Adult, Dystopian, Romance, Urban Fantasy
Date Published:July 13th 2018
There are always two sides to a story. Can love withstand the ultimate temptation?
A new Regime has arisen from the havoc and destruction of World War III.
Society now has to follow the strict mandates, reign under the dictatorship of His Highest Eminence or suffer the consequences.
Tobias and Kincade are part of a cryptic organization that’s trying to uncover the secrets behind the Regime. Something is suspicious with the new world order—why else would they want to control the most powerful emotion of love? With mandatory arranged marriages at the age of twenty-one, the only way to fight for love is through the Temptation Trials—a government-sponsored reality TV show.
Kincade and Tobias know the rules, but after they meet the women of their dreams, they face a difficult decision. With their impending birthdays around the corner, the guys have to decide if they will bend to the Regime’s will or fight for their relationships.
Lust, mistaken for love, will lead to down a treacherous path. They soon learn that the spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak.
Can love save their souls, or is lust too tempting?
This book can be read as a stand-alone, before, or after Temptation Trials Part I. Find out the guy’s POV in a new story that unravels through the Trials.
Excerpt
Chapter 1
* * * Tobias * * *
The hue of dark-gray clouds cast over the area. The dimness of the sky fit the situation perfectly—this protest for freedom of speech would not end well. It didn’t matter that Cindy was the governor of California’s daughter. No one was exempt to the new world order. She had turned twenty-one. Her time was up, so she would be married with whomever the government chose. Society didn’t like it. Hell, I hated how the world worked now. It was just better to try to accept the situation and make the best of it.
Cindy Johansson wasn’t hard to recognize, standing out in a crowd as she did. Her blonde tresses were the color of the sun. She was very tall, and her facial features were strikingly pretty.
Holding her sign high while she marched in front of the court house, Cindy shouted, “Fight for love! Fight for love!” Her sign said: No more arranged marriages.
Alongside Cindy was her boyfriend. He held a similar poster. “Trying to control our love lives has got to stop!” he yelled.
“Geez. I got a bad feeling about this,” Rafi expressed, standing next to me.
Cade crossed his arms. “I guarantee it’s going to get ugly.”
Skimming my palm over my bald fade, I replied, “The enforcers look antsy—just waiting for someone to step outta line.”
The media had been buzzing all week about the governor’s daughter coming of age, and she would be married off to some clown in New Zealand. A whole other country half a world away—the Regime knew no boundaries.
When my uncle Marcus first got wind of the protest, it was only Cindy, her man, and a small group of her friends. He sent us to scope out the scene discreetly. This courthouse was the primary location used for most standard arranged marriage applications and all Temptation Trial apps. Yep … that’s how corrupt our Regime operated. At the age of twenty-one, every citizen had to fill out a marriage app so the government could choose your spouse. Even more twisted was that divorce was not allowed, so you were stuck with the person whom you’d never even met for life. It was all about control.
Now a slew of folks had joined the cause, shouting and cheering for Cindy. Others were yelling their own proclamations of justice. Rebellion against the strict laws had been stirring up for many years—this just definitely wasn’t the way to voice your opinion.
Enforcement had the entire perimeter around the courthouse surrounded, waiting on orders from their superior on how to handle the situation. My crew and I stood outside of the danger zone, but we were still close enough to see. Under normal circumstances, the officers would’ve already pounced.
Cindy and Gary raised their posters higher, yelling and demanding that control over love had to cease. Several courthouse staff were in front of the building, peeping at the scene. Loud, blazing sirens infiltrated the area. A cop car and black SUVs whipped around the corner, coming to a screeching halt. A large group of enforcement got out of the vans, rushing over to the throng. They were all dressed in black—shirts, pants, and combat boots. Helmets covered their faces, and they held large metal shields with clubs. A short, pudgy man eased out of the car. Prancing over to the crowd like he owned the parking lot, the tool lifted his bullhorn.
“This is your only warning! Leave now or everyone here will face the penalty,” Mr. Bullhorn advised.
The crowd simmered down a bit, seeming to mull over his words. “This is about to hit the fan,” I speculated.
“You think they will arrest her?” asked Cade.
Rafi raised his eyebrow. “They claim that no one is above the law.”
“We’ll find out soon enough,” I replied.
Cindy veered her shoulders high. With her sign above her head, she yelled, “Fight for love! Fight for love!”
Her man smiled wide. “That’s my girl. Screw the law!”
This got the crowd riled up. They shouted their approval, joining in the protest. Fists rose in the air. With their voices blaring, they formed a united front—ignoring the warning they were given. The enforcers moved in. A male drew out handcuffs, making his way toward Cindy. The enforcer with the cuffs grabbed Cindy’s wrist. She struggled against him. Her efforts were useless. The officer yanked Cindy’s arms behind her back, handcuffing her.
About the Author
B. Truly has wanted to be an author since she was fifteen years old. She is grateful to have accomplished this dream. B. Truly has very vivid dreams and a wild imagination. She likes to read, watch tons of TV shows, and movies. She’s addicted to romance, and gets a thrill out of action and sci-fi. She writes new adult and adult romance—sci-fi, dystopian, and paranormal genres.
B. Truly likes to explore different elements of sci-fi romance, and create various realms of reality. She also loves creating impossible situations for her characters to grow from and try to overcome.
B. Truly has three wonderful children, and a husband who defines the person that she is today. She works full-time as an Ultrasound technologist in Houston, Texas.
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Date Published: 5/16/2018
Publisher: JEC Press
A calculating cold-blooded predator closes in…
When a community has barely recovered from a ruthless serial killer six months earlier; now two more horrifying murders hit the radar again. It leaves police burdened with two of the most shockingly contaminated crime scenes ever documented in California’s law enforcement history. The Slayer works behind the scenes as a sinister puppet master, precisely pulling the strings, taunting the police without leaving any viable evidence, and orchestrating his killer hit squads.
The sheriff and district attorney bring in the best investigators. Reunited again, Dr. Chip Palmer, a reclusive forensic expert, joins DA Inspector Kate Rawlins to sort through the crime scene aftermath in search of the truth—all without a probable suspect or a solid motive. Complicating the investigation—sparks reignite between the two.
Ratcheting up the suspense, Chip suffers a nasty fall hitting his head, impairing his perception and giving him a mind-blowing ability for specific detailed recall. Palmer and Rawlins assemble an unusual team including a rookie detective, a forensic supervisor, and an ex-military operative turned bodyguard. After one of their own is kidnapped and the investigation is taken over by the FBI, the now rogue team must pull together their own resources—alone—with a killer waiting to take each one of them out. Scene of the Crime takes no prisoners and leaves everyone fighting to stay alive.
About the Author
Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and best-selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master's degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers. www.authorjenniferchase.com
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Of Ashes & Sin
-- EXCERPT: The guys went into the pool again after breakfast, their bronzed bodies glistening in the sunlight, but I kept my clothes on and took a walk around the perimeter of the area instead. I was edgy in a way I couldn’t explain. Yes, I was restless, but it wasn’t just that. I looked over at the three of them. Oran was swimming, his muscular back and tight buns showing on the surface of the water, while Zain and Rael were stretched out naked, two perfect specimens of manhood. I laughed hollowly. This would be any woman’s ultimate fantasy. Am I crazy not to just relax and enjoy it while I can? But something kept tugging at the edges of my mind. Zain called to me and tried to get me to join them, but I waved at him and kept walking, completing one circuit after another. “Ranger! Are you okay? You’re making me dizzy with all that pacing,” Rael called as I passed close by him. I came to a stop. “What if—what if something goes wrong?” I said. To my dismay, I was close to tears. “Come and sit down,” Zain said. With a sigh, I went over to a rock that was close to all of them and sat down on it, cross-legged. “What if this big plan ends in disaster and ruins everything?” “Ranger, listen to me,” Zain continued. “We’ll never let anything bad happen to you. Each of us would fight to the death before we’d let anyone or anything hurt you. You’ve got to understand that.” “I’m sure we could fight one off. But what if there are lots of them?” My mind spiraled out of control as it tended to when I was anxious. What if someone was injured or killed? The thought of losing any one of them was like a punch in the guts. They were my mates. Mine. And then I started to breathe fast. I knew what the problem was, but I’d been trying not to admit it to myself: I was falling for the guys, all three of them. I had been since the beginning, and it scared the hell out of me. Accepting they were my mates, that we’d all look out for each other, and they’d all have sex with me was one thing. But realizing I had feelings for them was another. It made me vulnerable, and I didn’t like that one bit. “Ranger? What is it?” The unaccustomed softness in Oran’s voice jolted me back to the present, and I realized he’d been calling my name for a while. “I like you,” I blurted out. “I mean, I more than like you. I’m falling for you, all three of you.” And then I covered my face with both hands because I was so embarrassed. Slowly, gently, my hands were tugged away from my face, and I opened my eyes to see all three of them had gathered in front of me and were looking at me intently.
GIVEAWAY! Blood & Magic Volume 1
-- EXCERPT: Mike noisily cleared his throat, “UH, hey, Ari…” “God, I hope whoever they send isn’t a complete moron. If I’m going to be stuck with a Pack partner, the least they can do is give me someone competent.” Mike noisily cleared his throat again. “What?” I looked up from my desk and scowled at the tall man standing just inside the office, casually leaning against the doorframe. He had tousled brown hair and steely gray eyes. High cheekbones and a strong jaw formed his face and a hint of stubble dusted his jawline. It was not enough to appear unkempt, but just enough to give a roguish impression. Dressed in black jeans, a black tee, and a black leather jacket, he oozed tall, dark, and handsome with deadly intent. I shoved my notebook into the top drawer of my desk. Shit. “That would be this furball right here,” James said, an arrogant grin lifting the corner of his mouth. I let my head fall to the surface of my desk, then for good measure, I none too gently knocked my forehead on its smooth surface, one, two, three times. Dammit, I couldn’t believe I’d just called him a freaking furball! My cheeks warmed, and I heat crept up my neck. On the upside, at least my partner was someone I actually knew and trusted to watch my back. “You all done with the show?” he asked. I lifted my head and glared at him, then dropped my head to the desktop once more before sitting up and rubbing the sting away. “Yeah, I’m done.” This wasn’t going to be as bad as I’d expected. James Shields was a wolf and having him as my partner was going to make this gig a lot more tolerable than I’d expected. “So you’re my partner?” James nodded. “Yeah, I’m your partner.” He sauntered into the room, his eyes scanning the articles pinned to the exposed brick walls. “Think you can play nice for once?” “Hey!” I admonished. “I’m always nice to you.” He snorted and wandered farther into the room, his gaze now locked on mine. He moved with a confident and carefree grace. If he weren’t the closest thing I had to a best friend, I’d be drooling like the rest of society when he walked into a room. “Sure, you are. You ready to get reckless?” His lips curved to one side, and his eyes pulled me out of my seat. I smiled. He knew me all too well. “Absolutely.” I grabbed my messenger bag and followed James out of the office, aware of Mike’s disapproving gaze following my every step.
GIVEAWAY! Heart of the Colossus
-- EXCERPT: “I don’t know how you guys talked me into this, again,” Charly Stout said, her voice coming over the comms into Holly’s earpiece. “Last time was a bust. Nearly died. And yet, here I am, again, floating outside the ship in space, my life balanced on the brink.” “You love danger, that’s why,” Holly Drake said from inside the ship. She was safe and snug, seated next to Trip Taurus, a Centau and the pilot of the Space Cruiser Olavia Apollo. Charly Stout, a human, and Odeon Starlight, a Druiviin, waited outside the ship, clipped in on the underside, out of sight of the Fuel Depot security cameras. There they waited for Shiro Oahu’s distraction to work. “At least this time I am with you, Charly. You’re not alone.” Odeon said. “Aw man, Odeon. You know you always pull through, for everyone, always,” Charly laughed. “Thanks bro.” “If we weren’t parked for the fill, you’d be in here, Odeon,” Holly joked. “I’m barely getting through this without my fix.” The panic attacks about being in space still afflicted her. She could feel the darkness of fear creeping at the edge of her mind, clawing at her sanity. She glanced at Trip who sat silently beside her, watching the instruments on her control panels. The Centau’s head was tilted to the side, the pilot goggles balanced on her forehead, her beautiful pale brown skin contrasting with the white, blue, and orange of her pilot jumpsuit. “He’s mine this time, Holly. Sorry girl!” Trip interrupted their banter. “The tank is half full. I hope Shiro is almost ready.” “Shiro, you in position?” Holly asked, touching her earpiece. The fueling station filled the viewsceen in front of them. Most of what they saw was the giant mechanical arm that pulled in Trip’s ship and kept it secure as the fueling umbilical connected with the ship and filled it with aether. But beyond that there was the central portion of the station where the workers stayed. Inside the station there were a bar, a restaurant, and the people to man those and a few other amenities for commercial ships like Trip’s. “Nearly there, Ms. Drake,” Shiro said quietly over the comms. “This is going to cost you, you know?” Trip said, turning to glance at Holly before looking back at the instrument panel. “We’re going to pay for this fill up, yes,” Holly said. “Don’t worry about it, Trip. You’re practically on the crew at this point.” “Am I?” Trip asked, leaning back and studying Holly with her bright eyes. “Don’t get too excited about it. You’re mostly in, maybe still enjoying your trial period.” Holly gave her a measuring glance. Trip pulled her gaze away from Holly, a smirk touching the edge of her lips like she was disgusted with Holly’s antics. “Just a few minutes more, then she’s full.” “Everyone be ready,” Holly said. “In position,” Shiro whispered. “Ready,” Charly said, followed by Odeon’s affirmation that he too was ready. There was silence on the comms and in the bridge of the SC Olavia Apollo. Holly could hear the stifled breathing of her crew as everyone waited for the fueling to finish. There was a sound through the ship as the fuel delivery system finished and the umbilical disengaged. “She’s done,” Trip said. “Go.”
GIVEAWAY! The Dociles
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble -- EXCERPT: Ethan The ranger had feared he might risk encountering a lemeron that night; anyone who came too close to one rarely lived to tell the tale. The torrential rains and the intense darkness had made it nearly impossible for him to see. As he ventured through the blackness, finding his way with his outstretched hands, he couldn’t shake the feeling something bad was about to happen. That’s when the lightning began, giving him intermittent visibility. He saw the skeletal figure stagger forward becoming visible through the heavy rain. The blotchy-grey flesh of the lemeron sagged from its bones and hung like ill-fitting clothing. It released a guttural moan causing the ranger to go rigid. When he saw the lemeron approaching him, the ranger turned and hurried in a new direction, one perpendicular to his previous course. After putting some distance between himself and the monster, the ranger took care to disguise himself in the underbrush growing beneath a tall tree. He gazed in the direction he had just come from to see if the lemeron followed him. The loud pounding of his heart in his ears made him aware of its rapid pace. He tried to slow his heart rate if only to hear better, but it was to no avail. He was startled by a crack behind him, the sound of a stick breaking underfoot. His fear turned to terror as he felt a boney hand seize his left arm. As the ranger spun around, the firm grip tightened, and sharp fingernails pierced his skin. The blood drained from his face at the sight. He was staring into the grey, sagging face of a lemeron. He struggled and tried to pull away from the monster, but the action only made it clench tighter, its fingernails digging deeper and deeper into his arm. The cloudy, yellow eyes of the lemeron were wide and hungry. Its green lips parted, exposing blackened teeth. It lunged at him with its fully bared teeth. The ranger was certain he would die in that moment. He frantically grabbed for the dagger hanging from his belt, his trembling fingers wrapped around the cold handle. He drew the blade from its sheath and instinctively swung it upward. His attack cut diagonally through the lemeron’s chest, sending it stumbling backward, but it was not enough for the monster to release him. Brown, congealed blood oozed from the rotting flesh. The ranger raised his dagger high above his head, and with all his strength, brought the blade down. His aim was good, and the small blade sliced through the monster’s wrist, severing the hand, thus releasing the ranger from its grasp. A crackling groan escaped from its throat, not from pain – lemerons feel no pain – but from anger. The ranger ran mindlessly through the darkness, stumbling over the tangle of slippery roots covering the forest floor. He had to put as much distance between himself and the lemeron as possible. He smashed into a tree, not noticing it was in his path. Searing pain exploded through his left shoulder, and a rush of warm liquid ran down his arm. It must be my blood, he thought. His arm felt like it was on fire, but he could not stop to tend to it. He could hear the beast crashing through the underbrush behind him. His head pounded, his heart raced, adrenalin surged through his veins, and his muscles begged him to stop running. Suddenly he slammed into something massive. The force of the impact knocked him on his back and the air rushed from his lungs. Dazed, he lay on the soaked ground while the freezing raindrops battered his face. He remained horizontal and motionless until he was able to recover his breath and regain control of his limbs. The ranger stood up and reached his hand out in front of him to feel what had stopped him. The oppressive night was growing ever darker as the storm raged; he could barely see his hand in front of his face. He touched something smooth and hard – it felt like stone. Lightning ripped across the sky in a spider web of brilliant streaks. In the prolonged flash, the ranger saw a stone wall extending as far as he could see in either direction. He was trapped. His only options were to go backward or to go forward. Behind him was the lemeron, and in front of him was a wall four times the height of a man. Frantically, he felt the surface with his hands and discovered crevices large enough to use as footholds where the large stones met. Quickly making his decision, he climbed the wall not knowing what he would find on the other side.
GIVEAWAY! Beautiful Invention: A Novel of Hedy Lamarr by Margaret PorterPublication Date: October 16, 2018 Gallica Press Paperback & eBook Genre: Historical Biographical Fiction “But I don’t regret anything. I learned a lot.” —Hedy Lamarr An ambitious teenaged Austrian actress of Jewish heritage, Hedwig Kiesler is tainted by her nudity in the art film Ecstasy. A hasty marriage to a munitions mogul is her refuge from scandal, but it cannot survive his jealousy and possessiveness—or her discovery he supplies arms to Hitler’s regime. Hedy flees husband and homeland for Hollywood, where Louis B. Mayer transforms her into an icon of exotic glamour. Professional success clashes with her personal life as marriage and motherhood compete with the demands of studio and stardom. Roused to action by the atrocities of World War II, Hedy secretly invents a new wireless technology intended for her adopted country’s defense—and unexpectedly changes the world.About the AuthorMARGARET PORTER is the author of the forthcoming Beautiful Invention: A Novel of Hedy Lamarr as well as the highly acclaimed A Pledge of Better Times and eleven other historical novels for various publishers, including several bestsellers and award-winners, and many foreign language editions. She studied British history in the U.K. and afterwards worked in theatre, film and television. Margaret and her husband live in New England with their two dogs, dividing their time between a book-filled house in a small city and a waterfront cottage located on one of the region’s largest lakes. More information is available at her website and blog. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.Cover Reveal ScheduleTuesday, July 10 Passages to the Past Wednesday, July 11 Naomi Finley's Blog Clarissa Reads it All Thursday, July 12 100 Pages a Day A Darn Good Read Friday, July 13 The Lit Bitch History From a Woman's Perspective Saturday, July 14 Creating Herstory Sunday, July 15 Maiden of the Pages Monday, July 16 Laura's Interests The Book Junkie Reads Tuesday, July 17 Donna's Book Blog Wednesday, July 18 Carole's Ramblings
Contemporary Romance
Date Published:10-3-2017
Publisher: Sand Dune Books (indie published)'
When Suzie Hart inherited the lakeside Victorian cottage that would soon become Sweet Hart Inn, she imagined her life all planned out ahead of her. She would run the inn, write her recipes, and pick up an occasional catering job with her cousin Sydney. What she didn't plan on was Brad Matthews.
Suzie Hart has it all. A beautiful home, friends and family, and the sweetest job in the world. She's the best darned cook in Harbor Falls, North Carolina, and has the street cred to prove it. She runs her own bed and breakfast, writes a food blog, and is working on her first cookbook.
Life is perfect. Right?
Wrong. You see, Suzie has a secret. And when that secret rides up to her doorstep on a bad-ass Harley and tosses her not-so-perfect little world into some kind of big, bad tumble, happy-go-lucky Suzie panics.
Brad Matthews doesn't have a secret, he has a plan--and that plan includes luring Suzie back into his life. When she worked as his sous chef in Asheville, he had no intention of falling in love with the sassy chef, or any woman for that matter. No room in his life for romance. But when Suzie disappeared and took Brad's heart with her, his good intentions shattered. Now that he's found her again, he's not about to let her alter the new path he's set out for his life--and hers.
Excerpt
Suzie hoisted the second twenty-five pound bag of mulch from her wheelbarrow to the ground with a grunt, dropping it next to the stone foundation of her house. There. Ready for her to spread in the morning. The hostas were planted and weeds wouldn’t grow overnight so she’d just make this her Sunday morning chore—after breakfast, that is. She was pooped. Long day. She was now ready for a bubble-bath and that glass of wine.
Standing up straight, she swiped the back of her gloved hand over her forehead. Glancing, toward the west, she watched the sun settle over the mountain, shadowing downtown Harbor Falls a half mile or so in the distance. She loved living on the edge of town, right on the lake. She liked being just so far removed from Harbor Falls’ daily hustle and bustle. If you could call it that. Downtown Harbor Falls boasted of a business district, but nothing compared to the likes of nearby Asheville or other vacation and shopping hot-spots of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
But Harbor Falls was Harbor Falls, small town at its best. No big box stores. No strip malls. Just a busy little downtown. And they liked it, just the way it was.
Life and business, and living in her new-to-her home, were good. She marveled every single day how she’d acquired the quaint Victorian cottage. It was a dream come true. Her aunt’s passing had been unexpected and the fact that she’d left the home to Suzie was even more so. Her father’s oldest sister was the maiden aunt everyone adored, and Suzie missed her terribly. She vowed she would never take owning the home for granted and would always honor her aunt in the highest regard by keeping the home full of love and laughter and children. Aunt Donna so loved children. Since Suzie was the oldest of all of the cousins, her Aunt had doted on her more than the others, and had encouraged her to chase her dreams. Still, she never expected that her aunt would leave the beautiful storybook home to her.
Every day Suzie sent up a prayer of thanks to a higher power who might have assisted in helping move her dream forward.
Sweet Hart Inn was hers. She’d worked hard to convert Aunt Donna’s home into a working bed and breakfast inn, and to renovate the kitchen for her cooking classes and catering. It was also the perfect place to work on her cookbook and write her blog.
Cliff had dumped her, yes. And her sister had done something unthinkable, yes. But secretly she thanked the two of them and held no grudges, because their decisions had forced her hand. When that happened, and when the home was literally dropped into her lap, she’d left the past behind and started making plans on how live her future.
Sweet Hart Inn was the rest of her life. She intended to stay here, run this little bed and breakfast, and do her cooking and writing thing for years to come.
Her gaze spanned the horizon and then settled on the lake. Smiling, she rubbed her hands together to rid them of some dirt and then wiped them on the thighs of her jeans. As dusk settled in, all she wanted was a quiet walk down to the lake for a few moments of silence. Then that long, hot soak in the tub.
With her first few steps, the rumble of a surly engine grew louder down the road, forcing her to turn back. A large motorcycle—one of those bad-boy types—and its rider leaned into the turn and then smoothly made way up the curvy drive to her home. She liked how the bike thundered into her peaceful existence and she wasn’t quite sure why. It was both unexpected and welcome, and that really made no sense at all. Perhaps it provided an edge to the night, a hint of excitement the inn normally didn’t lend at this time of evening.
The rider stopped the bike and abruptly cut off the engine.
Suzie stood spellbound staring at the man and motorcycle. He wore black from head to toe—helmet, leather jacket, hip-hugging tight jeans, and boots. Yes. Bad boy. The man stood silent and unmoving, staring back at her.
She’d expected a guest this evening, a Mr. Logan, and supposed this man could be him. He hadn’t said anything about arriving on a bike—not that her guests were in the habit of indicating the type of transportation they would use to get to the inn.
She stepped forward, again wiping her dirty hands on her pants, silently wishing she’d ended her planting early and showered. She reached out, ready to shake his hand and welcome him and--
Her breath caught in her throat.
The man dismounted, stood straight up, and slipped off his helmet. The steady gaze that met hers and held while he shifted the helmet to his left hip and ran five fingers through his ruffled, curly brown hair, startled her.
Her heart jack-knifed.
An icy panic shot up Suzie’s back and she sucked in a breath and held it. A buzzing noise filled her ears, like a thousand people talking to her all at once. She’d know that finger-rake mannerism anywhere.
Her head spun and Suzie felt herself go a little light-headed.
****
Brad caught Suzie’s gaze and then watched her body literally fold into itself and fall to the ground. “Shit!” He rushed forward to grab her about the time her temple connected with a rock at the edge of a flower bed. “Suzie!”
His chest pounded. He pulled her onto his lap, fear shaking his arms. “Suzie, darling, hell. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to startle you. Wake up sweetheart.” He caressed her face and cooed soothing words.
Inside he was mortified that he’d caused her to fall and had hurt her.
She moaned and shifted, pushing her palms into his chest. “Wha…” The half-word fell out of her mouth on a breath. “What are…”
“Sh, darling. Oh, Suzette.” Brad glanced about. Where to take her? Inside? To the hospital? He glanced about and noticed a small SUV parked near a back entrance. He supposed it was hers. Were her keys inside? Obviously he couldn’t take her to the hospital on his bike.
Should he call 9-1-1?
“We need to get you somewhere. Have that bump looked at.”
Suzie shifted and huffed out a quick breath. “No, Brad, no…” Then she slumped into his arms again.
About the Author
Sophie Jacobs writes to silence the people in her head, and she needs two pen names to get the stories down! (If only cloning were so easy.) Whether writing contemporary romance or women’s fiction, she strives to get their stories told. Writing as Maddie James, she pens romance genre fiction from cowboys to suspense. RT Book Reviews says, James “deftly combines romance and suspense,” and Affaire de Couer claims she “has a special talent for traditional romance.” Published in print, ebook, audiobook, and in at least seven languages, Maddie has been listed as a Top 100 Romance Author on Amazon and as an iBooks Rising Star in Western Romance.
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Book Title: The Fear of Being Eaten: A Biography of the Heart Author: Ronald J. Wichers Category: Adult Fiction, 264 pages Genre: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction, Biographical Publisher: Mindstir Media Release date: April 26, 2017 Tour dates: June 25 to July 20, 2018 Content Rating: PG-13 + M Book Description: What if you married a man who didn’t care about you? What if there was a child in the neighborhood for whom you developed a special fondness but was nine when you were nineteen and twenty when you were thirty with two children and a husband who still didn’t care? And what if you were a boy whose only happy memories were a few soft words uttered now and again by a beautiful neighbor ten years your senior and whose voice and face and figure, back-lighted by the golden light of the setting sun, were all that would sustain you when your life was threatened every minute of every day in the mire of a squalid war nobody wanted? This is the story of Jacqueline and Tommy, their lives stubbornly paralleling with no convergence in sight until one cold night she sees him starving to death on a crowded street filled with happy tourists. What would you do if you saw him there almost unrecognizable, just another mass of neglected, invisible wreckage? Turn the pages of The Fear of Being Eaten: A Biography of the Heart and find out what happened to Jacqueline Rhondda and Tommy Middleton. To follow the tour, please visit Ronald J. Wicher's page on iRead Book Tours.
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Ends July 28, 2018
Thriller/Espionage/Spy
Date Published: April 2018
Publisher: Arcade/Skyhorse Publishing
A frighteningly plausible, fast-paced thriller about a Russian cyberattack on America, involving fake news and anonymous hackers.
The CIA has learned that the Kremlin is about to launch a sophisticated propaganda operation aimed at discrediting and disrupting the United States and ultimately restoring Russia to great nation status. Intercepted intelligence suggests that the operation will hinge on a single, breaking news event in Eastern Europe, supported by a sustained campaign of disinformation and cyberattacks. Code-named the "Children’s Game"--a chess stratagem that leads to checkmate in four moves--it was probably conceived by a Russian billionaire and former FSB officer named Andrei Turov. For years Turov has been developing the infrastructure for a new kind of warfare that exploits weaknesses in western democracies and manipulates public opinion. His organization offers the Kremlin plausible deniability.
But the United States has its own secret weapon: Christopher Niles, a former CIA intelligence officer, who understands Turov's ambitions and capabilities. It falls to him and his small team--composed of his journalist half-brother Jon, a special forces operative he would trust with his life, and Anna Carpenter, a resourceful US senator with deep roots in the intelligence community--to unravel Turov's plot and restore truth to a world spiraling into chaos.
Advance Praise
“Max Karpov has produced a cleverly conceived thriller that … captures perfectly the mentality of Vladimir Putin’s Russia … And, on top of it, the book is near impossible to put down. A must read.” – Michael Morell, Former Acting Director and Deputy Director, CIA
About the Author
Max Karpov is a journalist and novelist who has written for The Washington Post and elsewhere. Max Karpov is the nom de plume of James Lilliefors, whose past fiction writing includes two critically acclaimed geopolitical thrillers, The Leviathan Effect and Viral , as well as the Bowers and Hunter mystery series.
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