New Release: Dances Under the Harvest Moon (Heartache, TN #3) by Joanne Rock

Dances Under the Harvest Moon
Heartache, TN #3
By: Joanne Rock
Releasing October 1, 2015
Harlequin Superromance

Buy Links:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo

Synopsis

Heartache—the best place to heal

Chance of a lifetime

It’s finally Heather Finley’s moment. After spending years looking after her mother in the tiny town of Heartache, Tennessee, Heather’s about to follow her dream of singing country music. She can nearly hear the audiences hollering…until the town’s handsome mayor, Zach Chance, comes to her with troubling questions about her late father’s past. Once again, Heather has to choose: protect her family or chase her heart’s desire? Zach is determined to help, and to convince Heather that she belongs in Heartache—with him. But is he just another distraction? Or could he be the one to show Heather how a small-town love can make her big-time dreams come true?

---

Excerpt

Staring into her suitcase, Heather Finley wondered what a twenty-eight-year-old should pack to run away from home.

A lifetime "good girl," Heather hadn't tried running away as a ten-year-old, like most kids. As an adult, she knew she needed more than clean underwear and chocolate chip cookies. Although, come to think of it, she definitely wanted both of those. Peeling off her floral headpiece, she tossed aside her last commitment to Heartache, Tennessee.

At least, for a little while.

"Isn't it supposed to be the bride who packs a bag during the wedding reception?"

Heather turned to see her older sister, Erin, in the doorway of the bedroom they'd shared as kids. Swathed in white and incredibly gorgeous, Erin had her caramel-colored hair pulled back in a loose knot with a vintage rhinestone pin secured to the twist.

Outside, the backyard wedding reception was in full swing. Dinner had been served and guests danced, even though it wasn't fully dark yet. Twilight had just fallen and the purple Chinese lanterns around the white canvas tents had turned on a few minutes ago. Heather could see the party from the big bay window overlooking the backyard. She'd always loved this room—including the years she'd shared it with Erin. It had been a retreat from the craziness of the Finley household and their mom's notorious mood swings. Heather and Erin had spent the last two nights before Erin's wedding to Remy Weldon in their childhood bedroom, enjoying girl time and giggling about Erin's future as a married woman.

"Have I told you that you are the most beautiful bride?" Heather got teary just looking at Erin today. Not only because she adored her sister and was happy she'd found a supportive, grounded, hunky Cajun partner for life, but also because Heather wouldn't be seeing her for a while once she left town.

She may have also gotten teary because she was lying about her reasons for leaving Heartache. The guilt was killing her, even if her reasons were excellent.

"You may have mentioned the beautiful-bride thing." Erin grinned as she twirled her way across the hardwood floor of the old farmhouse, watching her floor-length tulle skirt swirl. "But since I'm so in love with this dress, I don't mind another compliment." She stopped beside Heather and clutched her arm to steady herself after the last spin. "That is, of course, unless you're doling out praise to distract me from my question about why you're packing when the party is still going strong?"

Erin pointed out the window where two hundred of their closest friends and family danced to the tunes of a popular country band their brother, Mack, had convinced to play. As the owner of a bar in Nashville, Mack had access to great musicians—lucky for him. For all her love of music, Heather was still stuck in Heartache teaching scales to resistant nine-year-olds.

She squeezed Erin's shoulders, careful of the sheer lace bodice that transformed the dress from fairy tale to sophisticated—and perfect for Erin's eclectic taste. The cut was simple and sleeveless, the lace's pattern dramatic with see-through sections. Paired with the simple fall of straight tulle, the wedding gown was unlike anything Heather had ever seen.

"I'm not trying to distract you. Trying to distract myself from my nerves is more like it." She managed a half smile for a half-truth. She definitely would have been happy to sidetrack her sister from this topic. She was jittery enough without justifying her need to leave town.

Or telling more lies.

"You know I'm going to be rooting for you all the way, right?" Erin plunked down onto the chenille bedspread on one of three matching single beds. They used to play Goldilocks and the Three Bears when they were kids, pretending to try out all three beds lined up in a row, headboards tucked under the eaves.

That third bed—their sister Amy's—had been glaringly empty. The youngest Finley sibling hadn't attended the wedding. She hadn't set foot in Tennessee after leaving home at seventeen because of an argument with their mom. Heather had been out of town at the time. She had been devastated to return home to find Amy filing paperwork to become an emancipated minor. Amy had refused all money from their father and accused the family of enabling their mother's behavior.

"I know." Heather was grateful for Erin's support about her new adventure, especially when Erin had so much on her mind with her honeymoon and the transition to being a stepmother with a teenage daughter.

"You're so talented," Erin said. "It's about damn time you let the world see your bright light shine."

---

Follow the tour | Goodreads | Goodreads series


Author Info

Three-time RITA nominee Joanne Rock has never met a romance sub-genre she didn't like. The author of over seventy novels enjoys writing contemporary romance and medieval historicals alike, recently exploring Young Adult romance under a pseudonym. An optimist by nature and perpetual seeker of silver linings, Joanne finds romance–in all its forms-- fits her life outlook perfectly. When she's not writing, Joanne enjoys travel, especially to see her favorite sports teams play with her former sports editor husband and three athletic-minded sons.

Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads






Rafflecopter Giveaway
(Victoria’s Secret Jet-Setter travel essentials, a journal, bracelet and seven books including releases from Joanne Rock, Catherine Mann, Tess Gerritsen, Mallory Kane ad RITA nominees Debra Cowan and Margaret McPhee)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Find Deanna around SOCIAL MEDIA: