Arresting Alan by Amber Daulton
Give a warm welcome to Amber Daulton, author of Arresting Alan, released today April 9, 2024!
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Amber and Arresting Alan!
How about the Inspiration and Development of Arresting Alan?
Arresting Alan is one of the books I’ve longed to write for years. Some of my story ideas come from dreams, but this one, I did it the old-fashioned way. I created a few new characters, further developed older ones introduced in prior books, and plotted for days with pen and paper and my handy colored pencils and highlighters at the ready. I ripped out chunks, added new stuff, ripped out more, and fine-tuned the plot until it sang. Since Alan is a computer technician with secret hacking skills, my own techy husband, Greg, and I spent countless hours talking about hacking stuff to help me get the details right. All-in-all, that was a busy few weeks.
When I first came up with the idea for the Arresting Onyx series back in 2014-15, I knew I was going to save Alan Harding for the finale. He’s the quiet, reserved brother of the hotheaded hero from book one, Arresting Mason, and I wanted to bookend the series between the Harding brothers. Both men look a lot alike (tall, gorgeous, built brunets with piercing green eyes), but they’re as different as night and day. At least that’s what everyone thinks. Alan has a dark secret no one saw coming—not even me for the longest time—but I should’ve known he was going to give me trouble. Men are always trouble.
No spoilers here, but Alan did something very bad for a very good reason. He loves hard, and when the people he calls family are in trouble, he’s the guy with the rescue plan and follows through with it to the end—no matter how much it darkens his own soul.
Once I figured out how deep Alan was going to fall, I needed to plot his road to redemption. Luckily, his ladylove DEA Special Agent Hannah Adler helped with that.
I’m so relieved I chose Hannah for the role of heroine. A few other ladies were in the running (new characters that obviously didn’t make it into the final book), but Hannah first showed up in a minor role in book 2 and then again in book 3.5. Hannah had her own story to tell, so she was all gung ho about getting her own book. (FYI: Sometimes, my characters speak to me and refuse to shut up until I give them what they want. I’ve learned to live with it.) Anyway, Hannah was the perfect match for Alan and made my job easier.
Even though I always wanted Arresting Alan to be the last book in the series, I wrote another book featuring Alan’s friend, Bristol. Of all my heroes, Bristol is the most demanding, and he desperately wanted a HEA. I couldn’t deny him. So I finished that one, but it didn’t fit well with the rest of the series. I couldn’t keep it, but there was no way I was going to discard it. I was stuck with only one real option available—create a spin-off, the Lozano Cartel, with Bristol’s book as the first in the series. I’m super excited about it.
Back to Alan…this book means a great deal to me. At times, I thought I’d never get it published simply because it took so long to get the earlier books released. (The final manuscript has been gathering digital dust on my computer for a while.) I’m so happy to finally release it and bring my series to a close. It’s hard to say goodbye to beloved characters that I’ve been working with for about a decade, but I’m eager to move on with the spin-off.
I hope you enjoy Arresting Alan as much as I do. Well, Amber, I have to say, I did enjoy Arresting Alan very much! Which brings me to my review of the book:
Arresting Alan is the fourth and final installment in the Arresting Onyx series. I’ve read each book in the characters’ quest to take down the Onyx syndicate. Alan is Mason’s brother (a character from another book whom I enjoyed) But Alan has his own set of problems revolving around an impossible challenge, his adorable little boy, and Hannah, his sexy as sin undercover bodyguard. Which makes the situation even worse. It becomes a race against time after his son is kidnapped. He must save the boy while attempting to bring a criminal organization to its knees.
No spoilers here. However, the characters and the scenarios are so well described that you’ll feel like you are battling right beside them. I found myself holding my breath hoping Alan would not get caught in a certain scenario. Whew! <wipes brow> This book brought the series full circle in a extremely satisfying way. I highly recommend Arresting Alan. The book can be read as a standalone. I did read them out of order, but I recommend reading them in order if you have a chance.
A little more about Arresting Alan.
A hacker, a federal agent, and a crime boss. The time has come to fight.
Computer technician Alan Harding is no saint, but his squeaky-clean image is unshakable in the eyes of his family and especially his young son. After he agrees to assist a drug lord-turned-snitch and hack into a criminal database, he’s faced with an impossible challenge—keeping his hands and heart away from his sexy as sin bodyguard, DEA Special Agent Hannah Adler.
Hannah would rather go hand-to-hand with an assailant than go undercover as Alan’s girlfriend, but she’s determined to keep him safe and his illegal activities on the down-low. The handsome man and his adorable child, however, are more than she bargained for.
Once their enemies learn the truth and retaliate by kidnapping Alan’s son, they’ll have to race against the clock to save the boy and bring a dangerous empire to its knees.
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A peek between the pages of Arresting Alan.
She flexed her hands, determined to take the high road. “I’m sorry about this morning, flipping out on you and all. What happened last night was a mistake. It won’t happen again.”
“Bullshit. I know your job is tough. Your bitchy façade is what you want the world to see, but I’m not the world. Keep your apology and tell me what’s in your heart. It’s not the chunk of frozen coal you pretend it is. You burned like liquid fire when I touched you and clung to me as we slept. Don’t deny it. You owe us both better than that.”
She pursed her lips and dropped her gaze. The heart in question ached from his astute assessment.
“Forget it.” He turned back around and jabbed his fingers at the keyboard.
A long string of letters, numbers, and symbols popped up in the black window.
She cursed and seized the steps between them to gently squeeze his shoulder. “My heart’s not frozen, but you’re a temptation I can’t afford. I won’t deny what happened or how it made me feel, but don’t expect a repeat.”
He halted his tirade on the keys and stared straight ahead at the computer with glassy, unfocused eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses.
“Are you okay?” She swished her hand in front of his face and snapped her fingers.
His Adam’s apple bobbed like he swallowed a marble.
He half turned and grasped her hand so quickly that she jumped. Her stomach clenched from his suddenly sharp gaze on her face. Oh yes, she was in trouble. Alan had breached her defenses, pierced her soul, and reached her vulnerable side. That ended now.
She straightened, taking full advantage of her superior height with him in the chair. “Grow up, Alan, and forget about your little crush on me. Whatever you have going on in your head where I’m concerned is ridiculous.”
“Crush?” He feathered his thumb over her knuckles and tightened his grip when she tried to pull back. “Go ahead, fight the draw between us all you want. You won’t win. I said yesterday I’d wait for you. Now I’ve tasted you and felt you shatter in my arms. If I have to wait a lifetime to hold you again, fine. You’re worth the wait.”
A sob burned in her throat. She’d waited so long for a man she cared about to claim her. Now that it happened, she itched to run away. “Believe what you like, but nothing will come from it.” Again, her stomach twisted.
“We’ll see.” He released her and commenced typing with a much lighter touch. As she retreated across the room, he cleared his throat with a cough. “But know this, Hannah baby—I’m not giving you up without a fight. If you don’t want me, you’ll have to prove it.”
About the author:
Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.
She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.
Social Media Links
Universal link – https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton
Exclusive Newsletter (free ebook to new subscribers) – https://amberdaulton.com/newsletter-signup/
Thank so much for stopping by I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek a Amber’s newest release, Arresting Alan.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Amber Daulton, Arresting Alan, Arresting Onyx Series, romantic suspense by Tena Stetler with 2 comments.
Love the review and spotlight! Thank you so much for featuring Arresting Alan!
My pleasure.