#Bookblast: In Deep and In Deeper by Kella McKinnon

Hello everyone!  Let me introduce myself.  Though I used to work in Boston in the biotech industry, I’m now loving life on a small farm in New England where my husband and I are raising our three children and lots of animals.  Between taking care of chickens and goats and shuttling the kids to dance class and piano lessons, I find the time to pursue my own interest: writing.  I relish creating stories and bringing my characters to life on the written page, and each book is a labor of love.  

I’m passionate about the romance genre because of the emotional journey a well-written novel can take the reader on, and my goal with each of my books is to do the same for my readers.  I would love to hear from you at kellamckinnon.com, or kellamckinnon@gmail.com.

Amazon author page

GoodReads

Blurb:

“I never thought it would go this far… that a man with such terrible secrets would steal my heart and make me want him so much, when his life of danger and lies should have made me want nothing more than to turn and run. I understood him, you see. I knew that beneath all of that money and power, and yes… violence, was a man in desperate need of love. So desperate that he took from me something I wasn’t ready to give: my future.”

Brielle Dalton thought the few months in Vegas she needed to finish her dissertation would also be a chance to have some fun before ‘real life’ took over. But she never counted on meeting Cristos Vicario, the irresistible but troubled owner of the Adagio casino. The attraction was instant and all-consuming, but in the beginning neither knew that their lives had crossed before, and the result had been nothing short of tragedy. By the time Brielle discovers who Cristos really is, and what he has done in a reckless attempt to keep her, it’s too late. She’s already in too deep.

In Deep
In Deeper

Excerpt:

He leaned closer.  “You smell like chocolate.”

               

“I had a chocolate martini with Alexis earlier.”

               

“I thought you were going running.”

               

“I did go running.  Then I met Alexis.”

               

“Just Alexis?”

               

I didn’t like his tone, it was almost accusing.  I got the sneaking suspicion that he had been spying on me.

               

“That’s none of your business”, I countered, suddenly a little annoyed.  Almost annoyed enough to take away his bonus points.

                

He pushed a hand through his hair and shook his head a little.  “I want it to be my business.”

               

“What is that supposed to mean?”  Did he want to control who I spent my time with?

               

“It means that when I’m seeing you, I want to have you all to myself.  I don’t want to share you with anyone else.”

               

“We’re not seeing each other… you don’t date, remember?”

               

“Seeing each other is not the same thing as dating”, he said, pressing his lips into a thin line.

              

“Yes, it is.  And since we aren’t seeing each other or dating, you have no say over what I do with my time or who I spend it with.”  I had no idea why I was even arguing with him, because even if we were dating, I was only with Lexi and her friend Dex.  And Dex was only there for a few minutes after I arrived.

               

He went silent for a long moment, his jaw working as he hashed something out in his mind.  “I think I want to make an exception.”

               

“An exception to what?” I asked, exasperated.

               

“The no dating rule…  I want us to be dating.”

               

I looked up at him in surprise.  That was just about the last thing I expected him to say.  I wondered if this was just another ploy to get me into bed.  I also wondered if he’d make me sign a waiver first like Lexi had heard.  Really rich guys did that sometimes before they dated someone, didn’t they?  A kind of non-disclosure agreement in case of a bad break-up?  Or entrapment?  The thought almost made me smile but I bit my lip instead.

               

“I’ll think about it”, I said.

               

His jaw clenched tighter and he drew a breath in through his nose, as if he was trying to rein in his temper.  “Come on, I’ll buy you a coffee.”

               

I grinned at him.  “You’re forgiven.”

               

He laughed and took my hand, leading me away to the nearest Starbucks.  “You amuse me to no end, Brielle.  I like that.”

               

After coffee, he brought me to a really classy sushi place, and ordered a wide selection for me to try.

               

“You know, this is the third evening in a row you’ve taken me to dinner.”

               

He gave me a sexy look.  “That’s because we’re dating.”

               

“I haven’t agreed to dating.”

               

“I don’t care what you did or didn’t agree to. I say we’re dating.  In fact… I want you to move to the Adagio.  There’s a suite of rooms open on the floor below mine that would be perfect for you.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.  “Uh uh, no way.  I’m perfectly fine where I am.”

“Brielle, where you’re staying is dangerous, not to mention… unsavory.  I don’t want you there, not when I own an entire hotel.”

I rested my chin in the palm of my hand and gave him my most stubborn look.  “No.”

 

Enter to win a $50 Amazon GC during the tour.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

#BookBlast: A Taste of Merlot by Heather Heyford

Born in the Northeast, Heather Heyford learned to walk and talk in Texas, and then moved to England. (“Ya’ll want some scones?”) While in Europe, Heather was forced by her cruel parents to spend Saturdays in the leopard vinyl back seat of their Peugeot, motoring from one medieval pile to the next for the lame purpose of ‘learning something.’ What she soon learned was how to allay the boredom by stashing a Cosmo under the seat. Now a recovering teacher, Heather writes love stories, feeds hardboiled eggs to suburban foxes, and makes art in the Mid-Atlantic. See more at HeatherHeyford.com.

 

Blurb:

Raise your glass and join Heather Heyford as she pours a second serving in her series following these headstrong wine heiresses in their quest to strike out on their own…

Merlot St. Pierre is struggling to break free from her family name. Her college classmates whisper behind her back that her passion for jewelry design is little more than a hobby, since she’ll always have her father’s fortune. But Meri is determined to prove them wrong, and with the help of a handsome jewelry buyer, she just may taste her first sip of success—as long as she can hide who she really is…

Excerpt:

Mark Newman’s family owns a chain of high-end jewelry stores, and he’s working hard to get out from under his aunt’s thumb and prove he has a good eye and a head for business. He’s certain Meri’s designs could be the next big thing, but he’ll have to convince her that she can use her famous last name to her advantage. As their business partnership takes root, an attraction begins to flourish—but they’ll both find that love, like wine, takes time to perfect…

Mark held the ring under the dangling ceiling bulb. “You’re right, this light doesn’t do much good at all. Here, let’s see how it looks on.” He lifted the fingers of her right hand and slipped the slender coil over her knuckle. “The vine motif is brilliant, and you did a kick-ass job setting the agate. It’s contemporary, but timeless. It’ll look right on any woman, from your age on up to great-grandmothers.”

            But instead of dropping her hand, he surprised her by turning it over, bringing the center of her palm to his lips to kiss it as his eyes burned into hers through the gloom of the shabby studio.

            Mesmerized, she watched him plant more slow, lazy kisses all over her palm, trailing down each of her fingers to their very tips, bringing a shiver to her spine. She waited for the inevitable scowl when he noticed how rough they were.

            “That’s what years of manipulating metal on a daily basis will do to your hands. No matter how much I moisturize, it’s never enough.”

            “Hands that work are way more interesting than those that don’t.”

            When there were no more fingers left to kiss, he took both her hands in his. “You smell great,” he murmured. “Like roses.” The shop on the Champs-Élysées still shipped bottles of Maman’s bespoke fragrance to her daughters every year on the anniversary of her death.

             He bent his head to bury his nose in the lock of hair that fell near her jawline. She shivered and arched her neck to give him access. His breath on her skin made her tremble with anticipation. For what seemed like forever, all he did was gently nuzzle her neck and toy with her hair, twisting a chunky lock around his fist to kiss, then drop, only to pick up another handful on the other side, raising and dropping it, watching it fan out in the dim light of the studio.  

            “Where’d you get such beautiful hair?” he whispered. He wrapped one arm around her waist to ease her closer—but not close enough—and slowly, slowly drew his fingers through her hair from the top of her crown to the middle of her back in long, brush-like strokes. Tantalizing her. Provoking her imagination.  She wished he’d do more with those hands soon, because she was about to melt. And then, when she couldn’t have waited one more second, he closed his eyes and angled his head, barely brushing her lips with his, only to withdraw and peer into her eyes with half-closed lids. Those eyes. They were indescribable. Sexy. Kind. All-knowing. The eyes of a hot young man with a wise old soul.

            He turned his head the other way and lightly kissed her a second time . . . and to her ever-building frustration, pulled back yet again. She gave him a desperate, searching look. What was he doing, torturing her like this? He smiled. He was enjoying teasing her.

            Enough. Merlot tore her hands from his, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him squarely on the mouth. In response, he took possession of her, enveloping her tightly in his arms. Their bodies came together perfectly, hip to hip, breast to breast, mouth to mouth—thanks to those four-inch pink wedges. She felt empowered, up there at his height. She leaned in with her chin, expertly—if she said so herself—sucking his lower lip into her mouth.

            Again, he pulled away—but then surprised her by taking her chin firmly. “Is that how you like it?” But she could no longer speak. He delved into her mouth with his tongue and explored her until she was panting. “Like that?” Then he did it again.

            When she was dizzy, her lips swelling from the friction, he broke off and half-opened his eyes, pressing his forehead to hers, his warm breath fanning her face, his heart pounding hard against her chest.

            He raised his head to gaze at her yet again, and his eyes had changed. The green was gone, replaced by jet-black disks of desire. “You okay?” he asked, his voice hoarse with passion.

            “No.”

            Concern washed over his face.

            Meri had experience with the opposite sex. Way more than she cared to remember. She knew what came next.

Heather Heyford will be awarding one e-book copy of A Taste of Merlot to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

#Interview for Fire Down Below by @AndreaSimonne

Andrea Simonne grew up as an army brat and discovered she had a talent for creating personas at each new school. The most memorable was a surfer chick named "Ace" who never touched a surf board in her life, but had an impressive collection of puka shell necklaces. Eventually she turned her imagination towards writing. Andrea still enjoys creating personas, though these days they occupy her books. She currently makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons.  

You can find Andrea at:

Website

Twitter
Facebook

Goodreads

What is your story's heat level? How do you approach the sex scenes?

The heat level is high—four flames at All Romance. My book is titled Fire Down Below for a reason! I wouldn’t describe it as erotica, and the romance takes center stage, but there is quite a bit of sex. It isn’t just thrown in there for the sake of it though. The sex is an important part of the storyline. The main character is torn between her old boyfriend with whom she has great sexual chemistry, and her ex-boss, who she tries to convince herself is not her type.

My approach to sex scenes is that I want them to have meaning in the broader context of the story. I like a bit of awkward realism too, especially when it adds humor. And, of course, I want those scenes to be steamy!

How do you maintain activity as a writer when sitting at a desk all day?

It probably helps that I don’t have a desk! I homeschool my kids, so I basically cart my laptop with me all over the house. One of my favorite places is to stand (yes, stand!) at the kitchen counter and write. It’s kind of clever if you think about it, since I don’t have to go far for either coffee or snacks.

What is it that you loved about the main characters in your story?

I like stories where the characters aren’t perfect. Flaws are what make people interesting to me. When I wrote Fire Down Below I wanted to turn the typical romance on its head, so I wrote a love triangle about the seemingly perfect handsome hero who has fantastic sexual chemistry with the heroine, but there’s this other guy you see. He’s a bald, short, Irishman, named Declan. Yes, you read that right. Declan is bald, on the short side, he’s from Ireland, he’s got this bad boy past, and trust me, Declan is HOT. I am not kidding. You’ll understand when you read my book. (*grins*)

What do you feel is your strongest type of writing? Humor? Angst? Confrontation scenes? Action? Sex? Sensuality? Sweet Romance? And why?

Humor and dialogue usually come easily though I’m always trying to improve. My strongest writing comes from a desire to show the intimacy between two people in a romance. Not just the sexual intimacy, but the falling in love part. I like to be the fly on the wall when they are alone together. That’s what motivates me as a writer—that bit of magic. When I get to know my characters, and things are falling into place for them, that’s when everything really flows

Are you social media savvy? If so what do you suggest for others? If not, why not?

I have a website with a blog and I’m on Facebook and Twitter, but I wouldn’t call myself savvy. I mostly try to have a good time with it. I mention my books occasionally if it’s relevant, but I tend to post humorous things or fun personal stuff. It’s too easy to let social media distract you from writing. I want to be engaging, but at the same time I think people would rather read your next book. I know that’s how I feel about my favorite authors. (So all of you get back to work already! Lol.)

What are some things from your life or things you have observed that you've infused into your stories?

For a short time in college I worked as a barista in a bakery and it’s influenced my writing to a surprising degree. I was just thinking about this recently. Not only does Kate, the main character in Fire Down Below, have a bakery job in her past, but I have a new series coming out called “Sweet Life” and the books center around a Seattle bakery. What’s funny is I only worked at that bakery for about a year. Little did I know.

 

If you had an unlimited budget, where would you like to visit for story-related research?

That’s a dangerous question! My favorite city is London, so I’m thinking maybe I can squeeze in some kind of “research” trip there soon. Surely someone in my next book needs to go to London for some reason, right? (Let me have a talk with these characters and I’ll get back to you.)

Any fun facts about the research for your book?

As I mentioned, the main hero in Fire Down Below is an Irishman named Declan. He’s from Dublin, Ireland, and so I did quite a bit of research on Dublin. One of the amusing things I discovered is that Dubliners have a low tolerance for boring conversation. Here in the states when someone is telling a long dull story, it’s considered rude to interrupt them. However, in Dublin, if someone is long winded and dull, people have no trouble interrupting. To Dubliners it’s rude to be boring! 

Finally, tell us a little about your newest release!

Kate is nervous about her upcoming thirty-fifth birthday. She’s still single and figures she only has so many good years left to find the right guy. When she runs into her hunky ex-boyfriend, Ben, the only man who’s ever asked her to marry him, she decides it must be fate.

The trouble is Declan, a reformed Irish bad boy. She’s convinced they aren’t right for each other and wants to remain just friends, but then there’s that scorching kiss they shared one night…

 

Excerpt:

“I’m glad we’re together again,” he murmurs, kissing me softly. His fingertips trail down my body creating little sparks on my skin. 

I’m still aware that we’re outside naked. Ben obviously doesn’t care though and I wonder if he sleeps out here a lot. It would be just like him. He’s like a dog that refuses to be kept indoors.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks, sensing my distraction.

“You. I was wondering if you sleep out here a lot.”

He chuckles softly. “I do. Crazy huh? Sleeping on my deck. You’re finding out all my secrets tonight. I love sleeping under the stars.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever slept under the stars.”

“Are you serious?” Ben looks shocked. “Never?”

“I was a Girl Scout when I was a kid and went camping with them once, but that’s the only time.” What I don’t add is that I hated it. All the bugs and dirt. It was awful.

“You were a Girl Scout? I’ll bet you were cute. But I can’t believe you haven’t gone camping since then.” He buries his face in my neck. “We’ll have to fix that. I’d love to go camping and sleep under the stars with you in my arms every night.”

“Sounds great.”

“Really?” He strokes my cheek. “Let’s do it. We’ll go when I get back from California.” 

He kisses me slow and deliberate. I wrap myself around him, dizzy from wanting him again. The past fades away in a smoky haze and the present is bright and clear. There are stars overheard, and I have to admit, the view is beautiful. I decide that I’m even looking forward to going camping with Ben.

Sort of.
 

Andrea will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway