Cover Reveal! More by Keren Hughes

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COVER REVEAL
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Title: More

Author: Keren Hughes

Cover Designer: Ashley Byland from Redbird Designs

Release Date: July 19th

Cover Model: Amanda Renee

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29093984-more?ac=1&from_search=true

Synopsis:

Drake Anderson is all the man Annalise Duncan ever wanted…

Annalise has it all. The perfect husband. The perfect son. The perfect life. After the father of her son Ayden abandoned her to be a single parent, she finally felt like she hit the romance jackpot. Her boss, Drake Anderson, turned out to be more than just a friend. He’s the love of her life, and an amazing stepfather to her son.

But the picture perfect marriage is merely an illusion…

After seven wonderful years, Drake leaves. He doesn’t give her a reason, or even the courtesy of a return phone call. Six months go by without even a single acknowledgement. Annalise is devastated. Her heart and soul belonged to Drake, and he was the only father Ayden ever knew. She’d dedicated her life to him and the family they built together, and she isn’t willing to let that dream go easily.

When Annalise spots Drake out at a café with a woman, her heart shatters all over again. But it’s not what Annalise thinks. He isn’t cheating on her. There are things about leaving that Drake just can’t or won’t explain. Some things should remain a secret. 

He wants his old life back, but Annalise won’t accept anything but the truth…

Drake has to find a way to convince his wife, his Cariad, to take him back, but it may mean facing a truth he wanted to keep hidden. He must prove to Annalise that despite his past, he wants her…

More.

What a Tangled Web They Weave...

...When First They Practice To Deceive...

Coming May 3rd... The third installment of the Secret Lives Series


For a little sneak peak at Jessy and Trey... Read all the way to the end

WHEN FIRST THEY PRACTICE TO DECEIVE

Pre-order your copies here!


Author: Carolyn LaRoche

Series: The Secret Lives #3

✦SYNOPSIS✦

All Jessy Wallace wants is a happy marriage, but her husband is a liar and in over his head…

Jessy has spent the last decade happily married to her husband, Sam. But when she finally lands a job at Dixie’s Place, a hole-in-the-wall diner, she learns not all is well in paradise. Officer Sam Wallace has been spending the majority of their marriage in the beds of other women. Fed up, Jessy kicks her husband to the curb.

The last thing she wants is another messy relationship…

Uncertain if her husband ever truly loved her, Jessy gets caught completely off guard by the intense attraction she feels for Trey Smith, the night cook at Dixie’s Place. But she recognizes some telltale signs, and discovers he’s an undercover FBI agent. Jessy curses herself for falling for another lawman. To make matters worse, her soon-to-be ex-husband might be involved with Trey’s case.

After the death of his wife, FBI agent Trey Smith has spent the last four years married to his work…

But when Jessy starts waitressing at the diner where he is working undercover, he falls head over heels for her. Her ex-husband, however, is one of the top suspects in Trey’s case, and all Trey wants to do is protect her. He can’t lose this once in a lifetime chance at love.

Jessy is the soon-to-be ex-wife of a suspected criminal. 

Trey Smith is an undercover FBI agent. 

Can their love overcome the odds, or will it all come crashing down under the weight of lies and deception?

✦✦✦ COVER DESIGNER ✦✦✦

WICKED BY DESIGN




Dixie dumped her packages on the counter with a grunt. “Where the hell is that cook? Trey!”

Trey’s appearance in the dining room was announced by the slam of the back door. His cheeks were red. Jessy caught sight of a cell phone sticking out of his shirt pocket. Trey rubbed his hands together.

“It’s mighty frosty out there tonight. Was just taking out the trash. You need something, Dix?”

“How many times have I told you not to call me that? It sounds too much like dicks.” She swatted at him but Trey sidestepped the hit.

“Aw lighten up, Dix, no one is going to think that of you.” Jessy experienced an annoying twinge of jealousy as Trey ran a long, lazy glance over Dixie’s body, making the woman flush a deep crimson which just made her look sexier. Jessy glanced down at her own, curveless frame and frowned. Life is so unfair.

“Just take this stuff into my office so I can sort it.”

“Sure thing. What’s in all these packages anyway?” Trey flipped open a box lid. “Christmas decorations?”

Dixie shrugged. “Well, yeah. It’s December.”

Trey rummaged around and pulled out an ornament of a tiny ballerina. “Shattered dreams going on the tree this year, Dixie?”

“Gimme that!” Dixie snatched the figure from Trey’s hand.

“Okay, so which one of us is the angel supposed to represent? Knowing all of you like I do, I have to go with the only logical conclusion. Me.”

“Yeah, ‘cause you’re a real angel all right.” Arnetta gave Trey a searing look, like the ones they write about in romance novels.

“You know nothing about my angel status.” Trey returned the angel to the box as he winked at Jessy. “That is a mystery that remains to be discovered. Oh wait, maybe this will help.”

“What is it?” Jessy, intrigued by the contents of the box as much as she was interested in just how much Arnetta knew about Trey’s status, stepped forward. Trey whipped around to face her, his hand on his head.

Only it wasn’t resting on his head. It held a little sprig of green vegetation in his hand and a grin on his face that rivaled that of the Chesire Cat. Mistletoe. Aw, crap.

“Oops, I’m stuck under some mistletoe. You know legend says I have to kiss the person nearest to me.” His eyes burned into Jessy’s skin as her cheeks heated to new proportions never before experienced.

“I don’t think that’s quite how it goes,” Arnetta said.

“Shut up! He’s about to have his meal!” Surrey whispered loudly behind Jessy.

“I think the legend says someone is supposed to kiss you.” Jessy looked into Trey’s  eyes without blinking.

“Breaking legend is bad luck. Very, very bad luck.”

“I think you mean tradition. It’s bad luck to break tradition.”

“Legend. Tradition. Whatever. All I know is you are leaving me hanging and potentially exposing both of us to many years of pain and suffering.”

Jessy could feel three sets of female eyes on her, but she only cared about Trey’s. His eyes were so warm and so welcoming, and they were doing things to her insides so she couldn’t think straight.

“Well, I guess we wouldn’t want that.” She rose up slightly on tip toe, closing some of the height gap between them.

“No. I guess not.” He leaned forward, closing just a little more of the distance.

“It’s never a good idea to tempt the fates.” Jessy heard three breaths sucked in as one.

“Nope. Definitely not.”

Freezing air wrapped around them as the sounds of laughter and chatter suddenly filled the diner.
“Show’s over, folks. Time to make some money.” Dixie grabbed a few bags and headed to her office.

“Trey! Get the rest of those boxes for me then get in the kitchen!”
Trey stepped back and lowered the mistletoe, never breaking eye contact with Jessy. “Yes, ma’am! I’m right behind you.”

He blew her a little kiss then stepped over to the counter, scooped up the boxes, and was gone before Jessy could remember to breathe.

Surrey was the first to grab up a notepad and take a table, but not before she whispered in Jessy’s ear, “Just like I said. Looks at you like his next meal.”




Other Books in the Series

Undercover in Six Inch Stilettos

In The Shadow of the Shield

Cover Reveal! When First They Practice to Deceive

✦✦ ✦✦ COVER REVEAL ✦✦ ✦✦

WHEN FIRST THEY PRACTICE TO DECEIVE

Author: Carolyn LaRoche

Series: The Secret Lives #3

✦SYNOPSIS✦

All Jessy Wallace wants is a happy marriage, but her husband is a liar and in over his head…

Jessy has spent the last decade happily married to her husband, Sam. But when she finally lands a job at Dixie’s Place, a hole-in-the-wall diner, she learns not all is well in paradise. Officer Sam Wallace has been spending the majority of their marriage in the beds of other women. Fed up, Jessy kicks her husband to the curb.

The last thing she wants is another messy relationship…

Uncertain if her husband ever truly loved her, Jessy gets caught completely off guard by the intense attraction she feels for Trey Smith, the night cook at Dixie’s Place. But she recognizes some telltale signs, and discovers he’s an undercover FBI agent. Jessy curses herself for falling for another lawman. To make matters worse, her soon-to-be ex-husband might be involved with Trey’s case.

After the death of his wife, FBI agent Trey Smith has spent the last four years married to his work…

But when Jessy starts waitressing at the diner where he is working undercover, he falls head over heels for her. Her ex-husband, however, is one of the top suspects in Trey’s case, and all Trey wants to do is protect her. He can’t lose this once in a lifetime chance at love.

Jessy is the soon-to-be ex-wife of a suspected criminal. 

Trey Smith is an undercover FBI agent. 

Can their love overcome the odds, or will it all come crashing down under the weight of lies and deception?

✦✦✦ COVER DESIGNER ✦✦✦

WICKED BY DESIGN

https://www.facebook.com/WickedByDesignRobinHarper

To get books 1 and 2 in the series, click on the links below:
Book 1: Undercover in Six Inch Stilettos

Book 2: In the Shadow of the Shield

✦✦ ✦✦ CAROLYN LAROCHE ✦✦ ✦✦ 

Carolyn LaRoche grew up in snow country but fled the cold and ice several years ago. She now lives near the beach with her husband, their two boys, two finicky cats and one old dog. When she is not at the baseball field cheering on big hits and home runs, she is busy teaching science to unwilling teenagers.

Limitless Publishing: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/carolyn-laroche/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolynLaRoche

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarolynLaRoche

Website: http://carolynlarocheauthor.blogspot.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7734909.Carolyn_LaRoche

Release Information And A Little Something Extra

I'm very excited to announce that the third book in the Secret Lives Series will be released on May 3 by Limitless Publishing! I'll be sharing the cover here in just five days...and it's absolutely awesome!! I can't wait for you all to see it.

As a little treat in preparation for the cover reveal, I am sharing one of my favorite parts of In the Shadow of the Shield with you today.  Diana is finally pulling out mourning and allowing herself to live again...

      If you haven't read this book yet, you can get a copy here...or borrow it free in kindle unlimited



“So, what are you doing here anyway?” she asked as she pulled a couple of tea bags from a canister on the counter. “Obviously you’re on duty.”
He shrugged and offered a sheepish smile. “Would you believe that I missed you?”
She returned the smile. “I definitely wouldn’t mind if you did.” 
“You almost shooting me aside, is it okay that I dropped by? I was down the street on patrol, and my unit seemed to develop a mind of its own. Next thing I knew, I was sitting in your driveway.”

“You can stop by anytime. I’m glad you did.”  Diana set out two mugs, dropped the tea bags in them, and reached for the lemon juice and honey she kept handy.
Carter caught her hand from across the counter and held it, caressing the palm with his thumb. “It’s been a long week. I never minded going home to my empty apartment before. Now, I can’t stand how lonely and cold it is. For the first time since my wife left, I feel like I have a reason to be a little bit happy. Being with you makes me happy.” He looked up at her. “Too much too soon?”
“No. I have been pacing the house for days, hoping Louie would text you so you would have a reason to come by. Crazy, huh?”
“Not at all. I wanted to, but I figured you needed a little space after—how did things go with your son the other day?”
The tea pot whistled. Diana poured steaming water into both cups and passed Carter one of them with a spoon. “Jackson misses his father. He’s struggling with the idea that life has to go on, and you have to admit, he did happen in on us at a very inopportune time.”
 “Yeah, no kidding. It took me half the afternoon…”
“Half the afternoon to what?”
 “Let’s just say that kiss didn’t end in my mind for a good long time.”
“You youngsters are so dramatic!” She flipped a dish towel at him. Carter caught it in one hand, and his expression turned serious.
 “Why are you so hung up on our age difference? It’s only eight years. If I were older than you, would it even occur to you to care?”

She felt her cheeks heat up as Carter watched her intently. “I—I don’t know. I mean, it’s a little strange to me to have someone so much younger—I mean, the way I—” She threw her hands in the air in frustration and turned her back on him. “Look, Donnie was my high school sweetheart. I loved him for more than half my life. I still love him. I was not prepared for the way I would be affected by a man other than him.”
When she turned around again, Carter was standing there, his eyes filled with desire and emotion. “I’m not trying to take Massey’s place in your life. I had no idea when I went to the cemetery that—oh, I don’t even know. I was looking for you, yes, but only because I wanted to know what really happened to Massey. I wasn’t prepared for the way—for what’s happening either. I’m still not. Not really. I’m broken, Diana. I have a mother who didn’t love me, and a wife who couldn’t love me enough to stick around. It’s only been a week since I met you, and it has been the best time in my life in a very long time. I only want the opportunity to get to know you, see where— if anywhere—this thing will go. And figure out what really happened to Massey.”
 “How do we even know something happened to him?”
“It’s a gut feeling. That’s all I can say.” They were standing very close. Too close. She could smell that musky soap of his again, and it was all she could do to stay where she was. He sure looked good in that uniform. Too good. She moistened her suddenly dry lips with the tip of her tongue.  “Don’t do that.”

“What?”
 “Lick your lips that way. I have to get back on the road in a minute, and that might make me quit my job so I can see you do that again.”
She giggled like a schoolgirl. “Oh, you can’t do that. Your uniform is half the appeal. Don’t you know, once a badge bunny, always a badge bunny?” She tapped the badge on his chest with one finger.
“Badge bunny, huh?” In one smooth move, his arm slipped around her and his lips pressed to hers in a quick kiss. “I hate to leave, Madam Bunny, but the streets of Virginia Beach are begging to be kept safe.”
 “What kind of crime is there in a resort town in the middle of the winter?”
 “You’d be surprised. Hookers still got pimps to pay, no matter how cold it is. Crack heads still need a fix, and drive-bys are very popular this time of year. The discerning gangster prefers not to freeze the family jewels to get the weekly quota of shootings in.”
“I suppose that makes sense, since it was this time last year when Donnie got mixed up in that supposed meth case.” No sooner had the words left her mouth that they heard the ringing of a cell phone.
Carter let her go and dug into one of his pockets. “That’s the Louie phone number. A text message.” “What’s it say?”
 “He says he wants a pizza with his Snickers and his Mountain Dew.”
 “What?”
“Hold on. Another message is coming in. It’s a photograph.”

“A photo of what?”
“Hard to tell. It’s pretty dark, but it looks like three people. He says he caught them leaving the house, and they are the same guys he saw the other night.”
“Ask him who they are.” Her heart rate picked up at the thought of a possible lead. “Are they cops?” Carter tapped out a message and then waited for Louie to reply. “Okay, he says they left and locked the place up tight. He doesn’t know who they are, but he is certain they are the same guys he saw the other night.” Carter typed in another message, then set the phone down on the counter by his radio. It buzzed almost immediately with a message from Louie, promising to let them know the second the men returned, as long as he could have an extra-large double cheese pie. “All right, as much as I hate to go, I need to get back out on patrol. Lunchtime is over.”
 “Lunch time? Was I supposed to be a quickie on your lunch break?”
Carter grabbed his radio and clipped it back on his belt. “Trust me, baby, if that was why I was here, there would be nothing quick about it.”

A Spring Break Treat- An Excerpt From Another James Man Love Story

 

 

 

                                                Get your copy of Homeland Security here!

Excerpt One:

The heavy door swung open. Fully expecting another black clad, automatic rifle bearing commando like the ones that had dragged her from her apartment, Katie's jaw dropped when a tall, broad frame wearing a tuxedo filled the space. His form almost completely blocked out any light from the hallway. Katie sucked in a breath.

"Good evening, Ms. McCoy." Tuxedo man stepped through the door, not making eye contact as he studied the file in his hand.

He didn't have to introduce himself. She knew exactly who he was. Oh crap. Would he remember her?

"I'd shake your hand or curtsy or something if I weren't attached to this stupid table." Katie scowled for effect but he still wasn't looking at her. Instead, he chuckled as he settled himself in a chair opposite hers, stretching his long legs underneath the table.

"Don't worry, Miss. Despite the fact that I missed a delicious prime rib dinner this evening I will not bite you." That explained the tux.

"You mean you don't always dress that way for an interrogation? Don't I feel special now?" she snapped, unable or unwilling to bite back the sarcasm as she sat as far back in her chair as she could.

Finally he looked at her. She saw the quick gleam of recognition before it disappeared.

He knew who she was.

"See anything you like?" Katie grumbled, resisting the urge to squirm under his blue gaze.

"What's your name?" the man asked casually, although Katie knew casual had nothing to do with it.

"You know my name. You just used it. Stop trying to butter me up and get down to business. I'm sure you know everything about me. I mean, I doubt those commandos of yours kidnap random women for fun on a Friday night. Or maybe they do?" She noticed the man watching her with the slightest hint of a smile.

"Are you always so defensive?" He eyed her again, as if seeing straight into her soul.

Her blood started to percolate a little in her veins under the intensity of his scrutiny. Aggravation, that's all. What other explanation could there be for the sudden rise in her internal temperature.

"McCoy. My name is Katie McCoy. And only when I have been kidnapped by a bunch of Special Forces wanna-be's. That tends to ruffle my feathers a bit, Mr…?" Two could play his game.

"James. Agent James."

"Your mother not like you much?"

He eyed her questioningly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"She named you 'Agent', so she must not have liked you very much."

The man chuckled and she almost smiled in return until she went to push a stray hair behind her ear and realized handcuffs still held her to the steel table.

"It's Kaiden, Ms. McCoy. Agent Kaiden James."

"Agent of what agency?"

"Well, aren't you full of questions tonight?" He winked at her as he leaned back in his chair.

Katie scowled at him across the small space. "I always have a lot of questions when I am dragged from my home in my pajamas in the middle of the night."

Agent Kaiden James looked at his watch. The same military style, digital type Nathan used to wear. Katie scowled again. The memory of her ex-fiancé was not what she needed to be thinking about.

"It's barely nine in the evening, Ms. McCoy. I would hardly call it the middle of the night. Do you always dress for bed at dinner time?"

"I wasn't exactly expecting any company," she shot back.

"No, I suppose you weren't." He fiddled with his watch again, eyes narrowing as he studied the illuminated face. She didn't remember him being so pensive the last time they had met. Of course he had been under the influence of some strong narcotics. When would he admit that he knew her?

"Why am I here, Agent James?"

"Please, call me Kaiden."

"Fine, Kaiden, why am I here?'

"Do you really expect me to believe that you have no idea why you are here?"

"Yes, I do. Apparently making a frozen pizza is a capital offense in this part of the world."

 

 

Excerpt 2

In another place, under other circumstances, silk, satin and lace rubbing up on him would have been a turn on. At one in the morning, in a building that smelled of dust and must, nothing got turned on except his allergy response. He needed an antihistamine and a cup of coffee in the worst way. And maybe a sandwich. Or some fried chicken. His stomach rumbled at the thought of hot, moist fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits. He had missed dinner, after all.

He caught Katie's eye over a display of animal print push up bras. His blood warmed pleasantly as she smiled at him. A hunger of a different sort clenched in his gut.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I know it's late but I can't stomach the thought of anything that man touched on my skin. I want to grab a couple of things to hold me until I can get to the mall."

"Take your time. You might not be able to go home for a few days so grab what you need," Kaiden responded with more conviction than he felt. He nodded at a leopard print push-up in front of him. "That looks nice." It would look real nice on Katie. Forget about his allergy response, everything started to warm up.

"Agent James! I had no idea you had such a wild side to you!"

"I'm not all business all the time you know. And please, call me Kaiden already. I am pretty sure we have gone beyond formal. Not every woman I meet gives me a sponge bath." He winked at her as a blush formed on her cheeks.

"We probably shouldn't discuss that. Nurse-patient privilege or something." She reached for a deep emerald satin and lace set that would look like the jewel of the same tone against her creamy skin and bring out the green in her hazel eyes.

"I don't think there is any such thing. Besides, it's something I certainly enjoy thinking about."

He watched as the flush in her cheeks darkened by at least three shades. Kaiden couldn't help but wonder if Nurse Katie had ever thought about him. Of course not, you idiot, she was engaged! Still, during his stay in the hospital they had definitely shared a flirtation. Apparently it ended at flirting since she had a boyfriend the entire time. The pain meds had probably colored the experience, making it something more in his mind than it had actually been.

"All right then it must be off-limits for a secret agent to discuss such things with a suspect."

Kaiden laughed. "There is nothing secret about this agent. You know who I am and what I do and I'm fairly certain the only thing you are guilty of is bad judgment in men."

 

And just for an extra spring treat...Meet Clara, the James Matriarch with attitude...Excerpt 3

Clara peered out the door, squinting at him. "That you, Kaiden?" she called out.

"It's me, Ma! You got your glasses on?"

"You know I hate those things, boy. Besides, don't need glasses to see that monstrosity of a vehicle of yours. Didn't know I raised a boy with such self-confidence issues."

"Come on, Ma, you know I just like big trucks."

"You know what they say about a man with a big truck… he's compensating for other smaller things."

"Ma!"

Clara opened the door and stepped through, toting her favorite shot gun over her shoulder. "Come here, boy, and give your mother a hug."

With a glance at Katie, Kaiden jogged over to his mother and grabbed her up in a bear hug, spinning her around before setting her back on the ground. Clara giggled like a little girl. "Just like your daddy, you really know how to sweep a girl off her feet!"

"Only you, Ma. I don't seem to have that touch with the rest of the ladies."

Clara looked past him at where Katie still stood. "Well, now, look what the cat dragged in. I can't believe Kaiden found you again. I was pretty certain he was going to be pining after you for a lifetime. Dumb fool left the hospital without even getting your number!"

"Ma!"

"What? I'm an old lady. We say what's on our mind in case we lose our mind before we get another chance."

Katie's face reddened as she offered her hand to Clara. Clara chuckled but ignored the other woman's outstretched hand, instead grabbing her up in a hug. "No one's a stranger round here."

 

 

New Book and an Excerpt!

This is it! The final James man has finally found love. Aunt Clara can rest in peace! 

                                                             Check it out here!

Keegan James was all about his career in the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Until he let his heart get in the way of his good sense and he started thinking about marriage and future. She was too, just with someone else. So, he did what any smart, jilted lover would do- quit his job and moved to the beach. Sort of.

About to start his new job with the Border Patrol, Keegan buys an old farm on a whim.  It needs a ton of work—or a total tear down—but he loves it and can’t wait to make it his new bachelor pad. Too bad the entire property is under investigation by the DEA for drug trafficking and the agent on the case thinks he’s involved.

 What’s worse? She’s smart, sexy and good with a gun.

Nikki has had to prove herself every step of the way to get where she is.  If her boss weren’t her  father’s best friend and her ex wasn’t a complete idiot, maybe it would have been different. As it stands, she is about to break the case of her career. And, possibly arrest the sexiest man she’d met in a really long time.

It eventually becomes obvious that Keegan isn’t her perp and  that drugs are exactly what’s being moved off his property.

 

Here's a little sneak peak....

 

Excerpt 1

"Have you thought about joining one of them online dating sites?' his mother inquired before he even had his seat belt on.

"Mom." He sighed as he turned the key and put the car in gear. "Give it a rest, would you please?" Keegan pulled onto the road and back toward the more populated area of the city and his temporary rental but Clara had no intention of letting anything rest.

"Come on, it's easy. You just fill out a profile and let the ladies find you."

Keegan groaned. "It's not that easy, Ma. Finding a wife is not like going to the grocery store. I can't make a shopping list of attributes and just fall in love because some computer program says I should."

"Well, nothing else seems to be working for you. Your brother found love; Logan is happy. I just want you to have what they have."

"I'm going to be pretty busy here for a while, Ma. There isn’t going to be time to have a relationship with anyone except my contractor and the construction supply company."

Clara sat back and folder her arms across her chest. "You would deny your mother the chance to know you are happy before she dies?"

"Let it go already, Ma. Please. I can't force someone to love me just to make you happy." Or for any reason at all. A lesson he had learned the hard way—at the expense of his career hard way.

"Well, you can't fault a mother for trying." Clara turned to look out the window and things became eerily silent. Whenever his mother was quiet too long, Keegan got worried. She was probably concocting some plan that he was going to hate.

"What about one of those foreign things? You know, brides from other countries?"

Keegan slammed on the brakes, sending the BMW into a slight fishtail before it came to a stop. Gripping the steering wheel, Keegan struggled to maintain his composure. Clara was his mother after all. "You. Want. Me. To. Get. A. Mail. Order. Bride?"

"Sure, why not? Hank, in my group has one. So does your Uncle Joe."

"What the hell, Ma?" He turned to look at Clara. "I'm not desperate! I'm perfectly happy with my life and I would suggest you let this drop now!"

"You would take that tone with your own mother?" Clara clasped her hands over her heart. "When my only wish is to see you happy and taken care of?"

Keegan put the car back in gear and started driving again. "Let it drop, Ma."

Clara let out a little sigh and folded her hands in her lap. "For now."

Excerpt 2:

Nikki followed Logan's wife out the front door. After being inside the windowless house, the morning sunshine seemed especially bright. As they walked around the side of what Nikki had thought was a small cabin, what she saw stopped her in her tracks. The view of the Blue Ridge Mountains was absolutely breathtaking. The greens of the trees against the blue of the sky and tendrils of early morning fog weaving in and out of the mountain tops painted a picture that no words could do justice.

"Wow."

Angie looked at her over her shoulder. "I know. It blew me away the first time too."

"How long have you and Logan been married?"

"Just about a year. We had a quick romance, I guess." Angelina laughed.

"That's what Keegan said about Kaiden and Katie."

"The James men are pretty intense and when they make up their minds about something they go after it. No messing around."

Nikki nodded. "They are intense."

"Keegan has already made up his mind about you. I can see it in his eyes. He is head over heels for you."

"We just met less than a week ago."

"I knew Logan loved me two days in. Of course, our courting period happened while we were on the run from mercenaries that wanted me dead so we may have felt a bit of pressure to get things out in the open." She laughed again and motioned for Nikki to follow her. A few hundred feet away was a patio with comfortable oversized chairs and an awning. Angelina lowered herself into one of the chairs and waved Nikki to the one beside her. "So much better to sit."

"I'm not sure I'll ever have a baby. Pregnancy seems so hard. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

Angelina smiled. "No worries. It is hard. The hardest part is being on leave and not be able to go after the bad guys anymore. I would give my left arm—not my right because that's my gun hand—to be there when Salvatore goes down but they are right, I need to stay here."

"Is there anything you would like to say to him? I mean, I could pass on a message for you when we get him."

"A well placed knee to his crotch would make me exceptionally happy."

Nikki grinned. "You got it. I mean, as long as those boys don't go all macho on me and cut me out of the action."

"Ah, so that's what's bothering you."

"Come again?" Nikki tried not to sound annoyed but she wasn't very successful. She sounded like a bitch even to her own ears.

"I read people very well. You were pretty pissed in there."

She shrugged. "I was. Am. This started out as my investigation. I know I have to share it with the ATF but honestly, they have all hijacked it totally. I'm just an onlooker now and I'm the one that did all the leg work."

"You know why, right?" Angelina smiled and patted her arm.

"Because I am a woman?"

"Oh, no. The James men are not like that, Clara would kick every one of their asses off the side of this mountain if they were."

Nikki sat forward and looked Angelina in the eye. "Then what the hell is wrong with them? Do I threaten their masculinity or something?"

"Nope."

"Then what?"

"I told you, Keegan is in love with you."

Nikki shook her head. "No, he isn’t. We just met."

"Doesn't matter. He has decided you are the one and once a James decides they love someone, you are instantly inside their circle of wagons, so to speak. They are protecting you now."

"I don't need protection. I want to do my job."

"Then stand up to them. Don't let them shut you out. Even though they aren't trying to do that, they will in a heartbeat if it keeps you safe. Logan about lost it when I was shot. He wouldn't even let me go to the bathroom alone for months. I had to sneak away when he was asleep to go to the supermarket. They love hard, those guys, but they love with every fiber of their being."

"I'm not sure I'm ready for all that."

"I wasn't either but they grow on you. Or wear you down. One or the other." Angelina chuckled as she appeared to slip away for a moment into a private memory. "Anyway, if you don't mind me saying, it is my opinion that you are more ready than you think you are. I see the way you watch him and the way he touches you whenever he can and it makes you blush just a little. Keegan is a really good man, Nikki. I hope you won't be scared off by his intensity. He needs someone like you to even him out."

 

 

 

 

New Release!

 

Jeremy Flagg, takes his love of superheroes and comic books and adapts them for an older, darker, more mature audience in Nighthawks (March 1^st, 2016; Limitless Publishing), the first book in the Children of Nostradamus series. A cross between Minority Report and X-Men, Nighthawks blends a not-so-pristine future with the trials of superhuman fugitives. 

It’s been twenty years since Nostradamus predicted the end of the world. Since that day, a small percentage of people have emerged with extraordinary abilities. Fearing their gifts, the government has dedicated a branch of the military to capturing, researching and terminating the superhuman threat. The Children of Nostradamus who evaded capture flee to New England, a radioactive wasteland created by domestic terrorists. 

In 2032 a letter from Eleanor, a dead psychic and former aide to the President of the United States, reaches Conthan on the night of his controversial art gallery opening. As protestors and supporters clash, chaos breaks out and he discovers he is a Child of Nostradamus, a person with extraordinary abilities. Guided by the letter of a dead woman, he finds himself trapped between hunted super humans and a research center controlled by the government. Caught in a war between species, Conthan must decide what humanity he is willing to sacrifice in order to survive. 

Influenced by the comic books and dark fantasy he read as a kid, Jeremy Flagg has found a way to take these heroes and weave them into a fast-paced apocalyptic novel. Nighthawks invites the reader to witness the humanity behind the powers and the tough decisions they make for a greater good. 

About the Author

Jeremy Flagg has written several books including the young adult Suburban Zombie High Series as well as a non-fiction book memoir, I.Am.Maine: Stories of Small Town Maine. He lives and writes in Metrowest Massachusetts.

Children of Nostradamus (Nighthawks, Book1) is currently available for order on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1L1cQso