Babs Hightower's Blog, page 109
March 21, 2015
The Mask of Midnight Blog Tour & Guest Post
This tour is a Sneak Peek at Laurie Stevens New Book The Mask of Midnight!
The Mask of Midnight
by Laurie Stevens
The Mask of Midnight
by Laurie Stevens
Psychological Thriller
Synopsis:
Troubled homicide detective Gabriel McRay confronts his nemesis Victor Archwood at the killer’s trial. A surprise twist during the proceedings sets a course for Archwood to claim his ultimate revenge on the detective, whom he blames for ruining his life. In a trap that combines Archwood’s theatrical skills and criminal genius, Gabriel is forced to face his psychological demons once again and play a deadly cat and mouse game with a murderous opponent who will stop at nothing to achieve the detective’s total destruction.
Guest Post
Food Plays Such A Big Part
I write psychological thrillers, so I was about to write this blog about psycho-suspense and why I love it and think you should love it and then I thought about why using the word “Bistro” in Bab’s blog title is such a nifty idea. So that’s what I’m going to delve into. I will, however, bring it all back to psycho-suspense. I bet you’re wondering how I’ll manage that. Well, read and see. Ready?
A bistro brings to mind a fashionable foodie hangout. A book bistro gives us the same sense of a delicacy-filled place but with books. Whenever we think of food there’s a comfort mechanism that turns on inside us like a switch. Cozy authors use this like crazy. I have read cozy mysteries that make me run for the fridge or a creamy cup of coffee (like Connie Archer’s “A Broth of Betrayal”).
Now be aware– I do not write cozies. Anyone who has read the first page of The Dark Before Dawn will be convinced of that in about thirty seconds.
I do, however, employ food. Why? Because my protagonist is a homicide detective who, in order to relax, likes to make a gourmet meal. When his hands are busy and he is putting together a fabulous concoction, his mind thinks with more clarity. This detective, Gabriel McRay, suffers the effects of a childhood trauma. It affects every aspect of his life and he has made some bad decisions. Still, he wants to better himself so he sees a therapist. Besides therapy, the murder case to which he’s assigned always impacts the point Gabriel is at in his recovery process. I believe life works that way– the various experiences we go through help us to grow. The only constants that Gabriel has in his ever-evolving psyche are the Pacific Ocean, which he lives near, and his love of making meals.
In the upcoming book, The Mask of Midnight, Gabriel returns home from a trip away to his nearly empty pantry. His girlfriend is Dr. Ming Li — a very beautiful, career-orientated Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. She offers to go to the market for Gabriel and bring over some groceries. She’s not much of cook (more a working gal) so she buys him sardines, lima beans, bacon, and limes. I had to go online and find out what delicious meal you could make with those ingredients. Talk about psycho-suspense… Anyhow, Gabriel ends up dredging the sardines and lime wedges in a beer batter (a good chef always has flour on hand). Then he fries the sardines and lime. He makes a cone out of newspaper, into which he puts his fried goodies. He then mixes the lima beans with bacon pieces and cooks that, too. His girlfriend is extremely grateful that he’s managed to feed them both, which of course leads to another scene that feeds their libidos. But we’ll stop right there.
So you see, food plays a starring role even in gritty, psychological thrillers. Now, if you’ll pardon me, I’m off to fry some sardines. Thank you to Bab’s Book Bistro for allowing me to be a guest!
About This Author
Laurie Stevens is the author of the best-selling Gabriel McRay psychological thrillers. The two books so far in the series, The Dark Before Dawnand Deep into Dusk have won 9 awards, among them Kirkus Reviews Best of 2011 and the 2014 IPPY for Best Mystery/Thriller. Laurie is a “hybrid” author, having self-published her books, finding an agent for worldwide rights, and then selling her books to Random House, Germany. For more information visit www.lauriestevensbooks.com
Author Links:
Webpage: www.lauriestevensbooks.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lauriestevensbooks
Twitter: @lauriestevens1
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1475821.Laurie_Stevens
Amazon Central: http://www.amazon.com/author/lauriestevens
Purchase Links Coming Soon!
Other Books In This Series
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
March 19 – Omnimystery News – Interview
March 20 – Tea and A Book – Review, Interview
March 21 – Babs Book Bistro – Guest Post
March 22 – Brooke Blogs – Guest Post
March 23 – deal sharing aunt – Interview
March 24 – Michele Lynn Seigfried’s Blog – Guest Post
March 25 – Back Porchervations – Review
March 26 – EditingPen – Interview
March 27 – Teresa Trent Author Site – Review
March 28 – off
March 29 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Spotlight
March 30 – Lori’s Reading Corner – Guest Post
The post The Mask of Midnight Blog Tour & Guest Post appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
March 20, 2015
SEX CHANGE BOOK TOUR/ Guest post & Giveaway
Sea Change/Sex Change
by T’Gracie and Joe Reese
The 1st book in the series and the latest installment!
Sea Change
(The Nina Bannister Mysteries Book 1)
Paperback: 286 pages
Publisher: Cozy Cat Press (May 14, 2013)
ISBN-13: 978-1939816085
E-Book ASIN: B00CXUTARY
Bay St. Lucy is a sleepy little Gulf Coast community––and that’s the way its residents like it. Most of them generally ignore the monstrous old Robinson mansion that sits in the center of town, until one day, insane old man Robinson dies and leaves the house and its accompanying fortune to the town. The residents are ecstatic and begin planning improved schools and cultural centers. Local retired school teacher and village elder Nina Bannister is sent to the man’s funeral in New Orleans and to represent Bay St. Lucy at the reading of his will. However, Nina returns from her trip saddened to report that a long lost Robinson relative has appeared to claim the entire inheritance. Almost immediately, the new owner––flamboyant Eve Ivory––arrives and announces her own plans to turn Bay St. Lucy into a extravagant vacation resort, not plans that anyone in this small town like at all and ones that will quickly lead to murder.
A Nina Bannister Mystery (Book 6)
By T-Gracie and Joe Reese
6th book in series
• Paperback: 226 pages
• Publisher: Cozy Cat Press (November 2 , 2014)
• ISBN-13: 978-1939816511
Synopsis:
Retired school teacher Nina Bannister has not been idle in her golden years. Now, this famous resident of Bay St. Lucy, Mississippi, is heeding the call of duty again, by running as a replacement candidate for the U.S. Congress, when the state’s present Representative is killed in a plane crash. To her great surprise, Nina is elected, and––to her even greater surprise––she quickly finds that she is not cut out for the lowly life of a newbie––kowtowing to party leaders. When Nina suggests in an off-hand moment (which is secretly recorded by her staff and uploaded to social media) that the government would be better run by women, a nation-wide revolution begins, and Nina becomes its figurehead. Little does she know, however, that a lone disgruntled man is furious with her actions and intends to get his retribution against Nina and all of her followers. Can Nina bring about true change in Washington? Or will her nemesis bring about her demise before she even has a chance to start? This all happens when Nina Bannister goes to Washington and national politics undergoes a SEX CHANGE.
Guest Post
Cozies and Eating
We’ve been writing cozy mysteries for several years now (our seventh in the Nina Bannister series will be out later this spring.) During this time we have thought constantly about what it takes to be a true cozy. Some of the rules seem relatively obvious: the protagonist is usually an older woman. She may be a retired teacher or librarian or she may be an ex-police officer or coroner. In any rate, she is clever and usually uses her wits rather than pure brawn to get to the murderer before the police can. There is very little violence, practically no obscene words and little or no overt sexuality.
All these things everyone knows.
But where are the boundaries exactly? Does the town or village have to be a particular size, say, no more than 2500 people? Could a cozy take place in London or New York? Must it be in New England (a sea coast town such as Jessica’s Cabot Cove)? The answer to these questions is no, but depending. A true cozy can take place in Milwaukee, as one of Nanci Rathbun’s cozy does. The key is not the size of the city but the author’s ability to make us the reader, as well as her protagonist and friends, feel as though they are part of a neighborhood. Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia—are not all of these places simply collections of Cabot Coves, each containing their share of loveable, eccentric characters, all feeling a part of the city itself, but also, their smaller community.
And what element is the soul of each community?
Food.
For the true cozy enthusiast eating is more important that murder and it is not important how a person dies so long as he or she does so on a full stomach.
With that in mind, we like to make cooking and eating big parts of each book. Sometimes we have Nina and her friends visit actual restaurants and we feed them off actual menus. Other times we take them to fictitious places or allow them the pleasure of cooking in their own little kitchens.
We thought you might be interested in the following comments which we are simply labeling:
NINA EATS!
When Nina is in Lafayette, Louisiana, where two of her adventures take place, she loves eating and drinking. She begins with cocktails at wonderful Jolie’s and chooses from a cocktail menu including: Jolie, Sazerac, Cavendish, The Revivalist and her favorite, containing spiced rum, white ale-caraway syrup, satsuma juice, allspice dram and chicory pecan bitters. In any restaurant in Cajun land, she loves:
Cajun Red Snapper
Makes 4 servings
1 ¼ pounds red snapper fillets
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
I teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Preheat the grill and place the grill rack 5” from the coals.
Spray a double- thickness sheet of heavy duty foil with nonstick cooking spray; place the snapper, skin side down, in the center. Fold up the edges to make a pan. In a small bowl, mix the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground pepper, oregano leaves and salt. Spread the butter on the fish; sprinkle with the spice mixture and lemon juice.
Transfer the foil to the grill rack. Cover the grill. Cook the snapper until just opaque in the center, 10-15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.
When Nina goes to Washington, D.C. (in the novel Sex Change) she is taken by her newly-found African-American friend, Laurencia Dalrymple, to Ben’s Chili Bowl. The Bowl is a landmark restaurant in D.C, located at 1213 U Street, next to Lincoln Theatre, in the Shaw neighborhood of northwest D.C. It is famous for “original chili half-smoke” and that is what Nina eats when she goes there. She also notices a famous sign, which for years stated that “Bill Cosby is the only person who eats for free at Ben’s Chili Bowl (she also notices that on November 3, 2008 a new sign was posted to add “the Obama family.”)
We do not have space here to include all the delicious recipes Nina and her friends have enjoyed while they build up strength to catch murderers. Suffice to say, that in her life, every meal is an experience. Whether she eats with Margot and Sergio’s by the Sea (well, not really by the sea, but who’s being picky), or picks up a morning croissant at Bagatelli’s; whether she filets one of the white fish she has caught that morning in the Gulf with Penelope Royale or pops into the Napoleon House for a snack of Boudin sausage; whether she dines at the Krebsenkeller in Graz, Austria (Frame Change) and has a Nachtigaller (Nightingale) white wine with a bowl of Ungarischegoulasch (Hungarian goulash) –or simply chows down the basketball team (Game Change) devouring breaded veal cutlets with cream gravy at Dee-Tee’s at Bay St. Lucy (the most unhealthy restaurant in the world) she eats like a mystery queen.
We hope all of you do, too, albeit vicariously as you enjoy The Nina Bannister Mysteries.
Just remember please our motto: If you love our books tell your friends; if you hate our books tell your enemies.
Happy reading and happy eating!
T’Gracie and Joe
About These Authors
Pam (T’Gracie) Britton Reese is an Assistant Professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at Indiana-Purdue University at Fort Wayne. She has published books about autism with LinguiSystems. She enjoys teaching and research, but is never happier than when plotting (with her husband) a new murder, or coming up with ways that Nina Bannister can solve it.
Joe Reese is a novelist, playwright, storyteller, and college teacher. He has published seven novels, several plays, and a number of stories and articles. He and his wife, Pam have three children: Kate, Matthew and Sam.
Author Links
www.ninabannister.com
Twitter: Nina Bannister@NinaBFurl
Facebook: Nina Bannister
Other Books In This Series
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
March 17 – The Gal in the Blue Mask – Review, Interview
March 18 – Tea and A Book – Review, Interview, Giveaway
March 19 – A Chick Who Reads – Review
March 20 – Babs Book Bistro – Guest Post, Giveaway
March 21 – Melina’s Book Blog – Review, Guest Post, Giveaway
March 22 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Spotlight
March 23 – Back Porchervations – Review
Giveaway is for 1 Kindle e-book of Sex Change. Just leave a comment to be entered.
The post SEX CHANGE BOOK TOUR/ Guest post & Giveaway appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
March 19, 2015
Cover reveal for Craving Cameo by TL Reeve
Blurb:
The daughter of the Sentinels pack and MC Alpha, Cameo Cruz moved across country to escape her pack—and the wolf she can never have. Making a new life, she embraced her freedom and went to school. One partying night with her best friend shatters her bubble of safety, and she’s forced to do the one thing she swore she never would…ask for help.
Quade Rainwater lives for his pack and the life the Sentinels Alpha gave him when he took him in. He’d do anything for them, even cut himself off from the she-wolf he’s loved for as long as he’s known her. When all hell breaks loose and someone puts a bounty on his girl, Quade will cross the country to protect her. Unfortunately for him, he’s the last person she wants to see.
All he has to do is keep her safe from the bounty hunters, the locals, and himself….
Excerpt:
“Why? Why are you here?”
“Do you really think I want to be here?” he asked. “Do you think I find it fun leaving my home to drive clear across the fucking country to find you? Huh? I don’t want to be here anymore than you want me here, but your fucking father—” He snarled and began to pace. “He’s losing it where you’re concerned.”
“Well.” She gave a humorless chuckle, turning away from him. “You can tell him I’m perfectly fine.” She wouldn’t give her father or him the benefit of seeing her fear. She’d take care of the other problem on her own.
“Little girl, don’t start.” He laid his hands on her shoulders, and she shrugged them off. “Don’t you know you have a bounty on your head?”
“What?” She whirled around and stared up at him.
“The other night when you called Hui, Xavier also found out about a bounty on your head.” Indifference seemed to coat his unreadable expression and words. “There are more coming. They’ll be here by tonight. We need to leave. If I can get you to your dad—”
“No.”
“Cameo,” he snapped. “This is not a fucking game.”
“You’re right. It’s not a game. I will not forfeit my life for some bounty. I’m staying.” She wouldn’t add he could stay and watch over her.
“Well, you’ve got two choices, sweetheart. Come with me or wait to be picked up by the guys who are out for your bounty.” He didn’t blink. He didn’t get angry, nothing.
“My answer is still no.” Crossing her arms, she arched a brow, daring him to say something to the contrary. She played with fire, knowing full well what might happen if she pushed him too far. Quade was not a wolf used to hearing the word no. His nostrils flared. His body tightened.
“Damn it, Cameo,” he growled, while taking a step toward her. “Why are you being so damn obstinate?”
She blew him off and pushed past him, crossing the room to her small fridge. “I’m sorry if I seem obstinate to you, but this is my life we’re talking about.”
“Is this because I wouldn’t give you the time of day?” Typical wolf. Always thinking with their penis.
“Not hardly.”
“What in the hell do you want from me?”
Want from him? She didn’t want anything from him. She hadn’t even wanted to see him again.
In two strides, he closed the distance between them and dipped his head. “Is this what you want?” He nuzzled her neck and groaned. “Tell me,” he demanded. “Do you want me to drop to my knees and beg for forgiveness? To tell you I’ve wanted you since the moment you turned eighteen?” His lips were only inches from her ear. His warm breath brushed against the shell, causing her to shiver. “You ran away from me.”
“Ran away from you? I left home so I could get an education and be someone better than a thug.” She grimaced inwardly when he flinched and withdrew from her. Quade wasn’t a thug, neither was her father.
“So, I’m a thug now?” He shook his head while clenching his fists at his sides. “Are you saying when you were on pack lands you thought so low of me…of your father and our friends?”
“Now you’re twisting my words.”
“Am I? Didn’t you say you left home so you didn’t become one, meaning we, the members of your pack, are thugs?” He cocked a brow, daring her to say something else stupid. Insert foot in mouth, dummy.
“Look, I didn’t storm into your home and pick a fight with you. So…so why don’t you leave?” Brilliant! Way to go you.
A dark sinful chuckle passed his lips as he pulled her to him, engulfing her in his embrace. “You never did know when to shut up.”
His lips slammed down on hers in a brutal kiss. He tasted of danger and excitement. Of raw masculine power. Cameo’s wolf preened, desperate to rub all over him and submit to his dominance. He swiped his tongue across hers, and she became a puddle of goo. “Would you like to know where my mark will go when I mate you?”
Author Bio:
TL Reeve, a mulit-published author with Decadent Publishing, Cobblestone Press and Evernight Publishing, was born out of a love of family and a bond that became unbreakable. Living in the south, TL misses Los Angeles and will one day return to the beaches of Southern California to ride the waves at Huntington Beach. When not writing something hot and sexy, TL can be found curled up with a good book, or working on homework with a cute little pixie.
Facebook/Twitter/TSU/Pinterest/Blog
The post Cover reveal for Craving Cameo by TL Reeve appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
At Wolf Ranch & When It’s Right: Montana Men Books 1 and 2 by Jennifer Ryan Tasty Review Tour
At Wolf Ranch & When It’s Right
Montana Men Series
Releasing Feb 24th and March 31st, 2015
By: Jennifer Ryan
Avon
Blurb
At Wolf Ranch: Montana Men # 1
Releases February 24th, 2015
After years on the rodeo circuit, Gabe Bowden wants nothing more than land of his own and a woman who will claim his heart for more than one night. When he has the chance to buy the enormous Wolf Ranch spread, he snaps up the incredible deal. Everything is set, until Gabe rescues a woman on the deserted, snowy road leading to the property, and the half-frozen beauty changes everything.
Ella Wolf rushes to her family’s abandoned Montana ranch after her twin sister is murdered. She knows she’s next…unless she can uncover a secret hidden somewhere at Wolf Ranch. The last thing Ella expects is to be rescued by a rugged rancher with his own agenda. A man who almost makes her forget how dangerous love can be…
As an unlikely partnership sparks into something so much more, and a killer closes in, can Ella and Gabe learn to trust one another before it’s too late?
Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/01/at-wolf-ranch-when-its-right-montana.html
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21911333-at-wolf-ranch?from_search=true
Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/129156-montana-men
Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/at-wolf-ranch-jennifer-ryan/1119831599?ean=9780062334893
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/at-wolf-ranch/id857877148?mt=11
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/at-wolf-ranch-1
My thoughts on Both books:
At Wolf Ranch you can’t ask for much more with mystery, suspense and romance. Talk about an adventure and the sexiness going on. Gabe is one sexy man who just wants to get his ranch going. Ella is in danger and Gabe saves her as she is walking down the road in a blizzard. This is a first time author for me and I will be keeping my eye on her books. The characters are great and keep you glued to the book.
When it’s Right
Another great book you want to keep the pages turning. Gillian and her brother are on the run for their lives when she reachers her grandfather’s ranch. Blake takes Gillian under his wing and teachers her about the horses and tries to protect Gillian. A lovely romance with hope and dreams and a little suspense. The characters are great.
Blurb
When It’s Right: Montana Men #2
Releases March 31st, 2015
Gillian‘s turbulent life has never been easy, but nothing prepared her for the moment of violence that sends her and her little brother running from San Francisco to her grandfather’s ranch in Montana. A man she’s never met. She learned long ago not to trust anyone, but she’ll do anything to keep her brother safe and give him the happy childhood she never had. When she meets Blake Bowden, a strong, silent, gorgeous cowboy who teaches her about the ranch and rescued horses-animals who have been through hell and back, just as she has-Gillian begins to feel at ease for the first time in memory. In fact, she even starts to feel happy. But in her world happiness has always been fleeting, and she’s not sure she can believe in it or the man who has quickly found his way into her heart.
Blake has everything he’s ever wanted: a partnership on a ranch that allows him to spend his day in the saddle training racehorses. His life is good, steady, uncomplicated…until the most beautiful, haunted looking woman arrives at Three Peaks Ranch. If he wants to keep his ideal life, his partner’s granddaughter is entirely off limits, but Gillian awakens a protective instinct in Blake that he can’t ignore…and ignites a passion he shouldn’t feel. But as Gillian heals and finds her way back into the world, Blake knows that he’s found the one thing that he never knew he was missing. And when danger comes close, he will do anything he must to keep Gillian safe…even if it means risking his life’s dream.
Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/01/at-wolf-ranch-when-its-right-montana.html
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22608127-when-it-s-right
Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/129156-montana-men
Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-its-right-jennifer-ryan/1120020578?ean=9780062334930
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/when-its-right/id894875822?mt=11
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/when-it-s-right-3
Author Info
Jennifer Ryan is the New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of The Hunted Series and The McBrides Series. She writes romantic suspense and contemporary small-town romances featuring strong men and equally resilient women. Her stories are filled with love, family, friendship, and the happily-ever-after we all hope to find.
Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she isn’t writing a book, she’s reading one. Her obsession with both is often revealed in the state of her home and in how late dinner is to the table. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Website: http://www.jennifer-ryan.com/index.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Ryan/520021168037391?ref=hl
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JenRyan_author
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4693347.Jennifer_Ryan
Rafflecopter Giveaway (A Welcome to Montana Gift Basket)
Excerpts (Chapter One from AT WOLF’S RANCH and WHEN IT’S RIGHT)
AT WOLF RANCH, Ch1 Excerpt:
Chapter One
Three long days without a word. No call. Not even a text. Ella stared at her phone, willing it to ring. She tapped her finger on the screen and stifled the urge to call Lela for the hundredth time that morning.
The coffee shop buzzed with activity. People headed off to work with their lattes and scones. She sipped at her caramel macchiato, reading over the newest projections for the cosmetics line debuting in March on her laptop. The numbers looked promising.
Ella jumped when her phone vibrated on the table. She snatched it up and read the caller ID.
“Finally.” She swiped the screen to accept the call. “Lela—”
“Where have you been?” Uncle Phillip’s demand surprised her.
Why did Uncle Phillip have Lela’s phone?
Ella opened her mouth to answer her uncle’s question, but he spoke first.
“I oversee the estate. You answer to me.”
“Twisting the truth again, Uncle. Ella and I sign off on everything,” Lela said, her tone unusually sharp. “You’re just a watchdog, there to ensure we adhere to the terms of the will. You have no real power, but you’ll do anything to steal it away, won’t you?”
What? Ella had never heard her sister talk to their uncle in such a disrespectful and spiteful way, or anyone for that matter. Why did her sister call and not say anything to her? Maybe she’d pocket dialed?
“Lela, it’s me. What is going on?” Ella got no response. Uncle Phillip continued to speak over her.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, my dear.” Uncle Phillip’s soft voice belied the steel in his words. “Don’t make me ask again. Be a good girl and tell me where you’ve been?”
This time, her sister answered, but didn’t explain a damn thing. “Uncovering your dirty secret. I know what you did,” her sister accused.
Secrets?
Butterflies in Ella’s stomach fluttered like a flock of birds taking flight. The uneasy feeling she’d carried with her these last days intensified.
Ella gathered up her laptop and notebook, stuffing them into her oversized tote. She dumped the dregs of her coffee in the trash on her way out the door. The apartment was only a block up from her favorite café she had breakfast at every Tuesday when the house staff had the day off. She kept the phone to her ear and headed home to find out what the hell was going on.
“You won’t get away with this,” Lela’s voice raised in pitch. It took a lot to rile her sister. Whatever Uncle Phillip had done touched a nerve.
“Whatever you think you know doesn’t amount to anything without proof.” Her uncle used that chilling, yet utterly calm voice.
Ella picked up her pace, sensing the escalation of the situation into something more than just an argument about company business. She pulled her bag close to her side under her arm and ran for her building, knocking elbows and shoulders with other pedestrians. No time to apologize, she ignored their outraged remarks.
“Oh, I have the proof.”
Proof of what?
“You’re lying.” Uncle Phillip let out a nervous laugh.
“You wish.”
Ella past her building’s doorman and ran for the elevator, pushing the button three times, frantic for the doors to open.
“Where is it? Show me.”
Come on. Come on. The elevator doors finally opened and she rushed inside and pressed the button for the penthouse. Ella prayed she didn’t lose the cell signal and drop the call. She only ever got one bar in the elevators.
“You think I’d be fool enough to bring it here. To you? I’ll see you in jail before this day is over.”
“I’ll see you in a grave first.”
The ice in her uncle’s tone frosted Ella’s heart. The evil laced there erased all trace of the man she knew. He meant those ominous words.
Lela gasped and let out a startled shriek. Ella didn’t want to believe her uncle actually struck Lela, but that’s what it sounded like.
“What. Did. You. Find?”
“Everything,” Lela sputtered.
What? What are you talking about?
“If you’re lying to me—”
“Let me go. It’s over. There’s nothing you can do. I can prove you did it.”
Did what?
“Don’t look at him,” Uncle Phillip snapped.
Him? Who else is there?
“Please, do some—”
“He’s not here to help you, you stupid girl. He works for me. Everyone works for me. You should have left well enough alone.”
Lela shrieked again. Ella’s heart dropped into her stomach.
“This is your final chance. Tell me where it is and I’ll make this quick. Refuse and I’ll take my time. You’ll know the meaning of the word pain when I’m done with you.”
Touch her and I will make you pay.
“Go to hell.”
“Where is it, you little bitch?”
“You will pay for what you’ve done. I’ll never cave.”
“Tell me what I want to know, and maybe, I’ll show you mercy.”
“You won’t…get…away…with this,” Lela stammered, something choking off her words. “The truth will…roll out. Come out.”
Something about the way she said it the first time struck Ella, but her mind couldn’t process anything right now. She slammed her palm against the elevator doors, wishing the damn thing would hurry up.
Please, Lela, get out of there.
“Last chance. Where did you hide it?”
The intensity in his voice sent a shiver up Ella’s spine.
The elevator doors finally opened. She ran down the hall to her door, shoved it open, and nearly tripped over Lela’s suitcase. Where had she been?
“If you won’t help me, I’ll find someone who will.”
Who is she talking to?
“Uncle Phillip, please. Put the gun down.”
“Where. Is. It?”
“I’ll never tell you where I hid it.”
Ella ran across the living room. Her gaze locked on her uncle’s outstretched arm, the gun in his hand level with her sister’s chest. Her father’s blood red ruby pinky ring winked in the morning light streaming through the windows.
“Tell me,” her uncle yelled.
“Never.”
“Then you’re of no use to me anymore.”
The crack of the gunshot stopped Ella in her tracks. Her sister’s eyes went wide when the bullet plowed into her chest. Blood blossomed over her cream colored sheath dress, like some gruesome poppy. Lela wilted in slow motion into a heap on the floor. Her legs kicked in a quick jerk, and she never moved again.
Ella stood frozen, rooted to the spot just outside the library doors, her gaze fastened on her sister’s lifeless green eyes.
“Damnit, we needed her alive.” A man she couldn’t see said from inside the room. It took her a second to place the voice. Detective Robbins.
What is he doing here? Why didn’t he help?
Self preservation kicked in and she scurried to the side of the door. Hands shaking, her stomach in knots, a whirlwind of thoughts circled her mind, but nothing explained why her uncle killed her beautiful sister. It couldn’t be, she denied the stark reality. She leaned over and spied through the crack in the open door.
Uncle Phillip kneeled next to Lela and touched his finger to her bloody neck. “If I’d had more time, I could have gotten her to talk.”
“You mean if you hadn’t lost your temper.”
Ella’s heart broke into a billion sharp pieces that slashed her soul to shreds. Her other half — gone. The emptiness engulfed her. She covered her mouth with both hands to hold back the scream of pain rising up her aching throat. Her eyes filled with tears and Lela’s face, the same one Ella saw in the mirror each morning, swam in front of her.
Uncle Phillip stood, tugged at one shirt cuff and then the other to straighten his crisp white shirt. Her father’s ruby cuff links sparked with a glint of light from the overhead chandelier. He ran a hand over his more gray than dark brown hair, smoothing it back. Composed again, he turned to the door. Her breath hitched and stopped. She thought he saw her. His next words startled her even more.
“The stupid girl doesn’t know when to quit.” He pulled a handkerchief from his gray slack’s pocket and wiped his sweaty face, devoid of wrinkles thanks to his many trips to the dermatologist for Botox injections.
“You’re lucky she called me.”
“Did she tell you what she found?”
“No. She asked me to meet her here. Her confidence in whatever she had on you convinced me to take her seriously. If she actually had something and shared it with anyone, you’ll go down for everything.”
“Don’t think you won’t fall with me,” her uncle threatened.
The detective moved forward, blocking her view of her uncle, and stared down at Lela. “What do you want to do with the body?”
Lela was a body. Bile rose in Ella’s throat.
Her uncle clinked open a crystal decanter at the bar across the room, pouring himself a drink of the expensive bourbon he preferred. She prayed he choked on it.
“Give me a minute to think.” The ice in his voice melted and turned less definitive and more hesitant.
“We need to find that evidence. If it falls into the wrong hands—”
“Shut up.” Her uncle sounded as out of control as she felt. Her insides in chaos, not a single thought of what to do taking shape in her mind.
“We need to retrace her steps over the last few days. Find out where she went. Who she saw. We’d have the state attorney and FBI banging down the door if she gave the evidence to anyone. She hid it somewhere. We need to find out where and get it.”
“Easier said than done. She was smart.”
“Not smart enough to pull this off. She contacted you without ever considering your association with me. She was naive.” He toed Lela’s still body with his Italian leather shoe.
“Our business arrangement has been mutually beneficial, but if you think I’ll be your patsy, you’re wrong. So, think, damnit, where would she hide the evidence?”
“I don’t fucking know.” Her uncle slammed the empty glass down on the desk. “But Ella might.”
“Do you think Lela told her what she uncovered?” Detective Robbins asked.
“No. Ella asked me and the staff several times if Lela came home or called. I’m almost certain Lela worked this out on her own and left her recalcitrant sister out of it.”
“Almost certain isn’t good enough. Why the hell didn’t you cover your tracks better?”
“I did.”
“If you did, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
Ella needed to call the police and have them arrest these two for killing her sweet, gentle sister. But the police were standing right there, helping destroy her life.
The room was silent for a moment, and Ella was certain they’d hear her ragged breathing. She jumped when her uncle spoke again.
“Detective, let me tell you a story.” Uncle Phillip’s voice was eerily calm. “Our studious, prim, Lela earned her master’s degree and worked as an executive at the company to satisfy the terms of the will and earn her place at Wolf Enterprises. Sadly, her Princess Party Girl twin sister barely made an effort, working in the mailroom and every other odd job at the company. While it satisfies the general terms of the will, Lela’s carried the weight and shouldered all the responsibility for the business.
“Lela finally had enough and confronted her sister right here in this room. Ella, party girl that she is, had been out all night and was high, not at all in her right mind. The fight escalated. Ella knows I keep a gun in my desk drawer. She grabbed it and shot Lela. She panicked, but somehow had the wherewithal to try to cover it up, making it look like a robbery gone wrong. With Lela gone, she will inherit the company and other Wolf assets.
“It’s heartbreaking, isn’t it? Such a pity. Lela had such a promising future. I couldn’t be more heartbroken.
“Set the scene, Detective, and then find Ella. Take her to a hotel. Not a dump, but not extravagant either. She’s hiding out. Make the place look like she’s been on a bender, drinking, doing drugs. The pain and grief send Ella over the edge and she ODs. No one will question it. Use your contacts in the police department and morgue to prove what happened…make the evidence show Ella murdered Lela.
“This is more than I signed on for,” Detective Robbins said.
“Don’t think you’re so indispensable. There are plenty of others on my payroll in this town, higher up the food chain than you, that would do my bidding without blinking.”
“I’ll get it done. I’ll need to use some of those contacts to pull this shit off.”
“You know who to use to make this clean. I want all the evidence, reports, and public perception to corroborate the scenario I’ve outlined.”
Uncle Phillip kneeled by Lela and used his handkerchief to remove her diamond stud earrings. The ones their mother always wore. He unclasped Lela’s bloody necklace with the pendant of a heart made out of roses that matched hers. Ella reached up and wrapped her trembling fingers around the one against her chest and sighed. Lela’s ring came next. Ella gave her the emerald encircled with diamonds for their twenty-first birthday. The night they shared a quiet dinner in an exclusive uptown restaurant and planned their future and fulfilling their parents’ wishes and dreams for them.
She took a step forward to snatch the ring and everything else her uncle took from them back. She wanted to claw his eyes out and see him in a grave. Not her sister. Not Lela.
“What are you going to do with that?” The detective indicated the handful of gold and gems.
“Don’t worry about it. Do your job. The one I pay you extremely well to do.”
Her uncle went to the bar, grabbed a towel, and wiped down the gun. He wrapped it in the towel and handed it to the detective. “The household staff knows I keep this gun in the top drawer of my desk. Unlocked. Easy enough for Ella to take it and use it on her sister. Plant it, along with the drugs and alcohol at the hotel room. Make sure the report shows Ella’s prints are on the gun and it is a ballistic match to the bullet in her. Tomorrow morning the staff will arrive for work and discover the body. You’ve got until then to find Ella and kill her.”
Ella had wasted enough time. She needed to get away. Fast.
Her gaze fell on her dead sister. Her soul pleaded with Lela to wake up and make this all just a bad dream. But Lela remained motionless on the floor.
Ella backed away from the door, turned, rushed back to the foyer, and grabbed her sister’s suitcase, coat, purse, her own tote, and walked out the door, closing it with a quiet snick of the latch. Maybe she’d find a clue in her sister’s things.
She took the elevator down and walked through the lobby and out the door in a daze. The doorman took the coat draped over her arm. “Let me help you with that, Miss Wolf.”
She mechanically stuffed her arms in the sleeves of Lela’s favorite cobalt blue coat. Her sister’s scent brought tears to her eyes. She blinked to keep them at bay. The doorman hailed her a cab and she tossed her stuff in the backseat and slid in.
“Where to?”
Ella couldn’t think past the fear and grief eating away at her insides. She didn’t know where to go or who to turn to that she could definitely say wasn’t in her uncle’s pocket. Detective Robbins would check with all her friends. She couldn’t risk going to one of them and putting them in danger.
Her gaze fell on her sister’s suitcase and the baggage tag still on the handle. She didn’t know the BZN airport code. The purse lay on her lap, her fingers clutching it in a death grip. She made herself relax and unzip the bag. She found the airline ticket voucher inside. Bozeman.
Why did you go to Montana?
They hadn’t been back to the family ranch since her father died in a plane crash when they were fourteen.
“Where are we off to?” The driver asked again, pulling her out of her dark thoughts. A plan started to form.
“Airport.” She barely choked out the word.
She’d retrace her sister’s steps, find out what she’d been doing the last three days, where she went and who she saw. She’d find the evidence Lela died for, and God help her uncle when she did.
WHEN IT’S RIGHT, Ch1 Excerpt
Chapter One
San Francisco, California
“Help me!”
Home late from her shift washing dishes at the Jade Palace, Gillian pounded up the two flights of stairs as fast as her legs allowed. She hit the landing and turned right, racing down the hallway past her apartment’s open door to Mrs. Wicks’s unit at the end of the hall. She’d heard the screams from outside. Not the first time she’d answered that call, but so help her God, if her father touched one hair on Justin’s head, she’d kill him.
“I’m calling the police,” the babysitter, Mrs. Wicks, threatened loud enough for her voice to carry down the hall.
“Damnit, woman, he’s my blood,” her father bellowed.
Gillian rushed into the apartment, spotted Justin holding his arm, tears shimmering in his eyes, but otherwise appearing unharmed. She looked her father up and down assessing the situation in a glance and the odds on talking him down from whatever ludicrous idea had taken root in his shadowed mind. Dressed in the same clothes he’d left in four days ago, his hair an oily mass hanging lank to his shoulders, he reeked of whiskey, cigarette and pot smoke, and acrid body odor. The wild look in his bloodshot eyes told her he hadn’t slept in a good long while. Riding a meth high, he’d probably binged for days. Soon, he’d lose all sense of reality and need more of the drug that wouldn’t give him the high he needed, since he’d overloaded his system. He’d crash, his body shutting down and putting him into a deep sleep for a day, or two, or three before he woke up miserable, needing more of what put him in this psychotic state in the first place.
Frustrated and angry, but resigned to this same worn-out routine, she shored up her resolve to get through this night, like she’d done too many times in the past, trapped raising a child with little money and even fewer choices. None of them good.
Her father paced, his movements jerky. He scratched at his arm, his legs, the back of his neck with his grime filled nails. He slapped at his thigh, then bit at the tips of his fingers. A hint to how far he’d fallen down the rabbit hole. Not good.
“Dad, come on. Let’s go home. I’ll make you something to eat,” she coaxed, keeping her voice calm.
A powder keg of roiling rage, you never knew what would set him off.
Justin cowered in the corner of the couch, his eyes wide and watchful. He didn’t move, afraid of drawing her father’s attention. Even at six, he knew the rules of this twisted game.
Mrs. Wicks moved into the kitchen, leaving Jessie to handle getting her father out of there and back to their place. She’d done it before. Usually, he’d come looking for her. She’d been held up at work, and he’d found little Justin alone. She never left Justin with him if she could help it, especially over the last year when her father spent more time strung-out and paranoid on meth than comfortably numb with booze and pot, like he’d been every day of her life.
The last two weeks had been hell. Her patience had worn thin days ago. If she could hold on, get him out of Mrs. Wicks’s apartment and into theirs, she could take Justin and crash somewhere else for a few days until her father came down and leveled off.
Then, joy, they could start this whole thing over again.
I wish Justin and I were anywhere else.
Inside, the pressure built. How good it would feel to open her mouth and unleash a string of curses, insults, and blame for what her father put her and Justin through day in and day out. She hated him for spending his life drowning in a bottle and doing drugs, his life going up in smoke. Her life went up with it. Justin’s too. She wanted it to end. One way or another, just end.
Her father swatted at some imaginary bird, or butterfly, or dragon for all she knew. Only he saw the tormenting hallucinations. If he was this far gone, he was even more volatile and dangerous than usual.
“Dad, come on. I’ll make you a burger and get you a beer.”
“We have to go.” His words came out rushed. He swatted at the air again, this time spinning around to the right before he stopped and turned the other way again, tracking his imaginary flying devils, waving his arms over his head to swat them away.
She shook her head, frustrated and tired of dealing with him. This. Everything. She wanted to run away, but where would she go? It was all she could do now to keep a roof over Justin’s head and food in his belly with the diminishing help her father supplied. Out on the streets, or in a shelter, they’d be vulnerable to even more horrors. What kind of life would that be for Justin? Better than this one? Maybe. Maybe not. Still, she needed to find a way to give Justin better than she’d had growing up with a volatile drunk, who could barely keep a bartending job and supplemented his income selling drugs to support his own habits.
“We have to go. We have to go. We have to go,” her father chanted, getting agitated, hitting the side of his head with one hand and scratching at the imaginary bugs crawling under his skin on his leg with the other.
Fed up, she stepped toward him to grab his arm and lead him back to their place. He jumped out of her reach and laughed. The sound held no humor, but a touch of hysteria in the odd shriek. Her father pointed at her, shaking his head side to side. “No. No. No. No. No.” Again, his ominous giggle sent a chill up her spine.
Her father grabbed Justin’s arm and yanked him off the couch. She stood her ground in front of him. No way he left here with Justin.
“Let him go. He needs to finish his homework.” She made up the excuse, hoping he’d release Justin, and she could get him out of there.
“He’s mine. He’ll keep them away. He’s got the light that turns them away.”
Paranoid, delusional asshole.
She sighed, knowing just where this was going and not liking it one bit. Soon, her father would spiral into a psychotic delusion no one could talk him out of.
Please, just pass out already.
Not that lucky, she tensed and waited to see what came next. Her father pulled Justin in front of him, held him by both arms and turned him this way and that, a shield against an enemy only he could see.
“Ow!” Justin cried out when her father’s fingers dug into his thin arms.
“Keep them back.” Her father tugged on Justin again. Hurt and scared, Justin planted his feet and pulled away, trying to get free. Her father held tighter, spun him around to face him, and when her father hurt Justin and he fell to the floor, tears spilling from his eyes, Jessie’s couldn’t take the ache in her heart and her anger exploded.
“Keep them back.” Her father shook Justin again.
Jessie lost it. “I warned you, if you ever touched him…” She lunged for her father, striking him in the arm, breaking his hold on Justin. She shoved her father two steps back and Justin ran for Mrs. Wicks in the kitchen, who rattled off the building address to the police on the phone. Not the first time someone called the cops on her father, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. No way they got here in time to stop him. Whatever happened next, she’d sure as hell make sure he never got anywhere near Justin again.
Her father came after her in a drug-hazed rage that gave him strength and sent him into a mindless attack. All other thoughts disappeared behind the fury filling his mind. Her father only knew how to hurt. She’d been through this too many times to count and braced for the impact when his fist came at her straight into her eye. Pain exploded in her head. She shoved him in the chest, but he came back with a slap to her jaw that stung something fierce. She kicked him in the shin and shoved him again. He fell back two steps, his hand coming up from behind his back. Momentarily stunned, she didn’t move, but stared down the gun’s black barrel in disbelief that he’d actually pulled a weapon on her. She didn’t know where he’d gotten it, only that this added a whole other level to what had seemed like just another rotten night in her life.
Her father held the gun steady, even when he swatted the imaginary devils pestering him. His eyes narrowed on her and in that moment she joined him in the madness she saw swirling in his gaze.
You or me?
One of them wasn’t leaving that room alive.
Justin needs me.
You.
She rushed him, grabbed the gun, spun her back into his chest, the gun in both their hands pointed to the window. He tried to wrench it free, punching her in the ribs with his free hand. She jerked on the gun again and again and scratched his hand to get him to release it until he finally let go and the gun thumped onto the floor and skittered across the scarred hardwood. He shoved her from behind. She stumbled forward, scooped the gun off the floor, and turned to face him.
Never turn your back on a psycho.
He leaned forward and charged her like a wounded beast, murder in his eyes and a guttural yell that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
She swung the gun up and fired. Once. Twice.
Mrs. Wicks screamed.
Blood bloomed on his chest. Still he kept coming. His hands fisted in her T-shirt. He lifted her off her feet and shoved her backward into the window. Her back and head hit the glass with a crack a split second before it shattered. Glass tore and bit into her skin, but she didn’t feel the pain past the one thought in her head. It’s done.
Justin screamed, “Gillian, no!”
I’m sorry.
She flew through the window.
Her father’s dark form stood in the opening, highlighted by the lights behind him. He literally dropped to the floor out of her sight.
Be safe, Justin. Be happy.
Her body slammed into the roof of a car with a sickening thud. Everything went black.
The post At Wolf Ranch & When It’s Right: Montana Men Books 1 and 2 by Jennifer Ryan Tasty Review Tour appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
March 18, 2015
Cover Reveal for How to Get Lucky by Erin McCarthy
How to Get Lucky
by Erin McCarthy
Series: Sexy in NYC, #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Designer: EJR Digital Art
Release Date: June 4, 2015
Sometimes there is more than one way to get lucky…
Allison Parker knows winning the New York state lottery is impossible for a retail slave and fashion designer wanna-be who doesn’t, uh, play the lottery. But after a particularly bad day at work and a random prediction from a quirky psychic, she does just that, and wins. Money. Lots of it.
So what does any sane woman do? She tells off her boss, quits her job, breaks the lease on her apartment, buys a round at the bar, and takes the dare to make out with the hottest guy in the room.
Marco Lucky is exhausted and over his bandmates and their diva antics. The drugs, the tantrums, are all so juvenile and self-destructive he finds himself looking for an escape. Yet finding a quiet spot in New York City is damn near impossible and he’s already tired of the women hitting on him strictly because he’s famous. But then the crazy brunette with the winning lottery ticket kisses him and he finds himself impulsively taking her home.
It’s been years since he felt chemistry that intense and her snarky wit makes him laugh. When morning rolls around he knows it can’t be anything more than one night given that he’s headed out on tour soon, but when Allison realizes her winning ticket is gone he’s pretty damn sure it’s his fault.
Allison figures it’s only fitting that she be the first woman in the history of ever to hit the lottery and score a smoking hot rock star all in one night, only to wake up with her entire life destroyed a mere eighteen hours later. Marco’s offer of help makes her feel like the biggest lame ass loser, and she can’t get away from him fast enough.
But when the Worst Day Ever comes to an end, will Marco and Allison be ready to put the issue of money to bed? Because being lucky in love just might be hitting the jackpot after all…
USA Today and New York Times Bestselling author Erin McCarthy sold her first book in 2002 and has since written almost sixty novels and novellas in teen fiction, new adult, and adult romance. Erin has a special weakness for New Orleans, tattoos, high-heeled boots, beaches and martinis. She lives in Florida with her husband, a grumpy cat and a socially awkward dog.
You can find Erin on Facebook, Twitter, or on Goodreads. Also don’t forget to visit her website at www.erinmccarthy.com.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The post Cover Reveal for How to Get Lucky by Erin McCarthy appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
Cover Reveal of Million Dollar Que$tion and Giveaway
Million Dollar Que$tion
by Ellie Campbell
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Women’s Fiction, ChickLit
Release Date: April 25, 2015
Just as a huge financial scandal ejects Olivia Wheeler from her high-flying Manhattan job and high-society engagement, a silver Mercedes pulls up at lonely single-mother Rosie Dixon’s house with a cheque for one million pounds from the Premium Bonds. Two very different strokes of luck. And yet both women have more in common than they realize. While Olivia struggles with the humiliations of surviving in London broke and homeless, shy unassuming Rosie discovers that unexpected wealth arrives with its own mega-load of problems.
Can a career-obsessed workaholic find a passion for something earthier and warmer than cold hard cash? And can Rosie sift through envy and greed to discover true friends, true family and even true love?
Two strangers who’ve never met. Yet neither realises how each is affecting the other’s destiny or the places their paths touch and fates entwine.
But will they surmount the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune?
That is the million dollar question.
CHAPTER 1
Rosie Dixon perched herself on the hard plastic chair, watching the drawing take shape. A line, followed by a squiggle. Snake maybe? Then what looked like a head of a person with ears on top. And was that a saddle on its back or—‘Do you like it, Miss?’ Emily asked.
‘Oh yes, it’s good.’ Rosie smiled encouragement as the young girl plucked another crayon from the Tupperware box and worked earnestly, tongue curled stiffly against her cheek in concentration. ‘Extremely good. I love the bright colours you’ve chosen.’
Finished, Emily pointed at the purple object. ‘What do you think that is?’
‘Um. Let’s see.’ Rosie peered closer. It vaguely resembled a bear, although how that fitted in with the ‘My Family at Home’ project, heaven knew. She didn’t want to offend but… ‘What’s his name?’
‘Bruno.’
Ah yes. ‘Bruno the bear. Of course.’
‘Bear?’ The girl shook her two perfect bunches and wrinkled her tiny freckled nose. ‘It’s not a bear, Miss, it’s a chocolate Labrador. Mummy’s boyfriend has one. Durr…’
‘Well it’s lovely.’ Rosie stood up. ‘And I’m Rosie, remember?’
Not that Rosie didn’t appreciate being called Miss, she did. Made her feel like a teacher, although the rather less grand title of ‘Teaching Assistant’ suited her fine. She’d been working at Avondale Infants for eighteen months now, supporting primary-aged pupils in classes of thirty-plus without needing to fret about parents’ evenings, lesson plans and the mountains of paperwork expected of a real teacher. She loved the small children and the hours meant she could still collect her own two sons from junior school.
‘Miss?’ Max, angelic curls disguising an impish spirit, frowned at his latest creation. ‘Can you help me?’
‘Shove over then.’ She nudged him playfully, as she squeezed beside him. Who’d have ever thought that she, shy little Rosie, always too timid to raise her hand in class, would be making a difference, however small, in the world of education? Just showed that good could come from the direst of situations. Even if it had taken a broken heart and some other God-awful trials to get her here.
She tucked a lock of shoulder-length hair behind her ear and handed Max a glue stick.
All things considered she really was incredibly lucky.
$$$
Mid-morning, the kettle in the staffroom had boiled and Rosie’s fellow teaching assistant, Gemma, was handing round the custard creams. Also in her early thirties, Gemma was recently divorced and had a secret obsession with The X Factor’s Simon Cowell that Rosie was sworn, on pain of death, never to reveal.
‘Anyone got an astrophysics degree?’ Carol, teacher of Orange Class, leafed through a stack of forms, eyebrows furrowed. ‘Certainly need one to fill in all these bloody risk assessments. Talk about ’elf and safety!’
Rosie joined in the laughter as she dropped a teabag in a smiley face mug. She was about to ask her colleagues, flopped onto chairs for their short break, if they were all right for beverages when Pauline Dawkins, Admin Officer, sidled up, a giant birthday card tucked under one paisley-clad arm.
‘Barry’s fiftieth. Whip-round,’ she hissed, spy-like from the corner of her mouth, as if the sole male teacher might burst in and discover the dastardly plot. ‘Drinks and cake at four.’
Pauline took her charge of The Birthday Book extremely seriously. Rosie had suffered the same ordeal when she’d turned thirty-three in March.
‘Oh, I’d love to be there, but I’ve my sons to pick up.’ Dutifully she scribbled, ‘Have a great day, Barry!’ unable to conjure anything witty or mildly original.
The envelope under her nose was stuffed with pound coins and larger notes. Rosie opened her ancient leatherette handbag, pushed aside her soggy egg sandwich and peeked inside her purse.
A lonely fiver lay folded next to a single fifty pence piece.
Her heart sank. That cash had to last the next two days until her monthly salary reached her bank. The twins, being eleven, always needed money for this or that and Charlie’s cheque was late again.
But then again poor Barry had recently lost his wife. Fifty pence seemed so stingy and she’d never dare offer the five pound note and ask for change.
There was an uncomfortable beat. Rosie’s fingers froze. Nobody was paying attention but still damp pooled in her armpits and along her hairline, her insecurities running rampant under Pauline’s scrutiny.
Was she assessing the havoc a runaway husband could create? Maybe worse – thinking it no wonder he’d strayed? If Rosie had once felt young, pretty and loved, it had all vanished with the end of her marriage. She cursed herself for not finding something smarter to wear than the skanky black cords pilled from the washing machine and a faded cotton blouse (Selfridges Sale 70% off) which sagged where it used to cling. And she’d totally messed up her hair attempting to add subtle honey-gold streaks from a Superdrug box to her mousy-brown frizz and ended up with tiger stripes instead.
Blow it, she thought, and handed over the fiver with a flourish, smiling to silence the warning pang from her gut.
‘Ta ever so.’ Pauline stuffed the note in the envelope. ‘We want to buy him a special present. Poor devil’s all on his lonesome…’ She broke off, fiddling with the plastic ID badge dangling from her neck. ‘I didn’t mean…well, it’s different for you with those darling boys, never a dull minute in your house, I’m sure.’ Her eyes fired with matchmaking zeal. ‘Now there’s a thought. Don’t suppose you and Barry…?’
‘No. Really.’ Rosie tried looking appreciative instead of appalled. Bearded bespectacled Barry was even more tortuously shy than Rosie and any attempts to speak made him extra nervous. They only had to reach the kettle at the same time and Rosie could feel her hands sweat, watching him twitch and stammer. As for fireworks, there’d be more sparks with two squibs in a rainstorm.
‘Just an idea.’ Pauline shrugged it off. She was basically a kind woman, Rosie thought, whatever catty things people said – just maybe a touch too blunt for the fragile sensitivities of a mostly female environment. And it must be excruciating asking people to hand over cash.
Pauline left to corner someone else and Rosie slumped onto an empty seat, tea forgotten. Two years since Charlie had walked out and no one – except Rosie in the secret corners of her soul – believed he was ever coming back. The beautiful home they’d spent ages lovingly doing up had been sold, Rosie and the boys now installed in a tatty two-bed terrace in a scruffy housing estate, where luckily the neighbours had welcomed her as one of their own.
Better off without him, everyone declared. What self-respecting woman stayed with a cheat after all? Outraged friends wanted him to suffer and occasionally Rosie did too. Not in a nasty, vengeful way, but at least to experience a few twinges of her own devastation.
She had fantasies in which he came crawling back, grief-stricken over what he’d carelessly tossed aside. She’d imagine herself on the arm of Colin Farrell, wearing a fiery-red figure-hugging dress, strikingly elegant, flawlessly made-up, her belly flat and her legs mysteriously three inches longer. She’d be ice-cool, telling him it was too late but usually in these daydreams – and she knew it was wrong – just as Charlie left, dejected, her stony heart would relent, she’d apologise to Colin, kick off her heels and run to Charlie’s joyful arms.
Other times her sleep betrayed her. She’d walk in the kitchen to find Charlie cooking spaghetti bolognese, wearing only a chef’s apron and an endearingly rueful smile. Silly stuff. Like last night – they’d sat in the bath together, him soaping her back. So convincing was this dream that in the morning she’d lazily stretched out her arm to him, forgetting that his side of the bed was empty and cold. He’d been her best friend and lover for so long. Not easy persuading her subconscious to switch from love to hate. Or even indifference. And he’d been such a caring father to Luke and Tim. Were they truly ‘better off without him’?
Determined not to submerge into despondency, she jumped up and tackled the backlog of crockery clogging the staffroom kitchenette.
Damn. She’d thought she’d got past all those predictable emotional stages, familiar to her as commuter stations. Denial. Shock. Anger. Depression. Last stop – Guilt – where she still lingered, scolding herself for not leaping to action the second Charlie’s secretary warned her about the female customer who showed more interest in the showroom’s Sales Manager than the vehicles on sale.
And why hadn’t she? Jumped? Leapt? Fought?
Because it had been unthinkable. Laughable even. With the red flag flapping inches from her face, Rosie had brushed it away with a smile, too certain of her husband to fall for that alarmist nonsense. This was Charlie, after all, her soul mate, who’d rescued her in her darkest hours, made her believe in her own worth after years of her mother’s jibes. He loved her even if she had grown two dress sizes finishing the kids’ meals, barely ever wore make-up, slumped around the home in baggy sweatshirts and couldn’t stay awake to watch an entire film when the boys were finally in bed.
‘…first out. Hey, what’s so fascinating about that sponge? You’ve been staring at it ages.’
Rosie hadn’t realised Gemma had joined her at the sink, let alone that she’d been speaking.
‘Sorry, Gem.’ She came out of her daze. ‘What was that?’
‘I was saying that as long as it’s not last in, first out, ’cos technically speaking…’ Gemma pushed her glasses up her nose and gave Rosie a meaningful glance before picking up a tea towel.
‘Technically speaking…?’
Gemma sighed as she wiped a saucer. ‘Rosie, you dingbat, did you hear a word I said? That meeting with the union reps yesterday, Carol’s just filled me in. They’re talking staff cuts. Redundancies. Teaching assistants in particular. Some of us – God knows how many – are for the chop!’
Ellie Campbell is a pseudonym for sisters, Pam Burks and Lorraine Campbell who collaborate across the mighty Atlantic, finding writing together the perfect excuse for endless phone conversations. They are equally passionate about travel, animals and the great outdoors. Although Pam lives near London, with husband, three children and a dog, while Lorraine is on a Colorado ranch near wild and wonderful Boulder with husband, five horses, five cats, one dog and four chickens – they both believe in enjoying life to the fullest, be it discovering new remote locations or going on trail rides in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Tour Riddle of Fate by Tania Johansson, Guest Post & Giveaway
Book & Author details:
Riddle of Fate by Tania Johansson
Publication date: May 29th 2014
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Synopsis:
Khaya’s life, a life the Order say was never meant to be, is thrown into turmoil when she discovers she has a second ability. The Company who employs people like her – with rare and special abilities – insists that having more than one inevitably leads down a dark spiral into madness. So they are watching and waiting, ready to terminate her at the first sign of trouble.
Now, on the run from the Company’s agents while trying to prove her sanity, Khaya realises they are not the only ones she should fear. Angels are working towards her demise as well.
The question that haunts her is this: What did she do that was terrible enough to elicit the wrath of angels? And can she trust the mysterious Derrin, or is he the cause of all her tribulations?
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23000535-riddle-of-fate
Purchase:
–Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Riddle-Fate-Tania-Johansson/dp/1499341393/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418409091&sr=8-1&keywords=Riddle+of+Fate
–B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/riddle-of-fate-mrs-tania-johansson/1120032327?ean=9781499341393
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AUTHOR BIO
I grew up in a small town called Ficksburg in South Africa and moved with my family to England aged fifteen.I then completed my schooling through a correspondence course from South Africa. This challenging time taught me a lot of self-discipline and determination. Qualities that have been invaluable while writing my first novel.
In 2004 I started studying optometry at Aston University in Birmingham, UK and currently I live and work as an optician in Kent.
In 2008, I married my wonderful husband, Tor. He has been such an amazing support and wealth of internet wizardry from when I started writing through to designing a cover for Book of Remembrance, to publishing my book on amazon as well as setting up this website. I cannot thank him enough.
Reading has always been one of my passions. I have fond memories of trawling through the library aged five (yes I was a geek from a young age!). More recently, I found myself wondering about the process writers must go through to complete a novel. I started thinking about how they would go about planning out a story and keeping track of all the various aspects of it. Finally, I decided to try my theories out. I have not looked back since!
I started writing Book of Remembrance end of May 2011 and finished it in December 2011. Since then, I have self-published it as an e-book on amazon. I have also started writing the follow up novel, which is untitled at the moment.
Author links:
https://www.facebook.com/tjwritesbooks
https://twitter.com/TaniaJohansson
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5769291.Tania_Johansson
http://www.tjwrites.com/
Giveaway :
a giveaway for one (1) ebook copy of Riddle of Fate. Open internationally.
All you need to do is post a comment…What kids of books do you like to read?
Guest Post:
If she was one of the characters would the outcome be the same in the book?
What? You wan’t me to write a Mary Sue? Well, I would of course have been the prettiest, funniest, most talented character in the entire book, solving each dire situation with flair and fearlessly facing every troubling turn. Haha!
Funnily enough, I always thought I would have to strive not to make my characters resemble me, but I think for the most part, it happens naturally. I give my characters personality, likes and dislikes, habits, dreams and fears, but then they tend to take on a life of their own.
I find this one of the most satisfying parts of writing: watching my characters become people.
In fact, sometimes I even find it hard to write their decisions and actions as these run so counter to anything I would have done. Just like when you are reading and you are slapping your head, asking why the character is doing this or that, I do the same, except I know what their innermost motivations are.
That doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.
There has been the odd occasion when I was first shaping my characters that I had to make sure that I don’t force my worldview or attitude onto them. Usually it’s pretty easy to notice when you are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
Take Khaya, for example, she is such a gullible girl at the beginning that I sometimes wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her (luckily, her eyes are opened eventually). If I’d been her, Brier would have been kicked to the kerb much earlier.
I think in Riddle of Fate, my characters face such tough situations where there is a call for bravery that I don’t possess. I don’t envy them at all.
It is actually really hard to imagine what I would have done if I were in the story. Khaya runs headlong into danger and overcomes her fears. I would probably have been running in the opposite direction. I mean, really, stick around when two groups of people want you dead and friends are dying around you? I don’t think so.
In answer then, if I was in the story, I would ruin it!
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Blog tour: ‘Summer Campaign’
About the book:
Miss Onyx Hamilton is about to make what everyone agrees is a perfect marriage—until handsome Major Jack Beresford comes galloping into her life. But with his fortune and connections, Onyx knows he’d never ask for her hand, would he? New and longtime fans alike will relish this delightful romance from Carla Kelly. Charming, sweet, and full of fun, it’s simply impossible to stop reading.
My thoughts:
A terrific book and from a first time author for me. Onyx was always told what to do , who to talk to, who to marry etc etc. Jack is shot while trying to help Onyx when their carriage is taken over and their world is about to change. You will need tissues. The author does a wonderful job with this story and I am anxious to check out her other works. She knows how to write characters that will leave something behind in your thoughts.
About the author:
Carla Kelly is a veteran of the New York and international publishing world. The author of more than thirty novels and novellas for Donald I. Fine Co., Signet, and Harlequin, Carla is the recipient of two Rita Awards (think Oscars for romance writing) from Romance Writers of America and two Spur Awards (think Oscars for western fiction) from Western Writers of America. She is also a recipient of a Whitney Award for Borrowed Light and My Loving Vigil Keeping.
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March 17, 2015
Double Release Blitz – THE FIRSTS by Lorhainne Eckhart & Taylor Lee
TWO Authors! TWO Firsts!
Like your Mystery Thrillers on the dark side?
Your Romance hot? Your Suspense steamy?
Then don’t miss…
THE FIRSTS
Danger Deception Passion
USA Today Best Selling authors
Lorhainne Eckhart and Taylor Lee
are offering the FIRST books in their best-selling series at a phenomenal introductory price.
Each Collection 99 cents for a limited time only!
Danger and Passion – A Volatile Mix:
THE FIRSTS
by Taylor Lee
From Taylor Lee, the #1 Bestselling author in Mystery Thrillers, Romantic Suspense and Military Romance comes The FIRSTS— a collection of the First Books in each of Lee’s six blockbuster series. Each book is a best-selling phenomenon in its own right. Gathered together, this Collection gives readers a chance to see Taylor Lee spin her volatile mix of Danger and Passion across more than 2500 pages of riveting reads!
The FIRSTS includes six full length award winning novels: Playing with Fire, The Courage to Dare, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Red Rock Rises, The Moscow Affair, and Struck by Thunder.
Praise for The FIRSTS…
“Taylor Lee never disappoints! These books are sizzling hot and keep you guessing at every turn. For discriminating readers who insist on great characters and a spellbinding story that also includes HOT romance!” Sarah Reviews
“These books have everything you expect from Taylor Lee. Memorable characters, high octane action, and Lee’s special brand of hot sexy romance. A hugely successful entry from an author who is raising the bar for Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense.” Only the Best
“The sexiest, most outrageous hero I’ve read in a long time. Snappy, laugh out loud dialogue, and a Sizzling HOT romance makes these wildly exciting murder mysteries true page-turners.” J. John
“Spellbinding police mystery thrillers that will have you on the edge of your seat. Pulse pounding action and steamy romance. A cast of unforgettable characters that will capture your heart.” Action Junkie
Included in the The Firsts:
“Playing With Fire”…Book 1 – The All Fired Up Series: A bad assed cop falls for the beautiful firefighter only to discover that she is his number 1 suspect in a double homicide.
“The Courage to Dare”…Book 1 – The Man in the Arena Series: A shy foreign ‘geek at heart’ Dr. Avajli Patel is accustomed to controlling her life to the enth degree. The arrogant Sheriff and wounded special ops survivor teaches her a new meaning of control. It’s hot!
“Big Girls Don’t Cry”…Book 1 – The Blonde Barracuda Collection: They call her the Blonde Barracuda. The press loves her, the politicians fear her and the mob is out to kill her.
“Red Rock Rises”…Book 1 – The Red Rock Series: Major Jesse O’Donnell is as tough as she is beautiful. Fiercely independent, she is the Rock. No one messes with Red Rock until she meets the handsome Police Chief.
“The Moscow Affair”…Book 1 – The Dangerous Affairs Series: A dangerously elegant man, a beautiful feisty young woman, take on the evils of the international sex trade while exploring a passionate world of their own.
“Struck By Thunder…Book 1 – The Grandmaster’s Legacy: Think Shades of Gray was hot? It has nothing on the Grandmasters! Historical Erotic Suspense at its best!
Danger Deception Devotion:
THE FIRSTS
by Lorhainne Eckhart
This very special box set edition contains all of the first books from each of my series: The Outsiders, The Friessens, The Wilde Brothers, Walk the Right Road and The Saved Series.
Praise for The FIRSTS…
“No matter how much I enjoy a book, I rarely read it a second time. This was one of those rare times. This is one of those rare books.” – Reviewer on “The Forgotten Child”
“Lorhainne Eckhart always astonishes me with her very real, very fallible characters.”
Included in the The Firsts:
“The One” …Book 1 – The Wilde Brothers: You never know when you’ll suddenly meet the one.
“The Forgotten Child: …Book 1 – The Outsiders: How do you tell a man there is something wrong with his child?
“The Deadline” …Book 1 – The Friessens: Andy Friessen has packed up everything and moved his family two states away to Montana to protect his wife, Laura, his newborn babies, and his stepson, Gabriel, from the threats of his mother. What Andy doesn’t know is that they’ll soon face a new threat, one he never saw coming.
“Saved“ …Book 1 – The Saved Series: Growing up I had dreams that one day I’d fall in love, get married and start a family. Then one night I was taken. But I survived, I escaped and I was saved. Eric didn’t see me as damaged. He didn’t see my baby as a monster. He protected me, he kept me safe…he saved me.
“The Choice“ …Book 1 – Walk the Right Road: One woman. Two men. And a choice that will kill her.
Lorhainne Eckhart
USA Today Bestselling Author Lorhainne Eckhart’s books have been described as Longmire meets old-school Dallas, and she recently received the 2013 Readers’ Favorite Award for Romantic Suspense for her title Lost and Found. With over thirty titles under her belt, she is frequently a Top 100 bestselling author in multiple genres, such as romance, westerns, and mystery/suspense, including such series as The Outsider, Walk the Right Road, The Wilde Brothers, The Saved, and her most recent addition, The Friessens: A New Beginning.
Lorhainne lives on sunny Salt Spring Island with her family, where she is working on her next novel.
Taylor Lee
USA Today Best Selling author Taylor Lee writes Suspenseful Mystery Thrillers – with a heavy dose of Sexy to Sizzling HOT Romance.
In the less than four years that she has been writing, Taylor has written more than thirty books. Her six, soon to be seven, series track her Special Operatives, Covert Agents, Cops, Firefighters and other iconic heroes and heroines, through the harrowing situations that make up their lives. From human trafficking rings to corrupt politicians, Taylor investigates the underbelly of society and the criminals who flourish there.
Taylor says: “From the residue in my personal blender of mixed races, cultures and world views, my characters emerge. It comforts me to know that while evil slinks in the shadows, the “good guys” of the world sniff it out – and snuff it out.
My characters are arrogant alpha males and the feisty women who bring them to their knees – and vice versa… They fight hard, love hard and don’t mince words. They are dangerous men and women in dangerous times. Love, passion and ridding the world of evil? What’s not to like?”
Lorhainne Eckhart’s Giveaway:
(1) The Outsider Series: The Complete Omnibus Collection (readers choice of ebook format)
(1) Audiobook – Lost And Found
(1) Audiobook – The Price to Love
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Taylor Lee’s Giveaway:
(1) eCopy – The Man In The Arena Collection: Sexy Romantic Suspense
(1) $25 Amazon e-gift card
(1) $25 iTunes e-gift card
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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March 16, 2015
When You Make It Home by Claire Ashby
When You Make It Home
by Claire Ashby
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 12, 2014
Meg Michaels, a bookstore owner, has already walked away from two cheating exes. She’s learned her lesson and has her mind set on success—until she gets knocked up. Embarrassed and unwilling to discuss her situation with friends and family, she wears layers to hide the pregnancy.
When Meg gets sick at a party, she’s mortified. Even worse, Theo Taylor, the guest of honor, discovers her secret. Theo, an Army medic wounded in the war, agrees not to reveal her condition, and the two forge a bond of friendship that blossoms into love.
Theo is soon filling all of Meg’s late-night cravings—and not just the pregnancy-induced ones. But can their love overcome all the obstacles that stand between them and creating a happy family?
Claire Ashby was born and raised in the heart of Atlanta. At a young age, she began keeping journals and over time embellished the details of her quiet days. Eventually, she let go of writing reality altogether and delved completely into the world of fiction.
When she’s not reading or writing, she spends her time watching extreme survival shows and taking long walks after nightfall. She has an unnatural love of high places, but still regrets the time she skydived solo. She believes some things are better left to the imagination. She resides in Austin with her family and a pack of wild dogs.
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