Hi lovelies! It gives me great
pleasure today to host Christina Elliott and her new book, “In the Heat of the
Tropics”! For other stops on her Goddess
Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the
images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of
this post to enter to win a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Christina
and to increase your chances of winning!
Thanks for stopping by! Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous
giveaway!
In the Heat of the Tropics
by Christina Elliott
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GENRE: Romantic Suspense
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BLURB:
Amid
a sweltering Miami summer, a serial killer is haunting the city. Reporter
Ingrid Sorenson is assigned the story and her primary source is brusque
detective Rick Gonzalez. The pair clash, but sparks of passion ignite. They
risk their jobs to give in to their desire, but mistrust of each other’s career
motives wedges them apart. Then Ingrid gets a tip that leads her into the
killer’s lair. She and Rick must choose between saving themselves or rescuing
their love.
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EXCERPT TWO:
The
sky darkened again as if a dimmer switch had been thrown. Rick flicked on the
headlights. “I don’t think we’re going to beat the rain,” he said. “Do you want
to turn back?”
Worry
crossed her face. “No way. I’ve got a deadline to meet,” she said. “I’m not
afraid of getting wet.”
He
gave her an assessing glance as they pulled up to a stop light. She was plucky,
he had to give her that. And smart. The light changed and he turned his
attention to the road. He had to keep his guard up. She was a reporter, first
and foremost. He had to remember that.
“Have
you found witnesses who might’ve seen a suspect?” she asked.
“I
can’t discuss specifics of the investigation. The killer chose his times and
locations very carefully, which suggests a lot of pre-meditation. These weren’t
spontaneous homicides. He went to different areas known for prostitution
pickups each time because johns would be scared to go to the place where one
had just been murdered and the hookers would be on the alert, but they were all
in this general North Miami area. He staked out lonely streets to direct the
customer to drive to commit the sexual act and likely had his vehicle parked
nearby to make a fast escape.”
Ingrid
was avidly taking notes. He paused to wait for her to catch up, and wondered if
he was saying too much. As long as he focused on details about the killer that
someone would recognize, he couldn’t get in trouble.
By
the time he pulled up to the scene of the third killing a mile away, fat plops
of rain were sporadically splattering the windshield. They soon increased to a
steady drumbeat battering the roof.
“Crap,”
Ingrid said.
“There’s
not much to see, honestly, just another side street.”
“I
still think I should see the actual spot,” Ingrid said.
He
would have to end up with a super-thorough reporter. “I have an umbrella here
somewhere,” he muttered, foraging under the seat.
Holding
the umbrella, he jogged to the passenger side and opened the door. Necessarily
brushing shoulders to fit side-by-side under the small shelter, they walked
down the street to an alcove of an abandoned building.
“Victim
three was found parked outside this doorway, Saul Martinez,” Rick said.
The
sky cracked as if it were splitting apart, unleashing a torrent of water.
“I
love these midsummer thunderstorms in Miami, don’t you?” Ingrid said.
Lightning
illuminated her face with a bright halo.
Her cheeks shone where the rain had caught them, her forehead framed
with tendrils of damp hair. Drops glistened on her eyelashes like tiny tears.
He felt himself gliding toward her.
She
blinked and the raindrops fell from her lashes. He halted himself.
“You’re
getting wet. Let’s head to victim four,” he said brusquely. He turned toward
the car without waiting for an answer.
The
crime scene was a side street ten blocks west. This time they didn’t get out of
the car. Rick pulled up and reconstructed the scene, restraining his urge to
lean over her, just to breathe in her slightly sweet powdery scent, as he
pointed from the window.
By
the time they pulled back into the station parking lot, the rain had tapered to
a dancing sprinkle and fingers of sunlight poked through the clouds, sending an
eerie, hazy wash over the atmosphere.
He
parked. Ingrid handed him her business card. “If you think of anything else,
call me. My cell’s on there, too.”
Rick
tucked it in a pocket. “So, what are you going to write?”
“What
you told me, plus I’ll call some serial-killer psychology experts.”
“Just
don’t get me in trouble again.”
Ingrid
gave him a hard look. He’d meant it as a joke, but it hadn’t come out
lightheartedly. She’d taken it as a rebuke. Damn.
“Thanks
very much for your time, Detective.” Her tone was frosty. “If I have any other
questions, I’ll call Major Montoya.”
The
slam of the door buffeted the vehicle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST POST:
4 Big Reasons Why Readers Will Like “In the Heat of the Tropics”
1. The Setting
One
of the reasons I chose to set a romantic suspense in Miami/South Florida is
because it’s a romantic, sensual setting. I used a lot of what Miami has to
offer – the ethnic enclaves of Little Havana and Little Haiti, the hip
neighborhoods of South Beach and Coconut Grove, downtown, the Bayfront where
dolphins and manatees swim. I also used the Everglades as the killer’s lair,
which is an eerie place, filled with Spanish moss and alligators! I lived in
Miami for five years so I was able to draw on that experience to create a rich
setting. I think it worked out well having the book released in the winter so
people in cold climates will want to coy up with a read about a Florida summer!
2. The Hero
Rick
is an alpha male cop, a detective assigned to the homicide squad, which means
he’s at the top of his game. He’s especially well regarded as he gets assigned
to lead the investigation into the serial killer. Successful men are
attractive! He oozes confidence and leadership, but can be quick to anger and
does not suffer fools. That’s why he respects Ingrid’s smarts! He can also be
vulnerable. He fell victim to a bad first marriage with a shallow woman, making
him appreciate Ingrid’s depth and also making him slightly unsure of himself
because he’s not used to that type of independent woman. I dated two cops so I
had plenty of material to work with when forming this character! I also gave
him an interesting back story. His mother was a refugee from Cuba, who crossed
the Florida Strait in a rickety boat when she was pregnant. After a storm
destroyed the boat, she washed up on a Florida beach and gave birth with the
aid of a policeman named Richard, and that’s who Rick was named after.
3. The Heroine
Ingrid
is a smart, ambitious, independent reporter who doesn’t get scared easily.
Sometimes her gusto for getting the story causes her to step over the
boundaries of personal safety. This high tolerance for risk proves to be her
flaw. I was a newspaper reporter for many years and I have a strong adventure
lust and high threshold for fear, especially when I was working in Latin
America and found myself in many potentially dangerous situations. I knew many
other journalists like that as well. It’s part of the job. On the personal
side, Ingrid has the natural girly angst about outfits for a date, angst over
being a bridesmaid and never a bride, finding the right guy. I think those are
feelings everyone can relate to, yet she’s unique in that she’s gutsy, plucky
and knows what she wants.
4. The Action
This is a fast-paced
thriller plot. I don’t like slow anything! The police procedure is all pretty
true to life, as is the newspaper newsroom, as I had ample experience for both.
I also grounded the killer in an extensive backstory to give him the motivation
for why he does what he does and gave him an eerie lifestyle. Writing the
villain is the fun part of writing crime fiction! I’ve also included some
steamy hot sex scenes, but if that’s not your thing, you can easily skip over
them, and easily pick up the story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR BIO:
Christina Elliott is a
former Miami newspaper reporter and editor. She now writes spicy romantic
suspense novels from Los Angeles, where she’s glad to report there are far
fewer bad-hair days but sadly far less Cuban coffee. She is a member of the
Romance Writers of America.
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CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA:
Website:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Goodreads Author Page:
Goodreads Book Page:
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon Kindle:
Amazon Paperback:
Barnes and Noble:
Kobo:
Apple iTunes:
Smashwords:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Christina will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N
GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just
helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeletecongrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win :)
ReplyDeletethanks, have a great weekend!
DeleteWhat is a good book to read on a cold day? Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie W BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteIn the Heat of the Tropics will warm you up! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteThanks so much for hosting me today Ally!
ReplyDeletethanks for reading!
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday! Thanks for sharing the great post :)
ReplyDeleteLoved the info in your guest post today. Liked the excerpt too.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteThis book is "my cup of tea", looking forward to reading it!
ReplyDeleteHope you like it. Thanks for following the tour!
Delete