The latest Written Word-edited book to come out
In the second book of her Women of Strength series, author Lucy Appadoo shifts the action across the Atlantic to Madrid, Spain, bringing with it the two main characters of the first book, In Rio’s Shadows, Blanca Castellano and Carlos Silva.
The Woman in this volume is Daniela Lopez, a dance teacher striving to expand her business to new locations, and roommate of Blanca from the first book.
A sample from Chapter 8: Chance Meeting
Rafael clenched his fists in a corner chair, sipping his hot chocolate. He was sitting where Daniela couldn’t see him, but he wanted to approach her until he noticed a handsome young man ogling her. He had ordered them coffee and the waiter had now just handed them their drinks.
Rafael lost count of how many times the handsome guy laughed in her direction or touched her shoulder. Daniela seemed to shine in his company. Why did he care? He didn’t know the woman.
He had wanted to visit her school and talk to her about the latest article he had written about her father. Blanca had advised him to catch up with her to apologise again and get her thoughts on the latest article. But when he’d arrived at the dance school, it was already closed, so he decided to have a coffee. He did not expect to see Daniela here.
The dance attire she wore made her look young and free, as if she glowed in it. Not that he cared. He had to make the effort to approach her and apologise again. He didn’t like people being angry with him. He had to make this right.
A voice broke his reverie. “What are you doing here?”
He looked up to see Daniela standing with her arms crossed as if she wanted him to leave. “Hello. Last I checked, this cafe was free for all to attend.”
She glared. “Are you following me? This place is near my dance school.”
“No, I was in the area. But while you’re here, I wanted to apologise again for that article. Did you read the latest one about your father’s good deeds?”
She nodded. “It was okay, I guess. But what you did was still insensitive.”
He licked his lips, noticing the cleavage visible in her short top. Her short, tight skirt showed off her well-toned feminine curves. Her lipstick was smudged, and her eyes glistened underneath the low lighting. “So, who are you with?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but the lady is a friend and one of my dance teachers. Diego is her cousin down here from Barcelona. He said you were staring from your table and I had to tell him I knew you. He then forced me to come over. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered.” She squinted. “Why are you here?”
He smiled. “Can’t a man enjoy a cup of coffee in his down time?”
She scoffed. “Your type always has a motive for everything they do.” Her hands touched the base of her throat and she pressed her lips together.
“Why don’t you take a seat. I wanted to talk to you. I can do an article to promote your dance school. What do you think?”
She shook her head. “I do just fine without your articles, thank you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to the bathroom.” She stormed off without waiting for a reply. Why did she look even more beautiful when she was angry? He must be out of his mind. Just because she was attractive didn’t mean he had to notice.
What it’s about
A stalker in Madrid exposes deep secrets and tears a family apart.
Daniela Lopez’s dance school business is just starting to find its feet when sensational newspaper reports about her father send clients running for the hills. Teetering on financial ruin, she finds that her only hope lies in Rafael Martin—the very journalist and love interest whose articles about her father drove away her students.
Searching for answers draws Daniela into a deadly cat-and-mouse game. She must solve clues cryptic enough for a crossword puzzle.
Together, Daniela and Rafael uncover a shocking secret in Spain’s ruggedly beautiful Basque Country. The question is: can they beat the stalker’s dead-line to save Daniela’s family?
If you like intense romance, rich characters, fast-paced action and suspense, you’ll love Lucy Appadoo’s second book, Shadows Of The Past in the Women Of Strength Series.
Blending romance, suspense and mystery, Shadows of the Past was clearly a labour of love for the author, and a rewarding editing project for me.
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