Cherished By the Mountain Man - Release Tour and Giveaway

She’s my best friend’s widow and the only woman I’ve ever loved…

Cherished By the Mountain Man
Wild Heart Mountain: Military Heroes Book 5
by Sadie King
Genre: Mountain Man Military Romance 

She’s my best friend’s widow and the only woman I’ve ever loved…

Paul was my best friend, my brother in arms, and the only one of us that didn’t come back alive.
I promised if something ever happened to him that I’d look after Angie, his wife.
He doesn’t know that I’ve loved Angie for almost as long as he has.
Now she’s a single mom and running a business on her own. I sense her loneliness; I sense her need.
Angie’s off-limits, but my heart beats for her. And I don’t know how much longer I can resist this pull between us…

Cherished by the Mountain Man is a best friend’s widow forbidden love romance featuring an ex-military mountain man and the curvy single mom he cherishes.

Authors note: Cherished by the Mountain Man is a steamy instalove novella that can be read in about two hours. If you love a quickie, then dive on in!


Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

​

​The industrial dishwasher hums behind me as I wipe down the bar one last time. I’ve swept the floor, and the tables are wiped and reset for dinner. Only one group of tourists remain, drinking craft beer as they admire the mountain. Why the hell they aren’t on the mountain on a crisp spring day like today instead of spending their afternoon drinking, I’ll never know. But I should be thankful; it’s thirsty tourists like these that keep Angie’s Bar running.
I glance at the clock, and it’s after three. The kitchen is closed for the afternoon while the chef preps for the evening shift and tidies up out back.
Angie and the kids will arrive soon. I do a last check that everything’s clean and tidy for her so she doesn’t have any additional stress.
The door bursts open, bringing a blast of fresh air with it as Fran runs to the bar.
“You’re lying, Jamie. That was so my pencil case.”
The tourists in the corner glance up at the sudden intrusion of school children.
Fran stomps across the bar to a booth in the family area with her arms folded and a scowl on her face.
“Don’t be such a baby.” Her brother saunters in, all gangly pre-adolescent arms and dark hair, the mirror image of his father at that age apart from the frown on his face. Paul was always smiling. He was always cheerful, and it breaks my heart to see his son so sullen.
A pang of guilt pierces my chest.
Give them a happy life.
Paul’s final words haunt my thoughts as I watch the siblings’ argument play out.
Angie comes in a few moments later, her arms laden with shopping bags. There’re lines around her eyes and a permanent crease between her eyebrows that I long to smooth out. Her blonde hair is tied back in a practical ponytail, and I’m itching to untie it and let her locks flow freely the way she wore her hair when we were younger.
But we’re not young now.
Being a single mom, a widow, and a business owner has taken its toll on Angie. Her shoulders are hunched more than they should be and her blue eyes carry a worried look, but she’s still as gorgeous as the moment I first laid eyes on her.
Angie still makes my heart thunder in my chest every time she walks into the room.
I rush to take the shopping bags off her, and she gives me a grateful smile. My heart melts at the way she looks up at me.
“Thanks, Corbin.”
Her eyes briefly sparkle before a shout from across the room draws her attention to the kids.
She strides across to the booth where they’ve dumped their school bags. I can’t hear what she’s saying, but based on the gestures and low tone of her voice, they’re getting one hell of a telling off. By the time she’s finished, the kids are both sitting in the booth quietly with their homework in front of them.
The tourists are staring, and Angie gives them a friendly smile as she crosses the room.
“Welcome to Wild Heart Mountain. You enjoying your stay?”
She enters into a brief conversation with the customers while I take the supplies out back. I hand the bags over to Miguel the chef and help him put the food away.
When I return to the bar, Angie has brought more bags from the car.
“I’m just gonna run these upstairs, Corbin, and then I’ll come back and take over.”
“Take your time, Angie. Make yourself a coffee and relax. I’ve got this.”
“You’ve a life saver, Corbin. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
I’ve been helping Angie out at the bar ever since I came back from the military. I promised Paul I’d look after his wife and kids, and that’s what I’ve been trying to do.
The hardest part is keeping my feelings for Angie from showing. I’ve spent so many years with my heart tucked up and hurting that the pain has become part of how I live.
One of the group of tourists comes up for another round, and we chat about their plans while I pour the drinks. The man is rosy cheeked, and he gushes about the beauty of this place.
I pour his drinks and then head over to see the kids.
“Hey Uncle Corbin.”
Fran looks up from the coloring book she’s working on. It’s a robot coloring book, and she’s using the metallic markers I got her for her birthday.
“Hey baby girl.”
Fran’s seven years old, but I still think of her as the baby. Fran was just one year old when her daddy passed away. She didn’t know Paul, but I’ve done my best to keep his memory alive for her.
Her brother was four, and the loss hit him harder.
“How did the science project go?” I ask Jamie.
He keeps his eyes on the book he’s reading.
“Good.”
Jamie worked on his science project all weekend, and I helped him glue the planets together. He took it into school this morning nervous for the presentation.
“Just good? Did you present today?”
“Yeah.”
“What did the teacher say?”
“She said it was good.”
Jeez, it’s like pulling teeth getting this one to talk.
“What did she like about it?”
He puts his book down and turns his attention to me.
“She liked that I included all the dwarf planets and not just the big ones.” His face lights up for the first time since he got back from school. “She said my research was thorough, especially about the moons in Jupiter and which ones we might find life on.”
A smile creeps across my face.
“That’s awesome, dude. I know you put so much work into it.”
It was a shock to me when Jamie turned out to love books and science. His father was the most charismatic man I’ve ever met. Paul could talk to anyone and light up any room. Paul loved sports. He was the school quarterback and played baseball in the summer. Paul was all action and high energy, but his son didn’t inherit those genes.
Jamie is as quiet as Paul was loud. He’s often got his head buried in a book, and science is his favorite subject at school.
I used to take him out to kick a ball around, but I finally had to concede that he’s not interested in sports. I tried to think about what Paul would want for his son. Would he want him to follow in his footsteps, be athletic and have a military career? But I concluded he’d want Jamie to follow his own passions, whatever those might be.
So I’ve helped Angie encourage him in those areas. I helped him with the science project he put together in the restaurant while Angie worked.
Jamie may look like the spitting image of his father, but that’s where the similarities end. He’s a different kid, but I hope one his father would be proud of.
I spend the next hour helping the kids with their homework while Angie takes over the bar.
She preps for the evening shift, and I stay until five when the night staff arrives.
“All right, kids, time to go.”
She looks weary, and I ache to take her in my arms and smooth her worries away. But as usual I push my feelings down, smiling at the kids as they pack up their things.
“What’s for dinner, Mom?” Fran asks.
“I don’t know, honey. Something simple tonight.”
“Not beans on toast again.” Fran scrunches up her nose.
“Do we have any lasagna left over?” Jamie asks hopefully.
Once a week I make something for Angie and bring it around. She’s too busy to make the kids homemade meals. I wasn’t a cook before I left the military, but in those first few grief stricken years, Angie wasn’t eating properly and so I stepped in.
“I’m making shepherd’s pie this week; I’ll drop one off tomorrow.”
Angie gives me a grateful look. “You don’t have to keep doing that, you know.”
“I know. But if I don’t make sure you all eat properly, Paul will kill me when I get to heaven.”
She smiles, and her smile can still make butterflies flutter in my chest.
“Why don’t you join us for dinner tonight. I’ve got nuggets and fries in the freezer. It’s not much, but….” She shrugs her shoulders. “It would be nice to feed you after all you’ve done for us today.”
I shake my head. Even though I want nothing more than to go upstairs to Angie’s apartment above the bar and sit across from her at the dinner table, to watch her eat and listen to the kids chatter, it would be crossing a line.
I promised Paul I’d look after Angie and the kids. I help at the bar, I help with homework, I try to be a strong male influence in their lives. But breaking bread at the dinner table is a step too far. I’m afraid I wouldn’t want to leave. That it would be too cozy and intimate and feel too much like a family. I’m afraid that I’d give in to my desires and tell Angie how I feel.
I promised Paul I’d look after his wife; it would be a disgrace to his memory to make a move on her.
So as always, I shrug off dinner while promising to bring something homemade for them to eat tomorrow.
Angie gives me a kiss on the cheek, and for one glorious moment I catch a whiff of her peppermint bodywash and feminine aroma.
I breathe deep, savoring her scent and the brush of her lips on my cheek. It was a chaste kiss, but I’ll cling to the memory of it when I’m alone in bed tonight.
With a smile plastered on my face, I watch as the three people I love more than anything in the world head home without me.

Loved By the Mountain Man
Wild Heart Mountain: Military Heroes Book 1

He’s a scarred military hero. She’s the young, innocent woman forced to spend a night in his cabin…

My unit came back to Wild Heart Mountain to heal and to hide. I’ve been doing a lot of hiding until I meet Hailey.
I’m scarred, I’m damaged, and I’m way too old for her. But the curvy and quirky Hailey makes me feel alive. She brings hope and joy back to my life.
I faced the enemy in Iraq, but it’s nothing compared to the vulnerability I feel when Hailey holds my heart in her hands. Can she see past the scars, the limp, and the age gap, or was it pity that brought her to my bed?

Loved by the Mountain Man is a forced proximity, ex-military, age gap, instalove romance featuring a scarred military mountain man and the curvy, innocent heroine who may be the healing balm that this damaged hero needs.

Authors note: Loved by the Mountain Man is a short instalove story that can be read in about an hour. If you love a quickie, then dive on in!


**On Sale! Only .99cents July 20 – 26!!**
Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

​

​I'm singing at the top of my lungs as my towel shimmies over my wide ass when I hear a noise in the apartment. It might be Angie bringing up a pizza for dinner. She's good like that. I don't know if it’s because she feels like she has to mother me, but I am definitely leaning into that.
I wrap the towel around me and pull open the bathroom door just as there's a loud crash.
My apartment door is wide open, and there's a man standing there. He's silhouetted against the single streetlight from the parking lot below. He looks as big as the mountain, and he's carrying an axe.
I scream.
This is what my sister warned me about when I told her I was going travelling. She warned me I’d get murdered in some small town.
The man is so big he takes up the whole door frame, his broad shoulders barely fitting in the doorway.  His coat hangs open, giving me a peek of a tight T-shirt and a hint of muscles, which is weird. I didn’t expect an axe murderer to be wielding such defined pecs. You never see that in the horror movies.
The man takes a step towards me, and I scream again. There's a snow globe of the mountain sitting on the dresser, and I pick it up and launch it at him.
Unfortunately, sport has never been my strong suit.
The snow globe goes so wide he doesn’t even duck. It misses the man completely and smashes through the window beside the door. The tinkling sound of breaking glass fills the silence.
“I suppose I'm gonna have to fix that window too.”
His voice is as low and rumbly as the dark clouds rolling in off the mountain and sends my nipples into hard peaks.
Axe murderers are never this sexy in the films.
But instead of moving toward me, the man-mountain slowly drops the axe. Now that I look at it properly, it's not an axe. It's a bright yellow toolbox.
He raises his hands in a placating gesture. Big hands. Rough hands. Working man's hands with calluses. The thought of those rough hands running over my skin and snagging on my nipples fills my brain so utterly that for a moment I can only gape at them.
“You're Angie's tenant, right?”
There's that voice again, low and rumbling, sending tremors through my body and causing my own personal earthquake.
He knows Angie, and I’m beginning to think he’s not here to murder me.
His eyes flick down my body. My body that's only covered in a towel.
It's a big body. I'm not complaining, but the towels here are threadbare and barely bigger than a dishcloth.
I pull the towel tighter around me, unsuccessfully attempting to cover all of my curves.
Yes,” I squeak.
“I’m Kobe,” the mountain man says. “Angie sent me to fix your door. And I guess you want that window fixed too?”
My racing heart starts to calm. He's not here to ravish me and murder me. A little part of me feels disappointed. Not at the murdering part, but a ravishing by this man? That's something I could get behind, or under as the case may be.
As realization sets in that I've just thrown a snow globe at a very sexy man who's come to do some building maintenance, my cheeks flush.
“Umm. Yeah. The lock’s broken,” I say with as much dignity as a large girl in a towel the size of a postage stamp can muster. His eyes travel down my body, and I flush under his gaze.
I'm a curvy girl and I love my body, but I can't help wondering what this man thinks of me. By the time he's taking to look me over, I have a suspicion he’s quite partial to curvy girls. Or maybe there aren’t many women on the mountain, and he is still thinking of ravishing me. My nipples perk up hopefully at the thought.
“Mind if I get to work?”
I realize I’m still staring at him, and heat rises to my cheeks.
“Sure,” I squeak. “I’m just gonna get changed.”
It's a studio apartment, and the bed takes up one wall. My open bag lies on the floor between the bed and the door, right next to Kobe.
His gaze follows mine, and the heat intensifies in my cheeks. My underwear is strewn on top of my open bag. White cotton panties with a lace trim. I snatch up the panties and quickly grab some other clothes and scurry back into the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind me. I lean on the back of the door, needing to breathe.
I don't know if it's the heating on full bore or the sexy definitely-not-an-axe-murderer man out there, but it’s suddenly burning hot in this place.

Sadie King is a USA Today Best Selling Author of short instalove romance. 

She lives in New Zealand with her ex-military husband and raucous young son.

When she’s not writing she loves catching waves with her son, running along the beach, and good wine, preferably drunk with a book in hand.

Keep in touch when you sign up for her newsletter. You’ll even snag yourself a free short romance! www.authorsadieking.com/free


Website * Facebook * FB Group * Instagram * TikTok * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
I’m Sadie King and I write short instalove romance with curvy girls and growly alpha men. I published my first book in October 2019 and since then I’ve published over 100 short romances.

What is something unique/quirky about you?
I used to perform improv comedy. On stage with no script, just making silly stuff up. It was so much fun and I’ve been lucky enough to perform at the Edinburgh Festival and the Chicago Comedy Festival.

Where were you born/grew up at?
I’m from Auckland, New Zealand. In my early twenties I moved to the UK to travel and see the world and I spent time living and working in London and Peterborough. Just when I was ready to come home, I met my husband and ended up staying for another nine years! We recently re-located back to New Zealand. It was always part of the deal when I met him to come back here to raise our family. New Zealand is the best country in the world to be a kid!

If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?
At the beach with my whanau (extended family). Eating scallops and drinking wine.

What are you passionate about these days?
I’m passionate about leaving the world in a decent state for my son and (hopefully) other descendants. I volunteer for a local conservation group looking after New Zealand’s unique wildlife that unfortunately is mostly endangered. I spent a fair few hours last spring watching over a rare Dotterel nest to make sure no predators got at the eggs. Two chicks fledged, so that’s a win!

What do you do to unwind and relax?
Read of course! I usually have several books on the go. I read mostly on my kindle app and always have a paperback as well so my son doesn’t see me on my device all the time. Also, there’s something nice about holding a paperback, especially if you’ve got a chilled glass of wine in the other hand.

How to find time to write as a parent?
Schedule and discipline. When my son was little, I wrote where and when I could; nap times, early mornings before anyone was up, but that’s always risky, if you wake the little one then you’re up building train tracks instead of writing. I used to write on the train on my commute into London, and on the plane when on work trips.
Now my son’s started school it’s easier to get my writing time in. And this is my full time job now so I write in the mornings after school drop off and do marketing and admin activities in the afternoon.

Describe yourself in 5 words or less!
Focused, driven, silly, thoughtful (as in I over think everything, not thoughtful as in nice)

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
It was when I had to write my occupation on the mortgage paperwork that it hit me. I wrote ‘author’ as occupation for the first time and thought, yeah, this is how I earn a living now.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?
His Big Book Stack. There’s an author and a romance-reading mountain man. They get stranded in a cabin and he helps her write the steamy scenes…

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
I went to Bath because of Jane Austin.

What inspired you to write this book?
I love writing ex-military men (I’m married to one!) and I love forbidden love romance. When someone’s off limits it raises the stakes. I wanted to write a best friend’s widow story but was nervous about it because I knew I had to get the reader on board with the characters and that’s a hard call when the best friend died as a war hero. I hope I pulled it off.

What can we expect from you in the future?
More books set on Wild Heart Mountain. I’ve got a series coming soon that are ex-military mountain men who are in an MC club. Yup, ex-military mountain men bikers!

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Cherished by the Mountain Man?
Corbin’s been in love with Angie ever since they were kids, but his best friend, Paul married her. When Paul dies while on tour, his dying wish is for Corbin to look after his wife and kids. Six years later and Corbin is dutifully making sure the single mom has everything she needs while denying himself the one thing he’s ever wanted.
Angie is a single mom running her own business. She’s one tough cookie and has been through hell and back dealing with grief. But six years after losing her husband she’s longing for a man’s touch, for one man in particular. But Corbin is too honorable to pursue the one thing his heart desires.

How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?
Cherished by the Mountain Man is the final book in the Wild Heart Mountain: Military Heroes series. I like the idea of scarred heroes returning to the mountain to lick their wounds. I love writing ex-military men as there’s so much scope for emotional depth to their characters. They might be dealing with PTSD, getting to grips with a new limp or turned reclusive by what they’ve been through.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I loved the challenge of making the reader sympathetic to this couple even though she’s the widow of his best friend.

Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick?
Angie has been through a lot. She lost her parents and took over the running of their bar. Then she lost her husband and was left with two young kids and on her own. She’s fiercely proud and refuses to take any charity even though her business is in trouble and they’re living in a two bedroom apartment above the bar. She’s tough and fierce and I loved giving her the happily ever after she deserves.

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reins of the story?
My characters definitely hijack the story. I have an outline and a plan for them but sometimes during a scene they take things in a new direction and I usually go with it.

Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
Cherished by the Mountain Man is a novella that can be read in a couple of hours. It’s got emotional depth with a sticky sweat happily ever after. It’s a quick pick me up that’ll leave you feeling good about the world.

What did you edit out of this book?
I was going to do a three part epilogue to mirror the prologue but decided it was too much so I cut it in the edit. I might release it as bonus content at some point for my email list.

Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
I read widely. I love contemporary and historical romance. I also read in other genres, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, crime, literary fiction and all sorts of non-fiction.

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
I prefer to write in silence and my husband likes to have music playing. We both work from home and tried sharing an office for a while. It was not good! Now we each have our own work space. I heard that’s typical of introverts, to prefer working in quiet.

Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
I write short novellas so I always finish one before stating another.

What made you want to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision?
I love making stuff up. I’ve always been a storyteller, I’ve worked in theatre, and TV but writing is what I really love to do.

Do you have any advice to offer for new authors?
Read widely. Experiment and enjoy!

What makes a good story?
Characters make the story for me. And the complex relationships between them.

What are you currently reading?
I’ve just started Pride by Eva Charles, it’s nice to be back in the Sinful Empire world! For my short romance fix I’ve been on a Jagger Cole binge as well as finishing up Olivia T Turner’s latest Mountain Man series. In paperback as a homage to the great British writer Martin Amis who passed away recently, I’m reading the classic London Fields. In non-fiction I’m reading Outlive by Peter Attia. Yup, I read a bunch of books at once!

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?
I outline my series first with tropes and basic character info. When I start a new book, I write up a brief outline, 2-3 sentences for each scene, then go for it.

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I try to give readers the same same but different. Give them what they want but told in my own unique way.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Get started sooner! It took me a couple of failed careers before I came to writing. When I was growing up, I never knew anyone who made a living from writing and it didn’t seem like a viable career option. It didn’t seem like something someone from working class suburban Auckland could do. I would tell my younger self to pursue the dream and keep writing.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?
My books are novellas and I write one a week. Then edit it the second week.

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
​
July 20
kickoff at Silver Dagger Book Tours
Bedazzled By Books
Craving Lovely Books
Midnight Book Reader
Scrupulous Dreams
The Book Dragon

July 21
I Love Books
Insane Books
Kenyan Poet
My beauty my books
The Bookshelf Fairy

July 22
The Book Junkie Reads . . .
Word Processor, Romance, Cats, Kids and Creed
Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'
Twisted Book Ramblings

July 23
Book Crazy – GUEST POST
Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations – REVIEW
Royally Insane Books
Painting With Words

July 24
Angel's Guilty Pleasures – GUEST POST
Readers Roost – GUEST POST
A Writer's Life
The Sexy Nerd 'Revue'
Lisa Everyday Reads
Sylv.net

July 25
Naughty Nightie Book Blog
Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree
All Things Dark & Dirty
Country Mamas With Kids
Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read

July 26
SSLY
A Wonderful World of Words
Natasha Brooks' Favorite Books
Books all things paranormal and romance
Celticlady's Reviews
Inside the Insanity

July 27
Sweet and Spicy Book Lover – REVIEW
C.A.Milson
eBook Addicts
Girl with Pen
Trixie Reports Books

a Rafflecopter giveaway