Brenda Margriet – Author Spotlight
Thanks so much to Patti for offering to host me on her Author Spotlight today! Here’s a little bit about me, and then I’m turning the blog over to Justice and Charlotte, the hero and heroine of my new release, When Time Falls Still.
I write contemporary romances with heroes you
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Now – on to Justice and Charlotte! Take it away!
Charlotte: Thanks, Brenda! I think it’s up to me to get this rolling, as Justice is a man of few words.
Justice: It’s not that I don’t have the words. But I prefer to let my actions speak for me.
Charlotte: That’s one of the things that truly baffles me about you. I don’t know how many times I refused you, and yet you simply wouldn’t take no for an answer. The day your dog knocked me down on the path, I didn’t want to go back to your house. But somehow I ended up there, drinking hot chocolate with Bailey’s.
Justice: (dryly) Heaven forbid you take time away from your dissertation.
Charlotte: My career is important to me. I’ve dedicated years to getting my doctorate. I couldn’t let a sexy security guard get in my way.
Justice: Sexy, hey?
Charlotte: Oh, don’t look so smug. Just because you’re a big, tough ex-hockey player with fascinating scars, beautiful blue eyes, a deliciously touchable beard, strong shoulders…where was I?
Justice: (chuckling) I think you were trying to tell me I’m hot. That’s fine – you’re pretty damn sexy, too.
Charlotte: (primly) Thank you. Anyway – enough of that. What else should we tell people about our story?
Justice: Don’t give too much away. We want them to read it, don’t we?
Charlotte: Well, we should at least share the blurb. Here it is:
Professor Charlotte Girardet is focused on one thing – securing tenure at a large, prestigious university.
Her career is firmly on track, but her life is complicated by her attraction to rough and rugged security guard Justice Cooper. It isn’t only Charlotte’s heart in danger, however. Tensions blaze on campus after several students are viciously attacked.
Struggling to balance her ambitions and her growing passion, Charlotte takes a leap of faith, and trusts Justice with her deepest secret. But when the assailant’s attacks escalate to kidnapping, will Charlotte have the chance to decide between her long-held dreams or a new life with Justice?
Justice: Rough and rugged, hey?
Charlotte: Don’t blame me for that one. Brenda wrote it. Aren’t you worried you’re coming off a bit conceited in this interview?
Justice: I prefer to call it confident. I know you like it when I take control. Speaking of which…
(Muted sounds of movement, a giggle from Charlotte, the snick of a door shutting)
Well, Charlotte and Justice seem to have decide to…uh…move on to a different activity. But I hope you enjoyed getting to know them just a little bit. If you want to read more about When Time Falls Still, here’s a link to an excerpt http://www.brendamargriet.com/when-time-falls-still—excerpt.html.
One of the ways I’m hoping to connect with readers is through my brand new newsletter! You can find the sign up form on the front page of my website (http://www.brendamargriet.com/) and on my Facebook Author Page (https://www.facebook.com/BrendaMargriet/app/100265896690345/?ref=page_internal). As a thank you for signing up, I will be pleased to send you a copy of my short story, The Life She Had Before.
And if you’re feeling extra lucky, be sure to enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a copy of the book!
Thanks Brenda, Charlotte and Justice. Before readers sign up for a chance to win a copy of When Time Falls Still, I have a excerpt and some of the early reviews right here.
Excerpt:
Charlotte braced herself against the motion of the elevator, but not before her breasts, protected only by thin fabric and thinner lace, brushed Justice’s chest. He was standing so close she felt overwhelmed. Not intimidated—he didn’t scare her—just…swamped by his nearness.
Or maybe it was the heat in his eyes.
Ocean depths had nothing on the blueness searing into her, she thought wildly. Vertigo weakened her knees, but she couldn’t look away.
“I—” She broke off, swallowed, and tried again. “I don’t know what to say.” He toyed with the end of her braid, and she swore she could feel the touch of his fingers fizzle up the strands, down her spine and into the soles of her feet.
“Did you honestly think I wasn’t attracted to you?” His voice rumbled, low and sexy.
The doors slid open. Thank God the hallway was empty. Her legs felt disconnected from her body, but she managed not to stumble. She unlocked her office, seeking refuge inside. Justice followed.
“Charlotte?”
He wasn’t going to let it go. Perseverance was his greatest strength—and his most irritating habit, she thought peevishly. “I threw myself at you and you walked away.”
“I just about took you up against your front door.” Frustration coloured his tone. He scrubbed his hands over his close-cropped head.
“Fine. Maybe you were right.” She lifted her satchel off her shoulder and tossed it into a nearby chair. “Maybe I wasn’t thinking clearly enough.”
“Maybe.” He crossed his ankles and leaned against the wall, the casual stance belying the tension evident in the fists jammed in his pockets, the set of his shoulders. “Now what?”
“I don’t know.” The collar of his uniform jacket had kinked up on one side. Without thinking, she stepped forward to smooth it down. He caught her hand and held it. Her fingers curled into his.
The connection felt good. It felt right. Maybe she should stop thinking altogether, and just go with her gut.
She never did that. She planned and researched and debated and planned some more. Trying to regain her equilibrium, she tugged away and escaped behind her desk.
“Let’s look at this rationally,” she said. His scarred eyebrow arched and amusement flickered in his face, but she battled on. “We are both healthy, single adults. For some reason, we seem to have strong physical chemistry.”
“Some reason?” The amusement was uppermost, now. His lips remained firm and straight, but she could see it in his eyes, as usual.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you are not the kind of man I ever thought I’d be attracted to.”
He lowered his lids and regarded her through narrow slits. “Right back at you.”
She bristled, but took her own advice and let it go. “Regardless, we could take advantage of this mutual appeal.”
“There’s the professor I know and…admire,” he murmured.
She ignored the sarcasm. “I’m only here for a few more months.” The exam today was the last she needed to invigilate. As soon as they were marked and the results submitted, she was flying out to spend Christmas with Sonny and family, returning a few days before the start of the winter session. “Are you in any of my classes next semester?”
He shook his head, watching her closely.
“Would you consider a short-term, exclusive relationship, with a predefined end date?” There, she thought. That sounded mature, sensible. No need to let emotions colour what promised to be a satisfying adult affair.
He straightened from the wall, looming to his full height. “Would this so-called relationship be strictly physical? Or could it involve social aspects as well?”
Once again, she sensed an underlying current of laughter, but she ignored it. “I can’t see why not.”
“And it would come to an end the same time as your contract?”
“Or earlier, of course, should either of us find it no longer meets our needs.”
“I thought English professors were supposed to be romantic.”
Romance. Love. That’s what hurt you. Sex, on the other hand, was just sex. “Not all of us.”
Reviews:
If you’re looking for a great contemporary romance, WHEN TIME FALLS STILL is the book for you. The romance between Justice and Charlotte was full of ups and downs but their connection, friendship and attraction a constant. A fantastic introduction to a new-to-me author, I will happily browse through Brenda Margriet’s backlist.
The Romance Reviews – 4 Stars
http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=21212
Margriet’s voice produces a smooth flowing narrative, intriguing sexual tension, and a well-plotted romance that takes it’s time developing as Margriet sets out to address and resolve the internal issues of the protagonists while flirting with a light suspense filled subplot.
Smexy Books – Grade B
http://smexybooks.com/2016/03/review-when-time-falls-still-by-brenda-margriet.html
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B01CXB7OAC
Website (with all other links): http://www.brendamargriet.com/when-time-falls-still—where-to-buy.html
www.facebook.com/brendamargriet
www.pinterest.com/brendamargriet
www.twitter.com/brendamargriet
Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/brendamargriet
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