Title: Burning Love
Author: Jana Richards
Genre: Contemporary humorous paranormal romance
Book Blurb:
After causing three cooking fires in her apartment, Iris Jensen finds herself evicted and homeless. She lands on Riley Benson's doorstep, looking to rent a room in the beautiful old home he's restoring. It's only for six weeks until Iris leaves Portland, Oregon for her new job on a cruise ship. Firefighter Riley knows firsthand what a bad tenant she can be. But he needs money to finish the work on the house he loves. And something about Iris pulls at his heart…
Meanwhile, in Heaven, two angels watch over the young lovers. Angelica and Hildegard work in Heaven's Relationship Division, where angels match mortals with their soul mates. The angels believe so strongly in Iris and Riley’s love that they break Heaven's rules to help them. Can the angels convince them their love will last a lifetime?
Excerpt:
Riley’s heart tripped over itself when he answered an insistent knock at his door. Surprise didn’t come close to expressing what he felt when he discovered Iris Jennings on his front porch. The woman who’d occupied his thoughts for the past week wore a deer-in-the-headlights expression, obviously as shocked to see him as he was to see her.
Buddy let out a volley of sharp barks, picking up on Riley’s tension. Sigmund Freud had nothing on Buddy when it came to recognizing anxiety.
“Buddy, sit.”
The black Lab quieted immediately and sat obediently at his feet. Iris gave Riley a wan smile. “Well, at least you didn’t sic the dog on me.”
Riley folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the door frame, attempting a nonchalant air. “Iris Jennings. What a surprise. My work doesn’t usually follow me home.”
“I’m sorry. In all the confusion of the fire I’ve forgotten your name.”
“Riley Benson.” It was humbling to know she didn’t remember his name. What on earth was Iris Jennings doing at his house? And if she didn’t know his name, how had she found him?
“I never got a chance to thank you for saving Whiskers.”
For the first time Riley realized Iris carried a plastic cat carrier in one hand.
“Whiskers got herself out. Which is more than I can say for you.”
“Right. I never thanked you for that either.” She lifted her gaze and looked into his face. The amazing blue eyes that haunted his dreams stared at him with earnest gratitude. “Thank you for saving my life, too.”
Riley swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. “You’re welcome.” He’d drown in those eyes if he wasn’t careful. For the past week he’d thought about her, worried about her, and had come perilously close to searching for her. Riley liked to be in control. The fact that he had no control where Iris was concerned scared the hell out of him.
He cleared his throat and looked pointedly at his watch. “It’s been nice talking to you Iris, but if you’ll excuse me I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
He started to shut the door.
“No, wait.” Iris stuck her foot in the door, wincing when the heavy wood met her sneaker-clad foot. “I need to talk to you about the room you have for rent.”
Finally it made sense. He’d placed an ad in the paper offering a room for rent, hoping to bring in a little extra cash to finish renovations. So far he’d had no takers and he was getting a little desperate.
But not that desperate. The idea of living with Iris, her bedroom just across the hall from his, made Riley break out in a cold sweat.
“You’re kidding, right? You want me to rent you a room? You caused three fires at your last place. I’d have to be out of my mind to let you anywhere near my house.”
“Look, I know I’m not ideal roommate material.” She took a step closer, her gaze imploring. “I just need a place to sleep and store my things for the next six weeks and then I’m leaving Portland.”
He couldn’t think with Iris so close. Hell, he could barely form a coherent sentence. The light floral scent of her perfume tantalized his senses, intoxicating him. Riley drank in the sight of her, from the bright turquoise scarf holding back her dark hair to the colorful skirt in shades of blue and green that swirled around her ankles. She reminded him of beautiful, exotic gypsy.
A gypsy who could steal his heart without a second thought.
“I don’t think so. Goodbye, Iris.”
He started closing the door again. “No! Please, listen!” This time she managed to wedge the plastic cat carrier in the door. Whiskers howled in protest as the door made contact. Buddy’s ears stood at attention.
“Iris, I really don’t have time for this.”
“I don’t have any place to go!” Her chin trembled and tears rolled down her cheeks. Riley’s heart squeezed painfully at her distress. “Joe Gardiner had me black-listed with every landlord in the city. No one will rent to me. He sued me for the damages. I convinced him to take a cash settlement, but now all my savings are gone and I don’t get paid for another week so I can’t pay for a hotel room. I’m staying with my friend, but her boyfriend is allergic to Whiskers and wants me out. I’m desperate.”
How could he turn her away? At least it was only for six weeks. What could happen in six weeks?
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
BURNING LOVE (ebook version) is on sale at Amazon for .99 cents from April 7-21, 2023!
Amazon.UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003552TVU
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/burning-love-jana-richards/1019776929?ean=2940043317179
If money were no object, where would you go for a Spring Break vacation and why?
There are a couple of places I’d love to go for spring break vacation. I’ve visited both before and loved them so much that I want to go back. When my husband and I were in Paris, we only had three days, and though we packed as much sightseeing as we could into those three days, there were only so many things we were able to see and do. I’d love to spend more time there to really soak up the atmosphere and culture.
Maui was simply wonderful, especially since we were there in the middle of a Canadian winter. Spring weather can be a little iffy around here, so a nice warm vacation on the beach sounds great. I can almost feel the warm ocean breezes!
Why is your featured book a must-read this spring?
BURNING LOVE is a fun, entertaining read for lovers of sweet romance who enjoy paranormal romance on the lighter side. Iris and Riley, my hero and heroine, are two people looking for home and family, even if they don’t necessarily realize it. It was so satisfying to give them their happily ever after. The angels, Hildegard and Angelica, were a hoot to write. They provide light-hearted humor and unexpected fun. I like to think there are angels looking out for us and conspiring up in Heaven to find us our perfect love matches!
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon US or Canada gift card
Open internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Amazon CA account to win.
Runs April 1 – 30, 2023.
Drawing will be held on May 1, 2023
Author Biography:
When not writing up a storm or dealing with dust bunnies, Jana can be found pursuing hobbies such as golf (which she plays very badly) or reading (which she does much better).
Jana lives in Western Canada with her husband Warren and two senior cats named Layla and Leelou. You can reach her through her website at http://www.janarichards.com
Social Media Links:
Website: https://www.janarichards.com
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Amazon UK Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B002DEVWWG
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