Book Bites 8: Book Bites, #8

Book Bites 8/9

Authors’ Billboard Presents

Book Bites 8 /9

The Authors’ Billboard is proud to publish Book Bites 8 /9. Enjoy a sampling —the first chapter or two — of a scintillating blend of contemporary romances from award winning and NY Times and USA Today bestselling authors from  our box sets: Kiss Me, Thrill Me (As Only You Can) and Unforgettable Romances  (Unforgettable Heroes)

Can’t figure out which flavor you’d like tonight? Maybe these will fire up your appetite. After all, your library isn’t completely full, right?

Please… feel free to visit our website, http://authorsbillboard.com to meet our authors, enjoy our monthly contests with big prizes, and sign up for our weekly newsletter. It’s full of fabulous books for FREE or at special discounts, just for our wonderful subscribers. Sign up now and never miss a sale!

Recently, we have been releasing our work together in very popular box collections and selling them for 99 cents and setting them free on KU. Come and check out our author’s book’s page and you’ll see what I mean: http://authorsbillboard.com/book-bites/

Hope to see you over at Authors’ Billboard soon!

Mimi Barbour (Founder)

Kiss Me, Thrill Me

Kiss Me, Thrill Me

8 Samplers of First Chapters

from

NYT & USA Today, best-selling Authors

A soft whisper against a lover’s lips, Kiss me.

An unspoken plea in that soft whisper, Thrill me.

Ah, yes! That’s what we all want: thrilling kisses, emotion-drenched words of love, moonlit rendezvous, and the promise of happy ever after.

Kiss Me, Thrill Me offers all that and more in these seven contemporary romance novels by New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors. Some of these novels are heartwarming and some are heart-throbbing. Some will make you laugh and some will make you tear up. All will touch the hopeful romantic in you and make you believe in the magic of love. Kiss Me, Thrill Me—LOVE ME!

***

Joan Reeves, NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Cinderella Blue

In this funny, sexy cop romance, Andrea–call me Andie–and Benton are two commitment-phobic cops with nothing in common—except the desire sizzling between them.

Mimi Barbour, NY Times and USA Today Bestelling Author, The Surrogate’s Secret

An international love story to delight the romantic. Miguel forces his dead brother’s surrogate to marry him so he can take her and her twin babies to Chile to save his beloved, sickly mother whose only cure is to see her grandchildren.

Dani Haviland, USA Today Bestselling Author, Aye, I Am a Fairy

A time-travel romantic adventure with assaults, arson, a 230-year old video on a solar-powered smartphone, and two very different women awaiting the sharp British lord with a great secret. What will lovely Leah, the sassy heroine, do when she learns the truth?

Alicia Street, USA Today Bestselling Author, Touch Me and Tango

A lost love returns for one more dance–and a second chance at love. They fell for each other long ago, but reality intruded and broke them apart. When they meet again, the same passion flares between them. Can love prevail this time?

Mona Risk, NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Right Name, Wrong Man

What’s a girl to do when she whispers another man’s name in her fiancé’s arms? In this international medical romance, forbidden dreams about the sexy French surgeon, Dr. Yves Malroux, assail Mary-Beth at every turn. Torn between two loves, she flies to France to confront her past and the man she’d secretely loved for years.

Patrice Wilton, NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, For the Love of Candy

Fun, flirty, a little sexy, and a lot of humor–that’s chick lit romantic comedy at its best. Harrison Wolfe doesn’t want his twenty-year-old daughter to marry Candy’s son. Candy hasn’t met her yet, but knows they are too young. How can the parents keep them apart without their own attraction getting in the way?

Mona Risk, NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Right Name, Wrong Man

What’s a girl to do when she whispers another man’s name in her fiancé’s arms? In this international medical romance, forbidden dreams about the sexy French surgeon, Dr. Yves Malroux, assail Mary-Beth at every turn. Torn between two loves, she flies to France to confront her past and the man she’d secretly loved for years.

BONUS: Her Greek Tycoon by Mona Risk, NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

For another international romance, attraction sizzles between American attorney Ashley and Greek tycoon Stefano when they meet incognito in Mikonos Island. Later, when they meet in court, they’re ready to tear each other apart to protect their grandparents’ opposite interests. Will the heavens align for the grandchildren of thwarted lovers?

I hope you’ll fall in love with these stories and with these authors. If you do, please leave a short review. The authors will adore you for taking a few moments to do something that means so much to them.

***

1

Cinderella Blue by Joan Reeves

CINDERELLA BLUE

Book 2, San Antone Two-Step

by

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

Joan Reeves

Copyright © 2015 by Joan Reeves

Cover Art Copyright © by Adina Mayo.

Photograph, Dangerous Baby by 1001nights.

Copyright © 2009 by 1001nights (nikoguide.com).

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Cinderella Blue continues the story of San Antonio Police Detective Bruce Benton who was introduced in Nobody’s Cinderella. Confirmed player Benton meets his match in Detective Andrea Luft—Andie to her friends—when they are forced to work together to solve a case.

In Cinderella Blue, a Romantic Comedy, Love means never having to say, You’re under arrest.

Too bad because Detective Andrea Luft—Andie to her friends—loves saying those 3 little words: You’re under arrest. She really loves saying them to a bad guy who so richly deserves jail time. Like the thief who’s stealing designer wedding gowns from San Antonio bridal boutiques.

Andie is an undercover bride about to make an arrest when Detective Bruce Benton barges onto the scene. The suspect escapes, and, as a reward for this screw-up, Benton and Andie are paired together as partners to close the case.

On the surface, this mismatched duo appear to have only one thing in common: their tendency to annoy each other. Underneath though, desire sizzles.

Is it just a matter of time before these two commitment-phobic cops yield to the inevitable?

2

Dedication

Cinderella Blue is dedicated to my beautiful daughter Melanie. There are no words to say how special you are, how proud I am of you, and how much I love you.

Like all of my books, Cinderella Blue is also dedicated to my husband Larry, my hero. You have my heart. Forever.

3

Praise

"I have been waiting soooo long for this book, and I am glad I finally have it. This is the story of Bruce and Andie. If you have read Nobody’s Cinderella, you will have met Bruce. Both of these characters had very large personalities, and it made for a funny book. I loved the supporting characters. This book is a great romantic comedy!" ~ Amazon Review

Curse the talented Joan Reeves when she keeps you awake all night with her latest comedic romance… romantic comedy at its best. ~ Cheryl Bolen, Bestselling Author of Regency Romance

I’ve read almost everything she’s written because she’s a consistently excellent writer whom I’ve come to depend on for a charming, sexy, emotional read. ~ Reader Review

Joan Reeves is one smart, professional writer who knows her genre inside and out and just how to serve it up with equal measures snappy dialogue, humor and romantic delight. ~ Barbara Sissell, Bestselling Author of Women’s Fiction

4

Chapter One

Andie Luft peered through the bridal veil, searching for the slimeball photographer who had ruined her day. She just hoped she saw Lombardo before he saw her, but looking through the white tulle was like watching television with the cable disconnected.

The tickle in her nose grew more pronounced. She could practically feel the dust mites in the large storage room crawling up her nose. Desperately, she pinched her nose between her thumb and index finger, hoping to control the urge to sneeze. Damn dust. Or was it the overpowering aroma of potpourri that filled the room? She snorted in disgust. Maybe it was just the lingering scent of the cologne Lombardo marinated in.

After a moment, she relaxed and moved forward again. The long paper-white satin skirt of the wedding gown and the stiff petticoat scraped against the dirty beige cinderblock wall. Andie cringed at the loud sound. She waited a heartbeat, breathing shallowly, not afraid–just royally pissed off. Nothing happened. Cautiously she moved again, progressing at a snail’s pace to the area in the cavernous room obscured by racks of hideous, rainbow-colored bridesmaid dresses, old wedding gowns yellowed with age, and mountains of silk flowers overflowing dusty dilapidated cardboard boxes. Lombardo had to be hiding there. She strained to catch a sound–any sound other than her own hushed breathing.

Faint street sounds seeped in. A heavy truck chugged slowly past. A car horn sounded distantly. If Lombardo was in the room, she should be able to hear the jerk breathing. He couldn’t have sneaked out the front door because she’d have heard the jingle of the old-fashioned bell mounted over the door. So he had to be hiding in here.

Hugging the wall and hidden by one of the clothing racks, she glided forward. A stiff lace sleeve on one of the dresses on the rack snagged the veil over her face, pulling the tulle taut against her nose. The urge to sneeze returned.

Damn veil. Exasperated, Andie gathered the gauzy white fabric, pulling and bunching it in her hands in an effort to reach the end of the length, but there seemed to be miles of the stuff. Why had she ever thought this veil was a good idea? If she hadn’t backed out of her own wedding, she’d have been stuck all day in this irritating mountain of satin, tulle, and lace. What had she been thinking? Thankfully, she’d come to her senses and called off the wedding.

Finally she found the front edge of the veil and flung it up and back, hoping to clear the top of her head. But tossing handfuls of tulle was like throwing air balls. The sheer fabric simply tumbled forward, back into place. Biting back a curse, Andie wondered what idiot had named this thing an illusion veil? A man probably. The only illusion was that a woman could see through it. Stupid wedding traditions. You wouldn’t catch a man wearing something over his face.

Just then she caught a stronger whiff of the aftershave Lombardo wore. She heard a scuttling sound across the room, behind another rack filled with ruffled dresses the color of orange juice. Lombardo had cornered the market on hideous wedding apparel it seemed. Maybe he got them at a discount from a shop called Ugly Dresses R Us.

Andie tried to pinpoint the source of the sound. Her heart hammered faster than Buddy Rich beat the drums on one of her Granddad’s old records, and her brain ordered up another gallon of adrenalin. Andie pressed her hand to her chest to steady her racing heart. Fight or flight? Her mouth curved in a smile. When you grew up as the only female in a house full of men, that choice was easy. Lombardo, I know you’re in here. Come on out.

Silence answered her. Fed up with this cat and mouse game and with the damned veil that hampered her vision, she grabbed the tiara that anchored the veil to her hair and yanked, pulling the whole thing free, along with a half dozen bobby pins and a few long blond hairs. Wincing, she dropped it to the dingy, yellowed-vinyl floor. Damn. She rubbed her throbbing scalp. That hurt, but at least she could see now.

More importantly, without the veil shrouding her, she could reach the gun tucked into the hidden pocket of the skirt. Her right hand closed over the AMT .380, and she pulled the small chunk of steel from the secret pocket. There. That felt better. She pointed the gun carefully in the air, finger lying flat against the trigger guard. With her thumb, she flicked the safety off and pressed her palm against the backup safety in the hand grip. Definitely better. Her fear ratcheted down from an eight to a four. Maybe a three because she was pretty sure she could take the wily photographer even if it came down to hand to hand. He’d just surprised her before.

Come on, Lombardo. You can’t get away. Every bride in town will be after your hide when the TV news gets hold of this story.

Not that she had any intention of talking to the media which was a shame. This was a story they would love. After all, with the exception of herself, who didn’t love a story about brides and wedding gowns? She peered around a rack, looking at the spot where she’d last heard–or smelled–Lombardo.

Late afternoon sunshine streamed through the big transom windows. The only thing that moved were dust motes floating in the sunlight. Double doors leading into the showroom were still locked open by floor bolts. If Lombardo wasn’t back here then he must have sneaked back to the front while she’d been fighting with the veil.

Andie hesitated, studying the piles of old boxes that filled the room. Or the man was still hiding back here. No matter how hard she strained, she heard nothing. Stay hidden here or go to the front to make sure he didn’t simply run out the main entrance? She studied the wide doorway. If he was waiting in front, she’d be an easy target once she rose from hiding. Her heart rate kicked up a notch as did her fear. Giving Lombardo a chance to use that peashooter .25-caliber semi-automatic that had started this game of hide and seek wasn’t her idea of acceptable risk. She hoped the man had more brains than balls and wouldn’t shoot her, but if he’d been that smart, he wouldn’t have jumped her earlier. If only she’d been able to take him down then. She’d kicked him like a pro-football field goal kicker, but the full skirt had hampered her movements. She’d ended up nailing him in his thigh, not his groin. To her chagrin, he was a lot faster than she’d expected. He’d dropped to the floor and rolled under a clothes rack. By the time she’d untangled herself from the miles of fabric, he was well hidden.

This time she’d make sure the dress didn’t get in her way. Quietly, she laid the gun on the floor then reached under the massive skirt and fumbled with the petticoat until she was able to tug it down. She should have done this before. She stepped out of it, and that reduced the size of the skirt so she managed to gather and twist it around her left forearm. No way was she letting her suspect get the better of her again.

Andie retrieved her gun, took a deep breath, and went for it, hurtling across the dirty vinyl floor, through the double doorway, and tucking and rolling onto the Saltillo tile of the showroom floor.

 ~*~

Bruce Benton cut the engine on the Ford rather than continue to burn up the tank of gas. Heat blasted him when he opened the car door and climbed out, stretching his tall frame to get the kinks out of his back. Summer in San Antonio was tough for plainclothes cops. He yawned and adjusted the indestructible gray polyester sport coat he wore to conceal the shoulder holster containing his Glock. Like many in the department, he was quite comfortable and extremely proficient with his Glock and didn’t want to switch to the Smith and Wesson M&P40 Duty Pistol they’d adopted. Besides, on scorchers like today, it didn’t matter what you carried, wearing a shoulder harness was going to be hot and damned uncomfortable.

From somewhere, he could smell cilantro, onions, and peppers, and his mouth watered. His stomach took the opportunity to remind him with a loud rumble that he’d skipped lunch. Maybe the aroma came from the cafe down the street. Some fajitas would be really good with sizzling grilled onions and peppers. Or maybe some beef enchiladas swimming in chili gravy and melted cheese. Polish it off with a giant glass of iced sweet tea with a big wedge of lemon rather than the bottle of Dos Equis he usually enjoyed with Tex-Mex food. Tea was a better thirst quencher than beer in the summer heat.

July