Today, author Anita Verebes is guesting. She’s here to talk about her latest release You Can’t Hurry Love, book two in the Jukebox Collection series, a contemporary romance. Don’t forget to check out the newsletter sign-up giveaway.
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It’s A Small World Afterall
So, I’m back with a new contemporary romance novel, once again set in my backyard of Brisbane, Australia. For the most part, anyway.
Aside from writing about a location that I’m familiar with, I guess I chose South East Queensland as my main setting for the Jukebox Collection series because most Australian novels I’ve read have sort of skipped my little corner of the world.
And I get it. I do. Brisbane’s pretty much unheard of. Most people, when you say “Australia”, automatically imagine the outback or Sydney or Byron Bay. (Ugh. Byron. I’m not a fan. It’s overrated. This is the hill I will die on.)
But South East Queensland has so much to offer. We have beaches that are far superior to Bondi or Byron (fight me), rainforests to explore and mountains to climb, zoos, and theme parks, and a cultural centre in Brisbane which -while it is admittedly nowhere near as good as Melbourne- is steadily growing and improving over time. Hell, we even have movie studios on the Gold Coast. Oh, and the subtropical climate here is generally pretty awesome. (Let’s not consider the recent flooding and months of rain. That’s a once-or-twice-every-decade sort of deal.)
It seemed only natural to set a series of novels here. My little urban paradise.
I’m aware that I spend a bit more time describing the local setting in Handle With Care (Book 1 of the Jukebox Collection), but in You Can’t Hurry Love we venture a bit further north to explore Hervey Bay, and also take a short flight across the pond to visit Charlie in London.
And I love that. I love that novels can take us all over the world, without ever leaving our homes. That’s something I’ve relied heavily on since a certain pandemic happened. As much as I’m looking forward to travelling again, I’m glad I can do it from my armchair…and I like to hope that, through my writing, I can share the gift with other readers, too.
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Title: You Can’t Hurry Love
Series: Jukebox Collection, book 2
Author: Anita Verebes
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: March 24, 2022
Rating Explicit/Mature Audiences Only
Sometimes love is worth the wait.
Blurb: Before Sara Carlisle even meets Charlie Rhodes, she hates him for insulting her best friend. As far as she’s concerned, the fact that he’s tall and muscular with an accent to die for isn’t enough to redeem him. Charlie is an arrogant A–hole and that’s all there is to it!
For his part, Charlie thinks Sara is a conceited pain in the arse. He genuinely enjoys her frustration and makes no secret of it. Besides, she gives as good as she gets!
Fundamentally opposed, it’s obvious they’re never going to get along. However, they are stuck in each other’s lives for the foreseeable future. Being civil is as good as it’s going to get…or is it?
In a standalone slow-burn romance following hot on the heels of Handle With Care, Sara and Charlie discover that you really can’t rush romance.
Availble in Kindle Unlimted – Purchase at:
Charlie bristled on Everett’s behalf, but apparently so did Sara. She set her cutlery down with more force than necessary and, with exaggerated patience, responded to Roger, “Again: not everyone feels the need to blatantly splash their cash around.” She looked up and across the table at Charlie, demanding, “Back me up here.”
Roger spoke before Charlie could. “No offence,” (With that, Charlie knew that he would very much take offence to the next words that came out of the man’s mouth.) “but Old Mate here’s a builder, right? That’s not exactly on the same level.”
The sound of frustration Sara made at the back of her throat almost had Charlie chuckling. “Maybe not the same as Everett, no,” she argued –bizarrely– on Charlie’s behalf, now folding her arms across her chest as she stared down her boyfriend, “but I’m willing to bet he’s just as financially comfortable as you are. Possibly even more. But that shouldn’t change how valid his opinion on the topic is either way.”
Her tone was heated now. Charlie felt a little badly for Roger, who probably began the whole conversation with good, if misguided, intentions. “Look,” he said diplomatically, attempting to ease the tension, “I can see both sides here. As a kid, I always thought if I had the dosh, I’d live the high life. But that’s not actually me, and it’s not Rhett, either. But it doesn’t make enjoying your money wrong if that’s what make you happy.”
“That’s the point I was trying to make,” Sara huffed. Charlie was almost worried that Sara would lecture him about mansplaining the topic –which he felt he might have done a little– but her boyfriend, for all his book smarts, seemed a bit thick witted, so putting it into different words might have helped.
Roger was silent for a moment. “Well, yeah, alright,” he finally acknowledged, reaching for his glass of wine. “I won’t pretend to understand it, but I see what you’re saying.”
As he raised his drink to his mouth, Sara rolled her eyes and mouthed ‘No he doesn’t’ across the table at Charlie, who snorted and then covered the sound with a cough.
“You alright there, Charlie?” Everett asked, giving him a thump to his back as he reclaimed his seat beside his brother. In a lower voice he added, “Don’t tell me you’ve been arguing again.”
“I have been on my best behaviour,” Charlie assured him, catching Sara’s gaze and nodding in acknowledgement.
Perhaps, he thought to himself, being civil wasn’t completely out of their reach.
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Anita (A.N.) Verebes is a daydreamer and romance novelist. As a civil marriage celebrant, Anita makes a living telling other people’s love stories and celebrating real romance! Also armed with a Bachelor of Education (Secondary), Anita is a qualified -but not practising- High School English teacher who loves to read anything she can get her hands on, including fanfiction. (And, yes, she’s written her fair share of that, too.)
Living directly between Queensland’s sunny Gold and Sunshine coasts, Anita spends her days exploring the Great South East with her husband and their two rambunctious sons. When at home, she’s also a slave to two cats and one very spoilt Great Dane X.
Find Anita: Web Site | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
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Maggie Blackbird 