Today we welcome one of my favorite authors, Joan Reeves! She is sharing her Mystery Romance, The Key To Kristina. Y'all....this book sounds fabulous! I absolutely adore mysteries, and this one has some kind of secret that I am dying to know about. So, take it away, Joan!
My most recently published book is The Key To Kristina, a Mystery Romance that came to life because of a conversation I had with Darling Hubby. I can’t tell you the specific topic of the conversation because that would give away the surprise ending—a secret I managed to maintain until the very end of the book!
I will tell you that the secret involves an unusual treasure that has been sought—in real life—for more than sixty years. People have tried to verify the mere existence of it and have only anecdotal evidence to support it, but that hasn’t stopped people from writing about it and searching for it. If found, this treasure would be worth millions.
My conversation with Darling Hubby sent me to the internet where I first made a list of possibilities for the premise I had in mind. My internet quest became a month of research. I sifted through facts and anecdotal evidence before deciding upon the one thing that was a real possibility for a hidden treasure that could be found today.
Next, I spent a couple of weeks figuring out how this “thing” came to be missing, what happened to it, how did it stay hidden for over sixty years, and why would it have been hidden.
I love “caper” films so figuring out the details of this caper, working it into a timeline, and then discovering who executed the caper was so much fun. That was my favorite part of The Key To Kristina—until Kristina Rivera and Wyatt Morgan, the heroine and hero of the story, came to life as I wrote. You may think it’s silly, but, like most authors, the characters in my book seem like real people to me. I liked them, and I hated to say goodbye to them. The Key To Kristina was not intended to be a series, but I’m having a hard time letting go of these people!
I hope you’ll read Kristina and Wyatt’s story and their search for treasure. I also hope you leave a review, but please, as I asked readers at the end of the book, don’t reveal the secret of this unusual treasure in a review. Let other readers be surprised by it like you probably were!
Can you share your favorite part of the story?
I actually loved everything about the story. If I had to pick a favorite part, I think I’d say the last couple of chapters and the epilogue because there are a lot of surprises in it. I love books that surprise me at the end because I can usually figure out what’s going to happen. I think this one will keep you guessing.
I actually loved everything about the story. If I had to pick a favorite part, I think I’d say the last couple of chapters and the epilogue because there are a lot of surprises in it. I love books that surprise me at the end because I can usually figure out what’s going to happen. I think this one will keep you guessing.
Excerpt: The Key To Kristina
When Wyatt Morgan grabbed her shoulder, Kristina whirled. “What do you want?”
He seemed taken aback by her attitude. A guy who looked like God’s gift to women probably wasn’t used to a woman talking to him like that. As if she cared.
When he pointed at his handkerchief she clutched, she said, “In movies, the heroine always says she’ll wash the handkerchief and return it to the hero, but I’m not a heroine, and you’re not a hero. You’re probably just an ex-con like my dad.” She studied the handkerchief. “Of course, you might want this back. I see it’s monogrammed.”
“Keep the handkerchief. We need to talk.” Wyatt started to place his hand on the small of her back to walk her to the elevator, an old-fashioned courtesy that was out of place in today’s world. He stopped when Kristina gave him a death glare. He realized she wasn’t fragile despite her big dark eyes and her willowy body. He’d always thought of her as a child because of the old photograph Ray had in his wallet. She wasn’t a child any longer, but what had stayed the same were her intense dark eyes, the dark wavy hair that looked as if she’d just left her bed, and her mouth that now looked surprisingly sensual. When he realized she was staring daggers at him, he corralled his wayward thoughts.
Kristina stepped up to the elevator and stabbed the down button. She glanced at him. A tear slid from the corner of her eye. “You’re right. We should talk. When did my dad die? How did he die? What happened to his…remains?”
Wyatt hesitated, not wanting to lay the ugly truth on her. “Heart attack a month ago,” he lied. “He’d been sick for a while, but he wouldn’t go to the doctor. Ray was my dad’s friend. When I got to know him, I was proud to call him my friend too.”
She looked him up and down, derision evident in her expression. “My dad never had friends like you. How did he become friends with you and your dad?”
Wyatt’s grin faded. “He saved my dad’s life in prison.”
Kristina reacted as if he’d slapped her. “I thought prison might figure in this.” Her eyes were like dark chips of flint. The elevator doors opened. “I think that answers all my questions.”
“Not by a long shot.” Wyatt followed her and grabbed her arm before she could punch the button for the lobby.
“Get your hands off me, Mr. Morgan.” Her voice was as cold as her eyes.
Wyatt held up both hands. “If you open that envelope from your dad, you’ll want to talk to me.”
“I doubt that, Mr. Morgan. I don’t know if I’ll ever open the envelope. I suspect it has nothing but heartache inside it.” She tilted her head up and looked down her elegantly shaped nose at him. “What else could you and I possibly have to talk about?”
When Wyatt Morgan grabbed her shoulder, Kristina whirled. “What do you want?”
He seemed taken aback by her attitude. A guy who looked like God’s gift to women probably wasn’t used to a woman talking to him like that. As if she cared.
When he pointed at his handkerchief she clutched, she said, “In movies, the heroine always says she’ll wash the handkerchief and return it to the hero, but I’m not a heroine, and you’re not a hero. You’re probably just an ex-con like my dad.” She studied the handkerchief. “Of course, you might want this back. I see it’s monogrammed.”
“Keep the handkerchief. We need to talk.” Wyatt started to place his hand on the small of her back to walk her to the elevator, an old-fashioned courtesy that was out of place in today’s world. He stopped when Kristina gave him a death glare. He realized she wasn’t fragile despite her big dark eyes and her willowy body. He’d always thought of her as a child because of the old photograph Ray had in his wallet. She wasn’t a child any longer, but what had stayed the same were her intense dark eyes, the dark wavy hair that looked as if she’d just left her bed, and her mouth that now looked surprisingly sensual. When he realized she was staring daggers at him, he corralled his wayward thoughts.
Kristina stepped up to the elevator and stabbed the down button. She glanced at him. A tear slid from the corner of her eye. “You’re right. We should talk. When did my dad die? How did he die? What happened to his…remains?”
Wyatt hesitated, not wanting to lay the ugly truth on her. “Heart attack a month ago,” he lied. “He’d been sick for a while, but he wouldn’t go to the doctor. Ray was my dad’s friend. When I got to know him, I was proud to call him my friend too.”
She looked him up and down, derision evident in her expression. “My dad never had friends like you. How did he become friends with you and your dad?”
Wyatt’s grin faded. “He saved my dad’s life in prison.”
Kristina reacted as if he’d slapped her. “I thought prison might figure in this.” Her eyes were like dark chips of flint. The elevator doors opened. “I think that answers all my questions.”
“Not by a long shot.” Wyatt followed her and grabbed her arm before she could punch the button for the lobby.
“Get your hands off me, Mr. Morgan.” Her voice was as cold as her eyes.
Wyatt held up both hands. “If you open that envelope from your dad, you’ll want to talk to me.”
“I doubt that, Mr. Morgan. I don’t know if I’ll ever open the envelope. I suspect it has nothing but heartache inside it.” She tilted her head up and looked down her elegantly shaped nose at him. “What else could you and I possibly have to talk about?”
Wow! I can't wait to read this book!!! Is it dedicated to anyone?
The book is dedicated to my father who passed away several years ago. The dedication is long so I won’t repeat it here. The heroine in the book is an auto mechanic, and she learned the trade from her father who was her hero until events changed the course of both of their lives. My dad was quite the shade tree mechanic, and I thought of him often as I wrote the book and felt “close” to him.
That's just beautiful. Love it. The Key To Kristina sounds like quite the read. I love mysteries just like this one!
The book is dedicated to my father who passed away several years ago. The dedication is long so I won’t repeat it here. The heroine in the book is an auto mechanic, and she learned the trade from her father who was her hero until events changed the course of both of their lives. My dad was quite the shade tree mechanic, and I thought of him often as I wrote the book and felt “close” to him.
That's just beautiful. Love it. The Key To Kristina sounds like quite the read. I love mysteries just like this one!
The Key To Kristina
Mystery Romance
Her father never gave her anything but a hard time—until he died and left Kristina a key. But a key to what?
A suspicious death. An inheritance. A mysterious ally. A shifty lawyer. A mystery. A key and a clue. A romance. A Quest that may be the adventure of a lifetime.
None of that is what Kristina Rivera expects when she arrives for her appointment with a Houston lawyer. She thinks she's there to gather her father's possessions because he's probably been sent to jail again.
Instead, she meets Wyatt Morgan who’s also there at the lawyer’s request. She’s stunned when Morgan introduces himself as the Executor of her father’s estate. Shocked by this revelation, Kristina is grief-stricken, confused, and angry. Her father didn't have two nickels to rub together. Why would he write a will? Life has taught Kristina to initially distrust everyone and every situation, and this situation is beyond her comprehension.
With the aid of Wyatt Morgan, a man whose business seems to be fighting lost causes, Kristina undertakes The Quest, designed by her father, to find his hidden treasure. More than her legacy will be revealed, and danger stalks her every mile of her journey as she tries to discover what The Key To Kristina means.
Buy Link: Amazon Exclusive: https://www.amazon.com/Key-Kristina-Joan-Reeves-ebook/dp/B08HCGWNCK/ (Print edition available Sept. 17, 2020.)
Mystery Romance
Her father never gave her anything but a hard time—until he died and left Kristina a key. But a key to what?
A suspicious death. An inheritance. A mysterious ally. A shifty lawyer. A mystery. A key and a clue. A romance. A Quest that may be the adventure of a lifetime.
None of that is what Kristina Rivera expects when she arrives for her appointment with a Houston lawyer. She thinks she's there to gather her father's possessions because he's probably been sent to jail again.
Instead, she meets Wyatt Morgan who’s also there at the lawyer’s request. She’s stunned when Morgan introduces himself as the Executor of her father’s estate. Shocked by this revelation, Kristina is grief-stricken, confused, and angry. Her father didn't have two nickels to rub together. Why would he write a will? Life has taught Kristina to initially distrust everyone and every situation, and this situation is beyond her comprehension.
With the aid of Wyatt Morgan, a man whose business seems to be fighting lost causes, Kristina undertakes The Quest, designed by her father, to find his hidden treasure. More than her legacy will be revealed, and danger stalks her every mile of her journey as she tries to discover what The Key To Kristina means.
Buy Link: Amazon Exclusive: https://www.amazon.com/Key-Kristina-Joan-Reeves-ebook/dp/B08HCGWNCK/ (Print edition available Sept. 17, 2020.)
Bio: Joan Reeves
Joan Reeves--Keeping Romance Alive...One Sexy Book at a Time— is a New York Times and a USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary Romance. Her novels have been published in a half dozen languages, and her ebooks are available at most ebook sellers with audio book and print editions also available. All of Joan’s romance novels have the same underlying theme: “It's never too late to live happily ever after.”
Joan lives her happily ever after with her hero, her husband. They divide their time between the hustle and bustle of Houston and a small house at the foot of the Texas Hill Country where they sit on the porch at night, look at the star-studded sky, and listen to the coyotes howl.
Sign up for Joan’s free newsletter and receive a free ebook when you confirm your subscription: https://www.subscribepage.com/z8x3r9
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/joanreeves
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/joan-reeves
Website: https://www.JoanReeves.com
Blog: https://SlingWords.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoanReevesWrites
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JoanReeves
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/JoanReevesAuthor/
Joan Reeves--Keeping Romance Alive...One Sexy Book at a Time— is a New York Times and a USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary Romance. Her novels have been published in a half dozen languages, and her ebooks are available at most ebook sellers with audio book and print editions also available. All of Joan’s romance novels have the same underlying theme: “It's never too late to live happily ever after.”
Joan lives her happily ever after with her hero, her husband. They divide their time between the hustle and bustle of Houston and a small house at the foot of the Texas Hill Country where they sit on the porch at night, look at the star-studded sky, and listen to the coyotes howl.
Sign up for Joan’s free newsletter and receive a free ebook when you confirm your subscription: https://www.subscribepage.com/z8x3r9
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/joanreeves
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/joan-reeves
Website: https://www.JoanReeves.com
Blog: https://SlingWords.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoanReevesWrites
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JoanReeves
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/JoanReevesAuthor/
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