This post is part of a virtual book
tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Cheri will be awarding a $25 Amazon
or Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner and a $15 Amazon or
Barnes and Noble gift card to another randomly drawn winner via the
rafflecopter at the end of this post.
Luck of the Draw
by Cheri Allan
~ Synopsis ~
If only life had a refresh button...
Kate Mitchell never planned to be a 31
year-old widowed single mom, but when her soon-to-be-EX husband up and dies,
her dreams of finishing college and starting over are thrown in the air like a
game of 52 pick-up. When she’s given a leave of absence from work and told to
“quit or recommit,” Kate retreats to idyllic Sugar Falls, New Hampshire, to
figure out whether she can discover her passion and pay the bills. Cue the
fresh air, summer sunshine and one sexy local contractor.
Tall, dark, and handy…
Volunteer fireman and all-around hunky
guy in a toolbelt, Jim Pearson has sworn off complicated women with messy
baggage. They cling to his nice-guy stability and skills with a power saw just
long enough to straighten out their lives and move on… but then he meets the
cute single mom staying at Grams’ lake house for the summer.
While a sizzling attraction draws them
together, Jim's distrust of complicated women and Kate's incredibly complicated
life threaten to pull them apart. But
forces beyond their control—match-making grandmothers, the lazy backdrop of
summer, and their own reckoning with the past—conspire to make them risk it
all... and bet on love.
~ Excerpt ~
“But when
I think about going back… to a job I know is safe and secure… I can’t breathe.”
She felt her arms grow cold despite the sunshine. “It’s like my future is
closing in and there’s no way out. And the more I think about it, the more I
realize that going back would mean I’m giving up hoping for something better.
And… and I can’t bring myself to give up on me quite yet.”
She
stared at him in the silence that followed, her chest rising and falling,
feeling brittle and defiant all at once.
But then
he tugged her hand until she sat beside him on the porch steps. He blew out a
breath. “No one’s asking you to give up on yourself.”
“You
think I’m giving up,” she said. “But I’m not. I’m not throwing my hands up in
despair. I’m not trying to quit. I’m trying to let go of the handlebars to see
if I can do this without help.”
“I don’t
understand what that—”
“I’m
saying… I know you mean well, but you’ve got to let me figure this out on my
own.”
After a
long moment, he nodded. “Okay,” he said, and he turned, the corners of his eyes
crinkling in that warm, lovely way that always turned Kate’s insides to jelly.
“You may not believe it, but I do believe there’s something better waiting for
you.”
“You’re
talking to a practically unemployed widow,” she sighed. “It’d be hard not to go
uphill from here.”
~ Author Bio ~
Cheri Allan lives in a charming fixer-upper in rural New Hampshire with her husband, two children, one dog, four cats and an excessive amount of optimism. She’s a firm believer in do-it-yourself, new beginnings and happily-ever-afters, so after years of wearing suits, she’s grateful to finally put her English degree to good use writing romance. When not writing, you might find her whizzing down the slopes of a nearby mountain or inadvertently killing perennials in her garden.
Cheri loves to hear from readers! E-mail her at
cheri@cheriallan.com, friend her at facebook.com/cheriallanauthor, or visit her
website and blog at www.cheriallan.com. Luck of the Draw, Book 1 in the
‘Betting on Romance’ series is available now through Amazon and Smashwords.
~ Author Links ~
~ Giveaway ~
a Rafflecopter giveaway
You are very welcome! Thank you for the opportunity:)
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting, Tamara, and giving me a chance to share Jim and Kate's love story!
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome! It was my pleasure:)
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