In Safe Keeping (Heroes and Babies #2) by Victoria Sue
Dreamspinner Press
Published September 3rd 2019
Cover Artist: Tiferet Design
Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Victoria Sue here today talking about her new novel In Safe Keeping. She has brought along a great excerpt for our readers as well as a giveaway. Please check those out along with the interview below. Welcome, Victoria!
✒︎
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Interviews Victoria Sue…
Does research play a role into choosing which genre you write? Do you enjoy research or prefer making up your worlds and cultures?
Very much to both of these. I read some pretty harrowing accounts of wildfire rescues and its important to accurately name the gear used, and the circumstances surrounding it.
And yes, to the second part of the question because my two “jams” as they say are Romantic Suspense and Paranormal or Urban Fantasy. I often mix them both up in the same book.
Has your choice of childhood or teenage reading genres carried into your own choices for writing?
Absolutely. My favorites include Mercedes Lackey’s Dragon Jousters series, and John Flanagan Ranger’s Apprentice series. Both fabulous series whether you’re a teen or…a lot older!
Do you like HFN or HEA? And why?
My preference is for HEA but while the main couple themselves are in a good forever place, there is often an over reaching story ARC or baddy that might take a few books to suitably vanquish. Having said that In Safe Keeping is a standalone.
What’s next for you as an author?
I’m writing the next book in my enhanced series published by Dreamspinner press, but after In Safe Keeping my next release is on Oct 1st – The Twelfth Knight. Merlin and Lancelot fighting monsters in modern day new York and managing to fall in love at the same time.
Blurb:
Heroes and Babies
He can’t save everyone…
Firefighter Lucas Attiker is mired in guilt by his inability to save his young son, who perished in a fire three years ago. When he rescues a troubled young man and his baby daughter from a Colorado forest fire, Lucas finally begins to forgive himself. But the wildfire is only the beginning of the dangers facing them.
Hell-bent on saving his daughter from his crime boss ex, Owen Michaels is on the run with the baby in tow—fleeing both the killers who are after him and the US Marshals Service deputies assigned to protect him. When his desperate flight lands them in the midst of an inferno, the man who saves them offers hope for more than just survival.
They might have escaped a blazing forest and a hail of bullets, but both men will need to risk their lives—and their hearts—to give a little girl a loving family… if they can make it out alive.
Excerpt:
Lucas looked apologetically at Owen, and Owen hugged Mia close. Small towns. Whatever had given him the impression they were quiet? “Are you taking me into protective custody?” Owen didn’t mind DuPree, but O’Connor always seemed to look down his nose at him.
“Yes,” O’Connor confirmed. “And we’re leaving right now because I don’t trust those men not to come back.”
Owen glanced at Lucas. He didn’t want to go, but of course he couldn’t put Lucas in any further danger. And he wasn’t sure Lucas would want the marshals to take him, no matter what danger he was in or how badly Owen might wish they would. They met each other’s gaze, and Owen knew instantly that, rather than being glad to see the back of him, Lucas didn’t like this one little bit.
But he couldn’t ask. He didn’t want to cause any more problems for Lucas. “Will you get into trouble for calling 911?” The engine had driven off. Owen surrendered Mia, who despite having been woken up, settled immediately when Lucas held out his arms for her. Lucas shook his head and gently brushed a kiss on her forehead.
“No, we needed help.”
Owen nodded. Maybe if he did what O’Connor asked, he could make sure Lucas didn’t get into trouble. The image of Lucas cradling Mia would be burned into his brain for a long time.
He was just about to ask where they were going when O’Connor’s phone rang and the marshal stepped away to answer it.
“Have you got everything?” DuPree asked gently, and Owen nodded. Not that they had much. All his clothes and all of Mia’s were borrowed. She was sleeping in the pajamas Lucas had given her—the ones that had belonged to Stevie. Owen would make sure he got them back, though, because apart from one tiny picture, they were all Lucas had left of his son. Inexplicable anger shot through him, but this time it wasn’t for him; it was for Lucas.
DuPree answered her own phone, but as Owen glanced at her, she stilled and then said, “Understood,” and lowered the phone. “Are you ready?” O’Connor walked back in and grabbed the diaper bag from where Owen had left it.
Lucas nodded to the door and looked at Owen. “Go on, get in the car, and I’ll pass you—”
“You’re coming with us,” O’Connor interrupted and opened the door. “We can’t risk Malvetti’s men retaliating if they realize you’re involved.”
“Bailey!” Owen called as DuPree bundled him out, closely followed by Lucas, who passed Mia to Owen. He jogged to the idling Escalade and scrambled into the back. A cop car was stationed at either end of the street. O’Connor grabbed the dog’s collar and was last out of the house. “Car seat,” Owen called just as a squeal of tires was heard and a black car turned in from Main Street, driving way too fast. The cop car swerved to intercept it, but couldn’t react in time, and with a scream of tires and a crash of metal, the black car rammed it as if it were nothing. Everyone stilled for a heartbeat, and then the two marshals reacted.
“Get in.” DuPree shoved Lucas at the Escalade and ran to the driver’s side, drawing her gun.
But she wasn’t fast enough.
Some sort of automatic weapon started spraying the street and the car. DuPree flew backward under a hail of bullets just as Lucas flung himself in the front seat. “Drive!” O’Connor yelled and let Bailey go. He ducked behind a small parked compact and started firing round after round.
“Bailey,” Lucas shouted, and the dog leaped for the open car door just as Lucas accelerated. The car fishtailed slightly, but Bailey was in and the door slammed closed as Lucas twisted the wheel. “Get down,” he ordered, but Owen needed no instruction. He was bent over double, sheltering Mia as the windows cracked and exploded. He could hear more shouts and gunfire, and then he could have cried as what sounded like a dozen sirens were heard, but Lucas obviously wasn’t waiting for them. “Stay down” Lucas yelled above the shouts, the sound of more tires squealing, and Mia’s terrified cries. They swerved, then straightened.
Owen didn’t know how he managed to anchor himself because he’d had no chance to try for the seat belt. Lucas seemed to take another corner on two wheels.
“Are they still coming?” Owen shook, barely able to get the words out. Sirens suddenly blared out like they were in the car with them, and Lucas braked. Owen barely managed to hang on to Mia and stop himself from being thrown into the front seat of the car. Lucas yanked on the wheel and then shot forward. He heard another squeal of tires behind him and then a sickening crunch. Lucas looked in the mirror, set his jaw, and gunned it.
About the Author
Victoria Sue
Victoria Sue fell in love with love stories as a child when she would hide away with her mom’s library books and dream of the dashing hero coming to rescue her from math homework. She never mastered math but never stopped loving her heroes and decided to give them the happy ever afters they fight so hard for.
She loves reading and writing about gorgeous boys loving each other the best—and creating a family for them to adore. Thrilled to hear from her readers, she can be found most days lurking on Facebook where she doesn’t need factor 1000 sun-cream to hide her freckles.
@vickysuewrites
https://www.facebook.com/victoriasueauthor
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1182647028418709/
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/VictoriaSueNewsletter
Giveaway
Victoria Sue is offering a eBook copy of any of her backlist to the reader chosen. Please leave a comment and your email address to be entered in this giveaway. Must be 18 years of age or older.
Theatre professor Nicky Abbondanza is back at Treemeadow College directing their Nutcracker Ballet co-starring his spouse, theatre professor Noah Oliver, their son Taavi, and their best friend and department head, Martin Anderson. With muscular dance students and faculty in the cast, the Christmas tree on stage isn’t the only thing rising. When cast members drop faster than their loaded dance belts, Nicky and Noah will once again need to use their drama skills to figure out who is cracking the Nutcracker’s nuts, trapping the Mouse King, and being cavalier with the Cavalier, before Nicky and Noah end up stuck in the Land of the Sweets. You will be applauding and shouting Bravo for Joe Cosentino’s fast-paced, side-splittingly funny, edge-of-your-seat entertaining eighth novel in this delightful series.
Life never tasted so good. 
This absolutely wonderful and outstanding audiobook, featuring a superb vocal performance by John Solo, is a compilation of books four to six from the original Will and Patrick Wake Up Married series: 
The course of true love runs through every neighborhood….
Starving artist Riley Burke refuses to be dependent on his rich older boyfriend—hence his second job as a nude model at the local art school. When the famous artist Coliaro requests him for a private modeling session, he jumps at the chance to earn some real cash.
Reeling from the painful rejection of a man he thought he loved, Asher is left holding the baby.
