Title: The Bachelor Auction
Author: Rachel Van Dyken
Series: The Bachelors of Arizona
#1
On Sale: October 4, 2016
Publisher: Forever
Formats: eBook
Price: $4.99 USD (eBook)
Cinderella never had to deal with this crap.
Jane isn't entirely sure that Cinderella got such a raw deal.
Sure, she had a rough start, but didn't she eventually land a prince and a
happily-ever-after? Meanwhile, Jane is busy waiting on her demanding, entitled
sisters, running her cleaning business, and . . . yep, not a prince in sight.
Until a party and a broken shoe incident leave Jane wondering if princes---or
at least, a certain deliciously hunky billionaire---maybe do exist.
Except Brock Wellington isn't anyone's dream guy. Hell, a prince
would never agree to be auctioned off in marriage to the highest bidder.
Or act like an arrogant jerk---even if it was just a façade. Now, as Brock is
waiting for the auction chopping block, he figures it's karmic retribution that
he's tempted by a sexy, sassy woman he can't have. But while they can't have a
fairy-tale ending, maybe they can indulge in a little bit of fantasy . . .
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Excerpt
“Jane.” It was a whisper, it was a question, and then his mouth was
on hers—harsh, forceful, but so inviting she whimpered at the contact and
leaned into him, begging him with her body to take what she couldn’t voice
aloud.
It was a bad idea.
He was a bad idea.
Taken.
Ready to be married off.
But here, in this moment, he was hers.
So she kissed him back with as much passion as she possessed, her
hands digging into the front of his shirt while his teeth nipped at her bottom
lip.
His hands slid beneath her shirt, unhooking her bra with ease as he
nudged her thighs apart.
“You feel so soft,” he murmured against her mouth. “Perfect.”
Another plundering kiss, his tongue flicking hers before his lips slid down her
neck. “So damn good.”
With a moan, she pressed as close as she could against him, nearly
riding his leg in an effort to get more of him.
“That’s it,” he encouraged while she clawed at him.
“Brock!” Bentley’s voice pierced the air. “Did you need help?”
Brock froze above her, his face filled with irritation. “Open that
door, Bentley, and I’m selling every car you own and replacing it with a
Honda!”
Silence.
“You don’t mean it.” The knob turned.
Jane’s eyes widened in alarm as Brock quickly moved away from her
and tossed the blanket…over her head. Right, like that was going to look
normal. She pulled the blanket off her face and tried in vain to fix her bra
while frantically pulling her hair back into a ponytail.
Bentley entered, took one look at both of them and smiled. “Clearly
this room was dirtier than we thought?” He tilted his head at Jane. “Or maybe
not dirty enough?”
“Out!” Brock barked.
“But—”
“Go!”
“Fine,” Bentley grumbled. “I’m leaving. I just thought you should
know that Grandfather called and wanted to know how the maid was working out. I
told him that you’ve been helping her since she sprained her ankle. He was
concerned about her finishing the job.”
“What did you say?” Brock grabbed Bentley by the shirt and gave a
little shake.
Bentley held up his hands. “Chill. I told him that she would make a
full recovery, that she refused to sue, and that you were taking care of the
situation. Because that’s all you’re doing, right Brock? Taking care of the
situation…” He peered around Brock at Jane.
Feeling suddenly more naked than she actually was, she covered
herself up with the blanket.
What had she been thinking?
It was beyond unprofessional.
Tears burned the backs of her eyes.
“Thanks, Bent.” Brock sighed,
running his hands through his already mussed hair.
Bentley saluted him then added quietly. “For the record, any girl
that can get Boring Brock to bend the rules is a keeper.”
Brock bit back a curse as Bentley shut the door.
“Boring Brock?” Jane asked.
“It’s about as bad as it sounds.”
“Well, I’m Plain Jane, so…I understand.”
He turned. “You’ve never been plain a day in your life.”
“I think you’ve already learned that you don’t need to give me
pretty compliments to get me to kiss you.”
“You have seven freckles. You press your lips together to keep
yourself from saying things you shouldn’t. You hum when you clean, and though
I’m not sure what the tune is, it’s familiar. When you eat, you watch people
rather than your own food, and I’m just going to come out and say it: you eat
like an animal, the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen.”
Jane covered her face with her hands. “It was flattering until you
said that last part.”
Brock laughed. “Seeing a woman dig into her food like she hasn’t
eaten in weeks? It’s one of the most erotic visions I’ve ever had.”
Emotion flashed across his face as he made his way over to her and
kissed her again, pulling away with her name on his lips. “Jane, I want you.”
“Thought I was just the help.” The walls around her heart started
to slip; she felt it in the way her body rose against him. He’d noticed things
about her nobody ever had, he was helping her, and he was beautiful. Was it so
wrong to want this? For herself? Once in her life?
“You’re more than that, and you know it.” His eyes locked on to
hers as his deep voice washed over her.
“You’re getting auctioned off in two weeks and you know it.”
He paused, his expression going completely ice cold before he
looked away and then back at her. “And if I wasn’t? What then?”
“Then…” She bit down on her bottom lip. “I’d ask you to kiss me
again.”
Excerpted from THE BACHELOR AUCTION by Rachel Van Dyken. Copyright © 2016 by Rachel Van Dyken. Used
with permission of Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved.
REVIEW
I can't even begin to say how much I LOVED this book. It was everything, gave me all the feels. The story is a sort of modern fairytale with a whole lot of laughs, some family drama, and two people discovering for themselves what is most important.
Brock changed after his parents died because of guilt that he felt, it drove him to do what others wanted, to be who others wanted him to be rather than argue for his own wants and needs. So when his grandfather decides to auction him off to better the company, Brock can't find it in himself to say No, even though he doesn't want to do it. But then Brock finds Jane and with her his own feelings change and suddenly Brock isn't finding it so easy to be the man he has been.
Jane's life is nothing grand or exciting. She's got her business, she's got her sisters to take care of who don't appreciate her and that's about it. When an unexpected job offer lands in her lap, Jane couldn't be happier to get away from her everyday life if only for a short time. She doesn't expect to find a gruff, jerk of a handsome man in residence, but oddly finds herself feeling pulled in his direction.
The Bachelor's Auction will suck you in to the story, the pull between the characters is immeidate, the chemistry sparkles. There is so much hurt between these two people, their own private pains, that they find somehow they can share bits of with each other. But can their connection mean anything or is Brock bound to the terms his grandfather had set out for him?
I loved the journey this book took me on, not just the love story aspect, but the parts where both Jane and Brock looked to themselves and realized that they had spent a good portion of their lives trying to make everyone else happy, instead of just being themselves and doing their best. I loved the quirks between Brock and his brothers, their interactions, their close bond. I loved Brock's grandfather, because ultimately he was good man, one who loved his family and wanted the best for them, even if he didn't always go about it best. Jane's sisters made me crazy, but I still felt their addition to the story fit well and added an extra facet to Jane and her personality.
Overall this book left me feeling light and happy, swooning and ready to see what's coming for the rest of the boys. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and connecting further with those characters.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Van Dyken is the New
York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency
and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking
coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring
boxers! She loves to hear from readers!
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