Author Marianne Rice stopped by to share intimate details about her writing life, and to share her latest release. At First Blush is a contemporary romance. Take it away, Marianne!
I stumbled across the idea for my Well Paired
series while visiting one of my local wineries. Research is a tough job, right?
Is there a setting more romantic than a quaint winery nestled in the hills of
New England? Coastal Vines, the vineyard in my new release, At First Blush is a fictitious blend of
some of my favorite wineries in Maine and New Hampshire. The series focuses on
the business owners of the small coastal town of Crystal Cove, Maine, but the
winery and the sense of family is at the center of it all. I hope you fall in
love with the characters, the families, and the town as much as I have.
Book Blurb for At First Blush:
Alexis Le Blanc enjoys her
simple life in Crystal Cove, Maine. After taking a chance on romance and getting
rejected, she has given up on love. Now she devotes all her time to running her
family’s winery, Coastal Vines. She wants to keep it small and traditional, but
her parents have other ideas—hence why they hire some big-shot marketing
executive from Napa Valley to rev up business.
When Benito Martelli shows up in her family’s
tasting room, she’s more than stunned to discover he’s the man who wined and
dined her the night before. Alexis is beyond peeved at his deception in trying
to get into her good graces for the sake of making money on her winery. At
first, she wants nothing to do with him or his big business ideas, but she’s
pleasantly surprised when they come to a compromise, and even more surprised
when she gives in to the sparks between them.
Unfortunately, things
don’t go quite as planned and Alexis is faced with complications she never
could have predicted. Promises and secrets unravel, and she must decide if love
and wine are as well paired as she hoped.
Excerpt from At First Blush
“You want brutal honesty?”
“That would be nice. For once.”
Ben grabbed the collar of her jacket
and jerked her toward him, their faces inches apart. “I want you. In my bed.
Underneath me. On top of me. But I also don’t want to hurt you. I’m letting you
go because I don’t want to be a selfish bastard. There are things you don’t
know…”
“I seem to go for selfish bastards
so…” She licked her lips, hoping for one more kiss. Hoping he’d ask her to
stay. Hoping he’d let her go.
“You’re too…special.”
“I’m not special.” Alexis lowered
her eyes and shook her head. More lies to get her into bed. Only he didn’t want
her in his bed. Her mind raced searching for answers, yet she didn’t even know
the questions. It was all too much.
The way her heart raced when he was
near. The way her legs trembled when his dimple appeared as if just for her.
The way her mind went dizzy with longing when his stunning eyes were so
intently focused on her.
“See, and then you do that
vulnerable thing and I just want to…”
A spark ignited inside. She was not
weak. “I’m not vulnerable.” She lifted her gaze to his and studied the
intensity in his eyes, the seriousness in his jaw.
“I like that you are, and that you
think you aren’t.”
“I think I should go.” She was smart
enough and strong enough to walk away before she’d get emotionally attached and
have her heart broken.
“I’ll follow you home.”
“When was the last time you drove in
the snow?” Ben didn’t reply, his gaze still on her lips. “I didn’t think so. I
don’t want to have to haul your ass out of a ditch so stay here. Play on your
laptop. Style your hair. Go be sexy. Whatever it is you do at night.”
Alexis frowned when she pulled away
from him so easily, and let herself out, driving home in silence and confusion.
Leaving her hot and horny and alone
on a cold night, Ben was right about one thing. He was a total selfish bastard.
BUY LINKS:
More about the Author
Marianne Rice writes contemporary
romantic fiction set in small New England towns. She loves high heels, reading
romance, scarfing down dark chocolate, gulping wine, and Chris Hemsworth. Oh, and
her husband and three children. You can follow her all over social media, and
keep up to tabs with her latest releases on her website: www.mariannerice.com
CONNECT WITH HER:
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