Hope & Honor NBtM

Blurb:

Life is becoming more complicated for soul reader Honor Melanie “Mel” Sullivan. Her boss needs help with his rebellious teen daughter who believes rules are made to be broken and Mel’s current boyfriend, Homeland Security agent Mick Petrov, is becoming an absentee lover, dropping hints about a major decision he faces. To make it worse, Mel’s ex, 3 Peaks detective “Billy the Kid” McCarty wants her back. And those aren’t the only challenges. When a paramilitary group called New Dawn wants her soul-reading skills, Mel meets five-year-old twins who steal her heart. Unwilling to abandon the motherless children, she strikes a deal with the compound’s charismatic leader. Drawn deeper and deeper into New Dawn’s twisted agenda, Mel must figure out a way to save the twins and herself before it’s too late.

Excerpt:

When last I saw Mick, he had spikey black hair and facial piercings. He was lean, almost skinny, hoping to pass himself off as a druggie. Apparently it worked. He got his man. He usually does.

I saunter into the Corral and head to his table. He lifts the brim of his hat and I look into eyes as clear and blue as a Norwegian fjord. His soul looks much the same, although it’s picked up some etches and markings common to those involved in law enforcement.

I strike a pose, one hand on my hip, and flutter my eyelashes. Not a natural flirt, this seems silly to me. I lick my lips. “Why, hello there, handsome. You’re drinking Grey Goose vodka and you look like someone I knew a very long time ago, but slightly different.  Is it possible we’ve met before?”

His hand snakes out and grabs my wrist. He kisses the back of my hand. I hold back a snicker.

“My maylsh,” he says in a sexy growl. “I didn’t fool you after all?”

Mick is Russian born. In the past, we’ve gone through a number of Slavic endearments. Most of them reference pussycat or kitten. After my strong objection, we settled on maylsh, the Russian term for baby. It’s not all that great, but it’s better than pussycat. In my humble opinion, it’s not worth fighting over.

He scoots his chair back and pulls me onto his lap. I lift his cap to check out his hair. It’s pale blond and growing out from the spikey do.

He says, “Is it true blonds have more fun?”

“You get to decide.”

He leans and whispers, “Believe me, I will.”

Heat spirals through my body, settling deep into my belly. I want to grab him by the hand and drag him out to my car. Have my way with him. Until I see Mick, I don’t realize how much I’ve missed him. But, this is not the time or place. I push away and stand.

“Are you going to introduce me to your friends?”

I suspect they are fellow officers. Not that he’ll tell me.

Instead, he says, “This is Mel.”

He points at the men and identifies each one by first name only. Now I know for sure they’re his work buddies.

I say, “See you around, guys. Enjoy your evening.”

Mick looks a little panicked. “Hey, wait. I’ll see you later. In Number Ten. Right?”

Now, it’s my turn for payback and I love it.

“Wrong.” I walk away.

“At least leave bread crumbs.”

I hear a hint of desperation in his voice and return to the table. “You’re Homeland Security. Remember, you have no rules. I’m sure you’ll figure it out, big guy. Bye, bye.”

His buddies burst into laughter as I sashay away.

Marilee, thanks so much for stopping by. So how did you get started writing?

While I was working full time and raising three sons, I wrote poetry and short stories. When the nest was empty, I took a writing class and my instructor said, “You should write a book.” I was shocked that someone thought I had the ability to write an entire book, so decided to give it a try. I’ve written a book a year since 2008.

What was the inspiration for your book?

I’ve always been intrigued by fantasy and the license it gives the author to come up with  unique ideas. The premise behind the Soul Seeker series is: what if you could look into a person’s eyes and read his/her soul? Would it be scary? Enlightening? How would it affect personal relationships?

What’s a genre you haven’t written in yet that you’d like to?

I’m currently plotting out a cozy mystery set on a golf course. It will have dead bodies and an amateur sleuth. Sound like a plan?

Are there any genres you won’t read or write in? Why?

I’m afraid erotica bores me to tears, so don’t think I’d be very good at writing it. Also, animal cruelty is a big no-no for me.

What are you up to now? Do you have any releases planned, or are you still writing?

Hope and Honor, book 3 and the last in the Soul Seeker series was just published on January 15, 2018. Now that the series is finished, I’m planning out the cozy mystery mentioned previously.

Alright, now for some random, fun questions. Favorite color?

Royal blue

Favorite movie?

Just recently saw Wonder and loved it.

Book that inspired you to become an author?

Too many to list but Stephen King’s book On Writing is fabulous.

You have one superpower. What is it?

I can time-travel. Wouldn’t that be fun?

You can have dinner with any 3 people, dead, alive, fictitious, etc. Who are they?

Eleanor Roosevelt, Queen Elizabeth (the first), Colin Powell

Last question: Which of your characters are you most like and how/why?

My younger self was probably most like Allegra Thome, the main character in my romantic suspense, The Rock and Roll Queen of Bedlam. Allegra is a teacher of behavior-disordered teens, as I was. When one of her students goes missing, she joins forces with Sloan, a sexy DEA agent.

That’s all from me, thanks for taking the time to stop by!

Thank you for hosting me!

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Author Bio and Links:

Marilee Brothers is a former teacher, coach, counselor and the author of ten books. Marilee and her husband are the parents of three grown sons and live in central Washington State. After writing six young adult books, Marilee is once again writing romantic suspense for the adult market. She loves hearing from people who have read her books. Feel free to contact her at http://www.marileebrothers.com and sign up for her newsletter The Obsessive Page Turner.

Her author page on Facebook is: www.facebook.com/marilee.author and she occasionally tweets @MarileeB. Check out Marilee’s Amazon page.

Marilee’s blog is Book Blather, where she features aspiring and published authors as well as some tidbits of her own.