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FREE HORROR and URBAN FANTASY promo 2/28 through 3/5!

2/27/2013

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Breakwater Harbor Books is excited to announce FREE ebook promos for our most recently published authors! Melissa's Simonson's freshly released Horror/Thriller book, Doubles, is free on Amazon this Thursday, 2/28, through Sunday, 3/2, and Ivan Amberlake's Urban Fantasy novel, The Beholder, is free this Friday, 3/1, through next Tuesday, 3/5. If you haven't yet experienced these phenomenal authors now is your opportunity!


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Cameron is twenty-one and drunk when she's abducted after a homecoming party. She doesn't know where she is, why this has happened to her, or anything about her new cellmate, Colin. She has time to figure it all out though—nothing but time.

Amy, Cameron's twin, doesn't think much of her sister's disappearance. She's got her own life to contend with. Since Cam has gone missing, Amy's been the glue holding her family together, but she's not bulletproof, and she can't shake the feeling that she's being watched. 

Sam has too much anger, a penchant for blondes, and a fondness for voyeurism and electromagnetic shock. He's good at hiding—not even his wife knows  he's a monster dressed in janitor's clothing. Maybe that's why he's gotten away  with his dark desires for so long.


Follow the link below for your Kindle copy of Doubles!

http://www.amazon.com/Doubles-ebook/dp/B00BK7UE5I/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361997204&sr=1-1&keywords=melissa+simonson

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Worlds of Light and Darkness are about to clash. And Jason will be in the thick of it.

In Asunción, Minsk and Sydney, people die under mysterious circumstances. Each branded with an arcane sign, they are pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. When more people are missing, with similar signs appearing in and around their homes, Jason, an average New Yorker, realizes the victims are a riddle addressed to him. He is the final piece.

Emily appears, a beauty with startling amber eyes, and tells Jason that powers dormant within him are about to wake. In the world of Light- and Darksighted, he is the only person who can prevent Darkness from enslaving the world. 

Setting out on a journey with Emily, Jason discovers many improbable things like Sight (the ability to see Energy Threads), Soulfusion, the Hall of Refuge, but the greatest surprise arrives the moment he sees Emily and finds Real Love.

Follow the link below for your free Kindle copy of The Beholder!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Beholder-ebook/dp/B00B7TG2DC/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361997266&sr=1-1&keywords=ivan+amberlake

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Melissa Simonson's DEBUT HORROR/THRILLER NOVEL, DOUBLES, has just released for KINDLE!

2/24/2013

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Breakwater Harbor Books is excited to announce the release of Melissa Simonson's debut Horror/Thriller novel, Doubles! This is BHB's first Horror release and BHB is honored to have a talent like Simonson onboard. For a taste of this addicting new author, read the pitch and exerpt below!

Cameron is twenty-one and drunk when she's abducted after a homecoming party. She doesn't know where she is, why this has happened to her, or anything about her new cellmate, Colin. She has time to figure it all out though—nothing but time.

Amy, Cameron's twin, doesn't think much of her sister's disappearance. She's got her own life to contend with. Since Cam has gone missing, Amy's been the glue holding her family together, but she's not bulletproof, and she can't shake the feeling that she's being watched. 

Sam has too much anger, a penchant for blondes, and a fondness for voyeurism and electromagnetic shock. He's good at hiding—not even his wife knows  he's a monster dressed in janitor's clothing. Maybe that's why he's gotten away  with his dark desires for so long.

EXCERPT FROM THE
BOOK



1

The body lay between us for what felt like hours. 

Looking back, I realize it was probably only a couple minutes. We watched it warily; we’d seen enough horror movies to know we couldn’t accept death so easily—surely it’d crack an eye open. 

Any minute now.

Colin kept the gun trained though, with a remarkably steady hand for someone who was wearing a shirt soaked with sweat. The single bulb that hung from the basement ceiling swayed, waltzing weak light over the corpse. 

I watched the light weave around my feet instead; they were less horrifying to look at. The splinters and abrasions that decorated my filthy toes didn’t hurt anymore. But I suspected they’d still need to be amputated so the necrosis wouldn’t spread.

My wrists didn’t hurt either. They’d been tied together for so long, I wondered if I’d lost nerve endings. I gave them an experimental wiggle. 

“Colin,”I whispered. It seemed like it’d been forever since I’d spoken.

He didn’t answer, didn’t blink, didn’t do anything at all but aim that dark hole in the gun barrel at the body between us. 
 

“Colin,”I said, louder this time, extending a finger toward the body. “…let’s get out of here.”

He still didn’t speak aloud, but he didn’t need to. We’d had enough silent conversations for me to get the gist of his thoughts. He looked at me, dead-eyed. His eyes had been dead since the moment I met him, and I wondered if they’d ever been alive. 

“One more minute,” he said. Flat. Deader than his eyes, even. 
 

A shudder tore through me. 
 

“Cameron, we’re safe now. We just need to make for goddamned sure that it’s gonna stay dead. Okay?”

He smiled when I nodded my assent, but it was a weak one. I appreciated it anyway, and hoped that he was right, that we’d be fine. The last time we thought we might make it out alive, there were three of us. Our number had dwindled. Only me and Colin now. Just a couple more minutes. A couple more minutes was nothing compared to the weeks we’d already been here.

Colin’s hand tensed on his weapon. He wasn’t going to take another gamble.


2


It was past one a.m., and the violet sky was pregnant with a full, bloated moon. He watched her stumble home through the college campus. Every now and then a dorm room door would burst open and more of them would tumble out, hideous pop music and drunken laughter puncturing the tepid air. Didn’t they have better things to get on with? Studying, perhaps? 
 
He slapped a mosquito and wiped its dead, brittle body from his elbow. 

She didn’t see him standing in the shadows as she lurched nearer. Typical that she’d be drunk. A drunk cheerleader, who would have thought.  He’d almost given up hope of ever finding her again.  Until tonight.  It had to be a sign—act now.  
 
The sway of her hips reminded him of the girls he’d gone to high school with. That and the blonde hair that bounced on her shoulders. It was natural blonde, he could tell when she walked underneath a streetlamp and it spotlighted her. No hideous dark roots on this little beauty. Gold, interwoven with copper and palest yellow—beautiful. 

He cocked his head, appraising her.  She looked the same as she had two years ago. Better, even.  Tight dark jeans and one of those tiny tank tops that didn’t entirely cover her ample chest. Strange how such a slim-hipped girl could be so endowed in the chest area. He rather liked it, though. 

He stepped out in front of her, and she nearly ran into him. 
 
“Whoops!” She crowed, and her voice grated his nerves. Too high and cheerful. Those voices only sounded nice when they were screaming. She steadied herself with his arm. Small hands, with a what kind of manicure—French? 
 
He laughed aloud when he thought about what those cute little hands would look like in a few weeks’ time. 

“What’s funny?” She asked, smiling up at him. A wide smile with pretty, plump lips, and two perfect rows of perfectly white teeth—how could he resist taking her? His other one was almost done. Made sense to snatch her when she’d been practically begging for it.  Again. Hadn’t learned her lesson the first time around.  What sort of girl stumbled home drunk at one in the morning? A slut, that sort of girl. 
 
But why didn’t she recognize him?  
 
He was quick with the duct tape. Any college janitor would have to be, he guessed, as he slammed a silver stretch of it over those sweet, glossy lips. Her eyes went wide, and the moon reflected in them. Pretty eyes too, lined with a full fringe of thick black lashes. The color was almost too beautiful to be confined to a face—it belonged to the ocean, or the sky. 
 
Her manicured fingers bit into his forearms as she struggled. Well drunk girls didn’t struggle for long. 

He spun her around and imagined he was dancing with her. He’d never really learned to waltz when they’d taught it in his high school P.E classes, but he liked his own dance better. His forearm snaked around her throat, the other hand in a fistful of pretty blonde hair. 
 
Her fighting increased, but only for a moment. Little thing like her couldn’t hold out for too long. Not in a choke hold, anyway. 
 
She fell against him, limp, and he flipped her back around to get a better look at that face. Her jaw hung slack and her eyes were closed. She’d painted her lids with black liner and nude shadows. Bedroom eyes. Even with her mouth hanging open in absolute oblivion, she was still pretty. 
 
His campus van wasn’t too far away, so he slung the girl over his shoulder like rolled-up rug and carted her out to it. When she was snug in the backseat, he was quick with his roll of duct tape once again, and wrapped it around her sexy little torso. Several times, because he’d learned, and the very fucking hard way, that more was best. He definitely didn’t want this one trying to bust free. 

Her eyelids began to flutter when he pulled back to shut the car door. He’d had this one before, and re-runs could be dull sometimes, he thought as he slammed the door. Same old shit, but maybe he’d be struck by a creative lightning bolt, come up with some new games they could play.


For more of this addicting Horror/Thriller follow the link below to Amazon.com!

http://www.amazon.com/Doubles-ebook/dp/B00BK7UE5I/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361763442&sr=1-1&keywords=melissa+simonson

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Ivan Amberlake's debut Urban Fantasy Novel, THE BEHOLDER, is 99 CENTS during a limited time PROMOTION!

2/19/2013

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Ivan Amberlake's debut Urban Fantasy Novel, The Beholder, is 99 CENTS during a limited time promotion! 

Worlds of Light and Darkness are about to clash. And Jason will be in the thick of it.


In Asunción, Minsk and Sydney, people die under mysterious circumstances. Each branded with an arcane sign, they are pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. When more people are missing, with similar signs appearing in and around their homes, Jason, an average New Yorker, realizes the victims are a riddle addressed to him. He is the final piece.

Emily appears, a beauty with startling amber eyes, and tells Jason that powers dormant within him are about to wake. In the world of Light- and Darksighted, he is the only person who can prevent Darkness from enslaving the world. 

Setting out on a journey with Emily, Jason discovers many improbable things like Sight (the ability to see Energy Threads), Soulfusion, the Hall of Refuge, but the greatest surprise arrives the moment he sees Emily and finds Real Love.




EXCERPT FROM THE
BOOK





Prologue



In darkness, Pariah crept along the wall of the ancient corridor, black eyes squinting toward the end of the passage. A silvery glimmer streamed through the archway, and he flattened himself into the shadow, out of the way of the shimmering light. With every heartbeat the light grew more intense, until he was forced to halt and close his eyes to block it out, if only for a little while.


The Ethan girl was there, crouching behind the silvery dome she’d created in the center of the vast hall. It had cost them a lot of effort to track her down, and now part of the plan had been accomplished: he and seven other Shadows had brought her to bay.

Opening his eyes again, Pariah took a step forward and winced at the subsequent burn. I shouldn’t go any closer.He clenched his knuckles and the movement hurt, driving fury through him. He wanted to crush her, destroy her Light … but she was dangerous and unpredictable.

What if she escapes? This may be our only chance to catch her. Pariah inhaled, reaching for patience. He must wait for her to make the fatal mistake, wait for her to leave her refuge. He envisaged his skulking brethren, guarding the other exits like spiders, and he grinned in malicious delight. You won’t get away this time.


Currents of crimson energy flowed through Pariah and his brothers, the force aimed towards a circle of whirling silver light. But the girl remained unaffected, sheltered by its brightness. No, he realized, watching the stream. This was not the way she would be killed. The currents could kill an ordinary person—in fact, hundreds of them in one second—but not a Sighted one. What they needed in order to break such a defense was an inhuman hatred. Pariah knew how to do it, but this wasn’t the time. His objective was to lure the girl into the trap, not kill her. First he would torture her, learn her secrets, then he would kill her.

Against the Light he was a better warrior. His hands were stained with the blood of the many Sighted he had slain. Patience, he told himself. She won’t be able to stay there for--

Searing pain shot up his spine, burning like acid and paralyzing him, sucking out his breath. All he could do was stare as an effulgent creature emerged from the circle, brighter than the explosion of a supernova, and watch that violent star head in his direction. The closer she got, the more she stifled the darkness inside him. Disgust rose as he sensed what was happening. It was as though love had been sewn into his hateful mind; twinges of conscience were waking in him, eradicating his inherent evil.

He tried to slow time, to stop the burning pain, but she knew how to block his attempts and make him suffer even more. The laws of physics meant as little to her as they did to him, and both abused their gifts to attain their aims. She was quicker than any of the Sighted ones who had previously crossed his path. He knew she was just as aware of him as he was of her, but she was stronger. For the first time in his dark existence, Pariah knew fear.

It happened too quickly. With ease, she breached the vicious circle he and the others had formed, and shot past, leaving a comet trail twinkling in her wake. Pariah stared after her, thinking through the decision she’d made. The trail was a block, not an attack. The Ethan girl had decided to protect herself from the shadow’s evil mind rather than use her power to kill him.

How noble—and naïve—to spare your enemy’s life, Pariah mused.

His confidence returned, but his hands still glowed bright from her energy. He dispersed the vapor trail she’d left and warped his mouth to let out a horrific banshee howl. The terrible sound reverberated off the walls, rising in magnitude, and he hoped the amplified echo might hamper her flight. His brethren chimed in to reinforce the cursing howl as they swished past and darted after her, but Pariah remained stationary, suffering the agony of having been imbued with her Light.

He reached his hands in her direction, slowing her nimble movements as much as he could, but the distance between them only increased. Wasting no time—for he had no more to lose—he threw himself forward, steadily gaining speed, watching tunnels rush by on either side. Acting purely on instinct, Pariah cut a rupture in space and flung himself into the blackness. This time he exited much closer to her, and his success spurred him on to try again.


Cut—plunge into blackness—return to reality. That was the process.

The sickening light came closer with every surge. Understanding his intentions, the others reassembled to help the Evil One coax the girl into the trap. Pariah was desperate, aware he would only get one chance. He took a final plunge into the ruptured darkness and the action brought him through at last. He reappeared directly in front of her, and she braked, glowing with that detestable light.

For a brief moment, Pariah managed to discern her face, the amber eyes wide with fear. Then it was gone in an eruption of burning brightness. He sent a wave of dark energy at her, and her shield disintegrated. Pariah’s fury transformed into a victorious pulse; he had broken her defenses, and now she lay convulsing with pain, his deadly energy choking the life out of her.

For more of this fantastic read follow the links below to Amazon.com!

PAPERBACK: http://www.amazon.com/Beholder-1-Ivan-Amberlake/dp/1481931024/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361310099&sr=1-1&keywords=ivan+amberlake

KINDLE: http://www.amazon.com/The-Beholder-ebook/dp/B00B7TG2DC/ref=sr_1_3_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361309990&sr=1-3&keywords=ivan+amberlake



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Scott J. Toney's DEBUT ROMANTIC SUSPENSE NOVEL, HEARTS OF AVON has just released in KINDLE and for PAPERBACK

2/7/2013

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Breakwater Harbor Books is excited to announce the release of Scott J. Toney's debut Romantic Suspense novel, Hearts of Avon!

In Avon, a beach town along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Ben is falling fast for the beautiful and intelligent Caroline, even as they both deal with her stalker ex-boyfriend who has followed her south on vacation.

As Ben learns the depths of the other man's madness his and Caroline's relationship runs into another wall, level 3 Hurricane Irene moving quickly toward the Outer Banks. When the storm arrives, all of their lives will be drastically changed.

How will they learn to cope with the consequences? When they are tested with a disaster on the brink of their comprehension, how will they pick up the pieces of their lives?

"Wow! Immediatly from the start you can feel the story moving and what followed was even better and kept me hooked! Nicely done... an entertaining  story that reads with ease." - YGPAC




EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK


1


What would life be like if you had lived? Ben wondered. Gulls sang somewhere in the distance and he smiled as he enjoyed the day.

Benjamin’s heart had always been a part of Avon, ever since his mother had died there of cancer when he was a young boy. He still lived in that same beach house with his father and the two made their living by selling paintings up and down the shore. He loved his home and felt connected to his mother on the beach in the evening sun.

Ben closed his eyes; listening to the ocean beat against the beach, feeling its salty mist spray him in the wind. Sunlight warmed him as he sat near the shoreline, digging his hands into the sand.

Click! The faint noise came from close by and he opened his eyes, turning to look in its direction.

There, standing next to the stilt beams of the neighboring house, stood the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. How did he not see her coming up on him? Sunlight shone around her form and her red top and skirt flowed in the breeze. A moment passed between them, and she smiled while holding her camera at her side. Before he could speak she turned and ran down the beach away from him.

“Wait! What’s your name?” he called to her.

Who was this beautiful girl? If he let this moment pass he may never know.

Ben stood quickly, stumbling in the sand as he ran. “Wait!” he shouted, but she didn’t look back.

He ran after her, past kids flying kites and a couple holding hands. Gulls sang overhead.

The girl ran up a dune of sand in the distance toward a light blue beach house and Ben’s heart dropped. Was this where she was staying? He hoped so, because if she was staying somewhere beyond that point he would never find her.

He picked up speed as he neared the house and his bare foot cracked into a driftwood log, sending him crashing into the sand.

“You’re coming with me!” a strong male voice shouted over the dune.

“No… we’re not together. I can’t, John, I… I just can’t.”

Was that her? Was that the beautiful girl who had taken his picture?

“You won’t leave me! I won’t let you! You’re mine and I’m taking you back!”

“No, John!” the female shrieked. 

“You’ll realize you love me!”

That was it… it was all that Ben could take. No girl deserved to be treated like that. He didn’t care who it was anymore, he was going to help.

He dug his arms into the hot sand and stood, walking toward the buff, black haired guy who had the girl’s wrist clutched hard in his. A recent scar ran down the side of his face.

It was the same girl.

“Let her go!” Benjamin yelled to him.

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll make you let her go!” Ben was nearing the car they were in front of now. 

“Who is this, Caroline?” John asked.

“If she says she’s through with you then she’s through! She doesn’t want you and I can see why!”

John shoved Caroline aside and was coming toward him now.

Ben’s heart beat heavy in his chest. He couldn’t leave. He would have to confront him and braced to stand his ground. “Go.”

“John… I’ll go,” Caroline spoke with fear in her voice. “Leave him alone. This is between us.”

John was taller than him and was coming up the sand toward him. “No! This boy’s made it clear he wants this between me and him!” 

John threw a punch, but Ben dodged to the side and avoided his fist. With his heart racing, almost as a reflex, Ben clenched a fist and crushed it into John’s stomach, unable to move him. A second later, John cracked his fist into Ben’s head and he collapsed in the sand, darkness consuming his sight and sand stinging his eyes. John’s foot thrust against his ribs.

“Get up sissy! Who’s ordering who now? You want her? Stand up and fight!”

Bile rose in Ben’s throat as sunlight swam in his eyes.

…have to get up… he thought, half conscious, as another punch from John’s foot landed in his side.

“What’s going on out here?” a woman’s voice came from close by. “John? Get off my property before I call the police!”

“I’ll be back!” John’s voice came from somewhere above him. “Leave my girl alone, boy, or next time I’ll give you more than bruised ribs and a sore skull!”

There was commotion as more voices came and Ben heard the sound of a car pulling out of the driveway.

A soft hand touched his face. “Are you alright?” Caroline asked.

Darkness swelled around him and everything fell away.



 2


Why, John? Caroline thought while sitting in a spare bedroom of her Aunt’s beach house, The Ocean’s Whisper. The waves outside crashed rhythmically against the shore. You were so handsome and strong… What happened to the you I first met? It seems so long ago.

Three years ago she met John when she was in high school. He was two years older than her and the fact that an older boy liked her helped draw her to him. You were charming and funny. You loved me… or at least I thought you did. With a sigh Caroline braced her head with her hands. Tears streamed down her face and were soaked up by the carpet below. 

Now he was controlling and abusive, not so much physically, but he had been mentally abusive for some time. He controlled who she was friends with, what she ate, even how she spent her money. Somehow she had justified it all, for the sake of being with him.

And then you hit me. Caroline took her sleeve and wiped her tears away. I won’t take any more. I’m never going back to you, John. I deserve better. She lifted her head, looking at the guy who had stood up for her. I don’t even know your name. She had seen him on the beach in the sun and thought he was asleep. You looked so handsome lying in the sunlight. I never thought you’d wake up and see me.

Caroline breathed a deep breath. She had been worried about him but her Aunt, who had come to their rescue, was once a nurse and assured her that he would be alright.

“Who are you?” she asked softly. A shiver ran up her arms. He had a handsome, caring face. And he was tone, but not buff. His heart… she wasn’t looking for a relationship but… she wanted to get to know his heart. A friend… Could they be friends?

  -- --

Darkness. 

Ben could not see, could barely think, but somehow was comforted by the sound of waves in a distant part of his mind.

Light entered and then returned to darkness before him.

Who are you?

It was the enchanting voice of a girl, the girl, Caroline.

Caroline… the thought brought him back to consciousness.

With a moan he turned his head on the soft pillow and opened his eyes, light flooding into them until they focused on the beautiful girl sitting beside the bed. “Caroline?” he asked. “Where am I? How did I get here? What happened?”He used his arms to brace himself up on the bed and went to stand.

She smiled and stood, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’m so happy you’re awake. You should stay in bed for a moment. Give your body time to wake up.” As he relaxed again while sitting on the bed, Caroline moved a strand of hair away from her eyes and behind her ear. “Thank you so much for standing up for me. John is my ex-fiancé. I left him over a month ago but he still can’t take a hint.” There was an awkward moment of silence. “What’s your name? I still don’t know who you are.”

“Ben.” He smiled while holding out his hand and shaking hers. She had a soft and gentle touch. “I would stand up for anyone who needed me. I’m just glad that I was there to help you… or at least try. How bad was it? I didn’t actually do much other than get punched out, did I?”

Caroline gave a small laugh. “You cared about helping me. That is doing a lot! This is my aunt’s house, in case you’re wondering. We brought you inside after John drove off. I’m here with my Mom for two weeks while we help my aunt paint the outside. I didn’t honestly think you’d see me take that picture of you, but I’m glad you did.”

Ben wanted to tell her how beautiful he had thought she was when he saw her, but somehow this didn’t feel like the right time for that. “You definitely surprised me.” He grinned. “I was intrigued, and I had to know who you were.”

 “I have an idea.” Caroline stood and started going toward the door. “How about you meet my aunt and then we can make sandwiches and take a walk on the beach? I’d introduce you to my mom, but she’s at the store.”

 “That sounds great,” Ben said, happy to have more time to get to know this attractive girl. There was something special about her. His attraction to her was more than just physical. There was an intelligence that stood out and something even deeper than that. What is it? He followed her down a hallway and into a sunlit living room. He could smell a mango scented candle burning close by.

“This is Ben,” Caroline introduced him to her aunt who was reading a book on a flower patterned couch.

He walked further in the room. “It’s a pleasure to meet you…”

“Suzie, just call me Suzie. I’m glad you’re alright, and I’m thankful for what you did for my niece.”

Caroline made her way to the kitchen close by and came back with bread, a jar of chocolate peanut butter and a banana.

Ben joined her at a counter that stretched out, separating the kitchen from the dining area. “Mmm… You’ve got good taste,” he joked with her and took the knife as she smiled back at him. He took a good helping of the chocolate peanut butter and slathered it on his bread, adding slices of banana as he cut them up. “I thought I was the only one who did this!”

“Nope, me too! These are one of my dad’s specialties. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, I’ve learned that they are great for any meal!”

“I think there are those who would disagree,” Suzie called from the couch, “myself included!”

 “Not dad,” Caroline laughed. “Either that or his other go-to, hotdogs.”

Ben spun the lid back on the peanut butter and helped bring the supplies back into the kitchen. “Mmm hotdogs, now you’re talking!”

“One meal at a time, tough guy,” she joked as they made their way down the stairs toward the front door. “We’re going for a walk on the beach, Suzie!”

“Alright, I’ll let your mom know! Watch out for John! I think he’ll leave us alone now but just be careful!”

“I will! I have Ben with me! I’ll be alright!”

There was a light breeze as they stepped outside and walked toward the beach. The sand was hot beneath Ben’s feet and tall grass swayed around them as they made their way toward the shore. 

“So do you always stalk the beach for unsuspecting guys?” he joked while holding his free hand out and feeling the reeds of grass. 

Caroline blushed. “You were asking for it, and besides, I wasn’t even taking a picture of you. There was this beautiful seagull flying overhead…”

 “Sure there was.” He gave a smirk and took a bite of his sandwich. The chocolate and banana were delicious, but he wondered if it was the company he was in that made it just right?

 “You’ll see when I get the pictures developed!”

 “Developed? Isn’t everything digital now?” He gave her a smile and a joking look. He couldn’t help but think about how beautiful she was in the sunlight. Her smile… he thought, there is just something wonderful about her smile!

“Oh, I still like developing them. I’ve actually always wanted to have a camera with actual film that I could develop myself. Maybe someday...”

There was a moment of silence between them and Ben searched for something to say to start the conversation back up. They were down by the edge of the water now and it lapsed over their bare feet as they walked. “So I know you’re visiting your aunt, but where are you from? I’ve lived in Avonall of my life.”

“And I’ve lived my whole life in Pittsburgh, but I love coming down to visit Suzie and just taking in the beach!”

“Did that guy follow you all the way down here?”

Caroline stopped for a moment and stared out over the glistening ocean.“John follows me, or at least he has since I left him. I loved him, but he became a man that I can’t let myself love any longer.” She kept looking out over the ocean, unable to look to Ben’s eyes.

“How could you love a guy like that? He’s obviously abusive! I couldn’t believe he was treating you like that, trying to control you, and I’ve just met him!” Something made Ben wish he could take back or rephrase his words, but it was too late now.

“Don’t worry,” Caroline looked to him. “I know, I know I should have left him long ago. He is abusive, but it wasn’t until recently that he put his hands on me. That’s what made me leave him. That’s why my mom suggested we come here and spend a few weeks helping Suzie paint The Ocean’s Whisper. We hoped he would leave me alone.”

What can I do for her? Ben stopped walking and Caroline stopped with him. A cool breeze whipped around them. He liked her as more than a friend, he already knew that. But that’s not what she needed in her life. She needs friendship. “If you need me while you’re here let me know and I’ll do whatever I can. Heck, if you need me after you leave just let me know and I’ll be there for you.”

Caroline gave him a huge smile and he could swear he saw tears forming in her eyes. “Ben, I can’t tell you how much that means to me…”

Ben didn’t know why, but he embraced her in a hug. 

She let herself relax in his arms. “Thank you.”

As she moved away, she wiped tears from her eyes. “Enough of this,”Caroline sniffed and leaned down toward the water that was rising up the beach to meet her feet. She cupped her hands and, with a thrust, soaked him with a spray of water.

They both broke out laughing and Ben went into the water, soaking her with a spray as well. “You knew that was coming!” he managed before getting a face full of water as she sent another spray his way. Soon he was out of the water and chasing her back down the beach to her aunt’s house.

 -- --

At night, as he lay in bed listening to wind whipping around he and his father’s house, Benjamin closed his eyes and thought of Caroline’s smile after he had sprayed her with water. What a beautiful smile. 

-- --

That same moment a black car sat parked houses down from The Ocean’s Whisper and Caroline. 

John sat in his torn leather seat, alert, his eyes focusing on the darkness before him.





For more of Hearts of Avon, visit the link below. Have an amazing day and enjoy!

http://www.amazon.com/Hearts-of-Avon-ebook/dp/B00B90KGOK/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1360297321&sr=1-6



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BHB would like to congratulate Mike Lee for 3 MONTHS and running as "One of the TOP 100 MOST POPULAR AMAZON KINDLE AUTHORS in Sci-Fi"

2/5/2013

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Breakwater Harbor Books would like to congratulate Mike Lee for 3 MONTHS and running as "One of the TOP 100 MOST POPULAR AMAZON KINDLE AUTHORS in Sci-Fi" following the release of his newest book.

If you haven't yet  checked out StarFire, then now is the time!

An action-packed Science Fiction novel,

Captain Vince Lombard, G-Marine company commander, is tasked with tracking down a stray ship. The Alliance Military Ship StarFire has gone silent, and previous attempts to locate her have resulted in the loss of more ships. After two previous wars with xenospecies humanity bumped into while expanding into space, no one knows what might be the cause of StarFire's missing in action status. And  internal politics between Fleet command and the Galactic Marine Corps might mean  that, unless something is done, humanity may get the news it's at war with yet  another new race about the time they show up to attack one of the human systems  in the sector.

A prequel to the book "Fey," this story is a novelization  of the story Vince related to Blondie in the previous book, which many readers  requested.

What others are
saying about StarFire


"Mike Lee has written yet another solid fast-reading book that grabs your attention and keeps it engaged until the satisfying conclusion. I will be reading this one again and can't wait for the next Mike Lee book."

—  Amazon review by 'Far Left Texas'

"Starfire is a truly superb book, one of the few of the hundreds I've read this year that stands out by itself. Beautifully crafted, very good cadence, great reflection by the main hero, who does not always occupy center stage. Lots of mystery left to ponder, this author does not insult the intelligence of the reader but compliments it - and that is rare. The characters are well developed according to their roles and aren't just mirrors for the main character. The plot is plausible and not drowned in technology while being quite comfortable with it."

— Dennis Campbell

Purchase StarFire for Kindle now at Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/StarFire-Vince-Lombard-ebook/dp/B00A4Q9F60/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_1

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