Saturday Spotlight: Joshua's Mistake by @asfenichel

Joshua’s Mistake
By: A.S. Fenichel

Genre: Paranormal Erotic Romance
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Date of Publication: March 28, 2014
ISBN: 9781419991042
Number of pages: 170 Est.
Word Count: 61,000
Cover Artist: Kelly Martin

Accused of treason and the murder of her Psychic Special Forces team, Tessa is in the custody of the FBI. She’s shocked and terrified when the most powerful Psi Agent in the world shows up to probe her mind and discover her guilt or innocence.

Joshua never expected to find a victim of one of his probes attractive, but he can’t seem to leave her behind when all hell breaks loose. Saving the stunning blonde means being drawn into a psychic war that will definitely end his career—and likely both of their lives.

The rhythm of their psychic auras hums to perfection and neither can fight the bond, but it’s all ripped away by a madman with a grudge. Tessa falls into a coma, and Joshua will have to risk his heart and soul to pull her back from the brink.

EXCERPT

Joshua got up from the farm table. “I’ll be back in a little while. Peggy, can you show Tessa where she can rest?”

Peggy smiled warmly. “Of course. You’ll be wanting a shower too. If you give me those clothes, I’ll get them in the washing machine and have them clean when you wake up.”

“You’re very kind, Mrs. Flack.”

She waved a bony hand in dismissal. “You just call me Peggy. Everyone does.”

Tessa had said all the right things to Peggy. She had been polite and controlled her emotions. Inside, she was just short of full on panic. He was leaving her. Who could blame him? Tessa didn’t want to alarm the Flacks so she remained silent, yet practically screamed in her mind, “Where the hell are you going? Are you leaving me here?”

Part of her wanted him to hear and another part of her understood why he would want to get as far away from her as possible. Just because she could feel his emotions didn’t mean he would sense hers. He was undoubtedly very practiced at closing off his mind. If he was really a level ten psychic, he would have to just to stay sane.

He’d likely get killed if he stayed with her. At least he’d gotten her to a place where she could try to catch a few hours of sleep and then she’d be on the run. Probably for the rest of her life, however long that might be.

From the way his head spun around, she might as well have spoken out loud. His eyes widened and then he stalked toward her. He was visceral and terrifying. His body language said he wanted her and he might take her right there in the kitchen.

Tessa held her ground in the center of the old linoleum floor. She didn’t know if she wanted to move closer or run away. Everything about Joshua made her at once, curious, aroused and afraid.

Bill cleared his throat and walked out the door with his shotgun in his hand.

Peggy said, “Well, um…I’ll just wait for you in the next room, Tessa dear.”

Joshua didn’t stop until he was standing with only a sliver of light between them. She had to crane her neck to look up at him. His mouth came within a centimeter of hers, but he never touched her.

“I’m not leaving you.”

Her heart pounded in her chest and her stomach clenched painfully. “I can take care of myself.”

One side of his mouth lifted. His right hand came up and calloused fingers slid across her cheekbone. He was powerful. He could kill her. If his psi rating was true, he could likely kill her without touching her, but he could just as easily snap her neck. She could defend herself, but what would be the point. This was Joshua Lakeland. Eventually he would win.

Those same fingers continued until they were threaded through her hair and he forced her to look him in the eye. “I know you can, Tessa. I’m not leaving because I don’t want to leave you. I can’t explain why, but we’re in this together. You’re going to have to learn to trust me.”

She had to force air into her lungs. “I’ve already taken several leaps of faith. You just said you were leaving. If you want to go, then go.”

He shook his head, but didn’t release her. “I’m going to get rid of the car. I don’t want to get picked up by the local police because we made a rookie mistake and kept a stolen car too long.”

“Oh.” She could feel her cheeks flushing.

His left hand came up and cupped her other cheek. He ran a thumb along her bottom lip. She wanted to be impervious to his attention, but her body trembled at his touch.

His mouth drew closer. His breath mingled with hers as her lips separated partially in shock at what was about to happen and partially in need of his kiss. Those deep blue eyes locked with hers and she couldn’t blink or look away. He scanned her face to her lips, closed his eyes and stepped away.

Tessa’s instinct told her she should throw her arms around his neck and take the kiss he’d nearly given. Her cautious nature kept her feet planted in the spot on the linoleum.

Only the sound of heavy breathing filled the kitchen for several ticks of the clock.

“I’ll be back in a little while. You’d better get some rest.” Joshua walked out the kitchen door into the yard.

PURCHASE

Amazon  /  Barnes and Noble  /  Kobo Books

A.S. Fenichel gave up a successful career in New York City to follow her husband to Texas and pursue her lifelong dream of being a professional writer. She’s never looked back.

A.S. adores writing stories filled with love, passion, desire, magic and maybe a little mayhem tossed in for good measure. Books have always been her perfect escape and she still relishes diving into one and staying up all night to finish a good story.

Multi-published in erotic, contemporary and historical romance, A.S. is the author of the Mayan Destiny series, Christmas Bliss and many more. With several books currently contracted to multiple publishers, A.S. will be brining you her brand of romance for many years to come.

Originally from New York, she grew up in New Jersey, and now lives in the East Texas with her real life hero, her wonderful husband. When not reading or writing she enjoys cooking, travel, history, and puttering in her garden.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website  /  Blog  /  GoodReads

Twitter  /  Facebook  /  Google +

Pinterest

Virtual Book Tour Review: The Tenor by @Peterdanish

The Tenor 

By: Peter Danish 

Publisher: Pegasusbooks 

Publication Date: February 1, 2014 

Format: e-book 

Source: book tour  

 

Peter Danish sends his readers on an epic journey from pre-war Italy to war ravaged Athens. Through Pino Vaggi we are introduced to the hopes of a young child yearning for a life in the opera world. When his chance is finally within his reach, WWII breaks out and he is ripped from his home and placed in Athens where he meets the love of his life who is also his enemy. In his heart he knows he can’t let her die and will do anything to protect her.

Without giving away too much I will just say that Danish’s writing is art in itself. His words at time are poetic and you feel yourself being carried away on his gently rolling waves. His accuracy for historical details is flawless.

I am the first one to say I love a good historical book. I will also admit I know absolutely nothing about the opera or that I am very knowledgeable in the fine arts. I did enjoy this sweeping tale of Pino and his determination to save the lovely Maria Callas. Beautifully written and easily enjoyed by fans of historical drama. 

PURCHASE

Amazon (eBook)  /  Amazon (Paperback) 

Amazon (Hardcover)  /  Book Depository

 

Peter Danish is the Classical Music Editor in Chief for BWWClassical.com, the classic music site for BroadwayWorld.com, covering and reviewing the classical music performance in and around New York City and the greater New York Area. A proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America, he is the playwright of the play: “Gods, Guns and Greed,” as well as the new musical: “The Flying Dutchman.” His writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Ad Age, Ad Week and Media Week Magazines.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website  /  Danish Media Group Website
Facebook Page   /  Twitter

 

 

Book Blast + Giveaway: Killer Within by @Jeffgunhus

  

Killer Within by Jeff Gunhus 

Arnie Milhouse is a murderer. A millionaire with dozens of kills in his past and no one the wiser. But when his name surfaces in connection with the death of a D.C. call girl, Arnie knows it’s only a matter of time before the FBI puts the pieces together. As he makes plans to disappear and leave his life in Annapolis behind forever, he meets a beautiful, mysterious woman who takes an interest in him. The perfect final victim. He can’t believe his luck. Only luck has nothing to do with it. Allison McNeil has returned to Annapolis, a city that she promised herself she would never come back to, not while the cruel memories of her time at the United States Naval Academy still haunt her. But she’s willing to do just about anything to get close to Arnie, even if it means having to face down the demons of her past. Her plans work and soon she and Arnie find themselves locked in a dangerous dance of seduction and betrayal. But Arnie isn’t the only one who carries a secret and the dark truth about Allison McNeil makes a final confrontation between them inevitable. Neither of them know it, but they're on a collision course that only one of them will survive. 

PURCHASE

Amazon

Excerpt 

Arnie Milhouse never considered himself much of a hero. Even as his fingers flexed around the Bic pen he was about to jab into the neck of the man in front of him, he still had his doubts.

Twenty minutes earlier, when he first walked into Rocco’s Convenience and Liquor, the place seemed to stand a good chance of living up to the promise of its name. There was plenty of liquor and not another soul to mess up the convenience of it all. The empty store wasn’t especially unusual for ten-thirty on a Tuesday night. Friday would have been a different story. Workers trading their paychecks for cheap whiskey and smokes; old ladies down to get their Quik Pick lottos; high school kids pimping beers off whoever looked least likely to care about the law. But this was a Tuesday and everything was quiet at Rocco’s.

Arnie shuffled to the back of the store, curling his toes to keep his ill-fitting slippers from sliding off his feet. Vaguely, he wondered if he ought to have put on his shoes before leaving the house. He shrugged away the thought when he reached the wall of refrigerators in the back of the store. He opened the door and pulled out a milk jug. White flakes coated the plastic where past spills had dried, but the expiration date was still a respectable five days away. It would do.

He stood at the counter to pay for his milk, shooting for the minimum acceptable amount of interaction with the acne-tortured teenager brooding behind the cash register. The kid’s face made him think too much about his own awkward adolescence for him to make eye contact for too long. He caught himself running his fingers over the pockmarks left from acne so bad it made him stay home from school some days in embarrassment. He remembered the jokes from other kids, the sympathetic looks from teachers, the tut-tut of the dermatologist who never found a way to help him. He felt a surge of anger at the kid for dredging up those painful memories. Arnie preferred to forget those days. Not that things were much better now.

“What’s that?” the kid asked.

“What?”

 “What’s not better now?”

Arnie hadn’t realized he’d said anything. “Nothing. I wasn’t talking to you.”

The kid rolled his eyes and told Arnie how much he owed. Arnie handed over some cash and waited for his change, taking in the space around Rocco’s cash register. It looked like a million other places; the yellowy laminate surface stained and chipped away, rows of ninety-nine cent packets of herbal supplements, a display of Harley-Davidson lighters, walls of breath mints and racks of chewing gum.

Boring and expected. But then again, what in life wasn’t?

Arnie hadn’t always felt that way. Like any young man, he had once been full of expectation, ready for the road to rise before him in a never-ending adventure. Ready to make his mark. Slay dragons. But none of it was meant to be.

Things had started out in his favor. He was good-looking, filling out and growing into his own during college. He possessed a work ethic and was wicked smart. Even Mensa, the society of high IQs, had been impressed by his intellect and sent him a document to print out certifying that he, Arnie Milhouse, was a damn genius.

You’re so smart that you’re stupid, was his wife’s favorite line, a battering ram that smashed into him the second he had the poor taste to feel good about himself. Problem was, she wasn’t wrong.

He over-analyzed every decision he faced, seeing too many paths to ever choose a direction. This made him indecisive and a chronic second-guesser. It was his nature to not only see faults in others, but to constantly point them out without filter. This critical nature coupled with a lack of any social skills made normal relationships all but impossible.

So, he’d sought refuge in the certainty and the infallibility of math and computers. Over time he turned meek and timid. He didn’t stop to realize the mouse he had let himself become until it was the only thing he knew how to be. He was disgusted with the man he saw in the mirror, but it was the hand life had dealt him.

 Then the door to Rocco’s Convenience and Liquor opened and life took an unexpected turn.  

Praise for Night Chill: 

 "...unforgettable, exceptional debut. A primitive ritual and an ancient secret threaten a family's safety in this heart-pounding tale of horrific madness, Guaranteed to trigger night sweats along with a childlike, irrational fear of the creaky attic, Jeff Gunhus's Night Chill will not disappoint horror fans." - Foreword Clarion Reviews - 5 STARS

Gunhus delivers a taut supernatural thriller...the powerful Nate Huckley terrifies, and the assorted cast of human antagonists add to the white-knuckle tension. All the chops of an action-packed horror tale." - Kirkus Reviews

"A masterful storyteller with an eye for eccentric detail...Gunhus exhibits a distinctive style typically found in seasoned authors like Dean Koontz and Stephen King." - Clarion Foreword Reviews 5 STARS    

Jeff Gunhus is the author of the Amazon bestselling supernatural thriller, Night Chill, and the Middle Grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first book of the series, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. His book Reaching Your Reluctant Reader has helped hundreds of parents create avid readers. Killer Within is his second novel for adults. As a father of five, he and his wife Nicole spend most of their time chasing kids and taking advantage of living in the great state of Maryland. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel. If you see him there, sit down and have a cup of coffee with him. You just might end up in his next novel. 

 Website * Twitter * Facebook

      

  
Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash 

Ends 4/30/14 

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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