Stacy Claflin's Blog, page 4
November 19, 2022
Kindle Unlimited: Romantic and Thrilling Reads
The Kindle Unlimited reading subscription can a great way to save money on reading books if you read as much as I do!
Whether or not you have the subscription, check out these reads that you can borrow or buy:
Happy reading!
Which books are you going to pick?
The post Kindle Unlimited: Romantic and Thrilling Reads first appeared on Stacy Claflin, Author.
November 16, 2022
3rd Annual Kindle Unlimited Bookish Event
Check out all the Kindle Unlimited books and enter the giveaway to win a $35 Amazon gift card:
https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/kindle-unlimited-bookish-event
A sampling of the books:
.
Tuesday 11/15
2 am – Ann Greyson
4 am – Peggy Jaeger
6 am – Sandra Sookoo
8 am – Judythe Morgan
10 am – Eden Bloom
Wednesday 11/16
2 am – Morgan Quaid
4 am – Peggy Jaeger
6 am – Charlotte Stuart
8 am – Suzanne Winslow
10 am – Christina Herlyn
Thursday 11/17
2 am – Ann Beltran
4 am – Karla M. Jay
6 am – Stacy Claflin
8 am – Katherine Grey
10 am – Petie McCarty
Saturday 11/19
2 am – Peggy Jaeger
4 am – Charlotte Stuart
6 am – Suzanne Winslow
8 am – Roslyn Reid
10 am – Robert Herold
Sunday 11/20
2 am – Morgan Quaid
4 am – Lace Daltyn
6 am – Lloyd Jeffries
8 am – Petie McCarty
10 am – A.D. Britten
Monday 11/21
2 am – Peggy Jaeger
4 am – Ann Beltran
6 am – Sandra Sookoo
8 am – Kathryn Hills
10 am – Cornelia G. Amiri
Tuesday 11/22
2 am – Angelina Jameson
4 am – Morgan Quaid
6 am – Ann Beltran
8 am – Christina Herlyn
10 am – Karen Docter
November 9, 2022
One poor decision will haunt her forever…
Macy Mercer only wants a little independence. Eager to prove herself grown up, she goes to a dark, secluded park. She’s supposed to meet the boy of her dreams who she met online. But the cute fifteen year old was a fantasy, his pictures fake. She finds herself face to face with Chester Woodran, a man capable of murder.
Distraught over his own missing daughter, Chester insists that Macy replace his lost girl. He locks Macy up, withholds food, and roughs her up, demanding that she call him dad. Under duress from his constant threats and mind games, her hold on reality starts to slip. Clinging to her memories is the only way of holding onto her true identity, not believing that she is Chester’s daughter. Otherwise she may never see her family again.
Read the full trilogy: Amazon | Nook | Apple | Kobo | Google
ExcerptSitting in his warm truck across from the park, Chester Woodran watched her walk across the open field. An overhead light turned on as she passed under it in the dusk. Her long, dark hair swished back and forth behind her. She wandered around the playground, walking between the climbers and slides until she stopped in front of the swings.
He had spent hours watching her. Studying her. He knew her almost better than she knew herself.
The moment of truth would arrive soon. She’d come a few minutes early, but he wouldn’t deviate from the schedule. He would act exactly on time. He’d laid the groundwork. He wasn’t going to let her change a thing.
Chester pulled out his phone and scrolled through the pictures, stopping at his favorite. It was the girl in the park for sure, although he couldn’t see the details of her face up close yet. He would have to wait a few minutes.
From the phone, her light brown eyes shone at him. Her shy, almost insecure face smiled sweetly.
His heart sped up at the thought of many weeks of work coming together at long last. The waiting was about to end.
Clenching the steering wheel with all his might, he took several deep breaths to calm himself. Every precaution had been taken. Prepared with painstaking care. There was no chance of anything going wrong so long as he stayed with the plan.
The alarm on his digital wristwatch beeped. He turned it off and then leaned back into the seat, adjusting his over-sized glasses.
It was time...
Read the full trilogy: Amazon | Nook | Apple | Kobo | Google
The post One poor decision will haunt her forever… first appeared on Stacy Claflin, Author.
November 8, 2022
5 Thrillers with strong female leads you won’t want to miss
It’s often refreshing to read thrillers with strong female leads. These are some of my favorite reads from the past year. Comment and let me know your favorites!
Local Woman Missing
My thoughts:
What a twisty plot line! So well done, I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Everything was laid out so well and clues revealed at the perfect times. The three timelines did make it a little confusing at times, but it wasn’t too difficult to figure out. Quite the surprising ending too!
Blurb:
People don’t just disappear without a trace…
Shelby Tebow is the first to go missing. Not long after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, vanish just blocks away from where Shelby was last seen, striking fear into their once-peaceful community. Are these incidents connected? After an elusive search that yields more questions than answers, the case eventually goes cold.
Now, eleven years later, Delilah shockingly returns. Everyone wants to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they’ll find…
Read LOCAL WOMAN MISSING today.
The Liar’s Daughter
My thoughts:
This was one of the most addictive books I’ve read in a long time. I couldn’t put it down! The main character in this story has an inner strength in the worst of circumstances.
Blurb:
Piper was raised in a cult.
She just doesn’t know it.
Seventeen-year-old Piper knows that Father is a Prophet. Infallible. The chosen one.
She would do anything for Father. That’s why she takes care of all her little sisters. That’s why she runs end-of-the-world drills. That’s why she never asks questions. Because Father knows best.
Until the day he doesn’t. Until the day the government raids the compound and separates Piper from her siblings, from Mother, from the Aunts, from all of Father’s followers–even from Caspian, the boy she loves.
Now Piper is living Outside. Among Them.
With a woman They claim is her real mother–a woman They say Father stole her from.
But Piper knows better. And Piper is going to escape.
Read THE LIAR’S DAUGHTER today
Missing Molly
My thoughts:
I was hooked by the last line of the first chapter. It’s a unique plot line and had some good twists throughout, leaving me questioning the outcome. The end was action packed and surprising.
Blurb:
Everyone has secrets, and Rachel Holloway is no exception. She’s worked hard to keep the past where it belongs: dead and buried. And so far, she’s been very successful.
But now the small newspaper where she works wants to produce a podcast on a cold case: the disappearance twelve years ago of young Molly Forster.
Some secrets should never see the light of day, and as far as Rachel is concerned, whatever happened to little Molly is one of them. Rachel has a life now, a boyfriend she loves and a three-year-old daughter she adores, and she will do anything to protect them.
But to do that, no one can ever know the truth: that she is Molly Forster.
Invisible Girl
My thoughts:
Some books won’t leave you until you pick it up again. This was one of those for me. I couldn’t stop thinking about it! A twisted and twisty book that kept me turning the pages well into the night.
Blurb:
Young Saffyre Maddox spent three years under the care of renowned child psychologist Roan Fours. When Dr. Fours decides their sessions should end, Saffyre feels abandoned. She begins looking for ways to connect with him, from waiting outside his office to walking through his neighborhood late at night. She soon learns more than she ever wanted to about Roan and his deceptively perfect family life. On a chilly Valentine’s night, Saffyre will disappear, taking any secrets she has learned with her.
Owen Pick’s life is falling apart. In his thirties and living in his aunt’s spare bedroom, he has just been suspended from his job as a teacher after accusations of sexual misconduct—accusations he strongly denies. Searching for professional advice online, he is inadvertently sucked into the dark world of incel forums, where he meets a charismatic and mysterious figure.
Owen lives across the street from the Fours family. The Fours have a bad feeling about their neighbor; Owen is a bit creepy and suspect and their teenaged daughter swears he followed her home from the train station one night. Could Owen be responsible? What happened to the beautiful missing Saffyre, and does her disappearance truly connect them all?
The Perfect Death
My thoughts:
Kenzi is faced with impossible decisions, while also needing to face the demons of her past. She will do that to help her niece, Ember. They both find that they’re a lot stronger than they ever imagined.
Blurb:
A deadly cover-up. A haunted house. Returning home might be the last thing she ever does.
Kenzi Bannon left her painful childhood behind for the glitz and glamour of California. But when her estranged sister commits suicide, she’s forced to return to her abandoned family house. Unexpectedly made guardian to her grieving teenaged niece, Kenzi becomes increasingly convinced her sister’s death was murder.
Devastated by shocking evidence proving Kenzi’s theory, the pair scour the ramshackle house for clues. But when eerie sounds echo through the hallways and the real killer comes after them, she must work fast to unmask the true culprit.
Can Kenzi and her niece get justice for her sister before they follow her into an early grave?
Read THE PERFECT DEATH for FREE!
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The post 5 Thrillers with strong female leads you won’t want to miss first appeared on Stacy Claflin, Author.
November 7, 2022
A little girl kidnapped. A father who’ll risk anything to get her back.
He gave up his daughter years ago, but now he’ll risk his life to save hers.
Alex Mercer is no stranger to kidnappings. The emotional scars still run deep from his sister’s disappearance years earlier. His daughter Ariana remains safe long after her adoption, and he cherishes the few times a year he gets to see her. The joy is palpable when he takes her on their first one-on-one outing. At least until he pauses to answer a text and Ariana disappears…
Wracked with guilt and determined to find answers, Alex teams up with an unlikely ally at the police department. As the clues reveal a pattern of missing girls, the kidnapping case becomes a race against time to save Ariana. What cost is Alex willing to pay to keep his daughter alive?
Read FREE today:
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A girl who looked just like Ariana from behind walked away with a balding man in a jean jacket. She had the same blueish-green colored jacket. The same ponytail, too.
It was Ariana.
“No!” Alex burst into a run, terror seizing him.
What was Ari doing? Hadn’t anyone taught her to stay away from strangers?
“Ariana! Stop!” he called.
The man led her around a corner up ahead. It may as well have been miles away.
“Stop them!” Alex shouted.
No one noticed his yelling. Or the man walking away with Ariana.
His throat closed. He forced his legs to move faster. Everything moved too slowly, except for that man and Ariana.
Alex’s pulse raced, making it hard to breathe. He rounded the same corner they had, but now they were out of sight.They could have gone anywhere—the arcade, the food court, or even outside.
His stomach twisted in tight knots. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.
He ran over to the man selling tickets. “Did you see a little girl about this high,”—he held his hand to his side, just below his chest—“with dark brown hair full of sparkles?”
“Maybe.” He played with his goatee. “Not sure.”
Alex ran to the arcade and glanced around. No little girls.
He ran outside. Thankfully the bright overhead lights made it easy enough to scan the parking lot.
There they were.
At the far end of the parking lot, Ariana held up her phone as if showing him something on the screen.
“Ari!” he screamed, his voice cutting his throat. “Ariana!”
Neither seemed to hear him.
He burst into a run, his heart pounding against his ribcage. Alex had to dart around parked cars, but finally he neared them. He could see Ari’s profile—it was definitely her.
“Ariana!” He was so close, yet so far. He continued running.
She turned.
The man wrapped an arm around her.
“Help!” Ari called, fear in her eyes.
The man covered her mouth, hoisted her up, and ran.
Alex’s blood turned cold. “Stop!”
He didn’t. In fact, he ran around the corner of the building.
Alex caught up just in time to see the man stuff Ariana into a black SUV. The man jumped inside and slammed the door shut.
Pulse drumming in his ears, Alex ran faster. He got closer to the vehicle, and closer still.
He reached for the door.
The SUV squealed away just as his hand grasped air rather than the handle.
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The post A little girl kidnapped. A father who’ll risk anything to get her back. first appeared on Stacy Claflin, Author.November 6, 2022
5 Psychological Thrillers that will keep you up all night
There’s nothing like a book that keeps you turning the pages well past your bedtime! These five will make sure you lose plenty of sleep…
Silent Child
In the summer of 2006, Emma Price watched helplessly as her six-year-old son’s red coat was fished out of the River Ouse. It was the tragic story of the year – a little boy, Aiden, wandered away from school during a terrible flood, fell into the river, and drowned.
His body was never recovered.
Ten years later, Emma has finally rediscovered the joy in life. She’s married, pregnant, and in control again…
… until Aiden returns.
Too traumatized to speak, he raises endless questions and answers none. Only his body tells the story of his decade-long disappearance. The historic broken bones and injuries cast a mere glimpse into the horrors Aiden has experienced. Aiden never drowned. Aiden was taken.
As Emma attempts to reconnect with her now teenage son, she must unmask the monster who took him away from her. But who, in their tiny village, could be capable of such a crime?
It’s Aiden who has the answers, but he cannot tell her the unspeakable.
You Are Not Alone
Shay Miller wants to find love, but it eludes her.
She wants to be fulfilled, but her job is a dead end. She wants to belong, but her life is increasingly lonely.
Until Shay meets the Moore sisters.
Cassandra and Jane live a life of glamorous perfection, and always get what they desire. When they invite Shay into their circle, everything seems to get better.
Shay would die for them to like her.
She may have to.
The Housekeeper
She’s a liar. She’s a stalker. She’s in your house.
When Claire sees Hannah Wilson at an exclusive Manhattan hair salon, it’s like a knife slicing through barely healed scars. It may have been ten years since Claire last saw Hannah, but she has thought of her every day, and not in a good way. So Claire does what anyone would do in her position—she stalks her.
Hannah is now Mrs. Carter, living the charmed life that should have been Claire’s. It’s the life Claire used to have, before Hannah came along and took it all away from her.
Back then, Claire was a happy teenager with porcelain skin and long, wavy blond hair. Now she’s an overweight, lazy drunk with hair the color of compost and skin to match. Which is why when Hannah advertises for a housekeeper, Claire is confident she can apply and not be recognized. And since she has time on her hands, revenge on her mind, and a talent for acting…
Because what better way to seek retribution—and redress—than from within the beautiful Mrs. Hannah Carter’s own home?
Except that it’s not just Claire who has secrets. Everyone in that house seems to have something to hide.
And now, there’s no way out.
Six Years
Six years have passed since Jake Fisher watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. Six years of hiding a broken heart by throwing himself into his career as a college professor. Six years of keeping his promise to leave Natalie alone, and six years of tortured dreams of her life with her new husband, Todd.
But six years haven’t come close to extinguishing his feelings, and when Jake comes across Todd’s obituary, he can’t keep himself away from the funeral. There he gets the glimpse of Todd’s wife he’s hoping for…but she is not Natalie.
As Jake searches for the truth, his picture-perfect memories of Natalie begin to unravel. Mutual friends of the couple either can’t be found, or don’t remember Jake. No one has seen Natalie in years. And soon, Jake’s search for the woman who broke his heart puts his very life at risk as he uncovers the secrets and lies that love can hide….
Girl in Trouble
He gave up his daughter years ago, but now he’ll risk his life to save hers.
Alex Mercer is no stranger to kidnappings. The emotional scars still run deep from his sister’s disappearance years earlier. His daughter Ariana remains safe long after her adoption, and he cherishes the few times a year he gets to see her. The joy is palpable when he takes her on their first one-on-one outing. At least until he pauses to answer a text and Ariana disappears…
Wracked with guilt and determined to find answers, Alex teams up with an unlikely ally at the police department. As the clues reveal a pattern of missing girls, the kidnapping case becomes a race against time to save Ariana. What cost is Alex willing to pay to keep his daughter alive?
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The post 5 Psychological Thrillers that will keep you up all night first appeared on Stacy Claflin, Author.
November 5, 2022
Returning home might be the last thing she ever does…
Kenzi Bannon left her painful childhood behind for the glitz and glamour of California. But when her estranged sister commits suicide, she’s forced to return to her abandoned family house. Unexpectedly made guardian to her grieving teenaged niece, Kenzi becomes increasingly convinced her sister’s death was murder.
Devastated by shocking evidence proving Kenzi’s theory, the pair scour the ramshackle house for clues. But when eerie sounds echo through the hallways and the real killer comes after them, she must work fast to unmask the true culprit.
Can Kenzi and her niece get justice for her sister before they follow her into an early grave?
Read for FREE:
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ExcerptIt’s after midnight by the time we pull up to the road leading to the long-abandoned house.
The street is exactly as I remember it—well-kept with the enormous homes spread out far from each other. Many are tucked so far back, they can’t be seen from the road.
My family’s house was the first built and is the last on the long street. It’s not hidden from view, but its immense backyard stretches farther than I was allowed to explore as a child.
I pull into the driveway. The structure looms in front of us. Growing up, I rarely had friends over because I was embarrassed by the size.
“It looks haunted,” my niece whispers.
“That’s because it’s dark outside and hasn’t been taken care of. All it needs is some TLC. But we’ll worry about that later. Let’s just get everything inside, then we’ll be free of Richard.” I rub my temples, trying to get rid of the headache that came back after reuniting with him.
“Can’t wait for that.” Ember opens her door.
I dig through my purse for the keychain and stare at the home before getting out. Old memories run through my mind, just as dusty as everything inside must be.
Richard slams his truck’s driver side door. “Let’s get this over with.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
He glares at me.
All I want to do is sleep. But that’s going to be a long time coming.
I march up the cracked walkway and try to ignore the overgrown lawn. As I get closer to the house, I notice peeling paint and thick layers of grime. It’s going to take more work than I imagined, and this is just the outside.
The top lock struggles against the key from so many years of disuse. After a few jiggles, it relents and unlocks. Then I repeat the process with the lock on the knob. It twists, and I open the door. It creaks in protest.
Out of habit, I reach for the light switch. But then I realize this place is probably without power. Doesn’t sound like anyone has been here since my parents lived here.
But the moment I flip the switch, light flickers on. Nearly all the furniture is covered, and the cloth is caked in dust. The floor is covered with old muddy footprints that will surely be challenging to get off. The large curved staircase in front of us is exactly as I remember it, though dusty, with its polished wood and ornate wooden railing. I remember running my hands over the carvings countless times as a child.
“You can stare later,” Richard snaps. “Help me get your stuff inside.”
Clearly, he’s as eager to be rid of us as we are of him.
Once his truck is empty, he wipes his hands on his pants. “See you at the funeral. Natasha will be in touch with the details.”
“Are you kidding me?” I press the door so he can’t shut it. “You’re going to plan it without Ember? Me? We’re Claire’s blood.”
“And I’m the husband. I’m in charge.” He slams the door, barely giving me time to jump out of the way.
“I hate him,” Ember mutters as he drives away.
“Can’t say I blame you, especially if he’s always like that.” I remote lock the car and put my arm around her. “Let’s get settled. I’ll call Natasha tomorrow and see if she can’t at least let you help with the memorial.”
Ember shrugs.
I guide her inside and close the door behind us. A small plume of dust puffs out.
We make our way up the creaky stairs. I don’t recall them being so noisy. It sends a shiver down my spine, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
I silently chastise myself for being so creeped out. It’s the house I grew up in. Nothing more. It just needs some love.
Ember stops, and I nearly run into her.
“You okay?”
She looks around. “Did you hear that?”
I listen, only hearing our breathing. “Hear what?”
“I’m not sure. But it was something.”
“Like I said before, probably rodents. Nobody’s been here in a long time.”
Without a word, we make our way to the second floor.
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Read The Perfect Death for FREE…
The post Returning home might be the last thing she ever does… first appeared on Stacy Claflin, Author.
November 4, 2022
Even perfect neighborhoods have deadly secrets…
Ariana and Damon moved to the gated neighborhood of Rosy Hills to leave behind their traumatic pasts. Now they have their dream jobs and are part of a tight group of friends. All of that crumbles when their neighbor Rita disappears without a trace.
Now it looks like one of their own could be a killer. Ariana and Damon must figure out who it is, or they risk never finding Rita alive. If they don’t reach her in time, they could all end up dead…
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ExcerptMargarita locked the front doors before heading to the back of the restaurant to set the alarm. Once the light blinked, she stepped outside and locked that door too.
The cool night air clung to her skin, a welcome contrast to the warm stickiness inside. She breathed in the fresh oxygen, willing it to clear the smells of sweat, alcohol, and Mexican food stuck in her nose.
With any luck, the house would be empty when she got there. A hot bath before falling asleep to some show sounded heavenly. That would get her mind off everything she didn’t want to think about, so she could start over the next day.
At least she had her business. The bar and grill was her life, bringing more joy than anything else. She loved the social scene. Whenever somebody in town wanted to party, they knew where to go because Rita made sure each time was the best, topping the one before it.
She drew in another deep breath before turning around to the dim parking lot behind the building.
The overhead light was out. Hadn’t they just changed that?
Rita made a mental note to have Javier check that in the morning, then she remote-unlocked her car. It beeped, the headlights illuminating the dark night.
Revealing a man in front of the Mercedes.
Her heart leaped into her throat. She stepped back, gasping for air.
“Hello, Rita,” he said, his familiar voice smooth and slow.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded. “You scared me half to death. I thought you were a killer.”
He laughed, a subtle cruelty underlying his tone. “This is the safest town in the state of Washington.”
“Doesn’t mean there’s no crime. Why are you here?”
He stepped toward her, gravel crunching under his weight. “We need to talk.”
“Later. I’m exhausted.” She started toward her car.
“This can’t wait.” His voice had an edge to it. He took a step closer.
“Stay where you are.”
He continued walking.
“I’m not joking,” she said, her voice shaking.
“Neither am I.”
The hairs on her neck stood on end. “You’re scaring me.”
“Good.”
Her knees turned to rubber. “Excuse me?”
“I’m not kidding around.” Now he was within an arm’s reach away.
She pulled out her phone from her purse. “I’m going to call the police if you don’t leave now.”
He laughed again, and this time the sound was terrifying.
Rita struggled to breathe normally. “This isn’t funny.”
“Never said it was.” He knocked the phone from her hand.
It flew into the long grass.
“You have to go.”
He chortled. “I don’t have to do anything.”
“Yes, you do.” She glanced to the side. “What’s that?”
“What?” He turned slightly.
She ran in the other direction.
Gravel crunched behind her.
“You shouldn’t have done that!” he shouted.
Rita pushed herself to go faster. The strappy heels dug into her flesh.
Her right ankle twisted. She stumbled, reaching out to balance herself. Sharp pain shot from her ankle.
Needed to keep going.
Rita’s foot hit a curb. The concrete jammed her toe, ripped the nail. She flew down, scraping her bare knees and palms on the sidewalk.
She struggled up. Her toe, legs, and arms throbbed.
Fingers squeezed her arm.
Rita screamed.
He covered her mouth. “Shut up!”
She kicked, trying to dig her heels into his legs. Flailed her arms, elbowing his ribs.
He released his hold.
Rita bolted. Ankle wobbled. Her breath stuck in her throat from the pain.
Couldn’t give up.
She darted between trees and made her way to a nearby park. The moon barely gave her enough light. She struggled past the play area. Stopped behind a rock-climbing wall. Leaned against it. Gasped for air.
Listened.
Looked around. No homes in sight. An empty school across the street. Businesses closed for the night. Empty lots waiting for new buildings.
“Rita, where are you?” he called.
She readied herself to run again.
His footsteps sounded close. “Ready or not, here I come.”
She held her breath. Waited.
Had to get the shoes off.
“Rita…”
A shiver shot down her spine.
“You can’t hide forever,” he said, now sounding farther away.
Stomach lurching, she peeked around the corner.
He neared the swings, his back to her.
She loosened the buckle on her right pump. It stuck. Resisted.
Footsteps grew closer.
Now he was heading her way.
She froze. Tried to fix her buckle. Fumbled.
“There you are!”
Heart nearly giving out, she turned.
He stood halfway between the playground and her.
Rita leaped to her feet and ran. Her right shoe clung to her foot loosely the buckle not fully undone. Made it hard to remain steady. She kicked, trying to free herself from it.
Finally lost it as she darted between bushes. Rough bark dug into her bare foot. Then concrete as she reached the sidewalk. Her hips protested the three-inch difference between her two feet, one shoed and the other not.
“Gotcha!” His arms wrapped around her middle. He squeezed.
She struggled and kicked, barely able to breathe. “Help! I’m being—”
He covered her mouth.
She bit his finger.
He swore at her. Didn’t let go. Pulled her back toward the park.
Rita squirmed and flailed. Scratched at him.
She wasn’t going down without a fight.
They flew to the ground.
She landed with a hard thud.
He crashed on top of her.
She pushed and strained to get out from under him.
“This could’ve all been avoided,” he grunted. “I only wanted to talk.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” She tried to push him off.
“Don’t you see we’re meant for each other?”
Rita almost laughed at the irony of his words. “This is your way of winning me back?”
“You have to see the obvious.”
The truth was clearer now than before. But pointing that out wouldn’t do any good. Just needed to get away. Get her phone back and call the cops.
Had to think fast.
“You think we can work things out?” she asked, and stopped resisting.
“If you’re willing to change.” He loosened his hold.
She bit back a sarcastic retort. Needed to get him to move off her. “What do you want me to do?”
“You have to stop flirting with guys at the bar, for starters,” he said, giving her more space.
Not enough to run.
“Let’s talk about that,” she said.
He rolled off her and started to say something.
Rita jumped up and ran.
He called after her.
She raced to the park. Through it.
He screamed profanities at her, getting closer.
She yelled for help. For all the good that would do.
Her restaurant came into view.
All she needed was to get to her car. Her fingerprint would start it. Thank God for technology. She’d lost her keys and purse somewhere along the way. Hadn’t even noticed when.
She reached her property.
Something hard struck the back of her head.
Rita flew forward. Landed hard on the ground, her car just out of reach.
Another hit to the head.
Everything went black.
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The post Even perfect neighborhoods have deadly secrets… first appeared on Stacy Claflin, Author.November 3, 2022
5 Romantic Reads to Warm Your Heart
These are some of my favorite romantic reads. Comment and let me know your favorites!
They say you can’t outrun your problems, but that won’t stop me from trying…
Josie
It takes my boyfriend proposing for me to realize I need a new life plan, and fast! So I grab my yoga mat and hit the road. I talk my best friend into swapping places while I sort things out. Her small town of Misty Falls is incredible, and exactly what I need to rethink my life choices.
Everything is going great until I run into her brother Rake — literally — and my dinner ends up all over his clothes. Even covered in mashed potatoes, he’s gorgeous. Not that I care. The last thing I need is a relationship after just fleeing one…
Rake
The moment Josie dumps food on me, I know I’m done for. Between the tornado of a person she is and the unexpected surprise that she’s my sudden roommate, I’m in for a ride. But I’ve got too much at stake to let her become a distraction. My lifelong dream depends on staying away from her.
Even if it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
![Cinder & Ella (Cinder & Ella #1) by [Kelly Oram]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1643968397i/32530311.jpg)
It’s been almost a year since eighteen-year-old Ella Rodriguez was in a car accident that left her crippled, scarred, and without a mother. After a very difficult recovery, she’s been uprooted across the country and forced into the custody of a father that abandoned her when she was a young child. If Ella wants to escape her father’s home and her awful new stepfamily, she must convince her doctors that she’s capable, both physically and emotionally, of living on her own. The problem is, she’s not ready yet. The only way she can think of to start healing is by reconnecting with the one person left in the world who’s ever meant anything to her—her anonymous Internet best friend, Cinder.
Hollywood sensation Brian Oliver has a reputation for being trouble. There’s major buzz around his performance in his upcoming film The Druid Prince, but his management team says he won’t make the transition from teen heartthrob to serious A-list actor unless he can prove he’s left his wild days behind and become a mature adult. In order to douse the flames on Brian’s bad-boy reputation, his management stages a fake engagement for him to his co-star Kaylee. Brian isn’t thrilled with the arrangement—or his fake fiancée—but decides he’ll suffer through it if it means he’ll get an Oscar nomination. Then a surprise email from an old Internet friend changes everything.
![Prejudice Meets Pride (Meet Your Match) by [Rachael Anderson]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1643968397i/32530313.jpg)
After years of pinching pennies and struggling to get through art school, Emma Makie’s hard work finally pays off with the offer of a dream job. But when tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to make a cross-country move to Colorado Springs to take temporary custody of her two nieces.
She has no money, no job prospects, and no idea how to be a mother to two little girls, but she isn’t about to let that stop her. Nor is she about to accept the help of Kevin Grantham, her handsome neighbor, who seems to think she’s incapable of doing anything on her own.
Prejudice Meets Pride is the story of a guy who thinks he has it all figured out and a girl who isn’t afraid to show him that he doesn’t. It’s about learning what it means to trust, figuring out how to give and to take, and realizing that not everyone gets to pick the person they fall in love with. Sometimes, love picks them.
Read PREJUDICE MEETS PRIDE today.
He saved her life. She’ll shatter his.
Kenna Mitchell grew up despised and mistreated by those who should’ve loved and protected her. Now homeless and alone, with pain too heavy to bear, she’s ready to end it all.
Enter Rogan Scott, an up-and-coming rock star with one focus—his band. Out in the woods, looking for song inspiration, he comes across a beautiful girl seconds from ending her life. He saves Kenna, only to face her anger. Intrigued, he pulls her into his world of rock and roll.
But his social circle proves as cruel as the one she left behind. If Rogan can’t show Kenna that life is worth living, the merciless secrets of her past will convince her to finally end it all. And it will rip him apart… unless he proves to her that their love story can have a happy ending.
Read WHEN TOMORROW STARTS WITHOUT ME today.
Always the wedding planner, never the bride.
She’s single and stuck. His relationship is going nowhere. Will the next wedding they plan… be their own?
Dakota Hunter is great at wedding planning but terrible at finding a guy. Each one she encounters is worse than the one before… until she meets Clay. There’s one teensy problem: her attractive new assistant has a long-term girlfriend.
Clay Harper is thrilled to land his new job with Dakota, surrounding himself with happy couples day in and day out. But when he sees true love in person, he realizes his own relationship is far less than happy. It doesn’t help that being around Dakota feels easy. It feels right.
As Dakota and Clay grow a deeper connection, Clay’s girlfriend refuses to go down without a fight. Can the wedding planners go from seeing happy couples… to being one?
The post 5 Romantic Reads to Warm Your Heart first appeared on Stacy Claflin, Author.November 2, 2022
If you can’t trust family, who can you trust?
After a body is unearthed near Chris and Vanessa’s newly-acquired hotel, all eyes are on them. They may be the owners, but they’re also the newest residents. Everyone suspects them.
Not only that, but Chris is hiding multiple secrets from his new wife and rather than opening up her, he buries himself deeper in his troubles.
Meanwhile the oldest daughter is secretly dating one of the hotel staff — and only Chris knows how dangerous the boy is. By the time he finds out about their relationship, it might be too late to save his stepdaughter…
Or start with the first book in the series…
A creepy old hotel, a newly blended family, and a murderer on a rampage…
Chris and Vanessa have seven kids between them, and they can’t fit everyone into either of their homes. So they pack up and move to Recluse Island, where they’ve inherited a hotel. Locals say the building was an asylum for the criminally insane decades earlier — and that the previous residents never left. But ghosts are the least of their problems.
Before the family has time to settle in, the kids discover a mysterious death threat. All of the hotel staff is suspect… until one of them is found dead. Now nobody is safe.
Chris and Vanessa will defend their family at any cost. When the twin daughters discover one of the hotel’s most dangerous secrets, there may be nothing anyone can do to protect the girls.
AVAILABLE AT:The post If you can’t trust family, who can you trust? first appeared on Stacy Claflin, Author.
