Hunted Series Prequel
By: Jennifer Ryan
Releasing November 11th, 2014
Avon Romance
From
the All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy Anthology comes Jennifer Ryan’s story of Caleb and Summer.
Before the Hunted series they had a whirlwind romance not to be forgotten...
Caleb Bowden has a lot to thank his
best friend, Jack, for - saving his life in Iraq and giving him a job helping
him run his family’s ranch. He also introduced him to the most incredible woman
he’s ever met. Too bad he can’t ask her out. You do not date your best friend’s
sister. Summer and Caleb share a closeness she’s never felt for anyone, but the
stubborn man refuses to turn the flirtatious friendship into something
meaningful. Frustrated and tired of wishing to be happy, Caleb tells Jack how
he feels about Summer. With his friend’s help, he plans a surprise Christmas
proposal she’ll never forget - because he can’t wait to make her his
wife.
Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes | iTunes
Excerpt:
“Relax.
Teri made Jack sit facing away from us.”
Caleb
glanced over at their table, and sure enough, Teri sat facing them, Jack’s back
to him, and she talked, keeping his attention. She caught him staring and gave
him a slight nod and a bright smile.
“Your
friend thinks she sees something between us.”
“Everyone
but Jack sees what’s between us. Deny it all you want, but I can feel the truth.”
“Summer …”
“Relax.
Dance.”
She settled
into him and laid her head on his shoulder. He gave in and wrapped his arms
around her, steering her across the dance floor and as far away from Jack’s
sight as possible.
Shrouded in the back of the crowd, he held her close and
prayed this song would never end, and if it did, that he could stop time and
keep her close forever.
The song
blended into the next slow song that kept the couples entwined and the
atmosphere in the bar sultry. He didn’t need the music or the mood, he only
needed the woman in his arms. For those few minutes, he didn’t think of
anything but her.
The song
ended and Jack let out a familiar whistle. One they used on night raids in the
military.
“Time to
go.” Reluctantly, he stepped away and took her hand to lead her back to the
table. She stood firm and tugged him back.
“Don’t do
that. Don’t leave me because he called you.”
“This can’t
be.”
“It can if
you want it.”
He didn’t
want to do it. Hurting her hurt him more than he could bear, but he endured it
for both their sakes. “I don’t want it.”
“You lie.”
He put his
hand to the small of her back and pushed her toward the table. She resisted,
but fell in line with him after a few steps. He hated to do it, but the woman
had pushed him time and again. A man could only take so much.
“Let’s go,”
Jack announced when they reached the table.
Charlie
stumbled over, hooked his arm around Summer’s shoulders, and pulled her close.
Caleb had enough. He grabbed the guy’s hand, pulled it up and over Summer’s head,
and wrapped it around the guy’s back and up behind his shoulder blades.
“Ow! Let
go. I didn’t mean anything.”
“Caleb,”
Summer snapped. “Let him go.”
“Summer’s
my girl, I’d never do anything to hurt her,” Charlie swore, setting off Caleb’s
temper even more. He pulled up on the guy’s arm, ready to snap it and him in
two for even thinking, let alone speaking, that Summer belonged to him.
Author Info
Jennifer
Ryan is the New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of The Hunted
Series and The McBrides Series. She writes romantic suspense and contemporary
small-town romances featuring strong men and equally resilient women. Her
stories are filled with love, family, friendship, and the happily-ever-after we
all hope to find.
Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she isn’t writing a book, she’s reading one. Her obsession with both is often revealed in the state of her home and in how late dinner is to the table. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper.
Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she isn’t writing a book, she’s reading one. Her obsession with both is often revealed in the state of her home and in how late dinner is to the table. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper.
Website: http://www.jennifer-ryan.com/index.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Ryan/520021168037391?ref=hl
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JenRyan_author
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4693347.Jennifer_Ryan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Ryan/520021168037391?ref=hl
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JenRyan_author
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4693347.Jennifer_Ryan
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Sarah's Review:
Thank you to Tasty Book Tours and Jennifer Ryan for giving me the chance to read and review for the blog! While normally I wait to read Christmas stories until after mid-November, I couldn't help but want to read this one. I am a fan of Jennifer Ryan's McBride series, but I haven't read this series before. I will be looking into it very soon!
It's been a while that a romance novel has made me cry throughout the story because I could feel the emotions that Summer and Caleb were feeling and I could relate. Something about these two made me realize something personal for me and that made this romance even better for me. This was just what I needed to read, exactly when I read it.
It's hard when you fall for one of your friend's siblings or one of your sibling's friends. This romance shows what can happen from both sides. I love how Jennifer Ryan wrote this romance.
