Storm Goddess Book Reviews & More: VBT: Stella and Dane: A Honky Tonk Romance

BLURB:

Stella is one step from leaving her honky tonk town when bad-boy Dane roars through Main Street on his prized Harley-Davidson. Their dangerous romance keeps the locals talking, but when Dane is sent to prison for manslaughter after a bar fight, the couple discovers their love runs deeper than their reputations.

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Excerpt

STELLA approached the water tower with trepidation. She peered up, curious if Dane was already there. But the night was dark, no moon, and she couldn’t see anything but the gray gleam of streetlamps reflecting dimly on its surface. If the platform held any secrets, it kept them close to its metal belly.

Despite this being a date of sorts, she’d resorted to tennis shoes, unable to consider heading up the ladder in heels. She still did the miniskirt, though. Not much could make her wear anything else.

She set her purse behind the concrete base to one of the steel legs and jumped to grasp the first rung of the ladder. Usually she had someone with her for the initial boost. But she could do it alone. She swung back and forth, grasping the metal tightly, until she had enough momentum to bring her feet up and above her head to catch on the ladder. Her leg crept up until her knee was over the rung, then the other, and she pulled herself up to sit on the lowest bar.

A low whistle below made her pause. She looked down.

“Impressive mount, good form. Definitely worth a replay.”

Dane.

She turned around on the ladder. “And the score?”

“Nine point nine.”

“Really?” She turned back around and began climbing. “I think I just got robbed.”

She finished the first tier, reaching up to cover the gap to the second ladder. A hand grasped her ankle, startling her. She gripped the bar tightly.

Dane was just below, grinning up at her, teeth bright in the dark.

“You scared the crap out of me!” Stella tried to pull her foot loose. His grip was firm, sure, then became gentler, a caress. Still, she was hopping mad. “How did you get up here so fast? You trying to kill me?”

He rose a few more feet, pulling up next to her. She shifted over, and he swung behind. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

He pressed her against the rungs, one arm encircling her waist.

With anyone else, she might have felt panicked, trapped. But she didn’t, just a zip of danger, and the thrill of him behind her, four stories in the air.

REVIEW RATING: 4 LIGHTNING BOLTS

Review: Just when the moment seems right to make her getaway from the drabby small town life, meeting one man changes her life, and possibly her mind. Stella and Dane: A Honky Tonk Romance is a story of emotional highs and lows, personal bests, and an engaging story of love. The characters are very riveting, easily bringing life to the pages. The heroine, Stella is a believable character. She has dreams bigger than this town and has always wanted to leave. Enter Dane, and suddenly things change.

The story keeps the reader on their toes. I never knew what was going to happen. Some things were unpredictable! The hardships Stella and Dane face get pretty bad, but the way they handle things keep it going. All in all, I like this book. It's got plenty of drama, angst, and fun to keep things real.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Deanna is the author of Baby Dust and Stella & Dane, interrelated books on the hardships we sometimes face while searching for that ideal love and looking to build a family.

Her articles and short stories have been published in many magazines including The Writer magazine, The First Line, and publications by SCBWI and the Writers' League of Texas. Her best work has been collected into a short story collection Single Edged Blades.

She lives in Austin, Texas, with her two daughters and new husband. They were married 6.9.12!

Twitter: @deannaroy
Facebook: http://facebook.com/deannaroy
Web site: www.deannaroy.com