Hot in Magnolia Book 4
Publication Date: April 30th, 2021
Pages: 275
Categories: Sexy Romance
As a Magnolia constable and possible candidate for mayor,
Roland Karr prides himself on protecting the community. When he nabs a Lauren
Bacall look-alike for speeding, Roland is surprised that he lets the sassy
beauty off the hook, but he can’t help it. She looks like she could use a
break.
EXCERPT FROM
CHAPTER ONE OF
GINGERBREAD
KISSES
BY MINETTE LAUREN
Ginger
Lynn Harding pressed the accelerator and opened the sunroof of the sporty red
car. The guy at the rental counter hadn’t recognized her as the star of Seducing Saturn, but he said he wanted to give her a free
upgrade because of her perfect smile. She didn’t have a lot to smile about, and
she sure didn’t feel glamorous any more since coloring her golden copper hair a
dull chestnut brown. Her symmetrical features and bright green eyes were still
the trademarks of Dallas Derringer, but her new look felt drab. She missed her
signature flame-colored hair that her mother named her for, but she didn’t miss
the name on her birth certificate. It sounded too much like a porn star. It was
unfortunate that some Olympic ice-skating chick back in the ‘90s had also attached
scandal to the name. So, for now, she preferred to go simply by Ginger.
Smiling as she
took the curves of the winding backroads that led to Magnolia, Ginger turned up
the jazzy Christmas music and let her hair down. It was only shoulder length
now since she had cut off a good twelve inches after she was fired from the
set. Seducing Saturn was axed after season two, and
it was all because of her. She cringed at the memory of the director’s harsh
words. He’d actually called her a “stupid bitch” in front of everyone. And
though his disrespect humiliated her and pissed her off, she felt like one. Why
had she ever trusted her ex-boyfriend, Kirk McNeil, who had gotten her into
this mess? He was a loser and a jerk, and even though she dumped him over a year
ago, he was still haunting her like the evil demon he’d played in Seducing Saturn’s pilot episode.
Ginger blew out a
sigh, trying to let go of her thoughts, but images of Kirk and the video that
leaked to the media wouldn’t release her. Thoughts of what could have been,
should have been, and “what ifs” made her miss the turn.
“In a quarter of a
mile, make a U-turn,” the navigation app nagged.
Ginger tapped her
phone, trying to silence it. “Maybe I wanted to take the scenic route,” she
complained out loud. Great, now she was talking to herself. It wouldn’t be the
first sign of her losing it. She’d been having a bad month. First, she lost her
acting career, then her new condo. Plus, she had to sell her car for less than
she owed to get out of the payments, which left her flat broke.
It was nice of her
cousin, Cecilia, to suggest a place to hide out until things cooled off and the
media forgot about the scandal. She really couldn’t face any more rag-magazine
reporters sitting on her doorstep and asking questions she didn’t want to hear,
let alone answer.
Celia had run into
a couple of issues herself. A few years back, she’d done some creative
accounting with the taxes for a women’s league she ran. Ginger hadn’t asked her
any questions because it was none of her business, and Ginger liked that Celia
did the same don’t-ask-don’t-tell routine for her. Celia had invited her to
hide out in Dallas at her parents’ home, but there was no way she could face
Uncle Todd and Aunt Brenda with all her baggage. The Lockwood side of the
family was uber-wealthy, and her mother’s brother was a stickler for social
standards and propriety. Besides, it would be impossible to stay under the
radar in the circles Celia ran in. People might recognize Ginger and talk about
her embarrassing past. Maybe she should amend that to embarrassing present,
since she couldn’t seem to put it behind her. When she mentioned her concerns,
Celia said she knew just the place. And now here Ginger was, stuck in Magnolia,
Texas. It looked like the middle of nowhere, but the map showed it was just
northwest of Houston. Perfect. She didn’t know a soul here, and
hopefully, no one would recognize her because of her new look.
Her cousin Hank
lived in The Heights, but he was a pompous ass. She hoped she didn’t have to
fall back on that branch of her father’s family for help.
“Continue straight
for one mile, then….” She punched at her phone again, trying to shut off the
volume. Red and blue lights flashed in her rearview mirror.
“Great, just
great,” Ginger complained as she pulled over.
Grabbing her
driver’s license from the Hertz envelope where she’d left it when picking up
the car, she rolled down the window and waited for the officer to approach.
Annoyed by the
five-minute wait and the blistering heat rolling into the vehicle, she tapped
her hands on the wheel. Without as much as a hello, she stared straight ahead
as she handed him the packet with her license visible on top.
The officer
cleared his throat. “Ma’am, are you aware why I stopped you?”
Ginger tried to
bite her tongue. She wanted to get this over with but being pulled over on top
of everything else she’d been through was the straw that broke the camel’s
back. “Driving too fast in a one-horse town?” She craned her head to the side
and arched a brow, though she realized he couldn’t see her snarky wit through
the dark-colored Tiffany sunglasses.
“Ma’am, can you
step out of the vehicle?”
Oh
shit. She
forgot she was in Texas. This guy was probably riding on a testosterone high
and didn’t like sass coming from a lady. Of course, this irked her, too. She
could say what she wanted. This was a free country, and besides going five
miles over the speed limit, she hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Officer, I
object. I didn’t do anything to have to get out of the car. Should we call the
station to report this to your superior? I don’t think I feel safe with you
breathing down my neck and telling me what to do. Just give me the ticket, and
let’s get this over with.” Ginger reached for her cellphone in the console.
That earned her a
sharp, “Hands up where I can see them. Slowly remove yourself from the
vehicle.”
Minette Lauren is an award-winning author who loves animals and writes humorous romance in a small Texas town.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY!
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
THREE WINNERS
First place: Signed copies
of the Hot in Magnolia series books (prequel included) + $25 Amazon gift card
Second place: Signed copies of all four books in the series
Third place: Signed copy of Gingerbread Kisses
(Continental US residents only. Ends midnight, CDT, June 4, 2021)
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5/25/21 |
Excerpt |
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5/25/21 |
Character
Spotlight |
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5/26/21 |
Review |
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5/26/21 |
BONUS
Promo |
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5/27/21 |
Review |
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5/28/21 |
Character
Interview |
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5/28/21 |
Review |
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5/29/21 |
Excerpt |
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5/30/21 |
Bonus
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5/31/21 |
Review |
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6/1/21 |
Author
Interview |
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6/1/21 |
Review |
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6/2/21 |
Sneak
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6/2/21 |
Review |
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6/3/21 |
Review |
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6/3/21 |
Review |
Thank you so much for posting my book! Hope you enjoy it! ~Minette Lauren
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