Friday, February 28, 2020

Happy Publishing Day to SAVORING MILA | by Terri Anne Browning!! #NewPublication #Series #NewAdult #MC #RockerRomance #GiveMeBooks





Title: Savoring Mila: An Angels Halo MC Next Gen/
Rockers' Legacy Crossover
Series: Angels Halo MC Next Gen #3; 
Rockers' Legacy #3
Author: Terri Anne Browning
Genre: New Adult/MC/Rocker Romance
Release Date: February 28, 2020



Blurb

One night.
That was all we had, all we needed.

Mila
It was a chance meeting in a New York City club while I was in town for a wedding. Our paths were never going to cross again.

But I lied.

One night wasn’t enough.


Lyric
New York City was my dream. Work for the best tattoo artist in the country, build up my own client list, then start my own ink shop wherever I wanted.

Then I met Mila.

One night. That was what we agreed.


But even as I was telling her goodbye, I was already planning our forever.







Purchase Links

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU






Also Available

ANGELS HALO MC NEXT GEN


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS



AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS


ROCKERS' LEGACY


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS



AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS






Coming Soon

ANGELS HALO MC NEXT GEN


Releasing March 31

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU



Author Bio

Terri Anne Browning is a USA TODAY bestselling author. Being dyslexic, she never thought a career in writing would be possible, yet she has been on bestselling lists multiple times since 2013. Reese: A Safe Haven Novella was her first Indie published book. The Rocker Who Holds Me changed the tables and kicked off The Rocker... series featuring the sinfully delicious members of Demon's Wings. The Rocker... Series is now complete with 12 books and the occasional novella. Other books by Terri Anne include the Angel's Halo MC Series, as well as The Lucy & Harris Novella Series, The Vitucci Mafiosos Series, and The Tainted Knights Rocker Series.

Terri Anne lives in Virginia with her husband, their three demons---err, children--and a hyper Frenchie named Grunt.



Author Links

Thursday, February 27, 2020

BEHIND THE GLASS (State Street Series Book 1) | by Kristen Morgan #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance #FirstInSeries #Giveaway #SilverDaggerBookTours



Behind the Glass 
State Street Series Book 1 
by Kristen Morgen 
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance 


Rebecca Jordan’s life is simple, disciplined and uncomplicated, at least on the surface. Then she meets a handsome stranger/secret admirer named Michael Vale one fateful late night at a bookstore cafĂ©. As a focused but struggling photographer with a passion for art, her outwardly happy world is turned upside down during this life-changing encounter when she quickly realizes she has met her soul mate. The undeniable attraction between them and their intense, immediate connection seems picture perfect as they discuss the shop’s local artwork, until Rebecca abruptly ends the chance meeting with no explanation.

Betraying Brett, her loyal, loving boyfriend is something she can never bring herself to do. Driven by a strong moral code and molded by divorced parents and a tumultuous childhood, she struggles to stay away from Michael, but fate and circumstance intervene, bringing them back together time and time again. As much as she resists, there is no denying her true feelings for him and the simple fact that Michael understands her in a way Brett never has. Michael proves to be everything she’s ever wanted, but remains just out of her reach.

Behind the Glass tells the story of Michael and Rebecca’s extraordinary love and the many unconventional stages their relationship must go through. Their morals and their faith in true love and in each other will be put to the test as they learn that meeting one’s soul mate does not come without obstacles.





Kristen Morgen is a contemporary romance author and a licensed architect with her own architectural firm. A creative spirit, she can’t remember a time in her life when she didn’t crave designing, creating, discovering, and using her imagination in some way. 

Her romance writing interests may seem rather different from her daily career, where she focuses on designing homes, but all good architects are, at heart, just artists creating something imagined onto paper. The two practices and creative processes balance each other well. 

Kristen was an avid reader from an early age, and it was her love for the romance genre, her favorite guilty pleasure, that encouraged her to hone her passion for writing. She loves the art of shaping words and sentences into relatable stories while creating rich characters for her readers to connect with. 

Her debut novel ‘Behind the Glass’ explores relationships and the little reasons people fall in love with each other while uncovering deeper truths. 

Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, she currently resides in Connecticut with her husband and two daughters. When she’s not designing homes, she dedicates her free time to her second novel and reads almost anything she can get her hands on. 

Kristen Morgen is a hopeless romantic to the end. 





$10 Amazon gift card, Custom Behind the Glass bookmark/mini journal – 1 winner each 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!




DELETED | by Ruth Mitchell #YA #Speculative #Mystery #Excerpt #Promo #SilverDaggerBookTours



Deleted
by Ruth Mitchell
Genre: YA Speculative 


Lucy Campbell is the last person you'd expect to hack minds. The college freshman prefers vintage technology, old books and retro fashion. But when she makes a fool of herself in front of her crush, Marco Han, she wishes she could erase the whole episode from his brilliant mind. She's shocked to learn that her older sister, Mollie, can do just that.

Mollie tells Lucy she's found a way to delete people's memories via Spex, the thought-activated successor to smart phones and Google Glass. Yet, when Mollie breaks into Marco's mind, she decides not to erase any embarrassing moments because he already has a crush on Lucy. Encouraged by her sister's discovery, Lucy stops avoiding Marco. Soon, the two are dating, and Marco, a tech guru in his own right, elevates Mollie's mind hacking from a guilty pleasure to an efficient crime-solving tool.

As the three infiltrate more minds, they realize they're not the only ones who can steal memories. Marco suddenly forgets Lucy; and Mollie forgets that she could ever mind hack. Lucy's mind should be safe because she doesn't wear Spex. But then the mysterious hacker, Nick Lethe, comes after her in person.

Lucy flees to the woods, the only place safe from the surveillance of the ubiquitous Spex. If Nick finds her, he'll erase her memories or worse. If she doesn't find him --and stop him -- no one will know that minds can be hacked and lives rewritten. 


Goodreads * Amazon

CHAPTER 1
Every night before he goes to bed, Nick erases himself from everyone’s memory.
It can be lonely having no one remember him, but it’s the only way he can accomplish his work. And…it’s not a bad life. There’s incredible freedom in being anonymous. Besides, memories and all the petty relationships people construct around them are a total sham.
In truth, each day is like a note with the instructions: burn after reading. Life is the burning. The best part. By the time we hit our pillows most of the day is obliterated. We’ve forgotten what we ate for breakfast, the exact words of a conversation, the face of a stranger. All that remains are ashes and a few random scraps that won’t burn. A look. A taste. A feeling. People hoard these scraps, piece them together, string them into a narrative and pretend it’s life. But it’s not. Life, reality—whatever you want to call it—has already gone up in smoke.
Nick knows this. He knows that none of the memories he scans is completely true. But they’re his only chance to find her. Last night he didn’t sleep. He spent the entire night searching for Lucy, the one person who remembers him, the only mind he hasn’t been able to hack.
He stands in his living room, surrounded by footage of a freckled girl with messy hair. Discrete lenses in the ceiling project dozens of images on white walls. He watches without sound or context, still catching the key details. This skill is how, even as a college drop-out, Nick was able to purchase this oceanfront condo before his twenty-first birthday. This morning the view’s nothing more than thick fog, like the layer of clouds seen through an airplane window.
The memories of those closest to Lucy flicker on the north wall. On the opposite side flash the illicit memories of his clients. A large glass desk near the window reflects and distorts images from both sides. The rest of the room is empty except for some workout equipment: a stationary bike, a weight-lifting bench, and a treadmill, each a lonely island in a sea of gray wood flooring. Nick works out while he scans footage. He’s nothing, if not efficient.
He runs on his treadmill, watching another Lucy memory, this one taken from her hot friend, Karen.
The two girls sit on a quilt on a sunny scrap of lawn outside the computer science building—waiting.
“I can’t believe it’s February.” Lucy wears a yellow sundress. Her freckled shoulders a little pink with sunburn. “This morning my mom sent me pictures of her car buried in snow.”
“I know, right? This perfect weather is freaky,” answers Karen. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to living without seasons. But it does help stalking.”
“It’s not stalking,” Lucy says with a self-deprecating laugh. “It’s caring.”
Nick laughs. Amen sister!
“Did I tell you what happened Tuesday?” Lucy is too excited to wait for an answer. “He sat at that very bench and, drum roll…” She plays air drums and hits an air cymbal. “Ding! He smiled at me!”
“How do you know he wasn’t watching something funny on his Spex?”
“Give me some credit. Even if I don’t use Spex, I can tell when someone is on theirs. He smiled right at me.”
“Congratulations! But I still say you are doing this the hard way. Why don’t you sign up for his class? That way you could gawk at him twice a week like the rest of us and get credit for it.”
Nick can’t see Karen in this memory. But after spending a night scanning recollections of Lucy, he has a good idea what her best friend looks like. She’s short, well-built, always wears workout clothes, and her white blonde hair is styled in a pixie cut with a blue streak.
“Can you see me in computer science? I’d be the only one without Spex.”
“Sweetie, you’re the only one on campus without Spex.”
“That’s my point. I don’t belong in computer science. I belong in a ratty, old armchair reading the thoughts of dead men.”
“While spying on live ones?”
“Something like that.”
“Lucky for you, I’m an excellent stalker and a good friend. I took some photos for you in class today. I’m sending them now with a couple shots from the beach yesterday.”
Karen thinks, Charlotte: Send Lucy photos from yesterday taken at La Jolla Shores and the ones from class today.
“With pleasure!” A female voice with a slight Boston accent whispers in her earpiece. “Sending Lucy Campbell eleven photos.”
Lucy takes her phone out of her backpack. She pauses on the picture of Marco lecturing. Karen leans over to admire it, too.
“You might be right.” Lucy downloads the photos. “Maybe I should take his class.”
“You have to. He’s the best TA. I mean it’s not just that he’s a genius and all that. His enthusiasm is contagious, and he remembers everyone by name.”
“Of course, he does. He made his fortune with his Good with Names app.”
“And he’s not even too old for you. He started college when he was like fifteen.”
“I know. Trust me. I’ve Googled him plenty. What sort of stalker do you think I am?”
“We’ve already established that you’re not a very good one. No one can truly stalk without Spex. You should try mine. They’re the latest model. They have telescopic lenses.”
“Cool! Maybe I will. Wait! That’s him!”
Marco Han’s black mop of hair emerges from the building.
Karen thinks, Charlotte: Zoom. Immediately in her right lens “Zoom 2x” appears. Marco’s wearing a faded blue Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts and frayed flip-flops. Karen’s left lens top corner, reads, “Marco Han, 19, single, UCSD Grad Student” along with a link to his social network page. Both girls let out an audible sigh.
What do they see in this dude? thinks Nick. Look at how he dresses! It’s all because he’s rich. I’m rich!
Marco hops on his board and skates across the wide pathway to the edge of the lawn to where they are sitting.
“Hey Karen, new Spex?” He flips up his board.
“Yeah, I got them last week.” Karen stands up to greet him. Lucy remains on the blanket, her eyes fixed on the ground. The afternoon sun illuminates her reddish-brown mane of hair.
Marco and Karen ooh and aah over the new Spex, Lucy sneaks a look at Marco who is trying on the new glasses and appears ridiculous in the retro frames with rhinestones in the winged tips. She stifles a laugh. He looks her way.
“No Spex, huh?”
She tries to play it cool. “Not my thing.”
“Seriously? I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone over eight without a mindseye.”
“Tell me about it!” Nick hollers at the screen. What is wrong with this girl? If she wore Spex, I’d have found her by now.
“I’m Marco, by the way.” He returns Karen’s Spex and sits down next to Lucy.
“Lucy.”
“Right, I see you all the time.”
“I bet you do.” Karen snickers. Nick laughs too.
“So, why no Spex?” he asks.
She takes a steadying breath before answering. “I like to see the world through my own eyes. I don’t want to be distracted.
“That’s ludicrous,” says Marco. “That’s like going around with your eyes closed so you’re not distracted by the clouds and the trees and meeting new people.” He talks with his hands, pointing to the clouds and trees as he mentions them.
“My eyes are wide open and I just met you.” She smiles big. “You’re new.”
“Sure, but you’re closed to another layer of reality.” He waves a hand in front of her face. “Spex bring the whole world to you.” He pops the iridescent earpiece out of his ear. “This baby can hold every recording in the last century as well as every movie made in my lifetime. Why wouldn’t you want one?”
“I have funny ideas…”
“She wants to keep her mind pure.”
“I just don’t think it’s that big of a leap from our thoughts controlling Spex to Spex controlling our thoughts.”
Marco laughs outright. “We lost that battle long ago. All media directs our thoughts. Be it a book or a movie. It doesn’t matter if you see that movie in a theater or watch it while you’re walking to class. Or in class, like some of my students…”
She interrupts, “‘It’s the movies that have been really running things in America.’”
“Nice! Andy Warhol!” He points at her. “I love that quote. And it proves my argument.”
“Nah, it proves mine. It’s harder to separate your thoughts from others’ when you hear their ideas in your own head.”
“You’re hearing my arguments in your head right now. Your brain’s translating the sound waves picked up by your ears. What’s the difference?”
“He’s right,” says Karen.
“The difference is that the businesses who own apps and search engines want to suck up as much of my time as they can. To make money, they need my attention. If I take too much time to think for myself, they don’t make money. I don’t want Spex to crowd out my own thoughts.”
“Heaven forbid! It’s obvious you have a gorgeous mind. I appreciate your desire to protect it. But Spex, used judiciously, only amplify a great mind.”
“That is…” She gives him a saucy look. “…if you don’t spend your whole day, gaming or binging on TV.”
“Point for Lucy,” says Karen. “It’s a tie: one for Marco and one for you.”
“What I want to know is how you manage your classes without Spex,” he asks.
“I remember things.”
“I bet you do. But you’d have to remember a lot. What was once called cheating is now applied knowledge.
“When I don’t know something, I look it up—the old-fashioned way.”
“You don’t have?”
She pulls her iPhone out of her backpack. “Yep, vintage.”
“Can I see it? Everything still works?”
“Pretty much. Whenever something breaks, my sister fixes it.” She hands him the phone. “She’s a computer genius. She used to hack for the government.”
“Hey! 2048!” He fiddles with the phone with childish delight.
“I used to play that on my dad’s phone on my way to preschool. Can I play it on yours? It’s not the same on Spex.”
“So, you concede? Spex are not superior in all ways?”
“Only if you let me play 2048!” He’s engrossed by the phone. “Hey, nice photo. You’re cute in a swimsuit.”
“Don’t go through my photos!” Lucy grabs her phone.
He gives it back to her with a smirk. “You know, if you wanted my picture you could have Googled me.”
Lucy doesn’t answer. She stands up, turns around and runs.
Marco chases after her. Karen laughs, so does Nick. And then he deletes the memory.



RUTH MITCHELL lives in San Diego with her husband and four marvelous children. Whether she’s writing science fiction, contemporary Rom Com or a women’s fiction ghost story, she strives to create clean, smart books with lots of heart. 

Currently her only published book is DELETED. 














Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Happy Publication Day to THE SECRETS WE HELD (Secrets & Truths Duet #1) | by EK Blair!! #NewPublication #NewAdult #ContemporaryRomance #BookReview #GiveMeBooks





Title: The Secrets We Held
Series: Secrets & Truths Duet #1
Author: E.K. Blair
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 26, 2020



Blurb

Born and raised in West Palm Beach, it’s time for Kate to move to Miami, spread her wings, and have the time of her life.

Wings are easily broken.

Deception masks itself as love while it slowly consumes every inch of her world. Lies spin into a web, trapping her in a nightmare she believes to be a fairy tale.

Fairy tales only live in fables.

Soon, her body will be painted in a truth she can’t deny but is too scared to face, so she runs.

A person can only run so far.







Purchase Links

$2.99 for a limited time!

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited


Book Review

Oh My Gosh! EK Blair is BACK and she had DONE IT AGAIN!!!! The SECRETS pulled me right on through that emotional magnifying glass, straight into ALL THE FEELS that she is so well known for!  She broke my heart and stole my soul in this book and I'm hoping she'll put it all back together in The TRUTHS.

This story is an intense, emotional, and wild ride and you will feel every single emotion right along with the characters in this story. There is definitely some heavy subject matter that will not be for all readers.  I guess you could call this a New Adult Emotional Romance and if it sounds like something you'd like, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT!

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received this complimentary book upon request and am voluntarily leaving my review.  All opinions are my own.







Coming Soon


Releasing March 12

$2.99 for a limited time!

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU






Author Bio


E.K. Blair is a New York Times best-selling author. Her books range from thrillers to romance to YA, all of which shine a light on the inner workings of relationships through adversity. She resides in Oklahoma with her husband and two beautiful children. When not writing, you will most likely will find her sipping on a mug of overly-sweet coffee while watching reality television or the latest true crime documentary.


Author Links

ASHBURY HIGH AND THE THIEF'S GAMBLE | by Kelly Brady Channick #YA #Mystery #Excerpt #Giveaway #SilverDaggerBookTours



Asbury High and the Thief's Gamble 
by Kelly Brady Channick 
Genre: YA Mystery 


Asbury, although a haven to shoobies (tourists) in the summer, is a divided coastal town. With the rich half living in the East, and the rest living in the West, most friendships stay within their boundaries. Luckily for a spunky-smart tomboy, a clever billionaire athlete, a gossipy-in-the-know cheerleader, and a wrong side of the tracks technological genius, boundaries are a foreign concept. In fact, Maddie, Cornelious, Carly, and Pilot have been Asbury’s strongest quartet for years, despite their vast differences. Nevertheless, after a few weeks of starting high school, the foursome’s friendship is tested.
After a string of burglaries in East Asbury, the gang decides to solve the crime as a reason to make time for each other. The further they investigate, the more they find themselves constantly side-stepping tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum-like policemen, outsmarting local bully JB and his gang of misfits, and dealing with Cornelious’ billionaire father and Governor---who has disapproved of his son’s choice of friends for years. In addition to these obstacles, the foursome must also adapt to their evolving friendship with each other and their peers.
With upperclassmen, teachers, and teammates vying for their attention, the gang must work even harder to root out the red-herrings from the true thief. Aided by Carly’s gossip, Maddie’s boldness, Cornelious’ quick-wit, and Pilot’s knack for technology, the gang soon discovers its edge over the local police department. 

Goodreads * Amazon


During the weekend, Asburyans faced something they never before dealt with: a major break-in into one of East Asbury's most prominent families had resulted in a two-thousand-dollar theft. Although this amount wasn’t a lot for an East-sider, the town was full of unrest. For everyone knows the first break-in, is never the last.
"This sucks! My mom tried changing the locks four times before she let us out of the house! Mia had to calm her down just so she wouldn't end up locking us inside of the house."
"Lucky you Carly," Cornelious mumbled, "My mom said that she would die if someone harmed the cat! Not the money. Not the car. Not even me! And then my dad said I’m to come right home after practice and no more hanging out with those hooligans. He honestly thinks you guys broke into the Lomlings!"
Maddie turned to view Kirk Lomling and the pity party he was throwing. If I had been ripped off two grand I wouldn’t sit around and ask for everyone’s sympathy, Maddie thought watching Kirk spew details and statistics of the improbability of a theft occurring in his security-ridden home---scratch that---mansion. She was about to crack a joke over Kirk’s mansion-theft, but when she faced her friends she felt the awkward tension beginning to rise. Suddenly, she thought of a bright idea, "Hey guys! I know what we should do!" Maddie exclaimed and motioned for them all to move closer. Seeing as they were in lunch it was hard enough to hear each other. "We should try to solve this ourselves!"
"Great idea! Why didn't I think of it?!" Carly's voice got higher as she spoke. "Four fourteen-year-olds trying to solve a break-in, now that's hilarious. Oh! I do have one question...why?"
"Well, seeing as our schedules are very different after school, this will be an excuse for us to get together, and we could think of it as an adventure. Plus, we did win the murder-mystery night in middle school each year, eh?"
“Oh yeah I forgot, the robber is obviously Mr. Hayfield dressed up as Colonel Mustard.”
"Maddie, it sounds fun. But where would we even start?" Pilot asked, while nervously glancing at Carly, afraid to disagree. The table went silent for a few minutes to reflect on this idea.
“I can’t believe we’re honestly considering this,” Carly interjected, effectively breaking the silence.
"Well, we could start at the Lomling's. You know, it was Kirk's family that was robbed. We could try to find their security room and look at the tapes to see if anything is out of place." Cornelious announced out of nowhere.
"Okay. Cool. So let's----” but before Maddie could finish they were interrupted by the bell.
"STUDY HALL!" Maddie boomed shuffling out the door, and into the hall.
****










For as long as she could remember, Kelly Brady Channick loved making up stories and leaving her listeners/readers on the edge of their seats. 

Perhaps that’s why she always managed to talk herself out of trouble... 

After graduating from NJ’s own Ocean City High School, Kelly accepted a basketball scholarship to Holy Family University, in Philadelphia. As a lifelong athlete, Kelly understands the importance of teamwork and overcoming adversity, something she hopes translates into her books. 

Before writing page-turners, she taught first, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade — like a dessert menu, she simply had to test them all out. But her favorite job is the one she’s now doing full time: writing. Kelly loves to craft whodunit mysteries, leading readers through various twists and turns filled with red-herrings, hidden clues, and more peculiar characters than a reality show. 

Kelly lives in South Jersey with her handsome husband, energetic baby boy, two cookie-stealing dogs, and an awfully smart cat. 

If you want to know when Kelly’s next book will come out, please visit her website at http://www.kbchannick.com, where you can sign up to receive emails providing updates for new releases, or contact her directly, as well as win fun giveaways, and receive up to date news. 




$20 Amazon 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!




Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Happy Publication Day to THE RESISTANCE (The Union #5) | by TH Hernandez!! #NewPublication #Dystopian #YA #Series #excerpt #Giveaway #Xpresso



The Resistance
T.H. Hernandez
(The Union Series, #5)
Publication date: February 25th, 2020
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult
After the Union is invaded by the Uprising, life for Evan and her friends becomes even more dire. If they have any hopes of saving the world they know, they’re going to need help. And it looks like there may be someone already out there trying to accomplish the same thing.
Now living in an encampment in the Ruins, life is hard for most Unis in the Resistance. For Cyrus and the other Ruins survivors, it’s just more of the same.
While they train for their ultimate mission, tragedy strikes, upending everything once again. Complicating their plans, someone in their midst is working against them. Evan, Cyrus, and the rest of the Resistance need to locate reinforcements to help them bring down the Uprising while rooting out the traitor. With trust at an all-time low, no one is above suspicion as danger walks among them.

EXCERPT:
Draya stands in the middle of the holding tent that’s served as her residence the past couple of weeks. Her long wavy hair is piled high on her head in messy disarray as she directs her unblinking stare in my direction. Not for the first time this morning, I regret agreeing to participate. But since Draya and I are the only people in camp who were present during my interrogations, I let the others talk me into it. After all, I’m the one she tortured, the one who admitted to blowing up their camps—which we did do—along with a number of things we didn’t do. And if we didn’t do them, she either she made it up to throw me, or someone else out there is working against the Uprising, meaning we may have allies.
“So…what’s going on?” Draya asks, tilting her head to the side as if we’re inviting her to a picnic.
Mateo’s dark curly hair brushes the ceiling of the squat tent that’s barely tall enough for him to stand upright. A breeze from behind flutters the hem of my shirt, alerting me that the last member of our leadership council has arrived.
“Bring me up to speed,” Jack says.
“We waited for you,” Rainey says, her normally raspy voice even more so at this early hour.
Jack trains his attention on Draya for a few beats, assessing the situation as only a cop can.
Draya crosses her arms as her mouth twists into an arrogant grin. “Anyone care to enlighten me to the purpose of this party?”
“We need information,” I say. “When I was in your…custody, you asked me about attacks on the Uprising.”
Her bright blue eyes hold a defiance, sharp enough to slice through bone.
“I thought you said she was willing to cooperate,” I say to Cyrus, never taking my attention from the enemy before me.
Her head tilts in the other direction. “You haven’t asked me a question yet.”
Rainey moves her five-foot-nothing self forward until she’s in Draya’s personal space. Even without the scar cutting across her cheek to her jaw, she exudes power and authority.
Draya blinks and takes a step back then rolls her eyes. “I doubt I can tell you anything you don’t already know.”
“Let’s start with details of the attacks on the Uprising,” I say.
Her brows nosedive. “You’d have more information on that than me.”
“Just…” I let out a frustrated sigh. “Just tell us what happened from your perspective.”
She snorts and her gaze sweeps the rest of the leadership. “You don’t know, do you? Well, now, isn’t this interesting?”
“Draya,” Cyrus’s warns.
“I said I’d help, and I will, but I want something in exchange.”
Mateo crosses his arms with a relaxed posture that says he’s bored. The way he can project anything he wants is just one of the things that makes him such an important part of our leadership team. After spending years as a mercenary, we were able to recruit him to our cause. “You’re in no position to negotiate.”
Draya taps her finger against her chin. “Oh, I think I am. I have something you want, and I want out of this tent. I’ve been stuck in here for two weeks.”
My body trembles as if the ground beneath my feet is quaking. “Oh really?” The words fly from my mouth coated in the venom of my rage. “Your conditions are rough? How are you managing to get by without all the torture? That must really suck.” Cyrus puts a hand on my shoulder, but I shake him off. “And sleeping on a cot instead of a concrete floor in your own vomit and shit? Wow, that must be nearly intolerable.”
Some of the storm clouds brewing in Draya’s eyes dissipate before her shoulders slump, almost imperceptibly. “Fine. It was little things at first, like supply trucks missing inventory. We thought the drivers were making money on the side. But after investigating…we determined it wasn’t them.”
Investigating my ass. They probably tortured them to the brink of death only to find out they were innocent. Well, innocent of the crimes they were accused of anyway.
“Then a high-ranking Uprising leader disappeared.” Her gaze drifts to Rainey then Cyrus. “But after we’d lost a couple of commanders, it wasn’t completely unexpected. There was talk about the disappearances being connected.” Pressing her lips together, she glances at me. “That’s why I had to push you so hard about Cy’s location. A few days after the camp attacks, the leader’s body was found, throat slit, a hundred miles from where he was last seen.”
I glance up at Cyrus wondering if he knows about this. He gives me a quick shake of his head. “Go on,” he says to Draya.
“We were only days away from striking the Union when the camps were attacked. It was a huge setback, but they’d already placed so many people in the Union that they quickly came up with a backup plan.” She flicks something off her pant leg. “And you know the rest.”
“That’s a lot of superficial information,” Mateo says. “We need dates, locations, a list of everything that was taken from the supply trucks, where the leader was last seen, where he was found…”
Draya’s chin tilts up as a smirk tugs at the corners of her mouth. “I take it you don’t need details on the camp attacks.”
Mateo’s chest expands with each terse breath.
“Didn’t think so,” she mumbles but spends the next couple of hours answering questions. Unfortunately, she doesn’t provide much in the way of concrete details, something we desperately need. If we have any hope of taking down the Uprising, we’re going to need help.


Author Bio:
With flawed strong characters, characters you can relate to, New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Lorhainne Eckhart writes the kind of books she wants to read. She is frequently a Top 100 bestselling author in multiple genres, and her second book ever published, The Forgotten Child, is no exception. With close to 900 reviews on Amazon, translated into German and French, this book was such a hit that the long running Friessen Family series was born. Now with over sixty titles and multiple series under her belt her big family romance series are loved by fans worldwide. A recipient of the 2013, 2015 and 2016 Readers' Favorite Award for Suspense and Romance, Lorhainne lives on the sunny west-coast Gulf Island of Salt Spring Island, is the mother of three, her oldest has autism and she is an advocate for never giving up on your dreams.

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