Trick Roller by Cordelia Kingsbridge Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway!

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Hi guys! We have Cordelia Kingsbridge visiting today with her new release Trick Roller, we have a great excerpt and a fantastic giveaway, so check out the post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway! <3 ~Pixie~

Trick Roller

(Seven of Spades 02)
by

Cordelia Kingsbridge

It’s the height of summer in Las Vegas. Everyone believes the serial killer Seven of Spades is dead—except Levi Abrams and Dominic Russo—and it’s back to business as usual. For Levi, that means investigating a suspicious overdose at the Mirage that looks like the work of a high-class call girl, while Dominic pursues a tough internship with a local private investigator. The one bright spot for both of them is their blossoming relationship.

But things aren’t so simple. Soon Levi is sucked into a dangerous web of secrets and lies, even as his obsession with the Seven of Spades intensifies. Dominic knows that Levi isn’t crazy. He knows the Seven of Spades is still out there, and he’ll do anything to prove it. But Dominic has his own demons to battle, and he may be fighting a losing war.

One thing is certain: the Seven of Spades holds all the cards. It won’t be long before they show their hand.

Cordelia Kingsbridge - Trick Roller Teaser 1

Excerpt!

Thanks for checking out the blog tour for Trick Roller, the second book in the Seven of Spades series!

We rejoin Levi and Dominic three months after the events of Kill Game. Although most of Las Vegas believes the Seven of Spades is dead, our two heroes know better. It’s only a matter of time until the killer resurfaces…

~~~

“So it’s late, the girls have been in bed for a while, and I’m nodding off myself.” Dominic set his fork and knife on his empty plate and dropped his napkin on top. “I ended up falling asleep in front of the TV.”

Across the small table, Levi was leaning back in his chair, as casual and relaxed as he ever got—which was to say not very. His keen gray eyes were intent on Dominic’s face.

“I woke up with the sense that something wasn’t right,” Dominic said, continuing his story about babysitting his two young nieces. “Then I heard this kind of quiet, secretive giggling. And let me tell you, the last thing you want to hear when you wake up confused in the dark in a strange house is the sound of giggling children. Brings back the memory of every horror movie you’ve ever seen.”

The corner of Levi’s mouth tilted—a half smile that was for him what a broad grin would be for anyone else. Dominic took a moment to drink in the sight of it.

“But my mind cleared pretty quick, and I heard some sort of wet slapping noise on top of the giggling. I jumped up and ran to the girls’ room. Vinnie and his wife shop at Costco, and for God knows what reason, they’d bought this five-gallon jug of olive oil—”

“Oh, no,” Levi said, his eyes widening.

“Yeah. Those two little miscreants had snuck out of bed, dragged the jug from the pantry to their bedroom, and dumped the oil out all over the carpet. They’d created their own Slip ’N Slide.”

Levi laughed quietly, and Dominic thrilled at the sound. Over the past few months, it had become his personal mission to make Levi laugh as often as possible. Levi was naturally solemn—not joyless, not by a long shot, but one of the most serious people Dominic had ever met. Bringing a smile to his face was a worthy feat in itself; getting him to laugh out loud was a deep source of pride.

“I almost didn’t want to stop them, because they were having the time of their lives. But responsibility won out in the end. I managed to get them both cleaned up and most of the oil off the walls and the furniture. The carpet had to be ripped out and replaced, though.” Dominic made a flourishing gesture with his hands. “And that’s why I’m currently on babysitting probation.”

His face still alight with amusement, Levi drank the last sip of his Boulevardier, the bourbon cocktail Dominic had introduced him to. He ordered one whenever he and Dominic went somewhere with a full bar, though half the time Dominic had to explain to the server or bartender in question how to make it.

“I don’t know if I would have done any better,” he said. “I’m terrible with children.”

“You’re great with Martine’s kids,” said Dominic, referring to Levi’s fellow homicide detective and closest friend.

“They’re teenagers. That’s different. I have a young niece and nephew myself, and I don’t know how to interact with them at all. Then again, I barely ever see them.”

“Why not?”

Levi shrugged. “I don’t like going back to New Jersey, and my sister doesn’t want to bring them to Vegas.”

They both fell silent as their server approached to clear their plates. “Any dessert tonight, gentlemen?” she asked.

Dominic hesitated and glanced at Levi.

“Get dessert,” Levi said. “You know you want to. I’ll have coffee.”

After their server left, Dominic sat back in his chair with a warm sense of contentment. They were at Grape Street Café in downtown Summerlin, and on a Saturday night, there wasn’t a single open table in the contemporary, brick-lined dining room. The food had been great, the company incomparable.

His eyes traveled over the man in front of him. Levi had a narrow, wiry build, his clothes concealing most of the incredible, lean musculature carved by over a decade of intense dedication to Krav Maga. He’d been growing out his curly black hair a bit, and his razor-sharp bone structure gave him a hollow-cheeked look that Dominic adored.

Levi lifted an eyebrow. “You’re staring.”

“You’re gorgeous,” said Dominic.

There it was—the slight blush spreading across Levi’s cheeks as he turned his face aside with an eye roll and a tiny smile, embarrassed and pleased in equal measure. It was one of Dominic’s favorite expressions on him.

They’d been dating for three months now, and the more time they spent together, the more fascinated Dominic became. He could admit that he was the type of person who relished a challenge, and Levi . . . Levi was a storm of intriguing contradictions, cool on the outside and boiling hot within, aggressive as fuck in certain situations and painfully shy in others. He was intelligent and driven and, every now and then, so unselfconsciously sweet that it made Dominic’s chest hurt.

He’d never felt like this about anyone.

His dessert arrived along with Levi’s double espresso. Dominic watched him drink it, knowing he would have ordered a triple if he’d thought the restaurant would serve it to him.

“Sure you don’t want a bite?” Dominic asked, offering a forkful of profiteroles drowning in dark chocolate ganache and vanilla ice cream.

Levi eyed the fork askance. “I don’t really have a sweet tooth.”

“I know,” Dominic said, and grinned. “I kind of hate that about you.”

Levi gently kicked Dominic’s shin under the table, then left his foot there, pressed up against Dominic’s.

A short time later, they stood on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, sweltering in the oppressive summer heat while they waited for the valet to bring Levi’s car around. Side by side, their physical differences were more pronounced. Levi was a tall man, just an inch under six feet, but Dominic was still half a foot taller. He was more heavily built as well, his muscles thick and brawny whereas Levi’s were lean and compact.

Dominic slid an arm around Levi’s waist and bent to kiss him, not caring that they were in public. Most people—sober people, anyway—tended to avoid starting shit with a man his size no matter how homophobic they were, and anyone who thought Levi would make an easier target was in for a nasty surprise.

When he started to pull back, Levi surprised him by catching the lapel of his dinner jacket and keeping him close.

“It’s been three months,” Levi said, his voice pitched low. “Don’t you think we’ve waited long enough?”

Dominic drew a deep breath. “You want to . . .”

“I want to spend the night with you.”

Levi had left Stanton Barclay, his boyfriend of three years, only the day before he and Dominic had slept together for the first time. They’d agreed to take things slow from that point on, so that Levi would have time to grieve his lost relationship without the complication of jumping headlong into a new one right off the bat.

Despite their best intentions, they hadn’t been able to quite keep their hands off each other in the weeks that followed. A few memories in particular stood out in Dominic’s mind—dry humping like teenagers on the couch in Levi’s new apartment, jerking each other off in Dominic’s kitchen when they were supposed to be cooking dinner, Levi sucking his cock in the front seat of his pickup. That last had been made ten times more exciting by the fact that Levi was a cop.

There were two firm lines they hadn’t crossed since April, however—no overnights and no penetrative sex.

Dominic had gone too long without responding. Levi let go and stepped away, a flicker of hurt and confusion crossing his face before it went blank. “You don’t want to?”

“Oh, I want to,” Dominic said honestly. God, did he want to. “That’s not even in question. I just want to make sure you’re ready for this.” He had doubts that three months was long enough to move past a serious relationship—but then, he’d never been in one of those himself, so what the hell did he know?

“Dominic.” Levi took his hand. “I want to be with you, move forward with you. I don’t want there to be any barriers between us anymore. I’m ready for that if you are.”

His expression was earnest, his voice sincere. After a moment’s consideration, Dominic reeled him back in and kissed him again.

“All right,” he said. “Let’s go to my place.”

Read more at: https://riptidepublishing.com/titles/trick-roller (just click the excerpt tab)

Cordelia Kingsbridge - Trick Roller Teaser 3

Seven of Spades series!

Las Vegas has never seen a serial killer like the Seven of Spades.

The self-styled vigilante is on a mission to cut down the wicked and treacherous, and Sin City has no shortage of targets for their bloody wrath. What happens in Vegas . . . ends with the Seven of Spades’s calling card on a grisly corpse.

Standing against the killer are Levi Abrams, a dedicated homicide detective locked in a constant struggle to restrain his own dark side, and bounty hunter Dominic Russo, a charming rogue with a heavy secret weighing on his shoulders.

The hunt for the Seven of Spades sends Levi and Dominic on a collision course, igniting a passionate relationship forged in conflict and sealed with blood. Together they’re stronger than the sum of their parts, but a wily, elusive serial killer isn’t the only threat that will strain their bond to the breaking point.

Ante up, because the Seven of Spades is all in. Are you?

Check out the Seven of Spades series!

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About Cordelia!

Cordelia Kingsbridge has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh, but quickly discovered that direct practice in the field was not for her. Having written novels as a hobby throughout graduate school, she decided to turn her focus to writing as a full-time career. Now she explores her fascination with human behavior, motivation, and psychopathology through fiction. Her weaknesses include opposites-attract pairings and snarky banter.

Away from her desk, Cordelia is a fitness fanatic, and can be found strength training, cycling, and practicing Krav Maga. She lives in South Florida but spends most of her time indoors with the air conditioning on full blast!

Connect with Cordelia:

Giveaway!

To celebrate the release of Trick Roller, one lucky winner will receive a $15 Riptide credit!

(Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest.)

Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

(Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on February 3, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.)
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Check out the other blogs on the tour!

January 29, 2018 – TTC Books and More
January 29, 2018 – Unquietly Me
January 29, 2018 – Love Bytes Reviews
January 29, 2018 – Open Skye
January 29, 2018 – La Crimson Femme
January 30, 2018 – Jessie G Books
January 30, 2018 – The Blogger Girls
January 30, 2018 – We Three Queens
January 30, 2018 – Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
January 30, 2018 – Creative Deeds
January 31, 2018 – The Novel Approach
January 31, 2018 – Book Reviews and More by Kathy
January 31, 2018 – MM Good Book Reviews
February 1, 2018 – Erotica for All
February 1, 2018 – Butterfly-o-Meter
February 1, 2018 – Bayou Book Junkie
February 1, 2018 – Alpha Book Club
February 1, 2018 – OMG Reads
February 1, 2018 – Dog-Eared Daydreams
February 2, 2018 – Diverse Reader
February 2, 2018 – Boy Meets Boy Reviews
February 2, 2018 – Real Talk Book Talk
February 2, 2018 – Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

13 thoughts on “Trick Roller by Cordelia Kingsbridge Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway!

  1. thank you for the excerpt, and congratulations on the release, Cordelia!
    susanaperez7140(at)Gmail(dot)com

  2. I LOVED the first book in this series and am starting this one tonight!!!

    psshepherd(at)earthlink(dot)net

  3. Congrats, Cordelia, and thanks for the post. This sounds like a good suspenseful addition to this series set in Vegas . – Purple Reader,
    TheWrote [at] aol [dot] com

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