Title: Sour Grapes
Series: Blue Plate #2
Author: Rachel Goodman
Genre: Light Women's Fiction/Chick Lit
Release Date: June 5, 2020
Blurb
Uncork this delectable Texas Hill Country romance from the critically
acclaimed author of From Scratch, the “smart, sexy, and funny” debut that
“piles on the Southern charm” (Publishers Weekly).
Margaret Stokes is bitter. And not in the robust fine wine or tangy dark chocolate kind of way. She just got dumped, is fed up with her job as a glorified party-planner for the rich, and can’t possibly listen to one more veiled insult from her impossible-to-please mother. So she retreats to the comfort of her grandmother’s ramshackle bed and breakfast in Texas wine country, where the wide open vineyards are filled with surprises, from the shockingly delicious Tempranillo to the aggravating yet oh-so-tempting man who makes it.
Ryan Camden’s easy approach to life encourages Margaret to loosen up and have a little fun, despite her better judgment. She resists the urge to micromanage every detail, embracing the welcome distractions of her surroundings and letting their relationship unfold at a natural rhythm. But when a health scare forces Grammy J to give up the B&B, Margaret begins to wonder if Ryan really is the man he promises—and whether the problems she tried so hard to escape ever really went away.
Margaret Stokes is bitter. And not in the robust fine wine or tangy dark chocolate kind of way. She just got dumped, is fed up with her job as a glorified party-planner for the rich, and can’t possibly listen to one more veiled insult from her impossible-to-please mother. So she retreats to the comfort of her grandmother’s ramshackle bed and breakfast in Texas wine country, where the wide open vineyards are filled with surprises, from the shockingly delicious Tempranillo to the aggravating yet oh-so-tempting man who makes it.
Ryan Camden’s easy approach to life encourages Margaret to loosen up and have a little fun, despite her better judgment. She resists the urge to micromanage every detail, embracing the welcome distractions of her surroundings and letting their relationship unfold at a natural rhythm. But when a health scare forces Grammy J to give up the B&B, Margaret begins to wonder if Ryan really is the man he promises—and whether the problems she tried so hard to escape ever really went away.
Purchase Links
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Excerpt
The night
has taken on a dreamy quality, and it feels as if I'm buzzing in a sort of
tipsy state that has nothing to do with the wine I've consumed and everything
to do with my renewed sense of confidence.
Ryan is
staring at me with an expression I can't quite read. It's part contemplative,
part desire, part something else. I wait for him to speak, but he remains
quiet.
As I start
moving toward his SUV, he grabs my hand and draws me around to face him. We're
standing so close I can smell the remnants of his aftershave and feel his
breath on my forehead. Ryan brushes an errant strand of hair away from my
cheek, his callused thumb ghosting over the sensitive spot below my ear. I
swallow, my chest tight, as though there isn't enough space for my heart to fit
inside my rib cage.
Ryan slides
his hand around to cradle the back of my head, while the other travels down and
settles on the curve of my hip. "If I kiss you again, is there going to be
a jail cell on the other end of it?"
"Only
one way to find out," I say with a breathless laugh.
He pulls me
flush against him, and then his lips are on mine. An electric jolt shoots
through me as the pressure of his mouth changes from tender and coaxing to
needy and demanding.
And I'm
right there with him, matching everything he's giving. My palms skate over his
broad shoulders and arms, his shirtsleeves stretched over the hard muscle
beneath. He tastes like the chocolate cake we shared for dessert. Like
something I could eat every day for the rest of my life.
I weave my
fingers into the soft hair that curls slightly at the nape of his neck, tugging
gently at the roots. Ryan lets out a sexy grunt that I want to hear over and
over again. He lifts me off the ground, and I hook my legs around his waist. He
steps backward until I'm pressed against his car. With the dark surrounding us,
it feels as if we can do anything and not get caught. A rush of heat shoots
through me at the idea. I reach for the buttons on his—
Sudden loud
barking makes us jump apart, our chests heaving.
I sway a
bit before regaining my balance. I glance at Ryan, who looks as disoriented as
I feel. Sticking her head out the open window, Bordeaux paws at the inner door
handle. Ryan pushes on her nose and mutters what sounds like, "Great
timing." Snorting, Bordeaux ducks back inside and drinks from the water
bowl on the floor mat. Ryan turns to me, rubbing a frustrated hand down his
face. "She's a resource guarder, and I'm her favorite toy."
I let out a
shaky laugh, my whole body vibrating with pent-up energy. "Or maybe she's
warning us that we're about to have an audience," I say, gesturing to the
hostesses emerging from the side entrance of the restaurant. They walk around
the building to the service lot.
Ryan's
expression morphs from slightly irritated to focused and determined. He leans
in close to me, his lips grazing the hint of collarbone peeking out from
beneath my shirt. Air catches in my lungs and my skin prickles, but I force
myself not to fidget, not to move for fear I may collapse right here on the
gravel. Skimming his mouth up my neck, his breath stirring wisps of my hair, he
whispers in my ear, "What happened to living recklessly?"
My brain is
a fog, so I only manage to blurt, "Show me."
A
devastatingly wicked grin spreads across his face. "Follow me."
Also Available
Free in Kindle Unlimited
Author Bio
Rachel
Goodman is the critically acclaimed author of the Blue Plate and How to Score
series. She was raised in Colorado on Roald Dahl books and her mother's
award-worthy cooking. Now an engineering professor at her alma mater, Southern
Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, she has not lost her passion for
culinary discovery or a well-told story. A member of RWA, she continues to hone
her craft through the Writer's Path at SMU while seeking to create the perfect
macaroni and cheese recipe. Follow her on Twitter (@mojitomaven), Instagram
(@mojitomaven), and Facebook (@RachelGoodmanBooks), or visit her website at
rachelgoodmanbooks.com.
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