Spotlight & Giveaway: Strictly Off Limits by Stella Holt

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Stella Holt to HJ!

Hi Stella and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Strictly Off Limits!

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

Strictly Off Limits is a brother’s best friend turned enemy, forbidden romance featuring several first responder alpha heroes and a strong-willed heroine that is torn between family loyalty and her first love. Flirty Conner Maguire is gorgeous, charming, and knows exactly what he wants, his ex-best friend’s younger sister Hannah Paletti with her wild red curls and artistic heart.
 

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

Conner and Hannah Bantering:
“Don’t you think our fundraisers are more important than some date that won’t measure up?”
Hannah laughed. “You just worry about cleanup here and using your charm to sell tickets to the movie night.”
“So you do admit I’m charming. That’s a start.”
“Back to work,” she said before turning away.

Conner:
“Because you’ve ensnared me, and I don’t want to know what it’s like to be without you again. I’m too far gone. There’s no hope for me.”

What inspired this book?

I met my husband when I was a police officer and he has been on the job for twenty years, so I know a lot of handsome, dedicated, alpha first responder men, and many have larger than life personalities you can’t help but like. Conner is a combination of several of our friends with this charisma and charm they exude, while at the same time can flip a switch and turn into protective, alphas serving their community, and the women they love.

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

Conner is such a doll, flirty, witty, sassy, but at the same time manly and has a confidence I have observed in many men that work in law enforcement or the military. He was probably the easiest hero I’ve ever written and I feel like I know him because he has little bits of men I know.
Hannah needed to be tough but feminine to balance out all the testosterone in this book. Her dad and brother are firemen and she’s a paramedic with a major crush on a gorgeous, independently wealthy, cop, so she needed to have a voice and be alluring. Her artistic, and family focused heart is also based on a woman I know who I hope will find her happily ever after too.
It surprised me how much I could pull from my own life with characters that leapt off the page and have bits and pieces of so many people from my life.

What was your favorite scene to write?

My favorite scenes are when Conner and Hannah are bantering and she’s trying to be the good sister, and not fall for the man she has had a crush on her entire life, but it’s a real struggle.

Snippet: First meeting between the Hero and Heroine after several years.

Conner’s tall form dressed in the formal dark navy blue police uniform appeared. His muscular build was impossible to disguise even in his wrinkled, ill-fitted clothes. Thick, wavy brown hair that hung just above his collar gave him a rebellious look and his thick, overgrown beard covered half his chiseled face. But even now his high cheekbones looked carved from stone, and his full lips spread in a cocky smile she’d dreamed about for years when she was too young to know better. He knew he was a sight for sore eyes, and she pressed her lips together tight in an attempt not to give him the satisfaction of knowing how good it was to see him.
“It’s your lucky day. I’m here to make all your dreams come true,” Conner said, his deep voice like warm, soothing stones.
And just like that, her childish crush turned into a grownup fantasy with an ego that matched his kissable lips and masculine physique. Conner took over a room like a fire because he was H. O. T. But that still couldn’t burn away the fact he was the one bad boy she couldn’t forgive.

What was the most difficult scene to write?

The emotional scenes are always the toughest, I lost my father young and my mother died more recently, so these scenes about family loss are heartfelt and authentic but that can be tough. I always need to have tissues on hand.

Snippet: Hannah talking with her dad about what she really wants to do in life…

“That sounds like a dream job,” she said as she rinsed the dirty plates.
“You have to chase your dreams, Hannah. They won’t just find you.”
“I guess I always thought I wanted to follow in Mom’s footsteps as a paramedic and never stopped to consider long-term if I loved it. I just loved the idea of her.”
Dad pulled her in and gave her a warm squeeze.
“It was a nice way to honor your mother and get to know her passions, but it doesn’t have to be your only path.”

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

This book is probably the greatest showcase of my style. I love a flirty hero, fierce heroine, and impossible situation filled with family drama, emotions, and a happily ever after. I like to include an unexpected twist to keep my readers guessing.

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

First responders dedicate their lives to serving the community and protecting people, and their jobs are dangerous with long hours, and families waiting for them. I hope to humanize and applaud the men and women serving in these everyday hero type of jobs. Because when #$%* hits the fan. These are the people you are praying to be there and save the day.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

This series was extended to six books and I’m just finishing up Book 5 Merry Little Heartbreak which will be my holiday medical romance first responders in a Forced Proximity/Enemies-to-Lovers romance. It’s Grey’s Anatomy meets Christmas.

Book 4 Love and Order out in August-Features two lawyers pitted against each other for a promotion but they have to work on a case together to compete. Oh and Finn Maguire is the yummy, former Navy SEAL that really just wants to win Hailey’s guarded heart, and of course there is a twist.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: An e-book copy of STRICTLY OFF LIMITS plus three Tule e-books of the winner’s choice!

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: If you could live in any modern fictional world, which would you choose (book or movie)? I think I’d pick Scandal right now because book 6 will have a fringe political spin.

 
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Excerpt from Strictly Off Limits:

Hannah Paletti flipped open the visor in her car again. She should’ve put on makeup. Her freckles were popping, her eyes were too big, and her lips were chapped. Grabbing her cherry Chapstick, she spread a thick layer on before smacking her lips together and exiting her car. She hadn’t felt this nervous since high school, which made sense because she hadn’t seen Conner Maguire much since then. They’d both followed in their family’s footsteps to serve their community: he was a police officer in D.C. and she was a paramedic.
Although they worked in the same district, they rarely crossed paths. Occasionally, they’d find themselves on the same scene and have a brief awkward exchange. Then today she was informed that Conner would be the police department’s representative for the First Responders annual fundraiser. It was generally a sad attempt by the city to bring the first responders together and raise a little money for the local children’s community center, where Hannah volunteered regularly.
But this year was going to be different because Hannah was taking over. If there was one thing that she was good at, it was party planning. Walking over an overgrown stone path she smiled at the rundown warehouse along the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. It was the perfect location, it just needed some TLC and a gallon of WD40, she thought as the hinges whined when she rolled open the huge barn door to squeeze inside. Light cascaded through the massive glass windows that faced the river and dust twinkled in the rays of sunshine pouring in.
She’d finally beat out the old guard on the fundraiser committee with her pitch to the city council, and she had big plans for multiple fundraisers leading up to a big gala. The current community center was great for the kids who lived close enough in their district to use it. But there were underserved kids on the other side of the district with no center to get a hot meal, help with homework, or have a safe place to hang out until their parents got off work. The commissioner said as long as the events she planned funded themselves, Hannah could do whatever she wanted. And if she raised enough money, the city council would consider her proposal for a new community center.
So Conner’s selection as the police rep wasn’t going to work. The minute she looked into his emerald-green eyes or he used his dashing devil-may-care smile on her, she was going to have trouble staying focused.
But there was an even bigger problem, because Conner also happened to be her older brother Parker’s biggest enemy, and Parker was the designated fire department rep. There was no way they could all work together, which meant Conner was going to need to bow out.
She fidgeted with her notes on which fundraising tactics they could use this year while she waited. Each of the reps were supposed to meet at the old warehouse where she planned to host events. Had she known it was going to be Conner she wouldn’t have suggested they all meet together.
Her ideas were ambitious, but she had firsthand experience using the local community center almost every day after school when she was a kid. Her mom died when she was seven, and she and Parker would stay at their local community center until their dad’s shift as a fire chief ended. She knew Conner must have pissed someone off because there was no way he would have volunteered to work with her. She just hoped he would agree to find a replacement.
The sound of the barn-style double doors creaking open caught her ear. Conner’s tall frame dressed in the formal dark navy blue police uniform appeared. His muscular build was impossible to disguise even in his wrinkled, ill-fitted clothes. Thick, wavy brown hair that hung just above his collar gave him a rebellious look and his thick, overgrown beard covered half his chiseled face. But even now his high cheekbones looked carved from stone, and his full lips spread in a cocky smile she’d dreamed about for years when she was too young to know better. He knew he was a sight for sore eyes, and she pressed her lips together tight in an attempt not to give him the satisfaction of knowing how good it was to see him.
“It’s your lucky day. I’m here to make all your dreams come true,” Conner said, his deep voice like warm, soothing stones.
And just like that, her childish crush turned into a grownup fantasy with an ego that matched his kissable lips and masculine physique. Conner took over a room like a fire because he was H. O. T. But that still couldn’t burn away the fact he was the one bad boy she couldn’t forgive.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 

Book Info:

This irresistible flirt would do anything to get his girl—but clearing his name could be out of his jurisdiction.

D.C. paramedic Hannah Paletti has just one problem: the ripped detective who’s starred in every romantic fantasy she’s ever had. Not only is longtime crush Conner Maguire her new partner on a community service project—he’s her brother’s sworn enemy. Hannah’s determined to raise enough funds for a community center to keep kids off the streets. And Conner, who denies betraying her brother, is all-in on her project. After one kiss, she can’t resist Conner anymore, and she doesn’t want to. But if her family finds out, she’ll lose more than just her heart.

Conner Maguire’s biggest problem has curves that make his hands itch, red curly hair, and enough sass to keep him hooked and booked forever. But to this day, he doesn’t know how her brother’s college sweetheart ended up in Conner’s bed, and he never cared to figure it out—until now.

Because choosing between family and love is tearing Hannah apart, so he needs to offer her both.

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Meet the Author:

Author of your next binge-worthy romance series, Stella has been plotting sexy, tear-jerker stories since she was old enough to hold a pencil. Born a Georgia peach, Stella loves all things country but calls the beach home even though she’s currently living outside D.C. with her family. Most days she can be found drinking too much coffee, collecting lipstick she forgets to wear, and baking.

Stella’s first series featuring first responders debuts in 2023. You can find her on Instagram @stellaholtbooks and www.stellaholt.com
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