Ivy Entwined
Laura Simcox
Blurb: When Ivy Callahan returns to her hometown as mayor, she doesn’t expect
much to have changed. But now her ex-fiancé is the town planner, the biggest
business is closed, and the only store interested in Celebration, NY is a
Megamart. On top of it all, the liaison for the big, bad, box store is Marcus
Weaver, her childhood crush. And he’s still as dangerously delectable as ever.
Marcus unwillingly spent his
teens in Celebration with his vindictive, drunken uncle. As far as Marcus is
concerned, the town’s only use is to cement his rise up the corporate ladder.
He needs that Megamart opened, and Ivy is his ticket. But the sexy, stubborn
mayor could also be his downfall.
As the unemployed townspeople
put on the pressure, Ivy needs to do something. With a fresh downtown-renewal
project in the works, Ivy could stop Marcus and his Megamart before they kill
the town’s spirit. But with sparks flying between Ivy and Marcus, they each
need to decide what’s more important: their careers or their hearts.
Excerpt
“Did I
scare you?” he asked.
“Ya
think?” Ivy straightened her gray pencil skirt with nervous fingers.
He
crossed his arms. “I have no idea what you’re thinking.”
Good,
because it’s X-rated. “I’m going to rent this house,
so I need to go shopping.”
“Again?”
He laughed. “I followed you around holding bags of stuff for hours yesterday.”
“I need
to shop for furniture. Unless you want to picture me sleeping on a bare
floor using my coat as a blankie, I suggest we get moving. And let’s use the
back door.”
Marcus
frowned. “Why?” The doorbell rang.
Shit.
Perfect timing.
Leaning
against the kitchen doorway, Marcus put his tongue to a corner of his mouth,
grinning.
“Oh, I’m
not leaving now,” he murmured.
Ivy felt
panic rising, but all she could do was stare at his sculpted lips. And that
tongue. He swiped it across his lips.
“Uh…”
she began.
Marcus
looked toward the ceiling as if deep in thought. “Who could be at the door,
Ivy?”
She
crossed her arms and shot him a dagger-filled look. He knew exactly who was out
there. “Hmmm, what a mystery.”
The
doorbell rang again, and Ivy shuddered. She just wanted Preston to go away.
“Sure
you want this house? Looks like you just saw a ghost,” Marcus commented.
Ivy’s
shoulders slumped. Fuck it. “I saw my ex-fiancé. Out the window. And I
really don’t want to deal with him.”
Marcus
raised his eyebrows and laughed. “Ex-fiancé? I didn’t know about that. Who is
he?” He pushed away from the kitchen door and walked the few short steps into
the living room. He paused by the front door and reached for the deadbolt.
“Shall I
open it, or do you want to do the honors?”
Panic
spread through Ivy’s stomach, and she sprinted toward him as fast as she could.
Ouch. Her brand-new heels were cute but also the spawn of the devil. Wiggling
her toes, she slammed a hand against the door and shifted her weight from one
foot to the other.
“Don’t,”
she spat out. “Why are you being such a dick?”
He
laughed. “Wow. Nobody’s called me that since the tenth grade.”
“I find
that hard to believe, actually.” She lifted her chin. “Since you obviously feel
entitled to do whatever the hell you want without thinking of anyone else.
Well, it won’t fly with me, so watch it.”
All
traces of humor left Marcus’s eyes, and he bent down until his forehead almost
touched hers. His breath fanned across her face as he said in a deadly quiet
voice, “Get this straight. I don’t need anyone’s advice. Least of all
from a woman like you.”
“What do
you mean, like me?”
Marcus
reached out and splayed a hand on her side and gently squeezed her rib cage.
His fingers brushed the side of her breast. He brought his other hand to her
chin and lifted it.
“A woman
like you,” he repeated, “who is so distracting, I can’t think straight,” he
breathed against her lips.
Uh-oh.
Bad idea, Ivy. Step back.
She
froze. One tiny movement and their mouths would be fused together. She bit her
nails into the smooth fabric of his dress shirt and waited.
Author’s Bio:
After spending twenty years in professional
theater as a costume designer, with a few of those years also spent as a
college instructor, Laura abandoned the nomadic lifestyle to sit in a comfy
pleather office chair at a beat up ginormous second hand oak desk and write.
The result? Romance novels! Her favorite thing ever since she was, oh, about
twelve. She writes contemporary, light novels and enjoys creating quirky
characters and funny dialogue. Still, the love story is the focus and Laura has
a huge soft spot for a sappy, happy ending. She lives in North Carolina with
her husband (true love is real!) and her adorable, high energy four year old
son who is currently obsessed with pirates. When not playing mamma pirate, she
loves hearing from readers and you can find your favorite way to say hi via the
social media buttons on her website: www.laurasimcox.com
Having a bad day? Read a romance
novel.
Giveaway:
Grand Prize -
‘Celebration in a Basket’. (In keeping with the series theme - ‘Something to
Celebrate’) Includes: fun party supplies for a girlfriends-type party (champagne
glasses, napkins and plates, party food recipe cards written by the author),
Mardis Gras style beads, candles, chocolate, hard candy, and a deck of ‘Ivy
Entwined’ playing cards.
Three runner-up
swag bags - Includes: Ivy Entwined bookmarks, magnets, pens and a purse
charm-style keychain. Each bag will contain two sets…one for the winner and one
for a friend who loves to read romance, too!
Thank so much for the spotlight today. I love the look of your blog! :)
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