Tuesday Teaser & Intro: Snowed

November 21, 2017November 5, 2017 SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders6 Comments

first-chapter-first-paragraph

Synopsis ~ Snowed

Some games are hotter off the ice…

Sofia Phillips feels cursed. Her father cheated on her mother, her boyfriend cheated on her—she’s done with dating. A summer work-exchange program in Finland is the perfect escape. But instead of gaining experience as an athletic trainer, she’s cleaning toilets. Awesome. The trip is a disaster, and even better, she meets Kyle Bennett. In the sauna. Naked.

Sexy hockey player Kyle was the star right wing for an NHL team. But after an accident killed his wife and left him injured, Kyle has appreciated the “therapeutic” benefits of booze and puck bunnies. Now in Finland for the summer, he’s coaching in an elite hockey-training camp for teens. When Sofia’s grandmother decides to set her up with a nice Finnish man, Sofia recruits Kyle as her make-believe boyfriend. Neither expects their first kiss to sizzle. And neither expects, while stranded on an island during a storm, to have a scorching night of passion.

But as their charade, and then their attraction, develops into something deeper, the past comes back, threatening to destroy them. They must decide if their feelings for each other are strong enough to survive—or it will be game over.

Prologue

Leah Harmony learned the truth the day she took Mama for her annual physical.

When her mother, Merlina, was settling her bill, Leah sneaked a peek at her medical folder lying there on the counter. Lord knew if any problems turned up, Mama would never willingly “burden” the family with the knowledge.

Teasers

“The last winter and into the spring, Annie was different. Not as carefree as she’d been.” [Loc 52]

She wasn’t concerned when it took fifteen rings for her assistant to answer. [Loc 1090]

Would you keep reading?

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by The PurpleBooker. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you’re reading. No spoilers, please! List the author and book title too. Link up HERE.

First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is hosted by Bibliophile By The Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you’re reading or thinking about reading soon. Link up HERE.

Tuesday Teaser & Intro: The Scot Beds His Wife

November 14, 2017November 5, 2017 SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders3 Comments

first-chapter-first-paragraph

Synopsis ~ The Scot Beds His Wife

Gavin St. James, Earl of Thorne, is a notorious Highlander and an unrelenting Lothario who uses his slightly menacing charm to get what he wants—including too many women married to other men. But now, Gavin wants to put his shady past behind him…more or less. When a fiery lass who is the heiress to the land he wishes to possess drops into his lap, he sees a perfectly delicious opportunity…

A marriage most convenient

Samantha Masters has come back to Scotland, in a pair of trousers, and with a whole world of dangerous secrets from her time spent in the Wild West trailing behind her. Her only hope of protection is to marry—and to do so quickly. Gavin is only too willing to provide that service for someone he finds so disturbingly irresistible. But even as danger approaches, what begins as a scandalous proposition slowly turns into an all-consuming passion. And Gavin discovers that he will do whatever is necessary to keep the woman he has claimed as his own…

Prologue

Ravencroft Keep, Wester Ross, Scotland

The boy they called Thorne lost his virginity at almost twelve years of age. He’d lost his innocence long before that. So young, in fact, it never occurred to him to miss it.

Chapter 1

Gairloch, Wester Ross, Scotland

Autumn 1880 Twenty-four years later

“So it’s true. The Earl of Thorne made a deal with the devil.” The unique Scots-Irish brogue slid through the night like a sharp dirk through supple skin.

Even on the Sannda Mhòr, the wide swath of beach leading down to Strath Bay, Gavin St. James recognized the deceptively light footfalls of the large man behind him before he’d spoken.

Teasers

Well. Shit. Not two minutes off the train and she’d already stepped in a steaming pile of sedition. [Loc 682]

“I wouldn’t wish marriage to you on my worst enemy. No one deserves a lifetime of nothing but arduous lessons in disappointed expectations.” [Loc 1778]

“Hand me your knife.” She held her hand behind her to her husband. When one didn’t appear in her palm, she glanced back to see what the problem was.

A congregation of narrow-eyed Highlanders crossed their arms above her in a choreographed show of resistance.

“What?” Was it something she said?

“It’s called a dirk, lass,” Gavin stated seriously. “And a man doesna just hand it over.” [Loc 4118]

Would you keep reading?

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by The PurpleBooker. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you’re reading. No spoilers, please! List the author and book title too. Link up HERE.

Tuesday Teaser & Intro: The Scandalous Flirt

November 7, 2017November 5, 2017 SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders13 Comments

first-chapter-first-paragraph

Synopsis ~ The Scandalous Flirt

Aurora Paxton was once the belle of the ball, the most sought-after debutante of the season―until a scandalous mistake ruined her. Shunned by her family, Rory was banished to the country to live in disgrace. Now she’s been summoned back to London by her stepmother, who is being blackmailed by the least likely person Rory can imagine: Lucas Vale, Marquess of Dashell.

Lucas is someone Rory’s known for years―a man as devastatingly handsome as he is coldly disapproving of her. What in the world could he want from her or her family? Rory intends to find out as soon as she comes face to face with her old foe. What she never expects, however, is that the icy aristocrat has a soft spot for her―and a secret plan to redeem her status. Could it be that Lucas has been in love with Rory all along. . .and has finally found a way to win her heart?

Chapter 1

The merest breath of scandal can ruin a lady. ~ Miss Cellany

If Lady Milford hadn’t received a last-minute invitation to dine with a member of the royal family, she might never have gone to the bank so late in the day. And she would never have found the next young lady who deserved to wear the enchanted slippers.

As she entered the bank, Clarissa shivered from a blast of chilly April wind. Heavy clouds darkened the skies and hastened the onset of dusk. It would be a good night to remain at home in front of a fire. But she was not yet so ancient as to huddle in a rocking chair with a rug over her knees. Besides, one did not ignore a summons to St. James’s Palace. Nor did one wear ordinary jewels like those she kept in a strongbox at home. This grand occasion called for her most prized tiara.

Teasers

Murdock fixed his rheumy eyes on that pristine dignitary, looking the butler up and down. “I don’t take orders from no fancy-pants. Only from the cap’n’s widow.” [Loc 1799]

She intended to go to that ball, and if Lucas didn’t like it, he could stuff it. [Loc 2476]

Would you keep reading?

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by The PurpleBooker. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you’re reading. No spoilers, please! List the author and book title too. Link up HERE.

Tuesday Teaser & Intro: Heat It Up

October 24, 2017October 18, 2017 SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders4 Comments

first-chapter-first-paragraph

This is one of my recent NetGalley reads. I was so excited to finish this book, but sad that Sofia and Kyle’s story was coming to a close.

Synopsis ~ Heat It Up

Some games are hotter off the ice…

Chapter 1

Sofia

Forgiveness. It doesn’t matter how many times you say it, or if you say it five times fast, or even if you sing it in the shower to the beat of your favorite pop song. The meaning never changes. It’s that word most of us don’t even think about as we go through our day to day life. If someone bumps into us, we don’t have to yell “I forgive you” as the person hurries off.

Teasers

Note to self: guys are jerks no matter what country they live in. It must have to do with the Y chromosome, where the douchebag gene is located. [Loc 29]

I flirt with boys all the time, but when it comes to taking things further, the art of seduction is lost on me. [Loc 805]

While I might’ve been going for a feather-light kiss, Sofia has other plans. Her mouth crashes into mine. I’d be a damn idiot not to kiss back with everything I have inside of me and so much more. [Loc 3434]

Would you keep reading?

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by The PurpleBooker. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you’re reading. No spoilers, please! List the author and book title too. Link up HERE.

Tuesday Teaser & Intro: Master of Strathburn

October 17, 2017September 17, 2017 SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders3 Comments

first-chapter-first-paragraph

Synopsis ~ The Master of Strathburn

A sweeping, sexy Highland romance about a wanted Jacobite with a wounded soul, and a spirited Scottish lass on the run.

Robert Grant has returned home to Lochrose Castle in the Highlands to reconcile with his long-estranged father, the Earl of Strathburn. But there is a price on Robert’s head, and his avaricious younger half-brother, Simon, doesn’t want him reclaiming his birthright. And it’s not only Simon and the redcoats that threaten to destroy Robert’s plans after a flame-haired complication of the feminine kind enters the scene…

Jessie Munroe is forced to flee Lochrose Castle after the dissolute Simon Grant tries to coerce her into becoming his mistress. After a fateful encounter with a mysterious and handsome hunter, Robert, in a remote Highland glen, she throws her lot in with the stranger—even though she suspects he is a fugitive. She soon realizes that this man is dangerous in an entirely different way to Simon…

Despite their searing attraction, Robert and Jessie struggle to trust each other as they both seek a place to call home. The stakes are high and only one thing is certain: Simon Grant is in pursuit of them both…

Prologue

April 16, 1746

Lochrose Castle, Strathspey, Scotland

“You’ve got a bloody nerve, Robert.”

“Aye, I do.” Robert Grant – the soon-to-be disinherited Master of Strathburn and Viscount Lochrose – squinted through the dark spots clustering his field of vision, trying in vain to focus on his sneering half-brother Simon. The bayonet wound across his shoulder-blade throbbed with such thought-stealing intensity, it was all he could do to stay seated upon his trembling, swearing horse. There was no way he would be able to dismount unassisted. He’d end up with his face firmly planted in the gravel of the forecourt.

Teaser

“You can look you know. It’s not as bad as you think. I’m quite a good seamstress if I do say so myself.” [Loc 1738]

“I shot her. In the arm. Thought she was a deer.” [Loc 4127]

Would you keep reading?

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by The PurpleBooker. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you’re reading. No spoilers, please! List the author and book title too. Link up HERE.

Tuesday Teaser & Intro: Treasured Dreams

October 10, 2017September 17, 2017 SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders4 Comments

first-chapter-first-paragraph

I struggled to get through just the first tenth of this book. I’m not sure how the rest is going to go, or if I will finish it.

Synopsis ~ Treasured Dreams

When Rosalina discovers a devastating family secret, the world as she knows it is shattered and a madman from her past reappears.
Rosalina’s love, Archer, finds a clue to a treasure stolen during World War II—but when Rosalina is kidnapped, he must either comply with Nox’s demands that he find the treasure, or risk his life to save her. Archer, a man who knows what he wants, won’t stop until Rosalina is back in his arms.

Everyone believed Nox was dead, but somehow he survived the latest attempt on his life. Now this dead man walking is out for revenge—and there are still so many on his list.

Can true love conquer all, even a madman hell bent on revenge?

Chapter 1

Rosalina didn’t want to look at the bruises on her leg, but she couldn’t help it. With each passing day the swelling had subsided, but the dark cloud still stained her skin from her toes to her knee. She was lucky though. Considering half a helicopter had landed upon her, it was a miracle she hadn’t broken both her legs, IT was impossible not to think about all the injuries she’d sustained since she’d started hunting for treasure with her fiancé. This one was by far the worst. At night, when she closed her eyes, her dreams were filled with a scrambled concoction of glistening treasure and crazy mad men trying to steal it from them.

Teaser

The last time Archer had seen him, the crazy priest had a gun in his hand and madman blazing through his eyes.

“My turn,” Ginger said. “I’ve got a woman with lots of red hair and a ghost.”

“What? Archer chuckled. “Show me.”

Would you keep reading?

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by The PurpleBooker. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you’re reading. No spoilers, please! List the author and book title too. Link up HERE.

Tuesday Teaser & Intro: Without Borders

October 3, 2017August 6, 2017 SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders5 Comments

first-chapter-first-paragraph

Synopsis ~ Without Borders

For Annie London, a month in a Central American rainforest means handing out mosquito nets, giving medical aid, and teaching children about the birds and the bees. With any luck, it will also land her application in the “accepted” pile at a top tier medical school. But as soon as she steps off the plane, Annie realizes her bug spray, feeble Spanish, and medical supplies won’t help her deal with her new feelings for Felipe—her best friend’s older brother, who’s much hotter than she remembers, and who also happens to be the doctor in charge of the trip.

Gawking “volun-tourists” may keep his family’s medical clinic afloat, but Dr. Felipe Gutierrez doesn’t have to like them. Or the way they make snap judgments about his practice and the people he cares for. But when his old crush, Annie, shows up to volunteer, her killer curves and kind smile fan the embers of a flame Felipe didn’t realize he’d been carrying. A flame that makes him question all his preconceived notions.

As ideas and cultures clash, Annie and Felipe must decide how far outside their comfort zones they are willing to go—both for their work and for one another.

Chapter 1

Day One

It had been a peantus-for-dinner, vodka-for-dessert kind of flight.

Annie stumbled down the plane’s narrow steps into the sweltering night air. The humidity weaved spider webs in her lungs, and a film of sweat caoted the back of her neck as she trotted down into the brittle chill of the air-conditioned airport. Inside, she fell into a crush of recently deplaned passengers, their elbows and quick-clipped Spanish jostling first her bags, then her mind. She found an empty corner, pulled out her phone, and sent a text to Marisol.

Teaser

Marisol waggled her eyebrows. “Think of me like the Cupid of Nicaragua.” [Loc 720]

“Those kids took my stuff. My flashcards…and stuff for the sex ed class.”

Marisol shoved Juan’s feet off the bed and sat. She drew her eyebrows together. “Mi Anita. You lost yor vagina?” She was so earnest.

Annie nodded. “Now I have this.” She held up the fuzzy uterus. “I think it has an STD.” [Loc 4263]

Would you keep reading?

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by The PurpleBooker. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you’re reading. No spoilers, please! List the author and book title too. Link up HERE.

Tuesday Teaser & Intro: April’s Glow

September 26, 2017August 6, 2017 SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders2 Comments

first-chapter-first-paragraph

This was a sweet book. Zac’s character made me take pause. He has an interesting perspective on life.

Synopsis ~ April’s Glow

Distracting herself from a string of bad luck and a disastrous love life, bubbly April Vedora throws herself into her new business —April’s Glow, a candle store in seaside Tarrin’s Bay — the enchanting scents and colourful atmosphere provide a safe haven. But outside business hours she’s clueless about her personal life.

When a mysterious loner moves in next door, she can’t help but become intrigued, and ex-soldier Zac Masterson is equally fascinated by April. But both have sworn off relationships, and while April avoids her emotions by keeping busy and sociable, Zac hides away from the world — and his past.

As the pair chip away at each other’s facades and secrets are revealed, April fears that the man she is unwillingly falling for could represent everything she’s worked so hard to avoid. Or could they be just what the other needs?

They’ve shared their secrets over the back fence, but resolving the past is going to mean opening the doors to their hearts — and letting each other in.

Prologue

If there was anything worse for April Vedora than being stood up, it was being stood up on April Fools’ Day. A week before her birthday at that. And two days after having really bad sushi and spending half the night getting intimate with the toilet bowl. The only thing that could make life worse was if it rained while she sat on the picnic table by the wishing fountain in Miracle Park, waiting for her first ever internet date to turn up, which by the way, had taken at least eight months to pluck up the courage to agree to. So much for courage. Courage could go and get flushed, like the bad sushi.

Teaser

The door clapped closed and April stood by the fence, her mouth slightly agape. Had he just named his cat Juliet in response to her cat being called Romeo? [Loc 321]

Truth Chicken and now Magic Coffee. If the coffee could tell her the future, she’d drink bucket loads of it. [Loc 1506]

Would you keep reading?

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by The PurpleBooker. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you’re reading. No spoilers, please! List the author and book title too. Link up HERE.

Tuesday Teaser & Intro: On Lone Star Trail

September 19, 2017September 19, 2017 SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders6 Comments

first-chapter-first-paragraph

I really enjoyed this one. It was set in the Hill Country of Central Texas, so right in my backyard. I enjoyed the cast of characters very much, although I think the entire notion of the resort being entirely Biblical-themed was a little far-fetched.

Synopsis ~ On Lone Star Trail

If there’s one thing Gillian Hodge never wants to see again, it’s a man on a motorcycle. Her last encounter with one left her right hand crushed, ending her promising career as a concert pianist. But as she heads to Rainbow’s End Resort, a sudden thunderstorm causes a motorcycle to crash in front of her.

When TJ Benjamin’s wife died, he lost more than his best friend; he lost his faith. He’s spent the past year wandering the country on a motorcycle, trying not to think about his future. When he finds himself stranded with a busted bike and a reluctant rescuer, he has to wonder about God’s sense of humor.

Can this woman without a future and this man running from his past find romance in the present? Or are they too tied to the way life used to be?

Chapter 1

Relax. Gillian Hodge forced her fingers to stop gripping the steering wheel as if it were a lifeline. This wasn’t her Carnegie Hall debut or the finals of the Brooks competition when so much was riding on the outcome. This was a vacation, for Pete’s sake. A week with her best friend and the woman who’d been a surrogate grandmother. She should be filled with anticipation, counting the minutes until she arrived, not wound as tightly as a metronome.

Teaser

There was a definite irony in a man who used to be called the RV Reverand being stranded at a Christian resort within walking distance of two dozen RVs. [Loc 394]

“Are you always this devious?”

“I prefer the word crafty.” [Loc 1524]

Would you keep reading?

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by The PurpleBooker. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you’re reading. No spoilers, please! List the author and book title too. Link up HERE.

Tuesday Teaser & Intro: Tumble Creek

September 12, 2017August 6, 2017 SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders1 Comment

first-chapter-first-paragraph

I read this one a while back. I was pulled in by cover love…but I did not love all that much.

Synopsis ~ Tumble Creek

Art teacher and occasional life model Sofie Dove wants to know what’s up with Brock Stewart. Everything about the ex SAS soldier turned police officer seems to scream passion—and it’s all for her—but he just won’t express it. All she knows is he has a past that still keeps him up some nights.

After a semi-trailer crashes through Sofie’s house and the driver disappears into thin air, Brock insists he’s the only one who can keep her safe—but can he, when they can’t seem to trust each other?

While Sofie works on figuring out why this man keeps giving her mixed messages, Brock is determined to find out who’s out to get her—as they both find out why falling in love is a bit like being hit by a truck.

Chapter 1

Sofie Dove should’ve been ecstatic this morning, but for some bizaare reason, unease twisted inside her. An ominous expectancy, so poerful it made the skin at her nape prickle and her stomach tie in knots.

Teaser

“You need to grow a pair,” he whispered into the night. [Loc 1190]

Three hours later Doreen asked Claudia to come visit and gave her address as twenty-two Lavender Lane – where Sofie and Claudia lived before their house had been demolished. “Oh.” Claudia gave her mum a wide-eyed look, then turned back to Doreen and carried on as if nothing were amiss. [Loc 2063]

Would you keep reading?

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by The PurpleBooker. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you’re reading. No spoilers, please! List the author and book title too. Link up HERE.