A desperate espresso café owner, a determined coffee franchise rep, a quiet Midwestern town, anonymous threats out of the blue—where does the true danger lie?
Welcome to Book Hooks, a Wednesday offering by members of Marketing For Romance Writers to share a little taste of our work and entice you into wanting more! Click on the links at the end to travel to other Book Hook posts, and enjoy!
EXCERPT
Kevin curled his fingers around the car door latch and turned back to Nadja. “Hmm, kissing me on the cheeks—does that make this a date?”
She broke into a large smile. “I’m not positive. Don’t misread a European custom.” She hesitated, then leaned across the space separating them to brush her lips lightly across his. She settled back in her seat and quietly watched his eyes sparkling.
“That’s an American custom,” he said, “for ending a date.”
“Don’t be so narrow-minded,” she teased. “I believe that custom is fairly common worldwide for ending a first date. Good night,” she added quickly. “I’ll see you on Friday.”
“You bet you will,” Kevin said, opening the door.
She watched him until he entered the motel. She hadn’t planned on their evening turning into a date. But it had. How? When? Why?
It had seemed like such a natural thing to kiss him. It had only been a kiss, and not much of one at that.
So why did her lips still tingle?
BUY LINKS
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L7WQH12/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1140503297
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/i-am-not-for-sale
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1115419
https://www.extasybooks.com/I-am-Not-for-Sale
REVIEW
Five Stars from N. N. Light
“The romance is so hot, you may have to call the fire department. But it’s the character development throughout I am Not for Sale which makes this such an incredible story.”
BLURB
It’s nothing personal…
It all seems simple enough—Ukrainian immigrant Nadja Petrov is determined to hold on to her thriving new coffee shop, Nadja’s Literary Cappuccino, and Java Beans District Rep Kevin Langley is equally determined to move into her North Iowa town with a franchise and run her out of business.
He scopes her out, she keeps a watchful eye on him, and the sparring begins. But there are other players involved, and the web of intrigue soon threatens Nadja, her shop, and her aunt as well as Kevin, his potential franchise, and his son.
Within this cauldron simmers a sexual attraction between Nadja and Kevin that catapults them to overcome their fears of intimacy and commitment. Their lovemaking is tender and raw. Their love is nearly lost in tragedy—can it survive doubts, fire, and even a death?
So much for all the anticipation about the new millennium. Merry Delaney’s life is still in a rut and shows no signs of changing. Sex? A fading memory, gone long before her husband actually died. Excitement? Hardly the hallmark of an accountant’s life. At forty-two, what can she look forward to?
Wow, what an incredible book! Not only is The Merry Widow a gripping romantic suspense, but the heat level is hotter than Death Valley… The ending took me by surprise and I was a little sad to see it end. I grew attached to the characters and wanted to stay in their world a little bit longer. The Merry Widow will be on my keeper shelf and one I will be re-reading again and again. Highly recommend! 
Scowling, Nadja huffed, “You know I don’t like calling it a dildo. It’s my magical crystal wand.”
He chuckled, remembering how she’d wanted to get rid of him. He opened the book and studied numerous pictures of majestic, gilded onion-domed buildings and snow-covered fields. There were no words. He flipped to the back of the book and frowned. It had words all right, but in letters totally unfamiliar to him.
