Barbara Russell's Blog, page 50

The Guardian Of Light-Book 4

It's with great pleasure that I host today a fellow Champagne Books Group author, Renee Wildes, an amazing writer and a lovely friend.



Guardians of Light, Book 4
Fantasy Romance
Cover design by Carly Marino



Without his forbidden touch, her light will disappear forever.

BLURB:

Plagued with nightmares of a goblin child tormented by monsters—and with her usual cures having no effect—dream faerie Pryseis journeys to the Shadowlands to heal the child in person even though doing so risks the wrath of the faerie council. And, if she’s away from home too long, her very existence.

Caught and imprisoned by an ungrateful goblin sorcerer, she’s now trapped underground, chained, her despair growing as her time ticks down yet warmed by the memory of a man she has only touched in dreams.

Benilo ta Myran drained his spirit healing powers during the war, but he has no choice. The beautiful faerie in his dreams is in trouble, and not even his worried king and queen can stop him from trying to save her before the darkness snuffs out her light.

Finally they are together—chained side-by-side in a goblin dungeon. Their only hope for escape is to break the law to merge their powers in a ritual so intensely erotic it binds them for life. However short and nightmarish that life might be…

Warning: Beware beautiful faeries and hot elves appearing in your dreams. They may lead you astray…and steal your heart.

EXCERPT:

Sky-blue eyes flashed in her mind. Warm. Steady. Comforting. The elven spirit-healer. Benilo. Their connection surprised her. But she clung to that brief reassurance now. He’d come to help the lad. If she failed, if she died, there was another.

Since when had she become so defeatist? Pryseis shook herself back to sense. She studied the goblin in the lead. The black sorcerer with that ominous staff of power clutched in his gnarled hands. What were his powers? Was he somehow amplifying the magnitude of her grief and rage?

What if he was doing the same to the lad’s nightmares? To what end?

Think, Pryseis, think…

They crawled past a pool inhabited by ghostly white fish with no eyes. She cringed. Lost, she was lost in a nightmare world of earth and darkness.

Earth. Air. Fire. Water. All four elements—the essence of a spirit-healer. She was surrounded by earth—a drop of water dripped onto her forehead and slid down her nose—and water. She blinked it away, considering. Their connection had started with a dream. She hoped for a brief echo in waking hours, that he could sense her, could track her. She focused on the faint, lingering echo and pictured her amulet. The one thing of hers he’d recognize.

She held the image in her pounding head. Feigning exhaustion, she ceased slithering forward, groaned, and leaned against the solid rock wall. Pressed her head into the mud—what was a little more mud? The clinging quality might come in handy for what she intended. Crystal butterfly with amethyst wings…a flare of recalled passion…hold it.

Don’t let it go. Keep it for the one who follows.

“Come to me. Follow me. Find me.”

The earth was solid. It endured. It should hold the imprinting for a time.

The goblin behind her prodded her forward with a guttural curse. She resumed crawling. At last they entered a tunnel where she could stand, and she unfolded her body with a groan, stretching cramped muscles. With all the twisting and turning, the lack of light, ’twas impossible to tell how far they’d traveled. The eerie green glow revealed the sharp, sneering faces of her captors. The little bandy-legged hunchbacks were quick, nimble, and strong. They’d hauled her up a chimney earlier as if she weighed naught. She studied their weapons—long knives or short swords, depending on one’s point of view, tiny daggers, and bows with those lethal green-fletched black arrows.

Poison arrows.
BUY LINK:http://champagnebooks.com/store/home/759-a-guardian-s-dream-9781947128866.html 
AUTHOR BIO: Renee Wildes grew up reading fantasy authors Terry Brooks and Mercedes Lackey and is a huge Joseph Campbell fan, so the minute she discovered romance novels it became inevitable that she would combine it all and write fantasy romance. Renee is a history buff, from medieval times back to ancient Greece and Sparta. As a Navy brat and a cop’s kid, she gravitated to protector/guardian heroes and  heroines. She’s had horses her whole life, so became the only vet tech in a family of nurses. It all comes together in her Guardians of Light series for Samhain – fantasy, action, romance, heroics and lots of critters!
(The Working Mom)I live in Wausau, central Wisconsin (paper mill central!) 2 hours north of Madison. I’m the married mother of two with 3 cats, a Chow, & a gray Morab mare.
I’m a study in contrasts. I’m a Navy brat and a cop’s kid. I’m the lone vet tech in a family of nurses. Growing up all my friends were boys and Arabian horses, but I’d stand a date up to go horseback riding in the mountains. My ideal weekend is caving, the muddier the better, or rappelling, but it takes me twenty minutes to lean back over that cliff – every single time. Steve Irwin & Josh Gates are my heroes, but I’m deathly afraid of snakes and spiders.
When I’m not writing, I’m running between my day job as an Petsmart dog groomer, 4H meetings, the barn, & horse shows. I drive a cream Ford Escape SUV. I HATE to shop, unless it’s horse or baby stuff. I own 2 pairs of shoes, 3 skirts and 1 dress. I live in jeans in the summer and sweats in the winter. I have pierced ears but never wear earrings. I love the Dark Ages, Medieval Renaissance fairs, and scrapbooking. My favorite flowers are lilies.
When I get time to read, I love fantasy, action, and dark paranormal. My favorite book is The Ladies of Mandrigyn by Barbara Hambly. I want to be Mercedes Lackey when I grow up. I love reading Lori Foster, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan & Angela Knight. In non-fiction I love history from Ancient Egypt & Greece through the Dark Ages, also New Age/Magical Arts. I’m a writing book junkie. I could start my own reference librarian/research business.
I will have to die in my current house because all my friends refuse to haul my book collection another foot. Not even one little box. I’ve always loved writing. In school I was the only kid to have a MAXIMUM word count. My Grandma Jeanne was my inspiration; she was the first writer in our family.
Author Links:Website http://reneewildesromance.com/Blog https://reneewildes1.wordpress.com/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ReneeWildes1Twitter https://twitter.com/ReneeWildes

The Crown of Stones

Magic-PriceThe Crown of Stones Book 1by C.L. SchneiderGenre: Epic Fantasy

Ian Troy is one of the Shinree, a fallen people with an inherent addiction to magic. Scorned and reviled for the deadly side of their spells, the Shinree are bred as slaves. Their magic is suppressed by drugs and used only as it serves the purposes of the other races.
Descended from a long line of soldiers, Ian is conscripted into the Rellan army and made to fight in their longstanding conflict against the ruthless Langorian invaders. The downfall of Rella imminent, Ian goes against orders and turns to the Crown of Stones, an ancient Shinree relic of untold power. Ignorant of its true purpose, Ian uses the crown to end the war, and pays a terrible price.A decade later, still tortured by the aftermath of that day, Ian lives as a bounty hunter in self-imposed exile. Having renounced his magical heritage, he curbs his obsession with a steady stream of wine and regret. He struggles to put it all behind him, until a fateful encounter with a pretty assassin brings Ian’s past crashing into the present.Targeted by a rogue Shinree, and a ruthless old enemy, Ian is forced to use magic again. His deadly addiction is rekindled and his life of isolation is brought to a swift end. With the land he gave up everything to protect once more in jeopardy, and his people’s future at stake, Ian becomes embroiled in a violent race for control of the Crown of Stones. To save the realms and those he cares for, Ian must embrace the thing he fears most: his own power.


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Magic-ScarsThe Crown of Stones Book 2
Magic doesn’t wound the same as a sword.

The story of Ian Troy continues in Magic-Scars, the second installment in C. L. Schneider’s riveting epic fantasy trilogy, The Crown of Stones.
Captured by his old enemy, King Draken of Langor, Shinree magic user Ian Troy was sentenced to prison. Tortured and drugged, robbed of his will, his memories, and his magic, Ian was made to do unspeakable things. Rescued, as his body slowly rids itself of the drug, Ian realizes he has returned to an unfamiliar world gripped with fear. In the wake of his fall, those he cared for were left to their own grim fates. Draken has seized control of the realms and named himself High King. His brutal rein has sparked a desperate rebellion that Ian now finds himself a part of. His one task: recover and repair the Crown of Stones, in hopes it will tip the balance in the revolution that is brewing. In pursuit of the reason behind the artifact’s strange loss of magic, Ian is driven to release an explosion of retribution and power that leaves him irrevocably scarred.
Struggling to reconcile the man he has become with the man he once was, Ian strives to understand the growing number of magic-scars adorning his body. He searches for the truth behind his link to the Crown of Stones and uncovers shocking secrets buried for generations beneath the sand. To become the weapon the resistance needs, he must assume responsibility for his magical inheritance. But can he curb the destructive appetite that comes with it?
The price of Ian’s magic and his addiction have never been higher.


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Magic-BorneThe Crown of Stones Book 3
No other Shinree has borne as much of magic's weight, its pleasure, or its guilt.

The fate of Ian Troy is revealed in the final installment of C. L. Schneider's epic fantasy trilogy, The Crown of Stones.
In one fell swoop, the resistance was shattered. Lives were taken. Hope was lost. Peace slipped like grains of sand through his fingers. So did the Crown of Stones. Now, forced into hiding, Ian Troy grapples for a way to save the realm—and free its people—from the sadistic clutches of Jem Reth; Mirra’kelan’s new self-appointed emperor. Plagued with the knowledge of a tragic future, he strives to influence events and save those he cares for. But his magic has betrayed him, and Fate has other plans.
Marked by the crown, hindered by the transformation spell contained within, each cast brings Ian one step closer to becoming more beast than man. Each move brings the death and destruction foretold in his vision inexplicably nearer. With Langor on the brink of war, and King Malaq’s plan for peace hanging in the balance, Ian returns to the ancient past; seeking an end to the eldring spell and a means to thwart Jem’s growing domination. What he finds there sets off a chain of revelations that leads Ian places he never thought to go.
Entrusted with the future of his race, Ian becomes the linchpin for lasting change. But how much weight can one man carry? And how much is he willing to sacrifice in the name of peace?


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Born in a small Kansas town on the Missouri river, C.L. Schneider grew up in a house of avid readers and overflowing bookshelves. Her first full-length novel took shape while she was still in high school, on a typewriter in her parent's living room. While her main focus is adult epic and urban fantasy, she also pens the occasional science fiction or post-apocalyptic story.

Though she has been writing all of her life, Magic-Price (the first installment in The Crown of Stones Trilogy) was Schneider's first published novel. With the trilogy complete, she is excited to be embarking on a new path with her urban fantasy series, Nite Fire.
Learn more about C.L. Schneider and her work at clschneiderauthor.com, where you can read reviews, excerpts, sneak peeks and teasers, subscribe to her newsletter, and join her Street Team. Look for book reviews and guest posts, and follow her journey as an indie author, on her blog, "Heading Down The Yellow Brick Road". An active part of the online indie author community, you can connect with C.L. Schneider on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Google+, where she chats about books, zombies, coffee, and the wonderful roller coaster of a writer's life.


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Calendar Men Series

Welcome to the Calendar Men Collection. 12 Books. 12 Authors. Each book references a particular month. All books are stand alone and independent of each other.

Januaryby Jude Ouvrard
Defeated.
That’s how Evan Keeler feels. His last tour overseas ended with personal injuries and the loss of his best friend, Fynn Parker. Evan has become broody and gets lost in the darkness of his thoughts more often. Which is no surprise, when he doesn’t see an end to his therapy appointments and can’t seem to get out of his parents’ basement.
At her wit’s end, his mother decides it’s enough. Little by little, Mrs. Keeler convinces Evan to try and get better. To get back to living.The catch is, because he’s suffering from memory loss, Evan can’t put all the pieces back together. He doesn’t think his history with Jane was all that perfect so it would help if he could remember where they left things off before this last tour.Although confused by his feelings and reality, Evan does know one thing—he can’t let Jane Parker go.


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Februaryby Scarlett J. Rose 
Shift's life took a dramatic turn in February. After being sentenced to six years in prison for his part in a liquor store robbery, he discovers he's gotten one of the club girls pregnant.
Six years later, he's released. Now, he's got to balance his life with being a great single dad to Lilly, keeping up with his MC brothers, and figuring out his feelings for his neighbour, Cass.
It's a long and winding road. Will he make it to the end intact? Or will he forever be just another loser.



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March by Susan Horsnell
At 38 years old, Jarrod Turner has everything - literally.
A successful chain of hotels in five countries.
Private 727 jet.
Fleet of cars - Rolls Royce, Bentley and Mercedes Sports.A Harley Davidson Softail.And, a cruising yacht berthed at the bottom of the garden of his waterfront home.Yep, he has everything.So, why is he so unhappy with his life?What is it about the month of March which brings back bitter memories, year after year?Will he ever learn to live in the present instead of the past?



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April by Aleisha Maree
Kaden was groomed to be tough, take whatever was thrown his way, to bury his feelings.
When a woman stepped into his life, one glance and he was gone. Like every other man in the room.
He won his woman, but the time they spent together would prove to be the worst of his life.
Gracie-May was married to Ben - a returned Vet who'd had his leg blown apart in a battle.He was a drunkard, abusive and bitter about life.When Kaden returned from war, broken and battered on Anzac Day - 25th April 2018, Gracie-May, the charge nurse on duty, found herself instantly drawn to him.Could Gracie-May and Kaden be each others' saviors or is the past too hard to overcome?



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Mayby Cheryl Wright
She left to start a new career ten years ago, and his heart shattered. Now she's back, and the sparks have reignited.
But she’s set to leave again in a matter of weeks. How do two friends reconcile when nothing is promised?
After Sierra West suddenly left town, Braxton Chalmers tried to move on with his life. But thoughts of her always taunted him, to the point no other woman could ever live up to her standards.
Sierra West returned to the outback town of Oakdale after the death of her beloved grandmother. Seeing Braxton again has reignited past emotions. She can’t allow these feelings to surface again – she must return to the city once her business in Oakdale is done.Can they just remain friends? Or will fate step in and show them they were meant to be together?
Author's Promise: This is a heartwarming Christmas novella with a happily ever after ending and no cliffhangers. It is a clean and wholesome story with nothing more than hugs, kisses, and holding hands.

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Juneby C. Renee
Jake Kennedy was twenty-one when his life imploded.
Needing money for his teaching degree, he fell into stripping in nightclubs and becoming an escort to get the cash needed.
Now a fully qualified teacher, he’s finding it hard to let go of his wild stripping ways—that is—until he meets his new principal, Anna Skilton.Anna isn’t impressed with his double life, and he now needs to decide what’s more important, Anna and teaching? Or stripping?

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Julyby Sonya Jesus

I don’t do love.
Or hearts.
Or anything that can get broken…
I’m already broken enough.
If you’re looking for the perfect guy, with imperfect actions and an undamaged heart…Stop! Keep scrolling…because I’m not effing good at being good. I’m not boyfriend material. I fill my loveless heart with sex-filled nights and distance myself from any type of commitment—while I still have the power to. Soon, I’ll relinquish my freedom to adulthood and take over Cohen Enterprises, but until then, I own my independence. I breathe bad decisions, blink away my flaws, and enjoy the detached life I’ll never have again. 
At least I try to. My guilt-free mornings and shameless nights abruptly stop when I make my next mistake with my brother’s girlfriend. Now, I can’t stop thinking about Delilah. She triggered my heart alive, and I’m torn between the girl I might be falling for and the only person I respect. 


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Augustby Cari Robe
Thomas Gable has only loved one girl his whole life, Ella.
When the woman of his dreams marries his best friend, Mike, he vows to stand by them both.
When Mike loses his life in a tragic accident Thomas breaks his own promise leaving Ella on her own with no intention of ever seeing her again.
Fate steps in and brings the two back together and Ella needs answers.Can Thomas find a way to forgive himself and have a second chance with his lifelong love or will the secrets he carries ruin his chance forever?Take a second chance on love in August, a Calendar Men Series novel.



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Septemberby Heather Osborne
Being a teacher is often a thankless profession, but I love my job—even if it does mean herding around twenty kindergartners. I know how the moms look at me, but it wasn’t until I met Selene Adler that I actually began to look back. However, there’s some reluctance behind those captivating brown eyes, a past she doesn’t want to reveal or relive. Still, I’ve never been one to give up on a challenge. What could be worse than snotty noses and scraped knees?


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Octoberby RaeAnne Hadley 
Divorce was never in his plans; a new chance at happiness wasn't either but true love never gives up.



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Novemberby Margaret Tanner
Hell bent on revenge against the man who had him wrongfully kicked out of the army, Matt Page wants to destroy everything his enemy holds dear.
Even his daughter, Jo.
What will Matt do when his plan backfires?
After he banishes Jo from his life he realizes he loves her.Can he forget past injustices and win her back?Or is he doomed to a life of regret for what he could have had - a loving wife and family.



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Decemberby DL Gallie

They call me the Grinch, and they’re right; I hate Christmas. So why am I volunteering to help with the charity toy drive? I’ll tell you why, Marlee “Oh so sexy” Adams
As soon as we crashed into each other, I was done for. Her ass. Her eyes. Legs that go on and on.
Did I mention her ass?
She’s the perfect present for this Christmas Grinch... I can’t wait to unwrap her. Little did I know, unwrapping Marlee would also unwrap this grinch's heart.

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**Click through the slideshow to view all the amazing authors!!**





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Craving Lovely Books: The Good Inside Me - Book Tour and Giveaway

Craving Lovely Books: The Good Inside Me - Book Tour and Giveaway: The Good Inside Me by Barbara Russell Genre: YA Paranormal Romance  Dragons, short-tempered archdemons, and hysterical ...

Laurie's Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews: The Good inside Me by Barbara Russell

Laurie's Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews: The Good inside Me by Barbara Russell

The Good Inside Me-The Tour Begins!

The Good Inside Meby Barbara Russell Genre: YA Paranormal Romance 
Dragons, short-tempered archdemons, and hysterical damned souls—Shax is used to dealing with all that. He’s a young fire demon and lives in Hell, after all. What he’s not used to is being possessed by a human. A very good human and a pretty girl at that: sixteen-year-old Tolis. Despite still having control of his body most of the time, Shax can hear Tolis’s voice inside his head and feels what she feels constantly.
Shax’s mentor claims that Tolis hides an ancient, powerful grimoire, a book of spells, and proposes a deal: if Shax finds it, he’ll help Shax get work as a dragon keeper—Shax’s dream job. Tolis swears she doesn’t have the grimoire and asks Shax to help her father, whose soul is turning evil by the minute. Unless Tolis does something, her dad’s soul will end in Hell. Hoping to convince her to give him the grimoire, and not because Shax cares about the man’s soul, he agrees to help.Goodness is overrated. Since Shax decided to help Tolis, his life has turned into a hurdle race. Thugs chase him, the scientists in Hell want to prod and examine the first possessed demon in history, and he can’t find the darn grimoire.
And the worst part? Due to the unavoidable presence of Tolis, who keeps intruding into his evil thoughts, Shax discovers an almost decent side of himself. In no time at all, he catches himself doing actual good deeds. Is he becoming—yuck—good?


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 Chapter One
NOT MANY THINGS scared Shax. He was a fire demon, lived in Hell, and dealt with dragons and other infernal beasts every day. Attempts to stab and roast him were pretty much a part of his daily routine. Not to mention his short-tempered archdemon mentor, who threatened him with disembowelment at least ten times in an hour. Yet, being trapped in the limbo between Earth and Hell, the nowhere space that had no entrance or exit, made him want to throw up out of fear. When he’d dematerialized from Hell to reach Earth, he hadn’t focused on his destination.  He’d landed in the middle of the corridor of St. Cecil High School in Auckland, as he was supposed to, but had ended up sandwiched between the infernal portal and the human one. Again. Whoever said ending up in limbo was a rare thing had never dematerialized with Shax.  Blurred figures brushed past the limbo’s walls, and muffled sounds echoed around him. Pushing at the opaque walls that caged him was useless. Screaming didn’t solve anything, and even tossing one of his mighty demonic blazes wouldn’t do any good. The metaphysical cage was fireproof. Besides, he’d tried demonic fire before and only gotten burned. But this didn’t mean he was a hopeless demon, as many said back in Hell. Anyone could’ve made this mistake.He leaned against the cold barrier and counted the stains of mud on his sneakers. Not much to do but wait for Astharot, his mentor, to rescue him. As only a fifth-level fire demon, Shax needed an expert’s help to jump in and out of limbo.A tall dark figure approached the wall, and Shax waved a hand. “I’m here!”He wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans. Great Sathael, not even Hades Park with its roaming werewolves was so creepy. These icy walls, the distant sounds, the fuzzy silhouettes…it all seemed as if he were trapped in a fishbowl.  The dark figure lifted an arm and hit the barrier. A crack appeared, letting in a draft of fresh air. The fist struck again until the fractures expanded like cobwebs. The wall shattered, exploding into thousands of glassy pieces. Shax fell over, dropping onto a blue vinyl floor. He moaned, massaging his back.Astharot loomed over him. His lips curled to bare his teeth in a threatening smirk—as if being a massive archdemon, almost eight feet tall and dressed in black leather from head to toe, wasn’t menacing enough.“What were you doing in there?” Astharot pulled Shax to his feet.Shax adjusted his red hoodie. “I miscalculated the dematerialization.”“Miscalculated?” Astharot scowled at him. “Your lack of focus will cost you a few points on your final score.”“What?”“Complain and I’ll have you weed dragonwort from my garden.”“Again? I did it last week.” Shax flexed his fingers, which were still throbbing from the spiky dragonwort’s bites.“It has regrown.” Astharot grabbed his arm. “We’d better hurry. Our divine colleagues are already here.”Shax shrugged himself free and dodged a teacher striding past. A long corridor, lined with yellow lockers on both sides, stretched in front of him. Kids wearing blue and green uniforms milled around, bags strapped to their shoulders. Girls with colorful rucksacks covered in freakish rainbows, ugly unicorns, and hideous flowers filed in. Goodness wafted from them like the scents of their flowery perfumes, causing his stomach to roll. A guy ran through Shax as if he were a ghost, and Shax shouted. No point in keeping his voice low. None of these humans could see, hear, or touch him unless he revealed himself.The students’ chatter and click-clack of lockers being closed and opened echoed off the walls. At the end of the hallway, in a quiet corner, two men stood, dressed in blinding white suits. The shorter one, Jilhael, fussed with his snowy cravat and pulled back his long blond hair.Shax waved at his friend. Looking at Jilhael’s sapphire eyes and sensing the goodness in him, no one would ever guess he was half fire demon, half air angel. Jilhael’s mentor, Nithael, surveyed the crowd of kids with his sharp gaze, like a German shepherd watching a flock of sheep, his ebony skin a stark contrast with his white suit. Shax squinted at the circle of blue light on the floor; it marked one of the celestial portals that led to Heaven.Astharot and Nithael exchanged a curt nod.Shax playfully shoved Jilhael. “Hey, Jay, ready?”Jilhael loosened his shirt’s collar. “You were right. This white suit is a tad uncomfortable.”“Told ya.” Shax tugged at his hoodie and twitched his nose. His clothes smelled of sulfur and French fries. “Hell: less rules, more fun.”Jilhael raised a golden brow. “This is work. It’s not supposed to be fun.”Astharot toyed with his dagger—the athame—scrutinizing the oblivious human kids. “Have you already chosen Jilhael’s subject? Who should Jilhael possess?”Nithael straightened and golden sparks flew about him. They fell on two girls passing by, who laughed. “Sure.” He flourished a hand. A white book appeared in his palm, and he skimmed the pages. “Jilhael has already possessed three young humans with excellent results, despite his lack of control.” He gave Jilhael a piercing look.Astharot snorted, but Nithael ignored him.“Jilhael’s subject today will be…Chad McKee, sixteen, prone to anger and envy. He harassed a few girls in the past weeks, and he’s that boy over there.” Nithael pointed to a broad guy with short brown hair and hazel eyes, standing in front of an open locker. A large duffel bag dangled from his shoulder.Shax poked Jilhael in the ribs. “Looks like a tough guy. I don’t envy you.”“No pun intended, right?” Jilhael chuckled.“What about Shax?” Nithael closed the book and made it disappear with a casual gesture.Astharot scratched his unshaven chin with his blade. “Don’t know…not sure yet….”“I need to know who Shax is going to possess, Astharot.” Nithael’s hands twitched. “It’s our right to have the chance to repair the damage you and your apprentice are going to—”“Shut up. I’m no rookie. Let me think,” Astharot scoffed. “You promised to be ready this time,” Nithael hissed, blue sparks shooting from his body.Shax stifled a chuckle. Had Nithael believed Astharot would be ready? “Don’t get your wings in a knot.” Astharot held out a hand. “Give me a minute, and I’ll find Shax’s next target.”Jilhael leaned closer to Shax. “What creature is next on your list? Or are you still working with objects?”“I’ve finished with appliances.” Shax gestured to a fly zooming by. “An insect? Or a small animal maybe.” He rubbed his hands. “This is the first time I’ll possess a living thing. I can’t wait.”“It’s a lot of work.” Jilhael brushed his white jacket. “But I love searching for the good inside a living being and helping it grow.”“There!” Astharot pointed his athame toward Chad’s left.Shax squinted. A huge black spider crawled on top of the lockers, but Chad and a pretty blonde girl next to him ignored it.A spider. Cool. Being a spider for a few days would have to be fun.The girl shifted sideways, her pink lips and rosy skin, her long wavy hair— Nope. He had to focus. On the spider. Astharot mumbled something Shax didn’t catch—probably the usual list of dos and don’ts.  As if he didn’t know that taking a life was a big no-no. Inside a spider, he could scare girls, build cobwebs, sneak into the girls’ changing room. Finally, Astharot had given him an awesome test.

 



I’m an entomologist and a soil biologist, which is a fancy way to say that I dig in the dirt, looking for bugs. Nature and books have always been my passion. I was a kid when I read The Lord Of The Ring and fell in love with fantasy novels. When I discovered cozy mystery and crime novels, I fell in love with Hercules Poirot and Sherlock Holmes. Then I grew up and . . . Nah, I’m joking. I didn’t grow up. Don’t grow up, folks! It’s a trap. PS I hate gardening. There, I said it. Sorry fellow Kiwis.

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Dying on Edisto

Dying on EdistoThe Edisto Island Mysteries Book 5by C. Hope Clark Genre: Cozy Mystery
One death. Two detectives. And unexpected backup.
A Callie Morgan and Carolina Slade crossover! (A standalone mystery)

When a renowned—and now dead—travel blogger washes ashore on the banks of Indigo Plantation, Police Chief Callie Morgan of Edisto Beach agrees to head the investigation as a favor to the county sheriff, whose reasons are as questionable as the death itself.When death turns to murder and a watchdog from the county makes her investigation difficult, Callie reluctantly turns to Carolina Slade and Wayne Largo, vacationing agents with the Department of Agriculture. Because poison is growing on this plantation, and someone knows how to use it well."Page-turning...[and] edge-of-your-seat action...crisp writing and compelling storytelling. This is one you don't want to miss!" —Carolyn Haines, USA Today bestselling author"Her beloved protagonist, Callie, continues to delight readers as a strong, savvy, and a wee-bit-snarky police chief.”—Julie Cantrell, NY Times and USA Today bestselling author



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C. HOPE CLARK has a fascination with the mystery genre and is author of the Carolina Slade Mystery Series as well as the Edisto Island Mysteries, both set in her home state of South Carolina. In her previous federal life, she performed administrative investigations and married the agent she met on a bribery investigation. She enjoys nothing more than editing her books on the back porch with him, overlooking the lake, with bourbons in hand. She can be found either on the banks of Lake Murray or Edisto Beach with one or two dachshunds in her lap. Hope is also editor of the award-winning FundsforWriters.com.


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Once Upon A Murder

Once Upon a MurderA Fairy Tale Mystery Book 1by D.E. Dennis Genre: Cozy Mystery 
In the town of Castle Rock, many residents live a fairy life but not all get a fairy tale ending.The home of Michael Grimm is a unique place where the line between the haves and the have-nots might as well have been a canyon. The gated community of Fairy Tails houses the wealthy, royal, and connected while the simple townsfolk they ignore putter about their lives on the other side.Despite the embittered classes, not much happens in their divided town and Michael, along with his sister Monica, struggle to keep the doors of Grimm Investigations open.That is until Preston Charming, the wealthy son of one of the most powerful families in Fairy Tails, is found murdered in Siren Woods. The Grimm siblings eagerly take the case, but soon Michael finds himself on a collision course with the scars of the past and people who inflicted them.Amid old enemies, abandoned shoes, hardened servant girls, and infamous parties; will Michael solve this homicidal puzzle before the killer sees to it he doesn't get his happy ever after?

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D.E. Dennis grew up in the United States but has spent most of her life within the pages of a book. A great novel has the ability to transport you to another time or place and she loves all the worlds she has had the opportunity to visit.
Now, she spends her time traveling the world and visiting new (and real) places and cultures as her love of being transported to another place only grew as she got older.
When D.E. Dennis is not writing, she is reading, eating cheesecake, and changing countries.


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Jazzy Book Reviews: The Heart Collector by Barbara Russell - Book Tour...

Jazzy Book Reviews: The Heart Collector by Barbara Russell - Book Tour...: The Heart Collector Auckland Steampunk Book 1 by Barbara Russell Genre: Steampunk, Romantic Suspense Auckland, 1884 ...

Mama's Moon

Mamma's MoonThe Hoodoo of Peckerwood Finchby Jerome Mark AntilGenre: Thriller 
"Jerome Mark Antil's  Mamma's Moon  does for Acadiana what Truman Capote did for Tiffany's or Tennessee Williams did for streetcars. This is a novel about a lot of things, including sex, crime, life, and death. But most of all, it's a novel about hope and about love.Mamma's Moon gives the reader a dramatic and insightful glimpse into the very special world of today's Louisiana French Acadians, whose early tragic history was immortalized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his classic poem,  Evangeline , even before the heartless bayou's more contemporary history was buried deep and forgotten." Tom Hyman ( LA Times  bestselling author: writer for  LIFE magazine,  The Saturday Evening Post ,  Argosy ,  Washington Post Book World  and  New York Magazine .)This novel,  Mamma's Moon,  is a sequel to the novel,  One More Last Dance.  It stands alone as an entirely self-contained story, but for those of you who may not have read the earlier novel, I include here a brief description of the main characters and of the events that preceded this story.A bond that can only happen on a dance floor happened in a cafe off Frenchman Street among four unlikely characters: a man who was about to die; his friend, an illiterate Cajun French yardman; and two of the most successful women in New Orleans.Aging Captain Gabriel Jordan, retired, was given two months to live, three months before he met "Peck"--Boudreau Clemont Finch--a groundskeeper on the back lawn of his hospice on Bayou Carencro, Louisiana. It was at the hospice that Gabe told Peck his dream of seeing the Newport Jazz Festival before he died. They became friends, and Peck offered to help grant his wish by taking him there.And they began their journey.It quickly became a journey with complications and setbacks. They saved each other many times, but they were in turn saved by two extraordinary women: Sasha (Michelle Lissette), a real estate agent in New Orleans's posh Garden District, and her best friend, Lily Cup (Lily Cup Lorelei Tarleton), a criminal attorney.Less than a year before the events in  Mamma's Moon,  Gabe and Peck wandered into Charlie's Blue Note, a small jazz bar in a side alley just off Frenchman Street, where the music was live and mellow and the dancing warm and sensual.Here they encountered Sasha and Lily Cup, and amid the music, the dancing, the food, the flirting, and the cigar smoke, the four formed an unusual and lasting friendship that would see them each through a series of crises, disappointments, life-threatening situations, and moments of great joy and satisfaction.

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JEROME MARK ANTIL writes in several genres. He has been called a “greatest generation’s Mark Twain,” a “write what you know Ernest Hemingway,” and “a sensitive Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.” It’s been said his work reads like a Norman Rockwell painting. Among his writing accomplishments, several titles in his The Pompey Hollow Book Club historical fiction series about growing up in the shadows of WWII have been honored. An ‘Authors and Writers’ Book of the Year Award and ‘Writer of the Year’ at Syracuse University for The Pompey Hollow Book Club novel; Hemingway, Three Angels, and Me, won SILVER in the UK as second-best novel.
Foreword’s Book of the Year Finalist for The Book of Charlie – historical fiction and The Long Stem is in the Lobby – nonfiction humor. Library Journal selected Hemingway, Three Angels and Me for best reads during Black History Month.
Before picking up the pen, Antil spent his professional career writing and marketing for the business world. In this role, he lectured at universities - Cornell, St. Edward’s, and Southern Methodist. His inspirations have been John Steinbeck, Mark Twain, and Ernest Hemingway.

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