A Brit on the Side (Castle Calder Book 1) (22 page)

T
hank
you for reading A BRIT ON THE SIDE! Want more Bea and Jasper? I’ve got a free epilogue for you and
you can sign up to get it here
. It’s a little bit steamy and a little bit sweet and I hope you love it.

Y
ou can also join
my Facebook reader group,
Brenda’s Book Babes
for sneak peeks, giveaways, contests and the occasional hot guy pic.

I
f you’d leave
an honest review on your favorite e-tailer site, I’d love you forever. Reviews help SO much and I really appreciate them — good or bad.

W
ant
to know more about my other books? Turn the page to find out!

S
wimming
To Tokyo

The rules for swimming are simple:

Rule #1: There is no lifeguard on duty.

Since her mom died three years ago, nineteen-year-old Zosia Easton’s been treading water. Living at home. Community college. Same old Saturday nights. So when her father breaks the news he’s taken a job transfer—and by the way, it means renting out the house that’s been her refuge—a summer in Tokyo feels like it just might be a chance to start swimming again.

Rule #2: Beware of unexpected currents.

Finn O’Leary has spent God knows how many years trying to drown out his past. Juvenile detention. Bad decisions. Worse choices. He’s managed to turn it around – MIT, Dean’s List, a sexier-than-thou body with a smile to match – at least on the surface. When his mom asks him to spend the summer with her, Tokyo seems as good a place as any to float through the summer.

Rule #3: Swim at your own risk.

L
ies
We Live

Ella Ingraham is a best-selling novelist. She's also a murderer. At least that's what most of the world thinks after her ex brought a tabloid frenzy and a civil suit down on her for "negligence" following the stillbirth of their unplanned child at eight months. Her cross-country drive is meant to be an escape, and Horatio, AR is just another random exit off the highway. Until she meets Josh Devereaux.

Josh Devereaux – seductive, charming and hot, hot, hot – is a part-time farmer, full-time tech genius holed up in his hometown after a few years in New York turned him into someone else. Someone worse. His closetful of skeletons has been locked up tight since he returned to Arkansas, right along with his heart. He knows Ella could unlock both – and what a bad idea that would be.

Ella has no intention of getting involved with Josh, but as one date turns into more, feelings surface Ella hasn't felt in years -- like hope. As their relationship grows, Josh knows he should tell Ella the truth about his past. If only the lie wasn't so much easier to believe.

T
ruths We Tell

Ella Ingraham almost falls for Josh Devereaux's easy charm and effortless smile. God knows, she wants to. He's made her feel more than anyone has in a long time, both in and out of bed.

But one phone call changes everything. Especially when the truth about Josh is on the other end of that call.

Now Ella isn’t sure which is worse – Josh lying to her about his past, or the fact she can’t stop thinking about him anyway. Not that he’s making it easy.

Josh wants to make things right and he has a plan for stopping her ex's slander campaigns against her before her next big book release. Even Ella has to admit it's a better plan than she -- or her lawyer -- have come up with. For the plan to work, though, Ella has to not only rely on Josh but trust him. Implicitly.

Ella knows she’d be a fool to trust him a second time. So why is her heart trying to convince her otherwise?

I
wrote
the outline for this book two years ago after a visit to a real castle-turned-hotel in the Lake District of the UK. I went at Christmas and it truly was magical – and a plot bunny was born. It took me awhile to find the time to write Bea and Jasper’s story, but once I started, I was CONSUMED. This story made me smile – a lot – so I really hope you smile, too.

I have so many people to thank, starting with my excellent team of readers. Wende Dikec, Samatha Wicks and B – your feedback was priceless and you helped me to make Bea and Jasper the couple I wanted them to be. Angela Williams – thank you for checking my Britishisms and for your enthusiasm for my story. Allison Fretts – I always write with you in mind, at least a little bit, as I ask myself, “Is this an eye roll moment?”

Stina Lindenblatt, I think we should write a course in Facebook marketing after our endless conversations about what does and doesn’t work. Thank you so much for sharing the results of all of your experimenting!

Thank you, too, to the NA Hideaway. You ladies are my lifeline in this crazy world of publishing.

Brianna Lebrecht, you always give my books the meticulous eye they need and your editing is second to none!

Linda Russell of Sassy, Savvy, Fabulous PR, thank you for handling my neuroses! I’m still neurotic, but it helps knowing you’re in my corner.

Sarah Hanson of Okay Creations, thank you for my cover and taking my very fuzzy vision and making it something fabulous.

Finally, thank you to my husband for bringing me to the UK in the first place and for supporting me in this journey, through all of the ups and downs. I couldn’t do it without you!

And to my son, who’s more British than all of us, and is still waiting for me to write a book without kissing. This isn’t it. Sorry, not sorry. :)

B
renda is
a displaced New Yorker living in the English countryside. She writes novels about teens and twenty-somethings kissing. Her characters do other things, too, but there's always kissing.

When she's not writing, Brenda enjoys hiking, running and reading. In theory, she also enjoys cooking, but it's more that she enjoys eating and, try as she might, she can't live on Doritos alone.

For more info about Brenda and her books, visit www.brendastjohnbrown.com.

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