Thank you for joining us on the Virtual Book Tour for A Second Chance, a Contemporary New Adult Romance by Dana K. Ray (23 May 2016, eLectio Publishing, 352 pages). 
Don't miss our interview with author Dana K. Ray.PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and excerpt below. Read the first three chapters with Amazon Look Inside.
Author Dana K. Ray will be awarding a $10 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Please do take part: comment on our post and follow the tour where you will be able to read other excerpts (☀), interviews (ℚ), reviews (✍) and guest blog posts (✉).
Synopsis | Teaser | Author Q&A | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops
Synopsis
A PAST SHE CAN'T FORGET . . .Raven will do just about anything to forget a horrific event from the past that still haunts her. Forced to attend church because of a promise she made at a party, she is immediately attracted to the young, handsome preacher, but is unconvinced of his promises of a better life.
A FUTURE HE REFUSES TO ACCEPT . . .
Matthew has everything planned out until Raven walks into his church and turns his life upside down. Repulsed by her lifestyle, yet fascinated by her beauty and charm, he finds himself drawn to her by a force he can’t explain.
Raven and Mathew’s unlikely friendship leads them through escalating troubled waters that threaten to doom their growing relationship. Will they survive to learn valuable lessons of grace, forgiveness and love?
Teaser: Excerpt
She followed Travis into the church. He leaned down and whispered, “You’ll like this guy. He’s not your typical preacher. He’s our age, very dynamic.”
“Whatever.” Did he really think she cared? In an hour this would all be over. Life would return to normal. Well, as normal as it could be.
Travis led her to the second row and sat. She leaned in. “Can you get any closer?”
“Front row is for decisions. You want to sit there?”
That didn’t even warrant an answer. She slouched into the pew and pulled out her phone. It was her turn on Words with Friends.
A band came onto the stage, asked them to stand, and started playing the first song. Her eye caught a man walking in. Must be the not so typical preacher. She tried not to look at him, but found herself staring. His short black hair was longer in front and spiked with gel. He was tall and thin, but well built. She guessed his clean-shaven face would be dawning a shadow by noon. Travis was right. He isn’t your typical preacher—more like a Greek god. That thought made her look away.
The singing and music stopped and the Greek god walked to the front of the church and welcomed the visitors. He looked at her and smiled before looking around at the other people. Heat filled her face. What was that? Did she look odd and out of place? She sighed. Probably.
He pulled out a yellow card and held it up. “If you could take just a few minutes and fill out your attendance cards, when you finish, please pass them to the center aisle where we’ll have the ushers pick them up.”
He walked back to the front row as the worship service continued. She mouthed the words to the song and glanced back at him. He looked over his shoulder at her. When their eyes met, he smiled and turned away.
When he stood up to preach, she yawned. Greek god or not, she doubted he could say anything she wanted to hear. She pulled out her phone and checked for text messages, filed her nails, and crushed some candy on Candy Crush.
When he asked everyone to stand and sing a hymn of invitation, Travis looked at her and smiled. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Really? He thinks one sermon would convert me? After the closing prayer she made her escape to the bathroom. Last thing she wanted was a lecture from Travis or total strangers asking her a bunch of questions.
She came out of the bathroom to find Travis talking to the good-looking preacher. He stood about three inches taller than Travis. She adjusted her purse on her shoulder. Something was up because Travis’s grin was deep.
“Matthew, this is Raven.”
“Hi.” She shook his hand and smiled with little emotion. “Good sermon.”
“Thanks.”
“I invited Matthew to lunch with us.”
“Seriously?” She knew exactly what he was trying to do. Take her to lunch with the preacher so they could gang up on her, condemn her for her lifestyle, and show her the light. Geeze, did he not know her parents had been trying to do the same thing for the last year?
“We can go another time, it’s no big deal.” Matthew looked at Travis. “I’ll call you.”
“No, it’s okay.” Travis grabbed her arm. “He’s cool, I promise.”
She looked back at Matthew. What an odd statement to say about a preacher. She doubted that was the word to describe him.
“Yeah.” Matthew laughed. “I’m cool.”
She rested her weight on one leg. “It’s not that, it’s just…”
Travis nudged her. “What’s the big deal?”
Knowing it was an argument she didn’t feel comfortable having in front of the Greek god, she shrugged her shoulders. “Whatever.”
“How’s Mexican sound?” Travis asked.
Raven frowned. “No Mexican. I don’t think I could handle it. My stomach’s a little upset.”
“Are you sick?” Matthew asked.
“Not exactly.”
“How about Bistro’s? Would Italian bother your stomach?”
“I guess that’d be okay.”
Travis pulled his keys from his pocket. “We’ll meet you there.”
“Whatever.” Did he really think she cared? In an hour this would all be over. Life would return to normal. Well, as normal as it could be.
Travis led her to the second row and sat. She leaned in. “Can you get any closer?”
“Front row is for decisions. You want to sit there?”
That didn’t even warrant an answer. She slouched into the pew and pulled out her phone. It was her turn on Words with Friends.
A band came onto the stage, asked them to stand, and started playing the first song. Her eye caught a man walking in. Must be the not so typical preacher. She tried not to look at him, but found herself staring. His short black hair was longer in front and spiked with gel. He was tall and thin, but well built. She guessed his clean-shaven face would be dawning a shadow by noon. Travis was right. He isn’t your typical preacher—more like a Greek god. That thought made her look away.
The singing and music stopped and the Greek god walked to the front of the church and welcomed the visitors. He looked at her and smiled before looking around at the other people. Heat filled her face. What was that? Did she look odd and out of place? She sighed. Probably.
He pulled out a yellow card and held it up. “If you could take just a few minutes and fill out your attendance cards, when you finish, please pass them to the center aisle where we’ll have the ushers pick them up.”
He walked back to the front row as the worship service continued. She mouthed the words to the song and glanced back at him. He looked over his shoulder at her. When their eyes met, he smiled and turned away.
When he stood up to preach, she yawned. Greek god or not, she doubted he could say anything she wanted to hear. She pulled out her phone and checked for text messages, filed her nails, and crushed some candy on Candy Crush.
When he asked everyone to stand and sing a hymn of invitation, Travis looked at her and smiled. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Really? He thinks one sermon would convert me? After the closing prayer she made her escape to the bathroom. Last thing she wanted was a lecture from Travis or total strangers asking her a bunch of questions.
She came out of the bathroom to find Travis talking to the good-looking preacher. He stood about three inches taller than Travis. She adjusted her purse on her shoulder. Something was up because Travis’s grin was deep.
“Matthew, this is Raven.”
“Hi.” She shook his hand and smiled with little emotion. “Good sermon.”
“Thanks.”
“I invited Matthew to lunch with us.”
“Seriously?” She knew exactly what he was trying to do. Take her to lunch with the preacher so they could gang up on her, condemn her for her lifestyle, and show her the light. Geeze, did he not know her parents had been trying to do the same thing for the last year?
“We can go another time, it’s no big deal.” Matthew looked at Travis. “I’ll call you.”
“No, it’s okay.” Travis grabbed her arm. “He’s cool, I promise.”
She looked back at Matthew. What an odd statement to say about a preacher. She doubted that was the word to describe him.
“Yeah.” Matthew laughed. “I’m cool.”
She rested her weight on one leg. “It’s not that, it’s just…”
Travis nudged her. “What’s the big deal?”
Knowing it was an argument she didn’t feel comfortable having in front of the Greek god, she shrugged her shoulders. “Whatever.”
“How’s Mexican sound?” Travis asked.
Raven frowned. “No Mexican. I don’t think I could handle it. My stomach’s a little upset.”
“Are you sick?” Matthew asked.
“Not exactly.”
“How about Bistro’s? Would Italian bother your stomach?”
“I guess that’d be okay.”
Travis pulled his keys from his pocket. “We’ll meet you there.”
A Second Chance
Available NOW!
About the Author
Dana K. Ray has been writing gutsy, true to life stories since she became a teenager. A full-time children's minister in her church, she and her husband reside in the Midwest with their four children and four dogs.
A Second Chance is her first published novel. Absolution, the first in the Luciano series, is set to be released July 2017.
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