Welcome to the book tour for August by Amarie Avant. Today you have the opportunity to get to know her and the book a little bit better in this exclusive interview. She even gave us a sneak peek into the book with a bonus excerpt! August is currently available in Kindle Unlimited, but you can also purchase a copy. Keep on reading to find out more about it, plus enter the giveaway. You can also follow the tour for excerpts, reviews, and more.

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What kind of research did you have to do for this book?

I had to research the Barbadian culture, which pretty much started with me stalking singer, Rihanna. I learned about the dialect, the food, and just how shocking little old bajan people are when the cuss, amongst other cool things.

Which character was your favorite to write?

My favorite character to write about was August, hence the title of the book. He’s a very misunderstood hitman who, prior to meeting the heroine Natalia, preferred the deadliest assignments of all. I loved writing about him because I was able to ruin his life, and then make the reader route for his happily ever after . . . at least, that’s what I hope I accomplished.

What was one of your favorite scenes?

This is one of the funnier scenes, filled with banter between August and Natalia:

“Hello, Natalia,” August glances me up and down.

I smile at him, rising to my tippy toes and licking my lips. When his emerald gaze smolders with desire, my lustful façade crashes. Eyes narrow, I ask, “Spent the morning at the police station, debriefing your boss on my family, huh?” Snitch . . . Or are you a dirty cop.

“You’re crazy, Miss Talia.” August’s lips are an inch from mine and the look in my eye is daring him to try me. Dammit, I really just want him to try me.

He winks. “It’s a good thing that you’re beautiful.”

“If I were ugly…”

“Then I wouldn’t take your shit,” he shrugs. “But if you must know, I was helping your brother, Izaiah, with something.”

“Ha! These days, He’s only good for R&B music and you’re not his type.”

August chuckles and the air evaporates from my lungs. Feeling myself begin to smile with him, I place a hand on my hip and cling to the man-eater façade. My gaze rolls away but lands back on his abs, their stacks of brick, ripped and beautiful when he laughs.

“I’m glad you like the joke,” I sneer.

“I do. You should laugh sometimes too. It’ll release the tension in your shoulder.” August’s hand grazes over my collarbone before I can move away. Goosebumps of desire tease up the nape of my neck, but he doesn’t appear to notice as he says, “We went to a pawn shop in Montebello, sweetheart.”

I almost simper. Izaiah really wants this stranger to go with us on a heist? This is getting ridiculous.

“C’mon, just one smile,” he tries.

“No smile. Follow me,” I reply shortly. The magnetic pull keeping me so close to him breaks. I turn around and can feel his eyes glued to my ass. “You can cook?”

“No.”

“Okay. Then you will be my sous chef. We cook and you talk about the pawn shop.”

“So I get a no about the smile? Albeit you get to say no?”

His deep voice is too close behind me for comfort.

“No,” I turn around abruptly. Now I’m face to face with an imaginary superhero symbol across his broad chest. “I don’t take no at all. Izaiah might be the oldest, but I’m intuitive. We’d all be in jail if brawn rules, see?”

He glances me deep in the eyes. “I see.”

The bones in my legs begin to tremble, I feel bulky and awkward turning back around. This time, as I head toward my sanctuary, my hips aren’t swaying left to right. He still stares.

Why the hell did I just invite him to the kitchen? My mama taught me to cook. Just the thought of fixing dinner settles my nerves but I’m inviting August to my haven.

Talia, you’re improvising. Keep strong.

“Bajan food or creole?” he asks.

The way August makes me feel, all irritated and confrontational, I almost bite his head off, until I realize I gave myself and my brothers this identity. I can cook anything.

“Of course, I’ll make the best shrimp and grits a big boy like you has ever tasted.” I grin. He won’t trip me up. As far as August Reiss is concerned, I’m from Louisiana, the glimmer of spark in my eye tells him to try me.

He steps closer. “Shrimp and grits, girl, what are you doing to me?”

My hand shoves against his chest. I might as well have tried to scoot aside the biggest skyscraper in Los Angeles.

August chews on his bottom lip, leaning back against the counter. “I like being pushed around by you. What are my duties?”

“I like walking all over you,” I retort. It’s petty but allowing him to have the last word will only bring about more problems. His eyebrow cocks.

Will we see these characters again?

If I get enough reviews requesting more August and Natalia, definitely!

Tell us about your other published works. (Click on a title for more information.)

I have an Amazon top 70 best seller, Black Queen, Dark Knight, which is also a romantic suspense, with paranormal elements and intended to read like a rollercoaster. In addition, to other best-selling romantic suspense series such as FEAR. For more contemporary reads, Make Me Stay has always been one of my favorites. It’s not only a second chance romance but deals with deaf culture as the heroine is deaf. Killing Mary Jane is one of my more speculative of the bunch, which reads like a kickass puzzle, with a kickass heroine as well.

Thank you so much for your time!

August Reiss
Seven years ago, the love of my life and my parents died a robbery gone wrong.
Do you know what that can do to a professionally trained hitman?
Now, I work for a government organization, my next assignment is to infiltrate the Marchand’s crew.
The information is vague.
But what takes the cake, is that the family “business” of crooks I’m to investigate, includes a Bajan little sister whose lips are the definition of sex and trouble.
And yet Natalia’s soft curves are off limits—not because her brothers will bash my head in.

No, she is capable of offing me herself.

Natalia Marchand
Anything a man can do, I can do it better.
I’ve lived by that credo my entire life, and with my dangerous ‘job’ it’s always been true.
I’m a rich man’s kryptonite, I can pretend to desire you, and then execute a plan to take all you own.
My brother’s and I live a dangerous lifestyle.
Then in walks muscles, murky green eyes, and a cocky smile. August needs a place to stay, and he’s saved my kid brother’s life.
Now, he’s a god to my brothers. Can he really be trusted?
But I’ll put a bullet to his head if he proves my intuition is right.