Cocktails + Books? Yes, Please!

• When I think of my latest contemporary romance, UNTIL IT FADES, a French 75 immediately comes to mind. The splash of champagne gives it a classy feel, and a crisp, clean dry gin adds an unexpected little kick. Shake it with some sugar and lemon juice, pour it into a chilled glass, and you have a simple yet elegant and fresh-tasting concoction, the perfect blend for a swoony, Cinderella-esque story about a young mother and waitress who saves the life of a mega hockey player and then finds herself falling in love with him.

   

• For HE WILL BE MY RUIN, there can be only one drink—the Manhattan.  This is a dark, intense story about greed, power, and uncovering secrets about those you love. It only makes sense to curl up in your favorite chair and sip on this boozy, flavorful concoction while reading it. I prefer the sweeter, bourbon-based version but you can also make this with a high quality rye whiskey.

   

• Since CHASING RIVER is set in Ireland, and the endearing Irish bartender River Delaney is the star, a flavorful pint of Guinness is my pick for this book. Funny story- I used to bartend and I cringed every time I had to pour one of these molasses-y stouts. Not until I visited Dublin in 2014 and actually tried it for the first time did I realize just how surprisingly light and enjoyable Guinness actually is (much like CHASING RIVER, where the threat of modern-day IRA gangs serve as a backdrop to an appealing romance.) Now I order a pint whenever I get a chance.

   

• FIVE WAYS TO FALL is probably the most humorous book in the Ten Tiny Breaths series and the romance between the newly minted lawyer Ben Morris and the wild and irresponsible Reese Mackay is my personal favorite. Reese is as fiery as Kacey in many ways, though her anger from a broken heart manifests itself differently. A Whiskey Sour comes to mind for this story. It’s not fancy, but the mix of whiskey, lemon juice, sugar, and egg whites makes it unique. It’s a perfectly opposing blend of sweet and sour, much like the relationship between these two.

   

• BURYING WATER is best enjoyed with an extra-dry, earthy red wine, like a glass of Erath Pinot Noir from Oregon. It’s a medium-bodied red with spice and smoke, plum, and cherry flavors; perfect for an intense, romantic story about the girl who’s left for dead in the woods and the broody mechanic who saves—and pretends to not know—her.

   

• There is only one drink for TEN TINY BREATHS and that is an extra spicy Caesar. Sometimes called a Bloody Caesar, this is a drink that, as a Canadian, I have yet to find served anywhere in the US. It’s much like a Bloody Mary but made with Clamato juice and a topped off with a celery salt rim and oh so much tastier.  But it’s not for everyone, much like the fiery, redheaded Kacey might not be to everyone’s taste.

• I’ll be celebrating the upcoming release of my latest romantic suspense KEEP HER SAFE by enjoying a glass of one of my favorite cocktails—an Old Fashioned, made with Maker’s Mark bourbon, Club Soda, Angostura bitters, and a cherry to garnish. It’s an intensely flavored drink to savor and not rush, much like this book about police corruption and betrayal.

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  ABOUT KEEP HER SAFE:

  Making a Murderer meets Scandal in this story of police corruption, family secrets, and illicit affairs from bestselling author K.A. Tucker, celebrated for her “propulsive plot twists and searing seduction” (USA TODAY).

  Noah Marshall has known a privileged and comfortable life thanks to his mother, the highly decorated chief of the Austin Police Department. But all that changes the night she reveals a skeleton that’s been rattling in her closet for years, and succumbs to the guilt of destroying an innocent family’s life. Reeling with grief, Noah is forced to carry the burden of this shocking secret.

  Gracie Richards wasn’t born in a trailer park, but after fourteen years of learning how to survive in The Hollow, it’s all she knows anymore. At least here people don’t care that her dad was a corrupt Austin cop, murdered in a drug deal gone wrong. Here, she and her mother are just another family struggling to survive…until a man who clearly doesn’t belong shows up on her doorstep.

  Despite their differences, Noah and Gracie are searching for answers to the same questions, and together, they set out to uncover the truth about the Austin Police Department’s dark and messy past. But the scandal that emerges is bigger than they bargained for, and goes far higher up than they ever imagined.

• About K.A.Tucker

  

  K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge.

  She is the USA Today bestselling author of 16 books, including Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water, and her latest contemporary novel, Until It Fades. Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, and Publisher’s Weekly.

  K.A. Tucker currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto with her husband and two beautiful girls.