Slivers of Glass NOW available at all outlets in all digital formats and the NEW Print version

A dessert from the book

A very popular dessert in the 1950’s, served at the famous Coconut Grove Night Club in Los Angeles. The “Grove” was known for its great cuisine. The Coconut Grove is featured in one of the scenes in Slivers of Glass.

Ambrosia

Ingredients

2 oranges or tangerines

Sugar

2 bananas

Shredded coconut, unsweetened

Direction

Peel the oranges or tangerines, pull the pieces apart; cut the pieces across the middle. Peel the bananas and cut them into thin slices.

Cover the bottom of the bowl with orange pieces. Sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of sugar over the oranges (depending on the sweetness of the oranges/tangerines). Put some banana slices on oranges, and then sprinkle a little coconut over bananas.

Do the same thing for the next layer, first the oranges, sugar, bananas and coconut. Make more layers, using all the fruit.

Sprinkle coconut on top. Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for 1 hour. Serves 3-4

This Week I am featuring Crepes Suzette by Janet Elizabeth Lynn

Crepes Suzette - A Cozy Mystery

By

Janet Elizabeth Lynn

Summary

Wrigley Rose, 25, editor of the Uptown Bulletin, decides to take life more seriously and makes positive life affirmations. With the encouragement of her two best girlfriends, she ventures in search of her biological parents and a husband to begin a family of her own.  She discovers that her positive life affirmations work. She finds three great, but different guys to possibly settle down with, plus, she finds a lead in her search for her birth parents.

The community has always loved her witty and humorous column. But suddenly, a slander lawsuit is slapped on her and the paper. When the three guys she thought she couldn’t live without and her job become tenuous, her life takes drastic turns she never could have imagined. Especially when she discovers mysterious information about her family. Wrigley is thrown into uncharted waters and life threatening danger.

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fa5_slznoA

Buy Link: Website:  www.janetlynnauthor.com

Excerpt

I walked into Boss man's office for our Monday morning stand-up meeting at the Uptown Bulletin.  As usual, we were waiting for Ed our copy guy.  My co-worker Nate the Snake was making nice with Boss Man, and Boss man's secretary,  Lucy but I call her Looney Bin.  This week she's in an outlandish, peacock blue, pressed on lamée outfit. 

First up on the agenda was the Gay Pride Parade.  “I think Wrigley should go.”  Nate the snake whined.  “She’s in charge of the Entertainment section, not me.”

I countered with my schedule, “I have to be at the Art Festival which brought in thousands of dollars last week.  They’re giving the paper an award and they’re expecting me.  I’m already scheduled with two other events that Saturday.”

“I'm not going.  It's your event.  You figure it out.” Nate the Snake smiled, showing his tombstone teeth.

“I can't,” I wanted to yell but kept the lid on it.

“I'm not going and you can't make me,” he folded his arms, extending his chin like a child in a tantrum.

I watched his lips, fully expecting him to stick out his tongue.

“He doesn't want to go Wrigs,” Boss Man looked over his shoulder at me and blew out a smoke ring.  “Make it work.”

“I can't make it work.  I can't be in two places at once!” I think I was close to shouting.

“Okay then send Lucy.” Nate the Snake suggested.

“I'd love to!” spilled out of Looney Bin.

“She can't do it!” I can just see Lucy walking down the sidewalk in her lamée with a crowd of gay men following her while bidding on her outfit.

Everyone looked at me, the room went dead silent.  I shouldn't have said that.  Think Wrigley, say something nice.  “It's dangerous.  She doesn't know the ins and outs of covering an event like this.”

“Okay, I'll pick you up and I'll take you.  You review it.” Boss Man volunteered.

Silence again.  I put my hand on Looney Bin's shoulder, “I'll give you an outline to follow.” I had to sound like I wanted to help.

“Don't touch me,” Looney Bin crouched to the other side of her chair.

 “Okay.  Now the next thing on the agenda,” he looked at me.

“So, why do I need a babysitter?” I protested. “I've been the editor of the Entertainment Section for four years.  This never came up before.”

I told myself to calm down, and stay focused.  I can't let it get to me.  I'm a big girl, I know how to take care of myself.  I tried to listen to Boss Man but I couldn't get last night's assignment at the Bohemian Folk Music event out of my head.  It gave me such a headache that I left early.  It's still echoing in my head! 

I titled my review, “One hundred and one ways to bang on things.” Boss Man is going to have a fit when he edits it.  Knowing him, he'll sit back in his chair, blow smoke rings and stare me down.  The number of smoke rings determined how mad he is.

I deliberately drank coffee this morning so I could focus for a long period of time.  Nate the Snake was talking to Looney Bin.  Her peacock blue four inch nails and hair bands sparkled from the sky light.  I saw Boss Man's mouth move, but for some reason I couldn't process it.  Focus, Wrigley, focus.  There went my stomach again.

“So, if I'm doing a good job,” I inquired, “why do I need a babysitter?” I really felt indignant about this.

“Escort, Wrigley. Escort.” Nate the Snake interrupted. “And just think, he may be some gorgeous guy to escort you around!”

“Look,” Boss Man stared me down with those bushy eyebrows of his.  “The attorneys said I'm liable…the paper is liable should something happen to you on an assignment.  So we're sending an escort with you. Deal with it Wrigs.”

I hate it when he calls me Wrigs.

Recipes from the novel: 

Crepes Suzette - A Cozy Mystery

By

Janet Elizabeth Lynn

I wrote this Cookbook of recipes from Crepes Suzette, my cozy mystery. Many readers requested recipes for the food cooked, served and enjoyed by the characters in my novel. Enjoy!

Buy Link:

Website: www.janetlynnauthor.com

Bio

I was born in Queens, New York and raised in Long Island, until I was 12 years old. My family escaped the freezing winters and hurricanes for the warmth and casual lifestyle of Southern California.

I’ve always wanted to write so made it a quest to write a novel. Ten years later, with much blood and sweat, my first murder mystery novel was published in 2011.

I have traveled to the far reached of the planet for work and for pleasure, collecting wonderful memories, newfound friends and a large basket of shampoo and conditioner samples from hotels.

Other facts about Janet: 

Fact 1

I love to eat but hate to cook! So my favorite desserts/foods must be made by others. However, I am proud to announce I have mastered the art of making Crepes Suzette. A wonderful, simple dessert.

Fact 2

Though I’m not adopted, I’ve had wonderful friends and college roommates who were. Many found their biological mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters and managed to have lasting relations with them. This is what prompted this story.

Fact 3

At one time I was an Entertainment Editor for a newspaper in Southern California. Many of the quirky characters, i.e., Boss man, Loony Bin, Nate the Snake are based on real people I worked with. They had regular names but…their nicknames were in my head and diary.

Fact 4

The picture of Wrigley Rose, the heroine, on the cover was inspired by my image of me in the after life!!

Important places to find me:

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fa5_slznoA

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/janet.lynn.5477

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=nav_responsive_tab_home

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanetLynn4

Blog: http://janetelizabethlynnauthor.blogspot.com/

e-mail: janet_lynn51@yahoo.com

New cover for THE NAKED GROOM

Here's the new cover for my debut novel THE NAKED GROOM - this really gives a better feel for the book!

A SKYLAR DRAKE MYSTERY

Southern California 1955: the summer Disneyland opened,
but even “The Happiest Place on Earth” couldn't hide the smell
of dirty cops, corruption and... murder.

 Will Zeilinger teams up with Janet Elizabeth Lynn to take you
back to the golden days of Hollywood and a gruesome murder that
only former LAPD detective, Skylar Drake can solve.

SLIVERS OF GLASS is scheduled for release in December 2014.

My wife (Janet Elizabeth Lynn) and I are looking for beta readers to read our WIP - SLIVERS OF GLASS... a noir mystery set in 1955 Los Angeles.   If you are interested - please contact me at: artybill@yahoo.com

This week I am featuring SOUTH OF THE PIER by Janet Elizabeth Lynn

Short Book Synopsis:

Palmer Railton, a well known lobbyist, is brutally murdered on his doorstep resulting in a media frenzy. Meantime, his excited fiancée, Camille Brewster calls Connie Cane, her twin sister, to tell her of Palmer’s wedding proposal, the huge ruby engagement ring, and a dozen red roses. Connie, former CSI, must keep her devastated, cute-ass sister from getting killed after involving herself in the murder investigation.

Kidnapped, Camille tries to seduce her way to freedom but ends up stranded in a Guatemalan jail with an Interpol agent who holds the key to her freedom. Wounded during a gun battle, Connie tries to free her sister. The murderer is caught and arrested leaving Camille free to plan Palmer’s funeral with hi’s estranged grandmother. The final clue is in Connie’s hands when she realizes they have the wrong person in jail.

Excerpt:

The moon was rising in the east. Detective Marcello Prado got out of his unmarked Mercury Marauder. The sweet ocean air filled his head. A crowd of onlookers had already gathered around the stark crime scene tape that encircled the Spanish style apartment building. He ducked under the tape and walked up the steps through the tropical plants and trees that crowded the courtyard. The Police floodlights and a trickling fountain made the front door of apartment THREE look like a Hollywood premiere.

“Whatcha got, Jim?”

“Well, he's still warm.”

The body of a man dressed in a yellow polo shirt and dark brown slacks laid face up on the parquet floor. Vacant black eyes stared at him through the glass top coffee table. Marcello scanned the room. He noticed a potted fichus tree on the floor across the man's legs. Blood had pooled under the table and flowed along the floor.

“Someone was in a hurry to get out of here.” Marcello spun around as a petite brunette popped up from behind a chair. “Hello, Detective.”

“Don’t just pop up like that, you startled me. Who are you?”

“Sorry. I'm CS Investigator Kyra Dennis. I found a footprint in the blood by the fireplace.”

“From the looks of things,” Jim continued, “the shooting must've happened about two to three hours ago. Two shots to the chest, front entry. One probably in the center of his heart. No blood trail, so it happened here.”

“Looks like Mr. Railton was a silent movie buff.”

Jim stood, “Are you kidding?”

“So you’re an old movie buff too?” Kyra added.

“They just don’t make them like they use to”. Jim crossed the room to examine a double poster display. "If these two posters are original, they are worth a small fortune at best. Metropolis, 1927, the movie all science fictions are based on. Look, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Blade Runner too.”

Marcello was listening carefully, “Can’t be a motive for robbery, they’re still here.”

“If, in fact, they are originals,” Jim added. “It could be.”

“I'll check on it.” Kyra held out the dead man's wallet. Detective Prado pulled an evidence bag out of his pocket.

She nodded toward the body, “The victim is a Palmer Railton - looks like he was ready to leave on a trip. Luggage and airline tickets to D.C. are on the sofa.”

Marcello figured her for a newbie with the crime lab. She was too precise and enthusiastic for a seasoned investigator.

“Someone didn't want him to leave.” Marcello looked at the body. “Can you do something with his eyes, Jim? I'm getting creeped out.”

“Looks like a nine millimeter,” Jim held up an empty shell casing. “I would have thought you’d be used to stuff like this, Prado.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I never get used to people hurting each other.”

Kyra went back to take photos of items scattered across the floor. There was a crumpled twenty dollar bill, an empty velvet ring box and one gaudy cloisonné earring.

"A woman was definitely here.” She shook her head as she examined the earring and placed it into its own evidence envelope. "Whoever it was, they have awful taste. I hope I can get some DNA. Clip-ons aren't as easy to get DNA as pierced earrings. But maybe I can lift a print.”

“Why do you women hang stuff from their ears in the first place?” Marcello asked. “I mean, whose idea was that?”

Kyra looked up from the viewfinder in her camera, “Probably some man. The same guy who came up with stilettos." She smiled, "Actually earrings are intended to frame a woman's face - y'know, to take a guy's attention away from our chest.”

“Detective,” their exchange was disturbed by a uniformed officer, accompanied by a beautiful brunette with sad eyes.

“This lady has something to say you may want to hear.”

Bio

Janet Elizabeth Lynn:

I was born in Queens, and raised in Long Island, New York until I was 12 years old. Then my family left the freezing winters and hurricanes to the warmth and casual life style of Los Angeles.

It has always been my dream to write novels. Finally, in 2001 I decided that if I don’t try I’ll never know. After many classes and seminars, much blood and sweat my first novel was published. South of the Pier in 2011. That was it, I can’t seem to stop writing and researching.

Important places to find me:

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/janet.lynn.5477

Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=nav_responsive_tab_home

Twitter https://twitter.com/JanetLynn4

Blog: http://janetelizabethlynnauthor.blogspot.com/

Website:  www.janetlynnauthor.com

e-mail: janet_lynn51@yahoo.com

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DznY4XBw-dY

This week I am featuring SHADOWS OF THE PAST by Carmen Stefanescu

Here's a little about SHADOWS OF THE PAST

Anne's relationship with her boyfriend Neil has disintegrated. After a two-year separation, they pack for a week vacation in hopes of reconciling. But fate has other plans for them.
The discovery of a bejeweled cross and ancient human bones opens a door to a new and frightening world--one where the ghost of a medieval nun named Genevieve will not let Anne rest. This new world threatens not only to ruin Anne and Neil's vacation but to end all hopes of reconciliation as Anne feels compelled to help free Genevieve's soul from its torment.
Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve find her eternal rest?
A touching, compelling story of tragedy, loss and the power of endless love and good magic.

The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.

Excerpt:

"Come, we should leave at once," she said and glanced nervously over her shoulder. "Something terrible happened after you left for town. I think the Abbess found out about us. Our meeting in Uncle Ryan's cabin is no longer a secret. We have been overheard. For all I know someone spies on us even as we speak. I think the Abbess, or one of her 'friends,' is hovering somewhere nearby and listening to every word."

Andrew pulled Genevieve to his chest. "Do you regret you've come with me?"

Passion smothered Genevieve's doubt and guilt. "Never," she answered, aware of her body's response to his touch, and she succumbed to his embrace.

Calming the gnawing unease in her mind and the thought of Sister Dominica guessing she was the dough of a sinner, Genevieve repeated, "Never."

With her eyes closed and their bodies touching she became, for the very first time, simply a woman. She melted in his embrace in spite of the invisible vicious threat breathing around them. Aware they might never be alone again, she fought hard to silence the voice of conscience berating her.

"Oh, God. Please forgive me," Andrew muttered under his breath when he bowed his head to kiss her. Their lips met in a passionate first kiss.

Genevieve's spirits fell and her heart skipped a beat when, a couple of seconds later, she opened her eyes and her gaze fell on a knot strangers.

                             … . . .

          Tears welled in Anne's eyes, blurring her vision. She couldn’t explain them, or the sudden sadness seeping into her heart. This should’ve been a moment of happiness or, at least, contentment. She was with Neil again, and the outcome of their trip together should, very likely, bring their reconciliation. Why then did she seem detached from where she stood?

Anne shivered. Why the deep feeling of having seen this place, this forest before? And why the eerie sensation of being present here only in the body, while her mind was far away?

Away from the forest.

Away from Neil, the man who'd betrayed her trust and her love.

          An onrush of sensations unfamiliar to her followed. Dizziness and a malevolent feeling of unreality suffocated her.

Anne edged cautiously closer to the rim of the bare cliff. Her foot tapped the edge. It seemed solid. She stared into the darkness of the abyss at her feet. It echoed the shadows in her heart.  An unusual curiosity took hold of her. Should she step ahead? What was down there? Other human bones? Another mystery? The presence of evil, creeping up and enveloping her, became almost palpable. The vines of fog folded around her, dragging her to the depth. Her throat turned dry, and she gasped for air.

Megan's face contorted, the voice no longer pleasant. A hoarse gurgle, spluttering distorted words, "Yes, come... I'm waiting... I've been waiting for you for such a long time..."

Author bio:

            Carmen Stefanescu was born in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula, but where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led someone to great trouble - the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.
            Teacher of English and German in her native country and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived the grim years of oppression, by escaping in a parallel world, that of the books. 

            She has dreamed all her life to become a writer, but many of the things she wrote during those years remained just drawer projects. The fall of the Ceausescu’s regime in 1989 and the opening of the country to the world meant a new beginning for her. She started publishing. Poems first, and then prose. Both in English.

Author Links
 Carmen Stefanescu's Site:
 http://shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ro/

https://twitter.com/Carmen_Books

http://www.pinterest.com/carmens007/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carmen-Stefanescu-Books/499245716760283

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6624397.Carmen_Stefanescu

http://reviewsrus.forumotion.com

https://plus.google.com/117216040843648957646/posts

http://www.amazon.com/Carmen-Stefanescu/e/B00APVDGAA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

http://askdavid.com/reviews/book/paranormal-romance/3196

http://nawomenrise.com/

Buy Link: Wild Child Publishing

http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=84&products_id=410

Buy Link: Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-of-the-Past-ebook/dp/B00AK2D9I8/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354874514&sr=1-15&keywords=shadows+of+the+past

Buy Link: Barnes & Noble

 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-of-the-past-carmen-stefanescu/1113910162?ean=2940015715026

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-shadowsofthepast-1013184-140.html

Trailer: Shadows of the Past

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LmY-9yDl5s

This week I am featuring INVISIBLE by L.A. Remenicky

A little about INVISIBLE:

They found each other. Then the killer found them. Detective Jackson “Jax” McKenna walks into a psychologist’s office and finds that the doctor bears a striking resemblance to his first love, Lainie, who disappeared ten years ago after their disastrous first date ended in violence. Dr. Elizabeth Parker is really Elaine Wilson, Jax’s Lainie. She’s been in hiding since the night that changed both their lives. Jax discovers the truth when the killer lets Lainie know he’s found her. When Jax and Lainie go on the run to keep Lainie safe, old feelings resurface as the killer threatens their lives. Can Jax save Lainie and help her stay Invisible?

Author Bio:

L.A. Remenicky is a forty-something wife and mother of three fur kids.  She has been an avid reader as long as she can remember, often disappearing with a book when it was time to do dishes or clear the table.  She reads all genres, but her favorites are romance and horror.  She started out reading Nancy Drew and quickly graduated to adult romances.  Her favorite romance is "Moonraker's Bride" by Madeline Brent.  Her favorite author is Stephen King - She loves how he can weave a story and characters together.  She only started writing recently after thinking about it for years, signing up for NANOWRIMO in 2012 and winning.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I4FH8Y4Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00I4FH8Y4 
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/invisible-la-remenicky/1118400613?ean=2940148265498 Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-L-Remenicky/dp/1495218538/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391887855&sr=1-1&keywords=invisible+by+l.a.+remenicky 
Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/4621053

A PROMISE AT DAWN by Jane Leopold Quinn This week's featured author

ABOUT A PROMISE AT DAWN:

Their affair was scorchingly sensual

Faye Burke, recently widowed, retreated to the coast of Maine to grieve and reassess her future. Her favorite part of the day is watching the sun rise out of the Atlantic Ocean. It’s also when the man she considers her guilty pleasure runs along the beach.

Gil Farrelly, a successful painter, is trying to get his career back on track after the studio fire that destroyed everything. He starts his creative juices flowing every day by running on the beach. The lovely woman who watches him also gets his juices flowing and he’s determined to reinvent his career by painting her.

Faye’s combination of maturity and sensual vulnerability intrigue Gil and he wants to immortalize her on his canvas. She’s flattered, aroused and ultimately frightened of the emotions he incites. He claims not to care he’s younger by twelve years but she believes sooner or later he’ll come to his senses and seek out women his own age. Can Faye conquer her fears? Can Gil prove to her it’s not age separating them but her fear?

EXCERPT

With a clatter of easels, boxes of paints and glass jars of brushes, Gil set up on her porch. A stiff breeze swept across the space but a rattan wind screen at one end did a good job of protecting them. The day had started out cloudy and threatening rain and still held that promise. He had work to do before he could give in to the weather.

Faye had greeted him at the door, looking almost as adorable as she'd looked the night before. Today she wore light makeup and left her hair loose and wavy the way he'd asked her to. Denim cropped pants and a tight red sweater made her look like a teenager. She had to be in her early forties but it didn't matter to him. She was very attractive no matter her age. "Let's get started, shall we Faye?"

"Would you like some coffee or something else to drink?"

"Not right now but I'll take you up on that later, okay? Why don't you stand over there." He indicated the corner of the porch. "Lean one hip on the railing." When he came close, he was enthralled by the warm vanilla fragrance infusing her hair. He lifted a hand to touch the cloud-soft mass. She stilled, then shivered as if waiting for him to make a move. He wrapped his fingers in the silky strands.

She uttered a little cry, more of a whimper. Her lips parted, her eyes widened and met his with a flustered look. At that moment he wanted her fiercely. Before he'd known anything about her, she'd seemed fragile. He didn't know much more now but a woman who still wore her wedding ring a year and a half after her husband's death must have loved him very much. A woman like that would have depths of emotion.

He'd thought he was in pain from losing his studio and his work but Faye's was far more significant. He didn't want to see her grieve any longer but all he knew for sure was that he wanted to paint her for himself. He envisioned the scene in his mind. She was perfect for it. All that was left was to do her justice. Was it because he wanted to capture her beauty on canvas or because she got his juices flowing faster than any running could? He knew it was both.

He rested his forefinger under her chin and turned her face toward him. Giving her his most soothing smile, he said, "Relax, Faye, this won't hurt a bit. Now I'm going over there." He pointed toward his easel. "You're going to lean here." He tapped the railing. "And I'll start some sketches."

She gazed up at him with those incredible turquoise eyes, her confusion and longing speaking to him, raspberry-shaded lips pursed slightly. Mmm, the thought roared through his mind. Kiss her.

It's too soon.

She's not ready.

Just paint her.

A Promise at Dawn is available at Amazon

Amazon Reviews

"Good short story! Faye and Gil have very hot chemistry, and their story is heartwarming. I was surprised at the character development in such a short offering. Faye had suffered such a huge loss, and we were drawn in along on her new path in life."

"Ms Quinn paints a detailed portrait of a woman re-awakening after the loss of her husband. Her emotional state is handled quite deftly. This story has pathos, passion and humor woven together. Gil and Faye's story unfolds quickly and it's a scorcher."

Bio

Sensual fantasies were locked in my mind for years until a friend said, "Why don't you write them down?" Why not, indeed? One spiral notebook, a pen and the unleashing of my imagination later, and here I am with more than a dozen books published. The craft of writing erotic romance has become my passion and my niche in life. I love every part of the creative process — developing characters, designing the plot, even drawing the layout of physical spaces from my stories. My careers have been varied — third grade school teacher, bookkeeper, secretary — none of which gave me a bit of inspiration. But now I'm lucky enough to write romance full time — the best job in the universe!

Labels/Tags:  artist, contemporary, erotic romance, older woman/younger man, young widow

Jane Leopold Quinn

My Romance:  Love With a Scorching Sensuality

http://janeleopoldquinn.BlogSpot.com  +  https://twitter.com/jelquinnauthor

Amazon Author Page

I just learned my debut novel THE NAKED GROOM just jumped up 648,565 places in the sales rankings on www.amazon.com

I am featuring COOKING UP A STORM by Ashley Ladd

COOKING UP A STORM by Ashley Ladd

Available at Totally Bound: https://www.totallybound.com/cooking-up-a-storm

Brooks and Rique desperately want to win a coveted chef’s job offered by an eccentric millionaire in paradise. Even more, Rique desperately wants to stay alive.

Brooks and Rique desperately want to win the head chef’s position offered by an eccentric millionaire Jonah Verleun on his beautiful, private but peculiar island that includes a zoo full of exotic animals, an amusement park and a monster shark tank beneath Jonah’s bedroom floor. While Brooks wants the job to escape his heartache and the lover who thwarted him, Rique is hiding from the mob, hoping to live long enough to pay them off with the prize winnings. Fierce competitors, they cook up a storm in a series of cooking challenges while trying to turn down the heat on their intense attraction. When a hurricane strikes the island, the storm Rique has been cooking up explodes, and no heart—or body—is safe.

Excerpt:

They ran, hunched over, zigging and zagging as bullets flew around them. Rique damned himself for putting Brooks in this mess. He wondered if the mob held the others prisoner and that’s why they didn’t answer the door.

            He turned the first corner they came upon and then the next. He stopped dead and the air left his lungs. A moment later Brooks ran into his back almost knocking him over. He swayed dangerously but managed to stay upright and spread his arms wide to keep Brooks from stumbling forward.

He couldn’t believe his eyes. One of Jonah’s tigers lay in their path crouching low, baring his teeth, and eying them as if they were dinner.

            He tried to quell the jitters attacking his stomach so the animal wouldn’t smell his fear then whispered to Brooks through clenched teeth, “What do we do now? Freeze or run?”

            “Run. But where?” Brooks whispered back, a frown trembling on his lips.

            “To the closest protection.” He prayed their hunters had lost them, that they wouldn’t run back into a barrage of bullets. As Rique bunched his muscles to run, already feeling the animal’s fangs ripping into him, he noted how the tiger’s thick muscles corded in his shoulders, and how saliva ran down his snarling lips.

            “Dear God, we’re going to die.” Panic laced Brooks’ voice. “If we get out of here alive, let’s both turn down the job and move in together.”

            Swallowing hard, Rique couldn’t reply so he nodded. Besides, as much as he wanted to live with Brooks, he couldn’t do it as long as he was indebted to the mob. However, the point was moot. He couldn’t see a scenario in which one of them didn’t die in the next five minutes.

            Feeling responsible, Rique couldn’t let anything happen to Brooks as long as he was alive. He would take on the tiger giving Brooks time to reach safety. “On the count of three, run!”

As Rique whispered, “One,” hisses, then a blood-curdling growl wrenched the air. It was a different sound than the tiger was making. Then a crocodile bellowed and jumped out of the bushes and snatched the tiger by its belly. As it dragged the struggling creature back to the bushes, the tiger howled in surprise and pain. It clawed the air in vain as the reptile’s powerful jaws clamped tighter biting through flesh and bone.

Available at Totally Bound: https://www.totallybound.com/cooking-up-a-storm

Bio: Ashley Ladd

Ashley Ladd lives in South Florida with her husband, five children, and beloved pets. She loves the water, animals (especially cats), and playing on the computer.

She's been told she has a wicked sense of humour and often incorporates humour and adventure into her books. She also adores very spicy romance, which she weaves into her stories.

You can find Ashley at:

http://www.ashleyladd.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/AshleyLaddAuthor

https://twitter.com/ashleyladd

https://www.goodreads.com/AshleyLadd

https://www.totallybound.com/author/ashley-ladd#books

http://www.amazon.com/Ashley-Ladd/e/B002PSKTLU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1404670854&sr=8-1