Strategy Quest by Paul A Sacco

 Please welcome  Paul A Sacco author of Strategy Quest

Paul Sacco will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

GENRE: Self-Help (Business)

 

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BLURB:

 

In Strategy Quest: The Executive Guide for Finding Business Opportunities, you will learn how to achieve the strategic mindset necessary to create and decide on the business opportunities that will put you ahead of your competition.

 

Using the psychology of personality type, you will understand how to make the shift to this growth mindset. In Strategy Quest, you will learn that the strategic mindset is composed of Strategic Intuition and Strategic Thinking. Strategic Intuition creates strategic visions and concepts, while strategic thinking decides if these are genuinely strategic and the right choice for your business.

 

Strategy Quest uses business examples to show what the strategic mindset is and isn’t. The book also equips you with the tools that you will need for your Strategy Quest and shows you how to overcome the obstacle that you might encounter.

 

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EXCERPT:

 

Until you need help assessing a concept, there is absolutely no reason to share your strategic goals with others. It can be counterproductive. Psychologists have found that people are less likely to achieve a goal after they have let others know about it. The mind confuses talking about achieving something with having accomplished it (33).

 

Others will want to understand the reasoning for a goal.  Since the need was either intuitively or arbitrarily selected, you won’t be able to explain why you chose it.  And, even if you could, others might negatively judge one or more of these as a waste of time, risky, or plain wrong.  They might not understand that strategic goals are subjective and don’t have to make thinking sense to anyone.  If you would like to share your goal, do so as part of the story you tell in presenting your concept.

 

When sharing my goals in the past, I received negative feedback such as, “We tried that before, and it failed.”  That a former leader failed to achieve the same goal doesn’t prove that the goal is unworthy. Perhaps it failed because the concept was faulty, the timing wasn’t right, the resources were insufficient, the planning was poor, or the implementation was botched.

 

The third problem with sharing your strategic goal is that, because it is abstract, people can attach inaccurate meaning to it. One way to trigger the creative intuition of people is to provide the slightest hint that things might change. Some people will imagine threatening patterns that might never exist.  Your goal might not even lead to a vision, let alone an opportunity, so why share it?  Sharing goals with others creates an unnecessary distraction and the potential for you to second guess these.

 

The Vision Quest Method begins with the exploration of information related to your strategic goal.  After retaining information in long-term memory, your unconscious mind can engage in strategic intuition’s “combinatory play” during the process of consolidation. Incubation makes room for seeds of an idea and, ultimately, your vision, in your conscious mind.  The seeds of ideas move into the room created in consciousness through Ideation. These seeds of ideas raise questions for which answers are sought through further Exploration, followed once again by memorization, consolidation, incubation, and ideation.  This cycling through the Vision Quest Method continues until a vision occurs.

 

 

 

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

As President of Propheta Lucro Management Consultants, Paul specializes in helping leaders find strategic opportunities. One of the world's top experts in strategic thinking, Paul has over 35 years of experience managing and leading businesses. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto holding both a B.A. Sc. in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management. Paul is available to speak about business strategy or to teach, coach or facilitate the Strategy Quest method. For more information visit our web-site at: www.prophetalucro.com Or contact Paul at: Email: Paul@prophetalucro.com 

 

CONNECT WITH Paul

 

WEBSITE: https://paul-sacco.com/

 

FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/PLIdeas/

 

LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulsacco/

 

GOODREADS https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20438419.Paul_A_Sacco

 

PURCHASE LINKS: Strategy Quest is FREE during the Tour

 

AMAZON.COM https://amazon.com/dp/022880843X

 

AMAZON.CA https://amazon.ca/dp/022880843X

 

BOOKSHOP https://bookshop.org/books/strategy-quest-the-executive-guide-to-finding-business-opportunities-9780228808466/9780228808435

 

INDIGO CHAPTERS https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/strategy-quest-the-executive-guide/9780228808459-item.html

 

BARNES & NOBLE https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strategy-quest-paul-a-sacco/1137187052

 

BOOK DEPOSITORY https://www.bookdepository.com/Strategy-Quest-Paul-Sacco/9780228808435

 

SMASHWORDS https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1028030

 

APPLE BOOKS https://books.apple.com/us/book/strategy-quest-executive-guide-to-finding-business/id1518883691

 

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

 

Paul Sacco will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3868

The Rewired Series: The Recruiter by Alexander Mukte

 Please welcome Alexander Mukte author of The Rewired Series: The Recruiter

The Rewired Series: The Recruiter

by Alexander Mukte

 

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GENRE: Mystery/Thriller Sci-fi

 

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INTERVIEW:

Have you ever had an imaginary friend?

Not one that’s ever had a name. As a child, I spent a lot of time playing by myself, which I think fostered my imaginative nature. And as an adult, I get lost in thought and step in-and-out of fictional stories in my mind constantly. Perhaps those stories are my imaginary friends?

Do you have any phobias?

I haven’t discovered any phobias that would render me unresponsive; however, I’m actively trying to understand why I’m so uncomfortable with cockroaches. It’s not like they hurt humans or anything, but they make me cringe. 

Do you listen to music when you're writing?

Yes! Music is a must when writing, working out, and cooking. When writing, I typically listen to music without lyrics. I have a Jazz playlist with Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane. I also listen to this album, Pure Classics, by David Garrett. 

Do you ever read your stories out loud?

Not if I can help it. I talk a lot (just ask my wife), but I don’t like the sound of my voice. So, I don’t like to read my stories out loud, and I actually can’t even watch someone else read my work. I analyze every facial expression and then get uncomfortable and have to leave the room, lol. 

Tell us about your main character and who inspired him/her.

While there are several recurring characters in the series, I would consider Ori to be the main character. In The Recruiter, you are introduced to him as the visionary leader of a multi-billion-dollar corporation. Ori is highly principled and has a way with people. Throughout the book, you realize there’s much more to him than meets the eye. Then you get to know and understand him to a much greater extent in Deeply Rooted Dreams. 

With respect to inspiration for Ori, I began writing this series after the birth of my first son, imagining what I’d like for him to see in the world. This led to a story featuring a Black business leader doing good through empowering small businesses, promoting financial freedom, and countering issues like mass incarceration. As I built the mystery around him, I wanted to stretch the imagination and hopefully stretch readers’ perception of what’s possible.

BLURB: The Rewired Series

 

Series Blurb:

 

This is a fantastic, genre-bending series that weaves together the best mystery, visionary, and speculative fiction elements. With characters that span across books and time, The Rewired Series explores what plagues humanity and the impact each person can have while leaving you with the promise of a better tomorrow. Alexander Mukte wraps all of these themes inside edge-of-your-seat, engaging mysteries with larger-than-life characters you’ll want to revisit again and again.

 

 

Blurb:  The Recruiter

 

A fast-paced and thought-provoking mystery that will keep you on your toes until the very end. The Recruiter is an entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable start to the series, full of intriguing twists and turns.

 

Leslie may be an idealist, but she's no fool. She trusts her boss, Ori, implicitly. He has vision, principles, and a way with people. When a bomb is detonated at work, she finds herself caught up in a whirlwind of events. All of a sudden, their lives are on the line, and every choice matters.

 

Is Ori who she thinks he is? Why would anyone want to hurt him? And how do they get out of this mess? Leslie doesn't have it all figured out, but what becomes clear is that there's a lot the world doesn't know about Ori Clayborn.

 

Jessica is driven to make a difference by uncovering the truth. Investigative reporting is her life. One day she gets a unique assignment that leads her back to her hometown and into Ori's orbit. What will she find, and what's her role in this?

 

The Recruiter is a captivating, imaginative story that draws you in deeper and deeper, page-by-page. Alexander Mukte creates a universe that pulls you in and doesn't let you go.

 

 

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EXCERPTS:

 

Excerpt One: from The Recruiter

 

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgment. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?” 

 

Martin Luther King Jr. 

 

Prologue

 

“Did you think we were going to let you get away with it?” The man’s voice was both incredulous and triumphant. The light from the full moon began to fill the room as Ori’s eyes adjusted. He inhaled deeply. The man continued as if he was talking to himself, “We knew you were up to something. Did you actually think that you stood a chance?” Ori surveyed the room. He squinted to focus on his surroundings. 

 

“Are you listening to me?” the man continued speaking while Ori remained silent, not acknowledging him. Ori made out three bodies in the room with him: one talking, one holding a flashlight, and a third one close to what looked like the door. 

 

The shack was an old cabin but was well built. No lights were turned on, nor was there a fire burning, so as not to attract any unwanted attention. The natural moonlight was perfect to illuminate most of the space. In the areas where the moonlight did not reach, there was the glow of a bright flashlight. This flashlight was suddenly pointed directly into Ori’s eyes.

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Alexander had an active imagination his whole life, but it wasn’t until the birth of his son that he began putting the stories in his mind on paper. He wanted to be an example of someone pursuing his passion, dreaming big, and taking chances. 

 

Alexander loves people, their stories, and their backgrounds as well as what shapes them, how they think, and what they dream about. He has a passion for learning and is known by most as an intensely curious person who eagerly soaks up anything and everything he can. He dreamt of a career that allowed him to learn new things every day. In writing, he has found a life that allows him to do just that. 

 

After graduating with a degree in business, Alexander volunteered in the U.S. Peace Corps where he aided in creating sustainable small business ventures in Central America. Before taking this leap of faith, Alexander did Business Development and Consulting for large domestic and international companies. These experiences weave themselves into the characters, places and stories he creates.

 

An avid traveler, Alexander enjoys exploring new places with his family. He was raised in Southeastern Arizona, and now calls Georgia home, along with his wife and two sons.  

 

The Recruiter is Alexander’s first novel, though perhaps the 39th in his mind. We hope you enjoy it, and Deeply Rooted Dreams, as much as we have.

 

Author Links:

 

Amazon Author Profile: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B084G4KKRD

 

GoodReads Author Profile: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20023247.Alexander_Mukte

 

BookBub Author Profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alexander-mukte

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandermukte/

 

Subscribe: https://www.threetofivepublishing.com/contact

 

Buy Links:

 

Website: https://www.threetofivepublishing.com/the-rewired-series

 

The Recruiter

 

Ubl: https://books2read.com/u/bovWNv

 

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Recruiter-Alexander-Mukte-ebook/dp/B084JRJP7H/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0

 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-recruiter-alexander-

mukte/1136281285

 

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1497199481

 

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-recruiter-4

 

Deeply Rooted Dreams

 

Ubl: https://books2read.com/u/mZa1e5

 

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08XP5KC42

 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deeply-rooted-dreams-alexander-

mukte/1138814308

 

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/deeply-rooted-

dreams/id1553351240

 

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/deeply-rooted-dreams

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

 

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3869

Never Say Chai by Kirsten Weiss

 Please welcome Kirsten Weiss author of Never Say Chai

Kirsten Weiss will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Never Say Chai

by Kirsten Weiss

 

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GENRE:  Cozy Mystery

 

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BLURB:

 

It’s Halloween season in small town San Borromeo, and Abigail and Hyperion are determined to make Beanblossom’s Tea & Tarot spooktacular. But when Hyperion’s boyfriend, Detective Tony Chase, is arrested at Beanblossom’s for murder, the duo is certain someone’s playing a nasty trick. And when the official investigation turns into a witch hunt, the stakes to unearth the truth are raised…

 

But a clever killer has plans to squash their investigation… and the two amateur detectives. If they don’t solve this puzzle—and fast—it will be out of the cauldron and into the fire for them both.

 

Never Say Chai is the fourth book in the Tea and Tarot cozy mystery series. A fast-paced and funny cozy mystery, packed with quirky characters, pets, and murder! Perfect for fans of Jana DeLeon, Janet Evanovich, and Donna Andrews. Buy the book and start this hilarious caper!

 

Tearoom recipes in the back of the book!

 

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EXCERPT:

 

Never panic-shop.

 

Also, never drink and shop. And especially never panic, drink, and shop.

 

I’d done all of the above.

 

The tearoom’s oven broke last month while I was baking quiches. The estimate for its repair had been nearly as much as a new oven. In a fit of panick and piña coladas, I’d bought a new one. 

 

The thought still made my insides curdle like over-whipped clotted cream. Industrial ovens ain’t cheap. 

 

I hated budget pandemonium, especially when I was its cause. There was a certain joy in watching numbers fall into place, especially on the profit side of the ledger. And I’d just messed with my carefully balanced tearoom universe.

 

So I was more than a little anxious as I studied our tearoom. Miniature pumpkins lined its broad windows. Paper bats dangled from hanging lamps and sprouted from tiered tea trays. 

 

Even the costumed Tarot readers had gotten into the Halloween groove. The scent of baking sugar and pumpkin hung in the air. Women chatted at their tables, teacups clinking. 

 

It was October first, day one of the Halloween season, and San Borromeo (saint of heartburn) was becoming a Halloween town. This was a good thing for those of us dependent on tourism. Tourists don’t flock to the Pacific beach quite as often in October, despite the occasional day of spectacular weather. The Halloween festivities meant more customers.

 

Beanblossom’s Tea and Tarot needed those customers, especially after that new oven. It was a really awesome oven, though.

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Amazon bestselling author Kirsten Weiss writes laugh-out-loud, page-turning mysteries. Her heroines aren’t perfect, but they’re smart, they struggle, and they succeed. Kirsten writes in a house high on a hill in the Colorado woods and occasionally ventures out for wine and chocolate. Or for a visit to the local pie shop. Kirsten is best known for her Wits’ End, Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum, and Tea & Tarot cozy mystery books. So if you like funny, action-packed mysteries with complicated heroines, just turn the page…

 

Website: https://kirstenweiss.com 

Email: kweiss2001@kirstenweiss.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kirsten.weiss/

Instagram: @KirstenWeissAuthor

Bookbub: www.bookbub.com/authors/kirsten-weiss

 

Buy Links for Never Say Chai:

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B094WHQFTV

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/never-say-chai/id1567422675

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w?ean=2940162513759

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kirsten_Weiss_Never_Say_Chai?id=JhQuEAAAQBAJ

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/never-say-chai

 

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

 

Kirsten Weiss will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3850

Relatively Normal Secrets by C.W. Allen

 Please welcome C.W. Allen author of Relatively Normal Secrets

C. W. Allen will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Relatively Normal Secrets

by C.W. Allen 

 

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GENRE: Middle Grade Mystery Adventure

 

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BLURB:

 

Like most siblings, Tuesday and Zed don't always get along. Unlike most siblings, their arguments are over things like whether their parents are hiding a life of crime, or are simply the weirdest adults on the planet. When they decide to go on the hunt for some solid evidence, things get weirder than ever: two thugs with shape-shifting swords show up, their dog shows off some tricks she definitely didn't learn in obedience school, and even their treehouse turns out to be more than meets the eye.

 

Their escape leaves Zed and Tuesday stranded in a land where robots and holograms live alongside quaint medieval villagers and soldiers on horseback. Soldiers who insist their father is a disgraced fugitive, and their dog a legendary monster.

 

If they ever want to see their parents again, they'll have to learn to work together. After all, they've got a mysterious code to break, secrets to unlock, bandits and soldiers to outwit, and a rowdy dog whose antics are getting more outrageous by the minute. Even if they manage to evade the eerie secret police and uncover enough clues to figure out what's really going on, they're not sure they're going to like the truth.

 

Zed and Tuesday will have to decide who to trust and what really matters, or they'll never get back to normal (whatever that is.) Because when it comes to normal, everything is relative.

 

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EXCERPT

 

Their father was fond of saying the dog had not managed to learn anything in the years that followed, but that was not strictly true. While it was true that she did not come when called or sit on command, the dog had in fact learned many tricks. Nyx had learned quite early on, for example, how to help herself to the contents of the refrigerator. No one was quite sure how an animal without thumbs was capable of opening a refrigerator door, since she had never been caught in the act, but an entire ham doesn’t simply get up and go for a stroll during the night, now does it?

 

Zed imagined some people would consider it normal to take a dog along to run errands—as long as the dog could fit comfortably inside a purse, that is, or at the very least wait patiently in the car. But Nyx was neither tiny, nor well-behaved and patient. She was, in fact, huge. Her bristly black fur and legs that seemed much too long for the rest of her frame made her look like a gigantic hairy spider. His mother spent nearly every moment in the dog’s company, and whenever she needed to go inside the grocery store, or post office, or other location where dogs are generally unwelcome, she brought Nyx along to wait in the car for her return. Nyx made use of this time by bouncing anxiously from seat to seat, smearing her nose on the windows.

 

Excerpt Two:

 

At lunch, her father was the headlining topic of conversation. Perhaps, everyone joked, he was some kind of secret agent—if anyone found out what he really did all day, he'd have to erase their memories or have them deported to Jupiter. Tuesday made a hasty decision: better to ride the wave of laughter, than drown in it. This was ridiculous, of course!

 

Of course it was.

 

Tuesday heaved her backpack onto the lunch table and made a production of searching for a missing paper until the cafeteria’s collective attention bounded on to a new distraction. She retrieved last week’s History assignment and tried to look intensely interested in reviewing it, staring through the page with unfocused eyes while zoning out to the satisfying snapping sound her carrot sticks made, the pitch falling rhythmically as her teeth chopped each one shorter and shorter.

 

The newly-hatched suspicions about her parents’ routines burrowed in with the rest of the doubts nesting in her brain. It wasn’t just the way they sidestepped any mention of their lives before they had children. It wasn’t just their odd taste in names. It was just—oh, everything. 

 

Her last name should have been different, for one thing; Tuesday was sure of it. Her father wouldn’t say what it might have been, but anything else would have been fine with her, really. Anything that wouldn’t make her a walking punchline. If her parents hadn’t been so weird, her mother would have taken her father’s last name when they got married, like normal people. Then Tuesday could have inherited his name, instead of just his face. 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

C.W. Allen is a Nebraskan by birth, a Texan by experience, a Hoosier by marriage, and a Utahn by geography. She knew she wanted to be a writer the moment she read The Westing Gameat age twelve, but took a few detours along the way as a veterinary nurse, an appliance repair secretary, and a homeschool parent.

 

She recently settled in the high desert of rural Utah with her husband, their three children, and a noisy flock of orphaned ideas. Someday she will create literary homes for all of them. (The ideas, not her family.)

 

Relatively Normal Secrets(Cinnabar Moth Publishing, Fall 2021) is her debut novel. She writes fantasy novels for tweens, picture books for children, and short stories and poems for former children. Her work will appear in numerous anthologies in 2021. She is also a frequent guest presenter at writing conferences and club meetings, which helps her procrastinate knuckling down to any actual writing.

 

https://www.cwallenbooks.com/

https://twitter.com/cwallenbooks

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2983485.C_W_Allen

 

Buy Links:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Relatively-Normal-Secrets-C-W-Allen-ebook/dp/B098DMNM1N

 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/relatively-normal-secrets-cw-allen/1139805820

 

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Relatively_Normal_Secrets/R_uAzgEACAAJ?hl=en

 

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

 

C. W. Allen will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3851/

#EditingByAngels

   

Editing by Angels

Rogue’s Angels would like to help make the publishing process a little bit easier. We offer editing, proofreading, and covers at a reasonable price. 

Rogues Angels have years of editing experience, starting in the 90’s. Please check out resumes at the Rogue’s Angels blog: http://roguesangels.blogspot.com

Editing plus proofreading rates are:

$150 for under 50K words

$250 for 50K to 100K words

$350 for over 100K words.

Covers price varies. Once a cover is used it will not be used again. Check out pre-made covers at:

http://www.designsbymsg.com/SpreeSpecials.html and http://www.designsbymsg.com/FastTrackForSale.html

For more information contact Christine Young ~ achristay@aol.com

AVAILABLE  COVERS:

 

#Dakota'sBride #HistoricalRomance

 

Dakota's Bride by Christine Young

Excerpt Heat Level: 1

Book Heat Level:

 

Buy at Amazon: 

 

BLURB: Dakota's Bride

 

When Emma St. John received her brother's letter imploring her to escape her stepfather's vengeful scheme and to trust Dakota Barringer with her life, she was willing to chance it. But the handsome, brooding riverboat owner Emma found in Natchez a danger of another kind. For Emma soon found herself surrendering to an unrelenting desire.

 

Raised by the Sioux when his parents were killed, Dakota had been betrayed once before by a white woman. He wasn't about to trust another, especially one claiming that her stepfather, a powerful U.S. senator, had framed her as a murderess. But he couldn't let Emma's intoxicating effect on him. Now Dakota would risk his very life to protect the innocent beauty who had seduced him with her tender love.

 

EXCERPT: Dakota's Bride

 

Moonless and frigid, the December night sent chills down Emma's spine. Yet she didn't stop at the lighted inn nearby, nor did she break stride when she stumbled over a rut in the muddy road. Instead, she pulled her skirts higher. A carriage raced by, hell-bent in the same direction, spitting mud as it flew past

 

A frantic look over her shoulder did nothing to relieve the fear. He was closing on her, forcing her from her hiding place. She stopped for a moment while she quickly shook the mud off her cape, then she turned to the little girl.

 

"You all right, Clare?" Emma asked.

 

The little girl nodded but didn't say anything, her face screwed tight with concentration, her breaths ragged and hard.

 

The big Mississippi paddle wheeler, due to leave in ten minutes, let out two loud, booming whistles. To Emma's frayed nerves, the sound was heart-stopping.

 

The wind from the docks smelled of fish and tar. When it shifted, she could make out the aroma of fresh baked scones coming from the inn. Emma gripped the tiny hand she held in her own a little tighter, and prayed that Clare could keep up the pace.

 

"It's only a wee bit farther. We can make it," Emma told the little girl, her sister. Half sister, she reminded herself.

 

Clare's father was not her own. His demonically hand­some face leering at her while he calmly explained what he meant for Emma to do in the bordello was something she'd never forget.

 

Clare was a tiny and very fragile seven-year old. She had loving green eyes and a long, slender nose coupled with delicate cheekbones. Emma knew that someday Clare would grow into a classic beauty.

 

One long blond lock of hair slipped loose from Clare's cap. The little girl pushed it away with her free hand, wrinkling her nose disgustedly.

 

Frost coated the road, and each hurried step caused the almost frozen mud to crunch beneath their feet. A horse and rider passed them, the man tipping his hat as he and his mount thundered by. Church bells rang out, the sound hollow and thin. It was almost six o'clock. She had five minutes to reach the boat.

 

A gust of wind caught her broadside and whisked the hood of her cape off the top of her head. She grabbed the soft fur and pulled the fabric back where it belonged. Distracted by the wind and her haste to reach the boat, Emma caught the toe of her shoe on a rock and balanced precariously for an instant.

 

She swore softly under her breath.

 

Had only one month passed?

 

No, three weeks ago her mother had died and two weeks ago she had learned the awful truth. Lawrence Stevenshad slowly poisoned her mother. He had given her a small dose of arsenic each day until finally her mother took to her bed. Several days later Emma had held her mother's hand while she breathed her last.

 

Emma would never have known about the murder if she hadn't overheard Stevens speaking in harsh whispers with a friend of his. There were other things said and promised, things Emma had not wanted to acknowledge.

 

Disbelief and denial had caused her to waste precious time. Seven days had come and gone since she'd had her last horrible encounter with her stepfather. It was an encounter that had left her with no doubts that everything she'd heard was the god-awful truth. Stevens had meant to sell her to a whorehouse. Still, she'd had a difficult time believing the extent of Lawrence Stevens's depravity. But when he'd installed her in Madame leBon's bordello, she realized too late that her life was in grave jeopardy.

 

And Clare, sweet, sweet Clare, had understood all she'd told her and perhaps more. With the eyes of a child, Clare had somehow sensed the evil that surrounded her father long before anyone else did.

 

Five long days and nights they'd spent on the run. Clare had not complained. No matter how exhausted or hungry she was, the little girl had pressed on, understanding the imminent danger that faced Emma. Clare had somehow known that Emma had to get as far away from Lawrence as possible.

 

 

 

This incredible romance is one I positively fell in love with and is good enough to read again and again.

Cherokee 
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More 4 Cups

I can’t remember the last time I was so engrossed in a book: Dakota’s Bridetook over my weekend, and even now, am wishing to go peruse it one more time…

Rating: 4.5 Books
Reviewed by Snapdragon Long and Short Reviews