Book Blitz: Changing Tides Publishing

Crimson Tree Publishing Launches New Romance Imprint

Changing Tides Publishing is now accepting submissions for category romance and erotic romance.

Changing Tides Publishing is a new imprint of Crimson Tree Publishing focusing on publishing category romance and erotic romance. Though it’s a new division, we work with a team of editors, artists, and industry professionals with years of experience in finding, polishing, and promoting fiction. We combine our editorial and marketing expertise with your passion for your story to get it into the hands of the readers who will love it. Our team provides professional cover art, marketing support, sales materials, and more to both promote our authors as well as to help our authors promote themselves. We are currently building our list and are seeking authors with strong voices, fresh ideas, and contagious enthusiasm to join our team, authors who are eager to take an active role in building their careers with us.

We are also building our blogger and ARC reviewer team. Being part of this team will grant you access to advance review copies, exclusive author interviews, sneak peeks, special giveaways, and much more. If you’re interested in applying, you can do so here.

A little about how us:

Changing Tides is a digital first company. All titles accepted, regardless of length, will be released across all ebook platforms. If a title or series does well, we reserve the option to make it available in print and audio format as well—on a case by case basis. For shorter stories in series, we will create anthologies and digital box sets. What separates us from other digital publishers is that we will, for every book or anthology over 30K words, make a print edition available for the author’s personal use, to take to trade events, to sell at book signings, and to use for promotional giveaways. This allows us a greater flexibility on what titles we can accept as we are not limiting ourselves—or you—to what brick and mortar stores can shelf. Every title has a dedicated marketing and promotional budget and we work with each author to create a detailed marketing plan for each story.

We do not offer advances, but pay a higher royalty rate to compensate. We work with a team of the best cover artists, interior formatters, editors, and marketing people in the business, and unlike some companies who simply drop and dump titles, we will leverage our team to help you continually sell books.

Though we can’t make any promises, our goal is to make every single author on our team a USA Today Bestseller. And we will work with you every step of the way to try to make that goal a reality.

What we are looking for:

Changing Tides is currently looking for romance and erotic romance in any subgenre and at any heat level. Our ideal projects are: category romance stories that stand alone in a connected world or with a connected theme, prolific erotic romance authors who can release multiple short titles a year, or sweeping epic love stories that itch to be told in serial format.

We would love to see paranormal, comedy, cowboys, mystery cozies, bad boys, billionaires, sports romance, BDSM, LGBTQ, strong heroines, alpha males, workplace romance, shifters, space operas, and everything in between.

How to submit:

You can see our full submission guidelines on our website, https://www.changingtidespublishing.com/submissions/
If you’ve read our guidelines and think your book might be a good fit for our list, please send us your complete manuscript to submissions@changingtidespublishing.com
Changing Tides is also building our Blogger and Reviewer team. Signing up will grant you access to the best in romance books before they ever hit the shelves, as well as access to exclusive reviewer content, giveaways, and more. To join our team, you can sign up here: https://www.changingtidespublishing.com/review-team/

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Release Blitz: Into Your Arms by Chelsea M. Cameron

INTO YOUR ARMS by Chelsea M. Cameron

SMP Swerve

Publication Date: May 30, 2017

eBook ISBN: 9781250125187; Price: $3.99

Get fired up for Into Your Arms, the first book in the sexy new Squad Stories series from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Chelsea M. Cameron!

Freya has secrets she doesn’t intend to share. Not with her new friends on the cheerleading squad at Maine State University, and certainly not with sexy lumberjack-look-alike Rhett. Just because sparks flew between them at a bar one night doesn’t mean he gets to know why she transferred to MSU. When Freya dares Rhett to come to cheerleading practice, she never expects to see the dark-haired lumberjack again. 

Except Rhett is the last person to turn down a dare, especially when it comes from a pixie-sized blonde. When Rhett wows the squad and becomes Freya’s stunt partner, his hands come far too close for comfort. But as Freya and Rhett’s hot post-practice sessions bring them closer, she risks her secrets being revealed. Can Freya chance exposing who she really is to the guy who wasn’t supposed to win her heart?

EXCERPT

I’m done with the salad long before Rhett finishes everything else, so I just kind of keep tossing it and watch him. He moves with the same fluidity that he does during cheer. For a big guy, he’s graceful, and he’s an excellent dancer. I hate how sexy it is.

Rhett starts whistling to himself. He does that a lot, and it’s not annoying, surprisingly. I keep trying to find flaws, but I can’t seem to. There must be something. I just have to work harder to find it.

That means that I’ll probably have to keep coming over here. Oh, well. At least the food is good?

Two hours later I’m on Rhett’s couch again, my hands on my stomach and regrets in my heart.

“I should have waited to have that cupcake, but it just looked so good,” I groan, resting my head back against the cushion. I kind of want to stretch out and take a nap.

“I’m glad you liked my food and I’m sorry you’re having regrets.” He tips his head to the side and gives me a tiny smile. It still does things to me. Everything he does affects me. I wish I could find a way to make it stop.

Rhett and I hold eye contact for just a little too long. I inhale slowly and the air in the room changes. Shifts to something else. And even though my stomach is sloshy and full, I can’t ignore the magnetic pull toward Rhett. My body leans toward his without even realizing.

Somehow, I’m able to slam on the brakes and pull back. I blink a few times and take another breath. Shit. That was close. Rhett clears his throat, and his face is just a little red under his beard.

He lets out a slow breath and chuckles under his breath.

“What?” I ask, afraid to know the answer.

“Nothing,” he says, his voice a little rough. He turns to look at me again, but I don’t meet his eyes. I can’t let that happen.

“I should probably get home,” I say, even though it’s only eight. I need to get out of Rhett’s apartment, which is filled with his things and his scent and him. It’s too much to handle right now. It’s scrambling my brain.

“Sure,” he says in a distant voice. He pushes himself off the couch and holds out his hands to help me up. If I wasn’t so full, I would ignore him, but I am, so I take his hands. They feel new and familiar all at once. His hands dwarf mine, but he holds me gently. He’s still holding my hands and he needs to stop holding my hands and I need to go home.

Right now.

But then I look up at him and I just . . . I kiss him. I pop up on my toes and reach for his mouth and I kiss him. Just like that. His mouth is lush and soft. He’s surprised at first and then he sinks into it, and I brush his bottom lip with my tongue and then I realize that I’m kissing Rhett and I should definitely not be kissing Rhett.

I drop his hands as if they’re burning me and scoot around him, heading for the door.

“So, I’ll see you tomorrow? Thanks for the food, I really have to go, bye,” I say in a rush and basically bolt. He calls after me, but I don’t listen.

I’m shaking when I get to my car and have to sit and breathe for a second before I can actually drive away. Part of me expects him to follow me after such a hasty exit, but he doesn’t.

So I take another shaky breath before I turn on my car and drive back to my lonely apartment.

Author Bio

Chelsea M. Cameron is a New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine, whose books include Deeper We Fall. She's a red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car, tweeting (this one time, she was tweeted by Neil Gaiman) and playing fetch with her cat, Sassenach. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.

Author Links

Website: www.chelseamcameron.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Chelsea-M-Cameron-Official-Author-Page-304422529610919

Twitter: @chel_c_cam

Instagram: www.instagram.com/chelccam

Buy Links

Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B06WVJRS1T

B&N: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/into-your-arms-chelsea-m-cameron/1125826128

iBooks: itunes.apple.com/us/book/into-your-arms/id1208262338

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/into-your-arms-5

Google Play: books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN9781250125187

Excerpt Reveal: Lost and Found Sisters by Jill Shalvis

  

From New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes her first women's fiction novel—an unforgettable story of friendship, love, family, and sisterhood—perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover, Susan Mallery, and Kristan Higgins. Don’t miss the amazing excerpt below and pre-order your copy today!

   

They say life can change in an instant…

After losing her sister in a devastating car accident, chef Quinn Weller is finally getting her life back on track. She appears to have it all: a loving family, a dream job in one of L.A.'s hottest eateries, and a gorgeous boyfriend dying to slip an engagement ring on her finger. So why does she feel so empty, like she's looking for a missing piece she can't find?

The answer comes when a lawyer tracks down Quinn and reveals a bombshell secret and a mysterious inheritance that only she can claim. This shocking revelation washes over Quinn like a tidal wave. Her whole life has been a lie.

On impulse, Quinn gives up her job, home, and boyfriend. She heads up the coast to the small hometown of Wildstone, California, which is just a few hours north, but feels worlds apart from Los Angeles. Though she doesn't quite fit in right away, she can't help but be drawn to the town’s simple pleasures…and the handsome, dark-haired stranger who offers friendship with no questions asked.

As Quinn settles into Wildstone, she discovers there's another surprise in store for her. The inheritance isn't a house or money, but rather something earthshattering, something that will make her question everything she thought she knew about herself, about her family. Now with a world of possibilities opening up to Quinn, she must decide if this new life is the one she was always meant to have—and the one that could finally give her the fulfillment she's searched so long for.

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   ADD LOST AND FOUND SISTERS TO YOUR GOODREADS

      EXCERPT: 

“Mick?” she whispered. “Yeah?” “Are you feeling something?” “You could say that,” he murmured. “You?” She licked her lips and he nearly groaned. “I think so,” she whispered. “That’s good.” “Are you going to kiss me?” He cupped her face, let his thumbs trace her jawbone, his fingers sinking into her silky waves. “No,” he said quietly. “And not because I don’t want to, but because when I do, I want to know you’re ready. That you’ll feel it.” She sighed. “Guys do whatever they want all the time, no emotions necessary. I want that skill.” Another shaky breath escaped her, and since they were literally an inch apart, they shared air for a single heartbeat during which neither of them moved. Her gaze dropped to his mouth. “Okay, so I’m definitely feeling things.” She hesitated and then her hands came up to his chest. “Maybe we should test it out to be sure.” God, she was the sweetest temptation he’d ever met, and he wanted nothing more than to cover her mouth with his. Instead, he brushed his mouth to her cheek. “Please, Mick,” she whispered, her exhale warming his throat. He loved the “please,” and he wanted to do just that more than anything. But when she tried to turn her head into his, to line up their mouths, he gently tightened his grip, dragging his mouth along her smooth skin instead, making his way to her ear. “Not yet,” he whispered, letting his lips brush over her earlobe and the sensitive skin beneath it. She moaned and clutched him. “Why not?” It took every ounce of control he had to lift his head and meet her gaze. “Because I want to make sure you’re really with me, that you’re feeling everything I’m feeling. That there’ll be no doubt, no regrets.” “You sure have a lot of requirements.” He laughed. And she was right, it was all big talk for a guy who didn’t do relationships anymore. Still, he forced himself to step back and shut the passenger door. As he rounded the hood to the driver’s side, he tried to remind himself of all the reasons she was a bad idea. He lived two hundred miles away and he was hoping to move his mom up by him and never come back here. Not to mention that Quinn lived an equal two hundred miles in the opposite direction and she was in a deeply vulnerable place. No way would he even think about taking advantage of that. But when he slid behind the wheel and their eyes locked, he realized that while his mind could stand firm, the rest of his body wasn’t on board with the in-control program.    

They say life can change in an instant ...

From New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes her first women's fiction novel—an unforgettable story of friendship, love, family, and sisterhood.

Pre-order your copy in any format and receive an exclusive crossover Heartbreaker Bay meets Wildstone bonus scene, featuring Archer and Elle going to Wildstone, CA, the town in which Lost and Found Sisters takes place - read about their night in a haunted B&B!

Simply enter your order number OR upload a screenshot of your proof of purchase. Entries must be received by June 25th and you will receive content via email on June 27th!

Preorder and fill out the form here!

About Jill Shalvis: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s sexy contemporary and award-winning books wherever romances are sold and click on the blog button above for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.      

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Review: The Sunshine Sisters by Jane Green

The Sunshine Sisters by Jane Green

Published: June 6, 2017

Publisher: Berkley

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

Ronni Sunshine left London for Hollywood to become a beautiful, charismatic star of the silver screen. But at home, she was a narcissistic, disinterested mother who alienated her three daughters.

As soon as possible, tomboy Nell fled her mother's overbearing presence to work on a farm and find her own way in the world as a single mother. The target of her mother's criticism, Meredith never felt good enough, thin enough, pretty enough. Her life took her to London and into the arms of a man whom she may not even love. And Lizzy, the youngest, more like Ronni than any of them, seemed to have it easy, using her drive and ambition to build a culinary career to rival her mother's fame, while her marriage crumbled around her.

But now the Sunshine Girls are together again, called home by Ronni, who has learned that she has a serious disease and needs her daughters to fulfill her final wishes. And though Nell, Meredith, and Lizzy are all going through crises of their own, their mother's illness draws them together to confront old jealousies and secret fears and they discover that blood might be thicker than water after all.

My Thoughts

Hands down this is my favorite Jane Green book! This story of Ronni Sunshine and her three daughters was touching, funny and thoroughly enjoyable. We meet Ronni who is an actress as she tries her hardest to make it in the industry. From the very start, she chooses her career over her family including her three daughters whom each have their issues with her.

We get to know the Sunshine Sisters through the years but the storyline comes to life when they are summoned back home by their mother who has some bad news for them. Ronni is terminally ill and wants them there so she can take her life on her terms and most importantly she wants her daughters to reconnect after years of estrangement. Nell, Meredith, and Lizzie hadn’t ever been close not even growing up so when they all come back home it’s a little awkward, to say the least. All have problems in their lives but as soon as they are together they slowly reconnect like never before.

What I loved most is that this story is all about family. The relationship with their mother was a hard one, one that definitely shaped their future, especially on how they viewed themselves. It's really hard to have the self-love and confidence in yourself if the one person who should’ve given you that from day one never did. While I felt for Ronni, her illness and death did bring her daughters together in a way I don’t think they would’ve otherwise. Each one's story comes full circle and each finally finds the peace and love they deserved their entire lives. I found myself laughing and crying, which to me is the sign of a truly amazing book!

Release Day Blitz: Sexy Stranger by Kendall Ryan

From New York Times Bestselling Author Kendall Ryan comes a sexy and sizzling, enemies-to-lovers romp with bite. He's rude. Arrogant. And too hot to handle. And she's stranded with him for an entire week. He knows the sexy stranger doesn't belong in his small town, but he's determined to keep her there. The second she opens her smart mouth, he wants to swap a whole lot more than insults with her. She’s got a secret. But he’s got his own agenda.   Buckle up.   "A steamy and red-hot enemies-to-lovers romance like I've never read before!" - Beneath the Covers Book Blog "It was FREAKING FANTASTIC! Sexy, charming, and full of witty banter, I couldn't get enough of Luke and Charlotte!" - Shayna Renee's Spicy Reads    

Amazon | iBooks | Nook |Kobo | Paperback | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon AU

                 

A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 2 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine. She lives in Texas with her husband and two sons.

Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the latest book news, and fun extras

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Virtual Tour: The Nanny Arrangement by Rachel Harris

Their story would make one heck of a country song. 

THE NANNY ARRANGEMENT

Country Blues #2

Rachel Harris

Releasing May 22, 2017

Entangled Bliss

Soft-spoken and shy Hannah Fisher is determined to make the man she’s loved her entire life finally see her as a woman. With the help of a makeover, a new mission—Operation Find My Happy—and the convenient forced proximity of a tour bus, she vows to win her best friend Deacon’s heart.

Former bad boy and current fiddle player Deacon Latrell has the world at his fingertips: a new gig with a famous band, plus his best friend on tour as his son’s nanny. Life couldn’t get much sweeter. Now if only he could stop imagining kissing the daylights out of his childhood BFF…

With one friend set on pushing the boundaries and the other afraid to rock the boat, one thing’s for certain—their story would make one heck of a country song.

Excerpt

Deacon released a heavy breath. Sometimes the right thing felt a hell of a lot like nausea. Resolved with what he had to do, he looked at the door…then slowly dropped his hand.

He’d give it another few minutes.

Calling himself ten shades of coward, he redirected his steps. A hot shower would clear his head. Maybe he’d even pull a Hannah and rehearse what he’d tell her in advance. It always worked for her, helping her control her stutter, and though Deacon didn’t have that particular problem, he was nervous as hell. If her head was even half as muddled as his was, this conversation wouldn’t be easy.

Frustrated, he shoved open the bathroom door harder than necessary. Fog and heavily scented air rushed to greet him, and it took a second for the reason to register. When it did, he came to an abrupt stop with one hand on the doorknob and one foot still in the hall.

Candy and flowers.

As the steam disappeared through the crack in the door, a vision appeared, plucked straight from his recent fantasies. Creamy skin, pink from the shower and wet with liquid drops, topped anything his imagination could’ve conjured. Damp ginger curls clung to a slender throat that was arched back, making a sexy silhouette as full lips trembled in a silent speech to the ceiling. Dark, spiky lashes lay across a flushed cheek, hiding a pair of expressive eyes he’d know anywhere.

Torture, thy name was Hannah.

Gone was the girl he’d known in high school. Erased was the rock he’d depended on in college. The goddess in the shower was a woman, a beautiful woman, with tantalizing curves, shapely legs, and the most incredible smile he’d ever seen.

The arousal flowing through his veins mocked his previous so-called resolve.

“Cherry.”

Her name came on a choked breath, but Hannah’s eyes snapped open. Smooth skin turned to stone as she stared at the ceiling, wide-eyed, before slanting those green eyes toward him in horror.

“Deacon!” Frantic, she tried to cover her body, slinging one arm over her perfect breasts while reaching for the folded towel on the counter with the other, only to quickly draw back her hand and slap it over her lower half as well.

It was the hardest thing he ever did, keeping his eyes above her waist. Taking one step forward, he grabbed the terrycloth and handed it over, not trusting himself to get any closer. When she took it from his hands, she could hardly look into his eyes. Deacon’s chest gave a hard kick.

Hannah made quick work of the towel, wrapping the terrycloth around her torso and clinging to the edges. She bit her lip and stammered, “Wh-what are y-you doing?”

It wasn’t remotely funny. The reappearance of her stutter meant she was either stressed or anxious, two things he never wanted to be the cause of. But he couldn’t help the laugh that broke free at the innocent question.

A full-bodied, unstoppable laugh that threw his head back with the force of it.

“What am I doing?” he repeated in amusement, hearing the gruffness of his own voice and dragging in a deep, floral-scented breath. “Oh, Cherry… I’m losing my ever-loving mind.”

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Harris writes humorous love stories about sassy girls-next-door and the hot guys that make them swoon. Vibrant settings, witty banter, and strong relationships are a staple in each of her books…and kissing. Lots of kissing. 

An admitted bookaholic and homeschool mom, she gets through each day by laughing at herself, hugging her kids, and watching way too much Food Network with her husband. She writes young adult, new adult, and adult romances, and LOVES talking with readers!

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Audio Review: The Arrangement by Sarah Dunn

The Arrangement by Sarah Dunn

Published: March 21, 2017

Publisher: Little Brown and Company

Format: Audio via publisher

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

Lucy and Owen, ambitious, thoroughly-therapized New Yorkers, have taken the plunge, trading in their crazy life in a cramped apartment for Beekman, a bucolic Hudson Valley exurb. They've got a two hundred-year-old house, an autistic son obsessed with the Titanic, and 17 chickens, at last count. It's the kind of paradise where stay-at-home moms team up to cook the school's "hot lunch," dads grill grass-fed burgers, and, as Lucy observes, "chopping kale has become a certain kind of American housewife's version of chopping wood."

When friends at a wine-soaked dinner party reveal they've made their marriage open, sensible Lucy balks. There's a part of her, though-the part that worries she's become too comfortable being invisible that's intrigued. Why not try a short marital experiment? Six months, clear ground rules, zero questions asked. When an affair with a man in the city begins to seem more enticing than the happily-ever-after she's known for the past nine years, Lucy must decide what truly makes her happy-"real life," or the "experiment?"

My Thoughts

The premise of The Arrangement is that Lucy and Owen a couple who want to try something different decide on an open marriage for six months. They come up with rules and a time frame but it soon comes to light that this was way more than they bargained for. Owen quickly finds himself attractive to and evolved with someone, it's all fun and games but soon Owen realizes that this woman he wanted to have a fun time with wants it to be more. She wants a relationship and treats him like a boyfriend which wasn’t in the rules and he soon hates this whole situation. Lucy, on the other hand, is taking her time in finding someone so her friend decides why should Owen have all the fun and takes it upon herself to find someone for Lucy. Lucy agrees to meet up with this guy and goes through with it and soon they are spending a lot of time together.

Within months Owen wants out and wants to return to his life with his family, while Lucy feels the freest she has felt in years. She and her guy soon are spending time with each other and talking and really getting to know each other and soon he tells her he is falling for her. Lucy doesn’t know what to do, she loves her husband but they haven’t connected in years and this guy is like a breath of fresh air, he makes her feel alive again. In the end, will this arrangement break or make Lucy and Owen? I won't say what happens but this really makes you realize the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. It shows you always have to continue to work at relationships and continue with the lines of communication, its always easy to let things slide but in the end, you will regret not letting your partner know what you want and to know what they thinking also.

I truly enjoyed this story it was funny and a quick read, I listened to this in almost one setting not wanting to stop, I always wanted to know what was happening next. The audio was wonderfully read by Ellen Archer who brought a fun and quirkiness to the characters that I really loved. Sarah Dunn brought a richness to this subject matter that could’ve gone a whole other way but by bringing some humor to the subject it shows us that sometimes we have to laugh at our lives and relationships but we can't let things fall to the wayside and we have to make the effort and put in the work. This is one read I’m telling everyone about, I honestly can't say enough great and amazing things about it.

Cover Reveal: Random Acts by Erica Spindler

Random Acts by Erica Spindler

Publishing: May 2017

Random Acts Synopsis

One dead queen.  

Three bizarre acts of violence.  

No visible connection between the crimes.

Michaela Dee Dare, newly minted detective for the New Orleans PD, is called to a Garden District mansion—someone’s decided to bludgeon a former Queen of Carnival to death with her own scepter.

Even as the investigative pieces begin to fall into place and they close in on a perpetrator, something’s not adding up for Micki.  It’s too easy, the crime too random. But what’s a rookie detective to do when her seasoned partner doesn’t agree with her?

Betting on her instinct and gambling with her future in the NOPD, Micki strikes out on her own, pulling at strings that reveal an evil that chills her to her core—and may cost her everything she holds dear.

Set in New Orleans’ most iconic neighborhoods, this exciting prequel to The Lightkeepers —a series lauded as ‘enthralling’ and ‘not to be missed’—introduces tough, likable heroine Micki ‘Mad Dog’ Dare, and foreshadows the thrill-packed journey to come.

Excerpt

Detective Michaela Dee Dare’s stomach growled. Loudly. One of those deep rumbles that would’ve been heard clear to the back of church on a packed Sunday morning. If she went to church.

Micki had given up church and praying to an invisible father for help a long time ago. Now she put her faith in the tangible. Her own skills. The gun at her hip, the shield that gave her the power to protect herself.

These days, she would not go down without one hell of a fight.

Lessons learned the hard way.

Up ahead, the blue lights of a lone cruiser flashed in front of a big-ass mansion. She’d pulled a temporary assignment in the Second District.  Highest priced real estate in New Orleans. Ritzy-titzyville.

She usually worked the Ninth District. Not quite down on its luck, not quite middle class. Which suited her just fine. People who dealt with real life every day; people who knew who they were and where they belonged.

Here, the phony-factor ran high. Real high. Sort of like the crazy club she’d grown up in. Mama’s narcissism, Aunt Jo’s desperation. Grandma Roberta’s complete denial of reality.

And her Uncle Beau’s voice in her ear, deep and round from a third scotch: “Come, Michaela, let’s play a little game of make-believe.”

Micki shoved that memory deep into the dark recesses. The place the monsters lived. They came out to play sometimes, but rarely by the light of day.  No, it was the night they preferred.

She reached the scene, parking behind the lone cruiser. Police tape stretched across the entrance to the building, blending weirdly with the purple, green, and gold Mardi Gras swags adorning the columned mansion’s facade. Tinsel wreaths of the same colors hung on the double doors, waving in the breeze like sparkling fingers.

The toot of a horn startled her and she glanced in her rearview. A man climbing out of his vehicle. Her partner—like her assignment, temporary.

Her first impression was of an aging goodfella, softening around the edges but still intimidating. “Carmine Angelo,” he said, holding out a beefy hand.

“Micki Dare.”

He smiled, a big toothy grin that changed him from crime boss to somebody’s daddy. “You’re new to the Detective Bureau.”

“I am.” They fell into step together. “Promoted the first of the year.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thanks. What do you know about the vic?” she asked.

“Besides that she was rich and now she’s dead? Nada.”

They reached the first officer; Angelo greeted him by name. “Chuckles, good to see you, man.  What do we have?”

“One Vivianne Stanley, found beaten to death in her Queen’s room.”  At Micki’s raised eyebrow, he added, “You know, Mardi Gras Royalty.”

They entered the mansion, reached the queen’s room. It was essentially an office—except for the eye-catching, life-size display: Queen’s garb—beaded gown, faux fur stole, and other glittering memorabilia. So eye-catching, in fact, Micki almost missed the real deal.

Vivianne Stanley, sprawled on the floor, circled by a pool of blood.

Praise for The Lightkeepers Series

THE FINAL SEVEN is an expertly plotted crime drama with some supernatural flare and a dash of romance for good measure. 
– IndieReader 

Edgy and charged with atmosphere, The Final Seven is exactly what a supernatural thriller should be: a battle royale for the human soul. Spindler knows her stuff. 
– Laura Benedict, author of Charlotte's Story and Bliss House

"Erica Spindler has long been an innovator, but she's created something truly special with this debut in her new thriller series, THE FINAL SEVEN. Engrossing, exciting, and genuinely scary, Spindler takes you on a relentless ride that doesn't let up until the last line. I can't wait to read the next The Lightkeepers installment featuring Detectives Michaela Dare and Zach Harris - Spindler has created a partnership for the ages." 
– J.T. Ellison, NYT bestselling author of WHAT LIES BEHIND 

About Erica

Erica Spindler is the New York Times and International Chart bestselling author of thirty-three novels and three eNovellas. Published around the globe, she has been called the “The Master of Addictive Suspense” and “Queen of the Romantic Thriller.” 

The Lightkeepers is Erica’s first series, something she’s wanted to do for years. All she was waiting for was the right characters. She found them in Micki Dare, reformed southern belle turned kick-ass cop, and Zach “Hollywood” Harris, a charming bad boy with some very cool, save-the-world skills. 

Erica splits her writing time between her New Orleans area home, her favorite coffee shop, and a lakeside writing retreat. She’s married to her college sweetheart, has two sons and the constant companionship of Roxie, the wonder retriever. 

Erica is currently at home in New Orleans, writing Micki and Zach’s next adventure, FALLEN FIVE. 

Learn more about Erica online at www.ericaspindler.com or join the conversation on Facebook at Erica Spindler, Author. 

Connect With Erica Spindler

Website: http://www.ericaspindler.com/  

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EricaSpindler

Twitter: http://twitter.com/EricaSpindler

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erica.spindler.author/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/37168.Erica_Spindler