Romantic Suspense Day

JAMBREA JO JONES 

Yesterday the 2nd book in my Semper Fi series released! WOOHOO! BUT…that’s not all…the first book–it went into print yesterday. VERY exciting. I’m going to show you both covers and share an excerpt of my newest release Ben.

Series Blub:

The Few. The Proud. The Marines.

There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion. ~ Gen. William Thornson, U.S. Army

Semper Fi—an adventure into the lives of a group of marines as they find love in the face of danger. Nothing will stop these warriors from claiming what’s theirs.

Book two in the Semper Fi Series

Colonel Ben Davies was going out of his mind. Why was he having sexual thoughts about his best friend’s twin sister? Nothing could happen between them. No matter how much Mari tempted him.

Maribeth O’Malley admired the boy who hadn’t minded a girl tagging along with him and her brother. Over the years, those feelings turned to love for the man he’d become. Now she had to convince him that she was all woman.

When Mari comes across information she shouldn’t have she turns to the man she loves for help. Her life is in danger and Ben must find the person responsible without falling into bed with her.

Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of violence.

Excerpt From: Ben

Mari jolted out of bed. Something had woken her up and she was a bit disoriented. She threw off her blankets, stumbled to the front of her apartment and paused with her hand on the doorknob, still not all the way awake.

Something isn’t right.

She cocked her head at a noise coming from the other side. It was times like these she wished she’d listened to her brother and had that peephole installed. The rustling sound came again and the knob turned in her hand. That woke her up.

What the hell?

She backed away and looked around to find a weapon. The only thing close was an umbrella so she grabbed it and waited. It seemed like hours, though it was only seconds later when someone stepped through the doorway. She closed her eyes and swung the umbrella like a bat. It made a nice swooshing sound, then a whack as it connected and a thud when the person fell. She opened her eyes and her jaw dropped.

On her floor was Ben—all six foot three inches of him. Mari flipped on the light so she could see him better. He was dressed in blue jeans and a red T-shirt that showed off his dark complexion. His black hair was barely there with its short Marine high and tight cut. His full lips looked so inviting and she wanted to kiss him, but she was pissed off and he’d probably have heart failure if his best friend’s sister gave him a lip lock.

“God damn it, Ben! How many times have I told you to knock!”

Mari went with anger, it was easier than focusing on how much she wanted in Ben’s pants…or him out of them.

“Well shit, Jellybean, if you’d lock your door, I might just knock.” He looked up at her from the floor, rubbing his head.

Mari put her hand out to help him to his feet, not letting his big brown eyes distract her. She was upset. He’d just broken into her house and she hadn’t seen or heard from him in weeks.

“When are you going to realise I’m not a kid anymore and stop calling me by that ridiculous nickname?”

Secretly she liked Ben calling her Jellybean, but she’d never let him know that. Lusting after her brother’s best friend probably wasn’t the best thing she could do, but she couldn’t help it. She’d been in love with the man for as long as she could remember and he never saw her as more than a friend’s annoying sibling.

Mari thought things might go differently after they both attended a family friend’s wedding. The dance she’d shared with Ben had been wonderful, but he ran off right afterwards. This was the first time she’d seen him since the reception.

“What did you hit me with?”

Ben still rubbed his head and she chuckled at his hurt expression. She also noticed that he’d ignored her comment about the nickname.

“An umbrella, I couldn’t find anything else.” Mari shrugged and put the umbrella away.

“Just wait until I tell Fin.”

“What? That you broke into his poor defenceless sister’s house? And you leave my brother out of this. What are you doing here anyway?” It was nice to see Ben back to his old self. This was who she knew and loved. Not that man who had left her on the dance floor feeling so alone and confused.

Ben snorted. “I’m taking you out. Go get dressed, Jellybean.”

She liked how he dismissed the poor defenceless part. Of course it helped having an older brother and his friends teaching her ways to make sure her dates didn’t get too grabby.

“Why me? Isn’t Fin home?” Mari plopped down on her couch.

“He’s out on assignment.” Ben moved to sit down beside her.

Mari loved the way his cologne smelled and she liked having him here beside her. She really didn’t feel like going out.

“Shoot, that’s right. I forgot he was delayed because one of the pilots got sick. He’s due back any day. Can’t you wait?”

“Nope, I just got my orders; I’m off to Iraq day after tomorrow.”

Shit, it was bad enough when Fin went on assignment, but to have Ben leaving too ripped her heart out. If anything happened to them she’d lose her mind.

“How long will you be gone?” Mari hoped the fear didn’t creep into her voice. She’d become better at hiding her worries and putting on a happy face.

“It’s supposed to be a month hitch to help out and do some training, but you know how that goes. So go, get dressed we’re gonna paint the town.”

“Just where are you taking me?”

She needed to stop thinking about the bad and live in the moment. After all—she was going out with Ben.

“It’s a surprise.” Ben winked at her.

“I need to know how to dress. And I can’t stay out too late. I have work tomorrow.”

“I thought you were on summer break? One of the perks of working in a school.”

“I will be, in a couple of weeks.”

“You know, when I was in school, our librarian was a troll. I don’t think your students know how lucky they are to have a hot librarian.” Ben slapped her thigh and smirked.

Mari pushed his hand away and got up from the couch. She grinned down at him before turning to go to her room. This Ben wasn’t afraid to touch her. She wondered what had changed.

“You think I’m hot?” she said over her shoulder.

Ben smacked her ass. “Go get dressed.”

Mari paused for a second to take in this new, playful Ben. Maybe tonight would be her chance to show him she wanted more from him than friendship. With that thought in mind, she went to raid her closet for the right outfit.

Ten minutes later she walked out of her room to find Ben at her bookshelf gazing at old pictures of the four of them. Growing up, Ben, Fin and Joe, a family friend lovingly referred to as Magnus, had done everything together. Originally, she had always stayed on the sidelines. It wasn’t until she went to college that the boys let her into their little group. She didn’t date much and that could be because the three of them ran off any guy interested in her. Mari shook her head at the memories. They were great ones and she missed Joe, but he’d been gone from the group for a while now. Ben—he was her constant. The only exception was her twin brother. They shared a different kind of bond. She cleared her throat and put thoughts of her brother in danger out of her head.

“You ready?”

Ben turned and the look on his face was priceless. His eyes widened and he sucked in a breath.

“You aren’t wearing that, are you?”

She glanced down at herself, “What’s wrong with what I have on?”

Mari had on a form fitting white tank top that ended at her belly button, showing off the loop she’d got pierced there on a dare from one of her friends last summer. Her jeans were black and fitted just right and she’d topped it off with a pair of sparkly red heels.

“What is that?” Ben pointed at her belly ring.

“I got my belly button pierced. It isn’t a big deal. Are you ready to go or not?”

“Do you have…ah…anything else pierced or tattooed?” Ben looked worried.

“That is for me to know and you to find out.” Mari winked at him and headed out of her doorway. She made sure to put a little extra wiggle in her walk. Ben Davies was going down.

Mari waited by Ben’s truck. He didn’t take long to catch up with her. She stood by while he opened the door for her, always the gentleman.

“Now will you tell me where we’re going?” she asked after Ben settled behind the wheel.

“No, and I want you to close your eyes. Like I said, it’s a surprise.”

You can buy both Semper Fi stories at Total e Bound http://www.total-e-bound.com/prodtype.asp?CAT_ID=272&sb=bt&so=all&ntt=1

MARI CARR 

Like a little action and mystery with your romance? Check this book out!

Because of You snippet: “Husband?” he asked and she saw his eyes dart to her ring finger. She given up wearing her diamond engagement ring, but she couldn’t seem to part from the actual white gold wedding band.

She sucked in a breath at his question. She’d carefully avoided talking about Tommy all night. She’d wanted a night to forget, a night to pretend that her life was normal and happy and that she hadn’t had her heart ripped out of her chest eight months earlier.

“I’m a widow,” she said and the sound of that simple word released the flow of ice cold water throughout her body once again. For a few hours, she’d been warm. Hell, between Caleb and the alcohol, she spent more than a few moments on fire and it had felt so damn good.

“I’m sorry,” he said, rising and crossing the room to take her icy hands in his. She didn’t realize until his touch that she was shaking. In just one evening, he’d diminished the shadow of fear that constantly hovered over her. He’d rejuvenated her, made her feel alive.

She shook her head, desperately willing away the chill, the sadness. Dammit, she didn’t want to be cold anymore. She was tired of being afraid. “It’s been eight months and I’m afraid I sometimes tend to talk about Tommy in the present tense, like he’s still here.”

“Had he been ill?” he asked and she smiled sadly. He sounded very much like a doctor.

“Freak accident. He slipped on a patch of ice and hit his head on a car door. It was late and brutally cold and he was the last person leaving work that night. It was several hours before I found him and by then—”

“You found him?” he asked, pulling her gently to a chair in the kitchen. He pushed her down before sitting next to her. He never released his grip on her hands and she knew he felt the coldness in them as he began to rub them with his own as if to warm them.

“I was concerned when he didn’t come home and didn’t answer his cell. He was an accountant and it was audit season, so he worked late occasionally, but it wasn’t like him not to call and check in. Finally, I worried myself into a frenzy and decided to drive by his office, fully prepared to give him holy hell for scaring me so.”

He nodded. “I’m sorry it was you who found him.”

She shrugged and closed her eyes. She was a master at controlling her tears, yet here with Caleb it seemed harder to do. She’d managed to push her pain deep inside her and she even found it easier of late to discuss Tommy’s death. Tonight, whether it was the alcohol or her tiredness or Caleb’s compassion, the emotions were threatening to bubble over and she refused to let that happen.

“Well, I suppose I managed to bring tonight’s fun level down. That’s me—the official ruination of all parties,” she tried to joke. She pulled her hands out of his comforting grip and went back to the counter. “Do you like cream and sugar in your coffee?”

“No, I drink it black, and, Jessie, you didn’t ruin anything. You’re going through a damn hard time right now, dealing with something no one should ever have to deal with. Don’t be so hard on yourself. I wish I could give you an easy fix, but I’m afraid nothing except time will cure this.”

She grinned over her shoulder, determined to return to the easy banter they’d enjoyed all night. “That’s quite a bedside manner you have, Dr. Caleb.” The flirtatious line felt rusty and foreign as it fell from her lips, but Caleb didn’t seem to notice.

He gave a short, brief laugh. “Oh yeah, I’m a master at bedside—” He paused mid-sentence and she was surprised when he walked over to her and placed his hands on her cheeks. “Christ, Jess. I want to kiss you so badly it hurts.”

“So kiss me,” she whispered, uncertain where the words had come from, his and hers. From the second he touched her face, she wanted him with a passion she’d thought long gone.

He leaned down and took her lips gently, sweetly, but she refused to be patronized, treated with kid gloves. She was a living, breathing woman and she wanted him. Wanted him beyond reason, beyond care.

She reached up, gripping his hair in her fingers roughly, pulling his face more firmly to her. She opened her mouth and welcomed his tongue, before pushing it out of her way to explore his lips, his teeth with her own.

He moved his hands down to her waist, his grip stronger, more certain, more controlling. She was giving him everything her broken shell of a body had left to give and she sensed he was more than ready to take her up on the offer.

His lips slid from hers, gliding along her cheek to her earlobe, down her neck. The whole time he worshipped her with his mouth, his hands roamed, finding their way beneath her T-shirt to her breasts. She groaned at the hot touch of his hands against her taut nipples and he ground his hard erection into her pussy.

“God,” she gasped, his touches, his lips, his body pushing hers rapidly into overdrive. “More,” she demanded. “Please, Caleb. More.”

He continued his sensual assault and she fought to keep up. She shoved his hands off her body for a moment so that she could pull his T-shirt over his head. The image of his bare, sculpted chest was a visual treat, but she couldn’t make herself take the time to enjoy it. She was on fire and her body was demanding that she take everything he had to give immediately. She leaned down, nipping at his small, hard nipples and he hissed with delight. His hands began working at the button and zipper of her jean shorts, shoving them and her panties over her hips, leaving her bare from the waist down.

Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, she wondered what the hell she was doing, but that thought was quickly squelched by a single touch of his fingers against her clit.

“Yes,” she whispered hoarsely. His hand delved farther and soon she found herself roughly pushing her hips toward him, forcing the two fingers he plunged inside her deeper, harder, faster. She was cresting on the edge of an orgasm within moments, but she refused to come alone. Caleb had given her so much tonight. Without realizing it, he’d offered her an escape, a refuge from the mourning, and she wanted to give him back some small part of the incredible pleasure he was building inside her.

“You,” she demanded. “I want you.”

Because of You is available at Samhain, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo, Fictionwise, and All Romance Ebooks.

RHIAN CAHILL

I’m a huge romantic suspense reader so it seems natural to add a little suspense to some of my own work. The Coyote Hunger series has a suspense theme weaving through each of the books that have released so far. The last book out, Coyote Whispers, is were we see the ‘bad guy’ get what he deserves.

Book three in the Coyote Hunger series.

“Doc” Gordie has tried to keep Steve McKenna at arm’s length, but the sexy coyote shifter is under her skin, in her blood and in her heart. No matter how much she fears what he makes her feel, she can’t bear to stay away. After he rescues her from a vicious attack, Gordie is helpless to deny the sizzling attraction burning between them.

There hasn’t been a day Steve has not wanted Doc in his bed, but bruised and bloody is not what he had in mind. The need for revenge is riding his coyote—almost as much as his aching desire to finally claim Doc as his own. But that will have to wait. He must first convince Doc the safest place for her is by his side. When a second attack draws them together, suppressed needs explode, leaving no doubt where they both belong. But danger is never far behind and Gordie is forced to make a fatal decision that could destroy all they’ve worked so hard to discover.

EXCERPT:

Steve walked into the café with Dale. They’d spent the morning combing the clinic and then the roof cavity at Doc’s place but other than a few broken shingles they hadn’t found any more clues. He headed for the counter, searching the room for Doc as he went, but he couldn’t see her anywhere. Kat was serving a customer so he slid onto a stool and waited for her to finish.

“Do you want to check the roof at the clinic again before you head home?” Dale asked.

“No. We’ll do that before she opens up again though. I want it checked before she goes back there.”

Kat put a couple of mugs down and filled them with coffee. “Can I get you something to eat?”

“No thanks, coffee’s fine. Where’s Doc?” he asked.

“She and Tatum walked over to the clinic to get something for Tatum.”

Steve jumped from his seat. “Alone? You let them go alone?” He headed for the door at a run, dodging tables and chairs on the way.

“What’s wrong? She said you’d checked it this morning. That it was safe,” Kat protested behind him.

“We did,” he yelled as he yanked the door open. “But I don’t want her going there alone.”

Dale was right behind him when he hit the sidewalk. They ran across the empty street and skidded to a stop at the front door. Steve tried the handle and finding it locked, began thumping on the door and calling out to Doc.

“Wait.” Dale grabbed Steve’s arm. “Listen.”

He turned his head and held his breath. The murmured cry for help was barely audible through the thick timber panel. “That doesn’t sound like Doc.”

Dale put his ear to the door but he didn’t need to, the next cry came through loud and clear. “What the fuck? Tatum!” Dale banged on the door.

Steve started down the sidewalk at a flat-out run as his stomach cramped with the fear that threatened to take him to his knees. Where the hell was Gordie?

“Where are you going?” Dale yelled behind him.

“Around the back.” He breathed hard but kept running, Dale’s footsteps pounding behind him. “We’ll never break down the front door but there’s a window above the back one.”

Steve would smash through the timber wall if he had to. He ran past the clothing store, the small bookshop and slid sideways in the snow as he rounded the corner of the building. The alley was unplowed and he could see footprints where Doc and Tatum had walked. As he got closer to the back of the clinic he was hit by déjà vu. The back door stood ajar and his blood ran cold.

“Let me go in first.” Dale had caught up to him and pulled his gun from its holster.

“Fine, but I’m right behind you.”

They entered the building at a slower pace. Dale took the lead but Steve stayed right on his heels. No sounds came from the interior and he thought maybe they’d imagined the cry from Tatum. The sight that met them in the morgue almost crippled him. Doc lay curled on her side, covered in blood. A huge pool of the stuff lay between her and Marcus. Neither of them appeared to be breathing.

Steve dropped to the floor next to Doc and felt for a pulse. The hard, fast beat he found in her neck produced a gust of breath from his lungs. He tried to find her injuries but the blood was everywhere, he couldn’t tell where any of it was coming from. “I can’t find where she’s bleeding.”

Dale checked Marcus. “I’m not sure it’s her blood. He’s dead, looks like she slashed his throat.”

“Jesus. What the fuck happened?” He tapped Doc’s cheek. “Doc? Come on, Gordie, talk to me.”

“I’ll be back. I need to find Tatum.” Dale left the room with his gun drawn.

“Come on, Gordie, don’t do this to me. Not again.” He turned to the doorway as people started pouring into the room. “Stay back,” he yelled.

Buy Coyote Whispers at – Ellora’s Cave – Amazon – Barnes & Noble – All Romance eBooks

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