SUMMER HEARTS: The Best Place to Meet a Man

Courtesy of City of Monterey, CA

What better place to be in the summer than at the beach? That is the common theme running through Summer Hearts, a six story sampler of sweet romances.

For some land-locked folks, the beach might mean the edge of a lake or river--everything from a small mountain lake or stream up to the shores along one of the Great Lakes. You will find these as some of our story settings. For those of us near the coast--either Atlantic, Gulf or Pacific, the beach means one of the oceans. You can read about several kinds of beaches, including one set along the African coast, in Summer Hearts. Whether you enjoy contemporary, historical, fantasy or paranormal--or all of the above--there is bound to be several stories in this collection you will enjoy.

Google map of Seaside, CA

My story, a romantic comedy titled The Best Place to Meet a Man, is set along the Pacific coast of California in Seaside, which is just north of Monterey. Yes, that is Monterey of Monterey Bay fame. Since much of the Seaside beachfront in the area is sand dunes, I have my heroine, Meredith, taking her two young nephews to one of the Monterey beaches.

Meredith is like me in that she loves to read. Like me, she also loves to be by the ocean to watch the waves and listen to the calming rhythm as they splash (or crash) against the shore. Ahhh, the negative ions! She particularly loves to combine both favorite activities by reading at the beach.

That is what Meredith plans to do one Saturday afternoon--spend the day at the beach with her nose buried in her latest romantic suspense novel. That was the plan until her sister needed her to babysit her two nephews, Xander, age two, and Calend, age four months. Not to be deterred, Meredith decides to take her nephews to the beach and read her book when they both fall asleep for their afternoon naps. After all, she is a fourth-grade teacher used to lesson planning and classroom organization. So, with careful preparation, what could go wrong?

The story starts with a prologue about Jeff written in third person. However, the rest of the story is told in first person by Meredith showing off her zany personality which reflects the suspicion of strangers and reluctance to give out personal information drilled into her and her sister by their parents. Here is the story description:

Jeff goes to the beach to run and clear his head. Meredith goes to the beach intent on burying her nose in her book. In this contemporary romantic comedy, these two collide when Meredith’s two young nephews come up with other plans.

And here is an excerpt:

     I can’t begin to tell you how tired I get of people trying to tell me where I should go to meet a man. Oh, I know they mean well. But for crying out loud, if I really wanted to meet men with the hope and expectation one would fall down at my feet and beg me to go out on a date with him, don’t you think I would have figured it out by now? I already know where to look for the kind of man in which I would be interested.

     And, yes, I’m well aware the beach is not the place. The buffed-out body builders are mostly interested in themselves. And, who knows what kind of pervert I could run across if I showed any kind of interest in some man casually strolling along the edge of the water.

     Just because I’m twenty-six and it has been two years since I had a serious boyfriend—okay, okay, two and a half years—it doesn’t mean I’m a total lost cause or don’t know how to play the girl-meets-boy game.

     So, when I tell you I don’t go to the beach to meet guys or to get a suntan—pale is beautiful and cancer-free, I’ve always said—believe it. I go to the beach to read.

     Correction.

     Read in peace. I just wish my family—correction, my sister and brother-in-law—would quit trying to tell me, “Now, Meredith, you need to spend less time at the beach with your nose stuck in a book and more time socializing at places where you can meet really nice men.” 

 Please be sure to order your digital copy while it is still at its introductory discount price of $1.99. The cost goes up to its regular price on June 1st. The purchase links are below, plus you can order it from Amazon by clicking HERE.

Also, be sure to check out my Pinterest board for The Best Place to Meet a Man. I have pictures and links on there for two tutorials on how to make baby carrier covers/canopies plus some other links to websites with ideas on how to make taking babies and toddlers to the beach a successful experience. I think Meredith did okay with her sojourn to the beach with Xander and Calend, but maybe she should have read some of this information before she went. Click HERE to get to the Pinterest board. 

Also, please "Like" my Robyn Echols Books Facebook page by clicking HERE.

Watch for our blog tour due to run from June 6th through June 12th in order to learn more about the other stories in Summer Hearts as well as to find out how you can win prizes for participating. You can see the latest blog tour list on my website.

I hope Summer Hearts proves to be your favorite beach read this summer.

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Purchase links:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble Nook