Rock House Grill by @donnavstone is a Mystery/Suspense pick #romanticsuspense #99cents #giveaway
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    • Aug 13, 2022
    • 4 min read

Rock House Grill by @donnavstone is a Mystery/Suspense pick #romanticsuspense #99cents #giveaway



Title: Rock House Grill


Author: D. V. Stone


Genre: Romantic Suspense


Book Blurb:

Rock House Grill is book one of the Impact Series. Jazz House will release on August 31st


One man’s choices—One woman’s impact


Aden House, successful but driven chef and TV personality, refuses to slow down. His life implodes one night, damaging him both physically and emotionally. He’s rescued by a woman he thinks of as his angel.


Shay McDowell has rebuilt her life after her divorce. She juggles volunteer EMT duties and her job, while dreaming of becoming a chef. She finds her way to Rock House Grill and back into the life of the man she helped save.


Can love be the ingredient needed to survive the many obstacles they face?


Excerpt:


I’m more than a hostess. My specialty is Front of House.” Shay stepped back and glanced around the room. “Take a few moments. I’ll understand if you decline the offer. It’s not the normal way of applying for a job.”


Olivia took a moment to study Shay over the top of the résumé. The woman stood straight with shoulders back and chin lifted, wearing an admirable confidence. Her résumé definitely indicated experience.


“Well, it can’t get much worse than this. Have at it.”


At the rate the staff was going, it didn’t matter, they wouldn’t be ready for the first customers anyway. Margaret and Eli were dealing with their own issues in the kitchen and wouldn’t be any help out front. Stepping back, Olivia took a seat to watch the show. How had things deteriorated this far?


Aden usually ran a tight ship. His split focuses recently had set in motion a downward cascade. Everything he’d planned to accomplish was falling apart. His absence the past couple of days was the final straw.


“Swwwttttt!”


A sharp whistle filled the air, and Olivia jumped. She gaped as Shay took two fingers out of her mouth.


The interviewee then proceeded to squirt hand sanitizer from a small bottle she pulled out of her purse and rubbed it into her skin while the staff hushed. Blessed silence filled the room as everyone turned to stare at the composed figure with hands now on her hips.


“May I have your attention, please?” Her pleasant voice carried well without shouting. “I’m Shay McDowell, and for today, I am your Front of House. We have two hours to pull this together, and I’m counting on each and every one of you to either step up or step out. From what I’ve heard, your boss, Aden House, deserves more respect than this.”


Gazes drifted toward each other. Soft murmuring and the shuffling of feet revealed embarrassment from many of the staff. No one left.


“Okay, I guess you’re all in.” Shay walked to the center of the room and started firing off orders.


She certainly knew how to work a crowd. Within minutes, the entire staff was eating out of her hand and working as a team.


“I know her.”


Olivia swiveled her head to peer into Margaret’s intense, amber-colored eyes. “Everyone needs to stop sneaking up on me.”


“I know that woman. She’s Shay McDowell.” Margaret’s gaze followed Shay’s movements around the restaurant. “How did you get her?”


“What do you know?” Olivia went back to watching the restaurant come to order. “We were fine with Kayla as hostess.”


“Shay’s good.” Margaret took a barstool next to her, smelling of butter and sugar. “You know Front of House is more encompassing than hostess. A hostess takes names, makes reservations, and seats customers. Front of House can and will do those things, but they also act as liaisons for the entire restaurant. A good one has their hand in everything except the preparation of the food.”


Olivia nodded. “Which may be exactly what we need right now.”


Shay stalked around the room, wrangling the waiters, bussers, and bartenders. Every table was set to her specifications, and more than once, she brought spotted glasses or silverware to the staff’s attention.


“It doesn’t stop there either.” Margaret pointed to the kitchen, from where scents of bread baking drifted into the dining room. “An experienced Front is a blessing to the chefs. They communicate how well dishes are being received by the patrons and head off any problems between the back and front. Most important, in my opinion, are customer interactions. Front of House is the face of the restaurant.”


Like a general, Shay marched around the room. Positive energy and authority soon had the previously disgruntled staff smiling and working like the people Olivia was used to seeing.


Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):


Rock House Grill e-book is available at 0.99 for a limited time beginning Aug. 12th leading into the release of Jazz House on August 31st.














What makes your featured book a must-read?


I really enjoyed this romantic suspense. The author portrayed a vivid description of the glamorous world of the high-end restaurant business. The characters were believable, and I rooted for Shay, the heroine, to overcome the many obstacles in her quest to find true love with Aden, the physically and emotionally damaged hero.

5 Star Review


Giveaway –


Enter to win a $45 Amazon US or Amazon Canada gift card


Open Internationally. You must have an active Amazon US or CA account to win.

Runs August 9 – August 18, 2022.


Winner will be drawn on August 19, 2022.



Author Biography:


D.V.’s career path varied from working with the disabled to becoming a volunteer EMT, which in turn led to working in hospital emergency rooms and then in a women’s state prison. After a few years, she took a break from medicine and became the owner of Heavenly Brew, a specialty coffee shop in Sparta, NJ, and a small restaurant in Lafayette. Life handed some setbacks. She ended up back in the medical field, but this time in a veterinary emergency hospital.


“Thank you for taking the time to read about me. Each time you open the pages to one of my books, I hope you’ll be swept away by the story and find encouragement in your own life, never to give up on hope.”


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