#NewRelease “A Chef’s Kiss” by @ninacrespo21 @HarlequinBooks #Giveaway

Today we have the excerpt reveal of Nina Crespo’s A Chef’s Kiss! Check it out and be sure to pre-order your copy today!

Title: A Chef’s Kiss
Author: Nina Crespo
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 28th

About A Chef’s Kiss:

A satisfying, sexy romantic story from Harlequin’s Special Edition imprint (28 December 2021)

A welcome second chance…Or a recipe for disaster?

After their ill-fated fling quashed her dreams, small-town chef Philippa Gayle’s onetime rival-turned-lover Dominic Crawford upended her life. But when Philippa’s forced together with the celebrity cook on a project that could change her life, there’s no denying that the flames that were lit years ago were only banked, not extinguished. Can Philippa trust Dominic enough to let him in…or are they just cooking up another heartbreak?

Pre-Order Your Copy:

Universal | Amazon | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play | Amazon Print | B&N Print | Author Website | Harlequin

Exclusive Excerpt:

Philippa fastened the last black button on her crisp new lime-green kitchen jacket. So much for a simple staff presentation. Not only was she expected to introduce Dominic, per Zurie’s request, she now had to stay for his entire cooking demonstration.

She snatched the empty packaging for the jacket from her desk. Underneath it was the bio for Dominic that his publicist had dropped off not too long ago.

Chef extraordinaire. Bestselling author. Star of an acclaimed cooking show. A pampered chef focused on his public persona. Was that who she was dealing with for the next few weeks?

As she stepped out of her office into the kitchen, a few of the staff walked by.

“I don’t care what he makes,” one of the servers said. “I just want to hear his voice as he describes it. He could make mud pies sound irresistible.”

Philippa kept her face neutral as she followed behind them, but inside, she gave an inner eye roll”

“I’m just glad he’s not like some celebrities,” a kitchen helper responded. “The way he stood up for us about where we could sit in the dining room proves he actually cares about people who work in the kitchen.”

Stood up for them? Was there not enough seats?

Philippa flagged down Quinn. “I heard something about there being a problem with seating for the demo. Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yes, it’s fine now. There was just some mix-up with the publicity person. She said all the Pasture Lane employees would have to sit in the back and let everyone else sit up front. But Dominic set her straight.”

As Quinn rushed into the dining room, Philippa hung back and peered through the window near the top of the right-hand door.

“How does it look out there?”

The resonant tone of Dominic’s voice coming from behind ignited a frisson of awareness that moved along Philippa’s spine and tingled across her nape.

“It’s a full house.” She calmed an unsteady breath and faced him.

Up close, he looked even better than he had in the lobby. But hints of fatigue were in his eyes. She hadn’t taken his present work schedule into consideration when she’d asked him to do the cooking demo.

“Thank you…”

“I’m sorry…”

They both spoke at the same time.

Dominic gestured for her to speak first.

“I appreciate you adding this to your full schedule. And for making sure my staff have front-row seats. If they weren’t already fans of chef extraordinaire, Dominic Crawford, they are now.”

“Chef extraordinaire?”

She’d meant to tease him, but from his slight wince, her attempt had fallen flat. “That didn’t come out right. I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I was just referring to the intro Amber gave me.”

“I should have guessed.” He smiled, but as he glanced at the paper in her hand a shadow of discomfort moved across his face. “You don’t have to say all that. Owner of Frost & Flame is fine.”

“And have Amber come after me? No, thank you.”

Dominic gave a low chuckle. “Yeah, she’s insistent.” He took a step forward and the subtle notes of his cologne wafted into the space between them. “About the changes with the demo. I—”

The door opened behind Philippa, pitching her forward, and her hand with the paper landed on his solid chest.

Dominic took hold of her arms. “You okay?”

As she looked into his eyes, familiarity washed over her. The automatic desire to lean into him almost overwhelmed her.

Amber peeked past the door. “Chef Gayle, good. You’re right where you’re supposed to be.”

About Nina Crespo:

Nina Crespo lives in Florida where she indulges in her favorite passions — the beach, a good glass of wine, date night with her own real-life hero and dancing.

Her lifelong addiction to romance began in her teens while on a “borrowing spree” in her older sister’s bedroom where she discovered her first romance novel.

Let Nina’s sensual contemporary stories and steamy paranormal tales feed your own addiction for love, romance, and happily ever after.

Stay connected with Nina on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or through her newsletter.

Connect with Nina:

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Enter Nina’s Giveaway:

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#Amreading “One Week to win Her Boss” by @BarbaraWDaille

It’s an absolute pleasure to share Barbara’s latest book with you all … and by the looks of it, it’s the perfect read for this time of the year. I can’t wait to read this one ….

 

As always, a big thanks to my friend Iris for welcoming me all the way from the U.S. I’m always happy to visit, always happy to chat, so feel free to leave comments or questions for me. And today I’m thrilled to be sharing with you my brand-new release, which debuted just this week!

 

Blurb:
Single mom Amber Barnett loves family, kids, Christmas…and unfortunately, her boss, confirmed bachelor Michael DeFranco. It’s a crush she really needs to get over. Except, when she’s temporarily forced from her apartment, her only option is to stay at Michael’s private ski lodge, where she’s the housekeeper. No problem. Her handsome boss rarely visits Snowflake Valley unexpectedly, plus he’s spending the holidays with his family. Or so she thinks…
A stormy Christmas Eve reunion leaves Michael seeking the solitude of his lodge, where he finds Amber in residence—and in trouble. Attempting to save her from her matchmaking family, he announces they’re a couple. His good deed backfires when they’re instantly included in each and every holiday event in town. So much for solitude.
Only the more time he spends with the beautiful, cheery brunette, the more he yearns to make things real between them. But he and Amber want different things, and Michael could never be the family man she’s looking for.

 

Excerpt
Nobody was perfect, not even Michael. Though he sure looked darned close…but then, how would she know? Above all else, her time with her ex had proven she couldn’t trust her judgment when it came to men.
“Come back down to Earth, Amber.” She jumped. Michael stood in front of her, too close for comfort. “When you land, tell me why you’re here. And in your pajamas.”
His almost seductive growl did funny things to her insides. Too bad the question hadn’t slipped his mind, the way she’d forgotten what she was wearing—a floor-length, fuzzy, pink bathrobe that had seen better days and floppy-eared bunny slippers no one but she and Penny had ever seen. Nothing like making a fashion statement.
Hopefully, he would be more impressed by her response to his question—as soon as she thought of one. “I…um…didn’t ask if you would mind if I stayed here—”
“That’s obvious.”
“—because I didn’t expect you to drop in.”
“Twice as obvious.” His gaze ran over her from head to toe.
Her body flooded with heat she wished she could blame on the warm robe. Why couldn’t she and Penny have had somewhere—anywhere—else to stay? “What are you doing here, by the way?”
“I own the place.”
She rolled her eyes. “You said you were spending the holidays with your family.”
“Yeah. Huge mistake,” he said, sounding grim as he looked away.
What did that mean? She wanted to know more about his upset holiday plans and his visit with his family. She’d never met them and had always been curious about why they’d never visited the lodge. Besides, she wanted to know everything there was to know about Michael.
Way to get over that crush.
Time to take control of this situation. No matter how inconvenient his arrival was for her or how unsettling his presence was to her heart, the fact was, there he stood. If she wanted to save her job—and she absolutely did—she owed him an explanation.
Or at least part of one.

 

Book Links

 

About the Author

Barbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom. Barbara also loves writing, reading, and chocolate. Come to think of it, she enjoys writing about those subjects, too!
Barbara wrote her first short story at the age of nine, then typed “The End” to her first novel many years later…in the eighth grade. Now she’s writing contemporary romance on a daily basis. Sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest in her writing life:  https://barbarawhitedaille.com/newsletter.

THE RANCHER’S BABY PROPOSAL by @BarbaraWDaille #WesternRomance #HarlequinRomance

The Rancher’s Baby Proposal
by Barbara White Daille

 

Iris – thanks for inviting me back to the blog to share my new release! Hope your readers enjoy the peek at the book.

 

HER SECRET COWBOY CRUSH

Ally Martinez has always been known as a fun and flirty kind of gal. But deep down she’s never forgotten the cowboy who left town. When her crush Reagan Chase comes home after a five-year absence, Ally knows this is her big chance. The guy I’ve always wanted. Only Reagan has something different in mind…

Still reeling from his last relationship, Reagan needs a babysitter for his month-old son. With Ally’s help, he can get his family’s ranch ready for sale and get out of Cowboy Creek. The problem? Ally is one seriously cute distraction. But Reagan will do whatever it takes to keep his heart safe. Even if it means losing the only place—and the only woman—he can call home.

Excerpt from the book
“I’ll pay you whatever it is you make hourly at the store,” he told her.

I don’t want your money.

But how could Ally say that? He would find it highly suspicious, especially since she had said she could use the extra cash. And she couldn’t confess to him that minding his baby scared the heck out of her. Not meeting his eyes, she sipped her tea and then touched the paper napkin to her lips.

She thought of all the years she had crushed on Reagan. Everyone in school probably knew how she felt about him. He must have known it, too. He couldn’t have missed it…could he? Now the idea made her cringe. If he had noticed, she couldn’t risk saying something that would make him recall how much she had liked him…and maybe make him change his mind about asking for her help.

Worse, if she didn’t guard her reactions now, he would find out how much she still cared.

“You’d…want me to take the baby home with me until you pick him up?” That would work. Mama could help her with him.

“He’ll be fine with Mrs. B all day, I know that. But his routine will already be upset enough since he won’t be with his regular sitter. I’d rather you bring him out to the ranch and watch him there, if that’s not a problem for you.”

She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, as Jed Garland would say. She would go out to Reagan’s family home to spend afternoons and evenings with him…and a baby she had no idea how to handle.

Fear at her inexperience fought with her longing to be with Reagan.

His small smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. His expression looked hopeful…and just a bit desperate.

Longing left her light-headed. Reagan needed her.

This was the chance she had always wanted to get close to him.

Well, if she could play the role of The Girl Most Likely to Make You Laugh, she could also convince herself she would be an expert babysitter. “No worries,” she said firmly. “Watching the baby out at the ranch won’t be a problem at all.”

Links
Amazon – U.S. https://www.amazon.com/ebook/dp/B01LLPCDXY/
Amazon – Australia https://www.amazon.com.au/ebook/dp/B06Y1TCS2B/
Mills&Boon-Australia  http://www.millsandboon.com.au/product/9781489238047
Harlequin – U.S. http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=70354
Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-ranchers-baby-proposal-barbara-white-daille/1124564570
Books-A-Million http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Ranchers-Baby-Proposal/Barbara-White-Daille/Q92625305?id=6809026813830
IndieBound http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780373757596
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-rancher-s-baby-proposal

About the Author
Barbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom. Barbara also loves writing, reading, and chocolate. Come to think of it, she enjoys writing about those subjects, too!

Barbara wrote her first short story at the age of nine, then typed “The End” to her first novel many years later…in the eighth grade. Now she’s writing contemporary romance on a daily basis. Sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest in her writing life:  http://barbarawhitedaille.com/newsletter.

Social Media Links
Website  http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com
Blog  http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/blog
Newsletter  http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/newsletter
Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille
Twitter  https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille
Amazon author page  http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-White-Daille/e/B002J6B0QQ
Harlequin author page  http://www.harlequin.com/author.html?authorid=1244
Goodreads author page
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/529361.Barbara_White_Daille