Brooke Edwards is joining me today with an excerpt from her latest book, Cause and Effect. If you enjoy contemporary crime stories with a romantic element, you’re going to want to read this whole series.
Blurb
In the aftermath of a psychopath’s obsession-fuelled murder spree through New York, Detective Daniel Callahan feels like he’s been hit by a wrecking ball. It turns out that watching your best friend and your boss fall in love only to nearly lose it all takes a toll on a guy’s emotional stability.
Peter Saracen has an out-of-control crush on the belligerent detective who seems to want nothing more than to toss him into a cell and throw away the key. When the body of an unidentified gang member is pulled from the East River and an old nemesis breaks out of prison, Peter finds himself on a whole new collision course with Daniel.
The line between personal and professional begins to blur. The dangers of the present take aim at the fragile possibility of Daniel and Peter’s happily-ever-after, while ghosts of the past threaten the deepening bond between Daniel’s boss James Carter and Assistant US Attorney, Derek Moore. With everything against them, there might not be any coming back from this.
Excerpt
Volunteering doesn’t pay any bills, but Peter spent more time at the community center growing up than he thinks he’s ever going to be able to give back. Whenever he can, he likes to help supervise the daycare or after-school programs. The kids span the spectrum from hostile and prickly, all the way to clingy and desperate for any attention and affection they can get. Peter feels for all of them.
The owner of the pizza place around the corner from Tia’s apartment had agreed to let him wash dishes during the dinner rush period as a trial, and as grateful as he is to have been given a chance there, he’s even more grateful that he can keep spending a few hours a day at the community center. Keeping busy is the best way he knows how to keep from dwelling on the way that, when his life had flashed before his eyes as he’d been dragged through that broken window and realized that the only police officer around was unarmed and unconscious, there hadn’t been much to be proud of. The community center kids and Tia would be the only people who missed him. He’s almost embarrassed to admit how long Daniel’s face had lingered in his mind’s eye. Peter’s had crushes before, even a couple of more-or-less serious relationships. Alex had been an educational experience. He doesn’t know what it is he feels for Daniel, just how strongly he feels it. That feels scarier, somehow, than losing something he understands. The possibility of losing this unknown potential… something. He hasn’t seen Daniel since the last time he’d been at the station, for one final debrief with some faceless officers and the stern redheaded lawyer, and even that was just a glimpse across the bullpen. It’s been a solid eight weeks, and Peter still keeps catching himself drifting off into a repetitive loop of “what-if” scenarios.
It’s incredibly frustrating because Peter has no idea what to do about it. As much as there’s a part of him that wants to go storming into the police station, and maybe do something drastic like punch Daniel in the face with his own face and hope their mouths ended up in the same vicinity, he thinks that’s probably a terrible idea. He just doesn’t have any better ones.
“I’m a good person,” Peter says to himself while he watches the kids run around in the gated courtyard. “A good adult.”
Alysha sidles over to him. “Why’re you talking to yourself, Petey?” she asks, sliding her hand into his and looking up at him with warm, concerned eyes.
Peter squeezes her hand, still too conflicted to even be embarrassed. “Sometimes it’s easier to talk to yourself instead of other people,” he says. “Helps you get all the facts straight and figure out what you have to do. Like making lists.”
Her eyes light up. “I like lists.”
An overwhelming wave of love crashes over him and he smiles, using his grip on her hand to swing her up into his arms. “I know you do,” he says, pressing a smacking kiss to her cheek. “Let’s go make some now, how does that sound?”
Buy Links
Genres: contemporary, crime/mystery, romance, romantic suspense
Word count: Approx 45k
Pages: 164
Exclusive to Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
Global buy link: rxe.me/79WB3S
Global buy link for book 1: rxe.me/CP46BY
Global buy link for book 2: rxe.me/9DCBT6
Author Bio
Brooke Edwards is an Australian LGBTQ+ author and dreamer, slowly working her way through the stories that keep demanding (loudly) to be told. She’s hopelessly obsessed with procedural law enforcement shows, flawed human beings and coffee – not necessarily in that order.
A hybrid author, Brooke’s first books were released through Dreamspinner Press in 2015 and 2016, followed by self-published ventures in 2017 and onwards.
Social media & contact links
brookeedwardsauthor@gmail.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/brooke.edwards.52459
Twitter: @brookeedwardsau
Instagram: @brookeedwardsauthor
GR: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13832393.Brooke_Edwards
Website: www.brookeedwardsauthor.com
Blog: www.brookeedwards.blog
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