Sneak Peek for Sun and Moon by Lee Strauss

Sun & Moon by Lee Strauss

(Book One in the Minstrel Series)

Coming January 26th!

If you’re a fan of the movie Inside Llewyn Davis, ABC television’s Nashville or Colleen Hoover’s upcoming novel, "Maybe Someday", the Minstrel Series is for you!

The Minstrel Series is a collection of contemporary romance novels set in the singer/songwriter world. The books are companion novels, with shared settings and characters, but each are complete standalone stories with a HEA (happily ever after) and no cliffhangers!

She has a past. He has a secret.

Katja Stoltz is a risk-taking singer-songwriter hoping to make it in the indie music scene in Dresden, Germany. Micah Sturm's a brooding uptown banker on a quest.

Driven to the streets, Katja is picked up by Micah - but he doesn't want what she thinks he does.

There’s an undeniable attraction between them, a gravitational pull they both struggle to resist. Katja knows she mustn’t fall in love with this handsome enigma. There’s something dark lurking beneath the surface. He could be dangerous.

And even if her life isn’t on the line, her heart most definitely is.




*not erotica - no explicit sex or coarse language

Excerpt #1

Katja was impressed. “How did you learn to cook?” She couldn’t imagine his mother stepping foot into a kitchen.

“We had cooks. I wanted to learn, and they taught me.”

He had cooks. She had a mother who could barely pull herself out of bed.

“It helps to set a timer,” Micah added, winking. “Especially if you find yourself distracted by a song demanding to be written or a picture insisting on being sketched.” He set the timer, and then handed her a spoon. “You need to stir it once in a while.”

Micah pulled the tin lid off a small plastic container. “Now to add crème and a bit of salt and pepper to the vegetables and stir.”

Katja found it increasingly difficult to pull her gaze away from her teacher. Men who knew their way around a kitchen were sexy. Her pulse jumped as she watched him, and she felt herself flush. “So, what’s left?” she asked, trying to distract herself.

“The cheese. Many people like Parmesan, but I prefer sheep cheese. It adds a nice tang.” He sliced a piece of the block and handed it to Katja. “You can grate it.”

Micah produced a grater and Katja began the process of shredding the cheese onto a plate. Micah made no attempt to hide the fact that he was staring at her.

“Don’t do that,” she said.

“Do what?”

“You know what.”

“I want to kiss you.”

She dropped the cheese, and dared to glance at him. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

He stepped closer, forcing her to back up against the counter. “I think it’s a great idea.”

Oh, Lord, she really wanted him to kiss her. But it was still a really, really bad idea. Her pulse raged and her body flooded with warmth. Her throat grew dry. She heard herself say. “Perhaps it’s not the worst idea.”

Yes it was! A terrible, terrible idea!

He pressed his mouth to her ear, his breath causing tremors that would break the Richter scale. “Admit it. It’s a fantastic idea.”

She gulped, wanting nothing more than to grab him by the shirt and pull him to her. “Maybe not so bad,” she whispered.

“Not so bad works for me.” Micah’s lips found hers, and Katja was sure the kitchen floor had cracked open. She was falling, helplessly. She grabbed his head and returned the kiss, urgently taking him in. She wrapped a leg around him and he grabbed her thigh. She wanted to tear his shirt off and drag him to his room.

Then she remembered his force field.

And her own oath to leave.

She’d told him he had until Tuesday to change her mind and here she was sucking his lips off on Monday night.

Did she have no willpower at all? Had she changed her mind about what she should do so easily? Tomorrow she’d still be the poor girl chasing a dream, and he’d still be the rich boy with every advantage. And with a domineering mother who scared the crap out of her. Mrs. Sturm would always be trying to break them up, and eventually she would win. She and Micah had too much working against them.

She had to be stronger than this.

She placed a palm against his chest and pushed gently. “Micah…”

He tapped a finger to her lips. “You promised me until Tuesday.”

“That’s tomorrow.”

“Then I have you until tomorrow.”

Excerpt #2

They went back to Micah’s flat to change and get ready. Katja chose the shimmery, little black dress. With silver, strapped heels, and her hair piled in a messy up-do, she could easily pass for one of those uptown girls.

Micah’s reaction when she’ presented herself was especially ignited. His eyes popped and his jaw slacked. Then he whistled. “Simply beautiful.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her, snapping her body to his. He rested his forehead on hers and inhaled.

“You smell amazing.” His lips made a butterfly trail from her temple, over her cheekbone to her lips as his hands explored her curves. She quivered under his touch, every neuron in her body resounding with a loud, yes!

He kissed the base of her neck in a way that made her knees give out. They fell on the bed, and she almost exploded. They kissed with a passion Katja had never experienced before. They had pushed through the force field. They were in his room, on his bed. Her hands trailed down his back, his moved up her thighs. They moved together with a rhythm of passion, crescendoing and dipping, losing their breath, then finding room to breathe. Katja never wanted it to end.

Still, there was a line Micah was still not willing to cross. He ducked his head in the crook of her neck and took several long breaths. Then he pressed up on his elbow, and stared at her. He ran a finger along her brow, pushing hair off her face.

“You are so beautiful.” He kissed her forehead again. “But, we have reservations.”

She laughed. “I think I have to do my hair over.”

He pulled her off the bed and playfully smacked her behind. “Get to it then, we don’t want to be late.”

This series is an exciting collaboration between Lee Strauss as an Indie Author and several very talented Indie Singer-Songwriters. Four original songs produced by Norm Strauss(link) are featured in Sun & Moon and are performed by award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter KimMcMechan(link). MP3 links are included at the end.

Check out the music video!





All the songs from the Minstrel Series can be found at Bandcamp (link)

The Minstrel Series also has its own Facebook page(link). Go Like it to follow all the upcoming Minstrel Series news!

Pre- orders now available at the pre-release price of 2.99! (price goes up after launch)

itunes | kobo | Barnes & Noble

Lee is giving away prizes to celebrate the upcoming launch of Sun & Moon. 

Enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card, MP3s of all four songs featured on Sun & Moon, and a 12 month calendar from Dresden, Germany featuring many of the settings found in Sun & Moon.

Dresden, Germany