Book Tour for Smitten at First Sight by Marie Astor (Promo & GIVEAWAY)

Tragic love stories can sometimes be the best kind of love stories as Marie Astor proves in her newest release, Smitten at First Sight.  Today you'll get a taste of this heartwrenching story along with the chance to win some gorgeous jewelry just for commenting.  So keep reading and comment to win.......

Maggie Robin has been dating the irresistibly good-looking, successful Jeffrey Preston for two years. But when Jeffrey proposes marriage a week after Maggie’s college graduation, she is no longer sure if she wants to marry a workaholic TV producer.

Maggie’s doubts culminate when during a ski trip to British Columbia, she meets Taylor Denton, a handsome, free-spirited big mountain skier who is the complete opposite of Jeffrey. It does not take Maggie long to realize that she has fallen in love with Taylor and she decides to break off her engagement with Jeffrey. But just when she thinks she has found the love of her life, an ill-fated misunderstanding tears Maggie and Taylor apart.
A week later, Maggie is told that Taylor has died in a tragic ski accident; yet, her heart refuses to believe in Taylor’s death. When Maggie returns to Taylor’s native town, she learns that Taylor is indeed alive, but has been seriously injured. Resolved to bring her lover back to life Maggie stands by Taylor’s side, convincing him to embrace life again.

EXCERPT:

Jeffrey got out of the shower - he was feeling much better now. His earlier anger abated, and all he could think of was his powerful desire to kiss Maggie’s lips and run his hands over her body. He wrapped the towel around his waist and headed into the living room where he could see Maggie fussing with her computer. Whatever was she doing? As he approached her, he got his answer – the girl was messing around with her damn photos again. Well, as long as she understood that this nonsense should never go beyond a hobby, he was fine with it. Then Jeffrey saw something on the laptop screen that made him stop dead in his tracks. He had twenty / twenty vision, but he squinted just to make sure as he leaned over Maggie’s shoulder.

“Jeffrey! You scared me…”

“Why would that be?” Jeffrey kept his voice calm. “Is that Taylor’s picture?” He pointed to the image of a skier flying down an almost vertical cliff. The question was rhetorical since Jeffrey already knew the answer, but he liked to play a game of cat and mouse.

“Yes. I took it during our first day here when you went to ski with Charlie. I was on the lift and I saw a skier go down this really steep run, so I thought it’d be a great shot and took the photos. Imagine my surprise when I learned that he was the star of your documentary.”

“It’s a really good shot.” Jeffrey studied Maggie’s face for clues - her expression was that of perfect innocence. However, he still was not convinced, but he’d deal with that later. Right now all he wanted was to erase all thought of that roughneck Taylor from her mind. Jeffrey ran his hands through Maggie’s hair, nuzzling her neck. “How about a little break from photography?” he murmured.

“Jeffrey?”

“Mmm…”

“I was wondering… Do you think I could do some of the photos for the documentary? I could shoot the proofs for the DVD cover - I am not asking for any special treatment – just a fair chance to have my work considered.”

There it was again – the damn nonsense about photography. One compliment from a know-it-all ski bum and his fiancée now thought that she had what it took to do a DVD cover. It did not matter to Jeffrey how good Maggie’s photographs were – he did not want her involved in his work projects. Work and pleasure did not mix - more often than not the combination led to disaster. But he could not just tell that to her outright – he had to be nice about it, come up with some suave sugar coating. “Maggie, I am sorry, but a photographer has already been selected for the cover and for all the promotional photos. I thought you were happy to just keep doing this as a hobby,” Jeffrey added.

“Why? You don’t think I’m good enough to ever become a professional?”

Jeffrey swore he could see her eyes welling up. Jeez, he’d had no idea the girl was this crazy about the whole thing; it was high time to turn on Mr. Sensitive. “Maggie, no, why would you think that? Did I ever say anything like that to you?”

“No, but it’s the only reasonable assumption.”

“Well don’t assume things that aren’t there! I think your photos are great – I just didn’t think you’d want to deal with all the hassle and politics involved. Photography is a highly competitive field, and things often get cutthroat – it’s no walk in the park.” Jeffrey hoped to God his speech was working – he was running out of clichés.

“And you don’t think I have what it takes to make it?”

“Did I ever say anything like that?” Jeffrey willed his facial muscles into what he hoped would pass as a look of sympathy – the conversation was starting to run in circles, and he was close to losing his temper.

“No, you didn’t.”

“So why would you assume something like that? Look, if it makes you feel better, I’ll see if I can get you in on the next project.”

“Okay.” Maggie’s face brightened. “But in the meantime, I’ll try submitting to magazines. I’ve had some publications before – they were all local newspapers, but that’s a start, right?”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Marie Astor is the author of contemporary romance novels Lucky Charm, Smitten at First Sight, This Tangled Thing Called Love, romantic suspense novel, To Catch a Bad Guy, and a short story collection, A Dress in a Window.

If you would like to find out more about Marie’s books, please visit Marie at her website:www.marieastor.com.

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Marie-Astor/e/B004EBDX9Q/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Website: www.marieastor.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marieastorcollection

Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4665230.Marie_Astor

**********GIVEAWAY**********

Marie will be awarding to five randomly drawn commenters at the end of the tour, one of the following five custom-designed jewelry prizes:

Prize 1: Blue quartz three strand necklace with sterling silver clasp

Prize 2: Jade and prehnite necklace

Prize 3: Green aventurine sterling silver earrings

Prize 4: Smoky quartz sterling silver earrings

Prize 5: Rose quartz sterling silver earrings

-To be entered, leave a comment, along with your email addy.

-A winner will be chosen randomly from all comments made throughout the tour, so the more you comment the greater your chances of winning.  A list of all participating blogs can be found here.

-Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM CST on 2/8.