How have you been doing? I hope you all are well! Today I'd like to present to you a very special guest! I am a HUGE fan of her books and she is gracing us with her presence today on my blog! Not only that, she is sharing a BRAND NEW excerpt here first! It's a never before seen read! I'm doing a happy dance right now!
No...seriously...this is how I feel....
Joining us today is New York Times and USA Today Bestseller and author of the highly popular Kowalski Family Series, Shannon Stacey!
Hi, everybody! Falling For Max, the ninth book in my Kowalski series, is kind of
my own spin on My Fair Lady, the
classic musical that’s one of the few movies my younger sister and I don’t
agree on. (She loves it. I love almost
all of it.) Max Crawford
has decided it’s time to start putting himself out there in hopes of finding a
wife, but he’s a little shy and not exactly smooth. Tori Burns, after watching
him strike out, decides she’s going to help him out. But the more time she
spends with Max, the more she realizes she likes him just the way he is.
Here’s an excerpt
from Falling For Max, which releases
on July 29th, so you can see why Tori thinks Max needs a little help
in the dating department. Poor Max. I hope you enjoy it, and happy reading!
Shannon
Max had often heard Laundromats
were a good place to meet women. He wasn’t sure why, since he wasn’t one to
speak to strangers while folding his underwear, so he didn’t imagine women
would be any more comfortable doing so. But he’d tried it anyway, using a
comforter that didn’t fit in his washing machine as an excuse to spend time in
the town’s only Laundromat.
After
spending ninety minutes listening to the life story of a man who was newly
divorced, Max had decided the rumor of Laundromats being a good place to meet
women was probably started by a Laundromat owner.
So he
was back at the diner, perusing the menu and working up the courage to talk to
the woman sitting further down the counter. She looked vaguely familiar to him,
and he’d finally placed her as the woman who owned the secondhand store near
the bank. He’d seen her on the sidewalk sometimes, setting up sale racks, but
he’d never spoken to her. And even if he’d ever known her name, he wouldn’t
have remembered it.
She
wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. Granted, that didn’t mean much, but it’s not as
if he was going to open with your place
or mine? Casual conversation would give him plenty of opportunity to
clarify her relationship status before it came time to make a decision on
asking her out or not.
He’d
left two empty stools between them. It seemed enough to respect her personal
space, but not so far away they couldn’t have a conversation if she was so
inclined. Assuming he worked up the nerve to speak to her.
“Do you
know what you want, Max?”
He
looked up at Tori, who had her order pad and pen at the ready. Just seeing her
friendly smile relaxed him. “What do you recommend?”
“Gavin
made pork tenderloin for the special tonight, with a brown sugar and balsamic
vinegar glaze. Served with garlic mashed potatoes and your choice of creamed
corn or a spiced, chunky applesauce.”
He
noticed she hadn’t actually answered the question he asked. “He made it, but do
you recommend it?”
“Absolutely.
I taste-tested it myself when I got here so I could give my honest opinion.
It’s delicious.”
“Then
I’ll try it. With the applesauce, please. And decaf to drink, if it’s fresh.”
“Paige
just started brewing a fresh pot, so I’ll grab you a cup as soon as it’s done.”
When
Tori walked away, Max snuck a look down the counter. The secondhand store woman
had dark hair cut into one of those smooth cuts that ended just below her chin.
She was around his age and she was reading. It was a magazine, but that still
counted. He also took note that her bill was on the edge of the counter, along
with some cash, which meant she’d probably be leaving very soon.
He
cleared his throat and turned his head, making sure his voice would project to
her. “The weather’s nice today.”
She
glanced sideways at him and then, apparently realizing he was talking to her,
gave him a brief smile. “Yes, it is.”
“It’ll
start getting cold soon.”
“Every
year.”
She
turned her attention back to the magazine she’d been reading, but he wasn’t
ready to give up. “Do you follow any sports?”
“No, I
don’t. Sorry,” she said, glancing at him again, this time without the smile.
Then she turned the page of the magazine and lifted it so there could be no
missing the fact she was reading.
Even Max
could take that hint. Stifling a sigh, he tried to not think about how quickly
he’d been shot down. He wasn’t sure what the average time was, but he felt like
a guy should get more than three lines.
Max Crawford has reached the point in life where he’s
starting to think about settling down. Unfortunately, he’s always been a little
awkward when it comes to social interactions, and working from home doesn’t
help. He spends so much time alone, painting beautiful, historically accurate
model trains that half of Whitford has begun to joke that he may be a serial
killer. Not exactly prime husband material.
Tori Burns has found happiness in Maine, thanks in large
part to her shifts at the Trailside Diner. She likes the work, and she loves
the local gossip. When shy, geeky Max Crawford becomes a regular, she’s
intrigued. When she finds out he’s in the market for a wife, she’s
fascinated…and determined to help.
Molding Max into every woman’s dream turns out to be much
easier than expected. But has Tori’s plan worked a little too well? As she
turns his comfortable life all sorts of upside down, she’ll have to find a way
to show just how she’s fallen for him…the real him.
Are you guys ready for another Kowalski Series book? Don't forget, it comes out July 29th! BUT pre-order it NOW!
And make sure to keep up with all of her latest news!
www.shannonstacey.com
Thank you so much Shannon for stopping by today to share your new excerpt with us! The door is always open and you are welcome to stop by any time!
Until next time...
Happy Reading
Té
Until next time...
Happy Reading
Té
1 Comments
This excerpt makes me wonder...IS the laundromat a good place to "meet" people? And where are some actual good places? Thoughts?
ReplyDelete