Saturday, February 2, 2013

Beauty from Pain by Georgia Cates Excerpt & Giveaway

They agreed on three months...but their love knew no boundaries.
Jack McLachlan is a winemaking magnate and easily one of Australia’s most eligible bachelors. His success and wealth makes him no stranger to the complications of romantic relationships and that’s why he goes to extreme measures to avoid the hassle. He prefers simplicity in the form of a beautiful female companion with no strings attached. He arranges relationships like business deals and they’re always the same. No long term relationships. No real names.
It’s his game and his rules. He’s content to play as usual, but when Laurelyn Prescott enters his life, his strategy must change because this player is like none he's ever encountered. His world is turned on its head after he begins a three month affair with the beautiful American musician. Nothing goes according to plan and as he breaks more and more of his own rules for her, she’s exceptionally close to becoming something he never thought possible. His ultimate game changer.

EXCERPT
Jack McLachlan’s POV

I sit in the dark corner and scan the room like a starved predator searching for prey. I haven’t chosen her yet, but the woman who will share my bed for the next few months is in this room right now.
I watch a lovely blond approach my table. “What can I bring you?” Hmm. A waitress—not at all my usual taste.
I have a type. Attractive. Mature. Refined. This barmaid meets the attractive requirement well enough, but she’s void of refinement or maturity as displayed by her choice of apparel—a white, barely there tank top and frazzled cutoff denim shorts. She doesn’t do it for me. Plus, my last two companions were blond. I want a different flavor this time, but no redheads. I want a brunette. A beautiful one.
I remind myself I’m not in Sydney where I have an endless variety of sophisticated women from which to choose. My choices are more limited in the small town of Wagga Wagga, but that doesn’t mean I have to settle for the first attractive woman I see.
“I’ll have a Shiraz.”
I’m prepared for a more prolonged relationship this time—three whole months instead of the usual three or four weeks. I’m looking forward to keeping this one around a little longer, and that’s all the more reason to be certain I make a wise choice.
I begin my search of the club with the first table toward the front of the room. A brunette beauty sits with a group of women. I watch her for a while, but decide she’s too friendly with the woman sitting next to her. Lesbians aren’t in my repertoire.
I spend the next hour scanning the club and come up empty-handed. I’m discouraged. No one stands out as the one and this club is by far my best bet for meeting single women in this town. Maybe I should consider coming back another time when it’s not open mic night. Tonight, the place is crawling with boozed college students.
Tonight’s search has been a failure, but at least the karaoke was entertaining.
I’m finishing off the last of my wine before I leave when an announcer from the club takes the stage and asks for the next singer to step forward. A small group of people across the room nominates one of its own. My view of the poor bastard is blocked by the crowd of intoxicated kids standing between us, but I’m certain this is going to be another delightful train wreck.
The club erupts into cheer and chants. “Do. It. Do. It. Do. It.” A young woman walks onto the stage and stands with her back to the crowd as she lifts a guitar from its stand. She lifts its strap over her head and then tosses her long brown hair over one shoulder. When she’s finished settling the guitar into place, she circles around and sits on the stool in the middle of the stage.
She’s beautiful. And somehow overlooked during my search.
She’s wearing a short ivory dress and a denim jacket with brown cowgirl boots. She bares her thighs as she lifts her feet to rest on the bottom rail, but she’s careful to push her dress between her legs so she doesn’t provide a peep show to the crowd.
She strums the borrowed guitar a few times and then leans into the microphone. “Is everyone having a good time tonight?”
She’s American. I think. Her accent sounds different—not like what I’ve heard in the past.
The crowd erupts into a drunken cheer and I hear a man’s voice yell over the crowd, “It’s better now, sweet thing!”
She smiles and adjusts the mic. “I’m not from around here. It’s my first night in Australia.”
“Leave with me and I’ll make you feel right at home!” a man shouts from the back of the room.
She ignores the fat, ugly bastard yelling at her. “I don’t know what kind of music Australians like, but this has been one of my favorites for as long as I can remember.” She strums a few more chords. “This is ‘Crash Into Me’ by the Dave Matthews Band.”
She sings it slower than the original, putting her own twist on it. Her voice is raspy and sexy, her eyes closed. She oozes eroticism. She tilts her head and opens her eyes when she begins to sing the chorus. I swear it feels like she’s looking right in my direction, singing to me. “Oh, and you come craasshh … into me. And I come into … you … And I come into you … in a boy’s dream … in a boy’s dream.”
The stage lights shine in her face and common sense tells me she can’t see me sitting in the dark corner at the back of the club, but that doesn’t stop me from hoping.
She finishes the chorus and shuts her eyes again. Her long legs bounce against the rail of the stool to keep rhythm and I fall victim to her siren’s song. She has bewitched me. And I want her. She’s the one.
The author is giving away an eBook copy of Beauty from Pain to one of you! Winners will be given a coupon code to download the format of their choice from Smashwords. Just fill out the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

21 comments:

Mikki D said...

Thank you for the giveaway :)

Anonymous said...

Multumim pentru concurs, am trimis si eu un e-mail, dar cum nu prea am succes cu rafturile acestea nu imi fac prea mari sperante :))

Anonymous said...

Cat despre carte, este nemaipomenita, am mai vazut-o undeva si mi-a aras atentia datorita subiectului abordat ;)) multumim pentrru concurs;))

Unknown said...

interesant concursul. eu voi spune next nu ma prea inscriu la concursuri cu carti in engleza

Anonymous said...

sincer, nicieu, dar aceasta ma atrage , nustiu de ce anume, poate datorita faptului ca este intr-o limba pe care desi o aud mereu in jurul meu, e tot mai misterioasa si mai greoaie

Unknown said...

poate. iti urez mult noroc

Anonymous said...

multumesc mult de tot ...

alexa ioana said...

imi place descrierea cartii, dar nu ma inscriu deoarece nu prea citesc carti ebook ca ma dor ochii sa stau la calculator...:(

Anonymous said...

stii, sper sa aibe acelasi efect si la mine citirea pe e-book in viitorul apropiat, cu ocazia asta pot continua sa imi iau carti in varianta normala...

Unknown said...

doamne le urasc. ma obosesc groaznic

Anonymous said...

plus ca vederea se diminueaza ...si ai senzatii ciudate ..nu e prea ador ..poate ca o sa reusesc sa le schimb perceptia alor mei..iubesc cartile normale

Unknown said...

si eu sa le simti asa cand dai pagina, sa o admiri in biblioteca. ebook nu are nici un farmec

Anonymous said...

da, dar din pacate sunt multe carti bune la care nu avem acces si mai mult decat atat stiinta si tehnologia evolueaza astae partea care ma inspaimanta pe mine :)) tehnologia ;))

Unknown said...

stiu o sa ajungem sa le vorbim copiilor nostri despre cum odata se citeau carti normal nu e book si o sa le spunem ce mult ne placea si o sa ne zica: ce invechita esti mami=))

Tina B said...

I loved that excerpt! Thank you for the chance to read it. :)

Anonymous said...

da Bia va fi asa ciudat, da rsunt curioasa daca le vor citii si pe alea ;)) tot ce vreau eu e sa scada preturile la carti, cu toate ca sunt un lux pentru multi , putini cititori, ei mai umfla preturile in speranta ca se vor vinde si ne vor lua banii pe ele ..nu e o strategie rea , dar nici buna pt noi cumparatorii de carti ;))

Alexandra Ioana said...

imi place coperta=))) e tare sexy :))

Alexandra Ioana said...

coperta mi-aduce aminte de cateva scene din fifty shades grey....scuze,da cam asa e.

Anonymous said...

crina k felicitari ;))

Anonymous said...

sincer eu m-am gandit la mai multe secvente din cartearespectiva dar am zis sa nu ma amestec=))

andra lavander said...

seamna cu destul de multe carti de gen pe care le-am citit, si totusi am adaugat-o pe liste cartilor de vara

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