Here is an excerpt from the sequel to A Night of NovelTea (out now with The Wild Rose Press). This book is now also available at The Wild Rose Press. You can also get it at Fictionwise.
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Don’t miss the Character Interview between Juliet and Grant posted at the Author’s Studio.
(Sweet/Sensual Rating)
Blurb:
Second in the NovelTea Series:
Government agent Grant Gerard knows he’s cocky. It’s the reason he can do this job day after day. He’s always kept his life simple and uncomplicated…until destiny took a turn when he met bookstore/tea shop owner Juliet Truesdale.
Armed with a new lead pertaining to known criminal spook, Alexis Guthrie, Grant enlists Juliet to aid the investigation which ends up at the door of her neighbor, Adam Trudeau. This investment banker neighbor of hers seems harmless enough despite his annoying interest in Juliet. Will this turn of events only usher in more dangerous or even deadly situations for the duo? Can Grant allow Juliet into his heart and keep her safe from the danger looming in the distance?
Prologue
The sweet darkness of midnight embraced me like an ever expectant lover. Standing alone in my solitary state peering out at the shadowed city streets, I was captivated. The black sheet of the night skyline twinkled with a diminutive number of stars. Leaning over the balcony railing, I slowly inhaled a gulp of the crisp air. This was the time of day when I felt alive—when my true spirit was released and I could feel it breathing inside of me.
It had all been just too easy. His arrogance and their conceit have played right into my hand. Before they put the pieces together, all evidence of my existence will be gone and they’ll once more be rubbing their heads wondering what went wrong.
I’ll be sad to end this charade. It has served me well. Perhaps too well. I was becoming overly comfortable in this guise—making contact with too many people…like her. She would have loved the real me if only I could have shown her. In another time or another place, I might have had that chance. Maybe I still will. I’m beginning to grow tired of this game. At any rate, time has a way of catching up with you in the end.
Chapter One
5:37 p.m., Friday, September 28th
Domestic Security Agency, Arlington, Virginia
Another week wraps up to a gratifying conclusion. Another perp stashed safely behind bars. When I thought of myself it couldn’t be as anything more or less than—Grant Gerard, Government Agent. It was my identity. I may not love it each and every moment of every day but it was in my blood, a part of me. It was what I ate, drank, and dreamed about—day in and day out. At least, that’s the way it used to be.
Before leaving for the day, I glanced around the bullpen of DSA Central Headquarters, settling my eyes on Juliet Truesdale—our new consultant and the woman who’d saved my skin not too long ago. I watched as she rose from Nick Donovan’s desk across the room from me, smoothing her gray skirt over trim hips. Nick was the twenty-two year old computer genius around here. Juliet had been called in to verify some data and from the moronical smile on Donovan’s nearly prepubescent face, he seemed to be enjoying it just a little too much.
Exiting my location in the hallway entrance, I made my trek their way. I couldn’t just let her leave again without testing the waters. This being my first free weekend in over a month maybe she was in the mood for a Friday night out, just me and her.
As I neared them, Donovan beat me to the punch. “What are you up to tonight, Juliet?”
My ears tuned in to her response but before Juliet answered, she raised her eyes and looked in my direction with her usual sweet smile. What was it about her smile that sent my heartbeat into overdrive each and every time? Had it only been a month since I met her in her parents’ bookstore/tea shop, NovelTea Books? In that short time, she had somehow become part of the job and my personal life. Well…not exactly personal. I’d seen her in the office off and on over the last thirty-six days but it had been mostly business, nothing more.
“Yes, Juliet, what are your plans?” I stopped at the desk next to her and leaned back against it as I crossed my arms and smiled.
A slight smirk settled on the side of her mouth. “Back from your debriefing so quickly, Agent Gerard?” True to form she’d sidestepped my question with another question, a skill she hadn’t needed to be taught.
“Yep, the Ames case is officially put to bed. But you didn’t answer my question.”
She raised her eyebrows in mock confusion. “What question was that?”
Lifting the right side of my mouth into a lopsided smile, I shook my head slightly. “Your Friday night plans.”
Donovan got out of his seat now. “Yeah, Juliet, I was wondering…”
“My plans?” Juliet interrupted him. I was fairly certain she did it on purpose to avoid whatever it was he was wondering. “I have plans. Don’t you boys worry about me.” She grabbed her purse. “And speaking of which, I better get going before I’m late.”
I stood straight, allowing her to pass by me. For the second we were face to face, she gave me a quick smile, her warm, brown eyes very friendly, almost encouraging. All I could smell was the hand cream I’d seen her put on earlier—vanilla, I think. After she moved along, I followed her with my eyes, examining those long legs of hers as she walked to the department door for Section C. Watching her put certain ideas into my head—ideas that were decidedly not business related. I’d never experienced distractions like this since being recruited to the Agency out of the FBI as a twenty-six year old know-it-all. But Juliet wasn’t your typical distraction. She was different from all the other women I knew. Different in a special way.
“Grant, get in here a minute.”
Harry’s authoritative voice snapped me back to reality. I knew that tone. What had I done now?
“What’s up Harry? You have another niece in town dying to meet me?” I casually slipped into one of the vinyl covered chairs in his office and crossed my ankles on top of his desk as I gave him a big grin. I don’t know why I did it. I knew it would tick him off but it was too tempting and I was still on a high from Juliet’s smile.
“Why don’t you make yourself at home, Gerard? You finished with the games?” He shifted in his seat, leaning his right elbow into the armrest as the rest of his body moved in toward me on the other side of his desk.
I sat up straighter as I took in his serious tone, the vinyl of the chair beneath my legs reverberating offensively. “What’s all this about?”
“It’s Alexis Guthrie.”
This was serious. The DSA had formed under a mandate of Homeland Security five years ago and in that time Guthrie’s name had fallen onto the radar several times. There was no face to Guthrie. No history. Just a name. He’d never been caught; he’d never been seen. He was like a phantom terrorizing my dreams. A chameleon. All we did know was if large sums of money were involved either here or abroad, Guthrie would somehow be connected. Anyone who got too close ended up dead, the financial center bombing two years ago in Richmond coming to mind most vividly. Bottom line—he was a threat to national security and that was why we were handling the case instead of the FBI.
I placed my feet back on the ground and leaned forward in my chair as I stared at Harry. “There’s a new lead.”
Without a word, he handed me a file.
I flipped it open and examined the bio of a local banker, Adam Trudeau. “I’m on it.”
“Not so fast. I think we might partner you up on this one.”
“Ah, Harry, you know I work best alone.”
“Yes, that remains to be seen.” His mouth puckered into a frown, causing his seemingly single bushy eyebrow to furrow downward. “There appears to be a possible link between Guthrie and this investment banker in Rolling Hills.”
“Appears to be?” I sat back in my seat and laced my fingers together across my chest. Harry was always getting on my case because I’d follow some half cocked theory of mine without any real, hard evidence. I’d never known him to follow the white rabbit through an inconspicuous hole.
“Trudeau has been seen in the local financial district with Charlie Harris several times in the last month.”
Charlie Harris had several links to criminal organizations, but so far we had been unable to nail him on anything material. He’d been under watch by the DSA for the past two years but it wasn’t until recently that unconfirmed information linking Harris to Guthrie had been dropping into our laps but I still wasn’t convinced. It seemed too convenient. “That seems like pretty flimsy evidence, Harry. We still don’t have anything concrete on Harris.”
His face took on that aggravated expression, the one I seemed to bring out on a daily basis. “Yes, it’s flimsy, but since all leads have gone dark, this is the best we have. If Guthrie really is connected to this banker, it only lends itself to the assumption that he’s either transferring his own money or stealing someone else’s. You do remember how seamlessly he found a way to break into the French National Bank last year?”
“Sure, for kicks he stole 340,000 Euros and then returned all but three-hundred like it was some sick game of his.”
“Exactly. We need to know if Trudeau is involved and, if so, for how long. How far back does the relationship go? This is a step closer than we’ve been to Guthrie in a long while. According to analysis, whatever he has planned may take place in only a matter of days. What better place than Rolling Hills to transmit his funds. It’s one of those perfect communities with a crime rate so low it’s uncanny. Add that to the fact Adam Trudeau handles some important clients, even multi-national conglomerates. He’s in just the right position to be used by Guthrie. We need to find out for sure.”
He lowered his eyes to the work on his desk and began writing. “Set up ops on the banker. We’ve already had a passive probe on the guy for a couple weeks. You’ll find Gilmore’s report in the file. Get close to Trudeau—interact with him. Find out exactly what he’s up too. I’ll assign you a partner.” Harry picked up his telephone receiver as I stood, his tone communicating I had no choice but to work with a partner.
I glanced through the file in my hands before heading toward the door. It couldn’t be. I read it again. But it was. This was the opening I’d been waiting on for about thirty days.
I walked over to Harry’s side of the desk, taking the phone from his hands and hanging it up before placing the file folder down in front of him. “No need to assign me a partner, Harry. I’ve got the perfect solution. You’ll never believe it but this money man lives in the same apartment building as Juliet Truesdale.”
Visit the NovelTea Blog to keep up with this exciting romantic-comedy suspense series with excerpts and insight into the stories and characters. Available at The Wild Rose Press.
Reviews:
4 ½ book review for LASR
Grant seems like the suave, sensible albeit cocky spy we all love to fantasize about. He made me laugh along with him as he stealthily intercepted the Chinese take out guy and taught Juliet how to pickpocket. He has many cards up his sleeve and I would love to see all of them. Juliet is a darling. Her simple nature and quick brain won me over in minutes. Their relationship has a solid base and a refreshing feel. The sparks can definitely be felt between them and the conversation is never stilted.
Even though everything happens at a fast pace you never feel rushed as your heart is pounding along with lead pair’s as they are madly dashing after the bad guy. Not even once did I complain about the first person perspective as I normally do; it just seemed fit for a story like this. I love the way the plot balanced the romantic relationship and the proceedings in the case. I must admit that their moves made me a little nervous at times as I was wondering whether they would make it or would get caught. The flow never got interrupted and I never left my seat before the adventure ended. Ms. Green knows how to end a book to keep her readers wanting more. NovelTea Next Door keeps you on edge and interested the whole time. The NovelTea Series has all the right ingredients of a winner series. I just hate that I have to wait to find out what happens next!
You can read the entire review at the LASR website.
Black Seal Review (Equal to the 5 star) Fantastic: Stays on Shelf – from WRDF
Although part of a series, this book can stand alone. Ms Green leaves the ending open for the next book; however, she does wrap it up enough for the reader to find satisfactory closure.
She creates a great ‘gum shoe’ atmosphere without rendering the story dated, creating a modern hero with a twist. Juliet and Grant are fascinating in their interaction with each other and complement each other beautifully. A very human character, with a slight rough edge to him Grant is a great hero with a deep attraction to Juliet- slightly naive with a hint of prudishness. I was drawn into their relationship which develops alongside the mystery. This isn’t a roller coaster ride of suspense, it has a slower, steadier pace, yet remains engaging throughout. The romantic elements of the plot are tightly drawn with a faster pace than the mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted to rush out and buy the previous book in the series.
The book is written in the first person from Grant’s POV. This may put some readers off but I didn’t struggle with it at all. I think Ms Green pulls it off successfully and it enhances the reader’s involvement rather than detracting from the story. I can’t wait for the next one in the series. Overall, a very successful ‘sweet mini’ and definitely worth a read.
Reader Review:
I came in from work and sat down with Novel Tea Next Door, and I didn’t move, not even to make tea! This is excellent, totally riveting and utterly spellbinding. I’m not sure whether the romance between Grant and Juliet or the investigative storyline makes most compelling reading, but both are powerfully written. The investigation side of it is very 24ish, invoking pulse-racing palpitating action. I could visualise every scene. The “love” scenes tempered with just the right amount of “action” gets the pulse going at a fair whack, too. I love that cocky, self-contained Grant reveals a little about himself, albeit reluctantly, and finds a part of himself that he never knew existed. I love that Juliet grows stronger in her role, yet retains just the right amount of femininity and vulnerability. In short, I would highly, absolutely recommend this read.