The gorgeous, eye catching cover is only the beginning of the deliciousness of Golden Blood: A Vampire Story by Tim Vee. I grab any vampire books that come my way and Golden Blood is a fresh take of a familiar tale. It’s pretty hard to come up with a new slant, seeing there are thousands of books out there. Good job ,Tim.
Balthazar Jiménez de Quesada’s greed has him transformed into a vampire, one of the most grotesque I have ever come across. He’s definitely not sparkly. He turns the wrong person when he slaughtered Yvette’s family and left her for dead. She plots her revenge.
She devotes her vampiric life to finding Golden Blood, the rarest type of blood. It can break the vampire curse, turning her back into a human. There are some bloods that can give a vampire the human feeling for a short period of time, but she wants Golden Blood. So does Balthazar, after he gets his first taste. He wants to kill her and take over her ‘company’.
I love what Tim Vee has done with Golden Blood. I would not change anything. These are not your Twilight vampires. Tim has some of the most vivid descriptions and I can see the flies buzzing, skin sloughing off…
We have a bit of a history lesson with our horror and I was all in. The more I read, the more engrossed I was in the story. I would have read it in one sitting, if I could have, but I did read until the wee hours of the morning.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
In 1540, conquistador Balthazar Jiménez de Quesada embarks on a quest for gold but encounters an ancient evil in the jungles of Colombia, La Pastola, transforming him into an immortal vampire. Centuries later, as Napoleon’s army clashes with the British in 1815, a brutal massacre near Walloon births a new vampire desperate to break her curse. In present-day Los Angeles, a man with the rarest blood type—Golden Blood—enters a dangerous world where the line between predator and prey blurs, as a secret society of vampires hunts for the key to their salvation…or their destruction. Golden Blood is a gripping tale of horror, history, and the eternal struggle for redemption, spanning from the New World’s blood-soaked jungles to the underbelly of modern L.A.
Golden Blood is the story about one vampire’s search for Golden Blood that can reverse the vampiric curse and her need for revenge against the vampire that slaughtered her family and turned her into a vampire centuries before. Set in the jungles of Colombia in the 1500s, the Caribbean in the 1700s, Europe in the 1800s and 1900s, and present-day Los Angeles, Golden Blood is a dark, bleak, and gothic story.
Tim works in digital marketing in Toronto and is well-traveled, having visited over 80 countries. When he is not working or writing he likes to spend time with his family and German Shepherd – and to go cycling.
Tim has written ten books; The Secret Policemen and The Secret Service – both dystopian dark comedies; as well as seven science fiction novels – Extinction, Annabelle, Fission, The Children of the Third Reich, The Child of Mars, and The Children of Andaalwaald.
Tim has also written Magpie – a dark and intense journey into the world of international espionage and terrorism.
Tim mostly enjoys writing transgressive fiction – mainly about aliens and psychopaths.
Almost Infamous Sarah Ainslee Publication date: May 20th 2025 Genres: Coming of Age, Contemporary, New Adult, Young Adult
Jenny Han meets Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR in this humorous and heartfelt coming-of-age novel from the author of That Wasn’t in the Script.
What do you do when your dad’s a legendary rockstar, but you’re the only one who knows it? For seventeen-year-old Emmy Harper, the answer’s simple: pretend he doesn’t exist. After all, Nick Addison, frontman of the iconic rock band Mayfair, bailed before she was even born.
Emmy’s summer plans are set until her mom drops a bomb: Nick wants to meet her. The catch? She has to spend two weeks on tour with Mayfair—incognito. After two decades of fame, scandals, and tabloid drama, he suddenly wants to get involved? Hard pass. Turns out, Emmy doesn’t have a choice.
Now stuck on the road with a bunch of rockstars, Emmy’s world is flipped upside down. Alongside the charming drummer’s son, Sullivan, she uncovers truths about Nick’s supposed abandonment and how everything she’s been taught about her family might be the farthest thing from reality.
Between band drama, first love, and backstage passes to the wild world of rock & roll, Emmy’s summer is a whirlwind of unexpected twists. But is it a chance for redemption or a ticket to chaos?
Sarah Ainslee has worn several hats. Nanny, barista, social media manager, and occasional band wrangler (don’t ask.) Through it all, ‘writer’ is the only title that has ever stuck. Telling stories is what she always comes back to.
She’s a YA contemporary author with a penchant for awkward encounters and whimsical adventures—a dash of romance never hurts either. She writes stories for the teenager inside all of us who still dosen’t know what they want to be when they grow up.
Sarah currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. When she’s not writing, you can catch her hunkered down at a coffee shop, sharing every in-depth thought about her love of superheroes and romcoms over on her Instagram.
**images are linked to Amazon (I am an affiliate)**
Hi Everyone. Not a lot going on. Doing some blogging and a lot of reading. I have a list of books I am determined to finish this year…BUT I keep adding more to the list. I just can’t help myself. LOL It’s a good problem to have. Hubby is doing great with his rehab, since his hip replacement. I’m surprised how well he is doing. Here’s a fun video he made of us walking. We are both rehabbing and it’s looking good for my final surgery in December.
Pure Vengeance: A Dark Romance Anthology Felicity Brandon, Madden Kole, Maesha Stone, Raisa Greywood, Yolanda Olson Published by: GTB Publishing LLC Publication date: November 5th 2024 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
They’ll have their vengeance—and their pleasure, too.
Revenge is like ice cream. Best served cold, and in bed.
And nobody serves up revenge like the villains in these stories.
Because there is no better way to exact your revenge than to make your target crave your touch. To make them beg you for their pleasure, to drive them to the brink of madness as they scream your name.
To make them believe you might actually love them…
Feral Darlings: A Vampire Romance Anthology Ally Vance, Ariel Marie, Cassie Lein, Dana Isaly, Emery LeeAnn, Felicity Brandon, Yolanda Olson Publication date: February 14th 2025 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Cunningly, delicious, lustful, and intoxicating.
Fall through the Crimson Veil and Frozen Malice, while you spiral into Revelry.
Let the Godd@#n Vampire make their Eternal Claim on your soul. Survive the immortals lurking in the Western Evil as they decide whether to Suck, Marry, Kill their prey or let them run for one more night.
Feral Darlings is a collection of short stories from USA Today and internationally bestselling authors Yolanda Olson, Felicity Brandon, Ariel Marie, Cassie Lein, Emery LeeAnn, Dana Isaly, and Ally Vance.
Western Evil by Yolanda Olson
Frozen Malice by Felicity Brandon
Eternal Claim by Ariel Marie
Suck, Marry, Kill by Cassie Lein
Godd@#n Vampire by Emery LeeAnn
Revelry by Dana Isaly
Crimson Veil by Ally Vance
This sinfully, dark collection is only available for a limited time.
December is a time of giving and Tony Bertauski pays it forward. By purchasing a copy of Candyland, you are donating to a worth cause, Novak’s House. 10% of the profits from Candyland is donated to Novak’s House: a recovery residence that was founded in 2020 by Brandon Novak and George Evagelou to help those struggling with addiction find a safe, sober place to call home.
I have been visiting the Claus Universe since Santa came to town. I have missed a book or two, so it’s a good thing each book can stand alone. Are you ready for an adventure?
Let’s follow Arthur to Candyland, where the battle between naughty and nice reigns. Arthur’s imagination has brought him to Candyland where every day is Christmas. We have magical characters and a king that wants to turn Candyland all naughty. He needs Arthur and his talent, to help him make it happen.
Arthur doesn’t know what his talent is, what the king is looking for, and he has no idea how he will ever get home again.
I love getting lost in the fantasy Tony Bertauski has created. I have met many a character that I would never have found anywhere else, but in one of Tony’s books. His world building knows no boundaries, He has the ability to set my imagination on fire. So, if you are looking for some holiday reading for you or someone else, I highly recommend taking a look at the Claus Universe.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
The 12th standalone novel in the Claus Universe. The Christmas adventures you’ve been waiting for…
Arthur woke up in a realm where fairy tales are born and Christmas never ends.
Naturally, he thought he was dreaming. Who wouldn’t? This wasn’t his world. He had no idea how he got there, and even the natives were clueless about how or why a crosser came to Candyland. But there was a reason—there was always a reason.
Arthur is quickly caught up in the eternal battle between naughty and nice. King Chocolate ruled the Naughty Side, and with Christmas fast approaching, he’s determined to finally win at any cost. When he hears rumors of Arthur’s arrival, the king springs into action. The last thing he wants is a talented crosser helping the Nice Side win the war.
Arthur has no idea what talent the king is after. He barely remembers who he is. He crossed over with only the clothes on his back and a pocket full of drawings. Soon, however, he finds himself trapped between naughty and nice. When he discovers the secrets inside himself, Candyland is transformed. And in the process, he will remember who he is and understand why he’s there.
When his true talent is unleashed, nothing will be the same.
Genre: Action and Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Teen, Young Adult
He grew up in the Midwest where the land is flat and the corn is tall. The winters are bleak and cold. He hated winters.
He always wanted to write. But writing was hard. And he wasn’t very disciplined. The cold had nothing to do with that, but it didn’t help. That changed in grad school.
After several attempts at a proposal, his major advisor was losing money on red ink and advised him to figure it out. Somehow, he did.
After grad school, he and his wife and two very little children moved to the South in Charleston, South Carolina where the winters are spring and the summers are a sauna (cliche but dead on accurate). That’s when he started teaching and writing articles for trade magazines. He eventually published two textbooks on landscape design. He then transitioned to writing a column for the Post and Courier. They were all great gigs, but they weren’t fiction.
That was a few years later.
His daughter started reading before she could read, pretending she knew the words in books she propped on her lap. His son was a different story. In an attempt to change that, he began writing a story with him. They made up a character, gave him a name, and something to do. As with much of parenting, it did not go as planned. But the character got stuck in his head.
He wanted out.
A few years later, Socket Greeny was born. It was a science fiction trilogy that was gritty and thoughtful. That was 2005.
He has been practicing Zen since he was 23 years old. A daily meditator, he wants to instill something meaningful in his stories that appeals to a young adult crowd as well as adult. Think Hunger Games. He hadn’t planned to write fiction, didn’t even know if he had anymore stories in him after Socket Greeny.
Artist Gabby Wolfe has the ability to see not only the beauty of the living but the despair of the dead. When she returns to her childhood home in Henry Park Colorado, she is forced to bring along her younger brother Mitch. He is on a “break” from college where he was majoring in wine, women, and song. If that isn’t enough they also have Mitch’s rambunctious beagle Luigi along who prefers to spend his days wallowing in junk food. When Gabby draws the death of a young woman before it happens, she knows she must tell someone and risk a new job and her professional credibility. Will she reveal her secret in time to save the woman in the water or will it be too late?
Book Details:
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery Published by: Harbor Lane Books Publication Date: September 24, 2024 Number of Pages: 260 Book Links:Amazon | Goodreads
Read an excerpt:
Chapter 1
We pulled into the driveway of a home nestled into the banks of Lake Henry. The overhanging roof, a dark silver color, provided ample shade on the front porch. As if guarding the home against the outside world, stone pillars stood on either side of the door. I parked my car on the circular drive that made its way through the deep, green lawn. Clarence Bradford’s home was well-kept, and the square corners and functional design reflected a sense of order. The light played between the two pillars, creating stripes on the slats of the porch. Built up on the mountainside, the house almost looked like a natural part of the landscape.
Standing on the porch was a man I recognized from his book covers: Clarence Bradford. He was still quite handsome for his age, and his outfit—a forest-green button-down shirt, blue jeans, and hiking boots—told me every day was casual Friday. His silvery hair augmented his healthy tan.
“You made it.” He took in my cotton flowered tunic, my favorite pair of jeans, and the high tops I was wearing and said, “You are young.”
Maybe the high tops were a little much, but they were my favorite shoes. Even in my late twenties, I still hadn’t shed this style of footwear left over from my teens. Maybe it was the artist in me not conforming to uncomfortable heels that made my knees wobble. Clarence stood next to a tray set with a pitcher of tea and glasses. “You made good time. I was just on a break and decided you might be near and need some iced tea.”
Luigi leaped out of the car first and ran like a maniac around the yard.
“Will he run off?” I asked.
Mitch scowled. “I told you. Luigi is the product of discipline and training. He’ll let off a little steam and then be back to his guard-dog status.” From the wild look in Luigi’s eyes as he tried to bounce off a pine tree, I doubted his strict training included that.
Trying to put Luigi out of my thoughts, I gave an awkward little wave to my new employer. “Hi. I’m Gabby and this is my brother, Mitch.”
My brother walked over and plopped into a chair, grabbed an icy glass, and kicked off his flip-flops. “Excellent, Mr. Bradford.”
“Please, call me Clarence.”
“Clarence then,” he said, downing the tea in almost one gulp. Nothing like a hangover to make you thirsty.
I took a seat in the third chair. The smell of pine trees was so intense around me that it gave me the giddy feeling of Christmas. “You have a beautiful home, Clarence.”
“Yes, it’s where I get all of my inspiration. But, of course, growing up around here you already knew how beautiful it was. If I had to write the Adventure Kid books in the city, I don’t think they’d be any good. Can’t exactly have my little adventurers taking the subway to get to their next escapade.” He refilled Mitch’s glass.
“Working here,” I paused to look around at the towering trees and listen to the birdsong emanating from them, “sounds like paradise. I work in coffee shops a lot myself.”
“Ugh, what a terrible thing. I don’t know how people concentrate in those places,” he said in disgust.
“Earbuds,” I answered.
“Excuse me?” Obviously, Clarence Bradford had no need to block out sound and pump in music.
I pulled my earbuds out of my pocket. “These things.”
“Oh, yes. I see young people wearing them all the time. It’s like they have to have an extension cord wherever they go. Seems kind of ridiculous-looking to me.”
“You’re so right, Clarence,” Mitch said. “What I hate is hearing people’s phone conversations in the store. Do they even know how stupid they look having a heart-to-heart in the middle of the hemorrhoid creams?”
Clarence’s laugh boomed from his chest as he slapped his knee. “I can see you’re going to make this summer interesting, Mitch.”
“Mitch makes every summer interesting,” I added. “We’re renting a house on the other side of the lake, so it will be easy for me to come to work over here.”
“That’s good. Would you like to see where we’ll be working?”
I followed Clarence Bradford to what I thought would be a book-lined study, complete with the smell of cherry tobacco and a roaring fire. Instead, he took me to a room at the back of the house almost entirely encased in windows. There were blinds built into the double panes of glass. Clarence Bradford’s study wasn’t an office at all. It was an air-conditioned room on the lake.
“This is beautiful,” I said, spinning around. “I don’t know how you get any work done here.”
“Oh, but that’s the secret to writing outdoor adventure books for kids. I write them practically outdoors, with the modern conveniences of air conditioning and Internet. It’s my oasis.”
“What a fantastic idea.” The wall facing the windows was lined floor to ceiling with books. As an artist, I appreciated just how much there was to see from Clarence Bradford’s view of Lake Henry.
“Do the people going by in their boats watch you? I mean, do you feel like you don’t have any privacy here?”
“Tinted windows. I can see them, but they can’t see me. Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The view was stunning, and I also made a mental note that whenever I needed a cigarette, I shouldn’t smoke it within view of this office if I wanted to keep it a secret. As I looked across the lake, the wavy line of the shore caught my eye. It looked like something I had seen before. I stepped closer to the glass.
“Are you a bird-watcher?” Clarence asked.
“Uh, no. I just thought I saw something familiar.”
“Is your house visible from here?”
“No. We’re too far away, and our house is on the other side of the road.”
I glanced back at the shoreline. My shoulders began to feel cold, and I held onto my arms. The vision was trying to come in again. I must be close to whatever it was that was causing the woman with the cold hand to invade my senses.
“I must have the air conditioning up too high in here. You’re shivering,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine.
“No, I’m fine. Really.”
“Of course …” he said but then asked once more, “You’re sure you’re alright, now.”
“Yes.” I turned my back to the window. “This is my first children’s book, so I’m sure I have a lot to learn,” I confessed, changing the subject.
***
Excerpt from Color Me Dead by Teresa Trent. Copyright 2024 by Teresa Trent. Reproduced with permission from Teresa Trent. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Teresa Trent started out teaching English, but life and children intervened and she began writing mysteries starting with her Pecan Bayou Cozy Mystery Series. After that, she wrote the Piney Woods and the Swinging Sixties Mystery Series. Color Me Dead is the first book in her new Henry Park Series and while all her other books take place in Texas, this series is set in Colorado, where Teresa grew up. Teresa is also the author of several short stories and is teaching writing at her local library encouraging new writers. Teresa lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and son.
Crashers is a psychological thriller sure to leave you with your mind spinning.
Need some money? Join Shari, Nathan, and Bryce for some hair raising, spine tingling moments cashing in on car crashes that are purposely staged, with no thought of the consequences, or what could possibly go wrong.
I’m not sure where to even start talking about Crashers.
Shari goes down a dark path when she agrees to become a Crasher. Desperation drove her to it, but greed and easy pickings will twist her morals out of existence. She loses herself.
I must say, there wasn’t much to like about any of the characters. though the story kept me turning the pages, having to know what comes next. If Karma raises its ugly head, these three are in for an ugly future. Will they end up in prison? Will they lose more than their freedom? I mean, doing something so despicable, I can’t imagine them being able to walk away scot free.
4 Stars
Crashers
by Lindy S. Hudis
Genre: Thriller,
Suspense
**Currently in film production with Face 2
Face Productions!**
How far would you go
to get rich?
What if you were desperate? What if you were
completely out of options? Would you cut in front of a sparkling, new
Mercedes on the busy L.A. freeway and slam on the brakes? What if it
were that easy?
Enter the world of Crashers…
The
con is simple: Get in a car accident. Collect the insurance blood
money. What could go wrong? That’s what Shari believed when she found
herself in dire need of cash. When she meets the sexy and mysterious
Bryce, the teaches her all about how to be a “capper.”
Soon,
Shari realizes that by staging more of these accidents, she’ll have
more money than she knows what to do with.
But as she
becomes more and more obsessed with her strange new world, she
discovers there’s no such thing as easy money. And what started out
as a simple payout soon turns into a deadly game.
Lindy
Sternberger Hudis is an award winning filmmaker, author and actress.
Lindy is a graduate of New York University, where she studied drama
at Tisch School of the Arts. She also performed in a number of
Off-Off Broadway theater productions while living in New York
City.
She is the author of several titles, including her
romance suspense novel, Weekends, her “Hollywood” story
City of Toys, and her crime novel, Crashers. Her latest release,
“Hollywood Underworld – A Hollywood Series” is the first
installment of a crime, mystery series.
She is also the
author of several erotic short stories, including “The S&M
Club”, “The Backstage Pass”, “Guitar God”,
“The Guitarist”, and “The Mile High Club”.
Her
short film “The Lesson”, which she wrote, produced and
directed, has won numerous awards, including ‘Best Short Film’ at the
Paris International Film Festival, The Beverly Hills Arthouse Film
Festival and the San Fransisco International Film Festival.
She
is also a former actress, having appeared in the television daytime
drama “Sunset Beach”, “Married with Children” ,
“Beverly Hills 90210” and the feature film “Indecent
Proposal” . She and her husband, Hollywood stuntman Stephen
Hudis, have formed their own production company called Impact Motion
Pictures, and have several projects and screenplays in development.
She lives in California with her husband and two children.
The Crushing by Kerry Peresta is the fourth novel in the Olivia Callahan series. The more I get to know her, the more I love her…and her Wine, Whine, & Win group of friends.
Hannah had gotten married and moved to Pensacola, Florida. Hazel had moved there too. She’s ready for the quiet life. Olivia’s memory may never be fully restored, but she remembers enough to have built a business and pick up her personal life. Her home has been restored since the fire and she loves it. Sherry (it’s always so fun to see my name in a book) has become a part of the private investigating firm Olivia started. Callie lives behind Olivia’s house helping out when she can. Beth is a newcomer and works at the firm. She seems like a good fit. Monty is in prison, but refuses to keep his nose out of their business.
They haven’t heard from Hannah in a long time, so Sherry makes the trip to Pensacola. Patrick, Hannah’s husband says she’s around, just not available. Something seemed amiss before Sherry even got there.
We have more than one wolf hiding in sheep’s clothing and their lives will be put on the line while running through the swamps of Florida.
Poor Hunter. He is torn between two women. At times I feel bad for him, other times I feel like he keeps one on hold for when the other doesn’t work out. So far Olivia isn’t ready for a commitment, though she feels a rightness when they are together, wanting to reach out and kiss him. Will she or won’t she?
The Crushing by Kerry Peresta rolls along at a suspenseful pace. We have many culprits heaping bad things on the ladies. Some of the danger is right in front of their eyes.
To sum it up, the more I read the more suspenseful the story became, the more danger dogged their footsteps, the more complex the mystery became. I couldn’t figure out who was doing what and why and what the outcome would be. The ending left me with a comfortable feeling of relief. The ladies live on to fight another day.
4 Stars
SYNOPSIS
OLIVIA CALLAHAN SUSPENSE
The victim of a vicious assault six years ago that resulted in a traumatic brain injury, Olivia Callahan is now a private investigator with her own firm. The assault that almost took her life resulted in a spectacular metamorphosis. No longer the shy, passive introvert she once was, she’s become a driving and determined force. However, the lack of impulse control caused by her rewired brain causes her to run toward trouble instead of away from it.
When Olivia sends her colleague, Sherry, to the Florida panhandle to find a missing friend, Hannah; the search takes Sherry into the dark heart of an abusive, hostage situation. The man Hannah married is cruel, dangerous, and well-connected. Olivia reels in her favorite cop—Sergeant Hunter Faraday—for a discreet assist, and it soon becomes clear that Hannah’s new husband is adept at waging war against anything that blocks his way.
While rescuing Hannah is Olivia’s primary goal, her incarcerated ex-husband has other plans. He’s collected friends who support his obsessive need to punish her for her role in his murder conviction, and a time bomb is ticking.
As Olivia and Sherry battle to save Hannah, try to neutralize the fiendish plan of an ex bent on revenge, and endure a terrifying race for their lives through the Florida wetlands; a final betrayal waits patiently in the dark. Smiling.
Praise for The Crushing:
“Fans of Frieda McFadden and Lisa Jewell will stay up past their bedtimes devouring the latest thriller from Kerry Peresta! Haunted by her abusive ex-husband, P.I. Olivia Callahan had better keep her friends close and her enemies closer. Now, if she could only tell them apart. When one of her best friends goes missing in a Florida swamp, the clock is ticking. The suspense winds tighter on every page!” ~ Kelly Oliver, author of the Jessica James Mysteries
“The tension in Kerry Peresta’s The Crushing is off the chain. Chilling! ‘I can beat this,’ the captive whispers from her locked room. ‘I will escape.’ Taut. Gripping. Engrossing. Highly recommended!” ~ Tracy Clark, award-winning author of the Cass Raines Chicago mysteries and the Detective Harriet Foster series.
“Rich details, a strong, character-driven plot, and enough snaky twists and turns to give you vertigo – this fourth entry in Kerry Peresta’s Olivia Callahan series will have you sweating bullets and turning pages like a tornado, leaving you as breathless as a mile sprinter. There’s nothing less simple than a simple missing-persons case, and there are far worse things than gators in the dark, dank Florida boonies. Don’t believe me? Read The Crushing.” ~ J.R. Sanders, Shamus Award winning author of the Nate Ross novels.
Book Details:
Genre: Thriller, Suspense Published by: Level Best Books Publication Date: October 15, 2024 Number of Pages: 310 ISBN: 978-1-68512-770-1 Series:Olivia Callahan Suspense, Book Four Book Links:Amazon | Goodreads | Level Best Books
Read an excerpt:
PROLOGUE
Sherry crammed the phone against her ear as she dashed through the thick undergrowth, trudged across boggy marshes, and arrived at a feeder stream.
“Olivia! Olivia?”
Nothing.
“Dammit!” she muttered, shoving her cell back into her pocket. She calculated that the nearest town rested fifteen miles down the highway out here in Florida-cracker country, and holing up until the shooter emerged seemed the best option.
She should’ve known there’d be no service out here.
Where did he go? She scraped mud off her face and rubbed her sunburned cheeks. He actually fired a weapon. On no planet had she ever thought this little trek would become a fight for her life, yet here she stood, hands glued to the trunk of a huge palm, eyes darting back and forth across the marshy, pancake-flat wastelands of inland Florida. Behind her lay a wide body of water surrounded by suspicious-looking marsh grass and, she suspected, alligators…and in front of her lay miles of marshland and bedraggled palms spearing the sky.
Why had she volunteered for this assignment, again?
“I just had to get my investigator’s license,” she muttered. “Maybe I should’ve stayed put as Olivia’s assistant instead of private investigator. This isn’t quite how I envisioned the job.”
She rubbed her calves. How long had she been running? Fifteen minutes? Twenty? An hour? Where was Olivia?
The distant blast of gunfire reached her ears. A bullet sliced through the air and hit the tree she’d wrapped herself around, missing her hand by inches. Sherry felt her stomach freeze into a block of ice.
Wiping the sweat from her eyes, she slid her hand to the paddle holster on her belt, gripped her Smith & Wesson revolver, and released the safety strap. Another crack of gunfire erupted closer this time. She swallowed, hard. A whoosh of air zipped past a mere twelve inches in front of her nose. Sherry dropped to the ground like a stone. The spikey bushes on the ground dug into her arms, her chest, her legs. She located a slight rise about ten feet away, and hastily low-crawled through the weeds on her stomach, edged to the top of the incline, and threw herself over the top.
Breathing hard, she peeked out above the edge. The crack-crack-crack of shots fired caused her to dive for cover. She took a deep breath, wiped the sweat off her palms, and fired back a volley of her own. When silence fell, she relaxed against the incline and tugged out her phone. A signal!
With fumbling fingers, she pressed in Olivia’s number. She waited through one ring, then two, before her call was answered.
“Where are you?” Olivia’s anxious voice demanded. “Are you okay?”
Tears of relief trailed down her cheeks. She rattled off a description of her location. Her gaze trained on the best-case origination of shots fired, she whispered, “Olivia! I found Hannah. She’s exhausted and weak, but I’ve got her.” Sherry listened to Olivia’s instructions. “Okay. I’ll meet you at the airport, but…wait. I hear something,” she whispered, and stuck the phone back in her pocket. She gripped her weapon with both hands.
Minutes passed. Sherry tried to breathe.
Something shuffled through the grass. Her eyes sliced left, right.
The shuffling stopped.
The hum of cicadas intensified. She swatted at mosquitoes. Sweat trickled down her face.
Sherry adjusted her grip on her sidearm.
She strained to hear more footsteps, but only heard the faint squawk of herons and hoot of owls. The setting sun left a red slash on the horizon. Bats dipped and swooped above her.
She lowered her weapon, puzzled. Had one of her prior shots wounded her target?
Taking her time, she rose from her niche behind the incline.
A single shot burst from her adversary’s weapon and sizzled through the air.
She cried out in pain. The bullet had nicked her, the sting of a monster wasp. She groped her waist with her free hand and lifted it away wet with blood. Rage rushed through her chest and down her arms. She planted her legs wide and emptied her weapon in the direction of the shooter.
The phone in her pocket vibrated with a text as she reloaded.
Another bullet clipped her in the shoulder.
The sound of sirens wailed in the distance.
She collapsed.
***
Excerpt from The Crushing by Kerry Peresta. Copyright 2024 by Kerry Peresta. Reproduced with permission from Kerry Peresta. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Kerry Peresta is a suspense novelist, and her releases include The Deadening,The Rising, The Torching, and The Crushing, books one-four in the Olivia Callahan Suspense series; and Back Before Dawn, a standalone thriller, all published by Level Best Books Publishing. Her magazine articles have appeared in Hilton Head’s Local Life Magazine, The Bluffton Breeze, Lady Lowcountry, and Island Events Magazine. She spent twenty-five years in advertising as an account manager, creative director, editor, and copywriter. She is past chapter president of the Maryland Writers’ Association and a current member and presenter of Hilton Head Island Writers’ Network, South Carolina Writers Association, Pat Conroy Literary Center, International Thriller Writers, and the Sisters in Crime organization. Kerry is the mother of four adult kids, a flock of grandkids, and three cats. She and her husband moved to Hilton Head Island in 2015.
We Never Kissed Lia Fairchild Publication date: November 5th 2024 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
The spark between Ava and Alex, her brother’s best friend, was always undeniable. So, Ava spent her life wondering why Alex had never claimed her lips.
Torn between loyalty and desire, Alex always kept Ava at a distance, leaving her to stand on the sidelines, watching him go through women faster than a beating heart.
No longer able to ignore the pull toward Alex, Ava drops everything in her life—including her boyfriend—to finally try to make things work between them. But surrendering to their deepest desires could ruin everything, including the fragile fabric of a shared family history.
I ordered one more and took my time finishing it as I waited for the guests to fill the room; maybe I could disappear among the crowds. Still, all eyes would be on me when I gave my toast. But there was only one pair of eyes that could destroy me tonight, and as I glanced over my shoulder, the woman who owned them was gliding toward the ballroom.
Fuck me.
Ava was naturally beautiful and typically wore little makeup, but tonight she could have just stepped out of the pages of a magazine. The gown she wore was a dark and elegant shade of red, almost burgundy. It hugged her curves to perfection and had one sleeve draping her arm in sheer red material. The floor-length dress had a slit that I had to tear my gaze from before I broke out into a sweat. I actually eyed the path that led back to the elevators, but now was not the time to turn tail and run.
I stalked after her, planning to…I wasn’t sure, but as she entered the room, I saw dozens of eyes turning her way—men and women. A sense of urgency shot through me; if I had the guts—and was the selfish bastard I wanted to be—I would drag her out of that place and take her back to my hotel room, where we’d stay until I properly worshiped her the way I’d only dreamed of.
I said her name, and she stopped short, hesitating a beat before she turned to face me.
Closing the distance between us, I said, “You’re breathtaking, Ava.” I’d never used that word in my life, but it felt appropriate and inappropriate all at once.
She grinned, but it only lasted a moment, and I knew something was coming. “Can we talk?”
“Dance with me,” I said without thinking. I took her hand and led her to the dancefloor but before we stepped foot on it, fear shot through me as my mind flew back to another time I’d held Ava in my arms.
Author Bio:
Bestselling author Lia Fairchild writes romance and women’s fiction. Fans of her books praise her endearing, real characters who become their own heroes.
Fairchild is addicted to the warmth of Southern California and holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a multiple-subject teaching credential. She is a wife and mother of two.
Look for updates on her and her books at http://www.liafairchild.com or follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/liafairchild/ or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/lia.fairchild.author?fref=ts
