Author: Jessa Jacobs
Title: Recoil Trilogy Bundle
Release Date: April 29, 2016
Publisher: Mad for Romance Publishing
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Editor: Candice Royer
Reluctant step-siblings Julia and Colin meet for the first time at an engagement party for their parents, and dislike each other on sight despite their undeniable physical chemistry. They soon find they have a common interest, though – stopping the inappropriate and hasty marriage of her mother to his father.
When they discover that the recent death of her father might have had something to do with his father’s business, the common interest turns them into allies. But what will they do about their own sizzling chemistry?
Recoil is the first novella in a serialized trilogy.
"We didn't get much chance to get to know each other at the engagement party," I ventured, smiling my most charming smile.
"Why should we? I don't anticipate much family togetherness," she snapped. The smile that followed was a perfect imitation of the ones catty women in my father's social circles gave each other while uttering double entendres about each other's clothing, sexual preferences, or extramarital conquests. It was so perfect I burst out laughing.
"Glad I could amuse you," she said. "Care to tell me what in particular was so funny?"
"Nope. But let's cut the act. We're on the same side, really. I don't like this marriage, and you don't like this marriage. My objections should be obvious, but yours are a little murkier. Why don't we lay our cards on the table, join forces, and stop it?"
This time, I allowed my figurative fangs to show. The woman was too smart to fall for any of my subterfuges, and I wanted to see how she'd handle the real me. Yeah, pun intended again.
She was studying me, and I allowed it, letting the silence stretch out. Most women would have filled it with prattle or protested my statement. She did neither. The first one of us to speak would lose some kind of contest, and I had no intention of losing.
She was saved by the server coming back to take her order. Startled, she looked at her watch and allowed another expression of annoyance to surface. "I guess my meeting is a no-go," she said to me. Then she ordered a surprisingly hearty breakfast for a woman of her svelte proportions.
After that, the contest of wills was broken anyway. I felt no sense of victory as she took up the conversation where I'd left it minutes ago.
"All right. I see no harm in telling you my objections. My father has been gone less than six months. It's inappropriate – too rushed. I don't understand why your father would be so anxious to marry that he'd defy convention in this way. And I'd like to know more about why my mother finds herself in circumstances that seem to require it if she's to maintain her way of life. So yes, I object to the marriage. But it isn't my place to stop it. You're on your own there."
I hadn't thought of it in the exact same terms, but now she'd said it in that way, I had the same questions. Dad hadn't been forthcoming about why he'd marry her instead of just keeping her as a mistress. With a new respect for the daughter, I began to agree that Audrey wasn't the type of woman to be satisfied with such an arrangement, even though the marriage was little more. At least it would be a respectable way to be kept.
At the moment, I was far more interested in Julia than I wanted to be. It was one thing to fantasize about taking her and then moving on. But her cool demeanor intrigued me. Did it conceal a fiery sexuality, or was she all business? There was nothing but my gut instinct to hint of the former. However, my gut had never been wrong. Despite her matter-of-fact speech and the conservative business suit that muted her curves, I was semi-aroused.
"You aren't the only one who's curious about that. Frankly, I asked my dad the same thing. Why the damned hurry? He blew me off." Almost before I'd ended my sentence, I regretted saying so much.
I'd said we were on the same side, but it wasn't the truth. She'd be loyal to her mother no matter how she felt about the issue. Or so I believed. Her next words were as frank as mine, surprising me. I expected her, an excellent lawyer, to hold her cards close to her chest. And a lovely chest it was. Instead, her eyes changed from her practiced neutrality to sharp interest.
"Really? You know, I know exactly why my mother's in a hurry. I hadn't thought about why your dad would go along with it." In my turn, I raised my eyebrows to encourage her to say more.
"You no doubt understand that she's marrying him for money, although she tells me she has grown to love him. Honestly, I'm puzzled about two things. One, what happened to my dad's estate. I know he'd have provided for Mother, and yet she tells me she has too little to live on. And two, why she'd choose a man more than a decade her senior. She's still a beautiful and relatively young woman. No offense against your dad, but he's not in her league in that way."
I had to choke back a guffaw. She thought looks trumped money? And here I'd thought she was smart. On the other hand, it gave me an advantage. I knew what I looked like. I had mirrors, after all, and I had the reaction of women I passed on the street and in the course of business. This seduction was going to be fun. Sorry, Dad, can't resist.
Julia and Colin no longer think of themselves as step-siblings. As much allies as lovers, they have more immediate issues. Like how to seek out and destroy the Russian Mafia-connected group that hounded her father to death, and what to do about the workplace harassment of Julia by a man with a secret, violent past? But the most dangerous issue of all might be what happens when Julia’s mother discovers her daughter and step-son have acted on their mutual attraction…
In this fast-paced conclusion to the Recoil serial trilogy, past and present collide as Julia and Colin desperately work to unravel the connections between the man who attacked Julia and the group that attacked her father. Will their allies put it together before someone else gets hurt? Can their fragile relationship withstand the turmoil? Who will be the next to lose their life?
Meet Jessa Jacobs:
Like you, I’m a reader. When I read a good story with characters I can connect with, my everyday existence fades into the background as I enter a world that may contain exotic locations, adventure and excitement. And, if I can be totally honest with you, in my favorite stories I can fall in love for a while with an impossibly gorgeous guy who is the best lover imaginable.
So, maybe it won’t come as a surprise that in my books you’ll find hot alpha male book-boyfriends, sassy heroines who are much more clever and beautiful than I am, and stories I hope will make you laugh and cry while reading them, as I did while writing them. Oh, and some scenes you may want to role-play with your lover.
When I’m not writing (which is almost never) I enjoy reading, hiking in the foothills near Denver, live blues music, karaoke and now and then indulging in her karaoke habit.
If you'd like to know more about me, my books, or special offers for free reading, please check my website.
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