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Feb 266 min read

Rock With the Rhythm by M.J. Schiller is a Love and Romance Festival pick #rockromance #romanticsuspense #romance #lovemonth #giveaway

 


Title: ROCK WITH THE RHYTHM

 

Author: M.J. Schiller

 

Genre: Rock romance, romantic suspense

 

Book Blurb:

 

Rock star Phoenix Blackstone never thought he’d fall in love with the designated driver.


Sure, she’s strait-laced and uptight, maybe even a little prickly at times. Not the best fit for a “rock star”, right? But that’s part of the appeal. There was always something about Savanah. In high school I worshiped her from afar. But while I was the boy from Last Chance Beach’s version of a ghetto, she was born into a 24-carat crib. She was the beautiful princess in the castle; I wasn’t fit to live in her gatehouse. Although Savanah had never seemed like the rest of the glamor girls, she was still untouchable. But now I’m coming back to the island having garnered fame and fortune. Maybe my platinum records will tip the scales in my favor.


Savanah Drew never wanted the silver spoon stuck in her mouth.


But it’s not like I could do anything about it. And Phoenix’s dad may have worked on the docks, but Phoenix was the one who was unapproachable. His good looks, charm, and charisma, made him popular beyond my reach—I always knew he would go far. But when we were growing up, some people looked down on him because his dad wore a slicker and not a three-piece suit. One thing I can tell you, the Blackstones would be the first to come to the aid of someone in need. The people on my side of the island? If they can’t throw money at it to fix it, they don’t want anything to do with it.


But no amount of money or charisma can keep you safe when someone is out to get you, and someone on the island is gunning for the band members of Insatiable Fire, and anyone they’re close to. Is Savanah the next target?

 

Excerpt:

 

Jared, our dive master, led us to the bow to do a giant stride entry and his brother Chase helped the others in the rear. Everything seemed to be going fine. But less than five minutes into the dive, I sensed something. I scanned the area. Where were Sophie and Caleb? Even Jared was missing. I searched upward. Caleb was swimming toward the top and initially blocked my view of Sophie and Jared, who hovered above. Were they all ascending? Then I saw Jared pass his regulator to Sophie. My heart leapt. Sophie didn’t have air. How could Sophie not have air? Without thinking, I pushed off the nearby coral and tried to make my way to them. Someone grabbed my ankle. I kicked at them, looking below as Phoenix climbed my body. I wanted to scream, but couldn’t. I struggled against him. He held my arms and made a noise, which sounded like a moan with his regulator in his mouth. I stared at him. Releasing one hand, he held it out, palm down, and motioned gently to the ocean floor.

 

Calm down? You friggin’ calm down! Sophie’s in trouble!

 

I shook my head and wrenched myself from his grip momentarily, but he was too fast. Then he did the oddest thing. He put his hands on either side of my head and leaned his forehead against mine, sort of. It was more his goggles against my goggles. It made me pause to wonder what the hell he was doing, and that was enough. It gave me enough of a break to regain my senses.

 

What the hell am I doing? I can’t panic. If I panic, I’ll use all my air and that’s not helpful to Sophie.

 

I knew what he was telling me. I nodded my head against his.

 

Okay. Okay. I get it. I’m calm.

 

We peered above. Sophie and Jared were at the same level. They were taking a decompression stop, which is what we would need to do. Phoenix released me and we swam toward the surface.

 

When we broke the plane of the water, I about lost it. Jared was dragging what appeared to be an unconscious Sophie to the boat. Sophie and Hali were my family. My only family.

 

By the time we got to the boat, they had clumsily hauled Sophie on board and she was talking, much to my relief. Dak and Hali had come up closer to the ship so we had to wait for them to climb the steps before we could.

 

“Are you okay?” Phoenix asked quietly.

 

I looked at him. My automatic response would have been yes, but I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to stand once I got into the boat, that’s how shaky I was. “I don’t think so.” Tears threatened to spill from my lashes, and my lips trembled as I bit back a sob.

 

He touched my arm and gazed at me directly, his eyes warm and comforting. “It’ll be okay.” Normally that kind of remark meant nothing to me. But Phoenix saying it…it was like I believed he could make it happen. “It’s going to be okay.”

 

I nodded rapidly and tears flicked out. The ladder was free.

 

“Up you go.” Phoenix waited while I climbed.

 

By the time we were on board, Sophie was stretched on a bench, and Chase was putting an oxygen mask over her face. She was deathly pale and her lips were tinged gray-blue.

 

I only half-heard the conversation that followed. The men were arguing about what happened. I didn’t care how Sophie’s air was depleted; I solely needed for her to be okay. Phoenix stood behind me with his hands on my shoulders, offering support. After several minutes had passed, he bent to speak in my ear. “Her color is better.”

 

I released the air from my lungs I didn’t even know I’d been holding. I leaned into Phoenix’s body, not caring how desperate I might seem for him. At one point I turned to speak to him. “I’m sorry I fought you. I just—”

 

He shook his head. “No apology necessary. If I hadn’t been holding you back, I would have been tearing off half-cocked myself.”

 

Grateful for his understanding, I refocused my attention on Sophie. Everyone was quiet on the way to the dock, which was good. I needed to think. I forced myself to breathe in and out deeply and bring my heartrate down. Sophie would be counting on me to keep my cool. Every time I thought about what happened…what could have happened…I pushed the thoughts away. There would be time to deal with that later.

 

Sophie kept trying to convince everyone that she was fine. I know it was because she didn’t want us to worry over her, but that was impossible. Until the doctors told me for sure she was in the clear, I would be on edge. I’d read a recent article regarding a diver under the same circumstances and he hadn’t made it. That wasn’t going to happen to Sophie.

 

Stop thinking about—

 

“Are you doing okay?” Phoenix had bent forward to speak in my ear. I was sitting on the deck in front of him, between his legs.

 

“Yeah.” His hand was on my shoulder. I patted it absentmindedly. I don’t know why he was concerned for me when clearly Sophie was the one to be worried for. Next to Phoenix, Hali and Dak were speaking quietly. Across from me, but near her head, Caleb was also sitting on the deck, looking worse than I felt. He had no one to comfort him. I squeezed Phoenix’s hand and twisted to peer up at him. “Thanks.”

 

Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):

 



 


 


What’s your favorite part about being a romance author?

 

The story. I love to see how the story unfolds. I love the funny parts. I love the emotional parts. I’m not real hip on the parts in-between; I struggle with those. But my husband says I smile when I write, especially the humorous scenes. And the words, finding the right ones.

 

Here’s my tip to add romance to your love life:

 

In the end, romance is about caring for another individual. So, let them have the bigger piece of chocolate cake (no matter how much that pains you J ). Take out the trash when it’s usually their job. Or, my husband always leaves me the towels I like and uses the other ones. That’s romantic, in my book. It’s buying orange slices when I’m at the grocery store because I know he likes them, and smiling when buying them and when giving them to him. It’s listening to the story about how the game ended, when you don’t care how the game ended. Or listening to the story about their trip to the grocery store when it is as interesting as reading the laundry instructions. You get the picture.

 

Giveaway –

 

One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon gift card.

 

 

Open internationally.

 

Runs February 1 – 29, 2024

 

Drawing will be held on March 1, 2024.

 


Author Biography:

 

Bestselling author M.J. Schiller is a retired lunch lady/romance-romantic suspense writer. She enjoys writing novels whose characters include rock stars, desert princes, teachers, futuristic Knights, construction workers, cops, and a wide variety of others. In her mind everybody has a romance. She is the mother of a twenty-eight-year-old and three twenty-six-year-olds. That's right, triplets! She likes to escape from life on occasion by pretending to be a rock star at karaoke. However…you won’t be seeing her name on any record labels soon.


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