Holiday Free Read

Yay! Holiday season is in full swing. To celebrate, I have a free eRead from Desert Breeze Publishing available for download.

Lasting Bonds, a sequel to Duty and Devotion.

Blurb:

Can Nettie Matterville and her husband, James Northman close the final door of war? Or will the consequences of that tragedy follow them…stopping them from getting what they most want?

Nettie and James have rearranged their whole world, all for the hopes of finding a child to call their own. Discovering Addie -- an orphan from war -- hiding in her cargo hold was unexpected luck on Nettie's part, but Addie is more than what she seems. Can Nettie and James handle the twists of fate and take on the added bonus Addie brings with her?

Excerpt:

James peeked over at Nettie, who slept next to him. Their lives had totally turned upside down and he hoped for the better. After the war, things seemed like they'd work out. The reality was a lot different. A relationship was hard work. Normal life was also hard work. A lot harder, in fact, than battle in some ways. Mostly it was living with the after effects of war. Wounds that never quite left, injuries that never fully recovered. Nightmares that never completely went away.

Naturally, they'd evolved their love and partnership to a desire for children. That's when life hit a brick wall. First, she'd denied it. Then she'd insisted on using a surrogate to have their genetics pass on to the next generation. Whatever that meant. When that hadn't worked out she'd almost broke.

Rinny's visit to Earth was a godsend. She'd spoken about the lost children who had no home. Nettie latched on to it as if it were a life line. Admitting the amazing timing, James knew it was the right decision for them. What made it easier was the fact Rinny and Danny lived on Dover. Rinny as the head of security and Danny as the dock port master.

He hoped everything would turn out well. They needed a break.

At least the first meeting with the agency on site was done. They'd walked by the child center several times. Nettie had been too nervous to actually go in, not without the final receipt from the agency anyway. James kept telling her it was only formality, and she knew that, but she couldn't. He finally let it rest.

She stirred, opened her eyes and caught his gaze. Need sparked. He bent over and lightly kissed her lips. The passion and love for her washed over him again. Like a drug -- a very alluring and beautiful drug. Still a secret from her, he'd fallen in love the moment he'd spotted her across the assembly when they had first arrived at Callisto for training all those years ago.

There'd always been someone or something else, though, it seemed. First the Captain. Then Edaris. When she'd finally become free, her sister had been taken by the enemy. There was nothing he could do after that but be a friend. What else could he have done? He'd loved her too much. Yeah, he might've gotten a night of passion, but that would've been it. He'd wanted forever.

The day she'd told him she loved him he'd just come off a long mission, been dead tired and only looking for a bed to crash in. He chuckled at the memory of her tossing the "I love you" over her shoulder as she'd strolled into the woman's locker room. Like hell he was going to wait for her to come back out. He'd gone straight in after her.

The wish for forever... so far, so good.

*****

Link to download: HERE

Don't forget to check out the other holiday free reads they released in December. Happy Holidays folks!