#TeaserTuesday: Beware of Dog

 

“What I was gonna say, before you get all offended for no reason, is that I seriously think you need to talk to your sister about what’s going on.”

That was the last thing she’d expected him to say. She covered her surprise with a dramatic eyeroll. “God, is that all anyone can think to tell me? ‘Call your sister.’ ‘Check in with your sister.’”

He wasn’t deterred. “This shit that’s going on with your friend is heavy.”

“Oh my God.”

“Shut up, brat, I’m being serious. It’s a big deal. The fact that it happened, yeah, but your friend’s a goddamn basket case, and you’re trying to support her all on your own. I think you need to talk to your sister, because I think you need someone to support you.”

“That’s…actually rather sweet.” And it was, as was the way he wrinkled his nose in distaste. “But I’m fine.”

“Bullshit.”

“I’m not bothering Raven with this. Between the baby, and her business, she doesn’t have time for stupid drama.”

His head tilted to a rarely-used imploring angle, the one that reminded her, every time, that he’d seen active combat in the Army, and that he wasn’t the give-a-damn good-time guy his club brothers seemed to think he was. “It’s not stupid, and she would make time for you.”

“No. I said I wasn’t going to bother her, and I’m not.”

“Damn it, Cass,” he sighed, and wiped a hand down his jaw. Evening stubble was coming in, and rasped against his palm. “You need somebody in your corner.”

“I have you.”

He froze, hand halfway lowered, and darted a glance at her through half-lowered lashes.

“Don’t I?”

He blinked. She could see the rapid throb of his pulse in the side of his throat, and wondered what it meant. Then he straightened, arms folded tight—tighter than before, body now strung with tension. “Yeah.” His voice was gruff. “Of course.”

 

I've been teasing this book rather coyly, I suppose, because I've had some questions about it, so I thought I'd clear them up here.

I'm currently 27k words into book six in the Lean Dogs Legacy series, titled Beware of Dog. It's a story I conceived before Lord Have Mercy was released, and it simply would not leave me alone. So the Dartmoor Series as a whole is still considered complete, and this novel will be part of the spinoff series. It's not a standalone, though you could certainly attempt to tackle it if you're okay not being wholly up to speed on all the past events. 

It takes place in NYC, and stars Walsh's younger sister Cassandra, and her NY Dog bodyguard Shep, who we first met in Long Way Down, and who was tasked with watching out for Raven and Cass in Nothing More. It's a more tightly-focused, personal story, without the overarching drama of the Abacus plotline. Though not nearly as epic in scope, it definitely has some major Fearless vibes. Age gap, protector/charge, charming jerk love interest. It's a fun time. 

There's no release date yet since I'm very much still in the thick of the writing process, but be on the lookout for more teasers and updates for it. 

Fearless Read-Along: Chapter Five

 No one cared that he was Felix. 

Chapter Five is on the short side: a quick flashback to fourteen years ago, and a transitional beat between Mercy and Ava's encounter and the church vote from Mercy's POV. Me meet Hound, Rottie, and Troy through his eyes, and witness a little of the whole-club dynamic as everyone files into church. 

As a reread, though, I'm struck by Mercy's melancholy here. The way he, in this moment, and in the past, hasn't always felt like a person within the MC. This is a stark contrast to the beloved husband, son-in-law, brother-in-law, friend and confidante he becomes over the course of the series. By the time we get to Lord Have Mercy, there's no question that he's beloved; that his family and club will kill and sacrifice for him. But in this moment, he is keenly aware of his value as a killer and little else. 

That was the scary part: he wasn't a bit crazy.

Whether he is or isn't insane by clinical standards is irrelevant. Mercy is self-aware, perhaps hyper-self-aware. He knows what he's capable of, and that he doesn't really have an upper limit on brutality, and he also knows that this is a useful quality for the club. He doesn't and hasn't ever resented his club brothers for being squeamish by comparison. While he's confident in some arenas, he's got a low sense of self-worth when it comes to the more personal and emotional aspects of life. 

This is why Ava makes such an impact on him. When she's little, he's delighted that she isn't frightened of him, and instead seeks him out. The fact that she finds safety and comfort in his presence fills a very specific, unacknowledged need for him. This eventually blossoms into romantic feelings. Through every stage of their relationship, Ava is the one who makes him feel like a person: loved, needed, valued for his personality and the abundance of love he has to give. 

Fearless Hardback Giveaway!

 It's giveaway time!

What: 5 hardback copies of Dartmoor Book One, Fearless. 

When: Now - April 10th, 2025

Who: anyone! 

To celebrate ten years of Fearless, and the new hardback edition, I'm giving away five signed copies! 

To enter, go to my author Facebook page to comment on the giveaway post. If you don't have a Facebook account, then tell me so in a comment here and I'll add your name to the list of entrants over on FB. 

Winners will be chosen at random on April 10th.

Thank you, all, and good luck! 

If you'd like to purchase a hardback copy of Fearless, you can find it here.  

#TeaserTuesday: Cass and Shep

 

Back to lightly tip-tapping away at this as I recover from a hellish cold. If you're thinking "wait, Lauren, really?" about this pairing...trust me, it's gonna work, and work well. 😉

“What about Sig?”

“What about him?”

“Did you beat him up?”

Something squealed. A locker door, she thought. “What the hell kind of name is Sig?”

“That’s lovely. Avoid the question.”

“Maybe he should go with ‘Stick.’ Have you seen his arms? What’s the opposite of gains?”

“Shepherd.”

“Yeah, okay! Okay.”

She waited.

And waited some more.

“Shep—”

His voice was low and tight and nervous, she thought, when he said, “Did you really think that could happen to you and I wouldn’t send a message?”

She…

Oh.

Did he…?

He did that for her?

“Where are you?” he cut in. “Do not tell me you’re hanging out with that guy again.”

“No. I’m…” she hesitated, because she hadn’t expected to explain any of this to him over the phone. “I’m at the hospital.”

“What?”

Fearless Read-Along: Chapter Four

 

*Slithers out of my coffin to offer you this one week late and not as detailed as I'd hoped because I'm still sick. Ugh.*

There's lots of little gems in this chapter - which I believe is the longest one yet - but the two scenes that stand out as most important in my mind are the first one, the flashback where Ava recalls hiding in the chapel; and her scene with Mercy at the end. 

The prose in the chapel scene is intentionally lush, ripe with details, as a means of carrying forward the mythical tone of the overall narrative. There are places, terribly ordinary places, that we visit as children, and in our minds, they become as spectacular and fascinating as Versailles. The chapel was one such place for Ava as a child, and that's precisely why I chose to write it for the first time from her 8-year-old POV. The level of detail here shows the reader that she isn't a dispassionate observer; likewise, it again highlights how much the club, and her past, means to her still. This place is knitted into her bones, and she'll never shake it off. 

This scene is also the first time she meets Mercy. Absolutely nothing untoward happens, but I still was very aware that showing their age difference in this way would raise some reader hair. At every turn with this book, I strove to "go there." The life these characters lead isn't legal or comfortable, so I never tried to draw those hard lines along their personal lives. 

This chapter as a whole shows Ava's (erroneous) assumptions about never having truly belonged with the club. Her seeing herself as "only" a daughter, rather than an old lady, isn't a statement from me about social hierarchy or worthiness, but a personal fear of Ava's, before, by the end of the book, she comes fully into her own. Likewise, Mercy seems like an ass in this chapter, because neither Ava nor the readers have yet been privy to his heartache and real feelings. 

Recall the Nietzche quote from chapter one: it's all about perspective, and so far, ours, and Ava's, is limited.