Stealing His Heart (Connoll Pack #1) by Bru Baker

Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson

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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Bru Baker here today talking about her new series, a followup to the popular Camp H.O.W.L. series we loved so much.  Welcome, Bru!

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If you’ve read any of my books you’ll know that food is featured in pretty much everything I write. Sometimes it’s center stage, like in Talk Turkey and King of the Kitchen, but even when it’s not a huge part of the book, it’s there. I love it when my characters cook together or share a romantic meal.

I’m a big foodie myself, and I love watching celebrity chefs. There’s something so soothing about watching the magic of television cooking, where nothing takes more than a few seconds to cook and you can see an entire complicated recipe come together from beginning to end in under thirty minutes.

One of my favorite celebrity chefs gets a cameo in my latest book, Stealing His Heart. Food has been part of every Camp H.O.W.L. book, from food fights in the camp mess to romantic picnics and home-cooked meals. This is the fourth book in that universe, and it’s no different–though it’s not exactly our heroes who are doing the cooking.

Most of the characters in the Connoll Pack series, which is a spin-off of Camp H.O.W.L. set in New York, are some sort of Supernatural being. You’ll have to read the book to find out if our celebrity chef is one, too.

Blurb:

Stealing His Heart

A Camp H.O.W.L. Novel

Connoll Pack series 1

Love sneaks in like a thief in the night.

Danny’s parents raised him to believe his wolf was a curse. He’s part of the wealthy and powerful Connoll Pack, but only nominally. He abandoned that world to volunteer with supernatural kids, and he isn’t looking for a mate….

Max is a shifter who is also a detective. He’s working a case that could make or break his career. Danny’s caught up in the case he’s on, and he’s also irresistible. They’re a bad match—Max, an Alpha having trouble with his new powers and Danny, who trusts Alphas as far as he could throw one. But they can’t get enough of each other, and they might bond before they even see it coming.

They could be amazing together, but they have to get past a few obstacles—especially since someone close to Danny might be involved in the thefts Max is investigating.

Excerpt

Stealing His Heart, by Bru Baker

“You might get hungry later,” Ina said, pressing a box full of Tupperware containers into Max’s hands.

He didn’t see how that was possible. Her clambake fed two hundred, and no one went hungry. Max had eaten his fill and then some. Ina rented dozens of picnic tables and covered them all in huge sheets of parchment, and the easy atmosphere meant Max didn’t have to worry about eating his lobster the right way. Danny, Sloane, and Ina had all circulated, helping the Janus Foundation kids who’d never seen a clambake before. It hadn’t been like any of the fundraisers Max had attended with the Cresswells.

For starters, everyone had been wearing tacky plastic bibs with lobsters on them—and they’d loved it. Mrs. Cresswell hired a band, and the entire afternoon had been full of food, music, and yard games. The kids loved it, and so did Max.

“I don’t know if we have room for all this on the boat,” Max said, eyeing the box.

Ina waved off his concern. “Three shifters, two Weres, and a teenage selkie? You’ll eat it before you go to bed tonight.”

That was probably true. Ray and Tori were coming to spend the night, and Max and Danny were taking Joss out for a weekend sail after they left in the morning. Well, the captain was taking the boat for a sail. Max knew nothing about sailing, but the Cresswells’ yacht had a full crew.

“There’s an extra serving of pavlova in there too,” Ina said with a wink. “Something for you and Danny to nibble on as a midnight snack. I remember how insatiable new mates are. Did you know my husband is a werewolf? Back when we bonded, J—”

Max bent down and kissed her on the cheek to cut her off. He liked her husband, and he wanted to continue to be able to look him in the eye.

“Thank you for everything, Ina. Next time you’re in the city, you should come by. The Torres family lumpia recipe is the best you’ll ever taste. We’d love to have you.”

Ina clapped her hands together. “That sounds fantastic.”

Sloane shouted for him from the car, and Max apologized as he rushed out the door. Tori raised an eyebrow when she saw the box but obligingly took it and rested it on her knees while he climbed in.

“Finally,” Sloane said as Ray started the SUV. “I adore Ina, but she’s a talker.”

“She’s lovely,” Tori said. “And the food was amazing.”

“It always is,” Danny said from the passenger seat where he was squeezed in with Joss. “Remember the time we spent Thanksgiving there, Sloane?”

“Everything had at least two sticks of butter in it and tasted like angel tears and unicorns,” she said dreamily.

Dreamspinner Press, release date March 5, 2019

About the Author

Bru Baker writes sophisticated gay romantic fiction with strong characters, real-world problems, and plenty of humor.

Bru spent fifteen years writing for newspapers before making the jump to fiction. She now balances her time between writing and working at a Midwestern library in the reference department. Whether it’s creating her own characters or getting caught up in someone else’s, there’s no denying that Bru is happiest when she’s engrossed in a story. She and her husband have two children, which means a lot of her books get written from the sidelines of various sports practices.

Visit Bru online at www.bru-baker.com or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.