BooksChatter: ☀ Prisoner: Russian Tattoos [2]

Thank you for joining us on the Virtual Book Tour for Prisoner, a New Adult Romantic Suspense by Kat Shehata (2 August 2016, Limitless Publishing LLC, 232 pages).

This is the second book in the Russian Tattoos series.

Don't miss our interview with author Kat Shehata, where she spoke to us about Obsession and the Russian Tattoos series.

PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and excerpt below. Read the first four chapters with Amazon Look Inside.

Prisoner is FREE on Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Owner's Lending Library.

Author Kat Shehata will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Please do take part: comment on our post and follow the tour where you will be able to read other excerpts (☀), interviews (ℚ), reviews (✍) and guest blog posts (✉).

Synopsis | Teaser: Exclusive Excerpt | The Series | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

Synopsis

American tennis player Carter Cook is being held prisoner by the Russian mafia…

Carter is the obsession of mob boss Vladimir Ivanov, a man she once loved. Now a mafia war has erupted on his home turf, and Vladimir’s enemies have put a bounty on her head to force him to surrender. If she is captured, his rivals will deliver a deadly ultimatum—his life in exchange for hers. The price for Carter’s freedom is Vladimir’s blood.

Vladimir holds ultimate power as godfather of the Ivanov Bratva…

He spent five years in a Siberian prison camp and has earned every tattoo inked into his skin. He is a powerful man who rules his crew with an iron fist.

But his enemies have discovered his only weakness—Carter. Vladimir knows if she stays in his world, he is handing her a death sentence, so he vows to get her home and never interfere in her life again. Giving up the woman he loves is the only way to protect her from the bad guys—including himself.

Vladimir’s rivals have a different plan for the ill-fated couple…

Some punishments are worse than death, and the head of the Ovechkin Bratva will go to any length to seek vengeance and inflict maximum suffering on Vladimir.

Carter may be Vladimir’s weakness, but she is also his only hope for survival. When the boss of the Ovechkin family threatens the man she loves, she must fight for Vladimir’s freedom before their rivals can deliver the fatal blow.

Love is blind—but it could also be deadly.

Teaser: Exclusive Excerpt

Note from Kat:

Thank you so much for featuring my new book on your blog today! To celebrate, I have an exclusive excerpt for Books Chatter from my romantic suspense, Russian Tattoos: Prisoner published by Limitless Publishing. Falling in love isn’t a crime, but falling in love with a Russian mob boss could be deadly.

Excerpt

     When Boris turned off the light and locked me in my cell, I unleashed my bottled-up shit storm of fear, panic, and hopelessness. I tugged at the cuffs, trying to yank myself free. I curled my legs up, twisted to the side, and managed to touch the side rail with my foot. I held my awkward position by grasping the rail with my toes.
     It wouldn’t be easy, but maybe I could kick down the rail. I didn’t have much leverage, but I could rattle it. If I kept at it, maybe it would eventually break down. The cuffs jangled against the metal as I used all the strength I had to achieve my objective. Dmitri must’ve heard all the commotion. The door creaked open, the light clicked on, and he towered over the bed with his arms crossed when he saw me twisted up like a pretzel, fighting a losing battle. “Help me, Dmitri. I can’t take it. Please. ”
     He wrestled with his thoughts for a moment and then picked up one of my wrists, unlocked the cuff, and did the same on the other side to set me free. He eyed me sternly. “No tell Boris.”
     “Spasibo. I promise I won’t do anything to get you into trouble.” I rubbed my wrists and smiled at my hero. “Dmitri moy droog? Dmitri is my friend?” I waited breathlessly for him to confirm what I believed. Boris would retaliate against him if he found out Dmitri had defied him, and it wasn’t in his best interest to tangle with the big guy. It had to have been an act of friendship. There was no other explanation.
     “Nyet. I am bodyguard.” He pointed a stern finger at me. “Stay in bed.” He walked toward the door.
     “Wait. Can you sit with me until I’m asleep?”
     Dmitri paused, left the room, and came back with a heavy book in his hand. He pulled a chair to my bedside and began reading to me from an illustrated book of Russian fairytales. The style of the artwork reminded me of the drawing in Dmitri’s sketchbook. Outdoorsy, personified nature, surreal world.
     He read to me in Russian, and although I didn’t understand the words, I felt comforted just hearing his voice. Having someone read to you was a small thing, but it was the sentiment behind it that calmed my trembling nerves. Since I’d been captive, I’d suffered physical and emotional trauma, depression, soul-crushing guilt, but the worst pain of all was loneliness.
     The separation from my loved ones was unbearable, but the solitude was more emotionally crippling than all the other emotions piled together. Dmitri was all I had. I longed for him to hug me and whisper words of encouragement that everything was going to be okay and feel his muscular arms around me—not in a sexual way—more like a primal craving to belong.
     I savored every word he spoke, every action. The way his lips moved, his Adam’s apple as it bobbed, his eyes tracking the words across the page. Every time he turned the page he stole glances at me, probably to see if I had fallen asleep. Overcome with the need for a human connection, I crawled across the bed and curled into his lap. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed the only friend I had in my new world.
     I hugged him so tight, I could hear his heartbeat pounding in his chest. At first, Dmitri didn’t do anything. He didn’t reciprocate my hug, but didn’t shove me away, either. After a moment, though, he stroked my hair and whispered comforting words in my ear.
     I clung to him and inhaled the scent of home-cooked food that lingered on his t-shirt. He rubbed my back and kissed the top of my head to soothe my trembling body. Being locked in that room and handcuffed to the bed brought on a level of terror I prayed I’d never have to experience again as long as I lived. Dmitri’s warm embrace and comforting touch helped calm me down. He rocked me softly and I clung to him as I fell asleep, never wanting him to leave me alone in my nightmare.

Prisoner
Available NOW!

The Series: Russian Tattoos

Click on the book cover to Look Inside the book on Amazon and read an excerpt.

Obsession [1]

Falling in love isn’t a crime—but falling in love with a Russian mafia boss could be deadly.

Competitive tennis player Carter Cook wants a taste of freedom. Her overprotective father monitors every aspect of her life, so when he becomes employed by Vladimir Ivanov—a sexy Russian with an array of tattoos and an accent that weakens her knees—a bit of danger is within Carter’s grasp. Behind her father's back, she enjoys spending time with Vladimir at his lavish estate. But is he really the upstanding businessman she believes him to be?

Vladimir Ivanov reigns as godfather of a Russian mafia crime ring.

Vladimir spent five years of his life in a Siberian prison camp and has earned every tattoo inked into his skin. He is a powerful man who gets what he wants, and after stalking the gorgeous tennis player for years—he wants Carter. A little charm melts her heart, and behind the scenes, he orders his henchman to track her every move.

He’s a tattooed stick of dynamite ready to blow at the slightest spark.

As their romance reaches deadly levels, Carter senses something’s not right. When she’s lured into a compromising position at the hands of a shady European drug dealer, she calls in Boris, Vladimir’s right hand man, to rescue her—without telling Vladimir. With his authority questioned, he sets out to teach Carter a lesson about loyalty she’ll never forget.

When Carter realizes she's in too deep, she must fight for her freedom before the attraction turns fatal.

But the Russian mafia plays for keeps, and Vladimir’s fierce lust to possess her spirals their romance out of control.

[Published 5 January 2016, 300 pages]

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Kat Shehata's first career involved caring for exotic, dangerous, and adorable animals as a zookeeper.

As an author, Kat weaves her love of animals into her work. She is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling children's book Animals on the Other Side written with Sylvia Browne.

She is an avid tennis player and spends her free time playing matches in a recreational league in Cincinnati, Ohio. She holds a bachelor's degree in theatre from Wilmington College, a professional writing certificate from the University of Cincinnati, and a master's degree in creative writing from Spalding University.

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