Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway: The Veranda by Rosalind Abel

We’re so pleased to welcome author Rosalind Abel to TNA today on the tour for her latest release in the Lavender Shores series, The Veranda. Rosalind is sharing a little teaser from the book with you, and there’s also the chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, so be sure to check out entry details below.

Welcome, Rosalind!

I’m so happy to be here at The Novel Approach! Thank you for stopping by for an exclusive excerpt from The Veranda.

The Veranda is the third book of the Lavender Shores series. Each of the novels can be read as a stand-alone or as part of the series. I’m going to let the excerpt and blurb speak themselves, but I will promise you romance, steamy sex, laughter, all the feels, and a happily ever after. Whether you read The Palisade and The Garden (the first two books in the series) or not, you’ll be able to thoroughly enjoy this visit to Lavender Shores.

The Veranda is available from Amazon and is also free on Kindle Unlimited. Donovan and Spencer have quite the journey to love to share with you. One that’s been a long time coming for them.

For our first stop on the blog tour, I’m giving you a sweet and funny moment as Donovan and Spencer get out of Lavender Shores and away from prying eyes and have an actual date night in San Francisco. (If you’re needing a steamy scene, check out the first chapter available on Amazon.)

About the Book

Release Date: August 29, 2017
Cover Artist: Angsty G
Blurb: Donovan Carlisle helps countless people in Lavender Shores with his skills as a therapist. It seems, however, that his ability to enable others to live their happiest life only works outside of himself. Donovan truly loves his life, but isn’t able to find a relationship that satisfies his heart’s craving. Maybe the problem is that the only man he wants is off-limits.

Spencer Epstein came to Lavender Shores to find himself. Instead, he married one of the local town beauties. He’d thought his prayers had finally been answered. Then, he met his pregnant fiancée’s brother. It turned out those answered prayers were just cruel twists of fate.

A decade later, after a divorce and crumbling of all Spencer thought was set in stone, he sees his brother-in-law at a masquerade sex party. He takes full advantage of the anonymity and acts on the desires he’s held at bay all those years. The problem is, those silent and frenzied moments didn’t satiate anything. The fire and heat between the two men only grows as secrets are uncovered and they must determine if the cost of their passion is too high.

Buy the Book: Amazon || Add The Veranda to Your Goodreads Shelf

The Excerpt

I couldn’t hold back a laugh. “We’re really going to play the role of tourists tonight?”

“Hell yeah!” Spencer looked at me with his bright eyes, his voice filled with childlike excitement. “In fact, the whole weekend needs to be a tourist weekend. Tomorrow, we can go to the Golden Gate Bridge, walk by the Full House houses. Sunday we go to Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf, maybe Coit Tower.”

His excitement was contagious. “How many hours in a day do you think there are?”

“Good point!” Spencer laced his fingers with mine. “Scrap the Full House houses. We want to make sure we leave enough time for plenty of hotel sex on that king-size bed.” He winked. “Although, I’ve read some books about some pretty sexy things happening on Alcatraz if you manage to spend the night there.”

“I don’t know what kind of books you’ve been reading that include prison sex, but apparently there’s some more fetishes that we need to explore.”

“Oh, definitely. Definitely.” He headed down the sidewalk pulling me along. “Come on, let’s get some cookies.”

I nearly skipped along beside him. So extremely happy. And then it hit me. Spencer was happy. All the worry and stress I’d seen in his face the past weeks, the bags under his eyes, all of it, gone. He didn’t look older and tired anymore. In fact, he looked fresher and happier than I had seen him in ages. He wasn’t going to freak out. The past wasn’t going to overwhelm him and cause him to run. Maybe it was too good to believe, too good to trust, but I decided to do just that—trust Spencer was truly the man I knew him to be. Trust that we had paid whatever price was required by our long wait. No more waiting for the shoe to drop, I was going to enjoy every second with him.

The first thing on that list? Cookies!

The place was basically the size of a shoebox. Nothing more than a double long display case filled with every type of cookie imaginable. Neon sign in the window, and a string of red-and-white men’s briefs with the words Hot Cookie emblazoned on the crotch hung overhead.

The cute redhead behind the counter stood up straighter as we walked in. “Holy shit! To think I was pissed I couldn’t get today off! Two hot daddies in suits. Fuck yeah!”

We both laughed, but I noticed a blush rise to Spencer’s cheeks. Just when I thought he couldn’t get any cuter.

The redhead wasn’t done. “For you two, pick any two cookies you want, they’re free.” He winked, and the teasing left his voice. “If you want to hang around until closing, I’ll give you each a dozen for free then.”

Spencer burned bright at that.

“Thanks for the offer, but I think we will probably stick with cookies right now.” I moved to the counter, focusing on the trays of cookies instead of the kid who was eighteen if a day. I pointed out a large sandy-textured cookie to Spencer. “I hear their snickerdoodles are the best.”

He glanced at the cookie, then with a grin and impossibly turning one shade brighter, he pointed toward the other side. “These. We need to get these. The white one has a curve that matches yours.”

I leaned over and sucked in a breath. The tray was filled with dark and white chocolate penises. Nearly life-sized. And under the smooth chocolate shaft, each supported two bulging testicles, covered in toasted coconut.

Spencer lowered his voice, though I imagined the redhead could still hear him. “Although, you do a better job trimming your balls.”

Before I could respond, the redhead piped in, confirming my suspicion. “Daddy knows how to trim. It really is my lucky day!” He opened the back of the display case. “Macaroon penises coming right up. White or milk chocolate?”

We insisted on paying for our cookies, despite a blatant offer for a threesome later, and rejoined the crowds walking along the Castro. Spencer had chosen the white chocolate penis that had a curve like mine. He held it up between us.

I stared at it. “You can’t be serious?”

“Oh come on, Doctor!” He shook the cookie. “How many times in life do you get the chance to toast in the middle of the street with two penises while wearing designer suits? You can’t let a moment like that pass by!”

“Fine.” Laughing, I pulled my milk chocolate penis out of the bag and tapped their blunted tips together. “Here’s to penises!”

“Here’s to your perfect penis, the curve, trimmed balls, and everything.” Spencer opened his mouth toward the cookie and bit the shaft off, leaving him holding the toasted-coconut-covered testicles.

Luckily, I hadn’t taken a bite of mine, otherwise I probably would’ve choked. “Oh my God! I am never letting you near my dick again! I doubt I’ll ever be able to get that vision out of my mind.”

He chewed but talked with his mouth full. “I’m willing to bet my skills are worth the risk.”

I couldn’t argue with that. Instead of responding, I followed his example, but one-upped him, biting off the shaft and then shoving the balls in without taking a second to chew.

Spencer’s eyes popped wide. “There’s that hungry mouth I’m starting to know so well.”

If you’re anything like me, you’re now craving cookies.  Or…dare I say it… penises.  Luckily, The Veranda will give you both! Pick up the book on Amazon and visit the town of Lavender Shores.

Thank you so, so much!

~Rosalind

About the Author

Rosalind Abel grew up tending chickens alongside 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 mates, 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, 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 into her home all the time, so feel free to send any adorable ones her way.

Amazon author page || Facebook author page || Rosalind Abel Website || Rosalind Abel Goodreads || Lavender Shores Website || Twitter @rosalind_abel || Instagram

The Giveaway

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Follow the Tour

September 1—The Novel Approach
September 2—Scattered Thoughts
September 4—Sinfully
September 7—Love Bytes