Falling for your surly boss is a rotten idea.
Letting him saw you in half is even worse...
Beatrice Baker may be a struggling artist, but she believes all hardships have silver linings...until she follows her boyfriend to New Orleans and finds him with another woman. Instead of turning those lemons into lemonade, she drinks lemon drop martinis and keys the wrong man's car.
Now she works for Huxley Marlow of the Marvelous Marlow Boys, getting shoved in boxes as an on-stage magician's assistant. A cool job for some, but Bea's been coerced into the role to cover her debt. She also maybe fantasizes about her boss's adept hands and what else they can do.
She absolutely will not fall for him, or kiss him senseless. Until she does. The scarred, enigmatic Huxley has unwittingly become her muse, unlocking her artistic dry spell, but his vague nightly activities are highly suspect. The last time Beatrice trusted a man, her bank account got drained and she almost got arrested. Surely this can't end that badly...right?
Move with me to the Mardi Gras City, Nick had begged. We’ll work the bar scene at night. You can paint all day. We’ll live each minute like it’s our last!
Her boyfriend—now of the ex persuasion—had neglected to mention that four days into their adventure he’d change the rules, leaving Bea homeless and jobless in the birthplace of jazz. She also hadn’t painted anything but artless amoebas the past month.
Sinking lower on her stool, she cupped her drink with both hands. She didn’t sip it right away, letting her tipsiness linger instead. Then a guy in a top hat and cape appeared.
Yep. That just happened.
She looked into her full glass, then back at the mirage, wondering if she was drunker than she’d realized. She had consumed her first drink faster than usual, and mixing cold medicine and alcohol wasn’t the best idea. She squinted harder at the man. The top hat was still there, making its already tall owner stupendously taller. The cape was still there, too.
Not just any cape. A midnight velvet cape with stars stitched through the material.
It was a galaxy far, far away. Right here. In a New Orleans bar.
The cape looked soft and plush. If Bea could rub her face in the fleecy fabric and roll into a cocooned bundle, she was sure she could sleep for a week and wake up in a different life. One that didn’t resemble a fifty car pile up.
The top hat man focused on her, as though sensing the longing in her stare. Or maybe he’d heard her say, “I’d love to nuzzle your cape.”
A thought she’d accidentally unmuted.
He walked toward her like she was the only person in the jazzy room and stopped in front of her barstool. “You can touch it, if you’d like.”
The fabric looked even softer up close, but the sensual timbre of his low voice had her sitting straighter. “If you’re not referring to your cape, things might get ugly.”
She wasn’t above tossing her drink in his face.
His lips twitched. “I do mean the cape. Unless you’d like to try on my hat.” He tipped up the felt brim.
She loosened her grip on her glass, pleased she wouldn’t have to waste a perfectly good martini. But the way her day was going, the hat would probably give her lice. “I don’t accept hats from strangers. Or capes.”
“I believe that applies to candy, not capes.”
“What if it carries an ancient spell and whisks me away to some dark castle where I’ll be imprisoned and tortured until they learn I can’t command the cape’s magic?”
The edges of his eyes crinkled. “A valid point.”
His languid gaze slid down her body and up again. He studied her so long she finally sipped her drink, then he extended his hand. “I’m Huxley.”
The second her fingers—cold and damp from the chilled glass—slid into Huxley’s large grasp, heat shot up her arm. The cape most definitely had hidden powers. “Bea,” she said. “Fascinating to meet you.”
The most fascinating moment of her gray day.
Her boyfriend—now of the ex persuasion—had neglected to mention that four days into their adventure he’d change the rules, leaving Bea homeless and jobless in the birthplace of jazz. She also hadn’t painted anything but artless amoebas the past month.
Sinking lower on her stool, she cupped her drink with both hands. She didn’t sip it right away, letting her tipsiness linger instead. Then a guy in a top hat and cape appeared.
Yep. That just happened.
She looked into her full glass, then back at the mirage, wondering if she was drunker than she’d realized. She had consumed her first drink faster than usual, and mixing cold medicine and alcohol wasn’t the best idea. She squinted harder at the man. The top hat was still there, making its already tall owner stupendously taller. The cape was still there, too.
Not just any cape. A midnight velvet cape with stars stitched through the material.
It was a galaxy far, far away. Right here. In a New Orleans bar.
The cape looked soft and plush. If Bea could rub her face in the fleecy fabric and roll into a cocooned bundle, she was sure she could sleep for a week and wake up in a different life. One that didn’t resemble a fifty car pile up.
The top hat man focused on her, as though sensing the longing in her stare. Or maybe he’d heard her say, “I’d love to nuzzle your cape.”
A thought she’d accidentally unmuted.
He walked toward her like she was the only person in the jazzy room and stopped in front of her barstool. “You can touch it, if you’d like.”
The fabric looked even softer up close, but the sensual timbre of his low voice had her sitting straighter. “If you’re not referring to your cape, things might get ugly.”
She wasn’t above tossing her drink in his face.
His lips twitched. “I do mean the cape. Unless you’d like to try on my hat.” He tipped up the felt brim.
She loosened her grip on her glass, pleased she wouldn’t have to waste a perfectly good martini. But the way her day was going, the hat would probably give her lice. “I don’t accept hats from strangers. Or capes.”
“I believe that applies to candy, not capes.”
“What if it carries an ancient spell and whisks me away to some dark castle where I’ll be imprisoned and tortured until they learn I can’t command the cape’s magic?”
The edges of his eyes crinkled. “A valid point.”
His languid gaze slid down her body and up again. He studied her so long she finally sipped her drink, then he extended his hand. “I’m Huxley.”
The second her fingers—cold and damp from the chilled glass—slid into Huxley’s large grasp, heat shot up her arm. The cape most definitely had hidden powers. “Bea,” she said. “Fascinating to meet you.”
The most fascinating moment of her gray day.
"Art and magic mesmerize in this endearing romance by Siskind....Like Huxley, readers won’t be able to resist falling under Bea’s spell." ~ Publisher’s Weekly
“New Orleans Rush is full of humor and explosive chemistry. This is a must read!” ~ USA Today bestselling Author Jennifer Blackwood
“Kelly Siskind knocks it out of the park with her evocative voice in this story of family, fun, and falling in love.” ~ USA Today bestselling author Ellis Leigh
"New Orleans Rush was a crazy, dreamy and perfect ride. The magic was in the words. Art was in the storytelling. This was an unforgettable romance." ~ PP's Bookshelf
"Bea and Huxley had chemistry in spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs...I rarely gush over books anymore, but in this case all I want to do is share how bright this book sparkles." ~ Smokin' Hot Book Blog
“New Orleans Rush is full of humor and explosive chemistry. This is a must read!” ~ USA Today bestselling Author Jennifer Blackwood
“Kelly Siskind knocks it out of the park with her evocative voice in this story of family, fun, and falling in love.” ~ USA Today bestselling author Ellis Leigh
"New Orleans Rush was a crazy, dreamy and perfect ride. The magic was in the words. Art was in the storytelling. This was an unforgettable romance." ~ PP's Bookshelf
"Bea and Huxley had chemistry in spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs...I rarely gush over books anymore, but in this case all I want to do is share how bright this book sparkles." ~ Smokin' Hot Book Blog
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Love the cover.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you love it! The designer did an amazing job.
DeleteGreat excerpt.Thanks for sharing it, it looks great!
ReplyDeleteI hope you get a chance to read it!
DeleteLove the cover. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThank you! The designer on the cover was amazing.
DeleteThe cover looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! The designer was amazing.
Deletedifferent
ReplyDeletewhat is your greatest real life romance
ReplyDeleteWith my husband, of course. :)
DeleteThe cover is great and especially like the description and excerpt. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI like the cover-thanks
ReplyDeletetiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com
Cute cover.
ReplyDeleteI love stories set in New Orleans and this sounds like a fun summer read.
ReplyDeleteWOW this looks amazing, love the cover and the title.
ReplyDeletewow cool cover
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this book! It looks amazing, I would love to read.
ReplyDeletevery nice
ReplyDeleteIt's a cute cover, makes it look a bit campy, like it would be a fun read.
ReplyDeleteI liked both the excerpt, and the pretty book cover.
ReplyDeleteCute and fun cover.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of the book or the cover?
ReplyDeleteThe cover looks amazing,its a very interesting art style!
THX
Kelly, So I would love to learn more about your cheese shop. My husband's dream.
ReplyDeletelove the cute look of the cover and the colors on it.
ReplyDelete