Thanks for hosting me today, Cynthia!
I write futuristic romances as well as fairy tales with a contemporary twist. I particularly enjoy dropping my two main characters into an impossible situation, and then watching the sparks fly as they try to resist falling in love!
That’s what happens in the first book of my new series, The Tau Cetus Chronicles, which is called Programmed To Please.
Here’s the blurb:
Very human Tau Cetus police agent Jai Turner goes undercover as a Beautiful Dolls robot to bring down the planet’s most notorious arms dealer, Marque Callex.
Marque Callex only accepts an invitation from Beautiful Dolls because with his deadly line of work – and the dangerous secrets he’s keeping – he can’t afford to let a real woman into his life.
But neither Jai nor Marque are what they seem, and their week together has consequences neither expect.
Programmed To Please is a HOLT Medallion merit award-winner.
Here’s an excerpt:
“Turner, I’m sending you undercover as a Beautiful Dolls robot.”
Police agent Jai Turner stared at her boss, Commander Talis Rainey, convinced she couldn’t have heard him right. “Sir?”
Rainey leaned forward and pushed a button on his desk. “Send in Mr. Carron.”
A minute later, a short man stood in the doorway.
“This is Anson Carron. Creator of Beautiful Dolls.”
Carron’s eyes had locked on Jai, and were scanning her up and down in a way that felt decidedly intimate despite the generic, navy blue one-piece uniform everyone on the Tau Cetus police force wore.
“Yes,” he murmured. “I suppose I can work with this.”
“This,” Rainey said hotly, “is Jai Turner, one of my best agents. Now sit. Both of you.”
The two took the chairs arrayed around Rainey’s desk. Jai crossed her arms and legs defensively.
Rainey ran a hand through his grey-black hair. “I have one thing to say to you, Turner. Marque Callex.”
The infamous name had Jai leaning forward in her chair, now eagerly waiting for Rainey’s next words.
“You know how long we’ve been trying to get this guy. We may now have a chance, albeit by a very unconventional route.” Rainey nodded toward their guest. “A month ago, Mr. Carron ran afoul of the law. In an effort to save his neck – and his very lucrative business – he suggested a unique proposal in return for us not pursuing charges against him.”
“What kind of proposal?” Jai asked.
“He agreed to send an… invitation… to Marque Callex, in the guise of offering ‘a select number of high-powered businessmen’ the chance to sample the latest model of Beautiful Doll in exchange for their feedback on the product. In reality, Callex was the only person to get this invitation.”
Jai’s mouth set in a disgusted line. “And he accepted.”
“He did. In this ‘latest model,’ clients are able to customize their girl. Callex filled out the form, and now all we have to do is fulfill his requirements. With you.”
Jai’s eyes went wide. “You want me to impersonate a sexbot?”
“He’s requested certain specifics,” Anson Carron said. “Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Lean, athletic build.”
“Well, that rules me out. I’m brown-haired and brown-eyed.”
“You fit the most important characteristic: athletic build,” her boss pointed out. “We can’t fake that, but we can correct the other things with hair dye and contact lenses.”
Jai scowled. There was absolutely no way she was going to volunteer for this. Not even to bring down a man they’d long suspected of weapons smuggling. Besides, she could never pass for a robot. She had a heartbeat!
Rainey sighed into the silence. “Do I really need to play the Joran Breaux card with you?”
Joran was the much more personal reason they were after Marque Callex. Joran had been sent to infiltrate Callex Industries from the inside, only to turn up dead three weeks later.
“This may be our best chance to get to Callex. But if you’re not up to it, Turner, I’ll find another female agent who’s more committed to her job.”
Crap. Now Rainey was doubting Jai’s dedication to the force. She considered her options. As in, none. “I’ll do it. If this is our best – and possibly only – chance to get to Callex, then I’m in.”
If Programmed To Please sounds like an interesting read to you, here are some buy links:
About me: I am a ‘hybrid author’ both traditionally and self-published. I write for several publishers under a variety of names, but mainly it’s to protect my poor mother (who used to read sweet Harlequin novels) from discovering how sexy modern romances have become. And I DO write sexy…
I love to connect with readers and other authors! Hit me up one of these ways: website: www.jennaives.com; email: jenna@jennaives.com; Twitter @JennaIvesAuthor; or on Facebook or Goodreads!
Thanks so much to Cynthia for hosting me today!
Jenna