Jodi Ellen Malpas's Blog, page 9
February 2, 2022
Read The Prologue of The Brit
DANNY
London—Twenty Years Ago
I could smell it. Bacon. Greasy, fatty bacon. It was making my stomach twist harder as I scavenged through the huge bin at the back of the burger joint I raided daily. My frantic hands were digging like my life depended on it, rummaging down and down though soggy chips and bread to find the good stuff. When I moved a cardboard box and the scent intensified, wafting up into my filthy face, I very nearly looked to the heavens in thanks. But I didn’t, because if there was a god, I wouldn’t have been rummaging through a bin like a tramp.
I was pretty sure bacon had never looked so good, and the piece I’d found had the remnants of melted cheese smothered far and wide. My mouth watered; my tummy growled hard. I shoved it past my teeth and chewed like a child possessed, swallowing way too soon. I should have savored it. Who knew when I’d find another piece of heaven like that, because, let’s face it, who took off the bacon on a bacon cheeseburger? It was my lucky day.
Dusting off my hands, I jumped down from the edge of the bin, wincing a tiny bit at the sharp pain in my rib. Pulling up my T-shirt, one of only two I had which was three sizes too small, even for my emaciated ten-year-old frame, I inspected the damage.
“Bastard,” I muttered, taking in the colorful patches over my torso, an ugly blend of purples, yellows, black, and blues. I was a dense fool. He’d told me to trust him. He’d promised not to cuff me if I did as I was told and got his beer. The moment I held out the can, he’d taken it and proceeded to pound me with it. It didn’t hurt. Never did during the actual beating. It was afterward, when I had escaped the arsehole and was no longer making myself numb, that the pain kicked in. Part of me knew when I took what he dished out without so much as a murmur, it made him angrier. But I learned years before that I got satisfaction in knowing I frustrated him. He’d never see me beg. He’d never see my pain. Never. Not even when he pinned me face first to the kitchen table and shoved his dick in my arse.
I picked up my feet and started strolling down the alley toward the main road. Not even the biting cold affected me anymore. I was hardened. Used to the slow torture that was my sad life. I was wearing a T-shirt, half ripped up one side exposing my scrawny torso. In December. It was minus one degrees, and I couldn’t feel a damn thing.
I just made it to the end of the alley when I heard my name being called. The voice should have made me break into a sprint and run away. But instead, I turned, finding Pedro, a boy from the posh estate up the road. He was flanked by his usual crew of five, all kids better off than me. It wasn’t a hard feat. Pedro was Italian. His family owned a restaurant on the main drag where I’d often scavenged. The first time I scrounged through the bin looking for leftovers, he caught me. From that day, Pedro made it his mission to make my life miserable. Or even more miserable.
The six boys circled me, and I passed my eyes over each one. I wasn’t scared. In fact, I was more in awe of their clean clothes and their brand-new trainers. They were all Italian. Cousins, I think. But Pedro was the leader of the gang, and he was also the largest by a clear foot, both in height and width.
“Find anything tasty, little tramp?” Pedro asked, nodding to the bin I had just crawled out of. His cousins started tittering, like they hadn’t heard him ask me the very same question a dozen times before. I didn’t bother answering. My reply wouldn’t have changed the outcome, and running away would have made the next time he caught me a longer encounter. So I stood and waited for him to approach me, shutting down for the second time that day. His grin was wicked as he leaned in and sniffed me before wrinkling his nose in disgust. “Well?” he prompted.
“Bacon,” I answered stoically. “It was better than that shit pasta I find in your family’s bins.”
His face faltered before he quickly gathered himself and his disgust grew. Sickly, I relished in it, despite the beating I knew was coming. “Cut him,” he spat, elbowing the tall lanky boy beside him. I think they called him Bony. I smiled on the inside. He had nothing on me.
Bony produced a flick knife from his stylish jeans, inspecting the blade. I should have flinched. I didn’t. Nothing I faced fazed me at that point in my life. “Get on with it,” I goaded him, stepping forward. His lip curled, and his arm shot forward. My eyes slammed shut, yet I didn’t move anything else, as I felt the blade sink into the flesh of my cheek and drag a few inches down.
The gang cheered, clearly thrilled with today’s work, and I opened my eyes, feeling warm dampness sliding down my face, meeting the corner of my mouth. I flicked my tongue out and licked up some blood, reacquainting myself with the coppery taste.
“You’re sick, man,” Pedro spat.
“Want a taste?” I reached up to my cheek and dragged my finger down through the stream of blood, presenting it to him.
The rage in his eyes thrilled me as he advanced forward, ready to land a few brutal thumps to my face. I was more than ready. Every minute of my life, I was ready. What I endured at home made it easy to take whatever this piece of spoiled shit threw my way.
Pedro pulled his fist back, but the sound of screeching tires halted him in his tracks, and we all turned in unison to see a beat-up old Merc speeding toward us. Pedro and his gang split. Me? I stood and watched as two more cars entered the alley, two other Mercs, but these ones brand new. One raced up behind the old Merc, and one came in from the other end of the alley, blocking it in.
I stepped back into the shadows and watched as six huge, suited men stepped out of the two new Mercs, three men from each car. Despite it being December, they all wore sunglasses. And straight faces. They were all mean-looking motherfuckers. One opened the back door of one of the cars, and then another man emerged, this one distinctly separated from the others in a cream linen suit. He took his time, straightening out the few creases in his jacket before he swept a hand through his hair. He looked important. Powerful. Fearless. Respected. It was obvious to me, even as a ten-year-old, that he’d earned it. He wasn’t simply a bully. I was instantly in awe of him.
I watched in fascination as he strolled toward the old Merc and opened the driver’s door. Then I heard a plea for mercy.
And then I heard a loud bang. A gunshot.
I blinked a few times, mesmerized, as the cream-suited man coolly shut the door of the old Merc and started to wander casually back to one of the cars. I looked across to the old Merc and saw blood splattered everywhere, a body slumped over the steering wheel.
“Deal with it,” the cream-suited man said, lifting his trousers at the knees to get back into the car.
It was then I saw it. A man across the way through some caged fencing, scrambling up onto a high wall that looked over the alleyway. And in his hand, a gun. He looked like bad news. Too tatty and dirty to be with the smart-suited men in the shiny new Mercs, and before I could register my mouth moving, I was shouting, “Hey, Mister. Hey!”
The cream-suited man paused, looking my way along with the other well-dressed men. His blue eyes shone at me. I was a kid, yes, but I knew evil when I saw it. I looked at it most days, though what was staring at me in that moment was a different kind of menacing. My young mind couldn’t put a finger on exactly what it was that was different. It just . . . was.
I raised my hand and pointed to the wall. “He has a gun.” When I looked back to the wall, I found the guy pointing his firearm down into the alley, right at the cream-suited man. One shot fired. Just one, and it didn’t come from the man high up above us. Like a sack of shit, the rogue on the wall plummeted and hit the concrete on a deafening thud, and I stared at his mangled form splattered on the ground, his neck twisted on his body, his head at a freaky angle. His eyes were open, and in them I saw a familiar evil. The kind of evil I saw every day.
I didn’t look away until a shadow crept over me. Peeking up, I came face to face with the cream-suited man. He was even bigger close up, even scarier. “What’s your name, kid?” he asked. He had an accent, just like I’d heard when I’d snuck into the movie theatres. American.
“Danny.” I wasn’t one for entertaining strangers, but the man demanded to be answered without even demanding it.
“Who did that to your face?” He nodded to my cheek, sliding his hand into his pocket. I noticed in his other he was still holding the gun.
Reaching up to my cheek, I cupped it, feeling my palm slide across the blood. “It’s nothing. Doesn’t hurt.”
“Big, tough guy, huh?” His thick eyebrows raised, and I shrugged. “But that wasn’t my question.”
“Just some kids.”
His heavy brow crinkled a tad, and the evil shone brighter. “Next time they try to do that to you, kill them. No second chances, kid. Remember that. Don’t hesitate, don’t ask questions. Just do it.”
I glanced across to the car that was decorated in blood, nodding, and Mr. Cream Suit looked down my front, turning his nose up at my filthy form. When his armed hand reached forward and lifted the material of my T-shirt with the end of his gun, I did nothing to stop him. Didn’t flinch, didn’t even move. “They do this too?”
“No, Mister.”
“Who?”
“My stepfather.”
His blue eyes flicked up to meet my stare. “He beats you?” he asked, and I nodded. “Why?”
Truth was, I didn’t know. He hated me. Always had. So I shrugged my skinny shoulders again.
“Your mother?”
“Left when I was eight.”
He sniffed, stepping back, and I suspected he was piecing my miserable puzzle together. “Next time your stepfather touches you, kill him too.”
I smiled, loving the thought of doing that. I wouldn’t, couldn’t—my stepfather was five times the size of me—but I still nodded anyway. “Yes, Mister.”
I couldn’t be sure, but I thought a smile cracked the corners of his mouth. “Here.” He pulled out a pile of notes that was held neatly together by a shiny money clip, and pulled off a fifty. My eyes bugged. I’d never seen a fifty before. Not even a twenty. “Get something to eat and some clean clothes, kid.”
“Thanks, Mister.” I swiped the note from his hand and held it up in front of me with both hands. I was in awe, and it must have been obvious because the man chuckled lightly as he pulled off another.
I watched in wonder as he reached forward and wiped my cheek. With a fifty-pound note! “You’re dripping everywhere.” He shoved the bloodied note in my hand. “Now, scram.”
I darted off with my two fifties, my eyes set firmly on them as I jogged down the alley, worried that someone would snatch them away from me at any second. Run, Danny, run!
I heard the familiar sound of a knackered Nissan up ahead, and my feet ground to a halt. My stepfather screeched to a stop and jumped out, stalking toward me with the usual murderous look on his face. He didn’t speak first. Never did. The back of his hand collided with my already-injured cheek. I didn’t flinch, not even when I heard my flesh tear some more. “Where the fuck did you get them from?” he spat, swiping the fifties from my hand.
It was completely out of character for me, but I yelled and dived at him, trying to win them back. “Hey, they’re mine! Give them back.”
I didn’t want to fight for them or show him I cared but . . . they were mine. I’d never owned anything. I wasn’t going to spend them, not ever, and if he had them, they’d be gone before the end of the day on drink, drugs, and a hooker. My sight went foggy when he cracked me square on the jaw before grabbing my overgrown hair and dragging me toward his shit heap of a car. “Get in the car, you fucking shit.”
“Excuse me.”
My stepfather swung around, taking me with him. “What?”
The cream-suited man had approached, and the evil I saw in his eyes before was back with a vengeance. “This your stepdad, kid?” he asked, and I nodded as best I could with my head partially restrained. Mr. Cream Suit bobbed his head mildly, turning his attention to my stepfather. “Give the kid his money.”
My stepfather scoffed. “Fuck you.”
Without another word, no second chance or any warning, Mr. Cream Suit raised his gun and put a bullet clean between my stepfather’s eyes. My head got yanked back as he dropped to the ground, tearing out some of my hair from my scalp. Just like that. Bang. No second chances. Dead.
Gone.
Stepping forward and dipping, Mr. Cream Suit took the fifties from my dead stepfather’s hand and offered them to me. “No second chances,” he said, simple as that. “You got any family?”
I took the notes and shook my head. “No, sir.”
He slowly rose to his full height, his lips twisting. He was thinking. “Two fifties aren’t going to get you very far in life, are they?”
At that moment, I felt like the richest kid in the world. But I knew a hundred quid didn’t go far. “I suppose not, Mister. Wanna gimme some more?” I threw him a cheeky grin, and he returned it.
“Get in the car.”
My eyes widened. “In your car?”
“Yes, in my car. Get in.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re coming home with me.” On that note, he turned and started strolling away, leaving me chasing his heels.
“But, Mister—”
“Do you have anywhere else to go?” He continued walking, passing his gun to one of his men when he reached his shiny Merc.
“No.”
Lowering to his seat, he left the door open, looking at me standing outside his car. “You didn’t even flinch when he cuffed you.”
I shrugged. “Doesn’t hurt anymore. Besides,” I went on, feeling my scrawny chest puffing out, like this big, imposing stranger might be impressed, “I would never let him see even if it did.”
He smiled. It was a broad smile, and I got the feeling they didn’t happen often. “I don’t give second chances.”
I got straight in the car.
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The post Read The Prologue of The Brit appeared first on Jodi Ellen Malpas.
January 25, 2022
The Resurrection – On Sale Now!
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Buy now on Paperback USA Buy now on Amazon UK .
.From the moment Danny Black met Rose Cassidy, he knew she’d be the death of him. But their electric connection and twisted love gave him a purpose beyond ruling Miami with his iron fist. Faking his own death and disappearing to St. Lucia was the only way he could escape the deadly underworld that brought them together. But his seclusion was sabotaged when a notorious assassin lured him out and made him an offer he couldn’t ignore.So Danny was forced to decide whether to remain concealed and pray his enemies didn’t find him, or re-emerge and take back control of his town. His future.James Kelly’s sole purpose was to find and kill the man who ordered the death of his family. Peace would never be his until then. Beau Hayley, a scarred former cop, was the key to his mission. He was supposed to kill her. Instead, he fell in love with her. Forced to accept that he could no longer fight his war and keep Beau safe from their enemies, he sought out the only man who could help him.But by resurrecting the infamous Brit, James unwittingly started an even bigger war.Two lethal men. One shared goal.Keep their women safe.And survive.But only one of them can come out the other side alive.Reviews . . .The Resurrection (Unlawful Men #3) by Jodi Ellen Malpas was simply outstanding; it was magnificent. We fell in love with this series in The Brit, we were wowed by The Enigma and now, well, we’re completely bowled over by The Resurrection. What an amazing series penned by this Author. There truly is no doubt now, this is our favourite series by Jodi Ellen Malpas and The Resurrection is now our all-time favourite book of hers. Incredibly well written, in fact, it was stunningly flawless, The Resurrection captured us from the first page, kept us riveted throughout, and had us on the edge of our seats with the dramatic twists, the vengeful suspense, and the unadulterated passion. We couldn’t put it down, The Resurrection played out before our eyes as we went on a rollercoaster journey with Danny, Rose, James, and Beau. To have the proverbial ‘balls’ to write a four POV story and for it to come across so incredibly fluid and effortless, well that is not a simple feat, but Jodi Ellen Malpas nailed it! ~ TotallyBooked Blog
Oh my stars, I am not sure where to start with this review. If you thought the first two books in this series were intense then you are in for one heck of a ride with The Resurrection.
This book was everything I was expecting and so much more. Jodi Ellen Malpas has certainly made her mark with the Unlawful Men series. I am the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of Mafia romance but Ms. Malpas quickly changed me opinion with the first two books and this one has cemented it. ~ Erin Lewis
Is it too early to start calling this the best book of the year? Cause it seriously is. It takes a genius to plot a story like this one, and Jodi has proven to be one once again. Cold and bloody, but romantic and hopeful at the same time. This is a dark romance unlike anything I’ve ever read and it’s a pure masterpiece! ~ Shades of Rebecca
The Enigma brought us James Kelly – Simply Mind-blowing. But What Jodi Ellen Malpas has done with The Resurrection – Sensational! Giving us Danny and James together- pure genius! Everything you thought about the previous books individually? well double that because it’s explosive and your about to be blown away … ~ Books Obsessive
The Resurrection is dark, gritty, thrilling, and emotional It´s not short of violence but full of racy erotica layered in cocky snarky humorous banter. ~ Ruhla Haardt
My mind has blown in pieces after this read! Oh lord, help me get out of this book’s hangover. This seems impossible to me for now, this book is going to be staying rentfree in my head forever. ~ Dirty Books & Messy Hair
Oh….my….freaking….word….it was….I am…..it couldn’t….I don’t….it did….no way….really….but how…. seriously….it….just….did it….it did….it…blew my freaking mind!!! This book is full of action, emotions, trauma, revenge, redemption, passion, heartache, family and new beginnings and it was truly phenomenal. ~ Poppy 1102
It feels like you are watching this action-packed film the whole time. I want/need more of these Unlawful Men, it’s the series for me that I never want to end!! ~ Shay Goodreads Reviewer
Buy now on Amazon USA Buy now on Amazon UK Buy now on Apple UK Buy now on Apple USA Buy now on Nook.
Buy now on Paperback USA Buy now on Amazon UKThe post The Resurrection – On Sale Now! appeared first on Jodi Ellen Malpas.
January 7, 2022
The Enigma is available in on audio book!
Narrated by the deliciously dark John Hartley & the wildly Talented Emma Wilder. It’s time for James and Beau in your ears!
Download Now
A fatal blend of revenge and desire.
After leaving her fiancé at the altar and quitting her job as a Miami cop, Beau Hayley stumbles through life, feeling only resentment. Injustice. Loss. Her mom’s death was called an accident. She’s not convinced. Grieving, she becomes numb to everything except the constant, biting pain of heartbreak and hate. She can see no light. Until she meets James Kelly, a man who seems as damaged as she is, inside and out. And yet despite his twisted, cold façade, he stimulates feelings. Pleasure. He is a respite from her own flaws. A complete mystery.
And impossible to resist.
James Kelly has only one objective. Find the men who murdered his family and kill them all very slowly. But the web of crime and deceit leads him to Beau Hayley, the daughter of the notorious FBI agent who pursued him relentlessly until her death. Beau is not what James expected, and past the darkness that shrouds her, he finds a glimmer of light. Light is addictive. An escape. Beau might be the key to James’ mercy mission, but with dire consequences. So he has to decide – leave her breathing and risk exposing himself, or kill her and continue his mission, still unknown.
Two tortured souls playing one deadly game. But who will survive?
The post The Enigma is available in on audio book! appeared first on Jodi Ellen Malpas.
January 3, 2022
The Resurrection Cover & Blurb Reveal!
Pretty book cover reveal alert. And the blurb. 
Even I’m sitting here with my jaw on the table, and I known what happens. It’s about to go down in Miami. OUT JAN 25th. Pre-order links under the blurby bit..
From the moment Danny Black met Rose Cassidy, he knew she’d be the death of him. But their electric connection and twisted love gave him a purpose beyond ruling Miami with his iron fist. Faking his own death and disappearing to St. Lucia was the only way he could escape the deadly underworld that brought them together. But his seclusion was sabotaged when a notorious assassin lured him out and made him an offer he couldn’t ignore. So Danny was forced to decide whether to remain concealed and pray his enemies didn’t find him, or re-emerge and take back control of his town. His future.James Kelly’s sole purpose was to find and kill the man who ordered the death of his family. Peace would never be his until then. Beau Hayley, a scarred former cop, was the key to his mission. He was supposed to kill her. Instead, he fell in love with her. Forced to accept that he could no longer fight his war and keep Beau safe from their enemies, he sought out the only man who could help him.But by resurrecting the infamous Brit, James unwittingly started an even bigger war.Two lethal men. One shared goal. Keep their women safe. And survive.But only one of them can come out the other side alive...Order now The post The Resurrection Cover & Blurb Reveal! appeared first on Jodi Ellen Malpas.
November 16, 2021
The Enigma is Available NOW!
.Buy links . . .Buy now on Kindle UK Buy now on Kindle USA Buy now on Apple UK Buy now on Apple US Buy now from Barnes & Noble Buy now on Kobo UK Buy now in paperback (UK) Buy now in paperback (US)
A fatal blend of revenge and desire.
After leaving her fiancé at the altar and quitting her job as a Miami cop, Beau Hayley stumbles through life, feeling only resentment. Injustice. Loss. Her mom’s death was called an accident. She’s not convinced. Grieving, she becomes numb to everything except the constant, biting pain of heartbreak and hate. She can see no light. Until she meets James Kelly, a man who seems as damaged as she is, inside and out. And yet despite his twisted, cold façade, he stimulates feelings. Pleasure. He is a respite from her own flaws. A complete mystery.
And impossible to resist.
James Kelly has only one objective. Find the men who murdered his family and kill them all very slowly. But the web of crime and deceit leads him to Beau Hayley, the daughter of the notorious FBI agent who pursued him relentlessly until her death. Beau is not what James expected, and past the darkness that shrouds her, he finds a glimmer of light. Light is addictive. An escape. Beau might be the key to James’s mercy mission, but with dire consequences. So he has to decide—leave her breathing and risk exposing himself, or kill her and continue his mission, still unknown.
Still The Enigma
Two tortured souls playing one deadly game. But who will survive?
* This story is gritty, dark, violent, edgy, and NOT for the fainthearted. Some scenes may be uncomfortable for some people to read.Buy Links . . .Buy now on Kindle UK Buy now on Kindle USA Buy now on Apple UK Buy now on Apple US
Buy now from Barnes & Noble Buy now on Kobo UK Buy now in paperback (UK) Buy now in paperback (US)
Read Book #1
Buy now on Kindle UK Buy now on Kindle USA Buy now on Apple US Buy the paperback UK Buy the paperback US
Buy now from Barnes & Noble Buy now on Kobo UK
The post The Enigma is Available NOW! appeared first on Jodi Ellen Malpas.
November 11, 2021
Read the prologue from The Enigma – on sale Nov 16th!
It’s just 5 more sleeps until The Enigma releases next Tuesday! I so cannot wait for you to sink your teeth into this beast of a book. The ARC reviews are making me grin like a fool! For those of you waiting not so patiently, here’s a sneaky peek of The Enigma.
Happy Thursday to you all.
As with The Brit, there are two parts to the prologue.
Part 1 from James.
Part 2 from Beau.
I’m sharing Part 1 from James, because I feel like you need to be prepared for what we’re dealing with in THE ENIGMA.
REALLY
PROLOGUE PART ONE
JAMES
MIAMI – 2 YEARS AGO
Darkness isn’t what it used to be. Not to me. It’s too much of a regular in my life now. Every day, dark. Every thought, dark. Every action, dark. It used to be scary. Unwelcomed.Now, I am the dark.
And before me, a dark river. Blackness. Not even the moonlight is illuminating it, the dense clouds blocking any chance of light.
I stand on the edge, staring across the still water, waiting for the adrenalin to subside. For my shakes to leave. For my mind to clear.
Calm.
I need calm before I end a man’s life. I need to be stable. Composed.
Seen.
I reach up and pull off my balaclava, breathing in the chilly nighttime air and filling my lungs with something clean. The banging coming from the car is starting to irritate the shit out of me. I look over my shoulder. “Shut the fuck up,” I growl, my jaw in spasm. I should find his pleas for mercy humorous. He actually thinks I might change my mind. That his dribbling, pitiful prayers might alter his fate. Unlucky for him, it only fuels my rage. Changing his fate is about as likely as bringing me back into the light.
Zero possibility.
I take one last drag of my cigarette and flick it into the river before turning and pacing back to the car. I yank open the door. My victim stills, halting his squirming across the back seat. The bag over his head starts to inflate and deflate from the force of his heavy breathing. “Time to die,” I whisper, grabbing his arm and manhandling him out onto the gravel.
“No, no, please! Whatever you want, I’ll make it happen.” Even his Irish accent grates on me, and I used to be a sucker for an Irish lilt. Now, people simply talking aggravates me, because no one in this world seems to have anything useful to say. No truths. Only lies.
I crouch down before him, where he’s squirming on his front, rubbing into the cutting stones, his hands bound. I tug off the bag, and he stills, blinking into the ground.
He can’t see me. And that won’t do.
I rise and push my boot into his side, forcing him to his back. He looks up at me, fear imbedded into every pore of his pitted face, his eyes wide. “Who are you? Who sent you?” he blabbers.
I pull a blade out of my pocket and slowly turn it, catching the moonlight, making it sparkle prettily. I look up. The clouds have floated past, revealing the moon. Perfect timing. Seen. “No one sent me.” I crouch again, my eyes refocused on the blade. “And who I am is irrelevant.” I turn my stare onto him. “You’re still going to die.” I flick the knife out accurately, slicing across his mouth, so that when he squeals in pain, his cheeks rip. The piercing, blood-curdling sound goes straight through me. Inflames the anger more.
I pull out my gun and casually attach the silencer, taking my time while my prey writhes and wails in the dust and dirt, begging for mercy. There will be no mercy. Not for me, and not for him. I push it into his groin.
“No, please!” he screams, blood pouring from his mouth.
“You want to know who I am?” I ask, and he stills for a moment. “No one knows who I am.”
Realization finds him. “No.”
“Yes.” I slowly squeeze the trigger and the whoosh of the bullet leaving the chamber brings a smile to my face, as does his scream.
“Enough, Kel.”
I look over my shoulder, seeing the shadow of one of the only people I like. “Come to spoil my fun?”
“Finish it.”
I sigh, swapping my pistol for my blade. “Fine.” And I drag it slowly across his throat. Deep. Straight.
Dead.
And then I cut out his tongue before rising, using the bag from his head to wipe the knife clean. I pat his pockets down and pull out a burner phone, tossing it to Goldie. “Get into it,” I say, grabbing my victim’s legs and dragging him to the edge of the river. I nudge him in with my boot, the sound of his body hitting the water echoing in the nighttime air. I watch him sink. “I feel much better,” I say to the water.
“As always, I’m happy for you.”
Yes, I feel better, but we both know I need more than the kill. The peace. The satisfaction. I pull out my phone and send a message to Beth, organizing the rest of my evening. “I’ll need some privacy,” I say, stalking away, the thrill of my recent kill fading fast. I look up to the sky. The clouds are back. The moonlight blocked.
Familiar.
I’ve spent so much time in darkness, I have become the darkness.I arrive back at my apartment and light the candles around my desk before taking my chair and resting back, breathing in and out, calm and controlled. My heart is steady again. Slow enough for me not to be able to feel the beats.
I need to feel the beats.
“Where the fuck is she?” I mutter as I rest my elbows on the edge of the glass and stare at one of the flickering flames, mesmerized by the tiny blaze. My hand extends of its own volition, and I hover above the small fire, feeling the instant, intense heat.
I stare.
I feel.
Ding!
I snatch my hand away and look up at my office door, hearing the familiar sound of heels clinking the floor. I blow out the candles and make my way to the stairs, coming to a stop at the top. I see Beth down below, helping herself to some water.
I observe her, wondering what makes her tick. I know why I do what I do. I do it because I’m invisible in every aspect of my life. And this? I’m seen.
“I’ll be in the shower,” I say, and she looks up. “Join me in ten minutes.” I leave to go wash off my kill and get ready for more relief.
But first . . .
I go back to my office and collect a phone from the drawer, dialing FBI Agent Jaz Hayley as I perch on the edge of my desk. She answers quickly. Always does. “You’ll find one in the river,” I say coolly. “I believe they call him The Snake.”
“For fuck’s sake,” she breathes. “You need to stop.”
“Never.”
“Then I’ll stop you.”
“Don’t make me kill you, Jaz,” I warn. “I’m beginning to like you.” I switch on the bank of TVs on the wall and scroll through the faces of dozens of men. I imagine Jaz Hayley has a similar list, except hers will have a special place on it for me. Probably at the top. Such a shame she doesn’t know my name. What I look like.
Who I am.
“Fuck you,” she hisses.
I smile. “What are your plans for tonight?”
A light laugh indicates how exasperating she finds me. Frustrating. “Decorating my new place with my daughter. Picking out bridesmaids’ dresses for her wedding. But you already know that, don’t you?”
“She’s getting married,” I muse, as if I didn’t actually know that. “You’ll want to be around to see that.”
“Don’t threaten me,” she warns, and my small smile widens. “James,” she adds casually.
My amusement vanishes in a heartbeat at the mention of my name. Or, at least, one of them. What the fuck? And how the fuck? I know this woman is a talented FBI agent. She aced her tests and powered up the ranks. But she’s not a fucking clairvoyant.
“James Kelly.” She adds my surname for extra punch, to ensure I know she’s not fucking about.
“I prefer The Enigma,” I say quietly.
“Or Kellen James?”
I can’t conceal my inhale. And I can’t ask how she knows. I refuse to give her that much satisfaction when she details the journey to her discovery. But, fuck, how the fuck does she know?
“Won’t your ego allow you to ask?” she says, knowing what I’m thinking. She always does. It’s that sixth fucking sense. Jaz Hayley moving into Miami from New York City has been more than a pain in my arse. “Let me walk you through it,” she goes on. “So I got to thinking, who could want to get to The Bear so desperately? Who could want to fuck with him, kill his men? Kill him? A fellow trafficker? No. This just feels a little more like revenge. So I started digging a bit deeper.”
“I see where you’re going with this.”
“Impressed? I mean, I’m impressed with myself. My digging took me all the way to London, James. It took me to the estate where Spencer James’s family was burned alive. All presumed dead. But what if one survived? Not the showman that was Spencer James, you sound too young, but maybe one of his offspring? Who could want revenge more than one of them?” She laughs a little, satisfied, and my teeth grate. “You’re his son, and you want to kill The Bear because he wiped out your family,” she adds, and I flinch. “Shame no one knows who The Bear is.”
“I’ll find out.”
She hums. “I’ll keep this information as security along with a few other things, if you know what I mean.”
A few other things? Like? I refuse to ask. I know exactly what she means. She’s going to make a rat out of me. “What are you saying, Agent Hayley?”
“I’m saying you’re cornered.”
My blood simmers with a rage that’s dangerous. Cornered. I can’t be at someone’s mercy like that. “Stay safe, Agent Hayley,” I grate in warning, hanging up, my fist clenching around the phone. “Fuck!” I throw it with enough power to shatter the glass door of my office.
Pre-order links . . .Buy now on Kindle UK Buy now on Kindle USA Buy now on Apple UK Buy now on Apple US Buy now from Barnes & Noble Buy now on Kobo UK Buy now in paperback (UK) Buy now in paperback (US)
The post Read the prologue from The Enigma – on sale Nov 16th! appeared first on Jodi Ellen Malpas.
October 22, 2021
My first historical romance series is coming in 2022!
I’m so chuffing thrilled about this! 
Orion Publishing in the UK and Grand Central in the US have bought the rights to my all new historical romance series. I absolutely cannot wait to bring you this story! And in honour of my first man, the man who has literally brought me on this incredible journey, I have given my very first historical guy the same initials as my beloved Lord. JW. 
Johnny Winters. I hope you will join me on this exciting adventure into historical romance 
We will have a title, a blurb and a cover reveal very soon, along with more pre-order links for the US, paperbacks and audio. In the meantime, the UK links are below.
Pre-order now on Kindle UK Pre-order now on Apple UK Pre-order now on Kobo UK
The post My first historical romance series is coming in 2022! appeared first on Jodi Ellen Malpas.
NEW BOOK/SERIES NEWS -The Enigma
I had no idea if I was going to tickle your fancy with my first step into the dark side of romance with The Brit. But it seems I did, and I am so here for it 
I simply HAD to expand that world.
The Enigma releases Nov 16th, and it’s set in the world of The Brit. James and Beau are 2 new characters, it’s a whole new story, but it ties in heavily to Danny Black AKA The Brit. It also has my favourite ending in the history of my endings. 
I can’t say much without spoiling a whole load of stuff from The Brit for those who haven’t gone there yet, so I’m going to shut my face right now, give you the blurb and the links (head to bio), and tell you to BRACE YOURSELVES 
THE ENIGMA is coming!
A fatal blend of revenge and desire.
After leaving her fiancé at the altar and quitting her job as a Miami cop, Beau Hayley stumbles through life, feeling only resentment. Injustice. Loss. Her mom’s death was called an accident. She’s not convinced. Grieving, she becomes numb to everything except the constant, biting pain of heartbreak and hate. She can see no light. Until she meets James Kelly, a man who seems as damaged as she is, inside and out. And yet despite his twisted, cold façade, he stimulates feelings. Pleasure. He is a respite from her own flaws. A complete mystery.
And impossible to resist.
James Kelly has only one objective. Find the men who murdered his family and kill them all very slowly. But the web of crime and deceit leads him to Beau Hayley, the daughter of the notorious FBI agent who pursued him relentlessly until her death. Beau is not what James expected, and past the darkness that shrouds her, he finds a glimmer of light. Light is addictive. An escape. Beau might be the key to James’s mercy mission, but with dire consequences. So he has to decide—leave her breathing and risk exposing himself, or kill her and continue his mission, still unknown.
Still The Enigma
Two tortured souls playing one deadly game. But who will survive?
Buy now on Kindle UK Buy now on Kindle USA Buy now on Apple UK Buy now on Apple USBuy now from Barnes & Noble Buy now on Kobo UK
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August 12, 2021
This Man on Sale for just 99p in the UK
For a limited time, my very first alpha male is on sale in the UK for just 99p! Total bargain for a hell of a lot of alpha! You can find the links that lead to Jesse below.
Buy now on Kindle UK Buy now on Apple Buy now on Kobo
The post This Man on Sale for just 99p in the UK appeared first on Jodi Ellen Malpas.
August 4, 2021
SEX/LIFE Exclusive!
My live streams are usually a spur of the moment thing, but this one requires some prep
It’s definitely not going to be PG, that’s for sure.
I’m absolutely thrilled to be talking to BB Easton – author of 44 Chapters About 4 Men, the book that inspired the hit series on Netflix SEX/LIFE. I binge watched this one Sunday afternoon with my husband, and we both absolutely LOVED it. I know many of you did too. So join us this Friday August 6th at 6pm UK (1pm EST) in my Facebook group for a no holds barred chat about all things sex, life, and SEX/LIFE. There will be giveaways, loads of chatter about all the things, and plenty of laughs.
Hope to see you there!
JEM 
WATCH HERE
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