Blurb:
Julia
Burns can’t remember a day in her life when she didn’t have to work. So the ad
in the paper sounds perfect to her – even if she does have to marry a complete
stranger.
Nicholas
Steele isn’t used to being around people since the accident that left him
disfigured. Having a permanent house guest isn’t his idea of fun, however, the
press would have a field day if they found he and his new wife weren’t residing
together.
On
paper, their ‘fake’ marriage fits both their needs, giving Nicholas a wife and
Julia the security she’s always dreamed of having. In reality, every moment
Nicholas and Julia spend together brings them closer to falling for each other.
Excerpt 1:
The thin sliver of moonlight that filled
the room showed her a large shape beneath the covers and the dark hair gave her
cause to believe the man was the same one she saw earlier in the library.
He thrashed against the blankets and then
let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Julia rushed over, doing the only thing
that she could think to do. She slid behind him and cradled the man’s head to
her breastbone. “Shh, it’s alright,” she whispered, stroking her hand over his
hair. It felt much softer than she imagined it would.
“Wha? Who?” The man sat up and, in a
flash, pinned himself on top her. “Who the fuck are you?”
Julia couldn’t see his face in the dark
but she didn’t need any light to know he was scowling at her. With her hands
held high above her head and his hard, heavy body crushing her to the mattress,
thighs pinning her legs where they were, a foul taste rose into her mouth. This
man was just like her foster father. The feel of his body against hers evoked
dread.
“Answer me!” he bellowed from above her.
“J-J-Julia B-Burns,” she stuttered through
tears.
“And what the fuck are you doing in my
bedroom?”
Attempting to swallow down the horrid
tasting acid that rose up into her mouth like waves proved to be an exercise in
futility. “I-I heard…” What had she heard?
“Well?” he demanded.
“Please, I…I need to get up.”
Only when she began dry heaving did he
released her arms and move his weight from on top of her. Julia curled into
herself, wracking with sobs. Her chest felt tight, stomach roiled. Memories of
the past assaulted her, combined with the events of moments ago.
What possessed her to come in here? She
should have just left the man alone.
“Go back to your room, Miss Burns,” he
deadpanned. “We have a busy day tomorrow.”
Scrambling
to her feet, Julia fled from his room and jumped back into bed. Only once she
pulled the covers up to her chin in her own room did Julia realize that she
just came face to face with her future husband.
10 fun
facts:
Well, this should be interesting! I don’t find myself
all that exciting or fun, but I suppose I shall let you be the judge of that!
1. I’m British. I have what is considered a ScIrish
accent – a cross between Scottish and Irish. A lot of the time, I need to
repeat myself, or speak realllly slowly to begin with. And forget trying to
speak to those automated things on the phone. I hope I never get trapped in a
voice activated lift (Google Burnistoun Lift and have a good laugh at those
poor blokes!)
2. I loathe cold. My husband is South African and
feels the same. Hopefully when he retires, we can move somewhere nice and
lovely and hot!
3. I am Type 1 (insulin dependent) Diabetic – while
this isn’t exactly a fun fact, it’s interesting because I have to find ways
around the usual sugar-packed treats I enjoy eating. I can make a to-die-for
chocolate cake with whole wheat flour and no added sugar, and you’d never ever
know ;)
4. I’ve been lucky enough to travel to a few places;
Spain, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, all of the UK, Canada, and the US, to name a
few. I’ve even lived in Ibiza (Spain’s Balearic Islands), and the Republic of
Ireland.
5. Though I’m British, I prefer coffee to tea. Lovely
strong coffee, and lots of it!
6. My mobile phone is so basic, it doesn’t even have a
camera. Technology scares me! I’m new to computers and often have minor
meltdowns when I think I’ve broken something.
7. I am so shy in person that, if I ever met my
favourite fitness model/competitor/athlete Rudi Strydom (who is just as lovely
on the inside as he is the outside), I would puke. I would literally puke. And
then hide in a corner shaking. Don’t get me started on going to an author
signing event (pfft, like that will ever happen!). They would have to give
hazmat suits out at the door so no one gets rained on when I accidentally throw
up from sheer nervousness.
8. When someone seeks me out to tell me how much they
love one of my books, I cry. I break down and sob and when I’m finished, I
wonder if they read what I wrote, or if aliens somehow swapped my book for
something amazing and made them read that instead.
9. I have a massive crush on everything South African.
Blame my husband! I love Springboks Rugby, Arno Carstens, Cliff Simon, Wilbur
Smith…and I love the accent. Man oh man, an Afrikaans accent is like smooth
dark chocolate for my ears! (Okay, I’m weird, we know lol!)
10. I am a bona-fide sci-fi nerd. I love every single
sci-fi show I can get my hands on. I got my husband, a self-confessed action
only watcher, totally hooked on Stargate SG-1. Then Battlestar Galactica. And
Firefly. And loads more ;) I think it helps that there were so many South
Africans in Stargate SG-1 (Cliff Simon, Suanne Braun, etc). Of course, it could
be because those shows are AWESOME!
Well there you have it. Ten things you never wanted to
know about Danielle Taylor and now you’ll never get those last few minutes of
your life back. I’m sorry! I’m so so sorry!
Danielle Taylor is the author of the Captive
Hearts Series and the WattPad sensation Falling for You,
which broke 100,000 reads in less than a week. She's shy to a fault, loves
coffee, dark chocolate, and reading.
Links:
Books:
(Available as e-books and paperbacks)
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