{"title":"Short Novels","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"badge-of-hope","title":"Badge of Hope","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHer past has come back to haunt her, and this jaded detective is her only hope.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwelve years ago, Wrenley Bennett witnessed the brutal murder of her best friend. In her grief, she turned to faith to bring her through, and from that tragedy, Hope’s Second Chance was born. Now the women’s and children’s shelter has become a sanctuary for abuse victims all over the country.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDue to the evil he’s seen in the world, Detective Alaric Simmons has never been one for faith. But even he can’t deny the inexplicable pull he feels toward Wrenley Bennett, or the fact that he happens to be in the right place at the exact time someone tries to kidnap her.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the danger escalates and Wrenley’s life once again hangs in the balance, this cynical cop finds himself grasping at his faith and praying that God will lead him to the answers he needs…before it’s too late.\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e__________\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eRead an excerpt from Badge of Hope\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Where is your first aid kit?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Beneath the bathroom sink. Down the hall, first door on the right.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Thanks.” I withdraw my cell and tap on Jaxson’s name.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“What’s up?” he asks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Two guys in a windowless van just tried to abduct Wrenley from the parking lot of her apartment. No plates, but it was black and looked relatively new. Get people down here ASAP.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“I’ll make the call. She all right?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Cuts and bruises, but she twisted her ankle, and she needs to have it looked at.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Got it. On our way.” He ends the call right as I find the first aid kit, then I head back down the hall to the living room.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWrenley is pale, her eyes closed as she leans back against the couch cushions. Her hands lie palm up on her legs, which are propped on her coffee table. I move the small décor tray to the floor, then sit down and start removing her shoes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“I can do that,” she insists.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“No. I got it. Are you attached to these leggings?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe looks at the holes in the knees. “Not anymore.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Good.” Gripping the fabric, I tear, shredding it from just above her knees so I can get a closer look at her injuries. Thankfully, they’re just minor scrapes, though her ankle is already swelling. I break the ice pack and place it on what is likely a nasty sprain, then clean the abrasions on her knees and hands in silence, my mind reeling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf I hadn’t been here.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf I hadn’t followed the voice in my head that told me I needed to protect her, Wrenley Bennett would be gone. And I’d have no idea where to even begin looking for her.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BookFunnel","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ Original Cover","offer_id":41712339648574,"sku":"9781964579375","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback \/ Alternate Cover","offer_id":42726400688190,"sku":"9781964579474","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook \/ Original Cover","offer_id":41712339583038,"sku":"BOHEBDSSHOP","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook \/ Alternate Cover","offer_id":42726400720958,"sku":"BOHDEBDSSHOP","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audiobook \/ Original Cover","offer_id":41712339615806,"sku":"BOHABDSSHOP","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audiobook \/ Alternate Cover","offer_id":42726400753726,"sku":"BOFACABDSSHOP","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0564\/9131\/1166\/files\/Badge_of_Hope_3D_Paperback.png?v=1777154997"},{"product_id":"lima","title":"Lima","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHer life is in danger, and this heartbroken Sheriff is her only hope.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDr. Lani Hunt has dedicated her life to healing others, but when she’s abducted, survival becomes her greatest challenge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSheriff Gibson Lawson has lived with regret, but when Lani—his childhood best friend and secret love—is abducted from home, leaving a blood-stained carpet and a trail of broken glass, he vows to find her. With time running out, each clue draws him closer to the truth and his worst fear: losing her forever.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e__________\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eRead an excerpt from Lima\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“It’s okay to not be okay.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“I’m okay.” It’s not a complete lie, but it’s also not entirely the truth. “I’m managing,” I add. “Tonight was hard. Everyone is walking on eggshells around me. Treating me gently, as though I’ll break.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“I take it I’m included in that ‘everyone’?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“You did just try to keep me from coming into your office.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe runs a hand through his hair as he steps back from me. “You went through something traumatizing.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Yes, but I survived. And while I know I’m struggling, I’m still standing.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“You are.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“So stop trying to shield me from it, please.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe nods. “Deal.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Good.” I take a deep breath. “Now, you better eat so I can tell my mom you loved it.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe laughs and takes a seat behind his desk. “How did you know I haven’t eaten yet?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Because I know you better than I know myself most days.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Same.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI smile, and the air between us shifts. The weight of what happened to me no longer saturates the space between us. Instead, it’s a burning attraction. A love that’s shifted from friendship into something more. And while we’re both still trying to understand what that means for us, I know that for me, it’s a forever kind of thing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGibson Lawson has been my forever since we were kids.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI only hope that my forever is a very long time and not cut short by whoever is behind the mask.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BookFunnel","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ Original Cover","offer_id":41989892374590,"sku":"9781964579450","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback \/ Alternate Cover","offer_id":42726322307134,"sku":"9781964579580","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook \/ Original Cover","offer_id":41848546459710,"sku":"LEBDSSHOP","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook \/ Alternate Cover","offer_id":42726322339902,"sku":"LACEBDSSHOP","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audiobook \/ Original Cover","offer_id":41848546492478,"sku":"LABDSSHOP","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audiobook \/ Alternate Cover","offer_id":42726322372670,"sku":"LACABDSSHOP","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0564\/9131\/1166\/files\/Lima_3D_Paperback.png?v=1777148453"},{"product_id":"critical-velocity","title":"Critical Velocity","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA decade ago, Beckett Wallace buried her husband after a tragic plane crash.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCase closed. Grief buried. Life rebuilt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUntil an unmarked envelope appears on her doorstep containing evidence that the crash wasn’t an accident.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe proof is chilling. The implications are deadly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd someone out there will do anything to keep the truth buried.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith no one else she can trust, Beckett turns to the last man she ever wanted to see again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDetective Shawn Sampson is gruff, guarded, and relentlessly precise—and he hasn’t forgotten the sharp-tongued lawyer who nearly destroyed his last undercover operation. He doesn’t want to help her. He doesn’t trust her. And he definitely doesn’t want to reopen a cold case that powerful people are desperate to keep closed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut the evidence is real.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the danger is closer than either of them realizes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eForced into an uneasy partnership, Beckett and Shawn follow a trail of secrets that leads straight into a deadly conspiracy. As threats escalate and shadows close in, the tension between them grows impossible to ignore.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShawn is trained to protect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeckett is determined to uncover the truth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd neither of them is prepared for how quickly their investigation turns personal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBecause solving her husband’s murder may cost Shawn more than his badge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt may cost him his heart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e____________________\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eRead an excerpt from Critical Velocity\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Do you remember what happened?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe swallows hard. “I came back, and someone was here.” Reaching up, she touches her throat. It’s covered by a turtleneck, so I can’t see much, but it’s clearly bothering her.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Are you wearing something under your sweater?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe nods, then reaches down to lift it over her head. I help, trying to keep her from moving too fast. When it’s tossed aside, I kneel again and brush the hair from her neck.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe moment I see the handprints branded into her skin—an ugly, dark red and splotchy—an unfamiliar level of rage burns hot and fast through me.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe was strangled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have to take a calming breath in order to formulate a rational thought. Focus, Sampson. She needs you focused. “Did you see who did this?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHer body begins to tremble, and tears fill her eyes. “No. I didn’t. It was dark.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Come here.” I pull her against me and wrap my arms around her as she crumbles. Her shoulders shake, her entire body quivering while she realizes just how close she came to dying tonight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe truth is: I’m shaken up, too.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsumed with the idea that I came so close to losing what was never really mine.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BookFunnel","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ Original Cover","offer_id":42710892347454,"sku":"9781964579672","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback \/ Alternate Cover","offer_id":42711078436926,"sku":"9781964579702","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook \/ Original Cover","offer_id":42710892281918,"sku":"CVEBDSSHOP","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook \/ Alternate Cover","offer_id":42711078469694,"sku":"CVACEBDSSHOP","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audiobook \/ Original Cover","offer_id":42710892314686,"sku":"CVABDSSHOP","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audiobook \/ Alternate Cover","offer_id":42711078502462,"sku":"CVACABDSSHOP","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0564\/9131\/1166\/files\/Critical_Velocity_Paperback_3D.png?v=1776648117"}],"url":"https:\/\/jessicaashleybooks.com\/collections\/short-novels-1.oembed","provider":"Author Jessica Ashley","version":"1.0","type":"link"}