I have two wonderful trips coming up, and I'm excited! In April, I'm headed to D.C.  for four days (unfortunately the Washington Monument is closed until 2019 so I'll miss out on that!), and in June, I'm going to Las Vegas for four days! If you've been reading my blog or website for any length of time, you probably already know that I have a goal to visit every one of our states. This year, I'll cross two more off the list as I've never been to D.C. or Nevada! 

I'll be taking a lot of pictures, and hopefully, get even more story ideas. Though these vacations will be short, I'm looking forward to packing in a lot of sightseeing and fun! If you live in the Las Vegas or D.C. area, I'd love to hear some of your can't be missed places!​

I just put the finishing touches on another novella set in one of my favorite time periods—1920s, and I wanted to share a glimpse with you that's taken from a little further inside the book. Hope you enjoy!

​The smoke hung low in the air, detracting from the already dim lighting.  Grace made her way around behind the bar, pausing to talk to the regulars and even accepting a kiss on the cheek from Arnie, a half-cut old man with a stupid grin and a glass of gin in his hand.

“Ya done a good thing here, Grace Lawrence,” he slurred.

She picked up a damp rag and began wiping the counter while she flicked glances toward the secured door.  Though she’d have plenty of warning should a raid befall her bar, the mere thought of the bulls overtaking the place was enough to shake her out of any complacency.  She liked to be on top of things, and running into the police officer last night had left her more than a little uneasy. 

It shouldn’t bother her. He couldn’t know her nor could he have any knowledge of what she’d really been doing the previous night.  On top of that, she’d never been arrested before, had never even set foot inside the police station so he’d have no reason to know her.

God willing, she intended to keep it that way. As long as she kept her nose clean in public, she had no reason to get nervous now. But she couldn’t stop thinking about the officer. She’d even dreamed about him, though, it hadn’t had anything to do with him catching her running the joint. Her cheeks ran hot at the memory.

One of the patrons clanged the keys on the upright piano in the corner of the bar, and while the bourbon and whiskey flowed interminably, Grace’s customers began to sing a rousing tune.  She leaned her elbows on the counter and smiled at them. 

Knowing she was breaking the law didn’t change her determination to keep her bar afloat.  And thanks to these good old guys, it looked like she’d be in business for a long, long time.  They didn’t seem to mind that a dame ran the place, as long as they got their drinks on time and had a safe place to enjoy them. 

“So, Grace.” Harriet McGrath sidled up to the bar next to Grace and nudged her with her elbow.  “I noticed Bill Sanders has been watching you all evening.  Why don’t you go lay one on his kisser?”

She pushed her friend aside then continued washing the counter.  “I’m not interested in romance right now.  In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a little busy.”

Harriet snickered.  “Who said anything about romance?  A little necking, maybe some petting, well, the last I heard, it hadn’t hurt a single soul.”

Getting dizzy with a fella wasn’t in Grace’s plans. Keeping Bennett out of the hospital and the dough coming in was. “Aren’t you worried about what could happen if we get caught?”  Although against her better judgment, Grace had allowed Harriet to talk her into a partnership once Grace had decided to open the bar.  While Harriet was one of Grace’s closest friends, she didn’t have a mind to keep secrets. But after a few months without a raid, Grace had allowed herself to get comfortable. Maybe a little too comfortable. 

I had to force myself to put this book down once I picked it up. I read it in three days, reading after midnight each night. It's a new adult novel which ordinarily doesn't attract me, but there was something about the back description that attracted me, and it ended up in my cart at Target. 

I don't know how many ways to say you will not regret buying this book. Walker and Didi seem like the most incompatible people on the planet, but the sparks say otherwise. He's a wounded soldier awash in guilt, and she's a therapist-in-training doing everything she can to stay professional with him. Their connection was combustible. And I looked forward to engaging with them every night. I've never read a book quite like this one before. It's told in alternating first points of view between Walker and Didi, which allows you to get into their heads and see their world through their eyes. There are no chapters, just changes of view, and the book almost forces you to keep reading because you have to know what she thinks about what he said and what he thinks about what she did. Truly engaging! 

I've never read a book by Mila Gray, but I'll be buying the first and the third book in this series. Warning: This book does contain language and sexual scenes (sensual not erotic).