Winter's Magic Blog Hop

 

AUTHOR Bio-
Home is where you hang your hat. A native Missourian, my family relocated twice during my teenage years, taking me from a high school freshman class of over 1,200 students to living in a small town in Kentucky with a total population of less than 1,000.

Home is where your heart is. Despite the culture shock and challenges of those shy, teenage years, I met my true love in that tiny town and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to experience a community where everyone waves, calls you by name, and treats you like family.

 

My husband and I live in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee with our eighteen-year-old son and three dogs. When I’m not working or writing, I can be found with family and friends. I love to bake in the winter, grill in the summer, and on occasion, I sneak away from everyone and curl up with a good book.

 

I hope you enjoy my stories. Each one touches on modern day issues, fears, and challenges that women face every day. And each one illustrates that love is within reach if you let down those walls and allow your heart to open. Our lives and experiences are so much more meaningful when we have someone to share them with.

BLURB:Beth Sergeant and Nick Chester come from opposite ends of the social food chain. While he sees a rare beautiful woman without an agenda, she sees a wealthy playboy. Can he convince her to let go of her insecurities and take a chance on love, when challenges from his past force her to reveal her most guarded secret?

 

Owner of La Bella Vita, a five-star day spa nestled in the affluent suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, Beth Sergeant knows her elite clientele first hand. She attended their private schools. She was even engaged, although briefly, to one of their most recognized bachelors. But she never fit in to their social-elite world.

 

After losing his parents to a car accident at a young age, Nick Chester was raised by his grandfather, the wealthiest man in Nashville. When he chooses to socialize, he has a never-ending list of exclusive events and beautiful women vying for his attention. Yet he never lets himself forget that everyone has an agenda.

Beth can’t resist Nick’s charm and accepts an invitation to dinner, despite her deep-seated insecurities. She proves she’s nothing like other women Nick's dated and learns to trust him in return. But just as the last of their resistance crumbles and true love is within reach, challenges from Nick's past threaten to destroy everything and force Beth to reveal her most guarded secret.

 

Excerpt:

“So, are you still free for dinner tomorrow night?” Nick asked.

 

“I am.” Beth could just imagine what she looked like, standing in front of the craft store with a grin that wouldn’t stop. The temperature had dropped to thirty degrees and flurries had started to fall a few minutes before they’d arrived. She loved the winter. Loved the holidays. A ripple went through her stomach at the thought of possibly sharing Christmas with Nick this year. She quickly stamped it out. She could give in and let herself be excited about the date, but thinking further ahead than tomorrow could be a very bad idea.

 

“We have reservations at Carlino’s for seven o’clock if that works for you.”

 

“Really? You’ll have to tell me your secret. I didn’t think you’d be able to pull it off.”

 

She heard him laugh. “I can’t tell you all my secrets. My grandfather’s cook was a big stretch.”

 

“I bet I can get the truth out of you by the end of dinner.” Beth couldn’t believe her own flirting, yet he played along. Something about him drew the words out of her without thinking.

 

“Hmm. I don’t know.” He paused. “I might be willing to trade secrets. You’ll have to go first, since I’m already one ahead.”

 

“What if I don’t have any?”

 

“Everyone has secrets.” He chuckled.

 

She loved the sound of his voice. And his laugh. Warmth filled her, despite the chill in the air and the snow continuing to fall.

Reveiw:Cynthia Gail’s Winter’s Magic is a captivating read, full of passion, characters you can connect with and vivid descriptions, and her way with words is evident as she enchants you with her ability to weave romantic magic.  It was easy to identify with Beth Sergeant and fell absolutely in love with Nick Chester, the first time they met.

 

Her writing style is gentle and yet full of impact.  If there are a few places where the phraseology had me re-reading, it didn’t pull me out of the story enough to be irritating.

 

Her heroine, Beth, and her hero, Nick, both drew me n from the beginning. Both had the capacity to take life easy, but both embraced life to the full, but when it came to personal emotions… then they were both challenged to face and overcome their trust and identity issues.

It is how the author guides her characters through these challenges, that makes her story so believable. Emotions may rule in Winter’s Magic but there’s nothing sappy about Ms. Gail’s writing or her characters. The twists and set-backs are well paced and believable and the author’s characters all reveal deep and understandable reactions that are displayed from several different view points.

The romance between Beth and Nick is intense and hot, the dialogue between all the characters is lively and delightful in every aspect. The author introduces her readers to a varied cast of characters, as has them playing their parts in moving the story on, to perfection.

This is a delightful, captivating read that is hard to put down once you start reading.

Winter’s Magic is the first of four books in her Music City Hearts series. Spring’s Surprise, Summer’s Family Affair, and Fall’s Redeeming Grace will follow in 2013.

 

LINKS

Amazon  

Barnes& Noble

 

SoulMate Publishing 

 

Twitter 

 

Cynthia will be awarding the following prizes to three randomly drawn commenters during the tour either one $10 Starbucks GC, one $10 Amazon GC, or one $10 Soul Mate Publishing GC.