Date of publication: July 2013
Darcy Trent is lucky Cooper Hudson is on hand to sweep her off her feet—literally—when she nearly drowns while swimming in the ocean. But life-saving aside, Mr. Perfect's timing stinks: Darcy's career is about to take her to the complete opposite side of the Atlantic. Still, a little summer loving with the tall, blond and sexy former cop is far too tempting to pass up.
When his plans to enter the Secret Service went south thanks to a bum knee, Coop retreated to the family beach house to mull his future. Romance is the last thing on his mind, until he fishes a curvy brunette out of the sea. Now, spending time in Darcy's arms seems like the ideal distraction, even if it is just for a week.
My thoughts:
Love at High Tide is a fun book to read. Not only is there a steamy romance, there are fun characters and an exciting mystery. I love Darcy and Cooper. Who wouldn't want to be rescued from the ocean by a hunky cop? From the first, their attraction was strong. Little did Cooper know he was going to get dragged into a romance as well as a prostitution ring. Both characters are on vacation to try to figure things out about themselves. Darcy is trying to decide if she want to take a job in Africa and Cooper is trying to figure out what his next step is after injuries leave him without a career path. Sometimes all it takes is meeting the right person to be able to put your life in perspective.
The peripheral characters rounded out the story nicely. Trina's quest to become a private investigator gets her and Darcy into a sticky situation. It also leads to some very amusing scenes. I hope Trina shows up in a future book. I would also love to see if Brad can get over his broken heart and find love again. The book is a great one to take while relaxing on t he beach. Definitely check it out!
Kari& Autumn: What inspired you to become a writer?
Christi: A deep
and abiding love of books. Any moment
spent thinking about books is sheer joy, so why not write them? It was never an intended career choice – more
that I simply couldn’t stop writing.
I began writing very early.
Spent the summer I was 13 knocking out 60 pages of what must’ve been a
truly horrible historical romance. I was
a bookworm, and wasn’t allowed to watch much television, so writing gave me
something to do over vacation. Then I discovered I couldn’t stop – the ideas just kept swirling
around in my head. Five years ago I
finally mustered the motivation to finish my book, and now I’m writing my eleventh.
Kari& Autumn: Where do you come up with the ideas for your books?
Christi: Every
time I go someplace on vacation, I’m struck by inspiration for a new book. I think soaking up the different atmosphere
just kicks my brain into overdrive.
For the past 11 years, we’ve spent a week every summer at Ocean City, MD. One of the oddities we noticed was that the workers at the grocery store, ice cream store and all the waiters had thick Eastern European accents. As did many of the 20-somethings strolling by. Soon we discovered that there was a work-program set up with several Eastern bloc countries, and that they provide much of the seasonal help in Ocean City. I think my jaw literally dropped. Chimes went off in my head as if I’d won the lottery. Well, come on! If that isn’t a situation made for a writer to tweak, I don’t know what is. And Love at High Tide is the result.
Kari& Autumn:What exciting projects are waiting in the wings?
Christi: Lots upcoming! In August, Planning for Love releases nationwide in print – very exciting! Then
book 3 in the Aisle Bound series, Friends
to Lovers, releases in October, with book 4 following in early 2014.
Sandwiched in between is my Christmas novella out the 1st week in
December, Tinsel My Heart. Whew!
Kari& Autumn: Who is your favorite literary character and why?
Christi: Mia
from Meg Cabot’s The Princess Diaries. She lives every little girl’s dream of
being plucked from obscurity and nerdiness (not that there’s anything wrong
with that – made me the woman I am today!) to revel in girly tiaras and
frocks…and yet still be strong and smart enough to rule a country.
Kari& Autumn:Just for fun, if you could be any animal, what would
it be and why?
Christi: I’d be a koala, because they are cute and cuddly and get to eat
all day.
Enjoy this book excerpt!
“Thanks
for the rescue. If you hadn’t grabbed me, I’d still be doing somersaults
underwater. In my book, that qualifies you for hero status.”
An
unreadable emotion flickered across his eyes so fast she almost missed it. In a
low mutter, he said, “Don’t call me a hero.” He hit the hard-packed sand at the
edge of the water and stopped walking.
Modest,
heroic and gorgeous. And it didn’t take even a fraction of her eight years of
training in cultural anthropology to figure out he was attracted to her. They’d
long since hit land, and yet he made no move to put her down. Not that she was
complaining. She’d happily continue to sit cradled in his arms. It gave her an
up-close view of his chiseled cheekbones, sharp enough to etch glass. Her
fingers brushed through the salt-spiked tips of his blond hair. No doubt about
it: she’d found the man candy Trina had promised. One bite of him would be as
sinful and addictive as a chocolate honey truffle.
“Well, I
can’t call you Mr. In-The-Right-Place-At-The-Right-Time.” When his lips curled
up showing off his dimple, Darcy’s interest kicked up a notch.
“Good
point. I’m Cooper Hudson. Coop, to my friends.”
“Darcy
Trent.”
“It’s been
a long time since I met an ocean virgin.”
“Oh, but only in the aquatic sense, I assure
you.” What? Why wave her long-vanished virginity under his nose? Now he
probably thought she had the morals of an alley cat. But hearing the hottest
man she’d ever seen use the word virgin
threw her for a loop. Not the standard nice-to-meet-you conversation, by a long
shot.
He flashed
an easy smile. “Don’t worry. I hadn’t planned on delivering you as a virgin
sacrifice to appease the volcano gods over at the mini-golf course.”
Okay, now
Darcy could add funny to the list of his overwhelming awesomeness. Maybe she
really had blacked out and was hallucinating her ideal man while unconscious,
underwater. What else could explain such perfection?
“Darcy,
what happened?” Trina’s yell preceded her appearance in front of them. After a
quick yank upward to her scrap of a top, she rested her hand on Darcy’s leg.
“Why’s he carrying you? Did you get stung in the foot by a jellyfish? ’Cause if
you did, I’ll pee on it. That’ll take the sting away.”
That
certainly settled the whole am-I-hallucinating question. Never, ever would
Darcy fantasize about her best friend peeing on her. The situation had to be
real. And if Trina in all her adorable annoyingness was real, then her hot hero
hunk had to be real, too.
To her
dismay, Cooper lowered her to the ground.
“Your
friend’s fine,” Cooper announced. “A wave almost rolled her, so she’s a little
shaken up, but uninjured.”
“You keep
your distance,” Darcy warned with a hand raised to keep Trina at arm’s length.
“Don’t even think about peeing on me. Not even if I get attacked by an entire
school of jellyfish.”
Trina
wrinkled her nose. “Okay, but if the situation arises, just remember that I
would be willing to make that sacrifice.”
“Friendship
is a beautiful thing.” Cooper’s sardonic tone belied the sincerity of his
expression.
About the author:
Christi
Barth earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career
on the stage. A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love
of books and now writes contemporary romance. Christi is President
of the Maryland Romance Writers and lives in Maryland with her husband.
Purchase at: Amazon Barnes &
Noble Carina Press
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