Addicted to Writing & Mystery Monday: Legacy Under Fire by Genie Gabriel

Title: Legacy Under Fire

Author: Genie Gabriel

Genre: Women's Fiction

Email: genene@genenevalleau.com

Excerpt Heat Level: 1

Book Heat Level: 1

Buy at: www.roguephoenixpress.com

Buy at Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Under-Fire-Halo-ebook/dp/B00AVKSQ7S/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385863134&sr=1-1&keywords=Legacy+Under+Fire+by+Genie+Gabriel

Buy at Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/legacy-under-fire-genie-gabriel/1114054318?ean=2940016137933

BLURB:

After being trapped in an arson fire that destroyed her clinic and her memory, a doctor struggles to regain her courage as well as solve the mystery of why someone would want to kill her. A different kind of heat fills her life when she falls in love with the firefighter who rescued her, but can he protect her from the man determined to snuff out her life?

EXCERPT

As Shiloh stood watching the dancers, butterflies swooped in her belly like the rainbow of satin gowns swirling across the dance floor.

"Would you like to dance?"

Shiloh gazed at Jeremiah, her handsome escort. No smudges on his face from smoke and ashes. No sturdy turnouts with its fabric rough against her cheek.

Handsome. Serious. Sexy.

Though he barely touched her fingers, the heat shimmered between them.

Shiloh's breath caught in her throat. Tonight was different. He wasn't a hero doing his job. He was a man whose gaze looked into her soul.

And found what?

Did he see the holes where her memory had been? Did he sense her fear and wonder at her doubts?

"I-I can't."

A frown settled briefly on his brow.

"I've never learned any dance steps--I just to sway to the music." Shiloh shrugged ruefully.

"I can teach you."

Shiloh's mouth went dry. She struggled to swallow as the fantasy of Jer teaching her more than dance steps raised goosebumps across her skin.

"It's easy." Jeremiah turned his hand over so her palm rested against his. "Just a few simple steps in a box pattern."

His other hand moved to her hip, and he quietly counted the steps as they moved to the music. "One, two, three. One, two, three."

Mesmerized by the movement of his lips, Shiloh simply followed his lead. Until he turned and she stumbled against his feet. She jerked upright, flushed, and stammered out an apology. "I guess all my skill is in my hands--or used to be..."

"You can stand on my feet if you want to until you get the hang of it. Marly used to when she was a kid and Tallie was trying to 'give us some culture', as she said."

"That sounds nice." Wistfulness wove between Shiloh's words.

"Trampled feet or culture?" A dimple appeared in Jeremiah's left cheek when he smiled.

Why had she not noticed that before? "Having lots of siblings must have been nice."

"Intrusive sometimes."

"Better than being alone."

"Were you lonely as a child?" Jeremiah continued dancing with Shiloh as they talked.

"I knew my parents loved me and were doing important work. But I missed being around kids my own age."

"Yeah, you missed out on bruises and elbows in the ribs during basketball games."

They laughed together.

"I didn't realize how lucky I was," Jer said. "Until lately."

"Much has happened lately," Shiloh agreed.

Jer swung her under his arm and she concentrated on keeping her feet moving so she didn't stumble. For the rest of the song, Shiloh focused on dancing rather than talking. As the dance ended, a cautious pride bloomed in Shiloh's chest.

"You're a fast learner."

Jer was staring at her. With something different in his eyes Shiloh hadn't noticed before. Speculation. Desire perhaps.

The orchestra began playing again and she melted into his arms. In this beautiful old house, time seemed to have receded to a gentler era when gentlemen and ladies put on their best manners with their fine clothes for a special night on the town.

Shiloh let her eyes drift closed, wondering what making love would be like with Jeremiah. She fancied it would be much like dancing with him. A slow, tantalizing journey unlike any other she had taken.

Is this what she had missed in younger years by focusing on her studies? Or was this magic reserved for a special someone? Someone she hadn't met until Jeremiah.

When she opened her eyes, Jer was gazing at her. A slight smile on his lips and banked fire in his eyes. He wanted her. Yet made no move to put his desires into action. Truly a gentleman. A hero.

The man she had fallen in love with.

Addicted to Writing & Romance Sunday ~ Skylark by Kellie Wallace

Title: Skylark

Author: Kellie Wallace

Email: kelliewallace85@hotmail.com

Genre: Crime

Excerpt Heat Level: 1

Book Heat Level: 3

Buy at: www.roguephoenixpress.com

Buy at Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/skylark-kellie-wallace/1116256265?ean=2940148824541

Buy at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Skylark-Kellie-Wallace-ebook/dp/B00E91QFV4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384888003&sr=1-1&keywords=Skylark+by+Kellie+Wallace

Hollywood in 1948. World war two had ended three years ago, but crime is still growing rampant on the streets. Detective Luca Valiant returns home from war a broken man, haunted by memories of his duty. He is strong willed and passionate about his job but keeps his soldier days hidden behind a thick wall. Young women start showing up around the city shot point blank in the chest, found with stolen morphine ampoules on their person. Luca fears it might be a crime ring that ruled Hollywood in the 1930s. With his partner Duke Williams by his side, Luca uncovers a world of drug use, money, sex and corruption he never knew existed which truly tests his sanity. When his wife Sally is murdered by Hollywood's crime lord Don Pascoe, Luca must push his demons aside to crack the case before it consumes him.

EXCERPT

Hollywood,

Los Angeles

1948

The purple kite frolicked in the air behind Karsten's head as he ran through the grass. The sun's golden rays warmed the nape of his neck and marshmallows clouds danced across the sky.

His new shoes were damp and dirtied from jumping in a puddle, but he didn't care. It was a perfect summer's day; perfect for ice cream by the lake or hiding in an alleyway stuffing his mouth with stolen goods from Mrs. Dane's bakery.

As he leapt through the field, inhaling the rich Hollywood air, something deep inside him dimmed. He wished he could share this wonderful day with someone. During the dying afternoon hours before bed, he would watch the other neighborhood children playing in the street or at the park with their siblings, wanting to be a part of their world, jealous of their kinship.

At eleven years old, he had not seen much of the world, but he knew it must revolve around Fern Rosenberg. He saw her sitting on the swing set across the park, swaying against the gentle breeze. Her head was down, nose in a book.

Ever since her family moved in next door six months ago, he couldn't understand why she never played with the other children, often sitting alone reading a book. He remembered his mother telling his father she and her family were survivors of a horrible camp in Poland. The girl barely survived, fleeing the country with her aunt and uncle to start a better life.

He never had the courage to talk to her, usually succumbing to inaudible mumbles before he walked away embarrassed.

Karsten blew out a breath of self-encouragement and arched his back. He was going to do it today. He walked across the park, his stomach rolling nervously. Fern didn't acknowledge him until his figure cast a shadow across her book. She looked up, her eyes thinning against the glare. "Hello. Can I help you?"

Karsten opened his mouth but no sound came out, his tongue turning to cement. A veil of transparency fell over Fern's eyes; she was losing interest.

"Um, my name is Karsten. I am in your math class at school."

"You sit behind me. Don't you live next door?"

"I do."

"I often see you play by yourself on the street sometimes," Fern said. "Why don't you ask other kids to join you?"

"I don't know how."

"Why?"

"I'm too scared they will say no."

"Surely that doesn't matter. You can ask me now."

Karsten looked at the kite dangling from his fingers, wondering if asking her to play was a bad idea. "You want to fly the kite with me?"

Fern's lips rose into a smile and she laughed. "I should be reading. My uncle will quiz me when I get home, but I would very much like to fly the kite with you."

Karsten watched Fern rise from the swing and gently lay her book on the grass next to her bag. She repositioned the clips in her brown hair and grabbed the kite string from his grasp. Her hands were soft. "The wind is picking up. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

The children bolted across the park, watching the kite bellow in the air. Other neighborhood children joined them, giggling at the sight of it kicking and twisting like a captured bird. Karsten and Fern spent the rest of the afternoon under the warm sun, walking home muddy and exhausted. They decided to cut through a park, crying out in delight at the sight of a mother duck waddling with her ducklings. She saw the children and scuttled away, her babies following in haste.

"Let's follow her!" Karsten cried. "Maybe she has more."

Fern followed him with the kite in her hand, chasing after him through the thick underbrush. "Slow down!"

She saw him disappear deeper into the brush, his heavy footfall breaking through the silence of the early evening. In a blink of an eye he was gone. Fern kept running. She jumped over a log, nearly running into him as he stood still staring at the ground. "Oomph! Karsten, I nearly ran into you." She pulled at his sleeve, noticing his face had gone white. "What is it?"

He pointed a shaky finger to the lush ground, his eyes wide. Fern followed his gaze and noticed white fur, speckled with blood against the twigs and other debris. She took a step closer and let out a scream.

Lying in a leafy tomb, a woman lay dead, her blonde hair messy and dusted with leaves. Her cold blue eyes frozen, her red lips open in an eternal scream.

Addicted to Writing & Sci/Fi Fantasy Saturday ~ The Purrfect Picture by Angela Castle

Title: The Purrfect Picture

Author: Angel Castle

Email: jazzgenie@hotmail.com

Genre: Paranormal/Erotic Romance

Excerpt Heat Level: 1

Book Heat Level: 5

Buy at: www.roguephoenixpress.com

In the heat of the Australian Summer, Tinder Munro has been sent to an obscure little town, in the Australian bushland, to uncover its secrets. What she never expects to discover, is the devastatingly sexy Hawk Black, who seems very intent on embedding himself into Tinder’s body mind and soul.

Hawk, Panther shifter and beta of Black Town, volunteered to baby sit a Photojournalist, only to discover the feisty red head his is true mate.

Now nothing will stop Hawk from getting into Tinder’s life, and keeping her just were she belongs, with him, in his arms. But when others discover the truth behind Black town, they decide to make Hawk and Tinder pay a high price, in more ways than one.

Hawk races against time to save Tinder, and keep the secret of Black Town secure

EXCERPT

Pictures speak more than a thousand words; Tinder Munro's mother, the artist, drilled the words into her head at an early age. So, what was the picture before her trying to say? It was odd and out of place. No way, this couldn't be real; someone was playing a prank on her.

She didn't care. Even pranks which kept her mind off her current situation were better than sitting around stewing over things she couldn't change.

She sighed, needing to get closer. Blackened, scorched ground crackled as she lowered herself to her knees, inhaling the still-smoky air of the surrounding bushland. It was a few weeks since the devastating fires ripped through this part of the Black National Park.

Her current, and temporary, employer sent her up into the New South Wales Mountain region to an obscure little town to investigate.

It was good to get out of the city. When this job was done, she would like to find a smallish town with a little newspaper. She hoped someone would employ her and buy some of the many photos she had collected over the years as a photojournalist.

She had nothing to go back to. What little she did have was stuffed in the boot of her beat up old car. Black Town Motel would be her home until she finished this job, got the rest of her money, and moved on.

Tinder ran over the odd conversation in her head a few times, trying to figure out what the Sydney money tycoon, Felix Roads, wanted exactly.

'I want anything and everything suspicious reported. There is something not right with those Black brothers, and I want to know what it is.'

'Are you sure you want to use me, Mr. Roads? I'm a photojournalist not a private detective.' She stood in front of his six-foot wide, polished mahogany desk, in the tall fifty-five story building in the Sydney business district, overlooking Sydney Harbour bay and the Opera house.

'No, you're exactly what I need. I want picture evidence of whatever they're up to. There is something odd with those Black Town people. I think you would do better than any detective…someone they wouldn't suspect as much.'

'Just what do you expect me to find in Black Town?'

'I want any dirty secrets which can discredit them from the contract they stole from me.'

Basically, she was being sent in as a spy. But how could she object when Mr. Roads handed her a three-thousand-dollar check?

'Half now, half when you bring me evidence of what I need to get my contract back.'

This is money she desperately needed to start over. She would do her job to the best of her ability; if it was secrets Mr. Roads wanted, then secrets he would get.

After doing a little background digging on Black Town, via the internet, she kept coming across rumour after rumour of big cat sightings in the area. Tinder contacted the local park ranger to obtain permission to have a look around.

During her travels through Africa, she had photographed many majestic big cats, and had seen their paw prints in those counties, just like the ones she now studied.

Leaning closer to study the odd paw prints in the scorched earth, she saw the solid evidence those cat rumours were true.

She sat back on her heels and reached for her tan canvas equipment bag, riffling around to find her tape measure. Leaning back over, she placed it along the side of the print, careful not to disturb the ground. She lifted her digital camera, placing it over her right eye and closing the left as the automatic focus adjusted.

Her trigger finger pressed gently to snap a few shots.

"This has to be too good to be true." Her got voice lost in the soft whistling of the warm summer wind in the burnt trees.

Tinder climbed to her feet, bent over to follow the print trail. She peered over a fallen, two-foot log, where this cat obviously leapt, leaving lovely, deep prints.

Her excitement bubbled; oh yes, big cat indeed. If she could be the one to capture it on film, would this be what Mr. Roads wanted? She shook her head; at this stage she didn't care. Maybe she could earn some more money by finally proving there is a big cat living around Black Town Forest.

Her clothes were now probably streaked with soot, but it didn't matter as her finger pressed down on the trigger again.

"Holy shit!"

The sudden deep masculine voice from right behind her jumpstarted her heart into a junkie's, high adrenaline spike. Her scream pierced the tranquil air and she spun around, only to lose balance and fall backwards onto her large arse.

She stared up into a pair of striking, pond-blue eyes. He looked just as startled, his handsome face twisted down into a fierce frown, making her scramble back further.