Never Take the Short Cut. With her job, apartment, and boyfriend in New York suddenly gone, Rika Martin decides she'll visit friends down at South Padre Island, Texas before returning to L.A. to face her family. But after she takes a short cut onto a desolate Texas highway at night and gets run off the road by a pickup truck, Rika can't wait another minute to heed nature's call... and trips over a zombie! Wait. Not a zombie. Just a dead guy, and when she reports the body, shady Sheriff Strickland arrests her for the murder. Nick Owen realizes it was a bad idea to return to his hometown of Bolo, Texas to lick his wounds. Now, all he wants is to move away again. The only good things that have come from his time here are his two resolutions: 1. No more rescuing damsels in distress. 2. No more murder trials. Not after what happened last time. But when he stops by the courthouse to pick up Gabe--a.k.a. Judge Martinez--for a round of golf, he's forced to act as attorney for a very attractive female murder suspect. Even worse, this "Paprika Anise Martin"--if you can believe that--seems more determined to solve the murder case than to defend herself against it in court. With devil worshipers reported in the area and at least one shooter determined to take Rika out, can Nick and Rika resolve this case before the murderer gets rid of her for good?

NEVER take the short cut... Rika Martín wasn’t in Bolo, Texas five minutes before she was run off the road, tripped over a dead body, then arrested for murder. And she’s not so sure about Nick, the lawyer who’s been assigned to her, even when he’s shirtless, wearing a cowboy hat, and holding an extra-long hose. (Okay, maybe then.) All Nick Owen can think about is getting out of Bolo, a hometown he never should have returned to. Until he goes to pick up his best friend Gabe—the local judge—for a round of golf and is forced to represent a murder suspect. Gabe, of all people, knows Nick has sworn off murder trials after what happened last time. Unfortunately, he also knows Nick is a damn good trial lawyer. Even worse, this “Paprika Anise Martín”—if you can believe that—seems more determined to solve the murder case than to defend herself against it in court. With claims of devil worshipers in the area and at least one shooter determined to take Rika out, can Nick and Rika resolve this case before the murderer gets rid of her for good? More about this series: Is this series humorous? Yes, most readers find it laugh-out-loud funny. Is this series romantic? Yes, while each funny mystery is solved at the end of each book, the romance between the geek girl heroine and the "cowboy" lawyer grows throughout the series. Is there action? Yes, it's full of original, often wild and quirky, action scenes. Will this series have warm, touching, uplifting moments like the Nina Cordoba romantic comedies? Yes, Nina is all about creating unique, unforgettable characters you can feel with. Does it matter which order I read them in? Due to the many revelations about recurring characters as you get to know them as well as the humor "call backs" to earlier books, this series is best read in order. (Book 2 is Dead Men Don't Eat Quiche.) Keywords: mysteries, mystery series, first in series free, romantic mystery, funny mystery, cozy mysteries, amateur sleuth, female heroine, women sleuths, geek romance, funny romance, rom com, romantic comedy, Latina heroine, diverse, Hispanic, cowboy romance, mystery romance, romance mystery, Castle, Janet Evanovich, Stephanie Plumb, Stephanie Bond, dog mysteries, mysteries with dogs, Janet Evanovich, Janet Evonavich, Stephanie Plumb, Stephanie Bond, Castle

Never take the short cut. With her job, apartment, and boyfriend in New York suddenly gone, Rika Martín decides she'll visit friends down at South Padre Island, Texas before returning to L.A. to face her family. But after she takes a short cut onto a desolate Texas highway at night and is run off the road by a pickup truck, Rika can't wait another minute to heed nature's call... and trips over a zombie! Wait. Not a zombie. Just a dead guy, and when she reports the body, the shady sheriff arrests her for the murder. Nick Owen realizes it was a bad idea to return to his hometown of Bolo, Texas to lick his wounds. Now, all he wants is move away again. The only good things that have come from his time here are his two resolutions: 1. No more rescuing damsels in distress. It always leads to a world of hurt. 2. No more murder trials. Not after what happened last time. But when he stops by the courthouse to pick up his friend Gabe--a.k.a. Judge Martinez--for a round of golf, he's forced to act as attorney for a very attractive female murder suspect. Even worse, this "Paprika Anise Martín"--if you can believe that--seems more determined to solve the murder case than to defend herself against it in court. With too many suspects and not enough evidence, can Nick and Rika resolve this case and get her out of town before the real murderer gets rid of her for good?

Sequel Alert: Dead Men Don’t Eat Quiche, is the sequel to the hilarious Dead Men Don’t Chew Gum. It’s highly recommended that you read “Gum” first. - What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Hungrier… Rika’s father, Chef Diego Martín, has finally been able to return to Los Angeles after 15 years, brought over to work in the VIP Center restaurant of the Temple of Microtology by its founders. But, a month later, his sous chef is found dead, Diego, missing. Rika is panicked at the thought of losing her one living parent permanently. All she knows is that she has to find her father, and she needs Nick Owen by her side. Not one night passed in the last six months that Nick hasn’t lain awake thinking of Rika, even though he’s given up hope she’ll contact him. It’s for the best, anyway. They weren’t right for each other. But when she calls and asks him to fly to L.A., nothing can stop him from racing to her side. And when he sees her again, she’s even more beautiful than she was last summer. However, he may not be prepared for what he discovers in her hometown, like Rika’s formidable grandmother who treats him like molester, the fact that L.A. men find him really, really attractive, or the weird Hollywood cult members who are spying on him and Rika. Oh, and maybe worst of all—LeeAnne. Nick never wants to see tears in Paprika’s beautiful eyes again. But is there really a chance of finding her father alive and solving the murder before the Microtologists get them, too? - More about this series: Is this series humorous? Yes, most readers find it laugh-out-loud funny. Is this series romantic? Yes, while each funny mystery is solved at the end of each book, the romance between the geek girl heroine and the "cowboy" lawyer grows throughout the series. Is there action? Yes, it's full of original, often wild and quirky, action scenes. Will this series have warm, touching, uplifting moments like the Nina Cordoba romantic comedies? Yes, Nina is all about creating unique, unforgettable characters you can feel with. Does it matter which order I read them in? Due to the many revelations about recurring characters as you get to know them as well as the humor "call backs" to earlier books, this series is best read in order. (Book 2 is Dead Men Don't Eat Quiche.)

Dead Men Don’t Flip (Martin and Owen Funny Romantic Mysteries, Book 3) Conjoined at the hip? Rika is excited to snag her first private investigation client, even if it’s just a suspected cheater case. But when she and Nick get inside the supposedly empty house, they find two men in bed together, literally joined at the hip, one dead with a screwdriver sticking out of his eye. Grigore Vatamanu has been murdered the night before planned separation surgery, and his conjoined twin Teodor must be rushed to the hospital before he dies, too! Nick and Rika learn the twins are the eldest brothers of the Vatamanu family, Cirque de Sorbet’s most popular act, and the cheater investigation turns into a murder case. But with a circus full of angry performers, a desperate documentary crew, and the surviving twin’s sketchy fiancée, the case is chock-full of possible murderers with little evidence against any of them. As they investigate, Nick is eager to get this relationship nailed down—preferably by nailing Rika. He seizes an unexpected opportunity, but can he get past whatever’s been holding her back and make it stick? And can he keep Rika and LeeAnne from getting themselves killed before Rika is his? - More about this series: Q: Is this series humorous? A: Yes, most readers find it laugh-out-loud funny. Q: Is this series romantic? A: Yes, while each funny mystery is solved at the end of each book, the romance between the geek girl heroine and the "cowboy" lawyer grows throughout the series. Q: Is there action? A: Yes, it's full of quirky, madcap action scenes. Q: Will this series have warm, touching, uplifting moments like the Nina Cordoba romantic comedies? A: Yes, Nina is all about creating unique, unforgettable characters you can feel with. Q: Does it matter which order I read them in? A: Due to the many revelations about recurring characters as you get to know them as well as the humor "call backs" to earlier books, this series is best read in order. (Dead Men Don’t Chew Gum is book 1.) Keywords: mystery series, mysteries, romantic mysteries, amateur sleuth, cozy mystery, mystery romance, romance mystery, funny mystery, geek romance, geek mystery, funny mystery, funny romance, Latina heroine, Hispanic heroine, diverse fiction, dog mysteries, mysteries with dogs, Janet Evanovich, Janet Evonavich, Stephanie Plumb, Stephanie Bond, Castle.

Dead Men Don't Eat Quiche is the sequel to the hilarious Dead Men Don't Chew Gum. It is highly recommended that you read "Gum" first. WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU MAKES YOU HUNGRIER. Rika's father, Chef Diego Martin, has finally been able to return to Los Angeles after 15 years, brought over to work in the VIP Center restaurant of the Temple of Microtology by its founders. But, a month later, his sous chef is found dead, and Diego is missing. Rika is panicked at the thought of losing her one living parent permanently. All she knows is that she has to find her father, and she needs Nick Owen by her side. Not one night passed in the last six months that Nick hasn't lain awake thinking of Rika, even though he's given up hope she'll contact him. It's for the best, anyway. He sent her away last summer because he wasn't right for her. But when she calls and asks him to fly to L.A., nothing can stop him from racing to her side. However, he may not be prepared for what he discovers in her hometown, like Rika's formidable grandmother who treats him like a molester, the fact that L.A. men find him really, really attractive, or the weird Hollywood cult members who are spying on him and Rika. Oh, and maybe worst of all--LeeAnne. Nick never wants to see tears in Paprika's beautiful eyes again. But is there really a chance of finding her father alive and solving the murder before the Microtologists get Rika, too? Read Dead Men Don't Eat Quiche to find out!

Always Dreaming of You, sequel to the award-winning novel Not Dreaming of You. Tragedy has struck the Carson-Villanueva family. All Chris can do is keep busy and hope the crippling feeling of loss will fade, until an encounter in a parking lot with a striking young woman injects him with optimism. But when she tips him for helping her and drives off without giving her name, he's disappointed...and a little insulted. Elle Lorrence has one goal: To escape her mother's world of paparazzi, entourages, and plastic-surgeried cyborgs. So far, it’s been harder than she thought. But if she can only pretend to be an actress for this one little independent film, the paycheck will enable her to set her escape plans in motion. When Chris meets his new dialect coaching client, she turns out to be Elle, from the parking lot. She’s almost irresistible, but he has no desire to get mixed up with an actress and live a Hollyweird lifestyle. And after her bizarre reaction to an incident at the diner, he knows he’d better do his job and get far away before he’s sucked in by her allure. Every fiber of Elle’s being tells her Cristóval Cesar Carson is the embodiment of the faceless man from her dreams. But are the hurdles she must overcome to possess him insurmountable?