The Real blog tour!!

Contemporary Romance

Stand Alone

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2DPWCjm

Blurb:

They say it happens when you least expect it.

It did for me.

It started the moment I saw the simple message pop up on my computer screen:

Cameron’s Mac: Hi.

And when I met the eyes of the gorgeous man messaging me from across the coffee shop, I never thought my reply would lead to the most intense, sexual, and passionate relationship of my life.

We both agreed to check our bags at the door and put our future hopes and aspirations on the table.

It worked.

I fell in love with his no holds barred attitude, sexy smirk, and undeniably good heart . . . and for a while we forgot about our baggage. We happily tripped over it to get to the other, neither of us willing to show the contents of our pasts in the off chance it could ruin us.

We built our love on a foundation of gray.

It was life in black and white that threatened to tear us apart.

EXCERPT:

Cameron’s Mac: Hi.

I looked above my laptop and took a deep breath before I accepted his invitation.

Abbie’s Mac: Hi.

Abbie, he’s going to wear your skin! I tried to ignore my inner voice.

Cameron’s Mac: I saw you with the homeless guy.

Abbie’s Mac: Ok?

He took a sip out of his Real Men Love Pomeranians mug and shrugged before he typed.

Cameron’s Mac: So, that was nice of you. Most people in the city just walk on by.

Abbie’s Mac: Oh. Most people do walk past Bennie. But he’s different and I’m not most people.

He lifted a brow and bit his lip.

Cameron’s Mac: I see that. 

Cameron’s Mac: Want to have your next cup with me?

Say yes, say yes! It’s only coffee!

Abbie’s Mac: No, thank you.

You idiot.

His brows drew tight with his frown.

Cameron’s Mac: Sure? How about some breakfast?

My pulse raced with the memory of my last reaction to that type of attention and the consequences, and I answered without another thought.

Abbie’s Mac: No, thanks.

His chuckle was deep and covered me, even across the space between us. He bit his full bottom lip as he typed, his smirk still intact.

Fuck. Me. Damn it, Abbie!

Cameron’s Mac: Well, I guess today is not my day.

Abbie’s Mac: That’s all you’ve got?

I had no clue why I sent that message . . . why I was bothered that he didn’t try harder. Just that fucking smirk. It was sexy as hell.

He read my message and shrugged as he typed.

Cameron’s Mac: You seem to enjoy coffee. I don’t have an agenda. You’re beautiful, I noticed. I wanted to drink coffee with you. You said no. I’m going to scrape up the rest of my pride now and head out.

He closed his laptop and stood while I deflated. Damn it. He was being nice. Since when are guys just . . . nice?

Am I a man hater? Have I become that woman?

I spoke up as he slipped his computer into a worn leather bag.

“I’m sorry,” I offered in quick apology. “I was expecting some horrible line or screwed up proposition. The web, messaging, anything that has to do with technology has been hazardous for me. I’ve seen enough unsolicited dick pics for a lifetime. I was just being cautious.” And that was the truth. But I’d said it aloud in verbal vomit. Did I really say “dick pics” out loud?

He chuckled again as he looked down at me from where he stood, then grinned.

“Today isn’t the right day.” The husky baritone of his voice matched the silky hue of his eyes, which seemed to darken as he looked me over.

“No?” I asked in a whisper as I sized up his six-foot-plus frame and imagined the possibilities.

“No,” he said. “Maybe we can not have coffee again sometime?”

He’d tapped out with a simple ‘no’ from me. He couldn’t have been that interested in the first place.

I couldn’t deny the disappointment welling up in my ovaries.

“Okay.” I lifted the last syllable when he didn’t press further.

Cameron pulled out his wallet and set some money on his table then walked over to mine and did the same.

“At least let me buy your next cup.”

After setting the bills down, he stood over me briefly and I caught his scent—purely masculine. I inhaled as much as I could without being obvious. He didn’t smell like a psycho.

Cameron picked up his man–bag while I pictured running my fingers through his messy, inches thick, dark-brown hair.

Don’t let him leave. Tell him you aren’t that big of a bitch. But that would seem desperate. You aren’t desperate. But you are horny. Omg, are you horny??

As if reading my thoughts, I caught another flash of his teeth and had to bite my cheek to keep my reaction in check.

“I’ll see you.”

“Yeah, see you. And thanks,” I said to his retreating back, an octave louder than necessary. “For the coffee,” I added. Outside the window, Cameron bent and exchanged words with Bennie before sticking some cash in his hand.

Well, Abbie. Guess you’ll just have to wait until the next time you roll out of bed and a beautiful man hits on you. Should happen again, you IDIOT!

Once again, my hesitance had cost me. And I couldn’t help but feel like this time it cost me big.

Sagging into my seat, I continued to stare in his direction, watching those broad shoulders walk out of my life.

MY 5 STAR REVIEW!!

At the beginning of this book- you might ask yourself- "Kate Stewart, if she's not just the author of Drive- who is she really?" 
I'll tell you who she is. 

Kate is dynamic- a firecracker really, never really knowing which direction she will take when she is lit on fire. 

One of my favorite quotes of all time- will be from this book. 
“When did you move in?” I asked. “Too long ago to still have packed boxes. I just wasn’t sure if I was staying here.”
“Really? Why?”
He shrugged. “I just wasn’t sure where I wanted to call home.”
"And now?”
One side of his mouth lifted.
"Now, I’ve got an incentive to stick around.”
"You flatter me.”
"You fucking floor me.”

Why you may ask, is this one of my favorite lines?
It's in the subtleties. 
It's in the shrug, the tug of his mouth, and the witty comeback. 
And floor me, the main characters did.

All the best heroines have strength and tenacity. I believe, to my core, Abbie exudes those things. She doesn't really deny her quirks- and that is what makes her strong. She's beautiful, even on slob day. And she has a witchy way with words.

All the best heroes- are cheesy romantic and alpha in all the best ways. And boy was Cameron the king of both, some would say the king of woo. And every time he typed or spoke- something wonderful would be the result. 

From Wicker Park, to coffee mugs, from Mrs Zingaro to the most epic Halloween costume. Everything mattered to me in this book. 
Goddamn everything. 

"And then he kissed me. His kiss gave both life and death. The end of everything as I knew it and the beginning of a need, a craving for only him."

I felt all of her words deep in my bones, I highlighted so many things-the book is pretty much all yellow passages. One particular part- I highlighted four consecutive pages. 

A small passage from this book really resonated with me-
"I feel like before I met you I was treading water."
And I felt like before I read this book, this year- I was kind of treading water, waiting for a book like this to come along. 

I have to say- out of the 48 books I've read this year, this one takes the top spot. A million stars and all the heart eye emojis. 

Kate- don't you DARE stop writing ever. You have a gift, and it's pretty damn amazing to read your work.
I am honored.

About the Author:

Kate Stewart lives in Charleston, S.C. with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. A native of Dallas, Kate moved to Charleston three weeks after her first visit, dropping her career of 8 years, and declaring it her creative muse. Kate pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense because it's what she loves as a reader. A lover of all things '80s and '90s, especially John Hughes films and rap, she dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity only and does a horrible job of playing the ukulele. Aside from running a mile without collapsing, traveling is the only other must on her bucket list. On occasion, she does very well at vodka.

Contact Kate- Email-authorkatestewart@gmail.com