I'm very pleased to
welcome back my good friend, author Karen King. Today however, she's
under the guise of Kay Harborne – her pseudonym for her romantic
novels. Laren will be telling us about her latest romance Never
Say Forever.
Karen has written
around 120 children's books – ranging from beautiful picture books
for little toddlers, through to joke books, novelty books, bedtime
story books and adventure and mystery novels. She also writes for
young adults.
Her
first YA book, Perfect
Summer
is set just a little in the future when society is so obsessed with
perfection that the government gives grants for plastic surgery. The
book was runner up in the Red Telephone Books YA Novel 2011
competition. The controversial story is proving a lively topic for
debate when Karen visits senior schools around the country.
She
has also written for many children's comics and magazines, including
Jackie,
Sindy, Barby, Winnie the Pooh
and Thomas
the Tank Engine.
As
Kay Harborne she has written
several romance stories for women's magazines. Her romantic novel,
The Millionaire Plan
was nominated for the RONE Award earlier this year.
Being
such a prolific writer, Karen is also an experienced writing tutor
and currently tutors for The Writers' Bureau. This year she was also
delighted to accept the invitation to become Patron of Reading for
Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College, Worcester.
Her
latest book,
Never Say Forever was
originally published as a
People’s Friend Pocket
Novel, then in large print by Linford Romance, and has most recently
been published by Astraea Press.
I'm
pleased to be able to feature it here:
Never Say
Forever blurb
Do
you follow your dream or follow your heart?
That’s
the decision Kendall McKenzie has to make when she meets hunky
businessman Jake Newman. It’s obvious that he’s as attracted to
her as she is to him. But Kendall has vowed to never get married –
and it seems that Jake, too, is determined to never commit. When the
two are together however sparks fly and it’s obvious to everyone
except themselves that they’re meant to be together. Can Kendall
trust Jake enough to give him her heart? And if she does will she
have to say goodbye to her dream?
Extract
He
turned and saw an open door leading into the kitchen where Kendall,
her back towards him, was unplugging the kettle. She was wearing a
neat, grey, pinstriped suit, the jacket tapering in at the waist and
the skirt finishing just above the knee, with enough of a slit to
reveal her very shapely legs.
She turned around and
smiled at him, and his heart missed a beat. She was incredibly pretty
and fresh, even at this early hour. Her glowing hair was loosely tied
back from her face, which was bare of make--‐ up apart from a
touch of lipstick, and her eyes were bright and sparkling, as if
she’d had a restful night’s sleep.
“OK, I’m ready now.
I’ve just got to get my suitcase out of the bedroom.”
Here was where he was
supposed to tell her that she was staying at the Birmingham office,
that he didn’t need her in Spain, after all. But the words wouldn’t
come. He might not need her in Spain with him, but he
definitely wanted her there.
“Ouch!” Kendall’s
cry of pain interrupted his thoughts. He dashed down the hall and saw
her bending down, rubbing the back of her leg, the suitcase on the
floor behind her.
“Are you all right?”
he asked, worried. His eyes rested on the hole in her tights and the
bruise already forming. “That looks nasty,” he said
sympathetically.
She flushed. “The case
was heavier than I thought. I stumbled and caught the back of my leg
with it. I’ll be fine. I just need to change my tights.”
“I’ll wait in the car
for you.” He effortlessly picked up the heavy suitcase. “And
we’re all right for a few minutes if you want to put some ice on
that bruise.” Without waiting for an answer, he carried the
suitcase out the front door.
Maybe he was the one who
needed the ice, he thought, as he took the case down to the car. The
sight of Kendall’s bare skin peeping through the hole in her tights
and hint of cleavage as she’d bent down to rub her leg had
certainly made his temperature rise.
Don’t even think about
it, he warned himself as he pressed the remote to open the car boot.
This was a business trip, and he had to keep it that way. He never
mixed business with pleasure and he wasn’t about to start now. Not
even with Kendall McKenzie.
Especially not with
Kendall McKenzie.
****
It
was only as she walked into the car park at the back of the flats
that Kendall realised she didn’t know what sort of car Jake drove,
but the sleek, midnight--‐ blue sedan just had to be his. She
was a bit taken aback when he got out, walked around,
and
opened the passenger door for her. Not many guys did that nowadays.
“Thank you,” she said
as she slid onto the leather seat.
“My pleasure.” There
was a hint of teasing in his reply, as if he knew he’d surprised
her.
“Love the car,” she
said as he got in beside her.
He flashed her a smile.
“I quite like it too.”
“It might have been
better if you’d got someone to drop us off at the airport so they
could take the car back,” she suggested. “I wouldn’t risk
leaving a car like this parked at the airport.”
ʺI’m not. I’ve left
a spare set of keys with my chauffeur. He’ll pick it up later this
morning then drive it home for me. It didn’t seem fair to drag him
out of bed this early.”
He’s a nice guy,
Kendall thought, kind and considerate yet rich and successful. In her
experience, the qualities didnʹt always mix.
As they drove along, she
was acutely aware of his presence beside her, of his strong hands
holding the wheel casually but firmly, of his left hand reaching down
to change gears effortlessly and smoothly, just a few centimetres
from her knee.
“How long did you teach
in Thailand?” he asked her. “I spent a bit of time over there
myself a couple of years ago. It’s a beautiful country.”
“I was there for a
year.” She was glad of the diversion. “I taught in a school in
Chiang Mai.”
For the rest of the
journey they spoke about Thailand and some of the other countries
they had both visited, and she realised that he was actually very
easy to talk to with a good sense of humour. She was almost sorry
when they arrived at the airport; she’d enjoyed his company so
much.
Careful, she told
herself. I bet he’s as charming as this with all the women he
meets. She knew he had a reputation for collecting beautiful
girlfriends — Tanya had hinted as much at the engagement party. He
was the eternal bachelor. Well, she was the eternal bachelor girl,
wasn’t she? She could handle Jake Newman, even if he did make her
go all goose-bumpy
Buy
Never Say Forever via these links
Read
more about Kay Harborne and Karen King at:
Links
Website:
http://www.karenking.net/
Twitter: @karen_king
Amazon
Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Kay-Harborne/e/B00D5VD6LG/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1373543640&sr=8-2
