Coffee first...

It's COVER REVEAL day for my Friday Five...

Let's get right to it...

THE COVER!

When Love Comes Back

Cover Designer: Amanda Matthews (AMDesignStudios)

Cover Photographer: CJC Photography

Cover Model: Mike Ryann

When Love Comes Back Story Blurb:

He was her biggest mistake.

She was his biggest regret.

Once upon a time Felicia Parks and Gage Winston were each other’s everything. But one drunken night, Gage ruined it all and broke Felicia’s heart.

That was a long time ago and they’ve both moved on, never expecting to see one another again.

But as the new wing commander at the local Air Force base, Gage finds something on this assignment that he never expected...his first love.

The problem...she’s in love with someone else.

Fate can be a lover’s best friend, but karma can be a vengeful enemy....

And a dangerous obsession threatens it all.

Release Date: March 23, 2018

Add to your Goodreads TBR

How does this book fit into the series?

Simply put...it really doesn't. 

You absolutely do NOT have to have read the first four books in this series to read this book. While Felicia Parks, the heroine, was introduced in book #4, When Love Intrudes, the events of that book don't affect the story of this book at all. And she's the only character that you will know from the previous books in the series.

So, why is this book #5?

1. Because Felicia was introduced in book #4, When Love Intrudes.

2. Because the story fits the theme of the original series. Gage is an Air Force officer taking over as the wing commander at the local Air Force base. He's at the end of his career and making decisions about his life now that his mission is ending (When the Mission Ends).

3. You will see familiar locales... Terravista and Snowcroft, NM...both locations have played heavily into the Men of Snowcroft series which was a spinoff series from this When the Mission Ends series originally. Again, that series is also not specifically tied to this story line though.

4. This book has the same style of sizzling romantic suspense that the series has always featured.

Who are the characters?

Felicia Parks

This is a character who was inspired by a real-life friend of mine. Felicia (the real one) is a huge proponent for animals. As a result, my fictional Felicia is a veterinarian. She met Gage when she was in veterinary school in Oklahoma, when he was in pilot training. He broke her heart two years later.

Gage Winston

Is the new wing commander at Vandeman AFB in Terravista, NM. He's navigating a lot of changes in his life...suddenly living with teenage twins, a new command and all the politics involved with that, oh, and dealing with the surprise appearance of his first love, who he never got over. 

The problem...Felicia is in love with Steven and the two of them are on the verge of taking their relationship to the next level...until Gage shows up.

Want an unedited sneak peek??

“Okay.” He ran his hand down Ralph’s side.

His hands had aged, but they were still the long fingers of the boy she once knew. His forefinger still had the scar from where she’d accidentally slammed his finger in the door on their second date. That date had ended with him getting six stitches and her more than halfway in love with him.

Her throat tightened at the memory.

“Doc?” He touched her arm and the skin beneath his fingertips electrified.

She looked up into his warm, cautious eyes and wanted to weep for no good reason. She’d cried all the tears over this man that she ever planned to.

“You really do look gorgeous.” His voice sounded low and intimate. “Time has served you well.”

A throat cleared from the doorway. Steven frowned at them.

She stepped away from Gage’s reach. “Steven, I think Gage and his kids are going to leave.” She needed to keep reminding herself of that. He had kids and a whole other life now that had nothing to do with her. And somewhere, those kids had a mother. “Are they still in my office?”

Steven’s gaze shifted between the two of them. “Um, no, they’re back in the break room watching T.V.” He approached the two of them, putting his hand proprietarily around Felicia’s waist while also lifting his other hand out to Gage to shake. “I probably should introduce myself, Colonel Winston. I’m Major Steven Hardesty. I’m your Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander. Welcome to Vandeman, sir.”

Oh, hell. Steven introducing himself like Gage was someone high ranking on the base. Felicia knew some of the military hierarchy from when she had dated Gage before, but so far, Steven had mostly kept her out of that side of his life.

Actually this week was the first formal event they planned to attend on base. Some sort of dinner party for the incoming wing commander.

Oh my god.

Felicia’s limbs felt a little weak as her mouth dropped open in realization. If that new wing commander were Gage, that meant he would be Steven’s boss. No, that wouldn’t be awkward...at all. Felicia swallowed her groan.

“Thank you,” Gage said. “It’s good to be here, although this wasn’t how I hoped to come into town.” Gage glanced worriedly over at the family dog again.

“Felicia’s the best vet in town.” Steven ran his hand up her spine and brushed it across the exposed side of her neck.

Gage’s jaw tightened as he watched the intimate gesture.

”Your dog is in good hands,” Steven continued as he beamed at her with pride.

Gage chuckled, a sound more mocking than jovial. “Yeah, of that, I have no doubt. Felicia always took care of animals better than anything else.” His jaw clenched. “I have to go.” Gage pulled a business card out of his wallet. “This has my cell phone number on it. Please call me if there’s any change with Ralph. Otherwise, we’ll be back tomorrow.” With that Gage strode out of the room.

Felicia slumped against the exam table and quickly went to examining Ralph again and avoided Steven’s searching gaze. He stayed completely quiet and left her to work until the sound of the front door closing behind the Winston family echoed through the empty clinic.

“I think we might need to talk. Want to tell me about your history with my new wing commander?”

So, who's ready to read??

I'm so excited about this book. I love this story, and I'm really hoping that you all do, too.

Have a great weekend, everyone! 

I hope you're reading something fun.

smiles,

Christi

See Opportunity

Friday Five...all about When the Mission Ends upcoming books!

Wait...new When the Mission Ends books??

When I released When Love Intrudes, I said it was the end...maybe.

Because there were two characters in that final book that might still have a story to tell.

One of them was Felicia Parks, the veterinarian who saved Toni's dog after he saved them from the bad guys.

Well, last year, guess who began whispering in my ear...

Yep, Felicia wanted her happy ending.

And that's where When Love Comes Back comes in.

Note, while this is officially part of the series, it does not tie into the original series at all. Felicia's character is the only tie to those original books because she was introduced in that final book. 

But her hero is a military guy at the local Air Force base and he may just be on the verge of ending his time in the Air Force. So, the theme of this book fits the original series theme.

But this story does take place in a new location. No more Lubbock, Texas for this one. No, Felicia lives in Terravista, New Mexico. For you Snowcroft fans, you may recognize that as the valley town below Snowcroft. The two series are tied very closely together. I don't know if you remember but Snowcroft Lost was originally spun off of When Love Intrudes, too.

Oh, and yeah, there's now a book #6 planned, too. When Love Surprises is coming. The hero for that book is introduced in When Love Comes Back. I'm hoping to write it after I finish my current work in progress (which I'm hoping will be done this weekend).

There will be more info coming on both of those books (my current WIP, Guarded Desire, and When Love Surprises)...soonish.

Until the new book comes out March 23rd...

I swear the new book is coming, but in the meantime, it occurs to me that some of you may not have read When Love Intrudes so you have no idea who Felicia Parks is. 

As a result, I have it on sale for ONE WEEK ONLY!

This book has never been on sale before and it's only 99 pennies!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Here's a quick story synopsis:

Toni Vincent’s last relationship ended with violence. Since then, she’s decided she’s better off without men. But when she finds her young seventeen year old neighbor, Nathan, unconscious and beaten, this is one man she can’t abandon. But helping Nathan means trusting Detective Brian Barnes, another man who hurt her in the past. It’s something she’s just not sure she can do.

Detective Brian Barnes has seen one too many criminals beat the system. He’s burned out and regretting a lot about his life. At the top of that list is how he dealt with Toni Vincent when he was wounded. At the time, he couldn't stand to look at himself, much less have someone he failed care for him. Now she needs his help and he refuses to fail her again. But keeping her alive requires keeping his heart out of it. Something not easy to do when trapped in a romantic mountain retreat, even if it is the safest place for Toni and her unexpected charge.

With danger around every corner, it’s hard to know who can be trusted, especially for three people who have been burned before. But they may just find the best family is the one not tied together by blood.

Who wants to hear more about When Love Comes Back?

Stop Teasing Already...

The official cover reveal is next Friday, but in the meantime, here's a glimpse of the cover and the back cover blurb...

He was her biggest mistake.

She was his biggest regret.

Once upon a time Felicia Parks and Gage Winston were each other’s everything. But one drunken night, Gage ruined it all and broke Felicia’s heart.

That was a long time ago and they’ve both moved on, never expecting to see one another again.

But as the new wing commander at the local Air Force base, Gage finds something on this assignment that he never expected...his first love.

The problem...she’s in love with someone else.

Fate can be a lover’s best friend, but karma can be a vengeful enemy....

And a dangerous obsession threatens it all.

Cover Reveal...February 23rd

Book Release...March 23rd

And just to whet your appetite a bit more...

Here is my character inspiration board for Felicia, Gage, Steven, London and Austin. 

Hmm, there are a few hints about the story line on here...

I love this book. I'm a HUGE fan of second chance at love stories and I really love the way this one turned out.

So where is the preorder?

Once burned, twice shy. 

*sigh*

Amazon screwed up my preorder of Shiver, sending out unedited, definitely NOT FINAL files. It was a mess. While many times the overall story doesn't change at all in edits, there are tiny details that do. It makes me sick to think about you all reading it without those changes.

As a result, I absolutely will not put up a preorder again until I have final, FINAL files. That means that I may not have preorders from here on out. I'm honestly not sure. I'd like to be able to have preorders for you guys so you can order right away when I'm talking about my upcoming books, but...

Dang, I don't think I could handle something like that happening on a full-length book. Edits are wide-sweeping and so important for a book. To know that an unedited book went out. Gah, it makes me hurt.

As the year progresses, I'll see how it goes. I may just push all my release dates back a month from my plans right now so I can make sure the books are completely done WAY ahead of time. 

That won't apply to this book, though. 

So, no worries the March 23rd release date stands!

And I will keep you informed if preorders go up...PROMISE!

*****

Have a great weekend, everyone!

smiles,

Christi

Think positive...

Never stop trying...

Friday Five...on Saturday.

Sorry this is a day late. I woke up yesterday with a headache along with chills and body aches, so I just didn't have the energy to get the final touches done on it to post.

Some days call for FUN shoes...

Last week I talked about dressing up even when I'm not going anywhere. #1 this week is along that same line. Tuesday I didn't have anywhere to go. Last year that meant I'd wear yoga pants and probably not wear makeup. 

Not this year. 

This is how I perked up my Tuesday. 

I'm telling you, there's nothing more fun than wearing fun shoes...just because.

And it does wonders for my posture all day long which affects my self-confidence and overall feeling of well being. It's a big circle. If I look pretty, I feel better, even if I'm the only one who sees me. I highly recommend you pull out your pretty, fun shoes the next time you're just hanging at home. 

(I get more done on these days, too!)

Writing report...

This week was the end of the first month of the year and I have positive things to report on the writing front. 

My goal for the month was to write 60k...mission accomplished!

I wrote 60,176 words. 

I officially finished the first draft of When Love Comes Back and sent it to my editor Jan 31.

And I wrote the first half of the book planned for release after that called Guarded Desire.

For those of you keeping track...

When Love Comes Back is book #5 in the When the Mission Ends series. This one is a second chance at love story featuring Felicia Parks, the veternarian who saved Sam the dog at the end of When Love Intrudes. Her hero is the new wing commander at Vandeman AFB in Terravista, NM. I've had so much fun going back to the military and our Air Force roots in this one.

It's just over 85,000 words.

It's a m/f romantic suspense.

And I love Felicia and Gage.

Guarded Desire is the first book in a new series called the NM Protectors. It's too far out from release to get too much into it, but this book features a bodyguard hero having to protect a college coed from a creepy, obsessed stalker. I'm having so much fun writing these two...it doesn't even feel like work when I'm writing them...and that's the best feeling!

I predict this one to be about 60,000 words

It's a m/f romantic suspense/ new adult.

And on the horizon is a whole lot more including When Love Surprises, my surprise next book (#6 for those keeping track) in the When the Mission Ends series. I hadn't planned this one, but the story arose out of When Love Comes Back and I'm dying to write it. So, I'm going to try my best to over-write my goals for the next couple of months so I can slide it into my writing and release schedule. 

more details to come...

on all of these books!

Eagles vs. Patriots...

Who's your choice? 

Confession... We don't watch much football around here. I could get really into it if I watched it, but hubby isn't a fan and I honestly don't have time...so we don't...watch it.

But we do always watch the SuperBowl...just because it's such an event.

That being said, both the teams I wanted to win in the playoffs lost that last week...so...

I'm cheering for the Eagles. 

Other confession: We decided a couple of weeks ago that we would splurge during the SuperBowl and order pizza. I'm not sure what I'm looking forward to more...the game or the food. LOL.

PIZZA FOR THE WIN!

Recommended Reading...

Indecent Exposure by Tessa Bailey

I like to tell you all when one of my favorite reads goes live. Indecent Exposure was released this week and it was definitely an A+ read for me. If you're like me and enjoy reading a good wounded hero, Jack was to die for. Raised in a brothel (contemporary although that sounds historical), Jack thinks he's good for one thing and one thing only...sex...and the sad thing about that is that he doesn't even enjoy the act after it's over because of his mental hangups left after his childhood. 

I loved this book so much and definitely recommend it if you like some angst in your reading. 

New Music...

I follow some amazing instagrammers. One of them is Max Emerson (Maxisms IG). He's in this video and I just fell in love with both the video and the song by Matt Palmer (MattPalmerMusic IG). I'm really excited for the entire album to come out (Matt Palmer...Get Lost...releasing March 9th) (I've preordered it off Amazon, but I know he has links to all the other retailers, too).

Have a great weekend, everyone.
And indulge in a little splurge of something just for you...whether it's a favorite food, read, or simply time. You deserve it!
smiles,
Christi