Spotlight: Country in Bliss by Freda Ann
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(A Bliss Cay Novella, #3)
Publication date: May 19th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
After country singer, Blaze Shore, almost cold-cocks Cali Rose with his car door, she hopes to never see the arrogant stranger again. But when she finds herself face to face with the up and coming heartthrob, the wrong kind of sparks fly.
Blaze agrees to take on the role of big brother to Angel, a boy he mentors. He wants to give the struggling kid the best summer vacation of his life. On day two in Bliss, he realizes it may be more difficult than he imagined.
Cali’s daughter, Becca, wants to hang out with the only kid staying nearby. The problem is he lives with Blaze, the man who likes nothing more than getting under Cali’s skin.
Can two kids and a dog find a way to help Blaze and Cali look beyond haunting memories of the past, as well as their first impressions of one another? Or will this summer turn into the worst one ever?
Excerpt
As they walk away, I shake my head and shift my gaze to Blaze who’s grinning. “What are you smiling about?”
“You’re blushing.”
“No, I’m not blushing, it’s the sun.”
“Oookay.” He bumps me with his shoulder. “For the record…I like it when you blush.”
“Whatever.”
I try to look away, but his stare travels to my lips making butterflies swirl in my stomach. Goodness, this man has begun to wreak havoc on my insides. “You know it’s hard to think clearly when you’re staring at my mouth.”
Showing those sinful dimples, he tells me, “I can’t help it. I think your perfect lips want me to kiss them right now.”
“Geez, that’s quite the observation. What makes you think such a thing?”
“The way your tongue keeps running across the inside of them. It’s quite distracting.”
He slides back and lifts his leg over the bench, straddling it to face me. Easing closer, my heart thumps faster. “It’s a nervous twitch, that’s all.”
Resting his left arm on the table, he extends his hand to my forearm laying it on top. “So I make you nervous, huh?”
Turning away, I clarify, “Now you’re putting words in my mouth.”
“I can stop that nervous twitch if you let me.”
When his thumb moves back and forth, those butterflies stir once more. How does he do this to me? I lower my head hiding another blush. Blaze makes me feel different somehow, not like other guys have.
Blowing a breath out, I look at him wanting nothing more than to oblige him, but I told myself I was taking a break and I need to stick to it.
But watching him bite the inside of his lip has me rethinking my decision. Inch by inch he leans closer, causing a chain reaction inside my own body, easing me forward until we stop.
“You. Are. Beautiful.” He whispers.
When I feel his breath on me, I flutter my eyes before closing them with anticipation. Blaze’s warm lips touches mine. The world stands still as I memorize every move he makes while our lips get to know each other. Floating in the clouds, I realize I’m in uncharted territory. I don’t fall for guys like him, not to mention a guy I haven’t dated.
Our first kiss ends as sweetly and thoughtfully as it began—it’s like I’m sixteen again, being kissed for the first time. His easy, unassuming ways stupefy me.
He eases himself back as the wind blows a piece of my hair in front of my face. Blaze traces his finger across my forehead moving it out of the way.
“That was the best part of my vacation so far, other than the day I realized we were neighbors.”
“Why would you want to live next door to the woman who despised you?” I wrinkle my forehead.
Looking away, he doesn’t answer right away but finally says, “I uh, saw your other side. The sweet, vulnerable, and relatable side.”
“And when was that?”
Blaze sighs. “At the hotel…after you ran out of the restaurant and couldn’t catch your breath.”
I sit tall glaring at him. “That—that was you? The guy with the baseball hat? I knew there was something about your eyes that was familiar. Why didn’t you tell me when we met?”
He tips his chin down before looking at me. “Given your first impression of me I was afraid of how you’d react.”
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About the Author
Freda was born in southern New Jersey but grew up in Florida. She has loved writing her entire life. After retiring from a career in law enforcement, she knew it was time to fulfill her lifelong dream of being a published author.
She's the author of The Hawaii Series, proudly named from her love of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands. It's a three-book series with all of them written as standalone books.
Freda loves her large family, horses, dogs, cat, and close friends. She hosts monthly family dinners at her home in the country, which she shares with her husband.
She loves baking (she owned and operated a cupcake business for years), cooking, yoga, crocheting, nature and traveling with the love of her life.
What helps her write? Music makes her happy! If music doesn't give her the right motivation, she puts on a romantic movie, usually from the Hallmark Channel, which she can't get enough of!
Freda speaks her mind and pushes perfection to its limit. She strives to be her best, most positive self she can be in life. With time, determination, and practice, she believes anything is possible.
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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17264005.Freda_Ann
