Series: Bistro La Boheme
Publication Date: June 2014
No. of Pages: 244 Pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
~Synopsis~
Can a Paris bistro heal a broken heart?
Charm, wit and poignancy abound in this gripping contemporary romance.
Introverted heiress Lena moves to Paris to nurse old wounds reopened by her neglectful boyfriend. Enter Rob, a charismatic and handsome Frenchman who waits tables at La Bohème -- a café on Lena’s street -- and has big dreams.
He makes her laugh and forget her insecurities. She stirs something infinitely tender in his soul. Before they know it, they’ve fallen for each other, even though both had good reasons to fight the budding love.
But their passionate romance is cut short when she discovers his dirty secret...
~Watch the Trailer~
~Excerpt~
"Can we be friends again?" he asked.
"So you think we were friends?"
He nodded.
She arched her brows. "And you think you can be friends with me and Amanda at the same time?"
"Why not?"
"Can be a health hazard, what with all the sparks that fly."
He grinned. "Never mind Amanda's taunts. She's like that with everyone."
"Nefarious?"
"Spiky. But she's a sweetheart, once you've grown on her."
"I wonder how I could ever accomplish that." Lena smiled, a speck of sadness still lingering in her eyes.
He stared, mesmerized. He could never get enough of that smile.
A cloud hiding the moon must have shifted, because suddenly silver light poured over the terrace turning it into an enchanted place.
Lena gasped. "What happened to your hand?"
He followed her gaze and saw that the knuckles of his right hand were smeared with blood. Shit. He could bet there'd been none after he punched the wall.
He covered the abrasions with his other hand. "It's nothing."
She grabbed his wrist and yanked his hand closer to her face. "Have you disinfected them?"
Rob didn't register her question. He looked at her delicate fingers holding up his hand. Then at her face. She was squinting at his hand, trying to assess the seriousness of his cuts. Her gesture was devoid of any erotic subtext. And yet the contact of her skin scorched him, just like when he held her hand at L'Espace. It stirred an impulse inside him that was both feverishly raw and infinitely gentle. It made his heart bump against his ribcage as if demanding to get out.
He gazed at her hands holding his. The urge to run his fingertips over her skin, from her nails down to her wrist and then inside her palm was too overwhelming to resist. . .
"So have you?" she asked.
Rob blinked and looked up. "Have I what?"
"Disinfected."
"It's just a graze."
"I have a disinfectant in my suitcase," she said. "I can fetch it--"
And release my hand? "Stay," he blurted out. Shit. "I mean, I also brought some, so you don't need to bother. I'll disinfect as soon as I get back to my room. I promise."
"OK," she said softly and let go of him.
"So you think we were friends?"
He nodded.
She arched her brows. "And you think you can be friends with me and Amanda at the same time?"
"Why not?"
"Can be a health hazard, what with all the sparks that fly."
He grinned. "Never mind Amanda's taunts. She's like that with everyone."
"Nefarious?"
"Spiky. But she's a sweetheart, once you've grown on her."
"I wonder how I could ever accomplish that." Lena smiled, a speck of sadness still lingering in her eyes.
He stared, mesmerized. He could never get enough of that smile.
A cloud hiding the moon must have shifted, because suddenly silver light poured over the terrace turning it into an enchanted place.
Lena gasped. "What happened to your hand?"
He followed her gaze and saw that the knuckles of his right hand were smeared with blood. Shit. He could bet there'd been none after he punched the wall.
He covered the abrasions with his other hand. "It's nothing."
She grabbed his wrist and yanked his hand closer to her face. "Have you disinfected them?"
Rob didn't register her question. He looked at her delicate fingers holding up his hand. Then at her face. She was squinting at his hand, trying to assess the seriousness of his cuts. Her gesture was devoid of any erotic subtext. And yet the contact of her skin scorched him, just like when he held her hand at L'Espace. It stirred an impulse inside him that was both feverishly raw and infinitely gentle. It made his heart bump against his ribcage as if demanding to get out.
He gazed at her hands holding his. The urge to run his fingertips over her skin, from her nails down to her wrist and then inside her palm was too overwhelming to resist. . .
"So have you?" she asked.
Rob blinked and looked up. "Have I what?"
"Disinfected."
"It's just a graze."
"I have a disinfectant in my suitcase," she said. "I can fetch it--"
And release my hand? "Stay," he blurted out. Shit. "I mean, I also brought some, so you don't need to bother. I'll disinfect as soon as I get back to my room. I promise."
"OK," she said softly and let go of him.
~Buying Links~
Amazon.com: Paperback
| Kindle Ebook
| Kindle Ebook
~Meet the Author: Alix Nichols~
Alix Nichols is an avid reader of chick lit, romance and fantasy,
caffeine addict and a badge-wearing Mr. Darcy / Colin Firth fan.
She lives and works in Paris, France. When not writing, she reads
romance (what else?) and spends time with her family.
Interview:
- Tell us about your latest book.
“What If It’s Love?” is a contemporary romance set in Paris. Its heroine Lena is a bookish, introverted heiress who comes to Paris to nurse a broken heart. Enter Rob, a handsome penniless waiter who sees the world as his oyster. They meet in a Paris bistro and start an unlikely friendship that soon blossoms into love.
Until she discovers his dirty secret.
- Where did the idea for the book come from?
I’m not sure. Some of the characters and aspects of the story have hovered in my head for a few years now. But not the plot. It came to me one afternoon—and that’s when I began to write the book.
- Who and what inspire you to write?
People around me, poetry, songs. “What If It’s Love?” was inspired by a friend’s story and Marina Tsvetaeva’s love poems. The friend in question isn’t an heiress, but her life was transformed by a few months’ stay in Paris, and after that she changed and grew in way similar to Lena’s.
The book I’m currently writing was partly inspired by Sting’s ballad “Mad About You.”
- Each author has his or her own inspiring journey. How did you begin writing?
Innocuously. One day I arrived at a point when my stories simply had to get out of my head and fix themselves to a medium other than my gray matter.
- What has been the most pleasant surprise about writing? How about an unexpected down side?
The best part about writing is when things you didn’t even realize you knew jump into your story straight from some secret corner of your brain.
The down side is when you reread a draft scene you were quite pleased about the night before and realize it needs a complete makeover. Hemingway once said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Every writer knows what he meant.
- Do you have any writing rituals?
I tend to do my most inspired and efficient writing in cafés.
- Do you write your books in order?
When I brainstorm and write the outline, it’s all over the place. I often write the ending right after I’ve decided how the story will begin. Then I usually end up rewriting the ending after I’ve written the middle.
- What is on your writing playlist for this book?
Adele.
- Any favorite writing snacks?
Coffee and chocolate. They’re also my favorite snacks for non-writing occasions. Come to think of it, they’re simply my favorite foods.
- What advice would you give writers who aspire to be published?
Become your own publisher. Seriously.
- Are you working on anything new right now?
I’m finishing “Under My Skin”, book # 2 in the “Bistro La Bohème” series. It’s Jeanne and Mat’s story, both of whom are secondary characters in “What If It’s Love?”.
- Who is your favorite character in your current book?
Jeanne. She’s bold, fun and generous—the kind of woman I’ve always admired, being an introvert myself.
- What is your favorite book of all time?
I’m absolutely incapable of picking one favorite book. So I’ll go by genre. In sci-fi, it’s Arthur C. Clarke’s “Rendezvous with Rama.” The most poetic and beautiful book I’ve ever read. A lot of good science fiction is poetic, by the way.
In magic realism, it’s Mikhail Bulgakov’s “Master and Margarita” and Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” And since we’re in Latin America, I must stop to profess my love for Jorge Amado’s “Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon.”
As for romance / chick lit, where do I begin? It will be easier to list favorite authors: Marian Keyes, India Knight, Courtney Milan, Judith Ivory, Tessa Dare, Kresley Kole, Carol Snow… to name a few.
- Tell us in one sentence why we should read your book.
If you’re looking for these things in a book: a heroine to relate to, a hero to fall in love with, passion, laughs, conflict, and a happy ending—then my book is for you.
Social media links:
~Giveaways~
~Tour Wide Giveaway~
-1st Prize: $15 Amazon GC + 1 Ebook of "What If It's Love?" by Alix Nichols
-Runners-up Prizes: 2 Ebooks of "What If It's Love?" by Alix Nichols
-Open World Wide
-Ends September 7th
a Rafflecopter giveaway
~Goodreads Giveaway~
-3 copies of "What If It's Love? by Alix Nichols
-Open in US, AU, CA and GB
~Tour Organizer~
No comments:
Post a Comment