Today I am so pleased to welcome the fabulous Kris T. Bethke back to Joyfully Jay. Kris has come to talk to us about her upcomingย release, Enchanted Love. She has also brought along an exclusive excerpt and a great giveaway. Please join me in giving Krisย a big welcome!
There’s just something about fairy tales that speaks to my inner romantic. Maybe it was growing up hearing all those tales, and spending long hours fantasizing about my prince or princess. That was my focus when I sat down to write Enchanted Love.
A tiny bit ofย inspiration from Cinderella, and Eli and Chase took over, making the story all their own. I love a good “sweep you off your feet, right place at the right time” kind of story, and I let all my indulgences surface when writing their story. Full of fun, food, and lots of love, these guys will show you that when you find the right one, you go together like foot and slipper.
What fairy tales inspire you?
Enchanted Love releases April 15th from JMS Books.
Excerpt
โWeeknights are my favorite times to come here,โ Chase explained as he pulled out my chair for me. I was strangely touched by the gesture, and skimmed my fingers along his arm before I sat. He squeezed my shoulder, then walked around the table to take his own seat. โWeekends, this place is packed from open to close with a line waiting to be seated. But late evening during the week? All but empty. I love it.โ
โItโs a great place,โ I agreed, once again looking around.
Michelle strolled to the table with a menu and two small glasses of water. She set them down, then gave her attention to Chase. โGoing to introduce me to your friend?โ
Chase grinnedโGod, did I love his smile or what?โand nodded. โMichelle, this is Eli. He lives in my building. Or really, I live in his. Anyway, Eli, meet Michelle. As you may have guessed, she owns the place.โ
I took the hand she offered, and noted the warm, firm shake suited her perfectly. I also didnโt fail to notice the assessing once-over she gave me. But I wasnโt concerned about it, and took the menu she handed me with a โthank you.โ She did not give one to Chase. I lifted my brow at him.
โI know what he wants since heโs here on a Tuesday,โ Michelle said, answering my unspoken question. โIโll give you a few minutes to look over the menu, though. In the meantime, what can I get you to drink?โ
I decided to stick with water, but Chase ordered an iced tea. When Michelle walked away, I immediately lifted my gaze from the menu and fixed my attention on Chase. He was staring back, and I couldnโt quite decipher his expression. Wonder and awe and a little bit of lust maybe? All good things to see on a date. I was sure my expression looked much the same. I wanted to take his hand, which was ridiculous, because I never moved that fast. I was especially cautious these days, having had several men try to use me over the past couple of years. With Chase, things seemed different, though, and I had no idea why.
I cleared my throat and dropped my gaze to the menu, though I didnโt really see it. โWhatโs good on Tuesdays?โ
Chaseโs chuckle was warm and deep. โMeatloaf.โ
Startled, I jerked up my gaze. But Chase, of course, just grinned. โReally?โ
โMmm. With mashed potatoes and gravy.โ He moaned a little, then sighed wistfully. โSo good. Thereโs, like, mozzarella cheese or something in the meatloaf, and I have no idea what she does to it, but itโs so good.โ
The blissful look on his face made me hot. I could imagine a different situation that would put the same expression on his face, and I had to shift position to make a little more room between my thighs. Seriously, what was wrong with me tonight? I did notย behave like this.
Blurb
Eli Brennan’s only joy comes from helping out the less fortunate. The rest of his life is less than satisfactory, and he certainly doesn’t believe in fairy tales. Until he meets Chase Prinsen, whose winning smile and gorgeous muscles embody Eli’s idea of Prince Charming.
Chase sweeps Eli off his feet after an enchanting meeting on the stairs. Eli isn’t used to being special to anyone, but Chase makes him feel it.
With a little persuading, can Chase convince Eli they go together like foot and slipper?
Bio
Kris T. Bethke has been a voracious reader for pretty much her entire life and has been writing stories for nearly as long.ย An avid and prolific daydreamer, she always has a story in her head.ย She spends most of her free time reading, writing, or knitting/crocheting her latest project.ย Her biggest desire is to find a way to accomplish all three tasks at one time. ย A classic muscle car will always turn her head, and naps on the weekend are one of her greatest guilty pleasures. ย She lives in a converted attic with aย way too fluffy catย and the voices in her head.ย Sheโll tell you she thinks thatโs a pretty good deal. Kris believes that love is love, no matter the gender of people involved, and that all love deserves to be celebrated.
Find her on her site, ย Facebook,ย or on Twitterย
Giveaway
Kris has brought a choice ofย backlist book (excluding anthologies)ย to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends onย Tuesday, March 28th 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.
This restaurant (and owner) sounds amazing! Congratulations on the upcoming release and sending Eli and Chase out into the world-flip flops intact!
Heh. I have it on good authority she’s an amazing cook!
Thanks! ๐
Ha! I just noticed the name! Woot, shout out to Michelle!
And now I want a piece of meatloaf! Thanks for the droolworthy excerpt, Kris, and congratulations on the release of Enchanted Love. I wish you, and the book, success.
๐ Thanks so much Kareni!
I make a mean meatloaf but never considered putting cheese in it!
Fairy tales that I like have non-perfect heroes… Beauty and the Beast, The Toad that needs kissing, Rumpelstiltskin… makes it seem more plausible ๐
The book sounds really good and when I looked on Goodreads I saw how many books you’ve written that I haven’t read! ย I think I’ll start with the ‘Something Like…’ series! ย Being an actor would definitely be a fairy tale come true for many…
The cheese is all Michelle ๐
Imperfect heroes do make excellent fairy tale fodder. A great read at any rate.
Thanks so much Diane!
This sounds delightful! Maybe it’s because I loved all the Muppet adaptations (even though I always wanted the princes to stay frogs there, because Muppet frogs, you know), I go for THE FROG PRINCE…
๐ Yes! That is an excellent adaption, and one I’ve enjoyed very much.
Wow, I have nevr read one of your books. I would love to read this one.
Thanks Debra. I hope you get the chance. ๐
I’m intrigued. It sounds like a lovely read.I love new spins on the age old stories we all grew up on. It’s always fun to see how an author will interpret the story or incorporate it into their own story.
I agree. I like to read them too.
And even though this is just very loosely inspired, it still makes me smile.
Thanks H.B.
I love fairy tales as well. My favourite is Beauty and the Beast, because… who does not want to tame the beast?
Congratulations on the release. It sounds good!
Beauty and the Beast is in my top five for just that reason.
Thanks Susana!
I’ve always been partial to Beauty & the Beast because I like the idea of a person seeing the beauty of the person underneath the physical image. The phrase “beauty is only skin deep” can be so true. Some of the people I’ve found most attractive were only average looking on the outside.
Thanks for the excerpt.
That is so very true, Lisa, and I wholeheartedly agree. Another reason Beauty and the Beast is in my top five. That, and the Beast’s growth throughout the story.
Thank you!
I have to agree with Lisa. Beauty and the Beast is a favorite for me. Love isn’t all about perfect outsides, after all!
๐ Exactly true.
Thanks Ashley!