Spotlight & Giveaway: Explosive Vengeance by Kaylea Cross

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Kaylea Cross to HJ!

Hi Kaylea and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Explosive Vengeance!

 
Happy to be here! Thank you for having me.
 

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

This is the third book of my new romantic suspense Vengeance Series. It’s set in France and the UK, and features an assassin heroine who specializes in explosives, and a former Pararesueman hero.
 

Please share your favorite lines or quote(s) from this book:

“What if I promise not to blow anything else up while you’re there?”

Heath laughed. “I don’t trust that promise for a second. But I’d go anywhere to be with you, firecracker.”

What inspired this book?

This entire cast of heroines are strong, skilled and highly motivated assassins. They’re done with the corruption and misogyny they suffered under for so long. They’re out for justice, and now they’re going after the people who stole their lives.

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

I already had an idea of who the main characters in this one would be by the end of book 2 in the series. Still, the heroine in this book surprised me the most. She’s impulsive and full of sass, and let’s just say there’s never a dull moment when she’s around. She was incredibly entertaining to write.

What was your favorite scene to write?

The first time the hero and heroine meet. The hero thinks he’s there to help a damsel in distress, but he couldn’t be more wrong. He’s in for one hell of a shock, poor guy.

What was the most difficult scene to write?

A scene featuring the death of a secondary character who meant the world to our heroine, Chloe. Chloe’s as tough as they come, so to see her grieving was hard.

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

I think it’s pretty typical of my style, except that Chloe really stands out for me as one of my most distinctive characters. There’s a reason I decided the hero should call her “firecracker”.

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

I want them to be entertained, of course, but I also want them to come away with a sense of hope and satisfaction, as well as a sense that the bonds of friendship and sisterhood can be stronger than the bonds of family.

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

I’m just wrapping up the fifth and final book of this series. Book 4 (Toxic Vengeance) releases on January 21, 2020, and Beautiful Vengeance (book 5) releases March 31. The final book includes my favorite hero of the series—medically retired SAS veteran Marcus Laidlaw. I just LOVE him, and I’ve made his home in the English Cotswolds a temporary headquarters for the team because he lives in a village where ancestors from one branch of my family tree have lived for over 500 years. I love the area so much that I had to include it in a book series, and this gave me the perfect opportunity.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: A paperback copy of EXPLOSIVE VENGEANCE by Kaylea Cross

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Military and law enforcement heroes are my favorites (not that I’m biased at ALL, haha). What are yours?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Explosive Vengeance:

Heath read the heat in her eyes, read the intent there, but he still didn’t move. Didn’t do anything but hold that hot, bold stare, his whole body tightening as he imagined pulling her down into his lap, tangling his fingers in that gorgeous hair and tasting those sexy lips.
Chloe paused directly in front of him, waiting a moment before bending at the waist to place her hands on either side of him on the couch. It took an act of will not to reach for her, his hands flexing on his thighs.
Her face was inches from his, the fruity scent of shampoo and a hint of mint filling his nose as her avid gaze dipped to his mouth. Heath’s heart pumped faster. He shouldn’t be contemplating this, didn’t want any more complications in his life, but damned if he could turn away.
She inched forward, drawing the moment out, until every single heartbeat drummed in his ears. Her lips brushed his. Once. Twice, then lingered.
An electric current arced between them. Heat punched through him, along with a shocking burst of possessiveness.
Her lips were so damn soft and pliant, the slow, sensual kiss the opposite of what he’d expected from her. He was dying to grab her. Hold her close and deepen the kiss so he could taste her. Claim her in some way, and she was teasing him with the promise of what he could have if he was willing to cross the invisible line they were flirting with.
His control snapped.
Coiling one arm around her hips, he plunged his free hand into that thick, soft hair and pulled her to him, absorbing her gasp with his mouth as she ended up straddling his lap. Keeping a firm grip on her hair, he locked her body to him, those tight, firm breasts pressed to his chest, her ass snuggled against the length of his erection trapped under his fly as he kissed her. A slow, thorough kiss meant to turn her inside out.
He nibbled and sucked at her lips, stroked his tongue across them before delving inside to touch hers. Mint. She tasted like mint and bold, tempting sin.
Her quiet hum of enjoyment shot more blood to his groin, and the way she eagerly kissed him back threatened to turn him inside out in return.
Bold as he’d expected, but twice as erotic. She kept it slow, matching his pace as she caressed his tongue with hers. She didn’t fight his dominant grip, if anything seemed to enjoy it, her soft murmur making him so hard he ached.
Releasing his hold on her waist, Heath slid his hand up the length of her back, pulling her breasts harder into his chest.
Chloe lifted her head to look down at him, her pretty brown eyes a little dazed as she slid her tongue across her lower lip. “Hmm, maybe not such a Boy Scout after all,” she murmured in approval, and leaned back in to brush a teasing kiss across his mouth. “I like it,” she whispered against his lips.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Two opposites in uncharted territory.

The government made Chloe Wilson an explosives expert, trained to take out a target with a precise, controlled hit. But there’s nothing controlled about her current situation—or the danger coming after her. When a good-looking stranger is sent to watch her back, she’s not impressed. This mission is personal, and it’s liable to get her killed. The former Valkyrie can’t afford any mistakes or attachments, but this time she has no choice, and soon her new partner proves his worth.

One explosive situation.

When former Pararescueman Heath Barrett gets a call from his best friend asking him to keep tabs on a woman in danger, he has no idea what he’s getting himself into. Far from a helpless civilian, Chloe holds him at knifepoint the first time they meet. She’s a deadly operative being hunted by lethal enemies and by the time he realizes the extent of the danger, it’s too late to walk away. Now they’re both targets, and he and Chloe must face the threat head on—and if they want to survive, they’ll have to do it together.

Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo |
 
 

Meet the Author:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylea Cross writes edge-of-your-seat military romantic suspense. Her work has won many awards and has been nominated for both the Daphne du Maurier and the National Readers’ Choice Awards. A Registered Massage Therapist by trade, Kaylea holds a bachelors degree with a double major in history and archaeology. She’s also an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dance enthusiast and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and sons.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads |