On Tour with Prism Book Tours
Welcome to my tour stop for this sweet romance! Check out the excerpt and giveaway below...
Prince of Granola
(Plantation of White Treasure #1)
by L.A. Sartor
by L.A. Sartor
Contemporary Romance
ebook, 229 pages
March 25th 2018
Summary
Cacao – long a symbol of wealth, love, and power – now the center of a powerful rivalry.
The fabled Costa Rican Plantation of White Treasure, source of the rarest form of the cacao bean, is up for sale. Though two fierce competitors have been invited to bid on it, only one can win.
For Drew Hopkins, purchasing the plantation is the perfect solution to escape a life she never wanted.
For Robert Prince, it’s the perfect route to revenge.
Drew, the founder’s daughter and now CEO of HH Chocolate, heads a company whose sales are waning. Robert, CEO of Prince Organics, a man driven by excellence, despises everything and everyone labeled Hopkins.
But it wasn’t always that way.
Will their forced proximity at the lush and exotic plantation rekindle old flames or will it fan the fires of antagonism?
The fabled Costa Rican Plantation of White Treasure, source of the rarest form of the cacao bean, is up for sale. Though two fierce competitors have been invited to bid on it, only one can win.
For Drew Hopkins, purchasing the plantation is the perfect solution to escape a life she never wanted.
For Robert Prince, it’s the perfect route to revenge.
Drew, the founder’s daughter and now CEO of HH Chocolate, heads a company whose sales are waning. Robert, CEO of Prince Organics, a man driven by excellence, despises everything and everyone labeled Hopkins.
But it wasn’t always that way.
Will their forced proximity at the lush and exotic plantation rekindle old flames or will it fan the fires of antagonism?
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Excerpt
Drew followed Isabelle up the stairs onto the porch, and just before entering the hacienda, she glanced back to see the frown still firmly in place on RP’s face—the childhood nickname came too easily. She couldn’t afford to forget the bitterness he felt toward her family and HH Chocolate. Pasting on a slight taunting smile and seeing his scowl deepen, a tiny flame of confidence reignited as she entered the cool interior of the hacienda. She was getting under his skin, too.
She admired how the strong, dark wood beams and pillars from the outside continued indoors and supported the walls and ceilings of white plaster, which were a lovely and cool contrast to the green heat outdoors. Vivid tapestries hung on the walls. Brightly colored pillows thrown haphazardly on the ornately carved wooden furniture and vivid rugs on the light stone floors added warmth to the cool interior.
Isabelle led the way into a bedroom. “This room is yours during your stay. The bathroom is through that door.”
“Thank you.” Drew looked around, realizing that while there seemed to be few personal touches, the room felt feminine.
“Isabelle, is this your room?”
The woman stopped midstep and raised a brow in surprise.
“When I stay at the plantación, yes.”
“You don’t live here?”
“I spend a lot of time at my brother’s side, but living here? No. I have my own life in San Jose.”
Isabelle stood straighter and Drew sensed the woman had just donned a layer of defense, as if she’d revealed something she shouldn’t have.
Quickly replaying the conversation, Drew couldn’t discern a cause for such a reaction. But then the señor also seemed to say too much and then retract it. A puzzle she’d have to think about later.
“Come out to the terraza when you’re ready,” the older woman suggested and left the room.
Unable to wait another minute to shed the sweltering jumpsuit, Drew entered the bathroom, automatically closing the adjoining door.
Adjoining? No way.
She reopened the door a crack, wide enough to glimpse an opened suitcase on the bed. It had to be RP’s.
Her day just got considerably worse.
She admired how the strong, dark wood beams and pillars from the outside continued indoors and supported the walls and ceilings of white plaster, which were a lovely and cool contrast to the green heat outdoors. Vivid tapestries hung on the walls. Brightly colored pillows thrown haphazardly on the ornately carved wooden furniture and vivid rugs on the light stone floors added warmth to the cool interior.
Isabelle led the way into a bedroom. “This room is yours during your stay. The bathroom is through that door.”
“Thank you.” Drew looked around, realizing that while there seemed to be few personal touches, the room felt feminine.
“Isabelle, is this your room?”
The woman stopped midstep and raised a brow in surprise.
“When I stay at the plantación, yes.”
“You don’t live here?”
“I spend a lot of time at my brother’s side, but living here? No. I have my own life in San Jose.”
Isabelle stood straighter and Drew sensed the woman had just donned a layer of defense, as if she’d revealed something she shouldn’t have.
Quickly replaying the conversation, Drew couldn’t discern a cause for such a reaction. But then the señor also seemed to say too much and then retract it. A puzzle she’d have to think about later.
“Come out to the terraza when you’re ready,” the older woman suggested and left the room.
Unable to wait another minute to shed the sweltering jumpsuit, Drew entered the bathroom, automatically closing the adjoining door.
Adjoining? No way.
She reopened the door a crack, wide enough to glimpse an opened suitcase on the bed. It had to be RP’s.
Her day just got considerably worse.
About the Author
I started writing as a child, really. A few things happened on the way to becoming a published author … a junior high school teacher who told me I couldn’t write because I didn’t want to study … urk … grammar. I went to college, moved a few times, came home and found the love of my life (that is another novel worthy story, but for later), and got married.We were super busy with our respective careers, mine a custom jewelry business with my mom, who was also teaching metalsmithing at the time, and my husband a crazy law career. We had two fur babies, Fudge (and briefly her brother Smudge, but sadly he didn’t live very long) and Two. Our cats would sleep with us and when they’d stretch out to their full length, we’d end up sleeping on the edge of the mattress.
I have always been a voracious reader and one night after throwing a particularly bad book at the wall (even putting a small ding in said wall), I realized that I could do better. I told my husband, and he said go for it. I called Mom and she revealed the junior high teacher story and she told I’d been writing all the time up to that point.
That blew me away. I didn’t remember any of it. But I started writing again, nearly the next day, pen and paper, learning, making mistakes, winning contests, nearly getting an agent, becoming disenchanted with the publishing industry and moving away from novel writing to screenwriting, getting a contract for a script and doing really well in screenwriting contests.
But none of that was making me much money. After numerous scary robbery drills I wanted to move away from my bank job (yes, this is many years later and a lot of stuff in between) and write full time for the green stuff.
My husband told me repeatedly that independent publishing was becoming a valid way to publish a novel and people were making big dollars. I didn’t believe him even after he showed me several Wall Street Journal articles. I thought indie meant vanity press.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
I started pursuing this direction seriously, retired from the bank and hit the keyboard, learned a litany of new things and published my first novel. My second book became a bestseller, and while I’m not rolling in dough, I’m absolutely on the right course in my life.
So if you have a dream, pursue it as hard as you can. Life can get in the way, but never give up.
Please come visit me at www.lasartor.com, see my books, some pictures, some screenplays and sign up for my mailing list. I have a gift I’ve specifically created for my new email subscribers. And remember, you can email me at Leslie@LeslieSartor.com.
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Tour Schedule
March 26th:
March 27th:
March 28th:
March 29th:
March 30th:
March 31st: Grand Finale
Tour-Wide Giveaway
- US PRIZE PACK: $25 Amazon Gift Card and book one in the Star Light, Star Bright Series, BE MINE THIS CHRISTMAS NIGHT (winner has choice of print or ebook)
- INT PRIZE PACK: $25 Amazon eGift Card and an ebook of book one in the Star Light, Star Bright Series, BE MINE THIS CHRISTMAS NIGHT
- Ends April 4th
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