SHANNON MCKENNA, BLOG TOUR: PART TWO

ONE WRONG MOVE
New York Times Bestselling Author - Shannon McKenna

McCloud and friends series #9
Releases: 25 September 2012
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Adult/Romantic Suspense

Secrets Never Die

Alex Aaro has spent most of his life on the run from his Ukrainian mafia family. But when he learns that crazy Aunt Tonya, the only relative who ever gave a damn about him, is dying, he risks returning home to say goodbye. He’s prepared for anything except the call from his friend, Bruno Ranieri, that sends him on a wild and dangerous ride with a mysterious woman who holds a deadly secret and a white hot passion that binds them together.

Social worker Nina Christie has no idea how much trouble she’s in when her Aunt Helga shows up bleeding at her shelter, babbling in Ukrainian—and with one inexplicable act thrusts Nina into the heart of a nightmare. Now a ruthless crime syndicate will stop at nothing to make Nina disappear, and only Alex Aaro, that inscrutable six-foot-four rock hard slab of lean muscle, stands between her and certain death. Now Nina and Alex are in a race against time, death, and their desire for one another…

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EXCERPT

    The gun blasts jerked Aaro up from behind his human shield. He clambered over the stiff, his heart stuck high in his throat. Eight shots. Nina Christie had to be dead. He’d done it again. Called it wrong, gotten the chick killed by racing in here like a cranked up asshole, freaking the bad guys into a panic. He should have come up with something sneakier, quieter, smarter. Goddamn them all, his so-called friends, for putting him in this position. Like he didn’t have enough to feel like shit about every fucking day of his life.

    He slapped the bedroom door open. Window gaping, curtains fluttering. Stench of gunpowder. He lunged for the window, caught a glimpse of a big bald guy, staring up at him, with pale snake eyes. Another man, tall and dark, was clambering over garbage cans.

    Aaro squeezed off two shots, then two more at the bald one. Bullets pumped into the garbage bins, whinged off a parked car. The bald guy dove and scrambled for cover. The dark guy jerked, stumbled, and kept on going, ducking out of sight into the alley.

    Grazed, maybe. No pursuit possible. He had bigger problems now.

   He pulled his head back in, and faced the closet. It gaped open. Clothes were scattered on the floor. The back panel was splintered with bullet holes. Now came the ugly part. His mess, his failure, in his face. He had to call the EMT’s for a woman who was dying because of his poor crisis decision making skills. And explain himself to the cops, too.
    And then to Bruno and Lily. Well. Then again. Maybe he could arrange to get himself hit by a bus, and just skip that part.

    “Nina?” He was disgusted by the hitch in his voice. “You there?”

    No answer. Hadn’t expected one. Not after six bullets.

   He put his hand against the holes in the back panel. His legs shook. “Nina? You in there? I’m not one of those guys who attacked you. I’m Aaro, the guy who pissed you off on the phone, remember? Bruno told me you were in trouble. Are you shot?” He clenched his jaw, hating the goddamn silence. Hating it.

    “Aaro?” It was just a squeak, barely audible. “You’re Aaro?”

   “Nina?” Hope jolted his insides hard, and a hot rush of moisture fogged his eyes, making him blink. “Nina? Are you shot? Are you hurt?”

    “I think, ah . . . I think I’m OK.”

    He rattled the panel, pounded it. “How do you open this thing?”

   “Just a minute,” she faltered. “I have t-t-to undo the latch, and I’m kind of wedged in here, so . . . um . . . hold on while I . . .”

    He heard a scratching and shifting inside. Then a rattle, a click.

    The panel slid open. Nina Christie was huddled inside, stark naked. Curly dark hair draped over her face and trailed over her shoulders. She blinked, her aqua-green and gold eyes huge and haunted. She had long lashes. The dark waving hair over her face was snarled in them. Her parted lips looked bluish.

    “Nina Christie?” he prompted, feeling stupid. Who else could she be? But he could think of nothing to say to the naked chick who had just dodged death. Not like he had a lot of clever conversational gambits floating up to the surface of his mind in the best of circumstances. He just scooped up whatever floated on top of his mind like pond scum, and plop, there it was. No filters. What you see is what you get.

    He squatted down so that they would be eye to eye, and peered into the dark recesses of the closet. A couple of big hard-shell suitcases were piled one on top of the other. She’d wedged herself behind them. That was what had saved her life. It was no thanks to him.

    Her blinking shook loose the tears that had gathered in her eyes. They flashed down her cheeks, glinting. “A-a-a-aro?”

    Uh oh. The way she stared up at him gave him a twinge of dread. All big-eyed and misty, as if he were God, her saviour, her hero. She was in for a rude shock when the truth became clear. Wouldn’t take long for that to happen. It never did.

    “Yeah, that’s me.” Discomfort roughened his voice. He tried to look unthreatening, a talent at which he did not excel. “Bruno sent me.”

    “B-b-bruno?” The girl was scared stupid. 

    He fought for patience. “Bruno. Your best friend’s future husband? The father of her unborn child?” He fought down his natural urge to be a sarcastic asshole, but she didn’t react. She just crouched there, staring up at him, with those huge, shocked eyes. Her purplish lips shook. He had to get her dressed, take her someplace safe. What would he do if she collapsed? Urgent Care? That would involve filling out papers, explanations, accountability. Cops. Bad scene. Damn.

    He made his voice gentle, with some effort. “Come out of the closet, Nina. We have to get out of here. We don’t know when they’ll be back, how many there are, or anything else. So move.”

    No reaction. More quivering lips. More blinking. Shit. He was going to have to drag her out. He steeled himself for a screaming, scratching hysterical freak-out. She was entitled, after that.

    He reached in, took her hands. They were icy. He chafed them between his own, and tugged. She came out, offering no resistance.

    In fact, she practically flew out, and came to rest right in his arms. There was a weird inevitability to it. A key to a lock. Like they were magentized. Snick, and they were fused, and he was hugging the naked girl, and feeling strange about it. His arms shook, his guts vibrated, his heart tripped over itself. He was squeezing her too hard. Had to loosen his grip. He’d scare her worse than she was already.

    He couldn’t. His eyes watered, and what the fuck was that about? He hid his face against her hair, used it to blot the tears away.

    This was stupid. They had no time to indulge in masturbatory hugging bullshit, with bullet holes smoking and cops on their way. But what was he supposed to do, fling her off? Her face pressed against his shirt. Her eyelash flutters tickled his collarbone. Her breath bloomed, humid against his chest. The sensation rocketed through his nerves.

    Whoa. Back off. Don’t start with that crazy shit. Don’t even start.

    Then he caught her scent. And oh. God.

    He lived in a forest. Outside his house, the spruce, cedars, firs and pines towered hundreds of feet over his head, a vaulted expanse of flickering green. When it rained, which was often, the earthy sweetness of pine needles, tree bark, loam and moss, rose to meet the falling rain. The meeting point of earth and water. Perfect balance. The intersection of opposites. It was the exact scent of Nina Christie’s hair.

    He’d bought that property for the smell alone. It had been raining when the agent showed him the place, and he just couldn’t resist it.

    So her shampoo has a nice perfume. Get the fuck over it. He knew how to dismantle a foolish notion with a few hard, well-placed blows.

    But the damage was done. Now he was hyper-aware of her. His body felt like one big eye that could not close. He caught sight of the mirror on her closet door. There he was, clutching the gorgeous naked chick, like he was about to push her down onto the floor and fuck her.

    Wow. So pale. Curvy. Her dark hair draped in swags over his wrist. His fingers looked very brown against the pale, smooth skin.

    His fingers tightened. She was soft, silky. Chubbier than the girls he usually ogled, but maybe he’d been missing something, favoring the taut, lean ones. Her breasts pressed against his chest, springy and soft. Her bare, tight nipples brushed his chest. Her locks of dark hair tapered off so that the tips barely tickled the swell of her ass. He wanted to touch the rosy blush. To pet that peachy, shadowy cleft.

    His body, jangling with adrenaline, did its fucking stupid animal thing, and sprang to attention. His hands had taken off without permission on an exploratory mission, fingers splaying greedily to feel the dip of her waist, to grip the curve of her hip.

    For God’s sake, get a grip, you oversexed bonehead. This woman was all fucked up. She wasn’t coming on. She didn’t need attention from the beast lunging on its chain. Back down, already. Now.

    He clenched his jaw hard enough to cause nerve damage, and dragged his mind away from the hot throb in his crotch. Good timing, decency, self control, gallantry; none of these items had ever been on his resume. He’d just pretend this was normal. Gunfights, pulling zaftig naked girls with bouncing tits out of closets. No biggie. All in a day’s work. Nina Christie did not need his engorged prick bobbing hopefully in her direction. She needed a hot cup of tea, a shot of Demerol, a trauma therapist. A police escort.

    Bummer for her. All she had was him.

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ARC received from publishers, Kensington, via NetGalley

REVIEW

Page turning stuff... but then, nothing less is to be expected from this author considering that this is the 9^th book in the McCloud and friends series. I must admit though that at first I wondered about the paranormal/telepathy/mental ability premise this book revolved around. I wonder no more. It was fabulous, imaginative and can I say eerie! For those who haven't read any of Shannon's books, honestly, I don't know what you're waiting for. Just a note though for those faint of heart, this is in your face reading. And, I mean everything. Fabulous! Some authors get it right and some don't... no worries here. It all comes together as it should.

We finally get inside Alex Aaro’s head. Boy, has he got issues. As you will see from the quote in the end, 'assholic' seems to describe him to a 'T'. However, he redeems himself substantially throughout the book. He's really not a bad guy, he only periodically suffers stupidity attacks. You'll still like him - trust me. I  do love Nina though - gives as good as she gets, and puts him firmly in his place on more than one occasion. Tsk, tsk. How wonderful to see someone such as Aaro who comes across as untouchable literally being crushed to dust by a smart-mouth-take-no-nonsense woman! I’m sitting here with a big smile on my face. I loved it.

Aaro is kicking himself on a regular and daily basis for majorly stuffing up his last operation, which nearly got Lily killed (Bruno’s soon-to-be wife - MC's in Blood and Fire). He’s just landed and is on his way to see his crazy aunt Tonya who is dying, when he receives a call from Bruno asking for a favour in the form of translating a tape apparently recorded in Ukranian. Aaro doesn’t have time for this, has enough on his plate, refuses to even contemplate getting involved and ultimately have to babysit one of Lily’s friends. He owes Bruno though, but still, aunt Tonya must come first. Prideful man that he is, never wanting others to feel either pity or sorry for him, he chooses not to mention to Bruno why he can’t take this on. This leaves him with Bruno clambering down his throat, and then Lily. Tough – nothing he can do.

Nina, after a shocking encounter with her 'aunt' Helga who forcefully injects her with something or other and was thought to have been dead for the past three years, now finds herself in hospital. This is when things become interesting. She’s been told by both Bruno and Lily that a man by the name of Alex Aaro will be meeting her to translate the tape. In the meantime, she starts hallucinating when a couple of people who are dressed as doctors enter her room asking her to follow them for further tests. Something’s up. She questions them, but they placate her with noneties in the form of learning more about what she was injected with. She knows they’re lying and makes a run for it. What does she see? These very people have turned into zombies! Yes, really. What on earth has Helga done? What’s wrong with her. Not only does she see zombies, she now hears people’s thoughts? Does it sound interesting enough to you? That’s because it is. Well... I apparently think so.

Now, Aaro, loner that he is, gets a desperate call from Bruno that Nina is on the verge of being killed and is hiding out in her house with said killers searching for her. If Aaro does not get his arse to her location pronto… he very colourfully cusses, but ultimately has no choice. Intervene he must, and honestly how much more guilt can one guy carry around? I’m not going to dish out any spoilers, suffice it to say, they eventually meet after Nina survives being shot at a couple of times, Aaro is her hero and they’re on the run. It all culminates in a handful of evil forces who are after an injection: psimax, which is what Helga injected into Nina. The years Helga was supposedly dead turned out to be years she’d basically been kept hostage, as well as her daughter Lara, while she perfected this dose. You see, where previously popping a tab here and there was enough to afford those who craved it some incredible mind power - it's now not nearly as good as having the real thing, because with an A dose the effect would be permanent. What Helga did though, was create a B dose unbeknownst to Rudd, a wannabe presidential candidate and arsehole to boot. Not only do you contend with all of this, but Aaro is really Oleg Orbatov’s son. Mafia should tell you enough regarding his father and family. There are so many evil forces operating and pushing from all sides, it’s a wonder anyone survived at all. I barely did – anxious seems too mild a word for what I felt reading this book. Again, I’ve read this whole series and every single book has made me trudge through a plethora of emotions. I'm surprised I'm not a nervous wreck by now.

I loved that although mention was made of one or two of the McCloud brothers, Miles played quite a big part in this book. It's impossible not to like him, and this goes hand in hand with feeling so, so sorry for him. If you haven't read the back issues, Cindy Riggs is the girl of his dreams. But dammit, she’s played with his emotions more than once and I'm not liking it one bit! I want to give her a stern talking to, and believe me, I can be quite... convincing! Females can be so bitchy and downright hurtful at times. He’s really come into his own now, something I've enjoyed being a part of and he’s become quite the force to be reckoned with. I do believe that this book ended on a cliff hanger for me, and he will not give up on Lara. They may yet become an item. And pray tell, should this happen, will Cindy start pouting and want what she can't have anymore? Only time will tell, or rather, the next book. I hope.

Let’s see if these words will summarise this book for you: gripping, fabulous, imaginative, suspenseful, riveting, thrilling, at-times-drove-me-insane, and of course the awesome love story between Alex and Nina. Perfectly suited to and for each other! Shannon McKenna does romantic suspense as it should be done… no holds barred whether you’re reading about the suspense/sex/thrills or dark descriptive scenes. The only thing that is bothering me is that I'll have a long wait for the next one. But, it must be. Fabulosity isn’t achieved overnight. I'm a fan, for the ninth time!

"It's a babysitting job. You don't have to be sensitive or touchy-feely. You don't even have to be polite. Be your own assholic self. Grunt, fart, scratch your balls, I don't care." -Bruno to Aaro

YOU CAN READ MY INTERVIEW WITH SHANNON HERE!

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Shannon is giving away TWO prizes, a copy of one of her books at each blog stop on her tour AND a grand prize giveaway of a Kindle Touch!!! There are several copies of One Wrong Move, Blood and Fire, Ultimate Weapon, and Fade to Midnight up for grabs!

To win a book: leave a comment on this blog post to be entered to win a book. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments so we can contact you if you’re the lucky winner. This giveaway ends five days after the post goes live.

To win a Kindle Touch: Enter via Rafflecopter below. A winner will be selected on September 27^th. 

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FOLLOW THE BLOG TOUR WHERE YOU CAN LEAVE A COMMENT AT EACH BLOG STOP SHOULD YOU SO WISH.  THE 'ONE WRONG MOVE' BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE IS AVAILABLE ON THE AUTHOR'S WEBSITE. SHANNONMCKENNA.COM