Today I am so pleased to welcome Hailey Turner to Joyfully Jay. Hailey has come to talk to us about her latest release, In the Shadows. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

Found Family

I’ve always used writing as a form of therapy to cope with the upheavals in life. It was no different last autumn when my grandfather passed away. In the midst of that pain, I began writing my Metahuman Files series. Fast forward one year later and I can honestly say I never envisioned where I would be today back then.

Something to keep me distracted from grief wound up bringing me quite a lot of joy. Discovering the unexpected is definitely something my character, Alexei Dvorkin, unearths in my third book in the series. Found family is a huge theme for me, because I really do believe that while a person is born into one family, you choose the rest throughout your life. That’s kind of the road Alexei has traveled. His background as a refugee before immigrating to America just means he holds on to those he considers ‘his’ pretty tightly. He doesn’t trust easily, but once you’ve wormed your way into his heart, he’s never letting go. Sean learns that throughout the course of In the Shadows, and I can honestly say getting these two together was a lot of fun.

The stories so far build off of each other and are best read in order. They follow the same group of people, but focus on two distinct couples within the stories—Jamie and Kyle, Alexei and Sean—and the ways they each traverse the multitude of relationships in the group. My characters go from outsiders, to teammates, to lovers, and end up finding their chosen family along the way. They’re stronger for it in the end, and as much as the romantic relationships are important, their friendship with everyone else on the team is just as integral to the story. None of them would be where they are without each other

In the Shadows builds on the world I’ve created in my Metahuman Files series. The books aren’t exactly an easy, fluffy read, though there are some lighter moments scattered throughout. The stories are gritty and long, but Alexei and Sean will get their HEA eventually, the same way Jamie and Kyle will. It just may take a while for those two couples to get there, but I can guarantee everyone on the team will help them out. That’s what family does, after all, found or otherwise.


Blurb

In the ShadowsTake a chance.

Staff Sergeant Alexei Dvorkin doesn’t trust easily, and he most certainly doesn’t trust spies. He’ll work with them if ordered to, but that doesn’t mean he has to like it. Except Agent Sean Delaney is proving to be the exception to the rule. There’s something about Sean that gets under Alexei’s skin and won’t let go. Alexei would be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in what lay beneath the agent’s mask. When they’re assigned together for a mission, Alexei vows to keep Sean safe all while trying to coax the hot agent into his bed.

Hold onto hope.

Agent Sean Delaney has spent his entire adult life living a lie for his country. When the MDF tasks him with finding evidence of criminal wrong-doing against the owner of a private military company, Sean knows exactly how to play the game to get what he wants. He just doesn’t know how to handle Alexei’s advances, nor his own attraction to the younger soldier. Being a spy is lonely work, and Sean knows he should keep his distance, but saying no to Alexei is impossible from the moment they first kiss.

In a world of lies, the truth can be deadly.

When the mission takes a turn for the worse, the only thing left to do is run. In the wake of betrayal, and in the path of danger, can their fragile trust survive the battle?

Buy Link: Amazon


Bio

Hailey Turner is big city girl who spoils her cats rotten and has a demanding day job that she loves, but not as much as she loves writing. Hailey loves stories with lots of action, gritty relationships, and an eventual HEA that satisfies the heart.

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