This is my stop during the book blitz for Until Love Finds You by Pamela Aares. This book blitz is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 18 till 24 September. See the tour schedule here.  

 

Until Love Finds You (The Tavonesi series #10)
by Pamela Aares
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age category: Adult
Release Date: September 9, 2017

Pamela Aares’ USA Today bestselling Tavonesi Series continues with another suspenseful, page-turning and heart-warming novel about the healing power of love.

Reclusive tech billionaire Evan Forbes finds himself lost and lonely in the secretive world he’s cloaked around himself. He may have changed the way the world communicates with his innovative, high-tech businesses, but the language of the heart has brought nothing but pain.

When Evan meets the vivacious heiress Coco Tavonesi on a garden tour, she fires a spark of desire he can’t resist. Pretending to be an ordinary computer geek, he conceals his true identity and accepts the thirty-dollar an hour job she offers, tracking down a hacker who’s stolen her prized nature photographs. After years of hiding his famous name and his own incredible wealth behind a disguise, has he met the woman worth revealing himself to? Can he risk his heart?

Coco doesn’t count on falling for the sexy techie, but when she playfully snaps a photo of Evan, his resulting anger triggers fears from her past. What does he have to hide? Is Evan the quirky, sweet geek he seems, or yet another fortune hunter using this chance to get close to her?

When Evan discovers that Coco is being hacked by a high-level genius, he’s determined to bring the criminal down. But the hacker accesses Coco’s photos of Evan and threatens blackmail and violence, and suddenly the secrets Coco and Evan have kept from one another endanger not only the love blooming between them, but their very lives.

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Previous books in the series

Love Bats Last (The Tavonesi Series #1) 
Thrown By Love (The Tavonesi Series #2) 
Fielder’s Choice (The Tavonesi Series #3) 
Love on the Line (The Tavonesi Series #4) 
Aim for Love (The Tavonesi Series #5) 
The Heart of the Game (The Tavonesi Series #6)  
Love in the Vineyard (The Tavonesi Series #7)  
A Very Daring Christmas (The Tavonesi Series #8) 
No Stranger to Love (The Tavonesi Series #9) 

 

Pamela Aares is a USA Today Bestselling, award-winning author of contemporary and historical romance novels. Her contemporary series, The Tavonesi Series, explores the lives, loves, friendships and sizzling romances of the Tavonesi family and their captivating friends.

Her popularity as a romance writer continues to grow with each new book release, so much so, that the Bay area author has drawn comparisons by reviewers to Nora Roberts.

Pamela Aares writes romance books that she loves reading, particularly those that entertain, transport and inspire dreams while captivating and tugging at the heart. She takes her readers on a journey with complex characters in both contemporary and historical settings who are thrown in situations that tempt love, adventure and self-discovery.

Before becoming a romance author, Aares wrote and produced award-winning films including Your Water, Your Life, featuring actress Susan Sarandon and NPR series New Voices, The Powers of the Universe and The Earth’s Imagination.

If not behind her computer, you can probably find her reading a romance novel, hiking the beach or savoring life with friends.

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Coco glanced at her GPS and realized she’d missed the turn to Twin Hill Orchards. She’d been caught up again in her thoughts. Or was it more than that?

She didn’t want to admit that since meeting Evan earlier in the day, she’d felt more than distracted.

He was the strangest combination. Tall and terrifically muscled, he moved with the coiled power of a trained athlete. But his manners and his speech were awkward, as if he’d been born feral and raised by wolves. No, that was too dramatic. She shook her head. She’d sworn that this was the year she’d focus on ratcheting back the drama.

He was a geek, no doubt about that. Except she’d always expected computer geeks to be short guys in Birkenstocks. Showed what she knew.

In any case, he’d fixed the problem with her system, and she was back on track. She was grateful. She had less than two weeks to get the remaining location shots she needed, pull her proposal together, and get it to the publisher. Maybe it had been impulsive to invite Evan to come along on the shoot, but he could hold the bounce card and . . . Well, he fascinated her.

She checked the rearview mirror and then swung a fast U-turn and headed back toward the turnoff she’d missed.

“I would love to have your opinion on the photos I’ve chosen,” she repeated emphatically. “I want this book to be a portal, a way for people who’ve never had their souls touched by nature to find a way in, to become curious, to be inspired to take a step outside—no matter how small—and breathe in the magic.”

Dio. So much for ratcheting back drama. But sometimes there was no way to put a lid on passion. And her photography was her passion. No lid available.

She glanced at Evan. He was frowning at his forearm. Maybe he was one of those geeky guys who didn’t like to be touched. Maybe she’d been spending so much time with half-clothed men doing the shoots for the Inspire fundraising calendar that she’d lost touch with personal space boundaries. Regret flooded her. She made a mental note to keep her hands to herself.

“I’d be honored to have a look at your work,” Evan said.
His tone was even, smooth, sounding almost rehearsed. Conversing with him was like doing a run-thru with one of her friend Samantha’s prototype robots. R2D2 had more emotion in his voice than Evan did. But from the expression in his eyes, she was pretty sure he was sincere. And he would be the perfect person to give her honest feedback. If she could elicit emotion from a guy like Evan, she could touch most anyone’s heart with her book.

“Thank you. I can pay you for your time.” She didn’t want him to lose income because of her.

She peeked at him again. Now he was staring out the window, his cap tilted low over his eyes. The guy clearly needed to experience more of the world beyond computer screens. The orchard outing was a great start.

The trick would be keeping her internal imp in line for the rest of the afternoon. She had a penchant for nudging others past their limits. Or at least encouraging them to stretch their horizons a bit. Her siblings and friends were often at the mercy of her prodding. They’d bristled when she turned to matchmaking, but Adrian wouldn’t be happily married if not for her behind-the-scenes help. Encouraging those she loved to experience more of life was one of her best qualities.

She pulled in next to a beat-up pickup at the back of the barn. In the meadow in the distance, rows of stacked white beehives glinted in the sun. The sun was high, maybe too bright for the shots she’d hoped to get, but she could manage. It was going to be a good day.

“Do you mind carrying my light bounce?” she asked as she unloaded her equipment from the back seat.

“I’d be happy to.” Evan took the silver disk she held out to him.

She was careful not to touch him in the exchange, but she couldn’t refrain from cracking a smile at his formal manners. Yes, keeping her inner imp in check was going to be a challenge.

He twisted the disk, and it snapped open to its full four-foot diameter.

“The hazards of outdoor shooting,” she said. “Here, I’ll close it—”

“No need.”

Before she could take the light bounce from his hands, he twisted it shut.

“You’ve done that before.”

He smiled. “A few times, yes. I like to do portraits of my siblings and their animals. I especially like to photograph animals. A light bounce comes in handy.”

He was handsome when he smiled. She wondered what he’d look like without the beard. Or the faded cap. At least he’d left his sunglasses on the dash of the car and she could see his eyes. The flinty blue of them was a contrast to his dark hair. His long sooty lashes framed them perfectly. And he was staring at her, unblinking.

“Then you’re in luck,” she said, pulling her gaze from his and gathering up her gear. “Naomi has a barnyard full of animals. But mostly we’ll be shooting trees and bees.”

“I like bees.”

Evan looked uncomfortable, as if a flood of words behind his simple statement needed to rush out. Her cousin Teresa stammered when she spoke—Coco had to work at not prompting or finishing her sentences for her. But Evan’s awkwardness was some sort of inner stammer. And just as hard to resist prompting.

“I like bees too,” a velvety voice said from behind them.

They turned to face a woman in short shorts and a nearly transparent lace top.

“I’m Naomi,” the woman said, extending her hand to Evan. “You’re here for the shoot?”

For a moment no one moved. Then Evan took Naomi’s outstretched hand, pumped it once, and released it quickly. “I’m just observing.”

Coco tried to ignore the way the woman was staring at Evan—as though she could lap him up like a bowl of cream. “I’m Coco Tavonesi.” She extended her hand to shake Naomi’s. “Thank you for agreeing to allow me to photograph your farm and orchard. My brother Adrian said this land has been in your family for several generations.”

Naomi’s eyes twinkled with her smile. “Five. And if I have anything to do with it, five more. But I’m still looking for the right man to share all this loveliness with.” She turned to Evan. “You didn’t introduce yourself.”

Naomi’s hungry gaze wasn’t subtle. Clearly Coco wasn’t the only one to notice Evan’s handsome features and hot body. Still, the sizzle of jealousy riddling her was ridiculous. And the bratty voice inside her that wanted to say hands off, I saw him first, surprised her.

“Evan.” He took a big step back, and color rose in a mottled pattern along his neck. He paused as if considering his next word. “Um, Evan Beckett.”

Coco grimaced inwardly on his behalf. And felt protective of her newly minted and shy champion. “Would you mind if we just wandered on our own a bit, Naomi? I’d like to get a sense of the land before deciding where to set up your portrait shoot.”

Naomi didn’t take her eyes off Evan. “No problem. The apples in the back acreage still need thinning. I’ll check back in with you in, say, half an hour?”

The woman practically purred. Evan looked to Coco, then back to Naomi and then to his shoes.

“Sure,” Coco said. “Half an hour would be perfect.”

“It’s lovely down by the stream,” Naomi added. “But be careful; a few of the hives are scattered throughout the property, and the bees have been acting strangely all week.”

She cast a beguiling smile at Evan. “I’ll find you in a bit.”

Naomi turned and glided more than walked away. She sure didn’t look like a farmer. She looked like a mythic goddess who’d gotten her bearings wrong and had landed off target in the orchard. Maybe it was the phase of the moon, but to have two such paradoxical people cross her path in one day? Coco shook her head. The universe seemed determined to deliver drama whether she was conjuring it or not.

“Is something wrong?” Evan asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

For an awkward man who said little, he was perceptive.

“Everything’s fine,” she fibbed, trying to ignore the tug she felt in her belly. “I was just considering the light today. We should find a shaded spot to shoot Naomi’s portrait. You up for a hike?”

He grinned, and heat shot straight to her core.

Now she was the one at a loss for words.

Wow. Anastasia was right; maybe she should call Mr. April or Mr. January. Both men had invited her out. Both were charming, wonderful, handsome men. But while she was grateful to them for volunteering their time and had had fun doing the shoots, she’d felt no spark of attraction with them or any of the others.

She’d spent months auditioning and casting men for the fundraising calendar that would benefit the Inspire shelter for women and children. Countless hours with buff men with charming personalities and bodies to die for. And not one had lit her up enough to make her want to crawl out of the protective shell she’d forged around herself.

But she had the urge to jump out of the shell now.

Wasn’t it just like her to be intrigued by a man who clearly had no clue about romance? Maybe he didn’t even like women; maybe he played for the other side. One thing for sure—he was nearly impossible to read.