New to the publishing world, Reily reached
out and offered a copy of the first book, which came out yesterday, (today,
shit time zones confuse me sometimes) – this is a MF (male, female) so the
prize will end up in the individual draw as I know a lot of people are exclusive
mm readers while others aren’t.
I’d honestly like to tell you more about the
book, it’s to new, the author is to know, but the blurb sound awesome and make
me want to get back into reading mf again, lol
Here’s a first chapter excerpt to see if it’s
something you’d like to buy, the dets to follow
Excerpt
She hadn’t answered her cell all afternoon.
With Julien’s attention divided between a staff meeting and this diffident
client who ignored his advice, his frustration skyrocketed. He’d texted her
several times and called her house. Each time, he received no answer. A
homebody, her adventurous streak ranged between humdrum and non-existent. She
should have been home
He understood the type of man she’d married,
weak-minded, controlling, and abusive, puppeteer to her marionette. From their
first and only meeting, fear radiated from her very pores, exhaled in every
breath. Purple, blue, and maroon hues splashed the western sky, the color of
the bruises she failed to conceal when seeking his help. Soon, darkness would
bleach all color from the sky, the same way death bleached the color from our
bodies. He drove faster, the wheels drumming on the asphalt, chasing headlights
forever out of reach, just like her reasoning for going back to her house of
horrors.
The setting sun reminded him her husband would
be off work soon, probably carry his rage home looking for a target. Lord, this
brought back some of his own buried memories. No time for that now.
A combination of ignorance and nonchalance
framed the bull’s eye she wore on her forehead. He’d advised her to leave home
two days ago. They could handle legalities later but not if she lacked a pulse.
Stubborn woman insisted on returning.
Her late morning call today surprised him, finally ready to pack and leave.
Failure to meet him at his office did not.
This woman needed help, even if she didn’t
realize it. As a private investigator, he’d seen this scenario rehearsed many
times. For reasons unknown, human nature’s broken record played out on the
Mobius strip, fate having trapped him in the loop.
The steady slap and scrape of his windshield
wipers whisked the few drops of rain from his windshield, evidence that heaven
cried for its angels. He stomped the accelerator. His Mazda ate up the miles as
he tried to focus his mind. The closer he got to her house, the more his mind
screamed with recriminations…Too late.
You should have come to her house this morning.
Stones skittered into the grass bordering her
driveway as his car slid to a stop in front of her bungalow. The one with the
front door ajar. Oh God, I am too
late. Not again. He had little recollection of getting out of his car or running
into her house. He knew in his gut, he’d failed. He’d promised her he’d help,
and he failed. It didn’t matter that she’d ignored his advice.
In the middle of the living room floor, she
lay face down, remnants of pain still etched in her expression. Naked, blood
pooled under her abdomen in an ever-widening arc. Spatters of red adorned the
surrounding wall cabinets, TV, and sofa. Her hair, burnt copper in the fading
light streaming through the bay window, didn’t cover her wide staring eyes. His
heart pounded in his chest, sweat beaded his forehead. With shaking fingers, he
bent and touched her neck, a pulse, a weak one, fast and thready. She’ll never make it, his subconscious roared through his head as he snatched
up his cell to dial nine one one.
The universe he bellowed his pain to felt
colder than her body. The warmth of her soul flowed out, staining the carpet
with wild abandon. He could smell the residue of gunpowder. The yapping of her
ankle biter at his feet didn’t register in his mind until he saw its footprints
surrounding the woman’s thin frame, written in her blood.
There were no second chances. His excuses
wouldn’t comfort her now.