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Tag Archives: Joel Leslie

Spotlight – Falling for Raine

03 Wednesday Apr 2024

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Falling for Raine, Joel Leslie, Lane Hayes

Falling for Raine is now available on audio!

Falling for Raine

by Lane Hayes

Narrated by Joel Leslie

Blurb:

The gentleman, the hot mess, and a little British adventureโ€ฆ

Raine

Moving to London is scary and daunting, but I desperately need this jobโ€“and a redo. Okay, so I may have oversold my qualifications. That shouldnโ€™t be a big deal, though. I mean, being an assistantโ€™s assistant seems easy enough, and Iโ€™m a fast learner.

Hold up!

Iโ€™m already in over my head with spreadsheets, new pronunciations, and temperamental appliances. And just as Iโ€™m mentally preparing to face going home early, the big boss offers me an opportunity I canโ€™t refuse. And I definitely should because Graham Horsham is an infuriating, complicated grumpy bear with a razor-sharp tongue, a wickedly dry sense of humor, andโ€ฆI like him far too much.

Graham

Iโ€™ve been bamboozled. Iโ€™m not quite sure how I ended up with an assistant who spills coffee daily, wears wrinkled shirts, and chatters nonstop. He canโ€™t stay, but I donโ€™t want him to go and thatโ€™s madness. The Horsham Group is closing one of our biggest deals ever and I wonโ€™t jeopardize it. This one is personal.

Yet so is Raine.

Heโ€™s a breath of fresh airโ€”silly, impetuous, lighthearted, good-natured, andโ€ฆquite lovely. I like him more than I want to admit. For some reason, I can let my guard down with him. Itโ€™s unnerving and probably unprofessional.

But not to worryโ€ฆI will not, under any circumstances, fall for Raine.

Falling for Raine is an MM, age-gap romance featuring a British gentleman, a desperate but adorable American, and a UK adventure!

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*****

Excerpt:

What in the hell was going on? It was as though Iโ€™d entered an alternative universe. Everything looked the same, but it was different.

Of course it was Raine.

I studied him shaking hands with everyone in the shop as I shrugged on my jacket. He wasโ€ฆhypnotic, addictingโ€”a cross between an inappropriate dinner party guest and a fistful of forbidden sweets when you were on a diet. He didnโ€™t fit in this world Iโ€™d carefully constructed, yet I kept inviting him in and forgetting whatever reason Iโ€™d concocted for this to make sense.

Like now.

โ€œPerhaps youโ€™d like to try something on.โ€ I stuffed my hands into my pockets so I wouldnโ€™t be tempted to touch him.

He widened his eyes and sidled close, whispering under his breath, โ€œAre you nuts? One shirt here costs half my rent. Unlessโ€ฆoh, no. Oh, no, no, no!โ€

โ€œWhat?โ€ I demanded, pulling him with me outside.

โ€œAre you going daddy on me?โ€

โ€œExcuse me?โ€ I furrowed my brow, stopping under the eaves where rain sluiced off the roof and fell like a curtain around us on two sides.

โ€œSlow your roll, G, Iโ€™m not looking for a meal ticket, and Iโ€™m not taking hand-outs. I can be talked into bedroom daddy kink, but if you want me to call you Daddyโ€”โ€

โ€œOh, for fuckโ€™s sake, you daft man. I do not want you to call me Daddy,โ€ I growled just as a well-dressed man stepped onto the mat next to me, pausing for a moment to close his umbrella and dart a quick look between us.

Raine pursed his lips, then burst into laughter when the man entered the shop. โ€œHa! You should see your face. I was kidding.โ€

โ€œYouโ€™re ridiculous,โ€ I huffed, my lips twitching.

โ€œIโ€™ll be good, Daddy. Donโ€™t spank me.โ€

โ€œDonโ€™t test me.โ€ I pretended not to notice him fanning himself with a slack-jawed expression as I gestured toward the pub on the next block. โ€œIf we stay under the eaves, weโ€™ll stay dry, but weโ€™ll have to hurry.โ€

โ€œNo need. I bet they sell umbrellas in there.โ€

I squinted at the tourist shop at the corner on the opposite side of the street, its windows papered with Union Jack memorabilia. โ€œThatโ€™s crap, Ray-n.โ€

โ€œSo what? Itโ€™s fun crap. My treat.โ€

He sprinted into the deluge, dashing into the tourist shop while I stared after him. What was he doing? Now heโ€™d be wet and stuck with a tatty tourist umbrella that would undoubtedly flip inside out at the first gust of wind.

A crack of thunder spurred me into action. I borrowed a sturdy umbrella from Ives and Harris with the promise to return it as soon as possible, then walked down the street to find Raine.

I shouldnโ€™t have been surprised that heโ€™d managed to make a friend in under five minutes. He stood in front of a wall stuffed with tartan throws, holding two compact umbrellas and chatting up a salesman. It took a bit of persuading to convince him he didnโ€™t need the blanketโ€”however, I couldnโ€™t talk him out of purchasing two Union Jack umbrellas. I warned him that they were poorly made, but he didnโ€™t care.

We squabbled all the way to the pub, argued over what to order, who was paying, and where to sit before finally settling into a table for two at the window. I frowned when he beamed a sunshine smile my way.

โ€œStop being so happy,โ€ I teased, cradling my glass. โ€œItโ€™s miserable out there.โ€

โ€œBut itโ€™s warm and yummy in here,โ€ he countered, sliding his calf along mine under the table. โ€œAnd youโ€™re cute when youโ€™re cranky.โ€

โ€œI am neither cute nor cranky. Iโ€™mโ€”okay, never mind, I am cranky. If weโ€™d come straight here, we could have avoided the queue and had that corner booth.โ€ I pointed at the booth currently inhabited by a gaggle of noisy businessmen. โ€œDo you ever listen to reason?โ€

โ€œHave you met me?โ€

*****

Author Info:

Lane Hayes loves a good romance! An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters.ย She loves wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband and her fabulous pup, George.

Connect with Lane:
My Readersโ€™ Group, Laneโ€™s Lovers: https://bit.ly/3aIbMYg
My Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3cICfaK
Blog: www.lane-hayes.com
Twitter: twitter.com/LaneHayes3
FB: facebook.com/LaneHayesAuthor
Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/lanehayes
BookBub: bookbub.com/authors/lane-hayes
Instagram: instagram.com/lanehayes3/
Instagram: instagram.com/lanehayesauthor/
Goodreads: goodreads.com/LaneHayes
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@lane_hayes

*****

Giveaway:

To celebrate the release of Falling For Raine, Lane is giving away the Winner’s choice of an audiobook or ebook of your choice from her published works!

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

*****

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