Sunday Snippet: Baring Skin

Wow, what a great week of television and binge watching!

The Last Ship rocked! I can't wait for tonight's episode. So far, I love how they're not dragging stuff out and moving the plot and characters forward. Keep that up, show. I can say the same about Defiance. Moving everything along, but keeping the focus tight is awesome. I'm pretty thrilled there was a dose of closure for Amanda this week and I'm so intrigued about what's really going on with Nolan and Irisa.

Killjoys and Dark Matter continue to have me hooked. I love the dynamic between Dutch and the brothers on Killjoys and Lucy rocks. Ships with personality make me happy. With Dark Matter, I'm interested to see what our loosely group crew gets into. Keep dishing out the clues, show. I like getting them.

Strike Back broke my heart… again. At this point, I'm pretty much prepped to loose everyone by the final episode. Seriously. LOL I figure if I assume they'll all be dead by the finale, I can't be disappointed. Just saying.

All caught up on Teen Wolf and ready for season five. Looking forward to seeing how this season goes. And my binge watch of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries continues. I'm so in love with this show. Glad I've got a few seasons to sink into.

That's it on the TV front. Tonight's post is from Baring Skin, a sexy short where a series of mishaps brings my couple together.

Here's the tagline:

Rachel Maddox and Jack Luthor work together and avoid acting on their attraction, until they catch each other in compromising positions. But when they do finally hook up they have to decide if they can maintain their professionalism on the job or start looking for a place to transfer.

And a snippety peek…

Jack stepped up into the back of the rig. "Holy shit. It looks like a bomb went off in here." He started the cleaning process, gloves protecting his hands from the worst of the debris.

Five hours into the shift and they'd had three back-to-back runs. Rachel only quirked a brow each time they logged in as available and got immediately sent out again. They rolled into Station Five ten minutes ago and she jumped out of the squad to hit the head.

He had a sneaking suspicion he'd find her shoving her face full of Sanjay's subs. Their coworker made kick-ass, monster sandwiches on his day to do chow. Jack's stomach rumbled and he picked up the pace, sweeping out the back of the rig and emptying the trash. He replaced their Sharps unit and put the used container in the designated spot for collection. Stretching out a few kinks in his neck, he swung back up into the ambulance and began a thorough wipe down. Lost in the work, he gave a startled jump when Rachel whistled from across the bay. He glanced up and she waved a sub back and forth.

Her eyebrows waggled. "Come and get it. I'll finish the cleanup." She turned to head back into the kitchen.

His lips quirked and he peeled off his gloves. Setting the disinfectant aside, he moved to crawl out of the rig when his shirt caught on a side clamp. The sound of tearing fabric filled the back of the unit and cool air filtered over his skin.

Rachel swung back around, her eyebrows shooting upward. "What? You had to ruin a uniform shirt today, too?" Shaking her head, she headed into the kitchen.

Jack sighed. He'd have to change before he ate. The way their luck had gone so far, he wouldn't get two bites down before they got another call. Making his way to the bunkroom, he grabbed another shirt and stripped off the damaged one.

Rachel rounded the corner of the sleeping area. "Yo, Jack. I grabbed an extra—" She stopped short, blinked, then spun around to face the corridor. "Damn, sorry. Warn a gal next time, will you?" Each hand had a sandwich, wrapped in plastic wrap.

Jack snorted. "Not like I knew you'd be popping in, Rach." He quickly shrugged into his fresh shirt. "Are those for me?" His fingers worked the buttons, closing the sides together.

She risked a glance over her shoulder. "Um, yeah. They're going fast." Easing into the bunkroom, she placed the food on the end of his rack. "I'll, uh, head out and finish cleaning the squad." Beating a hasty retreat, she exited back into the corridor.

Jack tilted his head to one side. What had her all twitchy? Okay, she'd walked in on him while shirtless, something of a no-no because she should've called out a warning, but geez, she'd seen him workout before. Of course, he usually wore a dri-fit tank, but yeah, her reaction had him puzzled.

Snagging the sandwiches, he left the bunkroom to find something to drink and hopefully fifteen minutes of downtime.

So far, this one is so much fun to write. Tension is an interesting thing, especially when weird things are the cause behind it.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Anything Goes

Happy Father's Day to all the terrific dads out there.

This week in TV? Gotta talk about the Orphan Black finale. Holy crap. I swear, every time I think I've got everything figured out the curve ball smacks me in the face again. I LOVE this show.

Killjoys ended up being better than I thought. Definitely happy to add it to my Friday night lineup. Defiance is dark this season and I like it, a lot. Dark Matter followed its premiere with another great episode so I'm in. So happy to have good TV on Friday nights again.

Strike Back's episode provided the high octane adventure I crave. I will say I sincerely hope Mei gets her richly deserved reward in the very near future. Please and thank you.

Finished a few more episodes of Teen Wolf. Should be caught up in time for the premiere in the next week or so. Also started Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. What a kick ass show! Very much along the lines of The Murdoch Mysteries, which is one of my favorites. Looking forward to binge watching more soon.

The Last Ship premieres tonight! Can't wait to see what the crew gets into this season. Bring on the action.

Tonight's post is from Anything Goes, a novella featuring a rehearsal roast for the upcoming nuptials of my main characters.

Here's the tagline:

On the eve of Olivia Barton and Luke Johnston's wedding, their friends and co-workers at the twelfth precinct throw a rehearsal 'roast' for the couple. Their unconventional courtship is chronicled for everyone to enjoy and none of the names are changed to protect anybody.

And a snippety peek…

Luke bit back a laugh and grabbed Olivia's hand. "Don't I always have your back?" He squeezed her fingers. "But let John have his fun for now. You know he's dying to find his perfect person like I did."

Olivia rolled her eyes but didn't speak. She didn't have to say what she thought. Luke could practically see the words rolling around in her head. If John didn't meddle with everyone else, he might find his soul mate. Or… He's so damned busy fixing butting in he doesn't have time to be with someone else.

Luke didn't care what John threw their way. He and Olivia worked through their demons, how bad could John's little trip down memory lane be? Luke winced. Okay, it could be ugly. He and Liv had some less than stellar moments when they navigated the choppy waters to becoming a couple.

Shifting his position a little, Luke settled back ready for anything.

John slid his gaze their way and leaned toward the podium. "Without further ado, would Sergeant Teague come up and share the story of how Luke met Olivia." He stepped back and when Hiro Teague approached the dais, John made his way to the table, studiously avoiding Olivia's narrow-eyed look. He seated himself and took a long gulp of water.

The sergeant glanced in their direction then faced the rest of the group. "Well, now. This happens to be one of my favorite stories from the gun range…"

Luke's lips curved. If anyone would've told him he'd be getting hitched to the spitfire he met on the gun range, he'd have thought them crazy.

Gotta say, this one is so much fun. I'm having a total riot writing for these two.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Along the Shore

So… some good TV this week. Strike Back continues to be excellent viewing. Awesome to see Martinez and Richmond kick ass as they're trained to do. I did call the wife, which is all I'll say for now. Can't wait for the next installment!

Orphan Black, once again, totally blew everything out of the water. Seriously, every time I think I'm cool to settle back and watch, another twist has me sitting on the edge of my seat with my mouth hanging open. I love it!

Defiance returned and, geez, cleaned freaking house. Not only is the E-rep gone, with the exception of Berlin—thankfully—but three regular characters are no more. I love having Nolan and Amanda working in tandem. We'll see how long that lasts.

The premiere of Dark Matter has me intrigued enough to keep watching. I like the blend of characters so far. Hopefully, as the show unfolds, that'll stay the case. Who knows? Killjoys opens next week and I'm very much looking forward to adding it to my Friday night viewing.

More on new shows next week…

Tonight's post is from Along the Shore, a novella in the South of the Border series. Kiernan and Lars from Down in Mexico will make an appearance or two.

Here's the tagline:

Vail Ericsson, a freelance security expert and skilled tracker, can find anyone for a price. But when he trails Ellery Quantrell to Mexico, he discovers she's not an escapee but target and his role changes from pursuer to protector, whether Ellery wants him as a shield or not.

And a snippety peek…

Vail Ericcson spotted his target and strolled over to her table. "Ellery Quantrell?"

The woman in question glanced up from her book. "I'm sure you're not speaking to me. I have no idea who you mean." She went back to reading.

Vail pulled a chair out and settled across from her. "Miss Quantrell, let's not play games." He folded his hand on top of the table. "I'm very good at what I do and I've been hired to track you down and get you back to Mr. Puchenko."

Ellery closed her book again and met his gaze. "Ivan Puchenko doesn't own me, regardless of what he may think." She tucked the paperback into her oversized, straw bag. "I don't take orders from him or anyone else, including you." She rose from her seat and strolled away.

Vail frowned. He'd been led to believe Ellery would capitulate quickly and fall in with being returned to Puchenko's estate. Glancing up, he kept her in his line of sight and tried to figure his next move.

So much for easy. Vail needed her to get inside Puchenko's operation. If he could get at least one tracking device planted, he'd call it a win and walk away clean.

Rising, he followed Ellery at a discreet distance. He'd have to try a different approach. He'd been ordered not to mention the funds Ellery transferred into her account, but he might have to use that information as leverage to get her to come along.

She paused outside a market vendor and chatted with the woman operating the booth. Vail observed, taking in the relaxed demeanor. Ellery Quantrell didn't appear to have a trouble in the world. How a woman could pilfer close to half a million dollars and not bat an eyelash when caught kind of amazed Vail. Then again, she had a cool beauty working in her favor. She used her blonde hair, blue eyes, and curves to great advantage. Dressed with a casual elegance, her clothing fit the tropics. A flowing, breezy, tunic style tank top in shades of blue over a khaki miniskirt showed off her toned limbs. The wedge espadrilles weren't made for long walks, meaning she had to be staying nearby.

Vail would trail her to her hotel or rental unit and then reassess his options for getting her to cooperate.

A single flash of light in the distance gave him a split second warning.

He called out. "Ellery!"

Even after saving her life, Ellery is less than thrilled to be in Vail's company, for an excellent reason…

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: All Bets Off

How did half the year slip by already? Seriously, I think I'm still stuck back in January. LOL

Then again, I know it's summer when Strike Back returns! It's not on in the US yet, but I'll be happy to do a rewatch when it hits Cinemax. I'm totally bracing to not have a full team by the end of the ten episode run. Something tells me Stonebridge and Scott have been way too lucky to date. Just saying.

Orphan Black continues to bring it's A game. I love, love, love the dynamic of putting Helena with Allison. I will say I'm not at all surprised Rachel pulled a magic rabbit out of her ass. I'm actually a little thrilled I can still hate her. I totally want to see her and Rudy in a room together and honestly don't care if neither comes out. LOL

Bitten had its US finale on Friday and I knew what would happen but the losses still smacked me in the gut. Season three can't get here fast enough for me.

On the Teen Wolf front, I'm about halfway through season four and I'm slowing down a little so I don't have so long to wait for new episodes. Although, I guess I could totally do a complete rewatch from start to finish if I get through the last handful of episodes too quickly. :D

That's it for TV this week. Tonight's post is from All Bets Off, a sexy short where my main characters are close to realizing their attraction and acting on it.

Here's the tagline:

Kellen Bairds and Pierce Abbotson make friendly wagers on a regular basis until Kellen won't admit Pierce won their latest round. When he calls her on the lie, she gets angry because no amount of money on earth will make her reveal how kinky her dreams are. Or her feelings for him.

And a snippety peek…

Kellen always looked forward to the after closing wind-down with her coworkers on Sundays. From three AM to whenever they all got too tired or too drunk to continue the crew would do something fun to bust up the grind of working all week. Since the bar remained closed until the evening on Monday, no one would have to be available for the opening shift.

She wondered what mischief they'd get into this morning. Sometimes they played shots and darts, or flipped quarters, maybe truth or dare. None of those really interested her so she hoped for one shot, one question or high card picks. The last time they did the high card draw, she hit a streak and didn't drink a single glass, but she got each of her six coworkers completely drunk.

Winnie burst through the café doors, exiting the kitchen. "Kells, what's your fancy tonight?" She shuffled stools out of the way and dragged two tables together.

Kellen cocked her head to one side. "I don't know. Was thinking one shot, one question or maybe high card picks." She helped Winnie replace the chairs around the tables.

Pierce entered the bar area. "No way are we doing high card tonight. The last time we played Kellen had to walk us all home." He snagged several bottles of alcohol and carried them to the table.

Mark snorted. "Good thing we all live within five blocks of the place." He made two stacks of shot glasses and brought them over.

Roma and Kinley came in through the front door, Roma locking up and turning off the neon signs in the front window.

Kinley handed the inventory clipboard to Mark. "Storage is all locked up and the inventory listed. We're going to need paper products in the near future." She planted her butt on a stool. "What's the plan?"

Roma settled beside Kinley. "Yeah, who's choosing tonight?" She grabbed the shot glasses and slid one in front of each person.

Kellen laughed. "Apparently I'm not allowed to choose high card picks, so we'll go with one shot, one question." She poured tequila in each glass. "Who wants to go first?"

Kellen's lucky streak ends and she can't escape facing what she feels for Pierce, but she'll most definitely try. LOL

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin