Read Last Chance Knit & Stitch Online
Authors: Hope Ramsay
Tags: #Fiction / Romance - Contemporary, #Fiction / Contemporary Women, #Fiction / Family Life
Last Chance Knit & Stitch (39 page)
Dear Reader,
“If you love her, set her free. If she comes back, she’s yours. If she doesn’t … Christ! Stubborn woman! Hunt her
down, and bring her the hell back; she’s still yours according to vampire law.”
Niccolo DiConti, General of the
Vampire Queen’s Army
I always like to believe that the universe has an all-knowing, all-seeing heart filled with the wisdom to grant us not what we want, but that which we need most. Does that mean the universe will simply pop that special something into a box and leave it on your doorstep? Hell no. And if you’re Niccolo DiConti, the universe might be planning a very, very long, excruciating obstacle course before handing out any prizes. That is, if he and his over-bloated, vampire ego survive.
Meet Helena Strauss, the obstacle course. According to the infamous prophet and Goddess of the Underworld, Cimil, Niccolo need only to seduce this mortal into being his willing, eternal bride and Niccolo’s every wish will be granted. Thank the gods he’s the most legendary warrior known to vampire, with equally legendary looks. Seducing a female is hardly a challenge worthy of such greatness.
Famous last words. Because Helena Strauss has no interest in giving up long, sunny days at the beach or exchanging her happy life to be with this dark, arrogant, deadly male.
Dear Reader,
Imagine you’re heartbroken. Crying. Literally
into
your drink at a noisy nightclub your best friend has dragged you to. Just as you are lamenting your very bad decision to come out tonight, someone approaches. A tall, handsome someone with a tumble of dark hair, expressive amber eyes, and perfectly contoured lips. Oh,
and
he’s rich. Not just plain old rich, but rich of the
filthy
,
stinking
variety. This is exactly the situation Crickitt Day, the heroine of TEMPTING THE BILLIONAIRE, finds herself in one not-so-fine evening. Oh, to be so lucky!
I may have given the characters of TEMPTING THE BILLIONAIRE a fairy-tale/fantasy set-up, but I still wanted them rooted and realistic. Particularly my hero. It’s why you’ll find Shane August a bit of a departure from your typical literary billionaire. Shane visits clients personally, does his own dishes, makes his own coffee. And—get ready for it—bakes his own cookies.
Hero tip: Want to win over a woman? Bake her cookies.
The recipe for these mysterious and amazing bits of heavenly goodness can be traced back to a cookbook by Erin McKenna, creator of the NYC-based bakery Babycakes. What makes the recipes so special, you ask? They use
coconut oil
instead of vegetable oil or butter. The result is an amazingly moist, melt-in-your-mouth, can’t-stop-at-just-one chocolate chip cookie you will happily burn your tongue on when the tray comes out of
the oven. Bonus: Coconut oil is rumored to help speed up your metabolism. I’m not saying these cookies are healthy … but I’m not
not
saying it, either.
Attempting this recipe required a step outside my comfort zone. I tracked down unique ingredients. I diligently measured. I spent time and energy getting it right. That’s when I knew just the hobby for the down-to-earth billionaire who can’t keep himself from showing others how much he cares. And if a hero is going to bake you cookies, what better place to be served
said cookies
than by a picturesque waterfall? None, I say. (Well, okay, I can think of another location or two, but admit it, a waterfall is a pretty dang good choice.)
As you can imagine, Crickitt is beyond impressed. And when a rogue smear of chocolate lands on her lips, Shane is every bit the gentleman by—
ahem
—helping her remove the incriminating splotch. Alas, that’s a story for another day. (Or, for chapter nineteen…)
I hope you enjoy losing yourself in the very real fantasy world of Shane and Crickitt. It was a world I happily immersed myself in while writing; a world I
still
imagine myself in whenever a certain rich, nutty, warm, homemade chocolate chip cookie is melting on my tongue.
Happy Reading!
www.jessicalemmon.com
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Praise for Hope Ramsay’s Heartwarming Series
A Preview of
Inn at Last Chance
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 by Robin Lanier
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ISBN 978-1-4555-2226-2