Choose an excerpt from a book by Kathleen Mix:
Beyond Paradise Deadly Paradise
Secret Stranger A Trade Wind Season
Read reviews:
Secret Stranger Deadly Paradise
Available from Samhain Publishing
Chapter One
The little bell over the dive shop door jingled.
Marina locked the cash drawer and turned toward the tall man
pushing open the door and coming inside.
Ay caramba. Why now?
“I’m sorry, we’re closed.” She huffed out her breath, hating
the idea of sending away a customer. But she had no choice. She was already
running late.
The man ignored her warning and let the door swing shut
behind him. “I’m here to sign up for tonight’s introductory SCUBA session. Has
it started yet?”
She glanced at the clock: two minutes after seven. “No. And
it can’t start until I get to the pool area. I’m the instructor.”
Worried someone else would come in and delay her schedule
more, Marina rushed to the front door and slid the deadbolt across. When she
turned back toward the man, her gaze met a pair of mesmerizing blue eyes.
He flashed a smile. “Does the fact that you’re locking me in
mean I can stay?”
Without any time to stare at his gorgeous eyes, she blinked
and considered his question. To remain in business, she needed every student she
could get. “Yes, you can stay.”
“Great. What do I need to do?”
She scanned his chestnut brown hair, the laugh lines at the
corners of his eyes and the thick eyelashes that were too perfect to belong to
any man. She had no idea what he needed to do, other than sweep her into his
arms and whisk her away to the Caribbean.
“Ah…a liability waver, you need to sign a liability waver.”
After a long silence, his expression turned puzzled. “May I
have one, please?”
He slipped a well-manicured hand inside his suit jacket and
removed a gold-trimmed pen from his pocket. Meanwhile, she stole another look at
his face.
Earth to Marina, the logical half of her brain yelled.
Escúcheme. Listen to me. A liability waver, get one!
Her cheeks heated. She rushed behind the checkout counter and
grabbed a registration packet. She wondered why he made her feel short of breath
like she’d just finished swimming a marathon and why she wanted to stare at him
as if she’d never seen a man before. But her brain failed to supply a reason.
Get your mind back on business, she scolded herself. There’s
no time in the schedule for you to act like a giddy teenager. You have people
waiting to start a class.
She turned back toward him, and her mouth went slightly dry.
She drew in a huge breath, straightened her shoulders, placed the registration
packet on the counter and removed the top form.
“Please read and sign this liability waiver, then you can
participate in the introductory session. If you decide to continue with lessons,
you can fill out the rest of the registration packet later. Right now, I’m short
on time, and I’d like to get started.”
He bent his head over the paper, was silent for half a
minute, then scrawled a signature.
She squinted at the bold, but completely illegible, signature
at the bottom of the page and searched for letters in the dips and spikes.
Unable to decipher the hieroglyphics, she asked, “Would you print your name
under your signature please?”
His printing was slightly more legible. Marina watched him
spell out Brett before she glanced up. The overhead lights reflected off his
hair, and her fingers tingled with the desire to find out if the strands felt as
silky as they looked. She interlocked her fingers behind her back to keep them
under control.
“Thank you, Brett. Did you bring a swimsuit?”
He held up a blue gym bag. “Right here.”
“Good.” She pointed toward a doorway at the far corner of the
showroom. “The locker rooms are through there. If you’ll change, then go out to
the pool area and join the others, we’ll begin.”
He nodded and strode away.
For a few seconds, Marina watched, imagining him undressing
and wondering what it would feel like to help him remove his shirt. If he looked
so fabulous fully clothed, he’d probably look phenomenal in a swimsuit.
She blinked. Then mortified at her unprofessional thoughts,
she knocked her fist twice against her forehead to make her brain behave and
hurried out to the pool.
------------------- More about: Beyond Paradise
---------------
Even the deepest love needs an air supply…
Dive shop manager Marina Hernandez is carrying a heavy load
as she tries to save the family business. On one shoulder rides a bucket of red
ink. On the other, her father’s age-old cultural belief that women belong in the
kitchen.
Now that a cutthroat competitor has pushed
her to the brink of bankruptcy, any chance she’ll ever win her father’s respect
is fading fast. The last thing she can afford right now is the complication of a
tempting man.
After years of building his practice,
pediatrician Brett Sutherland has changed his focus. He seeks a more
well-rounded life, including a woman who’ll devote herself to caring for a
family. Workaholics need not apply. Then he signs up for scuba lessons, and
Marina’s luminous eyes and spirited personality turn his neat, logical plan
upside down.
Brett’s dazzling looks heat her blood, and
his compassionate nature makes her yearn to build her own life—but not if it
means letting the business collapse. A little harmless flirtation couldn’t hurt,
though.
Yet with every kiss, she’s stretched thinner between the promise of Brett’s love and her father’s expectations. Until a critical decision pushes them both to the breaking point…
Beyond Paradise is available now from Samhain Publishing.
*****
Excerpt from: Deadly Paradise
The Wild Rose Press, Crimson Rose (Romantic Suspense)
Chapter One
Alicia Kincaid leaned her head
on her hand and struggled to control her rising frustration.
Where the hell was Jake Dawson?
Drumming her fingers on the battered table, she glanced at
the clock behind the bar for the twentieth time in as many minutes. Under normal
circumstances, she would have walked out when someone was this late for an
appointment. But today she had no choice. If she was going to find her son, she
needed a pilot.
Now.
She turned toward the open doorway and drained the last of
the lukewarm iced tea from her glass. A burly black man with scraggly dreadlocks
stepped to the entrance and blocked her line of sight. He stood there for a few
seconds, then looked back over his shoulder and met her gaze with pure
malevolence smoldering in his eyes. The man arched one eyebrow and smirked
before turning away. As he strutted outside, spat in the dirt, and moved out of
view, Alicia wondered why he'd stared at her like a bug he wanted to squash.
She shifted her attention to the far side of the dusty road.
A hedge of ragged hibiscus baked in the tropical sun, and palm fronds drooped in
the still air. Alicia tucked a few strands of hair behind her left ear, thinking
the plants looked as wilted as she felt and the Bahamas in mid-August was more
like Hades than the 'temperate paradise' hyped in Ministry of Tourism brochures.
Just sitting still, sweat beaded on her forehead.
This heat could dehydrate anyone struggling to survive in a
life raft.
Especially a child.
Alicia shivered, swallowed the lump in her throat, and
tried to shake off the haunting image of Shawn's eyes, sad enough to cry but
lacking the moisture for tears.
She drew in a deep breath. Sitting here was a waste of time,
precious time she could be searching.
"Hand over that other twenty, you miserable sack of scum!"
Alicia's breath caught in her throat and the hairs on her
nape stood straight. A mug flew by so close to her ear she felt the hot breeze.
She scrambled to her feet, heart pounding wildly as the mug crashed to the
floor. Scanning the area around her, she searched for an escape path from the
chaos engulfing the bar.
She ducked as another mug shattered against the wall. Glass
shards and beer rained onto the table in front of her. She snatched up a
heavy ashtray in case she needed a weapon.
A hand clamped on her forearm like a vise, and the ashtray
slipped from her grasp.
"Hey!"
She yanked her arm away and kicked at her captor's shin. He
had at least an eight inch and fifty-pound advantage. But her muscles were
strong from her daily swims, and her aim was deadly as she bent a knee and drove
it up toward his groin.
He twisted away. She lost her balance and missed.
His grip held firm as he hustled her to a room divider,
then pushed her behind it and down onto the floor.
"Damn it, woman, calm down. I've got half a mind to give
those drunken fools what they deserve and toss you back out there."
"Let go of me!" she snarled, still kicking at him.
"Gladly." He released her arm and raised his hands, palms
toward her. Kneeling on one knee, he leaned backward and out of range. Above the
noise of more furniture crashing against the floor and male voices swearing and
grunting, he yelled, "You are Alicia Kincaid, aren't you?"
She glared at the man crouched next to her. Professional
pilots were supposed to look distinguished, wear crisp uniforms, and tip their
caps to welcome first-class passengers. This man looked like a mercenary. His
wheat-colored hair was uncombed, and the stubble of a not-too-recent shave
darkly shadowed his square jaw and high-boned cheeks. The steely blue eyes
drilling into her held a hint of danger.
This was Shawn's savior? It was all she could do to keep her
shoulders from slumping.
"You? You're Jake Dawson?"
------------- More about: Deadly Paradise -----------------------
Alicia Kincaid's two-year-old son is missing, last seen
onboard her
ex-husband's airplane when it vanished in the Bermuda Triangle. The
authorities have found no trace of them and presume both father and son
are dead, but Alicia won't rest until she knows for sure.
Rogue pilot Jake Dawson accepts Alicia's search charter but
vows to stay
detached from the beautiful divorcee and her problems. But every day he
flies over the Bahamas with her by his side puts him closer to losing his
objectivity.
When clues indicate the boy is alive and mysterious accidents
hint someone
wants to kill Alicia, Jake resolves to protect her at any cost. He may run
from love but not from trouble.
Alicia refuses to be distracted from her search by Jake, but
needs him to
stay alive and help her save her child. When they find the danger to
their lives is real, will it be too late for their hearts?
Find out by ordering your copy from The Wild Rose Press
WRDF Reviews (Writers and Readers of Distinctive
Fiction)
Rating: 5, Black Seal (Fantastic, Stays on Shelf)
“Deadly Paradise is an action packed Romantic Suspense that
keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Kathleen Mix has
the combination of mystery, suspense and romance down pat. …Deadly Paradise
is well written and kept me hoping for a miracle. Kathleen Mix is a name I'll
remember.”-- Debbie Gould WRDF
Night Owl Romance
Rating: 4/5
“Deadly Paradise has a good conflict and does a great job of keeping up
the tension.”
Long and Short Reviews
Rating: 4/5
As she weaves this tale of suspense and love, Kathleen Mix invites the reader to
the beauty of the islands... The subtle clues mingled with danger and scheming
minds of the antagonists keep the reader turning pages.
Near the climax, as the action rises to a fever pitch, the story is a
breath-holding experience. …The happy-ever-after brings a happy sigh of relief.”
-- Camelia, Long and Short Reviews
Ready to read another excerpt?
Excerpt from: Secret Stranger
The Wild Rose Press, Crimson Rose (Romantic Suspense)
He opened his eyes to a room that was mostly dark, blinked once, then rolled his head on the pillow. In a circle of light on his left, a petite young woman sat reading a paperback book. Long, blonde hair with reddish highlights shimmered around her fair-skinned face, and tiny freckles were sprinkled liberally across her nose.
His groggy mind groped to associate a name with her face. He dragged his tongue over parched and swollen lips, and tried to place the woman and the room somewhere he knew. Nothing came to him. He had no memories of a place, or a time, or any explanation for why he hurt all over.
Cold fear curled in his gut and perspiration beaded on his forehead. He blinked to refocus his eyes. His heartbeat accelerated to a breakneck speed.
"Where?" he whispered.
The woman started, looked up, and jumped to her feet. She set her book down on the seat of the chair then bent over him, close enough that he detected the faint aroma of honeysuckle.
He saw beautiful hazel eyes and a radiant smile, like that of an angel, and wondered, could I be dead?
------------- More about: Secret Stranger ------------------
Kelly Salinger and Clay McCarthy are as different as satin and stone. She is a peace-loving resort owner seeking a refuge where she can heal the scars of her past. He has amnesia, and every clue to his identity suggests he’s been pursuing a life of crime.
The only thing they have in common is that they are trapped on a remote Bahamian island with a gang of dangerous jewel thieves.
Kelly and Clay discover opposites do attract. But will this gentle woman and the gun-toting stranger she found unconscious on her beach live long enough to learn that their conflicting views are less important than their love?
Find out by ordering your copy from The Wild Rose Press
Coffee Time Romance
Rating: 5 Cups/5
“Mystery Suspense is the perfect genre for this book as that is exactly what
the reader gets. Tons of mystery and even more suspense make this book an
enjoyable read. The great characters are well described and are defined to the
letter…Twists, turns, and even a climatic ending only add to the appeal of
this book… This is one read you will want to add to your bookshelf.”
Night Owl Romance
Rating: 4.5/5
“While the story begins with a mysterious newcomer trying to find his
identity and a woman still healing from a painful past, the pace soon quickens,
racing to an exciting and unexpected conclusion. Secret Stranger is a must
read for anyone who enjoys a well-written suspense novel.”
Ready to read another excerpt?
A Trade Wind Season
Chapter One
Melissa's pulse was racing. She told herself again that she was doing the right thing. It couldn't hurt if she took one quick look. And it was now or never.
In her heart she believed Mr. Barnes would have wanted her to do this. In her mind she knew she needed answers to her nagging questions. Was there something special here she was meant to discover, some secret formula for finding the kind of joy he had derived from life? His spirit seemed to be guiding her, and she let it lead the way.
But now that she was here, she had to pause for a minute to calm her nerves. She stood motionless, concentrating her senses on the day and the place.
It was a beautiful morning and the combination of the warm North Carolina sun and a cool autumn breeze felt like a caress on her face. Her hair lifted and twirled in the breeze. She reached up and gathered some into a barrette to keep it under control. The thick black strands felt warm to her touch as she smoothed them down to the center of her back. The salt air blew in from the sea, and she closed her eyes and breathed deeply of the scent. The tingling sensations sparked a flood of memories of the days when her mother would bring her to the beach to romp in the surf and build elaborate sandcastles on the shore. From above, she heard the plaintive cries of gray and white gulls that circled lazily, casting shadows on the dock.
Sad memories of Mr. Barnes's death tiptoed into her mind and she inhaled sharply, determined not to let anything spoil this magical place. She'd handled these feelings before, and she would manage them again now.
Raising her narrow chin slightly, she forged ahead, striding through the Atlantic Shores Yacht Club searching for E Dock. Finally, she found it, the farthest one from the entrance, next to the wide main channel. In the distance, several marshy islands of sawgrass were scattered haphazardly in a maze of smaller creeks. The wind bent the tall stalks gently to its will, and the water swirled around their roots. A sailboat with copper-red sails glided slowly across the horizon. Melissa's nerves tensed as she turned from the concrete walkway onto the gray, weathered dock boards. Halfway down and tied alongside, was a much larger sailboat. On the stern, painted in six-inch high black script lettering and outlined in gold leaf, was the name: Whitecap.
She squeezed her eyelids shut to prevent the salty tears welling in her eyes from spilling free. The grief of Mr. Barnes's death that she had barricaded inside struggled toward the surface, but she forced it out of her thoughts by focusing on the sailboat.
Whitecap. Mr. Barnes's beloved Whitecap. She wasn't really sure what she had expected, but he had been right. The boat was lovely. The graceful white hull was smooth and shiny, and rays of dappled sunlight, reflected up by tiny wavelets, danced upon it in fanciful patterns. She shaded her eyes and gazed up at the tall masts that seemed to reach almost to the puffy clouds rushing past. She'd only come for a quick look, but now she couldn't leave without seeing more. Mr. Barnes had wanted her here on this boat. She felt compelled to find out why.
Holding tightly to the sun-bleached wooden handrail, Melissa inched her way up the narrow gangplank and stepped aboard. She took a few steps forward and looked around her. Brightly varnished wood rails on the cabin top sparkled golden and reflected sunlight into her eyes. Neatly coiled lines hung in orderly fashion at the base of the towering masts. Smooth, polished fittings contrasted with the grainy texture of the scrubbed teakwood deck.
The slight rocking motion beneath her feet sent her mind speeding back to Mr. Barnes. He had described it all to her so often. The waves sending spray into the air at the bow, the wind puffing out the sails. She could picture him now and hear his voice again, telling her tales of his adventures. Somehow, standing on the deck of the boat he had loved, she was able to remember him as alive and happy. She smiled to herself, thankful for that memory and satisfied her trip here had been worthwhile.
Someone behind her cleared his throat.
Melissa started and her hand instinctively flew to cover her heart as she spun around toward the sound. Her gaze came to rest on a sun-bronzed, muscular man. His broad shoulders were just above the level of her chin and blended perfectly with his trim but powerful appearance. He seemed as much a part of the boat as the masts or deck or sails. He had strong, masculine features and her eyes were drawn to his face, which was handsomely weathered by the wind. As she stared, he slipped a pair of dark sunglasses over his sky-blue eyes.
She remembered that Morgan had told her the captain might be on board. And he had warned her to stay away.
*****
You can buy A Trade Wind Season, ISBN 0-8034-9512-9, at your local bookstore, or your bookseller can order you a copy quickly - just ask!
You can also order directly from the publisher, Avalon Books, at www.avalonbooks.com