Release Blitz: Stoker & Bash #2: The Fruit of the Poisonous Tree by Selina Kray (Excerpt+Giveaway)

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 100,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Tiferet Design

Stoker & Bash Series

Book #1 - The Fangs Of Scavo - Amazon US | Amazon UK

Blurb

When will She open Rebecca Northcote’s box?

Finding lost poodles and retrieving stolen baubles is not how DI Tim Stoker envisioned his partnership with his lover, Hieronymus Bash. So when the police commissioner's son goes missing, he's determined to help, no matter what secrets he has to keep, or from whom.

When a family member is kidnapped, Hiero moves heaven and earth to rescue them. Even if that means infiltrating the Daughters of Eden, a cult of wealthy widows devoted to the teachings of Rebecca Northcote and the mysterious contents of her box. The Daughters' goodwill toward London's fallen women has given them a saintly reputation, but Hiero has a nose for sniffing out a fraud. He will need to draw on some divine inspiration to rattle the pious Daughters.

Like weeds gnarling the roots of Eden's fabled tree, Tim and Hiero's cases intertwine. Serpents, secrets, and echoes from Hiero's past lurk behind every branch. Giving in to temptation could bind them closer together—or sever their partnership forever. 

Release Blitz ~ In Wild Lemon Groves by Selina Kray (Excerpt + Giveaway)

Universal Buy Link: books2read.com/WildLemonGroves

Length: 55,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Tiferet Design

Blurb

A telltale knock on a quiet winter night is a sound no husband wants to hear.

Sébastien Osaki has spent the past three years surviving the loss of his beloved Henry. When Seb lands in Amalfi, Italy, for their would-have-been tenth-anniversary trip, he’s haunted by the memory of the man he loved. Following Henry’s notebook leads him to some breathtaking coastal views but also right back to his despair. Seb’s there to get his groove back, not let the past wrong-foot him at every turn.

Enter Andrea Sorrentino, chauffeur, part-time pet whisperer, a Bernini statue in a soccer tee and tight shorts. From the moment Andrea picks Seb up from the airport, he knows just how to soothe Seb’s case of the sulks. But Seb isn’t sure he’s ready for Mr. Right Now, let alone a potential Mr. Right, in a part of the world where all roads lead back to Henry.

Can sun, sea, and eating your weight in pasta mend a tragedy-stricken heart? Will wine-soaked Amalfi nights and long walks through lemon groves work their magic on Seb’s wounded soul? Or will he slink back into the shell of his grief once his grand Italian adventure is over?

Blog Tour ~ Stoker & Bash: The Fangs of Scavo by Selina Kray (Guest Post, Review + Giveaway)

Blog Tour ~ Stoker & Bash: The Fangs of Scavo by Selina Kray (Guest Post, Review + Giveaway)

Hi, romance lovers! I'm Selina Kray, and this is the latest stop on the Stoker & Bash blog tour. A huge thank you to the lovely people at Bayou Book Junkie for hosting me today. I thought I'd talk a little bit about some of the inspiration for Stoker & Bash: The Fangs of Scavo, namely the detective duo.

Holmes and Watson. Poirot and Hastings. Adrien and Jake. Bryant and May. Whyborne and Griffin. We mystery buffs love our detective duos, and it's not hard to see why. As the Doublemint gum jingle goes, "Double the pleasure, double the fun!"

Putting on my writer's cap for a moment, one of the best pieces of writing advice I ever got was to give my hero a foil. The foil can be a villain or a friend or a love interest. The important thing is that their personality contrasts with that of the lead detective. Someone for them to banter with, bounce ideas off of. Someone to call them on their nonsense. Someone to rescue in a feat of derring do, or to be rescued by. This is particularly effective in a mystery novel, since there are so many clues and theories of the crime to be discussed. It's especially good in a mystery romance, where chemistry is everything.

While the lone wolf detective is also a classic of the genre, those stories tend to be bleaker, more tragic, exploring darker themes like revenge. But if you're looking to inject a little chaos into your narrative—not to mention a one-way ticket to character development—a detective duo, if not an entire team, is the way to go. And probably why both members of a given pair are equally beloved. For who is Sherlock Holmes without John Watson's humanizing influence?

In Stoker & Bash: The Fangs of Scavo, DI Tim Stoker is initially sent to investigate London's newest consulting detective, Hieronymus Bash. After a string of lucrative solves that embarrassed the detectives at Scotland Yard, i.e. the professionals, Stoker is sent undercover to find out whether Bash is indeed who he claims to be. And gets a lot more than he bargained for when sparks fly between them.

Falling for the man he's supposed to be discrediting could spell the end of Tim's career. Or the beginning of a partnership for the ages...