THE WARM UPOriginally published in the USA Today Bestselling HOT ON ICE: A Hockey Romance Anthology, this edition contains a bonus chapter!
Subzero. That’s what folks around the league call Constantine Zimin, hockey’s best defenseman. He’s unflappable. Stoic, even. No cracks in all that ice, not until he meets Suji Meriwether. The pediatric nurse has no time for bad-boy jocks who want to use her patients as props. But as soon as they meet, temperatures rise and their defenses fall.
CAMDEN
Sometimes there’s a moment when you know you’ve screwed up. For Camden Skinner, it’s the night a dead pop star walks into his pub.
As one-half of Skin, an agency which specializes in cleaning up behind the ultra-rich and infamous, Cam has gotten used to getting his hands dirty. A little too used to it. After the young singer at the center of a client’s controversy is found dead, Cam decides he’s out. He walks away from Skin in search of a simpler life. Maybe even a shot at redemption.
Redemption arrives in the form of Yara Bujold.
The singer’s meteoric rise to the top surprised no one more than Yara herself. All she ever wanted was to make music. Caught up in the dark underbelly of the industry, Yara is forced to fake her own death. But she can’t hide forever.
Yara tracks down one of the principals at Skin, the very people that helped to tear her down. She’ll force Camden Skinner to make it right, whatever it takes. What she doesn’t expect is remorse from the man that helped to ruin her. And she certainly doesn’t expect to lose herself in him.
Cam finds himself sucked right back into a world he’d hoped never to step foot in again, but he can’t walk away. He has to fix this. Not only for himself, but for her. For Yara. Because she might just be everything he didn’t know he needed. She just might be everything.
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XIO AXELROD is a USA TODAY best-seller and award-winning author of love stories, contemporary romance and (what she likes to call) strange, twisted tales. She also writes erotica and women’s fiction. Xio grew up in the music industry and began recording at a young age. When she isn’t writing stories, she can be found in the studio, writing songs, or performing on international stages (under a different, super-secret name, of courseJ). She lives in Philadelphia with one full-time husband and one part-time cat. We'll be listing your website a bit later.
THE Q&A
ANGI: Country or Rock n Roll?
XIO: Rock n Roll
ANGI: Favorite date night…fancy or at home?
XIO: Mr. X is a homebody, so we usually order takeaway and rent a movie or binge something on Netflix. On the rare occasion he does want to go out, we usually try a new restaurant.
ANGI: Would you put yourself in a Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?
XIO: An action-filled fairy tale. Think Once Upon a Time, lol. I need a little angst before I can enjoy my happy-ever-after.
ANGI: What’s your favorite cartoon character?
XIO: That’s a toss-up between Sebastien the Crab (The Little Mermaid) and Viktor Nikiforov (Yuri On Ice). They’re both hopeless romantics, both problem solvers, and yet at polar opposites of the same spectrum.
ANGI: LOVE THIS !!!
ANGI: Daffy Duck or Donald Duck?
XIO: This will sound strange, but I’ve never watched either, lol. Daffy sounds more fun, though.
ANGI: What’s your favorite thing about your book’s hero?
XIO: I love the way Camden never lost sight of who he was. Even in the midst of his success, it never sat easily on his shoulders. He’s loyal, though, and his love for his brother – his desire not to let him down – had kept him in this dark place for too long. I love his big heart, and the way he defends the people he loves.
ANGI: High Heels or Hiking Boots?
XIO: I’d have to go with the boots, though they’d probably be kitten heels and made for dancing.
ANGI: What’s your favorite movie of all time?
XIO: That’s a tough one. I don’t think I have a single favourite. Sense & Sensibility (with Emma Thompson) is up there, as is The Fifth Element. The Professional. Amelie. Yeah, I can’t pick one.
ANGI: Got a favorite song? What makes it special?
XIO: You’re killing me today, lol. There’s no way I could ever pick a favourite song. I do love the single for Camden, though. It’s called “Stranger”, and it’s one of my favourite songs that I’ve ever written. It talks about accepting yourself, flaws and all. Tells you not to let your mistakes define you, and instead to use them as a learning tool.
ANGI: What’s your perfect day?
XIO: I’d be on the beach, 80 degrees farenheit with a slight breeze, a mojito in one hand and my e-reader in the other. Or a notebook, if I get the urge to write. Music in my ears, Mr. X by my side. That’s perfection.
ANGI: Soup or Salad?
XIO: Salad. I’m kind of addicted to them.
ANGI: Champagne or Soda?
XIO: Champagne, I don’t really drink soda.
ANGI: Geek or Jock?
XIO: Geek, if I had to choose. Intelligence is the sexiest feature a person can have.
ANGI: Favorite inspiration
XIO: I’m constantly inspired by people, music, film, other authors and their works. My current muse inspires me greatly, an actor named Henrik Holm. I’ve adopted his whole family as my own, lol.
ANGI: The most daring thing you’ve ever done… Care to share?
XIO: When I was twenty-two, I sold my guitar, my CDs, and most of my belongings and bought a one-way ticket to the UK. Without telling anyone. That was one of the best years of my life.
ANGI’s GOTTA ASK: Please share a picture of your favorite shoes and tell us why they’re special?
XIO’s GOTTA ANSWER: My Jambu sandals in red. They’re *super* comfortable and oh, so cute. I love them so much, I got a second pair in grey metallic. Mr. X is six-foot-four. I’m five-eight, so they make me feel like less of a hobbit when I’m standing next to him, lol.
UP NEXT for XIO:
CALUM ME MAYBE
The Calum Series, #2
PREVIOUS RELEASES by XIO:
STARLIGHT
Falling Stars, #2
THE CALUM
The Calum Series, #1
FALLING STARS
Falling Stars, #1
XIO is giving away a signed cover card from CAMDEN (signed by Xio & Stuart Reardon)
International giveaway
Get Lost on Facebook @GetLostInAStory #GetLostStories
AND OUR NEW Facebook Group: The Readers’ Spot
XIO WANTS TO KNOW: What makes you fall in love with a hero or heroine?
I do prefer milk chocolate.
ReplyDeleteLove the red shoes.
Thanks! They're so comfy. :)
DeleteI LOVE dark chocolate and we live so far from a candy store but dark honeycomb is my fav they used to sell the honeycomb with no chocolate that was years ago and so so good but now with the dark chocolate so good. What makes me fall in love with a hero or heroine is that they are a good person and have struggled in life. They go out and help someone in need that is what makes me love one or another! ptclayton2@aol.com peggy clayton
ReplyDeleteYes! I agree. When someone can overcome their own struggles, and then help someone else overcome theirs, it's so moving to me. Dark chocolate with honeycomb sounds delicious!
Deletehow they're written
ReplyDeleteIt's hared to choose between the two kinds since I love any kind of chocolate! And what makes me fall in love with a hero is how he treats the people in his life. I'm a goner for a hero who is loyal, protective and would do anything for those he loves.
ReplyDeleteI would love to be in an Once Upon A Time action thriller too! :)
Loyalty is sexy, am I right? When a hero will stand by his partners side no matter what, I am gone gone gone for him. :)
Delete