Indie Flutters: One to Hold by Tia Louise + Excerpt, Interview, & Giveaway

One to Hold

By Tia Louise
Editions: eBook, Paperback, & Audio CD
Published: October 7th 2014
Source: Review by Request
Genre: Erotic Romance

In a Flutter: Romantic and Lovely

Derek Alexander is a retired Marine, ex-cop, and the top investigator in his field. Melissa Jones is a small-town girl trying to escape her troubled past.

When the two intersect in a bar in Arizona, their sexual chemistry is off the charts. But what is revealed during their “one week stand” only complicates matters.

Because she’ll do everything in her power to get away from the past, but he’ll do everything he can to hold her.

~ GoodReads

One Week can change everything…
One Bar.
One Gorgeous Man.
One Miserable Woman.
One Week.
Two secrets.

Something which seems to fleeting can have lasting effects…

After so much heartache and disappointment, Mel is finally taking charge of her life. Sort of, she did let her best friend drag her to a spa week all the way out in Arizona after all…

The desert heat is cleansing, and Melissa finds she can finally relax in the anonymity of being so far away from her miserable life in Baltimore.

As soon as Melissa & Elaine arrive at the Scottsdale Arizona spa, they hit the bar. While Elaine drags herself up to the room to sleep after a full day of travel, Melissa decides to stay behind and order another drink.

That decision will change everything.

In a scene straight out of some soft-focused romance movie, Melissa meets the eyes of a stranger across the bar. She’s transfixed. He might be the most handsome man she’s ever seen. And he walks straight past all the perky twenty-somethings in the crowded bar and heads straight for her.

No man has ever elicited the kind reaction Melissa experiences with this handsome stranger.

He’s intense and focused entirely on her. History has taught her to keep away from such imposing men, but there’s something about Derek that makes her feel safe.

These two set off on a whirlwind one-week stand.
As the days pass, they grow closer together emotionally but they’re both holding back huge secrets…

I’d say that about half the book chronicles their one-week stand and the latter half details the fallout of their affair… Because one week with the right person can have a lasting effect…

I’ll admit, I was worried at first – Man and woman meet in a bar, new beginnings, dark secrets, hidden pasts, etc… It was dangerously close to being every other modern romance on the planet right now…. Then things really took off, and I was glad to be on the ride!

This was a fabulous read.
This book was flawlessly written and held my attention from beginning to end.
It was emotional without being oppressively angsty.
Sinfully sexy without sacrificing story-line.

I wasn’t shocked by the reveal of Melissa’s secret. Quite frankly, I was more than a little perturbed about a particular decision she made, but that has more to do with my personal set of morals, and less to do with this fictional situation…

I can’t say much more without getting spoiler-y, so I’ll just say you should read it! Besides, it’s a freebie on Amazon, so go scoop it up! Enjoy!

Excerpt

“The water’s nice,” I said, leaning against the wall beside him.

He nodded. “Refreshing.”

“This morning I was thinking how little we know about each other.”

His eyes were still on me, traveling from my face to my hair then back to my mouth, where they lingered. My lips tingled for his touch.

“What do you want to know?” His tone had become low and sexy.

“I don’t know,” I said, trying to think of neutral things we could share. Questions that wouldn’t lead to subjects I didn’t want to discuss. “What’s your favorite color?”

“Red,” he answered quickly.

I smiled, and my cheeks warmed. “Seriously.”

He leaned forward, returning my smile as he lowered his arms into the water. “I’ve never really had a favorite color until now.”

I turned and bent my elbows on the side, resting them on the mosaic tiles leading into the pool. We were so close, my upper arm touched his shoulder. It was electric.

“Okay,” I said slowly, thinking. “What was your favorite game as a boy?”

“Football.”

A little laugh escaped my lips, and I lay my cheek on my forearms. “You’re not giving me anything memorable.”

His hand drifted under the water to my side, where he lightly ran the back of his fingers down my skin from my ribs to my hip. My eyes closed as desire flooded into my lower abdomen, and I fought a moan.

“I’ll tell you something memorable,” he said in that sensual voice. “But I’d rather do it in private.”

My eyes opened slowly, and I wondered if he could read my thoughts. He turned and pushed against the tiles, his muscles flexing as he rose out of the water.

Little droplets ran down his torso, and an image of me licking them off almost made me burst into flames. I quickly followed him back to our things on the lounge chairs. Our wine still sat on the small table between them.

“Should we take our drinks upstairs?” I said.

“I was waiting for you to ask.”

Q&A with Tia Louise

If you were to describe your book in only one word, what would it be?
Sexy.

What would you say inspired you to write it?
I had this idea for a sexy romance that would hold a surprise twist. It was really an experiment to see how well I could pull it off. I think it worked!

What was the source of inspiration for Melissa?
Melissa came purely from my imagination, actually. Her personality unfolded as the story grew, and I went back and revised the beginning based on what happened later.

What about Derek?
Derek is based on a real person I know, but I’ll never say who.

Melissa is notoriously terrible at ordering drinks – what drink to you recommend as a compliment to One to Hold?
Cava, of course—LOL!

Have you ever spent a whole week at a Spa? We won’t ask if you’ve ever had a one-week-stand!
I haven’t! I did spend a day at a spa once for a friend’s birthday. And my mom gave me a massage mani-pedi once for my birthday at a spa… Hmm… I need more spa days.

What is your all time favorite book?
GAH! I don’t know if I can answer this! I always fall in love with the last book I read. The last book I read was Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan, and I loved it so much, a character in One to Love references it. I gave her a copy at our last author event, and she said she liked it. She’s a really nice lady.

What made you pick that one above all others?
It’s just the last thing I read. I’ll fall in love with something new next book, I’m sure!

What made you decide to become an Author?
I was a professional writer for years as a journalist. One day, for no particular reason, I sat down and started writing a book. The rest is history.

Would you say becoming an author has changed you? In what way?
YES—I’m busier than I’ve ever been in my life. And a lot more scatterbrained and day-dreamy… And my house is a wreck.

What would you say was the toughest part?
Marketing.

Have you ever been hit by the infamous “writer’s block”? What did you do to escape it?
Not really. I mean, sometimes I have trouble with procrastination and being a squirrel-brain. But if I’m feeling “blocked,” the best thing to do is keep writing. Write through it, keeping in mind everything can be revised.

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Tia Louise is a former journalist, world-traveler, and collector of beautiful men (who inspire all of her stories… wink)—turned wife, mommy, and novelist.

She lives in the center of the U.S.A. with her lovely family and one grumpy cat. There, she dreams up stories she hopes are engaging, hot, and sexy, and that cause readers rethink common public locations~

It’s possible she has a slight truffle addiction.

Books by Tia Louise:
One to Hold (Derek & Melissa), 2013
One to Keep (Patrick & Elaine), 2014
One to Protect (Derek & Melissa), 2014
One to Love (Kenny & Slayde), 2014
One to Leave (Stuart & Mariska) Dec. 29, 2014
CLICK HERE TO ORDER SIGNED COPIES

Each Monday, Shurrn’s Indie Flutters will showcase a talented Indie Author…
When she’s not contributing a weekly post here, she can be found at The Smutsonian a blog dedicated to Reviews of Modern Romance & Erotica. If you are interested in having your book featured in the Indie Flutters post, please see Shurrn’s Review Request Form.

Thank You & Happy Reading!