Tamara Dares to Write

New Release: Finding Peace by Melanie D. Snitker

If you like clean romance novels with a dash of mystery and suspense, check out Finding Peace. This is the first book in Melanie’s new series, Love’s Compass, and is the story of Kentucky “Tuck” Chandler and Laurie Blake.

Finding Peace is available on Kindle and in paperback

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Book Blurb

Police Officer Tuck Chandler is good at his job. He’s also good at holding women at arm’s length. Jilted by his fiancée for his dedication to his job, he’s not about to open himself up to hurt like that again.

Laurie Blake is a struggling photographer. After growing up in a wealthy family, she’s determined to make it on her own, even if it means doing it the hard way.

When Tuck is assigned to a puzzling burglary involving Laurie’s fledgling photography business, he goes into it with his usual perseverance. He wants to help her – if she’ll let him. As the case unfolds and the mystery deepens, another question arises.

Will the past get in the way of their future?

Book Excerpt

It had been a long day and Laurie was more than happy to be driving back home again. The plastic over the passenger side window flapped in the wind and she hunched her shoulders against the cold. She had to turn up the volume on the radio to hear it.

She smiled as she thought back over the two photo sessions. They had gone extremely well. The next step would be to go through all of the images over the following week and process them. She couldn’t wait to be able to upload the finished pictures so that the families could see them.

A vision of the newborn peeing on his daddy made her chuckle. It was all part of the job and she came prepared. But she had to admit, she was glad it was him and not her.

The day ended with a trip to one of the local ponds. The moon was full and she couldn’t resist taking photos of its brilliance reflected in the water. Now it was late and all she wanted to do was go upstairs to her apartment and slip under the warm quilt on her bed.

Still smiling, Laurie pulled her car to a stop and stepped onto the pavement. The early night air seeped through her jacket. Her feet quickened, thoughts of hot tea an incentive to unlock the door and get all of the equipment from the trunk of her car as quickly as possible.

She reached for the door. Her hand stilled when it swung open a couple of inches before she had a chance to insert the key. Holding her breath, she nudged it open further with her foot. She squinted, trying to make out the shapes in the dark room.

Had she forgotten to lock the door?

No, surely not. She usually double and triple checked to make sure everything was secure before she left.

Hands shaking, she reached for the light switch. Feeling the plastic with the tip of a finger, she pushed it upward. The light that illuminated her studio made her eyes burn and she blinked as she stepped inside.

Swallowing hard, her gaze flickered from the desk against one wall to the stands supporting her backdrops.

A man stepped away from one of the shadows in the back corner of the room.

Laurie screamed.