Title: Summer People
Author: Corinne LaBalme
Genre: Cape Cod Romance
Book Blurb:
Jessica Stratton’s long-cherished dream of opening her own Folk Art gallery in an idyllic Cape Cod setting finally comes true. However, her start-up is anything but smooth sailing.
Her ten-year marriage hits the rocks and when the hunk next door – a brooding ecologist on a mission to save the planet – proves too irresistible to ignore, she’s got to relearn the rules of the dating game while figuring out how to run a successful boutique.
Unfortunately, someone’s far too interested in an 19th century example of advertising art in her collection and will go to any means – legal or illegal – to acquire it.
Maybe the planet isn’t all that needs to be saved…
Excerpt:
“To you...” he began.
Jessica leaned forward, both hands cupping her wineglass.
“To you and...” Wait a second! Where was that humongous gem she had on her left hand ring finger this morning? What kind of crazy game was this woman playing with him?
“Yes...?” prompted Jessica.
“To you... and to the unexpected,” said Rick slowly.
“To unexpected pleasures, at any rate,” said Jessica brightly after the pause threatened to become uncomfortable. “Like this marvelous homemade chili. I think the toast should be to the chef.” She raised her glass and took a sip.
Plan B. What the hell is Plan B? wondered Rick as he watched her intently. He didn't detect any come-hither in her straightforward gaze. In fact, her smile conveyed nothing except neighborly concern that he might have been struck deaf and dumb all of a sudden. He raised his glass again, took a long swallow, and turned to his plate. Plan B is all hers, he decided.
*****
Why on earth did that woman get under his skin so much? This was the second time he'd stomped off her property. Well, it had a whole lot to do with that chunk of jewelry on her left hand, didn't it? He didn't need anything to do with married women. Never again.
Had he said anything to her that would make them both cringe if they ran into each other in the mini-mart?
Oh yeah. Smallpox. Well, that was a low blow, considering that she personally hadn't poisoned any of his ancestors. All the fashion stuff was OK. But he'd added something about French can-can boots, hadn't he? Boots which had absolutely nothing to do with his sister's thesis. No, those kinky, lace-up boots were part of Martine's Halloween costume last year.
She hadn't taken those boots off either. Not even when they went to bed.
Just thinking about the sex that ensued made him feel like he needed another shower. But then he'd have to dry all that damn hair again. How did women stand all this stuff hanging around their shoulders? He'd read about hermits who refused to cut their hair until they'd atoned for their sins.
Well, Rick Starfire Martell had a helluva lot to atone for.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
If money were no object, where would you go for a Spring Break vacation and why?
Cape Cod. In a heartbeat. Specifically, Harwich Port. Even though Jessica and Rick live in Brewster, on the quiet Bay side of the Cape, I’ve always loved the Nantucket Sound because my first beach – my Ur-beach – was at the end of Pilgrim Road where my grandmother lived in a tiny, tiny cottage with tea roses on the fence. In those happy days, the grandkids camped out in a somewhat mouldy basement but since N.N. Light has so delightfully specified that ‘money is no object’, my vacation daydream features a beachfront paradise like the ‘Inn on the Beach’ on Bank Street or the ‘Winstead Inn’ on Braddock Street. The brochures alone make me smell the sea breezes, taste the salt water taffy and feel the sand between my toes…
Why is your featured book a must-read this spring?
It’s been a long, hard winter for many of us… and even fictional characters like Jessica Stratton and Rick Martell have suffered losses. Both are running on empty as the book begins, having seen their illusions about love and happiness crumble to dust. If they can find a way to trust again… maybe we can too. Let’s give our ‘second chance’ mojo a little TLC and hope that this summer will bring better things.
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:
Corinne LaBalme lives in Paris but fond childhood memories connect her to the historic enclaves of Brewster and Harwich, Massachusetts. (In her opinion, the Brooks Free Library and the Brewster Ladies’ Library make the Top Ten List of ‘finest places to read’ on the planet!) Corinne’s articles about European fashion, food and fabulous destinations have appeared in The New York Times Travel section, Diversion, La Belle France and France Revisited; her cozy mystery, French Ghost, was published by The Wild Rose Press in early 2022.
Social Media Links:
@corinnelabalme