Simona's Corner of Dreams: Release Day Blitz - Reality Blurred by Aven Ellis + Excerpts

Excerpt #1

I have a message from Maxime.

He has never sent me a message.

My heart is in my throat as I dare to click it open:

Skye, I promised myself if I ever thought you needed me, I would not make the same mistake I made in Brussels. I won’t sit by and merely watch. So here I am. I saw the pictures in that online tabloid after the game tonight, and after so long of not seeing them cover you, I wanted to make sure you were okay. I know you’re not sad—your eyes tell me that—but invasive photos like that must be upsetting. Are you okay?

Maxime is reaching out to me. He wants to make sure I’m okay.

I read his sweet words over and over, thinking no man has ever done anything so wonderful for me. It shows genuine concern.

I study it, transfixed by his words. Maxime seems haunted by our missed connection in Brussels. He remembers my despair in the café that night; he saw the look of sadness in my eyes. Something about these photos with their false headline compelled him to action.

This is how a real man acts.

I begin to type a response:

Maxime, nice to hear from you. I

Wait, does that sound like a business reply? I delete it and start over:

Maxime, thank you for reaching out. I

Thank you for reaching out? Is that how I reply to an interesting, sexy, mysterious, European man that I wish I had the opportunity to know better?

I bite my lip. Do I want to know him better? After all, my judgment doesn’t have a stellar record. I thought Tom was wonderful. Bleurgh. He turned out to be a colossal wanker, as Sierra’s British boyfriend, Jude, would say. I type what I really need to ask Maxime:

Maxime, you aren’t a wanker, are you? Because I really don’t think my self-esteem could take it if I was wrong again regarding men.

I laugh as I type. Now that would be an interesting reply. I’m about to hit delete when I go on autopilot and hit a different button instead.

The send button.

GAH! SHIT! I JUST HIT SEND BY MISTAKE! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

In a panic, I think of how to fix this, but what I can I say? I typed out the answer as a joke to myself?

I shouldn’t be allowed to have a phone.

Excerpt #2:

This is coffee. A cup of coffee with a neighbor, so to speak. No different from a cup with JoJo and Sierra. Perhaps we’ll become friends. That would be nice. If there is more between us, I will take the time to get to know him.

No six-week fast track to the love of my life this time.

With fresh confidence, I ring the doorbell.

Within seconds, I hear dogs barking at the door. I reach up and fiddle with the end of my braid as I wait.

“Coming,” I hear him call out.

Then I hear him tell his dogs to be quiet—in French.

The second I hear him speak French, I freeze.

Good Lord, that is one incredibly sexy language for a man to speak.

The dogs fall silent as soon as Maxime issues his command. The lock turns on the other side of the door, and all my bravado begins to crumble. My fingers work faster on the end of my hair as my heart accelerates in response. Nerves fill me, despite my badass self proclaiming this is “just coffee.”

The door creaks open, and my remaining bravado vanishes.

Maxime stands before me, more handsome than I remember. I look up to take in his full six-foot frame. His hair is thick and wavy, a gorgeous combination of blond and brown. He’s wearing a plaid flannel shirt in a rich camel and chocolate brown color, layered over a white T-shirt and paired with dark jeans and suede boots.

I swallow hard.

He’s easily the most gorgeous man I’ve ever laid eyes on.

My gaze meets his. Maxime’s piercing blue-green eyes, the ones that studied me so intensely in a café in Brussels, are on me once again, this time studying me up close through the fringe of his long, thick, dark eyelashes.

“Bonjour,” he says softly. “Bienvenue chez moi, Skye.”

Then the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen lights up his face.

Butterflies appear out of nowhere, dancing furiously in my stomach. I can’t breathe.

In this moment, I know I’m in trouble.

Because suddenly this is so much more than coffee.

And I don’t know if I can even try to fight it.

Rinkside in the Rockies #2, can be read as a standalone

236 pages

Release Date 14th February 2018

He lied to her. Fed her the same lines as he did all the other girls. Instead of proposing, he dumped her on national TV. Would a romance with a hockey superstar prove just as disastrous—or could it be the greatest love story of her life?

Cast as America’s reality show sweetheart after being jilted on a dating show, Skye Reeve is ready to stop being a brokenhearted woman by proving she’s more than what the camera portrayed her to be. She’s landed her dream job as a TV lifestyle reporter and promises to work hard to be a success.

Skye also vows never to be swept up in a fairy tale romance ever again, as she obviously has no clue what real love is.

Being in the same city as Denver Mountain Lions hockey star Maxime Laurent, however, might make this last goal impossible.

Dealing with ghosts from his own past, the Belgian hockey star is known for keeping his life off the ice private. He’s not sure if outgoing Skye could be a match for him, but he can’t deny his attraction to her.

When the two embark on a romance, will they be able to move forward from the past to let love into their hearts? With no reality blurred, will Skye find real-life love to be what she had been looking for all along?

Links

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reality-Blurred-Rinkside-Rockies-Book-ebook/dp/B079C58Z4K/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Reality-Blurred-Rinkside-Rockies-Book-ebook/dp/B079C58Z4K/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38211952-reality-blurred

About the Author

I live in the Dallas area with my family. I enjoy clipping out recipes I will never get around to trying, working out, and chatting with friends on social media. I’m a hockey nut (Go Stars!) and watch as much as humanly possible. I also love shopping and fashion and admit to being obsessed with whatever the Duchess of Cambridge is wearing. In addition to be obsessed with the Duchess, I’m equally obsessed with any show or cookbook featuring Gordon Ramsay.