BooksChatter: ☀ Diverted Heart - Beth Ann Stifflemire

Following the Release Day Party in August, thank you for joining us on the Virtual Book Tour for Diverted Heart,New Adult Romance by Beth Ann Stifflemire (10 August 2015, Waldorf Publishing, 138 pages).

PREVIEW: Read the first two chapters with Amazon Look Inside.

Check out the book's synopsis and the Chapter One excerpt below, as well as our Q&A with author Beth Ann Stifflemire

Please do take part: comment on our post and follow the tour where you will be able to read other excerpts (☀), interviews (ℚ), and reviews (✍).

Synopsis | Teaser | Author Q&A | About the Author | Tour Stops

Synopsis

Texas summers are no doubt some of the hottest you'll find. The heat encountered during this summer is not at all what Taylor bargained for. She's at a crossroads between childhood and womanhood, rummaging through the emotions of first love versus passion.

Two young men tangle a web of needs and desires in her heart. The summer before college begins, Taylor is thrust from her childhood home in Houston to an inherited family farm on the outskirts of Schulenburg, Texas. Eric, her first love, has gone states away to play college football. Low-spirited and merely trying to get through an expectantly boring summer, she is nearly run off the road by her new country neighbor, Maxwell. Ruggedly handsome, devilishly charming and everything Taylor seeks to avoid, Maxwell does something to her emotions she's struggling desperately to interpret, as they spend the summer filled with each other.

Boundaries are tested and the scales of lust tip despite hesitations. A final decision must be made. Did she ever truly love Eric? Is Maxwell simply a lustful thought, or is there more to uncover beneath the surface? One thing is for certain, this summer will change Taylor in every possible way: mind, body and soul.

Teasers

Excerpt #1 | Excerpt #2 |

Excerpt #1

firt section of CHAPTER ONE: MOVING DAY

     “Come on, Judge!” The eager chocolate Labrador bolts from the back gate, barking in between hops. I clip the red leash to his black collar just in time. He pulls me with him, running at mach speed to the street. “Wait, Judge.” He halts only a moment then resumes pulling me until I break into a jog.
      It’s moving day, and this will be our final run through my childhood neighborhood. Judge stays at my side as I pick up speed. A long-distance runner in high school, this has been a part of my daily routine for the last four years but now it’s therapeutic. The unknown of the summer ahead is a constant thought. Running allows a brief escape from the what-ifs cluttering my brain.
      Eric called just before my run, which has also become a daily routine in recent weeks, since he left to play football at Kansas State. The first day he left was strange and lonesome. I cried, initially because I missed him. Now when I cry, it’s because I’m leaving the only home I remember. A mixture of emotions tugs at my heart as I close a chapter of my youth today.
      The well-established, upper middle-class Hunter’s Creek Village neighborhood in Houston reminds me of a picturesque scene one might see in a movie. I glance at each home while I run, paying extra attention to them. They transition between big, white plantation-style homes with large columns, to red brick homes with ornate wood detailing at the roof lines and shutters. The street is lined with giant pine trees that leave a layer of pine needles on the black asphalt.
      Nicky’s repeated “You’ll have such a great time when you go to A& M in the fall!” plays over in my mind once again. She’s said it to the point I would scream if I heard it again, yet I know she means well. She may not be my birth mother, but she certainly loves me like her own, and is trying to help.
      I stop at the street corner, adjust my iPod ear buds blaring Incubus’s Dig and check my stopwatch. Forty-five minutes since I set the timer— time to head back.
      Judge never wavers from his pace, keeping up with me the entire run. I remove his leash when we arrive back at the driveway and walk with him to the gate— one last time.
      “Good boy, Judge. You did so good.” Leaning over, I kiss his head, fighting the urge to cry. He licks my sweaty cheek then heads towards his water bowl on the back porch. I shut the wooden gate.
      The movers have arrived, and boxes are exiting the house every other minute. With a heavy heart, I return inside, take a quick shower, slide into a pair of denim shorts and a baby blue tank top then walk back into my room. The movers haven’t attacked it yet. I stare at the blank walls and filled boxes piled everywhere then locate my cell phone. A text message is showing… just what I need right now: Love you babe. This is just temporary.
      I sigh, imagining his voice speaking the words aloud instead of having to read them in an informal text as a flashback floods my mind. Our last night together:
      “God, I’m going to miss you.”
     He brushed away the tears cascading from my eyes with his strong thumbs then cupped my damp face in his warm hands.
     “It won’t be easy for me either, but we’ll make it work. I want you even from hundreds of miles away.”
     I forced a slow breath to avoid further tears. Eric placed his lips, deep with want onto mine, kissing me with intent fervor. I wanted more of him, all of him. He pulled me closer into his sturdy arms.

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Excerpt #2

from 3rd section of CHAPTER TWO: HANDSOME STRANGER

     Against the quiet that’s consumed the entire run, a loud rumble a short distance away instantly distracts me. Hearing the annoyingly loud noise quickly approach, I step to the roadside just as a large, lifted white pickup truck flies past, sending dust in every direction. What the hell? I cough as the dust lifts, ready to shoot a middle finger into the air and choose a few colorful words for whatever jackass has just passed, when the truck comes to a halt with lit lit-up brake lights. Oh hell. This isn’t good. Abduction comes to mind as the truck slowly backs up in my direction. Should I run? Would Judge attack if I needed him to? My heart is beating gigantic palpitations in my chest.
     The truck slows to a stop so the tinted window of the driver’s side is even with me, then rolls down, emitting the sound of some twangy country song—Silver Wings I think—that’s playing on the radio. The driver is now visible, and I am startled by an unexpectedly good-looking guy, slightly older than me, by the looks of him. He has a wide, all-pristine-teeth grin, dark blonde, yet sun-kissed, hair cut short but a bit unruly, and rich, dark eyes with flecks of hazel in them.
     “Hi there, pretty lady.” ,” The the stranger speaks with a rugged voice and a sultry drawl.
     I don’t know whether to read him the riot act for his crazy, asinine driving, or stare in awe at his surprisingly handsome features. I decide on the smartass route.
     “What the hell is your basic malfunction? You could’ve creamed me if I hadn’t heard you coming.” Judge sits calmly at my side, but perks up his ears with the sudden raise in my voice.
     “Whoa, sassy.” He lifts his hands above his head as if under arrest. “I apologize, young lady. It’s not everyday people decide to take a walk on these country back roads.”
     He returns his hands to the steering wheel. I quickly glance over the vehicle, noticing a large, black, duffel-like bag in the back of the truck. It makes me nervous.
     “What is that?” I point at the black bag peeking out of the bed of the truck.
     “What?” He looks surprised. “Why don’t we just start with, hiHi, my name is Maxwell Bara,
     Max to most. Yours?”
     I feel slightly—slightly—bad for my ill manners, so I momentarily reciprocate. “Taylor.” I strive to give away no hint of emotion, feeling my lips struggle to hold a hard line and not shift into a smile.
     “Oh, she has a name…Taylor. Beautiful name.” He grins, again revealing his salacious smile. “Boy, you come on strong, don’t you, Maxwell?” I try hard to hold my ground.
     “Like I said, most people call me Max, but Maxwell works, too.” He presses his lips together. I can see he’s not accustomed to his full name, and it beckons my devious side.
     “Well, Maxwell, would you like to answer my question?” I point again to the back of the truck.
     “Oh, the bag again.” He glances back at it and then to me, and offers a mischievous grin. “That’s where I hide the bodies.” ,” He he half laughs, half acts serious.
     “Huh?” I don’t know how to take his answer, shifting my attention once again to Judge. “Well, this is my dog, Judge. He’s very protective, so you may want to steer clear.” I, of course, announce this as Judge rolls over on the ground to have his belly rubbed. Lovely timing, Judge.
     “Uh, huh….terrifying. But he’s a good-looking dog anyway.” Max props himself up slightly to see
     Judge out of the passenger window. After taking a gander at my dog’s antics, his eyes travel the length of my body before meeting mine.

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Diverted Heart - available NOW!

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About the Author

Beth Ann is a wife, mother, blogger and book lover from Texas. Her passion is writing stories that draw a reader into a world where they can become the characters and experience a gamut of emotions. When she's not writing, she loves to be home with my family and two yellow labs. In addition she's a sucker for super sappy romance movies, loves trying out Texas wines, is an avid hot tea drinker and enjoys checking items off of her ever-growing bucket list.

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