A mix-and-match mock engagement?
The Magnate's Mail-Order Bride
The McNeill Magnates #1
Joanne Rock
Releasing April 4th, 2017
Harlequin Desire
A
mix-and-match mock engagement?
Ballerina Sofia Koslov's career is on the line when she's accosted at the airport by a rich, reckless playboy who thinks she's his mail-order bride! But the playboy's levelheaded brother, Quinn McNeill, solves the media snafu with a switcheroo. He'll pretend to be her legitimate fiancé to protect her reputation—and to protect his family's business deals from her father's wrath. Sofia's one condition: they'll share the spotlight as a loving couple but won't share a bed. But soon Quinn's gentlemanly ways strike a chord, and Sofia's dying to renege on that condition and have a real fling…
Ballerina Sofia Koslov's career is on the line when she's accosted at the airport by a rich, reckless playboy who thinks she's his mail-order bride! But the playboy's levelheaded brother, Quinn McNeill, solves the media snafu with a switcheroo. He'll pretend to be her legitimate fiancé to protect her reputation—and to protect his family's business deals from her father's wrath. Sofia's one condition: they'll share the spotlight as a loving couple but won't share a bed. But soon Quinn's gentlemanly ways strike a chord, and Sofia's dying to renege on that condition and have a real fling…
“I never
would have guessed your brother would spend a small fortune on a ring for a
woman he never met.” She edged out of his grip. “I thought he was a romantic, not
completely certifiable.”
Quinn’s smile
faded. “I assure you, Cameron is neither.” He set the ring on the steamer trunk
beside her. “I’ll let you decide whether or not to wear it in the morning. And
in the meantime, I’d better let you get some rest.”
He rose to
his feet, leaving a priceless piece of jewelry balanced on last month’s Vogue.
“Quinn.” She
stood to follow him to the door then reached back to grab the ring so she could
return it. “Please. I don’t feel right keeping this here.”
He turned to
face her as he reached the door, but made no move to take the glittering ring.
“If you were
my bride-to-be, I would spare no expense to show the world you were mine.” His
blue eyes glowed with a warmth that had her remembering his kiss. Her breath
caught in her chest and she wondered what it might be like for him to call her
that for real.
Mine.
“I’m—” At a total loss for words. “That is—”
She folded the diamond into her hand, squeezing it tightly so the stones
pressed into her soft skin, distracting her from her hypnotic awareness of this
man. “If you insist.”
“It’s a
matter of believability, Sofia.”
“It’s only
for one month.” She wasn’t sure if she said it to remind him or herself.
“We’ll work
out the details tomorrow.” He reached to smooth a strand of hair from her
forehead, barely touching her and still sending shimmers of pleasure along her
temple and all the way down the back of her neck. “Sleep well.”
She didn’t
even manage to get her voice working before he was out the door again, leaving
her alone in a suddenly too empty apartment.
Squeezing the
ring tighter in her fist, she waited for the pinch of pain from the sharp edges
of the stones. She needed to remember that this wasn’t real. Quinn McNeill had
only agreed to this mad scheme to clean up his brother’s mess. Any hint of
attraction she felt needed to be squashed immediately, especially since Quinn
was cut from the same mold as her father—focused on business and the
accumulation of wealth. Her world was about art, emotions and human
connections.
Her mother
had taught her that people did not fall into both camps. In Sofia’s experience
it was true. And since she wanted her own relationships to be meaningful bonds
rooted in shared creativity and ideals, she was willing to wait until she had
more time in her life to find the right partner. Romance could not be rushed.
“It’s only
for a month,” she said aloud again, forcing herself to set the engagement ring
on the hallway table.
Surely she
could keep up her end of a fake engagement for the sake of appearances? She’d
made countless sacrifices for her career, from dancing on broken toes to living
away from her family on the other side of the globe to train with Russian
ballet masters.
Ignoring the
sensual draw of Quinn McNeill couldn’t possibly be more difficult than those
challenges.
Yet, even as
she marched herself off to bed, she feared she was lying to herself that she
could keep her hands off the man anywhere near as easily as she’d set down the
ring.
Four-time
RITA nominee Joanne Rock has never met a romance sub-genre she didn't
like. The author of over seventy books enjoys writing a wide range of stories,
most recently focusing on sexy contemporaries and small town family sagas. An
optimist by nature and perpetual seeker of silver linings, Joanne finds romance
fits her life outlook perfectly--love is worth fighting for. A frequent speaker
at regional and national writing conferences she enjoys giving back to the
writing community that nurtured and inspired her early career. She has a Masters
degree in Literature from the University of Louisville but credits her fiction
writing skills to her intensive study with friend and fellow author Catherine
Mann. When she's not writing, Joanne enjoys travel, especially to see her
favorite sports teams play with her former sports editor husband and three
athletic-minded sons.
Thank you so much for hosting me on the blog during my release week!!
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