Who is the SHADOW?

Hi all!  A hearty thank you to Coffee Time Romance for giving me the opportunity to chat with everyone today. Last month I released SHADOW, the first in a 3-book Romantic Suspense series. These books are all stand-alone, and there are no cliffhangers.

In SHADOW, Sophie Diem believes that she is being stalked, and indeed she is. In this case, the intentions of her SHADOW are misguided, but commendable. Though she perceives the man in the shadows as a threat, he proves to be her ally, her defense…and eventually her lover.

Only with the liberties of fiction can we put a romantic twist on something so traumatic. Sophie can provide no proof that she is being stalked, she just knows that she is. And she is diligent to try every method in her power to avoid confrontation.

While writing SHADOW I realized that the hero had his valid reasons for following Sophie. I knew that romance was on the horizon for them. Still, I felt Sophie’s panic, and I sympathized with her. I argued with her on some of her decisions and commended her on others, and in the end I was proud of her. She was a strong, intelligent woman who I would have enjoyed having as a friend.

We like to believe we are going to handle every adversity that life tosses at us with courage and wit. As admirable as that sounds, we often respond with instinct and raw determination.  Come meet Sophie and her enigmatic shadow, and enjoy their journey.

SHADOW is on a limited-time sale for only .99 cents! Grab it now before it turns into a pumpkin and rolls back to 2.99 🙂

http://maureenamiller.com/SHADOW.php

  SHADOW

The Shadow was watching her again. Sometimes he would approach. On those occasions she tried to run. Running was  pointless, though. He would always return. And he would always ask the same question, over and over…

Where is Nathan Bethard?

Sophie’s boss has skipped town, abandoning their counseling firm. Now a stranger is stalking her. In an attempt to flee him, she  seeks a new job…in   London.

Does The Shadow really have evil intentions, though? Is there more to him than Sophie originally thought? Maybe The Shadow  is in fact her only protection.
EXCERPT:
Her intuition sensed danger in this man. Her sensuality noticed the attraction. Sexy dark stubble scored his jawline as his strong  hand brushed that jaw in deliberation. Her gaze lingered on the full lips as she blinked quickly and returned to the safety of her  food carton.

 Fool, she chastised. This man is trouble.

“You have to admit this is a tad surreal,” she said over a mouthful of broccoli while glancing out the window.

Glenn looked through the window as well, and their eyes connected in the reflection. Squeezing hers shut, she jerked her concentration back to the next mouthful.

“How so?” he asked with that deep inflection. “We’re two hungry adults who are casual acquaintances.”

Again she searched for some trace of humor or irony in his features, but they were stone. How did he do it? How did he stay so impassive?

“You stalk me. I flee to another country and you continue to stalk me. And now we’re eating with chopsticks together, which is about the most awkward thing casual acquaintances can do.”

He pointed his chopsticks at her. “You need to move past this stalking theory. It’s unsettling.”

“Unsettling!” Her palm hit the table with a loud smack.

All heads turned in their direction, but the front door opened and the heads swiveled like a pack of gazelle to a new diversion.

Sophie leaned her head in. “Do you have issues? Is that the problem? You were ex-military or something. Is there post-traumatic stress at play here? Trust me, I do understand. I was a counselor, remember?”

Glenn grabbed a mouthful of fried rice off of the plastic sticks.

“I see that you’ve been doing your research. You exert that much effort on Nathan?”

Angry, and sensitive she swallowed the lump of beef down her throat. Before she could respond, he explained, “I was a Limited Duty Officer. I commanded ashore activities, so no, I never went to war and I have no post-traumatic stress. I became an officer for my surface ship engineering skills.”

Reading her puzzled look, he added. “Consider it being a glorified ship mechanic.”

Officers in the Navy, even limited ones were more than just mechanics, she thought.

“You speak of it in the past tense.”

“Yes. I left the Navy ten years ago. I had other obligations.”

Chewing thoughtfully on her broccoli, Sophie pointed her chopsticks back at him. “If you quit ten years ago…well you don’t look that old. Don’t you have to be old to be an officer?”

“Whatever I look, believe me, I feel 100 years older. But I’m 38, and no, you don’t have to be old to be an officer.”

Thirty-eight. Five years older than her. He sounded sane, but nothing about this situation was anywhere close to being sane. Should she share the news about her storage unit? She wanted to, but this man would only feed her paranoia. And what if he was responsible for the fire?

“I gave you a concession,” he interrupted her mulling. “I answered your questions. Now it’s your turn.”

SHADOW can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes and Kobo for only .99 cents for a limited time.