Sunday Smooch - Second Chance with the Single Dad by Kandy Shepherd

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!


Today we have a smooch from Kandy Shepherd's new release SECOND CHANCE WITH THE SINGLE DAD but first


... the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is Laurie!


Can you please contact  annie@annie-west.com to receive your copy of The Greek's Forbidden Innocent.


And now for today's Sunday Smooch from Kandy Shepherd. 

From long-lost friends...

To newfound family?

Georgia and Wil were best friends until he married and disappeared from her life. Now he’s back, asking Georgia to forget the past and help him secure his future—the daughter he never knew he had! Georgia’s heart goes out to new dad Wil, but there’s an uncharted chemistry fizzing between them and she must protect her heart. Can they confront their unspoken attraction and finally become a family?

Scene set-up

Girl-next-door schoolteacher Georgia Lang and handsome self-made millionaire Wil Hudson go way back as “just friends.” They know each other so well they claim to read each other’s thoughts. But not everyone wishes the platonic friends well and the friendship ends abruptly and painfully. There was always an attraction, something deeper, but for fear of unleashing emotions they couldn’t handle, of losing the friendship, they never acted on it. Then Wil becomes a single dad to adorable baby Nina and Georgia agrees to help, staying with him for the school vacation at his beautiful house. But his visiting parents misunderstand the situation and think Wil and Georgia are engaged. The seriousness of his mother’s illness make Wil want to maintain the charade just for a few days. Georgia reluctantly agrees. But it’s still just platonic—right?

Smooch  - 

‘I’m in. I’m your fiancée until Wednesday,’ she said.

Wil stepped closer. Took both her hands in his. She looked down to their joined hands and back up to him, alarmed

‘It’s only pretend, remember,’ he said. ‘But we need to be convincing. As you reminded me, I’ve never kissed you. Engaged people should probably have some knowledge of what it’s like to kiss each other.’

Georgia looked up at him, her eyes wide and wary, but still with a trace of smile lingering at the corners of her lips. Her mouth was slicked with cherry-red gloss and it looked eminently kissable. He’d always found that slight unevenness of her top lip very appealing—now he wanted to know how it felt under his lips, how she tasted, how she felt in his arms.

‘Okay, so we kiss,’ she said.

‘Right,’ he said, taken aback by her practical approach.

‘Shall I be the first?’

‘What do you mea—?’

Before he could finish his question, Georgia had tugged on their linked hands to pull him close and pressed her mouth against his, soft and warm and, to his surprise, hesitant. For all her show of bravado, she was nervous.

Wil wasn’t the slightest bit nervous. More like exultant that he had her so close. Kissing Georgia at last.He took command of the kiss, being careful to keep his lips on hers tender and undemanding.

A shiver of surrender ran through her as she relaxed into the kiss. He tightened his grip on her hands. She parted her lips to welcome his tongue with a little murmur of what he couldn’t be sure was pleasure or trepidation. He vowed, with a fierce surge of protectiveness, he would make sure she felt only pleasure from his touch.

Her curves were soft and yielding against his chest. He slid his hands around to grasp her waist and pull her even closer. The wrap skirt of her dress had swung open to the top of her taut, toned thighs and her legs were bare against his. When her tongue met his, tentative at first and then meeting his in a sensual tangle, he was stunned by the sudden and intense shock waves of pleasure that rippled through his body—and his heart.

Her first kiss with Wil. It was so much more than Georgia could ever have imagined. She was almost overwhelmed by excitement. This isn’t real, she tried to remind herself, but she couldn’t think logically when she was so overwhelmed by sensation. This was Wil, familiar, yet, oh, so unfamiliar. His mouth, tasting of coffee and his favourite chocolate cookie. His scent, citrus shower gel with a heady touch of fresh, manly sweat. His hard, perfect male body in such intimate contact with hers.

What had started as a harmless practice kiss had flamed into something else altogether and escalated to a passionate exchange that surprised the heck out of her. Her heart hammered, her body pulsed with want. They’d always had a connection, mental, spiritual, now it was physical. The difference between friend and potential lover. 

Her heart gave a huge jolt. She broke away from the kiss to catch her breath, to find her balance. If she didn’t pull away from him, she’d be dragging him behind the house and pushing him up against the wall.

She came up for air, panting, holding on to her heart. Wil was the same, his eyes dazed and unfocused. He seemed as knocked out as she was by what they had unleashed.

‘What happened there?’ she gasped.

Wil was drawing in great gulps of air in an effort to steady his voice. ‘Eight years of wanting to kiss you? What’s your guess?’

‘Same,’ she managed to choke out. The thought struck her. ‘Or was it an act? On your part, I mean. You know, to look authentic.’

‘I sure as hell wasn’t acting. What about you?’

She shook her head. ‘No. It...it was real.’

Georgia looked up at him and, as had happened so many times before, their eyes connected and they laughed. She felt exhilarated, high almost. Her buddy Wil. The best kisser she’d ever kissed.

He planted a firm, hard kiss on her mouth. ‘Who knew?’ 

I'm a believer in platonic friendships but others think that there is often an underlying attraction - perhaps only on one side - even if it might never be acted on. What are your thoughts?

 Leave a comment here and go into the draw to win a copy of SECOND CHANCE WITH THE SINGLE DAD. 

Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced and a smooch from Andi Bolter will be posted!

Smooch Graphic by WebWeaver

The Train Boyfriend

I don’t get the chance so much anymore, but I used to love taking the train into the city; the soothing rock of the carriage, watching the play of sunlight over pitched roofs and barren winter trees, tracking the changes in architecture as we moved through different suburbs.

It was also great for people watching. The school kids – some quiet and thoughtful, others rowdy with youthful confidence. The elegantly city workers who look so slick in the morning and less so come evening. The families taking their weekly trips to parks, museums, the big wild world beyond home.

And then there was the Train Boyfriend.

You’ve had one of those, right? Yes?  No?  That one cute guy who takes the train with you. (Well not with you, but at the same time.) He reads a book. Or keeps his friends entertained with his great wit. Or people watches like you.

For those who bus or train or fly to work, the commuter boyfriend can be the one who gets you through the long-haul trip and the work day ahead.

When I sat down to write my current book I knew it would start on a train. Years ago I'd snipped out a Lonely Hearts column in a commuter newspaper and was waiting for the right story to come along in which to use it.

Evie - our heroine in what would become HIRED BY THE MYSTERIOUS MILLIONAIRE - has a Train Boyfriend. Not that he has a single clue, of course.  They never do. That’s the beauty of the Train Boyfriend. They are so much better in your imagination than they could possibly be in real life.  Or so Evie thinks…

Evie looked over at Bryon’s hotter descendant. She couldn’t help it. Heck, at that very moment the train rounded a bend and a slash of sunlight lit him up like something out of an old film.

“He’s dreamy, Evie,” said Zoe, though Evie hadn’t said a word.

Evie blinked, only to find she’d been staring too long as a pair of stormy blue eyes caught on hers. Her breath lodged in her throat. Her cheeks burned as her very blood went haywire.Look away, her subconscious begged. Look. Away. Now!

Instead habit overcame instinct, and she smiled.Growing up in a country town, she’d been smiling at strangers since she’d learned how. Saying hello to anyone who made eye contact. Waving in thanks to cars that stopped to let her cross the street. It was simple good manners.

Now, on a packed train hurtling towards the big city, she felt like an utter fool, her smile frozen into place as those fiercely blue eyes stuck on hers and didn’t let up.

Then a small miracle happened. The man blinked, as if coming to from a faraway place. The corner of his mouth kicking north into what could only be a return smile. And then he nodded. Nodded! Sending her a private hello from across the way.

She felt the train concertina as everything beyond the tunnel between their gazes turned fuzzy and out of focus. 

And then those eyes slid north, pausing at the top of her head. Catching on her beanie, the wool suddenly itching like crazy against her scalp, the bob of the pom-pom like a pulse at the top of her head.

He blinked again, then those stormy eyes slid away.

“Oh, my ever-loving gods,” Zoe said. “Did you see that?”

Hell, yeah, she had.

Have you ever had a train boyfriend?  Or a work husband? A regular stranger who doesn't know you from Adam, yet whose presence lightens your day?

This winner is still grinning – Kandy Shepherd

In our last LoveCats post, Bron shared news about the Romance Writers of Australia conference held last weekend in Sydney at the gorgeous Sofitel Wentworth hotel. As you saw in her post, several of the LoveCats were in attendance and a very good time was had by all! The conference is a chance for professional development, networking with publishing professionals, and catching up with author friends. That means partying wherever possible!

Bron shared the exciting news that I was the winner of a RUBY (Romantic Book of the Year) award in the short romance category with Conveniently Wed to the Greek.There were only four finalists in this category and lovely Rachel Bailey was one of the others for Tempted by the Wrong Twin. So two out of four finalists were LoveCats! (I wish Rachel and I could have shared the win!)

So thrilled to have won that trophy I just had to party until two o'clock in the morning!

 Hearing my name announced as the winner was truly an exciting moment of total disbelief. I initially felt glued to my chair and felt very shaky as I made my way to the stage to accept my award and thank my editor and the teams at both the London and Sydney offices of Harlequin Mills & Boon.

Accepting my award - both exciting and nerve-wracking

 I got asked lots of questions about the RUBY event. I thought I might share some of the them with you.

Q. Did you have an acceptance speech prepared?

A. About an hour before the awards dinner started, several LoveCats asked this of both me and Rachel. We both said no. Our practical pride mates reminded us both that we each had a one in four chance of winning so perhaps we should get a few thoughts down just in case. Hmm. Good advice. But I didn’t want to be seen by anyone being so presumptuous as to assume I might win. So half an hour before the dinner started, I made my way to the hotel ladies room and, behind closed doors, scribbled on a scrap of paper a short speech of thanks to RWA, my publisher and my critique partners. I also mentioned that Conveniently Wed to the Greek was not an easy book to write—the most emotional I’d written, about a hero with unspeakable tragedy in his past and a heroine struggling with the bitter disappointment of infertility. When I stood up there in the spotlight in front of all those people, I was so glad I had prepared some words. Thank you fellow LoveCats for the advice!

Just before the award dinner with fellow LoveCats Amy Andrews (centre) and Rachel Bailey. Rachel was also a finalist for the RUBY. Amy was a double finalist for the equivalent American award, the RITA this year

Q. What prizes do you win with the RUBY?

A. The finalists get a cute red RUBY finalist badge and a certificate. The winner gets a lovely trophy. And kudos. We all get the kudos of finalling and winning in a very competitive field of published authors. It is an honour.

Q. How are the RUBY awards judged?

A. Books published in the previous year (2017 in my case) are judged by both readers and RWA writer members and scored to a set of criteria. The books with the highest scores from the judges win the awards. This year there were four categories: Long Romance, Short Romance, Romantic Elements and Romance Novella. A big thank you to the judges.

Q. Is it true that your critique partner predicted you would win the RUBY?

A. My critique partner Cathleen Ross (published by Escape and Entangled) is the first to read my stories (and me hers). She is known to be psychic. Reading through the newly written chapters of Conveniently Wed to the Greek, she told me she loved the story and it made her cry. She said it was an award winning story and I should enter it in the RUBY. Psychic powers or good judgment? Who knows! 

Q. Are you still on a buzz?

A. I most certainly am!

It was an honour and a privilege to win Australia’s top award for a published romance novel in the short, category length division. Truly a highlight of my life!

Sunday Smooch with Kandy Shepherd

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!


Today we have a smooch from BEST MAN AND THE RUNAWAY BRIDE but first 


... the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is Juanita


Can you please contact 
Michelle (at) Michelle - Douglas (dot) com 
to receive your copy of Reunited by a Baby Secret


And now for today's Sunday Smooch from Best Man and the Runaway Bride by Kandy Shepherd

Scandal at a society wedding!

Can he resist the runaway bride?

After helping Nikki Lucas flee her high-society wedding, privacy-loving best man Max Conway never expected to be accused of having an affair with the bride! As the media scandal dies down, he escapes to a remote island—and comes face-to-face with Nikki! Their connection is undeniable but she’s completely off-limits. Yet as the sun sets in paradise, both are struggling to resist…

Scene set-up: Nikki escapes the scandal of running away from her wedding in the arms of best man, international tennis star Max, to a tiny Indonesian island near Bali without telling anyone where she’s gone. Six months later, by coincidence, Max arrives on the island. They’re crazily attracted to each other but the last thing they need is another media scandal so they keep at arm’s length and strictly hands off. (Not that it’s easy!) When this scene starts they are heading for a beachside restaurant to catch the fabulous sunset and sneakily review the menu for her hotelier friends, while incognito pretending to be a tourist couple. They’ve shared a very brief kiss earlier, red hot and fiery, as Max had just accidentally eaten a very hot chilli pepper. Now, they’ve been transported to the sunset restaurant in the back of a taxi truck. During the ride, they’ve kept studiously apart.

Smooch: Nikki called a ‘thank you’ to [the driver] then went to get off the back of the truck. Max jumped down first. ‘I’m here if you need help,’ he said.

‘Of course I don’t need help,’ she said as she prepared to jump. ‘I’ve done this lots of times and—oh!’ She stumbled a little on the uneven ground and landed heavily against him.

‘Whoa,’ he said as he caught her and steadied her with his hands on her upper arms.

‘Th...thank you,’ she stuttered.

‘You okay?’ He looked down into her face.

‘Fine,’ she said. And feeling finer every second he kept his hands on her arms. His tennis-player calluses felt pleasingly rough against her sensitised bare skin, his fingers strong and firm.

When she didn’t move away he pulled her closer, so close she could sense the hammering of his heart, breathe in the exciting maleness of his scent, thrill at the warm strength of his body. She slid her arms around his waist and looked up at him, feeling nervous, excited, uncertain, on the brink of something unexpected. His eyes seemed a deeper shade of blue in the waning light and the intensity of his expression made her breath come short. For a very long moment their gazes locked in what seemed a series of unspoken questions with only one answer. Yes.

The world had shrunk to her and Max. Her lips parted in anticipation and she murmured her pleasure when he kissed her. His mouth was firm and warm against hers, his beard surprisingly soft against her skin. She tilted her head so she could more easily kiss him back.

‘Is this because we’re pretending to be a couple,’ she murmured against his mouth.

‘No, it’s because I want to kiss you,’ he said.

“I want to kiss you too.’ She licked along the seam of his mouth with the tip of her tongue. ‘No chilli this time. You’re naturally hot.’

‘You think so?’

‘Oh, yes.’ She wound her arms around his neck and pulled him to her, deepening the kiss. What had started as tender very quickly escalated into something intense, demanding, passionate, so all-consuming all she could think about was Max and the heat they were generating. Desire burned through her. She pressed her body to his as lips and tongues became more demanding.

This. Him. Max. She wanted him.

She didn’t know how much longer they would have stood there in the middle of the narrow lane kissing, oblivious to their surroundings, if another truck hadn’t driven up to deposit visitors to the restaurant. At the sound of its blaring horn, she came plummeting back to reality. Reluctantly she pulled away, immediately had to hold onto Max’s arm to steady herself on legs that had turned to jelly. She blinked with bewilderment.

‘What happened?’ She choked out the words.

Max looked equally shaken. He took in a deep, shuddering breath. ‘The inevitable,’ he said.

Nikki didn’t have to ask what he meant. No matter how she’d tried to deny it, they’d been heading towards this.

‘The...the question is where do we go from here?’ She knew her voice sounded strained and uncertain. 

Max reached out and gently smoothed the strands of her hair that had come loose back off her face. She stood very still, briefly closed her eyes at the pleasure of his touch on her skin. ‘Wherever it leads us,’ he said. 

Best Man and the Runaway Bride is a July release from Harlequin Romance in North America, Mills & Boon Forever Romance in Australia and New Zealand, and Mills & Boon True Love in the UK

Author Photo and question: Have you ever bumped into someone, quite by coincidence, somewhere you’d never expect to see them? Do you enjoy a runaway bride story? Sportsman heroes—yes or no? 

I’d love to read your thoughts. Leave a comment below to be in the draw for a signed paperback copy of Best Man and the Runaway Bride (mailed internationally.)

Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced and a smooch from Annie West will be posted!

Smooch Graphic by WebWeaver