Blog Tour - Excerpt + Giveaway - Beautiful Stranger by Hedonist Six
Beautiful Stranger by Hedonist Six
Chance Encounters #2
Publication Date: November 7, 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Erotic, Realistic Romance
BUY:
Amazon (#FREE with #KU): http://amzn.to /2flSmQ4
Paperback: http://amzn.to/2fqu
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2 flhEf3
Synopsis:
A sexy older man, younger woman romance…
Age and wealth are just numbers, right?
Twenty-four year old Claudia has always been the sensible one. From her boring call centre job right down to her practical wardrobe; flash and extravagant are not part of her normal vocabulary. She may live in Ascot, the home of British horse racing, but the presence of all the moneyed revellers blocking her route home from work are more of a nuisance than a thrill. Until one of them catches her eye… Peter’s life couldn’t be more different. All his life he’s worked hard to make it in the banking industry, to give his wife all she’s ever wanted. After a day of sipping champagne and watching the races, an indiscretion of hers with Peter’s colleague changes this picture-perfect vision of middle class life forever. He decides to cut and run, only, he hasn’t a clue where he’s going. A chance meeting by the side of the road brings them together, making them forget their opposing backgrounds. Is passion alone enough to overcome their differences?
Chance Encounters is a series of stand-alone novellas set in jolly old England, following a set of loosely connected people as they find love in unexpected places. Can love conquer all, from class differences to age gaps? Read on and find out.
Series Reading Order: One Night Stand (Released 7th October 2016) Beautiful Stranger (Released 7th November 2016) Only a Taste (Releasing 7th December 2016)
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2fqxBPQ
DON'T MISS THE FIRST BOOK IN THE CHANCE ENCOUNTERS SERIES, ONE NIGHT STAND!
EXCERPT
Balancing the bowl of strawberries and another filled with cream on my arm and holding onto the neck of another full wine bottle, I struggle through the door and greet his expectant expression with a wide grin.
“Dessert?”
“Why not.” He quickly rescues the bottle and puts it on the table while I sit down next to him.
After putting down the strawberries I make a half-hearted attempt to stack up the used dishes from dinner. A buzzing noise starts coming from his waistcoat which is by now hung neatly over the side of the bench. Leaning over, he starts to check the pockets.
“Oh, bollocks,” he curses under his breath when he finds his iPhone.
“I’ll give you some privacy...” I start to get up but he stops me, shaking his head.
“No,” he says, putting the phone face down on the table, “I’ve nothing to say to her, neither of them actually.”
The next minute or so of silence passes in slow motion.
“What are you going to do?” I finally ask, despite realising it’s none of my business.
Luckily my question doesn’t appear to offend him. “I don’t really know... But I’m not going to forgive her and pretend this never happened.”
He leans over and helps himself to strawberries. Feeling a slight chill in the air, I put my feet up on the bench and wrap my arms around them.
“What exactly happened? If you don’t mind me asking...” It’s not just that I am nosy by nature, but I wish I could get a glimpse of what’s going on in Peter’s head.
“I saw them, my wife and Chris. After the races finished, the three of us and some more friends went to a nearby pub on the High Street, planning to just stay for a little while before our dinner reservation. By then everyone had had a few, except me because I was driving. On my way back from the men’s room I saw them, hands all over each other. So humiliating.”
“I can imagine,” I respond softly, taking his hand and weaving my fingers in between his.
He turns towards me, the uncertainty in his eyes reminding me of earlier in the car. “Do you really want to hear all this, I mean...?”
“Whatever you want to tell me, yes.” My index finger brush against his, hoping to emphasize my point. I do care, even if we’ve only just met. I just wish I could help somehow.
“Alright, well, God knows how long it’s been going on between them. All these years I was clueless and preoccupied, trying to earn enough to maintain the lifestyle she had been craving.
Every demand of hers I tried to fulfil. Thinking about it, I can’t remember if there was ever a spark between us. When I saw them together it hit me that she wasn’t cold like I had come to accept, except around me...
“Had a few drinks at the bar to try and calm down and decided to leave them to it, I was too angry and hurt to face them. I had no idea where I was going to go, and after getting the car I somehow ended up parked alongside that road. And then you magically appeared.”
His fingers wrap around mine tightly and he looks at our hands woven together. The tense frown on his face is starting to melt away once more.
“I never strayed once in fifteen years.”
“Until today,” I whisper.
“Yes, until today.” He lifts up my hand and kisses my knuckles.
“No regrets?” I ask.
The same infectious smile he has been using to win me over with has returned. “None.” He takes me into his arms. We kiss tenderly, rekindling earlier desires, but now there is also a new closeness between us. He may have come into my life completely by chance, but I’m really starting to like this mysterious and beautiful stranger.
“Maybe it’s not such a bad thing...” I say in between kisses, “getting a second chance, to reconsider what you want out of life. Do you have kids?”
“She never wanted any. You’re right, this is a second chance, isn’t it?” As soon as he finishes the sentence his smile turns into a naughty grin. Before I know it he scoops me up in his arms.
The shock of it all causes me to start giggling uncontrollably.
“Now, where to, my- lady?”
Unable to speak through my giggle fit, I just point at the door which he manages to negotiate relatively easily even with his arms full. Once inside I direct him straight down the hall and to the bedroom, feeling very grateful that there are no stairs in our way.
BUY:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2fGnK8
Paperback: http://amzn.to/2dIs
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2dwCKL1
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2cXSIY7
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2en9VQ5
iBooks: http://apple.co/2dysq1
Synopsis:
From casual encounter to something more?
Lucy is used to having a handle on things herself: her business, which she’s fighting to turn around after a rough patch, and her love life, which consists of carefully conducted casual encounters during which only she calls the shots.
A one night stand with George – the tall, husky biker whose rough exterior hides a gentler side – changes everything. Lucy’s usual approach doesn’t work anymore: come morning, she doesn’t want to say goodbye. Perhaps it’s time to let someone into her life for more than just one night? Meanwhile, the crucial project she’s just landed is about to fall to pieces, threatening her reputation as well as her finances. Suddenly Lucy has to learn what it’s like to not be in control of anything at all.
Chance Encounters is a series of stand-alone contemporary romance novellas set in jolly old England, following a set of loosely connected people as they find love in unexpected places. Can love conquer all, from class differences to age gaps? One-click and find out.
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2dCqJPX
ABOUT HEDONIST SIX
Call me “H.” or Hedonist if you prefer. I’m a Romance writer based in London and I’ve always been a dreamer, though it didn’t occur to me to write down the stories I kept dreaming up until 2012. You’ll not find flowery language and poetry in my work. What you will find though is believable characters, none of whom perfect, going through life and trying to find happiness. Just like the rest of us. I first started writing because I craved to see more of “my kind of books” on the shelves. In any scenario, you’ll find me rooting for the underdog. The (emotionally) scarred hero who hasn’t really had much (or any) luck in love. The shy office worker who wants to pursue the man of her dreams, but hasn’t quite mustered the courage yet. All my characters are beautifully flawed and messed up, in a way that makes them perfect for one another. 
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