Elizabeth Barone's Blog: Elizabeth Barone's Blog, page 11

A Risky Prospect, Chapter 17

“Please,” Esther says. “You and I would’ve never been friends if we weren’t roommates.”

“We are, though,” I remind her.

She snorts. “Sort of. You don’t tell me anything about yourself.”

“I could say the same for you.”

catch up A Risky Prospect, Chapter 1 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 2 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 3 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 4 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 5 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 6 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 7 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 8 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 9 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 10 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 11 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 12 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 13 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 14 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 15 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 16 Chapter 17Olivia

“I’ll drive,” I tell Esther, grabbing her car keys from the counter.

“Okay, alpha book boyfriend.” She holds her hand out to me for the keys.

“So you can spend time with your little sisters.” I smile, letting my eyes go soft.

“In that case,” she says, grabbing her hobo bag, “thank you.” She tugs down her denim shorts. They’re short and scored full of holes. The more time she spends with Donny, the more her wardrobe changes—in a totally hot way. When he came along, he unlocked something inside her, letting her free to come out and play. Her tee is a mural of roses, Belle, and Chip the teacup, but its cropped length makes it nerd sexy.

“The new look is working for you.” I slide my feet into wedges, relieved to not have to wear boots for once in the heat of New England spring.

I will never get used to riding around in full gear while the sun beats down on me.

I consider grabbing my cut, but I’d look out of place with that Prospect rocker in the middle of a park full of kids. Besides, I want to show off the orange and yellow floral scoop neck tee I picked up the other day. It’s probably more appropriate for fall, but fuck it. It’s cute, and it makes my eyes look more orange. I threw on white denim shorts to make it more summer-y, but whatever.

I left all the fashion police in high school.

I plunk one more kiss on Dio’s forehead, then Esther and I leave our Sunday nest. Unlocking the car, I pause for a moment before sliding into the driver’s seat, fiddling with my bag while she gets in on her side. When I’m positive she isn’t looking, I glance at the address in my phone one more time.

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A Risky Prospect, Chapter 16

I need to figure out how to do a welfare check on Cami. Because if he’s hurting her, it’s my fault. The least I can do is make sure she’s okay.

catch up A Risky Prospect, Chapter 1 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 2 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 3 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 4 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 5 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 6 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 7 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 8 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 9 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 10 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 11 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 12 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 13 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 14 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 15 Chapter 16Olivia

This is the last day before I start my new job—my last chance to lounge around in a tank top, no bra, and butt-cheek shorts while bingeing Game of Thrones or The Great British Baking Show.

I’m sort of doing that.

I lie on my stomach on my bed, laptop open in front of me, the tab I was watching Netflix in paused and forgotten. The earbuds are still plugged in, to both the laptop and my ears. Dio sleeps curled up next to me, his paws covering his sweet little face, orange striped belly rising and falling slowly with each content breath. Despite a slight kink in his tail, he’s as good as new. It’s almost like Eli never happened.

But evil men tend to leave other marks, ones that can’t be seen.

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A Risky Prospect, Chapter 15

Lucy doesn’t know about Eli, and Olivia and I agreed that neither of us are ever going to tell her. That’s a complication—and a lecture—neither of us need. How my little cousin became both of our big sister, I’ll never know.

catch up A Risky Prospect, Chapter 1 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 2 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 3 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 4 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 5 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 6 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 7 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 8 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 9 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 10 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 11 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 12 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 13 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 14 Chapter 15Cliff

I wake with one arm stretched across the bed, reaching for Olivia even in my sleep. She’s gone, the bed as cold and lonely as if she’d never been there at all. What I do have is a raging headache.

I blame Trish, who made me some kind of monster drink after I finished up with Ravage. She might’ve been trying to get in my drunk pants. At least I had the sense to go upstairs.

I couldn’t have been that trashed, because I remember everything, including the things I said to Olivia. They were all true, but even drunk my judgment sucks. At least this time she didn’t freeze me out.

Maybe I’m making progress.

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A Risky Prospect, Chapter 14

He broke me. Rendered me unable to trust anyone. Gave me such a heaping dose of paranoia, I killed a man. A man who was probably going to hurt me, anyway, but still.

How do I get revenge for that kind of damage? Putting a quick, quiet bullet in his forehead just doesn’t equate the weight I carry.

catch up A Risky Prospect, Chapter 1 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 2 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 3 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 4 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 5 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 6 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 7 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 8 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 9 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 10 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 11 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 12 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 13 Chapter 14Olivia

Courtesy of Google, I find a wedding registry for Greg and Mrs. Byrne—Cami. Turns out they just got married this Valentine’s Day—the day I met Cliff. Her registry is full of household appliances, big things like a dishwasher, a stackable washer and dryer. It confirms at least one thing: they live in a house. I’m just not sure whether it’s his mother’s or a new place.

My guess is, unless his mom died, they got their own mortgage. I tap my lips with a finger, thinking. My stomach rocks, the nausea never ebbing, only building. Secrets will only burn you from the inside out. I thought I could just move on with my life.

I don’t know what to do with this.

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A Risky Prospect, Chapter 13

The whiskey’s liquid courage, bolstering me enough to interrupt my President.

“Are you asking me, son,” he says, the force in his voice reverberating in my chest, “or are you telling me?”

catch up A Risky Prospect, Chapter 1 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 2 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 3 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 4 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 5 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 6 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 7 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 8 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 9 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 10 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 11 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 12 Chapter 13Cliff

I find Ravage sitting at a table downstairs, his wife Shannon in his lap. Shit. I’d hoped to catch him before the party really got going. I don’t even see Donny, so he and Esther must be upstairs.

Interrupting Ravage right now would be a bad idea. He’s not in business mode anymore. Shannon is snuggled in his arms, so they’re not far from going upstairs. If I cock block him, he’ll cold cock me.

Or Shannon might.

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A Risky Prospect, Chapter 12

All I had to do was ask, but I never did, not in the weeks since Ravage told me who my father is. Maybe I didn’t want to know. Ignorance isn’t bliss, though. I need to know everything about the men around me to keep myself safe.

You don’t need to be a P.I. or cop to find someone. You just need to know what you’re doing.

I only have a few minutes.

catch up A Risky Prospect, Chapter 1 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 2 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 3 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 4 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 5 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 6 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 7 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 8 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 9 Chapter 12Olivia

There are times I feel like someone is pulling the strings, just trying to push me to my breaking point. Today is one of those days.

This morning feels like it was ages and ages ago, yet it’s not even midnight. It’s like someone is just dragging it out, building up the tension until I can’t take it anymore.

I sit on Cliff’s bed at the club house, alone, my wet hair dripping down my back. I thought about just going home, but it’d look really weird if I ditched my own party. Besides, the guys put a lot of work into the whole thing. It’s not their fault that my opportunist ex dragged himself back into the state, or that, even dead, Bastard is still pulling the strings behind the scenes.

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A Risky Prospect, Chapter 11

As much as I want to flip her over and tear off her clothes, my job is to let her do what she wants, to give her whatever she needs. But I’m gonna have to move this along a little before I bust in her hand.

catch up A Risky Prospect, Chapter 1 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 2 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 3 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 4 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 5 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 6 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 7 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 8 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 9 Chapter 11Cliff

Unless there’s anything pressing, the River Reapers usually have Church on Sundays—someone’s sense of humor, I guess. We typically discuss business, such as The Wet Mermaid’s fiscal budget, upcoming charity events, things like that. I’ve got less than twenty-four hours to figure out how I’m going to convince my brothers to help Esther.

I bend down and kiss Olivia full on the mouth, my lips moving against hers automatically. I suck in her lower lip and she sighs, a dreamy, evanescent sound. Sometimes I wish I could record certain things about her, that way I never have to forget. Like the exact pitch of her moans, the soft exhalations that come out in wave after wave when she’s coming.

Then there are the things I could never forget, like the mischievous look in her eyes that first night as she tried car doors. It seems like ages ago and yesterday all at once. It’s only been three months, but they’ve been the best three months of my life.

She presses against me, arms encircling my neck. Because she’s so much smaller than me, she always has to stand on her tiptoes. Or I have to support her. I like the latter better.

Gripping her thighs, I lift her from the ground. She squeals, another Olivia sound that I can’t commit to memory but appreciate every time I hear it. It’s a short, surprised laugh that lilts at the end, an exclamation but not a protest.

“Wanna go upstairs?” I whisper against her lips.

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A Risky Prospect, Chapter 10

I’m not supposed to question the president of the club, but keeping Olivia in the dark like that was a bad call.

catch up A Risky Prospect, Chapter 1 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 2 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 3 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 4 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 5 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 6 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 7 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 8 A Risky Prospect, Chapter 9 Chapter 10Cliff

I glance down at all the cigarette butts at my feet. I’ve been out here long enough. All I want to do is go up to my room, but this party won’t be over for hours. Then there’s Olivia, somewhere inside. I don’t know if there’s anything I could do to erase the past ten hours, but I’d love to go back to this morning, right before Esther knocked on my bedroom door.

I’ve got to make this right, or I’ll lose her.

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Romance with a Body Count, Issue 1

Welcome to author Elizabeth Barone’s reader newsletter Romance with a Body Count, and welcome to 2025!

I’m really happy to be home, in my real life, in my spiritual life, and in my author life. Did you notice my website is now ElizabethBarone.com? When I published my debut novel back in 2012, my name .com wasn’t available, so I had to get the .net domain. I felt so unprofessional, I eventually switched to elizabethbaronebooks .com. It’s such a long URL, though, and I still really wanted my name .com. Over a decade later, I finally got my wish, and it feels like a sign to keep going.

I don’t know why a domain mattered so much to me. I think it comes from my days as a web designer; in the business world in the early 2000s, it was like a death sentence if you couldn’t get a .com. More than likely this was a marketing tactic employed by Big Domain, and I definitely gulped down that Kool-Aid. So silly, looking back, but noticing this made me realize I’m still waiting for a lot of things to be perfect before I feel like I can do the thing (or like I’ve made it). Imagine if I’d waited until I got the domain I wanted to publish my debut novel?

I’ve been doing a lot of inner healing while recovering from my big lupus flare in 2020, working on getting better so I can “get back to” my life. Except my life, it turns out, is right here, right now, regardless of whether it looks like I envisioned.

If you’re like me and waiting for the right time, the right conditions, the right tools, the right whatever—perfect may never come. So start now, right where you are, and grow accordingly.

Thank you to all my readers, whether you’re a diehard, auto-buy fan or subscribed to this newsletter, supporting me with your eyeballs, likes, and comments. This month special thanks goes to my premium subscribers Dee, B., Lauren, Vanessa D., and Vanessa A.

A Disturbing Prospect is free everywhere

The first book in the River Reapers MC series is now free and wide, including in serialized episodes on my website, so tell a friend! You can download the complete, free ebook from all retailers or directly from me.

A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 1 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 2 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 3 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 4 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 5 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 6 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 7 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 8 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 9 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 10 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 11 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 12 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 13 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 14 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 15 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 16 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 17 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 18 by Elizabeth Barone

I just restocked paperbacks in my shop, so if you’ve read it and would like to put Cliff and Olivia on your shelf, order a signed copy before they sell out again!

Stickers Have Landed

How fun is it that we can slap stickers on our ereaders and phone cases? I’ve been working on bookish sticker designs that are small enough to play nice with other stickers on your case, yet still vibrantly stand out.

My new 2.5″ vinyl A Disturbing Prospect stickers are small enough for your ereader case and also look great on a book page in your reading journal. They’re also waterproof and weatherproof, so if you spill some coffee on them, NBD.

Shop Now

More sticker designs are on the way, so stay tuned!

Amazon doesn’t want you to learn this trick

Ebooks are great, except for when you get a new ereader or phone or whatever, and you have to buy all new ones because Apple Books won’t read Kindle files and vice versa. Or your favorite author (hi) is exclusive with a specific platform but you really, really want to read her new series.

Reader Katy Y. has the solution!

Since reading on her iPad gives her headaches, she couldn’t use the Kobo app to read my Stagwood Falls: Love in Ink series. She explains she buys the books in the Kobo store, then uses Calibre to convert to read on her Kindle, where she reads headache-free.

This is not illegal; you’re still purchasing the book, you’re just converting to another format. As an author who used Calibre to format my ebooks back in the day (before Vellum came along and changed the game), I approve of this workaround. Thank you, Katy!

What’s coming in 2025? I’d tell you… but then Cliff and Olivia would have to take ya to the river!

In all seriousness, I’m using this month to get organized and back on track. I fell down hard in 2020, and have been plummeting since, bruising myself to bits as I go down. November 15th was my rock bottom, per se, and so now it’s only up from here.

I’m taking back my life.

Thanks to your support and the support of Mike, my family, and my friends, I’m getting back on my feet. There are so many things I want to do this year, like resuming lives on Instagram and actually publishing something. Step by step, I’ll get there.

And so will you! What are you looking forward to in 2025? What are your goals?

Until next time, happy reading!

Photo by bady abbas on Unsplash

Amazon doesn’t want you to learn this hack 🤫📚😍

Welcome to author Elizabeth Barone’s reader newsletter Romance with a Body Count, and welcome to 2025!

I’m really happy to be home, in my real life, in my spiritual life, and in my author life. Did you notice my website is now ElizabethBarone.com? When I published my debut novel back in 2012, my name .com wasn’t available, so I had to get the .net domain. I felt so unprofessional, I eventually switched to elizabethbaronebooks .com. It’s such a long URL, though, and I still really wanted my name .com. Over a decade later, I finally got my wish, and it feels like a sign to keep going.

I don’t know why a domain mattered so much to me. I think it comes from my days as a web designer; in the business world in the early 2000s, it was like a death sentence if you couldn’t get a .com. More than likely this was a marketing tactic employed by Big Domain, and I definitely gulped down that Kool-Aid. So silly, looking back, but noticing this made me realize I’m still waiting for a lot of things to be perfect before I feel like I can do the thing (or like I’ve made it). Imagine if I’d waited until I got the domain I wanted to publish my debut novel?

I’ve been doing a lot of inner healing while recovering from my big lupus flare in 2020, working on getting better so I can “get back to” my life. Except my life, it turns out, is right here, right now, regardless of whether it looks like I envisioned.

If you’re like me and waiting for the right time, the right conditions, the right tools, the right whatever—perfect may never come. So start now, right where you are, and grow accordingly.

Thank you to all my readers, whether you’re a diehard, auto-buy fan or subscribed to this newsletter, supporting me with your eyeballs, likes, and comments. This month special thanks goes to my premium subscribers Dee, B., Lauren, Vanessa D., and Vanessa A.

A Disturbing Prospect is free everywhere

The first book in the River Reapers MC series is now free and wide, including in serialized episodes on my website, so tell a friend! You can download the complete, free ebook from all retailers or directly from me.

A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 1 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 2 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 3 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 4 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 5 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 6 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 7 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 8 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 9 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 10 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 11 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 12 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 13 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 14 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 15 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 16 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 17 by Elizabeth Barone A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 18 by Elizabeth Barone

I just restocked paperbacks in my shop, so if you’ve read it and would like to put Cliff and Olivia on your shelf, order a signed copy before they sell out again!

Stickers Have Landed

How fun is it that we can slap stickers on our ereaders and phone cases? I’ve been working on bookish sticker designs that are small enough to play nice with other stickers on your case, yet still vibrantly stand out.

My new 2.5″ vinyl A Disturbing Prospect stickers are small enough for your ereader case and also look great on a book page in your reading journal. They’re also waterproof and weatherproof, so if you spill some coffee on them, NBD.

Shop Now

More sticker designs are on the way, so stay tuned!

Amazon doesn’t want you to learn this trick

Ebooks are great, except for when you get a new ereader or phone or whatever, and you have to buy all new ones because Apple Books won’t read Kindle files and vice versa. Or your favorite author (hi) is exclusive with a specific platform but you really, really want to read her new series.

Reader Katy Y. has the solution!

Since reading on her iPad gives her headaches, she couldn’t use the Kobo app to read my Stagwood Falls: Love in Ink series. She explains she buys the books in the Kobo store, then uses Calibre to convert to read on her Kindle, where she reads headache-free.

This is not illegal; you’re still purchasing the book, you’re just converting to another format. As an author who used Calibre to format my ebooks back in the day (before Vellum came along and changed the game), I approve of this workaround. Thank you, Katy!

What’s coming in 2025? I’d tell you… but then Cliff and Olivia would have to take ya to the river!

In all seriousness, I’m using this month to get organized and back on track. I fell down hard in 2020, and have been plummeting since, bruising myself to bits as I go down. November 15th was my rock bottom, per se, and so now it’s only up from here.

I’m taking back my life.

Thanks to your support and the support of Mike, my family, and my friends, I’m getting back on my feet. There are so many things I want to do this year, like resuming lives on Instagram and actually publishing something. Step by step, I’ll get there.

And so will you! What are you looking forward to in 2025? What are your goals?

Until next time, happy reading!

Photo by bady abbas on Unsplash