Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read: Once Upon a Summer Tour and Giveaway

Once Upon A Summer

A Contemporary Romance Anthology

With Stories By:

Brooke Moss, Liz Ashlee, Clara Winter, Tammy Mannersly, Sarah Vance Tompkins, Kitsy Clare, Mark Love, Melissa Kay Clarke

Beaches, boyfriends and danger…summer is certainly hot! Grab a hold tight as these eight authors wow you with stories from sweet to sizzling! After all, every day can have some summer fun!

Breaking Girl Code by Brooke Moss

Aubrey is having the perfect evening out, with the perfect guy, on a perfect summer night. The problem is… Preston’s not her date. His real date is her B.F.F., and she’s passed out in the backseat.

Wishing on Water by Liz Ashlee

After watching everyone’s else’s lives hit huge milestones, all Hope wants is to escape to her boring, unchanging, single life. So, where’s the one logical place to escape to? A retirement home.

Art with a Pulse by Clara Winter

Artist Alice finds herself rescuing a seal on the sands of Laguna Beach with screenwriter Elijah. Can Alice put her past behind her and give Elijah the chance he deserves?

Stepping out of the jeep at the rescue, my flip-flop snagged on the gas pedal and I lost my grip on my scorching hot tea latte. The plastic top came loose, and the tea spilled down the front of my top. Leaping out of the car, I managed to knock most of the liquid off before it scalded my stomach. My flesh was saved, but my vintage tee was likely ruined. I stared, sadly, down at the four-dollar puddle on the floorboard. After grabbing some napkins out of the side pocket of the driver’s side door, I bent over to wipe up my mess. The London Fog was easily soaked up, thanks to the plastic floor mats.

“Having problems?” asked a familiar voice, behind me.

My stomach did a somersault, but I wasn’t ready to turn around. That is, until I realized my rear end was on prominent display. I stood bolt upright, adjusting my tee the best I could. Nothing was going to help this disaster, so I may as well own it.

“Actually, several. Flip flops, jeeps, and hot beverages do not make good bedfellows.” I met Elijah’s sparkling, emerald-green eyes.

He chuckled, producing a half grin. I hated to admit how good he looked. Elijah was probably the only person on the planet who could look pulled together in athletic gear. I wasn’t a fan of the trend, but he looked great in long running shorts and a close fitting, breathable shirt. Although these were the only types of clothes I had seen him in, I was sure he looked amazing in anything.

“Let me take that. I assume we’re here for the same thing.” He reached for my empty coffee cup and wet napkins. Was he the last gentleman on earth? Or was Jude right and I was just bitter?

I thanked him, and he jogged over to a trashcan, then back to where I stood. Now I felt more of a heel. I wasn’t willing to claim any miracles, but I did at least owe him an apology.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you, yesterday. You were trying to be nice, and I was…”

“I know what you were feeling, don’t worry about it,” he interrupted. “The morning was stressful, enough. Then to find out your stuff was stolen. I got it.”

Suspicious, my eyes narrowed, a little. I couldn’t help it; this guy was too good to be true.

“Are you from California?” I asked, thinking I had found the answer. Elijah must have hailed from a mid-western state; a place which produced corn, cows, and people who looked out for one another. Somewhere like the place my grandparents hailed from. This would also explain the milk-ad appeal of his handsome, good looks.

A Natural Passion by Tammy Mannersly

How will marine biologist, Dylan O'Day, solve the illegal poaching problem threatening the ecosystem he loves and protects when the gorgeous, new intern, Kyra Shine, is occupying his every thought?

“What are you up to, Shine? Playing with the fishes?”

“Something like that,” she agreed, fighting back the girlish giggle that wanted to burst from her lips as soon as those gorgeous brown eyes had met hers.

His gaze dropped and roamed over her body for a moment. His head nodded slightly with the movement. Kyra’s nipples hardened under his stare, and the heated tingling of desire clawed at her. Warmth blossomed over her skin. She glanced down, checking that her body was still hidden beneath the flimsy material of the red and white frangipani bikini.

“Lucky fishes,” he drawled, dragging his gaze back to hers.

She chuckled, suddenly tense. “You’ve seen me in this bikini before, Jake. It’s nothing special.”

“Nothing special.” He stepped forward, closing the gap between them. “I would never say that.”

His fingers reached up, skimming her collarbone before slipping under the thin rope of material that formed the halter around her neck. He slid them along her skin, the hot, rough, dryness of him against the soft, moistness of her. They caressed their way up to her neck and then back down, just above the cup of the bikini’s bra. He let his fingers linger there, his chocolate brown eyes gazing deep into her own.

Jake stepped back from her reluctantly. “What are you doing tomorrow night?”

Her dark blonde brows narrowed as she tried to calm her ragged breathing. “Sunday?”

He nodded.

“That’s family night,” Kyra began again. “I mean, you know we can’t miss family night. Your dad always invites everyone from the Turtle Center and the Science Center for a big barbeque. Everyone who wants to come is invited.”

He shrugged. “Maybe we don’t want to come this time?”

She giggled. “And, what are we going to do instead?”

Jake reached for her free hand, holding it, cool and damp against the warmth of his. “Go out for dinner. Somewhere nice. Together.”

You Had Me at Aloha by Sarah Vance Tompkins

Social media guru Vivienne Parker's dream trip to Hawaii turns into a nightmare when her roommate in the luxurious surf shack is the hot Olympic athlete who just got her fired.

More Than Puppy Love by Kitsy Clare

Fireworks spark when Arianna, a city girl with an elite pet portrait business is in a wreck and asks Dave a country auto mechanic for help, but can these two beagle owners from different worlds see eye to eye?

“Could you ever see yourself living in a rural area? Fitting in?” Dave's eyes are still fixed on me as he sips his daiquiri.

“I don’t know. It’s beautiful with all of the trees, nature. Bart sure likes it. But…”

“But what?”

“I’m not sure I’d be able to sustain a pet portrait business in the country. You heard Gail. She was wary of the prices I’d charge without even hearing what they were. Would enough people be able to afford my photos? If they had extra cash wouldn’t they prefer to spend hard-earned dollars on family photos, and not pet photos?”

“Hard to make a blanket statement.”

I pause to drink my daiquiri and to check out Dave’s reaction. He’s handsome inside and out with his dark curls framing his kind face and his patient way of just letting the words sink in before he says a definitive yes or no. “What about you?” I ask him. “Could you see yourself living in Philadelphia? In any big city?” Now it’s my turn to study him. It’s not an inquisition, but it seems inevitable if we are going to admit we like each other, and visualize being a couple.

He shrugs. “I like to visit big cities—Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia. I’ve had good times in Philly—seeing Independence Hall, hiking in Fairmount Park. Lunch in Reading Terminal Market at the Amish booth was cool, too. I love their shoe-fly pie, sweet and sour cabbage and freshly made sausages.”

“Mm, yeah, eating lunch at Reading Terminal Market is a blast.”

“But my auto body business is up here.” He looks down at his drink and rubs his forehead. “I’m not sure I’d be able to afford the commercial rents in a place like Philly.”

“There’s always the suburbs.”

“True. Honestly though, I’d love to get out of the car biz and fully into dog breeding.”

“Like me and teaching. I love it, but I love photography even more. It’s time to follow my passion. You too.”

Dave looks up and nods. “I want to do it all, but I also want to be realistic. Kennel equipment isn’t cheap. Dogs need tons of space, to run, to board, to breed.”

With the word breed, he flushes and I feel my neck heat up. I take this moment to pour us one more round.

“Nothing’s impossible,” he says after he’s gotten his drink refreshed and taken another gulp.

“Yeah. Never say never.”

He puts his big hand back on mine. It’s warmer than before, and I really like having it there. “By the way, your car is all done,” he says, giving my hand an extra pat.

“Great! When should I come get it?”

“At some point tomorrow? I’ll let you know.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

He slides his hand further up, to my wrist and then along my arm. And then he leans even closer and brushes my hair back.

And then he kisses me.

Stealing Haven by Mark Love

Sand, sun, romance and a mystery to solve. Sounds like a perfect vacation for Jamie.

“You like my smile? I always thought it was kind of lopsided.”

I took his face in both hands and turned it toward me. “Maybe a little crooked. But that’s part of the appeal.” Now I initiated a kiss. His hands slid through my hair, then softly ran his fingers down my neck. Shivers of excitement coursed through me. A horn sounded nearby. He broke the kiss and turned to check the water. Another boat passed in the opposite direction. A man and woman were at the helm, mirroring our positions caught in the moment and sensuality of being on the water. I bit down on my bottom lip in frustration. I longed for more than kisses but safety came first.

“We don’t want to run into some sailboat out here,” Randy said with a grin.

I scooted back onto the bench. Maybe a little distance was in order? It might help my racing hormones. “How fast are we going?”

“About thirty. Want to go faster?”

Was he talking about the boat, or the two of us? Randy shifted. His right hand had dropped to the controls, his left lightly holding the steering

wheel. He watched me, his lopsided grin worked its magic.

Harmony in the Key of Murder by Melissa Kay Clarke

Summer in the South can mean a different type of heat when a newly appointed investigator and a mechanical genius cross paths leading to murder and love.

"Thank you for tonight. I had a great time." Her smile was like flipping on a thousand watt bulb.

He ran a finger along the side of her jaw. "So did I. Maybe the next time we can go to my place and you'll let me make you dinner. I happen to make one of the best omelets in town."

She shivered slightly from his tender touch but didn't draw back. In fact, she leaned toward him slightly.

"Omelets? Isn't that for breakfast?"

He chuckled softly. Cupping her jaw in his fingers, he held her as his lips searched out hers, feathering a tender kiss on their plump softness. Her breath stopped, and her eyes widened as he whispered to her, "It can be. The when of that will always be up to you, Pix."

"Oh."

Hunter loved the flustered look on her face and the way her eyes told every emotion she was feeling. He knew without a shadow of a doubt, her heart rate was going a hundred miles an hour. The old Hunter would have found her reaction to him as a stroke to his overly inflated ego. Now, however, he found it endearing. The fact he could affect her so profoundly made him want to be worthy of her adoration and damned, if he wouldn't do anything in his power to make it happen. He had dated, a lot, but with Harmony he was a different man, a better man.

Taking a step back, Hunter tapped on the roof of her car. "Be safe; I'll call you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah okay, Hunter. Talk to you tomorrow."

He smiled as he watched her leave. With a toss of his keys into the air, he hurried to his car with a light step and grin on his face. Harmony Tailor may not know it yet, but she would be his. Tonight he realized something important. Somewhere along the way, she had captured more than just his attention.

She would be his because he already was hers.

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"I write because if I don't...my head will explode, and ruin the drapes." ♥

Brooke Moss writes complex, character-driven stories about kismet, reunited lovers, first love, and the kind of romance that we should all have the chance at finding. She prefers her stories laced with some humor just for fun, and enough drama to keep her readers flipping the pages, and begging for more!

When Brooke isn't spinning tales, she spends her time drawing/cartooning, reading, watching movies then comparing them to books, and, of course, wrangling five kids, mugging on her hubby she lovingly refers to as her "nerd", and attempting to conquer the Mount Everest of laundry that is the bane of her existence.