Author Caridad Pineiro first visited GraveTells in 2011, when we still focused mainly on paranormal romance. You can read more about The Lost, which she mentions below, and see a trailer, so check that out when you finish reading this article!

What happens at the shore, stays at the shore in Caridad Pineiro’s contemporary romance, ONE SUMMER NIGHT. Maggie Sinclair is out of options, and Owen Pierce, life long neighbor and enemy has an offer that’s impossible to accept. Fans of Bella Andre’s Sullivans series and Shannon Stacey’s Kowalskis series are sure to love this light and playful enemies to lovers romance.

Please help me welcome Caridad Pineiro!

People who know me as an author generally think of me writing dark and edgy paranormal romances or romantic suspense, like The Calling is Reborn Vampire novels that first debuted in 2004 or THE LOST which was nominated for a RITA in 2012.  When I think about it, it’s amazing how many books I’ve written in those genres after that first vampire suspense in 2004.

Click the cover above to read the GraveTells Romance review of THE LOST!

But I actually started writing contemporary romances for Kensington Publishing as part of their Encanto line.  In fact, from 1999 to 2001 they released seven of them!

So why did I stop writing contemporary romance?  I think I had burned out on writing so many books in such a short time frame.  Around the same time, close to when the Encanto line shut down in late 2001, I had an idea for a very different book. One about a female FBI Agent who meets a sexy Southern vampire.  My publisher at the time had expressed an interest in acquiring the book, but with editors leaving the line and my getting a new editor, Kensington never acquired the book.

ONE SUMMER NIGHT is an enemies to lovers story, Romeo and Juliet with a much happier ending.

Luckily Harlequin did in 2003 and over the next decade I was on a constant cycle of writing for them as well as other publishers who had noticed me. I even snuck in some women’s fiction at that time with my South Beach series, but I had little time left for writing the kind of contemporary romance that appealed to me.

And then about three years ago a character popped into my head.  She was spunky and determined and just refused to go away.  That character was Maggie Sinclair, the heroine in ONE SUMMER NIGHT.  She wanted a story, a big, romantic, emotional, funny story.  And then she brought along her best friends, Connie and Emma, who wanted their own happily ever afters as well.

Maggie Sinclair, the heroine in ONE SUMMER NIGHT, wanted a story—a big, romantic, emotional, funny story.  And then she brought along her best friends, Connie and Emma.

It had been so long since I’d written a story like that and the idea really appealed to me, especially when it seemed like the best place to set the stories would be on the Jersey Shore.  I love the Jersey Shore (the real one and not the one with the show that shall not be named). Soon the idea came for melding some of my favorite Shore towns into the setting for the stories, the fictional town of Sea Kiss.

I love the Jersey Shore (the real one and not the one with the show that shall not be named).

After that ONE SUMMER NIGHT almost wrote itself, as did WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER, the next book in the series which will be out in late Spring 2018.  It was just so much fun to lose myself in the stories of these three woman who weren’t looking for Mr. Right until Fate dumps that very special man right on their doorsteps!

I also loved playing with the tropes that we all love so well.  ONE SUMMER NIGHT is an enemies to lovers story, Romeo and Juliet with a much happier ending.  LOL!  WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER is a second chance at love romance between two very different people who had loved each other deeply at one time.  SEA KISS SUMMER (tentative title) is a friends to lovers story and I also plan on introducing in this book new characters who will have their own stories in the future.

With so many Sea Kiss stories planned in my head does that mean I won’t go back to writing paranormals or romantic suspense?  Actually, I have added another story to The Calling is Reborn series.  DARE TO LOVE was part of a box set and will be out shortly as a standalone novella.  FIGHT FOR LOVE will hopefully be out in late 2018.  I also have some ideas in the works for Harlequin’s Intrigue line and hope to get to work on them shortly!

For those readers who liked my dark and edgy side, I hope you will take a moment to check out a more humorous, sensual, and touching side of me in my contemporary romance novels, like ONE SUMMER NIGHT.

Thank you so much for taking the time to drop by and thanks to GraveTells for letting me visit with you!

But before I go, a question for you:  What is your favorite genre and your favorite book?

Read an excerpt from One Summer Night

Copyright © 2017 Caridad Pineiro

With keen interest, Owen Pierce took note of the three women as they hurried away from the dais and into the Sinclair mansion.

“Put your eyes back in your head, Bro. She’s nothing but trouble,” Jon warned in low tones.

Owen bit back the retort that if anyone knew about trouble, it was his brother. Jonathan had always marched to a different drummer and had set out on his own as a teenager to explore what he wanted out of life. Now a successful entrepreneur, he had captured the media’s attention with his innovative designs and daring adventures. That left Owen to shoulder most of the burden of the family’s real estate business, as well as deal with his father’s anger over Jonathan’s latest newsworthy escapade.

He envied his brother’s carefree spirit and determination, especially as Maggie Sinclair marched back onto the patio with her friends, an angry bride, and an obviously inebriated groom. Both the bride and groom looked far from happy as they approached the elaborate multi-tiered wedding cake that had been wheeled out to the middle of the makeshift dance floor.

He worried the bride might plunge the long knife she held into her new husband, but luckily for the newlyweds, Maggie directed the blade toward the cake.

Jon playfully elbowed him. “Seriously, Owen. She’s not for you. Father declared the Sinclairs off-limits ages ago. He would have a stroke if he thought the two of you were involved.”

Involved with Maggie Sinclair, Owen thought and sighed with regret.

In a way, he’d been involved with her forever. He’d like to chalk it all up to a sloppy, hurried, and stolen kiss at eighteen and the allure of forbidden fruit. But since that kiss, he’d watched her mature into a smart, beautiful woman. One who was willing to work hard for the town and business she cared about as well as friends and family. With every encounter, he’d grown more intrigued with the person Maggie had become.

But his father had come down hard on them about mingling with the Sinclairs right after Maggie’s mother’s death. For years, they’d been unable to come to their Sea Kiss home, and even when they’d returned, they’d done so without their father, who refused to be so close to the family he thought had wronged him.

Not that Owen expected that Jon would kowtow to such rules, since his brother was the kind of man who didn’t hesitate to take what he wanted.

He arched a brow and met his brother’s blue-eyed gaze, which glittered with a mix of undisguised challenge and amusement. “Do you think you’re the only one entitled to a little adventure in your life?” he said.

Jon chuckled. “My kind of adventure is way safer than what you may be considering.”

“Why’s that, Li’l Bro?” he asked, appreciating the sight of Maggie in a dusty-rose gown that hugged dangerous curves. Her chestnut-brown hair fell to her shoulders in soft waves and framed ice-blue eyes and a sassy, sexy face that snared his attention every time he saw her.

Jonathan took a last sip of his champagne and barely stifled another laugh. With a shake of his head, he replied, “Because all I risk is an occasional broken bone, but that…” He jerked his head in Maggie’s direction as she stepped back beside Connie and Emma. “That will break your heart.”

Buy or reserve your copy online at*: Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Paperback) | B&N | iBooks

Maggie Sinclair has tried everything to save her family's business. Her options are dwindling, and she needs someone who can turn things around--fast. Problem is, the only person who can help her is trouble with a capital T. The Sinclair and Pierce families have been feuding for nearly 30 years, but that hasn't stopped Owen Pierce from noticing Maggie. And he likes what he sees--a lot. But getting involved would mean risking his family, his inheritance, and above all, his heart. Can Maggie and Owen keep their simmering attraction at bay--or will mixing business and pleasure bring nothing but heartache?

*This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

About Caridad Pineiro

Caridad Pineiro is a transplanted Long Island girl who has fallen in love with pork roll and the Jersey Shore, but still can’t get the hang of tomato pies. When Caridad isn’t taking long strolls along the boardwalk to maintain her sanity and burn off that pork roll, she’s also a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author with over a million books sold worldwide. Caridad is passionate about writing and helping others explore and develop their skills as writers. She is a founding member of the Liberty States Fiction Writers and has presented workshops at the RT Book Club Convention, Romance Writers of America National Conference as well as various writing organizations throughout the country.

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Giveaway

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What is your favorite genre and your favorite book?