Hi everyone and welcome. I’m so glad CTR asked me to come by today and help celebrate our brave men and women in uniform by sharing some snippets from my romantic suspense, SOLDIER FOR LOVE. 

She’s his  Commanding Officer.    
So why does he seem to be in charge?   

Major  Julie Collins should be on top of the world. Her long-sought promotion has  finally come through and she has just been given her first overseas command.  But when one of her troops turns out to be the handsome Native American who has  just left her bed, everything starts to unravel. 

Lieutenant Matt Wolf’s exploits with the opposite sex are legend””if only they  were true. His larger-than-life persona masks deep loneliness and isolation. He  has every intention of obeying Julie’s order to stay away, but what’s he to do  when she follows him and then gets herself kidnapped by a deranged voodoo  priest? 

Suddenly, all orders are belayed as Matt mounts a one-man rescue, risking both  of their careers, and the only home he has ever known.

Even after I finished writing this book, I continued to love these characters because of their vulnerabilities, their passion to do the right thing, and their commitment to the life of service they had chosen. Here’s one of my favorite excerpts:

Matt stared down at Julie. He had taken off his own mask, but hadn’t removed hers.

Well now you’ve done it, Boyo. No matter how he tried to wrap it up in a sense of responsibility for her or admiration of her strength of character, he had to face the truth. He had fallen in love.

He rose from the bed and covered her with a sheet. Then he crossed the room to the chair he’d claimed when she was fevered.

When had it happened? He was so certain he had his emotions under control. And the worst of it was he was sure she felt the same way about him but could never admit it.

She risked disciplinary action if word of their affair ever got out. The shame would probably kill her. It would certainly kill her career and, for Julie, that was the same as death.

It was unfair. While she would be pilloried from all sides, the very same people that would condemn him in public would privately congratulate him. It  fit perfectly with the reputation he had developed for himself. And that would only make it worse for her””another woman fallen victim to his charm. He cringed at the thought of the derision she would face.

Still, if there was a way””any way””to make it work…

What? What would you do, Boyo? What would you be prepared to give up?

Everything!

The answer startled and scared him.

She gave a shuddering sigh and rolled on her side. He wondered if she was dreaming of him and waited to see if she would cry out his name as she had done before. She’d be mortified if she knew.

He smiled, remembering how his body responded the first time she’d done it. It stirred again, now, at the thought that he may be the subject of her dream.

He wanted to go to her and take her again. This time without secrets, without masks. Just the two of them””honest and real. He actually rose and stood beside her bed. No. As much as he wanted her, he’d let her sleep.

Julie’s mask shifted to reveal the curve of one cheek. He stroked it and was rewarded with a sigh of contentment. She’d been surprised at his choice of mask for her, but pleasantly so. How could he tell her that was how he saw her? A delicate, gentle soul beneath an exterior of tempered steel. Far too beautiful to be earthbound, she deserved to soar above this world.

He was pleased by her choice of mask for him. It wasn’t just that it was a wolf. There were several wolves she could have chosen. This particular wolf seemed to encompass everything his grandparents had told him about his clan. Without warning, he heard his grandfather: While we might explore on our own, we prefer the company of others.

Suddenly the loneness he sought seemed more of a burden than a relief. What would it be like to share a life with someone you loved””a love like he had seen between his grandparents?

Whoa! Stop right there. He didn’t dare go down that path. No, he needed to get Julie back to safety””it was his fault she was in danger””finish the mission, and then get as far away from her as he could. For both their sakes.

Each day our men and women in uniform put themselves in harm’s way to protect our way of life. In SOLDIER FOR LOVE, Matt not only risks his physical well-being, he risks everything he holds dear to protect Julie’s life and reputation. Heroes and heroines come in many forms. Sometimes it’s the little things someone does that means the most to us. Who is the hero in your life and why? One commenter will be randomly selected to receive this detailed pewter wolf head pin in honor of our hero, Lt. Matt Wolf.

SOLDIER FOR LOVE is available in book and ebook. Check out Amazon or visit my website for another excerpt from SOLDIER FOR LOVE and links to your favorite book and ebook retailers.

I love to chat books and life with readers. You can connect with me via Facebook, Twitter & Goodreads.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you had as much fun as I did.