Book Review: Murmur by Anne Conley

About the Author

Anne has written her entire life and has the boxes of angst-filled journals and poetry to prove it. She's been writing for public consumption for the last five years. Currently, Anne has two completed series out—the Four Winds, and Stories of Serendipity—and two in progress—Pierce Securities, and Book B!tches.
She lives in rural East Texas with her husband and children in her own private oasis, where she prides herself in her complete lack of social skills, choosing instead to live with the people inside her head.
https://www.amazon.com/Anne-Conley/e/B00BL2P538/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Murmur (Pierce Securities Series Book 5)

Valerie Dunaway is a former socialite who has hidden from the public eye for years due to a horrific attack that left her scarred—physically and emotionally. When a strange masked man makes himself at home with her, she’s unable to run. She calls the cops, but the agoraphobic won’t go into protective custody, so Detective Hollerman calls the only people he trusts: Pierce Securities.

Quinten Pierce is a Renaissance man—artist, lawyer, fighter—but his latest assignment has him losing his ever-present control. He’s got one fight left in his career, and although he can’t wait for it to be over, his opponent seems to have ties to Valerie, thus forcing him to hold on until he finds out exactly who he’s working with.

With the help of the Pierce team, the scarred princess and the gentle giant must silence the murmurs of the past that threaten their future.
https://www.amazon.com/Murmur-Pierce-Securities-Book-5-ebook/dp/B01M0SEVYP/ref= 


Review:

The fifth installment of the Pierce Securities Series finally gave us a look into the life of Quinten Pierce, A.K.A. the muscle at Pierce Securities. We've seen his serious side and his caring side in previous books, but we finally get to see him open up in this one. I thought this book was very well written and had a few surprises thrown our way. I did wish there was a little more action and drama like the first three books, but was very satisfied by the overall plot and characters. We also learned of a few new characters which means there will be more Pierce Security books to come, which I can't wait to read.

Cover Reveal: Murmur by Anne Conley

Add it to your Goodreads TBR pile, now!!!  

Exclusive blurb from Murmur, Book 5 in Anne's Pierce Securities Series:  

Valerie Dunaway is a former socialite who has hidden from the public eye for years, due to a horrific attack that left her scarred—physically and emotionally. 

When a strange masked man makes himself at home with her, she’s unable to run. She calls the cops, but the agoraphobic won’t go into protective custody, so Detective Hollerman calls the only people he trusts: Pierce Securities.

Quinten Pierce is a Renaissance man—artist, lawyer, fighter—but his latest assignment has him losing his ever-present control. He’s got one fight left in his career, and although he can’t wait for it to be over, his opponent seems to have ties to Valerie, thus forcing him to hold on until he finds out exactly who he’s working with.

With the help of the Pierce team, the scarred princess and the gentle giant must silence the murmurs of the past that threaten their future.

Unedited Excerpt from Murmur:

The more Quinten learned about the reason for Valerie Dunaway’s agoraphobia, the less he liked it.

Quinten looked over Evan’s shoulder at the three massive monitors. 

“She doesn’t appear to have left her house in three years, dude.  She shops online, doesn’t have a car registered to her, nothing.”

Quinten rubbed his jaw in thought.  “Who comes in and out?”

“A therapist comes once a week.  She pays a house keeper and a man who does gardening and errand-running type stuff.  But it looks like that’s about it.  She cut all ties with friends and family after the incident.  Maybe they took sides?”  Evan’s eyes pored over the screens in front of him, faster than Quinten could process what the man was reading.

“What exactly did her husband do to her?  You said sliced and diced?”  Evan’s choice of words churned in his stomach.  Quinten peered at the screens, desperate to find the one that made sense.

“She was a model when they met.  She came from old money.  The Dunaways?  They married into the Stadlers and created a dynasty.”  Quinten nodded. That’s why she sounded familiar.  He was pretty sure some of his parents’ dinner parties had involved the Dunaways and Stadlers.  “Well, she was their face.  Apparently, when she married Argyle Ford, he wanted her to stop being her family’s face piece, and when she wouldn’t, he tied her to their marital bed and sliced her face up with a straight razor.”

Quinten’s stomach churned at the prospect of a man doing something like that to the woman he vowed to honor and cherish.  “When you say, ‘sliced her face up,’ what exactly, do you mean?”

“Put her in the hospital for two weeks.  There were other injuries, mostly from the restraints he used.  Her lawyer wouldn’t let her do any reconstructive surgery except the bare minimum until after the trial.”

Evan’s fingers flew over keys and he pointed at one of the monitors.  There, displayed larger than life, was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen, on the arm of some guy, in a newspaper article.

Quinten sat back in his chair.  So she’d put the man who’d sworn to love her in prison after he’d taken away her identity as a woman in the worst possible way. She was a model, at least for her family’s enterprises—her mother’s clothing company, and her father’s golf club.  Quinten had been there with his dad.  She also was a spokesperson for numerous charities.  She used her beauty for good, it seemed.  And it had pissed off her husband?  Was she hogging all his attention?  Quinten shook his head, unable to understand it.

 At least she’d taken a stand against her attacker.  That should have been a step toward recovery.  What would be so bad that a woman who lived in the limelight would suddenly disappear from it? 

“Tell me if the bastard’s still in jail,” Quinten murmured as he leaned forward to try to make sense of Evan’s screens again.  The computer wiz was clicking through them so fast, even Quinten couldn’t keep up.

“Well, I’ll be damned…” Evan mused, his fingers clicking on keys.

“What?” Quinten growled.

“Looks like he got out last month.”  Another couple of clicks and something whirred to the left of Quinten.  “I’m printing out his address for you.  It seems he’s living with an uncle on the other side of the lake from Ms. Dunaway.”

That news didn’t make Quinten happy at all.

“I’m going to her house.  See what you can get as far as backgrounds on friends and family, especially his.  Find me some trial transcripts.  And we’ll go from there.”

Evan nodded, still absorbed in the data on his monitors.  “Will do.”

Read other stand-alone novels in the Pierce Securities Series: 

Craze (Book 1)

Wire (Book 2)

Click (Book 3)

Grab (Book 4)

Redemption for Misty (Book 4.5)-Available only on Amazon

Murmur pre-order links coming soon!

Keep up with Anne on these platforms:  

Contemporary Romance Author

anneconleyauthor@gmail.com

www.anneconley.com

www.facebook.com/anneconleyauthor

https://www.pinterest.com/anneconley/

@anneconley10

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Holiday Promo Tour Day 27: Anne Conley

About the Author:

Anne has written her entire life and has the boxes of angst-filled journals and poetry to prove it. She's been writing for public consumption for the last four years. Currently she is writing two romance series. In Stories of Serendipity, she explores real people living real lives in small town Texas in a contemporary romance setting. In The Four Winds, she chronicles God's four closest archangels, Uriel, Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael, falling in love and becoming human. She lives in rural East Texas with her husband and children in her own private oasis, where she prides herself in her complete lack of social skills, choosing instead to live with the people inside her head.

Pierce Securities Series

When Krista catches her boss doing the unthinkable, the only thing she can do is run. Straight into the arms of the eye-candy she’s been trying not to flirt with on her lunch break. But whose side is he on?

Ryan’s security firm is having a hard time getting off the ground, and this may be just the job to help the company out. But pseudo-bounty hunter isn’t really what Pierce Securities is trying to get a name for. When he finds out their target is the classy lady from the park, all of Ryan’s senses go on high alert. What do these men want with her?

Krista is forced into Ryan’s sanctuary in the woods, where she realizes just how wild he is, but she doesn’t want to tame him. He may feel his methods of protection endangered her, but without Krista in his life, Ryan is crazed.

This is book #1 in the Pierce Securities

Four Winds Series

Uriel is one of God's Four Winds, the Archangel of Destiny. He has helped thousands of people throughout the ages find their destiny according to His will. This time however, what he doesn't realize, is that it's his own destiny he's supposed to fulfill.

Heather is an exotic dancer, whose stage name is Heaven. It's not what she's always wanted to do, but it helps her pay the bills, and she's got a lot of bills, with taking care of her mother and her sister. When the mysterious Uriel comes into the club, she can tell he's different -- just how different will rock her world...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B00PP17GCE/ref=sr_1_6_acs_b_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447948045&sr=1-6-acs

Stories of Serendipity

 

 

Dream On (Book 2)

Welcome to Serendipity, Texas, a town where real people deal with real problems. Meet characters in their thirties and forties struggling with day-to-day issues and managing to find love in the process. Visit Serendipity, where the days are hot, and the nights are steamy!

Alyssa has a hard time keeping up with her responsibilities, and she's has a lot: her elderly mother, both kids, her high school students, and of course, herself. When she starts dreaming of a handsome bad boy living a kinky lifestyle, she wonders what in the world her subconscious is telling her. She barely has time for her own life, much less one involving a guy with those kinds of appetites.

Dalton has been living life on the edge for too long. When he begins dreaming of a woman from his hometown, Serendipity, he initially thinks it's something inside him, letting him know it's time to settle down. When his dad gets sick, and Dalton has to move back home to take care of the family ranch, he realizes his dream girl is a reality.

Sparks fly in this sizzling novel that explores love and lust in a small town setting, complete with ex-husbands, high school football, and nosy school boards.

Warning: Some content not suitable for under 18 years of age

The Fixer Upper

James, a UK based chef, has tried to make a career with EAT-TV, but his womanizing ways aren’t what they’re looking for with their wholesome family style image. However, the producers of a new reality show about single life, The Fixer Upper, think he’s perfect. Against his wishes his agent convinces him to give it a shot. His overpriced bachelor pad is needing a mortgage payment, and he needs a job to support the tween-aged daughter that’s recently been dumped in his lap.

Margaret Dumas is control freak who has micromanaged her marriage to shambles. When she makes a deal with her mother to quit fixing her up if she’ll do this new reality show, she thinks she’s won. No more blind dates, no more friendly advice, no more “chance meetings” with her Mother’s friends’ sons. The only catch is she’s got to go on detestable reality television and expose her dating habits to a total stranger who is supposed to “fix” her and make her a dating machine. As if.

When Margaret meets James, they clash on the surface, but deep down they recognize something in the other that they want. Redemption.
http://www.amazon.com/Fixer-Upper-Anne-Conley-ebook/dp/B00TY4YIMO/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

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Book Review: Click By Anne Conley

Introducing Anne Conley's latest release, Click, Book #3 in the Pierce Securities series.  Now available at Amazon, and other retailers soon!

BLURB

Jake Callahan has a problem, and the only people who can fix it are the guys with Pierce Securities.  Except Jake needs a woman.  Miriam Bartoli will happily play the part of a sexy woman to get what the client needs, especially since playing mom to an office full of alpha males and recent surgery has wreaked havoc on her femininity.  Can she fight her attraction with the target long enough to get what the client needs?  Or will this case of mistaken identity and clicking with the wrong man be the end of her?

EXCERPT

“What’s perfect?”

“This right here.  The stars.  Aren’t they beautiful?”  She glanced over to find Jake staring at her.

“You’re beautiful.”

His hand cupped her neck and he came in close.  “Can I?”

Miriam didn’t respond.  She licked her lips as if they weren’t listening to her brain, which was emphatically yelling at her to stop this.

Jake obviously wasn’t listening to her internal monologue as his lips captured hers in a tentative kiss.  

Her brain reminded her he was an asshole at the bar, he’d given her coke yesterday, he was mixed up in Tres Lobos, and he stole from his parents.  It was screaming at her that this was a bad idea.

But at the touch of his lips on hers, the lizard part of her brain—the part which was just made to eat, sleep, and have sex—told her to go for it.  She whimpered into his lips in defeat, and his arms went around her waist, pulling her close as he deepened the kiss.  Jake’s lips were soft, his mouth warm, and the aftershave exquisite.  She didn’t want him to ever let her go.

“Oh my God,” she breathed at him between kisses.  His tongue delved into her mouth, but before she lost herself completely, she pulled back.  “We can’t do this.”

He kissed her again, muttering against her mouth, “Why not?”

“I can think of half a dozen reasons off the top of my head.”

That seemed to stop him, but he didn’t let go of her.  Jake just looked at her quizzically, as if he saw absolutely nothing wrong with the fact they were kissing.  He apparently didn’t realize he had a dual personality and was a complete shit half the time he existed.  He finally looked up, taking a deep breath.  When he refocused on her, his eyes hardened into something wild. Something feral.  Something passionate.  And a little scary.

“Blame it on the stars,” was all he said before his mouth captured hers again.  This kiss was different from the first.  Where the first one was tentative \ and exploratory, this kiss was devouring.  It was like he’d gotten a taste of nirvana and craved more.  It was heady, the way his tongue was mating with hers in a fiery kiss that was quickly undoing her cell by cell.  Her last coherent thought was that Simon was going to kill her.

Review:

This is the third book in this great series. Despite being linked to a series, this book is a stand alone and was just as good as the other two. This time Miriam, the woman behind the men at Pierce Securities, has decided to leave the safety of her desk job and get thrown into a hornet's nest of trouble. There was a lot of build up in this book and very focused on bringing Miriam's character to life. The internal struggles and self doubt are true feelings women fight on a daily basis. Ms. Conley really showed a different side of her character and to this series.

 

Check out the other books in this series, Craze and Wire: Craze:  When Krista catches her boss doing the unthinkable, the only thing she can do is run. Straight into the arms of the eye-candy she’s been trying not to flirt with on her lunch break. But whose side is he on? 
Ryan’s security firm is having a hard time getting off the ground, and this may be just the job to help the company out. But pseudo-bounty hunter isn’t really what Pierce Securities is trying to get a name for. When he finds out their target is the classy lady from the park, all of Ryan’s senses go on high alert. What do these men want with her? 
Krista is forced into Ryan’s sanctuary in the woods, where she realizes just how wild he is, but she doesn’t want to tame him. He may feel his methods of protection endangered her, but without Krista in his life, Ryan is crazed. 

Wire:  Evan Rocco has been a hero to Paige Lawson for as long as she could remember. So when she runs into him in a bar after a major professional coup, she’s feeling celebratory and reckless. But it can’t go anywhere, because after all, he’s Evan freaking Rocco. But when her gaming company gets into trouble, there’s only one man she can turn to. 

Evan can’t get the woman who disappeared after their one-night-stand six months ago out of his head. He’d honestly thought there was more between them besides just sex—a connection he’d never felt before. When PSL, his favorite software game company is in trouble, he jumps at the chance to help them solve the mystery behind The Crimson Lady and get his mind off the woman of his dreams. 
When he realizes who the CEO of PSL actually is, he has to get over his own issues or else he’ll put the one woman in danger he never wanted to hurt. 

Anne Conley

Contemporary Romance Author

anneconleyauthor@gmail.com

www.anneconley.com

www.facebook.com/anneconleyauthor

@anneconley10

FREE Novels!  

Contemporary Romance: Neighborly Complications

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/12uLA8t

Barnes and Noble:  http://bit.ly/14ekx5K

Smashwords:  http://bit.ly/14ekx5K

Kobo:  http://bit.ly/16UyBQr

Paranormal Romance: Falling for Heaven

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/13bUG1u

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Smashwords:  http://bit.ly/1aln3Mv

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Blog:  www.anneconley.com

Release Blitz: Click By Anne Conley

Introducing Anne Conley's latest release, Click, Book #3 in the Pierce Securities series.  Now available at Amazon, and other retailers soon!

BLURB

Jake Callahan has a problem, and the only people who can fix it are the guys with Pierce Securities.  Except Jake needs a woman.  Miriam Bartoli will happily play the part of a sexy woman to get what the client needs, especially since playing mom to an office full of alpha males and recent surgery has wreaked havoc on her femininity.  Can she fight her attraction with the target long enough to get what the client needs?  Or will this case of mistaken identity and clicking with the wrong man be the end of her?

EXCERPT

“What’s perfect?”

“This right here.  The stars.  Aren’t they beautiful?”  She glanced over to find Jake staring at her.

“You’re beautiful.”

His hand cupped her neck and he came in close.  “Can I?”

Miriam didn’t respond.  She licked her lips as if they weren’t listening to her brain, which was emphatically yelling at her to stop this.

Jake obviously wasn’t listening to her internal monologue as his lips captured hers in a tentative kiss.  

Her brain reminded her he was an asshole at the bar, he’d given her coke yesterday, he was mixed up in Tres Lobos, and he stole from his parents.  It was screaming at her that this was a bad idea.

But at the touch of his lips on hers, the lizard part of her brain—the part which was just made to eat, sleep, and have sex—told her to go for it.  She whimpered into his lips in defeat, and his arms went around her waist, pulling her close as he deepened the kiss.  Jake’s lips were soft, his mouth warm, and the aftershave exquisite.  She didn’t want him to ever let her go.

“Oh my God,” she breathed at him between kisses.  His tongue delved into her mouth, but before she lost herself completely, she pulled back.  “We can’t do this.”

He kissed her again, muttering against her mouth, “Why not?”

“I can think of half a dozen reasons off the top of my head.”

That seemed to stop him, but he didn’t let go of her.  Jake just looked at her quizzically, as if he saw absolutely nothing wrong with the fact they were kissing.  He apparently didn’t realize he had a dual personality and was a complete shit half the time he existed.  He finally looked up, taking a deep breath.  When he refocused on her, his eyes hardened into something wild. Something feral.  Something passionate.  And a little scary.

“Blame it on the stars,” was all he said before his mouth captured hers again.  This kiss was different from the first.  Where the first one was tentative \ and exploratory, this kiss was devouring.  It was like he’d gotten a taste of nirvana and craved more.  It was heady, the way his tongue was mating with hers in a fiery kiss that was quickly undoing her cell by cell.  Her last coherent thought was that Simon was going to kill her.

Check out the other books in this series, Craze and Wire: Craze:  When Krista catches her boss doing the unthinkable, the only thing she can do is run. Straight into the arms of the eye-candy she’s been trying not to flirt with on her lunch break. But whose side is he on? 
Ryan’s security firm is having a hard time getting off the ground, and this may be just the job to help the company out. But pseudo-bounty hunter isn’t really what Pierce Securities is trying to get a name for. When he finds out their target is the classy lady from the park, all of Ryan’s senses go on high alert. What do these men want with her? 
Krista is forced into Ryan’s sanctuary in the woods, where she realizes just how wild he is, but she doesn’t want to tame him. He may feel his methods of protection endangered her, but without Krista in his life, Ryan is crazed. 

Wire:  Evan Rocco has been a hero to Paige Lawson for as long as she could remember. So when she runs into him in a bar after a major professional coup, she’s feeling celebratory and reckless. But it can’t go anywhere, because after all, he’s Evan freaking Rocco. But when her gaming company gets into trouble, there’s only one man she can turn to. 

Evan can’t get the woman who disappeared after their one-night-stand six months ago out of his head. He’d honestly thought there was more between them besides just sex—a connection he’d never felt before. When PSL, his favorite software game company is in trouble, he jumps at the chance to help them solve the mystery behind The Crimson Lady and get his mind off the woman of his dreams. 
When he realizes who the CEO of PSL actually is, he has to get over his own issues or else he’ll put the one woman in danger he never wanted to hurt. 

Anne Conley

Contemporary Romance Author

anneconleyauthor@gmail.com

www.anneconley.com

www.facebook.com/anneconleyauthor

@anneconley10

FREE Novels!  

Contemporary Romance: Neighborly Complications

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/12uLA8t

Barnes and Noble:  http://bit.ly/14ekx5K

Smashwords:  http://bit.ly/14ekx5K

Kobo:  http://bit.ly/16UyBQr

Paranormal Romance: Falling for Heaven

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/13bUG1u

Barnes and Noble:  http://bit.ly/18kkRnQ

Smashwords:  http://bit.ly/1aln3Mv

Kobo:  http://bit.ly/119oKau

Blog:  www.anneconley.com