All the Ups and Downs: Book Blitz and Giveaway: Gulf of Deception (Gulf Shores Mysteries #1) by Kelly Ann Hopkins

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Book Blitz and Giveaway: Gulf of Deception (Gulf Shores Mysteries #1) by Kelly Ann Hopkins

Title: Gulf of Deception

Series: Gulf Shores Mysteries #1
Author: Kelly Ann Hopkins

Publisher: Champagne Book Group
Publication Date: May 17th 2021

Print Length: 221 pages
Genre: Young Adult Mystery

Beach life is killer, literally.

On the cusp of her high school graduation, Lily Harmony needs to figure out how to break it to her lawyer parents that she doesn’t want to follow in the family footsteps–especially with her band in high demand on the Fort Myers beach scene.

But when her father is killed inside his office and their mother accused of his murder, Lily and her estranged sister Annabelle are convinced the police have the wrong person. Clues are hard to come by until a mysterious man hands Lily a flash drive and warns her the information contained on it might get her killed. As Lily works to unravel what the files and pictures mean, a stunning discovery reveals the murderer might be closer than she thought.

With the help of her gamer BFF and maybe something more, Lily and her sister scour the Everglades for connections to her father’s killer. But what they find hidden in the canopy of cypress tress is more dangerous than they ever imagined—a long-lost secret worth millions—and worth killing for.

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EXCERPT:

We didn’t say much as we drove across town, listening to our latest set tape. He cradled my hand when he didn’t have to shift his Jeep. The sides were open to the tropical night. I closed my eyes, letting the silken, humid air drift over my face. If I went to Boston, I wouldn’t have this—the soft strains of Moondance and the beat of reggae—plus endless summers. Right now, with my father dead, Mom in trouble, and the future dawning bleaker by the moment, leaving Fort Myers seemed unrealistic. How would I survive? Stuck inside, cold, miserable—without the sunshine and music my soul craved.

Jazz wouldn’t be there either, and the agony of missing him cut my battered heart into tiny shreds. It’s not like we were romantically involved. Yeah, there’d been that one night we made out on the beach…but we never tried to cross the line again.

Why did we stay on opposite sides of that line? He cared. I was sure as he reached for my hand again. Maybe the hesitation in our relationship was on me. Did I pull back when we got too close for comfort? I searched my memories for times when the air had thickened between us. What had stopped us from taking the next step and letting our lips touch? And would I kiss him back if the opportunity arose again?

I studied his profile as he drove—the irregular cadence of streetlights striping his skin—his hair tousled by the wind. He was my friend, and best of all, he didn’t live in my circle or know the hollow halls of my private high school. He didn’t judge me because of my family name or what we drove. We’d come to know each other through our music, and we hadn’t let go.

He glanced at me before his gaze fell back on the road. “What?”

I snapped out of my reverie. “What? Nothing. Why?’

“You were staring at me,” he said.

Smiling, I said, “Can’t I stare?”

“Not like vampire over raw meat staring.”

I burst out laughing. “Oh my God. You’re nuts.”

“I wasn’t the one staring,” he teased.

Busted. I faced out the window, heat creeping up my neck.

“So?” Braking for the light, he gave me the full force of his gaze.

Why, oh why, did the light have to be red? “So what?”

“You were staring.”

I held up my hands in mock surrender as I said, “Sorry. I won’t do it again.”

“Why not?” He shifted in his seat. His dimples twitched.

“You want me to stare?”

His shoulder lifted a fraction as did the corner of his mouth. “Maybe.”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kelly Ann Hopkins is the author of Misled (coming 2021) and Buried Beneath (coming 2022). She spends her days as a high school librarian and creative writing teacher, where she challenges her students to read with abandon. When she’s not creating perilous adventures for her characters, she is dreaming of her next trip to the Florida Gulf Coast. Kelly lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two children, and too many books.