Kill for You by Ayden K. Morgen 💕 Guest Post, Book Tour & Gift Card Giveaway 💕 (Romantic Suspense)

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The last thing Detective Octavio Hernandez expects to find at the scene of a mass gang-related shooting is a brown-eyed angel standing bravely in the midst of the chaos. One look at Faith Donovan and the homicide detective knows there's more to her than meets the eye. She's keeping secrets that just might help bring down Los Zetas, one of the biggest drug cartels in Los Angeles.

He just has to convince her that trusting him is worth the risk.

Forced upon a mother who didn't want her and enslaved by a gang that refuses to let her go without a fight, Faith's life has never been her own. She thought she'd made peace with her fate…until Octavio sweeps in and carries her out of her blood-soaked cage.

Faith trusts no one, but the hardened detective makes it difficult to remember why. The way he cares for her makes her ache for what she never thought she'd find: love and a family of her own. But trusting him when she knows he has an ulterior motive is one of the most difficult things she'll ever do.

He swore to give her the freedom she craves, but when the secrets she holds paint a target on her back, keeping that promise will prove no easy feat.

To secure her freedom and win her heart, this detective will move mountains. And take down anyone standing in his way.
Kill for You is the second book in a series of interconnected full-length novels featuring law enforcement officers willing to do whatever it takes to protect the women who need them most. Each book can be read as a standalone, has no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA.

My Favorite Book Detectives

Guest Post by Ayden K. Morgen

I love a good cop romance, as well as mysteries and thrillers featuring LEOs. I could read them all day and never grow bored. As a teenager, I spent a lot of time reading thrillers and romantic suspense, and have amassed quite a collection of favorites.

In Kill for You, Octavio Hernandez is a homicide detective who meets Faith Donovan, a drug cartel slave, when he responds to a mass gang-related shooting at a bar. He instantly recognizes that something isn't quite right about her presence there and believes the secrets she's keeping might help him take down the cartel once and for all.

Octavio is intense and highly focused. He's a man a part in a lot of ways. He has a lot of friends, but he's also guarded and doesn't share a lot with anyone. He's also incredibly smart and sees things most miss. He doesn't like not knowing things and never sees a puzzle he can't solve, which makes him so good at his job. While writing his and Faith's story, I spent a lot of time thinking about my favorite fictional detectives and mystery solvers.

Here are some of my favorite. Like Octavio, they're driven, focused, and often see more than those around them. They're also pretty good at solving puzzles and getting things done.

Benton Wesley (Patricia Cornwell series)

I started reading this series as a teenager and quickly fell in love not only with Kay Scarpetta, but with her friends and family as well. I had the biggest crush on Benton Wesley, who works for the FBI as a profiler. I still think he's pretty hot. And I love how much detail goes into this series.

Robert Langdon (Angels and Demons by Dan Brown)

Robert Langdon isn't a detective in the strictest sense of the word, but he's definitely on the case! I have a deep and abiding love of history. While most people hated the revisionist history in this book, I really enjoyed getting to explore the "what ifs". It's also one of a handful of books I have been able to get my husband to read, so that's a pretty big deal!

Roland (Stephen King's The Dark Tower series)

Here's another that doesn't fit the detective term in the strictest sense. Roland is a bit of an enigma. He's a lawman on a mission, but his mission is a lot bigger and more important than the traditional case. I love this series, and I think Roland is a total badass. *Spoiler Alert* The dude gets ripped apart by creepy lobster things and still kicks ass. He is so cool!

Sheriff Colt (Keeping Her Warm by Alexa Riley)

I fell in love with this book when I read it. It's short, sweet, and steamy. Cole is the local sheriff, who falls for Catherine after learning that she's been surviving on her own after her hot mess of a father disappears. He's determined to find her once he realizes what's going on…and find her he does. Just in time, too. He's so sweet to her. I just love this book.

Cobi Mayson (Until Cobi by Aurora Rose Reynolds)

I adore Cobi Mayson! He's this giant of a man, determined to break down his woman's walls and find his HEA with her. He's bossy as heck when he needs to be, but he's also super sweet. And Hadley is pretty great too. I love how patient he is with her and how he refuses to give up on getting through to her.

Sheriff Bryce Hammond (Phantoms by Dean Koontz)

This book creeped me out, I'm not even going to lie. I'm not big on spooky stuff, but I absolutely loved this book. Mostly because I loved Sheriff Bryce Hammond. I even enjoyed the pretty terrible movie adaptation of this book.

"You should eat something, Faith."

"I'm not hungry." It's not a lie. The thought of food sends bile creeping up my throat. Octavio doesn't need to know that part though. "I had a big lunch."

He growls wordlessly, thrusting out an arm to stop me from slipping past him. "Stop trying to run from me, little bunny. It's pissing me off."

"I'm not running from you."

His eyes flash fire at me. "You're lying to me."

"I'm not…" The warning look he sends in my direction unravels my protest before I can even fully formulate it. "You're tired, Octavio. I'm just trying to get out of the way so you can go to bed. You've only had two hours of sleep since you got up yesterday morning."

"I'd sleep a hell of a lot better if you were in my bed with me, conejita."

"That's…not a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not."

Another growl rumbles in his chest. Something almost predatory flares in his chocolate eyes. He takes a step toward me, his expression fierce. I back up, but he keeps moving forward, stalking me like a wild animal until my back is pressed against the wall beside the recliner. My heart pounds like a drum against my ribcage and my stomach flutters.

"Back up," I whisper, my voice shaking.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

I never thought he would, but he's too close. If he touches me, I'll crumble. And being rejected by this man once was enough. I don't think I'll survive a repeat of that.

"I'd tear my heart out of my chest before I hurt you."

"You already hurt me," I whisper.

"How?" He leans over me, placing his forearm on the wall above my head. His scent surrounds me, making me dizzy. I lock my knees, clenching my hands into fists to keep myself from wrapping them in his shirt. "Tell me, little bunny. What did I do to hurt you?"

"You didn't want me." I grit my teeth and square my jaw, fighting the urge to cry over that fact. I think I'd sell my soul to belong to this man, but he doesn't feel the same way about me. That shouldn't matter as much as it does. It shouldn't hurt so damn badly. My own mother didn't want me, but I think knowing Octavio doesn't want me hurts even worse than that.

"Ah, angel," he whispers, his voice pained…as if I hurt him. "Don't you know I'd kill any man who tried to touch you?" He brings his right arm up, tipping my face up toward his with gentle fingers. The intense expression on his face sears into me, stealing my breath. "Tu me vuelves loca. Te adoro. Te necesito. Quiero que seas mio."

"I…what?" My head spins and I know there's no way I'm awake because there's no way he just told me that he adores me. That he needs me. That he wants me to be his.

"You drive me crazy. I adore you. I need you. I want you to be mine," he whispers, leaning forward to place his lips against my cheek as he confirms that I didn't mishear anything he said.

"I…" My mouth won't work. My tongue feels thick and heavy, like it's cloven to the roof of my mouth. My knees tremble like they might give out beneath me.

"Believe me," he whispers, his voice a rumbling growl of sound that liquefies my insides. "When you kissed me, I never wanted you to stop. It was the best damn kiss of my life. But I was trying to be good, Faith. I was trying to be honorable. To be the kind of man who deserves you."

"I…I don't understand."

"I didn't want you to think I was anything like Sanders, willing to use my position as your caretaker to get you into my bed." He leans back until his chocolate gaze collides with mine. Nothing but sincerity burns in the dark depths of his eyes. "I've tried so damn hard to be good. But I'm just a man. And if I don't make you mine soon, I'm going to lose my fucking mind in want of you."

"Octavio." My mind spins again, trying to make sense of what he's saying, trying to fit it into place with what I know about him. That he thinks he's anything like Agent Sanders breaks my heart. How can he not know that I've never once compared him to that horrible man? That I would never compare them? "You're nothing like him. You are a good, honorable man." I swallow hard, tears welling in my eyes. "The best man I've ever known."

"If you knew the things I think about doing to you, little angel, you might not be so quick to defend me," he murmurs. "You might be horrified."

I stare up at him. "Do you think about taking me against my will?"

"Never," he swears.

"Do you think about hurting me?"

"I would tear my own heart out first."

My lips curve upward. I reach out, placing a hand against his scruffy cheek. "Then you're nothing like he is, Octavio. I may not have…experience…but I'm not naïve. I know what men think about, what they want. I…" My cheeks heat, though I'm not sure why when he just told me he feels the same way I do. "I think about doing those things too. With you."

"Te extraño. Quédate conmigo esta noche, conejita. Te quiero en mi cama. Por favor." He kisses my cheek again, his scruffy jaw gently abrading my sensitive skin. "I miss you. Stay with me tonight, little bunny. I want you in my bed." His lips sweep toward my ear as he translates. He always translates for me even though I don't need him to do it. I think he likes saying it in both languages, likes giving me his words every way I can understand them. "Please."

I whisper the only answering I'm capable of giving him. "Yes."

Some men deserve redemption. Some men are worthy of salvation. I'm not one of them. My name is Michael Kincaid, and I've got so much blood on my hands, I'll never wash clean.

For ten years, I've tried to outrun my gangbanger past by burying myself in my work with the DEA. I've tried like hell to forget the day I damned my soul and lost everything…my family, my home, and the only girl I've ever loved.

I still can't outrun it.

No matter how far I go, January James haunts me. Being without her is killing me, but what other choice do I have? We were still kids the first time I vowed to protect her. Instead, I destroyed her.

Now one of my enemies—a local gang member—has it out for her. He isn't going to stop until she gives him the territory I left her all those years ago. I swore I'd never set foot in Los Angeles again, but January needs my protection, and I'm not nearly strong enough to say no.

She deserves better than me, but she's mine anyway. It's time to stop running and fight for her.

She's an angel. I'm the devil on her shoulder. And this is my swan song.

When it's over, I'll either be the monster at the end of this book…or I'll be the man she deserves.

Fight for You is an angsty friends-to-lovers, second chance romance, and is not suitable for all readers. It is the first book in a series of interconnected full-length novels featuring law enforcement officers willing to do whatever it takes to protect the women who need them most. Each book can be read as a standalone, has no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA.

(This book deals with gun and gang violence, and touches briefly on sexual assault, sex trafficking, and suicidal ideation.)

Ayden K. Morgen is the Amazon Bestselling author of the Ragnarök Prophesies series. She lives in the heart of Arkansas with her childhood sweetheart/husband of fifteen years, and their furry minions. When not writing, she spends her time hiking, reading, volunteering, causing mischief, and building a Spork army.

She graduated summa cum laude with her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Forensic Psychology in 2009 before going on to complete her graduate degree in CJ and Law.

She puts her education to use as a 911 Dispatch Supervisor, where she's responsible for leading a team of dispatchers as they watch over police, EMS, and firefighters for her county. Her books feature law enforcement officers, the women who love them, and the difficult cases that drive them.

She also writes New Adult Fantasy as A.K. Morgen.