July 14, 2014
River Hills Press
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Good girl gone bad...
Evie Bell couldn’t wait to get out of the small town that had labeled her a goodie two-shoes growing up so she could let out her more daring side. Selling sex toys might not have been the career she envisioned when she left Fairview, TN, for Las Vegas to become a showgirl, but she’s proud of her hard-earned success. Now, forced to return to the town she’d hoped never to see again to care for her ailing aunt, she will need every bit of that pride to get along with those who disapprove of her way of life.
Bad boy gone good...
Griffin Barstow was given a choice at eighteen: jail or the military. He chose the military. Now he’s come home to Fairview to run for sheriff. But small towns have long memories and the last thing he needs while trying to convince voters he’s turned his life around is an attraction to a completely inappropriate woman.
~Kind Words~
...this book has the whole package—an actual plot that surrounds the love story instead of just leaving the boy-meets-girl storyline to carry the book; characters who seem real and dimensional and capable of change; and sensual scenes that deliver heat without getting all clinical about it. And all of this is delivered with a sense of humor and attention to detail.
— Katherine Tomlinson on Amazon
This is a small town romance, yes, but with a lot more depth than is usually found in this trope. Both Griffin and Evie carry scars, physical and mental, from their past. The supporting characters were complex and well drawn. I particularly enjoyed Benny Silver, the sex-toy king! The relationship develops steadily, with heat and emotion, making the HEA very satisfying and believable. I was left wanting to revisit these people.
— Bungluna on Amazon
~Excerpt~
Chapter 2
Evie flipped her phone closed and went back inside to find Patricia, who had moved to the café area and was counting receipts. “How long does it take you to get new books in after you order them?”
“Depends on where they’re coming from.”
“On average. Or better yet, the ones that come in fastest. Since romance is your biggest seller, we need to pump up that section—it’s looking a little tame.”
“I am not turning The Nook into some kind of porn shop!”
“I sure hope not.” Griff’s amused voice cut into their conversation.
“What are you doing here?” Evie knew she sounded surly, but she hated to be sidetracked when she was gearing up for a pitch. Her aunt needed to make major changes, and Evie wasn’t about to discuss them in front of Griff Barstow.
“I knew Patricia hadn’t been in for a bit,” he answered easily, “so I stopped by to see whether I could help with any heavy lifting.”
“No, thanks,” Evie began, but Patricia interrupted her.
“Actually, there are a couple of light bulbs that need changing. The ladder isn’t too stable, so if you’d hold it while Evie climbs, I’d appreciate it. I’d hate for her to fall the way I did!”
“No problem.” Griff, clearly comfortable around the shop, let himself into the storeroom and came out with an ancient aluminum ladder and a pack of bulbs. He set the ladder beneath one of the burnt-out bulbs, then stepped so close to Evie she could almost feel his broad chest brush against her nipples which—suddenly and humiliatingly—puckered in anticipation.
He glanced over his shoulder at Patricia, who’d gone back to her work in the café, and then down at Evie. “Need a boost?” he asked in a hot, honey-smooth whisper.
She stepped back quickly, almost tripping over her own feet. The flash of amusement in his quicksilver eyes cleared the sensual fog from her mind.
“No, thanks.” She stepped around him, grabbed the ladder, and began to climb.
***
Wow. Griff reflexively put a foot on the bottom rung of the wobbling aluminum ladder to stabilize it, but his attention was all for hot woman, not cold metal. With each step, sleek muscles flexed and stretched beneath worn denim that caressed every curve. She might be the very worst thing for both his newfound peace and his political career, but she sure was sexy. And free. And probably not interested in a long-term relationship, given she’d be moving back to Vegas. He could take her out and she wouldn’t expect a commitment, unlike the other women in Fairview.
“Bulb,” she demanded, holding out a hand with the one she’d unscrewed. He took it, deliberately brushing his fingers over hers, and handed her a fresh one. She fixed him with an evil stare. Once she’d installed the new light, she came down, he moved the ladder, and the process was repeated. This time, however, as she stepped off the last rung, he trapped her between the ladder and his body.
“Have dinner with me?”
Her muscles stiffened until she practically vibrated. “Why?”
Okay, he hadn’t expected that. “Why not?”
She put a single, scarlet-tipped finger in the center of his chest and pushed him away. “Not good enough. By that logic, why not run naked down Main Street?”
“Because it’s illegal and I’d be forced to arrest you?” But, damn, the idea of her naked in cuffs sent all the blood in his body rushing straight to his groin. Thank goodness he was no longer close enough for her to feel his reaction.
“Fine. Then why not parade down Main Street in a thong bikini, which I am pretty sure isn’t illegal since Thompson Pool is only a few blocks away and even here in Fairview some girls must be wearing bikinis.”
That image didn’t help cool Griff down at all. He was going to have to take a dip in Thompson pool himself. He forced a casual response. “Well, to start with, behavior like that would probably give people the wrong idea.”
“Which is precisely why I shouldn’t go to dinner with you.”
She was right, of course. If he expected to be elected sheriff, he had to remain even more respectable than other candidates because of his checkered past. Clark Devane had begun making noise about running against him, and not only was he a member of the local Lion’s Club, but he’d never once colored outside the lines. He’d certainly never taken up with a showgirl who didn’t consider family important enough to show up for her uncle’s funeral. No, Devane’s wife was just as unimaginative and utterly respectable as he was.
He stuffed his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans, resisting the urge to coax Evie into agreement with a touch. He’d been living like a monk since returning to Fairview.
At first, he’d just wanted to prove to the town—and his father—how much he’d changed. And then, when he’d been appointed to fill his father’s shoes, he hadn’t wanted to let the old man down. When had it become so much more? Fact was, he loved being sheriff, watching over the town, and he couldn’t toss it away over a fling. No matter how hot she might be.
“Ah, well.” He stepped further away from the temptation she posed. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is.” She made a little shooing motion with her fingers.
The easy dismissal infuriated him, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he folded the ladder and returned it to the storage room.
“Anything else you need?” he asked Patricia.
“Not a thing. Thank you so much.”
“No problem. You know you only have to ask.”
