Series: Lost Souls' Treasure #1
Publication date: July 13th, 2021
Published by: Firefly Hill Press
Synopsis:
From the author who whisked you away on a wild escapade in The Key West Escape Series comes a sexy, adventure-packed spin off. Follow Mitch Thompson and his team of misfits as they find danger, intrigue, and romance on the hunt for the legendary Lost Souls' Treasure...
Former special ops aviator Griffin Dodge spent two years working on a marine salvage crew based out of Key West after his military career abruptly ended. The only person he let himself get close to on the Salty Dog Crew was a woman called "Bug." They couldn't have been more different -- the former all-star golden boy from the Midwest and the scrappy French circus performer turned salvage diver -- but she became his best friend. Griff was happier than he'd been in a long time, but when his first love called to say she wanted him back, he caught the next flight out of town.
A year later, Bug still resents Griff for ghosting her and the crew after he left. She's furious when he shows up out of the blue to do a favor for her boss. It doesn't matter that Griff is single again or that he's sorry, she hates that she's stuck flying shotgun to Martinique beside the guy who abandoned their friendship and betrayed her trust.
The trip was supposed to take two days tops. Just enough time to meet with an artifact collector who claims to have the missing pages of a diary that could lead them to The Lost Souls' Treasure. But when the deal goes south, and Griff and Bug are caught breaking and entering, they're forced to escape up the side of a volcano where the lava isn't the only thing about to bubble over. The tension between them erupts into an unexpected night of passion that leaves them both uncertain about what comes next.
While Griff starts to question if settling down in the suburbs still fits the man he's become, Bug isn't so sure she's willing to open her guarded-heart to the only man who's ever broke it.
When a rival treasure hunter hellbent on beating the Salty Dog Crew to the treasure takes Bug hostage, Griff realizes his future plans won't matter, if he can't bring his best friend home alive.
Excerpt
"You look..." Griff's words petered off as he stared at her. "I don't think I've ever seen you in a dress before."
She narrowed her eyes at him in the mirror. "Are you laughing? You better not be laughing."
"No," he put his hands up in defense. "Absolutely not. You look... great. I'm honestly just a little shocked to see you this way."
"What way?" She bent toward the mirror to put on the lipstick. The color matched the dress perfectly.
"You know what I mean."
Bug straightened up and assessed herself in the mirror. Her spiky hair stood at crazy angles but the short-cropped cut gave her overall appearance a chic fashion mag model vibe. Her gaze dropped to her partially exposed breasts again. A lot of skin was showing, but she didn't hate it. In fact, the getup made her feel sexy and feminine. Two things she hadn't let herself feel in a very long time.
She set the lipstick aside and turned to face him. "I'll have you know, I wore miniskirts from the time I could walk. I went through puberty in sequin-covered spandex. Just because you haven't seen the girly side of me doesn't mean it doesn't exist."
"You don't talk about your past. Ever. You wear coveralls, and cuss like a sailor, and go by the name Bug. How the hell would I know you have a girly side?"
Bug crossed her arms over her chest and set her jaw stubbornly. "You wouldn't. Because that's the way I want it."
TRICIA LEEDOM enjoys traveling to exotic destinations and having torrid love affairs with hot, dangerous men... even if it's only in her own mind. When she's not writing romantic adventure novels, she reads voraciously, tweets compulsively, and fangirls over a TV show based on her favorite book series. Tricia earned her BA in Creative Writing from The University of Tampa and her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. Her favorite authors include Diana Gabaldon, J.R. Ward, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Karen Robards, and Johanna Lindsey. She lives in Southwest Florida with two very spoiled dogs. Follow Tricia on Twitter and Instagram.