Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Midwinter Crises (Capital City Seasons 1) #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

Since the holiday season is gearing up, I'm sharing a series of excerpts from Midwinter Crises, book one of Capital City Seasons. Over the next few weeks, I'll post a few pivotal scenes between Murph and Jess.

This week, we meet Murph.

Series Tagline: Capital City Seasons: High stakes adrenaline and hot romance are an explosive combination.

Book Tagline: When a madman wants to blow up the city during the Midwinter holiday, it's just another day on the job for Ben and Jess.

~*~

Capital City.

Where no one knew anyone's name… especially during the Midwinter holidays.

Everyone went about their self-prescribed traditions—too busy to care about anything more than spending money and finding the next 'perfect' item so it could be crossed off a way too long list.

But somehow, not even the sheer volume of credits exchanged from Discovery Day to Midwinter's Eve managed to quell the number of embittered and downtrodden who picked this time of year to go off the deep end or make a stand for their cause.

And someone had to deal with them… diffuse the situation, garner a peaceful outcome. If not, things could get very ugly.

The 'someone' people called? Ben Murphy. A top negotiator, his proven ability and track record made him the go-to person when wanting to avoid bloodshed.

Because why would anyone want that to go along with their holiday cheer?

A lone man held the city hostage, his metaphorical fist ready to destroy the main power grid. A person might wonder how he'd managed to position himself to do it. That would, no doubt, be addressed in the slew of after action reports turned in once the crisis had been averted. Heads would roll. Jobs would be lost. And none of those issues mattered now that the guy had taken control of the central power facility.

What did matter?

Resolution.

Hopefully quick, painless, and peaceful. No one wanted to watch the city grind to a screeching halt during the most profitable quarter of the year. Not that Murph cared much about that aspect, especially when the joy of the season usually got lost in the shuffle of the crowds.

In fact, the holiday cheer being piped through the sound system of his private transport grated on Murph's last nerve. He tuned it out and focused on the view from the window, looking out over the expanse of Capital City. As of now, everything remained bright, shiny and lit up… and Murph loved the sight.

He should… he'd grown up with it. He might not have seen much of it lately—his self-imposed exile from the city and Jessa Muldoon prevented it—but he would always appreciate the sight.

For better or worse, Ben Murphy had come home.

Available on Amazon

~*~

Series Blurb: Meet the men and women of Capital City. They work hard on the front lines and behind the scenes to keep the city safe and sometimes… they find love in the middle of a tense situation.

Book Blurb: Mixing the holidays with a guy who wants to blow up the city is just another day on the job for Ben Murphy and Jessa Muldoon.

Capital City teems with tourists, shoppers, and anyone else who can cram their way into the limits for the Midwinter celebration. The entire holiday will go to hell in a hand basket if Ben can't negotiate a peaceful resolution with the man holding the city hostage. If he fails, sharpshooter Jess will step in and take the guy out.

Not exactly the post-breakup reunion scenario Ben has in mind for seeing Jess… but he'll take it. He let work split them up once, now it has a chance to bring them together. Ben will take the opportunity and run with it.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Sunday Snippet: Keeping Up with Honor

November 30, 2014

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving, if celebrated. For my family, it's the official beginning to the holiday season and we come up with a new theme for our tree. My middle kidlet is choosing this year and he's decided to go with a sports-related color scheme. Should be interesting because we're mixing scarlet and gray; green, blue, and white; and brown and orange. I have a general idea of how to make it work, but we'll see what the final result is.

A lot of years, we've waited until December 24 to do the actual decorating, but I think we'll be getting it done earlier this season. We also have a big puppy in the house for the first time and I can't wait to see what she does around the tree. LOL

Not much on the TV front this week, but The Flash turned in a great episode. Gotham and Sleepy Hollow were pretty good, too. I'm very much looking forward to the fall finale of Walking Dead tonight. I have a feeling someone's not going to make it… but we'll see. Thankfully, I'll have Chris Hardwick's Talking Dead to soothe whatever gaping wounds I might have. :)

Tonight's post is from Keeping Up with Honor, a novella filled with the adventure of keeping up with my heroine.

Here's the tagline:

Honor Brock goes against orders and runs a fool's mission to find a lost artifact. Rush Masterson tests a theory and risks his life to track her down. Once he finds her, he has to keep up because Honor won't go back until she has what she wants.

And a sneaky peek…

Rush cursed. "Son of a bitch, she jumped. Hibs just left tracking range." He banked his ship and hit the thrusters to cruise back to the Valaria. "Flight, Raster. I'm coming in. Have a hopper ready for takeoff." He didn't give a damn if the old man blew a gasket. "I'm going after her."

When the autotrap engaged, he focused on remembering the theory his class toyed with in flight school. A long range sensor could be configured to pick up a trillium trail. If he launched within sixty minutes of Honor's jump, he could conceivably follow her to wherever the hell she went. Forty minutes to walk engineering through the rewiring, another five to gear up, leaving him less than twelve minutes to argue with his dad over the crazy ass plan, especially since it put Rush's life on the line. Untested, theoretical, and damned dangerous, Rob Masterson would throw every single negative Rush's way.

But he wouldn't cave. The old man could either get out of Rush's way or prepare to go down.

When his plane lowered onto the hanger bay, Rush popped the canopy and immediately removed his helmet, handing it off to one of the crew. He scrambled out of the cockpit and double-timed it down the ladder. His feet hit the deck and he turned, bumping directly into a solid obstacle.

An iron grip grasped Rush's shoulder. "You're not going after her, son." His dad led him away from the hustle and bustle of the workers. "There's no way."

Rush stopped short. "Yeah, I am. And there is a way. You know there is." Ten minutes and counting.

Rob folded his arms over his chest. "You wanna risk your life on a theory?" He planted his feet shoulder-width apart, ready to do battle.

Rush met his dad's gaze head on. "I know you're pissed, but it's Honor, Dad." He lowered his voice and pulled his trump card. "For her? I'd risk anything. We both would."

His old man's mouth opened then snapped shut.

Eight minutes to spare.

Rob gave Rush a curt nod and leaned in close. "She went home, Rush. That gives you an advantage you might need for this crazy ass plan of yours."

The elder Masterson giving Rush a hand up?

Would wonders never cease?

I'm enjoying this one. Say that a lot, I know, but it's fun when the dialog kind of flows from my brain to the page.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—An Idyllic Affair (Insula Ara ~ Sanctuary Island) #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

This week I'm thrilled to announce an upcoming release that is co-written with my alter ego Skye Ritchey. I write under three pseudonyms, and when I started An Idyllic Affair, it began with a strong sci-fi element. But as the story progressed, the nature of the island pushed its way in and a mystical aspect took center stage. For branding purposes, I decided to release under ML Skye, my speculative romance moniker, and Skye Ritchey, my paranormal / fantasy pen name. I'm very excited as I believe the story will appeal to both audiences.

This week, I'm featuring a fun interaction between Geoff and Linnea.

Series Tagline: Escape to Insula Ara, an island sanctuary that provides refuge… but it comes with a price.

Book Tagline: On the run from their enemies, an island sanctuary gives Geoff and Linnea time for An Idyllic Affair.

~*~

Cursing the restricted area, Geoff angled his legs down through the passage and attempted to leave enough space for Linnea's to fit. She gingerly tried to put both feet in first. When that didn't work, she grabbed his shoulder and got her left leg situated but couldn't manage the right.

Geoff tried to give her more room. "Sorry, X. I've got nowhere to go here." He shifted his hips, creating maybe one more inch.

Linnea chuckled. "Just give me a sec. If I put my hand here…" She braced her fingers against the tank. "And then lay my head on your shoulder, I think I might… oh, yeah. That's feeling just about right."

Geoff couldn't believe the way she could contort her body. "God, X, that's perfect." But they'd need room to kick the panel out. "Okay, almost there. Lift your thigh a little. Yeah, put it right between mine." His grunt sounded more like a groan when she followed his direction and brought her leg up, wedging it up close to the apex of his groin. "Almost there, Linn. Angle your hips a little. Yeah… that's it."

Linnea fisted her hand in his shirt, twisting it hard. "Sorry, Captain. Need just a little more… there! Right there."

Marcus cleared his throat. "Uh, geez, you two. You're making Willoughby turn an unhealthy shade of crimson out here. Do you have any idea how you guys sound?"

Shane sputtered and coughed. "I am not turning red." He waited a beat. "But Ramsey's got a point. If I didn't know better, I'd think you guys were… well…" His voice trailed off.

A little frustrated and a whole lot of uncomfortable, Geoff shot back. "Trust me, if the XO and I were having sex, it would not sound like this." Exactly how it would, he didn't know, but his imagination could fill in the blanks later.

Linnea snorted and offered her two cents. "Mainly because the captain and I wouldn't be having carnal relations." She paused then added. "Now, or anytime in the foreseeable future."

Geoff frowned. Did she always have to be so emphatic about the potential of them never hooking up?

Coming Soon!

~*~

Book Blurb: Privateers by trade, Geoff MacLeod and Linnea Jensen find sanctuary on Insula Ara, a mysterious island full of wonder and a tinge of darkness. When Geoff and Linnea embark on a quest to retrieve a badly needed part for their ship, they find their deep attraction for each other hard to resist, and under the spell of the island, they have to tread carefully or succumb to the swirling undercurrents.

Series Blurb: Legend tells of a mysterious island called Sanctuary, inhabited by people who have been to hell and back—and lived to tell the tale.

It goes on to say, that if someone needs help, if they are truly without hope, island will come to them in their darkest hour and help them find the way.

But the assistance comes with a price. Their heart and soul may be lost to the island in the process.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Sunday Snippet: Keeper of All Things Secret

Gotta take a moment and give it up to the entire cast of Sons of Anarchy. Charlie Hunnam and Jimmy Smits made me cry. Seriously. And if memory serves, there's no episode for Thanksgiving week, so I may have to watch the last one at least one more time.

Also, Arrow and The Flash are meeting up and crossing over. Cannot wait! Both shows are really bringing it and I couldn't be happier. Agents of SHIELD is also getting even better and Sleepy Hollow is holding on. I kind of miss the batshit freak of the week stuff and cross my fingers we'll see some more of that in the near future.

I'm kind of hoping to see some holiday themed episodes from some of my fave shows. If nothing pops up, at least I'll have Doctor Who and I can always watch holiday eps from shows gone by.

Enough TV, tonight's post is from Keeper of All Things Secret, a truly fun story where my heroine will protect the hero, no matter what.

Here's the tagline:

Gili Main, chief of security for an orbiting space station, supports her boss who is up for reelection. Parr Minerval is an excellent leader and should have the election in the bag. But his opponent is playing dirty and Gili appoints herself as the keeper of all things secret to prevent the wily upstart from twisting the facts to his advantage.

And a sneaky peek…

Gili hurried along the corridor, already late for the meeting. Parr would understand, but she hated to leave him to face his distasteful task by himself. Necessary business, if anyone asked her, but Parr never enjoyed backroom dealing.

Rounding the corner, Gili stopped short and ducked into a recessed archway. Gartha Benalz lurked outside the closed meeting room, trying to appear like he belonged there. Several alarm bells went off in her head. Benalz had zero business being in this part of the station. So why arrive just in time for an important bartering session he should have no knowledge of? No good reason came to mind and Gili's gut instinct kicked in.

She started whistling a jaunty tune and walked in place for several seconds, the sound of her boots hitting the deck enough to startle Gartha into scurrying in the opposite direction. Gili continued her off-key song, going into a hum, and casually strolled toward the meeting area. She took up a post outside the double steel doors in case Gartha made a return visit.

The man would bear watching a little more closely. Gili wouldn't put anything past him, not this close to the election. She'd also have a couple of her less than savory friends put their ears to the ground to see if they could find out what the master of spinning facts might be trying to accomplish.

Having a great time writing this one. I love a little subterfuge in my stories. LOL

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye

Saturday Standard: Meet Marshton Grey

My new blog feature called the Saturday Standard is a fun little sneak peek behind the scenes featuring character interviews and other items of interest—thirteen questions about the setting, plot, or character traits, a collage of inspirational pictures I used while writing, or anything else that strikes my fancy. Each week one of my pseudonyms will post for the new weekly feature.

Today, I'm going to revisit my very first release with Ellipses Press and interview the main characters, Shyler Lumen and Marshton Grey.

This week… Marshton will be answering questions about what drives him—and reveals a small surprise.

Let's get to it…

THE SATURDAY STANDARD

ML Skye: Hello, Mr. Grey. Thank you for agreeing to answer some questions and for letting me ask while en route to your destination.

Marshton Grey: Marshton or Marsh, please. When I'm out of the office, I try to keep things casual.

ML: By out of the office, you mean your headquarters, located in Queen City on Mars. Is that correct?

Marsh: That's our main location, but I have interests all over the galaxy.

MLS: Yes, I see you're on the board of directors for several corporations and have controlling interest in more than a few.

MG: That's true. I tend to keep very busy.

MLS: How do you keep everything going and not get overwhelmed?

MG: I have great people who do a wonderful job helping me out. [He pauses] And even then, I make an occasional mistake.

MLS: Really? Can you give an example?

MG: I'm not at liberty to say at this time, which I know sounds like a cop out, but lives are at stake and I can't put them in jeopardy.

MLS: Goodness. Sounds all very cloak and dagger.

MG: It's not, really. But people close to me are involved and I need to handle the situation personally.

MLS: I would guess, if it's dragging you to the edge of the galaxy.

[Marsh's pilot announces docking is underway]

MLS: Thank you for your time, Marsh. How long will you be staying here?

MG: On Furlough 99? Hopefully not long. I have business interests on the station, but they don't call it the ass end of the universe for nothing.

MLS: [laughs] I've heard many tales.

MG: It's the ones you don't hear about that are the most interesting.

Marshton Grey is a man who's used to getting what he wants. Let's see if he can get past Shyler Lumen in Finding Home (A Furlough 99 Novella).

Available on Amazon

I hope you enjoyed the latest edition of the Saturday Standard. Stay tuned for more in the near future.

Thanks for reading!

Catch everyone on the flip!

ML Skye

Smokin' Hot—An Idyllic Affair

Welcome to the Hot for Friday blog hop!

Readers: Enjoy weekly posts from authors with fun weekly tasks or a cool question.

Authors: Get in on the fun and join here.

~*~

For this week's entry, we authors are tasked with sharing a scene with sexual tension.

My excerpt is from an upcoming release, An Idyllic Affair, co-written with my alter ego, Skye Ritchey, for the Ellipses Press branded anthology Insula Ara ~ Sanctuary Island.

~*~

Approaching Geoff's location, she heard what sounded like running water. In a tree house? No way.

But yes, maybe it could be. She made a turn and stumbled into a sunlit space… to discover her captain taking a shower. A real, actual shower.

A very, very naked Geoff stood under the spray.

Holy hell.

Linn stared. She couldn't help herself. What a fine specimen of the male species. Finely honed muscles, a ridged abdomen, and his ass… Good God, he had a nice ass.

She drank the sight in, enjoyed watching the water sluice over his skin. Feeling hot and flushed, she almost hoped the water would be cold so she could chill down. It would not do for her to get over-heated and bent over the captain right now.

Her eyes finally traveled back up, tracking nicely defined legs, lingering on the ass and admiring the smooth planes of his back and broad shoulders. Geoff picked that moment to turn around and caught her staring. His eyes flared with something—interest, maybe—and it hung between them for a second… and then another… and one more before she looked away.

Linnea didn’t want to examine the charged tension too closely. For once, she told her inquisitive brain to shut up and it listened. She and Geoff shared a moment—nothing else.

~*~

I hope you enjoyed the tension.

~*~

Anthology Blurb: Legend tells of a mysterious island called Sanctuary, inhabited by people who have been to hell and back—and lived to tell the tale.

It goes on to say, that if someone needs help, if they are truly without hope, island will come to them in their darkest hour and help them find the way.

But the assistance comes with a price. Their heart and soul may be lost to the island in the process.

Book Blurb: Privateers by trade, Geoff MacLeod and Linnea Jensen find sanctuary on Insula Ara, a mysterious island full of wonder and a tinge of darkness. When Geoff and Linnea embark on a quest to retrieve a badly needed part for their ship, they find their deep attraction for each other hard to resist, and under the spell of the island, they have to tread carefully or succumb to the swirling undercurrents.

~*~

Thank you for stopping by.

Please feel free to stop by my website:

And don't forget to enjoy the other Hot for Friday samples!

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—An Idyllic Affair (Insula Ara ~ Sanctuary Island) #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

This week I'm thrilled to announce an upcoming release that is co-written with my alter ego Skye Ritchey. I write under three pseudonyms, and when I started An Idyllic Affair, it began with a strong sci-fi element. But as the story progressed, the nature of the island pushed its way in and a mystical aspect took center stage. For branding purposes, I decided to release under ML Skye, my speculative romance moniker, and Skye Ritchey, my paranormal / fantasy pen name. I'm very excited as I believe the story will appeal to both audiences.

This week, I'm featuring part of the opening scene from Linnea's point of view.

Series Tagline: Escape to Insula Ara, an island sanctuary that provides refuge… but it comes with a price.

Book Tagline: On the run from their enemies, an island sanctuary gives Geoff and Linnea time for An Idyllic Affair.

~*~

Linnea moved slowly, her steps dragging when time seemed to slow down. "Care to tell me where the hell we're going? It doesn't even look like it's in this galaxy."

Geoff raised a single eyebrow. "It's not. That's the beauty of it."

She felt like the deck dropped out from under her. "Captain. Geoff… where, exactly, are you taking us?"

He directed his gaze back to the holograph. "Old Earth."

If she'd started floating in suspended animation, she wouldn't have been surprised.

She couldn't have heard him right.

Old Earth?

Well, hell. Did he really think they could find sanctuary on some crazy island that might or might not exist? The one he loved to tell stories about?

Everything stopped for a second then snapped back to real time.

Linnea didn't know if the queasy feeling in her stomach came from the jump or finding out they'd left the galaxy.

Both, she decided.

"Captain, are you sure this is a good idea?" Linnea slid her gaze toward the man, making sure to keep one eye on the monitor in front of her.

Geoff raised an eyebrow in question. "You doubt me, XO?" He picked up his excited pacing, striding back and forth across the command deck of the Charming Lady.

Linnea snorted. They wouldn't be sanctioned smugglers if any of the crew doubted him. "It's not about that. Facts are facts. I never doubt them."

And Geoff knew it. He'd chosen her as his executive officer and second-in-command for that very reason.

"I do, however, question myth and legend… and that's all you've got." She sometimes envied the fact he only needed those.

Coming Soon!

~*~

Book Blurb: Privateers by trade, Geoff MacLeod and Linnea Jensen find sanctuary on Insula Ara, a mysterious island full of wonder and a tinge of darkness. When Geoff and Linnea embark on a quest to retrieve a badly needed part for their ship, they find their deep attraction for each other hard to resist, and under the spell of the island, they have to tread carefully or succumb to the swirling undercurrents.

Series Blurb: Legend tells of a mysterious island called Sanctuary, inhabited by people who have been to hell and back—and lived to tell the tale.

It goes on to say, that if someone needs help, if they are truly without hope, island will come to them in their darkest hour and help them find the way.

But the assistance comes with a price. Their heart and soul may be lost to the island in the process.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

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