Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we're joining Rachel's Random Resources for a stop along their current tour. It stars a work of Contemporary Romance that sounds...scintillating to say the least. *ahem* No, seriously, it sounds like it packs some sizzle and also has a lot of fun...I mean, just look at that cover! Anywho, let's get this bloggy show on the road, and welcome today's title in the spotlight...
by
Diane Louise
About the book...
Suddenly single and unexpectedly poor, it’s definitely safe to say that Alexis Harland is not living the life of her dreams. Although she’s determined that nothing, not one little thing, will stop her return from poverty. Well, almost nothing. Her pride might get in the way a little. And possibly her family. And maybe the fact that she hasn’t got a clue where to start.
Many years ago, Alexis was swept away from life on a caravan park and introduced to a world of riches and glamour. All thanks to a wealthy man who married her, reinvented her… and then dumped her for a younger model at the first sign of cellulite. Now Alexis is stranded, struggling to keep her head above water and her history a secret from her highbrow friends.
As if that isn’t enough for a woman to deal with, one night she comes home to find a sexy man has landed, quite literally, on her doorstep. A man hell-bent on testing everything Alexis thinks she knows about true happiness.
Caught between the life she knows and her blossoming love, can Alexis afford to let go of her unwavering pride, kiss her social status goodbye and accept that stepping back to square one is sometimes a huge leap forward?
Many years ago, Alexis was swept away from life on a caravan park and introduced to a world of riches and glamour. All thanks to a wealthy man who married her, reinvented her… and then dumped her for a younger model at the first sign of cellulite. Now Alexis is stranded, struggling to keep her head above water and her history a secret from her highbrow friends.
As if that isn’t enough for a woman to deal with, one night she comes home to find a sexy man has landed, quite literally, on her doorstep. A man hell-bent on testing everything Alexis thinks she knows about true happiness.
Caught between the life she knows and her blossoming love, can Alexis afford to let go of her unwavering pride, kiss her social status goodbye and accept that stepping back to square one is sometimes a huge leap forward?
~~~ EXCERPT ~~~
4 - Eating out on a Budget
I briefly scan the wine menu to buy time before choosing. The agency has a strict allowance on how much I can spend, and I daren’t go over it, not on my very first secret shopping expedition. I quickly check my email to make sure I hadn’t misread my budget. Nope, my budget really is that small. How am I supposed to analyse the service of a restaurant if I can’t sample their offerings? I reopen the wine list and cast my eyes all the way down, from the highest priced bottles, to the wines that are offered in a carafe, to the large glasses, to the small glasses, all the way down to the ones that would need to pay me to drink them. Nothing. If I drink a glass of something with dinner I’ll not be eating at all. “Just a tap water, please,” I say.
“Sure thing.” She deposits the high-tech note-taking machine away before bouncing off to fetch my water, her ponytail swishing across her back. I know her, it’s the hair. Where do I know that hair?
I discard the wine menu, pick up the food menu, and have palpitations at the prices. Oh my god. Where do they source their meat? The Garden of Eden? How about pizza? That’s out too. Pasta? Out. Salad? What is the dressing made from? The tears of young virgins? Out, out, out. At least the starters are affordable. Raw fennel salad’ll have to do.
“Are you ready to order?” The chirpy waitress places a jug of water decorated with blueberries, mint and pretty balls of ice down in front of me. “I can recommend the steak. It’s marinated in the chef’s secret sauce. I don’t know what he does with it but its magic.” She kisses the tips of her fingers and rolls her eyes, demonstrating orgasmic pleasure to hammer home her point. She’s good.
I pretend to scan the menu one more time before sighing. “Actually, I’m not particularly hungry. Can I please just have the fennel salad?”
She enthusiastically taps the screen of her tablet. “And for your main meal?”
“No, no,” I gulp. This is bloody humiliating. “Just the salad please.”
She blinks at me sympathetically. “Would you like me to request the chef prepares that as a large?”
“Is it extra?” I blink back and she slowly nods. “In that case, no. I’ll have it as is. Thank you.”
“Sure, coming right up.” She bounds away again, but with a little less spring in her step and a lot less swish in her hair. I think she might have realised a tip isn’t on the cards at this table.
About the author...
Diane Louise is a dairy farmer’s wife from the UK who doesn’t know a Holstein from a Hereford.
But what she does know is how to write a funny story. Three years ago she tried to write steamy romance and sucked at it. Honestly, her stiff upper lip made her heroes more wet blankets than wet dreams. With a steely determination to avoid milking the cows, she turned her hand to Romantic Comedy and a star was born. Well, in her mind at least.
Fancy getting to know the woman behind the words?
She hangs around Facebook daily, desperately avoiding housework, and loves nothing more than chatting to fellow lovers of Romantic Comedy over at Di’s Romantic Comedy Club. Or, if you don’t do Facebook, that’s cool, because she also sends a monthly email to her readers, making sure they never miss a new release and sharing behind the scene info about her books. You can join The Monthly Club here.
Romantic Comedy Club
GOODREADS | TWITTER | NEWSLETTER
But what she does know is how to write a funny story. Three years ago she tried to write steamy romance and sucked at it. Honestly, her stiff upper lip made her heroes more wet blankets than wet dreams. With a steely determination to avoid milking the cows, she turned her hand to Romantic Comedy and a star was born. Well, in her mind at least.
Fancy getting to know the woman behind the words?
She hangs around Facebook daily, desperately avoiding housework, and loves nothing more than chatting to fellow lovers of Romantic Comedy over at Di’s Romantic Comedy Club. Or, if you don’t do Facebook, that’s cool, because she also sends a monthly email to her readers, making sure they never miss a new release and sharing behind the scene info about her books. You can join The Monthly Club here.
Romantic Comedy Club
GOODREADS | TWITTER | NEWSLETTER
Special thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources for the chance to bring this tour to you. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, or the author, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today! Be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more bookish fun...
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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