Musings and Ramblings

In Deep


In Deep, #1
Kella McKinnon


Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Kella McKinnon
Date of Publication: September 28, 2014
Number of pages: 354
Cover Artist: Des Beaux Rêves Designs

“I never thought it would go this far… that a man with such terrible secrets would steal my heart and make me want him so much, when his life of danger and lies should have made me want nothing more than to turn and run. I understood him, you see. I knew that beneath all of that money and power, and yes… violence, was a man in desperate need of love. So desperate that he took from me something I wasn’t ready to give: my future.”

Brielle Dalton thought the few months in Vegas she needed to finish her dissertation would also be a chance to have some fun before ‘real life’ took over. But she never counted on meeting Cristos Vicario, the irresistible but troubled owner of the Adagio casino. The attraction was instant and all-consuming, but in the beginning neither knew that their lives had crossed before, and the result had been nothing short of tragedy. By the time Brielle discovers who Cristos really is, and what he has done in a reckless attempt to keep her, it’s too late. She’s already in too deep.

Excerpt: 

He leaned closer. “You smell like chocolate.”

“I had a chocolate martini with Alexis earlier.”

“I thought you were going running.”

“I did go running. Then I met Alexis.”

“Just Alexis?”

I didn’t like his tone, it was almost accusing. I got the sneaking suspicion that he had been spying on me.

“That’s none of your business”, I countered, suddenly a little annoyed. Almost annoyed enough to take away his bonus points.

He pushed a hand through his hair and shook his head a little. “I want it to be my business.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Did he want to control who I spent my time with?

“It means that when I’m seeing you, I want to have you all to myself. I don’t want to share you with anyone else.”

“We’re not seeing each other… you don’t date, remember?”

“Seeing each other is not the same thing as dating”, he said, pressing his lips into a thin line.

“Yes, it is. And since we aren’t seeing each other or dating, you have no say over what I do with my time or who I spend it with.” I had no idea why I was even arguing with him, because even if we were dating, I was only with Lexi and her friend Dex. And Dex was only there for a few minutes after I arrived.

He went silent for a long moment, his jaw working as he hashed something out in his mind. “I think I want to make an exception.”

“An exception to what?” I asked, exasperated.

“The no dating rule… I want us to be dating.”

I looked up at him in surprise. That was just about the last thing I expected him to say. I wondered if this was just another ploy to get me into bed. I also wondered if he’d make me sign a waiver first like Lexi had heard. Really rich guys did that sometimes before they dated someone, didn’t they? A kind of non-disclosure agreement in case of a bad break-up? Or entrapment? The thought almost made me smile but I bit my lip instead.

“I’ll think about it”, I said.

His jaw clenched tighter and he drew a breath in through his nose, as if he was trying to rein in his temper. “Come on, I’ll buy you a coffee.”

I grinned at him. “You’re forgiven.”

He laughed and took my hand, leading me away to the nearest Starbucks. “You amuse me to no end, Brielle. I like that.”

After coffee, he brought me to a really classy sushi place, and ordered a wide selection for me to try.

“You know, this is the third evening in a row you’ve taken me to dinner.”

He gave me a sexy look. “That’s because we’re dating.”

“I haven’t agreed to dating.”

“I don’t care what you did or didn’t agree to. I say we’re dating. In fact… I want you to move to the Adagio. There’s a suite of rooms open on the floor below mine that would be perfect for you.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Uh uh, no way. I’m perfectly fine where I am.”

“Brielle, where you’re staying is dangerous, not to mention… unsavory. I don’t want you there, not when I own an entire hotel.”

I rested my chin in the palm of my hand and gave him my most stubborn look. “No.”

In Deeper


In Deep, #2
Kella McKinnon


Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Kella McKinnon
Date of Publication: September 28, 2014
Number of pages: 242
Cover Artist: Des Beaux Rêves Designs

Goodreads Blurb:

Brielle

What would you do if you met a man that made you burn like wildfire from the inside out? Burn so hot that with one touch you forgot to breathe?

And if you knew that he had dangerous secrets? Would you be able to walk away?

I couldn’t. As strong as I know I am, I kept going back for more of him. That body… those eyes…

I saw him for the first time on my very first day in Vegas, and even then I think a part of me knew, because I couldn’t look away. It was like that moment when you see something flying towards you and you know it’s going to hit you before you can ever move out of the way, so you just watch, transfixed, as it crashes into you. Cristos Vicario: owner of the illustrious Adagio hotel and casino and reputed billionaire playboy. He sure as hell wasn’t what he seemed on the surface. That man had secrets. No one knew what a dark and dangerous world he lived in, and when I finally saw him for what he was, it was already far too late. I found myself inextricably tied to him forever. The course of my life altered. My entire world changed forever as he took away my freedom and gave me the key to my dreams in one fell swoop.

How could I have known that the one man who should have been my greatest nightmare would become the one thing I couldn’t live without? And all I had to do was forgive him…

Cristos

I was only living for one thing, one goal, one endgame… until I saw Brielle. And when I touched her, it was all over for me… I just didn’t know it yet. Not until I broke all of my rules for her, one after another, and that still wasn’t enough. I wanted more.

I wanted it all. Yeah, what I did to her was pretty much unforgivable. I know that now. Some small part of me might have known it then, too, but it didn’t matter. I had to hold on to her. I would have done anything to keep her… and I did.

Now I’ve put her in danger, dragged her into my world, and I don’t know whether to push her away or hold her tighter. Letting her go would be the right thing to do… but every time I try to do the right thing… I can’t.

When I take her, it’s always hard and desperate, as if she’ll disappear if I can’t make her feel the same things I feel... if I can’t force her to care about me enough that she’ll look past everything else and see into my heart. Last night, after she fell asleep, still wrapped in my arms, I rested my lips against the top of her head and inhaled the scent of her as she slept. Trusting me, even though she shouldn’t. “I don’t deserve you”, I whispered. “But I want you. God, I want you so badly.

Guest Post:

Writing… Why it’s really hard but lots of fun and kind of an addiction…

For me, the hardest part about writing is knowing that other people will be reading what I’ve written and judging it, while still remaining true to my characters and plot. I think this is something I get better at with each book I write, but in the beginning it was difficult to read in a review of my work: ‘I can’t believe the heroine would do something like that’, or ‘I found what the hero did offensive’, and not take it personally or feel like I should take back those words. (Yes, I’m really sensitive to everyone’s feelings, that’s just the way I’m made!) Sometimes when I’m writing a scene, I can practically hear the most realistically minded of my readers saying “That would never happen in real life”, but then I remind myself that I’m writing fiction, which takes place in a fantasy world of suspended reality. It’s not supposed to make sense in the real world, or we’d all be watching the news instead of reading romance novels, wouldn’t we?

In the beginning, I had no idea what to write about. How on earth did prolific authors come up with so many plotlines… so many different characters? But now, even as I’m nearing the end of one writing project, the next one is already taking place in my mind. Sometimes it takes shape out of what I wish the characters in my current book could say or do, but can’t because that’s not who they are. Other times it’s just the mood I happen to be in at the time.

While most of the time I can’t wait to put pen to paper (fingers to keyboard?), it can be frustrating when the story clamoring in my mind to be written isn’t coming out the way I want it to. That’s where a lot of rewriting and rewording happens, which takes up the bulk of the time that goes into writing a novel. But when it does come out right, it’s exciting and fulfilling, and when people write to me and tell me that they’ve enjoyed my work, it makes it even better! In fact it makes every hair-pulling, teeth grinding, I-just-can’t-find-the-right-word moment worth it…

Giveaway: 

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card

Author Bio:

Hello everyone! Let me introduce myself. Though I used to work in Boston in the biotech industry, I’m now loving life on a small farm in New England where my husband and I are raising our three children and lots of animals. Between taking care of chickens and goats and shuttling the kids to dance class and piano lessons, I find the time to pursue my own interest: writing. I relish creating stories and bringing my characters to life on the written page, and each book is a labor of love.

I’m passionate about the romance genre because of the emotional journey a well-written novel can take the reader on, and my goal with each of my books is to do the same for my readers. I would love to hear from you at kellamckinnon.com, or kellamckinnon@gmail.com.

To connect with the author online:

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