“When a Chaos mage fights, only blood and scorched earth remain.”
Mage War Chronicles
Some victories are more costly than others, and Ina was the one that paid the price.
Determined to rescue her dragon, the newly appointed royal witch embarks on a gruelling journey through the wintery Grey Mountains. The weather is not her only obstacle, as the enemy forces gathered in the kobold mines have only one goal.
To capture the Chaos mage and deliver her to the heart of the mountain.
With the help of Sa’Ren, Ina arrives at Castle Liath almost unscathed, but her joy is short-lived, as its granite walls hide a shocking revelation.
With blossoming love shattered by a possessive dragon’s claim and an impossible mission to fulfil, will the mysterious Blessing of the Mountain help or hinder her efforts to protect Cornovii?
Immerse yourself in the second book of Season’s War, where passion mix with cruelty and the world-changing power is buried deep in the ancient tomb guarded by the stern Mountain God.
They charged again, but Ina was prepared, and she released her vipers, one wrapping around her sword, another coiling around her, acting as a shield. Mar and Ren exchanged grins and attacked. The clash of steel from Ina’s sword parrying Mar’s attack was a sharp counterpoint to the hiss of magic as Ren’s strike was repelled by the viper protecting her body. Her protagonists instinctively controlled their assault, allowing Ina to learn how to fight, but she was soon sweating and panting from wielding both magic and sword in combat. Too proud to stop, Ina fought on, despite waves of dizziness and nausea, barely hearing the cheers from their audience. Just on the brink of fainting, a sudden commotion interrupted the sparring.
‘My chickens! A beast is eating my chickens!’
A serf from the household ran onto the training field and pleaded with Alleron.
‘My lord, help us. A beast is eating the chickens.’
Ina was trying to catch her breath, and the servant’s words made little sense, but she followed everyone as they followed the lord of Liath and the distraught woman.
As they arrived at the kitchen garden, Ina skidded to a halt, eyes wide in shock at the sight of her horse, perched on the poultry house like an animated gargoyle, watching the panicked chickens run around, occasionally snatching one when it came too close, consuming it messily and with great enthusiasm. Before she could collect her thoughts, two soldiers approached the horse and tried to grab its reins, but with a disdainful shake of her head, Zjawa twisted around and leapt over their heads, trotting happily over to Ina to beg for a cuddle.
Ina looked at her ‘horse’, who dropped a half-eaten chicken at her feet, shook her mane, and whinnied happily. The witch sighed deeply and looked down. As her gaze rested on Zjawa’s feet, Ina frowned, perplexed, watching her mount pawing at the ground. Her horse had five toes where a hoof should be, each ending with a sharp talon that easily tore through the grass underneath. Ina looked at the other feet, studying the bunched fingers, their claws almost like a normal hoof.
‘What the hell are you?’ the witch asked, looking at the horse, her question met with an amused animal stare.
‘She is an orein.’ Ina heard Alleron’s mournful voice behind her and turned around to look at him. The witch noticed Ayni heading in their direction with an unreadable facial expression.
The dragon nodded respectfully to the horse, taking a long look at the mare before turning to Ina.
‘Care to tell us how a mere human earned the blessing of the mountains?’ Ina’s head snapped up at those words, and a chill ran down her spine when her gaze met the assessing stare of the dragoness.
Olena Nikitin is our pen name. We are an enthusiastic couple of writers who are fascinated by the fantasy/paranormal romance genre and decided to write a book we would love to read
Behind the Pen name:
Olga – is Polish, armed with a wicked sense of humour and typical Slavic pessimism she is the wicked witch from the East. She has written stories since childhood, initially mostly about her work. As an emergency physician, she always has a story to tell and often not much time to write.
Mark is a typical English gentleman whose charm, refined taste and an impressive collection of books were tempting enough to make Olga leave her homeland. Don’t tease him too much; this man has an impressive sword collection and he knows how to use it. He also can fix everything, including Polish syntax in English writing.
He’s a billionaire set on escaping the holidays and his demanding family. She’s a single mom with a sunny smile who keeps her heart safely hidden. When she makes him her personal Christmas project, what could possibly go wrong?
Gabe Gatlin would do anything to evade the obligatory family holiday hobnobbing that is nothing more than one horrible business event after another, all wrapped up with a gaudy Christmas ribbon. Then the opportunity arises to explore a property in the small town of Summer Creek, Oregon, and gives him the idea to run away for the holidays. This year, he’s skipping Christmas. All he has to do is hide out until January in the quirky little town where the residents have dubbed him Grinchy Gabe. But when a delightful woman starts making his sleigh bells jingle, he might find it impossible to avoid losing his three-sizes-too-small heart.
Single mom and waitress, Dani Latham, has two priorities: give her son the stable life she never had, and spread joy to her friends and neighbors in Summer Creek. When a stranger with a grinchy attitude sits at her table, she makes it her personal mission to make him smile. As she guides him into a flurry of Christmas festivities, she starts to wonder if this grounch’s heart will ever return to normal size. And even worse. . . if it does, who is going to save hers from breaking when he leaves?
Will a little Christmas magic and wonder bring these two lonesome people together?
Discover the joys of the season mixed with humor, holiday fun, and moments that tug at your heartstrings in this sweet contemporary Christmas romance.
“Mr. Sinclair?” Gabe asked, shocked to see the owner of the chain of stores standing right there in Summer Creek. “Jon, is that you?”
The older man looked at him, blinked a few times, then grinned. “Well, I’ll be. Gabe Gatlin. What in the world are you doing in Summer Creek? According to the gossip, you’ve disappeared and are in a rehab center in Europe.”
“Seriously?” Gabe asked, not at all surprised by the stories society’s wagging tongues spread.
Jon leaned closer to him and grinned. “Actually, my wife spoke to your mother a week or so ago. Jacqui told her you’d run away from home and refused to talk to anyone unless it was an emergency email. Is that true?”
Gabe shrugged. “That about sums it up.”
Jon laughed and slapped him on the back. “Son! You are forty-two. You don’t get to run away from home at your age.”
Gabe grinned and waggled an eyebrow. “Oh, yes, I do. It’s been the single best thing I’ve ever done.”
Jon shook his head. “I’d think you’re in the midst of a midlife crisis, but instead of cheating on a wife you don’t have or buying a sports car you don’t need, you ran away from home. How are your father and Monique handling it?”
“About like you’d expect. Monique calls at least once a day with a snotty message about fulfilling my family obligations and returning home immediately. Dad has threatened to fire me, disown me, or have a hit put out on me if I don’t, to quote him, ‘get your head back on straight and return posthaste.’ What he fails to remember is that Grandpa left the realty division to me, not the company. I elected to have a board, but ultimately Daniels Realty belongs to me, and there is nothing Dad or Monique can do about it.”
“So, what brought you to Summer Creek?” Jon asked with interest.
“One of the things my father has been doing lately that is causing any number of issues is insisting Chadwick cut back expenses. Of course, Chadwick is like an obedient lapdog, doing whatever good ol’ Dad tells him to do. He came to my office one morning with a file on a property we’ve been maintaining for years, but no one knew where it was or what it was. I did some research and discovered it was my grandmother’s childhood home here in Summer Creek. When I couldn’t take another minute of Monique’s holiday plans, I basically disappeared. I’d sure appreciate it, sir, if you didn’t mention to your wife—who will surely tell my mother—that I’m in Summer Creek.”
“My lips are sealed, but you might want to at least get in touch with your mom.” Jon gave him a look of fatherly wisdom. “Jacqui sounded quite worried about you. Even billionaire playboys need to be home for Christmas.”
A gasp behind him made Gabe spin around and look at Dani as she gaped at him. “Billionaire?” she asked on a breathless wheeze. “You’re a billionaire?”
Gabe shrugged. “That’s what my accountant tells me.”
USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes sweet romances rich with relatable characters, small town settings that feel like home, humor, and hope.
Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”
When this farm girl isn’t writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. She also experiments with recipes, snaps photos of her adorable nephew, and caters to the whims of a cranky cat named Drooley.
For sixteen years, Laurelin Moore has been keeping a secret. She is a whisperer, and she knows that to reveal her gift now is a dangerous risk. Past whisperers have been exploited for their power. But Ausland’s queen is dead and acknowledging her magic is her only chance at becoming a Rook in the Pentax—a competition that will decide the kingdom’s next ruler. Laurelin isn’t in it for the crown, though. She’s after the wish that will be granted to the victor. A wish that would save her dying brother, Pippin.
Once chosen, Laurelin finds that there are dangerous undercurrents to the Pentax, and she is at the center of it. When she begins to search for answers, she discovers a secret with implications far beyond her brother’s life–or her own, for that matter. Now, she has to choose between saving Pippin or saving the kingdom she loves.
For most people, I think writing about oneself is difficult, and that’s no exception for writers. I must have written a dozen different versions of this. But hey, if you’re here, you must be interested in knowing a little about my life. If you’re curious about something that’s not covered here, shoot me a message through email or social media and I’ll be happy to answer!
I live in Northern Utah with my wonderful husband and our rambunctious toddler. We’re a family that likes to be on the go, so you’ll probably find us at the zoo, on a hike, or out for a run together. And yes, the housework suffers while we play. There are usually crumbs on the counter, dishes in the sink, and toys on the floor.
I graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in health education and history teaching. I taught junior high school for two years before switching careers. I now work from home for a local credit union and write down the stories in my head when I have time.
If you’re interested in seeing more about me, find me on Facebook or Instagram. @janiliselloyd
A Magic Coin. A Hidden World. An Incredible Adventure!
When Henry Simmons unearths a coin with mysterious powers, it’s clear that his life is soon to change . . . but not how he expects. After using the charm to woo Tracey Maxwell, Henry finds himself launched to another dimension – a world in which the human race is mercilessly hunted down by creatures called Sadarkians. This hellish realm, Zargothia, could scarcely be less safe.
Transported together, Henry and Tracey meet two mysterious strangers and a garrulous cat. Pressing forward, they learn that they’ve been charged with saving the people of Zargothia, but freeing King Argoth along with his people means facing ruthless overlords and almost certain death.
Vastly outnumbered, can Henry and his fated friends surmount the odds? In such a realm of wicked magic, danger lurks at every turn . . . and nothing is what it seems.
Many thousands of feet above the Bermuda Triangle, the TBF Avenger disturbed the blue sky’s silence. Captain Edward Johnson, aged forty, and his friend, Sergeant Conor MacCall, thirty-seven, crewed the dark-blue Torpedo bomber. They flew without a bombardier because they did not expect any action. This was a routine patrol for the naval air station in Fort Lauderdale, near Miami.
“It’s a good morning for flying. The one thing I haven’t missed these last two years is the miserable weather back home,” said Conor in his strong Glaswegian accent.
“I agree with you on that one,” Edward replied in his Oxford drawl, his brown eyes surveying the area around him. He had dark-blond hair and a blond moustache.
Sitting in the rear of the plane, controlling the turret gun and radio, Conor pushed back his carroty hair and turned his green eyes towards Edward.
“Do you ever think about home?” Conor asked.
“All the time,” Edward said with a slight trace of loneliness.
“What do you miss the most?” Conor pressed further.
Edward thought for a moment before answering. “I miss my parents. Every Sunday, Sandra and I would take the kids and visit my folks, staying for a few hours. Sandra loved my mother’s baking. Mum always fussed over the children.”
“I suppose you miss her baking too, sir, eh?” Conor chuckled as he asked this.
“Well, I suppose I do. But there’re better opportunities over here, so we had no choice but to move.”
“Aye, I’ll second that. I miss meeting the lads on a Saturday for a wee game of footie and then the few pints after. I’ll tell you this much, one thing I don’t miss is shooting down Germans over London.”
“True, true,” Edward agreed.
He scanned the area once more, satisfied that there was no present danger.
“I suppose we’ll head back,” Edward said. “Radio the station to all-clear the area.”
“Aye, sir. I’ll get right on it.”
Twenty minutes from base, a brilliant white light exploded out of nowhere, engulfing the sky as far as they could see. Sound burst around them, ricocheting with memories of bombing raids, flak and fire, the uncertainty of survival, deafness isolating each man in his real and recalled fear, never knowing if they would make it back. The light intensified, burning their retinas.
Shielding their eyes didn’t help much.
As suddenly as it arrived, the light disappeared.
“What in blazes just happened?” Conor said, blinking.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Edward replied.
Both Conor and Edward’s headphones suddenly burst with static as they received a transmission from base.
“Fort Lauderdale to FT-4, do you read me?”
“This is Fox Tare Four to Fort Lauderdale; we read you loud and clear. What’s the problem? Over,” Conor replied.
“You got two unidentified bogies closing in on your position. Three o’clock.”
Conor shook away the last of the retina burn and looked again. With a second glance, he saw them approaching.
“Roger that, Lauderdale. Bogies spotted. FT-4, out.” His headphones crackled as Lauderdale was cut off.
“Sir, I know this may sound strange,” he said, turning to Edward, “but they don’t seem to be planes coming towards us.”
“Of course they are. What else can they be?”
Conor shut his eyes and squinted, focusing harder. As he looked again, he became slack-jawed.
“I think they’re …” He swallowed the unreality of the thought. “They’re … black dragons. And there’s someone riding them.”
“This is no time for jokes,” Edward barked.
“I’m not joking. They’re gaining on us. Break left!”
“Don’t be daft. There’s no such—” Edward stopped as he, too, saw what Conor had seen.
“My God!” he exclaimed in awe. “Bloody hell, how’s this even possible?”
Edward snapped out of his momentary, shock-induced paralysis. “Hold on!”
The TBF Avenger swooped down. The dragon followed. Opening its large mouth, it belched fire and narrowly missed the TBF Avenger’s tail.
Aidan Lucid began writing in 2002 after having a spiritual experience. Since then, his works have appeared in national and international poetry anthologies, magazines and e-zines. Lucid first began working on The Zargothian Saga trilogy while recovering from a horrific accident in 2005.
Aidan released The Scavenger — a horror novella — in January 2021. The first book in the Hopps Town series, it received many positive reviews. He followed that up with Unlucky Charm in January 2022. Book three of the series, Dark Secrets, will be released in February 2023.
Mr Lucid is working on more sequels to The Zargpthian Saga.
In his spare time he likes to meditate/pray, listen to music and go to the movies with his wife, Claire.
Title: Fallen Crown Author: W. Million Genre: Contemporary Royal Romance
Maren Tucker is done with men who check in for the good times and check out for the bad. As a member of one of the oldest families in Bellerive, she doesn’t have to play nice with the Summerset Royals. Especially not the youngest who represents everything she detests.
Brice Summerset is the life of every party, and as the third in line to the throne, he’s never had to take anything in life particularly seriously. Show up. Charm a few people. Make a generous donation. Move on.
But Brice’s life is on the cusp of big changes. His father is sick. His two older brothers are settling down, and he’s starting to wonder what else life has to offer.
When Maren tries to block Brice from joining her charity adventure race team, Brice balks at the notion he’s not up to the challenge. As the two butt heads over everything from training philosophies to life goals, they begin to see something in themselves and each other that they never expected.
I press my lips together to avoid snapping back, which is what Brice wants. If I can’t keep my retorts focused on training, I’ll undermine my authority as the coach, and I’ve worked too damn hard and earned every scrap of my knowledge to look like a fool.
Wren hooks Brice up to the ropes, and he approaches the wall, examining the placement of the holds. When he goes to reach for the first one, Wren cringes but doesn’t say anything.
“You want to maximize your static reach.” I release a deep sigh and go to the wall to demonstrate how to straighten his posture and rise on his toes to get a good grip. “Otherwise, your arms will get tired quickly.”
He gazes at me wordlessly for a beat, and I can’t tell if he’s taking me seriously or not. Then he says, “Any more tips, Coach?”
“Don’t over grip the handholds. Keep your hands relaxed and light.” I demonstrate, and when Brice grasps the rock just above our heads, I slide my hand under his to check the tension in his wrist. His skin is warm and smooth against mine. “Yeah,” I say, “gentle like you’re cupping an egg or a light bulb and trying not to break it.”
“I tend to prefer my grip firm,” he says with a smirk.
“Not a surprise that your primary concern is your own satisfaction.” I give him a mild look and keep my voice pitched low.
“My own satisfaction is always a concern,” he says, leaning close enough that his breath stirs the tendrils of dark hair that have escaped my ponytail, “but it’s never my only one.”
I can feel my jaw tighten at his obvious innuendo, and my heart kicks at his proximity. An unexpected awareness electrifies the space between us, and when our gazes connect, his expression shifts from brimming with amusement to one laced with curiosity.
“You’re not as immune to me as you’d like to believe,” he whispers.
W. Million is a Watty Award winner whose contemporary romances about strong women and troubled men have captivated her loyal readers.
Writing as Wendy Million, she is the author of the romantic suspense series The Donaghey Brothers, the NA sports romance Saving Us, and the contemporary second chance romance, When Stars Fall.
When not writing, Wendy enjoys spending time in or around the water. She lives in Ontario, Canada with two beautiful daughters, two cute pooches, and one handsome husband (who is grateful she doesn’t need two of those).
As an affiliate at retail sites, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. See my disclosure for more details.
Three Reasons You Should Read This Romantic Suspense:
Protect My Heart by Diane Wiggs seemed like so much more than a romantic suspense – I felt deeply invested in all aspects of the characters’ lives.
Elizabeth had a lot of tragedy to work through, from her father to her brother, and she always seemed to handle it with a level of grace – even when totally losing her mind.
The suspense is ever-present, and the mystery behind everything is unwound very slowly, drawing out all the good bits until a masterful reveal.
She doesn’t want anyone’s help, but a grumpy cop doesn’t give her a choice. Twenty years after witnessing her brother’s death, pediatric psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Garcia returns to Minnesota to testify at his killer’s parole hearing. While home, she helps a family friend in need of a child advocate after a young boy witnesses a shooting.
The attraction she feels for the cop working the case, blindsides her. He chases danger as if it’s a game. Good thing she was leaving soon, or so she thought. Threats from her past resurface, putting her life in danger.
Detective Jim Swenson just wants to do his job without interruptions. So when Dr. Garcia inserts herself into his case, she becomes a sexy distraction. She has the body of a pinup model but represents the high society woman he swore off years ago.
But when someone takes an unhealthy interest in the lovely psychologist, his cop instincts kick in even though his heart screams, “Danger, danger! Proceed with caution.”
Protect My Heart by Diane Wiggs was a very deep suspense and mystery. There were a lot of strings to pull and full of some very interesting twists and turns. The mystery surrounding Elizabeth’s father moves forward slowly and meticulously, building steam until the final big moment. Which is a great big moment that made me really feel my heart pounding.
The tension between Elizabeth and Jim builds right along with the suspense. And I really enjoyed it as well. Most of it. There were a few too many cases of making horrible assumptions and self-doubting to the point I didn’t feel bad for them anymore. I started feeling annoyed. They needed to get out of their heads a little more often and actually have a conversation.
But the cute dog helped make up for a lot of the little things that bothered me. While the book is listed as part of a series, it does quite well on its own. I wouldn’t have realized it was a series if it wasn’t staring at me from the cover. Definitely worth the read for some really deep and building suspense.
Curl up by a warm fire as winter’s icy fingers claw their way down your back and sink into this collection tales of icy villains.
Tales of revenge. Of dubious heroes and well-meaning winter witches. Of noble assassins and the origins of evil. You might be left questioning who really is the villain, or just whose side you’re on.
But as the ice thaws, you might see some hope left, after all…
• The Kelpie by Andrew LiVecchi
• Ashen Queen by E. Seneca
• The Third Son by Elise Berensen Meyer
• Grandmother Oak by Benjamin Sperduto
• A Forever Winter by Arwyn Sherman
• How The Sea Witch Lost Her Heart by J. D. Trebmal
• Elemental by Lily Manning
• The Dark King of Time by Tina Capricorn
• The Winter Queen by Jan Marie Reynoldson
• Glace Noir by Kimberly Grymes
• Immistar by Paul Williams
• Don’t Feed the Beasts by William Rigsby
• Cold Revenge by Maria Carvalho
• Crown of Sweetgrass by Cherie Lynae Cabrera Suski
Three days. Three Loki-cursed days of feasting. Of looking sorrowful during sad stories he did not find depressing. Of laughing at jests he did not find funny. Of communing with courtiers he did not trust.
Leaving the revelers to enjoy their last feast day, Drek was on his way out of the great hall when he crossed paths with one of his servants turned street spy. To any passersby who happened to see the young elf walk past Drek while balancing a tray of spiced pear wine, it would seem that the prince and the servant made no contact. Yet, Drek walked through the behemoth doors into the front corridor with a note tucked into his large fist.
He opened the missive as soon as he walked through his chamber door and didn’t bother relaxing into one of the plush leather chairs in the sitting room to read it. Heading straight to his dressing room, he decoded the message, letting his feet carry him along the familiar path. It related a lead that could reveal his next victim. No, he had decided not to think of them that way. Victim was much too personal of a word. Assassins used words like target, or mark. Those were better words. Words that separated him from the sordid deeds he carried out behind the crown’s back. His own father’s back.
Black training leathers hung in the back of his closet. They were nondescript and not unusual attire for a third born warrior-prince to own. However, when Drek donned them with a black tunic, boots, and a deep hooded cloak, he truly looked like what he had become. An assassin, but not one of those evil-worshiping members of the Order of Fenrir. They were the ones he was attempting to root out of his father’s court, but sometimes you had to become your worst nightmare in order to fight it.
I’ve never loved someone quite like my high school sweetheart. But she shattered my heart to pieces when she moved to California for college and never came back.
Now she’s back in Drakesville and for the first time in sixteen years, I’ve come face-to-face with the only woman I’ve ever loved. Kissing her was a bad idea. Spending countless nights tangled in my sheets was an even worse idea.
She’s only here long enough to make sure her parents’ bar stays afloat. I can’t get attached, when I know she’s just going to leave again.
And I know I’m not reason enough to make her stay.
Temporarily In Love is a small-town second chance autumn-themed romance book. If you love fall and Halloween, you’ll love this book.
Declan’s dark eyes seared across the length of my body like he remembered all the times he had stripped me out of my clothes. He always did like the knee-high boots I wore during the fall.
“You cold?” he asked.
I nodded. “Been in California too long.”
He shed his zip-up hoodie and put it over my shoulders. “Here.”
A memory of this exact scene played through my mind’s eye. Of me not wearing proper attire because I wanted to dress cute for him and him giving me his jacket. But that was sixteen-year-old Declan and Lila; we weren’t those people anymore.
“Dec…”
“Come on, love, let’s go on the zipper,” he said and took my hand.
I didn’t question his slip up. The old pet name rolled off his tongue like it hadn’t been sixteen years since I broke his heart. Like I hadn’t stood in his driveway all those years ago and told him I got accepted to Stanford and wasn’t going with him to Penn State. I told him I wanted to break up, because long-distance relationships never worked, but I’d always love him. That part had been true, was still true, but I never came back to him. I went to California and stayed there while he stayed in our gossipy small town and made a name for himself.
The pad of his thumb brushed against the back of my palm. “Love?”
“Right. Let’s go on the zipper!” I said excitedly, pulling myself away from the trip down memory lane.
We walked over to the ride and waited in line for a few minutes, but neither of us wanted to sever the connection of our hands. I wondered if he was thinking about all the times we had done this before. Of those times back in high school when he was the one dragging me toward the rides. Adult Declan was quiet and reserved, and I couldn’t get a read on him. He wasn’t the boy I fell in love with, but yet, at the same time, he was.
He led me into the cage and made sure I was seated before he slid in next to me. We pulled the lap bar down, and the ride operator clicked us in before shutting us inside the metal cage. We were pressed so close together, I felt his thigh against my own.
I didn’t know why I did it, but I turned to him and found he was staring back at me intensely. He didn’t jerk back when I brushed my lips against his. He threaded his hands through my hair, one of them gripping my neck possessively as he deepened the kiss. We kissed like we hadn’t forgotten, like it hadn’t been years since we were pressed together. We still fit so perfectly.
Then the ride lurched, and I pulled away to grab onto the handlebar above my head as we moved upwards. We screamed our heads off as our cage flipped us around. I held onto Declan’s arm when the ride took us up to its full height and then brought us back down to the ground, all the while flipping us upside down in our cage.
I felt dizzy by the time we were back on the ground, and the ride operator opened the cage for us. Declan got out first, then offered me a hand when I stumbled out.
He studied me. “Okay, love?”
I could only nod.
My heart was doing somersaults, and it wasn’t because I was motion sick from the ride. It was singing with the way this man still turned me inside out. But I couldn’t get ideas like that. I didn’t deserve him after what I did. Not after I had been such a coward and cut him out of my life.
Danica Flynn is a marketer by day, and a writer by nights and weekends. AKA she doesn’t sleep! She is a rabid hockey fan of both The Philadelphia Flyers and the Metropolitan Riveters. When not writing, she can be found hanging with her partner, playing video games, and reading a ton of books.
As an affiliate at retail sites, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. See my disclosure for more details.
Three Reasons You Should Read This Romantic Thriller:
Rattlesnake Road by Amanda McKinney is a very gritty, but quite sweet at times, romantic thriller.
I don’t usually put warnings here – but there are a couple of scenes that I found difficult to read – so please read the author’s warning before starting.
The suspense and mystery kind of creep up on you, then fade away until you almost forget them before jumping back out again. It was an interesting way of presenting the plot, but I really enjoyed it.
From bestselling and multi-award-winning author Amanda McKinney comes her most evocative and twisted small-town Thriller…
Welcome to 1314 Rattlesnake Road—the perfect hideaway to escape your past.
After leaving her posh NYC life behind, fashion editor Grey Dalton escapes to the small, southern town of Berry Springs to pick up the broken pieces of her life. On impulse, she purchases a rumored-to-be-haunted house where she finds herself thrown into decade-old murder mystery, and onto the rocky road of recovery and self-discovery. Men are the last thing on her mind—until she meets a tattooed cowboy and a dashing businessman. One will steal her heart, the other, her soul.
Rattlesnake Road pushesthe boundaries and blends genres in this raw, emotional, no-holds-barred story.
(Due to serious subject matter and mature content, please be aware that this book might be an emotional trigger for some readers.)
Rattlesnake Road by Amanda McKinney was not what I expected. And before I get too far, pay attention to the author’s warning. While some are overdone, this book definitely needs it, so read with caution.
It starts out innocently enough, with Grey Dalton running from the city and her terrible life there. She buys a house on Rattlesnake Road, sight unseen, and starts to clean it up and start over. The people of Berry Springs are incredibly welcoming, especially the older lady in her flashy tracksuits and ATVs that likes to bake cookies. Yes, please. Can I have one of them live down the way from me?
The new house isn’t too bad, but her far away neighbor, Declan, points out some things that need to be done. But there’s also this rich developer poking around trying to buy up all the land in the area. Both men give off some serious danger vibes, but Grey’s mental state isn’t the best, so she doubts all the warnings she picking up at first.
Then she finds some really creepy old letters (trigger warning here) and discovers a girl was murdered nearby and no one knows who did it. With all these stories drifting around, Amand McKinney does a great job of weaving them together in a way that forms mostly complete cloth.I felt like there was a little bit of a cop-out plot point towards the end, but overall, a very well-written book.
It wasn’t wedding day jitters. Something was up. I stood up and headed to the door. The camera guy and sound guy tried to stop me, but I ignored them. I opened the door, and Mackie was there in her bridesmaid dress. “Did you need me?” she asked. “No, wait here. I’m just going to talk to Peter,” I said. I marched down the hall toward the groom’s suite. Even more people tried to stop me. That only confirmed that some shit was going down, and everyone else knew but me. I knew exactly what was going on. The security guard stepped in my way. “Get out of my way, or there is no wedding.” I said. The large man stared down at me and didn’t move. “I will have you fired,” I said, in my iciest bitch voice. The man cowered and stepped aside. I threw the door open. There was my groom, making out and groping Cindy! “I knew you were fucking cheating on me, Peter!” He started to speak, but I threw my hand up, signaling him to stop. “Don’t bother. He’s all yours, Cindy,” I said, and then I hightailed it out of there, tearing off the lavalier mic they’d strapped to me as I ran. My slippers slowed me down, so I kicked them off and ran barefoot. I tore down the hall and out onto the church grounds. “Meredith!” a male voice yelled. I looked up to see who it was, and I spotted Nick’s Spyder at the valet. I sprinted over to him, tears streaming down my face. But I didn’t care. Those camera crews would never catch me. Their equipment was too heavy. I jumped into Nick’s car and yelled at him. “Drive!”
Do you enjoy funny, contemporary romances with spicy love scenes?
Because if you do …
You’ve landed in the perfect place.
I’m Tina Gabor, and it’s so much fun getting to write the books I love reading. Gorgeous men and fierce, feisty, and funny women are my jam.
And since there’s nothing like a love story with a dash of sun and fun …
I set most of my in Southern California and Florida. I grew up in South Florida, and now I live in Southern California with my fiancee and a stray cat we named Fred.
To get special deals on new releases and updates on what your favorite book couples are doing after the story ends, go to SparksFlyRomance.com/Tina
