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$25 #Giveaway House of Diamonds by Amber Jakeman @AmberJakeman @XpressoTours Ends 2.25

February 13, 2021 By Mary



House of Diamonds
Amber Jakeman
(House of Jewels, #1)
Publication date: February 10th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

A heartwarming, emotionally satisfying contemporary Australian romance with an international flavour, by Amber Jakeman

A fresh start. An instant enemy. But Stella is determined.

Sparkles fly when former office manager Stella Rhees, 30, flees a failed affair with her old boss, Damian. Determined to run her own show, she pursues her dream of creating and selling her own jewellery.

The problem? She’s opened her jaunty stall directly outside the famous Huntleys House of Jewels at the very moment handsome James Huntley the Third, 33, asks her to move so he can stage a publicity stunt. Feisty Stella won’t budge.

Despite a mutual physical attraction, Stella and James become instant enemies, their rivalry fanned by a social media war.

While Huntleys appears prosperous, it’s facing bankruptcy, and James’s mother and playboy brother are squandering the family fortune overseas.

James finds Stella and her fresh ideas irresistible, and she becomes the catalyst for him to change Huntleys’ path of self-destruction. He offers her a job, but how can she accept when she’s vowed to never fall into the old trap of falling in love with the boss?

For Stella and James to find their Happily Ever After, each must overcome personal demons, take risks and learn to trust the other. In this delightful first book of the House of Jewels series, will this dazzling couple ever work out how to put a Huntley engagement ring to its proper purpose?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

What? Move? Why would she move? She’d only just finished setting up. It had taken her months to prepare, and so much time just that morning, arranging her earrings and bracelets. What on earth could he mean?

“… just for a short time, thank you,” he said.

Her hackles rose. However handsome he might be, with that sun-kissed brown hair, and that way of smiling just on one side, as if life was a bit of joke as long as he was in control, he had no right to push her around.

“Actually, Mr …”

“Huntley. James Huntley.” He tipped his head back a little, indicating his connection with the three-storey building behind him, and she turned and read the ornate sign. Huntleys House of Diamonds.

Stella sighed. She didn’t reconfigure her whole life, resigning and moving here from Perth on the other side of the country, only to fall into the trap of obeying the next handsome man. No. She’d been there and done that. For too long. She’d been totally, pathetically, at the mercy of her boss Damian’s demands.

Obeying handsome men was a bad habit she’d finally kicked, hadn’t she?

This new Stella was strong and independent, she reminded herself. Stella now worked for herself, trusted only herself and obeyed only herself. She would no longer be told what to do by men who assumed she’d comply. So, whatever this man wanted, and however attractive he might be – and he was, quite attractive, every bit as good-looking as Damian, his hair more fair, and with a bit of a wave at the front, and those eyes – intense – she knew she had every right to stand her ground. And she would.

He waited expectantly, but she was only just ready to trade. With customers gathering, she needed to sell, sell, sell – and not waste another moment. Her license to trade wasn’t a give away. It would take her months to pay back the loan she’d taken out to pay for it.

He lifted one hand up toward the side of her stack of display trays, as if to test his strength against its weight, to simply push her stall away. She could swear she saw his healthy bicep flex beneath that high quality pale grey woollen fabric.

How dare he! The flame of defiance inside her flashed fire. No. She would not be shoved away.

“Stella Rhys, Mr Huntley,” she answered, keeping her voice low and controlled, and extending her own hand to be shaken. His was smooth, the hand of a businessman, as cool as her own. It was a fine handshake, pleasant even.

Her mother would have fun reading this palm, she thought, smiling. It was a mistake. He must have interpreted her smile as acquiescence. Nodding and smiling in return, he held her hand just a moment longer than necessary.

“Thanks, so much, Stella. These stalls… There was nothing here for months, and suddenly you appear! Today of all days. It’s so good of you to move. Just for an hour or so.” He gave her the full blue gaze again and smiled.

For a moment Stella weakened, but she remembered the advice of Fritz, ther nearest stallholder, who’d welcomed her to the mall only that morning.

“I’ve been here nearly thirty years, young lady,” Fritz had said. “Seen a thing or two in my time. Seen stalls come and seen them go. Can be tough out here on the mall. Don’t you let anyone push you around.”

Stella knew the terms of her licence. Thursday to Saturday, 11am to 7pm. Right here. So she lifted her sunglasses and fired back a dose of her own dark eyes – bright, quick and determined.

“Actually, James,” she began, amiably enough, with a hint of steel. She gestured at the small crowd gathering to admire her unusual brooches, rings, earrings and pendants, all laid out so temptingly in the bright sunshine. Her excitement ratcheted up a notch. Behind James, two older women, sisters perhaps, were pulling out their purses. Her first customers! It was James who needed to move, so she could trade.

“Look. This is my business, James – ‘Stellar,’” she continued, polite yet firm, her voice steady. “And I’m not moving it. Not at all. I don’t mean to be unreasonable; nothing personal; but as I see it, the Huntleys property boundary begins at the edge of your doorway. The mall here is public space, and this patch is mine.”

Author Bio:

Partial to sunsets, picnics and poetry, feel-good fiction writer Amber Jakeman was a journalist, ghost writer and editor before succumbing to her addiction to uplifting endings.

She writes from her tiny apartment on the edge of Sydney Harbour, creating wholesome historical and contemporary romance with an international flavour.

When not writing, Amber enjoys time with family and friends, sailing with her husband, travel, walking and savouring other writers’ creations.

Amber Jakeman acknowledges Australia’s first storytellers and offers respect to Aboriginal people past and present and to their descendants.

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Comments

  1. Jamie Martin says

    February 13, 2021 at 9:56 pm

    What advice do you have for new writers?

  2. kim hansen says

    February 14, 2021 at 3:52 am

    Enjoyed the excerpt. Love the cover.

  3. Nancy says

    February 14, 2021 at 5:19 am

    I like the attractive cover of this book. It is very engaging!

  4. Rita Wray says

    February 14, 2021 at 6:35 am

    Sounds like a good read.

  5. Ellen Stafford says

    February 14, 2021 at 6:59 am

    I love the bright cover! Thanks for sharing!

  6. wendy hutton says

    February 14, 2021 at 8:12 am

    love the cover

  7. Cathy French says

    February 14, 2021 at 8:28 am

    I like this cute cover and enjoyed reading the excerpt.

  8. Susan Smith says

    February 14, 2021 at 8:38 am

    Sounds like a great book. I like the cover.

  9. Marcy Meyer says

    February 14, 2021 at 10:37 am

    The cover looks very cute. Thanks for sharing.

  10. Joy Avery says

    February 14, 2021 at 11:20 am

    It definitely has my attention.

  11. heather says

    February 14, 2021 at 12:01 pm

    This sounds like a fun read and I like the cover too.

  12. heather says

    February 14, 2021 at 12:01 pm

    I follow bookhounds.net on email

  13. heather says

    February 14, 2021 at 12:03 pm

    I follow on instagram as @oldblueeyes070

  14. shelly peterson says

    February 14, 2021 at 1:01 pm

    This is a cute cover.

  15. Juana Esparza says

    February 14, 2021 at 1:04 pm

    I liked the excerpt, and the book cover.

  16. Kelly Ballenger says

    February 14, 2021 at 2:34 pm

    I love the cover! This sounds like a wonderful contemporary romance that I could get lost in. Congratulations on this release.

  17. Tina R says

    February 14, 2021 at 3:33 pm

    This sounds like a good read.

  18. Latifa Morrisette says

    February 14, 2021 at 6:06 pm

    Sounds like a good read.

  19. Linda Fast says

    February 14, 2021 at 6:44 pm

    The cover is really cute. Is the cover your idea or do you give an artist free range to come up with his/her own ideas.

  20. David Hollingsworth says

    February 14, 2021 at 8:50 pm

    What inspired you to write the story?

  21. Karen H says

    February 14, 2021 at 9:29 pm

    Sounds like a fun story. Love the cover too.

  22. Maria Malaveci says

    February 15, 2021 at 6:09 am

    Sounds like a wonderful read!

  23. Debbie P says

    February 15, 2021 at 6:13 am

    This book sounds great!

  24. Andrea Engelhardt says

    February 15, 2021 at 5:37 pm

    A good month for reading

  25. Patricia Barraclough says

    February 15, 2021 at 7:03 pm

    Two strong willed people not wanting to give in to each other makes for a good story. It will be interesting to see how this confrontation/relationship plays out. Best wishes for a successful release.

  26. Bonnie says

    February 15, 2021 at 7:35 pm

    Congrats on the new release! Great excerpt. I’d love to read more.

  27. Leela says

    February 16, 2021 at 2:55 am

    It looks like a good read.

  28. Cali W. says

    February 16, 2021 at 2:30 pm

    Great excerpt and cover. 🙂

  29. teresa kunberger says

    February 16, 2021 at 2:47 pm

    Love the colors on the cover, a book i want to read for sure

  30. linda harrison says

    February 17, 2021 at 2:21 pm

    The story of Stella and James sounds interesting. Will they make it?

  31. Angela Saver says

    February 20, 2021 at 9:25 pm

    Very cute cover and it sounds like a good romance!

  32. Kimberly R says

    February 21, 2021 at 6:33 am

    The cover art is so cute.

  33. Amber Terry says

    February 21, 2021 at 9:03 am

    I love the Australian setting and that cover is so cute 🙂

  34. BILL HOFF says

    February 24, 2021 at 6:28 pm

    My daughter would enjoy this book

  35. Amy Green says

    February 24, 2021 at 7:56 pm

    Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by Australia. This great, new read shines bright and will make you feel like romance royalty!

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