{"id":232202,"date":"2025-05-09T06:32:54","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T06:32:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/entertainment\/books\/cby-book-club-book-blitz-giveaway-34\/"},"modified":"2025-05-09T06:32:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T06:32:54","slug":"cby-book-club-book-blitz-giveaway-34","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=232202","title":{"rendered":"CBY Book Club: Book Blitz & Giveaway"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Intimate Secret<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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(Empire Blue, #6)<\/b><\/p>\n

Author: <\/strong>D.C. Stone<\/p>\n

Publication Date:<\/b> April 17th, 2025<\/p>\n

Genre: <\/b>Adult Contemporary Romance \/ Suspense<\/p>\n

Book Description:<\/b><\/p>\n

A murder was captured on satellite and multiple law enforcement agencies are trying to solve it. One of the detectives on the case, Jake Gonzalez, is led right to the front door of a local author, Francesca Conti. Sparks fly as Jake realizes he\u2019s insanely attracted to his primary suspect, and her father is one of the most ruthless mafia bosses in the city, and someone he\u2019s been investigating for years.<\/p>\n

Francesca wants to escape this life her father has set for her and has been putting money away, looking for her opportunity to disappear. And much to her dismay, lately her father has been pushing her toward marrying his right-hand man, someone no woman has ever been able to say no to.<\/p>\n

Just when she thinks she\u2019s getting closer to escaping, Detective Gonzalez lands on her doorstep asking alarming questions, and making her heart race unlike ever before.<\/p>\n

Buy Links:<\/b><\/p>\n

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EXCERPT:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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There\u2019s only so many times one could say they\u2019d been shot by the woman they loved.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jake stared at Francesca\u2019s shaking hands wrapped around the butt<\/span><\/p>\n

of a SIG .229. She held the gun with as much confidence as one would<\/span><\/p>\n

expect with someone who had little to no experience with such a<\/span><\/p>\n

weapon. Like a toddler taking their first wobbling, unsteady steps. Or<\/span><\/p>\n

a young child holding a chicken\u2019s egg for the first time and being told<\/span><\/p>\n

they could break it if they weren\u2019t careful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Under the full moon, silver tears trickled down her face. A moderate<\/span><\/p>\n

wind teased at hair that had escaped the messy bun held low at the back<\/span><\/p>\n

of her head. Russet tendrils brushed along her neck and cheeks like<\/span><\/p>\n

phantom fingers. She ignored those things. But he saw it all, as if the<\/span><\/p>\n

world moved in slow motion, tracking the shifting of her eyes and<\/span><\/p>\n

hands from one person to another. Saw the way her finger tightened<\/span><\/p>\n

ever so slightly over the trigger.<\/span><\/p>\n

The safety was off, so if she applied a touch of pressure to that metal<\/span><\/p>\n

hook, approximately ten pounds for the first shot to go off, the gun<\/span><\/p>\n

would fire the bullet waiting within.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrankie,\u201d he called in a soothing yet firm voice, using the<\/span><\/p>\n

nickname he\u2019d started saying a few nights ago. One he\u2019d discovered<\/span><\/p>\n

she liked when he whispered it in her ear as he sank slowly inside the<\/span><\/p>\n

heat between her legs. Her attention shifted to him for only a fraction of a second before<\/span><\/p>\n

she refocused on Dante, her father\u2019s right-hand man. A man many did<\/span><\/p>\n

not want to fuck with. One who\u2019d killed his fair share of folks both in<\/span><\/p>\n

and out of the city. A man who was known to be one of the most ruthless<\/span><\/p>\n

enforcers around. Dante did things in the most violent way to set<\/span><\/p>\n

examples or make a point. It was the only way he communicated. And<\/span><\/p>\n

it was the way he got into the position he did, leading one of the most<\/span><\/p>\n

ruthless organizations in New York City.<\/span><\/p>\n

And lucky, lucky Jake was currently in a three-way face-off, like<\/span><\/p>\n

something from the Wild Wild West, with a woman he loved and a man<\/span><\/p>\n

he\u2019d been hunting for years.<\/span><\/p>\n

And as if his luck couldn\u2019t get any worse, the two had a serious<\/span><\/p>\n

history he hadn\u2019t been able to wrap his mind completely around.<\/span><\/p>\n

He quickly glanced around, wishing for that backup he\u2019d called for<\/span><\/p>\n

about ten minutes ago to show up. But with how deep they were in<\/span><\/p>\n

Central Park, that wish would never come to fruition in time. The dull<\/span><\/p>\n

light coming off the yellow haze of a streetlamp reflected dark shadows<\/span><\/p>\n

of trees in the standing puddles leftover from the rainstorm earlier. The<\/span><\/p>\n

only sound outside the passing cars on the streets lining the park and<\/span><\/p>\n

Frankie\u2019s harsh breathing was that of leaves hitting the ground, the<\/span><\/p>\n

season of fall in full swing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrankie, listen to me,\u201d he tried again, his chest growing tight with<\/span><\/p>\n

unease. \u201cPut the gun down. Let\u2019s talk about this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to be a woman you love,\u201d she said, lips trembling.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her arms shook with either fear or adrenaline, both equally dangerous<\/span><\/p>\n

when holding a weapon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jake Gonzalez\u2019s heart clenched at the words, but he pushed them<\/span><\/p>\n

away. He had to stay focused, had to sort through this mess and prevent<\/span><\/p>\n

any additional loss of life. As it was, there\u2019d already been too much.<\/span><\/p>\n

And if she pulled that trigger, there was nothing he could do. He<\/span><\/p>\n

wouldn\u2019t be able to protect her. As frustrating as it was, he had an oath<\/span><\/p>\n

to uphold. Even against a woman he loved.<\/span><\/p>\n

Francesca Conti looked broken, disheveled, and cornered. The first<\/span><\/p>\n

two had him angry and concerned. The last\u2026frightened.<\/span><\/p>\n

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About the Author:<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n

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D.C. \u201cDesi\u201d Stone is a best-selling romance author and full-time fraud investigator. She lives in the northeast with her incredibly supporting husband, two kids, a cat, and the ever-growing family of dogs.<\/p>\n

After serving eight years of service with the United States Air Force, she went on to transition into the world of financial crimes and became a lead investigator for many years.<\/p>\n

Reading has always been a passion of hers, getting lost in a good, steamy romance is one of her favorite past times. She soon after discovered her own love for writing and recreating stories and characters in her head. Her writing concentrates on romantic with specifics in paranormal, suspense, and erotica.<\/p>\n

Now, when she isn\u2019t trying to solve a new puzzle in the world of fraud, she is engulfed with coffee, her laptop, and all those crazy characters in her head. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, Hudson Valley Romance Writers, New Jersey Romance Writers, RomVets, RWA Kiss of Death, and the Liberty State Fiction Writers. She served as the 2014 NJRW Vice President and Conference Chair. Come stop by on Facebook, Twitter, or her website and say hello!<\/p>\n

Author Links:<\/b><\/p>\n

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***GIVEAWAY***<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

a Rafflecopter giveaway<\/a><\/p>\n

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