On Tour, an Excerpt and a Giveaway: On the Rim of Love by Marie Astor

Isn't this cover just beautiful? 

Enjoy this excerpt from On the Rim of Love and then 
visit these other stops on the tour to read more.

Taylor woke up at seven a.m. and shut off the alarm clock that was supposed to go off in ten minutes – he had always been an early riser, but he turned on the alarm clock last night just in case he might oversleep. He stretched and sat on the edge of his bed for several moments, gearing up for the day ahead of him. He could honestly say that today was the first day in his life that he did not look forward to spending the day on the mountain. That is, he looked forward to the skiing part - he just did not look forward to the company he’d be skiing with. Well, except maybe for one person – a girl, to be more precise, but he would not think about her now.

He got up and turned on the shower, making the water extra hot. Whatever is she doing being engaged to that moron Jeffrey? wondered Taylor as Maggie surfaced in his thoughts once more, she is too good for him. But then again, he hardly knew her; correction, he did not know her at all, although under a different set of circumstances, he would most certainly like to get to know her. Get a hold of yourself, man, thought Taylor, she’s the producer’s fiancée. Which of course was easier said than done - the way Maggie stood out in the room full of people, made it difficult for him to forget her. Perhaps it was because of her light brown eyes or her long, chestnut hair, or maybe it was the smooth, pearl-white of her skin or the delicate, chiseled features of her face, or her perfectly proportioned body - it could have been any of these things, but it was the way Maggie carried herself that really caught Taylor’s attention. Not only was Maggie beautiful, but she was also elegant and full of grace - the kind of girl a guy could fall in love with.

Snap out of it man. Taylor slapped some aftershave onto his face. It was half past seven, and he wanted to get to the Owl Lodge to make sure that all the equipment was in order well before Jeffrey and company arrived. At least Taylor would not have to be on his own – Shawn and Ryan would be there to help him guide the group.

Shawn Gregory was Taylor’s closest friend – the two had been exploring the wilderness of the Eagleville Mountains every winter since their early childhood – the tradition that still held true today. Their personalities were as different as the reasons why they both loved to ski: while Taylor was always looking for new lines and different ways to challenge himself, Shawn’s interests were more on the traditional side: an excellent guide, he loved to share his knowledge of skiing with those looking to improve their skills. Shawn knew the mountains of Eagleville like the back of his hand, and Taylor was glad that Shawn was going to be there this morning to help him shepherd the group. Today’s group was going to be no picnic - the lower the skiing ability, the greater the risks when it came to off-piste skiing, and Taylor held no illusions about Jeffrey’s skiing prowess or that of the rest of the group for that matter. Still, he had agreed to be their guide on the mountain, and he would do everything in his power to ensure their safety.

Ryan Gibson was ten years older than Taylor, and he was an excellent big mountain skier in his own right - he had to be; otherwise, he would never have been able to achieve the unique cinematography that was the hallmark of his films. Taylor knew Ryan well from other film shoots where Taylor had had a small part. In fact, it was Ryan’s idea to film Taylor’s descent of the Needle Eye when Taylor had confided to him his desire to ski the formidable couloir. Ryan had been invaluable in helping Taylor find the producer for the project, and now, almost two years later, their joint venture was finally about to come to completion.

With his two close friends by his side, Taylor was fairly certain that the three of them would be able to keep any mayhem in check. However, he sincerely hoped that it would not come to that, not after the agreement that he and Jeffrey struck last night – he did not expect Jeffrey to understand the reasons why he skied the way he skied, but he expected Jeffrey to respect him and his friends, and, more importantly, to respect the mountains; otherwise, the project Taylor and Ryan had worked so hard to bring to life would have to be put on hold indefinitely. 

**Everyone who leaves a comment on the tour page will be entered in the giveaway! Anyone who purchases their copy of On the Rim of Love before December 24 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will receive 5 bonus entries! Want to receive more bonus entries? Get 1 point for liking On the Rim of Love on Amazon, one point for liking Marie's Facebook page, and one point for becoming Marie's fan on GoodReads! Please leave your points in the comments section on the tour page here. Five individual winners will receive a piece of jewelry shown and one bonus winner will receive a $10 Amazon gift card! Please note this is open to US residents only.**