Today is my turn on the Feather and Claw Blog Tour. I am happy to share my Feature Post and Book Review for Susan Handley’s new mystery FEATHER AND CLAW (DC Cat McKenzie Mystery #2).
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb
They say choice not chance determines human destiny, but on foreign shores not everyone is what they seem and choices can be ill informed.
Mentally and physically exhausted after her last case, Cat McKenzie heads to the sunny shores of Southern Cyprus. When a fellow guest, an American business man, suddenly dies, Cat’s instincts scream foul play. Unable to step out of her skin as a detective, she can’t help but start to dig.
Drawn into a dark world inhabited by arsonists, bird-trappers and a cold-hearted killer, Cat is soon playing a dangerous game; one that has tragic consequences.
To get closer to the truth, Cat must get closer to the killer and allow the killer to get closer to her. But surrounded by strangers, each appearing to be as respectable as the other, she first needs to figure out which of them are feather and which of them are claw.
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My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
FEATHER AND CLAW (DC Cat McKenzie Mystery #2) by
Susan Handley is the second book in this series and it can easily be read as a
standalone. The first in the series is your classic British police procedural, while
this book is written as a mystery with Cat on vacation. She has no jurisdiction,
but she can’t leave the case alone.
DC Cat McKenzie is on vacation on an island of Cypress with
her friend Amy. She is supposed to be relaxing, but they witness the death of an
American guest at their resort. At first it is thought to be a case of
hypoglycemia leading to the gentleman’s death, but something does not feel
right to Cat and being Cat, she cannot let it go. It may look like a natural
death, but Cat believes it was murder.
As Cat learns more about the other guests and searches for
clues, she also learns about the illegal bird pickling trade and a serial
arsonist. She may be out of her jurisdiction, but she will not stop until she
finds the killer, but at what cost?
I enjoyed this straight mystery plot. Cat’s character is
always inquisitive and pulling on any loose thread. She just does not know how
to relax. The plot was well written and kept my interest with several twists
and red herrings that kept me on my toes and guessing. I also enjoyed reading
about the island sun, heat and sand during my current winter weather.
Overall, an enjoyable mystery read.
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Author Bio
Susan Handley grew up in the Midlands and
despite a love of literature, and crime fiction in particular, she never dreamt
of being able to carve out a career as a published writer. But the desire to
write never left her and after years of writing by night she has at last been
able to share the results of her efforts.
Susan now lives in a small village in rural Kent
with her husband and three cats. When she’s not indulging in her love of
writing crime fiction she loves walking (the hillier the better), bike riding
(the flatter the better) and tending her veggie patch.
Susan has published two novels. A Confusion of
Crows is the first to feature DC Cat McKenzie, a one-time marine biologist
turned detective. In the second in the series, Feather and Claw, the death of a
fellow guest sees Cat put her holiday on hold and turn detective, only with no
team to rely on and outside of her jurisdiction, she learns the hard way that
trying to outwit a murderer is no game. A third Cat McKenzie mystery is due out
in 2020.
Susan has also produced a collection of short
stories, called Crime Bites Volume 1. Full of bite-size crime stories there’s
bound to be something to suit all tastes. A second volume is due to be
published later in 2019.
Today I am very excited to share my Feature Post and Book Review for Loreth Anne White’s IN THE DARK. This is a fantastic mystery with a romantic suspense subplot that I hope will turn into many more books with the two main characters. Save a block of time to read this one because I just could not put it down!
Below you will find a Q&A with the author, an excerpt from the book, my book review, a book summary, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. You have to read this book! As always, good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway.
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Q&A: Author Loreth Anne White
1. You are very well known for your romantic suspense tales,
but your new title, IN THE DARK, is all about mystery — a real whodunit! Tell
us a bit about the story.
I like to think there is still a strong echo of my earlier romantic suspense
books that ripples through IN THE DARK. Yes, it’s a locked-room
mystery/thriller — wilderness style, but the mystery narrative is
wrapped inside a romantic suspense-style narrative that follows a budding
friendship between Detective Mason Deniaud and Search & Rescue manager
Callie Sutton who must not only piece together what happened as they hunt for
survivors, but also must race against time to save who might be left. The story
leaves off with a promise of more ahead in the relationship between Callie and
Mason, so my roots are still showing, I hope.
2. Your story definitely has shades of Agatha Christie as well as a nod or
two to Stephen King. Did these authors act as inspirations for this book?
IN THE DARK is not only a homage to Agatha Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE,
but Christie’s story becomes a plot device, a psychological tool that the
villain uses to instill fear in the victims trapped in the lodge because the
victims know what transpired in the book, and they anticipate the same will
happen to them.
And yes, a teensy nod to master of atmosphere and horror,
Stephen King’s THE SHINING where characters are trapped in a remote and
snowbound hotel and become mercy to the psychological horror that descends on
them.
3. A rural, isolated lodge is always a great place to start a suspenseful
novel. How exactly did your characters all come to be at Forest Shadow Lodge?
The characters are invited for an all-expenses stay at the brand new, high-end,
fly-in wilderness lodge and spa. They are lured by an offer to enjoy a ‘soft
opening’, so to speak, where they can assess the accommodation and potentially
negotiate lucrative contracts with the new lodge owners. Each guest runs a
business that would be suitable for such an establishment. Each is excited by a
possible lucrative contract. But not all is quite what meets the eye, of
course.
4. Your story is told from multiple points-of-view as you take deep dives
into the characters’ lives and histories. Does everyone have something to hide?
Don’t we all have something to hide? My characters in this book certainly do.
Some of their secrets are more powerful than others.
5. Mason and Callie are two of the law enforcement responders that are
trying to piece together exactly what happened at The Lodge. Tell us more about
these characters and what makes them so good at what they do.
Mason Deniaud was a top homicide detective before relocating to the remote
north for personal reasons. He lost a young son and a wife and he’s searching
for a way to live, or exist, if not heal. Callie Sutton is a young mother who
is single, but also isn’t because her husband lies in hospital and is brain
dead. Her husband is there, but he also isn’t there for Callie and her young
son. Like Mason, she’s in limbo, a place where she can’t move forward, or back.
It’s through this they find a bond. And the search for the missing lodge party
pushes them together.
6. IN THE DARK is a pivotal novel in your career. What does it have in
common with your previous writing and how is it different? How does this inform
your next steps as a writer?
Pivotal sounds cool. I’ll take it! Thank you. But yes IN THE DARK is a bit of a
departure from my previous romantic suspense books. If readers enjoy it,
however, and if my publisher remains happy, I’d like to keep growing in this
direction. But I do think my crime stories will always revolve around strong
women, or women who might be victims to start with, but who find agency and
take back their lives and become strong and survive through the arc of a story.
(As with my forthcoming work IN THE DEEP). I do love to include a relationship
element in my crime novels, but bonding with a potential love interest comes
out of the personal growth of the protagonist. I like to tell—and read—stories
of women who find ways to rescue themselves.
***
Excerpt:
“The
gas stove and the gas water heaters work,” Nathan said. “And there’s plumbing.”
He turned his back on them and busied himself taking mugs out of the cupboard
in an exaggerated fashion. His heart hammered in his chest. Sweat prickled
across his lip.
“And there’s tea, coffee, tins of tuna, and
soup,” Steven said as he hurriedly opened more cupboards.
Bart frowned. “Well, at least we won’t go
hungry.” He made for the living area, paused. “I found a path. It looks like it
leads around to the other bay, but it was getting too dark to follow without a
flashlight.”
“Do you think it might lead to the real lodge?”
Steven asked.
Nathan blinked. It was like the doctor was
reaching for straws by asking—as if hoping, still, that their pilot had just
made some terrible screwup with the GPS coordinates.
Bart said, “We can check again in the morning
to see if—”
“There is no real lodge.” Jackie appeared in the doorway that led from the
great room into the kitchen.
They all turned to look at the solid woman with
intense eyes.
“This is no mistake,” she said curtly. “This is
a con, some sick game.”
“What do you mean?” Bart asked.
“Did you guys not see the plaque outside, next
to the front door? This place is called Forest Shadow Lodge. As in Forest Shadow Wilderness Resort
& Spa. Here, look at this.” She pulled a brochure from her pocket and
smoothed it out on the kitchen island.
“I printed it off the website before I left
home.” She jabbed a photo of the luxury lodge. “It’s fake. It’s photoshopped,
because it’s using the same location. See this bay here? And the shape of this
one here? This mountain? This is how the terrain looked from the air. It’s this spot, but someone has photoshopped the spa into the
location. They’ve erased parts of the forest, added cabins and trails, plus
interior shots from some other spa and lodges.” She met their gazes. “This
whole thing was faked from the get-go. We were lured here. All of us. And now
we’re trapped.”
A sinister cold seemed to enter the kitchen. A
shutter banged upstairs, and wind whistled. Mist, cloying and wet, pressed up
against the windows. It grew darker inside.
“Why?” Bart asked, still holding his wood.
“God knows.” Jackie dragged her hand over her
hair. “But right now, we’re stuck. We’ve been baited and lured into some weird
kind of wilderness prison.”
“We are not trapped.” Stella entered the
kitchen. “We have a plane. And you guys have a pilot—me. We have fuel. We—”
“We have no bloody radio!” Jackie snapped,
whirling round to face Stella, her eyes furious.
“What?” said Steven.
“That’s right,” Jackie said. “Go on, tell them,
Stella.”
Stella’s gray eyes flashed, shooting daggers at
Jackie.
“Go on. Tell them. The radio is broken.
Sabotaged, wires cut.”
“But I heard you speaking to your dispatch on
the radio,” Nathan said.
“But it wasn’t working, was it, Stella?” Jackie
said. “Your dispatch couldn’t hear you, could they? No one even knows where we
are, do they?”
Stella’s features went tight.
“So when were you going to tell us this,
Stella?” Steven asked.
“I didn’t want to say right away. Fear, worry,
is not a good thing when—”
“When what? Jesus. Who are you to decide what’s right and wrong for us to know?” Steven barked.
“You’re just the pilot, not the boss of our lives, for Chrissakes.”
“There’s a chance I could fix it in the morning.
If I can—if it’s an easy fix—you’d never have to have known about it.”
“So you thought you’d play God?” Steven
snapped. “Because we would all panic.” He wagged jazz hands at the sides of his face.
“And you’re not panicking?” she said.
Silence swelled in the kitchen. It felt for a
bizarre moment as though the house was listening. Alive. Hostile. Nathan felt
hairs rise along his arms. He was sensitive to these things. He could feel
trees in the forest watching and listening to him.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
IN THE DARK by Loreth Anne White is her new book
which is a mystery with a romantic suspense subplot that is now one of my favorite
mystery books of 2019. You should set aside time to read this one because you
will not want to put it down.
The promise of a luxury spa vacation and the chance to
secure a lucrative contract for their companies has eight lucky guests coming
together for two weeks in a remote location in British Columbia.
What they don’t realize is each is tied together by one tragic
incident. They all have secrets to hide.
As they fly into the remote location, it is not what they
were expecting. A storm keeps them trapped at the old hunting lodge and as they
inspect the inside, they realize it is not a vacation, but a trap. Suddenly,
everyone is suspect and no one can be trusted. They are all pawns in a game
that must be played out until there is “one”.
When a seaplane is discovered by hunters, RCMP officer Mason
Deniaud and SAR expert Callie Sutton come together to retrieve it and discover
a dead body strapped inside. They learn of the other missing people and set out
to find them.
The clock is ticking. Will Mason and Callie be able to find
the missing people before there are none?
This is a GREAT read! It is a fast-paced page turner that
grabs you by the throat, pulls you into the perfectly paced plot and surprises
you at the end. The mystery is a cross between Agatha Christie’s “And Then There
Were None” and the game show “Survivor”. The malicious and deadly wilderness is
a whole other dark and gritty character in this story which adds to the
atmosphere of dread. While this is a standalone, I am hoping Ms. White will
continue writing more stories featuring Mason and Callie. They are wonderfully
flawed characters that fit together well.
I highly recommend this book! I have loved all of Ms. White’s
books to date, but this one is very special.
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About the Book:
Title: In The Dark
Author: Loreth Anne White
Release Date: December 1, 2019
Publisher: Montlake
Summary:
The promise of a luxury vacation at a secluded wilderness
spa has brought together eight lucky guests. But nothing is what they were led
to believe. As a fierce storm barrels down and all contact with the outside is
cut off, the guests fear that it’s not a getaway. It’s a trap.
Each one has a secret. Each one has something to hide. And now, as darkness
closes in, they all have something to fear—including one another.
Alerted to the vanished party of strangers, homicide cop Mason Deniaud and search and rescue expert Callie Sutton must brave the brutal elements of the mountains to find them. But even Mason and Callie have no idea how precious time is. Because the clock is ticking, and one by one, the guests of Forest Shadow Lodge are being hunted. For them, surviving becomes part of a diabolical game.
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Author Biography:
Loreth Anne White is a bestselling author of thrillers,
mysteries, and romantic suspense. A three-time RITA finalist, she is also the
recipient of the Overall 2017 Daphne du Maurier Award, the Romantic Times
Reviewers’ Choice Award, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Romantic
Crown for Best Romantic Suspense and Best Book Overall. In addition, she’s a
Booksellers’ Best finalist and a multiple CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award
winner. A former journalist who has worked in both South Africa and Canada, she
now resides in the Pacific Northwest with her family. When Loreth isn’t
writing, you will find her skiing, biking, or hiking the trails with her dog
(a.k.a. the Black Beast) or open-water swimming. She calls this work, because
that’s when the best ideas come. Visit her at www.lorethannewhite.com.
CHANCE (Sydney Jones Series Book 2) by Carolyn M.
Bowen is a new fast-paced thriller. This is the second book in the trilogy, but
it is easily read as a standalone.
Sydney Jones is a powerful, independent and tough attorney,
who heads her own law firm in Atlanta. She will take any case she believes in
and up until this latest case her bodyguard boyfriend, Walker would be right by
her side on the job and at home. Walker has been framed for a murder so the CIA
can get him back on their payroll. He abruptly leaves the love of his life and
can have no communication with her.
As Sydney moves on, she accepts the case of a woman accused
of murdering her lover, who was the head of the Chinese Black Societies in Atlanta.
Sydney’s life is increasingly at risk as she digs deeper into the case. While
at the same time, Walker is in Cuba facing life-and-death situations of his own.
Sydney and Walker are on separate dangerous paths. Will
either or both survive for any future together?
This is a fast-paced read that will keep you turning the
pages. I love Sydney and her strength, no nonsense, take charge character
traits. Walker is a great match for her. I did find it a little difficult to
get into this author’s writing style. It is very bare-bones and action-oriented
with very little in-depth description or dialogue, but the tension and urgency
kept me turning the pages. I was pulled into the plot and just had to keep reading
until “The End”.
I am looking forward to reading the next book.
***
Author Bio and Social Media Links
CAROLYN BOWEN is a mystery author who
calls on her life escapades and an adventurous, imaginative spirit to inspire
and entertain. Bowen uses travel as a muse to explore cultures and dialogue to
bring her stories to life. Her writing credits include: Cross-Ties, a romantic
adventure; The Long Road Home, a contemporary crime fiction mystery; The Sydney
Jones Series Mystery Thrillers; Book 1: Primed For Revenge, and Book 2: Chance
– A Novel.
It is my turn to share my Feature Post and Book Review on the Blog Tour for Terri Blackstock’s new Christian contemporary second chance romance SMOKE SCREEN. Realistic characters with a mystery subplot made this an entertaining and intriguing read.
Below you will find a book synopsis, an excerpt from the book, my book review and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Synopsis
One father was murdered, and another convicted of his death. All because their children fell in love.
Nate Beckett has spent his life fighting wildfires instead of the lies and rumors that drove him from his Colorado home town. His mother begs him to come to Carlisle now that his father has been released from prison, but it isn’t until he’s sidelined by an injury that he’s forced to return and face his past. But that means facing Brenna too.
Fourteen years ago, Nate was in love with the preacher’s daughter. When Pastor Strickland discovered Brenna had defied him to sneak out with Nate, the fight between Strickland and Nate’s drunken dad was loud—and very public. Strickland was found murdered later that night, and everyone accused Roy Beckett. When the church burned down, people assumed it was Nate getting even for his father’s conviction. He let the rumors fly and left Carlisle without looking back.
Now, Brenna is stunned to learn that the man convicted of murdering her father has been pardoned. The events of that night set her life on a bad course, and she’s dealing with a brutal custody battle with her ex and his new wife where he’s using lies and his family’s money to sway the judge. She’s barely hanging on, and she’s turned to alcohol to cope. Shame and fear consume her.
As they deal with the present—including new information about that fateful night and a wildfire that’s threatening their town—their past keeps igniting. Nate is the steady force Brenna has so desperately needed. But she’ll have to learn to trust him again first.
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Excerpt
I woke up in a blinding bright room, my clothes off and something clamped to my face. I tried to reach it, but I couldn’t bend my right arm, and my hand stung. An IV was taped to my other hand, but I moved carefully and touched the thing over my face.
An oxygen mask. I tried to sit up. “What happened?”
T-bird came to my bedside, a sheen of smoky sweat still soiling his face. “Nate, lie back, man.”
“The fire,” I said. “Need to get back. My men.”
“They’re still there. Making progress. But you’re not going anywhere near a fire for a month or so.”
I took the mask off and coughed a little, but managed to catch my breath. “A month?”
“Yep. Second degree burns on 20 percent of your body. Some of the burns are deep.”
It came back to me, the event that had gotten me here.
“The family. Were they injured?”
“Not a scratch or burn. Turns out it was a U.S. Senator from Kansas. He says you’re a hero.”
“You know I had no choice. They were in the path—”
“Take the praise where you can get it, man. We don’t get that much.”
I looked at my right side. My right arm was bandaged, and so was my side and down my right leg to the point where my boots had stopped the flames. Second degree wasn’t so bad, I told myself. Third degree would have been brutal. I’d be able to leave the hospital soon. I’d heal.
“I won’t need a month,” I said.
“Yes, you will. They can’t let you go back. Doctor’s orders. You’re grounded until he releases you.”
I managed to sit up, but it was a bad idea. The burns pulling on my skin reminded me why I shouldn’t. “I can’t be grounded during fire season. Are you crazy? I need to be there. You don’t have enough men as it is.”
“Sorry, Nate. It is what it is. Why don’t you go home to Carlisle for a while? Take it easy.”
Go home? Pop had just been pardoned, and he and my mom were trying to navigate the reunion. Though she would love to have me home, I didn’t know if I was up to it. My father could be challenging, and fourteen years of prison hadn’t done him any favors.
SMOKE SCREEN by Terri Blackstock is her new standalone Christian second chance romance. This is an entertaining and intriguing easy-to-read romance with realistic characters and a mystery subplot.
Fourteen years ago, while in high school, Brenna Strickland, the pastor’s daughter and Nate Beckett, the son of the town drunk fell in love. When Brenna was found to be defying her father and sneaking out to meet Nate, Pastor Strickland confronted Nate’s father in the local bar. It was very loud and very public. The pastor was later found killed in this car and Nate’s father was accused and sent to prison. When the church burned down, not long after, Nate was rumored to have set it because he left town the next day, but he was never charged.
Nate has spent his life as a hotshot fighting wildfires. After being burned while rescuing a family from a wildfire, Nate is put on leave just as his father is coming home after being pardoned by the governor. His mother asks him to come home and he decides to return to face his father and his past.
Brenna is now divorced with two children and living across the street from Nate’s brother. Brenna is in the middle of a brutal custody battle and has lost her faith. She uses alcohol to cope when her children are with their father and his new wife. She is shocked to learn of Nate’s father’s pardon and does not know what to do with her feelings of guilt and anger.
Nate reconnects with Brenna and they easily fall back into their old feelings. Nate wants to help Brenna get over her need for alcohol, fight for her children and find her faith again. When new information on the pastor’s murder surfaces and an arsonist sets wildfires that threaten their town, Nate and Brenna must rely on each other, fight for the truth and be willing to believe in a future together.
I loved Nate and how he turned his life around. He is definitely BBF material and his life as a hotshot was interesting. I felt terrible and frustrated with Brenna. She was a great mother, but her alcohol abuse, while realistic, left me so frustrated. She was giving up and not fighting for her children until Nate showed her how. I was also not aware of the author’s previous books and that this book was a Christian romance, which I would not have read if I had known and I would have missed out on a good story.
The mystery from the past of the pastor’s murder and the church arson where both written and integrated well into the story and tied to the present day wildfire and Brenna’s custody battle. The solution was easy to figure out, but still satisfying.
Overall, I recommend this second chance romance.
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Author’s Bio
Terri Blackstock has sold over seven million books worldwide and is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author. She is the award-winning author of Intervention, Vicious Cycle, and Downfall, as well as such series as Cape Refuge, Newpointe 911, the SunCoast Chronicles, and the Restoration Series.
I am very happy to share my Feature Post and Book Review for Lori Foster’s new contemporary romance ALL FIRED UP (Road to Love #3). Even though this is the third book in the series, it is easily read as a standalone.
Below you will find a summary of the book, an excerpt from the book, my book review and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
Charlotte Parrish has always wanted a certain kind of man: someone responsible, settled, boring. Bad boys need not apply. But when her car leaves her stranded and a mysterious stranger with brooding eyes and a protective streak comes to her rescue, she can’t deny how drawn she is to him. In town searching for family he’s never met, Mitch is everything she never thought she wanted—and suddenly everything she craves.
Finding his half brothers after all these years is more than Mitch Crews has allowed himself to wish for. Finding love never even crossed his mind…until he meets Charlotte. She’s sweet, warmhearted, sexier than she knows—and too damn good for an ex-con like him. But when his past comes back to haunt him, putting Charlotte—and the family he’s come to care for—in danger, Mitch isn’t playing by the rules. He’s already surrendered his heart, but now he’ll risk his life.
***
Excerpt
From CHAPTER ONE
The warm, muggy night closed around him, leaving his shirt damp in places. Sweat prickled the back of his neck. Inside Freddie’s he’d find air-conditioning, but he’d never again take fresh air for granted. He valued every single breath of humid air that filled his lungs.
The moon climbed the black sky as time slipped by. How much time, he didn’t know: he’d stopped keeping track the second he saw her.
Headlights from the occasional passing car came near him but didn’t intrude on the shadows where he stood.
Transfixed by her.
Damn, he wanted that mouth.
In the short time he’d locked eyes on her, a dozen fantasies had formed—most of them based on her naked lips, the way she occasionally pursed them, how she twisted her lips to the side in frustration, even how she blew out a breath. The whole package was nice…but it was her mouth that kept him unmoving, staring. Imagining.
Slight of build, she served as a bright spot in the dark gloom. Understated and yet something struck him as undeniably sexy.
Once he’d noticed her, he couldn’t look away.
After speaking softly into a phone, she bit her plump bottom lip, and her expression showed frustrated defeat.
The lady had made several consecutive calls. Was she in need of assistance? Given the way she’d circled a car, occasionally glaring at it, he thought she did. Judging by her frown, there wouldn’t be any help on the way.
Since getting out of prison a year ago, Mitch had spent an excess of time with women. Hell, next to fresh air, freedom and steak, sex topped his list. He’d immersed himself in human contact, the gentleness, the carnality.
He’d taken satisfaction in pleasing someone else while abating a base need. Hell, watching a woman come gave him as much pleasure as his own release.
So he’d gotten his fill and then some—all while making plans to change the course of his life. To make it better. To carve out a meaningful future.
Here he was, where he needed to be, determined, resolute… and sidetracked by a gorgeous woman.
That in itself left him edgy with curiosity. No other woman had snagged his attention this way. He knew zip about her, and yet seeing her had heat building beneath his skin.
He tried to look away, but his attention kept zeroing back.
Freaking bizarre.
It was like seeing something you hadn’t known you wanted, but immediately recognizing it as necessary.
Even dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and flip-flops, he knew the lady had nothing in common with him. Innocence all but screamed from her slender body and reserved manner. To someone with his jaded background, that put her in the “do not touch” category.
His fingers curled and his palms burned. Yeah, he wanted to touch her despite that.
And he didn’t look away.
From the shadowed corner just outside the bar, he watched her thumb dial another number into her phone. While holding the phone to her ear, she paced. The overhead glow of the security light touched her in select places, alternately highlighting and then shadowing her understated curves.
High cheekbones framed a slender, straight nose. She tucked a few drifting curls behind a small ear. Though rounded, he saw the mulish determination in her stubborn little chin.
And that mouth…thoughts of it under his mouth—and on his body—tightened his jaw until his molars ached.
For the first time in years, he wondered if he could put off his agenda for a bit, say something to her, see if there was something between them despite the seemingly obvious roadblocks.
Opposites attract, and all that.
He’d made this trip a center point for a new future.
In this Podunk town he’d subtly uncovered what he could about Brodie and Jack Crews. That was the priority after all. Moving forward, leaving the past behind. It started with the Crews brothers. Hitting the bar tonight might have gained him more insight into them.
But would a slight detour—the type with long curly brown hair and a sweet little body—matter so much?
If he listened to his dick, the answer was no. His balls were giving a resounding “go for it” as well.
His head though… Hell, his head claimed he could afford a delay. In the grand scheme of things, it wouldn’t matter.
Since arriving in town, he’d discovered that the men were well liked, each of them married, and they had an odd but interesting business called Mustang Transport. Locals claimed they dealt with mundane shit as well as serial killers and psychopaths. Somewhere in the middle, the truth lurked.
He’d also heard about their mother. He’d been hearing about her for as long as he could remember. For very different reasons she interested him almost as much as Brodie and Jack.
He had no connection to Rosalyn Crews, but meeting the men felt important in a way nothing else ever had. He couldn’t explain it, even to himself. He’d gone through life making damn sure he needed no one, and that he wanted only for things he could get for himself.
Now, much as it chapped his ass, he wanted something else— and it depended on Brodie and Jack Crews.
It didn’t have to happen right away, though. He wouldn’t mind burning off some energy before making that initial contact—especially if he could convince this woman to give him a few hours of her time.
He noted every small movement as she spoke into her phone. He couldn’t catch every word, but the low murmur of her voice stroked over him. He was pretty sure she left a message.
Suddenly she held the phone back and stared at it. Hot annoyance tightened her mouth and brought down her brows.
“Perfect. Just freaking perfect.”
He heard that loud and clear.
Jamming the phone into a back pocket—a tight fit over that sweetly rounded backside—she dropped her head with a throaty groan that traveled along his spine like a sensual stroke. Her eyes closed, her mouth flattened, and the damp night drew her long, light brown hair into coiling curls.
He’d love to tangle his fingers in her unruly hair.
As if spurred by her innate energy, the curls moved, bouncing a little, drifting with the breeze. Judging people had kept him alive. With this woman, he sensed she didn’t indulge in downtime very often. Even standing still, she seemed to…spark with energy.
Curiosity cut into him, mingling with the carnal interest.
Had she been stood up? Walked out on a date?
Just then she growled, “Dead. Stupid phone.” The thump of her hand to a metal lamppost sent a dull clang ringing over the area. “Now what?”
Ah, well that answered his question.
White teeth nibbled her bottom lip in consideration. Considering, she glanced at the bar, shook her head once, and returned to pacing.
Clouds covered the moon, amplifying the darkness. She was far too petite to be stranded alone.
Doesn’t mean she wants a quick fuck, he argued with himself.
The young woman stewing in front of him might be more likely to sell brownies at a local bake sale, but engage in a hot one-night stand? Probably not.
Sure, she was standing outside a rowdy bar all alone on a late night—but then, so was he.
So what should he do? Be smart and turn away, or see if she needed help? He remained undecided when two men exited the bar with a lot of noisy fanfare.
Drunken asses.
The woman glanced up, then quickly away with a roll of her eyes—but not quickly enough to avoid notice.
“Charlotte, hey! Whatssup?” With a leer, a mop-headed man added, “You waitin’ for me, sugar?”
Mitch caught the way his unshaven bud snickered, proving the irony in the question.
“Definitely not,” she replied, her tone crisp and clear.
Mitch liked the sound of her voice. Not all girly or too sweet, but firm and no-nonsense.
He did not like how the two dunces eyeballed her anyway, stumbling in her direction despite her preferences.
“Ah, c’mon now, don’t be like that,” the talkative one said.
His idiot friend guffawed, stumbled and heckled some more.
Charlotte—nice name—propped her hands on slim hips and issued a dire warning. “You’d be smart to keep walking, Bernie.”
“How come you’re here alone?” He tried a teasing voice that Mitch suspected did the opposite of entice. “You know where to find me this time of night.”
“Drunk, as usual. Yes, I know.” Annoyance squared her narrow shoulders. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I finished a late delivery and was heading home, then had car trouble.”
She didn’t exactly look afraid, but more like fed up. Before Mitch gave it enough thought, his feet carried him out of the shadows and immediately drew her attention.
Soft blue. Now that he saw her eyes more clearly, he found them every bit as compelling as her mouth.
Alert, maybe a little wary, she zeroed in on him. Her lips parted and she blinked twice.
You’re sealing your fate, sugar. He tried a smile of part interest, part reassurance.
Her gaze went beyond him, searching the darkness, and then snapped back again. “Where did you come from?”
With his attention only on her, Mitch held up his hands and avoided a direct answer. “Just seeing if you need any help.”
Emboldened by liquid courage, the two men blustered at him. “G’lost, asshole. She don’t need nothin’ from you.”
As if Bernie and his bad grammar didn’t hover there beside her, Charlotte asked, “You’re new around here?”
Mitch gave her a long look. What, did she know everyone in Red Oak, Ohio? Probably. He could jog the main street, one end to the other, without breaking a sweat. “I’ve been here a few days.” Whether he was passing through, or sticking around, wasn’t her business. Besides, for now, he wasn’t sure.
Brazen stupidity urged Bernie to step up in front of him. “You ain’t listening. I told you to—”
Disgust curved Mitch’s mouth into a mean smile meant to intimidate. “You’re right. I’m not listening to you.” Insulting disregard took his gaze over the smaller man before he dismissed him. “I’m talking only to her.”
By size difference alone, it was beyond ludicrous for Bernie to issue a challenge.
And yet, he did. “Are you fuckin’ stupid?”
Charlotte’s voice, now edged with anger, interrupted anything Mitch might have replied or done. “You’ve been warned, Bernie. If you don’t knock it off right now, you are not going to like the consequences.”
Still, the fool didn’t listen. “I said,” Bernie blasted, his breath putrid, “for you to get lost.” A scrawny fist, aiming for Mitch’s face, swatted through the air.
Bad move, asshole.
Instincts could be a son of a bitch. Mitch leaned away from the weak hit…and at the same time automatically jabbed with his right.
His fist landed right on Bernie’s chin.
Eyes rolling back, the smaller man started to drop.
Infuriated that he’d lost his grip in front of Charlotte, Mitch caught the front of Bernie’s shirt and held him on his tiptoes. “You,” he whispered between barely moving lips, “need to learn when to quit.” Familiar anger surfaced despite his efforts to tamp it down…
And a small, cool hand touched him.
Struck clean down to his toes, Mitch peered first at those pale, tapered fingers with short, neat nails resting lightly against the roped muscles of his sun-darkened forearm.
Fucking sexy, that’s what it was, highlighting all their differences, especially those of strength and capability.
Her face drew him next, the delicate lines, smooth skin…that mouth and those eyes.
That wild hair.
“I think,” she said softly, a smile teasing her mouth, “if you let Bernie go now, he’ll make a hasty retreat.” Slanting those mesmerizing eyes toward old Bernie, she added with silky menace, “At least, he better.”
Keen awareness nudged out anger.
Everything about her appealed to him.
She stood to his left, and the heady scent of her skin and hair—like baby powder and flowers—teased his nose.
He drew a deeper, fuller breath, filling his lungs with her and knew he could happily drown on that scent.
Slowly, wanting to keep her close, Mitch unclenched his fingers and allowed Bernie to stumble back to where his buddy helped to prop him up.
Unconcerned with that, Charlotte’s fingers shifted in the lightest of explorations before she snatched her hand away.
Interesting—especially that splash of color on her cheeks.
She looked up at him, gave a wan smile, and whispered, “Thank you.”
“For popping him?”
Curls bounced as she gave a quick shake of her head. “For not doing him more damage.” She wrinkled her nose, leaning closer to confide, “You could have, I know.”
ALL FIRED UP (Road to Love #3) by Lori Foster is a
new contemporary romance with a suspense element in the Road to Love series.
Even though this is the third book in the series, it is easily read as a
standalone.
Charlotte Parrish was taken in and unofficially adopted by
the Crews family when her mother passed away. The brothers have always treated
her like their little sister. She gives as good as she gets while managing
their office for them. Charlotte loves her job and the all the Crews, but when
it comes to her dream man, she would prefer someone not attracted to danger,
but someone she would not have to worry about on the job and wanting to settle
down.
On the way home from a job delivering a dog to the shelter,
Charlotte’s car gets a flat and leaves her stranded outside the local bar. When
a drunken regular starts bothering her, a stranger appears out of the shadows
and rescues her.
Mitch Crews has come to town to meet the half brothers he
has never known. When he helps the stranded Charlotte, he has no idea his
brothers are about to show up. He is immediately drawn to Charlotte’s kindness,
sass and vulnerability and he knows she is too good for an ex-con like him.
When Mitch’s past comes looking for him, Charlotte and his
new found family are in danger. Mitch will learn he is no longer alone and
family fights together.
Charlotte and Mitch are wonderful characters that worked out
to be perfect for each other. I do not feel they were exactly opposites,
because in the end they really were looking for the same thing for their
futures. This is a slow building romance even with the instant attraction. The
sex scenes appear towards the end of the book and are explicit, but not
gratuitous. Ms. Foster could not have made me happier with Mitch’s dog. I love
my pitties and Brute was a great addition to the story.
This romance has a hero who really deserves a HEA, a heroine
who is sweet and strong, a family that sticks together even as secrets are revealed
and danger stalks them and lovable rescue dogs. I highly recommend this romance
even without reading the first two in the series.
***
AUTHOR BIO
Lori Foster is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author with books from a variety of publishers, including Berkley/Jove, Kensington, St. Martin’s, Harlequin and Silhouette. Lori has been a recipient of the prestigious RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic Fantasy, and for Contemporary Romance. For more about Lori, visit her Web site at www.lorifoster.com.
Today I am sharing the Feature Post and Book Review for Julia London’s first book in her new A Royal Wedding series – THE PRINCESS PLAN.
Below you will find a book summary, an excerpt from the book, my book review and the author’s bio and social media links.
***
The Princess Plan
London, Julia
FICTION/Romance/Historical/Victorian
Mass Market | HQN Books | A Royal Wedding
On Sale: 11/19/2019
9781335041531
$7.99
$10.99 CAN
***
Book Summary
Princes have pomp and glory—not murdered secretaries and crushes on commoners
Nothing gets London’s high society’s tongues wagging like a good scandal. And when the personal secretary of the visiting Prince Sebastian of Alucia is found murdered, it’s all anyone can talk about, including Eliza Tricklebank. Her unapologetic gossip gazette has benefitted from an anonymous tip about the crime, prompting Sebastian to take an interest in playing detective—and an even greater one in Eliza.
With a trade deal on the line and mounting pressure to secure a noble bride, there’s nothing more salacious than a prince dallying with a commoner. Sebastian finds Eliza’s contrary manner as frustrating as it is seductive, but they’ll have to work together if they’re going to catch the culprit. And when things heat up behind closed doors, it’s the prince who’ll have to decide what comes first—his country or his heart.
***
Excerpt
CHAPTER ONE
London 1845
All of London has been on tenterhooks, desperate for a glimpse of Crown Prince Sebastian of Alucia during his highly anticipated visit. Windsor Castle was the scene of Her Majesty’s banquet to welcome him. Sixty-and-one-hundred guests were on hand, feted in St. George’s Hall beneath the various crests of the Order of the Garter. Two thousand pieces of silver cutlery were used, one thousand crystal glasses and goblets. The first course and main dish of lamb and potatoes were served on silver-gilded plates, followed by delicate fruits on French porcelain.
Prince Sebastian presented a large urn fashioned of green Alucian malachite to our Queen Victoria as a gift from his father the King of Alucia. The urn was festooned with delicate ropes of gold around the mouth and the neck.
The Alucian women were attired in dresses of heavy silk worn close to the body, the trains quite long and brought up and fastened with buttons to facilitate walking. Their hair was fashioned into elaborate knots worn at the nape. The Alucian gentlemen wore formal frock coats of black superfine wool that came to midcalf, as well as heavily embroidered waistcoats worn to the hip. It was reported that Crown Prince Sebastian is “rather tall and broad, with a square face and neatly trimmed beard, a full head of hair the color of tea, and eyes the color of moss,” which the discerning reader might think of as a softer shade of green. It is said he possesses a regal air owing chiefly to the many medallions and ribbons he wore befitting his rank.
Honeycutt’s Gazette of Fashion and Domesticity for Ladies
The Right Honorable Justice William Tricklebank, a widower and justice of the Queen’s Bench in Her Majesty’s service, was very nearly blind, his eyesight having steadily eroded into varying and fuzzy shades of gray with age. He could no longer see so much as his hand, which was why his eldest daughter, Miss Eliza Tricklebank, read his papers to him.
Eliza had enlisted the help of Poppy, their housemaid, who was more family than servant, having come to them as an orphaned girl more than twenty years ago. Together, the two of them had anchored strings and ribbons halfway up the walls of his London townhome, and all the judge had to do was follow them with his hand to move from room to room. Among the hazards he faced was a pair of dogs that were far too enthusiastic in their wish to be of some use to him, and a cat who apparently wished him dead, judging by the number of times he put himself in the judge’s path, or leapt into his lap as he sat, or walked across the knitting the judge liked to do while his daughter read to him, or unravelled his ball of yarn without the judge’s notice.
The only other potential impediments to his health were his daughters—Eliza, a spinster, and her younger sister, Hollis, otherwise known as the Widow Honeycutt. They were often together in his home, and when they were, it seemed to him there was quite a lot of laughing at this and shrieking at that. His daughters disputed that they shrieked, and accused him of being old and easily startled. But the judge’s hearing, unlike his eyesight, was quite acute, and those two shrieked with laughter. Often.
At eight-and-twenty, Eliza was unmarried, a fact that had long baffled the judge. There had been an unfortunate and rather infamous misunderstanding with one Mr. Asher Daughton-Cress, who the judge believed was despicable, but that had been ten years ago. Eliza had once been demure and a politely deferential young lady, but she’d shed any pretense of deference when her heart was broken. In the last few years she had emerged vibrant and carefree. He would think such demeanour would recommend her to gentlemen far and wide, but apparently it did not. She’d had only one suitor since her very public scandal, a gentleman some fifteen years older than Eliza. Mr. Norris had faithfully called every day until one day he did not. When the judge had inquired, Eliza had said, “It was not love that compelled him, Pappa. I prefer my life here with you—the work is more agreeable, and I suspect not as many hours as marriage to him would require.”
His youngest, Hollis, had been tragically widowed after only two years of a marriage without issue. While she maintained her own home, she and her delightful wit were a faithful caller to his house at least once a day without fail, and sometimes as much as two or three times per day. He should like to see her remarried, but Hollis insisted she was in no rush to do so. The judge thought she rather preferred her sister’s company to that of a man.
His daughters were thick as thieves, as the saying went, and were coconspirators in something that the judge did not altogether approve of. But he was blind, and they were determined to do what they pleased no matter what he said, so he’d given up trying to talk any practical sense into them.
That questionable activity was the publication of a ladies’ gazette. Tricklebank didn’t think ladies needed a gazette, much less one having to do with frivolous subjects such as fashion, gossip and beauty. But say what he might, his daughters turned a deaf ear to him. They were unfettered in their enthusiasm for this endeavour, and if the two of them could be believed, so was all of London.
The gazette had been established by Hollis’s husband, Sir Percival Honeycutt. Except that Sir Percival had published an entirely different sort of gazette, obviously— one devoted to the latest political and financial news. Now that was a useful publication to the judge’s way of thinking.
Sir Percival’s death was the most tragic of accidents, the result of his carriage sliding off the road into a swollen river during a rain, which also saw the loss of a fine pair of grays. It was a great shock to them all, and the judge had worried about Hollis and her ability to cope with such a loss. But Hollis proved herself an indomitable spirit, and she had turned her grief into efforts to preserve her husband’s name. But as she was a young woman without a man’s education, and could not possibly comprehend the intricacies of politics or financial matters, she had turned the gazette on its head and dedicated it solely to topics that interested women, which naturally would be limited to the latest fashions and the most tantalizing on dits swirling about London’s high society. It was the judge’s impression that women had very little interest in the important matters of the world.
And yet, interestingly, the judge could not deny that Hollis’s version of the gazette was more actively sought than her husband’s had ever been. So much so that Eliza had been pressed into the service of helping her sister prepare her gazette each week. It was curious to Tricklebank that so many members of the Quality were rather desperate to be mentioned among the gazette’s pages.
Today, his daughters were in an unusually high state of excitement, for they had secured the highly sought-after invitations to the Duke of Marlborough’s masquerade ball in honor of the crown prince of Alucia. One would think the world had stopped spinning on its axis and that the heavens had parted and the seas had receded and this veritable God of All Royal Princes had shined his countenance upon London and blessed them all with his presence.
Hogwash.
Everyone knew the prince was here to strike an important trade deal with the English government in the name of King Karl. Alucia was a small European nation with impressive wealth for her size. It was perhaps best known for an ongoing dispute with the neighboring country of Wesloria—the two had a history of war and distrust as fraught as that between England and France.
The judge had read that it was the crown prince who was pushing for modernization in Alucia, and who was the impetus behind the proposed trade agreement. Prince Sebastian envisioned increasing the prosperity of Alucia by trading cotton and iron ore for manufactured goods. But according to the judge’s daughters, that was not the most important part of the trade negotiations. The important part was that the prince was also in search of a marriage bargain.
“It’s what everyone says,” Hollis had insisted to her father over supper recently “And how is it, my dear, that everyone knows what the prince intends?” the judge asked as he stroked the cat, Pris, on his lap. The cat had been named Princess when the family believed it a female. When the houseman Ben discovered that Princess was, in fact, a male, Eliza said it was too late to change the name. So they’d shortened it to Pris. “Did the prince send a letter? Announce it in the Times?”
“Caro says,” Hollis countered, as if that were quite obvious to anyone with half a brain where she got her information. “She knows everything about everyone, Pappa.”
“Aha. If Caro says it, then by all means, it must be true.”
“You must yourself admit she is rarely wrong,” Hollis had said with an indignant sniff.
Caro, or Lady Caroline Hawke, had been a lifelong friend to his daughters, and had been so often underfoot in the Tricklebank house that for many years, it seemed to the judge that he had three daughters.
Caroline was the only sibling of Lord Beckett Hawke and was also his ward. Long ago, a cholera outbreak had swept through London, and both Caro’s mother and his children’s mother had succumbed. Amelia, his wife, and Lady Hawke had been dear friends. They’d sent their children to the Hawke summer estate when Amelia had taken ill. Lady Hawke had insisted on caring for her friend and, well, in the end, they were both lost.
Lord Hawke was an up-and-coming young lord and politician, known for his progressive ideas in the House of Lords. He was rather handsome, Hollis said, a popular figure, and socially in high demand. Which meant that, by association, so was his sister. She, too, was quite comely, which made her presence all the easier to her brother’s many friends, the judge suspected.
But Caroline did seem to know everyone in London, and was constantly calling on the Tricklebank household to spout the gossip she’d gleaned in homes across Mayfair. Here was an industrious young lady—she called on three salons a day if she called on one. The judge supposed her brother scarcely need worry about putting food in their cupboards, for the two of them were dining with this four-and-twenty or that ten-and-six almost every night. It was a wonder Caroline wasn’t a plump little peach.
Perhaps she was. In truth, she was merely another shadow to the judge these days.
“And she was at Windsor and dined with the queen,” Hollis added with superiority.
“You mean Caro was in the same room but one hundred persons away from the queen,” the judge suggested. He knew how these fancy suppers went.
“Well, she was there, Pappa, and she met the Alucians, and she knows a great deal about them now. I am quite determined to discover who the prince intends to offer for and announce it in the gazette before anyone else. Can you imagine? I shall be the talk of London!”
This was precisely what Mr. Tricklebank didn’t like about the gazette. He did not want his daughters to be the talk of London.
But it was not the day for him to make this point, for his daughters were restless, moving about the house with an urgency he was not accustomed to. Today was the day of the Royal Masquerade Ball, and the sound of crisp petticoats and silk rustled around him, and the scent of perfume wafted into his nose when they passed. His daughters were waiting impatiently for Lord Hawke’s brougham to come round and fetch them. Their masks, he was given to understand, had already arrived at the Hawke House, commissioned, Eliza had breathlessly reported, from “Mrs. Cubison herself.”
He did not know who Mrs. Cubison was.
And frankly, he didn’t know how Caro had managed to finagle the invitations to a ball at Kensington Palace for his two daughters—for the good Lord knew the Tricklebanks did not have the necessary connections to achieve such a feat.
He could feel their eagerness, their anxiety in the nervous pitch of their giggling when they spoke to each other. Even Poppy seemed nervous. He supposed this was to be the ball by which all other balls in the history of mankind would forever be judged, but he was quite thankful he was too blind to attend.
When the knock at the door came, he was startled by such squealing and furious activity rushing by him that he could only surmise that the brougham had arrived and the time had come to go to the ball.
THE PRINCESS PLAN (A Royal Wedding #1) by Julia
London is the first book in a new historical romance series. A Cinderella
styled romance with a mystery subplot.
Prince Sebastian of Alucia is in London to officially close
a trade deal with England as well as secure a noble bride. The morning after a
masked ball, the personal secretary and most trusted friend of the Prince is
found murdered in his bed.
Every tongue in London is wagging, but no one seems to know who
is responsible. Prince Sebastian is told that a ladies’ gossip and fashion
gazette has printed a rumor implicating a member of his entourage. He and his
brother seek out the author.
Eliza Tricklebank is a spinster firmly on the shelf after a
scandal in her youth. She lives with and assists her blind father who is a
judge on the Queen’s bench. With her widowed sister, Hollis and their best
friend, Carolyn, the three produce the gazette the princes seek.
Prince Sebastian does not know what to make of this commoner
who has no regard to his status, but he is also intrigued. Sebastian finds
Eliza frustrating, but also helpful in his quest. As they work together to
uncover a killer, their attraction grows. As everything comes to a head, Sebastian
will have to choose between his country or his heart.
I enjoyed Sebastian and Eliza and their banter. I also
enjoyed Eliza with her sister and friend as the three always supported each
other. I did feel that this story had some problems with being in the
historical genre and would have been better suited in a more modern setting. No
matter how enlightened, I had to suspend historical belief on the way Eliza dealt
with the Prince, also at a ball when Eliza ran into the man who caused her young
scandal because he was with his pregnant wife, which in no way would happen; women
stayed at home when pregnant.
This is a fun, fluffy and fast read, but not my favorite by
this author.
***
Author Bio and Social Media Links
AUTHOR BIO
Julia London is a NYT, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of historical and contemporary romance. She is a six-time finalist for the RITA Award of excellence in romantic fiction, and the recipient of RT Bookclub’s Best Historical Novel.
