Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
As you might have been expecting if you caught sight of this blog tour ahead of time – I was meant to read and share my thoughts on behalf of the novel – however, there was a mail glitch which made the novel’s arrival into my postbox slightly delayed! I can happily announce though – the novel has made its way to me and I’ll be reading it this week! Therefore, as I am only posting a spotlight to announce my intentions to read the story and giving you a chance to ‘meet’ the characters in this lovely extract which was provided to me by Prism Book Tours – I wanted to explain what had happened and why I had to change what I was doing for the blog tour itself.
I have been having such a delightful time getting acquainted with Harlequin & Mills and Boon authors lately – as you will see quite a few authors have been highlighted on my blog since late last year and into the first few months of [2018]. It is partially due to a re-focus on seeking out the stories – as it wasn’t too long ago when I was regularly reading Harlequin authors. I used to focus on the parenthood stories and the stories about single fathers – I even started collecting the “Babies & Bachelors USA” series as I found it wicked fascinating how it was showcased!
You can imagine then, why the premise behind this title stood out to me!! I also have a soft spot for second chance romances and the curious way in which children help romance to bloom if a single parent is taking a chance on finding true love. There are so many different ways to enter into a narrative like this one and I look forward to seeing the choices Ms Marshall made herself as I am thankful she was able to re-send the book. Until I start it, however, the extract I was given to showcase today is about children and the curious ways in which being a parent are both the highlight and the joy of being alive because children give us a chance to re-discover the world through their eyes and the innocent ways in which they find their curiosity inspiring them to better understand the world. Even if sometimes, they try our patience, their presence is a blessing in which we never fail to realise is part of what makes our experiences full of hope and love.
If your a regular reader of Harlequin Romances or their other imprints, I look forward to your comments – seeing what you love to read by Harlequin and of course, if you know of any mini-series or authors I might enjoy seeking out – kindly let me know! My local library has a hearty collection of their stories and I love finding new Harlequin authors to read!
Happily return on 2nd of March, to read my review!
“Will you be my dad?”
Ask me anything but that.
Once upon a time, Dr. Daniel Delaney had it all. But he lost it in the blink of an eye, and he won’t let himself fall again—not even for his dedicated new assistant, Keela O’Mara, and her adorable, lonely little girl, Anna. Resisting a starry-eyed four-year-old is tough enough. Denying her perfect, loving single mom may be more than Daniel can handle…
Converse via: #Contemporary #Romance & #Harlequin
Published by: Special Edition (@HarlequinBooks) | imprint of Harlequin
Happily there are more installments for this book series:
Soldier, Handyman, Family Man | Synopsis | Pub Day: 20th March, 2018
Reunited with the Sheriff | Synopsis | Pub Day: 17th April, 2018
Here is the Extract from the novel I was given to share with you, today!
“I don’t want to,” The little girl Anna said.
“What?”
“I don’t want to color. Is that a fountain?”
Looking out the door, she said the word slowly—“foun-tan.” Yes, it was. It was in the hallway and she was welcome to go get a drink so he could get back to what he needed to do. “Yes. Help yourself.”
Anna scooted out of the room in her pink leggings and tutu, her sneakers squeaking on the tile. It was kind of cute, but he ignored the thought. Too damn painful. Instead he gave a sigh of relief that he was alone again and focused on his speech.
“I need help!” She used her outdoor voice, which startled him, and he jumped out of his chair to assist her by lifting her under the arms. Man, she was light, hardly weighed anything. So vulnerable and completely dependent on him. So trusting. Precious. She pushed the button for water, but her mop of curls got in the way. Her face got wet and she giggled. He almost smiled.
“Here,” he said, balancing her on his bent knee and thigh, and holding her hair out of the way with one hand. She slurped to her heart’s content, coming up only when she needed to breathe.
“Tastes good.”
He thought quickly. “I can fill up a cup for you. That’ll be easier.”
“No…” She dragged out the word. “I do it this way.”
And there he stood, letting his PT’s daughter drown herself in icy foun-tan water, braving brain freeze for fun.
“All done,” she finally said, so he set her down and felt immediate relief. Now maybe he could get back to work.
“I have to pee.”
He scrunched up his face, didn’t even try to hide his reaction. Was this really happening? “Do you know how to do that by yourself?” Because there was no way he was getting involved in that.
“I’m almost five!” Up went the hand.
“Okay.” Whatever that meant. He took her lifted hand, walked her to the unisex bathroom and nudged her inside. She gave him an exasperated glance, then pointed to the toilet seat cover container on the wall, too high for her to reach. He stepped inside, but only long enough to put the thin paper cover on the toilet, then turned to leave while again thinking how small she was and hoping she wouldn’t fall in. Before he closed the door, she was already pulling down her leggings and underpants.
“Wait, wait, wait!” He couldn’t help raising his voice, but seeing alarm on her face, he toned it down. “Let me leave first, okay?”
“Okeydoke.” So easily appeased.
Text Copyright © 2018 by Lynne Marshall
HARLEQUIN®SPECIAL EDITION
Ooh, my goodness! What did you think!? Honestly – sometimes I think men try to complicate things which are not needing to be complex! This little girl Anna truly captures your heart – mostly as she’s quite independent even if she still needs help with a few things – she has a kindness about her and I love how she’s trying to deal with a bit of an impossible situation – as you almost can tell she’s picking up on the vibe this bloke isn’t too keen on being round her or other children!
He gives the impression that he can handle being with children but there is something which holds him back from giving the child a reason to trust he really does care about her even if he’s doing everything he can to sway her to think the opposite! At least, despite his tried patience, he did what he should have done and helped her when she asked for his assistance. One does have to wonder – what has caused his heart to splinter and not allow him the ability to be caught up in the joys of being around a young spirit with such a happiness about her such as Anna?
I, for one, can’t wait to find out!
About Lynne Marshall
Lynne Marshall has been traditionally published with Harlequin as a category romance author for more than ten years with over twenty-five books, and more recently with TULE Publishing, she has also gone hybrid with self-publishing. She is a Southern California native, has been married to a New Englander for a long time, and has two adult children of whom she is super proud. She is also an adoring grandmother of two beautiful little girls, a woman of faith, a dog lover, a cat admirer, a meandering walker, a curious traveler, and an optimistic participant in this wild journey called life.
This blog tour is courtesy of: Prism Book Tours
Click through via the badge to find out what else awaits you!
Similar to blog tours where I feature book reviews, as I choose to highlight an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog. I provide the questions for interviews and topics for the guest posts; wherein I receive the responses back from publicists and authors directly. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them; I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers.
{SOURCES: Cover art of “Forever A Father”, “Soldier, Handyman, Family Man” & “Reunited with the Sheriff”, book synopsis, author biography, author photograph of Lynne Marshall, Extract for “Forever A Father” and the Prism Book Tours badge were all provided by Prism Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers & My Thoughts badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded by codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Stories in the Spotlight and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2018.
Comments via Twitter:
Book Spotlight w/ Extract and Notes | “Forever A Father” (Book One: Delaneys of Sandpiper Beach series) by Lynne Marshall part of #Harlequin Special Edition https://t.co/ZZjb9hhho1 pic.twitter.com/Eiz4YlKlzz
— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) February 28, 2018
Thanks so much for hosting me on the Prism Book Tour. I hope the book has indeed made it’s way to you and arrives this time!
You’re welcome, Ms Marshall.
And, yes it has – that’s why I was happily announcing it’s arrival on the top anchour and alerting my readers (as well as the tour route followers) my review is forthcoming this week – just ahead of the final day of the blog tour! I wanted to share my gratitude with everyone for receiving it.