BOOK DESCRIPTION
One night changes everything . . . again.
Years ago, when Ryan Stewart saw Shawna Ferguson, it
was love at first sight. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a free man, and his deception
caused him to lose her after a weekend that changed his life.
When Shawna’s sister and brother-in-law set her up
on a blind date, she has no idea it’s with Ryan, with whom she’d spent a
weekend she wishes she could forget. She reluctantly agrees to finish the date
with him, but doing so leaves her vulnerable to his charms and the heat he
ignited in her that very first night.
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EXCERPT
Yvonne Wallace looked at Shawna from across the
table in the kitchen. They were having breakfast, and as usual, Little Miss
Homemaker—as Shawna liked to teasingly call her sister—had set out a feast of
homemade raisin bread, butter and homemade jam, scrambled eggs, and fruit cups.
Only two years separated the sisters, but their
personalities were as different as black and white. While Shawna had dreamed of
opening her own boutique, which she’d accomplished four years ago, Yvonne had
dreamed of becoming a wife and mother. At twenty-four she’d married a doctor,
and by their second anniversary, she’d quit her job to make that dream a
reality. After six years of marriage, they had a four-year-old daughter and
two-year-old son, and Yvonne was seven months pregnant with her second son.
Taking care of her family and getting ready for the baby filled her days.
Yvonne was one of those people who, because she was
happily married, wanted the same for everyone else. She’d found her Mr. Right
and claimed he existed for every woman. Shawna knew better. Finding a good
man—with whom one was compatible—seemed as unrealistic as finding a diamond
mine on her property. Basically, it wasn’t gonna happen, and Shawna had
resigned herself to the fact.
Her sister couldn’t seem to understand she was
perfectly happy being single, and she kept trying to help Shawna find a man
through “chance” meetings and “unexpected” visits when Shawna came to visit
her.
When the conversation came up about her paltry
dating options, Shawna had a solution. “I’ll hire an escort the next time I
need to attend an event with a date.” She shrugged.
“Ew. You will not. No sister of mine is going to pay
for a date.”
“There’s nothing nasty about it,” Shawna said. “Lots
of women do it nowadays.”
“Desperate women.”
“No. Women
who don’t have the time or energy to sift through what’s out there. The
companies match you up with someone who has similar interests, you go out, and
then you’re done. Bam. No fuss, no muss.”
“Why do that when I have the perfect man for you?”
“I’m not looking for a man.”
Yvonne rolled her eyes. “Okay, whatever. I have the
perfect escort for you. Is that
better?”
“No offense, but you haven’t exactly done a good job
setting me up with the right men in the past.” Shawna pretended to be in deep
thought. “Let’s see, remember the guy from your church, Steve, who started
singing hymns in the car on the ride back home and prayed for my soul as we stood
at the front door?”
“He loves the Lord. What’s wrong with that?”
Shawna narrowed her eyes and continued. “David, who
wouldn’t stop talking about his ex-wife the entire night. Our date ended with
him crying on my shoulder about how much he missed her.”
“Look at the bright side. You got a free meal, and
at least you didn’t waste any more time with him than necessary. One date in
and you already knew he was wrong for you.”
“And I can’t forget Nolan. Sexy, suave, rich. What a
surprise to see his face on the evening news as the person who’d robbed several
banks in the area and left lines of poetry as his trademark. Just think, I can
say I dated the Poetry Bandit.”
“Granted, I should have dug a little deeper when he
said he worked in banking.”
Shawna sighed. “I know you mean well, but your
choice in men leaves me a bit . . . how should I say this? Terrified.” Shawna
slathered butter on the bread and bit into a crunchy slice.
“This guy could be right for you, though. I really
think the two of you will hit it off.”
“How do you know him?”
“So you’re interested?”
“Answer the question.”
“He’s a friend of William’s.”
The fact that he was one of her brother-in-law’s
friends meant he was probably better vetted than the men her sister had
introduced her to in the past. Interest piqued, she said, “Tell me about him.”
“I thought you weren’t interested.”
“Would you tell me about him!”
Yvonne giggled, cocky in her triumph. “Like I said,
William knows him better, but I’ve also met him, and he’s really nice. You’ll
like him.”
“What does he look like?”
“He’s about six feet tall. Great personality, really
nice guy.”
Shawna watched her sister closely. She seemed
evasive, which made Shawna suspicious. “You mentioned nice twice, but not
whether or not he’s attractive. Does he have an eye in the middle of his
forehead or something?”
Yvonne waved her hand and snorted, as if to say, don’t be ridiculous. “Of course not.”
“Then what does he look like?”
“Don’t worry, he’s attractive. He’s not your usual
type, that’s all. So please don’t do that thing you do.”
“What thing?” Shawna asked, already offended.
“You know that thing you do when you’re trying to
cover up your surprise or when you don’t like something—you smile, but it’s
this weird, creepy smile. Be open-minded.”
“I don’t do that. And why would I need to be
open-minded? What’s wrong with him, Yvonne?” Concern started to set in.
“Nothing. But really, I don’t want to spoil the
surprise. Trust your big sister on this one, okay?”
CONTEST INFORMATION
Not
only is Delaney Diamond giving away a free copy of her book, she’s having a
contest!
Prize: Winners choice of four (4) of
the following items: (1) Delaney Diamond T-shirt in large or extra large (2)
Delaney Diamond two-tone tote bag (3) $20 gift card to Amazon or Barnes &
Noble (4) Delaney Diamond keychain (5) an autographed copy of Hot Latin Men
Vol. I (6) an autographed copy of Hot Latin Men Vol. II (7) four bookmarks with
Delaney Diamond book covers.
Eligibility: You must be a subscriber to
Delaney’s blog. Prizes open to U.S. and international entrants.
How to enter: Correctly match each blog on
her tour with its description. Visit the contest post on her website for the
details.
Deadline to enter: October 13, 2013 at 11:59 pm
EST
Winners
will be notified by email and announced on the contest post on her website.
ABOUT DELANEY DIAMOND
Delaney Diamond writes sweet and sensual romance novels and is the site
manager of Romance
Novels in Color, where diversity in romance in celebrated. When
she's not reading or writing she's trying out new recipes or traveling to an
interesting locale. Find free reads and the first chapter of all her books at www.delaneydiamond.com.
CONTACT DELANEY DIAMOND
