Nina's strange new life has suddenly gone off the deep end into the bizzare.
As Alpha of the Paradise clan, it's Adam Greer's duty to save his people from extinction. With Nick Hill, his beta's help, he tracks down a descendant of one of the families that broke away from the pride many years ago. They can only hope that TJ Woodward agrees to come back to Paradise as the first newcomer in generations, to infuse the clan with new DNA.
Nina Bidel, a close friend of bestselling suspense author, TJ Woodward, finds dozens of half-written manuscripts when she packs away his estate after his death. With his will naming her his sole beneficiary, she sees no harm in completing the books TJ started. But someone out there is determined that the novels never see the light of day.
When they think they have finally caught up to TJ, intent on bringing him to their home, Adam and Nick realize the last several books released weren’t written by TJ Woodward, but by spunky Nina Bidel. Nina jumps at the chance to escape the men determined to kill both her and TJ’s remaining novels. None of them expect the chain of events her deception is about to unleash.
Excerpt
Adam Greer, new Alpha of the Paradise clan, gazed out the ice-glazed bay window at the snow covered forest and sighed. It would take more than the shimmering ethereal beauty of the glistening snow and frost covered trees to forget his plight. His people were few and scattered over the face of the Earth. Others of his kind had been gone so long it would take an act of God to bring them all together again.
He spun around when someone knocked on the door. “Enter.” It was his second and best friend, Nick Hill. “What did you find out?”
Nick sat down. His expression was grim. “Thank God for the internet. We think we’ve found a family. We were hoping for more. One family isn’t going to make much of a difference, but it’s a start.”
Adam sighed. “I suppose.” He moved to sit at his desk. The surface was cluttered—covered with thick files of people long gone from the clan. Birth records of missing people that went back a hundred or more years were stored in those thick folders. The most recent document was nearly thirty-six years old. His birth record was there, along with the others who had helped bring about the coup de tat that changed the fate of their race.
Unlike before, at least now, they had a chance at survival. The old council, dictatorial in its dealings, drove their people away. Most of the clan fought the iron rule. When they couldn’t win, they left, choosing to make their own way out in the world.
He picked up an old file and tossed it to the side, onto a pile of those he’d already read. Tempted to shred them all with rage, he pushed the mess of folders onto the floor instead. “They were supposed to be safe here, damn it! The council—”
“The council was wrong. I expect most of them realize that now. They meant well in the beginning, but things got twisted somewhere along the way.”
Adam shook his head, his face burned with the anger he felt pulsing through him. Even after so many months of being in charge, he still wanted to throw caution to the winds and kill those who had put his people in such a position. He clenched his fists at his sides and turned. “No. Someone got twisted.” He shook his head with disgust. “No one is meant to breed with members of their own family. That’s just disgusting.”
“I agree.” Nick inclined his head. “There is no reason we can’t procreate with humans. Our DNA is dominant. We found that out decades ago. We can change them. There is no need to resort to incest.” He sat down, mimicking Adam’s usual easy manner and tossed a folder onto the recently cleared desktop. “Check it out. Tell me what you want to do.”
Adam didn’t waste any time. Without glancing at the thin packet, he rested his elbows on the desk. “I already know what I want to do. When can you be ready to go?”
Nick stood and leaned over the desk. “I’m already set to go. Just be sure to have a welcome home party waiting for them if we can convince them to return. It wouldn’t do to have the family think they weren’t missed.” He picked up the file and flipped it open. “This particular group broke away from the clan two generations ago.”
Adam stared down at the thin blue folder. “How in the hell did you find them after so long?”
Nick bared his teeth in an easy grin. “One of them is the author known as TJ Woodward.”
“The suspense author?”
“One and the same.”
Adam shook his head, a half smile on his face. “I’ll be damned.”
“No,” Nick said. “He’ll be damned if we don’t find him first. I’ve read a few of his books. The attempts on his character’s lives all follow Tudra doctrine.“ His expression turned grim. “I think there has already been one attempt on his life. If I were a betting man, I’d say he writes a novel every time there’s an attempt on his life. Or…” He paused. “He was trained as Tudra himself.”
Adam picked up the folder and read the cover page. That was the only explanation. No one escaped the assassins of the Tudra for long—except other Tudra. He and his followers should know. As former soldiers for the council, they, too, had been trained in the Tudra way. Only they had been smart enough to revolt.
Theodore James Meyer was right to write under an assumed name, but ultimately it hadn’t done him any good. The council had found him and put a hit on his life. In their eyes, defection was punishable by death—even though it had been TJ Meyer’s grandparents that left the clan. TJ himself couldn’t have been Tudra, but his grandsire could have been. There was no doubt in his mind. TJ Woodward was lucky to be alive. “Give me fifteen and I’ll be ready to go.” He stood and quickly left the room. There were many matters to attend to before he left.
Professional Reviews
A Stranger in Paradise by Joyfully Reviewed
So many of the Paradise Clan, the Leoparo, have abandoned their homeland, Alpha Adam Greer wonders if the clan will ever be able to reunite. Adam’s second, Nick Hill would follow Adam to hell and back if asked and he may have to in order to find the lost ones but will anyone else?
Constantly on the run from a group of unknown men, Nina Bidel has been found once more but manages to escape with the clothes on her back and her trusty laptop. Nina can’t understand why these men want to kill her and destroy the work of popular author T. J. Woodward stored on the laptop. It makes no sense.
Adam and Nick find Nina while searching for Woodward and they are instantly attracted to each other. The race is on to protect Nina, figure out why the Tudra want her and understand the bond growing between the three.
Angela Calminetti, mother of five, New Age practitioner and gifted psychic and telepath, is proud of her family ties and does everything she can to make sure that all of her younger siblings are as happy in love and marriage as she is…whether they wa
