Max Stella fans, it’s time to jump back in to life with Max and Sara! Beautiful Beloved is out today and I’m so excited to share a guest post from our favorite duo, Christina Lauren. Plus, make sure to enter to win one of two ebook copies!
โฆ Beautiful Beloved: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunesย โฆ
The seventh work in theย New York Timesย and #1 internationally bestselling series that started with theย Beautiful Bastard, Beautiful Stranger,ย andย Beautiful Playerย novels. Featuring all the Beautiful charactersโฆplus one tiny new addition to the group.
Inย Beautiful Stranger, finance whiz Sara Dillon met the irresistibly sexy Brit, Max Stella, at a New York City club. Through the series weโve watched them learn to balance commitment with theirย less thanย private brand of playfulness. Inย Beautiful Beloved, Max and Sara take it to the next step. But the question is: Will they be able to find a balance between the wild sexcapades they arenโt ready to retire, and the demands of parenthood that come along with their new Beautiful bundle of joy? Parenthood: itโs not for the weak of heart.
When we decided to write Beautiful Beloved, we thought it would be a short little novella about adorable and shirtless Daddy! Max! holding an equally adorable naked baby. Simple right? There would muscles and sweet-talking, and weโd all have heart eyes when Max talked to his little girl. Weโd throw in some sexy times and a few new parent mishaps and BOOM, a fun Max & Sara adventure. Better still, the reader would get to meet Niall, Maxโs younger brother and the star of the next Beautiful novel, Beautiful Secret.
But once we actually started writing, we realized we couldnโt really write about becoming New Parents without discussing all the realities that new parents deal with. We wanted it to feel authentic, and show the intimacy that can come out of those chaotic first few months.
For most of us, itโs more than getting back into our favorite jeans or hoping the baby sleeps through the night. Itโs about adjusting to a body that doesnโt always feel like it belongs entirely to us, one that looks and feels differentโand is capable of doing new and amazing things. Itโs about finding a balance between being wife and mother, learning how to juggle going back to work with wanting to be SuperMom and somehow doing it all while completely sleep deprived.
And what about our sweet, devoted Max? Suddenly alone time is limited, sex that used to be frantic and spontaneous and loud, is being dictated by a tiny ten pound baby. Sometimes it seems like tiny babies only need their Mamas. What to do?
As we wrote, Beautiful Beloved became something more tender. It still has its zany moments, andโtrust usโit definitely has the sexiness we know readers expect. But in the pages are also versions of Max and Sara that are more vulnerable, more open, more connected.
Weโve never really had a number in mind when we think of the Beautiful series, and have maintained that as long as we have a great couple in mind and a solid story, we would love to write it. So as Max and Sara and their little Annabelโs story began to unfold, we realized it was the perfect opportunity to introduce Maxโs sweet, shy and swoonworthy younger brother, Niall. We donโt want to give away how he saves the day . . . but weโll give you this little glimpse and see if you can figure it out.
*****
A small sound emanated from the baby monitor on the end table, and I stood, explaining that Iโd go get the baby up from her nap.
I could hear the men talking while I changed Annaโs diaper, hear the clink of their beer bottles and laughter, and I smiled down at my daughter.
โReady to go meet your uncle?โ I whispered, and she cooed, smiling up at me and kicking her little sock- covered feet. I gathered her up and we made our way into the living room, and both men stopped. Max looked like the proudest daddy in the world, but Niall looked completely in awe.
โSheโs breathtaking,โ Niall said, setting his bottle on the table and standing to meet me. โSheโs absolutely bloody gorgeous, Sara. Well done.โ
โSheโs a beauty, yeah?โ Max crossed the room to take her from me, kissing me on the forehead before sitting next to his brother.
โMum must be over the moon,โ Niall said, running a finger along the edge of the blanket.
โYouโve no idea,โ Max said. โIโll be at her flat not five minutes before sheโs nicked her from me.โ
My heart swelled as I watched them together, and I took a few steps back and into the kitchen, leaving them alone while they caught up.
*****ย
Beautiful Beloved is out today. Beautiful Secret is out April 14th.
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