On Tour with Prism Book Tours
Mass Market Paperback & ebook, 384 pages
May 1st 2017 by Harlequin Superromance
Secrets are burning out of control
After she broke his heart in college, Faye Walker is the last person fire chief Reese Bristow ever expected to see again, especially as his new EMT. But that's not Reese's only surprise. Faye has an eight-year-old son, Elliott, whose counseling at The Lemonade Stand shelter is her first priority.
It's nearly impossible to accept that she had a child with another man—and married that man—right after their breakup. Trusting Faye won't be easy. Especially when she reveals a secret about the boy that might tear them apart for good.
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Excerpt
CHAPTER ONE, Part 2
“I thought you’d at least call,” she was saying. Making no sense at all. “I wouldn’t take the job until Brandt assured me that you’d seen my file and approved the employment...”
Last he’d heard, Faye Browning had been in her second year of a four-year nursing program at UC Berkeley.
He’d been at Southern Cal in LA.
“You did know, didn’t you?” Her voice trailed off.
His horror must have been showing.
He’d glanced at Faye Walker’s credentials and work history. And trusted Brandt with the rest. If he’d felt a need to do more, he’d have conducted the interview himself.
“You didn’t know...”
“Okay, boss, she’s all yours,” Mark said, approaching him and Faye and motioning to the smoldering embers behind them.
“On first glance it’s just like all the rest,” Brandt said, joining them. “Gasoline. Matches. Nothing but ashes left, so considering how quickly we got here and put it out, there couldn’t have been that much to burn to begin with...”
“Or that they used a lot more gasoline, in a wider sphere...” Reese said, turning his back on the paramedic he couldn’t deal with in that moment. “It’s a bigger radius,” he said, coming up on the fire.
“Yeah.” Brandt stood with him. The rest of the crew was a few feet back. Reese heard soft murmuring among them. And hoped to God it was about fires.
If she thought for one second she was going to come here and upend his life again, she’d be out on her ass so fast...
“And closer to property that could catch and do actual damage,” Brandt said, reminding Reese that his second-in-command was still standing there assessing the mess on the beach.
“It’s escalating,” Reese said, confirming a fear that he and Brandt had already discussed.
“Clearly it’s not homeless people trying to stay warm.” Brandt’s tone did not lack for sarcasm. The theory had appeared in the media a month or so back, when they’d had a cold spell at night, colder than usual for Santa Raquel in June.
“It’s also not kids.” Reese rebutted the other theory that had been passing through the town by word of mouth. “They’d have grown bored by now and...”
“We were here fast enough tonight to catch them if there’d been a group of them.”
Because Reese had had sentinels on the beach. And the Santa Raquel police force was vigilantly watching the town for signs of smoke.
Disproving theories one and two only left them with number three. Someone was giving them a warning. Something bigger was ahead.
And it was his job to find the clue to what that might be and stop the perpetrator before it happened.
“You and the others...you can head back. Get some rest,” he said. “I’ve got my evidence kit in the car. I’ll take it from here.”
Brandt nodded. Reese felt the other man’s stare and knew it was because of his curt tone. He also knew he couldn’t do anything about it.
“So you met the new girl,” Brandt said. “Smith had a couple of drinks at a party tonight. He couldn’t come out.”
With a glance, Reese communicated what they both knew. Smith was history. The paramedic had known he was on call, and lives depended on his self-control and good choices. “At least he had the decency to say so,” Reese allowed. To make amends for his earlier tone. He wasn’t usually a total ass.
And because he realized that Brandt had taken his tone for displeasure over the fact that he’d been blindsided by a crewmember he wasn’t expecting.
If only the other man knew.
“Go on, get some rest,” he said now, jerking his head toward the others. He needed Brandt and the guys to go.
He needed her to go.
He needed his kit, fresh air and a few hours with smoldering embers on the beach.
Then, maybe, he’d trust himself to get rid of Santa Raquel Fire Department’s newest employee with the level of professionalism expected of its chief.
* * *
Excerpt
CHAPTER ONE, Part 2
“I thought you’d at least call,” she was saying. Making no sense at all. “I wouldn’t take the job until Brandt assured me that you’d seen my file and approved the employment...”
Last he’d heard, Faye Browning had been in her second year of a four-year nursing program at UC Berkeley.
He’d been at Southern Cal in LA.
“You did know, didn’t you?” Her voice trailed off.
His horror must have been showing.
He’d glanced at Faye Walker’s credentials and work history. And trusted Brandt with the rest. If he’d felt a need to do more, he’d have conducted the interview himself.
“You didn’t know...”
“Okay, boss, she’s all yours,” Mark said, approaching him and Faye and motioning to the smoldering embers behind them.
“On first glance it’s just like all the rest,” Brandt said, joining them. “Gasoline. Matches. Nothing but ashes left, so considering how quickly we got here and put it out, there couldn’t have been that much to burn to begin with...”
“Or that they used a lot more gasoline, in a wider sphere...” Reese said, turning his back on the paramedic he couldn’t deal with in that moment. “It’s a bigger radius,” he said, coming up on the fire.
“Yeah.” Brandt stood with him. The rest of the crew was a few feet back. Reese heard soft murmuring among them. And hoped to God it was about fires.
If she thought for one second she was going to come here and upend his life again, she’d be out on her ass so fast...
“And closer to property that could catch and do actual damage,” Brandt said, reminding Reese that his second-in-command was still standing there assessing the mess on the beach.
“It’s escalating,” Reese said, confirming a fear that he and Brandt had already discussed.
“Clearly it’s not homeless people trying to stay warm.” Brandt’s tone did not lack for sarcasm. The theory had appeared in the media a month or so back, when they’d had a cold spell at night, colder than usual for Santa Raquel in June.
“It’s also not kids.” Reese rebutted the other theory that had been passing through the town by word of mouth. “They’d have grown bored by now and...”
“We were here fast enough tonight to catch them if there’d been a group of them.”
Because Reese had had sentinels on the beach. And the Santa Raquel police force was vigilantly watching the town for signs of smoke.
Disproving theories one and two only left them with number three. Someone was giving them a warning. Something bigger was ahead.
And it was his job to find the clue to what that might be and stop the perpetrator before it happened.
“You and the others...you can head back. Get some rest,” he said. “I’ve got my evidence kit in the car. I’ll take it from here.”
Brandt nodded. Reese felt the other man’s stare and knew it was because of his curt tone. He also knew he couldn’t do anything about it.
“So you met the new girl,” Brandt said. “Smith had a couple of drinks at a party tonight. He couldn’t come out.”
With a glance, Reese communicated what they both knew. Smith was history. The paramedic had known he was on call, and lives depended on his self-control and good choices. “At least he had the decency to say so,” Reese allowed. To make amends for his earlier tone. He wasn’t usually a total ass.
And because he realized that Brandt had taken his tone for displeasure over the fact that he’d been blindsided by a crewmember he wasn’t expecting.
If only the other man knew.
“Go on, get some rest,” he said now, jerking his head toward the others. He needed Brandt and the guys to go.
He needed her to go.
He needed his kit, fresh air and a few hours with smoldering embers on the beach.
Then, maybe, he’d trust himself to get rid of Santa Raquel Fire Department’s newest employee with the level of professionalism expected of its chief.
* * *
Want to chat with TTQ and three other Superromance authors? Join the Facebook party HERE!
Other Books in the Where Secrets Are Safe Series
(Books released as of March 2017. Each can be read as a standalone.)
About the Author
The author of more than 70 original novels, in twenty languages, Tara Taylor Quinn is a USA Today bestseller with over six million copies sold. A 2015 RITA finalist Tara appears frequently on bestseller lists, including #1 placement on Amazon lists, and multiple showings on the Publisher’s Weekly Bestseller list. She has appeared on national and local TV across the country, including CBS Sunday Morning.
Tara is a supporter of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. If you or someone you know might be a victim of domestic violence in the United States, please contact 1-800-799-7233.
Website│Goodreads│Amazon│Facebook│Twitter│Pinterest│Instagram│Wattpad
May 13th: Grand Finale
Domestic Violence Shelter Drive
As Tara supports speaking out against domestic violence and supporting those who have been abused, both through her books and in her community, she would love for you to join her in donating items to a shelter in your area. Find out more here.
Tour Giveaways
1ST RAFFLECOPTER:
1 winner will receive ebooks of Where Secrets are Safe series books 1 - 13 (open internationally)
1 winner (per the four tour segments) will receive a $10 Amazon eGift Card (open internationally)
2ND RAFFLECOPTER:
1 winner will receive 25,000 Harelquin My Rewards Points, equivalent to 5 books (US and CAN only)
1 winner will receive 5,000 Harelquin My Rewards Points, equivalent to 1 book (US and CAN only)
Both Rafflecopter giveaways end November 30th, 2017
2 comments:
Sound like an interesting read and one you might shed a few tears!
Loved the interview !
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