In the Spotlight: The Devil's Playground by Eliza Freed

Title: The Devil’s Playground (Book 1 The Faraway series)
Author: Eliza Freed
Publisher: Brunswick Publishing
Pages: 300
Genre: Romance/Women’s Fiction

Former U.S. Attorney, Meredith Walsh, took some time off to raise her children. But the time took away everything she once trusted about herself. She’s lost within the mundane confines of her children's schedules of lacrosse, soccer, Cub Scouts, and math facts. Desperate for a sliver of her former passion, and isolated in the small town her corporate husband relocated her to, she counsels herself on risking her family for the rush of a fling.

But Vincent Pratt, the local chief of police, weakens Meredith’s abhorrence of affairs and her dedication to her family. With him, she finds a new version of herself, one capable of contributing in her new world, and thriving in her lonely home. In spite of the fact, she’s not the kind of woman who has an affair.

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Book Excerpt:

He kissed me, right there in the middle of the room, until a heat sank down my spine, anchoring me to the ground in front of him, assuring me against every reasonable argument that this was going to be okay.

The rain was a mix of a washed-out deluge hitting the walls of the cabin and a metallic pinging as it assaulted tiny pieces of the flashings and the roof. It was a constant hum around us, and it blocked every thought but the ones craving Vince’s body. I pulled him toward me, wanting him inside of me. I was selfish and unapologetic, and he responded to every need I had without me voicing a word.

I reached my hand down between us. I felt him hard behind the zipper of his jeans, and I stroked him through the fabric. I inhaled deeply at the size of him and the anticipation spread through me, a heavy demand that could only be satisfied by him. I unzipped his jeans, and he let go of me to lower them to the floor. For a split second I clung to the idea this was going to be terrible, average at best. This was a huge mistake, and my punishment would be a below-par sexual experience to relive in my mind in the coming weeks and solidify the universe’s thoughts on the righteousness of an affair.

Vince took the hem of my dress in his hands. He watched me as I raised my hands high in the air above us. He lifted the dress up and off of me, leaving me naked in front of him. I burned from the urge for him. I could feel it just under my skin, a heat spreading through me, anticipating his hands on me.

I tilted my head to the sound of the rain. It thrust us forward, protected us from reality. It was a cushion from the pain we would inflict on each other, and it succeeded. When I turned back to Vince, his eyes were wandering over every inch of me, and I braced myself for his proclamation of my beauty. The one they said to everyone. But it never came.

I realized Vince was waiting for me to give myself to him. He was waiting for my consent. He wouldn’t take this from me. He wouldn’t seduce me any more than he would purposely hurt me. He was a gentleman. But there was nothing he could do or say in this dimly-lit cabin that would turn me away from him. I needed him to breathe. I needed him to live. I just hadn’t known it until that moment in front of him, with my dress still hanging from his hand at his side.

About the Author

Eliza Freed graduated from Rutgers University and returned to her hometown in rural South Jersey. Her mother encouraged her to take some time and find herself. After three months of searching, she began to bounce checks and her neighbors began to talk; her mother told her to find a job.

She settled into Corporate America, learning systems and practices and the bureaucracy that slows them. Eliza quickly discovered her creativity and gift for story telling as a corporate trainer and spent years perfecting her presentation skills and studying diversity. It’s during this time she became an avid observer of the characters we meet and the heartaches we endure. Her years of study have taught her laughter is the key to survival, even when it’s completely inappropriate.

She currently lives in New Jersey with her family and a misbehaving beagle named Odin. An avid swimmer, if Eliza is not with her family and friends, she’d rather be underwater. While she enjoys many genres, she has always been a sucker for a love story...the more screwed up the better.Her latest book is the romance/women’s fiction, The Devil’s Playground.

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