Padme's Library: Release Day: Blind Love by Kishan Paul

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Release Day: Blind Love by Kishan Paul

Title: Blind Love

Author: Kishan Paul

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: June 2, 2015

Summary:
She doesn’t need a hero. But a sexy Marine…that’ll work.
At twenty nine, psychologist Lauren Baxter has a successful counseling practice. Since becoming legally blind at fifteen, her world has been a blurry mess of colors. Her greatest fear is also her ultimate reality. One day that fuzzy realm will forever turn black. Refusing to let blindness define her, she builds a life for herself with her dog, Jack Sparrow, and best friend, Sunny Daye.

Lauren has no tolerance for pity or for Superman swooshing down and rescuing her. She is capable of saving herself just fine. That is until Gabe, the great smelling, former Marine, from Texas moves in next door. Her attraction to him is immediate and, unfortunately for her, mutual.

When Lauren’s ex-husband shows up begging for another chance, she is confused and fragile. She also finds herself in the arms of her secretive neighbor. Little does she realize that her decision for a steamy roll in the hay with Gabe will suck her into his mysterious past, thrust her ex-husband back into her life, put her in the middle of a murder investigation, and place her life in danger.

Gabriel Briggs has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Short term flings are all he can afford for more reasons than one – reasons he never plans to share. Until he moves in next door to the beautiful, green eyed, feisty, Lauren. One night with her and he’s reconsidering promises he made almost a decade ago. When a woman from his past is murdered, his world is turned upside down. Secrets are revealed and innocent lives are threatened. Can Gabe win Lauren’s love and save her life before it’s too late?

***Product Warnings: Contains a blind therapist who doesn’t consider herself impaired; a meddling, erotic-novel-writing best friend; a hot ex-Marine with a shady past; and a loyal guide dog that howls “I love you” and is probably the sanest one of the bunch.***

The banging and Jack’s barking grew louder. Lauren ran her hands through her hair and made her way down the stairs with Sunny close behind.
At the door, her best friend leaned over her and peeked through the blinds.
“Oh Sweet Baby Jesus, who’s that?” she whispered.
Lauren pushed her away and blocked the entrance with her body. “If I could see, I’d tell you.”
“It’s a man. Open the door,” she ordered and tried to pull Lauren’s hand from the knob.
“No! We don’t know who he is,” she hissed.
“Lauren, it’s Gabe.” The way her name sounded in the baritone voice of his had her stomach doing the funny flipping thing again like it did yesterday in the backyard.
“Yes, Lauren, it’s Gabe,” Sunny imitated. “Now open the fucking door.”
“Hi, Gabe. Everything okay?” she asked, her voice huskier than she’d like.
“I heard screams. I tried calling a couple times and when you didn’t answer, thought I’d come over and check things out.”
“The neighbor with the power tools?” Sunny hissed. “The man is eye candy beautiful.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s not a rapist or serial killer,” Lauren hissed back.

Boney arms wrapped tight around her waist, lifting off the ground and planting her a few feet away from the entrance. Disoriented, Lauren was still figuring out which direction she was facing when the door rattled and opened.
“Hey,” Sunny said in her most seductive tone. After rolling her eyes, Lauren walked toward her friend’s voice.
“Hi,” Gabe cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, I was looking for Lauren.”
“I’m right here.”
“Sorry to bother you two. Like I said, I heard screaming…”
“So sorry; we were having a disagreement,” she answered before Sunny got a chance to give her interpretation of events.
“I’m Sunny.” Her voice sounded deep and breathy. Lauren cringed and resisted the urge to hit her.
“Hi, Sunny, I’m Gabe.”
“Nice to meet you, neighbor with the power tools.”
“Anyway, we’re fine. Thanks for checking.” Lauren reached over to shut the door but Sunny wouldn’t let it go.
“How sweet. Did you hear, Cat? He came here to see if you needed to be saved.” Since when did she start speaking with a Southern accent?
“I don’t need to be saved,” she muttered.
“That’s all relative now isn’t it, sweetheart? Why don’t you come in, Gabe? I just made some fresh coffee.”
“I’d love some. But if you don’t mind, let me go put some clothes on and I’ll be right back.”
A few seconds after he disappeared, Sunny blew out a breath and closed the door. “Honey, I do mind if you put on more clothes.”
“What’s wrong with you? You can’t let strangers into my home,” Lauren growled.
“Rule number one: When a man who looks like him walks up in nothing but hard muscles and a thin pair of boxers, you invite him in. Rule number two: Keep rocking those low-cut tank tops and short biker shorts, ’cause he couldn’t keep his eyes off you.”

What Others are Saying:

“I absolutely fell in love with this story and quite honestly didn't want to put it down or for it to end.” - Bobbi of Bobbi’s Blog

“Lauren is both strong and vulnerable, and much the same could be said for Gabe. You have two people battling their own personal demons, lots of emotional baggage and an undeniable (and strong) mutual attraction that keeps pulling them together…Humorous banter, believable chemistry and a strong cast of supporting characters are just some of the things that make this book difficult to put down.” - Nessie Strange author of Living Dead World series

“I love, love, loved this story. I am a huge fan of contemporary romance, and this was perfect. One minute I was crying, the next laughing…The story is very well written, the characters are well developed,…a must read for any romance lover. There is a little suspense, and you'll want to keep some tissues near-by…Fans of Susan Mallery, Robyn Carr, Jennifer Bernard, and Jill Shalvis will love this novel.” - Nicole of Books and Pearls.com

What do you do when you need inspiration?
It’s funny you ask that. I’m actually in that “I need inspiration” stage right now. For me, it’s books and movies, the more emotional it is the better. Music has that effect on me too. Sometimes it’s just the simple act of driving down a road with no one to talk to and no good music to listen to.

What else do you do other than writing? Other jobs or hobbies?
In my other world, I’m a therapist in private practice and have been for about fifteen years. I love working with emotions and helping people heal. It’s probably why I loved working on this story and writing about Lauren and Gabe’s pain so much. I’m also a mom to two amazing little monsters and have been married for over seventeen years to a man who knows to just shake his head and walk away.

What comes next?
I have another story, The Second Wife, with a publisher right now. I’m waiting to hear back from them. It’s actually my first work and totally different than any of the stories I’ve written since then. It’s about a therapist who gets kidnapped by her client. Regardless of how it gets published, I can’t wait for the world to read Ally’s story.

Right now, I’m working on making my novella, Taking the Plunge, into a full novel. Eve and Pete are hilarious. I’m hoping to be done with that by the Fall this year.

What are you reading now or what books do you have in your TBR pile?
My TBR list is soo long, I wouldn’t even know where to begin. But if I had to pick two authors from that list, they would be Jill Shalvis and Colleen Hoover. I love their stuff.

Which three famous people would you like to invite for dinner?
Since you didn’t say dead or alive, I’d pick Robin Williams for his humor, Maya Angelou for her wisdom, and Channing Tatum for his… dancing.

Author Bio:
From daring escapes by tough women to chivalrous men swooping in to save the day, the creativity switch to Kishan Paul’s brain is always in the “on” position. If daydreaming stories were a college course, Kish would have graduated with honors.

Mother of two beautiful children, she has been married to her best friend for over seventeen years. With the help of supportive family and friends, she balances her family, a thriving counseling practice, and writing without sinking into insanity.

Her novella, Taking the Plunge, is currently available in the Love Least Expected Anthology on Amazon.