Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Excerpt & Giveaway ~*~ The Best She Ever Had by Shelly Ellis



The Best She Ever Had
A Gibbons Gold Digger Novel
By: Shelley Ellis
Releasing December 30th, 2014
Kensington


Blurb
One by one, the infamous Gibbons sisters of Chesterton, Virginia, are giving up their gold digging ways--except the eldest, who's holding out for her seven figure man. But her heart may have less expensive tastes. . .

Thanks to her cold-hearted ways with men, Cynthia Gibbons doesn't blame the folks in town for calling her the "Ice Queen." They don't know the secret she's kept for twenty years--that she once fell crazy in love with a guy who had no money, a guy who broke her heart in the worst possible way. But now Korey Walker is back in town, and Cynthia isn't sure how much longer she can keep the biggest secret of all--that she still loves him.

With a divorce behind him, and his new auto repair shop thriving, Korey is looking to the future--until he sets eyes on Cynthia and the past comes roaring back. Even now, Korey doesn't understand Cynthia's hostility--after all, she's the one who broke his heart. He decides to ignore her--until he discovers that his teenage son has fallen for Cynthia's daughter. Determined to stop history from repeating itself, Korey and Cynthia will have to band together. But will keeping their kids apart bring them closer--or destroy their lives for good?

  

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21535298-the-best-she-ever-had

Buy Links
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Excerpt
“Looks like my friend’s here,” Derrick said.
Cynthia turned to follow his gaze. She spotted a tow truck gliding toward them with its engine chugging loudly, drowning out the other roadway noise.
The truck was haloed by the afternoon sun. Cynthia raised her hand to her brow to block out the blinding light. She squinted. When she recognized the man in the driver’s seat, her bright smile faded. Her mouth fell open, aghast.
That’s your friend?” she squeaked.
“Yeah, that’s Korey.” Derrick noticed the change in her facial expression. “Why? What’s wrong?”
Cynthia glanced nervously at Derrick as the truck came to a stop not far from where they stood. Her pulse started to race. Her throat went dry. Sweat instantly formed on her brow and underneath her arms. She felt cornered, like a bank robber who had flubbed a getaway after a robbery, had hit a dead end, and now saw red and white flashing lights swirling behind her.
“Are you okay?” Derrick asked, touching her shoulder. “You look flushed.”
“I’m fine,” she lied, clearing her throat. She shrugged off his hand. “I’m fine . . . really. I’m just a little h-hot . . . th-that’s all.”
Derrick stared at her warily.
The driver of the tow truck killed the engine and threw open his car door. Cynthia fought the urge to bolt. Her car wasn’t that far away. She could make it before he even reached them. Instead, she forced herself to stay put and watched as he climbed out of the truck and stepped onto the asphalt. After slamming the door shut, he casually strolled toward them.
God, he hasn’t changed! Even after all these years, Cynthia thought.
Korey Walker still looked the same way he had looked almost twenty years ago when they were in high school together, except now he had a few sprinkles of gray hair on his head and in the beard stubble on his russet-brown cheeks. But he was still tall, still muscular, and still handsome as the devil, which was one reason why she had avoided going anywhere near his auto body and repair shop in Chesterton since he had opened it a little more than a year ago.
Back when they were younger, Korey had been the kryptonite to her Superman, and she had been powerless under his spell. Though decades had passed since those days, Cynthia feared she would be powerless again if she got near him—and she didn’t need the confusion he could bring to her life. Korey was not the right man for her now, just as he hadn’t been the right man for her back then. But there was no avoiding him today.
“Thanks for coming, man,” Derrick said, stepping forward. He and Korey embraced, then shook hands and slapped one another’s backs.
They were quite the contrast: Derrick in his chic, immaculate suit, and Korey in his oil- and greased-stained navy blue shirt and pants, with grime on his hands and dirt under his nails. But even in his shoddy attire, Korey was by far the sexier of the two.

Hands down, she thought.

Author Info
Shelly Ellis is the penname of women's fiction/romance author and creator of the Gibbons Gold Digger series. Her fiction writing career began when she became one of four finalists in a First-Time Writers Contest when she was 19 years old. The prize was a publishing contract and having her first short-story romance appear in an anthology. Since then she has published six novels and two short stories in anthologies.

She is married and lives in Maryland with her husband and their daughter.

Author LinksWebsite | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads


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