Who’s maybe looking for something a smidge on the improper side?
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Dynasties: Seven Sins miniseries
by Karen Booth
on-sale June 2, 2020
Blurb:
A secluded island resort is the perfect romantic setting for the night of passionate abandon Allison Randall plans to share with Zane Patterson. Her elder brother’s best friend has always been off-limits…and Zane is determined to keep it that way. But when a storm strands them together, neither can hold back. Everything Allison dreamed of is finally in reach…until unwelcome revelations threaten a rude awakening!
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forbidden-lust-karen-booth/1134800042?ean=9781335209146
Google: https://books.google.ca/books/about/Forbidden_Lust.html?id=rKevywEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335209146
Harlequin.com: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781488062933_forbidden-lust.html
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Excerpt:
One manโs betrayal can destroy generations. Ten years ago, a hedge-fund hotshot vanished with billions, leaving the high-powered families of Falling Brook changed forever. Now seven heirs, shaped by his betrayal, must reckon with the sins of the past. Passion may be their only path to redemption. Experience all Seven Sins!
Zaneโs pulse skipped a beat as the aircraft floated down to the tiny landing strip and bounced its way to an abrupt stop. Another five hundred yards and they wouldโve been in the ocean. Engines whirring, the plane taxied around to a modest outbuildingโyellow with a rust-red roof. The crew quickly opened the cabin door, and Zane whipped off his seat belt, sucking in his first sweet breath of Bahamian air. Sunglasses on, he surveyed the landscape from his vantage point at the top of the plane stairs. Palm trees rustled in the wind, and gauzy white clouds rolled across the seemingly endless stretch of azure sky. This was exactly what heโd needed. He knew it already.
A driver from Rose Cove, the boutique resort owned by Scottโs aunt and uncle, met him outside the airport building, and after a quick zip through customs, Zane was on his way to the marina in a golf cart. From there, a speedboat captain named Marcus took Zane for the two-mile trip to Rose Cove Island, off the southernmost tip of Eleuthera. The water was tranquil and clear, the wind buzzing through Zaneโs ears as the boat sliced through the water and the sun blanketed him in warmth. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and powered it down. He had zero plans to look at it while he was in paradise. He not only needed to unwind, he wanted to disappear. Fall-ing Brook, the Lowell family and Black Crescent werenโt even a distant thoughtโtheyโd evaporated from his mind.
Pulling up to the dock at Rose Cove, Zane was struck by the beauty of the pink sand beaches from which the tiny private island got its name. Marcus directed him down a crushed-seashell path through a tropical forest so shaded by palm trees that it was a good ten degrees cooler. Colorful birds chirped and flitted from tree to tree, while the occasional lizard. skittered across the sandy ground to hide behind a rock. He eventually reached a clearing with a white single-story building of colonial architecture, with a porch that wrapped around the entire structure. In-side, Zane finally got to meet Scottโs aunt Angelique.
โWelcome to Rose Cove!โ she exclaimed, rushing out from behind the check-in desk, wearing a beautiful turquoise sundress, flat sandals and her braided hair pulled up in a twist. Despite her enthusiasm, Angeliqueโs peaceful voice suggested that she lived her life at a pace far different from the rest of the worldโs. โMy nephew has told me so much about you.โ She gave him a hug, showing the same warmth Zane had found in Scottโs entire family. He already felt at home here. He wasnโt sure he ever wanted to leave.
โYou canโt believe everything Scott says,โ Zane joked.
Angelique smiled wide. โHe had nothing but great things to say.โ She bustled back behind the counter and unfolded what appeared to be a map. โHereโs all you need to know about the island. This is the main building, where my husband, Hubert, and I live.โ She circled a picture of the building where they were. โThe ten cottages spoke out from here and are a good distance from each other for privacy. Youโre in cottage number eight. You have a quiet stretch of beach, a hammock and a private plunge pool. Thereโs a beautiful king-size bed, a luxury bath and a fully stocked kitchen. Or our staff will bring you breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Simply fill out the card waiting for you in your room. Until then, I invite you to relax and enjoy the island. Perhaps say hello to your neighbor in cottage nine. Sheโs been waiting for you to arrive.โ
โA neighbor?โ A she, no less? Perhaps this was Zaneโs lucky day, although there was a part of him that knew his tendency to get lost in women was not his best trait. Really, he should be focusing on fishing and swimming while detoxing from social media and the internet.
โMy niece, Allison. She arrived a few hours ago.โ Zaneโs jaw dropped so far he had to make a conscious decision to close his mouth. He was flabbergasted. What were the chances that he and Allison would end up on the island at the same time? โAlli-son is here. On this island. Right now.โ
โIs there a problem?โ
He shook his head so fast he nearly lost his sun- glasses, which were resting on top of his head. โAbsolutely not. I love Allison. Iโm just surprised. Iโll have to stop over and say hi.โ He hadnโt seen Allison much in the years since he graduated from high school. Heโd gone to college in North Carolina on a basket-ball scholarship, and when he returned to Falling Brook after four years, she was off to school in Los Angeles, where she stayed to start a business. She returned every Christmas, but Zane always seemed to be visiting his mom in Boston at the same time.
But three weeks ago Scottโs wife, Brittney, invited both Allison and Zane to a surprise birthday dinner she was having for Scott. Allison flew in for the weekend. The instant Zane saw her, he knew exactly how good the years had been to Allisonโalmost too good. Sheโd taken a straight line from cute to drop-dead gorgeous. Her long and wavy black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, showing off the incredible depth and warmth of her brown eyes. The chemistry of the entire room shifted when she smiled or laughed. Heโd always found her interesting and a bit otherworldly, with a style and vibe all her own, but that night he was transfixed.
Sheโd surprised him many times when they were younger, like the day she got her nose pierced, but sheโd flat-out shocked him that night at Scottโs house. She kissed himโsoft and sensuous and so packed with sexy intent that heโd felt the earth shift beneath him. He was so conditioned to think of Allison only as his best friendโs little sister that heโd been wholly unprepared for Allison, the fully formed woman. And with Scott in the other room, a man to whom there would be no explaining, Zane had done the unthinkable that night. Heโd pushed beautiful, beguiling Allison away.
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Author Info:
Karen Booth is a Midwestern girl transplanted in the South, raised on 80s music, Judy Blume, and the films of John Hughes. She loves to write big city love stories. When she takes a break from the art of romance, she’s teaching her kids about good music, honing her Southern cooking skills, or sweet-talking her super-supportive husband into mixing up a cocktail.
Author website: https://karenbooth.net/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/karenbbooth
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karenboothauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenbbooth/
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