Today I have a special guest blogger, Sandra Sookoo, who is doing her virtual book tour for her new release Hollywood Dreams and Buttercream.
Welcome Sandra.
Thanks for hosting me today, and thanks to the readers who’ve
joined up as part of the Hollywood Dreams
and Buttercream virtual blog tour. This is stop #1. Be sure to visit all
stops to better your chance of winning swag!
First, let me introduce myself. My name is Sandra Sookoo. I write
romantic fiction, but over the course of the last year, I’ve primarily focused
on contemporary and Regency romance. My latest book is a sweet contemporary.
I don’t know about you but I’m a sucker for old Hollywood movies.
I’d say anything from the 1950s is my absolute favorite. When I set out to
write this book, I had no idea I would include Hollywood trivia from that time
period. One day, I had an urge to watch The
African Queen, so I called it up on Netflix and became absorbed in the
film. I’d seen it before, of course, and it always stuck with me (especially
since bits of Disney’s Jungle Cruise ride are inspired by it) Anyway, I’m sure
it comes as no surprise Gwynn and Cole watch this movie as part of the Movies
in the Park in this book. It worked out surprisingly well and I’m very pleased
with how it played out. I hope you will be too. (But you have to buy the book
to find out what I’m talking about!)
Here’s the blurb for Hollywood
Dreams and Buttercream:
Sometimes
the sweetest things in life don’t have anything to do with dessert.
Gwynn Flannigan wants respect from her father
and freedom from her big, loud family. The icing on her cake would be to win a
decorating competition hosted by her favorite food magazine writer. Cole
Marshall's one outlet from the stress of business life is writing his Cooking in the Buff feature. Who cares
if he never has time for fun?
The answer for them both lies in the deep
freeze at Sweet Endings, the
struggling ice cream shop Gwynn manages and the one property Cole needs to
secure a big promotion. He’s stuck in Madrigal, Indiana to unravel a knot of
family drama that drives him crazy.
Things heat between Gwynn and Cole on the
competition floor when Cole’s alter ego is revealed. Cake and accusations fly while dreams and
goals are left crumbling. In order to balance family, business, and love, Gwynn
and Cole will need to work together and become partners—in more ways than one.
And here’s an excerpt:
The ring of the smartphone sounded once more, this time with a series
of high-pitched electronic beeps.
"That's it!" Before she could rationally think her plan and
its repercussions through, Gwynn grabbed the offending piece of technology and
shot to her feet. "Get out now." She glanced at the phone, found the
appropriate button, and shut the thing off.
"Not without my phone." Cole stood. He held out his hand,
fingers wiggling. "It's my property and taking it without asking is
stealing."
"So is selling this place without giving me a chance. You, my
father, and my brother are all the same. You never want to hear what I want. You all think a woman couldn't
possibly do anything as well as a man." Her chest heaved from the force of
her passion. "Well guess what, it's a brave new world, buster, and women
are leading us all into the future."
His eyes were as cold as the dead of winter. His hand never wavered.
"My phone, please."
The thrill from intercepting his phone died an early death as a dark
expression crossed his face. The man who stood before her was every bit the
arrogant attorney. No trace of compassion leaked into his bearing. He'd take
what he wanted regardless of anything else. Gwynn swallowed past the lump of
sudden fear in her throat. "You can have it back when you start
negotiations for the store."
"There won't be any negotiations."
"We'll see." When Cole lunged for her hand, Gwynn shrieked
and ran behind the counter. Hearing the clatter of his dress shoes against the
tiles behind her, she ducked into the supply room then yanked open the door to
the walk-in freezer.
The frosty interior instantly cooled her heated skin. Gwynn quickly
moved to the far shelf, and then she turned around and held the phone behind
her back. Cole's presence filled the freezer space. His broad shoulders blocked
her view of the door and the florescent light beyond. Her heart raced as he
approached. He didn't stop advancing until his body almost touched hers.
"Give me the phone, Gwynn. It's a vital part of my
business." He inched close enough to slide an arm around her waist in an
attempt to retrieve the smartphone.
"And this shop is my business, so I guess we're at a
deadlock." Her backside pressed against the shelves stocked with frozen
cardboard tubs of ice cream conflicted with her front that was wedged against
the very warm, very hard body of a very angry Cole. In a different world, Gwynn
acknowledged that having such a sexy man trying to feel her up in the freezer,
albeit accidentally, would have been a highlight of her day, but this man was
dangerous. He wanted her job, her livelihood, and he didn't care that she
wanted to fight for it. "You need to leave."
"You need to return my phone." As Cole renewed the fight to
retrieve his phone, his body rubbed against hers for one brief moment -- chest
to chest, hip to hip, thigh to thigh and everywhere in between. Tingles erupted
down her spine, intense and breath-catching. Gwynn caught a whiff of his
cologne, a mix of cedar and citrus. She tamped the urge to put her face in the
crook of his shoulder in order to smell him again.
Oh man, he'd be the
perfect vehicle to lick ice cream from. She
shook her head hoping to shove the thought away.
"No." Was it in answer to his question or her inappropriate
thought?
"You're an adult, Gwynn. Such behavior is asinine and
childish."
He sounds like Lyle. Another reason to avoid him. Her desire to annoy refreshed her
anger. She pushed him away. He stumbled back, which gave her enough time to
turn and chuck the phone into an open box of fudge pops on the top shelf. It
landed with a satisfying thud. "Too bad. It's stuck there now, and
technically, you're trespassing on private property." She crossed her arms
over her breasts, hiding the evidence of the cold or her budding arousal. She
didn't want to give him any ideas if her reaction was due to his closeness.
Or give me any
ideas.
"Get out."
"Fine." Cole shoved the fingers of one hand through his
hair. The look he shot her made Gwynn feel like pond scum. "I'll be back
tomorrow morning. Your father had better be here, pen in hand, because whether
you like it or not, I'm leaving town with a signed deed for this property. Your
opinions hold no sway on the transaction."
You can purchase this book at the following locations:
Have we connected on social media
yet? If not, here’s my info. I’d love to talk to you!
Believing
is Seeing blog: http://sandrasookoo.wordpress.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sandrasookoo
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sandra.sookoo
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2931453.Sandra_Sookoo
Giveaway information on this
post: One lucky random commenter will receive a Hollywood Dreams and Buttercream swag pak. Be sure to leave your
contact information.
Thanks, Sandra for that hot excerpt. I can see Gwynn and Cole are going to have a great story.
