TEASER TUESDAY: Susanne Matthews

Welcome to another installment of TEASER TUESDAY. I'm excited to have the lovely Susanne Matthews here with us today. She'll be sharing an excerpt from her romantic suspense, ALL FOR LOVE. 

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EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:
The elevator lurched again, dragging her back. With each stop, the number of people in the elevator decreased, and she began to feel less confined. By the time they reached the sixth floor, there were only two people left—herself and a man. She’d started when he’d brushed against her earlier, but she hadn’t seen his face. Now, she looked up into hazel eyes staring at her as if she were the number one item on the dessert menu. She was waiting for him to lick his chops.

Normally, she’d ignore the man, but there was something about the way he was looking at her that both annoyed her and warmed her inside. He resembled the imaginary boyfriend she’d created to appease her parents and that increased her discomfort.

Get a grip, Livy.

No man had ever affected her this way—why him? Why now? Did he really look like her ideal man? Maybe, just a little around the eyes, but he was making her feel like a specimen on a microscope slide, and she resented it.

“Is there some reason why you’re staring at me like that?” She was exasperated by his perceived rudeness.

He chuckled, and Olivia’s heart jumped into her throat. The sound of his laughter was pleasant and eerily familiar.

His hazel eyes twinkled. “Is there a law in America against admiring an attractive woman?”

British. His voice sent goose bumps racing further along her flesh, annoying her. The heavy accent was similar to her father’s but far more pronounced. His appreciative gaze raked her up and down, and she felt heat rise in her cheeks. She despised her fair skin and its tendency to blush. Why did this man attract her when she’d sworn never to get involved with any man again? Seeing her nephew must have reset her biological clock. So much for having it under control.

She’d never thought a man could be beautiful, but this one was. He stared at her from behind black-framed glasses, and his full beard and mustache were as neatly trimmed as his hair, reminding her of Ben Affleck, one of her favorite actors.

“Admiring is one thing, leering is another,” she said sharper than she’d intended. His actions discomforted her.

He grinned, and her stomach flip-flopped.

“Touché. My apologies, but I can’t be the first man who’s ever stared at you. I’ve seen many stunning women in my life, but none with hair like yours. It’s alive, on fire.”

Olivia frowned. He was hard to understand, but she knew he was talking about her hair, a sore spot with her, and knowing it was the reason for his behavior added insult to injury. She was about to say something when she caught sight of herself in the mirrored wall and winced.

No wonder he’s staring at me.

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BLURB:

To overcome your fear, you must first face it.

Someone is out to destroy Greg Simmons and everyone he has ever loved. After an accident leaves his teenage daughter depressed and distraught, Greg will do anything to make her happy again.

Olivia Marshall lost both her fiancé and her cousin in a deadly avalanche. She has vowed never to set foot on a ski hill again. But now, working as a bodyguard with Anderson Security, Olivia must face her greatest fears to save Greg and his daughter.

Something about Olivia’s determination strikes a chord in Greg, but will she be the salvation he needs, or will he be her destruction?

ADD TO GOODREADS

BUY LINKS: 
AMAZON / B&N / KOBO / SMASHWORDS 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susanne Matthews grew up as an avid reader of all types of books, but always with a penchant for happily ever after romances. In her imagination, she travelled to foreign lands, past and present, and soared into the future. Today, she has made her dreams come true. A retired educator, she now gets to spend her time writing, so she can share her adventures with her readers. She loves the ins and outs of romance, and the complex journey it takes to get from the first word to the last period of a novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of their own, and she shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery and love.

Susanne lives in Cornwall, Ontario with her husband. She has three adult children and five grandchildren. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, chatting on the Internet with her writer friends, and hearing from her readers.

Connect with Susanne on her website, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. 

Don't forget to check out the tour wide giveaway!

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The Captain's Promise

I'm thrilled to welcome the lovely Susanne Matthews to the blog today. She's here to show off her newest book, THE CAPTAIN'S PROMISE. Isn't this a fantastic cover??

BLURB:

Etienne Blouin left Danielle de Cherbourg in tears, promising to return; he didn’t. Ten years later, Etienne learns she’s been widowed and left almost penniless. Now a wealthy ship’s captain, he offers to help her, but the only reply he gets is from her aunt telling him to leave Danielle alone. Convinced she’s in trouble, he determines to rescue her whether she likes it or not, even if it means losing her love.

Danielle is shocked to learn that her companion is going to the colonies, while she is to marry a cruel and powerful man as repayment of her husband’s gambling debts.  Despondent, she sees no way out of the horrendous situation. When her carriage is waylaid and she’s kidnapped, she fears the worse.

 Etienne has enemies who don’t want La Belle Rose to make port. Can he outfox them to save his ship and the woman he loves?

The Captain’s Promise is available in Kindle format  through Amazon.  

EXCERPT:

Cherbourg, August 1, 1664

Danielle glanced around the area to make sure those working in the pasture were far enough away not to overhear their conversation. Ashamed of herself for putting her own needs above those of her best friend, she tried to pull a resisting Marie away from the pond. How could she have been so thoughtless? Papa had insisted Marie not use her gift of second sight to see into the future, and yet Danielle had begged her to do just that. Rumors of renewed interest in punishing witchery were rife. Superstitious people, especially those who were hungry and frightened, goaded by priests who liked to blame everything on sin, could turn quickly on friend and foe alike. A plague had struck Europe again killing thousands in Amsterdam, the spring had been a cold, wet one, and the crops were not doing as well as they should. Someone had to take the blame for these “unnatural” occurrences.

Asking Marie to scry, especially out here in the meadow where anyone could see them, was both foolish and dangerous. Like every powerful man in France, Papa had enemies who’d like nothing better than to bring disaster down on him. Wouldn’t it enhance a man’s position if he were to accuse the ward of the Count de Cherbourg of witchcraft? Why stop there? Why not accuse the whole family? At the very least, they might be excommunicated for giving aid and comfort to the devil’s minion. She shook her head. When would she learn to think before she acted?

Tears flowed down Marie’s pale cheeks as she continued to stare into the still waters of the pond, drawn by the images only she could see. Danielle pulled harder on the girl’s arm, finally dislodging her and pulling her upright. Marie backed away from the water, but her gaze was ensnared by the vision still holding her. Danielle shook Marie and took her into her arms. 

“Enough! Look away, dearest. Please look away. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to do this. I never expected you’d have such a distressing vision. I’m anxious to see Etienne. I only wanted to know what his surprise would be. I’m hoping he’ll ask for my hand in marriage. You’ve seen the way some of those lecherous old men look at me. If I were affianced, it would stop.” She shook her head, the long, red tresses shining in the sunlight. “This has to be a false vision—a punishment for my willfulness.” 

Marie pushed away from her, annoyance and frustration evident in the set of her thin, trembling shoulders. She glared at Danielle and raised her hand to swipe angrily at her tears. She shook her head, and Danielle could sense the sorrow there. What on earth did she see to upset her so much? She shivered.

“I’ve told you before, Elle. The visions never lie, but they don’t always answer the questions I’ve asked. Sometimes, they’re cryptic, only providing glimpses of what’s to come. At other times, they’re far clearer than I’d like them to be. They aren’t mine to command. Normally, they show me a few weeks or days, but this time they’ve shown me years, years of sorrow and pain.” 

Strangled sobs punctuated her words, driving guilt and fear deep into Danielle’s heart. She stared at her companion as an eerie frisson coursed through her body. As young girls, Danielle, Marie, and their playmates had often looked into the mirror or into the fire to see what would happen in the future, a harmless parlor game played by girls across France. Danielle had never seen anything during their foolishness, but when Marie claimed she’d seen her father, the count’s captain of the guard, fall from his horse, the game had ended. The fact Marie’s father had died only a few weeks later from a fall, similar to the one she’d described, had led to months of speculation about the child. The rumors had ended when Papa had made her his ward, offering her the protection of Cherbourg, and adopting her into the family. Not all the relatives had been pleased with that decision.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Danielle turned away from her to avoid the pity she read clearly in Marie’s chocolate brown eyes, eyes which seemed far older than their fourteen years. No matter what Marie had seen, the daughter of a count wasn’t to be pitied. Her life was one of ease and privilege—even Marie had to work for her keep, although her duties as Danielle’s companion, were light.

Marie reached out to her and took her hands. “The spirits showed me many things in the still waters today, including the answer to your question.” She hung her head.

Terror gripped Danielle. Her breathing quickened, her heart pounded, and her palms grew wet. Sweat trickled down her back, making her linen chemise stick to her. She didn’t want to know what Marie had seen, but her insatiable curiosity forced her to look at her friend and ask. 

“What did you see?”

“I’m so sorry, Elle. I saw you broken-hearted, crying in the arms of a soldier. Alas, while you’ll be a bride, Etienne won’t be your groom.”

Danielle covered her ears, refusing to believe the words wounding her, crushing her girlish dreams. “No! I won’t listen to any more of this. It’s not true—it can’t be true. Etienne loves me. I know he does.” Tears brimmed her eyes. “You’re wrong. This terrible vision is God’s judgment on us for defying the Church and Papa.”

She swallowed the panic and bitterness in her throat. There was no way she’d ever marry anyone but Etienne.

Marie hung her head. “Ah, Elle, how I wish it were as simple as that. This gift is a curse. As I get older, I see more and more things that cause me pain and grief. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” Guilt forced Danielle to put her arm around her friend, despite her anxiety. “Come. Let’s go back to the house and see what cook has prepared for tonight’s feast.” 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susanne Matthews was born and raised in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.  She’s always been an avid reader of all types of books, but always with a penchant for happily ever after romances. In her imagination, she travelled to foreign lands, past and present, and soared into the future. Today, gets to spend her time writing, so she can share her adventures with her readers. She loves the ins and outs of romance, and the complex journey it takes to get from the first word to the last period of a novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of their own, and she shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery and love.

Follow Susanne on her:  Website    Blog    Facebook page    Twitter @jandsmatt

Amazon author page    and    Goodreads author page