Spotlight & Giveaway: Somebody To Love by Mariah Ankenman

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Mariah Ankenman to HJ!

Hi Mariah and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Somebody To Love!

 
Hello readers!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Somebody To Love is a friends to lovers story set in a small quirky town. Penny and BJ have been friends since high school. She’s always wanted a baby, but hasn’t been lucky in the love department. She decides to go the solo route and asks her best friend to donate. BJ would do anything for his best friend, but this is a big favor. As they carefully discuss the big decision ahead of them, they start to realize hidden feelings that have been under the surface their whole friendship.
 

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

Last night her brain had done a giant error 404: intelligence not found. She hoped BJ hadn’t changed his mind about the donation after her pathetic jump-his-bones lip lock. But who could blame her? Bravo Jackson had kissed her. Her! Penelope Williams. Nerd extraordinaire. Dateless wonder till she was twenty-two. Member number one of the all-brains-no-boobs club.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The heroine, Penny, is autistic .
• BJ’s real name is Bravo. His father was a military man and named his kids: Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta because he was the ultimate in dad humor.
• BJ and Penny have been friends since high school, but never dated…yet

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

BJ loves Penny’s brain. He admires how smart she is and loves how excited she gets over her hyper focuses.
Penny loves how sweet and protective BJ is.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

I adore writing the first kiss scene and this one might be one of my favorites. I just love how highly BJ thinks of his best friend. He wont let anyone talk bad about her, not even her!

“I’m not the type of woman guys lose their head over.”
“Bullshit.”
Maybe it was her vehement denial of her own worth, or the strange situation they’d found themselves in lately, or maybe because BJ was finally seeing his feelings for his best friend might not be so friendly, but in that moment, he needed to prove to Penny how much of a sexy, desirable woman she really was.
Whatever the reason he blamed it on, didn’t matter. In the next moment, he cupped the back of her neck and pulling her toward him. His lips crashing down on her mouth. She gasped, and he took full advantage, plunging his tongue into her mouth to taste the surprisingly sweet nectar of Penny.

Readers should read this book….

If you love small town quirk with heartwarming characters, steamy scenes, autism rep, and stories that will make you smile for days after closeing the book, Somebody To Love is the story for you!
 

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

Currently working on book 3 in the Jackson Family Distillery Series: Can’t Help Falling In Love coming Spring 2025.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: A $20 amazon egift card

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What amazing thing your best friend has done for you?

 
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Excerpt from Somebody To Love:

BJ didn’t move. She looked to see his eyes focused on her. They were bright and…heated. An emotion she wasn’t used to seeing directed at her. Especially not from her best friend.
“You look beautiful tonight.”
He thought she looked beautiful? Her heart melted a little. No, crap, no heart melting. She’d been making her pro and con list for the last few days. While the pro was currently in the lead, something still held her back from agreeing to his proposal.
“Thank you. You look great too.”
He did. In dark, pressed slacks and a charcoal gray V-neck sweater, he looked like he just stepped off a magazine cover. Yummy. That’s the word she would have used to describe him. He’d even left his hair down tonight. The light brown waves, moving in the slight breeze. She wanted to run her fingers through them, pull his head down and caress his lips with her own.
Down, girl. We haven’t agreed to his plan yet.
But she was leaning toward yes. Or, more accurately, her stupid, horny, haven’t-gotten-any-in-over-two years self was leaning toward yes.
BJ held out an arm. She gave him a hesitant smile, placing her hand in the crook of his elbow. They walked back into the restaurant to take their place in line. The rehearsal went off without a hitch. Del and Cassie positively glowed as they stared into each other’s eyes. Even though it was only the rehearsal, many people teared up. Penny even wiped moisture from her own eyes.
After the formalities were taken care of, everyone moved inside to enjoy some delicious food. A soft run of the restaurant opening, perfect for the rehearsal dinner. Penny enjoyed her penne pasta as she watched people talk and laugh. As part of the bridal party, she sat at a table with the Jackson siblings. BJ sat next to her, and she couldn’t deny her body was aware of him.
Very aware.
One long arm stretched out along the back of her chair. His hand rested on her shoulder, fingers rubbing sensual circles on the bare skin. She had to cross her legs under the table to try to relieve some of the ache deep in her core. It didn’t help. Just when she thought she’d burst into flames from lust, an adorable little girl—no older than ten—with dark brown curls and bright blue eyes rushed up to their table, bouncing on the balls of her feet like a windup toy.
“Cousin BJ, come dance with me!”
He grinned at the cute ball of energy. “You know I can’t say no to you, Rosie.”
Pressing a soft kiss to her cheek, he whispered. “Be right back.”
But he wasn’t right back. Penny sat at the table for the next hour, staring in awe at BJ as he danced with his cousin and then tousled and played with almost every child in attendance. He let the little ones climb him like a jungle gym, took the girls on twirls around the room. He even encouraged a few of the older boys to ask the girls to dance.
“Oh my.” Her ovaries were damn near exploding at the sight. The soft yes she’d been contemplating all night turned into a hard ‘yes sir!’ Watching him interact with the kids at the party reminded her why she wanted BJ to be her donor.
He had a truly kind soul.
Even if things got awkward after the sex, he would never abandon her. BJ would be in the kid’s life no matter what because they were friends. So why not conceive her child with her best friend? Friendship was a kind of love, and wouldn’t it be a better story to tell her child?
She might be rationalizing so she could get it on with her sexy as sin best friend, but at the moment she didn’t care. BJ was right. She could have her cake and eat it, too.
Mind made up, she rose from her seat, making her way to the improvised dance floor they’d created in the middle of the restaurant.
“Mind if I cut in?” she asked, tapping the little girl who was currently standing on BJ’s shoes as he slowly turned them in a circle.
“Go get a second piece of cake, Stella.”
“But mommy said only one.”
He held a finger up to his nose. “Then don’t let her see you eat it.”
A wide grin spread across Stella’s face, and she ran off.
“Hello.” BJ smiled, pulling her into his arms.
She went willingly, swaying with him, letting him set the rhythm since the only thing she did worse than walking in heels was dancing. His hands rested on her lower back, gently brushing up and down, creating havoc inside. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tongue darting out to wet her lips unconsciously. Her gaze ensnared by his. Wow, how had she denied how drop dead gorgeous her best friend was for so long?

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Penny Williams is a lot of things; intelligent, shy, socially awkward, but the one thing she wants to be most is a mother. Unfortunately, she’s never been very lucky in the dating world. Men rarely go for quiet nerds, but that won’t stop her. Being an independent woman of the 21st century, she decides to forgo traditional methods of baby making and try for a medical option. Only, she doesn’t want a random donation. She knows the perfect candidate. The only problem? It’s her best friend.
Bravo “BJ” Jackson would do anything for his best friend, but her latest request has him stumped. He knows Penny would make a great mom. Problem is, he never imagined himself as a dad. She says she wants nothing from him except his little swimmers. The real question is can he step away from a child who would technically be a part of him?
She promises nothing between them will change. But life gets complicated when they discover hidden feelings for each other that go beyond friendship. This deal could destroy what they have. Or it could reveal that what they really want has been in front of them the whole time.
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Meet the Author:

Bestselling author Mariah Ankenman lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her two rambunctious children and loving spouse who is her own personal spell checker when her dyslexia gets the best of her. Mariah loves to lose herself in a world of words. Her favorite thing about writing is when she can make someone’s day a little brighter with one of her books. To learn more about Mariah and her books, visit her website http://mariahankenman.com/ follow her on social media, or sign up for her newsletter.
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