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Excerpt, Review & Giveaway : ALL OVER THE PLACE by Serena Clarke
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Book Blurb
Livi Callaway has fled back to London after a reality TV
disaster in New Zealand. Safely anonymous in the big city, she’s determined to
stay under the radar from now on. But her attempts to build a new life are
complicated by unexpected visitors from her old one, and new dangers and
temptations lie in wait.
Late one night, she meets a mysteriously sexy American on the
Underground – and the events that follow take her from Pooh Bear to the golden
lights of Paris, via a trail of rock stars dead and alive. A family in
disarray, a determined Swede, a crazed Australian and a childhood friend (who
might yet be more than that) have her all over the place as she tries to
discover the American’s secret – while keeping her own.
With help – and occasional hindrance – from her friends, what
she eventually finds is something unexpected . . . sometimes, running away can
lead you to exactly what you didn’t know you needed
Available at: Crimson Romance ebooks | Amazon | B&N | iTunes
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Book Excerpt
After the third time, an American voice said, “You’re like an
onion tonight.”
She turned and replied, without thinking, “That’s not the
kind of vegetable I’d choose to be.”
The instant the words left her lips she knew it was all wrong. A
mere second too late, it was blindingly obvious that he had said not onion, but
yo–yo. How could she possibly have imagined that anyone would randomly
liken her to an onion? Now, as she looked up at tanned skin, dark eyes, glossy
hair, and teeth that could only be from across the Atlantic, her heart beat out
of sync. She took in distressed jeans, vintage polo shirt, and a battered
leather satchel hanging from his shoulder.
Suddenly she was unsteady on her feet, not just because the
train was lurching unevenly. Looking at his face, perplexed and amused, she
willed the floor to open up and drop her on the tracks. She would rather be
electrocuted on the line than be a late–night crazy person on the Underground
under his perfectly proportioned scrutiny. But there was nowhere to escape
until the next stop, so she stood, cheeks flaming, praying he would take pity
on her and pretend he hadn’t heard anything.
Instead, he said thoughtfully, “No, if you were a vegetable it
would be something much more delicious. Sweet corn…cherry tomato, maybe.”
Was he flirting? She chanced another glance. A rugged sweep of
stubble and a scar on his jaw roughened his looks, only making him more
compelling. Well, of course, she thought, anyone who looks like that must flirt
for a living. But suddenly she was uncomfortably aware of the harsh lights, and
how tired she must look. She ran her hand through her hair, though she knew it
wouldn’t make any difference. “That’s a nice thing to say,” was all she could
think of to reply.
“My mom always said, you know, if you can’t say anything
nice…she was English, she liked good manners. Plus, it’s important to say nice
things to nice girls, don’t you think?” And he gave her a wink.
She couldn’t help laughing, he was so shameless. “How come you
can get away with being so cheeky just because you do it in that accent?”
“You tell me,” he replied. “I don’t think you spring from round
here either.”
Just then the train began to slow again, and there was a surge
as people started to squeeze along to the doors. The American put his arms out
and made a protective space around her, shaking his head. “Oh, no. You can stay
here this time. I’m not letting you go until I solve this mystery.”
Up close he smelled warm and woody and clean, and she had to
stop herself leaning in, eyes closed, and breathing deeply. At this distance he
could probably hear her heart pounding. His full mouth turned up at the
corners, a permanently tempting curve. Her hips threatened to arc towards him
in a very inappropriate way. She wouldn’t have been surprised at the crackle of
blue sparks. If she actually made contact with any part of him, she felt, there
was a real chance she would just burst into flames.
Then the doors closed and the train started moving, and he
grabbed the overhead strap to steady himself. “Maybe that was my stop,” she
said, heady from their closeness. “Then what would I have done?”
“Come for a drink with me?”
She was enjoying this now, feeling a glow, forgetting her
embarrassment, and her sore feet and backache from standing in the salon all
day. “At this time of night, unless you want to go clubbing, I don’t know where
you’d find somewhere to just have a drink. This isn’t LA or New York.”
“I’m not from LA or New York, I’m from Idaho.” He looked at her
closely. “And maybe I didn’t mean somewhere.”
“Ah,” she said, and suddenly felt a little flat. That’s right,
she knew this story. Off she would go to his place, with him and his charm and
banter. They’d have a night that seemed unbelievable. And the next day it would
be unbelievable, unbelievably awkward, as she pulled on yesterday’s clothes and
tried to find her way to an unfamiliar tube station, with unbrushed hair and
uncleaned teeth. The walk of shame. She had no interest in taking it. There was
a time, when she’d first arrived, maybe…but not any more.
Her change of mood must have shown. He said, “I’m sorry, maybe
that’s not something you should say to a nice girl from…?”
Looking at his expectant, handsome face, she gave herself an
internal shake. Lighten up now, she said to herself, he’s just a guy on a
train, even if he does look like he stepped out of a catalogue. Just enjoy that
someone, maybe, fancies you a little. And she pushed her shoulders back and put
her smile back on.
“Actually, I was born here, but I’ve been living a long way
away. Further away than you.”
His face lit up. “Australia!”
“No, sorry to disappoint you.” Why was Australia always the
first guess? Anyone would think there was no populated land beyond Sydney. Next
stop Antarctica.
“Well then…damn, this is my stop.” They lurched together as the
train made a last jolt, and his satchel banged against her hip. All at once she
was aware of the crush of other travellers again, as they began their
relentless move towards the door. The American was carried along in front of
two large ladies, but called over their shoulders, “We could try to find
somewhere.”
She hesitated
for a moment, not wanting him to be gone. Then, just as the two of them
realised his bag buckle had caught on hers, the large ladies swept him out and
the doors closed. They looked at each other through the glass, his expression
going through a progression from confusion to surprise to a sort of panic. And
she was left holding his bag as the train pulled away.
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Toot's Review By Stacy Sabala
I really liked this
book. It was fun meeting the main
character Livi and her crazy but awesome friends. The story starts with her move to London from New Zealand Paris
The author did an awesome job
keeping the authenticity with the setting being in London
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Author Bio
Serena Clarke has had her fair share of adventures and
disasters, living in thirty-nine houses, in seven cities, in four countries.
She’s now settled in New Zealand, and all those ups and downs provide great
inspiration for writing. Luckily, she has a tall, dark, and handsome husband to
help look after their two boys while she dreams up stories. Turns out that
happily-ever-afters happen in real life too.
Links:
Website: http://www.serenaclarke.com/
Twitter: @Serena_Clarke
Crimson Romance: http://www.crimsonromance.com/crimson-romance-ebooks/crimson-romance-books-by-author/serena-clarke/
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~*Giveaway*~
$20.00 Amazon/B&N Gift Card
To enter, please fill out the rafflecopter below
Hi Stacy, thanks so much for reading and reviewing All Over the Place - I'm so glad you enjoyed it! :-)
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HOSTING TODAY!
ReplyDeleteIf I could go anywhere in the world, I think right now I'd love to go to the Maldives and just chill out for a couple of weeks. I definitely need to de-stress!
ReplyDeleteI would love to go to Egypt! It's always been a dream of mine. Wish it was safe to go :(
ReplyDeleteI would go to Jamaica!! I love hot weather!
ReplyDelete