February 15, 2012
Dead and Not So Buried, by James L. Conway
Hollywood is rocked after a madman kidnaps the remains of one of the most idolized movie stars of the ’60s, then uses extortion, blackmail and murder to extract his revenge. Caught in the middle is PI Gideon Kincaid, an ex-cop with a troubled past who is led on a harrowing roller coaster ride through sun and sin drenched Hollywood.
While Gideon labors to find out who snatched the dead beauty, he must also contend with some live ones. First there’s the tough-as-nails cop assigned to his case—his ex-wife, who hates him. Then there’s a starlet he must protect. Unfortunately they have a history, and he terrifies her. Finally there’s his assistant, the adorable Hillary. Her crush on him might prove fatal.
As the body count mounts and the madman’s crimes grow ever more audacious, Gideon finds himself in a desperate race against time. Can he put a stop to this crime spree before Gideon himself ends up dead and very buried?
March 16, 2011
Moonlit Desire, by Carolann Camillo
In 1759 Catherine Bradshaw travels from London to the colony of New York to join her future husband, Jeremy Flint, a man she barely knows but already fears. Immediately after the wedding ceremony, their coach is waylaid by Rive St. Clair, a French Army captain who has sworn vengeance against Flint. Rive abducts Catherine and heads north, confident that Flint will pursue. Sixteen years earlier, Flint instigated a massacre at an Indian village, and now Rive hopes to lure him back to that same village and make him pay for his crimes
As Rive forges a path through the wilderness, Catherine’s indomitable spirit and resilience are put to the test. She is frightened of her surroundings and the man who holds her fate in his hands. Rive makes no secret of his desire for her, and she is determined to resist her own growing attraction. Their journey will take them to Quebec City, the French stronghold where Rive must make a final stand against the British. Will Rive lose his life just as Catherine realizes her true feelings for him?
April 1, 2012
Shore Excursion, by Marie Moore
Travel agents may be a vanishing breed, but Sidney Marsh, a New York transplant from Mississippi, is holding her ground—at least on land. She is the tour leader on a cruise through Scandinavia to Russia for a group of eccentric senior citizens who call themselves the High Steppers. Sidney expects her days to be filled with long meals, shopping expeditions and visits to museums, churches and fjords. But this cruise is anything but routine. There is a killer on board, targeting the High Steppers and quite possibly herself.
After the first suspicious death, the captain and his crew are grimly determined to carry on as usual. Disgusted with their inaction, Sidney decides to take matters into her own hands and launch her own investigation. She enlists the halfhearted help of her friend and business partner, the flamboyant and fun-loving Jay Wilson.
Suspects abound. What about those two handsome young men who stay mysteriously aloof? One of them has his eye on Sidney. So does another passenger, far too charming and again too young to fit the “High Stepper” mold. Then there’s Captain Vargos, the arrogant ladies’ man whose plans to thwart Sidney’s investigation might include seduction. Who is that crew member shadowing Sidney? Is the theater really haunted? Even the High Steppers themselves are not as predictable or harmless as they seem.
The closer Sydney gets to the truth, the less she understands.
May 1, 2012
The Last of Lady Lansdown, by Shirley Kennedy
In the dawn of the Regency era in Northern England, precious few mourn the sudden and shocking passing of the Earl of Lansdown. Certainly not Jane Elton, the young and beautiful widow whose life he made a misery. After her initial relief, Jane must contend with an unexpected and devastating reality: because she is childless, she and her family must descend several rungs down the social ladder.
One hope remains. Could she be pregnant? A son would inherit; otherwise the title and estate will go to the Earl’s slightly younger twin brother, his greedy wife, and many unpleasant offspring. Jane must also contend with the unrealistic hopes of her bitter and ambitious mother and dowerless sister.
Enter Douglas Cartland, a notorious rake with a tragic past. During these first months of widowhood, Jane’s conduct must be above reproach, but she cannot keep her distance. Especially when Cartland contrives to turn up everywhere she looks.
Is Cartland really the scoundrel everyone believes him to be? Will Jane forfeit her title, her family’s fortunes and her reputation for the sake of forbidden desire?
Fate—and Cartland—have many surprises in store.
June 1, 2012
Sasha Plotkin’s Deceit, by Vaughn Sherman
It is 1972, and the Soviet Union has succeeded in planting a mole in the top echelons of the Central Intelligence Agency. Three years earlier, CIA officer Chris Holbeck took part in a failed mission to engineer the defection of a Soviet KGB officer who may know the mole’s identity. His name is Sasha Plotkin.
When they were both stationed in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1969, Chris and Sasha connected on a personal level. Chris was excited to find a KGB officer interested in changing sides. Then, on the day of the Soviet agent’s defection, Sasha was a no-show. Chris would soon discover the full extent of Sasha Plotkin’s deceit.
Now Sasha has resurfaced and wishes to make another attempt to defect. To Chris’ dismay, he is the only CIA officer the man will consent to deal with, even though their once close relationship is now riddled with mistrust. Chris’s wife, Lisa, has sworn to leave him if he abandons her and the family for one more perilous mission. His alluring young colleague Bisan seems determined to seduce him. Despite the risks to his life and his marriage, Chris answers the call of duty.
If Chris succeeds in transporting Sasha to the United States—come hell or high water—will the Soviet agent reveal the true identity of the mole? One thing is certain: the lives of the two men will be forever changed.
July 15, 2012
Breakfast in Stilettos, by Liz Kingswood
As Lifestyles Editor for The Seattle Sun Times, thirty-three year old Emily Royce covers stories about the strange and unusual. When her boss assigns her to write about Seattle’s “slutterati”—a community that celebrates sensuality in literature and the arts—she finds herself researching websites with couples engaged in every Latin conjugation she knows. A challenge, considering that her own mother calls her a prude. Yet she perseveres—learning to read between the erogenous zones.
The slutterati congregate at the Red Door Studio, a fact Emily learns from her not-quite-ex-boyfriend, Frank Mullen. At Frank’s suggestion, Emily interviews a fetish-friendly therapist, lurks in late night chat rooms, and inadvertently gains a following among online submissives begging to be typographically spanked. She shops the world of fetish clothing—seemingly beamed right out of Star Trek—but her prudishness prevails. She falls prey only to a devilish pair of scarlet stilettos.
Emily finally braves her way to the Red Door, with Frank on her arm and the stilettos safely locked in the trunk. Once inside, Frank disappears. Upon seeing her distress, hunky programmer Joe Stratton takes over as her guide. Determined to confront her own inhibitions, Emily decides to humor Joe’s request to don her new stilettos.
Does Emily have a little Dominatrix in her after all?