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THE SUMMER OF RETURNS Southern Secrets — Book 1 Anabel Lorain
One summer in the South of France. A luxurious hotel above the Mediterranean that remembers more than it reveals. An old photograph with a man’s face carefully cut out. And a woman who came looking for answers — only to find a man she was never looking for.
Aurélia Delorme books the Azur Suite at La Sirène for the entire summer. For the other guests, it is an unusually long holiday. For her, it is a return to a secret her mother left behind.
An old photograph. A hotel bill from 1998. A man whose face someone carefully removed from the picture. And one sentence Aurélia has never forgotten:
Some summers are better left to die.
But La Sirène does not give up its secrets easily.
And then there is Dorian Valcourt.
The hotel’s general manager. Calm, self-assured, observant — and infuriatingly good at throwing Aurélia off balance with a single remark or look.
From their very first meeting, something begins to grow between them that neither of them is particularly eager to name.
First, there are the looks.
Then the provocations.
The verbal sparring.
The jealousy they would both rather deny.
And an attraction that becomes harder to ignore with every encounter.
Aurélia refuses to back down.
Dorian is used to never losing control.
And that is exactly why every encounter between them becomes a little more dangerous.
As Aurélia slowly uncovers her mother’s past, what was supposed to remain buried begins to acquire faces, names, and connections.
And the closer she gets to the truth, the more her summer at La Sirène changes from a peaceful stay by the sea into something that may permanently alter the way she sees her own family.
And Dorian.
The Summer of Returns is the first book in the Southern Secrets series — a romantic series in which passion, relationships, and family secrets intertwine with a past that refuses to stay buried.
This first installment brings together romance, mystery, passion, humor, and the atmosphere of a hot summer in the South of France.
It is a story about two people who provoke each other, test each other’s limits, and stubbornly pretend they can control something that has refused to behave rationally from the very beginning.
It is about a past that does not disappear simply because people stop talking about it.
About secrets that return years later.
And about a summer in which far more than memories can come back.
Expect: • strong chemistry between the main characters • flirting, provocation, and sharp verbal sparring • passion and sensual erotic scenes • emotional and sexual tension • jealousy, stubbornness, and loss of control • humor, irony, and lively dialogue • family secrets • old photographs and traces of the past • a mystery tied to La Sirène • the atmosphere of southern France • the Mediterranean, terraces, wine, and hot summer evenings • romance intertwined with uncovering the past • the beginning of the Southern Secrets series
SHORT EXCERPT:
“Such an experienced man, and you can’t handle one guest?”
Dorian’s gaze darkened.
“Aurélia.”
He said her name like a warning, but she refused to let him use it as an escape.
“Yes?”
His hand remained at her chin.
“Stop.”
A faint smile appeared on Aurélia’s lips.
“I don’t want to.”
Something changed in his face.
Not anger.
Control giving way. Dorian caught her by the waist and pulled her against him. Aurélia barely had time to draw a sharp breath before he kissed her. There was nothing cautious or exploratory about it. His mouth found hers, and all the tension of the last two days turned in an instant into something hot, fierce, and entirely real.
She kissed him back immediately, her fingers closing around the fabric of his shirt at his chest and pulling him closer. His hand moved from her waist to the small of her back while the other caught the back of her neck and tilted her head, bringing her even closer. Her breathing grew shorter, and when he felt it, he deepened the kiss. There was nothing left of the polite man who had sat calmly over his espresso that morning.
Aurélia felt his body pressed firmly against hers, the pressure of his hand at the small of her back, the warmth of his palm at her neck, and her own fingers clenched in his shirt. Dorian pressed her closer to the railing, and when Aurélia breathed out against his mouth, he paused for a fraction of a second before moving his lips to her jaw. Aurélia tipped her head back. His mouth touched the sensitive place beneath her ear, and her breath trembled again.
“Dorian.”
For the first time without Monsieur Valcourt. He immediately lifted his head. Their eyes met, his breathing as uneven as hers.
“Say that again.”
Aurélia could still feel his hand firm around her waist.
“No.”
A smile broke through the tension on his face.
“Provocateur.”
Aurélia slid her fingers higher along his collar.
“Hypocrite.”
I’m offering a limited number of free eBook review copies in EPUB format to readers, reviewers, book bloggers, Bookstagrammers, and other lovers of romantic stories filled with passion, humor, and mystery.
Honest reviews are very welcome, but they are not required in order to receive a copy.
If The Summer of Returns, the first book in the Southern Secrets series, sounds like your kind of read and you would like a free review copy, reply directly to this post or email me at anabellorain@gmail.com.
THE SUMMER OF RETURNS
Southern Secrets — Book 1
Anabel Lorain
One summer in the South of France.
A luxurious hotel above the Mediterranean that remembers more than it reveals.
An old photograph with a man’s face carefully cut out.
And a woman who came looking for answers — only to find a man she was never looking for.
Aurélia Delorme books the Azur Suite at La Sirène for the entire summer. For the other guests, it is an unusually long holiday. For her, it is a return to a secret her mother left behind.
An old photograph. A hotel bill from 1998. A man whose face someone carefully removed from the picture. And one sentence Aurélia has never forgotten:
Some summers are better left to die.
But La Sirène does not give up its secrets easily.
And then there is Dorian Valcourt.
The hotel’s general manager. Calm, self-assured, observant — and infuriatingly good at throwing Aurélia off balance with a single remark or look.
From their very first meeting, something begins to grow between them that neither of them is particularly eager to name.
First, there are the looks.
Then the provocations.
The verbal sparring.
The jealousy they would both rather deny.
And an attraction that becomes harder to ignore with every encounter.
Aurélia refuses to back down.
Dorian is used to never losing control.
And that is exactly why every encounter between them becomes a little more dangerous.
As Aurélia slowly uncovers her mother’s past, what was supposed to remain buried begins to acquire faces, names, and connections.
And the closer she gets to the truth, the more her summer at La Sirène changes from a peaceful stay by the sea into something that may permanently alter the way she sees her own family.
And Dorian.
The Summer of Returns is the first book in the Southern Secrets series — a romantic series in which passion, relationships, and family secrets intertwine with a past that refuses to stay buried.
This first installment brings together romance, mystery, passion, humor, and the atmosphere of a hot summer in the South of France.
It is a story about two people who provoke each other, test each other’s limits, and stubbornly pretend they can control something that has refused to behave rationally from the very beginning.
It is about a past that does not disappear simply because people stop talking about it.
About secrets that return years later.
And about a summer in which far more than memories can come back.
Expect:
• strong chemistry between the main characters
• flirting, provocation, and sharp verbal sparring
• passion and sensual erotic scenes
• emotional and sexual tension
• jealousy, stubbornness, and loss of control
• humor, irony, and lively dialogue
• family secrets
• old photographs and traces of the past
• a mystery tied to La Sirène
• the atmosphere of southern France
• the Mediterranean, terraces, wine, and hot summer evenings
• romance intertwined with uncovering the past
• the beginning of the Southern Secrets series
SHORT EXCERPT:
“Such an experienced man, and you can’t handle one guest?”
Dorian’s gaze darkened.
“Aurélia.”
He said her name like a warning, but she refused to let him use it as an escape.
“Yes?”
His hand remained at her chin.
“Stop.”
A faint smile appeared on Aurélia’s lips.
“I don’t want to.”
Something changed in his face.
Not anger.
Control giving way. Dorian caught her by the waist and pulled her against him. Aurélia barely had time to draw a sharp breath before he kissed her. There was nothing cautious or exploratory about it. His mouth found hers, and all the tension of the last two days turned in an instant into something hot, fierce, and entirely real.
She kissed him back immediately, her fingers closing around the fabric of his shirt at his chest and pulling him closer. His hand moved from her waist to the small of her back while the other caught the back of her neck and tilted her head, bringing her even closer. Her breathing grew shorter, and when he felt it, he deepened the kiss. There was nothing left of the polite man who had sat calmly over his espresso that morning.
Aurélia felt his body pressed firmly against hers, the pressure of his hand at the small of her back, the warmth of his palm at her neck, and her own fingers clenched in his shirt. Dorian pressed her closer to the railing, and when Aurélia breathed out against his mouth, he paused for a fraction of a second before moving his lips to her jaw. Aurélia tipped her head back. His mouth touched the sensitive place beneath her ear, and her breath trembled again.
“Dorian.”
For the first time without Monsieur Valcourt. He immediately lifted his head. Their eyes met, his breathing as uneven as hers.
“Say that again.”
Aurélia could still feel his hand firm around her waist.
“No.”
A smile broke through the tension on his face.
“Provocateur.”
Aurélia slid her fingers higher along his collar.
“Hypocrite.”
I’m offering a limited number of free eBook review copies in EPUB format to readers, reviewers, book bloggers, Bookstagrammers, and other lovers of romantic stories filled with passion, humor, and mystery.
Honest reviews are very welcome, but they are not required in order to receive a copy.
If The Summer of Returns, the first book in the Southern Secrets series, sounds like your kind of read and you would like a free review copy, reply directly to this post or email me at anabellorain@gmail.com.
More about the book and Anabel Lorain:
https://anabellorain.carrd.co