Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Always (San Francisco Brides Book 1) by Celia Juliano - $0.99 Goodie!

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San Francisco Brides, Book One

The last place Vincente DeGrazia wants to be on Valentine’s Day is at a charity bachelor auction. But he participates to honor the memory of his mother, who died of heart disease when he was a teen. His grandpop, who took Vincente in after his parents’ deaths, pushes him onto the stage with the assurance that Vincente’s dream woman is out there. And when Vincente spots a woman in white—who wins the bid for him—he wonders if Grandpop is right.

Gina D’Angelo comes home to San Francisco with one plan—to save her family’s ailing business by uncovering the truth about the DeGrazias. But her plan goes up in flames when her attraction to Vincente burns out of control. After a night together, Gina and Vincente struggle to discover the truth about each other, and to solve the decades-long conflict between their families. As Vincente realizes he needs Gina in his life, Gina sees that Vincente isn’t the man she thought he was—and they’re ready to fight for their always, together.

125 pages
Heat level: sensual, some graphic language and scenes

San Francisco Brides series:
Ready for You
Book 1: Always
Book 2: Believe
Book 2.5: Mistletoe Magic
Book 3: Dare (coming 2015) 

Excerpt:

She hugged her arms. Seeing her family again only made her more sure of her plan for saving D’Angelo’s Market. She’d grown up there, at Grandpa Frank’s store, helping Grandma Celeste with the baking, serving customers with her father, stocking the shelves and going over the books with her mom. The market was her home, her grandfather’s legacy. Baking had been her tenuous connection to home for the years she’d been gone. Now she wanted more.
Cold?” a man’s deep, intense voice said.
Before she could turn, a soft but weighty coat draped around her shoulders. She warmed but her back tensed. What was she doing? Some stranger was trying to pick up on her—again. This one was doing the gentleman bit. She turned and faced Vincente DeGrazia.
Her body tingled, not from the cold, but from his intensity. His steady gaze took her in, his short black hair and clean-shaven, square-jawed face, along with the tux, made him seem even more the gentleman. His body, almost stocky, but lean, an athlete’s physique, increased the sizzle crackling through her. No. She stepped back, pressed into the railing. Every time she felt this way, it ended in disaster. Because, every time, she’d fallen for cheaters, liars, womanizers.
He ran his finger under his collar. Damn, he reminded her of her favorite actor crush, the guy who’d played Lorenzo Alcazar on General Hospital, all those years ago, when she used to watch with her Grandma Valeria. She turned again and lifted her mask to dab at her eye. She wouldn’t cry, no matter how much she missed Grandma, no matter how far her life had strayed from where she’d dreamed.
Vincente touched her shoulder. She almost gasped from the sensation—a lit fuse speeding its way to exploding.
You okay?” He sounded genuine, concerned.
She gripped the railing. No way was she going to fall for his deception. She knew about men like him and his corrupt, immoral family. He was a mobster, a lowlife gangster. Talk about life imitating art—that’s just the kind of guy fictional Lorenzo Alcazar was. But he’d also been smoking hot, intense, ready to do anything, risk anything, for the people he loved.
She slid the mask back on. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Like hell she was. She was practically drooling over Vincente. So she hadn’t had sex in almost a year. “I thought the dates didn’t start until later.”
It was hot in there.”
She turned in time to see him shrug. He shoved his hands in his pockets. Was he uncomfortable? Good, better to have him off-balance.
I didn’t realize this was a masked ball,” he said in an offhand tone, but the way his lips curved slightly, she figured he was trying to tease her.
I’m a woman of mystery,” she said.
He laughed. She hugged her arms to herself to keep from trembling at his deep, rich laugh. Making him laugh—and enjoying the sight and sound—was not part of her plan.

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