Title: Caramel and Magnolias
Author: Tess Thompson
Release date: February 1, 2013
Genre: Contemporary
Women’s Fiction; Contemporary Romance
Age Group: Adult
Book Description:
Bestselling author
Tess Thompson, whose debut novel Riversong
touched the hearts of readers worldwide, delivers a captivating and suspenseful
tale of the possibilities that await us in life and in love – if we can find
the courage to get off the sidelines.
Crushed by a broken
heart, ten years ago Cleo Tanner walked away from her acting dreams and now
leads a quiet, secluded life in Seattle.
Sylvia, her best friend from college, is trapped in a loveless marriage,
distraught by her desire to have a child – until an adoption agency owner in
relentless pursuit of Cleo offers to help.
Just as Sylvia begins
to experience a love so profound that only a mother can feel, a detective
approaches Cleo with disturbing questions about the adoption agency. Determined to protect her friend,
Cleo jumps into a dangerous investigation that forces her to confront the
ghosts of her past.
A toast to
friendship, motherhood, mended hearts and new beginnings, Caramel and Magnolias reminds us it’s never too late to reawaken
the heart.
Excerpt #2
It was Monday, later
afternoon; Cleo sat at the nearly empty bar, celebrating the last day of school
by munching on the only salad on the menu, a surprisingly good Caesar with
grilled chicken, and sipping on a pint of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Nick was
taking drink orders at a table near the back, from a group of young men dressed
in button-down shirts and khakis – a group from the same office, she guessed.
She glanced at the man at the end of the bar. He was here the other night, she
remembered. He’d been reading a newspaper. This afternoon he sipped green tea,
occasionally twisting the cup in a circle.
She stole glances at
him in the mirror. He was handsome in a rakish kind of way. Did anyone use the
word rakish anymore, she wondered? If not, they should.
Then, in a habit
leftover from drama school, moving her salad around the plate, she began to
concoct a story about him. He was the type who could have any woman in the bar
if he wanted, with just a smile and a compliment, especially given the way his
dark blond curls fell over his forehead. His lips were too full for a man.
Indeed, they were the lips of a player, of a man aiming to get a woman into bed
and leave before the sun rose in the sky. He was a charmer who lured innocent
women into his bed only to play the I don’t want a commitment song in the
morning. Or, perhaps he was a grifter, looking to bamboozle lonely, innocent
women into a Ponzi scheme.
“Cleo Tanner?”
She jumped, startled.
Had he just said her name? She shifted on her barstool to look over at him,
somewhat frightened. “How did you know my name?”
He reached into his
jacket pocket and pulled out a badge. “I’m a cop. You have a minute to answer
some questions about Scott Moore?”
“What do you want to
know?” She tried to sound more sure of herself than she was. “I don’t know him
that well.”
“You dating him?”
“No. He’s a friend.
Sort of. His agency helped my best friend adopt a baby. Just two days ago, in
fact.” She took a deep breath. Why was she rambling, like she was guilty of
something?
“I’m investigating
Moore for some possible illegal activity related to his adoption agency.”
Her
stomach lurched. “I don’t understand.” What did he mean? It felt like she was
turning pages of a book, trying to find the place where she’d left off. She
took a deep breath, thinking only one thing. Sylvia.
Giveaway per blog: (1) eBook copy of CARAMEL AND MAGNOLIAS.
Books will be sent from the publisher. All ebook formats available (mobi, epub,
pdf). Open International.
About the Author
Tess Thompson is a novelist and
playwright with a BFA in Drama from the University of Southern California. In
2011, she released her first novel, Riversong, which subsequently became a
bestseller.
Like her main character in Caramel and Magnolias, Tess is from a
small town in Southern Oregon. She currently lives in Seattle, Washington with
her two young daughters, Emerson and Ella, and their puppy Patches. She is
inspired daily by the view of the Cascade Mountains from her home office
window.
Author social media links:
@tesswrites
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tess-Hardwick/141591029237536?fref=ts
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