Friday, February 15, 2013

VBT and Giveaway - Lucky Charm




Lucky Charm
by Marie Astor

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BLURB:


Twenty-eight-year old Annabel Green is about to tie the knot with her college love, an aspiring author Jeremy Blake, but her plans for an ideal wedding are rudely interrupted when she catches Jeremy kissing his gorgeous book agent.

Shell-shocked by Jeremy’s betrayal, Annabel retreats into the quiet routine of TV dinners and solitary evenings. It is then that Annabel’s best friend, fashion designer Lilly Clayton, sets herself on a mission to draw Annabel out of her shell. In an attempt to persuade Annabel to keep an open mind on dating, Lilly takes Annabel for a stunning makeover, but after Annabel passes on a date with a dashing entrepreneur, Lilly decides that more drastic measures are needed. Lilly invites Annabel to see a palm reader who gives Annabel a lucky charm that is supposed to help her find true love.

A few weeks later, Annabel meets a new love interest, and as the two embark on a whirlwind romance, she starts to believe in the power of the talisman the palm reader has given her. But what Annabel doesn’t know is that Lilly is hiding a secret that could unravel her faith in her newly found luck in love.
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EXCERPT:    


It was almost eight o’clock when Annabel heard the key turn in the front door lock. She had dozed off without realizing it. The noise startled her, and she jumped off the couch, hastily adjusting her now slightly crumpled outfit in place. The candles had almost burned down to the core, and she blew them out, thankful that she woke up in time. She straightened up and, feeling a sudden jolt of adrenaline, hurried to greet Jeremy as the front door began to open.
“Well, hello there.” Annabel leaned against the wall, doing her best to strike a seductive pose, praying all the while that she did not look ridiculous.
“Wow, babe!” Jeremy’s jaw dropped as he stepped inside. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a corduroy jacket with leather patches on the elbows. It was his attire of choice: polished and presentable, without trying too hard, as he liked to describe it. However, this time he did not look as collected as usual. His jacket was creased and his hair was tousled. “You did all of this for me?” Jeremy slid his hefty laptop case off his shoulder and placed it on the floor as he leaned over to give Annabel a quick peck on the lips.
Well, whom else? Annabel wondered, taken aback by Jeremy’s reaction. It was far from the response she had been expecting.
“You don’t like it? It’s too much isn’t it?”
“No, no! I love it! You look great. Turn around, let me have a look at you.” Jeremy plopped himself on the couch. “Ah, Ann, you got Hine too! You are too good to me, you know that?”
“Yeah, well, I wanted to surprise you.” Annabel perched herself next to Jeremy.
“And you lit candles, too.” Jeremy motioned at the blown out candles. “I’m sorry for being so late. There was some kind of outage with the Metro-North and we were stuck for over two hours. I tried to call you, but there was no signal on my cell.”
“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. The night is still young.” Annabel slid closer to Jeremy and nuzzled his neck.
“Hey, Ann, can I take a rain check? Don’t get me wrong. You look great. It’s just that I’m dead tired.”
“Yes, sure. No problem. I should have thought about that.” Annabel rose from the couch. Suddenly, she felt incredibly ridiculous and could not wait to get the itchy, uncomfortable lace off of her.
“Hey, baby, I’m sorry! You are not mad, are you?” Jeremy rushed after her as she ducked into the alcove of the studio that was their bedroom, drawing the curtain that served as a makeshift door. “Come out and let’s have some of that cognac.” Jeremy resumed his place on the couch. “Ah, Ann, you got Hine too! You are too good to me, you know that?”
“Yeah, well, I wanted to surprise you.” Annabel perched herself next to Jeremy.
“And you lit candles, too.” Jeremy motioned at the blown out candles. “I’m sorry for being so late. There was some kind of outage with the Metro-North and we were stuck for over two hours. I tried to call you, but there was no signal on my cell.”
“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. The night is still young.” Annabel slid closer to Jeremy and nuzzled his neck.
“Hey, Ann, can I take a rain check? Don’t get me wrong. You look great. It’s just that I’m dead tired.”
“Yes, sure. No problem. I should have thought about that.” Annabel rose from the couch. Suddenly, she felt incredibly ridiculous and could not wait to get the itchy, uncomfortable lace off of her.
 



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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Marie Astor is the author of contemporary romance novels This Tangled Thing Called Love, Lucky Charm, On the Rim of Love, romantic suspense, To Catch a Bad Guy, and a short story collection,  A Dress in a Window. Marie is also the author of young adult fantasy adventure novel, Over the Mountain and Back.

If you would like to learn more about Marie’s writing, please stop by her website: www.marieastor.com or visit her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marieastorcollection


Books by Marie Astor:

This Tangled Thing Called Love – a contemporary romance about overcoming one’s inhibitions, learning to tango, and finding one’s true love match.

Lucky Charm – a humorous contemporary romance about love, luck and friendship.

On the Rim of Love – a contemporary romance about the unexpected power of love.

A Dress in a Window – a collection of short stories about love, coincidences, and fate.

Over the Mountain and Back – young adult fantasy adventure novel about a boy who takes his snowboard for a ride and finds himself in a magical, hidden world he never knew existed.

Social Media Links:




Twitter: @marieastor


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GIVEAWAY:

 

Marie will be awarding to five randomly drawn commenters at the end of the tour (US ONLY), one of the following five custom-designed jewelry prizes:


Prize 1: Smoky quartz necklace with sterling silver flower clasp
Prize 2: Lapis and labradorite necklace with sterling silver clasp
Prize 3: Kayanite and turquoise sterling silver necklace
Prize 4: Onyx and red agate sterling silver bracelet
Prize 5: Jade, amber and red agate necklace



Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:



3 comments:

  1. I love the name Annabel. I don't have any kids, but I had a dream that if I had a daughter, I'd name her Annabelle and she's be Annabelle Lee. Marie...I love your spunky, real heroines but you do write a lot of male JERKS. Is there something to that? I get the sense that maybe you've known your share of jerks?? Happy Friday.
    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice excerpt, though is it supposed to repeat like that?

    tiger-chick-1(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  3. I'm enjoying reading these different excerpts from the book. Thank you & I'm looking forward to reading it.

    ReplyDelete