Title: Tamari Island
Author: Joy Allyson
Genre: Historical Romantic Suspense
Book Blurb:
Emmie Prescott, the smart, pretty granddaughter of a United States senator, leaps at an offer to work on Tamari Island, a remote South Pacific island after a disastrous family exposé crushed her dream job aspirations. Her first day on the island sparks fly when she meets handsome Jack Manderly, a reporter who works on ambiguous stories for the same paper that sabotaged her career hopes. Once serious problems emerge in her new role at the designer silk plant, Emmie chooses to ignore the man whose very presence leaves her breathless.
Jack harbors a bitter sense of betrayal against Washington politicians who pressured his editor to exile him to Tamari after he linked stories of Emmie’s grandfather’s alleged activities while posted in D.C. His new assignment, tracking rumors in Southeast Asia years after the Vietnam ceasefire, is increasingly perilous. Embroiled in a dangerous mission where love and sacrifice can’t coexist, Jack strives to erase Emmie from his mind.
Despite their intentions and forced proximity, Emmie and Jack’s attraction deepen as alarming incidents occur around the island. Amidst the swirling chaos, Tamari Island deals her own hand. Will Emmie leverage her fashion connections and escape to Paris or go home and grow her political roots? And will she ever forget the man who makes her body and soul sing?
Excerpt:
On her way to the bungalow, Emmie stopped at a side street where a vegetable and fruit stand stood. She had become a regular, often purchasing produce from the local owner after a long day’s shift. She drove her station wagon onto the lot and parked beside a familiar lime green jeep. Heaving a heavy sigh. What next? Why tonight?
She spied Jack Manderly standing by the cashier as she ducked her head under the overhang.
“When can you take me out for target practice again?” she asked as she walked up to him. It was the first time she’d seen him since their return from the island excursion on Saipan. She knew he had left the island on another of his mysterious missions once the weather cleared but was surprised to see him back at her favorite little fruit stand tonight.
“Is there someone out there I should warn that you’re working toward sharpshooter status?” Jack asked as he paid for his purchase. He studied her face momentarily, before leading her over to where melons were being unloaded.
“I just need to blow off some steam,” she said, as she told him about her ongoing inventory woes. “Jack, getting Akemi on its feet again is my ticket to the real world. If I don’t get the job done here, I’ve got nothing.”
“You’ll figure it out. A numbers issue won’t stop anybody who can work through a mini measles epidemic with half their staff and suffer as many shipping delays as you have.” Her scrunched-up face relaxed as she strived to regain calmness. His words were a soothing balm to her state of unrest.
“Thanks for your vote of confidence. Truly, I appreciate it. Let me treat you to a few mangos,” she said as she crammed the fruit into her basket. “Or how about a melon?” She picked one up from the crate where workers were unloading and tossed it his way. He caught it to his stomach and made a noticeable grimace.
“Are you okay?”
Jack gave her a half smile. “Yeah, caught me by surprise. I heard you showed the Chinese delegation around your plant the other day,” he said, changing the subject.
“I did not show them around, Mr. Ito did. How did you know we had visitors?”
“Just did. What did they ask you?”
“I told you, I didn’t talk to them, so they didn’t ask me questions.”
“They’ll be back. And they will ask you questions. You’re the production manager.”
“Well, I can tell you this: I’m starting tomorrow to teach myself Mandarin Chinese. Not knowing what they said, I didn’t like it a bit. Their talk unnerved me,” she said.
“It might be easier than learning Japanese, from what I’ve been told anyway. And you’ve done well enough mastering that language,” he said, surprising her with the compliment about her efforts to learn another language. He replaced the melon she had tossed at him. “I’ll take a rain check though—on the treat you were offering.”
Looking up, she realized her response was taking too long. A heightened awareness of his closeness made her tuck her heated face. She glanced sideways over the fruit and vegetable bins, the swinging irregular light bulbs, and the clear sky outside the canvas tent, where a full moon sat high in the sky, racing irregular thoughts entered her head. Like how much she’d like to take him to her bungalow. Take him home with her, climb in her canopied bed together, and make crazy, heart-stopping love. She gave a quick shake of her head.
“Yes, a rain check. You got it.” And then she turned to go.
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Author Biography:
As the daughter of a United States military officer, Joy Allyson grew up with a deep appreciation of history and a love of travel. A former teacher-turned-writer, she has an unquenchable thirst for historical romances in her reading choices. Her favorite characters–are rebel heroines and salvageable scoundrels. Joy believes the best romances are the ones you want to read over and over again.
She and her husband call the beautiful hills of Tennessee home, and her two daughters and six grandchildren are nearby.
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