The Tour Stop
Check out these featured authors making their way around the blog scene!
YA Fantasy
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Published: January 2016
Luris: Memories of Dreams is a full-color manga which follows the unfortunate life story of M---, a young adult suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Due to amnesia induced by the PTSD, M--- cannot remember many details from her past. What remains in her memory are fragments of dreams that must be traversed in order to piece together the reality that traumatized her. Though often strange and ambiguous, her dreams hold the keys that will empower her to face and overcome the terrible events of her past and the deepest fears of her inner self.
Luris: Memories of Dreams is suitable for teens and older.
About the Author
Rune Marie Nielsen is an author and artist who seeks to provide a glimpse of divine eternity in her work through creative storytelling, unconventional angles, and occasional humor.
Contact Links
Purchase Links
0 Comments
Killer Lies
-- CHAPTER 1:
Sam Carmichael switched his high beams on and eased off the pedal as he drove the narrow mountain road. Fat raindrops splattered the windshield of the SUV in a steady torrent that even the windshield wipers working double time couldn’t keep up with. The Tremayne mansion drive should be another half a mile up the road. He’d be glad to get there. The mountainside wasn’t known for landslides, but the amount of rain that had been coming down steadily had been causing a number of accidents throughout Carville. Best-case scenario, he’d see the crazy cat lady and get back into town before anything bad happened. Thunder cracked overhead, followed by a flash of light that lit up the road, revealing towering trees on both sides. He also caught sight of the gate that signaled the Tremayne estate. He made the turn and pulled up beside the box attached to the wall. He lowered his window, pushed the button and waited for a response. He’d been out here years ago when he’d been riding patrol. A woman dressed in shawls and surrounded by dozens of cats, or so it had seemed, had answered the door. She’d insisted that he find the person who was trying to steal her cats. Setting aside his private thoughts, he’d checked the house and the grounds, but had found no signs of anyone having been there. He’d chalked it up to experience and had forgotten about it until tonight, when the desk Sergeant had roped him into coming to check out a report of a possible burglary before going home. “Lucky me,” he said into the darkness. “Excuse me?” The voice crackled across the intercom. Sam leaned out, ignoring the rain that pelted him, and spoke loudly. “Detective Sam Carmichael, Carville PD. I’m here about the burglary.” He pulled his head back in and waited for the gate to open. Instead, the intercom crackled to life once more. “Would you show me your badge, Detective?” Sam reminded himself that he had become a detective to serve the public, even on foul nights when man and beast knew better than to be outside. He fished his badge out of his pocket and thrust it out towards the camera. How the hell the person on the other side expected to see anything with the rain coming down like it was, he didn’t know. The gate suddenly creaked and slowly began opening. “You’re welcome,” Sam muttered. While he waited for the opening to be large enough for him to drive through, he gave himself a stern talking to. Crazy cat lady or not, he would do his job and be professional. Some days were the pits and today ranked as one of them, but he wouldn’t let it interfere with his job. He drove up the long drive, noting the overgrown lawn and the creepy vibe given off by the ivy crawling up every inch of the turreted mansion, the branches overhanging the drive, and the coldness that seemed to emanate from the dark exterior. Before he left tonight he would make a point to the person who called the stationhouse to add lights to dispel the gloom. He pulled the SUV as close to the front porch as he could, but he was still soaked by the time he reached the top step. He pushed the bell next to the door and prepared to meet the crazy cat lady. The door opened, and Sam stared dumbfounded. The woman before him was dressed in shawls and a long dark grey skirt, and had one cat in her arms while another curled up on a straight back chair that butted up against the wall. But she was years younger—younger than him, he’d guess—and punch-in-the-gut beautiful. None of it made sense and he said the first words that popped into his mind. “What happened to the other crazy cat lady?” *** Kelsey Tremayne winced at the question. When she’d opened the door, she hadn’t been sure what to expect. The security system needed a major upgrade. She had barely been able to hear the detective identify himself, and the rain and poor camera quality had made it impossible to see his badge clearly. Though she’d debated the risk in letting him approach, she had decided to chance it. She gripped the pepper spray she held in her hand which was concealed by the shawls. It hadn’t been easy to call the police given her history with them, in fact, her stomach still felt queasy over the decision, but she needed the incidents on record. Crazy cat lady, indeed. “Please come in, Detective.” She stepped back and petted Sabina, the white Persian mix that had sought comfort in her arms when the thunder had started. The detective entered, dripping water on the wood floor, and surveyed her from head to foot. He was tall, over six feet, if she had to guess, with a rangy build, brown close-cropped hair, and a stubborn jaw. Kelsey could imagine what he saw. A not-very-tall, not-very-short, brown-haired, brown-eyed female with more cats than friends. Okay, he wouldn’t be able to guess the last, but it wouldn’t take long for him to stumble onto the truth. Then again maybe he already knew it. After all, he’d asked about the other cat lady. “If you’d follow me,” she said, and turned to head down the hall to the one habitable room. For whatever reason, her aunt hadn’t put her mark on the library. Perhaps it had remained a tribute to her aunt’s father, Kelsey’s grandfather. Whatever the reason, Kelsey was grateful for the comfortable furniture and the working fireplace. The heater had shown itself to be temperamental and the fire burning in the fireplace was the only source of heat she had. In a few weeks, when winter dumped snow on the ground, she’d be in trouble if she didn’t get someone to fix it. Lately, she never seemed to warm up, as if the cold lived and breathed inside her, spreading its tentacles throughout her body. She shivered, mentally relegated the broken heater to the long list of repairs she had written, and focused on the detective. “Would you like to have a seat, Detective? Can I get you anything to drink?” She knew she’d said the wrong thing from the way his eyes widened. “Ma’am—” “Kelsey. Kelsey Tremayne. Ma’am makes me sound old.” She moved a little closer to the fire, wanting the heat to dispel the chill that had taken up permanent residence in her bones. The detective splayed his hands on his hips and watched her. “Ms. Tremayne, you called the station and reported a burglary.” Kelsey wet her lips and wished he’d asked for a drink. Her mouth felt dry and her throat parched. He wouldn’t believe her. She could tell from his stance and from the way his gaze swept over the room. He had made up his mind about her. Maybe he’d even heard the rumors about her. He’d obviously heard the ones about her aunt or why would he have called her the “crazy cat lady”? Suddenly the room seemed to shrink. Her pulse rate increased and sweat broke out on her brow. A panic attack was imminent if she didn’t do something to head it off. That would be all he would need to see to confirm that she was as crazy as her aunt. She couldn’t let him. “I’m sorry, detective, for wasting your time. You should go. I made a mistake. I’m sorry. Please chalk it up to the horrible weather.” She tried to smile, but her lips seemed to tremble instead. She couldn’t even look him in the eye; her gaze slid away. She marched purposely to the door, hoping he would follow. Breathe in. Breathe out. She tried to remember everything her therapist had told her. Her control, though, was slipping. Footsteps sounded behind her and she knew a moment of relief. He would go. Once he was gone, she could fall apart. She juggled Sabina in order to grab the doorknob and pull the heavy front door open. Thunder boomed overhead and lightning lit up the sky. Sabina yowled and leaped from Kelsey’s arms, scratching them in her descent. Kelsey tripped on her floor-length skirt and fell backward. Arms caught her and pain exploded in her head. “Let go!” She kicked and scratched and fought, determined to fight her way free. One minute she was trapped and the next she was thrust into a hard-backed chair. Detective Carmichael stood a few feet away, looking at her as if she were indeed crazy. She wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. If only she were a cat-like Sabina, who’d scampered to the top of a stack of boxes further down the hallway and was observing them from her perch. “Please go,” Kelsey whispered, her voice raw. Silence pressed in on her, despite the sounds of the storm made louder by the open front door. She’d asked him to leave. Why didn’t he leave? He walked over to the door and closed it. He blew out a breath and rubbed the top of his head. “Look, you called about a burglary. Why don’t we focus on that?” She shook her head. “I was mistaken.” She twisted her fingers in the shawl’s fringe. “You can go.” Maybe if she repeated it enough he’d get the hint. He bent down and picked up the pepper spray that must have fallen out of her hand when she’d tripped. He put it on the table in the entry, next to her chair. He looked puzzled. She waited for the barrage of questions. Memories of another interrogation intruded into her mind and once more her control began to crumble. She got to her feet, strode purposely to the front door and pulled it open. “I’ve asked you to leave. I told you it was a mistake. Please go or I’ll have to call the station to register a complaint.” She wouldn’t, of course. Her days of dealing with the police were at an end. She’d thought she could handle talking to them, after all of her therapist’s encouragement to see beyond her own nightmarish experience. But, again, images and voices crowded into her mind, threatening to push out here and now if she didn’t hang on. “All right. I’ll go,” he said. He spoke evenly, and she focused on the words, not wanting to look into his eyes and see pity there. She expected him to step past her and out onto the porch so she could shut the door. But he paused directly in front of her, facing her, though all she saw was his dark blue shirt tucked into a pair of jeans. She forced her head up to meet his gaze, her hands tightening the shawl’s material around her. His eyes were gray, turbulent, like the storm outside. Something inside her wanted to shy away from the way he seemed to be stripping away the layers she’d successfully piled on to protect herself. But she made herself withstand the scrutiny. He shook his head. “You know, none of this makes sense. This,” he waved his hand around to encompass the hallway, “doesn’t make sense. Mostly, though, you don’t make sense.” He reached into his shirt pocket, pulled out a business card and held it out to her. She wet her lips, aware of his gaze suddenly focused on her mouth. She felt the heat rushing to her cheeks. “If I take the card, will you leave?” Her voice sounded husky to her own ears and she wanted to kick herself. The last person she needed to be attracted to was a police detective. “Just take the card,” he said. She reached out to pluck it from his fingers, but he held on to it. “First, get some light and better security. Second, I don’t know why you called the police, or what’s going on, but if you change your mind or need assistance, my cell phone is on here. I’ll pick up day or night.” With those final words, he released his grip on the card and walked out, closing the door behind him with a snap. A cat meowed, and she felt the animal rub against her legs. Pulling her gaze away from the door, she reached down and picked Sabina up. She was still holding the card in her hand as she carried the cat to the library where warmth lay. She should throw it away, yet she couldn’t quite rid herself of the image of those gray eyes and that penetrating stare. He’d called her a crazy cat lady, but when he’d zoomed in on her lips, he’d seemed attracted. Of course, it might all be in her imagination, but that didn’t matter. If she concentrated on how he’d been captivated by her lips, she wouldn’t have to think about who had been in the house and whether they would be back. 
GIVEAWAY!
Meet the Author:
Shannyn is an occasional English teacher, who also works as a part-time editor while raising her three kids. Even though she wrote from high school through college (mostly poetry), she’d never considered a career as an author. Writing fell by the wayside as she focused her energy on creating lesson plans and new and fabulous ways to torment her teen students. One group in particular dubbed her “The Torture Master,” a title she carried into motherhood. After the birth of baby number two, Shannyn resigned from teaching and fell in love with reading romance novels. She read so many books so quickly that her husband teased, “If you’re going to read so many damn books, why don’t you just write one?” So she did. That first book is safely buried on her hard drive, but the process set Shannyn on the path to where she is today. The 6-book O’Leary series has wrapped up, as well as 2 Hot & Nerdy new adult trilogies. She’s currently working on her next series. She is recovering from her Diet Coke addiction, fears putting her foot in her mouth on social media, and has a renewed appreciation for the bad girls of the world.
About the Book:
Over-forty, single mom Tess Howland's life is all about caring for other people. Indulging in a one night stand is just what she needs. She doesn't expect to meet anyone she would introduce to her kids, especially not some rich playboy who acts like a big kid himself. Even if he keeps giving her the best sex of her life.
Millionaire Miles Prescott can't get the sexy nurse he met at a fundraising gala out of his head. For the first time ever, he doesn't want a woman with no-strings-attached. He wants everything—even it comes with a ready-made family with a woman in her forties. Suddenly, helping with homework doesn't sound like the worst thing in the world, especially if it means being near Tess.
But what happens when he’s ready to step up and she says no?
Add to GoodreadsGiveaway:
A Postmodern Love
by Nick Totem
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Have you ever fallen in love and then had not just your life but your conception of life altered forever? Come and find out more in A POSTMODERN LOVE, a contemporary adult novel--romance, noire, psychological suspense.
In the end, a man is shot through the heart. Another man is driven to the edge of madness. Caught between them is Lana Fauves, a beautiful, intelligent woman, but one who is haunted by her past and the loss of her true love, a musical genius. In this fast-paced novel--romance, thriller, and noire--Thomas Wilde, a doctor and veteran of the Iraq War, will stop at nothing to win over the woman he has desperately fallen in love with. But amid the machinations of the modern world, will he find true love, or only heartache, deception, and murder?
Nick Totem has been a practicing physician for more than a decade, and he has been writing all his life. He combined real experience in medicine with a love for writing to create compelling fiction.
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive content and a giveaway!
One Day
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo -- EXCERPT:
CHAPTER ONE Cam Sorvino felt the man beside him stiffen when the flight attendant announced their imminent arrival into Chicago. He reached for Gabe Anderson’s left hand where Gabe gripped the armrest of his seat. “Hey, are you okay?” Cam asked softly, running a finger lightly over Gabe’s engagement ring. Gabe’s ice-blue eyes softened as he lowered his gaze to the beautiful, white gold and platinum band adorning his ring finger. “Yes.” He turned his hand over and entwined his fingers with Cam’s before lifting Cam’s hand and pressing a brief kiss to Cam’s knuckles. “I’m sorry, I’m just—nervous. I haven’t seen them in ten years.” He tugged his lower lip between his teeth in a gesture that Cam had come to adore and lowered his head on Cam’s shoulder, a heavy sigh shuddering out of him. “I was surprised they agreed to meet me.” He paused. “To meet you.” Cam frowned faintly over his lover’s head as he looked out through the window of the first class cabin to the city growing rapidly below the fuselage of the plane. It had been his idea for them to reach out to Gabe’s parents to invite them to their wedding. Since Cam was an orphan and wouldn’t have any family attending on his side, he hadn’t wanted Gabe to be in a similar position. He’d first suggested it over breakfast one morning a month ago. “As long as our friends are there, I don’t really mind,” Gabe had said. “Besides, my parents pretty much disowned me the day I came out of the closet and told them about—,” he’d hesitated for a second and grimaced, “—about Andrew.” Cam had clenched his jaw at the mention of Gabe’s former flame. Though he and Gabe were happy and committed to one another, it still irked Cam that Gabe’s first gay relationship had ended so disastrously, leaving him with emotional scars that had made it impossible for him to have sex for eight years. When Gabe confessed to Cam about how Andrew had arranged for a group of five men to gang rape him on camera on the night of their first year anniversary, a night where Gabe had thought he and Andrew would finally consummate their relationship, Cam had wanted to find the bastard and beat the ever-living shit out of him. That Andrew and his associates had gotten their just deserve and gone on to serve jail sentences didn’t take away from the fact that they had hurt and traumatized Gabe so deeply he hadn’t been able to bear another man touching him for nearly a decade. It was thanks to Cam that Gabe had finally been able to defeat his demons and have his first ever gay sexual relation. That he was and always will be Gabe’s first man was something Cam treasured with a possessiveness that sometimes scared him. Although Cam had overcome his trailer trash past and now lived a life he could never have dreamed of when he was a child, Gabe was the first person who had truly belonged to him, in every sense of the word. Yes, they had amazing friends, and that circle had grown to a pretty tight-knit group these past two years, but still, Gabe was his and his alone. Cam’s frown deepened. And that’s something no one will ever take away from me. The plane started its descent into Chicago O’Hare Airport. They cleared customs in record time, collected their luggage, and were soon headed for the exit. Cam sensed the tension winding through Gabe increase tenfold when a black limo pulled up smoothly at the curb in front of them as they came out of the building. He glanced at Gabe’s stony expression, surprised. “Hmm. Is that for us?” Gabe nodded curtly, a muscle jumping in his jawline. The chauffeur got out, greeted them with a polite smile, and ushered them into the back of the vehicle under the curious stares of passers-by. Cam twisted on the luxurious leather seat and stared at Gabe while the chauffeur placed their cases in the trunk. “Does your family normally do limos?” Gabe ran a hand through his hair, irritation darkening his face. “I told them we’d get a cab, but my father insisted on sending the car. Knowing him, this is purely for show.” As the vehicle pulled out of the airport and merged onto the interstate heading north, Cam wondered what else he was going to discover about the man he was going to spend the rest of his life with. Gabe had been pretty tight-lipped whenever Cam had inquired after his estranged family in the past. All Cam knew was that Gabe’s father worked in banking and his mother used to be a realtor. And he had a younger sister who he’d also lost touch with ten years ago. The limo rapidly ate away the miles to their destination and soon entered the picturesque North Shore community of Kenilworth, overlooking Lake Michigan. Cam’s heart sank as he studied the stunning, multi-million dollar properties visible behind the walls and hedges of the affluent neighborhood they were driving through. The limo turned into a cul-de-sac, headed through a pair of imposing wrought-iron gates, and pulled into a circular driveway fronting a gorgeous red-bricked Georgian colonial mansion. One of the imposing oak double doors opened to reveal a man in uniform. “You have a butler?” Cam said leadenly when the vehicle slowed to a smooth stop in front of the solemn figure standing under the portico. Gabe sighed, turned to face Cam, and took his hands while the chauffeur got out and headed for the trunk. “Okay, before we go in there, I want to apologize.” A bark of laughter escaped Cam. He wasn’t sure whether he was shocked or annoyed with Gabe for having kept this a secret from him. “What, for being stinking rich?” Gabe shook his head, his expression full of remorse. “My family is wealthy, Cam. I’m not. I’m still the same man you healed that night two years ago. The same man who fell madly in love with you.” He leaned his forehead against Cam’s. “The same man who belongs to you, body, heart, and soul,” he murmured, pressing a sweet kiss to Cam’s lips. He pulled back and tightened his hold on Cam’s fingers. “No, I’m apologizing for whatever may go down in that house in the next couple of days.” The back door of the limo opened. “It is good to have you home, Mr. Anderson. Welcome, Mr. Sorvino,” the butler murmured respectfully. Gabe tensed and let go of Cam’s hands. Cam followed Gabe’s uneasy gaze to the couple watching them coolly from the doorway of the mansion, his lover’s heartfelt confession and warning still ringing in his ears. Oh boy.
GIVEAWAY!
This is my stop during the book blitz for Beneath the Ferny Tree by David Schembri. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 7 till 13 January. See the tour schedule here.  Beneath the Ferny TreeBy David Schembri Genre: Horror/ Mystery Age category: New Adult, Adult Release Date: 20 December 2018 Blurb: You can find Beneath the Ferny Tree on Goodreads You can buy Beneath the Ferny Tree here: - Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Kobo - Google Play - All vendor sites
Watch the book trailer here:  About the Author:David Schembri is an author, artist, genre poet and designer from rural Victoria, Australia. He is the author of several short stories, and his first graphic collection, UNEARTHLY FABLES, was published in 2013. David's poetry has been published in several issues of the Hippocampus Press Magazine, Spectral Realms edited by S.T. Joshi. The Anno KlarkAsh-Ton Anthology and Strange Sorcery magazine released by Rainfall Books. His latest poem is published in issue 13 of Midnight Echo. David lives with his lovely wife and children. BENEATH THE FERNY TREE is his second released and is published by Close Up Books. You can find and contact David Schembri here: - Website - Goodreads - Amazon 
Phoenix
-- EXCERPT: He moved his hands to my back and unhooked the chain holding the back of my gown together. As the sides loosened and fell open, my muscles strung tight, but I stayed where I was. Resting his hands on my shoulders again, he slipped his fingers under the sides of the loosened sleeves. “Look at me, sugar.” I leaned back enough to see his face and crossed my arms over my chest, which earned me the shit-eating grin that both got under my skin and made me wet as hell. With his eyes locked to mine, he inched the top of my dress down my arms, causing my breasts to push up over the neckline. “When’s the last time you came?” I couldn’t stop my mouth from falling open. He wrapped his hands around my wrists, his fingers warming my overheated skin. “I think that’s a bit personal.” “Sweetness, we’re about to get very fuckin’ personal. You’re straddling me. I can feel how turned on you are, and I’m trying not to freak you out. It’s a legitimate question, given what you’ve told me.” He kept his hold loose, but still held onto me. When I looked down at our hands, my vision blurred… Cuffs. Leather cuffs. Metal table. The images flashed like slides in an old movie reel and I jerked away from him on a gasp. “Valentina!” My name came out in such a hard tone it jolted me right out of the dark place. His thumbs dug into the pulse points of my wrists, before I fell back. “Where’d you go, sugar?” His eyes searched mine, the concern visible even in the dim light. “You okay?” I gave a quick nod. Fast, it was so fast, so clear—but enough … No! Not now … Please, not now! “You sure?” Letting go of my wrists, he brought both hands to the back of my head. “Mmm-hmm. Yes.” I covered his hands with mine and interlocked our fingers, holding onto him like a lifeline. “When, baby?” “I—I don’t remember.” Please, Jaxxon. Please, take it away … He nodded. “Then that’s way too long.” He pulled me against him. I wedged my arms between the back of his head and the cushions. The warmth of his bare skin, the strength of his huge arms, transferred to me as I pressed my body harder against his. For a while, he simply held me. When my breathing regulated and the shock of the memory waned, the contentment to simply be held faded. His erection lay pressed against my throbbing clit. A simmering heat built in my core and spread outwards. I buried my face against his neck, brushing my lips under the tender part of his ear, lightly at first, but when he started rubbing my bare back with firmer, more aggressive strokes I sat up in his lap. No more preamble needed, he slid the top of my dress down my arms, dragging the material between our bodies. The seam of the neckline scraped over my swollen nipples. I inhaled quickly at the twinge of pain, and embraced the pleasure it left behind.
GIVEAWAY!
Secret Lady
-- EXCERPT: “They brought the draft back?” This was it. She had officially lost her mind. “It never went away. Where have you been, miss? More to the point, who are you?” His gruff demand She tilted her face at him. Only the barest outline of his strong features was visible, and yet… Man, was he hot. Focus Evie. “I told you. I’m Evie McIntyre. I live here with my grandmother. Didn’t you realize?” “That so? I don’t suppose you would be a spy in a Mennonite house. Still. Never know. I best get a good look at you.” “Who would I be spying for?” “Rebs. Neither side wishes me well. I’m in no man’s land.” Her heart drummed wildly. “Where does that leave me?” “That’s the question, isn’t it?” He steadied Evie on her feet. Was it? She had no idea what was going on and watched dazedly as he took something from the leather “Lucifers.” He’d lost her again. There must be a powerful resistance movement at work. She didn’t fol-low He drew what resembled matches from a small metal container and struck one. Sulphurous sparks Wait. Where had that lantern come from? The stained-glass lamp Grandma G. treasured was just there before she went to bed. Dear God in heaven. What had happened to the room? 
GIVEAWAY!
I Blackmailed Her Brother
-- EXCERPT: I reach into my pocket and wave a USB in his face. It’s a physical backup I use whenever I’m on the road and Wi-Fi isn’t viable. One of the first things Gemma taught me was to back up everything. Currently, it just has some random files on it, but Wally doesn’t know that. He eyes the USB nervously. “What’s on that?” “It has photos of your arrest, as well as police reports on the drugs you were caught with.” He blanches and sweat beads over his forehead. “Look, I don’t want to have to do this. Just give us the keycard to room 704, and we’ll be in and out in less than a few minutes.” “I’ll get fired,” he whines, his voice piercing louder. I wince, glancing around us, but no one appears to be paying us much attention. Yet. “You won’t be. No one will know what’s happening. Gemma and I will look like two lovers going up to our room, and we’ll exit without anyone knowing we were there.” He shakes his head, but it looks more defeated than opposing. “I can’t fucking believe you. I won’t ever forgive you or her. She is dead to me,” he snaps while stabbing the keyboard in front of him angrily. My stomach drops, and my lungs compact, making it harder to catch my breath. “Please don’t be angry at her. She has no idea I’m doing this,” I beg quietly. Wally does tend to exaggerate in most things. His admission the first time I met him that he would die if the snow didn’t let up soon comes to mind. But Wally also loves to create drama. Often, he orchestrates arguments at family dinners purely for his own amusement. I can totally see him wanting revenge for this, and what better way than to make Scarlett’s life miserable by taunting her over what I have done. “I don’t give a fuck if she knows what you’re doing,” he hisses as he slaps the keycard on the counter, his stare cold enough to give me frostbite. “You have fifteen minutes before the room is occupied.” “Thank you,” I tell him, hoping my pleading tone gains me some sort of sympathy, or at least forgiveness. He doesn’t glance back up at me again. I like Scarlett a lot. How is she going to react to what just happened? How the hell is she going to forgive me for how I threatened her brother? Will she understand? Or hate me? I did this all for the right reasons, didn’t I? I had no choice, not without disappointing Zander. I need to prove to everyone that I am up for this. That becoming a private investigator isn’t a mistake. But, did I take it too far?
GIVEAWAY!
Wings of the Wicked: A Limited Edition Urban Fantasy Collection
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo -- SNEAK PEEKS: Devil’s Claim David hit the button to start his playlist, then turned to face Katala. His speech was halting, but deliberate. “What do you need me to do before we move forward with this agreement?” “Where did that come from all of a sudden? A moment ago, we were talking about work.” Following the wedding, they used most of their extra time moving into a new free-standing flat. Katala had actually taken a six-week leave from work, but cried the night before she had to return. Now, she sat barefoot on the sofa in a long pink cotton gown. “David, I don’t want to talk about that right now. I hate the way you change the subject in midstream like that. I – I’d just like to know you better. You know, feel more comfortable with you. I don’t want to just have sex because we’re supposed to.” David’s gaze followed her as she moved closer to him. “What do you need to know?” he asked. She gave a short laugh. She had to admit, she liked his straightforward manner. Despite her initial distrust, she was beginning to change her mind. One thing she realized she did not have to worry about with him was lies. He was so used to getting his way there was absolutely no guile in him. He simply said ‘I want this or that’, and people did whatever he wanted. She never doubted she would be any different. Honestly, he lit a fire inside her she’d never felt before, but she refused to give in just yet. “David, I want to know how you feel, what you think, what’s important to you. You know – things that I’m sure most married couples know about each other. Nothing out of the ordinary.” He smiled. “How about I don’t like waiting. Is that enough about how I feel and what I think?” -- Forbidden Hallow Dry-mouthed, Ana woke to the chirping of birds outside her windowsill. Heat flared across her cheeks as she thought back on how thoroughly Jesse had loved her only hours ago. Unfortunately, he’d received a phone call soon after and had to return to his room to use the notebook he’d left there. She’d let him go reluctantly. Padding barefoot across the cold tiles of her kitchen, she rolled his name around her mouth. Jesse Hannover. She couldn’t wait until she saw him again later that day. But the longer she repeated his name, the more it started to ring a bell, and a sudden coldness crept through her veins, dampening her good mood. Where had she heard the name Hannover before? Hesitating only for the briefest of moments, she called her brother, Alessio, the only one of her family she could really trust. How she wished he wasn’t half a world away in China. He answered on the first ring. “Hey, little Adriana.” She rolled her eyes. He knew exactly how she hated to be called by her full name. “Hey, yourself. I know you’re busy, but do you have a moment for me?” “Always. Shoot.” “Does the name Jesse Hannover ring a bell for you?” “Good question. It sounds familiar, but I don’t know why. Why are you asking?” Telling her brother that she just slept with a Jesse Hannover was out of the question. “I came across the name on social media and couldn’t stop thinking about it.” “Wait a sec. I’ll check the database.” Pacing the floor, Ana held on. Alessio had access to a database that listed anybody associated with supernatural activities. Her brother cursed through the line. “You were right. Hannover is one of the Hallows fake identities. The youngest Hallow’s name is Jesse.” He groaned over the line. “Whatever you do, stay the hell away from him. As far as you possibly can. I don’t have to tell you what the Hallows are capable of, right?” Her head started spinning, and cold sweat covered her forearms. “No. Thanks for checking. I need to go.” Ana ended the call and sank down on her bed. The Hallows were rumored to be merciless, brutal slayers who eliminated everything supernatural and anyone associated with it, no matter if they were good or evil. She cradled her head in her hands. She’d just exposed Darren to Jesse, before inviting the Hallow into her home and spending the night with him. The best night of her life. If he found out to what extent she was involved with supernaturals, he’d go after her, too. And she wouldn’t be the first of her family to die by the hand of a Hallow. GIVEAWAY!
|
