Things Could Get Hot in OPERATION CODE NAME: DESERT LOVE by Constance Bretes #RomanceGems

Howdy! To welcome in the weekend we are featuring today my Romance Gem friend Constance Bretes and her OPERATION CODE NAME: DESERT LOVE. And Connie brought friends with her, Len and Clarissa Let's get to know them...

Tell me about yourself? What is your occupation? Why? What are your strengths & weaknesses?

I am Sergeant Major Len Roberts, I’m with the Delta Force. I cannot reveal to you anything more than that.

Well, this is going to be a very short interview then, wink, wink. ;) Let's try this one--what’s your family like and how does your upbringing affect you now?

I don’t know if I can be a good father to any children. I came from an abusive home, and I don’t want to be abusive to my children, if I were to have any. I actually don’t consider my biological father my real father. My real father and inspiration, is General Maason. The man who took me and my sister in when we needed him. If I were to be a father, I’d like to be like him. But I don’t know if I can do it.

Hmm. Tell me a little about Clarissa. How did you two meet? What was your first impression of her?

I’ve known Clarissa all her life. I am best friends with her brother, Terrence. When we were hanging together, we often included Clarissa in with us as she was a tomboy. I also took Clarissa to her Senior Prom. I’ve always been impressed with her, as I stated, she was a tomboy and could play just as hard as we did.

Besides that, what do you like about the her?

Her dedication to the people of Afghanistan and her desire to help young mothers and their babies. She was a very caring humanitarian aid worker.

What is it that you want out of life?

To get out of Afghanistan alive, and with all my limbs.


That would seem like a good goal to have. Thanks for talking with us. Let's give Clarissa the stage now...

Tell me about yourself? What’s your family like and how does your upbringing affect you now?

My father is the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, a 4 star general, and his boss is the President of the United States. My mother died when I was very young. My father brought into our home a young woman named Kaitlin, and her brother, Len Roberts, who is best friends with my brother, after they were severely beaten by their father. Their father tripped over something and fell down the stairs and broke his neck. He died, and my dad brought them over to our home and fed and clothed them. Eventually, my father married Kaitlin. Len and Terrence went into the military together. My life was always surrounded by military and our life was always about law and order.

What is your earliest childhood memory?

Swinging on a swing and having Len push me higher and higher.

Describe your hero. What was your first impression of him and did it change over time?

I’ve been in love with Len since I was about ten years old. I always loved going to places with him and Terrence, and we always did the coolest things like sky diving, rocky mountain climbing, dirt bike riding, volleyball, all things that guys do, I love doing too because I got to be around Len. As I grew up, I learned to love him with teenager eyes, then as a woman. My love never swayed and I always knew in my heart we were to be together.

Aww! That's beautiful! Let's hear more about your story...

Blurb ~

Her best hope for survival is the one man she never wants to see again.

Clarissa Maasen is a humanitarian relief worker who’s stationed in Afghanistan. When she and two of her coworkers are kidnapped by insurgents and held hostage, she can only hope that her father, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will send his best men to rescue them—more specifically, Len Roberts of the Delta Force.

The last time Len saw Clarissa, it did not end on good terms. But he will risk his life to rescue this woman who is never far from his thoughts.

Can he rescue her in time? And will they be able to control the passion erupting between them?



Book release date: April 26, 2021

Bio ~

Constance started writing contemporary romance and romantic suspense fifteen years ago. She was born and raised in Michigan. After working for the State of Michigan for 38 years, she retired. She and her husband moved to Montana and lived in the mountainside of a small town. There, locked in her office overlooking the mountains, was where this story, Operation Code Name: Desert Love, was written. After living in Montana for three years, they moved to Alabama with her cat, Sunny, who owns both her and her husband. Her hobbies include basket weaving, reading mafia romance books, diamond painting, and fiddling at the piano.


Constance’s Website: www.constancebretes.com Reader eMail: cbretes@constancebretes.com

Thank you for joining us, Constance, Len and Clarissa! It was nice having you!

~ It's Another JARILLO SUNSET with Constance Bretes ~

So happy to have Constance Bretes back on my blog with her newest, JARILLO SUNSET!

Blurb ~

When two strangers meet on a lonely road is it mere coincidence or fate?

Real estate agent Char Johnson is on her way to meet a client when she gets a flat tire. It's a meeting she can't afford to miss since she's just been told she may be out of a job if she doesn't beat out a co-worker in sales over the next few months. When Vincent Carter stops and helps her, she's grateful beyond words and is determined to pay him back for his kindness, which is how she ends up agreeing to be his date to a wedding.

Ever since his divorce Vincent has been on a hiatus from relationships, and he's perfectly happy with that. He's not looking to get involved with anyone, but he does need a date for a wedding.

Although the two discover they enjoy each other's company, and there is definitely an attraction, with their schedules it would be difficult to find time to pursue anything. Vincent works two jobs, and Char is working extra hours to save her own job. Then there's the conniving ex who seems determined to win Vincent back, a whole slew of family drama for both of them, and the list goes on. The obstacles in their way seem to grow by the minute.

And even if they could overcome those, Char may not be able to overcome her own insecurities, not to mention her intense dislike for Vincent's profession. Her father's gambling addiction destroyed their family, so for her to now get involved with someone who works at a casino…

Will Char be destined to be alone forever? Or can the handsome Native American she met by chance break through her walls and ease the loneliness in her life?


Content Warning: contains some sexual content

Excerpt ~

Char Johnson slammed her fist into the steering wheel. "Well, that's just great. I don't know why the hell I get stuck with this company car." Char looked around her surroundings. She was in the middle of nowhere, with a flat tire and a dead cellphone.

Her week had already started out badly. She had been told earlier by her boss that she had three months to beat Mike Ventura in sales. She and Mike were the last two real estate agents hired at Stillwater Realty and they were low on the seniority list. Since the housing market bottomed out, sales had plummeted and one of them would be losing their job. The competition was stiff enough without increasing the competition among employees. She had been on her way to meet a potential seller, but now it looked like she wouldn't make it.

She stepped out of the car then kicked the flat tire. "Ouch!"

She surveyed the area around her. Based on the information she had, she figured she was about two miles from her destination. The sun was beating down, and the temperature was already a sweltering ninety-five degrees and it was supposed to get hotter. The surrounding area was flat, and almost barren, reminding her of the Sahara desert.

She looked down at what she had on—a blue pinstripe business suit with a white blouse that had lace around the neckline and down the front where the buttons were. She had on a pair of expensive Jimmy Choo high heels. At six hundred dollars a pair they would not be good for walking on a dirt road. I'm not dressed for a hiking expedition!

She was short—five foot three—and she wore heels because it put her at eye level with most of her clients and with the staff at Stillwater Realty. She was glad that she'd had the sense to pull her long hair back into a French braid so it was off her neck and not making a hot day hotter. She had thought about getting her hair cut a million times, and a million times, she'd chickened out.

She had worked up the gumption to start walking toward the subdivision when she turned around one last time and thought she saw a car coming way off in the distance. The car looked like a ghostly silhouette with the hot sun beating down from the sky. She decided she would wait a few minutes to see if the car would stop to help her.

* * * * 

On his way home from work at the Apache White Eagle Casino, Vincent Carter turned onto Pueblo Lane, heading down the lone dirt road to his house at the Sunnyside subdivision, south of Jarillo. The county road commission had just leveled the dirt road, making it easier to drive the posted speed. His eyes burned from exhaustion, and he wanted to catch a catnap before going to Jake's tonight. Jake was having a steak dinner cookout with the band. After the band, White Sands, finished their gig at the casino last night, they were taking a break for the next two weeks. Next Saturday Jake was getting married and would be gone for one week on his honeymoon. The band rarely took any time off to relax or take a vacation.

It had been a particularly busy morning at the Apache White Eagle Casino in Hobbs, New Mexico. It seemed the retirees that came in the night before never left the casino to go to bed and he was serving cheap beer and drinks constantly from the time he got there at 4:00 AM until 10:00 AM.

Vincent was feeling agitated and particularly moody this morning. He was happy for his friends Jake and Jennifer. It took them five years to decide they couldn't live without each other. He found that his own self-imposed avoidance of getting involved with someone else meant he would be only one of two guys at the wedding without a date. Hell, the whole damn town of Jarillo was going to be there, so he knew he couldn't miss it.

Vincent saw a movement up the road and lifted his shades up from his nose as he squinted. What the hell was that? As he drew closer, he could see there was a car parked on the side of the road, and a woman stood next to it, waving her hand.That's all I need now, to have to stop to help someone with car problems. He slowed down, pulled up behind the car, and rolled his window down.

The woman walked quickly toward his SUV, her heels sinking into the dirt road as she approached. "Oh, you don't know how happy I am to see you."

"What seems to be the problem?" he asked.

"I have a flat tire, and I don't know how to change it. I'm on my way to meet someone at the Sunnyside subdivision and my cellphone is dead."

Vincent slipped his SUV into park and opened the door and got out. As he walked over to take a look at the tire he saw artwork on the car that indicated it belonged to Stillwater Realty.

After he'd checked out the tire Vincent turned back toward her and he was immediately taken in by her beauty. She had clear green eyes, a lovely face that had little makeup, and auburn-colored hair pulled back in a braid. His eyes dropped to her neck, and then to her chest. She had on a blue pinstripe suit with a white blouse. He couldn't tell for sure, but it looked like she had a pretty spectacular pair of breasts. His eyes went lower, to her waist and then her nicely-shaped hips. The skirt was short, about two inches above her knees, and she had a good looking pair of legs. His gaze drifted a little further, to her feet, and he cringed inwardly when he saw the thick high heels that brought her height up to about five feet five. He couldn't imagine someone walking in those high heels and not tripping or falling. Vincent brought his gaze immediately back up to hers.

"Do you have a spare tire in the car?" he asked.

"Um, I don't know. Let me look." She walked to the back of the car and clicked the little button on the key pad and popped the trunk open. "Oh, I guess I do," she said with a smile that was genuine and lit up her face.

Buy JARILLO SUNSET here: 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jarillo-Sunset-Constance-Bretes-ebook/dp/B00UOAN13Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1426858357&sr=1-1&keywords=jarillo+sunset

BN.com: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jarillo-sunset-constance-bretes/1121417880?ean=2940151372701

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/jarillo-sunset

Author Bio~

Constance Bretes is an author of contemporary romance and suspense. Her romance books are often set in different parts of the country, but her favorite site is Montana. She's married to her best friend and resides in Michigan with him and a houseful of cats. When she's not at her regular 8-to-5 job, she can be found writing, researching, and spending time with her husband.

You can learn more about Connie and her books at her website atwww.conniebretes.weebly.com. You can also follow her on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/constancebretes or Twitter atwww.twitter.com/conniebretes.

~ When All Else Fails, Consult the BOOK OF LOVE! ~

In the spotlight today I have author Constance Bretes and her BOOK OF LOVE!

Blurb ~ 

A librarian, a mechanic, and a psychotic ex. What could go wrong?

When her marriage came to a devastating end, Janice Meyers moved to Montana to try to escape her past and get a fresh start. She's sworn off men, but she didn't anticipate meeting Chris.

After the death of his wife, Chris Jamisen focused all his time and energy on running his auto repair shop and raising his children. He's not looking for love, and when he first meets Janice, the town's new librarian, he never imagines they might embark on a relationship. Sure, he'll admit he finds the smart, sexy blonde attractive, but the frustrating woman expects miracles from him. Her vehicle is practically beyond repair, but she insists he has to keep it running.

As Chris gets to know Janice, he begins to develop feelings for her, but he's reluctant to pursue a relationship. He's Native American, and he worries about the complications of a biracial relationship. He's experienced prejudice first hand, so he knows how difficult it can be.

When Janice's ex-husband shows up seeking revenge, things could reach a horrible end. Will Chris save Janice in time? And will he and Janice be able to set aside their painful pasts and give their relationship a chance?

Content Warning: contains some sexual content

Excerpt ~

Janice had butterflies in her stomach as five o'clock came and Chris arrived at the library.

"Hi, Chris," Janice said.

"Hello. What's this all about?" he asked pensively.

"I wanted to take you downstairs to the basement and show you something," she said.

They walked down the stairs, Chris following Janice. When she turned on the light a rat slithered across the floor, and she let out a shriek. Chris looked around the room.

"We have all these books here," Janice said. She lifted one of the old books and opened it to the pages and within where some were eaten away. "The vermin and bugs have been attacking these, and in some cases, the books have disintegrated. See here? This is a book about Colstrip back in the 1800s and we can't even open the book to read it because it has totally disintegrated inside. Some of these books are real gems. This is one of a first edition, Samuel Clemens, do you know of him?"

"No."

"His pen name is Mark Twain. He wrote Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer."

"Oh," Chris replied.

"Look at his book. It's totally destroyed, and it would have been worth a lot of money now, if it had survived."

Janice went over to the ladder and stepped up on it to show Chris the books on the top shelf. The ladder gave way, and she came crashing down. Chris caught her before she fell to the floor.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern in his tone.

"Um, yeah, I think so." She put her feet on the floor and turned, facing Chris, her breasts against his chest. His arms were around her waist, holding her tightly. His breath mingled with hers, and he was looking down at her lips.

Oh, she wanted him to kiss her. Please, please kiss me. The sweet, intoxicating musk of his body overwhelmed her. He bent slightly toward her, and his lips touched hers softly. She kissed him back, lingering, savoring every moment. She felt the kiss all the way through her body as she put her arms around him. A loud rustling noise broke their kiss with a start.

Chris looked around and saw that there were rats in the corner rattling paper. He turned back to her. "Are we finished here?"

"Yes, I think we are." Janice hoped she had convinced him that there was work to be done in the basement.

When they went upstairs, he turned around and asked her huskily, "What was the purpose of our little meeting, Janice?"

Janice thought about how she should answer the question then said, "I submitted the request to the mayor's office for several things, and I heard that you would probably be the one person that would oppose spending any money for the project I'm suggesting, so I wanted to show you the benefit of my proposal and the problems we are faced with currently."

Chris had a gentle smile on his face as he looked at her. "Good persuasion, Janice. Does that include the kiss too?"

Janice looked down at her feet, embarrassed. "No, the kiss was not part of the persuasion. At least, not on my part."

Author Bio ~

Constance Bretes is an author of contemporary romance and suspense. Her romance books are often set in different parts of the country, but her favorite site is Montana. She's married to her best friend and resides in Michigan with him and a houseful of cats. When she's not at her regular 8-to-5 job, she can be found writing, researching, and spending time with her husband.

You can find Connie at:

www.conniebretes.weebly.com. 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/constancebretes or Twitter: www.twitter.com/conniebretes. 

You can buy BOOK OF LOVE at:

http://www.amazon.com/Book-Love-Constance-Bretes-ebook/dp/B00QYB16QQ/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book-of-love-constance-bretes/1120901348?ean=2940150079243

http://beachwalkpress.com/book-of-love/

Constance Bretes, Author

Delayed Justice
Can two former lovers set aside their differences and work together to bring a criminal to justice?

The Last Dig Bones, Bodies and Love Rekindled 

Love Songs Separated by fame, reunited through music

Book of Love
A librarian, a mechanic, and a psychotic ex. What could go wrong?