Julia Boyd has dated more than her share of jerks, and she’s done even pretending to like them. Putting her dating life on hold and focusing on her event planning career is a much safer bet for the blue-eyed blonde…until she meets her newest client.
Organizing the opening for an art gallery should be a breeze for Julia, but gallery owner Alex Holt is becoming very distracting. Tall and muscular with enough charisma and sexy dimples to make Julia swoon, Alex could be the perfect man. The two of them click immediately, creating enough witty banter to ignite sparks.
But just before flames of passion can erupt with Alex, Julia begins planning an engagement party…and learns the groom is Aiden, the man who broke her heart years ago. When Aiden admits that he still has feelings for Julia, everything changes. Should she seek shelter in the familiarity of the past, or should she risk everything on a brand-new love?
Julia is loud, foul-mouthed and full of fun and sex appeal. I laughed
and giggled throughout the book at her no holds barred approach to life.
There was never any doubts to how she feels.
Alex, the Josh Holloway look a like, is hot and gentle and thoughtful and just the right sarcastic match for Julia.
Alex, the Josh Holloway look a like, is hot and gentle and thoughtful and just the right sarcastic match for Julia.
This is one of those books that you just don't want to end and you just can't put down. These
two had me smiling the entire time. The cast of secondary characters
(Lizette, Sarah, Darren, Josie...i could go on and on) had me wanting
books for them all! Hopefully Darren and Sarah will be next!
Tell us about the hidden gems of Miami:
I
was born and raised in Miami. I usually go for a visit with family and
friends every other year or so...or at least try to. As a matter of
fact, I was just there this past April for Spring Break and we had a
great time. As far as hidden gems, I mention a few in both books but in
Playing it Safe I mention two of my all-time favorite bars, which are
still open for business some twenty years after I moved to New Jersey.
Fox's and Taurus...with Fox's being my favorite of the two.
Even though it's located on what is really one of the busiest highway's in South Miami, most people drive right by it...or at least, back when I was younger that was the case. The exterior is very nondescript, save for the bright red and white sign. The interior is something out of a bad 70's film. And in all the years I use to be a regular there, the decor never changed or the wait-staff, which ought to tell you something. The happy hour was one of the best in all of Miami, and many a night I could be found here during my college days. And the best kept secret about the place is that if you go for drinks, you must stay for the prime rib...sooooooo good!!
Even though it's located on what is really one of the busiest highway's in South Miami, most people drive right by it...or at least, back when I was younger that was the case. The exterior is very nondescript, save for the bright red and white sign. The interior is something out of a bad 70's film. And in all the years I use to be a regular there, the decor never changed or the wait-staff, which ought to tell you something. The happy hour was one of the best in all of Miami, and many a night I could be found here during my college days. And the best kept secret about the place is that if you go for drinks, you must stay for the prime rib...sooooooo good!!
Taurus
was another place that in the days since I've lived in Miami has had a
re-do. It's located on the outskirts of Coconut Grove and is a great
place to see live music or just sit outside to have a few drinks and
people watch. As a matter of fact, my brother's band, The 540's
sometimes play there. So if you happen to catch them performing, go up
to the lead singer, my brother, and let him know he looks just like Matt
Dillon...cause he loves to hear that about himself lol. ;)
Here
are a few more that I can think of off the top of my head: Loggerhead
in South Miami/Coconut Grove which has the absolute best buffalo wings
and garlic knots I've had in my entire life, Bougainvillea's in South
Miami, a great little eclectic bar with a nice outdoor area, The
Clevelander in South Beach, which is technically a hotel across the
street from the beach, but the outdoor bar/pool is not to be missed if
you're ever in Miami, and finally, Sports Grill in Sunset for a great
selection of wings in every kind of flavor and an array of televisions
to watch all the major sporting events live.
Also,
you cannot talk about Miami without mentioning Cuban food. And you
can't talk about Cuban food without mentioning Sergio's which is brought
up in both Promise Me and Playing it Safe. I go there every single time
I'm in Miami. Actually, I go there almost every single day while I'm
visiting Miami. I can never get enough of the food, cafe con leche, and
pastries while I'm home, so this cafe/restaurant is a must for anyone
who goes to Miami for a visit, in my opinion.
Turning into one of the far rooms of the gallery, which is
almost like an alcove that only a few people can fit in at a time, I finally
spot Alex.
Alone.
Just me and him in this tiny space.
He’s dressed impeccably, as usual, in a pinstripe suit and a
light blue dress shirt that perfectly accentuates his eyes. He’s not wearing a
tie again, but that’s good for me because I get to look at his throat while his
Adam’s apple bobs up and down while he talks. I know I’m being ridiculous, but
something as insignificant as that is so very sexy to me in a really hot guy.
“What are you doing in here all by yourself?” I ask him
before bringing the glass to my lips to take another sip. “Are you hiding or
something?”
He smiles and ever so smoothly brings his line of vision
down my body and back up again, but not before lingering a moment too long on
“the boys.”
I knew it! Alex is a tits man, and I feel so vindicated it’s
not even funny. In my head I’m doing the Running Man to the tune of
Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It” and giving myself a pat on the back.
“Why would I be hiding?” he asks.
“I don’t know, why would you be hiding?”
“Why do you care if I’m hiding or not?”
“Why do you answer every question with another question?”
Alex takes a step forward, and there he goes again crowding
my personal space, but I’m standing my ground this time. He raises an eyebrow
at my stance and says, “Maybe I like getting you all worked up.”
The double meaning in that is so not lost on me, and just
like that, we went from zero to sixty in no time at all.
“Maybe?” I ask innocently while gazing up at him.
“Now look who’s answering with questions.”
His masculine chuckle resonates through me, making my toes
curl while he takes the upper hand again. I seriously cannot keep up with this
much longer. I’m either going to throw him against the wall and rub myself all
over him like a slutty cat on a scratching post, or I’m going to douse myself
with a bucket of ice-cold water.
“For your information, I’m not hiding . . . at least not
from you,” he explains. “Just like the quiet sometimes.”
“Huh. Always figured you for the type that was into parties
and shit.”
“That would imply you’re thinking about me,” he says without
missing a beat.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
He takes a step forward and moves to my side to leave, but
not before ducking his head closer so that I feel his warm breath fan across my
ear. “That’s a good question. Are you ready for the answer?”
And then he’s gone, disappearing behind me back into the
gallery’s exhibit, while I ponder what just happened, kind of pissed off that
the son of a bitch just answered me with another goddamn question.
Barbie Bohrman was born and raised in
Miami, FL and ultimately moved to the Garden State where she currently resides
with her husband and two children. Life, and all that comes along with it and
having long since given up on her dream of pursuing anything in the writing
world, a prologue contest in a book club garnered her interest enough to throw
her hat in the ring to see what, if anything, would come from it. From that
contest came the roots of her debut novel, Promise Me. When she is not writing
you can find her trying to get through the 1000+ books on her Kindle, or
watching Lost or Seinfeld.
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