Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for Jennifer Rebecca's Tuck Me In Tight, book 2 in the Claire Goodnite series! Today, on our tour stop, we have an exclusive excerpt AND tour-wide giveaway to share! So... Check it out and grab your copy now!!!
Genre:
New Adult/Adult
Romantic Suspense
Series:
Claire Goodnite, #2
Publish Date:
May 28, 2018
Cover Designed by:
Alyssa Garcia at Uplifting Designs
Synopsis:
George Washington Township, New Jersey has been relatively quiet ever since it was turned upside down following a high profile kidnapping. During the lull in excitement Detective Claire Goodnite has enjoyed being in the love bubble with the sexy SAIC Wesley O’Connell.
Never fully believing that she was capable of a committed relationship—with Wes or with anyone—leaves Claire feeling undeserving of the elusive happily ever after. She has never let herself enjoy what was within her grasp . . .
Until a string of murdered women dressed and posed like sleeping dolls shakes the very foundation of everything Claire thought she knew. Particularly when the only connection to be found between the three victims is the man who finally stole her heart for keeps, Wes.
But it’s like she always said, she’s bad at love.
*Excerpt*
It’s personal
This is going to be a long ass night.
“Show me the body.” I sigh.
“It’s right over here behind this dumpster.”
I follow Liam over to the alleyway behind the club and sure enough, there’s a dead girl back there. But that’s not what’s surprising.
The victim, who I would place at early to mid-thirties has blonde hair. Her eyes are closed and she’s laying on her left side on the asphalt. While all that may seem fairly normal for your everyday homicide, that’s where the “normal” ends.
Her eyes are closed and her hands are folded up in prayer under her cheek. At first glance you would think that she’s just sleeping and her clothing choice is . . . odd.
“Is that what she was wearing earlier?” I ask wondering what kind of freaky kink these assholes I work with are into. When no one answers I look up from the young woman next to the dumpster and at the men standing around me. “Well?”
“No,” Liam says after clearing his throat. “She dances here. Danced.”
“I’m going to need all of you to head inside the club. No one leaves,” I say after I sigh. Sometimes my job really sucks a monkey’s testicle.
“Claire . . .”
“Nope,” I say firmly. “I’ll be inside in just a second.” They all turn and tuck tail before heading back into the strip club like little boys who got a slap on the wrist from the school principal.
“Well it can’t be said you guys don’t know how to show a lady a good time,” Emma says as she snaps on a pair of latex gloves that one of the crime scene techs handed to her. Liam looks back at her over his shoulder and blanches. I just stare at her.
“Really, Em?”
“What? Too soon?” She shrugs.
“Of course it’s too soon!” I shout to the heavens as if Jesus and all the baby angels could help me. I start counting backwards from ten. I love Emma, but she’s a little bit of a loose cannon.
“I meant us, loser!” she shouts. “Like, you, me, and Anna. Not the dead stripper.”
“I could have a field day with all the shit you guys are slinging around tonight,” Anna chimes in. “I’m going to schedule you all for in depth appointments this coming week. We need to log some serious couch time.”
“Now will you look what you did?” I shout at Emma. She just shrugs in a so what fashion.
I sigh and roll my shoulders back. “What do you have for me, Emma?”
“Well, she looks to be about mid-thirties, blonde hair, could be bleached but it doesn’t look like it based on her roots. Victim appears to have been posed post-mortem,” Emma shares.
“No immediate evidence on scene that suggests the victim was murdered here,” one of the crime scene techs chimes in.
“I agree,” Emma says. “There is bruising present at the back of the victim's shoulders that suggests the blood stopped pumping as she laid on her back, not her side. I won’t know cause of death until I get her on my table, but there is also evidence of bruising on her neck.”
“Strangulation?” I ask.
“On first look? Most likely,” Emma agrees.
“That’s messy,” I mumble.
“Not messy,” she corrects. “It’s personal.”
I stand there watching Emma as the crime scene techs comb the area for any evidence to the crime. Why was this woman murdered? Who would want to strangle her? I watch as Emma gently pulls the victim’s lower lid down.
“Now that’s interesting,” she says softly.
“What?”
“She has violet eyes.”
“And?” I ask.
“There’s no contact lenses in her eyes. The color is natural.”
“Okay,” I hedge not sure what she’s trying to say. I hope she just spits it out already. “What’s so interesting about a woman with natural eye color?”
“It’s not that she chooses to showcase her natural eye color that’s interesting so much as the color itself,” Emma explains. “I have never seen that natural color on anyone other than your dad, Liam . . . and you.”
“Show me the body.” I sigh.
“It’s right over here behind this dumpster.”
I follow Liam over to the alleyway behind the club and sure enough, there’s a dead girl back there. But that’s not what’s surprising.
The victim, who I would place at early to mid-thirties has blonde hair. Her eyes are closed and she’s laying on her left side on the asphalt. While all that may seem fairly normal for your everyday homicide, that’s where the “normal” ends.
Her eyes are closed and her hands are folded up in prayer under her cheek. At first glance you would think that she’s just sleeping and her clothing choice is . . . odd.
“Is that what she was wearing earlier?” I ask wondering what kind of freaky kink these assholes I work with are into. When no one answers I look up from the young woman next to the dumpster and at the men standing around me. “Well?”
“No,” Liam says after clearing his throat. “She dances here. Danced.”
“I’m going to need all of you to head inside the club. No one leaves,” I say after I sigh. Sometimes my job really sucks a monkey’s testicle.
“Claire . . .”
“Nope,” I say firmly. “I’ll be inside in just a second.” They all turn and tuck tail before heading back into the strip club like little boys who got a slap on the wrist from the school principal.
“Well it can’t be said you guys don’t know how to show a lady a good time,” Emma says as she snaps on a pair of latex gloves that one of the crime scene techs handed to her. Liam looks back at her over his shoulder and blanches. I just stare at her.
“Really, Em?”
“What? Too soon?” She shrugs.
“Of course it’s too soon!” I shout to the heavens as if Jesus and all the baby angels could help me. I start counting backwards from ten. I love Emma, but she’s a little bit of a loose cannon.
“I meant us, loser!” she shouts. “Like, you, me, and Anna. Not the dead stripper.”
“I could have a field day with all the shit you guys are slinging around tonight,” Anna chimes in. “I’m going to schedule you all for in depth appointments this coming week. We need to log some serious couch time.”
“Now will you look what you did?” I shout at Emma. She just shrugs in a so what fashion.
I sigh and roll my shoulders back. “What do you have for me, Emma?”
“Well, she looks to be about mid-thirties, blonde hair, could be bleached but it doesn’t look like it based on her roots. Victim appears to have been posed post-mortem,” Emma shares.
“No immediate evidence on scene that suggests the victim was murdered here,” one of the crime scene techs chimes in.
“I agree,” Emma says. “There is bruising present at the back of the victim's shoulders that suggests the blood stopped pumping as she laid on her back, not her side. I won’t know cause of death until I get her on my table, but there is also evidence of bruising on her neck.”
“Strangulation?” I ask.
“On first look? Most likely,” Emma agrees.
“That’s messy,” I mumble.
“Not messy,” she corrects. “It’s personal.”
I stand there watching Emma as the crime scene techs comb the area for any evidence to the crime. Why was this woman murdered? Who would want to strangle her? I watch as Emma gently pulls the victim’s lower lid down.
“Now that’s interesting,” she says softly.
“What?”
“She has violet eyes.”
“And?” I ask.
“There’s no contact lenses in her eyes. The color is natural.”
“Okay,” I hedge not sure what she’s trying to say. I hope she just spits it out already. “What’s so interesting about a woman with natural eye color?”
“It’s not that she chooses to showcase her natural eye color that’s interesting so much as the color itself,” Emma explains. “I have never seen that natural color on anyone other than your dad, Liam . . . and you.”
~~~
Start the Claire Goodnite series with book 1, Tell Me A Story...
(cover links to Goodreads)
~~~~~
**About the Author**
Jennifer Rebecca is a thirty something lover of words, all words: the written, the spoken, the sung (even poorly), the sweet, the funny, and even the four letter variety. She is a native of San Diego, California where she grew up reading the Brownings and Rebecca with her mother and Clifford and the Dog who Glowed in the Dark with her dad, much to her mother’s dismay.
Jennifer is a graduate of California State University San Marcos where she studied Criminology and Justice Studies. She is also an Alpha Xi Delta.
10 years ago, she was swept off her feet by her very own sailor. Today, they are happily married and the parents of a 8 year old and 6 year old twins. She can often be found in East Texas on the soccer fields, drawing with her children, or reading. Jennifer is convinced that if she puts her fitbit on one of the dogs, she might finally make her step goals. She loves a great romance, an alpha hero, and lots and lots of laughter.
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