Welcome to my stop on the excerpt tour for Return of the Fox by Pamela Gibson. This tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an exclusive excerpt for you as well as the tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a $20 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card! Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more exclusive excerpts and content. Enjoy!
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Series: Mission Belles #2
Author: Pamela Gibson
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Publication Date: May 27th 2020
Print Length: 219 pages
Genre: Historical Western Romance
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The year is 1847...
… Gabriel de la Vega, disgraced son of a Mexican ranchero, returns to his Alta California home when Americans take power to help his countrymen with the bewildering transition and make amends to the woman he once wronged.
Fiercely independent, Isabella Fuentes swore she’d never forgive Gabriel for abandoning her on the night they were to elope. Now he’s back, playing a dangerous game, pretending to be meek and repentant when she knows the handsome, former outlaw is anything but contrite.
When a series of accidents threaten Isabella’s safety, Gabriel offers an outrageous solution: the protection of a brief civil marriage. Isabella is tempted. But can she rely on a man who once betrayed her and can she trust her foolish heart to let him go when the danger has passed?
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EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:
“Am I late? Did you miss me, wife?” He grabbed her around the waist and planted a noisy kiss on her lips.
“Ugh. You smell of horse.” She wrenched away and turned her back.
“I had business to conclude.”
“In a barn?”
“Yes. I met Mitchell.”
He walked past her to the sleeping chamber. “Did Pablo bring my valise? I need to change if we’re dining with the Graingers.”
Isabella gave him a moment to attend to his private needs, then followed him into the room. “You can dress while you talk.”
“Very well.” He stripped off his shirt, poured water into the basin, and soaped his face. Isabella’s breath caught as she watched him lean closer to the mirror and apply the straight edge to his face in deft strokes. His back was smooth and muscled. Her fingers itched to touch his warm skin, to trace every ridge and indentation with her palms. Instead, she sat on the edge of the bed and clasped her hands together.
Water splashed in the bowl. “Hand me a towel, would you?” She got up and brought him the towel, standing close enough to smell his spicy shaving soap.
Unable to resist touching his bronzed skin, she smoothed her hands over the muscles on his arms. Heat pooled between her thighs.
Startled, he dropped the towel as a slow grin spread across his face.
Gabriel turned, his eyes wide with feigned innocence. “Do you want something, querida?”
His voice was silky and sweet, like melted chocolate. She wanted something all right . . . to jump into his arms and never let go. This man who stood half naked in front of her wanted something, too. She could see it as her eyes moved down his torso. If she gave in, she would be lost. He could take over, make all her decisions for her, run her ranch. Her workers already deferred to him. All her gains would be lost.
She would be lost.
Instead she dropped her hands to her sides and cast her eyes downward. “I’ve always wondered. Why did you not ask for my hand in marriage years ago?”
He picked up the towel, dried his face, and tilted her chin up with his free hand. “I did. Surely your father told you.”
Her lungs seized, making it hard to breathe. She shook her head. “He never mentioned it. What happened?”
Gabriel reached behind her and lifted a clean shirt out of the valise on the bed. “He asked about my prospects and sent me packing. I knew then he had someone else in mind for you.”
“You didn’t return?”
“No. It was soon after that I was hauled off to that hellhole.”
Isabella studied his face while he finished dressing. She’d never been sure their liaison had been as serious for him as it had been for her.
Now she knew, and it changed everything.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Author of eight books on California history and thirteen romance novels, Pamela Gibson is a former City Manager who lives in the Nevada desert. Having spent the last three years messing about in boats, a hobby that included a five-thousand-mile trip in a 32-foot Nordic Tug, she now spends most of her time indoors happily reading, writing, cooking and keeping up with the antics of Ralp, the Rescue Cat.
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GIVEAWAY:
Pamela Gibson will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter after the tour. To increase your chance of winning, leave a comment at a different stop on the tour each day. Good luck!
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteWho is your favorite character from your book?
ReplyDeleteI adore Gabriel. He's an alpha posing as a beta to nose around without calling attention to himself.
DeleteThanks for presenting my book on your blog today. I'll be checking in to respond to comments.
ReplyDeleteGreat post - thanks for sharing the excerpt!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Victoria.
DeleteI really enjoyed the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sherry. This was an important turning point in the book. Glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rita.
DeleteWhat's your writing process like?
ReplyDeleteBefore I begin I have a vague idea of what the story is about. This one is about redemption. Gabriel left her, she married elsewhere, and then he returns, finds she's a widow in trouble and vows to help her to redeem himself for past sins. I usually know the beginning and the end. Then I write and see where the story goes. This is called "pantsing" for those who don't know. When I get to the end, I have a lot of editing to do to make it work. Sorry for the long answer.
DeleteThanks for sharing! How do you come up with your stories?
ReplyDeleteI know a lot about California in the rancho period, having majored in history in college. I had a great great grandmother who was born in Los Angeles in 1845 and I've always been fascinated by stores about her. Neither of these are her story, but the lifestyle the dreams, the culture of people who lived there made for a lot of possibilities. It was a time of change, lawlessness, and bewilderment, but also romance. Right up my alley.
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing this sounds great
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Wendy.
Deletepretty cover
ReplyDeleteI think so, too. The cover artist did a wonderful job.
DeleteSounds great.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dale.
DeleteI think the cover of your book is colorful and attractive.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Thanks, Nancy.
DeleteThank you again for allowing me to share my book with readers of your blog. I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing! Sounds great!
ReplyDeleteVery nice book cover and the book sounds interesting, email
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post
ReplyDeletePamela, What do you want readers to take away from you novels?
ReplyDeleteThis sounds great. I like historical reads and love the era around 1847
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read
ReplyDeleteNice cover. I liked the excerpt. It sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGabriel and Isabella sound like really interesting characters.
ReplyDeletesounds like a fun one
ReplyDeleteThanks for being an author and sharing your stories with the world
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds interesting
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to reading this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, sounds like a great book.
ReplyDeleteCool cover
ReplyDelete