Spotlight & Giveaway: The Wedding Engagement by Zoe Allison

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Zoe Allison to HJ!

Hi Zoe and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Wedding Engagement!

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Scottish school teacher Liv Holland has carried a torch for her brother’s best friend, Arran Adebayo, for years. The two have become close friends since Arran was jilted by his fiancee the previous year and Liv has helped Arran with childcare for his four year old son—who is about to start in her nursery school class. Arran has been keen to avoid romantic relationships since his break-up, and concentrate on his son. Then, just when Liv thought keeping her feelings under wraps couldn’t be any more difficult, the pair are thrust together to help plan festivities for Liv’s brother’s wedding.

Sparks begin to fly, but as the big day approaches it’s not only Arran’s complex romantic history which throws up a major road block to their relationship, but Liv’s too. They have to decide whether risking their friendship , plus Liv’s close relationship with Arran’s son, is worth the gamble for love.
 

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

His mind drifted to remember when she’d jokingly mentioned strippers the other day over at Sam’s house, and an image of her as the naked dancing lady had crashed into his mind’s eye like the meteor that had allegedly killed off the dinosaurs. It’d made him inhale his drink and nearly choke to death at Sam and Maya’s kitchen table.
Death by champagne. What a middle class way to go.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The working title was originally “How to get a Guy in Twenty-Six Years”
• The book features a highland cow named Hamish, who is based on my highland cow footstool (also called Hamish!)
• One of the loose influences for the book is the film The Wedding Singer (with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore).
• The book is set in the fictional Highland town of Glenavie. The name is based on two real Highland towns, a mix of Aviemore and Glencoe—both of which I have visited.

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

Liv has had a crush on Arran for years but he’s always been attached to someone else. Then her attraction grows when they become close friends and its not only his good looks that appeal to her but his “joker of the group” sense of humour (which matches her own silly kind of sense of humour), along with his kind nature and the way he cares for his son. She loves his artistic nature (he is getting a new art business off the ground and she helps champion him).

In the past Arran only saw Liv as being his best friend’s goofy sister but then that evolved over the time since his relationship with his fiancee ended. As their friendship grew closer his attraction towards Liv surfaced and grew stronger. He loves how good she is with his son and how she’s so supportive of everyone around her.

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

I had a little blush about my cheeks when I wrote Liv and Arran’s first kiss scene. It’s the cumulation of a LONG period of them both wanting one another and so the result is a touch of awkward which is very quickly scorched away by heat…

They both stayed perfectly still, the cool night air stretching out in silence around them with only the sound of their breathing audible. He lifted her chin to mesh her gaze with his, tracing her jaw with his fingers. She wanted his fingers all over her. “Your eyes are amazing” He drifted his gaze down. “I love that dress. You look beautiful.” He looked back into her eyes. “I’ve been wanting to tell you that all night.”
Her mouth was too dry to answer him, so she ended up nodding and uttering some kind of squeaky sound.
“And I love your red heels, and your red coat.” He lifted the soft, spacious hood to cover her head, holding onto the sides to pull her impossibly closer. “Little Red Riding Hood,” he whispered, making her pulse spike.
Her voice trembled. “That’s how I think of it, too. Little Red Riding Hood.”
He smiled softly, and she became caught in it, like a small animal dazzled in the headlights. “I love your smile,” she said, before she could stop herself.
He gently brushed the tip of his nose against hers. “Thank you.”
Her brain fused. “You have nice teeth.” What?
Arran didn’t miss a beat. “All the better to eat you with.”
Liquid fire flooded her veins and she grasped the back of his jacket tightly, unable to hold back any longer. “Arran.”
He searched her eyes. “Yes?”
“I want…” She swallowed, her palpitations returning with a fierce intensity.
“What do you want, Aggie?” he whispered.
“I want you to kiss me.”
The words were finally out there after years of thinking them. Her heart raced so hard she thought she might pass out.
He rubbed a thumb across her cheek, drawing a shaky breath as he glanced down at her mouth. “Thank fuck. Because I’ve wanted to kiss you for months.”
Fireworks erupted in her chest.

Readers should read this book….

If you like any of these tropes/themes:

• Brother’s best friend
• They have to plan a wedding together!
• Friends to lovers
• She’s his son’s teacher
• Scottish Highland setting
• Slow burn
• Sweet and spicy
• Single dad
• She falls first he falls harder
• The “sworn off relationships” hero trope turned on its head…

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

I’m currently working on the third book in the Glenavie series along with a couple of more speculative romances, so watch this space…
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: One finished copy of THE WEDDING ENGAGEMENT by Zoe Allison

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Have you ever been to Scotland, or to the Highlands specifically?

 
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Excerpt from The Wedding Engagement:

Once she’d ensured that everyone had found and left with their parent or guardian, Liv went to the locker area to pull on her shoes. Just then, a buzzing noise sounded from her rucksack, and she lifted out her phone. It was a FaceTime from Arran.
Her insides did the familiar tumble at the sight of his name. How long do we have to be friends before I stop feeling like a giddy schoolgirl whenever I see him?
She connected the call and Arran’s face appeared on-screen, causing her stupid heart to squeeze like an accordion playing a lovesick melody. His honey-colored eyes were unusually tight and he was frowning as he ran a hand over his dark hair.
“What’s up?” she asked, picking up on the tension in his posture.
He sighed in a very un-Arran-like manner. “This is an SOS call. ‘Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.’”
She laughed. “I’ll do my best. Though I have to warn you, my control of the Force is on the fritz.”
He smiled, however it was less bright than usual. “I’ve got a situation. I’m out of town getting some painting supplies. Jess called to say she can’t pick Jayce up from his street dance class as planned, and I can’t get back in time to do it. Her parents are away for the weekend and I just called mine, but, as usual, their mobiles are turned off.” He rolled his eyes. “What’s the point of having a fucking mobile phone if it’s permanently off?”
“My mum and Angus are the same,” she told him. “They say they’re ‘saving the battery.’”
He huffed out a breath. “Parents.”
Liv shot him a smile. “You’re a parent, remember?”
He rubbed a hand over his dark stubble, and she experienced a strong craving to know what it felt like against her own fingers. Against her mouth. Down, girl.
“Oh yeah,” he said absently. He flicked his eyes to meet hers. “But I’m way cooler.”
“Sure you are,” she said, giving him a wink. “Anyway, yes, I can pick up Jayce. Shall I take him home with me, or bring him to yours?”
Arran hesitated for a second, glancing away from the screen. “Thank you. I’m really sorry to ask for your help.” He swallowed, returning his gaze to hers. “Again.”
“That’s what friends are for,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “Don’t sweat it.”
The defeated look on his face made it clear that he was sweating it. Copiously. She’d never known anyone as proud and reluctant to ask for help as him. And it didn’t escape her notice that he hated even voicing the question, which is why she had jumped in to say yes before he’d outright asked.
“I thought it might make sense to call you, because I knew you’d be nearby,” he said, as if still trying to justify the very legitimate action of asking a close friend for a small favor.
“Arran, it’s fine,” she told him, her tone kind but firm. “It wouldn’t matter if I wasn’t nearby, I’d still be happy to help. I’ll nip across the road to the dance studio now and fetch him.”
Arran’s shoulders sagged with relief. “Thank you. If you head over to mine, I’ll meet you back there ASAP.”
She gave him a two-fingered salute. “No problem. How come Jess couldn’t pick him up anyway? I thought this weekend was hers.”
“Yeah, so did I,” he muttered, before clearing his throat. “I’ll tell you later.”
Liv grabbed her bag, heading for the door. “I’ll take him for a milkshake first, give you time to reach home.”
This time his smile was more relaxed. “You’re a lifesaver, I owe you one.”
“You can pay me back in scones,” she told him, eliciting a laugh from his lovely, soft-looking lips. “Let the teacher know I’ll be picking him up, so they don’t think I’m trying to kidnap your adorable son.”
“Will do.” He raised his eyebrows and it made her heart skip a beat. “And by the way, we need to get your scone addiction under control. You, Maya, and Elise have a problem.”
She shrugged. “There’s no problem. I can give them up anytime I want.”
He laughed. “Yeah, right.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Planning a wedding is so romantic . . . except when it’s not yours, and you’re planning it with the guy you’re secretly crushing on.

Scottish schoolteacher Liv Holland has a secret. She’s been carrying a torch for Arran Adebayo, her brother’s best friend, for years. A blind date gone wrong cements in Liv’s mind that Arran has no romantic interest in her whatsoever. But then, with her brother set to marry her own best friend, she and Arran are enlisted to help plan the festivities…

After being left at the altar by his ex, single father Arran is having trouble managing his growing feelings towards the woman who is both his best friend’s sister and his son’s teacher: Liv. Then his mind is blown when fate thrusts them together for an unexpected blind date, but he messes up his chance to tell her how he feels.

As the big day approaches and Liv and Arran’s connection intensifies, their chemistry chafes against their checkered romantic histories. Risking everything for love could mean losing each other forever . . . or being the next ones to find their happy ever after.
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Meet the Author:

Zoe Allison lives in Scotland with her husband and two children, having been brought up in a mixed-race family in Yorkshire.
Growing up, Zoe enjoyed stories about falling in love. But rather than daydreaming of being rescued by a knight in shining armour, she imagined herself fighting dragons alongside him, battling supervillains as heroic allies, or teaming up to dive into perilous waters and save the day.
As an adult, Zoe became a doctor. However as time passed, she craved a creative outlet to counter the soul-sapping burnout that her career inflicted upon her, and also to achieve the happy endings that were so often lacking in the real world. She wanted to create heroines who represent her and her values, as well as heroes who truly love women—men who find their true loves inspiring, want to connect with them as soulmates, and fully open themselves to their partners on an emotional level. And so, Zoe began to write romance.
A Zoe Allison novel promises a heroine who is not only her hero’s equal in ability and intellect, but whose hero equals her in emotional intelligence. Her characters overcome conflict infused with spine tingling sexual tension to forge a deep connection as soul mates as well as lovers, and ultimately, they both rescue each other emotionally. Even if they might begin their journey as enemies…
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