“You should be in bed,” Ace said.
“Yours?”
Holy crap, Hallie thought, no way she said that out loud.
He stilled, his gaze finding hers, his expression utterly unreadable. “Ask me again when you’re not sick and you’re actually capable of climbing into it with me.”
She started to speak but choked instead. She coughed, her eyes watering. “Say what?”
“You heard me.”
Tempting Hallie, coming December 29th!
Two people… impossible odds…
When Hallie Henderson has to rush her landlady’s cat to the vet late one night, she doesn’t expect her landlady to insist upon taking Ace O’Hanlon, of all people, with her as backup. The man runs hot and cold, can go from a smile to moody and broody in under two seconds, and has spent years making no bones about hating her brother.
But in one night, Ace’s low rumble of laughter brings a smile to Hallie’s face, a little witty back-and-forth banter ensues, Hallie issues a long-overdue thank you, Ace renders first aid, and Hallie finds out that Ace—accidentally though it was—once saw her half-naked on a storage room security feed in his bar. — Awkward!
… one night that changes everything…
When Hallie shows up on Ace’s doorstep in the middle of the night, sporting her pajamas and a pair of goofy bedroom slippers, Ace is, naturally, confused. When they end up at the animal hospital after hours with no one but each other for company, he’s forced to see her outside of the connection they’ve always shared. — Her brother.
She’s feisty. A challenge always sparkling in her eyes. Full of life and easy laughter. And Ace, well, Ace is just a man. A man with a bar Hallie keeps walking into.
They’re the last two people anyone ever expected, but the more they’re together, this broken and bruised bartender and this soft, vulnerable, cargo-pants wearing, hammer-wielding woman hiding her own broken pieces behind a thick wall of armor, the more everything changes.
Coming December 29th 2022!
Hallie turned back to Ace. “Seriously?”
He shrugged and said nothing, not an ounce of remorse in him.
“You didn’t have to be so mean to her.”
“She wouldn’t fuckin’ listen to you. I’m not going to stand here and watch someone push you around.”
“Right, and let me guess, you’d have done it for anyone?”
“Yeah, I would have,” he said, snatching up his water bottle and backing up a step. “But I didn’t do it for anyone. I did it for you.”
Tempting Hallie, coming December 2022!
*A little back and forth between Ace & Hallie at a birthday dinner.*
Ace shook his head, fighting a grin as he pulled away from her. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”
“Ya know, funny story, I’ve been told that a time or two.”
“Two or two million?”
“You know, if I didn’t know any better—”
“Good night, the hell did you do to this cake, Hallie?”
Mia burst out laughing from wherever she still stood off to the side. Hallie ignored her. “That’s the new way of doing it.”
Ace got a small paper plate and somehow, after only a minor struggle, managed to get the deformed slice of cake onto the plate. He eyed it warily, but there was humor sparking in that gaze of his. “Do those filthy lies you tell yourself make you feel better, Hallie baby?” She wasn’t about to admit it, but the way he said that endearment, wrapped in affection and the hard steel that was Ace O’Hanlon, she melted right where she stood.
“What lies? What are you talking about? Just because you don’t know how to cut cake, Ace, doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t.”
“You sound as ridiculous as this cake looks.”
“You like it,” she fired back.
“You damn right I do.”
Tempting Hallie, coming December 2022!
“You cannot define people by one moment in time. By their mistakes alone. People do change. People learn, they grow, they evolve. That’s life. Yeah, some people don’t. And that’s a shame. But some people do, baby, and I’m one of those people. You’ve got to trust me. Cause I want to hold onto you for as long as I’m breathing, Hallie baby.” — Ace O’Hanlon, Tempting Hallie. Coming December 2022!
Normally I drop a teaser every Monday morning.
Today, instead, I’m going to chat about Tempting Hallie. Casual. Easy. Like we’re just a couple of buddies having a drink, talking romance novels.
So let’s get into it, shall we?
First off, Ace. — He’s a straight shooter, a no holds barred, don’t give a damn kind of man. He’s also incredibly protective, sexy, tatted, curses like a sailor, and spends a lot of his time behind the bar—The Cricket, which he owns—slinging drinks. He’s incredibly multifaceted, and if you’ve met him in any of my other books in the Sweetgum Valley series, you’ll know he’s a real handful sometimes. But there’s so much more to him than what’s been shown on the pages before now.
Then there’s Hallie. — She’s sharp, wise beyond her years, incredibly loyal, a little playful, but so very vulnerable with a depth of layers so many don’t see because she’s so good at hiding behind master manipulating the pieces on the metaphorical chessboard that is life. — But not in a malicious way. Just in a way that is very Hallie.
Tempting Hallie itself is the story of two somewhat lost souls, very different from each other, colliding. But it’s told with all the playful banter, sexual tension, and humor that I find I just love pouring into my novels. But as always, the threads of something more run deeper. In Tempting Hallie, that’s honesty, fear, vulnerability, trust, forgiveness. It’s growth, it’s being willing to shed armor and wade into that messy thing called love. It’s family and friendship. It’s finding strength in those things.
It was so fun to write. When I was mulling over all my characters years ago, I knew almost immediately that Ace and Hallie were going to end up together. I was really excited because I knew it was going to be a challenge to get two people so very stubborn together without losing my mind. And if you’ve read previous books, then you’ll know that Ace and Hallie each have strong personalities. — But very different ones. And so making that work in a way that was fun and would have you, along with me, rooting for them, was something I loved every second of.
I literally told my mom the other day as I was working through some edits, I said, “Look, I love my husband, but I want an Ace, dammit.” 😂 – I love him as a character that much. And I love that of all my characters, I was able to gift him to Hallie. Because if he’s everything I’ve made him out to be, make believe as he is, he’s perfect for her, and she deserves nothing less.
So there’s an overall look at Tempting Hallie, and some of my thoughts about it as I’ve worked on it over the last year and a half. I could go on and on, but then we’d be here all day, and I won’t ask you to read a book until, well, I publish the actual book.
And speaking of… keep an eye out. It’s coming in December!
So all I’m going to say about this one… is if you want to know how this scene ends… Tempting Hallie will be out mid-December. (You know you’re going to want to know! I want to know and I wrote it!)
Hallie sprinted to her apartment, grabbed her keys and her wallet, climbed into her truck and took off. Ace lived about five minutes up the road, and that was with traffic. As it was, it was almost one in the morning, and there was no traffic.
Aware that she was in powder blue pajamas with smiling sunshine faces and white puffy clouds all over them—no bra to speak of because she’d just climbed into her bed when Clara Belle knocked on her door and asked for help—Hallie braced herself for the picture she’d present when she showed up on Ace’s doorstep, praying she didn’t have to go in search of him at the bar.
It was going to be nothing short of humiliating.
And that was before she remembered she’d forgotten to throw on flip-flops or sneakers, and instead was wearing fuzzy, black and white moo-cow slippers with giant, floppy pink ears…
Gonna give you a little snippet of a playful Hallie and Ace on this beautiful Monday morning!
Enjoy! ❤️
———
“Scale of one to ten, how bad do you hate life right now?” Hallie asked, smiling as she stared at Ace’s fine ass backside. It was making hiking with a headache worth it.
“Twelve.”
“Really? I’d think it was more like twenty.”
He turned his head to the side and called over his shoulder, “I took points off cause you’re nice to look at.”
She laughed. “You can’t even see me back here.”
“Yeah, well I’d hate to deprive you of that view you’re so fascinated with.”
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
“I can feel you objectifying me back there, baby.”
“You like when I objectify you.”
“You damn right I do.”
We’re taking a little detour from Ace & Hallie this week… because every Hallie needs an Olivia! So here’s to best friends! ❤️
Hallie’s phone rang and she picked up immediately. “Hey, what’s going on?” she answered.
“Are you dressed?” Olivia, her best friend, asked.
Hallie glanced down at her sweats. “Yep.”
“For going out in public?”
“Sure.”
“I don’t mean down to the corner store for midnight snacks.”
Hallie glanced down again. “Yeah, that’ll be a no.”
“Exactly. Put on something nice. A dress or something.”
Hallie scowled. “Why?”
“I’m coming to get you.”
“For what?”
“We’re going out.”
“Out?” Hallie checked the time. “Out where? It’s nine-thirty already.”
She heard Olivia’s exasperated sigh come through the phone. “Do you hear yourself?”
“Loud and clear.”
“Get dressed.”
“But I’m not finished with my popcorn.”
“Well finish it real fast then put on something fancy.”
“How fancy?”
“I told you already. A dress or something.”
“Or something leaves a lot of options.”
Olivia laughed, and Hallie heard a car horn in the background. “No jeans. No tees. No comfy shorts. No sports bras. No work boots. Absolutely no sweats.”
“That doesn’t leave much, does it?” Hallie muttered, waving bye to Clara Belle and heading to her apartment above the garage.
“It leaves plenty. You have nice clothes. Put them on. Oh, and wear sexy panties.”
Hallie stopped, pulling up short just before reaching her front door. “What do you mean wear sexy panties? For what?”
“Do I have to explain everything?”
Hallie walked into her apartment. “No, but you definitely have to explain the panties.”
“We’re going out to meet men.”
“What men?”
Olivia’s heavy sigh came through the phone again. “Whatever hot men we meet, and we’re doing it in sexy panties. Now come on, Grandma. Get dressed.”
“Did you just call me grandma?”
“Did you just imply it was too late to go out at nine-thirty on a Friday night?”
“I’m sure I did no such thing,” Hallie said, knowing full well she had.
“Whatever. Change the sweats. I’ll be there in fifteen.”
“Bold of you to assume I’m wearing sweatpants.”
“Hallie?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you wearing sweatpants?”
“Yep.”
“Change. Now. Fifteen minutes!”
“Hallie, honey.” Natalie’s voice filtered in, penetrating her thoughts. Hallie turned and gave Natalie a wide smile. “What’d you think of Jack?”
“He’s seems nice, Nat, but I don’t really think–”
“Before you make up your mind, let’s have dinner. You and Jack. Me and your dad. It’ll be fun.”
Hallie’s eyes widened. That’s what Natalie called fun?
“He’s not really my type,” Hallie said.
“But you’ve barely spoken to him.” Natalie smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “When I met your dad, dating him didn’t even cross my mind at first. But after I got to know him… well…” Natalie laughed and turned her hands up. “Here we are, getting married soon.”
“And that’s great,” Hallie said. “I’m happy for you, but—”
“Just give it a shot, honey. Maybe he could make you happy—”
“The hell, woman?” Ace growled, interrupting Natalie. “She said no. Drop it.”
Hallie turned wide eyes on Ace, Natalie did the same… and Olivia grinned like a Cheshire cat.
Ace had both arms—those damned arms again—crossed over his chest, an angry, hard gleam in his eyes. He looked ready to snap a person in half. That person being Natalie.
Natalie cleared her throat, looking flustered. “I don’t have any idea who you are, but this doesn’t concern you. You’re here to tend bar, not get in the business of customers.”
Hallie’s eyes widened further, and she’d not thought that possible. Uh Oh.
Ace smiled. But it was a lethal smile, one that did not bode well for Natalie.
He, once again, rested his arms on the bar and leaned onto it, that same hard glint in his eyes. He didn’t even look at Hallie. “Every damn customer in this bar is my business, and it’ll be the day that someone walks in and tells me what the fuck to do here.” Natalie’s gaze grew stormy. That didn’t stop Ace, though. “Now you can go back to your table, finish your drink, whatever you want to do… but you’re damn sure going to leave Hallie the fuck alone. You got me?”
Hallie glanced at Olivia, who sent her a wide-eyed look of disbelief. Yeah, Hallie thought, whoa.
“Ace, that’s not necessary—”
“Hallie,” he warned, his voice a low growl.
She didn’t know what to do. Part of her wanted to help Natalie out. The other part of her, though, loved having Ace come to her defense.
But she was a grown woman, and she could defend herself.
“Ace,” she whispered, waiting until his unforgiving gaze held hers. “It’s alright.”
“None of this is alright,” Natalie snapped, arms crossed. “In fact, I’d like to speak to your manager.”
“Yeah?” Ace said, lifting an arrogant brow. “Well, let me see if I can get Julian for you.”
Hallie shook her head and fought a smile, one that was entirely inappropriate given the volatile situation she was smack in the middle of. “Stop it.” She turned back to Natalie. “Ace owns the place. This is his bar.”
Natalie’s back went ramrod straight. “Well, then, I certainly won’t be frequenting it anymore.”
“What a shame,” Ace drawled sarcastically.
———
Seriously, protective Ace is my favorite Ace. Ya love to see it. Okay, the softer, walls-down Ace has a special place in my heart, too, but ya don’t see that as often, and I can’t tell a lie… Protective Ace is totally my fave. ❤️
Keep an eye out for more teasers from Tempting Hallie! Release date coming soon!
Heather Threatte, Author 