Title: Rialto
Series: Unbreakable Bonds Series #8
Author: Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott
Publisher: Drake & Elliott LLC
Release Date: December 16, 2019
Length: 74,000
Genre: Romance, Thriller/Suspense,
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Synopsis
Someone has it out for Rialto.
Ian Banner is loving his hectic life. He’s newly married, ready to start a family, and opening a new restaurant. All his dreams are coming true.
The last thing he needs is a problem with his restaurant.
But when one attack after another comes, he grows convinced he has another enemy.
Ian tries to handle things by himself, but his friends are soon drawn in when the attacks become violent. That’s when Ian realizes the target isn’t Rialto. It’s him.
Rialto is the final installment in the Unbreakable Bonds series and features sexy times, Daciana snuggles, overprotective family, fire, and of course, code names.
Cowriting the 8 Novel Series
I thought I’d share some tips and tricks learned while co-writing an eight book series. Well, in all honestly, Jocelynn Drake and I have published twenty items together between novels, novellas, and short story collections. Yes, twenty. We’re about to release twenty-one.
So, you pick up a few things with that much work.
First of all, be honest. If there is a scene not working for one of us, the other needs to say. Even if it’s just one line. We’re here to back each other up—be first eyes on everything. After working with Jocelynn for nearly five years, I know we both have good story instincts, so we trust each other to speak up when needed.
We both need to be excited by a project. If we’re not, it will show. We’ve actually scrapped entire plotted books and partially written books when they weren’t working.
A weekly phone call keeps all our ducks in a row. We discuss promotion, edits, plotting and generally keep up with what the other is up to.
Write to our strengths. We’ve come to realize what we’re good at handling, so when we divvy up the chapters in the beginning of the manuscript, we pick those we feel we’ll do best. Sometimes, this can be pretty funny when we both want certain chapters. Then…we bargain.
We keep Skype open at all times for the quick notes and progress updates.
Google Docs is your friend. Along with Dropbox, Google Docs is one of the best sites to put up our series bibles and plotting outlines. We use it for character sheets, ARC lists, and just about anything that needs both sets of eyes.
It’s good to take breaks. We also take out time to work on solo projects. And the breaks keep us from being too much up in each other’s business.
While the Unbreakable Bonds Series is ending, we have lots of exciting new stuff in the works and can’t wait to share it all with you. In the meantime, we’re releasing the final book in our Unbreakable Bonds Series. Ian and Hollis have a special place in our hearts. Here’s a little about Rialto, which is out now!
Ian sighed and stretched his legs out, putting his sock-covered feet onto the coffee table. He’d kicked off his shoes when they’d come in. “I’m still reeling over that damn raid. Someone had to have called it in, and I can’t figure out who would do such a thing. It’s driving me crazy worrying about it.”
“Everything’s fine. Even Sarah told you there’s nothing to worry about now.”
“Still, it shouldn’t have happened, and having those dogs in the kitchen?” He growled softly. “I just hope we don’t get any disgruntled reviews from the people we had to reschedule.”
“Bad reviews happen, you know that.”
“But over something like this? Something completely out of my control?” He sat up and faced Hollis. “I can’t get it out of my head that someone actually turned us in. And all that stuff about drugs? Drugs, Hollis! The last thing Rialto needs is a rumor like that. We had people in that restaurant who heard all that when they first came in.”
He stood and started pacing the room. Hollis watched his slim, agitated form as he moved, noting that his hands were clenched into fists at his sides.
“Rumors of drugs could hurt our chances of becoming foster parents, too!” he nearly yelled. He reached up and ran both hands through his hair, leaving the brown strands sticking up all over the place.
He’d worked himself into a frenzy again. Hollis stood and walked to him. He placed his hands on Ian’s shoulders, feeling the fine bones beneath his palms before sliding his hands down Ian’s back to pull the man into his body.
Ian slumped against him, wrapping his arms tight around him. “Thanks.”
“For what?” Hollis asked.
“For the hug. For knowing I needed one.” He tilted his head and stared into Hollis’s face. “You always know how to calm me down.”
“I don’t want you worrying about drug rumors. The fact that your restaurant only lost one night to the raid before opening up again will squelch any of those. Rialto will be fine. And this isn’t going to hurt our chances at being foster parents. We’ve already gone through the background checks and everything else. It’s all good.”
Ian had worried incessantly about the background inspection, but his past with Jagger had never been public knowledge. It also didn’t hurt that Ian had Rowe’s tech specialist, Gidget, run a check, making sure that there was nothing from Ian’s past that might throw up red flags. Gidget had confirmed that other than Jagger’s attack on Ian at Union Terminal three years ago, there was nothing linking Ian to Jagger.
“I just want it so much,” Ian mumbled against his chest as he leaned close again.
“I know, baby. I do, too.”
Ian lifted his head. “Yeah?”
“You know I do,” Hollis said as he bent down to kiss Ian. Ian’s arms slid up around his neck and he stood on his toes to press harder into Hollis’s mouth. That warm body felt too good against Hollis. He pulled away from Ian and stared at him, taking in the already blown pupils with a smile. “Enough of this worrying. I have a better idea. Stay right here.”
He walked to the front door to set the security alarm, then flipped off the lights. The automatic night-light on the stairs came on, but he knew where Ian was. He walked to his husband and lifted him. Ian’s legs automatically wrapped around his waist as Ian chuckled. Hollis knew he was laughing at being carried, but Hollis fucking loved carting Ian around.
“I bet I know what your idea is,” Ian murmured, kissing Hollis’s jaw.
“If it’s stripping you naked and having my way with you, you get a cookie.” He carried him up the stairs and into their bedroom, not setting him down until they were beside their bed.
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Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott have teamed up to combine their evil genius to create intense gay romantic suspense stories that have car chases, shoot outs, explosions, scorching hot love scenes, and tender, tear-jerking moments. Their first joint books are in the Unbreakable Bonds series.
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