NEW
RELEASE
Under the Sun (Heat Wave)
by Jude
Ouvrard
Jude Ouvrard's first novella, Under the Sun, has just been released. It is part of a Beach Read Anthology called
Heat Wave, published by Renaissance Romance Publishing. It's a romance for adults (aged between 18-30).
Description
Tracey Howard has
put her life on hold for years to care for her grandmother. Now that her
grandmother is gone, Tracey decides to spend the summer at the beach and
reflect on where she wants life to take her next. Jackson Phillips is her new
neighbor, and he dazzles her from the first moment they meet. Will Jackson be
able to show Tracey how to let go of old pain and embrace future happiness?
Excerpt
It
might have been my imagination, but when our eyes met, I felt something
stirring inside me. I stared at her, wondering what had just happened, and I
could still feel the tingling warmth on my skin. There was something between
us, but I didn’t know quite what. Everything felt right, like we were supposed
to be together.
Tracey
looked away, breaking our connection. “Do you need help with anything?”
“Nope.
Everything's ready.” Even though I could have stared at her all night, I didn’t
want to ruin the evening. So I turned my attention to our dinner and got the
bruschetta and the garlic bread on the table.
“Mmm,
it looks delicious, chef.” Tracey laughed. She had quite the spirit, and unlike
so many women, she didn’t appear to be complicated.
When
I placed the shrimp Alfredo linguini on the table, Tracey literally licked her
lips. “I think I might join you for dinner every night. It smells so good.”
“I
would love that,” I replied. “The company would be nice.”
Tracy
was unsettling to me, causing me to lose tact and intelligence.
For
the most part, we ate in silence. Often I found myself just staring at her,
like she was going to run away if I wasn’t watching her. I’d remembered her
features from the first time I saw her, but she seemed different now, almost
serene and calm. The first time I’d met her, I had seen the love and devotion
for Mrs. Howard in her eyes, but now they were tired and sad. Regardless of how
beautiful I thought she looked tonight, I wanted to be able to change that for
her, to bring happiness to her eyes.
The
first time I’d seen Tracey, her blond hair had been a lot shorter, too. It had
reached just below her ears, but now, it hung down to the middle of her back.
She’d been wearing yoga pants with a Hello Kitty T-shirt. At the time, I
thought it was adorable, young and fun, but tonight she looked more mature and
sexy. She was perfect.
“Earlier,
you mentioned that you're here for the summer.” It was the best way I could
think to start a conversation.
“Yeah.
I needed some time away from home. The past few years have been rough. What
about you?”
Rough?
What did Tracey mean? But instead of pushing her to clarify, I heard myself
rambling out an answer to her question. “I'm here for the summer, too, but I
might have to leave on a few business trips.”
“Oh,
that’s great. I took a couple months off work. Believe me, I needed it.”
“Do
you mind me asking why?”
“Oh,
sure. I can't just give you little pieces here and there and not tell you
everything. I spent the last few years taking care of my grandmother. She
passed away recently. Beth had Alzheimer’s, and by the end, she was so lost
inside herself. She could remember the house where she grew up in Salt Lake
City, but she couldn't remember who I was. It's a terrible disease. She lost
all her knowledge and independence. Even simple things like going to the
bathroom or changing her clothes were a challenge.
“Sometimes,
Beth thought I was her sister Amanda. And there were days when she thought I
was her caregiver. Those days were the worst; she didn't want help, and she
thought she was doing just fine, so I had to deal with her constant mood swings
and irritability. Oh, and the language that came out of her mouth? Well, let’s
just say that my grandmother wouldn’t have used those words.
Review
By John R.
A brilliant debut by a very talented new author! Jude Ouvrard has a way
of bringing her characters to life and writes with a different level of passion
than I've not see elsewhere. Under The Sun is a beautifully crafted novella that does just that - you feel the
characters' pain and their passion as things begin to heat up. I'm looking
forward to this author's next book, Wonderland,
due out in September!
About the Author
Jude Ouvrard was born and raised in a small village named Lacolle. She now lives
in Montreal, Canada. She is the proud mother of a beautiful four year old son,
and has spent the last twelve years with her partner, Cedric.
French is her native language, but she prefers to write in her second
language, English.
Besides working full time for a Title Insurance Company and being a
mother, Jude has a passion for books, both reading and writing them.
Her first novella, Under the Sun, was released July 2013. It will be part of a beach reads series called
Heat Wave. Her second novella, Wonderland, will be out in September and
it's part of a Fall anthology. Both will be published with Renaissance Romance Publishing.
Links
