Karen Docter's Blog, page 188

Congratulations Week 03-27-17 Blog Giveaway Winner!

 CONGRATULATIONS WEEK

03-27-17 BLOG GIVEAWAY WINNER!!

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[image error]Karen’s Killer Book Bench with Kally Jo Surbeck…

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Kally is giving away a signed copy of FOR THE LOVE OF… to a reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog. Thank you, Kally, for sharing your story with us.

WINNER: KIMBERLY HAWKSHAW !

~~~

EVERYONE’S A WINNER WHEN YOU READ A DOCTER NOVEL!!!

Enter to Win

60+ Heroes in Uniform Romance

&

A Kindle Fire!!!

I’ve teamed up with more than 60 fantastic Heroes in Uniform Romance authors to give away a huge collection of novels to 2 lucky winners, PLUS a Kindle Fire to the Grand Prize winner!

You can win my novel COP ON HER DOORSTEP (currently discounted at $1.99 for limited time), plus books from authors like MELISSA FOSTER and DALE MAYER.

Enter the giveaway by clicking here: bit.ly/hero-uniform-rom

Cop On Her Doorstep Buy Links:

Amazon: http://goo.gl/bUHNMu

B&N: http://goo.gl/6uoZTd

Kobo: http://goo.gl/fd92aB

~~~

KILLING SECRETS

A Thorne’s Thorn Novel – Book One

by K. L. Docter

**LIMITED TIME** Discount $3.99!!

Blurb: Some secrets are better left dead. Too bad the Angel Killer’s digging them up. Rachel James’ ex-husband is released from prison determined to reclaim her and her traumatized child, his key to the James fortune. Patrick Thorne isn’t interested in helping another of his parents’ charity cases, especially after losing his unborn son and wife to suicide. Only trust will untangle the secrets that dominate their lives, free a child of her silent prison, and save them both from a killer who stands too close.

“This romantic suspense is full of wonderful secrets, twists, turns and has an evil serial killing villain. The kind of killer we see on the TV show CRIMINAL MINDS.”–RT Book Reviews, Bernadette Cychner

All of Karen/K.L. Docter books are stand alone novels. No cliffhangers!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2m6Bv4P

B&N: http://goo.gl/wsqVxB

Kobo: http://goo.gl/KM563U

iTunes: http://goo.gl/pg58wN

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21965828-killing-secrets?ac=1&from_search=true

HAPPY READING!

~~~

All giveaway winners chosen by random.org from reader comments with the exception of Rafflecopter giveaways which are determined and announced offsite by publisher/authors. Thank you!

Karen’s Killer Book Bench: The Magnate’s Mail-Order Bride (The McNeill Magnates #1) by Joanne Rock

 KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

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THE MAGNATE’S MAIL-ORDER BRIDE

The McNeill Magnates #1

BY JOANNE ROCK

Blurb

A mix-and-match mock engagement? 

Ballerina Sofia Koslov’s career is on the line when she’s accosted at the airport by a rich, reckless playboy who thinks she’s his mail-order bride! But the playboy’s levelheaded brother, Quinn McNeill, solves the media snafu with a switcheroo. He’ll pretend to be her legitimate fiancé to protect her reputation—and to protect his family’s business deals from her father’s wrath. Sofia’s one condition: they’ll share the spotlight as a loving couple but won’t share a bed. But soon Quinn’s gentlemanly ways strike a chord, and Sofia’s dying to renege on that condition and have a real fling…

THE MAGNATE’S MAIL-ORDER BRIDE

The McNeill Magnates #1

BY JOANNE ROCK

Excerpt

“I never would have guessed your brother would spend a small fortune on a ring for a woman he never met.” She edged out of his grip. “I thought he was a romantic, not completely certifiable.”

Quinn’s smile faded. “I assure you, Cameron is neither.” He set the ring on the steamer trunk beside her. “I’ll let you decide whether or not to wear it in the morning. And in the meantime, I’d better let you get some rest.”

He rose to his feet, leaving a priceless piece of jewelry balanced on last month’s Vogue.

“Quinn.” She stood to follow him to the door then reached back to grab the ring so she could return it. “Please. I don’t feel right keeping this here.”

He turned to face her as he reached the door, but made no move to take the glittering ring.

“If you were my bride-to-be, I would spare no expense to show the world you were mine.” His blue eyes glowed with a warmth that had her remembering his kiss. Her breath caught in her chest and she wondered what it might be like for him to call her that for real.

Mine.

“I’m—” At a total loss for words. “That is—” She folded the diamond into her hand, squeezing it tightly so the stones pressed into her soft skin, distracting her from her hypnotic awareness of this man. “If you insist.”

“It’s a matter of believability, Sofia.”

“It’s only for one month.” She wasn’t sure if she said it to remind him or herself.

“We’ll work out the details tomorrow.” He reached to smooth a strand of hair from her forehead, barely touching her and still sending shimmers of pleasure along her temple and all the way down the back of her neck. “Sleep well.”

She didn’t even manage to get her voice working before he was out the door again, leaving her alone in a suddenly too empty apartment.

Squeezing the ring tighter in her fist, she waited for the pinch of pain from the sharp edges of the stones. She needed to remember that this wasn’t real. Quinn McNeill had only agreed to this mad scheme to clean up his brother’s mess. Any hint of attraction she felt needed to be squashed immediately, especially since Quinn was cut from the same mold as her father—focused on business and the accumulation of wealth. Her world was about art, emotions and human connections.

Her mother had taught her that people did not fall into both camps. In Sofia’s experience it was true. And since she wanted her own relationships to be meaningful bonds rooted in shared creativity and ideals, she was willing to wait until she had more time in her life to find the right partner. Romance could not be rushed.

“It’s only for a month,” she said aloud again, forcing herself to set the engagement ring on the hallway table.

Surely she could keep up her end of a fake engagement for the sake of appearances? She’d made countless sacrifices for her career, from dancing on broken toes to living away from her family on the other side of the globe to train with Russian ballet masters.

Ignoring the sensual draw of Quinn McNeill couldn’t possibly be more difficult than those challenges.

Yet, even as she marched herself off to bed, she feared she was lying to herself that she could keep her hands off the man anywhere near as easily as she’d set down the ring.

Meet Author Joanne Rock. ..

Four-time RITA nominee Joanne Rock has never met a romance sub-genre she didn’t like. The author of over seventy books enjoys writing a wide range of stories, most recently focusing on sexy contemporaries and small town family sagas. An optimist by nature and perpetual seeker of silver linings, Joanne finds romance fits her life outlook perfectly–love is worth fighting for. A frequent speaker at regional and national writing conferences she enjoys giving back to the writing community that nurtured and inspired her early career. She has a Masters degree in Literature from the University of Louisville but credits her fiction writing skills to her intensive study with friend and fellow author Catherine Mann. When she’s not writing, Joanne enjoys travel, especially to see her favorite sports teams play with her former sports editor husband and three athletic-minded sons.

~~~

Joanne’s website, blog, books, etc.

Link to Follow Release Blast:

http://tastybooktours.com/tours-master/2017/1/31/the-magnates-mail-order-bride-blast-joanne-rock

Goodreads Link:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34036543-the-magnate-s-mail-order-bride

Buy Links:     AMAZON | B & N | GOOGLE | ITUNES | KOBO

Author Links:   WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

~~~

Thanks, Joanne, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Courting Murder (Judge Rosswell Carew Series Book 1) by Bill Hopkins

 KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

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COURTING MURDER

Judge Rosswell Carew Series Book 1

BY BILL HOPKINS

Blurb

When Judge Rosswell Carew makes the gruesome discovery of two corpses on a riverbank in the Missouri Ozarks, he’s plunged into a storm of deadly secrets that threaten both him and his fiancée, Tina Parkmore. Unsatisfied with the way the authorities are conducting the investigation, Rosswell, who’s always nurtured a secret desire to be a detective, teams up with an ex-con, Ollie Groton, to solve the case before the killer can murder again. Rosswell uncovers a maze of crimes so tangled that he must fight his way to a solution or die trying.

BALD EAGLE PERSUASION

BY BILL HOPKINS

The bald eagle persuaded me that I was right.

Plains, rivers, huge mountains, small mountains, deserts, and oceans. America has all kinds of landscapes and all kinds of people living here. I was born and raised in the Ozarks. They’re not mountains, not really. There might be some tall hills, deep valleys, and rolling country, but not true mountains.

I still live in the Missouri Ozarks near my tiny hometown named Marble Hill. (No one is quite sure why it’s named that. Despite what Wikipedia says, there is no marble or marble-like rock anywhere around.) My wife (mystery writer Sharon Woods Hopkins, author of KILLERWATT and three others in the Rhetta McCarter Series) and I live deep in the boondocks, which means few vehicles ever pass on the gravel road in front of our house. It also means that we’re living on someone else’s property. That’s right, we’re trespassing on where at one time only animals lived.

That really doesn’t bother them much. In fact, the deer love eating Sharon’s flowers, the armadillos love digging in the mulch around the trees in our yard, the foxes love denning in the deadfall in a patch of woods near the house, and the coyotes run howling, mostly at night. Although bears and mountain lions live in our neck of the woods, we haven’t seen any of them. Yet.

This description sounds pastoral. And it is. Yet, when it came time for me to try my hand at writing a mystery novel, I wandered around my couple of isolated acres, pondering the location of a story about violent crime. Saint Louis? Memphis? New Orleans? I’m familiar with those cities. The notion of crime in a city is standard fare in mysteries and I love urban mysteries. There’s also a strain of mysteries that take place in the country. That’s what I decided I wanted to do: Write a mystery about the rural area that I knew best. Folks out in the country can murder with the best of them. And the protagonist? I’m a retired judge, but my hero could be a working judge who’s tired of listening to boring stuff in the courtroom. In fact, he thinks he’d make a better detective than judge. Since he is a judge, the law enforcement folks are hardly thrilled to have him snooping where he shouldn’t be sticking his nose.

Thus was born Courting Murder.

I knew the rural setting was right because I received a sign from on high. On the jaunt where I finally decided the location for the crimes, a bald eagle swooped overhead and lit in a tall oak tree. She has built her nest somewhere back in the forest behind my house. She regularly flies over our pond and helps herself to whatever fish happen to be swimming too close to the surface.

If the Ozark countryside is good enough for a bald eagle, then it’s good enough for a couple of murders!

Meet Author Bill Hopkins. ..

Bill Hopkins is retired after beginning his legal career in 1971 and serving as a private attorney, prosecuting attorney, an administrative law judge, and a trial court judge, all in Missouri. His poems, short stories, and non-fiction have appeared in many different publications. He’s had several short plays produced. A book of collected poetry, Moving Into Forever, is available on Amazon. He and his wife, Sharon (a mortgage banker who is also a published writer), live in Marble Hill, Missouri, with their dogs and cat. Besides writing, Bill and Sharon are involved in collecting and restoring Camaros. Courting Murder is his first mystery novel.

~~~

Links to Bill’s website, blog, books, etc.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2nptJDN

Sharon Woods Hopkins and Bill Hopkins comprise The Deadly Duo!

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/billandsharonhopkins/

~~~

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Bill is giving away a signed and personalized copy of COURTING MURDER to one lucky winner who comments on his **Author Peek** Interview or Karen’s Killer Book Bench blogs.

Thanks, Bill, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!

Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Crazy for You (Risking It All Book 2) By Rachel Lacey

 

 KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

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CRAZY FOR YOU

Risking It All Book 2

BY RACHEL LACEY

Blurb

“Rachel Lacey is a sure-fire star.” — Lori Wilde, New York Times bestselling author

SHE’S TAKING A WALK ON HIS WILD SIDE

Emma Rush can’t remember a time when she didn’t have a thing for Ryan Blake. Haven’s resident bad boy is just so freakin’ hot-with tattoos, a motorcycle, and enough rough-around-the-edges sexiness to melt all her self-control. Now that Emma’s over being a “good girl,” she needs a little help being naughty . . . and she knows just where to start.

Before Emma’s brother enlisted in the military, he made Ryan promise that he would protect her from everything–including himself. When her brother doesn’t come home, Ryan needs to turn his screwed-up life around to honor his pledge. But he knows he’s still not the right kind of guy for someone as sweet as Emma. Only he can’t stop wanting to be with her. Wanting her. Falling in love with a good girl may be the craziest risk this bad boy can take . . .

CRAZY FOR YOU

Risking It All Book 2

BY RACHEL LACEY

Excerpt

Whoa. Emma closed her eyes and let out a shriek as Ryan guided the motorcycle onto Main Street and picked up speed. The cold wind whipped her face, taking her breath away. Beneath her, the engine rumbled and roared like a wild thing. Holy sh*t. She was on the back of Ryan Blake’s bike, and it was amazing.

The wind bit through her thin, knit gloves, hitting her fingers with an icy blast. Actually, every part of her was freezing, but she didn’t care. She wrapped her arms more firmly around Ryan’s waist, anchoring herself to him so she didn’t tumble off the back of the bike, and somehow her hands slipped beneath his jacket. Ahh. That was better. Toasty warm, and also…her hands were on his T-shirt. Even through her gloves, she felt the hard contour of his abs, and nope, she wasn’t cold now.

And this was absolutely freaking amazing.

She hung on tight as he guided them over Haven’s twisting mountain roads, deserted at this hour. Overhead the moon shone like a beacon, illuminating the night in its soft, silvery glow. The roar of the engine and the slap of the wind against her face shocked her senses. It was thrilling, invigorating, so completely different from riding inside a car.

She’d never have done this if Mandy hadn’t dared her, and now she felt like her eyes were open for the first time in years. This was what she needed. Somewhere along the way, as she sat at the bar talking to Ryan, she’d realized she was having fun, really having fun. And she wanted more. She wanted it all, every last wild and crazy fantasy.

All too soon, her building came into view. Ryan cut the engine and guided them quietly into the driveway, coming to a stop behind her silver Toyota RAV4. He turned his head to look at her, so sexy in his helmet and riding glasses. “So how was it?”

“Even better than I thought it would be.” She gulped for air. His lips were way too close to hers, and she was still a little bit drunk on beer and a whole lot drunk on her first motorcycle ride. Mandy’s words echoed in her ears. Bonus points if you kiss him. Just stand up a bit, lean over his shoulder, and…

Emma leaned forward, her chest sliding up his back as she tipped her face to his. Holy hell, she had completely lost her mind, but she was going for it. Every nerve in her body went haywire.

Clunk. Her helmet smacked into his, drawing her up an inch short of his lips.

Meet Author Rachel Lacey. ..

Rachel Lacey is a contemporary romance author and semi-reformed travel junkie. She’s been climbed by a monkey on a mountain in Japan, gone scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and camped out overnight in New York City for a chance to be an extra in a movie. These days, the majority of her adventures take place on the pages of the books she writes. She lives in warm and sunny North Carolina with her husband, son, and a variety of rescue pets.

~~~

Rachels’s website, blog, books, etc.

Link to Follow Tour:

http://tastybooktours.com/tours-master/2016/12/27/crazy-for-you-risking-it-all-2-by-rachel-lacey

Goodreads Link:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30842422-crazy-for-you

Goodreads Series Link:

https://www.goodreads.com/series/180210-risking-it-all

Buy Links:     AMAZON | B & N | GOOGLE | ITUNES | KOBO

Author Links:   WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

~~~

Thanks, Rachel, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win 60+ Heroes in Uniform Romances & a Kindle Fire! #BookSweeps #Giveaway

 Enter To Win

60+ HEROES IN UNIFORM ROMANCE

&

A KINDLE FIRE!!!

Today, I have a fun surprise that I’d like to share with you.

I’ve teamed up with more than 60 fantastic Heroes in Uniform Romance authors to give away a huge collection of novels to 2 lucky winners, PLUS a Kindle Fire to the Grand Prize winner!

You can win my novel COP ON HER DOORSTEP, plus books from authors like MELISSA FOSTER and DALE MAYER.

Enter the giveaway by clicking here: bit.ly/hero-uniform-rom

Good luck, and enjoy!

Karen

**Author Peek** Interview with Bill Hopkins’ COURTING MURDER (A Judge Rosswell Carew Mystery) Character, Judge Rosswell Carew

**Author Peek** Interview with BILL HOPKINS’

COURTING MURDER (A Judge Rosswell Carew Mystery)

Character, Judge Rosswell Carew

INTRODUCING…Judge Rosswell Carew.

1. What is your name?

Judge Rosswell Carew.

Do you have a nickname?

NO! And you better never call me Ross. Rosswell is the surname of some of my Scotch ancestors.

2. Who is your best friend?

My wife, Tina Carew.

What kinds of things do you do when you’re together?

None of your business. Oh. You mean…like sitting on the balcony of our house in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. It overlooks the Mississippi River.

3. If you have a family, how do you get along with them?

The only family I have are Tina and my baby boy, Jonathan David.

If you don’t, are there people in your life that you consider family? How do you get along with them?

Ollie Groton (my snitch, but I call him a research assistant to his face) is the only real friend I have outside my family. Ollie is a genius and we’ve each saved the other’s life a few time.

4. Do you have a birthmark?

No. But Jonathan David may have Sturge-Weber Syndrome. We’re checking.

Scars?

Emotional only.

Where is it/are they? How did you get it/them?

I killed a little girl on purpose. You have to read my story to find out why. I hate talking about it.

5. When you’re angry, what do you do?

Take an antacid.

Where do you go?

I go off by myself which also answers this question: How do you deal with your anger?

6. If you had to make me a meal right now, without going to the store, what would you find in your refrigerator to feed us?

Ham and beans, with lots of onions.

7. What’s the one thing you’re afraid of losing?

Tina.

8. What makes you laugh out loud?

When I can get Ollie bumfuzzled.

9. Has anyone broken your heart? Who was she?

Again. Read my book. She’s gone now and I never talk about her to Tina.

10. What’s the one thing you want out of life that you don’t think you can have?

I’d like to know who my father is.

Why can’t you have it?

You’d have to ask my mother, but she’s dead.

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Be sure to come back to learn more about Bill Hopkins’ novel, COURTING MURDER (A Judge Rosswell Carew Mystery), on Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.

~~~

Links to Bill’s website, blog, books, etc.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2nptJDN

Sharon Woods Hopkins and Bill Hopkins comprise The Deadly Duo!

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/billandsharonhopkins/

~~~

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Bill is giving away a signed and personalized copy of COURTING MURDER to one lucky winner who comments on his **Author Peek** Interview or Karen’s Killer Book Bench blogs.

Thanks, Bill, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!

Congratulations APRIL Blog Subscriber Winner!

Time to announce the APRIL 2017 #WINNER of my Monthly Blog Subscriber Giveaway, where special readers can win a read or coffee – two of my favorite things—on me!!!

And the winner is…

ANGELALOCKY…

Congratulations! You have won a $5 gift card from Amazon or Starbucks (your choice)! I’ll contact you privately to arrange for delivery of your gift.

Dear Readers,

If you missed this month’s giveaway, you can still subscribe to my blog at http://www.karendocter.com/ to get my blogs delivered straight to your email and be entered EACH MONTH into a random drawing for #FREE $5 gift card. On the first of each month, I’ll draw one name at www.random.org from all of my subscribers to receive the card.

More wonderful perks to subscribing to my blog? The blogs, when they appear in your Inbox, are pretty and easy to read. You can discover new authors, recipes and reader fun…and many of the authors sponsor GIVEAWAYS just for commenting!

If you’re only in the mood to receive my Special Release Alerts, you can subscribe to my mailing list instead. This is NOT a newsletter, but the occasional Karen/K.L. Docter news release.

Thanks for joining me on Karen’s Killer Book Bench!!

Karen/K.L.

To avoid SPAM filters, I’m announcing this random giveaway on the blog so that all current subscribers will know who won. If your name is announced and you don’t hear from me and can’t find an email in your SPAM folder, please contact me at kldocter@yahoo.com. Thank you!
Winners selected by random.org.

Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with PICKET FENCE SURPRISE Author Kris Fletcher #recipe ~ Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Karen’s Killer Fixin’s

**AUTHOR SPECIAL**

with KRIS FLETCHER!

Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, KRIS FLETCHER, and her favorite recipe for SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP!

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PICKET FENCE SURPRISE

Comeback Cove, Canada

BY KRIS FLETCHER



BLURB

They weren’t expecting this… 

Heather Jacobs has a lot in common with Xander Sorenson: they’ve each got a great kid they adore, and neither of their paths to parenthood started out easy. So he’s the perfect guy to help her with her plan to seek joint custody of her daughter. But the perfect guy for her? Not so much, especially when she’s not convinced his reckless ways are behind him. Plus, he brings out a side of her that she’d rather keep in check.

And then the impossible happens…

PICKET FENCE SURPRISE

Comeback Cove, Canada

BY KRIS FLETCHER

EXCERPT

The cake had been cut and the gifts opened. Xander prowled the edges of the party with his camera, gathering trash with one hand while sneaking in some candid shots of the birthday girl and her guests. Cleaning, preserving memories and casually working his way toward Heather, all at once. Who said men couldn’t multitask? Add in the way he managed to sneak a few peeks at Heather’s shorts—or, more precisely, what they covered—and he felt positively superhuman.

Well, except for the fact that Heather’s shorts—and, more precisely, what was in them—were strictly off-limits.

She was a damned fine looking woman who made him laugh. More than that, when he was with her, he felt he could relax more than with most folks. Maybe because she understood how it felt to be on the outside looking in. Maybe because she, like he, knew all about duct-taping a life back together after throwing it in the toilet.

Heather was a friend. And while Xander wanted someone to build a life with, these days he needed friends. So, yeah. Off-limits.

But off-limits didn’t mean he couldn’t be a buddy. So when Heather finished saying something to Millie and sent the child off with a laugh, he raised his camera.

“Say cheese!”

He’d expected her to squeal and whirl away from him. Instead, she raised her hands to her head so they resembled antlers, wiggling her fingers while scrunching up her face.

He lowered the camera. “Seriously? You want me to take your picture when you look like a moose that ate a lemon?”

“It got you to stop, didn’t it?”

About Author Kris Fletcher… 

Kris Fletcher writes about small towns, big families, and the love that grows despite them. She has a thing for underdogs, which probably explains her lifelong devotion to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kris shares her central New York home – fondly known as Casa Kitty – with her husband, kids, two cats, and a large population of wild killer dust bunnies. You can learn more about Kris, her books, and the view from her balcony at www.krisfletcher.com.

~~~

Links to Kris’s Website, Books, & Social Media:

Amazon US

Amazon Canada

Harlequin.com

Barnes and Noble

Chapters Indigo

iTunesBooks

Google Play

Email: kris@krisfletcher.com

Website: www.krisfletcher.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KrisFletcherWrites/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/krisfletcher

I hope you enjoy the recipe Kris is sharing today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!

Karen

P.S. We’re at 305 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

(Adapted from Fix It and Forget It, Phyllis Good)

Soup:

4 chicken breast halves

2 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can tomatoes stewed with peppers (Rotel)

1 cup salsa (heat level your choice)

4-oz can chopped green chilies

15-oz can chicken broth

14 -15 oz can tomato sauce

1 ½ cups frozen corn

Additions:

1 – 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (if desired)

Tortilla chips

Shredded cheese – cheddar, Mexican blend, or whatever floats your boat

Sour cream

Combine all soup ingredients in a large slow cooker
Cook on Low 6 – 8 hours, or 3 – 4 on High.
Just before serving, remove chicken. Shred and return to soup. Add chopped cilantro if using.
To serve, put a few chips in each soup bowl. Ladle soup over chips. Top with cheese and/or sour cream.

~~~

Thanks, Kris, for sharing your book and recipe with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!

Karen’s Killer Book Bench: For The Love Of… (Luck of the Irish Book 1) by Kally Jo Surbeck

 KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

~~

FOR THE LOVE OF…

Luck of the Irish Book 1

BY KALLY JO SURBECK

Blurb

Some people do it for the love of money. Some for the thrill. Still others do it for the love of the kill, but they do it for the love of each other.

Mackenzie Harmon is a woman in a man’s field, but she’s the very best assassin money can buy.  A slight wrench has been thrown into her latest assignment. A third party has stopped her finalization of the contract. Until she can find and eliminate the mysterious man, she doesn’t get paid.

Getting paid mean she can’t get out.

Getting out means she gets even.

Getting even is her only desire until she meets him.

Gabriel Zumbrenen is also an assassin, but for half the money. He’s been sent in to handle the removal of a CEO of a major medical corporation. The man who had the contract before him, Mac, has failed. Gabe ’s job is to clean up the mess.

FOR THE LOVE OF…

Luck of the Irish Book 1

BY KALLY JO SURBECK

Cold comes in many forms, but the bone-aching freeze that seeps in and takes possession of your joints is the most painful. And being in a rather fixed position as I was, there was no way to stamp feeling back into my toes, or move so the blood could carry warmth to other parts of my body. The cold was relentless. My only saving grace was that time was ticking, albeit slowly. Soon we would move.

I tried an old yoga trick where I minutely stimulated every single moveable appendage, focusing on that specific body part. I’d used the ploy so many times, on various assignments, my body went through the motions while my mind stayed fixed on target.

“Gabe,” I whispered, feeling a bit nervous because the loud voices in the house had toned down a bit. The angry shouts had dwindled to occasional outbursts. “Are you ready to move?”

A voice in the house shouted, “It’s my turn.” Then a door slammed.

Gabe nodded his agreement. A small glint of light had me looking down at his hands. I don’t know when he’d drawn his weapon but he held the Glock 18 from his shoulder holster. I looked from the gun to his handsome, angular profile and back to the gun. Full of surprises.

I heard snow crunch and felt adrenaline surge through my veins. Not but three feet in front of us, one of the guards stopped to light his cigarette. Gabe gestured to his watch then held up two fingers. After I nodded, he motioned for me to break to the right. He’d take care of the smoker and his partner by the front door.

Focus. Gabe could take care of himself. There was no way he could have survived this long in the business if he didn’t know what he was doing. My area of concern was the two men I knew had walked around to the back of the house. The three who had gone inside, they’d have their turn shortly.

Gabe’s hand came up to count down from five seconds. I slightly shifted my position so I could move quickly.

Move and not look back.

Meet Author Kally Jo Surbeck. ..

Kally is a Colorado native, born and raised. After a hiatus in Wyoming, she moved to Louisiana.  Over the years she has served the industry as the President, Vice President, and Treasurer of Colorado Romance Writers, The PRO Education Team Leader for Romance Writers of America and the Promotions Coordinator for Hearts Through History Romance Writers.  The youngest of eight, two brothers and two sisters-three god sisters, an avid reader and movie goer, Kally knows perhaps more than she should about kick-ass heroines and alpha men.  She loves to travel, meet her fellow readers and authors, supporting a world full of love, laughter, and camaraderie.  Kally Jo Surbeck is a multi award winning international best-selling author blessed to have titles in action/adventure, fantasy, historical, contemporary, short stories, poems, articles, and flash.

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Links to Kally’s website, blog, books, etc.

Amazon: 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s_ss_i_0_8?k=kally+jo+surbeck&sprefix=kally+jo

B&N: Kally jo surbeck | Barnes & Noble

Mundania Press LLC Author:

http://www.mundania.com/author.php?author=Kally+Jo+Surbeck

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**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Kally is giving away a signed copy of FOR THE LOVE OF… to one lucky winner who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.

Thanks, Kally, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!

Karen’s Killer Book Bench: His Virgin Mate (Interstellar Brides: The Virgins Book 1) by Grace Goodwin

 KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

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HIS VIRGIN MATE

Interstellar Brides: The Virgins Book 1

BY GRACE GOODWIN

Blurb

One look, one touch, and there is no denying the heat…
Twenty-one and single, Alexis Lopez hopes her lackluster response to men is a problem she’s eager to solve by volunteering for the Interstellar Brides Program. One look at the large, dominant alien who claims she belongs to him sets her body on fire. When he tells her, in explicit detail, how he’ll claim her in every way, she is eager to give her mate everything, body and soul.
Von of Everis is a ruthless and high ranking Hunter who’s spent years fighting in the Hive wars. But his bed, and his life, are empty until Alexis arrives. One look at his innocent little bride and he knows she belongs to him.
Simple, right? Nope. The match is challenged by one of the most feared warriors on the planet and stolen kisses and mind-numbing pleasure won’t save Von from a deadly duel. But Von is a Hunter, a warrior, a protector, and someone is trying to take what belongs to him. Only him. He will do whatever it takes to protect, save and claim his virgin mate.

HIS VIRGIN MATE

Interstellar Brides: The Virgins Book 1

BY GRACE GOODWIN

Excerpt

In this scene, Alexis has just been put through the bride processing protocols and testing before being shipped to the planet Everis to her new mate. But there seems to be a complication…

Alexis Lopez, Interstellar Bride Processing Center, Miami, FL

I looked down at my hands. “What’s strange?”

“All Everians are born with a mark on their palm.”

She didn’t say more than that, just eyed me. “In order to be matched to Everis, you must have a mark somewhere. Do you have an unusual birthmark anywhere on your body? A large birthmark that runs in your family?”

Holy shit. “Yes.” Instinctively, I lifted my arms and wrapped them over my breast to hide the mark there. “Why?”

Her dark gaze followed the movement of my arms, but she smiled. “Long ago, Everian explorers colonized many worlds. Some of their ancestors made it all the way here, to Earth.”

“And? What does that have to do with me?”

The warden’s face was kind, but her words made my head spin. “Their descendants carry the birthmark you are trying to hide. Your ancestors make you a potential marked mate of an Everian Hunter. Your genetic profile alone would have sent you to Everis. The processing protocols confirmed your psychological compatibility.”

“What?” What? Was she saying that I was an alien? “I’m from Denver. My family is from Vera Cruz. My abuela still lives in Mexico. I’m not an alien. I went to East High School. I was born in Denver.”

“Of course you’re not an alien, my dear.” She whirled and waved her hand in the air to indicate the chair I still sat in and the bank of computers and screens built into the wall. “You’re just the descendant of one.” She glanced down at her tablet. “According to your genetic profile, you are seventeen percent Everian and eighty-three percent human.” She smiled proudly, like a mother bragging about her child’s accomplishments in school. “Even after thousands of years, the Everian DNA is very resilient.”

“What? If you already knew I was some kind of alien, why did I even go through the test?”

“Your DNA profile placed Everis at the top of your probability matrix. However, the testing you just completed uses many variables to define your wants and needs in a mate based on conscious and subconscious thought. Planets are removed from your options one by one based on these until only one planet remains. At the end of the testing, sexual compatibility is analyzed and ultimately, a recorded mating ceremony is fed to your core brain processing for verification.”

I tried to translate her complex wording. “You mean I watched a sex tape from Everis in my mind? Dreamed it?”

She nodded as she sat at the table across from me and crossed her legs like we were at a tea party or something. “Technically, your body experienced sensual data recorded by the neural processing unit implanted in another bride. But, if you’d like to think of it as a dream, then yes.”

“But I didn’t dream about sex,” I countered, blushing. I could only imagine what a dream with actual sex in it would have been like. A mental porno. “How do you know I’m compatible if I didn’t dream about sex?”

“Perhaps you did not dream of intercourse.” She lifted a brow and now I felt like she was looking into my soul. “But you did feel desire, did you not? Lust? Hunger? A yearning so fierce your entire body shook with wanting his touch?”

I flushed hotly. All over. I couldn’t look her in the eye. God, how did she know?

Meet the author, Grace Goodwin. ..

Grace Goodwin is an international bestselling author of Sci-Fi & Paranormal romance. When she was a wee little girl, she was convinced she was not an average child but was, in fact, a fairy princess. Now a bit older, her fantasies have grown to include sexually dominant men who know how to ensure a woman’s pleasure. Grace believes all women should be treated like princesses, in the bedroom and out of it, and writes love stories where men know how to make their women feel pampered, protected and very well taken care of. Grace hates the snow, loves the mountains (yes, that’s a problem) and wishes she could simply download the stories out of her head instead of being forced to type them out. Grace lives in the western US and is a full time writer, an avid romance reader and an admitted caffeine addict.

Sign up for her mailing list at http://bit.ly/GraceGoodwinNews

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All of Grace’s books can be read as STAND ALONE novels. Her Happily-Ever-Afters are always free from cheating because she writes Alpha males, NOT Alphaholes. (You can figure that one out.) But be careful…she likes her heroes hot and her love scenes hotter. You have been warned…

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Links to Grace’s website, blog, books, etc.

Amazon:  https://goo.gl/DWTuwS

iBooks: https://goo.gl/HY0Vcn

Nook: https://goo.gl/Gg7iZ8

Kobo: https://goo.gl/D1iKuK

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Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15037285.Grace_Goodwin

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Thanks, Grace, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!