ESSENCE
BY
MACKENZIE LUCAS
BLURB:
All
Haven Jameson ever wanted was to own a little piece of paradise. Now, she does,
having established a successful luxury spa in St. Augustine, Florida. But when
the property next door is sold to a mega developer and his pro-golf celebrity
brother who design trendy, bustling playgrounds for the rich and famous, she
fears her dream could slip away. Confronted by her late husband’s infidelity,
Haven learns everything she believed about her marriage was a lie; so she
finally sets aside her grief and opens her heart to loving the widowed
pro-golfer who is her biggest professional competition. In the end, Haven
discovers that living a safe, loveless life is far worse than embracing passion
and taking a chance on a man who’s vowed never to love again. And that,
sometimes, no matter how high the risk, the best paradise of all can be found
inside our own hearts.
EXCERPT:
Pace Daniels lay on his belly on a massage table, naked
except for a thin sheet covering his backside. He rested his cheek on his hands
and closed his eyes, and breathed in the calming scent of the room.
Light music played from the overhead speakers, not too loud,
but nice. It sounded like a mix of music from India and the Southwest—Burma to
Santa Fe. Pan flutes and bowl singing. Interesting.
He breathed deep again, taking air deep into his lungs, and
pushed through the pain in his shoulder, the achiness that seemed to stick with
him no matter what he did.
It was time to retire. Leave the circuit.
He'd known for a while now. Hell, he was a fairly young man
for his profession. But one mistake. One stupid mistake had cost him
everything. And now at the age of almost forty, he was facing a blank future.
Filled with a lot of nothing if he didn't make some changes soon.
He had no idea what to expect when he'd come to Essence. A
pretty brunette had given him instructions today for the massage, showed him
the transition room—a fancy name for a locker room—and where to store his
clothes and belongings. Of course, he'd had massages before. Mostly by sports
medicine doctors.
Essence surprised him. Pleasantly. The atmosphere was
different than he’d imagined. He'd expected fru fru and had been bowled over at
every turn. The place wasn't just a female Mecca, as he’d feared. He'd
anticipated salon chairs and manicurists around every corner.
Instead, the spa resort was a posh hotel.
A serene place. A spot he could see himself settling into to
find some measure of peace in his own life.
He let out a deep sigh.
But, no. He wouldn't. He'd move on like he always did.
A knock sounded at the door and a moment later, the door
opened on silent hinges. He opened his eyes to see the massage therapist.
The woman who entered wasn't the petite, curvy brunette
who'd checked him in, but a tall, leggy blonde.
He stilled as he watched her.
Yes, she was beautiful. High cheekbones, wide, exotic pale
green eyes, lush body. But there was something else. Something indefinable.
Something more, he couldn’t explain. Maybe a sadness that clung to her that he
recognized because the same sloe-eyed desolation dogged him, day after day for
the past ten years.
He couldn’t be one-hundred percent certain to what extent,
but on some level, he identified with her.
Then she spoke, and every cell in his body awoke at the
husky tone of her voice. Sex liquefied. He'd die and go to Heaven if he could
just have her talk to him for the next hour in that sweet, sexy, soft voice.
“I'm sorry. I must be in the wrong room.” She turned to go.
He pushed up from the table. “No. Wait.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mackenzie
Lucas is a lover of story in any form. She’s an avid reader of genre fiction,
she writes contemporary and paranormal romance, and she listens to an eclectic
mix of music that spans from pop/rock to country to gospel. She loves a good
story whether it’s an erotic short, a full-length romance novel, or the
narrative slice-of-life found in country music. In any story, emotional
integrity and authenticity are most important to her as well as a big dose of
romping hot sexual tension. She enjoys smart-mouthed, sexy heroines, hunky
alpha heroes who know how to take care of their women, and plot twists that
surprise her, but most of all, she just wants to experience a satisfying
emotional arc of a character falling in love and finding what he or she needs
most in life.
Mac is a
small-town country girl with a world-traveler’s soul. She grew up in the Allegheny
Mountains of Pennsylvania and she’s lived in Dublin, Ireland, within spitting
distance of New York City in Long Island, and now in the Washington, D.C. area.
She obtained her undergraduate degree in English Literature from Dickinson
College and received her M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill
University. She’s currently an author, writing coach, a mother, and a wife.
With
Mackenzie Lucas--whether you’re reading her light paranormal romance, her
small-town-based contemporary romance, or her steamin’ hawt erotica--you’ll
always get a story about connectedness, community, and emotional authenticity,
and, at its core, love. No, and it doesn’t hurt that all her heroes are
panty-melting gorgeous alphas and all their sexy, sensually aware heroines know
how to stand up to them, give no quarter, and love them just as they are.
Links:
Website:http://www.mackenzielucas.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MacLucas_writer
GIVEAWAY!!
One randomly chosen commenter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
Follow the tour and comment; the more YOU comment, the better YOUR chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
One randomly chosen commenter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
Follow the tour and comment; the more YOU comment, the better YOUR chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Tawania ~ Thanks for hosting me today & spotlighting Essence. I appreciate the opportunity to chat with your readers.
ReplyDeleteI'll start off by asking a question this morning: Pace Daniels is a pro golfer. What sports characters have you read in romance that you love? And do you have any series that you devoured and that sticks out in your mind?
Two of my all time sports-related series have been Susan Elizabeth Phillips Chicago Stars football series and Rachel Gibson's Chinooks hockey series.
Okay, so how about you? Any characters you loved who played professional sports? Or any memorable sports-related romance series you loved?
I'll stop back later to chat about hot sporty romance heroes!
We'll talk soon!
Thanks for stopping by today, Kathy P. Good luck! Hope you win.
ReplyDeleteSounds like so much fun!
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)Aol(Dot)com
Thanks for stopping by, vitajex.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book. Thanks for sharing it and the giveaway. evamillien at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by this site, too, Eva. I appreciate you following the tour! Good luck with the giveaway draw. ;0)
ReplyDeleteTawania, thanks for hosting me today. I appreciated the opportunity to engage with your readers. I'll check back a few times over the tour to see if anyone added to the discussion. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the excerpt, thx for sharing
ReplyDeletegreat excerpt:)) thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDelete