April Fool Bride (13 page)

Sassy, Sexy, Sizzling: Other Books by Joan Reeves

Welcome to my world of love and laughter! All
of my books are available at most ebook sellers with audiobook
editions also available. Visit my Website or Blog for more
information about the various editions. (Print editions of all
books will be available in late 2014.)

If you'd like to learn more about Joan and
her books, visit:

*
Website

*
SlingWords
Blog

*
Sign up for Free Email Newsletter
for Readers

*
Joan's YouTube
Channel

Here are my novels that are currently
available at the same ebook seller where you bought
April Fool
Bride
.

Jane (I'm Still Single) Jones

Lots of southern charm, a ten-year-old
betrayal, a man and a woman who should have ended up together.
Review: "If you liked Sweet Home Alabama, you'll love Jane (I'm
Still Single) Jones!"

Just One Look

Kids play doctor, but these doctors play
seduction games. Review: "I loved this book! If you haven't read
JUST ONE LOOK, you're missing out on a great story. It's humorous,
sexy to the max, and just plain entertaining."

Nobody's Cinderella
(Book 1, San
Antone Two-Step)

Darcy is a cliché--a woman in love with her
boss. She should have heeded that old advice: be careful what you
wish for! Review: "ANOTHER WINNER! Just enough conflict, steam,
misunderstandings, and humor. If you haven't yet read Joan
Reeves...what are you waiting for?" (Book 2, Cinderella Blue
available October 2014.)

Old Enough to Know Better
(Book 1, The
Good, The Bad, and The Girly):

A woman with a past. A man who wants to be
her future. Passion brings them together, but will desire last?
Review: "This is truly a feel-good book… Sean is wonderful and sexy
and Stormy is aptly named. She is complicated and emotional and
needs to feel the love and lust of a good man. The two of them
together is very sweet and yet very steamy. A must read!"

Romeo and Judy Anne
(Book 2, Texas One
Night Stands)

Eccentric small town characters, an
overbearing school board president, and the temptation of a secret
lover! Judy Anne has all she can do to keep her passion from
turning into the biggest scandal little Clayton Bend, Texas, has
ever seen. Review: " The multi-generational aspect of the story
brought a very realistic dimension to this romance... it would be
hard to resist the sexy, music-loving, full-of-surprises
Roman/Romeo for long."

Scents and Sensuality

Sweet lies, sweet seduction, and hot passion.
Is it Love or just Lust? Review: "...perfume business sets the tone
for the sensuality that runs through this book. If you like a hot,
sensual read, this is your book. You can almost smell the
pheromones..."

Still the One

Funny, sexy marriage of INCONVENIENCE! Burke
Winslow needed a wife – but he didn't have Ally, his ex, in mind
for the position! Review: "Curse the talented Joan Reeves when she
keeps you awake all night with her latest comedic romance, Still
The One, romantic comedy at its best."

The Trouble With Love
(Book 1, Texas
One Night Stands)

By-the-book Deputy Susannah Quinn has all she
can do to resist Special Agent D. E. Hogan. Hang on to your Stetson
as the fun and games begin in this sexy romp that's as hot as a
bowl of Texas chili! Review: "I just finished The Trouble With Love
and "I LOVED IT. This is my first Joan Reeves book. I couldn't put
it down. I loved how she had multiple romances going on."

Hello, Readers! Can We Talk?

Joan Reeves, Bestselling Author of
Contemporary Romance, began her career with New York traditional
publishers. When ebook reading devices made ebook reading and
publishing easy, she embraced a new career path as an independent
author/publisher. Most of her popular romantic comedies have
appeared on various genre bestseller lists.

Her print novels have been published in a
half dozen languages, and her indie published ebooks are available
at most ebook sellers with audio book editions available at Audible
and iTunes. Several of her books are available in French editions
through her publisher in France.

Joan makes her home in the Lone Star State
with her hero, her husband. They have four kids who think they are
adults and a ghost dog--all the ingredients for a life full of love
and warmed by laughter. She lives the philosophy that is the
premise of all of her romance novels: "It's never too late to live
happily ever after."

Contact Information

Thank you for reading my books! I appreciate
each and every one of you. I always enjoy hearing from readers so
visit me online, email me, or send me an old-fashioned letter.

*
Website
*
Blog
*
Twitter
*
Facebook
*
YouTube
*
LinkedIn

*
WordPlay for Readers
*
Writing Hacks for Writers

*
Email
mailto:[email protected]
.

*
Snail mail
: Joan Reeves, P.O. Box
1627, Normangee TX 77871-1627.

Excerpt, Second Chance Bride

An All Brides Are Beautiful Romance

by

Despite the warmth of the June evening,
Constance Quinn felt chilled. To her dismay, she felt like a
nervous teenager right down to the clammy perspiration that defied
her anti-perspirant and dampened her blue silk blouse.

In front of her, a car pulled away from the
curb. Deftly, she slipped the Buick Enclave into the vacant spot.
Her hand shook as she shifted the gear lever into park and turned
the engine off. She took a deep breath, rubbed the chill bumps on
her arms, grabbed her small tan shoulder bag, and stepped out of
the SUV.

Laughter and music hit her. She looked at the
contemporary house in front of her, noting the sparkling
chandeliers visible through the many large windows. making the
cedar and stone house look like a jewel rising from the emerald
green expanse of lawn. That's when she realized that there was a
party in full swing in the house. She felt like an idiot. How could
she have missed the clues? Like cars lining both sides of the
street not to mention the people ambling around the yard in the
shadows of huge live oak trees.

She'd been oblivious to everything once she'd
yielded to the impulse to drive to Malcolm, the small town about a
hundred miles west of Houston. Where was her brain? She should have
waited until morning and called. But when she'd read the private
investigator's report and realized a short distance separated her
from her goal, she couldn't resist the impulse. All she wanted was
to see him even though she'd told herself that wasn't likely. But
just seeing the house where he lived would be worth the drive she'd
decided. So she stood at the curb and gazed longingly at the house.
Had he been happy here? A pang hit her in the region of her heart.
How could she go about seeing him? She couldn't reveal how she'd
gained the information.

"Aren't you going to come into the
party?"

Startled, Constance jerked. Her gaze searched
for the man who had spoken. She found him as he stepped from the
shadows of the spreading branches of one of the oaks. As he walked
toward her, something about him made her grab for the door handle.
Her pulse beat unsteadily. For a crazy moment, she contemplated
jumping in the Buick and racing away.

When he stepped close, close enough that she
could appreciate his dark good looks, backlit by the light pouring
from the windows of the house behind him, she realized it wasn't
that he'd accosted her that made her feel as if the air had
suddenly grown thin, making it hard to draw breath. Nor was it his
height as he loomed over her--or his body that she suddenly
noticed. How could she be noticing that he was muscled and strong
looking with wide shoulders and narrow hips? She wasn't the kind of
woman who noticed those things about a man.

No, what made her thighs clench was the
intensity of his gaze as his brown eyes locked onto her blue
ones.

"I…I beg your pardon?" Her hand went to her
throat as if to still the pulse that pounded there.

"You've been standing here, staring at the
house for fifteen minutes. Have you decided yet whether to come in
or not?"

"It hasn't been fifteen minutes." A second
later, she realized she should have denied his words. Belatedly,
she said, "I don't know what you mean."

Constance wondered if Pinocchio had blushed
as bright a red as she when the wooden boy told his clunkers.
Nervously, she tried to recover. "What I mean is that I don't have
an invitation. I was just driving by…" Her voice trailed off, and
she decided to just keep her mouth shut.

What was wrong with her? She never got
nervous when talking to anyone. Not people she knew or strangers.
She'd faced down conference rooms full of hardened executives. Even
when she'd begged Maddie, her stepdaughter, to forgive her, she'd
done it with more poise than this short exchange with the man
before her.

He came even closer. So close she had to tip
her head back to meet his eyes. Her mouth went dry. He might
possibly be one of the most attractive men she'd ever seen. Then he
smiled, and her heart seemed to stop beating for a moment.

"I... I wasn't invited," she whispered. "I
was just driving by…the lights…the chandeliers…attracted me."

"Why don't you come in and get a closer look
at them? They're pretty amazing?"

Abruptly, Constance came to her senses. "No.
I couldn't crash a party."

The man smiled. "It's okay. I know the owner.
This is a graduation party for his son. His kid just got his PhD.
The guy's so proud of his kid he'll be thrilled to have another
guest to celebrate the event." He crooked his arm and proffered it
for her to take.

Constance didn't bother weighing the pros and
cons. This would get her inside. Anticipation urged her on.
Finally, she'd get to see her son.

"My daughter Maddie is always telling me I
should be more flexible and try new things. Why not party
crashing?" It took all her hard-won poise to keep a placid
expression and not reveal the tension that filled her. Constance
laid her hand on his arm. Her pulse leapt and the smile she'd
managed disappeared. His skin warmed her, and there went that
irritating clenching feeling low in her belly. She couldn't look
away from his dark eyes. If she had a shred of common sense, she'd
walk away. But, apparently, she was fresh out of rationality.

Alejandro was an expert at reading people.
This woman with the beautiful blue eyes was anxious. Maybe even
scared. Of what? Being caught staring at his house? He covered her
hand with his, marveling at the softness of her skin and the way
just touching her aroused his curiosity much as his interest had
been aroused by the sight of her long legs, slender arms, and blond
hair that shone like a halo around her face. He'd approached her
just to see what her face looked like up close, and he hadn't been
disappointed. Even the dim light couldn't diminish the crystal blue
of her eyes that drew him into their depths.

"I could call you Blue Eyes, but I think I'd
like to know your name," he said.

"Constance," she whispered. "And you. Should
I call you Brown Eyes?"

"I'm Alejandro, and this is my son's
party."

Constance stumbled over her own feet.

Alejandro caught her close to him to keep her
from falling. "Watch your step. Sorry, even though it seems that
the night is lit up like day, it's still dark enough to trip over
something. Are you all right?"

Constance stared at him. He was her son's
adopted father? Suddenly, she realized he hadn't released her. She
was pressed to his chest. A very nice, hard, masculine chest. Her
eyes widened. That wasn't all that was hard. Alejandro lowered his
head. Startled, she read the intent in his sexy dark eyes. In
another moment, she'd pull away from him and race back to her SUV.
Back to Houston.

Then the moment was gone, and her eyelids
were closing as if they were so heavy she couldn't keep them open.
His mouth touched hers. Her brain managed two thoughts. The first
was that a kiss had never made her feel like this before. The
second was that she was the biggest idiot in Texas. Maybe in all of
North America.

Then she told her brain to shut up, and she
kissed Alejandro back with all the longing in her lonely heart.

Q
uotation
Collection

In every romance I write, I give the reader a
little bonus at the end in the form of a collection of quotations
themed, in some way, to the specific book. With that thought in
mind, here is my Collection of Quotations about April Fool's of
course.

Enjoy!

* * *

"April 1. This is the day upon which we are
reminded of what we are on the other three hundred and sixty-four."
~ Mark Twain,
Pudd'nhead Wilson, 1894

"Not being fooled on an April Fool's day does
not make you less of a fool on the other days of the year." ~ Kurt
Avish

"Men reach their sexual peak at eighteen.
Women reach theirs at thirty-five. Do you get the feeling that God
is playing a practical joke?" ~ Rita Rudner

"Here cometh April again, and as far as I can
see the world hath more fools in it than ever." ~ Charles Lamb

"The trouble with practical jokes is that
very often they get elected." ~ Will Rogers