{Buy the Book Tours} Only if You Dare by Margo Hoornstra #bookblog #guestpost

I'm excited to share a fellow Michigan author with you. Margo Hoornstra writes some sweet contemporary romances that will tug at your heartstrings. She's here to share about her latest which is FREE today on AMAZON. *hint.... go pick up your copy!! *  


Two People Meet in Only If You Dare And What They Get Is Not What They Expected

            Thank you, Melissa for hosting me here today, the last day my book Only If You Dare is free on Amazon.

Only If You Dare is the story of two people who are each at turning points in their lives. Using excerpts from the book as well as the back cover blurb, I’d like to tell you and your readers a little about them.

Cynthia Buckingham is recently divorced from a philandering husband or, as she puts it in the book a man:

…who found a ready and willing candidate to commit one high priced hotel room to. On several different occasions, she eventually learned.

Find someone who will make you happy. If I did it, you can too. That had been Phil’s parting shot. Which provided her a solid and uncontestable reason to file fora man who … provided her a solid and uncontestable reason to file for divorce.

The ink on the divorce papers was still wet when, having no desire to sit idle, she dusted off her doctorate of psychology degree earned eons before, and completed the necessary continuing education classes to reclaim a license to practice. And now, with all due respect to her grown daughter, Jen, counseling work had become her newest pride and joy.

In truth, she did have one regret over the recent demise of her marriage to Philip Buckingham: their only child’s wedding would take place in a few short weeks.

Delight as mother of the bride brushed shoulders with dread because the father of the bride would be there—with someone else.

           

            Jonah Colt is a veteran struggling to return to a peaceful civilian life, except memories of his time in combat keep getting in the way. He tries his best to respond positively when someone facing an upcoming tour of duty asks him what it was like to be deployed.

 

Living in Hell.

Another breath was essential before he was able to speak. “A total of five tours. And came back unscathed every time.”

Patting his torso to provide physical reassurance, Jonah was never more thankful for the concealment his clothes provided. Scars from shrapnel, some of which remained embedded beneath the skin surface, crisscrossed his backside from knees to shoulders. The evidence of a grazing from a poorly aimed sniper’s bullet that narrowly missed his skull was a permanent trail, raised, red and ugly, across one shoulder.

All of which were nothing compared to the invisible wounds that were his and his alone.

 

            Jonah and Cynthia meet for the first time when she is a potential juror, and a hostile one at that, and he is the judge in the courtroom she’s been assigned. When the case before them is dismissed, she gets her wish and is free to go. All she can think is this fascinating and handsome Judge Jonah Colt is walking out of her life as dramatically as he’d arrived.

Though initially attracted to Cynthia, a strong sense of ethics keeps Jonah from looking up her name and address then asking her out. They meet a few days later at a social function where some drunk is making unwanted passes at Cynthia. Jonah sends him packing and she, innocently, thanks him.

 

“So, if I want to call you a hero. I’ll call you a hero.” As she looked over to study him, remnants of fear lingered in her eyes until recognition rose up to overcome it. “Why Judge Colt. It’s nice to see you again.”

“Jonah. And I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage. Unless I can call you potential juror number twenty-three.”

“I’m flattered you remembered.” Smiling now, she stepped closer still. “I wouldn’t have thought my presence in your courtroom was all that memorable.”

“I try my best to keep track of what goes on in there.”

“I saw that for myself.” She turned to face him full on. “My name is Cynthia Buckingham.”

“Nice to officially meet you.” As he accepted her offered hand, she grabbed hold then squeezed, and welcome warmth filtered through him.

He realized with one brush of that soft skin somewhere along the line he’d forgotten how good it felt to be touched.

 

Jonah and Cynthia’s story is presented in the back cover blurb this way:

 

All the pleasures and none of the pain, that's what Cynthia Buckingham wants in a relationship these days. A one-night stand with Jonah Colt seems to fit that bill perfectly. Newly divorced, she's too busy planning her daughter's wedding for any serious involvement. Besides, her true passion is helping victims of PTSD reclaim their lives. Waking up after spending the night with a woman he barely knows, Jonah is stunned to realize sex for the sake of sex isn't enough for him anymore. A veteran of more military battles than he cares to count, he wants to forget it all and focus on peaceful civilian life. Except flashbacks won't allow it. Falling for Cynthia makes Jonah regret his weakened state, but he'd rather hide the truth than face it. When she sets aside everything she believes in to help him heal, can he accept her help--and her love?

Only If You Dare is currently free on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Only-You-Dare-Dearly-Beloved-ebook/dp/B00G8JAWPA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386723730&sr=8-1&keywords=Only+If+You+Dare

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EXCERPT:

When he walked in and flicked on a light, the bathroom was exactly as he remembered. Huge. Lined in granite, with the toilet and double sink in a separate room from the tub and shower. Each of those, he knew from personal experience, were sized to comfortably accommodate two adults—if not more.

And made him wonder, briefly, what his hostess did in there when she was alone. If she was ever alone.

A thought he swiftly chastised himself for having as he squared up in front of the commode. Just because he was the fortunate recipient of what could be termed a one night stand, didn’t necessarily mean she did this type of thing as a rule any more than he.

Stopping to wash his hands, he splashed a couple of handfuls of water on his face then glanced in the mirror and drew his lips back to check out the condition of his teeth. Running his tongue over the residue of his last meal, he was reminded of road kill smeared on some highway. Then he spied a bottle of mouthwash on one side of the sink and took a swig. After a few quick swishes, he leaned forward to spit and finished up by wiping his face and hands on a light blue towel hung from a golden ring.

At least he’d made himself relatively presentable and ready for whatever this morning would bring.

• BUY LINK: Amazon
  
• Genre: Contemporary Romance
• Length: 117 pages
• Release Date: October 2013
• Published by: The Wild Rose Press

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ABOUT THE AUTHORLike many writers, it’s hard to determine exactly when my fiction writing career began. I remember composing a short story in grade school (I have no idea about what) which was chosen for publication in an all school anthology. A journalism class taken in junior high school led to a job on the school newspaper and a weekly column.

I always loved reading. I loved writing too. Someday, I thought, maybe when I grew up and received the right training, I could actually write a book. After all, I was often told, laughingly most times, I had an extremely vivid imagination.

Through the years, the desire to write was always there. I had so many ideas and characters roaming around in my head, so many stories. But the business of living—going to college, getting married then raising a family—took precedence over something as frivolous as writing a book.

Then one day out of the blue I was downsized—effective immediately—from a job I’d held for over thirty years. What seemed so unfair at the time, I now recognize the tremendous gift I was given that day. As I’m now able to spend more and more time doing what I love—writing romantic fiction—I find I really do have an abundance of stories to share.

• Margo’s Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Google+

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