Today we have the release day blitz of Tawna Fenskeβs Just A Little Bet! Check out this gorgeous new romance and be sure to get your copy today!
Title: Just A Little Bet
Author: Tawna Fenske
Genre: Contemporary Romance
About Just A Little Bet:
After a night of too many drinks, smokejumper Tony Warren and his best friend, photographer Kayla Gladney, come to the realization that theyβre both bad at love. They even tried dating each other, but that crashed and burned, too. Now heβs got the hangover from hell and the certain conclusion heβs just a shit boyfriend. But Kayla thinks heβs a straight-up commitment-phobe.
So they make a betβtheyβre going to hunt down his exes and decide once and for all why heβs so unlucky in love. Terrible boyfriend or commitment-phobe. Why does either answer feel like heβs still losing?
But between roadside burgers and late night detours, they discover some fires never burn outβlike the one slowly smoldering between them. And suddenly losing feels a whole lot like winning again.
Get Your Copy:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HcjgKd
The Where Thereβs Smoke series is STANDALONE:
* The Two-Date Rule
* The Best Kept Secret
Exclusive Excerpt:
He glanced over and winked. βWant to play a road-trip game?β
βLike twenty questions?β
βOr the alphabet game,β he said. βThe one where you look at road signs to find letters of the alphabet in order?β
Kayla scanned the long stretch of highway dotted with sagebrush and junipers. Not a lot of signs in sight. βHow about kiss, marry, kill?β
βWhatβs that?β
She wiggled her toes on the dash, enjoying the cool flutter of air conditioning. βWe take turns naming three random celebrities,β she said. βOr they could be musicians or cartoon characters or whatever. You have to decide which one youβd kiss, which one youβd marry, and which one youβd kill.β
He glanced over and raised an eyebrow. βSounds like another middle school game. Proceed.β
βUm, let me think.β She rubbed her palms down her denim-clad thighs and tried to come up with something. βOkay. Marge Simpson, Judy Jetson, and Princess Fiona from Shrek.β
βThose are my choices?β
She grinned. βThose are your choices.β
Frowning at the highway, Tony considered it. βIβm not keen on killing anyone, but Judy Jetsonβs gotta be pushing ninety, since that show came out in the early sixties. So I guess Iβll go with her.β
βTo kill?β
His brow furrowed. βDo we really have to do that part?β
βYep, itβs the game.β
βOkay, then yes.β He tapped the brakes as a rabbit darted out in the road, then changed its mind and scurried back. Tony swerved to avoid hitting it, expertly keeping the Jeep on the road.
βPrincess Fiona seems really happy with Shrek, so Iβm not going to fuck that up for them,β he continued. βJust a peck on the cheek is okay, right?β
Kayla eyed him, surprised by how seriously he seemed to be taking this. βDoes this mean youβre marrying Marge Simpson?β
He shrugged and tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel. βHomerβs kind of a dick, and she always seemed like a cool lady. Might as well get her out of that.β
βWow.β Kayla stared at him. βSo youβre seeing marriage asβwhat? A chance to rescue someone?β
Tony frowned. βThatβs not what I said.β
βNo, but you implied it.β She laughed and dropped her feet to the floor. βNo wonder we didnβt work out.β
βWhatβs that supposed to mean?β
βI donβt need anyone rescuing me,β she said. βIf some sort of hero complex is the driving force behindββ
βI do not have a hero complex.β His words came out so forceful, even Tony seemed surprised. βI just donβt like seeing anyone in a lousy marriage. Thereβs too goddamn many of those in the world.β
He wasnβt meeting her eyes, which was probably just because he needed to watch the road. But Kayla couldnβt help feeling a dark fog hovering over this conversation.
βFair enough,β she said mildly. βFor what itβs worth, thatβs very noble. Maybe not the best reason to marry someone, but not the worst, either.β
βItβs not like you gave me great choices,β he pointed out.
βOkay, you go. Give me three picks.β
His frown tipped up at the edges, and suddenly he was grinning again. βFine. Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, and Kevin Bacon.β
βOoh, good choices.β Kayla tucked a knee up under her. βAt their current ages, or do I get to choose my favorite roles theyβve played?β
βCurrent ages,β Tony said definitively.
Kayla laughed. βSays the guy who killed a geriatric Judy Jetson. Okay, Iβm going to go ahead and kill Kevin Bacon. I never forgave him for being the guy who cheated with Julianne Moore and broke Steve Carellβs heart.β
βWhich movie was that?β
βCrazy, Stupid, Love,β she said. βA brilliantβand dare I say highly underratedβromantic comedy.β
He glanced over at her. βHow come youβve never made me watch it?β
βThe fact that you just said made you watch it is exactly why,β she said. βI donβt want your machismo sullying a movie so near and dear to my heart.β
βIβm wounded,β Tony deadpanned. βFor the record, Iβm a sensitive guy who digs the occasional rom-com.β
βIβll keep that in mind.β Kayla got back to considering her options in the game. βOkay, so it comes down to Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. Both are brilliant actors. Tomβs got a great mix between comedy and drama, where Denzel is a little more serious. But Denzel has the sex appeal thing going for him, while Tom just doesnβt curl my toes.β
Tony gave a low whistle. βNice in-depth analysis.β
βThanks.β She grinned. βYou set the bar high with your thoughtful response.β
βYeah, but youβre better at it than I am.β
She shrugged and grabbed her Hydro Flask to take a swig of water. βI do tend to overanalyze relationships.β Could be why she hadnβt managed to find her soul mate. βNot that itβs gotten me to the finish line.β
He frowned. βWhat the hell is the finish line?β
βMarriage. Babies. All the things you claim not to want but secretly might.β
He gave her a pained look and eased over to slip by a truck hauling huge bales of hay. βThis bet is going to be the death of me. Youβre going to spend the next couple weeks fiddling around in my brain, arenβt you?β
βNot if you donβt want me to.β She studied the side of his face as he steered them safely in front of the hay truck. βI just think a road trip is a perfect time for self-reflection.β
βWhatever you say.β
βOkay. So kiss, marry, kill.β She forced her brain back to the game. βI think Iβm going to marry Denzel. The way he owned up to all his mistakes at the end of Flight seals the deal.β
Tony shifted his eyes off the road and looked at her. βThat seems noteworthy, donβt you think?β
βHow do you figure?β
βHe played a raging asshole for 97 percent of that movie. But you focus on the redemption scene at the end.β He flashed her a grin. βItβs actually kind of sweet.β
She felt her forehead creasing. βAre you calling me a Pollyanna?β
βHey, I didnβt say it. You did.β
Kayla rolled her eyes. βIs it too late to play the alphabet game?β
He laughed and picked up his cup of McDonaldβs iced tea. βIβm sensing a trend here. We can play whatever you want, sweetheart.β
She dropped her foot to the floor and grabbed her own cup of soda. βI spy with my little eyeβ¦β
About Tawna Fenske:
When Tawna Fenske finished her English lit degree at 22, she celebrated by filling a giant trash bag full of romance novels and dragging it everywhere until sheβd read them all. Now sheβs a RITA Award finalist, USA Today bestselling author who writes humorous fiction, risquΓ© romance, and heartwarming love stories with a quirky twist. Publishers Weekly has praised Tawnaβs offbeat romances with multiple starred reviews and noted, βThereβs something wonderfully relaxing about being immersed in a story filled with over-the-top characters in undeniably relatable situations. Heartache and humor go hand in hand.β
Tawna lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband, stepkids, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets. She loves hiking, snowshoeing, standup paddleboarding, and inventing excuses to sip wine on her back porch. She can peel a banana with her toes and loses an average of twenty pairs of eyeglasses per year. To find out more about Tawna and her books, visit http://www.tawnafenske.com.