The Jade Hunters by A.B. Michaels 💕 Fun Facts, Book Tour & Gift Card Giveaway 💕 (Romantic Suspense)

This blog post contains affiliate links. Click Here for details.

A Fortune in Stolen Jewels, a Centuries-old Vendetta: Let the Shell Game Begin.

Award-winning jewelry designer Regina Firestone is proud to exhibit her famous grandmother’s multi-million dollar “bauble” collection at the grand re-opening of The Grove Center for American Art, known among the locals as “Sinner’s Grove.”

The fact that she’s considering modeling the jewels in the nude like her grandmother did infuriates photographer Walker Banks, a co-owner of The Grove who’s in charge of the exhibit. Neither is willing to admit the real reason for the sparks between them.

Their spat takes a back seat when Reggie discovers that one of the most compelling pieces in the collection is not at all what it seems. Tracking down the truth will take the couple into the dark heart of a quest that’s lasted more than a century, one in which destroying human lives—including Reggie’s and Walker’s—means nothing in the pursuit of a twisted sense of justice.

The Jade Hunters is Book Three of Michaels’ contemporary series, “Sinner’s Grove Suspense.” The series follows the descendants of characters introduced in Michaels’ historical fiction series, “The Golden City.”

The Golden City: The Art of Love, The Depth of Beauty, The Promise, The Price of Compassion, and
Josephine’s Daughter.

Sinner’s Grove Suspense: Sinner’s Grove, The Lair, and The Jade Hunters.

Note: All of A.B. Michaels’ novels are stand-alone reads.

For more information, please visit abmichaels.com.

My latest contemporary novel, The Jade Hunters, is a stand-alone read, but it’s also a follow-up to one of my historical novels called The Depth of Beauty. In that story, which takes place at the turn of the twentieth century, the main character shocks those around her (including the man who’s fighting his attraction to her) by becoming a “life model,” which means she poses nude for artists so they can interpret the human body through their chosen medium (painting, sculpture, photography, etc.) Truth be told, I love the idea of a woman driving her man insane by showing her body to other men through innocent circumstances. So, of course I had to have her granddaughter Regina (the heroine of The Jade Hunters) want to do something similar, but with a modern twist.
Reggie is working on a museum exhibit featuring her famous grandmother and wants to honor her by also modeling nude. Only this time, she’d be modeling in front of the public, with smart phones sending images across the universe through social media. Not a good idea! Walker Banks, a former fashion photographer who is working with Reggie on the exhibit, has seen old photographs of Reggie’s grandmother, and knows Reggie is the spitting image of her; the last thing he wants is to give everyone in the world a live, intimate view of her that he longs to keep for himself. Eventually they compromise and Reggie agrees to have him photograph her. Alone. Naked. The scene is yummy, if I do say so myself!
Remember the recent controversy on the reality show “The Bachelorette,” where the woman dumps the guy because he disapproved of her sleeping with somebody else in the windmill? Well, times have changed and she’s free to do what she wants without society condemning her. But in my opinion, it’s just another example of an axiom most readers and writers of romance understand: no matter the time period, if a man is really attracted to a woman, if he wants to mate with her, he doesn’t want to share her with others in an intimate way—not visually, and certainly not physically. The same holds true for women: if they are serious about a man, they don’t want him sleeping with somebody else!

“The Phone Call”

“With what you went through today, are you okay now with getting the authorities to step in on this? Nothing is worth getting hurt over.” Walker gently tipped her chin up. “Nothing.”

She took a breath, knowing he was only trying to emphasize a point, but feeling that pull all the same. Professional. Keep it professional. “I suppose you’re right—”

At that moment the satchel she’d dropped on the dining room table began to buzz.

“That’s probably my Aunt Beth. She’s been trying to reach me off and on today, but she’s a talker, and I just don’t have the energy, so I haven’t returned the call.”

Walker dropped his hand but didn’t move. “Best to check,” he said.

She leaned over him to pull the phone out. “Oh, it’s my cousin Ava,” she said. “Let me get it.”

It took less than a minute for Reggie to feel the earth drop underneath her.

“Oh my God,” she cried.

“What?” Walker touched her again. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t believe it. No, it can’t be. Are you sure?”

On the other end of the line, Ava didn’t sugar coat it. “They found him stabbed to death in the Tenderloin along with some call girl, Chandra somebody. Just thought you ought to know.”

“Th ... thanks. I’ll get back to you.” Stunned, Reggie ended the call.

“For God’s sake, tell me what happened,” Walker demanded.

“It’s Uncle Allen,” she said, tears beginning to fall. “He’s been murdered.”

The Perfect Family? Hardly.

It cracked when Jenna Bergstrom was fourteen and shattered a few years later. Secrets followed by tragedy will do that to you.

Now Jenna's ailing grandfather needs her expertise to restore the family's legendary artists' retreat known as Sinner's Grove. Reluctantly she agrees to help, but there's a problem...

She'll have to work side-by-side with the ex-love of her life.

Brit Maguire knows heartbreak. Jenna was the girl of his dreams until she disappeared from his life completely. Now she's back, and the feelings he's pushed aside just won't stay put. But as the architect for the Sinner's Grove renovation, he's got more important things on his mind - like finding out who wants the project scrapped badly enough to kill for it. Finding his way back to Jenna won't count for anything if Brit can't keep her safe.

Sinner's Grove is Book One of A.B. Michaels’ contemporary suspense series of the same name. It follows the descendants of characters featured in Michael's historical fiction series "The Golden City." Other titles in the series include The Lair and The Jade Hunters.

The Art of Love, the award-winning first novel in that series recounts the founding of Sinner's Grove by Klondike King August Wolff and artist Amelia Starling at the turn of the twentieth century. Other titles in The Golden City series include The Depth of Beauty, The Promise, The Price of Compassion and Josephine's Daughter.

All novels in the series are stand-alone reads.

For more information, please visit abmichaels.com.

She Confronted Her Demon - and He Wanted Her Back.

After her playboy father dies in a racing boat mishap, innkeeper Daniela Dunn must travel from Northern California back to Verona, Italy and her childhood home, an estate called the Panther’s Lair. To say she’s reluctant to go is an understatement.

In fact, she’s petrified.

The mansion she grew up in holds terrifying memories and deeply buried secrets. It’s a place where appearances are deceiving, and the price of honesty could be death.

Complicating matters is her flirtatious friend, Detective Gabe de la Torre, who’s tagging along—without being asked. As Dani is drawn into her family’s intrigues, Gabe proves he’s much more than a friend, however. He’s a sworn protector who may lose his own life in the process of saving hers.

Gabe de la Torre needs to settle old family debts before starting fresh with the woman he feels could be The One. But when a mystery woman reveals that Dani’s father may have been murdered, the stakes rise dramatically, and Gabe realizes they’re now players in a treacherous game. Keeping Dani safe becomes his top priority, even as Dani strives to figure out whom she can trust: her relatives, Gabe, or even herself.

The Lair is Book Two of Michaels’ contemporary series, “Sinner’s Grove Suspense.” The series follows the descendants of characters introduced in Michaels’ historical fiction series, “The Golden City.”

The Golden City: The Art of Love, The Depth of Beauty, The Promise, The Price of Compassion, and Josephine's Daughter.

Sinner’s Grove Suspense: Sinner’s Grove, The Lair, and The Jade Hunters.

All of A.B. Michaels’ novels are stand-alone reads.

For more information, please visit abmichaels.com.

A native of California, A.B. Michaels holds masters’ degrees in history (UCLA) and broadcasting (San Francisco State University). After working for many years as a promotional writer and editor, she turned to writing fiction, which is the hardest thing she's ever done besides raise two boys. She lives with her husband and two spoiled dogs in in Boise, Idaho, where she is often distracted by kayaking, playing bocce, and trying to hit a golf ball more than fifty yards. Reading and travel figure into the mix, leading her to hope that sometime soon, someone invents a 25+ hour day. Her historical fiction series, “The Golden City,” explores America’s Gilded Age and its effect on characters, both actual and fictional, while her contemporary series, “Sinner’s Grove Suspense,” follows descendants of The Golden City as they navigate today’s equally treacherous waters. She is currently expanding both series.