Sunday, July 5, 2009

The best Fourth of July




I hope you all had a joyful and relaxed Fourth of July.




Mine was the best.

In addition to spending the morning playing on the beach and swimming with my granddaughters in a crystal clear ocean and I spent the afternoon with my mother. At eight-o’clock at night, my husband and I celebrated both the Fourth of July and my newly released book, BABIES IN THE BARGAIN, a sweet and spicy medical romance in the genre of Grey’s Anatomy and ER, that is bestseller#5 at the Wild Rose Press. Yeah!!!

We had dinner in an overcrowded cafe on the beach, toasted my book with drinks and later sat on the sand to watch the fireworks. It was the most relaxing time I had in months.
I would like to share with you an excerpt from BABIES IN THE BARGAIN.

BABIES IN THE BARGAIN:

Contests wins: The Beacon; Launching A Star; The Suzannah;Great Expectations; Golden Gateway; Gotcha, Enchanted Words;Winter Rose; Duel on the Delta; Linda Howard Award of Excellence....

Short Synopsis:
With only one year left to complete her medical training in Neonatology, Dr. Holly Collier vows not to let anyone mess up her sacrosanct schedule. Especially not the gorgeous Dr. Marc Suarez who broke her heart seven years ago.

When a tragic accident transforms the carefree playboy into a dedicated but novice father to his nephew, Holly gives in to her maternal instincts and turns her structured life upside down for the orphaned preemie. But can she learn to trust Marc again and believe in true love?

Excerpt:
Marc stared at the infant suckling and the gorgeous woman feeding him as if he was her own child. A perfect picture of maternal love. For a moment, he imagined her in a silk dishabille, baring a breast to a hungry child, while his knuckles caressed the baby’s cheek and the mother’s flesh in the same loving gesture.

Blonde and lovely Holly.

Mesmerized, he sucked in a deep breath and squatted beside the rocking chair, clenching its arm with itching fingers.

Paulito needed a loving mother, but even with imaginative effort Marc couldn’t picture himself married. At least not yet.

Holly could be the closest thing Paulito would ever have to a mother, if...

“Move in with me,” Marc whispered.

“What?” The bottle dropped from her hand. Her gaze shot to him, incredulous and bewildered.

“What did you say?” Her voice lowered to a rough murmur.
“Come live in my condo,” he said, with a firm tone to convince himself his request wasn’t completely crazy.

His eyes strayed over her blushing cheeks, her parted lips. He inched closer, unable to resist the sweet temptation...then jerked backward.

Conflicting feelings twitched his insides. His baby needed Holly, the best mother in the world. If she agreed to live under his roof, Marc swore he’d never take advantage of their proximity in the same house. He’d behave like a gentleman—even like a monk—to make her forget his playboy reputation. And he’d battle his attraction to Holly every step of the way, so as not to scare her away.

“Are you crazy?” Her jaw sagged and her eyes rounded, two beautiful turquoise pools shimmering with uncertainty.

“I’ve never been more serious in my life.” He stroked the baby’s scalp. “Paulito needs you and you love him.” It was the only possible way he could give his son a loving mother...and protect himself from a noose around his neck and his Abuelita’s nagging.

She exhaled, her gaze following his fingers’ gentle motion on Paulito’s head. “Of course I love him, but I have my work. I’m as busy as you, if not more.” Her lips pinched as she narrowed her eyes.

“If you move in with me, we could dovetail our shifts and share his care.”

Please, Holly, say yes.

“You and me, living together? Just like that?” She flipped her hand open. “How could you even think about it?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to imply any...hmm.”

Never.

He blinked. The thought had filtered through his mind, but to his credit, he’d discarded it right away. “It’s just a roommate arrangement. Consider it a business proposal, cross my heart.” With all due respect and no hanky-panky, so help me God.

Marc gazed at her with deep longing. This arrangement would torture him for sure, but to have Holly caring for Paulito, Marc would squeeze every bit of lust out of his system. He silently vowed to maintain his part of the bargain if she agreed.


BABIES IN THE BARGAIN is available for purchase in ebook and paperback at:






You can click on one of these links to buy.

So how did you spend your Fourth of July?

5 comments:

Unknown said...

That sounds like a perfect 4th! Congrats on the new release.

Mona Risk said...

Thank you Amber. It was a 4th of July I will remember.

jean hart stewart said...

Sounds like a great book. Love the beginning, Jean

Marianne Stephens said...

What a wonderful way to celebrate the day! Congrats on your new book...it sounds great.

Mona Risk said...

Thank you Jean and Marianne.It was really a great 4th of July.