Baked
by Colleen
Charles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Contemporary
Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
The first
time I saw Gabe in my sensual cupcake bakery, I had no idea who he was. All I
knew was chiseled perfection like him could never really want a girl like me.
That didn't stop me from craving and lusting after everything I could never
have. Success.
Gabe.
And I was
trapped in a twisted frenemy relationship with my douche bag ex fiancee. I
never would have dreamed who Gabe really was, what he wanted and why he wanted
it.
Gabe
My f*cked
up family taught me a lot. Take rather than give. Anything. Everything.
Ally made
me feel clean. Whole. I'd do anything to have her and even more to keep her. In
spite of my past but more importantly ... because of it.
I took
her tenuous control and worshiped her killer curves. I never suspected she'd
steal my heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
“I’m so proud of you, Ally. You’re really doing
this.”
“It’s been a long time coming,” I murmured, tucking
a strand of pale blonde hair behind my ear. I’d wrapped myself in one of those
toasty wool ponchos and taken up residence at the front of my new bakery with a
mug of hot cocoa sandwiched between my torso and palm.
Snow drifted down from the heavens, blanketing
everything in a veil of freshness. Of renewal. Like my life.
“So, that’s it then. Bakery up and running,
professional career on track, all you need now is—”
I interrupted Kelly before she hit her stride,
giving her a warning grunt. “Don’t even.”
She sighed, a deep exhalation that caused static to
crackle into my phone. “Aw, come on, let me set you up with someone. I’ve lost
count of the hot guys who walk through our front doors. And it’s Christmas. You
can’t spend the holiday season alone.”
“I’m not alone, I have you and Pat. Besides, Kels,
I’m going to be so busy with business, I won’t have time for a social life.”
I could almost hear Kelly rolling her eyes. “Ugh,
famous last words.”
She was my best friend and had been since I’d moved
to Minneapolis from Bemidji and wandered into their coffee shop two years ago .
She and her husband, Pat , had taken me under their wing. Those had been
strange times, before my break up with Matthew. When I’d had nothing to show
for myself. A shiver ran through me at the memory.
Kelly had encouraged me to pursue my dreams.
“Ally?”
“Huh? Yeah, I’m here.”
“You went quiet for a second there.”
A wave of gratitude washed over me. “I don’t know
what I’d do without you, Kels, you and Pat.”
“Well, you’d be up shit creek without a paddle, of
course.”
I chuckled. “I’d better get some rest, big day
tomorrow. These bank loans won’t pay themselves off.”
“Tell me about it,” she replied, then paused, the
silence stretching out for a few seconds. “If you need help with anything, give
me a call.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, then stuck my tongue out even
though she couldn’t see me. “See you tomorrow.”
“Later Allygator,” she said, then hung up.
I put my phone in the pocket of my jeans and
sighed. This was it, my first real endeavor at being my own damn person. I
glanced around the bakery and grinned. Hard to believe where I’d landed from
where I’d jumped.
I picked out the décor myself — it had a burlesque
atmosphere, with velvet cushions on the wrought iron chairs and round tables
with glass tops. Very French bistro. In fact, in better weather, I could easily
move a couple of tables outside.
Silk floral arrangements in lush shades of purple,
strung with Swarovski crystals served as centerpieces. The cupcakes would stand
up front in the glass front counter, to showcase their sexy designs. And names.
Kelly had rolled her eyes at my idea for a racy
theme, but it was tough being an entrepreneur and a woman in business had to
face the facts. Sex sells.
That was the thing about baking, it wasn’t sexy
unless you made it that way. And I planned on making it damn sexy. And licking
the bowl.
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Colleen
Charles is the pen name of Tami Stark, #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon.
Colleen
Charles held a leadership position for a fortune 500 company for 26 years while
writing suspenseful romance by night. Thrilled that she's now able to write
full time, she can't wait to spend more time connecting with her readers. She’s
also a certified life coach and a Reiki Master. She loves reading and writing
stories that entertain and sweep women away from their everyday life. Colleen
has shown and bred Arabian horses for over 30 years and lives in the Midwest
with her human and furry families. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering
for underprivileged girls and homeless pets.
Baked is FREE on
Kindle or Nook during the tour.
FOUR
FREE BOOKS
ColleenCharles.com
https://www.facebook.com/Colleen-Charles-1505026199744713/?ref=notif¬if_t=page_fan
https://twitter.com/booksbycolleen
http://www.amazon.com/Baked-Part-Red-Velvet-Rapture-ebook/dp/B019BGIDJ8/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
https://itunes.apple.com/no/book/baked-part-1/id1067957164?mt=11
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/baked-part-1-red-velvet-rapture
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/baked-part-1-colleen-charles/1123130832
Colleen will be awarding a
$25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the
tour, and the author will be awarding all hosts free copies of her starter
library which includes a full length novel, two novellas and an exclusive audio
book. Use the link below to enter.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to connecting with readers today. Thanks for hosting Baked!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Colleen. Baked looks like a great read.
ReplyDelete