Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Guest Author Donna Michaels

 



Good morning! I’m Donna Michaels and I write hot, humorous, heartwarming romances and I’d love to share one with you today, and mention another. One is my latest release and the other is a loosely related pre-order.

First is SHADOW OF HOPE, my contribution to the multi-authored Shadow SEALs series. What is the Shadow SEALs Series? The Shadow SEALs were once the best of the best, recruited from obscurity after their fall from grace to work in the shadows, enacting justice upon our enemies and protecting those caught in the crosshairs by any means necessary. Each book is a standalone, so you can enjoy them in any order!

 

SHADOW OF HOPE
Shadow SEALs
by Donna Michaels

Working with the feisty archeologist could heal his soul…or cost more than just his trident.

“Hope and Griff's story is thought provoking and contains intrigue, romance, humor, suspense, drama, twist and turns, and a HEA! Well done, Donna! I read it three times in two days! Highly recommend!” ~KimbaWags

 

BLURB:

A chance to prove his worth leads to a love worth saving…

Just when he starts to come to terms with the fact his life as an operator is in the past and it’s time to reinvent himself, Griffin Wolfe is pulled back into the action by a secret shadow organization.

Just when she thought it was safe to return to the field, Dr. Hope Jones stumbles onto a plot to use artifacts to fund a series of terrorist attacks.

Taking this assignment and working with the feisty archeologist could heal his soul…or cost Griff more than just his trident. Either way, he is going to be a shadow of hope.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/345tSFX
Apple: https://apple.co/3r1b0kw
B&N: https://bit.ly/3rRPFsU
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3ACCzDH

Website: https://www.donnamichaelsauthor.com/shadow-of-hope

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/shadow-of-hope-by-donna-michaels

Print: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y4WMJ6Z

 

EXCERPT:

“What do you want, Charley?”

“A minute of your time, Master Chief.”

He ground his teeth. “The last time you called me, that phone ended up in the drink. This one isn’t far behind.”

“That would be unwise,” she said, her tone too damn smug to suit him, but his curiosity kept him on the line.

“And why is that?”

“Because I know you have more medals and commendations than the letters in your name,” she replied. “I also know your last mission went south and innocent lives were lost because a poor decision was made by someone higher up. The same someone that threw you under the bus.”

His blood ran cold. “All stuff I stated at my court-martial. Didn’t matter then. Doesn’t matter now. Is this really what you tracked me down to talk about? Because I think this conversation is about over.”

He stepped toward the edge of the boat, prepared to make good on his unveiled threat.

 “I need your help.” Her lone statement hung in the air, piquing his interest more than he cared to admit.

“My help?” He snorted. “You undoubtedly work for one of the three-letter agencies. There are all sorts of assets at your fingertips. Call one of them. I’m no longer one of Uncle Sam’s puppets.”

“Not asking you to be one,” she countered. “A local archeologist is in trouble. She’s currently at the consulate in Merida where she dropped a code name that put her in more danger than she could possibly imagine.”

Not at all what he’d expected the woman to say.

He scratched his temple. “What code name and what kind of trouble?”

Dammit. The questions escaped before he could stop them.

“You’ll have to open the envelope before I answer.”

He smirked. Figured. “Let me guess—by opening that means what? I’m working for you?”

“Yes.”

He eyed the envelope on the table, his gut telling him he should open it, while his brain insisted that he toss it overboard along with the phone. “I’m not agreeing to anything until I know what the job entails.”

His gut won out, but with stipulations.

Griff had learned long ago to always listen to his gut. Had he listened to it on that last mission and disobeyed his orders, things would be a little different. Oh, his damn court-martial would’ve still happened, no doubt, but those civilians would still be alive.

“Fair enough,” she replied. “I need you to rescue the archeologist and take her to a safehouse I’ve arranged.”

“Why me?”

“You’re in the vicinity.”

“So are you,” he said, glancing around. “I know you have eyes on me. You also paid a visit to Garza’s, so why not do this yourself?”

“Rescues aren’t my niche,” she replied. “You, on the other hand, are great at it. I’m looking at your record right now. Dozens and dozens of rescues under your belt. All successful.”

His spine stiffened but he controlled his expression, refusing to show his displeasure or surprise at her ability to gain access to his top-secret file. But he shouldn’t be surprised.

Typical spook shit.

“So glad you approve,” he scoffed.

“Will you take the job, Master Chief?” she asked again, ignoring his comment and his aversion to being addressed by his old rank. “Trust me. All the incentive you need is in the envelope.”

Trust her? He grunted. He didn’t trust anyone. The last time he did that he got burned. He didn’t need to tell this woman. She had access to his file. Hell, she probably knew more about him than he knew himself.

But he did trust his intuition about the damn envelope despite every attempt to disregard the notion. With the phone still pressed to his ear, Griff swiped the envelope off the table and carried it into the cabin.

He didn’t like being played and this woman was playing him.

“I have bookings tomorrow,” he said, pushing against her authority. “I can’t cancel them.”

A light swooshing sound came through the phone, and he got the impression she flicked her hair over her shoulder.

“I already did.”

His indrawn breath did little to relieve the white-hot anger coursing through his veins. “Who the hell gave you the right?”

“Relax. They’ve been properly refunded, and your marina fee for the next three months is being paid as we speak.”

He blinked.

Just who was this Charley?

Ire lifted his chin. “I don’t recall agreeing to anything.”

“Dr. Jones doesn’t have time for formalities, Master Chief,” Charley said, aggravation deepening her tone. “She needs our help now.”

A swift wave of remorse cooled his lingering anger. Charley was right. The longer he took to decide, the more this archeologist was in danger.

“If you accept the job, all evidence of your court-martial will disappear and your pension will be reinstated,” Charley told him as if hacking unhackable files was something she did every day.

He raised a brow and lowered the phone to the table after hitting the speaker button.

“You can rejoin the teams,” she added.

He shook his head. “Not interested in rejoining them. I meant what I said. I’m no longer Uncle Sam’s puppet.”

“But…?” she prompted. “Sounded like there was a but in there.”

The woman had eyes on him, so she was more than aware of his actions.

Griff opened the envelope and dumped the contents onto the table in the galley. Two sets of keys fell out of the envelope along with two photos. The first picture was of a state-of-the-art cabin cruiser too far out of reach of his bank account to ever enter his fantasies, but it was the other beauty that caught and held his attention. He picked up the photo of a familiar woman with brown hair and brown eyes whose warm, friendly smile sent a fission of awareness down his spine.

It was her.

The woman from the resort.

She was this archeologist, Dr. Jones?

It wasn’t lost on him that her name and profession matched an 80s movie character, nor was the fact he couldn’t tear his gaze from her smiling image.

“So, I take that to mean we have a deal,” Charley said.

Griff nodded, still staring at the photo. “I’ll do it.”

The thought of this woman being in trouble sent an unexpected tightness through his chest.

“…keys to a black SUV in the parking lot when you get there,” she was saying, but it barely registered as he continued to study the photo, intrigued by the gold flecks in the brown eyes smiling up at him. He’d never gotten close enough to notice them before. “The other set belongs to the boat in the photo. It’s berthed at a marina in Merida. Address is on back of the photo. Take Hope there.”

Hope…

The name suited the beauty. Embodied her perfectly.

“Use it as a safehouse. Go to the coordinates already programmed into the GPS then call me for further instructions,” Charley continued. “And after the job is over, the boat is yours.”

That part did register, but the uptick in his pulse as he shoved the photos back in the envelope and pocketed the keys had nothing to do with the cabin cruiser, and everything to do with the brown-eyed beauty in peril.

“Why is she in trouble and who is after her?” he asked, stuffing the envelope and clothes into a duffle bag.

“Powerful people looking for a treasure she and her team leader may have stumbled upon last month,” Charley replied.

Damn.

He removed his Sig from a safe installed in a panel above the small dining alcove. “This is all the firepower I have,” he told her, shoving in his lone clip of ammo.

The familiar sound echoed through the cabin and a sense of calm washed over him. Griff refused to dissect what that meant, instead choosing to embrace the feeling.

“There’s plenty more waiting for you in the SUV on the mainland in Merida,” she informed while he secured the weapon under the waistband of his jeans. “I’m sending a portfolio on the doctor and the mission to your phone. You can read it on your flight.”

Flight?

His phone dinged, alerting him of the incoming file, as the unmistakable whooshing sound of an approaching helicopter met his ears.

“That’s your transport to Merida. Move. Now, Master Chief,” Charley urged. “ETA on the north beach is less than two minutes out.”

Aw, shit.

Ten seconds later, the bag of gaskets was secured inside his locked cabin, and he was racing down the dock, duffle bag in hand, and his old friend—adrenaline—pumping through his veins.

Griff had already wasted precious time. He just hoped Dr. Jones wasn’t paying the price for his hesitancy.

It was time to get down to business.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Coming June 28th

 

You met him in the Yucatan in Shadow of Hope,  now travel back to Texas with Sinjin where he discovers his own HEA on June 28th!

 

SINJIN
HC Heroes/Book 9

Rel. 6/28/22

New state. New job. Same inner demons.

Sinjin moved back to Texas to work with his D-Force brothers, counting on them to spark his humanity. What he hasn’t counted on is for that spark—and a whole lot more—to come from his sexy next-door neighbor.

Isla Watts is a nurturer by nature so it’s natural for her to become a nurse, only fate intervenes and delays her dream. But now she is back on track and back in school for her final year. Too bad her sexy neighbor is a hot distraction she can’t afford…to miss.

Overexposure to the sweet angel breaks down his barriers, but when her life is threatened by a relative of a patient who dies, Sinjin’s inner demons resurface, and he is forced to choose a path to either save her indefinitely or save his soul.

 

Pre-Order today!

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09XP792TG

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1618819982

KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/sinjin-7

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinjin-donna-michaels/1141346641

 

 

ABOUT DONNA MICHAELS

 

Donna Michaels is an award winning, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of Romaginative fiction. Her hot, humorous, and heartwarming stories include cowboys, men in uniform, and some sexy primal alphas who are equally matched by their heroines. With a husband recently retired from the military, a household of five, four grandchildren, and several rescued cats, she never runs out of material. From short to epic, her books entertain readers across a variety of sub-genres, one was even hand-drawn into a Japanese translation…if only she could read it…

 

Bringing you HEAs-One Hot Alpha Hero at a Time

 

 

CONNECT WITH DONNA:

 

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

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Donna_Michaels

Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/donnamichaels/
Goodreads: 
http://www.goodreads.com/Donna_Michaels

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/donna-michaels
Amazon Author Page: 
http://www.amazon.com/Donna-Michaels/e/B008J24XR2/

Reader Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/3083530485094737/

Newsletter:  https://bit.ly/3LYfwYO

 

Thanks for reading,

 

~Donna

 

www.DonnaMichaelsAuthor.com

 

No comments:

Post a Comment