Today we have a smooch from Kandy Shepherd but first
... the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is Tammy Y.
Can you please contact Amy Andrews at
amy(at)amyandrews(dot)com(dot)au
And now for today's Sunday Smooch from Heart of the Bay
Their hearts are leading them...to home and to love.
The Dolphin Bay trilogy: The Summer They Never Forgot, The Tycoon and the Wedding Planner, A Diamond in Her Stocking.
Scene set-up: There are three linked novels in Heart of the Bay all set in the fictional rural town of Dolphin Bay on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. This smooch is from the first story, The Summer They Never Forgot.
On her thirtieth birthday, running from
betrayal, Sandy Adams has on impulse returned to Dolphin Bay the small coastal
town where she spent her happiest teenage vacation ever with gorgeous, carefree
surfer dude Ben Morgan.
Ben was her first love but thanks to
interference from their families their romance never progressed. Twelve years
later she finds a very different Ben, scarred both physically and emotionally
from a tragic accident. The attraction is still as strong as ever but the
barriers stopping them from taking a second chance seem insurmountable.
Sandy is in town for a few days to help out
his injured aunt but Ben has made it very clear that there can be nothing more
between them. At sunrise when she is walking along the beach she encounters him
body surfing. Against all caution and common sense she waits for him on the
beach.
Throwing driftwood for his dog Hobo they
accidentally collide. Ben examines Sandy’s head for bumps to find she’s
uninjured. But they’re close, so closer, closer than they’ve been for twelve
years…
Smooch -
“His big, scarred hands moved from her scalp to cradle her face. He tilted her head so she was forced to look up into his eyes. For a long moment he searched her face.
‘I don’t want to hurt you, Sandy,’ he said,
his voice hoarse.
She knew he wasn’t talking about the
collision. ‘I realise that, Ben,’ she whispered.
Then, with her eyes drowning in his, he
kissed her.
She was so surprised she stood stock-still
for a moment. Then she relaxed into the sensation of Ben’s mouth on hers. It
felt like coming home.
When Ben had lifted his head from the wave
and had seen Sandy standing on the beach, it had been as if the past and the
present had coalesced into one shining moment. A joy so unexpected it was
painful had flooded his heart.
And here he was, against all resolutions,
kissing her.
Her lips were warm and pliant beneath his.
Her breasts were pressed to his chest. Her eyes, startled at first, were filled
with an expression of bliss.
He shouldn’t be kissing her. Starting
things he could not finish. Risking pain for both of them. Bit those thoughts
were lost in the wonder of having her close to him again.
It was as if the twelve years between kisses
had never happened.
He twined his hands in her shiny
vanilla-scented hair, tilted her head back as he deepened the kiss, pushed
against her lips with his tongue. Her mouth parted to welcome him, to meet the
tip of his tongue with hers.
She made a small murmur of appreciation and
wound her arms around his neck. His arms slid to her waist, to the smooth, warm
skin where her top stopped, drawing her close. He could feel her heart thudding
against her chest.
He wanted her. She could surely feel his
arousal. But this wasn’t just about sex. It had always been so much more than
that with Sandy.
The world shrank to just him and her, and
the surf was a muted pounding that echoed the pulsing of their hearts, the
blood running hot through his veins.”
What's your favourite setting for a romantic getaway? Beach? Country? Snow? Or somewhere else entirely! For a chance to win a paperback copy of Heart of the Bay (worldwide) please make a comment!
Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced and a special Christmas Message from Bronwyn Jameson will be posted!
Smooch Graphic by WebWeaver
Hi Kandy
ReplyDeleteOh I loved these three stories I highly recommend them fabulous
I am pretty easy on a setting I love them all LOL depends on what I fancy at the time snow beach a castle all lovely :)
Have Fun
Helen
Thank you for your kind words about the Dolphin Bay books Helen. It's so exciting to see them all together in the one big, beautiful book.
DeleteOf course you're right about enjoying different places at different times!
Ooh, lovely smooch, Kandy!
ReplyDeleteAs for a romantic getaway, Dolphin Bay sounds pretty perfect. Sun, sand and surf? Yes please. :-)
Sounds like we're thinking along the same lines, Michelle!
DeleteCountry!!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of the country too, Donamae!
DeleteLove this smooch, Kandy. I think I live in a place very like Dolphin Bay.
ReplyDeleteAs long as I'm with the man I love, anywhere can be pretty romantic!
What a wonderfully romantic reply, Jen!
DeleteFor Winter, I 'd like a log cabin in the Georgia mountains....all that cozy ambiance with a lot less snow than up north!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds idyllic Laurie. There is definitely something romantic about a log cabin.
DeleteKandy, I love your Dolphin Bay series. It's the perfect escape in this busy pre-Christmas period, though I admit I'll be craving something like this in the quiet afterwards when I can put my feet up.
ReplyDeleteNot sure I have a favourite setting. An Aussie beach town is one, or a snowy cabin or maybe even a castle. Now, that would be fun!
Thank you Annie, it's always lovely to hear such positive feedback about the Dolphin Bay books! It's such a thrill to see them all in the one book with such a gorgeous cover.
DeleteI love your ideas for a romantic retreat - especially the castle!
No thanks on the contest, Kandy, as I've read and enjoyed all three stories. They were believable, with stories that flowed so well that I couldn't put them down until I was finished.
ReplyDeleteAs for my favourite setting, anywhere is fine with me. After all, that's where the couple is, and home is where the heart is. They could be in the outback, in a hospital, on a ranch, in an office, jet setting around the world, volunteering for a charity, performing royal duties, or oh so much more. It just doesn't matter to me as long as the story is well written (and you do that in spades).
Merry Christmas! (Yes, I realize it isn't politically correct, but that's what I mean, so that's what I said, LOL!)
Merry Christmas to you, too, Laney. And Happy New Year as well! Thank you for your kind words about the Dolphin Bay books. I think my love of the sea and the beach shines through in them. But I agree with you about the different settings for romance stories, they're all wonderful!
DeleteI just finished reading these three books and enjoyed them tremendously.
ReplyDeleteI'm a mountain girl at heart but right now with the cold weather we have been having in Calgary I wouldn't mind a trip to a warm beach.
Merry Christmas to all the Love Cats and all their readers.
PS ~ I just looked up the New South Wales Christmas Bush. It's so beautiful. Does it have a fragrance?
DeleteNo it doesn't have a fragrance Kaelee, just a fresh sharpness that Australian indigenous plants tend to have. I adore it and though I don't have one in my garden, I have friends who do and they kindly share. At this time of year bunches of it are on sale all over the city of Sydney. Of course, as you of course know, I thought it the perfect flower for Lizzie and Jesse's wedding in A Diamond in Her Stocking!
DeleteI like isolated places, so the heroes are forced to stay together and comunicate, and there are no other distractions. Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteThat's a very good point, Natalija, the isolated setting be in snowbound cabin or tropical island does work well in a romance novel. I've used it in a few myself! Happy Holidays to you, too. I hope the festive season is wonderful for you.
DeleteHi Kandy,
ReplyDeleteLoved the smooch! I like the beach or the bush. We have lovely romantic getaways in Tasmania. Perfect at this time of year!
Melanie, Tasmania is such a beautiful state and I'm sure it's packed with wonderful destinations for romantic getaways! I love visiting there.
DeleteHello Kandy, for me the favorite place for a romantic getaway is a seaside resort, on the beach, perhaps at sunset, or a beautiful escape to Australia, a country that I'd love to visit !!
ReplyDeleteFranca, I am totally with you on the seaside resort - that's what I love best too. I hope you get to visit Australian some day. The romance community would be very welcoming!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI like country towns settings the smaller the better-----Lyn W
ReplyDelete