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Sunday Snippet – ICING ON THE CAKE – Don’t Take This The Wrong Way
Happy Sunday, all. Time for another snippet from ICING ON THE CAKE. I love Curtis & Sara, I hope you do too. (You can catch up on previous excerpts here.)
And don’t forget to check out all the Sunday snippet participants over at Weekend Writing Warriors.
She turned sideways on her seat to better face him. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but why don’t you have a wife, or a steady girlfriend, at least?”The question elicited an amused snort from the hunky driver. “Is there a right way to take a comment that starts with ‘don’t take this the wrong way’?”
“Good point. Okay, so you’re hot, you seem nice enough, and you have a wicked car that’s almost as cool as mine,” she paused for another grunt-like laugh from the driver’s side of the vehicle. “You’re a cop, which most women seem to lose their ever-loving minds over. But you’re older than Conn, meaning you’re nearing the end of your peak years, and you’re still unattached. I guess the real question is—what’s wrong with you?”
“Oh man. Glad I didn’t take your original question the wrong way.”
ICING ON THE CAKE is available for just $2.99 from:
Amazon • All Romance • iTunes • B&N • more
Blurb
Nia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.
One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.
But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up…
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Coming Soon — GIFT WRAPPED
I wish I was one of those organized writers with carefully plotted schedules and plans that they stick to. Maybe one day. (Those who know me best are now rolling with laughter.) But since I’m not that kind of writer, I decided to work like a maniac and finish up a holiday story now, so you can enjoy some sexy Christmas fun with Brinn & Davis this fall. 🙂
Coming Soon to heat up your e-readers… GIFT WRAPPED
And for some extra fun, here’s an (unedited) excerpt:
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Sunday Snippet – ICING ON THE CAKE – Pump It
It’s Sunday snippet time, part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme.
This week’s fun follows shortly after last week’s excerpt. (Catch up on all the snippets from ICING ON THE CAKE here.) Curtis is driving Sara’s car, and he has pulled into a gas station because her tank is almost empty.
“I’ll pump it,” she said, going for the door handle.
He caught her arm and pulled her toward him. “Save your pumping for later.”
She rolled her eyes, though clearly for effect. Her smile gave her away, whether she’d intended it to or not. “It’s my car. I can pump my own gas.”
“Not while I’m around.” He hopped out, grabbed the doorframe and leaned back into the vehicle. “Unless you’re wearing short-shorts, high heels and a bikini top. Then I’m going to insist that you pump the gas. While I supervise, of course.”
“Oh my god, dude. Cliché much?”
“There’s a reason clichés exist, babe. They work.”
Don’t you just love Curtis? I know I do. 🙂 Get all of him now:
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Blurb
Close to Home series • Book 2
Nia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.
One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.
But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up…
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Sunday Snippet – ICING ON THE CAKE – Take A Walk
Welcome to the Sunday Snippet, an eight-sentence excerpt brought to you as part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme.
We’re with Curtis & Sara from ICING ON THE CAKE, Book 2 of the Close to Home series. They’re in Sara’s car, after she fled their siblings’ wedding rehearsal party. Catch up with past snippets here.
He took his eyes off the road to give her the raised-eyebrows look—apparently a Lawler-family trait. “Jealous that your sister beat you to the walk down the aisle?”“Hell no. I’d rather do the walk of shame.”
His deep, husky laugh filled the car and he smiled. A sexy-as-fucking-sin smile that brought her nipples to a full salute. “Sounds like the better walk to me. Maybe you want to take one tomorrow?”
ICING ON THE CAKE is available now for just $2.99
Amazon • B&N • iTunes • Kobo • All Romance • more
Blurb
Nia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.
One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.
But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up… -
Sunday Snippet – ICING ON THE CAKE – Warning
Happy Sunday! Time for another snippet from ICING ON THE CAKE, coming to you as part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme.
This bite follows not too long after last week’s offering. (Catch up here if you haven’t been following Curtis & Sara’s story.) Still at the wedding rehearsal party held at her parents’ home, Sara decides to follow Curtis when he and a handful of their family members wander out of sight. Curtis’ older sister, Lindsay, join Sara, suggesting the group may have gone around back to admire Curtis’ vintage ’67 Mustang.
“I keep telling Curtis if he gave a woman half the attention he invests in his car, he might find himself with an actual girlfriend instead of a little black book full of crossed-out names.”“Maybe that’s why he focuses on the Mustang.”
“Sad but true. Unlike Conn, my other brother does not want to be caught.”
“If you’re trying to warn me off, Lindsay—no need.”
“Really?” Lindsay gave Sara the raised-eyebrow treatment. “Because a person would have to be not only blind, but utterly sensory deprived to miss the ‘I’m not sure if I want to dropkick you or fuck you’ looks you two have been shooting each other.”
Blurb
Nia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.
One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.
But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up…
Psst… I’m currently working on Book 3 in the ‘Close to Home’ series, which is Lindsay’s story! CHERRY ON TOP is set to release in January 2015.
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Sunday Snippet – ICING ON THE CAKE – Are You Coming
Welcome back for another bite from ICING ON THE CAKE. The Sunday snippet comes to you as part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme.
Today’s excerpt follows directly after last week’s. Curtis and Sara have arrived at her parents’ place for Conn & Nia’s wedding rehearsal party, and they’re still, um, interacting in the driveway. 😉
Tires crunching over gravel and the accompanying toot of a horn interrupted whatever saucy thing would likely have flown from Sara’s lush, red lips. Instead, she pushed past him, brushing her tits against his arm and copping a feel of his groin in the process.She paused and looked back when he didn’t trail after her. “Are you coming?”
Curtis snagged the bottle of Scotch from his trunk, closed it and caught up with her in two strides. One hand positioned on the small of her back, he leaned in close to her ear. “When we’re naked later, babe, you won’t have to ask — you won’t even be able to ask, because you’ll be moaning my name at the time.” He smacked her ass hard enough to make her jump, then abandoned her to join his brother on the Chambers’ deck.
Want more? Get it now for just $2.99:
Amazon • All Romance • iTunes • Kobo • B&N • more retailers
Blurb
Close to Home series • Book 2
Nia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.
One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.
But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up…
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Sunday Snippet – ICING ON THE CAKE – Restraint
Time for another Sunday snippet, brought to you as part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme.
If you’ve been following along, we’re with Curtis & Sara from ICING ON THE CAKE, Book 2 of the Close to Home series. The two met for the first time at their siblings’ wedding rehearsal, and sparks certainly flew between them…the good and bad kinds. It was Sara’s job to lead Curtis to her parents’ house for the rehearsal party, and after somewhat of a back-roads chase, they’ve arrived.
“You kept up,” Sara said as he rounded his car and popped the trunk.“You didn’t want to lose me, admit it.”
She admitted nothing, just stared up at him wearing a defiant, sexy smile. “Exceeding the speed limit, failure to stop, reckless driving. I’m shocked at your blatant disregard for the law…maybe I should make a citizen’s arrest.”
“Go for it. You’ll have to hold me until an officer arrives—think you could?” He moved closer, still keeping hands off, yet essentially pinning her to the vehicle. “I, for one, would enjoy your attempt to restrain me. Very much.”
Want more of the alpha cop & snarky badgirl?
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BlurbNia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.
One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.
But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up…
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Sunday Snippet – ICING ON THE CAKE – Bad Behavior
Welcome back for another Sunday snippet, part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme. This week’s bite-sized excerpt is from ICING ON THE CAKE, Book 2 of the Close to Home series. (Catch up on previous snippets here.)
Consummate badgirl Sara is the maid of honor at her sister’s impending fairytale wedding. Curtis is the groom-to-be’s tall, dark & tattooed brother, aka the best man, and unfortunately for Sara, he’s also a cop. And we all know cops & badgirls don’t mix…
Curtis caught her arm when she tried to spin away. He met her narrowed gaze with an unwavering stare of his own. “Just making sure everything goes smoothly for my brother. And your sister.”She yanked, and his fingers tightened around her wrist. “By handcuffing me to six feet of good behavior?”
“Six-two. And babe, if and when I put the cuffs on you, you can count on my behavior being very, very bad.”
Now available in ebook & print:
Amazon • B&N • Kobo • iTunes • All Romance • More Retailers
ICING ON THE CAKE
Nia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.
One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.
But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up…
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Lisa Carlisle—New Release
I met author Lisa Carlisle at EC’s annual RomantiCon convention. She’s adorable & a lovely person. She has a new release this week, so let’s check it out!
Better Than Cake by Lisa Carlisle
After the worst fight of their relationship, the last place Stephanie wants to be is a wedding reception. She still can’t get over what happened. Could their five years of marriage be destroyed after a blast of heated words? Johnny suggested separating. Separating! Now with her marriage on the line, she has to put on a brave face and pretend love is grand.
Johnny doesn’t know why he’d freaked out the way he had and is left with one emotion. Regret. He doesn’t want to lose Stephanie. He must find her and make things right.
Stephanie enters the reception, fearing the end of her marriage. Johnny has something else in mind—a much more decadent proposal that will turn her friend’s wedding into an event they’ll never forget.
A short erotic romance for only 99 cents!
Amazon ◊ B&N ◊ Kobo ◊ All Romance
An Excerpt from Better Than Cake by Lisa Carlisle
Who gets ditched at a wedding? Stephanie paused and took a deep breath before walking into her friend’s reception. Something like this could only happen to her.
Ditched wasn’t a strong enough description. “Maybe we should try separating.” Johnny’s words echoed in her mind, lashing her psyche raw with repetition.
Separating! She closed her eyes. Unthinkable.
It’s okay. You can do this. Stick it out for a couple of hours and then you can deal with the mess.
How would she explain her husband’s sudden absence? He was at the ceremony, but wouldn’t be at the reception. What would be a reasonable explanation? They were spending the weekend here in Cape Cod so it would be tough to feign a work or family excuse.
Illness. Yes, something about seafood. That would be plausible at a seaside resort. Food poisoning. She had an excuse—but it didn’t make her feel any better about the situation.
Beyond the Sea wafted out from the ballroom, appropriate for this Cape Cod seaside resort. She glanced up at the imposing exterior of the multi-level hotel. Her hand trembled so she clutched her silver purse tighter. She raised her chin to steel herself and entered the hotel.
Stephanie scanned the place settings to find hers. Mr. and Mrs. John Silvio. Table nineteen. She dropped her purse to her side, but her fingers still clenched it. The last place she wanted to be after a killer argument with her husband was a wedding. She forced herself to enter the reception area, squeezing through all those decked in suits and evening gowns. Searching the table numbers for nineteen, she followed them to the back of the room. She guessed she’d be furthest from the head table, since she was neither family nor close friend, but an old college roommate of the bride. She made her way to the back of the room, braved a smile, and introduced herself to the couples already seated.
“Hi. I’m Stephanie.”
“Elaine,” a heavyset woman with puffy blond hair said. “You’re alone?”
Great. Just fantastic. Starting right with the topic she wanted to avoid. “Yes. My husband couldn’t make it tonight. Something he ate earlier,” she babbled. “Probably the shellfish.” She shrugged.
The others introduced themselves as she sat down and peppered her with questions about where they bought the seafood. A few shared their stories of food poisoning.
It was going to be a long night.
Once the attention was off her, she replayed the fight for what had to be the fortieth time since it happened. After a ripple of snide comments evolved into a tsunami of a fight, she stormed away from Johnny and ended up talking to herself like a crazy person as she pounded through the surf.
“Separating? Why does he take a small argument and blow it up into something like this? How could he do this to me at my friend’s wedding? What the fuck!”
A couple of miles later, she had calmed down. It wasn’t all his doing. She was the one who’d dragged them here when he had other plans. Her fury decreased as the sun sank lower in the sky, replaced by a cloak of sadness.
She didn’t want to split up.
Her eyes began to water. How the heck would she make it through the night without breaking down? Her marriage could be over. How long could she sport a brave face before it dropped?
“Excuse me,” she said and hurried into the ladies room. She barely made it through the door before her eyes pooled with tears.
She grabbed tissues and blotted them, fixing her smudged makeup the best she could.
“You can do this,” she told her reflection in the mirror.
As much as she dreaded being at a wedding while her own marriage hung in jeopardy, she had to put her feelings aside for the sake of Caryn. She’d only get married once.
Hopefully.
* * * * *
Johnny caught glimpses of the ocean from the cab and couldn’t help but brood on what he had said to Stephanie down the beach this afternoon. A cold black cloak had surrounded him since, fastened with shackles of regret. The same question echoed in his head ever since.
Why?
Why had he freaked out the way he had? Said the things he had? The day had started out great. They woke up at the bed and breakfast and had the morning free before the ceremony. They’d rented bikes on the Cape Cod Rail Trail and had ridden past sand dunes and shacks, cranberry bogs and duck-filled ponds, villages and pine forests, and even a couple of lighthouses. The scenery was one thing, his beautiful wife riding alongside him something else. He could barely keep his eyes off her lithe body and on the trail.
When they’d stopped to buy sandwiches from one of the beachside shacks and had a picnic lunch on the beach, things were still good. It wasn’t until after the seaside wedding ceremony this afternoon that he’d opened his mouth and all kinds of stupid fell out. And for what? Something trivial, not something to throw away a marriage over.
Their argument had stirred weeks before. He resented her for dragging him to a wedding when he’d already had plans for his monthly camping trip with his buddies, He had stormed about it for days, but downright exploded on the beach earlier. Telling her she was too controlling, she shouldn’t speak for him and make him cancel his plans to do something she wanted. How his outdoor trips were how he decompressed from work and if she didn’t get it by now, she didn’t get him. She’d countered, saying he used the same justification for his softball games, and sometimes he had to suck it up and act like an adult. Snide comments had escalated into verbal jabs. Past grievances were drudged up as their defenses rose. Accusations flew, growing uglier, and digging up past perceived injustices, until finally, he had suggested a trial separation.
He still wasn’t sure why he’d said it. A heat of the moment incident, blurting out something to end the fight with something he didn’t even mean.
Her shocked expression had turned to one of hurt as she blinked back tears. Then she’d lashed back at him. “If you’re so shallow and selfish that you consider a weekend away from your buddies such brutality, then yeah, maybe we should.”
When she had stormed away from him across the beach, he had turned away thinking to hell with her and pounded through the sand in the opposite direction. It wasn’t until he had turned back several minutes later to see she was gone that he realized he might have made the biggest mistake of his life.
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About the Author
Lisa loves stories with dark, brooding, isolated characters and tough, independent, caring heroines. Her reading tastes very widely and she’ll read almost anything—especially mysteries, romance, and non-fiction on any new topic of interest.
She is thrilled to be a multi-published author writing since she’s wanted to write since the sixth grade. Her travels and many jobs have provided her with inspiration for novels, such as serving in the Marine Corps in Okinawa, Japan, backpacking alone around Europe, or working as a waitress in Paris. Her love of books inspired her to own a small independent book store for a couple of years.
Lisa lives in New England with her husband and their children. She spends her days writing for corporate clients and her evenings writing stories and novels.
Visit her website for more on books, trailers, playlists, and more:
Sign up for her newsletter to hear about new releases, specials, and freebies:
www.lisacarlislebooks.com/subscribe/
Lisa loves to connect with readers. You can find her on:
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Sunday Snippet – ICING ON THE CAKE – When Curtis Met Sara, Part 2
Welcome back. 🙂 The Sunday snippet is part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme, so click over there for a list of participants when you’re done here.
This week’s offering follows directly after last week’s bite-sized excerpt from ICING ON THE CAKE. If you missed it, take a quick peek to catch up. 😉
His eyes twinkled and the corner of his mouth twitched. “Curtis Lawler, Conn’s older brother.” He didn’t offer a hand to shake—just stepped closer, completely invading her personal space. “And you’re Sara.”“Figured that out on your own, detective, or did they show you my mug shot in advance to make things easier?”
“It’s Constable first class, but that’s a mouthful, even for one that works as well as yours. Probably easiest if you call me sir.”
“Never going to happen, lawman.”
“Never’s a long time,” Curtis’ gaze locked with hers and a wicked smile curved his sensual lips, “and for the record, I’m not a patient man.”
ICING ON THE CAKE available now in digital & print
Amazon • B&N • More Retailers
Blurb
Nia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.
One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.
But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up…
