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Sleeping Beauty ~ Excerpt from 'Mission: Impossible to Love'
Mission planning always allowed for the unknown, but how could Sten plan when every detail was a twisted labyrinth—a layer of lies by Izzy Benson. Every preconceived idea of her as naïve and geeky blew up in his face like a grenade.
After Reeves informed Sten of the identity of Izzy’s ex, he added that Sten should realize that Izzy and his sister were both innocent and sheltered women. Innocent? Sheltered? My ass.
A woman dating Charles Bradley was no innocent. The man was a global playboy.
And why did Sten feel betrayed as if he and Izzy…
Sten restrained his fist from pounding the door but instead knocked forcefully and waited.
No answer. Izzy had dismantled her cell, making it impossible to call her or for anyone to track her. Was this part of her hiding from Bradley? He hated puzzles that he couldn’t solve, and Izzy Benson was a 2000-piece jigsaw puzzle with no matching borders.
Where was she? She couldn’t have taken off—not that he wouldn’t put it past the woman, but the security guards at every door and the surveillance cameras would have alerted the alarm.
Richard Dean, wanting privacy for his family, refused to have cameras inside the penthouse, flush with three bedrooms, jacuzzi tub, and a kitchen stocked with gourmet food. If not for Dean, Sten could have checked the cameras to see what she had been doing for the last two-plus hours.
Sten paused and then knocked again before using his keycard to open the door. “Izzy?”
The large space that served as living room and dining room was empty. All the furnishings matched the other Dean residences with ultra-modern, cool sleek lines in silver and black leather.
Sten walked down the long hallway, first to the master bedroom with a closed door. He knocked, his patience slowly evaporating by his wasted time in pursuing Izzy. He could have sent Nick or Reeves to fetch her, but he wanted privacy for their come-to-Jesus moment. Time was over for game-playing. He tried the nice way, and he was finished.
No answer. He slowly opened the door, slipping into stealth mode. The shades were down, and the room was still. Scanning the room, Izzy was stretched out on the giant bed and appeared to be sound asleep.
He crept closer to make sure she was breathing since she hadn’t awoken with his pounding on the doors. Could she have sustained a more serious head injury this morning?
Stab him in the eye with a fork. Izzy Benson, sleeping on her stomach, had kicked off the blankets, her long shapely legs stretched out, her oversized t-shirt bunched around her middle. As he inched closer, he was rewarded with a spectacular view of Izzy’s sweet ass in a hot pink thong.
Sten tried to look away, but the firm globes drew him like a moth to the flame. What he wanted to do…
She had her hand tucked under her head, creating an innocent, childlike pose with the rest of her bangin’ hot body arranged in siren pose to drive any man insane with lust. He tried to look away but was captured by the image that was ever-after burned into his brain. The woman was C4 dangerous—a mix of Pollyanna and Maxim model. And why was he, like all the stupid Jenkins men, drawn to danger?
_____
Mission: Impossible to Love, book 3 in the Impossible Mission series, is available July 25th. Preorder your copy today.
The History of Memorial Day
Memorial Day, a U.S. holiday observed on the last Monday in May, honors and remembers those men and women who died while serving their country. This year, Memorial Day falls on May 27.
Those who observe Memorial Day visit cemeteries or memorials, gather with family and friends, and participate in parades. For many Americans, Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer.
The origins of this meaningful observance date back to the Civil War, which ended with General Robert E. Lee’s surrender on April 9, 1865. In the years following the war, Americans paid tribute each spring to fallen soldiers. In 1868, this tradition officially became known as Decoration Day.
After World War I, the observance eventually evolved to commemorate all American military service members who died while defending their country. In 1971, more than a hundred years after the tradition started, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act went into effect, establishing the last Monday in May as a federal holiday.
As an author who writes military romantic suspense, I offer my gratitude and respect to all service members and their families, especially those who gave their lives.
Mood Music - One Writer's Inspiration
Palm Springs is one of my favorite destinations to visit. It has a glamorous past as a resort town for Hollywood celebrities, actors and entertainers in the 1940s and 1950s. While it might not be the glamorous playground to the stars it used to be, there is still nostalgia to be found.
One of the best places to experience the history of Palm Springs is The Casablanca Lounge at Melvyn’s. They feature nightly entertainment with live performances. Knowing I’m hanging out at the same club that hosted the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Rat Pack definitely inspires my creativity. After enjoying a few hours of music and soaking up the ambiance, I’m ready to dive into the next chapter of my current work in progress, Mission: Impossible to Love.
What inspires your creativity? Does music help or hinder your imagination when you’re painting, writing or engaging in some other creative venture?
If you’d like more information about the history of Melvyn’s and the Ingleside Inn, you can read it here.
A CHRISTMAS CODE is free!
For a limited time, A CHRISTMAS CODE is free at all retailers.
All that stands between Viscount James Ashworth and a much-anticipated quiet retirement is one simple assignment: protect the Prince Regent at a holiday house party. But there’s one thing the seasoned spy didn’t count on–his childhood friend, Lady Gwyneth Beaumont, who has blossomed into an enticing, passionate hellion.
Gwyneth has a secret mission of her own: prove she’s worthy of joining the Code Breakers, winning the heart of the hard-headed viscount she’s loved since they were children. When her spying uncovers a secret so shocking the enemy would kill for it, she’s thrown head-first into a dangerous world of intrigue and treachery.
With Ash by her side, Gwyneth is unstoppable. Soon the notorious rake realizes that the woman he’d always considered off-limits is his perfect match, this Christmas and forever after–if only they can survive long enough for that mistletoe kiss.
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*Add the audiobook for just $1.99
If you love Regency holiday romances, check out my new release A Holiday Code for Love.
A Holiday Code for Love is here!
I’m thrilled to announce the release of the seventh Code Breakers novel, A HOLIDAY CODE FOR LOVE. This book continues Jack and Abbie’s love story from A CODE OF HONOR, but it can also be read as a standalone historical romance. There’s lots of suspense, lots of love, and lots of Regency fun, so I’m sure that you will love it.
Check out A HOLIDAY FOR LOVE:
Blurb:
Tis the Season of love and hope, spies and intrigue!
A Christmas house party becomes a covert operation to trap a French spy. Can the Honorable John Bonnington protect his wife from their guest’s murderous intentions? Can Abbie Bonnington protect her husband from his ex-mistress’ intentions to seduce him into revealing Crown secrets? Can Abbie and Jack continue the charade of hosting the perfect holiday party as danger, treachery, and treason swirl in the ballroom?
Enjoy the passionate, suspenseful Regency world of the Code Breakers,where daring lords and ladies decode the path to happily ever amidst their dangerous, heroic fight against Napoleon’s treacherous designs.
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