Blog Tour: Ignite: Melanie Harlow
IGNITE
Melanie Harlow
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Release Date November 22, 2021
My new neighbor is a firefighter--and a scorching hot single dad--but I swear I didn’t set off that smoke alarm on purpose.
(And I was beyond mortified when he rushed in and saw me naked.)
Nothing happened, of course--because I, Winnie MacAllister, romance junkie and owner of a constantly broken heart, have sworn off men for one solid year.
Even protective men with chiseled jaws, bulging biceps, and deep brown eyes that make my breath come faster. Even former SEALs with broad chests and strong hands that make my skin sizzle. Even gorgeous, grumpy guys who have their hands full raising two adorable little girls and claim they don’t believe in love.
Until Dex kisses me one night, and I drop all my defenses.
(Also my underwear.)
He says he’s not gentle, and he’s right. He says I should take the dream job I’m offered in another state, and he’s right. He says he’s too old for me and could never be the man I deserve.
He’s wrong.
Dex and I might be twelve years apart, but the fire between us is the kind that will never burn out.
How can I convince him to give happily-ever-after with me a chance?
His daughters take to Winnie right away. And no matter how he tries to talk himself out of it, he cannot help being attracted to the gorgeous girl next door. And when he finds out she is not looking for love either and is game for a hot fling with him, it seems like a great idea to work it out of their systems and have some uncomplicated fun.
Note from the Author:
This begins a next-gen series with kids from Cloverleigh Farms, Bellamy Creek, and Abelard Vineyards...and I am here for it.
Winnie MacAllister is a twenty-two-year-old, romantic, dreamer, and optimist. She is a people-pleaser and likes to make others happy. But she has not had a good history with choosing the right men to give her heart to. So she has sworn off men for a year and made a bet with her best friend to hold her accountable.
All is fine and good until she spies the hot, built, handsome, new next-door neighbor outside her window. Dex is a thirty-something, divorced, single dad, firefighter, and ex-Navy Seal, who has sworn off relationships forever. He is jaded, foul-mouthed, broody, and closed-off, but totally devoted to his girls.
His daughters take to Winnie right away. And no matter how he tries to talk himself out of it, he cannot help being attracted to the gorgeous girl next door. And when he finds out she is not looking for love either and is game for a hot fling with him, it seems like a great idea to work it out of their systems and have some uncomplicated fun.
But the closer they get, the messier it gets. He has issues and does not feel like he has anything to give to such a young, vivacious woman with a bright future ahead of her. He is so protective that he sometimes pushes her away for both of their protection. And Winnie's soft heart can only take so much of a beating.
Winnie has some choices to make for her own life and Dex will have to figure out if he is okay with letting her move on without him or if he can be brave enough to take a chance on what he was sure he did not want.
Winnie is such a wonderful, caring heroine and mature for her age. Dex is this tough guy that is scared to death of making the wrong choices for himself and his kids. He tries so hard to guard his heart and do what is right for everyone even if he has to sacrifice parts of himself. But I loved these two together even when I wanted to shake sense into them or scream in frustration. Luna and Hallie are totally adorable pixies that are completely entertaining.
This is a smile-inducing, swoony, sexy, heartfelt, grumpy-sunshine, next-door-neighbor, age-gap, single dad, not- supposed-to-be-a-true-love-story. It's about finding the person that seems all wrong but might just be the right one when you least expect it and having to figure out what to do about it. I will admit I teared up a few times with some of the emotional scenes and big sweet gestures. But there were parts that had me laughing too. It also illustrates the importance of family and I loved visiting with old friends and getting to know some of the other offspring. I am looking forward to Ellie's story and hope it is next.
Winnie is such a wonderful, caring heroine and mature for her age. Dex is this tough guy that is scared to death of making the wrong choices for himself and his kids. He tries so hard to guard his heart and do what is right for everyone even if he has to sacrifice parts of himself. But I loved these two together even when I wanted to shake sense into them or scream in frustration. Luna and Hallie are totally adorable pixies that are completely entertaining.
This is a smile-inducing, swoony, sexy, heartfelt, grumpy-sunshine, next-door-neighbor, age-gap, single dad, not- supposed-to-be-a-true-love-story. It's about finding the person that seems all wrong but might just be the right one when you least expect it and having to figure out what to do about it. I will admit I teared up a few times with some of the emotional scenes and big sweet gestures. But there were parts that had me laughing too. It also illustrates the importance of family and I loved visiting with old friends and getting to know some of the other offspring. I am looking forward to Ellie's story and hope it is next.
She looked a little nervous, not that I blamed her, as she held out a small pink box of Band-Aids. “I had these lying around and thought Luna might want them for her knee. Band-Aids sometimes come off in the shower, so . . .”
I reached out and took them from her, noticing she was careful not to let our fingers touch this time. “Thanks.”
“That’s it—I just wanted to—um, okay, have a good night.” She turned to leave, and I probably should have let her.
“Wait a second.”
She faced me again, her expression still wary.
“I’m sorry about that.” I gestured over my shoulder with the pink box. “My ex-wife—the girls’ mom—knows how to get a rise out of me.”
“Oh, that’s okay. It’s none of my business, and I didn’t really hear anything.” It was obvious she’d heard everything.
I nodded slowly. “Well, thanks for the Band-Aids. Luna will appreciate it.”
Her smile was back, along with that stutter in my chest. “Good. Enjoy your night.”
“You too.”
She turned around and went down the steps, cutting across the lawn to her place with that same youthful bounce in her step. Glancing down at the box, I shook my head—of course she had a whole thing of pink princess Band-Aids. I shut the door and trudged up the stairs to get the kids cleaned up.
Hallie went first, after a brief attempt to get me to let her wear socks in the shower. As usual, I refused, explaining again that the entire house had been thoroughly cleaned before we moved in, and I’d been here yesterday to make sure of it.
While she was getting dressed, I made sure Luna washed her hair and used soap, then helped her get dried off. After hanging up their towels, I double-checked that they’d chosen appropriate clothing and was just about to get in my own shower when I heard a series of high-pitched beeps.
“What’s that?” Hallie said, scrunching up her face.
Instantly on high alert, I put my hand up. “Shh.” I heard it again, and recognized it as a smoke detector going off, but not in our house—we were hearing it through the walls. “Stay here.”
I raced out of their room and took the stairs down three at a time, jumping to the bottom with five to go. Barreling out my front door, I ran over to Winnie’s and knocked. The alarm was clearly coming from inside her unit, and when she didn’t answer the door, I made a split-second decision to bust in.
Fortunately, the door wasn’t locked.
I shouldered it open, relieved when I didn’t see or smell smoke right away. Winnie’s townhouse was laid out exactly like mine, and I immediately realized the detector going off was upstairs. Racing up the steps three at a time, I reached the master bedroom doorway just in time to see Winnie climbing onto a suitcase, one hand reaching toward the ceiling to disconnect the unit.
My jaw dropped.
She was totally naked and dripping wet.
One hand was clutching a small towel to her chest that didn’t fucking hide anything . Behind her, steam from her shower billowed from her bathroom, which must have been what set off the alarm—some detectors are that sensitive. Behind me, I heard clamoring on the stairs, and a second later both Hallie and Luna rushed into the bedroom.
Startled, Winnie looked over and saw us. Her eyes went wide as she screamed, lost her footing, and toppled backward off the suitcase. She landed hard on her ass, arms and legs flailing like a rag doll.
Averting my eyes, I strode over and disconnected the unit while she scrambled toward the bathroom on her hands and knees, presumably in search of a bigger towel.
But then she slammed the door . . . and didn’t come out.
The eighty-five decibel alarm had ceased, but the sirens in my head continued.
I looked at the girls. Luna had her hands over her mouth. Hallie’s eyes were wide, and she pointed to the bathroom door. “Winnie was naked,” she whispered. “We saw her bum.”
“Quiet,” I scolded angrily. “You two were supposed to stay at our house. You didn’t follow my orders.”
“But Daddy, we were scared,” Luna said. Her hair was still wet and tangled. “We came to find you.”
“We’ll talk about it later, but when I tell you to stay put, you stay put-especially in an emergency. Understand?”
They nodded.
“Now go back to our house, both of you.”
“But what about Winnie? Is she okay?”
I went over to the bathroom door and knocked, trying not to picture her naked. The shower wasn’t running anymore. “Winnie? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine!”
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine!” she repeated in the same false, bright tone.
A tiny smile inched onto my lips. “Are you sure?”
Note from the Author:
The heroine of IGNITE is one of Mack's three girls from IRRESISTIBLE! While IGNITE is a complete standalone, it's set in the world of Cloverleigh Farms--and savvy readers will recognize some other names too... I've always enjoyed bringing previous characters back for more. It feels like reuniting with old friends! And even though it's not necessary to read ANY prior books to enjoy IGNITE or any of the next generation Cloverleigh romances, if you're like me and you love knowing the history behind characters--or you just love a deep dive--you might like to check out The Frenched Series too! It starts with Mia and Lucas's story, a fan favorite and probably the hottest book I've ever written! (There's a connection in IGNITE...)
Melanie Harlow
USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she's not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like Ted, Lasso, Schitt’s Creek, and Fleabag. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.
Melanie is the author of the BELLAMY CREEK series, the CLOVERLEIGH FARMS series, the ONE & ONLY series, AFTER WE FALL series, the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, and the FRENCHED series. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.
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