OPERATION: DATE ESCAPE
BY
LINDSEY BROOKES
BLURB:
Since
her divorce two years before, Kelsie Collins has been determined to guard her
heart and steer clear of seemingly ‘perfect’ men. An easy task considering the
kind of men her matchmaking mother and her best friend, Nanci, keeps setting
her up with. She allows them to set her up, knowing their hearts are in the
right place and that there is no risk of her letting any man close enough to
hurt her again. Her growing experience in ways to slip out of those ‘dates from
hell’ prompts her to start writing a bad date survival guide. One aptly titled
- OPERATION: DATE ESCAPE. And it’s during one of those escapes that sexier than
sin firefighter Cole Maxwell comes to her rescue.
Cole
isn’t sure what to think when the sexy redhead he’s just ‘rescued’ from a bad
date informs him that he’s too ‘perfect’ to date. That’s a first. He’s had
relationships end because the women couldn’t handle the risks that go along
with his chosen profession, but never because he’s too perfect.
When
his crew gets called out to rescue someone who is stuck in a tree, Cole finds
himself once again coming to Kelsie’s rescue. This time he’s not about to let
her get away without agreeing to give him a chance, even holding her high heels
hostage to make it happen. She finally gives in and things heat up between them
like a 3-alarm fire. But there’s more than passion between them and Cole sets
out to prove to Kelsie that he’s nowhere near ‘perfect’, but he is the
‘perfect’ man for her. Can he get past the wall she’s built up around her
heart? Or will he end up being just another chapter in her book of men she ran
from?
*Operation:
Date Escape was a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart finalist as well as a
finalist in the American Title III Competition put on by Romantic Times and
Dorchester Publishing.*
EXCERPT:
Cameras
clicked around them as the determined news reporters went after their
story.
Kelsie
groaned.
“What’s
done is done,” he whispered near her ear.
“And I have a job to do. Seeing
that you are checked out is part of it.”
Giving her no time to refuse, he led her over to the awaiting Medic
vehicle.
Oddly
enough, she found herself wanting to follow him. A bad sign.
Those dark eyes and sexy grin were getting to her. And those hands, she thought with an inner
sigh. So skilled. When he’d helped her button her shirt, her
thoughts had been on what it would have been like to have him undressing her
instead, running those large hands of his over her eagerly awaiting
flesh...
“Nate,
I need you to look her over before I can send her on her way.”
The
medic grinned. “No problem.”
Just
then, Nanci’s head popped around the open doors of the rescue truck. “You alright?”
Just
when she’d been ready to kill her friend for calling 911, Nanci rescued her
from her dangerously straying thoughts about Cole. Kelsie flashed a grateful smile. “I’m fine.”
Her
friend looked to Cole for confirmation.
“We
have to check her out before we can return to the station.”
“Oh,
okay. Had me worried for a moment.” She handed him her discarded high heels. “She’ll be needing these. They’re her favorite ones.”
Instead
of handing them over, he turned to her with a calculating grin that had
Kelsie’s pulse rocketing. His gaze
settled on her bare feet, his dimple deepening.
Then those dark eyes lifted to meet hers. “How about a trade?”
“A
trade?”
“Your
favorite heels for a date. I’m off duty
Saturday. Let me take you out to
dinner.”
Warning
bells went off in her head. This was the
one man who could get beyond the protective barriers she’d put up. With that devastatingly sexy dimpled grin and
deep, soothing voice, it would be too easy to risk her heart with him. No matter how attracted she was to Cole
Maxwell, she couldn’t go out with him.
“I’m
sor—”
“She’ll
do it,” Nanci said, cutting her off.
The
paramedic examining her chuckled, but continued on about his business.
“Good. I’ll pick her up at seven.” That said, Cole deposited her heels on her
lap and walked away, whistling as he went.
She
looked up at her friend in disbelief. “I
can’t believe you just told him I’d go out with him. Who do you think you are, my mother?”
“I
happen to be your best friend and it’s my job to know what’s good for
you.” Nanci glanced in the direction of
Cole’s departing form. “And that man
there is mmm...mmm...good. So is his friend
over there. Did you see how he
man-handled that big truck?”
“That
would be Joe,” the paramedic supplied with a chuckle as he slid the blood
pressure cuff off Kelsie’s arm.
“Is
he single?” she asked, her eyes alight with interest.
“As
single as they come.”
“Well
then, if you two will excuse me, I’m going to go see about getting myself a
‘cup of Joe’.” And off she went.
Kelsie
could only imagine what it took for this man to remain professional, but he
did. With only the barest hint of a
smile, he filled out his paperwork while she slipped her heels back on.
“Okay,
you’re free to go,” he said when he was done.
Then he helped her out of the vehicle.
“Oh, and in case you’re worried, Cole really is a good guy.”
Too
good. That was the whole problem.
GIVEAWAY DETAILS
Lindsey will be
awarding a $10.00 Amazon gift certificate to three randomly drawn commenters
during the tour, and a $10.00 Amazon gift certificate to one randomly drawn
host.
FOLLOW the tour and comment; the more YOU comment, the better YOUR chances of winning. The tour dates can be found
here:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Romance
author Lindsey Brookes grew up reading romance novels. She penned her first
romance, a historical, at the age of seventeen. From there she went on to join
Romance Writers of America where she learned the ins and outs of the publishing
business and ways to hone her craft. She switched to writing contemporary
romance and has finalled in/or won more than 75 RWA chapter sponsored contests
with over a dozen different manuscripts. She is also a four time RWA Golden
Heart finalist as well as a past American Title III finalist and winner of
Harlequin's Great American Romance Novel contest. She's married to her
childhood sweetheart, her hero, with whom she has two beautiful daughters.
Check out her
websites:
Facebook
page:
Twitter:
Operation:
Date Escape purchase links:
Hilarious excerpt! Thanks for waking me up with a laugh. I needed that.
ReplyDeleteSo glad it made you laugh. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteThank you for the excerpt, I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Thanks for stopping by to read it, Rita!
DeleteThanks so much for hosting Operation: Date Escape today, Tawania!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the fun sounding book and the giveaway. evamillien at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and reading my excerpt!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the fantastic excerpt. What fun.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Intriguing story
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com