Monday, December 30, 2019

JUDGE VS. WATER


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Judge Vs. Water 
A Fiona Gavelle Humorcide Book 5 
by
Una Tiers 
Genre: Cozy Mystery 

Publisher: Gavelle Publishing 
Publication Date: November 23, 2019


With a splash, fifty years of lies were revealed. Join Fiona Gavelle, lawyer and part time sleuth in solving the mystery. Meet her unusual clients and visit Chicago, Illinois without leaving the warmth of your Kindle. Disclaimer, this book does not include any car chases, no one runs down a dark alley at midnight and no one has a locker at the bus station.. 


**On sale for only $2.99 now!!** 





Una Tiers (nom de plume) is an avid reader, attorney and independent author in the Chicago area. Her early reading enthusiasm exhausted her grammar school library and she was introduced to the magnificence of the downtown Chicago Public Library. Years later, she had the honor to take writing classes with Harry Mark Petrakis, downing a bowl of cheddar chowder after class. 

Over the years, creative writing took a backseat to drafting legal documents. After one particularly brutal day in court, Una wrote a story murdering the problem judge (on paper). Feeling better, she returned to work. Adding additional victims proved to be a stress reliever making Una smile. The story grew into Judge vs Nuts. 

Una has several novels and novellas. I encourage you to take a chance. You will be entertained and surreptitiously educated to the law as it is in probate. 

When she is not murdering people (on paper) Una has a scratch and sniff garden, including chocolate mint, dill, lavender, rosemary and cilantro. In 2018, she planted a Hyacinth bean and is waiting for the promises on the packet. 

The next full length novel, Judge vs. Michigan, takes you on a dinner cruise from Navy Pier. Can you swim? 





Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!




Friday, December 27, 2019

TANGLED UP WITH A COWBOY!


Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway at the end of the post!


Tangled Up With a Cowboy 
Hearts of Wyoming Book 5 
by
Anne Carrole 
Genre: Contemporary Western Romance

Publisher: Galley Press 
Publication Date: November 24, 2019


A healthy-living yoga instructor and a gutsy bull rider? When opposites attract, sparks fly, but will love ignite?

Cowboy Lonnie Kasin is close to making the rodeo finals in bull riding. If he’s lucky enough to make the cut, he’s bent on doing everything he can to prove he belongs there. That is, until he meets a spunky yoga instructor who thinks he’s two bricks short of a load for riding bulls. How can he convince her that a bull rider is the man for her while proving to the world he belongs on that Finals roster?

No one would mistake Livvy Dennis for the responsible one in her family. And only she thinks moving to Wyoming to open up her own yoga studio is a good idea. Of course, she never expected a daredevil bull rider from Cheyenne to pull the mat out from under her. There are risk takers and then there is just plain crazy. She’ll have to figure out which one she is before it’s too late to save her heart.





Bull riders might be crazy, but when chasing a slot for the Finals, they were also crazed—as in irrational, wired, scared. Not of the bull but of losing the slot that would bring them more money in ten days than they’d earned all year.

Lonnie Kasin knew that because those words described exactly how he felt as he sat on the metal railings overlooking the chutes, one of which would hold the beast he’d be riding in a few minutes.

He breathed in the familiar scent of warm hides and acrid manure, dusty horses and dustier hay as he scanned bleachers crammed with locals in cowboy hats and boots who had come out on a warm Saturday evening in August for a little fun and entertainment. No doubt some of those who ran this rodeo to benefit the local schools looked forward to this night all year. For those who competed, it was just one more stop in a long list of summer rodeos.

The purse wasn’t huge, a little over a thousand if he won, but it all added up. At least that was what he told himself as he bounced from town to town, crisscrossing the West in search of a win. And he had to keep winning. Even at smaller rodeos like this one. Even though tonight his mind kept drifting to something else…or rather someone else.

Metal slammed against metal as the first bull was loaded. Bull rider Paulo Santos had drawn him, and though Paulo was in the top three so far this year and a shoo-in to make the Finals, the bull wasn’t. In fact, the bull Lonnie would be riding was the best of this rodeo’s lot, giving him a good chance at first place—if he stayed on.

The gate opened. Paulo hung on as the timer counted down, and Lonnie’s pulse sped up. Paulo made the buzzer and waited for the score. An eighty-two. A good but, thankfully, beatable score.

This was what he loved, what he lived for. If he could just win enough this season to make it to the Finals, all his problems would be solved. Except one. And nothing and no one could solve that.

Not even the pretty little blonde he was bound to see tomorrow at his friend’s wedding. Since he’d found out that Trace Martin and Haylee Dennis would be tying the knot, thoughts of Livvy Dennis, Haylee’s sister, had been screwing up his concentration. He’d met her once, but with someone like Livvy, once was all it took, because no one, at least no red-blooded male, would ever forget her.

From her tourist-crazy turquoise boots and sexy short-shorts to her golden hair and mischievous blue eyes, she’d been zooming around his mind like a fly he couldn’t catch.

He wasn’t looking for much, just a little respite from the drumbeat of wins and losses that pounded his mind with buck-off percentages and bull stats. Anyone who knew him knew he wasn’t relationship material. Didn’t do well with commitment. Never stayed long in one place. Hell, he didn’t even have a place he called home, living out of a suitcase and mooching off of friends to keep the loneliness at bay.

“Your bull’s in the chute.” Chance Cochran’s sharp elbow struck Lonnie’s side. “You okay?”

“Course I’m okay.” He would be if he stopped thinking about what he couldn’t have and concentrated on what he could have—a shot at the Finals and maybe one night with a cute and sassy blonde.

Lonnie scrambled over the top of the railings to the pen containing his bull, leaving Chance to follow. Cochran had already competed in saddle bronc, placing third. Lonnie needed to place first because, unlike Chance, who was solidly in the top five in saddle bronc, Lonnie was sixteenth. Meaning he’d need to take first place as many times as he could to get on and stay on the fifteen-man Finals roster for the ten-day rodeo event in December.

“You’ve got little Shane’s picture loaded?” Lonnie asked as he settled on the railing above his bull.

Chance heaved a sigh from behind. “Stupid superstition.”

“Not stupid. Each time I’ve looked at your little son’s face, it has brought me luck. I’m not about to change things up now. Besides, I’m his godfather and proud of him.”

Chance held up his phone and angled the screen. “I feel like a goddamn fool doing this every time you get on a bull. Everyone probably thinks I’m one of those jackass fathers who can’t stop talking about his kid.”

Lonnie gazed at the cherub face of a boy almost a year old whose broad smile and bright-blue eyes anchored Lonnie in a way nothing else did. Chance’s son would likely be the closet he’d ever get to having a family. Gazing at little Shane’s picture in the moment before he got on the bull, he could at least pretend someone cared.

“You were one of those jackass fathers when you first showed me this picture at the start of the season, and that began my winning streak. May not win every time, but I also haven’t sustained a season-ending injury. So now you’ve got to keep doing it until the season is over, which is only another month or so. Besides, what are friends for if not to make you look stupid?”

Lonnie shifted his gaze to the bull with a murderous look in its eye.

“You can get rid of me after eight seconds,” he told the bull. “Just give me a good ride.”

He lowered himself onto the bull, and as he felt the brawn of the animal under his butt, adrenaline pumped into his veins in a rush worthy of an addict’s needle. The bull shifted. Lonnie tugged on his rope, wrapped it tighter around his hand, and nodded. The gate opened.




Anne Carrole was raised on a farm with horses, dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits and whatever other animals she could convince her parents to shelter. She is married to her own sweet-talking hero and is the proud mother of a college teen. They share their home with a sleek black cat with way too much attitude. Anne writes contemporary romances in which alpha male heroes meet their match as well as gilded age and western historical romances where spunky heroines finally find a worthy hero. You can learn more about Anne and her books at http://www.annecarrole.com, friend her on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/annecarrole or connect with her on twitter at https://twitter.com/AnneCarrole She is also co-founder of the fan site https://www.facebook.com/lovewesternromances





$25 Amazon 
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Wednesday, December 25, 2019

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SANTA CLAUS




Caroline Clemmons' Book Review of THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SANTA CLAUS, (by) as told to Jeff Guinn

Because I love this time of year, I thought I’d give you a review of the book THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SANTA CLAUS, as told to Jeff Guinn. This is not a new book, but came out in 2003. In fact, Jeff Guinn now has several follow-up books available. I read the first of the series several years ago. Don’t worry, this review does not contain spoilers.



St. Nicholas
I was relieved to learn the Santa Claus/Saint Nicholas tradition was not a marketing ploy concocted by Madison Avenue. There really was a Saint Nicholas in the sixth century, and he really did go about giving gifts. Okay, he didn’t crawl down the chimney. Homes didn’t have actual chimneys as we know them back then. Many just had a hole in the roof. Not too cozy in bad weather.

Saint Nicholas’ first known gifts were to the daughters of a very poor man. The girls couldn’t marry without a dowry, but their father had none to offer. Each girl had only one pair of stockings and washed that pair at bedtime and hung it by the fire to dry overnight. Taking pity on the girls, Saint Nicholas either (1) tossed bags of gold through the window or (2) put the coins in the stockings the girls left drying by the fire each night. Thus, the girls were able to marry (and, hopefully, each got a second pair of stockings).

Santa relaxes on December 25th

Saint Nicholas was an actual person who went around giving to the poor and helping all those he could. In other words, he did what we’re all supposed to do.  Remarkable that he did what he could in a time when the poor were looked down upon. Remarkable that doing what was right created so much notoriety and controversy and gave him a permanent place in history. Remarkable that we continue his legacy by giving to those we love and, hopefully, to those in need. Whether you call him Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus, or Father Christmas, thanks for continuing his legacy.




Monday, December 23, 2019

THE MISCHIEVOUS CHRISTMAS ANGEL!


Don't miss the Rafflecopter giveaway at the end of the post!


Mischievous Christmas Angel 
Angels With Attitudes Series Book 5 
by
Mimi Barbour 
Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Publisher: Sarna Publishing 
Publication Date: October 28, 2019


After one night of blistering lovemaking that would bring any sane man to his knees clutching a ring, Jack’s forced to accept Mia’s unexpected rejection. Then when she seems to be warming up to having a relationship, danger erupts around him in freakish accidents and mystical happenings. How can he permit her and her little girl to be anywhere near these threats?

Mia lovingly adopts her best friend’s four-year-old child in accordance with her will. She also agrees to move her new family and her business to live with her aunt before the Christmas holidays arrive. But… she isn’t willing to hold on to a man because of one incredible night’s loss of restraint. 


**On Sale for only .99cents! ** 




Mimi Barbour, Author

Mimi is an incredibly busy NYT and USA Today award-winning, best-selling author who has seven series to her credit. The Vicarage Bench Series – Spirit/Time -Travel tales that have a surprising twist / The Angels with Attitude Series – Angels Love Romance / The Elvis Series – Make an Elvis song a book / Vegas Series – 6 books full of romantic suspense, humor and gritty conflicts / and… the fast-paced, edgy, humorous, romantic suspense, Undercover FBI Series /The Holiday Heatwarmer Series - puppies become cupids. And the latest, explosive Mob Tracker Series - six books full of conflicts and characters you'll hate to leave.
Mimi lives on the East coast of Vancouver Island with her husband and writes her various romances with tongue in cheek and a mad glint in her eye. She’s been known to say: “If I can steal a booklover’s attention away from their every-day grind, absorb them into a fantasy love story, and make them care about the ending, then I’ve done my job.”

**1st place prize of the 2015 - Chanticleer Reviews - Clue Awards. Special Agent Francesca
**A TOUCH OF PASSION, has just become the 2016 WINNER of The Romance Reviews Readers' Choice Awards. 





$25 Amazon 
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Friday, December 20, 2019

SALVAGING LOVE



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.



Animals aren’t the only thing that need rescuing when a sexy veterinarian encounters a hot-headed attorney…

Perfectly content saving animals at her clinic in a charming but run-down neighborhood, veterinarian Ellie Blevins slams into new landlord, Jackson Kincaid, who plans to turn her beloved block of buildings into condos.

Intrigued by Ellie, hot-shot defense attorney Jackson gives her one month to convince him not to put his gentrification plans into progress. Attraction soon sizzles between them, but when Jackson makes his desires known, Ellie’s vulnerable heart doesn’t know what to think.

She wants to trust the sinfully handsome Jackson, just as he wants to gain her trust, but finding their way to love isn’t easy when her traumatic past and his criminal clients could sabotage their relationship for good.

Can the enchanting veterinarian and the brooding attorney fight the demons from the past…and build a new future?











Read an Excerpt

“It’s not a bag of bones. It’s a block of old, historic buildings that need love and care,” she began. But standing there, taking in his polished rich-man strength, it was futile to convince him of anything. “You know what? Deal me the death blow now. I’d like to review the lease I signed before I throw in the towel and start looking for a new space and a new home, because I can tell there’s no way you and I will ever be on the same page.”

“New home?”

“What?” she said.

“You said, ‘a new space and a new home’?”

“I live in the apartment above the French Connection Bakery. Mr. and Mrs. Heely have owned it for twenty-five years.” There she was, exhausted-sharing again. And there he stood intense-staring. She closed her eyes at the craziest, weirdest conversation she’d ever had, and realized Chewie was asleep on her chest with his tiny head nuzzled in her neck. Oh, soft love, she thought, if only people were more like dogs, so trusting, kind, and loving.

“One month,” he said.

“One month to be out of—”

“I’ll give you one month to try to convince me.”

“I… What?”

“You spend time with me for the next month. We get to know each other, and you can state your case.”

“Spend time with you?” Is he insane?

“You said you wanted to try to convince me to change my mind.”

“Oh,” she whispered.


About the Author

Puget Sound based writer, Sara Ohlin is a mom, wannabe photographer, obsessive reader, ridiculous foodie, and the author of the contemporary romance novels, Handling the Rancher, Salvaging Love and the upcoming contemporary romance Seducing the Dragonfly.

She has over fifteen years of creative non-fiction and memoir writing experience, and you can find her essays at Anderbo.com, Feminine Collective, Mothers Always Write, Her View from Home, and in anthologies such as Are We Feeling Better Yet? Women Speak about Healthcare in America, Take Care: Tales, Tips, & Love from Women Caregivers, and Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Although she’s the author of many essays about life, grief, motherhood and the connections we make through delicious food and shared meals, Sara loves creating imaginary worlds with tight-knit communities in her romance novels. She credits her mother, Mary, Nora Roberts and Rosamunde Pilcher for her love of romance.

If she’s not reading or writing, you will most likely find her in the kitchen creating scrumptious meals with her two kids and amazing husband, or perhaps cooking up her next love story.

She once met a person who both “didn’t read books” and wasn’t “that into food” and it nearly broke her heart. You can learn more on her website.

Website: https://saraohlin.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaraOhlin222

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/saraohlin222

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

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/saraohlin/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sara-ohlin

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19491440.Sara_Ohlin




Buy Links


Totally Bound: https://www.totallybound.com/book/salvaging-love

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Salvaging-Love-Rescue-Me-Book-ebook/dp/B07YV7QCY7/

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/salvaging-love-sara-ohlin/1133989420?ean=9781913186852

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/salvaging-love

iBook: https://books.apple.com/us/book/salvaging-love/id1485236324

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Sara_Ohlin_Salvaging_Love?id=GL60DwAAQBAJ


Giveaway

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Wednesday, December 18, 2019

THE TEARS WE NEVER CRIED



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.


A mother’s tragic diagnosis.

A daughter’s life on hold.

An ending and a new beginning ...

Cassandra McDowall’s mother has been forgetful for a while, but she never anticipated rapid-onset Alzheimer’s to come out of nowhere and shake their world to its very core.

As Cassie puts her already-lackluster life on hold, her mom’s indomitable will and spirit of adventure prove to be a handful.

And as her mother fades, the two embark on one last adventure—a journey that reveals secrets on the brink of being lost, the joy of foreign sunsets, and love where she hadn’t thought it possible.







Read an Excerpt


The door shut and I turned around to face Russ.

“The pizza is on the table.” He stopped. “What’s wrong?” He didn’t wait for an answer. Instead he came over and put his hands on my shoulder. “You can’t do this nonstop. It’s taking a toll. Maybe I could take you out—there’s a show you’d love...”

“Russ,” I said cutting him off. I would’ve liked nothing better, but that wasn’t going to happen. “I’d love to, but I can’t. I have to be here for Mom.”

He frowned.

“You’re not alone, Cassie. I’ll be there for you every step of the way if you’ll let me.”

“Russ, I can’t ...”

He hauled me against his chest and kissed me. His lips were soft and then hard, hot with passion. Feeling his strength, his heart beat against mine, my breasts rocking against his chest and it was all too much. I wanted him. And nowhere in my life was there room to have him.

When he let me go I just stood there—shell-shocked, my heart pounding in a good way.

“And not just as friends,” he finished. “I want you in my life, Cass.”

“You can’t think of me like that, Russ.” I shook my head. “Like what?”

“In a romantic situation. It’s never going to happen.” And as final as that statement was I knew by the look on Russ’s face and how I felt when I looked at him, that neither of us believed it.


About the Author


The winner of her city’s writing award, Ryshia Kennie’s novels have taken her characters from the depression era prairies in her first book From the Dust to a across the globe and back again. There’s never a lack of places to set a story as the too long prairie winters occasionally find her with travel journal in hand seeking adventure on foreign shores. While facing off a Monitor Lizard before breakfast or running through the Kasbah chased by an enraged Water Carrier aren’t normal travel experiences and might never find a place in one of her stories, they do make great travel stories. When not collecting odd memories from around the world, she’s writing mainly romantic suspense and women’s fiction.

Website: http://www.ryshiakennie.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryshiakennie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author.RyshiaKennie/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryshiakennie


Buy Link

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Tears-we-Never-Cried-ebook/dp/B081HWTVF3/ref=sr_1_6


Giveaway


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Monday, December 16, 2019

SPENT IDENTITY


Don't forget the Rafflecopter at the end of the post!



SPENT IDENTITY
Annalisse Series, Book 2
By
Marlene M. Bell
Mystery/Suspense
A small amount of Romance 
(not the focal point of the story)
Date Published: 12-11-2019
Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png





Antiquities appraiser Annalisse Drury drives to her family farm in upstate New York to consult with Aunt Kate about her troubled relationship with Greek tycoon, Alec Zavos. When Annalisse arrives, she learns the beloved farm she expects to inherit is for sale.

That same morning, they find a stranger’s body decaying in the barn. Then her aunt vanishes.

In Spent Identity, Annalisse and Alec join forces for the second time. They must find the mastermind behind her aunt’s abduction before Kate’s health issues worsen. Was the corpse in the barn a coincidence or a warning? The clock ticks for Annalisse to find her aunt and repair what she has left with the man she loves.

Split rail fencing whizzed past Annalisse in a blur. Hundreds of stained boards melted into each other in her sprint to catch up to Ethan. He ran yards ahead in the long breezeway leading from the house to the big barn. Kate was breathing heavily behind Annalisse.

Closer to the barn, the air was heavy with the undeniable odor of advanced decomposition, a ripe chemical cocktail so powerful she had to stop to cough and cover her nose.

Who died in the barn?

She stumbled in the dirt tracks left by farming equipment and twisted her ankle in a hole. Reaching for the nearest post, she held on, closing her eyes, unable to take another step.

Ethan trotted back to her. “Annalisse, did you hurt yourself?” His words heated her neck.

“Need a minute.” Her forehead rested against the grooves where she welcomed the rough edges and oily scent of treated wood. “Sprinting on a cup of Kate’s coffee wasn’t too swift.”

“Got a case of the colly-wobbles myself.” Ethan’s tight-lipped smile offered little sympathy.

“Colly-wobbles?” Annalisse smiled back, guessing his slang meant he felt as horrible as she did.

Kate appeared behind her, out of breath. “No time to dally. Don’t like tracing my steps twice. It’s supposed to be over ninety today. That person isn’t going to smell any fresher by noon. Step it up.”

“Remember what the doc said. I don’t keep the AED in the barn.” Annalisse backed against the post, rubbing the soreness out of her ankle.

“I don’t plan to use one, and the guy over there’s too dead to need one.” Kate pointed toward the barn, then she asked Ethan, “Anyone we know?”

“Shouldn’t we call the coppers?” He lifted his phone from a pocket.

Just like Ethan—straight out of a Dick Tracy flick. Ethan’s little house was a museum of action heroes and crusaders. Pristine comic books—American, Japanese, and nineteenth-century penny dreadfuls from the UK—were in clear protective sleeves on every tabletop and free counter space. The mark of a true collector.

When Ethan wasn’t trimming feet, feeding the stock, or sitting on a tractor, he lounged on his futon with a detective thriller or mystery, keeping up with his book club’s newest releases. Instead of typical items like canned goods and dishes, paperbacks lined his kitchen cabinets. Annalisse worried about his terrible eating habits and brought him meals. Especially on summer days when he sweated off his weight. He rarely accepted Kate’s food because he found her cooking too rich.

The fact that they were on their way to view a corpse wouldn’t phase Ethan or her aunt. People with livestock have a pragmatic attitude toward death. The countless lambing seasons where Kate lost ewes from uterine prolapses and multiple births put death on a list of the expected for Walker Farm.

One winter, a pair of domestic dogs jumped into the pasture and slaughtered twenty-eight head of sheep in a matter of minutes—the loss of life in volume toughens a person’s psyche. That 2:00 a.m. predator attack cemented how Annalisse dealt with the dying and dead. She frequently heard Kate explain it best: “When you have livestock, you have dead stock.”

Kate reached out, her eyes mournful. “I haven’t forgotten what you went through with the Freeman girl. A look-see and we skedaddle. I promise.”

“Do you want me to call?” Ethan waggled his phone toward Kate.

“Not yet. We’ll check it out first. I don’t tolerate trespassers, especially those who drop dead on my property.”

Annalisse’s limited enthusiasm for an impromptu viewing had faded. She walked past the stall, barely acknowledging the pair of legs in the doorway. “We’re contaminating a homicide or suicide scene. Aren’t you worried about stepping on clues?”

“I didn’t say we’d manhandle the guy. Stay there if you want.” Kate shrugged and spun a one-eighty.

“Who’s the Freeman girl?” Ethan arched his brows.

“Never mind, young man.” Kate cut him off.

“Annalisse has a point—we should stay here. Our footprints in the dirt could implicate us.”

Kate shrugged. “What’s a few more? You work here, and I live here. We’ll be careful.”

Annalisse knew changing Kate’s mind was an exercise in futility. A stranger had died on Kate’s property. Auntie was damned sure going to find out who and why. But for Annalisse, the memory of finding Samantha Freeman’s buried body last fall didn’t help in the motivation department.
“No one touches him without gloves.”

From the vet chest inside the barn’s entry, Annalisse jiggled disposable obstetric gloves over her hands and arms to the shoulder. Gloves they used when a ewe or cow needed help during delivery. What they were doing was wrong on so many levels, but she never said no to Kate. She’d learned that from a young age. Annalisse intentionally turned her back on the pair of legs sticking out of the first stall, praying they’d miraculously disappear like they had for the Wicked Witch of the East in Munchkin land.

“Don’t fuss with the gloves. Covering the hands is good enough.” Kate erupted into a smoker’s cough and staggered back. “His smell’s about to knock me over. Did he crap his pants?”

“Maybe. Carbon dioxide from ruptured membranes—fluids leak from every opening.”

Annalisse burped. Her mouth tasted like she’d fought the sheep for their cud and won. “Can’t stay here long.”

“It’s called autolysis. I can take over if you want.”

Ethan’s statement rang with the authority of a bookish sleuth. As if he’d actually investigated crimes before, which, of course, he hadn’t.

In the distance, a driver skidded its car’s tires, raising the urgency of the task at hand. Focus and move. Annalisse jumped into the next stall covered in fresh pine shavings and grabbed a breath, then another. Do this. It’s not Sam.

She joined Kate next to the open stall. The man was facedown and shoeless, in unmatched socks—athletic on one foot, a dark dress sock on the other. Both with holes in the material. He could’ve arrived at the farm alive—committed suicide or murdered or was dropped off after death with outside help. Common sense made the latter more likely from rigor’s grip on the body and his wet clothes.
Annalisse knelt, grabbed an ankle with two fingers, and shook.

“Whew, ripe.” She waved the air and held her nose with the clean glove. She glided a hand lightly along the slick fabric. The body looked frail, and his stained T-shirt and floral pants could’ve belonged to a woman. “Where are his shoes, and why is he soaked through?” Annalisse held up her palm smeared with moisture.

“Check pockets for ID.” Kate gave Annalisse a gentle prod. “Hurry.”

Instinct warned her to leave and let the authorities handle the corpse, but the tone in Kate’s voice pushed Annalisse on. Careful not to rumple the fabric too much, she searched the man’s torso.

“Something here.” Annalisse hardly recognized her strained voice.

Behind her, Kate rolled the stall door wider. “Grab it.”

Annalisse slid a glove inside the back pocket and came up with a billfold. Turning from the body, she flipped through the compartments of the chintzy wallet.

“No money or driver’s license, just this.” She extracted a damp, faded card and showed it to Kate.

Kate drew Annalisse’s wrist closer. “City of New York. Thomas Taylor.” She gasped and withdrew. “Thomas? God no! I need to see his face. Ethan, get a glove on and show me his face.” Her chartreuse complexion left Annalisse with more questions.

“I’m already down here. Who’s Thomas?”

Kate turned away speechless, making it impossible to read her.

A creep of unease gripped Annalisse’s muscles. “Auntie?”

“Huh. I have an Uncle Tom Taylor, but he’s a journo in Europe somewhere.” Ethan tossed the remark out matter-of-factly, and Annalisse caught Kate passing him a dirty look.

“Annalisse, put that card back and stick it in his pocket like you found it. Get away. You’re done with this unfortunate gentleman.” Kate’s sharp tone and movements loosened a wisp of hair from her bun.

“We’re wasting time. Glove up now, Ethan.”

Annalisse mused how Kate had changed the body from an intruder into a gentleman. The dead man, Thomas, had triggered her sympathy or perhaps a happier memory. Kate drenched the name in intimacy. Annalisse sensed that her aunt had tucked away an earlier trauma much deeper than selling the farm or finding a body on the premises.

The formal letter from Jeremy nagged her. And in the mix, a dead man inside the barn—on the same day. Coincidence? Jeremy connived, but murder to prove a point wasn’t his style. Subtle trickery was more like him. And anyway, he had the legal right to liquidate an asset instead of frighten his mother from the farm.

Struggling against her gag reflex, she returned the wallet and made room for Ethan.

He slowly lifted the corpse by the shoulder, turning it over so Kate could see his face.
The first signs of bloat disfigured the body but not enough to obscure his features. Annalisse didn’t recognize him, but she couldn’t be sure about her aunt. Thomas Taylor meant something to Kate.

Ethan bent over the man’s neck. “Purplish lines. Maybe ligature strangulation. Check out his eyes. See those dots on the white part? Petechial hemorrhage. The bloke’s been strangled all right.” He exposed the dead man’s gums. “Yeah. Missing teeth. I found dentures not far from the barn. They’re probably his. Let’s gap it.”

A satisfied hum passed Kate’s throat. “Agreed. Set him the way he was. Everyone out. Gloves off and in the garbage. We’ll have to tell the police we touched the body; they’ll find our gloves anyway. I’ll mention the teeth you found. I’m calling them now. Meet me at the house.”

Kate and Ethan left, and the barn fell silent. In fact, the only sounds inside since they’d arrived were human noises. Annalisse jogged near the end stall where pine shavings freshened the air, and she stripped the crackling gloves from her arms. She’d forgotten about Maggie.

“Maggie girl?” She peered into the dim stall for the old farm horse.

The buckskin mare moved deeper into the corner; her ears pinned back.

“Mag, don’t worry. I know it smells bad in here.”

The horse smelled death. Most animals shied from it, but predators were drawn to it. On kill days when the slaughter truck arrived, every sheep downwind moved to another part of the pasture. Blood and death couldn’t be scoured from the traveling slaughter van, no matter the effort.

“You heard Miss Walker. Gap it.” Ethan approached from out of nowhere and took her gloves. He placed them in an empty feed sack along with his own and shoved the bag down the side of the garbage barrel. “Come on.” He gently nudged Annalisse’s shoulder. “I’ll move the mare when the bloke’s gone.”



Marlene M. Bell is an award-winning writer and acclaimed artist as well as a photographer. Her sheep landscapes grace the covers of Sheep!, The Shepherd, Ranch & Rural Living, and Sheep Industry News, to name a few. SPENT IDENTITY is the second book in the Annalisse Series.

Her catalog venture, Ewephoric, began in 1985 out of her desire to locate personalized sheep stationery. She rarely found sheep products through catalogs and set out to design them herself. Ewephoric gifts online can be found at https://www.TexasSheep.com. Her books at: https://www.marlenembell.com

Marlene and her husband, Gregg, reside in beautiful East Texas on a wooded ranch with their dreadfully spoiled horned Dorset sheep, a large Maremma guard dog named Tia, along with Hollywood, Leo, and Squeaks, the cats that believe they rule the household—and do.

Contact Links

Twitter: @ewephoric


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Friday, December 13, 2019

REAL MEN SERIES!


Come on a journey.

The town of Jack's Bay, in northern Ontario, Canada, straddles cottage country and city living, and does it well.

But more importantly, it's a strong community. Home to a group of men that have served together in the army reserve. Brothers, with an unbreakable bond, as well as determined women.

Friends and army reserve brothers to these men of Jack's Bay are the men of Golden, British Columbia. A fictional town, with quirky characters set in the Rocky Mountain trench, life is different in the mountains. Yet family, brotherhood and love...are the same.

Come meet the cowboy, the ex-hockey player, the dark-net computer genius, and the band of Canadian military reservists who served together, and the strong women they fall in love with.


Real Miracle 
Real Men Book 5 
by
Susan Saxx 
Genre: Small Town Military Dark Romantic Suspense 
Publication Date: February 7, 2018


Too many secrets. Too many dangers. And he's got a mission to accomplish.

Eli Austin is going off the grid. Too long in the underground employ of men he'd sooner spit on than obey, his master plan for breaking free is intact. But before he goes, he has to appease his heart and soul one last time. He's got to see the house he and his high school sweetheart, Tish, almost bought. Relive the Christmas they never had, before he walked out on her, into the dark night without a word, so many years ago.

Tish Taylor's been through it all. After that horrendous Christmas, she moved on, married. But the rebound is over, and she's newly divorced. She's going back to where she had it all - once - to spend a solitary evening in the abandoned house where three years ago, they were going to start their new life. The sweet old house that called to them, the life that was theirs. She's got to reclaim the woman she was then - full of dreams, and promises. So she can move on, once and for all.

So they both set out to that old house, now in the worst part of town.

But neither of them counted on what they'd find... 





It Started With a Candy Cane 
Real Men Book 6 
Genre: Sweet Romance 
Publication Date: December 15, 2017


She's city. The more designer and fluffier, the better.
He's a closed-off butcher in a small northern Canadian town.

Emily Gates is hip. If a bag's got more than three zeros in its price tag - she's in. Cream is her favorite color. And her new role as junior city planner in the city of Toronto has her excited beyond all reason. For the gal with the troubled past - something she carefully keeps a secret - it's all about building community now. Even though she loves working and living in the upscale, trendy area just east of Bloor and Yonge.

Rufus Richardson isn't fancy and his job is dirty. And he's always trying to slay the damn dragons, even when no one wants him to. He should settle for a local gal, one who's used to country and mosquitos and wild animals poking around the family homestead. Instead, the moment he sees the vivacious city beauty, his heart tumbles, and his warrior's sword appears. But she doesn't need him to slay any dragons, and lets him know in no uncertain terms.

But when the life she's carefully curated falls apart suddenly and she goes off into the dark northern night alone searching for the meaning that's always eluded her, they find themselves thrown together, the night before Christmas Eve. On Ruf's annual infamous northern Candy Cane Run, and...

Everything changes.

And this Christmas, it all started with a candy cane. 





Real Temptation/ Special Delivery 
Real Men Book 7 
Genre: Erotic Romance 
Publication Date: May 11, 2018




She's high society. He's blue collar.
And he's only got one night to prove to her... blue collar is better.

WARNING: Graphic language, swearing, and frank sexual descriptions.
Oh. And chocolate truffles, velcro'd bondage straps, Manolos, and a bit of grime.

She wears a delivery uniform, but it won't be for long. Alex Jordan is determined. She'll work hard - do anything - to get her family back to its former wealth and standing in Toronto society. Once a solid member of the tennis club set, everything fell apart when her father was convicted of white collar crime. Life is harsh now, but Intimate Deliveries, her small company and brainchild of a delivery service is the vehicle to restore their lives. She'll build her brand, work her fingers to the bone, and she knows she'll achieve her goal. Eventually. She has to.

But she's also got her eye on rich and handsome Montreal playboy Luc Etalier. If she scores the heartthrob as a husband, her dreams will be realized all the faster. She'll get them all back to their former glory and ease of life - including her father, once he's released - one way or another.

He's blue collar, has sworn off alcohol, and she's lit his dreams of something more. Rand Peters has watched - and salivated - every time the brash young woman has come in to their machine shop to work the account. She's fueled his sexual fantasies for over a year, but she's also inspired him to go back to university part-time and work on that business degree. If she can go for what she wants, a former rich girl now in the trenches with the rest of them, so can he. And he's also seen something in her - working so hard in a life that's foreign to her - that touches his heart.

But a relationship? She'd never go for him - though something eggs him on to try. First real chance he gets, he will. He has to.

Now it's New Year's Eve, and he's there alone. Alex comes in with a delivery, ready to do her job and then run to her glamorous NYE party with old friends. But miracle of miracles - it's the wrong part. They'll have to wait for the new one. Together...

A New Year's Eve Erotic Romance 





Skipping Christmas 
Real Men Book 9 
Genre: Hot Contemporary Sports Romance 
Publication Date: December 20, 2019


He’s adored by women–and men–all over the world. The raw, gritty NHL player, Dante Knight. 

But life changed abruptly, a year ago. Now Dante’s no longer interested in the limelight, or in the panties strewn on the ice. With the same focus he applied to his stunning NHL career, he’s interested in only one woman…. 

Kelley Dunham. The girl who loved him, way back when. 

It’ll be easy, though. She’s crazy for him, right? 

*** 

Puppy love for the moody Dante consumed Kelly Dunham’s formative years. But she unravelled when the NHL hopeful abruptly left their tiny Canadian mountain town, after their first—and only—night together. She moved on, soul flaming from the shock. Worse, everyone knew. 

Time for a change. 

Now she’s ready for the playgirl life. Stupid Dante had the right idea, and she’s going to adopt his credo. Sex for nothin’ and her guys for free. 

But when Dante reappears in a blizzard and they’re snowed in, and he’s finally ready to be the man she always knew he could be… 

She stands firm. Nothing’s changing her new-found mission. 

Let the games begin. 






A Real Man
Real Men Book 1 
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo

Real Deep
Real Men Book 2 

It Started on a Back Road 
Real Men Book 3 

Real Hero
Real Men Book 4 

The Escape 
Real Men Book 8 


Hi there! I'm SO glad we've connected!

I write books set in the small towns and big cities of Canada. Right now I'm writing the Real Men series - first installment set in Jack's Bay, northern Ontario - a place I like so much!

My heroes and heroines haven't had an easy time of it. But they take what life dishes out, and somehow, with grit, determination and heart - especially heart - they transform it into gold. Their gold.

Their stories - like life! - range from sweet to sexy, contemporary to suspenseful.

Want to know when there's a new Susan Saxx book released? Click the yellow "FOLLOW" button above.

Want more news and special, subscriber ONLY 'insider' stories? Join my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/bFwHOb.

Interaction your thing? Come hang with me at Saxxy Reads, on FB. I promise - the water's always fine!

And welcome...to Jack's Bay, northern Ontario, to the upcoming sister series in B.C., and to the rancher (#1), the tormented dark-net genius (#5), the 'hit rock-bottom' ex-Seal (#4), and the ex-star hockey player (Coming Dec. 2018) - all military reservists, and the passionate, heroic women they fall for.

REAL MEN is the series - get to know them all at www.susansaxx.com.





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