When Sparks Fly by Libby Kay

 

 

Romance is in the air with this amazing new series by best-selling author Libby Kay. Pinegrove has it all, sexy firemen, town busybodies, and tons of charm! 

When these sparks fly, a happily ever after is in the cards!

When Sparks Fly

A Pinegrove FD Novel Book 1

by Libby Kay

Genre: Contemporary Small-Town Romance

Two broken hearts, one charming small town, and a few sparks may be the recipe for love…

Whitney Kerr is at a crossroads—literally. After jumping behind the wheel to flee Savannah, and a bad breakup, this Southern Belle is in search of a fresh start. Stopping in a charming smalltown seems like the perfect place to catch her breath and find herself. It’s too bad a certain fireman with a crooked grin and kind eyes could have her plans of self-discovery going up in a puff of smoke.

Trevor Mays is at a crossroads—figuratively. Still grieving the loss of his father, he was unceremoniously dumped by his fiancée, who quickly rebounded with his work rival. Just as he thinks things can’t get worse, he loses the captain’s promotion—to the man who stole his ex. He’s about to give up on ever smiling again when a curly-haired beauty with curves for days stumbles into his hometown.

With some help from the residents of Pinegrove, this pair will discover that much like the perfect fireworks show, love only needs a spark.

 

Fans of Sherryl Woods’ Sweet Magnolias series and Sarah Adams’s When in Rome series will fall in love with Libby Kay’s sweet fireman romance. Ms. Kay’s engaging stories fill your heart and head with possibilities and will quickly become your new favorite!

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“Thanks for dinner and the walk and the talk.” Whitney seemed flustered, and she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. “I know it was a rough day, but hopefully it ended on a high note.”  

Trevor closed the distance in two strides. Reaching up, he tucked a curl behind her ear. His finger grazed her ear lobe as he pulled back, and she shivered. Every cell in his body was on alert at Whitney’s proximity. “Tonight was perfect. I can hardly remember why my day sucked.”  

The admission came easily, and he was incredibly grateful at his mother’s matchmaking skills. “I’m glad.” Whitney breathed, goosebumps erupting down her neck.  

“Good night, darlin’. I’ll see you soon.”  

“See you,” she agreed.  

Trevor strode to his car and got behind the wheel with a lightness in his step. When the day had started, he’d been certain it would end in disaster. Yet now, with Whitney in town, things just felt better … more hopeful. He hadn’t realized until he parked his car that he’d been singing along to the radio the whole drive home. Yeah, Trevor was going to be all right. 

 

Libby Kay lives in the city in the heart of the Midwest with her husband. When she’s not writing, Libby loves reading romance novels of any kind. Stories of people falling in love nourish her soul. Contemporary or Regency, sweet or hot, as long as there is a happily ever after—she’s in love!

When not surrounded by books, Libby can be found baking in her kitchen, binging true crime shows, or on the road with her husband, traveling as far as their bank account will allow.

Libby cohosts the Romance Roundup podcast with Liz Donatelli where they recommend romance books and interview authors, influencers, and publishers. Check it out for your weekly dose of romance!

 

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Tender Misdemeanors by Alana Lorens

Tender Misdemeanors

by Alana Lorens

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Blurb:

Caryn Orlane has law enforcement in her blood; her father was a cop, and his father, too. She's a federal agent in northwest Montana, protecting the old forests and keeping the peace. 

Levi Bradshaw also believes in protecting the forests, but has a very different MO. He's the leader of a group of eco-warriors, determined to save the trees of the Bitterroot by legal—and illegal—means. Sometimes this means allying with anti-government groups with a dangerous separate agenda. 

When Caryn and Levi meet in the woods at gunpoint, their encounter ignites a spark of interest, despite operating on opposite sides of the law. When their worlds turn on them, they only grow closer. If they don’t work together, can either survive? 

Excerpt:

Watching over her shoulder, she missed a thick fallen log in her path and tripped over it, falling hard on the ground, her breath snatched away for a few moments. The impact knocked the gun from her hand, and she struggled to retrieve it as the dog came crashing through the brush. The Rhodesian Ridgeback landed squarely on her, still barking, its nails driving into her back, its hot breath in her ear. She expected to feel the sharp bite of teeth at any moment. Desperate, her fingers quested forward for the gun.  

A shrill whistle sounded off to her right. “Rosie, what have you got there?”  

The dog bounded off her. Caryn lurched for the gun, then shoved herself up into a seated position, holding her weapon in both hands. The person who had spoken appeared in her sights. Aware of the panting animal not three feet away, she couldn’t spare a look, her attention focused on the man.  

Nearly six feet tall (or was it just her perspective from the ground?), he stared down at her, seemingly in shock. Thick dark hair lay tousled across his brow, as though he’d just removed one of those ski masks. He wore a simple red plaid flannel shirt and denim jeans, with heavy nut-colored work boots. His build was athletic, and she guessed there was plenty of muscle under the fabric of his shirt and his padded black ski vest. He could have been a model in one of those outdoorsy catalogs, a perfect example of a rugged, handsome western mountain man.  

At first, his warm brown eyes captured her interest.  But second, his quick movement brought a handgun of his own from behind him, perhaps tucked into his belt, and he pointed it directly at her. 

Author Bio:

Alana Lorens has been a published writer for more than forty years. Currently a resident of Asheville, North Carolina, she loves her time in the smoky blue mountains. One of her novellas, That Girl’s The One I Love, is set in the city of Asheville during the old Bele Chere festival. She lives with her daughter, who is the youngest of her seven children, three crotchety cats, and four kittens of various ages. 

Website: https://wordpress.com/page/alana-lorens.com/21 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AlanaLorens/ 

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4829967.Alana_Lorens 

Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Alana-Lorens/e/B005GE0WBC/ 

Watch the exciting book trailer here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlVFvMZw0a0&t=63s 

 

Lance by Heather Blanton

 Lance

Book 4 Guns for Hire

by Heather Blanton

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Book Blurb:

He lost everything. Now he has nothing left to lose.

Lance Wister had a home, a family, and a future—until greedy railroad barons and ruthless bankers took it all. Hardened by war and burning for revenge, he turns to the only justice he has left: hitting his enemies where it hurts—their wallets. But when his own gang betrays him, leaving him wounded and on the run, he’s out of options… until fate lands him in the wagon of a wary but resourceful peddler.

Cat Callahan has spent years outrunning her past, keeping to herself as she roams the rugged frontier. But when she stumbles upon an injured outlaw hiding among her wares, she has a choice—help him and risk her own freedom, or turn him in and possibly reveal her identity to the law.

Forced into an uneasy partnership, Lance and Cat must navigate a treacherous web of enemies, secrets, and the wild Colorado terrain. But the longer they’re together, the harder it is to ignore the fire sparking between them.

When their pasts finally catch up to them, they’ll face a deadly choice: stand together… or let their enemies tear them apart.

Author:

Heather Blanton is a wonderful author.  She is also a talented graphics artist who is formatting all the books in this series and inserting the graphics at the beginning of each chapter.

The Last Broken Girl by Cynthia Rice

The Last Broken Girl

by Cynthia Rice

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Blurb

In THE LAST BROKEN GIRL, a psychologist fights to save her young daughters, her career and possibly even her sanity when the woman who kidnapped and terrorized her as a teen resurfaces, hiding in the shadows, and forcing her to revisit her painful ordeal to survive. 

Excerpt

Erin climbed back under the covers and switched back to the interior cameras. She scanned room by room. Finally, she watched over the girls, asleep in their beds. This had been her routine since they had been born. She leaned back against the headboard and shut her eyes. She breathed in for three seconds, out for four seconds. Over and over. Tonight, the familiar routine didn’t help. She finally gave up, sat forward, and snatched her phone off the nightstand. 

She turned her attention to the on-line News-Journal. It was the lead article, as Lindsey had described. 

“Convicted Kidnapper Stanley Duggan granted parole hearing with possible release after June hearing.” The article went on to summarize the months of captivity which had destroyed her life twenty years ago and haunted her still. He described the question of a female accomplice, seen only by traumatized young Erin, and authorities were not sure she existed. Duggan had denied having an accomplice. Fuck them. She had no doubt Veronica was alive and watching. 

At the bottom of the article, it mentioned “Erin Moore-Jackson still lives in the area with her husband and two young daughters, with a Psychology practice with Meadowview Center in Lake Delton, Wisconsin. She could not be reached for comment.” 

She checked her phone’s call log and saw there were no missed calls. The reporter hadn’t even tried to reach her, and he had no business mentioning her girls and her place of employment.  

After studying each security camera feed again, she threw off the covers, tiptoed down to the kitchen and topped off another glass of red wine. She settled on the living room couch and wrapped a throw around her legs, clutching her glass so tightly she was afraid it would shatter in her hand as the pen had done earlier in the day. She would not be sleeping that night. 

Author Bio

Mystery and suspense author Cynthia Rice is a physician living in the Milwaukee area and a proud member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. Her debut novel, The Last Broken Girl, is set in rural Wisconsin where she has strong ties. The novel won the 2023 Claymore Award in the category of suspense. Additionally, she has A short story in the February 2025 released anthology, Gone Fishin’: Crime Takes a Holiday. When she’s not working on her next novel, Cynthia keeps busy reading, traveling, and playing mediocre golf and tennis. 

 

The Case of the Croaked Coach by Susie Black

The Case of the Croaked Coach

by Susie Black

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Blurb: 

There wasn’t an honest bone in Buzz Bixby’s body. The Encino High School’s head football coach was an equal-opportunity scoundrel. Bixby cheated and lied his way to the top and screwed anyone and everyone in his wake. So, the question wasn’t who wanted the bastard dead. The question was, who didn’t? Student reporter Hannah White’s interview with the coach is a nonstarter when she discovers varsity football hero Dean Snyder standing over Bixby’s battered corpse holding a bloody trophy. Despite how guilty Dean looks, Hannah is convinced he’s innocent. When Snyder is arrested for Bixby’s murder, the wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to flesh out the real killer. But the trail has more twists and turns than a slinky, and nothing turns out how Hannah thinks it will as she tangles with a clever killer hellbent on revenge. 

Excerpt:

Logic said to either run for help or to run for my life, but a combination of fear— if Dean did it, now discovered, would he kill me too— and the curiosity to learn the answer kept my feet frozen to the spot inside the doorframe.  

Dean’s body shook like a leaf in a rainstorm as he stared at the bloody trophy in his hand as though he just discovered it. Either Dean was doing an Academy Award-worthy acting job for my benefit or he was even more terrified than me. Flip a coin. 

A reporter has to make snap judgments. Is it the same as trusting your gut? 

Dad’s voice whispered inside my head. “Trust your gut.”  

I guess the answer to my question is yes… 

“Dean,” I spoke his name in the same soothing tone you do to a frightened animal. 

He looked up at my voice, surprised to hear his name called. His eyes filled. “It’s not what you think.” 

Fairly confident Dean had no plan to smash my head to smithereens with the trophy, I took a few tentative steps into the office.  

I dipped my head towards the trophy still in his grasp. “Okay. Then what is it?” 

Dean’s voice quivered. “After practice, I came here to talk to the coach.”  

“About what?” 

“To convince him to give me the starting position.” 

The train has already left the station so, in my book, a big waste of time. Just sayin’. 

I pursed my lips. “The word around campus is Bixby was a lame duck with no say in anything anymore.” 

Dean scowled. “He still had a lot of sway with Coach Bender. Bixby could convince Coach Bender to make the change if he wanted to.” 

“Why would he?”  

Dean huffed with righteous indignation. “To do the right thing. Because I earned the spot and he knew it.”  

For Donna’s sake, I gave it my best shot to believe him. But Dean’s story had more holes than a dozen glazed donuts. 

 I framed my hands like a movie director. “So, maybe this happened? You met with him. No matter how much you pleaded, Bixby still refused your request. You got angry. You never meant for it to happen, but things went way out of control.” I pointed to the trophy. “You grabbed the trophy off the shelf behind the Coach’s desk and in a fit of rage, you hit him with it on the back of his head.”   

Dean yelped, “No! I never got the chance to talk to him.” Dean waved the trophy at Bixby’s torso scrawled across the desk. “I walked into the office and found him slumped over the desk with the back of his head bashed in.” 

“How long have you been here?” 

Dean scrunched his eyes closed. “Ten minutes. Maybe less. I-I’m not sure.” 

“Besides the trophy, you move anything else?” 

He shook his head. 

“Where was the trophy?” 

Dean pointed to the carpet under the coach’s desk. “On the floor next to the coach’s desk. I tripped over it when I stood next to him.” 

“What on Earth ever made you pick it up?” 

Dean shrugged. 

“So, other than pick up the trophy for some idiotic reason, did you do anything else?” 

He made a sour face.  

I peppered him with questions. “Call 911? Try to help him? Check his pulse? Perform CPR? Anything?” 

Dean hung his head. “No.” 

My jaw dropped. “What the heck is the matter with you?” 

He bunched his shoulders. 

“ If you’d at least called 911 he had a chance of being saved.” 

He pointed the trophy at the corpse. “Is he dead?”  

It’s not as though I’m an expert on the subject. The only dead body I’ve ever seen in person was Cindy Butler’s Grandma Ethel’s at the old lady’s funeral last June.  

Dean bent over to examine the coach’s crumpled body. “I’ve never been around a dead body before. How do you tell?”  

Good gravy. The back of the guy’s head is smashed in like roadkill. How much more proof do you need? 

I rolled my eyes. “Well, since he hasn’t so much as twitched since I got here, I’d say it’s a safe bet the next game Bixby coaches is gonna be played in the stadium located at the Great Beyond.” 

I used my shirt sleeve to pick up the phone receiver.  

Dean gulped. “Who are you calling?” 

Is this guy for real? 

“Donofrio’s Pizzeria. Dead bodies give me the munchies.” I smacked his forehead with the heel of my hand. “For crying out loud, Dean! Who do you think I’m calling? The police!” I tsked, “Something anyone with a brain does the minute Bixby’s body is discovered.” 

Dean whined as cranky as a toddler who needed a nap. “Why? No one knows we’re here. Can’t we just leave and let somebody else call the cops?” 

I gritted my teeth. “Because it is against the law to leave the scene of a crime.”  

Author Bio:

Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, multi-award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. She has published seven books in four years and book number eight is slated for release in May 2025. She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and is the mother of one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect. Looking for more? Contact Susie at: Website: www.authorsusieblack.com

E-mail: mysteries_@authorsusieblack.com

 

Creek by Linda Broday

Creek

by Linda Broday

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This is the first book in the Guns For Hire series. I am writing Shad, book 7, which will be released on June 15, 2025.  In the meantime, read Creek and the other books as they come out.  All of the books are on preorder now.

Blurb:

A mysterious man with one name and secrets that gnaw at his soul.

Creek has a reputation as a gunslinger, a lawless man—one to be feared. So, when an orphaned eleven-year-old girl in this rough border town claims she’s his daughter, it jolts the very fiber of his being. For a man making a living with a gun, he’s not father material in any sense of the word. And he has serious doubts he ever met her mother.

Yet Willa July stands firm. Creek has the mark on his wrist that proves her claim. When she’s taken by a crazed killer from his past, Creek is propelled into a desperate chase. He alone understands the depths of this monster’s evil mind.

Time is his enemy as he races to save her. But if he succeeds in getting the girl back, can Creek tear down his walls and embrace the role he never dreamed possible?

 

Murder in Concrete by Arthur Coburn

Murder in Concrete

by Arthur Coburn

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Blurb:

Nineteen-year-old Charlie comes home to find her mother murdered. Police drag her father’s body from the Skagit River. With help from a therapist, Charlie makes it to college where she sees her “dead” father acting in a movie and hurries to Hollywood, to find him.

Excerpt:

Chapter 1

I was strapping my stuffed cougar onto my bike

when Dad rushed from the house and said, “Charlie,

you can’t take that animal to school.”

I grinned. “He’s harmless. Just a way to give the

uptight teachers a reason to remember us.”

“Not happening.”

“He attacked a hiker last year. Would have killed

someone sooner or later. It was a public service to take

him down.”

“You’d upset the school administration, get

arrested, and give your mother conniptions.”

Crusty eyes, day old beard, hints of bourbon and

coffee on his breath—he’d had a tense morning. My

parents split the days. Mom up until midnight, doing

the books. Dad out of bed at dawn and off to measure,

saw, and wrestle thousand-pound logs into place.

I said, “Why are you such a grump?”

He pulled the cougar from my bike. “Mind’s on

business. Put yours on finding a summer job before

they’re all taken.”

At the sound of a distant explosion, Dad stared

down the road a long moment. I looked but didn’t see

or hear anything special.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “You’re

still my favorite daughter.”

“Only daughter. That joke hasn’t gotten funnier

since second grade.”

Author Bio:

Arthur Coburn grew up in New Jersey, went to Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, passed the Washington bar, exam spent two years in the U.S. Infantry as a first Lieutenant, and survived a three-year law career, before bailing out and landing a job for King Screen Productions, a filmmaking Division of the KING Broadcasting Company in Seattle. His first assignment there was to make a chart of all the proposals for peace in Vietnam.  He progressed to directing commercials, industrials and documentaries; later to writing educational film scripts for the same company.  When the division closed, he worked as a freelance writer – doing environmental impact statements, and as a freelance still photographer.

After he left the law, Arthur wrote dramatic educational film scripts, and won a local Emmy for a documentary, then moved to Hollywood, where he edited more than two dozen films, including Spiderman,  A Simple Plan and The Cooler. He is a member of Sisters in Crime and MWA; and he goes to writing conferences. He has taken a screen writing class John Truby, studied with poet and novelist Jim Krusoe at Santa Monica College.  He took a class with author Kris Neri in mystery writing, and two courses with novelist and short story writer Tod Goldberg at UCLA. He has written five novels: Murder in Concrete (to be published in 2024) Murder in Madrona (currently in revision); and several awaiting care and review: MaBoys Will Be Boys, Mostly (general fiction),  Rough Cut (a thriller). He won the Novel Prize at the Southern California Writer’s Conference in June 2005 for Rough Cut.  His short stories, Some CreatureI Care About, and Backswing, appeared in  Sisters in Crime Anthologies: LAmarked for Murder and Ladies Night. 

Arthur is a member of the Motion Picture Academy and the Foreign Film Committe for which he watches dozens of domestic films and upward of fifty movies from all over the world in order to vote for best foreign film.

 He has traveled and worked in Morroco, Poland, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Canada and France, speaks serviceable French and Italian and watches the French and Italian channels on cable. He learned enough Polish to order tomato soup without rice and enough Swahili to order hot water for a shower when he was on a shoot in a desert encampment in Kenya. Arthur skis, road bikes, and has a pilots’ license. Plays a little classical guitar and can improvise on the piano and Hammond organ. He has a Hammond B2 and a Leslie speaker at home.

He worked as a film editor in Hollywood on more than two dozen features.

His current novel, Murder in Concrete, was picked up by The Wild Rose Press largely due to the sympathetic eye and efforts of his fabulous editor, Dianne Rich of TWRP. She saw the novel’s value from the start and guided him past various hurdles to bring it home. He is currently revising another novel and hoping to publish it in 2024.

 

 

A Code of Knights and Deception by Eliza Hampstead

 

 

Outlander meets Black Mirror in this sizzling dark time travel romance!

A Code of Knights and Deception

Swords of Time Book 1

by Eliza Hampstead

Genre: Dark Time Travel Historical Romantasy

Outlander meets Black Mirror in this sizzling dark time travel romance!


Sophia

I thought I was trapped in history. Turns out, it’s far worse than I imagined.

I woke up in 15th-century England, a brutal world where women are silenced, superstition rules, and survival depends on obedience. Trapped far from my husband and son, nothing makes sense. I’m a scientist, not a damsel in distress, so I did what I had to—I disguised myself as a man and trained with Henry, the castle’s master-at-arms, learning to wield a sword to defend myself.

But as I carve my place in this world, my forbidden love for Henry shakes everything I believed in. Do I fight to return home—or surrender to a future I never imagined?

Yet, I can’t shake the feeling that Henry is hiding something—something that could shatter everything I’ve fought for.

Ethan

What if the woman you’re supposed to observe becomes the one you can’t live without?
I never meant to fall for her. She’s fearless, brilliant, captivating. Every lesson, every stolen moment deepens the lie—and my guilt. I’m not the man she thinks I am. That my name is Ethan, not Henry, is the least of the lies I tell her.

If she learns the truth, I’ll lose her forever.

And time is running out.

*Warning: strong language, steamy scenes, and graphic violence inside. Mention/Description of, but not limited to, abduction, blood, death, amputation, childbirth, death, sexual assault, suicide, violence against children, rape, and torture.*

The book is the first in a duology and ends with a cliffhanger.

 

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Eliza Hampstead, a scientist by training, lives with her family in the UK. When she's not writing, she spends her time as a geek. Playing all sorts of games (board games, video games, RPGs) and being a big fan of medieval history are only a few of the many hobbies she has. Passionate about fantasy, she’s always planning her next adventure.

 

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KIRK - BY CHARLENE RADDON

 By Caroline Clemmons

My friend, Charlene Raddon, is a prolific writer of heartwarming western historical romances and time travel. In addition, this very talented lady creates book covers at her Silver Sage Cover Designs, http://facebook.silversagecoverdesigns.com. I’m happy to announce that Charlene has a new book, KIRK, coming out on April 15^th, Book 3 in the sweet western historical Guns for Hire Series. By the way, Charlene created the series. Didn’t I tell you she’s talented?

 

 

Her book plots are always unique. She has the knack of taking the villain and turning him into a hero—with the help of a feisty and determined heroine. Her new book is one I can hardly wait to read. It’s available for preorder now so that it will magically pop up on your e-reader on release day.

Here’s the blurb for KIRK, Book 3 of 10, Guns for Hire Series:

Kirk Redick, a former preacher, is faced with either letting his brother be forced into the job of a hangman or accepting it himself. He chooses to take on the hated work until he finds the man who framed his brother.

Observing a hanging at Red River Crossing, Adina Kinnaird is touched as she overhears the hangman comforting the condemned man. When Kirk is shot, she helps him escape the gunman and the angry mob.

Traveling from town to town, Kirk and Adina search for the man who framed his brother and find themselves falling for each other. Kirk doesn’t want her living in the danger he faces every day.   

In a showdown with the outlaw, Adina is shot. Kirk’s heart stops. He doesn’t want to go on without her. Will capturing the gunman be enough to clear his brother’s name and give Kirk and Adina the freedom to live outside the shadow of the hangman’s noose?

 https://www.amazon.com/Kirk-Hire-Sweet-Western-Romance-ebook/dp/B0DT7R89N8/ 

Series books already released are CREEK and DUSTIN. Don't miss any of this exciting adventure romance series!

Thanks for stopping by.

Changing Lanes by Claire Yezbak Fadden

 

 

For fifty-something Roxy Adams, the days are drenched in sunshine and a passion for her boyfriend, Sam Reyes. That is until he turns up dead in the trunk of Roxy's limo and she's arrested for his murder.

Changing Lanes

A Roxy Adams Mystery Book 1

by Claire Yezbak Fadden

Genre: Humorous Cozy Mystery, Romantic Suspense

For fifty-something Roxy Adams, life is simple and beautiful. Her days are drenched in southern California sunshine and passion for Sam Reyes, the man she loves and shares a business with.

When Sam vanishes with their savings, leaving only a note behind, Roxy is faced with a harsh reality. Broke and confused, she learns they never owned the business. The actual owner will let her keep her job if she provides him with benefits.

Convinced there’s no knight in shining armor riding to her rescue, Roxy dusts off her chauffeur’s hat and returns to the career she trailblazed twenty years earlier.

With a steady income, new friends, and the possibility of romance, joy slowly replaces insecurity. Foxy Roxy is back. Life is wonderful and exciting once again. Until Sam turns up dead in the trunk of her limo. And Roxy is arrested for his murder.

 

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Roxy paced what might soon be her ex-living room, glad her last shift at the food truck was over. She’d never have to deal with Chuck again. That was the good news the bad news drowned out. With about five hundred dollars to her name, she needed a new job. And fast. Three weeks had passed while she waited and hoped to hear from Sam. A frantic call begging for her forgiveness. Telling her everything was a big mistake, that he was sorry, and he was coming home. But no call came. Sam had vanished completely, taking with him any sliver of love she had felt for the man. Taped to her front door that morning, Roxy found a handwritten note from Flora, the apartment manager, threatening a thirty-day eviction notice. She had crumpled the paper and thrown it near the empty television stand. Along with Sam, her sixty-five-inch wide-screen now lived somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Next to the wadded notification rested a balled-up bank statement. The account where she and Sam had regularly deposited their pay held a hundred-dollar balance. Once again, the reality invaded her. Sam was gone, cleaning out their bank account and leaving unpaid bills in his wake. Roxy gulped back a tear and coiled onto her secondhand couch, stained and lumpy. She was on her own. Not that she couldn’t survive. Roxy prided herself on being a strong, self-sufficient woman. Still, she hadn’t planned on moving into midlife alone and broke. Practically in the dead of night, Sam had sold his business and left for Tennessee. Apparently, turning sixty lit a fire under him to move closer to the wife he had abandoned long before Roxy had met him. Now that their children were grown and the responsibilities fewer, Sam had happily traded the hustle and chaos of Los Angeles for back-country fishing holes and lazy days with grandkids he’d never met. At fifty-three, Roxy understood the draw of reevaluating your life, accomplishing goals before getting too old to remember what they were. She and Sam had chased those dreams together. After all, he encouraged her to abandon her career as one of the few female limo drivers in California, probably in the country. Instead, he persuaded her to join him slinging hash from his food truck on a side street near the corner of Vine and Fountain in downtown LA. Roxy groaned at the thought. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She’d given up pocketing hundreds of dollars in cash tips while meeting the area’s famous, wealthy, and colorful. Sam supplied everything she had missed during her early years—a steady life, a reliable partner, a consistent income. Things she never had growing up in Downey. A solidness she’d never find in the capricious chauffeuring world.

Pennsylvania-native Claire Yezbak Fadden lives in Orange County, California with her husband and two spoiled dogs. She spends her spare time playing with her four grandchildren and immersing herself in the words of other authors.

 

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Broome Enigma by Meryl Brown Tobin

Broome Enigma

by Meryl Brown Tobin

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Blurb:

On a working holiday in Australia's cosmopolitan Outback town of Broome in 1986, Jodie, a young book designer and artist is open to romance and adventure. 

     At the holiday village where she is staying, she meets Joe, a young man who works there. Despite the strong attraction between them, the many unknowns about his earlier life keep them apart. To try to uncover his mysterious past, they travel to Perth and back to Broome and are drawn into not only bizarre but also dangerous situations. 

     Is Joe the person she thinks he is, or is he some alter ego? Can Jodie and Joe stop their relationship from developing until they have answers and know if he is free to love her? 

 Excerpt:

A big gust of wind rocked the van and flung Jodie 

hard against Joe. He pushed her off. 

“Joe, it’s me, Jodie! Wake up, wake up!” 

“Jodie, is that you?” He threw his arms around her 

and buried his head in her chest. 

She brushed his hair back from his sweating face. 

“Take it easy, Joe. Take deep breaths. It’s okay. It’s 

going to be okay.” 

He stopped shaking and pulled back from her. 

“What’s happening?” 

“It’s the cyclone. Don’t you remember?” 

Another huge gust shook the van and sent Jodie 

sprawling on Joe’s bunk and into the wall. “Ow, that 

hurt!” She picked herself up and rubbed her head. 

The van rocked violently again. Joe and Jodie 

grabbed for handholds. 

“Quick, come into my bed with me, Joe. It will be 

safer there.” Tripping and feeling their way along the 

wall, the two made their way to the double bed and 

clambered in. 

Her breathing coming in short spasms, she lay on 

her back and took deep breaths. The storm whined and 

screeched about her, and the roof creaked and scraped. 

“Oh, my god, the roof’s going to take off any minute!” 

Joe’s arms enveloped her. “Hush, everything will 

be all right. But will you be okay if we have to make a 

run for it?” 

“Yes.” She let out a sob. “But I like our chances 

better in here than out there.” 

Joe kissed her forehead. He pulled her closer and 

they lay locked against each other while the storm 

raged around them. 

Author Bio:

Meryl Brown Tobin is an Australian writer who has published 22 books, including a novel, travel book, educational puzzle books and poetry books, and hundreds of poems, puzzles, short stories, articles, cartoons and comic strips. A guest on Australia’s Ch7’s children’s TV program The Book Place, she and a presenter read her children’s picture storybook LEFTY. 

Apart from family and home, her interests include travel, bushwalking, conservation, current affairs and social justice issues. The Tasmanian Tiger fascinates her, and she’d love to prove it is not extinct.