Every girl dreams of hearing those four magical words Will you marry me? But no-one tells you what’s supposed to happen next…
Fun-loving Gemma Goodwin knows she should be revelling in her happy-ever-after. Except when her boyfriend Lord Edward popped the question, after a whirlwind romance, although she didn’t say no….she didn’t exactly say yes either!
A month-long cookery course in Paris could be just the place to make sure her heart and her head are on the same page… And however disenchanted with romance Gemma is feeling, the City of Love has plenty to keep her busy; the champagne is decadently quaffable, the croissants almost too delicious, and shopping is a national past-time! In fact, everything in Paris makes her want to say Je t’aime… Except Edward!
But whilst Paris might offer plenty of distractions from wedding planning – including her new friends, mysterious Joe and hot French rockstar Blade - there’s no reason she couldn’t just try one or two couture dresses is there? Just for fun…
Excerpt:
I turned away, spotted a plant pot that had fallen over and headed over to pull it up. Except, oops! I collided with a customer coming out of the gents’ toilets. I stared at the black buckled boots and straightened up to say soz.
Wow. I let out a gasp, as if I was in a vacuum jar and just had the air sucked out of my lungs. My heart beat against the inside of my chest as if it were playing a rap song.
Those inky eyes, that teasing smile… This guy sizzled hotter than bacon and a wave of heat rose up from my stomach and into my cheeks. He gave me the sensation of just having scoffed the most amazin’, smooth, creamy chocolate bar – mmm, very nice.
He grinned. Wow. Love that black lipstick, the thick black eyeliner and black star shape drawn over one eye. His jagged, raven hair hung in spikes around his neck, over a black shirt and leather jacket. As for those tight trousers… And what a cool shiny silver cross around his neck…
‘Salut’ he said in a husky French accent and straightened up.
Yikes, he was even taller than Edward.
‘Erm, hi…Or, rather, bonsoir Monsieur… I was just going to rescue that plant.’
‘Ah, a superhero, non?’ His eyes danced before he turned around to look at the fallen pot.
‘That’s me – Wonder Woman. You should see what I’ve got on under this coat…’
Aargghh! Why did I say that? Lady C would have forty fits. Plus familiarity wasn’t appropriate, considering he was a customer.
He grinned. ‘I’d like to, please. Is that all part of the service? Stripping off?’
Cheeks hotter than ever, I cleared my throat. ‘I hope your meal was satisfactory?’
‘My rare steak was fantastique.’
I grimaced.
‘Not a fan of beef?’
‘Chez Dubois’ beef has a fab reputation, of course, but I prefer mine charcoaled, in a bun with a side order of fries.’
He grinned and held out his arm. Studded black bangles clattered around his wrist.
‘Blade,’ he said and firmly enclosed my small hand in his. He wore black leather gloves and for some reason I wanted to feel his skin,
‘I’m Gemma. Love the outfit. Awesome name. It’s not French though, is it?’
‘Non.’ His eyeliner crinkled. ‘My band and I strive to achieve global appeal. Our group’s name – Black Bijou – is half English. I sing. Heavy metal. Dagger plays guitar. Eh bien, Stanley is on drums…’
I thought for a moment. ‘You’re all called after types of knife.’
‘Oui,’ Blade gave a hearty laugh. ‘We got drunk one night – decided we were so cutting edge our names had to reflect that.’ He shook his head. ‘We were young then – with big egos. Now we realise we are lucky to have some success in France – dominating the world is no longer our life’s aim. Although I wouldn’t say no to a personal limo and an apartment looking onto the Seine…’
‘Just imagine that… Or a private jet to fly you down to St Tropez at weekends…’ I gazed at his pale foundation. ‘Not that you look like a sun-worshipper – you’re more Alice Cooper than a tanned resident of Alice Springs.’
Blade gave another belly laugh. ‘You are funny.
Ooh, I felt all gooey inside…
About the Author:Samantha Tonge lives in Cheshire with her lovely family, and two cats who think they are dogs. When not writing, she spends her days cycling and willing cakes to rise. She has sold over 80 short stories to women’s magazines. Her bestselling debut novel, Doubting Abbey, came out in November 2013.
Social Links: Twitter | Facebook | Website | Doubting Abbey Blog
From Paris with Love by Samantha Tonge was released by Carina UK on July 24, 2014.
Find this book: Amazon | Amazon UK | Goodreads | The Publisher
