Love,
loss, and a smoky red…
When Audrey Montgomery’s carefully planned life collides with the self-destructive path Tyson Dawes is on, neither of them can predict what will happen next.
Audrey is a diligent and self-reliant culinary student at Portland’s prestigious Cordon Bleu. She has a clear picture of her future in mind, and it allows little room for the steely-eyed and tormented young man she bumps into by chance while wine tasting with friends.
Tyson Dawes had a perfect childhood, raised among the vines in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. But even the most idyllic of upbringings couldn’t have prepared him for what he would face as a Marine. He returns to his childhood home angry and haunted by the storms of what he has faced and by those he has lost.
Do opposites truly attract? Can the lure of Audrey’s apparent clarity and innocence offer Tyson hope in the face of his emptiness?
When Audrey Montgomery’s carefully planned life collides with the self-destructive path Tyson Dawes is on, neither of them can predict what will happen next.
Audrey is a diligent and self-reliant culinary student at Portland’s prestigious Cordon Bleu. She has a clear picture of her future in mind, and it allows little room for the steely-eyed and tormented young man she bumps into by chance while wine tasting with friends.
Tyson Dawes had a perfect childhood, raised among the vines in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. But even the most idyllic of upbringings couldn’t have prepared him for what he would face as a Marine. He returns to his childhood home angry and haunted by the storms of what he has faced and by those he has lost.
Do opposites truly attract? Can the lure of Audrey’s apparent clarity and innocence offer Tyson hope in the face of his emptiness?
Spotify Playlist for RR: Redemption Red
***Please Note that all shipped prizes are
open to US winners only and an eBook or eBook set can be offered in lieu of for
international winners***
GIVEAWAY PRIZE LIST:
3 eCopy sets of “A Rare Vintage” & “Redemption Red”
2 signed paperback copies of “Redemption Red”
*Oenophilia Wine Glass Puzzle & 1 eCopy of “Redemption Red”
*Wine Wars: A Trivia Game for
Wine Geeks and Wannabes & 1 eCopy of “Redemption Red”
*Fashion Women Bubble Bid Bead Statement Party Necklace & 1 eCopy of
“Redemption Red”
*Lova Jewelry "Days of Wine and Roses"
Reddish-Purple Murano Glass Beaded Stella Fashion Bracelet &
1 eCopy of “Redemption Red”
A Collage photo of the Prizes will be attached.
Delancey Stewart is the author of the Wine Country Romance Series,featuring A Rare Vintage and Redemption Red. She is also writing the Girlfriends of Gotham series for Swoon Romance. The first book in that series, Men and Martinis, will publish in December 2013.Stewart has lived on both coasts, in big cities and small towns. She's been a pharmaceutical rep, a personal trainer and a direct sales representative for a French wine importer. A military spouse and the mother of two small boys, her current job titles include pirate captain, monster hunter, Lego assembler and story reader. She tackles all these efforts at her current home near Washington D.C.
Author links:
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Delancey-Stewart/e/B00A8OZDKU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1379273172&sr=8-1
Redemption Red
Excerpt #1:
THE
WINDOWS OF the restaurant were tinted to the point where Tyson couldn’t see
more than a dark shape approach as he stood outside the door waiting. He
thought that the people who’d started the place could’ve probably stretched a
bit to come up with something more original than “Fork,” but that’s what they’d
gone with. He shook his head, chuckling at the lack of irony in the name as the
door swung open. On the other side of the door, in the tall industrial space of
one of the hottest restaurants in Portland, was Audrey, the girl Tyson hadn’t
been able to banish from his mind since the day before.
Even
though their interaction hadn’t exactly been rewarding, Tyson found himself
fantasizing about the girl with the thick dark hair and coppery eyes almost
constantly. He wasn’t fantasizing anything particularly sexual, though his mind
would have gone there willingly if he’d let it. He just wanted to talk to her,
be near her for some reason.
“Tyson.”
She said his name simply, quietly, as if she’d fully expected that he would
show up here.
Suddenly,
he felt uncertain of himself. The heavy bag of wines was pulling down on his
shoulder, making him feel lopsided and awkward. Anxiety began to claw its way
up his throat, and he felt his vision beginning to darken. He pushed the
sensation away.
“Audrey, right?”
He willed his body to stop shaking and focused on her amber eyes, feeling
himself calm.
“Right.”
“I had no
idea you worked here.”
“Of course
not. There’s no way you could have known.”
“So we’ve
established that I’m not stalking you.” He smiled.
She tilted
her head, and the thick hair fell away from her graceful neck on one side.
Tyson fought back an urge to run his hand along her delicate jawline. Something
about her was a contradiction. She appeared fragile and delicate, but there was
such strength in her eyes and attitude.
“Was there
some question that you might?” The half smile again. Tyson felt butterflies
jump into action in his gut. Why does
this girl have such an effect on me?
“Of course
not,” Tyson laughed easily then. He nodded down toward the cooler bag. “You
didn’t really get a chance to taste through the wines. Think we could try a…”
Just then
a loud squealing sound erupted from the street, followed by the sickening
crunch of metal. A Volvo SUV had just rear-ended a much smaller Kia, and the
entire rear end of the Kia was crumpled and smashed.
As the
noise began, Tyson felt his entire body start to vibrate. His heart exploded in
his chest and adrenaline flooded his body. Before he knew it, he had pushed
Audrey inside the restaurant, one hand on her chest, sending her flying inside
where she landed hard against the long table. He slammed the door shut behind
himself and ended up in a crouch behind it, hands frantically searching for his
weapon. He peered out the tinted window at the street, his hands still
uselessly seeking anything he could use to protect himself.
Inside the
restaurant, Florence and the Machine played loudly, and a longhaired skater guy
was jabbering away on the phone at the podium. Tyson glanced around to find
another woman, a redhead with a serious expression, sitting at the bar and
staring at him with her pen raised in mid-air, while Audrey had slipped down
into a chair at the table and was eyeing him with a mixture of fear and
irritation.
His
breathing slowly returned to normal and he stood up, wishing he could just
disappear. He smoothed his clothing and eventually shoved his hands into his
pockets where he hoped they would stay still.
“Um…” he
looked up at Audrey.
She was
rubbing her shoulder.
Horror
crept through him as he started to remember exactly what had just happened.
He’d shoved her. Hard.
“Oh,
God,” he said, crossing the floor to where she sat, looking dazed. “Are you
hurt?”
Redemption Red Excerpt #2:
Tyson slid
to the ground with his back to the wall, and looked up at her. His face was
chiseled and beautiful, and the fading light illuminated it in a way that made
him look almost ethereal.
Audrey
re-entered the restaurant quickly, dragging her mind back to what was going on
inside.
“Aud,”
Ella hissed as she rounded the table, collecting plates. “Chuck took over the
kitchen. We need you!”
“I know,”
she said. “I just need ten minutes. I’ll be right back.” She dashed to the
kitchen and picked up her purse, shooting apologetic glances at Chuck and Ella
as she did so. At least Andrew was there that night, his tall dark frame
circling the table and keeping the wine flowing along with his cheerful banter.
When she
got back outside, Tyson sat exactly where she’d left him, his head starting to
tilt to one side.
“Oh no you
don’t,” she said, leaning down to grab his hand. She pulled, trying to coax him
to his feet. Finally, he roused and stood up.
“Sorry,”
he said softly.
“My car’s
right here,” she told him, opening the door of the Jetta. “Where am I taking
you?”
“No, no…”
he started to pull away from her.
“Dammit,
Tyson. Get in the car.” She was starting to lose patience.
He gave
her an amused look then, clearly surprised at her forceful tone. “Yes, ma’am,”
he said, folding his tall frame into the passenger seat.
“Shit,”
she said under her breath as she walked to the driver side.
“It’s just
a couple blocks,” he told her.
They drove
in silence, Tyson indicating where she should turn. Portland’s Friday night traffic
hummed around them, and it took longer than Audrey would have liked to navigate
the few blocks between Fork and the bar. When she found the place, there was
nowhere to park. She spent another ten minutes searching for a spot. By then,
Tyson was slumped against the door, his breathing even and deep.
Audrey
stared at him for a minute after she’d parked, as a streetlight poured in
through the windshield. He was beautiful, she thought, his full lips slightly
parted, the angular jaw covered with blonde stubble. There was a small thin
scar running along his left cheek, she noticed. It was partially hidden in the
hair at his jaw. She sighed and turned to look at her own hands in her lap for
a minute.
“What am I
getting into?” she said under her breath.
She needed
to get back to work, and began to feel her responsibilities weighing on her
urgently. “Tyson,” she said, hoping he’d snap right back to consciousness, but
knowing it was unlikely. “Hey,” she said, reaching a hand out to shake him
softly. “Shit.”
She got
out of the car and locked it, walking down the block to the bar that Tyson had
indicated. It was small and dark inside, and packed with people. She elbowed
her way to the bar and waited for the man behind it to give her his attention.
He turned finally, catching her gaze. His dark eyes were friendly and warm.
“Hi
there,” he called over the music and noise.
“Hey,” she
said. “Is Rebecca here?”
He tilted
his head slightly. “She’s in the back. I’ll grab her. Who should I say is
here?”
“She
doesn’t know me,” Audrey said. “I’m kind of a friend of Tyson’s.” She had no
idea what else to say.
The man’s
face tightened slightly and he turned and disappeared into the back. A minute
later he returned, and a woman with a nose ring and tattooed sleeves down each
arm returned with him. She had short dark hair tousled wildly on top of her
head, and couldn’t have looked less like a relation of Tyson’s if she tried.
Until she caught Audrey’s gaze with steely blue eyes.
“I’m
Rebecca,” she said, arriving around the other side of the bar.
“I’m
Audrey. I, uh, could use a hand. Tyson’s passed out in my car.”
Rebecca
didn’t ask any questions, just followed Audrey to her car. With significant
effort, the women pulled him to his feet. Once one of his arms was over
Rebecca’s shoulder, he began to rouse.
“Thanks
for returning him in one piece,” Rebecca said.
Audrey
couldn’t tell if there was bitterness in the other woman’s tone.
“He came
to me. He was already drunk.” She said.
“I know,”
Rebecca sounded tired. “He’s always drunk. One day soon, he’ll be dead.” She
said it like a fact, and the beautiful man she was holding up opened his eyes
at the comment, looking at Audrey for the briefest of seconds before closing
them again. “Thanks,” Rebecca said, and she walked with Tyson back to the bar.
Audrey
drove back to work and forced herself to think about anything but Tyson.
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