In Too Deep

With: Kristina Mathews

Giveaway Alert!

When people find out I’m an author, I’m often asked if my books are based on real life. The answer is a bit complicated. Every experience I’ve ever had has somehow shaped me and will color the way I see the world I live in as well as the ones I create.

Some of my books are based on actual events, places, or situations. But I’d have to say the majority of my books are definitely fiction. Even the ones that were indeed inspired by something that actually happened to me or someone I know.

The idea for first book in my Swift River Romance was inspired by an actual event. A few years ago, my husband and his older brother went fishing near Mt. Shasta. They were hiking along, looking for a good spot to frighten, catch, and release trout. One of them saw someone struggling in the river, and they immediately dropped their rods, keys, and phones and went in after the man.

Well, the romance writer in me thought it would make quite a story. Only I changed the man to a young woman, the married brothers to single twins, and the location of the rescue to a fictional tributary of the American River where the twins Carson and Cody Swift own a rafting company.

I use a mix of real and fictional locations in my Swift River Romance series. The American River is real, but the town of Prospector Springs exists only in my imagination. I have rafted on both the American and Yampa rivers, which is where Cody first meets Miranda. My husband (and both his brothers) were raft guides and our son spent his first summer following in their footsteps. We have our own equipment and spent many summer weekends taking friends and family down the river.

While Swept Away, the first book in the series was inspired by a real event, I knew I had to make Cody’s story purely fictional. He made a mistake in the first book, using his twin brother’s identity for revenge. He didn’t expect the woman he met on the Yampa would be anything more than a beautiful memory. Miranda certainly didn’t expect the man she thought she’d spent those few steamy nights with to be off on his honeymoon when she comes to break the news that her birth control had failed.

But the most unexpected of all is how the two of them come together in In Too Deep. A series of misfortunes forces Miranda to accept Cody’s help and she finds herself feeling at home for the first time in her life. While Cody had always been a catch and release kind of guy when it came to relationships, he falls for Miranda. Hard. He let her get away once, and he’s not willing to let her off the hook this time.

IN TOO DEEP

Oh, baby!
 
For the first time in her life, adventure reporter Miranda Wilde has a plan that doesn’t involve scaling mountains or swimming with sharks. Miranda is about to do something scarier—she’s about to become a mother. Determined to deliver the news to her unborn baby’s father, Miranda arrives in Swift River to find the rugged resort owner with whom she shared an unexpectedly sexy weekend. Except Carson Swift is out of town—on his honeymoon—leaving his twin brother in charge. It’s all Miranda can do not to fall apart in Cody Swift’s strong arms…. 
 
Miranda is the only woman who ever tempted Cody to settle down, which is exactly why he doesn’t reveal that he’s the twin who shared those soul-searing nights with her. Cody knows Miranda needs more than a rough-edged river guide to give her the life she deserves. Then he learns Miranda is carrying a baby—his baby—and he’s ready to stake his claim. But can he prove his heart is in the right place—and that this is one adventure they’re meant to have together, for a lifetime?

AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE | iBOOKS | KOBO

Excerpt

He could do this. Get her on the river, show her a good time, and somehow find a way to bring up the fact that he was the guy she was looking for, not his brother, Carson. Cody had been kicking himself for not making plans to meet up with her again after their little adventure in the desert. But they’d both made it very clear that a continued relationship was not possible. She lived in San Francisco, but traveled a lot for work, so it would be difficult to connect.

And Cody? He’d never had a relationship that lasted longer than a weekend. And by Sunday he’d felt trapped. So he’d been surprised at how disappointed he was to watch her drive away after five days together. He knew the name of the magazine she worked for and she knew he had his own company in California, but they hadn’t exchanged numbers or any means of communication.

So now he wondered what had made her change her mind. Or was it just coincidence that brought her to his river? His company? Didn’t matter. She wanted a story. He’d give her a story. Hopefully one with a happy ending. Maybe a love scene or two.

“So, Miranda.” Just saying her name brought back memories. How her skin held the day’s warmth like the sandstone. How her smile brightened his nights like the full moon. And her touch? Her touch was like an oasis. “You’ve been on the Yampa. What other rivers have you run?”

“The Salmon, the Pacuare, the Zambezi.” She rattled off the rivers in Idaho, Costa Rica, and Africa as casually as someone might list roadside attractions.

“I haven’t traveled outside of California much.” Cody hoped he didn’t sound too much like a stick in the mud. “I’ve got pretty much everything I need right here. I’ve got my river to run, trails to hike or bike, beautiful women to entertain.”

He flashed his trademark grin, hoping she’d fall for it, like she had back in Utah.

Giveaway:
Go to the JCR SHOWCASE for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card!

About Kristina:

Kristina Mathews doesn't remember a time when she didn't have a book in her hand. Or in her head. But it wasn't until she turned forty that she confessed the reason the laundry never made it out of the dryer was because she was busy writing.

While she resigned from teaching with the arrival of her second son, she's remained an educator in some form. As a volunteer, parent club member or para educator, she finds the most satisfaction working with emergent and developing readers, helping foster confidence and a lifelong love of books. She proudly tells her students that she writes romance novels that they can read when they're older.

Kristina lives in Northern California with her husband of more than twenty years, two sons, and a black lab. A veteran road tripper, amateur renovator and sports fanatic. She hopes to one day travel all 3,073 miles of Highway 50 from Sacramento, CA to Ocean City, MD, replace her carpet with hardwood floors, and throw out the first pitch for the San Francisco Giants.