by: Piper J. Drake
Series: Safeguard
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: November 9, 2015
Publisher: Carina Press
An aloof bodyguard and mercenary puts his heart on the line in HIDDEN IMPACT, the first book in the Safeguard series by Piper J. Drake. Fans of Marie Force’s Fatal series or Laura Kaye’s Hard As It Gets, will love this brand new romantic suspense series.
He’s not the hero she’s looking for...
As part of the elite Centurion Corporation team, military-veteran-turned-mercenary Gabriel Diaz is a natural defender. He’ll do anything to ensure a mission is successful. Anything but get emotionally invested—he learned the hard way that can be deadly. Easy bodyguard jobs in between the more challenging missions are all he’s interested in now.
Maylin Cheng is desperate and running out of time. Her younger sister has gone missing but no one seems to take her concern seriously. Her last hope lies in asking an aloof bodyguard for help. He dismisses her outright, but all that changes when she is almost killed in a not-so-accidental hit-and-run right before his eyes.
As Maylin leans on Gabriel, she begins to rely on him for more than just her safety. But as their attraction grows, so does the danger surrounding them. When the elaborate web they're trapped in unravels, Gabriel will do anything to protect them. Even if that means putting his heart in the crosshairs.
Breathe.
She gasped and cool air rushed in, clearing away some of the fog.
“That’s it, sweetheart. Take another breath nice and slow. Slow.” Strong hands patted her down, touched her with gentle purpose. “Does anything hurt? Your neck, your head?”
“The way you took her down, it’s amazing her skull isn’t splattered all over the sidewalk.” Another man’s voice floated over from some distance away. Or was it a shock thing?
Maybe she was in shock.
Did people’s feet get cold at times like this? Only her left one.
“Your left foot is colder because you lost a shoe when I shoved you out of the way.” A thread of amusement ran through the original speaker’s voice. She liked the sound of it. Kind humor, like what she heard in his words, was the sign of a good man. “I’m going to help you to a sitting position, but if anything hurts at all, you let me know right away and we’re laying you back down. Understood?”
“Yes.” She said it out loud on purpose, because she was pretty sure she’d been talking out loud anyway so it’d be good to know if she could do it when she actually meant to.
The same big hands she’d taken note of before took hold of her, one sliding under her neck to give her support as she came up to a sitting position.
“Slow,” her caretaker admonished.
His choice of speeds was frustrating.
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Hi, Piper. Thank you for joining me. How and why did you decide to start writing romantic suspense?
I’m always open to new projects. When my agent and editors asked if I’d consider giving a new genre a try, I gave it a go.
I found I really enjoy writing romantic suspense and I hope readers will enjoy my stories too.
What do you find to be the most challenging part of writing romantic suspense?
Writing in a contemporary setting still requires worldbuilding, but I can’t re-write the laws of physics or create magic in romantic suspense. Coming up with plausible actions, incidences, and features is definitely a challenge, especially when I want to create a story that will stand up years from now.
Tell me about Centurion Corporation and your Safeguard Series.
The Centurion Corporation is an elite private organization providing expert resources forged in the world’s most challenging environments to fulfill military defense contracts around the globe. Some might refer to it as a mercenary company.
In Hidden Impact, Gabriel Diaz is in command of a fire team temporarily assigned to the Training and Recovery facilities to recuperate from injuries acquired overseas on previous missions. Through the course of events in the book, the Safeguard Division is introduced.
The future of Safeguard depends on Gabriel Diaz and his fire team as readers will see in books two and three.
Tell me more about Gabriel Diaz. I know he’s described as being aloof.
At first, he absolutely is. In fact, he’s cold, brusque, and somewhat rude. His people skills aren’t that great when he’s interacting with civilians.
But he’s one of the best at what he does and a major part of his integrity is doing the right thing. His honor and commitment to doing the right thing come with the kind of passion and drive that are hard to ignore. He’s definitely swoon-worthy in a whole lot of ways.
What surprised you about Maylin Cheng? I have this feeling she isn’t a damsel in distress needing saving.
I thought Maylin would be hung up on some of her childhood frustrations more. It’s tough growing up Asian American, caught between the expectations of both the American culture and the traditions of your parents. But when I started writing Maylin, she’d already grown past that and was a woman who developed in ways I didn’t anticipate until I wrote her.
In a lot of ways, I think Maylin is more mature than I am. (winks)
Thank you taking time out of your schedule to answer some of my questions.
Thank you for having me!
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Now, PJ is exploring the complexity of romantic suspense, incorporating her interests in mixed martial arts and the military into her writing.
Places to find Piper J. Drake:
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