Courtney Cole's Blog, page 9
March 2, 2014
All of Court’s Men: Cadmus
Happy Sunday!!
This is the week of all things Cadmus on All of Court’s Men! Let me tell you… Cadmus is more than his myth may imply.
My very first series with a YA Paranormal Mythology series… focusing on a re-working of the myth of Cadmus and Harmonia. The Bloodstone Saga will always have a special place in my heart because it was my first… and also because of Cadmus.
Reasons to love Cadmus?
Well, let’s start with this:
And we can continue with this:
He’s dark, he’s tall, he’s a warrior, he’s brave, he’s true. He’s sexy and strong, he’s witty and loyal. He’s all of the things that a warrior should be. Harmonia is one lucky woman.
If you haven’t read my Bloodstone Saga, here’s a blurb:
Born a goddess. Controlled by the Fates. Can Macy’s love for her soul mate survive the bonds of time… and death?
The Bloodstone Saga is a series of four YA Paranormal Romance novels following the life of one girl who has been tricked by the Fates into believing that she is a Keeper.
She is reborn time and time again into tragic lives with tragic ends. Time and time again, she loses her soul mate. Until finally, she comes face to face with who she really is and the earth-shattering realization changes everything.
Every Last Kiss
Fated
With My Last Breath
My Tattered Bonds
In these four books, one girl is confronted with lies, happiness, treachery, magic and myth. She learns how strong she really is and what sacrifices she is truly prepared to make for those that she loves. Heartbreaking, poignant and emotional, these books will tug at your heart-strings and leave you breathless for more.
What would you do if you held fate in your hands?
********
I had so much fun writing this series, because Harmonia was born time and time again as someone else before she eventually remembers who she truly is. In each life, Cadmus was there as someone else, as well. It was so much fun to twist history and myth into fun Paranormal novels. If you love paranormal and mythology, you should definitely check this series out.
To start you out, here’s a taste of Every Last Kiss:
Hasani was gone when I woke and I squeezed my eyes shut against the light from the flickering wall sconces. He must have lit them for me before he left and even in my grumpy morning mood, I had to smile at his consideration. I pulled the covers over my head and rested my cheek against the comfort of my pillow for a few minutes longer before I finally sighed and emerged into the reality of daytime.
It couldn’t be much past daybreak, since the orange fingers of the sun were just starting to curl around the horizon. Hasani must have risen early to run drills with his soldiers before the Alexandrian heat rolled in. Antony was probably with him.
I got up quickly, tying a soft white scarf around my waist and putting on a jeweled golden brassiere. As I pulled my hair away from my face and fastened gold earrings into my ears, I briefly pondered my older body. As Charmian, I may be thirty-nine, but my body was as svelte as a teen’s. Fascinating. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that ancient Egyptians didn’t have French fries or ice cream.
Sitting down at my vanity table, I pulled out the multiple jars required for my daily skin care and cosmetics application, sighing as I did. As Macy, I was a very low-key, low-maintenance person. Charmian’s intricate, Egyptian beauty regime was tiresome. But I had to admit that it was effective. I had a perfect complexion.
Dipping my fingers in a jar of scented oil, I glanced back into the mirror as I began to apply it. And froze with my fingers at the base of my neck.
A woman, pale and beautiful, sat on the bed behind me as though she belonged there. Her eyes were ice blue and her long hair was so blonde that it was snow white. I whirled around to face her.
“How did you get in here?” I demanded. “How did you get past the guards?”
She smiled peacefully at me, but didn’t answer.
“Can you speak?” I asked. “Who are you?”
She studied me again, unmoving and silent from her perch on my bed. She wore silvery robes embroidered with rich blue which were spread around her and her long fingernails were silver. They sparkled in the muted light from my window. She reminded me of what a fairy would be like. An odd sensation began to build in my chest and I hesitated.
“Who are you?” I whispered again.
“You know who I am,” she said gently, as she rose from the bed. She was so graceful that it seemed as though she floated as she walked toward me.
“I don’t,” I argued, as she came to a stop behind me.
“You do,” she insisted softly, as she placed her hands on my shoulders. And in that instant, the second that her hands touched me, I did.
I was standing face to face with Lachesis, the middle sister of the Fates. Terrifying and powerful, the last time I had seen her, she had been an ancient, stooped hag. My eyes flew in amazement to her lovely, young face.
She smiled.
“I can appear as I wish, Charmian,” she said lightly. “You are beautiful. So, of course I wanted to appear beautiful, as well. I have no wish to scare you.”
“Then what is your wish?” I asked quietly, keeping my eyes locked on her face.
She reached past me and picked up the jar of oil, dipping her long fingers into it. Picking up my arm, she gently began rubbing the scented oil into my skin as she spoke.
“You are one of twelve, Charmian. Did you know that?” I shook my head, instantly intrigued.
“Yes. Twelve very important people were chosen so long ago to assist us throughout the millennia. You were chosen for your bravery and your heart.”
She turned my wrist over and fingered my scar.
“I placed the mark of the phoenix upon your wrist myself. The phoenix is sacred to the order, Charmian. It symbolizes re-birth and life, the very thing that we stand for… the things that we protect. And we gave you that mark. It is an honor.”
I nodded. “Yes, of course it is.”
“Then why have you been doubting us?” she turned her large blue eyes to me, beseeching me.
“I haven’t!” I protested. “The priest Annen has tried to convince me of his theories… but being a member of the Order is all I know. I have no wish to believe him.”
“But you’ve wondered.”
She stated it as a fact, watching my face as she absently held her open palm out to a butterfly that had flown in from my window. The delicate yellow wings quivered as it crawled onto her hand and sat still.
“I know your heart, Charmian.”
I sighed. “I couldn’t help but wonder how much truth was in what he said. But I have no wish to believe him. I’ve put his claims out of my mind.”
“As you should,” she instructed with the first trace of a harsh tone.
She watched the butterfly for a moment more, her blue eyes glinting, before she snapped her hand shut, crushing the delicate insect between her fingers. I gasped as she put it in her mouth, chewing calmly as she contemplated me.
“You are one of the best we have, Charmian. Yet you’ve lost your bloodstone.”
My heart dropped into my toes. I couldn’t deny it.
“Yes,” I admitted in a whisper, my head bowed.
“Get it back,” she hissed, her face clouding over and for a split second, one brief moment, I saw a glimpse of the ancient hag that she was. I sucked my breath in, waiting for a storm.
She calmed herself, resuming her tranquil tone, her face regaining its youth and beauty.
“Our bloodstones are powerful, as you know. They are the keys to everything. That sniveling eunuch will not be able to use it- because it was made for you. But the bloodstones were made from one stone. One. When one is lost, we all suffer.”
I stared at her intrigued, as she pulled her own bloodstone out of her robes. Hers was larger than mine and set in an intricate setting surrounded by rubies, but it had clearly been cut from the same mother stone… glistening blood-red, with black veins.
“Our power as a whole should not be diminished because of the carelessness of one, should it?” she purred, sliding her hands smoothly over my shoulders and stopping with her fingers wrapped lightly around my neck.
I gulped, then shook my head quickly.
“Then, fix it,” she instructed pleasantly, removing her hands. “No matter what you need to do to repair your error, you have my support. Do you understand?”
Did I? Was she saying that retrieving my bloodstone using any means necessary was more important than restoring history?
Before I could speak, she nodded. “I see that we’ve come to an understanding. You’re such a bright girl.”
Confusion flooded through me as I watched her adjust her clothing. How could this be happening? My entire being was dedicated to enforcing the plan of the Fates. Never had we deviated before, under the threat that chaos would ensue. How could we deviate now? Unless the threat was just that… an idle threat. I had forgotten that my thoughts were not safe around her, until she snapped me from my reverie with a growl.
“Do not question us again, Charmian! There are times when the Plan is not as important as protecting the Order. It is as simple as that. And I will not explain myself to you!”
But she just had. The Order had a weakness. The Bloodstones. And nothing on earth was as important as keeping them. I quickly blanked my thoughts so that she couldn’t read them again and nodded.
“Yes, Lachesis. I’m sorry. Rest assured, I will fix this…” My voice trailed off hesitantly.
“But?” she prompted.
“But can I just ask one thing? Can I just know one thing… because I know I will not remember it in my next life anyway.”
She studied me quietly, reading my thoughts and hearing my unspoken question. Her face an unreadable, lovely mask.
“In each life your memories from your previous lives are wiped clean for your own benefit,” she finally explained. “It benefits you in many ways. If you were able to remember the sadness from your previous lives, it would drive you to insanity. You would lose your effectiveness as a Keeper.”
I nodded. Ahmose had been right.
“And you forget the gifts you are capable of through your bloodstone as a safeguard,” she added. “The power that we are able to harness is exquisite and enormous. Too much burden for any one person to be aware of, life after life.”
“But you…”
“My sisters and I have each other to keep us in check. You have no one. But your Aegis.”
Realization settled upon me like a cloud. So, Ahmose wasn’t just there to assist me… he was there to keep me firmly in place.
“So, now you know.” She stared at me. “For now. You’ll forget it again soon enough.”
That thought was not comforting.
“Charmian?”
I looked up at her.
“Yes?”
“Be good.”
And she was gone.
I took a shaking breath and sank into my bed, allowing the softness to comfort me momentarily. I wasn’t sure what to think. She had just confirmed that at least some of the things that Annen had told me were true… but since she openly admitted them, didn’t that mean that the Order had nothing to hide? I was at a loss.
My hand brushed against a rolled up papyrus on my bed. Staring at it suspiciously, I picked it up. How had she left it? I hadn’t seen her with it at all.
As I unrolled it, the yellow butterfly that I had just seen Lachesis eat flew from the confines of the paper and out my window. I watched it fly away in shock, alive and well, before I turned my attention to the paper in my hands. Delicate, feminine writing flowed across the page in English.
There are things you were never meant to understand.
You will have to trust me.
Before I even had a chance to ponder its meaning, the cryptic message burst into flame and I dropped it to the stone floor, watching it burn on the stone. Within a minute, it had disappeared completely… as though it had never existed.
********
The series is available as a complete collection (Four full-length novels, a novella, and bonus scenes) for $9.99. Every Last Kiss, the full-length prequel, is available for FREE.
February 28, 2014
When Life Doesn’t Hand you a HEA
Back when I wrote IF YOU STAY, I received a lot of e-mail from readers.
Most of it was amazing and inspiring from readers who had also known addiction, or knew of someone who had.
However, some of it was from disgruntled readers who said that my story wasn’t realistic. That if someone took drugs to disappear into oblivion, then chances are that they were, in fact, addicted and that I was sending out the wrong message of rainbows and butterflies with my book.
If you read my work, you already know that I’m a big believer in Happily-Ever-Afters. I mean, people read fiction to escape from reality. Why in the world would I want to depress them with a book that ended in any way other than happily?
When I wrote IF YOU STAY, that was the reality of my “Pax”. He wasn’t an addict at that time.
Unlike fiction though, life continues to evolve and change. A book, after it ends, won’t stray from the final storyline. That HEA will remain for all of eternity.
Life, however, does change. And sometimes, the changes aren’t for the better.
I’ve always said that I wouldn’t reveal who I based Pax Tate on. He didn’t want me to, and so I won’t. I never will. Readers have guessed that it was my husband, but I can tell you that it is not. It is someone else that I love, someone very close to me.
And unfortunately, he has descended into the world of addiction.
At first, like Pax Tate, he was a user, not an addict. He wanted to disappear into oblivion, into a place where he didn’t care about anything. He realized what he was doing and I sent him to rehab to be on the safe side. All seemed to be fine.
But he started using again and this time, the outcome hasn’t been good. He’s throughly addicted. If you follow me on social media, you might have noticed that I haven’t been online a lot. I’ve been preoccupied with this horrible issue. When I am online, I usually act normally, because that is my coping mechanism. I’m a very private person and I don’t tend to advertise my private life.
However, I do have some things that I want to say.
I’m writing this so 1) you know why I’ve been fairly absent online, 2) to address reader concerns that I wasn’t depicting reality with my storyline in IF YOU STAY and 3) to flip the bird at addiction itself.
I’m here to tell you that anyone can be an addict. It doesn’t matter if you’re white, black or purple, if you’re rich, poor, or middle-class. Addiction knows no discrimination and it knows no bounds.
We live in a world where high schoolers are offered Ecstasy in the hallways for $10 a pill and where they can get heroin as easily as they can get sweet-tarts. It’s sickening, saddening, and devastating, and it is the reality of our day and age.
However, THIS is our reality too:
The human spirit is created to thrive, to fight and to eventually overcome. We’re all born with an innate sense to fight to survive, to fight what oppresses us, to come out on top, and to be healthy, happy, and strong.
SO EFF YOU, ADDICTION.
With today’s support networks, groups, medications, doctors and therapies, WE CAN BEAT YOU. Anyone who is addicted to a substance and wants to fight it, can. Anyone who wants to fight it can WIN. All they have to do is set their mind to it, be strong and fight it.
Will it be easy?
Hell no.
Is it worth it?
Hell YES.
All of us, every one of us, deserves to be happy, healthy and strong.
With that in mind, I’d like to ask for your prayer. I’m a huge believer in prayer, and I believe that the more people who pray for one thing, the better. The more voices, the better God can hear.
Can you please say a prayer for my “Pax”? He desperately needs prayer if he’s going to beat addiction. He’s strong, but addiction can level the strongest person. In order to beat it, you have to be strong, determined and have God’s help.
If you can pray for him, for God’s help, I’d be eternally grateful.
In closing, let me just say that the fictional Pax Tate will forever have his Happy Ending. He is happy and strong, and living a perfect life with his wife Mila.
My real-life Pax might be struggling now, in the most difficult struggle of his life, but I have full faith that he will come through it. He will overcome it. That’s what human beings are designed to do.
No matter how hard or difficult something seems at any one time, always know that a Happily-Ever-After is always possible, whether it is “REALISTIC” or not. The power to change lies within us, and no one else.
If you are a reader who contacted me about IF YOU STAY not ending in a realistic way, please know that I heard you and I respect your concerns. I still stand behind my notion that not all users are addicts, but I do fully believe that if a user continues to use, he/she will eventually become addicted. Just as I believe that addicts can overcome it if they choose to fight.
If you are an addict or struggle with using, or if you know someone who does, please ask for help. Contact a support group, go to your doctor, tell your parent. JUST GET HELP. Please.
And if you’re a drug dealer, whose sole purpose in life is to addict our children to toxic substances for the simple reason that you want to line your pockets with drug money, you can go to hell.
February 24, 2014
All of Court’s Men: Dante Giliberti
It’s week two of All of Court’s Men, guys!! Woohoooo!
This week, it’s a blast from the past with Dante Giliberti, my golden-haired sexy sweetie from my YA Contemporary, Dante’s Girl.
Dante’s Girl is a funny, light YA contemporary read…something that will instantly make you feel the twinges of first-love. :) Check out the blurb:
I have spent every summer since I was ten years old with my father in London. Every summer, since I was ten years old, has been uneventful and boring.
Until this year.
And this year, after a freak volcanic eruption strands me far from home, I have learned these things:
1. I can make do with one outfit for three days before I buy new clothes.
2. If I hear the phrase, “You’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” even one more time, I might become a homicidal maniac.
3. I am horribly and embarrassingly allergic to jellyfish.
4. I am in love with Dante Giliberti, who just happens to be the beautiful, sophisticated son of the Prime Minister of a Mediterranean paradise.
5. See number four above. Because it brings with it a whole slew of problems and I’ve learned something from every one of them.
Let’s start with the fact that Dante’s world is five light-years away from mine. He goes to black-tie functions and knows the Prime Minister of England on a first name basis. I was born and raised on a farm in Kansas and wear cut-off jeans paired with cowboy boots. See the difference?
But hearts don’t care about differences. Hearts want what they want. And mine just wants to be Dante’s girl.
My heart just might be crazy.
********
True to my belief that Alex Pettyfer should play every male lead in the history of the world (with only a few exceptions), this is the image I have in my head of Dante, (Except for the fact that Dante is blond. So imagine this picture, except with Alex P blond. :)
#TeamDante
Reasons you should love Dante:
He’s golden and gorgeous. He’s refined and gentlemanly. He’s the son of a Prime Minister. He’s funny and sweet and smart. He’s loyal. He’s amazing. He’s a great kisser. He doesn’t even realize how important he is. All of the above things are unimportant to him… all he cares about are the important things in life: Love, family, friends. The good stuff.
Dante Giliberti is definitely someone you want to meet. And when you do, picture Alex Pettyfer.
You can find Dante’s Girl on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. In honor of this week of #TeamDante, Dante’s Girl will be on sale for $.99 USD on Kindle or Nook. So if you haven’t read Dante’s Girl, now’s the time! :)
Happy Monday, everyone. And go #TeamDante!
All of Court’s Men: Dante Giliberti
It’s week two of All of Court’s Men, guys!! Woohoooo!
This week, it’s a blast from the past with Dante Giliberti, my golden-haired sexy sweetie from my YA Contemporary, Dante’s Girl.
Dante’s Girl is a funny, light YA contemporary read…something that will instantly make you feel the twinges of first-love. :) Check out the blurb:
I have spent every summer since I was ten years old with my father in London. Every summer, since I was ten years old, has been uneventful and boring.
Until this year.
And this year, after a freak volcanic eruption strands me far from home, I have learned these things:
1. I can make do with one outfit for three days before I buy new clothes.
2. If I hear the phrase, “You’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” even one more time, I might become a homicidal maniac.
3. I am horribly and embarrassingly allergic to jellyfish.
4. I am in love with Dante Giliberti, who just happens to be the beautiful, sophisticated son of the Prime Minister of a Mediterranean paradise.
5. See number four above. Because it brings with it a whole slew of problems and I’ve learned something from every one of them.
Let’s start with the fact that Dante’s world is five light-years away from mine. He goes to black-tie functions and knows the Prime Minister of England on a first name basis. I was born and raised on a farm in Kansas and wear cut-off jeans paired with cowboy boots. See the difference?
But hearts don’t care about differences. Hearts want what they want. And mine just wants to be Dante’s girl.
My heart just might be crazy.
********
True to my belief that Alex Pettyfer should play every male lead in the history of the world (with only a few exceptions), this is the image I have in my head of Dante, (Except for the fact that Dante is blond. So imagine this picture, except with Alex P blond. :)
#TeamDante
Reasons you should love Dante:
He’s golden and gorgeous. He’s refined and gentlemanly. He’s the son of a Prime Minister. He’s funny and sweet and smart. He’s loyal. He’s amazing. He’s a great kisser. He doesn’t even realize how important he is. All of the above things are unimportant to him… all he cares about are the important things in life: Love, family, friends. The good stuff.
Dante Giliberti is definitely someone you want to meet. And when you do, picture Alex Pettyfer.
You can find Dante’s Girl on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. In honor of this week of #TeamDante, Dante’s Girl will be on sale for $.99 USD on Kindle or Nook. So if you haven’t read Dante’s Girl, now’s the time! :)
Happy Monday, everyone. And go #TeamDante!
February 19, 2014
All of Court’s Men: Luca
Happy Wednesday!!
We’re doing something new for the next eight weeks. I had so much fun revisiting Luca Minaldi as I wrote the second half of his story, that I decided I wanted to re-visit ALL of my men. Lol. So, for the next eight weeks, I’ll be highlighting one of my leading men each week.
This week, because his story just came out, I’m highlighting Luca Minaldi.
This is the Luca that lives in my head:
That’s Daniel di Tomasso, folks, and he’s beautiful. :)
There are tons of reasons why you should want to get to know Luca. Here are a few:
He’s beautiful. He’s refined. He’s sexy and tortured. Did I mention beautiful? He runs a shipping company in Malta, and he’s from a prominent Maltese family. He thinks he cursed (is he??) and so he thinks he’s dangerous (is he??). His dark eyes smolder.
Trust me, you want to get to know Luca Minaldi. The story does contain adult themes and content, so please be aware of that. It’s also different from what you’ve been reading. I can promise you that.
Here’s a snippet (and again, this contains adult content):
He gazes out the window for a scant moment more, seemingly deep in thought, before he crosses the room to me. He kneels in front of me and looks into my eyes. In this moment, he is as vulnerable as I’ve ever seen him, as I’ve ever seen anyone. He’s completely open to me, hiding nothing.
I want so desperately to kiss him.
“I can’t,” I tell his dark eyes, praying that I don’t fall into them. “I want to kiss you right now. But I can’t. You’re my patient. There are ethics…”
Luca shakes his head, his hands on my knees and his gaze upon mine. “You aren’t my doctor, Evangeline. You’re my friend. I’m simply talking to a friend who wants to help me tonight. You’re not licensed to practice medicine in Malta, remember? So where does that leave your ethics?”
He smiles wolfishly and waits without moving. He’s offering himself to me. I know that. And it is against his better judgment. He has told me that, as well. Yet here he is, on his knees in front of me.
I suck in a breath and inhale the air that is so charged with everything that Luca is.
Whatever that is.
It’s dangerous on many levels. I know that.
I reach out unsure fingers and trace the top of his shoulders, moving over the contours. They are so broad, yet so slender at once. He’s perfectly built. Strong, lithe and powerful. I drop my head. I know that I don’t want to resist him anymore. For the first time in my life, I’m going to do something that my heart wants to do, not what my head tells me to do.
I grip him tighter with my fingers and pull him to me. He folds in between my knees, pressing me to his chest. I can hear his heart thumping rhythmically against mine as my fingers linger on his warm back.
He dips his head and presses his forehead to mine, staring into my eyes. His are a smoldering and stormy black.
“I’m afraid to get close to you,” he tells me. “I’m afraid for you.”
“I’m not,” I whisper. “I’m not afraid of you. Kiss me, Luca.”
Even I can hear the thick desire in my voice and Luca hears it too.
He groans and covers my mouth with his own, muffling the sound with my lips. He is pressed so close that he seems to absorb me. Every plane of his body is against every plane of mine. I don’t know where he stops and where I start, but it doesn’t matter. All that matters is him and me and this.
I can’t breathe as his fingers run along my arms, down over my back and further to my hips and then he pulls me up, into him. He grips me tightly, his hands cupping my behind before lifts me, laying me on the thick rug on the stone floor. He hovers above me, brushing the hair from my eyes before he is once again in my mouth, my tongue mingling with his. We both taste of Scotch, but his taste is exquisite. So hot and primal and Luca.
I don’t care what the future brings. As long as there is this.
So I tell him that and he groans again, into the side of my neck. He kisses me there, brushing his lips along my skin, inhaling me as though I am the most fragrant thing that has ever existed. His breath is warm on my neck.
I arch into him and he melts into me. He is hard. Every bit of him is hard. I can feel it, can feel him. The tip of his erection pushes against the juncture of my thighs, against my damp panties. He pulls off my skirt, then my panties and I am exposed to him as his hand slides against the softness of my thigh. The cool air brushes against my hot flesh and I almost shiver. I can feel the rigidity of his penis pressing against me, but he withdraws it and I want to whimper.
But it is replaced by his fingers. Long and strong, he plays me as deftly as he played the ivory keys of the piano. An ache spreads through me, radiating from the lowest depths of my belly. I suck in my breath and push against his hand, my hips moving in an age old rhythm that comes as naturally to me as breathing.
“I want to see you,” I murmur against his neck, before I nip at his earlobe, pulling that delicate skin lightly in my teeth. Luca sucks in his breath and takes a step away, staring down at me as he purposefully removes his shirt and tosses it onto the floor.
His biceps are lean, yet bulging and muscular. His chest is perfectly chiseled. Each muscle rippling into a perfect V that points to his crotch. My heart is pounding and I watch his long fingers as they unbuckle his belt and then he steps out of his slacks. Then his underwear.
His hard erection is standing at full attention, curved against him, evidence that he definitely wants me. He is magnificent.
My breath is frozen now, while his is harsh and ragged.
Holy hell. His is the most beautiful male body I’ve ever seen, absolutely perfect in every way.
The energy between us is intense, like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I can’t help but to reach down and grasp his hardness, sliding my fingers along it, listening to his sharp intake of breath as I touch him. I can’t help but smile.
He’s hard for me.
This is for me.
The Minaldi Legacy is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com
February 6, 2014
The Minaldi Legacy is live!!
It’s heeeeeere!!!
The Minaldi Legacy is here!
“I’m a monster, Eva. There’s no saving a monster. But I love that you want to try.”
Luca Minaldi is rich, powerful and mesmerizing. He’s also a reclusive enigma. He lives in Malta, a fairy-tale place filled with sunshine and sea, beauty and secrets. And Luca’s darkest of secrets is the best-kept of them all.
Eva Talbot moves to Malta to finish her doctoral dissertation in Psychiatry. When she meets Luca, there is a very real and instant attraction that she has never felt before. But even still, she senses the darkness that lives within him.
Eva is hired to care for Luca’s mother, a woman who suffers from dementia. It is Luca, however, that Eva will eventually risk everything to save… as the legacy that plagues him continues.
As the darkness swirls ever more tightly around her, Eva realizes that no matter how hard she tries, she might not be able to save Luca without losing herself.
Eva and Luca are thrust into a world where their love is tested and darkness reigns. Amid chaos and treachery, love and hate, Luca and Eva learn one important thing.
Love is dangerous.
But it also might be the one thing that can save them all.
********
If you’ve been waiting for the conclusion to Luca Minaldi’s story, you’ll wait no more. It’s here today.
And if you haven’t read it yet, never fear. Part one is included in this two-part book. 
You can find it HERE on Amazon.
And HERE on Barnes and Noble.
I know you’ve been waiting for a while for the conclusion to Luca’s story. I really hope you like it. :)
February 5, 2014
A Minaldi Legacy excerpt!
As you guys know, tomorrow is the release day for The Minaldi Legacy!! Woohoooooo!!
I’m super excited about it. I’ve really missed Luca over the past year, and so now that the conclusion to his story is ready to be shared with the world… I’m just beside myself.
So, I thought I’d share an excerpt today.
Here you go…. from Luca’s point of view:
As I enter our bedroom, Eva looks up from the massive bed and smiles. Her long dark red hair is draped over her shoulder, her grayish green eyes clear and bright.
“Hey,” she greets me softly, laying her book down on the bed. “I was wondering where you were. I couldn’t hear the piano.”
“I wasn’t playing,” I tell her as I sit to take off my shoes. “I was talking to Damien.”
Eva freezes in anticipation. “And?”
“And there is still no sign of Adrian,” I tell her softly. “Don’t worry, Eva. We’re safe here. We’ve got a full staff of trained guards patrolling the perimeter of Chessarae. He might know these grounds, but he can’t breach our walls without us knowing about it ahead of time. You’re safe.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about,” she says firmly as she tucks a tendril of stray hair behind her ear.
I strip my clothes off and she watches, her eyes filling with a familiar hunger. It’s the same hunger I feel whenever I look at her, touch her, or listen to her. God, how I want her. Something in me has retreated from her though. It’s as though a part of me thinks to shield her, to protect her from me. Or against losing me. Because something ominous hangs over our heads and I know that it will drop upon us any day.
But tonight, I shake those ugly thoughts away as I walk to the bed and slip in next to the woman I love. Whatever else we have or don’t have, we do have this moment.
“I’ve missed you,” I admit hoarsely as I fold in next to her. She looks at me in surprise, then pulls me to her.
“I’ve missed you too,” she murmurs, her hands sliding along my back, pulling me closer. “I’ve missed you so much, Luca. You’re here, but you’re not really here. You’re gone from me. I know it sounds stupid to say, but that’s how I feel.”
I nod, but don’t acknowledge that she’s right. She already knows.
“Be with me tonight,” she breathes, her hands fluttering down over my chest, down to my groin, where my manhood pulses and waits. Her fingers find it and I suck in my breath before I crush my lips to hers.
“Yes,” I say simply. I push her into the mattress and her legs wrap around my waist, her tongue in my mouth, her breath warm and sweet.
“Luca,” she moans softly. “Touch me.”
So I do. I touch her everywhere. My fingers slip into her and she arches up toward my hand. My fingers are cool as I slide them in and out, slow then fast. I know this woman. I know her scent, the way she moves, what she enjoys. There’s comfort in that, a blessed familiarity. I bring her to orgasm within minutes, her breath quickening as she whispers my name.
I slide into her wetness and I groan as her warmth surrounds me, pulling me into her. I grip her hips, pulling her closer, as I delve further inside of her. My hardness contrasts with her softness, and the friction is exquisite. It isn’t long until I orgasm as well, shaking as I hover above her, pulsing into her.
When I collapse onto her, she pulls me tight.
“You’re staying with me tonight.”
Lately, I’ve made a habit out of sleeping on a lounger in our sitting area. I hate to disturb Eva when I can’t sleep, or when I wake with nightmares. But I don’t argue tonight. I need her, too.
“Yes,” I agree. I hold her until she falls asleep, her breathing soft and even. I watch the shadows on the wall move and sway, I listen to the sea crash against the shore, I stare at the moonlight slanting in on the floor.
I still can’t sleep.
For hours, I can’t sleep.
When I finally do, my dreams are filled with darkness.
But that is nothing new.
********
There you have it!! The last excerpt before Luca releases tomorrow. If you’re ready to read something different than you’ve been reading lately, be sure to pick up The Minaldi Legacy tomorrow. :)
February 4, 2014
The Minaldi Legacy- An Excerpt!!
Soooooo. I’ve been house hunting down in the south where it’s warm, and haven’t had a chance to talk much about my upcoming book, The Minaldi Legacy.
First, in case you are wondering why I would like to move, let me just show you. This is why:
I hate the cold. Snow is pretty for about a week, then the whiteness of the snow and grayness of the sky begins to get to me. I know some people love it. I’m just not one of them. Haha.
Biut now– on to my Minaldi Legacy… and one of my favorite male characters, Luca Minaldi.
First, I’d like to share a photo that I saw the other day. Until now, I haven’t been able to find any real person who came close to the Luca Minaldi that I have in my head. BUT, Daniel di Tomasso comes very close.
What do you think?
I think he’s beautiful. And very, very Luca.
Words to describe Luca Minaldi? Hmm. Dark. Dangerous. Sexy. Beautiful. Tortured. Refined. Elegant. Powerful. Did I mention Sexy? Sexy. Delicious. Sexy. Sexy. Sexy.
Okay, you get the picture.
Now, I thought I’d share the never-before-seen prologue of part two of The Minaldi Legacy (OF DARKNESS AND DEMONS).
Prologue
At night, I walk alone.
Amid the dark and the shadows, I sink my feet into damp sand and continue on my way. The salty sea water laps at my ankles, washing over the bare skin of my feet. It can’t wash me clean, however. Nothing can.
But that doesn’t matter here in the night. No one can see me for what I’ve done, for what I might still do. The demons can’t chase me. They can’t find me in the dark although it wouldn’t matter if they could. I’m worse than all of them, yet I’m one of them all the same.
The dark, the demons… I belong to them.
My will doesn’t matter, my intentions don’t matter, my thoughts don’t even matter.
They aren’t my own anymore.
I am a child of demons and darkness.
The sooner I reconcile myself with that fact, the sooner I will no longer be tormented.
As if that time will ever come.
The moon hangs heavy on the horizon, like a pregnant star, its yellowed belly grazing the sea. I gaze at it for a moment, chasing all other thoughts from my mind, until I finally acknowledge that I have to go back. I have to face that which is too nightmarish to face.
Too inconceivable.
Too horrible.
I turn, and step by step, my feet carry me back to Chessarae.
My home.
My prison.
********
Luca Minaldi’s story is unlike anything you’ve been reading lately. I can pretty much promise you that. He’s different. And delicious. As my BFF Michelle Leighton put it, “He’s tall, dark and dangerous.”
That he is.
And he’s coming to you DAY AFTER TOMORROW.
Can you handle him?
February 2, 2014
Q&A with me tonight!
So, I know that most of the world will be watching the Super Bowl tonight. But, if you have some spare minutes between 8:00 and 9:00 pm EST, I’ll be on a Book Whore’s Obsession to answer your questions and do a couple of giveaways.
So, bring your questions and come HERE.
Also, The Minaldi Legacy is releasing in a few days! Eeeeppppppp!!!! I seriously cannot wait. I’ll think of a cool contest to run next week to celebrate.
In case you’re wondering, I kind of see Daniel di Tomasso as my Luca Minaldi. He’s not an exact match to the Luca that lives in my head, but he’s pretty close. What do you think? Beautiful, right?
Anyway, just wanted to personally invite you to come and ask me questions. Hope to see you there! :)
Happy Superbowl Sunday!
January 29, 2014
Preview of The Minaldi Legacy
Hey guys!
So,there’s been a few questions about my upcoming book, The Minaldi Legacy. The main question is, Is it book two of the series?
Here’s the answer. :)
It will include part two. We released part one, OF BLOOD AND BONE, by itself a while ago. Since part one ended in a cliffhanger of sorts, we’re going to consolidate it with part two and release it as a whole standalone book. That way, no more cliffhanger, and no more agitated emails from readers who hate cliffhangers. Lol. Two birds, one stone. :)
The Minaldi Legacy is a Dark Romantic Thriller that will release on February 6. It will contain part one, OF BLOOD AND BONE, and the new conclusion to the story, part two: OF DARKNESS AND DEMONS. For limited time, The Minaldi Legacy will sell for $3.99.
I’m super excited about it– because I LOVE Luca Minaldi. He’s so… yummy. As my BFF M. Leighton put it, he’s tall, dark and dangerous. :)
I can’t wait until February 6. But until then, here’s a preview. :)
Prologue
Luca is gone.
I know it before I open my eyes. The weight of his body next to me is absent, the scent of him gone from the air. I sigh, reluctant to begin this day because I know what it holds for me. I know that if Luca is truly gone, I will spend every hour frantically searching for him.
Gazing around, I find my large suite empty. Everything is neat and tidy and exactly in place. Each lavish piece of furniture is polished with lemon oil, each extravagant painting on the wall carefully dusted. Each expensive vase, each crystal lamp, each woven rug is perfectly aligned and exactly how I left it. Something is different, though, somehow changed in this room that I fell asleep in last night.
My sleepy eyes do another quick sweep, and this time I notice the balcony doors standing wide open while the bright morning sun streams onto the mahogany floor and the white sheer curtains on either side flutter in the sea breeze.
This is the difference and it slams into me like a concrete wall. I didn’t fall asleep with those doors open. I would never do that now, not since I know what dangers lurk in the world, the darkness that can find me.
Immediately after I notice this inconsistency, I also see that across the room, my bedroom door is tightly closed and the bolt is still slid firmly in place.
Just as I left it last night.
My heart stutters as I realize what this means.
While I slept, Luca must have climbed from my balcony ledge to escape. But the drop is well over thirty feet and there are sharp rocks at the base of the house. There are gardens directly behind, but beyond that, there is a cliff with a hundred foot drop to the sea below.
I leap naked from bed and rush to the balcony’s edge. My bare breasts press against the cold railing as I peer down at both the gardens and what I can see of the pristine sand beyond that. Luca is not lying broken and bleeding there, so I try to still my racing heart. I search the beaches and craggy landscape on both sides of my periphery and I still do not see him.
He somehow survived the fall.
A hundred different things run through my mind, but the one that stands out in the forefront is the image, the possibility, that he managed to drag himself, broken and bleeding, to a different location, somewhere where he is even now waiting for me to help him.
Because I promised.
I promised him that I would help him, that I would keep him from the darkness that plagues him, that I would heal him.
That I would save him.
I swallow hard and as I do, I realize that my throat is tender from Luca’s hands last night. I know that if I look into a mirror, there will be a bruise in the perfect formation of his long fingers around my neck.
As I softly touch it, I remember his face from the night before. It was shadowed in the moonlight and like always, he was beautiful. Luca is handsome in a very classic and beautiful way, dark hair and cut cheekbones. His bangs are long and almost hide his magnificent dark eyes until he shakes his hair away. And when he does, the sadness that dwells there is apparent to anyone who knows him.
But last night, I didn’t need to look into his eyes to see that his darkness had returned. I knew it from the moment he stepped into my room.
I can always see it. It changes everything about him, even the way he walks and moves. The way he stands. The way he speaks. The way he feels.
He is an entirely different person when the darkness comes.
These are the moments that he dreads with every breath when he is himself; the moments when he is no longer Luca. In these moments, he is filled with thoughts that are no longer his own.
He cannot help it, he cannot control it, he cannot stop it.
But I promised him that I would.
And I have failed him.
I scramble to my wardrobe and pull on clothing, choosing a shirt with a collar, hoping to somewhat hide the bruise on my neck. The only other people here at Chessarae are servants, except for Luca’s mother in her lonely wing. But she is locked in so she never comes into the main part of the house. No one will see me but the staff. And they are used to seeing strange things.
I rush through the house, through the extravagant corridors and over the marble floors, the rich and polished surroundings that I would never have dreamed I would find myself in. I don’t notice it now though. It has faded into an insignificant corner of my mind. All that matters now is Luca.
I make my way out the back of the house, through the gardens, through the English maze that is perfectly manicured and challenging to maneuver. I manage it with ease, however. I memorized its twists and turns on a happier day.
The weather is stormy today and the normally cheerful and bright Maltese sky is gray and thunderous. I can feel the electricity in the air, snapping the ends of my long hair with static. This day looks as foreboding as I feel, which I hope is not a sign.
I search through the maze. I search the beaches as my feet sink into the cool sand. I search the gardens with their exotic and sweet-smelling blooms and then I search the garage. His car, a shiny black Jaguar, is still in its slot and its hood is cool to the touch. Luca has not driven it today. I search the front lawns and the back. And just when I begin to panic, to fear that he has not returned to Chessarae after all, I search the stables.
As I walk through the heavy wooden doors, the smells of the horses and the hay and the saddle-soap and leather assail my nose and I breathe them in. I’ve always loved this place. It is peaceful here. And I suddenly know, because I can feel it, that Luca is here.
I walk quietly down the main corridor, staring into each stall as I pass.
And finally, finally, when I come to the very last stall on the left, Luca is there and my breath hitches in my chest, freezing on my lips.
Luca is slumped on the ground, in the corner, his expression desolate. He is beautiful even here, even in this condition, and I cannot help but stare down at him as tears fill my eyes.
He is dirty and his clothing is torn. There are smears of blood on his shirt, dried now to a rusty dark brown. I swallow hard, trying not to imagine where the blood has come from.
Luca’s face is tortured as he stares up at me, his head in his hands. There is blood on his fingers.
“It happened again.”
His words are low and husky and rough, yet elegant at the same time. He is always refined, always perfect, always Luca.
His self-loathe is apparent and it breaks my heart.
I nod mutely because there are no words for this moment. I bend to help him to his feet. At 6’3”, he towers above me. He is slender and strong and masculine. He is lithe and powerful, beautiful and graceful.
And sometimes, on his very darkest days, he is a depraved killer.
But I have gotten ahead of myself. I should begin at the beginning.
If I don’t, you will never understand.
***
Soooooo. If you’re ready for something different than what you’ve been reading lately, mark your calendars for FEBRUARY 6th. Luca Minaldi will be waiting for you… and he is delicious. Trust me.
