Hostage

Click on the title to read more: #2 Wolf in Sheep's Clothing     #3 Big Bad Wolf

The talented Rebecca Sterling has created three truly Scrumptious covers, check out her website - she is a gifted artist and a dream to work with.

Fox Among Wolves
cover by Rebecca Sterling
Hostage #1: Fox Among Wolves
A smart cookie takes on a dark, edgy hero and a sexy, ruthless villain in this romance with muscle.
Women's Fantasy Fiction

Fox is still finding new readers, more than a year after its release. This scrummy story is available at a knock-down price on Amazon UK for £1.40 and Amazon US for $1.99.

When you've read it, I'd really appreciate a comment. TaJ

Here is a little extract to give you an idea of what my poor, troubled heroine has to go through:

An evil grin split his face as he inserted a full magazine. ‘This time it’s for real.’ Harrison aimed the gun again, but Ginny stood between him and Rick, directly in the line of fire, her message clear. There was no way he could miss at point blank range, but right now, it seemed the lesser of two fates.
   As he paused, his expression unreadable, she trembled, a tiny seed of doubt germinating to crack her solid belief she was worth more to him alive.
   Dennis observed dispassionately that dead bodies would rather complicate matters.
  Harrison nodded wisely, then relaxed his arm, looking straight at her. ‘You’ll have to make it worth my while.’
   Her eyes narrowed. ‘What do you mean?’
   He looked her slowly up and down, his thought processes obvious, and she suppressed a shudder even as the germ of an idea began to form. She vaguely recalled the theory where female hostages tried to ingratiate themselves with their captors by submitting to their sexual demands in return for their lives. A well-known syndrome – Helsinki? Whatever, she was sure he would know it. Remembering Dennis’ warning, she had to make it look good. Lifting her chin, she met his gaze with exaggerated candour.
   Licking his lips, he raised the gun and pushed away a lock of hair which had fallen over her face. Slowly, with infinite care, he brushed the barrel down to where her hair fell onto her shoulders, then trailed it down to her breast, hovering round the nipple until it showed through the shirt material. It felt as though everyone in the room had stopped breathing. Finally, he moved closer and whispered. ‘The lap-top.’
   Dennis let out pent-up breath as if a magic spell had been broken.
   Ginny did a visible double-take, ignoring the word “Stockholm” that flashed through her brain with irreverent glee. ‘Lap-top?’
   ‘You said your uncle brought the stuff home from work on a lap-top. Where is it?’  


BookViral said: "With all the elements readers expect from the best in genre, Fox Among Wolves proves a top notch read and certainly one that demands your attention. It is recommended without reservation."




Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
cover by Rebecca Sterling
Hostage #2:Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
A fragile mum clashes with an irreverent man-mountain under hazardous circumstances in this edgy romance.
Women's Fantasy Fiction
This thought-provoking story is available on Amazon UK for £3.60 and Amazon US for $4.99.

When you've read it, I'd really appreciate a comment. Ta J

This one was a written due to reader request. It follows the adventures of Bryn and Carrie and introduces a host of new characters. You're welcome.

Here's a couple of sneak previews of Carrie's torment:
  Carrie looked up at Bryn’s outstretched hand with distaste. ‘You seriously want me to try that again? I didn’t get it the first four times.’ Another one bit way more than dust. 
  ‘But you will this time. C’mon, fifth time is the charm.’ 
  ‘I thought it was third time. Power of three and all that.’ 
  ‘It is for some people. Your number’s five, though.’ 
  ‘Great. I have to work harder than everyone else. Figures.’ 
  ‘Don’t see it as work. Visualise it as some great balletic dance.’ 
  ‘Being thrown on the floor is not a ballet I’d want to see.’ 
  ‘So block me, hit me, do something to stop me.’ As he spoke, he went for the surprise element, but this time, her instincts were good, her stance secure and her timing perfect. He didn’t make it all the way to the floor, but he did stumble and lose his footing, dropping to one knee before recovering his balance. ‘Excellent. If this were an advanced class, I’d come straight back at you, but I want you to celebrate your achievement. Very few have ever wrong-footed me on that one, well done.’ 
 ‘High praise indeed, coming from him.’ Rick walked over from where he’d been teaching Ginny the same move. ‘I reckon we should call it a night, it’s not clever to do it too long when it’s two nights on the trot.’ 
  ‘You’re already tasting the guest ale.’ Bryn winked. 
  ‘Definitely the best idea you’ve had all night. I’m sure a quick post mortem will help things to stick in the girls’ minds better.’ 
  Ginny rolled her eyes. ‘Any excuse for a pint.’ 


  After a pain-relieving stretch, Carrie bent down to continue her attack of the grimy shower basin, trying to scrub away a couple of years’ worth of neglect. A dry tone made her jump. 
  ‘You’re lucky I’m too much of a gent to take advantage of such a tempting target.’ 
  ‘What the …? Den. You just keep thoughts like that to yourself.’ 
  ‘Ma’am, yes ma’am.’ His salute, complete with clicking heels, made her smile. 
  ‘What do you want? I’m sorry I’m not helping with the rest of the house, but this room is so filthy.’ 
  ‘Doubtless because it’s had more use than all the other bedrooms put together. You can tell by all the black stuff on the windows; it’s twice as deep as on all the others.’ 
  ‘I haven’t even got to them yet. Been too busy with all the places Jeremy would be into. I reckon there was enough food ground into the carpet to produce a hearty meal for all of us.’ 
  He laughed as she continued. ‘And I swear there was some kind of science experiment going on in the wardrobe.’ 
  ‘It’s good you can laugh about it.’ He held up the bucket and spray-gun. ‘Your fears are over. ’Tis I, Window-Man, complete with sonic squeegee, come to do battle with your grimy windows.’ 
  She grinned. ‘Nutcase. Help yourself. That water needs changing first, though.’ 
  ‘Your wish is my command, fair damsel.’ A flourish. He insisted on doing the mouldy shower door and his light-hearted banter made the whole experience much less onerous. Pete popped his head round the door, looking for another bucket. Den invited him to barter for it, resulting in some ridiculous offers. 
  ‘What’s going on in here? Sounds like a party.’ Jemma’s energy was as vicious as her tongue. ‘I see. You’ve got the men doing all your work while the rest of us slave away, scrubbing at filth.’ 
  Den’s protest that Carrie had been working every bit as hard was lost as Pete’s remark made a bad situation ten times worse. ‘I always thought you’d make a good scrubber.’ 
  Jemma’s eyes narrowed and the look she shot at Carrie was murderous as she flounced out with, ‘Rick’s looking for you, Den. If you can tear yourself away.’ 
  As Den sauntered off with a wink, Carrie drooped; this was not going to be a great experience for her if she was destined to be the butt of snide remarks and aspersions. 


BookViral said: "A twister of a read from beginning to end, Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats. A fine thriller with a heady mix of romance, the plot is engaging but immaterial when the chemistry between lead characters is this good."



Big Bad Wolf
cover by Rebecca Sterling
Hostage #3:Big Bad Wolf
A Cowboy and an Amazon take on a jobsworth, a couple of psychopaths and a UXB in this explosive romp.
Military Thrillers
This intense, tenacious story is available on Amazon UK for £0.99 and Amazon US for $0.99.

When you've read it, I'd really appreciate a comment. Ta. J

This one's a bit different as it has four main protagonists fighting for the mic (and a couple of cameos from old favourites. It follows the adventures of Pete, Andrea, Jemma and Den as the Theatre of Operations moves to the Middle East.

Here's a cheeky little preview:
   Pete had never felt so impotent in his entire life. Apart from the time with the stunning redhead and six too many beers, but that’s another story. Anyway, he meant in a professional capacity. Impotent could be the wrong word, but it nicely summed up how he felt. Cut off at the short and curlies. Unable to take control or support in any way. 
   Not that Ginny needed much help; she handled the car like a professional. Smooth ride, nothing timid about her decisions, yet not aggressive either. Under normal circumstances, he’d be more than content to have her chauffeur him around for hours. But there was nothing normal about these circumstances. Unless you were a soldier (which he was) at the back end of a fraught mission (which they were). All in all, they’d gotten off lightly. 
   Considering they expected a crack team of middle-eastern terrorists, they’d gotten off way more than lightly. Just one guy with gun-shot wounds and himself and Den a tad on the sore side after taking a thrashing by a bunch of sadistic incompetents. The security guard with the GSWs lay in the ambulance Ginny was currently trying to follow through rush-hour traffic. 
   Hence Pete’s frustration. Too many drivers saw a female trying to follow the ambulance and had to prove their masculine superiority by cutting her up. And making obscene gestures, full of righteous indignation after deciding she was out of order. They’d be less likely to do it if he drove, especially with his face looking like he’d survived half a dozen rounds with Lennox Lewis, but it wasn’t happening. No way he could talk her into letting him drive, so he detached his brain from the simmering anger. He ran through the job, trying to pinpoint the anomaly nagging just below conscious thought. 
   A blue BMW cut Ginny up, blasting his horn and breaking Pete’s train of thought. The third close call. ‘For God’s sake, Ginny. Just let them pull out if they must. It honestly isn’t worth trying to battle with these road-rage low-lifes.’ 
   ‘I don’t know the way to the hospital. Why would I?’ The volume of her voice escalated at the end. 
   His tone calmed. ‘Don’t worry, there’ll be signs. If not, we’ll stop and ask someone. It’ll be fine.’ Fine in theory. Then reality kicked in. The lights changed and the ambulance drove through on red, its siren blaring. The car in front of them screeched to a halt, giving her no choice but to stop. The driver glared at her through his rear-view mirror, flipping the bird. 
   Pete watched her deflate and tried a diversionary tactic. ‘Ignore him. You’re sure the sat-nav’s buggared? It’s not …’ She gave him “the look.” The one female teachers directed his way if he so much as opened his mouth. It wasn’t his fault if they got intimidated because he towered over them by the end of year nine. He quickly learnt not to say anything they could misinterpret as rudeness or defiance.
   ‘There’s no way you can end that sentence which doesn’t make me look incompetent. Feel free to see if you have the magic touch.’ Her shrug was decidedly good-natured given the stress of the situation. 

BookViral said: "Excitement rarely wanes with an intense mission and explosive results setting the tone from the very first page. An absolute must read for fans of the genre, especially those who appreciate great writing and originality. Another winner."


To find out more, subscribe to the newsletter.

No comments:

Post a Comment