Mistletoe in the City
Amber Daulton
Krista treated herself to a bad boy for Christmas,
but will the heat between her and Derek last well into the New Year?
Publisher: Books to Go Now
Genre: New Adult/Contemporary Romance
Heat Rating: Spicy/3-Flame
I'm happy to have Amber Daulton here today. Amber's work is new to me and I'm looking forward to reading more.
Blurb:
Krista Hartley never expected the unrequited love of her life, the irresistible Derek Weston, to work as the groundskeeper at the apartment building she just moved into. They barely spoke in high school but now, three years after graduation, they tore at each other’s clothes and jumped into bed together at every opportunity. After all, how could a hot-blooded woman say no to a sexy man with an eyebrow ring, a dragon tattoo and a deadly swagger?
A Christmas miracle drew Krista back into Derek’s life. He kissed her for the first time under mistletoe, pampered her with romantic candlelight dinners and memorized every inch of her delectable body with his tongue. He refused to let his dream girl slip through his fingers again but then another woman threatened their whirlwind romance. Hurt once before, Krista broke off their relationship and then Derek made a drunken mistake that could destroy their love forever. With just days to Christmas, he vowed to win back her heart and trust, and prove his innocence once and for all.
Excerpt
Krista sat down on the plaid sofa and rubbed her hands along the soft upholstery. “Everything is so clean. I expected a messy bachelor pad.”
He chuckled and sat beside her. “I may be a lot of things, but I’m not a slob. I can’t stand dirty floors or clothes flung everywhere. Each item belongs in a certain spot and I tend to trip and hurt myself if I leave things out and about.”
“Wow, and I thought I was anal.” She smiled at him as he braced his arm on the back of the sofa. “You were always a little clumsy. It seems to me you outgrew it.”
He tensed and drew away from her. “I acted like a clumsy fool back in school whenever you walked into the room. I just panicked. I’m still a little clumsy if I don’t pay attention to my surroundings. It’s one big reason why I hate clutter.” He drummed his hands on his knees. “I’ve matured a lot since then. We’ve talked quite a bit in the past few days and I haven’t stuttered once, or much. Not to mention the other things we did that I never had the balls to do before.”
Still a little sore from those other things, Krista pushed aside the erotic memories before heat infused her face. “I never looked down on you for your clumsiness. Actually, I thought it was cute and endearing. It felt more real to me than the times you acted all macho with your moody friends.”
He arched his brow. “Seriously? You liked that humiliating trait? I felt like an idiot every time I got near you.”
“And now? You’re not nervous now, right?”
Derek scoffed. “I’m a fucking wreck. I barely hold myself together around you. I watch everything I do and say so I won’t make a fool of myself.” He ducked his head between his legs. “God, I can’t believe I said that.”
She scooted closer to him and rubbed her hand down his tense back. “Now I understand why you act so cocky. You’re afraid you’ll mess up and embarrass yourself.” Krista tugged on his shoulder until he lifted his head to look at her. Derek’s face flushed and she wanted to kiss away his shame. “Don’t hide behind this confident guard. I like you for you. You’re a sweet person, clumsy or not, and you have nothing to be ashamed of.” She stroked her hand through his tousled hair. “I want a simple, sexy, understanding man who cooks delicious, romantic meals and who goes out of his way to help me move. Is that too much to ask for?”
Derek kissed her and her heart skipped a beat. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her close to his side. Need throbbed in her loins and she wanted him inside her again. He pulled back first and she dragged a mouthful of air deep into her lungs to replace what he’d stolen with that delirious kiss.
He moistened his lips with his tongue. “It’s not too much, Krista.” Derek cupped her cheek in his palm. “Not at all.” And then he kissed her again.
Buy Links
Amazon - http://amzn.to/1pC6Tb9
Kobo – https://bit.ly/2IUPjgS
iTunes – https://apple.co/2rZ2Nxq
Books2Read – https://books2read.com/u/4XKKD1
Audio Links
Amazon – https://amzn.to/2pKBFlh
Audible – https://adbl.co/2RwDWx3
iTunes – https://apple.co/2RBene2
Handmade for Christmas series
Books2Read – https://books2read.com/u/bWzzQ7
About the Author
Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through The Wild Rose Press and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.
Amber lives in North Carolina with her husband and four demanding cats. Feel free to visit her at http://www.amberdaultonauthor.blogspot.com.
Social Media Links
Facebook Author Page – www.facebook.com/amber.daulton.author
Twitter – https://twitter.com/AmberDaulton1
Street Team – https://www.facebook.com/groups/572204316296198/
Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/amberdaulton5/
Amazon Author Page – http://amzn.to/14JoZff
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amberdaultonauthor/
Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/amberdaulton
Google Plus – https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AmberDaulton
Books to Go Now – http://bookstogonow.com/tb-author/amber-daulton/
Q&A with Amber Daulton
So first, of course, the obvious question. How did you become a writer?
I read my first romance book when I was 12 after I snuck a Harlequin paperback out of my mom’s bedroom. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I wanted to create my own story about two people having an adventure and falling in love. I wrote with pencil in a spiral-bound notebook and finished that 200-plus page story in about six months.
I published my first book when I was 26, and now I have eleven published books under my belt. Ten or more manuscripts, however, are on my computer waiting to see the light of day.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Don’t put excessive demands, deadlines, and restrictions on yourself. Writing is difficult enough, and it’s only half of the work. I’m a plotter, not a panster, so I always recommend you plot out as much of the story as you can before you actually start writing it. By doing that, it’s easier to see plot holes, and you can avoid writing yourself into a corner later.
Handling rejections and bad reviews with finesse is a must, taking care of marketing and publicity demands is a handful but a requirement, and writing your next book while dealing with everything else is cause to bring out the vodka. But ‘tis the life of an author. You gotta love it, and I do with all my heart.
Just keep trying even when you’re feeling bad about yourself and the quality of your work. No one is perfect. Don’t rush a project; give it the love and attention it needs to be the best it can be. Both you as the writer, the book itself, and the readers deserve it.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
For every book I write, the hardest thing is deciding on character names. Now, that might not sound like a big deal, but the names have to fit with the characters I see in my mind perfectly. I feel stumped and lose my creativity if I assign a name to someone that just doesn’t feel right. I usually choose the names based on their personality, physical characteristics, family dynamics/heritage, the time period of the novel, or just what I find sexy! I sometimes spend hours, if not days, just scouring through baby name books and websites for the best names.
What are your current projects?
The second installment in the Arresting Onyx series should hopefully be out in late 2020. Arresting Jeremiah follows hardnosed parole officer Jim Borden and his obsession Calista Barlow as they stick their noses where they don’t belong and fall deep into the trouble with the criminal organization known as Onyx.
I’m currently revising book three, Arresting Benjamin, which should hopefully be released in 2021 or later.
This sexy, dirty-talking romantic suspense series spans five books with a standalone HEA for each rough-and-tumble hero and their spunky heroines. The first book, Arresting Mason, is already published.
Hi PK and Amber, I enjoyed reading the interview and love love the sound of this story. This sounds like an awesome read. I enjoyed the excerpt:)
ReplyDeleteHugs
Roz
Thank you so much, Roz!
DeleteHi,PK.
ReplyDeleteThanks for featuring me on your site. I really appreciate it. :)
You're most welcomed!
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