Blog Tour: CHRISTMAS WATCH by Petie McCarty

CHRISTMAS WATCH

Petie McCarty

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GENRE:  Romantic Suspense

 

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BLURB:

 

The Watchers Series

Fallen angels seeking parole for their betrayal . . .

 

Someone is watching Rachel . . . but who? And why?

 

Child psychologist Rachel Kelly has her Christmas stocking full of troubles this holiday season, both personal and professional. Recently separated from her boyfriend, Rachel still loves him but has no idea how to win him back. If that’s not enough to cause her sleepless nights, she’s uncertain how to handle her newest therapy client—a six-year-old boy who claims he talks to Watchers. And a Watcher is coming to help Rachel.

 

Lt. Jake Dillon has his heart broken when his fiancée Rachel, without warning, suddenly calls it quits. Yet when a stalker crashes Rachel's Christmas party and takes her young clients hostage, Jake is the first person Rachel calls. Now he has a choice to make—stand back and wait for the cavalry to save her, or step in and try to save her himself. Time is running out, and Jake may be their only chance for rescue.

 

Unless Rachel's young Watcher spy is telling the truth . . .

 

This romantic suspense tale with paranormal elements is Book 2 in The Watchers series . . . A captivating tale of small-town Christmas romance that will leave you looking over your shoulder and wondering, Is someone watching me?

 

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Excerpt Three:

 

“Since this isn’t our Publix, I’m assuming you stopped on your way home from work,” Jake said when Rachel reached his side.

 

Our Publix? Did he even realize he’d said that?

 

“You’re right,” she replied. “So why are you here?”

 

“My apartment’s just around the corner.”

 

Ouch.

 

That simple statement shouldn’t hurt—she knew he had an apartment near here—but it still did. She nodded.

 

“I’ll help you out.” He gently nudged her hands off the cart handle and took over, setting his own bag on top of her stack.

 

Rachel paced alongside the grocery cart as they moved through the electronic door and felt a moment of joy that her parking spot lay at the far end of the lot. She would have a few extra moments to be with him. How pitiful was that? She eased a step closer, anxious to inhale his unique scent of soap, aftershave, and pure Jake.

 

He glanced over and caught her staring. Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she hoped he didn’t notice the flush.

 

“Jake, look out!” She grabbed the cart to stop it just short of a car backing out.

 

He gave her his sexy, crooked Jake smile. “Guess I should keep my eyes on the road.”

 

Her heart ka-thumped inside her chest. “At least until we get to the car.”

 

His smile went to an all-out grin.

 

Had she just flirted with him? Had it been that easy to get past her trauma for a few brief minutes?

 

Far sooner than she would have liked, he stopped the grocery cart next to her Honda and helped stow her bags in the trunk, leaving his sole bag in the cart.

 

“Thanks for helping me,” Rachel told him.

 

“I’m glad you decided to stop at this Publix tonight.”

 

“You are?”

 

“Yeah. I’m glad I got to see you.” Jake grazed a knuckle gently across her cheek leaving a streak of tingly nerve endings in its wake.

 

“But I thought you wanted . . . I mean, I haven’t heard from you . . .” She cleared her throat. “. . . in a long time. I thought you might’ve . . .”

 

Why couldn’t she finish a sentence tonight? Bad enough she felt pathetic, now she sounded pathetic.

 

“You thought I might’ve what?”

 

She swallowed hard. “Might’ve found someone else by now.”

 

He studied her for a long moment. “After all we meant to each other, you thought I’d go right out and grab a new girlfriend, just like that?” His mouth tightened to a thin line.

 

She hadn’t meant to rile him. The last thing she wanted to do was fight with him. Without thinking, she reached up and brushed two fingers gently across his lips, wanting that sensuous mouth to smile at her again.

 

She startled him, and he jerked at her touch. She whisked her fingers away. “Sorry. I don’t want you to be mad.”

 

His gaze trapped hers, his pupils expanding until little of the brilliant green remained. “There’s no new girlfriend, Rachel,” he said gruffly.

 

“No?”

 

He slowly shook his head, his all-dark eyes tracking hers. He seemed closer than he’d been a minute earlier.

 

She exhaled hard. “Not yet anyway.”

 

He frowned.

 

Why had she said that?

 

“No, not yet,” he said flatly.

 

“I’m glad,” she said quickly.

 

Screw pride.

 

“Are you?”

 

He was definitely closer now. If she eased forward just a few inches, she could press her lips to his, feel that certain sizzle that always flared when their lips touched. But Jake had walked out on her. So, his move. Still, she ached with the need to hold him, if only for a second.

 

“Yes. Very glad. I don’t want you to find someone else—”

 

His lips brushed hers into silence—sweeping gently across as though seeking permission—the touch just light enough to make her lean in for more. He didn’t miss the movement and kissed her again, his lips settling on hers and nibbling at her lower lip.

 

The sensuous teasing had her knees growing weak, and she grabbed the placket of his dress shirt to steady herself.

 

He didn’t miss that movement either, and he cradled her cheeks in his big palms to deepen the kiss.

 

Suddenly lightheaded with desire, she twisted her knuckles into his shirt to pull him closer. She didn’t care if they were kissing in front of God and everybody. If Jake wanted to throw her down here in the middle of the Publix parking lot, she was ready. She could always shop at Winn-Dixie.

 

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Review: A middle school boy was being abused at home. A school girl was trying to escape the creepy leers of her future stepfather. Can Dr. Rachel, a renowned clinical psychologist, help them while also reeling from her broken heart?

This book starts off introducing the various characters. It takes a while to get to know them, but the reader does develop some form of connection with them. About a quarter of the way through, we meet the boy that can see Watchers—those that watch over people like angels. The story seems to revolve more on the break-up between Rachel and her ex-fiancé, Jake. The read can feel rather long and slow. As you’re reading this, you can’t help but wonder where and how these so-called Watchers are involved. Like I said, this can be a long story to get through. These characters basically wallow in their own problems and emotions. With all the crying that they do, you don’t see too much progress in these characters, but you still kind of root for them in some small way. I still didn’t get the angel angle. I guess, judging by all the religious references here, the story was alluding to the divine possibility of there being something more “out there”—something bigger that couldn’t be seen. Whatever the case, this was way longer than it should’ve been. All in all, however, this was a fairly nice read.

Rating: 3 stars

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World—"The  Most Magical Place on Earth"—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her "day" job to write her stories full-time.

These days Petie spends her time writing new Cinderella series tales, her new The Watchers series, sequels to her regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and more contemporary romance standalones to go along with her two previous releases—Any Fin For Love and Ambush in the Everglades.

Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and an opinionated Nanday conure named Sassy who made a cameo appearance in Book 2 of The Watchers, Christmas Watch.

 

Visit Petie's web site online at http://www.petiemccarty.com or her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/petie.mccarty

 

BIO Social Media:

http://www.petiemccarty.com

https://www.facebook.com/petie.mccarty

https://x.com/authorpetie

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6094579.Petie_McCarty

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/petie-mccarty

http://www.amazon.com/author/petiemccarty

 

 

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