The authors of these books have put
together a Valentine Honky Tonk Blog Hop, an easy way for you to get a sneak
peak at every story. And there are prizes to put a bounce in your Texan
Two-Step.
Blog Hop Prizes:
$50 first place gift card to The
Wild Rose Press
$25 second place gift card to The
Wild Rose PressTWRP Mug (for US visitors only)
To be Eligible:
Visit each blog and leave a comment.
Every comment constitutes an entry for grand prizes. The more hop
stops you visit and comment on, the more chances YOU have to win. Comment away, ladies!!! Y'all know how ya love to talk.
Here at Vintage Vonnie, I'm offering prizes too ... NO, not him!!! For two of my commenters, I'm offering your choice of any of my Wild Rose Press backlist in eBook format. Look at the titles to your right and choose one, should you win. To be eligible, you must answer both of my questions asked at the end of the post.
I have two stories in the Honky Tonk Hearts series.
My first is THOSE VIOLET EYES, first place winner in the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award (NERFA) and also first place in the Contemporary Novella division of the International Digital Awards (IDA's).
Here's an excerpt:
Evie rolled her
eyes and stepped behind him, tapping him on the back. The metal strainer clattered
in the sink and a blur of motion barely registered before steely hands gripped
her forearms. Oh my God! In a flurry
of movement, he snatched her off the floor and backed her against the stainless
steel counter. Cold wet hands viced her arms. Her eyes snapped wide and the air
whooshed from her lungs when his body slammed into hers.
Win’s eyes were
narrowed, his breathing rapid through a clenched jaw and a vein bulged in his
forehead. “Don’t do that.”
The man was
every inch the warrior, every hard tensed inch. He held her mid-air, so close
they were nearly eyeball to eyeball. As his gaze traveled over her face and
awareness evidently crept in as to the sex of his attacker, several inches of
his frame hardened even more.
Evie swallowed. Oh, good Lord.
He glared and
his nostrils flared.
“I…I’m sorry,
Win. I called your name, but…but you didn’t answer. I was only trying to get
your attention.” Her lips twitched at the humor in the situation—hadn’t Keira
told her the man lost part of his hearing? Evidently she’d startled him. Poor
soul. She felt a portion of herself return. A portion she’d hidden for so long;
that light-hearted part of her soul that teased and cajoled. “Honest, I wasn’t
trying to attack you.” She placed an open palm on his defined pecs and patted.
“You’re safe with me, big guy.” Just to rattle him some more, she winked.
Win’s hazel eyes
flashed for a second, then he slowly leaned in and whispered in her ear,
“You’re not safe with me.”
My second story, BACK WHERE YOU BELONG, is a bit of a love triangle. A different triangle than you might expect. Our heroine, who tends to prattle when she gets nervous, our single-dad-hero and his thirteen-year-old daughter, who likes to play matchmaker.
EXCERPT FROM BACK WHERE YOU
BELONG:
Holy
crap! The
guy from the Lonesome Steer was sitting in her kitchen and looking at her as if
he couldn’t believe this crazy quirk of fate any more than she could. Now, if
she could only get through the next few minutes without prattling and making a
fool of herself—once more.
“Hello,
again, Lacy.” His deep voice washed over her, raising gooseflesh and setting
her insides to melting. Then he smiled and her heart stuttered for a few beats.
Only one man in the entire world could smile like that with dimples so deep
they carved grooves into his cheeks.
“You’re…you’re
Tyler Desmond? I haven’t seen you since I was a teenager and you were young and
handsome.” Shit, did I say that?
Tyler’s
chocolate eyes narrowed.
“I
don’t mean you’re not still handsome, you’re just older.” She cleared her
throat and glanced frantically around the room, mentally searching for a way
out of this awkward situation. “Not that you’re real old.” She waved a hand in
expression. Men like Tyler didn’t age, they sauntered into the arena of
perfection. “You’re just…older.” And twice as sexy. She pursed her lips. “I had
a serious crush on you at one point.”
His
dark eyebrow quirked in silent surprise.
“I
can’t believe it’s you. Why didn’t I recognize you the other night?” She
fingered her curls and shook her head once. “You, of all people. I even took a
picture of you years ago, when you weren’t looking. Just one. A profile shot.”
Now
both dark eyebrows rose.
“Had
it blown up poster-sized and taped it to the ceiling over my bed. That was ten
years ago, the summer I turned fourteen.” Shut up! For God’s sake mouth,
shut up!
But,
of course, her demon tongue kept right on talking. “Grandma had a fit when she
saw it. Said I had no business lusting after a married man.” She pursed her
lips again. “I didn’t realize that’s what I was doing. I just simply enjoyed
looking at you.”
He
sat there silent; his gaze locked on her, looking better in a navy T-shirt and
worn jeans than any male had a right to. One of his elbows rested on the table;
his square chin was cupped in his hand and a long finger slowly stroked his
lips as if he were erasing a smile before it had a chance to grow.
THE
TWO QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ANSWER IN YOUR COMMENTS TO BE ELIGIBLE TO WIN WHAT I’M
OFFERING – What color are Win’s eyes? Why did Tyler stroke his lips?
*** Don't stop here!!! Click on the following story titles which will take you to the author's blog where you can read about their Honky Tonk Hearts story and leave a comment to increase your chances to win!
GOOD LUCK and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!
