Thursday, March 28, 2024

#Review: THE DUCHESS by Sophie Jordan

 


3 of 5 stars

Valencia, the Dowager Duchess of Dedham, has spent most of her adult life waiting--waiting to see if her husband was in a good mood that day, waiting for the slap that usually came if he was displeased, waiting, waiting, waiting. All that ended with the death of the duke. Valencia could finally take a breath and not have to look over her shoulder every minute of the day. All that changed, however, when the new Duke of Dedham, Rhain, and his six unmarried sisters invaded the ducal townhouse. Valencia's days of waiting are over, but now she's been banished to the dower house in Yorkshire until an offer from the duke keeps her in London. 

Rhain did not want to be duke. He preferred his life in Wales, but he would not deny his sisters' chances for a good match, so they all went to London. Seeing Valencia in the ducal townhouse sends him into a tailspin. There's something about her that calls to him, but he refuses to act on it. He proposes a deal--Valencia help launch his sisters into Society and he'll give her enough money to live comfortably for the rest of her life. Can these two come to a mutual understanding, or will the tension between them spill over into something more?

This was a slow-burn romance, and I usually like them, but this one took way too long. There were too many flashbacks to her time with the previous duke and not enough time devoted to her and Rhain. Most of the book is taken up with Rhain's sisters and not so much interaction between H and h. There is a twist in the story at the last 10% that seemed a little far-fetched. I thought the villain was someone else, and that would have made much more sense to me.  I do enjoy Ms. Jordan's writing and will probably read the next book in the series. 

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy, and all opinions are my own.



Wednesday, March 27, 2024

#Excerpt: A STRANGE AFFINITY by Rebecca Rook

A Strange Affinity
Rebecca Rook
Publication date: March 26th 2024
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

A Strange Affinity is a hypnotizing cross between the television show Deadwood and Tamora Pierce’s renowned Tortall Universe. This young adult fantasy novel, set in an alternate nineteenth century American Wild West, will appeal to fans of Vengeance Road and Retribution Rails by Erin Bowman, Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto, and Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey.

In the Wild West, magic is real.

When two strangers arrive in her small town, Gloriana Rue learns that she has the magical ability, or Affinity, to manipulate metal. She also learns that her mother was a renowned magical scholar but had abandoned the world of Affinities. Glory is desperate to know why her mother hid her past, and so agrees to attend an academy for magicians in the hopes of finding answers.

Glory is soon immersed in magic and mystery when she stumbles upon a disturbing discovery: A killer is hunting magicians throughout the American West – and he’s getting closer. Only by seeking out her mother’s secrets can she stop him and save her newfound family.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

Glory adored her new magician’s studio.

The space was outfitted as a smith’s shop, furnished with a long workbench, a wall hung with gently worn but serviceable tools, and a small, portable blacksmith’s forge. She was awkward with many of the tools at first but grew better and more proficient by the day. Glory worked long into the evenings, well past the end of her classes. She came to love the feeling of being surrounded by scraps of different metals: gold, silver, copper, and iron. It felt like being surrounded by friends, or family. It was hard for Glory to describe but she felt that each metal had a different personality.

Glory thrived under Jacinda’s tutelage. She went on to master a series of ever-challenging tasks she had set before her: Molding new shapes, melding metals together, and extracting the elements. Soon each new task seemed easier than the last.

In a recent conversation, Jacinda had warned Glory these new skills were among the easiest for a magician. True transformation of physical properties was much harder, and in some cases, impossible without several years of further study.

“Lead to gold?” Glory had asked, skepticism and humor in her voice. She remembered reading such silly tales among her father’s library.

Jacinda had chuckled. “Not quite. You’re bound by the chemical properties of the source material. But with study and practice, who knows what’s possible? The magical properties of metal are vastly understudied and largely composed of myths and legends about alchemy. And because there are so few metal magicians, we still don’t know what they — you — are capable of.”

Author Bio:

Rebecca Rook designs tabletop games, manages a little free library dedicated to sequential art and comics, and lives in the Pacific Northwest with two wonderful dogs. She writes young adult fiction in the fantasy, thriller, and horror genres.

A 2021-2022 Hugo House Fellow in
Seattle, WA, she also attended the 2021 Tin House YA Fiction Workshop in
Portland, OR. Rebecca was selected as one of the 100 invited writers to participate in the Write Team Mentorship Program’s curated Pitch-a-Thon event before being chosen as a Mentee for the 2021 Program. Prior to this, she completed the wonderful Yearlong Workshop for Young Adult and Middle Grade Fiction at Hugo House.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram / TikTok


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Tuesday, March 26, 2024

#Review: DAMNED IF I DUKE by Anna Bradley

 


4 of 5 stars

I love a good enemies-to-lovers story, and Ms. Bradley delivers with this book. I really enjoyed the banter between Prue and Jasper. She was wild and exasperating, and he was arrogant—a match made in heaven. Can these two overcome their animosity and get what they both want?

Ms. Bradley weaves a good story of what love can do to a person, from denying one's feelings to resisting the one person who can make your life better. When they are forced to marry, it's the last thing either of them wants, but as more time goes by, their feelings for each other change. Before they could acknowledge their feelings, in marches a vindictive ex-mistress to try and break them apart. And she nearly succeeds when Prue retreats to the country. Can Jasper convince her that his love is true or has he lost his spirited wife forever?

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy, and all opinions are my own.



Friday, March 15, 2024

Interview with Aileen Erin, INVOCATION

Invocation
Aileen Erin
(Days of Iron and Clay, #1)
Publication date: March 19th 2024
Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult

From USA Today Bestselling Author Aileen Erin comes an all-new action-packed, romance-filled paranormal series.

There are three things I know without question.

One: demons are real.

Two: humans make awful mistakes that get them in demonic trouble more often than you’d think.

And three: I’m the only one who can help them.

I straddle the line between the mortal and spiritual realms every day. People might think they’re two different places, but they’re not. They lay on top of each other. It’s messy, and that’s why so many people need my help. Since I was little, I’ve been called all kinds of names—unusual, abnormal, even insane. Which is fitting, since they keep throwing me in to mental facilities. I’ve been in and out of them my entire life.

But no matter what people say, no matter what I’m risking, I will always help those in need.

Because there’s an endless war carrying on all around us, every minute of every day. One that can’t be seen by mortal eyes. But I can see it, the spiritual battle for mortal souls, and I’m working hard to make sure my father is on the losing side. He — Astaroth, Satan’s general— is why I can do this. He’s why I’m not normal. I can’t have friends, a life, or a boyfriend. I won’t be selfish enough to drag someone into this fight. But I’m not lonely. Not exactly. I have my mom. She’s my rock, my best friend, my partner. She helps me do what needs to be done, and she’s never afraid when it feels like I’m always afraid.

Because I hear my father whispering my name each night, his taunts echoing through the spiritual realm. He’s hunting me, and I know the day will come when I must face him again.

Every portal I open could be the one that finally pulls me back to Hell, and I wonder if I will brave enough, strong enough, good enough to fight him.

My name is Samantha Catherine Lopez, and I am Nephilim. This is my story.

**Fans of the Alpha Girls series will love this new series set in the same world, with a few familiar faces, but you DO NOT have to have read a single word of the Alpha Girls series to enjoy Samantha’s story.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks



 Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

INVOCATION is the first in a spin-off of my USA Today bestselling Alpha Girls series. Samantha Lopez—first seen in Being Alpha, and then again in Alpha Erased—is the focus of the series. She’s a girl who can see and interact with the spiritual realm. She’s known to be the resident demonologist for the local wolf pack, her found family from Alpha Girls. INVOCATION is spooky and action-packed, with a slow-burn romance.  You can also catch an early Samantha story in the short story anthology, Two More Days, put together by Colleen Hoover.

Do you have a favorite character?

Usually, my favorite character is the one that I’m writing. I really do love Samantha. But I think my favorite character that I’ve written is Amihanna from the Aunare Chronicles. 

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?

No. I had too many friends burned by the process. So, after graduating with my MFA, I decided to go the indie route!

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?

I decided to go indie when I graduated with my MFA. I saw a huge opportunity for growth in 2012-2013, and I liked the idea of having more control over my career. I liked being able to decide when I wanted to publish something and what I wanted to publish. I also loved the idea of picking my own covers and handling everything myself. I’d had too many traditionally published friends with horror stories. Traditional was a bit of a last resort for me. 

I decided to form my own small publishing company with another author. Together, we made a business plan + a marketing plan. With that, we were able to land a distribution deal, and that has made all the difference in my indie career.  

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?

I like to listen to music, but nothing with too many lyrics. Mostly, electronic, ambient, or modern classical. I like a quiet, comfy spot, noise-cancelling headphones, and Scrivener. I usually write for 4-5 hours/day. I would write more, but I’m a mom who also has to go pick up a kiddo from school!

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?

YES!!! I have a developmental editor, who helps me as I’m writing. Think big picture: plot points, description, character arcs, etc. And I have a copyeditor. Think small picture: typos, grammar, etc.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?

Since I’m with a big distributor, I’m able to have my books at ALL retailers! You can get it online pretty much anywhere books are sold. I also sell directly through my website at www.aileenerin.com.

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?

It’s always a careful balance! I find marketing pulls from the same well as writing, so I have to schedule it out on a certain day. Or set aside a little bit of time for it every day, depending on where I am in my launch schedule. Otherwise, it’ll take everything from my writing.

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?

Reading! I read about 3-4 books/wk. I used to have a bigger habit, but with the kiddo, time just flies by. 

What’s next for you?

I’m writing the currently unnamed second book in the Days of Iron and Clay series which will hopefully come out this winter. I’m also writing the first book in an all new Romantasy series, set for some time in 2025. 


Author Bio:

Aileen Erin is half-Irish, half-Mexican, and 100% nerd–from Star Wars (prequels don’t count) to Star Trek (TNG FTW), she reads Quenya and some Sindarin, and has a severe fascination with the supernatural. Aileen has a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She lives with her husband in Los Angeles, and spends her days doing her favorite things: reading books, creating worlds, and kicking ass.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter


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Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Interview with Robert A. Walker, SIX MOONS, SEVEN GODS

 

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

Six Moons, Seven Gods is the first book in “The Legends of Baelon” series. It’s a medieval fantasy adventure with shades of romance and grimdark. 

 

The skilled thieves of the Takers Guild plot to overthrow the kingdoms of Baelon, but when their plans are thwarted by a prescient woman and her brooding daughter, they must turn to the League of Assassins for assistance. Meanwhile, retired royal guard Rolft Aerns returns to the palace of King Axil with an old score to settle. When they all cross paths–and swords–in the dark shadows of Fostead’s south end, nothing is as it seems and the murder count rises quickly.

 

“One must be careful practicing deception. The easiest to deceive will always be one’s self.” Welcome to the world of Baelon, where loyalty and treachery live under the same roof; where friendships are tested, true love is made to wait, and dangerous secrets are held close to allegiant hearts!

 

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?

I did, but I was clueless at the time. I thought that someone would just read my manuscript and consider it for publication. I had no idea that most publishers only work through agents, nor did I realize how difficult it would be to get an agent to take an interest in me. When I first started querying, I had no website, no social media presence, no polished outline of my novel. I received a ton of rejections based solely on my lack of preparation, so I eventually decided to self-publish my first book. 

 

Are you currently under a traditional publishing contract for future books or do you have manuscripts that you will self-publish? Are you doing both?

I’ll be self-publishing the sequel to “Six Moons, Seven Gods”, but following that I hope to be in a much better position to seek representation from agents. Depending on how successful the first two novels have been, I may try the traditional publishing route again. 

 

If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover? 

I was quite involved. I had a pretty good sense of what I wanted the cover to look like, so I provided the designer with a crude sketch and description. He took a first cut at it, which was very good, and we went back and forth a few times from there.


Do you regularly send out a newsletter? How are you recruiting new subscribers? Do you have a reader magnet?

I don’t have a newsletter yet (just another example of my steep learning curve). It’s something I’m actually working on now. I’ve just created an account with MailerLite, and I’m looking forward to adding an email subscription popup to my author website.

 

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?

I write best when I’m alone, and there are no distractions, and I tend to be more productive at night. The words flow more freely then, especially if I’m listening to music; I have a favorite playlist that I’ll write to, and it’s mostly sad ballads. I also know that if I’m working on a storyline, or trying to figure out some tricky plot twist, I’m most successful when lying on my back in the dark. Not sure why that is!

 

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?

I’ve worked both ways. I don’t want to be too restricted by a formal outline, but I have found it helps to have a general sense of where things are going. My first draft of “Six Moons, Seven Gods” was strictly “write as you go”, and that got me into trouble on several occasions, as I would write my characters into predicaments even I could not help them out of!

 

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book? Do you try to write everyday or carve out certain times during the week?

It’s super challenging for me. There’s never enough time to write, and the marketing effort is quite time-consuming and addictive in its own way. I try to carve out time for both each week, if not each day. But there are definitely days when one is neglected due to my being absorbed by the other.


What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?

Three pieces of advice: first, writing’s a journey. Don’t look too far ahead. Focus on your passion and the here and now. Write, write, write, and enjoy the traveling, one step at a time. Had I known early on what it would take to be published, and all the work involved in getting one’s book into the hands of readers, I might never have finished my first novel, let alone started it. I was so naïve to think that--you know--if you write something worthwhile, someone’s going to want to publish it, and people will then read it. Simple, right? The truth, of course, is so much more complex and challenging, regardless of whether you are trying to secure the representation of a traditional publishing firm, or you have decided to self-publish. Unless your intended audience is limited to friends and family, finishing your novel (quite the accomplishment in and of itself) is only half the battle. So my advice is to take it slowly and enjoy the journey—don’t peek too soon or too closely behind the publishing world’s thick curtain lest that cause you to turn back. Tackled one issue at a time, none of it as overwhelming or intimidating as the big picture first appears; there’s lots of support out there, and if you persevere, all those little challenges just make reaching your destination that much more rewarding. Carry on!

 

My second counsel is to listen to your heart while you are writing. Mine will generally tell me when I’m on the right track, and when I’ve gotten lost. The characters and scenes that I have been most engaged with during the creative process typically turn out to be those that readers also find most entertaining. So now, when I find myself slogging through some piece that I don’t find particularly exciting or enjoyable to write, I ask myself: why is that? Am I asking the reader to suffer with me? Is there not something I can do to the storyline or character to make writing (and reading) this more entertaining?

 

Lastly, I strongly suggest that you read your work aloud and slowly, either to yourself or to an interested listener. You’ll be surprised at the number of errors and opportunities that expose themselves. This advice was given me by my father, a professional editor by trade, and I have benefited from it ever since.

 

Some fun facts about you, which do you prefer – dogs or cats? Chocolate or vanilla? Coffee or Tea? Talk or Text? Day or Night?

Dogs over cats. My best friend growing up was a beagle, and there’s almost always been a dog or two in my house (currently a Labradoodle and an Australian Cobberdog). Chocolate over vanilla for sure—one of my “go to” snacks during writing is a handful of cashews with one or two chocolate raisins in the mix! And there’s nothing better than a hot fudge sundae, right? I’ll pass on coffee and tea, despite my British heritage. Talk instead of text, as the latter tends to increase the opportunity for misinterpretation; and despite my penchant for writing at night, I’m more of a morning person overall.


Amazon buy link:

https://www.amazon.com/MOONS-SEVEN-GODS-Legends-Baelon-ebook/dp/B0CJ5ZG487


Barnes and Noble buy link:


 

Author Bio:


Robert A. Walker grew up in Northwestern Massachusetts. After graduating college, he packed his scant belongings in a car with rusted-out floorboards and headed west. He’s lived in California ever since, and now resides along the Pacific Ocean with his wife and dogs. When not fabricating stories, he can be found roaming local tennis courts or working on a never-ending list of DIY house projects. Information regarding Robert’s current writing projects can be found at rawalkerwriting.com.

 

 

Friday, March 8, 2024

#Excerpt: STOLEN BY THE BILLIONAIRE by Blair Babylon

Stolen by the Billionaire
Blair Babylon
(Twisted Billionaires, #5)
Publication date: March 5th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

From USA Today bestselling author Blair Babylon comes a new edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense thriller between an Iowa farm girl and the ex-Navy SEAL billionaire who kidnaps her.

I am an American Navy SEAL, and I will not be blackmailed by a goddamn Russian mafia boss.

Years ago, I parlayed a loan into a billion-dollar crypto fortune. The head of the White Russian Syndicate is demanding I pay it back in illegal military-grade weapons, but I won’t. I will not be responsible for adding to the misery of innocents.

It’s time to hit back at the head of the White Russian Syndicate.

So I kidnap the mafia boss’s niece.

Who I did not realize is my best friend’s estranged little sister.

Who he’s never mentioned.

Not even once.

Sarah is a sweet little hayseed right off her Iowa farm, but when the mafia boss decides she’s a liability to eliminate, she becomes my responsibility to protect.

We’re on the run. But with each passing day, with each attack I defend her from, every hotel room with only one bed, I’m starting to fall for her.

The Russian mafia wants Sarah dead, and her brother is going to murder me when he finds out I’ve gone too far with his sister.

If you like:

✓ Enemies to Lovers

✓✓ Only one bed!

✓✓✓ On the run thrill rides!

✓✓✓✓ Hot, ripped billionaires

✓✓✓✓✓ Spicy stuff with ropes

You’ll love Blair Babylon’s Thrillers that Bang!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blair Babylon writes bestselling romance books that will free your mind. These five star billionaire boss, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, and romantic novels quickly turn into suspense thriller books that will make your pulse pound and soothe your heart. Whether the couple are trapped in a pretend marriage or there’s only one bed, Blair’s books are like romancing your own duke, mister, or billionaire. Some are an ugly cry, some are an affair to remember with a king or a prince, and some are a few shades darker, but all are unputdownable. Fans of E.L. James, Rina Kent, Nicole Snow, Sadie Kincaid, Catharina Maura, and Shantel Tessier will love Blair’s romantic books and romance audiobooks. Set your heart free with this fantastic, complete series!

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

EXCERPT:

Blaze

Blaze Robinson crossed his ankle over his knee as he sat in front of his lawyer’s desk, trying to get comfortable but not fidget in the chair that was scaled for someone much smaller than he was. The squat seat made his knees stick up like a grasshopper, and his shoulders were broader than the chair’s back. He growled, “I am an American Navy SEAL, and I will not be blackmailed by a goddamn Russian mafia boss.”

The lawyer behind the desk, Bình Huong, broke eye contact and looked down at the letter and documents he was holding. The corner of the paper in his hands wavered, and his fingers tightened. His hair on the top of his head stuck up where it had been cut too short. “This Mary Varvara Bell, whom you say is involved in organized crime, never specifically threatens you with physical harm in the letter. If she had, I would’ve recommended that you take it directly to the FBI.”

Blaze bent one elbow, squeezing his bicep. His suit jacket tightened around his arm, and he rubbed his chin. “We will not be involving the authorities.”

Dealings with foreign agents like Russian oligarchs could get his Top Secret security clearance revoked, even unwilling dealings.

“I’m shocked that she rejected your settlement offers,” the lawyer said. “They were overly generous, assuming she doesn’t want to go to court.”

“She knows I won’t.”

The lawyer glanced up at Blaze again before he hurriedly shuffled the papers on his desk. “I can’t believe a competent attorney allowed you to sign this loan.”

Blaze shrugged. “I didn’t have a lawyer. I was twenty years old and fresh out of BUD/S.” The elation and trauma of surviving the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training course, also called “A” school, had colored his perception with a blue sheen of invincibility for months. “I owned nothing except a few uniforms and my boots. It seemed low risk at the time.”

“But then the original signatory, Stanley Bell, died, and Mary Varvara Bell inherited the company.”

“Confiscated his assets in a hostile takeover is more like it,” Blaze muttered. She’d taken over the White Russian Syndicate in a maneuver like a military coup.

“And now she’s threatening you with fulfilling the conditions of this contract.” The attorney flipped his gaze up to meet Blaze’s eyes again. “You haven’t disclosed your financials to me, so I’m unsure what to recommend. Most career military people wouldn’t be able to come up with the money to purchase what she’s demanding unless they had invested the initial loan in something with a thousand-percent return,” he chuckled.

Blaze didn’t answer. He had accountants for financial advice.

The attorney rifled through the pages, referring from one text block to another. “The list of her demands in lieu of your assets will run to millions of dollars if not many millions. It’s twenty times more than what the initial zero-interest loan was for.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“I’m not even sure that some of these weapons she wants are legal,” Huong muttered.

Blaze knew a lot about weapons. “Some are not legal to buy or possess here in Illinois, but it’s relatively easy to purchase the equipment in other states or, for a few, other countries.”

Huong looked over the top of the pages at Blaze, his eyebrows raised in exasperation. “Is she trying to set herself up like Blackwater, or Academi, or whatever they’re calling themselves these days? This list looks like she wants to equip a private mercenary force. I mean, private warfare is a lucrative field, but this can’t be legal.”

“I could not discern her motives from the letter.”

This time, the lawyer stared straight at Blaze. “But you know why she wants military-grade weapons like this.”

Blaze didn’t know, but he had theories. The lawyer didn’t have a need to know his thoughts on the matter, so he just shrugged again.

All the possible reasons for Bell demanding that particular shopping list were detrimental for the world and the US, which meant Blaze’s US Navy SEAL brothers-in-arms would be in harm’s way if she got those weapons.

And that was unacceptable.

Damn, he wished he’d refused that stupid loan all those years ago. Nothing was free in this world. Nothing was even cheap.

Huong went back to scanning the documents. “All right, let’s go through the three basic parts of a contract, just in case we can break it. There is an offer and an acceptance on your and Stanley Bell’s parts, so it’s a quid pro quo agreement. That’s two of the requirements.”

Blaze waited. He could outwait anything. He’d spent fifteen hours curled around a sniper rifle one time, waiting for a terrorist to come out of a building, and he’d made the shot.

The lawyer continued, “As for consideration, the third component of a legal and binding contract, both the loan and repayment were something of value, so that just leaves your competence. You signed the contract when you were of legal age to do so and weren’t inebriated or otherwise compromised, right?”

Blaze nodded. He’d been stone-cold sober. Stanley Bell, the Malefactor, had been drunk. Mary Varvara Bell would waive that stipulation if he tried to take her to court over it, so it didn’t count.

“You received the money from Mr. Stanley Bell, Mary Varvara Bell’s predecessor in the company White Holdings LLC, so that fulfills their end of the contract and makes you liable for the later repayment clause. The contract is with the company, not with Mr. Bell, so you were not released from the debt when Stanley Bell died.”

That was where Blaze had made his mistake. When the Malefactor had died, he’d breathed a sigh of relief.

All four of them had erred in their supposed liberation. Tristan “Twist” King, Micah Shine, Logan Bell, and he had partied on Twist’s yacht in Monaco and toasted Stanley Bell’s probable descent into Hell.

But they’d breathed easy too soon.

The Devil always comes to collect a debt.

The lawyer shook his head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Robinson, but you need to liquidate all your assets and possessions and turn everything you own over to White Holdings. Otherwise, you’d have to figure out how to purchase this dictator’s wish list of weapons, ammunition, and sundry military items, including military-grade body armor and devices, and we both know that’s impossible.”

Not impossible. Just morally reprehensible.

And irresponsible on a global scale.

An irritated twinge snapped the corner of Blaze’s eye, and he rubbed the lid to dispel it.

Acquiring the military supplies and dumping them on Bell’s doorstep to discharge the debt wasn’t an option for Blaze. The guilt and shame would’ve been like his father was in the room and commenting on his homework or Little League game.

Huong tapped the documents on the desk, straightening the edges, and held the sheaf of paper out to him over the desk. “As your lawyer, I would advise you to discuss it with your financial advisors and determine which amount is less. If purchasing an army’s worth of weapons is less than your total net worth, then I would advise you to fulfill the contract. If your net worth is less, liquidate everything, hand it to her, and walk away. You’re young, not even twenty-seven. You have time to recover from this financial setback. Unfortunately, a lawyer can do little after a contract has been signed, particularly a contract as airtight as this one. Those are the rules.”

Blaze’s hands rested gently on the arms of the chair, not clutching, not cramping. His body was at ease, as were his mind and heart. “Rules? What rules are those?”

The lawyer shook his head like he was as exasperated by his uselessness as Blaze was. “Fighting this contract in court would be a waste of your money in lawyers’ fees. The outcome will be the same. Sorry, Mr. Robinson. I don’t make the rules.”

Rules. Fuck rules.

Blaze stood and straightened the slacks of the Armani suit he’d worn into the lawyer’s office. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Huong.”

The lawyer rose and extended his hand for a concluding handshake. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help. If you need someone to draw up an NDA or negotiate with White Holdings on your behalf for a payment plan or time for you to liquidate, I can do that. I’m sorry I don’t have better options for you, but the only rational option is conceding.”

Blaze wrapped his much larger hand around the attorney’s and looked down at his lawyer. “A Navy SEAL always has options.”

“Contractually, you don’t. I’m sorry, but there’s no way you can win this fight in court.”

Like hell.

Out of sheer force of habit, Blaze recited, “No matter how much it hurts, how dark it gets, or how far I fall, I am never out of the fight.”

Huong jerked his hand out of Blaze’s grip and shuffled back from his desk, presumably out of Blaze’s reach.

Blaze didn’t realize he had growled the common inspirational SEAL quote until he noticed microdroplets of sweat welling from the pores on Huong’s nose and cheekbones and felt the dampness of the lawyer’s hand in his own palm.

Dammit, Blaze hadn’t meant to scare the guy. The lawyer was just doing his job.

Huong stared at his hands splayed on the wood of his desk. “Always a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Robinson.”

Blaze nodded. “Likewise.”

He turned and left the office, walking through the rotating door of the lobby and into the Midwestern summer morning.

Sunlight reflected off the mirrored buildings crowding downtown Chicago, and a cool breeze skidded over Lake Erie and threaded through the grid of streets. A park down by the waterfront was lush with dark green grass and June flowers.

Signing that deal with the Devil seven years ago had been one of the greatest mistakes of Blaze’s life, but he would be damned if he’d go down without a fight.

Rules.

In warfare, the larger force dictated the rules of engagement.

US Navy SEALs were always the smaller fighting force, so a Navy SEAL was taught that they must break the rules to win.

Blaze knew how to break the rules. All the rules. Every time.

Mary Varvara Bell had threatened him, so he’d threaten something of hers.


Author Bio:

"I'm passionate about books and literature. Books delve into what it means to be human and connect us to each other. I write intense, deeply imagined romance novels for serious readers because the world needs more love." ~~Blair Babylon

Blair Babylon is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author who used to publish literary fiction. Because professional reviews of her other fiction usually included the caveat that there was too much deviant sex and too much interesting plot, she decided to abandon all literary pretensions, let her freak flag fly, and write hot, sexy, suspenseful romance.

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