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N. N. Light
Aug 28, 201813 min read

The Calloways of Rainbow Bayou Books are Stories of Life, Love, and Community. . . Get All Seven For


This gorgeous double rainbow looks a little like the ones I’ve seen on my drive home through the flat farmlands of Louisiana. I’m always fascinated by the magical beauty of this natural phenomenon and really, it’s impossible to get a shot like this. I know, I’ve tried.

So many things come to mind when I see a rainbow. Hope, renewal, second chances, new beginnings. (“After the rain comes the rainbow.”) In some Native American legends, a double rainbow stood for a kind of magical serendipity, an indication to expect good things. Don’t you find this heartening?

The Calloways of Rainbow Bayou books are stories of life, love, and community – of hope and second chances, and they reflect my belief that love happens out of the blue – when you least expect it (or want it). The first four books in the series have been greatly revised and rebranded with new content as a true contemporary small-town family romance series.

I’ve always wanted to belong to a big raucous supportive family like them so I escape into the lives and loves of these characters. I hope you enjoy them, too.

All the books in this seven-book series will be $0.99 during preorder until the day after release.

Series -- The Calloways of Rainbow Bayou by Livia Quinn

Genre -- Contemporary Small-Town Family Romance Series

Title When the Right One Comes Along

Book Blurb

Love happens when you least expect it even for these two professionals, one who doesn't have time for love and the other who has the benefit of an inherited prognosticator known as the Calloway Curl.

Buffy Calloway is finally coming home.

Former international model and photographer Lana Calloway is attending the DC romance convention to find the perfect model, the “one” whose face and body could make her new business venture a success. At a conference event she finds him – an unwilling and unlikely candidate. Turns out his appearance was a fluke, but the Calloways have a history of getting their man, or woman, and she doesn't intend to be the last.

Her prospect is a CEO meeting with Congress about veterans issues; in other words, he’s got higher priorities than being a cover model. It will take creative measures to convince him that her goals could benefit his mission of making life better for wounded veterans, and oh, by the way, that they are meant to be together.

Excerpt

The man Buffy was looking for would give her business instant recognition. He would be the face of The Calloway Agency. She couldn’t wait to see him holding a female model, depicting a scene chosen by her or one of the producers, the two of them on a bed of red satin sheets. He’d be perfect.

It was just like her grandmother had always told her, “Lana, you’ll know when the right one comes along. All the Calloways do.” It wasn’t the same thing, of course, but Buffy did know what she wanted. She’d been dreaming of this moment ever since she left her modeling career behind.

She sucked in a breath as “Tucker” followed instructions and dropped his trousers. The women went crazy.

The man had Van Damme-like legs with powerful thighs and calves, shaped like the finest of the ancient statues. If she were still modeling she could picture him, that sculpted body, twined around hers, the muscles in his jaw working as desire flashed in his eyes. His flesh would be like silken steel. Her hands would skim across his skin; squeeze his biceps. Roam down his ridged abdomen. She’d trail her fingers along the thin line of black hair…

Buffy’s eyes shot to his face and found him watching her, yet again. She flushed, afraid he could read her mind. But she was merely planning how she would use her art to create a masterpiece with him as the focus.

The tendons in his legs flexed as he turned around and showed off one fine pair of cotton-covered cheeks; same great view no matter the direction. The wide shoulders bunched and his back narrowed to his waist. Oh, yeah. If she had only enough cash for one hunk, it was going to be him.

She referred to the conference program. This guy wasn’t listed. Was he a substitute? What amazing luck that she could only attend this one conference to find her man, and a nameless fill-in captured her attention. It must be fate.

Sally Freeman stood at the front table preparing to call another title. “After the final two rounds we’ll determine the winner of this year’s Strip Bingo. And the best news—he will accompany whoever won the raffle for ‘Dinner with a Hunk’ to an all-expense paid dinner for two at their choice of fine D.C. restaurants. All right. The next title is… Chained by Their Desires by Cathy Lenton.”

~~

Ridge had been having a blast. It didn’t take much to make this crowd happy. Their enthusiasm had infected even him. Obviously.

He skimmed over the crowd to the woman that had been watching him from the minute he jumped onto the stage. Well, she wasn’t the only one. They all had, so perhaps it was just that he’d tuned in to her, in particular after seeing that poster.

Now that the contest was drawing to a close—at least he assumed it was since they were about out of clothing “donations”—Ridge had a problem. It would only be a problem if he won, which wasn’t a possibility, but on the off chance that an error in the “voting” occurred and he was chosen, what was he going to do? They’d probably want to verify his credentials, match him up with this Tucker fellow who had yet to arrive.

And worse—he could kick himself—the real Tucker might show up any minute and he’d have a five-egg omelet on his face. He’d be jeered, embarrassed and thrown out of … he was probably over-reacting a bit. The point was he needed to carry his half-dressed behind out of there as soon as the party was over.

Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned.

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Title Too Good to Be True

Book Blurb

Love happens when and where, and with whom you least expect it…as Delilah discovers.

An experienced police officer, Delilah Burke is no pushover. She prides herself on her instincts but when she arrives at the scene of a convenience store robbery she finds herself unwillingly intrigued by the tall dark and handsome perp dressed in a mercenary uniform and armed with fake weapons which begs the question - what else about him is fake?

Luc seems too good to be true, but his huge, surprising family embraces Delilah and when he’s threatened they join in her efforts to protect him. Delilah is drawn to him like no other but can she keep him safe so they can have a future together?

Excerpt

She didn’t want to encourage someone who’d been a suspect even briefly, but he was way too easy to like and she was getting those boy-howdy-would-we-like-to-jump-his-bones urges out of a rarely heard from region below her gun belt. She sent the little miscreants a Now-is-not-the-time message. They ignored her, whining when Luc placed one hip on the corner of her desk so she caught an enticing whiff of his scent, mingled with a deliciously musky after shave. An image of him standing in front of his mirror with a towel wrapped around his waist as he applied that after shave… earth to Burke. Earth to Burke! The man is speaking.

She shrugged. Why not?

“I have a proposition for you.” Ha. Now they’d stopped whining and were fist pumping, yes!

No, she thought, gritting her teeth.

“Wait, you haven’t heard me out,” he said, frowning.

Great, she’d spoken out loud. “I’m sorry, I was…had my mind on something else.” Like the way he filled out that t-shirt. The cut of his torso, the way those muscles bunched at the slightest of movements, how that gleaming black hair would feel in her hands.

“Hear me out, please. I need a female officer for a BE day.”

Oh, right, some kind of kinky sex game where he’d “be” the bad “Merc” and she’d “be” the one with the handcuffs.

He smiled, watching her thoughts move across her features as that scene presented itself. “Officer, you’ve got a dirty mind.”

She wasn’t usually so readable. She scowled at him. “Larue, I don’t have all day.”

“Luc,” he reminded. “Okay, I’m serious. There’s a group of kids I’m presenting a program to Saturday afternoon. My expert for Saturday had to back out due to his wife going into labor early with twins.”

“You’re not by any chance talking about Detective Dunbar?”

“Yeah. So you know Tony. He’s done it for me the last couple of times. He’s always a hit with the young ladies.”

“He would be.” Tony Dunbar was an Italian charmer with five daughters and six sisters. “He’s charmed some of the most intractable suspects into confessing. What exactly is it, Larue?”

“Saturday is what we call BE day at LTF—that’s Larue Teens Forward, the former gym.” Del had heard of the teen center, and, she couldn’t help it—the report about possible deviant behavior at his martial arts studio crept into her mind.

“It’s a pretty big deal. The kids bring friends who are interested in seeing what the group is about. We have experts in different fields in weekend clothing answering questions about what they do.”

“Like a career day?”

“Similar but many of these kids were cast aside, expelled or otherwise fell through the cracks of society. We work to bring them back on their own terms into a stable and safe environment through mentoring.”

Damn, if she didn’t watch it, she’d fall for this guy. And he was so not her type. They were at it again, Aww, yes he is, he’s-our-type—Del ignored them. “So what would I do? I don’t have much psychology—”

“Just show up in your weekend clothes and if someone wants to know more about what you do or why you became a cop, you just share your story, answer questions about the job, and maybe steer someone away from some of those misconceptions or negative stereotypes about law enforcement. I think it will be good to have a lady cop. Get the young men asking questions for a change.” He grinned.

Please nothing from the spectators. She was having enough trouble resisting this guy’s potent charm. Was it a façade or was he the real thing?

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Title Only the Heart Remembers

Book Blurb

Love happens. . .when you least expect it! Out of the blue, or in from the storm.

Brenna has only been home to Rainbow Bayou a few months when the first storm of the season delivers a surprise. A very bad feeling and when that happens, she pays attention.

When a stranger tries to enter her cabin during the night, she whacks him with a fireplace iron creating a bigger problem—he awakens thinking she and this handsome burglar are a couple.

As images from his past surface and their feelings intensify, Brenna finds herself hoping the clues don’t mean what she thinks they do and her new love can last forever.

Excerpt

The ringing of the phone startled Brenna awake. After bathing the stranger in cool cloths to reduce his fever, she had finally succumbed to a fitful doze in the chair near the bedroom window.

Her mind screamed at her to get up.

“The phone. Oh, my God. Don’t quit.” Slipping on her sock covered feet, she slid into the kitchen knocking the phone off the cradle. “I’m here, I’m here. Don’t hang up,” she yelled as she pulled the handset up by its cord. “Hello?”

“Brenna, this is Declan. Are you okay out there?”

“Oh, Declan.” Relief turned Brenna’s bones to liquid as she processed the sound of impending rescue.

“Honey, look…we’re just checking on everyone who’s been out of communication to make sure there are no emergencies. I know you don’t like storms, but I’ll have to get back to you—”

“No. Declan. Wait. Emergency!” Brenna shouted the first thing that came to mind to keep him from hanging up.

He didn’t.

“I-I have an emergency. There was a burg—I have someone here who’s hurt. He needs a doctor. Declan, I had just decided to get in the car at daylight and go for help.”

“No. Don’t. I repeat. Do not leave your house. The roads are flooded. Brenna, do you hear me?” He spoke distinctly as if talking to a crazy person.

She felt a little crazy, almost hysterical with relief, but mimicked him. “I hear you.”

“All right, tell me about your situation.”

“A man, I think he was stranded.” Or he was a criminal. “He broke in to find shelter.” And he was armed, the voice in her head reminded. “I was freaked out by the storm…” ya think? “…and I whacked him with the fireplace shovel.” Her voice rose.

“Then what happened, Bren?” The abbreviation of her name was a balm. This was Declan, her best friend. She could tell him anything…almost.

“After I clobbered the poor guy I got him inside. I’m sure he has a concussion, but he’s also been running a high fever. I gave him Tylenol for the pain and to bring the fever down. Did I do the right thing?”

Brenna waited for him to tell her that the stranger would surely pass on from the little bit of medication she’d given him.

“Honey, you did your best. What I’d like to know is, what was he doing breaking in? You went against everything I’ve ever told you about helping strangers didn’t you? I’d have left his butt on the front step.”

Yeah, right. Thunder Point’s favorite minister, Declan Murphy never refused a person in need.”

“We’re still fighting some powerful cross winds but as soon as the wind dies down we’ll get a helicopter in there. Now, can you answer some questions?”

“Sure.” Anything to keep him on the line.

“Did you give him anything besides Tylenol?”

“No, that’s all, besides some sips of water.”

“Good. Back off on the water until we find out if there’s any bleeding. Any other symptoms? Can he walk?”

She nodded, “But he was pretty wobbly. Why?” Brenna’s heart sped up.

Declan said, “I’m looking for symptoms of neck or back injuries.”

“Oh. I don’t know.” That hadn’t occurred to her. One more thing to regret…

“Brenna. Are you listening? What about vomiting?”

“I’m here. He got violently ill and he was in agony after… after…” tears caught in her throat. “Oh, Declan, I might have killed him.”

“Hold it together, Bren. How long since he’s been awake or spoke?”

. . .Since we made mad passionate love.

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Title Christmas Wishes

Book Blurb

Love happens when you least expect it and sometimes delivers surprises and long-awaited second chances.

As the Calloways and Larues gather at the Romanos’ on Christmas Eve, Buffy prepares some surprises for her husband. Meanwhile, her cousin Beau is home from Hollywood and Maddie is nervous about seeing him again. Samantha’s baby is over due and no surprise to Buffy, her ex-boyfriend Jed shows up unexpectedly. Then there’s Luc, who’s is starting to believe maybe Delilah has changed her mind about spending the rest of her life with him. But with the first Christmas miracle, Buffy knows eventually her friends will get their happily-ever-after. A Calloway always knows.

Excerpt

Inside the helicopter, Beau Larue drifted in and out of unconsciousness, the pain bringing him back each time as he remembered. He'd pushed the lever forward and watched as the larger craft turned to the right. As planned, Beau turned his boat hard in the opposite direction supposedly in the driver's blind spot and as choreographed the larger boat was suddenly facing Beau's boat.

As scripted, he'd raised his gun, aimed at the pilot of the other boat and fired. The boat kept coming. That wasn't right. The actor was supposed to veer sharply as if dodging the gunfire. With a flash of sudden clarity, Beau realized his long-held opinion that he wouldn't live to see thirty-five, was about to come true but not for the reason he'd expected.

Like a movie of his own life, scenes flashed in his head as he jerked his hand on the wheel—Grandpa Earl telling him he was proud of him during a day on the bayou behind the old farmhouse in Louisiana; his Aunt Vic (Commander Larue to everyone else) hugging him as he left home for Hollywood; the high school seniors he'd spoken yesterday dressed as Navy Seal Ian Stone about a military career; and Maddie…his lovely Maddie.

As her face filled his vision he thought he'd successfully avoided the other craft, but then, surprised, he saw the problem. The other actor, an experienced stuntman as well, was slumped across the wheel of his boat, then the long bow slammed into the starboard hull of Beau's and pain and the grinding of metal and fiberglass was the last thing he heard.

There were noises after a time, helicopter rotors, boat engines, people shouting, someone splashing in the water nearby. He couldn't make out the words. He was floating or lying atop the waves, something keeping him afloat. Shut up, his mind screamed. What were they yelling about? Didn't they know he was ready to go? He'd known this was going to happen all his life. Just let me rest. A strong arm grabbed him from behind and pain exploded in his leg. He screamed.

A steady voice in his ear said, "Easy, I've got you. We'll have you taken care of shortly, sir." Beau opened his eyes to see a young man's face in an orange helmet and wet suit looking down at him. His fuzzy thoughts couldn't connect the man's presence with what was happening around him. He smelled smoke and something coppery and nearly gagged on the strong gas fumes that permeated the air.

A shout reached his ears, "We found the other man! He's alive, for now."

Someone else had called, "Keep an eye out—"

Beau couldn't make sense of any of it. It was just too damn hard to stay awake and he was so cold. "C-ccold," he whispered but there was no response. Just more activity.

As he closed his eyes he heard gears grinding smoothly overhead and felt a swaying movement as several hands landed on him. Someone cursed, another booming voice made him want to put his hands over his ears, "Keep searching for that boot!" Beau winced.

Another said, "Jesus, this is bad."

Well, hell, he'd been right.

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Author Biography

Livia Quinn is a DC native who was dragged to the wilds of Louisiana where she fell in love with the rich culture and well... okay, not the weather, but both have inspired her settings and characters. She's logged many stories from her jobs as mail lady, plant manager, professional singer, business owner and salesperson and loves to share them with her readers. Twelve books in her contemporary romance and paranormal series have been published with several more to come in 2018. Sign up for her newsletter or follow her in your preferred way

Social Media Links

Livia Quinn Readers Group http://bit.ly/2gBFQ12

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