! Night night :)
ReplyDeleteGoodnight Rachel, I'm off to bed myself now. Sleep well.
ReplyDeleteDonna, my twinsie! Welcome to the Roast. Donna and I share a birthday. Okay, it's not until April, but let's celebrate any way. Have a drink, Donna. Donna? Where did you go? Geez, she's chasing Oliver down the beach!
ReplyDeletePlease forgive me for n ot showing up!! I just had my counters and new appliances delivered and installed today. No place to use my laptop. Boxes all over full of stuff, I can hardly wait to see the floor! Small place too.
ReplyDeleteSo, I see that there was a seemless day? No trouble at all. HeHeHe, I just got here, watch out! Love the cover and the book sounds fantastic. WooHoo!!!
Good morning, Mary! We had a whopper of a storm last night, but I can see the sun is still shining at Templeton Cove, lol! Hope you manage to clear some boxes today :)
DeleteI do LOVE the beach. Nothing better than a stroll along the sea-shore.
ReplyDeleteSo much fun to be had here today.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Hi Mary! Thanks for stopping by - you are so good to me on my blog visits. Good luck with the contest :)
DeleteThe beach seems to be everyone of the author's favorite places, I am sure it's Lilly's! Rachel, I would love to find out what happens between John and Sasha!
ReplyDeleteTo all the Roast And Toast Authors, have a great night and weekend!
Rebecca
rbooth43 at yahoo dot com
Woohoo! So glad John & Sasha's story has caught your eye - I loved writing this book and I love Templeton Cove :)
DeleteLyn opens the curtains and peers out at a cloudless sky. Yippee. Another day when it's not raining, who says Brits don't have a summer!
ReplyDeleteThe delicious aroma of bacon, eggs and coffee rises from the dining room below.
Mmm, best get down there before the guests polish off all the breakfast. Hi Mary, sister hostess, Mary Preston and Rebecca, great to see you. Fancy Donna and Lilly being twins, who'd have guessed?
Good morning, Hywela! Did you have another storm last night? I'm usually okay with thunder and lightning but last night was terrifying!
DeleteGood morning everyone. Needs lots of coffee this morning. LOL.
ReplyDeleteSue B
Hiya Sue. Bring on the java!
DeleteHi again everyone. Yes, we did have thunder again last night Rachel, but I only heard one massive clap, it didn't seem as bad as it was Thursday night. I'm not very fond of thunder, but I had a friend, when I lived in Wales, who used to get me to walk with her along the beach in the dark to watch the lightning over the sea. All right it was beautiful, but she didn't realise how terriefied I was!
ReplyDeleteYa big weenie, Lyn. :-) I once stood on the beach in Miami with my dad and watched a water spout churning up the waters. It was an incredible sight. I love watching the storms roll in. We have some awesome monsoons at our ranch in the mountains and sit on the deck as the lightning walks it's way down the ridges to bring the rain. Nature's entertainment.
DeleteThat sounds - excting Mac! I guess it's OK if you're far enough away not to get struck by it or swallowed up by it. I'd rather ride a bucking horse than a bucking whirlwind!
ReplyDelete(And I'm quite happy to handle spiders and creepie crawlies - guess who has to take the little critters outside in our house?)
Sorry I'm late to the party, but sincere congratulations, Rachel. Hope you sell a gazillion books.
ReplyDeleteHi Caroline - no worries there's still plenty of virtual food left! Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDelete