Book Blitz of Twice a Target by Susan Vaughan (#Contests- Enter to win An Amazon Gift Card)

Twice A Target
Susan Vaughan
(Task Force Eagle, #4)
Published by: The Wild Rose Press
Publication date: January 29th 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Disaster strikes DEA Agent Holt Donovan twice, when a gunfight ruins his mission and a car crash kills his brother and sister-in-law. Home on the Colorado ranch to raise his infant nephew, Holt enlists a nanny—Maddy McCoy, the woman who once jilted his brother. The world-traveling photographer never expected to return to Colorado, the only real home she ever had, and to the man she never forgot. Burned out from covering too many starving children and refugees and short on funds, Maddy agrees, vowing to keep her heart safe. What neither of them knows is that by bringing her into his home, Holt has placed her in the crosshairs of a killer. As Holt and Maddy cope with their desire for each other and the resentments of the past, their investigation into the brother’s death leads them into escalating danger and a shocking discovery.

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EXCERPT:

Bobby’s siren wail penetrated Holt’s consciousness like a nail in his skull.

He opened one eye. The lighted digital clock beside his bed read two o’clock. Right on time, little guy. “Coming,” he mumbled.

One foot on the floor. The other. He raked fingers through his hair, then pushed to his feet. Starting for the door, he snapped alert as though slapped.

Maddy McCoy.

He’d finished some paperwork in the office, then slipped off to bed early. But escape didn’t work worth a damn. The image of Maddy’s sassy face and the memory of her scent kept him torturing his sheets for hours before he finally slept.

Damn, she was in the master bedroom. He couldn’t troop through the house in his skivvies. Blinking in the darkened bedroom, he stumbled back and forth like a drugged steer as he searched for his jeans. Didn’t he leave them on the chair? Or on the floor? No. He put away the clean ones and tossed the manure-smeared ones into the washing machine. Where they remained.

Bobby cranked it up a notch. He could rival that opera singer, Luciano something.

Hell with it. Holt hit the door and burst into the hall.

And collided with a slim figure in filmy white.

He stumbled to a halt and braced himself as his arms went around her to stop her fall. She emitted a small yelp like a cartoon eek. Under his hands, her slender body in the silken covering was a miracle of curves and soft, toned female flesh. His body tightened and his pulse raced off to distant planets. The hallway suddenly didn’t have enough air.

He immediately set her away a step. Then he stepped back another. “Sorry. Bobby.” The baby’s cry subsided to hiccups and whimpers. No emergency, to his relief.

“Thought that was my job,” she said. “Two o’clock bottle. Diaper change. Like that.”

“You’re here to spell me when I’m doing ranch work.”

“A rancher needs sleep.” She returned his scowl, although humor tugged at the corner of her lips. “Why do you want me here if you won’t leave Bobby to me?”

He opened his mouth, closed it again with a snap.

Bobby cranked it up again. Only taking a breather. His wail rivaled an air raid siren.

“If you’ll get out of my way,” she said, tossing her hair and smoothing her nightshirt so it highlighted her breasts, “I’ll see to the baby.” The grin popped out, accompanied by a slow perusal down Holt’s body. “Nice…legs.”

He blinked, shot a glance downward. Damn, betrayed by his tented boxers. His Adam’s apple jumped as he swallowed hard. He jerked to the side along the wall, as if someone had pressed a knife to his side. “Bobby’s all yours.”

“Great!” She turned and swung her hips as she flounced toward the baby’s room.

Author Bio:

I wanted to write as soon as I learned to read. I dabbled with stories and poems for years, but didn't start writing seriously until many years later. My favorite books have always been mysteries and romances, so the mix in romantic suspense was a natural. I love writing romantic suspense because it throws the hero and heroine together under extraordinary circumstances and pits them against a clever villain. My books have been both a Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer's Choice Nominee and a finalist for the Daphne du Maurier Award. Reviewers have called my books fast-paced, thrilling, action-packed, sizzling, and highly emotional.

I have also published a children's Christmas picture book, Sleigh Magic.

I am a West Virginia native but I have lived for many years on the coast of Maine.

For more information about my books, please visit me at susanvaughan dot com

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Book Blitz of Mending Broken Threads by E.D. Hackett (#Contests- Enter to Win an Ebook copy of Mending Broken Threads + $10 Amazon gift card)

Mending Broken Threads
E.D. Hackett
Publication date: January 28th 2025
Genres: Adult, Women’s Fiction

Family secrets never stay buried for long…

Lynette Waller, a divorced Chicagoan, finds herself face to face with the demons of her past after her estranged mother passes away. Standing in her childhood home for the first time in decades, she learns of her mother’s past mistakes and regret through a magic suitcase, a medium, and her equally estranged daughter, Ruby.

To her parents ’disdain, Ruby Franklin traded security for chaos when she dropped out of college to pursue her modeling career in California. When an unexpected phone call sends her to Maine for her beloved grandmother’s passing, she finds herself emotionally unprepared for a family reunion.

The magic suitcase allows Lynette and Ruby to see into the matriarch’s past, but what lessons do her secrets hold? As they search for answers, they find that sometimes the truth is hiding in plain sight. With the help of Mema’s memories, will this mother-daughter duo heal old wounds and find the love buried within their past?

If you adore mother-daughter stories, heartwarming relationships, and transformative journeys, you’ll love this women’s fiction novel Mending Broken Threads.

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EXCERPT:

Later that night, Lynette lay in her parent’s old bed, huddled under the massive pile of blankets. Suddenly spooked by the shadows in the room and the anticipation of sleep, she pulled the blankets to her eyes and closed them tight.

Her heart raced when her body jerked at the sound of a tree branch breaking outside. It must be an animal or the wind. Lynette flipped on the bedside lamp and scanned the room. The closet doors remained shut, the hallway light spread from under the door, and a pile of dirty clothes sat in the far corner. Nothing looked amiss.

She closed her eyes again, and thoughts of ghosts, spirits, and mediums infiltrated her mind. Freaking herself out, she turned on the tv at a low volume and focused on the sound of the eleven o’clock news.

When her eyes became heavy, she closed them for a moment, praying that morning would arrive fast. When she opened her eyes, her body bolted upright and her fingers gripped the sheets. Tiny beads of sweat formed along the nape of her neck. She wiped her neck, closed her eyes, and rubbed her temples.

It was only a dream. The thought didn’t calm her mind, but solidified her hunch that Mom and Dad were expecting when they married, but in this dream, Mom was pregnant. Like, really pregnant and wearing that awful top from the suitcase. Dad stood at a grill, cooking outside, and Mom sat in a chair knitting. Knitting…was that Loretta? But Dad called the baby Lorraine. Lorraine, Lorraine…there was no Lorraine. And Mom looked sad, always sad. Lynette felt her unhappiness, which solidified her assumption that Mom didn’t want to get married. Whatever happened to Lorraine? Worst-case scenarios popped through Lynette’s mind. And why was she kept a secret all these years?

Unable to handle her thoughts any longer, she hopped out of bed and ran to her old bedroom. “Ruby.” She barged open and through the door, finding her daughter fast asleep. Gripping and shaking her shoulder, she said, “Ruby, wake up. I need to talk to you.”

Author Bio:

E.D Hackett is a Speech-language pathologist by day and a writer by night. She writes novels that investigate layers of self-expectations, family dynamics, self-love and self-acceptance. She hopes that her novels create a safe and cozy environment for her readers to fall into and explore.

She writes women’s fiction with one foot in romance.

She lives in New England but in her heart, she feels that she belongs in Ireland. She reads women's fiction and romantic comedies, prefers books to movies, loves ice cream over cake, and thrives in fall and spring.

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Cover Reveal of The Garden of Before by Ryan Leslie (#reveal)

The Garden of Before
Ryan Leslie
(The Between, #2)
Published by: Parliament House Press
Publication date: September 23rd 2025
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Horror

“That’s what happens here, Paul. Every power has its price. It always gets worse.”

For Paul Prentice things have gotten much worse. His house was destroyed in the battle with the Koŝmaro. He’s on thin ice at his job, where instead of working he loses himself in the Between’s computer game, trying in vain to find explanations. His best friend Jay has transformed into a shadowy killer. Corinne and Supriya have vanished. And it appears his wife, Julie, has finally had enough and left him.

Alone and near ruin, Paul receives a familiar visitor with a dire message: they are all back in the Between. Hunted, captured, doomed. For Paul, still wearing the serĉilo’s artifact on his wrist, escape was never an option. The game must be played until the end.

In the harrowing conclusion to The Between, Leslie once again invites readers into a mind-twisting world where the most terrifying monsters are the ones let loose inside of us.

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Author Bio:

Ryan Leslie oversees research for a large health system, where making stuff up is generally frowned upon. His creative outlet has always been writing fiction. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, children’s author Lindsay Leslie, and their two sons.

 

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Book Blitz of Harleigh Sinclair and The Kingdom of The Bristol Skull by T. Grantham (#Contests-Enter to Win An Amazon Gift Card)

Harleigh Sinclair and the Kingdom of the Bristol Skull
Tamara Grantham
(The Harleigh Sinclair, #4)
Publication date: February 4th 2025
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

An Egyptian ankh. An Inuit mask. A Skinwalker’s scythe.
Three Neotact artifacts have been found. Only the shield and sword remain.
My name is Harleigh Sinclair. I have a gift to find lost artifacts, though there are some who call it a curse…
When I discover a riddle etched inside a goldstone skull, it may be the clue I need to discover not only the Viking shield, but the famed sword of King Arthur, Excalibur.
After my father was attacked by a Blood Raider over a decade ago, and his sword stolen, my life’s mission has been to find his attacker and bring justice to our family. But before I can find the attacker, I must first discover the original four artifacts before the Blood Raiders obtain them first.
With the aid of the insufferable and dangerously handsome Jagg Ransom, plus my sister and a team of handpicked experts, we follow the riddle’s clues. Our search leads us from a Viking museum in Norway, to underground crypts in Bristol, England, and finally to a forest haunted by a legendary hellhound. But we’re not alone.
The Blood Raiders have gotten desperate. And they’ve been following us. If we don’t find the shield first, they’ll attain more power than we can comprehend, and not only will we fail, but we’ll be doomed to die at their hands.

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EXCERPT:

I stepped into the office of Darius Greyson—my boss, my once savior. Some would call him my captor. Thunder rumbled as I looked through the vast windows ringing the room. Usually, the view from the fifty-seventh floor displayed an impressive panorama of the San Antonio skyline. Tonight, only a few pinpricks of light managed to punch through the storm clouds.

Muted pendant lights flickered as another peal of thunder shook the room. My footsteps echoed over the expansive marble floor, and my heart gave a sudden lurch when I approached the glass display cases sitting atop polished onyx pedestals.

Nothing but velvet cushions remained where the artifacts had once been displayed.

The Egyptian ankh. The mask of Kushtaka. The scythe. Where were they?

My hand went to the Glock holstered at my side. Questions swam through my head. After last month’s security breach, perhaps Greyson had moved the artifacts? I tried not to ponder the less pleasant theories.

“Greyson?” I focused on the marble and gold desk near the windows. His chair was turned away from me, and I couldn’t be sure who was sitting there.

“Greyson, is that you?” I addressed the chair, unsure of who might answer. He’d asked to meet at eleven p.m. sharp—not an unusual hour for him. But in the many years I’d been his employee, he’d never failed to meet.

I took another step forward when the chair spun around. Shock stunned me. King Khamron sat in Greyson’s chair. His dark skin blended with the night sky beyond the windows, and his expression, while congenial, held a look of warning. I’d only ever seen Greyson sitting in the chair. Seeing King sitting there unnerved me.

Author Bio:

Tamara Grantham is the author of more than twenty books and novellas, including the Olive Kennedy: Fairy World MD series, the Harliegh Sinclair, urban fantasy series, and the Twisted Ever After trilogy. Dreamthief, the first book of her Fairy World MD series, is a #1 bestseller on Amazon with over 1,300 five-star reviews.

Her numerous awards include: two first place Rone awards, first place in Foreword Reviews Book of the Year awards, a first-place Praiseworthy award, and first place in the WriterCon awards.

Tamara holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Lamar University. She has been a featured speaker at multiple writing conferences, and she has been a panelist at comic cons across the country speaking on the topic of female leads.

Born and raised in Texas, Tamara now lives with her husband and five children in Wichita, Kansas. She rarely has any free time, but when the stars align and she gets a moment to relax, she enjoys reading fantasy novels, taking nature walks, and watching every Star Wars or Star Trek movie ever made.

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Book Blitz of Change of Heart by Cristina LePort, MD(#Contests- Win An Amazon Gift Card)

Change of Heart
Dr. Cristina LePort
(A Miner & Mulville Novel)
Publication date: February 4th 2025
Genres: Adult, Thriller

In the bustling heart of New York City, a young medical student’s life is tragically cut short, though her heart continues to beat, holding the promise of life for another. Detective Kirk Miner is called to the scene and quickly uncovers a chilling conspiracy involving organ donations and high-stakes crime. As the investigation unfolds, Miner realizes the case is far more complex and dangerous than it initially seemed.

Enter FBI Agent Jack Mulville, who steps in to supervise Special Agent Charlotte Bloom as they join forces with Miner. Together, they unravel a web of corruption, revealing that Amy Winter’s death is connected to a ruthless organ trafficking ring. Amy Winter, a promising pre-med student, is found dead under mysterious circumstances. Her death triggers an investigation that pulls Miner, Mulville, and Bloom into a labyrinth of deceit and desperation. As they dig deeper, they discover that Amy’s heart is not just a donor’s gift but a coveted prize in a deadly game controlled by criminals willing to kill to keep their secrets hidden.

The quest for justice takes Miner, Mulville, and Bloom through the shadowy underbelly of organ trafficking, revealing the lengths to which people will go to secure life-saving transplants. Amidst the danger, they face moral dilemmas and personal risks, pushing them to their limits as they strive to protect innocent lives and dismantle a powerful criminal network.

“Change of Heart” is a gripping medical thriller that intertwines the intricacies of modern medicine with the relentless pursuit of justice. Cristina LePort, M.D., masterfully combines her medical expertise with edge-of-your-seat storytelling, delivering a novel that will keep you turning pages long into the night. Dr. LePort is an accomplished physician with a passion for weaving medical knowledge into thrilling narratives. Her extensive background in medicine lends authenticity and depth to her stories, making the Miner & Mulville series a unique blend of fact and fiction. (CristinaLePort.com)

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EXCERPT:

He examined the blood-smeared paper. Only one typed sentence: I donate my organs for transplant. Kirk stared at the illegible signature. Something begged for attention, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was…

“Any weapons or bullets?”

“This was on the driver’s seat between the victim and the door.” John produced an evidence bag from his backpack. “A Ruger. A woman’s gun. Small, concealable, and accurate.”

Kirk reached for the bag and wrapped his hand around the plastic covering the grip’s checkered frame. In his mind, the weapon’s light weight and John’s words triggered an image of a beautiful young woman, Amy Winter, with no future.

“The bullet,” John went on, “ended up embedded next to the ceiling, on the car’s front passenger side. No other bullets found in the gun.”

“Why next to the ceiling?” Kirk lifted his eyes from the gun.

“It must have hit her cellphone.” John handed Kirk a plastic-wrapped iPhone with a dazzling pink case. “She must’ve been holding the phone to her ear when the bullet exited. We found the phone on the car floor between the two back seats. Screen’s shattered, phone’s dead.”

Kirk examined the phone. The black screen bore a bloody diagonal fracture from top to bottom. That would have been the direction of the exiting bullet grazing a phone glued to the woman’s right ear. Who in hell would she be chatting with while killing herself?

“Who discovered the victim?” Kirk said.

“A man called the hospital ER and 9-1-1 at about the same time.” John extracted a smartphone from his sport jacket and scrolled through his notes. “The call to the ER was registered at 4:41a.m. I’m not sure how precise that is. The 9-1-1 call came in at 4:42.”

Kirk placed his index finger on the phone’s volume button. Nothing happened. Then his thumb pressed the reset button several times. After the third try, the screen lit up. A key piece of a puzzle fell into place, making Kirk feel almost giddy with excitement.

“I’m afraid we’re not dealing with an attempted suicide,” Kirk said, turning the face of the phone toward John, “but an attempted murder.”

“I agree.” John’s brows went up. “But how can you be so sure without any forensics?”

“Several things,” Kirk said. “The note was added later, after the shot. Smears of blood, instead of sprays. Poor attempt by the shooter to make us believe the note was on the seat before the bullet hit.”

“Yeah,” John said, “that’s been bothering me also. You’ve come a long way from your training over ribs and beer.”

Kirk smiled at the memory of their favorite pub. It seemed a long time ago when Kirk decided to leave the police force and John helped him get started as a private investigator. John was more than a mentor. He always cared about Kirk, but cared even more after Kirk’s near-fatal car accident years ago. John had become as protective as an older brother.

The image of the dark pub dissipated and Kirk refocused on the victim’s note.

“I’m no calligrapher,” he said, “but, from the slanting of the signature, I think the victim is right-handed. A right-handed person would shoot her right side.”

“If it’s actually her signature,” John said.

“The shooter could have forced her to sign at gun point,” Kirk said. “Either way, it would point to attempted murder.”

“What else?”

“We’ve got the exact time of the shooting,” Kirk said, waving the plastic-clad phone. “Here in this frozen, undead iPhone.”

John grabbed the evidence bag. He stared at the fractured, frozen screen.

His lips stretched into a grin.

“The bullet froze the time at 4:43,” Kirk said. “One minute after the 9-1-1 call. The man called before the shooting occurred. It’s unlikely someone would notice the shooter, figure out what he was going to do, call the police, and leave without talking to them.”

“The witness could have left because he was afraid the shooter would come after him,” John said.

“Or perhaps,” Kirk said, “the caller knew the shooting would occur because he himself was the shooter. And he wanted the victim to be found as soon as possible.”

John referred again to his notes. “The caller said that someone had been shot. Not someone is going to shoot, or is shooting, somebody. The woman had gun powder residue on her left hand, but the shooter could’ve placed the gun in her hand before throwing it in the car. We’ve got a few prints on the handle. I bet they’re all from her. But I still think you’re right.”

Kirk nodded. “The shooter made sure she would be rescued in time for her organs to be saved for donation and subsequent transplant.”

Kirk turned toward the hospital ER entrance. A vivid memory materialized. A plastic bracelet around his wrist, from six years ago, in a different hospital. The bracelet classifying him as an organ donor. After his prolonged coma, doctors had given up on Kirk. Luckily for him, he had woken up and retained his organs.

The woman who had crossed the ER threshold earlier that morning wouldn’t be so lucky. Someone wanted her organs badly enough to put a bullet in her brain.

Author Bio:

Dr. Cristina LePort was born in Bologna, Italy. She attended medical school at the University of Bologna and then completed her medical training at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn and at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases and has been practicing medicine for more than thirty years. Cristina is also the Chief Medical Officer and co-founder of Genescient, a biotech company devoted to genetic research on aging and the amelioration of chronic diseases. Medicine and fiction are her twin passions, and she is absolutely thrilled to be able to share her medical thrillers with the world.

Cristina LePort currently resides in Orange County, California, with her husband Peter LePort, a general surgeon. They have three children and three grandchildren.

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Book Blitz of Chasing Headlines by J. Rose Black(#Contests, Romance-Enter to win An Amazon Gift Card and other Goodies)

Chasing Headlines
J. Rose Black
(Chasing Victory, #1)
Publication date: January 2nd 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

They’re chasing the same dream…
Too bad they’re not on the same team.

When Breslin Cooper’s major league dreams go up in flames, he’s left with his backup plan: college baseball at Texas State Tech in Vanquer, Texas. But his public altercation with a reporter saddles him with mandated community service, therapy–and a toxic “Storm Cooper” reputation that no professional baseball scout will touch.

Liv Milline’s family name is practically synonymous with IML baseball. Yet despite her love for the game (the tight pants aren’t bad, either) and her dreams of becoming a baseball scout–her father holds one, ironclad rule: No baseball for Olivia (the corollary: no baseball players for Olivia is just downright mean).

Her one loophole? Playing baseball beat reporter for Texas State Tech.

Chasing similar dreams, Liv attempts to befriend Breslin. But the amazingly talented, pain in her aperture has only two words to say whenever she’s around: “No comment”.

Still, she can’t help but notice the troubled ballplayer’s running on overload. Emotionally wounded and reeling from his mother’s death, the only time Breslin seems close to “ok” is on the ballfield. Liv and his new teammates can’t seem to get through.

When a lapse in judgment catches Breslin in a real-world rundown, jeopardizing his probation and his baseball scholarship, his only choice may be to rely on Liv–the aggravating, attractive, and utterly relentless reporter, chasing her latest headline.

[Book one of a series, Chasing Headlines ends with a HFN, no cliffhanger, but lingering / unresolved issues waiting to bite them in the butt in Book 2.]

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Breslin POV

I threw my glove in my locker and grabbed my backpack from the hook. I imagined myself bounding out of the room, but my legs barely managed more than a shuffle.

Still, I must have gotten going a bit too fast because, the next thing I knew, Rally Girl was on the ground, phone skittering across the tile.

And I was the asshole. Shit.

She sat on her rear in the center of the hallway, rubbed her hip and winced. Fuck, is she going to claim I injured her—to get back at me for earlier? I glanced behind me at the locker room door. She can follow me. I looked at the exit door. I’d have to step over her. That would be ridiculous. I had more integrity than that.

Still . . .

She hissed through clenched teeth.

“You . . .” Dammit, what was her name? I had not been paying attention to anything other than, well, my shirt. On her body. Idiot.

“Well, what’s left of me. Geez, do you eat bricks for breakfast or what?”

Her legs, long and tan and open—they bent at the knee as she rested her elbows on them. And apparently, my body was not too tired to enjoy the view.

“I’m not hurt and I’m not upset. But maybe you could help me up?” She spoke in a soft voice. Dark eyelashes framed bright blue-green eyes.

I extended a hand and tugged her to her feet. She stood for a breath, two. So close. Connected. Something about the feel of her skin against mine . . . A small, but soothing warmth tingled through the nerves in my hand, sparking a heated rush from my palm to my neck.

A sharp breath, and then her fingers slid from my grasp. I missed the warmth of her.

“. . . maybe offer an apology?” She moved her hand up and down in a phantom handshake. “Sure, Coop. No hard feelings.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled. Can this be over? I panted for air and shifted back a step. Her being the hot chick in the water fountain had been one thing. I could have tried to find her, always wondered, haunted the student center in the hopes I’d run into her again.

Her being a reporter meant all of those things went on the “no fucking way, ever” list.

“I don’t know what you’re over there thinking, but, I wouldn’t hurt you. You mean too much to the team.” She frowned. “This was an accident. Not that it didn’t jar me to the bone. You missed your calling as a linebacker.”

I blinked. Opened my mouth. Re-ran the words through my brain. She just said a shit ton of stuff, and what the fuck was any of it about?

“I’m fine, really. You need to stop gushing over me. All the upset is really beneath you.” One eyebrow rose and she crossed her arms. How did she breathe while saying all those words?

“Um, are you OK?” She leaned closer.

I stared at her mouth. “You talk a lot.”

Her arms dropped to her sides. “That’s what you have to say? Not a ‘You OK? ’or ‘So sorry, I didn’t see you there. Can I help you with your things?’”

I didn’t catch all of it, but, maybe, if I did the last thing, she’d move out of my way? And I could get food, drink a gallon of water, take a shower? I stunk to hell and back.

Help her with her stuff. I set my backpack down and knelt at her feet. I tried not to think about those short running shorts or how good it’d feel to slide my fingers over the curve of her calf, up to her hip. I shoved her shit into her bag and tossed it to her. I retrieved her phone from the tile floor.

“That’s, um. Yeah. Thanks.” She pulled the device from my grip.

I pushed my sweat-soaked hair from my forehead. “You’re OK?”

“Yeah.” She pulled the bag over her shoulder. “Got bowled over by a human freight train, but lived to tell the tale. I pity any catcher that tries to get in your way.” She gave me a tight-lipped smile.

So many words. No wonder she had to write them all down. “But you’re fine?”

“What, do you need me to sign a waiver?”

Red hazed into my vision. “I’d say yes, but reporters are lying snakes in the grass. Wouldn’t matter.”

“I . . .” Her jaw worked, but no sound came out.

An errant thought about her mouth working flit through my brain.

“But, I–We’re on the same team, Coop.” She pointed at her jersey as if that was “proof”. It sure as hell wasn’t.

“We’re not.” I hefted my backpack onto my shoulder. “But you were right about one thing.”

“What do you mean?”

I leaned down and stared at her head on. She turned a deep dark pink.

“To pity the person who tries to get in my way.”

Author Bio:

J. Rose Black weaves stories about obsession, redemption, and the transcendental power of love. From her early days writing fanfiction for a passionate following of international readers, to crafting novels with her own characters, Rose has always been drawn to broody protectors and plucky, no-nonsense women ready to fight for what they believe in.

When Rose isn’t deeply immersed in her latest manuscript, she’s working in cyber security and thwarting the next generation of internet bad guys. Out of the office, she’s #Shipping with friends over her favorite, swoon-worthy couples, heading to the gym to battle the great evil that is Unmovable Baby Weight, or complaining about her husband’s addiction to 3D printing. Also: nagging her children to eat something other than cheese.

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Interview of Joseph Finder Author of The Oligarths Daughter And My Review (#Thriller, #Review)

I want to welcome Joseph Finder to Books R Us. Joseph is the author of the Thriller The Oligarch's Daughter to be released today. Joseph has provided an interview just for my readers and check out my review of the book. Thanks for stopping by.

 

About the Book:

Well, everything old is new again. With Vladimir Putin’s relentless war on Ukraine, the mysterious deaths of his foes, and numerous accounts of Russians infiltrating U.S. life and business, we find ourselves in a brand-new Cold War. As a writer whose finger never left the pulse of the intelligence world, Joseph Finder is primed to write the first new Cold War novel. THE OLIGARCH’S DAUGHTER (Harper, Hardcover; $30.00; ISBN: 9780063396012; on-sale: January 28, 2025) is that book. Set against the years before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and deeply informed by Joe’s expertise in Russia, this novel has a delicious thriller premise.

Paul Brightman is a man on the run, living under an assumed name in a small New England town with a million-dollar bounty on his head. When his security is breached, Paul is forced to flee into the New Hampshire wilderness to evade Russian operatives who can seemingly predict his every move.

Six years ago, Paul was a rising star on Wall Street who fell in love with a beautiful photographer named Tatyana—unaware that her father was a Russian oligarch and the object of considerable interest from several U.S. intelligence agencies. Now, to save his own life, Paul must unravel a decades-old conspiracy that extends to the highest reaches of the government.

 

Interview:

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

I always say, plumbers don’t get plumber’s block, so writers shouldn’t get writer’s block. But in reality I know plenty of writers, including me, can find themselves stuck, unable to write further. So I diagnose it, try to find the reason for it. Do I need to do a little more research? I make a phone call to a source. Do I need to think more about the plot? I brainstorm plot ideas. And so on. By now I’m pretty good at figuring out what the problem is that’s causing the blockage – and dealing with it.

How long did it take you to write the book?

This one took a long time – two years -- because I had to write two very different storylines and then tie them together. Then there was the wilderness research and the Russian research. So it was a lot.

Can you tell me about your experiences finding a publisher for the book?

Sure. I wrote the book on spec – not having a publisher – and my agent sent it out for auction. Fortunately, 6 publishers bid on it. The highest bidder also happened to be the editor who was most enthusiastic about the book – no accident, I guess.

What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing?

I work out nearly every day, but that’s not always fun. I walk my dog, Millie, and play with her. I read for fun. And I watch TV or movies.

What are your current/future projects?

I’m working on a novel set in a small town on the Chesapeake Bay. But I can’t say a lot more about it.

Do you have any tips for a young writer just starting out?

Read a lot. You learn by reading. Read Stephen King’s On Writing. And you have to be stubborn – determined – and learn to deal with rejection, because you’ll get rejected a lot when you start out.

If your book were to be made into a movie, who would you like to play the main character and why?

Jake Gyllenhaal. Chris Pine. John Krasinski. But I’d be happy with any movie star in the right age bracket who can play someone smart and do action too.

 

REVIEW: 

I have always enjoyed thrillers that feature espionage and memorable characters; however, I was not impressed with this novel. The backstory and timeline of the main character, Paul, felt overly stretched, making it difficult for me to finish the book. While Paul had an interesting past that was explored in the story, it took too long to reach the main point. I am not saying that the book was bad, but it simply wasn't for me.

 

About the Author: 

 

Joseph Finder is the New York Times bestselling author of sixteen suspense novels, including House on Fire, The Fixer, and Suspicion. Two of his novels have been adapted into major motion pictures—Paranoia (starring Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman) and High Crimes (starring Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman). Four more have won the industry’s top best novel awards—Killer Instinct (the International Thriller Writers Award), Buried Secrets (the Strand Critics Award); Guilty Minds (the Barry Award), and Company Man (the Barry Award). Finder lives in Boston, Massachusetts. For more on Joseph Finder, visit: https://josephfinder.com/

 

Joseph Finder has developed and maintained close contacts throughout the intelligence world and draws on them to add authenticity and inside detail to this incredible new book. THE OLIGARCH’S DAUGHTER is not only a harkening back to classic spy novels by John le Carré and Graham Greene, but it is a literary guidebook to the New Cold War -- the frightening world we live in now.

 

Thanks for Stopping By: 

Disclaimer: I was giving an ARC by the publisher for my honest review and I was not compensated for my review.