Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Spotlight/Giveaway: The Last Straw by Nia Simone



THE LAST STRAW

by Nia Simone



BLURB:  

Ally Tobin left New York after one too many bad dates, determined to rebuild a stable life and career as a private investigator in Silicon Valley. But when the man she knew as one name walks into her office with another, will her curiosity once again lead her to risk her heart?

The last thing Special Agent Jared Green needs is "security risk" stamped on the resume of his latest undercover identity. Especially by the woman his job forced him to leave in New York without any explanation. She may threaten his cover, but it's his heart on the line. 

He's good at playing a part. She's good at catching a fake. Can they trust enough to give love another chance?




EXCERPT:  

He sauntered through the door, a white, button- down shirt tucked into belted khakis. When his dark gaze found her, he stopped. Stared. Her throat dried and a rustling motion stirred in her abdomen.

“Hi. I’m Darren Ray.”

Keep your cool, she commanded herself, standing and reaching across the desk. His hand was rough.

She yanked her hand back and waved at the chair. “Please, have a seat.” He waited for her to sit before settling in the visitor’s chair. “So, Darren, according to this, you’re being considered for a programmer position in the IT department. Tell me about your background.”

A professional mask settled over his features. “As you can see on my résumé, I have several years of consulting experience.”

“Tell me something about your experience as a mechanic.” Working on his prized old Mustang had been a favorite hobby.

The corner of his mouth twitched. “What do you mean? That’s not in my résumé.”

“You don’t have the hands of a programmer. More of a mechanic.” Oh, his hands.

“Okay, you got me.” He was going to confess. This should be good. “When I’m not programming computers I’m working on my car.”

“And what were you doing in New York City?”

He reached across her desk for a piece of paper, plucked a pen from its stand and scrawled something.  When she took the note their fingers brushed. Meet me for dinner at Pico’s at 7. I’ll explain everything. Can’t talk here.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nia Simone grew up on the side of a ski slope in Squaw Valley, USA. Later, while learning the craft of story writing, she worked in nonprofit and then high-tech.

The best part of working in the computer field was meeting her husband. He took up skiing and she helped him document his computer inventions! They live in "Silicon Valley" in California where their favorite thing to do is cook together for friends. Nia’s specialties are dessert and veggies while her husband’s are entrees and sourdough bread.

Their only pet at the moment is the sourdough starter, which lives in the fridge and requires bi-weekly feeding.

Nia blogs every day about travel, food, writing, books, skiing and photography at niasimoneauthor.com (where she won the Versatile Blogger Award and Inspiring Blogger Award).

Twitter: @niasimone4


Giveaway:


Ms. Simone is giving a $25 Amazon Gift Card to one randomly drawn commenter on the tour. Follow the tour here. The more you comment the more chances you have to win. Remember to leave a valid email address with your comment. 

14 comments:

  1. This book sounds great! Thanks for the chance to win!!
    Casey
    caseroo7@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Casey, and good luck!

      Nia

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  2. Sounds intriguing. Look forward to reading. Thank you for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kimlrkim! I hope you enjoy it and good luck!

      Nia

      Delete
  3. This book sounds fantastic!! I love a good cop romance.
    cburkhart.1980@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Cindy! I like cops too!

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  4. Hello, For the Love of Bookends! Thank you for hosting me on my blog tour. What a gorgeous site you have here.

    Hello, Readers! Thank you for your encouraging comments.

    For anyone else who wants to enter the raffle but needs a prompt to comment, I have a question for you. How has the Internet changed your reading habits? For example, do you read more reviews? Share your favorite reads with others? Have you expanded what kinds of books you try because of others' recommendations?

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Secret identity books love them. I have read more of a variety of books because of the internet. fischert484@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Theresa,

      I have read a much wider variety of books because of the internet too. It has opened up the world.

      Thanks for coming by and good luck in the raffle.

      Nia

      Delete
  6. I love reading reviews and I have found many new authors because of the internet!
    Thanks for the chance to win!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Internet has certainly opened up a lot revenues for me. I read a lot of reviews and follow some of my fave authors on FB and Twitter. It's been a great way to learn more about the authors I like as well as learning about new ones too. It also allows me to connet with others that are avid readers like me :)
    Thanks,

    lorih824 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lori,

      I like the connection too, with authors and other readers as well as other bloggers.

      Thanks for your comment. It's fun to learn how other people are using the Internet. I've been told that readers like to get to know authors and your comment confirms that!

      Good luck in the raffle!

      Nia

      Delete