Blurb
Andrea
had one goal in life, a quiet career as a mainstream
archaeologist—nothing more nothing less—and she's one ancient
secret away. When she is teamed with maverick prodigy Daniel Fuchs at
his controversial pre-Clovis dig on tribal land, she soon realizes
his wild theories may sidetrack her career. Her smartest move is to
expose him and that is exactly what she plans to do. Except…he’s
hot, sexy, and there is a chance his theories may be right.
As
the dig deepens and outside forces mount, Andrea and Daniel find
their careers and their shaky relationship on the brink of ruin. Who
can she trust? To survive professionally and emotionally, Andrea must
decide between what is expected and what she believes, because time
is running out and the developers' bulldozers are poised to level the
site.
Delve
into the mystery and excitement of an archaeological dig in the New
Mexico desert and experience the drive, determination, and passion
surrounding the quest to unlock the Paleolithic past in this
contemporary, romantic suspense. Hearts
In Ruin…no shovel required to join
this adventure to discover an ancient truth!
Five-Star
Review by Romance
Junkies:
"My
favorite part: wait until you get to their first kiss. Never in the
history of romance novels has there been a kiss like it. The second
kiss leads to even better things."
And now an excerpt including that raved-about first kiss....
Later in the
evening, Daniel slipped out to the patio for a reprieve—just a few
moments of peace. The wide balcony overlooked the east side of campus
with the lights of town beyond, backed by the night shadows of the
mesa. He inhaled. Even here, amid streets, buildings, miles of
surrounding commercial and residential neighborhoods, the scent of
the uncivilized desert predominated. Its stillness soothed him.
“So there you
are.”
He turned, startled.
Andrea stepped into view, stunning in Pamela’s dress. He’d seen
her in it all evening, but not in the moonlight like this.
He struggled for
composure. He hadn’t expected anyone to join him here, especially
Andrea. She was a hit at the dinner, a fresh young woman, as smart as
the stuffy regulars, but piercingly direct and good humored.
“Is everything all
right?” he asked.
“Sure.” She
stepped toward him. “Except my date ditched me.”
“I didn’t think
you needed me in there.”
Her eyes glinted.
“So, you tired of the crowd?”
He laughed. She
could not have nailed it much better. “Let’s just say I’ve
already been to enough meetings, dinners, and functions of all kinds
with this group to fill a lifetime.”
She stood next to
him now at the railing and stared across the campus. “It’s a
pretty school.”
He shrugged. “It
has its charms.”
A subtle hint of
perfume mingled seamlessly with the desert breeze. Amazing. Most of
the women inside seemed anxious to disguise or completely cover up
the smell and feel of the dry desert environment. But Andrea, who had
never lived in the climate or even visited the desert before, chose a
fragrance that accepted it and even complimented its arid beauty.
“Not all fake
Ivy-League like the U,” she explained.
He smiled. “No.
And if you have a thing for adobe and stucco then you can really
learn to love it.”
She turned, leaning
back against the railing. “The people seem nice,” she ventured.
“I don’t really know why you left. Just because they didn’t
support the dig? It seems you could’ve worked it out with these
folks.”
Daniel could not
tear his gaze from her profile and the bare shoulders just touched by
soft and inviting golden-brown hair. But he was held by more than
that. All of her qualities were admirable. Not only was she
fascinatingly attractive, and perhaps even in spite of it, she was
brilliant and clear minded, and she loved her work.
“They um…”
Daniel’s throat thickened, as if he were trying to talk underwater.
There was something about her—something between them that
transcended this project, he knew. He’d been avoiding it. He wanted
no complications during the dig. But that was only part of the
problem. The fact was, he didn’t want to draw her too far into his
private quest. He couldn’t do that to her. Not now, not at this
critical juncture with her career poised to launch. It was bad enough
that she was the project leader, and he hoped she didn’t have to
explain that away the rest of her life after he finally published his
findings. But why then, if he felt that way, did he recruit her? She
was clearly in the running for a post at a good school. This project,
once the controversy surfaced, was not a good stepping stone on that
path. Did he really think if he kept her role limited that it could
minimize the fallout to her career?
It had been
different for him. He didn’t work so hard for his opportunities. He
had been young when he reached that point. Just eighteen, still a
kid. He met Madeline and willingly abandoned most of the career
courses Andrea should follow. He was committed to his project. He
never saw it as a choice. But how could he lead Andrea down the same
path—especially after she worked so hard for so many years to gain
a solid foothold in academia?
Andrea’s brow
furrowed with contemplation and she turned to him. “I think you
should have just stuck to your guns here. They like you more than you
know.”
He drew a breath.
“Not all of them.”
She lowered her
chin. “You’re about as likeable as they get.”
He smiled, and
without thinking, touched her hand. She didn’t retreat. The air
warmed with electricity. A remnant of his rational mind searched for
a response to her statement—a quip, a compliment, a
rebuttal…anything. But the futile effort was overshadowed by the
sharpening of his senses, an awakening triggered by her presence and
warm touch.
“I uh…”
She turned to face
him squarely. He touched her arm, feeling the impossible softness of
her skin. Her hand touched his stomach and slide to his waist. Her
expression shifted. Her eyes surveyed his face. Was she searching for
resistance or its opposite? He didn’t know. He wasn’t sure he
cared. But he could tell that this closeness was something they’d
both thought about before.
The moment grew,
nearly eclipsing all else. He knew in his mind and heart that if he
didn’t embrace her now, the moment could vanish forever. His heart
pounded. He did not weigh options. This was not a matter of choice.
It was roaring compulsion. He leaned close. He felt the heat of
Andrea’s cheek, her warm breath. Their lips brushed across each
other. Daniel savored the soft pass once, twice, then opening
slightly more and connecting, pressing, tasting and melding. His
chest filled with fire. The world fell away. He reached around her,
pulling her close. She nestled in, leaving no gap.
He felt no barrier
between them. His lips touched her nose, her cheek, the crook of her
neck. He returned to her lips and they tasted each other again.
Andrea mewed. It felt right to be lost in her touch and her breath.
Their chests heaved together. Their embrace softened. Daniel roamed
the curve of her spine. She responded with equal, soft passion. He
felt the release of a long, satisfied sigh.
They touched
foreheads.
He smiled. She
giggled lightly.
A rough, “Ahem,”
broke the moment like shattered crystal. They weren’t alone.
Eyes widened, they
released their holds and turned.
“I don’t mean to
disturb you.”
Daniel regained his
bearing. William Lassiter and Morgan Hamilton stood near the patio
door holding cocktail tumblers.
HEARTS
IN RUIN is available at:
- Liquid Silver Books http://www.lsbooks.com/hearts-in-ruin-p904.php
- All Romance Ebooks (ARe) https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-heartsinruin-1499205-153.html
About
the Author
J. C. Conway
is a romance, science fiction and fantasy author, writing novels and
short stories for adults, young adults and teens.
Hearts in Ruin is his debut novel.
He is a grand prize winner of the Yosemite Romance Writers Smooch
contest. He will have short stories published this summer by The
Colored Lens and Comets & Criminals. His writing passion began
with a grade-school assignment to write anything he liked, which, at
the time, included dinosaurs, robots, army heroes and alien invaders.
Since then he's added deep simmering passion, tense internal conflict
and emotional dilemmas. To learn more, visit his website at
http://jcconway.com,
his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/J.C.Conway.Writer,
or follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jcconwaywriter.
Also feel free to visit http://HeartsInRuin.com,
the website dedicated to his debut novel.
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