Hello everyone! Today I am thrilled to welcome author Libby Drew to the blog. I recently reviewed her latest release, Paradox Lost, and went crazy for it.  Seriously you guys need to read it immediately!  So I am so excited that Libby is here today to share an excerpt. And she has even brought a copy to give away to one lucky reader.  So please join me in giving Libby a big welcome!

Blurb

paradox lostTime travel tour guide Reegan McNamara’s job—taking eager tourists whenever they want to go—is usually a breeze. A trip back to 2020 to watch a world-changing speech seems no different, until a woman runs away from his tour group before the jump home. Now her tycoon husband is demanding her safe return—or Reegan will lose more than just his job.

PI Saul Kildare’s business is running on borrowed time. Due to a messy break with the police, he can’t get a referral to save his life. When an enigmatic stranger bangs on his door one night and promises a windfall for a missing-person case, it seems too good to be true. But the two men have an immediate connection, and Saul can’t pass up the chance to spend more time with Reegan, even if he is clearly hiding something.

Saul knows he shouldn’t trust Reegan, and Reegan knows he can’t get involved with Saul. But as their attraction evolves into feelings neither can deny, will they have the strength to take a leap of faith – together?

 


Excerpt

Saul paused, key halfway in the lock, but opened the door without commenting. He stalked in ahead of Reegan, anger obvious in his brisk stride and choppy movements.

Reegan followed cautiously. The two of them needed to talk. Soon. If he didn’t come clean about what was happening, he’d lose Saul’s trust. Trust he needed if he wanted to find Silvia. “Thank you.” He hovered just inside the door, rolling the brim of his hat in his hands. “Again. You’re making a habit of saving my life. It’s not what I hired you for.”

“I’m getting the feeling—” Saul leaned back against Cammie’s desk, hands braced on the edge, “—that all your so-called accidents and your missing girl are related.”

Reegan held up a finger. “I can assure you no one pushed me in the shower.”

“Maybe not.” Saul’s dark, flinty gaze said he thought some connection existed, though. “Still, it’s an awful lot of coincidences. I’m not a big believer in coincidences.”

The cot looked too tempting, and Reegan sank onto it, hurting everywhere. Keeping upright seemed a silly battle to fight, so he tipped over onto the fluffy pillow. Saul didn’t look any less pissed when viewed sideways, unfortunately. “May I have a doughnut?” he asked. Sugar cured so many ills. Maybe it had the power to postpone this conversation.

Saul slid the box forward and looked under the lid. “What are you doing here, Reegan? Why are you involved in this thing? The truth. I’m done with the lies.”

So much for putting things off. “All right. I’ll tell you.” He met Saul’s raised eyebrow. “For a doughnut.”

Lips twitching, Saul picked out a raised sugar doughnut and walked over to place it in Reegan’s hand. “You’re a cheap date.”

“I thought I’d already demonstrated that.”

He bit into the doughnut, knowing it was time to confess. His choices had whittled themselves from bad, to worse, to downright deadly. Pigtail was here. He might not be the only one. The stakes were higher, the danger more pronounced. Reegan wouldn’t be able to live with himself, should he actually live, if his secrecy somehow cost Saul his life. Maybe sharing the truth would help ease the pressure Reegan was putting on the timeline. Unlikely, but since his situation couldn’t get much worse, he was willing to give it a try.

“I’ll tell you. You’re not going to believe it, though.”

“You’d be surprised how many conversations I have that start out like that.”

Sitting up became an epic battle, but Reegan eventually gained his feet and pointed at Saul’s arm. “Let’s get that cleaned up first.” The blood was in danger of dripping onto the tan area rug under Cammie’s desk.

Scowling, Saul cupped his hand under his elbow and followed a limping Reegan into the bathroom. “You could use some attention too. That cut above your eye needs cleaned.”

“You first.”

Saul acquiesced, but drilled Reegan with questions as he stripped out of his shirt. “Any double vision? Headache? Nausea?”

Yes to all, but except for the double vision, which had improved, none of it could be blamed on the fall. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” He hissed as Reegan dabbed a wet washcloth over his skinned elbow. “How’s your ankle?”

“Sore. I’ll live.” Blood-tinged water trickled down Saul’s ribs despite Reegan’s efforts to keep the mess contained. Even scraped and bruised, he was gorgeous. It would’ve been easy to get distracted by the sculpted chest if not for the large patch of scraped skin on his arm. Bits of gravel were still lodged in the wound. Blood had clotted and crusted over in parts, but others still dripped.

Reegan rewet the washcloth and got back to work. “Bet this isn’t part of your normal job description.” He took Saul’s arm and turned it toward the light.

Saul craned his neck to look. “I’ve had worse.”

I’m sure you have. He remembered some of what Maxie had said. Ex-cop. Ex-special forces. No question about which of them would come out on top if pitted against one another. Reegan ground his teeth as he finished taping gauze over the wound. It was both a comforting and disconcerting thought and reminded him that having Saul on his side wasn’t an option. It was imperative.

And he was about to screw that up by giving the man what he wanted. The truth.

“Now you.” Saul stood, and they did a little dance in the small space until their positions were reversed. Reegan slouched against the sink while Saul worked on him.

“This routine is getting too familiar for my liking.”

Saul gave a quiet snort. Brow furrowed, he dabbed antiseptic on Reegan’s skin. “Which one?”

Good point. “The one where I’m sitting in your bathroom getting patched up by your rapidly dwindling first-aid supplies.”

“Ah.” Saul leaned back to meet his gaze. “I was hoping you didn’t mean the one where you were sitting half-naked between my legs.”


Bio

Libby glimpsed her true calling when her first story, an A.A. Milne /Shakespeare crossover, won the grand prize in her elementary school’s fiction contest. Her parents explained that writers were quirky, poor, and often talked to themselves in supermarket checkout lines. They implored her to be practical, a request she took to heart for twenty years, earning two degrees, a white-collar job, and an ulcer, before realizing that practical was absolutely no fun.

Today she lives with her husband and four children in an old, impractical house and writes stories about redemption, the supernatural, and love at first sight, all of which do exist. She happens to know from experience.

Libby’s State of Mind received rave reviews for being fast, clever, and relentless and was nominated for a Bookie Award for Best M/M Novel of 2011. 40 Souls to Keep, Libby’s third novel, has been described as intense and heart-poundingly good and was praised by Publishers Weekly for maintaining a high level of suspense.

An avid supporter of gay rights, Libby donates her time to the Trevor Project and organizations that work to support marriage equality.


Giveaway

Libby has brought a copy of Paradox Lost to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Sunday, February 2nd  at 11:59 pm EST.

  • By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win.  The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
  • If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
  • Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
  • Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
  • By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
  • Readers may only enter once for each contest.  Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
  • Void where prohibited by law.
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