My Fair Lacey & A Perfect Fit by Janette Rallison
"My Fair Lacey" is the story of Lacey, who has dreamed of opening a restaurant for years - but first she needs a loan. When Garrett Halifax, her roommate's Harvard-educated brother, offers to help her clean up her appearance and manner to impress the bank manager, she jumps at the chance - but will she be able to keep up appearances without falling for the sexy Garrett?
In "A Perfect Fit" Rallison Jojo Halifax believes that winning Echo Ridge's float competition is just what her fledgling art career needs. And if that means giving her ex-boyfriend, Anthony, a second chance so she can be a designer on his team, well, she's willing to make the sacrifice. But when a lost bet leads to a blind date with her brother's friend, Wyatt, she begins to have second thoughts about second chances. Wyatt is handsome and charming and just might have been paid to make her forget about Anthony. Is falling for his charm worth the risk or should she take Anthony back again?
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Samples from My Fair Lacey
Lacey’s second week of practice went about the same as the first had, and the third wasn’t much better. Her boss didn’t appreciate it when he overheard a customer asking how the lasagna was and she answered, “Ignominious.”
Ignominious, it turned out, was a word her boss knew.
She read more Dickens along with Wuthering Heights, and Frankenstein. When she went to Garrett’s house for her next lesson, he led her into the living room and asked, “What did you think of this week’s literature?”
“I never knew British dudes had so many problems.” She plopped down onto his couch. “They all seemed like they had such boring lives.”
He laughed and she couldn’t keep herself from staring at him. He looked good when he laughed. He seemed relaxed, touchable, and . . .well, there was probably some hyped up word with lots of syllables that smart people used to describe a guy when he looked that way, but she hadn’t learned it yet.
He gave her a twenty-minute lesson on verb tenses, then spent another twenty minutes quizzing her on it. “Which is correct: They is meeting you later or they are meeting you later?”
“Neither. I don’t have time to meet anyone. I sold my soul to Garrett Halifax.”
“Correct,” he said, and there was a pleased glint in his eye.
*****
Lacey pressed her lips together and tried again. “Couldn’t you find some authors who write more entertainingly?”
Garrett didn’t answer because he was typing instructions into his laptop. He had a list of grammar rules that he kept adding to when she made a mistake. She was supposed to go over his list every day.
She glared at his bent head. Why did he always have to act like a teacher? Had he even given her parted lips the briefest of thoughts?
He turned his attention back to her. “Do you want a romance?”
Her breath hitched in her lungs. Was he really asking her this question so casually, and right after he’d written down a grammar rule for her? He wasn’t looking at her with any sort of passion, just bland interest.
She shifted in her chair. “Um. Maybe. I’m not sure.” She took a deep breath, and tried to think of a better way to phrase her feelings.
He didn’t wait for her to say more. His gaze dropped to the notebook in front of him. “All right, I’ll give you a few Jane Austen novels to read. A lot of women are partial to her works.”
Oh. He had asked her if she wanted to read a romance, not have a romance with him. A stab of disappointment went through her. One that was unexpectedly strong. She bit her lip, swallowed and hoped she wasn’t blushing. No use. She was definitely blushing. Heat rose in her neck and cheeks. She just had to hope he didn’t notice.
He tapped his pencil against the table absently. “I know classics aren’t as easy to read as modern novels, but you’re not only listening to these books because of their complex sentence structure and higher vocabulary; you also need to have a basic cultural understanding. When someone mentions Homer’s Odyssey at a dinner party, you need to know that they’re talking about an ancient Greek story, not a rock group. Do you see my point?”
“Yeah. Your point is that you go to a lot of boring dinner parties.”
***
“You’re not listening to me,” Lacey said. “You never do.”
“Nonsense,” Garrett handed her a second tissue. “I do nothing but listen to you.”
“You do nothing but correct me. There’s a difference.”
“I only comment on how you say the words because that’s my job.” He tilted his head, giving her a considering look. “Do you know what you need?”
“Yeah. An MBA and a bunch of assets.”
“A shoulder massage. You’re way too tense.” He put his hands on her back and shifted her so that she faced away from him, then he slipped off the coat and began massaging her shoulders. His fingers pressed into her skin, working across her sore muscles. “You’re not going to quit,” he told her. “Because you’re not a quitter, and your dream deserves more. Also, you signed a contract.”
***
Lacey glanced over her shoulder at him. “I was only mentioning that Tatum was interested in you in case you didn’t realize it. I mean, those sorts of details seem to slip by you.”
“No, they don’t.” His fingers caressed the muscles at the bottom of her neck, making her sigh at the touch.
“Yes, they do,” she said. “Apparently there are a few things they didn’t teach you in college.”
His voice came nearer her ear. “I know Tatum is interested in me. I’m just not interested in her.”
Good. “Why not?”
“She’s not my type.”
“What, your type isn’t successful, beautiful, educated women?” She glanced at him in an attempt to read his expression. He was so close to her. This felt intimate, but it wasn’t really. This moment was like the time he took hold of her hand and she thought it meant something.
“She’s not all that interesting,” he said.
“Your type is interesting women?” Lacey couldn’t even begin to guess what sort of thing he considered interesting. Maybe women who traveled the world or fought crime. She faced forward again and his fingers worked their way across her skin in lazy circles.
“Interesting and unaffected,” he said.
Unaffected by what? It was obviously one of those words that had more than one meaning. “Hand me my phone so I can use the dictionary app.”
“No,” he said. “I’m busy helping you relax.” His finger kneaded the muscles at the base of her neck. It sent a chill of pleasure through her. “I’m going to keep this up until you’re no longer discouraged.”
“Okay,” she said. “You’re really good at massages, so I might be discouraged for a while.”
He laughed and his face came closer to her ear. “And that’s another thing. My type is women who make me laugh.”
I always always love Rallison's stories and characters and this was no exception. I look forward to reading the book over and over again! --Kathy at Bookworm Nation
Janette always hits it out of the park with fun character voices, hilarious situations, and delightful romance. This is another great addition to her collection of books that I'd recommend anyone read and enjoy! --Five Star Review
Such a great read! It had many laugh out loud parts and I don’t use lol lightlyl. --A Reader
Author Janette Rallison
USA Today, bestselling author, Janette Rallison/ CJ Hill writes books because writing is much more fun than cleaning bathrooms. Her avoidance of housework has led her to writing 28 novels that have sold over 1,000,000 print copies and have been on many reading and state lists. Her books are fantasy, sci-fi, and romantic comedy because hey, there is enough angst in real life, but there’s a drastic shortage of humor, romance and hot guys who fight dragons. She lives in Chandler, Arizona with her husband, kids, and enough cats to classify her as eccentric.
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Ends 7/9/18
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