Welcome to my stop on the CBLS Blog Tour for Hell or High Water! Check out the excerpt and giveaway below. There’s also a guest post from author Jerrie Alexander about hometown sayings — I hope you’ll share yours!
Hell or High Water (Lost and Found, Inc. #1)
by Jerrie Alexander
Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Categories: Action/Adventure
Publisher: Etopia Press
Release Date: February 22, 2013
Heat Level: Steamy
Word Count: 80,000
Buy Links
Coming soon…
Blurb
When ex-SEAL Nate Wolfe learns a woman from his past is in danger, nothing will stop him from protecting her. Not even her.
Dallas Child Protection Services Investigator Kay Taylor doesn’t want or need Nate in her life. But he doesn’t seem to understand the word no. He seems to also have forgotten the brand he left on her heart.
When Kay is taken and sold to a monster, the devil himself couldn’t stop Nate from doing whatever it takes to find her…but will he be in time?
Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.
Excerpt #2:
Nate picked the lock on Kaycie’s apartment and eased inside. The minute he stepped through the door the hair on the back of his neck rose. She wasn’t home, so why the sizzle of nerves? He shook it off.
It wasn’t difficult to convince himself that looking around was purely tactical. Necessary to ensure he could protect her.
Tyrell and Marcus would arrive in an hour. The three of them were having an intervention with Kaycie when she got home. She’d protest him getting involved, but until he stopped the threat against her she’d travel with an armed bodyguard.
The open floor plan of her small apartment lumped the kitchen, dining and living area into one big room and made for easy defending. The solid wall of windows troubled him, but he could close the blinds, effectively eliminating the possibility of someone getting a clear shot. He double-checked the locks on the windows. He shoved his fingers through his hair, tying it off his face.
The room at the end of the hall had to be Kaycie’s bedroom. He moved silently, stopped just inside the doorway, and breathed in the air where she slept. Sensible Kaycie, the room wasn’t elaborate or fancy. No luxurious king-size bed; she slept on a queen.
He could make do with a queen. If she was stretched out naked in it. He applied a mental head slap. No complications needed.
Every open space was filled with books, souvenirs, and pictures. He wondered if she’d kept the Saint Jude medallion. Maybe tucked it away in the back of the jewelry box or wrapped in tissue secured in one of those drawers on the dresser. More likely, she’d dropped it in the nearest trashcan the day he left for boot camp.
She deserved a better man, somebody without all his baggage. Somebody who didn’t reach for a weapon at every sound. Somebody who’d always be there for her.
The front door opened and closed, snapping him to the present. Nate froze. His pulse quickened. Not good. He’d let his thoughts wander and missed hearing the lock turn.
Or did Kaycie have an unwelcome visitor?
Other than him.
Keys jangled and Nate released the breath he’d held. Kaycie was home. He stifled a chuckle. Finding him in her apartment would seriously piss her off.
Nate silently moved down the hall. He found her in the kitchen with her back to him. Reaching up, she removed a glass from the shelf, giving him the opportunity he needed. He moved fast, trapping her between the counter with his body, his arms wrapped around, pinning hers to her side.
She screamed and tried to whirl. Wasn’t happening. She stomped where his feet should’ve been. Nice move, but he’d spread his legs out of reach. He leaned in tighter. He wouldn’t hurt her just keep her still. Damn, she’d mastered a few self-defense techniques over the years. He tightened his grip to immobilize her.
Inches from the nape of her neck, he fought an unexpected urge to lean down and test that spot right behind her ear. The sensitive place he used to kiss again and again until she purred.
She tried to butt him with the back of her head. Time to make her aware of who had her pinned.
“Nate, you bastard. Get off me.”
Apparently, she already knew.
“That Glock on your hip is no help if it’s holstered.” He intended to rest his hand on her gun, but instead, and of its own accord, he found the palm of his hand resting on her taut belly.
He stepped back before his erection pressing against her drew her attention. Her fingers wrapped around the butt of the gun.
“Don’t try it,” he warned.
“Get over yourself.” Her tone matched the hate in her eyes. “You really think I care enough about you to shoot you?”
Guest Post:
Tricia, thank you for having me as your guest today. I’m excited to introduce your friends and readers to my soon to be released romantic suspense, HELL or HIGH WATER.
From time to time, people tell me that I speak with an accent! In reality, I secretly think they’re the one who speaks a little left of center. It happened again this morning.
That got me to thinking. Slang can be a little confusing, so I turned to my trusty friend Google. I wanted to know just what was out in the universe about Texan ‘speech’. Turns out that other folks have been curious about the same thing. Can you believe on the Rice University site I found a huge list of Texas speak? Really! http://www.rice.edu/armadillo/Texas/talk.htmlimagination.
Now I know the definition of the sayings or words below mean, but do you?
- 1. Got your tail over the line
- 2. Beat a dead horse
- 3. Bee in the bonnet
- 4. If it blows your skirt up
- 5. Catty whompus
- 6. Frog-strangler
- 7. Galoot
- 8. gully washer
- 9. Dawgs
- 10. Sashay
- 11. Hissy fit
The sayings below don’t need definitions, I threw them in because my daddy used these phrases.
“Evil thoughts are like chickens–they come home to roost.”
“You can always tell a Texan, but you can’t tell him much.”
“Tend to your own rat killin’.” (Mind your own business!)
I hope you’ll share a few of your hometown sayings with us!
Giveaway Info:
Prize is 1 eBook copy of “Green-Eyed Doll” PLUS “Green-Eyed Doll” and “Hell or High Water” bookmarks. Contest is tour-wide, open internationally and ends Apr 16. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
Rafflecopter Code: Hell or High Water Giveaway
About the Author
A student of creative writing in her youth, Jerrie set aside her passion when life presented her with a John Wayne husband, and two wonderful children. A career in logistics offered her the opportunity to travel to many beautiful locations in America, and she revisits them in her romantic suspense novels.
But the characters went with her, talked to her, and insisted she share their dark, sexy stories with others. She writes alpha males and kick-ass women who weave their way through death and fear to emerge stronger because of, and on occasion in spite of, their love for each other. She likes to torture people, make them suffer, and if they’re strong enough, they live happily ever after.
The author of THE GREEN-EYED DOLL, THE LAST EXECUTION, and her latest release, HELL or HIGH WATER, Book 1 in the Lost and Found, Inc. Series, Jerrie lives in Texas, loves sunshine, children’s laughter, sugar (human and granulated), and researching for her heroes and heroines.
Connect with Jerrie Alexander
Website: http://www.jerriealexander.com/
Blog: http://www.jerriealexander.com/category/blog/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jerriealexander
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JerrieAlexanderAuthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/jerriealexander
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jerriealexander/
Musings of a Writing Reader 
Tricia, thank you for hosting me today. Hell or High Water missed its production, but it’s in the cue, and I hope to have a firm date soon. I’m excited to chat about this book. It was great fun researching and writing it.
Hi Jerrie! Fun read! I lived in El Paso a couple times when I was a little girl (Army brat) so I know a few of your words. I’m very familiar with ‘hissy fit’ – LOL
I’ll have to think of what sayings I use that might be strange to some people. The only one that comes to mind is when I ask my husband to “reach me” something from a high shelf. He always teases me saying that doesn’t make sense. My mom used to say it. She was from the mid-west. Now my dad had a few sayings that I can’t repeat here. 😉 Have a great day!
Sharon! Thank you for stopping by. My dad had a few too! You have a great weekend.
Jerrie, I LOVE your excerpt! The book is going on my list!
I’ve been saying “go on with your bad self” a lot lately. It mostly means – Yay, you! – but it can also be sarcastic as in “you think you’re cool, but maybe…not so much.”
A lot of my contemporaries also use “DUDE” to convey a wide variety of meanings depending on the voice inflection. 🙂
Misty! Thanks for your support!! Dude is good. Thanks for putting the book on your list!
Ohmygosh! I love these sayings!! No wonder your books are so amazing! I read both The Green-Eyed Doll and The Last Execution and CAN’T wait for this one to come out!!
Thank you, Barb.
Hey, Jerrie and Tricia. Great way to start of the morning with chuckles about how we speak down here. And this just gets at the way we put words together, not the way they sound. A whole other post. LOL
My mother, a refined southern lady, who could cut loose when called for, mostly said, “Foot!” for like “dard.” I truly don’t believe she used in place of othe other “F-word.” Remember I said she was a lady. Nor do I say that other word, but I’ve found “Foot” is useful. I tweeted and FB-ed. Others need to see this and read the super excerpt of Jerries’s book.
Thank you for stopping by! I appreciate your support.
Grat post Jerrie. Loved the sayings.