Release Day and Review
Genre: Steamy Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 14th, 2915
Hosted by:
Book Enthusiast Promotions
He cannot let love get in the way of work.
Undercover
detective Carter Garrett is required to play the role of a
cash-strapped playboy to solve an important case. When Cassie Stephens,
his sister's beautiful friend, starts working in the art gallery owned
by a suspect, his growing feelings for her threaten to blow his cover.
He mustn't let Cassie in on the secret. It could ruin his team's best
chance at catching a group of criminals whose leader could very well be
Cassie's new boss. But when Cassie gets embroiled in the case, his heart
joins in on the action--a dangerous situation he cannot allow to
persist.
Her work places her in his way.
Cassie
Stephens is ecstatic to land a high-paying job with perks anyone would
envy. To her further delight, her new boss has business dealings with
the charming Carter Garrett, her flatmate's hunky brother. Things
between her and Carter heat up with surprising speed. But being aware of
Carter's playboy ways, she orders herself not to dream of a future with
him... until her new boss shares a secret about Carter she wasn't at
all expecting. What was more, her incredibly kind boss insists on
helping her win Carter however way she can...
The Undercover Playboy (Captured by Love, Book 3)
Extract
© Miranda P. Charles
Carter
smiled wryly as he watched the other guests cheer and laugh as Rick and
Lucas kissed their fiancées. Here was a group of friends and family who
enjoyed each other’s company, letting their hair down and revelling in
the celebrations.
It
had been a long time since he’d been to a real, fun party like this
where he’d felt free to relax and be himself—well, up to a certain
extent. With his job as an undercover detective, it wasn’t always
possible to fully open up just because he wanted to.
Melancholy
hit him. He missed times like this. He couldn’t even remember the last
time he’d been to a gathering where people knew who he really was. In
the last couple of years, most of the parties he’d attended had involved
him rubbing shoulders with characters he’d only pretended to be friends
with so he could get what he needed in order to catch criminals.
Fortunately,
he had the time to attend Lexie’s birthday party tonight. He usually
didn’t accept invitations like this when he was in the middle of a case,
but he’d become good friends with Rick. The two of them had bonded
after he’d saved Rick from a gun-wielding perp. Then their friendship
grew from Rick providing information that eventually helped catch a
whole gang of criminals.
And then there was Cassie, his sister’s flatmate.
He
glanced at the brown-haired, brown-eyed woman who, incredibly, had no
idea how beautiful she was. Tonight, she was shining. She had on a new
red dress that she’d said Jade had helped her pick. And she had matching
high heels on, which made her shapely legs look even sexier.
He
knew, though, that she’d prefer to be wearing flats. And from the way
she constantly blinked, she’d also be hoping she had on her comfortable
black-rimmed eyeglasses rather than her contacts. She was pretty without
her glasses, but frankly, he preferred her with them on. They made her
look attractively studious. He had a thing for brainy women.
He
chuckled mirthlessly. If he could, he’d ask Cassie out. Unfortunately,
that was out of the question. All he could allow at this point in time
was the light flirtation they exchanged regularly—the kind that wasn’t
meant to be taken seriously.
Marilyn turned to him and the other three guys and he pulled himself out of his musing.
“See? I bet that one of you would soon end up like those two,” Marilyn said, gesturing to Lucas and Rick.
“Can I ask one of the bachelors a question?” Katrina, one of the single ladies, called out.
“Sure,” Marilyn answered.
“Carter,
I’m so glad that you’re here with us tonight,” Katrina said with a
sultry smile. “I’m curious… how old are you, and what do you do for a
living?”
“Ooh, Katrina’s taking a special interest in Carter,” Marilyn said in a teasing voice, then handed the mic to Carter.
He
took it, hiding a sigh. “I’m thirty, Katrina, and I’m an electrician.
Currently, I also do part-time work as a personal trainer for a friend’s
fitness company,” he answered, flashing a smile. He hoped it covered up
his unease with his answer.
Out
of everyone in this party, only his sister and Rick knew that he was an
undercover detective. And there were several people in this group that
he hated lying to, including Cassie. They’d considered him a friend and
welcomed him with open arms. Unfortunately, the cases he worked on
called for discretion and secrecy. And lies.
He
usually stayed undercover for a lengthy period of time. Twice already,
his life and those of others had been jeopardised because he’d bumped
into acquaintances who’d recognised him and inadvertently blown his
cover. Similar situations had to be avoided as much as possible.
But
expecting each and every single person who knew him to immediately pick
up that he was undercover and play along with it was near impossible.
The best way was to tell people that what he did for a living was his
undercover role. Only family and close friends knew the truth.
His
“part-time” work changed whenever he worked on a different case. But
being an electrician was the constant answer he gave. Fortunately, he
really was qualified as one. His parents owned one of the most
successful electrical services company in Australia.
“So do you see clients in a gym? And do you work with them one-on-one?” Katrina pressed.
“Yes.
And sometimes I see clients at their homes,” he answered. “The personal
trainer gig is only temporary until the guy I’m filling in for comes
back from an overseas holiday.”
Katrina smiled cutely at him, but didn’t have any more questions to ask.
He
breathed a sigh of relief as Marilyn gave the okay for the four of them
to return to their tables. He saw Natasha return to her original seat
next to Erin, giving him back the place beside Cassie.
He
hid a snicker, knowing what his sister was up to. His mum and Natasha
had been conspiring for a while now to find him a date. They believed
that a steady girlfriend was one more person of influence who could
convince him to take extra care while working on his cases. From
Natasha’s recent actions, it was obvious that Cassie was her selected
candidate.
“Mum
would be happy to know that you’re one of four men racing to be the
first to fall into a relationship,” Natasha said as he sat back down.
“Sure,” he said sarcastically.
“Watch out for Katrina,” Rick said, leaning across the table. “She’ll be beating a path to your door in no time.”
“Yeah. She can be pretty intense,” Lucas said conspiratorially. “And I think Vicky’s also eyeing you.”
Carter sighed as he turned to Cassie. “Your fault for telling me to go up there.”
“Why
is it my fault? You’re the hot one,” Cassie replied, before her eyes
widened. “I mean… you know… ’cause you’re the… uh… personal trainer,”
she said weakly, blushing furiously.
He
smothered his grin. It hadn’t escaped his attention that even though
Cassie flirted with him in private, she was shy about it in public. She
wasn’t the type to openly go after a man.
It
was a shame that Cassie seemed intent on not dating while she focused
on her career and studies. Not that it mattered to him, because he
couldn’t date her anyway. In fact, he couldn’t date anyone. He was
supposed to be a loser playboy so he could catch that heartless bitch
who’d shot his best friend Gavin Redford, and had Gavin fighting for his
life.
The Unwilling Executive (Book #1)
Miranda P. Charles is the author of more than a dozen steamy and stirring contemporary romance novels.
She prefers to spend her time in front of her laptop, putting into words the love stories that play in her head. Don't get her started with reading a great book, though, because she has the tendency to not put it down until she gets to the last page.
She does have a life outside of books. Mostly, that consists of bonding with family and friends or going on romantic trips with her awesome husband (who, thankfully, puts up with her hermit-like daily routine). Oh, yeah, there's also the housework. But she really wishes someone else could do that for her so she could get back to her books!
She lives in one of the suburbs in the beautiful city of Sydney, Australia.
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