Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Paige Tyler to HJ!
Hi Paige and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Wolf Revealed!
Thanks for having me! HJ has been along for the ride for all sixteen of the previous books in the SWAT Series, so it’s really special that we get to close out the series with you. HJ has always felt like a welcoming friend to hang out with and talk books.
Please summarize the book for the readers here:
Before he was a werewolf or on the Dallas SWAT Team, Mike Taylor was an undercover cop deep in the criminal organization run by the ruthless Cassius Roman. It was a soul-scorching few years, waking every day wondering if it would be his last, that his cover would be blown and he’d be dead.
But sometimes in the darkest of moments, a little light can be found, and Lark Hayes, a woman with of secrets of her own, was that bright spot for him. Against all expectations, in the middle of all the craziness, the two of them fell in love, stealing private moments whenever they could while looking over their shoulders to make sure Roman never learned of the relationship. That didn’t stop Mike and Lark from having a child. Everything was perfect until in the heat and blast of an explosion, it was all gone and Roman had taken everything away from Mike.
Life went on. Things happened. And Mike became a werewolf, joining the SWAT team, and becoming part of a family again. The other werewolves in the Pack had already found their soul mates, The One who would accept them for who and what they really were. But Mike knew he wouldn’t because Lark and been his soul mate and he’d lost her.
Then Roman shows back up in Dallas and people from the original undercover taskforce who tried to take him down started turning up dead. And right in the middle of all of that, Lark walks back into his life. She’s alive. And so is their son.
Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:
This is that proverbial grenade thrown in the middle of the room in the first chapter, just to get the ball rolling.
“Um, there’s a woman standing outside the crime scene tape who insists she needs to talk to you,” Xander said.
Mike frowned. “Who is she?”
“She says she’s your fiancée.”
Please share a few Fun facts about this book…
- Whenever you read blogs about our books, you likely notice that the terms “we” and “ours” frequently used. That’s because Paige Tyler is a two-person writing team. Hubby and I have been sharing this ride right from the beginning!
- The first book in the SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team Series —Hungry Like the Wolf —was published in 2015. There were originally supposed to be sixteen books, one for each of the original members of the SWAT team. But then we met and became friends with Rachel Rivers, another author on the book conference trail, who also happens to be a cop, so we added another book to the series, making her a SWAT werewolf! If you’ve ever met Rachel, you know she’s the perfect namesake! Now, with Wolf Revealed releasing soon, we’ve finally reached Book 17, the series finale!
- When we published that first book, we were relatively new to the New York publishing game. There was a general idea in our heads that we’d be done with the whole series in several years. Then the real world of publishing timelines intruded and editing, contract negotiations, pandemic delays all came together to drag out the series for a dozen years.
- You’ll also notice that each of the books in the SWAT series has “Wolf” in the title. Coming up with seventeen titles with “Wolf” in them was tricky for sure! There were points when the publisher wanted to have a dozen or more options from us for each book. That’s tougher than it sounds without getting comical or repetitive. Then there were the near disaster names that almost made it on the cover. Wolf’s Duty, anyone? So, yeah.
- We maintained a timeline for the series so we’d know generally when each book took place to help get the weather right and cover holidays and important dates. Following that timeline, Book 1 took place in August of year 1 and Book 17 takes place in December of year 3. So, the whole series wrapped up in about 28 months for the characters. In real time, it was more than 144 months. To put that in perspective of something other than time, we went through about eight laptops collectively in that period. Yes, we’re hard on those poor things!
- Back to Wolf Revealed! The book was about done nearly two years ago. But at the last minute, we decided we simply didn’t like the story. It didn’t resonate with us, especially not in the way the final book in the series should. So, we took the big step of completely scrapping that book and started from scratch. It was a hard decision to make, but now, we’re glad we did. This version is so much more in line with our vision for Mike’s story.
What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?
When Mike and Lark first met, they were both kind of lost, each of them searching for something different. Mike had been undercover for so long, he wasn’t sure who he was anymore. But Lark saw him for him. As for Lark, she was on a journey and trying to find something missing in her life even though she had no idea what it might be. And Mike was that something.
When they first met, the connection was immediate, but at the same time, it was also complicated for reasons you’ll discover when you read the book.
Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?
This is the first time in the story that Mike gets to see his son. The son he’d thought was dead. It’s simply a heartwarming scene that makes me smile.
Mike gazed down at their son to see Kal regarding him with an expression that could only be described as awe-filled.
“Dad, is that really you?”
Mike smiled. “It’s really me.”
Kal grinned and hurried over to wrap his arms around Mike, holding onto him tightly. Mike hugged him back while Lark looked on, her eyes wet with what definitely looked to be happy tears. And the sensation Mike felt in his chest at that moment was quite possibly the most amazing thing he’d ever experienced.
Readers should read this book….
Readers who enjoy action, suspense, and a touch of steam with their romance will love this book. If you’re already a long-time reader of the series, Wolf Revealed will have you smiling with happiness to finally see the last member of the SWAT Team find The One for him. If you’re a new reader, you’ll be able to pick right up with the story in this book and be eager to read the rest of the series.
What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?
Right now, we’re working on the next book in our cozy mystery, Pupcakes and Peril Series. At the same time, we’re also working on a brand-new series that’s a spin-off of both the SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team and SEALs of Coronado Series. We’re so excited about it and know you will be, too! You can also look for the next book in the SEALs of Coronado Series coming soon! And more cozies, too!
Thanks for blogging at HJ!
Thanks for having us! It’s been a pleasure and look forward to coming back to talk about future books!
Giveaway: We’re giving away eight copies of Wolf Revealed in eBook, so all you need is comment below to enter!
To enter Giveaway, please share this post on your Socials and Leave a comment below to this Q: What are your thoughts on second-chance romances? They’re a pretty common trope, but we really enjoyed playing with the theme in Wolf Revealed. Do you like them?
🎉 Giveaway Rules 🎉 ✨ Must be 18 years or older to enter. ✨ MUST leave a comment answering the giveaway question. ✨ Bonus Entry:Share this post on your social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and drop a comment below letting me know you've shared it. ✨ Winner(s) will be selected at random. ✨ No purchase necessary—just enter and cross your fingers! ✨ If you win, I'll need your full name and mailing address to send your prize. This information will be shared with the author, publisher, or publicist solely for prize fulfillment purposes. ✨ Giveaway closes 3 days from the date this post is published.
Excerpt from Wolf Revealed:
This scene is when Mike and Lark see each other for the first time since she left a decade ago.
“This isn’t the way I imagined things going,” Lark Hayes murmured to herself as she stood outside the crime scene tape with the other looky-loos, waiting for the SWAT cop she’d spoken with to announce her presence to Mike. Like she was here to pick him up for the prom.
Though if she was being honest, she’d be the first to admit none of this was going according to plan. Because in the original plan, she was never supposed to be here. Hell, she was never supposed to see Mike again. Then, their son, Kal, had been kidnapped, and everything changed.
Lark had gotten to the warehouse right before Mike had walked up to the door to confront the bad guys. She’d been waiting for the right time to approach him since arriving in Dallas a few days ago, but never imagined that time would come now, at a crime scene following a shootout.
Then again, when was the best time to tell Mike the son he’d thought was dead was not only alive and well, but had been kidnapped, and that she needed his help to find Kal?Fear for their son and what might be happening to him gripped her, and she subconsciously played with the engagement ring encircling her finger. A beautiful round solitaire, with two smaller sparkling trillion-cut diamonds on either side, she hadn’t taken it off since Mike had asked her to marry him ten years ago. It was probably crazy, considering she’d assumed they’d never see each other again, but it hadn’t felt right to take it off.
Regardless of how Mike felt about her, she would always love him, and he would always be the father of her child. No matter how angry with her Mike was for leaving him—and he had every right to be furious—he would help her find their son. She knew it in her soul.
“I don’t know what your game is, lady,” a deep voice suddenly said from behind her, making her jump a little. “Because this isn’t funny at all…”
Mike’s voice trailed off as she turned around. All at once, the look on his handsome face went from annoyance and anger to shock and disbelief at the sight of her.
“Lark?” he asked hoarsely. “Is that really you?”
The anguish in his voice made her heart squeeze, and it was all she could do not to break through the crime scene tape and launch herself into his arms.
“Hi, Mike,” she said softly, not able to come up with anything more intelligent right then, even though she’d been rehearsing this moment since deciding to come back to Dallas.
Mike didn’t say anything, his expression going back and forth between confusion and utter devastation. It was agonizing to watch, and it was all her fault.
When Kal had first been kidnapped, her family had been afraid Mike had taken him. As much as she hadn’t wanted to believe Mike would ever do something like that, she knew a good portion of child abductions were custodial kidnappings. But after figuring out he had nothing to do with Kal’s kidnapping—much to her relief—she’d realized the only way to rescue their son was to ask Mike for help. Which had meant summoning her courage to face him again.
Now that she was standing in front of him, she was stunned to see how much he’d changed in the years since she’d left. Some things were the same, of course. Like his dark hair, warm brown eyes, and chiseled jaw. Not to mention the way he made her pulse race whenever he was near her. But whereas he used to be six-foot-tall and wiry, now, he was six-five if he was an inch and weighed at least two-hundred-and-thirty pounds, all of it lean, powerful muscle.
But as she stood this close to him for the first time in what felt like forever, Lark realized something else about him had changed, too.
His scent.
Cedar mixed with something masculine, almost animalistic, there was no other way to describe it as anything other than mouthwatering. Unable to help herself, she inhaled appreciatively. He’d always smelled good, but now that he was a werewolf, his scent was absolutely intoxicating.
Since Mike hadn’t been a werewolf when she’d left Dallas a decade ago, she couldn’t help wondering when—and how—he’d become one. Lark knew getting bitten by another werewolf wouldn’t do it, and she was only generally aware of how people who weren’t born werewolves ended up that way. All she knew for sure was that it involved a lot of pain. The mere thought of whatever traumatic thing had happened to Mike to turn him made her want to cry.
“We need to talk, Mike,” she added when he still didn’t say anything. “And out here on the sidewalk probably isn’t the best place to do it.”
The muscle in his jaw flexed before he gave her a curt nod. Reaching out, he held up the crime scene tape so she could duck underneath, then wordlessly led her to a nearby pack-and-ship store she assumed had been evacuated during the hostage situation at the warehouse. Packages sat on the counter, some half-taped, while one wall boasted shelves of packing supplies for sale along with a rack of greeting cards.
“I have so many questions for you that I don’t even know where to start,” Mike said the moment the door closed behind them.
She nodded. “I know. And you deserve answers.”
“Damn right I do,” he growled.
“And I’ll answer all of them,” Lark promised. “But first, I need to tell you why I’m here.”
“Because Roman kidnapped Kal?”
Her stomach lurched. “Roman is the one who kidnapped Kal?”
Back when they were together, Mike rarely talked about what he did while working undercover, but he’d mentioned Roman specifically, saying how dangerous the man was. Kal must be terrified.
“That’s what he told me when I saw him in that warehouse a few minutes ago,” Mike said. “I didn’t believe him because I didn’t think my son was still alive. How the hell did he find you when I didn’t even know the two of you were alive? Which begs the question, how did you and Kal survive that explosion? And where have you been for the past decade? While we’re at it, maybe you could explain why you smell like a werewolf.”
“That’s a lot of questions,” Lark said instead, taking a deep breath and trying to push her fear for Kal aside for the moment. “Which one would you like me to answer first?”
Mike crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Start at the beginning, and we’ll go from there.”
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Book Info:
He watched his family die…
Ten years ago, werewolf shifter Mike Taylor watched his home explode, killing his fiancée, Lark, and their infant son, Kal. Back then, Mike was undercover DEA, deeply infiltrated in the cartel. When his cover was blown, his family paid the price––or so he thought.
When SWAT is called to a hostage situation, Mike’s life goes sideways. Lark is back, desperate for help. Kal has been kidnapped by the very cartel that tried to kill them ten years ago. They think Mike has a sensitive flash drive and they want it back––or Kal dies. No mistakes this time. Mike and Lark have another chance at happiness, and working together to save their son shows them that their love––and their attraction––never faded.
Mike will risk everything to have his family back, but it will take the entire Pack to take down the cartel for good. And when a traitor is revealed, the precious time it costs the Pack could mean life or death.
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Meet the Author:
Paige Tyler is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and cozy mystery. She and her very own military hero (also known as her husband!) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their adorable fur baby (also known as their dog!).
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