Alpha Male Diner: Stefan Harper (Mage) by Nancy Northcott + giveaway

Stefan Harper (mage and physician)

Recipe by Nancy Northcott

Guardian: Book 2 of The Protectors

Ingredients:
A six-one, leanly muscled frame
Dark brown hair that generally needs a trim
Chocolate brown eyes with tiny gold flecks
A clear, rich baritone voice
A keen, intuitive mind
An unfailingly kind and loyal heart
Magical powers focused on healing but capable of delivering a lethal strike when necessary

Season with:
Tragic loss of a childhood friend
Six years of secretly helping a renegade unmask a traitor
Dedication to the protection of humanity from ghouls
A failed romance with the woman he loved because she couldn't accept his magical gifts

Mix, adding a splash of wry humor. Stir in frustration over having to lie about his powers to the Mundanes he respects. Fold in regret over the woman he loved and lost.

Heat to blazing as he reunites with his lost love and they battle deadly ghouls preying on the local Mundanes.

Serve quickly and duck in case of explosion.

Test Taste

Sheriff Burton started the press conference by summarizing the situation, mostly repeating what had been in the paper and adding a few facts about Ms. Baldwin. Behind him stood a deputy in uniform.

The deputy shifted, revealing Mel. She stood straight, a tall, slender woman in a neatly tailored black pantsuit and blue, v-necked blouse.

Stefan’s breath took an odd little hitch below his heart. That was probably indigestion from this morning’s Mexican omelet, but he couldn't deny he felt something. He took off his sunglasses and surveyed her as he hadn't been able to do in the sheriff’s office.

The tailored shirt didn't quite disguise the curve of the small, high breasts under it. Her dark hair hung almost to her shoulders in a sleek bob instead of the long, full curtain that once had fallen halfway down her back.

It had felt soft when he buried his hands in it. When she let it trail over his body.

That wide, ripe mouth, now wearing neutral pink lipstick instead of the bright red or coral she’d once favored, had been soft, too. Soft and yielding and welcoming.

Until everything blew up.

Hell. The annoying hitch pinged his chest again. She wore sunglasses, so he couldn't see her eyes. Nothing in her face hinted at anything beyond cool, professional attention to the sheriff, but he would bet she was watching the crowd. He could take a couple of steps backward, separate himself, and be more conspicuous. See how she reacted.

Damned idiot. What was he, twelve? He set his jaw and stayed where he was.

check out Adria's 4 1/2 Sheep review of Guardian here

Guardian (The Protectors #2)
by Nancy Northcott

A POWER TO KILL

FBI agent Camellia "Mel" Wray is no stranger to violence but when an old friend is brutally murdered, she takes it personally. The case hits even closer to her heart when the best person to help with the investigation is Dr. Stefan Harper, the only man she ever loved-and lost. One look at the gorgeous medical expert and Mel realizes he's still impossible to resist-and still harboring a secret after all these years . . .

A POWER TO LOVE

Afraid Mel wouldn't accept him, Stefan never revealed his study of magical medicine or his abilities, instead allowing her to believe he'd been unfaithful. Now she's back in his life-and their mutual attraction burns hotter than ever. But when something dark and otherworldly threatens humans, Stefan must summon his mage powers to keep everyone safe. Will Mel be able to trust him again? Or will their love cost him even more than it did the first time?

About the Author:
website-Twitter-FB-blog
I still love comic books, fantasy and science fiction, though I don’t read comics as much as I once did. I try to get to Dragon*Con every year. I’m also a lifelong history geek and Anglophile, passions born when I was in second grade and watched a television drama about the Tudors. By the time I reached college and learned just how inaccurate that story was, it was too late. I was hooked! I majored in history and spent a fabulous summer studying Tudor and Stuart Britain at Oxford University (as well as learning to drive on the left side and observe local customs in pubs). These experiences left me with serious geek tendencies, which I indulge by reading a lot of history. My college classes mostly covered who fought whom, when, why, and how, and I’ve been delighted to discover how much material is available about the ways people of different eras lived.

I've traveled extensively in Britain with my husband and our son, collecting numerous tomes, weighty and not, on my passion. My husband, a children’s literature professor who understands the “book thing,” graciously carried home the ones I didn't have time to entrust to the Royal Mail. His help put a whole new spin on the “carry my books” bit and helped make possible the Writer Resources section of this site, where I share some of my best finds.

GIVEAWAY
one winner will get a Net Galley copy of Guardian and 3 collector cards 
(The winner either must have a NetGalley account or be willing to create one, which is free and available to everyone.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway