A Beautiful Struggle
by Lilliana
Anderson
Genre(s):
Contemporary Romance
Publisher:
Self/Indie
Release Date: January 1, 2013
Heat Level: Steamy
Word Count: 64,000
Buy Links
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/268557
Blurb
Katrina Mahoney has a very full life
attending university to study a law degree, training for triathlons and now she
is working part time as well. She couldn’t possibly find time for a
relationship, especially after her last one ended so catastrophically.
Right now she is content focusing on
work, study and training while hanging out with her best friend David Taylor, a
womaniser with a heart of gold that would do anything for Katrina – except
watch her get hurt again.
That is, until the dashing Elliot
Roberts, a junior solicitor from her work, shows an interest in her despite
their office’s ‘No Dating’ policy.
Katrina struggles with following her
heart or following her mind and has trouble seeing where her heart truly lies.
Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it
contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language which may be considered
offensive to some readers.
Reviews
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/473146148
Excerpt (Chapter One)
Priya led me
down the corridor and into an open area, where a group of PA desks were
clustered, surrounded by window offices. She came to a stop outside a small
windowed office right next to the Partner’s, and tapped on the door before
opening it. A man in his early 20s looked up from his work revealing the most
vivid blue eyes I had ever seen. My breath caught a little as I drank him in.
Even through his dress shirt I could see how well muscled he was, his face
showing that smattering of stubble I loved on a man. I don’t know how else to
describe him except to say that he was beautiful; those blue eyes, that full
mouth, his light golden-brown hair and those broad shoulders! I felt myself
swoon a little but came back to reality when I noticed him arch one of those
perfect eyebrows of his at us in question.
“Sorry to
interrupt Elliot but I just wanted to introduce you to our new librarian Kat,”
Priya said.
“Um, Katrina,” I
said, hating having my name shortened to that of a furry animal.
“Sorry –
Katrina,” Priya corrected with a slight eye roll.
Elliot didn’t
speak at first; he just sat there studying me.
My cheeks
flushed involuntarily and the discomfort of being stared at caused me to start
nervously looking around the room, out of the door; anywhere but at him.
My apparent
unease seemed to make him realise he was staring. He quickly cleared his throat
and said, “Hello Katrina.” His voice was as beautiful as the rest of him, it
had a deep rumble to it that sent chills up my spine.
I was trying
desperately to be cool, so he didn’t notice my immediate attraction. A guy like
this must have women swooning all over him, and I wasn’t going to let myself be
one of them – despite his hotness. I had met guys like him before, and it never
ended well.
Despite my
efforts, I didn’t manage much more than a tight smile, a small nod and a, “Hi,
um, uh, Elliot.” You sound like an idiot! my mind told me. There was a silence
after that; nobody said a word and this awkwardness enveloped us like a thick
woollen blanket while we all tried not to make eye contact.
I felt like I
needed to say something to break the silence, “Ah…I didn’t think a junior would
get a window office,” I observed, regretting the comment the moment it left my
mouth.
Elliot looked
over his shoulder at the window behind him and shrugged, “Every solicitor gets
one. It comes with the office. Mine is a very small one though.” His blue eyes
met mine but revealed no emotion. I could imagine that he must have thought I
was a complete ditz! I could feel the heat as it rose in my cheeks while moths
of embarrassment churned through my stomach.
Priya raised her
eyebrows at the exchange, smiled and commented, “Well; this was fun.” She
ushered me out of his office as she told Elliot, “Just thought you should meet
Katrina so you knew what she is doing leaving things on your desk. Enjoy your
day Elliot,” she gently closed his door and led me back towards the library.
“So, your bright-red face tells me you noticed he’s a bit of spunk huh?” she
said quietly to me when we were far enough away. I tried to act nonchalant and
just shrugged my shoulders a little. “Don’t get any ideas though, all the girls
are after him but he doesn’t show interest in any of them. There’s a strict no
dating policy here and he adheres to it; there’s a list of junior solicitors a
mile long wanting to work here and I really don’t think he is going to risk his
job.”
“Fair enough,” I
said, mentally kicking myself for feeling a little disappointed.
(Guest Post by the Author)
Hi all! My name is Lilliana Anderson,
author of ‘A Beautiful Struggle’ and I’m really pleased to be the guest blogger
here today, thank you Ruth, for having me on board!
I noticed there’s a lot of posts on this
site dedicated to family and children, so I thought that I might talk about
working from home as a writer and mother of four.
Now I love my family and I love my writing,
but I am the first to admit that at times I have trouble finding that balance
between work and family life. You see, it’s so easy for me to get caught up in
work because my ‘office’ is the lounge room where my kids and husband can come
and go as they please.
I tirelessly wrote, edited and released A
Beautiful Struggle and then it’s sequel A Beautiful Forever, during every spare
moment I could manage, over the course of four months. Now in that time, I
realised that even though I was present in my home, I wasn’t spending as much
quality time with my children as I was before the writing bug struck.
How did I rectify that? Well, my husband
and I had a good discussion about it and decided that if I could stick to
writing during ‘office hours’ then I could then devote the rest of my time to
my family and friends. Setting aside weekends to do special activities such as
family games night and movie night.
Following these hours and actually taking
days off means that my mind set is different, and my children are much happier
now that I’m not only half listening to them as I type away on my computer and
I’m happier too, because I don’t feel guilty for not paying as much attention.
Australian born and bred, Lilliana Anderson has always loved to read
and write considering it the best form of escapism that the world has to offer.
Besides writing Angelien's biographical trilogy, she also writes contemporary
romance and drama all set within Australia .
When she isn't writing she is a wife, and a mother to
four children. She has worked in a variety of industries and studied humanities
before transferring to commerce/law at university.
She currently lives a fairly quiet life in suburban Melbourne .
Connect with Lilliana Anderson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Confidante_Lili
Thank you for kicking off the tour Ruth!
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