Cover Re-Reveal
Text Appeal
by
Lexi Ryan
 |
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Original Release Date: June 2012
|
Note from Lexi
Almost three years ago, I was working full time as an English professor and learning how much a one- and five-year-old could keep me on my toes. I knew my life was full and that I was a lucky duck who had all she ever needed (and most of what she wanted), but I just couldn’t let go of this dream of “making it” as a writer. I had a couple books published with a small press but my low sales numbers were never going to help me to become a full-time writer, and that was my dream.
Despite my insane to-do list and already full plate, I decided to dive into self-publishing. Text Appeal was my first self-published novel and it was originally released in June of 2012. It was the first big step in a journey that truly changed my life.
Although I loved the original hot guy cover, it was time to give the book a fresh look that better matches my brand. I love this cover so much and the book even more. Who can resist a bad boy poker player who’s determined to get his girl?
~ Synopsis ~
Charlie 'The Devil' Singleton is the face of
professional poker. Notorious for playing cards and women, Charlie's ready to
change his ways, and the surprisingly sexy texts he's getting from Riley are
making him bet everything...on her.
Riley Carter is nothing like the hotel heiresses
who make the news. A girl who's determined to run her father's hotel empire
can't share many traits with women who fill the gossip rags. But 'The Devil'
has a way of tempting even the best behaved girls.
When Riley discovers the naughty messages on her
cell have been coming from Charlie, not her would-be fiancé, she falls into a
hot affair with the last man she expected. But consorting with the notorious
bad boy puts her hard-won reputation on the line. Is Charlie worth more to her
than a little TEXT APPEAL?
~ Excerpt ~
They were in the elevator. And it was moving. They
were in a small, moving elevator. They were in a very small, moving elevator
and she didn’t know how long they’d been here and how much longer it would
take. Had they stalled?
Charlie cleared his throat and loosened her grip on
his jacket. “Not that I’m complaining about having you this close to me,” he
whispered, his breath hot against her ear. “In fact, I could get used to it.”
She was glued to him, she realized vaguely, but she
couldn’t contemplate moving. Not until those doors opened.
“It’s just, Riley, baby, if you’re going to have your
body this close to mine, I want you to be looking desperately at me, not a pair
of elevator doors. Do you have any idea what that does to a guy’s ego?”
She frowned. “I’m not worried about your ego,” she
muttered.
“Hey.” He was stroking her back, soft circles between
her shoulder blades. “You’re shaking.”
“I prefer the stairs,” she whispered.
“Close your eyes.”
She shook her head, staring at the doors. Like Charlie
had promised, the elevator was glass, and that relieved a little of her
claustrophobia. If they got stuck, people would be able to see they were
inside. They’d be okay. Someone would come help them.
The elevator’s second ding signaled their arrival, and
the doors slid open to the famous bustling kitchen of the French restaurant
she’d always been curious about but never visited.
The maître d’ smiled. “Reservations?”
“Singleton,” Charlie said. And just like that, they
were being led out of that death trap of an elevator and to their table.
When the concierge pulled out a chair for her, Riley
gasped at the view. Their seats were right next to the floor-to-ceiling windows
overlooking the eleven-story-high view of the fountains at the Bellagio.
“Will the heights bother you?” Charlie asked in a
whisper.
She shook her head and slid into her chair, angling it
strategically so she wouldn’t miss a second of the vision outside the window.
“It’s beautiful.”
The concierge placed a leather-bound menu before her.
She opened it and gaped. Quick mental calculations told her a basic meal here
could more than pay for her next shopping spree at Fredrick’s. When she looked
up, Charlie was studying her.
“You’re doing it again,” she said, feeling her cheeks
warm.
“Doing what?” Charlie asked, eyeing her over his menu.
Flames of heat licked higher in her cheeks. She wished
she was one of those women with a cute flush, but hers pinkened her whole face.
She leaned forward and lowered her voice to a whisper. “You’re looking at me
like I’m the sprinkles on a brownie sundae.”
His gaze dropped to her mouth, then the little of her
body not hidden behind the table. Though she was covered by a black,
high-necked number she’d chosen for modesty, the heat in his eyes made her feel
exposed. His focus shifted back to her mouth before he said, “Sweetheart,
you’re the whole damn sundae, and I am more than ready for dessert.”
~ What people have said
about Text Appeal ~
From Barnes & Noble’s LOVE ROCKS Indie Review column: “Text Appeal is smart, sexy, filled with great writing and
memorable dialogue, and features characters you won't easily forget.”
From InD’Tale Magazine: “Readers will find themselves cheering for Riley and Charlie
both. Lexi Ryan writes her dialogue with wit, humor, a bit of sarcasm, and
throws in some wonderful chemistry!”
Designated “A True Gem” by Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews.
“With some elevator rides that will make you blush, and a kink for lingerie
that will have you running for the closest corset, “Text Appeal” will have you
smiling and blushing from beginning to end.”
~ About the Author ~
New York Times and USA Today bestselling
romance author Lexi Ryan’s novels have been described as intense, emotional,
and wickedly sexy. A former college professor, she now writes full-time from
her home in Indiana, where she lives with her husband, two children, and a
neurotic dog. Find her on Facebook or Twitter to chat about books, TV, and her
children’s latest antics.
~
Connect with Lexi ~
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