Forgotten Dreams is featured on Thursday's Opening Scene #MFRWAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Thursday #Opening Scene #romance #Second chance

Chad Morgan leaned against the wall near the French doors leading to the garden of the ball room. The scent of June roses drifted on the breeze. A distant hum of traffic rumbled beneath the pop songs played by the band. Dark clouds played tag across the moon carrying the promise of a coming storm. His thoughts approached another kind of storm, one burning in his gut.

Tonight was his to savor but the taste was sour. The celebration of his latest flick bored him. His body ached from the day’s six hour workout to keep his body fit for another action adventure as the unbeatable Storm. The fourth of the franchise his agent and the studio hoped would never end had been released today.

Music blared playing the latest tunes along with the series’ theme song. Couples gyrated to the pounding beat. Women wearing glittering gowns and men in dark tuxes turned like fragments of glass in a kaleidoscope. He released a breath. Just another Hollywood party.

In a silent salute, Chad raised his glass and sipped. He welcomed the burn of rum and cola. His drink and Storm’s favorite though there were times when he wanted a beer. Images must be maintained at all times. Nothing effete about the kick ass hero, his way with women and his ability to hold his alcohol were to be admired. What no one knew produced a chuckle. Unlike his on screen persona, the glass he held contained his first and last alcohol of the night.

He watched a curvaceous blonde weave her way among the dancers headed in his direction. She paused to lift a glass of champagne from a strolling waiter’s tray. Her top shimmered beneath the lights. The low swoop of the neckline barely covered her nipples.

Chad sipped again. He should know her…Her name was Mindy, Mandy, Bimbo. Just one of the latest crop of aspiring starring ladies who managed to attend every important party. She glided closer.

“Hiding in plain sight?” Her husky whisper left him cold.

“Observing,” he said.

His laughter raised a groan. “What do you see?”

He could answer with the truth but he wouldn’t. Truth wasn’t needed tonight. What he saw was false laughter, pretense and boring people. He looked past her. “The same thing I see at similar affairs. What’s your pleasure?” He had an idea but he wanted to hear her ploy.

Her smile held a promise he didn’t want. She ran her hand along his arm. “I’m tired of secondary roles.” She sucked in a deep breath and nearly exposed her nipples. “I hear there’s another Storm movie being cast.” Her fingers reached his shoulder. “You could let people see the chemistry between us. That’s what your last leading lady did.” She touched his lips. “I’m available.”

“Did Cindy really do that? I never guessed.” He fought the urge to laugh. Cindy’s agent and his had orchestrated the romance that had only been in the papers not in life.

He spotted the man he’d avoided all evening. Though he didn’t want to speak to Gregson, the man’s presence would chase this opportunistic female away. He stepped away. “Speak to your agent. Perhaps he can arrange a reading. Mine is on the way. He wants to talk.”

She pulled a card from her cleavage. “Give me a call. I promise you won’t be sorry.”

Gregson arched an eyebrow. “A new conquest? Time for some promo ops and rumors.”

Chad shook his head. “She wants to star in my next movie. Not happening.”

His slender, blond agent smiled. “Shame. You tempted?”

“Not interested. What’s on your mind?”

“You need to sign the contracts for Storm five and six. They want to start filming in September.”

Chad released the breath he held. “I need a break. I’m tired of being typecast.” Before the four Storm films, there had been spots in three other action films. He pointed to a trio of babes headed in their direction. “I’m also tired of being a chick magnet.”

Gregson scowled. “Goes with the territory. Think photo op.”

“Not the kind of life I want anymore.”

“What you want and what the studio demands shows you’re not reading the right script. Do number five and six and they might give you a chance to do something else. It’s the money, my friend. You opened in the top spot world wide this weekend. You need to keep doing what you do best.”

Anger bubbled closer to the surface. Chad feared erupting like Old Faithful. “I’m sick of Storm. I’m tired of kicking ass. I’m fed up doing the same scene with slight variations again and again. I want to do Rob’s book. You said the script was great.”

Gregson’s hand landed on Chad’s shoulder. “Not your style. I’ve shopped the idea around. Had some interest but not with you in the lead role. Two more Storms and you’ll be on your way to the bank with more millions. In two years we’ll ask again.”

In one long swallow, Chad finished the drink. He slapped the glass into Gregson’s hand. “In two years I’ll be dead from boredom.” He stepped out into the dark night.

“Let me know when you’re ready to toe the line,” Gregson called. “You know you will.” 

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Shattered Dreams is featured as Sundy's Book #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #romance #second chance #medical

 

Torn apart years ago by lies and threats, Rafe Marshall returns to town and confronts Manon Lockley. She has been told he died on the night he stood her up for their senior prom.

When she faints, Rafe catches her and realizes he hasn’t stopped loving her. Manon carries anger and now grief that wasn’t real. Rafe wants her in his life, but she doesn’t want to talk about what happened in the past. She can’t be sure if her father or someone else told lies about Rafe and she doesn’t want to know. Can Rafe persuade her to listen? Not without a battle.

ouida stokes

4.0 out of 5 stars Here's to a good ending

Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2013

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The story of the death of young love and the birth of adult love. It is the in between that gets you. Also the knowledge that you can't stop real love.

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The Gemini Sagittarius Connection is featured as Sunday's Book #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #romance #medical #second chance #mischevious twins

 

Gemini Liz seems to be following her sign. She's the mother of twin boys, she'd returned to Eastlake for the second time and she's taking her second position as a nurse manager. She feels moving from the city will be good for her sons who sometimes choose the wrong friends. What Liz doesn't want is a second husband. The death of her fireman husband made him a hero but devastated her life. She had to return to work and become a single mother. Fortunately her father-in-law has stepped in to care for the boys but he wants to retire to Florida. Though she's attracted to Jeff she wants to deny the attraction.

Jeff is a Sagittarian who often suffers from the foot in mouth disease. His wife died years ago but she was the perfect wife and he has no desire to fall in love or marry again. As a neurosurgeon he sees Liz a lot since she is the nurse manager of the ortho/neuro unit at the hospital. He also wants to deny the attraction and finds it harder and harder.

Can a pair of mischievous boys find a way to help their mother and the doctor find love again?

Kindle Customer

5.0 out of 5 stars From One Gemini to Another

Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2018

A small town hospital, a widow and a widower, add a pair of 9-year old twins, mix well and you have the basis for a fast-paced story. In The Gemini-Sagittarius Connection, Walters demonstrates her knowledge of hospitals to make the story real, but does so skillfully without slowing down the read. From the first page to the last, Walters pulls you into the lives of her characters and has you rooting for a happily-ever after ending.

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SoCalBookLover

4.0 out of 5 stars A Gemini Myself

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2016

i found the book well written and the characters well developed. Finding love again are wonderfully romantic stories.I really enjoyed the Gemini- Sagittarius aspects of the story, too.

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A Marriage Takes Two #MFRWHooks #BWLAuthor #Romance #medical #friends to lovers #second chance

 

Join the authors at MFRWHooks  here  http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com for some great excerpts. Mine is a second chance medical romance  Marriage Takes Two

BLURB:

” This is medieval.” That’s Carrie’s response to the reading of her grandfather’s will. The money will allow her to provide for her ill mother and give her the chance to give up one of her full time jobs as a nurse. The money won’t be hers until she marries. This creates a dilemma. She has no time for dating and doesn’t know who would marry her until she thinks of her former best friend, Tony. But can she ask him? Two months later time is running out and she decides to take the plunge.

Three years ago, Tony and his wife divorced. Last year he obtained custody or their child. When Carrie asks him to marry her he decides since this won’t be a real marriage, he can accept. Years ago, he loved Carrie but never said anything to her. Now burned, he doesn’t believe in love. To help her uncomplicate her life he agrees.

Can Tony and Carrie get past the reason for the marriage and find love and make a home for his son?

Excerpt:

She rang the bell again. The door opened and she forgot why she’d come. She forgot to breathe. Her eyes widened and her heart pounded in a staccato rhythm until she thought her ribs would crack.

He was more than she remembered.

Are you sure you want to be here?

“Tony.” His name escaped on a sigh. She felt like a teenager come face to face with the latest movie hero. This was the man she planned to ask…She changed her mind. Time to retreat. The plan wouldn’t work, not with the things he made her feel, and what he made her want.

“Carrie...Oh lord, it’s been ages. What are you doing here?  You look terrific.”

She did?  He must be blind. Even her coworkers had made comments about the deep smudges beneath her eyes. Most days, she felt as though she was suffering from terminal exhaustion.

“Come in.” He took her hand.

Exhaustion vanished. He’d always made her feet great, but this instant tonic-effect startled her. Coming to see him had grown corners she couldn’t see around.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” He drew her inside. “What brings you to town?”

She wanted to tell him, but the words caught in her throat. “Would you believe I was in the neighborhood?

Tony laughed. “No.”

She inhaled and the spicy scent of him invaded her space. “I came...” She couldn’t finish the sentence. He’d been her hero, her prince, her fantasy lover. In the flesh, he relegated those images to black and white.

“I bet you came to apply for the nursing position at the clinic.” He steered her down a hall that needed paint into a large living room. “Did you get lost on the way there?  Unfortunately, I’m not the one you need to see.”

She shook her head. “Another job is the last thing I need. I already have two.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “Necessity.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s a long story.” She sighed. “I shouldn’t have come.”

“What’s wrong? Sounds like you need a shoulder.”

The entire body, she thought. “You could say...It’s like this...I have a problem that needs a solution...It’s sort of...” Her throat closed. Maybe she should leave. Go home. Forget the plan. Find a new one. Except, he was her first, last, and only choice.

“Be glad to listen.” He patted her hand. “Are you saying in all these years, you haven’t found anyone else to listen?

I haven’t looked, she thought. There couldn’t be a replacement for Tony. She couldn’t tell him that. “I thought...Maybe you can help.”

“Be glad to try. Go ahead.”

A crash resounded. Carrie jumped. “I think you’re the one with the problem.”

“You could say that.” Tony rolled his eyes upward. “My son’s protesting his punishment for his latest series of pranks. He’s grounded with no TV and no phone.”

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Code Blue #MFRWHooks #BWLAuthor #medical #suspense #romance #second chance

 

Join the authors at MFRWHooks here  http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com For some great excerpts. Mine is found at eclecticwriter.blogspot.com and is from Code Blue a romantic suspense.

BLURB:

Nurse Susan finds the body of the hospital’s “gossip queen” in the orthopedic storage room. She doesn’t realize this is the first of a series of murders involving her colleagues or that her life is in danger. She is a widow and is exploring a new romantic relationship that promises love but she fears the man she is falling for is as controlling as her dead husband.

The arrival of courtship gifts, at first, seen as innocuous soon takes on a sinister note.

Reviews
This book kept me on edge from the first page to the last. Several times I just 'knew' I'd figured out who the killer was, but each time, there was a bit of doubt there until the very last paragraph! I highly recommend this book. 4 Stars (Excellent!)"--Tracie's Book Reviews

"Fast-paced mainstream novel ... Walters plots carefully, each scene constructed to perfection. For readers who enjoy being terrified, this is an author to turn to for entertainment. She tells all, while managing to create paranoia among the characters."--Affaire de Coeur

EXCERPT:

He crouched in the cemetery that embraced three sides of the hillside parking lot across from Bradley Memorial Hospital. A massive family marker shielded him yet allowed him a clear view of the steps, the street and the door of the Emergency Room. Dark clouds slid across the surface of the moon. Lights, set high on poles around the perimeter of the lot sent finger shadows groping among the cars.

The watcher straightened and edged from behind the granite marker. White puffs of vapor from the shallow, rapid breaths he took coalesced around his face. He held his body as rigid as a tombstone. As he waited for the evening nurses to end their tour of duty and hurry across the street to their cars, his narrowed eyes focused on the brightly-lit hospital entrance. Every night for a week, he had watched while excitement and anticipation had circled like a swarm of hornets. Would she come tonight?

"I'll never leave you." When he was eight, Mommy had said the words that had become his litany. That broken promise had brought him here.

He stared at the steps. When would Susan come?

When Mommy was a patient, Susan had been her favorite nurse. He had liked Susan, too, but she hadn't stopped those other people from hurting Mommy. His shoulders tensed.

"I'll never leave you. They'll have to kill me first."

The night Mommy died was etched into his memories. On that dreadful night, he had begun his plan to make them pay.

Mommy would be unhappy about what he meant to do. To her, nurses were special and Susan more wonderful than the rest.

He rocked from his heels to his toes. The last time he had disobeyed, Mommy had threatened to tell everyone how bad he was. He had promised her he would be good. His hands curled into fists. Sometimes he wanted to feel the heat of accomplishment so much he felt sick.

He gulped a breath. Tonight the heat would blossom and he would feel powerful again.

Susan was like Mommy. She would tell. He chewed on his lower lip. Her death would free him to still the people who had hurt Mommy on that dreadful night.

His smile became a grimace.

He had trusted Susan but she had failed to keep Mommy safe. Though he wished to see the others dead, Susan had to be first. He had laid his plans carefully, and while he had considered all the things that could go wrong, days had become weeks and then months.

The bright lights across the street caught his attention and stirred his hopes. She had to come tonight. He wanted to be free.

His hand brushed Mommy's tombstone. He pressed his fingers against the engraved letters of her name. He cocked his head and listened to the whisper of the wind.

"Nurses give so much to others. Someone should take care of them."

Mommy's husky voice thrummed in a corner of his mind. Her face appeared. Tears spilled from her eyes. He shook his head. Why should he listen to her when she had left him?

Sometimes at night when he slept in her bed, he caught a glimmer of her presence. For fleeting moments, the scent of her perfume brought her to him.

He squared his shoulders. Since he was eight and Daddy died, Mommy had watched him carefully. One day, her vigilance had wavered. The neighborhood bully had fallen from a tree and broken his neck. That awful boy shouldn't have torn up Mommy's flower garden.

Mommy had liked the candy and the other presents he had given her every time he disobeyed. He groaned. Who would like his presents now?

Where was Susan? Waiting made him anxious. She had to come so she would be just like Mommy.

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Committee of Angels #MFRWHooks #BWLAuthor #Medical #romance #mystery # suspense #second chance

 

Join the Authors at #MFRWHooks here  http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com  for some intriguing excerpts. Mine is found at eclecticwriter.blogspot.com and is from Committee of Angels, a romantic suspense story

Blurb:

The article passed around the table on a hot August night. “Five to ten percent of the nation’s doctors are so impaired or incompetent they cannot or should not practice medicine.” The nurses at Bradley Memorial thought they had them all. That night they formed a group they called The Committee of Angels.

Nearly a year has passed and Laura Bancroft wonders why little has been done to change things. She also wonders about some of the nurses fitting the pattern. Laura has three doctors on her list of incompetents. She seldom meets with the other members and several of the others are upset with her. When her ex-husband joins the medical staff, she realizes she still has feelings for him. One of her list of doctors dies after emergency surgery and Laura finds her suspected since she was assigned to the doctor. She must deal with suspicions, her feelings for her ex. Then a second on her list commits suicide and speaks of blackmail.

Can Laura learn the truth of who is responsible before she faces arrest?

Susan

5.0 out of 5 stars Medical Murder and Mayhem Mystery

Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2022

Verified Purchase

Book Review: Committee of Angels by Janet Lane Walters

1st sentence: Laura scurried down the hospital corridor, feeling like the White Rabbit.

Murder and mayhem with doctors and nurses spike a nicely paced ‘who dunnit.’ Ms. Walters pens the most intriguing characters, and this story pacts a punch bowl full of them.

Excellent gripping read with a surprise and satisfying ending. Couldn’t put the book down once I started. Highly recommended for anyone who likes mysteries and medical dramas with a nice touch of romance.

Excerpt:

The straining air conditioner barely managed to keep the temperature inside Charlie’s a tad cooler than the August heat outside. At ten minutes to midnight the temperature outside registered at eighty-nine. The humid air hung heavy.

Laura Bancroft paused inside the door of the dimly lit bar area of the restaurant. She walked to the large booth at the rear of the narrow rom. For a moment she wondered why she’d come. Her hectic schedule as an evening nurse, being a single mother and working on her master’s degree made joining her colleagues a seldom event.

Several nurses waved and slid along the curved bench. The dark-haired man seated at the end brushed a kiss on her cheek. “Glad you decided to come.”

Laura leaned against the padded back of the booth. “I’m free tonight. Stacey has a weekend sleepover and Dad invited his buddies for cards.”

His hand covered hers. “You’re free tomorrow. So am I. I’ve an idea. Come home with me.”

Laura sighed. Should she? She liked him. They shared classes at the local university as they both were working for a Master’s degree. Her hands tightened. Lately she’d felt uncomfortable. Moving beyond friendship seemed impossible.

Before she refused the waitress arrived with a tray of glasses. “The one with the straw is the soda.”

Laura took that glass. “Thanks for remembering.”

“You seldom indulge in alcohol.” He turned his beer mug in circles.

Exhaustion swept through Laura’s body. She bent her head and sipped the cola savoring the taste and the coolness on her dry throat. She listened to the gossip sweeping around the table.

“So I said,” One of the nurses began. “Doesn’t an elevated temp three days after surgery men something’s brewing.” She groaned. “This is the third pending infection for Blunder Doctor this month.”

“And it’s only August sixth,” another nurse said. “Give him a chance to better his record.”

“Guess what Princess Doc said this afternoon. “Don’t call me. Call the service and someone will get back to you. I have a busy evening.”

“She must have tickets to the opera,” Laura mumbled.

A nurse with gray hair Laura had never seen before leaned forward. “Seems things aren’t much different from the last place I worked.” She unfolded a piece of paper. “Months ago I read this. Five to ten percent of the nation’s doctors are so impaired or incompetent they cannot and should now practice medicine.”

A blast of chill air sent shivers along Laura’s spine. Mentally she listed the doctors at Bradley Memorial who fit that description. “I think the numbers are too low unless there are four or five hundred doctors on staff.”

Along with the article, laughter moved around the table.

“Maybe we have them all,” someone whispered.

Laura frowned. The clipped voice belonged to one of the evening supervisors. What was Edith doing here? How often did someone from administration socialize with staff nurses? The older woman sat next to the young blonde who had just completed her month long orientation.

“Something should be done," someone said.

Laura scanned her companions. Who had spoken? “What can we do?” Her question joined the chorus.

“There’s more.” The supervisor moved the globed candle closer. For an instant the flickering flame changed her round smiling face into a grotesque mask. “Only a doctor can determine if another doctor is incompetent.”

“Wrong,” the strange nurse said. “Nurses can act>”

“Not true,” someone said.

“Sure.” Skepticism colored the speaker’s voice. “We all know how they avoid and close their ranks around the incompetent. They’re afraid of what they might find.”

“And if any of the doctors agree with us. Their afraid of what they might find.”

“So what can we do?” Laura’s question halted the buzz of conversation.

“Nothing,” their sole male said. “Look at what happened to Alice when she complained about Blunder Doc. She lost her job. While this isn’t a fun job, it pays the bills.”

A second woman slapped the table. “He’s right. The doctors will continue with business as usual.”

How right they were. Laura drew a deep breath. For at least twenty years Dr. John Moore had been a sloppy surgeon. Her nails bit into her palms. The infection he has caused when he’s operated on her mother had caused her death. Laura had been forced to face her teenage years motherless. How many times had a similar scenario been repeated because of him?

The stranger nurse rested her elbows on the table. “Who says we must work alone. I’ll tell you what the nurses at the last hospital where I worked did. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “They formed a committee.”

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Choices is featured as Sunday's Book #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Romance #medical #second chance #Hospital politics

 

Johanna Gordon devotes her time and energy to her job as Director of Nursing at Hudson Community Hospital. With budget cuts hanging over her head, Johanna suspects the CEO of scheming a plan that threatens her job as well as the hospital, and she’s determined to find out why.

The choices she’s made for herself and her career leave her with no social life until she meets Dylan Connelly. He’s everything she’s always wanted, loving, devoted to his kids and everything she’s never had. Just when she finds love with the new man, an old flame returns with promises of a life together. Johanna has to decide between security and companionship, while trying to recapture the past, or moving forward with her new life.

SIL

5.0 out of 5 stars Conflict Abounds

Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2016

Verified Purchase

Janet Lee Walters has provided her many fans with still another conflict-driven story that's filled with a realistic, edgy medical setting, a plucky proactive heroine, and a cast of secondary characters that portray all the foibles of the human condition. Joanna Gordon, Director of Nurses at a community hospital is faced with tough choices. She must stand up to the unscrupulous CEO, doing what she knows in her
heart is right, even if it costs her her job. Joanna grapples with choices in the romance department as well. While she is the epitomy of a driven career woman at the hospital, when it comes to matters of the heart, she's much more the soft kitten, just like her pet kitty at home. The book held my interest right until the end as I kept reading to know which man would win out. I wasn't disappointed!

All-in-all, this an enjoyable read that deserves a 5 star rating.

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