Stranger In My House by Mari Manning #RomanticIdea

Here is a #romanticidea ripped from the headlines…of a small town newspaper:

Have a slice of watermelon for dessert. Here’s how to make it romantic:

After dinner, cut a generous slice from a huge, seedy watermelon. You must settle yourself on your door step or deck or porch to consume it. Spit out the seeds. In fact, spit them as far as you can. The best spitter gets to watch the loser do the dinner dishes.

About Stranger in My House by Mari Manning

When Officer Kirby Swallow’s half-sister is threatened, Kirby assumes her sister’s identity and journeys to the remote Texas ranch her sister calls home to catch a killer. Kirby confronts a growing list of suspects and a rising body count, not to mention the ranch manager, Seth Maguire, who sees past the charade to the warm, generous girl beneath. But can Kirby trust a man who rejects the one thing she holds dear: family? Her love dares all, but as the killer closes in, will it also be blind?

Self-reliant Seth Maguire is manager of the struggling Shaw Valley Ranch. His future appears empty until the ranch's wild, unpredictable heiress suddenly morphs into a very hot lady cop. What starts out as just another seduction turns into something deep and, for him, frightening. Then the killer is revealed and Seth is faced with an impossible choice. Will his fragile, uncertain love be enough to save Kirby?

Buy links to all the major electronic sites are here: http://www.entangledpublishing.com/stranger-in-my-house/

An excerpt from Stranger in My House

The aroma of fresh coffee drifted past Kirby’s nose. A man’s raspy breath sawed the air. A wool blanket tickled her neck. Her eyelids drifted open. Planks of varnished redwood stretched across the ceiling.

Where am I?

“Thought you might sleep all morning.”

Kirby bolted up. She was in a strange bed in a strange room in a strange house. Maguire slouched against the doorjamb, slurping coffee and studying her. Rumpled curls, muscular chest, vee of dark hair running down his belly, sweatpants hanging on narrow hips.

Alarm jolted through her. He looked satisfied and sexy. What happened last night? Had he… Had she? Lord Almighty! Had she slept with Maguire? A searing pain drove through her head, and she fell back against the pillows.

“What…am…I…doing…here?” Her mouth was dry, her tongue thick. As if she’d been on a bender.

Maguire pulled up a chair. The scrape of chair legs against wood vibrated inside her head like thunder. “Found you wandering around last night,” he said.

“Last night?” She remembered the sudden crush of exhaustion, of feeling too tired to hold up her head. Then nothing. Not putting on her T-shirt or brushing her teeth or turning down the bed. Speaking of T-shirts, what was she wearing, if anything? She brushed her fingers over her hips. The Rangers jersey twisted securely around her.

“Just after midnight. You were banging on the barn.”

“I don’t remember.” Her emotions swung between sheer embarrassment and sheer terror at being discovered. Either way, she couldn’t bear to look at him. “Was I, uh—I mean, did I, uh, do anything?”

“After the striptease?”

Shocked, she whipped her head around.

 About Mari Manning

Let’s start with the fun stuff. I love small towns, mysteries, quiet men, laughter, old-fashioned spaghetti dinners. I love boots and shopping and jokes and Hershey’s dark chocolate and white wine. I love lots of things. But my first love is reading.

I love to read. Just about anything, but it has to be well-written. I go through periods where I am into historical novels or romance or mystery or history or biography. I never know when my desires will suddenly change.

Now for the writer-ish, official stuff: Mari Manning is the author of several contemporary romances and three romantic suspense novels set in the Texas Hill Country. Stranger at My Door is the first in her A Murder in Teas series. The second, Stranger in My House will be released by Entangled on June 13. The third book in the series is Stranger in My Bed. Currently Mari is working on a series of cozy mysteries.

She and her husband live in Chicago.

Contact Mari at manningillinois@gmail.com

Visit Mari's website at www.marimanning.com

Follow Mari @mari_manning on Twitter

Bad Boys After Dark #ContemporaryRomance #MelissaFoster

Tangled Sin, a Paranormal Romance by Georgia Lyn Huner

One Week To Go!

Hi Everyone!

I’m so excited my new book LORD OF THE JUNGLE will go into the world next Thursday, June 30th.

Blurb:

A shipwrecked woman.

The uncharted island. 

Jane Porter craves a thrill but when marauders scuttle her ship and she washes ashore onto an island inhabited by animals and one sexy wildman, that’s when the real adventure begins. Dependent upon her vine-swinging rescuer who acts more ape than musclebound man, she places her survival in his rugged hands and relinquishes her desire to his raw sensuality.

For more seasons than he can remember, Tarzan has lived among the tiny island’s gorilla band. Instinct propels him to save the female he finds half-dead in the surf, but gazing into her eyes, his mating tool dances an ancient tribal beat.

While the pirates search for their bounty, Tarzan and Jane are in danger. To survive, they’ll have to hang onto each other as they swing for dear life. Their adrenaline-rush of passion among the jungle's canopy threatens not only a dizzy fall from high above, but also a crash into love. 

Have a great rest of the week!

XO,

Sheri

Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush, by Victoria Pinder #RomanticIdea

I've been introduced to an New-To-Me contemporary romance author:

Victoria Pinder

Book Title: Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush 

Date Published:  Re-released April 30, 2016 

Purchase Link: Amazon: http://amzn.to/1SrKB7I

Synopsis:

Penny moves back to Miami to start her new job. She must start on Monday, so she has a list of things to accomplish.

A: Find a place to live.

B: Avoid her mother.

C: Reconnect with old high school friends. There was her best friend, Sandra, the dramatic Eva, the dark Michael, her half-brother Wyatt, and her old high school crush Jay.

Jay had never looked twice at her except as a partner in math league, but at least these people respected her.

Jay spots Penny immediately and sets a plan in action. He needs her to pretend to be his date this week. She’s practical minded and stable, which is what he needs his investors to see in him.

Penny’s caught in a whirlwind of plots. Her gold digging mother, Jay’s, Jay’s mother whose out to stop him, and her own plans are being thrown off course. Worst of it is that she’s falling for Jay, all over again.

Contact Information

Website: http://www.victoriapinder.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriapinder1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victoriapinder

Author Bio:

Victoria Pinder grew up in Irish Catholic Boston before moving to the Miami sun. She’s worked in engineering, after passing many tests proving how easy Math came to her. Then hating her life at the age of twenty four, she decided to go to law school. Four years later, after passing the bar and practicing very little, she realized that she hates the practice of law. She refused to one day turn 50 and realize she had nothing but her career and hours at a desk. After realizing she needed change, she became a high school teacher. Teaching is rewarding, but writing is a passion.

During all this time, she always wrote stories to entertain herself or calm down. Her parents are practical minded people demanding a job, and Victoria spent too many years living other people’s dreams, but when she sat down to see what skill she had that matched what she enjoyed doing, writing became so obvious. The middle school year book when someone wrote in it that one day she’d be a writer made sense when she turned thirty.

She’s always been determined. She is amazing, adventurous and assured on a regular basis. Her website is  www.victoriapinder.com.

Member of Florida Romance Writers, Contemporary Romance, Celtic Hearts and Savvy Authors.

For a free novella of Returning for Valentine’s Please Click here: http://victoriapinder.com/returningforvalentineshorttimeoffer

Excerpt:

“Home, sweet, err…coffee.”

Getting out of her car, Penelope brushed her worn jeans to get out a small wrinkle. Not that it mattered. She smelled the coffee drawing her to the door. The delicious aroma of freshly brewed java that could wake her up waited inside. Gainesville had coffee shops, but nothing that held her heart like this place. In high school, this place was her mecca. Her stomach grumbled for the familiar drink.

The coffee shop looked almost the same as it had years ago, except for the aluminum tables and wooden chairs with red cushions. She remembered the plaid chairs and brown tables, but the place still calmed her, like she was coming home.

She stepped up to the counter. “I’ll have a cinnamon dulce nonfat latte, please.”

Leaving Gainesville after college had always been the plan. Just never back to Miami, but she’d changed. She could live here now.

She checked her lip gloss while she waited for the latte at the counter.

When she accepted the promotion from part-time to full-time, she knew she would have to face her mother and the catch of the month, Lars, her mother’s plastic surgeon. What that woman would do for a free tummy tuck.

The job she’d accepted had offered to triple her salary, provided she moved to the Coral Gables office. Somehow, she’d avoid her mother until necessary. What was the man’s name with money this week? Penny ignored that last call, knowing the man with the largest wallet always took precedence over whatever Penelope needed. She watched the barista get the nonfat milk and finish her latte. She’d succeed here, now. She had to.

She’d call Sandra, Eva, John, and Michael later. Wyatt, her half-brother, was stationed overseas, so she’d wait for his weekly call. These people were her real family.

The man handed her the latte. The first sip gave her the strength to do this. The tightness of the ride dissipated while she tasted her liquid savior. Sighing, she tasted heaven, the wake-up to her day.

“Penelope.”

Though the unmistakable voice was deeper, she knew who it was without even turning. Her high school crush, who never noticed her beyond her brain. Pulling at her pink tank top, she wished she’d worn better clothes. “John Jay.”

His steely blue eyes and sandy blond hair were the same color, but his build had grown more muscular. The leanness of his youth had given way to broad shoulders and hard, muscular arms. He had a straight, faded scar on his left cheek that was new—probably a bar fight. Rich boy wore his fancy, perfectly fitted polo and jeans, and was definitely hotter with age. His million-dollar smile and devastating dimples sparked a warm flush that sped through her all the way to the tips of her toes.

“I’m going by Jay these days. It’s less formal.” He winked at her, turning off his tablet and pointing her to his table.

“It’s a good name, but I still prefer Dimples,” she teased. “It’s what I called you on online whenever I needed you.”

His rich, deep laugh sent that familiar spark through her.

Damn. Rich boy knew his effect on women, including her. He could manipulate her when she went quiet, but she’d learned a lot in college. She’d not let him weaken her.

Tina Gayle: CFO's Affair (Executive Wives Club) #RomanticIdea

Young or old, we all enjoy a night out.

Instead of going to the same old place, try some place new. Maybe a place with music for dancing or a winery for a tasting.

There are all sorts of new things to try. Do it with your lover and make a new memory.

 Blurb for CFO’s Affair

Sylvia Donovan is emotionally wounded from the unexpected death of her husband and still haunted by their last conversation: his request for a divorce and his confession of love for another woman.  Her husband gone, her only daughter off to college, Sylvia faces the challenges of learning to live alone and move on with her life.

Vince Wilshire, enchanted with Sylvia, is more than willing to do what it takes to capture the heart of the hurting and untrusting Sylvia.

Can he help her forget the past and make her believe in love again?

Excerpt for CFO’s Affair

            A knock sounded on the window beside her and she jumped. Her head swiveled around and she stared at the man looking at her through the window.

            Vince Wilshire's handsome face could make any woman melt with desire. With it so close to hers—the glass being the only thing separating them—a rush of adrenaline swept into her system. She leaned sideways in her seat and knocked her hand against the steering wheel. The horn beeped and she muttered, "Damn it, Knox, why did you..."

            The sound of his laughter sent anger flooding through her, the muscles in her arms tightening with the need to strike out. She lowered the phone and clicked the disconnect button in retaliation to his attempt to manipulate her.

            Vince opened the driver's side door and cold air rushed into the car. "Hey, beautiful, are you heading inside?"

            "What is this? Are you guys ganging up on me?" Sylvia ignored the man beside her and glanced in the rear view mirror, checking to make sure her tears hadn't caused any lasting effect.

            A warm hand landed on her shoulder and Vince toyed with her hair. "Not at all, I like the idea of entering the building with a gorgeous woman on my arm."

            "Right," she protested and stuffed her phone into her purse before turning to stare into his bedroom-brown eyes. The spark in their depths had her reevaluating her impression of the man. Yes, he had the face and body to rival every other Casanova in the world, but he also had a sense of humor. That alone sent a shiver of awareness through her.

            She fought the desire gathering in her stomach and waved her hand at him so he'd move out of the way, letting her exit the car. "Did Knox make you wait out here in the parking lot to make sure I would come inside?"

            Vince grinned and held her door open while she stepped onto the asphalt. His gaze fell to her legs.

            She stared at her new, high-heel, red pumps and silently prayed she wouldn't land face first in the dirt when she tried to walk across the pitted parking lot in them.

            A low whistled sounded beside her. "Man, are you ever hot."

            She ignored the comment and didn't turn until she heard the car door slamming closed. "And there's not a woman you've ever met you haven't wanted."

Read 1st chapter at: http://www.tinagayle.net/CFO'sAffairChpt.htmlhttp://www.tinagayle.net/CFO'sAffairChpt.html

Buy Link:  http://bit.ly/CFOaffair

Author Bio:

Tina Gayle grew up a dreamer and loved to escape into the world of books.
After years of working in the business world doing a variety of jobs, she decided to try her hand at writing. Her books touch the heart and show the true joy of being a woman.

Read the first chapter of any of her books by visiting her website.

Find Tina Gayle everywhere:

Home - www.tinagayle.net

Blog - www.tinagayle.blogspot.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorTinaGayle

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/tina.gayle


Amazon Author Page - http://www.amazon.com/Tina-Gayle/e/B002BM9GR8

Google + - https://plus.google.com

Linkin - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tina-gayle/11/689/759

Dark Brew by Diana Rubino #RomanticIdea

DARK BREW

A time travel romance

Learn from the past or forever be doomed to repeat it.

Worldwide release date July 22, with The Wild Rose Press.

Romantic Summer idea:  Cook an authentic Italian meal: ravioli or linguini with homemade pasta sauce, bread with garlic butter, a salad with Italian olive oil, a fine Italian red wine, and a sweet gelato for dessert. Then put on some Sinatra CDs and dance the night away!

An interview with Diana about Dark Brew

Where did the story come from?

This story took 11 years from start to finish. I’m a longtime member of the Richard III Society, and in the spring of 2004, I read an article in The Ricardian Register by Pamela Butler, about Alice Kyteler, who lived in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1324, and faced witchcraft charges. After her trial and acquittal, she vanished from the annals of history. I couldn't resist writing a book about her.

How did you decide to make it a paranormal?

I’m a believer in reincarnation, and I go on paranormal investigations whenever I can. I’ve gone on several past life regressions. Cape Cod has a lot of history and paranormal activity. I’ve been on many ghost walks and ghost hunts there. I wanted to connect Alice in the past with someone in the present, her reincarnation.

Was Alice Kyteler famous in 14^th century Ireland?

Not at all but she was the richest woman in Kilkenny, and for that reason the villagers hated her, especially the men. They accused her of killing her first husband, but she was acquitted. Then they accused her of killing her fourth husband, John LePoer, with witchcraft, the accusations more absurd than those of the 1692 witch hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts. Chancellor Edward de Burgh arrested Alice because her stepsons claimed she had murdered John by casting a witch’s spell with malefecia…and she used the enchanted skull of a beheaded thief as her cauldron.

She went to trial and her dear friend Michael Artson had her acquitted, but she vanished into the annals of history. According to legend, she went to England. But no one knows for sure.

Why did you make it a time travel?

Kylah McKinley lives on my beloved Cape Cod. She’s a Druid, a ghost hunter and owns a new age store in a restored Revolutionary War-era tavern. She was also the target of a hit-and-run. Another hit-and-run crippled her husband Ted. That’s no coincidence—she’s convinced someone’s out to get them both.

From many past life regressions, Kylah knows she’s the reincarnation of Alice, so she brews an ancient Druid herb mixture, goes back in time and enters Alice’s life to find out exactly what happened and who killed her husband.

These two months of hell change her life forever. Kylah’s life mirrors Alice’s in one tragic event after another—she finds her husband sprawled on the floor, cold, blue, with no pulse. Evidence points to her, and police arrest her for his murder. Kylah and Alice shared another twist of fate—they fell in love with the man who believed in them. As Kylah prepares for her trial and fights to maintain her innocence, she must learn from her past or she’s doomed to repeat it.

Have you ever spoken to Pamela Butler, who wrote the article about Alice?

Yes, we’ve corresponded. She lives in New Mexico, so we’ve never met in person. I asked Pam what inspired her to write about Alice. I’d never heard of Alice until I read her article, “Witchcraft & Heresy. She replied:

“You asked why I wrote about Alice Kyteler, who preceded Richard by a century-and-a-half. I only wrote it because others on the listserv encouraged me to write about witchcraft, a subject about which I knew very little. I ordered three books from Amazon.com on the subjects of witchcraft, heresy, Satanism, etc. for research reasons. That was my basis, plus I searched the Internet. The Malleus Malleficarum was published in 1487, just two years after Richard's death, so it's almost contemporary. I chanced across Alice in this reading and thought that it was an interesting case. Witch burning was fairly rare in Ireland, and wasn't as bad in England at that time as it had been on the Continent. I wish that the M.M. had never been published; still, the fact that it was published and accepted may reveal the mindset of those times.”

An excerpt from Dark Brew

Kylah shut Ted’s den door. She couldn’t bear to look at the spot where he gasped his last breath. His presence, an imposing force, lingered. So did his scent, a blend of tobacco, pine aftershave and manly sweat. Each reminder ripped into her heart like a knife. Especially now with the funeral looming ahead, the eulogies, the mournful organ hymns, the tolling bells . . .

These ceremonies should bring closure, but they’d only prolong the agony of her grief. She wanted to remember him alive for a while longer, wishing she could delay these morbid customs until the hurt subsided.

Throughout the house, his essence echoed his personality: the wine stain on the carpet, the heap of dirty shirts, shorts and socks piled up in the laundry room, the spattered stove, his fingerprints on the microwave. But she couldn’t bring herself to clean any of it up. Painful as these remnants were, they offered a strange comfort. He still lived here.

“I’ll find that murderer, Teddy,” she promised him over and over, wandering from room to empty room, traces of him lurking in every corner. “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure justice is served. Another past life regression isn’t enough anymore. I know what I have to do now. And I promise, it will never, ever happen again—in any future life.”

She inhaled deeply and breathed him in. “Go take a shower, Teddy.” She chuckled through her tears as the doorbell rang. She cringed, breaking out in cold sweat when she saw the black sedan at the curb.

“Not again.” No sense in hiding, so she let the detectives in.

“Mrs. McKinley, we need your permission to do a search and take some of your husband’s possessions from the house,” Nolan said.

“What for?” She met his steely stare. “I looked everywhere and found nothing.”

“Mrs. McKinley, the cupboard door was open, four jars of herbs are missing, and the autopsy showed he died of herb poisoning. Those herbs,” Nolan added for emphasis, as if it had slipped her feeble mind. “Foxglove, mandrake, hemlock—and an as-yet unidentified one,” he read from a notebook. “The M.E. determined it was a lethal dose.”

Sherlock Holmes got nothin’ on him, she thought.  

“Where’s this cupboard, ma’am?” Egan spoke up.

“Right there.” She pointed, its door gaping exactly the way she’d found it that night. Nolan went over to it and peered inside.

“Ma’am, it would be better if you left the house for a half hour or so. Please leave a number where you can be reached,” Egan ordered.

Nolan glanced down the hall. “Where is your bedroom?”

What could they want in the bedroom? “It’s at the top of the stairs on the right. But we didn’t sleep together,” she offered, as if that would faze them. It didn’t.

After giving him her cell number, she got into her car and drove to the beach.

An hour later, she let herself back in and looked around. They’d taken the computer, her case of CDs, her thumb drive, her remaining herb jars, Ted’s notebooks, and left her alone with one horrible fact: This was now a homicide case and she was the prime suspect. 

Purchase Dark Brew

Contact Diana 

My Website

www.dianarubino.com

My Blog

www.dianarubinoauthor.blogspot.com

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/DianaRubinoAuthor/?ref=hl

Twitter

https://twitter.com/DianaLRubino

Goodreads

http://bit.ly/1V3GCgt

Wild in the Jungle! #MySexySaturday #EroticRomance

Welcome to the 145^th week of My Sexy Saturday!

This week’s theme: Sexy In Time

Readers – please visit our new Author Central where we'll share more from our authors besides Saturday's snippets. We'd love to have every one of you there as we're starting new things this month with fun and prizes along the way.

Here's a sneak peak of my upcoming story:

A shipwrecked woman.

An uncharted island.

Her mind spun with the possibility he might be a headhunter, but his features appeared European under all that black facial hair. 

Before, when he’d lifted her out of the sand, she’d caught a fleeting glimpse of an irregular-shaped animal hide tied loosely around his hips. She wondered how long he’d lived alone since he seemed incapable of communication.  

Then again, though they may not speak the same language, she knew the look that told her to shut-up when she saw it. 

His thick fingers gripped the roughened bark and his feet found crevices for leverage. As if he were military trained in Special Forces, he quickly climbed the tree, her weight making little difference to the wild jungle man.

*****

Thank you for visiting today. Please stop by the other authors who are sharing their work. They’re just an easy click away!

Twila's Tempest - It's the Perfect Storm of #Romance! #RomanticSuspense

Were you a fan of the movie

A Perfect Storm?

Then I have a nail-biter romance for you!

(hint: It's not even out and already ON SALE!)

I had the lucky opportunity to preview this book

and give Natasza Waters

FIVE STARS

Blurb:

Drake Addison, retired Marine, understands the dangers of the sea, but there’s a storm coming, and she’s all of five foot three.

A dark horse among the Treasure Coast’s elite, Drake’s passion and wealth tempt him. His first love is building yachts. Meeting Twila, he sees she has a passion as well—caring for the elderly, including his parents, but she’s trapped.

Like unearthing a gold doubloon, with one kiss from Twila, he craves a thousand. He makes an excuse to remain in Port St. Lucie and teach Twila about the sea. His mistake: misjudging the heart of one woman, the soul of another, and the ferocity of the one headed their way.
Sometimes, a little knowledge is dangerous, but for Twila—it’s deadly.

A standalone romantic adventure.

Amazon.com http://tinyurl.com/hyvckqo
Amazon.ca http://tinyurl.com/z4d5blr...
Amazon.co.uk http://tinyurl.com/z6uuwgv
Amazon.com.au http://tinyurl.com/go9nxde

InD'Tale Magazine:

Five amazing stars from the premier Indie magazine InD'tale: "Cain and Mika trade their ashes for beauty and transform sorrow into something exquisite....Ms. Waters has penned an original tale with unforgettable characters and proves that beauty is more than skin deep."

Book Viral:

"Riveting and wholly engrossing, it takes a lot to stand out in this ever popular genre, but author Natasza Waters knows exactly how to deliver an outstanding read. Book #4 in the popular A Warrior's Challenge series, Code Name: Luminous is founded on pulsating action and a well-constructed plot with a notably observed balance between suspense and romantic tension, but its Natasza's ability to create wonderfully endearing characters that quickly draws the reader to her pages."

"Another strap yourself in, bite your nails and fall in love again read from one of the most promising romantic suspense authors today!"
~TJ Mackay, Publisher, InD'tale Magazine

Natasza Waters spends her time creating stories with a cup of suspense and a twist of steam. Her current WIP is a high octane U.S. Navy SEAL series with men of honor, resilient women and a storyline hard to forget.

A Warrior's Challenge Series

Code Name: Ghost
Code Name: Kayla's Fire
Code Name: Nina's Choice
Code Name: Luminous
Coming soon Code Name: Forever & Ever

Contemporary Suspense

Too Grand For Words
His Perfect Imperfection
Twila's Tempest

Chasing the Dead #cowboy #paranormal #RomanticIdea

I'm pleased to have the very busy Keta Diablo stop by today and share her summer idea!

Take it away, Keta:

When summer comes to the Midwest, we think lakes!

One way I love to pass a sunny afternoon is to pack a picnic lunch and head for the water on a Pontoon boat. What could be more romantic than spending a lazy day cruising the lake? The crappies are biting, the sun’s sharing its awesome warmth and the cooler is filled with our favorite beverages.

This is also a great time to catch up on my reading (a romance novel, of course). As the sun sets, we head on over to one of the many restaurants on the lake and enjoy a delicious meal together.

Now this is my idea of Romance!

Happy sailing and happy reading! ~ Keta ~

Book: Chasing the Dead

Genre: Paranormal Western Romance

Publisher: Keta Diablo

Tagline: A sinister ghost is out for revenge. Madrid, Deacon and Sacheen must stay one step ahead of the ghoul and reach the hacienda. 

Blurb:

In 1884 New Mexico, Madrid Arrende finds herself kidnapped by the Apache. Determined to rescue her, her wealthy father realizes there is only one man capable of bringing her back alive...Deacon Bannister. Deacon doesn't give one whit about the large sum of money Don Erasmos Arrende has offered him to find his daughter. He  only cares about bringing the woman he left at the altar a year ago home.

A ghost is terrorizing the Apache village and the young maiden, Sacheen, has been banished by her People for unleashing Uday's wrath. Now, Deacon, Madrid and Sacheen must flee for their lives across the rugged New Mexico landscape with the evil spirit in hot pursuit.

Will they make it back alive to Madrid's father's hacienda or will Deacon lose Madrid forever?

Setup and Excerpt: Madrid and Sacheen confront the ghost 

Sacheen ignited Maddie's torch and both women scrambled over the half-wall to light the packets of sage. The moon glinted off a shadowy form sweeping past a line of trees to Maddie's right. Dios, the ghost! With gooseflesh rising on her arms, she called out to Sacheen, "Hurry! Light your bundles and go inside with Deacon."

A circle of fire from a dozen piles of sage lit up the sky around the shelter. The wind moaned and wailed, sounding like the sorrowful lament of Scottish bagpipes. What other magic and manipulations had the dead spirit learned in the underworld since Maddie last saw him?

With a look of startled horror, Sacheen shouldered her. "Do you see him?"

"I thought I told you to go inside. We must not show him fear."

"Do you see him!?"

Tendrils of darkness slipped in as the wraith advanced. Maddie shivered when his visage manifested in her line of vision. More terrifying than any specter she'd ever seen, a haze of gray mist swirled around his translucent form. A quiver hung from his shoulder stocked with stone-headed arrows—a sign he'd taken the form of a native from ancient history. Steeped in blood, his clothing hung in tatters around his massive frame—a vest made of animal hides, a breechcloth and fringed leggings. Maddie's gaze traveled to his painted, pock-marked face. Her insides quivered and ropes of tension knotted every cord and fiber of her body.

 Bleary, unearthly eyes turned to Sacheen when the spirit raised a hand with claw-like fingers and pointed at her chest. The wind, much like the sound of women wailing, keened into the deafening silence. Fire exploded from the ghost's eyes—flames the fires of Hell couldn't compete with.

"Yes." Maddie fought to keep her voice calm and even. "I see him. His hunger for you permeates the air."

Sacheen shouted above the roar and chaos. "You are not welcome here! Hear my words, Uday, you are tats-an. You are dead!”

Maddie peered at the girl through the dim light. Uday? She spoke his name?

"It is I, Sacheen, and I do not fear you chidn. Hear my power:

Hinamaya hinamaya hinamay Chee Chi Yo

Hinamay chee chi yo hinna may chee chi yo

Hinna hinna hey ya hinna hinna hey yo 

A cry of anguish and rage melded, knifed through the dank, still air. The maiden couldn't see him but stood tall before her imaginary tormentor, her aura shimmering like molten glass. "You are like the dust-storm, nothing but a shiver in the air. Do you hear me? I did not want you in life and will not accept you in death. You are yah-ik-tee, no longer with us!" 

Bio: Keta Diablo lives in the Midwest part of the United States on six acres of woodland. When she isn't writing or gardening she loves to commune with nature. She adores animals and donates her time and support to local food and animal shelters.

Keta is a multi-published author in contemporary romance, erotic romance and gay fiction. She's also an Amazon best-selling author. Her erotica novel Decadent Deceptions was a finalist in the MOLLY contest sponsored by Romance Writers of America and was nominated for a Red Carpet Award in 2014. Her paranormal novel Meko’s Woman was nominated for a Bookie Award by Authors After Dark and her historical novel Sky Tinted Water was nominated for a RONE Award by Ind’Tale Magazine. Her latest contemporary romance novel, Season, Unforgettable, was a finalist in the romance category sponsored by Independent Author Network Book Awards for 2015.  

Keta's books have received numerous Top Pick, Book of the Month, and Recommended Read awards from top professional review sites.  

Download CHASING THE DEAD

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1SvYfIj

Nook: http://bit.ly/1sYto9J

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id954960713

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1AqFBWq

Follow Keta on the Net:

Author Blog: http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KetaDiablo.Author

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ketadiablo

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ketadiablo/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Keta-Diablo/e/B002BODURI/