Book
Harley by Michelle Jo Quinn
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: January 19th 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: January 19th 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
All of her life, Cadence “Cade” Williams has been lied to…
With her ailing father on his deathbed, a whispered secret sends Cadence’s life into a tailspin. Determined to either confirm or debunk her father’s claim, she sets out on a mission to grow close to the only man with evidence to set things straight. To do that, Cadence earns a position in an elite security firm owned by her father’s old army buddy, Noah “Mac” Mackinley.
Mac is the only man who could hold the evidence to support her father’s claims…
But first, she must prove herself worthy of Mac’s trust and get close enough to find the truth. Her first mission is to watch over an eight-year old girl, Harley Clark.
Harley is not an ordinary girl. She’s the daughter of a rock star…
Despite her fragile appearance, Harley has tenacity and brilliance like nothing Cade has ever seen. To everyone’s surprise—including her own—Cade forms an unlikely friendship with the beautiful wallflower.
Her first assignment just became more interesting…
When Harley’s rock star father, Jax Clark, enters the scene, Cade can’t deny the instant attraction for the self-proclaimed bad boy. Tattoos, piercing eyes, and a raspy voice that sends thousands of fans into a screaming frenzy, he’s more than just a heartthrob. Worse, Jax starts to pay her more attention than she expects.
She’s faced with a choice—get lured in by the celebrity world and lose any chance of finding out the truth, or stick to the plan and avoid Jax at all costs to earn Mac’s trust.
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EXCERPT
The place was bigger than it seemed, a veritable mansion in the
sky. Jax had seen photos of it before signing. His favourite part was the
180-degree ocean view. He stood in front of a floor to ceiling window in his
office, laughing to himself at what he dubbed the room. Rock stars didn’t have
offices. They had studios. His own personal studio was tucked in one of the
corners of the penthouse, it had been his second priority. The first was Harley’s
bedroom. He consulted a designer for it, and the woman had convinced him that
every girl wanted a pink bedroom. When Harley saw her bedroom for the first
time, Jax didn’t see the elation he had expected, nor did Harley throw a fit of
rage. She just acted like…Harley, his darling little girl.
Before Nan passed away, she had made Jax promise to take care of
her great-granddaughter, knowing full well that her own granddaughter, Fiona,
was—and would always be—incapable of caring for a child, much less herself. Nan
had been a constant strength for Harley, and Nan was Jax’s conscience in the
flesh.
Jax had been ready to look the other way when Fiona told him of
the pregnancy. They were too immature, too young, and too thirsty for success
and stardom. Nan had insisted that the baby should at least be born and she
herself would care for the child. When it came time for Fiona’s scheduled
C-section, Jax had just signed a record deal that paved the way for his current
celebrity status.
“Come to the hospital
now,” was all Nan had said over the phone. Still drunk from all the champagne
he’d chugged during the celebratory party, he sauntered into the room with the
bright lights and beeping sounds. The sight of the small baby with tubes
passing in and out of the incubator sobered him up. He couldn’t understand what
he was seeing. How could his full-term infant be that small? And why was she
blue? As he pressed his hand on the chamber’s surface, Nan came in with a
doctor. As the doctor explained the situation, Nan had placed her hand beside
Jax. She had found the best surgeon for the needed procedure. Jax had wanted to
hold his child. He wanted to tell his daughter that everything would be fine.
But everything wasn’t fine. Not then and not now. “I’m fixing it,” he whispered to
himself, only slightly aware of the other two people in the room.
“I’ve set appointments for Harley’s new school but Bruno has to
let us know when he wants us in L.A.” Tina jarred him out of his thoughts. “That
is, if you want to go with her.”
Jax sighed out loud. He knew what Tina was insinuating. He wasn’t
the fatherly type, no matter what he tried to do before. Some had even accused
him of buying his daughter’s love. More often than not, he had sent Tina to buy
whatever it was that his daughter would enjoy. That had to stop. For Christmas
last year, he personally picked his present for Harley—a pink Victorian
dollhouse. What more could a girl want? But when Harley unwrapped it (and Jax
took at least another hour to wrap the damn thing after having already spent
four hours painstakingly putting it together), he saw the same type of
enthusiasm, or lack thereof, that she displayed upon seeing her bedroom for the
first time. Not happy, not sad. Not elated, not disappointed either. Just
stoicism, the one thing Harley had perfected.
The curious thing was she seemed to show a bit more interest in
Cadence Williams. Not that Harley could be blamed. The woman had definitely
caught his attention in more ways than one. An idea hit him.
“Why not send her with Miss Williams?” He glanced at Tina, then
at Zee, waiting for either one to agree or convince him it was the worst idea
ever.
“That’s a good plan. It would be a way to test out Cade…with
Harley,” Zee agreed.
“Perfect. I think I hear them now.” They waited until Harley and
Cade’s footsteps neared the room. “Harley, could you come in here please?” Jax
called out.
The two were getting along quite well, enough to share a joke
between them. Harley had a big smile on her face, something Jax had only seen a
few times, and Cade’s face lightened with a soft smile playing on her lips. Why
was it the first thing Jax noticed? Even during their introductions, as soon as
Jax saw those sensuous lips, his world had tilted. There was a slight lilt in
his voice when he spoke to her that he hoped no one had noticed.
He addressed Cade and Harley. “I was just telling Tina that it
would be a good idea for you to go with Miss Williams to check out Collingwood.
You have a meeting tomorrow.” Jax smiled at his daughter.
Upon hearing the suggestion, Harley’s bright smile dimmed, but
she didn’t protest. She only nodded.
Cade, on the other hand, was disappointed. Her eyebrows drew
together. “Collingwood?” Her question echoed in the room. She turned to Harley.
“You didn’t tell me you’re going to a new school.”
Harley tilted her head, not saying anything, but an
understanding seemed to pass between the two. Jax was amazed and alerted by
this. How could she garner trust from Harley in such a short time, while he had
been unsuccessful for eight years?
“And you’re not going with her? To her new school?”
It took a second for Jax to realize that the question was
directed towards him. It had been too long since anyone had questioned his
actions.
Before he could reply, Zee spoke, “Cade, Jax has business in LA.
It would be an excellent idea for you to attend the meeting with Harley and get
to know Collingwood as well, if Harley decides to choose it.” Zee sounded
powerful, authoritative.
Cade crossed her arms over her chest. Defiance. Boy, did she know how beautiful she looked
even with that attitude? When was the
last time a woman had challenged him? Jax’s thoughts had him feeling
primal. He leaned on the back of a club chair, copying her stance. “Would you
all give Miss Williams and me a moment?”
Tina smirked as she left the room. Harley paused for a brief
moment, her head bowed as she turned around and walked out after Tina. Zee
showed no other emotion. Clearly, he knew Jax was the boss. He glared at Cade
as he passed her by but said nothing else before leaving and closing the door
behind him.
Now that the two of them were alone, other thoughts filled Jax’s
mind. A surreal crackling in the air made his body shiver, and the hair on his
arms stand. Would he falter first in this standoff with the sexy bodyguard?
“I have to fly to LA,” he started, not changing his stance, and
neither did she. “My manager and agent made new arrangements for a possible
international tour. Harley knew things like this would happen. I would take her
with me normally, however, I believe she would be safe with you as she checks
out a possible new school.”
Would that do it? His voice was cool and calm but radiated sex.
It had worked on so many women before, but would it work on Cade?
She sighed heavily, unlocking her arms. Her hands remained
fisted on her sides. “A new school is a big step. It wasn’t mentioned to me
that she would no longer be homeschooled. Wouldn’t it be a good idea for her
father to be present for this new introduction?”
He defended himself. “Of course you’re right. I have already met
with the head of Collingwood before moving to Vancouver. Well, Collingwood and
a few other schools. Harley asked to attend a co-ed. Why she wants to change
schools at this moment is something only Harley can answer.”
Jax shifted his weight forward, uncrossing his arms. He was
drawn to Cade, something not entirely new or foreign to him but it was stronger
than he had ever felt before. Taking his time, he sauntered to where she stood,
defiance set on her countenance, hands fisted at her sides, chin lifted with
challenge but her eyes…her eyes were kind and soft, unsure, and if he wasn’t
wrong, slightly afraid.
“You have a certain connection with my daughter which I have
only seen once before and you’ve known her less than an hour. And you…intrigue
me.” He was but a few inches away from her. He couldn’t tell which one of them
emanated more heat than the other. The air thickened between them until it was
hard for Jax to breathe.
When he saw the slight change in her eyes, the want, the need,
he closed off the gap and covered her mouth with his.
AUTHOR BIO:
Michelle‘s love for writing blossomed when her father gave her a diary. However, instead of recounting her daily life, she wrote stories of fictional people. Like most of her characters, she believes in Happily Ever After. Naturally, she finds harmony in writing romance.
An unabashed, self-proclaimed foodie, Michelle loves to try new food whenever she travels. She once had triple crème Brie and duck rillette for lunch on top of Grouse Mountain. She enjoys watching foreign films and reading a good book by the fireside.
Michelle is an active member of RWA and several of its chapters. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two kids.
An unabashed, self-proclaimed foodie, Michelle loves to try new food whenever she travels. She once had triple crème Brie and duck rillette for lunch on top of Grouse Mountain. She enjoys watching foreign films and reading a good book by the fireside.
Michelle is an active member of RWA and several of its chapters. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two kids.
Author links:
TOUR STOPS
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March 7th
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March 11th
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March 14th
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–Ali -The Dragon Slayer >> Review
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March 15th
–Fascinating Quest >> Review
March 16th
–Les Chroniques Aléatoires >> Interview
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–the Romantic Fanatic >> Review
March 17th
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March 18th
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here: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/ZDA0MjUxMjM1OGRlZWRmZWM1YmUyMmFkYTM3OWE5OjEwOTE=/?
–Extreme Bookaholics >> Excerpt
–The Dirty Book Girls >> Review
March 1st
–Jackie’s Book World >> Excerpt
–She Hearts Books >> Review
–Pink Lace & Silver Buckles Book Blog >> Interview
March 2nd
–Just Us Book Blog >> Playlist
–LuLo Fangirl >> Review
–For The Love of Fictional Worlds >> Guest post
March 3rd
–Dummy Reads/Barely Bae >> Review
–I Write, You Read >> Review
–The Crafty Engineer’s Bookshelf >> Review
March 4th
–Sassy Book Lovers >> Excerpt
–Fluttering Hearts Reviews >> Review
—
March 7th
–Books, Coffee & Passion >> Excerpt
–The Book Sirens >> Review
–The Smut-Brarians >> Review
March 8th
–Obsessed by Books >> Review
–The Book Fairy Reviews >> Review
March 9th
–Girls With Books >> Excerpt
–WickedGoodReads >> Review
–Quesarasera Book Reviews >> Review
March 10th
–Jodie’s W.I.N.E. List >> Review
–Live Laugh & Love Books >> Excerpt
March 11th
–Two Ends of the Pen >> Interview
–Liz Gavin’s Blog >> Review
—
March 14th
–underneath the covers >> Excerpt
–Ali -The Dragon Slayer >> Review
–Whispered Thoughts >> Review
March 15th
–Fascinating Quest >> Review
March 16th
–Les Chroniques Aléatoires >> Interview
–Outset- Rakhi Jayashankar’s Blog >> Review
–the Romantic Fanatic >> Review
March 17th
–bookstacksamber >> Excerpt
–Reviews from the Heart >> Review
–Bibliophile Wonderland Reviews >> Review
March 18th
–A British Bookworm’s Blog >> Review
–One last page book blog >> Review
–Jeri’s Book Attic >> Review
Giveaway:
Tour-wide giveaway
Paperback copy of Harley + swag (US/CAN)
eBook copy of Harley + $10 Amazon gift card (INTL)
here: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/ZDA0MjUxMjM1OGRlZWRmZWM1YmUyMmFkYTM3OWE5OjEwOTE=/?
