Featured December Release - Not Just Make Believe by Sandra Sookoo

Sandra Sookoo has a great Desert Breeze release this month, "Not Just Make Believe," so I thought I'd share with you. Enjoy!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Andrea Peterchef is the reluctant new nanny to troublemaking nine-year-old Piper, and even though her first day ends with tomato-soup puke, her outlook improves over a sexy conversation with Piper’s guardian, Max. His voice evokes an image of her perfect man, but he’s a workaholic. Andrea can see Piper craves the love and stability of a family, and she’s determined to do what it takes to make that happen.

Maxwell Gildenthall is a stockbroker haunted by the 9/11 deaths of his girlfriend and his cousin-- Piper’s dad. Deadlines and data define his life -- not baby dolls and Disney videos. When his plus-sized au pair badgers him into spending more time with Piper, he realizes he’s been neglecting the child, and the chance to be near his pretty nanny is a bonus. Away from emotion-numbing work, he’s racked by guilt and pain, which threatens the fragile relationship he has with Andrea. It will take more than a spoonful of sugar to make these problems go down smoothly.


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EXCERPT:
I narrowed my eyes. Show time. I took a deep breath, ignored the scuffmarks on the wonderful floor, and made a mental note to have maintenance down here to de-scuff the area as I headed for the mini devil-incarnate. "Miss Hamilton." I stopped in front of the scooter to prevent any further forward progress on her part. "Piper?"

"Yes." Green eyes squinted up at me, sparkling with frank curiosity and mischief. "Hi, are you Miss…" She fumbled around the last name on my nametag for a few seconds, confusion making tracks about her face as she tried to sound out the word.

"Petercheff. Think of the name Peter followed by the word chef," I offered helpfully.

The morning sunlight reflected off her round, gold rimmed Harry Potter-like glasses and turned her hair into molten fire. If she were smart, she would learn how to harness that exact image for later in life. It would drive men wild. Maybe she would become a movie star. Wouldn't that be something? I could say I knew her before she was famous.

"How about if I call you Miss Pet? The other name is too hard to say."

She grinned, showing off a gaping hole in a rather unfortunate line of teeth that would be begging for braces later in life. Been there, done that.

"I'm Piper, and I turn nine in a month. My uncle's out of town so I guess you'll be watching me." It was a statement. She didn't wait around for a reply. Instead, she sidestepped my blockage of her scooter and started again. "I've had a lot of nannies but they weren't very cool. I don't like boring people." Another statement. "And I don't like nannies."

I rolled my eyes. Great, I'm stuck taking care of the Donald Trump of the nursery set.

*****
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sandra is a writer of romantic fiction. Her portfolio includes historical, contemporary, and paranormal romances, and has recently embarked on writing mysteries. Just like the heroines in her books, she uses sarcastic wit and humor to make people laugh.

After catching the writing bug at the young age of ten, she's gone on to grow her unique writing style. She's an occasional blogger, and has also written a couple of fairy tales (because they're needed in life) and a handful of children's stories (because they're fun) in addition to her romance work.

When not immersed in creating new worlds and funny characters, Sandra likes to read and travel. Her favorite place to spend vacation hours is Walt Disney World. It's the place where dreams are born, and that suits her just fine.

Writing is her ultimate dream job.

Books by Sandra Sookoo at Desert Breeze Publishing:

Winner Takes All - June 2009

Not Just Make Believe - December 2009

The Trouble With Love - February 2010