Swap
by
H K Carlton
H K Carlton
Thank you so much for helping me shout about the re-release of Swap. This story is very special to me for so many reasons. One of which is back in 2012 Swap was my first book—the one that launched me into the big bad world of publishing. Back then, I had no idea about a great many things, the least of which was cheating—and in this case adultery—in the romance genre is a gigantic no-no. Ignorance is bliss, I guess. Fortunately, Swap found its own little niche and fan base. So, though infidelity may be frowned upon by the romance ‘association’ at large, and by any one of us who has ever been cheated on in the past, moral outrage aside, in reality it happens. And sometimes even good people can be tempted. Temptation is all around us, and for Hailey Hollinger, that attraction is very close to home. Hailey is fighting a battle she can’t possibly win, and will only lead to a world of hurt. But she's not struggling with mere desire, she’s falling in love... with her husband's older brother.
About the Book
Hailey Hollinger has it all—a great husband, a fantastic career in journalism, good friends… and one hot brother-in-law who won’t stay out of her fantasies.
When Hailey was sixteen she thought her boyfriend, Brent, was the best-looking guy around. That was until he introduced her to his older brother, Mike. From that moment on she had the biggest crush on him and he became the star of all her teenage fantasies.
Hailey’s all grown up now and has been married to Brent for three years. They have great careers, a nice house—they enjoy life and each other. Everything is supposed to be perfect. Except that pesky little infatuation with her husband’s brother has never completely gone away. A crush, by nature and definition, is supposed to be short-lived and should diminish over time. But, unfortunately for Hailey, it hasn’t, and it’s beginning to mess with what she thinks should be perfection. And, if her life is so great, why does she then find herself groping her brother-in-law in the cab of his truck like some sex-starved teenager? Or the more pressing question yet—why is he groping her right back?
Author Note: This erotic romance story, which has been previously published, is written in first person, and contains cheating/adulterous themes. The material has been updated and reformatted for re-release, with a smokin’ new cover, as well as additional content.
What readers are saying:
Swap was an excellent read that kept me captivated the entire time. Hailey and Mike's struggle of their attraction to each other was incredibly well written - I could feel the tension between them myself and of course was silently rooting for them. Most people might find their trysts immoral, but once you learn of Hailey and Mike's relationships with their own spouses, you'll understand the imperative need to have Hailey and Mike find their own happily ever after together. I definitely recommend Swap as a must read, and if you cherish a good night's sleep then I also recommend that you start the book early in the day, because you'll find it impossible to put down.
Hailey Hollinger has it all—a great husband, a fantastic career in journalism, good friends… and one hot brother-in-law who won’t stay out of her fantasies.
Hailey’s all grown up now and has been married to Brent for three years. They have great careers, a nice house—they enjoy life and each other. Everything is supposed to be perfect. Except that pesky little infatuation with her husband’s brother has never completely gone away. A crush, by nature and definition, is supposed to be short-lived and should diminish over time. But, unfortunately for Hailey, it hasn’t, and it’s beginning to mess with what she thinks should be perfection. And, if her life is so great, why does she then find herself groping her brother-in-law in the cab of his truck like some sex-starved teenager? Or the more pressing question yet—why is he groping her right back?
Author Note: This erotic romance story, which has been previously published, is written in first person, and contains cheating/adulterous themes. The material has been updated and reformatted for re-release, with a smokin’ new cover, as well as additional content.
Add to your Goodreads TBR list
Swap was an excellent read that kept me captivated the entire time. Hailey and Mike's struggle of their attraction to each other was incredibly well written - I could feel the tension between them myself and of course was silently rooting for them. Most people might find their trysts immoral, but once you learn of Hailey and Mike's relationships with their own spouses, you'll understand the imperative need to have Hailey and Mike find their own happily ever after together. I definitely recommend Swap as a must read, and if you cherish a good night's sleep then I also recommend that you start the book early in the day, because you'll find it impossible to put down.
HK Carlton did a fantastic job of showing the angst Michael and Hailey faced as they deal with their growing attraction to each other. You fall in love with them as their love grows, and you wonder if they will choose to betray their spouses and act on their love for each other.
Most of the book chronicles Hailey's and Mike's desperate attempts to remain faithful despite their mutual attraction. Neither of the main characters treats marriage casually. Both want to do the right thing. As time goes on, though, it becomes clear that their physical connection is merely a symptom of the deep emotional bond that connects them. Ultimately, they have no choice but to surrender to their passion and face the consequences...
...Swap is a brave book, tackling as it does the uncomfortable topic of infidelity. A few years ago, this subject would have been taboo in a romance. Ms. Carlton does not whitewash the issue, but handles it with an admirable degree of honesty and realism. Hailey and Mike are sympathetic, likable characters. They really try to resist one another, although it's clear to the reader from an early stage that this is futile. In fact, their heroic efforts to “be good” raise the level of sexual tension, as they skirt the edges of adultery, drawing back time and time again from a precipitous fall.
When I was sixteen I thought my boyfriend, Brent, was the best-looking guy around. That was until he introduced me to his older brother Mike. From that moment on I had the biggest crush on him, and he was the star of most of my teenage fantasies.
At the time Mike was twenty-five and newly married, but that didn’t stop my overactive imagination. I was so shy back then, every conversation I had with the man left me a red-faced, tongue-tied mess.
To this day, Mike can still make me blush, even though I’m now twenty-six and have been married to Brent for three years. I have a great career in journalism and I’m sketching outlines for my first romance novel.
Brent and I both have great jobs, although he travels a lot for work as a territory auto parts sales rep. We own a nice house. We enjoy our life and each other. Everything is supposed to be perfect—except that my infatuation with my brother-in-law has never completely gone away.
A crush, by nature and definition, is something that’s supposed to be short-lived and should diminish over time. But, unfortunately, mine hasn’t, and it’s beginning to fuck with what I think should be perfection.
Mike and his wife of ten-plus years now, Cheryl, live nearby. They seem fairly happy, too, until you look a little deeper. Which I often do. With Brent away so much, I spend a fair amount of time with Mike and Cheryl. I go out with my friends too, but Mike and I have a lot in common, and not only interests-wise—we are both creative. I have my writing and he has this passion for photography that I think I’ve finally convinced him to pursue.
As long as I’ve known Mike, he’s worked in construction. I also know he hates it. Especially now that he’s getting a little older and his back and his knees have started to protest the constant activity. I mean, thirty-five isn’t old by any means, but it isn’t just his body that it’s taking a toll on. He isn’t happy, and I know from experience what a rush it is to have an article published, or some kind of recognition for a job well done. Mike’s photographs are really good, and I know in my heart that he could make a go of it, if he would just give himself the chance.
And how do I know all this? Well, even though we do a lot of things together as couples when Brent is home—which isn’t often—lately it’s just been Mike and me. We find ourselves spending more and more time together. Cheryl is often busy with her newest get-rich-quick scheme or charity events. To her, life is all about money, and other people’s perceptions of her and the life that she and Mike have carved out. She wants people to think that she and Mike live a whole lot more comfortably than they really do.
And my husband, Brent—when he isn’t away on business—has a passion of his own. And it isn’t me. Currently, she is housed in the garage under a custom-fit car cover. She is sleek, shiny, and midnight black with four hundred and six cubic inches of raw power, that I can’t compete with.
Author Bio:
Most of the book chronicles Hailey's and Mike's desperate attempts to remain faithful despite their mutual attraction. Neither of the main characters treats marriage casually. Both want to do the right thing. As time goes on, though, it becomes clear that their physical connection is merely a symptom of the deep emotional bond that connects them. Ultimately, they have no choice but to surrender to their passion and face the consequences...
...Swap is a brave book, tackling as it does the uncomfortable topic of infidelity. A few years ago, this subject would have been taboo in a romance. Ms. Carlton does not whitewash the issue, but handles it with an admirable degree of honesty and realism. Hailey and Mike are sympathetic, likable characters. They really try to resist one another, although it's clear to the reader from an early stage that this is futile. In fact, their heroic efforts to “be good” raise the level of sexual tension, as they skirt the edges of adultery, drawing back time and time again from a precipitous fall.
Excerpt:
The Prologue
At the time Mike was twenty-five and newly married, but that didn’t stop my overactive imagination. I was so shy back then, every conversation I had with the man left me a red-faced, tongue-tied mess.
To this day, Mike can still make me blush, even though I’m now twenty-six and have been married to Brent for three years. I have a great career in journalism and I’m sketching outlines for my first romance novel.
Brent and I both have great jobs, although he travels a lot for work as a territory auto parts sales rep. We own a nice house. We enjoy our life and each other. Everything is supposed to be perfect—except that my infatuation with my brother-in-law has never completely gone away.
A crush, by nature and definition, is something that’s supposed to be short-lived and should diminish over time. But, unfortunately, mine hasn’t, and it’s beginning to fuck with what I think should be perfection.
Mike and his wife of ten-plus years now, Cheryl, live nearby. They seem fairly happy, too, until you look a little deeper. Which I often do. With Brent away so much, I spend a fair amount of time with Mike and Cheryl. I go out with my friends too, but Mike and I have a lot in common, and not only interests-wise—we are both creative. I have my writing and he has this passion for photography that I think I’ve finally convinced him to pursue.
As long as I’ve known Mike, he’s worked in construction. I also know he hates it. Especially now that he’s getting a little older and his back and his knees have started to protest the constant activity. I mean, thirty-five isn’t old by any means, but it isn’t just his body that it’s taking a toll on. He isn’t happy, and I know from experience what a rush it is to have an article published, or some kind of recognition for a job well done. Mike’s photographs are really good, and I know in my heart that he could make a go of it, if he would just give himself the chance.
And how do I know all this? Well, even though we do a lot of things together as couples when Brent is home—which isn’t often—lately it’s just been Mike and me. We find ourselves spending more and more time together. Cheryl is often busy with her newest get-rich-quick scheme or charity events. To her, life is all about money, and other people’s perceptions of her and the life that she and Mike have carved out. She wants people to think that she and Mike live a whole lot more comfortably than they really do.
And my husband, Brent—when he isn’t away on business—has a passion of his own. And it isn’t me. Currently, she is housed in the garage under a custom-fit car cover. She is sleek, shiny, and midnight black with four hundred and six cubic inches of raw power, that I can’t compete with.
© H K Carlton
For a +18 excerpt hop on over to Pick a Genre Already and enjoy the infamous ‘groping in the truck’ scene teased about in the blurb.
H K Carlton is a multi-genre Canadian author of romance, with over thirty titles in publication—From naughty to nice, historical to contemporary, time travel to space travel, and everything in between.
Variety is creativity’s playground—It’s where you’ll find me
Variety is creativity’s playground—It’s where you’ll find me
Author Links
Blogs:
Pick a Genre Already
Breaking Genre
Pick a Genre
Outrageous Girls (contributor)
Twitter
Blogs:
Pick a Genre Already
Breaking Genre
Pick a Genre
Outrageous Girls (contributor)
Thank you so much for hosting Swap, Elodie!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend.