UNQUIETLY ME

 

Unquietly Me welcomes Christine d’Abo, author of No Remedy!

 
Hello, my name is Christine d’Abo! Thank you so much for having me here on the blog today.

There’s something really enticing about a ménage story. Am I right?? Lots of hot, sweaty bodies all crammed together doing all sorts of things to one another. In the case of No Remedy, that crammed space is both in the cockpit and under the bedsheets.

Mace is on a mission to save her friend and captain, Faolan Wolf. She’s been working closely with Alec, a brilliant scientist who seems to be on the verge of a cure for the disease that’s killing Faolan. But when his ex-lover Byron shows up, Mace realizes that there’s more to Alec than meets the eye.

Byron is dominant in the bedroom and just as pushy outside. While she might put up with it for a few rounds of great sex, there’s no way she’ll let him put Faolan’s life in jeopardy. Too bad the lines get blurred and she starts to fall for both Alec and Byron. But she’s not sure if there’s room enough in their relationship for three.

If you would like to learn more about me, please pay a visit to my website www.christinedabo.com. I’m also very active on Twitter as @Christine_dAbo and have a monthly newsletter. If you’d like to sign up, simply click here to fill out the form.

---

 

NO REMEDY
Bounty #2
By: Christine d’Abo
Release Date: May 30, 2016
Publisher: Riptide

 

For months, Mace Simms has been seeking an antidote for the poison killing her mentor. Her only hope is Alec Roiten, a brilliant scientist hiding on a backwater planet. Posing as a research assistant, Mace offers the elusive genius all the help she can, ignoring the explosive chemistry between them. Soon they’re close to a cure.

But then Alec’s former love Byron shows up, attempting to claim a bounty on Alec’s head, and all that careful research gets left behind when they’re forced to flee. And when Byron realizes the tip-off about Alec was a ruse by his rivals to lure him out into the open to kill him, the bounty hunt turns into a three-person scramble for survival.

Byron wants his old lover back, Alec is consumed by a haunting secret about the poison he’s desperate to defeat, and Mace is caught between them. But she’s beginning to think that’s exactly where she belongs as the three are drawn together in their race against death.

Publisher’s note: This title is an edited second edition, previously published in 2011.

BUY LINK: Riptide Publishing

 

ABOUT CHRISTINE D’ABO

A romance novelist and short story writer, Christine has over thirty publications to her name. She loves to exercise and stops writing just long enough to keep her body in motion too. When she’s not pretending to be a ninja in her basement, she’s most likely spending time with her family and two dogs.

Connect with Christine:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Pintrest | Goodreads

 

GIVEAWAY

To celebrate the release of the Bounty series, one lucky person will receive a $50 gift certificate to Riptide. Winner will be selected from across all three book tours (No Quarter, No Remedy, No Master) and as such, the contest is open until midnight, Eastern time, on July 2, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Comment to enter, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

 

EXCERPT

Mace Simms tugged uncomfortably on her lab coat before slipping into the console chair to initiate the latest in her series of tests. Gods, please let it work this time. Her fingernails bit into the flesh of her palms as the scanner whirled up to full power, pulling the sample into its innards.

It had taken Mace the better part of three months to become familiar with the procedures Alec insisted she use in his lab. It was only when she could complete them to his satisfaction that he left her alone for more than five minutes at a time. Gods, he was so stubborn. The last thing she wanted was him hanging over her shoulder, questioning her every move.

The computer hummed pleasantly as it ran the latest chemical analysis of their continued attempts at an antidote for the ryana poison. Gritting her teeth, Mace tried to ignore the persistent memory of her most recent communication with her brother, Gar. She couldn’t bear to recall the look of worry coloring his normally impassive face. Gar’s husband, Faolan—Mace’s captain, mentor, friend—had taken a turn for the worse in recent months. Ryana poison was now attacking his nervous system, turning him from a vivacious man who laughed with everyone into a shell of his former self. They’d hoped for ten years of good health before the poison got to this stage—they’d barely gotten three.

The computer beeped mournfully, announcing the end of its analysis. Huffing out a breath and shoving her short hair behind her ears, Mace triggered the readout and mentally rattled off the one and only prayer she knew. Numbers and compounds filled the screen, revealing a complex chemical breakdown of the interaction results. She leaned forward, pressing her fingertip to the screen as she followed the lines of text, trying to work out exactly what it meant. It was close—the compound had torn down the poison’s structure, but also destroyed the surrounding cells.

“Shit.” She fell back into her seat with a groan, pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes. This will kill Faolan faster than the poison.

“That doesn’t sound good.”

Mace turned her head and watched Alec stride into the room. She shivered as he scratched the back of his neck; her eyes were drawn to the flex of muscles across his arms and chest, barely concealed by his black, short-sleeved shirt. Gods, he was a temptation she hadn’t anticipated when she’d set out to find Faolan’s cure. Having lived on a ship full of men since she was twelve years old, she had learned to control her impulses long before now.

There was something about Alec, though. He wasn’t loud and boisterous like the pirates on Faolan’s ship, the Belle Kurve. Alec had a quiet strength about him, making him more of a mystery to her than any other person she’d met. And while she wished he would relax enough to let her past the walls he’d erected, she enjoyed the flashes of his sarcastic humor. Slowly he was starting to trust her, even if he still refused to talk about his past.

Honestly, who was she to criticize him for keeping secrets?

Crossing her arms, she snorted. “Oh, it worked. It ripped the infected cells to shreds . . . along with the uninfected ones.”

Alec stood behind her chair, leaning forward until the back of her head pressed against his chest. She glanced up in time to watch him slide his glasses up the bridge of his nose, wondering again why he hadn’t undergone the operation to repair his corneas. He had the resources and credits available to have it done legally. Hell, he could probably perform the bloody operation on himself if he were so inclined.

Mace looked back at the screen as Alec reached ahead to advance the report. He seemed completely oblivious to how much of his body was pressed against hers. Hell, most of the time he didn’t show any awareness of her except as another functional piece of equipment in his lab. She wasn’t used to being ignored or blending into the background. That was more her brother’s style.

Gar had been the best and most infamous operative in the Bounty Hunters’ Guild. If he was on the trail of a mark, nobody would know it until he was right on top of them—and then it was too late to do anything but give the hell up. Mace had some of those instincts too. On the other hand, Faolan had taught her the benefits of seizing life by the throat and living it to its full extent, which usually meant being the center of attention.

“You’re right. Shit.” Alec’s voice rumbled in his chest. “We’re closer this time, so that’s promising.”

Mace rolled her eyes. “Sure, if killing the patient is forward progress.”

“Depends on the patient. If a Sayton happens to ingest the ryana, then we’ll have an antidote ready to go.”

“Too bad ryana only seems to affect humans.”

Alec stiffened and pulled back. “Be thankful it isn’t more races.”

The loss of his contact was as unnerving as his reaction. He always withdrew whenever she tried to talk about the origins of the poison they were studying, and for the life of her, Mace couldn’t figure out why. Sliding her hands over the tops of her thighs, she turned and glanced at him.

His cropped black hair looked as though he’d been running his hands through it compulsively. He did that when he was stressed about something. He wasn’t wearing his lab coat, but as civilian or scientist, Alec always appealed to her in a way he shouldn’t.

Damn it. The last thing she needed was to get tangled up in feelings for a man she would inevitably leave when she returned to the Belle Kurve. She would use Alec to get the antidote for Faolan and then she’d get the hell off this stupid planet. She’d deal with her emotions once she knew Faolan was better.

Allowing herself a final admiring glance at his mussed appearance, she said, “Good old Rusty trying to press you for credits again?” She leaned her elbow against the top of the chair and propped her chin in her hand. “I’m surprised he hasn’t stopped playing bully yet.”

Mace didn’t know the security officer’s real name and frankly didn’t give a shit. She’d dubbed him “Rusty” based solely on the massive amounts of rust covering the UVA he drove. Planet Naveeo clearly wasn’t high on the Loyalist list of priorities when it came to new equipment. Hell, it was lucky to get the few castoffs it did, given the reputation of most of the colony’s inhabitants.

Alec’s gaze dropped to her cleavage before quickly snapping back to her face. Those little slips were the only reason she knew he was attracted to her, although he was too professional to ever make a move. And she was too guarded to let him.

But it felt . . . good.

Maybe she should let him.

---