TRAVEL TO EXOTIC FOREIGN LANDS FOR ROMANCE AND INTRIGUE with a novel by R. Ann Siracusa
See what readers and reviewers have to say, Click on"Reviews" above for: All For A Dead Man's Leg (03/2009) All For A Fist Full Of Ashes (10/2009) First Christmas Follies (12/2009) Family Secrets: A Vengeance of Tears (03/2008)
NEW RELEASES NOW AVAILABLE FROM SAPPHIRE BLUE PUBLISHING
FIRST CHRISTMAS FOLLIES ISBN: 978-1-934657-31-7
Harriet Ruby and drop-dead gorgeous spy, Will Talbot, are looking forward to their first Christmas together.Their plans for an entire uninterrupted week in each other’s arms go awry when she’s assigned to conduct a tour for a group of children over the Christmas holiday.
Disappointed but determined to make the best of the situation, Harriet and Will soon discoverthe tour group is in Rome for more than just a holiday…and they are definitely not children.
Excerpt: "Okay, pal. Before you touch anything else, you have to explain what's going on with these...ah...little people." All bravado. My strategic advantage would only last as long as his tolerance,and that wasn't likely to endure more than a sentence or two. We were both anxious to make up for lost time. "Why are you asking me? They're your group, not mine." He leered at me and my pulse rate skyrocketed. My blood burned with desire, sending tingles from the roots of my hair to my toes. "C'mon Will, theyinsist they're elves...Santa's elves, no less...and you're acting like this is no big surprise. Ho hum." He shrugged, his muscles rippling against the pressure of my hands. "A lot of things in this life are unexplainable." "I'm losing it, aren't I? I've been run over by the Popemobile in St. Peter's Square, right?" I shook his shoulders. "Tell me that at this very moment I'm really lying half dead in San Camillo hospital, hallucinating, while a normal husband and wife with eleven children stand around my bed crying." "It's Christmas time, Harriet. Miracles happen. Who am I to question?" Okay. This is getting nowhere. Putting aside my state of dazed bafflement-I wanted to get on to other things-I redirected the conversation. "Speaking of that, what do you want for Christmas?"
"Hmm." He rolled me underneath him and straddled me. "You-as much time with you as possible."
My first mistake: Agreeing to conduct a private tour of Italy. Fourteen Italian-Americans from New Jersey? All family, for three weeks, with four teenagers? What was I thinking?
Fate responds to my engraved invitation by placing one of the family under surveillance as a suspect in an assassination plot, and who is assigned to the case? None other than my favorite drop-dead-gorgeous spy, Will Talbot.
My second mistake: Allowing Will to coax an invitation from the family matriarch to join the tour.
And that was just the beginning. The matriarch, searching for the unknown location of her mother's grave, and her quirky family members sweep through Italy leaving chaos, hilarity, and danger in their wake.
Excerpt:
"Did you actually meet Gianni Barbera?" That cooled me off a bit. Oh, boy. How much should I tell him? "Yes, he sat next to me at dinner." "What's your opinion?" "It's my opinion that we have plenty of time to talk about this later." "Harriet!" Oo-kay, let's see if I've learned anything about acting. "He was charming, polished, and polite but distant, which I took to mean he didn't suspect any threat. And in my humble opinion, he's the primary decision maker." Will hesitated a beat. "Okay, that fits with what I know. Now, what aren't you telling me?" "What makes you think I'm not telling you everything?" He kissed me again and let his hands rove, getting me all heated up on purpose. He knew how to break down my defenses. God, he's good. My resistance dwindled. "Oh, well, all right. I didn't score high marks with the fly-on-the-wall thing." No big surprise there. I told him about my confrontation with the tablecloth. He groaned, but didn't say anything or criticize. Maybe I would get off easy. "What else?" Jeez. I needed to brush up on my fibbing skills. "There's nothing else...hmm, except that I guess I flirted with him a little. But only to get information for you." "And?" "And what?" Didn't this guy ever give up? I added obnoxiouslypersistent to my mental list of his qualities. "Out with it. You know you're a rotten liar." He didn't sound angry, merely relentless in his pursuit of knowledge. "We-ell...he sort of looked up my skirt." "Jesus, Harriet!" That reaction made me all defensive. I rolled out of his arms and sat up. "It's not like it sounds. It wasn't in private or anything. It happened in front of everybody." A long heavy silence ensued. "Shit!" I punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Will, stop it. It's nothing like you're implying. Everyone in the room looked up my skirt. I was trying to get off the dining table." He heaved a resigned sigh. "You're way off base if you think that's going to help. What were you doing on the table?" "Standing, of course. And nobody could really see anything except my pantyhose and thong." He flopped on his back and flung his forearm over his eyes. "Lord, give me strength." "Do you want to hear the rest of this or not?" "Am I going to hate it?" "You shouldn't. And talking about this now was your bright idea." I blew out an exasperated breath and told him about the argument over the burial of the ashes in the family tomb, and how I'd stopped it. "Harriet Ruby, you are something else." He didn't take his arm away from his face. "I'm glad I wasn't there. I can't take the stress." "We learned a lot more this way. This spy thing is actually kind of fun."
December 29, 2009 4.5 stars out of 5 - Reviewer Top Pick
Full of colorful characters and hilarious situations, A Fist Full of Ashes is just plain fun. The humor is slapstickish but clever. Vita's character, an elderly woman with a fast cane and a sharp mind, is a hoot. There were many colorful characters in the story including a python named Fluffy. The author did a good job of making them come alive. My only criticism is the terrorist subplot and its resolution felt threadbare. I had a hard time believing Interpol would have so little information to go on and that Will would have to rely on Harriet. Of course, that problem created more tension. If you like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels, you'll like this series by R. Ann Siracusa. It's spunky and well-told. Definitely kept me entertained. Romance Junkies Reviews December 17, 2009 - Rating: 4 Leslie, Reviewer for Romance Junkies Once again author R. Ann Siracusa has written a comical romance tale that will take you on another adventure to solve an enthralling mystery in Italy. Harriet Ruby is a tour director with The Adventure Seekers Travel Agency. Even though being a tour director is fairly straightforward, Harriet seems to find trouble wherever she goes.
In ALL FOR A FIST FILL OF ASHES, Harriet takes an American-Italian family on a tour of Italy to transport the remains of one of their ancestors back to his homeland to be laid to rest. The mayhem this family creates is hysterical and funny, as well as mean, tiresome, tactical, and even treacherous.
William Talbot, Harriet’s love interest and spy, has one of the family members under surveillance as a suspect in an assassination plot. By charming Vita, the matriarch of the family, Will engineers an invite to join the tour with the family. The eccentric family members trek through Italy leaving turmoil, amusement, and peril wherever they go. In ALL FOR A FIST FULL OF ASHES you will travel with them as they journey through Italy. Along the way,you’ll discover a great deal about Italy while you are being amused.
ALL FOR A FIST FULL OF ASHES is the second book in Siracusa’s HARRIET RUBY series. It is full of trickery, murder, romance and comedy. You will be smiling by the variety and assorted characters that charm the pages. Take a trip with Harriet and Will on their romantic journey through Italy in quest of a lost grave, a murderer, and of course, love.
Coffeetime Romance and More November, 2009 - 4 Cups
Maura, Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
This story is outrageously funny and over the top in every way. I do not think that there is a more obnoxious family on the planet than the Spinella/Mazza clan. I loved Vita and her deadly accurate cane and the green-haired Eric, but the rest of the bunch has few redeeming qualities. The scene in the airport with the Italian officials smoking some of Uncle Carmelo’s remains is hilarious. Harriet and Will’s relationship is complicated, since he keeps everything about himself a secret, but their love scenes are pretty hot.Harriet manages to keep her head, if not her control,for most of the journey, and you will enjoy her efforts to keep the group from destroying the luxury hotels of Italy, to keep the teenagers out of jail, and to help Will keep someone from assassinating the Pope. All in a day’s work for a tour guide. Not! The turmoil that this family can cause is at times hysterical, frustrating, strategic, funny, mean and even dangerous.
In "All For A Fist Full Of Ashes," you will follow them in expert detail as they travel through Italy and you will learn a lot about Italy and the Vatican while you are being entertained. This novel has everything - intrigue, murder, romance and some comic relief, and you will be immensely entertained by the various and diverse characters that grace its pages. A fun book that you will truly enjoy reading.
~~~
ALL FOR A DEAD MAN’S LEGISBN: 978-1-934657-16-4
My name is Harriet Ruby, Tour Director Extraordinaire. At least I thought I was worthy of that title until one of my tourists, Archie Philpot, died in the middle of my first, solo European tour.
Teaming up with William Talbot, a seemingly kind stranger who turned out to be a spy in disguise, I tried to keep my tourists happy and unaware while smuggling poor old Archie's body out of Morocco. I never expected my newfound friend and helper to be the love of my life. It certainly didn’t hurt that he was such a hunk!
But before our romance even got properly started, we were chased by terrorists, smugglers and murderers. Since my role model had always been Tour Guide Barbie, I was out of my league and had to rely on Will to get us to safely.
Little did I know that getting out of Morocco was just the beginning...
Excerpt:
Unable to orient myself, I closed my eyes again and snuggled closer to the other body. If I was suffering from hallucinations, so What? The person beside me turned over. Strong arms wrapped around me. Mmm. Then Will kissed me again. I knew it was Will. I recognized the lingering scent of his musky aftershave spiced with a smidgen of salt from the ocean water, the firmness of his lips, the muscled chest and slightly coarse hair. Everything I’d fantasized about all day. This time I was breathing, so I responded with enthusiasm. Nice. Really nice. Finally, he eased us apart and sat up beside me. He placed his hand on my shoulder and gave me a little shake. “Come on, Harriet, open your eyes. I know you’re in there.” With reluctance, I did as I was told and smiled up at him. “How’d you know I was awake?” In the subdued light, his teeth flashed as he smiled. “Well, let’s see. You stuck your tongue down my throat and nearly chewed my lip off. That’s a pretty sure sign.” “Sorry,” I said, not sorry at all. “I was dreaming.” “About what?” “I’ll never tell.” I adjusted the covers around me, my face burning. Considering the fantasies I was having, I must be feeling a lot better. “How, ah, did I get like this?” He knew exactly what I meant. “I had to warm you up.” I propped myself up on my elbows, making sure the blanket was tucked around my chest. “Warm me up for what?” My imagination shifted into overdrive, running away with me. It must have shown on my face. Maybe it was the way I was panting, not to mention the drooling. He laughed as he climbed over me, got off the bunk, and stood up. I was disappointed to see he was wearing an ill-fitting pair of trousers that looked too short for him. Only his chest was bare. “Not warmed up for what you’re thinking. I mean warmed up as in not dying. You know, to prevent hypothermia. Any other kind of warming you up might be a little awkward right now.” He indicated our surroundings with a lift of his chin.
Romance Junkies Reviews December 17, 2009 - Rating: 4 Leslie, Reviewer for Romance Junkies
What a wonderful book!ALL FOR A DEAD MAN’S LEG by R. Ann Siracusa is one of the funnier romance novels I have read in a long time. I can really identify myself with Harriet Ruby, the heroine of this novel, and her knack for getting into awkward situations. Harriet is a tour director on her first solo international tour. While directing her tour, one of her travelers, Archie Philpot, mysteriously dies. She later finds out that her dead tourist is actually a suspect in an international smuggling ring scam. In the novel, Harriet relates her tale of trying to export the tourist’s body out of Morocco without drawing attention. Along the way, she receives help from William Talbot, a former military personal and now international spy.Together they will not only solve the case, but also fall for each other.
ALL FOR A DEAD MAN’S LEG is the first novel I have read by R. Ann Siracusa, and now I am a fan. Siracusa has a vast comedic feel in this novel. She has done a great job writing Harriet and makes you feel like you are having lunch with a friend who is recapping an adventure she just had on her latest trip. Harriet is a very believable character and I believe that every person can relate to her on some level. Will is definitely every woman’s idea of tall, dark, and handsome. The two of them together make an unlikely pair, which is what makes the book so hilarious. This book was a quick read and very enjoyable. I can only hope that the rest of the booksin the series will be the same.
ALL FOR A DEAD MAN’S LEG is action packed and a must read for people who enjoy to travel, laugh, and a good romance.The chemistry between Harriet and Will is definitely steamy, but quite funny at the same time. Even thought Harriet is a tour director, she soon discovers that she also has a knack for being a spy. This book will definitely leave the reader guessing about what awkward situations Harriet will get herself into next!
Night Owl Romance - A Great Read This is an entertaining story that keeps you riveted until the end. It is a mix of a little romance and a huge dash of mystery. The characters being portrayed are believable and appealing; they go well with the rest of the story.
Review CK2S Kwips and Kritiques
This book has a lot of action in it. Readers will be kept guessing as to who are the bad and good guys. There is also a lot of humor in the book, whether through the escapades of the tourists or through Harriet’s spying events. Readers will care about Harriet and Will and want them to solve the mystery and get to safety. Besides the humor and action, this book has some steamy romantic scenes.
Harriet and Will have good chemistry. There is a sexual chemistry to them, plus they seem very comfortable with each other, even though they just met. Will is a dashing romantic hero—the handsome spy. This book seems to be the possible start of a series and that is a good thing. Readers will want more of Harriet and Will. Harriet has the makings of a fine spy. She did not have a clue when she began to look into the murder mystery but she had decent instincts and a good dose of courage.
Review Between The Lines (WRDF Review 07/18/09)
"All for a Dead Man's Leg" is a comical romantic mystery. Harriet Ruby has stepped out of her comfortable box, agreed to guide a European tour and is hopelessly over her head in misadventure. From the death of a tourist, to meeting a handsome spy, this was definitely not the trip she expected. Harriet is a likeable heroine who good-naturedly endures the griping, whining, complaining tourists, some of whom can't even say her name correctly. It is her kind nature that endeared her to me as I read. She's doing her best to keep things going after the death of a tourists turns out to be more than just "a death." Will Talbot, her hero, is a true romance hero--to quote Bonnie Tyler, "big, strong, and larger than life." And it is Harriet who uncovers that sensitive side that he tries so hard to hide. Ann Siracusa has done a great job weaving this tale. For those who enjoyed "Romancing the Stone," this is reminiscent of the film. While the plots are very different, the story was in the same tone. "All For A Dead Man's Leg" is a good rainy day--or any day read. Reviewed by Lisa Mitchell, WRDF Review.
~~~
STILL AVAILABLE
FAMILY SECRETS: A VENGEANCE OF TEARS Outskirts Press, Inc.
Deception, passion, and love battle in a world where nothing is as it seems.
Disdained by her father and facing an arranged marriage, young Angela Rosarno yearns to be loved for herself. She flees her home and travels to Sicily into the arms of Santino Camastro, a man she has come to love only through his letters, though never met.
Wooed and rushed into marriage, she learns--all too late--that her husband is not the man who penned the letters. Determined to uncover the truth, Angela's actions set off a series of betrayals and murders. By the time she discovers that her husband's brother Antonio is the man she truly loves, she is hoplessly trapped in Santino's ruthless world of ambition and greed. When deception, passion, and a mother's love collide, Angela will have to risk everything she values, even the man she loves, to win freedom for herself and her children.
REVIEWS:
Amazon.com 06/30/2009 by S.L.Stebel 5.0 out of 5 stars Great Mafia Story from the viewpoint of a woman....
Family Secrets is written by a woman named Siracusa. Some years ago, I went to a town is Sicily that was named Siracusa. Could there be a connection? Judging by the stunning veracity of the story--a mafiosa saga that can stand comparison to "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo (who never got the acclaim for his novel that he deserved.) With the current larder bare when it comes to finding thrilling new mafia stories, I'm amazed that this one hasn't been picked up for either a film or a mini-series. I have no doubt that it would--yet again--confound the critics, and re-invigorate the genre. Sid Stebel teaches Fiction Writing in the Masters of Professional Writing Program at USC. Ray Bradbury calls him "The best writing teacher ever." http://www.slstebel.com/About.html
~~~
CHAPTER ONE from ALL FOR A FIST FULL OF ASHES
Chapter One
Nothing had happened―yet―but I knew in my bones that accepting this tour was a terrible mistake. And it was all Will Talbot’s fault.
Guiding any private tour is questionable, but directing a jaunt around Italy with fourteen Italian-Americans from New Jersey? All family, for three weeks, with four teenagers?
What was I thinking? This was worse than tempting Fate. It was sending an engraved invitation.
Even though my name is Harriet Ruby, I’m part Italian myself. Believe me, I know what these family trips are like. My father, the non-Italian half of my heritage, likens any event involving my mother’s relatives to a train wreck. Actually, he’s part Italian too, but he would prefer gargling with razor blades before admitting it to anyone.
Even though I’d intended to turn down the assignment, there I sat outside the customs area at Malpensa Airport in Milan, Italy, holding a sign with Vita Spinella and Family printed on it. Without warning, a cold shiver skittered along my spine. My skin puckered like bubble wrap and all the fine hairs on my body stood at attention.
Within sixty seconds, the airport speaker system emitted a burst of static.
“Signorina Boobie. Would Miss Harriet Boobie please report to the Drogana―to the Customs area?”
Jeez, couldn’t anyone pronounce the name Ruby? I gathered my things together and hurried up to the policeman in full regalia, guns and all, by the Customs’ exit.
“I’m Miss Ruby,” I told him in Italian, enunciating the precise sound of my last name. “They called me over the speaker just now.” “Go in, please.” I jogged down the hallway ramp. Rounding the corner at the bottom, I skidded to a stop to avoid colliding with a nondescript man wearing an Italian Customs uniform, his face pinched with displeasure and his eyes radiating panic. “Are you from Adventure Seekers Travel?” he asked in a loud agitated voice. Oh, boy. I knew it. “Yes. What’s happened?” No need to ask. Shouting in English and Italian drew my attention to a group people gathered around a nearby Customs station. Most of them waving their hands and yelling. Two white-haired old ladies dressed in black and four teenagers stood to one side. A girl with long bleach-blond hair watched the fracas with heavily made up eyes and a pouty-lipped smile. A pretty brunette talked on her cell phone while she took a bottle of water from her backpack. The two boys―one with a wool beanie pulled down to his eyes, the other with spiky green hair―had iPods plugged into their ears and didn’t appear to notice anything amiss. Beside them, the women watched in grim silence. The one scrunched in a wheelchair, appearing as withered and brittle as an old branch, held a heavy wooden cane across her bony knees. Vita Spinella and family.
On a high counter, three suitcases sat open and a large pile of luggage waited to be examined. Beside it, a well-dressed woman in her forties struggled with one of the Italian Customs officials.
“Give me those!” She gripped his upper arm and swiped at his face with her free hand.
Then I saw she grappled for the small box the man held out of her reach. A fat, red-tipped cigar hung from his lips. Yuck. No wonder the place stunk.
When another official reached for the woman from behind, a short stocky man in a suit pushed him back. “No, you don’t, pal.” He looked like a bulldog, and his deep and gravelly voice sounded mean.
“Take your hands off me!” “They’re ours. Give them back,” another woman yelled.
The man who had met me on the way into Customs grabbed my sleeve. “Do something.”
“Why are you yelling at me?” I pulled away from him. “Who are these people?” “They’re your tour group. You must stop this at once.” Who me? “I’m supposed to break this up? I don’t even know them. Why don’t the police stop it?” Before he could answer, the fragile old lady leaped out of her wheelchair, sidled between the other members of her family, and gave the man holding the box a horrendous blow across the ribs with her cane. I swear I heard the bones crack. “Aiii!” he cried in pain, spewing the cigar out of his mouth. The box flew out of his hand and sailed through the air. With a triumphant cry, the tiny woman, who could only be Vita Spinella, tossed aside the cane, sprang for the flying object, snatching it out of the air like a wide receiver and hit the ground running―as agile as one of the NFL’s finest. “Stop her!” the man beside me shouted. A police officer standing two or three feet away, shook off the amazement that had frozen him into immobility and grasped the old lady’s arm as she whizzed by. She screeched and whacked him with the box. The policeman raised his arm to protect his face and hit the box as it came down a second time. The lid flipped open, scattering a couple dozen brown cylinders across the floor. I stared at the now-empty container. Cuban cigars? Oh, boy. Wailing with distress, the other old woman threw herself on her knees and began scooping cigars into her hands. The stocky man joined her and both of them scrambled about the floor, picking up the pieces. Other policemen rushed forward to pull them away and trampled the Cubans underfoot. Tobacco leaves, residue, and little dark-colored chunks were scattered everywhere. At that point, all the adults either shouted, swore, or wept. In case you didn’t know, we Italians don’t have much in the way of volume control. The bored-looking teenagers lounged against the counter and ignored the scene. Now, both girls were talking on their cell phones. I’d been so intent on watching the show I paid no attention to anything else until I smelled something burning. I shifted my gaze to tendrils of smoke rising out of one of the open suitcases on the counter where, apparently, the official’s lit cigar had landed. At the same time someone hollered, “Get a fire extinguisher!” A general cry went up. While the airport staff scurried, the brunette, without a twinge of expression or any hurry to her pace, clicked off her phone, sauntered up to the counter, and emptied the contents of her water bottle into the smoldering suitcase. Sizzle. Pop. As if by magic, the oldest boy in the beanie came out of his trance. His eyes widened and his mouth tightened into a thin line of anger as a final burst of steam hissed out of the open luggage. “What’d you do that for, bitch?” He dashed to where the brunette stood and punched her in the shoulder. “Hey, stop it!” She dropped the backpack she held by its strap and threw the empty plastic bottle at him. The kid deflected it with his arm, and it bounced away into oblivion. “I had my PSP in there, dammit.” “Oh, shut up, asshole.” As the girl leaned over to pick up her bag, the youth pushed her. She stumbled backward into the man still crouched over and moaning from Vita’s blow. His hand splayed on the floor for balance, and she stepped on it―hard. “Ahi, managia!” As he jerked his hand away, his fingers snagged onto the strap of her backpack. She tottered, then pulled back, jerking the bag with her. “Get your hands off me, you dirty old man. Mm-other, Tony’s hitting me again!” Without realizing I spoke out loud, I said to the policeman, “Please, shoot them. Now! You’ll be doing us all a favor.” He grinned and gave me a thumbs-up.
