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Down, but not out– this Alpha’s healing takes patience and love
And now, the latest shapeshifter tale in the Romantic Moments series from KATE HILL! Pre-order while it’s hot!
Tag Line: Tia is there to remind him that even an alpha wolf’s broken spirit can heal.
Story:
I’m a powerful and respected Alpha, but the wolf Mette covets my leadership. I’m injured when my conniving enemy challenges me.
After losing my pack and nearly my life, I go to lick my wounds in the human world, but my beloved mate Tia knows that a wolf’s broken spirit can heal, and there is only one true leader of our pack.
Note: Caleb is a very short werewolf action romance story with a mild heat level, moderate violence, and a HEA. This Romantic Moments story is the perfect length for a lunch break, before bed, or any time you want a quick, romantic read.
Excerpt:
Reaching the village, Tia shouted to the nearest wolf to bring the healer.
Finally we made it to our cabin where I collapsed on our bed. Tia brought a cup of water and lifted my head to help me drink. Gazing at her, I realized how much I loved her and how much of a risk she’d taken by becoming my mate.
An aggressive howl echoed from the clearing near our cabin. This wasn’t just any howl, but one of challenge for leadership of our pack.
Tia’s horrified, furious gaze met mine and she whispered, “Mette.” Then she snarled through clenched teeth. “The coward!”
I’d only known real fear at one other time in my life—the day Tia and I had been attacked by hunters and she’d been lost. My fear now mingled with regret. I’d promised her a happy life, but we were about to lose it and there was nothing I could do about it.
Drawing a long breath, I painfully pushed myself to a sitting position.
“You don’t actually intend to fight him?” Tia demanded.
“I have to.”
Author Bio:
Kate Hill is a vegetarian New Englander who loves writing romantic fantasies. When she’s not working on her books, Kate enjoys reading, working out, watching horror movies, and researching vampires and Viking history. She runs the Compelling Beasts Blog that is dedicated to antagonists, antiheroes, and paranormal creatures. Kate also writes as Saloni Quinby.
Visit her online at https://www.kate-hill.com. Join her newsletter at https://kate-hill.com/index.php/newsletter.
Social Links:
Website: https://kate-hill.com/
Blog: https://kate-hill.com/blog/
Newsletter: https://kate-hill.com/index.php/newsletter/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kate-Hill/e/B002BLS7OW
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-hill
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16157.Kate_Hill
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/katehillromancewritingandmore/_saved/
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/katehillromancewritingandmore
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KateHillRomance
Preorder Link:
One plus one equals….much more than two, for Terry Newman’s newest
PLEASE WELCOME LYNDI’S ADVENTUROUS Friend, TERRY NEWMAN!!
Heartquake is the result of synchronicity. Two dissimilar events came together to make this book possible. Maybe that’s why I love it so much.
The first is the creation of the character of Riley Brockton. He was a secondary character in a short story I wrote for a freelance client. The client never paid for the work, so it became mine.
I had a setting, Prague, Ohio, and characters, including Riley Brockton, with no respectable home for them. They hung out in the files of my computer.
Until…a friend of mine invited me to attend several anti-fracking meetings with her. She was a strong-will activist who belonged to a group of mostly moms fighting the activity. They brought in experts and journalists to help them fight. Thanks to their determination, the cause gained national attention. Well, international attention; a Japanese television crew covered one event I attended.
My friend urged me to write a book about fracking. I don’t know if she really meant a romance, let alone a romance involving a lionshifter (I’m betting she didn’t), but the moment she said that, I knew I had found a home for my orphaned characters.
A fictional town in northeastern Ohio was already the setting of my original story. The real-life fracking was occurring in northeastern Ohio. What better vehicle to showcase the damage this intrusive type of drilling could inflict, not only on the environment, but on people’s health.
And Riley was already a venture capitalist who dabbled in buying and selling businesses. All the elements came together seamlessly.
The result? I received the chance to create a city full of characters I loved. Then I simply told the story of my friend’s struggle to get a fracking moratorium placed on the city ballot.
While that’s the end of one story, I discovered characters in Prague, Ohio, who had stories of the their own and I’m busy giving them homes of their own. Be on the lookout for them.
Coffee shop owner, Charlee Lightheart, views corporations with contempt. She believes her father died at the hands of the pharmaceutical industry. When she’s approached to run for city council on an anti-fracking platform, she’s reluctant. She’s not sure this movement is her cause.
Billionaire Riley Brockton has given up on love. Then he walks into Charlee’s shop. All he wanted was coffee and muffins. From that first electrifying touch, he knows he needs more. He withholds one piece of vital information: he’s a lionshifter.
A rogue reporter sets out to reveal the one secret that can destroy the anti-fracking movement and the couple’s relationship. Can their love survive the truth and public exposure?
Buy Link
https://books2read.com/u/ba6gnx
EXCERPT:
“Brockton… Really, I’m that late? I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. I’m just about done here.” He smiled up at Charlee, nodded, and gave her a thumbs up. “What am I doing? Well, I’ll save that story for when I see you, Renee.” He held the phone away from his ear, then said to Charlee, “My visitors are a bit miffed I’m late.”
He turned his attention back to his caller. “Yeah, I know they’re upset. I think they’re more upset they have to meet me in Prague rather than New York City. But I have faith you’ll keep them calm with your charm.” He clicked the phone off and returned it to his jacket pocket.
“Your meeting. I forgot all about it. I’m so sorry.”
“Do I look worried about being late for a meeting?” When he didn’t get a response, he answered the question himself. “No, I’m not. These people weren’t happy to begin with to come out to Ohio. And they want something from me. So, they’ll wait.”
He turned to Mel, who had just waited on the last few customers in line. “It’s ready to use. Make my order last.” He didn’t know how many had to wait for the wand to get cleaned, but he hoped they weren’t inconvenienced. “And tell them their coffee’s on me.”
He enjoyed the look of amazement on Charlee and Mel’s faces. Charlee started to protest, “You don’t have to do this. It was our mistake.”
“I know. But it did take me a little longer than I expected. I’m a little rusty. I’ll just sit at the end of the counter until you get caught up.” He pointed to an empty seat. “And by the way, make that five lattes now. I think I’ll bring a peace offering.” He paused. “Not that I have to, but…”
Mel told Charlee to sit with him; she had everything under control. And it looked like it. The only customers left were the ones who waited for their lattes. And they looked content.
“Care to tell me where you learned how to unclog an espresso machine?” she asked once she sat next to him.
He gave her a peck on the cheek. “My dad. His first job was as a coffee salesman. After ten years of selling, he bought the company.” Riley smiled as he remembered how his father continued to buy companies after that. “And then another company and another. But back to the point. My brother Quinn and I used to tag along with him at the coffee company. You’d be surprised how often he was asked to clean those things. We learned just by watching him. And then…he would put us to work.”
Charlee nodded, apparently satisfied with his explanation. “Then I have your dad to thank in addition to you. It would have taken us twice as long if one of us had to clean that.” There was a moment of silence, and he wanted nothing more than to embrace and kiss her.
“Here are the lattes, Riley,” Mel said. “And I’ve included extra muffins, too, just in case you want to make a larger peace offering.”
He stood and put on his jacket. “Duty calls.” He kissed Charlee and gathered up the cardboard container of four lattes in one hand and the bag and the fifth coffee in the other. “I’ll text you later.” And he kissed her again.
As he walked out the door, he felt confident not only in the outcome of the meeting, but in his new relationship with Charlee, his lioness.
****
Charlee watched as Riley exited and, as luck would have it, someone entered at the same time and opened the door for him. She could see him nod in appreciation.
“That was a surprise,” Mel said. “That’s about all I can say.”
Charlee laughed. “I know. Who would have a thought a billionaire could do anything manual like that?”
She sighed and wondered what other surprises he held. Then she realized she had just met him; he probably had many. She looked forward to learning them all.
BIO:
Terry Newman has always loved words. As the editor-in-chief of a national natural health publishing company, she has written books on a variety of topics, as well as writing direct-mail advertising.
She’s also worked as a reporter, a communications specialist and a freelance writer. She’d had clients worldwide, and researched and wrote hundreds of eBooks and print books as well as ghostwrote novellas and short stories.
One day she woke and decided to make her dream of writing her own novel come true. She sets all her stories in fictional towns in northeast Ohio and writes about things she loves—like coffee.
Terry has taught workshops on writing and character development.
She has a daughter, a son-in-law, and a grandpuppy, and lives in North Lima, a real town in northeast Ohio.
Social Media Links
https://terrynewmanauthor.com/
Facebook: Terry Newman
https://www.facebook.com/terry.newman.31521
Twitter: @tnewmanwrites
Instagram: terry.newman.31521
https://www.instagram.com/terry.newman.31521/
TikTok: @terrynewman614
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60574351-heartquake?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=99H2V7dnWm&rank=1
Bookbub: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60574351-heartquake?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=99H2V7dnWm&rank=1
Adventure is a dog!
PLEASE WELCOME LYNDI’S ADVENTUROUS FRIEND TENA SHETLER–And Dog! 🙂
Hey Lyndi! So glad to be here! Thought we’d chat about the canine companion in An Angel’s Wylder Assignment her name is Adventure. Writing this book was a bit out of my wheelhouse. It’s a paranormal romance/mystery/historical/time travel/western adventure. Challenged me at every turn, but in the end I believe it’s one of my best.
Meet Adventure, canine companion, from An Angel’s Wylder Assignment by Tena Stetler
Full name: Adventure
Nickname: Addy
Gender: Female
Species: Canine
Physical description: very furry buff colored, curly tail, with blue tongue about 65 lbs, friendly but protective.
Relationship to main character: She kinda belongs to the Blacksmith shop. Killian and Chinoah took over the blacksmith shop when they arrived from the future. Chinoah and the dog bonded immediately. She promised to never leave the dog on its own again. She named it Adventure because of events in the dog’s life .
Relationship to the villain/antagonist: None
Where this furbaby came from: The dog was a stray. The old owner took her in during frigid weather and left her at the blacksmith shop when he moved due to health issues.
—
Do you have any working or service animals in your stories? Tell us about them.
I have several working or service animals in most of my stories. A Witch’s Journey Series is all about animal rescue. Several animals in these stories have duties. The animals in my other stories are companions, mostly.
What inspired you to create this character?
Well, I try to have companion animals in most of my stories. They add so much to our daily lives and do the same to the characters in my books. Adventure seemed to just come as part of the story when I started writing it. I’m what is known as a panster (write by the seat of my pants) so my stories are character driven. Adventure stole the story in many ways and even saved a life.
What does the main character think about this furbaby? There is a deep bond there because Chinoah is a wolf shifter. Once Adventured learned to trust Chinoah in both forms they were inseparable. Killian enjoys a good bond with Adventure but not like Chinoah. He was a bit worried she Chinoah announced that the pup would be returning to present day with them when the assignment was over.
What does this furbaby add to the story? Humorous events, Heroic event, and heartwarming details.
What about this furbaby will readers like, and why? Adventure is loyal, protective and adds another layer of feel good to the book.
Please share an interesting fact or tidbit about this furbaby.
She knows the town inside and out. Time travel or porting by magic from place to place doesn’t phase her at all.
Describe a humorous incident involving the animal character.
When Chinoah shifts into a wolf, Adventure is a bit taken back. Not quite sure what to do with this wolf in her domain. The dog gets over it rapidly.
Killian indicates Adventure must stay at the blacksmith shop while he and Chinoah port to another place in Wyoming. Chinoah disagrees and the dog jumps into her arms just as they ported. No way Adventure was going to be left behind.
Another reoccurring one is that the pup always pushes her way into the buildings first then runs straight to her rug by the wood burning stoves.
Tell us a little about the story:
Warrior Angel Killian Dugan’s annual trip to the family castle in Scotland is shattered by the arrival of Legion Commander North. Killian’s skills are needed for an urgent time travel assignment. A rogue demon has escaped back in time. He must discover the why and where and stop the demon before it can damage the past and change the future.
Killian’s girlfriend Chinoah Grace, a Native American shapeshifter is included in the mission which takes them to the wild west town of Wylder, Wyoming in the year 1878. She will have her hands full fitting in and making friends.
Nothing is as it seems. They encounter visions, spirit quests, and a mysterious shaman. On top of it all, blending in as a blacksmith is more physically difficult than he imagined. But not as challenging as keeping his hands off his undercover wife. Will they complete their assignment or run out of time?
Buy Links:
Amazon, AmazonUK, AmazonCA, AmazonDE (Germany) Barnes&Noble, ibooks Google Play, and KOBO.
A Peek Between the Pages of An Angel’s Wylder Assignment:
Clambering out of the wagon, the knot in Chinoah’s belly tightened. She followed Ray and Lily up the narrow footpath. Killian brought up the rear. The rock walls were multi-colored layers of red, orange, and yellow rock in a deeply eroded river canyon. A filmy form of a Native American dressed in what she considered chieftain ceremonial clothes wavered over the water then at the canyon’s edge against the rock walls. She waved her hand toward the form. “You seeing this?”
“What?” Ray looked in her direction. “Not seeing anything.” He paused at a stone section where bird images and bird/human hybrids were carved into the rock. He nodded to her. She reached out hesitantly and held her hand a few inches off the face of the rock. Nothing. She blew out a breath and relaxed a little. Ray moved on.
It wasn’t until the path ended and they had to pick their way down a steep slope that the Native American spirit made another appearance. Halfway down the path, her feet slipping and sliding over loose rocks and gravel, the toe of her boot caught on an arched root sticking out of the ground. She pitched forward. Her hands came up in front of her in an attempt to avoid face-planting on the rock’s surface. Something cool grabbed her arms and set her on her feet. Looking into the misty, high cheek-boned face of the chieftain, she gawked. When she peered into his eyes, she felt sorrow, disillusion, and pain. She gulped in air.
They must be stopped. You’re destined to make it happen. A male voice echoed through her mind. A picture of a log room formed in her mind then was gone. Before she could respond, the apparition disappeared, and so did the cold that had engulfed her.
Ok, how about a little about the Author?
Tena Stetler is a best-selling author of award winning paranormal tales. Some call her crazy others creative. She deals with the voices in her head by writing them down and creating a fantasy world and characters you won’t soon forget. Her books tell tales of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure, magic, and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.
Colorado is home; shared with her husband of many moons, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a fifty-year-old box turtle. When she’s not writing, her time is spent kayaking, camping, hiking, biking or just relaxing in the great Colorado outdoors. During the winter you can find her curled up in front of the fireplace with a good book, bowl of popcorn and mug of hot chocolate.
Social Media:
Website: https://www.tenastetler.com
Authors’ Secret’s Blog – https://www.tenastetler.com/category/authors-secrets-blog/
My Say What Blog – http://www.tenastetler.com/category/my-say-what-blog/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/tenastetler.author
Twitter Page: https://www.twitter.com/TenaStetler
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14187532.Tena_Stetler
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/tenastetler
Newsletter: https://www.tenastetler.com/newsletter-signup/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tenastetler
Tribber – http://triberr.com/TenaStetler
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tena-stetler
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tenastetler/
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/tenajean2014
Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tena-stetler-10057978/
A Halloween like no other?
Please welcome writer Alice Renaud!
I’ve always loved Halloween. In the UK a lot of people don’t, they see it as a brash American import. But the festival of All Hallows’ Eve actually originated in Britain and Ireland, and it’s closely associated with the Celtic folklore I grew up with and from which I draw inspiration for my stories. So on every 31 October I hang up pumpkin lanterns in my front garden and stock up on sweets for trick o’treaters.
But this year? The coronavirus pandemic has put the kibosh on many fun things here. No more parties, no mixing in groups of more than 6, no theatres, no singing in church… There won’t be any trick o’treaters this year, or Halloween parties, or people dressed up as ghouls riding the trains. It would be tempting to just… give up. Treat it like any other night. Hunker down on the sofa in pyjamas and watch TV…
But something tells me that, on the contrary, now is precisely the time to celebrate Halloween. The festival has always been about laughing at the dark… making fun of what scares us… defying the onset of the long, cold winter nights. We need All Hallows’s Eve more than ever. So on 31 October I will put pumpkin lanterns outside. I will buy sweets, even if no one knocks on the door. I may meet up with friends for a Zoom Halloween party. I will find a good horror film to watch. What is your favorite? Mine remains the Exorcist, after all these years, but the recent series of Dracula on the BBC was also brilliant. And what better time to read some great paranormal stories? The third and final book of my supernatural romance series Sea of Love, Mermaids Marry in Green, comes out on 1 November and is the perfect Halloween treat. Read an exclusive excerpt below. You will love the feisty shifter mermaid and her hot warlock, as they seek to capture a water monster in London!
Blurb for Mermaids Marry in Green
Caltha Dooran is the toughest, fiercest shape-shifting mermaid in the western seas. She has three Clans to rule, and no time for romance. But when a warlock, Jonty, turns up and asks her to come with him to London to capture a water monster, she can’t say no. In London, away from her duties, her attraction for Jonty grows… and they soon fall under each other’s spell. But will his past and her responsibilities pull them apart, or can they find the only true magic, the one that binds two souls together?
Buy Links
https://books2read.com/u/3LglAN
Excerpt
A pile of twigs shuddered and slid to the side. Two yellow eyes peered at her out of the tangle of wood and litter. Excitement exploded in Caltha’s chest, rocking her whole body. She’d found him! But she strove to keep her voice low and soft.
“Afanc?”
A reptilian head that looked like a crocodile’s, but smaller, pushed through a plastic bag. The mouth opened, revealing a row of sharp teeth. “Morwenna?” the creature hissed, in Caltha’s language.
She tried to repress the trembling in her body and appear calm so the creature wouldn’t take fright. “Yes, I am a mermaid.” She lifted her webbed hands to show him. The afanc extended a furry paw, tipped with powerful claws. Caltha brushed the damp fur with her fingers. “I’m Caltha.”
The afanc let out a sigh. “Morwenna Caltha,” he said. He stared at her with shining eyes full of hope. “I am lost. Can you help?”
Caltha’s mind went blank with surprise. She’d expected a powerful water monster with awesome magical powers, not this vulnerable animal pleading for assistance.
The afanc stretched his neck towards her. “Please?”
Compassion engulfed Caltha. “Of course I’ll help you.”
The question was how. She’d been so focused on locating him, she hadn’t really given any thought as to what she would do when she found him. She studied his reptilian head and large, furry body. No way would he go unnoticed in a city full of humans. And dangerous warlocks were on his trail. Her mind worked overtime, searching for solutions. Would he follow her willingly, or would she have to trap him? He seemed friendly now, but he might panic if she tried to lead him away from his familiar surroundings. And how could she keep him hidden?
Bio
Alice lives in London, UK, with her husband and son. By day she’s a compliance manager for a pharmaceutical company. By night she writes fantasy romance about shape shifting mermen, water monsters and time-travelling witches. Her first book, “A Merman’s Choice,” was published in January 2019 by Black Velvet Seductions. It is the first book in a fantasy romance trilogy inspired by the landscapes and legends of Brittany and Wales. The second book, “Music for a Merman,” is out now and the third, “Mermaids Marry in Green,” will be released on 1 November. Alice has also written two short stories for BVS anthologies, “The Sweetest Magic of All,” in “Mystic Desire,” out now, and “The Holiday Mermaid” in “Desire Me Again,” out in October. Alice loves reading and writing stories, and sharing them with anyone who’s interested!
Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AliceRenaudAuthorRomance/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alicerauthor
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-renaud-author-4219b6166/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alicerenaudauthor/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18670218.Alice_Renaud
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/alice-renaud
Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Renaud/e/B07L52P17B
Adventure strikes even ‘ordinary’ lives
Welcome to Lyndi’s Adventurous Friend, Marilyn Barr!!
“Pick a direction,” my then-boyfriend now-husband would say.
In the year 2000, Ada Ohio (population 5582 people on the 2000 census including 3000 Ohio Northern University students) had two stoplights and just as many places to date. My spouse and I bonded in our mutual dislike of partying which gave us even less to do on Ohio 
Northern University’s campus. On Saturdays with good weather, he would ask me to meet him in the school parking lot and then to pick the direction we were driving. We carried no maps, cell phones, baggage, plans, or worries.
Our first trip was driving south along highway 235 from Ada to Dayton. With the sunroof open on his Honda Civic, we felt like the world was ours. We sang to the music he had burned onto CDs in the chemistry lab, as the car sailed through cornfields and one-stoplight towns. Our first stop was playing around Kiser Lake and reading under a tree in the adjacent state park. Never mind the bug spray, swimsuits, or sunblock, we were young and invincible. Next, was a stop for ice cream in New Carlisle, Ohio (population 5735 people) at the C&J Dairy Aisle & Pizza roadside stand. To this day, we regret not trying the pizza.
As we got closer to civilization, we went to Bookery in Fairborn, Ohio (population 32, 414 in 2000). The ground floor is divided into three stores where the register, rare vintage books, and expensive new release books were located. Along the back wall, expensive comics were in glass cases but space underneath them was dedicated to dollar comic back issues. Piles of white cardboard boxes provided hours of hunting for treasure for my spouse. I would venture down into the basement which was filled floor to ceiling with all genres of paperbacks jumbled together but the authors were in alphabetical order in a dazzling array of colors and sizes. We each left with a hefty stack of reading material costing less than a tank of gas.
We visited the outdoor exhibits of the National Museum of the US Airforce. We didn’t have the money for the admission fee, but we didn’t care. (Remember the bookstore?) My now-husband took some of my favorite photos of us playing beside the planes surrounding the museum. The big city of Dayton (population 161,696 in 2000) proved too rich for our pockets so we traveled north again. After watching a perfect sunset on Indian Lake, we returned to Ohio Northern University to eat in the cafeteria on our meal-plan and enjoy our books. When asked why we never “had any fun”, we would smile at each other like Bonnie & Clyde.
Over twenty years later, my husband asked me to travel south again to places unknown. Our sudden move to small-town Kentucky is the basis for my debut novel, Bear with Me. Will Grant’s dream job opportunity turn out to be a nightmare for the couple looking for a new town, a fresh start…
******
Marilyn Barr currently resides in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband, son, and rescue cats. When engaging with the real world, she is collecting characters, empty coffee cups, and unused homeschool curricula.
She has a diverse background containing experiences as a child prodigy turned medical school reject, biodefense microbiologist, high school science teacher, homeschool mother of a savant, and advocate for the autistic community.
She would love to hear from readers via her website: www.marilynbarr.com.
Social Media Links:
EXCERPT:
“You look perfect. I mean perfectly healthy. I mean mostly uninjured,” she stammers. She places her tiny hand over her eyes.
Feeling braver than ever, I walk right up to her. I gently remove the hand from her face and hold it to my own. “See, I’m fine,” I whisper as I gently rub my thumb over her tiny knuckles.
Her eyes lift to mine and lock our gazes. I have always found the golden color of her eyes fascinating but never studied them up close. They are light brown with a golden star in the middle. I am literally star gazing as she takes in the injuries to my face. We stand there for about a minute, lost in time.
I wonder if she is thinking about when we first started dating, the hard times that followed, the present, or the future. I search her face for clues but don’t want to break the spell by opening my mouth. I decide to put said mouth to better use by lowering my head toward hers.
Buy Links:
Fancy a cold-blooded lover? #MFRWHooks
A short time later, Kylie noticed the man at a table near the door. His intent stare dissected her in a way that felt not like he was undressing her, but that he looked into her. Kylie stared back, putting a forbidding expression on her face. Usually, that was enough to scare off a would-be masher. But it didn’t seem to faze this one.
The man’s persistence triggered a defensive response, and she lost interest in the alcohol. She left half a dozen plat coins on the counter, enough to cover her tab and something for Lin, and then headed for the door.
As she approached the man’s table, he stood up. “Please join me,” he said.
“No, thanks, I’m on my way out.”
“Please,” he said more firmly. She stopped to look at him. That glance froze her steps. His eyes were the exact yellow tone of the dead woman’s. Exact.
She surveyed the room, but no one seemed to be paying attention. One gesture from her would have garnered assistance, but those eyes compelled her to wait. “Why should I?”
His voice softened. “I have information that could be of use to you.”
“Then perhaps you should come down to the Cendiary. That’s where SIRT’s camped while 
this investigation is going on.” Her mind clicked along frantically trying to reject the half bottle of alcohol she’d consumed. There was something about this man, something about him. His eyes, but more than that. Taller than most men, and broad-shouldered. Hair, perfectly combed, his skin, without a blemish. Not even the hint of an old scar. Clothing, unremarkable. Hands, not quite perfectly proportioned, his fingers a little long, the nails even but lengthy for a man.
“No. I need to talk to you now.” His gaze continued to dance with hers.
She blinked and looked away. “This isn’t a good time, friend.”
He cocked his head, a, thin eyebrow raised. “You consider me your friend?”
His hesitation made her miss a beat, too. “No, I don’t consider you my friend.” She frowned. “Come to the Cendiary in the morning.” She turned to go, but her wrist was suddenly caught in an iron grip.
Tugging on her captured hand, she looked over her shoulder. He held no apology in his eyes, and his expression was grim. He nodded to the empty chair beside his. “I need to talk with you, Investigator Kylie Sanderson. Please hear what I have to say before any more females are damaged or killed.”
**************************************
Even the smallest degree of hope can spark love.
Against her wealthy father’s demands, and the usual blockades of a male dominated profession, Kylie Sanderson proves worthy of her position as lead investigator of planet Andan’s Scientific and Investigative Research Taskforce. Someone is killing Andan’s women in an attempt to mutate them into reptiles. Kylie makes it her mission to discover who’s behind the murders and prevent more grotesque deaths.
Shapeshifting lizard Griff comes to Andan to stop his brethren from mutating other planet’s women into mindless breeding stock. Overcoming Kylie’s suspicious and defensive nature proves difficult, but he must in order to help the SIRT team thwart his planet’s scientists.
When Kylie is abducted and becomes the first human to survive the transformation, it’s up to Griff to rescue her so SIRT can restore her human form. On the run and desperate to unravel the mysteries of Kylie’s past to solve the crimes of their present, can she and Griff forge a future for themselves?
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Love, reptile style
Here’s a snippet/excerpt from A SMALL DEGREE OF HOPE. Investigator Kylie Sanderson has been caught and transformed into an alien reptile being–then rescued and the process reversed. Her cold shapeshifter lover does what he can to help. But her problems aren’t over.
******
“Are you ready to watch the films now?”
She shrugged without answering.
He reached for the remote the doctor had left on the counter and started the show again. “May I sit with you?” he asked.
“Sure.” She waved a hand at the chair the doctor had vacated. “Why not?”
He looked as if he were about to answer then he sat down without saying anything. Her attention was caught by the film. This section included Griff, in his reptile form. What a different attitude she displayed toward him than the staff! Whenever he entered her enclosure, she immediately calmed and became submissive to his every command, if that’s what they were, those odd clicks and bumps.
She might not understand them, but her reptile self clearly did. For the next several sections, Griff translated for her as Dr. Astrid gave commands, and Reptile-Kylie performed a multitude of tasks, manipulating machinery and other devices. She passed every one of the tests conducted by the doctor and her staff, easily lifting heavy objects, able to navigate obstacle courses at lightning speed, even passing dexterity tests with ease, especially when rewarded with raw meat.
The doctor returned during the screening to watch with them. “A fine specimen, for what she is.”
Kylie tore her eyes away from the screen. “Did — did Jaco see this? And the others? Did they?”
The doctor paused the film. “Only when you were rescued. Jaco took you to the nearest hospital, and an ambulance brought you here. After that, he wasn’t permitted access until we were well on the way to recovery.” Her voice acquired an edge. “If I’d known Rand would be such a fool as to bring you that trash this morning, he wouldn’t have been allowed in at all.”
Kylie chewed her lip, recalling the conclusions she’d drawn from that conversation. “And. my family?”
The doctor wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Your father was here. He didn’t stay long.”
“He saw it? Me?”
“He pushed his way in, or bought his way in, I don’t know which. I found him staring in the glass. I asked him if he wanted to visit. I even offered to call security if he was hesitant to try it one on one.” She rubbed her hands together, as if they pained her. “He looked through me like I wasn’t really there.”
Kylie swallowed hard, her throat closing. “Didn’t he say anything at all?” she whispered.
The doctor didn’t answer.
She turned to Griff. “Were you there? Did you hear what he said?”
Griff cocked his head and looked her in the eye. “He said, ‘That’s not my daughter.’”
Monday snippet!
A few years ago when shapeshifter romances were becoming all the rage, I wrote A Small Degree of Hope. Not your standard warm and fuzzy hero, Griff is an alien reptile, who has the ability to shift into a human appearance.
Worse yet, his species is trying to turn human women into reptiles for mating purposes. Kylie Sanderson is part of the crack team investigating the case, and she becomes involved in a way she never imagined in her worst nightmares.
With that said, here’s today’s snippet:
Griff said, “While you were at the hospital, I tracked my brothers who fled when you were rescued. They have not withdrawn far.”
That raised her eyebrow. “You knew where they were, and you didn’t tell SIRT?”
“I was not sure I could trust them. While they had you, I had to be cautious.”
There it was again, that almost tender sound to what he said. Like when he’d pledged his loyalty to her a few moments before. Did he know the feelings she held for him, the effect he had on her? She’d been comfortable, held in his arms but she intentionally hadn’t defined their relationship.
In the hospital, she rationalized his role as mentor, perhaps, or a co-participant in experiments. He’d been necessary to explain the differences between reptile and human as he knew them for medical necessity.
But here, as they hid together from the forces massed against them, she knew in her heart that this was different. She was drawn to him, not by necessity, but because some tenuous feelings had evolved between them. He had been there, each step of the way. He hadn’t abandoned her, like her father, or turned on her, like Jaco. He’d stayed by her side, good or bad.
For better, or for worse, in sickness and in health…
That was the standard, wasn’t it? When you mated/married, you took each other with all the foibles as well as the high points, and you did what you could to support the other person through the bad times.
And these were bad times.
A SMALL DEGREE OF HOPE is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other online and retail booksellers. Enjoy!
Is truth just another version of fiction? Or vice versa?
My reptile shapeshifter romance book A SMALL DEGREE OF HOPE is featured at author Cara Bristol’s blog this week. Check out the story of how it came to be written, through a real life romance!
Even the smallest degree of hope can spark love.
Against her wealthy father’s demands, and the usual blockades of a male dominated profession, Kylie Sanderson proves worthy of her position as lead investigator of planet Andan’s Scientific and Investigative Research Taskforce. Someone is killing Andan’s women in an attempt to mutate them into reptiles. Kylie makes it her mission to discover who’s behind the murders and prevent more grotesque deaths.
Shapeshifting lizard Griff comes to Andan to stop his brethren from mutating other planets’ women into mindless breeding stock. Overcoming Kylie’s suspicious and defensive nature proves difficult, but he must in order to help the SIRT team thwart his planet’s 
scientists.
When Kylie is abducted and becomes the first human to survive the transformation, it’s up to Griff to rescue her so SIRT can restore her human form. On the run and desperate to unravel the mysteries of Kylie’s past to solve the crimes of their present, can she and Griff forge a future for themselves?
From Kensington Publishing/Lyrical Press.
Buy here: https://www.amazon.com/Small-Degree-Hope-Lyndi-Alexander-ebook/dp/B00IPQWY9G/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Shapeshifter love!
Today I’m featured at Liza O’Connor’s blog with a science fiction romance novel with an alien shapeshifter and a family mystery. This unique story is available both in ebook and paperback from Kensington.
http://multiuniversesoflizao.blogspot.com/2015/08/lyndi-alexander-brings-you-different.html
Lyndi Alexander's worlds of fancy 