You know, I believe women deserve the right to vote and wear pants and all that good stuff, but there is an irrepressible part of me that loves the damsel in distress story. Like, way back in the 70s, when Star Wars came out, I could not get enough of that movie. She was a princess! She was in danger! She needed a hero and she got not one, but two. (Three if you count Chewy.) And that moment when Luke grabbed her and swung across the abyss like a pirate of old? Holy moly, talk about tropes.
Anyway, that’s all to prep you for a fantastic boxed set that is only available until January 31, 2015–8 Nights with a Hero. If you like suspenseful romance, this is the set for you.
In today’s spotlight, I have USA Today Bestselling Author Misty Evans. Ms. Evans has published over twenty novels and writes romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance. As a writing coach, she helps other authors bring their books – and their dreams of being published – to life. Misty likes her coffee black, her conspiracy stories juicy, and her wicked characters dressed in couture. When not reading or writing, she enjoys music, movies, and hanging out with her husband, twin sons, and two spoiled dogs.
Her novel, Operation Sheba (Super Agent Series, Book 1), sounds terrific. Here’s the back cover copy and a short excerpt.
Julia Torrison—codename Sheba—is keeping secrets.
Seventeen months ago she was one of the CIA’s super agents, facing down dangerous terrorists with her partner and lover Conrad Flynn. After a mission was blown and Conrad died, Julia was yanked back to Langley and given a new identity. She is now the Counterterrorism Center’s top analyst, spending her days at CIA headquarters and her nights in her boss’s bed. Her former life as a secret agent has been sealed off with her heart.
Former SEAL Conrad Flynn—codename Solomon—has his own secrets.
For starters, he’s not dead. Going under the deepest cover possible, he faked his own death to save Sheba’s life. Now he must tear that new life apart and ask for her help to hunt down a traitor inside the Agency’s walls.
Is Conrad a rogue operative or a jealous ex-lover looking for revenge?
Julia must risk everything for the man who still holds her heart in order to decide. Drawn into a web of seduction and betrayal, she is forced to play the spy game of her life, flushing out an Agency mole and stopping a hostage situation using nothing more than her iPod and her intuition.
________
The wind chimes outside the patio doors clanged gustily in the wind. Julia sat on the floor, arms wrapped around her bent legs, watching the wind blow sheets of rain across the cracked concrete patio.
“Would it help,” Conrad said quietly from behind Julia, “if I said I was sorry? Again?” His silhouette reflected in the glass as lightning ripped through the black sky.
She had sought solace in her apartment, locking the door behind her and leaving the lights off. An attempt, Conrad knew, to keep him out so she could hang her head and lose the control she had been fighting so hard to keep after learning of Michael Stone’s betrayal.
“No. It wouldn’t help.” Her voice sounded steady and yet still smart with emotion. “You’d be lying. You’re not sorry it’s Michael.”
“But I am sorry the asshole did a number on you.”
Julia’s eyebrows rose as she calmly accused him. “The pot calling the kettle black.”
Conrad clenched his jaw to fight back a response that would only get him in deeper shit. He couldn’t win this argument. No sense trying.
Julia, sensing his refusal to argue, shook her head mildly and ignored him again. A crack of lightning, the follow-up roll of thunder a few seconds later. Long minutes of silence.
Conrad shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Damn this sucked. He wanted her to lash out at him, yell, slam a door, cry in his arms again—like that hadn’t freaked him out a little, she never cried, but even that was preferable to this sudden silence—do something to blow off her anger and hurt. Then he could help her. But this…this withdrawal wasn’t healthy. The emotions would detonate inside her.
Maybe he should get in her face, argue with her until she broke. Tell her why he wasn’t like Stone. She would break, he knew that, and he damn sure would be there to pick up the pieces this time. “You have to talk to me, Jules.”
“No, actually, I don’t. Leave me alone. I need some time to think.”
“I have more information, more proof, if you want to see it.”
Julia cut her gaze to him as the rain continued to pelt the concrete. “I’ve seen and heard enough. The less I know, the more…how did Smitty put it? Effective? Yes that’s the word. The less I know the more effectiveI’ll be in your little sting operation.”
“So you’re going to help us?”
She snorted. “Do I have a choice?”
No, he wanted to say, his need for her help almost as bad as his need for her forgiveness. At the same time he felt compelled after what he’d put her through to give her an out. “You always have a choice. I can’t force you to do this, to work with me.”
Her body tensed and he knew he’d said the wrong thing, although he wasn’t sure why it was wrong. Her help was critical to the success of the operation, but he didn’t want to push her into a corner. It would only backfire on him.
Her attention went back to the night outside the door. “What if,” she said, her voice controlled, deliberate, “the roles had been reversed seventeen months ago? What if you thought I was dead, Con, and it was your fault?”
Taking a step back, he let his back slide down the wall on the west side of the patio doors. He let himself think about it for a moment, but a moment was all it took. “I’d have gone crazy.”
Her response was just as quick. “But you’d have survived, just like I did.” And accurate.
Lightning flickered, illuminating Julia’s body with a blinking, strobe-like effect. The green eyes were black, her lips set in a grim line. Behind her set face, he knew she was coming to grips with Stone’s betrayal. With her current situation. With his request for her help. He watched as she continued to stare out at the night. She was right, they were survivors. Whatever the outcome of this operation, they would both survive.
He waited for her to tell him that. To assert that she would be fine. But silence was all he got.
Life with Julia had never been easy, but then he had never opted for easy in his life. To him, nothing easy was worth having. Challenge was what made his blood flow, his pulse pound.
Conrad had a superior operational mind and the balls to put his ideas into action. Intelligence mixed with cool logic and hyperawareness made him excel at everything from running agents to troubleshooting tickets for a sold-out game. Always ready for the next opportunity, he was an artful and cunning risk-taker. He loved the game and he loved to win.
In the 007 version of the Intelligence world, Conrad was an outstandingly good spy.
The problem was he had fallen in love with Julia, his opposite in ways the Myers-Briggs assessment test couldn’t begin to measure. And although her scope of assignments had been more limited than his, she was operationally his equal. That had caused just a few problems.
Being a good spook was the antithesis of being a normal person. Those who excelled at flirting with terrorists, assassins, drug dealers and the rest of the Earth’s scum usually sucked in the everyday departments of spouse, parent, or friend.
That’s all right, he thought. Take all the time you need, love. I’m not going anywhere. I’m never leaving you again…
To celebrate the release, the authors of 8 Nights with a Hero are holding a giveaway. There will be two tour-wide prizes (two winners, US only):
First Prize: $40.00 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card
Second Prize: Box of Swag with contributions from all the authors
To buy 8 Nights with a Hero:
To buy 8 Nights with a Hero:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1CDpWHu
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1pQvvfR
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1v7SkfS
All Romance: http://bit.ly/12lJZt9
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1vLcOtH
Apple: http://bit.ly/1vgaGq2
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1pQvvfR
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1v7SkfS
All Romance: http://bit.ly/12lJZt9
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1vLcOtH
Apple: http://bit.ly/1vgaGq2
To find out more about Misty Evans: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter
