In Safe Hands {+ Giveaway}

It’s a pleasure to be taking part in the tour for author Katie Ruggle’s new release, IN SAFE HANDS, the fourth installment in her Search and Rescue Series.

Katie has graciously answered some questions about her writing. In addition, you have the opportunity to win a copy of HOLD YOUR BREATH, the first book in the Search and Rescue Series. Please see the end of the post for more details.

He was her hero,

But one wrong move ended their future before it could begin.

Now he'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe,

Even if that means turning against one of his own.

As a member of the Field County Sheriff's Department, Chris Jennings is used to having it rough. The Colorado Rockies aren't for the weak-of-spirit, but he's devoted his life to upholding the law—and to protecting the one woman he knows he can never have. He'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.

          Daisy Little has lived in agoraphobic terror for over eight years. Trapped within a prison of her own making, she watches time pass through her bedroom window. Daisy knows she'll never be a part of the world...until the day she becomes the sole witness of a terrible crime that may finally tear the Search & Rescue brotherhood apart for good.

IN SAFE HANDS is available at the following sites:

Amazon

iBooks

Barnes and Noble

Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Katie as she answers some questions. Welcome, Katie.

What was the hardest thing about writing this series?

Katie:

The hardest thing about writing the Search and Rescue series was the crazy schedule. Although I loved that the books came out so close together (only two months apart), it made the editing schedule insane. At one point, I was working on three books at one time. Gah…just remembering that makes me tired.

How did you go about doing research for this book and the series?

Katie:

Most of my research for this series had been done unknowingly months or even years before I started to write it. I received my law enforcement degree while working for a police department. My favorite part of the job was collecting and analyzing forensic evidence as part of the Crime Scene Team. Also, while doing volunteer work with a fire department in Colorado, I was certified in cold-water rescue, which helped a lot with the first book in the series, Hold Your Breath.

For In Safe Hands, most of my research was on agoraphobia, gas leaks, explosions, and panic rooms. Yeah, I’m pretty sure my internet search history has put me on a few government watch lists.

If this book was turned into a movie, who would you like to see playing the two main characters?

Katie:

So, this is a tough question for me to answer, because I’m terrible at names, especially when talking about actors. I’m that annoying person who says, “You know that guy, who was in that movie, the one with the killer?” Yeah, I’d like that guy to play Chris.

What can readers look forward to next from you?

Katie:

The first book in my Rocky Mountain K-9 Unit series will be out in June 2017. There are hot cops and heroic dogs and scary villains and explosions and women on the run… What more could anyone ask for?

Katie, thanks for joining us today and sharing this background. I can understand when it comes to not remembering actors’ names. lol

Now for those who aren’t familiar with Katie, here’s a bit of background on her.

Author Katie Ruggle

When she’s not writing, Katie Ruggle rides horses, shoots guns, and travels to warm places where she can scuba dive. A graduate of the police academy, Katie received her ice-rescue certification and can attest that the reservoirs in the Colorado mountains really are that cold.

While she still misses her off-grid, solar-and-wind-powered house in the Rocky Mountains, she now lives in Rochester, Minnesota, near her family.

This giveaway is for one print copy of HOLD YOUR BREATH by Katie Ruggle, the first book in her Search and Rescue Series. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and will end at 12 a.m. (EST) on Tuesday, Oct. 18.

To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. A winner will be selected by the Rafflecopter widget and I’ll send an email with the subject line “Thoughts in Progress Giveaway.” The winner will have 72 hours to reply to the email or another winner will be selected. PLEASE be sure to check your spam folder from time to time after the giveaway ends to make sure the notification email doesn’t end up there. If you win and you’ve already won the book somewhere else or you just decided for whatever reason you don’t want to win (which is fine), once again PLEASE let me know.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have you or do you know someone who has ever been involved in a search and rescue team?

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A Promise of Fire {+ Giveaway}

I’m happy to be a part of the Sourcebooks Casablanca virtual book tour for debut author Amanda Bouchet’s PROMISE OF FIRE, the first installment in her Kingmaker Chronicles series.

This is Sourcebooks Casablanca’s very first fantasy romance! To celebrate the recent release, Sourcebooks Casablanca and Amanda are sharing an excerpt from her book. In addition, you have the chance to win one of ten (10) print copies of A PROMISE OF FIRE being given away tour-wide. Please see the end of the post for more details on this giveaway.

◊Title: A Promise of Fire

◊Series: Kingmaker Chronicles, #1

◊Author: Amanda Bouchet

◊Pub date: August 2^nd, 2016

◊ISBN: 9781492621898

KINGDOMS WILL RISE AND FALL FOR HER…

BUT NOT IF SHE CAN HELP IT

Catalia "Cat" Fisa lives disguised as a soothsayer in a traveling circus. She is perfectly content avoiding the danger and destiny the Gods—and her homicidal mother—have saddled her with. That is, until Griffin, an ambitious warlord from the magic-deprived south, fixes her with his steely gaze and upsets her illusion of safety forever.

          Griffin knows Cat is the Kingmaker, the woman who divines the truth through lies. He wants her as a powerful weapon for his newly conquered realm—until he realizes he wants her for much more than her magic. Cat fights him at every turn, but Griffin's fairness, loyalty, and smoldering advances make him increasingly hard to resist and leave her wondering if life really does have to be short, and lived alone.

PROMISE OF FIRE is available at the following sites: Amazon, Apple, Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble, Chapters, and Indiebound.

Now in celebration of this release, Sourcebooks Casablanca is giving you the first FIVE chapters to read FOR FREE! You can download the first five chapters here.

To get you started, they’ve included the first few pages below.

Chapter 1

I pluck at my crimson tunic, tenting the lightweight linen away from my sticky skin. The southern Sintan climate isn’t my worst nightmare, but it sometimes ranks pretty high, right along with the stifling layers of cosmetics masking my face, my leather pants, and my knee-high boots.

Heat and leather and heels don’t mix, but at least looking like a brigand means blending into the circus. Here, discreet only gets you noticed.

Craning my neck for a breath of fresh air, I navigate my way through the beehive of tables already set up for the circus fair. The performers on the center stage are the main attraction. The rest of us surround them, carving out places for ourselves amid the crowd. Tonight, hemmed in on all sides in an amphitheater lit by hundreds of torches and filled to capacity, I feel like a Cyclops is sitting on my chest—suffocated.

Damp curls cling to my neck. I peel them off and tuck them back into my braid, scanning the crowd as I walk. I recognize some of the regulars. Others I don’t know. My eyes trip over a man and get stuck. He’s looking at me, and it’s hard not to look back. He’s striking in a dark, magnetic way, his size, weapons, and bearing all telling me he’s a tribal warlord. His build is strong and masculine, his gait perfectly balanced and fluid. He walks with predatory confidence, unhurried, and yet there’s no mistaking his potential for swift, explosive violence. It’s not latent or hidden, just leashed.

Watchful, alert, he’s aware of everything in his vicinity. Especially me.

Our gazes collide, and something in me freezes. His eyes remind me of Poseidon’s wrath—stormy, gray, intense—the kind of eyes that draw you in, hold you there, and might not let you go.

Adrenaline surges through me, ratcheting up my pulse. My heart thumping, I blink and take in the rest of him. Intelligent brow. Strong jaw. Wide mouth. Hawkish nose. Black hair brushes a corded neck atop broad shoulders that have no doubt been swinging a sword since before he could walk. Body toned to perfection, skin darkened by a lifetime in the sun, he’s battle-chiseled and hard, the type of man who can cleave an enemy in two with little effort and even less consequence to his conscience.

He keeps staring at me, and a shiver prickles my spine. Is this man my enemy?

There’s no reason to think so, but I didn’t stay alive this long without the help of a healthy dose of paranoia.

Wary, I sit at my table, keeping an eye on him as he weaves a bold path through an array of potions, trinkets, and charms. He’s flanked by four similar men. Their coloring varies, but they all have the same sure look about them, although they pale in comparison to the warlord in both authority and allure. The man with the gray eyes is a born leader, and only an idiot would mistake him for anything else.

He stares for so long that I start to wonder if he can somehow bore through my layers of face paint and unmask me, but I’ve never seen him before, and he can’t possibly know the person underneath. I’m from the north of Fisa, where magic is might. He’s from the south of Sinta, where muscle and cunning decide who lives or dies. Our paths would never have crossed in the past, and warlords don’t usually frequent the circus.

I look away, hoping he’ll do the same. There are plenty of reasons a man stares at a woman. An exotic face and generous figure attract as much attention as a good mystery, if not more, and the warlord’s intense scrutiny feels more appreciative than alarming.

Ignoring the flush now creeping into my cheeks, I smooth the wrinkles from the coarse wool blanket covering my table and arrange my paraphernalia like usual. My glittering, gold-lettered sign advertises Cat the Magnificent—Soothsayer Extraordinaire, even though flashes of the future only come here and there, usually in dreams. Luckily, it only takes a few questions for truths to reveal themselves like flowers opening for the sun. I read people’s body language and glean who they are, what they want, and maybe even what they’re capable of. It’s about knowledge and illusion. I get a copper for it, which is more than a fair deal for me. I won’t peddle futures. I have an idea of my own, and that’s more than enough.

My leg starts a nervous bounce. Prophecies can be interpreted loosely, right?

The audience gasps, and I turn to see what’s happening on the stage. Vasili is throwing knives at his wife. She’s strapped to the flat side of a vertical, rotating wheel, and he’s blindfolded. He’s never hit her, but my heart still comes to a complete standstill every time they perform. Tonight is no exception, and I hold my breath, both riveted and terrified, until he runs out of knives.

The crowd is too caught up in the circus to take advantage of the fair, so I get up again and head to the performers’ gate to watch the end of the show and put some distance between the warlord and me. He’s still looking when he shouldn’t be.

The air coming through the gate is fresher, bringing with it the sound of Cerberus’s chuffing breaths and the scent of sweaty dog. He’s Hades’s pet, so I doubt the heat bothers him. I toss him a wave, and two of his three upper lips curl in a snarl of acknowledgment. One of these days, I’ll get all three, although in eight years I never have. I think his middle head just doesn’t like me.

Finished with his performance, Vasili unstraps his wife while Aetos launches himself onto the stage with a triple flip and lands in a fighter’s crouch that shakes the platform. The solid wood creaks under his colossal weight, and the rapt crowd murmurs in awe. Aetos straightens, pounds his chest, tears the horse pelt off his giant back, and catches fire. His roar shakes the amphitheater. No one can roar like Aetos. I’ve seen him perform hundreds of times, and I still get chills.

Seven and a half feet tall, muscle-bound, and tattooed blue from head to toe with Tarvan tribal swirls, he moves his hands in an impossibly fast dance, weaving fire until he’s encased in a sphere of living flame. He bursts through the crackling barrier with another roar. The explosion blasts the hair away from my face and dries out the inside of my nose. I’m forty feet away but feel like I’m in the furnaces of the Underworld. Fanning myself is useless. I’ll never get used to the southern heat, and with Aetos performing, it’s even worse.

The Sintan Hoi Polloi can barely contain themselves. It’s like doing tricks for children—everything enchants. For them, the circus is a whirlwind of power and impossible magical delights. Everywhere from the hard-packed dirt floor surrounding the fair tables and stage to the high, far reaches of the circular stone seating, people jump up and down, hooting and stomping their feet.

My feet tap along with the crowd’s, my eyes following Aetos around the stage. What a relief to be back in Sinta, even with all the dust and heat. I do whatever I can to stay on the west side of Thalyria. Our recent sojourn in the middle realm of Tarva made my lungs tight and my fingers itch for a knife. I’d probably start jumping at shadows if the circus ever went all the way east to Fisa. Just the thought of my home realm makes my sweat turn cold.

Sinta. Tarva. Fisa. West to east. Here to… Nothing I’m going to think about.

The audience whoops in approval of Aetos’s fiery moves. Hoi Polloi in the amphitheater are ecstatic—and not only with the show. They’ve been celebrating ever since a warlord from the tribal south hacked his way north to Castle Sinta to put his own sister on the throne. You’d think Dionysus had dumped a three-month supply of wine over the entire realm. Temples are overflowing with Sintans offering prayers of gratitude, their holy men overcome with gifts to help clothe and feed the poor. Statues of Athena, who is apparently well loved by the conquering warlord, have been spontaneously erected in towns and villages from here to the Ice Plains in Sinta’s north. Happiness and generosity abound, and I don’t even want to think about how many sheep have been slaughtered for celebratory feasts.

For the first time ever, the magicless majority is in charge, and Hoi Polloi are literally dancing in the streets—but only when they’re not throwing themselves in abject loyalty at the feet of the new royal family. Or so I’ve heard. I haven’t actually seen the new royals, but news spreads fast when there’s something to say. After the warlord and his southern army secured the Sintan throne last spring, his family took weeks just to move north. Not because they’re slow, but because of the sheer number of adoring people in their way.

It’s no secret the northern-born Magoi royals here in Sinta were despots, just like everywhere else in Thalyria. Hoi Polloi know they’re better off with one of their own in charge.

But royals without magic? My cynical snort is lost in the boisterousness of the crowd. It’ll never last.

Want more? Download the first FIVE chapters here.

Author Amanda Bouchet photo credit Richard Beban 2015

Amanda Bouchet grew up in New England where she spent much of her time tromping around in the woods and making up grand adventures in her head. It was inevitable that one day she would start writing them down. 

Drawing on her Greek heritage for the setting and on her love of all things daring and romantic for the rest, her debut trilogy, The Kingmaker Chronicles, took form. She writes what she loves to read: epic exploits, steamy romance, and characters that make you laugh and cry.

Her first novel, A Promise of Fire, won several Romance Writers of America chapter contests, including the Orange Rose Contest and the paranormal category of the prestigious Golden Pen.

A French master’s graduate and former English teacher, Amanda lives in Paris, France. She met her husband while studying abroad, and the family now includes two bilingual children who will soon be correcting her French.

You can follow Amanda on Facebook and Twitter! For updates and exclusives sign-up for Amanda Bouchet’s newsletter. Click here to learn more about A Promise of Fire.

This tour-wide giveaway is for ten (10) print copies of A PROMISE OF FIRE by Amanda Bouchet. The giveaway runs until August 22.

To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient.

Thank you so much for visiting here today as Amanda makes a stop on her tour. Do you like books dealing with magic and soothsayers? Doesn’t the book cover for A PROMISE OF FIRE just jump out at you?

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Gone Too Deep {+ Giveaway}

It’s my pleasure to welcome author Katie Ruggle to Thoughts in Progress today to talk about her recent release, GONE TOO DEEP, the third installment in her Search and Rescue series.

As part of Katie’s visit, thanks to the lovely Beth and the wonderful folks at Sourcebooks Casablanca, I have one print copy of the first book in her series, HOLD YOUR BREATH. The giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada. Please see the end of the post for more details. Now here’s a brief synopsis of GONE TOO DEEP.

In the remote Rocky Mountains, lives depend on the Search & Rescue brotherhood. But in a place this far off the map, trust is hard to come by and secrets can be murder…

          George Holloway has spent his life alone, exploring the treacherous beauty of the Colorado Rockies. He’s the best survival expert Search and Rescue has, which makes him the obvious choice to lead Ellie Price through deadly terrain to find her missing father. There’s just one problem—Ellie’s everything George isn’t. She’s a city girl, charming, gregarious, delicate, small. And when she looks up at him with those big, dark eyes, he swears he would tear the world apart to keep her safe.

          With a killer on the loose, he may have no choice.

          Ellie’s determined to find her father no matter the cost. But as she and her gorgeous mountain of a guide fight their way through an unforgiving wilderness, they find themselves in the crosshairs of a dangerous man in search of revenge. And they are now his prey…

Please join me in giving Katie a warm welcome as she answers some questions for me. Welcome, Katie.

What type of research do you do for this series?

Katie:

Most of my research for this series was done long before I started to write it. My jobs and education and hobbies all played a part in teaching me what I needed to know to build the Search and Rescue universe. About five years ago, I received my law enforcement degree while working for a police department. My favorite part of the job was collecting and analyzing forensic evidence (yes, I admit that I’m a total forensics nerd). A few years later, while doing volunteer work with a fire department in Colorado, I was certified in cold-water rescue.

For GONE TOO DEEP, one of the things I had to research was cold-weather camping. I’m not a camper. Although I love doing all sorts of outside things—hiking, biking, fly fishing, target shooting, horseback riding, four-wheeling—when I’m done, all I want is a soft bed and indoor plumbing. The wilderness is wonderful, but civilization has its perks, too.

What do you hope readers come away with after reading this book?

Katie:

Honestly, I just want people to be entertained. If my Search and Rescue series gives readers a few hours of happy escapism, then I’ve done my part as an author.

What surprised you the most as you wrote GONE TOO DEEP?

Katie:

I was surprised to find that a great number of people (ahem…my editor, for example) do not think that moose are scary. As George says, and I paraphrase, since I’m too lazy to find the exact quote, “I’d rather have a close encounter with a bear than a moose.” George is smart (and I don’t say that just because I created him). Moose are freaky.

What type of books would George and Ellie read?

Katie:

Hmm… I think that George would read non-fiction (maybe historical?) and possibly a Western or two. He’s kind of an old-fashioned guy. Ellie’s definitely a romance reader.

What can readers look forward to next from you?

Katie:

IN SAFE HANDS, the fourth book in my Search and Rescue series and the one that ties up all the loose ends into a (semi-) tidy knot, will be out in October. Also, I just finished the first book in my new Rocky Mountain K9 series (out in 2017). There are women on the run, hot cops, brave dogs, lots of explosions—what more could you want from a book?

Katie, thanks for joining us today. I’m in the crowd that think moose are scary. They’re big animals so I’m going to be extra cautious around them.

Author Katie Ruggle

When she’s not writing, Katie Ruggle rides horses, shoots guns, and travels to warm places where she can scuba dive. A graduate of the police academy, Katie received her ice-rescue certification and can attest that the reservoirs in the Colorado mountains really are that cold.

While she still misses her off-grid, solar-and wind-powered house in the Rocky Mountains, she now lives in Rochester, Minnesota, near her family.

GONE TOO DEEP is available at the following sites: Amazon, Barnesand Noble, iBooks, and Kobo.

This giveaway is for one print copy of HOLD YOUR BREATH by Katie Ruggle. The giveaway is open to residents of US and Canada only and will end at 12 a.m. (EST) on Sunday, July 31.

To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. A winner will be selected by the Rafflecopter widget and I’ll send an email with the subject line “Thoughts in Progress Giveaway.” The winner will have 72 hours to reply to the email or another winner will be selected. PLEASE be sure to check your spam folder from time to time after the giveaway ends to make sure the notification email doesn’t end up there. If you win and you’ve already won the book somewhere else or you just decided for whatever reason you don’t want to win (which is fine), once again PLEASE let me know.

Thanks for dropping by today during Katie’s visit. Are you or someone you know involved in search and rescue? Have you ever wanted to be a part of a search and rescue operation?

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No One But You {+ Giveaway}

It’s my pleasure to be taking part in the Spotlight Tour for author Leigh Greenwood’s latest historical western romance release, NO ONE BUT YOU.

At first glance Leigh may not appear to be what is typically thought of as a romance writer, but don’t let that fool you. Leigh’s tantalizing book will hold you spellbound from beginning to end. As part of this tour, you can enter to win one of five print copies of NO ONE BUT YOU being given away. Please see the end of the post for more details on the tour-wide giveaway.

Title: No One But You

Author: Leigh Greenwood

Pubdate: July 5^th, 2016

ISBN: 9781492608257

First Comes Marriage…

Alone in the world and struggling to make ends meet, Texas war widow Sarah Winborne will do anything to keep her two small children safe and her hard-won ranch from going under. She hasn’t fought for so long to lose everything… and if that means marrying a stranger to protect her family’s future, then so be it.

          She never expected anything but a business arrangement, but something about Benton Wheeler’s broad shoulders and kind eyes awakens emotions she’d long since buried. He makes her feel beautiful. He makes her feel desired. He makes her feel like a woman again. And even though their marriage was never intended to be more than a matter of convenience, as Benton stands between her small family and the wild and dangerous West, Sarah may just realize that the cowboy she married is the love she never dreamed she would find…

NO ONE BUT YOU is available to purchase at the following sites: Amazon, Apple, Books-A-Million, Chapters, and Indiebound.

Now here’s an excerpt from the book for your reading pleasure:

“Do you like Salty?” Jared asked.

The question punctured her thoughts. The unexpectedness of it was like a physical blow. “Of course I do. I wouldn’t have married him if I hadn’t.”

“You said you only married because you had to.”

“Yes, but I wouldn’t have married a man I didn’t like or didn’t trust.”

Jared had finished setting the table and putting out the bowls for the food, but he hadn’t put out the glasses. “Do you want him to stay after he fixes things so we won’t starve? He said he couldn’t get the land until you divorce him.”

Sarah didn’t know what had prompted Jared to ask these questions. She had always tried to be forthcoming with the children, but maybe she’d told them too much. “That’s a long way in the future.”

“Would you let him stay if he wants to?”

Sarah dragged her attention back to the stove. She moved the potatoes off the heat and checked the bottom of the cornbread to make sure it hadn’t burned. “Why are you asking this?”

“Because I want Salty to stay. Forever.”

Sarah forgot her potatoes and cornbread. She looked at her son. “Do you like him that much already?”

“I wish he could be my papa. Arnie said he wanted to be my papa, but I didn’t want him. I want Salty.”

Sarah pulled her son close and gave him a swift hug. “Honey, I know how important your crutch is to you, but anybody could have made you one.”

“But nobody did.”

And Salty had indeed made one, had made it a priority despite staying up all night. He’d taken them to eat in a restaurant, bought them a dog, and let them stay in a hotel. No wonder Jared wanted him to stay.

“He might decide to sell his land once he gets it,” she cautioned.

“He won’t.” It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t even an opinion. Jared spoke as though his belief were an established fact.

“Why do you think that?”

“He doesn’t like Mr. Wallace.”

“Did he say so?”

“No, but I can tell.”

And that apparently settled the question for Jared, because he started setting out glasses.

Sarah hadn’t let herself think about what Salty might do when it came time to sign over half of the ranch; not lately. He had become part of her plans nearly as quickly as he had done for Jared. She was more attracted to him than ever. But that’s not what worried her. She liked him. That wasn’t in her plans.

It was okay to like him as a co-worker. It was okay to like him as a friend. It was even okay for her to start to depend on him for physical labor, seeing as he was her husband. However, it was not okay to want him around all the time. It wasn’t okay to think of him touching her, holding her, even kissing her.

She’d been on edge so long she probably wasn’t thinking clearly. She was simply grateful to find someone who might actually solve her problems. As a result, she had started thinking she’d like him to stay around forever. But was she so grateful, so relieved, she’d forgotten what her father was like, or Roger? Had she forgotten the men who’d worked for her, who were more interested in getting into her bed than in doing the work they were paid to do? Rose Randolph might have found a man she could love in a fairy-tale way, but Sarah didn’t trust any man that much.

But, maybe she could take him as a lover?

The thought shocked her so much she nearly dropped the pan of cornbread she was taking off the stove. She’d never had such a thought in her life. What was wrong with her? But the thought of being held and kissed by Salty caused her temperature to rise. Something deep inside her longed for the physical contact, and it wasn’t just a sense of safety she might find in his arms. She sought something much more fundamental, something she hadn’t felt with Roger or any other man. It was as though she needed him. She could understand want, could even understand lust, but where had need come from? It wasn’t physical. She could take care of herself. It was an emotional need, one she’d never been able to fulfill, only deny.

“Hurry up with the cornbread, Mama. Ellen and Salty are almost here.”

Sarah’s impulse was to run to her bedroom. How could she face Salty with her thoughts in such disarray? She stood frozen while the pair entered the house. Then she did something she’d never done before. She fainted.

Author Leigh Greenwood

Leigh Greenwood is the USA Today bestselling author of the popular Seven Brides, Cowboys, and Night Riders series. The proud father of three grown children, Leigh resides in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Leigh never intended to be a writer, but he found it hard to ignore the people in his head, and the only way to get them out was to write. Visit him at www.leigh-greenwood.com.

 

This tour-wide giveaway is for five (5) print copies of NO ONE BUT YOU by Leigh Greenwood. The giveaway will end on July 18.

To enter the giveaway just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient.

Thanks for stopping by today. Do you think men can write romance just as well as women? When you read a romance book can you tell if it’s written by a male or female?

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Billionaire in Wolf’s Clothing {+ Giveaway}

I’m happy today to be taking part in author Terry Spear’s Spotlight Tour for her latest release, BILLIONAIRE IN WOLF’S CLOTHING, the first installment in her new Billionaire Wolf series.

As part of the celebration for this new release, Sourcebooks Casablanca is offering a tour-wide giveaway for 10 print copies of BILLIONAIRE IN WOLF’S CLOTHING. Please see then end of the post for more giveaway details. First, here’s a summary of the new book followed by the first chapter in the book for your reading pleasure.

Title: Billionaire in Wolf’s Clothing

Series: Billionaire Wolf, #1

Author: Terry Spear

Pub date: July 5^th, 2016

ISBN: 9781492621898

First in a BRAND NEW SERIES from USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear, queen of shapeshifter romance.

Real estate mogul werewolf Rafe Denali didn’t get where he is in life by being a pushover. When sexy she-wolf Jade Ashton nearly drowns in the surf outside his beach house, he knows better than to bring her into his home and his heart. But there’s something about her that brings out his strongest instincts…

Rafe has good reason to be suspicious. Jade Ashton and her baby son are pawns in an evil wolf’s fatal plan. How can Jade betray the gorgeous man who rescued her? But if she doesn’t, her baby will die, and her own life hangs in the balance…

          To get to the truth, Rafe is going to have to gain Jade’s trust. If he can do that, he just might be her last—and best—hope…

BILLIONAIRE IN WOLF’S CLOTHING is available at the following sites: Amazon, Apple, Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble, Chapters, and Indiebound. 

Here for your reading pleasure.

Chapter 1 

        Jade Ashton had made a lot of mistakes in her life, but returning to her brother’s pack topped the list. She should have known the pack members wouldn’t accept her son, the product of a love affair with a human, despite pretending they were fine with it. She glanced at her three-year-old son, napping on the daybed in her office in her brother’s home where she alternated between sketching new designs for intimate apparel and for a new baby and toddler wear line she had developed when her son was born. 
        Toby had just fallen asleep, looking angelic with his blond curls resting on his cheek, his dark brown eyes closed as he licked his lips. No way would she ever give him up, despite how everyone in her pack viewed him as a grievous error in judgment. 
        She felt a little dizzy, probably because she’d been so busy that she hadn’t had anything to drink in hours. She got up from her chair and headed out the door, practically running into her twin brother moving silently down the hall like a wolf. She fell back and gasped softly when he grabbed her arm to steady her. 
        “We need to talk.” Kenneth started to guide her to the den, his blond hair much darker than hers, his amber eyes focused on her in a way that said he had serious business to discuss. 
        Did he know she intended to leave the pack, again? Or did he want to tell her he didn’t think her being here was working out? “I need to get some water. And we can’t talk long because Toby will be waking in a half hour or so.” 
        “This will just take a minute.” 
        It had better, because she wasn’t going to be drawn into any long-winded discussions with her brother. She hadn’t told him she was leaving first thing in the morning. She wasn’t sure how he’d take it. She had to admit she was afraid he’d try to talk her out of it. But she was determined. 
        Every time he and the others had looked at her son in judgment, she’d been annoyed. Not only that, but she’d caught Kenneth and the others having secret conversations and then abruptly stopping whenever they saw her approaching. The pack members pretended to tolerate her son, but she saw through the facade. They didn’t like her having a human son who couldn’t shift. They believed he could be a danger to the pack. 
        Which was one of the reasons she had left just after her son was born. She had also wanted to save his human father from her brother’s wrath. But raising Toby on her own had been tough. When her brother had promised that the pack members wanted her to live with them and have the backup they could provide, she had agreed. She and her son had left southern Texas far behind, so she figured she’d never run into Toby’s father again. And Kenneth had sounded sincere in wanting to ensure her protection—just like a pack leader should. She wanted to be part of a family again. She didn’t have a lone wolf personality. 
        She didn’t believe Toby would be welcome in any other pack either. 
        Clearly, the members had changed their minds about having her and her son there. Unless they had never wanted her back and it was all her brother’s idea. He was the pack leader, so ultimately, it was his decision—one he was apparently coming to regret. He was just being stubborn, didn’t want to admit he’d made a mistake, and didn’t want to have to tell her to leave. 
        Then again, maybe he realized she was planning to leave. Being twins, they sometimes sensed things like that before they really shared with each other. She hadn’t packed anything yet. She planned to tell him in the morning, before he left for work at his auto body shop. She thought it would be easier on all of them that way. She’d call him when she got settled and let him know where she was staying. It was for the best—for her son, for her, and for Kenneth and the pack. 
        Having detoured from the direction of the den to go to the kitchen so she could get something to drink, Kenneth leaned against the granite counter, his focus on her, his expression still ultra-serious. “I have a job for you.” 
        She raised her brows, then grabbed a glass from the kitchen cabinet. Between raising Toby and running her own businesses, she didn’t have time for a whole lot else. But if this was something quick that she could do this afternoon, she would, to thank Kenneth for taking her in—and then she was through with the pack. 
        “It’s simple. And hell, you might get real lucky.” 
        She snorted, pouring water into the glass and adding crushed ice. “Lucky?” She drank several sips of the water. 
        The front door shut, and she figured Kenneth’s girlfriend, Lizzie, was running out for something. She was a wolf too, which meant they were sleeping together, but he hadn’t decided to mate her yet so they hadn’t gone all the way. If they did, he’d be stuck with her as his mate for life. Jade didn’t know why the she-wolf put up with her brother. If Jade was in a situation like Lizzie’s, she’d tell the wolf that either they mated or she’d look elsewhere. But Jade supposed Lizzie wanted to be a pack leader’s mate and was sticking around in case Kenneth decided she was it. Total beta wolf. 
        “You’re living off me so you can put more money into your apparel business that isn’t making enough to really sustain you and your son. So, I need you to do this job and—” 
        “Like hell my business isn’t making enough money.” She was extremely tight with her money. No fancy food for either of them. No special entertainment. No expensive clothes. Since lupus garous lived so long, she had worked other jobs to help pad her bank account before Toby was born. She wasn’t wealthy, but she got by just fine. As long as she was frugal. “That’s okay. Being here with the pack isn’t working out for Toby and me anyway.” 
        Kenneth’s eyes widened. “You’re not leaving.” 
        “Listen, Kenneth, you know no one wants my son here. And they barely tolerate me. You make Lizzie babysit Toby sometimes when I really need someone to watch him so I can work, but it’s not fair to her. The rest of the pack worries about him. I appreciate all you’ve done for me. I really do.” 
        She shrugged. “But…I know this is the right thing for me to do. And for you and the pack too. I’m leaving tomorrow, and we can get together from time to time…later.” She really didn’t believe that would happen, but she’d make the gesture anyway. 
        “Like I said, I have a job for you.” 
        What part of she was leaving did her brother not get? He was so stubborn! Or did he feel it was his place as pack leader to decide if she was leaving? He hadn’t decided things for her since before she left the pack nearly four years earlier, and she wasn’t going to allow him to start now. 
        Even so, she’d humor him because she was leaving tomorrow, with or without his consent. “What’s the job?” 
        “Do you remember when that doctor was taking blood samples from us last week?” 
        “Yeah, Dr. Aidan Denali. He wanted to take some of Toby’s, and I said no. What of it? He’s not asking to take blood samples from Toby again, is he?” 
        “No, but here’s the thing. I looked into his background, and his brother is Rafe Denali.” 
        “So?” She’d never heard of the guy. Not that she’d heard of Aidan Denali either before she’d met him at Kenneth’s house. Since Toby wasn’t a shifter, there was no reason for Aidan to take blood from him. Though she hadn’t given the doctor that reason since he hadn’t needed to know. 
        “Rafe Denali’s a billionaire. Real estate mogul.” 
        “So?” Her brother was usually much better at getting to the point. 
        “The good doctor told me he’s close to finding a cure for our longevity issues.” 
        “Okay. What has this got to do with me? Or you, for that matter?” 
        “I need you to find out where he’s living. Where he does his research.” 
        “What?” She narrowed her eyes. “Why?” She was getting really bad vibes about this. 
        “His brother is ruthless. Hell, he’s the reason our grandparents lost their manufacturing business.” 
        She closed her gaping mouth. She had never known anything about her grandparents. Since her brother had taken over the pack when their parents died, he’d been the one interested in all things family. She’d been rather a wild card growing up. She’d always known she would never run the pack, so she’d done her own thing. After her son was born, she’d thrown herself into her work and raising him. No room for getting into any further trouble. She was faced with enough already. 
        “Okay, so I don’t get the connection between what happened with our grandparents and what you want me to do. Or why you want to know where the doctor lives.” 
        “Rafe is well-known—” 
        She opened her mouth again to tell Kenneth she had never heard of Rafe, so he couldn’t be that well-known. 
        “—in financial circles. The kind that you don’t belong to. I know where he lives. He and his brother are close, but Aidan lives somewhere else. I want you to befriend Rafe and learn where Aidan lives.” 
        “Why would you want to know that? Besides, I don’t run in billionaires’ circles. You already said so yourself.” 
        “He’s a bachelor wolf. He’s not dating any she-wolves. I’ve checked. If he sees you, and you intrigue him, you can cozy up to him and learn where his brother lives.” 
        “I’m not interested. Besides, didn’t the doctor give you his business card and tell you to contact him if you have any concerns?” 
        “It has his phone number. That’s it.” 
        “Why do you want to know this anyway?” 
        “I told you. Rafe is ruthless. When he gets hold of a cure for our condition, he’ll sell it to only those who can afford it. What if lupus garous begin to age even more rapidly than we are now? What if we don’t just end up with a human’s life span, but our bodies begin to age rapidly to match all the years we’ve already lived? Hell, your boy would lose you, and he’d have no one to raise him. Think about it.” 
        She had thought about it. But she wasn’t one to live with a fatalist viewpoint on life. She hadn’t thought her brother was either. Until now. 
        “If you really want this information, ask Rafe yourself. Or call his brother. You have his phone number.” 
        “As if either would tell me.” 
        “Send Lizzie.” Jade turned to leave, and her brother seized her arm. She rounded on him, yanking her arm away from him, and said, “We’re family, Kenneth, but that doesn’t give you the right to make me do things that go against what I believe in. If the worst-case scenario ever comes to pass, I’m sure wolves can unite and make the brothers see the right in this.” 
        Kenneth folded his arms. “Lizzie isn’t right for the part. She’s not as classy as you.” 
        “Oh, wow, give me a break. I hope you didn’t tell her that.” Jade started heading back to her office, but she hadn’t taken more than a few steps when her brother cleared his throat. 
        “I need you to do this. Whatever it takes. After that, you and your son can be on your way. You really don’t have a choice.” 
        “Nothing would make lying to the Denalis worthwhile, no matter why you want this information. Toby and I will be leaving tonight.” Sooner—once she could get her car packed and Toby ready for the journey. She’d have to plot a course too. Had her brother known about the wolf geneticist before he’d asked her to return to the pack? She whipped around. 
        “How long have you known about Aidan? Is this why you asked me to return to the pack? So I could be your spy?” 
        When Kenneth didn’t deny it, she swore under her breath. “I thought you were concerned about me and my son. Or at least me. Thanks for letting me in on the truth.” Furious with her brother, she stalked off toward the office and had nearly reached the doorway when Kenneth let his breath out in a huff. 
        “You will do this for me, and then you can have your son back.” 
        His words made her stomach fall and her head spin as she rushed into the room. 
        Toby and his soft leopard blanket were gone. All that was left on the daybed was his blue rainbow-colored teddy bear. 
        Lizzie! She must have taken him when Jade heard the front door open. Lizzie was the only one who was close enough to Toby that if she woke him while taking him from his bed, he wouldn’t cry out. He’d settle in her arms and go back to sleep. Kenneth had stalled Jade long enough for Lizzie to gather up Toby and leave. 
        Shocked at what he had done and angrier than she ever thought she could be, Jade hurried out of the room, ready to kill her brother—but only after he told her where her son was. “Where is he, Kenneth? I swear I’ll—” 
        “You’ll do this one thing for me, and he’s yours. And then you can damn well leave the pack. But if you ever cause any trouble for our kind, I’ll kill both of you.” 
        So furious she couldn’t think straight, she beat on her brother’s chest with her fists, cursing at him until he grabbed her wrists and slammed her against the wall. “I’m serious about this, Jade. Do what I say, and your son won’t meet his father’s fate.” 
        “What?” Tears filled her eyes, but she tried to get a grip on her emotions so he wouldn’t see her as weak. Kenneth had promised he would leave Stewart alone if she left the area before he even knew she was pregnant, and she never had anything more to do with him. 
        She felt sucker punched. “Why? You said…” It didn’t matter now. All that mattered was Toby’s safety. “Damn you, Kenneth.” 
        She kneed her brother in the crotch with one good shove as a final comment on how she felt about him taking her son hostage. Kenneth collapsed to his knees, swearing that he’d make her pay if she didn’t do what he said. 
        Maynard Myer—one of the men who worked in Kenneth’s body shop—interrupted them, red-faced. He was a redheaded bulldog of a man who had brazenly shown his contempt for her and Toby when he dropped by the house. She suspected Maynard didn’t want to intrude on this scene, but the news had to be serious enough for him to do so. 
        “What?” Kenneth growled at him, still on his knees on the floor and holding his crotch. 
        “Grayton wants his money now. You’ve got two weeks to pay up or…” Maynard glanced in Jade’s direction. 
        She didn’t know who Grayton was, although the name sounded like he might be a wolf. If he had loaned Kenneth money, and now her brother was in arrears… 
        “What are you involved in, Kenneth?” she asked. “Gambling? The horse races? I’ve got money” 
        “Get out of here, Jade. You want to see your son in one piece, leave and do what I told you to do.” 
        No matter how angry she was, she knew she didn’t have a choice. She had to get her son back before her brother killed him. She grabbed Toby’s rainbow bear and hurried into her room to pack, praying she could pull this off without getting her son killed. If Grayton was threatening her brother, what if he took out Kenneth’s debt on his closest relations? Her and her son? 
        What would the Denalis do if they learned what she was up to?

Author Terry Spear

USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear has written over fifty paranormal and medieval Highland historical romances. In 2008 Heart of the Wolf was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year.

A retired officer of the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry also creates award-winning teddy bears that have found homes all over the world and is raising two Havanese puppies. She lives in Crawford, Texas.

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