Title: Bittersweet Alliance
Author: Kathleen Rowland
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing
Book Blurb
Will a snap decision change their lives forever? Bizarre kidnappings stun the Big Island of Hawaii, pulling Danker Donahue back into the game and forcing him to partner with Jolene Kualoha, the woman who left him seven years ago when his DNA showed up in paternity lawsuit. The prejudice-motivated hate crimes are the wildest anyone has ever seen. Victims are being poisoned then released once the ransoms are paid, many losing their lives. In the shadow of Jolene's success as a helicopter pilot, a troubled woman develops a fixation on Jolene and imitates her appearance. Matters turn dark when the copycat is shot dead. Was Jolene the target? Threats mount when she barely survives an accident after her brake cables are severed. When these crimes threaten her sanity, Jolene is forced to trust the one person she thought she’d lost forever, Danker. Instantly, sparks fly between them, and as much as she wants to rekindle their relationship, she must protect her heart. An old enemy, Seamus McGinn, breaks out of a maximum-security prison and invites Danker to a meet-up. Surprisingly, the kidnapper joins forces with McGinn along with his sick fans. McGinn trumpets his ‘murders by ice pick’, and it’s up to Danker to stop him. The whole island is on edge with a live feed from the maniac’s website. In a stolen moment, Jolene shows him hope, and he makes a snap decision that will change their lives forever. Will he make it back to show her?
Excerpt
Violet pulled to the shoulder and edged her silver BMW coupe alongside an oceanfront property. She’d visited several times before with her recent identity. After working the birth record and social security angle, she enrolled in college to get a student ID, opened a bank account, and got a driver’s license. Violet Ramsey took out a loan for her luxury car and was building an employment history, working as a part-time scheduler. Fire and Ice Tour’s’ motto, “Experience the adventure of a lifetime,” fit her non-working days even better.
She sat in a luxury subdivision that’d be gated if it weren’t for the golf course under construction. Which was the more ferocious beast, the dump truck or the bulldozer? Both drove residents from their peaceful existence with the dumping of top soil and then pushing mounds into challenging contours. She welcomed the chaos which made her visits less conspicuous.
Coming toward her on the blacktop, a young skateboarder tossed Sunday newspapers on lawns of every mansion. Earlier, she’d read the headline, “Kidnappings Baffle Law Enforcement,” and stomped over it. Unlike her, the kid zipped by without checking out activity surrounding the home belonging to Big Kahuna, Mr. Aheahe, and family.
She opened her car door and stepped through leaves that stuck to her sandals. Water dripped from a fountain. It nestled within a circle of hedges, bordered by the visible beds of bromeliads, and hanging baskets of orchids. This was how the rich and famous owner of Aheahe Titanium Rings lived with a staff behind the scenes. Foolishly at best, and dangerously for sure now that she planned to abduct his daughter.
Too bad half of his Hawaiian ancestors survived smallpox, measles, and venereal diseases, all carried from Captain Cook’s 1778 expedition. In 1850 the population was cut by half and again in 1900 with forced labor on plantations.
Here was the rub. Despite their near-slavery years alongside coolie laborers, the locals absorbed the belief that hana or work was respectable, and laziness was shameful. When she’d tried to recruit teens into her gang, they’d turned their palms up and had said, “Hele aku,” to communicate the idea that stealing was a form of idleness and should be avoided. What the fuck did they have against cussing? Her mood simmered every time she heard, “Go home, haole,” or "I grew up here, you flew here." Over time it boiled down to one emotion—disgust, particularly for the island’s upper class. The inner circle only included Hawaiians, and after being snubbed on a regular basis, she sought revenge. Why not turn their inner circle inside-out?
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Author Biography
Book Buyers Best finalist Kathleen Rowland is devoted to giving her readers fast-paced, high-stakes suspense with an erotic love story sure to melt their hearts. Her latest release is Bittersweet Alliance.
Kathleen also has a steamy romantic suspense series with Tirgearr Publishing, Deadly Alliance is followed by Unholy Alliance. Keep an icy drink handy while reading these sizzling stories.
Kathleen used to write computer programs but now writes novels. She grew up in Iowa where she caught lightning bugs, ran barefoot, and raced her sailboat on Lake Okoboji. Now she wears flip-flops and sails with her husband, Gerry, on Newport Harbor but wishes there were lightning bugs in California.
Kathleen exists happily with her witty CPA husband, Gerry, in their 70’s poolside retreat in Southern California where she adores time spent with visiting grandchildren, dogs, one bunny, and noisy neighbors. While proud of their five children who’ve flown the coop, she appreciates the luxury of time to write.
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See Kathleen’s most recent books here: http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Rowland_Kathleen