The
Asset
Wounded
Warrior Series
Book
One
Anna
del Mar
Genre: Romantic suspense,
Contemporary romance,
Military romance, SEAL romance.
Publisher: Carina Press
Date of Publication: February 22,
2016
eISBN: 9781459293526
ASIN: B01765RJI2
Number of pages: 336 pages
Word Count: Approx. 95,000
Anna
del Mar’s explosive, sexy debut novel in the Wounded Warrior series, perfect
for fans of Lisa Marie Rice and Lora Leigh—the story of a woman desperate to
escape her dangerous past and the navy SEAL who would lay down his life to save
her.
Book
Description:
Ash Hunter knows what it is to
run. A SEAL gravely injured in Afghanistan, he’s gone AWOL from the military
hospital. Physically and mentally scarred, he returns home to his grandmother’s
isolated cottage—and finds a beautiful, haunted stranger inside.
Like recognizes like.
Lia Stewart’s in hiding from the
cartel she barely escaped alive, holed up in this small Rocky Mountain town.
Surviving, but only just. Helping the wounded warrior on her doorstep is the
right thing to do…it’s loving him that might get them both killed.
Soon, Ash realizes he’s not the
only one tormented by the past. Pushing the limits of his broken body, testing
the boundaries of her shattered soul, he’ll protect Lia until his last breath.
Short
Excerpt for The Asset by Anna del Mar
Chapter
One
My finger
twitched on the trigger as I stared down the barrel of my shotgun. A stranger
stood on my stoop. The mere sight of him shoved my heart into my throat and
sent my brain into default. I widened my stance, tightened my grip on the gun
and aimed at the stranger’s chest. No way. He wasn’t going to take me alive.
A sharp bark
startled me. The largest, darkest, most handsome German shepherd I’d ever seen
stood next to the stranger, head tilted, ears forward, nose quivering in the
air. It uttered a quiet whimper and padded over to me without a trace of
aggression, circling me once before it leaned against my legs.
I kept my
shotgun leveled, but I spared another glance at the stunning dog. The plea in
his eyes tempered the adrenaline jolting through my body, reined in my runaway
heart and gave me pause to consider the stranger before me.
Framed by the
Rocky Mountains and the lake, the man at the threshold blocked the morning’s gray
light and cast a huge shadow over my little porch. Raindrops tapped on his
leather jacket, dripped from the rim of his cap and ran like tears down the
sides of his face. Despite the exhaustion etched on his features, his glacial
blue eyes narrowed on my gun.
About
the Author:
Anna del Mar writes hot, smart
romances that soothe the soul, challenge the mind, and satisfy the heart. Her
stories focus on strong heroines struggling to find their place in the world
and the brave, sexy, kickass, military heroes who defy the limits of their
broken bodies to protect the women they love. She is the author of The Asset
(Carina Press), the first novel of her Wounded Warrior series and three other
novels scheduled for release during 2016.
A Georgetown University graduate,
Anna enjoys traveling, hiking, skiing, and the sea. Writing is her addiction,
her drug of choice, and what she wants to do all the time. The extraordinary
men and women she met during her years as a Navy wife inspire the fabulous
heroes and heroines at the center of her stories. When she stays put—which
doesn’t happen very often—she lives in Florida with her indulgent husband and
two very opinionated cats.
Interview:
Where are you from?
I’m the original American mutt, a Latina born in the
Midwest, currently living in Florida and spending large chunks of time in
Colorado.
Tell us your latest news?
My first romance, The Asset, from Carina Press, has just been released. It’s so
exciting! The Asset is the first novel of my Wounded Warrior series, a
collection of hot, smart romances about strong, self-reliant heroines
struggling to find their place in the world and the brave, skilled, sexy
military heroes who challenge their limits to protect the women they love.
When and why did you begin writing?
I’ve been writing for a while, but I was totally
intimidated by the idea of putting down these romances. And then one day,
during a vacation, I decided it was okay to enjoy myself by writing them. I
guess it was my “Let It Go” moment. First came The Asset, then came the rest. And the stories keep coming.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I think the day I finished The Asset confirmed my humble aspirations. But it was on the day
that Carina Press offered me a contract that I felt like a legit romance author.
What inspired you to write your first book?
As a Navy wife, I had the opportunity to meet the
men and women of our military, who inspired the heroes and heroines that I
write about. The experience taught me the meaning of sacrifice, skill, honor
and heroism and fashioned the characters that populate my novels.
How did you come up with the title?
I didn’t. In fact, I turned in the manuscript with a
completely different name. And then my editor at Carina came back with the idea
of naming the novel The Asset.
At first I wasn’t sure. The Asset is about Lia Stuart, a woman desperate to escape her dangerous past and Ash Hunter, the Navy
SEAL who would lay down his life to save her. But then I realized that as
Lia and Ash’s relationship evolved, they went from strangers to friends and lovers and they truly became other’s greatest assets.
And I thought, how great is that? Isn’t that the true about the people who love
us? They are the number one assets in our lives. Thus The Asset came to be.
Is there a message in your novel that you want
readers to grasp?
That love heals, truly and deeply. That friendship, affection,
passion and sex are powerful, life changing forces. That fear, as terrorizing
as it is, can also be a force of change. At the end of the day, courage has to
do with our willingness to tackle our worst fears for the sake of something
more important than ourselves. I think we are all wounded warriors in one way
or another. We are all fighting our very own battles. And at the crux of our
fears, true heroes are born.
What books have most influenced your life most?
The book that influences my life the most is the one
I’m reading right this moment. I’m such an OCD reader! And here’s a little
secret. When I was growing up, my parents weren’t exactly romance readers. They
encouraged us to read lots of classical novels, and those probably influence
the way I think as a writer. Enter my very own, dear, naughty aunt—don’t we all
have one of those?—who taught me there were some other very fun genres beyond the
classics. She slipped me some of my first romances, lending me old paperbacks
by Johanna Lindsey, Nora Roberts, Julie Garwood and Kathleen E. Woodiwiss among
others. I was hooked.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your
interest?
There are always new authors grasping my interest
everywhere. The challenge is getting to them. Sometimes, when you’re writing
all the time, reading takes a back seat to your next deadline.
What are your current projects?
I’m in the final phases of editing At the Brink, an erotic romance in the
vein of the Wounded Warrior series with a darker, more sensual twist to it. I’m
calling it my naughty series for my naughty readers. At the Brink is due for release May 16.
In addition, the second book of the Wounded Warrior
series, The Stranger, is coming out
in August. I absolutely loved writing The
Stranger. It’s about an Alaskan tycoon who flew helicopters for the Alaskan
National Guard in Afghanistan before he got hurt, and the sun-loving, warmth-worshipper
Miami architect who sends him into a total tail spin when she sleepwalks into
his life in majestic Alaska.
What would you like my readers to know?
If you enjoy a smart, hot, sexy romance with lots of
adventure and strong heroes and heroines forged in the fire of life, give The Asset a try. I’d love for you to take a peek. Check out The Asset’s first chapter at http://www.annadelmar.com/pages/excerpt.html. And thanks again for having me.
Hi there! I stopped by to thank you for featuring The Asset on Deal Sharing Aunt. I enjoyed answering your questions. Have a wonderful day.
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