The family he
didn't know he wanted might be the only thing worth dying for.
Baby ConSEALed
SEAL & Shelter Book 1
by Leah Miles
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Baby ConSEALed won
the 2024 Georgia Romance Writers' "Maggie Award"!
Rissa Parker struggles to support herself and her daughter
by working overnights as a home health nurse. After witnessing her employer's
murder, she has no choice but to grab her two-year-old and run toward the one
person strong enough to protect them, the Navy SEAL who fathered her child
during a one-night stand.
Navy SEAL Bernard "Burn" Cruz is a straight arrow,
approaching work and play in equal parts. He doesn't regret much in life,
except for one woman he's never forgotten. Nearly three years after their
initial encounter, she shows up in San Diego at the bar his team likes to
frequent, and he believes Forever might have knocked on his door. Until a child
cries, and all hell breaks loose.
As bullets fly and bodies drop, Rissa must outrun a killer
whose connection to her past threatens to destroy any chance at a future with
the father of her child, and Burn discovers the family he didn't know he wanted
might be the only thing worth dying for.
Baby ConSEALed, an award-winning contemporary
romantic suspense novel, is fast-paced, steamy and suspenseful. Pick up your
copy today!
“A tightly
plotted, fast-paced whirlwind of a ride fraught with secrets, danger, and an
emotional love story that focuses on family—the kind you choose.” —Lena Diaz,
Publishers Weekly best-selling author
“With a
to-die-for hero, sizzling tension, and edge-of-your-seat suspense, this romance
delivers all the feels in an unforgettable, heart-pounding read!” – Charlee Allden,
Goodreads Review
“A fast-paced,
slow-burn romantic suspense where danger, secrets, and second chances collide…. With
bullets flying and hearts on the line, Leah Miles delivers high stakes and
emotional impact in equal measure.” – Cam Torrens, Goodreads Review
**NEW RELEASE – GET IT NOW!!**
“A Cosmopolitan, please.” After this, she’d
call it a night. Get a cab back to Liesel’s place. Maybe read a few chapters of
a book. Wild and crazy. That’s me.
She took a sip of the
drink the bartender delivered, letting the tart cranberry linger on her tongue
as she watched the television mounted above the bar. A bowling tournament
played, of all things, the announcer droning on about a perfect strike. A man
slid between her stool and the next one, close enough that the heat of his body
radiated toward her.
“Sorry to crowd you.” His voice was deep, smooth, and impossibly
calm despite the chaos of the crowd around them.
She turned—and nearly forgot how to breathe.
He was tall and
built like he actually used his gym membership. His dark skin contrasted
against the crisp blue of his button-down, and when he tilted his head, the
light caught his short black curls. But it was his eyes that stole her
attention, a golden shade, piercing yet unreadable.
For a moment, she
thought he might be about to hit on her, but he only raised a hand, signaling
to the bartender. Of course, he wasn’t interested in her. She needed to finish
her drink and go back to the apartment. Rissa gulped down a large swallow and barely
managed not to cough.
“Patrick. Beer for
me and one of those for the lady.”
She blinked.
“You’re buying me a drink?”
Amusement flickered
in those striking eyes. “Only if you want it.” He wedged himself farther into
the space, turning sideways to fit, with one elbow propped on the bar and his
free hand tucked in his pocket.
She absently swirled a finger through the condensation on her
mostly empty glass. One more drink might be too much. “I think I want a soda,”
she said.
He gave a slight
nod of approval and called out the order to the bartender. While he did, she
took the chance to study him more closely. The sharp angles of his face, the
short-cropped hair, and the faintest hint of a scar cutting through his left
eyebrow.
“The golden color of your eyes reminds
me of a stray cat I sometimes feed near my apartment. I mean, they’re nice,”
she added quickly, when she realized that may have sounded a little weird. “Not
that I’m calling you a cat.”
He chuckled, a
low, rich sound. “I’ve been called worse.”
She glanced down
at her glass, unsure what to say next.
“You here alone?”
he asked.
“No. My friend is
over there.” She motioned toward Liesel, who was dancing with a guy who looked
like he belonged on a recruitment poster.
His gaze followed
hers, and something flickered in his expression. “The guy she’s dancing with is
from my SEAL team.”
Rissa’s stomach dropped at his words. “You’re a Navy SEAL?” He
was so far out of her league.
“Nine years.” His eyes locked on her, and he seemed to be
waiting for her to comment.
She didn’t know much about military ranks, but the way he
carried himself suggested he wasn’t just some guy on weekend leave. “I’ve seen
that TV show, Navy SEAL, but I don’t know anyone in the military.”
His eyes crinkled
at the corners. “You do now.”
Leah Miles writes romance and paranormal fiction from her
small-town in South Georgia, where she lives with her husband and cocker
spaniel while running an insurance agency and Airbnb business.
After a dozen
years in news production at CNN, Leah Miles now manages an insurance agency and
an Airbnb business in rural Georgia, while writing romantic suspense and
paranormal romance featuring take-charge heroes and fierce heroines.
Website * Facebook * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
GUEST POST
Q. What comes first, the plot or the characters?
When I began this journey in earnest, I wrote down the stories in my head without planning or an outline, but it was difficult to maintain a consistent story thread. I learned that for me, the best stories begin with figuring out what my characters want and need. After I do that, the story practically writes itself.
Q: What changes between drafts?
I write in layers, so my initial draft is a little messy and filled with notations. After the first draft is done, I do a very rough outline and make sure the threads are all coming together.
After that, I make 2 or 3 passes, adding details and emotions that I skimmed over in the initial draft. I’m my own worst critic.
Q: Do you use writing software?
I love DabbleWriter. It helps me organize chapters and scenes and lets me easily work on multiple books at once. With the outline and plotting tools, I’m able to keep the series details straight and store photos that remind me of my characters. I also use Grammarly for spellcheck.
Q. Roughly how much time do you spend writing every day?
I work a full-time job, and in January of this year, my husband and I opened a 6-cabin Airbnb-type business. Since then, my writing time has dropped from 2.5-3.5 hours a day to about an hour on weekdays, though I try to make up for that on weekends. This doesn’t account for the time I invest in the business side of the author business: promotions, interviews, social media, newsletters, and cross-promotions, just to name a few.
Q. What’s the best way to improve your writing?
I set a goal to write one short story a month, in addition to my novel projects, to keep my brain churning with new ideas. And I regularly take classes and workshops, as there is always more to learn, whether it’s craft or the business side of being an author.
Q. How do you persuade yourself to sit down to write on days when you really, really DON’T feel like doing it?
Fifteen minutes at a time. I set the timer on my watch to 15 or 30 minutes and try to put down only new words during that interval. It’s a way to commit to the project even when I’m incredibly busy with other things.
Leah Miles grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and planned to have a career as either a television anchor or a successful author. After getting a bachelor’s degree in English and communications, she worked at CNN for more than a dozen years in technical news production.
Her second career is managing an insurance agency in rural Georgia, along with six brand-new Airbnb-style rentals, with her husband. When not writing insurance or cleaning cabins, she cherishes quality time with her hubby and their cocker spaniel, Hootie. They have three adult kids—a doctor, a lawyer, and a journalist.
Leah is currently writing a series with military elements involving take-charge heroes and women who stand up for themselves and the people they love. For updates, visit leahmilesauthor.com.
Baby ConSEALed: (Publisher-Black Rose Writing) An at-risk murder witness must find the U.S. Navy SEAL who fathered her now two-year-old child during a one-night stand, before the killer finds her and silences her and her daughter forever.
Leah is represented by Colleen Oefelein at MacGregor & Luedeke for Baby ConSEALed.
Other Novellas:
The Brewmaster’s Kiss; Cindy Aurela; Enchanted Encounter; Aura of Destiny; Romancing the Holidays, Volume 1: A Pug Thanksgiving; Romancing the Holidays, Volume 2: Stolen Christmas; Romancing the Holidays, Volume 3: Fireworks Again; Romancing the Tropics, Volume 1: Love in the Conch Republic; Romancing the Tropics, Volume 2: Not Another Jack; An Autumn Embrace: A Barking Chance; For the Love of Winter, Volume 1: Marry Me by Midnight; For the Love of Winter, Volume 2: Mistletoe Magic; Christmas Wishes: Tied up for Christmas.
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