I've always loved stories that take place in Australia, whether they're about Aussies or not. There's just something about Down Under that adds magic to the books. Hence, I'm mighty pleased that I can spotlight "Outback Hearts" by American author Susan Stoker on my blog today. A round of applause please!
Outback Hearts by Susan Stoker
About the Book
Blurb
Sam never thought she’d actually be chosen for a reality show--but next thing she knew, she was whisked away to Australia. Dealing with a producer willing to do whatever he had to do make the show a hit, other women ready to cheat and lie to gain the attention of the bachelor, and a camera operator ready to catch her at her worst every time she turned around, absolutely nothing was as simple as it seemed on TV. Not to mention the pigs, killer snakes and shoveling manure. Sam wasn’t sure she was going to make it through filming most days--never mind find true love.
Alex never thought he’d be on a reality show, but how hard could being surrounded by beautiful women be? A lot harder than he’d thought. The producer changed the rules of the show behind his back, the women were nearly clawing at each other for this attention--and that one contestant he couldn’t get off his mind…
Can two people who are meant to be together manage to fight the catty contestants, crazy producer and find true love on a reality show in the Australian Outback?
Excerpt
Sam went to sit at one of the tables until they had to load up the bus. As she was walking toward a table she saw Henry approaching her. Sam veered a bit to meet him. She’d liked the gruff cowboy. He’d made the first day of mucking out the stables pretty fun. Sam put her hands in her back pockets as they approached each other.
“Hey, Sammi!” Henry said with a drawl. “You look like shit,” he continued with no remorse.
Sam laughed as she was sure he meant her to. “Thanks, you sure know how to soothe my ego a bit.”
“No, really, you look worn to the bone. What time you finished up today?” he asked her.
“You’ll never guess.” Sammi grinned up at him, avoiding directly answering his question.
Henry raised his brows while waiting expectantly for her to answer.
“Let’s just say I’m starving because I didn’t make dinner,” Sam told him with a grin, not about to go into the details about why she hadn’t gotten to eat.
Henry put his head back and laughed. “Damn, that’s bad luck! Why’d it take so long?
Sam’s smile dimmed a bit. Not wanting to answer him, she skirted around his question and instead simply said, “I’ll be glad not to see another barn for a while.” She ran her hand through her hair, brushing it back off her face.
Henry suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
“Wha…” Sam got out as she flinched in surprise. What did she really know about this cowboy after all?
Alex watched Sammi out of the corner of his eye as the other women said their goodbyes. He didn’t know why it bothered him to see her smile at one of the cowboys, but he knew he was irritated. His mood only grew worse when he saw the cowboy throw his head back and laugh at something Sammi said. He’d just finished saying the correct meaningless goodbye words to Kiki when he saw the ranch hand grab Sammi by the wrist. Without a second thought he was striding across the yard to where Sammi stood.
“What in the hell did you do?!?” Henry rasped as he turned Sam’s hand over to look at her palm. Sam tried to tug her hand away from him.
“Let me go,” Sam said firmly. Henry gripped her wrist even more firmly.
“Not until you explain this,” Henry said gruffly, trying to pull her toward him so he could get a better look at her palm.
“She said to let go of her,” a deep voice said from behind them. Henry dropped her hand and they both turned to see Alex standing a few feet from them.
“You okay?” he asked Sam, shifting so his body was between her and the cowboy. Alex didn’t know what was going on, but he wasn’t going to allow this guy to touch her without her permission again. Alex didn’t even take the time to think about what he just thought. He’d never been the possessive, alpha type, but Sammi somehow brought it out in him.
Sam tucked her hand back in her jeans pocket and said, “Yup, I’ve got to get on the bus…”
“You won’t until I find out what the hell just happened here,” Alex told her with a glare. He turned his eyes to Henry. “If you want to keep your job you’d better start explaining.”
Henry answered immediately and calmly, “She’s hurt, I was trying to look at her hand.” He’d seen Alex around a bit and knew that his bark was worse than his bite. Suppressing a smile, knowing that this woman seemed to have gotten under his skin, he nodded at Sam and said, “Look for yourself.”
Both men turned to see Sam backing away from them, hands still out of sight. “They’re all waiting for me…I have to go,” she stammered, almost tripping over herself trying to get away. “It was nice to meet you, Henry,” Sam said, still backing away.
Alex came toward her as if he was a predator stalking his prey. “Give me your hand,” he ordered, holding out his own.
“It’s not a big deal, Al,” Sam tried to explain, “it’s just a blister from working today, I’m sure that all the others have them too…”
Alex stepped close enough to take her by the upper arm and stop her retreat.
“It’s a bit more than that, hon,” Henry said. “I’ll leave you to deal with her,” he told Al as he turned around to go back to the barn.
“Damn,” Sam muttered under her breath, not believing how Henry had thrown her under the proverbial bus when it came to Alex.
“You know you’re going to make my life miserable by giving me this attention, don’t you?” Sam tried to reason with Alex. “They’re okay, it’s not life threatening. Just let me go…please?”
“I can’t let you go knowing that you might be hurt,” Alex told her honestly. “What kind of man would I be if I just let you walk away right now knowing you were in pain and I didn’t do anything about it?” Alex stared into Sammi’s eyes, trying desperately to make her understand that he wanted to help her, that he needed to help her.
Buy Link Amazon
Sam never thought she’d actually be chosen for a reality show--but next thing she knew, she was whisked away to Australia. Dealing with a producer willing to do whatever he had to do make the show a hit, other women ready to cheat and lie to gain the attention of the bachelor, and a camera operator ready to catch her at her worst every time she turned around, absolutely nothing was as simple as it seemed on TV. Not to mention the pigs, killer snakes and shoveling manure. Sam wasn’t sure she was going to make it through filming most days--never mind find true love.
Alex never thought he’d be on a reality show, but how hard could being surrounded by beautiful women be? A lot harder than he’d thought. The producer changed the rules of the show behind his back, the women were nearly clawing at each other for this attention--and that one contestant he couldn’t get off his mind…
Can two people who are meant to be together manage to fight the catty contestants, crazy producer and find true love on a reality show in the Australian Outback?
Excerpt
Sam went to sit at one of the tables until they had to load up the bus. As she was walking toward a table she saw Henry approaching her. Sam veered a bit to meet him. She’d liked the gruff cowboy. He’d made the first day of mucking out the stables pretty fun. Sam put her hands in her back pockets as they approached each other.
“Hey, Sammi!” Henry said with a drawl. “You look like shit,” he continued with no remorse.
Sam laughed as she was sure he meant her to. “Thanks, you sure know how to soothe my ego a bit.”
“No, really, you look worn to the bone. What time you finished up today?” he asked her.
“You’ll never guess.” Sammi grinned up at him, avoiding directly answering his question.
Henry raised his brows while waiting expectantly for her to answer.
“Let’s just say I’m starving because I didn’t make dinner,” Sam told him with a grin, not about to go into the details about why she hadn’t gotten to eat.
Henry put his head back and laughed. “Damn, that’s bad luck! Why’d it take so long?
Sam’s smile dimmed a bit. Not wanting to answer him, she skirted around his question and instead simply said, “I’ll be glad not to see another barn for a while.” She ran her hand through her hair, brushing it back off her face.
Henry suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
“Wha…” Sam got out as she flinched in surprise. What did she really know about this cowboy after all?
Alex watched Sammi out of the corner of his eye as the other women said their goodbyes. He didn’t know why it bothered him to see her smile at one of the cowboys, but he knew he was irritated. His mood only grew worse when he saw the cowboy throw his head back and laugh at something Sammi said. He’d just finished saying the correct meaningless goodbye words to Kiki when he saw the ranch hand grab Sammi by the wrist. Without a second thought he was striding across the yard to where Sammi stood.
“What in the hell did you do?!?” Henry rasped as he turned Sam’s hand over to look at her palm. Sam tried to tug her hand away from him.
“Let me go,” Sam said firmly. Henry gripped her wrist even more firmly.
“Not until you explain this,” Henry said gruffly, trying to pull her toward him so he could get a better look at her palm.
“She said to let go of her,” a deep voice said from behind them. Henry dropped her hand and they both turned to see Alex standing a few feet from them.
“You okay?” he asked Sam, shifting so his body was between her and the cowboy. Alex didn’t know what was going on, but he wasn’t going to allow this guy to touch her without her permission again. Alex didn’t even take the time to think about what he just thought. He’d never been the possessive, alpha type, but Sammi somehow brought it out in him.
Sam tucked her hand back in her jeans pocket and said, “Yup, I’ve got to get on the bus…”
“You won’t until I find out what the hell just happened here,” Alex told her with a glare. He turned his eyes to Henry. “If you want to keep your job you’d better start explaining.”
Henry answered immediately and calmly, “She’s hurt, I was trying to look at her hand.” He’d seen Alex around a bit and knew that his bark was worse than his bite. Suppressing a smile, knowing that this woman seemed to have gotten under his skin, he nodded at Sam and said, “Look for yourself.”
Both men turned to see Sam backing away from them, hands still out of sight. “They’re all waiting for me…I have to go,” she stammered, almost tripping over herself trying to get away. “It was nice to meet you, Henry,” Sam said, still backing away.
Alex came toward her as if he was a predator stalking his prey. “Give me your hand,” he ordered, holding out his own.
“It’s not a big deal, Al,” Sam tried to explain, “it’s just a blister from working today, I’m sure that all the others have them too…”
Alex stepped close enough to take her by the upper arm and stop her retreat.
“It’s a bit more than that, hon,” Henry said. “I’ll leave you to deal with her,” he told Al as he turned around to go back to the barn.
“Damn,” Sam muttered under her breath, not believing how Henry had thrown her under the proverbial bus when it came to Alex.
“You know you’re going to make my life miserable by giving me this attention, don’t you?” Sam tried to reason with Alex. “They’re okay, it’s not life threatening. Just let me go…please?”
“I can’t let you go knowing that you might be hurt,” Alex told her honestly. “What kind of man would I be if I just let you walk away right now knowing you were in pain and I didn’t do anything about it?” Alex stared into Sammi’s eyes, trying desperately to make her understand that he wanted to help her, that he needed to help her.
Buy Link Amazon
Author Susan Stoker
About the Author
Susan Stoker has a heart as big as the state of Texas where she lives but this all American girl has also spent the last fourteen years living in Missouri, California, Colorado, and Indiana. She is quite the romantic and even met the love of her life on "Hotmail classified" before online dating and sites like match.com even existed!
Susan has been reading romance novels since middle school and once crossed out the names of the main characters in a book and changed them to her own and to the name of her crush. She's been writing scenes for years, developing her unique writing style.
Susan loves writing but her true passion is adopting dogs from rescue groups and shelters. Susan and her husband have had a total of nine "rescued" dogs since 2000 including a variety of basset hounds and bloodhounds. She has recently branched out and adopted a basset/terrier mix who acts more like a terrier than a basset (i.e. digging, eating a couch and being hyper).
Discover other titles by Susan Stoker
Beyond Reality Series:
Outback Hearts
Flaming Hearts
Frozen Hearts (coming Sept 2014)
Connect with Susan Online:
Susan’s Facebook Profile and Page:
www.facebook.com/authorsstoker
www.facebook.com/authorsusanstoker
Follow Susan on Twitter:
Susan_Stoker
Find Susan’s Books on Goodreads
www.goodreads.com/SusanStoker
Susan has been reading romance novels since middle school and once crossed out the names of the main characters in a book and changed them to her own and to the name of her crush. She's been writing scenes for years, developing her unique writing style.
Susan loves writing but her true passion is adopting dogs from rescue groups and shelters. Susan and her husband have had a total of nine "rescued" dogs since 2000 including a variety of basset hounds and bloodhounds. She has recently branched out and adopted a basset/terrier mix who acts more like a terrier than a basset (i.e. digging, eating a couch and being hyper).
Discover other titles by Susan Stoker
Beyond Reality Series:
Outback Hearts
Flaming Hearts
Frozen Hearts (coming Sept 2014)
Connect with Susan Online:
Susan’s Facebook Profile and Page:
www.facebook.com/authorsstoker
www.facebook.com/authorsusanstoker
Follow Susan on Twitter:
Susan_Stoker
Find Susan’s Books on Goodreads
www.goodreads.com/SusanStoker
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