Please welcome back author Soraya Lane She was last on our blog with her book, The Navy Seal's Bride. Today, she is promoting her novella, The Navy Seal's Promise. Check out an excerpt after my review.
Author: Soraya Lane
Publisher: Self
Date of publication: September 2012
With only 48 hours back on home soil for Christmas, United
States Army Corporal Saskia Cullen is desperate to spend every minute with her
young son. So when heavy snowfall closes JFK airport and she misses her
connecting flight to Buffalo, she’s devastated. Until Navy SEAL Luke Gray
offers to keep her company… and then personally escorts her home.
Luke is back in the US on leave, waiting to hear the details
of his next mission, and Saskia proves to be a pleasant distraction. And when
he hears that she needs to get home to see her son, he’s prepared to do
anything to help the sexy single mom. Trouble is, he hadn't planned on falling
for anyone, let alone a beautiful soldier about to return overseas.
My Take:
Soraya Lane is back with a new story for this holiday season. Saskia and Luke are both home on leave, but a snow storm has stranded them in the airport. Saskia is desperate to get home to her son for Christmas. Navy Seal's Promise is a short novella. That was my only complaint. It was too short! I wanted more of Saskia and Luke together. I felt like I had a good sense of their back story, but I wanted to see more of what happened after their deployments and reunion. Right from the start, the attraction is strong. I loved how Luke did everything in his power to get Saskia home to her son. Talk about a great guy! If you are looking for a steamy, yet sweet read filled with the promise of a HEA, pick this one up!
Here is a little taste for you to enjoy!
“Luke?”
He
raised his eyebrows but didn't look at her again, the snowflakes suddenly
falling with more insistence on the windscreen, making it hard for him to see.
“Shit,
hold on.”
She did
as she was told, obeying Luke’s command. “How the hell can you see through
that?” she asked.
He
grimaced. She could see a tightness in his face that hadn't been there before.
“I
can’t, but I need to find somewhere safe to pull over.”
Her
heart dropped. They weren't even half way there and the storm was coming in so
bad she was starting to think they could be snowed in for the rest of the day.
Or worse.
Luke
had slowed the vehicle to a crawl, but now they’d come to a dead stop. He
opened his door and jumped out before she could protest, disappearing into the
whiteout without a jacket on, before reappearing and leaping back into the
truck.
“Luke
you must be frozen.” She unbuckled herself and reached out to him, hand
hovering before closing over his arm.
Luke
stayed still, his body no longer shivering like it had been when he’d stepped
back in. She hesitated, stayed still, wondering if she’d done something wrong.
“I
don’t think we’ll be going anywhere for a while,” Luke told her, his voice
husky and low, turning away only to flick the hazard lights on.
Saskia
swallowed then nodded. “Okay.”
They
both stayed still, staring at one another. Until Luke reached out a hand, broke
the silence and stillness and reached for her, his palm cupping her cheek. “I
will get you home, Saskia. No matter what happens, I promise.”
She
gulped again, not able to break their gaze, staring into the depths of Luke’s
dark chocolate eyes like a spider trapped in its own web. Saskia didn't answer
him, just slowly nodded. He still hadn't moved his hand, and it was no longer
cool, warming up from its connection with her skin.
It
seemed like she wasn't breathing, like she couldn't have breathed if she tried,
as if there wasn't enough oxygen to even make it possible. Until Luke moved
closer to her, his mouth hovering over hers, and suddenly all she could do was
suck back short, silent bursts of air.
“Saskia…”
As he murmured she leaned closer, couldn't help herself.
But it
was Luke who kissed her. His lips grazed hers so gently, so carefully, that she
thought she’d imagined it. She reached her hands up, cupped his face with one,
mirrored his action, and clutched at his shoulder with the other. A shiver
licked its way down her spine, made her lean closer into him, and Luke didn't need any further encouragement.
“Hey,”
he suddenly said, pulling back slightly and looking down at her.
Saskia
knew she was blushing – her face was burning. “Hey,” she whispered back.
They
stared at one another again, like they had before. Not saying a word, but
Saskia’s mind was racing. Was she actually doing this? Making out with a guy
she’d known for less than 24 hours, and ready to rip her clothes off it meant
staying close to him?
“We
might be stuck here for awhile,” he said, voice low as he glanced out the
window. They were surrounded by white. “Maybe quite a while.”
Luke
cleared his throat, but Saskia didn't miss what he was trying to hide. His eyes
flickered past her, only for a second, but not fast enough for her not to keep
up.
She
glanced over her shoulder, made certain there was nothing else there, that he
was actually thinking what she was. That he was struggling to look at her for
the same reasons she was struggling to look at him.
Luke’s
eyes said it all. They were inquisitive, mesmerizing… hungry. And her fingers
were itching to touch his face again, her lips tingling, ready to be covered
with his.
She was
having that problem with not enough air again. Because she wasn't this kind of
girl. She’d never had a one-night stand, never done anything reckless with a
man before, never done anything risqué in her personal life. Not ever.
Screw
it.
About the Author:
As a child, Soraya dreamed of becoming an author. Fast
forward more than a few years, and Soraya is now living her dream! Working as a
freelance writer and now a professional author too, she writes every day and
loves her job. Soraya describes being an author as "the best career in the
world", and she hopes to be writing romance for many years to come.
Soraya loves spending her days thinking up characters for
books, and her home is a constant source of inspiration. She lives with her own
real life hero and son on a small farm in New Zealand, surrounded by animals
and with an office overlooking a field where their horses graze.
For
more information about Soraya, her books and her writing life, visit
www.sorayalane.com or follow her on twitter @Soraya_Lane. She would love to
hear from you.
