Category Archives: Excerpt

Books, Excerpt, Inheritance, Inheritance, The Lost Bride Trilogy

Inheritance excerpt

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We’re officially 10 weeks away from the debut of Inheritance, book 1 in the Lost Bride Trilogy, and I thought it was time to share the excerpt.

Nora wrote about the Why of writing Inheritance a few weeks back in case you want to refresh your memory.

The official description of Inheritance reads:

1806: Astrid Poole sits in her bridal clothes, overwhelmed with happiness. But before her marriage can be consummated, she is murdered, and the circle of gold torn from her finger. Her last words are a promise to Collin never to leave him…

Graphic designer Sonya MacTavish is stunned to learn that her late father had a twin he never knew about―and that her newly discovered uncle, Collin Poole, has left her almost everything he owned, including a majestic Victorian house on the Maine coast. And the will stipulates she must live in it for at least three years. Her engagement recently broken, she sets off to find out why the boys were separated at birth―and why it was all kept secret until a genealogy website brought it to light.

Trey, the young lawyer who greets her at the sprawling clifftop manor, notes Sonya’s unease―and acknowledges that yes, the place is haunted…but just a little. Sure enough, Sonya finds objects moved and music playing out of nowhere. She sees a painting by her father inexplicably hanging in her deceased uncle’s office, and a portrait of a woman named Astrid, whom the lawyer refers to as “the first lost bride.” It’s becoming clear that Sonya has inherited far more than a house. She has inherited a centuries-old curse, and a puzzle to be solved if there is any hope of breaking it…

I read this book back in March and LOVED it. Can’t wait until you get the chance to read it and we all discuss.

Enough of me, here’s the excerpt: The Inheritance.

Enjoy~

Laura

Excerpt, In Death, Payback in Death

Payback in Death excerpt

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Time for a peek at Payback in Death, out September 5. To my mind it’s another little travelogue.

Here’s a short/sweet description:

Eve is just home from a long overdue vacation when she responds to a call of an unattended death. The victim is Martin Greenleaf, retired Internal Affairs Captain. At first glance, the scene appears to be suicide, but the closer Eve examines the body, the more suspicious she becomes.

An unlocked open window, a loving wife and family, a too-perfect suicide note—Eve’s gut says it’s a homicide. After all, Greenleaf put a lot of dirty cops away during his forty-seven years in Internal Affairs. It could very well be payback—and she will not rest until the case is closed.

You can read the first chapter here: Payback in Death excerpt.

Enjoy!

Laura

Books, Excerpt, Identity

Identity excerpt

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We’re just over 90 days from the release of Identity — Nora’s 2023 stand alone novel. I had a chance to read it a while back and the story is as stunning as the cover above.

What’s it about you ask? Here’s the official cover copy:

Former Army brat Morgan Albright has finally planted roots in a friendly neighborhood near Baltimore. Her friend and roommate Nina helps her make the mortgage payments, as does Morgan’s job as a bartender. But after she and Nina host their first dinner party—attended by Luke, the flirtatious IT guy who’d been chatting her up at the bar—her carefully built world is shattered. The back door glass is broken, cash and jewelry are missing, her car is gone, and Nina lies dead on the floor.

Soon, a horrific truth emerges: It was Morgan who let the monster in. “Luke” is actually a cold-hearted con artist named Gavin who targets a particular type of woman, steals her assets and identity, and then commits his ultimate goal: murder.

What the FBI tells Morgan is beyond chilling. Nina wasn’t his type. Morgan is. Nina was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. And Morgan’s nightmare is just beginning. Soon she has no choice but to flee to her mother’s home in Vermont. While she struggles to build something new, she meets another man, Miles Jameson. He isn’t flashy or flirtatious, and his family business has deep roots in town. But Gavin is still out there hunting new victims, and he hasn’t forgotten the one who got away.

Here’s your chance to read Chapter One. (If you subscribe to Nora’s News then you’ve already had a chance to read this excerpt.)

Enjoy — can’t wait to discuss this book.

Laura

Encore in Death, Excerpt, In Death

Encore in Death excerpt

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It’s the end of Thanksgiving weekend in the US — what better time to set our sights for 2023 and the Encore in Death release on February 7?

If you subscribe to Nora’s News, you’ve already read Chapter One when I sent the newsletter out over a week ago. Now it’s time to share with everyone.

Here’s the cover copy for Encore:

It was a glittering event full of A-listers, hosted by Eliza Lane and Brant Fitzhugh, a celebrity couple who’d conquered both Hollywood and Broadway. And now Eve Dallas has made her entrance—but not as a guest. After raising a toast, Fitzhugh fell to the floor and died, with physical symptoms pointing to cyanide, and the police have crashed the party.

From all accounts, he wasn’t the kind of star who made enemies. Everyone loved him—even his ex-wife. And since the champagne cocktail that killed him was originally intended for Eliza, it’s possible she was the real target, with a recently fired assistant, a bitter rival, and an obsessed fan in the picture. With so many attendees, staff, and servers, Eve has her work cut out determining who committed murder in the middle of the crowd—and what was their motivation. As one who’s not fond of the spotlight herself, she dreads the media circus surrounding a case like this. All she wants is to figure out who’s truly innocent, and who’s only acting that way…

Here’s your first look at Encore in Death, Chapter One.

Enjoy!

Laura

Books, Dragon Heart Legacy, Excerpt, The Choice

The Choice excerpt

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https://fallintothestory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/TheChoice.pdf

I would have sworn on all that I hold holy that I posted the excerpt from The Choice in September. I included it in the newsletter for Desperation in Death and the next step on my to-do list is to post here 48 hours later.

But when I saw a question about it on FB, I realized — to my horror — I hadn’t.

Anyway, the official copy reads:

Breen Siobhan Kelly grew up in the world of Man and was once unaware of her true nature. Now she is in Talamh, trying to heal after a terrible battle and heartbreaking losses. Her grandfather, the dark god Odran, has been defeated in his attempt to rule over Talamh, and over Breen―for now.

With the enemy cast out and the portal sealed, this is a time to rest and to prepare. Breen spreads her wings and realizes a power she’s never experienced before. It’s also a time for celebrations―of her first Christmas in both Talamh and Ireland, of solstice and weddings and births―and daring to find joy again in the wake of sorrow. She rededicates herself to writing her stories, and when his duties as taoiseach permit, she is together with Keegan, who has trained her as a warrior and whom she has grown to love.

It’s Keegan who’s at her side when the enemy’s witches, traitorous and power-mad, appear to her in her sleep, practicing black magick, sacrificing the innocent, and plotting a brutal destruction for Breen. And soon, united with him and with all of Talamh, she will seek out those in desperate need of rescue, and confront the darkness with every weapon she has: her sword, her magicks―and her courage…

Here is Chapter One.

The Choice is in stores November 22. So truly, not that long now.

I apologize for the delay and will pay more attention to my newsletter to-do list going forward.

And if you want to catch all the excerpts as they happen (i.e., not depend on my to-do lists), please sign up for Nora’s News — the sign up is at the bottom of the home page on both the Nora Roberts and JD Robb websites

Laura

Desperation in Death, Excerpt, reader discussions

Desperation in Death excerpt

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It’s never too early to plan ahead — even as you shouldn’t wish your life away. I had a chance to read Desperation in Death while I recovered from hip replacement and it’s a fast-paced entry in the series that grabs you by the throat from the first. Which you’ll see in a minute.

The official description is as follows:

The place called the Pleasure Academy is a living nightmare where abducted girls are trapped, trained for a life of abject service while their souls are slowly but surely destroyed. Dorian, a thirteen-year-old runaway who’d been imprisoned there, might never have made it out if not for her fellow inmate Mina, who’d hatched the escape plan. Mina was the more daring of the two–but they’d been equally desperate.

Unfortunately, they didn’t get away fast enough. Now Dorian is injured, terrified, and wandering the streets of New York, and Mina lies dead near the waterfront while Lt. Eve Dallas looks over the scene.

Mina’s expensive, elegant clothes and beauty products convince Dallas that she was being groomed, literally and figuratively, for sex trafficking–and that whoever is investing in this high-overhead operation expects windfall profits. Roarke may be able to help, considering his ties to the city’s ultra-rich. But Roarke is also worried about the effect this case is having on Dallas, as it brings a rage to the surface she can barely control. No matter what, she must keep her head clear–because above all, she is desperate for justice and to take down those who prey on and torment the innocent.

And now, here’s Chapter One.

Laura

Books, Excerpt, Nightwork

Nightwork excerpt

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It’s never too early to plan summer reading, is it? To whet your appetite a little, I’m pleased to present the excerpt from Nora’s summer book Nightwork, out May 24.

Here’s the official book description:

Harry Booth started stealing at nine to keep a roof over his ailing mother’s head, slipping into luxurious, empty homes at night to find items he could trade for precious cash. When his mother finally succumbed to cancer, he left Chicago—but kept up his nightwork.

Wandering from the Outer Banks to Savannah to New Orleans, he dons new identities and stays careful, observant, distant. He can’t afford to attract attention—or get attached. Still, he can’t help letting his guard down when he meets Miranda Emerson. But the powerful bond between them cannot last—because not all thieves follow Harry’s code of honor. Some pay others to take risks so they can hoard more treasures. Some are driven by a desire to own people the way they own paintings and jewels. And after Harry takes a lucrative job commissioned by Carter LaPorte, LaPorte sees a tool he can use, and decides he wants to own Harry.

The man is a predator more frightening than the alligators that haunt the bayou—and when he strongarms Harry into robbing a Baltimore museum, Harry abandons Miranda—cruelly, with no explanation—and disappears. But no matter what name he uses or where he goes, LaPorte casts a shadow over Harry’s life. To truly free himself, he must face down his enemy once and for all. Only then can he hope to possess something more valuable than anything he has ever stolen…

You’ll find Chapter 1 here. Enjoy!

Laura

Abandoned in Death, Books, Cover reveal, Excerpt, In Death

Abandoned in Death Excerpt

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A busy day on the blog — The Becoming discussion thread went live this morning and now I’ll share the excerpt from Abandoned in Death (out Feb 8 2022).

First, click HERE to see the cool cover reveal vid.

What’s Abandoned about you ask? Well here’s the official cover copy.

The woman’s body was found in the early morning, on a bench in a New York City playground. She was clean, her hair neatly arranged, her makeup carefully applied. But other things were very wrong—like the tattoo and piercings, clearly new. The clothes, decades out of date. The fatal wound hidden beneath a ribbon around her neck. And the note: Bad Mommy, written in crayon as if by a child.

Eve Dallas turns to the department’s top profiler, who confirms what seems obvious to Eve: They’re dealing with a killer whose childhood involved some sort of trauma—a situation with which Eve is all too familiar. Yet the clues suggest a perpetrator who’d be roughly sixty years old, and there are no records of old crimes with a similar MO. What was the trigger that apparently reopened such an old wound and sent someone over the edge?

When Eve discovers that other young women—who physically resemble the first victim—have vanished, the clock starts ticking louder. But to solve this case she will need to find her way into a hidden place of dim light and concrete, into the distant past, and into the cold depths of a shattered mind.

And now here’s a look at Chapter One.

You can pre-order Abandoned in Death from your favorite retailer.

TTP: https://bit.ly/3bhlYKs
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ekAJ11
B&N: https://bit.ly/33hJ9Qw
IndieBound: https://bit.ly/33hJgvq
BAM: https://bit.ly/33iiP8Q
Apple Books: https://apple.co/2RDSW0w
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3nQE8aX
Google: https://bit.ly/2ZGFytb
Audible: https://adbl.co/2RI1js5

Laura

Dragon Heart Legacy, Excerpt, reader discussions, The Becoming

The Becoming excerpt

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I know you’ve been waiting for a peek at The Becoming, book 2 of The Dragon Heart Legacy, and that time has come!

First, the official description:

The world of magick and the world of man have long been estranged. But some – like Breen Siobhan Kelly – can walk between the two. She has just returned to Talamh, with her friend, Marco, who’s dazzled and disoriented by this realm–a place filled with dragons and faeries and mermaids (but no WiFi, to his chagrin). In Talamh, Breen is not the ordinary young schoolteacher he knew her as. Here she is learning to embrace the powers of her true identity. Marco is welcomed kindly by her people–and by Keegan, leader of the Fey. Keegan has trained Breen as a warrior, and his yearning for her has grown along with his admiration of her strength and skills.

But one member of Breen’s bloodline is not there to embrace her. Her grandfather, the outcast god Odran, plots to destroy Talamh–and now all must unite to defeat his dark forces. There will be losses and sorrows, betrayal and bloodshed. But through it, Breen Siobhan Kelly will take the next step on the journey to becoming all that she was born to be.

You’ll find the written excerpt here: The Becoming excerpt. And for the first time, we also have an early listen to the audio book: Audio excerpt.

Just 80 days until The Becoming is in stores on November 23. Enjoy!

Laura

Cover reveal, Excerpt, Legacy, The Becoming

Legacy excerpt

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I’m writing this post on Groundhog’s Day (though we’ve pretty much experienced THAT for 11 months, right?) and it looks like six more weeks of winter. But that doesn’t mean we can’t dream about reading under warm, sunny skies while sipping a cool beverage, right?

Unless, of course, you’re in the southern hemisphere and dream of cold days and warm cocoa.

Personally, I think Legacy (out May 23) fits the bill for any kind of reading experience and I’m pleased to share the first chapter.

The official cover copy reads:

Adrian Rizzo met her father for the first time when she was seven.  It was the same day he nearly killed her mother, Lina.

A decade later, Adrian is as cool-headed and ambitious as her mother. They aren’t close, but they’re cordial as long as neither crosses the other. And then the vicious letters begin to arrive.  While Lina dismisses the death threats as a routine part of her daughter’s growing celebrity, Adrian can’t help but find the vicious rhymes unsettling.

Year after year, they arrive with different postmarks, but the same menacing tone.

Sometimes it even seems like the terrifying messages are indeed routine, like nothing will come of them. Until the murders start, and the escalation begins.

You can find the excerpt here: Legacy.

Enjoy!

Laura