#Giveaway Excerpt LOVE BY CHANCE by Kacy Cross Ends 12.31

Today we have the blog tour for Kacy Cross’s LOVE BY CHANCE! Check it out and be sure to grab your own copy today!

Title: Love By Chance

Author: Kacy Cross

Genre: Contemporary Romance

About Love By Chance:

She thinks meeting him must’ve been fate. It wasn’t.

Claire, a pastry chef struggling to make her restaurant succeed, is too busy to pursue romance. That doesn’t stop her loving but meddling mother, Helen, from setting her up on dates. Even after Helen promises to stop her matchmaking efforts, she can’t help herself. She convinces Eric, a pediatrician, to meet Claire at a gallery event.

Eric and Claire feel an immediate connection, and their meeting becomes a magical first date. But the longer Eric and Claire see each other, the less comfortable Eric feels about hiding the fact that Claire’s mom set them up. Meanwhile, Claire loves to talk about how she trusts Eric, and how they met by chance. How will she react to the truth?

This witty, sweet romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Claire’s Coconut Lime Tarts.

 

EXCERPT

Love By Chance
Kacy Cross
The genteel gallery crowd wandered
through the maze of stark-white walls viewing
the artwork, their conversation muted and indiscernible. Claire didn’t have to hear their comments about
the paintings. Th e only thing she cared about was
whether they liked her desserts, and judging by the
low inventory on every tray, they did.
Th e gallery director, a high-strung woman by the
name of Brenda Chang, jetted over, her straight dark
hair swinging wildly. She surveyed the table as if trying to gauge whether there were enough to last—and
there were, thank you, because the caterer knew how
to do her job—then nodded at Claire.
“I wish the event was as big a hit as your desserts.
I’ll gain fi ve pounds if I don’t watch myself,” Brenda
said.
Claire smiled at the compliment. “Well, I’m glad
you like them. I also have a restaurant downto—”
“Hold that thought.”
Brenda darted after one of the patrons, an elderly
lady encrusted with diamonds. Too bad Brenda hadn’t
motioned the woman in this direction. Claire’s bakery
could use a wealthy fan or two.
She glanced past Brenda, her gaze landing on the
man behind her. A sudden jolt rocked her spine. The
same jolt she’d gotten before, but this time she knew
she recognized him.
Time slid to a stop, and the people, the artwork,
the chatter, all of it, faded as he walked toward her, his
gaze similarly fastened on her. There was practically
music playing in her head. Okay, well, there really was
music piping from the sound system, but somehow he
made it a whole other kind of moment, one full of
magic and fairytale glitter.
“Hi,” he murmured, and his voice…
Oh, yes, his voice was amazing and deep and it
thrilled through her, raising goosebumps in its wake.
“Hi.”
How she got that out around the huge, sudden
lump in her throat, she’d never know.
It’s the guy. The one from Crate and Barrel.
And here he was in the flesh, talking to her and
even better-looking in the low gallery light in a crisp
suit that looked amazing on him. She might have to
find a way to surreptitiously fan herself, because wow.
“So, how’s your night going?” he asked.
“Good.” Fabulous, she wasn’t squeaking out her
answers like a squirrel with stage fright.
He held out a hand. “I’m Eric.”
“Claire.”
She shook his hand, and everything inside her
collided in a mess of destiny, squishy-girl feelings that
only happened when you met someone worth squishing over, and a giddy sense of wonder. Providence had
finally smiled down on her. This was a moment she’d
remember for a long time.
To wrap everything up in a big, solid bow, he
seemed to have come to the fundraiser alone and
didn’t seem to be in any hurry to go elsewhere.
“Are you an art aficionado?” he asked with a
nod toward the wall behind that held a very ugly
Robachaux painting from what appeared to be the
artist’s messy finger-paint period, inexplicably titled
“Eggplant with No Fur.”
“Do I lose points if I say the jury is still out?”
Eric’s smile came slowly but it was worth it, like
waiting for the sun to break out from behind the
clouds. The intensity of it washed over her. She’d
always been a rain girl—had to be, to live in this
town—but all at once, she became a huge fan of Eric’s
warm rays.
“Actually, I’ve been glancing around and I gotta
say…” He leaned in, wafting her with a heavy dose
of masculinity she couldn’t help but react to, and
murmured, “You’re wise to withhold judgement until
you’ve seen all of it. Want to walk around with me
and let’s decide together?”
She couldn’t help it. She shivered. The good kind,
the kind full of anticipation, like when you knew the
wrapped box in front of you held the present you’d
longed for, but you hadn’t opened it yet because wanting it was too much fun.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t a guest. “I can’t. I’m the
caterer, so I’m kind of stuck here. I can circulate with
trays, but my time is limited.”
Which was exactly the way she wanted it. The tiny
ping of disappointment had no place in the middle of
a gig that had bought her and Marco a new oven.
His intense gaze never wavered from hers. “I’ll
wait.”
Really? Like, how long? Until the event was done?
“That might be a while. At least until all of the desserts are gone.”
“Well. That sounds like a challenge.”

 

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About Kacy Cross:

“I write romance novels starring swoon-worthy heroes that you can share with your daughter, the ladies at church, and your grandmother. I live in Texas, where I’m raising two mini-ninjas alongside the love of my life who cooks while I write, which is my definition of a true hero.

Come for the romance, stay for the happily ever after. My books will make you laugh, cry and swoon–cross my heart.”

 

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