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Available at:
Description:
When Lee Tucker's husband commits suicide, he
leaves her pregnant and one million dollars in debt to a loan shark. Out of
options, she escapes to her deceased mother's dilapidated house located in a
small Oregon
Author Tess Thompson (formerly known as Tess
Hardwick) assembles a colorful cast of endearing small-town characters and
takes you on a journey that will make you believe in the possibilities of life
- even in the face of overwhelming adversity and unimaginable grief. Lee Tucker
is the kind of woman you find yourself rooting for long after the last page is
read.
A surprising mix of romance, humor, friendship,
intrigue and gourmet food - Riversong entertains while reminding you of life's
greatest gifts.
Warning: This title is intended for readers over
the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and
may be considered offensive to some readers.
Riverbend (
by Tess Thompson
Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Booktrope
Heat Level: Steamy
Length: 272 pages
Available at:
Description:
“Tag. I found you.”
Just as Annie Bell’s reputation as one of the
best chefs in the Pacific Northwest grows to
new heights, she receives a threatening phone call from her abusive
ex-boyfriend. Marco is out on parole and hungry for revenge, blaming her for
his ten-year imprisonment. Fearing for her life and that of her young son,
Annie reluctantly accepts help from Drake Webber, a cold and wealthy recluse
hiding a dark history of his own. Supported by the gang of misfits from their
restaurant Riversong, Annie forges ahead despite her growing terror that Marco
will appear at any moment and make good on his threats.
Author Tess Thompson reunites the colorful cast
of endearing small-town characters from her bestselling novel Riversong and
takes you on a journey that will renew your faith in love, friendship and the
power of community – even in the face of seemingly insurmountable grief and
fear. You’ll find yourself once again cheering for the residents of River Valley
Escape with a blend of love, laughter,
friendship, suspense and gourmet food while remembering it’s never too late for
second chances.
Warning: This title is intended for readers over
the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and
may be considered offensive to some readers.
And then it all went black.
EXCERPT
2003
That night, just shy of midnight,
she opened the window wide enough for someone to jump through. Dressed in lacy
lingerie, she painted her mouth with lipstick. She sprinkled the pillows with
drops of the men’s cologne. Then she climbed into bed, clutching the telephone
in one hand and the meth in the other. And she waited.
Marco came home twenty minutes
later. Annie knew he was the plus ten kind of drunk by the way he slammed into
the hall table and the subsequent heavy and unsteady footsteps down the hallway
as he made his way to the bedroom. She’d invented a scale to gauge Marco’s
drunkenness. Five was the afternoon kind of drunk while watching football with
some of his buddies. He was harmless then, almost playful. Anything above an
eight meant that he would have his fists on her before he passed out on the
bed.
His footsteps were closer to the
bedroom now. She dialed 911, speaking quietly into the phone. “I’m being beaten
by my boyfriend. Send police to 8011 Alvarado right away.” She hung up, bracing
for the worst, hoping they would arrive in time.
Then he was in the doorway, his
red eyes scanning the room, taking in the open window, her lingerie, and her
painted mouth.
He yanked her from the bed,
tearing the front of her nightgown apart so that she was in only her panties.
“You little slut. You had someone here? In my bed?” He went to the window,
shouting into the night like a crazed animal, “Where is the son of a bitch?”
Slamming the window shut and locking it, he turned towards her, utter rage
displayed on his now almost purple face. A vein popped from his forehead; his
pulse beat wildly at his neck. Then, he lurched towards her, yanking her up by
her mane of thick curls. She closed her eyes, knowing the pain was coming, and
slipped the meth into his pants pocket.
Please, God, don’t let him hurt
the baby.
He slammed her against the wall,
smashing his fist into her face. She felt blood from her nose mixing with tears
she could not control. But she did not cry out. She did not beg him to stop as
she sometimes did. This time they were coming. She must hold on until they got
here, until they could see what he did to her.
He shook her now so that her
teeth rattled inside her head. “What? You’re not bothering to lie to me
tonight?” He punched her face again, slamming her head against the wall. He
tossed her on the floor and straddled her before slamming her head into the
floor over and over. Then he was up, leering over her. He kicked her in the
side, hard, with the toe of his boot. She cried out from the pain. She moved
her hands over her stomach. She couldn’t get a breath. Had he cracked her rib?
Please, God, protect the baby.
He was on top of her again,
slamming her head on the rug.
Next, she heard a loud thump. Was
it the sound of the door being kicked in? Yes. That was it. There were
footsteps, too. Running feet. They were here. Finally someone would see what he
did. Her sight was blurry now, her eyes swollen almost shut and stinging from
the blood that dripped into them. But she no longer felt the pain. It was as if
she were out of her body now and merely a spectator. And then suddenly Marco
was no longer on top of her.
Through her dim vision, she saw
there were two of them, dressed in blue uniforms and carrying long black
sticks. One of them smacked Marco on the head with his club. Marco cried out
and held his head in his hands.
“Check his pants pocket,” she
managed to croak out.
One pulled Marco’s arms behind
his back while the other searched his pockets. “Meth,” he said, opening the
package.
One cop handcuffed him as the
other one read him his rights, just like in the movies.
“You piece of shit,” said the
shorter cop to Marco. “You’re going away for this and the drugs.”
“The lying whore had a man in
here,” said Marco. “Everyone knows I have every right to kill the bitch.” He
turned to look at her. “You’ll pay for this if it’s the last thing I ever do.”
She turned her face away as the
cops shoved him towards the door.
An EMT was above her now. He was
tan and had blond hair bleached almost white from sun. A surfer, maybe. The
pain had found its way back to her consciousness. She moaned as he examined
her.
“Bastard broke her arm. And a rib
too, I think.”
“I didn’t have a man here,” she
whispered.
“It’s all right. Don’t talk.”
“I’m pregnant.”
His eyebrows went up and down.
There was alarm in his eyes but his voice was soothing. “Okay, kiddo. You’re
gonna be fine. The ambulance will take you to the hospital.”
“I don’t have any insurance.” Her
throat was so dry. If only she had some water.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll
figure that out later.”
“Am I dying?”
“No, you’re gonna be fine, kid.
Just hang in there.” He was gently probing her stomach, his fingers pushing
into the extra flesh.
“I’m sorry I’m so fat,” she said,
tears leaking out the corners of her eyes.
“Shush now. Just stay still.
It’ll be all right soon.”
“Hold my hand until they come?”
“Of course,” he said, taking it
between both of his. Her hands were the only part of her body that didn’t hurt.
“Jesus, what an animal,” she
heard him say as she felt herself drifting away.
About the Author:
Tess Thompson is a mother before all else,
and a writer after that. After honing her craft in theater with a prize-winning
play titled My Lady’s Hand, her heart was called to a different
storytelling medium: the great American novel.
She is currently working on an ambitious
historical fiction trilogy inspired by a story from her great-grandmother. The
first of these, Riversong (Booktrope Editions), went on to become #1 on
Barnes and Noble’s Nook Book chart in October 2011. Two years after its
release, readership of Riversong continued to grow, spending weeks in
the top 100 Kindle bestsellers. The second installment, Riverbend, is
scheduled for release in May of 2013.
In March of 2012, Tess was honored to contribute
to Write For the Fight, Booktrope’s collection of essays reflecting on life’s
past, present and future. All proceeds from the sales of this collection
benefit breast cancer research.
Like her main character in Riversong, Tess
hails from a small town in southern Oregon .
She currently lives in a suburb of Seattle , Washington with her two young daughters – a card shark
working her way toward the tables of Atlantic City ,
the other a princess in training – and their wild but lovable dog, Patches.
Connect with Tess Thompson
1 comment:
Thanks so much for hosting me today! I appreciate it. Can't wait to hear about all the winners. xo Tess
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