#SampleSunday & ARCs are Available of LIFE SENTENCE

Madison Knight is coming back...well sort of.  LIFE SENTENCE is the book that inspired her.  Although, it is a romantic suspense, Madison has a cameo role allowing my readers to learn a bit more about her background.

And I'm giving you a chance to sign up for an advanced reading copy!  This version is publish-ready too!  

The official release date is August 14, 2013.

Here's the overview:

"If I pay with my life, you will pay with yours."

Defense Attorney Bryan Lexan may have just taken on the case which will cost him his life. When his client, a Russian Drug Boss, is convicted of first-degree murder, he vows to make Bryan pay.

Meanwhile, Jessica Pratt has always prided herself on being a modern woman–you know, the kind who doesn't need a man to make her feel complete. So when she finds herself torn between two, she realizes that not all decisions are based on facts. If they were, her boyfriend, Bryan, would be the logical choice. He has the family name, wealth, and a stake in a successful law firm. Only thing is, when she meets Mason Freeman, the chemistry between them is irrefutable and he won't take no for an answer.

With both of them caught up in a struggle for survival, and a powerful enemy on their heels, they'll need to decide where their loyalties lie. 

Excerpt: LIFE SENTENCE

She took a swig of her drink. "I need to tell you what really happened that night. That night in Leroy's apartment." Her hands shook, huddled around her glass. Her eyes shifted around the room. "I had to sneak out to see you tonight. I was fortunate that Dimitre had other plans."

"Listen, Maxine, is it?" She nodded her head. "What do you have to tell me? Go ahead. I will consider it attorney/client privilege." 

She appeared relieved. That made Bryan more apprehensive about being here. 

"That night at Leroy's, I was there." She shifted in her chair. "I know what happened."

Bryan knew it was a bad idea to meet with her and this confirmed it. 

"I don't need to know. Tomorrow I give my closing argument and the case is out of my hands." 

He placed both his hands on the table and extended himself to get up, but she reached across the table and placed her hand on his.

"Please, this won't take long." Her eyes beseeched him.

He sat back down in time for his drink to be placed in front of him. 

"Your wings will be just a moment longer." The waitress told him.

Bryan ran his fingers through his hair with the one hand and raised his drink with the other. He took a large gulp and savored the soft burn at the back of his throat. "I don't really need to know any of this. In fact, I'd prefer not—"

"You need to know." 

Those four words sat out there for a good twenty seconds. 

"I shot Leroy."

The heaviness of her statement tightened Bryan's stomach. His chest heaved rendering him speechless. He wondered why this woman would feel the need to confess this to him. She wasn't being investigated for the homicide. Then it struck him, the unidentified prints and female DNA. Their owner sat right across from him. His glare intensified, and he didn't know what question to ask first. 

"Dimi—" She stopped there when the waitress placed his order of wings in front of him. 

"There you go. Anything else I can get you?" The waitress asked.

He could tell by the flirtatious overture to her voice the waitress desired an opportunity to match eyes with him, but he refused to give her the satisfaction. Instead he kept his attention on Maxine when he told the server he required nothing further. 

With her gone, Maxine continued, "Dimitre made me."

Bryan took another swallow of his drink. "Now, why would he make you do something like that?"

"I was doing Leroy. He found out. Classic case I guess."

"Classic case," Bryan mocked her last words. "Most people who are cheated on don't make their unfaithful partner shoot their lover." 

His words were sharp, but the volume low. Really this disclosure changed nothing for him but confirmed Dimitre's innocence.

"He made me! You don't believe me, do you? I mean why should you? You come from your flawless life where nothing goes wrong. No person would dare piss on the shoe of Mr. Bryan Lexan." Her jaw went askew. The fire in her eyes challenged him.

Bryan admired her attitude. Yet as bold a front as she presented, she shook. That must be what it's like to be liberated of your confessions, Bryan surmised. Personally, he couldn't relate. 

"I don't know why you felt the need to tell me this," he said.

She gave him a cold glare. 

"I just thought you might want to know if Dimitre walks you're really setting the killer free."

"You just said that you shot the gun."

"Only because he made me!" Her voice rose in volume, her eyes angry. She hunkered down near the table and lowered her voice when she continued, "He stormed into that apartment because he knew I'd be there. He brought the gun. He stood behind me, his arms around me, and held his hands over mine. If I didn't pull the trigger, he would have anyway. But this way, I get to live." She straightened back and the fury in her eyes gave way to remorse and pain.

Bryan didn't know what she expected of him. Dimitre was his client and he could defend him in good conscience; he hadn't pulled the trigger. Maxine had. Basically her confession just took any trace of doubt from his mind. His client was innocent. This meeting could have come at a better time, earlier in the case, but he would still use it to strengthen his summation. 

His eyes glanced down at the full plate of food in front of him. He hadn't even touched it and now he wasn't hungry. Maxine had taken his appetite.

Maybe he should feel heartbroken for her, and the traumatic ordeal of shooting her lover, but his mind only found solace in the fact it exonerated Dimitre.

You can also read more excerpts on my site here.

Want to read more but you don't want to wait until August 14th?  Sign up for an advanced reading copy and get it in your preferred format: .PRC (essentially .MOBI), EPUB, or PDF.

There is really only one "catch".  By accepting an ARC of Life Sentence, you agree to honestly review on  at least one of the following retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple, or Sony within 1-2 days of the book going live.  You also agree to respect copyright laws--but that one goes without saying!