Hearts Akilter
by Catherine E. McLean
A novella coming soon from The Wild Rose Press!
Visit the author's website to
enter to win a $50 gift card as part of the book launch.
Love, vengeance, attempted murder, and a bomb...No reason to panic.
When a medical robot insists he's having a heart attack,
Marlee Evans, a pragmatic maintenance technician, has every reason to panic.
There's a bomb inside him. Since Marlee
can't risk the bomber discovering she's found the device, her only option is to
kidnap Deacon Black, an unflappable bomb expert, and secretly convince him to
disarm it. Things go slightly awry when
Deacon sets a trap for someone who is trying to kill him, and inadvertently
captures Marlee instead. Instantly
intrigued by her refreshingly forthright and gutsy attitude, he's smitten. Unfortunately for Deacon, Marlee recently
hardened her heart and swore off men, especially handsome ones with
boy-next-door grins. But as Marlee and
Deacon attempt to identify and prevent the bomber from detonating the device,
they discover that love may be the most explosive force of all.
Available for Pre-Order
Now:
Excerpt
HEARTS AKILTER
By Catherine E.
McLean @ 2015
The bomb. Right. Dismantle the
bomb. In this lift? No, that was insane. “Marlene, if the bomb goes off
accidentally—”
“It’ll blow the station to kingdom
come?”
He nodded.
“Not to worry.”
She said that with such nonchalance that he found himself speechless.
He cleared his throat. “Why not? Did you snatch the portable Bomb Disposal
Unit, too?”
“Better.”
“What’s better than a BDU?”
“Garbage incinerators.”
“What?” He glanced out into the
darkness beyond the lift.
Giant machinery stood silhouetted
and veiled in shadows. “Where are we?”
“Deck forty-three, Ring D zero
three. Relax. Don’t panic. They once
accidentally incinerated a torpedo in number four, over yonder.”
She pointed to the left. “Nobody
heard or felt it explode, and there wasn’t even a drail’s worth of damage done
to the incinerator, or anything else.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“It happened three years ago. I was
there, a deck above.
Never mind.”
Henry manipulated his finger
appendage, grabbing and briefly tugging the shirt sleeve of Deacon’s good arm.
“Marlee would never lie about anything so important.”
“Does she lie about unimportant
things?” He instantly regretted his caustic remark.
“I do not know.” Henry spun
sideways, facing Marlee. “Do you lie about unimportant things, Marlee?”
“I have been known to tell a white
lie now and then to spare someone’s feelings, but on the whole—” She looked
away from Henry.
As her blacker than black eyes met
his gaze, Deacon felt pinned to the wall.
About Catherine E.
McLean
Besides Catherine being a wife and mother, she has ridden
and exhibited Morgan Sport Horses. She's an avid clothing and costume designer,
an award-winning amateur photographer, a 4-H leader, and a Red Hatter who loves
bling.
She lives on a farm nestled in the foothills of the
Allegheny Mountains of Western Pennsylvania. In the quiet of the countryside,
she writes fantasy, futuristic, and paranormal stories where a reader can
escape to other worlds for adventure and romance.
Her short stories have appeared in hard-copy and online
anthologies and magazines. Besides having two novels published, soon to be
released is her lighthearted fantasy/sci-fi romance HEARTS AKILTER. Catherine
also gives writing workshops, both online and in-person. A schedule is posted
at http://www.writerscheatsheets.com/workshops.html
Catherine's website for writers is http://www.WritersCheatSheets.com and she
blogs at http://writerscheatsheets.blogspot.com/
Hub Website: http://www.CatherineEmclean.com
Connect with Catherine at:
http://www.catherineemclean.com/contact-me.html
