Make
Me a Match
by
Mackenzie
Lucas
GENRE:
Fantasy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Widower
Mark Cage is rusty at relationships. He owns the micro-brewery that
supplies
winning
local craft beer. And he’s been focused on building his business
and raising
his
teenage daughter ever since his wife died ten years ago. Nothing
else.
When
he runs into a sweet kindergarten teacher who is vacationing in St.
Augustine
and
staying at Essence everything changes. A sudden, inexplicable
encounter with a mystical tree
known
for its legend of bringing lovers together, convinces Mark the
schoolteacher is
his
destined match. However, his encounters are disastrous.
His
only hope of persuading the woman he wants to even consider a date
with him is
working
with Essence’s on-site relationship guru, Athena Sullivan. A
reknowned relationship coach, Athena is the opposite of everything
Mark wants in a woman. She’s feisty,
independent,
and challenges him at every turn. Sparks fly between the two from
their
first
meeting and flare into a blazing inferno as Athena helps him navigate
the dating scene.
After
a series of too-perfect, mis-queued dates, Mark realizes maybe the
woman of his
dreams
is not a sweet schoolteacher after all. Maybe she’s a feisty,
independent, sexy relationship coach who stands up to him and is
everything he’s always wanted or needed in a woman.
If
he opens himself up to true love, he might just find second chances
at love are possible and that his perfect soul mate is closer than he
thinks.
EXCERPT: Meeting the Kindergarten Teacher
Sally,
Mark’s best friend, waved when she saw him. “Mark, I want you to
meet someone.”
He
walked over, hands shoved in his jeans pockets. “Hey, there.”
Daphne
extended her hand. “Hello, I’m Daphne Moore.”
He
froze, mesmerized by the elfin features of the pretty woman.
Sally
poked him hard in the ribs, giving him a not so subtle hint.
“Oh,
hi. I’m Mark Cage.”
He
hadn’t done this in forever. He was a little rusty. Sally poked him
a second time and stared at Daphne’s hand just as she started to
lower it, looking unsure of herself.
Mark
recovered. Pulled his right hand from his pocket and grabbed hers.
But
in his rush, he fumbled. Yanked a little harder than he’d intended
to pump it in an exuberant handshake.
She
stumbled.
He
dropped her hand.
She
smiled sweetly and rubbed her wrist and hand gingerly. Her face
flushed pink. “Sally tells me you run a microbrewery.”
“Yes.”
He nodded, at a loss about what topics to discuss with a kindergarten
teacher. The silence stretched out.
Daphne
looked between Mark and Sally. Her face flushed a deeper shade of
pink. Almost as if she didn’t know what to say, either.
Cute.
She
sure was pretty. Mark liked the way her long skirt flowed easily over
her slim hips. “You’re a teacher?”
“Yes,
I teach kindergarten. Five-year-old kids.”
His
daughter hadn’t been five for a lot of years. He could barely
remember when she was five. “Learning to read and write,” he
finally came up with after a long, painful pause.
“Exactly.
Plus social skills. How to interact appropriately with others. How to
play nice together. Those kinds of necessary life skills.”
Sally
snickered and tapped his toe with her foot. “Maybe you should go
back to kindergarten. Do you some good.”
Mark
scowled, then turned back to Daphne. “What brings you to St.
Augustine?”
“Vacation.
A much-needed break.” She picked at the button on her sweater and
her gaze skittered away from his. “I’m primary caregiver for my
dad. He’s got terminal cancer.”
“I’m
sorry. I lost my wife to cancer ten years ago. It’s never easy.”
Now Mark really had no idea how to continue the conversation. “Were
you waiting for someone?” His words sounded a little sharper than
he’d intended.
Daphne
hugged herself. “Actually, I am.” She glanced around like she was
searching for a lifeline.
“Oh.”
Shit. This was not going well.
She
lifted a hand and waved at someone behind Mark. Her face split into a
sunny smile and her shoulders sagged in relief. “Hello. Over here.”
“There
you are.” The voice of the woman at the bar—the one who’d been
coming on to Jason—sounded right behind Mark.
He
stiffened. What could she want with his sweet Daphne? To corrupt her?
Oh, no. Not on his watch.
Sally
turned, all smiles. “Athena. When did you get here?”
“Just
now.”
Mark
frowned fiercely at her. “Yeah, after a drink in the bar with
Jason.”
She
smirked. “Jealous?”
“Hell,
no.” He barked the words. Daphne jumped. “Just thought that Sal
should know what you’ve been up to.”
“Sally
knows exactly what I’m up to here, don’t you, sweetie?” She
smiled at Sally. “Plus, she bought me the drink.” Athena threw
her head back and laughed, exposing the strong, tanned column of her
neck.
In
that instant, Mark had the insane urge to sink his teeth into the
spot just below her ear. The tender one. Bite gently and scrape his
teeth down along her skin. Make her moan and arch against him.
Fuck.
Where had that come from?
Beads
of sweat popped onto his forehead.
He
glanced at Daphne who appeared as if she might take flight at any
second.
He
didn’t want Athena. So why the scandalous thoughts? Because Athena
was the type of woman to inspire hot, dirty passion-filled thoughts.
Not what he wanted or needed. Nope. He wanted Daphne. Sweet, kind
Daphne.
Athena
winked at Sally. “Jase and I go way back.”
“Yes,
I’m well aware of what Athena’s job is here. And I welcome it. I
am in no way threatened. I trust her. I trust Jason. She knows
exactly what she’s doing.”
“What
the fuck are you talking about?” They could not be talking about
what he thought they were talking about. “She was just coming on to
your fiancé at the bar.”
Athena
rolled her eyes. “Men.”
Sally
slapped a hand over her eyes. “You are a Neanderthal, aren’t you?
Do you only think with your small head?”
Pissed,
he squinted at Sally. Then he glanced at Daphne. She’d blanched
white, almost like she could pass out. Fuck. Working with
kindergartners, she wasn’t used to this kind of talk.
Athena
moved in and put her arm around Daphne. “Let’s go, girlfriend.
We’ve got weekend plans to make for you, darling. You’re going to
love what I have in mind.” She herded Daphne around Mark.
“It
was nice meeting you,” Daphne said, weakly.
Mark
turned to watch them go, only to catch Athena turn her head and stick
her tongue out at him.
What
the hell?
Sally
turned to Mark. “I like her.”
“You
would.” Mark grunted. “But you shouldn’t. You can’t trust
her.”
“I’d
better be able to trust her. I just hired her, for a whopping salary,
as the resort’s new relationship coach. She’ll be running dating
events over the next couple of months. Hooking people up. It’s a
trial run. See if it’s a value-added service our clientele would
enjoy. Daphne is her first client here.”
Great,
just great.
She
was searching for a mate. And now Athena had her claws into the poor,
sweet woman. He’d better ask her out soon, or he might just lose
his chance. “I thought the meeting with Daphne went well, what do
you think?”
Sally
stared at him like he had two heads. “You’re crazy, right?”
“No.
I like her.”
“Of
course you do. She’s sweet and pliable and kind. And absolutely not
the woman for you.”
“You
said that before. And I disagree. I think she liked me.”
“Of
course you do,” she repeated. “She had no idea what to think of
you—as you outright accused her coach of hitting on my fiancé. Way
to go, maverick.”
“Tell
your Athena woman to seek no further.” Mark waved his hand in
dismissal, because in his mind it was a settled deal. “I want to
date Daphne. No need for that chick to hook her up with anyone else.”
“Uh-huh.”
Sally rubbed her hand over her forehead, then peeked back up at him.
“You scared the crap out of Daphne, you know that, right?”
Mark
shuffled his feet. Yes, he was over six feet tall. He had a big
build. Wide shoulders. He could intimidate lots of people. But Daphne
hadn’t quailed when she first met him. “She didn’t seem to mind
my size.”
“Had
nothing to do with your size, doofus. Had everything to do with your
mean-boy attitude toward Athena and the comments about Jason.
Scandalized the poor teacher. She can’t handle the kind of
in-your-face conflict you dish out. I understand you, but I’ve
known you forever. I get there’s no bite under that bark. Daphne
doesn’t know you yet. If you want a chance at all with her, you
need to tone it down, bud.”
Mark
stared at the toes of his shoes. Was she right? Had he come across
too strong? He’d forgotten how to play this game. How to put his
best foot forward. He lifted his chin. “I’ll try. Talk to Athena,
okay?”
“Deal.
But I can’t promise anything.”
“Just
talk to her.” With those words, Mark stalked out of Essence,
certain Athena-the-shrew had just ruined his whole future love life.
Damned if he’d allow that to happen. Not when he’d just found the
woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
Oh,
hell, no. Not gonna happen.
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
Mac
is a small-town country girl with a world-traveler’s heart. She
grew up in the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania and she’s lived
in Dublin, Ireland, within spitting distance of New York City in Long
Island, and now in the Washington, D.C. area. She obtained her
undergraduate degree in English Literature from Dickinson College and
received her M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill
University. She’s currently an author for Soul Mate Publishing and
is represented by Otis and Mackintosh Literary Agency.
With
Mackenzie Lucas—whether you’re reading her light paranormal
romance or her small-town-based contemporary romance—you’ll
always find a heart-warming love story about connectedness,
community, and emotional authenticity. And, no, it doesn’t hurt
that all her heroes are panty-melting gorgeous alphas and all their
sexy, sensually aware heroines know how to stand up to them, give no
quarter, and love them just as they are.
Watch
for new titles by Mackenzie Lucas.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
INFORMATION:
Mackenzie
Lucas will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a
randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
REVIEW: Another book in the Soul Mate tree series. Each book is written by a different author but every story includes the same soul mate tree, responsible for bringing our couples together. This one was a different because the tree communicated with the main character, Mark. Mark Cage lost his wife to cancer while raising his daughter. Mark is a bit of a cummudgeon - he is a big man, surly and can be abrupt. Now his daughter is going off to college, and she would like her father to meet someone. Mark agrees to date, and he sees Daphne, a preschool teacher, and decides he's head-over-heels in love with her. But he's at a loss how to ask her out. Despite his misgivings, at his daughter's insistance, (she pays for it - so he's stuck) he agrees to see Athena, a "relationship coach". Athena and he don't get along, to put it mildly. He's decided that Athena is 'That Kind of Woman' - loose, probably a marriage wrecker - and he's absolutely awful to her. But she's made of steel. She agrees to help him - even though she is sure that Daphne isn't the right woman for him. Enter the Soulmate tree - lured to it by the spirit of his dead wife, Mark agrees to try to let her go and seek a new love. In his mind, it's Daphne - the sweet, timid teacher who caught his eye. But soon he has to admit that Athena is the one for him. Now, to convince her! This was a sensual romance with lots of snappy dialogue and a very likeable cast of characters.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new release, I enjoyed the excerpt!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, everyone, for stopping by today! Good luck on winning the prize.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed getting to know your book and thanks for the chance to win :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read!
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