Haunted Houses and Summer Spooks
by Morgan Brice
Old hotels, Victorian houses, historic mansions and shipwrecks. They’re all part of a trip to the beach, and they’re a reminder that when the sun sets and the tourists go home, some visitors never leave.
What kind of ghosts linger at the beach? Pirates. Star-crossed lovers. Unlucky sailors. Out-of-luck out-of-towners. Add in old scandals, long-kept secrets, murder and revenge, and it’s the perfect mix for sexy thrills and spooky chills!
My new urban fantasy MM paranormal romance series, Treasure Trail, is set in Cape May, New Jersey. Erik Mitchell used to track art fraud and bust up forgery rings, but after a close call, he moves to Cape May to make a fresh start. Ex-cop Ben Nolan is also starting over, and sparks fly when the two men meet. But when old scandals and murders come to light, they’re going to need each other and every bit of luck to get their happy ending!
Cape May is known to be a very haunted town. Plenty of people came to visit and stayed forever. Beautiful Victorian houses, great food, interesting history—and ghosts. When I visited for a wedding last year, I knew I had to set a series there!
Erik and Ben both come to Cape May to outrun their pasts, both personal and professional. They’re wary, having been betrayed before by people they trusted. So when the attraction between them is undeniable, they’ve got to decide whether to take a chance or keep running. I had so much fun with these two!
Treasure Trail is the first in the series, but there will be more books to come! And if you finish Treasure Trail and want more sexy thrills and spooky thrills by the sea, check out my Badlands series is set in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with a psychic medium and a skeptical homicide cop who chase down supernatural killers.
About Treasure Trail
Erik Mitchell traveled the world uncovering art fraud and relic theft, which pitted him against spoiled billionaires, unscrupulous collectors, mobsters and cartels. He worked with law enforcement across the US and Europe, but a sting goes wrong and Erik ends up injured, then returns to find his partner cheating. Erik decides to stop globe trotting and buy an antique shop in scenic Cape May, NJ, rebuild his life, and nurse his broken heart.
Undercover Newark cop Ben Nolan went down in a hail of bullets when a bust went sideways, after a tip-off from a traitor inside the department. After he recovers, he spends a couple of years as a private investigator, only to tire of seeing the worst of human nature. So when his aunt offers him the chance to take over her rental real estate business in Cape May, it seems too good to be true. Now if he could just believe he could ever be lucky again in love.
When a missing antique shows up under mysterious circumstances, Ben and Erik are plunged into danger as a cursed hotel’s long-ago scandals resurface. Someone wants those secrets to stay buried—and is willing to add Ben and Erik to the death toll to keep the past hidden.
Available at: Amazon
An Excerpt from Treasure Trail
“What the hell did you pack in these boxes? Rocks?” Sean Meirlach shifted the heavy moving box on his shoulder. Sean looked and sounded like the Jersey Shore guy he was, brawny and blunt.
“Books,” Ben replied. “You know, those rectangular paper things? Ever read one?” The teasing was good-natured. Ben Nolan had spent most of his summers working for his cousin’s mom, and they were thick as thieves. Which, Ben reflected, was a poor analogy for an ex-cop-turned-former-private-investigator. And now, at least for this summer, a vacation rental manager in beautiful Cape May, New Jersey.
“Yes, dumbass. I’ve read lots of books. And not just the ones with pictures in them,” Sean said with a smirk. Sean played up his bad boy persona, but Ben knew his cousin had plenty of brains, hustle, and street smarts.
“Good to know. I’d hate to have to break it to Aunt Meg that her favorite son was illiterate.”
Sean snorted. “Favorite son? I’m her onlyson, asshole. And she’s already pissed at me because I just want to run my food truck in Wildwood. Which is why you’re doing me a huge solid, taking over the family business.”
“Whoa, there! Hold up. I’m here for the summer. Justthe summer. I said I’d see how it went. No promises.”
“Just the summer? You sure brought a lot of shit with you if it’s just for the summer.” Sean set the box down a little harder than necessary on a table in the upstairs apartment over the rental office, which would be Ben’s home for the next few months. Ben dumped the tangle of odds and ends he had carried up from the rented van and flopped onto the couch. He had put most of his things in storage when he left Newark and brought what he didn’t want to do without, or what the apartment didn’t have. Sean had driven the truck up to Cape May, while Ben drove his black Mustang, packed to the roof.
He owed Sean a lot for helping him move—and, if truth be told, for pushing him as the perfect candidate for the job to Aunt Meg.
“Don’t screw up the master plan, dude!” Sean chided. “You’re sick of the big city and getting shot. And I need a little of that good life, somewhere not quite as buttoned-down.” He reached for a bottle of water and took a swig. “I love this town, but I need to stretch my wings. And the vibe in Wildwood is different. People come for the Pier and the Boardwalk and the rides. More singles, not just families. And they all have to eat!”
Sean’s truck, Put A Ring On It, specialized in kickass onion rings, which went on everything—burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, even chili. The combination of great food, a catchy name, and Sean’s outgoing personality had made for a very successful launch.
About Morgan Brice
Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy male/male paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after. Gail writes epic fantasy and urban fantasy, and together with co-author hubby Larry N. Martin, steampunk and comedic horror, all of which have less romance, more explosions. Characters from her Gail books make frequent appearances in secondary roles in her Morgan books, and vice versa.
On the rare occasions Morgan isn’t writing, she’s either reading, cooking, or spoiling two very pampered dogs.
Other books include Witchbane, Burn, Dark Rivers, and Badlands. Watch for more in these series, plus new series coming soon!
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As part of this blog tour, Morgan is giving away winner’s choice of ebook from her backlist and a $10 Amazon gift card!! To enter, just click the link below!
Rafflecopter Giveaway
Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway unless otherwise stated but are still welcome anyway.
Don’t forget to check out Nikyta’s review ofTreasure Trail to see what she thought of it!
Good luck!
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