Empire Blue
Book 7
DC Stone
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Date of Publication: 07/10/26
ISBN: 978-0-3695-1480-6
ASIN: B0GX2VK1HW
Number of pages: 306
Word Count: 87,000
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Tagline: Real world, Real Men, Real Crimes
Book Description:
Ava Larsen has spent her adult life trying to outrun the shadow of the girl she used to be: a bully whose mistake cost her sister’s life, and one who pushed away a boy they both loved. But her redemption is cut short when her latest investigation into a high-profile money laundering ring turns deadly.
After surviving a brutal kidnapping, Ava’s only hope for survival is Michael Gonzalez, a Secret Service Agent fueled by a decade of bitterness. Mike doesn’t believe Ava has changed, and he certainly hasn’t forgiven her for the accident that killed his first love. But with a corrupt government official determined to silence her, Mike is ordered to protect her at all costs.
From the streets of New York to the corridors of power in Washintong D.C., the two are hunted by an enemy that will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried. As the investigation reaches a breaking point, Mike and Ava must navigate a minefield of political betrayal and personal trauma. In a race against time, they’ll have to trust each other to survive—or let the sins of their past bury them both.
Excerpt:
“Get
to the point. What’s up?”
She
sighed. “I don’t even know where to start.” The watch on her wrist buzzed with
a notification. She checked it, and her mouth tightened into a thin line. “This
case looks to be seriously fucked up. Not a whole lot to tell you right now
other than there were several, and I mean we’re talking numbers in the teens,
bodies found in this old house. Owner is this guy everyone said was super
quiet, always kept his yard clean, etcetera, etcetera. From what the neighbors
are saying, no one would have thought any of the horrors we’ve found were
happening in this house. Talking victims, all women, completely cut up.
Sometimes methodically so. As if he had all the time in the world to do the
perfect job.”
Mike
grimaced. “This is why I do protection and white-collar fraud. I could never
sit through those forensic shows you and Dwayne used to watch.”
Charlie
threw him a saucy smile, then went serious again. “Early this morning, a woman
actually got out of the house. Naked as the day she was born. Ran a few houses
down and collapsed on the porch but not before she rang the doorbell.”
The
mental image she painted had him wincing. “Jesus. Is she okay?”
Charlie
took a deep breath and let it out super slow as if she was preparing for
something. He braced, suddenly feeling a sense of foreboding. Whatever she was
about to say was going to mess him up entirely. That’s why she’d been taking
for-fucking-ever to get to the point. It’s why she was here in person instead
of calling him on the phone. It’s why Dwayne had sent her. She’d always had
ways of calming Mike down, even under the tensest of situations.
Except
for that one time. He shook his head, refusing to think about that now. It’d
been years since he’d seen her.
“Who
was the woman?” he asked, his voice rough. But he knew. The answer was written
all over Charlie’s face, from the grimace to the pity stamped across her faery
features.
“The
woman was Ava.”
Her
name spoken was like someone socked him in the gut. He let out a rush of air,
expelling oxygen immediately, as if it needed a place to escape. Kind of like
his body was fighting to do, too. It was amazing how one’s body reacted to news
or the presence of someone who’d made part of their life hell. That whole
fight-or-flight response was true, and as he thought of the Ava of his
childhood, and both the sister and the murderer of the first woman he loved,
his body was warring with itself, trying to figure out which response it wanted
to go with.
The
urge to flee was so strong, he actually took a step back. Charlie’s knowing
gaze sharpened on him, and she sighed, the sound coming out with a lot of pity
he didn’t need. It only served to piss him off.
“Look,
maybe we can find someone else,” Charlie said, shaking her head, then did a
double take at something over his shoulder and tossed a glare at the women
still admiring them from afar. “Those fucking women…”
It
was at that moment his mother decided to make an appearance and came storming
out of the house having found her shoes. His normally very demure mom looked
spitting mad, her red face a mask of irritation and anger.
D.C. “Desi” Stone is a best-selling romance author and full-time fraud investigator. She lives in the northeast with her incredibly supporting husband, two kids, a cat, and the ever-growing family of dogs.
After serving eight years of service with the United States Air Force, she went on to transition into the world of financial crimes and became a lead investigator for many years.
Reading has always been a passion of hers, getting lost in a good, steamy romance is one of her favorite past times. She soon after discovered her own love for writing and recreating stories and characters in her head. Her writing concentrates on romantic with specifics in paranormal, suspense, and erotica.
Now, when she isn’t trying to solve a new puzzle in the world of fraud, she is engulfed with coffee, her laptop, and all those crazy characters in her head. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, Hudson Valley Romance Writers, New Jersey Romance Writers, RomVets, RWA Kiss of Death, and the Liberty State Fiction Writers. She served as the 2014 NJRW Vice President and Conference Chair. Come stop by on Facebook, Twitter, or her website and say hello!
Interview:
1. What is the first book that made you cry? Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann
2. Does writing energize or exhaust you? Energizes!
3. What is your writing Kryptonite? Getting really into a scene and being interrupted.
4. Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym? I did and do!
5. What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer? I’m friends with several but two stick out to me as long-term writing partners. First, Jessica Jayne is one I’ve done daily writing sprints with over the past 3-5 years. We’ve also published anthologies together. She’s an amazing support system and writing buddy. The second is Lea Bronsen, who lives overseas. Her and I have done a ton together and often edit one another books. I’ve learned a ton from her and am often inspired by her writing.
6. Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book? I like to build those connections between each book. If you pick up one, you’re most likely going to be introduced to characters from another at some point.
7. What authors did you dislike at first but grew into? I feel like I’m going to be hung up on a sign for saying this but Sarah J Maas. I tried for YEARS to get into her books and never could. Then one day, I tried again and consumed every single book she’d written over the course of a summer.
8. What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel? This is tough because I feel like there are so many, but the Black Knights series by Julie Ann Walker doesn’t get enough hype. Legit, it should be in everyone’s hands.
9. As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? Probably a Red-tailed Hawk. I like to observe people and their actions and pay attention to minute details others may miss. That is the exact way I like to unfold my stories as well, giving small clues and simmering tension before tying in a rapid payoff. All hawk traits. ;)
10. How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have? Oh, this question is like a shot to the heart. I have three unpublished books right now. And two half-finished ones.
11. What did you edit out of this book? Absolutely nothing.
12. If you didn’t write, what would you do for work? Well, I do write and I do work. My fulltime gig is an Investigations Manager.
13. Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find? No, but I like to give clues that span solving a problem or crime over several books. It is generally the “bigger picture.”
14. What is your favorite childhood book? I don’t have one but I always enjoyed The Babysitters Club books!
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