BELLA ROSA COMES OUT TOMORROW!

I am as excited as I can be about this! Here's a snippet (I love those sassy ladies).

She leaned down and kissed his mouth, slipping her hand under his arm and between the folds of the towel as she did. “This shit stops now.”

Her words bitch-slapped him and some of the fog lifted. The boat rocked slightly as the ocean’s current moved underneath and around. Depending on where the boat is anchored, it can either be sitting still or rocking. Vince did not have any idea what Castillo knew about boats, except that he owned this one, if not while he was living with Rowan, then now. He guessed the SOLD sign that sat in the window when he and Ro had come aboard last night had something to do with Castillo. He got aboard somehow.

Vince heard male voices, and guessed both Castillo and Junior were outside together. To the casual observer, this would be the time to make a move. When the victims are separated from the victimizers, things can become unbalanced, so maybe you make the move. But it sure as shit would not be Rowan’s doing.

His left hand grabbed up her wrist in a grip worthy of the healthiest man, and his face grew hard as stone. “No. No you don’t.”

“Let me handle this,” she hissed. “I won’t lose you to him.”

“This is not your job,” he growled. “This is not what you do.” Vince turned his head so he could see the two men more clearly, outside, in an obvious disagreement over something. Yes. This was the time to move.

“This will not go well for you,” he whispered. “Back off now.” His face was red with rage. Rowan fingered the pink sapphire necklace that rested easy between her breasts and hidden under her shirt. She recalled its meaning, and what she had agreed to. The man was not wrong. She was the last person who should be wielding a gun at anyone, but she was determined to see this nightmare ended and Vince in the hospital where he belonged. She would handle him and his sour temper easily enough once he was under hospital care. Men became quite vulnerable when donning a gown with no back, and tubes sticking out of their arms.

“How dare you threaten me,” she snipped. “And besides, you’re in no condition to do much of anything to anyone.”

“The time to make a move is now.”
“I know that.”
“Not you. Am I clear?”
“Yes,” she hissed, “And if you get hurt I will kill you!”

“Get downstairs with the kids.”

“No. No, I won’t do that.” Wisely, Rowan let go of the gun and repositioned the towel under Vince’s arm.

He scooted into a more advantageous position and gave the towel under his arm another tug. “I’m keeping track of how many times you argue with me, lady.”

“Oh, spare me.”

“That...” He winced in pain. “That is something I will not be doing when the time comes.”

“You’re hallucinating. Rest.” She kissed him on the mouth and moved into a position to stand when a single shot rang out.

---

BELLA ROSA

This is the city.

Murder and violence is all in a day’s work for Lieutenant Vincent Girardi. But there is something about this murder that doesn’t add up. When a piece of paper with an address written on it is found at the crime scene, Vince believes that perhaps this victim wasn’t the intended target.

Dr. Rowan Delaney is biding her time. In less than a week she will give testimony that will rid her of a painful past once and for all, and grant her and her two children the freedom she has been seeking for years. When Lieutenant Vincent Girardi and his partner show up at her door to question her about the murdered woman across the street, and then suggest that she may have been the intended target, she refuses all help or protection, intending to fulfill her obligation in front of the Grand Jury without interference from anyone—including the handsome cop darkening her doorstep.

But the Lieutenant has other plans. He is convinced the pretty doctor was the intended victim, and he is determined to find out why, starting with Rowan’s absentee husband, head of a notorious drug cartel. Vince is determined to see the woman and her children safe; Rowan is determined to start her life over—after her testimony.

Can Vince protect her without his feelings for her getting in the way? And can Rowan accept his care, along with a heavy dose of hubris and alpha dominance, without losing herself in the process?

And will their growing love be enough to save them from the evil that will not take no for an answer?

** THIS BOOK IS A ROMANCE/SUSPENSE THAT CONTAINS VIOLENCE AND EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT WITHIN A LOVING RELATIONSHIP, INCLUDING DOMINATION AND THE NON-CONSENSUAL SPANKING OF AN ADULT FEMALE **