It's all about the ROMANCE... with Katie Rues of Alpha Instinct (Guest Post/Giveaway)

Happy Valentine's Day lovelies! I have a special guest with us today to celebrate the day of love during our It's all about the ROMANCE event, the amazing and fabulous Katie Reus! After you've read Katie's post make sure to check out my 4.5 wine glass review of her newest release, Alpha Instinct HERE. :)

Thanks so much to Crystal for letting me hang out with her on Valentine’s Day! Not gonna lie, Valentine’s Day has never been that big of a deal for me. Back when I was in college I waited tables and bartended my way through school so I always worked holidays, especially V-Day. Why? Much better tips! Guys aren’t going to be cheap in front of their dates. Do I like getting flowers and chocolate? Heck yeah, but if you forget the flowers, I’m cool. Just don’t forget that chocolate! Then you just might be in trouble.

For my first Valentine’s Day with my now husband we hadn’t been together that long and he pretty much bought out Target. Anything they had remotely related to V-Day, he bought and decorated my room with it. So when I came home from all day classes that day it was like red and pink threw up in my room. It was a really sweet gesture and made me love him even more. If only he’d known the way to my heart was through chocolate! Since then our Valentine’s Days have been totally relaxed. Normally we stay home, cook surf and turf and enjoy a bottle of wine together.

Today is officially one week after the release of Alpha Instinct, the first book in my new Moon Shifter series. In this book, Connor and Ana, the hero and heroine, have never spent a Valentine’s Day together. So, I wondered how their first Valentine’s Day would play out. This is what I imagined:

First, Connor’s got to decide what the hell to get Ana. Buying gifts is so not his thing. Immediately he’d go for not the standard flowers, but weapons. He’s so uber protective of her that he’d want to buy Ana a big gun or blade or maybe even a freaking sword. Of course he would realize the error of his ways after imagining Ana’s face when she takes the bow off her new…sword. Is that disappointment he sees? Why yes it is.

Come on, Connor, what’s she going to do? Strap it on her back while riding around the ranch? Or maybe she’ll take it with her to town because the humans aren’t scared enough of shifters. Okay, scratch the sword idea. Hmmm, she loves her horse, Adalita. And she loves riding. Now he’s thinking with the smart part of his brain. She needs a new riding jacket. But that means shopping. Ugh. Instead of going to the mall *shudder* he enlists Ana’s sister Noel to help him shop online and buys her a new riding jacket in four colors. If one new jacket is good, four are better. But that’s something she needs and he wants to get her something non-practical.

Shifters are a superstitious bunch, and big bad Alpha is afraid of screwing up their first Valentine’s Day so he also buys out Victoria’s Secret—though I question whether all the sexy lingerie is really for Ana or him. He also buys stock in Ghirardelli because well, he likes staying on Ana’s good side.

So after Ana opens up her gifts and they manage to carve out some alone time (it’s difficult on a ranch full of shifters!), he’s feeling quite satisfied with himself (for more reasons than the gifts) when they’re interrupted by pack business. While Connor is on the phone dealing with a mini-crisis, Ana notices something shiny peeking out of the pocket of his discarded pants. After picking it up she realizes it’s a small hair clip with three circular faux diamonds. It’s hers, from fifty years ago! She used to wear it back in the 1960s (it was fashionable, she swears) but thought she’d lost it. So why does he have it? When Connor gets off the phone he sees what she’s found and sheepishly admits he took it from her all those years ago because he knew he had to leave her. And he’s been carrying it around ever since. That knowledge is the best Valentine’s Day present she could have asked for.

Good luck topping that next year, Connor.

So, how do you feel about Valentine’s Day? Just another day? Or, tell me about your best or worst Valentine’s Day. Answer any of these questions to be entered to win a copy of Alpha Instinct (US only).

(In case you’re wondering, Ana bought Connor a sword with his family’s crest to display over their fireplace.)

Alpha Instinct official blurb:

Fear has a scent. So does desire… Ana Cordona has been a strong leader for the lupine shifters who survived after all the males and most of the females in her pack were mysteriously poisoned. As tough as she is, with no Alpha male, the pack is vulnerable to the devious shifter Taggart, who wants to claim both their ranch and Ana as his own. When Connor Armstrong comes back into her life, promising protection, it’s almost enough to make Ana forget how he walked out on her before—and reluctantly accept his offer to mate. The minute Connor sees Ana again, it reawakens a raw hunger. He must have her for his bondmate—his wolf cries out for it. But his human side knows he must proceed with caution because of their complicated past. If he is to truly have her body and soul, he must go beyond his burning desire and win back her heart. Whatever it takes, he is determined not to leave her side again. But Taggart and his rival pack are not their only enemies. A human element in town is targeting shifters. Their plan not only threatens Ana and Connor’s future, but the lives of the entire pack…

A little about me: I’ve been reading romance since a young age—ever since I discovered my mom’s hidden stash. Luckily the addiction stayed with me into adulthood. I write paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense for Carina Press, Harlequin Nocturne, and NAL/Signet Eclipse. To learn more about me please visit my website, my blog, facebook or find me on twitter @katiereus.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

~*GIVEAWAY*~

As Katie mentioned above, she is giving away one copy of Alpha Instinct to one US reader! To enter, just leave a comment answering the question in her post and then fill out the RaffleCopter below with your name and email address. Additional entries are available but not required. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway