Welcome to Thirsty Thursday! Fiction Vixen is pleased to welcome our guest bartender, Cindy Fazzi aka Vina Arno, today!

Thirsty Thursday With Cindy Fazzi aka Vina Arno

The sizzling romance in my novel, FINDER KEEPER OF MY HEART, unfolds during Emma Munroe’s two-week summer vacation in Hawaii, where she celebrates her twenty-first birthday with her BFFs. Her adventure on the Big Island includes getting lost in a jungle, where she meets a mysterious hottie who may be her soul mate, a man foretold by a message in a bottle she found when she was nine years old.

This new adult, contemporary romance is the perfect beach read! And, it calls for the the quintessential Hawaiian cocktail drink—the mai tai. I make mine without sugary mix or syrup. Mix these ingredients in a pitcher to make two glasses of mai tai:
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup light rum
1/2 cup dark rum
Juice of 1 fresh lime
A few slices of pineapples (fresh or canned)
Ice cubes

This drink is excellent whether you’re on the beach, by the pool, or in your couch with your soul make or your best friend. Happy reading and cheers!

Check out FINDER KEEPER OF MY HEART by Cindy Fazzi aka Vina Arno

EMMA MUNROE, a Juilliard senior, snags a plum role on Broadway a few weeks before her twenty-first birthday. She travels to Hawaii with her best friends to celebrate. When she gets lost in a jungle during an impromptu hike, she happens upon a waterfall—and a naked hunk bathing underneath it.

When she finds out his name is AVERY BELL, she’s dumbstruck. She believes she’s meant to love someone named Avery. It all goes back to a message in a bottle she found when she was nine, a letter written by a soldier called Avery to his sweetheart named Emma. Since then, Emma has been searching (and saving her virginity) for her own Avery.

But Avery Bell is as mysterious as he is irresistible. Emma learns about his family secrets and bitterness. In the course of this vacation, an accident and a tragic death will shake both of them to the core. Her singular faith in him—her unwavering belief in love and destiny—proves to be his saving grace.

Excerpt

Emma jogged for the next few minutes. Another brook, then a dry creek, before she faced a second switchback. Shit, she was lost! She slogged along, her legs now aching. Then a faint sound of water. Late July in Hawaii was hot and humid, but the temperature had turned cooler the closer she got to the source of the rumbling water.

It turned out to be a waterfall, partly blocked by overgrown grasses. She descended to the swimming hole and parted the tall weeds with both hands to get a full view.

Omigod! A naked man stood underneath the waterfall, his back to her.
Well, hellooo, hottie. She stood across from him, frozen and mesmerized by his beautiful body—tall build, broad shoulders, toned arms and legs. He braced himself against the water crashing on his face by gripping a boulder with each hand.

All of a sudden, he turned around, his eyes shut. Before she could hide, he stepped out of the cascading water. When he opened his eyes, his gaze shot straight to her. He cupped both hands over his groin.

“I’m sorry!” She swung around. “I’m lost. I need your help.”

He didn’t respond, and she didn’t dare look. Two, maybe three minutes passed.

“Hello? Are you still there?” she shouted without glancing.

“You can look now.” He stood several feet away, dressed in khaki cargo pants and a burgundy T-shirt marked MIT. He carried his hiking boots, socks, and a backpack.

“I’ve been lost forever.” She puffed out her cheeks and blew a gust of air. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

He was probably a few years older than her. He didn’t appear embarrassed after getting caught buck naked, only annoyed.
“And your name is?” he snapped.

Okay, definitely pissed. “Emma Munroe—like Marilyn Monroe, but with a u.” She wanted to shake his hand, but didn’t get a chance since he perched on a big rock and proceeded to put on his socks and boots. When he rose, his dark eyes bored right through her.

He extended his hand. “I’m Avery Bell.”

“Avery?” She shook his hand, dumbstruck. Omigod! She had waited half of her life to meet someone named Avery—ever since she’d picked up a message in a bottle bearing that name.

He gave her a quizzical look.

She cleared her throat, composing herself. “Avery. I love that name.” My soul mate’s name is Avery, she thought. Could he be the one she’d been looking for?

He arched an eyebrow, like, really? He hauled his backpack over both shoulders. “How can I help you?”

“I need to get out of here.”

He walked up the weedy slope toward the trail.

She followed him. “Can you help me get out of here?”

He stopped, so she paused, too. He turned his face to her. “I can take you to Waimanu Valley. I’m camping there.”

“Really?” Hope surged in her chest. He’s got to be the one.

Author Bio:

Vina Arno is the pen name of Cindy Fazzi, a Filipino-American writer and former Associated Press reporter. She has worked as a journalist in the Philippines, Taiwan, and the United States. FINDER KEEPER OF MY HEART, published by Painted Hearts Publishing, is her second romance book. Her romance debut, IN HIS CORNER, was published by Lyrical Press in 2015.
Visit Cindy Fazzi aka Vina Arno: Website

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