Lori L. Clark's Blog, page 91

Release: Mugs of Love

Brand new release with rave reviews!

Mugs of Love
by Norma Jeanne Karlsson
5.0 of 5 stars 5.00 · rating details · 6 ratings · 6 reviews
Serving promise, one cup at a time.

When his world came crashing down around him, Garrett Sharp didn't run. He stood like the man he is and took his punishment. Eight years later, he finds himself in a new life. It’s not the life he grew up believing he would live, but it’s a life all the same, albeit numb and empty. Well, not entirely.

Every day across the street from his furniture store, Garrett steals moments full of warmth from Emily Garner. As she floats happily through her coffee shop, Emily provides him glimpses into her soul. She’s pure and full of life in a way Garrett’s never experienced. He’s never heard her voice and doesn’t know the color of her eyes. But he knows she lights up like a beacon when she serves coffee to couples on their first dates. Emily can feel the tingles of new love even when she’s not the one experiencing the thrill. And Garrett can feel Emily’s joy from across the street.

When Emily finally enters Garrett’s store for the first time six months after he opens, both their lives change. Garrett must battle the demons of his past to be a man worthy of the woman he’s fallen for from afar. Emily has to move beyond her ex-boyfriend and his betrayals to find trust again. If it were only the past challenging Emily and Garrett, their story would be easy.

Life is never easy.

RDL & Giveaway: Behind the Stars

BEHIND THE STARSLeigh Talbert MooreAction - Adventure RomanceLIVE 12.31.14!



BlurbPrentiss Puckett is certain of three things:

-Graduation is two weeks away.

-Summer only gets hotter in south Mississippi.

-She’s getting a job with air-conditioning.



She did not expect to be kidnapped walking to work.

And she never expected to become a hero.





Purchase the Book!Amazon | iTunes | Google Play | Nook | Kobo
Download “Captive,” (Ch. 1-5) for FREEhttp://smarturl.it/BTS1AM
Paperbacks onAmazon | CreateSpace


ExcerptBehind the StarsBy Leigh Talbert Moore© 2014, Leigh T. MoorePrentiss

A cramp stabbing my ribs brought me back to the Here and Now. I was late, and last day or not, Dr. Green would fuss.

“My assistants must be punctual,” he’d say. “It’s difficult being the only vet in a farming community.”

I exhaled slowly as a bead of sweat tickled a path down the middle of my back, and I tried to keep the dirt out of my Keds.

Back when the 911 service came through, most of these roads got numbers or real names besides “Shortcut to the Creek” or “Road Where the Broke-down House Used to Be.” But there were still a few like this one, “Old School Road,” that you only knew what to do with if you grew up in our little town of less than a thousand people. It didn’t matter, though. Strangers never stopped in Dabb Creek.

That should’ve been my first warning.

If I hadn’t been so focused on being late, I might’ve paid more attention to the strange man standing on the shoulder looking lost. Bad manners or not, I didn’t have time to give directions or to explain how far it was back to town.

It wasn’t until I was up on him that I realized he was watching me, studying the pace of my feet. Then I saw the body on the ground.

I skipped like a rabbit to the other side of the road, a scream forming in my mouth, but another man sprung up behind me. A rough cloth clamped over my mouth, and in two breaths, everything went dark.


Readers are saying…“Five Stars: The best series that I have read in a while. I couldn't put it down at all. It still has my attention, begging to be revisited!" --Reading in Black and White



"Solid, well-crafted and captivating!" --Kawehi Reviews



"Fun, entertaining, and original!" --My Guilty Obsession book reviews



"Adventurous and exciting, a great book for anyone." --Somertime Book Blog



“If you are looking for a great YA read, this is the book for you. Full of nail biting suspense, this book is sure to keep your attention.” –Mandy “I Read Indie”


About the Author

Leigh Talbert Moore wrote her first graphic novel at the age of nine--about a lady scientist burned by acid. Sadly, the text of "Fury Woman" was lost, and Leigh's novelist aspirations went on hiatus.

Then, after a decade working in journalism, editing, marketing, and public relations, she began writing books again, and in 2009 completed Dragonfly. Today, Leigh is the author of several popular young adult and new adult novels, all with a strong romantic slant.

She lives with her husband and two young children in the middle of the country, where she conjures new worlds, characters, and situations while playing chauffeur, chaperone, group activity leader, and referee. And she's still trying to remember the plot of Fury Woman...


Books by Leigh Talbert Moore-THE TRUTH ABOUT FAKING (YA romantic comedy)

-THE TRUTH ABOUT LETTING GO (YA coming of age; Top 5 Finalist, 2013 "Best Indie Book Awards" sponsored by The Kindle Book Review)

-ROUGE (New Adult romantic suspense; Quarterfinalist, 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award)

-DRAGONFLY (New Adult family saga; Book #1 in the Dragonfly series)

-UNDERTOW (New Adult family saga; Book #2 in the Dragonfly series)

-WATERCOLOR (New Adult family saga; Book #3 in the Dragonfly series)

-MOSAIC (New Adult family saga; Book #4/final book in the Dragonfly series)

-BEHIND THE STARS (NA Action-adventure/paranormal romance)



From Leigh:

*I love hearing from readers! Send feedback, ask questions, or say hello at leightmoore(at)gmail.com.

*Visit my website: www.leightmoore.com

*You can also find me on Facebook, where I post my latest book news, sales, and excerpts: www.facebook.com/LeighTalbertMoore

*I’m Tsu.co: https://www.tsu.co/leightmoore

*And I'm on Twitter and Instagram as @leightmoore

*Sign up for my newsletter for new release and sale updates here: http://eepurl.com/tzVuP

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RDL & Giveaway: Forever Found

It's release day for Nazarea Andrews' Forever Found!! I am so excited for this novella, a sequel to Girl Lost. For the first time, Nazarea is telling Peter Pan's story from Peter's eyes. Be sure to read all the way down for the excerpt she's sharing, as well as her fantastic giveaway!
Blogs Taking Part in the Release Day Launch
Cocktails and Books Romance addict book blog Such a Novel Idea The Shadow Realm SnoopyDoo's Book Reviews Library of a Book Witch kimberlyfaye reads The Book Lovers Codex Chelle's Book Reports my midnight fantasies Book Angel Booktopia Between The Lines Poisoned Rationality Hooked on Books A Dream Within A Dream My Favorite Things Bookworm Misfit Ashley's Paranormal Book Blog Cosying Up With Books Kindle and Me Rustys Reading MakeMyDayBookclub The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club Vera is Reading Movies, Shows & Books grownupfangirl She Reads New Adult undercover book reviews Books, Books The Magical Fruit Those Crazy Book Chicks Love Affair With Fiction All Booked Out The Geekery Book Review Adventures in Writing Book Butterfly in Dreamland Coffee Books & Art Tsk, Tsk, What to Read Ashley's Paranormal Book Blog undercover book reviews Bookworm Misfit Indy Book Fairy Cesya MaRae Cuono, Author Reading Bliss The Phantom Paragrapher Those Crazy Book Chicks Nerdy Book Freak Romance and Fantasy for Cosmopolitan Girls Jax's Book Magic The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club Souls Readers Read My Mind Holly's Hot Reads Ogitchida Kwe's Book Blog Mythical Books Roxy's Reviews The Breakfast Blog LuLo Fangirl we stole your book boyfriend 101 Ways to Make Love to a Spoon Making it Happen Exclusive Excerpt:

“You ran away.”

She gives an unladylike snort. “You decided you were a delusion of my past, and then you expected me to sit there and listen to your insane ramblings. Thanks, but no. I can’t do that. I’ve had enough crazy for one life.” She bites her lip, and then blurts, “You stole my file, didn’t you? That’s how you know about the Boy.”

“Do you remember the firefly meadow?”

She goes still, and I smile, gently. “You do.”

“That wasn’t real,” she whispers, and I feel the shudder.

“We’d hide there, from the lost boys. And you’d fall asleep telling me your happy thoughts, and wake up to a galaxy of fireflies, and we’d chase them until you made yourself sick, laughing. And then I’d hold you and we’d stare at the stars, and you always said they were different. It smelled like jasmine and honey-“

“And wild woods and freedom,” she whispers, her blue eyes impossibly wide in her pretty face. I take a tentative step toward her, and touch her fingers.

Why are your stars different?

“It wasn’t a delusion, Gwendy. You know it wasn’t. Trust yourself.”

She shudders. “Can’t. My mind lies. It wasn’t—“

“Gwendy,” I say, desperately. Her eyes are filling with tears and I can feel the disbelief, the way it will tear apart the world I’ve known, and the girl I’ve loved, and I can’t. I move without thinking, catch her head and bring her lips to mine.



Forever Found Synopsis:

Losing Gwen was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to survive. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love her.

But finding her was never about that. And now that I have found her–now that she knows the truth about me and the Island, I have to trust her to believe. Because her leaving me didn’t just destroy me–its killing Neverland.

I need her to love me. But we all need her to believe again.

Peter Pan has grown up and found the girl who left–but the stakes are higher than ever in this romantic conclusion to the story begun in Girl Lost.





Forever Found Amazon

Forever Found Barnes and Nobles: pending

Girl Lost Amazon

Girl Lost Barnes and Noble



Girl Lost Synopsis:

Northern was supposed to be a fresh start—a place where people didn’t know who I was or how I had spent years in and out of mental institutes. People didn't know about my parents death or the island no one heard of. But when Peter sits next to me in lit class, I can’t stop the memories, and I don’t want to. He looks too much like the boy from the island, and despite my best intentions, coaxes my secrets from me.

He’s gorgeous, irresistible, a little mad, and completely lost—we are a pair of broken cogs in a world neither of us truly fits into. He is somehow gentle and fierce, heartbreaking in his devotion and savage in his defense.

When Belle, his best friend, shows up, pale and lovely and sick, Peter pulls away from me, a startling withdrawal. It’s a relationship that scares and confuses me. She is at times warm and friendly, and other times is violent and unpredictable.

Peter says that he wants me, but refuses to let himself get close. And there are secrets, surrounding both of us, that border on nightmares. As the memories close in, as Belle gets sicker and more violent, I’m torn between what is true and what I believe, and what this magical boy knows about my mysterious past.

Nazarea Andrews Bio:

Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She is the author of the University of Branton series, Neverland Found series, and Edge of the Falls.

She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.


Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Author Goodreads | Amazon author page | Author NewsletterEnter Nazarea's giveaway!!

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RDL & Giveaway: Seize

Title: SEIZE (Delirious Volume 2)Author: Clarissa WildRelease Date: December 30, 2014




BlurbTrue darkness has only just begun …She thought she could run, but there´s nowhere to hide. My bad side is coming out to claim what belongs to me. This hunter has found his prey, and he’s hungry for more. She’s mine now, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep her to myself.
You think I’m the monster?
Think again.
When the choices you make decide your fate, the line between good and evil blurs. In order to live, I do what must be done. Freedom is the price she pays for her safety.
She wants the truth? I’ll give her the truth.
In order to play this game, sacrifices must be made.
I will start with her.

This is Volume 2 in the Delirious Series, which contains 3 volumes and a prequel. This book is a full-length novel. These books should be read in order.

WARNING: This book contains very disturbing situations, strong language, drugs and alcohol, dubious consent, and graphic violence.




Purchase SEIZE Today! Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | Google Play


Now is a great time to catch up with the series!(These books should be read in order.)
SEEK (Delirious, #0.5)AMAZON US | AMAZON UK | KOBO | B&N | iBOOKS | GOOGLE PLAYWhen illusions come to life, how do you tell what’s real?

My life ended when I came back from vacation. Death was at my doorstep. Everything ceased to exist. To protect myself, I pushed the memories away.
All I remember is him: Sebastian Brand, my savior.
I trust only him.
I am obsessed with him.
But all I know about him is his name.
Stuck in this mental institution, I try not to think about the terrible memories that lurk deep inside me. Sebastian is the only one who can help me forget. I don’t care that they say he doesn't exist, I need Sebastian and I will find him, no matter the cost.








SNARE (Delirious, #1)AMAZON US | AMAZON UK | iBOOKS | B&N | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAYHis secrets will destroy her.Taken.
Humiliated.
Used.
With his smart mouth, dirty talking, and possessive behavior, Sebastian Brand has me hooked in the most shameless way. I’m obsessed with him. However, now that I’ve escaped the mental hospital, he seeks to control my every move.
The overwhelming aloofness in his attitude and the darkness in his mind tells me there is more to this man than sheer dominance. Depravity is his playground and pain is a necessary evil.
Keeping me away was his first instinct.
Capturing me was his second.
Claimed by a man with the exterior of an angel and the mind of a brute, I will do anything to unveil his secrets and face my own demons.
A body in exchange for freedom. A heart in exchange for truth.
Life is never a given. Only a certain death.




About the Author Clarissa Wild is the USA Today Bestselling author of FIERCE, a college romance series, but she's best known for the dark Romance novel Mr. X. She is also a writer of erotic romance such as the Blissful Series, The Billionaire's Bet series, the Doing It Series and the Enflamed Series. She is an avid reader and writer of sexy stories about hot men and feisty women. Her other loves include her furry cat friend and learning about different cultures. In her free time she enjoys watching all sorts of movies, reading tons of books and cooking her favorite meals.

Check out my sexy books: http://smarturl.it/clarissawildbooks


Connect with ClarissaTwitter | Goodreads | Website | Pinterest | Facebook | Mailing List | Fan Club
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RDL: Hundred to One

Today we have the release day launch of Freya Barker's Hundred to One!! I'm so excited about this book. Freya is sharing a few exclusive teasers with us, as well as a fantastic giveaway, so be sure to read all the way down!!!
Blogs Taking Part in the Release Day LaunchLove Words & BookstextteaserBooks, Books The Magical FruitMaking it Happen2 friends, promote your books with usShe Hearts BooksI Heart YA BooksEl Rincón de BecksChelle's Book ReportsKindle and MeReading AddictRumpled Sheets BlogWolfel's World of BooksCollector of book boyfriendsnaughty Book EdenBooks,Chocolate and LipglossWhispered ThoughtsRomance BytesOnce Upon An AlphaRoxy's ReviewsBook Loving PixiesVera is ReadingNot Everyone's MamaKez's KornerHooked on Bookswe stole your book boyfriendReading Is My SuperpowerBook Lovers ObsessionMy Favorite Thingslovely readsThe Phantom ParagrapherMia's Point Of ViewSnoopyDoo's Book ReviewsRustys ReadingMakeMyDayBookclubLJ's Secret AddictionI Heart YA BooksShe Reads New AdultMrsLeif's Two Fangs About Itundercover book reviewsBest Book BoyfriendsBooklover SueTravels n ReadsHooked on BooksChelle's Book ReportsOh My Growing TBRJax's Book MagicBJ ReviewEscape Reality with BooksNovels In HeelsThose Crazy Book ChicksLove Affair With FictionNightWolf Book BlogCoffee Books & Art101 Ways to Make Love to a SpoonG & Co. Book BlogDebb's ReadsCajun Book Lover
Hundred to One Synopsis:

Arlene Bowers is as tough as nails. She has survived a less than perfect marriage, managing to move past it to run her own diner. Her abrasive exterior has always been a way for her to hide behind the darkness and pain that she has endured, but a recent, violent attack and several disturbing phone calls have that tight hold on her emotions wavering.

Seb Griffin showed up in Cedar Tree eight months ago and was hired on at Arlene's Diner as a cook. An ex-con with secrets of his own, Seb walks a fine line. Since he began working at the diner, he's developed feelings for his fierce, stubborn boss, and the need to keep his distance from her, to protect her, is a daily struggle.

When it appears that Arlene's past has come back, rearing its ugly head while her defenses are low, Seb steps up and claims responsibility for Arlene, praying that he can keep her safe from whatever is coming her way.

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1x5S1Vw
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1CeuHDj
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1ABInHs
Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/1z4zNyx

B&N: http://bit.ly/1z4z8xjKobo: http://bit.ly/1Cnk29q
Slim to None (book 1)

Freya Barker Bio:

Freya Barker has always been creative. Involved in music and dance when she was younger, she followed it up with cake design, quilting, and has most recently added cover design, the Dutch-born Canadian mother of two now has found her voice - writing.

Freya Barker is the pen name for a well-respected reviewer/blogger, who has a strong following on her blog, Facebook and Goodreads. As an avid reader, the next step to pen a book of her own seemed natural.

Driven to make her story about 'real' people, Freya writes about people who are perhaps less than perfect, but just as deserving of romance, hot monkey sex and some thrills and chills in their lives!
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Book Review: Carnival

Carnival (Carnival #1) by K.B. Nelson: Charlie should be packing her bags for college, but the life ahead of her isn’t one she’s certain she wants. Maybe that’s what led her to sleep with a perfect stranger at the county fair. Finding out he was a carnie was like winning the bonus round of the world’s worst game.

Blue grew up in the carnival, never staying anywhere long enough to call home. He never thought of himself as the type to seduce a local, let alone fall in love with one, but his impulsiveness got the better of him this time. He should go where the carnival takes him, but for the first time he’s not sure if he wants to follow.

When he makes the decision to stick around, Charlie eagerly follows him down the rabbit hole; into a world with no regard for consequences or regret. Most of all, he shows her that home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling they can create and share. For a price. Because the higher the roller coaster goes, the faster it all comes crashing down.
Lori's thoughts: I just finished reading this and I'm still reeling. What the heck did I just read?! It was a good book, mostly. Very action-packed. It was a little hard for me to follow at the end, but that could be because I was trying to get through it to find out what happened. Charlie, I think, is not so different from a lot of eighteen-year-old girls out of high school and facing the rest of their life. She breaks up with her long time boyfriend, Dylan. Not because she doesn't love him. I never really figured out why she broke up with him to begin with because the excuse she gave him turned out to be a lie.

There are things that happened in this book that I shook my head and thought, why?!

Love is blind and a lot of times it can make us do all kinds of irrational things. Charlie is the poster child for acting first, thinking later. Overall, I enjoyed the book. And will probably read other work by this author.

RDL: The Pact

*The Pact is a
standalone, contemporary adult romance*
It all started with a pinky swear…
Linden McGregor is tall, rugged, and
gunslinger handsome; a helicopter pilot with a Scottish brogue and charm to
spare. He’s also one of Stephanie Robson’s best friends and has fit into that
box for as long as she’s known him.
Beautiful, funny and an ambitious
businesswoman (with one hell of an ass), Stephanie Robson is one of Linden
McGregor’s best friends and has fit into that box for as long as he’s known
her.
But some relationships can’t be boxed,
can’t be classified, can’t be tamed.
Back in their mid-twenties and tired of
the competitive hit-or-miss dating scene of San Francisco, Steph and Linden
made a pact to marry each other if neither one of them are in a serious
relationship by the time they hit thirty.
It sounds like fun and games but as the
years to thirty tick past and lovers come and go out of their lives, the pact
becomes larger than life.Sex is inevitable. Friendships are
tested. Hearts are on the line. 


The
pact is about to change everything.

ON SALE UNTIL JANUARY 1st for 99 cents! Get your copy here: AMAZON


EXCERPT:
Her eyes are so blue and wide, like the morning sky, her
mouth so perfectly full. I contemplate running my thumb over her lips before I
kiss the salt off of them.I should just do it. I should just fucking do it.I swallow hard, my throat feeling closed up but I know it’s
not from my cold. It’s from want and it’s from fear.“What are you staring at?” she asks me, her voice shaking slightly.

Just fucking kiss her.











With her USA Today Bestselling The Artists Trilogy published by Grand Central Publishing, numerous foreign publication deals, and self-publishing success with her Experiment in Terror series, Vancouver-born Karina Halle is a true example of the term "Hybrid Author." Though her books showcase her love of all things dark, sexy and edgy, she's a closet romantic at heart and strives to give her characters a HEA...whenever possible.Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of British Columbia where she’s preparing for the zombie apocalypse with her fiancé and rescue pup.


LINKS:

FACEBOOK

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AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Amazon Top 10 New Adult Books: December 28, 2014

Amazon Top 18 New Adult Books: December 28, 2014. These are the top 18 bestselling New Adult books as listed on Amazon.com at the time of posting! 

Top 18 Paid:

Book Review: Painted Faces

Painted Faces (Painted Faces #1) by L.H. Cosway: Come forth with an open mind, for an unconventional tale of love..

Dublin native Freda Wilson considers herself to be an acquired taste. She has a habit of making offensive jokes and speaking her mind too often. She doesn't have the best track record with first impressions, which is why she gets a surprise when her new neighbour Nicholas takes a shine to her.

Nicholas is darkly handsome, funny and magnetic, and Freda feels like her black and white existence is plunged into a rainbow of colour when she's around him. When he walks into a room he lights it up, with his quick wit and charisma. He is a travelling cabaret performer, but Freda doesn't know exactly what that entails until the curtains pull back on his opening night.

She is gob-smacked and entirely intrigued to see him take to the stage in drag. Later on, Nicholas asks her if she would like to become his show assistant. Excited by the idea, she jumps at the chance. Soon she finds herself immersed in a world of wigs, make-up and high heels, surrounded by pretty men and the temptation of falling for her incredibly beautiful employer.

In this story of passion and sexual discovery, Nicholas and Freda will contend with jealousy, emotional highs and lows, and the kind of love that only comes around once in a lifetime.

**Not suitable for younger readers. Contains some strong language and scenes of a sexual nature.**
Lori's thoughts: This is the second book I've read and devoured by LH Cosway in less than a week. I love the way she writes. I found myself laughing out loud several times. The story took me through the range of emotions and I absolutely loved it. I couldn't wait to get to the end to see what happened, then felt sad that I'd finished it. Nicholas is an amazingly, beautifully broken man. Freda has her act together, but not if you ask her. She's not perfect, but she is a wonderful character! No cookie cutter perfect people here. No bad-assed tattoo'd men who vow to never fall in love. It's not like that. Not at all. The only real regret I have here is that I didn't read this book sooner!

The author is Irish, and I find myself reading along with what I imagine to be a perfectly horrible Irish accent. I love the "different" words. Wanker. Knickers. Every time she talked about her knickers I giggled a little. :)

Tour: Frozen

Title: Frozen
Author: L.A. Casey



Neala Clarke is a woman of her word, when she gives you it, expect her to deliver. Neala gave her niece Charli her word that she would get her a doll for Christmas. Never mind that there is only one week until Christmas and everywhere that stocked toys is practically sold out. Neala gave her word that she would get that doll for Charli, so she will move mountains to make it happen.

Darcy Hart is a people pleaser, when he is asked last minute for a doll by his adorable six year old nephew Dustin, he of course, says yes. However, Darcy faces a dilemma, the particular doll he needs is sold out everywhere. Darcy makes one last attempt to get the doll at a local toy store, and finds out they have only one left in stock, but he also finds out he is not the only person interested in claiming the doll.

Neala and Darcy go way back, playing in each other’s play pens kind of way back. They are not friends, more like mortal enemies, and both of them wanting a single doll was the start of a series of events that no one could have predicted, not even Father Christmas himself.


Amazon US | Amazon UK It all happened in slow motion.

Darcy was shouting at me from inside of the tunnel one minute, and the next his upper body disappeared as the roof of the snow tunnel collapsed in on top of him. It literally collapsed on top of him and now he wasn't moving.

At all.

For at least twenty seconds I did nothing but stare at him then my senses kicked into overdrive.

"Darcy!" I screamed, and threw my blanket off my body as I rushed over to him.

I licked my lips and stared down at his body with wide eyes, and shaking limbs. My heart was slamming into my chest, and each pulse got louder and louder. I could hear each beat my heart took and my ears rang with the noise.

"Darcy!" I shouted hoping he would make a noise from under the snow or at least move his legs.

Nothing.

Not a sound or kick from him.

I really started to worry then, the thought of him drowning crossed my mind. I mean, snow was made of water and he was buried under the snow, which meant he was technically under water right now.

Fuck.

I had to save him.

I dropped my candle to the ground and ignored it as the glass bowl that encased the candle smashed causing it to blow out.

It was darker now, but the rest of the candles along the hallway were still lit so I could see pretty well.

"Darcy, don't worry!" I shouted. "I'm gonna get you out of there!"

I dropped to my knees and began to scoop handfuls of snow off his body. I threw the snow onto the pile Darcy created while digging the tunnel off to my right, but I had to stop because my hands hurt with the cold. I instead moved to Darcy legs and gripped onto them and pulled. I pulled with all of my might and the idiot's body only slightly moved.

"Move!" I shouted and pulled at his legs again.

I held onto Darcy with every fibre of strength I had and pulled again, and by the grace of God, his body moved.

It actually moved.

I was strong!

"Yes!" I cheered.

I scrambled up to Darcy's back when his shoulders became visible. I placed my hands on both of them and pulled as hard as physically possible, the wet floor under Darcy made him slide which made things so much easier for me and my arms.

"You're out!" I cheered.

Darcy was gasping for air so I rolled him over so he could suck in as much air as he needed. His eyes were closed, but his body was shaking. I instinctively placed my hands on his arms, directly on his biceps.

His firm biceps.

Stop it.

I began to rub up and down very fast hoping to generate some heat for Darcy to ease his shivering. All the rubbing was pointless though, unless I got him up off the cold wet floor he would just get sick.

"Darcy, stand up," I said.

He didn't move, nor did he reply to me.

That worried me.

I looked to Darcy's face and found his eyes were still closed. I looked down to his chest and saw it was moving up and down which relaxed me immensely.

"Darcy!" I said loudly, shaking him.

"Darcy!" Einstein called from the kitchen.

I screeched, "Shut up, Einstein!"

Stupid bloody bird.

I looked back down to Darcy when I thought I heard him chuckle, but I was mistaken because he was motionless with his eyes still closed. This wouldn't do, I had to wake him up because we'd be stuck in this house if he didn't fix the tunnel and continue to dig so we could get out of here.

Was that selfish?

"Darcy!" I shouted and shook him, hard.

He groaned and it caused my pulse to spike.

"Neala?" he croaked.

He was alive!

"Yes, Darcy, it's Neala. I'm here. It's okay, I saved you."

I was so proud of myself for saving him, too.

"Neala," he gasped my name again, and this time it was followed by a cough.

I frowned down at him.

Why was he coughing?

"Are you okay?" I asked, genuinely concerned for his well being.

Darcy coughed again. "I don't think so... everything is fading."

Oh, my God.

Fading?

As in fading to black?

"Don't you die and leave me here alone!" I snapped at him.

I may have still hated him close to ninety percent, but I didn't want him to die... I also didn't want to be left on my own with just Einstein for company.

"I'm... I'm dying... Neala."

Oh, no.

"You can't be, you weren't under the snow for that long- Darcy!" I screeched and shook him when he started to go limp.

"Neala," he gasped. "Come closer."

I couldn't believe what was happening.

This was not how things were supposed to end, we were supposed to get out of here... together.

"I'm here, Darcy," I said and swallowed back a sob that wanted to escape.

Darcy's breathing slowed. "I can see the light," he whispered.

I blinked back tears. "Go to the light, Darcy."

Darcy gasped for breath, then all of sudden everything stopped.

His movement.

His breathing.

His everything.

Oh, no.

"Darcy?" I whispered.

Nothing.

Oh, my God.

"Please don't be dead," I said then released the sob that was dying to be let out.

I stared down at Darcy's face, and I couldn't believe what just happened.

He died in my arms.

What was I going to do?

I never even told him I was sorry for giving him the runs, or for all the other times I was a bitch to him, and now I would never get the chance.

I felt like dirt.

I began to cry, but Darcy's body suddenly twitched then he inhaled sharply, and loudly.

I blinked then widened my eyes in shock.

"Darcy?" I whispered.

Darcy blinked opened his big brown eyes.

He was alive!

"Am I in Heaven?" he asked.

He thought he was dead!

Darcy blinked his eyes a couple of times then he flicked his eyes to mine and he stared at me for a long moment before he sighed.

"Nope, not Heaven. This must be Hell if you're here," he said, his face was as serious as if he just told me someone had a heart attack.

I stared down at him then narrowed my eyes.

Ex-fucking-cuse me?

"What?" I asked, completely confused.

Darcy looked at me then burst out laughing.

Laughing!

I gasped and dropped him to the floor.

He grunted in pain, but continued to laugh.

That... that fucking bastard!

He played me.

"You joked about dying?" I screeched.

Who does that?















L.A. Casey was born, raised and currently resides in Dublin, Ireland. She is a twenty two year old stay at home mother to an almost two year old German Shepherd named Storm and of course, her four and half year old (the half is apparently vital) beautiful little hellion/angel depending on the hour of the day.

Her first novel, Dominic, was released on March 17th, 2014, and on March 21st, 2014, it became an international Amazon bestseller.
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