Sunday, December 8, 2013

Rock and Roll and Romance Meets the Holidays AND a Giveaway !!

Welcome back for the final installment of my Rock and Roll Holiday posts. As I mentioned earlier, I'm a lover of old time rock and roll, specifically the 1950s and 1960s, a time period that inspired my series, The Golden Decade of Rock and Roll, from The Wild Rose Press. The latest release in the series is 1958's April Love, inspired by Pat Boone's beautiful song.


Eleanor Martin is every company's dream employee. She arrives early, stays late and never misses a day. If it weren't for Eleanor's skill as a private secretary, her architect boss would never make a deadline. Not only does she keep him on track, she runs interference between him and his over-bearing mother, his deadbeat brother, and the half dozen or so women who want to bed him and/or wed him.

When Jess Norton acquires a new client who asks him to build a palatial hideaway on Grand Cayman Island, Jess is certain he'll never be able to complete the multi-million dollar job without the help of his efficient secretary.  Despite her reservations, he convinces Eleanor to accompany him on the assignment of a lifetime.


The sun and the sand cast the perfect spell for romance. But will the tides turn in the opposite direction?

Excerpt:
Jess sat at the breakfast table the next morning, his back to the wall, his gaze set on the entrance way to the cafĂ©. Eight-thirty, their set meeting time and still Eleanor had not arrived. She’d never, ever been late before and, not for the first time since last night he cursed himself for his moment of weakness.

He’d watched her as she’d left the cabin on her way to the beach, startled to realize that under those stuffy suits she wore, Eleanor possessed a body most women would envy. Long legs, adequately definable hips, a small waist, and breasts lush enough to fill a man’s hands. Her charmingly unruly hair had glistened like a shiny cloud of curls in the dying sun. He’d told himself right then and there to turn back to his work and away from the window. And he had, for all of five minutes.

Then, like the idiot he was, he’d donned his own suit and followed her into the ocean. He certainly hadn’t intended to kiss her, at least not consciously. Yet, there she’d been, wrapped in his arms, her violet gaze locked on his, her body trembling from fright and he’d taken advantage of the situation, advantage of her. He’d been, in his own estimation, a Class A jerk.

Drawn from his self-deprecation by the sound of voices near the hostess’ desk, Jess looked up. Eleanor was winding her way through the maze of tables, her expression almost stoic, her professional armor fully in place. Gone was the flirty sundress, replaced by a navy skirt, starched white blouse, string of pearls and her standard-issue, granny tight bun at the back of her head.
Gone was the beautiful woman he’d kissed in the moonlight, replaced by his ever-efficient secretary.

“Good morning,” she said, taking a seat opposite his.

“Good morning.”

The waitress came to pour coffee and deliver menus and Jess welcomed the diversion. He’d not yet decided how to broach his inexcusable behavior, no matter how many times he’d played the evening over in his head. Unfortunately, in place of an acceptable excuse, he’d only found the memory of her kiss, the taste of her lips, and the feel of her body pressed against his own.

“What time are we due at Mr. MacKenzie’s?” she asked.

“Ten-thirty.”

She was offering him a way out, he realized, by jumping right into business. Thankfully, he accepted her unspoken offer. For the time being at least. Eventually, he realized, they would have to address the issue of the kiss.

****

My Social Links: (I'd love a follow or a like!)
Twitter: @nfraserauthor
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004AOL61Y 

And, more of my favorite holiday songs: 

1961: Santa Claus Is Watching You by Ray Stevens (as always, a laugh and a half from Mr. Stevens)
1962: Monster's Holiday by Bobby "Boris" Pickett (a take off on his hilarious Monster's Mash)
1963: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams (while not technically R&R, still an amazingly beautiful song)
1964: The Man With All The Toys by The Beach Boys (and not a surfboard in sight)

Don't forget to leave a comment (including your email) for a chance to win having your name used as a character in book 5 of the series, as well as a digital copy of the book you're named in and a digital copy of the first three books in the series, 1955's Love Is A Many Splendored Thing, 1956's Love Me Tender and 1957's Wake Up Little Susie.

This is it for me today. Please drink, drive and read responsibly!

Happy Holidays!
Nancy


4 comments:

ELF said...

I haven't heard of some of those songs, I will have to look for them. Thanks for the excerpt, sounds like a lovely read.

elewkf1 at yahoo dot com

Nancy Fraser said...

Thanks for coming back for the third installment of the blog. Be sure to come back for my book blast tour on Wednesday when April Love will be up on Amazon for free!

Karen H said...

Tell me, how have I never heard of you before? I must live under a rock. I am a huge fan of '50s rock & roll. In fact, I stopped listening to AM radio when the Beatles hit the American shores. They changed the face of R&R forever and I'm not a fan of what followed. That said, I love the sound of your books...especially since they are named after songs and/or films I loved from my teen years! Gotta go get me some!

Karen H said...

Ooops...forgot my email! Need more coffee!

kareninnc at gmail dot com