
Say It Like You Mane It
Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild series
by Erin Nicholas
Blurb:
What happens when a hellraiser turned hot cop is stuck with a headstrong heiress heโs determined to protect…and resist?
A run-away bride, wearing a freakinโ tiara, and carrying a stolen lion cub, of all things. This was not how rowdy, bad-boy-turned-small-town-cop, Zander Landry expected his day to go.
He really didnโt expect his night to end with her sleeping in his bed after her near-kidnapping.
But his intense attraction to her and the feelings of protectiveness she stirs up? Oh, yeah, he knew those were coming.
Sheโs stunning, whip-smart, and trouble with a capital T.
Which means, he needs her to head right back the way she came. ASAP.
His town is exactly the way he wants it . . . crazy and trouble free.
Well, the crazy trouble heโs not related to anyway.
Stranded in a tiny town in her half-million-dollar wedding gown with no money and no place to go . . . today is going pretty much exactly the way Caroline Holland expected it to.
But the grumpy, tattooed, oh-my-god hot cop being the answer to all her problems isnโt at all what she expected.
Now that sheโs turned all the criminal (and obnoxious) info about her exotic-animal-dealing ex-fiance over to Zander, she can kick back in a hammock with some sweet tea and relax.
Or not.
Turns out Carolineโs not the spoiled heiress Zander thinks she is. The gorgeous hellion wants in on the action and soon discovers just how dirty things can get in the bayou. And the bedroom.
More and more, Zander just wants her safe on the sidelines. But Caroline isnโt going anywhere until justice is done.
Itโs a clash of wills thatโs gonna get hotter than a crawfish boil in July. And the most fun the Landry family has had watching sparks fly since . . . well, the last book.
Fall in love today!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/31Yp0BY
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/ManeIt
Apple Books: https://apple.co/32tLxqc
Nook: https://bit.ly/3E7i2qZ
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3maWrYM
Google Play: https://bit.ly/3q2FAbH
Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3GSIQgr
Start the series of standalones with Otterly Irristible today!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3e7KfDs
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3aaZ2Mm
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/otterlyirresistible
Nook: https://bit.ly/3g5YgUF
Kobo: https://bit.ly/32eESMY
Google Play: https://bit.ly/3ablaWL
*****
Excerpt:
Zander turned to look at the woman with a brow up. โAnything else you’d like to tell me?โ
She met his eyes directly. She studied him, seemingly thinking over his question. Finally, she nodded. โYeah, I think so.โ
โOkay. Whatโs going on?โ
โIt might take a bit. Want to buy me a drink?โ She glanced back toward Ellieโs.
Did he want to take the gorgeous woman in a wedding dress with another manโs ring on her finger who had almost been kidnapped right in front of him back inside his grandmotherโs bar where most of his family and a lot of the town was gathered?
He most certainly did not.
โNo,โ he said simply.
Caroline looked surprised. โCan weโโShe looked aroundโโat least go somewhere else?โ
That seemed like a good idea. She was very conspicuous here and his family could, at any moment, come out. And start asking questions. Not to mention that the would-be kidnapper now knew where she was.
โIs there a chance your fiancรฉ is going to come back?โ Of course there was. A man didnโt just let this woman go.
She bit her bottom lip and looked up the road. Then she nodded. โYeah, thereโs a chance. Or that heโll tell someone else where I am.โ She looked at Zander again. โBut that was my brother. Not my fiancรฉ.โ
Oh, that was interesting.
No, it fucking isnโt. Knock it off.
โSo, will your fiancรฉ be coming after you?โ
โEx-fiancรฉ.โ
Right. Sheโd mentioned that.
โOkay. Will he come after you?โ
She didnโt answer right away. Which Zander also found interesting. Though he shouldnโt. He did not want to be interested in this woman. At all. He didnโt want anyone getting kidnapped while they were in Autre, though, either. Okay, he didnโt really want anyone getting kidnapped, period. But especially while they were in Autre.
โThereโs a chance,โ Caroline finally admitted. โOr my dad might come. Or my ex-fiancรฉโs dad might come.โ
โAnd you donโt want to go back with any of them? Is that right?โ
โYes.โ
Well, fuck. He had to at least be sure she didnโt get taken anywhere by anyone against her will.
She studied him for a long moment. โSo, youโre willing to help me, Officer Landry?โ
Her questionโand her voice and her eyes and her everything, if he was being honest with himself which he decided to not beโsent a shot of something through Zander’s chest.
It was the familiar streak of adrenaline he often felt with his work. It primed his gut to act on instinct when necessary, it made him ready to take on people intent on doing bad things and face potential danger, and it focused his mind. But he also recognized the sliver of trepidation. It wasnโt fear or reluctance. It wasโฆawareness. Like knowing he was about to open a big old can of worms.
But he nodded. โHelping people with problems is kind of my job.โ
โThen I would love to tell you whatโs going on.โ
He wanted that. And it wasnโt the cop in him thinking that.
Fuck. Dammit. Hell. Sonofabitch.
โOkay. Letโs goโฆsomeplace your brother doesnโt know about.โ
โLike your place?โ
Yes. He wanted her at his place. That was the safest. He could definitely keep her safe there. His property was at the end of a dead-end road so the only traffic was trucks he knew. His neighbors were his brothers and cousins. His backyard butted up to the bayou.
But fuck no. He wasnโt taking this woman anywhere near his house. Where his bedroom was.
She was dangerous. He couldnโt sort through all the reasons why at the moment, not while looking into her eyes and wondering how soft her skin was and how silky her hair was, but he had enough self-preservation instinct to keep her away from his house.
โIโm thinking the B & B.โ
He grabbed her suitcase and started for his truck.
โBut he might think to look there,โ she protested. She gathered up her enormous skirts and followed him though.
โIโll tell Heather not to tell anyone anything about you,โ Zander told her, storing her bag behind the front seat and then turning to face her.
Dammit.
Again with the eyes. And hair. And lips. Okay, he hadnโt included the lips in the earlier inventory, but they were great too.
So he liked female lips. Big deal. These were not that exceptional. What the hell was wrong with him?
Sheโs probably your damned soulmate or some shit and the second you touch her hand youโre going to feel sparks.
Iโm not going to feel sparks. Thatโs a stupid clichรฉ. But I have to get some war biographies. Or maybe something about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Something about women who are amazing but not sexy. It doesnโt have to be about sexy all the time. Get away from those romance novels.
The thing was, smart, bold women like RBG were sexy in their own way and if Zander had been Ruthโs age and run into her at a bar when she was single, he absolutely would have hit on her.
โAre you okay?โ Caroline asked, stepping forward with a slight frown.
He jerked out of his stupid thoughts. โYeah. Iโm fine. Youโre the one with the problem.โ
Well, that had sounded rude as fuck.
Her eyes widened, but then she nodded. โYeah. I am. We should definitely work on my problem. Itโs going to keep getting bigger if we donโt.โ
Zander sighed. He didnโt even know what that meant butโฆof course it was.
*****
Review:
I love the Landry clan – every quirky, charming, grumpy, loving, boisterous part of it. Zander is the protector and his love for his family means he has to keep things going as smooth as possible & try to keep everyone out of trouble (ha!). So a beautiful woman in a wedding dress carrying a lion cub definitely doesn’t work for him. Caroline is just as fierce and strong, with a big heart. She’s spent most of her life trying to make sure that those doing wrong pay and her latest project has her in Autre for help, putting her right in Zander’s sights.
These Bayou books always bring a chuckle, a good bit of heat, and a lot of emotion. Nicholas knows how to bring characters that are entertaining & relatable and her writing is both humorous & heartfelt, combining to give readers a story that’s fun, low angst, easy-to-read, and quite satisfying.
*****
Author Info:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Erin Nicholas has been writing romances almost as long as sheโs been reading them. To date, sheโs written over thirty sexy, contemporary novels that have been described as โtoe-curling,โ โenchanting,โ โsteamy,โ and โfun.โ She adores reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines, and happily ever afters.
Erin lives in the Midwest, where she enjoys spending time with her husband (who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books), her kids (who will never read the sex scenes in her books), and her family and friends (who claim to be โshockedโ by the sex scenes in her books).
Connect with Erin
Website: http://bit.ly/2NkB2uF
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2tdTM8e
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2QLd1Pr
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3a3rnm4
Instagram: http://bit.ly/36NqV9y
Website: http://bit.ly/2FM3Doo
Stay up to date with Erin Nicholas by joining her mailing list:
http://bit.ly/38a5Fv5
*****
