Tuesday, June 23, 2020

***Excerpt from QUICKLY FALLING IN QATAR***

Out today...

He let the valet take the car after he grabbed his overnight bag out of the backseat, then he entered the very upscale, modern, high-rise hotel. The swanky, marble-filled lobby bustled with various clusters of people standing around chatting and doing their business. He scanned the area, but didn’t see anyone immediately who struck him as the person who’d be filling the role of his fiancĂ©e.
The agents hadn’t told him what to do in that instance. Maybe whoever he was meeting had left him a note at check-in. He approached the long desk and smiled at the concierge standing there waiting to help.
But before he made it, he heard his name. “Mal?”
He knew that voice.
His breath froze in his chest.
It couldn’t be.
He turned toward the person.
His knees wobbled even as his heart rate took off like he was on the verge of having a heart attack.
Hell, maybe he was.
“Petra?” he asked, his voice hardly more than a whisper of shock.
He hadn’t seen her in nine years, but she looked exactly the same...just more stunningly beautiful. He wouldn’t have thought that was possible.
Petra Compton.
The only woman he’d ever loved.
The woman who’d broken his heart and never looked back.
She was looking at him now though, gauging his reaction.
He didn’t know how to react. How had this happened?
She couldn’t be his contact. Life couldn’t be that cruel. But why was she here?
She wore a slim-fitting black pantsuit with red, mile high heels. The heels gave her an inch or two on his height since she was tall for a woman at five foot nine. In college, she’d always dressed casually and used very little makeup. That wasn’t the version of Petra standing in front of him today. Her long red hair was pulled back into a tight bun on the back of her head, and she’d done her makeup to perfection.
She looked like a high price model and he wasn’t the only one who thought so as heads across the lobby turned to watch her elegant approach.
When she reached him, she leaned forward to embrace him. Her lips brushed over his ear, leaving goosebumps trailing down his spine. “Play along,” she whispered.
Then she pulled back as she kissed his cheek. “Hello, darling,” she said exuberantly, using her normal voice that carried over the marble-floored lobby. “I’ve missed you.”
Up close, she smelled exactly the same as he remembered, honeysuckles in the morning. That scent hit him like a deathblow. Oh, god. He’d missed her so much.
His arms tightened around her instinctually. “Petra.” His voice didn’t even sound like his own.
He pulled away, needing separation from her. He had to get his brain to function and he couldn’t do that with her so close.
For a split second, her eyes flashed with worry at whatever she could read on his face.
He worked to school his expression. He couldn’t blow this operation when it had barely even begun, no matter much her being here shocked him.
She hooked her arm in his and gently tugged him toward the back of the lobby. “Did you have any problems finding the hotel? Wait until you see our suite. It’s just gorgeous. I’m so glad you could get the time off. We’re going to have an amazing visit.” She continued to gush like any normal almost-married couple would.
He just nodded along. That was the extent of his acting ability right here, while his heart and mind both reeled. Nine years ago, they’d fought, and she’d left. No goodbye, no fuck you, no nothing. One day she was there, the next she’d left, and he felt like she’d ripped his heart from his chest.
Hell, it kind of felt the same way right now. Guess somewhere along the line, his heart had healed...just so she could come back and pummel it again.
He followed her into the elevator that he assumed led up to their room, like a lamb being led to slaughter.
When they entered the elevator, she squeezed his hand and glanced meaningfully up at the camera in the corner, like he was a novice at this. He knew the camera was there, although now when the anger was pulsing under the thin layer of his skin, he wasn’t sure how much he really cared.
How dare she show up like this out of the blue?
It didn’t matter that this was their job.
It didn’t matter that a twenty-five-year-old lieutenant was missing.
It didn’t matter if the fucking President himself had sent Petra to be here.
It should matter how much she knew this would hurt him.
How could she come here like this and act like it was no big thing?

***It's RELEASE DAY!***


It's release day...

Quickly Falling in Qatar is the final book in my Locating Love trilogy that falls within the Ticket to True Love world. I love all three of these books for different reasons, but Qatar will always be special just because I wrote it while my son was deployed there.

It's also special to me because it features a couple getting a second chance at love after their engagement fell apart nine years ago. It's also a return to my romantic suspense roots because the heroine is an FBI agent and the hero is an Air Force investigator. They are working undercover in Qatar trying to find out what happened to a missing Air Force lieutenant.

I hope you all have enjoyed this series and especially enjoy Mal and Petra's story.

Note: If you are a kindle unlimited reader, the entire series will be headed into the program within the next couple of weeks. For those non-kindle readers that means these books will only be available at all retailers for a very limited time...SO GRAB THEM NOW!
Nine years ago, Mal broke Petra's heart. Now, they’re undercover in a foreign country looking for a missing soldier—and they’re forced to pose as a couple in love. The problem...the lie may be closer to the truth than either one of them wants to admit.
Buy Now
Jonah Walker is a floundering artist. Kalpani Desai is driven and goal-oriented. On the surface, they have nothing in common besides undeniable chemistry and a building they are at war over. But Xanadu is more than just a perfect location; when the property unites these two unlikely souls, it becomes a dream come true. 
Buy Now
Sable has been on the run for a year to escape strangers bent on harming her. Just as she finally feels safe again, she meets Brett—an officer who will either be the ticket to her downfall...or her salvation.
Buy Now
One magical New Year’s Eve in NYC... and then Conor disappeared. When Jordan finds him in Dublin again, the passion they share still burns bright—yet their worlds don’t mesh. They’ve lost eight years—what will they risk now for true love?
Buy Now
Nick only wants one thing out of being his brother’s Best Man: Holly, the Maid of Honor. But the cute kindergarten teacher has put him firmly back on her 'just friends' list to protect her heart. But with a little True Springs Fountain Water and some wise words from an elderly relative, true love will find a way.
Buy Now
Three Cousins,
One magical fountain...
Book #1, Amorous in Appleton, features a pop star hiding out in a small orchard in Pennsylvania, but she's about to be discovered.

Book #2, Falling Hard in Frisco, features a couple of hot-for-one-another architects who are vying for the same job...they just don't realize it.

Book #3, Quickly Falling in Qatar, features a couple who were once engaged. That all fell apart when she left him to join the FBI. Now her job has brought them back together as they search for a missing soldier in a foreign country.
Buy Now
Universal Links for ALL the Ticket To True Love Books

Don't miss this special price...

Last minute addition to the newsletter/release day...

For a limited time only,
Amorous in Appleton is on sale for

$.99

This was a last minute decision, so all retail sites may not have the lowered price up yet, but they are coming!

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Heads Up about coming changes...

First...BOOK NEWS
This month's new release is the final book in the Locating Love series,
Quickly Falling in Qatar
releases June 23rd and is available for preorder NOW!

This book goes back to my military romance beginnings with a hint of light romantic suspense. It's also one of my favorite tropes...second chance at love.

Quickly Falling in Qatar story description:
Growing up, Mal’s single mother always put her career before her kids. As a result, he had very definite ideas of what he wanted in a family. That cost him the one thing he wanted most of all...Petra.

Nine years later, Petra has a good life as an FBI agent. She helps find missing people and has found her own semblance of peace. But that’s all thrown into chaos when her new assignment pairs her up with the ex she let slip away...Mal.

They’re undercover in a foreign country looking for a missing soldier, and worse—they’re forced to pose as a couple in love.

The problem...the lie may be closer to the truth than either one of them wants to admit, especially with so many hurts and secrets still standing between them.

 
Preorder Quickly Falling in Qatar
Purchase Amorous in Appleton
Purchase Falling Hard in Frisco
Here's the latest on what books are coming and going with Kindle Unlimited...

In KU right now:
  • Found at the Library (m/m) - out  of KU June 27
  • Found at the Bookstore (m/m) - out of KU June 27
  • Found at the Jazz Club (m/f) - out of KU June 27
  • Found at the Rock Concert (m/m/m) - out of KU June 28
  • Believe in the Wish (m/m) - out of KU Aug 3

Coming soon:
  • Amorous in Appleton (m/f) - into KU June 25
  • Falling Hard in Frisco (m/f) - into KU June 25
  • Quickly Falling in Qatar (m/f) - into KU July 1
Reminder: Whenever my books are not in the KU program, they will be available at most ebook retailers. I don't want anyone to miss out if a certain book isn't available on your preferred platform, so please watch these announcements closely each month as I plan to regularly rotate my books/series in and out of the program.  

Peace in the chaos...

I don't normally get personnel with my newsletters, but this month, I feel the need. Like so many, my husband lost his job in the last few months. He is the primary breadwinner in our family. (While I'm lucky to be able to write and sell books, it isn't enough income to support our household.) No doubt, it's been stressful, but it's also been really nice to have him home.

We've been having fun. We celebrate 28 years together this month, so I feel like it's saying something that we can have fun together. That's a gift.

The reality is that if he finds another job, it will probably not be in our hometown. The kid and I won't be moving with him. There are a host of reasons why, but the most important is our 13 yo who is in a really good environment right now. That is also an important gift especially at that age.

So, I'm trying to enjoy every minute with my husband and we've been doing that by watching a lot of Netflix/Amazon Prime. We've discovered some fun shows/movies, so I thought it might be fun to share our recommendations...
  • Our nightly fixation right now...
    • The Last Kingdom (television series on Netflix)...We're loving this show so far. (We're on season 2 of 4 out so far.) We lived in England for 2 years when hubby was in the Air Force, so it's fun to get to see a somewhat fictional version of how England came to be from the perspective of the middle 800's AD.
  • Movies we've recently enjoyed...
    • Mr. Right with Anna Kendrick (quirky and dark humor);
    • The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (gorgeous, wonderful movie about a book club established during WWII to cover subterfuge in Europe);
    • SALT (an old Angelina Jolie movie, but we both LOVED it...lots of action and twists):
    • Late Night (Amazon original movie...was really pretty good and entertaining)
    • Extraction (Netflix movie starring Chris Hemsworth...we both really liked it although it's really violent)
  • Our escape from reality standbys...we have a couple of shows that we rewatch for escape...
    • Gilmore Girls;
    • Great British Baking Show;
I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been quiet on my social media channels for the last little bit. This was in no way because I don't care about what's happening in our world. In fact, it's the opposite. My heart is breaking, and has been slowly doing so for the last 3+ years.

There are so many voices out there that have good information, better than I could ever state. I've kept mine quiet so that the wisdom and knowledge of others could be heard.

But make no mistake...I care. I care so much, it hurts. A lot.
And I never want you to think that I don't.

These are my beliefs:
Black Lives Matter.
Science is Real.
Love is Love.
Women's Rights are Human Rights.
No Human is Illegal.
Kindness is Everything.


(Yes, I stole that from a poster, but I fully believe every word of it.)