"The Bannister Brothers series has everything I love...
hockey, humor, and heart!"
SKIRTING THE ICE
Bannister Brothers #3
Jennie Marts
Releasing Dec 8th, 2016
"The
Bannister Brothers series has everything I love...hockey, humor, and
heart!" - Kristin Miller- New York Times Bestselling
author
Buttoned-up
accountant Jack Bannister lives an uncomplicated life until his teenage crush
moves back into the house next door…all grown up and sexy as hell. Murphy Ryan
is still wild and reckless, and danger has followed her to Colorado. Jack
will do whatever it takes to protect her, even it means letting her go…again.
Murphy Ryan
is focused on building a new NHL women’s hockey team. But staying on her game
is hard with the distraction, and the memories, of the hot nerd in the house
next door. Jack Bannister had been her first kiss, and she wants him to be her
last. With his dry humor and sexy glasses, being smart never looked so good.
Jack’s been
given a chance to win back the one that got away, but worries this gorgeous
hockey player is still out of his league. He’s kept his heart on ice, but now
that Murphy’s back, she might be the one to finally thaw it.
He
looked down at himself, his eyes widening as if noticing for the first time
that he was wearing only a pair of black boxer briefs.
She
was noticing too. She’d already seen him shirtless and knew that his chest was
hard and muscled, but this was different. He was practically naked. And hot as
hell, his body reminding her of a swimmer’s, lean and toned.
And
he was standing very, very close. Mere inches separated them.
Suddenly,
her heart was pounding in her chest again, but this time for a different
reason. She was still scared, but this was another kind of frightened.
This
time she wasn’t frightened that something was going to happen—she was scared
that it wouldn’t.
Jack
seemed scared too. She reached up, softly resting her hand on his bare chest.
He
inhaled sharply at the touch of her fingers. His chest trembled slightly below
her hand.
Gazing
up, she peered into his eyes, questioning, searching for a signal to keep
going.
His
Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed. But he didn’t move, didn’t
pull back. He may have even leaned forward a little.
Was
that the signal she was waiting for?
She
licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry. His gaze shifted to her mouth, and she
heard his quick intake of breath through his own parted lips.
God,
the guy had great lips. And everything in her yearned to kiss them, to taste
them, to taste him.
They
stood still, neither speaking. Neither moving forward nor back.
One
of them had to do something. She could either make a move herself or continue
to wait to see if he would eventually try to kiss her again.
To
hell with waiting. Either he wanted to kiss her or he didn’t.
Only
one way to find out.
She
leaned toward him, her hand still on his chest, as she pressed her lips against
his.
One
soft kiss. Gentle. Slow.
She
pulled back, just a hair’s breadth away, her lips still close, but waiting,
dying for an invitation to kiss him again.
He
froze, just for a second, his body stiff, then his hands slipped around her
waist, and he pulled her tightly against him.
He
crushed her lips with his, taking her mouth in an onslaught of passion, kissing
her as if he were a starving man and she was his first meal.
His
hands slipped up her back, one sliding across her neck to cup her cheek while
the other dove into her hair.
Tipping
her face, he slanted his mouth across hers, deepening the kiss.
Parting
her lips, his tongue slid between them, a soft moan escaping him as he tasted
and savored her mouth.
Her
hands gripped his muscled shoulders, holding on as she kissed him back with
everything she had. Everything she’d been holding onto all of these years.
The
tension of this kiss had been building for a decade, and if this was the only
kiss she ever got to share with Jack Bannister, she was going to make it worth
the wait.
And
make it so that he wouldn’t be able to resist kissing her again.
Sliding
her hand along his neck, she tangled her fingers into his soft hair, pulling
his head closer still, as if they could get any closer.
Every
nerve inside of her tingled with pleasure, with warmth and with something
else—a feeling that she hadn’t had in a long time. Being in Jack’s arms, his
lips pressed to hers, felt like she was finally where she belonged. Like she
was finally home.
Describe yourself in five words or less.
Funny, tender-hearted, hugger, kind, positive
Can you tell us a little about your book? Skirting the Ice is the story of a
buttoned-up accountant and a wildcat hockey player. Jack lives an uncomplicated life
until his teenage crush moves back into the house next door--all grown up and
sexy as hell. Murphy Ryan is still wild and reckless, and danger has followed
her to Colorado. Jack will do whatever it takes to protect her, even it means
letting her go...again.
Murphy is focused on
building a new NHL women's hockey team. But staying on her game is hard with
the distraction, and the memories, of the hot nerd in the house next door. Jack
Bannister had been her first kiss, and she wants him to be her last. With his
dry humor and sexy glasses, being smart never looked so good.
Jack's been given a
chance to win back the one that got away, but worries this gorgeous hockey
player is still out of his league. He's kept his heart on ice, but now that
Murphy's back, she might be the one to finally thaw it.
If you had a theme song, what would it be? My current theme song is Rachel
Platten’s “Fight Song”. I just love the spirit and the power behind it. And
it’s a great one to turn up loud in your car and just belt out those lyrics and
they make you feel strong just by singing along.
Name one thing you won’t leave home without. Chapstick. And sunglasses.
Name three things on your desk right now.
Purple pens, planner/calendar, and a stack of notebooks
What are you favorite types of
stories to read? I love to read women’s fiction and romantic
suspense. I love stories set in small town with quirky characters and I love
when the story has at least an element of suspense. Some of my favorite authors
are Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Nora Roberts, Fannie Flagg, Lianne Moriarty, and
Janet Evanovich. And of course, I adore all of the Harry Potter books.
What do you like best about being a writer? What is the
most challenging part?
The part that I like best is creating great stories that elicit laughter and
heart-felt moments from readers. And hearing from a reader about how my story
touched them or helped them through a hard time by giving them something to
laugh about is an incredible feeling and makes it all worth it. The most
challenging part is the fact that everything about writing books takes a long
time. It takes a long time to write a book and to publish one and to wait for
publishers. And my writing career is now a business and that means that I am
constantly working on all parts of it, not just the writing. I still have to do
my own promotion, and create ads, and do blog posts, and write newsletters, and
make graphics. And I love doing those things, especially when it gives me a chance
to connect with readers, but all of those things take away from time spent
writing. The whole thing is challenging, but writing books is my true passion
and what has me excited to get up every morning. And I wouldn’t go through all
of this if I didn’t love it so very much!
Is anything in your book based on real life
experiences or purely all imagination?
The Bannister Brothers Books have all been such fun because hockey has been
such a big part of my family’s life. My husband played growing up then coached
our sons when they played growing up. I was a die-hard hockey mom and we are
huge fans of the Colorado Avalanche. Lots of the hockey parts from the books
are from personal experience. And one fun thing about this book is that it has
two Sheltie dogs in it that look alike and get mistaken for each other and one
of them is based on our own Sheltie, Maggie. I even named one of them after
her.
Do you have any advice to give to aspiring
writers? A writing career
is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes a long time to write a book, to create a
fan base, to turn your writing into a career. Keep writing. And learn
everything you can. Take Classes, go to conferences, join a local writing
group, and find a tribe of writers that you can offer and accept support from.
Enjoy the ride. And be nice to everyone.
Is there anything that you would like to say to
your readers and fans?
Thank you and I adore you for reading and loving my books! I couldn’t do this
without you and I’m working so hard to bring you more of your favorite books
and to create new amazing, wonderful book boyfriends for you to fall in love
with.
Jennie
Marts is the USA Today Best-selling
author of award-winning books filled with love, laughter, and always a happily
ever after. Readers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and the “perfect mix
of romance, humor, and steam.” Fic Central claimed one of her books was “the
most fun I’ve had reading in years.”
She is
living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her
husband, two dogs, and a parakeet that loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s
addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many
books, shoes, or friends.
Her
books include the contemporary western romance Hearts of Montana series, the
romantic comedy/ cozy mysteries of The Page Turners series, the hunky
hockey-playing men in the Bannister family in the Bannister Brothers Books, and
the small-town romantic comedies in the Lovestruck series of Cotton Creek
Romances.
Thank you for hosting SKIRTING THE ICE today!
ReplyDeleteCrystal, Tasty Book Tours