"Bound By Love Book Tours"

Muckross Folly
By J.L. Austgen

Release Date: March 1st, 2013.
Genre: mystery thriller, female sleuth.
Publisher: Dreampipe Publishing, Inc.
Formats: hardback, trade paper, and ebook

*Content Rating*
Intended for adults, but not erotic

Book Description:
Reeling from the destruction of her team at the hands of her deputy, FBI agent Evelyn Morgan vows revenge against her nemesis, the assassin that planned the operation, Omar Ben Iblis.

The trail leads to an old friend, well-connected and well-placed in Washington's political establishment.

When he refuses to help, Morgan must scramble to find the pieces to the puzzle.

While investigating, she discovers a vicious new menace, more cunning and deadly than anyone she has ever facedTrained and mentored by Ben Iblis, this new threat has already struck her family, and if Morgan doesn't act quickly, she'll be the talented protégé's next victim.

Purchase Information:
Autographed Copies Available (while supplies last)
Amazon|Barnes & Noble|iTunes|Kobo

Prologue...

With a grim determination, she safed the rifle, leaving his lifeless body in the distance, and began to belly crawl backwards, her eyes scanning the hillside in front of her. The sage and dry alfalfa hid her movement as she slid into the tree line, but she did not feel comfortable rising into a crouch until she was fifty yards in the thick, dark timber of lodge pole pine and evergreen. When she did finally stand all the way up, over a hundred yards behind the line of trees, she would have been lucky to see fifteen yards in any direction. The trees were so dense they cast a pall across the forest, lengthening the shadows and making her surprisingly claustrophobic.

She spent many days of her youth in the woods of Colorado, growing up hunting and fishing in the high country, surrounded by dark timber like this. It was different this morning. The trees stared down, and while she did not feel judged, they seemed closer than normal. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and clutched her rifle, a beautiful seven millimeter Remington Magnum with a silver barrel, and a black, synthetic stock. Justice was finally done. She opened her eyes and was enveloped by the sounds of the forest. Things could go back to normal. There was no longer any reason to keep looking over her shoulder. With a purposeful stride, she stepped off towards her car.

The path back to her SUV, while not marked, was well known. The entire forest, its sounds, its scent, its presence, was as familiar as her dorm at the Air Force Academy. She hunted these woods before, and while she had not been here in many years, she felt safe. The other hunters in her target's party would not miss him for several hours, until he did not report at their next scheduled rendezvous. With luck, he would not be missed until later that evening when the party met for dinner.

She had left her ten year old Wrangler on the side of a forest road some distance away. Covering the ground quickly, she was driving north on Colorado 131 a little over two hours after she shot her target. A gas station and convenience store sat outside of the tiny town of Yampa, and she pulled up to the pump. There was only one other vehicle there that afternoon, a pickup truck, and she could feel its owner's eyes on her as she got out of her SUV and filled the tank.

The thought of being ogled no longer bothered her, and so long as it was not overt or blatant, she found it rather flattering. Tall, trim, young, and athletic with shoulder-length brunette hair and dark green eyes, she knew she was attractive. The physical fitness regimen prescribed by the Academy kept her in excellent physical shape, so it was only natural men would admire her.

Replacing the gas cap on the Wrangler, she walked into the attached convenience store and paid the cashier for the gas. With a nod and a small smile, she went back outside and stopped at the pay phone. She dropped several quarters in the slot and dialed a number. It was answered after the second ring.

"Thomas," she said into the handset, "it's Eve. Is my Dad there?"

"Yes. One second please, Ms. Morgan."

It didn't take long, and she idly scanned the store before a gruff voice came on the line. "Eve! I didn't know when I'd hear back from you. I'm glad you called."

"It's good to talk to you, Dad. I got your message."

She was staying at a small motel just outside of town. The rooms did not have phones. When the receptionist handed her the message that morning, before she set out, she was a little surprised to learn her father knew where she was. Though, in retrospect, she should not have been.

"I need to talk to you," he said, "and it would be better in person. As soon as possible. Don't you need to report to the Academy soon? Your leave of absence should be just about up, right?"

"Yes," she said, glancing down at her now-normal stomach. "But I don't need to report for a couple of days. I needed some time to myself, so I drove up to the Flattops."

"I was a little surprised to learn you were up there," he replied, an edge to his voice. "Cold time of the year for backpacking."

"I know, but it was worth it. I needed to clear my head, you know?"

"I can imagine," he said. "Why don't we meet for drinks at the Ore House? It would be comfortable."

"How about Fish Creek falls?" she countered. "It was on my list of places to hit while I'm up here. Say in about an hour?"

"Ok," he said. "See you soon."

"Thanks," she said, replacing the handset. She climbed back into her Wrangler, but did not drive off. She sat there and tried to collect her thoughts. Even that brief reference to her son, given up for adoption barely six weeks ago, brought all the painful memories and emotions boiling to the surface. The Academy offered her a year's leave of absence to figure out what she wanted to do. She made the decision, shortly after discovering she was pregnant, to carry the baby to term and give him up for adoption. She was not in a position to care for a child, and she knew, no matter how difficult it would be, that the child would do far better with adoptive parents.

With a sigh, she wiped a tear from her eye and started the SUV. Her father, while she did not see him that often, was supportive through the whole ordeal, offering to cover all of the expenses. Not that the expenses were a burden for him. The problem was that she had not told him how the child was actually conceived, and she worried about the consequences if he found out.

The drive to the small parking lot above Fish Creek Falls was uneventful, though her mind would not stop turning over the brief phone call with her father. What did he want? She arrived early and found the parking lot deserted. Stepping from the SUV, she could hear the falls in the distance. They were barely a quarter mile down the trail, and she took her time walking. The air was crisp, the sun barely floating above the western line of mountains.

A steep hill rose to her left, and as she followed the trail, it began to cut into the hill's side. After a few steps, the right side dropped dramatically to the river as it cut a gorge down the mountain. The trail, like the parking lot, was deserted. It was wide and well traveled, and before long she picked out a large wooden bridge crossing the river. The falls, a gushing torrent of water during the spring thaw, were still magnificent as a steady stream cascading nearly three hundred feet to the river below.

Stepping onto the bridge, she leaned against the rail and watched the water pour over the cliff. The steady noise from the falls, combined with the peaceful serenity of the forest, tugged at her mind. It wandered, but not to the scene she just left in the forests outside of Yampa. Instead, it travelled to happier times, to a smiling teenage boy, the warmth of his hand enveloping hers, the honesty behind his smile, and the love behind his eyes. It had all been hers, not that long ago, and sometimes she wondered if it would ever happen again.

Footsteps on the bridge brought her mind around to reality, and she glanced to her left. Her father, stocky and muscular with thinning gray hair, strode towards her. Behind him, his assistant stopped at the edge of the bridge, maintaining a discrete distance.

"An odd place for a meeting," her father called as he approached. "Especially in December."

With a nod, she acknowledged his statement and turned back to the falls. She knew he would have preferred to meet while relaxing in an armchair in a quiet room, sipping a glass of scotch.

"Do you remember coming here when you were a little girl?" he asked, stopping next to her and leaning over the rail.

"I do," she said. "Mom would stay down in town."

"She was kind enough to let me have a little time with you, however briefly."

"It's too bad she never made it up here."He grunted.

"So," she said. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Do you remember when you told me you were pregnant?"

"Yes," she replied carefully.

"And when I asked how it happened, you just told me it was one of those things?"

"Yes."

"That wasn't exactly the truth, was it?"

She studied him, crossing her arms over her chest, but her heart caught in her throat. "I'm not sure what we're talking about."

"I did some digging," he explained, still watching the waterfall. "You declined to name the father on your son's birth certificate."

"Not all that unusual."

"Perhaps," he shrugged. "I also spoke with your boyfriend."

"My ex-boyfriend, you mean."

Wogan waved his hand in the air, signifying his indifference. "He said something interesting. Something you told him."

She knew what was coming, and her heart sank. Despite everything, her father discovered the truth. It killed her keeping it welled up inside for nine months, but she knew she must keep it from this man as long as possible. He turned towards her, and his eyes were suddenly cold and distant. "I've done a great deal for you over the years. I've supported you and your mother, made sure you were comfortable, provided the best schools, the best education money can buy. I covered all of your bills during the pregnancy. I offered the best doctors, the best of everything to ensure you were comfortable and successful. To ensure you delivered a healthy child."

As he spoke, he stepped closer until he was within inches of her face. She was pressed against the guard rail on the bridge, the rapids' whitewater crashing beneath her feet. "You have not been entirely truthful about several things."

"Are you pissed because I gave him up for adoption," she asked, the wooden guardrail cold against her back, "or because I wasn't entirely honest?"

His anger rose as he stared at her, the defiance in her eyes feeding his temper. "Where is my grandson?"

"Gone."

"I know that" he said, his voice menacing. "I thought we had a deal. The father's name is missing from the birth certificate."

"It was obvious what you wanted the minute you proposed that deal. The birth certificate didn't display the father's name on purpose. It's sealed. The entire process was finished an hour after I gave birth. My son is out of your reach. You won't use him."

His hands balled into fists at his side, he asked, "He's my grandson! Do you know what this could do to me? Did you even think for two seconds before you spread your legs what this might lead to?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, feeling the first tear swell at the edge of her eyes. "Of course! I love you!"

"Then how the hell did this happen?" he screamed, inches from her face. "How could you do this to me?"

"Do this to you?" she cried. "I did it for my son! I gave him up so he might have a life! I gave him up so he could not be tied to you! To protect you!"

"To protect me? You didn't think about that when you were fucking your boyfriend's best friend, did you?"

She shrunk back against the rail as though he struck her. It took all of her strength, all of the resolve she built over the last nine months, to remain standing, to not collapse.

"Is that what you think happened?" she asked in a whisper. "Is that what he told you?"

"Yes."

Shaking her head slowly, her eyes closed, she could scarcely believe this was happening. This was her father. The man was supposed to protect her. "I was raped."

"What?" he asked. The sound of the rushing water over the rocks drowned her whispered words.

"I was raped, you son of a bitch!" she spat, looking up, meeting his eyes.

It was as though all of the sound, the crashing of the water, the birds flying through the air, the wind blowing through the trees, ceased to exist. It was sucked from her consciousness, replaced by a vacuum of sound devastating in its stillness. What was more disturbing, though, was how long it lasted. An eternity passed before everything rushed back in, pounding her senses with a symphony of noise.

Through all of it, she heard him ask, "Who? Your boyfriend's best friend? What was his name? Greg?"

"Yes."

He pursed his lips and stared at her, his brow furrowed. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier? I could have done something about it, about Greg."

She knew it was coming. "You don't need to worry about him."

"You don't need to protect him."

"Is that what you think I'm doing?" she asked, wanting to laugh and cry at the same time. She met his blue eyes, but it was impossible to tell what thoughts were flying around behind them. The man was always an enigma to her, despite the fact he was her father. It did not help that her mother allowed only brief visits, sometimes not for months on end.

"I have a pretty good idea what you're doing," he said.

"What?"

"Protecting your son. Why? Are you afraid I might do something to him?"

"Yes."

"Begotten through rape," he spat, disgusted.

"That was not my son's fault."

"Do you know what this could do to me?" he asked, turning back to the waterfall, his fists resting on the bridge's rail.

And there it was. The other reason why he never pushed very hard to be near her, to be involved in her life, other than the presents at Christmas, and the insistence that he pay for whatever college she wished to attend. She was the illegitimate daughter of an affair he regretted to this day.

"I love you, Dad," she said, trying to get a grip on the emotions coursing through her, "but I won't tell you his name. I won't give up my son so you can use him."

"What if this gets out?" She continued to stare at the side of his face. "You don't need to worry about that. I've taken care of it."

It was as though he never heard her. "This could hurt me badly. If someone uses your son to get to me...."

"I was raped, and all you care about is your precious reputation? Or the reputation of your precious company?

"I care about taking care of my family."

"Including my sister and your wife?"

"They're none of your concern."

"They're family."

"My family."

She took a deep breath. "I see."

"Do you?" he asked, still not looking at her. "Because what you've just said could ruin everything I've worked for. If you go to the police --"

"I haven't said a word to them," she interrupted. "You know that or you wouldn't have asked me here today. Do you think I would worry about it now?"

He shrugged. "And the Academy?"

"They know I was pregnant, and that's all."

She watched as he turned it over in his mind.

"I want to know who it was. Which organization did you use for the adoption? Who set it up?"

"No."

"And if your son discovers who your father is?"

"The adoption is sealed. I've taken care of everything. He will never know who I am, who his real parents are. My son will grow up thinking his adopted parents are his biological parents."

"And Greg?

A shadow passed over her eyes, though it did little to diminish the fire behind them. "I already told you it's been taken care of."

"What if Greg finds out who I am? Who your real father is? What I own?" He looked at her with disdain. "What if he learns about all of that and suddenly decides that his son should be a part of it? What if he realizes what could be gained? In the name of his son?" He stared at her. "Because you brought him to term."

She shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. This was her father. This was the man who brought her into the world, who supposedly loved her. "Is that what you're worried about?" she finally asked. "Is that really what bothers you?"

"You bet your ass."

She nodded, hugging herself tighter as he stepped back.

"Give me a name," he demanded. "Tell me which organization you used!"

She looked at her shoes. "No."

"I'll find out," he threatened. "You know I'll find out."

This time, she was the one that smiled. "No. I don't think you ever will."

He matched her stare for several minutes, the sound of the waterfall cascading like a thunderstorm behind them. "Then we're done," he said finally, turning on his heel and marching down the bridge, motioning for his assistant to follow.

About The Author:

J.L. Austgen is the author of the Evelyn Morgan series of mystery thrillers, including Keyser Run and Muckross Folly.

He grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, and studied creative writing at Colorado College in Colorado Springs.

Partnering with his wife, Mr. Austgen founded Dreampipe Publishing in 2012.

He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife and two rambunctious boys.

He is hard at work on the third novel in the Evelyn Morgan series, scheduled for publication in 2014.

He blogs at http://www.jlaustgen.com

Connect with the Author:

Book Page | Facebook | Author Blog

Giveaway
J.L. Austgen will be awarding 5 autographed paperback copies to 5 randomly drawn entries during the tour.

*The Tour*

I am organizing a blog tour for Muckross Folly By J.L. Austgen, a mystery thriller, female sleuth in the Evelyn Morgan series. The tour runs from June 1st to June 22nd, 2013. Posts will consist of reviews, ( you can review Keyser Run Book 1 in the series, which I highly recommend), interviews, guest posts, chapter 1&2.
Review copies are available in eBook format through Netgalley.

All Spots are now Filled! *Tour Schedule*
June 1st - Review/Giveaway
Spiced Latte Reads - http://spicedlatte.blogspot.com
June 2nd - Guest Post/Review/Giveaway
Mallory Heart Reviews - http://archiestandwoodsreviewsandwritings.blogspot.com June 3rd - Promo/Giveaway
Parga’s Junkyard - http://pargasjunkyard.com/
June 4th - Guest Post/Interview/Giveaway
stuff ^_^ - www.sairahiqbal7.wordpress.com

June 5th - Review/Giveaway
readingrenee - http://www.readingrenee.com

June 6th - Review/Giveaway
Randy Reads blog - http://rread321977.blogspot.com
June 7th - Promo/Interview

Mom With A Kindle - http://momwithakindle.blogspot.com

June 8th - Promo/Giveaway

Vicky at Deal Sharing Aunt - www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com

June 9th - Guest Post/Giveaway
Busy Moms Book Reviews - http://www.busymomsbookreviews.blogspot.com/
June 10th - Guest Post/Review/Giveaway
Devoted Mommy of 3 -http://devotedmommyof3.blogspot.com
June 11th - Interview
Read Your Writes Book Reviews - www.readyourwrites.blogspot.com
June 12th - Guest Post/Giveaway
Every Free Chance Book Reviews - http://everyfreechancebookreviews.blogspot.com/

June 13th - Promo/Giveaway
BookShelves Of Dreams - http://bookshelvesofdreams.blogspot.ca/

June 14th - Guest Post/Review/Giveaway
The Adventures Within - www.faroofthedark.blogspot.com

June 15th - Guest Post/Giveaway
Pezz Rambles - http://pezzrambles.wordpress.com

June 16th - Guest Post/Giveaway
Wintry Words - http://wintrywords.blogspot.com

June 17th - Review/Giveaway
Sweet n' Sassi - http://sweet-n-sassi.blogspot.com
June 18th - Guest Post/Interview
A_TiffyFit's Reading Corner - http://tiffyfit.blogspot.com
June 19th - Review
Second Book to the Right - http://2ndbooktotheright.blogspot.com June 20th - Promo/Giveaway
Charisma Media - www.charismamedianetwork.com
June 21st - Review/Giveaway Glamour Glory - www.GlamourGlory.com
June 22nd - Review/Giveaway
Celticlady's Reviews - http://www.celticladysreviews.blogspot.com

Pages

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Sale On All Tour Packages!

Tour Sign Up: Eversea by Natasha Boyd

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Tour Sign Up: Rowan (Book 2 in the Blood Crave Series) by Christina Channelle

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Tour Sign Up: Muckross Folly By J.L. Austgen