Maggie Blackbird

Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. Readers can jump from one author to another who share hooks from their current WIP (work in progress) or any previously published books.

For this week’s edition of Book Hooks, I give you a teaser from The Circle is Small, a second-chance contemporary romance that is 50% off when you purchase from Extasy Books.

An ex-cop returning to face his horrendous past, the woman who won’t forgive him, and the family who’ll never let him forget that he killed their son.

Blurb:  First Nations Constable Jordan Chartrand’s guilt can’t handle the accusing stares from the family left to mourn their son after that horrible night…so he flees from his Ojibway community and the woman he loves. Two years later, his mother’s cancer diagnosis forces him to return to help her.

Devoted schoolteacher Ellie Quill wants nothing to do with Jordan after he bolted to the city and left her behind. Her life goals are set. As for her secret, she’ll keep that to herself, even if Jordan’s begging to know the truth about her child.

When the two are compelled to work on a community project to address the rampant drug problem, their forced proximity slowly melts Ellie’s icy walls. But no matter how much her heart desires to give Jordan the second chance that he’s begging for, she refuses to because providing a life for her son in the tradition of the Ojibway culture is her top priority now, not moving to the city where Jordan continues to hide.

Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, First Nations Romance, Adult
Heat Rating: Level 3
Publication Date: March 17, 2023
Publisher: eXtasy Books

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Jordan fired his glare at the coffee machine. She still didn’t understand and would never understand. To Ellie, everything could be solved. But how did he solve killing a teenager? A boy he’d known who’d had a horrible drug problem?

The counter was in the right place at the right time because he sagged against it while brushing his fingers through his hair.

“Jordan…?”

He opened his eyes.

Edging toward him, Ellie circled the table to where he stood between the coffee machine and book cabinet. “Please talk to me.”

Talk? What was there to say?

She came closer, near enough to give him a whiff of her scent. He inhaled the clean fragrance that was as fresh and natural as her. The familiar rawness was growing in him—the same rawness that had compelled him to draw her against his chest and smother her lips with his mouth.

The sweetheart neckline of her shirt dipped low enough to give a peek at the creamy mound of her petite breasts. The snugness of the material more than showed what was filling out her bra. He’d tasted her tits enough times to know she liked when he’d nibble on her nipples. She’d complained about her breasts, wishing she was bigger than an A cup, but to him, they were perfect.

“I’m here. Doesn’t that count?” She threw up her hands, elbows bent and palms up.

“Why are you here?”

“Murray asked me.” She held his stare.

“So you’re here for Murray’s sake. Well, tell Murray nobody showed so what’s the point?”

“It only takes two to push the snowball down a hill.” Her tone was teacher mode.

“The snowball may gather steam, but there’s a chance it could hit a tree and break apart.”

“It depends who’s steering it.”

“So you want to help me steer the snowball?” He couldn’t eradicate the flatness and bitterness in his voice.

“Yes, I do.” Her teacher façade vanished. Her dark eyes warmed, and the steel line of her jaw relaxed.

Her soft-spoken answer was a jolt to his system, feathering the tightness of his skin, coaxing the tension riddling his body to vanish.

“We’re the only ones here. We can do this at my place. Tea is better than coffee.”

Something in his throat jumped. “Your place?”

“You’ll save me on a sitter fee. I had to get Brittany to babysit. Mom’s babysitting for Tyler.” Her words remained as soft as her gaze.

“Then your place it is.” He couldn’t help tugging at the neckline of his t-shirt.

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