BLAST, BLITZ, PROMOS, REVEALS, & TOURS . . . : SPOTLIGHT w/EXCERPT - CONTEMPORARY - TRUSTING LOVE (Clumsy Little Hearts, #1) by Julie Navickas

What does a s’more, a tent, and a campfire have in common?

Trusting Love

Clumsy Little Hearts, #1

by Julie Navickas

Genre: Contemporary Romance

What does a s’more, a tent, and a campfire have in common? For Ryan Prescott, it’s a typical weekend camping trip. But for Tess Browning… it’s a recipe for the truth.

Tess Browning earned the nickname Little Vixen for a reason. And she has no incentive to play by the rules anymore. Because why bother? All it ever did was trap her in a loveless marriage. Tossing faithfulness out the window, the only thing she is committed to now is her new code: keeping it fun, flirty, and deliciously sultry.

That is, until Ryan Prescott walks in and charms his way into her heart with a leather tool belt strapped around his waist. He’s sexy, smart, and as emotionally damaged as they come. And Ryan seemingly wants nothing more than to have Tess pick up the pieces of his broken heart.

But there’s one thing he doesn’t know about her.

When the details of Ryan’s past heartache come to light, Tess digs her hot pink heels into the ground and will stop at nothing to hide her past indiscretions from the man who stole her heart. Because if there’s one thing Ryan won’t tolerate—it’s dishonesty.

Will Tess manage to keep the truth hidden? Or, will the secrets of a lifetime shatter her one true chance at love?

Best-selling and award-winning author Julie Navickas brings back fan favorite, Tess Browning for her own shot at love. Readers of the Trading Heartbeats trilogy will recognize the flawed heroine but may not recognize the woman she’s become. After all, no one is above redemption. Fans of Lynn Painter’s Mr. Wrong Number and Katie Cotugno’s Birds of California will find a swoon-worthy and engaging romance in TRUSTING LOVE.

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads

Ryan pressed his nose into her hair and inhaled the remnants of campfire smoke clinging to each strand. Nowhere near as beautiful as you, Tess Browning. The moment stilled in his mind as the silence surrounding them patched the wounds in his heart. A songbird sang above, his sweet tune narrating the newfound contentment settling in his soul.

Tess sighed again and Ryan ran his hands down her damp arms. The subsequent shiver on her skin roused the recall of their single stolen moment alone in the tent.

“How adventurous are you feeling now?”

Butterflies awakened in his belly as she sought his gaze—her pools of baby blue more brilliant than the ocean waves no more than a mile away.

Ryan released a breath and dragged a finger along her neck, charting a path down her flesh until he reached her right breast. He squeezed and relished the immediate moan she purred.

Very adventurous…

“Take your clothes off,” he whispered and pressed his lips to the skin beneath her ear.

She shuddered beneath his touch.

“Take your clothes off, Ms. Browning,” he repeated and dipped his hand beneath the hem of her shirt.

His fingers slid over her stomach before catching on the silver ring puncturing her belly button.

A gasp fell from her lips as he gripped it and tugged it gently from side-to-side.

“Mmm, Mr. Prescott,” Tess moaned and lifted her arms.

He gulped and closed his eyes, ready to bask in the romantic moment of a lifetime. Ryan lifted the cotton shirt from her body, desperate to return his fingers to her breasts.

The breath stalled in his lungs as the silky fabric slid beneath his fingers, each bit of pale pink lace hugging her body with perfection. He shivered and unclasped the tiny wire. Ryan peeled the garment away and it fell to the stone at their feet.

Julie Navickas is an award-winning, nationally recognized contemporary romance novelist, known for her keen ability to tell heart-wrenching, second-chance love stories through relatable characters with humility, humor, and heroism. She is also an award-winning university instructor and serves as the executive director of The Writing Champions Project. Julie earned master’s degrees in both organizational communication and English studies with an emphasis in book history, as well as a bachelor’s degree in public relations, graduating cum laude from Illinois State University.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads