I
am very excited that April 24th will see the release of my TENTH
published novel! It seems somehow impossible to imagine and yet it is no less
thrilling than the first book. LAST STOP
AT PARADISE is Book 3 in my Shellwater
Key Tales series. It wraps up the tales of three childhood friends who
return to their small hometown on Florida’s southwest coast and become involved
in reviving an old dinner theatre. This book will see The Paradise back in her
full glory as the premier show debuts.
There
is a sweet romance for the third in the trio of friends, Callie Dalton. It also brings a
popular side character to the forefront as the hero. Noah Johnson, who has
appeared in all of the Shellwater Key books, finally gets the girl.
Blurb:
When Callie Dalton’s charismatic, televangelist husband falls
into disgrace, Callie goes down with him. Now he’s dead, leaving Callie to face
the wrath of the public alone. With nowhere else to go, she takes her two young
children and escapes to a place she’s spent most of her life trying to forget.
Shellwater Key holds memories of sweet childhood friendships…and
the tragic death of her mother. Most everyone is horrified when Callie moves
back in to the same house where her mother died, but after the scandal her
options are limited. Except that same house now comes with a handsome “pool
boy”, with changeable eyes, a killer smile, and shoulders wide enough to carry
every one of her burdens.
Noah Johnson isn’t actually a pool boy. He’s the carpenter and
resident “angel” at The Paradise Dinner Theatre, now owned by her friend, Layla
McCarthy. Noah helps engineer a position as House Manager at the theatre. A paying
job and chance to start over are answers to prayer, but every instinct warns
that proximity to the sexy and enigmatic Noah could be the most dangerous
complication to Callie’s life…and her wary heart. But when she learns the truth
about Noah’s story and his former occupation, she's ready to run again. It will
take a willingness to face her tragic past and embrace the possibilities of
tomorrow for Callie to find the love that will finally set her free.
Excerpt…
“Sorry
if I make you so jumpy,” Noah said.
“I
already said you don’t. I’m not affected by you in the least,” Callie said,
wondering if her nose might start growing after such an outrageous lie. “Just
because you have those changeable eyes and a killer smile doesn’t mean I’m
going to fall at your feet.”
“Changeable
eyes?” he echoed, seemingly intrigued by this.
“Yeah,
they’re never just one color. It’s like some kind of weird magic trick,” Callie
said, wiggling her fingers like she was trying to cast a spell.
“Right.”
The corners of his mouth turned up once more. “What about my killer grin? Is
that magic, too?”
Noah’s
smile should be illegal. He had to know the soft curving of his lips linked
straight to her core, causing warmth to radiate all through her body.
Stop…no warmth spreading
anywhere, Callie. You can’t be flirting with a stranger in the wine aisle of
the supermarket.
She
let out a delicate snort; trying to shake off the spell he cast with so much
ease. “I was just trying to be nice. It’s a smile, like anyone else’s.”
“Uh
huh.” He chuckled and Callie almost forgot to breathe.
“I
mean it,” Callie whispered, even as she relished the fizz of attraction zinging
through her veins. How long had it been since she’d felt so alive? So attuned
to her body? “You’re nothing special.”
“I
know that.” The warmth in his changeable eyes seemed to grow as he closed the
gap between them. “But I think you might be, Callie Dalton.”
She
swallowed and backed up a step, only to be trapped against a wall of bottles.
They rattled on the shelf as she shifted and Callie feared the entire stock
might end up on the floor after all.
Clean up in aisle ten!
Desperate widow going at it with the pool boy against the Merlot!
Then
Callie forgot all about the delicate glass as Noah edged another inch closer.
He reached above her head, the motion causing his chest to brush against hers.
The contact was brief, but it ignited a spark that made her gasp.
“No effect? Are you sure?” he
whispered, the sound sending shivers down her spine.
Pre-order today!
(Note: It will also be available at Barnes & Noble on the 24th)
Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best
Selling Author of inspirational and contemporary romance, and women’s fiction
filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. She is the author of two best
selling series, Shellwater Key Tales (sweet contemporary romance) and Covington
Falls Chronicles (inspirational romance). Last Stop At Paradise will be
available April 24th.
