Tag: #excerpt

Feature Post: A Merciful Silence by Kendra Elliot

   

I am very pleased to share this feature post for A MERCIFUL SILENCE (Mercy Kilpatrick, #4) by Kendra Elliot. This post includes a message from Ms. Elliot, an excerpt, and a summary of this book. An author biography and web links are followed by a Rafflecopter giveaway. I hope you enjoy this post and good luck on the giveaway!

(My review is to follow.)

***

Message from Kendra Elliot: Mercy’s road to the FBI

Mercy Kilpatrick, the heroine from my newest release A Merciful Silence, was raised by anti-government preppers in Central Oregon. She grew up learning to live off the land, avoid law enforcement, and never trust the government. When she was eighteen, she and her father had a falling out that forced Mercy from the home.

She entered the regular world but could never leave her prepping roots behind. She eventually joined the FBI—thereby becoming the two things that her father hated most. Estranged from her family, Mercy keeps one foot in the regular world and another in her hidden past. She can’t help but prepare for the end of the world. No one at the FBI knows she escapes to her mountain hideaway every weekend where she stocks firewood, food, fuel, and medical supplies.

An FBI domestic terrorism case pulls her to back to her hometown where she must face her family for the first time in fifteen years. The case takes place in a survivalist world with which she is all too familiar, and suspects some of her family may be involved.

***

Excerpt: A Merciful Silence

Her GPS took her on a wet, winding trip thirty miles out of Bend. Mercy revered privacy, and it appeared Britta Vale did the same. The terrain was flat, with clumps of huge trees and fields of scattered volcanic rock. She took the final turn off the two-lane road and was pleasantly surprised to find a well-maintained gravel driveway. A wood fence lined one side of the drive, and Mercy idly wondered if Britta kept cows or sheep in the field. A wide creek rapidly flowed through the pasture, full of the recent rains. A few minutes later she stopped in front of an old white farmhouse. Fields flanked the house on two sides, and a small ancient grove of fruit trees was to the east.

The paint flaked from the two-story building, and large pieces of railing were missing from the wraparound deck. Lace curtains appeared at most of the windows, and a newer Ford pickup was parked next to the home. As Mercy stepped out of her Tahoe, faint barking greeted her, and she spotted a black lab inside, watching through a tall window next to the front door, alerting the residents that company had arrived. Its wagging tail defied the belligerent barks.

Overall, Mercy liked the home. It felt shy but friendly. Sequestered but welcoming.

The door opened and a woman appeared. In one hand she gripped the lab’s collar. With the other she balanced a rifle against her shoulder.

Not threatening, but making her stance clear.

Mercy approved. And stopped moving forward. Mercy stood with her right shoulder and hip slightly farther back and casually held her hands out in front of her stomach, the palms up. A nonaggressive pose, but she was ready to move to the gun in her shoulder holster if needed. “Britta Vale?”

“Who wants to know?” The woman’s tone was polite but direct. Her long hair was black. The flat-black, obviously dyed tone. Blunt-cut bangs just above Britta’s eyebrows gave her a no-nonsense look.

“I’m Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick from the Bend FBI office. You’re welcome to call them to verify me.”

“Take three steps closer.”

Mercy took three measured steps, her hands still exposed. She felt the weight of her weapon at her side and watched Britta for any warning movements. The woman stood perfectly still, the dog’s wagging tail a contrast. At this distance Mercy could meet Britta’s gaze. The woman had light-blue eyes and skin that looked as if it’d never seen the sun. She also had a huge tattoo that wrapped around the front of her neck. Mercy couldn’t read it but wondered how painful the process had been. She swallowed, imagining tiny sharp needles jabbing at the tender skin on her throat.

The woman released the dog, who instantly sat, its dark eyes still locked on Mercy.

“Are you here about Grady Baldwin?”

“Yes,” Mercy answered.

“Is he out? I’m supposed to be notified if he gets out. No one has said anything to me.” Britta’s voice shot up an octave as the words spilled out of her mouth, terror and anger flashing in her eyes. Her fingers tightened on the butt of the rifle, and Mercy tensed.

“He’s not out and he’s not getting out.”

The woman lowered her chin a notch, and her shoulders moved as she exhaled. “I have nightmares about police vehicles abruptly showing up at my home, trying to get me to safety. They’re always too late.” She nodded at Mercy’s Tahoe. “You’re clearly armed, and you have government plates, so you understand my reaction.”

“I do. You are Britta, right?” The woman acted like a survivor, but Mercy wanted to be certain.

“I am. Why are you here?”

“Yesterday we uncovered five bodies. Possibly a family—we aren’t certain about that. But each one of them had been struck in the mouth. Their teeth and jaws shattered.”

The pale woman went a shade whiter as she slapped a hand across her mouth, and the dog whined, leaning hard against her thigh.

***

About the Book

Title: A MERCIFUL SILENCE

Author: Kendra Elliot

Release Date: June 19, 2018

Publisher: Montlake Romance

 

Summary

 

For FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick, returning to rural Oregon has meant coming to terms with her roots. Raised as a prepper, Mercy is now relying on her survivalist instincts to defend her town from the people the law can’t reach. But this time, an investigation calling up a dark past for her and police chief Truman Daly may be hitting too close to home.

A rainstorm has uncovered the remains of five people—a reprise of the distinctive slaughter of two families twenty years ago. Except the convicted killer is in prison. Is this the case of a sick copycat, or is the wrong man behind bars? One person might have the answer. The lone survivor of the decades-old crimes has returned to town still claiming that she can’t remember a thing about the night she was left for dead. As the search for the truth becomes more dangerous, Mercy fears that the traumatized woman may not have buried her memories at all. She might be keeping them a secret. And there’s a price to be paid for revealing them.

***

Author Biography

Kendra Elliot has landed on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list multiple times and is the award-winning author of the Bone Secrets and Callahan & McLane series, as well as the Mercy Kilpatrick novels: A Merciful Death, A Merciful Truth, and A Merciful Secret. Kendra is a three-time winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, an International Thriller Writers finalist, and an RT Award finalist. She has always been a voracious reader, cutting her teeth on classic female heroines such as Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Laura Ingalls. She was born, raised, and still lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her husband and three daughters, but she looks forward to the day she can live in flip-flops. Visit her at www.kendraelliot.com.

Social Media Links

Website – http://www.kendraelliot.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKendraElliot

Twitter – https://twitter.com/KendraElliot

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150778.Kendra_Elliot

***

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Feature Post: Hot Asset by Lauren Layne

    

This week, I am very pleased to be sharing a feature post from Lauren Layne and her new Contemporary romance – HOT ASSET.

Below you will find a message from the author and an excerpt from the book which is then followed by a summary of the story, author info and a Rafflecopter giveaway. (Good luck on the giveaway!)

***

Message From Author Lauren Layne

Whip smart with the looks of a Greek god and lots of money thanks to his hard work — what’s not to love? Ian, the hero of my newest release HOT ASSET, has been a bachelor for a long time in the NYC dating scene, but he’s met his match with Lara McKenzie. But even though she is in his life to scrutinize his career, that doesn’t stop him from taking his best shot at seducing the buttoned-up investigator for the SEC.

So what are Ian’s top ways to woo a woman and how well do they work on Lara? Let us see:

(1) Never underestimate the power of the pickup line … until it bombs.

Ian’s the master of the pickup line; so smooth, that women don’t even know it is a pick-up line. Until Lara. He crashes and burns with everything he says in their first meeting.

(2) Flattery will get you everywhere. Usually.

Ian’s the type of guy who always knows exactly what to say to even the most skeptical of women to make her blush a little. Not so much with Lara McKenzie! She literally has no use for pretty compliments. She already knows she’s got it going on where it counts—her brains.

(3) An unexpected gesture will get you everywhere … until it doesn’t.

Ian knows the power in the element of surprise, a gift or gesture when the woman’s least expecting it. Except Lara is always expecting it. And thus, decidedly less than impressed.

(4) Keep her far away from your baggage. Unless, of course, her job is to bust your baggage wide open.

Ian knows his best chance to score is keeping a woman’s attention on the here-and-now, since his past is more than a little messy. Unfortunately for him, Lara has zero interest in his present, and every interest in his past … which holds the key to destroying his future!

(5) A little Black Am-Ex card never hurts … unless she thinks you made your money illegally.

Ian Bradley knows that being filthy rich works in his favor when it comes to women. He can afford the best restaurants, the fanciest champagne. Meanwhile, Lara would like nothing more than to prove he made every last hard-earned penny illegally …

***

Hot Asset Excerpt

I’m pulling my stapler out of my box of office crap when there’s a knock at the conference room door.

I glance up, lifting my eyebrows in surprise when I see the last person I’d expect leaning against the doorway.

Ian Bradley’s dressed impeccably in a light-gray suit, black tie, and holding two frothy concoctions.

I click my stapler twice and study him, trying to figure out his game. His expression’s friendly, but his blue eyes are calculating.

“Mr. Bradley.”

“Ms. McKenzie.” He doesn’t move.

“Would you like to come in?”

He grins. “Would you like to put that stapler down?”

The moment I do, he steps forward and, setting one of the drinks on the table, slides it toward me with a flick of the wrist. If anyone else did this, the drink would tip and fall, but Ian simply makes the cup slide perfectly across the table and into my waiting hand.

I lift the Starbucks cup and study it. “Really. Bribery?”

“Barista made two by accident. I could just give it to Kate . . .”

“Ah yes, your assistant,” I say, leaping on the opening. I’d met Kate Henley yesterday, and my initial impression of the tiny brunette was that she has one of the best poker faces I’ve ever seen.

Verdict after trying to coax her into conversation today?

The best poker face I’ve ever seen. “She said she’s worked for you for five years,” I say.

“Mm.” He walks toward the window, looks down. “They gave you the bad conference room. The other ones have a better view.”

“I’m not here for the view.”

“No, you’re here because of J-Conn,” he says, turning back around.

It’s a predictable play, fishing for information. Granted, he’s right. I’m here for J-Conn, and I’m not all that surprised Wolfe’s already put that at the top of their guesses.

But this isn’t my first rodeo.

I say nothing, instead watching him carefully for any signs of nervousness, finding none.

“Why now?” he asks quietly. “Why are you guys after me for a company that crashed ten months ago?”

“Didn’t say that we were.” He’ll find out he’s right the second I start asking questions, but that’s not today. And I have no intention of playing this game on his terms.

Not that this is a game.

But the way he’s watching me, and the Starbucks drinks . . . I can tell he thinks it’s one.

“Okay, well let’s say hypothetically you’re here because of J-Conn,” Ian says smoothly. “What would have to happen to put me on your radar?”

I set the cup aside without taking a drink. “Hypothetically, we’d have a source,” I say, telling him nothing he doesn’t already know. “Who’s alleged you had insider knowledge of the company’s future.”

“Who’s the source?”

I snort. “Really. You bring me an overpriced coffee and think I’ll just tell all?”

“Or you could swoon,” he says with a wink.

This time I roll my eyes. “I’d heard you were a womanizer, but I confess, it’s really hard to picture.”

“Yeah?” He crosses his arms and sits on the edge of the conference room table. “What have you heard? Maybe that I’m good with my hands? That when I’m with a woman, I always make sure she gets her—”

I hold up a hand. “Stop.”

Good Lord, is it hot in here? I resist the urge to undo a button on my shirt.

He smirks, then glances down at my ignored beverage. “Try the drink, Ms. McKenzie.”

“No thanks,” I say briskly, trying to remind myself that I’m Lara McKenzie with the SEC, not Lara McKenzie, Ian Bradley groupie.

He gives an exasperated sigh as though I’m an uncooperative child and stands and walks toward me. He stops a couple of feet away and, without breaking eye contact, picks up the drink I’ve set aside and holds it out. “Try it.”

“This caveman approach might work on other women, but—”

“Oh, I get it,” he interrupts, starting to set aside the drink. “You’re scared. You like your lines straight, your colors black and white, your coffee boring. God forbid you try something new, live a little—”

Before I can stop myself, I reach out and snatch the drink. My fingers brush his, and the contact is so unexpectedly electric I nearly drop the damn thing.

He shifts slightly closer. Not to crowd, or to intimidate, or to kiss, but for a whisper-quiet seduction that’s about a million times more effective than his pickup lines so far.

For a hideous moment, I want to lean in to him, to brush my lips along his jaw, to . . .

Well, hell, I realize with a jolt. The man really may be as good as his reputation after all.

I can’t let him know it. I won’t.

I stay put, giving a little lean of my own, letting my eyes lock on his as I part my lips and put the green straw in my mouth. I take a sip of the cold, wonderfully sweet beverage, and I let out an mmm noise unlike anything I’ve ever made in my life.

His eyes flare with surprise, then desire, and for a long moment I have no idea who’s seducing whom, who’s one-upping the other . . .

Ian gives a slow smile that crinkles his eyes.

“Well played, Ms. McKenzie.”

“Back at you, Mr. Bradley.” I take a victory sip—it really is delicious. “You want to play sexy cat and mouse, I can play right back, and I’ll win.”

***

About the Book

Title: Hot Asset

Author: Lauren Layne

Release Date: May 22, 2018

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: 21 Wall Street

 

Summary

 

Ian Bradley is the definition of a Wall Street hotshot: seven-figure salary, designer suits, and a corner office. His drive off the floor is just as potent. Every woman who knows him has felt the rush. But now he’s met his match in Lara McKenzie—a woman with the power to bring Ian to his knees.

An ambitious, whip-smart daughter of FBI agents, Lara is a rising star in fighting white-collar crime. Her latest case—the investigation of Ian Bradley for insider trading—could make her career. She knows a scoundrel when she sees one. Ian fits the bill: a cocky, ridiculously handsome bad boy with a slick swagger.

She’ll do anything to prove he’s guilty. He’ll do anything to prove he’s not. But it’s only a matter of time before their fierce battle of wits gets oh so hot and personal. Now, taking down Ian has become more than business for Lara. It’s become a pleasure—and there’s more at risk than she ever dreamed.

About the Author

Lauren Layne, a former e-commerce and web marketing manager, moved from Seattle to New York City in 2011 to pursue a full-time writing career. Her first book was published in the summer of 2013, and since then, she’s written more than two dozen romantic comedies, hitting the New York Times, USA Today, iBooks, and Amazon bestseller lists. She currently lives in New York City with her husband.

Social Media Hits

Website: https://laurenlayne.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurenLayneAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_laurenlayne

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6969772.Lauren_Layne

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Feature Post: Burning Up by Jennifer Blackwood

I am very excited to be sharing this feature post from Jennifer Blackwood.

Below you will find a message from the hero of Burning Up, an excerpt from the book and a Rafflecopter giveaway. This looks to be the start of sizzling hot firefighter romance series!

 

 

Message From Jake Bennett, Hero from Burning Up

Hey, everyone. I’m Jake Bennett. I’m thirty-two and live in Portland, Oregon (Jesus, this sounds like I’m creating a dating profile, which I am definitely not). I’m a firefighter and single parent. Firefighting just came naturally as a career choice. My grandfather was a firefighter. Loved to take me to the station when I was a kid, and I haven’t wanted to do anything else ever since my four-year-old self held a hose. And why would I? I get to help people in need and my day is never boring when I get to spend it with my best buddies. Besides my job, my twelve-year-old daughter Bailey keeps me on my toes. I’ve Googled and YouTubed more than I’d care to admit to keep current on her latest obsessions (seriously, I know way too much about winged eyeliner and HTML coding).

It’s been me and Bailey for over a decade and we’re not looking to add to the family. See, after her mom skipped town on us when she was a baby, I’ve had a tough time trusting people. There are a few people I do trust, which include my firefighter brothers and my best friend’s little sister, Erin Jenkins. She’s back in town for the summer, and after ten years of not seeing her, she’s not the girl next door I remember. She has curves for days, blonde hair I want to sink my fingers into, and a mouth that drives me absolutely mad. She’s off limits and yet somehow, I decided it’d be a good idea to ask her as my date to my sister’s wedding (I claim sleep deprivation and a temporary loss of sanity).

And once we get to the wedding, we’re stuck in the same hotel room together.

Someone upstairs must be tempting me, because Erin is everything that I could ever want in a woman. Smart, sexy, and irresistible. But right now, I need to focus on being a parent. I made a promise to myself and Bailey that she’d be my number one until she went off to college. There’s also the fact that Erin is leaving at the end of the summer. It’d be stupid to contemplate something that already has an expiration date. Right?

Burning Up Excerpt

“Jake, honey, can you get more ice?” Jake’s mom called from down the table.

Without as much as a glance, his chair scratched against the hardwood floor as he backed away from the table. “Sure.”

Erin caught his hand before he could make it past. “Mind if I come, too?” The thought of sitting at the table and making small talk was enough to give her hives. Plus, she’d get this weirdness all out in the open because she wasn’t going to spend all weekend with him if he was going to act like a spooked horse.

Jake looked from the hallway back to the table, clearly debating his strategy. After a few moments, he nodded.

“I think it’s in the storage room over here,” he said. It was to the point where he wasn’t even looking at her now. What the hell had she done?

Before he could disappear into the room, she grabbed his arm again.

“Jake.”

He swiveled to face her, his eyes nearly melting her into a puddle of goo. Girl. Get ahold of yourself. It’s just a freaking man. Her body and mind were obviously on different terms. “Yeah?”

“Listen, this is just getting weird. Right? It’s not just me?”

He quirked a brow. “Weird how?”

“Don’t you play it off like it’s all me.” Erin did have a knack for making situations awkward, but there was no way she was the only one experiencing this level of discomfort. She put her hands on her hips. He had to feel this, too. One minute they were laughing like old times, the next, she was subject zero of an infectious disease. “It’s like I have the plague or something.”

“Do you have the plague?” he asked, clearly amused.

“No.” Copious amounts of hand sanitizer ensured that. “But you’re treating me like I do.”

“I’m not treating you like you have the plague.”

“Poisonous warts? Dengue fever? Halitosis? Take your pick,” she said.

He moved closer to her, his scent, a mix of cologne, beer, and mint encasing her. She’d like to say she didn’t inhale it creepily, but she was still Erin Jenkins.

“None of the above.” He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple climbing his throat.

“Then what is it?” She was at the point she almost wished she hadn’t come. At least then, she could live in her delusional bubble of reminiscing about the way things used to be, when he actually hung out with her.

Perfectly straight teeth raked across his bottom lip. “Being around you just brings back a lot of memories.”

“Hopefully not embarrassing ones.”

“Those are the best kind.”

“I see.” That was not an answer she’d been expecting. Play it cool. Yeah, she was never good at listening to her inner chi.

“Erin, as gorgeous as you are in that unfairly tight dress, you are my best friend’s sister. I work with Reece. I don’t want to lose my kneecaps because of something stupid I’d do.”

“You want to do something stupid?”

He grinned, his eyes lighting up into the dangerous glint he used to have when he was younger and about to do something that he’d absolutely regret. The one that always made Erin’s knees wobble like jelly. “Yes. Insanely stupid.”

His fingers brushed against her cheek, scorching a trail down her jawline.

“Tell me, Erin. Do people still use the word ravish?”

Damn it. So he had heard her earlier. When she thought she’d kept her thoughts in her head—where they belonged. She fought back a cringe and squared her shoulders. She was a grown woman and would own up to it.

“Those who read material other than Firefighters Monthly, yes.”

“A lesser man might be offended.” He took a step forward, and she parroted the move, taking a step back, her back hitting the wall. His arms bracketed her head, caging her in. “Feel free to peruse my science fiction selection anytime you want.”

She rolled her eyes. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d call that for what it is—the worst pickup line in existence.”

“Trust me, Erin, even if I dropped my best pickup line on you, it wouldn’t work.” He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath.

“Is that so?” Little did he know that he could use single-word commands, and she’d be playing her own version of “What Would You Do for a Klondike Bar?” Except instead of ice cream, her prize would be in the form of licking other things.

***

About the Book

Title: Burning Up

Author: Jennifer Blackwood

Release Date: May 8, 2018

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Series: Flirting with Fire, #1

Summary

Unemployed schoolteacher Erin Jenkins is back in Portland, the town she hasn’t called home for more than a decade. It’s not the way she wants to spend her last days of summer: in between jobs and avoiding her mother’s snooping by escaping to the ice-cream aisle. But when the opportunity arises for her to accompany her brother’s best friend—her lifetime crush—to a wedding, summer gets a whole lot more interesting.

Firefighter and single dad Jake Bennett has built a nice, safe wall around his heart—no romance, no getting burned. That doesn’t mean he’s ruling out a fling. Considering Erin’s visit is temporary, they’re the perfect fit for a scorching no-strings one-night stand. Or two. Or five. Until the worst thing happens: Erin and Jake are feeling more. Damn that four-letter word.

Now their hearts are on the line, and when their smoldering summer comes to a close, it’s going to be harder than ever to put out the fire.

 

Author Biography

Jennifer Blackwood is the USA Today bestselling author of the Rule Breakers, Drexler University, and Snowpocalypse series. Aside from writing contemporary romance, Blackwood teaches English in Oregon, where she lives with her husband, son, and unruly black Lab puppy. When she isn’t writing or teaching, you can find her binge-watching some of her favorite TV shows, such as Supernatural and Gilmore Girls.

Social Media Links

Website: www.jenniferblackwood.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferBlackwood

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jen_blackwood

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8532549.Jennifer_Blackwood

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Feature Post: Her Last Word by Mary Burton

I am very excited to be sharing this feature post from Mary Burton.

Below you will find a message from the author, an excerpt from Her Last Word and a Rafflecopter giveaway. (My personal review of this book will follow soon.)

 

Message From Author Mary Burton

My latest Romantic Suspense, HER LAST WORD is set in my hometown of Richmond, Virginia and features homicide detective John Adler, university teacher Kaitlin Roe and, not to be forgotten, a vengeful killer. HER LAST WORD has its roots in Kaitlin Roe’s obsession to solve the cold case of her missing cousin, Gina Mason, who vanished fourteen years ago. They were walking along the deserted road that snakes along the James River. Both were drunk. When a man attacked them, Kaitlin got away. By the time she found help, Gina was gone.

I’ve done quite bit of research over the years on police procedure and have attended events such as Sisters in Crime’s Forensic University, Writers Police Academy and my local citizen police academies. I’ve interviewed detectives and I have a library of books that cover everything from true crime stories, courtroom procedures to forensic evidence collection. Having a basic understanding of police procedure was a great jumping off point for this novel.

But with this story, I wanted to dig a little deeper, so I started listening to crime podcasts. Initially, I was searching for new police procedural twists and turns. I especially liked listening to podcasts featuring cops describing investigative techniques and their take on the criminals they hunted. As I listened, I found myself writing backstory scenes as if they were for a podcast. I found the style crisp and fun, and I was enamored with the idea of building the plot around a podcast.

As much as I enjoy this storytelling technique, I knew I couldn’t ignore my main protagonists. Let’s face it. We keep turning the pages to learn what’s happening to characters we care about. In this case, I knew the focus had to stay on Kaitlin and John. Plus, I love pairing opposites and those two fit that bill immediately. Both come from very different backgrounds, and it would be easy to assume they’d never be right for each other. But if you dig past John’s affluent background and Kaitlin’s less stable upbringing, you find two people who each carry a deep sense of guilt. It’s the losses they suffered that have changed them both, making them far more similar than anyone would imagine. The two are drawn to each other at the first spark of sexual tension. Both soon discover the other is honorable and values friends and family above everything, including personal safety.

And of course, I can’t forget the villain, the character I consider the most important in any suspense novel. Without the villain, there’d be no story. To me, one of the most entertaining bad guys I’ve ever written is in HER LAST WORD. He’s got a quirky sense of humor that under normal circumstances might be charming. His quips and jokes about cold blooded murder are hard to forget. Though I balanced several points of view in the book, slipping into the skin of one of my most chilling villains yet was fascinating and fun.

HER LAST WORD is not only told in a podcast style of writing, but it weaves together suspense with romance with a cast of characters that are truly some of my favorite.

***

Her Last Word Excerpt

Kaitlin had not revisited the spot by the river since she left Richmond fourteen years ago. Returning now was harder than she’d imagined. Her chest tightened and her hands trembled as she stood on the narrow road hugging the river just under Mrs. Hayward’s house.

The afternoon sun cast a warm glow on the rippling water lazily drifting past large rocks. The warmth of the sun took the edge off the cold and blustery air as she walked toward the outcropping of boulders that would be packed with sunbathers in only a few months. It looked so peaceful. So innocent.

She closed her eyes. The soothing sounds of nature grew silent in the wake of Gina’s screams. Her cries. And when she opened her eyes, for a brief second, she saw the menacing clown mask.

Every fiber in her demanded she run now.

Run, Kaitlin. Run.

Her fingers curled into fists.

Breathless, she retraced the same path she had walked with Gina. She hugged the shoulder of the narrow road, remembering as an occasional car came flying by full of kids not paying attention. With each step, she felt the pull of the past.

Kaitlin was now a half mile from Pony Pasture and standing at the spot. Her heart pounded as fragmented memories rushed her from all sides.

The knife to Gina’s throat and then her ear. Gina’s screams. The blood. The seconds when she didn’t remember but must have stood in shock and utter denial that this could be happening. A memory of those missing moments reached out and teased her, but it quickly drifted away. Why couldn’t she remember?

A car drove by, and she sidestepped into a line of trees separating the river from the road. To steady herself on the sloping bank, she placed her hand on one of the trees. Its broken branch scratched her palm, and in an instant a memory emerged.

It was Gina’s abductor. “I told you I’d come for you, Gina.”

She closed her eyes and replayed the words that until now had remained locked in her subconscious. She focused, trying to trigger more memories. She waited. Listened. But instead, the sounds of the river and wind in the trees came back.

Frustrated, she headed back to her car. “I’ll make this right, Gina.”

***

About the Book

Title: Her Last Word

Author: Mary Burton

Release Date: May 8, 2018

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Thriller

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Summary

Fourteen years ago, Kaitlin Roe was the lone witness to the abduction of her cousin Gina. She still remembers that lonely Virginia road. She can still see the masked stranger and hear Gina’s screams. And she still suffers the guilt of running away in fear and resents being interrogated as a suspect in the immediate aftermath. Now Kaitlin has only one way to assuage the pain and nightmares—by interviewing everyone associated with the unsolved crime for a podcast that could finally bring closure to a case gone cold.

But when a woman Kaitlin questions is later found stabbed to death, she fears that she’s drawn a killer out of hiding. It’s Detective John Adler’s fear that the murders have only just begun. Now his job is to keep Kaitlin safe.

As a bond between Kaitlin and Adler builds, the past closes in just as fast—and it’s darker than Kaitlin remembers. Soon, her wish will come true. She’s going to find out exactly what happened to Gina. Someone has been dying to tell her.

Author Biography

New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist Mary Burton is the highly praised author of twenty-eight published romance and suspense novels and five novellas. She lives in Virginia with her husband and three miniature dachshunds.

Author Social Media Links

Website: http://www.maryburton.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maryburtonfanpage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryBurtonBooks

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15020.Mary_Burton

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