Maggie Blackbird

Today, author Amber Daulton is guesting at my blog.  Her heroine from Arresting Jeremiah, book two in the Arresting Onyx series, a romantic suspense, is here to talk about her love of baking.  Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.

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For the Love of Baking – by Calista Barlow, the heroine from Arresting Jeremiah:

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to bake. And not just simple sugar cookies. My dream was to run a bakery or maybe manage a fancy restaurant. I spent my childhood learning everything I could from a master chef. I was definitely lucky, at least in that regard. But let me back up…

My mother and I lived in this gorgeous manor when I was a child, but we weren’t the homeowners. Not even close. Mom was a maid, and I was the maid’s daughter who always snuck into the kitchen to “help” the moody head chef, Pascal Caron. After a while, Chef Caron realized I seriously wanted to learn how to cook and bake, and I wasn’t just there to annoy him. He took me under his wing, and my eyes opened to the world of culinary and artsy dishes.

Then I grew up. After my secret boyfriend dumped me and left me pregnant when I was eighteen, I learned quickly that life wasn’t fair and my dreams had to go on hold.

For the next ten years, I worked dead-end witnessing jobs with no end in sight, but I never stopped whipping up fantastical creations in my meager kitchen. I make everything from scratch, and I use graham cracker crusts for my shells. What do I make? Well, let’s see…cheesecake, doughnuts, muffins, tarts, pies, cakes, brownies, and more. Hmm, I would love a something chocolatey right now. Sorry, but I skipped lunch and my belly is growling. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, your mouth will water from one taste of any of my desserts—I guarantee it. I’m not normally an over-confident person, but I know I rock in the kitchen.

Mom, my daughter Lacey, and my best friend, Shana, are the best! They’re so supportive. Then there’s Jeremiah—better known as Jim. He’s unlike any man I’ve ever met. He’s so sweet and sexy, and more than determined to fulfill my dreams of opening a bakery. How could I have lucked out with him?

Now, I’m off to bake Jeremiah and Lacey a yummy surprise. He loves anything with blueberries in it, so we’re having a torte for dessert tonight. But don’t tell him, okay? First things first, though, I need to make a sandwich or I might just eat the dessert all by myself. It’s been known to happen, and yet I complain about my waistline. *sigh* Anyway, thank you so much for reading!

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Title: Arresting Jeremiah
Series: Arresting Onyx Series, Book 2
Author: Amber Daulton
Genre: Romantic Suspense

When threats escalate, will Jim and Calista succumb, or fight for a love they can’t deny?

Blurb: Injured Parole Officer Jeremiah “Jim” Borden never expected Calista Barlow, the sassy blonde waitress he’s craved for months, to ring his doorbell. She slips into his heart—and his bed—but he’s obsessed with a gangland investigation that threatens his career and maybe even his life.

Calista doesn’t trust easily, not with a daughter to protect and the stalker who keeps calling her. After her violent ex-boyfriend returns, she finds solace in Jim’s arms.

Jim may have to forego his need for answers to protect the ready-made family he adores, but how will he and Calista escape an unseen enemy that is always one step ahead of them?

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He patted his belt, then frowned and looked down. “I forgot. I feel naked without my firearm.”

He’d stored the holstered pistol in the glove box after arriving at the fairgrounds.

“I’m sure you do. You wear it all the time, even at home.”

“Just a precaution.” He smiled as she walked her fingers across his warm, lightly tanned arm, bypassing a bruise. “Open carry is illegal in this state, so I couldn’t bring mine here with the way I’m dressed. It’s too damn hot to wear a blazer.”

“As long as you keep your firearms away from Lacey, I don’t mind if they’re in the house. I had a long talk with her about gun safety the other night, and she knows not to mess with them.” Calista tightened her fallen ponytail. The sun blazed, threatening to melt everything on the ground, including her. “I can’t believe it’s so hot. What time is it?”

Jim checked his watch. “Around six. Things should cool off by nightfall.”

“Too bad there aren’t any water rides. I would try to bribe the carnie to let us go again and again without getting back in line.”

“No way. Mia did that when she was a teenager. She’d flirt and ride for free. Too many of those guys thought a free entry or one with no wait meant they could get into her pants.” He tilted up Calista’s chin with his fingers. “I’m not in the mood to get into a fight tonight.”

“Ah, my knight in shining armor.”

“Damn right. If only the fair offered a romantic boat ride, I could get you alone for a few minutes. We would sail down the tunnel without a care in the world.”

“We wouldn’t come off that ride fully clothed.”

He chuckled and kissed her. “Your bra would be at the bottom of the stream. I guarantee it.”

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Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through The Wild Rose Press and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.

She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.

Find Amber:  Website | Facebook | FB Group | Twitter | Instagram | Bookbub | Amazon | Goodreads

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One brand new Kim Rogers’ brand wallet (value $45.00) plus a variety of bookmarks, postcards, and business cards from myself and other romance authors.
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