Saturday, May 20, 2017

Saturday's Series Spotlight: Tyack & Frayne Part 2 by Harper Fox


Third Solstice #6
Summary:
Gideon’s managed to swing a few festive days off, and he and Lee are looking forward to celebrating their little girl’s first birthday. But duty calls, and Gideon is too good an officer to ignore the summons. He finds himself on the streets of Penzance, helping police the midwinter Montol celebrations.

It’s his third winter solstice with Lee, and disturbance, danger and magic are in the air. His daughter is beginning to show some remarkable gifts, and not all the family can cope with them. As the Montol festivities reach their fiery heights, will Lee and Gideon find a way to keep those they love best on the right side of the solstice gate?














Preacher, Prophet, Beast #7
Summary:
This is the seventh book in the Tyack & Frayne Mystery series.

Lee would gladly trade all his psychic gifts for a chance at ordinary life with his husband and his little girl. Three years into their marriage, they’re settled in their new home – but the House of Joy can’t shield them from an oncoming threat with the power to uproot their whole world.

Lee can’t define it further, and even his beloved Gideon can’t unmask a monster with no face at all. Gideon is mired in problems and secrets of his own as he struggles to adjust to his new rank and the complexities of plainclothes police work with CID, and for once the devoted Tyack-Frayne partnership is failing to communicate.

Turbulent times in the world at large reach deep into the Bodmin heartland, and the village of Dark is without its guardian constable. More than Lee and Gideon can possibly know has been depending upon their rapport, and as the summer rises towards the longest day, a new and unfathomable kind of Beast is afoot on the moors...


Third Solstice #6
Original Review January 2016:
How did I not know this came out before Christmas?  I fell in love with Lee & Gideon a few months back and it's a great treat to find them in a holiday setting.  Don't think that just because it's Christmas their lives are any less hectic or paranormal.  When their daughter shows what she can do, will it make things easier or more troubling?  Well, for that you'll have to read it and you most definitely will want to do so.  Now I can file Lee & Gideon under both paranormal and my holiday shelf.

Preacher, Prophet, Beast #7
Original Review May 2017:
When I stumbled onto Once Upon a Haunted Moor, book 1 of Harper Fox's Tyack & Frayne series, I thought I found a great paranormal way to escape reality for a bit.  Well, now with the recent release of Preacher, Prophet, Beast book 7 I realize that, yes it's still a great escape, a chance to let go and recharge but it's also an amazingly balanced tale of mystery, drama, and romance wrapped in a whacky paranormal bow that never fails to make me laugh, shudder, and smile all at the same time.

On the surface, I found Preacher to be the most confusing of the series but I also found that was one of the main reasons I enjoyed it.  The confusion is part of the paranormal charm and fits the plot, not to mention how it fits the characters.  That is as close to a spoiler as you are going to get out of me but don't let it scare you off, yes I found confusion to be a huge factor but a necessary one and I can't imagine the story being told any other way.

As the saying goes, laughter is the best medicine, but I find that being freaked out once in a while can be even better.  Why or how you ask?  Well, for me it makes me appreciate what I have because I realize things could be a lot creepier and good or bad it helps me respect what life throws at me.  Now, having made that observation I will say that what Lee and Gideon face on a nearly daily basis is pretty freaky and they manage to face it head on even when they don't realize that's what they're doing.  Throw in little Tamsyn coming into her own paranormal gifts and the family is definitely being kept on their toes.

Preacher, Prophet, Beast is a wonderful addition to my paranormal shelf that has cemented Tyack & Frayne's position on my series shelf.  Hopefully there will be plenty more of Lee, Gideon, and Tamsyn to come.

RATING: 


Third Solstice #6
How long had Lee been sitting there? Gideon sat up, catching his sleeping infant before she could slide off his chest. The so-called watchdog was flat on her back, legs sprawled, hairy paws flickering with dreams. “Lee! Um... Hi, sweetheart. I wasn’t... I didn’t think you’d be back yet.”

“Clearly.” Lee’s face was bright with amusement. He’d had to sit on the edge of the coffee table for want of room on the sofa. “I got in about five minutes ago. I pulled up a pew to watch you three.”

“Sorry.” Gideon yawned hugely. “Sorry. I meant to have supper ready.”

“I stuck a lasagne into the microwave to defrost. We’ll have that.”

A huge tide of pleasure swept Gideon, as if he’d been offered champagne cocktails under the stars on a luxury liner. This week was the longest time he and Lee had been apart since their wedding. “Sweetheart,” he said, and leaned forward to kiss him, keeping Tamsyn out of the way of crushing or suffocation. “Did the last of the filming go well? How was your journey? How come I didn’t know you were nearly home?”

“Fine. Long. You were asleep.” Lee returned his embrace with hungry warmth. Tamsyn emerged serenely from sleep at the sound of his voice, and he lifted her onto his knee, smiling. “God almighty, look at her. She’s grown while I’ve been away.”

“Not surprised. She’s been eating like a tentacled sea-monster. Do you have to go back between now and New Year?”

“Nope, we’re all done. Jack and Anna just wanted some talking-head stuff to wrap up the London Hauntings series. We’re cleared for our festive take-off.”

“Wonderful.” Gideon had bargained away part of his paternity leave to get this first birthday and Christmas at home with his small family. He rubbed his eyes, trying to focus. Lee’s outline was blurred to him, somehow unreal. “Weird that I didn’t wake up, though. I normally feel you coming a mile off.”

Lee raised a suggestive eyebrow at him, then visibly changed the subject. “Seriously, she’s huge. A week’s too long to be away at the moment, isn’t it? What have I missed?”

“Not much. Some truly horrific nappies.”

“Must be all those sailors and galleons she’s been eating. What else?” His brow creased. “I did miss something, didn’t I? Oh, no—not her first step.”

“No, no. She’s been standing on her own, but she always flops down onto that well-padded backside of hers. Speaking of which, I’d better get her swaddled up before she wrecks this towel.”

“Hang on a second. Tell me.”

Lee would never just reach in. Gideon had learned to lower barricades inside his mind, to offer silent permission. The soft, delicious pushing was absent tonight. Well, having a mindreader in the family was no substitute for honest conversation, and some things just had to be said. “She’s developed a bit of a new party trick. Might be better if she showed you, rather than me trying to explain.” He patted Tamsyn’s cheek with one fingertip to draw her attention. “Tamsie. Where’s your bear?”

She pointed to the floor where the toy had fallen, a clear indication that he should pick it up for her. “You get it,” he encouraged. “Get the bear for Lee.”

“No.”

It was clear and decisive, and made both her parents start to laugh. After Dada and Eee, her first word had been no, and she’d made liberal use of it since. “She’s not gonna do it,” Gideon said, picking up the bear for her instead. “Here. No more porridge song, though, please.”

She cackled and began to pull the string. Lee grasped his head in mock agony. “Would it be cruel of us to cut that off? What were you expecting her to do, anyway?”

“I’m not sure.” Gideon rubbed his eyes. “It’s been a long week. I was probably hallucinating. Right, you little rug rat—let’s get you to bed, so your daddies can have some food and sex the way they occasionally used to before you came along.”

Lee grinned and got to his feet, hoisting her ceilingwards. “I remember those golden days. The room looks beautiful, Gid. Who knew a big Cornish plod would have such a talent for decoration?”

“Big gay Cornish copper. Comes with the territory.”

“In that case, shouldn’t I be getting a home-baked quiche for my tea, not microwaved lasagne?”

“Only if you want to home-bake one yourself.” Gideon watched the two of them—his husband and his baby—with pride and love warring for place in his heart. He’d never imagined that life would hold such riches for him. “I found a box of ornaments in the parish-house attic. What do you think?”

“Beautiful. Especially the little silver sphere with... Does it have lights in it?”

“No, but it catches the light in the room. That one was my mum’s favourite too.”

“I can’t imagine the pastor approving.”

“Oh, he didn’t. She used to put a little tree up in her parlour where he wouldn’t see it.”

“Looks like it’s found its proper home now.”

Yes, it did. Gideon surveyed the replantable fir he’d strapped to the roof of the police truck to bring home. Nothing but the best for his little girl’s Christmas—her solstice, her Yule, Pagan trimmings aplenty. The little sphere rotated gently, as if a breeze had touched it. Sparkles flashed hypnotically from within its wire cage. Something tugged at the back of Gideon’s brain. Isolde sat up on the sofa and emitted a faint whine.

“Uh-oh. I think she’s gonna do it.”

“What?” Lee asked in alarm. “Nappy?”

“No. Look at her hand. Watch that bauble.”

“Gid, are you all... Oh. Holy fuck.”

The sphere drifted slowly off the branch. Its string caught on the needles, and Tamsyn frowned as if she’d been given a new puzzle and shifted her hand, left and then right. She beamed and gave a yell of delight, and then—because Gideon could have no further doubt of cause and effect, that she was deliberately doing this—she brought the glittering thing to a brief halt in midair, then fired it squarely at Lee.

He caught it on reflex in his free hand. For a few long seconds he stood motionless, cradling the child and the bauble with equal care. Then he turned to Gideon, his colour fading. “Gid, no.”

“No what? I know it’s freaky, but we’ve seen weirder stuff than this.”

“You don’t... Look, she should be in bed. Will you help me put her down?”

“Of course, but—”

“Seriously. Now.”

Preacher, Prophet, Beast #7
Lee fastened the gate after their visitors, and made his way slowly back across the garden. A massive heat still had a grip on the day. The eastern sky held a distant promise of relief, some of the hot gold shading into blue, but the sun was still blazing over Bern-an-Wra tor, and he couldn’t honestly tell from this distance whether the tower had its crowning rock in place or not.

He looked away. His plans for the evening included outdoor dinner with Gid in the orchard’s shade, and later, if their kid was still up for more hijinks, a weekend breaking of the bedtime rules and a stroll and a quick skinny-dip for all three of them in the millstream pond behind the hill. Bodmin winters could be harsh. Experienced moor-dwellers knew to make the best of summer days, and when the weather gods opened a box-of-jewels June like this on the gorse-starred heath, you seized every moment.

Bucca Gwidder, Bucca Dhu. Not figure-of-speech weather gods but two distinct personalities, the Lords of the year’s light and dark halves. The word bucca – meaning spirit, as Rufus Pendower had explained to him, actually stammering nervously over his Bs, the last time they’d been alone together – had become corrupted to pooka or Puck, a mischievous sprite. Out here, the ancient forces were restored. There just wasn’t room for the trappings and twists of civilisation. No room to hide, and no mercy. All the old demons could have sway.

Gideon was on the phone in the hallway when he pushed open the door. Dead-set determined not to hear anything else he shouldn’t today, Lee slipped past him and into the kitchen. He’d volunteered to fix Gid’s favourite casserole, and that required quite a lot of pan-rattling and banging of fridge and cupboard doors before he got stuck in.

Felt good, too. Slam of the chopping board onto the counter top. Slap of beef fillet onto the board, and he diced it as if he’d had a personal grudge with the cow.

Ridiculous. Tamsyn dealt with her emotions better than this. Gideon followed him into the kitchen, and he wiped his hands on a tea towel and turned to greet him with a sane, everyday expression on his face. “Thought that lot were gonna stay around for dinner. You getting hungry?”

“Ravenous. Could eat that raw.”

“I trust you mean the beef.”

“Read it however you want, gorgeous.”

It was a good attempt at their normal repartee. On any other night, it would have driven them back into each other’s arms to take care of unfinished business. Instead Lee took a steadying hold of the counter top behind him and said, uneasily, “Do you think Flora Waite’s all right? She had Tamsie out of the cot before I could stop her, and she was kind of rubbing her face against the poor kid’s. For luck, she said, when I asked.”

“Oh, no. Did Tamsyn wake up?”

“Not really. She doesn’t seem to mind outbreaks of weirdness from her friends.”

“She wouldn’t have a leg to stand on if she did.” Gideon shifted awkwardly. He was flushed, Lee noticed, his handsome summer colour heightened from tan to fever. “I think something is amiss with Flora. We talked a bit about Dev Bowe, and she seemed stressed. Thanks for skipping balletically past me on the phone, but it was nothing you couldn’t know about – I just wanted to give Lamshear Hall a ring and check everything was all right.”

“Lamshear… Oh, right. That’s Dev’s long-term care facility.”

“Mm. Also pronounced bottomless looney bin, poor lad. I dunno – they said he was okay, but something sounded hinky. I might pop over.”

“In your capacity as a police officer? What about poor Rhys?”

“No, just as Flora’s friend. Rhys can take care of Ross Jones.” He fell silent. The helpless, anxious scrape of Lee’s question hung in the air between them. He propped his hands on his hips, looked first out of the window and then at the rug at Lee’s feet. “All right. Speak.”

Lee couldn’t, not at first. His throat was tight with pent-up fear. He waited until he thought his voice would be calm. “I’ll head Ma off at the pass for you, if you like. On Monday.”

“Er… yeah. That would be good.”

“There’s a new garden centre just opened up outside Truro. With Edwardian tearooms. Ought to be irresistible, even against the prospect of getting beaten up by fascists at a Pride parade.”

“Bloody hell, Lee. You weren’t meant to know.”

“Is that the point? This isn’t like a pub fight or a few kids kicking off at Montol. It’s violence, hatred, right here on our streets in Cornwall, and… and you, right there in the middle of it. I don’t understand – why the hell hasn’t the march just been cancelled?”

Gideon took a step towards him, dismay dawning in his eyes. Lee turned to the sink and blindly ran water into the washing-up bowl. He couldn’t let Gideon get a close-up view of him now, on the edge of stupid tears, fighting like a toddler not to crack and cry outright. It’s not that you’d have gone off and done it, although that thought freezes the marrow in my bones. You’d have done it without letting me know. And here I am, locked up like some sea-widow at home, staring off over the water, knowing the damn ship’s gone down.

Gideon’s arms closed round his waist. “It doesn’t work like that,” he said, his mouth like hot velvet against Lee’s ear. “We don’t know if it’s fascists, or some nutter acting alone, or even if anything’s going to happen at all. Oh, my God, sweetheart – don’t cry.”

“I’m not.” Lee wiped the heel of one wet hand over his eyes. “I’m fine, okay? I’m really sorry.”

“What for?”

“Eavesdropping. Getting in your way. Making things harder for you.”

“You don’t do any of those things.” Gideon rocked him. “Listen – I know this new work’s been tough as fuck on both of us. It’s just… very different, that’s all. I don’t go out and get into the middle of things anymore.”

“That must be killing you.”

“A bit. But I’ll get used to it. As for cancelling, we don’t have nearly enough information to justify that, although…”

He fell into a reverberant silence. Lee, who could read his body as well as his mind, and who knew the village bobby of Dark would have cancelled this march at the breath of a threat to its participants, listened to the tensions in the warm body pressed against his. “Gid, tell me what’s wrong.”

“I saw something. In the orchard.”

Lee’s spine chilled. Was this how it felt to other people, when one of his own visions fell from him unannounced? I can see something. Not a stray dog or one of their distant neighbours’ sheep on the loose – something eerie, not to be contained by earthly walls or defences. “What?”

“Not sure. It went round the front. You stay there.”

He set off at a run. It went without saying that Lee would never obey an order of that kind, and he followed on, securing the porch door behind them. God help any serious intruders, encountering Detective Sergeant Frayne in the garden! If it was Daz or any of his feckless mates, he’d rumble at them like a volcano but send them about their business with startling gentleness. Only once had Lee seen him on the edge of unleashed violence: when Elowen had decided she wanted the baby back, and Zeke and Michel had made the mistake of trying to block his response. Still he’d let Lee bear him down to his knees on the clifftop path. All that power, shuddering and restrained in his arms… “Gideon, hold up. I don’t see anyone.”

“No. Me neither, now.” He came to a halt by the gate. “Hang on – over there. Look.”

He was pointing to the thicket of gorse on the far side of the lane. Lee saw the yellow blossoms quiver, as if someone had passed briskly behind them, but then the heavy stillness of the evening returned.





Harper Fox
Harper Fox is an M/M author with a mission. She’s produced six critically acclaimed novels in a year and is trying to dispel rumours that she has a clone/twin sister locked away in a study in her basement. In fact she simply continues working on what she loves best– creating worlds and stories for the huge cast of lovely gay men queuing up inside her head. She lives in rural Northumberland in northern England and does most of her writing at a pensioned-off kitchen table in her back garden, often with blanket and hot water bottle.

She lives with her SO Jane, who has somehow put up with her for a quarter of a century now, and three enigmatic cats, chief among whom is Lucy, who knows the secret of the universe but isn't letting on. When not writing, she either despairs or makes bread, specialities foccacia and her amazing seven-strand challah. If she has any other skills, she's yet to discover them.


FACEBOOK  /  TWITTER  /  WEBSITE
BLOG  /  KOBO  /  iTUNES  /  AUDIBLE
EMAIL: harperfox777@yahoo.co.uk



Third Solstice #6
B&N  /  KOBO  /  SMASHWORDS

Peacher, Prophet, Beast #7
B&N  /  SMASHWORDS  /  KOBO

Food & Romance Go Together Anthology Volume 1

Title: Food & Romance Volume 1
Authors: Ryan Jo Summers, Sue Stewart-Ade
Jody Vitek, Randi Perrin, Sonja Gunter, April Marcom
Genre: Romance, Short Story
Release Date: May 16, 2017
Summary:
6 short, sweet stories perfectly pairing food and romance. Each include a yummy recipe.

Pumpkin Blossoms by Sue Stewart Ade
Jillian yearns for love and falls for a dog and her sister’s former boyfriend. But the dog bolts and the boyfriend seems to still have feelings for her sister. Can she find love with a man who can’t see who she really is?

Coffee Cake Chaos by Ryan Jo Summers
Avianna Goodman needs cash. That's why she agreed to cater her ex-boyfriend's engagement party. Seeing Sawyer again confirms Avianna still isn't over him. The biggest mistake Sawyer Steele ever did was walk away from the one girl he was crazy about. Now Avianna's back in his life--and he can't have her.

Apple Pie Delight by Sonja Gunter
Lost loves reunite after forty years of deceptions. Can a Sun-Kissed Apple Pie bring Toril Swanson and Erik Sutton together again?

Peanut Butter Kisses by Jody Vitek
Beth Canton attends her ten-year class reunion to catch a glimpse of her long-time, school-girl crush, Hank McGrath, but doesn’t hope or even dream of anything more. She leaves with more than a glimpse, while Hank can’t get enough of her peanut butter kisses.

Boston Crème Breakdown by Randi Perrin
Kestin just wants to return to life as normal after returning home from the war, but there's no way his life will be the same again. Looking for easy money to make bills, he stumbles over an ad to teach perpetually-single Erica to cook, and can’t resist answering it. He never expected to actually get the job—or to be attracted to her.

The Chocolate Queen by April & Holly Marcom
In a world sprinkled with superheroes, you never know when the person beside you is one of these few elite. When Clarissa begins to fall for a guy who harbors a super secret, it feels like she’s not good enough. But he may just help her discover a super sweet secret of her own.


Coffeecake Chaos by Ryan Jo Summers
Sawyer blinked, drawing back. “What makes you think you didn’t get the catering job?”

“Isn’t that what you came here to tell me? Why you went to such extremes to find me to deliver your mother’s decision in person? She gave the job to another caterer.” She knew her voice was rising but she didn’t care. “I wasn’t good enough back then to date you and I’m not good enough now to cater your party.” She crossed her arms over her chest, ending with a sigh.

Sawyer held out his hands to her. “Wait a minute. Back up a second, Aviana.”

“Why did you come here?” Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would ever ask such a question of him, like this, but her pride demanded it.

He lowered his hands. “To tell you that you’re hired. You have the catering job.”

She blinked. “I do?”

“Yes, you can get that roof for your aunt and uncle now.”

“Your mother picked me to cater your event?”

He nodded. “With some heavy prompting from me. It’s my celebration after all. I think the coffee cake was a strong convincer.”

Aviana could only imagine how that conversation had gone between them. She had the job? “At my asking price?”

“Of course.”

“So why didn’t she just call me with her decision? Like she said she would?”

Sawyer leaned back, head tilted to one side. “Aren’t you glad to see me? Or did the light dancing in your eyes when we met yesterday lie?”

Her eyes danced?

“Even now, upset with me as you are, your face tells me you still yearn for me .Does your face lie to me?”

“No, but what does it matter? How can you want me and still pledge yourself to another? It isn’t fair to any of us.”

He scrubbed his face and then pulled her to him. “Aviana, I need to know. Do you love me?”

“Yes, I do.” The admission tumbled out before she could reconsider.

He exhaled a heavy sigh. “Good.” He wrapped his hand behind her neck and drew her close, kissing her.

He tasted of fresh mint and cinnamon. He felt solid and warm. Her fingers reached out to explore, lifting his sweater and going under it to find the matured, toned muscles.

His fingers twined in her hair. Bolts of white heat rippled over her and a moan escaped her. Her eyes slid closed as his fingertips moved to slowly drag along her back.

Pulling breathlessly apart, she gasped for air. “Wow.” She ran her tongue over her lips. He’d grown into a great kisser.

“You taste like chocolate.”

She smiled. “Guilty pleasure.” She was pleased he was just as winded as her. It felt just like when they had made out years ago.

Then that contemplative, serious look returned to his eyes, sobering her. “Do you trust me? Completely?”


Ryan Jo Summers
I was born in Michigan and grew up surrounded by books, pretty much all piled and stacked in my room. I had bookshelves to hold them since I could remember. Christmas and birthdays were easy, just buy me books. 

My tastes in subject matter and genres grew as I matured. 

It seemed only natural to write as well as read. The first book I wrote was at age ten and was about a twelve page story that I also illustrated and stapled together into book format. I was so proud! If only I still had that about somewhere. 

Since then, I never stopped writing. Some articles made it into magazines, some stories made honorable mention in contests, my journal has grown thicker. Writing poetry also serves as therapy to life's hurts, a trait apparently inherited from my dad's aunt. Writers, poets and songwriters run through my lineage. I guess you could say I come from a line of wordsmiths.

In 2012, selling "Whispers in her Heart" for publication has been not only a dream come true of becoming a novelist, but also a pinnacle of thirty odd years of writing. With each new story, novel or novella that comes out, I grow as a writer and take another step on this incredible journey called life.

Sue Stewart-Ade
Sue Stewart-Ade lives in Pana, Illinois, with her husband, Larry. When Sue was growing up, she lived right across the street from one of the greenhouses which made Pana famous as the City of Roses. Her grandfather worked in the coal mines. Some of her memories are as beautiful as Pana's prized roses; others are as dark as the coal mined beneath the town. She chose to include her maiden name "Stewart" because she never wanted to forget where she came from and the people who helped her.

For thirty years Sue taught English in Pana and presently teaches for Lake Land College. 

Her favorite part of teaching has always been creative writing. She loves words, their passion and their healing power.

In her writing, Sue explores mother/daughter relationship and has worked with Hope Edelman author of MOTHERLESS DAUGHTERS. 

Her book FRIENDS FOREVER is a suspenseful read about friendships and mothers. How far will a mother and friend go to protect a child?

Jody Vitek
Born and raised in Minnesota, Jody Vitek has remained close to home. She has traveled throughout the United States and to the Bahamas. Although her family never moved during her childhood, she attended six different schools and made many friends over the years.

Growing up, Jody enjoyed reading V.C. Andrews' the Dollanganger series, starting with Flowers in the Attic, S.E. Hinton, and Stephen King to name a few. As an adult her author's list and choice in genres has broadened. You could say Nora Roberts has been her favorite romance author. Jody has shelves of books read, yet to be read, and those she plans to keep.

After graduating high school, unsure of what she wanted to do, Jody decided against going to college and became a nanny. During her two years of caring for the two children, Jody was fortunate enough to travel with the family across country to Montana to a guest ranch and another vacation to Cancun, Mexico.

Jody met her future husband before she was to leave the state for another job. Unable to move away, she contacted and informed the employer of her decision. Three months later Jody was engaged. A year later she became Mrs. Jody Vitek. They have survived over twenty years of marriage and plan on spending many more together.

Jody and her real-life law enforcement hero have been lucky enough to travel to the Bahamas, Florida, and drove through many states on their way to Quantico, Virgina. Most recently they took their three children on a Disney cruise to the Bahamas.

If there is one thing Jody has learned during her lifetime - there is a higher power and the higher power has plans for us we don't even know about.

As a full-time administrative assistant, mother of one (two if you want to include her hero) and another child on the way, Jody never dreamed she would be a writer. She was going back to work after the birth of their second child. She returned for only six months before leaving to become a stay at home mother.

Jody began writing her first manuscript, which is now filed away in a box, and has started others only to be shelved for another writing project. Jody wouldn't have the opportunity to write if she were still a working mother (the higher power).

After being home for four years, Jody and her family were blessed with a higher power miracle. Another child was on the way. A four-year post-vasectomy baby! Imagine their surprise.

Writing was postponed for a year and was slow to pick back up. Now back in the chair with fingers tapping on the keyboard, Jody is moving full steam ahead in her writing career.

Randi Perrin
Randi Perrin has spent her entire life writing in one form or another. In fact, if she wasn't writing, she'd likely go completely and utterly insane. Her husband has learned to recognize when the voices are talking in her head and she needs some quality time with an empty Word file (the key to a successful marriage with a writer).

A pop-culture junkie, she has been known to have entire conversations in movie quotes and/or song lyrics. (You'll see this come up in her writing as well.)

She is the author of Virtue of Death, Promises of Virtue, Wreck You, and a story included in the anthology Unintentional. 

Sonja Gunter
Sonja Gunter Born and raised in the cold and beautiful Minnesota, she escaped to Illinois for seventeen years to raise two boys, and now calls Florida home. She and her husband, whose always her hero, have a new family to worry about; Cookie, an Assui-Po dog, Oreo, a black and white cat who thinks he is a dog, and Chip, a ragdoll cat, who their sons compare to Eeyore.

She loves to travel, read, and bowl. You can catch her writing her next novel at the lanes.

Sonja encourages you to check out her web site, sonjagunter.com, for more into and don’t be surprised if she lets her Norwegian heritage come through in her stories. You betcha!

April Marcom
During the day, April Marcom works as a substitute teacher for grades K-12. But in the evening, the alluring world of romance takes over as she pours it out on paper. Her favorite thing to do, though, is to spend time with her sports-car-loving husband and three incredibly energetic children. She also loves chocolate, her five very rowdy dogs, and livin’ the simple life out in the country. April grew up a southern bell in Mississippi, but is now a proud Oklahoman.


Ryan Jo Summers
FACEBOOK  /  TWITTER  /  WEBSITE  /  BLOG

Sue Stewart Ade
FACEBOOK  /  TWITTER  /  WEBSITE

Jody Vitek
FACEBOOK  /  TWITTER  /  WEBSITE

Randi Perrin
FACEBOOK  /  TWITTER  /  WEBSITE

Sonja Gunter

April Marcom
FACEBOOK  /  TWITTER  /  WEBSITE








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Behind the Door by PC Zick

Title: Behind the Door
Author: PC Zick
Series: Behind the Love #4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 16, 2017
Summary:
A VOLUPTUOUS WOMAN UNLUCKY IN LOVE. A WOUNDED PSYCHOLOGIST ON A MISSION. AN UNDENIABLE ATTRACTION WITH AN ETHICAL DILEMMA.

Sally Jean Compton is in love. And this time it's with a man who isn't in love with someone else. Dr.Brett Gorman arrives in Victory to help the veterans of Deer River with PTSDsymptoms. When tragedy strikes, neither Sally Jean nor Brett are prepared for what happens next.

The shocking aftermath of the terror of PTSD untreated leaves the entire town of Victory reeling. But none are more affected than Sally Jean and Brett who must deal with their own pasts and the trauma left behind. When Sally Jean seeks out the expertise of Dr.Brett, the psychologist of the river folks, they discover an intense attraction that leads them both to learn about themselves.

But before anything happens, Sally Jean must learn she deserves to be loved, and Brett must forgive himself for the death of his friend and his sister, his wife. It's a rocky journey to love.

Behind the Door is the fourth novel in the Behind the Love contemporary romance series that features sizzling attractions, dramatic confrontations, and intertwined and complicated lives. Set in the fictional small town of Victory, Florida, friends fight and love and form families of their own choosing.


“GET READY, SALLY JEAN.” Lisa looked directly at one of her bridesmaids and held her wedding bouquet aloft. “This one is for you.”

The other single women who had gathered in the large yard on the banks of the river to catch the bride’s bouquet made way for the tall and buxom Sally Jean Compton. None of the other women felt slighted that Lisa had called out Sally Jean. It was her turn.

Her red bridesmaid’s dress, cut in a deep V, showed off her voluptuous body. She’d kicked off her heels, and now she stood barefoot—toenails painted the same red as her dress peeked out from under the hem. Her blonde hair was drawn up with a red ribbon to one side of her head. Curled tendrils framed the small features of her face.

On her best friend’s wedding day, Sally Jean had reached one of the high points of her life. She never had felt so treasured and accepted by everyone, including the women. The small crowd of folks gathered at the groom’s family home cheered when Sally Jean stepped forward. Lisa let go of the bouquet and threw it over her head. The beribboned vessel flew right into Sally Jean’s waiting hands.

“You’re next, Sally Jean,” the bride declared. The other women standing with Sally Jean cheered, and the men clapped Jimmy on the back. Her date beamed at her, and then blew her a kiss.

Today, it all seemed possible, and the black cloud that had hovered over Sally Jean’s head for her entire life lifted. Love had found its way to her heart, and this time it was real. It made all the difference in the world when the love was returned.

Lisa hugged her. “I better be in your wedding.”

“You better be my matron of honor.” Sally Jean returned the embrace with gratitude. “I’m so grateful we’re still friends after all these years.”

“We’ve been through almost everything together.” Lisa held Sally Jean by the arms. “And we survived.”

“Amazingly, we did.”

“You caught the bouquet!” Jimmy came up behind Sally Jean and put his arms around her waist. He kissed her neck. “Everyone says we’re going to be next.”

“Someone has to ask her very sweetly first.” Lisa touched Jimmy’s face. “Now or never, Jimmy. Better get down on your knee.”

Jimmy looked confused for a second before his eyes widened. He grinned and went down on one knee. The folks standing nearby stomped their feet.

He grabbed Sally Jean’s hand. “Would you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?” Sally Jean nodded, and he kissed her hand. “I don’t have a ring yet, but I will. Real soon, real soon.”

Tommy, the groom, walked over and handed Jimmy the garter he’d removed from Lisa’s leg earlier. He had yet to toss it out to the single men in the crowd.

“Here you go, Jimmy,” Tommy said. “We all know I would throw it to you, anyway. Use this as a promise for a ring.”

Jimmy grabbed the garter. “It’s even red. Your favorite color, Sally Jean.”

“It’s a conspiracy,” Tommy said. “You didn’t stand a chance, man.”

“It’s a great conspiracy.” Jimmy stood and kissed Sally Jean on the lips. “You’ve made me a very happy man today.”

“You have no idea what you’ve done for me, James Luther.” Sally Jean’s eyes filled with tears. Maybe for once she’d have what she’d always wanted. Love and a family who cared about one another.
Author Bio:
Bestselling author P.C. Zick describes herself as a storyteller no matter what she writes. And she writes in a variety of genres, including romance, contemporary fiction, and nonfiction. She's won various awards for her essays, columns, editorials, articles, and fiction.

The three novels in her Florida Fiction Series contain stories of Florida and its people and environment, which she credits as giving her a rich base for her storytelling. "Florida's quirky and abundant wildlife—both human and animal—supply my fiction with tales almost too weird to be believable."

Her contemporary romances in the Behind the Love series are also set in Florida. The novels in her most recent series, Smoky Mountain Romances, are set in in Murphy, North Carolina. She is currently working on a new romance series, Rivals in Love. Join the Crandall family of Chicago as the siblings find love despite their focus on successful careers. All of her books are stand-alone reads, even if they appear in a series.

Her novels contain elements of romance with strong female characters, handsome heroes, and descriptive settings. She believes in living lightly upon this earth with love, laughter, and passion, and through her fiction, she imparts this philosophy in an entertaining manner with an obvious love for her characters, plot, and themes.

You can keep track of P.C. Zick's new releases and special promotions by signing up for her newsletter by clicking here. For more immediate information, sign up for P.C. Zick’s Lovers of Romantic Tales on Facebook by clicking here.


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Behind the Door #4

Behind the Altar #1

Behind the Bar #2

Behind the Curtain #3





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