Escape From Texas
Historical Western Romance
138 pages, Sensual
Released: August 14, 2013
Long Blurb
Ex-prostitute Jazzy Morgan wants a respectable future and boards a stagecoach heading west.
US Marshal Slade Thomas is on the trail of a bank robber and gets a jolt when he realizes he’s sharing the stage with three women who fit the description on the wanted poster.
A lawman is the last man Jazzy should pursue but the experience of making her own choices leads to a night of passion.
The next day, bandits strike and kidnap the women, leaving Slade with no choice but to follow the stagecoach tracks to a secluded cabin. But when he’s faced with going after the escaped bandit or saving a gunshot Jazzy, Slade has to decide between his duty and his heart.
Excerpt #2
Jazzy breathed in the scent of bay rum and eyed the fine cut of the tall man’s suit. She could still feel the press of his upper body against her shoulder when he’d leaned to release her skirt. Such solid chest muscles. From the corner of her eye, she gauged the cost of his tailored suit and fine felt hat, and started figuring the fee she could charge. Miss Veronica’s Rule #1: Aim for the highest reward. In her experience, a man with looks, money, and all his own teeth was a rarity.
Stop…no more thinking about fees. Her gaze flicked to the open window and she saw dry earth, low shrubs, and dust.
Miss Veronica’s was part of her old life.
When the handsome stranger first looked at her and cut off his own response, she’d feared he’d seen past her new traveling suit to the parlor girl beneath. Then she got to thinking this man could be the first conquest in her new life. The decision to invite him to her bed would be hers and hers alone. With regret, she shook away that thought. Her plan didn’t include seducing a man on her very first day of freedom. She had a goal, a destination, and higher aspirations.
The coach jostled over a rut and rocked violently. Jazzy’s head bumped against the wooden wall. “Ouch!”
“Ma’am, are you alright?”
The deep voice of the man to her left tickled up and down her spine. She loved raspy voices that hinted at secrets with every spoken word. Wouldn’t I love to learn his secrets? “I’m fine. The movement just surprised me.”
He leaned forward to look into her face. “Perhaps if we switch places, you’ll be saved from further injury.”
Jazzy gazed into dark brown eyes that seemed caring, and could only blink. This stranger was concerned about a bitty bump on her head? And they didn’t even know one another. “That is right kindly, sir.”
When he stood, she couldn’t help but admire how well the woolen trousers fit, displaying taut muscles. She curled her fingers into her palms to keep from reaching out to touch him. Miss Veronica’s Rule #3: No touching allowed until the fee is set.
How many hours left on this leg of the trip?
Author Links:
www.lindacarroll-bradd.com
http://blog.lindacarroll-bradd.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Linda-Carroll-Bradd-author/440814942635289
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1806413.Linda_Carroll_Bradd
Top ten things you don’t know about me:
1. Cotton or Silk?: cotton (because there’s no static electricity)
2. Champagne/beer/wine?: Seasonal local beer. Just tasted sweet potato/maple tonight—smooth.
3. Plotter/pantser: 90% plotter and I allow for the rest of the story to come from my creative muse
4. Describe your workspace: A computer desk tucked into a small nook upstairs in our 750 s.f. cabin. But I have a great skylight window to the left of my computer chair and I look out into the foredst. My husband is employed by a church-owned program camp in the mountain and the cabin is part of the compensation package. Lots of our belongings are in storage.
5. Sports fan or just tolerate it?: Grew up in a sports-crazy household and now tolerate the boxing matches my husband watches on occasion. Although I have to admit to being an Olympics-junkie.
6. Who is your biggest influence on writing? This is tough and I don’t know that I can name a particular author. I’d have to say books that pack an emotional punch are what drew me to the genre. The more I read of people faced with huge conflicts and the odds being stacked higher and higher against them but who found a way to be together, the more I realized I wanted to create the same escapist experience for others.
7. Favorite food: toss up between lasagna and homemade oatmeal-raisin cookies
8. When did you start writing? I hit a landmark birthday (40 years old, shhh-don’t tell anyone) and said “hey, I want to use the creative side of my brain” so I took an extension class on writing a romance.
9. If money were no object, where would you like to live?
Ireland tugs at my soul and, thanks to a gift from our son, my husband and I will travel there next spring. Hope I still feel the same way after we visit.
10. What’s next for you?
I’m doing revisions on a Christmas story titled Wishes On A Star that will be included in an anthology set in the Montana Sky world created by Debra Holland. And I am working on a western historical novella titled Entwined Hearts that features a down-to-earth hero who meets up with a cultured French lady. This story is a sequel to my holiday story, The Ring That Binds.
Review:
Let me count the ways that I adored this book. Western Historical Romance? Check. Sassy heroine? Check. Hero to die for? Check. Secondary characters that are nicely drawn out and bring their own thoughts and feelings to the story? Check. Oh and let’s not forget the passion that is drawn from our hero and heroine!
As much as I hate when the hero and heroine get to the goods early in the story, with Jazzy and Slade, it made perfect sense. Their banter in the bedroom was perfect. Sexy, uninhibited and at times funny. Role playing? That was sexy for me. It brought a level out of Slade that I don’t think he ever experienced. Jazzy wasn’t afraid of anything and I like a confident woman in the bedroom…I don’t care what century it is. 🙂 Don’t worry, its not graphic.
The drama with the kidnapping is also good. It heightens the tension between Jazzy and Slade. Again, Jazzy took matters in her own hands and didn’t back down. Strong and confident is our Jazzy and I love her for it. Of course, Slade wasn’t so used to it but he admired her for her confidence and smarts.
Overall, I really enjoyed Jazzy and Slade’s romance. It never felt rushed (even if they got to the goods early) and not once did I want to bash their heads together. They were good together from their meeting in the coach and I couldn’t wait to see how it would all play out.
Thanks for the awesome giveaway. I would love to read this book. Sounds good.
thanks for the giveaway!
kathleenpower@comcast.net