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Cover Reveal! Catching Kiera ~ NEW Granite Lake Romance + Exclusive Sneak Peek

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Hello again!
Have you been wondering about the new Granite Lake Romance novel, Catching Kiera?

Your wait is almost over! Catching Kiera will be published on Thursday, June 20th.

Here’s a look at the new book cover! I adore the design, and as the author, I love how accurately the cover models represent Kiera Sawyer and Denny Masters.


What do you think? Do you have a favorite cover from the Granite Lake Romance series? Let me know! I would love to hear your opinions and comments. <3

Pre-order your copy of Catching Kiera today – on Amazon

About the book –>

Kiera Sawyer has always been a free spirit at heart. Her wanderlust and campervan take her wherever a new adventure awaits—which is often to the next music festival.

That is until she meets Denny, a biker mechanic whose Viking good looks and bachelor status are well known in the small town of Granite Lake.

Denny Masters was born with a calling to build motorcycles. Contrary to the rumors, he’s not anti-social or anti-women, but he does spend a lot of time in the garage.

That is until he meets Kiera at the grand opening party for Black Bear Brewing.

Unfortunately, it’s Denny’s old acquaintance, Jolene, who introduces them—and drunken shenanigans and miscommunication do not make for the start of a solid relationship.

While Denny tries to catch Kiera’s attention, Jolene doesn’t seem to be able to take no for an answer. Thankfully, Denny is heading to Motor and Metal Fest where he can sell bikes and get to know Kiera better.

A road trip and a music festival with a gorgeous, intriguing, and fun woman makes Denny believe the pieces of his life are finally coming together.

But Kiera isn’t being totally upfront about her personal life—or her relationship with her boss, Ash Wilde, the CEO of the company.

Will Denny and Kiera stick together through a tangle of misfortunes, a love triangle Kiera never saw coming, and Jolene’s stalker tendencies, or will they lose the trust, hope, and love they’ve found in each other?

**A drama-packed, fun, page-turning wild ride filled with heartfelt, steamy romance and traveling the world—because catching Kiera is a love worth fighting for.

**This book contains mature language and romantic scenes.

**Catching Kiera is a stand-alone novel. However, some of the characters in this book are also in the other Granite Lake Romance novels.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  Exclusive Excerpt  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Through the summer, Denny watched Bodie Everett and his brothers remodel and update his father’s old bar, Floyd’s Tavern. From day one, Denny followed their progress as the Everetts stripped and replaced the siding off the exterior, gutted the interior, worked on the roof, upgraded the deck, and replaced just about everything inside and out of the old biker bar. But the surreal moment of entering the newly renovated building hit him on a level he’d not experienced before.

He practically grew up inside this building and now, with all the changes, he hardly recognized the place. It was too bad his father hadn’t come back to town for the grand reopening. His dad would have liked what the Everett brothers had done with the place. The updated interior had a rustic yet modern look about it. The beer couldn’t be better, and from the appetizers he’d tasted, he was destined to become a regular customer.

Growing up with a biker father had its perks and its pitfalls. Denny appreciated his freedom to do what he wanted whenever he wanted but his childhood wasn’t what most people would envy.

Too many memories cluttered his mind as he finished drinking a dark stout while listening to the band. The visit down memory lane wasn’t the purpose of attending the night’s party. He wouldn’t dwell on the past, but he didn’t disparage the nostalgia either.

Denny ordered a shot of Macallan Scotch whisky with a beer back from a passing waitress. Tonight, he celebrated with new and old friends. He reminisced over the past and looked forward to the future. His custom motorcycle business was doing better than ever, and thanks to his old friend, Treasure Vogle, renting her building to him, he had a new shop that could grow his business and provide a place to live. Denny had plenty to celebrate.

He glanced at the door that led to the deck overlooking the lake, and that’s when he saw her. He knew he’d never met her before because he would have remembered. She walked inside and smiled right at him.

Her kind, warm eyes and lovely face appealed to him first, but when he saw the rest of her, she was the whole package, from the strawberry blonde hair to the boots on her slender feet. Not many women caught his eye these days. Not that Denny lived like a monk… Okay, maybe he lived like a beer drinking, solitary, garage monkey, gear head most of the time, but he wasn’t a total recluse.

In all honesty, it had been a while since he’d been with a woman. Dating didn’t come easily or naturally for him. Most of the time, Denny found that women who were interested in him made the first move, and he didn’t object to having the attention of a pretty lady. But all too often, his girlfriend would try to move in with him before they truly knew each other, or she wanted him to play dad to their kid, or she didn’t care for the number of hours he spent in the garage. Eventually, they disappeared from his life—sometimes after blowing up and yelling at him for being him, or for not changing to suit their needs.

This woman, however, might call for an actual first move made on his part. He couldn’t remember ever wanting to speak to someone so strongly before. Damn. Denny ran his fingers over his scalp. Uncertainty fogged the inside of his head and made thinking difficult. His mojo fled the scene and left him hanging. This was an instant problem. Denny’s heart rate picked up as he wondered what the hell he was going to say to this babe.

She was probably way out of his league. Would she wrinkle her nose at the first sight of his grease-stained hands? It’d happened before. Some women didn’t like him because of his job. Well, screw that. Any person who thought they were better than him because he knew how to build a motor or restore a vintage Harley could piss off.

Yet the way she moved was so fluid and alluring. The tug on his loins wouldn’t be ignored. The gracefulness of her body caught his attention and he felt like he was being stalked by a panther, but it was a good thing. Her exposed neck and the top of her shoulders caught his gaze and led to imaginings that needed to be further explored. But it was her face with expressive eyes and inviting mouth that held him totally captivated. He wanted to hear her voice. Nothing was worse than an annoying voice. That was another reason Jolene irritated him. He’d rather have someone prodding his eardrums with tweezers than listen to Jolene say “Denny Bear” one more damned time.

A couple of guys stepped in front of the stunning woman and stopped her from approaching Denny. He sidestepped to clear his view of her, but the waitress reappeared with his drinks. With a drink in each hand, Denny glanced back at the gorgeous babe to make sure he hadn’t lost her in the crowd.

She fiddled with her hands and wore a tight-lipped smile as she said something to one of the men. Her gaze met Denny’s, and if he wasn’t mistaken, her eyes and the corners of her lips softened when they made eye contact.

He’d be damned if she wasn’t just as interested in meeting him as he was her. He had to find out. And the way she edged away from the two dudes said she really wasn’t interested in them.

Man up or get the hell out, his brain ordered. It hadn’t been that long since he’d introduced himself to an available woman, had it? Yes, yes, it had. His internal dialogue was murdering him. He was rusty. That wasn’t even close to being accurate. Denny had no skills in the picking-up-women department. Man, he sucked at this. What was he going to say? Only the worst clichéd lines came to mind. Can I buy you a drink? Are these two dirt bags bothering you, gorgeous? He may as well ask her astrological sign, or better yet, what her cat’s sign was. That ought to seal his celibacy for the next decade.

He watched as she rolled her eyes at dude number one, and with more confidence than he felt, Denny strutted over. “Hey there. The waitress just brought our drinks. Would you like to take them back to our table?”

“I’d love to,” she said and reached for the shot glass. The smile she flashed confirmed his suspicions that she didn’t want to be cornered by these two dip-wads any longer. And better yet, she was looking at him the way he thought.

Denny raised a challenging brow at the two bros. They weren’t altogether pleased about his intrusion, but didn’t question her. He kept up the pretense and led her across the dining room and away from the band where it would be easier to speak and be heard over the music.

Just when his confidence received the small boost by her agreeing to step aside with him, she struck it right back down….

(oooh… a cliffhanger! Yes, I just did that.) You’ll have to read the book to find out how Denny and Kiera’s first encounter turns out.

But seriously, Denny is one of my favorite heroes of all time! He’s sweet but powerful and totally swoon-worth sexy-with both his words and actions. I hope you love him as much as I do.

If you pre-order Catching Kiera, Amazon will deliver the ebook to your device as soon as the book is released! Pre-order by clicking HERE

Thank you for reading!
Cheers,
Jody A. Kessler

Photo credit: Lindee Robinson Photography
Models: Katlin Blake and Evan Cloyd
Cover design by Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear

~ Are you on BookBub? You can follow me on BookBub or leave reviews here: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jody-a-kessler

Or Goodreads

Do You Love Funny, Steamy Romantic Comedies?

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Detecting Autumn released a few weeks ago and I was thinking about some of the fun scenes from the book as I work on the next novel in the series, Catching Kiera.

Today, I thought I would share one of my favorite excerpts from the novel:

But first – the book description – which should help set the stage so to speak on what Detecting Autumn is about:

On the back cover:

“All’s fair in love, war, and romance novels.”
Bestselling romance author, Autumn Alex Monroe lives and works by her misguided credo.

Whether she’s jumping from planes, dating members of the mafia, or falling for the detective who’s trying to find out her true identity, Alex will do anything to write the perfect novel.

Private investigator turned brew master, Shane Everett, is selling his detective agency and moving to Granite Lake to open a brewery with his brothers.

When mafioso, Gabe Moretti, offers Shane easy cash to investigate his girlfriend, the witty and sexy author Alex Monroe, Shane takes the job.

Shane soon discovers that Alex has multiple personas, she’s weird, wild… and totally irresistible.

Plus, she needs Shane’s protection from the sociopathic goon who claims to be her boyfriend.

With Alex’s bizarre sleep disorder, a wedding held at gun point, and their off-the-charts attraction, Shane and Alex will have you cracking up with laughter and swooning over every page.

Excerpt:

“Alex is short for Alexandria,” she said, watching his response.

Shane didn’t hesitate and started typing on his laptop again.

“Are you looking me up? Right in front of me?” she asked.

“I am. It’s not a problem if you don’t have anything to hide,” he said, then added, “You’re named after a school and it’s not in Texas.”

The waitress appeared at the side of the table holding a carafe of coffee. “Would you like a warm up?”

“Please,” Alex said.

She refilled the cups and moved on.

Alex deliberately ignored Shane’s questioning glances and picked up her mug, buying some time before answering. Sweat collected under her arms and the warning bells chimed louder inside her guilt-ridden conscience. She chugged the coffee like it was the shot of inspiration she desperately needed, and promptly burned the ever-loving mother out of her tongue and throat. Hot coffee spurted from her mouth and nose and sprayed across the table.

“Holy monkey hellfire!” She reached for the nearest glass—her coffee-flavored Arnold Palmer—and swallowed the cold tea, then held ice cubes in her mouth to try to squelch the sensation of her tongue being emerged in lava. Tears collected in her eyes and her chest felt tight as she tried to breathe through the pain.

Shane dabbed a napkin against his face, then across the laptop. “Is the coffee a wee bit warm?” he asked.

She nodded. The ice cubes froze her tongue and the roof of her mouth, but the burning wouldn’t stop. Alex swallowed some of the melted ice water and wished it would cure the searing pain in her throat. “Sowree,” she mumbled around the ice.

The waitress appeared again and looked at the wet table and the front of Autumn’s now coffee-stained shirt.

“I think we’re finished here. Can you bring the check?” Shane asked.

They paid and returned to Shane’s 4Runner.

“How’s your mouth?” he asked.

“Nevah betta,” she said almost incoherently. Her tongue felt like it was three times its size and mostly numb. She wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation, but laughing moved her throat, which caused more pain.

“Are you ready to go back to your hotel?” he asked after starting the engine.

“Yass, pleee.” She sounded like a lunatic on a bender.

Her burnt tongue had conveniently gotten her out of the conversation about her identity. Was it a win-win? Based on the damage to her tender tissue, she thought it was more like a lose-win.

They pulled out of the lot and Alex watched for any dark sedans. She didn’t see anything or anyone suspicious.

“I’m concerned about your burned mouth. Third degree burns are serious. I know a little test to help determine if there’s going to be any permanent damage. The test might indicate whether you need to visit a walk-in clinic,” he said conversationally.

She eyed him. Was he serious? “Whaa is it?” Alex needed to stop talking. She didn’t want to make things worse. Anything but a suggestion to buy ice cream was unacceptable.

“If you can say the words, ‘I was born on a pirate ship with a bunch of apples,’ then I think you’re in the clear. Go ahead and try it so we’ll know if we should head to an Urgent Care or not.”

Alex scowled, even though the corners of her mouth twitched with humor. She said as clearly as she could, “I met a pirate ship named Shane who was a total apple.” And it came out sounding exactly like, “I met a pile of shit named Shane who was a total asshole.”

He laughed and the deep resonate sound entered her ears, caressed down the length of her spine like a lover’s tongue, and settled in the apex of her womanhood. Damn. That was not the response she wanted after calling him an asshole. His eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled and his teeth were white, straight, and the tips of his canines were pointed and incredibly sexy. He had a lot of positive checkmarks. She inhaled slowly and decided she needed to find his faults quick, or she was going to make more bad decisions which included Shane Thompson.

“Why don’t you put the wig back on? Just to be safe,” he said.

She reached back onto the floor behind their seats where she’d deposited the wig and picked up the dinosaur head. “We’re switchin’ roles this time,” she mumbled and slipped the T-Rex mask on, then tossed the wig into his lap. She wasn’t sure if he understood her words, but he caught her drift.

“Whatever floats your goat, Alex,” he said, the smile staying in place.

He circled the lot before parking near the rear entrance.

“The tires on my car are fat,” she said, pointing at a red Mini Cooper. “Flat,” she said more slowly this time, but the word still sounded like fat.

“Alex,” Shane said, his smile vanishing and his tone becoming more serious than she’d previously heard from him before.

She couldn’t stand the sound of her swollen tongue, so she gave him a questioning look which he couldn’t see because of T-Rex.

He backed into a parking space and cut the motor. “I’m going to escort you inside and I’m bringing my gun. If you would rather find a new hotel instead, we can do that.”

She gave it some thought before opening the door. Hadn’t she wanted the full mafia experience? She definitely did, and Shane Thompson joining her misadventure was buttercream icing on her danger cake.

She had to collect her belongings from her room, but more importantly, she needed her computer.

Shane finished adjusting the blonde wig on his head, then reached for the floor. He sat back up, holding a small hand gun. He tucked it into the back of his waistband underneath his shirt.

“Concealed carry?” she asked, but it came out all flibberty gibberish because of her tongue.

He seemed to be able to translate. “It’s legal, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“You’re a cop, aren’t you?” she said, but nothing coming out of her mouth sounded right.

“Did you just clear your throat or did you ask to see me…. cock my pistol?” He glanced at his crotch, slid her the side eye, and tilted one eyebrow suggestively. “I don’t usually show and tell on a first date, Ms. Monroe. You ready to do this?”

“Sweet Jesuits, you’re full of yourself,” she mumbled, grabbed her bag, and stepped into the balmy night.

~*~*~*~

If you’d like to read more from Detecting Autumn, the book is available on Amazon in ebook and paperback.

I loved writing Detecting Autumn and I hope to continue writing more romantic comedy in my next series.

Do you have a favorite scene from the book or any of the Granite Lake Romance novels?

I hope you do. You can comment below and let me know!
As always…

Cheers & Happy reading,

Jody A. Kessler

 

By the way, Catching Kiera should be available in April.

99 Books for 99 Pennies – Plus NEWS & More!

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Welcome to September & Thanks for being here!

It’s been a little while since I posted anything new. Summer is a busy time filled with a lot of reading and spending time with my family. However, I somehow managed to finish writing the new Granite Lake Romance!

Although, (sad news) I do not have a definite release date and I am waiting on the cover art. So, the book is done, but there is a long list of steps ahead to get Detecting Autumn published and in front of your lovely eyes.

In case you haven’t started reading the Granite Lake Romance series, you can download a copy of book one – Unwrapping Treasure – for 99 pennies today. AND >>> you can also enter to win some wonderful prizes and gift cards by hopping on over to Bookwrapt. ~~> Please be aware that Unwrapping Treasure is novella length with a nice happy-for-now ending. Genre: Steamy Contemporary Romance

A September Special for you – 99 Books @ 99 Cents Book Fair.

Almost 100 books ON SALE in all genres, romance, sci-fi and fantasy, paranormal romance, historical romance, romantic suspense, mysteries, thrillers, and more.

Plus, check in daily for a chance to win Amazon gift cards or play instant ebook giveaways for one of 12 books being awarded to lucky winners each day.

The book sale and giveaways are located at BookWrapt – CLICK HERE 

September 6 – 12th.

There are some wonderful books by some of my favorite authors for less than a dollar. I hope you will stop by and find some fantastic new books to read.

I will have a release date for Detecting Autumn – Granite Lake Romance – book 5 soon and hopefully a new book cover to share with you as well.

Happy reading,

Jody A. Kessler

P.S.

If you signed up to receive blog posts – thank you very much! – but if you were looking for my free novella – The Call (An Angel Falls)  – and you did not receive it, it is because you need to sign up for the newsletter. – I have both.  HOWEVER – the content between the blog and newsletters are very similar. Newsletter subscribers receive the free copy of The Call and special offers such as joining my Advance Reader Team.

I’m so grateful for each and every one of you. You’re welcome to join my blog and my newsletter or come and go as you please.

I can also save you some time if you missed the freebie and would like to read it. Here is the link to the FREE copy of The Call – An Angel Falls novella 

Genre: Paranormal with ghost hunting – this is a spin off from the An Angel Falls series.

Cheers. Have a great day!   ^_^

Cover Reveal ~ New Granite Lake Romance + GIVEAWAY!

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Would you like to see the cover art for Divining Elise ~ the new Granite Lake Romance?!

About the Book 

Elise Martinez wished her date with destiny didn’t include being run off the road by the most caring, handsome, and intelligent man she’d ever met.

Moving to Granite Lake to manage a bookstore and coffee shop meant Elise could finally leave her haunted past behind, but being a psychic mom to a deaf child has its benefits and downfalls—and her guarded heart isn’t ready for a new romance.

Rob Everett never imagined giving up corporate law to open a brewery with his brothers in Granite Lake would begin with a car accident and the arrival of a surprise baby.

As if being a single dad and starting a new business weren’t challenging enough, Rob can’t get the beautiful, mysterious, and feisty bookstore manager out of his mind.

For Elise and Rob, falling in love is a complicated, sexy, and emotional enterprise.

Mix in a baby, a haunted brewery, craft beer, and a dangerous ex-husband into this recipe of love and their future isn’t as easily divined as the fates would have foretold.

**A steamy, sexy, stand-alone novel with a happy ever after.

**Intended for 18+ for mature language and sexual content.

Preorder is available now: Amazon 

Release date: June 14th, 2018

This week I have a customer appreciation giveaway happening.

One lucky winner will win a $50 Sephora Gift Card. Pamper yourself with beauty products from Sephora including makeup, skincare, fragrance, nail color, haircare and more.

And I’m thrilled about the release of Reclaiming Melanie so I’m still promoting my new Granite Lake Romance. Giveaway ends May 8th, 2018.

The $50 Sephora gift card is hosted by me, Jody A. Kessler, but featured on my good friend’s website, the fabulous BookWrapt.  ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Please read the terms and conditions on the Rafflecopter. No Purchase Necessary.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Please know that I respect your privacy and I’m committed to delivering blog posts that you want. If you are no longer interested in my blog, you can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe button.

The winner of The White Crate Giveaway was Debbie. She has already been contacted by the organizer. Thank you for entering the giveaways!

And thank you for being here!

Jody A. Kessler