Friday, December 8, 2017

*~Book Tour: His Baby Dilemma~*


On Tour with Prism Book Tours.





His Baby Dilemma
(Shores of Indian Lake #9)
Catherine Lanigan
Adult Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 pages
December 1st 2017 by Harlequin Heartwarming

 Must they always be continents apart?

 Nobody expects Paris fashion designer Grace Railton to settle down in her Indiana town, least of all Mica Barzonni. Fifteen months ago, he turned to her for comfort and compassion following a farming accident that left him permanently injured. Then she returned to France and went silent on him.

 Until, suddenly, Grace shows up on his doorstep with life-altering news. Mica, a father? He’s barely learned to navigate his postaccident life. But this could be his chance to become the man he’s always wanted to be—the husband and father Grace and their baby son need. Now Mica just has to convince her to stay.
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 Excerpt:
YOU’VE COME TO the right place.” Mrs. Beabots beamed. “Several of the girls come to me during the holidays. They just don’t make lovely dresses like they used to, and they certainly don’t sell them in Indian Lake,” she continued. “Gina’s party is always elegant and we do love getting dressed up for it—and the dancing at the Lodges.”
      “I can’t thank you enough,” Grace said, giving Jules his pacifier. He smiled and threw his little arms around her neck, burying his head against her shoulder.
        “I’m happy he’s feeling better. There’s nothing worse than trying to help a child who can’t speak,” Mrs. Beabots said as she went toward her bedroom. “Babies and helpless animals. I’m a pushover for both. But don’t tell anybody.”
“I’ll never say a word.” Grace chuckled.
The tinny, antique sound of the doorbell rang out.
“That will be Sarah and Isabelle.”
“Isabelle’s coming, too? I can’t wait to see her!”
“She’s a renowned artist now. She paints the loveliest fairies and water sprites,” Mrs. Beabots said. “For my money, the girl has nailed her naturescapes. I love what she’s doing now with oils. I bought one for the dining room. It’s a woman reclining in a forest glen with tiny fairies peeking out from under the fallen leaves.”
“It sounds lovely.”
“It is.” She went to the front door and greeted her guests.
Fairies? Grace stared after Mrs. Beabots wondering what kind of silliness she was talking about.
Mrs. Beabots returned with Sarah and a pretty, elfin-faced woman with hair that hung nearly to her waist. Grace remembered her well.
Isabelle instantly put her arms around Grace and Jules. “I’m so happy to see you again. And your beautiful baby. I want to hear all about Paris!” Isabelle blurted out. “Do you like it there?”
“No. I adore it,” Grace said effusively. “It’s heaven.”
Isabelle unwound the gray-and-black scarf around her neck and took off her matching tweed jacket. “I just got married this past summer—Scott and I didn’t go on a honeymoon, but we’ve talked about Paris so much. I’ve downloaded dozens of virtual tours on my phone,” she said, gushing.
“That’s great,” Grace said, remembering her run-in with Isabelle’s brother on the train last October. “Congratulations on your marriage.” Why did her old friend’s news give her such a pang of sadness? Grace hoped it didn’t show. Jules laid his cheek against hers, taking her out of her thoughts.
“It’s so nice to see the three of you together,” Mrs. Beabots said. “All artists in your own right. You have a lot in common.”
“Well, today we all have something else in common, Mrs. Beabots,” Sarah said. “Gina’s party is tonight and I, for one, haven’t shopped since Charlotte was born.”
Grace took in the wrinkled black skirt and stretchy, rust-colored top Sarah wore.
Mrs. Beabots pointed at Sarah’s outfit. “Isn’t that the same top you wore when you were pregnant?”
“It is,” Sarah replied glumly. “I was bored with it then and I’m still bored now.”
Mrs. Beabots said, “There was something to be said for the maternity clothes of fifty years ago. Those trapeze blouses and capes had a certain swing and elegance. I remember one that a friend of mine wore in Paris. It was black with a sequined silver collar and cuffs. She was a blonde like you, Sarah, and she looked like a queen.”
Grace hung on Mrs. Beabots’s every word. She envisioned the way she would encrust the collar with black seed pearls, jet beads and silver sequins. She’d pair it with black-and-white harlequin pants and black leather ballet flats. Mrs. Beabots was right. No wonder she and her team were having problems. The offerings for the average woman were the same styles, same colors, year in and year out. Unless one lived in Paris or New York or London or could afford haute couture, everyday fashion was bereft of innovation.
“All of this is to say,” Isabelle added, “that none of us has anything to wear to Gina’s party. And Maddie and Liz told us we should wear something special because Gina hired a professional photographer this year. I don’t understand. What’s the big deal?”
Mrs. Beabots smiled. “Oh, I know this one. Gina and Sam are going to announce their engagement. Their wedding will be at the end of January.”
“So soon?” Grace gulped. Again, she didn’t know why other people’s weddings were of any particular concern to her. Except for the fact that she kept hearing Mica’s voice as he asked her to marry him.
Marriage. In all her life, even her daydreams about Mica when she was a teen, she hadn’t actually gone so far as to consider marriage. Grace wasn’t sure she was the marrying kind. She’d lived her life alone, pursuing her own goals. Making decisions. She was an independent woman.
Then Jules had arrived and suddenly Grace’s life wasn’t just about her.
She was a mother now. Raising a child on her own, she could now admit, wasn’t as simple and straightforward as she’d thought it might be. But becoming a wife—a partner? She wasn’t sure she wanted to take on that role “Yes. Yes, it is.”
“Then stop worrying.”
Grace shut the door and stood in the drive waving as Mica backed out, his headlights shining on her until he reached the street.
“Well, here we are, buddy,” Mica said over his shoulder to Jules.
Jules blew a raspberry, then clapped his hands.
“You like this, too? So do I.”
Mica headed south down Maple Boulevard. He felt pride coursing through him as he drove cautiously toward the family farm.
He was alone with his son. The reality of it still rattled around in his head, banging up against the incongruity of his romanceless relationship with Grace.
He tried to tell himself that he barely knew her, but he couldn’t ignore everything that had happened in the past few days. He was getting to know her better than he knew anyone.
“It’s gonna be a great night, just you and me. We could watch my recording of Sunday’s Bears’ game together. Crack a cold one. Uh, for me, at least. I make a tasty microwave pizza. Or we could order in. They charge an extra three bucks to deliver to the farm, but Rafe does it all the time. He says Olivia is too tired to cook after working at the deli all day. Though, now that I think about it, she often brings food home for him. Not pizza, though.”
Mica drove a few more miles in silence.
“My mother always made us great pizza. Maybe we could enlist her to whip one up for us. Does your mom like pizza? Funny. I never asked her.”
Mica glanced in the rearview mirror as a truck passed him.
He checked his speed. Ordinarily, this was about the spot where he’d hit the gas and tear up some asphalt.
Not anymore. He had precious cargo on board.
He had his son.
Mica inhaled deeply. “I’m a father.
“And fathers have serious obligations and responsibilities to their children. Grace was right about what she wants for you, buddy. She’s got it all together. Smart.”
The night sky had cleared and this far from town, the stars glittered in clusters across the ebony dome above him.
It was the kind of night that poets wrote about and sailors watched until dawn. It was the kind of night that should be shared.
As Mica neared the gates to the farm, he realized that even though his baby son was in the truck with him, an emptiness had overtaken him ever since he’d left Grace at Mrs. Beabots’s house.
For the first time in his life, Mica felt lonely.
Other Books in the Series
About the Author
Catherine Lanigan is the international bestselling and award-winning author of forty published titles in both fiction and non-fiction, including the novelizations of Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile, as well as over half a dozen anthologies, including “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living your Dream”, “Chicken Soup for the Writer’s Soul”, and more. Ms. Lanigan’s novels have been translated into dozens of languages including German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese, and Japanese. Ms. Lanigan’s novels are also available in E-books on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com, Apple Store, Mobi and Kobo. Several of her titles have been chosen for The Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Clubs. Her Vietnam war-based novel, The Christmas Star, won the Gold Medal Award Top Pick from Romantic Times Magazine and has also won Book of the Year Romance Gold Award from ForeWord Magazine as well as Book of the Year Romance from Reader’s Preference.

Lanigan is the author of a trilogy of non- fiction books regarding angelic intervention in human life: Angel Watch, Divine Nudges and Angel Tales published by HCI and Cedar Fort. Skyhorse published Lanigan’s “how-to” book on writing: Writing the Great American Romance Novel. Lanigan was tasked by the NotMYkid Foundation to write a non-fiction book addressing teen addictions. Ms. Lanigan’s first Young Adult adventure novel, The Adventures of Lillie and Zane: The Golden Flute, was published by Cedar Fort.

Currently, she has published eight novels in the Shores of Indian Lake series for Harlequin Heartwarming: Love Shadows, Heart’s Desire, A Fine Year for Love, Katia’s Promise, Fear of Falling, Sophie’s Path and Protecting the Single Mom. Family of His Own pubs July, 2016. She has recently contracted for one more in the series: His Baby Dilemma.

As a cancer survivor, Ms. Lanigan is a frequent speaker at literary functions and book conventions as well as inspiring audiences with her real stories of angelic intervention from her Angel Tales series of books. She is an outspoken advocate for domestic violence and abuse and was honored by The National Domestic Violence Hotline in Washington, D.C. (THE EVOLVING WOMAN). She has been a guest on numerous radio programs including “Coast to Coast” and on television interview and talk show programs as well as blogs, podcasts and online radio interview programs.

Tour Giveaway


- 1 winner will receive a $50 Amazon eGift Card and a Prize Pack that includes: autographed copies of Family of His Own and Katia's Promise, a gold edged Paris latte mug, and hand soap in a pretty pump bottle (prize pack to US only, if international winner then gift card only)
- 1 winner will receive an ebook of  Family of His Own (open internationally)
- Ends December 13th

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1 comment:

  1. Carol L.December 9, 2017 at 5:48 AM

    Thanks for being part off the tour and the giveaway chance. Love that adorable covert.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

    ReplyDelete

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