Release Day – The Mercenary and the Shifters

It’s release day for my friends and fellow Soul Mate authors C.D. Hersh. Check out The Mercenary and the Shifters, the 4th book in their amazing The Turning Stone Chronicles.

A desperate call from an ex-military buddy lands a mercenary soldier in the middle of a double kidnapping, caught in an ancient shape shifter war, and ensnared between two female shape shifters after the same thing … him.

Mercenary and the Shifters

The Mercenary and the Shifters, The Turning Stone Chronicles, book four

Author – C.D. Hersh

Genre – Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Suspense Romance

Heat Level – Sensual

Release Date: July 27th, 2016

Get it here: https://amzn.com/B01I01W2JC

 

Blurb:

When mercenary soldier Michael Corritore answers a desperate call from an ex-military buddy, he finds himself in the middle of a double kidnapping, caught in an ancient war between two shape shifter factions, and ensnared between two female shape shifters after the same thing … him.

 

Shape shifter Fiona Kayler will do anything to keep the shipping company her father left her, including getting in bed with the enemy. But when she believes the man trying to steal her company is involved with kidnapping her nephew, she must choose between family, fortune, and love. The problem is … she wants all three.

CDHersh

Bio:

Putting words and stories on paper is second nature to co-authors C.D. Hersh. They’ve written separately since they were teenagers and discovered their unique, collaborative abilities in the mid-90s. As high school sweethearts and husband and wife, Catherine and Donald believe in true love and happily ever after.

 

Together they have co-authored a number of dramas, six which have been produced in Ohio, where they live. Their interactive Christmas production had five seasonal runs in their hometown and has been sold in Virginia, California, and Ohio. Their most recent collaborative writing efforts have been focused on romance. The first four books of their paranormal romance series entitled The Turning Stone Chronicles are available on Amazon. They also have a Christmas novella, Kissing Santa, in a Christmas anthology titled Sizzle in the Snow, with seven other authors.

 

Where you can find CD:

Website: http://cdhersh.wordpress.com/

Blog: http://cdhersh.wordpress.com/blog-2/

Soul Mate Publishing: http://smpauthors.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cdhershauthor

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/C.-D.-Hersh/e/B00DV5L7ZI

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCDHersh

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/CDHersh

 

Excerpt:

Mike Corritore wheeled up the circular drive of the impressive house on Lakeshore Road and cut the engine on his motorcycle. After a quick glance around, he shouldered the bags containing his clothes, ammo, pump shotgun, and talwar sword. Then he headed for the carved front door. The doorbell echoed inside indicating the mansion had a cavernous entry hall. He searched the entrance stoop for security cameras and found none.

What the heck had he gotten himself into? A rich bitch, with no security on her home, mixed up with a bad syndicate spelled major trouble. With this chintzy level of security, it would take more time than he originally anticipated to make her house and business secure.

After a couple of minutes the door opened.

“Can I help you?” asked an attractive redhead.

“I’m Mike Corritore. Here to see Fiona Kayler. Will you tell her I’ve arrived?”

The redhead looked him over, then braced her legs shoulder width apart and crossed her arms over her curvy bust. “Do you have identification, Mr. Corritore?”

Mike returned her once-over. Her porcelain complexion blushed pink at his bold examination, and she tossed her mane of wavy, mahogany hair defiantly.

Damn, she was gorgeous.

If she thought her insolent pose enough to keep him, or intruders out, she’d better reconsider.

“Hugh sent me.” He stepped forward but she blocked him.

“A driver’s license for your very expensive motorcycle will suffice,” she said, wiggling her fingers at him. When he didn’t comply, she stepped back and reached to the side of the door.

The distinct cachung of a gun cocking sent him flying to the right of the doorway.

“Identification, Mr. Corritore. Please,” she said as she leveled a pistol at him.

Mike dug in his rear pants’ pocket. “Hugh lied,” he said as he held out his driver’s license. “You don’t need protection.”

After inspecting his identification, she lowered her weapon and waved him inside. “For my business, Mr. Corritore. I’m capable of protecting my home, but I can’t draw my gun just anywhere.”

“You should get a conceal and carry license,” Mike said as he entered.

She put the safety on the gun and stashed the weapon in the table beside the front door.

“I take it you’re not the help,” he said, glancing around the entry hall.

She held out her hand. “Fiona Kayler. Nice to meet you, Mr. Corritore.”

“Mike,” he said, taking her hand. Her palm, warm and soft, told him she lived a life of leisure. But her strong grip screamed, No patsy. He held her hand a bit longer than he should have. She wriggled free and waved him to the left.

“Ladies first.”

With a nod, she led him toward a sumptuously decorated room. He followed, his eyes taking in the soft curves of her rear as she sashayed across the marble-tiled floor. Mike’s body reacted to the seductive wiggle of her bottom. She walked as sexy as she looked.

Keep your mind on the job, Corritore. He shifted his gaze away from temptation, searching the ceiling and corners of the entry for security cameras. If she had them, they were well hidden.

The measured click of her high heels on the hard marble tile floor disappeared as they stepped on the thick, white carpet of the living room. This room appeared cozier than the entry. A huge gold, gilt-edged mirror hung over the fireplace reflecting the scene outside the oversized plate-glass window.

She motioned to a seat beside the fireplace. Mike chose a location less exposed to the exterior, where he could watch the entrance to the room. Fiona dragged a side chair across the room to where he sat, positioning it at a right angle to his seat. Two vertical furrows appeared in the carpeting, bisecting their shoe impressions and the vacuumed paths in the thick fibers. Apparently, she didn’t use this room much.

“So, Ms. Kayler—”

“Fiona,” she corrected.

“Fiona, exactly what do you need me to do?” As he said the words, he had a lurid vision of what he’d like to do to this lovely woman. He shook it off. She was Hugh’s friend and in trouble. He had no business screwing around with damsels in distress. They were needy. The last thing he wanted.

“A couple of years ago I had a problem with smugglers. They brought in some hazardous materials which got me in trouble with Homeland Security and the FBI. They cleared me, but my business took a pretty big hit. To keep things afloat, I’ve had to get in bed with some rough characters recently.”

At the phrase get in bed with Mike cocked his eyebrow at her.

“Not literally,” she amended quickly, as a dusky pink blush crept over her pale complexion. “I need my security beefed up so I don’t have a replay of two years ago.”

“Any good security company could upgrade you.”

“I also need someone I can trust implicitly. Hugh vouched for you, and I trust Hugh.”

“We should start with your home security. I didn’t see surveillance cameras at the door.”

“My home is perfectly safe. It’s my business I’m concerned about.”

Fiona crossed her arms over her chest, her body language closing off to further suggestions. Mike followed her motions. As he did, he spotted a red dot on her chest. The dot wiggled.

“Get down!” Mike shouted as he dove for Fiona.

Amazon buy links:

The Promised One (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 1):

eBook: http://amzn.com/B00DUMODKI

paperback: http://amzn.com/1619353504

Blood Brothers (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 2):

eBook: http://amzn.com/B00OVNFC8W

paperback: http://amzn.com/1619358271

Son of the Moonless Night (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 3):

eBook: http://amzn.com/B00XK3E172

The Mercenary and the Shifters (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 4):

eBook: https://amzn.com/B01I01W2JC

 

Romance Writers Weekly – In the mood!

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Welcome to the romance Writers Weekly blog hop, where every week a great group of romance writers answer questions and accept challenges. Diverse in what we write, we are unified in the quest to bring you, the romance reader, a very happy ever after.

You can join us daily on our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/RomanceWritersWeekly/

Click to check out Brenda's wonderful new novel, When Time Falls Still

Click to check out Brenda’s wonderful new novel, When Time Falls Still

If you’re starting your blog hop here, or just hopping over from Brenda Margriet’s wonderful blog, welcome.

Check out The Dream Dancer by Leslie Hachtel.

Check out The Dream Dancer by Leslie Hachtel.

Today, Leslie Hachtel asks: A writer I know sets her mood with candles and music that suit her characters. Do you do anything special to put you in the right frame of mind to sit down and create?

Well, nothing gets me in the mood to write better than having my head in a story. Each morning I try to have my “quiet time” with a cup of coffee. I let my head wonder through my current WIP (Work In Progress) and really try to picture the next scene, cementing it firmly in my mind. Then when I do sit down to write, it’s all there, ready for me to throw it all onto the page.

That’s pretty much it for me. No candles or soft music. just coffee and story.

Now, Click Here to find out how Leslie Hachtel gets in the mood to write as the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop continues.

Romance Writers Weekly – Let there be fireworks

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Welcome to the romance Writers Weekly blog hop, where every week a great group of romance writers answer questions and accept challenges. Diverse in what we write, we are unified in the quest to bring you, the romance reader, a very happy ever after.

You can join us daily on our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/RomanceWritersWeekly/

Check out the amazing Psychic Mates Series from A.S. Fenichel

Check out the amazing Psychic Mates Series from A.S. Fenichel

If you’re popping in from A. S. Fenichel’s wonderful blog or just starting your hop here with me, welcome aboard and get ready for some Independence Day fun.

 

Today’s topic comes from A.S. Fenichel – If you live in the U.S., How did you spend yesterday? Tell us about your Independence Day weekend. Now make up a really short story about how you wish you’d spent it. Can be as long or as short as you want, but make us wish we’d been there too. Oh and if you live outside the U.S., you can join the fiction part. If you were visiting during the 4th of July holiday, how do you imagine the day? GET CREATIVE!

Well, as usual with me, the truth is boring. I didn’t really do much out of the ordinary this past weekend. A bit of grilling, some wine, and just kicking back. As a devout introvert, I avoided all the festivities. While I like fireworks, I really try to avoid crowds. YouTube substituted for the real thing this year:

But this video got me thinking.

So:

The view from above.

First contact happened at 5:45 PM on July 4th, 2016. The saucer hovered for a few moments before descending into my back yard. I stood dumbfounded by the grill, almost forgetting to turn the bratwurst.

“We come in peace.” The blue-skinned alien descended the exit ramp holding a glowing golden bottle. “And we bring Magbop. What smells so good?”

“Genuine Sheboygan bratwurst.” They are incredibly tasty. “I’ve got extra.”

Turns out Magbop is very similar to wine, but packs a bit bigger kick. By the second glass we were laughing an joking like we didn’t come from different ends of the galaxy.

As the stars started to twinkle out above, the first explosion lit the night sky.

“Invasion?” Blurg asked, like it happened all the time where he comes from.

“Nope, just fireworks.” he seemed intrigued. “Want to go see?”

“Sure.” He picked up the half empty Magbop bottle and his glass.

I staggered to my feet. “Okay, but you’re driving.”

Watching the fireworks from above, in a hovering flying saucer was one of the high points of the day.

Recovering from the Magbop hangover the next day . . . not so much.

*  *  *

So, how did Marc Stevens spend his holiday? And how would he have? Check it out as the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop continues at: https://marcstevenserotica.wordpress.com/

And check out Marc’s sexy Points Club stories:

Alan's Gambit