#RomanceBooks #EggcerptExchange: Stealing the Billionaire’s Heart (from The Billionaire's Club: A Limited Edition Collection of Billionaire Romances)

Welcome guest author Robin Michaela!

I’m Robin Michaela and I’m thrilled to be one of the 12 authors in The Billionaire’s Club multi-author boxed set! The Billionaire’s Club is all about high stakes, risk takers, and power-wielding billionaires. This set will take you on a ride of romance, seduction, and games of wealth and fortune. Find out what happens when these powerful men meet their match.

Part of my book, Stealing the Billionaire’s Heart, takes place in Venice. In one scene, Lyra and Nicolas take a dreamy gondola ride to a romantic restaurant overlooking a tiny canal. While they’re dining, their gondola gets caught up in a traffic jam of sorts, plugging the canal entrance and forcing them to walk back to Nick’s palazzo.

When my husband and I visited Venice a few years ago, I was fascinated with a small corner of a canal off St. Mark’s Square. It was filled to overflowing with at least a dozen gondolas (and a lot of noise!) as the gondoliers jockeyed for prime positions to snag customers. That memory inspired Lyra and Nick’s romantic evening. I hope you enjoy it!

Stealing the Billionaire’s Heart

Lyra Bretton is stunned when she’s abandoned at the altar. Figuring the best way to get over one man is to get under another one, she combs the luxurious Las Vegas resort where she was to be married, intent on spending her almost-wedding night with the sexiest man she can find.

Billionaire womanizer, Nicolas Sebastian, is tempted by the beautiful bride’s shocking proposal. The workaholic COO of the family hotel chain can’t deny his attraction to the woman who should be weeping in her room instead of shredding her wedding gown in his lounge. Their chemistry is explosive, but Nicolas has been burned before. He’ll never commit his heart because he learned years ago that women are only interested in his wallet.

Their Vegas fling soon turns into something neither of them can control. But, when they travel to his lavish property in Italy, money goes missing and expensive jewelry turns up in Lyra’s possession, putting their fragile future in jeopardy. Unless they can find a way to trust again, they risk losing each other forever.

Heat Level: PG-17 to X (Steamy to erotic romance)

EXCERPT:

As Nicolas stood in the shadows, Lyra shifted and caught sight of him. When she did, she beamed and held out her hand. “Come here, Nick. You’re missing all the fun.”

“What’s up?”

“Well…I’m hoping you will be, lover…and very soon.” She wet her lips and squeezed his hand. “But I was referring to the Gondola Wars going on down there.” Gesturing toward the canal, she raised her wine glass and saluted the gondoliers on the canal below.

He grinned and slid into his chair, then leaned over to look below. Two boats were cruising the tiny canal, side-by-side. They’d apparently gotten stuck together in the narrows, but that didn’t deter the gondoliers. Each was pushing and prodding the other’s boat in an attempt to get free. Their passengers clung to each other as the gondolas rocked in their wake. While Nicolas watched, their own gondola got caught in the altercation. Their gondolier had untied his boat and drifted away from the other vessels, but ended up being just wide enough to snugly jam all three boats together, blocking the entrance to the canal.

“Looks like we’re walking home,” Nicolas commented.

“I hope not. I have no idea where we are. This city is like a maze.”

“No worries, I know exactly where the palazzo is.” He winked at her. “Stick with me, kid, I’ll get you places.”

Lyra squinted at him. “Isn’t that an old joke? I don’t remember the setup, though.”

“What did the stamp say to the envelope?”

Lyra giggled. “Oh…stick with me…I get it.”

By the time they finished their meal, she was grateful for the chance to walk off some of their food. They were holding hands, strolling the dark cobblestone streets, and stopping about every fifty feet to kiss.

“It’s a good thing I don’t live here,” she told Nicolas. “I’d be on a permanent diet. I adore pasta.”

“The meal was superb,” he agreed, “but you wouldn’t need to diet if you lived in Venice.”

“Why not?”

He stopped as they reached the crest of the small bridge they were crossing, then cupped the back of her head and drew her into a leisurely kiss that had her pulse thrumming. “Because I can think of plenty of ways to work it off. Say, by chasing you around the bedroom every night.”

“What makes you think I’d run?” 

The Billionaire’s Club releases on May 29, 2018. PREORDER NOW for just $0.99!

Robin Michaela writes heartfelt, small town contemporary romances in all levels of heat, from sweet to steamy. Her stories combine family, pets, hope and friendship – all the elements that bring her readers emotional and enduring love stories.

By day, she’s a dental hygienist in the Deep South. By night, Robin can be found crafting her next novel - often while trying to type around The Cat On The Keyboard. She’s a runner and chocolate lover (which explains why she runs) and happily married to her own Handsome Prince.

Robin loves to hear from readers. Subscribe to her newsletter and get her FREE sexy novelette, Marrying Mr. Wrong, just for signing up!

Website: www.robinmichaela.com

Blog: https://robinmichaela.com/blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobinMichaelaRomances

Twitter: https://twitter.com/robinsromances

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16141341.Robin_Michaela

A #MFRWHooks for Counterfeits: An Art Theft #Romance & #Suspense

Jenny returns to her grandparents’ art camp in a remote New Mexico town after her grandmother’s sudden death. That night she wakes to the noise of intruders. What do the strangers want? As more bizarre events unfold, Jenny realizes the people she thought she knew are not what they seem – least of all Rob, an old friend whose past may be coming back to haunt them all.

Counterfeits is romantic suspense in the Southwest that will interest fans of Terry Odell, Mary Stewart, Lillian Stewart Carl, and Barbara Michaels.

“Counterfeits is the kind of romantic suspense novel I have enjoyed since I first read Mary Stewart’s Moonspinners, and Kris Bock used all the things I love about this genre.  Appealing lead characters, careful development of the mysterious danger facing one or both of those characters, a great location that is virtually a character on its own, interesting secondary characters who might or might not be involved or threatened, and many surprises building up to the climax.” - 5 Stars, Roberta at Sensuous Reviews blog

This is a MFRW Book Hooks post!

Available on Amazon. Free via KU.

Romantic Suspense

Heat level: PG (a couple of sensual scenes)

Violence level: PG (fights, no torture or murder)

212 pages/65,000 words

Jenny’s rolling suitcase bumped up the porch steps. Once, twice, three times, like a knock that would never be answered. Tears stung her eyes in the cold night air. How many times had she rushed to this door with a sense of coming home? Growing up, she had spent every summer at her grandparents’ art camp. She hadn’t been back as often in the last ten years, but it still felt more like home than any place else in the world. And now she couldn’t bring herself to reach for the doorknob.

She took a shuddering breath and turned away to gaze up at the dark sky. Stars splashed across the moonless night, so many stars she could hardly pick out the constellations. The band of the Milky Way sparkled like a streak of glitter paint on velvet paper. She had gazed up at that sky a million times, and yet it filled her with awe. After a decade living among the lights of New York City, it was easy to forget that nature had her own Great White Way.

She shivered. During her summers in the north-western New Mexico mountains, nights had typically been mild, even at over 6000 feet elevation. Now in early March, at nearly midnight, the temperature had to be dropping toward freezing. Maybe that was why the vast, chilled sky seemed so distant and lonely.

Battleship Rock, Jemez Springs, NM
near the art camp in Counterfeits

Jenny leaned back against the door and closed her eyes. She was so tired. The last two days had been a blur of grief, desperate planning, and travel across the country. But she’d been tired before that, for months, maybe even years. She couldn’t remember the last time she hadn’t felt exhausted, discouraged, hopeless. And now the person who could always make her feel better was gone.

She hadn’t made plans beyond getting here. Thank goodness for Ms. Lucena, the camp secretary, who was handling all the funeral arrangements. Jenny simply didn’t have it in her to tackle that as well.

Maybe she’d take a few extra days and rest. But she couldn’t bring herself to enter her grandparents’ house and go to bed, knowing she’d be alone. When her grandfather had died two years before, her heart had broken. Now her grandmother was gone as well.

Jenny tried not to imagine her grandmother’s last moments, when the car she was driving had skidded off the twisty mountain road two days before. She tried to blank out all thoughts, all grief. She took a ragged breath, the frigid air searing her lungs, and released it slowly, hoping to empty her mind as well.

Her thoughts refused to quiet, while her heart ached with emptiness, a dark hole as vast and cold as the night sky.

***

Jenny rose from sleep slowly, her body resisting. She could see nothing in the pitch black. Where was she? She blinked, trying to make sure her eyes were really open.

Memories broke through the fog. The phone call, the rush across country, the late arrival. Crawling into bed in her grandparents’ upstairs guest room. She groaned and pulled up the blanket. Morning must be hours away, given the darkness.

The old house creaked, but no sounds drifted in from outside. Maybe that’s what woke her; she was used to the murmur of city sounds all night long. Who’d have thought that would become normal?

Her head pounded. Probably dehydration from the high elevation and dry air. She should get up, drink a glass of water, take a couple of aspirin. Her head would thank her in the morning. If only she could make herself move.

The house creaked again, followed by a rhythmic sound – like footsteps. Jenny jerked upright, her ears straining. Had she heard a voice?

She shook her head. She must still be half asleep, dreaming. Imagining her grandparents were still here. Wishful thinking.

Downstairs, a door closed. Jenny clutched the blanket. Imagination be damned. She was not alone.

Visit all the Book Hooks from #MFRWHooks - You might find your next great read! 

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. What We Found is a mystery with strong romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to reach a buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. In The Skeleton Canyon Treasure, sparks fly when reader favorites Camie and Tiger help a mysterious man track down his missing uncle.

Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter for announcements of new books, sales, and more.

A #MFRWHooks for What We Found #Romance and #Mystery

Last week I shared an excerpt from chapter 1 of What We Found. For this week's Book Hooks, I have an excerpt from further in the novel.

What We Found

Finding a dead body changes a person.

22-year-old Audra Needham is back in her small New Mexico hometown, ready to work hard, fit in, and help her younger brother. Going for a walk in the woods with her former crush, Jay, seems like a harmless distraction … until they stumble on a body.

Jay, who has secrets of his own to protect, insists they walk away and keep quiet. But Audra can't simply forget what she's seen. The woman needs to be found, and her story deserves to be told.

More than one person isn't happy about Audra bringing a crime to life. The dead woman was murdered, and Audra could be next on the vengeful killer's list. She’ll have to stand up for herself in order to stand up for the murder victim. It’s a risk, and so is reaching out to the mysterious young man who works with deadly birds of prey. With her 12-year-old brother determined to play detective, and romance budding in the last place she expected, Audra learns that some risks are worth taking – no matter the danger, to her body or her heart.

Excerpt

As I pushed through the door, something moved on my bed.

I gasped and jerked back, banging into the doorframe.

“Audra! It’s me.”

A whimper came from my throat. I clung to the doorframe as my legs threatened to collapse. My brain recognized the voice, but it couldn’t control my body’s reaction.

My bedside lamp flicked on. Ricky, sitting cross-legged near my pillow, grinned at me. “I’m sorry I scared you. I didn’t want Mom to know I was in here.”

I closed the door and staggered the three steps to the narrow bed. “Ricky. What are you doing here? Everything’s all right. Go to bed.”

“But I want to help!”

I rubbed my hands over my face. Half my brain was already asleep and the other half wanted to join it. “Help with what?”

“Help investigate! Help you find out what happened to that woman.”

“What?” I shook my head and sat on the end of the bed. “No. That’s the police’s job. I told them what I know. I’m done.”

“But they have a lot of cases, hundreds, probably. Those guys aren’t even local. They could use our help. They don’t know what’s really going on here, in our town.”

His words created an odd echo of something Jay had said. “What do you mean? What’s going on here?”

“I hear stuff in school, you know, who’s selling drugs or who got knocked around by her dad or whatever. Stuff the police don’t know.”

I remembered hearing rumors like that in school as well. I hadn’t always understood all the slang and innuendo, but Ricky, curious boy, would have figured it out. “But that stuff doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

“Maybe it does! You have to keep an open mind when you’re investigating. You have to look and listen. I can do that at school and around town. You can do that at the resort. Then we can put together what we learn and figure it out.”

It was too much. Too much pressure, too much risk, simply asking too much. “That’s crazy! I don’t know anything! I don’t know what I’m doing or—” I broke off, trying to hold back the tears.

Ricky got up. He stood beside the bed and smiled gently down at me. “You’re tired. We can talk about it tomorrow. You’ll see what a chance this is.”

Praise for What We Found:

“Another action-packed suspense novel by Kris Bock, perhaps her best to-date. The author weaves an intriguing tale with appealing characters. Watching Audra, the main character, evolve into an emotionally-mature and independent young woman is gratifying.” – Ellen R.

“This book had me guessing to the end who was the murderer. Well written characters drive the story. Good romance. Exceptional and believable plot twists and turns. I loved it! I recommend this book highly.” – Suzanne B.

“This is a nonstop suspense. Love the characters and how real they seem with every episode played out. This is a love story and suspense all in one.” – Pam

Learn about the true experience that inspired What We Found.

Sample or buy What We Found on Amazon.

Visit all the Book Hooks from #MFRWHooks - You might find your next great read! 

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter for announcements of new books, sales, and more.

Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to reach a buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. In The Skeleton Canyon Treasure, sparks fly when reader favorites Camie and Tiger help a mysterious man track down his missing uncle. 

A New Romantic Suspense from #TirgearrPublishing @addisonbrae1

Tirgearr Publishing releases “Becker Circle” – where
fresh starts are sometimes tougher than we expect 

Follow a young woman as she flees an abusive relationship for a fresh start in Dallas in Becker Circle, a new romantic suspense novel by debut author Addison Brae.

New Harvard degree. New CPA job. With so much to experience and a giant past to forget, it’s Gillian’s fresh start across the country in Dallas. Her sense of humor and best friend help her maintain her self-respect when most every jerk in the urban community hits on her. She never dreamed trying to meet new people could threaten her dignity and her life.

Becker Circle is published by Tirgearr Publishing ($5.99 ebook, 281 pages, ASIN B07B3HT15Y). A portion of the author proceeds will go to Hope’s Door New Beginning Center to help fight domestic abuse.

Get Becker Circle for only $0.99/99P for download from Kindle US or Kindle UK until Sunday, March 18. Also available via Smashwords, Apple, Kobo, and Nook.

Chapter One

I peek back at my butt in these loose-fitting jeans and all I see is sad. Remembering what my new boss said about better tips if I wear something a little sexy, I button a plaid shirt halfway up to show a little. I fasten one more and brush through my wavy auburn hair. Why did my apartment come with a full-length mirror in the bathroom? I’m nothing like my curvy new next door neighbor in that dress.

Even though I had to borrow a can opener from her to eat lunch today, I’m prepared with every bartender’s necessity. A good bar blade. I dig out the one I used to open bottles during my forty-two days of bartending at the place on Harvard Square back in Boston before Connor made me quit and stick it in my back pocket so I don’t look like a total rookie. It’s one of the few utensils in my kitchen drawer.

With the pink fuzzy scarf Lauren gave me for Christmas tucked inside my jacket, I message her before I talk myself out of going. “First night. Wish me luck!” I glance at the collage photo frame of our college memories she gave me before I packed up and left.

Mixers, whisky brands, and vodka flavors run through my head down the six flights of stairs and on the short walk to the first shift of my new night job. My jacket shields me from the cold as I step through the circles of light shining on the dark red brick sidewalk. A couple jogs by totally into one another, and three guys who were probably high school stars toss a football near the fountain, yelling back for not throwing right.

What am I doing? Am I invisible? Everyone’s with someone like I was. Taking the CPA job in Dallas seemed like such a great idea. It’s where no one knows me. Away from Connor. Before he had a chance to break me.

Rule one of my new life—forget about what already happened. Period.

Just as I turn the corner toward the tree-lined park, someone rams into me from behind. I gulp a breath as he twists me to the ground, dragging me along by the arm. The strap to my purse connects me to a guy who looks barely old enough to drive until he yanks it away. The purse holding the cash I have to live on until I get paid, my ID, one credit card, and proof I took an exam today.

The purse Mom gave me for my eleventh birthday.

“Stop!” I struggle to untwist my legs and sprint toward the strap dragging behind him. “No!” The distance between us widens.

At the edge of the park, a well-dressed man jumps out of a shiny SUV and shoves the guy into the shrubs. He leans over as they exchange words. Then the man extends a hand to help the purse thief out of the bushes.

I stop running to observe. The guy bolts without looking back and I still haven’t remembered to breathe.

Then the man, who’s at least my dad’s age, walks toward me. With my purse.

“Are you okay?” He hands it to me.

“Thank you so much.” I nod and glance at the leaves caught in it and back at the man, not quite believing any part of what just happened and fighting back the anger that it happened to me. “But what the . . .?”

“I understand. He has some problems. He won’t bother you again.” He bows his head like a nineteenth century prince and heads back to his truck.

I shake off the soreness in my arm. Who was that guy and why would he rescue a purse for some stranger?

The George & Dragon Public House sign creaks in the breeze. Smokers corralled on the patio by the black iron fence huddle around heaters, an occasional laugh rising above the steady hum of music and conversation. I walk through the door luckily ten minutes early. The smell of bleach mixed with mesquite from the fire lingers covering every secret that’s happened here. Clanking bottles drown out the low music.

Steve’s bald head pops up from behind the bar, his ginger beard even thicker and longer than I remember. “There she is. We took bets whether you’d chicken out.”

Check out the book trailer!

Addison Brae lives in Dallas, Texas on the edge of downtown. As a child, she was constantly in trouble for hiding under the bed to read when she was supposed to be napping. She has been writing since childhood starting with diaries, letters and short stories. She continues today with articles, video scripts and other content as an independent marketing consultant.

When she’s not writing, Addison spends her time traveling the world, collecting interesting cocktail recipes and hosting parties. She’s still addicted to reading and enjoys jogging in her neighborhood park, sipping red wine, binge-watching TV series, vintage clothing and hanging out with her artistic other half and their neurotic cat Lucy.

Addison also writes young adult contemporary fiction under her legal name, Carol Barreyre. She’s a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and past regional advisor for the SCBWI North Texas chapter and also a member of Texas Association of Authors, Writers’ League of Texas.

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Twitter:  @addisonbrae1

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A #MFRWHooks for What We Found #Romance and #Mystery

What We Found

Finding a dead body changes a person.

22-year-old Audra Needham is back in her small New Mexico hometown, ready to work hard, fit in, and help her younger brother. Going for a walk in the woods with her former crush, Jay, seems like a harmless distraction … until they stumble on a body.

Jay, who has secrets of his own to protect, insists they walk away and keep quiet. But Audra can't simply forget what she's seen. The woman needs to be found, and her story deserves to be told.

More than one person isn't happy about Audra bringing a crime to life. The dead woman was murdered, and Audra could be next on the vengeful killer's list. She’ll have to stand up for herself in order to stand up for the murder victim. It’s a risk, and so is reaching out to the mysterious young man who works with deadly birds of prey. With her 12-year-old brother determined to play detective, and romance budding in the last place she expected, Audra learns that some risks are worth taking – no matter the danger, to her body or her heart.

Excerpt:

I staggered back to Jay. My face felt strange, my lips pulled back in a weird grimace. “We have to call someone. Nine-one-one. The police.” I fumbled in my pocket for my phone.

My hand trembled as I lifted the phone toward my ear. Jay grabbed my wrist. “No.”

“What do you mean? We just found a body! We have to report it!”

He plucked the phone out of my hand. “We’re not telling anyone. We were never here.”

My hands dropped to my sides. “But – but – we can’t just – we have to – Jay, this is serious!”

“Exactly.” He pushed me toward the main path. “This is serious and we don’t want to be involved in it. Let somebody else find it.”

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town.

The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to reach a buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. In The Skeleton Canyon Treasure, sparks fly when reader favorites Camie and Tiger help a mysterious man track down his missing uncle.

Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter for announcements of new books, sales, and more.

My #MFRWHooks for The Skeleton Canyon Treasure: #Romance and #Suspense in the Southwest

Last week I shared the opening of The Skeleton Canyon Treasure. Here's more of chapter 1:

He took a step toward her. “OK, I’m looking for someone.”

“A minute ago you were looking for me.”

He blew out a breath. “My uncle. He’s missing and I’m worried something happened to him. The trail led me here. I wasn’t sure at first which side you were on, and that’s why I wanted to look around before talking to you. But now that I see you, I can tell you wouldn’t have had anything to do with his disappearance.” His blue eyes twinkled, and the confident smile gave him a certain appeal. But if he thought she’d fall for shallow flattery, he was much mistaken. Even assuming one could consider it flattering to be told, “You’re probably too harmless to have kidnapped my uncle.”

She was sure he was lying about something, and probably about everything. His appearance shortly after the theft of her invention, a machine that might be worth millions, could not be a coincidence. One chance in 10,000 maybe. He, or his uncle if he really had an uncle, had to be connected somehow.

If she could figure out how, she might get her invention back. Let him keep underestimating her, as most men did. Camie turned on her own charm. She flashed a smile that had him blinking as if the light were too bright. “Let’s get that cup of coffee, and you can tell me about it.” That would get him out of her shop, and into a public place where it would be easier to get help if needed.

He nodded. “Lead the way.”

She led the way to the student center. The spot provided plenty of privacy without the isolation of her building. She gestured to the man as he sat across from her. “Explain. You might start with your name.”

“Ah, didn’t we get to that? I’m Ryan MacAllister.” He grinned. “Age 32. Occupation, mining geologist. Currently between contract jobs. References available upon request.”

She almost asked to see a driver’s license and those references. But that could wait. Better to let him think she trusted everything he said for the moment. “Tell me about your uncle, Ryan.”

He hesitated, but this time she didn’t get the impression he was stalling or making up lies. Rather, he didn’t seem to know how to start. Finally he said, “He’s brilliant. A genius. But, well, he doesn’t quite fit in with normal society.”

Camie nodded. A few of her geek friends fit that profile. Some people would say she did as well. She didn’t consider it a bad thing, since “normal society” tended to suck.

“His hobby is treasure hunting.”

Camie tensed slightly, but she thought she hid her reaction well enough. Things were beginning to make sense.

“He’s always chasing after some treasure or another, trying to put together clues from old manuscripts, sort out rumors from facts, and so on. Once in a while, rarely, he’s actually found something.”

“What has he been working on lately?”

“The Skeleton Canyon treasure.” He snapped the phrase and stared at her, as if expecting to surprise her into some kind of admission. When she simply gazed back, he added, “Heard of it?”

She shook her head. Her friend Erin was the expert when it came to history and legend. Camie was in charge of the technology, and she had wilderness experience that came in handy. Together they’d found one long-lost treasure several years before and gotten some fame for their success, but since then they’d done no more than offer occasional advice on treasure hunting. It wasn’t a vocation, or even a serious hobby.

He watched her for several more seconds, eyes narrowed in suspicion, before he went on. “Skeleton Canyon isn’t too far from here. Southeastern Arizona, near the New Mexico border. But no one knows where exactly the treasure is, of course. My uncle was trying to piece together some clues. He kept a journal. A few days ago, I received the journal in the mail. No explanation except for a note that said to hold onto it for him.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t that the plot of the third Indiana Jones movie?”

The Skeleton Canyon Treasure

When Camille Dagneau surprises a strange man in the college machine shop she runs, she is ready for battle. Ryan MacAllister seems equally suspicious of her, but he insists he’s merely looking for his missing uncle, who has disappeared while hunting for a lost treasure. He believes Camie is the key to finding the treasure, and his uncle. But Camie – beautiful, brilliant, and prickly – isn’t about to trust this oversized geologist, or the attraction she feels.

Following the clues in the missing man’s journal will take Camie, Ryan, and the cat Tiger on a trail through New Mexico and Arizona. They’ll visit the Tombstone graveyard at night, uncover clues in museums, and ultimately wind up in Skeleton Canyon, where rumor says nineteenth-century cowboy bandits secreted their treasure in a cave. To rescue Ryan’s uncle, they’ll face steep cliffs, twisty tunnels, and worse dangers in human form, but trusting each other may be the biggest challenge. And they’re running out of time ….

If you love suspense and romance, don’t miss this gripping adventure! The Southwest Treasure Hunters novels include The Mad Monk’s Treasure and The Dead Man’s Treasure. Each novel stands alone in this series mixing action and adventure with light romance. I’ve previously shared part of the first chapter from The Mad Monk’s Treasure, as well as the opening and a later excerpt from The Dead Man’s Treasure. 

Praise:

“The Skeleton Canyon Treasure is a light, breezy action/adventure/romance that's perfect for summer reading.”

"A great mystery, love story, and search for a treasure.”

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. What We Found is a mystery with strong romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town.

Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter for announcements of new books, sales, and more.

#EggcerptExchange One Night in Havana in the City Nights #eroticromance series from #Tirgearr Publishing

Author Kathleen Rowland picked the setting of Cuba for a reason. She wanted to trap her proud Cuban professor there. He survives because of his flamboyant personality and opportunistic nature. Cuba is a fascinating mid-century time warp. The 1950s cars still run due to amazing mechanics.  No matter how hardworking, Cubans exist under strict communistic rules such as the inability to move from one section of the country to another. Without free-enterprise they can’t make much money.  If they do leave, they can only bring ten thousand dollars with them, but this would be a huge amount of money for most Cubans. Big business such as cigar manufacture is government-run.

One Night in Havana—blurb:

A desperate competition and sizzling attraction leads to dangerous desire.

New York Marine biologist Veronica “Roni” Keane is attending the Havana Bay Conference in Cuba. Tomorrow only one grant will be awarded which will provide the winner with professional recognition, resources for a project, and living expenses for two years. She hopes to continue her deceased father’s work, but smooth operator, Carlos Montoya, has won many grants in the past.

Carlos, a freelancer for the Havana Port Authority, works to help protect Havana’s reputation as a bastion of safety. As international travelers flock to the island, attracted by its 1950’s time-warp and colonial architecture, the drug business is running rampant, particularly on Roni’s cruise ship. Something’s not right, and when her scuba tanks are tampered with, Carlos brings in the military police to investigate. For her safety, he keeps her close, but he craves her body.

Their attraction leads to a fun night with a bit of kink. But Roni finds herself in more trouble than she bargained for when the criminals blame her for alerting the military police and come looking for her. Can Roni trust Carlos to protect her? Will she stay in Havana if Carlos wins the coveted grant, or kiss her lover goodbye?

Excerpt—Chapter One

“Why, Veronica Keane.” A voice heavy with a Spanish accent drawled from behind her. “A dive bar?” A taunting tsk. “What do we have? A slumming New Yorker?”

She stiffened and closed her eyes. She knew that voice and its owner, Dr. Carlos Montoya, a finalist like her, competing for the same damn grant at the biggest Cephalopoda conference of the decade. Her heart pitter-pattered against her ribs. To turn toward him would intimate distress, or worse yet, weakness. She wouldn’t fail to win this grant, not when she was a final contender. “I like this funky little place.” Sia Macario Café, smack in the center of Havana, allowed her to observe locals and their daily lives.

“You need to eat with all the mojitos you’ve downed.” The big tease wasn’t counting. This was her first drink, but his rumbling, sexy timbre hinted at all kinds of dark, hot promises. She’d rubbed shoulders with the Cuban scientist all week. This splendid specimen of Latin male brought on a physical ache that punched low.

A flare-up stirred fear. For her own good, she needed to resist. “I ordered camarones enchiladas.” By now she knew the menu on the chalkboard by heart. She tipped her head back to whiff grilled shrimp soon to arrive in sofrito sauce with fried sweet plantains.

“The flan is good. Just like my abuela makes.”

“I bet. Your grandmother would be happy to hear that,” she said, knowing he brought out the best in most people. Two days ago he'd invited her and a handful of others scuba diving. The chance to ogle him had been one of the perks. He’d worn nothing but swim trunks, his bare chest on display. Every glistening muscle was finely etched. Not a drop of fat on him. Since he’d not given her the time of day, she’d checked him out without him noticing.

The hard-bodied host had led the way toward habitats of soft-bodied creatures. To find where invertebrates lived was never an easy task. Octopuses squeezed into narrow passages of coral for protection and gave females a place to keep their eggs. She’d discovered the remains of a few meals nearby. Octopuses scattered rocks and shells to help them hide.

 This grant meant so much to her and no doubt to him as well. Veronica mindlessly toyed with the gold necklace around her neck, but anxiety crackled through her brain. Unlike this man of action, she lacked the flamboyant personality necessary to talk people into things. Carlos had that ability. He'd made friends with judges on board while she’d conversed with an older woman about a box of scones made with Cuban vanilla cream.

That day the wind had picked up to a gale force, and this woman named Bela with Lucille Ball red hair needed help walking to her home. The half mile down the seaside promenade, The Malecón, had provided her with time to practice her Spanish. Turned out Bela was Carlos’s grandmother. She’d worked as a maid when the Castro government came to power. When private homes were nationalized, titles were handed over to the dwelling occupants. Bela owned a crumbling home in the respected Verdado district and rented out rooms.

What Veronica detested about Carlos was his abnormal level of talent for schmoozing. Not that he wasn't charismatic; he drew her like a powerful magnet with emotions hard to untangle. Why was a self-assured woman who ran her own life thinking about a man who commanded everyone around him?

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Book Buyers Best finalist Kathleen Rowland is devoted to giving her readers fast-paced, high-stakes suspense with an erotic love story sure to melt their hearts.  Her latest release is One Night in Havana, #34 in the City Nights erotic romance series.

Kathleen also has a steamy romantic suspense series with Tirgearr Publishing, Deadly Alliance is followed by Unholy Alliance. Keep an icy drink handy while reading these sizzling stories.

Kathleen used to write computer programs but now writes novels.   She grew up in Iowa where she caught lightning bugs, ran barefoot, and raced her sailboat on Lake Okoboji.  Now she wears flip-flops and sails with her husband, Gerry, on Newport Harbor but wishes there were lightning bugs in California.

Kathleen exists happily with her witty CPA husband, Gerry, in their 70’s poolside retreat in Southern California where she adores time spent with visiting grandchildren, dogs, one bunny, and noisy neighbors.  While proud of their five children who’ve flown the coop, she appreciates the luxury of time to write.  If you’d enjoy news, sign up for Kathleen’s newsletter at http://www.kathleenrowland.com/.

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