“I love you too. And you just did.”
For my daughters. My love for you is beyond words.
Acknowledgments
They say it tales a village to raise a child. Sometimes it takes an army to write a book. It would be impossible for me to express my thanks to all those who helped me in the eighteen months it took to get this story out. The ones who read and reread and reread, and those near and far who gave me a shoulder to cry on. Those authors who shared their own struggles of pushing through when their personal life was going to hell and those I idealize and squeal over who confided in me about the times they, too, considered quitting. The one who told me every day I could do it and also the one who told me she wouldn’t think less of me if I gave up. To my steadfast readers, aka “The Crew,” who assured me they would eagerly wait no matter how long it took, and to my mother, who loves me dearly, and finally stopped asking daily, Is it finished yet? To my agent, Emily Sylvan Kim, who is a constant rainbow even on the rainiest of days, and to my editor, Sue Grimshaw, who I nominate for sainthood because she has that much patience. To my husband and children, who lived with a person on the edge for too many days and did so with style.
My entire village, this book is for you.
BY CLAUDIA CONNOR
The McKinney Brothers
Worth the Fall
Worth the Risk
Worth It All
PHOTO: ASHTON DRAKE
New York Times bestselling author CLAUDIA CONNOR attended Auburn University, where she received her undergraduate and master’s degrees in early childhood education, and completed her studies in Sawbridgeworth, England. Always a lover of happy endings, she enjoys movies, reading, and spending her days pouring out the stories that fill her head. She lives near Memphis, Tennessee, with her husband and three daughters.
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The Editor’s Corner
April is a promise of spring and Loveswept romance is here to warm things up.
L. P. Dover continues her edgy, emotionally gripping Second Chances series with the story of a beautiful widow who can’t resist a chiseled NFL player in Catching Summer. The Society of Gentlemen series from K. J. Charles continues with the sizzling A Gentleman’s Position. For a new series, ladies, meet Micah, a man who takes what he wants—until he meets the one woman he needs in Stacey Kennedy’s Bound Beneath His Pain. An epic love affair steals the show in Stina Lindenblatt’s This One Moment. Annie Rains continues her small-town Hero’s Welcome series with a cowboy turned marine in Welcome Home, Cowboy. Gillian Archer is hot on the trend of MC romance, introducing her True Brothers series with Ruthless. And MC Sons of Odin returns with Violetta Rand’s irresistible novel about a sexy-as-sin biker who tempts a good girl to go bad, Possession.
Off the Hook from USA Today bestselling author Laura Drewry is the first in her Fishing for Trouble series featuring three unforgettable brothers—each of whom is a great catch. Then the swoon-worthy McKinney Brothers series from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Connor continues with J.T. in Worth It All. USA Today bestselling author Alexis Morgan kicks off her new Sergeant Joe’s Boys series with Always for You: Jack, where a foster son learns about love and life in record time. And the new Fireside series tells a story of an old love reunited in His to Love from new Loveswept author, Stacey Lynn. USA Today bestselling writing duo M. J. Fields and Chelsea Camaron are back with the Caldwell brothers in Jagger, which is not only full of swagger and sensuality but also packs an emotional punch as the last bachelor standing fights for a woman who’s worth every ounce of trouble. And yet another Aces Hockey romance from Kelly Jamieson releases this month featuring pro hockey hunk Duncan in Icing. There’s also something naughty for you from New York Times bestselling author Jen McLaughlin in Lust Is the Thorn where a soon-to-be ordained priest has to decide who he loves more. Then prepare yourself for razor-sharp suspense from New York Times bestselling author Patricia Rosemoor with His Deception. Two words for you: secret bodyguard. And for fans of the hit TV show Empire, Lisa Marie Perry’s Sin for Me kicks off the sizzling Devil’s Music series.
Friend Loveswept and let the romance begin!
Until next month—Happy Romance!
Gina Wachtel
Associate Publisher
Read on for an excerpt from
Blown Away
by Brenda Rothert
Available from Loveswept
Chapter 1
Drew
I rubbed my fingertips in circular motions on Mrs. Landon’s scalp, my gaze fixed on the TV mounted in the corner of To Dye For, the salon I worked at.
“This is so relaxing. I could just fall asleep right here,” Mrs. Landon said. “And that shampoo smells heavenly. Is that peppermint?”