Shira Anthony's Blog - Posts Tagged "billionaire"
Dreamspun Desires: First Comes Marriage is Coming Soon!
It's here!!! The brand-new Dreamspun Desires line from Dreamspinner Press is now available for preorder on subscription!When I was a college student, I had a subscription to Harlequin's Silhouette Desires line of
romances. And while I have to admit part of the reason I started writing my own romance novels was that I wasn't 100% thrilled with the happily-ever-afters in those books (my biggest aspiration in life wasn't getting married like the heroines in those books), I loved the way the books made me feel.You probably remember the feeling if you read category romance. The anticipation, the meet cute, the rising sexual tension (and depending on the heat level of the story, the SEX!), the BIG misunderstanding or the BIG problem, the reconciliation. I would tear into the monthly package of books and read until early morning (and wobble into class half-asleep!).
Dreamspun Desire novels are all about the missed cues, misunderstandings, sweaty palms, seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and a million other romantic tropes we know and love. Easy on the angst and all about the romance. Sexy, but not all about the sex. These are books that will make you giggle. Stories that will make you smile. Love conquers all. All about the
romance and the happily ever after.Subscription you say? Two books each month for the price of one. You can choose from the ebook or paperback options. The paperbacks are smaller and reminiscent of the old Harlequins and Mills & Boon books. The covers are stylized, with a tag line and a photograph unique to each story.
My offering, First Comes Marriage, is 2nd up and releases on January 15th. It's a marriage of convenience story. Chris Valentine's a struggling novelist. When he meets sexy billionaire Jesse Donovan after a reading at a New York City cafe, the last thing Chris expects is a marriage proposal! But Jesse's not joking. If he doesn't get married, and quickly, Jesse will lose control of his family's company to his stepgrandmother.
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Excerpt from Chapter Six:
Now, standing in the conference room of Windview Enterprises’ corporate headquarters near South Ferry in Manhattan, one of the matching platinum bands Jesse had bought for them in his pants pocket, Chris wondered if he’d wake up from the dream. The floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over Wall Street and the East River through the forest of high-rise buildings.
“Do you, Jesse Chase Donovan, take Christopher James Valentine to be your husband, in love and in friendship, until you are parted by death?” the judge asked.
“I do.” As Jesse slipped the ring on Chris’s finger, he met Chris’s gaze with such intensity that for an instant, Chris could almost forget the entire ceremony was a ruse to ensure the future of Windview remained firmly in Jesse’s control. Damn the man for being so attractive. Damn him for being a nice guy, because that was the worst part of it. And the part that had you agreeing.
“And do you, Christopher James Valentine, take Jesse Chase Donovan to be your husband, in love and in friendship, until you are parted by death?”
Chris swallowed hard and prayed he didn’t look as incredibly nervous as he felt. “I do.” His hand shook as he took Jesse’s hand and put the ring on his finger.
“Congratulations, Chris and Jesse,” the judge said.
Chris caught Val’s eye for a split second, and he half expected her to urge him to kiss Jesse. But it was Jesse who took charge and blindsided Chris with a kiss.
It started sweetly enough, just Jesse’s lips against his, but instead of releasing Chris, Jesse pulled him tighter against him and pressed his tongue into his mouth. Jesse tasted fucking amazing. Chris didn’t hesitate—their tongues tangled and danced. This close, Jesse smelled good and felt even better. Chris was barely aware of slipping his hands around Jesse’s back before resting them on lean hips. He didn’t think twice as his body and Jesse’s responded in kind.
Someone giggled—Chris recognized Val’s voice—and Jesse pulled abruptly away. Their eyes met for a split second, and Chris thought he saw a mixture of desire and surprise in Jesse’s deep blue eyes. The next thing Chris knew, Val had thrown her arms around him and only his racing heart and tingling lips told him he hadn’t imagined the entire thing.
“Oh, Chris,” Val cooed. “You really did it!”
“Yeah” was the only response Chris could manage. He was still thinking about Jesse’s mouth.
“I guess I was wrong about him being straight,” she whispered mischievously.
Chris was thrilled when Terry grabbed him in a bear hug, because he had no idea how to respond to Val’s comment. He also wasn’t sure if he should be pissed off with Jesse for the show. He supposed if this was going to work, Jesse needed to make the marriage look real. Still, how difficult would it have been to warn Chris that he had that up his sleeve?
******
You can subscribe to the Dreamspun Desires line at Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7224&cPath=1583
First Comes Marriage
Get Ready for "Forgotten Paradise"!
It's just about time to kick of the
Forgotten Paradise
blog tour! Even better? I found the coolest, sexiest grand prize for one lucky winner who comments on tour posts. But more about that a bit later.... For now, let me just say how happy I am to have you meet Jonah James and Adam Preston, the two MCs of my latest book. The book releases on 4/15 and is now available for preorder everywhere.
My second entry in the Dreamspun Desires line of sweet, tropey, gay romances a la old-fashioned category romance books. The trope this time? Amnesia, one of my favorites.
Adam is your all-round good guy. He's talented, too, and he's taken his father's moribund computer parts company and turned it into a successful endeavor. Too successful, perhaps, because now he has mega-company Entech snapping its jaws and trying to buy the company (and Adam) with it, something Adam strongly opposes. Adam's sister is in his corner. His brother, not so much, and he's not sure about his mother. Adam is stressed to the limit. His sister tells him to take a break, and Adam heads to the Dominican Republic for a week of scuba diving and fun in the sun. The last person he expected to meet at the resort was a guy he'd totally fall for: the adorable and witty Jonah James.
Jonah is charming and intelligent. He also has no idea who he really is. He washed up on a Punta Cana beach ten years before and started an entirely new life. Jonah's happy with who he is now, and he doesn't really want to know what happened before. But meeting Adam triggers memories Jonah can't avoid. When he finally realizes the truth, it may be too late to save his fledgling relationship with Adam.
I love the Dreamspun Desires line. It's fun, a little spicy, and meant to leave you with a warm fuzzy HEA. I hope you'll enjoy Adam and Jonah's story and their little piece of paradise!
The blog tour kicks off on April 8th and you have through the end of the month to get your
entries for the contest in. For each post, there's a question. For each question you answer in a comment on the blog post you get one entry on the Rafflecopter giveaway. The grand prize (US entrants only)? A December Diamonds Cupid Merman! Isn't he wonderful? I love these fabulous ornaments, and this little bit of schmexy could be headed your way. For non-US residents, I've got a $10 Dreamspinner Press gift certificate up for grabs that you will qualify for if you win.
You'll find the Rafflecopter here and on each blog post. But you have to comment on a blog post to score an entry, so be sure to check out each stop on the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I'll leave you all with the blurb, buy-links, and an excerpt from Forgotten Paradise. Happy reading and, of course, happiest of HEAs! -Shira
Blurb: It’s dangerous diving for secrets.
When a megacompany threatens to take over his family-owned business, programming prodigy Adam Preston escapes the stress with a much-needed vacation in the Dominican Republic. There he meets attractive, intelligent, insightful Jonah James, a scuba dive instructor, and what starts as a holiday fling soon blossoms into much more.
But Jonah has a secret: ten years ago he woke up on an island beach with no idea how he got there… or even who he is. Their paradise may not be as perfect as it seems. When Jonah’s memories come crashing back like waves on the sand, will it be Adam clinging to the proverbial life raft, or will the two men find a safe harbor to ride out the storm?
Buy Links:
Dreamspinner Press: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/forgotten-paradise-by-shira-anthony-8323-b
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Paradise-Dreamspun-Desires-Book-ebook/dp/B06XVG612Y
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forgotten-paradise-shira-anthony/1125870263?ean=2940157247669
Excerpt:
WHILE HENRI washed down the patio, Jonah hung the last two wetsuits and sprayed down the rinsing bins. Small rivulets of sand and water streaked the painted concrete.
“I can finish,” Henri told him.
“Thanks.” Jonah walked over to the benches and retrieved his BC and regulator from a hook. “I owe you a drink.”
Henri laughed. “Good thing they’re free or you’d have to take out a loan.”
“Meet you at Giuseppe’s in an hour?” Jonah hung his gear inside the staff room.
“Not tonight. Got a date with Viola.” Henri stopped spraying for a moment and gestured toward the office. “It’s our six-month anniversary.”
“Six months? Impressive. So what’s for dinner?”
“Sushi,” Henri said. “At Yumi.”
“You’re taking her all the way to Punta Cana?” Jonah chuckled and slapped Henri on the back. “Must be love.”
“A man does as he does.” He winked and added, “I borrowed Torey’s car.”
“A man’s gotta do what he’s gotta do,” Jonah corrected. Henri’s English was damn good, so Jonah enjoyed teasing him the few times he made mistakes.
“So how about you?” Henri asked with a crooked grin.
“Me?” Jonah knew where Henri was going, but he wasn’t going to bite on that particular topic.
“You’ve been here a few weeks now. Met anyone interesting?”
Jonah shook his head. “If I had, I wouldn’t be telling you about it,” he teased.
“Fine. To be that way.”
“Be that way. Not ‘to be.’”
Henri laughed and headed over to the counter, where Viola was working on assignments for the next day’s dives. “The guests think I’m sexier when I get things wrong.”
“You wish.”
Jonah pulled the elastic from his hair and ran a hand through his still-damp curls. He waved at Viola. “Have fun tonight!” He slipped on his sandals and headed down the path to the staff dormitories. He’d only made it to the towel-return shack when he noticed a man standing in the middle of the intersection of two paths, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“Perfect,” the man muttered.
“Lost?” Jonah forced his gaze up from the dusting of reddish hair on the man’s nicely defined pecs.
He looked at Jonah with warm brown eyes. “That obvious?”
“Happens a lot,” Jonah reassured him. “Where’re you headed?”
“Dive shop. Although by now, it’s probably closed.” American, judging by the accent. East Coast. A hint of New Jersey but polished so it was barely noticeable.
Jonah glanced at his watch. “You have another ten minutes.” He pointed the way he’d just come. “It’s about a hundred feet that way. You can’t miss it.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” Jonah offered the man a reassuring smile. “Took me a few days to get my bearings.”
“My mother used to tell me I’d lose my way in a shower stall.”
Jonah chuckled. “That bad?”
The man nodded.
“I could think of worse places to get lost with you,” Jonah quipped, immediately regretting it. The man’s lean body was far too interesting, especially given the no-fraternization policy Jonah had signed when he was hired. Not that the hotel had ever fired someone for taking a guest to bed, but Jonah felt more comfortable following the rule. It made things easier. Celibacy was safer. Flirting was downright dangerous.
The man flushed. Even more interesting.
The man quickly regained his composure. “Do I know you?” he asked.
Jonah also got that a lot. “I’m sure I’d have remembered you,” he said truthfully. It wasn’t every day he met a redhead, let alone one this attractive.
“My mistake.” The man offered his hand. “Adam Preston.”
“Good to meet you, Adam.” Jonah shook Adam’s hand. Strong grip. Confident, but not overly so. “I’m Jonah. Jonah James.”
“I’d better go,” Adam said. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”
“I hope so.” Jonah watched as Adam headed toward the dive shop. No fraternization, he reminded himself with a sigh. Maybe it was time to rethink the celibacy gig.
My second entry in the Dreamspun Desires line of sweet, tropey, gay romances a la old-fashioned category romance books. The trope this time? Amnesia, one of my favorites.
Adam is your all-round good guy. He's talented, too, and he's taken his father's moribund computer parts company and turned it into a successful endeavor. Too successful, perhaps, because now he has mega-company Entech snapping its jaws and trying to buy the company (and Adam) with it, something Adam strongly opposes. Adam's sister is in his corner. His brother, not so much, and he's not sure about his mother. Adam is stressed to the limit. His sister tells him to take a break, and Adam heads to the Dominican Republic for a week of scuba diving and fun in the sun. The last person he expected to meet at the resort was a guy he'd totally fall for: the adorable and witty Jonah James.
Jonah is charming and intelligent. He also has no idea who he really is. He washed up on a Punta Cana beach ten years before and started an entirely new life. Jonah's happy with who he is now, and he doesn't really want to know what happened before. But meeting Adam triggers memories Jonah can't avoid. When he finally realizes the truth, it may be too late to save his fledgling relationship with Adam.
I love the Dreamspun Desires line. It's fun, a little spicy, and meant to leave you with a warm fuzzy HEA. I hope you'll enjoy Adam and Jonah's story and their little piece of paradise!
The blog tour kicks off on April 8th and you have through the end of the month to get your
entries for the contest in. For each post, there's a question. For each question you answer in a comment on the blog post you get one entry on the Rafflecopter giveaway. The grand prize (US entrants only)? A December Diamonds Cupid Merman! Isn't he wonderful? I love these fabulous ornaments, and this little bit of schmexy could be headed your way. For non-US residents, I've got a $10 Dreamspinner Press gift certificate up for grabs that you will qualify for if you win.You'll find the Rafflecopter here and on each blog post. But you have to comment on a blog post to score an entry, so be sure to check out each stop on the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I'll leave you all with the blurb, buy-links, and an excerpt from Forgotten Paradise. Happy reading and, of course, happiest of HEAs! -Shira
Blurb: It’s dangerous diving for secrets.
When a megacompany threatens to take over his family-owned business, programming prodigy Adam Preston escapes the stress with a much-needed vacation in the Dominican Republic. There he meets attractive, intelligent, insightful Jonah James, a scuba dive instructor, and what starts as a holiday fling soon blossoms into much more.
But Jonah has a secret: ten years ago he woke up on an island beach with no idea how he got there… or even who he is. Their paradise may not be as perfect as it seems. When Jonah’s memories come crashing back like waves on the sand, will it be Adam clinging to the proverbial life raft, or will the two men find a safe harbor to ride out the storm?
Buy Links:
Dreamspinner Press: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/forgotten-paradise-by-shira-anthony-8323-b
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Paradise-Dreamspun-Desires-Book-ebook/dp/B06XVG612Y
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forgotten-paradise-shira-anthony/1125870263?ean=2940157247669
Excerpt:WHILE HENRI washed down the patio, Jonah hung the last two wetsuits and sprayed down the rinsing bins. Small rivulets of sand and water streaked the painted concrete.
“I can finish,” Henri told him.
“Thanks.” Jonah walked over to the benches and retrieved his BC and regulator from a hook. “I owe you a drink.”
Henri laughed. “Good thing they’re free or you’d have to take out a loan.”
“Meet you at Giuseppe’s in an hour?” Jonah hung his gear inside the staff room.
“Not tonight. Got a date with Viola.” Henri stopped spraying for a moment and gestured toward the office. “It’s our six-month anniversary.”
“Six months? Impressive. So what’s for dinner?”
“Sushi,” Henri said. “At Yumi.”
“You’re taking her all the way to Punta Cana?” Jonah chuckled and slapped Henri on the back. “Must be love.”
“A man does as he does.” He winked and added, “I borrowed Torey’s car.”
“A man’s gotta do what he’s gotta do,” Jonah corrected. Henri’s English was damn good, so Jonah enjoyed teasing him the few times he made mistakes.
“So how about you?” Henri asked with a crooked grin.
“Me?” Jonah knew where Henri was going, but he wasn’t going to bite on that particular topic.
“You’ve been here a few weeks now. Met anyone interesting?”
Jonah shook his head. “If I had, I wouldn’t be telling you about it,” he teased.
“Fine. To be that way.”
“Be that way. Not ‘to be.’”
Henri laughed and headed over to the counter, where Viola was working on assignments for the next day’s dives. “The guests think I’m sexier when I get things wrong.”
“You wish.”
Jonah pulled the elastic from his hair and ran a hand through his still-damp curls. He waved at Viola. “Have fun tonight!” He slipped on his sandals and headed down the path to the staff dormitories. He’d only made it to the towel-return shack when he noticed a man standing in the middle of the intersection of two paths, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“Perfect,” the man muttered.
“Lost?” Jonah forced his gaze up from the dusting of reddish hair on the man’s nicely defined pecs.
He looked at Jonah with warm brown eyes. “That obvious?”
“Happens a lot,” Jonah reassured him. “Where’re you headed?”
“Dive shop. Although by now, it’s probably closed.” American, judging by the accent. East Coast. A hint of New Jersey but polished so it was barely noticeable.
Jonah glanced at his watch. “You have another ten minutes.” He pointed the way he’d just come. “It’s about a hundred feet that way. You can’t miss it.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” Jonah offered the man a reassuring smile. “Took me a few days to get my bearings.”
“My mother used to tell me I’d lose my way in a shower stall.”
Jonah chuckled. “That bad?”
The man nodded.
“I could think of worse places to get lost with you,” Jonah quipped, immediately regretting it. The man’s lean body was far too interesting, especially given the no-fraternization policy Jonah had signed when he was hired. Not that the hotel had ever fired someone for taking a guest to bed, but Jonah felt more comfortable following the rule. It made things easier. Celibacy was safer. Flirting was downright dangerous.
The man flushed. Even more interesting.
The man quickly regained his composure. “Do I know you?” he asked.
Jonah also got that a lot. “I’m sure I’d have remembered you,” he said truthfully. It wasn’t every day he met a redhead, let alone one this attractive.
“My mistake.” The man offered his hand. “Adam Preston.”
“Good to meet you, Adam.” Jonah shook Adam’s hand. Strong grip. Confident, but not overly so. “I’m Jonah. Jonah James.”
“I’d better go,” Adam said. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”
“I hope so.” Jonah watched as Adam headed toward the dive shop. No fraternization, he reminded himself with a sigh. Maybe it was time to rethink the celibacy gig.
