Spotlight & Giveaway: Surrender to Me by Kelly Elliott

Posted January 24th, 2022 by in Blog, Spotlight / 36 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Kelly Elliott to HJ!
Spotlight&Giveaway

Hi Kelly and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Surrender to Me!

 
Hey y’all!
 

Please summarize the book a la Twitter style for the readers here:

An emotional journey of heartbreak and healing.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

The sound of hundreds of swarming bees nearly lulled me to sleep as I stared up at the clear blue sky. Arabella lay next to me, her head on my stomach with a book in her hand while she read, and I prayed one of those bees wouldn’t sting me.

“How many times do you think you’ve been stung by a bee?” I asked, watching one small cloud meander across the sky.

Arabella put her book down across her stomach, clearly thinking about my question. “Well, if I had to guess, I’d say thousands of times.”

 

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

  • I am terrified of bees, but am in awe of them. So the research for this book was…fun.
  • My niece drew the cover for the book
  • I flew to Florida to interview a police officer and his K9 for research for the book
  • In my research for the book I discovered lavender honey….YUM
  • This story almost didn’t make it into this series!

 

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

They are high school sweethearts. I think Hunter is attracted to Arabella because she is kind and sweet, and Arabella is attracted to Hunter because he truly cares about her and her love of bees.
 

Using just 5 words, how would you describe Hero and Heroine’s love affair?

Emotional. Heartbreaking. Healing. Loving. Strong.

The First Kiss…

Without even thinking, I closed the distance between us, cupped her face in my hands, and kissed her.

She stiffened at first, then opened her mouth to me and took hold of my jacket. I deepened the kiss, letting out a soft moan as I gently drew her body against mine, and she wrapped her arms around my neck.

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book?

Oh I had so many! I think one of my favorites is when they finally find their way back to one another after so long apart.

 

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would be absolutely crucial to include?

Reaching her car, she turned to face me, and I stopped like I had run into a brick wall. Tears streamed down her face. If I’d felt like an asshole before, I really felt like one now. What in the hell was she running from? And why was she so upset?

“I can’t right now, Hunter. You’re angry…and I…I don’t want either of us to say things that…that we’ll regret.”

I took a step toward her, and she slowly shook her head. She pressed one hand to her stomach, and raised the other one up, holding me off.

“Please,” she whispered in a voice so weak it nearly brought me to my knees. “Please just let me go.”

I leaned toward her. “Will you tell me one thing, Bella? Just one thing.”

She sniffled but didn’t respond.

“When did you fall out of love with me?”

It was clearly not what she’d been expecting me to ask, because she stared at me with a lost expression. “What?” she whispered in confusion.

“You at least owe me that much. When did you fall out of love with me?”

 

Readers should read this book …

I’ll be honest…this book is not an easy read. It deals with a pretty emotional subject of rape, but it also tells a beautiful love story of healing and friendship. And how a strong support system can mean everything to someone.

 

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

Right now I’m writing book one in my new upcoming series, The Seaside Chronicles. Next up after Surrender to Me is Hearts in Motion, book five in the Boggy Creek Valley series.

 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

 

Giveaway: A signed paperback of Surrender to Me

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Arabella’s dream was to run her family apiary. What is your dream job?

 

Excerpt from Surrender to Me:

Hunter was kissing me.

And for the sweetest moment in time, I forgot everything. Every nightmare, every pain-drenched memory was wiped from my mind, and it was just the two of us.

I moaned slightly as he drew me closer. I moved my fingers through his hair, longing to feel more of him. I had forgotten what Hunter’s kisses were like. It was as if time itself had stopped the moment his soft lips pressed against mine. He invaded every single one of my senses, leaving me feeling weak in the knees. I could feel him. Taste him. Desire him. Lord, how that made my heart beat harder in my chest.

Hunter pulled back from the kiss and leaned his forehead against mine. We both let out puffs of white clouds from our mouths as we worked to regain our breathing.

“Please stop running from me, Bella. Please. I can’t take it anymore.”

I moved my hands and grabbed onto the front of his jacket while I drew in a few deep breaths. “I’m terrified, Hunter.”

He drew back and looked into my eyes. “Of me?”

“No. God, no. It’s just…I’m…I don’t…I don’t know how… God. You’ll hate me if I tell you.”

Hunter pressed his finger to my lips. “I need you to know I’ve never stopped loving you, and there is nothing you could do to make me hate you. Remember…I’ve tried, for years, and it hasn’t worked.”

I felt more tears slip free, and Hunter used the pads of his thumbs to wipe them away.

“Whatever it is you’re scared to tell me, please…just tell me. I don’t want to waste another moment of this life without you by my side, Bella.”

“It’s not something I can… I can’t just…”

Hunter drew me into his arms again and held me. “I love you, Arabella Adams. I love you.”

I buried my face in his chest and simply let my tears go. Hearing him say those words, after a decade, was like a balm to my soul. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed being in his arms. Having him hold me and feeling his warmth surround me.

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Arabella Adams was the one woman I would have laid my life down for, no matter the circumstance, because that’s what you would do for your soulmate. But when she broke up with me our senior year of college—for no reason or explanation at all—my world as I knew it fell completely apart. My heart was instantly ripped from my chest…and it was a pain I felt in my very soul, and one I never truly recovered from.

Now, here I am, ten years later, and I’ve finally learned the real reason Bella pushed me away. So, I must prove to her that anything that happened in her past—our past—doesn’t change the way I feel about her. After all, soulmates never stop loving each other, and even a decade later, I will make her see that I will protect her until the day I die.

Because you see, we promised one another we wouldn’t keep secrets, wouldn’t hide parts of ourselves that the other wouldn’t understand. Except, well, I lied. Because the moment I find the person who took Bella from me all those years ago, I’m going to make him pay for every lost moment of the past ten years, and nothing—not even the fact I’m a cop—will stop me from inflicting the same level of pain on him that Arabella and me endured all this time.

Note to readers: Arabella endures trauma no woman should have to suffer. Respectfully, the author invites you to emotionally and mentally prepare before experiencing this book on your own terms, should you choose to do so.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Goodreads |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Kelly Elliott is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author. Her bestselling works include, Wanted, Broken, Lost Love, and Never Enough, to name a few.

Kelly lives in central Texas with her husband, Gus, her chocolate lab, Gunner (a German shorthair pointer), Ellie (A golden retriever) four cats, and endless wildlife creatures. When she’s not writing, Kelly enjoys reading and spending time with her family.

To find out more about Kelly and her books, you can find her through her website.

www.kellyelliottauthor.com
Website | Facebook | Twitter | | Instagram |
 
 
 

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36 Responses to “Spotlight & Giveaway: Surrender to Me by Kelly Elliott”

  5. Pamela Conway

    Working with books, maybe own a book store. I’m not talented to be a writer.

  22. lovebachbooks

    Work for an international civil service organization. I’m a lucky one. I did realize that dream & stayed in that job until retirement.

  27. Laurie Gommermann

    I love being outdoors. I love visiting National parks. I would like to work at different parks.

  28. Patricia B.

    I had my dream job, 3 of them. I was in the Peace Corps, worked the science section of a children’s museum, and was a children’s librarian.