Dirty Little Secrets - A J.J. Graves Mystery

J.J. Graves is back in Bloody Mary, but she's a long way from feeling at home. Between her physical scars from being the target of a murderer and the emotional scars left by her parents, she doesn't know who she can trust. But death doesn't stop for anyone.

The first murder is grisly. The second even more so. And though things are shaky between them, she and her best friend, Jack, have no choice but to join forces and find the killer. Because the life of someone they love dearly hangs in the balance.

My name is Addison Holmes, and I teach history at James Madison High School in Whiskey Bayou, Georgia. You might be under the assumption that my life went to the dogs when my fiancé left me at the altar for the home economics teacher, or when I got notice that my apartment building was going to be condemned, or even when I was desperate enough to strip to my unmentionables to earn some extra cash. The truth is that I'm pretty much used to disasters following me around on a daily basis, but I could have gone without finding my principal dead in the parking lot of a seedy gentlemen's club.

After the initial shock of finding my first dead body, which included throwing back shots of Jack Daniels like it was water, I decided to take stock of my life. I was in a desperate situation and if the school board ever found out I'd been a stripper, even a bad stripper, I'd be jobless as well as fiancé-less and homeless. Fortunately, I had a friend who felt sorry enough for me to give me a job doing some surveillance work at her detective agency. Not to mention the fact that I was now able to stick my nose into other people's business for a good cause, find a murderer, and pick up helpful tips from an incredibly attractive detective.

Come check out my story and be thankful your life is relatively normal.

Addison Holmes is at it again. When priceless Russian gems are stolen on their way to Savannah and the courier is murdered, all the clues lead back to an escort service that seems above reproach. But looks can be deceiving.

Throw in a sexy detective and a dangerous FBI agent, and Addison finds out very quickly that she's in way over her head. But nothing is going to stop her from getting her man.

Dr. Eve Lovegood is an expert on relationships. Deemed the "Love Doctor" on a national radio show, she gives daily advice to all those baffled by the opposite sex. But none of her listeners would ever guess that her own painful marriage has left her bitter and disillusioned towards the institution. After all, who would take advice from someone who doesn't believe in love?

Jake Murphy has tried for years to be a success on his own-without the aid of his trust fund and despite the constant disapproval from his parents. He's proud his construction company is something that shows his real worth. When he hears a voice that sounds like sin and sex on his answering machine, begging for help with her crumbling historical home, Jake pushes Eve Lovegood's project to the top of the pile just so he can meet the woman who belongs to that voice.

Jake knows it's love at first sight, and that's hard for him to admit considering he's done his best to never get caught in the marriage trap, but softening Eve's heart is a challenge he never expected. She wants nothing to do with the man who shows so many similarities to her dead husband-a man she came to hate in the end. But Jake takes his love to new levels and romances Eve on her nightly radio show, ultimately making her fall in love with him in front of millions.

Ex-FBI sniper Shane Quincy is just trying to survive one day to the next since his wife’s death two years ago—a death he blames himself for. The last thing he needs is to have the daughter of America’s most infamous mob boss move into the apartment across the hall.

Rachel Valentine is on the run from the only “family” she’s ever known. When Shane Quincy saves her life, she has no choice but to tell him who she’s running from, even though she knows it’ll make him the mob’s next target.

Detective Connie Giannelli's life has been torn apart several times. First when her mother died and then years later when she found out her Uncle Dominic was in the mob. Her life is about to be shredded again, and this time it could destroy her.

Connie’s love of family and her badge are both threatened when an undercover drug bust leaves two cops dead and the drugs missing. Internal Affairs is looking for any excuse to take her badge, but she’s not worried about them finding the missing drugs—her secrets could prove to be far worse.

Now Connie’s racing against the clock to figure out who killed her partners and took the drugs—dirty cops or Uncle Dominic’s friends. And she has to do it before IA pins the whole damn thing on her. 

Agent Brant Scott knows when a battle is lost. He’s been an integral part of hunting down members of the del Fuego cartel for years, but it’s not the violent criminals that have the ability to bring him to his knees. That honor belongs to one woman. And after spending a night in Darcy MacKenzie’s bed, he knows he has to disappear from her life or risk her finding out the one secret that can make her despise him forever.

Darcy MacKenzie is hell on wheels. At least that’s what her brothers tell her. And when she has the chance to work with the elite team assigned to destroy the most dangerous drug cartel in the world, she jumps at the chance to lend her expertise by deciphering the Mayan hieroglyphs the cartel is using to send messages.

The only problem is her partner is none other that Brant Scott—the only man she’s ever loved and the one who left her without a backward glance. With secrets of her own—and a body built for sin—Darcy is more than an equal match for the stubborn Brant. But loving each other could be more of a risk than either is willing to take.

It all began with a line of Persian poetry . . .

Anna and Nouri, both studying in Chicago, fall in love despite their very different backgrounds. Anna, who has never been close to her parents, is more than happy to return with Nouri to his native Iran, to be embraced by his wealthy family. Beginning their married life together in 1978, their world is abruptly turned upside down by the overthrow of the Shah, and the rise of the Islamic Republic.

Under the Ayatollah Khomeini and the Republican Guard, life becomes increasingly restricted and Anna must learn to exist in a transformed world, where none of the familiar Western rules apply. Random arrests and torture become the norm, women are required to wear hijab, and Anna discovers that she is no longer free to leave the country.

As events reach a fevered pitch, Anna realizes that nothing is as she thought, and no one can be trusted…not even her husband.

In the first book of the COUNTERMEASURE SERIES, Trevor Bauer, an NSA analyst, is searching for answers to the mystery surrounding his parents’ disappearance when he crosses paths with Cassandra James, an ex-CIA operative with a big chip on her shoulder. By a stroke of luck, he becomes the key to her own mission while she becomes the center of his attention. Fighting an attraction as intense as their overwhelming instinct to keep each other at bay, together, they embark on a harrowing adventure that leads them across the ocean and into a world of intrigue and danger they had never foreseen. When faced with death defying choices, will they learn to trust their own instincts and each other to survive?

Countermeasure was The TBR Pile's June Book of the Month.

"I love when a series goes from HOT to SCORCHING."
-- Cocktails and Books Book Reviews
"After an amazing first book, I couldn't expect less from the second novel, and I wasn't just not disappointed,"
--Vanilla Moon Book Reviews
"I'm eager to see what kind of situations these resourceful, beautiful people get themselves into next."
-- Ms. Condit & Friends Read Books
"If you are a fan of suspense with a blend of love, smoking hot sex, and consuming emotion you won't want to miss out on these books."
--Guilty Pleasure Book Reviews
"This series is both thrilling and highly engaging at the same time."
-- The TBR Pile

WARNING: Contains graphic situations and language.

NOTE:

The Countermeasure Series also has a tie-in series called Countermeasure: Bytes of Life. This new series of shorts gives the readers glimpses into the day-to-day life of the Countermeasure characters. Although the shorts are standalone stories, they are character-driven, NOT plot-driven. Please be advised that ALL short stories in the spin-off series contain EROTIC content. They are NOT recommended for younger audience. Some of the events that take place in the short stories might be referenced in the novels and vice-versa.

It is strongly advised that you read the novels and shorts in chronological order.
The reading order is:

0 - Uncharted (Short Story - Published)
1 - Countermeasure (Novel - Published)
1a - Ecstasy by the Sea (Short Story - Published)
1b - Cuffed at Midnight (Short Story - Published)
1c - Passion at Dawn (Short Story - Published)
2 - To Russia With Love (Novel - Published)
2a - Blindsided (Short Story - Published)
2b - Lost to Rapture (Short Story - Published)
2c - Bound by Love (Short Story - TBA)
3 - Alternate Connection (Novel - TBA)
3a - London by Moonlight (Short Story - TBA)
4 - Locked and Reloaded (Novel - TBA)