Celebrate the Season with... Sandra Sookoo - GIVEAWAY

Celebrate the season with fantastic authors, cozy holiday reads and fun giveaways. 

Help me welcome Sandra Sookoo today! Be sure to check out her giveaway at the end of the post!

Hi there and thanks for hosting me today! My name is Sandra Sookoo, and I specialize in writing romantic fiction that’s funny, emotional and a little bit quirky in mostly contemporary and the Regency genres.

Why did I write Andy’s Gift? Because sometimes love is bittersweet and full of emotional memories. Love is messy. It’s tear-filled and snotty. It takes you to the greatest heights and plunges you to the lowest depths. But love is the backbone of life and it’s always there. In this story, it takes place during the Christmas season, but the holiday isn’t the focus. It’s about being a survivor after someone you love has died, about picking up the pieces and realizing life and love can still be something special. I hope you enjoy the blurb and excerpt.

Blurb for Andy’s Gift:

Devastated after her fiancé dies in Iraq, Claudia Foster packs up her life and moves to the city of Indianapolis.  She wants to lose herself in the noise, sights and sounds of a place so foreign from her upbringing that she’ll forget her guilt surrounding Andy’s death.  But fate has other plans.

Daniel Sorenson has put all thoughts of his brother Andy’s death from his mind just to get through the day yet running into Claudia again stirs up all the hidden feelings he has struggled so hard to hide.  How can you love the girl who was supposed to marry your dead brother?

As the two share their grief, they also share something deeper: laughter.  But is it enough? As they bond over a pre-Christmas prank, memories, secrets and postponed love come to the forefront, forcing them both to work through them and accept one last thing: Andy’s gift.

Excerpt: As she glanced around, she couldn't exactly climb down from her perch without crashing into at least three people, one of whom had a tattoo of a snake on the back of his neck. As quickly as she could, she took a few steps sideways, then her feet seemed to freeze, preventing her escape as a very familiar scent assailed her.

Fresh and clean, like a recent snowfall with a tiny hint of pine, her stomach clenched in sudden panic while her heartbeat accelerated. That was what Andy had smelled like. Sure, probably dozens of other men in the city used the same cologne but to her it would forever call up memories of him. Quiet summer nights on the porch swing at his farmhouse or bundled under quilts watching movies in the dead of winter in his bedroom.

Even though she knew it was impossible, she craned her neck, searching for a glimpse of Andy. The crowd shifted once more, pressing in on her vantage point. Claudia lost her balance and clutched at the first set of shoulders she came to -- the guy who stood next to the tattooed man.

As he jerked and turned around, an apology sprang to her lips.

Sapphire blue eyes sparkled in the sun. Andy's eyes! With a surprised squeak, she released him as if he was on fire. She teetered, arms wind milling before finally half-stumbling, half-falling into the fountain's pool.

It couldn't be...

As the few inches of cold water seeped through her jeans, she stared up at all six-feet of broad shoulders, fit body hidden by a designer suit and dark, sandy-blond hair cut trendy short.

She felt stunned when he reached out a hand, a small smile lifting one corner of his mouth, and she gawked even more.

There was only one person with a grin like that.

"Daniel?" She had no idea he would be at the rally let alone in this part of the city.

Warmth invaded her body, centering low in her belly as she stared into the face of the man who had been the first guy to kiss her, the first guy to break her heart, the first guy she had ever loved -- her dead fiancé's brother.

Buy links for Andy’s Gift:

Publisher: http://tinyurl.com/mmdsdnb

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/mn2h98j

ARe: http://tinyurl.com/kn76av3

Barnes and Noble: http://tinyurl.com/mmdsdnb

Have you connected with me on social media? Here’s where you can find me:

Website:  http://www.sandrasookoo.com

Believing is Seeing blog:  http://sandrasookoo.wordpress.com/

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/sandrasookoo

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/sandra.sookoo

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2931453.Sandra_Sookoo

Amazon page: amazon.com/author/sandrasookoo

GIVEAWAY!

Giveaway for this post: A $10.00 Amazon gift card plus book swag and keychain (pictured). Please remember to leave your contact information, and answer this question: Have you ever experienced the “one who got away” love interest, and did you win them back?