Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: Ruby Red by D.L. Croisette

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Ruby Red by D.L. Croisette. This book tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt from the book as well as a very convincing guest post from the author. There's also the tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to visit the other stops on the tour for more content. Enjoy!

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Title: Ruby Red

Author: D.L. Croisette

Publisher: Champagne Book Group

Publication Date: May 23rd 2022

Print Length: 314 pages

Genre: Contemporary Romance

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One night stands only need apply.

Ali Stinson is having a bad day. Her afternoon tryst was interrupted (before they got to the good part) to discover her investment manager ran away with all her money. Now she has to keep up appearances with her high society friends, find a dress for an upcoming charity event, and not fall in love with Sam, the cute bartender, who insists on helping her. Thing is, she’s 90% sure she doesn’t want help. Adulting is hard.

Looking for work, not love.

Sam Freemont is having a strange day. He was in the middle of the best kiss of his life when his boss walked in and halted the fun, which is not helping with the low profile he’s trying to maintain. Now he can’t get Ali off his mind or out of his dreams. Good thing she’s a regular at the swanky resort he just started working at. Gives him time to find a way back to her lips. Or better yet, into her heart.

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EXCERPT:

Ali sat at the resort bar, ogling the pool boy—or was he a bartender? She was confused—as he vigorously brandished the martini shaker. His muscles flexed with the to-and-fro of the exercise. The blur of fine fingers made her wonder exactly how much one could consume before they got alcohol poisoning.

The shaker paused. “Bartender.”

She raised her gaze from the silver cylinder and met his glittering eyes. Had she said that out loud?

As he placed the cocktail in front of her, he leaned on the bar, his gaze boring into hers. Wavy golden locks framed a handsome face with eyes that stared into her soul—if that was possible. “You asked what my job was here. Officially bartender, but I help where I can.” A flash of him striding across the pool deck swam before her. “I’ve only been here a week.” He offered her his hand. “I’m Sam, by the way. Sam Fremont.”

With as much grace and concentration as she could muster, she wrapped her hand in his. “Ali Stinson.” Their skin made contact, and the little tingle hit her again, making the hairs on her arms stand up.

Sam smiled like he’d won the grand prize in a game show. He moved closer to her. “Nice to meet you, Ali Stinson.” He smelled faintly of lemons, fresh and clean.

She sucked in a breath, blinked a few times, and tried to focus. To avoid leaning in and doing something foolish like kissing him, she veered back and almost fell off the bar stool. He jumped to attention and caught Ali’s arms, steadying her.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

D.L. Croisette is a storyteller. She had characters in her head before she had words in her mouth. Now she spins them into romantic stories full of drama and heart. Collector of international friends, avid traveller and always up for a new adventure, she snaps photos to remember each escapade, and peppers the best experiences into her stories. Ruby Red is her debut romance novel, and she’s probably at an outdoor café right now, dreaming up a bold new heroine to stir up trouble.

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GUEST POST:

Let Me Convince You Fake Dating is the Most Romantic Trope
by D.L. Croisette

There is something delectable about watching two people pretending to be in love, actually fall in love. The fake dating trope is a subgenre of the popular forced proximity theme in romances and to me it is a hallmark of a slow burn romance, where emotions grow over time.

Sticking two people together is a tried-and-true method to bring about powerful emotions. But when you add in the additional gooey layer of characters who go through the motions of acting like they are in love, then the romance really amps up. Performing dating rituals like romantic dinners, holding hands and other couple related activities gives us an insta-romance that is believable. Still, the fake dating trope gives the characters the excuse they need to spend time with each other in non-traditional settings, get close to them, learn about their world, etc. Boundaries are pushed for one or more of the couples as they have to compromise or fit into the situations in each other’s lives. It’s a delicate balance between strangers and lovers.

We, as readers, fall in love along with the characters as they spend time in their new roles together. Feelings grow and expand as the couple works together to resolve the reason they are fake dating. Maybe it started as a mistake, like in Talia Hibbert’s Take a Hint, Dani Brown and Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis and the couple commit to keeping the farce going. Or it might be a conscious choice, like making an old paramour jealous as Jenny Han does in To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before or Jasmine Guillory in The Wedding Date.

Hidden away between the tender scenes is the angst of the will they, won’t they tension. Doubt, denial, and fear of rejection all play into these scenarios, coating each action by the characters with multiple layers of sentiment. Here, we readers experience realistic emotions linked to our own internal concerns and suspicions.

Every great fake dating book has a moment where the pretend couple needs to prove their relationship is real by sealing it with a kiss. A kiss, you and I and the characters, are secretly longing and hoping for. This mid-point of love allows us readers to feel the emotions of the characters, but still be bound up in the tension of knowing these two people have not admitted their attraction to each other. It’s the drama we all desire in a romance. Because what is a romance without drama?

The release of the tension, when the couple admit their feelings for each other, is the sweet spot of the book. Sometimes the scenes are romantic gestures and other times its spontaneous professions of love when we readers and the characters least expect it. But we know it’s coming, and that makes the fake dating trope a satisfying meal.

Have I convinced you that fake dating is high on the romance scale? Let me know if you’re off to read a fake dating romance? Or recommend one for me to read.

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GIVEAWAY:

D. L. Croisette will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Good luck!

(All the Ups and Downs is not responsible for this giveaway, its entries, or the prize. Goddess Fish Promotions and the author assume all responsibility over this giveaway.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway