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First
Love Series #1
H.Y.
Hanna
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Word Count: 67,000 words
Cover Artist: Kim Killion
Book Description:
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Following her father's mysterious
death in Singapore, Leah leaves her life in London and returns to the island
that was her childhood home - braced to confront her past. Toran James may have
been the boy her fourteen-year-old heart yearned for, but the magic of stolen
glances and first kisses faded with his betrayal.
The enigmatic man she meets upon
her return, though, is nothing like her memory, and the past holds more secrets
than she realised. Was her father's death really an accident? What was hidden in
his study? And why has Toran contacted her again after all these years? Someone
is out to silence Leah - and that someone might be the man she is rapidly
falling in love with... again.
Excerpt:
He looked up as
she approached and she stopped short, stunned by the intensity of his green
eyes.
“Leah.”
He made as if to
rise and suddenly Leah panicked. Should I shake hands? Kiss him? Hug him?
Quickly, she sat down at the table and waved him back down with her hand.
“Hello, Toran.”
It was
hopelessly inadequate, a stupid inane greeting after all these years, but Leah
didn’t know what else to say to the stranger sitting in front of her. Except
for those brilliant green eyes, there was little left of the boy she used to
know. The jaw had widened and hardened, roughened by a faint shadow of stubble,
and the warm smile had been replaced by a steely line of a mouth that was at
once forbidding and sensual. Dark, unruly hair fell over his brow and didn’t
quite hide a thin scar along his left temple which Leah was sure had not been
there before. His skin was more tanned than she remembered and that lean,
boyish frame had filled out into broad shoulders and a hard, muscular physique
that spoke more of outdoor pursuits than time in a gym. More than that, though,
was the feeling of latent power and cool authority. Leah caught her breath.
Toran James had grown up into a dangerously attractive man.
There was a
glass in front of him filled with a pale amber liquid; and next to it, a cigar,
its wreath of smoke curling lazily up to the ceiling.
Her eyes met his
in accusation. “You said you would never smoke.”
“You said you
would never cut your hair.”
Leah touched her
head self-consciously before she could stop herself. She wondered if he was
assessing her too and searching for the girl he used to know. Her hair fell in
waves just past her shoulders now and she had learnt the art of eyeliner to
make the most of her deep blue eyes. She wasn’t a gym bunny either, but walking
everywhere in London had kept her trim. Leah saw his gaze flick appreciatively
over her, lingering on her bare legs exposed by the short hem of her black
dress, and she felt her pulse quicken.
“I guess people
change.” Leah attempted a light smile. “It’s been over twelve years, you know.”
“I know.” He
made a gesture with his hands. “I’m sorry to hear about your father, Leah.”
She nodded.
“Thank you.”
Silence settled
over them. Leah found herself unable to look at him and was furious to realise that
her heart was pounding. What was wrong with her? Anyone would think that she
was still fourteen! She had thought that meeting Toran again would help to lay
the ghosts of her schoolgirl infatuation to rest. Instead, Leah was dismayed to
discover that her feelings for him seemed very much alive, her awareness of him
even more heightened than when they were teenagers. Not that he seemed to share
her turmoil, she thought, glancing at him from beneath her eyelashes. His
handsome face was inscrutable, the green eyes cool and remote.
The Indian woman
came over with a menu. Leah ordered the house special, a coconut mojito, while
Toran ordered another whiskey. When the drinks arrived, he settled back in his
chair and gave her a small smile. It was just a glimmer, but it was enough to
remind her of the boy she used to know and Leah felt her shoulders relax
slightly.
“So you work in
London now?” He raised an eyebrow. “Tell me about your job…”
He was a good
listener, as he always had been, and Leah found herself relaxing even more as
she told him about her work, friends, life back in the U.K… Before she knew it,
half an hour had passed and she realised that she had not learnt anything about
him.
“What about
you?” Leah asked. “What’s—”
A shrill beeping
made her jump. He took a phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen, his
face tightening. He stood up with an apologetic smile. “I’ll be right back.”
Leah looked idly
around the lounge as she waited for him to return, not quite sure of the
feelings churning inside her. Why did anyone look up their childhood
sweetheart? To reconnect? Rediscover? Re-ignite what had once been…?
“I’m really
sorry—something’s come up and I have to go.” Toran stood by the table, those
green eyes once again belonging to a stranger.
Leah stood up
quickly and found that he towered over her. He had always been tall, but now he
was well over six feet. She stared at the front of his shirt, where the crisp
cotton parted to reveal a glimpse of tanned chest. He was standing very close.
She found herself unable to meet his eyes. “Um… Sure, yes, of course…”
“I’ll be in
touch.”
Leah felt
something brush her hand—she could almost have imagined it—and then he was
gone. Slowly, she made her way back to her hotel, her head dizzy with thoughts
she didn’t really want to acknowledge. Alone in her room, she grabbed the phone
on an impulse and dialed the number.
“Hello?” Julia’s
voice hadn’t changed, despite the years.
“Hi, Julia.”
“Oh my God,
Leah? Is that really you?” She laughed. “I was so excited when I read on
Facebook that you were coming back to Singapore. When did you arrive? Where are
you staying? Hey, if you’re not doing anything tonight—”
“I arrived
earlier today. Listen, Julia,” Leah said breathlessly. “I know this sounds
crazy, but I’ve got to tell somebody—somebody who understands. I…I saw Toran
again and he—”
“What?” Her
voice was sharp. “Toran James? When? Where?”
“Tonight.” Leah
was taken aback by her sharpness. “I just got back, in fact. I went to meet him
for drinks. I got this message and I couldn’t believe it… But then I thought,
hell, why not, and…” She trailed off as she realised that Julia wasn’t
listening.
“Tonight? You
saw Toran tonight? Leah, are you sure?”
“Of course, I’m
sure. I mean, he looks different—you know, all grown up—but his eyes…”
“Wait, Leah,”
she cut in urgently. “That’s not possible.”
“What do you
mean?”
“You couldn’t
have met Toran tonight.”
“Why not?”
“Because he died
in an accident yesterday.”
About
the Author:
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H.Y. Hanna was born in Taiwan and
has been a globe-trotter most of her life, from growing up in the United Arab
Emirates to attending school in New Jersey, from working in the glamorous world
of London advertising to emigrating Down Under.
Along the way, she somehow
managed to pick up a wonderful husband, a huge, slobbery dog, two rescue cats,
an assortment of cardboard boxes and a slightly dodgy
"trans-atlantic" accent. After graduating from Oxford University, she
tried her hand at a variety of jobs before returning to her first love: writing.
She’s the author of the Amazon
bestselling children’s mystery series, Big Honey Dog Mysteries, and is now
diving into the world of romantic suspense with the launch of Tender Deceit,
Book 1 in the First Love Series.
You can find out more about H.Y.
Hanna and her books at: www.hyhanna.com or catch her on Facebook at “H.Y.
Hanna” or the Big Honey Dog Mysteries Facebook Page.
Website www.hyhanna.com
Giveaway
5 free copies of the ebook
1 Amazon giftcard for $20
Sounds good. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for featuring my book! :-) Good luck to all those who enter the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes,
Hsin-Yi
(H.Y. Hanna)
I am happy to have helped
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