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Anne Conley

The Fixer Upper by Anne Conley

March 3, 2015 by Mia Fox Leave a Comment

The Fixer-Upper - Banner


BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – The Fixer Upper
SERIES – None
AUTHOR – Anne Conley
GENRE – Contemporary Romance
PUBLICATION DATE – March 1st
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 60K
PUBLISHER – Anne Conley
COVER ARTIST – Samantha Holt
he Fixer Upper - Book Cover

BOOK SYNOPSIS

James is a has-been restaurateur from the UK, trying desperately to get himself out of the hole he’s dug for himself, while trying to figure out how to suddenly be a Dad for his brand-new tween-ager. He thinks he’s fixing things, or at least he’s making a mortgage payment, when he takes a job on a dating show as the Fixer Upper.

Margaret’s life is perfect. At least, that’s what she keeps telling herself. A recent divorcee, she can’t believe she’s turned into a cliché. When she makes a deal with her ever-helpful mother who will stop fixing her up with men, if Margaret will go on a dating show, she thinks she’s solved one of her problems.

What happens when the womanizing TV host meets the classy lady with OCD tendencies? Can they find what they need in each other?

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US – GOODREADS

EXCERPT

James watched as she picked up her onion sword and dipped it into her mouth, extracting one and swirling it around her mouth before taking a drink. He sipped on his scotch, churning it around his mouth and letting it cleanse him as it went down his throat, bloomed in his chest, and spread through his stomach. He relished the burn.
The bartender came over to wash some glasses near them, and after catching James’s eye, lowered to whisper to him, “Are you her decoy?”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s in here almost every night, beating men off, explaining why she doesn’t need to actually have a boyfriend to not be interested. I was just wondering if you were pretending to be her boyfriend, so she wouldn’t get hit on. I’ve been tempted to offer myself.”
“No, I’m not pretending to be her boyfriend.” James couldn’t hold back the grin at the image of Margaret fighting off potential admirers.
“Are you really her boyfriend?” The poor man’s eyes were huge with disbelief, and James could completely understand. She did put off the cold fish vibe, but he ached to change that.
“I can hear you two idiots,” Margaret hissed at them. Turning on the poor boy, “You are no longer my favorite. Where’s Marcy? She’s almost as good at my martini as you are.”
“Sorry. She’s not in tonight, you’re stuck with me.” He grinned at her boyishly, and James watched her blush. Was she flirting with the bartender? He left to go help someone at the end of the bar, and James turned to her.
“You like him, huh? Is he the one you want to take to dinner?” Her lucky date for tonight would get dinner out on the show.
“No! He’s a child!”
“That’s right. That pesky age thing.”
Before he could elaborate, a sharp-dressed CEO type walked up to Margaret on her other side. The man exuded money, from his Armani to his Rolex. James watched with interest.
“Hey there sweet thing. Can I buy you another?”
James felt a prickle of jealousy and again questioned himself. He had no claims on her, in fact, he was here to help her get a date, in spite of what the producers said. Even so, he cheered inside his head when her mouth shaped the word no, before snapping shut. When she re-thought her response, his unease returned.
“Sure, why not?” Her voice was blithe, but James saw the underlying tension and resignation to the simple statement, like she knew exactly what was going to happen next, and dreaded it, participating only to please the show.
As soon as the bartender brought another drink for the two, the man bent down close to Margaret’s ear. James didn’t hear all of it, but he managed to see red darken his Maggie’s chest and knew exactly what that meant, he’d done it to her himself. Before he could react, she’d thrown her drink in the CEO’s face, who took it all with aplomb.
Removing his handkerchief from his breast pocket, the man wiped his face before smirking and leaving. No more words were spoken.
“What the hell did he say to you?”
Angry tears sounded in her voice, and sudden understanding dawned on him. Men were fucking pigs. “He told me to come back to his place so he could stick his dick in my hot, wet, cu—“Never mind. Forget I asked.” Her eyes shined at him, as if tears were just under the surface, and James wondered if it was always like this for beautiful women with no self-esteem. Margaret knew she was pretty, but didn’t give herself enough credit for the rest. That’s why she kept her standards so high, so she didn’t get hurt. And the men who came on to her were total assholes. James knew she’d only allowed the wanker to buy her drink because he’d told her to lower her standards. If she kept up with her normal routine, that man wouldn’t have stood there more than thirty seconds.
James held out his arms, trying to be comforting, and to his surprise, Margaret sort of slumped towards him. He took a step forward and enfolded her in his arms. It was similar to last night’s embrace, except she wasn’t trying to beat him senseless. Instead, she was just… limp.
Stroking her back, feeling her warmth through the thin material of her dress, he inhaled the scent of her shampoo, lavender and vanilla. Scents that should remind him of his gram, only on Maggie, they made him want her naked.
He was such a fucking tool, no different from the others.
She relaxed in his embrace, her own arms coming around his waist and squeezing him, pressing herself against him. Something welled up inside, something a little foreign, something that surprised him. He realized he cared for her, and not just enough to sleep with her. James cared for Margaret enough to want to know what happened to them after the sex.
“We should just go. I’m hopeless.” She sniffed into his chest, and he could barely hear her. “I’ve thrown my drink at one guy, and I’m hugging on you. Nobody’s going to want to go out with me now.”
“I do.” His words shocked him, but no less for the meaning behind him. He did want to take her out. He wanted to make her feel desired, undo all his words of yesterday and the day before. He regretted them, immensely, and didn’t know what to do to take them back.
She looked up at him, her brow furrowed with confusion, but didn’t take a step back. Still holding her with one arm, he reached his other to smooth the wrinkles on her forehead, and shrugged, murmuring, “Masochistic tendencies.”
Her lips curled into a smile, and she laughed. He’d never heard the clear tinkling sound resonating from her before, and suddenly he lost all of his senses. Something changed in both of them. As abruptly as she started laughing, she stopped, and James watched as her gaze focused on his lips. Maggie’s tongue snaked out and stroked her bottom lip, leaving it sparkling wet, preparing it for him. James was lost. He wasn’t sure if she raised herself, or if he lowered his face, but in the next second, their lips were on each other’s.
The Fixer Upper - Author Photo

AUTHOR BIO

Anne has written her entire life and has the boxes of angst-filled journals and poetry to prove it. She’s been writing for public consumption for the last four years. Currently she is writing two romance series. In Stories of Serendipity, she explores real people living real lives in small town Texas in a contemporary romance setting. In The Four Winds, she chronicles God’s four closest archangels, Uriel, Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael, falling in love and becoming human. She lives in rural East Texas with her husband and children in her own private oasis, where she prides herself in her complete lack of social skills, choosing instead to live with the people inside her head.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – WEBSITE / BLOG – FACEBOOK (Fan Page) – FACEBOOK (Friend Page) – TWITTER – GOOGLE+ – PINTEREST – GOODREADS – Sign up for Newsletter


GIVEAWAY PRIZES

2 ecopies of the Fixer Upper
1 ecopy of The Best Laid Plans of Boys and Men
$5 amazon giftcard
a Rafflecopter giveaway



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Filed Under: Authors Tagged With: Anne Conley, The Fixer Upper

Best Laid Plans by Anne Conley

January 17, 2015 by Mia Fox Leave a Comment

Get ready to learn about Best Laid Plans by Anne Conley, a contemporary romance novel that is sure to please.

Best Laid Plans - Blast Banner

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – The Best Laid Plans of Boys and Men
SERIES – None
AUTHOR – Anne Conley
GENRE – Contemporary Romance
PUBLICATION DATE – January 1, 2014
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 28,500
PUBLISHER – Anne Conley
COVER ARTIST – James Price with AEP Book Covers
Best Laid Plans - Book Cover


BOOK SYNOPSIS

The Best Laid Plans of Boys and Men tells the story of the whirlwind May/December romance between Taylor and Alexander. While Taylor is completely caught off guard by Alexander’s maturity and the difference between him and every other boy she’s dated, Alexander’s busy trying to figure out how to tell her he’s the lawyer suing her pants off.

This is a standalone story of approximately 30 thousand words, not part of any of Anne Conley’s series.

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US – AMAZON KINDLE CA – AMAZON KINDLE UK



Best Laid Plans - Teaser 1


EXCERPT

“Well, well, well…” Sandra’s gaze turned mischievous, and Taylor turned to see who had captured her attention. And promptly lost all ability to breathe. She was barely aware of Sandra’s muttered curses as she wiggled into the pocket of her jeans to extract the money, throwing it at Tess across the table.
Alexander had gone home to change as well. Gone was the suit and tie. A pair of jeans and a black button-down shirt graced his long, lean body. The shirt fit well over his broad shoulders, sleeves rolled up to expose tan, corded forearms.
“Holy…” She took a sip of her drink, sucking it down to the ice to cool the pooling warmth inside. Her heart was beating fast, slamming against her chest painfully. Taylor watched his gaze travel the crowded club before finding them seated along the edge in the curved booth. His arctic blue eyes flashed from searching to triumphant to predatory in an instant, and the pool of warmth spread through her core.
With each step closer, Taylor found less breathable air.
“Holy hell. That man can wear a pair of jeans like nobody’s business.” Sandra was in awe, and the thought crossed Taylor’s mind that he was closer to Sandra’s age than hers. She had no business starting something with him, anyway; maybe she should just fork him over.
Except his eyes never wavered from hers. As soon as he’d seen them, his gaze had latched onto hers, leaching inhibitions right and left. Her tongue snaked out and swept across her bottom lip, followed by her teeth, and she caught her hand fiddling with the neckline of her top. Subconscious signals flowed from her before she realized what she was doing.
She was glad to see him.
He flashed a grin at them before sliding into the booth next to Taylor, and she had a sudden understanding of the term panty-melting. His smile certainly did things to her insides that nobody else had managed to do. Ever.
His proximity was doing things too. He smelled clean and fresh, his woodsy aftershave wafting to her unencumbered by smells of permanent solution, hair dyes, and shampoo. His thigh brushed against hers, and tingles erupted in her stomach.
“Ladies,” he greeted them. Holding his hand out to shake the boy’s hand, he introduced himself, “Alexander.”
The guy, whose diatribe about his hair had trailed off with the women’s shift of focus, flashed a confident smile. “Lucas. Nice to meet you, man.” Taylor watched the handshake, both men’s hands white-knuckled with exerted pressure. She hid her smile behind her fingers. Lucas wrapped his arm possessively around Tess, who didn’t seem to mind much, and Alexander visibly relaxed.
Okay, so he wasn’t threatened by the attention to Tess. For some reason, that thought comforted Taylor, but not for long. His voice in her ear sent a whole slew of uncomfortable thoughts racing through her body.
“Can I crash girls’ night if I buy you ladies drinks?”
“Of course! I’ll have another margarita, Taylor needs another cranberry vodka, and Tess is drinking the draft bock.” Sandra had the hearing of a bat. Taylor had always been amazed at how well she could hear clients talking over the noise in the shop, and tonight was no exception.
When Alexander looked at her for confirmation, she nearly got lost in the pools of blue piercing her, offering a meek nod of acceptance. As he slid out of their booth with the grace of a cat, she felt a pang of loss at the sudden coolness that replaced his body heat.
She fanned herself absently, mentally chiding her body’s physical reaction.
“You gonna tap that?” Lucas was watching her, an amused look on his face.
“Excuse me?”
“That’s a manther if I’ve ever seen one.” He tossed back his beer in one motion and settled back with an excited gleam in his eyes.
Tess laughed uproariously, and Taylor couldn’t hide her confusion.
Sandra explained, “The male equivalent of a cougar is what he means.”
“How do you guys even know he’s here for me? You’re closer to his age. What if he’s here to pick you up?” she asked Sandra.
“He’s not, honey. I guarantee you.”
“Yeah, he looks like he wants to fuck you senseless,” Lucas added.
“Well, I wouldn’t have put it nearly that eloquently…” Alexander slid into the space next to Taylor, replacing the heat which had left with him. She watched him as a slight blush rose to his cheeks. Or was it a flame like the one tickling her insides right now? Or the one that was rippling across her own skin?
He held out a hand to her with two drinks in it, one hers, and one a clear amber liquid, presumably his. The way he cradled both glasses in his palms lent an intimacy to the glasses flush against each other. She took both and placed his on the table while he handed the others around. Those hands…
Grateful for the drink, she took a rather large sip, not wanting to see Alexander’s reaction to Lucas. Even though Lucas’s attention had been diverted to something Tess was whispering in his ear, Taylor still couldn’t look up enough to gauge anybody’s reaction.
Except Sandra’s, who loudly announced someone had to get up because she wanted to dance.
Alexander gracefully slid back out, holding out his hand to Taylor to help her. When she took it, his smooth fingers caressed her palm seductively as he lifted her out of the booth. The shudder wracking her body could not be suppressed. What was it about this guy? Nobody had ever made her body do these things, and she barely knew him.
An overwhelming desire to explore the attraction consumed her. Her eyes lifted to his, and once again, his crystalline blue gaze pierced her. She sipped on her drink, ignoring Sandra behind her and asked, “Do you want to dance?”
A rare uncertainty crossed his features, and Taylor thought it was cute. “I don’t really dance to this type of music,” he said, looking down at her. His gaze was focused on her lips, and she licked them nervously.
Setting down her drink, she took a deep breath and grabbed his hand. “It’s not hard, you just bounce with me.” Taylor wasn’t used to taking the lead with guys, certainly not guys like Alexander. He was so put together, so unlike any of the other guys she’d gone out with. In fact, it occurred to her, he wasn’t a guy. He was most definitely a man.
Carnal desire replaced the uncertainty on his face, and he tossed back his drink in one swallow. “Sounds heavenly.”

Sexy passion couple in neon lights on the disco
My Mistake - Author Photo

AUTHOR BIO

Anne has written her entire life and has the boxes of angst-filled journals and poetry to prove it. She’s been writing for public consumption for the last four years. Currently she is writing two romance series. In Stories of Serendipity, she explores real people living real lives in small town Texas in a contemporary romance setting. In The Four Winds, she chronicles God’s four closest archangels, Uriel, Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael, falling in love and becoming human. She lives in rural East Texas with her husband and children in her own private oasis, where she prides herself in her complete lack of social skills, choosing instead to live with the people inside her head.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – WEBSITE / BLOG – FACEBOOK FAN PAGE – FACEBOOK FRIEND PAGE – TWITTER – GOOGLE+ – PINTEREST – GOODREADS – Sign up for Newsletter

GIVEAWAY PRIZES

3 copies of Best Laid Plans of Boys and Men
$5 Amazon Giftcard
a Rafflecopter giveaway


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