Sunday, June 13, 2010

Big Huge Reader Contest - Day 13!


Beneath the Surface by MJ Fredrick
Published by Samhain Publishing
Buy Paperback from Amazon
Romantic Suspense

Adrian didn’t wait for Toney and Jacob to tie the boat off before he leaped to the dock. He barely registered the vibration of the dock beneath his feet as he strode toward her.

“Adrian, I—”

He didn’t let her finish. Damn, she was so pretty, even windblown, even with the flash of uncertainty he saw in her eyes. He took her face in his hands, stroked his thumb over her cheek and kissed her. Surprise had her tensing for a second, and he feared she might pull away. Instead, she relaxed, just a bit, and he came home.

She was as soft, as sexy as he remembered. Her taste hadn’t changed, her mouth moved beneath his the same way, as if those three years had never passed.

He rubbed her hair, regretting the calluses on his fingers that snagged on her hair, her skin. Her fingers closed on his bare shoulders, her nails digging in briefly before sliding under the straps of his shirt, and he was lost. Dropping his hands to her hips, he drew her against him.

Slowly, it came to him where they were, why they were standing here, and he lifted his head to smile. “You came back.”

She looked a little dazed, her mouth swollen, her eyes dark. She blinked, lowering her hands from his shoulders. “Adrian, I—”

“Come see what we found.” He slid his hand down her arm to take her hand and guide her to the Miss M. She resisted at first, then followed him, trying to ignore how everyone else was watching them with interest.

What the hell had she done, coming here? Mallory swayed on the dock and watched Adrian beckon her. Once she’d reached home, she’d put her feelers out. The offers had come in fast and furious, but all she could think of was getting here to help Adrian. She waffled for a long time about how much help she’d give him. The cashier’s check in her bag was the least she could do. Staying to help excavate was the most.

After that greeting, she didn’t know how wise it was to stay, even as everything female inside her proclaimed they were ready to set up camp. Had he been so glad to see her? No, something in his eyes told her there was more. Something out there had gotten his juices flowing.

Something out there always did.

Buy Paperback from Amazon

MJ Fredrick Website


REMEMBER
Commenting and/or asking questions on an author’s blog for the day will enter you into the Big Huge Reader Contest for a Pink Sony eReader or one of three boxes packed full of RT Booklovers Convention goodies. Unfortunately, due to the grand prize being an electronic and weight of the other three boxes, this contest is for US residents only.

42 comments:

booklover0226 said...

Hi, MJ.

You're new to me but not for long. I just checked out your site and have added your books to my wishlist. I look forward in reading your works.

Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 at gmail dot com

MJFredrick said...

Thanks so much, Tracey! I'm fairly new on the scene, anyway. This is my third book.

Good luck in the contest!

Kristabel Reed said...

I especially like the last line about how something OUT THERE always did, as in got his juices flowing. Poor Mallory, feeling like she's 2nd best.

I love the teaser that it's a sunken treasure story. :)

Stephanie said...

Hi MJ,

Terrific sneak peek and I love how you have your site formatted! Fun way to explore. Is romantic suspense your main genre or will you be expanding in the future?

The Scarf Princess said...

What a sweet excerpt! You can really feel the longing between them. I'm intrigued to see where things go for them and put this book on my wishlist.

joderjo402 AT gmail DOT com

Anonymous said...

This excerpt sounds good. Can't wait to read more.
deslauree3 at aol dot com

MJFredrick said...

Thanks, Kristabel. I knew I wanted to do an archaeology story, but there are so many options out there. And then I started reading Clive Cussler and thought, THAT!

Thanks, Stephanie! I actually have a contemporary romance with The Wild Rose Press called Where There's Smoke, and I have a historical coming in September from Carina Press. I have to keep myself entertained!

Thanks so much, Joder and Desi! Desi, thanks for stopping by my blog!

Anonymous said...

Ooooh, great teaser. I'm off to you website now. I have a sneaky feeling that there will be more books to add to my wishlist.

Valerie
in Germany
valb0302@yahoo.com

Sherry said...

This was a great excerpt the book sounds really good. I haven't ever read any of your books before but they sound very interesting.

sstrode@scrtc.com

follower

Cathy M said...

Hi Mj,

I love your storytelling. I've read your whole library so far, and your upcoming, Don't Look Back, looks like another winner.


caity_mack at yahoo dot com

*yadkny* said...

Wow MJ! That was a great teaser. I have to know what happens next. Adding to my TBR pile.

yadkny@hotmail.com

Judy said...

Fantastic excerpt!! Wet my appetite just enough to want more!!! The cover is also very interesting, makes me wonder even more :)

JeanMP said...

This was a great excerpt, it was so sweet the way he came to her and kissed her. I have to read this book, I want to find out what they found

Nancy G said...

I really like the sound of this one a lot. Added to my TBB list.

Lovie said...

Visited your website - I also like action stories (and alpha type heros). I have put Breaking Daylight on my TBR list.

Jane said...

I loved the excerpt and can't wait to read "Beneath the Surface."

janie1215 AT excite DOT com

Pamk said...

This one sounds like a great book. I love the cover.

MJFredrick said...

Thank you, Valerie and Sherry!

Cathy, wow, I love hearing that! :::blush::: It's still hard for me to believe that someone reads my books, isn't that funny?

Thanks, yadkny!

Judy, and Pam, I wanted to wallpaper my house with this cover. It just takes my breath away.

Thanks so much, Jean and Nancy. I really liked researching this book to find just the right treasure :)

Lovie, if you like alpha heroes, Alex from BD is the one for you. That boy--he was a hard one to write, because he's such a hard man. But the bigger they are, the harder they fall!

Thanks so much, Jane! I hope you enjoy!

Tilly Greene said...

Oh wow, what a great excerpt MJ, and now I need to know more!

Thank you!

Tilly

MJFredrick said...

Thanks, Tilly! And thank YOU for having me!

Suzette said...

With the title, I thought Mermaid story but read excerpt and it sounds like a sunken treasure/ship hunt. Interesting.

I read your other books have firefighters. Why firefighters?


Suzette F
latinlady6929@yahoo.com

MJFredrick said...

Suzette, Adrian and Mallory in Surface are underwater archaeologists. I thought that would be fun.

As for why firefighters, well, long story. Where There's Smoke was inspired by the visit of a firefighter band at my elementary school, for a say no to drugs rally. The guitar player was REALLY handsome, and it turned out he was the son of my uncle's best friend and had grown up with my cousin. I started wondering "What if..." and voila, my best friends-to-lovers story.

Hot Shot came about the summer of 2000, and the fires in Colorado. One of the ladies from my writing chapter, Cindi Myers, had moved to CO that year and she was posting on our email loop about how heroic these hot shot firefighters were. The story went through MANY permutations before it became what it is now, a reporter finding love again with a man who risks his life every day.

Thanks for asking!

Anne said...

MJ's a new author to me too! That's probably the #1 reason I visit blogs: to find out about new authors or new releases by authors I've liked in the past but forgotten their names.

MJFredrick said...

Anne, blogs are dangerous that way! I just finished Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey, who I discovered through blogs. It's been worse since I started reading e-books. I'll read a blog, think, "That book looks good," then go buy it and be reading it right away. (I've had to curb this since, I don't have as much time as I used to!)

Stacey Smith said...

Now you made me want to know what is going to happen next and what the book is realy about.


sasluvbooks(at)yahoo.com

MJFredrick said...

Stacey, ;)

jeanette8042 said...

Ooooh I'm loving the excerpt and desperately wanting to read the rest now!

lilazncutie1215 @ yahoo.com

Tracie said...

There is nothing better than an excerpt that leaves you wanting to dig deeper into the characters! Love it!

Deb830 said...

Hi MJ -

Sounds like a great book. I'll have to add this to my TBR pile.

deb ;0)

MJFredrick said...

Thanks, Jeanette, Deb and Tracie! I just heard another author with her book out the same day as mine got her author copies today, so I'm hanging out at the front door, hoping! No feeling like it, seriously.

Armenia said...

Sounds great!! Another great read for summer.

armiefox at yahoo dot com

MJFredrick said...

Thanks, Armenia! My author copies just landed. Soooo pretty!

Andrea I said...

I loved the excerpt. It sounds like a very interesting book.

ainfinger@comcast.net

mrsshukra said...

Very nice beach read!

delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com

MJFredrick said...

Thanks so much, Andrea and Delilah!

Fedora said...

Hi, MJ! Congrats on going to print on this! It's already on my TBR electronically!

f dot chen at comcast dot net

MJFredrick said...

Thanks so much, Fedora!

Anonymous said...

MJ you are new to me but I am excited to go check out your work- great excerpt , has me hooked ;)!

Pam S
pams00@aol.com

MJFredrick said...

Thanks so much, Pam! It's very exciting to reach new readers!

BecK said...

This is another of my favourite ebooks. I've read it at least 10 times. I'm glad the heroine and hero got back together.

MJFredrick said...

Oh, WOW, BecK! You TOTALLY made my day! Thank you thank you!

Nicole Zoltack said...

Great excerpt!

~Nicole
Nicole.Zoltack AT gmail.com