What Makes a Man Wonderful? – Winter Wonder Man Hop

Sexy athletic bodyWhat makes a man a “wonder man?” It would be easy to point to extraordinary feats that different men (both real and fictional) have performed over the years to aid or protect their loved ones. But when I think about what makes a man wonderful to me, it’s the little things that matter. Is he there when I need him? Does he show up when he says he’s going to? If he says he’s going to do something, does he follow through? It’s these little things that I think make a wonderful man.

Do you have a wonderful man in your life? He could be a significant other or he could be your father, son, or brother-in-law. He could even be an ex you still remember in somewhat fond terms. If you feel so moved, please share in the comments what characteristics make your wonder man wonderful.

Below is an excerpt from my latest novel, The Reluctant Billionaire, in which Rhys (the billionaire) shows his own wonderful qualities. Also, don’t miss the giveaways before you hop away to your next site. There’s one below for this hop, and another here. If you check out the other giveaway, don’t forget to come back here in order to continue your hop. Thanks for visiting!

The Reluctant Billionaire Excerpt

“What did he do to you to make it too painful to see him?” Rhys said.

Her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

She’d made it to the opening in the treehouse floor when Rhys grabbed her arm.

“Tell me. Please. Because right now I’m imagining awful things.”

The truth was pretty bad, although who knew what he was thinking. She didn’t want to talk about it though.

“Please,” Rhys said.

Sophie gazed at the tree, trying to forget that Rhys was behind her. “He told me he loved me, and that we’d get married. I was a fool, and I believed him, so when we slept together I didn’t always make him use protection.” Make that never. She’d never insisted. She’d been stupid blind with love for him. “When I got pregnant, he gave me a stack of bills so I could get an abortion.”

She paused. “I told him I didn’t want an abortion and that I didn’t see the point, since we were going to get married. That’s when he laughed at me and told me it had all been a lie to get me into bed.” She’d been so gullible. What had made her think a rich, good-looking man would marry a round-in-the-middle cook?

Rhys squeezed her arm, just a little. “And the baby?”

“Miscarriage.” She spat the word out, trying not to think about what it meant. “I’m sure he was happy. Took me a while to get myself together again. Then I found this job, and here I am.”

Rhys put his arms around her from behind and hugged her. “That’s terrible.”

She put her hand on one of the arms around her. She’d gotten plenty of hugs from her family when she’d lost the baby. Somehow, this felt different. Maybe because Stanford hadn’t once consoled her. And now this man who hadn’t even known her then was giving her what she’d needed all along.

Sophie leaned her head back and rested it against his chest. “It’s over. But sometimes I still think about my little baby. I wonder if it would’ve been a boy or a girl, and what it might have grown up to do. And I wonder if I would have lost it if he’d kept his promises.” She’d never know. But she’d always wondered if the stress of losing him had somehow hurt the baby.

Rhys squeezed her tighter. They sat like that for a while. Then he loosened his arms and said, “Let’s get back.” He helped her find the wooden slats so she didn’t fall climbing out of the tree house. When they’d both reached the ground, he put his hand on her back and steered her down the path.

“Isn’t this away from the house?”

“We’re taking another route. There’s something I want to show you.”

They wound through the wooded area and emerged into the sun. More gardens and wild patches ranged for as far as she could see. “This is all Mr. Blackwell’s?”

“It is.”

“He must love the outdoors.”

Rhys didn’t say anything, just guided her down another path through shrubs and flower beds bursting with reds and pinks and purples. They seemed to be edging back toward the house, though she couldn’t see it through the trees.

“Here we are,” Rhys said.

They stepped into a small clearing still wild with clover and pretty little wild flowers scattered through the grass. As they stepped closer, she could see the ring of stones and the unhurried flight of ten…no, twenty, maybe even thirty…different butterflies.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

“I built it thinking someday my kids could come here and play. These flowers are designed to attract butterflies, and we’ve done other things as well to make this a sort of butterfly refuge.”

She took a few steps closer. Butterflies flew all around her.

“I would think, wherever your little baby went, it might be something like this.”

Sophie blinked back tears. She’d often wondered about where her child had gone. “Thank you.”

Rhys put his arms around her again and kissed the top of her head. They stood like that for a while and eventually, a butterfly landed on one of Rhys’ arms. It flapped its wings lazily not far from Sophie’s face.

She’d never been anyplace that felt so peaceful. This is exactly where she’d have wanted her child to have gone.

Sophie rubbed her cheek against Rhys’ arm. “Thank you,” she said again.

Quietly, without talking about it, they disentangled themselves and left the butterflies. Rhys took her down a different path that led back into the forest.

“You can go there anytime,” he said at length.

“I think I will.”

He walked her all the way to the kitchen door before wandering back into the garden. She still thought she needed to avoid a relationship with him. But was she making a big mistake in pushing him away?

 

Ebook360 When BBW Sophie begins her new job as chef in William Blackwell’s mansion, she wants a new start. Her last job led to a romance with her billionaire boss which ended in heartbreak. This time, she swears she’ll stay away from workplace romance…a vow that’s put to the test when she meets the enigmatic Rhys, one of the mansion’s gardeners.

William “Rhys” Blackwell might be a billionaire, but he still loves digging in his gardens. When he meets Sophie he feels instantly attracted to her. But Sophie says she doesn’t want to date anyone from the mansion, and Rhys knows that goes double for him, so he keeps his identity quiet. Maybe if she gets to know him first, she’ll change her mind.

In the midst of the growing attraction between Sophie and Rhys, they have other problems to deal with, too…a lawsuit, a billionaire ex-lover and more. In the end, there’s just one question: what are they willing to risk for a chance at love?

Discounted for a limited time.

Amazon US
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29 thoughts on “What Makes a Man Wonderful? – Winter Wonder Man Hop

  1. Thanks so much for the giveaway. I am having lots of fun on this hop.

    chelle2006 AT aol DOT com

  2. Trix says:

    Such a fun hop!

    vitajex(at)Aol(Dot)com

  3. Donna Newman says:

    I do have a wonder man, he truly is my soul mate. He is sarcastic sometimes to a fault LOL, sweet loving and he lets me be me. He has more confidence in me than I do have in myself sometimes.

    anovelgathering2013(at)gmail(dot)com

  4. Jill P says:

    Thanks so much for the giveaway!! Great excerpt!
    jasdarts at hotmail dot com

  5. Ashfa Anwer says:

    Thanks for the giveaway!
    blackcapballistics AT gmail DOT com

  6. MaryAnne Hart says:

    Thank you for the giveaway!
    maryannehart99 at gmail dot com

  7. Nikki Jones says:

    Thanks for the giveaway!!!

  8. Chris says:

    Thanks for the giveaway love the except
    cjlps23 at gmail dot com

  9. Jen B says:

    Thanks for the giveaway. jen.barnard@btinternet.com

  10. BookAttict says:

    Thanks for the amazing excerpt & giveaway!
    elizabeth @ bookattict . com

  11. Daniel M says:

    thanks for the hop! – regnod(at)yahoo(d0t)com

  12. Carolyn J says:

    awesome giveaway
    carjoh56 (at) gmail (dot) com

  13. JanD says:

    My wonder man knows the right things to say when I need an answer.
    bituin76 at hotmail dot com

  14. Nana Prah says:

    Dependability is a wonderful characteristic.

  15. Lilith Nyx says:

    I love when someone is loyal,,funny,sweet,honest…
    Thanks for a chance 🙂
    qwertzuio789@net.hr

  16. H.B. says:

    I’ve always like the strong silent type, with a heart of gold, smart, and funny when they let themselves go.

    humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com

  17. BookLady says:

    The wonderful man in my life is my husband who supports me and is always there when I need him. Thanks for the great giveaway!
    bhometchko(at)hotmail(dot)com

  18. bn100 says:

    Nice excerpt

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

  19. shadowluvs2read says:

    Sounds wonderful! My favorite is an alpha hero. One thats strong, caring, protective. I love a sense of humor! And a six pack and guns doesnt hurt anything. lol Thank you!
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

  20. Emily W. says:

    I love a caring, protective hero, one who can go all alpha male, yet doesn’t feel threatened and even encourages their loved one taking the lead and taking charge. A sense of humor is also important. It doesn’t matter if it’s just goofiness, dry humor, wit, etc, just some type of sense of humor. He has to be able to deal with feelings, not all, oh I’m a guy, we don’t do those things, over-macho crap. I want a guy who’s secure in his massculinity (you know, not afraid to wear pink or scared people will think he’s “gay” or “a girl” for actually doing/enjoying things like going to the theatre or dressing fashionably). Loyalty and fidelity are extremely important as well as being able to cook. A guy who can cook is super sexy. And romantic at heart as well.

    tiger-chick-1(at)hotmail(dot)com

  21. Anita H. says:

    Thanks for being part of this giveaway hop!

    thebigbluewall77(at)gmail(dot)com

  22. Ada says:

    I love a man who is sexy and confident but can show emotions and vulnerability.

    Thanks for the chance to win!
    ahui89 at hotmail dot com

  23. Cathy says:

    I have a wonderful man. He’s tall and strong and smart and loves kitty cats…
    capefearlibn at gmail dot com

  24. Delphina says:

    This looks like such yummy goodness 🙂 delphinareadstoomuch at yahoo

  25. Juliee Fitze says:

    The special man in m life pasted away 16 years ago and I still miss him everyday. jfitze2@hotmail.com

  26. My husband is my sexy real life hero. Handsome, sensitive, helpful, with a great sense of humour, mixed with a hint of arrogance and a healthy dose of humility. He makes my toe curl *wink*
    Flirty.feisty@gmail.com
    http://flirtyandfeistyromance.blogspot.co.uk

  27. Krista says:

    The only man in my life is currently my Dad. I love him because he’s always there for me. Thanks for the giveaway!

    pinkbonanza{ AT }gmail{ DOT }com

  28. Steph F. says:

    I was lucky enough to find a wonderful man. He is smart, sexy and always their for me. I love the post and thank you for the giveaway.

    fsteph55(at)yahoo(dot)com

  29. Marissa says:

    Thanks for the generous giveaway 🙂

    butterflypetals7(at)gmail(dot)com

Comments are closed.