Excerpts Page I

Excerpts of Each SDW Author’s Latest Releases

Page 1 is Debbie Gould, Trinity Blacio and Lisa Alexander-Griffin

(These pages are under construction, so pardon our mess.)

Author Debbie Gould

Mountain’s Echo by Debbie Gould

 

Red Rose Publishing

2007 Copyright Debbie Gould

ISBN: 978-1-60435-144-6

ISBN: 1-60435-144-6

Cover Artist: Rae Monet Designs, Inc.

Editor: Rachel D. Thompson

 

BUY NOW at www.redrosepublishing.com

 

 

STORY BLURB: 

 

Danger Maggie, Danger!

 

Will betrayal be a thing of the past or part of the future?

Maggie and Jake had a past ten years ago that neither wanted to ever revisit. But when Maggie’s brother, Scott, is severely wounded, Jake has to call Maggie for help.

After a ten year absence, Maggie and Jake are thrown together again in an intense struggle to save not only her brother, but themselves, as the men after Jake and Scott are closing in.

The two must find a way to work through the betrayal of the past and work together to save their future.

 

Will betrayal be a thing of the past or part of the future?

 

Find out as Mountain’s Echo takes into some spine tingling adventure and suspense.

 

 

 

Excerpt

Stunned as her hand caught his face, it took Jake a second to realize she had gotten in her car. “Fuck! God dammit all to hell!” he yelled.

He called out her name, but with the cloud of dirt her car had dug up, he couldn’t tell if she heard him or not. If she did, she sure as hell wasn’t slowing down. By the time he got his truck started and turned around, she was already onto the main road.

The road he lived on had lots of twists and turns. Every time he got around a damn corner, all he could catch was a glimpse of her taillights.

She was driving too damn fast. He was scared to death. He’d lost control back there; he hadn’t meant to say anything like that to her. He sure as hell didn’t feel that way about her—it was all lies.

He was frantically trying to catch up to her. How he would get her to stop, he didn’t know, but he had to. “Shit, Maggie, slow down, please,” he said aloud in the empty truck.

His heart was in his throat. He needed to make things right. He’d been wrong to think he could call things off. If it were just his heart on the line, that would be one thing, but he would never, until his dying day, forget the pain he’d seen in her face before she left. He would make it up to her if it took the rest of his life. Never did he want to see that look again.

As he came around the corner, he watched in horror as her car broke sharply to the right, then burst through the barrier. He could see it start to flip as it went airborne into the ravine.

Jake slammed on the brakes, his truck sliding sideways as it came to a screeching stop. He jumped out of the truck and ran to the edge of the road. Down at the bottom of the ravine, Maggie’s car lay crumpled on its top.

“Oh, dear God.”

At some point Maggie had been thrown from the car, as it had flipped and rolled down the bank; she lay about ten yards above her car, not moving.

“No!” He searched frantically, spotting the driver of the other car standing outside his car talking on a cell phone. Jake yelled over to him to call 911.

“Already did, they’re on the way.”

But Jake hadn’t heard him. He was already running down the slope to Maggie.

Slipping to a stop at her side, he began a cursory exam. She hadn’t moved at all. He put two cautious fingers at the side of her neck, and let out a deep breath when he felt a faint pulse.

“Stay with me, baby, I’m right here. You just hang on, help is coming.”

Then he heard her breathing. It didn’t sound right—it sounded as if she were trying to breathe through a plastic bag.

He looked over her body. There was a thin, long metal object protruding from her rib cage. Her left leg was badly mangled, with obvious pieces of bone and tissue coming through hertorn jeans. Her legs and waist seemed somehow out of proportion. There was a long gash on her forehead and blood all over face, and her left arm and hand were covered in blood.

He wanted to pick her up and cradle her in his arms. To gently rock her and tell her everything was going to be fine. But he knew he couldn’t move her, that he had to wait helplessly for the paramedics to arrive.

Jake felt sick to his stomach. This accident was entirely his fault. His body shook as he cried openly; he took her right hand in his and began pleading with her, willing her to hear him.

“Please baby, hang in there with me. Don’t you leave me. I’m so damn sorry, Maggie. Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Please, please baby, please be alright. Don’t you die on me. I swear I will never hurt you again, I swear it.”

Jake was rocking back and forth on his knees and sobbing when the rescue workers arrived. They had to physically pry her hand out of his, and force him back up the hill to the road, so they could work on her.

The other motorist was still there, being questioned by the police. Jake walked over to his truck and grabbed his cell phone from the console to call Scott. Sliding down the side of his truck, he sat on the road, leaning against his tire, waiting for Scott to answer his phone.

On the fourth ring Scott answered. “Hello?”

“It’s me, listen, there’s been an accident. Maggie’s been hurt. Oh Jesus, Scott, she’s hurt real bad.”

 

Infidelity by Debbie Gould

Red Rose Publishing

Copyright© 2007 Debbie Gould

ISBN: 978-1-60435-171-2

ISBN: 1-60435-171-3

Cover Artist: Shirley Burnett

Available in e-book and print.  www.redrosepublishing.com

INFIDELITY

Melanie’s marriage ended abruptly.  And violently. In an act of self defense she ended her abusive husband’s life and lost her unborn baby.  Moving back home toVermont, with the help of her brother and an old high school sweetheart, Melanie begins to heal. Someone, though, doesn’t want Melanie to recover.  They want her dead.

Will she be stronger than the person who wants to end her life?

 

Melanie inched closer.

“No one could possibly understand exactly what you saw or the emotions you experienced. But, Luke, they were grown men, who signed up to do a job they knew was dangerous. You couldn’t stop what was happening to them. If there was any way humanly possible to do that you would have. It just wasn’t possible and it wasn’t because of anything you did or didn’t do. You need to realize that.”

“They didn’t sign up to be tortured, to be disgraced. They were American soldiers and they were degraded to piles of shit to be spat on.”

He would never shake the image of them lying dead in the dirt. It was etched in his soul.

Damn, but Melanie wouldn’t give up. She wouldn’t let it drop.

“Did they beg for mercy, did they give up valuable secrets, did they beg to die or did they fight for their lives? Did they never give up until their last breath? Did they fight for what they believed in? Were they honored when they were brought home or were their families ashamed that they couldn’t finish the fight? Were they hailed as heroes or buried in a hushed up ceremony and never honored again?”

Well, damn, she knew how to fight back. Luke hadn’t thought about those things. The families of both men had held off their funerals for an entire month so Luke could attend. They’d visited him in the hospital and had shown strength and pride in the soldiers. They were both given a hero’s funeral and their communities had come out in full force to honor the men. He knew it hadn’t ended with the funerals either. They’d erected memorials and taken the fallen men’s widows and children under their wing. They’d done right by the men, had he? Or had he been using them as another excuse to feel sorry for himself?

Luke looked more closely at the woman in front of him. She was right and he knew it.

Available in e-book or print, from

http://redrosepublishing.com/books/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=147&products_id=410

 

Jessica Kauffman says goodbye to her husband Tyler—again. He’s been deployed to Afghanistan , this time to fight in the war. Their attempts to have a baby unsuccessful, Jessica remains home alone…but that isn’t strictly true. Through a unique bond, she connects with Tyler in their dreams, seeing, touching, and being with him.

After finding out some precious news, Jessica’s world is soon turned upside down, plunging her into a nightmare. Tyler ’s plane has gone down, and the search is on to find him—dead or alive.

Frightened for her future, she keeps the faith that Tyler will come back, believing their love is the key to his return. But will the Search and Rescue team find Tyler and bring him back home, or will Jessica have to face the rest of her life raising his child alone?

 

Excerpt: “What can I do for you gentlemen this early in the morning?” Jess stared them down, mentally daring them to say what she knew they’d come to say. Inside, a piece of her died.  

“I’m Lt. Col Garrison, and this is Reverend Michaels. I’m sorry, Mrs. Kauffman. I’m afraid we’re here with bad news.” The taller of the two men furrowed his brows and gestured toward the living room. “Would you like to have a seat on the couch?”

Jess stood still, refusing to budge from her spot. No, she didn’t want to get comfy on the damn couch. She knew what they were going to say, and she wanted them to get it over with. “I’ll stay where I am, thank you.”

“Mrs. Kauffman, I’m afraid there’s been an incident. Your husband’s plane was shot down during a mission twelve hours ago.”

The man studied her as if he thought she was going to fall in a heap at his feet. Well, she wasn’t. She tilted her chin up.

“As of yet, we haven’t found the wreckage and have no knowledge whether he was able to bail out of the aircraft before it crashed.”

“Then you better get your people searching for him.” Her stomach churned, and bile rose to her throat, but her voice remained strong, never faltering. “My husband landed that plane. He got out, and now he and his men are in enemy territory waiting for your help. Find them before it’s too late.”

“Ma’am…um…all indications show he was unable to exit. We don’t believe he made it out of the plane.”

This time Jess did move. She took a step forward and looked the officer directly in the eyes. “Sir, my husband is not dead. And if the Air Force is not taking every measure to find him, you can be sure I will shout it from the rooftops. Take it to every newspaper, radio, and television station in the damn country. You find my husband, and you find him now.”

“Ma’am, please be assured the Air Force is doing everything—”

“Good, then go do it.” She spun around, stormed back up the stairs, and slammed the door of the computer room. The men in her living room were idiots

. They had no idea what they were talking about. Tyler wasn’t dead. His presence still lingered with her. But she also knew he didn’t have long.

Mainstream Romance

Contemporary

Nâtâlicia Series: Book November

ISBN: 978-1-60435-479-9

 

Word Count: 16,886Price: $2.99

~~~**~~~

Author Trinity Blacio

Running In Fear: Escaped expert:

His gaze held hers, but he didn’t say a word. She knew the answer to her question already.

“I didn’t want you to run away again. You’re mine, and I won’t let you go, Jaycee,” Dane finally said. “I have always taken care of everyone, and now I have you. I’m not about to lose you. I need you,” he stated quietly.

She sat there on the bed, stunned, contemplating the enormity of what he’d just said. Then she balled her hand into a fist and hit him, hard.

“You need me! Of all the low down—” she screeched and hit him again. Jaycee jumped off the bed.

“Shelly told you what a softie I am, didn’t she? That’s why you said that. No one would need or want me!” She waved the pillow at him. “Hell, I scared you away when you saw my body. Don’t deny it. I saw it in your eyes.” She threw the pillow at him and ran for the bathroom door. He leaped over the bed and came to stand in front of her.

“That’s cheating!” she yelled as his steel arms wrapped around her and pulled her body to his, caging her in.

“I don’t play fair when I want something this badly. Don’t you know, I’m the big bad wolf?” He bared his teeth and smiled. “You’re my Goldilocks, and I plan to eat you, my dear!” He growled and bit her neck, then held her still while he unzipped her pants.

Threesomes An Anthology: Searching For The Perfect Mate

Remi LeBlathe is intent on discovering his true mate, but up to now he’s had no such luck. Meanwhile, he suppresses the beast within by satisfying his carnal desires with a variety of women. With Remi’s status as alpha werewolf, plus the spreading news of his most talked about asset, currently referred to as ‘mammoth’, he has no trouble acquiring females who are eagerly waiting to relieve his sexual hunger.

~~~**~~~

Author Lisa Alexander-Griffin

Danielle’s Touch

Passion in Print

Purchase Link: http://passioninprint.com/ShowBook.php?CR=LAGDANLTOUCH

www.lisaalexandergriffin.com

Blurb:

Rebuildi

ng her life after escaping an abusive marriage, Danielle Courtland throws herself into he

r new decorating business. Men are the last thing on her mind…until a Stetson-wearing cowboy enters her shop, that is.

The hazel-eyed cowboy needs her help. Restoring an old Victorian-styled plantation house, he realizes the job requires a feminine touch. Caught off guard by the sexiest woman he’s ever laid eyes on, Ethan’s vow to never love again is all but forgotten as he falls hard for the tempting decorator.

Passion simmers, and love is no longer a dream. But hidden in the shadows, danger waits, threatening Danielle and Ethan’s chance at a life together. Will a man, twisted by his obsession, separate them forever?

Excerpt:

A lazy half smile on his face, Alex leaned against the porch post like he owned the place.

Danielle’s stomach churned. With a hand clutching the doorknob, she moved cautiously onto the porch. God, have I ever screwed up.

Panic erupted inside her, and her body trembled. “What do you want, Alex?”

Alex’s smile widened, his eyes gleaming with a predatory light. “Just dropped by for a friendly visit, Danielle.”

Danielle forced a breath past the constriction in her throat. “You’re not my friend. Say what you have to say and be gone. I didn’t invite you here.” Her knees threatened to buckle, and her pulse pounded in her ears. She edged back against the door to steady the tremble of her body. “I want nothing to do with you.” She fumbled for, and twisted the knob, eager to escape back into the house.

Alex pushed from the post. “It hasn’t been long since you wanted a great deal to do with me,” he drawled.

Her hand slipped, and the door lock clicked, vibrating in the night. Danielle flinched, and the door slammed shut, barring her escape to the inside. Swift in his movements, Alex yanked her against him.

She jerked free and rubbed her arm. “You have no right to disrupt my life. In case you’ve forgotten, we’re divorced.”

He inched her backward, against the door, molding his body to hers. “I told you, Danielle, I’ll never let you go.”

Danielle pushed with all her might. Familiar and overwhelming, the stench of alcohol permeated the air. His grip tightened, and in the dim moonlight his eyes glinted with lust, his erection rigid against her thigh.

“I came for what belongs to me,” he whispered, his hot breath moist on her cheek. “A man has needs.”

The porch plank creaked under his weight, and a dog barked in the distance. Frantic, Danielle scanned her surroundings. There was no visible help in sight. No neighbor or a passerby. Nothing.

“I’m not your wife,” she croaked, and with the realization that she was trapped, terror slammed through her. She had no place to run, hide or seek refuge.

Wrenching her arm to the side, she tried to break free. “We’ve been separated three years, divorced for a year and a half,” she said in an attempt to jar his alcohol-hazed memory.

He glowered down at her, his eyes darkening.

Ice balled in her stomach—whenever she’d seen that look in the past, she’d paid dearly.

Alex snickered. “Those stupid papers mean nothing. You will always be my wife. No paper, no dim wit judge, is ever going to change that. No one,” he snarled, “will know the pleasure of having you but me.” His lips slid across her neck, hot and repulsive. “I know you want me, babe.”

She twisted her body, attempting to dislodge his hold. “Let me go. You’re drunk, and I don’t want you here.” She jabbed an elbow into his ribs and raked her fingernails down the side of his face. “Leave me alone!” she shrieked.

“You bitch.” He stumbled back and grabbed her again, his fingers digging into soft flesh, bruising her arm. Cold and blue, his eyes glinted. “You’re not going anywhere, Danielle. Unless I go with you.”

Tears burned her eyes, clouding her vision. She squirmed and shoved against him.

“Not so fast, princess. You haven’t given me what I came for.”

Brutally, he seized her mouth, his lips crushing hers. The pressure on her arms intensified, and large hands, capable of so much cruelty, yanked her closer.

She gagged, bile rising in her throat. With renewed effort, she fought to be free.

Pinning her to the wall with the weight of his body, he tangled his hands in her hair, forcing her head back. His mouth violated, his tongue forcing entry. Releasing his grip on her arm, he circled his fingers around her neck in a vise grip.

Oh, God! Not again!

Danielle tried to scream, but the pressure of his kiss stopped her. She drove her knee upward, aiming for his groin. He deflected the maneuver with little effort. Determined, she slammed her foot into his shin, and he released a guttural growl.

Open palmed, he struck her face. A starburst of color exploded behind her eyelids, and she bit back a groan.

Alex had the upper hand. He was the predator—she the prey.

She traced her bruised lower lip with her tongue, tasting blood. Desperate, she prayed for the strength to fight him off. Kill him for what he’d done to her—what he kept doing.

With her robe askew and her chest heaving, damp night air caressed her breasts. Alex’s hungry gaze settled on her exposed flesh. He chuckled low, licked his lips, and she shriveled inwardly. He grasped a nipple between his thumb and forefinger and squeezed. Pain radiated outward, and she fought not to cry out. His putrid breath caressed her face.

“God. Alex. Stop!”

“I’ll have my wife tonight,” he whispered, dragging her toward the front door.

His words jolted through her. Dear God, don’t let him rape me. She planted her bare feet but found no leverage. Scrambling, she dug in again, and he laughed. He was too strong, impossible to fight.

Danielle panted, each breath ragged. She resigned herself to the inevitable and went limp in his arms. A scream rent the air, and she recognized the voice as her own.

Alex would do with her what he wanted. There was nothing she could do to stop him.

Tires screeched, and Danielle scanned the streets, hope surging inside her. Nicole Lawson emerged from her car. Her face distorted with rage, she raced around the vehicle.

“Let her go!”

Surprise widened Alex’s eyes. He reinforced his grip, looking over his shoulder.

Nicole jogged up the sidewalk, stopping a few feet from the porch. “Leave or I’ll call the police.” Hatred blazed in her eyes as she held herself ramrod straight.

Alex’s hold faltered, his fingers loosening. Anticipation swelled in Danielle’s chest.

Nicole tilted her chin in defiance. “I seriously doubt you’d welcome trouble. Let. Her. Go.”

Arms tense and his biceps bulging, Alex dropped his hand.

Danielle’s knees buckled, and she collapsed to the porch, the air rushing from her lungs.

He stepped back and pinned Danielle with a frigid stare. “This isn’t over by a long shot, Danny girl,” he growled and pointed a finger at her. “It will never be over for us. You’d do best to remember that you’re mine.” He shot Nicole a hate-filled glare and strode into the night.

Lisa’s Website: www.lisaalexandergriffin.com

Shattered Illusions

Pink Petal Books

Purchase Link: http://pinkpetalbooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=97

Blurb:

After a ten year stint in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, a changed Cage Sinclair returns to his hometown. Hell-bent on clearing his name, trust is nonexistent–especially with the woman who had loved and betrayed him in the same breath. The woman who now lived in his deceased father’s house.

Morgan still yearns for the love of her life to return, even though her own fear helped railroad him into prison. She has kept her silence to protect her son. But now Cage is back.

Inconceivable danger lurks in the shadows, but behind closed doors embers ignite and old passions flame. Amidst betrayal, deceit and shattered illusions, will the truth tear them apart or bind them together forever?

Excerpt:

Cage Sinclair cut the pickup’s engine and stepped onto ground he’d never thought to see again. He breathed deeply, his lungs filling with fresh mountain air and the scent of pungent pine. The amber glow of a full moon illuminated the old homestead and surrounding landscape. Anticipation rushed through his veins.

Home.

Bittersweet memories flooded his mind. He’d left wearing leg irons and cuffs. For ten years, he had longed for the open fields and rolling hills he’d explored as a child, the security and tranquility they had offered. He’d found love here, but had lost it, too.

A warm yellow glow spilled from the front windows of what should have been an empty house, lighting his path. Tense and his body on full alert, Cage eased toward the front steps.

Tiny hairs prickled on his neck. Hesitant, he stepped to the porch. The rickety plank flooring groaned under his weight. A coyote howled in the distance, a lonely sound echoing through the trees. With the house key in his hand, he pulled open the screen door. Barely attached by one hinge to the frame, it creaked loudly.

Who the hell—

A twig snapped. Trepidation slithered up his spine. He spun around to find a twelve-gauge shotgun leveled at his chest. The blood chilled in his veins, his heart skipping a beat—not from the dangerous glint of blue steel—but from the woman who wielded the weapon.

“Morgan O’Riley,” he croaked through a throat gone dry. “Is that you?”

“Step down off that porch, mister, if you know what’s good for you.”

Cage held up his hands and with calculated caution, acquiesced. Until she recognized him, he presented danger, and the determined gleam in her eyes warned him she’d fire if given a reason. Damn it, Morgan hadn’t changed a bit, but he had. His stint at Castle on the Cumberland, Kentucky’s nefarious prison, had been a far cry from a stay at the Ritz Carlton. Any man who had to constantly watch his back, weathered and aged, but the woman before him had remained the same.

Her whiskey-colored hair, still long, shone ebony in the moonlight. He couldn’t see her eyes but remembered all too well their sky-blue hue. Mesmerized, he feasted his gaze on her body, about which he’d fantasized on many a lonely night.

“What are you doing here, Morgan?”

“How do you know my name?” She took a hesitant step forward, squinted up at him.

Raspy laughter pushed from his throat. “Don’t tell me I’m that easy to forget. Hell, I may have changed, and it’s been an eternity since I held you, but how could you ever forget what we shared?”

Her body stiffened. “Cage?”

The muscles in his shoulders relaxed and he smiled.  “Yep. One and the same.” He nodded toward the shotgun. “You had me worried for a moment. And I can’t say I appreciate that pointed at my chest, no matter who wields it.”

She stepped back, lowering the weapon.

“It’s really good to see you.” He moved closer and raised a hesitant hand.

“Why did you come back?” she whispered.

He dropped his hand to his side. “To right a wrong. I was innocent then. Still am.”

Morgan’s delicate features hardened. “Sheriff Blakely testified otherwise.”

“And I’ll prove he lied.” Craving to touch her, he stroked his mustache with his other hand and waited for his erratic pulse to calm. “You never answered my question. What are you doing here?”

“Your father invited me to stay.”

“Why would he do that?” Taken aback by her revelation, Cage shrugged off a sudden sense of betrayal and shored his resolve to unearth the truth.

A guarded look flitted over her face. “He had his reasons.”

Anger shot to his core at the quiver in her voice. Hell, she couldn’t be afraid of him. “Do I need an invite to enter my own home?” He chuckled in an attempt to ease the growing tension.

“Of course not, but be quiet. Trent’s asleep.”

Cage paused mid-step, jealousy knotting his stomach. How could she bring someone else here, into his own home, after what they’d shared? The ache in his heart intensified. Jaw clenched, emotions masked, he trailed after her into the house, turning to face her. For the first time in ten years, he savored having her close enough to touch. She’d only grown more beautiful with time.

Unsure where he stood with her, or what she thought, he followed her into the kitchen. With each sway of her hips, his groin throbbed in memory. Merciful God. He clenched and unclenched his hands. No way would he ever forget the satin of her skin, the way she’d moved beneath him, or her soft moans of pleasure.

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