Caridad Pineiro® Romance Author
NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Romance Author
I’ll be dropping by later since I’ll be off at the Philadelphia Flower Show with my sis and my daughter. I’ll have photos of the flowers for you later this week.
This Wicked Wednesday I’m over that NOT YOUR USUAL SUSPECTS, a blog to which I belong together with a number of other wonderful suspense and mystery writers from Carina Press. Take a moment to stop by and leave a comment on why you love romantic suspense!
Today I have with me the wonderful Katie Reus, who also writes as Savannah Stuart. Katie is sharing an excerpt from her latest romantic suspense novel, DANGEROUS SECRETS. I don’t know about you, but I love romantic suspense and can’t wait to add this to my TBR pile.
Just a quick thing before we get to read from DANGEROUS SECRETS. Did you know that every Wednesday during February you can download a free book at Carina Press. Yes, this is one four letter word you can love: FREE. Just click here to check out what’s available for download.
Also, leave a comment on the blog for a chance to win a copy of Katie’s RUNNING FROM THE PAST or another of her backlist titles. Without further ado, here’s Katie!
A little about me: I’ve been reading romance since I was a kid and the addiction stayed with me into adulthood. I write sexy paranormal romance and fast-paced romantic suspense. Dangerous Secrets (2/7/11) is my first release from Carina Press and I have another romantic suspense, Deadly Obsession, coming out from Carina late this summer. And in February 2012 my first book in a paranormal trilogy will release from Signet Eclipse (NAL/Penguin). If you’d like to learn more about me please visit my website, my blog, or find me on twitter @katiereus.
Excerpt from DANGEROUS SECRETS
by Katie Reus
Adam kicked his truck into gear and followed Izzy out of the parking lot. The back of her silhouette was outlined by his headlights. Not that it mattered. He saw her face every time he closed his eyes.
The vision of her interrupted his sleep on a nightly basis. She usually kept her wild curly hair pulled back at work, but the few times he’d seen it down left him imagining what her long hair would look and feel like against his skin as she rode him.
He rolled his shoulders once, trying to alleviate the tension, but nothing worked. With her dark brown eyes and high cheekbones, she had almost exotic features. The smattering of freckles across her nose only added to the innocent quality about her. If it wasn’t for her fair coloring, he would doubt she was even Edward Ballantine’s daughter.
Edward. He cursed the day he’d ever made that ridiculous deal with him. It had seemed so simple at the time. Keep an eye on Isabelle without her knowing his true identity. Five weeks. That was how long his contract was. It was icing on the cake if he could convince the rich daughter to return to Savannah, but as long as he did his job and she was safe, he and his brother would land the Forester deal.
Not so simple once he met her. Watching out for her certainly wasn’t a chore. Unfortunately convincing her to return home was impossible without getting to know her. And he still didn’t understand why she was working in a bar barely making ends meet when she had a father like Edward Ballantine. Her father had been fuzzy on those details, but he planned to find out.
And soon.
As he steered into the parking lot of her place, he pushed those thoughts away. He needed to focus on the present and convince her that Savannah, Georgia, was a much better option than Coconut Bay.
Parking wasn’t numbered, so he chose a spot next to her. By the time he’d rounded his truck she was still sitting in her car. Leaning against his vehicle, he waited until her door finally opened. Sinfully long legs emerged first. His breath caught. It seemed no matter how often he saw her, he still fantasized what it would be like to have those slim legs wrapped around his waist…and shoulders. Damn, and she was wearing pants. He hadn’t even seen a hint of skin and his cock was already raring to go.
A shudder racked his body. Now was not the time. Hell, there was never going to be a right time for his thoughts. He’d been hired to protect her, not drool over her.
“Sorry, I was talking to Carolyn.†Izzy shut the door behind her.
“No problem. Is she okay?â€
“I guess so. She wouldn’t tell me what was going on, but she apologized for not showing up tonight.†Izzy tucked her phone back in her purse, but kept her keys in hand. “Thanks for making sure I got home safe.â€
He ignored the comment and took a few steps toward the three-story building, forcing her to follow. After what had happened tonight, he was walking her to the door. Her place was on the second floor, but technically he wasn’t supposed to know that. He knew a lot about her that she hadn’t told him. Like the fact that she had a bachelor’s in business development, but a master’s in medieval literature.
To say the woman was a mystery would be a sore understatement.
“I’m on the second floor.†She motioned straight ahead with her hand as they walked down the short sidewalk. “Are you working tomorrow morning?†He already knew the answer, but didn’t want her to know he’d checked her schedule. This had to appear impromptu.
“No. I am tomorrow night though.â€
“Do you want to get some breakfast after the staff meeting?†Something primal inside him sparked to life when her eyes flashed with desire. If she was anyone but Edward’s daughter, he had a feeling they’d already be inside her place and naked by now. Not because that was his style, but because it was obvious she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
She turned to face him as they stopped in front of her door. “Sure.â€
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow so we don’t have to worry about leaving your car at work.â€
Her brown eyes widened slightly, but she nodded. “Sounds great.â€
He guessed she was surprised because up until now he’d kept his distance. Without thinking—or maybe not caring—he reached out and tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. The overwhelming need to touch her sometimes scared the shit out of him. Being close to her sometimes wasn’t enough. Her work uniform consisted of black pants and a black tank-top. Something so simple shouldn’t be sexy, but with her long legs and lean frame anything she wore was guaranteed to drive any man with a pulse crazy.
When she sucked in a deep breath, he realized he was practically cupping her cheek. And the heated look in her dark eyes told him she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. Warmth spread throughout his abdomen. Things could get out of hand so quickly if he let them.
All he’d have to do was lean down a fraction… He dropped his hand and took a step back. “See you tomorrow.†Instantly his body mourned the loss of touching her.
If the way her mouth pulled into a thin line was any indication, she felt the same. Wordlessly she turned away from him and let herself inside her apartment. Only when he heard the lock slide into place did he leave.
Once he was back in his car, he let out a long breath. What the hell was the matter with him? He had to be all kinds of stupid to touch her like that. Getting involved with Izzy—Isabelle Ballantine—was not an option. Not only was she so far out of his league that it was beyond laughable, she wasn’t the sort of woman a man had a fling with. She was the forever kind of woman, and a woman like her wouldn’t settle down with a man like him. He was straight blue-collar working boy and she was class and money. It was just the way of the world.
How cold was it this morning when I left my house? 2 degrees Fahrenheit. 2! How cold is that really? Well take a look at this snapshot of the Bryant Park fountain which was freezing over from the arctic chill.
Well, we definitely have to generate some heat to combat that arctic chill and what better way than with a nice hot Guilty Pleasure? But with it being so cold, we need a man who can heat us up in the kitchen as well with something so delectable we’ll be shivering in anticipation. So today’s Guilty Pleasure is Curtis Stone, celebrity chef. Curtis has been on a number of television cooking shows both in his native Australia and here in the States. You may remember how nice he dressed up when he appeared on Celebrity Apprentice.
I hope you enjoyed today’s Guilty Pleasure.
Curtis Stone Photo Credit: Joseph Trotz@en.wikipedia.com
It’s snowing again, but luckily it’s not too chilly. I managed to get to work without plowing my non 4×4 car into a snow bank and I’m looking forward to the weekend since I’ll have time to finally do some reading. Plus I’ve got some ideas for some new books and can’t wait to dive into them!
Today I’m visiting the Tami’s Misc. Ramblings blog and would love it if you could drop by to find out a little bit more about me, my geeky past as well as the inspiration for AZTEC GOLD and the new SIN HUNTER series (which expands on the SINS series).
Also – the winner from Rachel Firasek’s blog for a copy of an ARC for THE LOST is CindyL! Please send me your postal address and I’ll get you the copy as soon as I have one.
Have a great weekend! Stay safe and see you all next week.
Welcome today to the new website! I hope you like it and would love to hear from you about it. To celebrate there are lots of fun things going in, including the chance to win a $5.00 gift card for helping to pick the name of a new hero. Just choose one of the names below and leave your vote as a comment.
Also take a moment to visit with me at two blogs that I’m doing today!
Join me for a discussion of Deadly Pursuits at Cynthia’s Eden’s My Deadly Valentine blog tour! Then also join me at Ester Lopez’s wonderful blog where a chat about writing and STRONGER THAN SIN.
And now, please welcome my great friend and wonderful author, Gabriella Hewitt who is going to share DARK WATERS with us as well as chat about her new releases. I read DARK WATERS and it was fabulous!! I highly recommend it. Rico was a fascinating hero and the heroine, Frankie Montalvo, could definitely hold her own with the best kick-butt heroines out there.
A predator stalks paradise and she’s next.
On a tropical isle, Frankie Montalvo discovers roots to a past she never knew. Tales of witchcraft, missing girls and el chupacabra surround her, but it will take more than superstitions to scare her away. Determined to create her own home, she enlists the help of an enigmatic beach bum.
Special Agent Rico Lopez has been to the depths of hell and back. He returns to his native island of Vieques to forget an ICE mission gone wrong only to find himself caught up in the search for a neighbor’s daughter—a victim of the legendary el chupacabra. Paradise has a predator and all leads point to a dilapidated old plantation and one sexy as sin owner. Lying to Frankie is the only way to do his job, but is he protecting her or himself?
Does this name make my butt look big?
Seriously, finding the right name for a character is like finding jeans that fit. I agonize for days trying to find the perfect fit, trying on one pair after another. Some are too flamboyant, some too old-fashioned, some too ridiculous to contemplate that I have to wonder if they make my butt look big.
When I began Dark Waters, I spent a lot of time thinking up the perfect name. Not any name would do. I knew my heroine was a tough, feisty New Yorker who’d been knocked down by life more than once, but always got back on her feet. I wanted a name that captured that hard shell on the outside that hid a soft vulnerability inside. That’s when I hit on Francesca, a classic, elegant name that spoke to who my heroine could be in an ideal world. Shorten it to Frankie and it fit the reality of a woman who fought to hold on to everything she had.
My hero had to stand up to Frankie in every way because he was the one man who could see beneath that exterior armor she wore so carefully. But he wasn’t going to take her by storm. He’d charm his way inside until she never knew what happened. Rico was a name that conjured up washboard abs and a sexy grin and Frankie didn’t stand a chance. This guy was sex on a stick, yet when it came to danger he protected his own…and that included Frankie.
My other method of madness is to find someone, a person I know or a relative to name other secondary characters after. My neighbor Karla got bumped off in Dark Waters (She thought it was hysterical and what better way to thank her for editing my Spanish) Frankie’s last name, Montalvo, comes from my best friend in elementary school (She thinks it is so awesome because she is married now and her last name is changed). Yes, I pay homage to those I love by immortalizing them in books. HEHEHEHE (evil laugh)
Currently, I’m working on my Shadow Warrior series, which is loosely based around Aztec mythology. They are contemporary paranormal romances that include a mix of suspense and plenty of intrigue from the gods. The first of the novellas, tentatively titled Out of the Shadows, has sold to Samhain Publishing. The second novella is in the final stages of editing and ready for submission to the editor and I’m ready to bang out the third. As I planned out the fourth novella, I realized that once again I was stuck. I needed the perfect name for my heroine.
So I mentioned this dilemma to my family and my cousin said she would love it if I used her name in a book. (Victoria is sweet and loving and beautifully blonde, which is exactly the opposite of the character I am contemplating). Then it dawned on me. Eureka! What better way to get the heroine’s name than to ask my friends and family to pick the name for me?
I put out a call for others to name the 4th heroine in the Shadow Warrior series. I got some wonderful entries and found a winner. A Celtic word that means “fire†–Enya!
You might be thinking, “This name is not ancient Aztec. Blasphemy!†True, but Zyanya is and it means “always, forever†and I thought this name fit perfectly. Since the story is a contemporary paranormal romance and she is an immortal firecracker, I figured she would want to blend into modern society, so I named her Enya.
Well guess what? I need a hero’s name!
Description: He is an immortal warrior who has battled demons, Aztec gods, and bad styles of the 1770’s, 1880’s and 1990’s. He’s tall, dark, and shaven (bald is beautiful). He is strong, ruthless and has a soft spot for damsels in distress (and kittens too but don’t let anyone know). He has the ability to shift into a black jaguar and with one look he can make you do bad, bad things.
I’m going to help you out a bit. Below are some names I am considering. Vote for your pick in the comment section and be entered to win a $5.00 gift card.
Mateo – short for MATLAL: Nahuatl name meaning “dark green; or net.”
Teo – short for TEOXIHUITL: Nahuatl unisex name meaning “turquoise” or “precious and divine.”
Alan – short for ACHCAUHTLI: Nahuatl unisex name meaning “leader.”
¡Buena suerte! Good luck!
Gabriella Hewitt
www.GabriellaHewitt.com
Excitement. Suspense. Passion.
Dark Waters ~ Available Now ~
Order at Amazon
The New Year has come roaring in and I’m trying hard not to make resolutions. I guess because I always think that it’s more than about just making a promise for the short term, it’s about making a long term change for the better.
Despite that, I can’t help getting caught up in the New Year’s frenzy of promises, so here are a few things I’m going to try to do for myself and others.
1. Lose weight. A continuous battle for me.
2. Be more patient. I am so not patient at times.
3. Work harder. Seems impossible and yet I truly believe in the American Dream that all things are possible thanks to the fruit of hard labor.
4. Rethink promo. Been there done that so many times and all for naught. There has got to be a better way.
5. Play more. All work and no play makes Caridad a grumpy girl.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? Any fun things you’ve got planned for the coming year?