Ash Rising by Melissa Fox (Virtual book tour, excerpt, review and GIVEAWAY, GFT)

                     


Ash Rising



BLURB:

Infiltrating an international drug cartel is the dangerous chance of a lifetime for Asher Beaulieu of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Falling in love while running the op isn’t part of the plan, but he never had much use for plans anyway. Shrouded in deception and surrounded by temptation, his charmed life explodes in betrayal and tragedy.

Ash rises from the flames a guarded, wary shadow of his former self. His past comes to revisit him, along with an annoying American DEA agent, who forces Ash to reclaim his courage and character before facing another chance at love—and an even deadlier threat.

DEA Special Agent Emmaline Justice is determined to be recognized for her work, not her sex. She doesn’t have time for an intriguing, wounded RCMP inspector. When the contacts she cultivated over long months of an international undercover investigation keep showing up dead, Emma must use her instincts as both an agent and a woman to determine Beaulieu’s role in the case and in her life.

One woman tore him apart. Another is brave enough to put him back together—if his past doesn’t kill him first.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

“Hey, Ash.” One of the rookie constables stuck her head through his office door. “There’s an American Special Agent that wants to talk to you down in the conference room if you’ve got a second.”

“FBI?” he asked, leafing through the papers on his desk until he located a particular sheet. When she didn’t answer, he glanced up to see her shaking her head. “Homeland Security?”

“No, she’s a DEA agent.”

Ash went still as suspicion locked his limbs. “She?”

“Yeah.” The rookie shrugged. “Her last name is Justice, if you can believe it. Yanks.”

He believed it, all right. His damn luck, after all. Anticipation heightened his senses, but he wrote the rush off as wariness. Special Agent Justice tried to drop kick him the last time he’d seen her. He wondered what other tricks she had up her sleeve. He’d love to wrestle with the attractive DEA agent again.

Special Agent Justice stood behind the table facing the door as he entered the conference room, but he spotted the telltale tap of one high-heeled foot. Her face was every bit as appealing as he remembered, her tall, curvy body encased in a smart suit that was both feminine and professional. The feel of her pinned between him and the side of the building at the gym flashed through his mind—and body. He hid the predictable reaction under a smile meant to charm.

“Special Agent Justice of the DEA. Nice to see you again.”

Her chin lifted, and he let the smile hover. So, she’d decided to play the game with bravado and defiance. Blood leapt in his veins, and he fought to temper the automatic male reaction.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

After being rationed books by my parents like most kids get rationed candy, I turned to writing to tide me over between fixes. I love to get lost in a captivating, exhilarating story, whether reading or writing. Nothing is better than being drawn into a story so deeply you don't realize you're turning a page until you've reached the end, and the characters live on in your heart and mind long after the cover has been closed.

Having lived in the suburbs of the Mid-West, desert of the Southwest, and foothills of the Rocky Mountains, I’m now on an island in the Puget Sound with my husband and dogs.


Social Media

Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
Amazon Author page
Blog


******************

GIVEAWAY




a Rafflecopter giveaway


Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here 

********************



                                   



My review:

4 stars


 

Ash Rising is an exciting and sensual contemporary romantic suspense tale that features Asher (Ash) Beaulieu, a member of the RCMP who takes an undercover assignment which takes an unexpected turn.  A series of tragedies force him to re-evaluate everything he has worked for but he may have to live up to his name and rise up from the ashes of his life.  The complex problem of identifying his allies and enemies will offer extreme challenges to the man who is used to relying on his charisma and looks and the presence of Emmaline Justice, a DEA Special Agent, only adds to the complications when the line begins blurring between professional and personal obligations and the past begins threatening Ash’s future.   

This entertaining story is divided into two novellas which are interrelated and give a glimpse of the transformation that a group of childhood companions undergo.  The delicious combination of heat and intrigue give a suspenseful and surprising tale that keeps the reader engaged throughout the entire tale.  I enjoyed getting a glimpse of a profession that is unfamiliar to me (besides the image of the scarlet uniforms) and found myself saddened by the experiences that Ash was undergoing and pulling for him to have some happiness in his life.  I was a little disappointed that the secondary characters were a bit underdeveloped and I think that it would be nice if some of them get their own stories as well.  I look forward to more tales from this exciting author.



A copy of this story was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.