Today I am so pleased to welcome Morgan Brice to Joyfully Jay. Morgan has come to talk to us about her new release, Haven. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

Excerpt

The crisp breeze nipped his nose, but he didn’t have a free hand to adjust his scarf. Austin’s thoughts fell to less pleasant matters than in the shower. Jamie was the same man from Austin’s visions, the one he’d seen frightened and in danger. Was Austin putting Jamie at risk asking for his help? He felt pretty sure that the answer was “yes,” and that bothered him on more than one level.

He’s a good guy. I don’t want to cause trouble for him. But I don’t see how I can chase my leads without his help. And he seemed genuinely interested in finding answers.<

Before he’d come to Saranac Lake and met Jamie, he’d been worried about the stranger in his visions. Now that they had started to get to know each other, Austin realized that concern had deepened and changed. He liked Jamie—probably more than he should after such a brief time. Their quick connection brought out a gut-deep protectiveness that took Austin by surprise.

Guess I need to rein in my inner caveman. I’m quite sure Jamie knows how to take care of himself and wouldn’t appreciate getting treated like a damsel in distress.

He wasn’t ready to look at why Jamie’s safety mattered quite so much or what his subconscious might know that it hadn’t shared with the rest of his brain.

Despite the cold wind, both coffees were still hot when Austin reached the historical association. He was in the process of trying to wedge the door open with his foot and elbow without dropping the cups when Jamie spotted him and ran to help.

“Let’s take this into the kitchen, so we don’t have liquids around the old stuff,” Jamie said, leading the way once Austin made it through the doorway. He glanced around, assuring himself that no one else had come in.

“I set the door to chime when it opens,” Jamie told him. “That way I’ll know, in case I’m back in the stacks. If I’ll be away from the front desk for more than few minutes, I can flip the ‘back shortly’ sign. I do need to dig something out of storage, and I was waiting for you to arrive. I’ve got some ideas after our chat last night.”

Austin handed Jamie a cup and the bag full of fixings. Jamie took off the lid and inhaled, letting his eyelids flutter shut, lips upturned in bliss. Austin wished he could put that same look on Jamie’s face and shifted slightly in his chair as he chubbed up at the thought.

“Thank you,” Jamie said. “Sugar and coffee. Perfect for getting a good start on an overcast day.” He dumped all of the cream and three of the sweeteners into the oversized cup. Austin held out the bag of donuts, and Jamie pondered for a moment before selecting one with a chocolate iced glaze.

The flecks of sugar that dotted his lips after he took a bite gave Austin one more reason to want to lick them clean.

When they finished, Jamie tossed the empties into the trash, and they both washed away any sticky traces from their hands that might damage old manuscripts.

“I came in a little early to pull some resources,” Jamie said and pointed to a big worktable that held two stacks of old books. “We’ve got some records that the library doesn’t—just due to the odd way organizations write their rules,” he explained with a shrug. “Anyhow, figured we could start with these. See if there’s anything that jumps out.”

“We? I don’t want to take you away from your work,” Austin protested, although he had secretly hoped they could work together.

Jamie smiled. “Making sure the old documents are handled properly is my job. And the work will go quicker with two.”

That warmed Austin’s heart, but he needed to make sure Jamie realized the possible danger. “The information we might uncover could ruffle feathers,” he cautioned. “Some of the people involved could still be alive. I think the real situation is bigger than a handful of patients running away. People get pissy when they feel threatened, and digging up old dirt might not endear you to the townsfolk.”

Jamie rolled his eyes. “Temporary job, remember? And if they were in on the disappearances or helped cover them up, those aren’t the kind of people I want to know, anyhow. Count me in.” He shot Austin a reckless grin, and Austin felt himself fall a little harder.

Blurb

Old secrets, hidden psychics, secret shifters, ghosts, scandals—and true love.

A series of long-ago disappearances leads cold case private detective Austin Williams to investigate a troubled sanitarium. Jamie Miller is new in town, temporarily running the local historical association, and he willingly signs on to help solve Austin’s mystery. Sparks fly between them as they dig into the hospital’s troubled past. But someone wants the past to stay buried—and is willing to bury Austin and Jamie to keep it that way.

Haven is part of the Magic Emporium series. Each book stands alone, but each one features an appearance by Marden’s Magic Emporium, a shop that can appear anywhere, but only once and only when someone’s in dire need. This book contains explicit scenes, action, mystery, hurt/comfort, geeks in love, supernatural secrets, a brave historian and a lovelorn private detective, plus a guaranteed HEA. It is loosely connected to my Fox Hollow series.

Bio

Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy male/male paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after. Gail writes epic fantasy and urban fantasy, and together with co-author hubby Larry N. Martin, steampunk and comedic horror, all of which have less romance, more explosions. Characters from her Gail books make frequent appearances in secondary roles in her Morgan books, and vice versa.

On the rare occasions Morgan isn’t writing, she’s either reading, cooking, or spoiling two very pampered dogs.

Series include Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow. Watch for more in these series, plus new series coming soon!

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