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I’m a big sucker for dance scenes, confrontations in intimate spaces (hello, wine cellar!) and incredible travel destinations. Bringing them all together in Adrian and Everleigh’s romance was a dream come true! HIS BILLION-DOLLAR TAKEOVER TEMPTATION is my first book for Harlequin Presents and the first of my Infamous Cabrera Brothers trilogy. It released in June and I’m still pinching myself! I loved writing not only the developing love story between cold Adrian and sweet Everleigh, but it was a treat being able to dive into locales like Granada, Spain. The architecture, the history, the food, all of it helped me bring Adrian and Everleigh’s story alive.
And the romance doesn’t stop there! Adrian’s brother, Alejandro, is about to meet his match in PROOF OF THEIR ONE HOT NIGHT, coming out September 28th, and baby brother Antonio will finally find his happily ever after in the spring of 2022.
I love connecting with readers online. You can find me on Facebook and Twitter at @GraysonRomance, and on Instagram at @emmygrayson_scarlettclarke. Happy reading, and have a wonderful autumn!
Love, Emmy
FUN FACTS!!!
The entire trilogy started off based on a Twitter contest run by Harlequin Presents.
The character of Leia, the hotel clerk, is a nod to Princess Leia Organa and the actress who played the feistiest princess in the galaxy, Carrie Fisher.
The original draft included a failed assassination attempt on Everleigh’s life, which is why Adrian whisked her away to Spain. Amazing how many changes a story goes through!
A friend of mine took me on a shopping trip to Costco and we taste tested various wines to include in the book; my favorite research so far!
A stewardess on Adrian’s plane buckles Everleigh’s seatbelt for her, a homage to a scene in the remake of SABRINA with Harrison Ford. It was my mom’s favorite romantic comedy when I was growing up, and we would watch it over and over again. I always thought she named our dog Linus after the Peanuts character from Charlie Brown, but she actually named the dog after Harrison Ford’s character!
Giveaway
Emmy is giving away a $10 Powell’s Books virtual gift card and a signed copy of HIS BILLION-DOLLAR TAKEOVER TEMPTATION! Follow her on social media and mention Maryse’s Book Blog for a chance to win! The winner will be announced on Monday, September 27th.
Excerpt for HIS BILLION-DOLLAR TAKEOVER TEMPTATION
The husky, feminine voice slid over his senses and sent a flash of heat over his skin. He took another deliberate sip of his wine before turning his attention to the second woman who had invaded his space this evening.
Her.
The blonde woman he’d locked eyes with before Alejandro’s arrival now stood before him. The neckline of her dark blue gown plunged down in a V to the silver ribbon wrapped around her slender waist. From there the dress flowed into a long, billowing skirt that reminded Adrian of the waters of the Mediterranean before a storm.
His eyes drifted back up to her face in a slow, deliberate perusal. Lush, silver-blonde curls enhanced her delicate features. Violet eyes stared back at him, her caramel-colored lips set in a firm line.
“Yes,” he finally responded, his voice cool. Showing that despite the unusually intense affect she had on him, he was still in control.
She stepped forward and held out her hand, bare except for a simple silver band on her wrist. Adrian grasped her fingers, pleasantly surprised by her firm grip.
“My name is Everleigh Bradford. Congratulations on your merlot. It’s exquisite.”
“Thank you.” He arched a brow. “While your compliments are appreciated, was it necessary to ignore the ‘Balcony Closed’ sign and invade my privacy?”
Everleigh’s chin came up as her eyes flashed with stubborn fire. “Yes.”
Intriguing. There were plenty of men who would have cringed at the slightest hint of his disapproval. But not this woman. She stood her ground, shoulders thrown back, lips now set in a determined line.
“You’re a busy man, Mr. Cabrera. I need to speak with you on an urgent matter. I’m sorry for breaking the rules, but it was necessary to have a moment alone with you.”
Her honesty was refreshing. A night with someone as bold and beautiful as Everleigh would more than make up for the past few months of celibacy. He infused his smile with sensuality as he raked his gaze up and down her slim form once more, this time letting his appreciation for her body show. “I would greatly enjoy a moment alone with you.”
Everleigh’s cheeks flushed pink. The blush caught Adrian unawares. Was she an innocent or just playing a role? Much as it would disappoint him, she wouldn’t be the first to go to great lengths to catch his attention.
“This has nothing to do with sex, Mr. Cabrera.”
“Adrian.”
Her lips parted. “I…excuse me?”
“Please call me Adrian.”
Those beautifully shaded violet eyes narrowed. “This is a business discussion, Mr. Cabrera. First names are for friends and family.”
“We could become friends, Everleigh.”
What was wrong with him? He never teased a woman like this. He complimented, touched, seduced. But with this woman, he just couldn’t help himself.
Perhaps it was the blush. Yes, that had to be it. The delicate coloring that even now crept down her throat towards the rising slopes of her breasts…
“We will never be friends, Mr. Cabrera,” Everleigh snapped. “I’m here to discuss your proposed purchase of Fox Vineyards.”
Desire fled, replaced by the cold calculation Adrian wielded in every business meeting.
The future was bright. So why did this longing for something more persist? And why had his night with Calandra tilted his world even farther off its axis?
He didn’t know how long he stood there, staring at the spot where she’d disappeared, an uncomfortable ache tugging at his heart. But a sudden whoop, followed by a “Hey, sexy” from a bleary-eyed woman with smudged eyeliner hanging out the window of a passing cab, yanked him out of whatever nostalgic land he’d ventured to and back into reality.
One night. One night of mind-blowing sex. That’s all it was, and that’s all he wanted it to be.
With that final thought, he turned and walked back into the hotel. The clerk stood behind the desk, arms folded and eyes narrowed. Her black-and-gold name tag proclaimed her name to be Leia.
“Sir, we ask that all our guests wear a shirt, pants and shoes in the lobby.”
IT’S READY!!! HAPPY TUESDAY NEW RELEASE DAY!! We’re already headed to a great start in new book releases (a new one from Elle Kennedy!!), and I’m still adding on to the list as we speak, so keep checking back. 😀
MY BLURB JOLTS:Faded Sunset(absolutely this one!! Marital strife and it sounds like pure angst and turmoil!!) The Legacy (yes please!! After “look” into their lives), Inmate of the Month (he doesn’t realize he’s part of a VERY popular porn video!! Eeeeeeeep!!), When Sparks Fly(her roommate takes care of her!!) and Kiss and Don’t Tell (she’s stuck in a cabin with hockey stars… oh the horror! 😉 )
Comatose by Catherine Black <— SLOW BURN ALERT!! AIMEE RECOMMENDS THIS ONE!
Aimee: Good afternoon!!! I think this one was recommended by one of your readers, but it was really good!! It was a slow burn drama filled with a little thrill!
Comatose by Catherine Black
The ending will get you teary eyed!!! I definitely recommend it! A little info is the female lead wakes up from a coma. 😳
The Casanova by T. L. Swan <— AIMEE RECOMMENDS THIS ONE TOO!!
Aimee: I have a recommendation for you!! Not sure if you read the Miles High series, but I finished book 3 called The Casanova by T. L. Swan.
I loved it! I would call it a comedy drama if that makes sense. I did not read any of the others in the series and I didn’t feel like I missed anything because of it. Well worth the read! I also listened to it through the kindle app and glad I did it made it so much more enjoyable do to the accent of the female lead.
Wrecking Ball by P. Dangelico <— ONE OF MY FAVORITES & AIMEE LOVED IT TOO!
Aimee: Good morning!! Just wanted to let you know that I really loved your recommendation on Wrecking Ball by P. Dangelico
I’m interested if you read any other books by this author? It was well written and was thinking of checking out another!
Fallen Empire (Dirty Empire Book 4) by K.A. Tucker <— K.A. TUCKER SERIES CONCLUSION THAT I MISSED A FEW DAYS AGO!! “…Fallen Empire is the fourth book in the Dirty Empire series and should be read after Sweet Mercy, Gabriel Fallen, and Dirty Empire…”
The Legacy (Off-Campus Book 5) by Elle Kennedy <— ELLE KENNEDY!! “...Four stories. Four couples. Three years of real life after graduation… A wedding. A proposal. An elopement. And a surprise pregnancy. Can you guess which couple is which?“
Inmate of the Month (Souls Chapel Revenants MC Book 7) by Lani Lynn Vale <— LANI LYNN VALE!! HE WAS INTERNET PORN FAMOUS BUT HE DIDN’T KNOW!! “…A porn video changed his life. One second, he has an ex with an ax to grind, and the next, he’s internet famous—and definitely not in a good way. In an, it’ll ruin your career, kind of way. Only, Laric didn’t know that he was internet famous. Not until a black-haired beauty walks into his life, and stumbles over every word that she says because all she can picture is him doing the unthinkable for the world to see…”
Breaking Point (Delta Force Strong Book 7) by Elle James <— SINGLE MOM & THE SOLDIER!! “…Collette McCallick has been fighting an uphill battle since getting pregnant at 16. After years scraping by, raising her daughter, she’s finally at a point she’s pursuing her nursing degree. Going to school full time and working part time leaves her teenaged daughter home alone more than she cares for. After her new trailer park neighbor, a quiet Delta Force soldier, comes to their rescue with his plumbing skills, she’s hopeful that someone in her neighborhood can check in on her daughter while she’s away. When Collette’s daughter disappears from a church parking lot, Collette turns to the Delta Force soldier for help…”
Kiss and Don’t Tell by Meghan Quinn <— IN A CABIN IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE WITH HOCKEY PLAYERS!! “...Five hockey players, a cabin in the woods . . . and little old me, Winnie Berlin. Sounds like the start of a fantasy, right? But it’s not. It’s my reality. It all started when I got lost in the middle of the Canadian Rockies. A wicked thunderstorm sent my car mud sliding into a ditch and for a girl whose survival skills involve finding the nearest Starbucks, I was in deep trouble. Forced to abandon my car in search of help, I stumbled upon a cabin in the middle of nowhere...”
When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting <— HELENA HUNTING ALERT!! HER ROOMMATE TAKES CARE OF HER… “…Avery Spark is living her best life. Between her friends, her sisters, and Spark House, the event hotel her family owns, she doesn’t have much time for anything else, especially relationships. She’d rather hang out with her best friend and roommate, Declan McCormick, than deal with the dating scene. But everything changes when she is in a car accident and needs someone to care for her as she heals...”
Maverick: A Sin City Saints Hockey Romance by Brenda Rothert <— THE POKER PLAYER & THE HOCKEY STAR!! “…Gia Ford also makes her living playing a game—poker. The rounder has hit her stride in Vegas, quietly building her bank account one casino at a time. She’s got a score to settle, and nothing will get in her way—not even the sexy hockey player who’s willing to lose money just to see her in action. Maverick attracts attention, upsetting Gia’s under-the-radar game…“
Faded Sunset by Rachel Blaufeld <— RACHEL BLAUFELD MARITAL STRIFE ALERT!! “…Margaret Long’s world looks bright and shiny on the outside. Married to a successful attorney, she lives in a mini-mansion with her husband and their perfect daughter. No one would imagine how dim and dark her life really is. With a fractured heart and a broken body, she wonders how to break free. The day Margaret happens to meet Mick Grantham is serendipitous…”
Worst Date Ever (The Worst Ever Series Book 1) by J. S. Cooper <— WORST DATE EVER!! “…Jack Morrison was my worst date ever. And I’ve been on a lot of bad dates. Trust me when I say that that was the longest ten hours and 33 minutes of my life. I never wanted to see or speak to him again. But it turns out you don’t always get what you want in life, because Jack showed up the very next day at a family gathering I was attending as a fake plus one. As you can imagine that was a real pickle, Jack wanted to know why I went on a date with him when I’m dating someone else. But he can’t know the whole complicated truth of the matter. I’m in a fake relationship and now I’m being blackmailed by the worst date ever...”
First Love, Take Two by Sajni Patel <— SURPRISE!! HER NEW ROOMMATE IS HER EX… “…On the verge of realizing her dream of being a doctor, Preeti Patel should be ecstatic. But between the stress of her residency, trying to find a job, and managing her traditional, no-boundaries family, Preeti’s anxiety is through the roof. Relationships and love aren’t even an option. Fortunately, Preeti’s finally found a new place to stay . . . only to discover that her new roommate is her ex...”
One Day Like This: A rockstar romance (Excess All Areas Book 1) by Scarlett Cole <— HE DOESN’T WANT HER BECAUSE SHE SLEPT WITH HIS BROTHER!! “...Loving Matt Palmer is the most hopeless thing in the world. The hours she spends working at the Manchester homeless shelter only go so far in distracting her from the painful truth. He doesn’t want her. Because she screwed up that awful night two years before when she slept with Matt’s brother. He will never be hers, no matter how much she yearns for him. When a good deed leads to one bed, and one night of ruthless honesty, everything is laid bare. They belong together, but acting on it will cost them everything...”
➔➔ Not a member of Audible yet? Get a free 30 day audible trial(which includes one title from their premium selection of best sellers and listen all you want to thousands of titles in their growing Audible Plus Catalog.)
➔➔ AND! Audiobook Matchmaker!! <— Find out which of YOUR Kindle books are available as audiobooks at a BARGAIN-PRICE! This is how it works. Click on that link & Amazon will show you all of your Kindle books that are also available as an audiobook at a seriously discounted price. This way, you can switch back and forth, seamlessly between your ebooks and your audiobooks. VERY COOL!
It’s the start of a new week, and I hope it’s an awesome one for all of us!! What did you do this weekend? What did you read? Let’s do three things, and then let’s see what just went live early!
THREE THINGS:
1.) I went to a Columbian restaurant yesterday for the first time and I am hooked on fried plantains. So bad for Keto though, so… I was bad. 😉
2.) I went shopping for a fun betta fish setup yesterday. It was fun, and it looks so pretty!
Payback Princess (Lost Daughter of a Serial Killer Book 2) by C.M. Stunich <— C.M. STUNICH ALERT! HER FATHER IS A SERIAL KILLER! SHOULD BE READ IN ORDER! “...Finding out you’re the daughter of a famous serial killer isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. My father—the Seattle Slayer—is charismatic, intelligent, and charming. He’s also trying to teach me to kill people, so … his good qualities don’t seem to matter much...”
Wilde (Wilde Boys Book 5) by Abby Brooks <— BLACK SHEEP OF THE FAMILY!! “…I’m getting the hell out. Out of this small-town way of life, and out of this family. Bags packed. One way ticket purchased. There’s only one problem. Her. Or if you want to be specific, the baby she’s carrying. She swears it’s mine…”
Tempting Him: An M/M, Age Gap, Workplace Romance (South River University Book 4) by Isabel Lucero <— M/M ROMANCE!! “…After spring break, I’ll buckle down and be ready to work, but until then, I’m getting my fill of fun. Which is why when I spot an attractive man sitting alone at a bar, I approach him with the hopes of being able to tempt him into a night full of pleasure. After all, being with an older guy is just about the only thing I haven’t done. When I wake up in his bed with a note that makes it clear he doesn’t intend on seeing me again, I take it in stride. But when I show up to the job my dad set up for me, it turns out my new boss, Aleksander Drakos, is the guy...”
The Story Seer (The Seer Series Book 1) by Amanda Dew <— SHE HAS SPECIAL POWERS TO NAVIGATE SOMEONE’S SUBCONSCIOUS!! “…Too bad the rest of her life isn’t so glamorous. A lazy, entitled boyfriend, raising her rebellious teenage sister alone, and attempting to make the ramen in the cupboard stretch for another meal are just a handful of the problems Rory juggles in addition to saving the world. When an accused high-level terrorist is brought to Rory, she’s shocked to find his memories of falling in love instead of the expected nefarious plot…”
Shameless Chef: A Hero Club Novel by Gwyn McNamee <— TWO COMPETING CHEFS SABOTAGE EACH OTHER!! “…He parades around with that sexy smirk and those fabulous abs like he’s the king of the kitchen.Of all the places he could choose to open his new restaurant, why does it have to be right next door to mine?It’s hard enough trying to get my place up and running without having him hovering around and disrupting my business...”
AUDIOBOOK LVERS!
➔➔ Not a member of Audible yet? Get a free 30 day audible trial(which includes one title from their premium selection of best sellers and listen all you want to thousands of titles in their growing Audible Plus Catalog.)
➔➔ AND! Audiobook Matchmaker!! <— Find out which of YOUR Kindle books are available as audiobooks at a BARGAIN-PRICE! This is how it works. Click on that link & Amazon will show you all of your Kindle books that are also available as an audiobook at a seriously discounted price. This way, you can switch back and forth, seamlessly between your ebooks and your audiobooks. VERY COOL!
Tanya is looking for this book! Actually this is a series, and the second book description made me laugh!
She asks:
Hi,
I’m trying to remember the name of a bike book.
Its the first in the series when one of the MC brother’s sister save the entire mc from entering a warehouse and getting shot. There are two other of her brothers in this book that get injured too. She ends up with the president and helps save the club.
She was trained by her dad, mom, and brothers to be a sniper and all-around soldier. Her brother is the VP of the mc and his is the next story about him and his sister’s friend who is a hacker and wipes his funds out in the first book for making mean comments to her.
I enjoy all tour blogs so any help would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Tanya
SV needs our book help! Oh boy this one sounds tumultuous!!
She asks:
Hi,
I want to know this book name.
H and h are lovers. H went to army.
I don’t remember exactly what happen h involved with neighbour got pregnant. Her mother threw her out. H helped her to stay with his family until her child born.
Then both of them solved the issue.
I remembered one thing the author wrote another novel about hero’s brother, he also foot ball player like that.
Teaser from PROOF OF THEIR ONE HOT NIGHT (Book 2 of the Infamous Cabrera Brothers trilogy, releasing September 28th)
Worst Date Ever (The Worst Ever Series Book 1)
VERS!
Tanya is looking for this book! Actually this is a series, and the second book description made me laugh!
