The Bad Boy of Butterfly Harbor
(Butterfly Harbor #1)
by Anna J. Stewart
Adult Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 368 pagesby Anna J. Stewart
Adult Contemporary Romance
1st 2015 by Harlequin Heartwarming
Can people truly change?
Two things keep Holly Campbell grounded: her precocious son and preserving her forty-year-old family diner in the face of expansion and change. She doesn't need a blast from the past like Luke Saxon, who's back in Butterfly Harbor after more than a decade away. The hard-luck kid who nearly destroyed her family, leaving her to pick up the pieces, is taking over as sheriff. She can't trust him, even if Luke's ideas for the town's upcoming anniversary seem to show he's trying to give back to their community. Has Butterfly Harbor found its unlikely savior? And has the widowed single mother finally found a man she can believe in, rely on…and love?
Excerpt #6
The wind picked up and whipped her ponytailed hair around her face. She braced herself for being soaked to the skin before she got anywhere near her father’s front yard. She increased her pace, hoofing it down Monarch Lane all the way to the abandoned community center that hadn’t seen any activity in years. By the time she crossed the road and headed up the hill, the rain was coming down in plumes, preventing her from hearing anything but the cacophonous drops hitting the cement like tiny jackhammers. The lightning and thunder added their mocking two cents and pounded in her ears.
“Holly!”
Luke’s voice exploded beside her and she yelped. She jumped back and avoided toppling into Mrs. Clancy’s prized flower bed. “What?” She pressed a hand against her hammering heart. “Luke, what the—”
“Get in the truck!” Lightning split the air as the sky thundered.
“Woof!” The sparkling-clean retriever shoved his head between Luke’s arms on the steering wheel.
“I’m not going far.” She regained her footing and started up the hill again, but her father’s house felt miles away.
“I’m fine.”
Rain pinged off the roof of his cab as he kept pace beside her. She gnashed her teeth. The last thing she needed was Luke Saxon coming to her rescue. What karmic wrong had she committed—
“You’re headed to your dad’s, right?” Luke called. The hair on the back of her neck prickled. She sped up and crossed the street. How did he know where she was going?
“For the love of—” Luke slammed on the brakes, shoved open the creaky door and got out. A lightning bolt blasted down and struck the oak twenty feet in front of her.
“Holly!” The crack and thud of the huge branch had her falling solidly into Luke. His hands gripped her arms, hauling her away from the crackle and pop of power lines as the branch thudded on to the road and settled against the wind. The smell of ozone singed her nose and she choked.
“Now will you get in the—”
“Yeah.” She shuddered, her brain going fuzzy as electricity zinged around her. Another couple of seconds and she could have been under that branch. She shrugged off his hold despite the comfort his hands provided. “You win.
The wind picked up and whipped her ponytailed hair around her face. She braced herself for being soaked to the skin before she got anywhere near her father’s front yard. She increased her pace, hoofing it down Monarch Lane all the way to the abandoned community center that hadn’t seen any activity in years. By the time she crossed the road and headed up the hill, the rain was coming down in plumes, preventing her from hearing anything but the cacophonous drops hitting the cement like tiny jackhammers. The lightning and thunder added their mocking two cents and pounded in her ears.
“Holly!”
Luke’s voice exploded beside her and she yelped. She jumped back and avoided toppling into Mrs. Clancy’s prized flower bed. “What?” She pressed a hand against her hammering heart. “Luke, what the—”
“Get in the truck!” Lightning split the air as the sky thundered.
“Woof!” The sparkling-clean retriever shoved his head between Luke’s arms on the steering wheel.
“I’m not going far.” She regained her footing and started up the hill again, but her father’s house felt miles away.
“I’m fine.”
Rain pinged off the roof of his cab as he kept pace beside her. She gnashed her teeth. The last thing she needed was Luke Saxon coming to her rescue. What karmic wrong had she committed—
“You’re headed to your dad’s, right?” Luke called. The hair on the back of her neck prickled. She sped up and crossed the street. How did he know where she was going?
“For the love of—” Luke slammed on the brakes, shoved open the creaky door and got out. A lightning bolt blasted down and struck the oak twenty feet in front of her.
“Holly!” The crack and thud of the huge branch had her falling solidly into Luke. His hands gripped her arms, hauling her away from the crackle and pop of power lines as the branch thudded on to the road and settled against the wind. The smell of ozone singed her nose and she choked.
“Now will you get in the—”
“Yeah.” She shuddered, her brain going fuzzy as electricity zinged around her. Another couple of seconds and she could have been under that branch. She shrugged off his hold despite the comfort his hands provided. “You win.
USA Today and national bestselling author Anna J. Stewart can't remember a time she didn't have a book in her hands or a story in her head. Early obsessions with Star Wars, Star Trek and Wonder Woman set her on the path to creating fun, funny, and family centric romances with happily ever afters for the independent heroines she writes for both Harlequin and Berkley. Anna lives in Northern California where she deals with a serious Supernatural & Sherlock addiction, surrounds herself with friends and family and tolerates an overly affectionate cat named Snickers (or perhaps it's Snickers who tolerates her).
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Tour Schedule
12/13: Launch
12/17: Christy's Cozy Corners, Katie's Clean Book Collection, Thoughts of a Blonde, & Book Reviews @ Athena
12/20: Grand Finale
Thanks so much for hosting me on the cyber tour!
ReplyDeleteYou're so very welcome, Anna!
DeleteBad Boy of Butterfly Harbor sounds like a pretty good read. Merry Christmas.
ReplyDeleteIt sure does! Merry Christmas to you, too, Cheryl!
DeleteThis does sound like a good book! Thank you for this review and giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
Delete