Spotlight & Giveaway: A Pregnancy Bombshell to Bind Them by Annie West

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Annie West to HJ!

Hi Annie and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, A Pregnancy Bombshell to Bind Them!

 
Hello, everyone! It’s lovely to be here again where so many romance readers hang out.
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

A Pregnancy Bombshell to Bind Them is a story about instant, all-consuming attraction and trust between people who each carry shadows from the past. Yet they are two of the most positive, joyful people I’ve written. Their scorching affair is interrupted when news breaks that Vassili is engaged to someone else! Of course, then Laura wants nothing more to do with him. But the truth isn’t what it seems. Then there’s the complication of an unexpected pregnancy…
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

Very early in the book there’s a shocking moment when Laura believes Vassili has betrayed her trust and it turns her life and her budding love upside down. From that point on it was easy to believe she’d do almost anything to avoid him. Here’s that moment of revelation:

He’d made her the other woman.
Some things were forgivable but not that. Never that.

Fortunately for both of them, the truth isn’t what it seems at that moment.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• I never seem to write stories set in the same season that I’m in. So when I was writing Vassili and Laura meeting on a glorious beach in sunny north Queensland (tropical Australia) my house was definitely not sunny and warm. Maybe it’s my way of looking forward to the next change of season. In summer I sometimes find myself wanting to write about people snowed into a cosy cabin!
• Because Vassili is Greek and Greece is where he eventually takes Laura, I found myself craving all sorts of lovely Greek food as I wrote, including honey-sweet baklava or gorgeous grilled souvlaki.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

This one’s easy. To start with it’s absolute physical attraction – that thunderbolt of desire that jolts them both to the core. Having said that, they’re both discriminating and take at least a little time to get to know each other. For Laura it’s Vassili’s honesty that seals the deal. She’d learned early to beware of the lies some men tell – that’s an absolute deal breaker for her. Vassili is drawn to Laura’s warmth and authenticity. It’s tough for them both when circumstances make them doubt their first impressions.

Readers should read this book….

If they want a passionate, feel-good romance that has engaging characters and real depth. Happy sighs!

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

My next book after A Pregnancy Bombshell to Bind them is out in June. It’s called Signed, Sealed, Married and it’s a sensually and emotionally charged book about enemies who become lovers in a marriage of convenience that’s part of a corporate takeover. Plus it’s set in one of the most beautiful areas in the south of France. I think it makes terrific escape reading. Right now I’m tidying up a reunion story and planning a royal romance. Lots on the go right now!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: I’ll give two readers each a signed backlist book – open internationally!

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Laura believes Vassili has lied and betrayed her, and she’s angry enough not to want to have anything to do with him, even when she discovers she’s carrying his child. She has strong reasons of her own for feeling that betrayal so deeply – but I won’t share them as it would spoil the story!
Why do you think a woman might turn away from the man she’s fallen for, and vow not to have anything to do with him? I’d love to read your thoughts.

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from A Pregnancy Bombshell to Bind Them:

LAURA DIDN’T KNOW why she stood there, speechless, at the sight of him. It wasn’t from surprise. She’d known he was there, had watched him from her bedroom window long enough.
Yet the reality of him, and what she was doing, froze her. She waited for common sense to kick in and tell her to hurry back upstairs and lock her bedroom door behind her.
A huff of wry amusement spilled. Why lock her bedroom door when it wasn’t Vassili she feared? This was her decision.
Though now it came to it, she couldn’t help prevaricating a little. She dropped her hand from the light switch and stepped forward with a shrug of taut shoulder muscles. ‘I couldn’t sleep.’
That was true enough. She’d prepared for bed, had a long, luxurious soak in the bath, hoping it might make her sleepy because despite her tiredness she was suddenly wide awake. But the lap of water against her bare skin didn’t calm. It elicited memories of Vassili’s touch, the stroke of his capable hands, the surprising softness of his lips, and the scratchy, arousing caress of his bristled face against her skin.
He didn’t move closer, just stood, features expressionless as she walked towards him, then paused in the doorway.
Had she imagined his sexual interest this week?
There was one way to find out. Come what may, she wasn’t returning to her room without finding out.
For she’d just discovered the lamentable truth, that she didn’t have the strength to keep her distance from Vassili when they shared the same roof.
She’d railed at her hormonal body, told herself this was a stress response, the result of tiredness fogging her brain. But the truth was that she hadn’t ever stopped craving Vassili.
Was that why he’d checked into a hotel in Sydney for those two nights, leaving her in the penthouse? She’d thought he was giving her space, respecting her need for privacy. What if he just wasn’t interested in her?
Then you’ll know he’s only talking about marriage out of duty. Not because he has any remaining interest in you.
A weight settled in her stomach. That would make it easier to say no. She had no intention of becoming unwanted baggage in a marriage of convenience.
‘Laura?’
He moved closer and she stiffened. So much for her determination to see this through, to stop the torture of yearning that racked her.
‘I need—’
‘Can I get you—?’
They spoke at the same time. After a pause Vassili continued. ‘Can I get you a drink? Warm milk to help you sleep?’
She almost laughed aloud. He didn’t sound like a billionaire who owned a luxurious mansion and a private island. His offer sounded cosy and cute, almost like a parent caring for a child. He had no idea how wound up she was, of the sparking need coursing through her veins and making her feel as if her skin were too small. She wrapped her arms around her torso, trying to hold in the emotions that were too big to manage.
His offer made her realise he’d probably be a considerate father who wouldn’t get angry when interrupted by young children. One who was patient and supportive.
It was a devastatingly attractive image.
She yanked her thoughts from that idea. She was in no state to think about the future now.
‘No, it wouldn’t help. And I’m warm enough already.’ She wanted to fan herself at the sight of Vassili in pale, snug jeans that fitted his backside and powerful thighs to perfection. And the dark shirt with the sleeves rolled up… Since when had forearms been erotic?
‘How about some exercise then? That might tire you enough to help you sleep. I sometimes find I’m too wired after international travel to sleep easily.’
He walked nearer, stopping only when he was so close she saw her reflection in his dark eyes. She ate him up, her mind fixed on the one sort of exercise she wanted right now. It was disappointing when he said, ‘I’ll turn on the pool lights if you want a swim. I don’t recommend the sea at night.’
‘But it would be invigorating.’
If she felt any more invigorated she’d explode. Yet breaking her stasis, committing herself to admitting her desire for him, was an enormous step. Would he use it as a bargaining point for marriage?
Even knowing he probably would didn’t stop her yearning.
A shiver raced down her spine and she shuffled her bare feet on the sun-warmed paving.
‘I don’t advise it,’ he said slowly, his gaze raking her features and settling on her mouth. Laura’s chest rose in a mighty breath as she tried to grab enough oxygen to fill her suddenly starved lungs. ‘You’d get out of your depth quickly—’
‘I’m not worried about that.’
She was already out of her depth. But she couldn’t pull back. The force that drove her was elemental, irresistible.
She’d spent months telling herself Vassili was wrong for her but she’d never felt as right as when she’d been with him. Now, with her world careering out of control, she craved to forget everything for a little while and lose herself in the maelstrom of pleasure she knew she’d find with him.
Vassili moved. Now they stood toe to toe and she watched the lines run across his forehead and knot as he frowned down at her. It had been ages since she’d had the luxury of studying him so minutely. Not since they’d shared a bed all those months ago.
The high cut of his cheekbones. The hint of dimples that grooved his cheeks when he smiled. The dark stubble that peppered his jaw, the long line of his nose and the arch of his dark eyebrows. All fascinated her and made her want to reach for him.
‘Laura.’ His voice dug deep inside her. ‘What do you want?’ She watched his Adam’s apple jerk in his throat. ‘Because I have to tell you—’
‘You.’ The word died into reverberating silence and she watched his eyebrows shoot up. ‘I want you, Vassili.’

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Their fling has a consequence that will make the front page! Read all about it in this surprise-baby romance from USA TODAY bestselling author Annie West.

Breaking news:
She’s having the billionaire’s baby!
Model Laura is filming on location when she’s swept off her feet by wildly attractive Vassili. After a lifetime of lies, Laura’s drawn to his honesty—he doesn’t do commitment. Until she learns he’s engaged, and that she’s pregnant…
Greek tycoon Vassili is furious his family fabricated his engagement, especially as Laura now won’t return his calls. When a newspaper reports she’s expecting, Vassili tracks her down and discovers it’s true! A convenient marriage would secure his heir, but it will take more than a ring to rebuild their trust…
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Meet the Author:

USA Today Bestselling author Annie West loves writing passionate, intense love stories. She has devoted her life to an in depth study of tall, dark, charismatic heroes who cause the best kind of trouble in the lives of their heroines. Creating heroines who are a perfect match for those strong, stubborn men is one of her all time favorite things. As a sideline she’s also researched dreamy locations for romance, from vibrant cities to desert encampments and fairytale castles. She lives on the east coast of Australia and her favorite things are books, good company, good food and travel. For behind the scenes news, early release information and free giveaways, sign up for Annie’s newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/ya56pe7c
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