VANISHED IN VENICE
Author: Stacey Joy
Netzel
Series: Italy
Intrigue Series #2
Release Date: May
19, 2015
~ SYNOPSIS ~
One year after being shot in Italy, Rachel
Sanders returns in search of the jeweled cross that triggered a heartbreaking
family betrayal. Determined to keep the treasure from her mother’s greedy
hands, she’s caught off guard by the interference of an irresistibly charming
rival. His unexpected offer to help might be self-serving, but she’s thrown
into a precarious situation where she can’t refuse...and finds she doesn’t want
to anyway.
Nick Marshall has a family legacy to recover and a
score to settle. Anyone with the last name Sanders is fair game—until he meets
Rachel. She’s gorgeous, smart, sexy, and doesn’t buy one word of his cover
story. When their attraction combusts, each kiss makes his deception burn like
acid, and he begins to question his end goal.
But they’re not the only ones after the
cross. Ruthless players willing to do anything to recover the treasure first
put Nick and Rachel’s lives at risk. Despite all the secrets and lies, lines
quickly blur between the con and the real deal. Can love survive a double-cross
when the mystery is unlocked?
~ PURCHASE LINKS ~
~ EXCERPT ~
Nick unsuccessfully fought a yawn and then rubbed his hand
over the scruff on his jaw as he watched the entryway of Rachel’s building from
his shaded vantage point across the street. After she’d bolted last night, he’d
started his search at the first bar closest to his rental. When he didn’t find
the two guys who’d broken in, he moved on to the next. And the next.
He’d half-expected them to stop at the first place along the
way to wherever they were going, but unfortunately, they proved to be smarter
than they’d sounded. Getting up to be at the train station for the first run at
five-thirty hadn’t paid off, either. He seriously hadn’t expected it to be so
hard to find a tall blond man with a shorter bald guy that early in the
morning.
Operating on three hours of sleep left him tired and cranky.
Even with his sunglasses on, the bright morning sunshine hurt his eyes. Every
blink felt like his eyelids were coated in sandpaper. He desperately needed
another shot of caffeine, but the way his luck was going, the moment he stepped
away from his lookout, the oldest Sanders sibling would slip right through his
fingers. Following her might give him something of use to put him back in the
game.
She finally made an appearance about twenty minutes after
nine, turning west as she exited the building. She strolled along the ancient
city streets as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Her hair glinted like
spun gold in the sun, swaying back and forth across her back in time with the
swish of a just above the knee peach colored dress.
He followed at a distance, wondering if he was making the
right move. His gaze lingered on those long legs, her toned calves enhanced by
another pair of heeled sandals.
Nope, no wondering about it. The fact he couldn’t forget the
feel of her body pressed against his in the darkened bedroom told him this plan
was definitely not his smartest move.
Unfortunately, with the letters lost, the sexy, leggy blond
was the only move he could make.
So long as he didn’t make a move on her, he should be fine.
Right?
Riiight.
Nick noticed she’d gotten a little farther ahead than he was
comfortable with, and then he lost sight of her when she moved in front of a
group of early-bird tourists.
Sonofabitch.
He couldn’t afford to lose track of her. After she’d had the
daring to follow him and try to take back her stuff, he needed to see what she
was up to.
He hurried to catch up, but she was nowhere to be found as
he searched up one street, and down the next. Vanished without a trace. Drawing
in a deep breath through his nose, he blew it back out through his mouth. He
loved Italy, but the convoluted layout of Venice’s streets and canals was
really starting to get on his nerves.
Frustration piled on the events of last night, compounded by
little sleep. He strode to the end of the street, and out into the market
square of Santa Maria Formosa, feeling like he could shake his fists at the
heavens.
“Lose something, Nicholas?”
He whirled around to find his quarry leaning against a
building, those gorgeous legs of hers crossed at the ankles. Looking casual and
unconcerned, she twirled a pair of sunglasses round and round in one hand.
Be nice. You need her.
~ TEASERS ~
~ FUN FACTS ~
Author Stacey Joy Netzel
Favorite things to eat/drink while writing? marshmallows, pretzel M&Ms, hot tea
Favorite vacation? I prefer hiking in the mountains over sunbathing on a beach
Cats or Dogs? I have a cat named Grace who acts like a dog.
Boxers or briefs on a guy? I much prefer boxer briefs. Boxers are too baggy, tighty-whities are too much like a speedo.
What is sexy to you? Looks wise: slight five-oclock-shadow, faded jeans, tight T-shirt, exposed forearms. Personality: sense of humor, protective without being over-the-top alpha
~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~
Stacey Joy Netzel
I fell in love with books at a young age, so for me, the graduation from reading them to writing them was natural. After years of writing while working as a Travel Agent, with the support of a wonderful family, friends, and awesome readers, I now am thrilled to be a full time writer. Follow your dreams, because I’m proof positive that it is possible!
I’m still an avid reader, and also a fan of movies with a happily ever after. I live in my native Wisconsin with my husband and kids, and in the limited free time I do manage to find, I enjoy gardening, canning, and visiting my parents in Northeastern Wisconsin (Up North) at the family cabin on the lake.
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