We’re thrilled to bits to be bringing you the exclusive cover reveal for The Palisade, the first book in a brand new romance series by author Rosalind Abel.

We’re also celebrating Rosalind’s birthday today, so be sure to check out the special giveaway below to enter for a chance to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card.

Good luck, and welcome, Rosalind!

The Cover

From the Author

Thank you to The Novel Approach for hosting the cover reveal of The Palisade.  And thank you, readers, for dropping by to check out my first book in the Lavender Shores series.

Deep in the heart of the National Seashore on the Northern California coast is the charming town of Lavender Shores.  In this series, you’ll be swept up in the beauty and romance as our heroes find passion and love. Each novel will be able to be enjoyed on its own, but will have familiar characters throughout the series. The Palisade follows Andrew and Joel as they journey from a heated night together to discovering the love of a lifetime.  As in each Lavender Shores novel, I can promise you’ll be fanning yourself from the plentiful hot and sexy moments, swoon over romance and longing, and sigh in contentment as happily-ever-afters are discovered.

Feel free to meet the men and explore Lavender Shores at the WEBSITE.

About the Book

Confident businessman Joel Rhodes sees the small California town of Lavender Shores as nothing more than a business transaction and a final stepping-stone to the position he’s been working towards his entire life. It was supposed to be nothing more than one night in town to close the deal, and sleeping with one of the local men, no matter how gorgeous, meant nothing more than a few hours of fun.

Andrew Kelly is perfectly content with the life he has in his hometown.  So much so, that the only thing missing is someone to share it with. Going to bed with a tourist was never meant to be the answer to his dreams, just a beautiful distraction. He could get back to looking for Mr. Right the next day.

Both Andrew and Joel’s worlds are turned upside down when a few hours of pleasure gets extended to a couple of days.  Even that shouldn’t be a big deal. You can’t fall in love in such a short time, that isn’t how it works.  However, if destinies collide, a few short days may be all it takes to find your soul mate. Even so, when secrets and motivations get tangled, destiny may do nothing more than leave two hearts in pieces.

The Excerpt

(This scene finds Andrew meeting a client looking to purchase a business only to discover it was the man who’d shown him what sex is supposed to be like a few short hours before.)

Both my blush and my erection surged back to life as I stepped through the door of Lavender Reality and saw Joel Rhodes sitting in one of the lobby chairs. I must have gasped because he looked up at me, and flinched, his eyes going wide.

I looked over at Regina, who hadn’t missed a beat.

“Oh…” she glanced at Joel, then back at me.  Then back at Joel, her smiled growing.  “Oh.”  She chuckled softly.  “Well, it looks like introductions aren’t needed. Please remember that we’re in the business of selling properties and not your personal assets as you take Mr. Rhodes on some showings.”  She continued chuckling as she went back to her office.

Dear God, I was that obvious?  Yes, of course I was.  Though I prayed she hadn’t noticed what was happening in my pants.

I waited to see if she’d shut her office door.  There was a click, thankfully, and I turned my attention to Joel. “Hey. You’re here.”

The corner of his lips curved into the beginning of that smile from the night before, put didn’t quite make it all they way, causing him to look completely confused.  “Yeah. As are you.”

I thought he looked happy to see me, but I wasn’t sure.  From the way my heart thudded, I wasn’t certain if I was happy to see him or simply terrified.  “What are you doing here?”

“Looking at property.” Joel’s gaze darted towards the hallway, then back. You’re not the other agent, the one who deals with commercial real-estate?”

I nodded. “Yep.  That’s me.”

The expression that crossed his face took away the notion he was glad to see me.  I could quite literally see the thought Oh Shit! run through his mind.

“Is that okay?”

And for the first time since I’d met him, granted, that had only been a few hours before, Joel Rhodes wasn’t graceful. “Uhm, I. . .” he licked his bottom lip. “I. . .Yeah. Of course.”  He smiled.  And this was one I’d not seen before.  Not sweet.  Not promising to devour my body.  But one I imagined he gave to clients, or business people, or his tax guy.

Fuck. This was going to suck. “If you’re uncomfortable, I can get the list of properties together and give them to Regina.  She can show them to you.”

He shot out of the chair. “No.” He cleared his throat and then his voice was normal. “No. Not at all. I just wasn’t expecting to see you until toni— I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

Not graceful and then flustered.  Maybe he was happy to see me.  Maybe too happy to see me?  Good god, I hoped so.

But why hope that? What if he was happy to see me?  He was here on business.  He wasn’t staying.  But, he was looking at property, so maybe. . .

Pathetic scale. Pathetic sale. Oh my god, pathetic scale.  Take it down a notch, Kelly. Or a thousand.

“Okay, if you’re sure, then follow me to my office and I’ll pull up some listings.  I don’t have another client until noon, so I could show you a couple, if you have time.”

He nodded.  “Yeah, I actually have all day.  That’s what I scheduled with Regina. I figured I’d pick a place today and then use tomorrow to finalize plans.”

The thought of him planning to make such a huge decision and purchase within a matter of hours fit the mental picture I’d formed of him easily.  Take charge, get what he wants.  Never stutter or stumble.  And yet. . . “Great, well, let’s get going.  I’m sorry I don’t have all day like Regina, but I should be done with my other clients by five or so.  If you. . . uhm. . . need more time.”

There was that grin.  Wicked and full of promises. Thank god.  It wasn’t all in my mind.  “Oh, I’ll definitely need more time.  No doubt.”

My brain fried for a moment as well as the power of speech.

I was going to end up in his bed again. Holy shit.

I motioned at the hallway with my chin and headed towards my office, deciding it was safer to avoid attempting intelligible speech. My office was directly across from Regina’s, which normally was great.  She was a hoot, but I’d give anything to be as far away from her as possible at the moment.

Joel followed me in and stepped aside to allow me to shut the door, his gaze following my every move.

No sooner had the door clicked than his hands were on me. Rough and strong. He pulled me around and his right hand found its spot at the back of my head again, and covered my lips with his.

His kiss was almost a bit desperate, his mouth enveloping mine, his tongue exploring my depths. He smelled of soap, obviously from the hotel as it left him smelling of lavender.

He pushed his weight into me and we fell onto the door with a bang, his body pressed against mine, his hardness erasing any doubt of his desire for me, if his kiss had left any at all.

Everything disappeared. The office, the lights, the sound of the nearby river, Lavender Shores.  Hell, California might have crumbled into the ocean and all I’d know was that I was lost to the feel of his heat, the pressure of his hands capturing me, ache of my body and the stirrings of a new kind of ache deep in my chest.

I lifted my hands to either side of his face, his short beard wonderfully scratchy against my palms. At my touch, he grunted and thrust against me. Once, twice, then again.  Each time banging against the door.  The fourth time, or maybe the tenth, who the fuck knows, the sound broke the magic and the world came back and I managed to pull away slightly.  “Wait.”

“What?” He was panting.

So was I. “Wait.” I sucked in my breath. “My boss.  Across the hall.”

“So?”

§§§§§§§§

I hope you enjoyed getting that brief glimpse at Andrew and Joel!  Their story is up for pre-order at Amazon (*$2.99 for pre-orders and through release day. After release day, $3.99*). It is also part of Kindle Unlimited. It will be available on June 20, 2017.

About the Author

Rosalind Abel grew up tending chickens along side her sweet and faithful Chow, Lord Elgin. While her fantasy of writing novels was born during her teen years, she never would have dreamed she’d one day publish steamy romances about gorgeous men. However, sometimes life turns out better than planned.

In between crafting scorching sex scenes and helping her men find their soul mate, Rosalind enjoys cooking, collecting toys, and making the best damn scrapbooks in the world (this claim hasn’t been proven, but she’s willing to put good money on it).

She adores MM Romance and the power it has to sweep the reader away into worlds filled with passion, steam, and love.  Rosalind also enjoys her collection of plot bunnies, and welcomes new fuzzy ones in her home all the time, so feel free to send any adorable ones her way.

Please join me at my Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Instagram accounts, I’d love to connect with you!

The Giveaway

In honor of our birthdays, Rosalind and Lisa are offering the chance for one lucky reader to win a $20 (US) Amazon Gift Card

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