Saturday, June 14, 2025

🌈🌻🌼Saturday's Series Spotlight🌼🌻🌈: Single Dads by RJ Scott Part 3



Pride #6
Summary:
A blazing connection between single dads from opposite sides of the tracks is fraught with secrets and lies, and a happily ever after is impossible, unless they take a chance on love.

Saved a long time ago by a man who saw a diamond in the rough, Logan is a single dad and the owner of Redcars Automotive, a haven for those in need. With custody of his daughter under scrutiny, his life is upended when a journalist looking for a story slips into his life without him realizing. Logan doesn’t want Gray more than once, but when sharing the secrets of his past won’t get the journalist to leave, what else can he do?

After blaming himself for missing signs that his son was ill, Gray feels Ben is safer with his ex-wife and her new pediatrician husband. With a heart heavy with guilt, and his documentary company failing to find a story, he’s searching for some spark in his life to fix everything. When a series of arson attempts draws him to Los Angeles, he meets the secretive, scarred, and tattooed Logan, who makes him an offer that Gray knows he should refuse.

This opposites-attract love story features two single dads reaching a crossroads in life, angst, secrets, arson, intimidation, and a found family so tightly connected that nothing can break it apart.





Miracle #7
Summary:
An abandoned baby, a poignant note from his long-lost twin, and unexpectedly, Jax’s world is turned upside down.

Despite being adopted by a loving family when he was a child, Jax feels part of his life is missing, and driven by dreams of his brother being in danger, Jax is consumed by his search for his biological twin. Shocked to find a surprise delivery on his doorstep, Jax discovers that not only is he an uncle, but apparently, he’s a legal guardian to baby Charlie. He calls on the unwavering support of his friends and family to solve the mystery surrounding the new arrival, but also finds help from an unexpected source—Arlo, the enigmatic bear of a man who works for him.

Arlo is no stranger to caring. When his parents passed, he dropped out of college to care for his siblings, working construction to pay the bills. With his brothers grown and having left home, it’s Arlo’s turn to live, but when the next stage of his life means owning up to his love for Jax, he can’t find the words to be honest about how he feels. The problem for Arlo is that he’s been in unrequited love with his boss for three years and can’t bear to not be part of his life. Is it too much to wish for a miracle to make Jax fall for him too?


Pride #6
Original Review May 2023:
I've said it before and I'll say it again: there is nothing sexier than a man who cares for kids, who lives up to the dad moniker.  In the Pride, the latest entry in RJ Scott's Single Dads series, we see not one but two dads and more than one gentle-hearted soul who lends uncle-level support.  So there is just all kinds of positive fatherly yumminess to be enjoyed.

Too often(or at least in my reading experience) in fiction we find divided parents that just can't find common ground to provide their kids with stability in joint custodies.  Now I know that happens in reality so why shouldn't it happen in fiction?  But in my reading recollections it seems like the author does that for drama purposes only and that's okay because we have to have some conflict but because it happens more than I'd like to see, when you have an author who goes the opposite direction and have amicable splits that can still enjoy each other's companies I feel a need to highlight it.  

This is why I mention the above point: RJ Scott has done that beautifully.  So fluently actually that for a few minutes you almost forget Gray and his ex aren't simply BFFs.  Maybe I'm just not reading the right books but this just isn't seen enough for me so a huge Kudos! to RJ Scott for this factor.  Now that's not to say Logan and his ex don't have the potential to be on the same level but her husband . . . well lets just say he puts off some not so super friendly vibes.  

Watching both men with their perspective offspring is fun and heartwarming, perhaps neither child has as much page-time as previous entries but they own every scene they appear in. Delightful. Simply delightful.

There is a bit more of a mystery element to this Single Dads entry than others and I'll admit I had an inkling where it was headed but not quite how or the full extent behind the danger.  Within or around the danger lies, Redcars Automotives, Logan's business that through classic car repair and rebuilts, help certain people get a second chance in life.  It's due to Redcars and what they offer that Logan is leery of Gray's journalistic intrusion(or at least that is how Gray sees it).  Will the danger be resolved?  Will Gray prove to Logan he isn't out to destroy the stability Redcars provides?  I think you know the answers . . . read for yourself and as always with RJ Scott's work, you won't be disappointed.

Pride is a journey of healing, discovery, and finding your place in the world through love, friendship, family, and second chances.  Some use the label "found family" when it comes to family-not-by-marriage-or-blood, personally I just like "family", whichever label you find fits best, there is no denying family is important to everyone in this story and that makes the goodness of Pride all the more longlasting.

I may be repeating myself but the statement I made about the men and their kids also says it best when it comes to my overall reading experience with Pride: Delightful. Simply delightful.

One last note:  I briefly talked about the second chances given at Logan's Redcars Automotive, it seems the author will be bringing to us a Single Dads spinoff centered around the classic car repair and rebuild business January 2024 starting with Logan's righthand man, Enzo.  I for one can't wait!



Miracle #7
Original Review December Book of the Month 2023:
Since it's Christmas I will keep this review a little shorter than usually, short, sweet, and to the point . . . nothing wrong with thatπŸ˜‰.

As I've said with every entry in this amazing RJ Scott series, I find nothing sexier than men who care for kids, be it their own, a nIece/nephew, sibling, or any number of found family scenarios.  Once again, Miss Scott did not disappoint.  

In Miracle we see not only a single dad but also a man who stepped up and raised his siblings after losing their parents in a plane crash, and to complete the trifecta, the single dad also finds a package on his doorstep in the form of his long-lost twin's little boy, Charlie.  I seriously think my heart exploded with all the yummy feels.  

As much as I adored all the caring-for-kids feels in Miracle what really stood out was the fact that one of the men was a "bit soft in the middle".  Arlo is an active man who just doesn't happen to have the too-often-used-in-fiction six pack.  For me it's that "average-ness" of the character that pushes this series entry from great to brilliant.

Another thing about Arlo that really spoke to me was how his brothers see what he did as sacrificing his happiness and future to fill their parents shoes after their passing but to Arlo it was never about sacrificing or duty.  He wanted to keep them together, would he have given anything to not be in that position with their parents untimely death?  Of course, but he never saw it as giving anything up.  As an only child and my mom's 24/7 caregiver, I've had people think I sacrificed my wants and needs but I have never felt that way, not once in the 30 years since I stepped into the caregiver role, I never felt it was a duty either, it was and still is where I want to be and like Arlo I'd give anything for my mom not to need me but knowing what I do keeps my parents together in their own home is more than enough to know I am where I need to be and RJ Scott does a wonderful job showing both sides of those thoughts through Arlo and his brothers interactions with Jax.  A small moment in the men's journey in terms of page time but a huge factor for this reader. So for that, another huge Kudos and Thank You to RJ Scott.

There is just so much love in this story, from family to friends, to finding the courage to open your heart, Miracle really is all about the love.

RATING:





Pride #6
Chapter 1
Last week
After seeing every hour in the night, I’d banked no more than thirty minutes of decent sleep, every muscle ached, and my head hurt like a mother. The last thing I wanted today was to have to deal with lawyers, but there was too much at stake for me to fuck this up. I was early for the ten a.m. meeting—nervous as a racing driver with an engine fire—so I found a coffee shop within viewing distance of the office building that was home to Newman, Granda, and Lewis on the eighth floor. In downtown LA, it was impossible to walk twenty yards without tripping over the A-board of some artisan caffeine distributor claiming they served the best coffee in the city, and this one came with views of the 777 Tower as it soared to the sky.

Everything here made me feel small. I researched everything I could, and I fought for the right to be in my daughter’s life, and I hated feeling small.

God, I need caffeine.

“Logan? Coffee for Logan?” the barista called my name.

I stepped out from where I’d been hiding behind the unit displaying an artistically arranged set of mugs in what Millie’s Coffee Emporium called the Hollywood collection. Given we were miles from anything like the celebrity homes tourist trail in the hills, I thought Millie’s marketing was misguided, but who was I to comment. I might live and work in LA, but Echo Park was a long way from Hollywood. Instead of tourists, Millie’s was full of businesspeople who discussed everything from selling to buying in loud voices, and I’d yet to spot a single tourist; so, there was me, sticking out like a sore thumb.

I found a quiet corner with a view of the glass tower where the meeting would be held, and sipped my coffee, wishing for a distraction and damn thankful when my cell vibrated with a text.

Everything okay?

It was from Tudor Barrera, former boss, friend, pseudo dad, who would be waiting for me to tell him the meeting went well, as it usually did, but he was jumping the gun asking me too early.

Too early yet. Just got coffee.

I saw the dots dancing, and wondered what the comment would be.

Give ’em hell.

I snorted a laugh and sent back a simple LOL, but as I typed, I noticed a stubborn speck of oil down the side of my thumb, which had remained despite my best efforts to clean my hands. A mechanic was never truly clean of the sweat of honest work, of the oil and scent of leather and exhaust, although I picked at the spot as I finished my coffee just to see if I could clean it off, then pulled out the letter I’d received to read it one more time.

It was a non-specific, generic, letter-headed missive to attend a meeting regarding Cassidy’s welfare—something we’d done before, and nothing unusual. I had my daughter every other weekend, a precious forty-eight hours from the end of the school day on Friday to Sunday afternoon, but maybe Izzy wanted more time with her new husband and his family? Maybe after today, I could have Cassidy—the six-year-old, precocious, smiling, sunshine, center of my world—for more time.

I couldn’t avoid this thing any longer and headed out to the sixty-story glass building that housed the offices of Newman, Granda, and Lewis. After a warm welcome from the receptionist, I accepted another coffee with an undisguised enthusiasm that made her smile.

“Please take a seat in the family room.” She opened the door to a space off the main corridor, and her polite expression never slipped once, even if she had seen, as I guessed, the rough that I couldn’t hide. Then again, this was LA. I bet she’d seen some things, from actors and rock stars to sports heroes. Maybe she thought I had celebrity money and had chosen to wear an old suit and even older shoes, or maybe she’d just been trained to be welcoming.

“Thank you,” I said with a smile, which I was sure was little more than a grimace.

“You’re welcome. Mr. Granda will be starting the meeting shortly, and I will come to find you.”

My chest was tight, and I didn’t want to be here where I didn’t belong. I was thirty-one years old, responsible, owning and running a company. Hell, I even had a 401k. Still, I tugged down the sleeves of my shirt on instinct, and winced when I realized what I’d done.

Protection mode activated.

“Thank you, again,” I managed.

“Do you need anything?”

“Not to be here?” I quipped.

She offered me a soft smile that was probably meant to be reassuring.

I don’t feel reassured.

She pulled the door closed, and then it was just me with coffee, pacing the six-by-six room with its plush sofa and conspicuous lack of windows. I didn’t like small spaces at the best of times, or the feeling of being trapped, so I opened the door a little and hoped to God this would be over soon so I could get back to the garage.

I’d tried calling Izzy last night to suggest we didn’t need to meet so often—time was money. Only, it was a very polite Parker, aka her new husband, who’d answered the phone even thought I don’t like the guy, he was so damned reasonable that my piss and vinegar attitude had melted, and I found myself thanking him for taking the call, unsure how he’d encouraged me to reach that decision. I hated that he’d somehow gaslit me into feeling bad for wanting to talk to the mother of my daughter, but I couldn’t focus on that now. Did all rich people go somewhere to learn these let’s-be-reasonable techniques, or was I just out of my freaking depth? Probably the latter.

I was Izzy’s dad. I made smiley pancakes, and built Lego, and played tea parties, and loved her with every breath in my body. I may have had a complicated past, detailed in the tattoos etched on my skin, but I could teach Cassidy things Izzy never could. I knew how to stand up for myself, I knew how to strip and rebuild a beautiful lady of a ’66 Thunderbird until she purred like a kitten, or more likely, growled like a tiger. I knew the things Cassidy loved.

“I’m okay,” I muttered to the room.

“Talking to yourself, Logan?” Izzy said from the doorway.

I spun to face her as she slipped inside and shut us in. I felt trapped, but she hadn’t closed the door on purpose because she didn’t know I was claustrophobic. Hell, she didn’t know a tenth of the things about me that’d make her stop and think before shutting us into this small room. She floated in on a cloud of perfume, her ivory skin flawless, every hair in place, and jewelry that would keep the garage afloat for years around her neck, in her earlobes, and weighing down her hands. I’d never have gone out of my way to go with a high-class girl like her, but she’d gone out of hers to find a bad boy. I couldn’t even regret that night, or the joyride in a stolen car, or the arrest, or everything after that… because out of all of it came Cassidy.

And she was every good part of me. She was everything.

“Izzy,” I acknowledged.

“Isabel,” she corrected, and fiddled with the handle of her purse. “Parker suggested that I talk to you alone before we reconsider the custody arrangement—”

“Which was made official with a court order two years ago,” I interrupted. “So, if we’re here to discuss me having Cassidy for more time, then I can agree to that without spending money on lawyers.” Money that I don’t have.

“Logan, stop.” She held up a hand, and I saw the French-polished nails—she used to wear her nails longer, painted them scarlet, but this wasn’t the Izzy I’d known oh so briefly, this was the new, improved Isabel, who wanted to slot back into the world she’d once tried to escape with her walk on the wild side. “It’s not that.”

“So, if you don’t need me to take her for more time, then what are we doing here?”

“Parker has been offered a long-term role within his family’s bank in Europe. Switzerland, to be exact.” She used words, but the rushing sound in my ears meant I couldn’t string them together in any order. Panic gripped my chest. I couldn’t breathe. Switzerland? That meant…

They want to take Cassidy.

“No,” I managed. “No.”

“Think of the opportunities—”

“No.”

“Please be reasonable—”

“You’re not taking our daughter to goddamned Switzerland.”

She winced at the harsh words, but I wasn’t going to be manipulated into thinking I was wrong in my reaction. How in God’s name would I see her? Would she fly back? Would I go there? How could I go there? Izzy was still speaking in that low, wheedling tone that reminded me of Parker, as if she had the right to stand there and rip my life apart.

“It might only be for two or three years, and we think it would be best—”

“No.”

Izzy’s lips thinned, her brown eyes flashing with temper, and that was the first glimpse of the old Izzy I’d seen in a long time. She’d been such a firebrand back in the day, a party girl, out for fun, and I’d witnessed the real temper in her, and I could handle that Izzy, the one who let emotions rule her head.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself, then placed her purse on the sofa, taking that time to get her thoughts straight. I could see the temper ebb and then disappear—ice replaced the heat—and my heart skipped a beat.

“Parker has suggested that Cassidy spend an entire four weeks in the summer with you and it makes sense because you’ll have quality time with her instead of four days or so every month. He knows the costs of flying may well be out of your reach, but he said he’ll cover the cost of a reasonable amount of flights.” She tilted her chin.

Fuck that. I could be just as stubborn.

“And I counter propose that Cassidy remain with me every other weekend, as per the legal agreement we reached, because there’s no way in hell you’re taking her to Switzerland.”

“You have to be reasonable.”

“‘Reasonable’ was me agreeing to only having her every other weekend because it was best for her to be with her mom. Her mom, Izzy! Not your new husband, who talks as if he knows what’s best for everyone just because he has money!”

She pursed her lips, and I could imagine her brain working out what valid point she had to make this a deal I’d agree to. “What about the garage?”

“What about it?” I owned it. It was profitable. Respected.

“Every time she comes home, she’s filthy with oil and her hair is a tangled mess. Do you really think the garage is a suitable place for her to spend time?”

Jesus. How did I defend that? I ran a place where curses were punctuation, where I worked from six in the morning till eight at night, sometimes even later. Objectively, not all my staff could be considered as good, wholesome people to be around a kid. Enzo had a record, Robbie wasn’t using his real name and I knew little about his background, not to mention Rio and Jamie, both of whom had only just gotten out of prison. We were a rough and ready crew, covered in oil, stinking of gas and exhaust, and yeah, there was nothing clean about my work or my life. But Cassidy loved spending time at Redcars Automotive—she thrived on spending time there—and everyone loved her right back.

“She’s happy. She loves the cars, and the guys, and they love her. You know that, so don’t start with that.”

“Parker said you’d be like this,” she snapped.

I saw red. Fuck Parker.

“So, in your plans, I miss her November birthday, and next year a seven-year-old turns up at my place, and we spend precious weeks just getting to know each other again, and then you swoop in to take her away again. Right?”

“Logan—”

“But then she turns eight, and nine, and soon she’s a teenager, and I’m just some random guy she has to spend time with every summer. Every year, my relationship with her is eroded by absence. It’s not happening.”

“Logan, please—”

“I know my rights; we have an agreement, and you’re not taking my daughter overseas.”

Izzy stiffened at what she likely perceived as a threat, but I wasn’t threatening her. I respected her as the mother of my child. Hell, I owed her for even telling me I was a father when she didn’t have to, but I was ready to fight to be a part of my daughter’s life.

“Logan… listen to me.” She stepped closer and placed a hand flat on my chest, and I got an up-close look at her face, her brown eyes bright with emotion. This wasn’t the Izzy I had lusted after, this wasn’t the Izzy from my past, this was some painted doll who stood there and demanded things of me that I could never agree to. “Don’t make this about what you lose,” she encouraged. “Make this about all the opportunities Cassidy will get in life.”

The fuck? “She needs her dad, and if you think I’m going to stand by and—”

“Maybe I used to think it was a good idea for you to be part of her life, but now…”

“What’s changed, Izzy? I thought we were doing okay.” I pleaded with her, but she glanced behind herself at the door, and seemed confused for a moment. What in the hell was going on? Was Izzy okay? She was pale, and the unforgiving light in the ceiling highlighted the anxiety in her expression. “Are you okay? Can I help with—”

“You’re a criminal,” Izzy snapped, and the temperature in the room fell a few degrees.

My sudden swell of sympathy at her confusion vanished in an instant. “I was,” I said. “You knew that when you wanted the bad boy.”

She went scarlet and couldn’t meet my gaze. “You stole cars, you have a criminal record—”

“Yeah, but when you got caught coming along for the ride, you had a daddy who could pay off the cops.”

“Your face scares Cassidy!” she pointed at the scar running from my eye to my lip.

I tapped it, and she winced. “This? Cassidy doesn’t care about my fucking scar,” I snapped.

She spluttered. “And you curse!”

“Never in front of Cass, so fuck you.”

We were toe to toe, and finally, everything heated up, her eyes brightened with emotion, and she took a step back. “And you spent time on the streets, doing God knows what.” She whispered as if she couldn’t bring herself to shout at me, knowing she was pulling on threads that should be left untouched.

“Surviving.” I knew I sounded tired. “Trying to stay alive. That’s what I was doing on the street, not that that meant much to you, but then, not all of us had Mommy and Daddy to run back to.” I knew the barb hit home when she winced, and that wasn’t me anymore. I didn’t want to stand here and hurt her; I just wanted her to realize that I was Cassidy’s daddy. I inhaled, then shook my head. “This isn’t you talking. This is Parker. I’m not doing this with you, and I will fight you every step of the way.”

“With what money? Parker said—”

“Parker said what? That I can’t afford a lawyer to fight this? That he’s won because of that. Fuck, I don’t need a lawyer anymore, I know my rights. We did the court thing. I got partial custody, end of story.”

She straightened the jacket of her scarlet suit, then picked up her purse. “Then there’s nothing more to say.”

I held her arm, and she let out a pained noise, and even though I hadn’t been holding that hard, I let go. “If the Izzy I remember is still in there, then she knows I’m a good dad. Please find that Izzy, and don’t try to take Cassidy away from me. I don’t want to have to go to court. I won’t let you do that to me and Cass.”

“Are you threatening me?” she snapped.

“What? No. Of course, not. I’m freaking pleading with you.”

She paused with her fingers on the handle, but she didn’t turn to face me. “I’m sorry, Logan, but Parker’s family is not willing to back down on sending us there.”

“I won’t lose Cassidy. I will fight this,” I said and left no room for discussion.

The only indication she’d heard was the stiffening of her shoulders. “Parker will use everything he has to make sure you lose,” she murmured, then she glanced back at me, her lips trembling, real tears brightening her eyes. “I’m sorry. You can’t fight him on this, you should just accept what happens.”

“‘Him’?” I softened at her tears. I was a sucker for tears. “What about you?”

For a moment, I thought we’d connected, and then she blinked away the emotion and turned back to the door. “You can’t stop him.”

“Then you stop him.”

“I can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

She met my question with a tilt of her chin, and I thought I might get honesty from her. “I won’t,” she said, then left the room.

I wanted to leave—turn around and walk out of the high-rise and ignore this meeting, but if I did it was something Izzy and her new husband could use against me.

My heart ached; I felt sick; and there was no air in this room. I was in a world I didn’t understand, but I refused to fall back on my destructive, self-doubting behavior, and be who they expected me to be.

Shoulders back, I stalked past the receptionist to the exit.

“Sir?” she asked.

“I’m leaving!” I snapped at her, then stopped and turned back. “Sorry, that was rude. I can’t… I just… can’t…”

“It’s okay, sir, I’ll let them know.” She gave me an apologetic half smile—didn’t stare at me, my clothes, my tattoos, or my scar—then nodded as I left.

I’m Cassidy’s daddy. Not Parker with his money and his lawyers—me.

And they can’t change that.

However hard they try.





Miracle #7
“No… mumble…” he cursed again.

This time, I tugged on his leg to get him out of the cupboard. “Out!”

He unfolded himself from where he’d been lying and propped himself up on his elbows. There was a smudge of paint over his left eyebrow, the same snowy white as the streaks in his steel gray hair. He was only thirty, but like his dad, his dark hair had lightened to salt and pepper when he hit puberty. His gray was as much part of him as his gorgeous eyes, and yes, I stared at him a lot.

When he wasn’t looking of course.

“What were you trying to say in there? Did you find something?”

“No.”

I sighed with relief. “So, what was all the mumbling about?”

“I can’t come over tonight,” he admitted, and couldn’t quite meet my gaze.

“What? Why?”

Wait, could I even ask that question? That wasn’t the kind of thing a boss asks the man who works for him, right? Arlo was under no obligation to spend time with me, but on the weekends when I didn’t have my girls staying, he would always come to my place on a Friday. We’d have beer, and he’d stay over in my spare room after we’d talked until late.

It was our thing.

“Are you okay?” I placed a hand on his knee to let him know I was there for him. He moved his knee, shrugged my touch away, and I wasn’t stupid, there was something off about all of this. “Are you ill? Shit, is something wrong with one of your brothers?”

“No, and no.” Arlo shimmied up, then leaned against the sink cupboard. “It’s just, I have this thing.”

“What thing?”

He stared at me and seemed to be steeling himself to give me bad news, so I sat my ass on the floor and crossed my legs. It couldn’t be too awful because, yes, he seemed distracted, but not completely miserable, so my first guess was it had something to do with his brothers—they were the only reason he’d skip what had become our regular thing. Although, why would any of that affect our standing date-slash-non-date, I didn’t know.

“What thing?” I repeated and poked him to encourage a smile.

He wouldn’t quite meet my gaze, and again, he moved away from my touch. That never happened—Arlo was a big cuddle monster, a soft bear of a man who was tactile and open with his feelings. His heart was so pure, so freaking full of love that sometimes, he couldn’t even contain it and would hug me so hard I couldn’t breathe.

He bit his lip, a typical Arlo habit when he was stressed. This was at odds with him saying everything was okay.

“Ihaveadate,” he blurted in one long run-on sentence, then dipped his gaze, and I swear his face was scarlet.

I slowed down the words to parse their meaning.

I. Have. A. Date.

“You’ve got a what now?” I asked after a pause; not sure I was hearing right.

He cleared his throat and, at last, held my gaze. For a moment, I was lost in watching him tug at his gray hair and seeing the uncertainty and nerves in his intriguing gray eyes. “A date,” he repeated in a softer almost apologetic tone.

Of all the things he could tell me, why was it something that was going to make me spin out?

Since when did Arlo date? He’d told me point-blank that being responsible for his two younger brothers, plus working for me, was enough without contemplating dating. I’d taken that at face value and almost settled into that sweet spot where we could be friends and I could lust from afar, ignoring the unrequited everything I had going on.

The last thing he needed, or should expect, was for me to ask why he was going on a date. Don’t ask. Don’t freaking ask.

“Why?” Shit. I couldn’t help myself.

He shot me one of his affectionate, patient smiles. One of the cute ones that made his eyes sparkle with mischief. Or something.

“Just because…” He sighed. “Sutton left for college, and now… I’m ready to move on. I need to date.” He stared at me.

I tried to read his expression and the determination in his tone. “Date,” I repeated.

A familiar smile teased his lips. “Trace downloaded this app thing, and I swished or swiped or whatever, and then, someone matched me, so I’m meeting this guy called Wilton tonight.” In one sentence, he threw open all my tightly checked emotions and ripped apart my ordered world.

Apparently, he was ready to date.

Date other people.



Saturday's Series Spotlight
Part 1  /  Part 2  /  Part 3

Redcars
Enzo  /  Jamie  /  Rio  /  Doc


RJ Scott
Writing love stories with a happy ever after – cowboys, heroes, family, hockey, single dads, bodyguards

USA Today bestselling author RJ Scott has written over one hundred romance books. Emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, single dads, hockey players, millionaires, princes, bodyguards, Navy SEALs, soldiers, doctors, paramedics, firefighters, cops, and the men who get mixed up in their lives, always with a happy ever after.

She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing. The last time she had a week’s break from writing, she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a box of chocolates she couldn’t defeat.


EMAIL: rj@rjscott.co.uk



Pride #6
B&N  /  iTUNES  /  GOOGLE PLAY
KOBO  /  SMASHWORDS  /  GENI US

Miracle #7

Single Dads Series
AMAZON US  /  AMAZON UK  /  B&N
KOBO  /  iTUNES  /  iTUNES AUDIO
AUDIBLE  /  AUDIOBOOKS  /  CHIRP

Single Dads Christmas #3.5
πŸ‘€Free ReadπŸ‘€

Redcars Trilogy


Friday, June 13, 2025

πŸŒˆπŸŒ»πŸŒΌπŸ“˜πŸŽ₯Friday's Film AdaptationπŸŽ₯πŸ“˜πŸŒΌπŸŒ»πŸŒˆ: The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett



Summary:

One of the greatest crime novels of the 20th century.

'His name remains one of the most important and recognisable in the crime fiction genre. Hammett set the standard for much of the work that would follow' Independent

Sam Spade is hired by the fragrant Miss Wonderley to track down her sister, who has eloped with a louse called Floyd Thursby. But Miss Wonderley is in fact the beautiful and treacherous Brigid O'Shaughnessy, and when Spade's partner Miles Archer is shot while on Thursby's trail, Spade finds himself both hunter and hunted: can he track down the jewel-encrusted bird, a treasure worth killing for, before the Fat Man finds him?






....Samuel Spade's jaw was long and bony, his chin a jutting v under the more flexible v of his mouth. His nostrils curved back to make another, smaller, v. His yellow-grey eyes were horizontal. The v motif was picked up again by thickish brows rising outward from twin creases above a hooked nose, and his pale brown hair grew down-- from high flat temples--in a point on his forehead. He looked rather pleasantly like a blond satan.

......He said to Effie Perine: 'Yes, sweetheart?"

......She was a lanky sunburned girl whose tan dress of thin woolen stuff clung to her with an effect of dampness. Her eyes were brown and playful in a shiny boyish face. She finished shutting the door behind her, leaned against it, and said: "There's a girl wants to see you. Her name's Wonderly."

......"A customer?"

......"I guess so. You'll want to see her anyway: she's a knockout."

......"Shoo her in, darling," said Spade. "Shoo her in."

......Effie Perine opened the door again, following it back into the outer office, standing with a hand on the knob while saying: "Will you come in, Miss Wonderly?"

......A voice said, "Thank you," so softly that only the purest articulation made the words intelligible, and a young woman came through the doorway. She advanced slowly, with tentative steps, looking at Spade with cobalt-blue eyes that were both shy and probing.

......She was tall and pliantly slender, without angularity anywhere. Her body was erect and high-breasted, her legs long, her hands and feet narrow. She wore two shades of blue that had been selected because of her eyes. The hair curling from under her blue hat was darkly red, her full lips more brightly red. White teeth glistened in the crescent her timid smile made

......Spade rose bowing and indicating with a thick-fingered hand the oaken armchair beside his desk. He was quite six feet tall. The steep rounded slope of his shoulders made his body seem almost conical--no broader than it was thick--and kept his freshly pressed grey coat from fitting very well.

......Miss Wonderly murmured, "Thank you," softly as before and sat down on the edge of the chair's wooden seat.

......Spade sank into his swivel-chair, made a quarter-turn to face her, smiled politely. He smiled without separating his lips. All the v's in his face grew longer.

The tappity-tap-tap and the thin bell and muffled whir of Effie Perine's typewriting came through the closed door. Somewhere in a neighboring office a power-driven machine vibrated dully. On Spade's desk a limp cigarette smoldered in a brass tray filled with the re-mains of limp cigarettes. Ragged grey flakes of cigarette-ash dotted the yellow top of the desk and the green blotter and the papers that were there. A buff-curtained window, eight or ten inches open, let in from the court a current of air faintly scented with ammonia. The ashes on the desk twitched and crawled in the current.

Miss Wonderly watched the grey flakes twitch and crawl. Her eyes were uneasy. She sat on the very edge of the chair. Her feet were flat on the floor, as if she were about to rise. Her hands in dark gloves clasped a flat dark handbag in her lap.

Spade rocked back in his chair and asked: "Now what can I do for you, Miss Wonderly?"

She caught her breath and looked at him. She swallowed and said hurriedly: "Could you--? I thought--I--that is--" Then she tortured her lower lip with glistening teeth and said nothing. Only her dark eyes spoke now, pleading.

Spade smiled and nodded as if he understood her, but pleas-antly, as if nothing serious were involved. He said: "Suppose you tell me about it, from the beginning, and then we'll know what needs doing. Better begin as far back as you can.

"That was in New York."

"Yes."

"I don't know where she met him. I mean I don't know where in New York. She's five years younger than I--only seventeen--and we didn't have the same friends. I don't suppose we've ever been as close as sisters should be. Mama and Papa are in Europe. It would kill them. I've got to get her back before they come home."

"Yes," he said.

"They're coming home the first of the month."

Spade's eyes brightened. "Then we've two weeks," he said.

"I didn't know what she had done until her letter came. I was frantic." Her lips trembled. Her hands mashed the dark handbag in her lap. "I was too afraid she had done something like this to go to the police, and the fear that something had happened to her kept urging me to go. There wasn't anyone I could go to for advice. I didn't know what to do. What could I do?"

"Nothing, of course," Spade said, "but then her letter came?"

"Yes, and I sent her a telegram asking her to come home. I sent it to General Delivery here. That was the only address she gave me. I waited a whole week, but no answer came, not another word from her. And Mama and Papa's return was drawing nearer and nearer. So I came to San Francisco to get her. I wrote her I was coming. I shouldn't have done that, should I?"

"Maybe not. It's not always easy to know what to do. You haven't found her?"

"No, I haven't. I wrote her that I would go to the St. Mark, and I begged her to come and let me talk to her even if she didn't intend to go home with me. But she didn't come. I waited three days, and she didn't come, didn't even send me a message of any sort."

Spade nodded his blond satan's head, frowned sympathetically, and tightened his lips together.

"It was horrible," Miss Wonderly said, trying to smile. "I couldn't sit there like that--waiting--not knowing what had happened to her, what might be happening to her." She stopped trying to smile. She shuddered. "The only address I had was General Delivery. I wrote her another letter, and yesterday afternoon I went to the Post Office. I stayed there until after dark, but I didn't see her. I went there again this morning, and still didn't see Corinne, but I saw Floyd Thursby."

Spade nodded again. His frown went away. In its place came a look of sharp attentiveness.

"He wouldn't tell me where Corinne was," she went on, hope-lessly. "He wouldn't tell me anything, except that she was well and happy. But how can I believe that? That is what he would tell me anyhow, isn't it?"

"Sure," Spade agreed. "But it might be true."

"I hope it is. I do hope it is," she exclaimed. "But I can't go back home like this, without having seen her, without even having talked to her on the phone. He wouldn't take me to her. He said she didn't want to see me. I can't believe that. He promised to tell her he had seen me, and to bring her to see me--if she would come--this evening at the hotel. He said he knew she wouldn't. He promised to come himself if she wouldn't. He--"

She broke off with a startled hand to her mouth as the door opened.

The man who had opened the door came in a step, said, "Oh, excuse me!" hastily took his brown hat from his head, and backed out.

"It's all right, Miles," Spade told him. "Come in. Miss Wonderly, this is Mr. Archer, my partner.

Miles Archer came into the office again, shutting the door behind him, ducking his head and smiling at Miss Wonderly, making a vaguely polite gesture with the hat in his hand. He was of medium height, solidly built, wide in the shoulders, thick in the neck, with a jovial heavy-jawed red face and some grey in his close-trimmed hair. He was apparently as many years past forty as Spade was past thirty.

Spade said: "Miss Wonderly's sister ran away from New York with a fellow named Floyd Thursby. They're here. Miss Wonderly has seen Thursby and has a date with him tonight. Maybe he'll bring the sister with him. The chances are he won't. Miss Wonderly wants us to find the sister and get her away from him and back home." He looked at Miss Wonderly. "Right?"

"Yes," she said indistinctly. The embarrassment that had gradually been driven away by Spade's ingratiating smiles and nods and assurances was pinkening her face again. She looked at the bag in her lap and picked nervously at it with a gloved finger.

Spade winked at his partner.

Miles Archer came forward to stand at a corner of the desk. While the girl looked at her bag he looked at her. His little brown eyes ran their bold appraising gaze from her lowered face to her feet and up to her face again. Then he looked at Spade and made a silent whistling mouth of appreciation.

Spade lifted two fingers from the arm of his chair in a brief warning gesture and said:

"We shouldn't have any trouble with it. It's simply a matter of having a man at the hotel this evening to shadow him away when he leaves, and shadow him until he leads us to your sister. If she comes with him, and you persuade her to return with you, so much the better. Otherwise--if she doesn't want to leave him after we've found her--well, we'll find a way of managing that."

Archer said: "Yeh." His voice was heavy, coarse.

Miss Wonderly looked up at Spade, quickly, puckering her forehead between her eyebrows.

"Oh, but you must be careful!" Her voice shook a little, and her lips shaped the words with nervous jerkiness. "I'm deathly afraid of him, of what he might do. She's so young and his bringing her here from New York is such a serious-- Mightn't he--mightn't he do--something to her?"

Spade smiled and patted the arms of his chair.

"Just leave that to us," he said. "We'll know how to handle him.

"But mightn't he?" she insisted.

"There's always a chance." Spade nodded judicially. "But you can trust us to take care of that."

"I do trust you," she said earnestly, "but I want you to know that he's a dangerous man. I honestly don't think he'd stop at any-thing. I don't believe he'd hesitate to--to kill Corinne if he thought it would save him. Mightn't he do that?"

"You didn't threaten him, did you?"

"I told him that all I wanted was to get her home before Mama and Papa came so they'd never know what she had done. I promised him I'd never say a word to them about it if he helped me, but if he didn't Papa would certainly see that he was punished. I--I don't suppose he believed me, altogether."

"Can he cover up by marrying her?" Archer asked.

The girl blushed and replied in a confused voice: "He has a wife and three children in England. Corinne wrote me that, to explain why she had gone off with him."

"They usually do," Spade said, "though not always in En-gland." He leaned forward to reach for pencil and pad of paper. "What does he look like?"

"Oh, he's thirty-five years old, perhaps, and as tall as you, and either naturally dark or quite sunburned. His hair is dark too, and he has thick eyebrows. He talks in a rather loud, blustery way and has a nervous, irritable manner. He gives the impression of being--of violence."

Spade, scribbling on the pad, asked without looking up: "What color eyes?"

"They're blue-grey and watery, though not in a weak way. And--oh, yes--he has a marked cleft in his chin."

"Thin, medium, or heavy build?"

"Quite athletic. He's broad-shouldered and carries himself erect, has what could be called a decidedly military carriage. He was wearing a light grey suit and a grey hat when I saw him this morning."

"What does he do for a living?" Spade asked as he laid down his pencil.

"I don't know," she said. "I haven't the slightest idea."

"What time is he coming to see you?"

"After eight o'clock."

"All right, Miss Wonderly, we'll have a man there. It'll help if--"

"Mr. Spade, could either you or Mr. Archer?" She made an appealing gesture with both hands. "Could either of you look after it personally? I don't mean that the man you'd send wouldn't be capable, but--oh!--I'm so afraid of what might happen to Corinne. I'm afraid of him. Could you? I'd be--I'd expect to be charged more, of course." She opened her handbag with nervous fingers and put two hundred-dollar bills on Spade's desk. "Would that be enough?"

"Yeh," Archer said, "and I'll look after it myself."

Miss Wonderly stood up, impulsively holding a hand out to him.

"Thank you! Thank you!" she exclaimed, and then gave Spade her hand, repeating: "Thank you!"

"Not at all," Spade said over it. "Glad to. It'll help some if you either meet Thursby downstairs or let yourself be seen in the lobby with him at some time."

"I will," she promised, and thanked the partners again.

"And don't look for me," Archer cautioned her. "I'll see you all right."

Spade went to the corridor-door with Miss Wonderly. When he returned to his desk Archer nodded at the hundred-dollar bills there, growled complacently, "They're right enough," picked one up, folded it, and tucked it into a vest-pocket. "And they had brothers in her bag."

Spade pocketed the other bill before he sat down. Then he said: "Well, don't dynamite her too much. What do you think of her?"

"Sweet! And you telling me not to dynamite her." Archer guffawed suddenly without merriment. "Maybe you saw her first, Sam, but I spoke first." He put his hands in his trousers-pockets and teetered on his heels.

"You'll play hell with her, you will." Spade grinned wolfishly, showing the edges of teeth far back in his jaw. "You've got brains, yes you have." He began to make a cigarette.



In the first screen version of The Maltese Falcon, detective Sam Spade investigates the theft of a priceless statue.

Release dates: June 13, 1931 
Running time: 80 minutes

Director: Roy Del Ruth

Cast:
Bebe Daniels as Ruth Wonderly
Ricardo Cortez as Sam Spade
Dudley Digges as Casper Gutman
Una Merkel as Effie Perine
Robert Elliott as Detective Lieutenant Dundy
Thelma Todd as Iva Archer
Otto Matieson as Dr. Joel Cairo
Walter Long as Miles Archer
Dwight Frye as Wilmer Cook
J. Farrell MacDonald as Detective Sergeant Tom Polhaus








1931  /  1936  /  1941



Dashiell Hammett
Also wrote as Peter Collinson, Daghull Hammett, Samuel Dashiell, Mary Jane Hammett

Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hardboiled detective novels and short stories. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man), and the Continental Op (Red Harvest and The Dain Curse). In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on film, Hammett "is now widely regarded as one of the finest mystery writers of all time" and was called, in his obituary in the New York Times, "the dean of the... 'hard-boiled' school of detective fiction."


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Thursday, June 12, 2025

🌈🌻🌼⏳Throwback Thursday's Time Machine⏳🌼🌻🌈: Lessons for Suspicious Minds by Charlie Cochrane

 

Summary:
Cambridge Fellows Mystery #10
An invitation to stay at a friend of the Stewart family’s stately home can only mean one thing for Jonty Stewart and Orlando Coppersmith — a new case for the amateur sleuths. And with two apparently unrelated suicides, a double chase is on...

But things never run smoothly for the Cambridge fellows. In an era when their love dare not speak its name, the chance of discovery (and disgrace) is ever present—how do you explain yourself when a servant discovers you doing the midnight run along the corridor?

The chase stops being a game for Orlando when the case brings back memories of his father’s suicide and the search for the identity of his grandfather. And the solution presents them with one of the most difficult moral decisions they’ve had to make...



Original Review August 2014:
Suspicious Minds finds us back in 1909. It's nice to see the parental Stewarts back and sinking their teeth into Jonty and Orlando's investigations again. I think Papa Stewart is more eager to join in the hunt but Mama Stewart, once given an assignment is actually even more determined to assist her boys find the truth, even if it might reach a little too close to treasured loved ones. The mystery of suicide or not is intriguing and seeing how both Jonty and Orlando deal with the personal memories the subject conjures up is well written. I very much enjoyed the non-mystery related subplot of Jonty and Orlando having to deal with not being able to "do their duty" because of their location. Added some much appreciated humor when the investigation begins to way down both, our favorite couple and the reader's hearts.

RATING:





“This island is a delightful spot.” Orlando couldn’t decide whether he preferred the lodge, the temple, or the pleasant grounds. That was like choosing between algebra, geometry, and calculus.

“It is that,” Jonty replied. “Do you know, there are two things which depress me about traditional depictions of heaven—no more sea and the equal light. Who would want a world in which there are no shadows to play on the grass or waves to play on the beach? I’ve always hoped that St. Peter, as a fisherman, would sort out the business of the ocean. Or else where will the whales disport themselves?”

“Will there be whales in heaven?”

“I sincerely hope so. Why would God create something so magnificent and then not make the most of it through eternity? I’ll be expecting glyptodonts too.”

Orlando didn’t answer. He’d tried to engage in sensible discussion on this sort of topic before, but he’d recently given up the exercise of pursuing whatever flight of fancy Jonty’s brain had gone on. There was no logic to his mental processes at times, nor was any logic expected in return. All that was required of the audience was to listen—or at least pretend to.

“I reckon we’ll have at least half an hour to disport ourselves here. Papa’s settled in that chair for a snooze and Mama, when she wakes, will force the gardener to talk to her about roses and peacocks and who knows what.” Jonty stretched again. “Bliss.” He turned over, leaning on his elbow. “Are you going to take advantage of the opportunity for a bit of shut-eye?”

“No, I’ve more important things to do.” Orlando sat hugging his knees. “I spent too much of my early life ignoring beauty and sticking my nose in books rather than looking around at the trees and the sky and the water. I want to take every opportunity now of drinking in the sublime.”

“You wonderful old softy. We’ll make a poet of you yet.” Jonty lay back again, arms behind head, staring up at the beech leaves. “Do you know, these are the best trees to hide from the rain under? Something about the arrangement of the leaves, designed to catch the most sunlight. It helps to keep out the rain as a wonderful side effect.”

“Where do you pick up all this stuff? Dr. Panesar been bending your ear again?” Maurice Panesar, fellow of St. Bride’s, possibly the most inventive brain in Cambridge. And with about as much practical common sense as a squid.



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If the men of St. Bride’s College knew what Jonty Stewart and Orlando Coppersmith got up to behind closed doors, the scandal would rock early-20th-century Cambridge to its core. But the truth is, when they’re not busy teaching literature and mathematics, the most daring thing about them isn’t their love for each other—it’s their hobby of amateur sleuthing.

Because wherever Jonty and Orlando go, trouble seems to find them. Sunny, genial Jonty and prickly, taciturn Orlando may seem like opposites. But their balance serves them well as they sift through clues to crimes, and sort through their own emotions to grow closer. But at the end of the day, they always find the truth . . . and their way home together.

********

Be sure and check the author's website for a complete chronological list of novels, novellas, free short stories in the Cambridge Fellows Mysteries Universe.

πŸ‘¬πŸ’™πŸ”ͺπŸ’•πŸ”«πŸ’™πŸ‘¬




Charlie Cochrane
As Charlie Cochrane couldn't be trusted to do any of her jobs of choice - like managing a rugby team - she writes. Her favourite genre is gay fiction, predominantly historical romances/mysteries, but she's making an increasing number of forays into the modern day. She's even been known to write about gay werewolves - albeit highly respectable ones.

Her Cambridge Fellows series of Edwardian romantic mysteries were instrumental in seeing her named Speak Its Name Author of the Year 2009. She’s a member of both the Romantic Novelists’ Association and International Thriller Writers Inc.

Happily married, with a house full of daughters, Charlie tries to juggle writing with the rest of a busy life. She loves reading, theatre, good food and watching sport. Her ideal day would be a morning walking along a beach, an afternoon spent watching rugby and a church service in the evening.


EMAIL:  cochrane.charlie2@googlemail.com



Lessons for Suspicious Minds #10

Cambridge Fellows Mysteries
Series #1-12

Series Novellas

Alasdair and Toby Investigations
An Act of Detection #1

The Case of the Grey Assassin #2

Alasdair & Toby and Cambridge
The Case of the Undiscovered Corpse #1/#3