 Genre: Contemporary Romance Till You Come Back To Me by Chicki Brown  Adanna has returned to her homeland after graduation from a London nursing school. Her two desires in life are to help the sick in her nation and to marry a smart, motivated man. Charles enters her life like an answer from heaven, but cultural differences separate them. Adanna must choose between tradition and the man she has come to love. ~Excerpt~ The hospital staff and their guests settled under a white canopy covering two tables laden with bowls and platters. Nurse Okoro introduced their servers, three women from the village dressed in colorful traditional clothing and head wraps. Dr. Ijalana asked the women to serve the assistants first and instructed them to take turns checking on the patients. Charles bowed his head and silently offered a prayer over the food. Even though it smelled wonderful, most likely it contained ingredients he would never have eaten. The facilitator at the briefing mentioned the necessity of being careful not to insult the locals in any way, and one of those ways was by refusing food they had prepared. When he raised his head and opened his eyes, Nurse Okoro was studying him with a hint of a smile. The new combined staff got to know each other while they ate. Charles took a few minutes talking with the two local doctors and the other nurse before he settled in the seat next to Nurse Okoro. He nodded toward his plate. “Can you tell me what all of this is?" "We asked the three best cooks in the village to prepare your first meal, and requested they fixed only chicken and vegetable dishes." He listened intently while she described the assortment of rice dishes, fruits, and vegetables in detail. "Thank you. Everything is delicious. You have a British accent. You weren’t born here in Nigeria?†She smiled and her cheeks rose like apples on her high cheekbones. “I was born here, but my family moved to London when I was twelve, and we lived there until I graduated from nursing school.†“Why did your family decide to return?†“They didn’t. My parents still live in London, but my brother and I always wanted to come back.†“That’s interesting. I’ve recently moved away from my family too. Have you ever visited the United States?†“No, but it’s on my bucket list.†She laughed and her obsidian eyes danced. “Is this your first visit to our continent, Dr. Stafford?†“Please, call me Charles. Yes, it is, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of Nigeria.†“We have our problems, but Nigeria also has its own unique beauty both in the villages and in the cities. Are you staying in Lagos?†As she spoke, Charles admired the slant of her eyes and the tempting pout of her full lips. “Yes, the organization put us up in apartments in Surelere.†"Really? That's not far from where I live. Are you satisfied with your accommodations?" "So far. We only had time to unpack before the car arrived to bring us here." Charles tore his gaze from her face when Dr. Pategi said, “Doctor Stafford, you will find our nurses to be invaluable to you,†he said with a wide smile. “Because our funding and staffing are limited, Nurse Okoro and Nurse Bankole have often had to handle patient care and perform procedures normally dealt with by physicians. Likewise, our nursing assistants have stepped in to take care of traditional nursing duties. We all pitch in whenever and wherever necessary.†The way Dr. Pategi suddenly interrupted him, Charles wondered if he’d been ogling her. He gathered his senses and concentrated on her words rather than her face. Buy Link: Amazon ~About the Author~ Shades of Romance Magazine 2011 Author of the Year, Chicki Brown has published nine novels and one novella, all of which have made different Kindle bestseller lists. A voracious reader since she was a child, Chicki grew up in New Jersey reading everything she could get her hands on. Now she concentrates on reading romance, women’s fiction and suspense. When she is not writing or reading, Brown devotes her time to helping aspiring authors. Mother of two and grandmother of five, Chicki was born and raised in New Jersey and now calls suburban Atlanta, Georgia home. Keys To Her Heart by Lacey Wolfe  Officer Cody Duncan gave up on love years ago. Or so he thought. He was content with his quiet solitary life, until a clumsy waitress spilled hot coffee on his pants and turned his world upside down. Suddenly, there’s a new heat in his life, filled with cravings for things he once pushed aside. Lily Jenkins’ busy life as a single mom and primary caretaker for her elderly mother leaves little time for herself. Struggling to adjust to a new life in a small town, her focus is too easily derailed by the gorgeous man she accidentally spilled hot coffee on. Knowing she has too much already going on, Lily vows to keep Cody at a distance, even though she craves him in ways she never thought possible. Their attempts at simple friendship continually fail as they soon discover an untamable fire between them whenever they are alone together. Seeing a life he never imagined for himself, will Cody have the patience to wait for the woman of his dreams? Will Lily finally let go and give Cody the Keys to Her Heart? ~Excerpt~ As they walked back up the main road in town, Cody couldn’t shake the feeling Lily was holding back on him. From the outside, she seemed to have her life together. She was strong and confident, but something told him there was a story she wasn’t sharing. He wouldn’t push. If, and when, she was ready, he’d listen. He didn’t plan on going anywhere. God, was he already thinking about the long haul with her? He was in trouble, and he hadn’t even kissed her yet. He’d definitely thought about it, though. “You’ve been such a gentleman showing me around.†She tugged at the hem of her dress. Her hot, sexy, want-to-rip-it-off-her dress. “Who better than me?†he flirted. “I can’t think of anyone.†She stared at him. Her long red curls begged him to touch them. Were they as soft as they looked? “We should do this again.†His heart raced as he waited for her response. “Yes.†She stepped back a little, increasing the space between them. “My evening schedule is kind of hectic. So daytime is best for me.†“I understand. You have your son to care for.†Her gaze darted away and she sucked in her bottom lip. “Yeah. Speaking of which, he’ll be home before long, and I should be there to get him off the bus.†He hated that their time together was ending. “Okay. Let me walk you to your car.†“You don’t have to.†“I want to.†She gave him the cute little grin he found himself adoring already. Of course, she’d parked near Luigi’s, which had them to her car too quickly. Lily leaned against the side and he could practically see the wheels turning in her head. Was she debating the kiss as much as he was? Oh yeah, he wanted to explore those sweet lips of hers, but not yet. Not until he could spend a good few minutes with her. Buy Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble All Romance eBooks Smashwords ~About the Author~ Lacey Wolfe has always had a passion for words, whether it’s getting lost in a book or writing her own. From the time she was a child she would slip away to write short stories about people she knew and fantasies she wished would happen. It has always been her dream to be a published author and with her two children now of school age, she finally has the time to work on making her dream come true. Lacey lives in Georgia with her husband, son and daughter, their six cats and one black lab who rules the house. Author Links: Site Twitter Facebook ~Giveaway~ Chicki is giving away an eCopy of Till You Come Back to Me and Lacey is giving away one eBook (winners choice) of The Brookfield Series. For a chance to win please fill out the rafflecopter below. Comments are closed.
|
Melissa KeirGator Girl Extraordinaire Archives
April 2023
|
RSS Feed