A Bird in the Hand
Series – Love Down Under
Genre – contemporary romance
Tropes – opposites attract, road trip romance
Author - Cynthia Terelst
Release Date – 10 February 2022
ISBN: 978-0-6487294-4-0
Blurb
She yearns for the past. He wants a better future. Can they learn to love the present together?
When thirty-something Makayla’s long-term boyfriend breaks it off, she is left broken hearted. Her best friends seize the opportunity and book a bus tour up the west coast of Australia. They hope distance will give her perspective, but she can’t see past what she’s lost.
Tyler needs a break from work and seeks something more fulfilling, even if he has no idea what that is. When his mates plan the trip of a lifetime he decides to tag along. He’s sure it will get him out of his rut, and in turn, help him set a course for his future.
No one is prepared for the planning mishap that finds Makayla and Tyler sharing a room. They are opposites in just about every way and are definitely not interested in each other. Add a fouled mouthed cockatoo to the equation and the perfect trip is not so perfect. Or is it?
**This is a standalone romance with medium heat**
Excerpt
The four of us were ready to leave camp. Rosanna and Mak each had a towel and book ready to hit the beach to read. I was disappointed Mak wasn’t joining us. As we walked past them, I paused. I leant in to give her a kiss. My lips embraced hers, once, twice, tasting as much as I dared. She tasted good, like bacon and the sweet taste of Makayla.
I wanted her to know that although I was leaving there was a promise of my return and more kissing to come. Could all that be conveyed in one kiss?
“Enjoy your book,” I said as her eyes met mine.
“Thanks.” She gave me a small smile. Her complete attention was on me, like no one else existed. I wanted another kiss but that would be overkill. I walked away. I don’t know what possessed me to kiss her. Sure, I’d kissed plenty of women before. But nothing like that. Nothing meaningful.
The people making the footsteps behind me were silent. I knew each of them would have something to say but not one of them uttered a word. Not until we hopped into the four-wheel drive.
“What was that?” Manny asked from the front seat.
“What was what?”
“Don’t be difficult. That kiss.”
Nicki who sat next to me turned her face to mine, as did Harrison beside her.
“It was a kiss. No big deal.”
“Since when do you and Mak kiss?” Nicki stared at me like she was trying to decipher unexpected results from an experiment.
“Since we decided it was a fun thing to do.”
“In all the years I’ve known you, I have never seen you kiss someone like that,” Harrison said.
“Time to try something new.”
Nicki sat back and stared straight ahead. She clutched her hands in her lap. Then she looked at me again. “I hope you’re not playing her. Mak spent ten years with the wrong person. I don’t want to see her hurt because you think she’s a good experiment, or just something frivolous and fun.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“What did you mean then?”
“Mak’s different to anyone I’ve ever met.”
“We’re all different to anyone you’ve ever met.”
Jeez she was a hard task master. I thought she was all for this with the way she and Rosanna acted. Maybe they were all for it until there was risk of Makayla getting hurt. A kiss wasn’t a promise of forever or even ten years. We weren’t putting our hearts out there, just our lips. Of course, it was just our lips…
I needed to show Nicki what I meant about Makayla being different.
“She can be so distant one moment, stubborn to a fault. And then she loses control. Something comes out and I see a glimpse of the person hiding beneath.” Were these words actually coming out of me? I sounded love struck…but I was nothing of the sort.
Buy Link
https://books2read.com/u/bWG2XG
Message from the Author
A Bird in the Hand was a fun book to write. Along with my characters, I visited parts of Western Australia I have never been to and others I have explored before. Even though I visited them nearly twenty years ago, they still hold a place in my heart.
From the start, we could see the differences between Makayla and Tyler, even if they were subtle. I enjoyed watching them change over time, where their attitude changed from ‘no way’ to ‘this could be a thing’. It was their bravery and their patience with each other that allowed that to happen.
The cockatoo in the story, with a most unfortunate name, was based on a pet cockatoo when I was a child, Old Bugger. I also asked people to share their cockatoo stories with me and formed this foul-mouthed character. Cockatoos are very smart and CM’s colourful vocabulary certainly showed that.
I like to bring awareness to social issues in my novels. This time, I chose inequality and diversity. I only touch on these in the novel, but I hope it opens my minds of readers and perhaps begin important conversations.
Author Bio
Cynthia Terelst is a document controls manager by day and a writer by night. She is a contemporary romance writer who likes to share a little bit of history, some Australian scenery and a whole lotta love. Cynthia does not shy away from difficult topics, as she feels that they should not be ignored.
She lives in Queensland, Australia, where the sun shines at least 283 days a year.
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