small town, celebrity in hiding, steamy rom-com, insta-heat
May 01, 2023 11:01 am
Hello! I'm thoroughly enjoying the beautiful weather. Everything's turning green, and flowers are beginning to bloom. I absolutely love this time of year! The 30-Day Self-Care Challenge I started in my reader group prompted me to get out from behind my desk and start walking outdoors again. I downloaded an app to keep track of my steps with a goal of 6,000 steps at least five days a week. I'm hitting my goal! It feels good to get out and move.
Have you set some self-care goals? I'd love to hear about them and cheer you on.
Thank you for hitting reply last week with your suggestions for what comes next in the Home Wreckers world and sharing your thoughts on the kinds of series' you'd love to see in the future.
Scroll for all the goodies!
INSTALOVE SPOTLIGHT
This beautiful spring weather has inspired me to share the Honey Ridge Summer series with you. I love this series because it embraces found families. Not everyone feels like they belong in the family they're born into. But everyone needs a place where they feel welcome and accepted despite their differences, flaws, or abilities.
That's the kind of family I imagined for Honey Ridge Summer. The owners of Purple Haze lavender farm and Bee Sweet apiary serve as the matriarch and patriarch of the lost souls that find themselves at home on the farm in Honey Ridge. Bee Stings is where everything begins.
Bee Stings is a small town, celebrity crush, found family, steamy rom-com instalove. There is an extra spicy bonus scene linked at the end of the book.
scroll to read the first chapter
Bee Stings contains copyright material.
Chapter 1
Ali
“Oh, hell no.”
Anger lights in my belly as the motorcycle flips up rocks and dirt across the walking path. It takes every ounce of restraint I have to hold back the barrage of swear words I want to hurl in the biker’s direction. But it’s U-Cut Day at Purple Haze, and customers are milling about enjoying their fresh-cut lavender bouquets.
“Where does he think he’s going? This isn’t some thoroughfare.”
I carefully lay the string lights aside and climb down the ladder. We’ve had enough chaos here the last couple of days. Wednesday evening’s wedding was almost a disaster due to a freak swarm of bees. Anais, the owner of Purple Haze, temporarily shut down the hiking trails as a precaution. The last thing Purple Haze needs is disgruntled bee-stung customers.
We’re able to keep most of the pest population at bay naturally with specific plants, scented candles, and lanterns. They blend in perfectly with event décor. But bees are crucial for pollinating lavender. There's not much to do about them besides cross our fingers. I make a beeline for the walking path and march stiffly in the direction of the biker.
He’s going to get an earful for trespassing like this.
The motorcycle comes to a stop just shy of the tree line. Precisely the spot with the closed sign on the hiking trail. My gut roils with contempt for the jerk's complete disregard for the signs. Anyone with common sense would know this isn't the place for motorized transportation.
By the time I reach the sleek black bike, I'm fuming mad. My fingers wad into fists, and I clench my jaw, gnashing my teeth together. Not only is the biker tearing up the trail, but he’s also costing me precious time. As event coordinator for the lavender farm, it's my job to ensure everything's perfect for tonight’s private event.
He drags the kickstand in place with his boot and throws his far leg over the back of the bike. I stop short a few inches from where he stands. When he turns, we're mere inches apart. His black T-shirt clings to his broad chest, amplifying every bulge and ripple of his taut body. He radiates heat and masculinity. My mouth goes dry, and I swallow hard as my pulse falters.
The dark shield spanning the front of his helmet conceals his identity. But I don’t need to see his face to know he’s sexy as heck and not from around here. I know all the locals. He’s got to be a tourist. Here today, gone tomorrow.
He tilts his head back to unbuckle the chin strap. A scruff of neatly clipped dark hair skitters across his jawline. He pulls the helmet off, and I watch his muscled arms tighten and flex. When our eyes meet, I know him instantly. My lips go numb, and my fingers and toes begin to tingle. Every word that flashed across my brain seconds ago vanishes as I scramble to make sense of what he’s doing here.
Hot damn.
His lips widen into a grin. My tongue darts out across my bottom lip as I watch his Adam's apple bob up and down as he chuckles. I realize I'm gawking like a schoolgirl with a bad crush.
Good grief. What’s gotten into me? It’s not like I haven’t seen an attractive man before. But Mason Carter isn’t an ordinary man.
What’s Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor and confirmed bad boy doing in Honey Ridge?
Gage
I’m used to women staring. Hell, sometimes they cross the line and grab at me. But the strawberry-blonde woman with Cupid’s bow lips standing in front of me isn’t an ordinary fan. She elicits an unfamiliar response in me. A fiery charge ripples through my gut when her pink tongue swipes across her plump lower lip. I’m not sure if it’s her or the fields of purple flowers, but I’m digging the sunshine and floral vibe wafting from her.
“Gage Harley.” I hook my helmet around the rearview and quickly introduce myself before she has a chance to blurt out my stage name. I’m here to blend in, not flaunt my star status. I offer my hand in the small space between our bodies. “My uncle sent me over from Bee Sweet to take a look at your bee problem.”
“I’m…Ali,” She falters before shaking my hand. She cocks her head and eyes me quizzically. “Ali Carmichael. Excuse my staring. I thought you were someone else. We get a lot of visitors here.”
“No harm, no foul.” Electricity surges through my spine when our fingers touch. She's magnetic, and I'm drawn to her instantly.
Honey Ridge is my home away from home. At least it used to be. I spent every summer with Uncle Jaxton growing up. He taught me everything there is to know about bees, honey, and how to take care of them properly. It was the perfect summer job for a teenage boy back in the day, but it wasn't my true calling. Nowadays the visits are few and far between. I'm long overdue for this visit, and I need the privacy this little town provides. Honey Ridge might be a destination hot spot for vacationers. Still, the people who live here year-round take care of one another. I'm hoping they'll treat me like one of their own.
“If Jaxton sent you, where’s your gear?” She eyes the bike as if a beekeeper suit will suddenly appear. “And you can’t ride that thing on the property. This is a walking trail. There are signs posted everywhere. You made a mess of the trail.”
Ali’s a good head shorter than I am. She might lack height, but there’s no shortage of spunk, attitude, and curves. There’s no way to ignore her hourglass figure or her toned arms. She’s feminine in all the right places with the grit of a hard worker.
“Sorry about the bike. Won’t happen again.”
"Damn straight, it won't."
She’s feisty, too. I’d say I liked her better when she looked at me all loopy-like, but I’d be lying to myself. There’s something over-the-top sexy about a spirited woman.
And I have all summer to make her mine.
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Continue reading Ali and Gage's story and find out what happens when Ali missteps and finds herself at Gage's mercy.
Each book in the Honey Ridge Summer series is a standalone read with recurring characters weaved throughout the stories. Guaranteed HEAs with no cliffhangers or cheating.
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I'll check back in on Thursday with some exciting holiday pre-order information. Until then, take care of yourself and enjoy your week!
XOX Piper
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