Spotlight & Giveaway: Dangerous SEAL by Paige Tyler

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Paige Tyler to HJ!

Hi Paige and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Dangerous SEAL!

 
Hey, everyone! It’s nice to be back with my favorite people talking about our SEALs of Coronado Series! HJ never fails to keep me on my toes with interesting and thought-provoking questions. It’s always fun! Thanks for having me!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Talia Holland freely admits that Navy SEAL Lennox Thompson is attractive. Actually, he’s gorgeous! On top of that, he seems like an amazing person. But while those trait would normally be enough to justify a date, there’s one thing holding her back—his job. Talia grew up with a father who was always away on business and completely consumed by his work, and she doesn’t want to live that kind of life ever again.

But when a friend goes missing and Talia narrowly escapes being murdered, she doesn’t know who else to call for help but the one guy who lives, eats, and breathes danger. Getting close to a SEAL might keep her safe, but how will she protect her heart if she falls for a guy who spends more time on foreign soil than in her arms?

Petty Officer Lennox Thompson had been hoping Talia would call to accept his invitation to dinner, but he didn’t expect one from the police station saying she’d been attacked. Lennox’s offers of his guest bedroom for the night soon turns into something else entirely when he learns that Talia and her young charge are in the crosshairs of an international terrorist organization.

He’ needs help from his Teammates to avoid an international incident, but when Talia and little Maria are kidnapped, Lennox takes on Navy protocol, smug CIA agents, and deadly terrorists to save the cute little girl who makes him laugh and the beautiful woman who makes his heart pound.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Dangerous SEAL, Book Thirteen in the SEALs of Coronado Series, takes place minutes after the end of Book Twelve, The SEAL Who Kissed Me. Now—and this is very important—all the SEALs of Coronado books are standalone, so you don’t have to read the previous book or books in the series to enjoy Dangerous SEAL. But to catch you up, in the previous story, Lennox got a call from Talia saying she was at the police station and needed his help. He’s obviously worried, as you’ll see in the first three lines of the book below.

Petty Officer Lennox Thompson, U.S. Navy SEAL, forced his foot to ease up on the gas pedal as he headed west on Interstate 8, realizing he’d been going almost eighty-five miles an hour. Taking a breath, he got his speed down below seventy.

“Calm down,” he muttered to himself. “You won’t do Talia any good if you get pulled over for reckless driving before you even get to the police station.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• In Dangerous SEAL, we get to spend time with several characters that we’ve met previously in the series, including Talia and her employers, the Rybak family. We didn’t necessarily intend to make her a main character of her own story, but she jumped off the page, so we had to give her a book. Also, Mr. Rybak clearly had some secrets in his past that needed to be explored!
• In this story, we also get to meet Darwin Sutton, Kirk Palmer, and Simon McGrath, SEALs from a sister platoon who have started working with Lennox and the other guys from the original platoon we started writing about in Book One of the series. SEAL platoons normally have sixteen Team members, but we’re already at Book Thirteen, so we had to start expanding the pool of characters to pull from!
• We also get to explore the idea of a super-secret “special training” that we hinted at in an earlier book, training that only hand-picked SEALs are allowed to be part of. In Dangerous SEAL, we get a chance to see how this selection process has the potential to tear apart the platoon—and friendships.

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book. As you wrote your protagonist was there anything about them that surprised you?

Book Title: That’s easy! We have a long list of titles with the word “SEAL” in them, and when we write a book, we assign a tentative title, just for tracking purposes. After we write the story, we decide if that title fits. If not, we look through our list and find a better one based on what the story feels like. Dangerous SEAL fit this story from the beginning.

Inspirations: When looking for inspiration for our big international criminal organization in the book called Sentinel, our mind immediately went straight to Spectre, the shadowy organization frequently mentioned in the 007 movies. We can’t help but mirror the bad guys after that concept—strings being pulled by people with their own agendas as well as companies and governments toppling for no apparent reason, and it’s all related to some big picture that no one else gets to see. The bad guys in this series are heading that way, which will have big implications not just for the other books in this series, but the spin-off we have releasing in 2025!

Food cravings: If you’ve read our books, you know that we eat vicariously through our characters, and most of the time it’s simple comfort foods. In Dangerous SEAL, we got to enjoy chicken fingers, French fries, chocolate covered churros, ice cream, fire-roasted chicken tortilla soup, chicken asado burritos, soft shelled grilled chicken tacos, sliders, cupcakes, even a pasta/potato/pizza bar. All without having to deal with a single calorie!
 

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book. As you wrote your protagonist was there anything about them that surprised you?:

We originally started out with Lennox as the quintessential bachelor, live-to-work Navy SEAL. He loves his job and the constant travel, never knowing where he’s going to wake up tomorrow. The effect that has on his love life has never been an issue for him until he meets Talia. Then he starts to wonder if maybe there’s something more to life than adrenaline and thrills. Talia always told herself she was open to the idea of love, even if her mother’s experience with the concept hadn’t exactly served as a good role-model. But with Lennox, she’d run into the kind of man she promised herself that she’d never get within fifty feet of—someone married to their job. Given that Lennox pretty much personifies the kind of man Talia would never fall for, we weren’t sure how we’d get them together. Truthfully, we simply put them in the same room so to speak and hoped for the best. They both ended up growing more than we thought.
 

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

Definitely this scene! In it, Talia gets to experience what it really means to be with a Navy SEAL when Lennox is sent on a no-notice mission minutes after he promises to keep her safe. As for Lennox, he also gets to see what it’s like to leave minutes after promising he’d keep her safe.

“Are you sure it’s okay if I stay at your place again?” she asked as they turned down the road that led to his apartment. “I don’t want to be a nuisance.”
“You could never be a nuisance,” Lennox said, flashing her a grin. “And you can stay at my place as long as you want. My door is always open to you.”
They’d just walked into his apartment a few minutes later when Lennox’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen then thumbed the green button and held it to his ear. When he spoke, it was in blunt monosyllables.
“What is it?” she asked the moment he hung up.
“I’ve been called in for a mission.”
Going into the kitchen, he grabbed a key from a drawer and handed it to Talia. “Wheels up in an hour, so I have to get there ASAP. That’s to the apartment. I meant it when I said you can stay here anytime you want. All bills are on auto pay straight from my account, so you don’t have to worry about anyone bothering you for rent.”
Rent? Just how long was Lennox going to be on this mission?
“Where are you going?” Talia asked, her head spinning as he headed for his bedroom. “When will you be back?”
This was crazy. Lennox was leaving, based on a single twenty second phone call, with no prior warning or notice. And while she knew that was part and parcel of being a SEAL, at this moment, she was terrified.
“I have no idea where I’m going or when I’ll be back,” he called from the bedroom. “I’ll call you if and when I get a chance, but I could be gone for three days or three months. I might not be able to call you at all.”
Talia was still trying to process all of that when Lennox came back down the hallway, a small khaki-colored backpack over one shoulder. The first thought that popped into her head was how he could possibly manage to survive for three months on a bag that small.
“I know me leaving right now sucks, but I don’t have a choice,” Lennox said, stopping in front of her. “I’ll call Kyla on the way into the office, let her know what we learned about Vera, and that I’ll be out of pocket for a while. I have no idea who’s going on this mission with me, but Kyla has all my Teammates on speed dial. If something comes up, she can get help. So please, don’t do anything dangerous without backup. Better yet, don’t do anything dangerous at all. At least not until I get home. And if you even think you see that guy who chased you last night, run to someplace with a lot of people, call Kyla, and tell her that you need help.”
She stood there at a loss for words, her mind still not registering everything. This was exactly why she hadn’t wanted to get involved with him. The thought that he could be called away on a moment’s notice had been bad enough, but the reality that he could disappear to parts unknown at any time was a nightmare come true.
Lennox rested his hands on her shoulders. “Please. I know this is difficult, confusing, and uncomfortable. Promise me that you’ll stay here for tonight. At the very least. Where I know you’ll be safe.”
She started to say no, but then realized that him asking her to stay was more about him knowing that she was safe than anything else. He was about to head into who knew what kind of danger and he was worried about her. They’d spent only one day together and yet the thought that seemed to be occupying the front of his mind was her.
“Okay,” she said softly. “Tonight at least.”
“Thank you,” he said.
For a moment, Talia thought Lennox might kiss her, but instead he wrapped her in a hug. She automatically melted into his embrace, not realizing how much she needed that.
“I have to go. Be safe,” Lennox murmured against her hair.
The door was already closing behind him before Talia even realized he was moving, leaving her standing alone in the middle of the living room, suddenly wishing Lennox had kissed her. It was crazy, especially since she barely knew him, but she missed him already.

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

With all the obstacles in their way, Lennox and Talia are two people who probably shouldn’t end up together. But that’s exactly the thing we want people to take away from this book! That, sometimes, love simply finds a way. It pushes people out of their comfort zones, allowing them to accomplish something amazing. You just have to be open to the possibility and give love a chance.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

We just finished writing Dog Bones and Dead Bodies, the first book in our brand-new cozy mystery series, Pupcakes and Peril, which we are so excited about! It’s a super cute pet cozy that I know you’re going to love! It releases January 2025, but you can preorder it right now and it’ll be available in eBook, print, and audiobook.

In addition to writing the second book in the cozy mystery series right now, we’re also writing Book Seventeen in our SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team Series, which finishes that up, as well as the next book in the SEALs of Coronado Series!

And to tease you with a sneak peek, we’re also working on the outline for the SEALs of Coronado spin-off, which will be a crossover with SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team Series. Not sure when the first book in that new series will be on shelves but it’ll definitely be exciting!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: We’re giving away 15 Copies of Dangerous SEAL in eBook (1 Copy to 15 People). The giveaway is open to US and International readers.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Are you the kind of person who could date someone who is completely outside your comfort zone like Talia did with Lennox?

 
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Excerpt from Dangerous SEAL:

In this scene, Talia finds herself much closer to the action than she ever wanted to be. And finally gets to experience what Lennox goes through on a daily basis.

Talia had thought her heart was going to jump out of her chest at the sight of Keller’s men moving back and forth past the server room where Lennox and Colt had been hiding. But her definition of fear was completely redefined when she stared at the video monitors and saw them running out of the building at a sprint. She wasn’t sure what scared her more. That Lennox and Colt were running into danger, or that she, Katrina, and Kyla were the ones they were risking themselves to save.

“I don’t understand why we can’t get the hell out of here?” Katrina whispered, like she thought someone would hear if she spoke too loud.

“Because of them,” Kyla whispered just as softy from where she knelt behind the driver’s seat peeking out the front windshield of the vehicle.

Talia crawled forward across the back of the van with Katrina even as Kyla motioned for them to stay low. Talia understood why when they reached the front seats and peeked over the dash to see the dark SUV slowly creeping down the street toward them. There were four people in the vehicle, checking each car parked on the street like they expected to find someone sitting inside one of them.

“There’s another one coming from behind us. They must have a good idea there was someone running surveillance from this general area,” Kyla whispered, motioning with her head toward the driver’s side mirror.

Talia glanced over and saw two headlights slowly approaching. Her stomach clenched up all over again and her legs started to tingle like they wanted to run away, whether the rest of her body came with them or not.

“What are we going to do?” Katrina asked softly.

Panic no longer filled her friend’s voice. Instead, it seemed like she’d settled down into something almost approaching calm. Talia could only envy her.

“We hang out here and wait for Wes, Lennox and the other guys to arrive and save our butts,” Kyla said, in a tone even calmer than Katrina.

“But the office building is blocks away,” Katrina said. “They’re never going to get here in time to help us.”

“Navy SEALs can run a lot faster than you’d think,” Kyla told them as the vehicle in front of them crept closer. “They’ll get here.”

The SUV approaching from the front was probably about fifty feet away and closing in way faster than it should have been. They probably had ten or fifteen seconds before it reached them. What was the possibility that they’d drive past a van with dark tinted windows when they almost certainly knew they were in the right area already?

Talia didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until she started getting dizzy. By then the SUV in front of them was so close she could hear the men inside talking in sharp, urgent tones.

“We’re right on top of them,” one of them said.

“Get down!” Kyla whisper-shouted, throwing herself at Talia and Katrina a fraction of a second before chunks of metal, glass, and plastic video monitors and electronics exploded around them.

Talia lay on the carpeted floor, hands over her head, screaming her head off and trying to understand what was happening. It seemed to take forever for her to realize the men in the SUV were shooting at the van with what must be silenced weapons. Not that their silencers helped. It still sounded like they were trapped inside a drum.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Her plans didn’t include a Navy SEAL.
Au pair Talia Holland couldn’t deny that the handsome Navy SEAL who saved her employer’s family a few months ago is tempting enough to break all her dating rules, but what could a mousy nanny have in common with a sexy man whose job is as dangerous as a Tom Cruise movie? Besides, she’d grown up with a father who was always away because of his job. Talia did not want to live that kind of life ever again. But when another au pair goes missing and Talia narrowly escapes an attack, she doesn’t know who else to call for help but the one guy who lives, eats, and breathes danger. Getting close to a SEAL might keep her safe, but how will she protect her heart if she falls for a man who spends more time on foreign soil than in her arms?

But best laid plans…
Petty Officer Lennox Thompson had been hoping for a phone call from the beautiful dark-haired au pair, but not a call from the police station that she’d been attacked. Unwilling to let Talia go home alone, Lennox offers his guest bedroom for the night. However, once he hears the details, he realizes she’s involved in something more suited to a SEAL Team 5 mission than adventures in babysitting. Someone is willing to kill to get what they want, and Talia and her young charge are in the crosshairs. It will take help from his Teammates to avoid an international incident, but when Talia and little Maria are kidnapped, Lennox will take on navy protocol, smug CIA, and deadly terrorists to save the little girl who makes him laugh and the woman who makes his heart pound.

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Meet the Author:

Paige Tyler is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, romantic suspense and paranormal romance. She and her very own military hero (also known as her husband) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their adorable fur baby (also known as their dog). Paige graduated with a degree in education, but decided to pursue her passion and write books about hunky alpha males and the kick-butt heroines who fall in love with them.
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