Today I am so pleased to welcome Rosalind Abel to Joyfully Jay. Rosalind has come to talk to us about her upcomingย release, The Palisade. She has also brought along…. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!
Iโm so very happy to be stopping at Joyfully Jay today! Thank you to each of you who are coming by to read an exclusive excerpt from The Palisade.
The Palisade is the first book of the Lavender Shores series. Each of the novels will be able to be read as a stand-alone or as part of the series. Iโm going to let the excerpt and blurb speak themselves, but I will promise you romance, steamy sex, laughter, all the feels, and a happily ever after.
The Palisade is up for pre-order on Amazon and will be on sale through release day, June 20, 2017. It will also be part of Kindle Unlimited.
I canโt wait for you to fall in love with Andrew, Joel, and Lavender Shores.
While there are many steamy sex scenes in the book, I wanted to give you a taste of my of one of my favorite romantic moments, and the one that inspired the bookโs name.
In this scene, Andrew and Joel have spent quite a bit of time together and feelings are growing, but neither is sure if they can trust their emotions. Andrew takes Joel to his favorite location in the world.
Excerpt
The palisade had been my special place growing up. I would go there to think, to dream. To wonder if something was wrong with me when most of the other kids in my graduating class dreamed of leaving our small town and rushing off to San Fran, New York, or a million other cities that had much more exciting things to offer than tiny shops, forests, and cold beaches. I never had those dreams. I tried to make myself. Even attempted rock-star fantasies. They never lasted more than a moment. Hell, Iโd made it a solitary semester in college before rushing home.
The rest of the world was fine, but Lavender Shores was in my blood. In my twenties, Iโd still sit at the top of the palisade, staring out at the sea, and dream of a man coming to town and loving me. Of fulfilling my fantasies of house, home, picket fence, kids, and a dog. Maybe a hamster or two. Though Iโd never admit as a grown man to being such a sick romantic, Iโd picture Sandra Bullock in <em>Practical Magic</em>, casting her spell up to the stars, calling her perfect lover to her. I didnโt have a spell, but Iโd pick the petals from the lavender and toss them over the cliff, watching them fall or sometimes get caught up in the breeze. Each one with a small vision of what I hoped my future would be.
Those fantasies dried up with each little heartbreak and were pounded into dust by the larger ones. But still, Iโd visit the palisade, and for a moment, Iโd feel a manโs strong arms around me. Feel the scruff on his cheek scratch against mine. Maybe that would never happen in real life, but in those moments, in those beautiful, sad moments, that feeling was enough.
As Joel pulled me against him, his warm breath tickling my skin as we watched the rain over the lavender and sinking sun, I held my tears at bay.
Heโd come. Just like the sheriff with his two-colored eyes and his shiny pointed star had answered Sandraโs spell.
Heโd come. Strong arms around my chest, around my heart.
We werenโt on the cliff like Iโd pictured, but this was better. The palisade was there, and we were in a home I loved. Though I knew it would hurt later, hurt so much, I let myself get lost in the illusion that Joel Rhodes was actually my man, and this was our house; we would love, build a home, raise a family, and grow oldโall by the forest, the sea, and the lavender cliffs.
I twisted away from the window and captured Joelโs mouth with mine. Pouring every bit of those years of longing into the kiss. Searing every sensation to my mind. The feel of his large strong hands, one on my neck, the other on the small of my back, pulling me to him, seemingly unable to get me close enough. The sound of small gasps of breath, telling me he was as caught up as I was. My heart soaring higher and freer than Iโd dared to hope.
As we kissed, Joel moved his hands from my neck and back to hold both sides of my face, as his tongue caressed mine with slow exploration. His thumbs smoothing over my skin.
I slipped my hands from under his arms and then up over his shoulders, holding him as close as I could. My mind screamed over and over again. Words I shouldnโt think. Words that made no sense. I couldnโt love him. Not really. Even in that moment of magic, I knew they werenโt true. I didnโt know him enough to love him. If I spoke those three words out loud, the magic would break, and Iโd be alone at the window. Just me and my palisades.
The kiss went on. And on. Both of us rock-hard against each other, but neither reaching down, somehow knowing that too would break the spell. So we kissed. As the shower outside became a downpour, beating a heavy rhythm on the roof and windows, casting one more charm over us.
The kiss went on. While hands roamed over bodies.
While time stood still and my heart slipped away.
Until at last, Joel broke the kiss and looked into my eyes. To my amazement, the spell didnโt break. His thumbs continued their caress, his body stayed firm and hard against mine. He looked into my eyes, and I saw the forever. Past the heat and lust, I saw forever. Saw our lives in this little house. Saw three kids. Two dogs. Saw laughter, fights, and lovemaking. Saw our hands clasped as our skin aged.
I saw his declaration of love in his green eyes as clearly as my heart shouted it from my chest.
Joel leaned in, kissed me once more, and then pulled away.
His eyes had changed. The walls were back, but something different was there, though I couldnโt name it.
The spell was broken, and the rain slowed.
Joel took a step back and attempted a subtle adjustment of his pants. Then he smiled. โYou really are something, Andrew Kelly.โ His tone still held some lingering magic, a bit of wonder, audible over a hint of fear.
I couldnโt speak. If I did, Iโd break, both from living that dream for an instant and from the loss of it.
The tip of his tongue darted over his lower lip, and he smiled again, a gentle thing. โI know itโs early, but you wanna grab dinner?โ He glanced away, and I couldnโt help but wonder if he was nervous, but then he looked back. โThen spend the night with me, maybe?โ
Again, words werenโt a good idea, so I nodded.
Maybe some of the magic remained.
Maybe.
Spoiler alert: There is definitely magic. And lots of it! I hope you enjoyed the snippet of The Palisade. While you wait its release on the 20<sup>th</sup>, feel free to explore all that Lavender Shores has to offer by visiting http://www.lavendershores.comย . Donโt forget, The Palisade is on sale through release day!
Follow along with the rest of the blog tour for more information, excerpts, giveaways, and fun.
June 14โBoy Meets Boy
June 15โLove Bytes
June 17โJoyfully Jay
June 19โMicheleFogal.com
June 20โRELEASE DAY!!!
June 21โMy Fiction Nook
Blurb
Confident businessman Joel Rhodes sees the small California town of Lavender Shores as nothing more than a business opportunity and a final stepping stone to the position heโs been working toward his entire life. It was supposed to be just one night in town to close the deal, and sleeping with one of the local men, no matter how gorgeous, meant nothing more than a few hours of fun.
Andrew Kelly is perfectly content with the life he has in his hometown. So much so that the only thing missing is someone to share it with. Going to bed with a tourist was never meant to be the answer to his dreams, just a beautiful distraction. He could get back to looking for Mr. Right the next day.
Both Andrewโs and Joelโs worlds are turned upside down when a few hours of pleasure get extended to a couple of days. Even that shouldnโt have been a big deal. You canโt fall in love in that amount of time. That isnโt how it works. However, if destinies collide, a few short days may be all it takes to find your soul mate. Even so, when secrets and motivations get tangled, fate may do nothing more than leave two hearts in pieces.
Bio
Rosalind Abel grew up tending chickens alongside her sweet and faithful Chow, Lord Elgin. While her fantasy of writing novels was born during her teen years, she never would have dreamed sheโd one day publish steamy romances about gorgeous men. However, sometimes life turns out better than planned.
In between crafting scorching sex scenes and helping her men find their soul mates, Rosalind enjoys cooking, collecting toys, and making the best damn scrapbooks in the world (this claim hasnโt been proven, but sheโs willing to put good money on it).
She adores MM Romance, the power it has to sweep the reader away into worlds filled with passion, steam, and love. Rosalind also enjoys her collection of plot bunnies and welcomes new fuzzy ones into her home all the time, so feel free to send any adorable ones her way.
Giveaway
Rosalind has brought a $5 Amazon gift cardย to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Wednesday, June 21st at 11:59 pm EST.
- By entering the giveaway, youโre confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
- Winners will be selected by random number.ย No purchase necessary to win. ย The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
- If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
- Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
- Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
- All book prizes are in electronic format unless otherwise specified.
- By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
- Readers may only enter once for each contest. ย Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
- Void where prohibited by law.
Congrats on the release!
I can’t wait for this book and the entire series. Love series set in small towns!
So cool
Congratulations for the upcoming release, Rosalind ๐
Congratulations on your upcoming release the book sounds really good and I love the title. shirleyann2400 (at) gmail (dot) com
Can’t wait for this one…
This is going to be magical ๐
Sounds really good. Congratulations!
Oh this looks so good ๐
I’m actually a little misty…
I’m waiting for the release day ๐
I loved the excerpt. Looking forward to release day.
I really love the cover. I’ve added the book onto my wishlist.
Congrats
What a great excerpt. I definitely want to see him get his HEA. ๐
Thanks for sharing that lovely excerpt, Rosalind. And congratulations on the new release!
Love the cover and the blurb. Congrats on the release.
The cover is beautiful and the blurb was great! Congratulations on your upcoming release! I can’t wait to read it!!
Congratulations on your new book, I’ve added it to my TBR list. Thanks for the chance at your giveaway.
Thanks for the excerpt!
I am diving into this book tonight! Looking forward to it! Happy release day!