Thursday, May 8, 2014

Dare to Trust

Re-release May 1, 2014

DARE TO TRUST
Colorado Trust Series Book 5
(Previously published as Shadowed Trust)

AMAZON  APPLE  BN  KOBO  ARe
UK  CA  AU

 Trust makes all the difference when love and danger collide

Ad-exec Jordan Blake believed image was everything—until his parents were convicted of murder, the family company went bankrupt, and his excessive drinking and arrest fueled the tabloids. When lawyer David Barnes offers representation in exchange for assistance in reopening his Colorado mountain resort, Jordan has no choice. It’s help or jail.

Hollywood wild child Lexie Sinclair disappeared by changing her name, joining the army, and marrying a soldier. Then her husband wrapped their car around a tree, killing himself, and leaving her permanently injured. For the past few years, she’s been content to live in peaceful obscurity as caretaker of David’s defunct resort.

Jordan’s arrival exposes Lexie’s true identity and brings her dead husband’s ‘friends’ calling. Jordan offers to help, but the shadow of his drinking leaves Lexie reluctant to trust. Can they conquer their fears and find the courage to face the criminals—and the world—together?

EXCERPT: 

     He drove across the wooden bridge and parked a short distance from the log house. As he closed his door, the hairs on the back of his neck pricked. Unease halted his steps. Someone was watching. He recognized the sensation from the past couple months with all the reporters, and man, did he hate it.
     When a wary scan of his surroundings revealed nothing, Jordan shrugged off his discomfort and walked toward the tall set of stairs that led to the wrap-around porch and front door.
     He looked around the isolated property with a frown. This is it? Where were the cabins he was supposed to work on? Oh, wait, there they were. He peered through the Aspens and pine trees, counting a total of six structures nestled in the woods along the lakeshore. At least they would provide a good view for the guests. Finally, a positive he could work with.
     A noise from behind made him spin around. Moisture dripped from the trees, plopping onto the previous year’s foliage carpeting the ground. Otherwise, eerie quiet blanketed the area. Another twig snapped. His gaze jerked to the side and landed on a horse walking through the trees, its ears pitched forward as it watched him with curious brown eyes.
     Damn horse, giving him the willies. He felt like an idiot and forced his shoulders to relax.
     On the third step leading up to the main house, a movement on the porch caught his attention. A small raccoon waddled to the top of the steps and began to growl at him.
     Do raccoons growl?
     This one did—was—at him. Suspecting the animal might be rabid, Jordan kept his distance and looked beyond to the screen door, hoping to see David Barnes standing inside.
     A deeper, more ominous growl from behind sent a chill down his spine. Instinct warned him to turn slowly, then urged him to run at the sight of a large mountain lion no more than ten feet away. Frozen in a predatory crouch, the tawny cat’s golden gaze locked on his. Only its tail moved, swinging slowly from side to side, the tip giving a sharp twitch every couple seconds.
     His heart lodged in his throat, pounding hard, shortening his breath. The instinctive urge to run was paralyzed by the fear coursing through his veins.
     Footsteps sounded from inside the log house, but Jordan didn’t dare take his eyes off the cougar. Menacing growls continued to emanate from both it and the raccoon, but the cat was bigger. And infinitely more dangerous.
     “What are you—?”
     Jordan held up a silencing hand toward the woman’s voice at the door. “Stay there—you got a rifle in there?”
     “Yes, but—”
     “Slowly back away from the door and go get it.”
     “Mr. Blake—”
     Jordan’s jaw tightened. Of course she knew who he was, seemed like the whole damn world did. The squeak of hinges told him she’d opened the door, and he risked a quick glance—only to do a double take at the sight of the woman who’d ridden the horse in town.
     “Sass, leave him alone,” she said before glancing down toward her feet. “You, too, Rocky.”
     The growling ceased on both sides.
     Unconvinced the danger was past, Jordan turned back to the cougar. He tensed as the animal’s front dipped lower, muscles clearly bunching for action. Before he could react further, the cat bounded past him, up the steps. It gave the raccoon a swipe with its massive paw as it landed next to the woman. The masked critter rolled across the porch with an outraged howl, landed on all fours, and came back for more.
     “Sass, Rocky, behave,” the woman commanded, her prior chiding tone now sharp.
     The cougar slunk over to lie down near a porch swing, its gaze refocused on Jordan with chilling intensity. The raccoon backed off, too, but kept a wary eye on the cat.
     He turned his stunned gaze to Laura on the porch, and gave himself a mental shake. Not Laura—or Melissa. And now, after a closer look in which he noticed she’d taken off the glasses she’d worn in town, revealing bright blue eyes to go with her wine-colored hair, he realized she didn’t look like anybody who lived on the prairie.
     Lexie stared at Jordan Blake staring at her. If she thought he was better-looking from across the street, up close the man was lethal. Tall, with dark blond hair, thick eyebrows and thicker lashes to frame the incredible brown eyes focused on her. He filled out his T-shirt under his brown leather jacket, stretching the material taut across his chest.
     But she wasn’t interested in gorgeous, and the only reason her heart rate picked up was because he’d ticked her off. A gun, indeed.
     Instead of snapping at him as she wanted, she managed a fairly polite, “May I help you?”
     “I’m here to see David Barnes,” he said, his voice as stiff as his posture.
     No one ever came here for David. He set up client appointments at the Boulder office. Lexie tried to relax, but her shoulders remained tense, and her pulse refused to settle down.
     “Why?”
     “He hired me to do some work.”
     “He hired you? You mean you’re not a client?”
     “I don’t need a lawyer,” he ground out, sounding offended.
     She almost scoffed as she crossed her arms in front of her. “What work?”
     His expression told her his business with David was none of her business. “And you are?”
     “What work?” she demanded, dread beginning to creep in behind her bravado.
     They stared at each other until he backed down first, surprising her.
     “I’m here to inspect the cabins, see if any need major repairs before winter.”
     He quit there, but Lexie knew there was more he wasn’t telling her. She couldn’t believe David was going ahead with the reopening after only one conversation about it! Hurt followed on the heels of her indignation. She knew it was his decision, his resort, but didn’t he know she wasn’t ready for this yet?
     New people every week, the chance of being recognized. Even now, without her glasses on, nervousness clawed her insides. And then the—
     Jordan Blake leaned a hip against the railing of the stairs and crossed his arms over his chest, mimicking her posture. “You decide yet?”
     “Decide what?” she asked with a frown.
     “What excuse you’re going to give instead of simply admitting David isn’t here.”
     Lexie straightened, annoyance shooting heat straight to her cheeks. Her right leg throbbed as she distributed her weight evenly on both feet for maximum height and caught his gaze. “He isn’t here. And if he truly did hire you, that means I’m your boss until he gets back.” What do you got to say to that, hot shot?

~*~
“Thoroughly entertaining...I lost track of the time because I was so engrossed in the story.” ~ Diana Coyle, Night Owl Reviews

AMAZON  APPLE  BN  KOBO  ARe
UK  CA  AU

As always, thanks for reading!

**For those who started the Colorado Trust Series in 2011**

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Shattered Trust

Re-release May 1, 2014

SHATTERED TRUST
Colorado Trust Series Book 4

AMAZON  APPLE  BN  KOBO  ARe 
UK  CA  AU

 Trust makes all the difference when love and danger collide

Sweet twenty-seven and never been kissed. Well…no one’s ever accused Marley Wade of being sweet. Raised in the world of construction by a strict father, Marley knows what it takes to succeed as a general contractor in a man’s world. The last thing she needs is an employee who makes her feel soft and feminine.

A new co-owner of Hunter Construction, Justin Blake goes undercover on Marley’s crew to discover the truth behind his grandfather’s death. But he didn't count on an instant attraction to his boss—or for it to develop into deeper emotions. When a blackmailer threatens to expose the twenty-five-year-old secrets that link his family and Marley’s, Justin realizes the truth could not only shatter a future with her, but his entire family as well.

EXCERPT: 

     Justin Blake straightened in the seat of his battered Jeep when an old pickup truck slid to a stop in front of the general contractor’s trailer amidst a cloud of dust. The door flew open and bare legs flashed as a woman in an—orange?—business suit sprinted the few feet to the trailer, her skirt hiked above her knees and shoe-less feet. She lugged a duffle bag up the wooden steps, unlocked the door and disappeared inside.
     If she had a key, she could only be Marley Wade.
     Bare feet on a construction site? He frowned. What kind of operation was she running here? His gaze narrowed on the trailer bathed in bright light as the July sun rose over the city of Boulder, Colorado. Not only did he have to pose as a construction worker in his newly inherited company, but he’d have to take orders from a woman who obviously didn’t know what she was doing.
     He wished he’d had more time for research before jumping in like this, but as his brother had pointed out, they had to act fast. Only a small window of opportunity existed in which to discover if the name Jordan found scratched on the paper clutched in Granddad’s hand had anything to do with his death.
     It’d barely been legible, but the first three letters appeared to be Mar and the last spelled Wade. Jordan had found two possibilities: Mark Wade, who it turned out had died three months ago in a car accident, and his daughter, Marley Wade, who’d taken over her father’s general contractor duties on this job site.
     Despite a measly three hours of sleep after his flight from Toronto had been delayed, Justin knew it was now or never. If this site held the key to Granddad’s death, when everyone discovered his identity as the new co-owner of Hunter Construction, they’d clam up faster than a guilty murder suspect lawyers up. Especially Ms. Wade.
     He noticed other workers starting to arrive and grabbed the letter from headquarters Jordan had given him while opening his door. Time to introduce himself to the boss. He nodded to a few of the men who glanced his way with curiosity. At the trailer, he took the steps in two strides and gave the door a brisk rap.
     A muffled reply took a moment to decipher as permission to enter.

     Marley Wade pulled her jeans over her hips, frowning at the interruption of her precious minutes. She expected punctuality from the men; no way could she be late.
     The door creaked behind her and she spun around in surprise. Her hands froze on the button of her jeans when she saw a man pause in the doorway of her trailer. A tall, blond man who—
     Belatedly realizing he stared at her white cotton bra, she snatched a tee shirt out of her bag and stepped sideways so no one else could see inside from the job site.
     “I said ‘Hold on a minute’,” she snapped.
     “Sorry. I, ah, I misunderstood.”
     For probably the first time in her life, Marley felt herself blush as she pulled her tee shirt over her head. The accompanying flutter in her stomach set her on edge. Men didn’t embarrass her. She was just one of the guys; always had been.
     And he needed to stop looking at her like she was a new set of power tools on Christmas morning.
    
~*~

“Shattered Trust has everything a fantastic book should have, romance, suspense, betrayal, and humor in all the right places.” ~ Emily, Single Title Reviews

AMAZON  APPLE  BN  KOBO  ARe 
UK  CA  AU

As always, thanks for reading!

**For those who started the Colorado Trust Series in 2011**

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Trust in the Lawe

Re-release May 1, 2014

TRUST IN THE LAWE
Colorado Trust Series Book 3

AMAZON  APPLE  BN  KOBO  ARe
UK  CA  AU

 Trust makes all the difference when love and danger collide

Kendra Zelner has three brothers: Eight-year old Noah she's determined to protect, Joel has no clue she exists, and Robert wants her dead.

With reason to be distrustful of cops, she takes Noah and flees their Manhattan home for Joel’s ranch in Colorado. Under the pretense of needing a job, she plans to hide out until her twenty-fifth birthday, when she’ll inherit her trust fund and legally gain custody of Noah away from Robert’s greedy hands. Unfortunately, her new-found brother’s sexy, infuriating ranch manager insists on demolishing her defenses and digging into her past.

Colton Lawe has good reason to suspect Joel’s beautiful, long-lost sister isn’t what she seems—the little liar stole from him! He silently vows to expose her secrets, but long hours together on the ranch fosters a friendship and attraction neither of them expects. Can Kendra trust Colton with the full truth before Robert tracks them down?

EXCERPT:

     Once on the porch, he opened the door and stepped inside ahead of her. Then he waited. For the sound of her footsteps. For the thump of her bags hitting the floor. For the click of the door to assure privacy.
     “I wanted to—”
     When he turned, she halted mid-sentence. Her apologetic expression gave way to an alarmed squeak when he grasped her upper arms and pushed her up against the wall. The bulk of his body gave her no room to move.
     “Who the hell are you?” he demanded.
     Stark fear dilated her pupils until her brown eyes were nearly black. Her breathing grew shallow, and she gulped twice before stuttering, “Y-you know w-who I am.”
     He tightened his grip on her shoulders, then became aware of how delicate they seemed under his large hands and forced himself to ease up. “I don’t believe it. You’re up to something, and you’ve got about five seconds to tell me what it is.”
     “H-honestly, I’m n-not.”
     Colton scoffed. “So, it’s merely coincidence that you robbed me this morning and then show up here claiming to be some long lost relative?”
     “It’s nothing more than cruel coincidence—I swear to God.”
     “Don’t you dare do that. I don’t buy one word of it.” He leaned closer, ignoring her trembling beneath his hands. “Who are you? What do you want with Joel?”
     “He told you, I’m his sister. Please…all I want is a place to stay until my…until we get back on our feet.      We have nowhere else to go.”
     He caught her hesitation, saw a brief flash of panic, and wondered what she’d been about to say.
     He searched her expression for any kernel of truth to her words.
     In the space of a heartbeat, he became aware of the heat of her vibrating body. If he leaned down a few inches, their lips would meet. His pulse thrummed. The urge to do just that was so great it left him shaken as he stared into her eyes. She was an untrustworthy, lying, thieving, scheming con artist.
     And he’d never felt an immediate attraction like this in his life.
    
~*~
“...fun, suspenseful, filled with misunderstanding and characters that you will fall in love with. The plot line was tight, very well crafted and every question I may have had throughout the book was answered. I have a great respect for Stacey Joy Netzel and the way she can write a romantic story with sizzle and spice that kept me absolutely addicted. To sum it all up, Outstanding book, not to be missed.” ~ Val Pearson, You Gotta Read Reviews, 5Stars

AMAZON  APPLE  BN  KOBO  ARe
UK  CA  AU


As always, thanks for reading!

**For those who started the Colorado Trust Series in 2011**

Friday, May 2, 2014

Trust by Design

New Release

TRUST BY DESIGN
Colorado Trust Series Book 2

AMAZON  APPLE  BN  KOBO
UK  CA  AU  ARe

 Trust makes all the difference when love and danger collide

Cinderella and Prince Charming...brought together by chance, or design?

Interior Designer Gina Allen is flat broke thanks to a shady assistant who didn’t pay the taxes. Now she has no choice but to accept a job from the very rich, very handsome CEO Dean Daley—even though he’s accused her of conspiring to steal his software designs.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer—that’s why Dean hires his rival’s ex-girlfriend. If he can use her to prove Jack is behind the spiraling downfall of his company, he might be able to turn things around before losing everything.

Dean, however, doesn’t count on Gina being everything he never expected, or his heart being in more danger than his business. Will the trust they’ve built be enough to keep them together—or will an unexpected betrayal tear them apart…and possibly cost them their lives?

EXCERPT:

     Without giving herself a chance to change her mind, she smiled up at him through her lashes while moving in close to lay her palms on his chest. Firm muscles registered as she lifted her five foot-three inch frame onto her tiptoes and ran her hands up to his shoulders so she could link her fingers behind his neck.
His eyes widened in surprise, but as she pulled his head down toward hers, he offered no resistance.
     The instant his mouth touched hers, electricity jolted clear down to her toes. Her initial plan to sister-kiss him and leave was fried in a single heartbeat. His lips moved against hers, and in the next second, strong arms encircled her ribs. He pulled her against the full length of his body while his tongue slid along her lips, seeking entrance.
     Caught up in the unexpected sensations pulsing through her, she opened to him with a soft sound of surprise and met the first intimate exploration of his tongue with her own, then the next, and the next. He slid a hand up into her hair and tilted her head to deepen their connection even further. His hard body against hers was so warm she’d swear flames licked her flesh from chest to mid thigh.
     Her senses were reeling when she gradually became aware of loud cheers and catcalls from the crowd around them.
     What the hell am I doing?
     She pushed against the stranger’s chest, pulling back even as he leaned forward in an attempt to prolong the kiss. Then it seemed he also became aware of the encouragement from their audience and released her with obvious reluctance.
     Those brown eyes of his met hers, darker now than before.
     Shit. During the past ten minutes, she’d never once considered what would happen after the kiss. Now what?
     He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, she panicked and spun for the door. Showing Jackson she was moving on was one thing, losing all common sense in the process was another.
     As she pushed through the crowd, a hand grabbed at her arm. “Hey—wait!”
     She jerked free and felt her sweater whisk across her skin while she moved faster through the swell of bodies threatening to cut off her escape. Once outside, she only spared a quick backward glance before sprinting for her car.

Chapter 2

     Dean Daley fisted the soft material in his hand and shoved through the club door to the parking lot. His gaze scanned the area, focusing on anyone leaving, but the woman who’d just kissed him senseless was nowhere to be seen. Disappeared without a trace.
     Damn. After a kiss like that, he wanted her name.
     He looked down at the maroon sweater as details from the past minute flooded back. Violet-tinted eyes. Brown hair. Maybe red? It’d been hard to tell under the club lights, but either way, it’d been silky as all hell. She’d felt so small in his arms. Soft and fragile, yet strong as she’d drawn his mouth down on hers.
     God, she’d smelled amazing. Felt even better. Kissed like an erotic dream.
     Maybe she was. She’d dashed through the crowd so quick he wondered if he’d imagined the whole thing.
     The sweater clutched in his fingers told him he hadn’t. He brought it up to his face and inhaled the fresh scent of flowers combined with a mysterious hint of spice. Definitely real.
     When he realized he stood there smelling some stranger’s sweater like a lovesick puppy, he quickly lowered his hand to his side. Heat flooded his face while muted music registered on his conscious, and he turned to go back inside. When he opened the door, the noise level blasted his eardrums.
     At the bar, his vice president met his gaze with a lift of his eyebrows. “Did you catch her?”
     “Nope.” Dean dropped the sweater onto the bar and grabbed his beer.
     “Who was that, anyway?”
     “No clue.”
     Disbelief sent Mike Hollister’s eyebrows higher. “You didn’t know her?”
     “Never saw her before tonight.”
     “Then what the hell was that?”
     “Damned if I know.” He took a swig from his bottle. As he lowered his hand, he recalled she hadn’t been alone. He turned to see if her friends were still sitting at their table just as a guy reached to set drinks down while two new women claimed the empty chairs. He took a moment to scan the crowd. He thought she’d been sitting with a blond and a brunette, but seeing as he’d been focused on the mystery girl, he couldn’t be sure and certainly wouldn’t be able to pick them out of the crowd.
     “That hers?” Mike’s question drew his attention back to see him eyeing the sweater.
     “Yeah.”
     His friend chuckled.
     “What?”
     “You got yourself your very own Cinderella.”
    
~*~
Sizzling, sensual, spicy, sweet—Ms. Netzel dazzles her readers with a perfect romance in the midst of danger.” ~ Casey Clifford, award winning romantic suspense author

AMAZON  APPLE  BN  KOBO
UK  CA  AU  ARe

As always, thanks for reading!

**For those who started the Colorado Trust Series in 2011**

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Book Lovers Buffet ~ Win prizes!



Love books? 
Love authors?
Love Prizes?


Come join us at the Book Lovers Buffet!

Peruse all the authors and books on the website HERE

Then join us for the FACEBOOK PARTY HERE for the PRIZES totaling more than $250!

From 3 - 10 p.m. EST, over 50 authors will take turns chatting and giving away prizes...which means you have a chance to win something EVERY 15 MINUTES!

We're talking gift cards, ebooks, gift cards, audio books, a chance to have your name in a book, and...did I mention gift cards?

I'll be there from 4-4:15 p.m. EST (3 p.m. CST) talking about Lost in Italy, bad/good vacations, and giving away

 

Winner's choice                   ebook copy

My winners will be chosen at the end of the FB party, so comment on my post at anytime through the night for your chance to win!

Hope to see you there and have a great day!

~ Stacey