Killing Time, K. Dawn Byrd

Romance/Suspense/Contemporary
Mindy McLaurin, thinks it's the end of the world when she's incarcerated on trumped-up embezzlement charges. While in jail, she investigates the death of an inmate who allegedly died of an overdose. Mindy suspects foul play when her cellmate dies and she learns that both women had ingested the same drug. Mindy trusts no one, including Drew Stone, the handsome counselor she can’t stop thinking about. She faces many challenges, including constant interrogation by the Major and emotional abuse from the other inmates. Upon release, someone is stalking her and framing her for the murder. Can she prove to Counselor Stone that she’s innocent of all charges before she loses him forever?

Excerpt:
Mindy and Counselor Sonte have just had a conversation about how they both took care of loved ones who died of cancer.
Mindy had never felt so comfortable with a man, but yet so vulnerable for baring her soul. He handed her a napkin from the table and she wiped her eyes and blew her nose. When he did likewise, she wondered if he'd been crying, too.

"And, then there's Renee. That's a whole other story. Just when I find her, she's murdered. I'll find out what happened to her if it's the last thing I do." The tears came full force then as if a dam had burst.

Stone's encircled her in his arms, his touch comforting. She felt his breath on her cheek.

Mindy wiped her eyes and sat up straight. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he said, reaching up to wipe a stray tear from below her eye.

"I'm sorry to be such a cry baby. I don't know what's got into me."

He placed his hands on the sides of her face. The setting was perfect. The atmosphere was romantic and the night was warm.

"You are so beautiful," he said, looking into her eyes as if he could gauge her soul.

Her heart swelled in response to his words. A shiver of delight tickled her spine.

His face moved toward hers as he asked, "Can I kiss you?"

The heavy rhythm of her heart beating in her chest took Mindy's breath away. She leaned away ever so slightly and said, "There's one thing I have to know first."

"What?"

She grinned and said, "You know my name, now what's yours?"

"Drew," he replied as his lips met hers.

Reviews:
"Yet another fantastic book from K. Dawn Byrd. When I initially read the book, I could not put it down, and I had to force myself to slow my reading and not skip anything. That was how anxious I was to find out the ending. Killing Time keeps you on the edge of your seat with various plot twists, but not once does the plot get convoluted. I think this is the mark of a superb suspense novel...I was pleasantly surprised by the way the mystery part of the story is resolved. The "villain" is an unlikely suspect, I never saw it coming. Typically, I like unusual endings, or at least endings with a twist, and this book certainly delivers. I think readers will be quite shocked at the end of the book. What happens? Well, you will have to read it to find out."
Rating = 5 Stars

Mindy McLaurin is incarcerated for a crime she didn't commit. While stuck in prison, waiting to be cleared of the charges, Mindy stumbles upon a mystery when her cellmate suddenly dies of an overdose. Soon Mindy finds herself a suspect in her cellmate's murder. The only person who believes in her innocence is Counselor Drew Stone. Drew seems trustworthy, but how can Mindy be certain. Someone inside the prison is clearly involved. And that someone is trying to frame her. Mindy must uncover the murderer to clear her name, and to protect her life

K. Dawn Byrd has written another intriguing suspense with a vivid setting. Her research was evident by the detail she used in creating the prison atmosphere. The romance was very natural, and I liked the hero very much. I felt that Drew was a good compliment to Mindy's character. I felt for Mindy because it was obvious how out of place she was in the prison, and how terribly frightened she would have been. I think I actually breathed a sigh of relief for her when she was finally bailed out. And to my delight, that's when the real action began. -- Shawna K. Williams

Why K. Dawn wrote this book:
I've always been an avid reader and planned to write a book "one day." When I began work as a counselor in a jail, I thought that would be a neat setting for the book. I began to jot down notes about the environment such as sights, sounds, and smells. Before I knew it, my heroine had formed in my mind, begging me to tell her story.
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Author Bio:
K. Dawn Byrd is an author of inspirational romance. Queen of Hearts, a WWII romantic suspense released in April and was Desert Breeze Publishing's bestselling novel for the month. Killing Time, a contemporary romantic suspense released August 1, also with Desert Breeze Publishing.

K. Dawn Byrd is an avid blogger and gives away several books per week on her blog at www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com, most of which are signed by the authors. She's also the moderator of the popular facebook group, Christian Fiction Gathering http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=128209963444

When not reading or writing, K. Dawn Byrd enjoys spending time with her husband of 14years, walking their dogs beside a gorgeous lake near her home, and plotting the next story waiting to be told.

http://kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com/

Leave a comment for the chance to win Killing Time by K. Dawn Byrd, and also this week's other features, Texas Roads by Cathy Bryant, and Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico by Lena Nelson Dooley.

Happy Reading!