Spotlight & Giveaway: Signed, Sealed, Married 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, Signed, Sealed, Married!

 
Hi, and thank you for inviting me over! It’s wonderful to be here.
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Gisèle can only save her family’s company by accepting a takeover by brash billionaire Adam Matheson. His condition: that she stay on in a marriage of convenience! Yet attraction stirs, despite all the reasons she should resent him. Is it possible they can make something of their paper marriage? Adam challenges her in ways she’d never let any man, making her confront her innermost fears and prejudices. In turn, she learns he may not be the enemy she’d first thought. Together they work to save the company that’s been in her family for generations, but along the way their relationship becomes about far more than business and all about love and trust.
 

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

It has to be the end of chapter one. Adam and Gisele meet to agree the terms of his takeover of her family company. He says he has an extra condition he wants included for the deal to go ahead. She asks what it is he wants and this is what happens:
A smile unfurled across Adam Wilde’s face, transforming its hard edges into an attractiveness that clotted her breath in her throat.
“You, Gisele. I want you.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The idea of the House of Fontaine being a glamorous perfume and cosmetics company immediately made me think of the south of France where top perfume houses source essences distilled from flowers grown in the area.
• If you visit Provence in summer you’ll find the air scented from the acres of lavender farmed there just for that purpose.
• I had fun setting the story in places I’d visited in that area, from the coastline with its glamorous reputation because of the rich and famous who still head for and the rest of the French Riviera, to the mountains that are full of charming towns and wonderful countryside. Almost every scene in this book is based on a real place though some names have been changed.

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

For Adam, attraction is instantaneous. Her looks catch his attention but then he watches her in action at a press conference and is hooked. She looks cool and collected but when she thinks she’s off camera she’s warm and engaging with the reporters in a way that makes him curious and even a little envious. When he meets her he discovers a proud woman doing her best to save an ailing business and those dependent on it and discovers there’s more to her than he thought – intriguing!
For Gisele it’s hate at first sight. Yes, he’s attractive in a brash way, and he makes her more aware of herself as a woman than any man has in ages but he’s the enemy. It’s only as she sees glimpses of a man who has integrity and compassion – not wholly the corporate raider she’d imagined – that she begins to soften. Then too, he’s awfully good at seduction!
 

Readers should read this book….

This is one for you if you like a bit of spice in your romance. It’s got that to and fro verbal sparring I love to read between two people who begin as enemies. It’s got intense attraction, deep emotion, passionate loving and a sigh-worthy happy ending. Throw in an exotic setting perfect for a book getaway and I hope it’s one you’ll enjoy.
 

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

I’m working on another marriage of convenience story – this time featuring two royals who really DON’T want to be stuck with each other but that’s exactly what happens. As for upcoming releases – look out in October for ‘Unknown Royal Baby’ which had me hooked from the moment I discovered my characters. It’s a royal, amnesia, secret baby, office romance with a marriage of convenience. Yes, really! How could I resist writing it? Then in January 2025 (wow, I can’t believe we’re talking about 2025 already) it’s ‘Ring for an Heir’. That’s a reunion romance about two people who’d been childhood sweethearts before they were torn apart. And there’s an unexpected pregnancy in there too.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: I’m offering TWO prizes in an international giveaway. Each winner will receive a signed book of mine that also has a marriage of convenience theme. Good luck, everyone!

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: We often make snap judgements about someone’s character. Both Gisele and Adam do that, then discover their judgement was skewed.
If you met someone and felt negatively about them, what might make you change your mind about them? Perhaps you’ve discovered in your own life that you’ve had to reconsider a snap judgement?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Signed, Sealed, Married:

ADAM MOVED CLOSER, drawn by a force far stronger than the need to feed the paparazzi a story.
Drawn by her. The complex woman who made no effort to attract him yet whose every word, every look, made him want more than he’d wanted in years.
Desire was a scratching under his flesh, a flame in his belly, a heavy throb as he watched her eyes flash, her mouth tighten then soften with each mood change.
He couldn’t define her allure but it was there, strong and vital, like the sparks where his hand touched her skin.
Those lips, wide and sculpted, seemingly innocent in nude lipstick, drew him like a magnet drew metal.
Slowly he lowered his head, anticipating the sweetness of her mouth flowering beneath his. Until a glance at her eyes blasted his excitement. Huge, dark pupils dwarfed her irises, making her look, for a second, stricken.
Because of him? Did she detest him so much?
Warning bells jangled and he was about to pull back. Except her expression changed, eyelids drooping in lazy anticipation and lips parting as she lifted her face, that second of distress vanishing.
He’d never had such conflicting messages from a woman.
Gisèle leaned in, her warm fragrance teasing him, his doubts undermined as her palm settled on his chest. Her fingers spread as if to absorb his thundering heartbeat.
He heard a sigh, the merest waft of air, but it tangled his thoughts and muffled his doubts.
Adam captured her free hand, their fingers curling together. He closed the space between them. But instead of lowering his mouth to hers as he’d intended, he pressed his lips to her forehead, his kiss as chaste as a brother’s.
Since when did he do chaste?
Yet his eyes shut as a rush of emotion enveloped him.
Protectiveness?
Curiosity?
Thwarted desire?
All those. Yet, to his surprise, he felt no frustration at denying himself a proper kiss. Even with the promise of her body against his, every bit as seductive as he’d imagined.
He let the moment expand, feeling her soften against him, her breathing slow, and it felt right.
The churning rush of arousal in his lower body eased, the urgent thrum in his blood turning to a heavy but steady beat.
Comfort, he realised. That’s what this was. More powerful than the intense excitement of a moment ago. Though desire was still there, a permanent undercurrent whenever he was around Gisèle.
Comfort for her, because he’d hated that moment of dark emotion he’d seen in her gaze. He’d wanted to obliterate it.
But, he realised, stunned, comfort for himself too.
How and why, he couldn’t say. And that was unacceptable.
He didn’t need or want comfort from a woman. He was perfectly content with his life. Perfectly in control.
Abruptly he pulled back, wondering how a chaste kiss on the forehead could upend everything.
Slumbrous eyes, more lavender than blue, blinked and met his. He wanted, he discovered, to wake up to that warm, hazy gaze on a regular basis. He had the weird notion that even the most taxing day would be easier if it started with Gisèle looking at him that way.
But then she gathered herself, her hand sliding from his, those stunning eyes turning gunmetal grey. As if the savvy businesswoman had returned, determined to fight for the company that, he was beginning to realise, meant so much to her.
Adam was grateful when she stepped away. Though his hand at her nape lingered as if he didn’t want to end the contact. Once she’d moved from his reach, his palm tingled at the sense memory of her delicate skin against his and he shoved his hand into his pocket.
She turned so any watcher on the motorboat couldn’t see her face. Her words were clipped. ‘That really wasn’t necessary.’
‘We’ll have to agree to disagree on that, Gisèle.’ Adam let his voice drop and linger on her name, watching with satisfaction as her breath hitched. Not so calm, then. ‘It was necessary if we’re going to make them believe this is the beginning of a grand romance. I was doing you a favour.’
A frown puckered her brow. ‘You think a kiss on the forehead romantic?’
He shrugged. ‘I didn’t want to overplay my hand. That will show there’s…tenderness between us.’
A wry laugh greeted his words. ‘It’s okay. You don’t need to explain that you don’t actually want to kiss me. I feel the same.’
He was about to correct her then stopped himself. Of course he wanted to kiss her. She knew that. No woman of her age and looks could be so innocent. She was throwing up words as a barrier.
For he knew, with the instinct that came from years of experience, that she wanted his kisses too. Yet for some reason she denied it. Pride? Or because of whatever had made her look lost minutes before?
‘Gisèle. Before this goes further—’
‘Yes.’ She cut across him as no one else dared, except his family. ‘Before this goes further I want to make something clear.’
She folded her arms, the image of determination. Adam forced his gaze up from where her crossed arms emphasised the curve of her breasts.
‘Go on. Clarity, by all means.’
Because the last few minutes had confused the hell out of him. He couldn’t believe he’d pulled back without enjoying the promise of her tempting lips. Because of some fleeting expression he’d probably imagined.
‘No kissing,’ she said firmly. ‘No touching. Even for the cameras.’
Adam shoved his other hand in his trouser pocket and rocked back on his heels. ‘How do you expect to make anyone believe we’ve fallen in love?’
Gisèle opened her mouth then closed it. ‘By being seen together. Sharing meals. That sort of thing.’
‘I share meals with my PA. No one’s ever assumed there’s a budding romance.’
He watched her wrestle with that, surprised at her vehemence. And her naïveté. The only explanation he could think of was that she was frightened. Frightened of him? Not likely when her laser stare threatened to vivisect him.
Frightened of herself?
It was a curious thought, but appealing. If Gisèle worried she was too responsive, seducing her would be so much easier.
‘At the least I need to be able to hold your hand or arm. Even that—’
‘Okay, we’ll go with that.’ She nodded as if he’d agreed. ‘No touching except on the arm or hand.’
She drew herself up, and despite his superior height looked at him down the length of her superb, aristocratic nose.
He’d like to tell her how her Ice Queen act turned him on. How, the cooler she grew, the hotter he felt at the prospect of melting her reserve. Of claiming her beautiful body for himself. But she’d find out soon enough. He sensed she struggled to maintain that admirable poise and for once he didn’t want to smash straight through his opponent’s defences.
Gisèle was far more than an opponent. And it would be so much better when she came to him, instead of fighting every step of the way.
‘You drive a hard bargain, Gisèle. It will be tough, convincing the press based on so little. But I enjoy a challenge.’
Her eyes rounded. ‘It wasn’t meant to be a challenge.’
‘Too late, sweetheart.’ Adam felt his smile unfurl. ‘That’s exactly what it is.’
He paused for her to digest that. ‘I solemnly promise not to touch you except on the hand or arm. And definitely not to kiss you.’ Her high shoulders dropped and her flattened mouth eased. ‘Until you ask me.’

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

“I’m acquiring the House of Fontaine… and I want you as my wife.”

Razor-sharp Australian businessman Adam Wilde needs a high-society bride. Marrying Gisèle Fontaine, head of the luxurious French parfumerie he’s buying, will obliterate memories of his deprived childhood. But the ruthless tycoon is finding he can think of just one thing: his fiancée.

Gisèle’s company—and family’s legacy—will crumble without Adam’s financial takeover. She reluctantly accepts Adam’s proposal, only for her body to be electrified by his touch. How can this be a marriage of pure convenience when Gisèle craves much, much more?
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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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