SEAL THE DEAL by
JoAnne Kenrick
After being ditched at the
altar, Finn Kneale isolates himself at Port St. Mary’s magnificent lighthouse.
A violent storm ravishes the coastline, pitching the maritime tower into the
Irish sea and transforming Finn into a seal. Carefree at first, he soon longs
to walk as a man again. When leap year arrives, bathing land and sea in magic,
Finn temporarily regains his human form. If he can’t find his soul mate in
twenty-four hours, he’ll be back to cavorting among the waves.
Anne Ward—resident midwife and newcomer to Port
St. Mary, Isle of Man—guards some wild secrets of her own while avoiding
entanglements with married doctors. A believer in fate, she seeks out
Madame Eve’s exclusive agency to help find her
destined mate. 1Night Stand matches these two lonely souls. But will their
extraordinary date allow Finn and Anne to open their hearts to magical
possibilities and Seal the Deal?
"Another magical read from JoAnne Kenrick.
Passion, thrills, and romance, this book has it all. A must read!" ~
USA Today Bestselling Author, Marie Harte.
"JoAnne Kenrick transports her readers to that land
between myth and reality where romance is all the magic you need. Don't miss
your chance to visit!" ~ Heather
Long, bestselling author of the Always a Marine series.
"Ms. Kenrick created a
magical, romantic, and sexy world with vivid details that pull you in and make
you beg for more. Seal the Deal is a wonderful, steamy addition to the 1Night
Stand series and a must read." ~ Bestselling romance author, Lia Davis.
About JoAnne Kenrick
JoAnne Kenrick is a
multi-published author who writes both contemporaries and paranormals. Her
Irish Kisses series earned her the title of a Bookstrand bestselling
author, and contemporary romance bestselling author at ARe and Amazon. When
JoAnne's not writing, she enjoys creating book adverts and crafting.
EXCERPT 1:
Finn Kneale slid from his
watch-point rock a few miles out from the little tourist trap where he had
lived for most of his life. Under the miraculous February 29th lunar
eclipse, he delved into the depths of the Irish Sea. The orb hanging over the
ocean like a dimmed lantern held his last chance to undo the spell shrouding
him in misery. Water lapped, and he twisted, clapping flippers over the sea
foam. Waves crashed over his mottled gray-and-black seal self. Excitement
rushed through him and exited in a loud, brassy roar. Then he unleashed another
and another, each increasing in volume for the benefit of his aquatic friends.
The barked announcement told the world Finn hoped to meet his mate tonight.
He floated in the
shallows, waiting, watching as the old, white lighthouse fluctuated in and out
of existence. The sliver of moonlight cast a silvery glow over the
once-in-ruins building sitting proud again, high on the cliff’s edge. Its
beacon shone bright, yet the gray sky pitched gloom below. He had all of
twenty-four hours to seal the deal—as long as the lighthouse
stood—then the energy balance would return to normal along the rocky shores of
the Isle of Man, the historical maritime building vanishing once again. At
least, that was the story his father had relayed every morning for the last
four years.
Shimmying his
slippery body across the pebbled beach of Port St. Mary, he took cover between
tall, bulky rocks for the transformation. Safely hidden, he squeezed his
eyelids closed and tried to envision his human self. Too much time had passed;
he wasn’t sure his memory was close to the mark.
Think, Finn, think.
Soft cotton towels
against his whiskers, the warm touch of the sun on his shoulders as he worked
the farm, tasty homemade soup tangy on his tongue. Soft flesh of a woman
beneath him. Oh, to be admired for his manliness rather than his cutesy seal
features and bubble-blowing talents. Fragmented recollections of the little
things were all that had survived years of watching the shoreline.
EXCERPT 2:
“You all right,
miss?” A podgy boy she’d met where she worked tugged at her shawl, his cheek
bulging on the right. He made a sucking sound, and the swell appeared at his
other cheek. “Yum, I love gobstoppers. The Isle Rock and Sweets store sells the
best ever. Want one?”
“No thanks.” She
shook her head and paused, trying to remember his name. “Henry.” She knew most
of the local kids. If she hadn’t delivered them, she saw them at the doctor’s
office for their immunizations. As a midwife, she sometimes doubled as a nurse
for Port St. Mary. Heck, she’d even done time on the clinic’s reception desk.
She loved the variety and small village’s “know everyone” feeling. Very
different from her old position in a large hospital in Aberdeen, Scotland.
There, she’d delivered babies. No before, during, or after care.
“Hi, Henry. Yes, I’m
fine. Your Mummy and Daddy around?”
“Silly, of course. I
wouldn’t be here by myself. They’re over there.” The six-year-old waved to the
couple who stood with a crowd beyond stacked tables and chairs.
A sudden blast of icy
wind raced through Anne’s knit outfit. She shivered and hunched to protect
herself against the elements. Brrr. “Why is everyone out here? What are
they all staring at?”
“The seals, look.”
Henry pointed beyond the immaculate lawns of the golf course, toward the sea.
“There are thousands of them!”
Seals—not in the
thousands, more like sixty or so—scattered the shorelines and surrounding
rocks. All barking, clapping, facing toward the.... Lighthouse?
A storm and rough
seas had crashed the building into the ocean some four years earlier, so town
folk and research at the local library had told her. Her maternal
grandfather—at least if her suspicions as to the identity of her biological
mother were correct—Colyn Radcliff, used to be a watcher, so she’d studied its
history and had quizzed the librarian. Anything to get to know the family she’d
never met, to grasp at some semblance of belonging.
Excerpt 3:
His stomach muscles
pulled taut and lust pulsed through his groin, slamming the need home. So long
he’d waited. His breeks grew tight, bringing attention to what he wanted—needed
with growing desperation. He had to have her.
Now.
Finn yanked her in,
closing all distance between them, and swept his tongue over hers. His swollen
shaft pressed against her. The hair on his nape prickled. He wasn’t sure what
excited him more, the prospect of making love to her, of having skin to skin
contact, or her ability to end his curse.
He thrust forward,
groaning.
“Slow down.” She
panted and shoved, palms flat against his chest, but he stood firm and she
stumbled back a few steps, landing on the bed with her legs apart. She peered
up at him from behind her tousled curls, her low gaze focused on his lips.
Moonlight bounced from her locks, shimmering deep-red low-lights and reflecting
a warm tint over her perfect complexion.
If this was how he’d
spent the rest of his years, he couldn’t wait to get started, to see her naked.
To feast upon her beauty as she walked down the aisle.The temptress had
said slow down, but her almond-shaped eyes and her pout begged him to keep
trying. No retreat, this is it. Giving up is not an option.
A newfound confidence rushed through him, and a grin broke free.
Boundaries usually standing between him and pleasure were nowhere in sight, his
desire to invoke their connection too strong to deny, to let his awkwardness
get in the way. He dared to drop over her, caging her in and pushing her into
the mattress. Hazel eyes held him captive. He couldn’t steal away if he wanted
to.
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