Category: Teaser Tuesday

There are only 7 (yes SEVEN!) more days until the release of Brickell Avenue Ambush, the second book in the South Beach Security series! In Brickell Avenue Ambush the heroine, Mariela, discovers that her abusive ex-husband is involved in shady dealings. Now he’s out to make sure she doesn’t share any of what she’s overheard. After a chance encounter with Ricky Gonzalez, the SBS arrives to help protect her. In this scene, a goon sent by Mariela’s ex comes to silence her but Ricky is there to intervene.

Teaser

He’ll keep her safe
Even as their attraction intensifies with every hot Miami night…

Mariela Hernandez has a target on her back, thanks to her abusive ex-husband’s latest plot. Teaming up with Ricky Gonzalez and his family’s respected private security firm is her only chance at survival. Keeping the vulnerable woman safe isn’t easy. Neither is denying their growing attraction. But with bullets flying, Ricky will risk it all to be the hero Mariela needs….

Excerpt

Mariela struggled against the masked man who had assaulted her as soon as she had closed the door.

He had an arm wrapped around her waist and his gloved hand covered her mouth, muffling her screams and cutting off her air until black circles danced in her vision.

At the crash of someone breaking down the front door, the man reacted, loosening his grip slightly, and she bit down hard on his hand. The leather kept her from breaking skin, but her vicious bite made the man yelp and loosen his hold enough that she could elbow him in the stomach.

He let out a rough “Oomph” at the blow and released her. She rushed toward the front door and hopefully safety, but the man was on her again, tackling her to the ground. The weight of his body drove the air from her lungs, but a second later that weight lifted off her.

Rolling onto her side, she saw Ricky Gonzalez tossing the masked man away from her. The man stumbled back, but then regained his footing and whirled to attack again.

Ricky faced him, standing between her and her attacker. Protecting her with his body.

The man rushed at Ricky, throwing punch after punch as he tried to reach Mariela. The blows landed with sickening thuds against Ricky’s face, arms and occasionally his midsection.

Ricky took the brunt of the violence, defending against the wild, almost haymaker punches of her attacker. But when their assailant paused, Ricky fought back with almost surgical precision, landing a sharp blow to the man’s face that snapped the man’s head back. The man reeled from the jab, but then struck out again.

Mariela screamed, “I’m calling the police.”

She dialed 911 but the attack didn’t stop. Ricky blocked blow after blow until the assailant gave him an opening and Ricky once again struck out, punching the other man and driving him back. That gave Ricky the space to execute a roundhouse kick that sent the man reeling across the room. The man stood unsteadily and raised his fists to fight again until the sound of sirens coming closer made her attacker stop short.

Before either Ricky or she could react, the man raced toward the back of the home and disappeared through the open sliding glass doors into her backyard.

Ricky came to her side, his face bloodied. His one eye swelling shut from the masked man’s blows.

“Are you okay?” he asked, apparently unconcerned about his own injuries.

“I am,” she said, but suddenly her knees felt weak. She swayed, struggling to stay upright.

Ricky slipped an arm around her waist and helped her to a sofa. A second later two armed police officers rushed through the door, guns pointed and yelling, “Police.” But as they saw Ricky and her sitting on the sofa, they lowered their weapons.

Ricky motioned toward the sliders and said, “He ran out the back.”

One officer raced in that direction while the other holstered his gun and walked over to them. “Are you hurt?”

Mariela shook her head and glanced at Ricky, who said, “I’m fine. I need to make a call.”

As Ricky walked off, the officer pulled out a pad and started asking Mariela questions about what had happened.

She answered as best she could, trying to remember everything from the moment the man had grabbed her when she’d walked in, to when Ricky had burst in to protect her.

It seemed like long minutes passed as she talked to the officer and the second policeman returned with Ricky and another man who looked so much like Ricky they had to be brothers. They had the same dark wavy hair, light eyes, straight noses and dimpled chins. But this man’s body had heavier muscle, unlike Ricky’s lean, almost elegant, build.

The man walked over and the police officer, who had been sitting in a nearby chair, popped to his feet. “Detective Gonzalez,” he said, admiration obvious in his voice.

Ricky’s brother smiled and clapped the officer on the back. “Just Trey Gonzalez now, Officer Walsh. I retired from the force last month.”

Trey walked over to her, smiled and offered his hand in greeting. “I’m Ricky’s older brother, Trey.”

She hesitantly shook his hand. “Mariela Hernandez.”

“Nice to meet you, Mariela. I’m not sure Officer Walsh has explained yet—”

“I haven’t had a chance,” the officer jumped in to confirm.

Trey nodded and continued. “This is a crime scene now, which means you won’t be able to stay here for a few days. If you can pack up some things—”

“But where will I go?” she said, worried about not only the money if she had to stay in a hotel, but whether Jorge would come after her again. She had no doubt that Jorge had sent the man who had attacked her. And she had no doubt that if it hadn’t been for Ricky, she’d be dead.

Ricky came over then, his one eye even more swollen than before. He sat on the coffee table in front of the sofa and said, “You’re coming with us. We’ll make sure you’re safe.”

Order

Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/3svdwQj
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3l0kzfP
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/brickell-avenue-ambush/id1621843253
BN E-book: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/brickell-avenue-ambush-caridad-pi-eiro/1141406424?ean=9780369732149
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/brickell-avenue-ambush
Additional Retailers: https://books2read.com/BRICKELLAVENUEAMBUSH

One of the ways that you can help your favorite authors is to leave a review. We truly appreciate them and they absolutely help an author by encouraging others to maybe read their books. So a big thanks to Kelsey F. who was the first person to leave a review for Lost in Little Havana on Amazon! Thank you so much, Kelsey.

Thank you all for your support for my newest release Lost in Little Havana! Today I’m sharing a sexy teaser from the book. In this scene, Trey and Roni have just survived a drive-by shooting and emotions overtake them. If you haven’t already checked out this action-packed and very romantic story, I hope you’ll check it out at https://amzn.to/36KrDcR.

Excerpt

“I should be furious with you,” he said and set his mug on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

“Should be? Does that mean you’re not?” she asked, hoping that he’d see reason about why she’d agreed to work with IAD.

He shrugged, crossed his arms against his chest and tucked his hands under his armpits, as if to keep himself from reaching for her. If he did, she didn’t know if she could keep from touching back. When he hesitated, she asked again, “You’re not furious?”

Shaking his head, he said, “When I saw Anderson had you…a million thoughts went through my brain.”

“I wish I could say the same. My mind went blank,” she said with a heavy sigh. She pushed back a wet lock of hair that fell forward as she looked away from him.

She heard the creak of the leather on the couch a second before she caught sight of his thigh coming to rest against her knees. He tucked his thumb and index finger beneath her chin and applied gentle pressure to urge her gaze up to his.

“You might say that, but I know that you were thinking about what to do every second. I was proud of you, Roni, but also more scared than I ever imagined I could be,” he said and stroked his thumb across her lips, the gesture as intimate as a caress.

Relieved that this was going way better than she ever could have imagined, she said, “So you’re not mad.”

“I am mad. I’m mad that you even thought about working with IAD without telling me. I’m mad that you risked your life,” he said. She was about to argue, but he laid his thumb against her lips to silence her.

“Don’t tell me that’s what cops do. I know that. And as my brother Ricky wisely reminded, that’s how my family feels about me being a cop,” he said and drifted his hand back to tangle his fingers in the wet strands of her hair.

Holding her steady, he leaned close and brushed a butterfly kiss across her lips. “I don’t want to lose you, Roni. I love you.”

She smiled and whispered, “And I love you, Trey.”

She kissed him and dug her hands into his hair, caressing his head as their mouths met over and over, the kiss deepening with each breath they took until they were both trembling with need.

But she wanted more and shifted back to meet his gaze, heavy with desire. “While the sofa was great last time—”

“I want to spend the entire night in your bed,” he said with a sexy, boyish grin, his ocean blue eyes alight with joy.

She smiled. “I like that we can agree on that,” she said, as she rose and held her hand out to him.

You can order your copy of Lost in Little Havana at:

Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/36KrDcR
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3L6Svlt
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/lost-in-little-havana/id1617070775
BN E-book: https://bit.ly/3wS0AqN
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lost-in-little-havana
Additional Retailers: https://books2read.com/LostLittleHavana

Happy Book Birthday to Lost in Little Havana! It’s such an exciting day for the release of the first book in the South Beach Security series. I can’t wait for you to meet the Gonzalez family and fall in love with them. There are such strong family ties that will pull you in to their stories as well as the intense chemistry between Trey and Roni, the hero and heroine of Lost in Little Havana. Trey (whose named that because he’s the third Ramon in the family) is a strong and powerful man who needs a woman who is just as strong and powerful. Roni is definitely that and totally capable of working with Trey to solve the mystery of his murdered partner and the missing co-eds who might be sold into a human trafficking ring at any moment. You can order your copy of Lost in Little Havana at:

Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/36KrDcR
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3L6Svlt
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/lost-in-little-havana/id1617070775
BN E-book: https://bit.ly/3wS0AqN
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lost-in-little-havana
Additional Retailers: https://books2read.com/LostLittleHavana

There are only 14 days until the release of Lost in Little Havana! Woo hoo! The reviews are starting to come in! Thanks to GabReadsBooks who said Lost in Little Havana was “A wonderful romantic mystery…fast-paced adventure from beginning to end. I had to read this in one sitting, the story was just that addicting! The characters are well developed and had intense chemistry…” Thank you GabReadsBooks! You can find out more about this first book in the South Beach Security series from Harlequin Intrigue at https://amzn.to/3FT144d. Here’s a little teaser for you too! In this scene, we’re finding out more about the secret police detective Roni Lopez feels is keeping from Trey Gonzalez.

Teaser

Roni stood behind the Twins as they showered Trey with hugs and kisses.

“Hermanito, you had us so worried,” Mia said and hugged her older brother. Carolina playfully elbowed Mia out of the way to drop a quick kiss on her cousin’s cheek. “Totally worried,” Carolina said.

Trey glanced her way and offered a pained and slightly weak smile, but his color was good and he’d managed to sit upright in bed without any help. “Thank you all for coming by, but I’ll be fine,” he said, his voice raspy.

If you could consider being shot in three different places fine, Roni thought, but he seemed stronger than after his operation two days earlier. After losing her suspect when he’d raced out of the club, she’d headed to another bar in the hopes of finding him, but she’d had no luck. She had returned to the bar to make sure her friends were fine. That was when Trey’s parents had called Mia to tell her about the shooting.

At that moment, her heart had stopped in her chest and the only thing she could think was, Not Trey.

“You better be fine, Gonzalez,” Roni said, trying to keep her tone upbeat. Two nights ago, when she’d driven the Twins to the hospital, it had been too scary to see him unconscious and in pain.

Trey nodded and said, “I will be. Bet on it.”

Knowing Trey, she wouldn’t bet against him. And knowing Trey, he’d be determined to find out who had murdered his partner. She was just as determined to find the suspect who had been talking to Doug that night and discover what had been his relationship to Trey’s partner. Worry niggled in her gut that it hadn’t been anything aboveboard.

Shooting a glance at her watch, she said, “I should get going. My partner is probably wondering where I am this morning.”

“Thanks for coming,” Trey said and jerked his chin up in a bro-kind of good-bye. No hugs and kisses for her and disappointment flared before she tamped it down.

“Sure. See you.” She was tempted for a moment, a too-brief moment, to go over and give him a hug or a kiss. But she was afraid it might reveal too much, especially with the Twins watching. They were well aware of her crush and would be only too happy to play matchmaker.

Order

Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/36KrDcR
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3L6Svlt
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/lost-in-little-havana/id1617070775
BN E-book: https://bit.ly/3wS0AqN
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lost-in-little-havana
Additional Retailers: https://books2read.com/LostLittleHavana

Woo hoo only 21 days until the release of Lost in Little Havana, my new romantic suspense release from Harlequin Intrigue. Today I’m sharing an excerpt from the book for you and don’t forget to enter the giveaway on my Facebook Fan page for a chance win a $15 Gift Card and some custom book cover pins! You can enter the contest at https://bit.ly/3Ui4J06 or if you’re not on Facebook, leave a comment on this post. Also, please take a moment to check out Lost in Little Havana at https://amzn.to/3FT144d.

Excerpt

Roni rode the elevators to the lobby and strolled out onto the steps of the hotel. She looked around and realized that Trey was sitting off to one side of the wide veranda at the front of the hotel.

He sauntered to her and laid a hand at her waist. “Are you okay?”

“I am,” she said, and they walked toward the valet at the curb.

“Mia and Carolina said Wilson took you into his private room. What happened in there?” he asked, searching her features for any sign of upset.

“You’re not going to believe me when I tell you.” She displayed the card with the phone number and said, “He wanted a gaming partner.”

Trey examined the card as they reached the curb. A valet rushed up to them and he passed the man the ticket for the convertible. The young man sprinted away to get their car.

“I don’t get it,” Trey said and returned the card.

“We played a video game. All night. And it turns out Miles is his half brother.”

Trey shook his head. “The weird feeling Mia and Carolina got was—”

“Off, but not in a way we should worry about. I mean, it is weird, but aren’t there a lot of eccentric millionaires?” she said with a quick wobble of her head.

Trey cursed, but just then a car turned the corner with the screech of tires on the pavement and veered into the wrong lane of traffic in front of the hotel. The dark muzzle of a gun poked from the driver’s-side window.

“Get down,” Trey screamed and hauled her to the ground behind a parked car, covering her body with his as a spray of gunfire pinged against vehicles and shattered glass.

After the gunfire had ended, he helped her sit up. “You okay?”

“I’m okay,” she said, even though there was a burning sensation along her right arm.

Trey muttered a curse. “You’re hit.”

There was only a small graze on her upper arm. “I’m okay,” she said and accepted his help to get to her feet. She wobbled on the high heels, but he steadied her.

“Are you sure?” he asked even as a police car jerked to a halt in front of the hotel, lights flashing, casting eerie red and blue lights that battled with the neon from the buildings along the strip. A second cruiser arrived a second later and the officers streamed from their vehicles to check on those who had been on the sidewalk when the shooting started.

Trey and Roni did the same. Trey pulled his out from his pocket and Roni slipped her hand beneath the hem of the dress to the holder wrapped high around her thigh. They showed the badges to the officers and civilians they helped.

Luckily no pedestrians or hotel patrons had been shot, and there were only minor injuries from people diving out of the way to avoid the gunfire. The EMTs tended to them and Roni. After, Trey and Roni worked with the other officers to take down names and get as many firsthand accounts as they could about the car and shooter.

Captain Rogers arrived in a squad car just as they were heading into the hotel to request the videos from their security cameras. “Lopez. Gonzalez. Do you have any idea if this was related to your investigation?”

Sadly, there had been a number of shootings on Ocean Drive and nearby areas. “It’s possible, but we can’t say for sure,” she said.

Rogers gestured to her arm, which had been bandaged by one of the EMTs “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “I’m fine and we have witness accounts of the car and driver as well as our own observations.”

“Good. Let’s go see what those security videos have for us,” Rogers said.