Featured Book: The Winner: Romantek by Patricia Green

This month I am featuring books that people want to read (see my Celeste's Book Party Posts for a list of books suggested/desired by readers) as well as letting everyone know about books coming out this month.

Today's lucky book is The Winner: Romantek by Patricia Green.

Blurb: Audrey Beacon is a winner. Because of her slogan writing ability, she's won a fabulous vacation - one which only the rich and famous get to experience. It's a big leap for her; she's a small town girl, in a dull dead-end job; she's never had an adventure. Nevertheless, she accepts the prize and is whisked away to a fabulous cruise ship and then the prize: a RAVE - a dream-generated reality adventure. She picks a time-travel RAVE, and goes to 1850s Nebraska.

While in her old West adventure, Audrey meets White Star Smith, an Native American man who has little tolerance for undisciplined females. He's not hesitant to show his displeasure in order to help Audrey improve her attitude and behavior. Audrey feels totally free to let go for the first time in her controlled, unadventurous life, because of course White Star isn't real. In short order, Audrey is in love.

Coming back to the real world is tough, and gets harder when Audrey realizes that White Star might actually be a real person. So what was he doing in Audrey's RAVE? That was not part of the deal!

Can he love her, despite her low social status? Can she show him that she loves him, or is her heart too much to risk?

The Winner: Romantek Book One by Patricia Green,  Excerpt

©2013 Patricia Green & Blushing Books

Audrey Beacon was a winner. It inspired her, as she was packing her things, to pirouette around the small room, brushing the bed and nearly running into a closet door. She held her little black cocktail dress to her chest like the dearest of dancing partners, and she hummed a jaunty tune as she worked.

Pausing, she picked up and read the brochure on the tablet computer near her suitcase on the bed. "Romantek Adventure Vacation Experiences," it said in bold red letters. "Your RAVE will be every joyful thing you can imagine, all the challenges you've been waiting to face, and a dream come true. Memories from your RAVE will last a lifetime." Further in the brochure, it talked about the wonderful benefits the nanite gel immersion would have. The microscopic nanites would resurface her skin, draw impurities from her body, and even sculpt her a little by removing unwanted fat deposits. She was a bit on the thin side, so she had told them when she'd signed the paperwork that she didn't want to lose weight or what little bit of padding she had. The Romantek rep had been very understanding and made notes in her records. 

The next few pages were about the various places and times she could choose to set her dream vacation. They all seemed magical. Although Audrey tried to "think outside of the box" she wanted to stay within North America, and with English speakers. There were several time periods she might pick, including something prehistoric and something set in the future. But, Audrey was uncomfortable with anything too unfamiliar, and it seemed like her best bet was to pick the United States circa 1850. From what she read in the brochure, it was a time of rough changes to the country, but chivalry and romance, too. It sounded pretty civilized, but not boring. During her second conversation with the Romantek rep, she'd made her choice known and the wheels had been set in motion.

The brochure set out some rules for the game aspects of the dream, and Audrey continued to reread the disclaimers, a sense of trepidation shivering along her skin. "Although the vast majority of RAVEs involve computer-generated opponents and companions, Romantek reserves the right to include depictions and avatars of real people as part of your experience." She didn't understand the disclaimer entirely, but she didn't care. This was a golden opportunity, no matter what caveats they put on it.

When Audrey had entered the contest to win a RAVE, she'd never actually expected to win. But the Big Nutz peanut butter company had picked her. It was amazing! She'd never won anything before in her life, and to think she'd won something that everyone wanted and very few, only very rich people, got to have. Ever since the comm with Big Nutz, she'd been busy preparing for the week-long escapade. Although she'd only be gone one week, they assured her that those five days would feel like ten days, so long as she followed the simple rules. It was like a game in a dream in an adventure. 

The Winner: Romantek Book One links:

Amazon ASIN: B00FIPIFW2

Blushing Books: 

Amazon.com: 

Amazon.ca: 

Amazon.uk  

Amazon.de