Fatal Series 00 - Fatal Destiny

 
    Dear Reader,
    What do you get when you cross summer with lots of beach time, and long hours of traveling? An executive editor who’s too busy to write the Dear Reader letter, but has time for reading. I find both the beach and the plane are excellent places to read, and thanks to plenty of time spent on both this summer (I went to Australia! And New Zealand!) I’m able to tell you with confidence: our fall lineup of books is outstanding.
    We kick off the fall season with seven romantic suspense titles, during our Romantic Suspense celebration week the first week of September. We’re pleased to offer novella Fatal Destiny by Marie Force as a free download to get you started with the romantic suspense offerings. Also in September, fans of Eleri Stone’s sexy, hot paranormal romance debut novel, Mercy, can look forward to her follow-up story, Redemption, set in the same world of the Lost City Shifters.
    Looking to dive into a new erotic romance? We have a sizzling trilogy for you. In October, look for Christine D’Abo’s Long Shot trilogy featuring three siblings who share ownership of a coffee shop, and each of whom discover steamy passion within the walls of a local sex club. Christine’s trilogy kicks off with Double Shot.
    In addition to a variety of frontlist titles in historical, paranormal, contemporary, steampunk and erotic romance, we’re also pleased to present two authors releasing backlist titles with us. In October, we’ll re-release four science fiction romance titles from the backlist of CJ Barry, and in November four Western romance titles from the backlist of Susan Edwards.
    Also in November, we’re thrilled to offer our first two chick lit titles from three debut authors, Liar’s Guide to True Love by Wendy Chen and Unscripted by Natalie Aaron and Marla Schwartz. I hope you’ll check out these fun, sometimes laugh-out-loud novels.
    Whether you’re on the beach, on a plane, or sitting in your favorite recliner at home, Carina Press can offer you a diverting read to take you away on your next great adventure this fall!
    We love to hear from readers, and you can email us your thoughts, comments and questions to [email protected]. You can also interact with Carina Press staff and authors on our blog, Twitter stream and Facebook fan page.
    Happy reading!
    ~Angela James
    Executive Editor, Carina Press
    www.carinapress.com
    www.twitter.com/carinapress
    www.facebook.com/carinapress

Dedication
    For Aly and Ronlyn, who planned such an incredible wedding, and all the friends who helped with the details.

 
    Sam Holland
    and
    Nick Cappuano
    request the honor of your presence
    as they exchange marriage vows and begin their life together.
    Saturday, the twenty-sixth day of March
    Two thousand eleven
    at four o’clock in the afternoon
    St. John’s Church
    1525 H Street NW
    Washington, D.C.
    Reception immediately following
    The Hay-Adams
    16th & H Streets

Chapter 1
    Nick stood before the window, looking out over Ninth Street as rain mixed with snow to create a slushy mess on the pavement. The city had been buzzing all day about the late wintry blast and the impact it might have on Washington’s fabled cherry blossoms, which were due to bloom any day now.
    Hands in pockets, Nick stared intently at the orange glow of the streetlights, not seeing any sign of Sam or her car. Any minute now , he thought. She’ll be home any minute .
    Behind him voices, laughter and the distinctive clink of ice meeting crystal echoed through the double-sized townhouse he shared with Sam. The “Jack and Jill” shower had been Shelby’s idea. The wedding planner Sam called Tinker Bell had suggested a gathering of their family, close friends and colleagues. Shelby had correctly assumed that Sam would prefer that over the more traditional all-female event. Nick had gone along with it because Sam had liked the idea. Whatever made her happy made him happy.
    But now she was late, and he was worried. Not that it was unusual for her to be late—the nature of her job as the lieutenant in charge of the city’s homicide detectives’ squad made her late more often than not. Since she wasn’t in the midst of a hot case at the moment, Nick had expected her home more than an hour ago. Now here it was fifteen minutes after the party started with no sign of her, and her phone had gone straight to voicemail.
    His gut twisted with unease. Ever since her ex-husband had been released from jail on a technicality, Nick