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Guest Blogger: Desiree Holt
Friday, May 20th, 2011

Desiree Holt is one of my favorite people. I met her when I lived in South Texas. Her appearance is deceptive. She looks sweet, like everyone’s favorite milk-and-cookies mama—until you get closer and note the maniacal gleam in her eyes. :mrgreen:

I met her before she ever published and I had not idea she’d be such a powerhouse! I’m prolific, but she’s a human dynamo—and she just published her 100th book! Give her a warm welcome! ~DD

What do The Kingston Trio, Tex and I have in common?

The Kingston Trio recorded a centuries-old Irish air called The Gypsy Rover, about a whistling gypsy whose music is so seductive that the daughter of the castle’s lord runs from her home, her lover and her upcoming wedding to follow the gypsy rover. Her father “saddles his fastest steed and searches the valleys all over” in order to find her.

Texas is where I live-and breathe—so whenever possible I set my stories here. It seems the perfect backdrop for a story of a runaway bride, a wealthy and powerful rancher and a cowboy minstrel who isn’t quite what he seems. I love the song so much that I just had to write the story—and of course listen to the song while I was writing.

Buy it here: http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9285-hard-lovin.aspx

Leave a comment and you might win a free ebook.

Erin Braddock, daughter of wealthy and powerful rancher Rance Braddock, has been to hell and back. So has wandering cowboy minstrel Grady Sinclair. But the moment they meet chemistry ignites between them, erasing everything else. The sex is scorching, explosive, addictive. They can’t get enough each other. The same talented fingers that coax seductive music from his guitar coax powerful orgasms from her body. Seduced by his music as well as the sinfully sexy man himself, Erin runs away with him. Nights she sits in the bar listening to his come-to-me voice promising her the erotic delights he delivers on when they’re back in their room. But will the past follow them or can they build a future together, in and out of bed?

Gypsy rover come over the hill, down through the valley so shady
He whistled and he sang til the greenwoods rang and he won the heart of a lady

Erin Braddock slipped into the dark bar through the back door, squinty against the darkness and found her way to a tiny booth in the corner. The area was so small a second person would be hard pressed to find room in the space but that suited her just fine. She hadn’t come here looking for company. Unless it was the cowboy up on the postage stamp sized stage, alone in the spotlight with his guitar and his smoky voice. Ebony black hair curled down to the nape of his neck and a work shirt and worn jeans clung to his lean body like a second skin. The muscles in his arm flexed as he picked at the strings of the guitar, coaxing a tune from it.

The lights were dim in the smoky club, a sea of black with only himself in the searing white glow of the spotlight. The air was heavy with expectation as he strummed the melody of a love song that whipped its sound over the crowd only to slow like the stroke of a lover’s caress.

You are so out of your mind for doing this.

So what else was new?

She’d just had to get out of the house. Away from the ranch. Away from …everyone. Her father, Rance, who was suffocating her with his protective kindness. T.J. Elliott, the fiancé she couldn’t seem to break away from. The houseful of people all gathered to celebrate a wedding tomorrow.

Hers.

A wedding she didn’t want.

The memories of the nightmare with Cal hadn’t yet faded and her father was suffocating her with his protective kindness. The far too wealthy Rance Braddock was, if nothing else, like a tidal wave that swallowed people up. And then there was T.J. Elliott, her father’s choice for a ‘safe’ and well-connected husband. A way to guarantee her future. No danger there.

Not like Cal, the worst mistake she’d ever made. And she’d wanted safe. Needed it. Her father and T.J. treated her like some child too fragile to be let out on her own. Well, maybe she was. Look what she’d gotten herself into. And didn’t want to get out of, until she’d had no other choice. Now, at thirty, she suddenly didn’t seem to be able to put one foot in front of the other any more.

Until now.

The bad part about being rescued from a situation like the one she’d been in was people were afraid to take their eyes off of you. She didn’t even seem to have the strength to tell them they could look away. She went along to get among, letting herself be swept up in a courtship she didn’t want and a wedding suddenly bearing down on her like a tornado.

She’d come to the bar a few nights ago with her girl friends who had practically dragged her out of the house.

“Have fun,” her father said.

“You’ll be fine with the girls,” T.J. told her. He’d kissed her on the cheek and teased, “Last night out before becoming Mrs. Elliott.”

She was safe with her friends. Girl’s night out was okay. Both her father and T.J. had relaxed.

But her friend Lili had whispered in her ear, ”Wait until you see Grady Sinclair. He’s hot, hot, hot. And his music!” Lili rolled her eyes. “Just listening to him makes your pussy get wet and your nipples poke like diamonds.”

Erin had shivered, skeptical but hopeful. She didn’t think she’d ever have that reaction again. Or want it. The best thing about T.J. was he was nonthreatening. She could always fake orgasms. She’d become a very good actress living with Cal.

So she’d let them coax her out and come to Smoky’s with them and damn but Lili was right. Wrapped in the almost mystical cloak of the music that drifted to her from the stage she’d felt stirrings that she thought long dead. Responses she didn’t think she was capable of anymore. And then she’d come back with them. Again and again, to hear the troubadour with eyes as black as his hair and a rugged face, drawn by the clear, mesmerizing notes of his songs and the sadness in his voice.

17 comments to “Guest Blogger: Desiree Holt”

  1. Desiree Holt
    Comment
    1
    · May 20th, 2011 at 8:10 am · Link

    Thanks so much for hosting me, D, and for those really nice words. When I was greener than grass you were the one who helped me so much in critique group and believe it or not, I still have a lot of the comments you made. I use them as my guide. 😆 😆



  2. shelli rodgers
    Comment
    2
    · May 20th, 2011 at 8:21 am · Link

    i now have to add this to my have to have now list lol. like all your other books this one sounds amazing. thank you for using your imagination to entertain us. 😀



  3. CrystalGB
    Comment
    3
    · May 20th, 2011 at 8:43 am · Link

    Hard Lovin’ sounds great. 🙂



  4. June M.
    Comment
    4
    · May 20th, 2011 at 9:10 am · Link

    Congrats on 100 books! That is amazing! Hard Lovin’ looks great. Thank you for the excerpt and giveaway.

    manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com



  5. Desiree Holt
    Comment
    5
    · May 20th, 2011 at 10:07 am · Link

    Thanks, guys. And thanks for stopping by..



  6. Heather M.
    Comment
    6
    · May 20th, 2011 at 10:12 am · Link

    Congratulations on you 100th. Hard lovin sounds super hot, just like its cover. Holy cow! 😯 *fans self* :mrgreen: I will start purchasing your books for sure.
    Heather.

    Hmiller6923(at)gmail(dot)com



  7. tammy ramey
    Comment
    7
    · May 20th, 2011 at 11:35 am · Link

    Hi Desiree,
    Congratulations on 100 books. that is an amazing acomplishment
    i loved the excerpt and i can’t wait to read the rest of the book. the characters so fasinating and the story a very touching one. oh i hope i win! if not it will be on the top of the to buy list!



  8. Becky W
    Comment
    8
    · May 20th, 2011 at 1:11 pm · Link

    Desiree,
    Congrats on 100 books! I love the excerpt, it was really good. I have added this book to my list to get.



  9. Desiree Holt
    Comment
    9
    · May 20th, 2011 at 2:17 pm · Link

    Hey all! *(waving from my fesk*



  10. Desiree Holt
    Comment
    10
    · May 20th, 2011 at 2:17 pm · Link

    Hey all! *(waving from my desk* Thanks for stopping by and for the nice comments.



  11. Danielle Gorman
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    11
    · May 20th, 2011 at 2:37 pm · Link

    This looks really good. Congrats on releasing 100 books. That is crazy insane!!



  12. Desiree Holt
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    12
    · May 20th, 2011 at 3:36 pm · Link

    Thanks Danielle



  13. Estella
    Comment
    13
    · May 20th, 2011 at 3:44 pm · Link

    Sounds sooooo good!



  14. Sherry S.
    Comment
    14
    · May 20th, 2011 at 4:02 pm · Link

    I love your books and this sounds like another winner.



  15. Desiree Holt
    Comment
    15
    · May 20th, 2011 at 9:06 pm · Link

    Thanks to everyone for stopping by. Danielle, hope you check the b log because you won one of my ebooks. Contact me at desireeholt@desireeholt.com. Have a great night and thanks to everyone who stopped by. And huge thanks to Delilah for hosting me today.



  16. Fedora
    Comment
    16
    · May 21st, 2011 at 12:36 am · Link

    Just wanted to stop by to say hi to two of my favorite authors–hi, Desiree! Hi, Delilah! Thanks for the great excerpt, Desiree–adding another to the TBB!



  17. ella
    Comment
    17
    · May 26th, 2011 at 11:33 am · Link

    I love the books you write!! so hot, I can’t wait to read this one!!!



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