March Madness has come to an end, but not without a bit of spice and a hint of joy in your life. Suzette Harrison is joining us on the final day to share her latest release, My Joy. She's giving away a My Joy water bottle. Leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway. BLURB Joy Matthews isn’t afraid of risks. She’s quit her Fortune 500 job and enrolled in culinary school, chasing her dream. Joy wants her own couture cake boutique. Pursuing her dream by day, Joy pays the bills working nights at The Hourglass—an exclusive gentlemen’s club catering to patrons who enjoy a little extra fine on a woman’s frame. Joy’s catching up to her dream when a chance encounter reconnects her with Quinton Daley, a childhood friend. Mutual attraction throws the proverbial wrench in Joy’s relationship-phobic, happily agnostic life. A goal-oriented woman who ‘doesn’t do men with Bible breath,’ Joy sees in Quinton a whole lot of what she likes but doesn’t need. Tall, chocolate-skinned, and born-again, Quinton’s Christianity poses a risk even the tenacious Joy isn’t willing to take. Quinton Daley isn’t fazed. He’s a man of faith who’ll willingly wait on Joy to come to God…and him. When love and lust heat up, Joy and Quinton face a predicament. Will they indulge? Or abstain? Join this wild mix of custom cakes, a saved, sanctified and sexy man, and an obsessed patron from The Hourglass who’s determined to make Joy’s life a sticky mess. It’s a recipe for a read that’s wickedly witty and delicious. Excerpt... “Why do you call me that?” “What?” The man was cute even when confused. “‘Baby’, Que. You realize you do, right?” He shrugged. “Guess it’s just natural. You need me not to?” I need you! No! No, no! No! Every devil was a lie. Joy Matthews won’t be needing a man. I might want one. But need? Thank. You. No, indeed. Indicating for Que to follow, I walked off the porch, preventing Mama and Miss Madeline further ear-hustling. I stopped at my SUV parked in Mama’s driveway illuminated by streetlights and a full moon reflecting in Quinton’s beautiful eyes. “So, you find it natural for friends to call friends terms of endearment typically reserved for folks in romantic relationships?” I sounded weirdly defensive. “Are you offended?” “What I am is not wanting to get things twisted.” I crossed my arms, feeling myself morphing into militant mode. “To resume an unfinished conversation, there’s a mutual attraction between us. Right?” Leaning back as if to better see me, Que merely nodded. “You’re unable to be booed up,” I continued, wondering at the source of all the heat in me. “Still, you’re flirtatious. You send signals and drop words like this is some quasi-relationship.” “What signals, Joy?” “Quinton, you just kissed me.” The man had the nerve to laugh. “On your doggone forehead, Bab—”. He stopped, catching himself in the act. “Listen. Joy, I’m an affectionate man. If that’s problematic for you, I’ll apologize and pull back.” Crazy thing is, I did but didn’t want that. Never thought I could get into anything not leading to horizontal between the sheets, but I liked the innocence of Que’s flirtatiousness, his gentle touches. They were without expectation, or demand. Giving. Not taking. But obviously, for me, that didn’t compute easily. “Are you suspicious of me?” Well…bam! There’s that. I’m sure these gold-speckled eyes reflected surprise at Que calling my craziness on the carpet. Suspicious? Maybe, yes. What would this man want from me if not booty? Sensual, sexual was the way I managed mine. Guess my question to self was: could I do differently? “This here,” I made swirly motions between us, “is foreign territory.” Que slid his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Are you afraid of that?” “You do recall my telling you I don’t do relationships. Right? I wasn’t lying.” Que flashed that sexy, one-dimpled smile. “I see that.” “So what’re you after, Que? You’re saved. I need sex.” Quinton laughed that rich, deep laugh again. “Dang, woman, can I just get to know you?” “You already do.” “Okay, Joy,” Quinton muttered, doing that head-tilted-hand-over-mouth-this-woman-is-cray-cray thing brothers do. Exhaling, he looked at me. “It’s cool. Let’s keep this one-dimensional for your comfort.” “So now I’m shallow?” Tossing his hands up, Que reclined against my vehicle. “You’re not gonna let a brother win for nothing!” I had to laugh. “I can’t stand you.” “Because?” he demanded, all innocent. “You’re adding complexity to my uncomplicated life.” I fell silent before blurting, “You don’t get to be sexy as hell and a saved, sanctified Christian!” Quinton was blushing and smiling. “So you were wanting to get with this, huh?” “Whatever, Que…” We stood there grinning and goofy. Que reached out a hand. I took it. We continued looking at each other, cloaked by the sweetest kind of silence. “Why do you call me that?” “What?” The man was cute even when confused. “‘Baby’, Que. You realize you do, right?” He shrugged. “Guess it’s just natural. You need me not to?” I need you! No! No, no! No! Every devil was a lie. Joy Matthews won’t be needing a man. I might want one. But need? Thank. You. No, indeed. Indicating for Que to follow, I walked off the porch, preventing Mama and Miss Madeline further ear-hustling. I stopped at my SUV parked in Mama’s driveway illuminated by streetlights and a full moon reflecting in Quinton’s beautiful eyes. “So, you find it natural for friends to call friends terms of endearment typically reserved for folks in romantic relationships?” I sounded weirdly defensive. “Are you offended?” “What I am is not wanting to get things twisted.” I crossed my arms, feeling myself morphing into militant mode. “To resume an unfinished conversation, there’s a mutual attraction between us. Right?” Leaning back as if to better see me, Que merely nodded. “You’re unable to be booed up,” I continued, wondering at the source of all the heat in me. “Still, you’re flirtatious. You send signals and drop words like this is some quasi-relationship.” “What signals, Joy?” “Quinton, you just kissed me.” The man had the nerve to laugh. “On your doggone forehead, Bab—”. He stopped, catching himself in the act. “Listen. Joy, I’m an affectionate man. If that’s problematic for you, I’ll apologize and pull back.” Crazy thing is, I did but didn’t want that. Never thought I could get into anything not leading to horizontal between the sheets, but I liked the innocence of Que’s flirtatiousness, his gentle touches. They were without expectation, or demand. Giving. Not taking. But obviously, for me, that didn’t compute easily. “Are you suspicious of me?” Well…bam! There’s that. I’m sure these gold-speckled eyes reflected surprise at Que calling my craziness on the carpet. Suspicious? Maybe, yes. What would this man want from me if not booty? Sensual, sexual was the way I managed mine. Guess my question to self was: could I do differently? “This here,” I made swirly motions between us, “is foreign territory.” Que slid his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Are you afraid of that?” “You do recall my telling you I don’t do relationships. Right? I wasn’t lying.” Que flashed that sexy, one-dimpled smile. “I see that.” “So what’re you after, Que? You’re saved. I need sex.” Quinton laughed that rich, deep laugh again. “Dang, woman, can I just get to know you?” “You already do.” “Okay, Joy,” Quinton muttered, doing that head-tilted-hand-over-mouth-this-woman-is-cray-cray thing brothers do. Exhaling, he looked at me. “It’s cool. Let’s keep this one-dimensional for your comfort.” “So now I’m shallow?” Tossing his hands up, Que reclined against my vehicle. “You’re not gonna let a brother win for nothing!” I had to laugh. “I can’t stand you.” “Because?” he demanded, all innocent. “You’re adding complexity to my uncomplicated life.” I fell silent before blurting, “You don’t get to be sexy as hell and a saved, sanctified Christian!” Quinton was blushing and smiling. “So you were wanting to get with this, huh?” “Whatever, Que…” We stood there grinning and goofy. Que reached out a hand. I took it. We continued looking at each other, cloaked by the sweetest kind of silence. BIO Suzette D. Harrison, a native Californian and the middle of three daughters, grew up in a home where reading was required, not requested. Her literary “career” began in junior high school with the publishing of her poetry. While Mrs. Harrison pays homage to Alex Haley, Gloria Naylor, Alice Walker, Langston Hughes, and Toni Morrison as legends who inspired her creativity, it was Dr. Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings that unleashed her writing. The award-winning author of Taffy is a wife and mother who holds a culinary degree in Pastry & Baking. Mrs. Harrison is busy cooking up her next novel…in between batches of cookies. CONTACT Facebook: http://bit.ly/1VFrFVI Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2nGiVDl Instagram: http://bit.ly/1sutYiw Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2jKacLx Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ariasu62 YouTube: http://bit.ly/2gTnRPX Don't forget to reply for a chance to win!
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When two people know what they want, and they're both longing for the same thing...each other...the decision should be easy, right? It doesn't seem so in today's March Madness post. Join Ann Marie Bryan for another March Madness giveaway. Simply leave a comment on her blog post to be entered. About A Place For My Heart... Crushed by heartache and desperate for an escape, he makes a life-changing choice. When Chandler Peynard staggers into Sabrina Benjamin’s life, he is desperate for an escape route. Battling feelings of isolation, he has erected barriers around his heart, often times leaving a trail of broken dreams behind him. Sabrina’s happily-ever-after was ripped away months ago, but she hasn’t given up on finding love. Still, she is caught off guard by her feelings for Chandler, a man who could hardly be described as a model man of God. As an unexpected bond develops between them, she wants more—a lot more than Chandler is prepared to give, because falling in love and putting down roots are not a part of his plan. Touched by Sabrina’s kindness and faith, Chandler makes a life-changing choice; however, complication is inevitable when the past he’d thought was long buried, pushes him to confront matters he would have given anything to forget. As he struggles to release himself from his past and embrace the future, he offers Sabrina a place in his heart, but she demands all of it. In a season that has brought so many changes, Chandler longs for peace in his soul and yearns for love. Will he trust God with all of his heart in order to overcome his past? Will he be able to testify that God’s grace wins every time? Will he find the strength to take a chance at life and love with Sabrina? Excerpt... She rushed after him, desperation urging her on. His hand on the door knob, Chandler swallowed hard, attempting to tame his desire. She was now standing behind him…way too close. “You were saying?” he asked, hoping his tone would not betray him. “I want to-to…” Sabrina pushed out a frustrated sigh as she searched for the right words. “I want to hug you but I can’t. I mean, it’s best that we don’t.” She paused, and then anguish filled her voice. “Could you at least look at me?” Chandler pushed his hands in his pants pockets and turned to look directly into her eyes, a look he’d perfected for professional settings. “You have my attention.” She fought hard not to fidget under his gaze. “Don’t make this any more difficult than it is.” He did not respond, but his eyes dropped to her lips, and he leaned in. No-no-no, don’t do that. Then, heat flushed her face. It was she who was on tip-toes. Download Now... About Ann Marie Bryan... Ann Marie Bryan is a dedicated, graceful, multi-talented leader with a passion for excellence. She is the CEO & Founder of Victorious By Design, an organization committed to providing top quality professional writing services, comprehensive personal and professional development programs and exceptional performing arts services to meet the unique needs of individuals and organizations. A Christian Fiction author, Ann Marie writes to educate, inspire and empower others. She desires to tell great stories with fascinating characters to show the awesome power of God in the lives of people and places. Shades of the Heart is the first book in her bestselling, Encounters of the Heart series. Book 2 - Mirrored Hearts: Sealed By Fire was released February 2016. Her new release, A Place For My Heart, is the highly anticipated third installment in the series. Ann Marie's greatest passion is to empower others to succeed by tapping into their God-given potential. She enjoys writing, reading, dancing, teaching, meeting people and traveling. With all the knowledge and experiences that God has so graciously blessed her with, Ann Marie is determined to make her life a ministry for the Lord. LET’S STAY CONNECTED Website: http://www.annmariebryan.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorannmariebryan Facebook Readers’ group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/authorannmariebryan Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorabryan Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorabryan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorabryan Newsletter (monthly): http://eepurl.com/bOw6sr Google+: https://plus.google.com/118441643599687205816 Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ann-Marie-Bryan/e/B008VTK62O Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6448888.Ann_Marie_Bryan Email: abryan@victoriousbydesign.com Don't forget to reply for a chance to win! To join this blog simply click "Follow This Blog," "Subscribe," or "Email" links in the upper right corner. For exclusive content, contests, cover reveals, and more join my newsletter. - See more at: http://www.chelleramsey.com/beautifully-inspired-blog/march-madness-savannah#comments Undeniably Chelle...
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