THREE SIMPLE WORDS

With: A. J. Pine

Congratulations to "Dee", the winner in A.J.'s giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!

Doesn’t it always happen that the guy we know we should stay away from ends up being the guy who is hardest to resist? Annie Denning—bookshop owner, romance blogger, and believer in happy ever afters—wants nothing to do with bestselling author, Wes Hartley—the guy who wrote the most cynical book that all her blog followers tout as the best romance of the year.

But the story of a man who is a serial dater, breaking hearts left and right, and chooses to be alone—is not a romance! And Annie just can’t seem to separate the author from the character he created. But, since the universe enjoys messing with her, Wes ends up as her last-minute date to a wedding. This is the scene where he show up to pick her up.

Excerpt

“Shit!” she yelled, squatting to pick up the three-inch heel that was now nothing more than a stick. “Like, throw me a freaking bone here, universe!”

Before she could head back upstairs for a quick shoe change, the unmistakable sound of a motorcycle broke through the quiet of her street, and seconds later, said vehicle stopped in front of her building. Because, of course, this comedy of errors would not be complete without an audience.

“I guess I’m right on time?” Wes said after he killed the engine and took off his helmet.

Annie’s stomach lurched.

He wasn’t supposed to look so good. And that voice of his—playful and teasing with a sexy rasp—wasn’t supposed to do things to her insides. But her palms began to sweat, and she felt nauseous.

“Yeah.” She held up her broken heel. “A minor wardrobe malfunction.”

His smile bloomed fully now. Annie was still trying to reconcile the cartoon drawing, the ridiculous bio, and the most cynical book she’d ever read with the specimen parked in front of her apartment.

Because he didn’t look like a cartoon or ridiculous, and that grin was anything but cynical. Wes Hartley wasn’t how she pictured the hero of Down This Road. But he’d created the character and had all but admitted the book was autobiographical fiction. Still, there was the hint of something butterfly-like in her belly, and she wanted to tell the little buggers to knock it the hell off.

A leather jacket, gray pants, boots, and a body atop a Harley hadn’t found their way into her fantasies before today. The heroes she read about were steadfast. Reliable. She could tell by looking at Wes—from knowing he’d fled Chicago the first chance he got—that he was more of a drifter. After all, Jeremy said he had just shown up out of the blue looking for a place to stay—unsure when he’d leave again. But maybe tonight she could throw expectation out the window and enjoy the view. This was not the boy she barely knew in high school. This was—a man.

A gorgeous man smiling at her.

Three Simple Words

Annie

I know where to find my happily ever after—between the pages of a romance novel. It’s why I sell books, why I blog about them, and why I’ll never get disappointed by love.

So what if my brother’s best friend from high school is now a bestselling author? Or that he just blew back into town on a Harley, filling out a pair of jeans like he never did before? Or that he’s agreed to do a signing at my bookstore on such short notice? Because despite all his adoring female fans, I kind of hated his book.

Wes

The last time I saw Annie Denning, she was a senior in high school, three years older than me and way out of my league. Now I’m her last-minute date to a wedding, and what started as a night of pure fun has turned into something more real than either of us anticipated.

Annie is my muse. When I’m with her, my writer’s block fades away, and the words finally flow.

The only problem? She wants the fairy tale—her very own happily ever after—and anyone who’s read my book knows the truth. I just don’t believe they exist.

Each book in the Kingston Ale House series is a standalone, full-length story that can be enjoyed out of order. 

Series Order:

Book #1 The One That Got Away 
Book #2 Six Month Rule
Book #3 Three Simple Words

Book #4 Worth the Wait (January 2017)

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Author bio:

AJ Pine writes stories to break readers’ hearts, but don’t worry—she’ll mend them with a happily ever after. As an English teacher and a librarian, AJ has always surrounded herself with books. All her favorites have one big commonality–romance. Naturally, the books she writes have the same. When she’s not writing, she’s of course reading. Then there’s online shopping (everything from groceries to shoes). And a tiny bit of TV where she nourishes her undying love of vampires, superheroes, and a certain high-functioning sociopath detective. You’ll also find her hanging with her family in the Chicago ‘burbs.

AJ Pine is the author of the If Only series, the Only You series, and the current Kingston Ale House series.

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Giveaway:

A.J. will be giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky person leaving a comment or email entry!

Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST Oct. 19th. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@JustContemporaryRomance.com with a subject title of JCR GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway. US residents only.