Oh yeah, and I can’t forget to mention my other two favorite characters in A LOVE TO CALL HER OWN: Oz, the handsome Australian shepherd on the cover; and Oliver, a mistreated, distrusting dog of unknown breed. I love my puppers, both real and fictional, and hope you like them, too.
Happy reading!
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Twitter @MarilynPappano
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From the desk of Kristen Ashley
Dear Reader,
In starting to write Lady Luck, the book where Chace Keaton was introduced, I was certain Chace was a bad guy. A dirty cop who was complicit in sending a man to jail for a crime he didn’t commit.
Color me stunned when Chace showed up at Ty and Lexie’s in Lady Luck and a totally different character introduced himself to me.
Now, I am often not the white hat–wearing guy type of girl. My boys have to have at least a bit of an edge (and usually way more than a bit).
That’s not to say that I don’t get drawn in by the boy next door (quite literally, for instance, with Mitch Lawson of Law Man). It just always surprises me when I do.
Therefore, it surprised me when Chace drew me in while he was in Lexie and Ty’s closet in Lady Luck. I knew in that instant that he had to have his own happily-ever-after. And when Faye Goodknight was introduced later in that book, I knew the path to that was going to be a doozy!
Mentally rubbing my hands together with excitement, when I got down to writing BREATHE, I was certain that it was Chace who would sweep me away.
And he did.
But I adored writing Faye.
I love writing about complex, flawed characters, watching them build strength from adversity. Or lean on the strength from adversity they’ve already built in their lives so they can get through dealing with falling in love with a badass, bossy alpha. The exploration of that is always a thing of beauty for me to be involved in.
Faye, however, knew who she was and what she wanted from life. She had a good family. She lived where she wanted to be. She was shy, but that was her nature. She was no pushover. She had a backbone. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t thoughtful, sensitive, and loving. She had no issues, no hang-ups, or at least nothing major.
And she was a geek girl.
The inspiration for her came from my nieces, both incredibly intelligent, funny, caring and, beautiful—and both total geek girls. I loved the idea of diving into that (being a bit of a geek girl myself), this concept that is considered stereotypically “on the fringe” but is actually an enormous sect of society that is quite proud of their geekdom. And when I published BREATHE, the geek girls came out of the woodwork, loving seeing one of their own land her hot guy.
But also, it was a pleasure seeing Chace, the one who had major issues and hang-ups, find himself sorted out by his geek girl. I loved watching Faye surprise him, hold up the mirror so he could truly see himself, and take the lead into guiding them both into the happily-ever-after they deserved.
This was one of those books of mine where I could have kept writing forever. Just the antics of the kitties Chace gives to his Faye would be worth a chapter!
But alas, I had to let them go.
Luckily, I get to revisit them whenever I want and let fly the warm thoughts I have of the simple, yet extraordinary lives led by a small-town cop and the librarian wife he adores.
From the desk of Sandra Hill
Dear Reader,
Many of you have been begging for a new Tante Lulu story.
When I first started writing my Cajun contemporary books back in 2003, I never expected Tante Lulu would touch so many people’s hearts and funny bones. Over the years, readers have fallen in love with the wacky old lady (I like to say, Grandma Moses with cleavage). So many of you have said you have a family member just like her; still more have said they wish they did.
Family… that’s what my Cajun/Tante Lulu books are all about. And community… the generosity and unconditional love of friends and neighbors. In these turbulent times, isn’t that just what we all want?
You should know that SNOW ON THE BAYOU is the ninth book in my Cajun series, which includes: The Love Potion; Tall, Dark, and Cajun; The Cajun Cowboy; The Red Hot Cajun; Pink Jinx; Pearl Jinx; Wild Jinx; and So Into You. And there are still more Cajun tales to come, I think. Daniel and Aaron LeDeux, and the newly introduced Simone LeDeux. What do you think?
For more information on these and others of my books, visit my website at www.sandrahill.net or my Facebook page at Sandra Hill Author.
As always, I wish you smiles in your reading.
From the desk of Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
Dearest Humans,
It’s the end of the world. You’re an invisible, seventy-thousand-year-old virgin. The Universe wants to snub out the one person you’d like to hook up with. Discuss.
And while you do so, I’d like to take a moment to thank each of you for taking this Accidental journey with me and my insane deities. We’ve been to Mayan cenotes, pirate ships, jungle battles, cursed pyramids, vampire showdowns, a snappy leather-daddy bar in San Antonio, New York City, Santa Cruz, Giza, Sedona, and we’ve even been to a beautiful Spanish vineyard with an incubus. Ah. So many fun places with so many fascinating, misunderstood, wacky gods and other immortals. And let’s not forget Minky the unicorn, too!
It has truly been a pleasure putting you through the twisty curves, and I hope you enjoy this final piece of the puzzle as Máax, our invisible, bad-boy deity extraordinaire, is taught one final lesson by one very resilient woman who refuses to allow the Universe to dictate her fate.
Because ultimately we make our own way in this world, Hungry Hungry Hippos playoffs included.
Happy reading!
P.S.: Hope you like the surprise ending.
From the desk of Karina Halle
Dear Reader,
Morally ambiguous. Duplicitous. Dangerous.
Those words describe not only the cast of characters in my romantic suspense novel SINS & NEEDLES, book one in the Artists Trilogy, but especially the heroine, Ms. Ellie Watt. Though sinfully sexy and utterly suspenseful, it is Ellie’s devious nature and con artist profession that makes SINS & NEEDLES one unique and wild ride.
When I first came up with the idea for SINS & NEEDLES, I wanted to write a book that not only touched on some personal issues of mine (physical scarring, bullying, justification), but dealt with a character little seen in modern literature—the antiheroine. Everywhere you look in books these days you see the bad boy, the criminal, the tattooed heartbreaker and ruthless killer. There are always men in these arguably more interesting roles. Where were all the bad girls? Sure, you could read about women in dubious professions, femme fatales, and cold-hearted killers. But when were they ever the main character? When were they ever a heroine you could also sympathize with?
Ellie Watt is definitely one of the most complex and interesting characters I have ever written, particularly as a heroine. On one hand she has all these terrible qualities; on the other she’s just a vulnerable, damaged person trying to survive the only way she knows how. You despise Ellie and yet you can’t help but root for her at the same time.
Her love interest, hot tattoo artist and ex-friend Camden McQueen, says it perfectly when he tells her this: “That is what I thought of you, Ellie. Heartless, reckless, selfish, and cruel… Beautiful, sad, wounded, and lost. A freak, a work of art, a liar, and a lover.”
Ellie is all those things, making her a walking contradiction but oh, so human. I think Ellie’s humanity is what makes her relatable and brings a sense of realism to a novel that’s got plenty of hot sex, car chases, gunplay, murder, and cons. No matter what’s going on in the story, through all the many twists and turns, you understand her motives and her actions, no matter how skewed they may be.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a romance novel without a love interest. What makes SINS & NEEDLES different is that the love interest isn’t her foil—Camden McQueen isn’t necessa
rily a “good” man making a clean living. In fact, he may be as damaged as she is—but he does believe that Ellie can change, let go of her past, and find redemption.
That’s easier said than done, of course, for a criminal who has never known any better. And it’s hard to escape your past when it’s literally chasing you, as is the case with Javier Bernal, Ellie’s ex-lover whom she conned six years prior. Now a dangerous drug lord, Javier has been hunting Ellie down, wanting to exact revenge for her misdoings. But sometimes revenge comes in a vice and Javier’s appearance in the novel reminds Ellie that she can never escape who she really is, that she may not be redeemable.
For a book that’s set in the dry, brown desert of southern California, SINS & NEEDLES is painted in shades of gray. There is no real right and wrong in the novel, and the characters, including Ellie, aren’t just good or bad. They’re just human, just real, just trying to come to terms with their true selves while living in a world that just wants to screw them over.
I hope you enjoy the ride!
From the desk of Kristen Callihan
Dear Reader,
The first novels I read belonged to my parents. I was a latchkey kid, so while they were at work, I’d poach their paperbacks. Robert Ludlum, Danielle Steel, Jean M. Auel. I read these authors because my parents did. And it was quite the varied education. I developed a taste for action, adventure, sexy love stories, and historical settings.
But it wasn’t until I spent a summer at the beach during high school that I began to pick out books for myself. Of course, being completely ignorant of what I might actually want to read on my own, I helped myself to the beach house’s library. The first two books I chose were Mario Puzo’s The Godfather (yes, I actually read the book before seeing the movie) and Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire.
Those two books taught me about the antihero, that a character could do bad things, make the wrong decisions, and still be compelling. We might still want them to succeed. But why? Maybe because we share in their pain. Or maybe it’s because they care, passionately, whether it’s the desire for discovering the deeper meaning of life or saving the family business.
In EVERNIGHT, Will Thorne is a bit of an antihero. We meet him attempting to murder the heroine. And he makes no apologies for it, at least not at first. He is also a blood drinker, sensual, wicked, and in love with life and beauty.
Thinking on it now, I realize that the books I’ve read have, in some shape or form, made me into the author I am today. So perhaps, instead of the old adage “You are what you eat,” it really ought to be: “You are what you read.”
From the desk of Laura Drake
Dear Reader,
Hard to believe that SWEET ON YOU is the third book in my Sweet on a Cowboy series set in the world of professional bull riding. The first two, The Sweet Spot and Nothing Sweeter, involved the life and loves of stock contractors—the ranchers who supply bucking bulls to the circuit. But I couldn’t go without writing the story of a bull rider, one of the crazy men who pit themselves against an animal many times stronger and with a much worse attitude.
To introduce you to Katya Smith, the heroine of SWEET ON YOU, I thought I’d share with you her list of life lessons:
Remember what your Gypsy grandmother said: Gifts sometimes come in strange wrappings.
The good-looking ones aren’t always assholes.
Cowboys aren’t the only ones who need a massage. Sometimes bulls do, too.
Don’t ever forget: You’re a soldier. And no one messes with the U.S. military.
A goat rodeo has nothing to do with men riding goats.
“Courage is being scared to death—and saddling up anyway.”—John Wayne
Cowgirl hats fit more than just cowgirls.
The decision of living in the present or going back to the past is easy once you decide which one you’re willing to die for.
I hope you enjoy Katya and Cam’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. And watch for the cameos by JB Denny and Bree and Max Jameson from the first two books!
From the desk of Anna Campbell
Dear Reader,
I love books about Mr. Cool, Calm, and Collected finding himself all at sea once he falls in love. Which means I’ve been champing at the bit to write Camden Rothermere’s story in WHAT A DUKE DARES.
The Duke of Sedgemoor is a man who is always in control. He never lets messy emotion get in the way of a rational decision. He’s the voice of wisdom. He’s the one who sorts things out. He’s the one with his finger on the pulse.
And that’s just the way he likes it.
Sadly for Cam, once his own pulse starts racing under wayward Penelope Thorne’s influence, all traces of composure and detachment evaporate under a blast of sensual heat. Which isn’t just the way he likes it!
Pen Thorne was such fun to write, too. She’s loved Cam since she was a girl, but she’s smart enough to know it’s hopeless. So what happens when scandal forces them to marry? It’s the classic immovable object and irresistible force scenario. Pen is such a vibrant, passionate, head-strong presence that Cam hasn’t got a chance. Although he puts up a pretty good fight!
Another part of WHAT A DUKE DARES that I really enjoyed writing was the secondary romance involving Pen’s rakish brother Harry and innocent Sophie Fairbrother. There’s a real touch of Romeo and Juliet about this couple. I hadn’t written two love stories in one book before and the contrasting trajectories throw each relationship into high relief. As a reader, I always like to get two romances for the price of one.
If you’d like to know more about WHAT A DUKE DARES and the other books in the Sons of Sin series—Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed, Days of Rakes and Roses, and A Rake’s Midnight Kiss—please check out my website: http://annacampbell.info/books.html.
Happy reading—and may all your dukes be daring!
Best wishes,
Glossary
al-Qaeda—militant Islamic organization
Bluebird weather—warm temps in autumn or winter
Blue devils—depression
Budweiser—nickname for the garish Navy SEAL pin
Café au lait—hot coffee with an equal amount of hot scalded milk, light brown in color
Carnival—the season immediately preceding Lent, starting in January, often filled with merrymaking activities
Cher, chère—“friend” or “dear” when addressing a male, “dear or darling” when addressing a female
Fais do do—party down on the bayou
Fibbies—FBI
FUBAR—Fucked up beyond all recognition
High and tight—military haircut
Joie de vivre—joy of life
Krewes—private social clubs that sponsor balls, parades, and other events as part of Mardi Gras
Lagniappe—a little something extra
Mardi Gras—Pre-Lenten festivities that end on Ash Wednesday, the day before Lent begins
Mon Dieu!—My God!
Mon petit ange—my little angel
Pink mist—what happens to a body during a bomb explosion
Pirogue—Cajun canoe
Porte cochere—the covered carriage entrance leading into a courtyard
Shotgun house—a narrow, rectangular house with one room behind the other
SNAFU—situation normal all fucked up
SOL—shit out of luck
Tangos—terrorists or bad guys
Traiteur—folk healer
Zydeco—blues-influenced Cajun dance music
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Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Chapter One
/> Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Epilogue
A Letter from the Author
Miss MaeMae’s Red Beans and Rice
Also by Sandra Hill
Join in on the High Jinx!
A Preview of Tall, Dark, and Cajun
The Dish
Glossary
Newsletters
Copyright
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Sandra Hill
Excerpt from Tall, Dark, and Cajun copyright © 2007 by Sandra Hill
Cover design by Elizabeth Turner
Cover illustration by Ross Jones
Cover copyright © 2014 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at
[email protected] Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.