About Love, Simplified:
Love, Simplified is a
romance novel set primarily in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. The book focuses
on the themes of leaving corporate America, living a simple life and of course,
falling in love.
Synopsis:
When workaholic Cecile
Day realizes she isn’t living the life she wants, she uproots her life in
Denver and moves to her family’s ramshackle cabin in Lake of the Ozarks,
Missouri. Cecile wants to slow down, move to the country and live a life full
of the things money doesn’t buy, but her motives for moving aren’t quite that
simple. She knows running from an array of demons, leaving a wealthy fiancé and
high-powered career won’t be easy, but what she hopes to gain by moving is
peace of mind, sense of self and lasting happiness.
Upon her move, Cecile
meets her sexy neighbor, Ethan Morgan. Cecile quickly discovers Ethan can
provide her with companionship and a simple, country life, that is, if she’ll
let him. She feels haunted by her past mistakes and struggles to feel worthy of
Ethan’s affections. Even though Cecile has worked hard to simplify her life,
will she realize she can’t live without the most basic necessity of all: love.
About the author:
Amanda Bretz is the
contemporary romance author of Finding Justus, Love in Greener Pastures and
Love, Simplified. She holds a degree in communication from Florida Gulf Coast
University and has worked as a journalist in both print and online news media.
When not writing,
Amanda can be found whipping up something delectable in her kitchen, spending
time in nature or getting lost in a good book. Amanda resides in historic Saint
Charles, Missouri, with her husband, Brandon. To learn more about Amanda, visit
her website (http://www.amandabretz.com).
Excerpt:
“I’m sorry, this might hurt a little,”
Ethan said as he wrapped Cecile’s ankle in a bandage. For a man of his size,
his touch was gentle. Cecile became mesmerized as he wound the bandage and
secured it with a metal clip. “All better,” he said with a smile, his blue eyes
sparkling in the light.
“Where did you pick up your bandaging
skills?” Cecile asked as she leaned her head back against the soft cushions of
Ethan’s couch. After kayaking back to their cove, Ethan had helped a limping
Cecile to his cabin, where he had a first aid kit.
“I used to volunteer for the Red Cross,”
he admitted.
Cecile let out a small snort in
disbelief. Okay, the man has to be a
saint, if I doubted him before, this just sealed it, Cecile thought.
Habitat for Humanity volunteer. Captain of the neighborhood watch. Former Red
Cross volunteer. She definitely felt inferior, and like a slacker, when she
compared her life with Ethan’s. In a sick twist of sarcastic self-loathing,
Cecile imagined casually filling Ethan in on how and why she came to move to
the cabin. Cecile stifled the urge to sigh. She may as well sport horns and a
pointy tail.
“Hey, you okay?” Ethan asked.
“Yeah,” she said with a shrug of her
shoulders. “Just been a long afternoon, I guess.”
“Well, if you didn't want to hike down
the bluff, you could’ve just said so. You didn't have to twist your ankle to
get me to carry you down, ya know,” Ethan said with a wink and a smile.
“Hey, a girl’s gotta have some
insurance. I figured you’d take pity on a clumsy, wounded woman. You played
right into my plan,” she said as she put both hands behind her head.
“Wow, I feel like I've been duped, here
I just thought you had no grace, whatsoever.
Now the truth comes out, you’re just a sneak.”
As Cecile shared a laugh with him, she
stared into his eyes and realized his hand was still resting on the top of her
shin, his powerful thigh cradling her ankle. For some reason, the intimacy of
his contact with her body, coupled with the way his eyes were locked on hers
caused a rush of heat to spread throughout her body.
Ethan moved his hand from her ankle and
gently cupped her chin toward him. His mouth moving toward her lips was the
last thing Cecile saw before closing her eyes. When his lips found hers, Cecile
used her fingers to thread through the curls in the back of his head she’d
admired only an hour beforehand. His soft tendrils glided through her fingers
while his sensuous lips caressed her mouth. Ethan was the first to break them
apart. For several moments he said nothing. He simply pulled back far enough to
gaze into her eyes, while his fingertips gently stroked her jaw line.
Cecile knew her face was flushed and she
could feel her heartbeat accelerate. Now she knew where she stood with Ethan.
He didn't merely think of her as a neighbor and friend. If his kiss hadn't already let her know that, the way he stared into her eyes as he caressed her
face left no room for doubt. She could no longer question or doubt what she
felt for him.
What Cecile felt was no longer solely
about physical attraction. It was true that no other kiss had rocked her like
the one she’d just shared with Ethan, but it was more than that. No other man
had handled her as though she were made of the finest, most delicate china. Nor
had any other man gazed at her with such affection and admiration.
Cecile realized, as she silently took
his large hand in her own, that she’d never felt such an instant connection
with someone after one kiss. A reserved “ice queen” to her core, Cecile had
never let anyone in so quickly. Usually Cecile liked to keep her partners at
arm’s length. She liked being in control, she liked to call the shots. In the
past, she’d preferred a man to ask permission before going for the first kiss. Never
in her wildest dreams did she think she’d ever let a man take the first kiss
the way Ethan had. It had never happened before, but the situation was
different, she was different.
Ethan Morgan was different.
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