Guatemala Paula Loves to Read: Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway: The Starlight Motel by Amy Craig

THE STARLIGHT MOTEL

Amy Craig

Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: August 26, 2024
Page count: 348 pages
ASIN: B0D6P7R7NM

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SYNOPSIS:

Experienced muralist Kada took charge of her family's Palm Springs motel to give her mother time to grieve. As a grant deadline approaches, Kada must convince her mother to manage the motel so she can return to her art. Late in December, Kada encounters a horseman approaching the property. Dane, the reserved son of a local farming family, is a loyal workaholic with limited spare time or experience outside the valley. When lightning startles his horse, he lingers at the motel and stirs up Kada's emotions about leaving the desert oasis. Wary of mixing business with pleasure, she struggles with her attraction. As New Year's Eve approaches, will the cowboy convince her to chart a new course?

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READ AN EXCERPT:

Her skin warmed from the heat of his palms. “I can’t afford to sit around the laundry room and gossip with the guests.”

“Trust me, Kada, I’m not here to gossip.”

“You’re ready to pitch in on odd jobs? You’re such a good neighbor.” She swallowed past the dryness in her throat. She had a three-date rule, but if she never started the first date, did the rule apply? “Thanks for helping with Lucky.”

“Any time.” He tipped up her chin. “Are you sure that’s where you want to stop? You brought me your number and rode out into the desert with me, but now you’re skittish?” 

Her throat felt parched, but she wanted to lean forward and test his intent. Instead, she kicked her feet against the machine’s vibrating drum. “I’m not skittish, but I’m not into quick romps on a washing machine.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I wasn’t suggesting a quick romp.”

She wanted to test the innuendo behind his offer, but the sequence felt out of order. Before she considered kissing the handsome farmer, she needed dinner, candlelight, and time to breathe.

Her body offered a different opinion. Clearing her throat, she hopped off the washing machine, ducked under his arm, and ran her tongue along her teeth. In the tiny room, his skin smelled like fresh lime, warm spices, and a hint of honey, but his shirt held the leathery undertones of a hard day’s work. He looked handsome, and she wanted to taste his kiss, but she needed a different setup. “Or long romps.”

REVIEW:

4 stars!

The storyline alternates between sweet and spicy for a perfect blend of love, romance, and desire.

The Starlight Motel is a wonderful new contemporary romance from the talented pen of author Amy Craig. The storyline alternates between sweet and spicy for a perfect blend of love, romance, and desire. I easily sank into its warm holiday and vacation vibe for a relaxing evening of reading and relaxing with my feet up.

Kada Ritchie is the strong, independent main character who has taken on the responsibility of running her family’s Palm Springs motel after the death of her grandfather. She is constantly pulled in one direction and another, dealing with guest and staff issues. Still, after the lights go out for the night, she turns to her true vocation: creating murals of the surrounding natural environment on the walls of the motel casitas. A trained artist and muralist, Kada has put her career and life on hold to keep the motel going until her grieving mother can step up and take her rightful place at the helm. However, a year has passed, and a grant with a deadline is waiting, and Kada is ready to return to her life in L.A.

While local commercial farmer Dane Palmer can usually be described as the strong, silent type, he can hardly keep his words from tumbling out of his mouth when he is around Kada. He’s smitten, and he can tell she feels the same, but it takes their mutual love for animals and the rescue of an abandoned and very pregnant pitbull in the foothills of the mountains to get their feelings out in the open. The chemistry between these two is off the charts. I enjoyed their back and forth and the tentativeness of their early attraction, which quickly ignited into a passion.

The plot goes from sweet to spicy and back again as they work through their feelings and where their relationship is headed. In addition to the tantalizing storyline, the author develops an enchanting setting in the Coachella Valley for the fun, quirky, but thriving desert motel outside Palm Springs. There are wonderful descriptions of the beauty of the valley, desert, foothills, and nearby mountain ranges that work in brief but enlightening tidbits of information about the flora, fauna, and formation of the natural landscape for color. The pictures that are painted are so vivid you’ll think you’re in the passenger seat of Grandpa’s vintage truck, riding with the windows down and the wind in your hair.

I recommend THE STARLIGHT MOTEL for readers of contemporary romance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Amy Craig lives in Louisiana with her family and a small menagerie of pets. She writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense featuring intelligent heroines. In her spare time, she plays tennis and expands her husband’s honey-do list. Before writing, she worked as an oilfield engineer, project manager, and incompetent waitress. For more information and giveaways, visit www.amy-craig.com or follow her on social media channels.