Release Blitz, Excerpt & Review: Safeguard by Stephanie Rose
Release Date: September 2, 2021
Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs
BLURB
The worst kind of heartache is the kind you can’t walk away from.
Jilted. Living in a glorified closet. The world’s worst bar waitress. I just need to keep a roof over my head and make tuition payments until I can finish graduate school. Then my real life will start. But right now, long nights at the Speakeasy have me burning the candle at both ends and the wax melting all over my fingers.
When a bar manager offers me a job taking care of his adorable five-year-old daughter, it seems like the perfect solution. I get a quiet place to study. Matteo gets a reliable sitter.
There should be no complications. Except that I like my new boss a little too much. His gorgeous dark eyes humble me, and the long talks we share fill me up inside. I can’t possibly fall for him.
But the undeniable pull between us leads to a scorching kiss I can’t ignore or forget, and suddenly I’ve fallen for them both, father and daughter.
And now three hearts are at stake.
EXCERPT
“This was great. Thank you for dinner and for ice cream.” Melanie’s mouth stretched into a tight smile as she reached for her bag.
“You don’t have to go. Stay. I’ll switch the movie to something we both haven’t seen a hundred times.”
“Yes, I do.” Her arms dropped to her sides. “If I stay—” she trailed off when I framed her face.
“If you stay, what are you afraid of?” I ran my thumbs back and forth over her cheekbones. Her full bottom lip quivered as she took in a shaky breath.
“Everything.” She clenched her eyes shut and grabbed my wrists.
“This is probably a bad idea,” I confessed, so close to her lips I could almost taste her.
“The worst,” she agreed with a breathless whisper.
I wasn’t sure who went in first, but before I knew it, my mouth was slanted over hers. I ran my tongue along the seam of her lips, pushing inside her mouth when it opened on a whimper. She looped her arms around my neck, my body shaking against hers as I forced myself to go slow. She felt too good, tasted too good. With Melanie in my arms, all of my control and reason evaporated.
She broke the kiss, both of us panting as I kept my hands on her waist. I studied her face for a reaction. I wanted her so much that my vision was hazy, but I was letting her take the lead.
Melanie pressed her hands against my chest, drifting them down my torso until she hooked her fingers into the belt loops at my waist.
“What do you want, Melanie? Tell me.”
She straightened, flicking her eyes to mine before grabbing the back of my head and pulling me in for a sloppy, mindless kiss. I kept my lips on hers as I backed her against the wall, dragging my lips down her neck and running my tongue along her throat.
I sifted my fingers into her hair, weaving them around a fistful to tilt her head back.
“Look at me,” I whispered.
She met my gaze with hooded eyes and swollen lips, and she never looked more beautiful.
“What I want is you, and I’m sick of denying it.”
4 stars!
We’re back in Vermont at the Speakeasy!
Matteo is a single dad to his 5 year old daughter, Lauren, he’s also the night manager at the Speakeasy Taproom Bar. Before living in Vermont, Matteo was living in New York but he moved wanting to find an easier and happier life for himself and Lauren.
Melanie is a local in town and is studying to become a teacher. Melanie is the new waitress at Speakeasy, however she’s not a very good one. Which is why Matteo hires her to babysit Lauren… thus the nanny and hot dad romance story begins.
Matteo and Melanie are so cute together, so is their little family with Lauren. The attraction bubbles between Matteo and Melanie and we’re waiting for them to finally give in.
Lauren is super fun and hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the things she did.
I loved seeing these three fall into a happy routine together. It was a really sweet read and a good addition to the series.
*ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review*