AT THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT
by Tara Sivec
SMP Swerve
Publication Date: February 27, 2018
ISBN: 9781250137203 Price: $3.99
Description
Meet the Naughty Princess Club: a
brand new series from USA Today
bestselling author Tara Sivec that introduces readers to Fairytale Lane and the
hilarity—and romance—that ensue when three women start a new business to make
it rain.
Once upon a
time Cynthia was the perfect housewife. Between being the President of the PTA
and keeping her home spotless without a hair (or her pearls) out of place, her
life was a dream come true. Her husband was once her knight in shining armor,
but now he’s run off with all their money…and the babysitter.
Dressed as a
princess at the annual Halloween block party on Fairytale Lane, she meets two
other “princesses” also facing money troubles: antique store owner Ariel and
librarian Isabelle. When the women are invited to wear their costumes to a
party where they’re mistaken for strippers, Cindy, Ariel, and Belle realize
that a career change could be the best way to make their money problems go bippity-boppity-boo.
But can
structured Cindy approach a stripper pole without sanitizing wipes? And could
the blue-eyed anti-prince that has been crossing her path become Cindy’s
happily ever after? At the Stroke of
Midnight is a hilarious, empowering story where princesses can save
themselves while slaying in stilettos.
Buy Links
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/at-the-stroke-of-midnight-tara-sivec/1127236450?ean=9781250137203
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Tara_Sivec_At_the_Stroke_of_Midnight?id=iTA6DwAAQBAJ
Excerpt:
Closing my eyes, I take a few deep, calming breaths as I
stand behind a black velvet curtain in the dimly lit backstage area. An erotic
song that I don’t recognize plays through the club on the other side of the
curtain, the heavy, thumping bass from the music vibrating through my body.
“You can do this. It’s just like
you’ve been practicing. Close your eyes and pretend you’re just dancing in your
bedroom,” I whisper to myself.
“Do you normally have over a hundred
complete strangers in your bedroom watching you take your clothes off while
dancing to a horrible ’80s song?”
My pep talk is interrupted and my
eyes fly open to find my friend, Ariel standing next to me backstage. It still
feels weird to call her my friend, considering a few months ago I had no desire
to ever speak to her, let alone get to know her. But, she’s one of the reasons
I’m standing here right now, getting ready to do something I never thought I’d
do. Sure, it’s an unusual way to make your dreams come true, but everyone has
to start somewhere.
“I took your advice and chose
another song. But just so you know, ‘Eternal Flame’ by the Bangles is not a
horrible eighties song. ‘Is this burning,
an eternal flame’ is a beautiful and passionate lyric,” I argue with her,
my voice rising to be heard over the catcalls, whistling, and clapping
happening on the other side of the curtain, as the woman who went on before me
finishes up her performance.
“If it’s burning eternally, it’s
probably chlamydia,” Ariel deadpans.
“Is this your idea of pep talk?”
“Do you need a pep talk?” Ariel questions, with a confused look on her
face.
“Have we met?!” I shout
hysterically. “Do you think this is something I’m a hundred percent confident
about right now? I feel sick. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. I don’t think I’ve
had enough practice.”
I start to back away from the
curtain when she reaches out and grabs my arm to stop me from running as fast
as I can off this stage and out of this club.
“You’ve had enough practice. You
finally let your hair down, literally and figuratively,” she reminds me as I
tentatively run my fingers through my long blond hair, which she recently
convinced me to put caramel highlights in and which has been curled and teased
and hangs around my shoulders and halfway down my back. “This is where your
future begins, babe. Right here. On this stage. This is where you take back
your life and give a giant fuck you
to that dipshit of an ex-husband. And that hot piece of man meat out there in
the audience who has no idea what’s about to hit him.”
My eyes start to burn as they fill
with tears, and I quickly blink them back before they ruin the perfect cat-eye
eyeliner and false lashes she applied for me in the dressing room an hour ago.
“That was the sweetest thing you’ve
ever said to me,” I tell her with a sniffle.
“Just think: Instead of having that
giant pole up your ass, you’ll have it in the palm of your hands and be
swinging on it in about forty-five seconds,” she says with a smirk.
“And then you go and completely
ruin it,” I mutter with a shake of my head, taking another deep breath and
turning away from her to face the curtains again.
“You’ll be fine. It’s two minutes
and thirty-five seconds of your life. It will be over before you know it,” she
reassures me with a pat on the back.
“I need my Clorox wipes,” I mumble
nervously, bringing one hand up to my mouth and chewing nervously on my
thumbnail.
She smacks my hand away and rolls
her eyes.
“You do not need your Clorox wipes.
That pole is clean. Ish. You know what? Don’t think about the pole and all the
vaginas that have spun on it before you tonight. Think about how freeing this
will be. Think about your business. Our
business. Think about being independent and paying your own bills and banging
the hot-as-balls man out in the audience who will most likely lose his shit
when he sees you walk out on that stage,” she says with a wag of her eyebrows.
“I’m not going to . . . do that with him,” I reply
indignantly, even though just the thought of being naked in a bed with that man
makes me feel all warm and tingly.
“For fuck’s sake, you can say the
word bang. God will not kill a kitten
if you say the word bang. And you’re
totally going to bang that man like a screen door in a hurricane. Especially
when he sees you in this outfit,” she states, looking me up and down. “Well,
the outfit you have on underneath that
thing.”
I take a second to look down at
myself and smile. He told me to never, ever wear this costume again, and I did
it just to irritate him. And to see the look on his face when I take it off.
I’m not the prude he thinks I am. I can change. I can be sexy and outgoing and
do something completely outrageous and not in my comfort zone.
“I can do this,” I state with a nod
of my head.
“Hell yeah you can!” Ariel cheers,
bumping her shoulder against mine. “Just don’t trip and fall on your face in
those ridiculously high heels. Biting it and smacking your face onto the stage
is not hot.”
I glare at her, and she holds her
hands up and begins backing away.
“You’ve got this. Shake your ass
and make momma some money!” she shouts before disappearing around a corner to
go out into the audience and cheer me on.
“Let’s
give a great big round of applause to Tiffany! We’ve got an extra-special treat
for you next. Get your dollar bills ready, folks. Straight from the castle,
looking for her very own Prince Charming, is the hottest princess you’ll ever
meet! Put your hands together for Cinderella!”
Letting out a long, slow breath, I
grab onto the velvet curtain and yank it open, pasting a smile on my face and
ignoring the butterflies flapping around in my stomach as I make my way on
stage.
I can do this.
I’m going to go out there and show
everyone that it’s possible for a housewife to make something of herself. Even
if she has to make it by being a stripper.
Review by Gia:
It had been a while since I had read a book by Tara Sivec. I saw she had a new one coming and thought it was time to read another book by her. I didn't read the blurb. I just jumped right in and read this one. It was a fun read. It definitely has a unique story line.
Cynthia (Cindy) had a picture perfect life until her cheating husband stole money from his family business and left with the babysitter. Cindy seems a little lost at first, she's trying to find herself. I loved that we got to see her grow and find herself. She makes some great friends in Ariel and Belle. I loved Ariel. She kind of wild and give Cindy the little push that she needs. Together these three decide to strip. PJ owns a Gentlemen's Club. He is sweet and sexy. He and Cindy don't start off very good. At first he comes off as a jerk but he's really not. I was so rooting for these two. I can't wait to read of the Naughty Princess Club.
5 Amazeballs Stars!
Author Bio
Tara Sivec is a USA Today
best-selling author, wife, mother, chauffeur, maid, short-order cook,
baby-sitter, and sarcasm expert. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two
children and looks forward to the day when they all three of them become adults
and move out.
After
working in the brokerage business for fourteen years, Tara decided to pick up a
pen and write instead of shoving it in her eye out of boredom. Her novel
Seduction and Snacks won first place in the Indie Romance Convention Reader's
Choice Awards 2013 for Best Indie First Book and she was voted as Best Author
in the Indie Romance Convention Reader's Choice Awards for 2014.
In
her spare time, Tara loves to dream about all of the baking she'll do and naps
she'll take when she ever gets spare time.
Authors Links
Website: tarasivec.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TaraSivec.authorpage
Twitter: twitter.com/tarasivec
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