Hanami Review Tour

Blurb:

“I am no princess… I am Yakuza,”

SAKURA SHINTANI is the heir to the Dragon Clan—Japan’s most notorious crime dynasty. But can she keep this fact a secret from the annoying brats of Oniyuri Academy?

She must try to master her demons while trying not to hurt anyone. But having the face of an angel puts her on everyone’s radar… including the arrogant heir to Asia’s most powerful tycoon, KENJIN KIYOHARA. He senses the danger, but Sakura is too interesting to be left alone.

Excerpt:

Jin rolled his eyes, settling his gaze back on the girl. He wasn’t surprised with their reaction.

The new girl was hot, but so what? It took more than a pretty face to get his attention. He wasn’t that easy to impress, and he was certain she’d be throwing herself at him anyway. Just like everybody else. He was sure this girl wasn’t any different from the love-crazed hyenas that stalked him.

Jin pushed back his shoulders, seeing her start towards him with her eyes still trailing on the ground.

Already? Jin thought, suppressing a laugh. He crossed his arms, waiting for her to get closer, and sure enough she stopped right in front of him. She was even prettier up close. Asian but with a hint of Caucasian mixed in.

“What?” he asked, smirking. He already knew what she might say: whether he was Kenjin Kiyohara, the sole heir to Kiyohara Industries? The questions were all the same. He thought she would have at least waited until class was over like the rest of them.

“Move your feet. You’re blocking my way,” the girl said in a sharp tone.  She shifted her gaze up at him like a threatening knife. Her topaz-colored eyes darkened, sending icy tremors down his back. He felt as if he’d been hit by a curse as his mind turned blank.

When she finally looked away, Jin was able to regain his senses. He tucked his legs out of her way, and she passed, leaving goosebumps in her wake. His eyes followed her, waiting to see if she’d look back, but she never did. Jin’s hands were trembling. His thoughts became jumbled while he struggled not to look anymore.

What was that? What just happened? This was a first for him. He couldn’t contain himself. His presence had no impact whatsoever. Instead she looked like she wanted to kill him!

Jin took a deep breath, replaying the moment in his head. Who was this girl? She sure got his attention, all right—and it left him in pieces. He fought the urge to look back again.

This girl…Jin thought. There was something about her. He couldn’t shake off the feeling. She seemed dangerous.

My Reviews:

Hanami

3.5 stars

This was an interesting novel for me. First, the characters (both major and side) were enjoyable and realistic. Jin was a jerk at first, but slowly grew on me as his relationship with Sakura deepened, forcing him to reevaluate what he really wanted. I had a harder time connecting with Sakura, as Sakura is a very distant character for the majority of the book, which fits with how she sees herself in the world she’s been drawn into. This made it hard to get to know the real her, though seeing her shut Jin down whenever he started getting full of himself was hilarious and fun, not to mention adding to the will they, won’t they romantic subplot.

As for the plot, there was a lot going on, and while most of the big storylines were addressed (Sakura’s parents, Jin/Sakura’s relationship, etc.), there were some smaller threads that went unresolved/ignored, which was a bummer considering the little details and intricacies woven into other parts of the story. Some parts of the story felt rushed and thrown in, while others appeared carefully arranged and worked in, which was disorienting and drew me away from the story at times.

All said though, this was a fascinating world with intriguing characters, mixed with a slow-burn (but worth it) romance. If that sounds like your cup of tea, I highly recommend giving this series a try. And on that note, on to my review of book 2:

Hazakura

5 stars

Let me start by saying that while I’m a sucker for falling in love for the first time stories, I’m even more of a sucker for angsty, once the honeymoon’s over sequels. And this definitely fit the bill. After Sakura and Jin overcame the odds and ended up together in book 1, I was looking forward to seeing the challenges they would face in book 2. I was not disappointed.

To start, I enjoyed seeing Sakura and Jin having to fight for their love in a realistic way. In fact, several of the obstacles to their relationship were obstacles I had thought about after reading book 1, so to see them addressed was awesome.

On top of that, seeing how the characters have grown from book 1 to book 2 was amazing. Sakura in particular was a favorite of mine, as I felt like I understood her much more in this book than I did the first. Add to that a kickass, hilarious collection of supporting characters and a thrilling, exciting plot…sold. Plus, that closing scene, with that closing sentence…perfect way to end this satisfactory sequel.

On a side note, in the post-credits, the author mentioned that she had never intended a sequel. Needless to say, I’m glad she gave the fans what they asked for. So now can we hope for book 3?

*I received a copy of these books in exchange for an honest review.*

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Author Bio and Links:

V.C. Buckley was born in an isolated government facility and shipped off to an Island in Southeast Asia where she grew up braving tropical thunderstorms and warding off evil villains. At sixteen she was discovered by an agent and jetted off all over the world. Her stories come from gritty moments of her childhood to the glitz of her travels. She now lives in Manila with her husband, two kids and an herb garden that has hijacked her balcony.

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The Angel and the Seal Book Blast

Blurb:
The Angel and the SEAL . . . a cozy mystery with romantic suspense from the Mystery Angel Romances series. An angel hidden in every book waiting for you to figure out who . . .

Navy SEAL Sean MacKay's teammate is murdered after stealing a deadly nerve-gas formula from Syrian terrorists. Naval Intelligence believes MacKay's teammate was a traitor and shipped the stolen formula to his sister in the states for safekeeping. MacKay is given orders to find the sister before the terrorists do and to retrieve the stolen formula at all costs.

Foreclosure looms for Cory Rigatero as she fights to keep her rustic resort near Mt. St. Helens afloat after her brother deserted her to join the SEAL Teams. Cory's whole world dives into a tailspin when Sean MacKay shows up at her resort with the news of her brother's death and the wild suspicion her brother may have sent her traitorous classified documents. No way will Cory trust MacKay -- the man who once seduced her and then vanished into the night without a trace.


Excerpt:
Cory hesitated so long, Mac wondered if she would tell the truth or fabricate some tale. He knew the Bel Tesoro legend like the back of his hand, having heard the tale numerous times during the years of his friendship with Blue. Usually when Blue got good and drunk—and homesick for his little sister.

Blue thought the sun rose and set just for Cory and had always claimed the worst part of the Black Ops work they did wasn’t the danger but leaving his sister behind. He had felt forced to cast her out of his life for her own safety and settled for a half-dozen covert trips back to town to check on her. Mac had always come along and regretted the trip afterward, for he could never get the little spitfire out of his mind.

She stared at him briefly as she slowed for an approaching curve. His heart thudded out a couple fast beats. Had she recognized him? She returned her gaze to the road, and he blew out a silent sigh of relief.

He decided to prod. “So what about the beautiful treasure? If it wasn’t the lake . . .”

He watched her shoulders go back, and she took a deep breath.

Here we go.

“Great-Grandpa Brock expanded to ten cabins with the extra business from his friends, Benny and Salvatore, but they didn’t come back for a while due to run-ins with the law back in New York.”

“What sort of run-ins?” he dutifully asked.

Cory smiled then, and Mac felt a wave a relief, knowing she trusted him with the truth. She knew he could have dug up the legend from anyone in town, but it meant more coming from her.

“By that time, Salvatore had changed his name to Charles Luciano—Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano—and Benjamin went by the nickname of Bugsy. Meyer was always Meyer.”

He hoped the appropriate amount of shock showed in his expression. “You can’t be serious. You mean Bugsy Siegel, Lucky Luciano, and Meyer Lansky?”

“Exactly the same.”

He gave a low whistle.

“Guests wanted to rent Lucky Luciano’s cabin even back then.”

“But that doesn’t explain the treasure.”

She slid him a sultry sideways glance and maneuvered more switchbacks. “Patience, Mac. I’m telling this story.”

He put his head back and hooted with laughter. The smart remark was pure Cory. The sexy glance was not.

“So tell it already.”

“Lucky and Bugsy had become too powerful for their mob boss Joe Masseria, and they rigged his assassination, so they could steal his rackets. Lucky stole everything in Masseria’s safe and hid the stash from their rival boss Maranzano. Legend has it that Lucky put the stash in a trunk and brought it here on vacation shortly after the assassination to keep it safe.”

“And people think the trunk is buried at Bel Tesoro?” Mac scoffed.

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About the Author:

Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World—"The Most Magical Place on Earth"—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her "day" job to write her stories full-time. These days Petie spends her time writing sequels to her regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and her cozy-mystery-with-romantic-suspense series, the Mystery Angel Romances.

Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and an opinionated Nanday conure named Sassy who made a cameo appearance in No Angels for Christmas.

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April in the Back of Beyond VBT

Blurb:

Writer Hayley Hunter has arrived in Ireland to complete a book on Irish history. When she discovers the old carriage house she is renting is haunted, she is determined to uncover the truth behind the burned ruins of a nearby manor house and the abandoned British barracks it overlooks. With the assistance of Shay Macgregor, an Irish historian, her quest will take her to 1919 and the Irish War for Independence, exposing the murders of two young men and why their mother, April Crutchley, refuses to leave the back of beyond even in death. With a budding romance and the opportunity to begin life anew, Hayley finds her own life is now in jeopardy as she gets closer to a truth the villagers have long sought to bury.

Excerpt:

I could not hear the cattle though we continued to approach. I saw a head

dodge this way or that, could envision their mouths opening in snorts or grunts. Two dogs came into the picture as though there were curtains on either side, appearing from behind the veils to join the cattle on center stage. They ducked and darted, their heads held low, ever on the watch for a strayed cow and yet the yips and barks I should have heard were lost in the winds that blew through here a hundred years ago.

The road stopped and yet Shay continued to press forward, the terrain becoming steeper and rockier as we drew ever closer. I was panting now and my forehead was covered in perspiration and yet I knew I could not turn back. I had to remain with Shay. I longed to ask why we were moving steadily toward the ruins, or what he hoped we could possibly accomplish there, but the words were frozen on my lips.

The air grew icy but there was no wind, as if time itself was suspended.

Then the herd parted to reveal two young men, boys really; and they were looking at us.

Shay stopped and I was so mesmerized that I started past him but he reached out to grab my arm. I have no idea what amount of force he might have used because in that instant, I barely registered his hand upon me. I only knew my feet had stopped and I was staring uphill at two boys that stared back at me.

Their baggy pants were dark, their shirts light, but I could see the giant tree that stood behind them. My brain slowly registered that I could see it because I was looking through them; the combination of their light and dark clothing was casting the tree into curious shadows. I knew they were looking at us though I could not see their facial features, but rather judged their stance from the position of their bodies. Their faces glowed eerily, the outlines blurry. They grew even hazier as I realized they were beginning to run.

In an instant the cattle dispersed in a panic, rushing down the hill toward the pasture from whence they’d come while the two boys raced upward in the opposite direction toward the house. They reached the open doorway almost at the same time, catapulting over the threshold. As they stepped inside the walls, everything vanished: the boys, the dogs and the cattle were gone. All that was left were the skeletal ruins, dark and forbidding against a sky filled with ominous clouds.

p.m., thanks so much for stopping by.

Thank you for having me!

How did you get started writing?

I began writing when I was nine years old. My father was an FBI Agent at the time and we were transferred from New Jersey to the Mississippi Delta. It was 1967 and the residents did not want Yankees involved in their lives. The school principal saw how isolated I was and suggested that I write stories. Little did I know at the time that it would lead to a lifetime of writing.

What was the inspiration for your book?

I was researching Irish history for another book when I came upon the true story of two young men that had been murdered during the fight for Irish independence in 1919. I was immediately drawn to their mother’s plight, who became April in my book, April in the Back of Beyond, because her story truly started with the death of her sons. I just knew I had to write her story.

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

I’ve been extremely fortunate to have been published in all the genres that have appealed to me, from suspense to a children’s book, so if I died tomorrow I would have fulfilled all my writing goals.

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

I dislike apocalyptic stories, stories of torture and imprisonment. There is something about making a person completely helpless that gives me nightmares. For the same reason, I can’t read about animal or child abuse. It’s too disturbing. And because my writing must live in my head for months, I wouldn’t be able to write about them, either.

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

I am currently working on Book #25, which is due to be released in the spring of 2020. The working title is The Struggle for Independence, about a woman named Independence Mather who lives in Ireland in 1916 on the eve of the Easter Rising which led to Ireland’s independence. The tag line is: sometimes a woman comes to the conclusion that she has built the perfect life with the wrong man.

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

Sky blue.

Favorite movie?    

I have so many! But Bandits with Cate Blanchett, Billy Bob Thornton and Bruce Willis is among my favorites.

Book that inspired you to become an author?

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.

You have one superpower. What is it?

To see the future based on choices I am considering.

 

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

I’d want to meet with the leaders of the three major religions. I’d love for them to discuss how their followers have made the world better and/or worse in their names, and what can be done to usher in an age of peace on this planet. And I’d want it to be broadcast so others could find inspiration in making this world a better place.

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

I believe I’m unique from each of my characters, though some traits might be shared. Hayley Hunter in April in the Back of Beyond, for example, is a writer that enjoys historical research and chooses to rent a cottage in Ireland in which to write her book. I would love to do that someday.

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

Thank you for having me!

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Author Bio and Links:

p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 23 books in multiple genres, including contemporary suspense, historical suspense, computer instructional, non-fiction and children’s books.

Prior to writing full-time, she founded two computer companies in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area: McClelland Enterprises, Inc. and Continental Software Development Corporation. Among her clients were the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Secret Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department of Defense. Her specialties were in the detection of white collar computer crimes and computer intelligence.

A full-time author since 2002, Black Swamp Mysteries was her first series, inspired by the success of Exit 22, released in 2008. Vicki’s Key was a top five finalist in the 2012 International Book Awards and 2012 USA Book Awards nominee, and The Pendulum Files was a national finalist for the Best Cover of the Year in 2014. Her second series, Ryan O’Clery Suspense, is also award-winning. The Tempest Murders (Book 1) was one of four finalists in the 2013 International Book Awards, cross-genre category. Her historical suspense, River Passage, was a 2010 Best Fiction and Drama Winner. It was determined to be so historically accurate that a copy of the book resides at the Nashville Government Metropolitan Archives in Nashville, Tennessee. Songbirds are Free is her bestselling book to date; it is inspired by the true story of Mary Neely, who was captured in 1780 by Shawnee warriors near Fort Nashborough (now Nashville, TN).

She was the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation, an organization committed to raising public awareness of the correlation between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She was the founder of Book ‘Em North Carolina, an annual event held in the town of Lumberton, North Carolina, to raise funds to increase literacy and reduce crime and served as its chairperson and organizer for its first four years. She also served on the boards of the Friends of the Robeson County (NC) Public Library, the Robeson County (NC) Arts Council, Virginia Crime Stoppers and became the first female president of the Chesterfield County-Colonial Heights Crime Solvers in Virginia.

For more information, book trailers, excerpts and more, visit the author’s website.

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Kill Shot Review Tour

Blurb:

Invited to speak for the United Nations, International Attorney Ashe Marcille is on the fast track. However, everything changes when she finds her law partner dead. Left with no option but to abandon her hard-earned career, she goes on the run.

Walker Knight, owner of a high-tech security firm, left the spy games years ago. A former agent for J8, he had no intention of returning to that life until the agency calls in one last favor. It should have been an easy job—pick up then drop off a lawyer with no questions asked. But, best laid plans…

Attracted to the attorney from the minute he laid eyes on her, Walker sets out to solve her case. Until he can figure out who wants her dead, he’ll have to keep her close…very close.

Excerpt:

As he stepped onto the wraparound porch to unlock the door, he promised himself to make this visit a quick in and out. J8 wanted Ashe released into their custody. If the agency didn’t have a history of turning and burning their targets, he would have given her up willingly a few weeks back.

Walker reached for the ancient lock and opened the front door to the blue-colored wood home. A full-on assault of rich tomato sauce intermingling with the ocean breeze smacked him in the face.

It had been closed off for the better part of a decade, so Walker hadn’t stepped into it since his teen years. Before Ashe’s arrival, sheets had covered the furniture. He took in the bright tones of blue and cream that warmed the house.

Following the sound of voices toward the patio, he noted the changes she’d made to the cottage since he’d stashed her there. Once furnished in thick fabrics and dark tones, the light and airy ambience enhanced the feel-good energy of his old summer haunt.

The sound of Ashe’s laughter drew him into the kitchen, where pots boiled and bubbled on top of the stove. His stomach rumbled from the heady aroma, but the sight of Ashe shook him to his core. Walker hadn’t felt this type of attraction to a woman in years.

Clad in a bikini and a skimpy cover-up, she stood outside the French doors. Wild, reddish-brown curls streamed down her back. He’d suggested she change her appearance, but he’d had no idea Ashe would resemble something out of a 1950s B-movie.

The absolute best genre ever!

“Are you looking to replace that flooring upstairs?” Nosey neighbor Tom’s nasally tone snapped him back to reality. “Dan, two streets over, is a whiz with carpentry.”

Ashe raked stray leaves from the pool with the cleaning pole. “Not sure. I’ll have to check with—” She stopped mid-sentence. “Speaking of the devil.”

Walker stepped out of the house, and she greeted him with a smile.

“Walker!” Tom scrambled to get up from the lounge chair. His nosey-ass neighbor had built his deck above eye-level of the fence, a fact that hadn’t gone unnoticed by his grandparents. “What’s it been…ten years?”

He waved for the old man to take a seat before he fell over. “I haven’t been able to get out this way much,” he admitted. Without his grandparents around, he’d felt no need to visit.

“Military, right? Then what? Private work for the government?”

Walker didn’t answer. He could tell the man didn’t know anything.

“Your fiancée here has been quite the hit around the neighborhood.”

“How so?” he asked, intrigued about Ashe’s title, among other things. She’d remodeled his grandparents’ home, cooked and flirted with his lusty neighbor. Apparently, the gorgeous attorney had been bored.

“What am I going on about? You two haven’t had a proper greeting. Go on and give your fella a smooch hello.”

“We’re fine. We don’t need to—” Walker began.

Ashe’s soft lips cut off his next word. Against good common sense but not his will, he put his hands around her waist and deepened their kiss.

A warm ball of lust spread through his body. Revved up, he wanted more, but she pulled out of his grip with a wink. “I’ve got dinner going. We’ll catch you later,” Ashe said to Tom.

“Oh, okay. Yeah, I’ve got a new Jeopardy to watch anyway,” Tom muttered.

Walker grabbed her hand and led her into the house.

With a sexy laugh, she hurried to close the double doors. “Sorry about that. The snitch would have ratted us out to the whole neighborhood by the time the ten o’clock news hit the air.”

Walker bit back a smile. “So, we’re engaged now…”

My Review:
4 stars

Adventure, action, spycraft…what more can a girl ask for? Kill Shot had it all, along with snarky banter and fun characters. The chemistry between Ashe and Walker was off the charts, and I loved how badass Ashe could be at times in the most mundane, laidback ways. And the ways she'd takes Walker for a loop and make him rethink his world? Rocked.

The only issue I had was with some convenient, but not realistic, plot devices. Yes, suspension of disbelief is necessary, but some of the elements seemed heavily contrived. Like, why would you wait this long to do something about this if it was such a threat to you? Especially when that doesn’t match with the backstory I’ve read on you? (Note: I’m being vague to be as spoiler-free as possible).

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

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Author Bio and Links:

Amber Malloy dreamed of being a double agent but couldn't pass the psyche evaluation. Crushed by despair that she couldn't legally shoot things, Amber pursued her second career choice as pastry chef. When she's not writing or whipping up a mean Snickers Cheesecake, she occasionally spies on her sommelier. Amber is convinced he's faking his French accent.

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Dragon's Revenge Book Blast

Blurb:
When Tucson private detective and Iraq War vet Letty Valdez is hired to investigate a murder, she immediately finds herself targeted by a violent criminal. To find the killer, Letty turns to an old memoir of life in late 19th century Tucson. Clues in in the memoir, with its tale of love between two immigrants - one, an Italian widow, and the other, an exiled Chinese revolutionary - launch Letty on a suspense-filled struggle to find answers, to stop the murderer – and to stay alive!


Excerpt:
By mid-morning, Letty was sleepy again. She called the dogs in from the backyard and took them with her to her bedroom.

Less than an hour later, Letty was startled awake. She sat up in bed.

Both Millie and Teddy were up, alert, and facing her bedroom door. The fur on their necks and along the ridge of their backbones was standing up erect. Both dogs were very tense and staring at the bedroom door with full attention.

Letty’s heart began to pound. She couldn’t hear anything but she knew there had to be an intruder.

Millie growled.

Teddy growled, too, a low rumbling growl from deep in his chest. Teddy’s lips curled up sharply, exposing his teeth. His pink tongue flicked in and out of his mouth. Teddy looked ready to attack and to tear someone apart with those fangs. He growled again.

Millie was ready, too. She stared at the door and growled a second time. She showed her fangs, too.

Letty felt like she almost couldn’t breathe. A paralyzing combination of fear and fury immobilized her. She was too banged up to be able to fight anyone. And whoever was on the other side of the door couldn’t be a welcome visitor. Letty realized that beyond a doubt, she had become a target.

The knob on the door began to turn slowly as if someone were trying to quietly enter the room. At the sight and sound of that turning knob, Millie barked a short warning bark. Teddy followed with a deep woofing sound. Don’t even try it, they communicated to the intruder. The door knob returned to its original position. Both dogs continued to stare intently at the door.

Letty knew that the person on the other side of the door knew now that there were two dogs in her room and those dogs were not happy.

Letty quietly got up from her bed and went to her closet. She pulled down a box from the top shelf, retrieved her Glock, and quickly assembled it. Just as quietly, she loaded the gun.

Letty moved toward the bedroom door, listening intently. She didn’t hear anything. She opened the door, gun in hand aimed and ready to shoot.

Both dogs bolted through the door past her and ran through the house. They were following the scent of the intruder. The backdoor was open. Letty did a quick check of every room in the house, gun ready. Nothing. The intruder had fled. Letty followed the dogs out the back door and into the backyard. Teddy did a quick survey of the backyard and Millie stood at attention close to Letty. Whoever had been there was gone now.

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About the Author:

C.J. Shane is a writer and visual artist in Arizona. In addition to her mystery fiction, she is the author of eight nonfiction books. Her first fiction book, Desert Jade: A Letty Valdez Mystery, (11-2017) is a finalist for Best Suspense-Thriller novel, New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards.

Learn more at https://www.cjshane.com/
https://www.cjshane.com/dragons-revenge.html

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Groundwork for Murder Book Blast

Blurb:

Landscape artist Alexandra Newborn dreams of a one-woman show at the Diamond Gallery. But the gallery owner dismisses her paintings as "old, tired, and dull. Lacking excitement." Those words also describe Alex's unhappy marriage.

Alex's shocking reunion with her college art professor, Dominick "Nick" Anselmo—once a world-celebrated Italian artist, now a homeless lawn man—reignites their passion and fuels a creative spark for both, helping Nick recover from his wife's death.

With Nick's provocative sketches, art imitates life, but Alex doesn't realize they reveal a dangerous liaison between her husband and the gallery owner. Without Nick's knowledge, Alex arranges an art opening that includes his drawings.

When the torrid affair between Alex's husband and his mistress is exposed, the seeds are sown for murder, mystery, and romance.

Excerpt:

The subject matter was unexpected and provocative. She’d thought that, in his new life as a lawn man, Nick might just draw a tree, or a garden, not a couple caught in a passionate embrace—her face against his cheek, his face buried in her neck to hide their identities and keep the world at bay.

He had captured them in a clinch that seemed to portray more lust than love. The sketch spoke of forbidden moments. The lines revealed movement, as if the couple had had to love and leave. All that sexual desire was combustible. And yet there was love there. Maybe not love between this couple, but Nick had obviously transferred his own feelings of lost love and longing onto the paper.

“Always leave something of yourself in your work.” That’s what Professore Anselmo had taught his students in college. And he had managed to do that brilliantly in this drawing. The passion was raw, and it exposed everything that was missing in her relationship with Mark. And everything that was missing in her art. Something vaguely familiar about this couple tugged at her memory, but she quickly dismissed it.

Alex knew great art could have that effect on your soul. It was similar to a writer who paints word pictures that draw you into the story and elevate the everyday into the sublime—word pictures that are often too close to home, too real to examine too closely.

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Author Bio and Links:

Marilyn Baron and Sharon Goldman are sisters. Groundwork for Murder won first place in the Suspense Romance category of the Ignite the Flame Contest, sponsored by the Central Ohio Fiction Writers Chapter of RWA. 

Marilyn Baron

Marilyn Baron writes in a variety of genres, from women’s fiction to historical romantic thrillers and romantic suspense to paranormal/fantasy. She and her sister even wrote a musical called Memory Lane.

She’s received writing awards in Single Title, Suspense Romance, Novel with Strong Romantic Elements, and Paranormal/Fantasy Romance. She was also The Finalist in the 2017 Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA) in the Romance Category for her novel Stumble Stones, and The Finalist for the 2018 GAYA Awards in the Romance category for her novel The Alibi. Her novel The Siege was nominated for the 2019 GAYA Awards in the Romance Category.

Groundwork for Murder is her 24th work of fiction. A public relations consultant in Atlanta, she is chair of the Roswell Reads Steering Committee.

A native of Miami, Florida, Marilyn graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, with a B.S. in Journalism—a major in Public Relations and a minor in English (Creative Writing). She met her husband at UF and both of her daughters graduated from UF. Marilyn now lives in Roswell, Georgia, with her husband.

Find out more about Marilyn on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

  

Sharon Goldman

Sharon Goldman is an award-winning artist whose paintings are in private collections and who has exhibited in numerous galleries throughout northeast Florida, including the Haskell Gallery in the Jacksonville International Airport.

As a native Floridian, Sharon strives to create work that captures the spirit of Florida. Her colorful palette, unique cropping, and background as a designer and art director help her envision her novel compositions, which she describes as painterly realism.

Sharon has taught art school in her home studio to more than 200 students in her community. Sharon has also written and illustrated a children’s book.

Sharon is on the Dean’s Leadership Council at the University of North Florida’s Thomas G. Carpenter Library, where she gives monthly tours of one of the largest permanent art collections of regional artists in the state.

A graduate of the University of Florida in Fine Arts, Sharon had a long career in the advertising business. After having three children (now college graduates), she has more time to bring her ideas to light.

To view Sharon’s art, visit her website.

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