Twenty year old Lane Montgomery never imagined her usually boring summer in the boonies would require her to trade her toe shoes for hunting boots or her monotonous college textbooks for treasure map deciphering. Never would she have imagined after breaking her grandmother’s precious Native American statue, danger, a lost treasure of Cherokee Gold and a hostage situation would arise. Nor could she predict that the one man destined to protect her and her family was her childhood nemesis and former crush, Maddox Diaz.
Returning after three years in the Army, twenty-three year old Maddox Diaz is confronted with more than he bargained for when agreeing to help his childhood buddy and deepest regret, Lane. Suddenly he is thrust into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with armed and ruthless treasure seekers that results in car chases and gun battles all in the presence of the one girl who still manages to haunt his dreams and drive him wild with desire.
Lane is determined to deny the sizzling chemistry with the man who stole her virginity and broke her heart. She just wants to stay alive with her heart intact. Will she be able to resist the man whose body sets fire to all her senses?
Returning after three years in the Army, twenty-three year old Maddox Diaz is confronted with more than he bargained for when agreeing to help his childhood buddy and deepest regret, Lane. Suddenly he is thrust into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with armed and ruthless treasure seekers that results in car chases and gun battles all in the presence of the one girl who still manages to haunt his dreams and drive him wild with desire.
Lane is determined to deny the sizzling chemistry with the man who stole her virginity and broke her heart. She just wants to stay alive with her heart intact. Will she be able to resist the man whose body sets fire to all her senses?
4 Star Review
With the power of white, leave
where there are tracks and travel into the place where the yellow gift was
first found. From there, ward off the devastation of the Black Man to go into
where the rocks talk. Find the cave where the pretty fawn shed her tears.
When twenty year old Lane Montgomery accidently breaks,
Maudie’s painting, never in a million
years did she think she would stumble upon a treasure map. This isn’t just a
treasure map but one that leads to the lost treasure of some Cherokee
Gold. When her grandmother’s life is put
in danger, Lane has no choice but to trust Maddox Diaz to protect her and her
family. The very same Maddox, that broke her heart three years ago. Although it
was young love, he was her first love, her only love and he crushed her.
“I love you. I always have, and I
always will.”
After three years in the Army, twenty-three year old Maddox
Diaz returns home. When he sees Lane again for the first time in years it
brings all of his regrets to the surface. Slowly trying to become her friend again he
soon realizes it will be easier said than done.
“So...after all this time and everything that has passed, I’d hoped you
weren’t going to hold a grudge.”
When the unthinkable happens to her grandmother, Maddox
makes a promise to do all he can to protect Lane. With their family’s lives in danger, they are
forced to go on a treasure hunt. Threatened by ruthless treasure seekers,
friends become enemies, gun fire erupts and the only people they can depend on
is each other.
Lane is focusing on trying to stay alive but is having a
hard time denying what she still feels for the man who broke her years before.
“My heart, body, and soul have
always been and always will be yours, Maddox.”
Lane is a fun character. She is smart, brave, beautiful. She
gave herself to Maddox and he crushed her, no one has ever been able to replace
her feelings for him.
Maddox is a hottie and is torn. He battles his true feelings
for Lane but feels very undeserving.
I loved their chemistry together and their banter.
Katie Ashley has a modern day romancing the stone with this
one. Hot sex, hot couple, buried treasure and danger lurking all around. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I
felt the heart ache, the desire, excitement and the fear.
A wonderful and entertaining read.
Excerpt
When I reached to knock, the back door creaked open. Huh, that was strange. Maudie usually kept everything locked up tight, especially after hours. Even though it was only supposed to be the two of us working, I glanced around to see if one of the other workers might’ve left it ajar. Shifting our salads in my arm, I stepped inside. “Maudie?”
From across the store, I could hear raised voices and the sound of boxes crashing and falling. I fumbled in my purse for my phone to call 911. After I jerked it out, I started slowly making my way towards Maudie’s office. I’d gotten half-way down an aisle when I heard a man’s voice. It only took a second for me to register it as the ‘Creep’ aka Mr. Jensen from earlier in the day. “I know you’re lying. The damn frame is busted on the painting, so don’t try to tell me you don’t know anything about the map!”
“I’ll tell you one more time, Mr. Jensen. The frame arrived with damages when the painting was shipped to me. I can assure you I have no idea about this silly map you speak of.”
The sound of breaking glass caused me to jump. “Stop lying! If I have to tear apart every single item in this store, I will. I’m not leaving here without the map.”
While my heart rattled in fear, my entire body started trembling all over. I tried to stop my hand from shaking as I dialed 911. In a hushed voice, I said, “There’s been a break-in at 259 Mountain Laurel Blvd—or Miss Maudie’s Brewery. Send someone as soon as you can. The man is still here.”
“Okay, ma’am, I need your name and for you to stay on the line while—”
I tuned out the dispatcher as Maudie’s raised voice floated back to me. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you’re not going to come in here and destroy my business. You better leave right this minute, or I’ll call the police.”
The sound of a gun blast caused me to jolt back. The salads and my phone went flying through the air as I tipped to the side and knocked over a display before grabbing hold of some metal shelving to keep my balance. My heartbeat pounded in my ears as an ice-cold panic washed over me. Staggering back to my feet, my eyes, which were already blurring with tears, focused back on Maudie’s office.
My mind raced in thought, but the main one screamed, “No, no, NO!” This couldn’t be happening. It had to be just a dream. If I just closed my eyes, I’d wake up back at the cabin to find this whole day had been just a weird dream.
Through my emotionally overloaded fog, I heard the dispatcher’s far-away voice calling, “Hello? Was that a gunshot?”
I groped along the floor to find my phone. “Yes! Maudie’s been shot. Send an ambulance.”
A hand cupped over my mouth and jerked me up off the floor and back against a body of solid rock. I immediately began kicking and thrashing against the person.
“Shh, it’s just me,” Maddox whispered, his breath warming my ear.
I relaxed in his arms, and he took his hand away. Tears streamed over my cheeks. “Maudie…that guy Jensen…shot her,” I gasped incoherently through my sobs.
His face contorted in agony. Although he remained rooted to the spot, I could tell he wanted nothing more than to go busting into the office. “Dammit to hell! I left my pistol in my Jeep.” he growled.
With an ashen expression, he appeared to be weighing in options about going back to get it when two heavy-set men came out of Maudie’s office. Maddox jerked us down to the floor.
Jensen stalked out of the office and started barking orders. “All right boys. Fan out. I want every inch of this place gone over thoroughly. There’s no telling where she could have hid it or where she might have a safe.”
One of the men remained rooted to the floor. “Search the place? You promised us this would be an easy score. There sure as hell wasn’t anything mentioned about killing people or having to hunt down the map.”
Whirling around, Jensen narrowed his eyes. “Look Parker, this isn’t just some hacking scheme that you do from the sidelines. You knew when you signed on that this entailed legwork. So either shut the fuck up and start searching or take a walk.”
Parker grumbled under his breath before reluctantly following Jensen. When they had started out the backdoor to the warehouse, Maddox and I raced into the brightly lit office. The room appeared ransacked. Papers and books littered the floor while the drawers of the filing cabinets were opened and files strewn about. “Maudie?” I called softly.
Finally, I saw her body crumpled behind the desk. Her eyes were closed, and I’d never seen her so pale. My hand shook as I reached out to touch her shoulder. “Maudie, can you hear me? It’s Lane.”
Her eyelids fluttered before she finally opened them wide. “You have to get out of here!”
I shook my head. “We’re not leaving you like this. The police and an ambulance are on their way.”
“No! Leave now."
Maddox made a strangled noise in his throat. When I glanced up, tears shone in his eyes. “We won’t leave you to die,” he argued in a strained voice.
Her breaths started coming in raspy pants. “Get the map. It’s in the safe. The one behind the bedroom painting.” I nodded, and she drew in a ragged breath. “The combination…the commission date on the back… of the painting. Inside are the map and my will." She glanced up at Maddox and grabbed his arm, her eyes filled with desperation. "Don’t let anything happen to Lane. Protect her with your life. Promise me."
He bent down beside me, taking Maudie’s hand in his. His jaw clenched and unclenched, and I could tell he was fighting to keep from truly losing it. As for me, the tears streamed freely down my cheeks. “I promise I will,” he said.
“Keep yourself safe, too. And your sister.” She tenderly stroked Maddox’s cheek. “I love you with all my heart, sweet boy. You are my son.” She then gave us a weak smile. “I love both of you so much. Remember that…always.”
Maddox squeezed Maudie’s hand. “I love you, too.”
Sobs rolled through my chest so hard that I could barely murmur the words.
“Now go before they come back. Hurry!”
“No, I won’t leave you,” I protested.
Maddox’s Army training took charge, and he pulled me up off the floor. “Maudie told us to go, Lane, so come on.” Desperate not to leave, Maddox had to drag me out the door. “Stop it! We can’t do anything else for her. She wants us to get the hell out of here and get the map, so that’s what we’re going to do.” His fingers jerked my chin up to meet his intense gaze. “Got it?”
I nodded weakly while wiping my eyes and trying to clear my head. It obviously wasn’t fast enough. Maddox grabbed my purse strap wound around my shoulder and gave me a harsh tug. “Move!” he barked.
AUTHOR PROFILE:
Katie Ashley is the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Best-Selling author of The Proposition. She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her two very spoiled dogs and one outnumbered cat. She has a slight obsession with Pinterest, The Golden Girls, Harry Potter, Shakespeare, Supernatural, Designing Women, and Scooby-Doo.
She spent 11 1/2 years educating the Youth of America aka teaching MS and HS English until she left to write full time in December 2012.
She also writes Young Adult fiction under the name Krista Ashe.
AUTHOR LINKS:
Website: http://katieashleybooks.blogspot.com
FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/katieashleybooks
Twitter: @ katieashleyluv
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6546441.Katie_Ashley
Excerpt
When I reached to knock, the back door creaked open. Huh, that was strange. Maudie usually kept everything locked up tight, especially after hours. Even though it was only supposed to be the two of us working, I glanced around to see if one of the other workers might’ve left it ajar. Shifting our salads in my arm, I stepped inside. “Maudie?”
From across the store, I could hear raised voices and the sound of boxes crashing and falling. I fumbled in my purse for my phone to call 911. After I jerked it out, I started slowly making my way towards Maudie’s office. I’d gotten half-way down an aisle when I heard a man’s voice. It only took a second for me to register it as the ‘Creep’ aka Mr. Jensen from earlier in the day. “I know you’re lying. The damn frame is busted on the painting, so don’t try to tell me you don’t know anything about the map!”
“I’ll tell you one more time, Mr. Jensen. The frame arrived with damages when the painting was shipped to me. I can assure you I have no idea about this silly map you speak of.”
The sound of breaking glass caused me to jump. “Stop lying! If I have to tear apart every single item in this store, I will. I’m not leaving here without the map.”
While my heart rattled in fear, my entire body started trembling all over. I tried to stop my hand from shaking as I dialed 911. In a hushed voice, I said, “There’s been a break-in at 259 Mountain Laurel Blvd—or Miss Maudie’s Brewery. Send someone as soon as you can. The man is still here.”
“Okay, ma’am, I need your name and for you to stay on the line while—”
I tuned out the dispatcher as Maudie’s raised voice floated back to me. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you’re not going to come in here and destroy my business. You better leave right this minute, or I’ll call the police.”
The sound of a gun blast caused me to jolt back. The salads and my phone went flying through the air as I tipped to the side and knocked over a display before grabbing hold of some metal shelving to keep my balance. My heartbeat pounded in my ears as an ice-cold panic washed over me. Staggering back to my feet, my eyes, which were already blurring with tears, focused back on Maudie’s office.
My mind raced in thought, but the main one screamed, “No, no, NO!” This couldn’t be happening. It had to be just a dream. If I just closed my eyes, I’d wake up back at the cabin to find this whole day had been just a weird dream.
Through my emotionally overloaded fog, I heard the dispatcher’s far-away voice calling, “Hello? Was that a gunshot?”
I groped along the floor to find my phone. “Yes! Maudie’s been shot. Send an ambulance.”
A hand cupped over my mouth and jerked me up off the floor and back against a body of solid rock. I immediately began kicking and thrashing against the person.
“Shh, it’s just me,” Maddox whispered, his breath warming my ear.
I relaxed in his arms, and he took his hand away. Tears streamed over my cheeks. “Maudie…that guy Jensen…shot her,” I gasped incoherently through my sobs.
His face contorted in agony. Although he remained rooted to the spot, I could tell he wanted nothing more than to go busting into the office. “Dammit to hell! I left my pistol in my Jeep.” he growled.
With an ashen expression, he appeared to be weighing in options about going back to get it when two heavy-set men came out of Maudie’s office. Maddox jerked us down to the floor.
Jensen stalked out of the office and started barking orders. “All right boys. Fan out. I want every inch of this place gone over thoroughly. There’s no telling where she could have hid it or where she might have a safe.”
One of the men remained rooted to the floor. “Search the place? You promised us this would be an easy score. There sure as hell wasn’t anything mentioned about killing people or having to hunt down the map.”
Whirling around, Jensen narrowed his eyes. “Look Parker, this isn’t just some hacking scheme that you do from the sidelines. You knew when you signed on that this entailed legwork. So either shut the fuck up and start searching or take a walk.”
Parker grumbled under his breath before reluctantly following Jensen. When they had started out the backdoor to the warehouse, Maddox and I raced into the brightly lit office. The room appeared ransacked. Papers and books littered the floor while the drawers of the filing cabinets were opened and files strewn about. “Maudie?” I called softly.
Finally, I saw her body crumpled behind the desk. Her eyes were closed, and I’d never seen her so pale. My hand shook as I reached out to touch her shoulder. “Maudie, can you hear me? It’s Lane.”
Her eyelids fluttered before she finally opened them wide. “You have to get out of here!”
I shook my head. “We’re not leaving you like this. The police and an ambulance are on their way.”
“No! Leave now."
Maddox made a strangled noise in his throat. When I glanced up, tears shone in his eyes. “We won’t leave you to die,” he argued in a strained voice.
Her breaths started coming in raspy pants. “Get the map. It’s in the safe. The one behind the bedroom painting.” I nodded, and she drew in a ragged breath. “The combination…the commission date on the back… of the painting. Inside are the map and my will." She glanced up at Maddox and grabbed his arm, her eyes filled with desperation. "Don’t let anything happen to Lane. Protect her with your life. Promise me."
He bent down beside me, taking Maudie’s hand in his. His jaw clenched and unclenched, and I could tell he was fighting to keep from truly losing it. As for me, the tears streamed freely down my cheeks. “I promise I will,” he said.
“Keep yourself safe, too. And your sister.” She tenderly stroked Maddox’s cheek. “I love you with all my heart, sweet boy. You are my son.” She then gave us a weak smile. “I love both of you so much. Remember that…always.”
Maddox squeezed Maudie’s hand. “I love you, too.”
Sobs rolled through my chest so hard that I could barely murmur the words.
“Now go before they come back. Hurry!”
“No, I won’t leave you,” I protested.
Maddox’s Army training took charge, and he pulled me up off the floor. “Maudie told us to go, Lane, so come on.” Desperate not to leave, Maddox had to drag me out the door. “Stop it! We can’t do anything else for her. She wants us to get the hell out of here and get the map, so that’s what we’re going to do.” His fingers jerked my chin up to meet his intense gaze. “Got it?”
I nodded weakly while wiping my eyes and trying to clear my head. It obviously wasn’t fast enough. Maddox grabbed my purse strap wound around my shoulder and gave me a harsh tug. “Move!” he barked.
Katie Ashley is the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Best-Selling author of The Proposition. She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her two very spoiled dogs and one outnumbered cat. She has a slight obsession with Pinterest, The Golden Girls, Harry Potter, Shakespeare, Supernatural, Designing Women, and Scooby-Doo.
She spent 11 1/2 years educating the Youth of America aka teaching MS and HS English until she left to write full time in December 2012.
She also writes Young Adult fiction under the name Krista Ashe.
AUTHOR LINKS:
Website: http://katieashleybooks.blogspot.com
FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/katieashleybooks
Twitter: @ katieashleyluv
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6546441.Katie_Ashley
On my TBR list -- right near the top!!
ReplyDeleteMy paternal grandmother had Indian heritage -- don't know for sure, but have always thought it Cherokee.
I loved this book. It is action packed and has romance. You are taken on an adventure to find treasure and love.
ReplyDeleteA great combination of romance, mystery and catch me if you can.
ReplyDelete