PostsGuest post by Candace Havens + Giveaway
Entangled Publishing has recently released a contemporary romance anthology featuring four romance novellas about dates gone wrong. Today's guest Candace Havens shares with us the inspiration behind her story as well as an excerpt to give you a first taste, and of course don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end!
You never know what you’ll get when …
Mr. Virile and the Girl Next Door by Gwen Hayes
Seduction is the name of the game when two rival dating advice darlings agree to be romantically linked to boost publicity. But all bets are off when they take the battle of the sexes from the web to the bed!
Tycoon Reunion by Candace Havens and Shannon Leigh
Sparks fly when a project brings a heartbreaker back to town and into the path of the woman he left behind. He’s determined to win her over in the boardroom … and the bedroom!
Passionate Persuasion by Rosemary Clement-Moore
A hot playboy who has left a string of hearts in his wake can’t forget the cellist who haunted his fantasies. Now it is his turn to use his power of persuasion to prove he’s the only man to keep her satisfied.
Date on the Run by Jill Monroe
When an reporter mistakes a hard-bodied military man for a crime source, she soon finds it’s just as much fun undressing her new bodyguard as it is uncovering her latest case…Four stories, four dates. How can these dates by mistake turn into love ever after?
Candace Havens author of
The inspiration behind the story...
Shannon and mine's story was sort of an amalgamation of all the bad blind date stories we've heard from friends, and our own experiences. We knew we wanted a smart, funny heroine and that first date she has, when the hero sees her, is one I've been on. In my case, he was really handsome and had a lot of money, but there wasn't enough money in the world to sit through a conversation with him. All he did was talk about computer code. I can get my geek on, but code? I only wish I'd had a hero like ours to save me.
Excerpt from
Annabelle Darlington could not believe her luck. Another dinner date. Another dud. But at least in a fabulous setting this time. Her last date had been at the dollar movies. She’d had to buy her own popcorn. But this time, she’d been invited to dine at The Mansion. A destination well above her paycheck. However, in the spirit of adventure, she’d borrowed a dress and shoes from her best little sister, Bailey, and set out on her first blind date since forever.
Darrell had done a wonderful job reminding her why blind dates were always a bad idea. He loved to talk. About himself. A lot. At first, Annabelle had attempted to join his one-sided conversation with relatable tidbits about her experiences in the world of historic preservation. But Darrell wasn’t really interested in her insights or experiences. He leered at her boobs and talked faster about his desert trip to Dubai and the camels he’d ridden.
Had Annabelle ridden camels? No. Would Annabelle like to ride a camel? God No!
And this was only the first course! She needed to bail and do it fast before she did something wicked at The Mansion. Like dump her mushroom soup on Darrell’s shiny bald head.
Searching the restaurant for the restrooms and an escape from Darrell, if just temporary, Annabelle glimpsed a tall, well-built man crossing from the bar into the main dining room. Not that she knew a great deal regarding men’s fashions, but she did know an expensive, bespoke suit when she saw one thanks to working for her grandfather in his tailor shop while in high school.
The man, from the tips of his surely too expensive shoes to the flawless haircut only available in big cities like New York, screamed wealth, privilege, and standing: three things she knew nothing about, but had come into frequent contact with as a member of the city preservation board. As the Wall Street man-candy passed out of the low lighting of the bar and into the dining room, she nearly dropped her silver spoon into her still full soup bowl. It was only her quick reaction that kept her sister’s white gown mushroom free.
Mind blank, she couldn’t breathe, and she sure couldn’t ward off Darrell’s clumsy attempt to stroke her arm for some side boob as he scooted his dinner chair closer.
After what seemed an eternity caught in the cold claws of shock, Annabelle regained the fragments of her composure and looked straight into the stormy gray eyes of Jake Michaels. Except he wasn’t looking at her, he was zeroed in on her date. She realized too late how close Darrell was and where his hands were just as his camera phone clicked and he smugly said, “For Facebook.”
Infuriated, distraught, and embarrassed all at once, Annabelle let her temper rip. Her anger issue was one of the reasons why Bailey said she had to forgo traditional dating in favor of blind dates. She intimidated most of the men, who knew her. Something she’d never understood. She was a perfectly nice person, until she had to deal with idiots.
“Really? You’re going to attempt to make a move on me, right here in The Mansion? We’re not even finished with the appetizers. What would they say about such manners in Dubai? I believe they cut off your hands for that sort of thing.”
Darrell’s face reddened and his mouth gaped open. Where was his attorney’s quick fire wit now, huh?
“Pardon my ill-timed interruption between lovebirds, but I need to have a moment of your wife’s time, sir. It’s an urgent matter,” Jake all but growled. His gray eyes as stormy as ever.
Darrell snapped his jaws together and frowned at Jake. Then he looked to Annabelle. “She’s not my wife. But if you’re going to borrow her, please return the lady in the same condition.”
“Zip it, Darrell,” she said, swatting his possessive hands away. His touch sent bad juju through her body. She’d do almost anything to get away from him, including making a deal with a devil.
Annabelle turned her heated gaze on Jake, who didn’t flinch an inch.
If she weren’t so furious, she might respect him for that.
“Ms. Darlington, may I have a word in private?” he asked cordially as if he were asking her to tea.
The man standing in front of her was the lesser of two evils, she sighed.
“Of course,” she said as she held out a hand for him to help her out of her seat. His warm fingers sent a delightful shiver down her spine.
Damn you Jake Michaels. Damn you to hell.
She marched to the alcove. Reaching the fire exit with no other place to go, she turned on Jake and crossed her arms over her chest, intent on waiting to see what game he had in mind.
For years, she’d dreamt of the day Jake Michaels would walk back into her life and attempt to sweep her off her feet. Again. She’d heard from Bailey that Jake was back in town. She hadn’t expected to see him in the middle of her date from hell.
Why couldn’t Darrell have been some hot Italian dude? Not that she wanted to make Jake jealous, but it would be nice if just once she were on top.
That sent a visual image through her head of her riding Jake.
Oh, hell, I’m in trouble.
Entangled Publishing has generously offered an ebook copy of to a lucky commenter!
To be entered just leave a comment and tell us about one of your date mistakes or a date gone wrong. Or if you didn't have any such, what do you think would be a mistake to make on a date, or how could a date go wrong?
Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 12 April 2013!
Good Luck!
