Wicked Strong Women — Welcome Back Patricia Sargeant #Giveaway!

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Here are the winners of Patricia’s giveaway: Crystal, Christi King, MaKennedyInaz, Dru Ann, and Kay Garrett. Look for an email from Patricia!

It’s always a pleasure to welcome Patricia Sargeant back to the blog! Second-Chance Bodyguard (The Touré Security Group, 3) comes out on November 26th! Look for a giveaway at the end of the post!

Patricia: A huge, heartfelt, “Thank you!” to The Wickeds Blog authors. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to visit this fun and thought-provoking community.

Please don’t adjust your monitor. The reason I look so much like those photos that come with the Olivia Matthews guest blogs is that I’m both Olivia Matthews and Patricia Sargeant. Short story long, I started my career mumble, mumble years ago in romantic suspense as Patricia Sargeant. When my then-editor alleged the bottom had fallen out of the romantic suspense market, I moved to contemporary romance. But I’ve always wanted to return to romantic suspense. In an effort to get back to my roots, I transitioned to cozies. However, my new editor said I needed a pseudonym for my crime fiction since people who read mysteries don’t trust one written by a romance author. Ouch.

I absolutely love writing cozies and plan to write more. But one day while I was hanging out with my Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries characters, I got an email from Harlequin asking me to write romantic suspense for them—and the Touré Security Group trilogy was born: three brothers who run their family-owned security firm and the women who inspire them to be the best version of themselves.

In the first two books, DOWN TO THE WIRE (September 2023) and HER PRIVATE SECURITY DETAIL (March 2024), our heroes are assigned to protect our heroines from serial killers. But in book 3, SECOND-CHANCE BODYGUARD (November 2024), our heroine must protect our hero from a revenge killer.

I love gentlemen-in-jeopardy stories. I’ve written one before as Olivia Matthews. In MURDER OUT OF CHARACTER: A Peach Coast Library Mystery, Book 2, a serial killer is targeting Spence, a member of Marvey’s amateur sleuth team and her love interest. To protect Spence, Marvey must identify the murderer. But I digress …

One of the reasons I enjoy having the female protagonist as the protector is that I love making women the hero of their story. Even in DOWN TO THE WIRE and HER PRIVATE SECURITY DETAIL, the heroines do as much protecting as they are protected. The villains wouldn’t have been brought to justice without the heroines’ active participation in solving the mysteries and protecting themselves and the heroes.

I love writing stories featuring women who are capable, courageous and strong, whether they recognize that about themselves or not, whether the people around them realize it or not. Like Lyndsay Murray in my Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries. She started taking kickboxing classes as a child to build her confidence. Years later, she uses those skills to protect herself and her family. (Not to worry. It’s a cozy mystery. We’re not talking John Wick-level violence.)

Readers: Who are some of the capable, courageous and strong fictional female characters you enjoy reading about, or watching in films or TV? Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts. I look forward to reading them. In fact, I’m offering one copy each of SECOND-CHANCE BODYGUARD to three commenters regardless of country of residence. If you’re interested, please include your email address so I can contact you for your shipping address.

About the Author: Best-selling author Patricia Sargeant writes romantic suspense as Patricia Sargeant and mysteries as Olivia Matthews. Both Patricia and Olivia enjoy putting ordinary people in extraordinary situations to have them find The Hero Inside. For more information on Patricia, Olivia or any of her other identities, please visit her website, https://PatriciaSargeant.com.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorPatriciaSargeant

Second-Chance Bodyguard: Touré Security Group, Book 3

By Patricia Sargeant

He needs her help… And he wants her love.

Corporate security expert Hezekiah Touré cares about two things: looking after his younger brothers and managing the Touré Security Group. To protect his family, he agrees to go into hiding with private investigator Celeste Jarrett after a serial killer’s threat. Celeste has information Zeke’s family can use, but she’s always been a distraction Zeke should avoid. Will sharing a safe house bring them closer together—or force them farther apart?

Buy link: https://bit.ly/3ZJFAkr

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Published by Sherry Harris

Sherry Harris is the author of the Agatha Award nominated Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery series and the Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Mystery series.

26 Thoughts

  1. I read this book and loved it! Hmmm… I would say Queen Elizabeth in THE CROWN. She wasn’t fictional of course, but the series had to be. (Don’t enter me in the giveaway.)

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    1. Good morning, Ellen Yeon! Thank you so very much for taking a chance on Second-Chance Bodyguard. I’m so very glad you enjoyed the story. Queen Elizabeth in THE CROWN is an excellent pick!

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    1. Good morning, Edith! I’m so thrilled and honored to be back. Thank you so much for the opportunity. I’m adding Julia Spencer-Flemings books to my list. Thank you for the tip!

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  4. First of all, I love Patricia/Olivia! She is just the sweetest, kindest person–and a terrific writer, as you might guess from her many books and series. Love the blog!

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    1. Sherry, thank you so much for inviting me back. I’m so honored and grateful. I’m also so very sorry that I didn’t log in properly with my original responses. Urgh! I love, love, love Harriet Foster! LOL!

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  6. Big time congratulations on the new book, Patricia! I’m a fan of Captain Kathryn Janeway from Star Trek Voyager and you can never go wrong with Kinsey Milhone. Cheers!

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  7. Dru led with my all-time favorite strong female character, but have so many favorites, but I love Cassiopeia Vitt from Steve Berry’s books. Nora Pennington from Ellery Adams Secret Book and Scone Society series is pretty amazing as well.

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  8. Welcome back, Patricia and congrats on the new book. How about Queen Elizabeth I? A woman who had to overcome a lot (locked in the Tower by her half sister) and manage a country by her wits.

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  9. Congratulations on the new book. I love your cozy mysteries, and now I’m looking forward to reading your romantic suspense books. One of my favorite strong female characters is Tess Monaghan from Laura Lippman’s traditional mystery series.

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  10. Congratulations on the release of “Second-Chance Bodyguard”! It’s on my TBR list and can’t wait for the opportunity to dive into it.

    When I’m put on the spot to name a character or a book, my mind goes blank. Call it the privilege of a senior citizen claiming temporary brain dead. 🙂 I will say though that I do so love when women are portrayed as strong, independent women capable of fending for themselves and/or others while still being tender and loving. When they are, I am draw to their story because it’s more realistic to real life. In real life woman can do for themselves, do for others and also accept help from others.
    Women are not wimps!
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. Hi, Kay! Thank you so much for your cheers for my upcoming release. I really appreciate it. I blank on characters, titles and authors, too, including my own. Ha! And I agree with everything you wrote about strong women. I love writing strong female protagonists.

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  11. Congratulations on your new release! You are a writing powerhouse! As for mystery books with courageous women leads, I like Tracy Clark’s police series featuring Detective Harriet Foster; Cheryl A. Head’s Detroit PI series; and of course Sara Paretsky’s classic series featuring V.I. Warshawski.

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    1. Good morning, Delia! You are TOO KIND! Thank you so very much. I love Detective Harriet Foster. Actually, I love all of your picks. Great stories and great protagonists. Thank you for sharing.

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  12. Tough decision in my childhood it would be Nancy Drew and in my adult years it’s Reba Macentire because she’s Feisty, stubborn, knows what she wants and she is independent and so much more

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