"Quick paced, fun, thrilling, and addictive read." (NG)
"Excellent plot, well thought out." (NG)
"Great read-will keep readers turning pages." (A)
"Classically writer story, riveting and finely honed."(A)"One of the best books I've read in a long time." (A)
Silk on the skin—luxurious, luscious..lethal.
London-Fall, 1888
The city is in a panic as Jack the Ripper continues his murderous spree. While the Whitechapel police struggle to find him, Detective Inspector Rudyard Bloodstone and his partner are working feverishly to find their own serial killer. The British Museum's beautiful gardens have become a killing ground for young women strangled as they stroll through.
Their investigation has them brushing up against Viscount Everhard, a powerful member of the House of Lords, and a friend to Queen Victoria. When the circumstantial evidence points to him as a suspect, Rudyard must deal with the political blowback, and knows if they are going to go after the viscount, they'd better be right and have proof.
As the body count grows and the public clamor for the detectives to do more, inter-department rivalries complicate the already difficult case.
EXCERPT
Events of the day and the potential satisfaction of giving Napier a bloody nose dwindled. Questions about the murder crept back into Ruddy's thoughts. Morris joined him at his table in the rear of the pub with a Guinness, the popular beer of choice in hand. “You’ve got the look of a man whose thoughts are a long distance from London.”
“No, sadly my thoughts are fixed here in the city. I’m trying to figure out a clue. Ellis’s roommate said she’d sometimes meet with a well-dressed man, a man of means the victim indicated. They’d meet up at the fountain by the British Museum.”
“Don’t know the spot but then the museum isn’t my cup of tea.”
“Not the point. I’m saying it’s odd. What member of the upper class chooses to stroll through a public garden other than Hyde or Regents, where they can see and be seen by one of their own?”
“I agree the wealthy prefer the parks filled with others of their kind but it doesn’t mean a man can’t enjoy someplace different.”
“We interviewed the guard again. The one that discovered the body walks that half of the building. He told us the majority of their male patrons are natty dressers, but he never saw a man like that loitering by the fountain.”
“My guess is: the man is married and can’t afford to run the risk of being seen by a friend of his wife’s. Or, he might live or work in the area and the spot is convenient.”
“Or, he’s a murderer who’s noticed the victim walking through the park on a regular basis, saw it as an opportunity and cozied up to her.”
Ruddy took another swallow of his ale, mentally debating the merit of each theory. “I don’t think he lives in the area. If so, he’d have cut through the park more and been seen by the guards. Not sure about the married man having a tryst idea."
To Ruddy's way of thinking, if the man was married and looking for a tumble, he’d have met her someplace other than the gardens and at a better hour.
Instinct drew him back to his original sense of the culprit and crime. “I feel like this was a crime of opportunity. I’ve thought it all along and can’t shake the sense.”
“If he was just seeking a victim, then why haven’t you had more murders like this?” Morris asked.
Ruddy downed the rest of his beer and put his tankard on the edge of the table where June would refill it. “Everyone has to start somewhere. She might be number one.”
I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books.My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.
I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream. I write three different series. My paranormal romance series is called, Knights in Time. My romantic thriller series is Dangerous Waters. The newest is The Bloodstone Series. Each series has a different setting and some cross time periods, which I find fun to write.
I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and five wild and crazy rescue dogs.
Author's Giveaway
Twenty-eight-year-old Psychologist, Alisha Dimarchi, is abducted by an obsessed client and imprisoned in his Pakistani compound for over two years. Forced to change her name and live as his second wife, her life is filled with trauma and heartbreak. Thrust into a world of violence and oppression, Alicia must fight not only to keep herself alive but..
Cover Artist: Syneca Fetherstone
Release Date: October 14t, 2015
If you want to live, you must let go of the past...
Twenty-eight-year-old Psychologist, Alisha Dimarchi, is abducted by an obsessed client and imprisoned in his Pakistani compound for over two years. Forced to change her name and live as his second wife, her life is filled with trauma and heartbreak. Thrust into a world of violence and oppression, Alicia must fight not only to keep herself alive but to protect the lives of the people she now considers family. At night, she retreats into her memories of the only man she has ever loved – a man she believes no longer loves her.
Thirty-two-year-old handsome surgeon, David Dimarchi, has spent the last two years mourning the disappearance of his wife. After a painful and isolated existence, he begins the process of healing. It is then that he is visited by a stranger, who informs him that his wife is very much alive and needs his help. In a desperate attempt to save her, David enlists the help of a Delta Force Operative. Together they find themselves in the center of more than just a rescue mission. Will he be able to reach her in time and if he does, will she still want him?
About the author:
From daring escapes by tough women to chivalrous men swooping in to save the day, the creativity switch to Kishan Paul’s brain is always in the “on” position. If daydreaming stories were a college course, Kish would have graduated with honors.Mother of two beautiful children, she has been married to her best friend for over seventeen years. With the help of supportive family and friends, she balances her family, a thriving counseling practice, and writing without sinking into insanity.
Her novel, Blind Love, is currently available through most major ebook sites and through Samhain Publications.
This is the ultimate love story. This is the most tragic love story.Heart and soul.
His light.
Our light.
Luminoso.
Description:Release Date: October 27th, 2015
This is the ultimate love story. This is the most tragic love story.
Heart and soul.
His light.
Our light.
Luminoso.
Lexi’s tormentor and ghost of her past is back—with a vengeance. Michael Parks won’t stop until he lures the pretty little lamb to his merciless slaughter. He’s looking for justice and will show her no mercy in his twisted, brutal plan for revenge.
She can run and play house, but she can’t hide forever. Her fate is sealed, and Michael will ensure she suffers a tragic and horrific death.
Lexi will pay dearly for her sins.
***
When Lucca discovers Lexi’s stepbrother has skipped Australian parole and is in Scotland, taunting her and leaving signs, he impulsively takes Lexi and her mum Grace back to Tuscany.
Lucca vows to protect them both, taking extreme measures to ensure their safety while trying hard to provide a stable and positive life for them both.
They break. He breaks.
Between running his successful empire, Osurac Industries, and keeping everyone back home in Scotland safe until Michael has been apprehended, Lucca needs to love his dolcezza like never before—because she’s never needed him more than she does right now.
Recently discovering Lexi’s pregnant only makes Lucca more possessive and attentive, especially as Lexi doesn’t have the easiest pregnancy. He’ll go far and beyond to care for her, worship her, and make her happy. But life won’t be simple. Another unravelling twist in the plot will define their future. Forever.Life in Lucca’s Tuscan farmhouse will be challenging, testing Lexi, Lucca, and Grace while Michael hides from the police and special forces.
Uncertainty. Paranoia. Unwanted stress.
Not only will their lives be threatened, but their private life will be compromised as the ruthless press digs into Lexi and Grace’s past. After a shocking scandal is leaked, creating a worldwide frenzy, Lucca and Lexi are exposed and under intense scrutiny.
Lucca will do whatever it takes to respect his girl’s privacy and safeguard her heart. Lucca thinks he knows what’s best for Lexi, but a new revelation ignites a fire inside her he can’t control.
Tragedy and a broken heart gives Lexi new strength and a brand-new backbone. She must take the reins. Knowing what she needs to do, and demanding his support, she pushes him to his limits.
In an explosive and heart-stopping turn of events, you will be shocked beyond belief.
Can Lucca keep Lexi safe?
Will she fight and face her demons, or surrender to the darkness once more?
Only Lucca’s lust, love, and light will give her strength, but is it enough?
You think you’ve read it all … you haven’t.
Play List &EXCERPT
Promise.
A promise is a promise.
He always says the most positive things when I need to hear them. Lucca slides down the bed, kisses our tiny baby bump, and then places his cheek flat on my stomach while his fingers tenderly stroke my navel. My hands roam in his hair while my fingers twirl and entwine through his shaggy curls.
“Your mamma thinks she is the only one scared of being a parent. Well my little one, if Papa is honest, then so am I. I have never done this before either, and your mamma and I have a lot of learning to do together, so you need to be patient with us. I am sure your papa will get lots of things wrong. But Il mio piccolo, you need to know we both love you very much and we might make mistakes sometimes, but we love you unconditionally.”
He speaks very naturally to our small baby as if it’s already born; his hot breath whishing across my stomach causing sweet ripples deep inside me. It’s so lovable, honest, and cute that my heart almost jolts with a fast deep thud.
“To the moon and back,” I whisper with a smile repeating the words that my grandpa always says to me.
“To the moon and back,” he repeats.
“We both love you and cannot wait to meet you, but we are both scared Il mio piccolo. You need to be a good bambino for papa and let Mamma rest because she is feeling sick just now and I need to make sure Mamma feels better.” He places a lasting kiss on my tummy before sliding up the bed, leaning over me and taking my face in his hands.
Could I love this man anymore?
His words have touched me in a way that melts my heart and steals my breath. I never thought in a million years that Lucca would be nervous about being a parent. He has always appeared confident, assured, and he’s great with his nieces and nephews. Family is very important to him because he has such a big family of his own and I assumed because he’s been around kids that he knows what he’s doing. It’s refreshing to know he also questions his parenting skills to some extent. It eases some of my uncertainties to know it’s not just me who has doubts.
“You’re so sweet, Romeo. I love you. That was a really nice thing to say. I never thought you were even remotely nervous about being a daddy. I always thought because you wanted kids so badly that you would know what you’re doing and just take it in your stride,” I say stroking his shoulder and arm before kissing his shoulder.
“Si, I do want kids badly with you and I am looking forward to our next chapter together, but I also have my own worries and doubts about being a papa. I think most men do and do not like to admit it. My worries will be slightly different to yours because you are still feeling sick and you have emotional and hormonal things to consider, but I worry just the same. Please know you are doing a wonderful job of looking after our child and I know you question that, but trust me, you are doing just great.” He lies down on his side and wraps his arm around me, attentively stroking my hair.
“Thank you. I um … I just worry that my anxiety might cause the baby distress. I do think my worries would outnumber yours, Lucca, but it is kind of you to try and make me feel better. It’s different for a mother, it’s not just the pregnancy, it is everything that comes with pregnancy and afterwards, and this is me we are talking about,” I say blithely wrinkling my nose then chew the inside of my cheek. I really want to say, “this is me - a nervous broken mess of a woman.”
About the author:
SJ Molloy, British Author of ‘The Luminara Series’ was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. As a young child, her family moved and raised her in Lanarkshire, Scotland where she currently resides with her husband, two daughters and her energetic, hyperactive loving gun dog who is utterly spoiled.
When she is not writing or reading, spending time with family and friends or exercising and walking her dog, SJ loves all things practical and creative. Dancing, music, cooking, travelling, good food and wine and painting are her favourite past times along with laughter, lots and lots of laughter.
Website ** Goodreads ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Pinterest ** tsu ** YouTube ** Instagram ** Google+ ** StumbleUpon
Author's Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Ready for a kick-ass, older heroine and a cocky cowboy? HellKat has it all: romance, mystery, suspense, unrequited love, and dangerous family secrets. Give Kat and Tucker a try. You've got nothing to lose except a great story ... and maybe a little sleep.
Kat James likes her men in suits, not cowboy boots. Is it time for a different kind of man?
Saddle up for a story filled with passion, mystery, unrequited love, and family drama. Can Tucker Williams prove he's the best man for Kat? Or will an old-flame win her back?
It won't matter, if Kat doesn't survive her family’s dangerous secret.
EXCERPT
“You don’t remember seein’ me that day before I talked to you at the bar, do you?” Kat thought about it and then shook her head. “I didn’t think so.” Tucker scratched along his jaw, and sighed.
“Well, I saw you. I saw you up the street, runnin’ and dodgin’ people.” He smiled at the memory. “I still don’t understand how you women run in heels.” He shook his head in disbelief, and maybe even a little awe. “Your legs, I noticed immediately. Your umbrella lifted up a few times and I saw your face, stopped my heart for a beat or two. Then I saw where you were headed, knew right then I had to get to the door before you did. Had to find a way to get your attention.” His eyes dropped. “But it didn’t work. You looked right past me, like I wasn’t even there. I heard your name when you checked in, and then I knew I had a decision to make.” He looked down at the coffee mug squeezed between his large hands.
“We can argue all night about me not comin’ clean on who I was. But the truth, for me, is once I knew you didn’t recognize my name, didn’t know I was the one you were waiting for, I decided then and there to be Tucker Williams—the man, not the pompous venture capitalist.” He paused, searched for recognition. She rewarded him with the hint of a grin at the echo of her own words. “I wanted a chance, Kat. I wanted you. I wanted you to flirt with me the way you did that pretty boy behind the bar.”
He chewed at the inside of his cheek and waited. Kat glanced down at her lap, attempted to hide her smile.
“I’m not the sorta guy you usually go for, am I?”
“Not even close.”
“So why did you, Kat?”
(HellKat by Robyn Roze, copyright 2015)
Robyn Roze lives amongst the cornfields of the Midwest and telecommutes as an accountant. Writing was a childhood dream of Robyn’s. She won creative writing awards as a girl and teachers encouraged her to pursue a writing career. But pragmatism won out, and she boxed the dream away on the maybe-someday shelf.Maybe-someday came for Robyn in 2013 when she published the Keeper Series, a new adult romantic suspense story. Then she shifted gears and decided to pen a novel with a much more mature cast—Chain of Title was born, her bestselling title. Readers have been loud in their demand for a sequel, and Robyn is currently working on the next chapter of Shayna and Sean's love story. And her latest book, HellKat, released in June 2015. All of Robyn’s stories contain one key element that her readers love: a strong, independent heroine.
When she’s not spending time with her fictional families, she loves to spend time with her real one: her high school sweetheart, their two moody teenagers, and a pampered rescue mutt.
Marissa Rooney stands in her daughter’s empty dorm room, a half-used vial of insulin clutched in her trembling hand. Brooke has been missing for days. Her roommate hasn’t seen her since that night in the bar. And if Marissa has Brooke’s insulin, it means that Brooke does not.
Description:
Published: August 2015
Marissa Rooney stands in her daughter’s empty dorm room, a half-used vial of insulin clutched in her trembling hand. Brooke has been missing for days. Her roommate hasn’t seen her since that night in the bar. And if Marissa has Brooke’s insulin, it means that Brooke does not.
But Marissa isn’t alone in her terror. A phantom from her past is lurking in the shadows, waiting in the night, and holding her family captive…
In the dark.
EXCERPT
Prologue
The heavy gate groaned shut. After engaging the lock, he pulled the backpack out of his Jeep and slung it over his shoulder. It was a rare fall day in the Pacific Northwest, and he planned to take full advantage of the good weather.
He had work to do.
He walked a quarter of a mile along the fence line and stopped. Then he pulled a “No Trespassing” sign from the pack and propped it against the fence. With a few sure strokes of a hammer, he nailed it to the post. The dull blows echoed in the quiet woods.
Branches and fallen leaves popped and crackled beneath his feet as he worked his way methodically along the ridge, checking the barbed wire fence for gaps. The cinnamon smell of the turning leaves was a sure sign that hunting season would soon begin, and he couldn’t afford to have strangers stumbling onto his property.
He nailed the last sign to the post.There. That should keep the bastards out.
He turned and started down the rugged trail carved into the steep hillside. A couple of hundred feet below, the valley floor glimmered like an emerald in the late-day sun. Three cabins stood in the clearing beside the Tolt River. A half dozen more were scattered along the upper ridge, overlooking Lake Langlois.
The place had been a youth camp once, before the drowning of a teenage girl had destroyed its reputation. Afterward the camp had closed and the cabins had fallen into disrepair.
It was a shame, really. He had fond memories of the place. While his father had spent the summer basking in an alcoholic haze, he’d spent it exploring the woods, far away from his father’s violent mood swings. By any measure it was a win-win.
Dappled sunlight shone through the thick canopy of branches overhead. He loved days like this. Alone in the woods, he felt at peace with the world.
A scream rent the air, shattering the stillness of the afternoon. It was shrill. Human.
Crows fled the safety of the trees, a torrent of black wings flooding the blue sky. Heart racing, he started to run. The uneven ground slid beneath his boots. Branches slapped at his face, and he ran faster, driven on by her panicked cries.
The valley floor was muddy after the long weeks of rain. The spongy earth slowed his pace as he raced toward the river.Another scream. Louder. “Help me. Oh God. Please.”
It was coming from the cabin farthest from the water’s edge.
His boots pounded up the wooden steps. Hinges squawked in protest as he crashed through the door.
The stench hit him hard—stale sweat and human waste. His stomach churned.
At first he could see nothing, his eyes blinded in the dim light. Then her slender form materialized out of the darkness—a slip of a girl, barely more than a hundred pounds. She was standing near the center of the room, her hands bound behind her back. A soiled University of Washington T-shirt hanging from her skinny frame. Pink panties. And nothing else.
The relief on her face froze the instant she spotted him. A small sob escaped her lips. She stepped back, retreating into the shadows.
As if she could hide.
“Now, Kim,” he said. “What was the rule?”
Her jaw worked, but no sound emerged. She took another pitiful step back, her wide eyes brimming with fear.
“What was the rule?”
His voice boomed in the small cabin. She flinched like a beaten dog. “No calling out,” she mumbled.
“I can’t hear you. What’s the rule?” “No calling out.”
“No calling out,” he repeated, smiling thinly. “That’s right. You leave me no choice.” “Please,” she said, voice trembling, tears leaking from her eyes. “I’ll do better, I promise. I promise . . .”
He stepped toward her, his tread echoing on the bare plank floor. She shrank back, trembling, and stumbled over the bucket. Without her hands to stop her, she crashed to the floor.
He stopped. His six-foot frame loomed above her. She averted her gaze, looking anywhere but at him.
This will not do.
He hunkered down and gripped her narrow chin, forcing her gaze to meet his. “Please,” she whispered.
Her mouth trembled.
“Aw, princess,” he said, running his thumb slowly across her swollen bottom lip. “I’m afraid it’s too late for that.”
He reached down and unbuckled his belt.
About the author:
A tech worker by day and an author by night, Chris Patchell writes gritty suspense novels set in the Pacific Northwest that are sure to keep you up reading late, turning pages well past dark. Her debut novel, Deadly Lies, won a 2015 Indie Reader Discovery Award for best fiction. Her latest novel, In the Dark, was released on August 4, 2015 from Kindle Press.
