Sunday Snippets ASLEEP IN SCOTTSDALE by Vijaya Schartz

ASLEEP IN SCOTTSDALE
by Vijaya Schartz
Contemporary romance novella set in Arizona.

http://amzn.com/B014SEGD2W

When Talia runs over billionaire Kyle Dormant with her bicycle in the dog park, she considers their meeting a happy accident. He believes it is destiny, but her physician's mind rebels at such notions. Their budding romance comes to a grinding halt when Kyle won’t wake up from deep sleep... with no medical explanation. Baffled and deeply concerned, Talia digs into his recent past for a plausible cause. Instead, she uncovers dark family secrets. Convinced Kyle's condition was induced, and someone wants him dead, she is anxious to save him, but the closer she gets to the sordid truth… and a possible cure, the greater the risk to both their lives.

EXCERPT:

 "Watch out! Behind you!"

Kyle glanced back. Too late. A big black dog shot out like an arrow, tires burned rubber. A blur of bright pink trampled Kyle. The impact shoved him sideways toward a bench and sent him bouncing up into the grass, in a jumble of limbs, pedals, and bicycle wheels.

"Are you okay?" The voice of an angel.

Kyle shook his head to stop the world around him from whirling.

"I'm so sorry!" The pink blur disentangled itself from him and the bike, her helmet askew. She pulled it off and shook away a cascade of blond hair as she watched the black dog run away across the lawn. "At least, I avoided the poor dog."

"That's a relief." Kyle retrieved his sunglasses from the ground then winced as he stood up and his knee buckled. Righting himself, he blew grass off his twisted Ray-Ban before he slipped them into his breast pocket. Keeping his weight off the busted leg, he struggled to mask his discomfort.

Pink helmet in one hand, the young woman stared up at him through striking blue eyes. She was slim, with exquisite curves under the pink and gray spandex shorts and sports bra... and vaguely familiar. "Are you all right?"

"I'll be fine."

The other cyclist, who had stopped at their level, stood astride his bike and lifted his sun visor. "Are you guys okay?"

The gorgeous blond woman waved back. "We'll be all right. Thanks for stopping."

The cyclist nodded, pulled down his visor, set his feet on the pedals and rode away, leaning forward to climb the slope.

The blond beauty faced Kyle and held out her hand. "My name is Talia. Talia Beauregard."

"That's a pretty name." Instinctively, Kyle shook the offered hand, enjoying the smooth feel of her bare fingertips beyond the cut leather gloves. "Kyle." He cleared his catching voice. "Kyle Dormant."

Concern narrowed her azure eyes matching the clear morning sky. "Are you sure you're all right? I'm a doctor. I can help."

"No need. Thanks." His knee and hip hurt like hell, but he'd never let such a pretty little blonde inspect him for bruises and scrapes... not unless they were both naked. He realized he was staring at her sexy curves and returned his gaze to her face.

Talia broke into a pure, angelic smile. "I'm glad nothing's broken."

 Kyle forced his stare to the distorted front wheel at his feet. "I wouldn't say the same about your bike."

"Can you believe it's a brand new bicycle?"

Then he realized where he'd seen her before. In his waking dream, or vision. Her hair had been pulled back, but it was her. The kind face, the blond hair, the striking blue eyes, the sensual lips. No doubt about it. It was the first time one of his visions materialized. How weird.

He gave her a once over. "What about you? Are you sure you're okay? We took quite a tumble."

She chuckled. "I'm tougher than I look." She wrinkled her pretty nose as she lifted the handlebar with one hand, inspecting the twisted front wheel. "I should return it. I think there's a serious manufacturing defect in the steering column."

Kyle bit his lower lip not to grin. "Are you certain it wasn't human error?"

"Of course, I am." She stared at him, eyes round with offended shock. "The front wheel started wiggling as if it would come loose, and the brakes wouldn't grip until it was too late. Definitely a mechanical failure." She dropped the handlebar in frustration, and the shiny, twisted bike fell back onto the grass.

Guilt squeezed Kyle's gut. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make fun of you." He took her elbow gently and guided her to the nearby bench. "Let's sit a while."

She let him lead her and sat, helmet in her lap, shoulders down. She sighed. "That other bicyclist saw I was in trouble. He tried to warn you. Then the dog crossed the path... I barely avoided the poor thing."

"I saw the dog. He's fine." Damn she was lovely.

"Couldn't you hear me, screaming for you to get out of the way?" The sincerity in her voice stabbed at his guilt.

"I apologize. I couldn't hear anything with my music on." He couldn't help but think about his vision. Why had he seen her face smiling at him? And he'd wanted to kiss her... like he did now. It had to mean something. He wanted to know more about her.

She glanced back toward the broken bike. "Now, my day is ruined."

He smiled at the dramatic statement. "Not necessarily."

She rewarded him with a hopeful gaze. "What do you mean?"

Kyle tapped his Apple watch for a GPS map of the area. "I know a quaint breakfast place on Chaparral, a walking distance across Hayden road." He showed her the tiny map. "Right there. See it? We both could use a break."

"Actually, that sounds good." Her smile lit her entire face. "But I insist that it'd be my treat. It's the least I can do after what I put you through."
"If you insist." But Kyle had no intention of letting her pay. 

HAPPY READING

Vijaya Schartz
Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick
http://www.vijayaschartz.com
Amazon - Barnes & Noble - All Romance eBooks - Smashwords - iBooks - Kobo


Hope you enjoyed this Sunday Snippet. Visit the blogs of the other authors involved in this tour for more of these exciting excerpts.

http://triciamg.blogspot.com (Tricia McGill)
http://authorjamiehill.blogspot.com/ (Jamie Hill)
http://connievines.blogspot.com/ (Connie Vines)
http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/ (Juliet Waldron)
http://mizging.blogspot.com (Ginger Simpson)

a few lines from The Abduction of Mary Rose by Joan Hall Hovey

This week, a few lines from The Abduction of Mary Rose
by Joan Hall Hoveyhttp://amzn.com/B005M4W22I 

 

The teenage girl hurried along the darkening street, head down in a vain attempt to divert attention from herself as she headed for her bus stop, still over a block away. The car behind her was a soft growl in the still, warm air.  The day was fast fading, the sky a light mauve, only a sprinkling of stars yet. Soon it would be dark... Ignore them, she told herself. But it was impossible to do with the car following so close that the heat from the motor brushed her bare legs, like a monster's breath.

Victoria Chatham follows next week.

 

A few lines from... Winter Fire by BWL author Kathy Fischer-Brown

Winter Fire

Kathy Fischer-Brown

http://amzn.com/B004BA5GMM

"Get back!" he shouted. "The ice won't hold you!"
She whirled around in alarm.
And in that split second, he saw her eyes. Those startled doe's eyes. Zara Grey!
In the next instant, a crack—like a musket shot—echoed through the ravine. She reeled as the ice heaved up beneath her amid an angry surge of black water. And then, her face frozen in a look of surprise, her mouth open in a semblance of a silent scream, she disappeared through the widening breach.
His gaze fixed on the roiling chasm, Ethan hurled himself down the slope. She surfaced—flailing arms and legs, and gasping desperately for air—churning up the black water into an icy froth. She grasped at the splinters of ice.
"Keep your head up!"
Racing along the bank, he ripped off his deerskin jacket and hurled it, along with his rifle and belt into the snow. If she went under again, she'd be trapped. Already the current had taken her, sweeping her like a bobbing cork toward the opposite bank where the ice was thicker.
"Keep your head up!"
But the frenzied movement of her arms had slowed. She gasped at the water along with the air. She could barely keep herself afloat. As if she had made a conscious choice to surrender herself to a stronger power, he saw the spirit drain out of her. An eerie calm settled over her eyes as her gaze met his, then she slipped under again without a struggle.
Without stopping to think, Ethan tore off his shirt and moccasins, and dove through the opening.

Buy from Amazon: http://amzn.com/B004BA5GMM
Visit Kathy’s website: http://www.kfischer-brown.com

Stop back next week for A Few Lines from…Angel de' Amor

A few lines from CHINA BLUE by Kat Attala

At eight pm, he drove to the camp. The dark skies overhead made it seem later than dusk. Just to make sure he covered his bases, he ran his Jeep off the road in a ravine deep enough to need a tow-truck to get out. By the time he reached her Craftsman house, he was soaked to the skin. Damn! He never thought a summer rain could be so freaking cold. A woman who fed the squirrels and birds would not turn her back on a stranded motorist. Would she? 

He knocked on the door and waited. The air rumbled with a distant thunder. In the past decade, he had thought about her many times: The sad young girl with the magnificent eyes. So he wasn't prepared for the woman who opened the door. Her eyes were that same bright blue, but the rest of her bore little resemblance to the skinny teenager in that hospital bed. Her hair had grown back and fell below her shoulders in thick black waves. Denim jeans molded long legs and a fitted tee shirt revealed a hint of cleavage at the scoop neck. But her most striking feature was the rifle cradled in her arms.

http://bookswelove.net/attalla.php

 

Please stop by next week for a few lines from Hazel Statham.

Please stop back next week for a few lines from Hazel Statham.

A Few Lines From Deadly Consequences by Jude Pittman

DEADLY CONSEQUENCES

http://amzn.com/B008ZQTPK2

A shot rang out from the direction of the stables. Kelly leapt out of his chair, grabbed the gun out of his jacket pocket and slapped the screen door open.

“What the damn hell?” He yelled as he raced towards the brood barn, where Jake, alerted by the gunshot, stood in front of the closed doors barking like a beast gone rabid.

“Easy boy,” Kelly said, approaching the door with his weapon drawn. “Gilly, you okay in there?” Kelly reached the door and pulled the handle. It held fast. Someone had apparently locked it from inside.

“Gillian?” Kelly called in a voice laced with fear and Jake once again started his frantic barking.

“Okay. Stand down.” Kelly spoke to the dog, then placed his ear against the door and listened.

From inside came the sounds of sobbing.

“Gillian.” Kelly yelled again. “For God’s sake, open the
door.”

http://amzn.com/B008ZQTPK2

Stop back next week for a few lines from Jamie Hill.

A few lines from Exposure, by Lisabet Sarai....

The back door, I discover, is unlocked. I’m one hundred percent certain I didn’t leave it that way. Carefully, keeping my body behind the door, I scan the yard. The light filtering from the kitchen windows is bright enough for me to see that there is no one in my little square of turf. It also shows me crushed tomato plants and bean vines torn from their trellises, clearly marking the intruder’s escape route.

At that point, my rage finally overwhelms my fear. I pour myself a finger of scotch and sit at the kitchen table, simmering in helpless anger and vowing some kind of revenge.

Then a horrible thought crosses my mind. Jimmy knew I would be out tonight. He was the only one who knew. Was it possible that he was involved in all this, somehow? Is it possible that smiling Jimmy might have betrayed me?

The balance shifts again. Shudders shake my body. Sitting alone under the fluorescent lights, gripping my drink, I am paralyzed by the realization that I don’t know who I can trust. If anyone.

Exposure - An erotic thriller by Lisabet Sarai

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGTQS14

Visit Lisabet's Fantasy Factory: http://www.lisabetsarai.com

Venture Beyond Romance: http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com

Please come back next week for A Few Lines From. . . Rita Karnopp.

A few lines from... A Novel Murder - by Ginger Simpson

"I'm going to resign!"
"Resign?" Naomi's mouth gaped.
"God, you sound just like Tony. Relax. Not right at the moment, but as soon as our current cases are solved. I can't walk away when women...one of which I've met, are losing their lives."
"So, have you really thought this through?"
"You have no idea. I actually made some progress on my novel tonight, but my muse isn't cooperating because I can't stop thinking about Kitten and Persia."
"When did you get cats?"
"Oh, Nay. Those are the stripper names of the two dead women."
"Hmm, yeah now I remember. Sorry, guess I had a memory lapse. So more about this resignation thing..."
"I have my writing to fall back on, and my editor thinks this next story is going to be the one that makes me big bucks. I'm making out pretty good on the first, but I love to write, so being
free of the force will give me the time I need."

Ginger
Spice Up Your Life with Ginger
Ginger Simpson
http://www.gingersimpson.com
http://mizging.blogspot.com
http://www.amazon.com/author/gingersimpson


Come back on May 10, for a few lines from Gail Roughton.

BWL BLURBATHON - Family Secrets by Jamie Hill

Family Secrets
A Cop in the Family, Book 1
by Jamie Hill

As if stumbling over a dead body isn't enough, Crystal Cartwright finds herself playing surrogate mother to two small boys when their father--her neighbor--doesn't come home. The kids aren't much trouble, but the thieves, drug dealers and kidnappers they're about to encounter are.

Detective Jack Dunlevy, a cop down on his luck, draws the cases no one else wants. A simple investigation involving a dead homeless man quickly changes as Crystal enlists Jack's help with the children. Drawn into a mystery that none of them could have anticipated, they're faced with a situation that will change their lives forever.

"Ms. Hill is a genius! The plot line was AMAZING. It was action packed and kept me on the edge of my seat almost the entire time. Ms. Hill has become a favorite author of mine and I consider her to be an automatic add to my "to be read list". If you are a serious suspense loving reader who loves to form bonds with the characters, this is definitely the book for you! I loved it and can't wait to read more of Ms. Hill's books, she has the gift of knowing what the reader wants and then hitting you with an ending you certainly don't expect. Two thumbs up!" ~ Val, You Gotta Read Reviews, 5 Stars

Find this title here:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004478IN6/

Find all of Jamie's titles here: http://bookswelove.net/jamiehill.php

Please come back March 21 for a blurb from author Pat Dale!

BWL Blurbathon - The Abduction of Mary Rose by Joan Hall Hovey

The Abduction of Mary Rose
A suspense novel interwoven with threads of romance and paranormal.
Imagine discovering everything you believe about yourself to be a lie. And that the truth could stir a killer from his lair.
Following the death of the woman she believed to be her mother, 28-year-old Naomi Waters learns from a malicious aunt that she is not only adopted, but the product of a brutal rape that left her birth mother, Mary Rose Francis, a teenager of Micmac ancestry, in a coma for 8 months.
Dealing with a sense of betrayal and loss, but with new purpose in her life, Naomi vows to track down Mary Rose's attackers and bring them to justice. She places her story in the local paper, asking for information from residents who might remember something of the case that has been cold for nearly three decades.
She is about to lose hope that her efforts will bear fruit, when she gets an anonymous phone call. Naomi has attracted the attention of one who remembers the case well.
But someone else has also read the article in the paper. The man whose DNA she carries.
And he has Naomi in his sights.

"Hovey’s The Abduction of Mary Rose was disturbingly satisfying. Naomi’s resilience and the strength which she managed to acquire were inspirational. Also, the author allowing readers to peek inside the mind of a sociopath was riveting. The cold madness which he displayed was masterfully crafted. Even though his character was well tailored, the relevance of the other characters cannot be annoyed, the way in which the other characters were incorporated, allowed the story to flow well.

They added the components which led to Naomi achieving justice. The Abduction of Mary Rose was well worth the read and I hope that Hovey once more invites readers into Naomi’s world." ~ Kellie, You Need to Read, You Gotta Read Reviews
Available
here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005M4W22I/
Find
Joan's other books here:
http://bookswelove.net/joanhallhovey.php
Please
stop back on March 19 for a blurb by Jamie Hill.