Welcome to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart. Today it gives me great pleasure to welcome friend and fellow author, Lucinda Race, to the blog. We’re about to get a sneak peek at her brand new release, Vintage, the latest addition to her fantastic Crescent Lakes Winery Series!
He’s an unexpected distraction, she gets his engine running …
On the worst day of her life, Stephanie encounters Leo and his two nephews in her father’s restoration shop. It wasn’t bad enough she had just become an orphan, but the kids knocked over a display and broke a very special model car, one she had built with her dad. Grief and that memory, however, don’t obscure her immediate attraction to Leo. Still, she has only returned to the small town of Black River for six months, intending to put the business on a steady path and resume her life on the West Coast.
Leo Price loves classic cars. He loves classic cars so much, he skipped working in the family’s wine business in order to open a classic car restoration company. But more important to him than business is family, primarily his widowed twin sister and her two energetic sons. Life is great and then he meets the beautiful Stephanie James. As a bonus, she knows how to keep an engine running.
When Steph realizes someone is stealing from her business, it could threaten her plans to keep her father’s legacy alive. And then there’s Leo. Dating him gives her ideas about what life might be like if she stayed—or is it possible he’d leave his roots in the valley and follow her west?
Get Vintage at Your Favorite Retailer
Leo looked out at a parking area that said Employees Only. There was an impeccably restored, deep-blue Ford Bronco. He guessed it was a ’75. Had to be the owner’s, but where was he? It was like a morgue around here. He leaned over the desk and saw a pad of paper and a pen. He’d just leave a note asking Eddie to give him a call; surely, he’d remember him.
The boys were passing the comic books back and forth. He wrote a brief message and had added his phone number and returned the pad to the desk when he heard a loud crash down the hall.
He jogged down the hall. Now it sounded as if someone were trashing an office. Shit, maybe he should have called 9-1-1. Too late now. He eased around the door and stopped dead in his tracks.
A woman dressed in a severely tailored black pantsuit and cream-colored blouse was standing surrounded by what resembled the aftermath of a small tornado. She looked at Leo. Her dirty-blond hair had been pulled off her face in a sleek ponytail and a trail of mascara ran down her cheeks. But it was her eyes—deep-gray eyes filled with grief and fear stared back at him. Despite that, she was beautiful, polished, and out of his league. A soft floral scent teased his senses and something tugged at his heart—his desire to wrap his arms around her and hold her while she cried.
She picked up a thick book and held it as a weapon. In a shaky voice, she demanded, “Who are you?”
“Leo Price. I was looking for the owner.” He took a step closer. “Who are you?”
Her gaze swept the room, and then she sank into a chair, shoulders slumped. “The owner.”
Now he was confused. “I’m looking for Eddie James.”
She gave a half nod. “My father.”
I’m a small-town girl who has always loved books, well I should say anything sandwiched between two covers. As a kid, I would read anything I could get my hands on, including my brothers Hardy Boys mystery books and my mother’s Good Housekeeping magazine.
My husband and I live in a small town in western Massachusetts with our two little fur babies, Jasper and Griffin. When I’m not working my day job I steal every free moment I can for writing romance. It smooths out the rough edges of the world when I can escape into my characters’ lives and write their happily ever after.
I've published 11, and counting, books with a strong focus on women's fiction and romance. But I’ve written non-fiction for a non-profit and corporate America. I can assure you, romance is so much more fun and rewarding!
I am excited for the next chapter with my writing. I hope you enjoy reading the novels as much as I enjoy writing them. If you become a fan, please consider following me on social media.
You can find all the books in the Crescent Lakes Winery Series HERE
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It's been my pleasure hosting Lucinda today. AND, even better, she'll be back again tomorrow with another new release from the Dickens Holiday Romance Series!
Until then, stay happy, stay healthy, stay well read.
Nancy
Such a pretty cover! Go, Gems!
ReplyDeleteI'm crazy for this cover! I'm a car buff, so I'll be reading this one asap
ReplyDeleteThe excerpt tempted me so I have to have questions answered. Good job, Lucinda!
ReplyDelete