Maggie at Once Upon a Time I Read a Book

Where do I even start this post? I’m not really sure, so let’s just do a wordvomit explanation without the gory details! But first, all the content warnings because this post is a journey. Mental Health Crisis, suicide attempt, self-harm, etc.
I totally lost my shit this year! Between COVID and the new civil rights movement we’ve had going on, I’ve also been spiralling between manic and depressive states and I’ve tried comitting suicide a couple times this summer. I relapsed with my self-harm and it was just really bad all around. I’ve even thought of shutting down this blog permanently this year. Just a lot of negative headspace. In the midst of lockdown, I also got messaged that the breeder that I’d been talking to about a service dog prospect had a puppy that could be a good match for me in the new litter they’d had at the beginning of the COVID debacle and was I still interested? Yes, I was. So I bought a Great Dane puppy and started puppy-proofing the house in preparation of picking her up in a month! Then my birthday rolled around and my best friend flew down to surprise me. And it was a surprise. We last saw each other shortly after my 16th birthday when she moved away. So it had been 15 years, obviously we grew up. But we also had a lot of differences. Which was hard to see with a country between us. Now there’s a lot between us and it hurts to think about. Then I nearly ended everything the weekend after she left. Oop. The next weekend, in the middle of recovery, I had to go across the state to pick up my new puppy. And that was actually really good for me because it’s given me something positive to focus on while putting my head back together. Fast forward to the end of August and everything seems to be settling down and my oldest girl who’s been declining healthwise for a while has been having to be carried to go outside for bathroom time and won’t eat or drink anymore. And we had to say goodbye to Nikita. I’m glad we could give her more time with the help of our vet and a nice house with a yard but I wish she could have seen the house at the end of next month when we put up all the Christmas decorations we’ve been buying throughout the year for her to enjoy because she really did love going for rides to see all the Christmas decorations on houses and around Orlando. Then my mom had to be checked into the hospital for emergency care or lose her hand. And it has been a year.

a black 5-month-old Great Dane is facing the camera, sitting on a beige dog bed on a marbled tile floor in front of a white wall. She's wearing a purple harness and a turquoise collar. Attached to her collar is a giant Sailor Moon style bow made of white ribbon with orange jack o'lanterns printed on it.

While I’ve been dealing with all of this, I’ve been raising and training my Great Dane puppy. She’s currently (as of 28 September 2020) 63lbs, 25″ standing at the shoulders, and 28″ chest girth. Her name is Andromeda Trance Gemini, I call her Rommie and RomCom for short. And yes. I am that geeky. Extra points if y’all understand the name reference. Rommie is amazing at her training and I’m going to post updates about her and our training as we go. I’m also hoping to provide a little guidance for others out there who have been trying to find resources for legitimate service animals in the US as well as explain the differences between service animals (miniature horses and dogs per ADA, cats as permitted by local legislature), therapy dogs, and emotional support animals. Because there’s a lot of misinformation out there and a lot of predatory schemes as well. And, there was once a time when my mom struggled to find information to get me a service dog and not even the doctor prescribing me one knew how to get that information. That needs to change.
I’m not sure what the future holds right now blogwise. It’s going to take a bit of time to get back into things. And I’m going to be switching things up *gasp*. I want to make the site more accessible for screen readers and such. I’ve also been thinking of some new post serials and want to do more tag posts. And I’m going to be finally getting product reviews onto the site regularly.

a side-by-side of two pictures of the blogger, one with her hair dyed blue and one with her hair dyed purple. both use Snapchat filters.

The past few months, I’ve had blue hair. But this month, I’ve dyed my hair purple in memory of my friend, Ashley, and to help raise awareness for Rett Syndrome. Ashley, my brother, and myself grew up together. Our moms were friends and my brother and Ashley went to the same special needs daycare and we wound up in the same class together as kids. She was my friend and we lost her last year. October is Rett Syndrome Awareness Month and I wanted to drop the link for Reverse Rett an UK foundation dedicated to reversing Rett Syndrome if I don’t get anything else posted for this month.
I’m determined to keep this site going, so I’m going to move on to new posts for you. I’ll end this post with this cute little song that’s been my theme song for the past month or so since I heard it on tiktok.

Until next time, have a happily ever after!

ARC Book Review, Blog Tour, Book Reviews

Blog Tour ★ Tactical Crime Division Miniseries ★ Review of Secret Investigation by Elizabeth Heiter

May 25, 2020May 25, 2020 Maggie at Once Upon a Time I Read a Book

Secret Investigation by Elizabeth Heiter
Tactical Crime Division #2
Published 21 April 2020 by Harlequin IntrigueIn the wake of a tragedy, the Tactical Crime Division is the first call. When ironclad body armor inexplicably fails and soldiers perish, the Tactical Crime Division jumps into action. Agent and former ranger Davis Rogers asks to go undercover to find the traitor responsible for the death of one of his friends, and Petrov Armor CEO Leila Petrov is happy to provide access to her company…especially once she discovers she’s being framed. But will their joint efforts be enough to uncover the truth?

Bookbub|Goodreads|LibraryThing

Amazon•Angus & Robertson results
Barnes & Noble•Better World Books•The Book Depository
Books A Million•Bookshop.org•Booktopia•Dymocks Results
Google•Harlequin•Indiebound
Indigo•Kindle• Kobo
Livraria Cultura•Nook
OverDrive Results•Target•Walmart•Waterstones

I’m gonna start this off by saying that I have whiplash from this book, y’all! I just finished Secret Investigation and I’m chowing down on some chocolate because ya girl needs some sugar to get over that mindscrew. I thought I had everything figured out right off the bat. Then, I didn’t. Then. Then, I did. Then I didn’t? And I was ready to throw the book away. But then, I totally had it all figured out and I was ready to do the “I solved it first” dance. But y’all. I don’t know what I know about anything anymore. I have spent the past 24ish hours cussing about this book and the ride it’s taken me on.

I spent the first half of this book wanting to just delete it from my kindle. Honest. I hate (yes, present-tense) Davis. SO much. I was all set for some enemies-to-lovers angst-ridden romance, I was prepared to scream at my kindle for the next however many hours it took to get through to the good stuff. Because I love the spice, hate the drama, and thrive on the petty. But did I get ETL? Nooo. I got an ex-ranger with a proclivity for vacillation. “I’m attracted to her, but I can never forgive her for something she had no actual part in that resulted in the death of my friend, so I’m going to use our mutual attraction to further my investigation and bring her world crashing down and abandon her when she’ll need me but I totally care about her and I’m doing it for her and the Greater Good”. The whole story is Davis repeating this thought process over and over again. The whole book, I’m thinking to myself, “Davis is a grade A dick” and I’m sorry, but that’s my truth of the day. Then there’s Leila Petrov. Leila is a loyal friend, daughter, ex, niece, yada yada. I like her. Right off the bat, she’s holding her own but also owning her company’s screw-up, wanting to get to the bottom of things, even if it destroys the entire company and her name is ruined. But other than this, y’all. The woman is a bit of a hot mess with past suicidal tendencies who starts off the story “still half in love” with her high school ex who works with her and she’s still in mourning over the death of her father three weeks ago but yeah, pursuing the instant attraction to a federal agent who’s investigating you and your company for faulty armour is definitely not a reaction to the death thing…
Okay, suffice it to say that I am not exactly a fan of the protagonists. But I do like Kane and Melinda. Who are Kane and Melinda? A side romance that isn’t even mentioned in the synopsis. Kane and Melinda are both TCD agents assigned to Davis’ investigative team for the Petrov Armor case and they both have some major issues. But I have to say that Kane and Melinda did not deserve that disrespect. I did not deserve that disrespect.
Content warnings! Because why button for this. Leila had some suicidal issues from bouts of depression from loss of parents, there’s child neglect and abuse ((abuse is not on page, only mentioned in brief passing in each instance)), there’s gun violence and combat situation, a white nationalist group and the racist rhetoric mess that goes with that (brief content), and attempted murder!
Overall, I’m giving Secret Investigation 3 stars and 1 flame for heat – half a flame? There was barely any heat to this, a nun could read this. And here’s some more honesty, none of those stars are protagonist-sourced. Mystery, Melinda, and Kane. Mostly the mystery because of the whiplash! This book made me cranky. In case you missed the excerpt part of the tour, here’s my post on that. I was given a review copy of Secret Investigation by the publisher and this is my undiluted review, the FTC seems to think a free book makes me a mindless sheep. As much as I love sheep, I baah for no one. All opinions are my own and I make no apologies for them.

Publishers Weekly bestselling and award-winning author ELIZABETH HEITER likes her suspense to feature strong heroines, chilling villains, psychological twists and a little romance. Her research has taken her into the minds of serial killers, through murder investigations, and onto the FBI Academy’s shooting range. Her novels have been published in more than a dozen countries and translated into eight languages. Visit her at her website.
Social media include:: Instagram|Facebook|Twitter

I need someone to remind me down the road that I need to take a long break from ARCs. The more responsibility I take on, the less I want to do. Procrastination Professional right here. Why do I do this to myself? Tune in on Wednesday to see if I’m covering book 3 or if I say ‘screw it’… Y’all. I don’t even know right now. I’m functioning on 2 king-sized chocolate bars, a Little Debbie honey bun, and 4 cups of coffee…
Be good, do good, wear your masks, wash your hands, and read a book. Until next time, have a happily ever after!

ARC Book Review, Blog Tour, Book Reviews

Blog Tour ★ Tactical Crime Division Miniseries ★ Review of 48 Hour Lockdown by Carla Cassidy

May 23, 2020May 23, 2020 Maggie at Once Upon a Time I Read a Book

48 Hour Lockdown by Carla Cassidy
Tactical Crime Division #1
Published 17 March 2020 by Harlequin IntrigueThe Tactical Crime Division—TCD—is a specialized unit of the FBI.They handle the toughest cases in the most remote locations. When TCD learns of a school invasion turned lockdown, every agent is ready to engage. With children in jeopardy, the stakes couldn’t be higher. But it becomes personal for hostage negotiator agent Evan Duran when he learns Annalise Taylor is one of the captives holed up with the students in a school for the gifted. He’ll need every resource available at TCD and every ounce of his expertise to turn this disastrous situation into a rescue mission—and if he succeeds, maybe reunite with the woman he never stopped loving.

Bookbub|Goodreads|LibraryThing

I’m getting the FTC disclaimer out of the way right now. Because ADHD reigns supreme. I received a review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. A free book does not sway me in my judgment and I hope my readers know that about me by now.
I read 48 Hour Lockdown in less than a day, even though my mind wandered everywhere while I was reading it. I was pleased to find out that romance took a backseat the suspense in this story. Raise your hand if you’ve screamed at a romance where the couple is being hunted down by evil-doers in a jungle or they’re, like, five minutes from certain death at the bad guy’s hands, and they decide that that is the best time to have sexy times. Honestly, how do y’all straight people survive anything? Annalise and Evan table addressing their attraction and all that that entails for when everything is said and done. Yes, there are some moments but nothing major or excessive that detracts from the case at hand. Very task-oriented of them.
I liked the inclusion of a cult in the storyline. I have a thing for cults, they’re very entertaining to me. So getting to giggle at the craziness that always ensues when there’s a cult involved was a plus for me. I’m not saying that cults are good or funny, I just know that if I weren’t so jaded about the world because of childhood trauma, I’d have wound up in a cult myself because oof, was I a naive sheep. But y’all. There are some warped cult members and the prerequisite shifty cult leaders in this story. Cults and hostage situations with cops are just nerve-wracking. I was on the edge of my seat with the story, wondering exactly how much of a disaster would it turn into for Annalise and Evan having to deal with cult crazies.
Another thing I liked about 48 Hour Lockdown was the coverage of the possible aftereffects of hostage situations and kidnappings and shootings that Annalise and her students were exposed to in the story. Annalise worries for her students mental health as well as their physical health. She specifically mentions the possibility of developing PTSD from the events in the book. As someone with non-combat Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, seeing an author shedding light on mental health and working to destigmatise non-combat PTSD, I cried a little. There’s a lot of work to be done of making people realise that PTSD can come from all sorts of situations in life’s journey and I appreciate the author’s contribution.
Part of the fun of reading intrigues, mysteries, and thrillers is seeing if you can solve the crime(s) before the protagonist(s). I’m happy to say that I was reasonably stumped by the twists thrown at us by Ms Cassidy in 48 Hour Lockdown. Some instances were obvious to me (I won’t name any but you’ll know them when you see them) but then I got whacked upside the head with a few. Hooray for surprising me! But I was a bit perturbed that the story didn’t end with the miraculous recovery of Evan’s long-lost sister returning to his life for a true happily ever after ending. I’m hoping it’s addressed in a later story because I need a happy ending on that! I was also dismayed about the level of suspense in the story, after the hostage situation, events were kind of anticlimactic in comparison.
Since there aren’t really any spoilers in the content warnings, I’m not doing the code for it. Mostly because I’m lazy and typing it is a PAIN. As usual, please practise care in your reading. If any of these issues are problematic for you, please don’t hesitate to message me for any clarification of degree of severity or whatever. Because mental health is just as important as physical health. • This story contains scenes of gun violence on page, hostage situations, assault, child abuse, child abduction, and cults and the extremist followers that go with that.
Overall, I’m going to give 48 Hour Lockdown by Carla Cassidy a solid 3 stars and 1 little flame for heat. I loved the mental health awareness the author presented I have no choice but to give accolades for it and the level of suspense was pretty good, but I was left wanting more substance to the story. In case you missed the excerpt part of the tour, here’s my post on that.

Carla Cassidy is a New York Times bestselling author who has written more than 125 novels for Harlequin Books. She is listed on the Romance Writer’s of America Honor Roll and has won numerous awards. Carla believes the only thing better than curling up with a good book to read is sitting down at the computer with a good story to write. Facebook

That’s it for today’s review, y’all. I honestly can’t believe I got it all finished, I’ve been sleeping most of this week. I just love playing sleep catch-up on insomnia. I’m actually going to be doing reviews for all four books in the Tactical Crime Division miniseries in the next week or so. Because I’m a literary masochist. I’ve turned my garage into my crafting workroom, finally. It only took a global pandemic to do it. But now I have somewhere to store all my crafting stuff (there’s so much) and to work without constant interruptions. And I’m making masks in all the sizes. When this is over, I never want to see another sewing pattern. Y’all. I hate sewing.
I’m not including any specific charities right now because there are just way too many to wade through. Instead, I ask that if you’re needing to purchase masks, support a small business on Etsy or Instagram or a friend selling them on Facebook, that might be their only income at the moment. If you’re taking advantage of the loosening of lockdowns and going out to eat, try to eat at a non-chain restaurant. Tip your deliverypeople.

Life

Ten Things to Do in Quarantine

May 15, 2020May 15, 2020 Maggie at Once Upon a Time I Read a Book

Are you bored in the house and in the house bored whilst avoiding COVID-19? Same. So, I have a new list for you!

Ten Things to Do in Quarantine

♥ Make use of our postal system and send #smilemail around the globe to let others know that they’re not alone during quarantine! Am I doing that? Yes, yes, I am! (message me your address on Twitter, Instagram, or my personal facebook– because my blog’s facebook and I have a healthy dislike of each other.)

♥ send a card to your local grocery store, hospital, post office, etc. let them know that their work is appreciated. *shrug* My momma always taught me to appreciate people. And I don’t people well.

♥ chalk up the neighbourhood! I’ve seen a lot of sidewalks on social media being decorated with games for people to play as they take their daily constitutional about their neighbourhoods and I have an entire basket of chalk. I’m just really self-conscious and worry about people thinking I’m weird and I might do this one night when I’m bored.

♥ Take your pet for an adventure! I’ve seen a lot of different pets being taken for walks this year. Ferrets, pigs, a capuchin monkey (they’re a thing in Florida), lizards, dogs, cats. Even if it’s just a 15-minute walk to start with, it’s still an adventure.

♥ Learn a new craft. I’ve finally gotten around to unpacking my various crafting boxes. I’m tatting earrings to go with my freshly re-pierced ears and I’ve ordered some thread for a new doily! Just think of the bookstagram photos… I’m knitting new mitred squares for my blanket that I found while moving in. And I’ve decided to try my hand at sewing some book sleeves in addition to masks for the family (because deities know, I have the material).

♥ buy some DIY birdfeeders you can decorate and put them up on your patio or in your yard!

♥ download TikTok if you haven’t already and just start making weird videos. It doesn’t matter if they go viral, have fun making them. Dance, joke, tell stories (in 60 seconds or less) of weird or funny or stupid things that have happened to you, cosplay, sing, do skits, whatever. Just have fun with it. Also, tag me (@SkittlesWarlord) in a comment of one of your videos so I can hype you up. Because I have insomnia and loads of free time.

♥ read a book or two, maybe even three! (This is still a book blog…)

♥ Have a Disney marathon. I’ve been binging my childhood favourites all through quarantine. What’s playing now? 10 Things I Hate About You. Kat was an icon for me as a kid, y’all.

♥ Bake. I love baking and now my neighbours know it too. And, I finally, for the first time in my entire life, managed to bake chocolate chip cookies without them turning into goop. (It was a thing that haunted me, moving on) I’m currently trying to create a new cookie recipe. Much to my family’s mixed dismay-delight. It’s a toss-up. One of my favourite baker bloggers to follow is Michelle, the Brown-Eyed Baker. I’ve been a follower of Michelle for well over a decade (let’s not age me) and her recipes always make me want to run to my kitchen. Considering the scarcity of bread items at the moment, here’s Michelle’s recipe for bread.

That’s Ten Things to Do During Quarantine, folks! I have an amazing birthday surprise happening next month so I’m going to be putting together all of my June posts and scheduling them while I’m also posting my May posts so that I can have my birthday week completely clear. Are you confused? So am I. My poor planner is having apoplexy over the amount of work I’m putting into it. I just have no idea what this birthday extravaganza week is going to consist of with the whole plague thing. Until next time, stay safe and have a happily ever after, duckies!

Top Ten Tuesday, Uncategorized

Top Ten Tuesday ★ 14

May 12, 2020May 12, 2020 Maggie at Once Upon a Time I Read a Book

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to The Artsy Reader Girl

in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

How it works:

I assign each Tuesday a topic and then post my top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join me and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information. You’ll find the schedule of upcoming TTT topics below so you can plan ahead. I’ll post a Linky here on the blog each week so you can link up your post (if you want). If you don’t have a blog, post your picks in the comment section below! Have tons of fun talking books and getting to know your fellow bloggers!

NOTE: If a weekly topic is listed as a “freebie”, you are invited to come up with your own topic. Sometimes I will give your topic a theme, such as “love”, a season, or an upcoming holiday. That just means that you can come up with any topic you want that fits under that umbrella.

– Jana of The Artsy Reader Girl

Ten Books I Bid Adieu in Quarantine

Today, our Top Ten Tuesday theme, ‘The Last Ten Books I Abandoned‘ and since I’m a mood reader, I abandon books like Elle Woods changes outfits. Especially during quarantine where my ADHD has absolute free reign, your girl is not reading much of anything right now. I need medication, y’all. That being said, it’s nothing against the books, I’ve just serious ADHD and I’ve been unmedicated for about 8 years or so and my ADHD goes bananas in chaotic environments.

Mischief Managed by Lacey Dailey

Blue Persuasion by Brea Viragh

Called by the Bear by V Vaughn

Bearly in Control by Milly Taiden

The Girl Beneath the Sea by Andrew Mayne

Scavenge the Stars by Tara Lim

Moonshine & Murder by Kathleen Brooks

All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy

Children of the Stars by K Aten

I’ve been buying a lot of plants during quarantine and my room is starting to look very earthy. I love it. Every time I get stressed out to the point of relapse, I go onto Etsy and buy a plant from one of the shops or pierce something. I have healthy-ish coping mechanisms. How are y’all doing? Anybody else climbing the walls? I know the stores are starting to open back up here in the US, but I’m not a fan of the whole ignoring health officials who say that’s a bad idea and I’m going to be remaining as socially distant as I can. I hope y’all are staying safe!

Book Meme, Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday ★ 13

April 21, 2020April 21, 2020 Maggie at Once Upon a Time I Read a Book

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to The Artsy Reader Girl

in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

How it works:

I assign each Tuesday a topic and then post my top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join me and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information. You’ll find the schedule of upcoming TTT topics below so you can plan ahead. I’ll post a Linky here on the blog each week so you can link up your post (if you want). If you don’t have a blog, post your picks in the comment section below! Have tons of fun talking books and getting to know your fellow bloggers!

NOTE: If a weekly topic is listed as a “freebie”, you are invited to come up with your own topic. Sometimes I will give your topic a theme, such as “love”, a season, or an upcoming holiday. That just means that you can come up with any topic you want that fits under that umbrella.

– Jana of The Artsy Reader Girl

Titles That Would Make Good Band Names

Today, our Top Ten Tuesday theme, ‘Titles That Would Make Good Band Names‘, is a theme to soothe my emo-scene soul. I mean lemme just crank up Spotify while I get typing.

♥ Heart of Malice by Lisa Edmonds.

♥ An Heir in Shadow by Sophia Drake.

♥ Hell or High Water by Jerrie Alexander.

♥ Going Down in Flames by Chris Cannon.

♥ Wicked as You Wish by Rin Chupero.

♥ An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir.

♥ Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill.

♥ Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst.

♥ The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia.

♥ Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan.

I swear this isn’t a cry for help, I just have some heavy music tastes? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my quick TTT, I had a really bad VVS (vasovagal syncope) day and still had to go out for groceries today. It was not fun. And then, halfway through Sam’s, I remembered “I’ve been so busy making cards for Smile Mail, I forgot to do TTT”. Crashed when I got home, came back to life at freaking 9PM and started typing this up. This blog is spoonie-powered. Anyways, I just knocked this out in about 90 minutes and I’m off to make cards!

Blog Tour

Blog Tour ★ Tactical Crime Division Miniseries ★ Excerpt 4

April 19, 2020April 19, 2020 Maggie at Once Upon a Time I Read a Book

Hey readers! I’m back with the fourth and final excerpt of the Tactical Crime Division miniseries today. This time, the excerpt is from Running Out of Time by Cindi Myers.
.

Love CSI and Criminal Minds? Meet the Tactical Crime Division.
Get to know a team of dedicated crime-solving experts as they fight for justice, safety, and one by one are rewarded by finding love.

Book #4: Running Out of Time by Cindi Meyer
(on-sale June 16, 2020)
When a terrorist is on the loose, the Tactical Crime Division is on the case. To find out who poisoned medications, two of TCD’s agents are tapped to go undercover posing as a married couple and infiltrate the company. But as soon as Jace Cantrell and Laura Smith arrive at Stroud Pharmaceuticals, someone ups the ante by planting explosives in their midst. Turns out that the small-town family business is hiding a million secrets. Could they unknowingly be protecting a vengeful killer?

Goodreads•Amazon
Barnes & Noble•Google
Indiebound•Harlequin

Cindi Myers became one of the most popular people in eighth grade when she and her best friend wrote a torrid historical romance and passed the manuscript around among friends. Fame was short-lived, alas; the English teacher confiscated the manuscript. Since then, Cindi has written more than 50 published novels. Her historical and contemporary romances and women’s fiction have garnered praise from reviewers and readers alike.

CAST OF CHARACTERS
Special Agent Laura “Smitty” Smith — A disciplined agent who never breaks the rules, Laura must go undercover as a newlywed to find the person responsible for a rash of poisonings and bombings in a small West Virginia town.
Special Agent Jace Cantrell — The military veteran and special ops expert has a reputation as a rebel and a rule breaker—exactly the kind of man to clash with Laura, yet the two must pose as husband and wife to solve a case that brings death to their very doorstep.
Donna Stroud — The head of Stroud Pharmaceuticals intends to keep her company going and her family together in the face of tragedy, but how far will she go to do so?
Parker Stroud — Donna’s son chafes at his parents’ unwillingness to put him in charge of the family business.
Merry Winger — Parker’s girlfriend has big plans to marry Parker, despite his parents’ disapproval of their relationship and Parker’s own reluctance to make their relationship public.
Leo Elgin — His mother was poisoned by tainted medication manufactured by Stroud. He holds a grudge against the Stroud family.

EXCERPT

***
“We’ve got another tough case on our hands.” Jill Pembroke, director of the FBI’s tactical crime division, surveyed her team from the head of the conference table in the Bureau’s Knoxville headquarters. “One that re-quires a great deal of discretion.”
Something in the director’s tone made Agent Laura Smith sharpen her focus. Pembroke, with her well-cut silver hair and feminine suit, might be mistaken for a high society grandmother, but she was as hard-nosed as they came, and not prone to exaggeration. That she reminded her team of the need for discretion pointed to something out of the ordinary.
The door to the conference room opened and a man slipped in. Tall and rangy, Agent Jace Cantrell moved with the grace of an athlete. He nodded to the director and eased into the empty seat next to Laura. No apology for being late. Typical. Laura slid her chair over a couple of inches. Cantrell was one of those men who always seemed to take up more than his share of the available space.
“We’re going to be investigating product tampering at Stroud Pharmaceuticals in Mayville, West Virginia.”
Director Pembroke stepped aside to reveal a slide showing a squat factory building set well back on landscaped grounds.
“The antacid poisonings.” Agent Ana Ramirez spoke from her seat directly across from Laura. She tucked a strand of dark hair into the twist at the nape of her neck, polished nails glinting in the overhead light. “That story has been all over the news.”
“Do the locals not want the FBI horning in?” Agent Davis Rogers—the only member of the team not wearing the regulation suit—sat back in his chair beside Ramirez, looking every bit the army ranger he had once been. “Is that why the extra discretion?”
“No, the local police are happy to turn this over to us,” Pembroke said. She advanced to the next slide, a listing of the deaths—six so far, with two additional people hospitalized—attributed to Stroud’s Stomach Soothers, a natural, organic remedy that claimed a significant share of the market as an alternative to traditional antacids. “This hasn’t been released to the public, but the poison in the contaminated tablets was ricin.”
Laura would have sworn the temperature in the air-conditioned room dropped five degrees. “Any suggestion of a link to terrorism?” Hostage negotiator Evan Duran, bearded and brooding, spoke from the end of the table. “Anybody claiming credit for the deaths?”
Pembroke shook her head. “At this point, we aren’t assuming anything. Obviously, we want to avoid panicking the public.”
“The public is already panicked,” Rowan Cooper, the team’s local liaison, said. “People have been organizing boycotts of all Stroud products.” She absently twisted a lock of her jet-black hair, brow furrowed. “We’ll need a strategy for managing the public’s response.”
“The facility where the Stomach Soothers were manufactured has been closed for the time being and the product is being pulled from store shelves,” Pembroke said. “But another facility in town, which manufactures other items, remains open, and the company has reduced hours and reassigned as many employees as possible to the single plant. The company, the town, even the state officials, are very anxious to downplay this tragedy and get Stroud up and running full-speed as soon as possible.”
“Why do that?” Kane Bradshaw, Agent-at-Large, said. Laura hadn’t noticed him until now, seated as he was behind her and apart from the rest, almost in the shadows. Kane always looked as if he’d just rushed in from an overnight surveillance, all wind-blown hair and shadowed eyes. The fact that he was here spoke to the gravity of this case. While always on hand when the team needed him, he wasn’t much on office decorum.
“Jobs.” Cantrell’s voice, deep and a little rough, like a man who smoked two packs a day, sent a shiver through Laura. He didn’t smoke, but maybe he once had. “Stroud Pharmaceuticals is one of the biggest employers in Boone County,” he continued. “The coal mines are shutting down, and there isn’t a lot of other industry. Stroud has been a savior to the community. They—and the officials they elected—are going to do everything in their power to keep the company running and redeem its reputation.”
“Even covering up murder?” Laura asked.
Cantrell turned to her, his gaze cool. “I doubt they want to cover it up, but they’ll definitely downplay it and keep it quiet.”
“They want us to help, but they don’t want us to be obvious.” The youngest member of the team, computer specialist Hendrick Maynard, jiggled his knee as he spoke. A genius who looked younger than his twenty-six years, Maynard never sat still.
“Precisely.” Director Pembroke advanced to another slide of a small town—tree-shaded streets lined with modest homes, some worse for wear. A water tower in the distance displayed the word Mayville in faded green paint. “Agents Smith and Cantrell, you are to pose as a married couple and take jobs at the Stroud factory. Investigations so far point to the poisonings having originated from within the plant itself, so your job is to identify possible suspects and investigate. Agent Rogers, you’ll be in town as well…”
Laura didn’t hear the rest of the director’s assignments. She was focused on trying to breathe and holding back her cry of protest. She and Cantrell? As a couple? The idea was ridiculous. He was rough, undisciplined, arrogant, scornful…
“You look like you just ate a bug.” Cantrell leaned to-ward her, bringing with him the disconcerting aroma of cinnamon. His gravelly voice abraded her nerves. “Don’t think I’m any more excited about this than you are.”
***

Blog Tour

Blog Tour ★ Tactical Crime Division Miniseries ★ Excerpt 3

April 17, 2020April 17, 2020 Maggie at Once Upon a Time I Read a Book

Hello, duckies! Tomorrow is Manatee’s Eleventh birthday. I was going to have a birthday party but that whole social distancing thing buzzed that out. I’m trying to figure out how to celebrate my boy’s birthday in quarantine. But you’re not here for me to whine about birthday issues, you’re here for this third excerpt for Harlequin’s new miniseries, Tactical Crime Division, this time from book #3, Midnight Abduction by Nichole Severn. And I shan’t hold you from it any longer. Scroll on my lovelies!

Perfect for fans of Criminal Minds and Blacklist…
Uncover the lives and loves of the FBI elite as they take on the toughest assignments. This is a new four-book miniseries featuring an ensemble cast of characters spread across 4 books, featuring 4 urgent cases, with one stellar team of crime solving experts.
The Tactical Crime Division—TCD—is a specialized unit of the FBI. Because of the growing concerns and need for ever increasing response time to criminal events, the FBI created a specialized tech and tactical team combing specialists from several active divisions that include: weapons, crime scene investigation, protection, negotiation and IT.

Book #3: Midnight Abduction by Nichole Severn
(on-sale May 19, 2020)
For the Tactical Crime Division, no case is left cold. When Benning Reeves’s twins are kidnapped, the frantic father knows who can help: the Tactical Crime Division and Ana Ramirez. Even though Ana once shattered Benning’s heart, the special agent is the only one he can trust. But Ana is still tormented by the unresolved case that brought them together years before—a case somehow entangled with Benning’s children. It’s up to the TCD and Ana to discover why…before it’s too late.

Goodreads•Amazon

Barnes & Noble•Google

Indiebound•Harlequin

Nichole Severn writes romantic suspense with strong heroines, heroes who dare challenge them, and a hell of a lot of guns. When she’s not writing, she’s injuring herself running and practicing yoga.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Ana Sofia Ramirez — She’s out for redemption. Recruited by the Tactical Crime Division’s director from the Bureau’s missing-persons’ division after her last case ended with a dead victim, she’s more determined than ever to recover Benning Reeves’s son.
Benning Reeves — Single father and small-town building inspector who’s come across evidence of a murder hidden on one of his construction sites; the cost of discovery has led to the kidnapping of his six-year-old twins.
Olivia and Owen Reeves — Benning’s six-year-old twins.
Evan Duran — Tactical Crime Division’s hostage negotiator, who’s fully invested in recovering Benning Reeves’s son due to his own dark past of losing his sister as a child.
JC Cantrell — Tactical Crime Division’s tactical-operations specialist, who’s good at planting bugs, leading surveillance ops or coming up with a ruse to distract someone.

EXCERPT

***
“Well, maybe I can give her a tour of TCD head-quarters in Knoxville one day. You know, give her a chance to see what federal agents really do on the job.” Ana stilled, the weight of her attention pressurizing the air in his chest, but he didn’t miss the assumption there would be a one day for them. That she wouldn’t disappear from their lives after Owen came home, and his blood pressure spiked. She cleared her throat as though she’d caught herself making promises she might not be able to keep. Just as she had with Samantha Perry’s family. “You must be proud. She’s going to make a hell of an agent one day.”
“That’s her plan, and probably why she opened up to you the way she did. I can tell she admires you, what you do.” Benning straightened, echoes of their earlier conversation replaying in his head on a nonstop loop. He tossed the paper towel he’d used to clean his foot in the trash beside the island. “So do I, to be honest. The work you and your team do saves lives. I know I already said thank you, but I meant it.”
“Like I said, you don’t have to thank me.” She dropped that mesmerizing gaze to the counter, sweeping the spread of flour into the sink set into the island with one hand, and swiped beneath her nose with the other. Touching her face had always been a nervous habit. “All part of the job.”
“Is that what this is for you, Ana? Just another job? Because this case is definitely a lot more personal to me.” Benning maneuvered around the counter, his bare chest nearly pressed against the exposed skin of her arm. He set his hand over hers on the granite, her quick gasp searing through him. Her warmth penetrated past skin and muscle, deep into his bones. “After what you told me about the Samantha Perry case, I realize now how hard it must’ve been for you to come back here, and you’re standing there as if none of it affects you. But is that how you really feel?”
He wanted—no, needed—to know. Was this going to play out exactly as it had between them the last time? Had he made a mistake requesting her to work this case?
Her mouth parted. “I…”
Skimming his fingers along the back of her hand, he trailed a path up her arm to her jaw, and all of his thoughts burned away. There was only the two of them. The softness of her flawless skin and hardness in her invisible guard. After everything that’d happened, after everything they’d already been through in the short span of time she’d walked back into his life, he’d struggled to keep the uncertainty, the rage, the fear, at bay so he could stay strong for Olivia. To prove that he could protect her from any threat, be the father she and her brother deserved. But Ana…stripped him of all of that. With her, Benning felt raw, exposed, bare. She was real. She was here. Not a memory—a fantasy—anymore, and it took every-thing inside him to pull himself away from her. “You had some cookie dough on your chin.”
She’d left because she believed her emotions clouded her judgment on the Samantha Perry case, and he wasn’t about to complicate anything else be- tween them. Not when it was his son’s life at risk this time. Ana turned her gaze up to his, a small tremor crossing her shoulders, and an invisible anchor set-tled inside his chest in the dark, watery landscape of this case. No matter what happened, Ana would bring his son home alive. He had to believe that. He had to believe in her. Otherwise, he’d have nothing left. “Thanks.”
A soft trill broke the silence spreading between them, but she didn’t move.
“I think your phone is ringing.” He cleared his throat, trying to drown the surge of awareness burning through him, and stepped away. It was for the best. Because anything that happened between them would only take away from their focus on finding his son, and that wasn’t a risk he was willing to take.
***