Title:
The Darkest Frost, Vol 1 of a 2-part
serial (TDF, #1)
Author:
Tanya Holmes
Genre:
A Gothic paranormal romance with a
twist.
Release
Date: June 22, 2015
Blurb
When the ghost of her best friend begs for her help,
psychic detective Denieve Knight goes undercover as a live-in domestic to
catch a killer. She sets her
sights on the most likely suspect: her friend’s mysterious employer, Doctor
Braeden Frost.
Dubbed "Dr. Death" by the press, the
notorious hematologist is linked to nineteen other suspicious fatalities—all
are former patients. The brooding recluse is a man of many secrets, the darkest
of which may be lurking beneath the leather gloves he never
removes.
Excerpt
THE DARKEST FROST,
Volume 1 of a 2-part serial, © Tanya
Holmes
Fear all but crippled me as I listened to the wind beating
the treetops. Listened to the creaks and groans of the house. Took some effort,
but I got up and inched my way to the door with legs as steady as rubber bands.
I yanked it open only to find the hallway empty except for a fiery trail of
footprints. Strangely, the carpet didn’t burn.
Were I not buck naked, I would’ve followed right then.
Instead, I backed into my room, fully intending to throw something on. But twin
headlights skipped along the wall through a crack in the drapes. I shut the
door and edged over to the window to brush the heavy curtains back. High beams
sliced into the darkness as a vehicle cruised up the hill, breaking free of the
wispy fog.
A gunmetal-gray Jaguar taxied into the courtyard and pulled
in beside my late-model Chevy. My adrenaline spiked as soon as the headlights
doused. Moments later, Dr. Braeden Frost climbed from the car and slung a gray
satchel over his shoulder. It appeared to be a medical bag. He was dressed in
dark clothes—leather coat, pants, boots, and gloves. Even his silky hair was
black. He would’ve melted into the night if not for the security lights
flooding the grounds and the white aura framing his body.
I’d witnessed a similar illumination on others in his
profession. Doctors. Nurses. Orderlies. Most everyone in health care. I’d seen
the glow on cops and morticians too. In fact, all who came in direct contact
with the dead and dying had it. Still, on Frost the neon radiance was
chilling.
The wind rushed past him, sending the tail of his trench coat
dancing on a breeze. Then as if he sensed my presence, his gaze shot to my
window. Our eyes locked. His narrowed and I froze. Unable to move, unable to
breathe, I stood rooted in place like a petrified tree. The man gave the word
“presence” new meaning. He had a stillness about him, an eerie calm that
chilled my blood. I was surprised yet intrigued. Intimidated yet inexplicably
drawn to him.
An eternity passed before I found the will to duck away. I
plastered my back against the wall, my gaze doing a mad search around the
ruined room for something to put on. A light
breeze hissed outside, but still I didn’t hear him move. Finally, a trunk
opened and slammed shut. Next came the slow but steady sound of footsteps
crunching gravel as he trudged around the left side of the house.
Downstairs a door wailed open. Floorboards creaked, then a
stair, followed by another. I dashed around like a headless chicken, tearing
through my clothes, desperate to find something—anything—to
throw on. But then the footsteps stopped just outside my bedroom and a menacing
shadow crept beneath the door.
The lock. I’d forgotten to click it.
I stood motionless in the center of the room, my gaze latched
on the knob, my blood pulsing in a crazy rhythm. I was still frazzled from
Caryn’s appearance, and all I kept thinking was, please,
please, please don’t
let him come in here with me naked as the day I was born, and the room a
complete mess.
Seconds passed, and still the shadow remained. Lurking,
looming, waiting.
Normally, I had to be in the same room with people to read
their emotions, but only five feet separated us, and a strong odor of
sulfur—anger—wafted in from the hallway. No mistaking the owner. The essence
belonged to him. The smell ebbed, replaced by a hint of saltwater and allspice.
The former scent was fear, the latter smacked of uncertainty. So Frost was
angry, afraid, and confused by my presence. The realization made my heart go
from thumping to pounding.
Seemed like hours before his shadow finally retreated. The
creaking staircase should have calmed me, but I was still unnerved. I slammed
my lids shut and listened to his footsteps and the jingle of keys, followed by
a door groaning open. When it shut soundly moments later, I collapsed on the
bed, landing in a wet heap.
What the heck had I gotten myself into?
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Today!
About
the Author
Amazon Bestselling Author Tanya Holmes is a Golden Leaf
double-finalist, a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart finalist, a
recipient of the Maggie Award, the MICA Award, as well as Overall Winner of the
Sandy Haddad Award and a two-time finalist and one-time winner of The Emily
(Best of the Best). She's happily married with children and loves reading,
writing and a good cup of coffee---but not necessarily in that order. She has
two novels coming out in 2015: The Darkest Frost, a two-part Gothic paranormal
serial romance with a twist, and in 2016, Temptation's Edge, a contemporary
romance.
Connect
with Tanya
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