THE RUNAWAY is LIVE + Giveaways

Gracie Rockwell’s story is live at all ebook retailers and I’m thrilled that early readers are loving it! Here’s a sample:

“Gracie and Mark’s story is amazing!! Their connection on so many levels make this a perfect romance.”

“…an amazing, steamy, emotional and fantastic must read book.”

“The perfect escapist read.”

CLICK THE GRAPHIC to find all imaginable buy links. Here are the main links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2WU2tPk

Apple: https://apple.co/2Gh0IGU

B&N: https://tinyurl.com/Runaway-Nook

Kobo: https://tinyurl.com/Runaway-Kobo

GooglePlay: https://tinyurl.com/Runaway-GooglePlay

Print: https://tinyurl.com/Runaway-PRINT

I’m celebrating this release with a few giveaways! Hop over to my Facebook author page to enter to win a $20 gift card.

https://www.facebook.com/JenniferBernardBooks/photos/a.123673024396371/2040283219401999/?type=3&theater

Or join my reader group for another gift card giveaway!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/HotReaders/

And here’s an excerpt to tempt you!

From THE RUNAWAY:

When Gracie woke, she was curled up with Mark. His arm was slung over her waist and their faces were the merest breath apart. He was still asleep—she thought. But she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that he was so warm and so close, as mouthwatering as a fresh-baked cinnamon roll. 

Be like James Bond. When would she ever get another chance to find out what it was like to kiss him? 

Without thinking anymore about it, she brushed her lips against his. 

It felt magical, as sparkly as fairy dust. Her lips tingled and burned with the need to kiss him again. 

This time, she lingered longer, less of a brush than a “hello, I’m here.” 

He stirred slightly and a long sigh came from his mouth. She lifted herself on one elbow and stared down at him. His stubble had grown in thick overnight. How crazy to have such active hair follicles. Did they never rest, those beard hairs? What other body part could you practically watch as it grew? 

Of course, she could think of one very obvious part. 

She smothered a smile, wondering if her James Bond skills could extend to checking on that part. What if she lifted the covers, ever so slightly, and just took a peek? Last night Mark’s towel-clad nakedness had totally gone to waste. All they’d done was talk, and she’d been so fascinated that she hadn’t allowed her attention to stray to his physique. 

At least not to the extent that it deserved.

Just one peek. What could it hurt? 

She lifted the coverlet for a quick glimpse, but it was dark under there, and all she saw was shadowed muscular limbs, like a sculpture hidden in a dimly lit storeroom. Maybe her eyes just had to adjust to the darkness. She gave it a second, blinking her eyes, willing her rods and cones to cooperate. 

A soft chuckle interrupted her. 

Face flaming, she dropped the blanket and looked up to see Mark’s sleepy dark eyes smiling at her. 

“See anything interesting under there?” 

“Um…yes. There’s a…ah… I thought I felt a cat. I was just checking to see if Mellow snuck under the covers. He knows he’s not supposed to do that, because of potential fleas, but he’s not the most obedient—” 

She stopped abruptly as he leaned forward and captured her lips with his.An electric shock of a thrill blasted through her. Now that was a real kiss. Not a brush or a gentle hello, but a firm, commanding possession of her mouth. She sighed and melted toward him, surrendering every bit of herself to the pleasure of the contact. He took complete charge of the kiss, and where he led, she followed—opening for his tongue, shivering under the velvety friction. Her heart jumped crazily, speeding up one second, slowing down the next, doing somersaults in her throat. 

He raised himself up on his elbow to slant his mouth deeper over hers. She tilted her head back, dizzy and delirious, and inhaled the fresh morning scent of him. His natural male smell combined with the salt breeze filtering in from the porthole, the tarry scent of the pier, and the ever-present hint of diesel. She found it intoxicating, a feast for her nose. 

She was kissing Mark. Actually, even better, he was kissing her. Kissing her as if he wanted her fiercely. As if she was his.

Finally, he drew away, their lips clinging until the last second.

Her breath caught as her lungs raced to catch up with her heart. “Wow. You kissed me.” Pointing out the obvious. “I thought you were asleep.” 

“Not about to sleep through that.” He grinned in a carefree way she barely recognized. Where was the serious, overworked Mark she knew? This guy was lighthearted and scruffy and ridiculously charming. 

“Oh. So you knew—” 

“That you were checking me out—yes. By the way, if you do that now, you’ll get a whole different view.” 

Her face heated. “I’m sorry, that was probably pretty rude. It’s not nice to spy on someone when they’re asleep.” 

“You’re right. Very rude. But I might forgive you.” 

“Might?” 

“Well, you have to earn forgiveness, you know. I can’t just go handing it out like candy.” 

Her stomach rumbled at the mention of candy. He heard it, too, and laughed. 

“I said I was sorry,” she told him. “Isn’t that enough to earn forgiveness?” 

“It’s definitely a start. That kiss helped, too. How about one more, and you’re forgiven.” 

Part of her felt secretly disappointed that all it would take was another kiss. On the other hand, another kiss sounded absolutely perfect to her. She tilted her head toward him. 

This kiss was on a different plane altogether. It felt like drowning, like immersing herself in a different element, not water, but some other intoxicating substance. He rolled onto his side and took her head in both hands, angling her so he could go deeper, deeper, until her head spun, and she barely remembered where they were. 

Then she did remember. 

And pulled away. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “We really shouldn’t do this.”

NEW: A billionaire for the holidays! THE RENEGADE is live.

THE RENEGADE is out now!

  • Hot billionaire

  • Second chance Romance

  • “Breath of fresh air” heroine

  • Crazy-fun family Christmas shenanigans

  • More Rockwell family secrets revealed!

BUY HERE

EXCERPT:

Lyle has booked a helicopter so he and Isabelle can ride to the rescue of a troubled friend’s baby.

Lyle took the baby from Isabelle while she climbed into the helicopter. Such a warm, trusting bundle. He glanced down at Tigger’s chubby face, nearly covered by blankets. Poor kid. 

Had this been him, once upon a time? A baby given away by his mother? Had his mother cried like Beth? 

He shook off the thought and handed the bundled-up baby to Isabelle so he could board. Draper closed the door behind them, then came around to hoist himself into the cockpit. 

Isabelle bit her lip as she settled Tigger into her arms. “This is definitely going to be interesting. I’m a doctor, not a babysitter.”

“That’s why she chose you,” Lyle reminded her. 

“Yes, but … Jim, what should I do with the baby? Car seat or lap?” Isabelle called to the pilot. She turned to Lyle, panic rising in her eyes. “Jesus, Lyle. This is a baby. I have a baby in my lap and I’m supposed to take care of him.” 

Lyle squeezed her shoulder, then spread his hand across her neck, massaging lightly. “You got this. You’re a doctor. You’re a smart, compassionate woman.” 

“But this is a baby. A completely helpless little being. In my lap.” 

Draper turned toward the back seat and handed her a set of noise canceling headphones. He seemed to be biting back a laugh. “He’s fine in your lap, but put these on him to protect his ears. You weren’t expecting a baby for Christmas? Surprise.”

“No. What? Christmas? Oh my God. You’re right.” Her voice rose. “It’s almost Christmas, and now there’s a baby in my lap and I’m totally responsible for his health and wellbeing and how do parents do it? He hasn’t even woken up yet and I’m freaking out. Lyle, this is a disaster.”  

The helicopter’s blades spun. Draper spoke into the comm, connecting with the local tower, and the chopper lifted into the air. 

Isabelle clutched at her throat, hyperventilating. “We should go back. This is a bad plan. Beth didn’t think this through. She doesn’t know what she’s doing.” 

This called for drastic measures. Lyle unbuckled his seat belt so that he could lean over and cup her face in his hands. It took a moment for her gaze to settle on him, but he waited patiently until it did. Her cheeks were cool under his touch, maybe from the wind on the beach, or maybe from sheer terror. 

“It’s gonna be fine,” he told her. “You got this. We got this.” 

“We?” 

Her breathing slowed, and the panic ebbed from her beautiful green eyes. 

“Yeah. We. There’s something you don’t know about me.” 

“There is?” 

His gaze dropped to her lips, which were parted and slightly chapped. Awareness flashed in her eyes, and suddenly it was just the two of them, flying through the sky on a magic carpet, no baby, no pilot, just them. He brushed his lips against hers, the sensation perfect and exquisite, like an angel wing feather. The softest of sighs came from her lips as they parted even further. 

Her eyelashes fluttered, the green of her irises darkened. Pure happiness flooded through him, something he felt…well, never, really. 

If only they could lose themselves in the world of that kiss, truly forget everything else out there. If only he could use this small moment of vulnerability to reach inside Isabelle’s soul, to make a place for himself in her heart. 

The humming of the engine brought him back to reality, along with Draper clearing his throat. 

“Seatbelts, people. Seatbelts.” 

Right. They were in a helicopter, flying back to Rocky Peak Lodge with a baby. 

He drew away from Isabelle and settled into his own seat, refastening his shoulder strap. “The thing you don’t know about me is that I’m pretty good with kids,” he told her. “Or at least I used to be. Did my share of babysitting for foster families nine and ten. It’s been a while since I was around a kid, but I hear it’s like riding a bike.” 

“Riding a bike?” She looked a little dazed by what had just transpired between them. 

That’s what he wanted. More of that dazed look. More of those soft lips.More kissing. Much, much more kissing.

BUY NOW

Too Hot to Handle is LIVE!

The newest Jupiter Point book is here! It's time for Cassie, the Knight brothers' sister, to get her story. A sexy new pilot has just moved to town with his daughter, and guess what--he's working for her brothers. She's not sure if she belongs in Jupiter Point after so many years away--or where she belongs, really. So why does she feel so connected to the new guy? Maybe because he's sexy and funny, a standout single dad and impossible to resist? Scroll down for an excerpt!

EXCERPT:

When a woman talked “sex,” he listened. But this time, Kevin wasn’t really sure he liked what he was hearing. “So you’re saying we take love off the table and focus entirely on sex, and that somehow that would keep my daughter out of it and avoid all potential complications at Knight and Day.”

“Exactly.” Cassie beamed a pleased smile up at him. Then a frown drew her eyebrows together. “You said ‘somehow’ in a very skeptical tone.”

“Sorry. I don’t mean to be skeptical. But—”

She poked his chest. “There you go again. That ‘but’ was also very skeptical.”

God, she was adorable. And that, right there, was the problem. “I’ve done the no-strings-sex thing. A lot. In fact, it’s all I’ve done since Sylvie and I split up. I know exactly how it works.”

Her eyelids flickered. “And so have I. In my case, it’s because I’ve moved around so much. There you go! We both already know the drill. It’s perfect.”

“It’s not perfect.”

“Okay, of course it’s not perfect. But we could make it work.”

“We couldn’t make it work,” he said firmly. Because as much as it pained him to do so, he had to nip this idea in the bud before she took it any further.

“Why not?” She glared at him in a blaze of indignation. “You think I’m not sophisticated enough, that I can’t separate sex and love? You’re totally wrong, I can do that, and—”

“That’s not the problem.” He splayed his hands across her lower back, feeling the micro-adjustments of the muscles along her spine. The silky material of her dress was like magic, the way it allowed him to feel her body underneath.

“So what’s the problem?” Despite her frown, she was so appealing, so alive in the deepening starlight, as if she herself were a star who had landed in his life.

“This.”

And finally, finally, he kissed her.

Not the almost-kiss of the first time they’d met, or the close call from Knight and Day. This was the real thing—and it felt as if he’d been waiting for this moment for years. As if kissing Cassie was like throwing himself down a waterfall, his entire being tumbling end over end, completely immersed in the moment. The warm champagne sweetness of her taste was everything, the eager opening of her mouth, the slide of her tongue, the oops of their teeth clicking against each other before they figured out exactly how to fit together.

A tight quiver ran through her body, and for a moment he wondered if he’d gone too fast, kissing her like this.

In the next moment, she linked her hands around his neck and lifted herself on tiptoe, pressing her breasts against him. He felt the points of her nipples against his chest, and thanked God once again for that miraculous dress that hid nothing from him. Skimming his hands up her sides, he cupped the soft swells of her breasts. The perfect, delicate curves triggered a pulse of lust inside him, but even more than that, a fierce sense of rightness. As if her body and his were meant for this moment, and for so many moments to come.

And that…that…was why her plan wouldn’t work.

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