Phoenix by Amanda McKinney (+Giveaway)

* Phoenix
* By Amanda McKinney
* (Steele Shadows Rising)
* Publication date: March 19th 2020
* Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

From bestselling and multi-award-winning author Amanda McKinney comes a **standalone** romance in the bestselling Steele Shadows series.

A man who cheated death.

A woman hired to pick up the broken pieces.

And an obsession strong enough to kill for.

They told him he’d been given a second chance at life. Told him to count his lucky stars, to stop and smell the roses. Kind of hard to do when your body is bound by chains and cuffs. That’s what it felt like, anyway, when Phoenix Steele woke up from his coma to a life full of restrictions.

Once known around town as the fearless, indomitable heir to the Steele fortune, the former Marine was suddenly labeled unstable, short-tempered, and loose cannon. Unwilling to accept his issues, Phoenix instantly clashes with his assertive therapist—the town’s most eligible bachelorette.

No one knew overcoming the odds like Dr. Rose Floris. Determined not to be a statistic, Rose lived her life under carefully constructed routines—until a gruesome murder and a series of mysterious events reveal she’s become the center of a madman’s obsession. Suddenly, Rose’s world is turned upside down and she finds herself under the watchful eye of her new client, a broken man she’s been warned not to trust.

As the tables begin to turn on their client-patient relationship, Phoenix realizes he must battle his own demons before he can save anyone, including the woman who’s become his own obsession…

An obsession he’d kill for.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

After taking a quick second to review my new patient’s file, I stepped into my office—and stopped dead in my tracks. The dark silhouette faced the window, sitting in my chair. His back was to me, his feet kicked up on the windowsill as if he owned the place.
The first thing I noticed was the size of his feet, two dirty cowboy boots crossed at the ankles, a trail of mud running down the wall. I literally cringed. He had brown, shaggy hair that looked like it hadn’t seen a pair of scissors in months, and a neck as thick as a tree trunk. A tattoo peeked out of the collar of a black leather jacket stretched over the widest shoulders I’d ever seen.
Although he had to have heard the door open, the man didn’t move. Yep, my new patient, whom I’d never met, had made himself right at home behind my desk in my office chair. Had he gone through my stuff? Pilfered through my space? My mind began spinning with all the confidential information he could have read on my desk. Totally unacceptable, and totally inappropriate.
Little did I know what kind of inappropriate this man had in store for me.
“Thanks for showing up.” The faceless voice was jarringly low. The man was pissed. At me.
“Excuse me?”
He kicked his boots off the window, plopping them onto the floor with a thud, leaving enough mud to fill the Grand Canyon. Another cringe.
“You’re late,” he said, still not gracing me with the front part of his body.
I blinked. No way. This was not happening. Who did this guy think he was? I bit the inside of my cheek and squared my shoulders. Professional, professional, you need this job, be professional, I reminded myself.
“I apologize, Mr…” I glanced at the name typed on the file in my hands. “Steele.”
“Phoenix.”
The chair swiveled and a flutter of butterflies rippled through me.
And I thought the voice was jarring…
His eyes were the color of a tropical ocean, a baby blue, almost iridescent, if not for the heat that spilled from them. The lines of his face were sharp with defined angles, a mirror to the disinterest he wore like a beacon, blinking brightly, making sure I knew he didn’t care to be there. Days of unkempt scruff covered his clenched jaw line, pulling my attention to a pair of lips that had me licking my own. Circles shaded his puffy eyes with wrinkles at the edges suggesting he was a good decade older than me, possibly pushing forty. A grey T-shirt fit snuggly under that leather jacket, defining a pair of pecs I could only assume were as hard as the expression he was pinning me with. I felt my weight to my tiptoes, like a magnet being pulled, assessing him with a frowned expression that I knew was giving me away. Because under all that weather-beaten, overtly masculine appearance, narrowed eyes, and locked jaw, there was a strikingly handsome man. Hidden, almost as if on purpose.
I’d never seen an aura before, but the man vibrated the air around him in a hostile, dark cloud like an animal warning of its presence. I could actually feel him in my office.
A Mighty King.
Fallen.

Author Bio:
Amanda McKinney is the bestselling and multi-award-winning author of more than ten romantic suspense and mystery novels.

She wrote her debut novel, LETHAL LEGACY, in 2017 after walking away from her career to become a writer and stay-at-home mom. Set in small, southern towns, Amanda's books are page-turning murder mysteries packed with steamy romance.

Her books include the BERRY SPRINGS SERIES and the BLACK ROSE MYSTERY SERIES, with a surprise new series being released later this year. THE CAVE, the seventh book in the BERRY SPRINGS SERIES, was released August 2019.

Text AMANDABOOKS to 66866 to receive Amanda's newsletter and get the latest on new releases, promos, and freebies!

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Newsletter

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Do you enjoy a little romance mixed in with a suspenseful story?

GIVEAWAY!
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Carousels of Paris by Kaye Wilkinson Barley

It is with great pleasure that I welcome friend, author and fellow blogger, Kaye Wilkinson Barley, to Thoughts in Progress today to talk about her recent release, CAROUSELS OF PARIS.

Just saying the name, CAROUSELS OF PARIS, makes me smile. Here’s a brief synopsis of it.

A charming collection of color photographs and historical information about many of the carousels in Paris. Carousels are said to be a French invention brought about by the accidental death of King Henri II during a jousting tournament in 1559. Renaissance knights stopped jousting, and the games evolved into spearing rings with their lances. The idea of mounting wooden horses on a rotating frame dates to the 17th century. To entertain thousands of people during an event at Versailles, the Sun King, Louis XIV, King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715, had his engineers design the first rotating merry-go-round, a four-seater with gilded chairs for ladies and horses or swans for the men. By the end of the 18th century, there were merry-go-rounds in several of the Parisian public gardens. In the wake of the French Revolution, the merry-go-round, like other sorts of entertainment previously enjoyed by aristocrats, became more easily accessible to workers and their families.

Now please join me in giving a warm welcome to Kaye. Welcome, Kaye.

Thanks so much for having me back, Mason - it's been awhile!

"Carousels of Paris" is a different sort of book than my "Whimsey: A Novel."  For one thing, it's not fiction - although the very nature of carousels do make them whimsical, which we all need a little of. I think.

This book is actually a photo essay with over 80 pictures taken by me and by my husband, Donald, along with some snippets of facts and history.

I love to research any place I'm going to be traveling to and while researching Paris I kept seeing photos of a carousel with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Having been a lover of carousels since I was a little girl, I felt like this was a stop I'd love to make while in Paris.

Little did I know that Parisians, actually French people in general, share a love of carousels.

They're everywhere.

They’re in the gardens – both large and small tucked away hidden gardens, and occasionally plopped down in the street near a Metro Station. 

We have tried our best to capture and photograph all of them, but it became a fun bit of a challenge.  There are approximately 20 carousels scattered around the city, but when we would get to the location specified, we stopped being surprised to find that it was gone – possibly moved to another location temporarily.

Or, truth be told, it’s very easy to get sidetracked by something else while on a carousel hunt in Paris. And one would be silly to pass by a small café set back under the trees in Luxembourg Gardens for a brief respite with a pastry and a café crème. 

So.  This book has a few of the carousels we did find, along with many photos we took in the Musee des Arts Forains: Carousel Museum  -  http://arts-forains.com/en/visitors - where we were able to ride some very old carousels and learned a bit of history.  It's a fun place not many people know about, but I recommend it.

Since we didn't find all the carousels, we're hoping to try again, and who knows, maybe there will be a "Carousels of Paris, Part II" one of these days.

Pub Date was March 17.  I hope some of your readers will find it interesting enough to pick up, and I hope everyone finds it as enjoyable as Don and I did photographing them.

You can read a little more about it at my webpage  -  http://kayewilkinsonbarley.com/ 

Thanks so much for having me!

Kaye, it’s always a pleasure to have you stop by. Thanks for sharing the background on this delightful new book you have. 

Here are what others are saying about this enchanting book.

          “Kaye and Donald Barley’s photographs of Parisian carousels capture the whimsy, wit, and charm of the raucous merry-go-rounds that pepper the cobblestone streets and manicured parks of the City of Light. So grab a copy of Carousels of Paris and let your imagination wander back to a world full of colored lights and painted horses, quaint carriages and playful tigers, fantastical griffins and endangered dodos.” — Juliet Blackwell, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Carousel of Provence and Letters from Paris

          “Simply enchanting! The carousels are delightful, and the photographers manage to bring them to life. I half expected them to leap off the pages. I absolutely adored this book!” — Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author and author of soon to be released Paris is Always a Good Idea

Now for those of you who aren’t familiar with Kaye, here’s a bit of background on her.

Kaye Wilkinson Barley & Donald Barley

I live with my husband of almost 34 years, Don, in the North Carolina mountains along with one little princess of a pup—Annabelle, who is a fluffy Welsh Corgi.

We’re both retired and spending time doing things together we both enjoy—photography and traveling.

We both, of course, have individual interests that we pursue on our own. While Donald’s off exploring the world on his motorcycle, I might be reading, writing, or cooking up a big pot of chili.

While we’re not always in agreement on all things, we do agree on what we both believe are life’s most important concerns—trying to live by The Golden Rule and doing no harm to others while accepting no nonsense.

We’re music lovers who have managed to see most of our favorite bands and musicians in concert. We also spend a great deal of time in search of the perfect pizza.

I’m a voracious reader and lover of books, a long-time blogger, an indie author, an amateur photographer, dabbler in mixed media collages, and fiddler of fiber arts. A person who believes creativity is essential to the soul. I’m a collector of “things” pretty and sparkly. I’m opinionated and mouthy, but a marshmallow at heart. Loyal to a fault. And have strong (very strong) political opinions.

Thanks everyone for stopping by today during Kaye’s visit. Did you enjoy riding on carousels when you were growing up and/or do you enjoy riding on them nowadays? Isn’t there something just magical about a carousel?

Safe House by Jo Jakeman

It’s an honor to be a part of the blog tour for SAFE HOUSE (Berkley Trade Paperback Original; March 10, 2020), the second standalone thriller by the author of The Exes’ Revenge (2018), Jo Jakeman.

Jo’s breakout debut told the story of three women taking matters into their own hands after being wronged by the same man. Now, Jo returns with another chilling story, this time starring a betrayed woman who just wants a fresh start.

She's paid the price for giving her ex a false alibi, and now she's moved to a seaside village to escape her past--but more than her lie follows her there in this chilling and twisty psychological thriller from the author of the acclaimed The Exes' Revenge.

One day, a woman turns up in a remote coastal village. She's bought a crumbling, long-vacant cottage and calls herself Charlie Miller. Charlie keeps to herself, reluctant to integrate with the locals. If they ever find out who she really is, and what she's done, she'll lose what little she has left.

           Charlie served two years in prison for providing a false alibi for a murderer. It was the mistake of a woman in love, a woman who couldn't believe her boyfriend was guilty--or lying to her. All she desperately wants now is a fresh start.

          As Charlie slowly lets down her guard and becomes friendly with her neighbors, she can't shake the feeling that someone is watching her, someone who knows what she did. When one of her new friends suddenly disappears, Charlie's worst fears are confirmed. She must confront her past head-on, but as she knows all too well, everything is far more dangerous than how it appears.

This is a twisted, atmospheric novel that will hold your attention from beginning to end.

About the author

Author Jo Jakeman

Jo was the winner of the prestigious Friday Night Live competition at York Festival of Writing. Her debut Psychological Thriller was published in the UK as Sticks and Stones by Harvill Secker (Penguin Random House) and as The Exes’ Revenge in the USA and Canada. It was shortlisted for the Best Revenge thriller of the year at the Dead Good Reader Awards. 

Thanks for stopping by today. Do you enjoy thrillers that have that twisted side that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last sentence?

Inconvenient Daughter by Lauren J. Sharkey

I’m delighted today to tell you about a new-to-me author and her upcoming contemporary fiction debut novel.

Author Lauren J. Sharkey’s debut novel Inconvenient Daughter (June 2020) explores questions surrounding identity and what it means to belong. As a transracial adoptee, Rowan attempts to accept and heal from the trauma of infant separation and overcome the challenges and complications that arise from not seeing herself reflected in the faces of those she loves most. 

          Rowan Kelly knows she’s lucky. After all, if she hadn’t been adopted, she could have spent her days in a rice paddy, or a windowless warehouse assembling iPhones—they make iPhones in Korea, right? Either way, slowly dying of boredom on Long Island is surely better than the alternative.

According to her parents, being adopted means Rowan is “special”; but when she’s sent to kindergarten at an all-white Catholic girls’ school, she realizes that “special” means “different,” and not in a good way. It occurs to her that she’ll never know if she has her mother’s eyes, or if she’d be in America at all, had her adoptive parents been able to conceive. Rowan imagines herself the store-brand version you reluctantly place in your shopping cart when there’s no more Velveeta Shells & Cheese.

Rowan sets out to prove that she can be someone’s first choice—that she isn’t just a consolation prize. After running away from home—and her parents’ rules—and ending up beaten, barefoot, and topless on a Pennsylvania street courtesy of Bad Boy Number One, Rowan attaches herself to Never-Going-to-Commit. When that doesn’t work out, she fully abandons self-respect and begins browsing the craigslist personals. But as Rowan dives deeper and deeper into the world of casual encounters with strangers, she discovers what she’s really looking for.

With a fresh voice, quick wit, and a captivating character, Inconvenient Daughter explores the questions surrounding transracial adoption, the ties that bind, and what it means to belong.

“I realized what all victims of domestic violence know—eventually,

my abuser was going to kill me. But more than that, I realized I didn’t want to die.”

About the author:        

Author Lauren J. Sharkey

Lauren J. Sharkey is a writer, teacher, and transracial adoptee. After her birth in South Korea, she was adopted by Irish Catholic parents and raised on Long Island. Sharkey holds an MFA in Creative Writing & Literature, and her creative nonfiction has appeared in the Asian American Feminist Collective’s digital storytelling project, First Times, as well as several anthologies including I Am Strength! and Women under Scrutiny.

Inconvenient Daughter is her debut novel and loosely based on her experience as a Korean adoptee.

You can learn more about Inconvenient Daughter and Lauren on Goodreads and Lauren’sWebsite.

Thanks for stopping by today. I always enjoy sharing new book finds with you. What are your thoughts about self-identity being tied solely to the men (or women) in a person’s life?