On Tour with Prism Book Tours.
Carousel Nights
(Starlight Point Stories #2)
by Amie Denman
by Amie Denman
Adult Contemporary Romance
Mass Market Paperback & ebook, 384 pages
August 1st 2016 by Harlequin HeartwarmingEvery first love deserves a second chance
June Hamilton left home to pursue her dream of dancing on Broadway. Seven years later, she has one regret: Mel Preston, her teenage crush and onetime summer love. Now a single dad and the head of maintenance at Starlight Point, her family's amusement park, Mel's easy smile still makes her heart beat in triple time. But June came home with a plan. She would spend the summer revitalizing the park's aging theaters, then make a graceful exit back to the big city. Until Mel and his young son start making a powerful claim on her emotions, and June faces an impossible decision…
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Guest Post
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*********************
Under the Boardwalk
Guest Post
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In Carousel Nights, you’ll
meet June Hamilton. She shares ownership of the family amusement park
Starlight Point with her brother and her sister. Only twenty-five,
she does not plan to settle in and devote her life to roller
coasters, cotton candy, and the beach resort. She wants to keep
dancing on Broadway, but she comes home for the summer to lend her
talent to the live shows at Starlight Point. The summer love she left
behind seven years ago, Mel Preston, is still there. He’s the chief
of the maintenance department and the single father of an adorable
five-year-old son.
One of my favorite scenes in this book
is when June joins Mel and his son Ross to have fun at Starlight
Point. They ride spinny rides, eat junk food, and put miles on their
feet. It’s an experience any parent can empathize with! Here’s an
excerpt from that scene:
They
walked the Western Trail, heading slowly toward the junction where
the marina exit gate would veer off. Mel carried Ross with one arm
and the boy’s head had dropped lower and lower, giving away the
fact that he’d fallen asleep somewhere near the frontier fort.
“Want
me to carry you, too?” Mel asked. “Still got one shoulder
available and you’re not heavy.”
“Tell
that to my feet.”
“Noticed
you limping a little.”
“No
I wasn’t,” June said quickly.
Mel
laughed. “Okay, you’ve been dancing since we got off the train at
the Wonderful West platform.”
“What
made us think getting off the train would be a good idea?” June
asked.
“My
fault. I remember saying something asinine about tiring Ross out so
he’ll sleep tonight.”
“Who
knew you were such a genius?” June said, grateful that Mel carried
a heavy burden so he wouldn’t notice her slow, small steps. The
past month had allowed her to forget about her knee for the first
time in almost a year. Exercises and stretching, lots of walking and
limiting her dancing to almost zero had refreshed her body. Her
immense physical well-being, despite long days, overshadowed her
worry about the brief window of opportunity on the big stage.
However,
on a night like this, when her body refused to play along, she
wondered if that window had already closed.
“How
are you getting back?” Mel asked.
June’s
head snapped up. Had he guessed her thoughts?
“Home,”
Mel said. “Did you walk like you usually do?”
She
nodded. “Habit. Not much sense driving across the parking lot to
the Old Road.”
Mel
shifted the weight of his sleeping son to the other shoulder. “Come
with me to the marina lot and I’ll drive you home. Save you a lot
of walking.”
“Don’t
worry about it.”
“I’m
serious. My feet would never make it that far. And I owe you for
riding the spinny rides with Ross.”
June
laughed. “You do owe me, but you have to get Ross home. And if you
don’t merge onto the Point road in the next twenty minutes, you’ll
get caught in the closing traffic and sit for an hour.”
They
came to a bench near the railroad crossing and a nacho stand. “I’m
parking myself here with a cold drink. When security sweeps the trail
in half an hour, I’ll bum a ride.”
Mel
paused and looked hesitant. His T-shirt was creased, hair awry, five
o’clock shadow visible even in the dim lighting on the trail. It
was time for him to go home.
June
plopped down on the bench. “I’m not moving another inch and
you’re flirting with a traffic jam every minute you hang around.”
Mel
shifted Ross a little higher and eyed the bench enviously.
“Rather
flirt with you.”
“Rain
check.”
“That’s
what I was thinking.” He paused, screams from the roller coasters
breaking the silence. “Tomorrow night. A date?”
June
swung both legs onto the bench, buying herself a moment before she
answered.
“Dinner
and adult conversation. No spinny rides or queue lines,” he added,
sweetening the deal. “And not at the Point. We’ll go somewhere.
Wherever you want.”
Saying
yes was tempting, but it was risky. Crossing a line.
“Are
you sure this is a good idea?” she asked. “We’ve…uh…been
down that road.”
Mel
nodded. “I remember.”
“And
nothing has changed.”
“If
by nothing you mean you’re still leaving—again—at the end of
the summer, I know,” he said.
“What
if we’re still too tired to move by tomorrow night?”
“Say
yes, June. We’ve known each other for twenty years and eaten a lot
of meals together. I want to say thank you for giving my son a fun
day.”
June
lay full out on the bench. It was cold and hard but still a slice of
heaven.
“Yes.
Now go away and let me die.”
Carefully
supporting his sleeping son, Mel leaned way down and kissed June on
the forehead. She closed her eyes, letting the heat from his lips
breathe energy through her. More than energy, adrenaline spiked all
the way to her toes.
“Good
night,” she said.
“I’m
calling security and reporting a vagrant on a bench by the Nacho
Rocket Shop.”
“Mention
my name and you’ll get good service,” June said sleepily.
“Tomorrow
night,” Mel replied, walking away on unsteady legs.
— Amie
*********************
Other Books in the Series
Under the Boardwalk
(Starlight Point Stories #2)
by Amie Denman
by Amie Denman
Adult Contemporary Romance
Mass Market Paperback & ebook, 384 pages
January 1st 2016 by Harlequin Heartwarming
Everyone's counting on him
With the sudden death of his father, Jack Hamilton finds himself running the family amusement park, Starlight Point. His first job? Balance the books, and that means raising the rent for vendors like baker Augusta Murphy.
Gus won't accept the new contract…not without a fight. She rallies the other vendors and sets out to negotiate with Jack. At least, she tries. How do you play hardball with a man who's charming and kind and still grieving? Gus needs to figure it out fast, because the closer she gets to Jack, the more she risks losing everything.
Amie Denman lives in Ohio with her husband, sons, cats, and dog. When she's not reading or writing, she enjoys walking and playing outside. Born with an overdeveloped sense of curiosity, she's been known to chase fire trucks on her bicycle just to see what's going on. Amie believes that everything is fun: especially roller coasters, wedding cake, and falling in love.
Tour Schedule
August 21st: Launch
August 24th: Book Lover in Florida & EskieMama Reads
August 28th: Grand Finale
Tour Giveaway
10 copies of the first book in the series, Under the Boardwalk (print if US, ebook if outside the US)
Open internationally
Ends September 2nd
Ends September 2nd
I enjoyed the interview. Great covers on both books. I
ReplyDeletelove the carousel and the boardwalk. Both bring back lots
Of memories.
Carol Smith
penelope223((at)yahoo(dot)com
Under the boardwalk sounds fantastic ♡ I love the cover! Thank you
ReplyDeleteDon't think I ever read a book where there's an amusement park as the local
ReplyDelete