I hope you learn a bit more about the authors, the novel and the start of a brand new series.
Enjoy!!
DIRTY BOXING
The Blood and Glory series
Volume 1
Harper St. George and Tara Wyatt
Pocket Star EBook
September 18, 2017
ISBN 9781501170195
$1.99
ADD TO: GOODREADS
Overview:
After an unstable childhood, Jules Darcy is very familiar with the risks of falling in love. And as an adult, she’s never let herself forget just how high those stakes can be. That’s why she ran away a year ago after her fling with MMA fighter Nick Giannakis quickly got serious. But when she jumps at the opportunity to reconnect with her dad by accepting a job with his growing fight league, she’s stunned to learn the abs, the chiseled arms, and the rock-solid punches she has to market belong to none other than her former fling. Unable to run away from the sexy middleweight this time, Jules vows to keep things strictly professional. But one look at Nick, and her resolve starts to crumble….
The last thing Nick expects when he signs with the prestigious World Fighting Championship is that he’ll have to work with the only woman who ever broke his heart. Desperate to hide the pain she caused him, Nick vows to keep his distance from his gorgeous ex. But when he realizes their intense chemistry hasn’t faded after a year apart, he wonders if they could have a future together, even if dating the boss’s daughter could complicate his bid for the championship belt.
Under the bright lights of Las Vegas, in the world of high-stakes prize fighting, they’ll have to take a risk and decide if their love is worth fighting for.
The last thing Nick expects when he signs with the prestigious World Fighting Championship is that he’ll have to work with the only woman who ever broke his heart. Desperate to hide the pain she caused him, Nick vows to keep his distance from his gorgeous ex. But when he realizes their intense chemistry hasn’t faded after a year apart, he wonders if they could have a future together, even if dating the boss’s daughter could complicate his bid for the championship belt.
Under the bright lights of Las Vegas, in the world of high-stakes prize fighting, they’ll have to take a risk and decide if their love is worth fighting for.
exclusive excerpt courtesy Pocket e-Books––
The team working on the photo shoot had converted
a corner of the WFC gym so they’d have access to punching bags and other
training accessories they might need, which meant they were shooting at night
when everyone was gone. Which was fine, except Jules wished there were more
people around to keep her attention off Nick. But then she thought of what had
happened at the club and realized a room full of people couldn’t save her from wanting
him.
The music that had been playing while they were shooting
changed from a dance beat to Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies.” With a sigh of
frustration at herself for still being hung up on him, she plastered on a smile
and walked to where Nick stood, determined to face her demon head-on. He
adjusted one of the giant wind machines an assistant had set up at the
beginning of the shoot, fiddling with the dial on top. Krista, the make-up
artist, had gone back to her table of supplies.
“You’re doing great. Enrique is very happy with
what we’re getting. Thanks again for doing this,” she said, crossing her arms
over her chest, trying not to think of where her
hands had been a week
ago.
His trademark cocky smile appeared, the one
where one side of his mouth tipped up higher than the other, but he didn’t look
at her. She swallowed hard when her tummy fluttered in response. “Did you doubt
me?” he asked, and turned the fan on.
“No . . .” She automatically started to reassure
him, but stopped when he tossed his hair dramatically, the thick dark strands
catching the wind and blowing out behind him. She caught a faint whiff of the
citrus scent of his shampoo. It was the same scent she’d worn on her skin after
spending the night with him back in Chicago.
He moved his shoulders and hips in time with the
music as he tossed his head again. She couldn’t help teasing him, laughing a
little. “Are you pretending to be Beyoncé?”
Looking over his shoulder at her, he winked.
“Everyone secretly wants to be Beyoncé.”
She laughed harder, not even bothering to
restrain it. As she watched him toss his hair like Beyoncé, bare chested with
his hands still in fight wraps, she realized just how much she’d missed him.
Missed this playfulness. Missed the way he could make her laugh when she was
stressed. After that disastrous dinner with her dad last week, things had been very
tense between them. He only spoke to her when he had to, and avoided her the
rest of the time. Laughing with Nick was nice and made her forget that for a
few minutes.
“I wouldn’t mind being Beyoncé,” she agreed when
she finally stopped laughing. “But you should stop playing with the wind
machine. It looks expensive.”
“Nuh-uh.” He grabbed her hand when she reached
for the dial and pulled her in front of him, facing the wind. “Just try it.”
“What? No.” But she’d started laughing again.
“Just try. Here.” He gently nudged her feet
apart. “Power stance,” he explained. “Now close your eyes and toss your head.”
His hands went to her shoulders to pull them back before sliding down her arms
to take her hands, leaving her skin tingling. She couldn’t stop her fingers
from curling around his, craving more of his touch.
Spreading her arms out, he made her dance while singing,
“All the single ladies,” softly in her ear. His lips brushed the shell of her
ear, and his breath sent prickles of heat down her neck. The hard muscles of
his chest were solid and warm against her back.
At one time she would’ve turned and kissed him, but that part of their relationship had to stay in the past. With his chest pressing into her back, though, it was hard to remember exactly why. Before Jules realized it, she was playing his game, swaying and shaking her hips to the music. She had to resist the urge to press herself against him every time her butt brushed his hips, reminding herself for the hundredth time that they were just coworkers.
At one time she would’ve turned and kissed him, but that part of their relationship had to stay in the past. With his chest pressing into her back, though, it was hard to remember exactly why. Before Jules realized it, she was playing his game, swaying and shaking her hips to the music. She had to resist the urge to press herself against him every time her butt brushed his hips, reminding herself for the hundredth time that they were just coworkers.
Interview with Tara
Wyatt and Harper St. George
Hi Ladies welcome to
The Reading Frenzy
Tell my readers a little about Dirty Boxing please.
Tell my readers a little about Dirty Boxing please.
Thank you so much
for having us! DIRTY BOXING is a reunited lovers story set in the glamorous
world of high stakes prize fighting. Jules Darcy has just started working for
her dad’s fight promotion, the World Fighting Championship, in hopes of mending
her almost nonexistent relationship with him. She is shocked to find that
she’ll be working closely with MMA fighter Nick Giannakis, the man she loved
and left a year ago. Together they’ll have to navigate their new jobs while
trying to deny the explosive attraction between them.
This is the first in
a new Blood and Glory series.
How will the books be connected?
How will the books be connected?
The books are set
around the fledgling WFC, a fictitious fight promotion in Las Vegas. They
feature heroes who are fighters in the league.
How did you two meet
and how did a Canadian and a Floridian decide to co-author a romance series?
We actually met on
Twitter through a mutual friend. We exchanged manuscripts and quickly became
critique partners. We were both into watching MMA fights and thought it’d be
fun to write a story set in that world. We started talking about different
ideas, and Tara suggested that we write a series together. We were both
interested in the co-authoring concept from another series we had read (Beyond
series by Kit Rocha) and thought it’d be fun to try. A couple of years later
here we are!
How do you two tackle
the co-authoring?
We each write one of
the main characters. For DIRTY BOXING, Harper wrote Jules and Tara wrote Nick.
For TAKE DOWN, Harper wrote Gabe and Tara wrote Megan. For NO CONTEST, Harper wrote
Leandro and Tara wrote Ashlynn. Our voices are distinct so it makes sense that
the characters would have different voices. Then we extensively edit which
helps to meld our voices together. We’re both not very good at plotting, but
writing together has forced us to tackle this head on. We may not know how the
entire book will go, but we generally know the big plot points and have the
next four to five scenes planned out as we write.
Do you two get
together occasionally or is your co-writing handled all on-line?
Most of our writing
is handled via email and texting. We did
meetup at RWA 2015 in New York and again at RT 2016 in Las Vegas to plot out a
lot of the series.
Harper tell my
readers a little about yourself, how long have you been writing etc…?
I started writing
romance in 2013. Historical romance is my passion, so it made sense that I’d
start there. My first historical romance novel was published in 2015 with
Harlequin. Contemporary is still fairly new for me to write, as DIRTY BOXING is
my first attempt at writing a contemporary romance novel. But I love the genre
and look forward to trying my hand at many more.
Tara tell my readers
a bit about you, what led you to the romance genre etc…?
I’d known for a long
time (like, since grade school) that I wanted to be a writer, and I dabbled in
creative writing in high school and university, but nothing ever really stuck.
I was a chronic non-finisher of projects. I tried my hand at historical
fiction, fantasy, short stories—you name it! Finally, it occurred to me that
since I loved reading romance, maybe I should try writing that. (I know, DUH,
right?) Once I started writing romance, a lot of things started clicking for
me, and I finished my first manuscript in the fall of 2013. That book ended up
becoming NECESSARY RISK, which came out in February of 2016. I now write both
contemporary romance and romantic suspense, which keeps things interesting.
Ladies thanks so much for answering my questions. Good luck both in your solo and joint ventures!
About the authors:
Harper St. George was raised in rural Alabama and along the tranquil coast of northwest Florida. It was a setting filled with stories of the old days and it instilled in her a love of history, romance, and adventure. By high school, she had discovered the romance novel, which combined all of those elements into one perfect package. She has been hooked ever since. She currently lives on Florida’s Emerald Coast with her family and loves to connect with readers. She would love to hear from you. Please visit her website at HarperStGeorge.com or connect with her on Facebook at Facebook.com/HarperStGeorge.
Tara Wyatt is a contemporary romance and romantic suspense author who has won several awards, including the Unpublished Winter Rose, the Linda Howard Award of Excellence, and the Heart of the West. A librarian by day and romance writer by night, Tara lives in Hamilton, Ontario with the world’s cutest dog and a husband who makes all of her heroes look like chumps. Find her at Tara-Wyatt.com.
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Blog Tour Schedule:
September 15
USA Today’s Happy Ever After – EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT
September 17
Ramblings from this Chick – GUEST POST
September 18
The Reading Frenzy – INTERVIEW
BookPage October Digital Dalliance – REVIEW
September 19
September 20
September 21
September 22
September 25
September 27
September 29
Its been a while since I read a boxing romance. I do love the second chances.
ReplyDeleteNeat to 'meet' Harper and Tara and learn how their team writing came about. :)
Yeah me too Sophia Rose but I really liked Lori Foster's so this is a yes for me!
DeleteA boxer? Sure, I could read this
ReplyDeleteyes you could :)
DeleteI don't I've read anything with boxing it it, but I do like the sounds of this! Thank you for sharing the interview and the excerpt!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Jenea I hope you get a chance to read it
DeleteI don't think I've read a book with this type of story line but it sounds pretty good.
ReplyDeleteyes it does Mary. Thanks
DeleteI'm fascinated that the two of you met via Social Media and decided to write a book together! This sounds like a really good read. Hugs...
ReplyDeleteI know right RO, think about the blogging community like us too
DeleteI always love your interviews Debbie. Thanks so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMelanie @ Hot Listens & Rabid Reads
Its my pleasure Melanie :)
DeleteIt's odd but whenever I read a book where there are fighters involved, it makes me so nervous. LOL I just keep worrying that the hero will get seriously injured or whatnot. Strange, I know. But oddly enough, the book I'm currently reading has the hero becoming a fighter when he grew up. But Dirty Boxing doesn't sound interesting. :)
ReplyDeleteI know Pam, me too! I usually read Lori Foster's mixed MMA novels while biting my nails. :)
DeleteOh, I have not read Lori's yet. Not quite sure if I have any of her MMA novels either. I'll have to check though. :)
DeleteI hope you do!
Delete