Winter Warm-Up #HopswithHeart

Welcome to the Winter Warm-up Blog Hop!

This season I heat up the holidays with my steamy new series, The Queen Quartette, a riveting saga of secrets, deception, betrayal, and revenge. The fourth and final book in the series, HIS DIAMOND QUEEN, is slated for release 12/30/14 but is now available for pre-order. Check out the excerpt below!

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Excerpt from His Diamond Queen... 

Available for pre-order!
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“I think a Bluetooth would be perfect for you.”

“And why is that?”

“Well, for one thing, you could keep that hideously old phone out of sight.” She wrinkled her nose. “Do they even make flip phones anymore?”

His bark of laughter surprised—and annoyed—her. What was so damn funny?

“God, could you stop being a snob for just one second?”

Her back stiffened and she crossed her arms under her breast, which forced the seatbelt closer against her. “I’m not a snob. I just like nice things. What wrong with that?” Remembering what Mercedes had told her earlier, she echoed, “That doesn’t make me a bad person.”

He laughed again and it only grated more on her nerves. Like everyone else in her life, he obviously didn’t take her seriously.

“No, it makes you a conceited, self-centered snob. There are people out here with real problems and real issues, who could use the money you spend on shoes and bags and whatever else to pay for serious things like rent and food. But only pretty, shiny things matter to you.” He scoffed. “It may not make you a bad person, but it doesn’t make you a very good one either.”

That stung. Rachelle kept her gaze straight ahead, refusing to let him see how much his words hurt. He didn’t know anything about her, and she didn’t appreciate him lumping her into some list that condemned anyone who had money and wasn’t ashamed to show it.

“Just because I have nice things doesn’t mean that’s all I care about. I go to charity events and donate every— what? Why the hell are you laughing?”

“I never understood those so-called charity events. Why throw a party for the already rich just because they are helping those less fortunate than them? Why not just send a check?”

Rachelle narrowed her eyes at him. “No matter what I say, you would never understand.” She may be far from a philanthropist, but at least she made an effort to give back and she wouldn’t let Jay’s self-righteousness make her feel as if she wasn’t doing enough.

“Anyway, what about you and this truck?” She gestured around the wide cabin of the truck. “You obviously like big, shiny things and this thing can’t be good for the environment, but that doesn’t seem to stop you from driving around and killing our ozone layer and you don’t hear me jumping down your throat about global warming and whatnot.”

“I do now,” he muttered. “Besides, it’s not the same thing. I can’t drive just anything. I’m a big guy, princess.” He glanced at her, a sly grin curving his lips. “Whatever I ride needs to be able to handle me.”

Rachelle’s back stiffened and she automatically glanced down at his lap, thankful for the shades that kept her wandering eyes hidden. He may have been talking about his truck but her mind had certainly wandered… He was a big guy. Was all of him proportionate to the rest of him? The thought left her flustered and her cheeks burned.

“Don’t get all shy on me, princess. I was just talking about my truck.”

“I know that,” Rachelle snapped, her face growing warmer. Gritting her teeth at the amusement still plain in his voice, she swung her gaze back to the road that stretched ahead.

“Good. Now if you just sit back and relax, you might enjoy the ride.”



Series sampler now available!

She turned to him again, frowning. If she indeed had a wandering mind, she had him to thank. “I’m not stupid, Jay. I know what you’re really talking about.”

She didn’t miss the sly smirk on his hard-edged face.

“What?” he drawled with false innocence. “I’m just saying, it might look big and rough but it’s nothing you can’t handle.”

She narrowed her eyes. He thought he was so cute. Tightening her arms around herself, she turned away from him and stared straight ahead.

“You’re such a jerk,” she muttered.

He chuckled. "So I've heard."

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I hope you enjoyed the excerpt! What's on the top of your reading list this winter? Leave a comment and enter to win a $5 Amazon gift card. Be sure to visit the Rafflecopter because four lucky commenters will selected! And don't forget to hop on over to the next bloggers.

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