Within Temptation (Sons of
Temptation #1) by Tanya Holmes
Contemporary/Romantic
Suspense/Mystery hybrid
Release Date: May 12, 2014
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Synopsis
Love, betrayal and murder in a small town…
Twelve years after her mother's murder,
Shannon Bradford fears she may have helped convict an innocent man. Even worse,
her prominent family may have had something to do with it. Desperate for
answers, she seeks help from the one person least likely to give it. Her best
friend and childhood crush, Trace Dawson.
The man she sent to prison.
Serving hard time for murder has left Trace
angry and bitter. As far as he's concerned, digging into the past won't replace
the years he's lost or erase the hell he's lived. Now that he's free, Shannon
Bradford tops his list of bad memories.
But he never counted on falling in
love.
WITHIN TEMPTATION is a contemporary/romantic
suspense/mystery hybrid. Set in a sleepy little town during the dead of winter,
this award-winning romance novel is a tale of one woman's quest for truth and a
man's struggle to forgive.
About the Author
Tanya Holmes is a former Romance Writers of America Golden
Heart finalist, a recipient of the Maggie Award, the MICA Award, as well as
Overall Winner of the Sandy Haddad Award and a two-time finalist and one-time
winner of The Emily (Best of the Best). She's happily married with children and
loves reading, writing and a good cup of coffee---but not necessarily in that
order. Her debut novel, Within Temptation is due out on May 12, 2014.
Connect with the Author
Excerpt
“If you’re after a clear conscience,” Trace
said, “go elsewhere. Today’s performance didn’t change my mind.”
“You’d be in jail if not for me. Now you
have the gall to—”
“Say you were putting on a show?”
I straightened. “It wasn’t a show.”
I straightened. “It wasn’t a show.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And I have nothing to feel guilty about.” But I did feel guilty, real guilty.
“You’re right,” he said with a frosty
smile. “Everybody knows you’re as blameless as
baby Jesus. I mean, look at that fancy billboard of yours. What’d it say?” He
tapped a finger to his swollen lips. “Oh, yeah. ‘Shannon Bradford: a name you
can trust'.” He snorted. “What a load a bull.”
“You’re obviously beyond the point of
reason.”
“You just figuring that out?” He studied me
as if I were a puzzle and his mouth slid into a bitter smile. “Hell, maybe I
was wrong. Maybe it’s not about guilt, and you’re just clueless.”
“No, you’re the expert in that area.”
Unfazed, he tilted his head and his eyes
narrowed. “I’ll bet you’re one of those bleeding hearts. You prob’ly believe in
prison reform too.” He laughed. “Think I’ve forsaken my murdering ways? Yeah,
you wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
“What are you talking about?”
He tooled his gaze around the limo. “Alone
in the back of this fancy ride with a certified lady-killer. You’re not
worried?”
Of course I was, but I’d be damned before
I’d admit it. “If you’re trying to frighten me, it’s not working.”
“You sure?” His sharp eyes held me. “All
those years in Gainstown could’ve made the Butcher Boy even crazier. Maybe he’s
just been biding his time ‘til he could settle a score.”
He wanted to scare me. Wanted me to believe
in the monster the town had created, but it was a ruse. The monster was
actually a wizard trying to distract me from the man behind the curtain. And
that just made me angrier.
“Your opinion of me is quite clear,” I
said, “so why didn’t you just let that Jeep mow me down?”
“Simple. I would’ve done the same for a
dog.” Even as my eyes widened in shock, his stayed cold and dead. “Now go tell
your bloodsucking family and your troll of a fiancé how I threw your little
olive branch back in your face.”
Pain squeezed my heart. “You really hate
me, don’t you?”
He studied me, blinking in that lazy way of
his. “To be honest, I don’t feel much of anything where you’re concerned.”
Giveaway
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