New Release: Unlocked Treasure by Linda Carroll-Bradd

Author Linda Carroll-Bradd is here today, sharing her newly released book, Unlocked Treasure. It’s a contemporary romance, perfect for the Halloween season! Linda tells us that as a young girl, she was often found lying on her bed reading about fascinating characters having exciting adventures in places far away and in other time periods. In later years, she read and then started writing romances and achieved her first publication--a confession story. Married with 4 adult children and 2 granddaughters, Linda writes heartwarming contemporary and historical stories with a touch of humor from her home in the southern California mountains.

Here’s the BLURB:

Aleen MacRae blames the lure of the sea for breaking apart first her family then her engagement. When her interest is caught by a man she sees both in person and in a dream, she resists—afraid to believe in her aunt’s prediction that her future is tied to the sea.

Braden Williams is on the hunt for treasure buried centuries earlier by Rhode Island pirates. His search brings him to the property where Aleen lives. Collaboration on genealogy research draws them closer, and Braden steers her toward his true passion--sailing.

Attending a party with Braden’s family lets her glimpse what she’s been missing. An unexpected discovery before her date with Braden at the Halloween Midnight Organ Recital forces a decision. Will Aleen play things safe or accept what this free-spirited man offers?

And here’s an EXCERPT:

Ah, the story of her life—practically invisible. The reminder his first sighting had been of her bikini-clad backside made her blush. Still didn’t change the facts. Aleen squared her shoulders. “I remember, but the Manor grounds are still closed.” Should she be nervous about being alone with this stranger, especially one who ignored posted rules?

“Sorry for the intrusion. Let me start over.” Smiling, he approached and extended his right hand. “My name’s Braden Williams.”

Aleen bit her lower lip, but accepted his hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Aleen MacRae.” At the moment their hands clasped, she felt warmth flooding her fingers. With a jerk, she released her grip, tingling sensations running along her skin. Immediately, the scent of fresh air and summer breezes wafted her way. Definitely a man of the sea. Just where I foretold your future lies. Whispers of her great-aunt Zsofika’s prophecy trickled through Aleen’s thoughts. At the memory, her cheeks flamed with heat.

“Wow.” Frowning, Braden flexed his hand and narrowed his gaze then dropped it to his flexing fingers. “That was bizarre.”

“Static electricity, from all that wind yesterday.” A reasonable explanation. In the back of her mind, Aleen could hear Zsofika scoff, “Static schmatic. A connection like that is destiny.”

“Well…” His gaze searched her face. “Aleen—hey, that’s pretty, like the direction alee.” A wide smile exposed even teeth

Her own smile dimmed. Like I’ve never heard that before. “Thanks.” This guy was not charming his way around the rules. “Sorry, but you’ll need to come back when the gardens are open for visitors. That’s Wednesdays through—”

“Yeah, I read the sign.” He gave a dismissive wave then turned to gaze back at the main house. “But I just needed five minutes to check out some dimensions and the lot layout.”

“So, you woke up this morning and just decided to start out your week by trespassing?”

You can find Linda at her Website, Blog,  and on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Unlocked Treasure can be purchased at Amazon

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Sweet Saturday Sample

Welcome! This week I've decided to share a scene from one of my Works-in-Progress. It's a fun switch for me, writing about a couple a little closer to my own age:

“What do you mean, you don’t want to go? When we first got married, you said you wanted to travel and see the world because you’d never been anywhere!”

He shrugged his shoulders, but his hands continued to spread the mayo, meticulously covering the bread in precise strokes. “That was then. I’ve changed.”

She stared at him. “Who are you, and what have you done with my husband?”

Finally, a reaction. He frowned, a stern look that reminded her of her father. “Not funny.”

“I’m not trying to be funny. You told me you’d always wanted to travel, but never had the chance to when you were young. We promised each other we’d see the world when we saved up enough. So let’s do it!”

He laid the piece down slowly. A chill creeping up her spine told her that she wasn’t going to like what Dave had to say.

“I can’t do it, Sylvie,” he began. It had been a long time since he had used the name he coined for her in the early days. “I just can’t make myself waste all that money on a trip.”

“How can you say it’s a waste?”

He sighed. “We’ve been over this, Syl.” He picked up another piece and began to cover it with mustard . “There’s no reason we need to go to Mackinac Island. Yes, it’s pretty, and yes, the fudge is good. But we have pretty beaches less than thirty miles from here, and you make a killer fudge. So I don’t need to spend several hundreds of dollars to sit on a bus with a bunch of smelly senior citizens and ride four hours to sleep in an overpriced hotel and shop in stores for stuff I don’t need.”

Sylvia counted to ten. At least, she thought she did. She may have missed a number or two, but she was so angry she wasn’t sure. “Okay, then. Where would you like to go?”

Another shrug. “I don’t need to go anywhere.”

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