Showing posts with label Christi Barth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christi Barth. Show all posts

Sunday, September 15, 2024

One Weekend in Barcelona by Christi Barth ~ Comedy, Contemporary Romance, RomCom, Romance ~ @christi_barth @XpressoTours #Excerpt

One Weekend in Barcelona
Christi Barth
Publication date: September 13th 2024
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary Romance, RomCom, Romance

About the Book:

Hudson Locke’s world shattered when the band he started with his best friends fell apart. Sure, he’s super successful now, subbing as a drummer for huge acts, but he wants one of his own. One he can build. A place where he can belong. But he’s only got one shot–and one weekend in Barcelona to test out potential bandmates.

Zora Rosenthal can’t fail. Not again, anyway. She’s been in 3 bands that crashed and burned. This weekend is her last chance to join one that will actually succeed. It’s vital that she impress Hudson with her incredible talent on guitar–and prove that she’s easy to get along with, also.

The problem starts when Hudson and Zora get along too well. It’d be beyond stupid to even think about getting involved.

Or kissing each other.

Or admitting all the things they want to do to each other…

On top of that, the third potential member is horrible. Will their band actually form before it falls apart? Will either one back out because of their…connection and how badly that could go once they start working together? Or will this one weekend send Hudson and Zora down a new path–together?

Add to Goodreads / Purchase of Amazon

Read an Excerpt:

“There’s a level playing field between us. We’re almost, maybe, partners, remember?”

Hudson thumbed a droplet of water off the bottom of her lip. The light touch tore through her like a lightning bolt. “I remember everything that’s happened since I walked into our suite yesterday. Everything about you.”

The air was charged. No, the individual molecules of oxygen were charged. The kiss—the one she had so stupidly initiated—had changed everything. Unlocked the professional barriers. Zora was certain that the naked want for him was obvious on her face.

She interlaced fingers with him. “We shouldn’t.”

“No. Big no.” Hudson lifted their joined hands to brush a kiss on the backs of her knuckles. Then he looked up at her from beneath tragically wasted-on-a-man long lashes. “But I will if you will.”

His boyish semi-dare made Zora laugh.

It broke all the accumulated tension.

Until she put a hand on his neck and pulled his head toward her. Then, a whole new tension permeated the deck. “I want to say yes to you.” Zora whispered the next words against his lips. “I want you.”

“We’re already in unison. That bodes well.” Hudson’s fingers dug into her hips as he propelled her to the edge of the tub. “We’re also in unison that this is probably stupid?”

“Yes.”

“Either one of us can stop at any time with no hard feelings?”

“Yes.” Zora bit back a giggle. Hard to imagine Hudson calling for a time-out to discuss the business implications. Not with all that pent-up lust darkening his eyes to indigo.

“And that, most importantly, I want you more than I want a recording contract. More than bringing John Bonham of Led Zeppelin back from the dead to jam with me for a night. More than—”

Zora leaned her forehead against his to cut him off. “No comparisons. Be in the moment. Here. Now. With me. That’s the only way this works.”

“Right.” He tugged at her loose ponytail to tip her head back. Then he angled it to the side. And scraped his teeth along where her pulse thrummed in her neck.

Huh. There was a good chance her on-loan couture dress would leave that area exposed. A hickey probably wasn’t a good accessory to meet and greet the heir to the throne.

Zora didn’t care. A hickey was the least of the problems with what they were doing, and she didn’t care about any of them. Her brain needed to turn off.

Meet the Author:

USA TODAY bestseller Christi Barth earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage. A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes contemporary romance. Christi lives in Maryland with her husband.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


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Monday, February 6, 2023

Escaping Valentine’s Day by Christi Barth ~ Contemporary Romance, Romance ~ @christi_barth @XpressoTours ~ Give*Away

Escaping Valentine’s Day
Christi Barth
Publication date: February 2nd 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance, Romance

About the Book:

An Italian romance is on the menu, but is she ready to order?

Content creator Rory Hibbert knows Valentine’s Day is only fun for couples and chocolatiers. For singles like her, it’s a day of disappointment. And that’s why her new marketing agency client has arranged a tour of Italy crammed full of activities to distract from the holiday. This trip is a test for Rory—if it goes well, it will jump-start her new social media career.

There’s just one snag: the ex she never got over is also on staff.

Huck Cranshaw walked away from the love of his life for a huge opportunity on a cooking competition show. At least, that’s the excuse he gave Rory at the time—and he’s regretted it for five years. Cooking for tourists was supposed to be a stopgap between restaurant positions. Now it could be much, much more: a chance to fix the past.

But when an Italian prince catches sight of Rory, Huck’s not the only one vying for her heart this time. Can Cupid still steal Rory’s heart when the truth finally comes out?

Add to Goodreads 

Purchase from Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

Read an Excerpt:

What were the odds of, out of the blue—hell, in the middle of the wild blue yonder—running into the biggest mistake of your life?

Whatever they were, Huck Cranshaw should’ve played ’em.

Head still down, the woman muttered, “If I say no, will you keep walking?”

He hadn’t been positive what with all her gorgeous dark hair chopped off. But that attitude—he was certain.

“Rory. C’mon. Look at me.”

Eyes the color of browned butter dragged up slowly. “Hi, Huck.”

Seeing her again felt like a bowling ball had landed on his diaphragm. A total gut punch. “Wow. I can’t believe it’s you. After all this time. You changed your hair.”

“It has been five years. Also? One of the traditional steps of dealing with a breakup, after ice cream and wine and crying until your pillowcase drips, is a drastic haircut.”

Ouch. Talk about not pulling any punches.

Yes, he’d broken up with Rory.

Yes, he’d been young and an insensitive idiot about it.

Yes. He regretted it. Deeply. And had for a very long time. So Huck would stand here and take any and everything she dished out. He deserved it.

He just craved so much more from her.

Pointing at her hair, he said, “It looks great. You look, um, spunky.”

No smile popped out at his compliment. A sneer did, though. “Just what every woman longs to hear. A description usually saved for the kid who sprains his ankle but manages to hit the game-winning homer anyway.”

“Jesus, Rory. You want a better word?” Huck threw his hands up, banging his knuckles against the overhead compartment. “You look beautiful. You always look beautiful. My throat’s clogged with all the things I want to say, all the places I want to kiss you. But I didn’t think you’d want to hear those words.”

After a long moment where he couldn’t tell what was going on in her head, Rory gave a sharp nod. “Fine. I’ll take spunky after all.”

Was that a truce? He stepped forward, arms moving slowly out from his hips. With the same caution he’d use around a wild animal. “Should we hug?”

“Not unless you want me to call an air marshal on you.”

Not a truce, then. His arms dropped. But he wasn’t giving up. This was an opportunity. Maybe his only one. Rory had nowhere to go. He could finally apologize, beg for forgiveness. Now that she’d processed the shock of seeing him, Huck backpedaled into polite formality.

“How are you?”

“I’m great. Peachy keen. Why are you on my plane?”

Wow. Two lions in heat were less combative than Rory. “Your plane? Funny, I thought that was Alitalia painted on the side of the fuselage. If I’m on a private flight, why’d I get a bone-dry chicken breast last night instead of champagne and filet?”

Ignoring his sarcasm, she restated, “Why are you going to Italy?”

“New job. What about you?”

“Same,” she bit out.

That was a shock. Her overly protective parents had practically stroked out when she’d gone to college in a different state. Hard to imagine them not fighting tooth and nail if she switched countries. “Really? You’re moving to Italy for work? Talk about cutting the umbilical cord.”

“No. This is a temporary gig. I’m still in Chicago.”

Where you should be.

Rory didn’t say the words out loud. She didn’t need to. He saw them in the rigid posture of her slight frame. The uplift to her pointed chin. The weight of all their years together pressed down so hard it was amazing the plane didn’t dip in the sky.

Back to the safety of formalities. “Nice town. I was in New York for a while, but now I’m back in San Francisco.”

“I know.” From the fast triple blink she gave, Rory hadn’t meant to let slip that she still had any awareness of Huck.

Interesting.

Maybe he had a chance at finagling forgiveness after all…

Meet the Author:

USA TODAY bestseller Christi Barth earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage. A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes contemporary romance. Christi lives in Maryland with her husband.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


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