First Look- You Never Could Be

A passion-fueled encounter in the corridor of a hotel convention room reveals two anguished hearts struggling to reconnect despite life’s difficulties. Will Carlisle, the eye candy of the office, is every woman’s dream, tall, handsome, and dashingly charming. Sara Rozek never guessed he has secretly wanted her for months now. When a bad day falls upon them and Will breaks the reins of his own restraint, she sees the burning passion in his eyes, and there is no denying the mutual attraction. Will and Sara’s start quickly runs awry, and Sara becomes convinced she was played for a fool. Will begs her to listen to him, but she turns away in fear. Can Will mend her broken heart, or will the passion they shared vanish forever?

Excerpt

They walked out of the meeting with a definite maybe. It was the best answer for now. Will complimented their hard work and said he was proud of the presentation they’d put forward.

They separated from Rick. Will’s flight departed in just under two hours. Sara pulled out of the parking lot in silence, letting the radio fill the void. Her eyes focused outside the truck. The abrupt shift in his demeanor was uncomfortable and Sara was in agony. She couldn’t stand the tension but didn’t know what to do.

The car jumped, and Sara pulled at the wheel to remain in control.

“Shit!”

She pulled off to the side of the road. Her temper flared, the culmination of the tension in the car and the disappointing results from the meeting.

She thrust the door open and walked alongside the truck, where she saw her shredded back tire.

Will came around the corner, meeting her at the back of the truck, and he immediately reached for the hatch. Lifting it, he removed his jacket while Sara removed the carpet. She pulled out the jack and the crow bar. He took them from her, putting the jack beneath the truck. He met her gaze, a raging testosterone fury firing in his eyes, and she stepped back. He raised the truck and removed the hubcap. She took it from him, watching as he began to loosen the lug nuts. He’d gotten three of five, but the last two weren’t cooperating. She watched him struggle with them, doing her best to remain silent, resisting the need to comment.

He continued to try and then bent over in frustration.

“I can call roadside assistance if you—" she began, and was met with a glare that stirred annoyance in her chest. “You’re going to miss your flight. At least let me call Rick to come and get you.”

He glanced over, his eyes squinting. Brow furrowed.

“What?” She asked.

“How much do you weigh?”

“Excuse me?” He laughed and she bristled “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, I just…I need your help.”

“Um, okay what do you need me to do?”

“Come here.” His eyes brightened, and she moved. He took the hubcap from her hand and set it in the back of the truck. “The lug nuts are stuck.”

“I noticed.”

He gave her a sideways smirk before pushing his hand though his hair and loosening his tie.

“What’s your plan?”

“We are going to jump.”

“Jump?”

“Ah, yeah,” his shoulders fell before he positioned the lug wrench onto the stuck lug. He scratched at the back of his neck. His eyes focused on the meddlesome tire. “If we put enough weight on the lug, we should be able to pop it.”

“By jumping?”

“Yep.”

“Okay.”

“Put your hands out.” She complied and he grasped her elbows, locking the embrace. “Okay, now put your right foot on top of the crowbar, then your left.”

She followed his directions, using his arms to steady her balance on top of the piece of metal. She got her bearings and met his gaze.

“Now what?”

“I am going to jump onto it as well, and with any luck, the force will pop the nut.”

“You’re serious?”

“Absolutely.” His gaze held hers in a steady reassurance. “Ready?”

“No, but okay.”

He grinned, and she braced herself for the jolt. Will placed his left foot on the metal just between her ankles.

“Okay, one, two…” with a silent three, he lifted himself onto the bar and bounced. The lug didn’t move. He stepped down and tried again. After the third attempt, she began to giggle, which in turn made him laugh. They found themselves perched on top of the metal, holding onto each other for dear life. She felt herself drop, and his arms clutched her as they fell. She landed hard and realized she was on top of him.

“Oh my god, are you all right? I’m so sorry!” She shifted, getting off him. He sat up, his arms still around her. She found herself propped against him, looking down into his eyes.

“You guys need some help?”  

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Romantic Thriller - Trust Me - Serenity Lost

Their brief heated meeting one fateful night had singed itself into their minds. Not knowing of the other's identity, but unable to forget, had sealed their fate. The fire smoldered quietly in each of them as they tried to move on with their lives.
Eric Stiles was in the middle of chaos, searching for a killer.
Hunted by an obsessed psychopath, Rebecca Gailen was trying to be strong.
The world stopped for a moment as they looked up and saw the other standing just feet away.
His heart lurched, her armor shattered and the world started again as Eric's brother, Charlie, appeared to take her hand.
Family loyalty isn't a choice. When Rebecca's stalker rages out of control, Eric's decision haunts him and he struggles to stay away. Can he remain loyal to his brother, even if it means abandoning Rebecca when she may need him the most?

Excerpt
 

Eric managed to get a few hours sleep in the cage before he was needed back in the bullpen. He was finding it more and more difficult to push her out of his mind. He went to get some coffee.

“Stiles,” Lug said, breaking through his churning thoughts.

“Hey, what’s up?” he replied as he grabbed is full cup of coffee.

“Trace on the box of blood came back,” Lug said.

Eric walked to his desk. “And?”

“They found a piece of hair in the box sealant.”

“Were they able to get a name?”

“Yeah,” Lugow started. Eric looked down at his desk in hesitation. “It came as a match to a Veronica Naltin.”

Eric froze, the name hitting him in the chest. “What?”

“Yeah.” Eric took a deep breath. “We double checked. There’s no mistake.”

“Jesus,” He leaned on the desk, his mind spinning uncontrolled.

Adam appeared and looked at him. “You told him?”

“Yeah.”

“So now what?” Eric asked. He tried to reign in the fear that began to bubble in his stomach. They were not only dealing with a stalker, but now a ruthless killer.

“We start from the beginning,” Adam said as Lug nodded. “We look at everything from both cases.”

“We should look at anything that’s happened since this guy made first contact with Rebecca,” Lug suggested.

“Do we have a date?”

“The only specific date I have is two weeks before the teddy bear,” Lug replied as he looked at his notes. “I will try and get something more specific.”

“Where is she now?”

“Donna’s,” he said with a deep breath.

“Is she going to be safe there?”

“She’ll be fine for now,” Lugow added.

“Okay, let’s get to work,” Adam said.

Eric’s phone rang. “Detective Stiles.”

“Eric, we have a problem,” Charlie said, sounding panicked and out of breath. “What’s going on?” he said, looking to Lug and Adam.

“Rebecca got a message from the stalker.”

“When?”

“I little while ago,” he replied.

Eric’s heart began to race.

“We think he’s going after Donna.”

“Why?”

“I don’t now. Something about the message.”

“Did you hear it?”

“No.”

“Let me talk to Rebecca.” Charlie passed the phone to Rebecca.

“Eric,” her voice sounded terrified and shaken.

Eric got to his feet as Adam followed him. “What did he say?”

“Uh, it was a joke.”

“A what?”

“A knock, knock, joke.”

“Tell me exactly what he said, Beccs.”

“Knock, knock, who’s there, Donna, Donna who, Donna turn around ka-boom,” she said into the phone.

He could hear the agony in her voice. “Where are you?”

“On our way to Donna’s office.”

“Okay, let me talk to Charlie.” He heard her pass the phone back to Charlie.

“Hey,” Charlie said.

Eric and Adam reached Adam’s car. “Have either of you tried to call her yet?”

“Yeah, she’s not answering, but Beccs said she had an early meeting.”

“We’re on our way to Donna’s office as well, but you need to stall and keep Rebecca away until I tell you it’s okay.”

“That’s going to be pretty hard to do.”

“Listen to me, this could all be a way to lure Rebecca out into the open,” Eric explained as Adam pulled onto the street. “Just stall long enough for us to make sure it’s safe.”

“Okay,” Charlie agreed before Eric hung up.

“What’s going on?” Adam asked.

“Rebecca got a message from the stalker.”

“What kind of message?”

“One with a ka-boom.”

Eric, Adam, Lug and the bomb squad arrived in front of Donna’s office twenty minutes later. Adam coordinated the sweep and evacuation of the building while Eric went looking for Donna. He stepped off the elevator and flashed his badge to the receptionist. “Detective Stiles, I need to speak with Donna Smith, it’s an emergency,” Eric said as the woman looked at him in confusion.

“I thought you were meeting her in the parking garage,” the woman replied.

Eric spun, dashing to the elevator as he called Adam. “She was called down to the parking garage, I’m on my way now,” Eric said into the phone hitting the P on the elevator. The doors opened moments later, and he stepped off. He found Donna leaning against her car with a look of irritation. “Donna!”

She shifted, looking.

He ran toward her.

“Eric, what’s going on?” She moved to meet him.

Eric heard a door slam just to the left.

“Is Beccs alright?”

“She got a call from the stalker. He…”

“Donna!” Rebecca called, Charlie in tow.

Eric realized she was going to pass right in front of Donna’s car

“Beccs, no!” he screamed, pushing Donna behind him just before the car exploded.

The blast pushed both he and Donna off their feet as it shattered and sprayed glass across the parking lot. Eric recovered and bolted upright to see Rebecca and Charlie flat on the ground...

 ***

“The Trust Me series takes the reader on a journey of love, honor, trust and family. A love triangle and the intrigue of a psychotic stalker serve as the compelling backdrop to fate's whims. It twists and turns in an unexpected and abrupt velocity like any enthralling suspense should…” - Romance Reader Cass

“Amy truly takes you on a ride with this fast paced, mystery/romance thriller that has so many twists and turns that when you think you figured it out – something else happens. Will Eric ignore family value with his brother and go after Rebecca, or will the craze psychopath get

to her first? This is only the beginning….” - Written by: Kia Meriwether

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Amazon

ABC’s The Catch a Diabolical Romance

Shonda Rhimes, the ABC Prime Time Queen, has once again given us a rare gem in dramatic entertainment.  The Catch -- ABC’s Mid-Season replacement for ‘How To Get Away with Murder’ – can be seen on Thursday’s right after Scandal. 

Starring Mireille Enos, best known for playing detective Sarah Linden in The Killing and opposite Brad Pitt in World War Z.  

In The Catch, Mireille plays a successful private investigator and co private security firm owner, Alice Vaughn.  In the pilot episode Alice is glowing with happiness about her upcoming nuptials to successful business man, Christopher Hall, played by Peter Krause. Peter is known for such shows as Dirty Sex Money, Six Feet Under and most recently, Parenthood. 

So the twist in The Catch comes when Christopher wakes Alice the day before their wedding and asks her to run away with him. She laughs him off, thinking he is being ridiculous.  When she returns home she discovers he is missing, she goes to his office and finds an empty space. Finally, the 1.5 million dollars she’s given him to purchase their new house is gone. 

Alice has a good cry, a little tantrum and then picks herself up. Resolute on finding this man who has destroyed her heart, hopes and dreams Alice Vaughn goes to work. 

As The Catch plot develops, Christopher’s love for Alice is genuine, and had she said yes to him that fateful morning when he asked her to run away he would have abandoned his con-artist life forever.  But of course, that would make for a boring drama, right?

So why doesn’t he just drop everything and tell her he loves her? Well, the life of a con-artist is complicated. Christopher and his associates owe some very powerful bad guys a lot of money, 15 million to be exact.  When the ‘score’ with Alice tanked, forcing the return all of the money stolen from her and her firm, Christopher’s little con man team was left penniless. 

Christopher wants to put as much distance between Alice and  ruthless associates as possible before they find out the truth about his feelings. The most eminent threat is his dominating lover played by the glorious Sonya Walger, (known for Parenthood, Lost, and even a small 2 episode stint on Scandal).  

Christopher, despite many attempts is unable to let go of Alice, his pull to her is magnetic.  As she gets closer to finding him, he allows it, if only to give into his needs for a short time. Awwww…so sweet. 

Add in The Catch sub-plots of a French Secret Service Agent also looking for Christopher Hall, Alice’s wanting to keep her endeavor secret from her trusted friends, and her regular day-to-day job and you have the mixing of a dramatic masterpiece. To be honest, Alice is just as diabolical as Christopher in many ways and thus making the series so addictive.

Plot twists and high fashion abound in The Catch making is visually and psychologically stimulating. The brilliance of Shonda Rhimes in my opinion is nothing is ever black and white, she loves to dabble in the gray’s of the world.  

I put this new series to the three episode test, and it passed with flying colors, full of intrigue, romance, deception and uniquely flawed characters, The Catch is most definitely worth your time and DVR space!

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