Hide From Evil Read online

  Now, at last, this too-handsome, green-eyed warrior has his own book, THE SINNER. I hope readers will agree that a man who has had far too many women fall at his feet must suffer on the road to love.

  The first thing I decided to do was give Alex a heroine who was as loath to marry as he was. In fact, Alex would have to travel the length and breadth of Scotland to find a lass as opposed to marriage in general, or to him in particular, as Glynis MacNeil. Glynis’s experience with one handsome, philandering Highland warrior was enough to last her a lifetime, and she’s prepared to go to any lengths to thwart her chieftain father’s attempts to wed her to another.

  Alex has sworn—repeatedly and to anyone who would listen—that he will never take a wife. So the second thing I decided to do was surprise Alex partway through the book with an utterly compelling reason to wed. (No, I’m not telling here.) I hope readers appreciate the irony of this bad boy’s long, uphill battle to persuade Glynis to marry him.

  Helping these two untrusting souls find love proved an even bigger challenge than getting them wed. Fortunately, the attraction between Alex and Glynis was so hot my fingers burned on the keys. The last thing I needed to do, then, was force them to trust each other through a series of dangerous adventures that threatened all they held dear. That part was easy, dear readers—such dangers abound in the Highlands in the year 1515.

  I hope you enjoy the love story of Alex and Glynis in THE SINNER.

  www.margaretmallory.com

  From the desk of Cara Elliott

  Dear Reader,

  Starting a new series is a little like going out on a first date. I mean, doesn’t every girl get a little nervous about meeting a guy who is a complete stranger? Well, I have a confession to make: Authors get the heebies-jeebies too. Hey, it’s not easy to waltz up to a hunky hero and simply bat your eyelashes and introduce yourself!

  Okay, okay, I know what you’re thinking. How hard can it be? After all, unlike in real life, all I have to do is snap my fingers (or tap them along my keyboard) and presto, as if by magic, he’ll turn into a knight in shining armor, or a dashingly debonair prince, or… whatever my fantasies desire!

  Strange as it may sound, it doesn’t always flow quite so smoothly. Some men have minds of their own. You know… the strong, silent, self-reliant type who would rather eat nails than admit to any vulnerability. Take Connor Linsley, the sinfully sexy rogue who plays the leading role in TOO WICKED TO WED, the first book in my new Lords of Midnight trilogy. Talk about an infuriating man! He snaps, he snarls, he broods. If he didn’t have such an intriguing spark in his quicksilver eyes, I might have been tempted to give up on him.

  But no, patient person that I am, I persevered, knowing that beneath his show of steel was a softer, more sensitive core. I just had to draw it out. We had to have a number of heart-to-heart talks, but finally he let down his silky dark hair—er, in a manner of speaking—and allowed me to share some of his secrets. (And trust me, Connor has some very intriguing secrets!)

  I’ll have you know that I am also generous, as well as patient, for instead of keeping my new best friend all to myself, I’ve decided to share this Paragon of Perfection. I hope you enjoy getting to know him! (Pssst, he has two very devil-may-care friends. But that’s another story. Or maybe two!)

  Please visit my website at www.caraelliott.com to read sample chapters and learn more about this Lord of Midnight.

  From the desk of Jami Alden

  Dear Reader,

  I first met Krista Slater in my first romantic suspense for Grand Central, Beg for Mercy. All I knew about her then was that she was tough, no nonsense, dedicated to her work and committed to right, even if it meant admitting she’d made an enormous mistake in sending Sean Flynn to death row. But it was only after I’d spent about a month (and a hundred pages) with her in my latest book, HIDE FROM EVIL, that I learned she’s also an automobile expert who can hotwire a car in less than sixty seconds.

  And I knew Sean Flynn was loyal and honorable, with a protective streak a mile wide. I also knew that when he was forced into close quarters with Krista, he’d fall and fall hard, despite the fact she’d nearly ruined his life when she prosecuted him for murder. However, I didn’t know he listened to Alice in Chains until he popped in his earbuds and clicked on his iPod.

  After I finish every book, I’m amazed at the fact that I’ve written three hundred plus pages about people who exist only in my head. For about six months, I spend nearly every waking hour with them. Even when I’m not actually writing, they’re always around, circling the edges of my consciousness while I think up a sexy, scary story for them to inhabit.

  When I first started writing, I read books that said I shouldn’t start writing until I knew absolutely everything about my hero and heroine. And I mean EVERYTHING—stuff like the name of their best friends from kindergarten and their least favorite food. So I would try to fill out these elaborate questionnaires, wracking my brain to come up a list of my heroine’s quirks.

  I finally came to accept the fact that it takes me a while to get to know my characters. We need to spend some time together before I get a sense of what makes them tick. It’s like getting to know a new friend: You start with the small talk. Then you hang out, have conversations that go beyond the surface. You start to notice the little details that make them unique, and they reveal things from their pasts that have molded them into the people you’re coming to know.

  That’s when things get interesting.

  It was definitely interesting getting to know Sean and Krista in HIDE FROM EVIL. Especially finding out why, despite their rocky past, they were absolutely meant for each other. I hope you have as much fun with them as I did.

  Enjoy!

  www.jamialden.com

  PRAISE FOR BEG FOR MERCY

  “4½ stars! Top Pick! Alden’s emotionally gripping Beg for Mercy makes readers beg for mercy, too…this is a high-caliber romantic suspense—exactly what the genre should be!”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “An exhilarating investigative thriller…never slowed down…Filled with action, but character driven by the heroine, sub-genre fans will appreciate this taut suspense…and look forward to Slater’s follow-up case.”

  —GenreGoRoundReviews.blogspot.com

  “The chemistry between Megan and Cole was absolutely mouth-watering. You could feel the sizzle when they were in the same room…I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series.”

  —TheRomanceaholic.com

  “The sexy, heated love scenes leave the reader eagerly awaiting more, as they were well placed and a great catalyst for the ultimate showdown. I am waiting most impatiently for the next book in this series.”

  —TheRomanceReadersConnection.com

  “Five stars! Flawless! This novel was nothing like anything I have read to date…The twists are crazy good! Not only that but the sexual tension and encounters were phenomenal!…[Cole Williams] is sex personified!…What a rush!”

  —ShamelessRomanceReviews.blogspot.com

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  A Preview of Run from Fear

  The Dish

  Praise for Beg For Mercy

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2011 by Jami Alden

  Excerpt from Run from Fear © 2011 by Jami Alden

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Forever

  Hachette Book Group

  237 Park Avenue

  New York, NY 10017

  www.HachetteBookGroup.com

  www.twitter.com/foreverromance

  Forever is an imprint of Grand Central Publishing.

  The Forever name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  First eBook Edition: November 2011

  ISBN: 978-1-455-50576-0