I am pleased to welcome fellow
Astraea Press author Joanne Troppello today. Joanne is an author of
inspirational and romantic suspense novels. She and her husband are Network
Marketing Coaches and owners of Mustard Seed Marketing Group, LLC. They have several
active blogs and readers are encouraged to visit their Author's Corner Blog, a
place for authors and readers to connect. They host various blog parties
throughout the year and many guest authors stop by to meet with readers.
Joanne is celebrating the re-release
of Mr. Shipley's Governess, an inspirational novel available at Amazon. She was
kind enough to share with us some details:
Blurb:
Sophie
Baird is looking for a way to escape the painful reality of her parents'
deaths. Unable to live in their home any longer, she takes a job as a live-in
tutor to Anastasia Shipley to remove herself from her painful memories and the
feeling that God has abandoned her. Anastasia has an illness that has prevented
her from ever attending school and makes her father, Sebastian, over
protective. When Sophie first meets Sebastian, she cannot deny the intense
attraction she feels toward him. When an unexpected romance begins between
them, she starts to rebuild her relationship with God, with the help of a
certain little girl.
Excerpt:
Sebastian
crossed his arms and leaned against the arched doorframe, amused that Sophie
continued reading—oblivious to his intrusion. He watched as she scrunched up
her face in consternation, seemingly engrossed in the eBook. “So, who do you
like better, me or Mr. Knightley?” He heard her sharp intake of breath and she
nearly dropped the e-reader as she turned to discover her intruder.
“Definitely,
that would be Mr. Knightley. He doesn’t have the bad habit of sneaking up on me
all the time.”
Sebastian
spanned the room in several strides and sat in the chair opposite her. “Yes,
he’s so charming. I hope to someday be like him.”
“Hey,
don’t make fun.” She closed the leopard-print tablet cover with a thud. “He is
the epitome of the perfect gentleman.”
“Actually,
I’m serious.”
“What
do you mean?”
“I’m
reading the same book as you. It must be a coincidence.”
Sophie’s
expression softened. “You’re only trying to get on my good side.”
He
leaned forward in mock surprise. “Whatever do you mean, my dear? I thought I
was on your good side.”
“That
depends on my mood.”
“I
see. You’re all about a woman’s prerogative.”
“Yes,
I live by that rule.”
He
played along and enjoyed the teasing. “Oh, so you’re one of those.”
“You’d better believe it. It’s my
prerogative to change my mind whenever I want.”
He
fluidly maneuvered to the ottoman where her feet rested and he sat down. “I
hope you don’t change your mind about me.”
“Well,
that all depends on you.”
“I’d
better be on my best behavior then.”
Sophie
got up quickly and before he realized it, she walked across the room to the
bookshelf. “So, you actually read Emma, too. That’s still surprising and sweet.”
He
followed after her. “You’re avoiding any serious conversation, young lady.”
She
moved away, running her delicate fingers along the spines of the old
leather-bound books. He kept following like a lion stalking his prey, backing
her into a corner. Leaning her hands against the windowsill, she backed up as
far as possible and laughed nervously. He smiled inside as she avoided his
steady gaze. He had her exactly where he wanted her. She glanced up shyly. “So,
tell me again why you interrupted me.”
“I
did because I’ve wanted to do this for a long time now.” His hands trembled
slightly as he cupped her soft cheeks. With his thumbs, he gently traced the
outline of her rosy lips. Staring at her for an eternity, he slowly lowered his
mouth to hers. Kissing her gently at first, soon his fervor took over. Even
though his brain operated in a fog, he realized she must be enjoying the kiss,
since she wrapped her arms around his neck and moved in closer to his chest.
Nearly breathless, Sebastian pulled away. “I…I’m sorry.”
She
caressed his cheek and for a moment he closed his eyes, relishing her touch.
“Don’t be. I’ve wanted you to do that for a long time, too.”
Oh
the sweet bliss of making the right-move at the right-time. He brought her hand
to his lips for a kiss. “I should get back to work. David’s going to wonder
what happened to me.”
Sophie
giggled and batted her eyes. “Oh, I’m sure he knows.”
“Now
try not to compare me too much to Mr. Knightley because there’s no contest.”
As he left the parlour, the
warmth of her lips and the softness of her body in his arms still
lingered—making it doubly hard for him to switch gears back into work mode.
Taking a deep breath, he hurried down the hall in search of his brother and
another inevitable lecture that awaited him for his tardiness. He couldn’t wait
for his brother to find the right woman to love. Maybe then, David would
realize why Sebastian had one foot on earth and the other in heaven like a love
sick puppy.
Thank you so much for hosting me today and allowing me to share about my new book. :)
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