The
Heart of the Hunter by Natalie-Nicole Bates
Published: December 2013
After a devastating accident, Barret Atkins has accepted a quiet, solitary existence. His life is turned upside down, when he finds the badly injured Kansas Smith, left for dead in a case of mistaken identity. As Kansas begins to recover, Barret must face some deep scars of his own. When the couple begin to fall for each other, their lives spin into a revival of past hurts, jealousies, and betrayals, causing Barret to put a halt to their budding relationship. Barret’s hesitation causes his best friend-turned vicious rival, Duncan Craig, to pursue a friendship with Kansas. Where will this leave Barret? Can they all hold on long enough to escape Kansas’s attacker, and will they ever conquer their own inner demons intent on keeping them apart?
* Contains heavy adult situations and themes. 18+ Recommended.
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Word Count: 54,000
Publisher: Gypsy Angel Book
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Get your copy on Amazon & Barnes & Noble!
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Now on to the scavenger hunt! A special excerpt has been written
exclusively for this event and can only be found on the participating blogs. Twenty words have been removed & it’s
up to you to find these key words on the blogs taking part.
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Excerpt
“So, what’s it
like to be married to a rock star?”
Kansas heard this
question so many times during her ten year marriage to Quinn that it now caused
her head to ache. She didn’t want to talk about her ex-husband with Barret. Still,
she knew a lot of people were _______ about marriage to a celebrity.
“Ex, Barret, ex.
Quinn isn’t my husband any longer. But to answer your question, Barret, I’ve
known Quinn since I was ten years old. When he was Sean Marshall, an ________
person, long before he ever became Quinn Michaels.”
The resentment was
evident in her voice. She didn’t want him to think she lived some fairy tale
existence with Quinn. In the end, Quinn was just a man with many foibles who
was admired by millions _______ of a pretty face and a beautiful voice.
Attributes that Quinn took full _________ of.
“I’m sorry, I
didn’t mean to pry. It’s just…I’ve wondered why…” he hesitated.
She knew what he
was getting at. “______ not prying, Barret. If you want to know why Quinn and I
are no longer married, just ask.”
“Kansas,” he
touched her cheek, “you are the sweetest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever known,
and after his ________ visit here, I can tell Quinn still loves you.”
There was such a
soft look in his blue eyes, and once again, Kansas couldn’t __________ why
Barret thought nothing more of her than just a surrogate little sister. Didn’t
he realize how good they could be together?
“Be that as it
may, Barret, Quinn and I will never again be a couple,” she said firmly. “Once
a cheater, always a cheater. I __________ the articles in the weekly rags, and
the chatter on the internet for a very long time. But when Lynsey Reznor came
into his life, I knew I had to get out with what little dignity I still had.”
He cocked his
head. “Lynsey Reznor? That name is so familiar.”
“She’s a very
__________ true-crime writer from Miami. You can’t walk past a bookstore or
watch the Crime Central channel without seeing her.”
Barret averted his
eyes. “Oh, that Lynsey Reznor.”
“I can’t hate her
too much, though. Apparently she was as ________ to my existence, as I was to
hers. She dumped Quinn when she _____ out he was married.”
He shook his head.
“Men like your ex-husband give all men a bad name. If we were married, you
never would have to worry that I would give a woman a ______ look. I’m loyal to
a fault.”
If only, she
thought.
“Well, if anything
came out of it, you must be pretty well financially set after your divorce.”
For a ______, she
considered lying to him, pretend to be a broken little divorcee. But in an
instant, she knew she wanted to keep her relationship with Barret honest.
“My financial
settlement with Quinn is public knowledge. For ten years, I receive a certain
percentage of his previous year’s earnings. If I remarry, all financial support
ends.”
Barret let out a
low whistle _____ his breath. “I guess you won’t be getting remarried anytime
soon—not for the next years, at least.”
Anger sparked
inside her. “Do you really think I’m that shallow? That all I’m _________ with
is a never ending tap of cash?” she snapped. “Contrary to your belief, I look
_______ to marrying a man who doesn’t need mass love to feed his enormous ego.
I want a home in the suburbs and a garden full of children.
_______, even if I
was all about the money, one of these days Quinn will fall out of favor with
his fans, and the money will dry up.”
She felt the need
to not mention that even if she never saw another penny from Quinn, she would
never be poor.
Kansas didn’t want
to talk any more about money. To her, it didn’t matter what either of them had,
if they were only ________. Even though his kisses were frequent, and his
touches lingered longer on her skin, it was becoming clearer to Kansas with
each passing day that she was deluding herself with the belief that she and Barret
would have a _______ ever after together. Still, she would stubbornly cling to
the small ____ until Barret once and for all, told her to
her face that there would never be anything more between them than good friends.
- January 31st – Carol @ Star Angels’ Reviews
- January 31st – Deborah @ Written by Deb
- January 31st – CCAM @ Mythical Books
- January 31st – Talynn @ Ink in the Book
- January 31st – Todd @ TW Brown on zombies, Border Collies, and the Indie Writing Scene
- January 31st – END: Laurie @ Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews
~ About the Author ~
Natalie-Nicole Bates is a book reviewer and author.
Her passions in life include books and hockey along with Victorian and Edwardian era photography and antique poison bottles. Natalie contributes her
uncharacteristic love of hockey to being born in Russia.
She currently resides in the UK where she is working on her next book and adding to her collection of 19th century post-mortem photos.
Her passions in life include books and hockey along with Victorian and Edwardian era photography and antique poison bottles. Natalie contributes her
uncharacteristic love of hockey to being born in Russia.
She currently resides in the UK where she is working on her next book and adding to her collection of 19th century post-mortem photos.
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Giveaway
There is an international tour wide giveaway.
Prizes include
the following:
· Grand Prize: $20 Amazon Gift Card
·Two Runner Ups: $5 Amazon Gift Card
Thank you so much for hosting The Heart of the Hunter at your wonderful blog!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure!!! ;*) That is very sweet of you!! <3 Thank You for the invite! <3
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