Dirty Bits Blog Tour & Giveaway: Dirty Heart by Rhys Ford

Rhys Ford visits the blog today to celebrate her final release, Dirty Heart, from her much beloved and bestselling Cole McGinnis series. Rhys takes over the blog today and has an AMAZING GIVEAWAY. And BONUS GIVEAWAY for the winners of Dirty Bits Blog Tour!

Take it away Rhys!

I’ve written the start of this post about five times and I still don’t know what to say. Some writer, huh?

How do I put into words the whole of this journey? This series was the start for me. These characters—Cole and Jae—have taken me to places I never thought I’d go, met people I am so very thankful to have known and most importantly, enriched my life beyond measure.

So how do I say goodbye to the beginning?

I can’t. And honestly, I won’t. As this story arc ends, I am grateful for so many readers joining me along the way. I can promise that as we close out this series, Cole and Jae will be back some time in the far future. But for now, this is goodbye.

And yet a hello of sorts… to a happiness and a life these characters deserve to have.

Because God knows, I’ve run them through the ringer.

So please enjoy this final Dirty tour as I present short scenes from Jae’s POV. Many are from instances in the books and a couple are in-betweens but I tried to find places where Jae really needed to speak. I hope you enjoy them.

And a tour cannot be a tour without a giveaway! So…. Here goes.

Leave a comment below and be entered to win a $20 gift certificate from an e-tailer of your choice BUT that is not all. From these winners, I will randomly select ONE person to be a character in my other Los Angeles series, Murder and Mayhem. So hit up every blog, enter to win! ONE winner per blog!

Don’t I sound like I’m trying to sell you a used Buick? *grins*

Most of all, and please know this comes from the bottom of my heart where I keep my love for coffee and music, thank you. Thank you for reading the books and thank you for supporting me along the way. I cannot come up with the words strong and deep enough to express my gratitude.

Saranghae-yo.

Dirty Bit 1

My life ended on the doorstep of my aunt’s house.

Death came to me, digging into my flesh and leaving a mark I couldn’t wipe away. He arrived holding an orchid plant, white paper thin scallops bobbing from fragile verdant threads along a brown stalk. His eyes were gold and hemlock green, filled with a wicked humour cocky enough to lift his smile from sweet to sensual. There was enough Asian in him—Japanese, I found out later—to ghost his skin with a rich golden undertone and pull the edges of his eyes into a curve. His thick brown mostly straight hair was too long to be professional and it fell forward, a sweep of mink across his strong, handsome face.

I knew I was dead when he spoke, a rolling melodic baritone with a splash of brightness sharp enough to make me forget the house of mourners at my back and the guilt I carried in my belly because I survived where my cousin Hyun-Shik did not.

Death says odd things. In this case, Death handed me a business card then said, “I’m Cole McGinnis. My brother Mike said he called ahead. It’s about Kim Hyun-Shik. Are you a relative?”

Who names the end of the world Cole? And more importantly, why did Uncle need to hire a private investigator? Digging into Hyun-Shik’s death would only open wounds just beginning to close. I was already on the outs with Auntie and Grace. Adding a handsome, sexy broad-shouldered man to the mix was only going to damn me further. I didn’t need to know how many levels Hell had but if I was around him for much longer, I knew I’d find out.

I wanted him—this investigator into death. I wanted him in ways I’d not felt ever before and I handed him off to Grace as soon as I could, hoping to get lost in the bowels of the large house. There was no reason for him to affect me. I hadn’t touched another man in years, hoped to not touch another man for…ever. I’d come to an understanding about who I was. Who I needed to be. And up until I looked into Cole McGinnis’ green eyes.

“Food. They will need food.” Talking to myself seemed silly but in the emptiness of Aunt’s house, it was comforting. The kitchen was tucked away into the back, framed in by French doors that opened up to a pool no one used. I needed something to calm me down and while I’d been trying to break the habit I’d formed when dancing at Dorthi Ki Seu, my lungs itched for a hit of clove-scented smoke.

I slipped outside to light the kretek, knowing Aunt wouldn’t want the smell in her house. She didn’t want me in her house but there I was, about to make sure her guests had food and something hot to drink while they cried over Hyun-Shik’s death. I was too numb to feel anything. I wasn’t sorry Hyun-Shik was dead, another source of my guilt but I’d lost so much…he’d hurt me too much… for me to forgive him, even in death.

The sound of a faucet turning on told me someone was in the kitchen and I took one final drag of my cigarette and glanced behind me, expecting to see Grace or possibly one of Aunt’s friends who’d come to make tea.

Instead, I found Uncle’s investigator staring at me through the partially open doors and the look on his face told me everything I didn’t need to know.

Cole McGinnis wanted me. In a way I couldn’t risk. In a way I wanted so much the buried part of me cried out for his touch.

In a way we could never ever let happen.

***

Former LAPD detective Cole McGinnis’s life nearly ended the day his police partner and best friend Ben Pirelli emptied his service weapon into Cole and his then-lover, Rick. Since Ben turned his gun on himself, Cole thought he’d never find out why Ben tried to destroy him.

Years later, Cole has stitched himself back together. Now a private investigator and in love with Jae-Min Kim, a Korean-American photographer he met on a previous case, Cole’s life is back on track—until he discovers Jeff Rollins, a disgraced cop and his first partner, has resurfaced and appears to be working on the wrong side of the law.

As much as Cole’s fought to put the past behind him, he’s soon tangled up in a web of lies, violence, and death. Jeff Rollins is not only trying to kill Cole’s loved ones, he is also scraping open old wounds and long-forgotten memories of the two men Cole loved and lost. Cole is sure Rollins knows why Ben ruined all their lives, but he isn’t looking for answers. Now Cole is caught in a cat-and-mouse game with a cold-blooded killer with the key to not only his past but his future.

Purchase Dirty Heart at:

Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7553
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dirty-Heart-Cole-McGinnis-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01CNW7604/
And other fine ebook retailers.

Follow the Dirty Bits Tour at these fantastic blog sites:

Mar 16 — Boy Meets Boy (www.boymeetsboyreviews.com)
Mar 17 — Love Bytes (http://lovebytesreviews.com/)
Mar 18  — MM Good Book Reviews (https://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/)
Mar 20  — The Blogger Girls (http://thebloggergirls.com/)
Mar 21  — It’s About The Book (http://itsaboutthebook.com/)
Mar 22  — Sinfully Gay Romance (http://sinfullymmbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/)
Mar 23 — Joyfully Jay (http://joyfullyjay.com/)
Mar 24 —  Prism Alliance (http://www.prismbookalliance.com/)
Mar 25— The Novel Approach (http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/)

Rhys Ford was born and raised in Hawai’i then wandered off to see the world. After chewing through a pile of books, a lot of odd food, and a stray boyfriend or two, Rhys eventually landed in San Diego, which is a very nice place but seriously needs more rain.

Rhys admits to sharing the house with three cats of varying degrees of black fur, and a ginger cairn terrorist. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep a 1979 Pontiac Firebird, a Toshiba laptop, and a red Hamilton Beach coffee maker.
My Blog: www.rhysford.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhys.ford.author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rhys_Ford

My books can be purchased, folded and first chapters read at Dreamspinner Press. http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

To enter the $20 gift certificate from an e-tailer of the winner's choice giveaway, leave a comment below and a valid way to contact you (email address, twitter handle, Goodreads link, etc.)

From the group of tour winners, Rhys Ford will randomly select ONE person to be a character in her other Los Angeles series, Murder and Mayhem. BONUS!

The $20 giveaway is open until 9 PM PST March 23, 2016. Shortly thereafter, we will contact a winner whom we will select using a highly scientific "names in a hat" method (or, you know, an internet randomizer). Please respond to the winning notification within 48 hrs or we will choose another winner.

Good luck!