Title: Roustabout (Traveling Series)
Author: Jane Harvey – Berrick
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 9, 2015
Goodreads
Blurb
Twelve years ago Tucker McCoy walked away from the hell that was his family with
not much more than the shirt on his back. No regrets. Never once looking back.
Living his life as a roustabout turned stunt rider with a traveling carnival keeps a
smile on his face. His new family are the people he’s chosen to be in his life, the
people who travel his road. Kes, Zach and Zef don’t share his blood, but they share
his hopes and dreams. Understand his fears and know what makes him tick. They’re
his brothers, his real family.
If you keep moving, no one can catch you—it’s a simple rule. So when Tucker
crosses paths with Tera Hawkins, he knows he should move on. There’s no woman
that’s ever been worth breaking his rules for. Besides, she’s off limits, untouchable.
He knows stronger men would walk away, but dammit, he’s always been weak.
All he can offer her is a night she’ll never forget, but will that one taste be enough?
Purchase Links
Amazon US
Amazon UK
B&N
Previous books in the Traveling Series
The Traveling Man (Traveling, #1)
Amazon US
Amazon UK
B&N
Blurb
I was ordinary. Nice. He was extraordinary. And he wasn’t always nice.
Moody and difficult, brilliant and beautiful, Kes scared me and he protected me. He
could be incredibly hurtful and incredibly thoughtful. He wasn’t perfect, but he was
perfect for me. He challenged me, he took me out of my safe little box and showed me
the world could be magnificent. He was everything I wasn’t.
Aimee Anderson is ten when the traveling carnival first comes to her nice little
town. She doesn’t expect her world to change so completely. But meeting Kestrel
Donohue puts her life on a different path.
Even though she only sees him for the two weeks of the year when he passes
through her home town, his friendship is the most important of her life. As a child’s
friendship grows to adult love, the choices become harder, and both Kes and Aimee
realize that two weeks a year will never be enough.
The Traveling Woman (Traveling, #2)
Amazon US
Amazon UK
B&N
Blurb
How many times do you gamble on love? When love has knocked you down, should
you give it another chance? When does optimism become stupidity?
And what happens when the man you’re in love with is never still, always moving,
always traveling? Do you say goodbye, or do you leave behind everything that
you’ve worked for, everything that you’ve ever known? Can a traveling carnival be
my home?
Oh. You thought I had the answers. No, sorry. No answers, just a lot of
questions—and a heart that wants to rule my head.
Can one person be my home?
About the Author
I lived in London for over 10 years and have a love affair with New York. It’s only
since I have moved to the countryside, that the words have really begun to flow.
I live in a small village by the ocean and walk my little dog, Pip, every day. It’s on
those beachside walks that I have all my best ideas.
Writing has become a way of life – and one that I love to share.
Connect with Jane:
Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Twitter
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EXCERPTS
Excerpt 1 – 1300 words
Just as I was considering making my excuses and driving back to the hotel in
Arcata, a man’s laugh rang out, a sound of deep joy echoing through the twilight. I
looked across and saw him: his head thrown back, his eyes sparkling, his hands on
his hips. He was still smiling when his gaze met mine. I saw his eyes darken with a
predatory expression that made me feel as if his gaze alone could strip the clothes
from my body.
Tucker McCoy.
I straightened up fractionally when he started to approach me, his walk loose-
limbed and confident.
“Hey there,” he said, giving me a sexy half-smile as he casually propped a
shoulder against the coffeeberry tree where I was slumped in a deckchair. “Tell me
why a beautiful woman is sitting all by her lonesome.”
His accent was warm with a touch of Southern that melted like honey on his
tongue.
I raised an eyebrow and gave him one of my father’s patented campaign stares,
the one he used with reporters who asked dumb questions.
“I’ll take the compliment of being called beautiful,” I said, “but really, is that the
best line you have?”
The light of challenge sparked in his eyes and his grin grew wider.
“Not even close to my best,” he said with a cocky edge to his voice. “I thought
I’d start off easy.”
“Oh, but I’m not easy,” I replied. “I’m complicated and difficult and it takes a lot
of work to impress me.”
I was lying. His long, lean build, deep-set eyes and model-pretty face were
impressing the hell out of me. His hair was curling to his chin, the ends bleached to a
dirty blond by the sun. And what color were those amazing eyes? Gray? Green?
Almost a light olive color—I’d never seen anything like them before.
Close up, the air seemed to spark and crackle around him. There was an
intensity hidden in his lazy gaze and laidback smile that made me uncomfortable. I
didn’t want to feel the heat in his eyes, and I definitely didn’t want to feel the
attraction pulling at me.
Feeling twitchy and wanting to squirm under his penetrating gaze, I did the
opposite: I leaned back, crossing one leg over the other, smiling to myself as his eyes
followed the movement.
He glanced up and grinned again.
“I’ve never been afraid of hard work,” he murmured, hooking a thumb through
one of his belt loops.
“Good to know that you like a challenge—that makes it easy for me.”
“How d’you figure that?” he asked, his lips curving upwards.
“I just keep saying no to keep you interested.”
“So you want to keep me interested?”
“I like a challenge,” I threw back at him.
He leaned a little closer and it felt like a bolt of static electricity zipped
between us. I glanced out toward the ocean, wondering if a storm was brewing, but
the waves were silky ripples under a purple sky.
“I’ll work for my supper,” he said, his tongue flicking out to wet his lips as he
spoke, looking at me as if I was on the menu.
It sounded so dirty, the way he said it, the way his gaze roved over my chest.
But I wasn’t going to let him know that.
“Now you want me to cook for you, too? Wow, you’re sure of yourself.”
He gave a husky laugh. “Is it bad that I’m sure of myself? It’s you I’m not sure
about.”
“What makes you so sure of yourself?” I asked, looking him in the eye.
“What you see is what you get.”
“Hmm, so no hidden depths. That’s disappointing.”
He grinned at me, his eyes crinkling with pleasure.
“Nope, absolutely no hidden depths. As shallow as the day is long. But that
means no surprises, right? Just lil ole me—everything that you’ve been checking out
for the last two minutes.”
My cheeks flushed as I met his eyes.
“Not that I mind,” he went on. “I like the way you look at me … pretty much like
the way I’m looking at you.”
“Slightly annoyed?” I suggested, pretending to be bored.
He grinned and shook his head.
“Uh-uh, pretty lady. The look you’ve been giving me says that you’re
interested.” He leaned closer. “I’ll be hitting the road tomorrow, but we could make
sweet music tonight. It’ll be worth your while—I’m a guy who knows how to use his
… hands.”
“I’m more concerned with your mouth … more specifically your tongue …
especially if you keep mixing your metaphors.”
He gave a startled laugh.
“I think you’re teasing me, beautiful, or maybe that’s a challenge?”
“Not at all,” I said, being serious for a moment. “I know you’re good with your
hands. I was told you did most of the repairs on Kes and Aimee’s cabin. Did you
work in construction before you joined the carnival?”
Tucker looked taken aback. “Who told you that?”
“Aimee mentioned a few things.”
Tucker lifted a shoulder and leaned back against the tree, his face hidden in the
shadows.
“Just some stuff I picked up,” he said, sounding wary now.
“More than a few things from what I heard.”
He shrugged again, noncommittal, then his eyes made a slow appraisal of my
body. I should have been insulted by the way he let his hot gaze roam every inch of
me, but I was enjoying returning the favor.
His jeans hung loosely from his hips, the rips in one knee caused by hard usage
not designer tears. He wore an Eagles t-shirt that had been washed so many times it
was impossible to read the words that ghosted over his firm chest. His biceps
bunched as he propped himself against the tree, and his tanned skin was turning
from gold to light brown in the first months of spring, but he was no gym rat.
Everything he had was from hard, physical labor. I’d been brought up with men who
pushed papers for a living—this man was not from their world. And that excited me.
“Why’s a class act like you hanging with a bunch of carnies?” he asked.
His voice had turned edgy and his question felt like a test.
“What do you mean?”
His tone was still lazy, but there was a tightness that hadn’t been apparent
before.
“Sweet cheeks, you’re wearing a designer skirt that must have cost two
hundred dollars and there’s nothing cheap about your perfume.”
Determined not to show my chagrin that he’d read me so easily, my reply was
calm and level.
“Three-hundred dollars. And I’m visiting friends.”
“Guy friends?”
“Jealous?” I asked with a light laugh.
He grinned. “Maybe I just don’t feel like kicking anyone’s ass tonight.”
“Maybe you’d be the one getting your ass kicked.”
He leaned closer, and I caught the scent of soap and clean sweat.
“If you’re the one doing the kicking, it would be worth it.”
He whispered the last words, making me lean towards him, but when we were
close enough to touch, he pulled away at the last second and winked at me.
Annoyed, I sank back into my chair. “I think I’d like to kick your ass.”
“I think I’d like to let you.”
I couldn’t help laughing. “Very smooth, Mr. McCoy.”
His expression showed surprise.
“Well now, that just doesn’t seem polite that you know my name but I don’t
know yours. You gonna tell me your name, sweet cheeks?”
I stood up and smiled at him. “Well now, it isn’t ‘sweet cheeks’.”
I lifted my beer in a salute and walked away, hearing his laughter follow me.
I knew myself well enough to know that I was minutes from falling for his
obvious charms. I needed to get away before…
The hell I did!
I almost stumbled as my steps faltered. What on earth was I doing? Why was I
running away from a man that I was deeply attracted to, whose eyes promised as
much sin as I could take in a single night?
Excerpt 2 – 500 words
“My, it’s warm in here,” she said, holding the chilled bottle against her neck.
I was mesmerized as droplets of water rolled down her chest, disappearing
into the deep vee of her t-shirt. And she knew it, the witch, a small, cat-like smile
tugging at the corners of her mouth as I yanked my thoughts out of the gutter.
A minute later she was moaning and groaning again, rolling that damn bottle
over her throat before taking a long swallow.
It was getting harder to remember why I couldn’t have this woman. Yeah, and
that wasn’t the only thing that was getting hard.
“It’s late,” I said, nodding at the streetlights outside.
As if we needed them to know that twilight had come and gone, and stars were
sparkling in the sky like fireflies.
“I’ll walk you back,” I said decisively, standing to make my point.
Tera grinned up at me, her eyes a little unfocused. “All the way across the
parking lot? What a gentleman!”
Then she leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table, giving me the
money-shot view down her t-shirt.
God had given her beautiful tits—she could make a sucker out of me any time.
My eyes darted up to hers when she spoke again.
Damn, she could make jogging a spectator sport.
“Tucker, I like you, and I can tell you like me. We’re both single. I’m not asking
you for a commitment—let’s just see how this goes.”
I sat down heavily. She was so damn fearless—just like Kes.
“TC, it’s not a good idea.”
She rounded the table and sat next to me, her thigh pressed to mine, leaning
her head against my shoulder so her silky hair tickled my cheek.
So damn soft.
I could feel the heat of her skin burning through my t-shirt and my dick
swelled, trapped sideways, the seam pressing painfully. I’d had a chubbie all
evening, but now it was trying to climb through the denim.
“I think it’s the best idea I’ve ever had,” she said, her voice quiet but clear.
“You didn’t think that at the bonfire last spring,” I reminded her. “You walked
away from me then. Why aren’t you walking away from me now?”
“Because.”
I waited, but that seemed to be all the answer I was getting.
“Because what?” I prompted her.
“Because … because that’s what I’ve been taught to do. I’m supposed to wait
for the right guy, then marry him and give up my career to make perfect little babies
that my dad can kiss on his campaign trail.”
“Doesn’t sound so bad,” I hedged.
She shook her head fiercely.
“No, it doesn’t, but it’s not me either. I’ve met a lot of right men,” and she rolled
her eyes, “but it seems as if it’s the wrong man that I’m attracted to. There’s
something there, something between us.” Then she smiled brightly. “And I haven’t
gotten laid in ages.”
My head dropped into my hands.
“You can’t say that to a guy!” I groaned.
Her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling my head down with a fierceness
that surprised me. Her pink lips flattened against mine, demanding, insisting, until
her tongue was in my mouth.
Stronger men couldn’t have resisted her, and dammit, I’d always been weak.
Excerpt 3 – 275 words
The motorcycles circled the stadium like gladiators, or maybe like men
jousting on horseback in days gone by: charging at each other, daring each other,
until eventually they were ringed around the outer fence, each preparing for their
first jump.
Zef went first, blasting off the ramp, followed a split second later by Tucker in
the opposite direction, and I was so certain they were going to crash in the middle, I
screamed and closed my eyes.
Aimee squeezed my hand hard, causing me to wince. I opened my eyes just in
time to see Kes leaping through a circle of fire, the flames glancing off his helmet.
On and on it went, higher, faster, closer. Sweat trickled down my body, pooling
under my armpits, leaving me drenched and weak.
The engines revved and hummed, and then they all charged together, a flying
tower of men, with Kestrel cartwheeling over the top of them.
The crowd screamed and clapped and cheered, and Aimee and I stood up,
shrieking with them.
“Oh my God!” I yelled over the noise. “I nearly had a heart attack!”
Aimee laughed and wiped her eyes.
“Every time,” she whispered, her voice shaky. “Every time.”
I followed her back to the RV where the guys were peeling off their sweat-
soaked leathers, standing in their underwear, huge smiles plastered across their
faces.
Tucker scooped me up in a sweaty hug, his hot skin slick to the touch.
“You are amazing!” I said honestly, a relieved laugh breaking out of me.
“Stinky, but amazing!”
He laughed loudly, his head thrown back, his eyes crinkling with happiness, and
then he kissed me, deeply.
j2’s Review:
**ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review**
4 I-was-totally-dazzled stars!
I almost forgot how amazing Jane is until I read one of her books again. And yes, I was dazzled not just by Tucker but by each and every character of the story and the story itself. It moved me in a way that only Jane can do.
I laughed.
Shed some tears.
I ached.
Their are some lines and scenes that totally punched me straight to my gut. Jane Harvey-Berrick knows how to knocked out her readers’ hearts, and you have no choice but to surrender to your emotions.
(long review coming up)
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