Adriana Kraft

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

war hero

Her shoulders slumped #WeWriWa #MFRWAuthor #Suspense

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Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of their writing on Sunday.  Be sure to visit other participants at http://www.wewriwa.com/  and read and comment on their #8sunday posts.

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EXCERPT

Brenda bent over to pick up her sprayer, and Michael had everything he could do not to reach out and clamp his hands around her tight butt. She’d tempted him so many times, but he didn’t think she was intentionally provoking him this time.

Yet she was in his blood. No way could he tell her she was one of the reasons he’d accepted the Ashland assignment. It was memories of her that had kept him going, that had kept him alive in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and gently turned her to face him.

She didn’t resist.

He watched her chew on her lower lip—she wasn’t much calmer about their initial meeting than he’d been. “We’re going to have to talk about your boy.”

Her shoulders slumped.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Painter is a Lady
Word count: 74,600
246 pages $4.99
Genre: Romantic Suspense
ISBN: 978-1-4874-0964-7
Heat Level: Three flames: explicit sex, M/F; anal sex; explicit language

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?

BUY LINKS

AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK AND EBOOK AT AMAZON

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XFYKF8M

 

EBOOK AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING RETAIL OUTLETS

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XFYKF8M

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/708766

iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-painter-is-a-lady/id1212626296?mt=11

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-painter-is-a-lady

B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-painter-is-a-lady-adriana-kraft/1125902800?ean=2940154043714

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

 

If it’s yours… #MWTease #MFRWAuthor

by 8 Comments

Welcome to MidWeek Tease, where authors share tempting snippets to tide you over till the weekend. A huge shout out to author Angelica Dawson for hosting our blog hop every week!


The Painter is a Lady is now available in paperback!

Amazon

Available in EBook from the following retailers:

Amazon   Barnes & Noble   iTunes

Kobo   Smashwords    Extasy

REVIEW:

4.5 Stars from Manic Readers!

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?

 

Word count: 74,600

Genre:
Romantic Suspense

Heat Level:
Three flames

 

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 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?

EXCERPT

Michael tiptoed across the bare living room floor toward the white clad figure bouncing slightly to country music blaring on her stereo as she bobbed carefully up and down spraying beige paint along the opposite corner. The walls were decorated in differing shades of brown―wouldn’t have been his choice, but then the customer had different tastes.

When Brenda bent over to concentrate on the bottom of the wall, his concentration focused on a different bottom―hers. He grinned when he heard her singing along with Willie. Even through her thin protective mask, her voice rang clear.

She was in her element. She had rhythm. He loved to watch her when she didn’t know he was watching. She seemed happier than usual today. She still struck him as more up than down, more embracing of life than many. And today she was clearly up.

He couldn’t help but wish she was performing for him. It took every ounce of willpower not to move closer to hug her sexy bottom to his aching crotch. Damn, how sexy would she look kneeling on hands and knees naked on a bed sheet if she was this sexy garbed head to toe in painter coveralls?

He set his tool box down on the floor and coughed, trying not to startle her yet alert her to his presence.

She turned around, whipped off the painting mask, and smiled impishly. “Wondered how long you were going to take admiring my butt.”

“You knew I was here?”

“Of course I did. So who did you think I was putting on a show for? You let a draft in when you entered the kitchen.” She folded her arms across her abs. “So did you like what you saw?”

“Poetry in motion.”

She laughed softly. “Not original, but I’ll accept the compliment. So you like a tight ass?”

“If it’s yours.”

~o~             ~o~               ~o~

All the marvelous authors below have teases waiting for you – click to travel!

Her Gray Eyes Turned to Steel #MWTease #MFRWAuthor

by 8 Comments

Welcome to MidWeek Tease, where authors share tempting snippets to tide you over till the weekend. A huge shout out to author Angelica Dawson for hosting our blog hop every week!

The Painter is a Lady is now available in paperback!

Amazon

Available in EBook from the following retailers:

Amazon   Barnes & Noble   iTunes

Kobo   Smashwords   Extasy 

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?

 

Word count: 74,600

Genre:
Romantic Suspense

Heat Level:
Three flames

 

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 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?

~o~            ~o~

This week we’re backtracking a bit, to Michael and Brenda’s first meeting after his return to Ashland. They’re working on the same house, and he’s stood in the doorway watching her paint an interior bedroom, her headphones on and her volume clearly turned up.

EXCERPT

Michael narrowed his eyes watching Brenda stand back to assess her work. She was even sexier in those coveralls than he’d remembered her as the girl next door pestering him and spying on him. She’d tied her dark shoulder-length hair into a ponytail, and it stuck out the back of a white painter’s cap―well, a once-white cap. It was now speckled with every color of the rainbow and then some.

Brenda whirled around suddenly, catching him by surprise.

He remained slouched in the doorway, watching her reaction.

“What the…” Her eyebrows rose and her nostrils flared. “Oh. It’s you,” she said, looking more than a little deflated.

“Thought you might be expecting me.” Michael pushed away from the door frame and entered the room. His lungs burned with the smell of fresh paint. “Forgot how stinging fresh paint can be to the eyes and lungs.”

She shrugged, placed the sprayer on a work bench, and crossed her arms over her midsection. “Welcome back,” she grunted, regaining her cool. “Ted told me you wanted to buy into the business.” She frowned. “Are you really going to stay in Ashland?”

“Thought I might.” He hesitated. He was hardly ready to trust her with his future plans. Not yet. He hadn’t been around long enough to figure out who to trust. “I’ve seen enough of the world to last a couple lifetimes.”

“I’m sure you have.” She took a half step back as he approached. “But I never thought you’d want to be a finish carpenter.”

He smirked. “Don’t think I’ve got the patience for it?”

“I remember you throwing tools and screaming when a rusted bolt wouldn’t yield, or when the sides of a bird house you were making didn’t quite fit.”

Chuckling, he nodded. “You have a good memory. Of course you always did seem to be lurking about. Though it does seem like your memory is faulty in some matters.”

Brenda stiffened. Her gray eyes turned to steel.

~ o ~ ~ o ~

Lots of fabulous authors have teases waiting just for you – click the links below to travel:

Maybe I was the Fool #MWTease #MFRWAuthor

by 10 Comments

Welcome to MidWeek Tease, where authors share tempting snippets to tide you over till the weekend. A huge shout out to author Angelica Dawson for hosting our blog hop every week!

The Painter is a Lady is now available in paperback!

Amazon

Available in EBook from the following retailers:

Amazon   Barnes & Noble   iTunes

  Kobo   Smashwords    Extasy

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?

 

Word count: 74,600

Genre:
Romantic Suspense

Heat Level:
Three flames

 

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 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?

EXCERPT

Hours later, Michael dried the china, crystal and silverware Brenda had brought out for his dad’s birthday party that didn’t go in the dishwasher. Tommy had gone to his room as soon as the others had left. No one seemed surprised that Michael had lingered to help with the dishes. More than satisfied with the turn of events, he hummed a show tune while Brenda fidgeted with the last of the silverware.

Remaining focused on scrubbing a stubborn piece of icing from a fork, Brenda muttered, “You’re making me nervous.”

“What?” He scowled at her profile. “Am I standing too close? Am I humming too loudly?”

Heaving an exasperated sigh, Brenda dropped the fork in the dishwater and turned to face him. “All of the above and much more. You didn’t have to stay behind and help with the dishes. I can do this without you. I have for years.”

“I’m sure you can. But that’s not what’s gnawing at you, is it? I thought you were coming around.” He stared at her through half closed eyelids.

She blanched.

“You’re the one who started the knee play beneath the dining table.”

“I know.” She shrugged, looking lost. “That was my impish clown, I guess. I can’t explain it, Michael. I’m sorry. I dreamed about you for hours on end when I was a kid. I threw myself at you. But you didn’t want me then. I was a fool.”

“Maybe I was the fool,” he replied softly, rubbing the back of his hand across her shoulder.

 ~ o ~             ~ o ~

Lots of fabulous authors have teases waiting just for you – click the links below to travel:

The Villain of the Piece #MWTease #MFRWAuthor #RomanticSuspense #PreOrder

by 9 Comments

Welcome to MidWeek Tease, where authors share tempting snippets to tide you over till the weekend. A huge shout out to author Angelica Dawson for hosting our blog hop every week!

The Painter is a Lady is now up for Pre Order at Amazon!

We thought perhaps it was time to let readers hear from the villain of the piece—we need sinister organ music to go with this one. That’ll help you Boo the villain!

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?

Romantic Suspense:
246 pages

Three flames:
Explicit sex, M/F

 

 

EXCERPT

Taking a last drag on a cigarette, Brett Hill glared at the all too familiar figure leaving the Monroe Avenue house where he knew Brenda Tower was working. With some satisfaction, he noted that Michael Jarvis favored his left leg slightly. The whole town had made such a fuss when his injury was reported. Brett scowled. You’d have thought the guy had been killed in action in Afghanistan.

“Too bad he wasn’t,” Brett grumbled, slouching further in the seat.

Now the asshole was back. After all this time, was he planning to make a play for Brenda? He’d better not. Brett chuckled bitterly.

He knew the rumors weren’t true. At least he thought he knew, but who could believe a woman when she was drunk and sotted with desire? He’d only learned about the possibility a couple years earlier. He’d tucked it in his memory bank for possible use later. Information was power. And he might yet be able to check out whether Sam Stanton was actually the kid’s father. Wouldn’t that make a splash? Sister-in-law gets pregnant with brother-in-law―the hotshot school teacher, church leader and all-around Boy Scout.

But he’d have to do more sleuthing before putting much faith in Sharon Jorgenson’s babbling. She might’ve been a legal secretary who knew the facts, but Brett prided himself on being a cautious man. He’d continue biding his time until he saw a need to act. If there was nothing to gain, he wouldn’t venture.

 

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?

BUY LINKS

You can pre order The Painter is a Lady NOW at Amazon, or purchase directly (any format) at Extasy Books:

           

 

Lots of terrific authors have midweek teases waiting for you at the links below:

The Painter is a Lady #PreOrder #Excerpt #MFRWAuthor

by Leave a Comment

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.