Seven Day Fiance: A Love and Games Novel (Entangled Bliss) (20 page)

Acknowledgments

So much of an author’s day is spent staring at a blank screen, talking with imaginary friends, and scaring innocent people in Panera when you unconsciously act out the scenes you are writing. Or is that just me? Anyhoo, I’ve made so many friends along this journey, authors, bloggers, reviewers, and readers who lift me up, cheer me on, and virtually bop me over the head when I eventually lapse into the completely random and silly. For everyone listed below, and for everyone my chaotic author/mama brain forgot (and will be kicking myself over in 3, 2, 1…), I hope you know that I adore you all to pieces.

First up, I have to thank my beautiful cousin, Chantel Fouchi, for the fabulous tour of Cajun country and letting me take over your home for a week—sorry about the ceiling! Your friends and neighbors were so kind and welcoming, and it’s their stories that gave this book life. Like Cane, I’m New Orleans Cajun, so this city girl needed some schooling. And they totally brought it. Ryan and Mary Rose Verret gave the Prejean family a heart. The Marcantel and Coleman families welcomed me into their homes and inspired so much of the Bon Terre townspeople’s stories. Tony Thibodeaux introduced me to the buggy capital of the world, and Dexter Thibodeaux taught me about cutting blocks, Thanksgiving traditions, and Johnny Janot. If this book sparked your curiosity for Cajun culture, listening to Janot’s song “I’m Proud to be a Cajun” is a must!

Ashley Bodette, assistant extraordinaire, rocks my socks off. Thank you SO much for reading Cane’s story a bazillion times, sending such detailed notes, reading my rambling stream of consciousness e-mails, and being a blessing above and beyond. Words do not exist to express my gratitude, so I’ll just say love you, girl!

Trisha Wolfe and Shannon Duffy deserve medals for putting up with my crazy writing schedule,
especially
toward the end where I sent them 7,000-word chunks. For talking me down off ledges and making me laugh so hard my tummy hurt, thank you, thank you,
thank
you
.

Cindi Madsen totally saved my butt in the beginning of this story, and it was through talking with her that the Bachelor Auction came to be…so you can thank her for the delicious abs, ladies. And if you completely melted like I did over Cane’s lyrics at the end, I must confess that
all
the credit goes to my girl (and uber-awesome writing bud) Caisey Quinn. She took my pretty speech and turned it into pure gold. I owe her a lifetime supply of chocolate because those lyrics are flipping awesome!

Heather Self and Kayleigh from K-Books are quite honestly the best beta readers EVER. They devoured this book, gave me fabulous feedback, and made me do a bazillion happy dances. Girls, thank you for loving Cane as much as I do!! Before I wrote this book, I already had an author crush on Robin Bielman. When she read
Seven Day Fiancé
and said that she loved it, I about fell out of my chair. That author crush is off the charts about now…

I’m convinced Kelly P. Simmon of InkSlinger PR and Debbie Suzuki aren’t human. They are angels with huge hearts and AMAZING talent who were sent to guide me along this crazy journey. Kelly, I’m honored to call you my friend, and Debbie, I’m so stinking excited to have you on my team! Mega shout outs to Christine from I*Heart*BigBooks (and I cannot lie…) for the HOTTEST teasers in the history of the world, and to my agent of awesome Pam van Hylckama Vlieg for all the encouragement. So. Much. Love!

Stacy Cantor Abrams and Alycia Tornetta are hands down the best editors an author can ask for. Their notes are phenomenal, the laughs are constant, and their support and belief in
me
is unconditional. They made this story shine, and made me fall even harder for Cane…a feat I didn’t think was possible.

I’ve been blessed with the most supportive family ever. My husband has helped plot every one of my books, and he always reads the guy parts to make sure they sound like dudes. He takes me out on dates, surprises me with love notes, and does the laundry without asking—proof that real romance exists! My daughters scream from the rooftops that their mama’s a writer (and they have crazy loud voices, y’all), and are totally understanding when homeschool time goes wonky due to deadlines. My mom, dad, and brother hear more about the writing process than they
ever
wanted to yet they never fail to ask anyway or to show how proud they are. And my mother-in-law’s reign as Number One Cheerleader remains fully intact. *squishes you all*

To every blogger, reviewer, and reader of
Taste the Heat
, a gigantic tackle hug. Your Jason crushes and “Holy Fireman” tweets made me giggle and grin like a loon, and I hope Cane lived up to your expectations. Double tackle hugs go out to The Autumn Review, Harlequin Junkie, Mostly YA Book Obsessed, Starbucks and Book Obsession, Lovin’ Los Libros, Imperfect Women, All Romance Reviews, Jenna Does Books, Book Loving Mom, Stuck in Books, Tangled Up in Books, Always YA at Heart, A Bookish Escape, Dazzled by Books, The Fictionators, Meredith and Jennifer’s Musings, K-Books, i*Heart*BigBooks, Library of a Book Witch, Pandora’s Books, Crystal in Bookland, Tsk Tsk What to Read, and Just a Booklover for going above and beyond. You made my adult romance debut so fantastic.

And no list of acknowledgements would be complete without a teary-eyed, mushy, and totally sentimental thank-you to my Flirt Squad. Our daily swoons over yummy men, heartfelt chats about life, and giggles over random oddities mean the
world
to me. No other author is as blessed as I am. I love each and every one of your faces, and I can’t thank you enough. You inspire me to keep pushing, to keep going, and I love you for it!

About the Author

Rachel Harris grew up in New Orleans, watching soap operas with her grandmother and staying up late sneak-reading her mama’s romance novels. Today she still stays up late reading romances, only now she does so openly.

A Cajun cowgirl now living in Houston, she firmly believes life’s problems can be solved with a hot, sugar-coated beignet or a thick slice of king cake, and that screaming at strangers for cheap, plastic beads is acceptable behavior in certain situations.

She homeschools her two beautiful girls and watches countless hours of Food Network and reality television with her amazing husband. She writes young adult, new adult, and adult Fun, Flirty Escapes, and LOVES talking with readers! Visit her at www.rachelharriswrites.com.

Don’t miss the first book in Rachel Harris’s Love and Games series

Taste the Heat

One sexy fire captain. One Cajun chef. One combustible kitchen…

When chef Colby Robicheaux returned home to New Orleans to save her family restaurant, the last person she expected to reconnect with was her brother’s best friend and her childhood crush. As tempting as a sugar-coated beignet, Jason is one dish she can’t afford to taste. Colby can’t wait to leave the place where her distrust of love and commitment originated and go back to Vegas.

Fire captain Jason Landry isn’t looking for love, either. Disillusioned by his past, he knows he should be focusing on finding the perfect mother for his daughter. But when he first sees Colby, all grown up and gorgeous, he can’t help but be drawn to her. And when she suggests a no-strings-attached fling, Jason can’t say no.

As their relationship grows more intense, Colby finds that Jason isn’t as easy to leave behind as she thought. Could turning up the heat on something real be worth the possibility of getting burned?

Find your Bliss with Tracy March’s

Tempted in the Tropics

Paige followed the couple into the sanctuary. Beyond, Lane still stood naked in the pool, leaning against the edge, looking as surprised as Paige had felt when she opened the door. The couple stopped near the pool, the man looking sterner than he had before, the woman more shocked.

“Mom, Dad,” Lane said, “this is Paige.” He looked at Paige apologetically. “Paige, these are my parents, Don and Karen.”

Paige shifted nervously from foot to foot, clutching the sheet to her chest. She dipped her chin, not sure exactly what to do— shake their hands…curtsy? “Nice to meet you,” she said, as if everyone was dressed.

Don simply stared at her, his fiery eyes the same captivating shade of green as Lane’s.

Karen glanced over at the patio and apparently caught sight of Lane’s shorts and briefs on the chaise, her eyebrows jumping halfway up her forehead before she lowered them quickly into a grimace. “Obviously we’ve interrupted something.”

Paige stepped over to the patio while Lane got out of the pool. Karen and Don faced her, their intent gazes simultaneously resting on something behind Paige at about knee level. Paige turned to see her sundress and bright-pink-lace bra tossed across the chaise, her thong dangling by a thin strip of elastic from the armrest. Her stomach pitched. Champagne bubbled in the back of her throat, and she thought she might hurl. And why not? A puddle of puke would be like icing on the cake of this train-wreck scene.

Paige practically leaped over to the chaise and scooped up her clothes. She yanked her thong from the armrest, but the elastic caught on the curved end. The thong snapped from her fingers and went flying, landing limply in the pool beyond her reach.

“We’ll worry about that later,” Lane said in a low tone as he joined her, facing Don’s and Karen’s glares.

Paige officially wanted to die. But short of that, she was dying to leave…now. Nothing could save her at this point. “I, um…” She looked in the general direction of Don and Karen. “Nice to meet you, but I need to run.” She glanced at Lane and shrugged. “I’ll get your sheet back to you,” she said, and broke a walk-of-shame speed record getting out the door.

Find your Bliss with these new releases

Her Accidental Boyfriend
by Robin Bielman

Kagan Owens has a secret. One she thought she’d escaped by leaving New York, but when her past follows her to her temporary new life, Kagan lets a teeny lie slip. And now the town’s biggest playboy and flirt, Shane Sullivan, has become her pretend boyfriend—just until she’s ready to return to NYC. But the handsome, fun-loving Shane makes it tough to determine where their friendly agreement begins and ends…

Flirting with Danger
by Claire Baxter

Firefighter Jasmine Mackinnon has always just been one of the guys. So no one’s more shocked than she is to find herself kissing fellow firefighter and all-around sinfully handsome playboy Aaron Parkes after a friend’s wedding. Jasmine knows she can’t risk an emotional connection with a colleague—a potentially dangerous entanglement when fighting fires together—and nothing’s more important to her than her job. But when their casual flirtation builds into a steamy affair, both will have to “man up” to get what they truly want.

Fake Fiancé, Real Revenge
by Roxanne Snopek

In order for Mitchell Granger to secure a lucrative real-estate deal with an eccentric client, he told the teeny white lie that he was engaged…and now he needs to prove it. Sabrina doesn’t mind posing as Mitch’s fake fiancée. She’s got a plan to exact revenge on her first love, the boy who left her and Three River Ranch behind. But will both Mitch’s and Sabrina’s grand plans get derailed by love?

Love Him or Leave Him
by Sara Daniel

Connor O’Malley and Becca Sanders were once high school sweethearts, ripped apart by rumors in the small town of Kortville, Illinois. Now that Connor’s back as the town sheriff, Becca finds herself struggling to resist the too-handsome man who once broke her heart. When a scandal rocks the town, suddenly Connor and Becca must trust in each other if they want to weather this storm together.