Sunday Snippet: Led Astray

Welcome February! Theshortest month seems like a great time to start new things. I've challengedmyself to post every day on Bluesky and I picked drawing one oracle card from arandom deck each day. So far, I'm two for two.

I'm also going to launchthe side project I've previously talked about. Tip Jar Shorts is a fun way toget sexy romance short stories right to your inbox. The blog is up and runningand still a work in progress. I'm so excited to see how things go! If you'reinterested, check it out!

I had a busy workweek with a challenging copy edit but it's almost complete and I'm happy I gotto work on this mystery series. A few more bits and pieces to check and it'llbe on its way to the publisher.

Had a somewhatquiet viewing week. Between getting Tip Jar finished up and the copy edit, Ineeded a quiet background to get everything done.

Caught another BatmanBeyond episode. I remembered this one and enjoyed during my first runthrough of the show.

Enjoyed an episodeof Classic Rugrats. I'm in the final season and catching some episodes Ihaven't seen before.

Watched another episodeof One Lane Bridge and I'm still enjoying the show. It's kind of a slow,moody narrative and I'm rather into that right now.

Caught another episodeof London Kills and I'm kind of wondering what the hell is going to happennext. I'm also wondering what the superintendent thought would happen when hetried to run.

Enjoyed anotherepisode of Death in Paradise. The vibe is very different with seasoneleven and I'm kind of okay with that. I like the new sergeant and I'm lookingforward to seeing where things go with Florance doing an undercover stint. Ilike that the reason is tied back to a previous murder.

Loved the episodeof Beyond Paradise that I caught this week. I'm interested in how Humphreyand Martha work through their issues and was so happy to see her rebuff Archie,even if he's portrayed by one of my favorite actors. I'm still on the fencewith Martha's mom. I can't quite decide if I like her or not. We'll see how therest of the season goes.

That's pretty muchit for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Led Astray, a novellathat brings a couple together even if they're not supposed to fall for eachother.

Here's theminiblurb:

Gia Schmidt is tasked with bringing Orrick Triolo aroundto her clan's way of thinking, but he proves a hard case to crack, even withher considerable skills. Orrick's got something she wants but if she's notcareful, he'll lead her astray instead of the other way around.

And a preview snippet…

Gia toyed with her food. "Ifyou want to avoid a war—and you should—agreeing to a summit between all theclans is a good idea." Gia ended on a sigh.At least Orrick listened to herspiel without comment. She could break the entire list of possibilities downinto minute detail but wouldn't waste her breath. Not unless he gave her apositive sign. He signaled for a refill of coffee. Gia resisted the urge tokick him under the table.Finally, he took a slow sip of thehot brew then met her gaze. "Why come to me? The elder triad of Triolosholds the power in our family. They're the ones you should be talking to."Gia huffed out a breath. "Doyou know how many have tried to get meetings with them—even one?"Orrick lifted a shoulder. "Notreally, no."Gia leaned in. "Every singleclan has tried alone. And together. And every time they're ignored or rebuffed.Threats have been made if anyone outside tries again."Orrick blinked. "Why? What doyou think I can do?"Gia shrugged. "Ask them to seereason. The Triolos have a lot of power. They're tired of warring factions. Butthe grab for complete control isn't playing out the way they want. Instead ofgiving them what they desire, the move has united the clans against them."Orrick arched a brow. "Youdon't think we'll win?"Gia bit back another sigh. "Idon't know. You might. But the toll in lives and lost resources will cost allof us."Orrick tilted his head to one side."That's a good point … and a possible opening."Gia nudged the spark of hope aside."So … you'll make the pitch?"Orrick lifted a chin. "I'llconsider it, yes."The flame flickered. Happy aboutthe response, she let a small smile curve her lips. Maybe things would end upworking out.Orrick took some wind out of hersails with a disclaimer. "I'll need some time to find the rightapproach."Gia slumped. "How much?"Her grandfather lacked patience on a good day.Orrick held her gaze. "I'm notsure. Let's maybe meet for dinner in a few days and I should have a betteridea."She agreed. What else could she do?And she didn't hate the idea ofseeing him again.

I'm having fun withthe cat and mouse aspect of this story and the characters are stepping up inbig ways to help move the plot along.

 

That's it for thisweek.

Cheers!

Skye