Relentless Pursuit (26 page)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen Brooks is the bestselling author of the Bluegrass Series. She has garnered attention as a new voice in romance with a warm Southern feel. Her books feature quirky small town characters you’ll feel like you’ve known forever, romance, humor, and mystery all mixed into one perfect glass of sweet tea.

Kathleen is an animal lover who supports rescue organizations and other non-profit organizations whose goals are to protect and save our four-legged family members.

Kathleen lives in Central Kentucky with her husband, daughter, two dogs, and a cat who thinks he’s a dog. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at [email protected]

Check out the
Website
for updates on the Bluegrass Series. You can also “Like” Kathleen on
Facebook
and follow her on Twitter
@BluegrassBrooks
.

Other Books by Kathleen Brooks

Bluegrass Brothers Series Continues!

The fifth and final book in the Bluegrass Brothers Series will be out in the Fall of 2013.  Be sure to like me on
Facebook
or follow my
Blog
to get updates on the release date!

The mysterious Cy Davies is coming home. He’s not coming alone either. Having rescued Gemma Perry, a sassy investigative reporter for a gossip magazine, he takes her to the one place he knows he can keep her safe. Keeneston.

Gemma Perry was having a bad week. Now she was in a small town where gossip was a currency. She should fit right in, except for the fact that she unwillingly holds the secret to bring down an internationally wanted man who is sparing no expense to keep those secrets safe.

And I just couldn't leave Keeneston without a proper finale. Ahmed will be getting a book too! Ahmed's book is scheduled for release in early 2014. More details will come soon.

*     *     *

Bluegrass Series

Bluegrass State of Mind

McKenna Mason, a New York City attorney with a love of all things Prada, is on the run from a group of powerful, dangerous men. McKenna turns to a teenage crush, Will Ashton, for help in starting a new life in beautiful horse country. She finds that Will is now a handsome, successful race horse farm owner. As the old flame is ignited, complications are aplenty in the form of a nasty ex-wife, an ex-boyfriend intent on killing her, and a feisty race horse who refuses to race without a kiss. Can Will and McKenna cross the finish line together, and more importantly, alive?

Risky Shot

Danielle De Luca, an ex-beauty queen who is not at all what she seems, leaves the streets of New York after tracking the criminals out to destroy her. She travels to Keeneston, Kentucky, to make her final stand by the side of her best friend McKenna Mason. While in Keeneston, Danielle meets the quiet and mysterious Mohtadi Ali Rahmen, a modern day prince. Can Mo protect Dani from the group of powerful men in New York? Or will Dani save the prince from his rigid, loveless destiny?

Dead Heat

In the third book of the Bluegrass Series, Paige Davies finds her world turned upside down as she becomes involved in her best friend’s nightmare. The strong-willed Paige doesn't know which is worse: someone trying to kill her, or losing her dog to the man she loves to hate.

FBI Agent Cole Parker can't decide whether he should strangle or kiss this infuriating woman of his dreams. As he works the case of his career, he finds that love can be tougher than bringing down some of the most powerful men in America.

*     *     *

Bluegrass Brothers Series

Bluegrass Undercover

Cade Davies had too much on his plate to pay attention to newest resident of Keeneston. He was too busy avoiding the Davies Brothers marriage trap set by half the town. But when a curvy redhead lands in Keeneston, the retired Army Ranger finds himself drawn to her. These feelings are only fueled by her apparent indifference and lack of faith in his ability to defend himself.

DEA Agent Annie Blake was undercover to bust a drug ring hiding in the adorable Southern town that preyed on high school athletes. She had thought to keep her head down and listen to the local gossip to find the maker of this deadly drug. What Annie didn’t count on was becoming the local gossip. With marriage bets being placed, and an entire town aiming to win the pot, Annie looks to Cade for help in bringing down the drug ring before another kid is killed. But can she deal with the feelings that follow?

Rising Storm

Katelyn Jacks was used to being front and center as a model. But she never had to confront the Keeneston Grapevine! After retiring from the runway and returning to town to open a new animal clinic, Katelyn found that her life in the public eye was anything but over. While working hard to establish herself as the new veterinarian in town, Katelyn finds her life uprooted by a storm of love, gossip, and a vicious group of criminals.

Marshall Davies is the new Sheriff in Keeneston. He is also right at the top of the town’s most eligible bachelor list. His affinity for teasing the hot new veterinarian in town has led to a rush of emotions that he wasn’t ready for. Marshall finds his easy days of breaking up fights at the local PTA meetings are over when he and Katelyn discover that a dog-fighting ring has stormed into their normally idyllic town. As their love struggles to break through, they must battle to save the lives of the dogs and each other.

Acquiring Trouble

As a natural born leader, Miles Davies accomplishes anything he puts his mind to. Upon returning home from his special forces duties, he has become the strong foundation of the Davies family and his company. But that strong foundation is about to get rocked in a big way by the one woman that always left him fascinated and infuriated.

Keeneston’s notorious bad girl is back! Morgan Hamilton’s life ended and began on her high school graduation night when she left Keeneston with no plan to ever return. As a self-made businesswoman, Morgan is always looking for her next victory. Little did she know that next victory would involve acquiring the company that belonged to the one man she always wanted for herself.

With their careers and lives on the line, will Miles and Morgan choose love or ambition?

Make sure you don’t miss each new book as they are published. Sign up email notification of all new releases at
http://www.Kathleen-Brooks.com
.

And now please enjoy an excerpt for Melody Anne's
Surrender.

Excerpt from

Surrender

by Melody Anne

Book one in her newest series

Having everything to lose

can make a person

do desperate things.

Would you surrender to

help the one you love?

Prologue

Divorce.

His throat closed up at the mere thought of that word. He was twenty-eight years old and had conquered the universe — or thought he had.

No!
He had.

Then his picture-perfect world had shattered with a single word.

Divorce.

He’d been respectable and respectful, always treating women with admiration. He hadn’t jumped into marriage at twenty-one, but had dated the same woman for three years, had cherished her, had given her everything. He thought he’d found perfection, but found disillusion instead.

Raffaello Palazzo sat straight up; his eyes narrowed.

No!
He wasn’t this man.

Even if groveling had been in his nature, which it most assuredly wasn’t, he wouldn’t consider doing it now.

“Goodbye.”

He barely glanced up as Sharron walked past, her five-thousand-dollar purse slung over her shoulder, and flaunted the smirk on her face as she slammed the door in all finality. She was gone, and he was grateful.

A couple of her complaints against him were that he worked too much and he wasn’t as attentive as she thought she deserved.

When he’d walked in the week before with a bouquet of roses, attempting to give her the attention she’d demanded, he’d seen that she wasn’t choosy about the source of the attention. She’d been in bed with his business partner.

Rafe’s eyes closed as he pictured that horrible afternoon.

“Are you cutting out on us?”

“It’s my anniversary. I had my wife’s favorite flower, the Hawaiian Flora, delivered express to the floral shop, and I’m picking up her bouquet, then taking her on a surprise trip to Paris. That’s where we celebrated our honeymoon.”

“You’re the most whipped man I know, Rafe,” his assistant, Mario, said with a smile.

“I’m half Italian. My father learned the ways of my mother’s country and how gallant the men are and he taught me how to cherish a woman,” Rafe replied genially, not offended in the least. He hoped to have as strong a marriage as his parents had, and for just as long.

“When does Ryan get back? If you’re cutting out, I’ll need one of the business partners here to get work done.”

“He’s flying in on Friday. I spoke to him a few days ago, and he said he met someone. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”

“I can’t take any more of this mushy talk. Get out of here before your lovesickness becomes contagious. I’ll see you Monday.”

“Night, Mario. Thanks for all your hard work this week.”

Heading for the door, Rafe waved to his faithful assistant. Life was great
—
his corporation was flourishing without help from his family, and his personal life couldn’t be better.

It didn’t take Rafe long to breeze into the florist’s and then arrive home. When he couldn’t find Sharron downstairs, he smiled in anticipation. Maybe she was stretched out on their bed in a sexy nightie…

When Rafe opened the door, he did find her in bed, and scantily dressed — hell, not dressed at all — but she wasn’t alone. He froze as shock filled him.

“Ohhh, Ryan!” Sharron cried out, and Rafe’s illusions of happily ever after shattered.

Silently, he stood in the dim light as one of his two best friends screwed his wife. It had been Ryan, Shane and him since middle school, always sharing
—
always there for one another. Rafe guessed Ryan figured Rafe’s wife was included in what Rafe was willing to share. Wrong.

Rafe cleared his throat as Sharron screamed again in pleasure. The two of them froze — locked in their torrid embrace — before their heads turned and they looked at him in horror.

Rafe walked from the room and waited downstairs. Almost immediately, Ryan scurried from the house with his head down. Sharron rushed toward Rafe and started to beg for his forgiveness.

Rafe shook off the unpleasant memory as he glanced around him. For a single moment, he’d been shattered. He’d sacrificed so much of himself to please her — give her what she wanted — but none of that was enough. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice; he never did.

Rafe walked up the steps and stood just inside the bedroom door, looking warily around at the room where he’d slept beside that woman night after night. Shaking his head, he left and made his way toward his luxury kitchen. No memories lingered there. It wasn’t as though his wife had known the first thing about cooking.

He had a full staff, which was a good thing. Otherwise his house would have been in shambles and he’d never have gotten fed. Sharron hadn’t been domestic in the least. He hadn’t cared about that — all he’d wanted was to have the same kind of family life with her as the one he’d grown up with. Before this moment, he’d been under the sad delusion that marriages could all have happy endings.

A cold silence hung around him like a shroud, and Rafe was grateful he’d sent his staff away for the day. He didn’t need anyone witnessing his failure.

Failure.

He rolled the word around on his tongue. It didn’t sound right. How could it? Failure was a foreign concept to him. He’d been born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. And his mother often teased him, saying he was an old soul in a young body.

She was the
only
one who could get away with a remark like that — he adored her. Well, to be fair, his sisters got away with it, too, and for the same reason.

Rafe had a sudden feeling that all his family members would be relieved to hear of the coming divorce, especially his mother, though she’d never admit it to him. She had tried to get close to his soon-to-be ex-wife, but somehow it had never happened. Had Sharron had any desire at all to know his family? Now that he thought of it, he couldn’t recall any evidence in her favor. True, he wouldn’t have noticed while the two of them were dating, because that was during the six months out of the year that his family resided in Italy. By the time his parents and sisters had returned for their six months in California, he and Sharron were already married.