{"id":26427,"date":"2017-10-05T11:30:59","date_gmt":"2017-10-05T15:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=26427"},"modified":"2017-10-05T08:54:49","modified_gmt":"2017-10-05T12:54:49","slug":"excerpt-reveal-from-this-moment-by-melanie-harlow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=26427","title":{"rendered":"Excerpt Reveal: From This Moment by Melanie Harlow"},"content":{"rendered":"

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An all-new sexy and emotional standalone from USA Today<\/i> Bestselling author Melanie Harlow is coming October 10th!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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FROM THIS MOMENT
\n<\/strong>by Melanie Harlow<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A Contemporary Romance<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Releasing October 10, 2017<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Pre-order today!<\/strong>
\nAmazon US<\/a> | Amazon UK<\/a> | iBooks\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0| B&N<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It was like seeing a ghost. <\/span><\/p>\n

When my late husband\u2019s twin brother moves back to our small town, I want to avoid him. Everything about Wes reminds me of the man I lost and the life we\u2019d planned together, and after eighteen long months struggling just to get out of bed, I\u2019m finally doing okay. I have a new job, an amazing support group, and a beautiful five-year-old daughter to parent. I don\u2019t want to go backward.<\/span><\/p>\n

But I\u2019m drawn to him, too. He understands my grief and anger and loneliness like no one else\u2014and I understand his. Before long, that understanding becomes desire, and that desire becomes uncontrollable. <\/span><\/p>\n

We make excuses. We blame our sorrow. We promise each other it will never happen again.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it does.<\/span><\/p>\n

And when our secret threatens to destroy his family and my reputation, we\u2019ll have to decide what\u2019s more important\u2014loyalty or love?<\/span><\/p>\n

Find\u00a0From This\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Moment\u00a0<\/i>on GOODREADS<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

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Excerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cWant to go out in the canoe?\u201d he asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d I ditched my flip-flops on the small, beach-level deck, and we set our wine glasses and the bottle on the deck\u2019s little round table. Wes was already barefoot. Together we dragged the forest green canoe from the tall beach grasses on the side of the deck down to the water\u2019s edge and tipped it over.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet me rinse it out a little,\u201d Wes said, frowning at the dirt and spider webs inside. \u201cWant to grab the paddles? They should be in the shed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn it.\u201d I went to the small shed on the embankment, opened it up and grabbed the oars, which stood in one corner. On the shelves were life jackets and sand toys and deflated rafts that probably had holes in them, and scratched into the wooden door among other graffiti was WP + CB. Huh. I\u2019d never noticed that before. Who was CB? I glanced over my shoulder at Wes, who\u2019d taken off his T-shirt and tossed it onto the sand.<\/span><\/p>\n

My stomach full-out flipped.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quickly, I shut the door to the shed and brought the oars down to the canoe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wes stood up straight and stuck his hands on his hips. He wore different sunglasses than Drew had worn, more of an aviator than a wayfarer. The body was similar, though Wes\u2019s arms seemed more muscular, especially through the shoulder. Other things were the same and caused a rippling low in my body\u2014the soft maroon color of his nipples, the trim waist, the trail of hair leading from his belly button to beneath the low-sling waistband of his red swim trunks. In my head I heard Tess\u2019s voice. <\/span>Arms. Chest. Shoulders. Skin. Stubble. Muscle. The smell of a man. The solidity of him.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the law on drinking and canoeing?\u201d he asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the law on staring at your brother-in-law\u2019s nipples?<\/span><\/i> I wondered, swallowing hard. What was wrong with me?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re okay,\u201d I said, handing the oars to him. Our hands touched in the exchange. \u201cLet me grab our glasses.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPerfect. If you hold them, I\u2019ll take us out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I retrieved the wine glasses from the table and walked carefully across the sand to the lake\u2019s edge, taking deep, slow breaths. A sweat had broken out across my back. I was wearing a swimsuit beneath my cover up, a modest tankini, but I didn\u2019t want to remove it. Wading ankle deep, I attempted to step into the canoe, but it wobbled beneath my foot.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhoa.\u201d Wes took me by the elbow and didn\u2019t let go until I was seated at one end, facing the other. \u201cOkay?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I nodded. Despite the heat, my arms had broken out in goose flesh.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, here we go.\u201d As he rowed us away from shore, the breeze picked up, cooling my face and chest and back.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDrew and I used to have canoe-tipping contests.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I snapped my chin down and skewered Wes with a look over the top of my sunglasses. \u201cDon\u2019t even think about it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He just grinned, the muscles in his arms and chest and stomach flexing with every stroke of the oars through the water. Momentarily mesmerized, I allowed myself the pleasure of watching him. It was okay if we were both thinking about Drew, wasn\u2019t it?<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, it was only natural that I was intrigued by the sight of Wes\u2019s body. He was my husband\u2019s identical twin, for heaven\u2019s sake, and I missed his physical presence in my life. I missed looking at him naked. I missed feeling the weight of him above me. I missed the feeling of being aroused by him, of my body\u2019s responses to his touch, his kiss, his cock.<\/span><\/p>\n

Deep in my body, the rusty mechanism of arousal creaked to life. My nipples peaked, my stomach hollowed, and something fluttered between my legs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, Jesus.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I sat up straighter, pressed my knees together, and closed my mouth, which I realized had fallen open. Hopefully I hadn\u2019t moaned or anything. After another sip of wine, I turned my head and studied a freighter off in the distance. My heart was beating way too fast.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s only natural. It\u2019s only natural.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Wes stopped paddling and set the oars in the bottom of the canoe, their handles resting against the seat in the middle. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to bring Abby out here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDefinitely.\u201d Did my voice sound normal? \u201cShe\u2019ll love it. Here, want this?\u201d I held his wine glass toward him and he reached out to take it. His fingers brushed mine, and I pulled my hand back as if the touch had burned me.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d He tipped the glass up then looked along the shore. \u201cI\u2019d like to find a place on the lake. Maybe not along <\/span>this<\/span><\/i> stretch of beach, though.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I caught his meaning and smiled. \u201cA little too close to home?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. But I don\u2019t want to be too far away. I\u2019d like to get a boat too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat kind of boat? Drew always talked about it, but we never quite settled on one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot sure. Maybe just a little fishing boat, something to ski behind.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds fun. Drew loved to ski.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll have to teach Abby.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I laughed. \u201c<\/span>You<\/span><\/i>, not we. I managed to get up and stay up a few times, but I am not the expert.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can teach her to cook, I\u2019ll teach her to water ski.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDeal.\u201d Separate activities seemed like a good idea.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBreakfast was incredible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d I tucked a strand of hair that had escaped my ponytail behind my ear, but the wind blew it right back into my face. \u201cI really like working there. I\u2019m so glad Georgia suggested it to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow long have you been there?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSince spring, when they got busy. I\u2019m not sure what I\u2019ll do this winter when it slows down. I\u2019m dreading it, actually. Abby will be in school full time, and it will just be me at home alone.\u201d This was something else I hadn\u2019t talked about with anyone, how worried I was that the gray skies and cold weather and silent hours would set me spiraling into depression. \u201cI always thought I\u2019d have another baby to take care of, but life saw things differently.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re still young, Hannah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I shook my head. \u201cI\u2019m really not. And I feel even older than I am.\u201d <\/span>Please don\u2019t go Grief Police on me and tell me I\u2019m being ridiculous<\/span><\/i>, I begged him silently. <\/span>This isn\u2019t the life I chose. It was handed to me and I\u2019m doing the best I can.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

But he didn\u2019t say anything more, just sipped his wine and looked out at the horizon. I was grateful.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about you?\u201d I asked. \u201cThink maybe you\u2019ll get married now that you\u2019re back? Have a family? Abby won\u2019t have any siblings so she needs some cousins.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat seems to be a popular topic of discussion around here,\u201d Wes said, shaking his head, \u201cbut I really have no idea.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSmall town. We like to know everyone\u2019s business.\u201d I smiled. \u201cHey, what about CB? I saw your initials carved with hers on the door of the shed. Maybe she\u2019s still around.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He groaned. \u201cIs that still there? Jesus. That had to be twenty years ago.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hugging my knees, I leaned forward. \u201cFirst love?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot even.\u201d He hesitated, as if he were trying to decide whether to confess something.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on,\u201d I cajoled, carefully reaching out of the canoe, and splashing water toward him. \u201cTell me. I\u2019ve been spilling my guts for an hour.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFirst kiss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I squealed. \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He cringed. \u201cIt\u2019s too embarrassing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWes, I had a completely humiliating breakdown in front of you last night. I got snot on my arm.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is worse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGet it out. You\u2019ll feel better.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s just say it was a very awkward, very <\/span>fast<\/span><\/i> experience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I gasped. \u201cYou lost your virginity to her?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Just my dignity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Laughing, I tilted my head back and felt the sun on my face, the wind in my hair, and something like joy in my heart.<\/span><\/p>\n

It had been a long time.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Read the\u00a0FIRST CHAPTER<\/a>\u00a0today!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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About the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"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 VEEP, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, and Homeland. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.<\/span><\/p>\n

Melanie is the author of the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE<\/a> series, the FRENCHED<\/a> series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sign up for Melanie\u2019s NEWSLETTER<\/a>!<\/p>\n

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FACEBOOK<\/a> | AMAZON<\/a> | TWITTER<\/a> | WEBSITE<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Check out our author spotlight<\/a> for more amazing reads!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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  An all-new sexy and emotional standalone from USA Today Bestselling author Melanie Harlow is coming October 10th!   FROM THIS MOMENT by Melanie Harlow A Contemporary Romance Releasing October 10, 2017 Pre-order today! Amazon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[290],"tags":[432,308],"class_list":["post-26427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-news","tag-excerpt-reveal","tag-melanie-harlow"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/From-This-Moment-Cover.jpg?fit=150%2C234&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-6Sf","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26427\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}