Book Title: The Valentine's Arrangement
Author: Kelsie Leverich
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 1, 2013
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
Ronnie
squeezed her way to the bar sending a few “go-to-hell” looks at some drooling
guys as she passed them. Luckily, a heavyset redhead stood up from her bar
stool at the same time Ronnie reached the bar.
“Can
I snag your set?” Ronnie asked the woman.
“It’s
all yours,” she said before she walked away. Thank God, because Ronnie’s feet
needed an intermission.
“What’s
your poison?” a voice said close to her ear making her already heated skin even
stickier from the warmth of his breath. She turned around on her stool to see a
very sexy Sergeant First Class Emerson standing behind her with a scruffy smile
on his face. He was in the same worn jeans as before but he had changed his
shirt to a snug-fitting, black button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his
elbows. He was such a pretty boy.
She
forced herself to tear her eyes away from him to keep from staring at his chest
and the way his damn preppy shit pulled across it. “Patron.”
“Two
shots of Patron,” he told the skanky bartender in a tube top and a pair of
jeans that was unfortunately close to showing off her lady goods. The bartender
smiled and was all to happy to tend to him.
She
leaned seductively over the bar as she slid the shots to Kale. “Here ya go.”
She winked.
“Seriously?”
Ronnie huffed, raising her eyebrows at the bartender before grabbing her shot
and tossing it back. The bartender looked from Ronnie to Kale—who was more than
likely mind-fucking Ronnie at that very moment by the way he was looking at
her—before pouting her way on to the next customer.
“What
are you doing here?” Ronnie asked, peeling the paper off her beer bottle.
“Turns
out, this tattoo I got on my back stings like hell, figured I could use a drink
to dull the pain a little.” He leaned in close to her. “Plus the idea of
watching you dance held its own persuasion.”
A
wanton shiver slithered down Ronnie’s spine and she hoped like hell Kale didn’t
notice. “So what, now you want small talk?”
“Small
talk, no talk, I don’t care,” he said, motioning with his hand for the
bartender to bring them another round. Great, Ronnie was going to have to
witness that bimbo make a fool of herself again.
Kale
slowly and deliberately stepped closer to her. She could almost feel him
against her side. “Dance with me.”
“I’m
not dancing with you.”
“Dance
with me,” he said again, offering his hand to her.
“Look,
Soldier, I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you can’t just order
me around.”
He
leaned down and ran his nose up the side of her neck and she stilled. “Well as
of right now, I’m finding it extremely difficult not to push you up against
this bar and put my mouth on your body you’re tempting me and I just might do
it. So, you can either dance with me and let me attempt to get the image of you
squirming beneath me out of my head, or you can leave with me now and we can
replay that image in real time.”
Ronnie’s
formerly clear mind started swimming with the memory of his body crushing her
against the door eagerly kissing her, and the feel of his body pressing her
into the couch, and then the feel of his mouth, oh his fucking mouth on
her…damn it.
“And
you think I’ll just leave with you, why?” she asked, pulling her mind back to
the present where Kale was leaning dangerously close to her. She could smell
the faint scent of soap on his skin.
“Because
I know you enjoyed the little taste of me that you had back at the shop, and
God knows I enjoyed tasting you.” He smirked. “And because I can see it in your
eyes now. Dance with me.”
The
bartender slid the shots in front of them, thankfully without attempting to
flirt, and Ronnie once again tilted the shot back, letting the clear smooth
liquid run down her throat.
She
stood up and grabbed his hand causing that fucking dimple to drill deep into
his cheek. “You better not make me regret this,” she said, leading the way to
the dance floor.
Trailer made by: Cris from The Book Avenue Review
5 stars I really loved this book. It
portrays exactly how difficult Military life is. Not just for the spouses,
girlfriends and kids, but for the soldiers as well. I loved that it started
with an arrangement and ended with yet another. I think that was the third that
was covered in the book, anyway. I absolutely loved Ronnie. She was feisty,
spunky, take-no-shit, in your face, bad ass 100% woman. I’m pretty sure that’s
what drew Kale to her in the first place. That she wasn’t begging to be his
plaything while he was home on deployment. I loved that Ronnie tried to appear
fearless, even when things weren’t going in her direction. Say what you will
about our Military, but guys like Kale are the ones who make every sacrifice
worthwhile. They’re the good guys out there saving the world, while we remain
in safety at home. Kelsie did a fantastic job with this book, not only did I
connect on a personal level with the characters. She made them very real, and
that just made it so much easier to care about what happens to them. I also
loved how the story moved along quickly, and that it was such an easy,
enjoyable read. I will be looking into Kelsie’s other books because this one
made me want more.
Kelsie Leverich grew up in the small town of St. Joseph Illinois before getting married and following her husband from one Army post to another. After eight years, they finally settled down in Avon, Indiana with two adorable knuckleheads that are better known as her kids. Kelsie's life revolves around her family (to include two dogs and a cat) and most of the time, actually all of the time, it’s a crazy mess—but that’s the way she loves it! When Kelsie’s not writing, you can usually find her snuggling on the couch with her kids and a good book or out on the lake with family and friends. Kelsie is not a morning person, has a soft spot for animals, loves musicals, hates seafood, and thinks laundry is the source of all evil.
Kelsie is currently working on the third book in her military series with editor Danielle Perez with NAL/Penguin.
Represented by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
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