Sparks Of Deception
Shattered Lives Series; Book 4
Publish Date: November 29, 2017
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Cover Design by: MadHat Books
Where there are sparks, there are flames.
Nothing is ever what it seems. When you think life is straight-forward, someone kicks your feet out from under you.
Starting a new journey in our lives was supposed to be a happy, joyous occasion… but things burst into flame. We have to fight to keep alive, keep breathing, and to find the answers to the questions swirling around us.
I found the love I'd been waiting for when I was thirteen. Today someone tried to take me away from her. They stalk and lay in wait for me to stumble.
But I'm going down swinging. Deception will do nothing to change what we have. Sparks may fly, but we'll fight the fire… together.
Excerpt:
PROLOGUE
A lot can happen in life. Until you live through it, you don’t fully understand the consequences of your actions. Actions have consequences. Who knew, right? These can be either great or small, and some can even be dire. It all depends on you, and the way you carry yourself in life up to that point.
You’d think that growing up in a small town would save you some of the real world drama. Small towns are supposed to be safe, quiet places to raise families. Kids can be out in the street and not have to worry about getting snatched, or killed by gang bangers or your common drug dealing assholes. You know the kind. My town should have been that way, but it wasn’t. I should have had a loving family, but I didn’t. I grew up in a home that sucked. Like seriously sucked monkey balls. My Gran was a mean old bitch. If you did something wrong, she whacked you with the Bible while shouting “Jesus will save your rotten soul”. Maybe it was just me she did that to. So, yeah, fun times, man. Not!
Let's not mention my alcohol consuming, drug using and dealing "parents". I have no idea where my biological dad is. The one that was supposedly my father was always out partying and selling my mom off to the highest bidder. Saddest thing of all… she let him. She had no respect for herself at all. None. The few times in my life that I can remember her being ‘sober’ she treated me as bad as Gran, if not worse. It’s as if it were all my fault. She got drunk or high, had a child, and all but abandoned me, yet it was all my fault. I was left to fend off Gran as a kid. I had to believe life could be different.
My life changed when I was chased down - and I mean that literally - by Deputy Drew Landry. One of Burke’s finest, who had come looking for my help on a case. I put my computer knowledge to work. In the long run, that day changed my life for the better. It’s also managed to put me in danger a few times, but you know, it’s experiences like those that teach you what’s real in your life. It’s the difference in what matters and what doesn’t. The who and why of it all, if you will. One day I was hungry and scared to sleep, ‘cause, lets face it, you never knew what Gran was gonna do next if she was having a bad day. My so called parents were seldom around, cause they were always drunk or high off their asses. What role models I had. I wonder if I could have gotten away with whacking people over the head with a Bible? Might be some fun, ya know? Until they died. Sad thing is, I don’t miss them, I don’t miss that part of my life. I have grown and moved on from it all.
Life has many roads and paths to follow and I am grateful mine has led me to a place where I’m not only safe, but protected (not that I need that now) and loved. I have a family - though they do not share my blood - that loves me for me. I have parents that give a shit about me. And siblings that I love with all of my heart. Tyler and Elijah will always have a big brother to watch out for them, and kick ass for them when it’s needed.
I have two best friends that are the best. We’re thicker than thieves in the bank vault after dark. Alana “Lana” and Carter were all I had for a while. Now that I can share them, and grow with them in a positive light, things have gotten so much better for us all. Lana, Carter and I have had our fair share of troubles over the last couple of years. A lot of that stems from years of not being confident in asking for help. Not being able to feel comfortable standing on our own two feet to say, “fuck you’ to the assholes bothering us. That’s changed for the most part. I won’t let us revert back to those kids. I’m in the mind set now to knock you on your ass, then ask what the problem is. This is why we get into a lot of trouble now.
The fact that I happen to have fallen in love with my best friend doesn’t hurt. Wait, I don’t mean Carter. Let’s just clarify that. Not that it would be wrong but, no, definitely not Carter. Though I do love him - just not in the “I want to kiss him stupid” kind of way. I mean Lana. My beautiful blonde haired butterfly who literally holds the key to my heart. She owns it and I will always do anything and everything in my power to keep her safe. That has no boundaries. I will not sleep until I know she is safely home and tucked into bed. She isn’t eighteen yet, so there are limits to what is respectful for us to do in public and private. Not that I would ever disrespect her in that way, but a guy can hope that one special day will come. And it will, because she is my one. The one. The moment she decides it’s right. Until then I am her best friend, her boyfriend and her protector.
Now there is a new threat on the horizon, one none of us saw coming. This town is a cesspool of dirty deeds kept hidden for generations. I can guarantee you this, I will not rest until I uncover all the dirty little secrets this town holds. One by one I will peel them back and display them for all to see. The longer it takes me to find her, the longer this search will go on.
No one is safe until I have the woman I love back in my arms.
Hell isn’t big enough to hide in. I will find her. I will find the man that took her and I will have justice. My kind of justice.
~Meet Barb Shuler~
I’m a Carolina Girl by right and a Texan by birth. Best of both worlds. I have the brass sass to keep up with my Texas sized temper. Living and working in both states i’ve learned a lot about hard work, adapting to your surroundings and making the best of the path that you have been led down. My grandma Dollie once told me I would know what I was meant to do when it happened. She was right, as always.
As with most book lovers, I am an avid reader. Reading has always been a hobby - a passion, really and a way to get lost in other people’s lives, their drama and other worlds. It’s a private movie in your imagination that you get to cast and navigate through, at your own pace. Reading helps to expand the perimeters of one's mind. That is what got me into writing. Writing has been something that I have done since I was a kid. If I had paper, I was writing. Nine out of ten times it made no sense but what are words if they are not to be used to your advantage? Words are a part of us all. Why not use them, right?
During the day I work as a ‘desk jockey’ and help the residents of my county navigate themselves around our little, but not too little country town. By night I am either blogging with my best friends, doing PA work for some of my favorite authors or fighting with the voices in my head. They can be stubborn at times. It’s a blessing and I am cherishing every moment. Tomorrow is never guaranteed so I want to make sure I live the day as fully as possible. For what is my creation, can become someone else's treasure.
~ Connect with Barb here ~
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