Traveling + Writing = Interesting Storyline

Oh, oh,  I missed my May blog, but I  do have an excuse.  Last month I traveled out of the country to Cuba.  What an exciting adventure I had.  The trip was for both business as well as pleasure.  I plan on using some of the locales in Cuba as the backdrop for a future novel.

Right now I'm busy writing the second novel in my Stillwaters Trilogy and I'm using a trip I took to London, England last year as a backdrop for Jolene Carson's storyline.  For those of you who haven't read Someone Like Me, the first book in my series ,  Jolene is the youngest of the three Carson sisters that were introduced in Someone Like Me, and Jolene's quite a character.  I'm having a lot of fun pitting this mouthy fish-out-of-water against the stiff upper lip British.  Having Jolene walk the same streets that I walked in London really brings the story to life.  Meanwhile, there's a really good Four Star Review about Someone Like Me on Amazon.com.  I've taken the liberty of posting it below.

Top Customer Reviews - 4.0 out of 5 stars  HOPE REALIZED!  Very Well Written By Amazon Customer 

FORMAT KINDLE EDITION

This is an excellent writer. I loved how she weaved the characters, this was a very good example of character development.  The Heroine was quite something and enjoyed watching her climb the ladder of hope all by herself.  This was a wonderful story of perseverance, faith, the strength of a woman and most of all HOPE!  Very well done Ms. Rhodes, keep them coming.

I certainly will do that and I'm grateful for the review.  Click the Someone Like Me cover and it will take you to Amazon.com 

SOMEONE LIKE ME is FINALLY RELEASED!!!

After all the teasing and all of the taunting, and especially the stalling, the first book in the Stillwaters romantic suspense series is finally out!  Someone Like Me made its debut at the end of  March on Amazon.com. 

The Stillwaters series follows the lives of three sisters, Wanda, Melanie and Jolene.  Each is a strong, resilient woman who face obstacles in their lives they are determined to overcome.  The  women in this series are all over forty, pushing hard on fifty.  I find writing about more mature women much more interesting.  There is a richness and texture in their lives honed by experience that makes the way adversities are handled much different than those of younger protagonists.  I'm working on the second book in the series and I'm having a ball! 

Click on the book cover for Someone Like Me and it will take you straight to Amazon.com.  The book has received a good review already!

SHADOWS OF LOVE IS OUT AT LAST!!

After more delays than I care to admit, my latest romance suspense novel, SHADOWS OF LOVE is finally available in paperback and Ebook format on Amazon.com.  Click the  SHADOWS OF LOVE book cover  and it will take you straight to the site.

I've had to ask myself why did it take so long to release SHADOWS OF LOVE.  To be honest, I finished the book in 2015.  I gave my self numerous excuses as to why I had to delay the book's debut, but one I wouldn't admit to myself, until recently, was that I had mixed feelings about one of the characters in the book.  As an author, I created a protagonist (or maybe he's an antagonist) who has indulged in a lot of unsavory mess in his life.  He even lives a lie up to the moment that his secret is uncovered.  But, for some reason I found myself drawn to this character. I didn't want to  him like him, but I did, so I hesitated putting him out into the world.  My characters, Nedra and Sinclair, find themselves faced with  the same dilemma as the story progresses.  Read SHADOWS OF LOVE and see what you think of the mysterious Mr. H.  

A NEW YEAR

Happy New Year!  I know that I sound like a broken record, but the release of Shadows of Love is coming in 2016! Over the past few months I got distracted with other writing projects but I'm back on track now and aiming for a new release date.  Meanwhile, if this is your first visit to my blog, please enjoy the sneak preview below.

SHADOWS OF LOVE

 

 

PROLOGUE

 

Entering the front door, the woman walked into the house with the confidence of someone who knew its interior well.  She had worked for the owner since he moved here years ago.  She was his cook and housekeeper and it was a job that she enjoyed.

Her employer was a nice man.  He wasn’t demanding and he paid well.  She didn’t work on weekends, so she usually prepared his meals for those days ahead of time.  When she came back to work on Monday, she had no idea that it wouldn’t be another normal day, until she found her employer in bed unconscious.

That was three days ago.  Since his hospitalization, his condition had gone from bad to worse.  The doctor informed her this morning that the situation was grave.  He might not recover.  They asked about his next of kin.

She could provide them with nothing.  All she knew about the man for whom she worked was his name and that he was an American.

After the grim diagnosis, she returned to his house and went into the bedroom that had been converted to an office.  She reasoned that it couldn’t be illegal to break into his locked desk drawer since this was an emergency.  Secretly, she had always wondered what he kept in there.

Getting into the drawer wasn’t easy.  She used every tool she could think of, but nothing worked.  Frustrated, she decided to search the rest of the house and return to the drawer later.  She didn’t expect to find anything, but much to her surprise, buried deep in the back of his bedroom closet, behind his well appointed suits and ties, she found a metal safe deposit box burrowed inside a suitcase.  There was a key taped underneath the box.  It fit the lock and when it was opened she hoped what was inside would offer clues to the mystery of who he was.

 

CHAPTER 1

 “I can’t believe this!”

Nedra Davis-Reasoner banged on the steering wheel of her luxury vehicle in frustration.  This could not be happening!

Refusing to believe the obvious, she turned the key in the ignition and pressed down on the accelerator one more time.  Nothing.   No sound at all.

Looking down at the Burberry trench coat she was wearing, she sighed in resignation.  This could prove embarrassing.

Weighing her options, she considered which one would be best.  Should she call her husband, Sinclair, at his office or the auto club for a tow to a garage?  Sinclair was closer to her.

She was just about to push speed dial when there was a knock on her driver side window.   Startled, Nedra jerked around to see a man peering at her.

“Hey!  You need some help?”

Nedra nodded.  “Yes, I think I do.”

 ****

 Sinclair Reasoner was feeling great.  In a few hours he and Nedra would be on the road to Sausalito where he would spend the upcoming week overdosing on golf.  His best friend, newspaper mogul, Brandon Plaine, introduced him to the sport years ago.  Since then he had been hooked.

Brandon was vacationing with his family at their home in Hawaii, but Sin would still have plenty of playmates.  There was Ray Wilson who was married to Bev Cameron, the mother of Sin’s half sister.  The Wilsons lived on a houseboat in Sausalito and Ray knew every course in Marin County.  Almost as knowledgeable was their other golfing buddy, James Starr.  He and his wife, Dana, lived in Tiburon, not far from Ray and his wife.  Dana was Bev’s younger sister.  The two women were Nedra’s cousins.

This week was about spending time with family, which was something he always enjoyed.  Orphaned as a child, he had grown up on the streets of New York City alone, longing for such a bond.  Now, he cherished everything about being a part of such a close-knit group.

There was a knock on his office door and his administrative assistant entered. 

“This just came for you, special delivery.”  She handed him a single envelope, and placed the rest of the mail in his inbox.  “And your wife is on line one.  She tried to reach you on your cell phone, but it went to voice mail.”

“Okay, thanks.”  Reaching for the receiver Sin threw a cursory glance at the envelope he had been handed.  It was from outside the United States, but he didn’t recognize the return address.

“I’m going home now,” his assistant told him as she started toward the exit.  “Enjoy your time off.”  The door closed behind her.  Sin pushed the speaker phone button.

“Hey, babe, what’s up?”  Absently, he slit the top of the envelope with a sliver plated opener and started to remove the contents.

“Get in your car right now and come get me!”  She sounded desperate.

Sin froze.  “Are you in trouble?  Where are you?”

She gave him the name of the garage where her car had been towed.  “And hurry!”

Tossing the envelope on the desk, Sin pocketed his cell phone, grabbed his suit jacket and hurried out of his office.  When he arrived at the garage, Nedra was waiting outside.  She snatched the car door open and slid inside as soon as he came to a stop.

“Let’s go!” she ordered.

Throwing her a puzzled glance, he pulled away from the curb. “What did you do, rob the place?”

Covering her face with both hands, Nedra shook her head slowly and sank down in the seat.  “Lord, lord, lord.”

“What happened?  Did they stiff you on the car?”

“Just drive, please.” 

Sin did as ordered, wondering what was wrong with his wife.  She sat in the passenger seat holding her coat tightly against her body and looking glum.  When he turned to head back to his office, she nearly jumped out her skin.

“Where are you going?  I thought you were going home!”

“I left my briefcase.  My laptop is in it.  I want to take it with us.   Now what’s wrong with you?”

She ignored his question. “It’s past work hours, is anybody still there?”

“There wasn’t when I left.”  Pulling into his private parking place in front of the Victorian mansion that housed his successful import business, he cut off the ignition and turned to face her.  “Did something happen I should know about?”  His voice deepened. “Did somebody hurt you?”  He looked poised for action if she confirmed the latter.

Understanding his concern, Nedra decided to show him rather than tell him. 

“Since nobody is inside, I’ll go with you upstairs.  We’ll talk then.”

When they arrived in his office, Sin closed the door behind them, leaned against it and crossed his arms.  “So talk.”

Tossing her purse on the desk, Nedra turned and let her eyes feast on the male specimen she had married.  The man was downright fine.  Who could resist that chocolate brown skin, those coal black eyes, that sexy cleft in his chin or the solitary gold earring he sported?  Sinclair Reasoner turned the heads of women wherever he went.  The slight sprinkle of gray in his hair and his well groomed moustache made him look distinguished.  And when he flashed that smile of his, it was hard for a woman not to wet her panties.  Sin’s nickname suited him well.

Gazing at his fit, six foot two inch frame, Nedra considered herself a fortunate woman, but, Sin should consider himself fortunate too, and she was about to show him why.

Nedra’s light brown eyes held his dark ones as she slowly unbuttoned her coat.  She opened it with pain-staking care.

Sin’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.  His shapely, five foot ten inch wife was standing in front of him dressed in a lacy black demi- bra, matching bikini panties, black patent leather high heels and nothing else.

“Damn!”  His manhood jerked involuntarily.

Nedra gave an anguished sigh.  “I was on my way here to surprise you, when my car stopped and there I was in the public streets half naked!”  Her voice rose in distress.

As he moved toward her like a man in a trance, Sin was trying to focus on what she was saying, but he was mesmerized by a pair of long nutmeg brown legs that seemed to go on forever.  The curve of her bosom as they molded themselves to that bra had him throbbing.  He broke into a sweat.

Nedra slapped a hand to her forehead.  “What was I thinking?  I’m a minister for goodness sake!  The mother of three children!  I can’t run around town naked…”

I wish.

“…trying to play sex games with my husband!”

Oh yes she could!

Nedra grabbed his lapels.  “All I wanted was for us to have a little playtime before we got on the road.”

Yes!

“You know I’ve never done anything like this before!”

Wish she had.

She laid her head against his chest.  “Some tow truck driver was behind me when the car stopped and helped me.  I was so embarrassed.  I was scared the whole time that somebody might find out I was running around like this.”

Sin snaked his arms around her.  Nedra snuggled against him.  She was so glad that she had him there for comfort.  That was until she heard the rumbling in his chest.

She pulled back and looked up at him.  “Are you laughing?”

Sin shook his head vehemently.  “Noooo!”

The word came out in an unconvincing slur that ended in a definite snigger.  He was trying to keep a straight face, but was unsuccessful.  He broke into laughter.  Nedra pushed him away in disgust.

“I don’t believe it!  You’re laughing at me!”

He was and he couldn’t stop.  Sin laughed and laughed while Nedra fumed.  Leaning against the desk, her eyes were slits as she watched him double over and flop down on the sofa.

“Go ahead.  Enjoy yourself,” she said coolly, flipping her coat farther off her shoulders so that he could have a better view of her well toned body in the sexy lingerie.  She had felt the effect her mini striptease had on him when he was holding her.  “And stay over there while you’re at it.”

Sin sobered quickly.  Wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, he rose and sauntered over to his gorgeous wife.  She put her hand up to stop his progress.

“Oh no you don’t.  Keep your distance since you seem to get so much humor out of this.”

“You’ve got to admit that as sexy as you look, baby, what happened is kind of funny.”  He made an unsuccessful attempt to stifle one last snicker before taking another step toward her.  “The Executive Director of one of the most respected nonprofit organizations in town is running around the Monterey Peninsula naked.”

“Half naked,” Nedra corrected.  “And I was doing it for you, for us.”

Sin took a step closer.  “And it’s appreciated.”

“We’re getting older and I don’t want our sex life to become boring.  I don’t want us to become one of those conventional couples.”

One more step and he was standing right in front of her.  He kissed the tip of her nose.  “When have we ever been conventional?”

“That’s true.”  She and Sinclair Reasoner had met under the most unconventional circumstances and their life together had been a roller coaster ride ever since.  “And I’ve never regretted one moment that we’ve been together.”  A flood of good memories overshadowed her annoyance.   She caressed his cheek.  He placed a kiss in the palm of her hand.

“Neither have I.”  Once again, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him.  “So let’s get this party started half naked lady.”

Placing her hand on his chest, she pushed him back.  “Are you sure you’re through laughing at me?”

Sin faked one last snort.  “That’s it.  I’m out of laughs.”

“Are you certain?” 

“Feel this and you let me know.”  He rubbed his hardening member against her seductively as the heat of his kisses singed the slender column of her neck.

“Oh, I like that,” Nedra purred.

“Then I’m positive that you’ll love this.”

Meandering lips wandered down the length of her throat, halting at the swell of her breasts rising from their lacey confines.  Taking the flimsy fabric between his teeth, he tugged gently gaining access to one of her pebble hard nipples.  He licked and nipped.  His wife moaned her appreciation.

“Let’s do this, baby,” she breathed hotly against the waves in his hair.

Nedra’s eyes slid to the abandoned sofa, but her husband had other ideas.  With one arm wrapped around her waist, he took his other hand and swept his desk clean.

“Sinclair!”  Nedra shrieked with surprise and delight as her purse and everything else on the desk’s surface scattered onto the floor.

“Unconventional,” he reminded her.  In one swift move, he lifted her up on the desk.

Spreading her legs, he disposed of her panties.  She removed his shirt.  He released her breast from the confines of her bra.  She unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants and then pulled them and his briefs down his slender hips.  With one manicured fingertip she stroked his engorged penis.

“Looks like you’re ready.”

“Always.”  Sin gave her a kiss that left no doubt about that.  He pulled back.  “To keep it from being boring, let’s play no hands.”

Placing them behind his back, Sin’s mouth and tongue became weapons of mass seduction as Nedra blossomed beneath his blistering assault.  He savored her hardened nubs as though they were exotic fruit.  He suckled.  She convulsed.  His deadly tongue worked relentless magic all the way down to the citadel that guarded her core.  When he entered her, Nedra’s screams of pleasure echoed throughout the vacant building.

 

A SNEAK PEEK AT SHADOWS OF LOVE

I've been writing about my new book SHADOWS OF LOVE for months.  Now, here's the cover, the Prologue and some of CHAPTER 1.

  

PROLOGUE

 Entering the front door, the woman walked into the house with the confidence of someone who knew its interior well.  She had worked for the owner since he moved here years ago.  She was his cook and housekeeper and it was a job that she enjoyed.

Her employer was a nice man.  He wasn’t demanding and he paid well.  She didn’t work on weekends, so she usually prepared his meals for those days ahead of time.  When she came back to work on Monday, she had no idea that it wouldn’t be another normal day, until she found her employer in bed unconscious.

That was three days ago.  Since his hospitalization, his condition had gone from bad to worse.  The doctor informed her this morning that the situation was grave.  He might not recover.  They asked about his next of kin.

She could provide them with nothing.  All she knew about the man for whom she worked was his name and that he was an American.

After the grim diagnosis, she returned to his house and went into the bedroom that had been converted to an office.  She reasoned that it couldn’t be illegal to break into his locked desk drawer since this was an emergency.  Secretly, she had always wondered what he kept in there.

Getting into the drawer wasn’t easy.  She used every tool she could think of, but nothing worked.  Frustrated, she decided to search the rest of the house and return to the drawer later.  She didn’t expect to find anything, but much to her surprise, buried deep in the back of his bedroom closet, behind his well appointed suits and ties, she found a metal safe deposit box burrowed inside a suitcase.  There was a key taped underneath the box.  It fit the lock and when it was opened she hoped what was inside would offer clues to the mystery of who he was.

 

CHAPTER 1

 “I can’t believe this!”

Nedra Davis-Reasoner banged on the steering wheel of her luxury vehicle in frustration.  This could not be happening!

Refusing to believe the obvious, she turned the key in the ignition and pressed down on the accelerator one more time.  Nothing.   No sound at all.

Looking down at the Burberry trench coat she was wearing, she sighed in resignation.  This could prove embarrassing.

Weighing her options, she considered which one would be best.  Should she call her husband, Sinclair, at his office or the auto club for a tow to a garage?  Sinclair was closer to her.

She was just about to push speed dial when there was a knock on her driver side window.   Startled, Nedra jerked around to see a man peering at her.

“Hey!  You need some help?”

Nedra nodded.  “Yes, I think I do.”

 ****

 Sinclair Reasoner was feeling great.  In a few hours he and Nedra would be on the road to Sausalito where he would spend the upcoming week overdosing on golf.  His best friend, newspaper mogul, Brandon Plaine, introduced him to the sport years ago.  Since then he had been hooked.

Brandon was vacationing with his family at their home in Hawaii, but Sin would still have plenty of playmates.  There was Ray Wilson who was married to Bev Cameron, the mother of Sin’s half sister.  The Wilsons lived on a houseboat in Sausalito and Ray knew every course in Marin County.  Almost as knowledgeable was their other golfing buddy, James Starr.  He and his wife, Dana, lived in Tiburon, not far from Ray and his wife.  Dana was Bev’s younger sister.  The two women were Nedra’s cousins.

This week was about spending time with family, which was something he always enjoyed.  Orphaned as a child, he had grown up on the streets of New York City alone, longing for such a bond.  Now, he cherished everything about being a part of such a close-knit group.

There was a knock on his office door and his administrative assistant entered. 

“This just came for you, special delivery.”  She handed him a single envelope, and placed the rest of the mail in his inbox.  “And your wife is on line one.  She tried to reach you on your cell phone, but it went to voice mail.”

“Okay, thanks.”  Reaching for the receiver Sin threw a cursory glance at the envelope he had been handed.  It was from outside the United States, but he didn’t recognize the return address.

“I’m going home now,” his assistant told him as she started toward the exit.  “Enjoy your time off.”  The door closed behind her.  Sin pushed the speaker phone button.

“Hey, babe, what’s up?”  Absently, he slit the top of the envelope with a sliver plated opener and started to remove the contents.

“Get in your car right now and come get me!”  She sounded desperate.

Sin froze.  “Are you in trouble?  Where are you?”

She gave him the name of the garage where her car had been towed.  “And hurry!”

Tossing the envelope on the desk, Sin pocketed his cell phone, grabbed his suit jacket and hurried out of his office.  When he arrived at the garage, Nedra was waiting outside.  She snatched the car door open and slid inside as soon as he came to a stop.

“Let’s go!” she ordered.

Throwing her a puzzled glance, he pulled away from the curb. “What did you do, rob the place?”

Covering her face with both hands, Nedra shook her head slowly and sank down in the seat.  “Lord, lord, lord.”

“What happened?  Did they stiff you on the car?”

“Just drive, please.” 

Sin did as ordered, wondering what was wrong with his wife.  She sat in the passenger seat holding her coat tightly against her body and looking glum.  When he turned to head back to his office, she nearly jumped out her skin.

“Where are you going?  I thought you were going home!”

“I left my briefcase.  My laptop is in it.  I want to take it with us.   Now what’s wrong with you?”

She ignored his question. “It’s past work hours, is anybody still there?”

“There wasn’t when I left.”  Pulling into his private parking place in front of the Victorian mansion that housed his successful import business, he cut off the ignition and turned to face her.  “Did something happen I should know about?”  His voice deepened. “Did somebody hurt you?”  He looked poised for action if she confirmed the latter.

Understanding his concern, Nedra decided to show him rather than tell him. 

“Since nobody is inside, I’ll go with you upstairs.  We’ll talk then.”

When they arrived in his office, Sin closed the door behind them, leaned against it and crossed his arms.  “So talk.”

Tossing her purse on the desk, Nedra turned and let her eyes feast on the male specimen she had married.  The man was downright fine.  Who could resist that chocolate brown skin, those coal black eyes, that sexy cleft in his chin or the solitary gold earring he sported?  Sinclair Reasoner turned the heads of women wherever he went.  The slight sprinkle of gray in his hair and his well groomed moustache made him look distinguished.  And when he flashed that smile of his, it was hard for a woman not to wet her panties.  Sin’s nickname suited him well.

Gazing at his fit, six foot two inch frame, Nedra considered herself a fortunate woman, but, Sin should consider himself fortunate too, and she was about to show him why.

Nedra’s light brown eyes held his dark ones as she slowly unbuttoned her coat.  She opened it with pain-staking care.

Sin’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.  His shapely, five foot ten inch wife was standing in front of him dressed in a lacy black demi- bra, matching bikini panties, black patent leather high heels and nothing else.

“Damn!”  His manhood jerked involuntarily.

Nedra gave an anguished sigh.  “I was on my way here to surprise you, when my car stopped and there I was in the public streets half naked!”  Her voice rose in distress.

As he moved toward her like a man in a trance, Sin was trying to focus on what she was saying, but he was mesmerized by a pair of long nutmeg brown legs that seemed to go on forever.  The curve of her bosom as they molded themselves to that bra had him throbbing.  He broke into a sweat.

Nedra slapped a hand to her forehead.  “What was I thinking?  I’m a minister for goodness sake!  The mother of three children!  I can’t run around town naked…”

I wish.

“…trying to play sex games with my husband!”

Oh yes she could!

 

NEW TITLES COMING UP!

Okay, so updating this blog is definitely not on my urgent to do list.  I haven't posted since February 2015, but I've promised myself I'll do better. My next book releases, Someone Like Me and Shadows of Love are still on course, but the order of their release has been changed and I'm excited about that.

SHADOWS OF LOVE will be my next book release in the Sin Series.  Considering how my last novel, Strangers, ended, Shadows of Love has to be next.  Here is the synopsis for SHADOWS OF LOVE:
 

Nedra Davis Reasoner and her sexy husband, Sinclair, have it all!  Their lives are filled with their love for each other, their family and friends.  Nothing can tear them apart, that is until a shadow appears on the horizon.  A long held secret, inadvertently, revealed, threatens their perfect world.

The shadow is that of a man with so many names that he’s not sure who he really is anymore.  Yet, he does know what he is--a killer, with a lot to lose.

When Nedra and Sinclair cross paths with the man no one knows what to expect.  The results could be good.  The results could be bad.  It’s even possible they could be deadly.

I posted a preview of what SOMEONE LIKE ME is about on the last blog I wrote.  When it is released, the title will be the first novel in my new Stillwaters book series.  The storylines will follow members of the fabulous Stillwaters family, which has been mentioned in previous books in the Sin Series and of which many of my characters in the Sin series are members.   

There are covers for both SHADOWS OF LOVE and SOMEONE LIKE ME on my new website at www.crystalrhodes.com.  I'm excited about that too! 

 

 

BACK IN BUSINESS AGAIN!!

This blog announces new book releases, gives sneak peeks at upcoming novels and provides tidbits about the storylines and characters in my novels.

It's been a while since I updated this blog.  I've been busy writing my next two novels.  Yes, two novels and I've finished them both!  Now there's editing, editing and more editing to be done.  The titles of the novels are Someone Like Me and Shadows of Love.  

The plan is to release Someone Like Me in 2014.  Shadows of Love will be released in 2015.  I'm crossing my fingers that will happen.

Someone Like Me is a rags to riches love story set in Stillwaters, a fictional town first introduced in my romance suspense novel by the same name.  I'll write more about Melanie Taylor and Scott Stillwaters, the characters in Someone Like Me, in a future blog.

In Shadows of Love I bring back my characters Nedra and Sinclair Reasoner, the protagonists in several of my Sin Series novels.  In Shadows of Love, the female minister and her sexy, bad boy husband will come face to face with the mysterious Mr. Hardman, who made a memorable appearance in the storyline in my last romantic suspense release Strangers.  Writing about that encounter proved to an emotional roller coaster ride and it challenged me as a writer to question a moral dilemma regarding how I would present Mr. Hardman to readers.  It proved to be a very interesting experience.

If readers would like to be introduced to Nedra, Sin and  Mr. Hardman , let me suggest that you purchase Sin and Strangers.  Of course Secrets is also available for purchase.  Read Sin, Secrets and Strangers together and be ready for a few surprises.  The synopsis for these novels are on past blog posts.


Readers can purchase the books in the Sin Series (Sin, Sweet Sacrifice. Secrets and Strangers ) in multiple Ebook formats on Smashwords.com. CLICK ON the BOOK COVERS  on this blog and read a free sample of each of these books.

Sin, Sweet Sacrifice, Secrets and Strangers are also available on Amazon.com in Ebook format and in paperback.

SIN IS FREE THIS WEEK!

This blog announces new book releases, gives sneak previews of upcoming novels and answers questions about the storylines and characters in my novels.

Two novels of mine were released in 2013. A new novel Strangers was released in eBook format and it can be purchased as a paperback on Amazon.com.  My novel, SIN was also released in eBook format in mid 2013.  SIN was my first published novel and it introduced the characters, Nedra Davis and Sinclair Reasoner, a most unlikely couple who proved to be soulmates. The novel was also the first one in my Sin Series of romance suspense novels.  Readers can find SIN ($2.99) available in multiple Ebook formats on Smashbooks.com @ http://smashwords.com/b/337141 or on Amazon.com.  CLICK on the brand new SIN book cover below and it will carry you to a purchase site.

I'm working on several new novels one of which will be released in 2014, if not both.  Someone Like Me, is a rags to riches love story set in Stillwaters, the ficitional town first introduced in my novel by the same name. The other novel I'm working on is a sequel to the romantic suspense novel, Strangers.  I think I've got a title that I'll reveal later, but rest assured that it starts with the letter S.  Readers have been emailing asking for some resolution to the storyline in Strangers that features the mysterious Mr. Hardman and I've heard their pleas.  I'll put updates on this blog as work on these novels progresses.  

Meanwhile  

SIN is available in Ebook format FREE on SMASHWORDS.COM

from MARCH 2-8th ONLY!

@ http://smashwords.com/b/337141

HERE’S THE SYNOPSIS FOR SIN

Reverend Nedra Davis is the dynamic leader of one of the most progressive churches in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Renowned for her innovative fight against drugs in her community, Nedra is the soul of propriety, avoiding scandal at all cost.  She is a woman always in control—until Sin comes into her life.

Sinclair Reasoner looks as though he stepped off of a magazine cover.  Strikingly handsome, can Sin be the answer to a minister’s prayer?  When he and Nedra first meet, they resist the attraction, but the fire between them ignites.  They have each found their soul mate, but a disturbing secret threatens their utopia.  Unknown to Nedra, Sinclair Reasoner is involved in the drug trade. 

ALSO read the information about my other SIN SERIES NOVELS.

STRANGERS

When celebrity attorney, DANA MANSFIELD first encounters security specialist, JAMES STARR, she is openly hostile.  She can’t help but wonder if this stranger holds the key to the disappearance of two children whose lives she is trying desperately to save.
Shocked by her hostility, James is no less wary of Dana, especially when he discovers her connection to his sworn enemy, Sinclair Reasoner—a man whom he has sworn to kill on sight.

As events threaten to spiral out of control, the attraction between Dana and James grows, but lurking in the shadows is another stranger.  He is a man who holds the answers to secrets that are too explosive to reveal.  Yet, his sinister presence is destined to lead to love, redemption and revenge.

STRANGERS ($2.99) is available for purchase in multiple ebook formats and readable on virtually any ebook reading device at Smashwords @ http://smashwords.com/books/view/304807Click on the STRANGERS book cover or the link above and read a free sample of the novel

STRANGERS is also available for purchase in ebook format ($2.99) and in paperback ($8.99) on Amazon.com.  

Of course SECRETS remains available for purchase. Read Secrets and Strangers together and be ready for a few surprises! 

SECRETS

After a devastating loss, Nedra Davis-Reasoner knows that she can depend on the love and support of her husband, Sinclair.  Unfortunately, he falls short.  Obsessed with uncovering the mystery behind a secret that he has uncovered, he ignores his wife’s needs.  For comfort Nedra turns to renowned spiritual guru, Adam Casey, a man with deep, dark secrets of his own as well as an agenda.  He plans to make Nedra his and he won’t let the fact that she has a husband stand in his way, even if it means that he must eliminate Sinclair—permanently.

As the relationship between Nedra and Adam heats up and the tension between Sinclair and his wife escalates, secrets are revealed that can heal and that can kill.  The key to the survival for each of them is recognizing the difference.

Secrets  is available  for purchase in multiple eBook formats and readable on virtually any ebook reading device at Smashwords @ http://smashwords.com/b/209925 . It's also available on Amazon.com in eBook format ($1.99) and as a paperback.($8.99).  .  

Readers can purchase SWEET SACRIFICE on Smashwords as an ebook at the reduced price of .99 cents! 

Clink on this link, http://smashwords.com/books/view/146760
or go to the Sweet Sacrifice book cover to your right at the bottom of the page.
Paperback copies of Sweet Sacrifice are available for purchase on my website at www.crystalrhodes.com. Read the blurbs and tidbits about this and my other books below.

SWEET SACRIFICE

Bold and brassy, Sash Adams is an unemployed recent law school graduate struggling to raise her young brother, Sweet, alone.  To her shock and surprise her brother is abducted and the kidnappers demand the ransom for him from a complete stranger, media mogul, Brandon Plaine. The two polar opposite personalities are forced to form a dangerous alliance in order to assure her brother's safe return.

Tidbit:  In Sweet Sacrifice, Brandon Plaine is introduced as Sinclair Reasoner’s best friend.

Tidbit :  Brandon and Sash appear in most of the Sin Series storylines, and make an appearance in Small Sensations.  Brandon and Sash play an important part in my upcoming book release, Secrets. 

STILLWATERS SERIES

Next year look for the first novel in the new Stillwater Series to make its debut.  If you’ve read my novel by the same name you’ll be familiar with Nedra Davis’ fabulous extended family. There are quite a few members of the Stillwaters clan and each one of them has a story.

Meanwhile, for those who would like to familiarize or reacquaint themselves with the books in the Sin Series continue reading and find out which characters were introduced in which books, as well as other tidbits:

SIN

Tidbit #1: The novel, Sin , introduces  readers to Nedra’s best friends, Carla and Sharon, as well as two young boys, Colin and Trevor Johnson, who become pivotal in the lives of Nedra and Sinclair.  Each of these characters appears in other books in the Sin Series.

Tidbit #2:  I wrote the storyline for Sin as the result of my observation that over the years the national scandals that have revolved around ministers, have all involved male ministers, and not female ministers.   I figured that was because women who lead religious flocks are held to a higher standard by their congregations, and especially by the women. We’re can often be harder on members of our own gender. I have also observed that what a man can get away with—even though he might claim to be a man of God—would never be tolerated if a woman committed the same offense, especially if she was a  very attractive woman.   That started the ball rolling in developing what turned out to be Sin.  Maybe I can suggest that book clubs that read Sin might want to use some of my observations for discussion.

SINFUL INTENTIONS

Four years have passed and Nedra Davis and Sinclair Reasonerare happily married and the parents of three adopted children.  However, the sudden appearance of a sinister stranger threatens to derail their idyllic lives.
Tidbit #1: All of the Reasoner’s friends and family make an appearance in this novel, including Nedra’s dynamic mother, Marva Davis.
Tidbit #2:  This was the easiest book that I’ve ever written.  I used no notes or outline; literally every word just came to me as I sat at the computer. I knew the characters so well that I knew exactly what to write.

SINGING A SONG…

Singing sensation, Darnell Cameron, is Nedra’s cousin, as well as her neighbor, and when she meets a playboy actor, and fellow superstar, Thad Stewart, they prove to be two American idols who openly despise each other. They’re like oil and water.  This is a love match that definitely wasn’t made in heaven.
Tidbit #1: This story introduces a man of mystery named Moody Waters, who will prove to be full of surprises.
Tidbit #2:  The book title is from a song titled Singing a Song for You.  It was sung by The Temptations on an album by the title A Song for You.

SMALL SENSATIONS

Davia Maxwell is a thirty-four year old grandmother and street smart survivor who has clawed her way out of one of Chicago's toughest ghettoes.  Justin Miles is a member of one of Atlanta's wealthiest families. Needless to say that their relationship raises a few eye brows, especially those of Justin’s mother, the grand dame of the city’s black society.
Tidbit #1:  Brandon and Sash from Sweet Sacrifice make an appearance in this story, but its connection to the other books in the series is minimal.
Tidbit #2:  I wrote this book because of the growing number of very young grandmothers I’ve  encountered.  I think that most people would agree that grandmothers aren’t what they used to be. In addition, I am fascinated by societal class differences and this book touches on that subject. I’ll examine the subject closer in future novels.

STILL WATERS…

Bev Cameron is the smart, sexy and sophisticated mother of singing superstar Darnell Cameron. Hollywood agent Ray Wilson is a mover and a shaker in Tinsel town.  He is also the best friend of Darnell Cameron’s husband, actor, Thad Stewart. Ray has always been infatuated with Bev, but he is ten years younger and she has openly declared her distaste for him.
Tidbit #1: In this storyline Ray uncovers some very crucial information about someone very important in the lives of two important characters in the Sin series.
Tidbit #2:  I hate this book cover. I had no clue what it looked like until I saw it on Amazon.com. Can you believe that this book is about a woman in her 50s and her younger lover?  I just saw these two models on one of romance writer Frances Ray’s book covers! By the way, this book title is taken from the saying “Still waters run deep”, which definitely describes the members of this family.
Tidbit #3:  I’ll be launching a Stillwaters family book series in the future, but more about that later.