CONSTANCE BRETES
  • Welcome
  • My Books
    • Love Songs
    • Book of Love
    • Delayed Justice
    • Jarillo Sunset
    • The Last Dig
    • Jade's Redemption
    • The Christmas Ballet
    • Midnight Escape
    • Love, A Second Time Around
    • The Haunted Love Affair
    • Rekindled Christmas Mystery
    • Elkhorn in the Moonlight
    • Operational Code Name:Desert Love
    • Blue As Sapphires
  • Trailers & Videos
  • Coming Soon
  • Connie's Blog
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Stranger at my Door - Mari Manning

1/11/2016

5 Comments

 
Picture
Blurb:
The only thing standing between her and disaster is a man she can’t trust …

As far as Dinah Pittman is concerned, men can’t be trusted. Especially cops. Her own father was a cop and a convicted felon who stole a small fortune before dying in prison. The best part? No one knows where the money is…and someone is willing to kill off everyone who knows anything about it.

And Dinah is next.

Rafe Morales left the Dallas police force to settle down to a simpler life in the small Texas town of El Royo. Instead, he finds himself protecting an infuriating, tough-as-nails, oh-so-sexy victim—and driving himself crazy with a thoroughly unprofessional desire.

But as the body count rises, Rafe and Dinah must find a way to trust each other…before they both end up dead.
 
Scene from the book:
The front door rebounded and clipped Rafe’s shoulder. He kicked it closed with his boot before raking his flashlight beam across the unlit entryway. The hall was clear. His heart thumping against ribs, he burst into the living room. His light hit the figure of a woman, and his feet froze. He tilted the beam up and framed Dinah Pittman’s expressionless face.

 Most girls would have screamed or hid when he kicked in the door. Not this one. She had balls, he’d give her that. 

Her forearm lifted to shield her eyes from the light. “Who are you? What do you want?” She sounded tired. “I already told Teke, I don’t know where the money is.” 

Rafe lowered the flashlight and rolled his shoulder to loosen a tight muscle. There were about two dozen abandoned bungalows in this part of town. When he saw a candle flickering in the window, he’d expected a confrontation with teenagers or maybe a squatter.

He stepped into the candlelight. “Officer Morales, ma’am. Got something against electricity?” As soon as the words were out, he regretted them. The pink flyers. She’d needed money to turn on the lights.

Her mouth tightened. “Get out.” Turning to a small table by the window, she gathered up scattered cards, probably her tarot cards. Had she found customers already?

He studied her as he summoned up an appropriate apology. She wore cut-offs and a white T-shirt. His eyes swept down her slim legs to her bare feet and red toenails before he could stop himself. Why were pain-in-the-ass women always hot?

“I didn’t mean to upset you—”

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

“That’s tough to do with you around.”

Her hand stilled for a moment, then returned to its task. “You could have knocked.”

“Sometimes we get squatters in these abandoned houses. They’re more likely to be discouraged by a show of force.”

“I could have been a mass murderer. Aren’t you supposed to call for backup?” She glanced down at his flashlight. “If I was a bad guy with a gun, you’d be dead, Officer Morales.”

“Rafe.”

She’d read him right. He’d tried to pull out his service revolver when he broke down the door, but—predictably—his hand had turned
to Jell-O. After two years, he still couldn’t get past the night in Dallas when his beautiful, daring Sam’s luck ran out, and he’d avenged her but failed to live up to his own lofty ideals. So he relied on the element of surprise and big fists.

Gathering up the cards, she set them in a neat stack. “As you can see, I am not a squatter.” Her gaze flickered to his flashlight, then back up to his face. “There’s an empty house about two blocks down if you’re determined to rescue one.”
​

The corner of his mouth inched up. She’d be a handful…for the right man, which sure as hell wasn’t him. Not anymore. “Thanks for the tip.”

Picture
About Mari Manning
Let’s start with the fun stuff. I love small towns, mysteries, quiet men, laughter, old-fashioned spaghetti dinners. I love boots and shopping and jokes and Hershey’s dark chocolate and white wine. I love lots of things. But my first love is reading.
I love to read. Just about anything, but it has to be well-written. I go through periods where I am into historical novels or romance or mystery or history or biography. I never know when my desires will suddenly change.
Now for the writer-ish, official stuff: Mari Manning is the author of several contemporary romances and three romantic suspense novels set in the Texas Hill Country. Stranger at My Door is the first in her A Murder in Teas series. The second, Stranger in My House will be published by Entangled later this year. The third book in the series is Stranger in My Bed. Currently Mari is working on a series of cozy mysteries.

She and her husband live in Chicago.

Buy links to all the major electronic sites are here:
​
http://www.entangledpublishing.com/stranger-at-my-door/
 

5 Comments
Mari Manning link
1/11/2016 07:46:33 am

Thanks so much, Connie. I'm excited to be featured on your blog. I will try to stop by a few times today, so if anyone has any questions, ask away.

Reply
Pamela S Thibodeaux link
1/12/2016 08:14:23 am

great excerpt and premise! Wow...I love a good suspense and this sounds like a great one.

Good luck and God's blessings.
PamT

Reply
Susan Coryell link
1/12/2016 11:33:39 am

Exciting excerpt. This sounds like a winner!

Reply
Nicole Fitton link
1/12/2016 12:46:03 pm

Great excerpt. Good luck with the release.

Reply
M.J. Schiller, Romance Author link
1/17/2016 02:48:02 pm

Love her grit! The chemistry is great here already. I want to read this one! Thanks for sharing!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013

    Archives

    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013

    RSS Feed

​PLEASE NOTE: SUBSCRIBING TO MY MAILING LIST, YOU ARE AWARE THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE A NEWSLETTER ON THE 4TH OF EVERY MONTH, A RAFFLECOPTER REMINDER HALFWAY THROUGH THE MONTH, AND OCCASIONALLY, IF SOMETHING COMES UP IN THE MONTH THAT CAN'T WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT NEWSLETTER, I MAY SEND OUT A  NOTE.
Website Copyright  © 2023 Constance Bretes
  • Welcome
  • My Books
    • Love Songs
    • Book of Love
    • Delayed Justice
    • Jarillo Sunset
    • The Last Dig
    • Jade's Redemption
    • The Christmas Ballet
    • Midnight Escape
    • Love, A Second Time Around
    • The Haunted Love Affair
    • Rekindled Christmas Mystery
    • Elkhorn in the Moonlight
    • Operational Code Name:Desert Love
    • Blue As Sapphires
  • Trailers & Videos
  • Coming Soon
  • Connie's Blog
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy