Release Date: 07/08/13
Entangled Indulgence
Image consultant Blake Matthews is facing his toughest PR challenge yet: salvage the image of celebrity chef Kirin Hart. Once he does, he'll be able to acquire LA's most successful PR firm. But Kirin's no easy fix. She's stubborn about changing her comfortable homemaker image, and is being sued for sexual harassment by a junior staffer. She needs a PR lifeline fast. Only problem is Blake wants more than to make her over... Kirin doesn't need a makeover--her fans love her as she is. But she could lose everything if the sex scandal and reputation that has followed doesn't get quashed right away. Kirin agrees to let model-perfect Blake work his magic for two weeks, but things get complicated when she can't deny the way her body flares to life whenever he's near.
***Guest
Post***
It’s
so great to be here as part of the Hungry for Love book blitz! I don’t know whether it’s my Irish genes, or
the fact that I married a Greek winemaker who can cook a spinach and cheese pie
like a God, but food is my life. Thinking about it, shopping for it, cooking
it, consuming it – I had all those bases well and truly covered, but it wasn’t
but until I wrote “Dishing up Desire”, my latest release that I got to combine
my love of writing romance and food. In fact, celebrity chef Kirin Hart, my
heroine in “Dishing up Desire”, is a
little like me in that she’s combined her passions into a job and lifestyle she
loves.
The No Bleepin Time Cake (Lemon Curd Cake)
1
Cup shredded coconut
4
eggs
½
cup sugar
½
cup melted butter
¾
cup ground almonds
Grated
zest 1 lemon
Grated
zest 1 orange
½
cup lemon juice
½ cup
orange juice
1
cup milk or yoghurt
1
cup self raising flour
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C
Butter
23cm spring-form pan.
Place
all ingredients in food processor and process til well combined. Pour into tin.
Bake approx one hour or until a skewer comes out clean. Serve with whipped
cream or yoghurt.
Delicious Excerpt:
Setup: Here the book opens with
Blake Matthews – drop dead gorgeous ex-model and now PR guru – looking for
Kirin Hart, America’s “fallen angel” celebrity chef. Blake has some very fixed
ideas about the woman whose image he’s come to overhaul, but when he sees her
for the first time, cooking in her commercial kitchen, he’s taken aback by the
woman he finds.
At
the end of the corridor he stopped in an open doorway.
Behind
a long stainless steel counter strewn with cooking paraphernalia, a woman had
her back to him as she stirred something on an enormous industrial stove. He
leaned a shoulder against the doorjamb, the low roar of overhead fans sucking
away steam and allowing him to watch her unnoticed. He made the most of the
sight.
A
loose blond ponytail, falling from beneath a small black hat, rested between
narrow shoulders. His gaze tracked lower to where the strings of a black chef’s
apron fell down the back of a plain tan skirt hugging a perfectly rounded
bottom. He took a step into the room but still she worked, backward and
forward. Her movements were sexily hypnotic—stirring and shuffling implements,
occasionally dusting a hand across the curve of her hip—oblivious to the fact
he couldn’t pull his eyes away.
Still
unaware of him, she leaned to the back of the stove, dipped a spoon into one of
the pans, and steadying a hand beneath, lifted it to her face and blew. As she
opened her mouth and slowly slid the spoon between dusky lips, the secret
intimacy of it caused his stomach muscles to clench, and on reflex he cleared
his throat. When she spun around, the spoon clattered to the floor, her moist
mouth forming a perfect O.
“Can
I help you?” She reached for a cloth to clean up the liquid splattered across
the counter and all down her front. “You must be lost.”
He
took a step into the room and slung a hand in his pocket. “Not lost. I was
looking for you. Don’t stop what you’re doing, I was enjoying it.” He moved
forward. “Blake—”
“How
did you get in? This is a restricted area.” Her eyes flicked to her apron and
back at him, the creamy skin at her jaw tightening as she furiously wiped away
the mess.
“Through
the door.” He tried a grin and pulled his hand back but she dropped her gaze.
“But
I have security.” She frowned as her lips formed a line.
The
chilly reception wasn’t surprising. Angela Jenkins, the original consultant on
this job, had described Kirin Hart as defensive and difficult—and that was
before Kirin had told her to get the hell out and never come back. “Might want
to check on that security.” He stepped around a stack of cardboard cartons. “I
told your doorman who I was and he let me come straight down.”
Finally,
sparking caramel eyes focused on him and she stopped still. A mask slipped
across the irritation she’d shown a moment ago and she gave a half-smile. “What
can I do for you?”
He
pulled up an industrial looking stool and sat. “If you’re not going to continue
cooking, best turn the stoves off. This could take a while.”
She
laid both hands on the counter and hooked him with a “give me orders if you
dare” look as her chest rose then fell. “The expansion might’ve fallen through
but I still need these new stoves.” The mask was edged with hard-assed
determination and was even more of a turn on than watching her cook. Her tongue
peeped out and she moistened her lips. “I’ll downsize the chillers, though, so
you can take the large one in the next room. It was the last you sent.”
She
began to remove the apron and her body was revealed. A cream blouse in soft
fabric skimmed her breasts and sat lightly across a gently rounded stomach. It
had a V-neck but must have had two dozen tiny pearl buttons all down the front
and reminded him of a particularly sadistic Sunday school teacher he’d once
had.
At her throat, a thin gold chain lay against
her milky skin with the letter K in a flourishing script. “We won’t be needing
the new office furniture you delivered last month either. You can take that
back.” She waved a delicate hand and thin gold bracelets tinkled on her wrist.
“I’m too busy to discuss this right now, though.” She turned back to the stove.
“Make an appointment with my P.A. and she’ll coordinate with you. I’m sure
you’ll find your way out.”
He
raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her ball-breaking attitude and the fact they’d
had an entire conversation without him saying a word.
About the Author
Barbara DeLeo’s first book, co-written with her best friend, was a
story about beauty queens in space. She was eleven, and the sole, handwritten
copy was lost years ago, much to everyone’s relief. It’s some small miracle
that she kept the faith and is now living her dream of writing sparkling
contemporary romance with unforgettable characters.
After completing degrees in Psychology and English then travelling the
world, Barbara married her winemaker hero and had two sets of twins.
She still loves telling stories about finding love in all the wrong
places, with not a beauty queen or spaceship in sight.
Find Barbara and her books here:
or:
***GIVEAWAY***
Grand Prize: (US only)
1 - Cajun Wine Charm
1 - Apron
4-inch
mini icing spatula (great for frosting cupcakes or spreading just about
anything), mini apple-shaped cutting board, microfiber dishrag.
International Giveaway:
$15
gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Im excited about this book and the giveaway looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michelle and thanks Clever Girls. Good luck!
ReplyDelete