Revenge as a Heroic Goal

By: Natalie J. Damschroder

Congratulations to "Rachel B", the winner of Natalie's giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!

My latest romantic suspense release, A Kiss of Revenge, is about a woman who has reached the end of the line. She’s had enough taken away from her, and she’s determined not to let the guy who orchestrated her plane crash get away with attempted murder.

Revenge is a tricky goal. I’m a fan of the TV show by that name, and they struggle to keep Emily Thorne sympathetic. Her need to punish the people who took her father and ruined her life can damage the relationships she’s currently building, and we the audience can be torn. We want her to get even, but we don’t want her to hurt anyone else.

Reese Templeton, my heroine in A Kiss of Revenge, rides a similar line. She’d spent too many years subjugating her needs to someone else, and she was finally in a place she thought was healthy and happy when it got stripped away from her. Betrayal was a big component, leaving her unable to trust herself or her judgment. But she’ll stop at nothing until the man responsible for her world’s destruction pays.

A couple of times along the way, Reese starts to question whether she should continue her quest. Maybe closure isn’t possible, or necessary. Can she live a quiet life in a small town, running a bakery, making friends, knowing the man is still out there?

Unfortunately, she doesn’t get to make that choice. She becomes a greater threat to her enemy, and he takes the fight to her. There’s only one option left, but taking that final, irrevocable step could cost her the one man whose love is true.

Below is information about A Kiss of Revenge. In honor of the upcoming Christmas holiday, 

A Kiss of Revenge

Entangled Publishing November 2013

Marriage is completely over-rated, especially after Reese Templeton’s quadratic failure. She’d rather settle down to a solitary life of owning a bakery—after she tracks down the man responsible for her husband’s death and making her a human tazer full of enough electricity to short out a city block or send a man into cardiac arrest with just one kiss.

But the alluring P.I. Griffin Chase is stirring up those feelings of need again. Only this time, her desire to be in his arms has nothing to do with her fear of loneliness and everything to do with the current charging through her body every time he looks at her…touches her.

Griffin hasn’t remained at Reese’s side just because of the spark that has nothing to do with her super-human talents. He’s willing to compromise his rock-solid principles so she can find closure. But before they can move on, he must help her catch her late husband’s killer, staying on track before she has a chance to exact her revenge. Because leading Reese to jail in handcuffs may just break his heart for the final time.

Excerpt:

Griff smiled, and Reese’s stomach did a whole flippin’ somersault.

“I had meetings at the office in Boston and was headed back to DC. I thought I’d stop in and see how you’re doing.”

She grabbed a towel to wipe off her ice-cream-sticky hands. “Crestview is not on the way to DC from Boston.”

He shrugged and pointed at the butter croissants in the bakery display case. “Close enough.”

With a pair of tongs, she selected the biggest croissant and put it on a plate. “Coffee?”

“Of course.” He leaned against the counter and folded his arms. “You have anything for me to check out?”

She shook her head. “Not at the moment.”

“What about him?” He jerked his head toward the sidewalk outside, where Andrew Laine stood talking to the couple who owned the hardware store. “He giving you any trouble?”

“Not anymore. I told him I was married.”

She cursed herself as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Griff’s gray-blue eyes darkened, his rock-solid chin tightening. He’d obviously meant “trouble” because of Reese breaking the law, not because the chief of police had asked her out.

“You’re not thinking—”

“No!” She grabbed the towel again and swept it over the few crumbs and coffee drips on the counter, scrubbing vigorously at one dried spot. “I didn’t want to shove him too far away, that’s all. As long as he had an interest, I could keep track of what he knew.” Even if it kept her on edge and fried her equipment. “Anyway, he knows now. It’s fine. You don’t have to worry.”

“You pay me to worry.”

That wasn’t strictly true. Griff was co-owner of a multi-city private detective firm. He ran Chase Investigations in Washington, DC, where Reese had lived before the plane crash. Reese had hired him to help her track down clues about whoever had tried to kill her. But they’d become friends. He’d helped her through physical therapy, been a sounding board while she dealt with her new reality, and was the only person on earth who knew what that lightning strike had done to her body.

“I’m paying you to do research,” she reminded him. “You choose to worry.”

Giveaway:

I’m giving away a copy of my Christmas novella, If You Believe in Me, to one random commenter.

Natalie J. Damschroder Bio: 

Natalie J. Damschroder is an award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance—Love with a Shot of Adrenaline. She sold her first book in 1999, and 2014 will see the publication of her 15th novel. She grew up in Massachusetts and loves the New England Patriots more than anything. (Except her family. And writing and reading. And popcorn.) When she's not writing, revising, proofreading, or promoting her work, she does freelance editing and works part time as a chiropractic assistant. She and her husband have two daughters she's dubbed "the anti-teenagers," one of whom is also a novelist. (The other one prefers math. Smart kid. Practical.) You can learn more about her and her books at www.nataliedamschroder.com.

 

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Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST Dec. 8th. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@JustRomanticSuspense.com with a subject title of JRS GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway.