We are honored to reveal an Exclusive Excerpt Songbird by Cecilia London

This is a book Denise is very excited to read; a book she plans to read as a standalone for this new to her author!

Christine Sullivan isn’t an easy person to love. She knows how the world sees her – aloof, standoffish, cold…perhaps even bitchy. After a lifetime in politics, including a stint with an expat government in exile, President Sullivan has taken her share of body blows, but now she’s back in Philadelphia…a widow, a recovering Republican, a former public servant seeking a quiet, private existence.

On her to-do list – rebuild her relationship with her estranged daughter and invent the rest of her life. She has her best friend Caroline, her brand spanking new condo, and her ever frustrating Secret Service detail to keep her company. That should be enough for anyone, right?

Until Alexander Guardiola comes along… liberal, emotionally unguarded, younger. A lot younger. Everything Christine isn’t. And isn’t ready for.

But opposites attract, don’t they? And hearts and minds can always be changed…

This is a standalone spinoff in the Bellator Saga series that takes place after the events of Bellator Saga #1-6.

Content Warning: grief, psychological and physical trauma, death

Exclusive Excerpt

“Well,” he said. “Since your daughter has so rudely ignored your arrival, would you care for an escort to the party?”
Even if I was cross with her, I couldn’t let Susannah go undefended. “I’m sure it wasn’t intentional.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t either. But I’ll go ahead and take you downstairs. Just shoot her a text or something. Everyone will end up there eventually, even if they’re being goaded into doing a few extra tasks before attending.”
I nodded at my agents, signaling them toward the elevators before grabbing my phone.
“Must be frustrating,” he said.
“What’s that?” I said, tapping out a note to Susannah.
“Having people follow you everywhere.”
It was a nightmare. If I were younger and more impudent, I’d have done my best to try to ditch them on a regular basis. “I’d tell you that it’s something you get used to, but then I’d be lying.”
“Well,” he said, before pressing the button. “I certainly wouldn’t want you to lie.”
My phone beeped almost instantly, and I scrolled through my messages. “She’ll meet me there, she says.”
I gave him the once-over. His age was hard to place. He kept his hair shorn close to his scalp, but there were hints of silver and brown along his jawline. His suit was well worn, probably overdue for a dry cleaning. But he was tall and strong and had his nose and mouth and ears and chin all in the right places and proportional to one another, and a pair of stunning eyebrows that probably never needed plucking. Quite divine features, really, a bit of a scruffy look about him in a devil-may-care sort of way, just the right height with eyes a dazzling shade of greenish-blue I’d never seen before and oh my sweet baby Jesus what on earth was happening to me I could only hope my gaze wasn’t wandering as much as my mind was.
Focus, Christine.
“What brings you to the party if you no longer work here?” I croaked.
Classy. Truly classy. A+ powerful lady effort there.
He paused. “I felt obligated. So, I’m here.”
Well, that was enigmatic. And terse. Very terse. The doors opened and he gestured for me to enter first. I glanced at him as he pushed the button for the floor. At least one of us knew where we were going. And while I was growing increasingly fascinated by his facial structure, he appeared to be riveted by his fingernails.
Which were also quite well maintained, if I was being completely truthful.
“Gave some of my best years to this firm,” he said quietly. “I’ve moved on.”
He’d spoken to me unprompted, so maybe my presence in the elevator wasn’t the reason for his relative silence. “To bigger and better things, I hope?”
“Better, for sure. Bigger is up for debate.”
Alexander Guardiola didn’t want to be here, that much was clear, and his reluctance had nothing to do with me. Our ride passed without further conversation until the doors opened and we were greeted with the sound of chatter. The celebration had begun and Susannah was already there, the sneak.
I turned to my now painfully silent chaperone. “You have my best wishes on whatever endeavors you pursue.” I managed a transparently fake politician smile. “Thank you for escorting me here.”
He actually bowed. “The pleasure was mine, my lady.”

About the author:

Cecilia London is the pen name of a native Illinoisan currently living in San Antonio, Texas. She’s filled several roles over the course of her adult life – licensed attorney, wrangler of small children, and obsessed baseball and footy fan, among others. An extroverted introvert with a serious social media addiction, she is the author of The Bellator Saga, an epic, genre-crossing romance series, and its spinoff, Songbird. You can most often find her causing trouble on Twitter or, less frequently, on Facebook.

Connect with Cecilia:

Website 🟣 Twitter 🟣 Facebook 🟣 Goodreads