Master of The Inn
Ella Jade

Blurb

Pleasure Inn… Where all of your fantasies become reality.
Executive chef Elyse Clapton has had it with city life. She’s spent the last few years building her cheating boyfriend’s trendy New York City restaurant into a success. When their relationship ends, so does her desire to be in his kitchen. She flees to a quaint inn she remembers visiting as a child. She gets more than she bargains for when she meets the sexy, reclusive inn keeper.
Handyman Logan Cole inherited Pleasure Inn against his wishes. Ever since he got caught up in a scandal involving another man’s wife, he keeps to himself – finding solace in a bottle. He didn’t realize how lonely he’d become until Elyse shows up on his porch. He’s instantly drawn to her and convinces her to stay at the Bed and Breakfast.
Elyse comes to town looking for a getaway. She never expects to fall for Logan. It doesn’t take her long to believe the inn’s motto. Logan’s dominance in the bedroom makes all of her fantasies a reality.
Book One in the Pleasure Inn Series

Use the following links to purchase!!  Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Allromancebooks.

Excerpt

A light came on in an upstairs window indicating someone was there. Elyse walked up the front steps and tried the handle, but it was locked. Just as she reached for the bell, the door flew open and a large, muscular figure appeared. The old screen door and the absence of lighting in the foyer concealed his face.

“Hi,” Elyse said. “I was driving by and wondered if you had any vacancies.”

“Here?”

“This is an inn, isn’t it?”

“It hasn’t been for over four years.” He turned on the porch light. “I thought everyone in this town knew that.”

His disheveled appearance made her think he wasn’t planning on entertaining visitors. His dark, thick hair looked as if he’d run his fingers through it causing it to stand on end. He hadn’t bothered to button his faded blue jeans or put on a shirt before coming downstairs. Elyse couldn’t help but notice how his well-defined abs disappeared into his waistband.

“I’m sorry.” She moved away from the entrance. “I’m intruding.”

“No.” He stepped out onto the porch in his bare feet. “I just didn’t expect anyone out here at this time of the night.”

“I drove from the city. I thought I might stay the night. I used to come here as a kid.” She looked past his shoulder into the foyer. She saw a fresh stack of wood in the corner and several cans of paint. “Are you renovating?”

“Trying to.” He nodded. “It’s a work in progress.”

She caught a wave of alcohol on his breath.

 “Are you just passing through?”

“I’m not sure. I just needed to get away and I remembered how perfect this place always was.”

“Yeah,” he looked over his shoulder. “Not so much anymore.”

“What happened?”

“My uncle owned the place, but he couldn’t keep up with the maintenance. He and my aunt retired and left it to me. It’s just been sitting vacant since then. It needed a ton of work. I didn’t realize how much until I actually started ripping things out.”

“How long have you been renovating?”

“A little over six months.”

 “Well, thanks for your time. Maybe I’ll visit when you’re finished,” She smiled encouragement, but disappointment filled Elyse’s heart at the thought of not staying there. “Good luck with the renovations.”

When she turned to leave, he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “Wait.”

When she turned, his ice blue eyes held her gaze. The intensity there made her stomach flutter. It should have been a warning sign to run fast and far, but her body responded in other ways. The sensation he created from just one touch coursed through her system, landing straight between her legs.

Oh my…

“For the past few months I’ve been renovating the third floor. If I’m going to live here and run this place, I wanted my rooms to be done first before I started on the rest of the inn. There are two bedrooms up there; both have private bathrooms. You could stay if you want.”

“That’s very nice of you, but—”

“Your room has a lock.”

As if that would keep you out. You have the keys.

“I’m not ready to have guests yet, so I wouldn’t charge you.”

“I couldn’t, but thank you.”

“You drove all this way to Pleasure Inn. There isn’t another place for miles. Spend the night and then you can leave in the morning.”

She wasn’t familiar with the surrounding area and the drive had made her tired. What if she couldn’t find another place to spend the night?

“I don’t blame you for being cautious.” He shrugged. “You do what your gut tells you: but you’re more than welcome to stay here.”

She stared into his deep eyes for a few moments. She’d left the city to get away and forget about the disaster of a relationship with Phillip. She’d done nothing but work for years. She hadn’t been to a restaurant or on a vacation in months. She was too busy cooking for others. Would one night in a beautiful Victorian inn be so bad? How could it be, especially when the inn keeper looked like a goddamned Calvin Klein model?

“I’ll stay on one condition.”

“Sure.”

“You have to tell me your name.”

“Oh.” He ran his fingers through his hair and smiled for the first time since greeting her. “Forgive my manners. I’m Logan Cole.” He extended his hand to her.

“Nice to meet you, Logan,” She said properly as she shook his hand. “I’m Elyse Clapton.”

“Welcome to Pleasure Inn, Ms. Clapton.” He dipped his head as he held the door open for her. “Where all of your fantasies become reality.”

 ***

 Look for the next book in the series, Indulging the Professor due out March 2013.

About Ella

Ella Jade has been writing for as long as she can remember. As a child, she often had a notebook and pen with her, and now as an adult, the laptop is never far. The plots and dialogue have always played out in her head, but she never knew what to do with them. That all changed when she discovered the eBook industry. She started penning novels at a rapid pace and now she can’t be stopped.

Ella resides in New Jersey with her husband and two young boys. When she’s not chasing after her kids, she’s busy writing, attending PTO meetings, kickboxing, and scrapbooking. She hopes you’ll get lost in her words.

She loves connecting with readers. You can find her here…

http://ellajadeauthor.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ella-Jade-Author/186959391390708?ref=hl

GIVEAWAY!

Ella Jade will be giving away ONE DIGITAL COPY OF MASTER OF THE INN throughout the tour.  Click HERE for the contest!  Good luck!

Blurb:

     Uncovering secrets and exposing truth are all in a day’s work for private investigator Sterling Aegar. But when her latest case threatens to reveal her own buried feelings for an old love, Sterling runs for cover.
     A body in the bathtub and pleas from a jilted wife to find her wayward husband mean a welcome break from the usual humdrum cases Sterling and her sister, Lacey, are called to investigate. But when Sterling’s old flame, Detective Ben Kirby, walks into the murder scene, she feels her world spin out of control. Danger from thugs and murderers poses no greater threat than the peril she’d suffer if she lets daredevil Ben get too close.
     Seeing Sterling for the first time in two years is for Ben like drinking in a healing tonic. He could never forget the way it felt to run his hands over her delicious curves or the way she touched his soul. She remains the one person who can make the emptiness in his gut go away. Finding the murderer is his job, but protecting Sterling from seriously dangerous people is his mission.
     As the case unfolds, Sterling and Ben not only solve the murder and locate the missing husband, they confront secrets that set them each free from a painful past.

Excerpt:

Ben stood behind the richly embroidered drapes at the condo’s living room window and
discreetly watched Sterling walk to the car as he shuffled paperwork through his fingers. Her
petite frame, dressed in a slim gray suit, pulled his attention as though he had no control.

That’s the way it was with her. He hadn’t seen her for two years, but all during that time he’d
been unable to will her out of his thoughts for very long. Seeing her up close and feeling her
presence today had stirred up old feelings inside him. After they’d gotten together, the terrible
aloneness he’d grown to live with had vanished. It hadn’t mattered that before she’d come along
he’d had no one, no family, because she’d completely filled the emptiness in his gut. Then when
she left, he’d felt all the more alone for having known but lost her.

Sterling’s straight, chestnut-colored hair had grown longer, brushing gently against her slim
shoulders. He liked it. And the two years apart had worn beautifully on her fine-boned face. She
looked even lovelier than he remembered. In the brief moments he’d stood next to her, he’d
taken in everything: her shapely curves, her intense, blue-green eyes, her sensuously curved lips
the color of a rich Merlot wine.

Ben’s stomach tightened. It had to happen sooner or later, he thought to himself. Even though
Sterling had left his life, it seemed inevitable that they’d run into each other sometime while
working a case. He’d like to think it meant their destinies were intimately intertwined. That even
though their paths might occasionally diverge and meander, they were actually headed in the
same direction. She’d been emphatic at their breakup that there was no future for the two of
them—that they wanted different things in life—but he just didn’t believe it. He believed in
possibilities, and though in the interim he’d given Sterling her space, the hope remained strong in
him that eventually, along the way, they would come together again, perhaps even stronger than
before.

Ben watched Sterling drive away and couldn’t help himself. Was it too much to hope maybe
this time it could be different?

My Review:

This was a good story.  I was intrigued that it involved a private investigator who was working an infidelity case that exploded into so much more.  Sterling is a former cop and private investigator who works with her sister Lacey.  Lacey was widowed two years prior when her husband, Nicholas was killed in the line of duty.

While working the case the sisters discover a body and with that discovery, in walks Ben.  Ben had been engaged to Sterling two years ago and she had left him and the force after her brother in law’s death.  She felt like she couldn’t take the risk of losing him like she had lost Nick and her father.  I found this a little cowardly but I guess everyone handles grief in their own way.

This story took me everywhere in the case.  It involved murder, kidnapping, drug dealers and dirty cops.  I was expecting a twist with the bad guys and Lynn didn’t disappoint.  The only part of the story that I didn’t fully understand was the part with Nick and Lacey.  I liked the love conquers all but I felt like I was missing something.  Ben and Sterling make a strong, passionate couple and I love the fact that Ben continued to love her and even understood the way she thinks.

This is a good romantic suspense and I am anxious to discover more Lynn Crandall gems!

Author Bio:

Lynn Crandall started spinning stories as a child when she tried to entertain her younger sister at night when they were supposed to be going to sleep. In the dark, her stories typically took on a scary or paranormal element — didn’t do much to put them to sleep. Today, she hopes her stories still fail to put readers to sleep, but rather take them on a journey. That’s what she’s been on since she decided to make writing her focus. As a reporter and magazine feature writer, she truly enjoys learning as she works on stories. As a romance writer, she enjoys doing the research and following an evolving story of the characters.

Links:

http://www.lynn-crandall.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16719189-dancing-with-detective-danger

http://www.amazon.com/Lynn-Crandall/e/B00AX9OA40

Twitter:  @lcrandall246

Lynn will be selecting a random commenter from the tour for a 15.00 Amazon or B&N gift card!!  Follow the tour HERE!!