Tag Archives: sweetgum valley series

Tempting Hallie Has Arrived!

Tempting Hallie has finally arrived! – Available now on Amazon! ❤️

*If you’ve read any of my other books, specifically Fighting for Annaleigh or Enchanting Ella, then you’ve met Ace & Hallie. It is highly likely that Ace hasn’t exactly endeared himself to some readers-and he probably still won’t if we’re being honest. Because of all this, I thought he’d be a pain to write, but instead it was an absolute joy to put Ace down on paper. He is, hands downs, my favorite character that I’ve written yet. (Might be cause I fell a little bit in love with him while I was writing it, but hey, it happens! 😂) *

So if you’re interested in the tale of Ace O’Hanlon-a somewhat broody, but seriously hot and tatted bartender with a sizable chip on his shoulder-and Hallie Henderson-a sweet, but fierce and loyal young woman who aims to outwit you at every turn if only to stay two steps ahead at all times… Maybe check out Tempting Hallie! ❤️

Link below ⬇️

Tempting Hallie Teaser – (You Should Be In Bed)

“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!

Tempting Hallie Update & Release Date…

In lieu of a teaser today, I’m giving you an update on Tempting Hallie’s publication and what the coming weeks will look like.

So first thing’s first, release date is December 29th.

Now, I’d originally—and silently, to myself—planned a December 16th release date. But I did not announce that because I could not guarantee it, and I did not want to do that and then have to backtrack it. If you’ve ever self-published, you know that publishing the e-book is as easy as you blink and it’s done. The paperback, however, takes a little more time and effort, and lining up those releases to coincide with one another can be a little more intricate of a process. (And it can be even more so when; one, said author is a procrastinator—me, I’m said author—and two, well… see bullet point one.)

*** If all is ready prior to December 29th, I will release Tempting Hallie early. But if not, you can count on December 29th. ***

Next Monday, December 12th, there will also not be a teaser, as instead, I’m dropping the book cover and full synopsis for you.

The following Mondays, the 19th and 26th, we’ll be back to regularly scheduled programming with two teasers leading up to the release on the 29th.

So there you have it! Tempting Hallie will be available for purchase on Amazon in both e-book and paperback formats on December 29th. (It will also be available as part of a Kindle Unlimited subscription.)

So if you’ve been looking forward to Ace and Hallie’s story, it’s almost here, and I can’t wait to share it with you!

Tempting Hallie Teaser # 11 – (I Did It For You)

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!

Tempting Hallie Teaser #10 — (You Damn Right I Do)

*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!

Tempting Hallie Teaser #9 — (Ace Quote!)

“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!

Tempting Hallie Teaser #8 – (Sexy Footwear After Dark…)

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…

Tempting Hallie Teaser #7 – (It’s All Fun & Games!)

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.”

Tempting Hallie Teaser #6 – (Best Friends)

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!”

Tempting Hallie Teaser #5 – (A Protective Ace)

“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!