Not Without Risk

I've shared with you a picture of Sergeant Justin Harrison, right?  From my relaunched romantic suspense, NOT WITHOUT RISK...

He's pretty darn yummy, isn't he?
What you think he looks a bit frustrated?  That's because he is...

Justin crossed to the door, held it for her as she stepped out onto the sidewalk. He smiled at the sight of her Cadillac sitting at the curb, its top down in deference to the humid night air, before shifting his gaze to his own car, parked a few feet in front of hers and shining in the light from the street lamp.

Her lips parted as a startled gasp slipped free. Feet still bare, she walked to his car and slowly, one finger at a time, pressed down until her palm lay flat atop the front quarter panel. Even from his distance, he caught her tiny shiver of pleasure. “She’s beautiful.”

Justin watched, transfixed, as she moved around his car, each step forward followed by the gentle slide of her hand across the quarter panel. Down the side, across the rear spoiler and forward once more. Each stroke, each caress of her hand pushed his blood pressure up another notch until he had to steel himself from closing the distance and pulling her into his embrace.

Want consumed him. He wanted her hands on him, not just on his car. He wanted to taste her, feel her, to fist his hands in her hair and sink into her warmth. It’d been too long, far too long since he’d been with a woman—six months, ten days and twenty-two hours to be exact, and he missed it. He missed it more than he missed nicotine, more than he missed being able to draw a deep breath without the slightest twinge of pain.

She looked up and met his gaze across the expanse of the car. A smile curved her lips, brightened her face and lightened her features. Joy, pure, unadulterated joy sparkled in her eyes, warmed her voice. “How long have you had her?”

“About ten years now. I found her in a field behind someone’s house with four flat tires and mold covering the front seat.” Disgust colored her features but her smile did not fade. Justin caught himself before he could return her smile. He shoved his hands into his front pockets.

It’d been a mistake coming here, a mistake he needed to quickly remedy. For years he’d chosen his women for their physical endowments and little else. He liked them blonde and stacked, girls who didn’t expect more from him than a night of pleasure and tempted him in no other sense than the physical. Only since he’d faced down a bullet and lost, he hadn’t been able to even consider enjoying a woman with the same carelessness as before.

He has a killer to find and doesn't need a leggy brunette clouding his investigation.
She wants to know who murdered her friend.
As Paige and Justin try to stay one step ahead of a madman, love comes...Not Without Risk.


Buy your copy today at:
Amazon / Barnes and Noble / All Romance eBooks

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Character Quickie: Isabeau Montgomery

Since today's author had to reschedule, I thought I would share something new. I 'borrowed' this post from my group blog, Off the Keyboard, because character quickie's were a spin off of the Friday Quickies I do here. And, they're just so much fun!

Oh, and don't forget ~ today is the last day to get AFTER MIDNIGHT for the sale price of $0.99

20 quickie facts about Isabeau Montgomery: 

Birthday? September 23
Favorite color? Brick Red
Nickname? Izzy
Birthmark or scars? Too many scars to list.
Siblings? None
City of residence? Long Island City, New York
If you were a jelly bean flavor, what flavor would you be? Pina Colada
Occupation? Owner of Izzy’s Bar
Hobbies? Cooking, Running
Favorite song? Tempted by Black Phoenix
Name one item in your refrigerator right now? Black sea bass with chilies, herbs, and spinach.
Your greatest fear? That Noah will discover my secret, learn of the lie I’ve been hiding behind for 13 years.
Most treasured possession? The grand piano gifted to me by my mother when I was a child.
Special talent? I’m called a piano phenom. I can play any piece of music – perfectly – after hearing it just once.
Cat or dog? Cat
Pet peeve? When people stare at my scars.
Unforgettable moment? The night Noah Clark walked into my bar.
Spicy or not? Definitely
Favorite guilty pleasure? Sunbathing topless.
If you could ask your author one question, what would it be? How did you know Noah was the one for me?

Isabeau Montgomery is the heroine in Sarah's award-winning contemporary romance, AFTER MIDNIGHT,
on sale for 99 cents!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/11kD7JS 

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Characters Revealed: Noah Clark

CONTEST IS CLOSED AND WINNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. THANK YOU! 

Have I ever mentioned how much I love and appreciate you all? In celebration of After Midnight doing so well on Barnes and Noble and Amazon right now, I'm going to do a reader giveaway. But first, I want to give you all a look at Noah Clark: hero of After Midnight. 

NOTE: this is a re-post, but with so many talking about Noah, I thought I would bring it back for you all. Enjoy!

Dear Reader,

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Noah Clark, the lead singer/songwriter for the rock band Black Phoenix. Perhaps you’ve heard of us. About ten years ago we topped the Billboard charts—a multi-platinum band whose last album was the most successful of its century. But that was before everything went to shit. Back before the sex, alcohol, and rock and roll took away my best friend and drummer, Danny Treybourne. Afterwards, I gave up the lifestyle, the world tours, hell, I gave up the band. I headed back home to London and committed myself to leading a normal life, one without music as its driving force.

For ten years, I was miserable.

So I’m back to making music. I crossed the pond, settled in a place called Auburn, California and began the preparations to reunite Black Phoenix. We hired a new drummer, set up a meeting with the record company, and I went in search of a private, reputable studio to record a demo. I found one in Long Island City, just up the road from a pub named Izzy’s Bar. Where one night, after midnight, I wandered in and set eyes on its namesake.

Damn…Isabeau Montgomery, child prodigy pianist, hiding behind a lie of her own making. She has the most pale, haunted eyes I’ve ever seen, and dark, golden skin. The first time she set those eyes on me and smiled, I was lost. I’m a songwriter, but the way she affected me, I haven’t words.

A detail about me you should know, I was born with a one track mind. I want something; I go out and get it. From the moment I first laid eyes on Isa I wanted her. I wanted to show her what she was missing, ignoring her music the way she did. I wanted to share with her everything I spent all those years figuring out: Denying who you are is nothing but a waste of time, time a person can never get back. Problem is my one track mind got me in trouble. I became so focused on saving her from herself, I didn’t see the whole picture. I pushed her too hard. And in the end, I pushed her away.

Hopefully, one day she’ll forgive me for being such an ass, because Isabeau…Isa completes me.

In a way even my music never could.

All you have to do is comment to be in the running.  What's up for grabs? Five random commentors will win an eCopy of AFTER MIDNIGHT.  If you've already read it, go ahead and let me know - I'll award a couple of copies of my Re-edited, revised and soon to be re-released romantic suspense, Not Without Risk. 

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5 Things Noah Clark Would Never Say

One of the things I’m repeatedly asked is whether or not I base my characters’ physical attributes on real people, and if so, who they look like? Honestly, I never do. When my characters first begin talking to me, I come up with the details – hair color, eye color, height, and skin tone – and an image of my hero and heroine takes shape in my head.

However, as a reader, I, too, enjoy when an author offers up a photograph that resembles how they imagine their character to look. And so I share with you the closest representation of the hero of After Midnight, singer/front man for the rock band Black Phoenix, Noah Clark.

*sigh*

Okay, with that visual in mind, I give you Five Things Noah Clark Would Never Say:

1. Music? I could do without it.


2. My family isn’t all the important to me.


3. I love the sound of my own voice. I never stop talking.


4. I wasn’t all that interested in Isabeau when I first met her.


5. It’s all about being a star – playing sold out stadiums and making the most money I can.

"After Midnight is one hell of a love story! I was hooked at the end of the first chapter. I had to read more. I had to know more. And Sarah Grimm definitely delivered more." ~ 5 Stars, Fire Pages

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Characters Revealed: Isabeau Montgomery

My Dear Reader-

My name is Isabeau Montgomery. You may know me as the owner of Izzy’s Bar in Long Island City, New York, but thirteen years ago...

I’m sorry. The past is difficult for me to talk about. You see, when I was four I turned the music world on its ear by sitting down at a piano and playing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor perfectly, after hearing it only once. I’m what they call a piano phenom, a child with an ear for music; a prodigy. Instantly, I became an international sensation. The media went crazy, people flocked from all over the world to watch me play. I didn’t understand any of it. I was just a little girl doing what I loved. Until what I loved was turned against me.

I survived the accident that took my mother’s life. I recovered the use of my left hand, but never played the piano again. I grew up, inherited the bar after my biological father passed away, and settled into life as a business owner. A life without music was a struggle at first, but I was doing fine. I was happy…until one night, after midnight, Noah Clark walked through my door.

He came to town to record a demo, secure a record contract that will help him reclaim his past and put Black Phoenix back on the charts. I recognized him the moment I saw him, not as the famous rock singer, but as the man who was going to change my life—whether I wanted him to or not.

Noah has this way of looking at me, of seeing me, the real me, not the mask I wear. I feel connected to him, felt it the moment he entered my world. He calls to me, on a level much deeper than simple sexual attraction. When I’m with him I’m not as lost or alone. When I’m with Noah…I hear music where for years there was nothing but silence.

Which is why I push him away. I can’t allow him to get too close to me or he’ll discover my secret, uncover the lie I’ve been hiding behind. Noah might understand me on a level no one before him ever has, but what he doesn’t understand—what he can’t possibly understand—is sometimes the past is better left alone.

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Skyrockets in Flight Blog Hop Delight

For today’s Skyrockets In Flight Blog Hop I’ve decided to do a character interview.

Most interviews I’ve read are of the heroine, but since NOT WITHOUT RISK is actually the hero’s story, I chose to interview Sergeant Justin Harrison.

What is Not Without Risk about?

Murder. Proving to myself and my colleagues that I was fit to return to active duty after a .38 punctured my lung. And how a sexy brunette, with the longest legs I’ve ever had the pleasure of having wrapped around my hips, changed everything.

What did you think the first time you saw the heroine, Paige?

That she was stunning—and that it had been far too long since I’d been with a woman.

What was your second thought?

She could be a killer.

Why did you become a cop?

I have no stomach for people who take advantage of others weaknesses or misfortune for their own gain. I can’t stand violence against others, especially women. And when bad things happen, someone needs to help restore order, solve the puzzle and uncover the identity of the bad guy. I’m very good with puzzles.

What do you like most about Paige?

Her courage and strength. Even injured and bleeding, facing the knowledge that someone wanted her dead—would stop at nothing to see it happen—Paige didn’t break.

If you could change one thing about her, what would it be?

Why would I want to change her?

What is your biggest fear?

That I won’t be able to protect Paige. I pushed myself, my body, too hard in order to get back to the job—the thing that defines who I am. Then I met Paige, and discovered something more important than being a cop. Injured, exhausted and facing one of the toughest cases of my career…I don’t know if I can do it, if I can solve it before the killer gets his hands on her. But I have to. I can’t lose the woman who’s shown me I have worth other than the job—the woman I’ve come to need as much as my next lung full of air.

Make sure to leave me a comment that includes your email addy and you’re automatically entered to win an autographed copy of Not Without Risk. But that's not all, I will also pick two additional commentors to send some bookmarks and a beautiful heart keychain. Want to double your chance of winning? Become a follower of my blog and receive a second entry.

Have fun with the blog hop and good luck!



For a list of other blogs participating on this hop go here:

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