Tag: #featurepost

Feature Post: The Girl in the Moss by Loreth Anne White

   

I am very happy to share this author interview with Loreth Anne White discussing her new book THE GIRL IN THE MOSS and her writing. After the interview, you will find a summary of the story, the author’s biography, links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Enjoy!

***

Loreth Anne White Interview

Congratulations on your new release! Tell us a bit about it.

THE GIRL IN THE MOSS is a cold case mystery/thriller that kicks off when a shallow grave in a mossy forest exposes the bones of a decades-old secret that begins to threaten a small community with lethal consequence. Early reviews have described the story as dark, atmospheric, and twisty with a “shocking conclusion”. While it can be read alone, THE GIRL IN THE MOSS is book 3 in the Angie Pallorino series, and the series has a romantic relationship thread playing out over the arc of the 3 books.

A larger philosophical question around cold case detecting also plays throughout this book. As one Goodreads reviewer wrote: “If history allows those in grief to move forward with their lives, trying to breath new life into a cold case threatens to upend everything for survivors. On the other hand, those who have gotten away with murder are eluding justice. Angie clearly represents Justice in this book, even at times when nearly everyone is against her and when some of the opposition’s arguments makes some sense.”

So yes, Angie is dogged, but hopefully for good reason—she knows how vital it was to her own sense of well-being to get to the bottom of her own cold case. She’d like to help others find similar closure.  And justice is something she can believe in.

You just love to put your heroine in mortal danger! Even on vacation Angie is somehow drawn into a missing persons cold case that has her fighting for her life. What is it about romantic suspense that fuels your creative juices?

I’ve always loved to read suspense with intrepid heroines who risk their lives, or who must face impossible odds to survive. It came naturally to try and write what I like to read.

One of the best things about your novels is the careful attention you give to both your couple and the crime that is being investigated. How do achieve this balance?

Thank you! I try to find a way to make the relationship an integral part of the case and vice versa, so that you can’t really pull one part of the story out without collapsing the whole thing.

 Your writing includes some in depth information about police procedures — in the case of this novel how to secure a crime scene. What type of research have you done in order to realistically write these scenes?

I’ve done many workshops with various branches of law enforcement, plus I do lots of reading of homicide investigation manuals which have been written to teach cops.

Even as an ex-cop, Angie often finds herself in dangerous situations. What draws her to the dark crimes she investigates? Is there anything else she wants to do with her life?

 Angie has a passion particularly for helping young women hurt by heinous crimes. This in part is because of her own past, even if she didn’t really know it at first. She’s dead set on running her own PI agency now, where she can pick her cases and still march to her own drum. And because of her reputation, some of those darker cases are going to pick her.

Maddocks has a fine line he must walk — as a homicide detective he has the duty to his squad, but he also feels a pull to include Angie in his work. How does he reconcile these two competing forces?

At the end of this book, they find a happy medium. Angie will work her own PI cases, many of them cold cases. And while there will be times the lines of her investigations cross with Maddocks’s police work, it will be more collaborative.

What can readers expect next from you?

THE DARK BONES is the working title of my next project. It’s an atmospheric mystery/suspense/romance set in ranching country in the B.C. interior, and while it is a standalone, it links to A DARK LURE, which was an Amazon #1 bestseller. I’ve had many, many readers write to ask for a linked book, and I hope THE DARK BONES hits all those same notes that A DARK LURE did. If all goes to plan—and things do yet all have to slot into place—the book will see the shelves early next summer.

***

About the Book

Title: The Girl in the Moss

Author: Loreth Anne White

Release Date: June 12, 2018

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Summary

Disgraced ex-cop Angie Pallorino is determined to make a new start for herself as a private investigator. But first, she and her lover, newly promoted homicide detective James Maddocks, attempt a quiet getaway to rekindle a romance struggling in the shadows of their careers. The peace doesn’t last long when human skeletal remains are found in a nearby mossy grove.

This decades-old mystery is just what Angie needs to establish her new career—even as it thrusts her and Maddocks back into the media spotlight, once again endangering their tenuous relationship.

Then, when Angie’s inquiry into the old crime intersects with a cold case from her own policing past—one that a detective on Maddocks’s new team is working—the investigation takes a startling twist. It puts more than Angie’s last shot at redemption and a future with Maddocks at risk. The mystery of the girl in the moss could kill her.

***

Author Biography

Loreth Anne White is an award-winning, bestselling author of romantic suspense, thrillers, and mysteries, including The Drowned Girls and The Lullaby Girl, the first two books in the Angie Pallorino series. Winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mainstream Mystery/Suspense, Loreth is also a three-time RITA finalist, plus a recipient of the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the National Readers’ Choice Award, the Romantic Crown for Best Romantic Suspense and Best Book Overall, and a Booksellers’ Best finalist. A former journalist who has worked in both South Africa and Canada, she now resides in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest with her family. When not writing, she skis, bikes, and hikes the trails with her dog, doing her best to avoid the bears (albeit unsuccessfully). Learn more at www.lorethannewhite.com.

 

Author Social Media Links

Website: http://www.lorethannewhite.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Loreth.Anne.White

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Loreth

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/150272.Loreth_Anne_White

***

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Embed Code

<a class=”rcptr” href=”http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f188/” rel=”nofollow” data-raflid=”07c2363f188″ data-theme=”classic” data-template=”” id=”rcwidget_oaga1tem”>a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>

<script src=”https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js“></script>

Direct Link

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f188

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: All the Pretty Girls by Riley Edwards

 

ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS

A Next Generation Novel

***

MEADOW:

The road was long, it was painful, and it was raw.

It has taken me four years to come to terms with my new reality. A life in which I live with the daily reminders of a vicious attack that has left me scarred both emotionally and physically. Years of recovery and acceptance were torn apart and obliterated the day Special Agent Nick Clark barges into my life. He says the person who attacked me and left me for dead is back. He says I was the first victim – the one who got away. He promises to protect me. But he can’t, no one can.

Nick is relentless in his pursuit and promises me the things I can’t afford to have – like hope for a future with the sexy FBI agent. But hope and love and promises can’t protect me, not when I’m next on the killer’s list.

NICK:

Meadow Holiday is the missing piece, the woman I’ve been searching for. And it has nothing to do with her being a witness in an unsolved serial killer case I’ve had sitting on my desk for the last four years. I had no business falling in love in the middle of a murder investigation but she’s the one. I feel it deep in my bones. I knew the first time I laid eyes on the shy, beautiful woman that she was mine. Now I’m left with the daunting task of convincing her I’m enough.

Can Nick save Meadow in time and prove his love can heal all wounds, or is he already too late to fix what a sadist serial killer has broken?

***

MY REVIEW:

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS by Riley Edwards is an exceptional start to her Next Generation series of Romantic suspense books to follow her 707 Freedom series. This book is easily read as a standalone even though the characters from the previous series do pop up. It is not difficult to follow their relationship to Nick and it does not confuse the reader, but makes you want to go back and read that series, also.

Meadow Holiday cannot hide the scar on her face after a vicious attack that has turned her into a solitary person who hides from life. She believes she is no longer desirable. Since her attack, she has kept only one friend at work and one friend on-line in a survivors chat room. Her boss daily ridicules and belittles her for her appearance, so Veronica Venus, in the chat room, has become her outlet to let off steam and go-to for solace.

Special Agent Nick Clark works in the Behavior Analysis Unit of the FBI. He has a knack for seeing things outside of the box even though he is the youngest member of the team. After a break of four years, a serial killer profiled by Nick’s unit is back and killing again. The victims are all beautiful young women found in alleys with their faces mutilated.

Meadow is terrified when she learns the killer is active again. Nick is surprised the beautiful redhead he has been intrigued by at his coffee shop is the original victim who survived her attack all those years ago. Nick knows he will have a battle ahead convincing Meadow she is still beautiful inside and out and that he is not interested in her only to catch the killer. The killer has other plans for Meadow.

Nick and Meadow are such great characters. Nick is all around swoon worthy and he trains service dogs for vets. Love him! Meadow starts out with such low self-esteem, but the author brings her around with Nick’s belief in her and his love. The romance is believable and the sex scenes are hot. This is a page turner, even though I easily figured out the suspense plot. The characters are so vivid, you cannot help but cheer them on to their HEA. I cannot wait for more books in this series!

***

LINKS:

Buy Link http://geni.us/w7pUH

Amazon: http://geni.us/amazonre

Goodreads:http://geni.us/goodreadsre

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/riley-edwards

Facebook reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/882567735208878/?ref=br_tf

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rileyedwardsrom

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rileyedwardsromance/

Newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/RRsignup

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Embed Code

<a class=”rcptr” href=”http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f184/” rel=”nofollow” data-raflid=”07c2363f184″ data-theme=”classic” data-template=”” id=”rcwidget_mt52700d”>a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>

<script src=”https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js“></script>

Direct Link

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f184

 

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

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Embed Code

 

<a class=”rcptr” href=”http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f183/” rel=”nofollow” data-raflid=”07c2363f183″ data-theme=”classic” data-template=”” id=”rcwidget_4e62lrar”>a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>

<script src=”https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js“></script>

 

Direct Link

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f183