NBTM + #Giveaway: Luke's Redemption by Anni Fife @AnniFifeAuthor @GoddessFish

Luke’s Redemption

by Anni Fife

GENRE: Contemporary Erotic Romantic Suspense

BLURB:

Chased by her criminal kingpin father, Katya Dalca runs to New Orleans and straight into the arms of Luke Hunter. Sucked into the carnal world of the French Quarter, she succumbs to Luke’s potent sexuality. He not only steals her breath, he steals her heart and the only leverage she has against her father. She is left with no choice except to pick up the pieces and rebuild her life alone.

Undercover DEA agent Luke Hunter thought his newest assignment—recover a stolen flash drive to gain the trust of the Russian mob—was like any other. But his target brings him to his knees, and after one taste of her intoxicating beauty, he's in too deep. Doing his job means walking away, leaving his heart behind with nothing but a promise to reunite. It's a promise he can't keep.

When Katya's past reaches out and her world unravels, her only hope is the one man she is most vulnerable to—Luke.

Excerpt:

The smell of beignets wafted up and distracted, I lifted the bag and took a deep breath. Whoosh! Fine sugar blew up out of the bag and coated me.

“Shit, honey, you look sweet all over.”

Oh, just great.

Blinking sugar out of my eyes I looked up. And up. He was tall, well over six foot. Midnight-blue eyes rimmed by a deeper blue-black smoldered lazily down at me. “You’re holding the best beignets in the world. You gonna stand there or you going to take a bite?”

“Umm.” Jeez, Katya. Say something.

“Here, let me hold that for you.” He took the coffee from my hand. “Go on, babe. Take a bite. It’ll be the best thing you’ll ever taste.”

Still struck dumb, I did what he asked and lifted a beignet out of the bag and took a big bite. Oh! It was like sinking my teeth into a sweet pillow of ambrosia.

“Good huh?”

I nodded and stared back at him. Then, without uttering a word, I stuffed the rest of the beignet into my mouth. He grinned at me, shaking his head. “Want to wash it down with this?” He held out my coffee.

My fingers brushed against his. Yikes! I couldn’t stop the slight tremor caused by his touch. I took a gulp of coffee - half rich chicory, half hot milk - and finally found my voice. “Would you like one?” I offered the bag of beignets to him.

“Would be like taking candy from a baby,” he grinned. “But don’t worry, I’ve got my own.” He dangled a packet like mine in front of me.

Then we both stood there and smiled at each other while we gorged on sugary donuts. He would reach for my coffee to free my hand. Then after I ate some fluffy yumminess, he’d hand it back to me so I could take a sip. We swallowed the last of our beignets and licked our fingers.

I didn’t even know his name, yet I was more turned on than I had ever been in my life.

Interview with Anni Fife

What inspired you to write Luke’s Redemption?

I began writing Luke’s Redemption in June last year. It was one month after I packed up my city life and relocated to the beach, changing my life forever. It was also the first book I had ever written, or even attempted to write. I always had a secret passion for steamy romance so my choice of genre was easy. My storyline came flowing into my head a few nights before my departure. It was around midnight. I don’t know what triggered my muse, but suddenly I could hear Katya’s footsteps beating a desperate rhythm down a dark cobble-stoned road in the early hours of the morning. It was deathly quiet. New Orleans was hung over from Mardi Gras. As I watched her, I realized I was looking through the scope of a sniper lens. Was I her hunter or her hero? Or both? My story unfurled at such a rapid pace that I spent the next hour typing manically on my iPhone. When I turned off the light, I had the beginnings of my novel.

I wrote Luke’s Redemption for my own tastes. So if you like contemporary erotic romances with a lot of angst and some suspense; hot alpha heroes with damage; smart sassy heroines, also with some damage; and burning chemistry that drives lots of conflict, and even more heat—then why don’t you give this story a go?

When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Never! I always loved making up stories in my head, but I never believed writing novels was a feasible career choice. I’d daydream about it, but my decision to follow my passion was sudden. A confluence of life events and opportunities came together and allowed me to make a life-changing decision. I shut down my business, cancelled my apartment lease, and packed up my city life. A month later I arrived in a small seaside village, and began my new life…as an author.

What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?

I think I was around three or four. It was a pop-up book of Sleeping Beauty. I loved that book! I read it over and over until the pop-ups were in tatters. Maybe that’s where I got my love of romance and HEA’s…

What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

Contemporary Romance. Thrillers and Adventure. Mainstream quality fiction. Absolutely NO horror!

What is your favorite book?

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb

You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?

I have two. They are in completely different genres but both have the ability to move me to tears. The first is Wally Lamb. The man takes years to finish each novel, and no wonder. His characters are filled with such a depth of humanity that I can only aspire to reach a fraction of his brilliance in my own writing. The other is the inimitable Kristen Ashley. When she releases a new book, I turn it into a day of celebration. Out comes the red wine, chocolates and a comfy pillow. Then I curl up and spend the whole day alternatively laughing and weeping—and, of course, crossing my legs to contain the delicious tingles of desire. Her alpha heroes invade my dreams. Her heroines are funny and beautifully accessible. And her stories are both heartbreaking and uplifting.

If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?

I’d stay exactly where I am. It took me forever to find where I wanted to be, why would I want to go somewhere else?

When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?

Both. The story and character development and dialogue comes easy for me. But crafting the prose takes a lot longer. Longer than I ever anticipated. I think this comes from my lack of experience. I’m hoping that by the time I get to book ten, I will be a whole lot quicker.

Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?

Sadly not. My current home does not have a fence, so I have to make do with enjoying my friends’ dogs.

What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?

Pizza—with ham and mushroom and extra avocado—and a glass of red wine, or two, or three…

Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?

Oh no, I couldn’t possibly advise another author. I’m still a beginner. I’m in awe of how so many romance authors pump out books at a rate faster than I can down a bottle of red wine. Ask me again in five years time.

AUTHOR BIO:

Last year, Anni Fife closed the door on a twenty-year successful career in television production, to fulfill her lifelong passion, writing. In the space of one month, she closed her business, packed up her city life and moved to a small seaside village. ‘My writing has always been constrained by client briefs,’ Anni says. ‘Now, I finally have the opportunity to write to the beat of my own heart.’ LUKE’s Redemption is Anni’s debut novel and she hopes you enjoy it as much as she loved writing it. Anni loves to spend hours walking on the beach searching for pansy shells, more hours drinking red wine with her gal posse, and the most hours writing romance novels filled with women you can relate to and men you love to dream about. She is currently working on her second novel, GRAY’s Promise.

Anni is published by The Wild Rose Press.

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Author Links:

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Amazon

Buy Links:

Amazon ~ B&N ~ Bookstrand ~ Kobo ~ iTunes ~ The Wild Rose Press

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon or B/N GC

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