The HBS Author's Spotlight SHOWCASES Bonnie Edwards' novel: Finding Mercy.
Bonnie is the author of The Brantons series and the Tales of Perdition series. She writes Romance, Contemporary and Paranormal novels and novellas.
Finding Mercy
Return to Welcome Book 1
Author: Bonnie Edwards
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Seriously? Return to Welcome? She’d rather chew rusty nails…
Mercy Talbot left Welcome on a high—a golden-girl beauty queen who stepped confidently into a bright, exciting future. But that was a long time ago and that girl is far, far, away. She’s failed in her career, failed in love, failed her family—and she’s dead broke.
All Mercy wants is to forget her failures and move forward into a new life with a fresh set of dreams—and get out of Welcome before it sucks her back in for good. But one look at her precocious niece who desperately needs her sends Mercy on a journey into her past that will change everyone’s future.
Clay Foster used to be Welcome’s bad boy, but marriage and his daughter Dilly have transformed him into a devoted father. Widowed now and struggling to be the daddy his child needs, Clay fights his sudden and unexpected attraction to Mercy. But, tempted as he is, Clay can’t afford to be taken in by a golden girl. Beautiful, talented women like Mercy always have an exit strategy and when her career beckons, Clay knows she’ll leave him and Dilly flat. His daughter has already lost her mother and he won’t put his little girl’s heart on the line.
When Mercy learns her tattered dreams and dead career have been reborn, will she leave the man and child who need her? Will Clay believe in their future and accept that Mercy has found there’s no place like home?
Excerpt from Finding Mercy
Chapter 1
“Did you hear your sister-in-law’s back in town?”
Clay Foster’s receptionist watched for his reaction from her seat across the front counter of his veterinarian clinic.
This was his dead wife’s sister’s first trip home in two years. “She must have blown in for a quick visit.”
“Pfft, so much for making it big,” Sybil commented with a glance at her computer screen.
“Out with it, Sybil. You look too delighted for this to be anything but juicy gossip.” Mercy was a Hollywood success story. Everyone knew it.
Sybil crossed her arms and leaned forward. “She came home with boxes. Lots of boxes.” Sybil’s husband, Bud, worked at the bus depot and shared all the comings and goings of Welcome’s population.
Clay leaned in to glean every nuance of meaning from Sybil’s face. “Out with it,” he repeated.
She licked her lips as if each morsel of gossip was filet mignon. “When Bud asked if he could call her a cab, she said no, she couldn’t afford it.” She hefted a disbelieving sigh and muttered, “Of all the nonsense. So”—she stretched out the word because Sybil loved telling a good story—“Bud called Nate, who showed up half an hour later. Nate didn’t say a word, which, of course, is just like him, and tossed all the boxes into his pickup. Mercy didn’t explain a thing, just looked miserable, Bud said.”
He nodded, at a loss. It still came as a surprise that he was related, if only by marriage, to Mercy Talbot. Welcome High’s golden girl: the blond, beautiful, leggy, and untouchable Mercy Talbot. The Talbot daughter who’d made a real success of her life, unlike the one who’d ruined her life by marrying him, the town hell raiser.
“That Mercy is a real glamour girl. Dilly’s gonna love her. All that prettiness and sunshine wrapped up in one girl.” Sybil sighed as if just knowing Mercy Talbot had somehow blessed her.
At the mention of his daughter, Dilly, Clay frowned. “Mercy won’t be here long,” he said. “Dilly won’t get attached.” Women like Mercy always had an exit strategy and somewhere more important to be.
Mercy Talbot had been as angelically perfect as his wife, Janna, had been hell-bent on personal destruction. Two sisters: impossibly different, forever at odds. He used to wonder if Janna’s darkness was in counterpoint to Mercy’s bright flare. But none of that mattered anymore.
It was Dilly who mattered.
“What child wouldn’t get attached to a beautiful actress?”
A pulse pounded in his temple. He dreaded seeing Dilly’s eyes light up when Mercy played the caring auntie. But she’d barely held Dilly as a baby. He doubted she’d show any interest now.
“I have nothing to worry about,” he told Sybil.
“Still, makes you wonder why she’s back in town.”
He left Sybil to her musings about the reason for Mercy’s return. When he stepped into exam room one, he was relieved to see nine-year-old Josh Camden holding his dog’s collar. Josh’s mother, Shandy, leaned against the wall, jeans tight and low slung, hips jutted. At least with Josh there, he wouldn’t be alone with her.
“Good afternoon, Josh,” he said. He gave Shandy a cursory glance. Her answering smile was come-hither and meant to be hot.
The dog sniffed Clay’s fingers. “Set her on the table, Josh.” Clay rolled her to her back and gently checked the incision on her belly. “She’s perfectly healed like I said last week.” He raised an eyebrow at Shandy, who shifted her hips.
“I don’t gotta lift her up on my bed anymore?” Josh asked.
“She can jump up herself.” He ruffled the boy’s hair.
“Thanks, Clay,” Shandy said. “I wanted to be certain because you never can tell.” She gave him a pout that said she wanted to be sure about his lack of response to her previous invitations. “I’d love to cook you dinner to thank you.” Her eyes held expectation he refused to meet.
He shook his head. “This is Mimzi’s last checkup. She’s been fine for a week now.”
Shandy canted one side of her lip into a defeated smile. He didn’t mean to embarrass her, but she had to see he wasn’t interested. Had never been interested, not when he’d taken what she’d offered all those years ago and not now. Beer and high-school hormones had gotten the best of them back then.
Author Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Paranormal
Website: Bonnie Edwards
Twitter: @BonnieEdwards
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Author Description: Romance author Bonnie Edwards lives with her husband and pets on the rainy coast of British Columbia.You'll find humor and tears in her earthy, irreverent, love stories. Sometimes her books have a paranormal twist, likes curses or ghosts, other times not, but they’re always entertaining and guarantee a happy ending.
With four ongoing romance series (Tales of Perdition, The Brantons, and her Christmas Collection) and new series RETURN TO WELCOME, she rarely spends a day without writing. She has written novels, novellas and short stories for Kensington Books, Harlequin Books, Carina Press, and Robinson (UK) although now she publishes her work herself. Look for a brand new series RETURN TO WELCOME starting with FINDING MERCY (Dec/2017)
Author's Book List
One Crazy Christmas
- Christmas Collection 3Between them, they have five daughters. They live in different countries. But love doesn't give a fig about that because this is One Crazy Christmas...
Karyn Whyte is a busy single mom of two, the owner of Whyte's Christmas--a woman who would like to meet a convenient man--one who lives nearby, has no baggage and makes no demands. Oh, and he must like curvy women.
Cade Devine's a devoted single dad to three little girls. Sure, he's got his hands full, but that doesn't mean he wants to be alone.
At a mutual friend's wedding, interest flares at first sight between Karyn and Cade. Enticed and attracted, they break free of their constraints for one long weekend of passion and deeply satisfying companionship. During their three-month secret romance, they learn they're perfect together. But there are five other hearts at stake and Karyn and Cade accept that responsibility must win over the love they've found. Fate can be cruel and sometimes love hurts.
Accepting an invitation to Christmas with their newlywed friends brings Karyn, Cade, and their children face-to-face and anything can happen when love and family come together…
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Books2Read
Whole Lot O' Love
- The Brantons Book 3Can one stroke of good luck make a homecoming happy?
Ashlee Branton's lottery win is giving her and her son a new, settled life back home.
Except that returning to Blaine, Washington means facing her son's father, Brick Harcourt, in a most unsettling way.
Ashlee deserted Brick and his less-than-accepting family when she'd become pregnant. Refusing to be just a statistic, she worked hard to raise their baby on her own. But as luck would have it, she has a chance to repair what she broke back then. Dare she take one more chance on love?
But Ashlee has two pasts now; one with Brick and one with an ex who wants to crash their reunion.
Will she run again or stay and sacrifice money for love?
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Slow Hand
- The Brantons Book 2A jilted bride...a sexy sea captain...love at first touch
Stressed out Teri Branton is determined to get the honeymoon cruise she paid for -- even without the groom.
Laidback Captain Jared MacKay instantly dislikes Teri's 6 inch heels and New York attitude.
Neither is prepared for their electrifying first touch.
In this erotically-charged novella, they have one short week under the sultry Caribbean sun. Can Jared's slow hand lead them beyond torrid sex into a lifetime of love?
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Body Work
- The Brantons Book 1She left him in her rear view mirror...too bad she can't leave him there...
Lisa Brady Delaney left Tyce Branton behind when he couldn't offer her what she needed. She wanted out of the trailer park, but had to do it alone.
Years later, Tyce is the only man she trusts to prepare her classic car collection for auction. Lisa quickly learns Tyce is a hands-on man: in the garage and in the bedroom.
Tyce is angry to see Lisa again, but has to wonder if she's the same girl he knew or an independent beauty who will never need him again. Is this Tyce's last chance with his first love?
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A Breath Taken
- Tales of Perdition #5The mysterious spirits of Perdition House are up to mischief again, but this time lives are at stake. . .
Blue McCann wants a second chance to live. Drawn into a vintage clothing shop by a mysterious woman, she tries on an antique corset...and wakes up in 1913 in the body of another woman.
Dr. Colt Stephens has been attracted to a woman he first met in Perdition House. Unfortunately, he made the wrong assumption about her role in the famous, exclusive, "gentleman's retreat."
But now it seems by saving her life, he's in her good graces and in her bed. She's everything he's ever wanted...even if she's not the woman he thinks she is.
Can Blue McCann learn how to stay in this life she's been given or will she have to return to the present where death awaits her?
In the fifth instalment of Tales of Perdition, secrets are revealed and answers are found…
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Luck of the Draw
13 lucky stories EXCLUSIVE to this boxset available for a LIMITED time! 13 tales of unimaginable luck - 13 fascinating novellas of love, loss, and mystery. From lotteries to sweepstakes, poker to roulette and horse racing to wishes, these 13 stories will make you wish you'd been the winner!
These 13 novellas are BRAND NEW and have never been published. Written by USA Today Bestselling, International, and Bestselling authors.
1 - Sometimes You Win by Stacy Eaton, USA Today Bestselling Author Haley thinks playing the lottery is a waste of money, something she has little of. But what happens with Devon talks her into it and they win?
2 - Fade into Love by Michele Shriver, International Bestselling Author Wren's sweepstakes win lands her a walk-on role in a movie, where she crosses paths with the film's second assistant director. Will her fade to black role fade into love, instead?
3 - Insert Wife Here by Susan Ann Wall, National Bestselling Author Sean Beckett turns Cynthia Munn's luck -- and her world -- upside down with a harmless date, a risky bet, and a night Cyn might regret.
4 - Baby, Maybe by Lyssa Layne, National and International Bestselling Author On the outside, Julie and Shawn have the perfect marriage--all they need is a child to complete their family. When fate is found taped to their door, will their family finally become whole?
5 - Hold 'Em by Jacquie Biggar, USA Today Bestselling Author In the game of love, all bets are off. Professional poker player Matt Shaughnessy wins more than he expects in the pot of a lifetime. A fiancée for a week.
6 - Going All In by Amy Manemann, International Bestselling Author A return to his roots stirs up small town love when Tucker Williams reconnects with old flame, Hadley James.
7 - Placing Her Bet by Sharon Coady, National Bestselling Author While Carissa places a bet at the races she collides with Joseph. Sparks fly, she thinks she's found a man she can trust but an overheard conversation shatters her faith.
8 - Owned by Jade Kerrion, Award Winning Author Unhappily divorced, Marie wins a $1,000,000 lottery. When her ex-husband re-enters her life, is he after her, or after her winnings?
9 - So Unlike Me by Nikki Lynn Barrett, USA Today Bestselling Author Lizette's pretending to be her twin. Dirk's happy to have an old friend around during a rough time. What happens when real feelings develop and the truth comes out?
10 - Lost and Rich by Jude Ouvrard, International bestselling Author Widowed before her thirtieth birthday, Gracie has dealt with enough tragedy in her life. Will her newfound fortune pave the road to happiness?
11 - Love in the World of Make Believe by Janis Susan May, International Bestselling Author Edith is delighted to win a role in her favorite show. Fearsomely scarred second lead Lupo falls for Edith, but can he reveal his feelings when he carries so many secrets?
12 - Whole Lot 'o Love by Bonnie Edwards, National Bestselling Author Ashlee Branton's stroke of luck is giving her and her son a new, settled life back home. But returning home means facing her son's father, Brick Harcourt, in a most unsettling way.
13 - Double Down by Cathy Perkins, International Bestselling Author Murder isn't supposed to be in the cards for blackjack dealer Maddie Larsson. Detective JC Dimitrak must play his cards correctly and find the killer before an innocent woman takes the ultimate hit.
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Parlor Games
- Tales of Perdition #4Welcome to Perdition House: a house of sin, secrets and seduction, where the spirits of dead hookers mess with the living...
Matt Crewe has only one desire when he arrives at Perdition House: to sell himself in a sexy bachelor auction for charity. Matt needs to get the truth behind the web of lies that surround the mysterious mansion.
Carrie MacLean needs a career-making break and buying the services of a bachelor for so-called charity will give her all she needs to move into hard hitting journalism.
What neither of them knows is that Perdition House is a haunted bordello and they are already mesmerized by the spirits of the women who once lived and worked there.
They each need to expose the mansion's secrets but once they make a connection, nothing, not even their own secrets can come between them.
Both Matt and Carrie are cool and competent professionals, intent on getting what they came for...
In a last ditch effort to save their sanity, their lives and their hearts, the truth is revealed and they accept that love found in Perdition House is eternal…
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Rock Solid
- Tales of Perdition #3Welcome to Perdition House: a house of sin, secrets and seduction...
Carpenter Jake MacKay is a rock-solid, responsible man with a capital M. In the predawn hours, he answers an alluring woman's call in that moment between wakefulness and dreams. Try as he might, he cannot refuse her summons. He must fly to Seattle immediately to give an estimate on renovations to her mansion, Perdition House.
Unbeknownst to Jake Perdition House is a haunted bordello and he is already in its thrall.
Lexa Creighton is a descendent of one of the couples who found love during the house's heyday, over one hundred years ago. Lexa has heard the family ghost story her whole life.
Arriving at Perdition House to discuss a heritage garden design, she meets Jake and a firestorm of lust grips them both.
To Lexa, her steamy encounters with Jake are merely proof of the family legend, but she can't believe that long-dead ancestors are messing with her love life.
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Perdition House Part 2
- Tales of Perdition #2Welcome to Perdition House...a house of sin, secrets and seduction where the spirits of dead hookers mess with the living…
Faye Grantham has chosen to stay in her inherited mansion with the lively spirits of the hookers who once lived, worked, and fell in love in the world-famous elite bordello Perdition House.
She struggles to control the dreams visited on her by her ghostly live-in companions, and even her own thoughts. But Faye must also learn the secret of the screaming woman she glimpses in her nightmares.
Faye has the devil's own time picking between Liam Watson and Mark McLeod, two very different men with varied and exciting talents.
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Perdition House Part 1
- Tales of Perdition #1Welcome to Perdition House: a house of sin, secrets and seduction where the spirits of dead hookers mess with the living...
Ghost stories are not always frightening. Sometimes they're cheeky, naughty and often erotic...
When Faye Grantham inherits Perdition House, her family's secret shame, she expects to sell the property for millions and marry her long time fiancé.
But the spirits who still reside in the mansion have other ideas. Trapped in the bordello, the women who lived and worked there wait to tell their stories to Faye.
The "girls" don't just hang around waiting. They control Faye's libido, influence her decisions and drive her into the arms of two very different men.
Liam Watson wears comfort like most men wear cologne. With an interest in adventurous sex, he's more man than he first seems.
Mark McLeod is a strong, decisive businessman who was not meant to be more than a hot one-night stand. But Mark is in no hurry to end their liaison and hopes to continue Faye's lessons in sensuality.
As Faye becomes enthralled with the mansion, she's embroiled in a life-changing situation that has her re-examining her engagement, her business decisions, and her beliefs about herself.
As the spirits reveal themselves one by one, Faye learns their stories: how they came to Perdition House, why they joined the women there and some of the secrets that only a high-class bordello could hold.
But can decades-old secrets affect Faye's life today?
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Invitation to Christmas
- Christmas Collection Book 2Christmas brings family together...
Jordyn Bailey kissed Tom Fontaine last Christmas when they met.
But their parents are engaged...
For Jordyn keeping secrets in a family determined to mesh their lives is all kinds of crazy.
Secretly sleeping with Tom could get messy because she's on the baby track while he's on the party track.
If they're careful and keep their attraction under wraps maybe it will burn out and they can be friends.
Now...It's Christmas again and Tom wants to unwrap everything, including Jordyn.
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Spicy Christmas Kisses 2
- Nine MORE Romances to Heat up Your HolidaysReaders loved last year’s set so much, we decided to do it again and bring you NINE spicy romances set around the holidays. From bestselling, award-winning and multi-published authors come romances that include friends to lovers, doggie matchmakers, single dads, hero-in-hiding, maybe baby, reunited lovers and more!
So grab your romantic Christmas set today, settle in with a mug of something delish and feel the heat from Spicy Christmas Kisses 2!
Hope for Us All: A Hope Series Christmas Novella, by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle Welcome to Carrington and Jackson’s first family Christmas, money, fame and family are supposed to be good things, right?
Unfinished Business, by Lyssa Layne Marine Theo Lindemann is hoping to avoid his family over the holidays, just like Tess Vargas. When the two cross paths, they help each other accomplish this goal only to find out that they’re both hiding from the same thing.
Maligned, by Jade Kerrion A single dad. The pretty girl-next-door. First impressions can make or break a relationship. But what if they’re wrong?
Mistletoe Marathon, by Susan Ann Wall They’ll run 26.2 miles for just one kiss.
Invitation to Christmas, by Bonnie Edwards Last Christmas Tom Fontaine kissed his soon-to-be step-sister and unleashed a mess of want. Can he convince Jordyn Bailey that their family can be blended in more ways than one?
All I Want For Christmas, by Susan Oloier Charlotte missed her flight to Wisconsin and is looking for a quick way home before her sister’s Christmas Eve wedding. Ryan’s in search of a meandering adventure. When they’re forced together for a two-thousand-mile, cross-country trip, they discover a journey neither of them planned for.
Napa Christmas (The MacAllesters), by Dawn DeSousa Jennifer “JJ” Jones, has the life she has always wanted, dream job - check, dream man, check. Intrusive future sister-in-law, not so much. Can JJ juggle her own Christmas desires with the expectations of others?
Heating Up The Holidays, by Marcia James When Chris Spencer returns home with his daughter, he's not looking for a second chance with his first love. And the last thing Nicky Paxton needs at Christmas time is her high school heart-breaker. But thanks to a unique dog and a lonely child, they might get their Christmas desires.
Five Golden Rings: A Christmas Novella, by K.L. Brady Girl trips over boy...and Boy falls for Girl. Nick and Kristy’s unforgettable chance encounter at the National Tree Lighting takes a turn for the worst when they’re torn apart. Can a Missed Connection ad and a little Christmas magic bring them back together?
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Twinkle, Twinkle Little Thong
A secret that should never be exposed...
When a bundle of trouble AKA one lively mutt absconds with an -- umm -- expensive piece of underwear, Frankie Volpe gives chase and lands on the deck of a float home owned by a man she's secretly lusted for.
But the $50,000 thong? Nowhere to be found. The mutt was better at hiding stuff than Frankie!
All she wants is her regular, boring, real, Chicago life back but all her good luck turned bad and Frankie's hiding out in Victoria, British Columbia.
Daniel Martin is a late-night blues radio host who's been aware of Frankie since she arrived in the marina. The mysterious, sexy, Frankie seems standoffish until she needs his help tracking an odd piece of clothing his dog scampered off with.
Soon, their attraction flares into something neither of them expects and Daniel accepts a job in a brand new timeslot in a new market -- Chicago -- the last place in the world Frankie can go. Frankie's secret is about to be exposed. Will the truth about her good karma gone bad clear the path for them or send Frankie running again?
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Stroke of Midnight
An unlikely Cinderella...
When hardworking single mom Jaye Sinns meets younger playboy Alexander Carmichael, the sexual chemistry between them is undeniable. So Jaye gives in to temptation and allows him to whisk her away for her first-ever vacation. Two glorious weeks of no inhibitions, no strings and no responsibilities.
A charming prince of a guy...
Life with Alex is every woman's fantasy—sizzling sex in the back of a limo, on a private plane, in exotic settings. But it's not enough to fulfill a woman like Jaye for long. No matter how hot the sex is.
A happy ending?
Alex is soon craving more than Jaye's body: he wants her love and admiration, too. For the first time in his life, he can't buy the thing he desires most; and now he must decide if he's willing to work at being the kind of man that Jaye needs, and give her the happily-ever-after she deserves.
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Thank you so much, James for this lovely spotlight. I'm especially grateful for your full list of all my works. You're a star!
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