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!

RETURN TO PIKE'S RUN AND LEARN ALL ABOUT THE EDITOR'S KISSES!

Good morning, all! Please help me welcome, Stephen Dawson, the editor with those kisses! Let's find out more about him...

Tell me about yourself? 

My name is Stephen Dawson, and I’m the owner and editor of my hometown’s newspaper, The Weekly Times. As a young boy, I always hungered for information about the world, and I collected newspapers from all over. This interest turned in to a profession, so I saved up for several years to buy a printing press and start my own paper.

What’s your family like and how does your upbringing affect you now? 

For most of my childhood, my family suffered under the neglect of my mother and her distaste for my father. I often tried to be whatever my mother wanted in hopes that she would become the person our family needed. It didn’t work. However, despite that, my brothers and I managed to form a bond as strong as hickory. We also have a close relationship with our father and step-mother. Family is important to me, and I use my paper to support the needs of others. No sensationalism.

What tangible object would symbolize you? 

You might think it would be a newspaper, but it’s really a fishing pole. If I’m not writing, I’m fishing with my brothers and father.

How did you meet Constance? What was your first impression of her? 

Constance and I grew up together and attended school together. The first day I met her, she won the class spelling bee. She didn’t gloat about it, either. She gets the job done without fuss. No nonsense -- that was my first impression of her.

What do you like about Constance? 

Her tenacity. She is also bright, loving and loyal.

What is it that you want out of life? 

To spend the rest of it with Constance. To raise our children to be happy, successful and caring adults. To leave a mark on the world that helps others in the future.

Has life handed you any major disappointments? 

Yes. My mother passed away when I was seventeen. Despite her neglect, I loved her very much. We all did. She made amends before she died, which helped some. But there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of her and wish for a second chance.

If you had an unexpected free day, what would you do with it? 

I’d go fishing.

Aside from Constance, tell me about your best friend. 

I have two. They are my brothers, Frank and Carl. Frank is older than me, and he’s the person I go to for advice. He’s calm, steady. He’s probably the backbone of our family. Carl is younger, and he’s the one who helps me lay down my burdens and enjoy life. I need both of them.

Thanks so much for joining us Stephen and Kara! Let's find out more about THE EDITOR'S KISSES...

Blurb ~

One kiss changes the whole game…

 

Constance Forrester is a suffragette determined to change society. When Stephen Dawson, her school chum, starts a newspaper, she asks Stephen to take a risk and employ her as a journalist.

Stephen immediately turns her down. But his interactions with Constance have made the town princess, Madeline Talbut, curious. Stephen has loved Madeline for years, and he concocts a plan: enter into a fake courtship with Constance, and in return, Constance can be a journalist for his newspaper.

It’s a chance Constance can't pass up. So what if she has to attend parties and withstand Stephen's heart-melting kisses? A suffragette must forge through barriers, but when Stephen changes the game, Constance finds herself the object of the editor's desire…

 

I am a huge fan of Kara's and I think 

after reading this excerpt you'll understand why.

A budding suffragette agrees to a fake courtship with the editor for a job…not love.

 

Excerpt ~

Setting: The Talbut Parlor

The Problem: An annoying parlor game

 

Madeline’s spinning of Constance was a little rough, but Stephen held his tongue. When their hostess let go, Constance fumbled for a moment before Stephen raised himself up and yanked her into his lap.

The shouts of excitement and delight that went around the room nearly deafened him. People playfully called out “cheater”, but Stephen didn’t care, especially when Constance whisked off her mask and looked immensely relieved to see he’d successfully caught her.

They headed to the closet without fuss. Constance almost looked as if she was dying to climb inside. She probably wanted to get the farce over with.

Once they were squeezed into the confining space, with their chests pressed together in a way Stephen had only fantasized about, she said, “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done—”

He covered her mouth with his hand, having dislodged it from his side. Then he leaned near her ear. “They might be able to hear us,” he whispered.

She flinched.

He lowered his arm, and she let out a slow breath. He wished he could see her face. For more reasons than to satisfy his worry she was all right.

He did everything he could to ignore the touch of her body along his front. He tried not to remember how she looked, how her eyes lit up, how her expression sharpened when she was interested in something. Why had he watched her all night?

But he knew. He knew very well. She was captivating. Intriguing. And so damned lovely.

Why was he having feelings for her? Wasn’t his love for Madeline strong enough to withstand attraction for another woman? But if it was, he would be in the closet with his hostess and not the lady he pretended to the world held his fancy.

He had to kiss her. He had to discover if this attachment was real. Besides, if he didn’t kiss her, everyone would wonder why. And for some strange reason, he needed every fellow out there to understand Constance Forrester was his. He closed his eyes and realized his attitude was no better than a caveman’s. But the need to possess and brand raced through him without pause, and he couldn’t fathom how to check it. Except to kiss her and get her out of his system once and for all.

“Constance,” he uttered. “I’m gonna kiss you.”

She flinched again.

“I won’t hurt you, I swear it. But if I don’t kiss you…they’ll all question us and our…attachment.” He was an ass. He was using their agreement to coax her into acquiescence, and while he knew it, and was ashamed of it, he continued. “It will only be for a second. I’ll just brush my lips with yours.”

In the darkness, he felt her slight nod against his chin. His heart pounded at her quiet surrender.

When she pulled back as far as the space would allow and lifted her head to his, heat slashed through him. He’d never needed a kiss as much as he needed hers.

 

Madeline had kissed him. Once. Behind the schoolhouse when they were sixteen. And that moment hadn’t caused nearly the anticipation this one did.

He lowered his head and swallowed her gasp. It wasn’t a brush, even though he only set his lips on hers. It was a fire. A shot of whiskey that whipped through him and pooled in his gut. He deepened the connection, and she let him, sighing and sinking into him despite already being as close to him as he could get her.

He melted. He needed to move to the ground and cover her, press her down and make her his. He used his tongue, tasting her. She capitulated instantly and opened her mouth under his. He took what she allowed without hesitation as his free hand came up to grip her waist.

The damn closet was too small. His left hand was wedged between her side and the slender door. But though he couldn’t get his arms around her, he didn’t stop the kiss. It went on and on, stealing his breath, tightening his chest and making him doubt everything he’d ever known about his heart.

Rapid footsteps had him surging backward, and he knocked his head on the wall.

The door flew open, and cool air blasted his cheeks. He and Constance fell out of the space, their limbs tangling as they tried to right themselves.

Peals of laughter rung around them as Stephen reached out a hand to balance her. She latched on as if she didn’t want to let go, and his muscles vibrated with hope she had enjoyed the moment as he had.

It had taken less than a few seconds for him to realize kissing her had been the wrong thing to do. But also the most right, most perfect, most sound judgement he’d ever made in his life.

As those who’d crowded around the entrance to the kitchen went roaring with laughter back into the parlor, he gazed at Constance. And his world tilted.

Her flushed cheeks and bright eyes made his heart constrict with an emotion he was too afraid to name at the moment. But he knew what it was. He knew.

How in the devil had it happened? Was he a fool? A fickle man?

He swallowed. “Do you want to leave?”

And before his eyes, he witnessed a transformation that set his blood on fire. Determination changed her expression, and she lifted her chin.

“Certainly not. I’m quite all right, I assure you.” She gave a shake to her skirts. “We’ve a job to do, Stephen Dawson, and I’ll not let you down.”

She exited the kitchen with a swirl of satin, and he followed with less sure steps. She wouldn’t let him down, he knew it. But he feared he might disappoint her, for if she knew the direction of his thoughts, she would never forgive him. Constance Forrester had no time for any man. She had plans. Plans that didn’t include caring for the heart of the newspaper editor.

 

Beautifully written and compelling! Thank you for sharing this, Kara!

To purchase THE EDITOR'S KISSES:

https://books2read.com/u/31Y1ya

Bio~

Born and raised in Texas, I had to make the state the setting for my first series. From the food to the fun, like floating the rivers, it is the fire in my blood that inspires me. My family and friends take center stage in my books. My sisters and best friends are my heroines, and my husband created my favorite hero. Love and family are the point of my stories, and I seek to entertain, relieve stress, and inspire people. Books can take one on a journey that one can relive over and over. I am extremely grateful to those authors who did that very thing for me. I learned and I fell in love with their words and characters. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

 

To follow Kara:

Website –  www.karaoneal.com

Bookbub –  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kara-o-neal

Amazon –  http://www.amazon.com/Kara-ONeal/e/B00FL19TH8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1465007993&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble –  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/kara+o'neal?_requestid=845025

Facebook –  https://www.facebook.com/KaraONeal84/

Twitter –  https://twitter.com/KaraONealAuthor

Pinterest –  https://www.pinterest.com/karaoneal7/

Goodreads –  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7278350.Kara_O_Neal

Blog -- http://www.karaoneal.com/blog

Blog – The Story Continues -- http://www.karaoneal.com/the-story-continues

And catch these other wonderful reads!

 Thanks for joining us! Y'all come back now!

 

 

~ This Billionaire Bad Boy is Going Down Fast! ~

Blurb~ 
A stand-alone Billionaire Bad Boys novel.


Billionaire Bad Boys: Rich, Powerful and sexy as hell.

Lucas Monroe dropped out of college only to become a multi-billionaire and tech world God. He can have any woman he desires in his bed, but the only woman he's ever wanted is off limits and always has been. When Maxie Sullivan finds herself in dire straits, the only man she can turn to is the one she's always secretly loved: her childhood best friend. Can they trust their hearts and make a future, or will their complicated pasts stand in the way?

This bad boy is going down fast …

And going down fast has never felt so right.

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30297093-going-down-fast

Links ~

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2acSVXh

B&N Nook: http://bit.ly/2acUdSf

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2aiVlWT

iBooks: http://apple.co/2awzmvS

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2asyBmA


Author Bio ~

After a successful fifteen-year career with various New York publishing houses, and over 40 sexy contemporary romance novels published, N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips is now an Indie author who writes to her own expectations and that of her readers. She continues the tradition of hot men and strong women and plans to publish many more sizzling stories. Carly lives in Purchase, NY with her family, two nearly adult daughters and two crazy dogs who star on her Facebook Fan Page and website. She's a writer, a knitter of sorts, a wife, and a mom. In addition, she's a Twitter and Internet junkie and is always around to interact with her readers. You can find out more about Carly at www.carlyphillips.com.
Links ~

Website: http://www.carlyphillips.com/

Newsletter: http://www.carlyphillips.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10000.Carly_Phillips

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Carly-Phillips/e/B001I9W0MS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarlyPhillipsFanPage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/carlyphillips




Previous/Other books in the Billionaire Bad Boys series


Going Down Easy ~

Billionaire Bad Boys #1

Blurb ~

Billionaire Bad Boys: Rich, Powerful and sexy as hell.

Billionaire Kaden Barnes has a reputation for being difficult and always getting his way.

Enigmatic and exacting, he's unable to keep an assistant for long. Enter his newest hire, Lexie Parker. She's no-nonsense, efficient and all business… She's also hot as sin and soon starring in Kaden's dirtiest fantasies.

As their passion for each other reaches a boiling point, neither can control the explosive outcome when they finally give in to their desires. He may think he's calling the shots, but for this bad boy, going down easy has never felt so good.

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30064124-going-down-easy

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/29CXgH0

B&N Nook: http://bit.ly/29qYYaS

Kobo: http://bit.ly/29wlJL1

iBooks: http://apple.co/29lk0G4

Google Play: http://bit.ly/29qcKMj