Today we are sharing an excerpt from REPRISE by Lisa Swallow. This is a contemporary romance title and the third book in the series Ruby Riot! The book will be released April 27th and it is available for pre-order now, exclusively through amazon. Be sure to check out the previous books in the series and grab them while they are on sale!
Release Date: April 27th
BLURB:
Drummer Nate Campbell is a 'Ruby Riot twin' and that's all he wants anybody to know. For Nate, girls are a dispensable distraction and the rock star life suits his needs. Nobody will expect him to hand over his heart if he pretends he doesn't have a one.
Falling for Nate Campbell was the second biggest mistake of Riley Sawyer's life. When the PR girl worked with the band on a European tour, she earned a reputation as an unapproachable workaholic. One mistake with Nate ruined her reputation, and Riley left vowing never to go anywhere near a tour – or Nate – again.
Two years later, Riley is forced back into the Ruby Riot world. A stolen car, a snowstorm, and Nate's bloody-mindedness leave the pair stranded together. Nate and Riley cross their thin line between love and hate and discover a connection they don’t want to leave behind when the snow retreats.
Nate knows Riley’s the girl for him but doesn't want to risk handing her the heart he hides. Riley wants to leave behind her secrets to move on and find love. The problem is, she wants Nate and doesn’t think he can ever be hers – or anybody’s.
Reprise is the third standalone book in the Ruby Riot series.
The Ruby Riot Series
The Amazon Bestselling Rock Romance series
#1 Bestsellers in British Contemporary Fiction in Amazon US
Pre-Order REPRISE - Exclusive to Amazon
EXCERPT:
RILEY
Short of time, I devour the chocolate cake, happy the coffee is half-decent. A text arrives, asking why I'm late, and I wipe my fingers before answering.
Each minute that passes, I'm putting off the inevitable.
And as I head towards the lobby, the inevitable appears.
I didn't mean to but, unprepared, I stop in my tracks. Nate Campbell strides across the tiled floor in my direction. Dressed in dark denim and Converse, greying T-shirt stretched across his chest, he hasn't changed. The twins are different these days; bass player Will wears his hair longer so there's no doubt this twin with short, spiked hair is Nate.
I'm convinced Nate's about to blank me and walk past but he stops too. His green eyes fix on mine with disinterest. I'm wrong; he has changed. His eyes are creased by tiredness, his skin paler, but this doesn't detract from the deceptive attractiveness of his perfect features. I cannot believe I kissed that mouth; allowed those hands on my body. But there's nothing attractive behind his lucky genetics, unless Nate's changed on the inside too. From what I've heard, he hasn't.
“Riley,” he says in greeting.
“Hello, Nate.”
“I heard you were coming. How long you staying?”
“A couple of days.”
“Not long, then.”
“Too long.”
Nate stares at my mouth, then flicks his gaze back to my eyes. His mouth tips at one corner and I hold my breath. It may be two years since, but I've seen that look on Nate's face before. Amusement.
“You haven't changed,” he says.
“Neither have you, much.”
“Yeah?”
I wave a hand at him. “You look the same.”
“That isn't what I meant. Your attitude.” Nate crosses his arms. “But yeah, you're skinnier and your hair's blonder. I preferred it brown.”
I bristle at the fact he checked me out. “Your attitude remains the same too, then.”
I swore I'd avoid this, but already the animosity slips in.
“Still get your knickers in a twist over everything?”
“What?”
“Just a question. I heard you lost your shit with Melissa a couple of hours ago.” He smirks. “Smiley Riley's back in town.”
“Jesus, Nate. Two minutes and you've already started this. Don't you think we should forget what
happened and be professional?”
Two years.
Two years to say the words that needed saying back then. How we should've left things. Professional.
“About what happened? You still dwelling on that?” Nate shakes his head. “Ancient history, Riley.”
“Okay.” I put my phone in my bag. “Call this the line in the sand. I'll ignore what happened in the past if you do. A couple of days here and I'm gone, and we don’t have to see each other again. We can be civil for that long.”
Nate rubs his index finger along his lips, staring at my mouth again. “How about we just keep out of each other's way?”
“Sounds like a great idea.”
“If you can, of course.”
I laugh, a short derisive sound. “Seriously?”
Nate steps closer and that tiny change in proximity floods back the frustrating physical effect the man I hate has on me. I tuck my hands beneath my arms, goose bumps rising along my neck. Has the absence made this worse? Sometimes I have stupid dreams about Nate that involve far too much intimacy and wake up disgusted with myself. Why the hell can't I control my subconscious?
Nate raises a hand to my face and I'm too stunned to react before he touches the corner of my mouth. “Riley,” he whispers, moving his face closer to mine. “There's something you need to know.”
I blink as the sensation of his fingertip sends a tiny shock across my mouth and I part my lips. “What?”
Instead of darkened eyes to match my thumping heart, the amusement remains on his face. Nate holds his index finger up. “You have chocolate around your mouth.”
I step back and narrow my eyes at him.
He grins and wipes his hand on his jeans. “Gotcha.”
“Asshole!”
“You're not over me, are you?”
Before I get a chance to tell Nate exactly what I think of him, he moves past me. “Two years, Riley!” Nate calls as he walks away. “Get a grip!”
I glance around, relieved nobody saw our encounter, then rush to the nearest ladies’ room. Fury is replaced by horror. Chocolate is smeared around the edges of my mouth, in a way any five-year-old would be proud of. My professional image ruined by a slice of bloody cake. With shaking hands, I wipe the mess away with a paper towel.
Damn you, Nate Campbell.
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Previous Books in the Series
“An egotistical front man, trouble-making twins and a girl you don’t want to mess with.”
Cadence (Ruby Riot #1)
Available Now
FREE on Kindle Unlimited
Shuffle (Ruby Riot #2)
Available Now
FREE on Kindle Unlimited
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AUTHOR INFORMATION:
Lisa is an Amazon bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance. She is originally from the UK and moved to Australia in 2001. She now lives in Perth, Western Australia with her husband, three children, and Weimaraner, Tilly, who often makes appearances on Lisa’s social media.
Lisa’s first publication was a moving poem about the rain, followed by a suspenseful story about shoes. Following these successes at nine years old there was a long gap in her writing career, until she published her first book in 2013.
In the past, Lisa worked as an English teacher in France, as an advertising copywriter in England, and ran her own business in Australia. Now she spends her days with imaginary rock stars.
She lived in Europe as a child and also travelled when she left university. This has given Lisa stories which would sound far-fetched if she wrote them down, and maybe one day she will. These days, Lisa is happy in her writing cave, under Tilly’s supervision.
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