ONE KIND NIGHT by Christine DePetrillo is a new small town romance in the One Kind Deed Series–check it out and be sure to grab your copy today!
Title: One Kind Night
Author: Christine DePetrillo
Genre: Small Town Romance
About One Kind Night:
Everyone knew if you shared your birthday wish, it wouldn’t come true. And Jackson wanted this one to come true.What’s better than digging in the dirt and putting together the pieces of history? For archaeologist Jackson Henley, absolutely nothing. Unfortunately, lost funding forces him to head to his hometown in Vermont. It’ll be great to see all his brothers who still live in town, but Jackson’s stay is definitely temporary. He’s got valuable treasures to unearth in far more interesting spots than a small town deep in the woods.An injured dog, however, leads Jackson to an unexpected reunion with his high school sweetheart. Isabel Perri is not supposed to be in town. She shouldn’t be running Pine River Cottages where he’s staying either. She definitely shouldn’t look even hotter than she did as the teenager who had broken up with him when he’d entered college ahead of schedule.Isabel also swears she’ll be out of Maplehaven before it gets its hooks back into her. She’s got dreams of opening her own resort in a busy tourist area. Getting replanted in her hometown won’t make those dreams come true. Neither will giving in to the magnetic pull she feels every time Jackson is around. Will this second chance alter their escape plans?Is one kind night enough to uncover a love buried in the past?One Kind Night is a second-chance, small-town, contemporary romance that features a business-minded heroine and an archaeologist hero who both return to their hometown.
Christine DePetrillo can often be found hugging trees, conversing with dragonflies, and walking barefoot through sun-warmed soil. She finds joy in listening to the wind, bathing in moonlight, and breathing in the fragrances of things that bloom. If she had her way, the sky would be the only roof over her head.Her love of nature seeps into every story she tells. As does her obsession with bearded mountain men who build, often smell like sawdust, and know how to cherish the women they love. Today she writes tales meant to make you laugh, maybe make you sweat, and definitely make you believe in the power of love.She lives in Vermont with her husband and many woodland creatures who defend her fiercely from all evils.
Family inheritance or his own passion… Can he have both?
Blurb
Hunter’s life is turned upside down when he’s forced to leave his ‘job of a lifetime’. When chance tosses him into the path of a very talented, and handsome young nurse, his life takes on a new direction he never could’ve anticipated.
Cam’s focus had shifted from pursuing his musical passion to nursing. But a one-night stand quickly changes into so much more, especially when that one-night stand ends up helping to run his late grandmother’s resort.
Career changes, inheritances, and a greedy corporation all make it seem impossible for these two men to make it. But, on the slopes of Colorado, they might just find love in the melody of the snow.
Excerpt
I walked into the bar and immediately laid eyes on one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen. He was tall, though several inches shorter than me, and had that slim swimmer's build that made me thirst to touch him. The fact that I caught him checking me out made me smile. Maybe tonight was showing promise after all.
I was about to walk over to him when the drag queen onstage began taunting him. After others joined in on it, he climbed onto the stage and started singing.
At first, I thought he had to be lip-syncing, because no way did someone randomly sing that well.
Of course, the more I watched from my vantage point, a head taller than most people at the bar, I realized it was actually his voice.
I sat and listened, mesmerized, as he ran through a full set of songs. He was about to leave the stage when the crowd demanded more, and during the pause in performing, I had enough sense to pull my phone out and record his final song.
As he began to sing Queen’s “Somebody to Love,” I felt my heart beat a little quicker. I wanted to be his somebody to love. No, fuck that, no. I needed to find somebody for the night, somebody to get my rocks off with, that was it. Once I started working for my aunt, my next opportunity to get away would be… well, probably too long to even think about.
I made my way toward the stage the moment he began the final bars of the song, recording him on my phone as I went. I wanted to be the first person he ran into as he came offstage, because I wanted him with all I had in me, especially after hearing his sultry singing voice.
The energy between us sparked, and it only took him a moment to agree to a hookup. When he snapped my picture and texted it to his friend, it made me like him that much more.
As a deputy, how often had I advised college kids to do that very thing? “Let someone know who you’re leaving with,” I’d imparted dozens of times. Even in our small town, several lives could’ve been spared if the kids had abided by that simple rule.
By the time he returned, I was beginning to salivate at the thought of having this sexy man’s body wrapped around mine.
I wasn’t one for physical affection outside the bedroom, but when he took my hand as we drove my rental to the hotel, I didn’t pull away. This guy felt different, like more than just a quick fuck, although that’s all it could possibly be.
Soon I would be headed for the mountains, miles away from Denver, in the height of winter. At best, I’d only get back here in the spring. More likely, though, my aunt would have me working so many hours I’d be lucky to see Denver next summer.
This was a one-night stand, but damn, I was going to enjoy every minute.
About the Author
Blake Allwood was born in west TN, then moved to Kansas City MO after attending college in Lamoni, Iowa. He met his husband in 1995 and they officially married in 2015, once gay marriage was legalized. In 2017, he and his husband sold their home, purchased an RV and began traveling the country with their two dogs. Their travels provide the inspiration and settings for many of his novels.
Typically, Blake can be found relaxing in the RV or by the fire with his laptop and their Jack Russell Terrier, Buddy, curled up between his legs demanding attention. Denver, their Siberian Husky mix is often asleep at his feet or playing tug of war with Blake’s husband.
Can Avery open his heart to two soldiers this Christmas?
Blurb
Can Avery open his heart to two soldiers this Christmas?
Felix Hawkins and Zach Walsh fell in love with each other when they were fourteen—and with their best friend’s little brother when they were twenty-three. But at that point, Avery was barely an adult, still wearing hearts in his eyes when he looked at them. Felix was determined that they should wait so that Avery could come to them on even footing, as an adult fully grown and with a clear head. Zach wasn’t sure he could be that patient, but for Felix, and for Avery, he would do anything. So they’ve held out for what feels like forever—and they know what they want for Christmas this year!
Avery McKenna might have crushed on his brother’s best friends once upon a time, but that’s over with now… right? He’s focused on his career, and while his job might not be keeping him warm at night, it’s summer in Sydney; he doesn’t need any extra warmth. Felix and Zach and their charming… everything, can waltz right back out the door because he doesn’t want anything to do with whatever game they’re playing with him. It has to be a game, right? Earth-shattering kisses aside, why would they ever want him for keeps?
Is the beautiful picture they might paint together worth the risk of it all going wrong? Avery has never been a gambler, but he might finally be ready to take a chance on the best Christmas present he’s ever received.
Two Soldiers for Christmas is a roughly 28,000-word MMM older brother’s best friends Christmas novella featuring an established couple adding a third, Christmas shenanigans, and a satisfying HFN ending.
Excerpt
If Zach hadn't already fallen in love with this man, this would have been the moment. The point in a rom-com movie where everything slows down as that realisation kicks in. Except there were no oh fuck feelings to accompany it. It wasn't a surprising feeling for him. Zach welcomed it.
"What are you—?" Avery said, his eyes widening in horror. They widened further when he looked down at himself. "Oh my god."
He slammed the door in their faces.
Felix chuckled. "Think he forgot we were coming?"
Something crashed loudly inside and Zach instantly shoved his bags at Felix and rushed through the—thankfully unlocked—door. If it hadn't been, he would have put his boot through it.
Avery was standing next to a small scaffolding set up, the floor surrounding it covered in white sheets, and dozens of tins of paint in different sizes. There were about six jars of murky water and paintbrushes and a few rollers, along with an iPod speaker dock that had splashes of paint all over it. An iPod that Zach was pretty sure was older than Avery was sitting in it, low Christmas music playing.
The only part of the situation that didn't fit was the paint tin that Avery was holding in his hand, red paint puddled all over the sheets and some of it leaking onto to the tiling.
Avery stared at him, red paint dripping from his hair. "Um..."
"Are you all right?" Felix asked. He took the paint tin from Avery's hand and checked it over while Zach took Avery's face in his hands. Zach turned his head left and right, making sure he hadn't hurt himself. It looked like all the red was just paint, but it was best to be sure.
Avery was still staring, wide-eyed, at him. "Yeah—yes? I'm fine. I just..." He sighed and gestured at the scaffolding with the hand that Felix had just let go of. "Knocked down the paint tin. It's going to take me hours to clean this mess up."
"I think you're supposed to have a harness on when you're up that high," Felix said, looking over the scaffolding with a slight frown on his face.
"It's not high," Avery said.
"Still above regulation height," Felix said.
"Aren't you just a walking inspector?" Avery shot back sarcastically. "It's fine."
"What would happen if you did fall?” Felix’s eyes narrowed. “If you were here alone and hit your head?"
Avery threw his hands up in aggravation. "I guess I would just die?"
Zach bit back his snarled reaction to those words. He knew that Avery wasn't being serious, but it still made him feel like he'd been slammed in the head by a helicopter rotor. He might not have been a medic, but he knew how quickly a head injury could turn bad.
He reached out and grabbed one of the scaffolding legs, and then pushed. It rolled easily under his grip. "You don't even have the safety on," he said flatly.
"So what?"
"So what?" Zach repeated, his voice rising unintentionally. "So have a little more care for your personal safety."
"What, you guys are going to suddenly act like you give a shit about me?" Avery’s hazel eyes were blazing.
"When have we not cared about you?" Felix asked. He sounded like always did—even and level-headed. But Zach knew him too well. He could hear the tremor of hurt that Felix was so good at concealing. Hearing it made anger rise in Zach's stomach. They didn’t deserve that. They’d never been dismissive of Avery, not once, in all the years they’d known him.
"I've been doing this for years and I'm still here, so go pull your big brother act on someone else," Avery said, turning his back dismissively.
Zach whirled him around and trapped him against the scaffolding, bracing himself with one hand gripping tightly to it. "Big brother act?” he bit out. “You think that's what this is?"
Avery's pulse visibly jumped in his throat. The things that Zach wanted to do to him, the thoughts he had, weren't brotherly in any way. He took hold of Avery's chin and stroked his thumb across it, just under the alluring curve of his bottom lip. Avery's pupils dilated, his lips parting in shock.
