Monday, September 8, 2025

Dorothy's Gift - Women's Fiction - and a Giveaway #Fiction #Women'sFiction #Giveaway

Christine C. Schneider is here to tell us about Dorothy's Gift, women's fiction.

There's also a great giveaway.

______________________


A modern-day, inspiring story of two women who, when their paths merge discover love, growth and redemption that changes their lives forever. 


Dorothy’s Gift

By Christine C. Schneider

Genre: Women’s Fiction


Dorothy is content with her life as a wedding seamstress. She loves her two adult children, her husband, and her church. She is gifted with the ability to turn heaps of pink satin, lemon-yellow chiffon, and white lace into exquisite gowns. Her clients are beautiful, well-bred, and pay her well. Dorothy doesn’t like change, but even volunteering at the crisis pregnancy center doesn’t shake her peaceful life too much. She does what she can to offer help to women who are dealing with real, life-changing decisions.

Then Bailey wanders into the clinic: angry, abrasive, and hiding the pain of a dark secret.

In a moment of wild compassion, Dorothy convinces her wonderfully supportive husband, Gary, to allow her to invite Bailey to live with them until the baby is born.

Suddenly, Dorothy’s life is overwhelmed by change, and unable to keep up, Dorothy makes some huge errors in judgment. Instead of helping Bailey, everything Dorothy does seems to hurt the girl more.

Only Dorothy’s son, Daniel, begins to recognize Bailey’s potential, as he sees her reach out to support Dorothy when Gary has a heart attack and her daughter has a miscarriage. Meanwhile, Bailey is suffocated by the realization that this wonderful, loving family would not want her if they knew that she had allowed her first child to be aborted.

As Dorothy sews her way through a year of weddings, Bailey challenges Dorothy’s compassion and points out her lukewarm, Christian hypocrisy. The poor girl doesn’t know how to clean her room, run a washing machine, or cut up a cucumber. In addition, Dorothy’s church doesn’t want “people like Bailey” to taint their youth and college group. Worst of all, her son, Daniel, has decided to try to win the heart of Bailey. As the year progresses, Dorothy is confronted with her own ungodly self-centeredness, lack of spiritual depth, and stubborn resistance to changing her plans for herself and her family.

This is the story of the growth of love between a young woman in need of a mother and a mother with enough love for more than her own two children.

What Readers are Saying:


I finished the book because I couldn’t stop reading. I love the story, I love the characters, I love the message, I love the writing style, I love it all. I want to go back so I can better appreciate the character development and story arc. I cried multiple times throughout the book.
—Betty, missionary and missionary wife in Kenya

Carolyn’s Rewrite
The book was hard to put down until it was finished. Dorothy is an empty nester, encouraged by her son to volunteer at a pregnancy center. She does, but struggles some since her gifts to help are not typical to other volunteers. She connects with one woman, Bailey, who has made some bad decisions and needs a role model. The book answers the real question about what is more important in life. –Carolyn, Austria

 

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads





Christine Schneider is passionate about showing people how to dig treasure from God’s word. She is a Bible teacher, conference speaker, and “idea person.” She and her husband have been in missionary and church work since their marriage in 1973. She has written several Bible study guides and two historical novels. Christine and Floyd, her husband, live in Plains, MT. They have two sons, two excellent daughters-in-law, and eight wonderful grandchildren.

 

Website * Facebook * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

 


Follow the tour HERE for special content and a $10 giveaway!






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Sunday, September 7, 2025

Skating and Fake Dating - Love in Maple Falls #4 - Contemporary Sports Romance - and a Giveaway #Romance #ContemporaryRomance #SportsRomance #ContemporarySportsRomance #Giveaway

Ellie Hall is here to tell us about her contemporary sports romance Skating and Fake Dating, Love in Maple Falls #4.

There's also a great giveaway.

_______________________

Skating and Fake Dating
Ellie Hall
(Love in Maple Falls, #4))
Publication date: September 3rd 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports

I’m pretending to be his stable girlfriend while he plays my successful boyfriend. But now faking feels a lot like falling.

Bailey
I’m a walking contradiction—professional on the job, a hot mess at home, and working my “I’ve got this” smile until my cheeks ache while hiding my hobbies: making maple butter and finding a husband. With my perfect sister’s recent engagement, I’m desperate to avoid Mom’s pitying looks and matchmaking attempts.

Carson
I used to be hockey’s laid-back southern charmer until a crushing rejection from my high school sweetheart transformed me into a workaholic. When I’m unexpectedly traded to a new team, rumors circulate about whether the gentleman wingman lost his edge. I’ll do whatever it takes to prove them wrong.

Bailey
When our worlds collide after a dessert disaster, we come up with a mutually beneficial solution to our respective woes: a fake relationship. The rules are simple: I get a “successful” boyfriend for family events. He gets a “stable” girlfriend for team image. No feelings, no complications, and a definite expiration date.

Carson
But between posing as a couple at the fall festival, midnight maple butter-making sessions, trying to keep our stories straight, and undeniable chemistry, what started as a convenient lie is beginning to feel inconveniently real. As the clock runs down on our arrangement, we’ll have to decide: walk away when the final buzzer sounds, or take a shot at the love neither of us saw coming.

***

Skating and Fake Dating is a heartwarming hockey romcom featuring Bailey and ‘Bama who are perfect for each other in all the most imperfect ways, plus, small-town charm, family shenanigans, and a guaranteed happily ever after sweeter than homemade maple butter blondies.

Welcome back to Maple Falls—the small town where hockey players fall in love! This is a multi-author series of seven full-length books that could be read as standalones, but we think you’ll enjoy them best in order.

Fake-Off with Fate by Whitney Dineen
Offside and Off Limits by Kate O’Keeffe
Checking Mr. Wrong by Anne Kemp
Skating and Fake Dating by Ellie Hall
Goalie and the Girl Next Door by Elsie Woods
Soulmates and Slapshots by Melissa Baldwin
The Icing on the Cake by Grace Worthington

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

“In one simple move—” Waving his hand across the links of the cuffs, my pulse skips and then plummets.

Nothing happens.

A consummate professional, he declares, “That was to show that no ordinary person has the ability to free these people from their bonds. No, it takes a special flick of the—” He motions again, and I expect the handcuffs to drop from our wrists, but they remain fixed, locked.

His smile wavers. My expression morphs into a scowl. Bailey grins as if this is all part of the act and she’s expecting the handcuffs to vanish like the coin from the box.

I know better … or at least, my stomach thinks it does.

The magician tries one more time, but we remain locked together.

“Ah, yes. I must’ve, um, we’ll just take a moment in my stall to—” Turning his back on the crowd, he ushers us inside and then closes the black curtain at our backs.

“Get these off, now,” I say, forgoing my manners and the word sir.

Bailey adds, “Please.”

Sweat dots his forehead. “I don’t know what went wrong. Yes, of course. Let me just find the key. It’s here—” He rifles through a little drawer in a wooden chest.

I glance at Bailey and her shoulders droop slightly. She mouths, I’m sorry.

No, it’s this clown show of a magician who should be sorry.

“Ah ha!” He says, pinching a small key between his fingers.

“Hurry up. We have a wedding to go to.” I belatedly realize I included myself when in reality I’m dropping Bailey off and then going, well, I’m not sure where. She must, though, having arranged my moving plans.

The magician slides the key into the lock, but again, nothing happens. Wrenching it from his fingers, I say, “Let me try.”

Author Bio:

Ellie Hall is a USA Today bestselling author. If only that meant she could wear a tiara and get away with it. ;) She loves puppies, books, and the ocean. Writing sweet romance with lots of firsts and fizzy feels gives her joy. Oh, and chocolate chip cookies are her fave. Ellie believes in dreaming big, working hard, and lazy Sunday afternoons spent with her family and dog in gratitude for God’s grace.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram / Facebook / Newsletter


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Skating and Fake Dating Blitz





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Saturday, September 6, 2025

Rekindled Flame - Burning Hearts #1 - Contemporary Romance - and a Giveaway #Romance #ContemporaryRomance #Giveaway

Ella Braeme is here to tell us about Rekindled Flame, Burning Hearts #1, a contemporary romance.

There's also a great giveaway.

_____________________

Rekindled Flame
Ella Braeme
(Burning Hearts, #1)
Publication date: September 3rd 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

He swore to protect his town—but guarding his heart is the real challenge.

Volunteer firefighter Shawn Miller thought he had his life figured out in small-town Elken Grove. His print shop pays the bills while his real passion—fighting fires—keeps him connected to the community he loves.

Then his new Captain walks through the station doors: Rebecca “Becks” Schwartz, the woman who walked out of his life nine years ago. Now she’s his superior officer, and someone in the department is determined to drive her away—or worse.

As danger closes in, Shawn must balance protecting Becks with respecting her authority. But when sparks fly hotter than ever between them, he realizes some flames aren’t meant to be extinguished—they’re meant to be stoked.

Get REKINDLED FLAME today and feel the heat of this slow-burn second chance romance!

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

“There’s something else you should know before you leave.”

Something in the chief’s tone made Shawn sink back into his chair. “Sir?”

“The new captain is a woman,” Washington said carefully, clearly bracing for resistance. “Rebecca Schwartz from the Charlotte Fire Department. Goes by Becks, according to her application. She’ll be arriving Thursday next week for an informal meet-and-greet at Mr. Jones & Husband, then coming by on Saturday to meet the volunteers during training before officially starting on Monday.”

Shawn nodded, unfazed by the gender revelation. “A female captain? That’s fine by—“

But the words died in his throat as the full name registered. The folder slipped from his suddenly numb fingers, papers spilling across the floor. Rebecca Schwartz. The name echoed in his head like the aftershock of an explosion.

“Rebecca Schwartz?” he repeated, his voice sounding distant to his own ears.

Washington’s eyebrows rose slightly at Shawn’s reaction. “You know her?”

Know her? Shawn almost laughed at the absurdity of the question. He’d known her as Becca back then—sweet-faced but determined Becca with her infectious laugh and fierce ambition. He’d known the curve of her smile and the scent of her skin. Known her dreams and fears. Known the sound of her voice first thing in the morning and the last thing at night.

Until he hadn’t.

“We trained together,” he said finally, the understatement of the decade. “At the North Carolina Fire Academy. When I knew her, she went by Becca, not Becks.”

Washington frowned, clearly surprised by this information. “I didn’t connect the dots when reviewing your files.” He leaned forward, suddenly concerned. “Is this going to be a problem?”

Shawn bent to gather the scattered papers, grateful for the chance to hide his expression. Memories he’d buried years ago resurfaced in vivid detail—Becca’s fierce determination during training exercises, her infectious laugh during rare moments of downtime, the devastating fury in her eyes the last time they’d spoken.

“I never want to see your face again, Miller. Keep six feet away from me for the rest of our lives.”

He straightened, clutching the reassembled folder, his knuckles white against the manila paper. “No, sir. No problem at all.”

Author Bio:

Ella Braeme writes steamy small-town romance where protective heroes and the women who capture their hearts find love in the mountains and marshlands of Georgia. Whether her characters are running toward danger or running from their past, they always find their way to happily-ever-after. When she's not dreaming up new ways for couples to fall headlong into danger (and love), she's in her garden, supervised by a dog who firmly believes digging holes helps the flowers grow. Her quick, satisfying reads deliver the perfect escape, whether you're sneaking in a chapter during lunch or staying up way too late to reach that happily-ever-after.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram / Facebook


GIVEAWAY!

Rekindled Flame Blitz




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Friday, September 5, 2025

Bitter Pill - Dark Bully Romance - Second Chance Romance - Enemies to Lovers - and a Giveaway #Romance #DarkBully #DarkBullyRomance #SecondChanceRomance #EnemiestoLovers #Giveaway

Rowan St. George is here to tell us about Bitter Pill, a dark bully, second chance, enemies to lovers romance.

There's also a great giveaway.

____________________________


Bitter Pill is a gang romance with bullying themes


Bitter Pill

by Rowan St. George

Genre: Dark Bully Romance



Strands of sandy blonde and storm blue eyes cast me in shadow
The bully stalks my heart, each word meaner than the last
Tell my soul to run to higher ground; I’m rooted in place
The Dragon boss hunts for vengeance and I’m an instrument in the game
Twisted desires and a touch that burns me to the core
The monster is awake and I want him anyway

--a poem by Alyssa Stanton


Liam Masters
I’ve always been torn between two worlds: the real one that’s gritty and full of potential danger and the one with beauty and grace that I don’t deserve. Pushing the pretty things away wasn’t so hard. Keeping away from them proved to be far more difficult. When I’m the boss, I realize it’s time to call in a favor from the one female I swore I’d leave alone. But temptation comes knocking and once I have the taste in my mouth, I want more until it’s all mine. The problem with monsters is they’re not supposed to bask in the sun.

Alyssa Stanton
I fell in love with my childhood friend, but the older we got the more that feeling got twisted up in his mean words and deeds. Leaving it all behind to explore my personal interests seemed like the best way forward until an unimaginable loss brings me back home and into a calculated web. The danger isn’t just from the very real bullets, but also from the boy turned monster who makes me feel everything I’ve always wanted. The problem with princesses is they’re not supposed to love the dark.

Bitter Pill is a gang romance. It is both a second chance and an enemies-to-lovers story. Bitter Pill has bullying themes and may not be suitable for all readers. A list of possible triggers is listed in the book.

 

Amazon * Books2Read * Bookbub * Goodreads

 


Rowan St. George writes romance and poetry, finishing her first book, The Princess Pawn, in July 2020. She is ride or die about reading and wants to explore as many subgenres in her writing as her TBR does. Rowan is an INFP, loves period pieces, just as much as sci-fi shows, and wishes daydreaming was a full-time job. She grew up in Northern Virginia and now lives in North Carolina with her family.

 

Website * Facebook * FB Group * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!



Signed Paperback and Swag Pack, 

$30 Amazon

 – 1 winner each! 


Entry-Form




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Thursday, September 4, 2025

Songs, Sails, & Silly Dating Schemes - A Love in Destiny Romance - Contemporary Romance - and a Giveaway #Romance #ContemporaryRomance #Giveaway

Cindy Kehagiaras is here to tell us about Songs, Sails, & Silly Dating Schemes, a Love in Destiny contemporary romance.

There's also a great giveaway.

_____________________

Songs, Sails & Silly Dating Schemes
Cindy Kehagiaras
(A Love In Destiny Romance)
Publication date: September 2nd 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Shay Lazar was a childhood TV star and a 1990s “It Girl,” but left the spotlight to raise her two kids and be the supportive partner to “America’s Sweetheart,” Jack Cole…for almost thirty years. Now she wants back into the Hollywood Machine at fifty-two but the producer for show she wants to do called her Jack’s “Doormat”. Now she’s reassessing her life by hiding at her aunt’s house in Destiny, Florida, after a very publicized and possibly a career-ending incident.

Drew Slater wants to be left alone. The former ‘One-Hit-Wonder’ will never play his song again. He’s pretending his life is settled, but when a star falls out of the sky and onto his boat, he knows a hurricane is coming, and her name is Shay Lazar.

Songs, Sails & Silly Dating Schemes is a steamy over-40 romance set in the magical town of Destiny with Yacht Rock vibes and a Fake Dating Trope gone right with a stunning Hollywood Ending. SS&SDS is the fourth book in the Destiny Romance Series.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

He drove straight out onto the runway of the small airport, then came to a stop next to another police cruiser with its lights off, a big black Lincoln Navigator sat at the base of an impressive private jet. The stairs were down and the light inside glowed behind the sheen of the early morning mist. A peach illumination in the distance reminded me how much I hated sunrises these days.

I used to love them. Seeing a sunrise meant I’d spent an entire night with friends and lovers talking and partying all the way to the next day. It meant I was living, really living. Not waisting too much time asleep but being awake and free to create music and memories. That was long ago. Three lifetimes ago. Now it meant I couldn’t sleep. That the memories kept me awake. That I was still living and forced to be a functioning human. I was surviving enough for my daughter and her insistence that I stay in her life, when she wasn’t mad at me. And the music, always the music, but other people’s music. Not mine, never mine. “Alright.” Kurt met me at the top of the stairs. “Now, this is strictly confidential. I’ve had explicit instructions to deny any goings on here for the safety of the passenger,” he stated gravely.

“What in the hell are you talking about?”

He used to work for Bernie and Sandy when they lived at BernSand full time. But they let his crew go when they left on their cruise and Kurt wasn’t too happy about it. I wasn’t sure why he was involved with this mystery person or who was paying him.

Kurt turned his bulky body sideways and placed his hands on his hips. My view of a heap on the floor in the middle isle of the plane was still slightly obscured by his massiveness. I pushed past him to get a better look. I’d seen women passed out on the floor before, maybe too many times to have any strong emotions about it. I only wanted to know who it was that was so important that the police needed my sorry ass in the middle of the night.

“I’m not sure how many of these she took,” The airplane captain in his white uniform held out a prescription bottle to me on the far side to the body. I didn’t take it. I needed to see who the woman was.

I knelt at her bare feet. She wore ivory silk pants and matching blouse, almost like pajamas making her look ethereal in the way she lay on her side like a Botticelli painting. Her dark hair lay across her face. I heard a gasp from Stewie when I brushed the hair way from her face. The bandage across her forehead and large yellow and purple bruise on her swollen cheek almost made her unidentifiable, except for the dark beauty mark next to her right eye, long luscious lashes, and full pink lips.

I looked back at Kurt. “This is Shay Lazar.”

Author Bio:

"The Perpetual," my over 40-second chance romance, has won the coveted "Stiletto Award" by Contemporary Romance Writers in the Mid-length Contemporary Romance category.

BIO: My writing journey began after my 50th birthday, and the pandemic lockdown allowed me to write. Some of my stories have haunted my dreams for decades. When the characters shouted day and night, I knew I had to write about them. These days I love to read and write stories about second chances with GenX characters in over 40, later in life, and mature steamy romances.

My previous lives have been in advertising, fashion, and small business owner. I've made it my life’s ambition to push through the challenges of dyslexia to consume novels, poetry, and articles and tell my stories.

A proud native Californian, I live in Hermosa Beach, CA, with my husband of 17 years, two beautiful kids, and two spunky-rescue kitties.

Please find me on all social media platforms.

Linktree


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Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Rekindled Flame - A Second Chance Firefighter Romance #Romance #SecondChanceRomance #FirefighterRomance #SecondChanceFirefighterRomance

Ella Braeme is here to tell us about her second chance firefighter romance Rekindled Flame.

Read on for details...

___________________________

Rekindled Flame

A Second Chance Firefighter Romance by Ella Braeme

Book Links

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/rekindled-flame
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FD87RMRW
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236532005-rekindled-flame
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/rekindled-flame-a-second-chance-firefighter-romance-burning-hearts-book-1-by-ella-braeme
Website: https://ellabraeme.com/2025/08/17/rekindled-flame-a-second-chance-firefighter-romance/

 

Book Details

Book 1 in the Burning Hearts series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FD87RMRV
Publication Date: September 3, 2025
37,000 words / 137 pages
Available in Kindle Unlimited and as paperback
Perfect for fans of Susan Stoker and Zoe York.

Blurb

When old flames reignite, sparks fly.

Volunteer firefighter Shawn Miller thought he had his life figured out in small-town Elken Grove. His print shop pays the bills while his real passion—fighting fires—keeps him connected to the community he loves. Then his new Captain walks through the station doors: Rebecca "Becks" Schwartz, the woman who walked out of his life nine years ago. Now she's his superior officer, and someone in the department is determined to drive her away—or worse. As danger closes in, Shawn must balance protecting Becks with respecting her authority. But when sparks fly hotter than ever between them, he realizes some flames aren't meant to be extinguished—they're meant to be stoked. Get REKINDLED FLAME today and feel the heat of this slow-burn second chance romance!

♥ firefighter romance ♥ second chance ♥ small town ♥ protective hero ♥ workplace romance ♥ she’s his boss ♥ contemporary ♥ first responder ♥

Read now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FD87RMRW

Early Review Quotes

★★★★★ "This is a wonderful page turner." - Goodreads review

★★★★★ "Shawn and Becks second chance story is not without some major events which keeps the reader entranced by the story." - Goodreads review

★★★★★ "I loved this story with its second chance at love for these two." - Goodreads review

★★★★ "The characters Shawn and Rebecca are going to deliver a very entertaining book for you to enjoy reading." - Goodreads review Excerpts

Excerpt

“There’s something else you should know before you leave.”

Something in the chief’s tone made Shawn sink back into his chair. “Sir?”

“The new captain is a woman,” Washington said carefully, clearly bracing for resistance. “Rebecca Schwartz from the Charlotte Fire Department. Goes by Becks, according to her application. She’ll be arriving Thursday next week for an informal meet-and-greet at Mr. Jones & Husband, then coming by on Saturday to meet the volunteers during training before officially starting on Monday.”

Shawn nodded, unfazed by the gender revelation. “A female captain? That’s fine by—“ But the words died in his throat as the full name registered. The folder slipped from his suddenly numb fingers, papers spilling across the floor. Rebecca Schwartz. The name echoed in his head like the aftershock of an explosion. “Rebecca Schwartz?” he repeated, his voice sounding distant to his own ears.

Washington’s eyebrows rose slightly at Shawn’s reaction. “You know her?”

Know her? Shawn almost laughed at the absurdity of the question. He’d known her as Becca back then—sweet-faced but determined Becca with her infectious laugh and fierce ambition. He’d known the curve of her smile and the scent of her skin. Known her dreams and fears. Known the sound of her voice first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. Until he hadn’t.

“We trained together,” he said finally, the understatement of the decade. “At the North Carolina Fire Academy. When I knew her, she went by Becca, not Becks.”

Washington frowned, clearly surprised by this information. “I didn’t connect the dots when reviewing your files.” He leaned forward, suddenly concerned. “Is this going to be a problem?”

Shawn bent to gather the scattered papers, grateful for the chance to hide his expression. Memories he’d buried years ago resurfaced in vivid detail—Becca’s fierce determination during training exercises, her infectious laugh during rare moments of downtime, the devastating fury in her eyes the last time they’d spoken.

“I never want to see your face again, Miller. Keep six feet away from me for the rest of our lives.”

He straightened, clutching the reassembled folder, his knuckles white against the manila paper. “No, sir. No problem at all.”

To read on, get you copy now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FD87RMRW

About the Author

Ella Braeme writes steamy small-town romance where protective heroes and the women who capture their hearts find love in the mountains and marshlands of Georgia. Whether her characters are running toward danger or running from their past, they always find their way to happily-ever-after. When she's not dreaming up new ways for couples to fall headlong into danger (and love), she's in her garden, supervised by a dog who firmly believes digging holes helps the flowers grow. Her quick, satisfying reads deliver the perfect escape, whether you're sneaking in a chapter during lunch or staying up way too late to reach that happily-ever-after.

Connect with Ella

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ellawritesromance
Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/ellawritesromance
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22846173.Ella_Braeme
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ella-braeme
Sign-up to her emails and get a free novella https://ellabraeme.com/newsletter-signup.htm
Author Website: https://ellabraeme.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ella-Braeme/author/B0BKL79CSM

Also by Ella Braeme

Elken Grove Mountain Men series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPL86ZSM/

Married in Windfall series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CBS76NN4 ARC



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Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Changing Woman's Hair - Suspense Thriller - Marin Sinclair Book 2 #Suspense #Thriller

Jan D. Payne is here to tell us about Changing Woman's Hair, book 2 Marin Sinclair, a suspense thriller.

Read on for details...

__________________________
 

 


Marin Sinclair, Book 2


Suspense Thriller

Date Published: 09/15/2025

Publisher: RabbitHole LLC



When Marin Sinclair discovers teenager Garret Washburn in danger from a deadly conspiracy involving bootlegged alcohol, wolf-witches, an election campaign, murder, and an unknown bomber, she looks to Navajo Nation Police Sergeant Justin Blue Eyes and Federal Agent Cullen MacPherson to help protect Vangie Tso's son from the dark forces at play.


Excerpt


—“It’s likely the same guys,” Franklin whispered. “You need to go for help. Get word to Sergeant Blue Eyes.”

“I can’t go without you,” she said, and Franklin took her hand and pressed it against his side. When she pulled her hand away, it was wet and sticky.

“You’re bleeding!” she said, and Franklin’s nod was dimly visible in the darkness lit only by the fires. “I’ll find something to help,” Marin said, and crawled through the hogan’s entrance, searching by feel until she found several pieces of soft clothing or bedding.

“Hold this over the wound and press,” she said, making a thick pad. She tied the pad around Franklin using a length of bale twine, and he gasped, then sat taking deep breaths.

“Sorry, we need to get the bleeding stopped,” she whispered.

Franklin took another breath and gave a low whistle. A horse broke away from the bunched group and came close to the rails, snorting softly.

“Here is your friend, Otekah,” Franklin said and ducked into the corral. “You must take her and go.”

“Go where?”

Franklin didn’t answer. He took a rope from a corral post and ran the rope behind Otekah’s ears, made a quick turn around the mare’s muzzle, and looped a knot into the side of the make-shift halter. He pushed the end of the rope into Marin’s hands.

“No,” she said. “I can’t leave you. You’re hurt.”

“They’ll soon come looking,” Franklin said. “Trust Otekah to find the way. She’ll be going home.”

“I can’t find my way in the dark!” Marin said.

“She knows the way. There is only one gate to open; our home is near the canyon’s end. You will be able to climb out.”

“No … ” Marin said.

“Climb up to the rim road. Bring back help.”

“Franklin, I can’t climb the canyon wall!”

“There are handholds to guide you,” he said, and he pushed something cold, round, and metallic into her hands … a flashlight.

“I shot one of those Indian kids,” said a man’s deep voice and she and Franklin froze, sinking deeper into the hogan’s shadows. “He ran over here.”

“Lay off. I’m not about to get trampled trying to find him,” a second man answered.

“He’s in here, I know it.”

“He’s not going anywhere. He’s got nowhere to run with this hut built up against the canyon wall.”

“You can either come out or you can bleed to death!” the first man shouted, and there was a sudden blast of gunfire.

Marin yelped, and Otekah reared, yanking the rope from her hands and whirling away. Yuma, his gray coat barely visible, whistled shrilly and kicked against the corral poles until the saplings shuddered.

“I said lay off, you idiot! A pole fence won’t hold half-ton horses! You’ll get us trampled! You don’t even know if the kid’s in there.”

The first man raised his voice. “You hear that, Injun boy? We’re gonna start shooting your horses if you don’t come out!”

“Stow it, Jack! You start shooting and these horses will go crazy. That kid’s not going anywhere. We need to get back to the prisoners.”

“Prisoners,” Marin breathed when the men walked away. “We have to stay and help them.”

“No. You must go, shadi,” Franklin said, making a soft clucking noise until Otekah once more came close, tossing her head as the other horses restlessly circled the corral, stamping and blowing. “My beauty,” Franklin murmured, picking up the trailing rope and looping it around Otekah’s neck.

“This is a bad idea,” Marin said, but she climbed between the corral poles to lean against Otekah’s warmth. The horses were bunched together, pressing hard against the gate poles, anxious to escape, eager to run. Still …

“I’d never forgive myself if you and the others … ”

“You must bring help, tell the Sergeant what has happened.”

There was no one else to go.

When Franklin again pushed the flashlight into her hands, she took it and shoved it into her waistband, then caught Otekah’s mane and rolled onto the mare’s back, catching up the rope in one hand.

Franklin murmured something that sounded like a prayer and slid a pole from the top of the gate. Carefully he lowered one end to the ground, then reached for the next pole and did the same. Even with only two poles down, the horses began to push into the gap, Otekah with them, and Marin clutched the halter rope breathing in the familiar scent of horse—dust, dried grass, musky sweat.

“I’m not sure I can guide her.”

“Just stay on,” Franklin returned.

Marin wrapped the rope tight around her hand and twisted both hands into Otekah’s mane, aware of a familiar rush of excitement, that stomach-clenching tension when Dandy’s muscles had bunched beneath her the second before the rodeo arena gate flew open and they shot forward. She’d done this a hundred times or more, and she bent low to Otekah’s neck, gathering focus.

“Ready … ” Franklin whispered, and he eased the last pole to the ground.

“Franklin, I … ” Marin began, but Franklin stepped back, gave a shrill, yipping yell, and slapped Otekah across the rump, waving his hat as the horses surged forward.—

 

About the Author


Drawing from her own life story in the Four Corners area of the Navajo Nation, author Jan D. Payne offers readers a journey into the heart of the American Southwest in a modern-day romantic suspense series. Writing characters who navigate diverse cultural influences to explore the lines between the seen and the unseen, the modern and the traditional, the present and the past—she creates a world where the impossible becomes possible, and mythical legends come to life.

Jan is a member of Western Writers of America and Women Writing the West. She and her husband live in northern Minnesota with their three big dogs—Kaibab, Rudi, and Orrin. Visit her website at: jandpayne.com


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