Jack is back!
I’m enjoying the fabulous weather down in Palm Desert, just as the rain and the cold starts to seep into the house back home. A week of sunning, hiking, and writing! Yes, I’m starting the next West Coast book, Any Way She Wants It! So while I’m working on that, I’ve got a couple of re-releases for you! Drop Dead Gorgeous and Sheer Dynamite. These were two of my favorite romances that I wrote for HQN. I loved Madison’s happy-go-lucky outlook on life in Drop Dead Gorgeous and Grandma Blue in Sheer Dynamite never failed to make me laugh! My mother was horrified, thinking I’d patterned Grandma Blue after her, but no, my mother is much to proper to ever say any of the things that come out of Grandma Blue’s mouth! So, I’m going to give you excerpts of both these books today! First up, Madison and T. Larry in Drop Dead Gorgeous!
A beautiful young woman who’s never been in love, the boss who’s dying to be her first… and the stalker who wants to be her last.
When danger begins to stalk Madison O’Donnell, her boss, T. Laurence Hobbs, must turn his calculating mind to protecting her. And the only way to do that is to make sure he’s the man she falls in love with.
Excerpt
© 2017 Jennifer Skully
“When was the last time you tried on my wedding dress?”
Madison rolled her eyes, glad her mother, being on the other end of the phone, couldn’t see.
“When I get married, Ma—” Which would be never, though she avoided saying anything like that flat out to her mother who frowned on Madison’s self-diagnosis of her condition “—I want to pick out my own wedding dress.” Sentimentality was great, but Madison’s mother got married right after the royal wedding when everyone wore Princess Diana knockoffs with puffy sleeves and boatloads of material around the neckline. Madison shuddered.
T. Larry had closeted himself in the conference room with Jeremiah and Alta. He had to get out of there before five. He just had to. Because she needed to know how things went with Zach. She’d chewed the lipstick from her lips and bitten her nails to the quick—or would have if her manicure hadn’t cost so much.
“And don’t think I didn’t recognize that subtle reference to marriage, Ma.”
“It wasn’t subtle at all. That nice Laurence—”
“His name is T. Larry.”
“Then why did he introduce himself as Laurence?”
“It doesn’t matter, because I’m not marrying him.”
“Do you know how much he makes a year?”
“I’m his secretary, not his accountant. And money isn’t important.”
“Then it’s true love.”
Madison thought about banging her head against her desk, just like T. Larry, but tried to think of her end of the conversation. Gauging what Bill, Anthony, and Mike thought about it from their vantage point on the other side of her cubicle wall seemed quite important. Of course, then she couldn’t remember exactly what she’d said. “I told you yesterday after church—”
“Does he attend church regularly?”
“I have no idea.”
The conference room door stayed tight as a vacuum-packed seal. What was going on in there?
“James thinks he’s marvelous.”
“James offered him condoms,” she hissed softly, hoping no one would hear
“Madison.”
“He did, Ma. You’ve got a big problem brewing in that household of his. I think it’s called birth control.”
Another shocked exclamation, then, “In my day people didn’t dream of talking about that kind of thing.”
Her mother’s day had come after the sexual revolution, though that had somehow managed to roll over Ma and leave her untouched. “Are we referring to sex or birth control?”
“I know what you’re doing.”
“What?”
“You’re trying to deflect the subject. Now about marriage and that nice Laurence—”
“I’m not marrying T. Larry.” Taking T. Larry to her nephew’s birthday party might not have been one of her brighter impulsive decisions. Had she said that too loudly? The guys were being awfully quiet on the other side of the wall.
“What does Laurence have to say about that?”
“He doesn’t want to marry me either.” It became difficult to lower the decibel of her voice when the level of her ire was rising. Then she sucked in a breath. Why was she angry? She never got angry. It must be her upset over Harriet and the lawsuit. “Ma, can we talk about this later?”
“But we need to start planning…”
“Ma.”
“All right. I just called to tell you your brother would be by tomorrow to fix the disposal. So leave a key under the mat.”
“I always leave a key under the mat.” Because one of her brothers was always coming over to fix something for her, the big sweeties.
“And for goodness sake, clean up the kitchen. You know he hates to work in a mess.”
She didn’t have time to clean up tonight. She had her picnic with Richard. “Sean already told me.”
“I don’t know where you get your messiness from.”
She got it from having too many better things to do. “Bye, Ma. I love you.”
“One more thing, Madison dear. I’m Episcopalian, and I’ve always believed in birth control. Except for that brief stint where your father corrupted me into being a Catholic.” A pause, her lips would be pursed. “So take your brother’s condoms just to be sure.”
~~~
Did I mention that Madison’s mother cracks me up, too! Here’s where you can find Drop Dead Gorgeous, It’s Fate, Book 1!
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And now for Jack and Opal’s story in Sheer Dynamite!
She’s a little bit crazy, she’s a whole lot beautiful, and she just might be psychic. Or not.
He’s tall, dark, and dynamite. The reincarnation of Dynamite Davis, that is. Or not.
Together, they’re explosive.
Excerpt
© 2017 Jennifer Skully
“We’re going for ice cream.” Grandma Blue seemed to bounce on the front seat of Jack’s truck like a child.
Opal wanted to sag against the door, but she reminded herself to resonate with energy. Besides, Grandma Blue seemed to be having the time of her life.
And Jack was staring with something dark, seething, and volatile in his eyes. With Grandma Blue between them, Opal couldn’t tell whether it was anger or something else.
“I didn’t expect to see you here, Jack.” In her heart of hearts, she was so glad.
“Find anything?”
He knew she hadn’t. This was his way of turning the tables on her. She gave him a bright smile belying the ache in her feet, her head, and her exhaust-numbed nose. Really, how did ladies of the night do it? “Nothing yet, Jack, but thank you so much for asking.”
“Will you two quit fighting? I want ice cream. Dynamite’s buying.”
“We’re not fighting.” Opal wasn’t sure what they were doing.
Opal spared a glance for Jack, who gave an imperceptible nod, and suddenly she wanted that ice cream more than anything else in the world. At least until she went back out on the overpass tomorrow night, at which point, she’d pray her vision jumper would attempt to make his jump, because she just wasn’t sure she could make it through another night out there.
“Come on, Grandma Blue, we’ll follow Jack over.”
Grandma Blue pursed her lips militantly. “Dynamite doesn’t know where my favorite ice-cream shop is. I’ve got to give him directions. Besides, I’ve never driven in a Dodge Ram before. It’s like driving as high up as a bus. Bet he can see right down onto the laps of ladies sitting in the passenger seat and wearing short skirts.” She turned to Jack. “Can’t you, Dynamite?”
Jack didn’t even bat an eye at the outrageous question. Which meant he’d probably gotten an earful of Grandma Bluisms over the last two hours and was inured to the effect of them. He merely smiled and said, “You’d be surprised how far a short skirt will ride up. And at what some of the ladies aren’t wearing.”
Was that level look meant for her? Opal thought there was a certain sizzle there that sent an answering shiver straight to the tips of her toes.
“Let’s go.” Grandma Blue bounced once again in her seat.
Pulling her keys from her bag, she wondered what Grandma Blue had up her sleeve this time.
Opal knew where they were going and got there first. The shop was crowded due to the warm July evening. She pulled a ticket, then cased the counter to see what she wanted. Barrels and barrels of every ice cream imaginable. She almost knocked over a little kid who got in her way. His dad pulled him back with a sharp look at Opal.
The hair ruffled at her nape, and she smelled Jack, some woodsy cologne and warm male skin. “What are you having?”
Your-lips-on-my-neck double scoop, please. She almost closed her eyes and sighed. He barely touched her, but she felt him down the length of her back, her thighs, and everywhere in between. Gee, with Jack so near, the ache in her feet didn’t seem quite so bad.
“Butter pecan.”
“Like the nuts, huh?”
She glanced over her shoulder to find his lips dangerously close, and that was definitely not anger in his sizzling-hot gaze.
Whatever bug he’d had up his hind-end last night had certainly worked its way out.
She almost missed their number. “Over here.”
Grandma Blue ordered first. “Single scoop double fudge chocolate caramel swirl on a sugar cone with sprinkles on top. And don’t be chintzy with the sprinkles, either.”
Opal got her butter pecan, and Jack ordered vanilla.
“Just plain vanilla?” Grandma Blue demanded.
“I like vanilla.”
She eyed him, looking like a little gnome. “Dynamite’s favorite was vanilla.”
Opal wanted to laugh and suddenly the oppressive energy of the last two hours lifted. She was sure Grandma Blue hadn’t a clue what flavor ice cream Dynamite Davis preferred.
Once outside again, the sun was going down, but the heat still rose from the concrete, warming her legs.
Without warning, Grandma Blue elbowed Jack in the stomach.
“Oomph.” He almost lost his ice cream off his cone. “What?”
A look passed between them, one Opal couldn’t assess due to the heavy tinting of Grandma Blue’s glasses.
Then Jack was staring at her. At her breasts. As if she were a scoop of ice cream he desperately wanted to lick. Honestly, how could a woman stay angry when a man melted her with a look like that?
~~~
And there’s a few Bluisms for you! Here’s where you can find Sheer Dynamite, It’s Fate, Book 2!
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iBooks | iBooks UK | iBooks AU | iBooks CA
Check out all our current Freebies available everywhere!
She’s Gotta Be Mine is FREE! Try Book 1 of the Cottonmouth Series.
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