Shades of Desire 2: Love Me Again by Cindy Stark

Four years ago, Krystal Collier caved to her fears and chose to leave behind her first love in order to secure her future. Now, she has returned to the small town of Pinecone Valley to begin a new job. Unfortunately, she finds she’s required to work with the one man she thought she could forget. She fights the urge to be near Josh knowing he’s found someone new, but it’s a losing battle. 

Only one woman has ever owned Josh Vansant's heart, and it’s not his supposed new girlfriend. Krystal’s constant presence torments him with what he can’t have. He searches for a way to convince her to leave Pinecone before she discovers his girlfriend is only a ruse to keep him from bleeding from the heart. 

If Krystal can’t look beyond her fears, realign her priorities, and see Josh for the man he has become, she’ll lose the greatest love of her life.

 EXCERPT:

“Krystal.”

The sound of her name transported her back several years to a younger, more carefree time in her life. Josh’s voice had always reminded her of smooth whiskey, dark with the power to swirl her senses and steal her rationality. With apprehension, she lifted her gaze.

Sweet sugar, he looked good. She raked her thirsty gaze over his short, dark hair, trailing across his broad shoulders, and faltering on midnight eyes that set her smoldering with one look. He was rougher around the edges than Rob Matthews, but damn if she didn’t like her men rugged.

“Josh.” Krystal’s heart tightened. What did she say to the man whose heart she’d broken? “It’s good to see you.” Such every day, mundane words for someone who’d meant so much to her.

“What are you doing here?” Tension sharpened his words. “I thought you’d be in Salt Lake or Denver by now.”

She shrugged, trying to keep her own tentative emotions at bay. After they’d separated, she’d avoided the singles’ scene and most community events, choosing to focus on school and hoping to miss exactly what she faced now. For his sake and hers.

“I graduated last December and didn’t intend to stay in Pinecone, but this job came open, and it seemed like a good springboard to my career.” It would be pointless to tell him about her mom’s problems, the reason she’d returned home. The time when she and Josh had shared their lives with each other was over.

He stared at her, and she yearned to find warmth in his eyes. “I thought maybe you’d decided our little town was big enough for you after all.”

Familiar disappointment and heartbreak washed over her. “I had a right to my dreams, Josh.”

“I never said you didn’t. Just never understood why it had to be me or them.”

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Shades of Desire: WENDY ELY & CINDY STARK

 

Hello SASSE Readers, over the next 10 days I will be hosting a different author in the Shades of Desire into our SASSE World. Join me in learning more about these wonderful authors and their stories in this boxset. Ten titillating tales from USA Today, bestselling and award-winning authors. Step into the world of some of the freshest voices in romance; from spicy secrets to sweet second chances. Get enticed by your perfect shade of desire.

WENDY ELY BRINGS YOU...

DANGEROUS FLAMES

Sometimes good men are taught to do evil things and it takes the strength of a sheltered woman to make things right. When Gabi learns of her father, she is asked to leave for her own safety. Fine. She’ll go... but she is taking her secret love with her, even if it’s at gun-point.

SASSE: Tell the readers a little about yourself. Why did you decide to be a part of Shades of Desire with your fellow authors?

SoD Author Wendy:  After having success in other boxed sets, I decided to form this group. I asked the potential authors a lot of questions and picked those that I thought would be a good match. I really enjoy working with every single author in Shades of Desire.

SASSE: How did you come up with this story? What is your story about?

SoD Author Wendy: Gabrielle Medinis is the heroine in my story. I knew who she was before I even had the plot figured out. The hard part was that I didn’t know a single thing about the mafia but had to write a mafia story? Focusing on other projects didn’t work. Her story wouldn’t leave my head until I did the research and wrote Dangerous Flames.

SASSE:  Do you use celebrity inspiration for your characters? If so, who inspired your hero and heroine?  

SoD Author Wendy: I don’t usually. For me, I worry that the celebrity and my character would be too similar.

SASSE: Is your story in the boxset part of a series? If it is, where does it fall in the line up?

SoD Author Wendy: Yes! Dangerous Flames is the first book of my Mafia Hearts series.

SASSE: For fun, tell the readers and interesting factoid about you?

SoD Author Wendy: I think I’m part mermaid. I seriously love to swim and would swim every day of the year if I could. Our apartment complex’s pool hasn’t opened for the summer year (and it’s 105 outside!) which makes for a really unhappy author. I’ve been calling my friends and asking if I can swim at their houses.

SASSE: Thank you SoD Author Wendy, this has been just delightful to sit back with you and learn a little more about you and your story.

Learn more about Wendy Ely

Wendy Ely is a USA Today bestselling author who writes some romantic suspense, really hot stories, and the wonderful happily-ever-after. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her own real-life hero, three teenagers, and two crazy cats. When she isn't busy writing new stories, she enjoys time outdoors by taking trips to the hot desert or swimming at the lake.

            Website:  www.wendyely.blogspot.com  
            Twitter:  @wendyelyauthor
            Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3033257.Wendy_Ely
            Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorwendyely
            Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/authorwendyely/

CINDY STARK BRINGS YOU...

WOUNDED

Battle-worn soldier, Jerry returns home intending to avoid his ex-fiancée. The shrapnel that wounded him pales in comparison to the gash she left in his heart. Kimber lost everything when she broke off her engagement, and she’ll fight to win him back.

SASSE: Tell the readers a little about yourself. Why did you decide to be a part of Shades of Desire with your fellow authors?

SoD Author Cindy:  I’d always wanted to participate in a boxset because I think it’s a fabulous way to introduce my readers to other great authors and also to give readers a chance to check out my writing without spending a ton of money upfront. It’s a win-win for everyone.

SASSE: How did you come up with this story? What is your story about?

SoD Author Cindy: My Aspen Series is centered around the sexy heroes in the fictional small town of Aspen, Utah. To me, there is nothing sexier than a man who’s willing to fight for his country. In Wounded, Jerry and Kimber were once engaged. But Kimber struggled with her fears while he was away fighting and broke off their engagement. She’s since realized her mistake, and though she fears she’s burned that bridge, she’s working to keep others from suffering the same fate.

Here’s the short blurb:

He’s fighting for peace…

Battle-bruised soldier, Jerry Tierno returns to his small hometown before heading back to war. Top on his list is avoiding his ex-fiancée at all costs. The shrapnel that sliced open his leg was nothing compared to the gash she left in his heart. Even if he has to cross the desert all over again, he’ll be damned if he’ll let her know how much she hurt him.

She’s fighting for love…

Kimber Reynolds made the worst mistake of her life when she broke off her engagement. It took her some time to conquer the fear and loneliness that made her question his love, but she’s strong now and determined to win back her sexy soldier. The only problem is his evasive manuevers outsmart her full-on attacks.

All is fair in love and war.

The town’s Fourth of July celebration is the perfect place to stage her battle for love. But before Kimber can win him over, she must prove she’s tough enough to be a soldier’s wife and convince Jerry she’ll be waiting the next time he returns home.

SASSE:  Do you use celebrity inspiration for your characters? If so, who inspired your hero and heroine?  

SoD Author Cindy: I do use celebrities for inspiration for characters. For this story, I used Joe Teti from Dual Survivor for Jerry because he’s such a hot military guy, and I used Lily Collins as Kimber. I love her expressive eyes.

SASSE: Is your story in the boxset part of a series? If it is, where does it fall in the line up?

SoD Author Cindy: Yes, this story is the first in the Aspen Series. There are nine books total in this series and one in a spin-off series.

SASSE: For fun, tell the readers an interesting factoid about you?

SoD Author Cindy: Hmm…I’m probably the most uninteresting person I know, which is why I love to study and write about others. I guess one thing that I like to laugh about is that I adore the ocean, hope to move to the Oregon Coast one day, but I hate seafood and I can’t swim. It’s crazy. I know. But walking the beaches of the Pacific Northwest calms and centers me like nothing else.

SASSE: Thank you SoD Author, this has been just delightful to sit back with you and learn a little more about you and your story. 

Join Cindy Stark and Wendy Ely today as she hosts the FB party. Click to attend: https://www.facebook.com/events/896834417055360/

Learn more about Cindy Stark

Cindy Stark lives with her family and a sweet Border Collie in a small town shadowed by the Rocky Mountains. She writes romantic suspense, contemporary romances, and paranormal romance. She loves to hear from readers so be sure to drop her line.

Website:  www.CindyStark.com      

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/CindyStark19

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/CindyStark

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CindyStark19?ref=hl

Google +:    google.com/+CindyStark19

Pinterest:  www.pinterest.com/CindyStark19

 



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