Teaser Tuesday: Hidden Threat by Sherri Hayes

Release Date: January 28, 2016

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Cali Stanton has one goal in life, being a doctor. She has spent the last two years helping the less fortunate in Africa. It’s a job she loves and intends to do for the foreseeable future. That is until she receives a call from her father saying he’s been injured and needs her back in Chicago. Less than a week later she finds herself behind her father’s desk at Stanton Enterprises, running the family business…something she never wanted to do. But how could she say no to her father when he insists that she is the only one he can trust?

Matthew Andersen and his brother, Jason, have spent the last two years managing security at Stanton Enterprises. However, someone is determined to take down the company and with it its acting CEO, Cali Stanton.

Cali and Matthew must work together to find out who is behind the threats to not only the company but to Cali herself while they fight their growing attraction for each other. Can they figure out the hidden threat before it’s too late?

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | ARe

Excerpt

He scanned her face as if he were looking for the answers to solve the world’s deepest mysteries. “Cali?”

“How many times?” she asked. “How many times and then you just close down and act like nothing happened?”

“Three,” he said, his voice flat.

She stepped closer and looked into his eyes. She hadn’t expected him to answer her. Or if he did, she was expecting something more along the lines of, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

Matthew met her gaze with firm determination. “In my office.”

He took a step closer. “In your office.”

Cali watched the movement of his throat as he swallowed. The room seemed to be getting warmer.

Matthew took another step, closing the distance between them. “Last night.”

Her heart was hammering in her ears. He was right in front of her now. Close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off him. Close enough that she could smell the cologne he was wearing.

“That’s how many times I’ve almost kissed you,” he whispered, his breath ghosting across her face, his lips mere inches from hers.

She couldn’t pull her gaze away from his.

“Four.” He said it so soft she could barely hear.

Cali’s heart skipped a beat and it felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.

He tilted his head forward, bringing their lips even closer. “Tell me no, Cali. Tell me to stop.”

About The Author

Sherri spent most of her childhood detesting English class. It was one of her least favorite subjects because she never seemed to fit into the standard mold. She wasn't good at spelling, or following grammar rules, and outlines made her head spin. For that reason, Sherri never imagined becoming an author.

At the age of thirty, all of that changed. After getting frustrated with the direction a television show was taking two of its characters, Sherri decided to try her hand at writing an alternate ending, and give the characters their happily ever after. By the time the story finished, it was one of the top ten read stories on the site, and her readers were encouraging her to write more.

Since then Sherri has published several novels, many of which have hit the top 100 in their category on Amazon. Writing has become a creative outlet that allows her to explore a wide range of emotions, while having fun taking her characters through all the twists and turns she can create. You can find a current list of all of Sherri’s books and sign up for her monthly newsletter at www.sherrihayesauthor.com. 

Teaser Tuesday: The End of All Things Series by Lissa Bryan

This week, Lissa Bryan is giving us a sneak peek at the fourth installment in the End of All Things series!

It started with a virus...

A generation has passed since the pandemic known only as the Infection ended the world as we know it. The world in which Taylor struggles to survive is a harsh and brutal place.

Here is a sample of the first chapter, and the beginning of a new journey.

She woke to the sound of screams and gunfire.

Taylor sat up, looking around her darkened room, holding her breath as she listened. For a moment, all she heard was the pounding of her own heart and then there was another shriek, this one not far away. Taylor rolled out of her bed and crouched low, heading for the window. She used the side of her fist to rub away some of the grime that coated the glass on the inside, though the outside was still clouded and all she could see an ominous orange glow and wavering shadows.

Oh no oh no…

Feet pounded down the sidewalk in front of her room and the shadowy outline of human forms darted past her windows. Someone was crying, horrible sharp sobs.

Taylor crept to the other side of the window where a hole had been broken out of one of the panes long ago. She slowly pulled out the rag stuffed in the gap and peered out.  A body lay in the parking lot outside her window and she smothered a gasp by pressing a hand to her mouth. The bloodied head was turned away from her, but she recognized that tangle of blonde curls and the green sweat pants the body wore. It was Grace, and she was dead.

Tears burned in Taylor’s eyes, but she forced them down, swallowing hard. A loud bang drew her gaze, and she saw a man with a rifle kick in the door of a room on the opposite side of the parking lot. He charged in and emerged seconds later, dragging a woman by her hair.

Time to go. Taylor didn’t know what was going on, but she could figure that out later.
She crawled over to her bed, keeping low, and reached beneath the mattress. Years ago, a large hole had been gouged out of the underside. It made a perfect cavity for stashing her bag to keep it safe from thieves.

She heard a bang next door and a louder scream and ran for the bathroom. As her hand touched the knob, she glanced back at the dresser.

Shadows flickered outside her window.

I can’t—

After a moment of hesitation, Taylor bit her lip and darted back to the dresser. The pulls had long ago been stolen or broken off, and she had to scratch with her fingers at the sides of the drawer to get a grip. She finally managed to yank it open and scooped out the small box inside, tucking it below her arm as she ran for the bathroom. She shut the door behind her, flipping its pathetically flimsy lock.

She hoisted herself up onto the toilet tank and pushed the transom window up. The glass had been broken out long ago and was now covered with pieces of plastic she easily pushed from the frame.

 She peeked outside but didn’t see anyone. Smoke stung her nose and the sky was orange with the reflected flames, getting brighter with every moment. There was the loud retort of a gunshot and a scream cut off with horrifying abruptness. Taylor shoved the small box into her bag and looped it over her shoulder.

With a small grunt of effort, Taylor hauled herself up and crammed her body through the window, not taking time to care about the scrapes and scratches from the metal frame. She fell with a thud to the pavement below and winced as she wobbled to her feet.

She should make for the woods, she decided. Run like hell and don’t look back until she knew she was safe, but to get there, she had to pass through the end of town, and she already saw signs of chaos down the street.

Copper, the owner of the bar on the corner, knelt in the middle of the street while a man with a machete stood over him, watching as others carried out boxes of bottles from the building to a waiting wagon. The flames glinted off his ginger hair and Taylor saw that Copper was crying, his shoulders shaking as he wept.

Not that way, then.

Taylor crept along the back wall of the motel, crouched low, keeping her head down. She reached the corner and peeked around the edge.

A man stood there, grinning. “Hands up.”

There weren’t any options at the moment. Taylor complied. “Please, don’t hurt me.”

“I got another one!” the man shouted back over his shoulder. “Come here.”

Taylor nodded. She started to stand up, but lost her balance and toppled over. With an exhalation of impatience, the man stuck a hand out to grab her. Taylor felt a strange zing of energy bolt through her.

Now.

She grabbed the back of his hand and before he could react, twisted it hard, cupping her other hand over his elbow and forcing it flat, against the bend. Before he could react to being thrown off balance, she rammed her foot down on the side of his kneecap. His roar of pain downed out the crunching of bone. He collapsed to the ground and Taylor swept up the baseball bat he’d dropped. She brought it down on the side of his head as hard as she could and spun around, looking to see if his scream had drawn anyone’s attention.

No one appeared in the gap between buildings.

Panting, she wiped her sweaty face and looked back down at the man’s body again, sprawled at her feet. He was wearing a t-shirt, and on his right forearm were a crudely tattooed series of numbers, a zero, at the wrist, a nine above it and an eight in the center of his forearm. Each number below the eight had several vertical lines through it.

“Oh my God, it’s the Nine,” Taylor whispered. For a moment, her knees felt wobbly.

Taking several quick breaths, she reminded herself she didn’t have time to panic. She looked around again to see if she’d been spotted and then ran toward an old, rusted dumpster behind the next building.

The Nine. It can’t be the Nine. Oh my God, I’ve—

Her own breathing was the loudest sound and she struggled to get it under control. Her hands were shaking so hard it was difficult to grip the bat. She could see the entire roof of the motel was now covered in a sheet of flame, and from the columns of smoke, it wasn’t the only building on fire.

She had to get to the gap in the fence so she could make it to the woods. She would be safe there. She could hide there.

The first three books in the End of All Things series are now available in a single volume set for only $9.99.

About the Author

Lissa Bryan is an astronaut, renowned Kabuki actress, Olympic pole vault gold medalist, Iron Chef champion, and scientist who recently discovered the cure for athlete's foot.... though only in her head. Real life isn't so interesting, which is why she spends most of her time writing.

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube
Tumblr
Pinterest
Google+
Goodreads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
iTunes

Teaser Tuesday: Politically Incorrect by Jeanne McDonald

Here's a little peek at what Jeanne McDonald is currently working on. 

Sex. Lies. Greed. Power. Scandal. Politics.

Nothing gets by Elizabeth McNeal. As a forty-five year old divorcee and a nationally renowned political strategist, she can claim to have seen it all. Most of her adult life she’s focused on two important things ─ her daughter and her career. Now, challenged by a new campaign and a new candidate, Elizabeth is forced to reevaluate the things she most values and make some major decisions that could impact her future.

William Baxter is a thirty-four year old Democratic Congressman for the great state of Texas who’s vying for an empty seat in the U.S. Senate. Accustomed to standing out in a crowd, Liam takes pride in being true to himself and the people he serves. He refuses to fall in line with the stereotypical persona of a politician. Backed by one of the richest men in Texas, Liam is offered the chance to work with D.C.’s most elite political strategist. With the odds already against him because of his party affiliation and age, it’s an offer he can’t refuse.

Apprehensive about their age differences and driven by politics, Elizabeth finds herself keeping score of their sensual game for control. For the woman who thought she’d seen it all, the man in the eccentric ties and a dashing smile teaches her a new game to play. Rules are made to be broken. Lines are meant to be crossed. But in the high stakes sport of politics, where one bad decision can destroy a campaign, can they afford to rewrite the rules to meet their desires or will they choose to remain politically incorrect?

Jeanne McDonald is an author, a mother, a wife, a student of knowledge and of life, a coffee addict, a philosophy novice, a pop culture connoisseur, inspired by music, encouraged by words, and a believer in true love.  When she's not spending time with her family, she can be found reading, writing, enjoying a great film, chatting with friends or diligently working toward her bachelor's degree in literature.  A proud Texan, Jeanne currently resides in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with her family.

Website   |   Facebook   |   Twitter  |  Goodreads   |   Amazon  |  Google+