Teaser Tuesday: Serendipity by Carly Phillips

Today’s author who is sharing an exclusive excerpt needs no introduction. The fabulous Carly Phillips! She’s sharing from her most recent release, Serendipity – and the next two books in the series will be out in 2012.

where love, fate and fortune are intertwined …

Faith Harrington was the classic girl of privilege–until her father was convicted of running a Ponzi scheme and then her marriage crashed and burned.

Now Faith is back in her hometown, hoping for a fresh start. But her father’s betrayal has rocked Serendipity – and not everyone is ready to welcome her with open arms. Then she runs into her teenage crush — the dark, brooding Ethan Barron. Ethan, no stranger to scandal himself, never imagined he’d own the mansion on the hill, much less ever again come face to face with Faith–the princess he once kissed senseless. The chance meeting reignites the electric charge between them.

Still, when Ethan hires her to redecorate what was once her childhood home, Faith is sure that getting involved with the town’s notorious bad boy will only lead to trouble. But her heart has other ideas. And so do the townspeople of Serendipity …

Faith’s mother raised her small nose, which her daughter had inherited, into the air and turned her back on him, facing Faith instead.  “Well? What in the world are you doing here?” her mother asked again, ignoring Ethan completely.

“I’m shopping, Mom. What are you doing here?”

“Picking up a few necessities,” Lanie said in another hushed whisper.  “This budgeting business isn’t for me.”

Ethan swallowed a laugh he knew would be unwelcome.

Faith rolled her eyes.  “Welcome to the real world.”

Her mother straightened her shoulders.  “You didn’t answer my other question.”  She clearly intended to avoid Faith’s comments.  “What are you doing with him?”

So he’d been wrong.  She wasn’t going to ignore him, just insult him.

“Really, Faith.  A Harrington has to show some class.”

“Like dad did?” Faith asked.

Her mother sniffed, clearly offended.  “That comment was uncalled for.  You know your father has been maligned and misunderstood.”

“Actually I know no such thing,” Faith said.

“I thought you had a good point.”  Ethan added his unwelcome opinion.

“Thank you.”  Faith actually sounded pleased.

Ethan grinned.  He hadn’t realized his little tigress had teeth and he found himself wishing she’d use them on him – not to reprimand him the way she was her judgmental mother, but in bed.

“And by the way, he has a name,” Faith said to her mother. “It’s Ethan Barron and since I’m here with him, it means I like him.  So I would appreciate it if you’d show some respect.  Or ignore me along with him.”  She’d taken a page from his book the other night when he’d defended her against his brother.

Man, they were a mismatched pair.

Her mother let out a prolonged sigh.  “I thought you gave up temper tantrums when you got married.”

Married? This was the first he’d heard about it and the idea threw his stomach into crippling knots.

“This is a waste of time.”  Faith gripped the shopping cart handle hard enough to turn her knuckles white.  “We have shopping to do.  And so do you.” Faith dismissed her parent.

Lanie raised her nose further in the air.

If the woman lifted her chin any higher, she’d be looking at the ceiling, Ethan thought.

“Fine.  But we will discuss this,” her mother said and walked away.

“When? Next time she calls me, which is never?”  Faith asked aloud.  She turned to Ethan, regret etched in her face.  “I’m sorry about that.  She’s horrible.”

“No more than my brother was to you.”  He shrugged it off, truly not bothered.  “And you’re not responsible for what she says.”

Blue eyes met his.  “Thanks.  So where were we?” she asked, obviously eager to put the scene with her mother behind her.

He propped a hand on the shelf behind her.  “We were about to discuss the fact that you’re married?” He raised an eyebrow and waited for an answer.

“Divorced.”

The knot in his stomach unwound a bit. “Better.  But not perfect.”

The corners of her mouth lifted in amusement. “What? You thought I was a vestal virgin?”

No, but he couldn’t bear the thought of another man’s hands on her naked body.  Especially when he hadn’t had his hands on her yet.

“Relax, caveman.”  She poked him in the chest.  “It’s over.”

Not for Ethan.  He needed to know more.  “What happened?”
“Do you really want to have this conversation in the aisle at Target?”

It was better than not having the conversation at all.  “Yep.”

“Fine.”  She hitched the strap of her purse higher on her shoulder.  “I married a man my parents approved of.  It turned out he only married me for my father’s connections, but I was too naïve to realize it.  Once my father was arrested, Carter had gotten all he could from our marriage.  I caught him in bed with his mistress.”

“Asshole,” Ethan muttered.

Our bed.”

“Son of a –“  Anger at that kind of betrayal flooded Ethan’s veins.

“It’s over,” she said again, more softly this time.  “And it should have been finished long before that.  Now can we get back to business?”  She pointed to the colored comforters lining the walls.

Ethan wanted more information.  He wanted to know if she’d been happy with the man.  If she’d loved him but knew better than to push.  He had his own walls, didn’t he?

“So how do we choose for Tess?” he asked.

She released the breath she’d obviously been holding.  “If you ask me, it comes down to these.  There’s this floral.”  She touched a pink and black flowered pattern.  “Which I don’t see as an option.”  She looked to him for confirmation.

He nodded.  “I agree there.”

“So it’s one of these animal prints.”  She swept her hand over the green, purple, pink or regular black and white zebra stripes.  Shockingly, Ethan could live with one of those.  “She seems to like purple,” he said, recalling her awful colored hair.

Faith laughed.  “Exactly what I was thinking.”  She turned and reached high to grab the right size comforter, causing her denim skirt to ride up on her thighs and reveal a flash of what he thought was bare flesh.  A second look showed a dusky pink color covering and almost blending with her pale skin.

Ethan’s mouth grew dry.  Thoughts he’d managed to keep at bay most of the day came flooding back now.  Wanting her.  Needing her.  His groin hardened at the thought, thrusting against the rough denim of his jeans.

“Let me,” he muttered, reaching for the plastic covering and pulling the blanket into his hands.

“Thanks!”

“No problem.”  He shifted his jeans, trying unsuccessfully to get more comfortable.  “Queen.”  He read the label.  “Is this the right size?” he asked gruffly.

“Yes.  I thought we’d give Tess my old room and it’s definitely big enough for a Queen.”  She narrowed her gaze.  “What’s wrong?” she asked perceptively reading him.

He glanced around.  Once assured they were alone at the end of the aisle, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, her back facing the wall.  “What’s wrong is you wearing barely there underwear beneath that skirt.”

“What? It’s a full bikini!”

He slid his hand around her thigh and inched his fingertips upward until he cupped her thinly covered cheek.  “The color of your skin,” he said thickly.

“It’s light mauve,” she whispered on a sigh as he glided his finger over the damp spot between her legs.

“Do not wear these things with a skirt ever again.”  He barely recognized his voice.

“Would you prefer I wear armor?”

He punished her sarcasm with a glide of his finger over her mound.

At his touch, she shuddered and let out a soft moan.  “I forgot all about the skirt when I reached up for the comforter.”

He’d never forget the sight or the feel of them in his hand.  Knowing he’d gone as far as he could in public, he freed his hand, then sucked in a ragged breath, attempting to relax his body.

“What else do we need to buy?” he managed to ask, all the while wondering when he could have her.

How he could possibly carve out time for them alone.

“I have a list,” she said as she adjusted her outfit.

For the rest of the day, they shopped up a storm, accessorizing Tess’s purple and black room.  Faith managed to get him to let her order black lacquer furniture for the teen because it would help convince Tess that Ethan actually heard her when she spoke.  That he cared about what she wanted.  And they never mentioned the incident in the aisle.

But some how, some way, Ethan was determined to finish what he started with Faith.

Carly Phillips is the New York Times Bestselling author of over 30 romance novels with contemporary characters and plotlines that today’s readers identify with and enjoy.  Carly is a stay at home mom of 2 daughters (now almost old enough to read her books!), one soft coated wheaten terrier and a brand new Havanese puppy.  She’s a Twitter and Internet junkie and is always around to interact with her readers.  More information on Carly can be found at www.carlyphillips.com.

So what’d you think? Have you read anything by Carly Phillips before?

**ETA: I was just informed a box of Destiny ARCs arrived at Ms. Phillips’s doorstep today! She, being the generous soul she is, is offering up a copy! So, to enter, tell me something – anything – about serendipity, or destiny. Have you experienced it? Is there some old wives tale? A fun fact? Go go go!


0 thoughts on “Teaser Tuesday: Serendipity by Carly Phillips

  1. denise

    We were looking for a house in a particular area and had a strict budget. Everything was out of our league. and then we stumbled into this neighborhood. We got the last house lot–it was below market price; re-sales were selling higher. We got the house we were meant to have in the budget we could afford in the area where we wanted to live. If that isn’t destiny, then I don’t know what else to call it. We were definitely destined to live in this home!

    Reply
  2. jeannie

    It’s funny how the steps you take in your life click, and all the things that never made sense now connect to form a path to where you now stand. That’s destiny.

    Reply
  3. sandy

    I loved Serendipity, the tension between Ethan & Faith was great then to throw in the long lost sister angle was brilliant! I can’t wait for the next book!

    Reply
  4. Renee Pajda

    My husband is 7 years older than me and when he was 19 and I was 12 his band was playing at a festival. My friends and I watched the band all googly-eyed over the cute drummer. My husband was the guitar player standing in front of him and I didn’t pay him a bit of attention. I actually met him 20 years later and eventually married him!

    Reply
  5. Sue G.

    I loved Serendipity and can’t wait until Destiny! I LOVE and own all of Carly’s books! The characters in this series remind me of the Chandler brothers which was the first series I read! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

    Reply
  6. Betty Lewis

    Will it count as something about serendipity or destiny if I say I’m in the middle of reading Serendipity, and I would love an ARC of Destiny? LOL

    Reply
  7. CateS

    When my dh was 13, he had a crush on my older sister — then when he got to high school.. it was me he liked best!! Destiny!!!

    Reply
  8. Linda Henderson

    I think a lot of people have experienced being in the right place at the right time and I think that’s destiny. I’ve got jobs before that just happened to come up when I needed one badly so I do believe in the concept. I love Carly Phillips books and always anxiously await a new one.

    seriousreader at live dot com

    Reply
  9. Julie Egan

    I loved Serendipity, and the bond created between Ethan, Faith, and Tess. I can’t wait to read about cranky pants lawyer Nash and Kelly. I have no doubt she can bring him around!

    Reply
  10. Nimuee

    english is not my mother tongue and since I heard the first time of the term serendipity I was fascinated with it. In German we don’t have anything similar. But it’s such a nice word and I definitely believe in it 🙂
    I loved Serendipity and I can only imagine that Destiny is even better. I always enjoy your books massively. They are witty and amusing.
    Thanks for giving us the chance of winning an ARC (I love this abbreviation, it make me feel as if Christmas is almost there).
    Nimue

    Reply
  11. Ada H

    I absolutely LOVE Carly Phillips books. And the book titles are so in tune with my childhood. My best friends and I used to make up Princess names and Destiny was one of them. If only we could have pronounced Serendipity, that probably would have been one too!! I would totally love to win a copy!

    Reply
  12. dixie

    i was supposed to go with a friend out of town to meet some other friends one weekend. plans fell through, but i was already off of work, so we decided to go out. and that’s where/when i met my husband. been together 10 years, married 5.
    would love to win an ARC.

    Reply
  13. bookbooksandmorebooks

    Carly’s books are always on pre-order as soon as I can get them there. So this will be to…unless I was lucky enough to win an ARC, but then again I’d still buy a copy too so I’d have the finished product…yes, I’m bad that way…

    Thanks for the chance to win!

    Reply
  14. Bianca Thaci

    Ok…I don’t really know what to say about destiny but I know that the worlds most expensive ice-cream-sundae is served at SERENDIPITY’S in New York…i think it costs around 1000$ 🙂 anybody want to invite me for some ice cream???? Let me know 🙂

    Reply
  15. Jeannie Lim

    I love and have read all of Carly Phillips’ books. Definitely anxiously waiting for Destiny to be out.

    I’ve definitely experienced Destiny. My husband and I went a big round before we got together. We knew each other for 5 years as friends and I was dating someone else then. After a couple of failed relationships, I met up with my husband again, we dated for another 5 years before we finally got married.

    I would so much love to get a ARC copy. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply
  16. Tricia

    I’ve only read a few of Carly Phillips’ novels and enjoyed those so much! I have several of hers on my “to read” list, but really can’t wait for “Destiny”! “Serendipity” was a fantastic book and was very hard to put down, so I pretty much didn’t. I stayed up soooo late one night to finish it & was thrilled (and also held in suspense) to find out about “Destiny”! Thank you Carly Phillips for all your hard work & for offering this giveaway! Thanks also to Limecello!

    Reply
  17. Khaddra Peterson

    I loooove your books. In fact you should write more since besides serendipity i have read them all! Since i have a 6 week old baby i have some catching up on reading to do. Cant wait to start it. Who ever wins this ARC is beyond LUCKY!

    Reply
  18. Shanna

    I have read every one of Carly’s books, usually on the day they are released. I loved Serendipity, and would love to read Destiny early! I’m not sure that I believe in destiny without doing a little work yourself, but I do believe in karma! 🙂

    Reply
  19. Lisa Hutson

    I am totally confused.
    I am a living example of destiny. Met my husband on a blind date, on my first real date 33 years ago. We have watched friends marriages come and go. So very few lasting. It is sad and we feel like destiny lead us this way. 🙂

    Reply
  20. LSUReader

    I just read Serendipity this week. I’d love to follow it up with Destiny. I’m interested in seeing how Nash behaves, and what his real destiny is! Thanks for the giveaway.

    Reply
  21. Mary Ann Milkowski

    loved Serendipity took to work and read it on breaks only took two days to read print was a little small though

    Reply
  22. WendyK

    OMG I want this book! And yep believe in Destiny, it’s how/why I met DH. We met through his cousin by chance.

    Great post.

    WendyK
    Wendykeel@ gmail.com

    Reply
  23. Danielle (lush26)

    Ethan was the man! Omg
    Loved him but I am totally looking to the brothers and the story. I know it’s going to be complicated and emotional but soooooooooooo worth it! Carly writes it best!

    [email protected]

    Reply
  24. S Allen

    I am totally hooked on this series – after only one book!! Serendipity is the first of Carly’s books I’ve read and I need more!

    Reply
  25. Julie Martinez Unold

    I love Carly’s books and now I must buys this book!! I really like the idea of destiny and high school crushes since I actually married my high school crush! It always makes me kind of sappy!!! I also love the humor of Carly’s books!!!

    Reply
  26. Stephanie

    I loved Serendipity! I cant wait for Destiny to come out!!! I feel Ethan redeemed himself and am just waiting for his brother to figure it out (at least Dare came around)

    Reply
  27. Julie Smith

    I LOVED Serendipity! I seriously think I’ve read it at least 12 times! I never thought I’d find a series I loved more than the Hot Series 🙂 Go Carly!

    Reply
  28. sandi

    Read and totally enjoyed Serendipity. Can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the series. It can’t come fast enough for me! Want to see how the bad girl and the bad boy turn everything around!

    Reply
  29. michelle w

    Destiny….. I would love to say I believe in it…things happen for a readon but then do I have any control? Maybe I don’t want any control and my destiny is/ will be fabulous- just where I am meant to be. Whew….where was I going with that?!

    Reply
  30. Patty

    I just finished Serendipity…. loved it. Loved Ethan and Faith. Cannot wait for Dare and Nash’s stories. Love Carly Phillips… loved her HOT series….

    Reply
  31. Cathy P

    I have never read anything by Carly before, but Serendipity sounds wonderful. I will have to go out and get Serendipity. Reading this blog was my destiny to Serendipity.

    Reply
  32. Sherie

    I loved Serendipity! Cannot wait for the rest of this series! I am not sure I have ever felt serendipity or destiny. I hope I have but only time will tell!

    Reply
  33. sharon

    Girl remeets boy and sparks fly! All you have to know is that this is a Carly Phillips book ….and that says it all. Can’t wait until January! Can I please get a ARC? Pretty please???

    Reply
  34. Lisa Collins

    I love a brooding scorned man their like wild cats, you just never know if they’ll hunt you down out of love or spite…either way the read is always fun!

    Reply

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