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Apr 16, 20194 min read

New Release | Act of Survival, Book 4 in The Second Chances series by @Marsharwest #romanticsuspense


Title ACT OF SURVIVAL, Book 4 The Second Chances Series

Author Marsha R. West

Genre Romantic Suspense

Publisher MRW Press LLC

Book Blurb

Encouraged by her friends to protect herself, Kim Mason Dennison is determined to divorce her abusive husband. Cooper Wray, an attorney, assures Kim that her husband, Hunter, can’t keep the proceedings from moving forward because Texas is a no-fault divorce state. But why is Hunter doing everything he can to stop the divorce? And will that even include murder?

Excerpt

Kim reeled backward and lost her balance. Her middle exploded with pain from the force of her husband’s blow. Her head shattered with agony when she fell and hit the coffee table. Hunter delivered his punch to her midsection with deliberate accuracy to avoid injuries showing up. He hadn’t counted on her hitting her head.

“Damn. You can’t even fall right. But we will not get a divorce. Get that out of your mind, and don’t mention such a stupid idea again.” Hunter turned and stormed from the living room. The sound of the door slamming told Kim he’d exited the house.

“Oh,” Kim moaned, grasping her head. Her fingers came away covered with blood. The room spun, and her stomach heaved. She couldn’t lie here and let the housekeeper find her, but damn, standing might take more strength than she had now. Slowly she rolled to her side and closed her eyes for a moment to stop her head from spinning. She must’ve passed out.

“Mrs. Dennison, are you all right? Did you fall again?” The words came from far away, but appeared to be from the housekeeper, Nora Jean. A hand brushed across Kim’s head. “Oh, God. You’re bleeding. I’ll call an ambulance.”

Kim couldn’t let her bring in anyone else. “No, I’ll be fine. Please, help me stand.” Nora Jean took both Kim’s hands and hefted her upright. She stumbled to the leather sofa and sank into the soft plushy cushions Hunter loved, and she hated. “Let me sit here for a few moments.”

“I’ll get you an ice pack for your head.” She hurried out of the den. The solicitous woman didn’t really work for Kim. She worked for Mrs. Dennison, her mother-in-law who’d hired her.

Thank God, Kim didn’t have any Junior League meetings on the calendar for this afternoon. She was a sustainer now, not attending everything, but keeping her hand in and helping when needed. Today, Kim couldn’t have pulled herself together enough to go. Her stomach clenched, and she feared she’d throw up, which would only make her head hurt worse.

Kim had wanted out of her sham of a marriage for a long time, but until her parents were killed last year in a senseless accident while riding in the Wichita Falls Retirement Center van, she couldn’t figure out how it was possible to get away from Hunter. She needed his money to help support them in the center, which they could never afford on their own. Kim had no money in her own name, only what Hunter chose to give her. And he only gave it to her to make sure she lived up to the standards of his family. He and his mother had decorated and redecorated the house to their tastes, never considering her or what she wanted.

Her parents had been excited about the trip from Wichita Falls to see the special exhibit at a Dallas museum. Then an idiot ran a red light and broadsided the van from the retirement center killing her parents and injuring several others. Their deaths had crushed Kim. She loved having them live nearby, so she could drop in to see them whenever she wanted. After the accident, it was like her life was over.

Even then, she struggled to find the courage to stand up to Hunter. If she hadn’t talked with her camp friends about it when they visited Devon’s house last fall in Dallas, she’d never have taken steps to end the marriage. Devon gave Kim the name of a divorce lawyer in Wichita Falls who could help her, but she hadn’t found the courage to contact him yet. She kept hoping Hunter would stop. But he hadn’t.

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Author Biography

Marsha R. West, a retired elementary school principal, is also a former school board member and theatre arts teacher. She writes Romance, Suspense, and Second Chances. Experience Required. Marsha lives in Texas with her supportive lawyer husband. Their two daughters presented them with three delightful grandchildren who live nearby. Five years ago Charley, a Chihuahua/Jack Russell Terrier mix walked up the street and joined the family.

MuseItUp Publishing released her first book, VERMONT ESCAPE in July 2013; her second book, TRUTH BE TOLD, in May 2014. In the Fall of 2014, Marsha formed MRW Press LLC to provide print and e-versions of her books. SECOND ACT, Book 1 of the Second Chances Series follows up with a secondary character from VERMONT ESCAPE and begins a four-part series. ACT OF TRUST is Book 2 of the Second Chances Series. She released THE THEATRE, a stand-alone in 2016. It was followed by ACT OF BETRAYAL, Book 3 The Second Chances Series in 2017. She contributed to ROMANCE & MYSTERY AUTHORS ON WRITING, edited by JQ. Rose. Also, in 2018, she had a short story, “The Colonel & Her Major” published in her writing chapter’s anthology, LONE STAR LOVE. Book 4, ACT OF SURVIVAL releases in April of 2019.

Social Media Links

You can contact her at marsha@marsharwest.com or through her web site http://www.marsharwest.com where you can also sign up for her NEWSLETTER or check out any of her social media sites.

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