Secrets of Honor and A Woman Lost

I'm excited to be helping spread the word about books by two wonderful writers and blogging friends, Carol Kilgore and T.B. Markinson. It dawned on me when I was putting this post together that Carol is one of the bloggers I've known the longest, while T.B. is the opposite. I can't remember how I met Carol, but I know she was one of the first writers I met after I started on this blogging journey. By contrast, I just met T.B. last fall. With both ladies, I knew I liked them immediately. They are both dog lovers, so how could I not? :D

It's kind of amazing to me that while I have some blogger friends I've known for three years or more now, I'm still meeting new friends as well. But enough of that and on to the books!

First up, I'm thrilled to share the cover for Carol's upcoming release Secrets of Honor. I'm a little late to the party here as I saw this cover all over the blogosphere last week, but I'm so happy for Carol. She always has fantastic covers for her "crime fiction with a kiss" stories and this one is no exception.

Blurb:

By the end of a long evening working as a special set of eyes for the presidential security detail, all Kat Marengo wants is to kick off her shoes and stash two not-really-stolen rings in a secure spot. Plus, maybe sleep with Dave Krizak. No, make that definitely sleep with Dave Krizak. The next morning, she wishes her new top priorities were so simple.

As an operative for a covert agency buried in the depths of the Department of Homeland Security, Kat is asked to participate in a matter of life or death—locate a kidnapped girl believed to be held in Corpus Christi, Texas. Since the person doing the asking is the wife of the president and the girl is the daughter of the first lady’s dearest friend, it’s hard to say no.

Kat and Dave quickly learn the real stakes are higher than they or the first lady believed and will require more than any of them bargained for.

The kicker? They have twenty-four hours to find the girl—or the matter of life or death will become more than a possibility.

About Carol:

Carol writes grocery lists, texts to her family, new lyrics to old songs for her dogs, love notes to her husband, and novels for herself. And for you. In between, she blogs weekly at Under the Tiki Hut and is active on Facebook and Twitter.

She sees mystery and subterfuge everywhere. And she’s a sucker for a good love story—especially ones with humor and mystery. Crime Fiction with a Kiss gives her the latitude to mix and match throughout the broad mystery and romance genres. Having flexibility makes her heart happy.

You can connect with Carol and her books here:

blog . website . facebook . twitter . goodreads . amazon

A Woman Lost isn't a new release, but it is on sale so if you want a great read by a great writer you should take this opportunity to get it at a fantastic price. The book is on sale on both Amazon.com and Amazon UK until Wednesday, June 11.

Here are the details and purchase links for the book. In addition, T.B. provided an excerpt from A Woman Lost that I am sharing below. Best of luck to T.B. for a successful sale!

Amazon.com

Normal price: $2.99

Sale price $0.99 June 5^th to June 11^th 

Amazon.co.uk

Normal Price: £1.99

Sale price £0.99 June 5^th to June 11^th

Synopsis:

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Petrie has it all. She’s rich, beautiful, intelligent, and successful. None of this matters to her mom. Les-Bi-An. That’s all her mom sees.

Even though Lizzie insists her mom’s antagonism does not bother her, Lizzie distances herself from her entire family. When her brother, Peter, calls her out of the blue to announce he’s getting married, Lizzie’s entire life changes drastically. Peter’s fiancée wants to bring the lesbian outcast back into the family. Will this desire cause Lizzie to lose everything dear to her?

Sarah, Lizzie’s girlfriend, is ecstatic about this change in Lizzie’s personal life. Sarah, the hopeless romantic, wants it all, including settling down with the fiercely independent Lizzie.

Can Lizzie be tamed? And can she survive her family and all of their secrets?

About T.B.:

T. B. Markinson is a 40-year old American writer, living in England, who pledged she would publish before she was 35. Better late than never. When she isn’t writing, she’s traveling the world, watching sports on the telly, visiting pubs in England, or taking the dog for a walk. Not necessarily in that order. A Woman Lost is her debut novel.

Links:

Goodreads

Blog

Twitter

Amazon

Mailing List

Excerpt:

The hostess watched me approach and asked in a snotty voice, “May I help you?”
“Yes I’m meeting the Petrie family for dinner?”
“Oh, are you a friend of the family?”
“I’m the daughter.” I smiled wearily and straightened my blazer to look more presentable. I had my hair down, instead of in my normal ponytail, and I had put on eye shadow and mascara. Usually, I only did that when I was out with Sarah, but even then, I preferred the au naturel look—or at least that was my excuse.
The hostess tried to soften her bitchy look. “I didn’t know they had a daughter.”
I’m sure she didn’t. My parents didn’t really spread the news about my existence.
“I think I am early, though.” I changed the subject.
“You aren’t early. Your party is already seated.” She tilted her head like a confused puppy.
I looked at my watch and noticed it was a quarter to seven. Nice, Peter— telling me the wrong time.
I followed the hostess through the maze of tables surrounded by overdressed, pompous asses. I recognized several of them—women who had been under the knife and hadn’t changed in the past ten years. Or maybe I didn’t recognize them. Rich women were a dime a dozen here. It was how they made it known they had money. How they made themselves feel superior whenever, in fact, they felt inferior.
“May I ask what time my party arrived?” I quickened my pace to keep up with the lanky hostess.
She turned to me, obviously puzzled. “I think they’ve been here thirty minutes.”
Bravo, Peter. Bravo. Tell me 7:30 p.m. and then show up a little after 6:00 p.m. I should have known. As the hostess led me to the table, she asked, “Do you live far away?”
“Not really. I live in Fort Collins.”
“Oh … you’re right. That’s not very far.” She looked disappointed in me.
“I’m working on my PhD. I don’t have a lot of free time to hang out.” Why was I justifying myself to this girl?
“That makes sense.”
Well, thank goodness the hostess accepted my excuse. As if I needed that haughty girl’s approval for my absences from family dinners at the club. We reached the table.
“Here’s the last member of your party.” The hostess plastered a huge fake smile on her face.
 “Right on time, Elizabeth.” My brother stood to shake my hand. I’d never understood why he always insisted on shaking my hand, or on using my full name. Everyone else called me Lizzie.

Congratulations and best wishes again to Carol and T.B.! And Happy Monday to all. I hope everyone had a great weekend. :)