From the New York Times bestselling author of the Marked Men books comes the next installment in the Saints of Denver series.
Synopsis
Everyone else in Dixie Carmichael’s life has made falling in love look easy, and now she is ready for her own chance at some of that happily ever after. Which means she’s done pining for the moody, silent former soldier who works with her at the bar that’s become her home away from home. Nope. No more chasing the hot as heck thundercloud of a man and no more waiting for Mr. Right to find her; she’s going hunting for him...even if she knows her heart is stuck on its stupid infatuation with Dash Churchill.
Denver has always been just a pit stop for Church on his way back to rural Mississippi. It was supposed to be simple, uneventful, but nothing could have prepared him for the bubbly, bouncy redhead with doe eyes and endless curves. Now he knows it’s time to get out of Denver, fast. For a man used to living in the shadows, the idea of spending his days in the sun is nothing short of terrifying.
When Dixie and Church find themselves caught up in a homecoming overshadowed with lies and danger, Dixie realizes that while falling in love is easy, loving takes a whole lot more work…especially when Mr. Right thinks he’s all wrong for you.
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CHAPTER ONE EXCERPT
I loved my life. I had a job that I
enjoyed going to every day, and I worked with people I adored and admired. I
was never going to be a millionaire doing what I did, but I was good at it and
most of the time it felt more like spending time with friends than actual work.
I loved and was deeply loved back by my family, even if my younger sister was
an idiot. I had a cute apartment, an active social life, and great freaking
hair.
There wasn’t a lot I could complain
about on a day-to-day basis and things that did get under my skin were things I
had a hard time explaining to anyone that didn’t grow up knowing love at first
sight was real and that when you found the other half of your heart life was
infinitely better.
I was only twenty-six, still plenty
of time to live life and settle down, but I felt ancient and overlooked when I
compared myself to my younger sister. She’d found the fairy tale our parents
had laid out for us when she was still in high school and I got nothing but
lonely nights and a string of dates so bad no one believed me when I tried to
tell them how awful they really were.
I jolted when there was a knock at
the door behind me, making my ears ring since my head was still resting against
the wood. Dolly growled low in her throat when she felt me tense up, so I put
my hand on the top of her broad head and used the peephole to see who was
interrupting my pity party.
My new neighbor, the girl who moved
like a ghost and spoke so softly I often had to struggle to hear what she was
saying, stood on the other side. Poppy Cruz, quiet, withdrawn, but so sweet and
smitten with my dog. I’d totally leveraged that love she had for my pet into a
budding friendship that Poppy was obviously reluctant to have.
I knew some of her history through
stories from her friends and family who were all regulars at my bar, so I was
careful not to push too hard even though all I wanted to do was cuddle her and
tell her the clouds have to part on even the darkest of days. She was
comfortable enough with me now to knock on my door well past the acceptable
visiting hours, so there was no way I was going to leave her standing in the
hall, even if that meant my wine and sob-fest were further delayed.
I pulled the door open and Dolly
immediately lunged for the visitor on the other side. Poppy was willowy but she
had no trouble bracing for the impact from the dog and she seemed just as
excited to receive the slobbery kisses as Dolly was to give them.
“I heard you talking out in the
hallway and I just wanted to see how your date went. It didn’t sound like it
ended on the best note.” Her quiet voice drifted to me as I shook my head and
snorted.
“It didn’t start on a great note
either. He showed up with his mom, can you believe that? I need a glass of
wine, do you want one?”
She wrinkled her delicate nose and
wrestled the big dog into the apartment so she could shut the door behind her.
“I don’t drink, but thank you.”
She didn’t do much of anything. The
product of a very strict and religious upbringing, Poppy was as straight and
narrow as one could get. She’d suffered severely at the hands of a man her
father had handpicked for her and it was clear that every single day was one
more step in the process of healing from that.
“I forgot. I’m in the bar so often I
forget that there are humans in this world that can cope without alcohol.” I
lifted an eyebrow at her and made my way into the kitchen. “I’m not one of
them.”
She laughed lightly like I meant her
to and followed me into the tiny galley-style kitchen.
“So his mom?” Her eyes were the color
of hot cider and they gleamed with gentle humor. She was impossible not to like
and as much as I wanted a different life for myself I also wanted one for her.
I hated that her history was so ugly, but I loved that she’d survived it and
was pushing herself to live beyond her experiences. That was beautiful and hinted
at an inner strength her delicate appearance kept hidden.
I snorted again and rolled my eyes.
“I thought the guy that took off halfway through the date with my wallet was as
bad as it could get. I was wrong. Really wrong.”
Want to read all of Chapter One from RIVETED? Follow along with the tour here!
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Jay Crownover continues her Saints of Denver series with Riveted, available February 14th, 2017
Give yourself a Valentine's Day gift in advance...Preorder and fill out the form here: https://a.pgtb.me/t0JkQX
Pre-order Riveted today and on February 14th, you'll also receive a glossy Saints of Denver poster and an exclusive first-look at Chapters 1 and 2 of Avenged, her forthcoming Mackenzie Family novella.
Avenged combines the grit of Saints of Denver series with the all-out heat of The Point series with a mind-blowing, mystery, yet-to-be-revealed, couple combining both of these worlds. Be one of the first to find out who it is, pre-order Riveted today.
Posters will be mailed the week of February 14th and Avenged chapters will arrive via email.
About Jay Crownover
Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men, The Point, and the Saints of Denver series. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.
