Author: Rebecca Rohman

Release Date: February 25, 2020

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense

Number of Pages/Words: 500/140,000

Format: Ebook & Paperback

 

 

Synopsis

 

Thirty years ago, as teenagers, lawyer, Bobby McLean and travel writer, Sicora Clarke shared an intense love affair and had a happy future planned. But when Sicora ended it with no explanation and Bobby never heard from her again, it devastated him.

Today, one marriage and one horrific tragedy later, Bobby returns to his island home of Saint Lucia to help him reset before a fresh start in San Francisco.

Sicora Clarke intends to be in and out of her birthplace quickly. When she unexpectedly runs into Bobby McLean in the most dubious circumstances, it resurrects issues that she had buried decades ago, issues that rocked her entire world—issues that tore them apart.

When Sicora returns to life on the US east coast and Bobby on the west, neither can forget the plans they made and the passionate life and love they used to share. But with the geographical distance between them and a world of secrets, conflicts, and dangers amid them, it widens the gap physically—but not necessarily in their hearts.

With Sicora’s life now threatened, could a rekindled love be the only way for them to make it out alive or was this reunion doomed from the start…

 

 

 

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

Amazon IN | Amazon FR | Amazon IT

Amazon DE | Amazon ES

Amazon NL | Amazon JP | Amazon BR | Amazon MX

Apple iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

 

 

 

EXCERPT – THAT DUBIOUS FIRST MEETING…

 

Saint Lucia

“I don’t want to marry you,” a woman says to someone as I sit on the jetty at Saint Lucia’s Pigeon Island.

The blackness of the night surrounds us and what started as indistinct voices behind me among some trees now reaches my ears with some clarity.

She continues, “How many times and ways do I have to say this. I don’t want to marry you. I don’t want to marry anybody. You knew this from the start and for you to follow me here at a time like this is insensitive and selfish on your part.”

“Why is it so hard for you to settle into a life with me?” the man asks. “I could give you the world. I could give you a life you could only dream of.”

“Vince, I’m not doing this with you right now. Not now nor have I ever been interested in living off your money.”

I try to ignore the lovers’ spat going on behind me but when I hear the woman shriek, I turn to make sure she’s okay.

Their bodies are in silhouette among the trees.

“Let go of me,” she yells. “Leave me alone. I’m done. It’s over. I’m not doing this with you anymore.”

“Please. I’m begging you,” the man pleads.

His American accent comes through clearly and I realize though hers is indistinct, they’re probably tourists.

“What part of it’s over do you not understand?” the woman laments.

She walks away and the man follows her, grabs her by her arm and shoves her against a nearby tree causing me to rise to my feet.

“Vince, stop. You’re scaring me.” The shakiness in her voice is now clear. “You’re acting crazy. Let go of me.”

“No.”

Hearing his obstinate response, I take a few steps closer and look on. Their figures are still in view but the darkness of the night only outlines their bodies. Their speech is now inaudible. My gut tells me to check on this woman.

“Hey. Leave her alone,” I shout as I run toward them.

The man gasps at my presence and immediately lets her go. As she runs away, the moonlight and a nearby lamppost illuminate her body. Part of her white skirt is torn and a piece of fabric remains in his hand.

He was attempting to rape her.

“Sicora, I’m sorry,” he yells as she runs away trying to hold what’s left of her skirt together.

His words send chills through my body. “Sicora? Sicora Clarke?”

She stills at my words and as she turns, her eyes meet mine and the moonlight hits her face. Tears run down her cheeks.

She’s older now but no less beautiful than she was when I last saw her almost thirty years ago.

“It’s Bobby—Bobby McLean.”

She gasps as she looks at me, then holding her skirt together, she runs away.

I look at the man, then her and the man again and while my first instinct is to beat him up, I realize that she might need a friend and

I chase her down the sandy path.

As I call out her name, she runs through the gates of the park, putting her out of my view. I hear the footsteps of the man—Vince following me.

By the time I make it through the gate, it’s just enough time to see her slipping behind the wheel of a blue SUV.

“Sicora, wait,” I shout.

She looks me in the eye and speeds away…

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Rebecca Rohman is a wife and designer currently living in the northeastern United States. She was a sales manager for a tourist magazine, and for many years prior, she was involved in marketing for a jewelry company and fine wine distributor.

Over twenty years ago, she started writing her first romance novel purely to entertain herself. In early 2012, she decided to complete and release it. Since then, she has released nine additional novels including One More Chance At Love and three novellas. One More Chance At Love is her tenth release.

 

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Giveaway

 

Click here to enter the giveaway

 

 

 

Titles by Rebecca Rohman

 

Although Rebecca Rohman’s novels standalone, they can be read together because they share the same characters. The novellas are follow-up books to the full-length novels. They’re listed below in the order they were released in case you’d like to read them together.

 

Love On The Pacific Shores Series

Love, Lies & The D.A.

Love M.D.

A Problematic Love

Love, Lies & A Bleu Christmas (Novella)

The Painful Side of Love (Novella)

Love On High Steel Bridge

One More Chance At Love

 

Translating The Tides (Standalone)

 

The Uncorked Series

 

Uncorked

Unravel – An Uncorked Novella

 

 

 

Title: BURIED IN MY PAST

Author: Eva Mackenzie

Publisher: Craven Ink Press

Pages: 398

Genre: Domestic/Romantic Suspense

 

Synopsis

 

She’s desperate to stop the panic attacks. But the truth won’t set her free…

Jamie Kendal sees life through the bottom of a bottle. After surviving assault and betrayal, she is forced back to her hometown to care for her mother. Not long after her return, she’s plagued by terrifying slivers of memories from the night her twin brother disappeared forever…

Unearthing new evidence, she’s shocked to learn she’d been found wandering in the woods that same night—covered in blood. More than one person from her past hid the haunting truth that’s bubbling to the surface. The deeper she digs into the horrors from her past, the more she fears almost anyone could be a killer, including Jamie herself.

Can Jamie expose what happened that night, or will she join her missing brother?

 

 

 

Review

 

Lately, I have really started enjoying psychological thrillers.  There is something about getting into your mind and many times, I wonder how or why people do the things that they do that are “out of the norm” or what I would consider normal.

Jamie had a traumatic event in her youth and her mind blocked it out.  However, her mind must have decided that now was the time for things to be revealed as to what happened that summer at camp when her brother was killed.  The book is told from multiple POV, and while it was quite a few voices, I felt like the story flowed well and I didn’t have trouble keeping up.

As more details were revealed and characters introduced (after Jamie went back to her hometown), I kept wondering who was involved.  I incorrectly guessed one character, despite the slimy feeling I felt from this character.  I was very surprised when the truth was finally revealed and how it played out.  I never would have guessed who was involved and why.

This is an author to watch in m book.  She weaves a tale that kept me spellbound, wanting more.  We give this 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

Excerpt

 

Taylor

 

“Hello, my name is Taylor, and I’m a sex addict.” He looked around the room at a few familiar faces. He’d never told his story to them, but he always liked to introduce himself to the group. Of course, Taylor wasn’t his real name. And perhaps his burden was not exactly sex addiction, but it was in that vein.

“Hello, Taylor.” The group welcomed him.

He quickly took his seat and cast his eyes to the ground.

There was a big group tonight at Sex Addicts Anonymous. The dusty space occupied the third floor of the public library, rented to them every Tuesday night.

Marcie, or so she claimed to be, stood up and moved to the front of the group.

She always liked to share all the gory details of her sex addiction. Taylor secretly wondered if she was getting off telling the group about her promiscuity. Too willing, if you asked him.

He glanced around at the men and women captivated by Marcie’s passionate relapse. He imagined some were fathers and mothers. Some were possibly divorced or in open relationships. Heterosexuals, homosexuals, and anything in between. All looked like average people.

Marcie was maybe a four on a scale of one to ten, so he barely raised his head as she continued.

This was his fifteenth meeting, and every time he walked through those doors, he wondered what he was doing here. Of course, he had a problem, but he wasn’t interested in fixing it. Maybe problem wasn’t the proper classification.

Was his issue a lack of moral character? If so, who was the judge? Society? That was a joke. No one on this earth was free from lust.

All of these people were suffering. Not him. He lived the dream. But on most Tuesday nights he found the time to drive two and half hours to this meeting. He didn’t ask himself why—he knew why—and the anticipation offered a giddy sensation that nudged his crotch. He was a bastard, for sure.

There was no one in this room he was interested in. Hell, who wanted cheap thrills. He was looking for a ten.

He wasn’t a handsome man, although he wasn’t ugly either. Some might say his nose was a bit too sharp or his hair too thin. His features weren’t coveted, and he wasn’t charming or even funny. But he only had sex with women who were nines, at minimum; it was sort of a rule he had.

The group around him broke into applause as Marcie took her seat. She didn’t give him a come-hither glance. Her eyes were glued to the other man she sat next to. As he stood up to introduce himself, Marcie rested a friendly hand on his arm—encouragement. Right. 

He would be Marcie’s next relapse.

It was too easy. Like shooting fish in a barrel.

Not him—he wanted a real lay.

He stood and removed a cigarette from his coat pocket and headed for the door, his movement swift. He had forgotten the time.

Once out on the street, he was greeted by a blast of hot air. The pavement had soaked up the sun and continued to heat the city at night. He lit his smoke and waited while keeping his eyes on the steady stream of people moving down the sidewalk. The working crowd hustled along in and out of Virginia’s metro station in Arlington.

A woman in her early thirties hustled past him. Her Clinique perfume teased his nose as he closed the space quietly. Her feet slid into two-inch heels revealing that sexy muscle on the sides of her calves. She wore a business suit fitting her well in all the right places. Her smooth, pale skin flashed in the intermittent streetlights. She was a ten.

He dropped his smoke, not missing a step as she chose her watering hole.

A pub for working adults and cliques. High-end place. He knew before she even went inside that she would take a seat at the bar.

She graciously held the door for him without a backward glance.

Inside he took a seat at a table with a full view of the restaurant; Virginia didn’t have bars—they had places that serve fried food to patrons consuming large amounts of alcohol. The place was packed, noise assaulting his senses. Just the way he liked it. Much of the same crowd was here last week. He watched Ten take her seat, order her drink, and immediately pull out her cell phone.

“What can I get you?” a waitress asked.

“Gin and tonic and a margarita for my girlfriend.” He patted the table beside him as he nodded to the bathroom. She scurried off without another word.

He watched as a large group of men entered the bar. One of them spotted Ten and boldly joined her.

“Fifteen seventy,” the waitress said as she placed the two drinks in front of him a few minutes later. Opening his wallet, he counted out eighteen dollars and handed the money to her. He imagined the police asking her a list of questions. “What did he look like? How tall was he? Did he have any tattoos?” She would remember none of these things, the tip not large enough or small enough to trigger any memories.

He sipped his drink and watched.

He knew his number ten would be stood up this evening. Her profile picture online, to his delight, was an accurate depiction. In the dim bar light, her skin was as creamy and flawless as he recalled. She scanned her phone once again, her mannerisms jerky. She was looking for a man that didn’t exist. At least he didn’t live in Arlington, Virginia.

Best to travel in groups. There are a lot of assholes out there, Julie.

He pulled a small bottle from his pocket. A clear liquid inside promised adventure as he poured it into his second drink. Number ten was still at the bar, an unhappy pout dressing her full lips. The bold admirer continued a conversation with her. Perfect.

He slunk to the bar and pulled up next to her, careful not to gain her attention yet as she faced away from him. Bodies pressed in all directions. Her margarita sat barely touched in front of her.

“Can I get another gin and tonic?” He held up his empty glass. He scanned faces quickly but discreetly.

Placing his margarita next to hers, he gently tapped her on the shoulder as the bartender turned for his refill.

“This is mine, right?” he asked, pointing to her drink. She looked dazed for a second as she glanced at the two glasses. She nodded absently as he took her drink and left his cocktail instead. After paying the bartender, he went back to his table.

He watched as she drank the whole glass. Shadows danced over his face as he looked at his watch; it had been twenty minutes. Almost time.

Her movements were becoming loose as she swayed gently on the stool. Her admirer smiled at her dolefully as she seemed to lose her inhibition. Her current company mouthed, “I’ll be right back,” and took off toward the restroom. Time to make his move.

“There you are!” he said as he approached her. She looked over at him, glassy warm brown eyes accompanying a silky smile. He didn’t have much time.

“I’m sorry I’m late. Traffic was a mess.” He put his arm around her and kissed her softly on the lips. She didn’t object.

“Let’s go, sweetheart.” He was already moving toward the door.

No, I don’t have a problem. He looked down at his new girl. None at all.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

Eva Mackenzie is an author who enjoys twisty, emotionally engrossing tales. Her debut novel has been a work in progress for over a decade. Under the urging of a loved one, it’s finally finished.

She is a wife and mother living on the east coast. When she isn’t writing, she is spending time with her family, training for her next marathon or reading stacks of suspense novels. Some of her favorite authors are Minka Kent, Dean Koontz, Tami Hoag, and Lisa Jackson.

Website * Goodreads * Facebook

 

 

 

 

 

Whiteout

by Adriana Anders

Publication Date: 1/28/2020

 

Synopsis

 

With a storm coming and a killer on the loose, every step could be their last…

Angel Smith is finally ready to leave Antarctica for a second chance at life. But on what was meant to be her last day, the remote research station she’s been calling home is attacked. Hunted and scared, she and irritatingly gorgeous glaciologist Ford Cooper barely make it out with their lives…only to realize that in a place this remote, there’s nowhere left to run.

Isolated with no power, no way to contact the outside world, and a madman on their heels, Angel and Ford must fight to survive in the most inhospitable—and beautiful—place on earth. But what starts as a partnership born of necessity quickly turns into an urgent connection that burns bright and hot. They both know there’s little chance of making it out alive, and yet they are determined to weather the coming storm—no matter the cost.

 

 

Amazon * B&N * Apple

Kobo * IndieBound * BAM

 

Excerpt

They finished dinner, cleaned up, and went about getting ready for bed.

“Better take care of those feet,” he said.

A low sound of protest emerged from inside the sleeping bag, where Angel had already taken up residence. “Can it wait till the morning?”

“Frostbite’s not something to mess with. Let’s see them.” He didn’t intend to sound quite so bossy.

“I’ll do it.” Her words were slurred.

“You can barely move.” He held on to the kit, obstinate—and something else. Responsible, maybe. “I saw you limping out there. Your knee’s bugging you. Don’t deny it.”

She threw him a glare, but surprised him by complying.

He took hold of one slender foot and stripped it gently but quickly, since even in shelter, the risk of frostbite was real. It was light in his palm and mostly warm enough to alleviate his worry, though her toes were chilly. He touched each one. “Any numbness?”

She shook her head.

With great care, he peeled the bandages off, cleaned her skin, and reapplied fresh ones where needed, slipping the sock back on before starting the whole process with the other foot.

He couldn’t say exactly when it occurred to him that he held her naked foot in his hand, but once the realization popped into his head, it wouldn’t go away. Hung around like an itch he couldn’t get to.

A foot, for God’s sake. Ridiculous.

But the foot didn’t feel ridiculous right now. He gently squeezed it and expelled a harsh breath.

It felt…improper. Especially in comparison with the rest of her fully clothed body. And secret, somehow. He knew things about her now. He knew her second toe was longer than the big one, that her arches were high and elegant, her skin already roughened from two days of marching in the freezing desert air. He knew she’d put on a bright red nail polish at some point. It’d worn mostly off, but it made her toes look like candy. And he’d never craved sugar so badly.

The best course of action, now that she was all bandaged up, was to give her back her foot.

But he couldn’t.

Instead, he ran his thumb along the central curve, pressed forward beneath her toes, then down to her heel. The sounds she made were—he swallowed—obscene. A shocked gasp that urged him to look her way. He didn’t, though, because if their eyes met, he might have to stop.

And that was the last thing he wanted to do.

Another rub, deeper this time, bearing down on aching muscles. But it didn’t sound like pain when she moaned, low and guttural, and though he knew better, he let his eyes slide up her body to her face.

He froze. He’d never seen anything hotter—not on-screen or in the throes of sex or in his darkest fantasy.

Mouth open, eyes closed, cheeks flushed, everything about her screamed pleasure. Just to be sure, he stroked back and pressed again, wanting—no, needing—to know which notes this spot would play on her ever-changing face.

And she didn’t disappoint. Every feature cringed, slowly, sensually, in a magnified expression of pleasure-pain. Sweeping up to caress her toes now was sheer torture, because he was hard—shocking in this cold—and her reactions, though subtle, were more intimately real than any peepshow.

He could’ve gone on forever, rubbing, rapt, eyes glued to her face as she showed him just how good he made her feel, picturing how amazing she’d look if he were kissing her, or—

Her eyes popped open, ensnaring his in their velvet trap.

Everything went quiet, stilling as if the storm had taken a breath. Or maybe it was him going a little deaf, like when his ears needed popping in a plane. Except he could hear the things happening in this tent. Could feel and smell with overwhelming precision every fine detail blown up under a microscope.

They shared a couple hard inhale-exhales, the tension between them as palpable as the frigid temperature.

The press of his fingers lessened, his caresses slowed, until he did nothing but grasp her foot while she just as steadily held his gaze.

“That feels amazing,” she said in a bedroom whisper that he could feel deep in his bones, though it couldn’t possibly be loud enough to hear.

Her mouth closed and his attention flicked down, watching her swallow with something awfully close to hunger before sliding back up to find her eyes boring into him.

***

Excerpted from Whiteout by Adriana Anders. © 2020 by Andriana Anders. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

About the Author

Adriana Anders is the award-winning author of the Blank Canvas series. Under Her Skin, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2017 and winner of two 2018 Holt Medallions, has been featured in Bustle, USA Today Happy Ever After, and Book Riot. Today, she resides with her tall French husband and two small children in France, where she writes the gritty, emotional love stories of her heart.

 

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Giveaway

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SPENT IDENTITY

Annalisse Series, Book 2

by

Marlene M. Bell

 

Genre: Mystery / Suspense / Light Romance

Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing

Date of Publication: December 11, 2019

Number of Pages: 378

 

Scroll down for the giveaway!

 

 

A body, a disappearance, just another hot summer in upstate New York.

 

It’s July when antiquities appraiser Annalisse Drury reaches her family’s small-town farm to consult with the trusted aunt who raised her. She learns that her beloved homestead—the one she expects to inherit—is for sale. While Annalisse reels at the betrayal and her shattered dreams, the Walker Farm ranch manager discovers a corpse in the barn. Officials close the suspected murder scene, and Annalisse seeks refuge with her aunt at Alec Zavos’s rural estate in New York’s Catskill Mountains.

 

Then Aunt Kate vanishes.

 

Annalisse solicits the help of Greek tycoon, Alec Zavos, even though their rocky romance has dissolved into routine separation. What began as hope on Crete nine months ago has eaten away at Annalisse’s hope for a future with him.

 

In Spent Identity, Annalisse and Alec come together for the second time and find themselves in the center of not one mystery, but several. Where is Kate, and why sell her farm now? Is the dead man a coincidence or a clue to the aunt’s disappearance? John Doe’s identity may hold needed answers to solve the puzzle before Kate’s unstable health issues make her rescue impossible. The clock ticks, and a vengeful murderer is in charge…

 

 

Amazon  ┃  Barnes & Noble

Smashwords  ┃  Draft2Digital

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not sure where to start with my review other than to hold on to your seat because it is going to be a fast and furious ride!

This is the second book in the series and while it could be read on its own, it might be best to pick up the first book to get a feel for the characters and the background.  The book provides plenty of details to lay a foundation for what occurred in case you choose not to read Stolen Obsession, so it isn’t an absolute must.

The story picks up with Annalisse and Alec and their relationship.  Let’s just say things are a little rocky, not because they don’t care for each other, but that life is getting in the way and someone might need to make some changes to his work life.  I can’t imagine what it is like to be part of the elite class and the security measures that need to be in place to keep people safe.  But sometimes it isn’t the unknown that causes a problem, it can be someone in your own family as Annalisse discovers.

Annalisse and Alec’s characters are still developing.  I’m not sure if I could be friends with Annalisse because she has a tendency to let things slip out that shouldn’t be said out loud, at least not to those that are in the room.  She even admits to having a big mouth, so at least that is progress.  Plus, bad luck seems to follow her and I’m not sure I want to be around her in case it rubbed off on me!  Alec was left to fill some big shoes but it is getting away from his passion as a veterinarian.  Unfortunately, it has blinded him to reality and he is close to losing what he holds most dear to him.

Now for the wild ride – Annalisse’s Aunt Kate goes missing, there is a car wreck, Kate’s son is selling the farm from under Kate, there is a kidnapping, someone unexpected appears from nowhere, and so much more.  And all of this happens within a week.  It is non-stop action and kept me turning the page until well past my bedtime.  I think that if all of this was happening to me I would need a vacation away from everyone to decompress.

The mystery kept me intrigued and on the edge of my seat.  There were so many possibilities for who was involved and why that I never guessed correctly until all was revealed.  Some of it was very surprising, but some I guessed earlier in the book but not fully.  Not everything is wrapped up in a nice bow at the end, there is still a cliffhanger or two and hopefully, those will be addressed in the next book.

This series is not one to miss and I can’t wait until the next book comes out to see what happens next for Annalisse and Alec.

We give this 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

Marlene M. Bell is an acclaimed artist and photographer as well as a writer. Her sheep landscapes grace the covers of publications such as, Sheep!, The Shepherd, Ranch & Rural Living, and Sheep Industry News. Ewephoric, her mail order venture, began in 1985 out of a desire for realistic sheep stationery. A color catalog of non-fiction books and sheep-related gifts may be requested on her website, Texas Sheep.

 

Marlene and her husband, Gregg reside on a wooded ranch in beautiful East Texas with their dreadfully spoiled horned Dorset sheep, a large and lovable Maremma guard dog named Tia, and Hollywood, Leo, and Squeaks, the cats who believe they rule the household — and do.

 

 ║ Website║ Facebook ║ Twitter ║

 

║ LinkedIn ║ Goodreads ║

 

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————————————-

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

 

$350 PRIZE PACK / ONE WINNER

 

Autographed copy of Spent Identity & companion notebook, Mary Poppins-style bag (18×13” tapestry carpet bag with leather trim, handmade in Israel), $100 Amazon gift card, and 18” freshwater pearl necklace. 

JANUARY 7-17, 2019

(US ONLY)

 

 

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1/7/20	Review	Book Fidelity
1/7/20	Review	Jennifer Silverwood
1/8/20	Review	The Clueless Gent
1/8/20	Review	Tangled in Text
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1/10/20	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
1/10/20	Review	Rainy Days with Amanda
1/11/20	Review	Reading by Moonlight
1/12/20	Review	That’s What She’s Reading
1/13/20	Review	#Bookish
1/13/20	Review	The Page Unbound
1/14/20	Review	It’s Not All Gravy
1/15/20	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
1/16/20	Review	Forgotten Winds
1/16/20	Review	Missus Gonzo

 

 

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Title: In The Dark
Author: Loreth Anne White
Release Date: December 1, 2019
Publisher: Montlake

Synopsis

The promise of a luxury vacation at a secluded wilderness spa has brought together eight lucky guests. But nothing is what they were led to believe. As a fierce storm barrels down and all contact with the outside is cut off, the guests fear that it’s not a getaway. It’s a trap.
Each one has a secret. Each one has something to hide. And now, as darkness closes in, they all have something to fear—including one another.

Alerted to the vanished party of strangers, homicide cop Mason Deniaud and search and rescue expert Callie Sutton must brave the brutal elements of the mountains to find them. But even Mason and Callie have no idea how precious time is. Because the clock is ticking, and one by one, the guests of Forest Shadow Lodge are being hunted. For them, surviving becomes part of a diabolical game.

 

 

Q&A: Author Loreth Anne White

You are very well known for your romantic suspense tales, but your new title, IN THE DARK, is all about mystery — a real whodunit! Tell us a bit about the story.

I like to think there is still a strong echo of my earlier romantic suspense books that ripples through IN THE DARK. Yes, it’s a locked-room mystery/thriller — wilderness style, but the mystery narrative is wrapped inside a romantic suspense-style narrative that follows a budding friendship between Detective Mason Deniaud and Search & Rescue manager Callie Sutton who must not only piece together what happened as they hunt for survivors, but also must race against time to save who might be left. The story leaves off with a promise of more ahead in the relationship between Callie and Mason, so my roots are still showing, I hope.

Your story definitely has shades of Agatha Christie as well as a nod or two to Stephen King. Did these authors act as inspirations for this book?

IN THE DARK is not only a homage to Agatha Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, but Christie’s story becomes a plot device, a psychological tool that the villain uses to instill fear in the victims trapped in the lodge because the victims know what transpired in the book, and they anticipate the same will happen to them.

And yes, a teensy nod to master of atmosphere and horror, Stephen King’s THE SHINING where characters are trapped in a remote and snowbound hotel and become mercy to the psychological horror that descends on them.

A rural, isolated lodge is always a great place to start a suspenseful novel. How exactly did your characters all come to be at Forest Shadow Lodge?

The characters are invited for an all-expenses stay at the brand new, high-end, fly-in wilderness lodge and spa. They are lured by an offer to enjoy a ‘soft opening’, so to speak, where they can assess the accommodation and potentially negotiate lucrative contracts with the new lodge owners. Each guest runs a business that would be suitable for such an establishment. Each is excited by a possible lucrative contract. But not all is quite what meets the eye, of course.

Your story is told from multiple points-of-view as you take deep dives into the characters’ lives and histories. Does everyone have something to hide?

Don’t we all have something to hide? My characters in this book certainly do. Some of their secrets are more powerful than others.

Mason and Callie are two of the law enforcement responders that are trying to piece together exactly what happened at The Lodge. Tell us more about these characters and what makes them so good at what they do.

Mason Deniaud was a top homicide detective before relocating to the remote north for personal reasons. He lost a young son and a wife and he’s searching for a way to live, or exist, if not heal. Callie Sutton is a young mother who is single, but also isn’t because her husband lies in hospital and is brain dead. Her husband is there, but he also isn’t there for Callie and her young son. Like Mason, she’s in limbo, a place where she can’t move forward, or back. It’s through this they find a bond. And the search for the missing lodge party pushes them together.

IN THE DARK is a pivotal novel in your career. What does it have in common with your previous writing and how is it different? How does this inform your next steps as a writer?

Pivotal sounds cool. I’ll take it! Thank you. But yes IN THE DARK is a bit of a departure from my previous romantic suspense books. If readers enjoy it, however, and if my publisher remains happy, I’d like to keep growing in this direction. But I do think my crime stories will always revolve around strong women, or women who might be victims to start with, but who find agency and take back their lives and become strong and survive through the arc of a story. (As with my forthcoming work IN THE DEEP). I do love to include a relationship element in my crime novels, but bonding with a potential love interest comes out of the personal growth of the protagonist. I like to tell—and read—stories of women who find ways to rescue themselves.

 

 

In The Dark Excerpt

“The gas stove and the gas water heaters work,” Nathan said. “And there’s plumbing.” He turned his back on them and busied himself taking mugs out of the cupboard in an exaggerated fashion. His heart hammered in his chest. Sweat prickled across his lip.

“And there’s tea, coffee, tins of tuna, and soup,” Steven said as he hurriedly opened more cupboards.

Bart frowned. “Well, at least we won’t go hungry.” He made for the living area, paused. “I found a path. It looks like it leads around to the other bay, but it was getting too dark to follow without a flashlight.”

“Do you think it might lead to the real lodge?” Steven asked.

Nathan blinked. It was like the doctor was reaching for straws by asking—as if hoping, still, that their pilot had just made some terrible screwup with the GPS coordinates.

Bart said, “We can check again in the morning to see if—”

“There is no real lodge.” Jackie appeared in the doorway that led from the great room into the kitchen.

They all turned to look at the solid woman with intense eyes.

“This is no mistake,” she said curtly. “This is a con, some sick game.”

“What do you mean?” Bart asked.

“Did you guys not see the plaque outside, next to the front door? This place is called Forest Shadow Lodge. As in Forest Shadow Wilderness Resort & Spa. Here, look at this.” She pulled a brochure from her pocket and smoothed it out on the kitchen island.

“I printed it off the website before I left home.” She jabbed a photo of the luxury lodge. “It’s fake. It’s photoshopped, because it’s using the same location. See this bay here? And the shape of this one here? This mountain? This is how the terrain looked from the air. It’s this spot, but someone has photoshopped the spa into the location. They’ve erased parts of the forest, added cabins and trails, plus interior shots from some other spa and lodges.” She met their gazes. “This whole thing was faked from the get-go. We were lured here. All of us. And now we’re trapped.”

A sinister cold seemed to enter the kitchen. A shutter banged upstairs, and wind whistled. Mist, cloying and wet, pressed up against the windows. It grew darker inside.

“Why?” Bart asked, still holding his wood.

“God knows.” Jackie dragged her hand over her hair. “But right now, we’re stuck. We’ve been baited and lured into some weird kind of wilderness prison.”

“We are not trapped.” Stella entered the kitchen. “We have a plane. And you guys have a pilot—me. We have fuel. We—”

“We have no bloody radio!” Jackie snapped, whirling round to face Stella, her eyes furious.

“What?” said Steven.

“That’s right,” Jackie said. “Go on, tell them, Stella.”

Stella’s gray eyes flashed, shooting daggers at Jackie.

“Go on. Tell them. The radio is broken. Sabotaged, wires cut.”

“But I heard you speaking to your dispatch on the radio,” Nathan said.

“But it wasn’t working, was it, Stella?” Jackie said. “Your dispatch couldn’t hear you, could they? No one even knows where we are, do they?”

Stella’s features went tight.

“So when were you going to tell us this, Stella?” Steven asked.

“I didn’t want to say right away. Fear, worry, is not a good thing when—”

“When what? Jesus. Who are you to decide what’s right and wrong for us to know?” Steven barked. “You’re just the pilot, not the boss of our lives, for Chrissakes.”

“There’s a chance I could fix it in the morning. If I can—if it’s an easy fix—you’d never have to have known about it.”

“So you thought you’d play God?” Steven snapped. “Because we would all panic.” He wagged jazz hands at the sides of his face.

“And you’re not panicking?” she said.

Silence swelled in the kitchen. It felt for a bizarre moment as though the house was listening. Alive. Hostile. Nathan felt hairs rise along his arms. He was sensitive to these things. He could feel trees in the forest watching and listening to him.

 

 

About the Author

Loreth Anne White is an internationally bestselling author of thrillers, mysteries, and romantic suspense. A three-time RITA finalist, she is also the 2017 Overall Daphne du Maurier Award winner, and she has won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Romantic Crown for Best Romantic Suspense and Best Book Overall, in addition to being a Booksellers’ Best finalist and a multiple CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award winner. A former journalist and newspaper editor who has worked in both South Africa and Canada, she now resides in the Pacific Northwest with her family.

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Title: I See You

Author: Mary Burton

Release Date: October 8, 2019

Publisher: Montlake

 

Synopsis

FBI special agent Zoe Spencer uses skeletal remains to recreate the faces of murder victims through sculpture. Though highly scientific, the process is also sensitive and intimate; she becomes attached to the individuals she identifies, desperate to find justice for each.

As Zoe examines old remains, she sees a teenage girl looking back at her—the victim in a cold case from over a decade ago. Zoe wants nothing more than to tell this young woman’s story and to bring her killer to justice.

Zoe’s case leads her to the victim’s hometown and to homicide detective William Vaughan, Zoe’s on-again, off-again lover. As the two become more involved in the case, they quickly realize that it isn’t as cold as they first believed: someone’s still out there hunting women. And with more women gone missing, time’s running out. Can they work together and stop this madman before he kills again?

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An Affair (and a Murder) To Remember with Author Mary Burton

I SEE YOU, my latest romantic suspense, features two of my very favorite characters: Homicide Detective William Vaughan and FBI Special Agent Zoe Spencer.

Zoe Spencer is a member of an FBI criminal profiling team dedicated to finding the most violent and prolific killers. Zoe, a talented artist and agent, specializes in forensic reconstruction. She skillfully merges her interview skills with pencil and paper to create stunning likenesses. And when only bones remain, she molds clay over bone to recreate the faces of the lost.

Zoe’s work generates a high case-closure rate, which draws the attention of the law enforcement community. Her lectures at the FBI headquarters at Quantico are often standing room only. Among those interested in her work is Homicide Detective William Vaughan.

Detective Vaughan, divorced and raising a college bound teenager, is a man of few words and when he does comment, his observations are always thoughtful and insightful. He not only hears what is said and but sees what is communicated via body language.
The more time Vaughan spends with Zoe, the greater his desire to breach her cool demeanor. He draws upon all his powers of observation, practiced detective skills and his somewhat rusty charm to win her. Though they begin an affair, she still remains elusive.
When a charred skull is found in Vaughan’s jurisdiction of Alexandria, Virginia, he turns to Zoe. Zoe recreates a stunning clay bust that leads to the identification of a girl who has been missing for fifteen years.

As Vaughan and Zoe dig deeper, the cold case heats up when several more women, similar to their victim, are discovered brutally murdered. This killer, who has avoided capture for so many years, is still hunting women. It becomes a race against time to catch a madman who shifts his sights to his next victim: Zoe Spencer.

I hope you enjoy I SEE YOU and this magnetic couple who I’ve pitted against one of my most chilling villains so far.

 

Excerpt

The instant Vaughan woke, he knew she was gone. He should not have been surprised. She never stayed long, but he’d thought last night would be different.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and instantly spotted the note on the mirror. It was written on the back of the fast-food receipt in fluid and graceful handwriting.

Called a car. Didn’t want to wake you.

Spencer. He knew how to make that woman’s body tighten with desire and how to make her moan in a way that told him she was fully attuned to his body. But beyond that, she was still a complete stranger.

He flicked the edge of the note, surprised he had not awoken. Since he had become a cop and father, he had turned into a light sleeper. Both incarnations, like a doctor on call, were summoned at all times of the day and night. His ability to shake off sleep in seconds and then think clearly was well honed. But yesterday had been long, even for him.

He laid the note on his dresser as he glanced at the pillow that still held the impression of her head. It was not like him to be sentimental, but he was sorry he likely would not see her for a while.

He showered, and fifteen minutes later he was dressed, his badge and sidearm on his belt. As the coffee brewed, he scrambled five eggs before he realized Nate was gone. He toasted a bagel and ate alone at the kitchen table.

He filled a travel mug with more coffee and was on the road by six o’clock. Moonlight mingled with the lights looming over I-395 as he looped around the beltway and headed north toward his exit. The traffic was already building, and soon it would slow to a snail’s pace.

With luck, the first wave of files from the Prince case would be in his office. He had been warned that there were a dozen file boxes, but he did not care. He also had the autopsy of the Jane Doe stabbed to death in the motel room to attend. It was going to be another long day.

Fifteen minutes later, he had parked and was in the break room, refilling his coffee. When he flipped on the lights of his office, there were six file boxes stacked in front of his desk. A green sticky note read More to come.

It was too early to call the medical examiner about his Jane Doe from the motel room, so he set his cup down and flipped through the first set of files.

He spent the next hour and a half reading through the detectives’ notes. At the time of Marsha’s disappearance, the detectives had exhausted every lead and tip that had come into the station, but in the end came up with nothing.

 

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist Mary Burton is the highly praised author of thirty five published romance and suspense novels and five novellas. She lives in Virginia with her husband and three miniature dachshunds.

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One Dark Wish

By Sharon Wray

Publication Date 9/24/2019

 

Synopsis

Her life must be forfeit for his to be redeemed

Historian Sarah Munro is not used to being shot at, but that’s just what happens while she’s poking around cemeteries on Georgia’s Isle of Grace, searching for the key to a centuries-old cipher. Her quest has unwittingly drawn the attention of two deadly enemies intent on destroying each other—and anyone who gets in their way.

Ex–Green Beret Major Nate Walker is on a mission of his own: to restore the honor of his men. To do that, he is required to stop Sarah—or one of his own men will die. Caught in the middle of a deadly rivalry, Nate can’t afford to trust the woman standing in his way. But his heart says he can’t afford not to…

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Deadly Force series

Every Deep Desire (Book 1)

One Dark Wish (Book 2)

 

Praise for Every Deep Desire

“Everything I love in romantic suspense…Twisty plots, fantastic characters, and pitch-perfect pacing. Fabulous!”—Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author

“Excellent…darkly compelling.”—RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

“Phenomenal!… Filled with action and passion that will leave you breathless.”—Joyfully Reviewed

“Intriguing, with steamy romance and forbidden love… You will not be able to turn the pages fast enough!”—Fresh Fiction

 

Excerpt

PROLOGUE

“The man bowed.” Sarah Munro hiked her straw bag higher on her shoulder and followed the officer down the Savannah Police Department’s hallway. He held a cell phone to his ear, and she yanked his arm. “And a woman died tonight.”

He nodded, but his deep frown, as well as his dismissive wave, told her he wasn’t too concerned about the murder. Or the fact that Sarah had found the body in the Savannah Preservation Office’s courtyard fountain.

Was a death in the historic district so commonplace that it didn’t warrant its own investigator? Frustrated, she followed him around the corner toward the second-floor landing when her cell phone buzzed. A text from her father. Where are you?

She halted near the stairs, her fingers hovering over the phone’s keyboard. She debated how much to tell him. Then again, he probably already knew.

She texted, I’ll be home soon. 

Someone bumped her as they passed, and she moved closer to the vending machine that carried only rows of Coke cans. Her officer stood nearby, talking on the phone, while federal, state, and local LEOs congregated in groups around the open area. Her father had told her that the city had numerous task forces, all trying to combat the rising crime rate. She and her dad had returned to Savannah nine months ago, and in that short time, they’d both noticed the uptick in drug use and violence.

It’s dark. I’ll come get you, her father texted back.

                No. Not only did she not want her father worrying about her, he wasn’t supposed to drive. I’m leaving soon. Drink your tea. 

I hate that tea. It tastes like sh*t.

Despite the ache in her chest, she smiled. Yes, he hated the tea. Yet it was the only thing that helped with his recurring seizures. And if he thought that being even more cranky than usual meant she’d ease up on the herbal leaves, he was wrong. I don’t care. Drink it. 

She glanced at her officer—who was still on his phone—and debated leaving. If the cops wanted her statement, they knew where she worked. The same place where a woman had been murdered. “I’m leaving, Officer. But I know what I saw.”

He ignored her, and she turned toward the stairs.

“Sarah?” A male voice cut through the station’s din, ringing phones, and metal chairs scraping along seventy-year-old linoleum.

She blinked one man into focus. Tall, broad shoulders, long blond hair tied at the base of his neck, angular face, and deep, ocean-green eyes. The kind a girl could lose herself in. “Nate?”

Was that her breathy voice? She swallowed, and a warm flush rose from her neck to her cheeks. She wasn’t sure why, but since meeting Nate Walker yesterday, she’d felt shaky and incoherent and…restless.

            Does he know what I did to his map? 

“I heard what happened.” He touched her arm before shoving both hands in the front pockets of his jeans. His biker jacket stretched across his shoulders, the black leather rustling with the movement. “Are you okay?”

“I wasn’t hurt.” She stared at the red-and-white vending machine and blinked. Daughters of cops didn’t cry. They endured. “This is my fault, Nate. I’d asked my assistant to do some research for me. I had no idea she was staying late.”

“This isn’t your fault.” He leaned in closer, the scar on his cheek appearing deeper and more ragged. His pine-scented aftershave tickled her nose. “I’m sorry.”

She wiped her palms on her chiffon skirt, relieved he didn’t seem to realize she’d secretly photographed the seventeenth-century map he’d brought to the preservation office for her to look at. The map included the only layout she’d ever seen of the remote, colonial-era Cemetery of Lost Children on the Isle of Grace. Even though the property’s owner—and Nate himself—had both told her to stay away, she was determined to visit as soon as possible.

She was a terrible person. “My dad was a police chief in Boston, so unfortunately I’m used to things like this. I’d just hoped Savannah was safer.”

“Nate?” A man built like a wrestler with long, black, braided hair yelled from the lobby on the first floor. “We gotta go, man.”

Nate ignored him and kept his attention on her mouth. “I couldn’t help but overhear. What did you see?”

She licked her lips. “You’d never believe me.” She wasn’t sure she believed it herself. Loud voices downstairs distracted her. Two military policemen in full uniform and carrying weapons had entered the station. “That’s odd. What do you think they want?”

Nate took her hand and led her into a nearby alcove. “What did you see?”

She pressed her hands against his chest. His heart pounded, and he radiated heat like an engine revving. “What are you doing?”

“Nate?” The man with the braid ran up the stairs. “Time to go. Now.”

“Please, Sarah. Tell me.”

The MPs were right behind Nate’s buddy.

“In the shadows, I saw a man bow.”

She heard Nate’s sharp inhale right before he kissed her, his gentle hands on her shoulders at odds with his demanding lips. His warmth wrapped her in an erotic haze and he tasted like mint and summer breezes.

Had she moaned? Good golly Moses. 

“Excuse me, ma’am.”

Nate broke off the kiss because the man with the braid had taken his arm and dragged him down the hallway to the emergency exit, the MPs on their heels. Chills scurried along her arms, and she wrapped her sweater around herself. She touched her swollen lips, still stunned. Still tasting his peppermint mouthwash. Still inhaling his scent that reminded her of freshly cut grass and pine trees.

Nate glanced at her before he hit the metal exit and disappeared. The door slammed shut with a loud reverb. Apparently, he’d locked it as well. When the MPs couldn’t force it open, they turned and ran past her, one of them brushing her skirt as they headed toward the stairs.

            What do MPs want with Nate Walker? 

“Miss Munro?” The officer who’d been ignoring her touched her elbow. “I’m ready for your statement.”

She pulled away, her attention on the MPs racing out the front doors. She was a woman who sought the truth in both her professional and personal life. But tonight’s revelation was more than a cheap magazine tell-all. It was an earth-shattering event that stripped away the delusions she’d been carrying her entire adult life. One delusion in particular: when Nate’s lips had touched hers, she discovered she’d never truly understood what it meant to be kissed.

“Ma’am?”

She nodded. She’d give her statement. Then go home to her father. But as she followed the officer into an interrogation room, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever see Nate again. No. If she was being honest with herself, which she always tried to be, she wondered if she’d ever kiss Nate again.

***

Excerpted from One Dark Wish by Sharon Wray. © 2019 by Sharon Wray. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

 

About the Author

Sharon Wray is a librarian/archivist who studied dress design in the couture houses of Paris and now writes stories of adventure, suspense, and love. She’s a three-time Daphne du Maurier® winner and an eight-time RWA Golden Heart® Finalist. Visit her online at sharonwray.com. Sharon lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, teenage twins, and Donut the Family Dog.

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The Price of Grace

By Diana Muñoz Stewart

Publication Date 9/24/2019

 

Synopsis

Who can you trust

When family, truth, and love are all on the line?

 Gracie Parish knows the true cost of trust. Rescued as a child by the infamous Parish family, she became a member of their covert sisterhood of vigilantes. Gracie saw her most precious relationships destroyed by secrecy. She learned long ago to protect her heart as well as her family’s secrets.

Special Agent Leif “Dusty” McAllister will do anything to uncover the truth about the Parish family’s covert operations. Dusty knows Gracie is his ticket in. He’ll use everything he’s got—fair, unfair, and just plain wrong—to break through her defenses. But the more he gets to know Gracie and her family’s mission, the harder he starts to fall. Neither one is sure they’ll get out of this with their lives—or their hearts—intact.

 

 

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Black Ops Confidential series

I Am Justice (Book 1)

The Price of Grace (Book 2)

The Cost of Honor (Book 3)

 

Readers are raving about the Black Ops Confidential series

“Witty, dangerous, fun, and smoking hot.”  — CINDY DEES, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author for I Am Justice

“A high-octane…satisfying roller-coaster ride. Stewart’s talent shines.”—Publishers Weekly for The Price of Grace

“Spellbinding, sizzling. Unsurpassed romantic suspense.”—Patricia Gussin, New York Times bestselling author for I Am Justice

 

Excerpt

Dusty entered the packed club. Not an empty seat at the bar. Or an empty space around it. People pushed in hard.

Behind the bar, the club’s owner, little Miss Gracie Parish was overrun, making multiple drinks simultaneously, while she nodded to acknowledge people and instruct servers.

Only one other person helped Gracie behind the bar. A brunette in the server’s white shirt and black pants. He pulled beers and gave shots, but Dusty didn’t see him making any mixed drinks.

Never say he wasn’t a man to help a friend in distress. Even if he had orchestrated that distress in order to get close to her, use her to get to her family and uncover their vigilante activities.

He navigated his way through the crowd with care. Being as big as he was, he was well aware of his ability to intimidate without trying, so he tapped shoulders, nodded politely, and made his way behind the bar as graciously as he could.

Upon seeing him, Gracie jerked her head in surprise then smiled. Hadn’t expected that. Kind of warmed his heart.

He put up a single digit, a give me a second before you kick me out. He leaned closer. She was a good foot shorter. “Stopped by to check on you and have that drink.” He gazed around. “Looks like you’re slammed. Okay if I help? Worked as a bartender in college.”

Gracie’s face walked the line between yes please and stay the hell away, then tipped over. “I could use the help.”

She sent the obviously relieved server back into the club, opened a couple of beers and handed them to a guy across the bar. She took his cash and smiled when he told her to keep the change.

When she turned back to Dusty, her eyes ran down him like it was involuntary. That kind of warmed him too. Warm enough to start a fire.

She pointed to a notepad. “There are two parties that have a tab, try to handle those. You can just write the drinks down. We have the credit cards, so we can tally them later.”

She began making a mixed drink, efficient and calm and sexy as anything he’d ever seen. “Cash is king for you. Drink prices are there.” She pointed to a laminated document held together at a punch-holed corner with a silver hoop. She winged a slice of lemon around the drink she’d made and handed it to a woman, who handed Gracie a credit card. Running the card, she gave Dusty a quick overview of the cash register.

Basically, he had to push three buttons. He could handle that and the math. “What about credit/debit cards?”

She pulled out the receipt that had just spit from the credit card machine. “I’ll handle all people with cards.”

“Got it, boss lady.”

She smiled, and as she walked away, tossed back, “Thanks. Really.”

Lady had a great backside. “Happy to help.”

Quick to learn where everything was, Dusty hit his stride. It wasn’t hard to find people with cash or on account, so he didn’t hurt for business. For the next few hours, he and Gracie worked, brushing hotly against each other as they buzzed here and there.

But, much to his disappointment, not standing in one place long enough to talk or explore that heat. The crowd kept them hopping. A few people got handsy with him and her, trying to get attention. Nothing they couldn’t handle, until the big guy.

Dusty watched him. Impatient as hell, using his size to insert himself at the bar as if the crowd were an insult. He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loud to get Gracie’s attention. She turned.

If it had been him, Dusty would’ve ignored the guy. But he saw Gracie’s eyes evaluate the guy and the situation. A smile on her face, she went right over. They exchanged a few words. She tapped the bar as if asking for his patience and began to turn.

Guy’s big hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. Gracie looked at where he held her, said something, smiled like it was the only warning she’d give.

The guy’s knuckles whitened on her wrist. A few people at the bar were paying attention now. Someone had taken out a cell. Gracie Parish on camera. Which meant she wasn’t likely to pull any self-defense. She surely wouldn’t want that all over the internet.

Dusty would’ve moved to help, but he was also sure the lady didn’t need it and wouldn’t appreciate him butting in. Plus, he wanted to see what she’d do.

Still smiling at the guy, she reached under the bar, pulled out a nozzle for the fountain drinks, and blasted the guy, not in the face, but directly up his nose.

Shock and the sting of it had him reeling back. The people lining the bar sprang away. Gracie backed up too but kept hold of the nozzle.

That second was all that was needed for one of the bouncers to move in for the kill. He wrestled the dude, got him under control, grabbed him by the neck. Forcing the guy’s head down, he marched the soaked idiot out.

By the time the bouncer reached the front door, Gracie was already getting bar towels and handing them to customers, apologizing for the mess and offering free drinks.

Maybe feeling his gaze, she looked over at him. He’d thought he’d see condemnation, like why hadn’t he hotfooted it over there and given her a hand, but she smiled. She smiled and mouthed, “That was fun.”

Lady was going to break his heart.

***

Excerpted from The Price of Grace by Diana Muñoz Stewart. © 2019 by Diana Muñoz Stewart. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

Having earned her MFA in Creative Writing, Diana Munoz Stewart went on to write several novels that garnered awards and recognition in the paranormal, science fiction, and contemporary romance genres. A believer in the power of words to heal and connect, she blogs and provides web-content on health, writing, and social issues. She resides in Pennsylvania.

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Christmas Trifle (A  Snow Lake Romantic Suspense Mystery)
Romantic Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Wives of Bath Press (September 1, 2019)
Number of Pages – 322

Synopsis

When chefs Charly and Cliff Harding divorce, she gets custody of their upscale restaurant and its namesake, Felix, the cat.  He gets custody of their dog, Oscar.  What they both still have custody of is each other’s heart. But they seem to be the only two people in the small ski resort town of Snow Lake, Nevada, that don’t know it.

When Cliff opens his own restaurant in direct competition with Charly, bad things start to happen. Death threats, accidents, and murder are now on the menu. Their ‘if-you-can’t-take-the-heat-then-get-out-of-the-kitchen’ battles are backfiring, and regrets consume the two of them. But can they find their way back to each other?  Or is it too late? Because they just might spend the rest of their lives in prison unjustly accused of killing someone. Or can love triumph over even murder?

 

 

Guest Post

In Christmas Trifle, Book One of the Snow Lake Romantic Suspense Novels, I had to create a whole ski resort town. Yup, I was the city planner, architect, and mayor. I designed the roads, businesses, and even the ski lifts. Pretty daunting. As I am a writer and don’t know much about anything previously mentioned, I had to ‘borrow’ from other sources, like the Internet.

I also drew from my own memories of ski resorts from my checkered youth, which wasn’t so checkered and not so youthful. I remember Copper Mountain, Heavenly Valley, Squaw Valley, and Sun Valley. Sonja Henie, an Olympic ice skater, skier, and movie star, made Sun Valley famous. They continually run her movie called “Sun Valley Serenade” in some sort of ice hut. Be sure to bring a hot toddy with you if you’re there and going to watch it. I remember it being a very cold affair, but I was born and raised in South Florida. Anything under seventy degrees is cold.

Now you may ask, what is a woman from such a tropical clime doing writing about a ski resort in the mountains of Sierra Nevada? Like most things, it was a case of one thing following another. I knew I wanted to write about love and murder in a romantic but challenging setting. As romantic is the keyword, I stayed clear of hurricanes where everyone endures gale-force winds and deserts where everyone sweats. I was left with a ski resort.

Let’s face it, there’s nothing more romantic than snuggling with your honey before a warm fire while looking out at the falling snow and sipping a hot buttered rum. Or hot toddy. Both perfect for a snowy night.

I also wanted a lake. And not just any lake. I wanted a special lake alive with charm and whimsy. So I created a thermal lake, with warm currents rising off it year-round. When it’s colder and it snows – and it snows five-months out of the year at Snow Lake – the falling snow hits the warm updrafts. Each flake seems to dance above the lake before they melt. The sight is captivating, especially when there is a full moon.

What inevitably happened was Snow Lake and the ski resort became as real to me as all my other characters. That’s the most wonderful part about being a writer. We get to imagine and create. And sometimes we get paid for it.

 

About the Author

Heather Haven, in the midst of writing her fourteenth novel, has also written short stories, comedy acts, television treatments, ad copy, commercials, and plays. She has won numerous awards for her Silicon Valley-based Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries; Manhattan-based WWII Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries; Ringling Brothers’ Circus mystery noir, Death of a Clown; and Corliss and Other Award-Winning Stories. She has two romantic suspense series: Love Can be Murder Mystery Novellas with Lee Alvarez and Gurn Hanson, the Nick and Nora Charles of Silicon Valley, and the new Snow Lake Romantic Suspense Novels, of which Christmas Trifle is Book One.

She and her husband of thirty-four years are allowed to live with their two cats, Ellie and Yulie, in the foothills of San Jose, California.

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FATAL STRIKE

by

DiANN MILLS

Genre: Romantic Suspense / Clean Romance / Christian

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Date of Publication: September 3, 2019

Number of Pages: 400

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There’s a killer on the loose in Galveston, targeting law enforcement officials and using a fatal injection of snake venom to take them down. Authorities have reasons to believe the Veneno gang is behind the hits, and FBI Agents Leah Riesel and Jon Colbert team up to track down those responsible. Their best lead is an eyewitness who identifies a young man dumping the third body on a church doorstep. But their suspect has gone into hiding, and those closest to him are reluctant to reveal anything that might help investigators find him.

As Leah and Jon check connections among the victims and dig deeper into motives, they discover appearances may be deceiving. Someone is desperate to keep their secrets hidden, and Leah and Jon must face their greatest fears in order to stop the next fatal strike.

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I am not even sure where to begin with my thoughts on this book!  I haven’t read one of DiAnn’s books in a while and I’m not sure why.  Her books are gripping, remind us of faith, family, and ties in a multitude of issues that we see in the world today.

Leah and Jon have a hard job, or at least one that I wouldn’t want to perform, they are snipers for the FBI.  It is an important job but I wonder how someone can put aside the fact that they will most likely kill someone in the line of duty?  Granted anyone that is killed is usually a criminal, but it must weigh heavily on their hearts, or I would think that it might.  Despite their jobs and their alpha personalities, there is something between them that sparks further investigation to see if it might be more than just friendship.

There were so many aspects of this book that I enjoyed.  The characters were fleshed out and sometimes complex, the Christian part struck the perfect balance to the fast-paced action, there is a priest that struggles with his faith and doing what is right for society, and even a bit of potential romance for Leah and Jon.  All of the characters felt real with their own issues and how they dealt with those issues.  A big one for Leah is her fear of snakes and this book has them “thrown” at her from multiple directions.  I admired her strength despite it all especially in working to overcome that fear.  I felt like Jon was supportive of her and understood that sometimes there are things we are afraid to address in this life.

The main story centers around the deaths of three prominent citizens in Galveston, a gang, and a drug crisis.  The stories are interwoven neatly without giving away too many details to keep the reader in suspense.  I have to admit I did figure out part of the story only because looking at all of the characters, this was the only one that didn’t feel right.  There were many more involved in the end and I had a flurry of different emotions for the various characters.  Happy to see some get their just rewards, and sad that others had to endure the situations in which they were placed.

Leah and Jon both had unresolved issues when it came to family or close friends and their journey to closure rounded out the story.  The only thing I didn’t figure out was Leah’s heritage.  She mentions an ancestor that escaped slavery and there is a brief description of Leah, but that is about all is said in the story.  It didn’t really matter in the end, was just something I questioned.

Overall I really enjoyed this story and give it 5 paws up.

 

 

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She weaves memorable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn believes every breath of life is someone’s story, so why not capture those moments and create a thrilling adventure?

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol Award contests.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is the director of the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference, Mountainside Marketing Retreat, and the Mountainside Novelist Retreat with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas. She’s very active online and loves to connect with readers.

 

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GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

FOUR WINNERS: Personalized Hard Copies of Fatal Strike

+ $25 Starbucks Gift Cards

September 3-13, 2019

(US Only)

 

 

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