From
the New York Times bestselling author of the Marked Men
books comes the next installment in the Saints of Denver series.
Everyone
else in Dixie Carmichael’s life has made falling in love look easy, and now
she is ready for her own chance at some of that happily ever after. Which
means she’s done pining for the moody, silent former soldier who works with
her at the bar that’s become her home away from home. Nope. No more chasing
the hot as heck thundercloud of a man and no more waiting for Mr. Right to
find her; she’s going hunting for him...even if she knows her heart is stuck
on its stupid infatuation with Dash Churchill.
Denver has always been just a pit stop for Church on his way back to rural Mississippi. It was supposed to be simple, uneventful, but nothing could have prepared him for the bubbly, bouncy redhead with doe eyes and endless curves. Now he knows it’s time to get out of Denver, fast. For a man used to living in the shadows, the idea of spending his days in the sun is nothing short of terrifying. When Dixie and Church find themselves caught up in a homecoming overshadowed with lies and danger, Dixie realizes that while falling in love is easy, loving takes a whole lot more work…especially when Mr. Right thinks he’s all wrong for you. 
PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!
About
Jay Crownover
Jay
Crownover is
the New York Times and USA Today bestselling
author of the Marked Men, The Point, and the Saints
of Denver series. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos.
She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no
aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories
with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in
Colorado with her three dogs.
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Thursday, September 29, 2016
Cover Reveal!! Riveted by Jay Crownover
Monday, September 26, 2016
Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway! The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
THE BOOKSHOP ON THE
CORNER
By Jenny Colgan
William Morrow
Paperbacks
September 20, 2016
ISBN: 9780062467256;
$14.99
E-ISBN 9780062467263;
$9.99
About the Book
Nina Redmond is a literary matchmaker. Pairing a
reader with that perfect book is her passion… and also her job. Or at least
it was. Until yesterday, she was a librarian in the hectic city. But now the
job she loved is no more.
Determined to make a new life for herself, Nina moves to a sleepy village many miles away. There she buys a van and transforms it into a bookmobile—a mobile bookshop that she drives from neighborhood to neighborhood, changing one life after another with the power of storytelling. From helping her grumpy landlord deliver a lamb, to sharing picnics with a charming train conductor who serenades her with poetry, Nina discovers there’s plenty of adventure, magic, and soul in a place that’s beginning to feel like home… a place where she just might be able to write her own happy ending.
Purchase Here:
About
the Author
Jenny Colgan is the New
York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, includingLittle
Beach Street Bakery, Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop, and Christmas
at the Cupcake Café, all international bestsellers. Jenny is married with
three children and lives in London and Scotland.
Connect with Jenny Colgan
Praise for Jenny
Colgan and THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER:
“Losing myself in Jenny Colgan’s beautiful
pages is the most delicious, comforting, satisfying treat I have had in
ages.”
—
Jane Green, New York Times bestselling author of Summer Secrets
“With a keen eye for the cinematic, Colgan
(Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery, 2016, etc.) is a deft mistress of
romantic comedy; Nina's story is laced with clever dialogue and scenes set
like jewels, just begging to be filmed. A charming, bracingly fresh
happily-ever-after tale…”
— Kirkus
“This
is a lovely novel with amazing characters who are hooked on books… at least
some of them. The plot is believable and is a joy to read. The main female
character, Nina, is the librarian who always figures out the best choice for
a patron without fail. Jenny Colgan thinks outside the box and creates a
memorable book.”
— RT
Book Reviews
“This charming tale celebrates the many ways
books bring people together”
— Booklist
“This light, fresh romantic comedy is the
perfect escape for bibliophiles. Enjoy it with a cup of tea on a crisp day.”
— Real
Simple
“[A] love story about reading and the joys
books can bring to people’s lives.”
— All
About Romance
Rafflecopter
Giveaway
Excerpt
from THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER:
The problem with good things that happen
is that very often they disguise themselves as awful things. It would be
lovely, wouldn’t it, whenever you’re going through something difficult, if
someone could just tap you on the shoulder and say, “Don’t worry, it’s
completely worth it. It seems like absolutely horrible crap now, but I
promise it will all come good in the end,” and you could say, “Thank you,
Fairy Godmother.” You might also say, “Will I also lose that seven pounds?”
and they would say, “But of course, my child!”
That
would be useful, but it isn’t how it is, which is why we sometimes plow on
too long with things that aren’t making us happy, or give up too quickly on
something that might yet work itself out, and it is often difficult to tell
precisely which is which.
A
life lived forward can be a really irritating thing. So Nina thought, at any
rate. Nina Redmond, twenty-nine, was telling herself not to cry in public. If
you have ever tried giving yourself a good talking-to, you’ll know it doesn’t
work terribly well. She was at work, for goodness’ sake. You weren’t meant to
cry at work.
She
wondered if anyone else ever did. Then she wondered if maybe everyone did,
even Cathy Neeson, with her stiff too-blond hair, and her thin mouth and her
spreadsheets, who was right at this moment standing in a corner, watching the
room with folded arms and a grim expression, after delivering to the small
team Nina was a member of a speech filled with jargon about how there were
cutbacks all over, and Birmingham couldn’t afford to maintain all its
libraries, and how austerity was something they just had to get used to.
Nina
reckoned probably not. Some people just didn’t have a tear in them.
(What
Nina didn’t know was that Cathy Neeson cried on the way to work, on the way
home from work—after eight o’clock most nights—every time she laid someone
off, every time she was asked to shave another few percent off an already
skeleton budget, every time she was ordered to produce some new quality relevant
paperwork, and every time her boss dumped a load of administrative work on
her at four o’clock on a Friday afternoon on his way to a skiing vacation, of
which he took many.
Eventually
she ditched the entire thing and went and worked in a National Trust gift
shop for a fifth of the salary and half the hours and none of the tears. But
this story is not about Cathy Neeson.)
It
was just, Nina thought, trying to squash down the lump in her throat . . . it
was just that they had been such a little library.
Children’s
story time Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Early closing Wednesday afternoon.
A shabby old-fashioned building with tatty linoleum floors. A little musty
sometimes, it was true. The big dripping radiators could take a while to get
going of a morning and then would become instantly too warm, with a bit of a
fug, particularly off old Charlie Evans, who came in to keep warm and read
the Morning Star cover to cover, very slowly. She wondered where the Charlie
Evanses of the world would go now.
Cathy
Neeson had explained that they were going to compress the library services
into the center of town, where they would become a “hub,” with a “multimedia
experience zone” and a coffee shop and an “intersensory experience,” whatever
that was, even though town was at least two bus trips too far for most of
their elderly or strollered-up clientele.
Their
lovely, tatty, old pitched-roof premises were being sold off to become
executive apartments that would be well beyond the reach of a librarian’s
salary. And Nina Redmond, twenty-nine, bookworm, with her long tangle of
auburn hair, her pale skin with freckles dotted here and there, and a shyness
that made her blush—or want to burst into tears—at the most inopportune
moments, was, she got the feeling, going to be thrown out into the cold winds
of a world that was getting a lot of unemployed librarians on the market at the
same time.
“So,”
Cathy Neeson had concluded, “you can pretty much get started on packing up
the ‘books’ right away.”
She
said “books” like it was a word she found distasteful in her shiny new vision
of Mediatech Services. All those grubby, awkward books.
—
Nina dragged herself into the back room
with a heavy heart and a slight redness around her eyes. Fortunately,
everyone else looked more or less the same way. Old Rita O’Leary, who should probably
have retired about a decade ago but was so kind to their clientele that
everyone overlooked the fact that she couldn’t see the numbers on the Dewey
Decimal System anymore and filed more or less at random, had burst into
floods, and Nina had been able to cover up her own sadness comforting her.
“You
know who else did this?” hissed her colleague Griffin through his straggly
beard as she made her way through. Griffin was casting a wary look at Cathy
Neeson, still out in the main area as he spoke. “The Nazis. They packed up
all the books and threw them onto bonfires.”
“They’re
not throwing them onto bonfires!” said Nina. “They’re not actually Nazis.”
“That’s
what everyone thinks. Then before you know it, you’ve got Nazis.”
—
With breathtaking speed, there’d been a
sale, of sorts, with most of their clientele leafing through old familiar
favorites in the ten pence box and leaving the shinier, newer stock behind.
Now,
as the days went on, they were meant to be packing up the rest of the books to
ship them to the central library, but Griffin’s normally sullen face was
looking even darker than usual. He had a long, unpleasantly scrawny beard,
and a scornful attitude toward people who didn’t read the books he liked. As the
only books he liked were obscure 1950s out-of-print stories about frustrated
young men who drank too much in Fitzrovia, that gave him a lot of time to
hone his attitude. He was still talking about book burners.
“They
won’t get burned! They’ll go to the big place in town.”
Nina
couldn’t bring herself to even say Mediatech.
Griffin
snorted. “Have you seen the plans? Coffee, computers, DVDs, plants, admin
offices, and people doing cost–benefit analysis and harassing the
unemployed—sorry, running ‘mindfulness workshops.’ There isn’t room for a
book in the whole damn place.” He gestured at the dozens of boxes. “This will
be landfill. They’ll use it to make roads.”
“They
won’t!”
“They
will! That’s what they do with dead books, didn’t you know? Turn them into
underlay for roads. So great big cars can roll over the top of centuries of
thought and ideas and scholarship, metaphorically stamping a love of learning
into the dust with their stupid big tires and blustering Top Gear idiots
killing
the planet.”
“You’re
not in the best of moods this morning, are you, Griffin?”
“Could
you two hurry it along a bit over there?” said Cathy Neeson, bustling in,
sounding anxious. They only had the budget for the collection trucks for one
afternoon; if they didn’t manage to load everything up in time, she’d be in
serious trouble.
“Yes,
Commandant Über-Führer,” said Griffin under his breath as she bustled out
again, her blond bob still rigid. “God, that woman is so evil it’s
unbelievable.”
But
Nina wasn’t listening. She was looking instead in despair at the thousands of
volumes around her, so hopeful with their beautiful covers and optimistic
blurbs. To condemn any of them to waste disposal seemed heartbreaking: these
were books! To Nina it was like closing down an animal shelter. And there was
no way they were going to get it all done today, no matter what Cathy Neeson
thought.
Which
was how, six hours later, when Nina’s Mini Metro pulled up in front of the
front door of her tiny shared house, it was completely and utterly stuffed
with volumes.
|
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Review: The Hike by Drew Magary
Title: The HikeAuthor: Drew Magary
Publisher/Publication Date: Viking; August 2, 2016
Genre: Fantasy
Source/Format: Won; Hardcover
Goodreads Amazon Barnes & Noble Book Depository
Synopsis from Goodreads...
From the author of The Postmortal, a fantasy saga unlike any you’ve read before, weaving elements of folk tale and video game into a riveting, unforgettable adventure of what a man will endure to return to his family...
When Ben, a suburban family man, takes a business trip to rural Pennsylvania, he decides to spend the afternoon before his dinner meeting on a short hike. Once he sets out into the woods behind his hotel, he quickly comes to realize that the path he has chosen cannot be given up easily. With no choice but to move forward, Ben finds himself falling deeper and deeper into a world of man-eating giants, bizarre demons, and colossal insects. On a quest of epic, life-or-death proportions, Ben finds help comes in some of the most unexpected forms, including a profane crustacean and a variety of magical objects, tools, and potions. Desperate to return to his family, Ben is determined to track down the “Producer,” the creator of the world in which he is being held hostage and the only one who can free him from the path. At once bitingly funny and emotionally absorbing, Magary’s novel is a remarkably unique addition to the contemporary fantasy genre, one that draws as easily from the world of classic folk tales as it does from video games. In The Hike, Magary takes readers on a daring odyssey away from our day-to-day grind and transports them into an enthralling world propelled by heart, imagination, and survival...
My Thoughts:
The Hike is the first book I’ve read by Drew Magary. In fact, this is the first I’ve actually heard of him. I happened to win a copy of the book, and was really excited since the synopsis had me sold. I was convinced I was going to like it. And, legit, I think The Hike is the most bizarrely entertaining book I’ve ever read.
The Hike could be summed up as one man’s personal struggle bus and his journey to get away from it. From very early on, troubles plagued Ben after he took an ill-timed walk and ended up on a path that was random and strange. Seemingly impossible things happened. And that’s one of the things I liked most about The Hike. It was random at times, but that randomness tied into the overall plot. I kept reading because I was curious to know if Ben would survive his ordeals and figure out the secrets of the Path. The Hike kept me guessing, and that was a good thing.
I liked the way Magary wrote The Hike. The writing accented the plot, which allowed the beginning to set a brisk pace that continued consistently throughout the novel. The setting was a mismatched mixture of random places with even stranger inhabitants, and was kind of cool at times; although, strange and dangerous more often than not.
Now, there isn’t much I can say on the characters since there really weren’t that many that I can mention without saying some kind of spoiler. Many of the secondary characters had important roles, but I won’t reveal them. But, I can talk about Ben. Ben’s POV made the story. His internal thoughts, emotions, and reactions were some of the best parts of The Hike.
All in all, The Hike was very good.
Rating 4.5/5
About the author...
Drew Magary is a correspondent for GQ Magazine, a columnist for Deadspin, and a Chopped Champion. He’s also the author of four books: The Hike, The Postmortal, Someone Could Get Hurt, and Men With Balls. He lives in Maryland with his wife and three children, and enjoys taking long walks...
Monday, September 5, 2016
ARC Review: Letters from Paris by Juliet Blackwell
Title: Letters from ParisAuthor: Juliet Blackwell
Publisher/Publication Date: Berkley; September 6, 2016
Genre: Historical Fiction; Mysery; Contemporary
Source/Format: First to Read; eARC
Goodreads Amazon Barnes & Noble Book Depository
Synopsis from Goodreads...
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Keycomes the story of a mysterious work of art and the woman inspired to uncover its history in the City of Light...
After surviving the accident that took her mother’s life, Claire Broussard worked hard to escape her small Louisiana hometown. But these days she feels something lacking. Abruptly leaving her lucrative job in Chicago, Claire returns home to care for her ailing grandmother. There, she unearths a beautiful sculpture that her great-grandfather sent home from Paris after World War II. At her grandmother’s urging, Claire travels to Paris to track down the centuries old mask-making atelier where the sculpture, known only as “L’inconnue”—or the Unknown Woman—was created. With the help of a passionate sculptor, Claire discovers a cache of letters that offer insight into the life of the Belle Epoque woman immortalized in the work of art. As Claire uncovers the unknown woman’s tragic fate, she begins to discover secrets—and a new love—of her own...
My Thoughts:
What do I even want to say about this book?
After I finished reading Letters from Paris by Juliet Blackwell, I had to find the words to convey what I wanted to say. Well, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Letters from Paris was a contemporary novel in all the right ways, balancing a historical aspect, traditions, and art—sculpting, mask-making, etc.—with alternating POVs between the past and the life of Claire Broussard, which was set in modern times. It was also about love, loss, family, and secrets set in Paris, France.
What I liked most about Letters from Paris was how the different pieces of the story fit together. It dealt with so many different things—from personal loss to sculpting—yet it all worked as a coherent and emotional story. Blackwell had a way with characterizations. She produced a series of convincing circumstances that elicited an emotional response. I felt for the characters and that made the story a page-turner.
I really liked the plot. And, yes, while the beginning of this book was kind of sad, it was easy to get into the story. I wanted to know more about Claire and her family. Claire was a good narrator, and I enjoyed reading from her perspective as she navigated Paris, while trying to regain some sense of direction/motivation after very abrupt changes in her life—relationship, employment, and a personal tragedy.
Blackwell handled all the different themes really well, and my favorite aspects of Letters from Paris were the relationships in Claire’s life. The setting was also great too, and while I’ve never been to Paris, Blackwell did a good job with describing the places that Claire visited. The mystery of the woman behind the l’inconnue mask was pretty cool too, and I liked it just as much as I enjoyed the historical parts of the book.
The romance was sweet. It wasn’t spontaneous and certainly didn’t happen overnight, or even at first sight. It unfolded slowly as the characters got to understand and know one another better. Blackwell did a good job developing the chemistry between Claire and her love interest. I loved the dialogue between them. In fact, I really liked the dialogue between all the characters throughout the novel. Each interaction/conversation added something else to the story, which was great and kept the book interesting.
Letters from Paris was just a lovely book. From start to finish, this book was everything I was looking for and more. Blackwell has another book set in Paris—The Paris Key—and now, I’m curious to know if it’s just as good as Letters from Paris. And since my eARC has already expired for this book, I do want to look into eventually getting a physical copy.
Rating 5/5
This copy of the book was provided by First to Read (publisher) for this review, thank you!
About the author...
Juliet Blackwell is the New York Times bestselling author ofLetters from Paris and The Paris Key. She also writes the Witchcraft Mystery series and the Haunted Home Renovation series. As Hailey Lind, Blackwell wrote the Agatha-nominated Art Lover's Mystery series. A former anthropologist, social worker, and professional artist, Juliet is a California native who has spent time in Mexico, Spain, Cuba, Italy, the Philippines, and France...
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Book Spotlight: Pretending with the Greek Billionaire by Kira Archer
I am so excited to welcome Kira Archer to the Entangled Indulgence family! Kira has never failed to deliver playful and sexy contemporary romances with unforgettable Happily Ever Afters, and her first Indulgence release is no exception! Pretending with the Greek Billionaire brings you humor, heat, and a total hunk of an alpha hero. So trust me when I tell you that you do not want to miss out on this must-read. Indulge your romance-loving heart and pick up your copy today!
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![Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000026_00028]](https://bridgetsbookbungalow.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/pwtgb_500.jpg)
Blog Tour, Excerpt, Review & Giveaway: Fatal Courage by Misty Evans
 
Title: Fatal Courage
Series: Shadow Force
International, #3
Author: Misty Evans
Release Date: August 22, 2016
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Format/Source: E-ARC, Publisher
Buy Links: Amazon / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
Book Summary:
He ruined her career…
In twenty-one
missions, CIA golden girl Ruby McKellen has failed only once. Thanks to Navy
SEAL Jaxon Sloan, the man who stole her heart and forced her to choose between
him and her partner Elliot, she’s on probation and Elliot is in prison for
national security crimes. To prove Elliot’s innocence and save her damaged
career, Ruby is running an unsanctioned mission—but the only way to get the
proof she needs is to go to Jax with her tail between her legs.
She wrecked his heart…
Jaxon left
the Navy after the mission with Ruby in Morocco went south, but that one hot,
unbelievable night with her will haunt him forever. Working for Shadow Force
International now, his new assignment has brought him full circle—the CIA
operative Jax’s testimony sent to prison has escaped and Jax has been ordered
to hunt him down. Just like in Morocco, the one thing standing in his way is
Ruby.
A second chance at love could prove
fatal…
When Ruby’s
life is threatened and Jax stumbles on information that might prove
Elliot is innocent, guilt over putting the man in prison compels him
to join her unsanctioned mission. What really happened that night six months
ago? Is Elliot an honorable spy or a mastermind at manipulation? Ruby is the
only one who can help Jax navigate the world of undercover lies and betrayal to
find the truth.
In a battle
of wills—and of hearts—Jax and Ruby must have the courage to face the truth
about themselves, their past, and what it really means to betray someone you
love.
* * *
Excerpt
Fatal Courage, Shadow
Force International, Book 3
© Copyright
2016 Misty Evans
Excerpt 1
She’d almost blown it.
Ruby’s pulse hammered in her ears. Her legs, in the
four-inch heels, wobbled as she half-ran for cover.
That’s what Jaxon Sloan did her.
Every damn time.
Get away.
She scooted past a dancing couple, dodged a groping
hand, and slid off the dance floor behind a woman slightly bigger than her. Her
undercover training kicked in, her brain commanding her breathing to slow and
her body to move less erratically.
Less like prey.
Seeing Jax out on the dance floor shocked her system
from head to toe. The months—they felt like years—had slogged by and suddenly
he was here. An apparition. A ghost of her failure come back to haunt her.
Heading for the rear of the club, she didn’t dare look
behind her. She’d nearly keeled over from a heart attack right there in the
middle of everyone on the dance floor.
What was he doing here? How did he know she was in
Chicago?
He could have blown her mission. Again.
Worse, her little slip and she’d almost let him. After
all of her training and twenty-one missions with only that one, single failure,
she knew how to handle surprises. Nothing tripped her up.
Except Jax.
Tall, dark, and forever full of himself, his sudden
appearance had thrown her but good. For a second, she’d thought her
subconscious had wished him into being. She’d been thinking of him—couldn’t get
the man out of her mind even after all this time. With every move of her hips,
she’d thought of him and their time in Marrakech as she danced. The way he’d
touched her, the way he’d made her moan his name and beg for more.
She hit the back hallway, signs for the restrooms
pointing to the left. Ruby went right.
Her pulse returned to normal and she dodged into a
office doorway to avoid being seen by one of the owner’s goons. The back
entrance was only a few steps away. Her car waited in the parking lot.
The goon disappeared and Ruby started forward,
stopped. Now that she was thinking more clearly, she had to consider the
consequences of bailing. A part of her didn’t want to go. Instead, it wanted to
confront Jax. Yell at him. Tell him to get the hell out.
Or maybe, take him back to her place.
Ah, hell.
Yep, she’d nearly flaked out on the dance floor when
she saw him in the flesh, his smoldering dark eyes eating her up. Her heart had
frozen in her chest, her limbs suddenly quivering with anticipation.
That’s what happened when you’d been fantasizing about
a guy for months and then he showed up looking even better than he did in your
dreams.
Fantasy. That’s all he was and that’s how he had to
remain.
Mission first and always. She didn’t have
time for distractions. Elliot was counting on her. The Agency was breathing down
her neck.
And the last person on the face of the earth she
wanted to talk to—regardless of the fact he was the only man who’d ever
chiseled his way past her solid walls—was Jaxon Sloan.
She took a step out from her hiding place. Jax’s deep
voice stopped her in her tracks. “Are you running from me, Ruby?”
Running. That’s exactly what she was doing.
Not that she would ever let him know that.
A shiver slid down her spine from his simple nearness.
In the background, the music continued to beat, snapping at her nerves. “I
don’t run from anyone.” Liar.
“Sure looks like that’s what you’re doing.”
She whirled around to face him; her breath caught.
He’d trapped her under a broken overhead light and the
shadows around him made him look even bigger and badass than she knew him to
be.
Swallowing the tightness in her throat, she stomped on
the lust bubbling up inside her. Never had a man affected her the way he did.
Never had anyone gotten under her skin like he had. His presence, his voice,
ignited the dry kindling inside her.
“What do you want?” She forced her voice not to betray
the wild emotions riding her. She was an operative for God’s sake, deceiving
the enemy came with ease.
And Jaxon Sloan was definitely her enemy.
He was also the one man who saw past her duplicity
every time.
His eyes swept over her, lingering on her hips for a
second before coming back up to her face. “You know why.”
“No, I really don’t, and I can’t be seen with you.
You’ll blow my mission.” She brushed a strand of hair from her face. “You’re
good at that as I recall.”
He didn’t flinch. Didn’t even so much as blink. The
barely there light from farther down the hall caught on the scar on his temple.
“You’re not working a legitimate mission, so knock it off. Whatever this is, it
isn’t important.”
“Isn’t important?” Clearing Elliot’s name was her only
mission. Sure, she was in Chicago to help the FBI with a counterterrorism case,
but that was only to make her boss happy. Little Gus had connections she needed
for Elliot. “Of course, that’s what you’d say.”
She turned her back on him, the past anger surfacing
as she headed for the back entrance. But that was good. Anger kept her
clearheaded. Anger suffocated her tangled emotions.
Anger would keep Jax at a safe distance.
She’d have to come back another night to see if she
could get to Little Gus.
Two strong hands grabbed her by the arms and spun her
around Jax pinned her wrists to her sides and pushed her against the wall..
“Where is he?”
She jerked her wrists away. Only because he allowed
it. He could probably crush every bone in them with ease. “Who?”
“You know who.”
He smelled like cedar and warm rain. Her mind went
back to that night in Marrakech, the soft rain starting after midnight, falling
outside as he did wicked things to her body.
Concentrate. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
His liquid brown eyes, black in the shadows, narrowed
and his head tilted slightly. For some stupid reason, she wanted his hands on
her again. “Are we really playing this game?”
“I’m not playing a game. I don’t know who you’re
talking about.” Shut him down. Get away, before you become a blubbering,
lusty bitch. Oh, right, too late. “Get out of my way and don’t come back
here to harass me again.”
She tried to leave him. He moved to stop her, his arm
shooting out, his hand resting on the wall near her head.
He leaned in, studied her face. His full lips
beckoned. “You’re lying.”
“I know you think that’s all I do is lie, but that’s
not true.”
She’d told him the truth that night and then she’d
betrayed him by taking Elliot’s side when everything went south. He’d returned
the favor by “proving” her partner was a traitor.
Elliot wasn’t a traitor anymore than she was. Jax had
it all wrong. If only she could make him see that.
Proof. She was going to get proof of her partner’s
innocence. That’s why she’d been here tonight, trying to get in good with the
biggest gangster the Southside of Chicago had ever seen. He had the connections
she needed.
Jax’s face was inches from hers. His gaze dropped to
her mouth, slid back up to her eyes. “You honestly don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?”
A tense silence ensued. He still wasn’t sure.
His proximity—so close she would raised her lips an
inch and kiss him—was doing strange things to her. Like making her think about
kissing him.
Down girl! “Jax, honest to God, either tell me what this is
about or get out of my way.”
“Elliot escaped.”
The words buzzed inside her head, blurry, indistinct.
“What?”
“He was in the medical ward after a fight and somehow
ended up exchanging clothes with a guard and walking right out of the place.
The guard is in serious condition, by the way, from a blow to the head.”
My God. If she hadn’t
been backed up against the wall, she might have staggered. “Elliot would never
do that.”
His eyes challenged her. “See that’s where you and I
disagree. You think Elliot is this great guy. I know he’s a miserable, lying
traitor who will do anything to cover his ass.”
Her jaw tightened. “There has to be a reason he would
bail like that. He knew I was working on clearing his name. Why would he run?”
On the heels of that unpleasant thought, came another. “Why didn’t my boss
notify me about this?”
“Probably because the CIA knows you’re sympathetic to
the douchecanoe.”
Her exasperation morphed into outright annoyance.
Mostly because he was probably correct. “Why do you care? Why did you come here
to tell me this? To rub it in that you’re right about my partner?”
“Ex-partner. He’s not worthy of the ground you
walk on, and no, I didn’t come here to remind you he’s a worthless goatwaffle.
I came here because I know you’re the first person he’ll run to for help.”
“That’s sweet, but he’s not stupid, and again, I don’t
understand why you care if he does come running to me for help. You made
sure he went to prison after Marrakech, but he’s no longer your problem,
is he? He really was never your problem. You made him into a traitor, so
while I’m sure it upsets you that he’s escaped, the Agency will find him. Go
back to your life and forget about him. Forget about me.”
The words tumbled out of her mouth, even as her heart
clenched. She didn’t mean it. If anything, she wanted the opposite. To the man
who’d probably slept his way around the world, she wanted to be the one woman
he would never forget.
The clean-shaven SEAL of six months ago was gone. He’d
grown a short beard since she’d last seen him and her fingers itched to touch
it. To feel the scratch of it against her skin. His focus—so intense it made
gooseflesh rise on her arms—dropped to her lips. “I will never forget you.”
Bam. He’d read her mind.
Her heart stuttered. “Jax…”
He laid a finger against her lips. “Here me out. I
didn’t come here to fight with you, Ruby. I know you’re running an unsanctioned
mission to find proof Elliot was innocent of the charges I brought against him,
but you need to switch your focus and help me find him. He will come to
you. You’re the only person that ever believed he was innocent to begin with,
and while I respect that kind of loyalty, you could be in danger. You think I
ruined your career? Honey, let me tell you, if you in anyway assist a federal
fugitive—this federal fugitive—I’ll make damn sure your ass lands in a
prison cell next to his.”
Threats. Nice.
Her stuttering heart hardened. Thankfully or not, she
was speechless. If she tried to stay anything, she’d probably lose it. So she
shoved at his chest, pushing all her emotions into it.
A brick wall met her shove. Once she’d loved his
solidness, his strength. Currently, she found it annoying as hell.
Like everything else about him.
Training, dammit. Ruby could hear her boss yelling in her
ear. Don’t let him see he got to you.
Turn the tables on him.
Taking a deep, cleansing breath, she set her face to
neutral, dropped her hands from his chest. “I’m not helping you hunt down my
partner, which is not your job anyway. You’re obsessed with Elliot because
you’re jealous of him. Why won’t you own up to that?”
He traced her jaw with the same finger that had
silenced her. “You think I’m jealous of Elliot Hayden?”
Her body shivered at the intimacy and she smacked his
hand away. “You and I had a one-night stand, Jax, but that’s all it was. One
night. You wanted more and I refused. You thought you’d snap your fingers and
I’d fall at your combat boots, and when the shit went down with Elliot and
Abdel, you expected me to side with you. I didn’t and you still can’t believe
it. You don’t respect the fact I’m loyal to my partner. You’re jealous of him.”
His chuckle was low and soft, raising goose bumps
along her skin. “You want to know why I’m here watching your backside and
asking for your help with Hayden?”
This should be good. The man was in total denial over
his true motivations. “Why?”
“Because, honey.” He rubbed the pad of his thumb over
her chin, raising more gooseflesh. “The CIA hired me to hunt him down.”
About the Author
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Misty Evans has published over twenty
novels and writes romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance. As
a writing coach, she helps other authors bring their books – and their dreams
of being published – to life.
The books in
her Super Agent series have won a CataNetwork Reviewers’ Choice Award, CAPA
nominations, the New England Reader’s Choice Bean Pot Award for Best Romantic
Suspense in 2010 and the ACRA Heart of Excellence Reader’s Choice Award for
Best Romantic Suspense in 2011.
Her Witches
Anonymous series was dubbed a Fallen Angel Reviews Recommended Read. The Super
Agent Series, Witches Anonymous Series, and the Kali Sweet Series have been on
multiple Amazon Kindle bestsellers lists. Her culinary romantic mystery, THE
SECRET INGREDIENT, and the first book in her Deadly series, DEADLY PURSUIT, are
both USA TODAY bestsellers.
Misty likes
her coffee black, her conspiracy stories juicy, and her wicked characters
dressed in couture. When not reading or writing, she enjoys music, movies, and
hanging out with her husband, twin sons, and two spoiled puppies.
* * *
Giveaway Information
Tour-wide giveaway includes a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card
* * *
Blog Tour Stops
Follow the rest of the blog tour to read what others have to say about the book!
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