Hump Day Hook - Post 17

I am one of many talented authors who share excerpts from their books and/or works-in-progress every Wednesday on Hump Day Hook. If you'd like to read some more enticing author hooks, please follow this link.

My hump day hook for the day comes from my soon-to-be-released (July 1) contemporary romantic adventure, Dangerous Descents (first book in the LOVE IN THE LABYRINTHS series). I'm working on final edits on this as we speak :-)

Here's the blurb... 

After months holed up in a dreary department store, laid-off outdoor adventure director, Rebecca Devereaux, vows to change her life’s trajectory.

Kent Dunbar believes Vietnam’s Mountain River Cave may be the largest in the world.  He plans a sponsored expedition to survey the cave and learn about its origin. In need of assistants, he sends out a mass email to recruit participants. Kent is pleasantly surprised to receive an application from Rebecca and instantly hires her.

The instant Kent and Rebecca meet, the two find attraction too hot to handle. Soon, every jungle tree and shelf of cave rock becomes a potential place to release their pent up passion for each other. But Kent’s not used to commitment, both are coping with traumatic pasts, and murderous gem smugglers are on the loose near their camp. Will their tumultuous love affair survive?

Here's my hook. The group has just checked into a dilapidated hotel in Dong Hoi, Vietnam and Rebecca and Kent are a little at odds about the fact that The Science Channel will film them once they reach the cave.

"You can wear makeup and brush your hair if you like," said Kent with a wry grin. "Not that primping will last long here with frequent downpours and ninety percent humidity."

"You're not filming me unless I've put a bag over my head first," said Rebecca. Is he out of his mind? If we get bed bugs in this dump, we'll probably be scratching our unmentionables whenever the camera swings our way.

Amazon Gift Card Opportunity

In an effort to generate more interest in this dramatic and humorous contemporary romance, MESSAGE FROM VIOLA MARI, I will offer a $10 Amazon giveaway to a random person who shares this post on Facebook this weekend and helps me move up the ranks. Please send me a FB message with your email address after you finish so I can get you the gift card! Thank you so much for your support. Here is the link.
 

 

Hump Day Hook - 16

 

I am one of many talented authors who share excerpts from their books and/or works-in-progress every Wednesday on Hump Day Hook. If you'd like to read some more enticing author hooks, please follow this link.

My hump day hook for the day comes from my soon-to-be-released (July 1) contemporary romantic adventure, Dangerous Descents (first book in the LOVE IN THE LABYRINTHS series). 

Here's the blurb... 

After months holed up in a dreary department store, laid-off outdoor adventure director, Rebecca Devereaux, vows to change her life’s trajectory.

Kent Dunbar believes Vietnam’s Mountain River Cave may be the largest in the world.  He plans a sponsored expedition to survey the cave and learn about its origin. In need of assistants, he sends out a mass email to recruit participants. Kent is pleasantly surprised to receive an application from Rebecca and instantly hires her.

The instant Kent and Rebecca meet, the two find attraction too hot to handle. Soon, every jungle tree and shelf of cave rock becomes a potential place to release their pent up passion for each other. But Kent’s not used to commitment, both are coping with traumatic pasts, and murderous gem smugglers are on the loose near their camp. Will their tumultuous love affair survive?

Here's my hook, which is a flashback scene of Rebecca leading a fateful hike to Mt. Wrightson outside Tucson, Arizona.

Rebecca's muscles tensed as she whipped her head around. Her VIP guest Steve Jones, a famous big-screen star, had crumpled to the ground. She stifled a gasp and rushed to his side, rolled him over and tapped on his chest. Dirt and leaves stuck to his sweaty face. Rebecca's heart pounded in her chest. Oh my God, this can't be happening. "Steve, are you all right?" His head fell limply to the side and his usually handsome face flushed to asphyxiation purple. Holy Shit. 

Want to read more? Be sure to sign up for my newsletter so you'll know about this release and all the others I have in store for you :-)

Sabrina Devonshire's What's New Newsletter

I'm in the process of setting up a newsletter for readers and fans. If you have entered or won a contest recently, I will invite you to join. If you don't wish to receive my updates, you can simply ignore the confirmation message and you won't be added. I plan to send these newsletters very infrequently, I promise!  They will go out if I have a new release, a special event, or a contest you may be interested in entering. Since I have two new romantic suspense novels coming out in July - my first two books in the LOVE IN THE LABYRINTHS series - my first newsletter will launch in July. I hope you enjoy the newsletter and the new romantic suspense novels I have in store for you :-)

Welcome to Hot Summer Nights Blog Hop

Join over 80 authors sharing their hot reads and giving away exciting prizes. Wait! It gets even better. There will be two grand prizes awarded to two randomly drawn winners: a Kindle Fire and a $100 Amazon Gift Card. To be eligible to win the grand prize, you MUST leave a comment with a valid email address on the main hop page.

 

Here's what readers say about exotic romantic adventure, MESSAGE FROM VIOLA MARI 

...surprising twists and turns make it difficult to put it down. --Kathleen Huebner

Her beautifully descriptive style with the delicious splashes of witty humour throughout, are a delight for the senses.--Ellen Cross

Investigating ancient underwater meteorite impact sites with Justin, Marissa becomes involved in life-threatening intrigues in a conflict that leads to an action-packed climax.--Dean McMillin

Description

World-renowned oceanographer and meteorite specialist Marissa Jones uncovers evidence that a comet cloud will soon destroy Earth. When aspiring writer and her best friend Jennifer begs her to take a Saturday morning sci-fi writing class, Marissa reluctantly agrees. Writing her real-life story as fiction gives her an astonishing new perspective on the anomalous set of craters she discovered off the La Jolla Coast.

But this favor for her friend stirs up more than scientific results…writing teacher Justin Lincoln goads her constantly and taunts her with his irresistible curly blond locks and steely physique he knows only too well make women drool. Marissa teeters on the edge of anger and raging attraction for this irritating man. But it’s a terrible time to let lust call the shots when the world’s about to end and Marissa’s the only one who can save everyone.

Excerpt

Men in my life, in La Jolla and elsewhere, had been few and far between. I spent most of my waking hours working alongside male coworkers who cocooned themselves in polyester and bathed infrequently. My mother suggested taking up tennis and golf to meet eligible bachelors, so I dutifully joined the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club.

On the tennis and golf course, the closest I ever came to a romantic encounter was when a Kevin Costner look-alike handed me a golf ball that had hit him in the head and glared at me. Then there was the titillating conversation I had with a dark-haired police officer after I sent a golf ball reeling through the window of someone’s BMW.

It’s not that I’m out of shape. I’m proficient at running and swimming. But engaging in any sport that requires swinging, balancing or hitting any kind of target—other than an unintended one—is a high-risk endeavor for me.

People often romanticize the typical day-in-the-life of a female oceanographer. They imagine that I stand with windblown hair on the bow of a majestic ocean vessel, my makeup undisturbed after photographing underwater scenes from the safe cocoon of my submersible. But no, I am the woman every mother prays her daughter won’t become. Once a tomboy who petted amphibians and reptiles and collected rows of muddy rocks, rather than dolls, I’m now an employed adult who rarely dons cosmetic products and spends most of my waking hours in a windowless laboratory.

I was completely content with my dirty fingernails, make-up free face, and solitary weekend nights in the lab until one of Jennifer’s schemes landed me face-to-face with a man who transformed my ordered universe into chaos.

Buy Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Message-from-Viola-Mari-ebook/dp/B00AYTAC0A/

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-messagefromviolamari-1057992-143.html

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/message-from-viola-mari-sabrina-devonshire/1114620711

BookStrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/message-from-viola-mari

Extasy Books: http://www.extasybooks.com/message-from-viola-mari/

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/285302

As part of this blog hop, I'm giving away:  2 eBook copies of MESSAGE FROM VIOLA MARI and a signed paperback copy of THE OPEN WATER SWIMMER. Just leave a comment with an email address below this post to be entered to win. Winners will be randomly selected and announced May 30^th. Thanks!

  

Click here to visit other authors’ blog posts and for more chances to win!

Hump Day Hook - Day 15

I am one of many talented authors who share excerpts from their books and/or works-in-progress every Wednesday on Hump Day Hook. If you'd like to read some more enticing author hooks, please follow this link.

My hump day hook for the day comes from my soon-to-be-released (July 1) contemporary romantic adventure, Dangerous Descents (first book in the LOVE IN THE LABYRINTHS series). Extasy Books just finished designing my cover last weekend - this beauty was done by Carmen Waters!

In this scene, the depressed Rebecca, who has overslept yet again, tells her best friend, Amanda, that she's got a different destination in mind other than her normal day job...

Amanda furrowed her brow and shook her head. "What am I going to do with you? You're not even dressed. If you don't hurry, we'll be late for work. I'll still wait if you'll get moving."

"No, you go on ahead. I'm going to call in sick. I might quit anyway...or go to Vietnam."

Hump Day Hook - Day 14

I am one of many talented authors who share excerpts from their books and/or works-in-progress every Wednesday on Hump Day Hook. If you'd like to read some more enticing author hooks, please follow this link.

My hump day hook for the day comes from my contemporary romantic adventure, MESSAGE FROM VIOLA MARI. When her friend, Jennifer coerces her into taking a sci-fi novel writing class, meteorite scientist, Marissa, gets immersed in much more than the text...After a date with instructor Justin ends badly and the next morning, Melissa's venting her frustration with him in class.

“Well, you have to admit this essay was really lame, even if it was well written,” grunted Mark. Despite the fact that it was nine AM, a five o’clock shadow clouded his face and the dark circles under his eyes screamed hang over.

At least someone’s on my side—maybe I should ask for his number after class. “Yeah, see.” I turned to Justin and narrowed my eyes. “And I have all the information I need, thank you very much. As a matter of fact, with this author, it’s a clear case of too much information. By the end of the essay, I feel like if I hear another word about his vanilla obsession or his pathetic love life, I’m going to have to grab a handful of vanilla beans and stone him to death with them. But a man can never get over a blond with big jugs, right?”

“His ex-girlfriend’s appearance wasn’t even described in the essay,” said Steve. “Where did you come up with that?”

“Oh, I don’t know. This author just seems like the kind of guy who would try to seduce one woman while another still has keys to his house.”

 Order on Amazon

Want to win a copy? Leave a comment and I'll choose a winner this weekend... 

World-renowned oceanographer and meteorite specialist Marissa Jones uncovers evidence that a comet cloud will soon destroy Earth. When aspiring writer and her best friend Jennifer begs her to take a Saturday morning sci-fi writing class, Marissa reluctantly agrees. Writing her real-life story as fiction gives her an astonishing new perspective on the anomalous set of craters she discovered off the La Jolla Coast. But this favor for her friend stirs up more than scientific results…writing teacher Justin Lincoln goads her constantly and taunts her with his irresistible curly blond locks and steely physique he knows only too well make women drool. Marissa teeters on the edge of anger and raging attraction for this irritating man. But it’s a terrible time to let lust call the shots when the world’s about to end and Marissa’s the only one who can save everyone.