Adriana Kraft

When it's time to heat things up...

crime fiction

Where does true danger lie? #NewRelease – I Am Not For Sale #MFRWHooks #RomanticSuspense

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Welcome to Book Hooks, a Wednesday offering by members of Marketing For Romance Writers to share a little taste of our work and entice you into wanting more! Click on the links at the end to travel to other Book Hook posts, and enjoy!

Coming this Friday, November 5, to Extasy Books!

It’s nothing personal…A desperate espresso café owner, a determined coffee franchise rep, a quiet Midwestern town, anonymous threats out of the blue—where does the true danger lie?

EXCERPT

Giving the menu a quick once-over, Kevin avoided looking at the blonde sitting on the other side of the booth. He counted himself lucky to be alive. Was the woman enraged at him, or did she normally drive like a demon? Fearing for life and limb, he’d made no attempt to engage in conversation, and neither had she.

He’d order the grilled walleye. That ought to be safe enough. He peeked up at Nadja, who gave him a hard stare. She was a specialist at projecting innocence, sexiness, and danger in one amazing package.

He reached for his coffee and sipped. Not bad for restaurant coffee. He glanced around the spacious eating area and smiled. Nadja wasn’t taking any chances. She’d brought him to a well-lit, fairly noisy sports bar. Hardly a setting that would engender a romantic mood.

And romance was the furthest thing from his mind—until he looked at her and felt himself drawn into her soulful eyes. Was she a witch? She had to be one of the most absolutely stunning women he’d ever met. And he was drawn to her eyes. Cripes, maybe he was getting old. At that moment, those beckoning eyes bored holes through him. Romance was definitely not on Nadja’s mind.

BLURB

It all seems simple enough—Ukrainian immigrant Nadja Petrov is determined to hold on to her thriving new coffee shop, Nadja’s Literary Cappuccino, and Java Beans District Rep Kevin Langley is equally determined to move into her North Iowa town with a franchise and run her out of business.

He scopes her out, she keeps a watchful eye on him, and the sparring begins.  But there are other players involved, and the web of intrigue soon threatens Nadja, her shop and her aunt as well as Kevin, his potential franchise, and his son.  Within this cauldron simmers a sexual attraction between Nadja and Kevin that catapults them to overcome their fears of intimacy and commitment.  Their lovemaking is tender and raw.  Their love is nearly lost in tragedy—can it survive doubts, fire and even a death?

BIG SALE

All our erotic romance and romantic suspense novels at

Extasy Books are on SALE

~ 40% off ~

now through November 30!

Extasy Books

Click to travel:

The Painter is a Lady #PreOrder #Excerpt #MFRWAuthor

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Now Available for Pre-Order at Amazon!

Secrets. Trust. Courage. Who will knuckle under first—the war hero? The spirited single mom? Or the former high school bully who still hates them both

BLURB

When war hero Michael Jarvis returns to Ashland, Wisconsin, he doesn’t plan to stay—he’s undercover, investigating a possible sex trafficking ring on the Great Lakes. But he does want to sample the pesky girl next door he always turned down—and it wouldn’t hurt if she’d clear up a few mysteries of her own.

Successfully established as an interior house painter, Brenda Tower finally has her act together as a single mom—but it hangs by a thread, a secret she’ll guard with her life. The return of her youthful crush Michael Jarvis threatens to unravel everything.

Jealousy has inflamed Brett Hill’s hatred of Michael and Brenda for as long as he can remember. Revenge will be so sweet.

When the secrets break open, can Michael and Brenda find the courage to trust each other, or will revenge and betrayal triumph?

EXCERPT

Prologue

Pulling her flannel nightgown tighter around her frame, Brenda Tower stared out her bedroom window at Lake Superior in the gray distance. The waves must be twenty or thirty feet high for her to see them through the dawn haze. Had the late November storm awakened her? And why did she have such a feeling of dread? She’d always loved the lake – swimming, fishing, picnicking and playing on calm sunny days, and thrilling to its power when she watched it storm.

A fragment of her dream flashed before her eyes, sending a chill down her spine. Startled, she grasped for more detail, but it remained just out of reach, though filled with foreboding. Lake, fishing boat, too many people, shouting, gunshots.

Must have been reading too many thrillers. She couldn’t link up the images with anything in her experience. Shrugging, she glanced at the clock and decided to go make coffee and start her day. So much for sleeping in on the weekend.

New Release! The Painter is a Lady by @AdrianaKraft #MFRWAuthor #eXbdd

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It’s Here!! Our romantic suspense The Painter is a Lady was just released today at Extasy Books, and will be available at Amazon and other outlets within a week!

We went back to one of our favorite places to set this story—check out our Pinterest board for a peek at Chequamegon Bay and the Duluth Lift Bridge, sights included in the book. “Ice-Out” plays a central role in the story. If you don’t know what that means, you’ve never lived in the northland 🙂

 

Secrets. Trust. Courage.

 

Who will knuckle under first—

 

The war hero?

 

The spirited single mom?

 

Or the former high school bully who still hates them both?

 

BLURB

When war hero Michael Jarvis returns to his hometown on the shores of Lake Superior, he doesn’t plan to stay—he’s undercover, investigating a possible sex trafficking ring operating on the Great Lakes. But he does want to sample the pesky girl next door he always turned down—and it wouldn’t hurt if she’d clear up a few mysteries of her own.

Successfully established as an interior house painter, Brenda Tower finally has her act together as a single mom—but it hangs by a thread, a secret she’ll guard with her life. The return of her youthful crush Michael Jarvis threatens to unravel everything.

Jealousy has inflamed Brett Hill’s hatred of Michael and Brenda for as long as he can remember. Revenge will be so sweet—and it will fit in perfectly with his high stakes game.

When the secrets break open, can Michael and Brenda find the courage to trust each other, or will revenge and betrayal triumph?

BUY LINKS

Extasy Books http://www.extasybooks.com/the-painter-is-a-lady/

Amazon

EXCERPT

Ignoring the catch in her voice, Brenda asked, “Did you really tell Tommy you’d help him with his pitching?”

Michael’s eyes lit up. “Ah, he remembered. I wasn’t sure he would. I did tell him once that if I moved back here, I might give him some tips.”

“Why?”

“Why?”

“Why did you even suggest such a thing? You obviously know the rumors. So does Tommy.” She gulped and curled her fingers into fists. “He thinks you’re his father. He wants you to be his father.”

Sitting back in the booth as if she’d slapped him, he eyed her cautiously. “And that’s my fault? I’ve only seen him a few times. When we did have that conversation, he was having a bad day. He’d been ragged on by his peers for throwing like a girl. He’d been crying, for God’s sake. I just stumbled into him near the park as he was coming home from school. He knew who I was. I knew who he was. So we talked. I didn’t think that was a crime.”

The pain on Michael’s face made Brenda wince. “I didn’t mean it that way. I doubt you’d do anything to hurt a little boy, but…but Tommy thinks you’re a hero. He’s eager to have you as a friend.”

Michael shrugged. “Sounds like the boy is more eager than his mother.”

“Damn. Do you have to twist everything I’m trying to say?” She clenched her fingers around the stein she’d hardly touched since sitting down.

“Sorry,” he said softly. “Maybe we could start over. You were going to tell me why you selected me as Tommy’s father. There must’ve been plenty of others to choose from.”

“That hurts.” She shook her head. “Don’t apologize. I deserved that. We both know I was quite active sexually before Tommy was born.” She shrugged. “You made the most sense. You weren’t around to protest, and folks in town thought we’d been together off and on since I reached puberty, anyway.”

“So much for folks in town.”

“Right. Anyway. I wasn’t going to leave that line on the birth certificate blank. You were convenient. You were out of the country. I imagine I thought you might never find out.” She fought back tears, remembering filling out the necessary forms two days after Tommy was born. “And you were my friend.”

“I won’t deny that. For all the misery you caused me, there were plenty of times you stood by me when the chips were down. So I was convenient.” Michael raked his fingers through his hair. “You can tell me it’s none of my business, but I have to ask. Do you know who is Tommy’s actual father?”

Brenda gulped for air, nodded, and ignored the tears suddenly brimming in her eyes. “Yes,” she squeaked. “But I won’t tell you.”

“I wasn’t asking you to, but at least I know you’re not just protecting Tommy―you’re also protecting his father.”

Click HERE for more about how we came to write this story

Click HERE for another excerpt

Join me for a Beer… #MWTease #MFWAuthor #RomanticSuspense

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Welcome to Midweek Tease, where we spice things up to help you get through the middle of the week!

Our forthcoming romantic suspense, The Painter is a Lady, releases at Extasy Books March 17, so for the next few weeks our Midweek Tease will be drawn from its pages.

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

 

Secrets. Trust. Courage.

Who will knuckle under first—

the war hero?

The spirited single mom?

Or the former high school bully who still hates them both?

 

EXCERPT SET-UP: Michael’s doing finish carpentry work on the same job site where Brenda works as a house painter. Michael knows they’ve got to talk…

EXCERPT

“So you’ll join me for a beer after work?” Michal asked.

“Why can’t we just talk here?”

“Because I may want to claim squatter’s rights.”

“What?” Brenda’s mouth fell open and she blinked. “What?”

He pursed his lips. “You’ve had this whole town believing you and I got it on years ago. That I’m Tommy’s natural father. Maybe I’m ready to prove you right.”

Michael retreated quickly as she pointed the sprayer at him.

“Don’t you get any such ideas, Michael Jarvis,” she huffed. “You don’t have any rights. You rejected me―” she choked out― “you hurt me so many times there’s no way I’m going to go to bed with you now. I’ve got my life together. I sure as hell don’t need you.”

He gave her his most confident grin. “You may not need me, but the question remains―do you still want me?” He held up his palm to stop her response. “I’ll pick you up at seven. I trust you’ll be ready.”

“Oh, I’ll damn well be ready,” she snapped. “We’ve got lots to talk about. Like how we can work together without you letting your libido get in the way. But don’t come by my house. I’ll meet you at McPhail’s.” She took a quick gulp of air and hurried on before he could interrupt. “I’m not a teenager anymore, Michael. I’m not about to fall down on my knees and worship your existence.”

“I don’t want that.” Michael chuckled. “And when you’re on your knees, I’m counting on you having something else on your mind than worship.”

He ducked through the doorway, narrowly escaping a paint brush thrown his way. Whistling softly, he tried not to pay close attention to the string of cuss words coming from the living room. This was probably not the moment to tell Brenda that a woman talking dirty to him was a definite turn on.

 

BLURB

When war hero Michael Jarvis returns to his home town on the shores of Lake Superior, he doesn’t plan to stay—he’s undercover, investigating a possible sex trafficking ring operating on the Great Lakes. But he does want to sample the pesky girl next door he always turned down—and it wouldn’t hurt if she’d clear up a few mysteries of her own along the way.

Successfully established as an interior house painter, Brenda Tower finally has her act together as a single mom—but it hangs by a thread, a secret she’ll guard with her life. The return of her youthful crush Michael Jarvis threatens to unravel everything.

Jealousy has inflamed Brett Hill’s hatred of Michael and Brenda for as long as he can remember. Revenge will be so sweet—and it will fit in perfectly with his high stakes game.

When the secrets break open, can Michael and Brenda find the courage to trust each other, or will revenge and betrayal triumph?

 

It’s the middle of the week – you’ll want to check out all these other great teases to get you through to Friday!