Karen Swart's Blog, page 13
August 3, 2015
Blog Barrage – Her Sinful Angel by Felicity Heaton @felicityheaton
Her Sinful Angel, book eight in New York Times best-seller Felicity Heaton’s hot paranormal romance series, Her Angel, is now available in ebook and paperback. To celebrate the release, she’s holding a FANTASTIC GIVEAWAY at her website.
Find out how to enter the Her Sinful Angel international giveaway (ends August 9th) and be in with a shot of winning a $75, $50 or $25 gift certificate at her website, where you can also download a 5 chapter sample of the novel: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/her-sinful-angel-romance-book.php
Here’s more about Her Sinful Angel, including an excerpt from this paranormal romance novel.
Author's Website | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | iBooks US | iBooks UK | iBooks AU | iBooks CA | iBooks NZ | ARE | Google Play | GoodReads
Cast out of Heaven and now the king of Hell, Lucifer is a powerful fallen angel warrior with a heart as cold as ice and soul as black as the bottomless pit. For millennia, he has ruled his realm with an iron fist as he plots the demise of his ancient enemies. When one of those enemies dumps an unconscious mortal female in the courtyard of his fortress and leaves her there, Lucifer finds himself entranced by the beguiling beauty and tempted beyond all reason. But is the enchanting Nina an innocent pawn in the eternal game or part of a plot against him?
Her Sinful Angel is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Also available in paperback. Find the links to your preferred retailer at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/her-sinful-angel-romance-book.php
BUY LINKS::
Amazon US: http://amzn.com/B012GUVSHK
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B012GUVSHK
Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B012GUVSHK
Amazon CA: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B012GUVSHK
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B012GUVSHK
iBooks US: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781909306516?at=1l3voM2
iBooks UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781909306516?at=1l3voM2
iBooks AU: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781909306516?at=1l3voM2
iBooks CA: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781909306516?at=1l3voM2
iBooks NZ: http://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/isbn9781909306516?at=1l3voM2
ARE: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-hersinfulangelherangelromanceseries8-1857960-143.html
Google Play: http://play.google.com/store/books/details/Felicity_Heaton_Her_Sinful_Angel?id=M3o9CgAAQBAJ
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-sinful-angel-felicity-heaton/1122422802
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/her-sinful-angel-her-angel-romance-series-8-1
Her Sinful Angel – Excerpt
The door in the right corner of the far end of the room opened and she shot into a sitting position, her heart leaping into her throat as her gaze darted towards it.
The man stood there, dressed as impeccably as before in a fine black suit and polished leather shoes, with his dark hair swept back from his face. All that black made him look as pale as a ghost, his skin white and flawless. Only his amber eyes added a touch of colour that added life to him.
Fire.
That fiery gaze burned into her as his eyes came to settle on her, narrowing slightly so his long black lashes darkened his irises to burnished gold.
“You are awake,” he said, his voice as smooth and deep as an ocean, lulling her as gently as waves.
With practiced precision, he carried a silver tray into the room and set it down on the black coffee table near the red couch.
Food.
Her stomach grumbled at the sight of it. Fruits, something that looked like a sponge cake, and chocolate. Her belly growled louder, her mouth watering as she thought about breaking off a piece of chocolate and popping it into her mouth. Beside the food on the tray stood an elegant silver teapot and a single fine china cup on a saucer, with a tiny pot of milk and a sugar bowl.
Nina stared at the offering, wondering if she would look rude if she ran across the room to stuff her face with the food.
The man arched an eyebrow at her and then at the tray. “I can ask for coffee if you prefer it.”
She quickly shook her head. “Tea is fine. Perfect. I love tea.”
And she was rambling. She didn’t need to catch the amused look on his handsome face to know that.
She edged off the bed and walked as casually as she could towards the couch. He shifted aside when she neared him and she almost paused to look at him, part of her curious about why he always moved away from her whenever she approached him. Was he merely trying to make her feel more comfortable?
Or was there another reason he wanted to keep his distance from her?
The suspicious part of herself locked on to the latter, filling her head with theories about why he might want to avoid being near her. She shoved them away as she sat down on the red velvet couch and snapped off a square of dark chocolate. Her stomach rumbled as she brought it to her lips and she had to fight to keep her eyes open as she placed the piece on her tongue and chewed. Heaven.
Nina swallowed the chocolate, sank back into the couch and sighed.
The man’s gaze on her intensified and she lazily lifted her eyes to meet his. He was closer now, standing at one end of the coffee table and staring down at her, his head cocked to one side.
She was about to ask whether he had never seen a woman blissing out on chocolate when he spoke.
“Tea?” He was crouching before she could respond and she couldn’t help noticing how his black trousers pulled tight across his toned thighs and higher.
Nina dragged her gaze away from the bulge and fixed it on his hands, watching as he nimbly lifted the silver teapot in his left hand and pressed the fingers of his right to the lid as he tilted it, pouring a tall stream of golden liquid into the waiting white cup. Steam swirled from the hot liquid as it rose towards the brim. With an equal measure of care and perfection, he slowly righted the teapot and set it back down on the tray.
Golden eyes slid across to meet hers. “Milk?”
Nina nodded and he picked up the small china pot and began to pour, his gaze constantly on hers. She held her hand out when the tea was golden, not too pale nor too dark for her taste. When he reached for the sugar, she shook her head.
“Sweet enough as you are?” he said with a wide smile that made her heart thump ridiculously against her chest.
She opened her mouth to bat the comment away, but he rose to his feet, coming to tower over her. Something about him standing over her like that, the warmth draining from his eyes as his smile faded, set her on edge. She wrapped one arm around her waist and reached for her cup of tea with the other.
“I make you nervous.” He backed off a step and then another, and she wanted to tell him that it wasn’t him, but she couldn’t bring herself to voice that lie.
He did make her nervous.
He made her nervous when he was close to her, when he was kind to her, when he asked her things about what had happened to her.
When he looked at her as she knew he was looking at her now when her gaze and focus was on picking up the tea he had poured for her.
She could feel the heat of his gaze on her, knew if she lifted hers to meet his that there would be a touch of hunger in his eyes, desire that she had spotted in them before and that left her feeling breathless. The room closed in on her and she struggled to breathe as she reached for the cup. Her fingers shook against the delicate handle and she closed her eyes to shut out the room and everything in it, hoping that it would help her steady her nerves.
It didn’t.
She could still feel his eyes on her.
She pulled down another steadying breath and focused harder, pushing aside the fierce sensation of his eyes on her as she opened her own and settled them on the cup. She gripped the handle and lifted it away from the saucer, bringing it to her as she leaned back. Her hand remained steady this time and she managed a few sips of the hot tea. The comforting taste of it settled her nerves even further.
It might have helped that he stopped looking at her in that instant and moved off towards the fireplace.
Nina studied him as she sipped her tea, taking in the elegant line of his back and how his shoulders tapered but were broad. His black hair was shorn around the sides and back of his head, but left longer on top, groomed back away from his face. She grew bolder the longer he remained looking away from her. Her eyes drifted down the straight slope of his nose, took in the high contours of his cheekbones, and even the tempting soft curves of his lips. Ridiculously handsome.
She could almost believe he had been made to tempt women into sinning.
He exuded wickedness and sensuality, and she felt the full force of it as he turned his head towards her, his golden eyes locking with hers before she could glance away and holding her immobile.
“Is the tea to your liking?”
He may as well have asked whether she wanted to climb him like a tree and kiss the living daylights out of him, because her heart did a stupid fluttering thing in her chest and her belly heated in a way she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Desire flared hot inside her, burning through her veins, and for a moment she wondered whether he had drugged the tea.
It would have been the perfect excuse, if not for the fact she had reacted to him in exactly the same way when she had awoken to him yesterday.
Nina blamed whatever drug the shadowy man had used on her. It obviously hadn’t worn off as much as she had thought.
“What’s your name?” She blurted the question and his left eyebrow arched, a flicker of surprise crossing his features. “If I have to stay here, I at least want to know where I am and who you are.”
“Lucifer,” he said it with such a deadpan expression that she didn’t have the heart to ask whether he was joking and had just pulled a name out of his head that suited the dreary house around her.
“You must have loved your parents for that one.”
His expression darkened. “I do not have parents.”
That explained a lot, but also left her with a heck of a lot more questions. Had her previous assumption been correct and he had been raised in this house?
God help him if he had. The poor bastard. It was little wonder he was so pale and looked so cold and emotionless most of the time.
Except when he was looking at her.
Sure, he had looked at her with cold, cruel eyes from time to time, but there were those times when they held banked heat, desire that had shocked her the first time she had noticed it.
“Nina.” She offered her free hand but he only looked at it, keeping his station near the fireplace opposite her, with the table neatly positioned between them.
Like a barrier.
Nina lowered her hand to her lap and his eyes followed it, his irises darkening once more as his pupils dilated.
There it was again. That heat that stirred the same in her, breaking through the hard emotionless cold that normally filled the space in her chest. Was it the same for him?
Or was she being ridiculous?
The heat inside her grew as he lifted his eyes, slowly tracking the length of her arm upwards and over her shoulder, and the hunger in them grew with each inch higher he roamed. He sucked her awareness to him, pulling it away from the room until she was conscious of only him and how he was looking at her.
Of the way his golden eyes seemed to brighten as they lingered on her face and then fell to her lips.
Her breath came quicker, heart racing as she fought the effects of his eyes on her and tried to shake them off.
It was impossible.
She felt as if she had fallen under some sort of spell and he was the one casting it on her by merely looking at her as if she was beautiful and he couldn’t go another second without crossing the room and touching her.
A flash of him doing just that filled her mind, a stolen moment in which his hand would catch her cheek and flutter downwards to her jaw to tease her head back so his lips could taste hers and steal her breath from her.
Every inch of her trembled in anticipation, aching for that even when it scared her a little.
She couldn’t remember the last time a man had looked at her the way he was staring at her right now.
No.
She could.
And it was enough to throw a bucket of icy water on her libido and kill it.
Nina averted her gaze.
The spell shattered.
She felt it break, felt his eyes leave her as he shifted back a step, one that lacked confidence and felt uncertain to her. He lingered a moment, nothing more than a heartbeat, and then the sound of his shoes clicking on the cold stone floor broke the silence. The door slammed and she flinched, spilling her tea on the floor by her bare feet.
Nina sat there in silence, her eyes closed and her heart racing.
What the hell was she doing?
She placed the cup down on the tray and wrapped her arms around herself as she stared at the closed door.
Whatever had been happening, she wasn’t alone in her reaction to it.
It had rattled Lucifer too.
And Nina had the feeling that was a rare thing.
Her Sinful Angel is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Also available in paperback.
Find all the links, a fantastic 5 chapter downloadable sample of the book, and also how to enter the giveaway and be in with a shot of winning a $75, $50 or $25 gift certificate at her website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/her-sinful-angel-romance-book.php
Books in the Her Angel paranormal romance series:
Book 1: Her Dark Angel – FREE in ebook at selected retailers
Author Bio
Felicity Heaton is a New York Times and USA Today international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books, she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons! If you're a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.
If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Her Angel series.
If you want to know more about Felicity, or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:
FelicityHeaton.co.uk | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | GoodReads | Amazon | Tsu
Follow the Tour!
July 31
Aug 01:
Aug 02:
Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents
Aug 03:
Aug 04:
Aug 05:
Aug 06:
Aug 07:
Aug 08:
Aug 09:
Book Blast, Giveaway & Interview: Paradise Rot by Larry Weiner @LarryNWeiner
Paradise Rot
The Island Trilogy
Book One
Larry Weiner
Genre: Satire/Dark Comedy
Publisher: Booktrope
Date of Publication: May 30, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5137-0031-1
ASIN: B00YLDWX66
Number of pages: 211
Cover Artist: Larry Weiner
Book Description:
Kyle Brightman—late of the advertising industry and soon-to-be-late of the 5th floor psych ward—has a job offer he can’t refuse. A new resort in the Caribbean is looking for an art director.
Kyle soon finds himself on the Isle of St. Agrippina working alongside a beautiful copywriter with an icy handshake. Questions arise: Why does the resort management team sport spray-on tans in the Bahamas? How can the resort offer such cheap vacation packages? What does one do with vats of Astroglide?
To get the answers, Kyle must first navigate a series of wildly unpredictable events with a cast of even more wildly unpredictable characters, including a seductress jungle assassin, her partially paralyzed talking Chihuahua, an Ivy League Rastafarian seaplane captain, Kyle’s ex-psych ward roommate, a former Haliburton mercenary, and a French tavern owner with a fondness for goats, all set to the greatest hits of the 70’s. Pablo Cruise never felt so right.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/Yxscfui-5Tg
“THERE’S A REASON WE PUT PATIENTS IN RESTRAINTS THIS WAY,” Hap the orderly explained. “See before, when it became necessary to administer a four-point restraint on someone, we’d just do the standard two feet to each side of the gurney and two wrists by the waist. Now we have you done up with the POS 2206 restraint which you’d have to pretty much be motherfuckin’ Houdini to get out of, see what I’m sayin’? We got one arm up and one down so you don’t pop your shoulder out of your socket. Does that matter to the average whack job that comes through here all spun out screaming about the end times or how the government implanted tiny computers in their heads? Nuh-uh. They just keep wigglin’ around as if their super human powers are gonna set them free. Forget it, son. Your body belongs to the St. Eligius psych ward, fifth floor, Seattle, Washington, in these United States of America.”
It was true.
Kyle Brightman lay restrained on the gurney looking something like a flamenco dancer striking a pose horizontally. Unlike flamenco dancers and their elaborate sequined outfits, Kyle was in jeans and a faded Clash T-shirt covered in eggs, tapenade, and mace. Also unlike flamenco dancers, Kyle had been tased in a supermarket. But then it had been a weird week in an off kilter year, so in retrospect it seemed fitting to be held down to a gurney in a hospital corridor getting a lesson in the history and technique of human body restraint from Hap, the large African American orderly schooled in human confinement arts.
Kyle fully submitted to the restraints, finding them rather soothing— Temple Grandin was on to something, he thought. He also thought about the starting place on the long road of his downward spiral: from being fired from his advertising gig as an art director, to mowing the grass for a local golf course, and finally to freaking out on a couple of elderly women blocking the aisle in a supermarket because they wouldn’t move their carts a few inches over when he’d asked.
All in three months’ time.
In truth, the brain lock up had been a long time coming. A bitter divorce that had cost him his waterfront condo and his cat, Lester. The passed over promotion at work to a younger junior art director. The diagnosis of Bipolar II. The drinking. The petty shoplifting at the local Rite Aid. It was a perfect storm of anxiety and neurosis crashing down upon an already paranoid and erratic man with authority issues and a tendency toward drama.
But the idea of his mental state as a tornado gathering energy as it swept across his life was nothing new to Kyle or those around him. His moods were a dangerous balancing act of wit, anger, and a general cluelessness that on the best of days came across as mercurial.
He knew this about himself, and though countless therapists had talked him through his childhood, his mother, his school years, and subsequent launch into adulthood, everybody had yet to find a cure. As a creative director with similar tendencies had once put it to Kyle, he’d best learn to be an asshole with serious repenting skills if he was to survive at all, let alone in advertising.
In Kyle’s mind, every time he met a woman, took a job, or made a friend, he imagined a stop watch starting, ticking off the days, hours, minutes, seconds until eventually they would learn the truth about him: that his moods were like forecasting the weather. It was a seemingly mundane twist of fate then that Kyle Brightman would completely lose his shit because two aged, upper crust cronies wouldn’t move their shopping carts over enough for him to pass. If only he had known what they had been discussing (the cost increase in septic pumping/ whose Mexican gardener was better) he might have picked a more symbolic moment to melt down. But then, he had realized as he began cursing at the top of his lungs that he really wasn’t in the driver’s seat. And when he began to throw eggs at them, followed by a jar containing tapenade while knocking over a display rack of various energy bars, it became clear that he was now entering new territory.
Territory that would require restraints.
“When do I get out of the restraints?” Kyle asked Hap.
“That depends on you,” Hap said. “If you cooperate and let us do our job and you do yours you won’t see restraints again. But if you start to go sideways, we put you in the metal room, hose you down and go to work on you with rubber Billy maces.”
“What?”
“I’m fuckin’ with you. You’ll be fine. We’re gonna take you to your room. You’ll meet your roommate and we’ll get you on the road to recovery.”
Kyle hadn’t thought about recovery until it was mentioned. It was a rare instance that he lived in the moment. He was aware, strapped to the gurney, that he was extraordinarily tired.
“What if I don’t recover?” Kyle asked.
“You will,” Hap said. “I been doing this a long time and I can tell the ones who are gonna make it and the ones who fall through the cracks. You’re the first one.”
“What do you tell the ones who you know are gonna fall through the cracks?” Kyle asked.
“Same bullshit I told you,” Hap said.
Did you always wanted to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
I honest to god wanted to be a rockstar! I play bass and in my youth there were a lot of garage bands, then later some club gigs, but I found I couldn’t keep up with the drug abuse. The writing bug hit in 7th grade because of an English teacher who turned me on to Kurt Vonnegut – that was it man – I wanted to be a rockstar who wrote the band’s lyrics.
When did you first consider yourself a “writer”?
In college – I filled those blue books up!
How long did it take to get your first book published?
I self published in 2013 then in 2015 I was signed by Booktrope and re-release my first two in a trilogy, Paradise Rot & Once Again, With Blood.
Do you do another job except for writing and can you tell us more about it?
I stopped working as an advertising art director about 5 years ago when I remarried a woman with a small child. She has a crazy busy job and need me around to hold down the fort – I gladly accepted the job offer.
What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?
PARADISE ROT,: It's Jimmy Buffett and Carl Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard and Don Draper taking turns whacking Anne Rice with a cricket bat.
Who is your publisher? Or do you self-publish?
Booktrope Publishing.
How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?
First draft in 3 months – final by 4.5
What can we expect from you in the future? ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?
More satire however, I’m moving away from the paranormal into the living – at least that’s how it’s going with the 4th novel so far.
What genre would you place your books into?
Dark comedy
What made you decide to write that genre of book?
I was always drawn to satire: Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter S Thompson, Carl Hiaasen. Point out the ills of society – but do it with wit.
Do you have a favorite character from your books? And why are they your favorite?
Desmond, the gay zombie barista. He’s a gossip and as it turns good with an AK47.
Do you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?
It varies. What’s most important is to hit my minimum word count of 1k words per day. I do this at my friendly café wearing noise cancelling headphones listening to music that is part of the mood I’m creating. Paradise Rot is set to 70’s pop. I recently bought a standing desk and I love it – it really does make you focus.
Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?
I do. Dammit.
Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?
I try to have a at least a working title. The first two books had titles first. The third came late. The new one is in development.
How do you come up with characters names and place names in your books?
Ha! I take a map of the city I grew up in and name characters after street names. I also use a combination of people I know or names that are as ridiculous as I can make them.
Are character names and place names decided after their creation? Or do you pick a character/place name and then invent them?
There’s no set order. Sometimes there’s a great name I build a person around or vice versa.
Do you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the whole book or as you go along?
I start out with a notion, but as I write the character kind of takes over and tells me how it’s gonna be. I start with a generalization and get more specific as I go. Or is it the other way around?
Which format of book do you prefer, eBook, hardback, or paperback?
50/50 ebook versus paperback. Though, if the paper the book is printed on or the cover feels funky – then I re purchase it on ebook because tactile disorderJ
What is your favorite book and Why? Have you read it more than once?
Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman. Constantly refer to it. It just…nails the universe.
Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favorite/worst book to movie transfer?
I never do both. It’s either the book OR the movie.
Your favorite food is?
All food. Except cauliflower.
Your favorite singer/group is?
Rush. Yes. I am that kind of geek.
Your favorite color is?
Classified.
Your favorite Author is?
Again. Classified. Nice try.
Larry Weiner is the author of PARADISE ROT (BOOK ONE), ONCE AGAIN, WITH BLOOD (BOOK TWO) and the forthcoming HINDU SEX ALIENS (BOOK THREE) that make up the Island Trilogy. Larry earned a degree in film from CSULA and was an award-winning art director. He lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, two kids and a gaggle of animals. He plays bass and thus has poor hearing.
Visit his site at: http://www.larrynweiner.com
Join his Twitter feed at: @LarryNWeiner
Like him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larrynweiner
Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7256424.Larry_Weiner
Series Blast, Giveaway & Top Ten - The Russian Guns Series by @BethanyKris @sparklebooktour
Presented by: Sparkle Book Tours
The Russian Guns Series by Bethany-Kris Audience: Adult 18+, New Adult - Genre: Contemporary romance with some suspense elements. - Format: E-book and Paperback 
The Arrangement - The Russian Guns # 1 Pages: aprox. 319 pages - ISBN: 978-1-4405-8064-2 - ASIN: B00IPSCO6M - Date Published: March 17th, 2014
Nothing will stop the Bratva mob boss from taking back what's his, and once he has her, he'll do anything to keep her... Viviana "Vine" Carducci's and Anton Avdonin's marriage was decided more than two decades ago. The deal between leading mafia families has more on the line than anyone knew, even if the Bratva and Cosa Nostra shouldn't mix. When Vine's family is murdered and she's left with nothing more than her grief to survive the mob world alone, she believes the arrangement won't see the light of day.
Anton can't allow the one woman he was supposed to love get away. At the possibility of her death, he steps in to save her with guns blazing, knowing exactly what it might cost him: everything. But it's been nearly a decade since their last meeting, and he can't help but wonder if the woman he took back is the same girl he fell for all those years before.
Protected and loved, Vine is unable to forget their shared moments a lifetime ago, or the future she knows they're owed. When an old flame of Anton's shows up to rip the veil off the carefully constructed secrets he'd been hiding, she learns that nothing about her life is as it seems. But, that's nothing compared to the bomb about to blow. Can Vine see beyond the pain and blood to take what she always wanted? And just how far will the mob prince go to keep her safe?
In a world where violence, deceit, and greed reign, your life is not your own, and sometimes, love has to be arranged.
Amazon.com / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Goodreads / Barnes & Noble
“A marriage is only going to cause more issues. I’m worthless to the Bratva; you practically said so yourself.” “No, you’re worth a great deal, especially if you’re married to me.”
But, why?
“You’re hiding something from me,” she realized, hurt that he was lying again, even if it was by omission. Viviana couldn’t decide which stung worse—that he didn’t trust her, or that he thought she didn’t deserve to know whatever it was. “What aren’t you saying?”
Anton looked stricken, fingers drumming a quick beat on his thighs. “I gave them my word. It was supposed to be them explaining this to you if they desired to—all the reasons and things that happened years ago. It’s not my story to tell, and I promised. My word is all I’m worth if you consider the way I live; without it, I have nothing.” Reaching out, he cupped a hand over her knee and ran it along the inside of her jittery leg. With his fingers moving so softly against her inner thigh, he pressed his fingertips close enough to her center to make Viviana throb with need. Murmuring, he said, “Can’t you try to trust me? Viviana, you know me … you do.”
She ignored his plea. “Who, Anton?” His fingers pressed harder at her words, grip tightening when Viviana refused to react to his motions. What she really wanted was more. So much more of his hands on her body, but she didn’t dare speak that out loud. “Was it my father, or Nicoli? Who?”
“I can’t answer that right now.” With that, he stood and held out a hand for her to take. “Come, I’ll get you back in bed for the evening. Let you rest and get the last of that sedative out of your system. I promise you’ll feel better in the morning.”
Too exhausted to argue, her palm met his. Anton’s lips touched down to Viviana’s fingers in a flutter of movement. She wouldn’t have noticed the quick kiss had she not felt the heat of his mouth brushing along her sensitive skin. She might as well have been sixteen and falling for him all over again.
Viviana couldn’t figure out if she was willing enough to let him do it. It didn’t help that she wasn’t all too sure if she knew this man anymore. Was he the same one she wanted all those years ago? Had his feelings remained the same nearly a decade later … was that even possible? Could someone want another that much?
What was even more frightening was that with his blue eyes watching, and his hand connected with hers, waiting, Anton still felt like hers.
Just like he always had.
The Life - The Russian Guns # 2
Pages: aprox. 269 - ISBN: 978-0-9937797-0-1 - ASIN: B00MDWT0BI - Date Published: August 2nd, 2014 - Publisher: Bethany-Kris - Editor: Elle Leigh
The mafia life is a dangerous one revolving around honor, duty, and greed—a troublesome thing like love isn’t meant to play a part, but no one follows the rules. Surrounded by men waiting for the Russian mob boss to show weakness, Anton Avdonin should have known showering affection so openly on his new bride wasn’t a good idea. Of course, that didn’t stop him. When Anton’s wife begins attracting unwanted attention from an unknown source, he’s determined to find out just who is playing the risky game and put a stop to it by whatever means necessary.
From a Cosa Nostra princess to a Bratva queen, Viviana “Vine” Avdonin was made for the life. Pregnant, safe, and loved, she’s more than happy to move on from the history that haunts her to start out fresh. Then again, someone else has other plans. Old rivals from the past and bad blood from the present have mixed in the worst way, threatening to take away the things Viviana loves the very most. No matter what, she can’t let that happen.
Both Viviana and Anton know there’s only one way this can all end and it’s up to them to do it. But, who is behind the veiled threats and personal attacks, and how far are they willing to go to get what they want? When the truth finally surfaces, the consequences will be devastating and no one could have seen it coming.
In a life where everybody plays for keeps and no one fights fair, one mistake might cost them everything.
Amazon / Goodreads / Kobo / Google Books / Nook / iBooks
“My God. You know there’s nothing there, right? Her and me, I mean. That’s not … It’s just not there, baby. You don’t have to be jealous.” “I’m not jealous, Anton.” Strangely, he believed her. Viviana shrugged under the weight of his arm resting around her shoulders. “Why should I be … of Tatiana? I have exactly what she doesn’t. Everything she thought should have been hers is mine. I have your life, your son, and your love. Even if she was nothing more than your whore, which she isn’t, she still wouldn’t have any of those things. So no, I’m not jealous of that girl. On the other hand, I do wonder if she is envious of me.”
“I have no doubt of that.”
Viviana sighed. “Exactly. Tatiana has defied her father, you, and God knows how many others just to hurt me once. That was before we were married, before Demyan, and she only managed to sling words. This time might be different. At this dinner, she’s going to see me pregnant, happy, and protected, all because of you. Again, all that she doesn’t have and everything she wanted. So it brings me back to safety, I guess. You made it clear you don’t want her in any way so would she hurt me, or worse your baby, because of her resentment? Is she that crazy over you?”
Anton stayed silent, letting his wife’s words sink in as he considered them. It wasn’t that what she said didn’t make sense, because it did, but he wondered why Viviana had asked for Tatiana’s presence at all.
“You asked for her to be there, Vine. If you were worried about all of this, why ask at all?”
“I also asked for no guns.”
“And I’ll make sure that’s adhered to as best I can,” Anton said, still feeling confused. “You won’t take a step into any establishment unless it is weapon free.”
Viviana felt tense in his arms. “You don’t need a gun to kill someone.”
“She won’t have any chance to be alone with you.”
“I know.”
“Then what?” Anton asked.
“I want this done,” she said so low he strained to hear. “Put an end to it, however you have to. I don’t want to worry about her or her goddamned family after it’s over. I don’t want to think if she can’t hurt me, she’ll go to the next best thing.”
“You’re worried she’ll try to hurt Demyan.”
“Or you. To me, that’s just as bad.”
“You know that’d never—”
“No, I don’t,” Viviana interrupted coolly. “But if I didn’t have them to worry about, it’d be one less thing for me to consider.”
It was only then that her hidden meanings were starting to dawn on Anton. Viviana never asked him for anything in regards to business. She didn’t like to have her hands in his pots, so to speak. This was entirely different, especially if she was asking what he thought she was asking.
“Come on, Vine …”
“I want it done,” she repeated thickly. “Please.”
“On your head, though? You want that on your mind, bloodying up your hands, too?”
“Please?”
“Stop it,” Anton said, practically spitting the words. “Fuck, just don’t say that shit. I’ll handle it.”
“Before or after one of us is dead?”
The Score - Series: The Russian Guns # 3
Pages: aprox. 265 pages - ISBN: 978-0-9937797-1-8 - ASIN: B00OVPD746 - Date Published: October 27th, 2014 - Publisher: Bethany-Kris - Editor: Elle Leigh
In the mess of love and life, nothing and no one is left untouched. After everything the Russian mob boss Anton Avdonin has done to keep his family safe from the dangers of the world surrounding them, he never thought it would come down to this. The officials are knocking, the charges are piling, his wife is hurting, and they’re facing a fate he never thought to consider. He didn’t just make one mistake … no, he made many. It’s time to answer for them all.
Viviana “Vine” Avdonin is stuck watching the life she adores crumble around her. Bad decisions have led to terrible consequences in more ways than one. She doesn’t have time to recover from one devastating tragedy that leaves her shattered before the next one is crushing down, too. Saving her husband from a life sentence might be the easiest thing she has to do when her own misdeeds are staring her in the face.
Together, Anton and Viviana have survived more than once, but this path will be by far, the hardest they’ve ever walked. Sometimes they have to walk it alone … because forgiveness isn’t always black and white and love can be blurred by pain. With the blissful ignorance gone and the blinders removed, how much of themselves will they have to sacrifice to come out on top one last time?
When everyone has a score to settle, it’s hard to notice the person causing the most heartache is the one staring back in the mirror.
Amazon / Goodreads / Nook / Kobo / iBooks / Google Books
Anton flinched, disgust filling him to the brim. This whole situation was horrible, and he felt dirty with ten grimy fingers pointing straight at his guilty chest. “Well, aside from firing her, there’s not much I can—”
Anton didn’t get to finish his sentence. A loud bang and shouted orders rang out in the downstairs of the club. The tinkling sounds of canisters popping along the empty floor echoed up to their spot. There was no denying what was happening downstairs.
“Fuck,” Ivan muttered.
Instantly, Anton was off his office chair, ignoring the gun he knew was in the desk, and the information of a shipment, never mind the laptop he should have tried to somehow destroy. No, instead, the only thing he could think of was the little boy on the floor with wide blue eyes and terrified, reaching for his father.
“Papa?” Demyan cried.
“Shhh, little man,” Anton whispered.
In his arms, he held his son tighter and turned his back to the door of the office. It seemed like only milliseconds, but his mind was running a million miles a minute. Anton couldn’t begin to understand why the officials would be raiding his club. His guys certainly hadn’t been given any indication and they’d all been pretty quiet.
Demyan’s shaking increased as the shouts down below became louder. “It’s okay, Demyan, it’s okay. Papa’s here.”
The sounds of a dozen or more pairs of boots pounding up the metal staircase ratcheted up Anton’s nerves to a breaking point.
“Anton …” Ivan started to say. “Anton, give me your son!”
The hardest thing Anton ever had to do, next to walking out of his house that morning knowing his wife’s heart was breaking, was hand his trembling, scared, and crying son off to another man. It was safer for Demyan, though.
No doubt, they weren’t there for Ivan.
Anton watched Ivan curl a fighting Demyan into his chest as he got to his knees on the floor and automatically put his hands behind his head. The less threatening he seemed at their entrance, the less likely they were to cause him harm, never mind his son seeing it.
“Demyan, it’s okay,” Anton repeated when the first kick to the door landed with a solid thump. The second and third only followed louder, harder. “Hide his face, Ivan!”
When the door finally broke, it wasn’t a second before Anton found himself face down on the floor, his son’s cries overtaking all other sounds. Cuffs tightened around his wrists to an almost painful point, but Anton refused to show it. A boot landed hard between his shoulder blades, keeping him pinned to the floor even though he wasn’t fighting.
“Papa!”
“Anton Daniil Avdonin, you’re under arrest for the murder of Sonny Carducci, Tatiana Belov, Sergei Belov …”
Demyan & Ana: A Russian Guns Novella The Russian Guns # 4
Pages: aprox. 122 pages - ISBN: 9780993779732 - ASIN: B00TXCSXEG - Date Published: March 2nd, 2015 - Publisher: Bethany-Kris - Editor: Elle Leigh
Demyan and Ana have lived in privilege and protection as the children of Anton and Viviana Avdonin. With a Russian mob boss for a father and a mafia queen for a mother, they’ve got big shoes to fill. Love and life are messy games to play, especially when you’re new at it. An attack on one Avdonin will leave the family stunned and hurting. Their retribution is brutal, but the repercussions for their revenge will be even more devastating. Because when blood is spilled in their world, more must fall, too.
No one is safe. They have always been formidable—unstoppable. But they are not bulletproof.
Giving all of your heart to one person means running the risk of losing it when life comes crashing down. A happily ever after is just beyond their grasps.
One will get theirs.
And the other won’t.
A Russian Guns Novella, Prequel to Shattered
Amazon / Goodreads / Google Books / Kobo / Nook / iBooks
It’s one thing to have a mob boss for a father. It’s an entirely different thing to have Anton Avdonin for a father. “Are you ever going to marry that girl?” Anton asked, nodding in Gia’s direction.
Gia laughed with Demyan’s mother. About what, he didn’t know. She looked happy and carefree.
“You’re twenty-five. She’s twenty-six. You’re almost done with school, she already is and working. Not to mention you’re living together. Shit, you might as well be married, son. Just get it done with already.”
Demyan cocked a brow over the top of his beer bottle. “Get it done with?”
“Well, what the fuck else do you want me to say? It’s not like you’re making any damn effort to do it on your own.”
Lifting a single shoulder in response, Demyan tipped the bottle up and swallowed a mouthful of the amber colored, bitter liquid.
“You’ve been in love with her forever. I wish you would make it official.”
Demyan rolled his eyes. “It’s not any less official just because we don’t have rings and a signed marriage license. We’re happy like this. She’s really independent. I don’t know if she will ever want to get married.”
“Have you even proposed?” Anton asked pointedly. “How would you know if you don’t?”
“You assume I haven’t.”
“If you asked Ivan for his daughter’s hand like a good man, I would be the first person he called after.”
Goddamn it. Sometimes it sucked to have his father be such close friends with Gia’s father. Between the two of them, nothing flew under their mutual radars. It had been like this since Gia and Demyan were teenagers.
“You don’t understand. I’m not going to ask Ivan for something Gia doesn’t want yet, Papa.”
Anton’s brow crinkled. “Oh.”
“Yeah. I’d marry her in a heartbeat. Like first thing tomorrow morning at the courthouse if she would let me.”
“Why won’t she?”
Demyan didn’t know.
“Is it the Bratva thing again?” Anton asked.
“No, I don’t think so. We don’t talk about that at all.”
“Nothing?”
“Nope,” Demyan said simply. “It’s easier this way.”
“So, fact is, that could be precisely why, but you don’t know because you won’t ask.”
Demyan hated when his father made sense. “I love her, Papa.”
“I know you do.”
“Exactly. And if being together like we are is what makes her happy, I don’t need more. I won’t push her for more, either. She doesn’t like that I’m Vor, so I don’t make a point of shoving it in her face. It’s only a small piece of us, but not all. I’m going to keep my focus on the better parts.”
“Fair enough,” Anton said, but his smile didn’t ring true. “And when were you planning on telling me, anyway? Or at least, your mother.”
“Tell you what?”
“That Gia’s pregnant.”
Shattered - The Russian Guns # 5
Pages: Full length novel – 100k - ISBN: 978-0-9937797-6-3 - Date Published: July 2nd, 2015
“Don’t fall in love with me. I ruin beautiful things.”
Love made him this way, but life makes him stay.
Life doesn’t give a redo. There’s no rewind or pause button to take you back or stop time. Once something happens, it happened. The most tragic of those times in his life, the ones he wouldn’t get back and the moments he could never fix, reminded Demyan Avdonin of a bullet meeting glass.
The impact of the bullet doesn't break the glass into pieces, but instead, leaves behind a single hole surrounded by a spider web of cracks. Fragile cracks that, when handled with the utmost care, would splinter into shards of what used to be.
Demyan thought he had been broken beyond repair once, four long years ago.
He was wrong.
She touched the glass, unknowing of the cracks holding him together. These are the broken pieces of a shattered man and the woman who made him live.
Life made him this way, but love makes him stay.
Goodreads / Amazon / iBooks / KOBO / Nook / Google Books / SCRIBD
Something was happening to him, and it was because of her. He was letting it happen because he liked the way she got under his skin, made him think, and forced him to feel. Even if it wasn’t always fucking pretty. Demyan wasn’t sure how he felt about that other than the fact he didn’t want to think about it at all. Hooking up was one thing, but acting cozy was completely different and not what he should want.
“Demyan—”
“Don’t,” he forced out.
“But—”
Demyan turned on his heel, a hand flying up in the air to stop her from saying another thing. He made a swift beeline for the front door, grabbing his jacket off the back of the couch where he tossed it the night before.
“Demyan!”
At the front door, he tugged on his coat before yanking on his shoes.
“Demyan, please just wait a second,” Claire pleaded. “Please!”
Her cry sliced him straight down to the fucking bone. Like it ached in his heart because he was the one making her hurt. She was just feet away from him. Christ, he could reach out and touch her, soothe her if he wanted, but he couldn’t.
“Don’t do that,” Demyan said sharply, standing straight and trying to force back the rising anxiety and anger.
Claire snapped away from him as if he’d stuck out at her with his hand. “Do what?”
“That.”
“I don’t understand wh—”
Demyan waved at her. “That right there. This can’t be something. We can’t be something. Don’t do that.”
“Demyan, you’re freaking out over nothing.”
No, he wasn’t.
There were tears in her eyes. They weren’t falling, but they were there. She was hurt by his rejection, and he didn’t know how to handle what was going on inside his head and heart. So, it was pretty goddamn simple for Demyan. He needed to stop whatever this was before it went any further. Straight for the kill, like any good monster would do.
“Don’t fall in love with me. I ruin beautiful things.”
Claire flinched. “Why would you say that?”
“You can’t fall in love with someone like me and you certainly can’t afford to believe there’s something here or that you can make me better again. I am broken—unobtainable and unfixable. I don’t need a fucking martyr in my life. I’ve got enough of those as it is.”
“Ouch.”
“Just … don’t.”
“Fall in love with you.”
“Exactly,” Demyan muttered.
“Why would you say that?” she repeated.
Wasn’t it obvious?
“Claire—”
“Why would you tell me not to fall in love with you and then in the next sentence, call me beautiful?”
Because she was.
Music is often the biggest inspiration to me as a writer. The following songs were the most influential for background and emotion in The Russian Guns series. I hope you enjoy the playlist for the series as much as I enjoyed listening to them as I wrote. YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL55-I0Z8d9uvTDhLUGJqCFg-q0k-SN37p
Top Ten Female Characters in Fiction
These are ten of my favorite female characters in fiction. Truth be told, some may change from time to time as I discover new works or remember old ones I have read. But right now, when I gazed over my bookshelves and wondered “What females’ stories would I share and why?” these female leads stood out to me. Maybe one or two will stand out to you, too.
--Bethany-Kris
1) Cathy from Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews.
While this book had some really taboo topics and the choices made by the MC female lead could be, at times, cringe-worthy, I adored Cathy. I still do today and that was well over a decade ago that I first read her and her brother’s story. I try to re-read her stories (the family series) at least once a year.
2) Mary Boleyn from The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory.
Mary was often overshadowed by her sister, Anne, but in the end, Mary lived her life as she wanted. And fact tells the truth right along with the fictionalized version of this tale—Mary lived, Anne got her head cut off.
3) Francesca Giordano from The Borgia Mistress by Sara Poole.
Oh, my God …. Francesca. Lover to a Borgia son, court poisoner for the man who was to become Pope, ridiculously strong willed and minded in a time when women were considered only good for birthing babies. I loved this woman. I devoured the book in hours because of her.
4) Ana from Letting Ana Go by Anonymous.
Ana could have been my friend, she could have been my mother, she could have been me. Her story, despite the way it ended, and her character, stayed with me because of that.
5) Dora Rare from The Birth House.
Dora is the first of two midwives on this list of mine. She’s from a favorite place of mine, Nova Scotia Canada. She endured through so much—she was amazing. I loved her strength most of all and how she finally settled into happiness with who she was and what she wanted regardless of what others wanted. It’s a good life lesson.
6) Savannah Lynn Curtis from Dear John by Nicholas Sparks.
I actually didn’t think I would put a NS novel on this list, but when I looked through my bookshelves (over 300 books in my physical—not digital—collection), Savannah pulled me in again. She made tough choices. Ones that hurt other people, but she did it because of who she was and who she was, was a good person. She sacrificed what could be her happiness for someone else. Maybe she was rewarded in the very end for it, we never knew.
7) Alice Piper from So Much Pretty by Cara Hoffman.
Good God, if there is any book on this list you pick up and try, PLEASE PICK THIS ONE. PLEASE. Alice Piper is a young teenaged girl—the story is told from many perspectives and it makes you question everything you thought you knew about life and people and “what would you do if this was your child?” Alice did what so many people THINK of doing but never do. This book gave me the chills for weeks and even when I think of Alice today, I still go, “WOW”.
8) Mia from If I Stay by Gayle Forman.
This story was just … poignant as is. Being told from Mia’s perspective added to that. I don’t think it would have worked as well with someone else’s perspective. Mia made this story. There’s more books though I haven’t read them.
9) Anna & Kate from My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult.
Read the book, don’t just watch the movie. I know there should only be one female here, but they intertwined so much by the end, it only made sense for them to be both. Anna is the kind of person people should be, and Kate is … heartbreaking. Both strong but in completely different ways. If I had daughters (I don’t, I have all boys), I would hope they could be as emotionally, and mentally strong as these girls.
10) Hannah Levi from The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich.
Hannah is a Jewish Midwife who risks her career and life to save the life of a Christian mother and her baby, despite knowing her actions could have grave consequences. She was an amazing character to read about.
I hope my list gives you some new characters to go and try!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to three very young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, a snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a spouse calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something ... when she can find the time.
Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Amazon / Pinterest / Newsletter
![clip_image012[1]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1438615744i/15735116.png)
![clip_image014[1]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1438615744i/15735117.png)
July 13 Books, Authors, Blogs http://therightbook4u.blogspot.com July 14 Fictional Rendezvous Book Blog http://fictionalrendezvousbookblog.blogspot.com/ July 15 Bound 2 Escape http://www.bound2escape.com July 16 A Dirty Book Affair http://adirtybookaffair.com July 17 Archaeolibrarian - I dig good books! http://archaeolibrarianologist.blogspot.de/ July 20 Chicas Love to read http://www.chicalovestoread.blogspot.com July 21 Books and Warpaint http://www.booksandwarpaint.com July 22 Indy Book Fairy http://paranormalbookfairy.blogspot.com/ July 23 Literary Musing http://literarymusing.weebly.com/ July 24 Angels with Attitude Book Reviews http://angelswithattitudebookreviews-joelle.blogspot.com July 27 Sweet Treat Reading Reviews http://strreviews.blogspot.com/ July 28 Hobby Lady http://www.mywriterblog.com/kelly/ July 29 The Avid Reader http://the-avidreader.blogspot.com July 30 BB's Book Reviews http://bbsbookreviews.com/ July 31 Have Book Will Read http://havebookwillread.com Aug 3 Portals to New Worlds http://authorkarenswart.blogspot.com Aug 4 Booky Ramblings of a Neurotic Mom http://bookyramblingsofaneuroticmom.blogspot.co.uk/ Aug 5 2 Girls & A Book - Promo http://2girlsandabook.wordpress.com/ Writer In Progress http://writerip.blogspot.com Aug 6 Eclipse Reviews http://eclipsereviews.weebly.com Aug 7 Books Books Books http://www.booksbooksbooksblog.com
August 2, 2015
Cover Reveal - Water Weaver - Wraidd Elfennol # 1 by Morgan Sheppard @MorganJSheppard @sparklebooktour
Presented by Sparkle Book Tours
Water Weaver - Wraidd Elfennol # 1
by Morgan Sheppard
Audience: Young Adult - Genre: Epic Fantasy - Format: e-Book - Publisher: Morgan Sheppard - Cover by: Michelle Douglas www.mdbookcovers.com - Editor: Mae Williams of Ye Olde Ink &
Quill Editing Services (http://yeoldeinkandquillediting.weebly.com/ ) - Exspected Date of Publishing - Sep 2015
The young maiden, Marella, was born to the
island of Wraidd Elfennol, a place balanced by the four elements of nature –
Earth, Air, Fire and Water. The essence of each element contained in sacred
artefacts ensuring the balance of life.
Every year, the community from across the island
gather for the Summer Solstice. It is at this celebration the Lords and Ladies
of Wraidd Elfennol make an astounding announcement. The sacred artefacts are
missing. They then proclaim that four individuals, along with their animal Life
Partners, will be selected to restore the balance.
Marella and her otter, Nixie, are chosen because
of their link to the element of Water and along with her, three others – each
in-tune with a different element.
Together they embark on a quest to either find
the missing artefacts or somehow create new ones. As the world around them
changes, danger lurks with every challenge the group face. They must hurry as
the elements need to be restored before a year and a day have passed.
Failure is not an option or the world as they
know it will cease to exist.
Goodreads
I am a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend and a lover. I am many things, been given many labels but I can say that I am just ‘simple complicated’ me.
Always a prolific reader and dabbler in my younger days with short stories, poems and limericks, I am currently working on my first novel ‘Water Weaver’ and I am enjoying the process although it is very different from writing stories as a schoolgirl!
My favourite quote is “You have to “aim high and reach for your dreams”, favourite colour is rich purple and favourite food would be chocolate! My favourite time of day is night-time and I love the moon in all her beautiful phases. My favourite season has always been Autumn/Fall. I love the rain and thunderstorms.
I welcome your company as I walk my path.
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Pinterest / TSU / Google +
July 31, 2015
Cover Reveal: Recombined by Samantha Jacobey @samjacobey
BOOK INFORMATION TITLE – Recombined SERIES – The Irrevocable Series, Book 3 AUTHOR – Samantha Jacobey GENRE – New Adult PUBLICATION DATE – September 1, 2015 LENGTH (Pages/# Words) - Approx. 160 pages/52K words PUBLISHER – Lavish Publishing COVER ARTIST – Nicolene Lorette Designs
BOOK SYNOPSIS RECOMBINED - An Irrevocable Series Novel… Can mankind survive an apocalypse of his own making? Bailey and Caleb fled civilization in light of impending disaster. Fighting to make their way south, they struggled to rejoin their survivalist friends and relatives. After facing crowds hell-bent on securing supplies… After getting the better of a marauding band of misfits… The couple arrive back at The Ranch, only to discover the place is deserted. Soon, a lone survivor emerges, explaining the group’s mysterious disappearance and the dangers they face in the ransacked hideaway. Joining forces, the trio sets to work, restoring order to their desert oasis. Making repairs, as well as plans, they are soon joined by a few who had made a daring escape. Refusing to leave the others behind, tempers flare and lines are drawn, while the young couple struggles to define their relationship. In a desperate attempt to rescue the remainder of their comrades, the group moves into their bunker, prepared to hang on until the bitter end. Will they succeed in saving Bailey’s brothers, as well as the rest of their comrades? Or will the renegade town of Pouty put an end to Lawson once and for all...
AUTHOR BIO Samantha Jacobey is a middle aged woman who earned a BS in Business Management and has worked in half a dozen fields. With a relentless zest for life, she enjoys action and adventure, as well as all the love and romance it has to offer. Creating stories in her mind for many years, she has put some of them into print for the world to share, and hopes you will enjoy reading them as much as she did creating them. What drives her most is the love of a good story and is confident you will enjoy her latest creation. AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – FACEBOOK – TWITTER – GOOGLE+ PINTEREST –
GOODREADS
Cover reveal has been organized by
Book Blast, Giveaway & Interview: Hurricane of the Heart Jewel Amethyst
![Hurricane of the Heart Banner 851 x 315_thumb[1]](http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qbQHLE3HJkA/VbpvXwdofqI/AAAAAAAAROQ/Ur97qvRQIys/s1600-h/Hurricane-of-the-Heart-Banner-851-x-.png)
![clip_image002_thumb[1]](http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZHKjQ-tLBaY/VbpvoQoCcnI/AAAAAAAAROw/jRQdJ-jOXtQ/s1600-h/clip_image002_thumb12.jpg)
Hurricane of the Heart
Jewel Amethyst
Genre: Romance
Publisher: CaribbeanReads Publishing
Date of Publication: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9964358-2-6
Number of pages: 292
Word Count: 85,900
Book Description:
The Player
When Kyle agrees to be the best man at his best friend’s destination wedding in Dominica, he has one thing on his mind: partying. But all that changes when a powerful hurri¬cane strikes the island and he finds himself trapped in a vil¬lage and falling hard and fast for the indigenous beauty queen, Alia Graneau.
The Planner
Alia Graneau has goals that do not include men, least of all an immature, irresponsible American party-animal like Kyle. But the hurricane devastates more than her beautiful island; it wreaks havoc on her heart when she falls under Kyle’s spell and is forced to choose between her ambition, her love for her country and her love for Kyle Robinson.
Can their love, born in a hurricane, survive the ravages of real life?
Kyle and Alia gazed into each other’s eyes, smiling. Alia drew her eyes away and gazed up at the moon. The emotion she was experiencing was making her a little uncomfortable. Yes, it was gratitude, but there was something else underlying it. It was attraction, desire, and a kind of closeness she did not want to feel at this time.
Kyle’s voice was soothing when he spoke. “I looked at your well-groomed nails and hair and thought you were one of those ultra-feminine women who concentrated more on their appearance than on anything of substance. I was totally wrong.”
Alia smiled and looked down at the moist ground.
He continued. “You are strong, determined and have a heart of gold. I never expected you to do all the things you did today. The way you got down and dirty and helped with the cleanup, the way you climbed through that tiny chimney. And then you put your own life in danger to save Teshawn’s life. I’ve gained a whole new perspective and a lot of respect for you.”
Alia kept her head down. She twirled a pebble between her fingers, her discomfort escalating. Her mind raced as she tried to make sense of all the emotions churning within her.
Kyle placed his finger under Alia’s chin and lifted her face. He gazed into her dark brown tapered eyes and was captivated by her beauty. Her long hair flowed gently around her face. Her exotic eyes held a dreamy, sultry expression. Kyle stared at her, lost in her gaze, enthralled by her clear flawless skin, her high cheekbones, and those deliciously full sensuous lips. He whispered, “Alia, you are beautiful, on the outside and the inside.”
Alia felt her heart flutter, beating like a drum in her ears. She could hardly breathe as she gazed into his large light-brown eyes. She saw passion, desire, and felt herself slipping, falling into his romantic trap.
Kyle touched her hair tentatively. It was soft and silky. The attraction for Alia was so strong it took his breath away. Slowly he lowered his face toward hers, his eyes never leaving hers. He saw in them longing, desire, and a vulnerability that was totally uncharacteristic of the super-composed Alia. His heart raced as his lips inched closer and closer.
Alia closed her eyes. Her mind was in turmoil. A day ago she had hated Kyle Robinson. Now here they were, on the verge of doing something she had never done before. She was confused, feeling things she should not be feeling. Not for Kyle, not for anyone at that point in her life. She felt helpless. Her mind
1
Hurricane of the Heart by Jewel Amethyst
was telling her not to do this, but her body was ignoring it. His hand in her hair, the other on her chin lifting it for his kiss felt so right.
Suddenly a moment of clarity ensued. This man would do anything and say anything to have a good time. What happens after the kiss? Sex? And then he would be gone from her life just as quickly as he had come.
Alia jumped up from the rock, leaving Kyle seated, a strange expression on his face. “This can’t happen,” she said before dashing off to the house.
“Alia, wait!” Kyle called to her departing back as he stood up from the rock. He had no idea whether to chase after her or let her be. No woman had ever run away from him like that before. Kyle looked at Alia as she crossed the fence and headed for the house. “Man!” he exclaimed, kicking the rock he had been sitting on. He had come so close.
So close to what? A kiss? A one night stand? An ephemeral tryst? Kyle looked longingly at her disappearing back and realized one night with Alia would never be enough. She was the type of woman who would keep him wanting more.
Did you always wanted to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
For as long as I can remember I wanted to be an author. When I was a child, I told my mother that I wanted to be an author. She gave me a story about an author who was poor and destitute and had to beg while he tried to peddle his books. So I decided I would be scientist or a doctor instead. I went to school, became a scientist and now I’ve decided to go back to my first love and become a writer.
When did you first consider yourself a “writer”?
That’s a tough question because I think there is a difference between being a writer and being an author. In the back of my mind, I always was a writer, whether it was writing short stories and poems just for my own entertainment or attempting to publish. But I didn’t consider myself to be an author until about 2011. I had two books already published. My job as a research scientist had recently ended and I was at a meeting with a few professionals. We had to introduce ourselves and give a little background about our professions. I felt intimidated because I no longer knew how to define myself professionally. I introduced myself as a stay at home mom. The organizer for the meeting, a well accomplished scientist and bestselling author added to my introduction, “and published author.” That was the first time I thought of myself as an author.
How long did it take to get your first book published?
My first book still is not published J. My second book is. In 2003 while on maternity leave I wrote my first book. I tried but could not get it published. Rather than being discouraged, I wrote another. I completed my second book in 2007, I think. I went through another set of rejections before it was accepted by Dorchester Publishing and Published in 2009. That was “A Marriage of Convenience” now published by Montlake Romance an imprint of Amazon. You can do the calculations.
Do you do another job except for writing and can you tell us more about it?
I am currently an adjunct professor of Biology. It just means I teach Biology to college students, but I do so part-time.
What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?
My latest book is Hurricane of the Heart, and it is set in the beautiful Caribbean Island of Dominica.
Summary: Alia and Kyle’s lives collide when a hurricane destroys Dominica. Can love born in disaster survive the ravages of life?
Who is your publisher? Or do you self-publish?
My earlier books are published by Amazon (Montlake Romance). My current Publisher is CaribbeanReads Publishing a wonderful publisher who treats authors really well.
How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?
It varies. I have what I consider to be a harem of WIP. I may get an idea, begin writing it, and when other things demand my attention, I pause sometimes indefinitely, sometimes for a few months to years. I started writing my latest published novel “Hurricane of the Heart”, in 2011. I had to do a bit of research for it because the protagonist is Kalinago or Carib, the indigenous people of the Caribbean, and there is not very much in the literature about their culture and lifestyles today. That took a while. I had the first draft completed by 2012. Others I’ve done in three or four months.
What can we expect from you in the future? ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?
Like I said, I have a harem of WIPs. I’m currently working on another romance based on a character who was introduced in Hurricane of the Heart. So you may see that soon. I’m also working on a series of children’s science adventure novels, meant for middle grade readers. That is in collaboration with my twelve year old daughter. We published the first one last year (2014), and we’re working on the others in the series.
What genre would you place your books into?
Most of my books are multicultural romance novels.
What made you decide to write that genre of book?
I’m a romantic at heart and I love a happy ending. But the real reason I decided to write romance is because most of the romance I read didn’t feature people who looked like me. Most novels I read featured tall, blond or brunette, super slim, uber beautiful, extremely rich female characters. And if they females didn’t come from money, their love interest would be excessively wealthy and roguish. I felt that it didn’t reflect the experience of most ordinary folk. My lead character in A Marriage of Convenience is short, overweight and dead broke. Yet she finds love with a gorgeous Ghanaian professional. In Hurricane of the Heart, the lead character, Alia, is a very beautiful indigenous Caribbean woman who has lived a life of poverty but is pulling herself out of it through education and participating in beauty pageants. Both my hero and Heroine in my novella in the Holiday Brides anthology are high school teachers. Most of my characters are regular working class people, beautiful more on the inside than the outside, because I feel people identify with them.
Do you have a favorite character from your books? And why are they your favorite?
Hmmm…This is like asking me if I have a favorite child. I really like Alia Graneau from Hurricane of the Heart. I like her tenacity, her strength and her spirit, even in the face of a natural disaster of monumental proportions. I also like her love interest, Kyle Robinson. I love his playfulness and the way he matured toward the end—and yes, he is sexy. But then I also have a massive crush on Kwabena Opoku, the hero of A Marriage of Convenience. I like his calm level headed attitude and his humility. Not to mention he’s sexy as hell. I really can’t choose.
How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?
I’ve been writing since I was a little kid. I recall my first book was a story written on loose leaf, cut up and stapled that I gave to my sister for her birthday. I think I was seven or eight at that time. In high school I wrote my first romance, very much like the sweet dreams romance. That was never published. It was also written on loose leaf. I can’t single out one person who inspired me to write though I enjoy the support of friends and family, but the many stories playing around in my head is part of my inspiration.
Do you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?
Not really. I’m just as comfortable writing while at one of my kids soccer practice as I am writing in my bed or on the throne. I do a lot of writing and editing in my head before I even touch the computer.
Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?
No. In fact it’s only when someone brings it to my attention that I read a review.
Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?
Half the time, I only have a working title when I begin the publication process. I am horrible at choosing titles. I even have a hard time choosing names for my kids. In fact, I’ve been known to leave the hospital without naming my babies (well that only happened once, the other time we found the name just before we left).
How do you come up with characters names and place names in your books?
Strange enough I find my characters are easier to name than the book title. As the character pops into my head so do the names. Sometimes, I hear names on television, or I see a student’s name that I like and I build a character around them. Since most of my settings are real places, the names of places are predetermined.
Are character names and place names decided after their creation? Or do you pick a character/place name and then invent them?
The names tend to come to me before I build the character. The place is generally decided based on the plot.
Do you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the whole book or as you go along?
My characters tend to come to me and I write based on the characters and their interactions. Just recently I had to do an interview with a character in Hurricane of the Heart and I chose Alia. In interviewing the character I realized lots of nuances in her personality that I didn’t realize while writing the novel. Now I think I will do an interview with my main characters before I begin to write my stories. It may help in character development.
Are there any hidden messages or morals contained in your books? (Morals as in like Aesops Fables type of "The moral of this story is..")
I don’t think there is an overarching moral in my books, however they do contain tidbits of positive messages. There are certain themes that run throughout. One of them is “happiness should be in spite of not because of,” and another is “beauty is internal, not external,” and no matter who you are, you can find love. They are morals but the entire books aren’t built on one single moral.
Which format of book do you prefer, eBook, hardback, or paperback?
I love paperbacks. They’re portable, I love the smell of the paper and it feels like I’m reading a real book. Ebooks are portable but don’t feel like real books.
What is your favorite book and Why? Have you read it more than once?
I don’t have a favorite book. I have favorite books. One of my favorite is The Color Purple and I read it more than once because it resonates with me. The characters are rich and strong and you can’t help falling in love with them. Another favorite is Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” and it resonates with me because I thought it was a book ahead of its time. And then there’s James Patterson’s, “Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas.” It was a very different kind of romance. And finally I just love Rebecca Skloot’s creative non-fiction, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” I worked for years with those HeLa cells and many others doing cancer research and had no idea of the life of the person from whom they came. And I just love the way the story is told.
Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is your favorite/worst book to movie transfer?
If you asked me that question 20 years ago I would have said no because they don’t keep the integrity of the books. But recently there have been many book-to-movie transfers that really kept the integrity of the book. One of my favorites is “A Time to Kill” by John Grisham. The movie was actually better than the book.
Your favorite food is?
Stewed saltfish with dumplings and a side of fried plantains (I’m from the Caribbean). Now my favorite dessert is pineapple upside down cake.
Your favorite singer/group is?
I don’t have a favorite group or singer but I used to like Air Supply a whole lot. I still swoon when I hear their songs.
Your favorite color is?
Red
Your favorite Author is?
James Patterson
Jewel Amethyst is the author of two mass market romance novels, Marriage of Convenience and From SKB with Love one of three stories in the Holiday Brides’ romance anthology. Hurricane of the Heart is her second full-length romance novel. Jewel was born and raised on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts and currently resides in Maryland with her family.
http://www.caribbeanreads.com/hurricane/
July 27, 2015
Book Blast: The Amber Voyeur by Ravyn Rayne @blushingravyn
ABOUT THE BOOK Title: The Amber Voyeur Series: Gem Apocalypse Book Two Author: Ravyn Rayne Publisher: Blushing Books Genre: Dystopian Erotica Expected Release: July 20th, 2015
BOOK SYNOPSIS No longer safe in Brayleigh, Aria and James travel by ship to find refuge and discover what’s left of the world. Dangerous seas and pirates lurking are only the start of their troubles. Forced off the boat with nothing but the clothes on their back, the crew and passengers make it to a nearby island, only to be abducted by the Knight Tribe, a clan of romantic warriors with a voyeuristic culture and a taste for nightly entertainment. Get swept away in this dystopian erotic adventure, brimming with romance, spankings, and betrayal. BUY & TBR LINKS Add to Goodreads Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Blushing Books 
EXCERPT The hum of the engine died, and Aria heard the scream of unfamiliar words in a language she didn't recognize. Shots were fired in every direction forcing her to duck, throwing herself onto the floor of the ship.
James lay right beside her, covering Aria with his body, shielding her from danger. She didn't have the courage to ask what happened.
The warmth and security Aria felt from James vanished. A man covered in tattoos, his arms a canvas of ink, grabbed James by the arm and dragged him across the room. The second man accompanying him lifted Aria from the floor and escorted her up the stairwell. James walked just a few feet in front. The man dropped his hold on her as the passageway narrowed. A gun pressed into her back, a constant reminder of danger. Aria couldn't fight without risking her life. She hoped these men would steal what goods they came for and then leave.
Forced outside, the lifeboats were just a few feet away.
The sun began to set, and the sky twinkled like a sapphire without a cloud in the heavens. Even at dusk, beads of sweat trickled against Aria's forehead. Her black shirt stuck to her back, the cargo pants she wore were too hot for this climate. She didn't dare ask where they were; she didn't believe anyone would answer.
They were forced against the wall. Would the lifeboats even float anymore? The old luxury cruise liner's paint faded from years of sun exposure. What would it have been like fifty years ago, before the devastation and destruction that their parents created, taking a luxury cruise? She would never know. The Gem Apocalypse had resulted in a war with only survivors, no heroes.
"Move!" the man behind Aria said. His gun dug further into her back, and she pushed forward on James's heels. "Down!"
They got down onto the ground with the other crew and passengers. Six men towered over them with guns. Aria was unfamiliar with the weapons, as they were larger than the ones the guards carried at the palace.
"We'll be okay," James said as he sat beside Aria, reaching for her hand.
Aria wanted to ask him how he could know that without a doubt. Hope shrank like a beacon of light fading in the distance. These men were thieves. She could smell the treachery and greed from where she sat. How did they end up here?
ABOUT THE AUTHORRavyn is a sassy, fun-loving, and adventure-seeking young woman. She loves to travel and can’t wait for her next vacation, wherever it might be. Ravyn writes romantic erotica. She began writing romance novels in college, spending her down time either reading a book or writing fiction. Please don’t make her choose between the two, she loves them equally. Although
BURNING DESIRE
is her debut romantic erotica novel, it is not her first published book. She has been published professionally since 2013. You can find her other books here. Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Tsu | Goodreads
GET A COPY OF BOOK #1 - THE EMERALD VIRGIN
The Emerald Virgin Gem Apocalypse Book One Author: Ravyn Rayne Publisher: Blushing Books Published: June 19, 2015
Emerald
– a girl with green eyes and a rarity after the horrific genocide that slaughtered millions. After the war, King Gideon rose in power. A lust-filled and greedy king that believed in the power of slavery. At eighteen, women were required to come before King Gideon and his four sons, to offer themselves as a courtesan. The princes took only those they found most attractive and alluring. The rest were returned to their homes with a brand on their wrist proving they had been through the process and rejected. Ignoring the ritual was punishable by death. Aria Stone had been kept hidden from the princes and the ceremony, because she was an Emerald. At twenty-three, the royal guards storm her home, murder her mother, and drag her to court. She must face the four princes. A dystopian erotic adventure. Amazon | Blushing Books | Barnes & Noble Blitz has been organized by
THE ISLAND BY @ClarissaJohal Cover Reveal #preorder http://amzn.com/B010TE7W1G
C O V E R
R E V E A L
The Island by Clarissa Johal
“Exploring a remote island can sometimes get you into trouble.
Especially when you stumble upon a cave and awaken two demons.
Emma Keller’s estranged grandmother has been missing for seven years. Emma journeys to her grandmother’s private island with the task of readying it for sale. Local rumors say it’s cursed, but she dismisses them as superstition. While there, she unearths a hidden cave, and is visited by two men soon after. Itu is well-spoken, though he hides his face in shadow. The other is more of a worry; with skin of alabaster, Thim’s feral presence sets her on edge. Emma discovers the island has a dark past. The two men aren’t human, but awakened demons…and they have their sights set on her.”
Amazon Pre-Order: http://amzn.com/B010TE7W1G
Barnes & Nobel Pre Order: http://tinyurl.com/npkgfq4
July 26, 2015
Book Blast: Blind Love by Kishan Paul @kishan_paul
Title: Blind Love Author: Kishan Paul Release Date: June 2, 2015 Genre: Contemporary Romance Publisher: Samhain Publishing She doesn’t need a hero. But a sexy Marine…that’ll work. At twenty nine, psychologist Lauren Baxter has a successful counseling practice. Since becoming legally blind at fifteen, her world has been a blurry mess of colors. Her greatest fear is also her ultimate reality. One day that fuzzy realm will forever turn black. Refusing to let blindness define her, she builds a life for herself with her dog, Jack Sparrow, and best friend, Sunny Daye. Lauren has no tolerance for pity or for Superman swooshing down and rescuing her. She is capable of saving herself just fine. That is until Gabe, the great smelling, former Marine, from Texas moves in next door. Her attraction to him is immediate and, unfortunately for her, mutual. When Lauren’s ex-husband shows up begging for another chance, she is confused and fragile. She also finds herself in the arms of her secretive neighbor. Little does she realize that her decision for a steamy roll in the hay with Gabe will suck her into his mysterious past, thrust her ex-husband back into her life, put her in the middle of a murder investigation, and place her life in danger. Gabriel Briggs has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Short term flings are all he can afford for more reasons than one – reasons he never plans to share. Until he moves in next door to the beautiful, green eyed, feisty, Lauren. One night with her and he’s reconsidering promises he made almost a decade ago. When a woman from his past is murdered, his world is turned upside down. Secrets are revealed and innocent lives are threatened. Can Gabe win Lauren’s love and save her life before it’s too late? Product Warnings: Contains a blind therapist who doesn’t consider herself impaired; a meddling, erotic-novel-writing best friend; a hot ex-Marine with a shady past; and a loyal guide dog that howls “I love you” and is probably the sanest one of the bunch. Add the book on Goodreads
EXCERPT Gabe stayed on his knees with the kid wrapped around his neck. The two men stared each other down. “Hey, there. My name’s Lauren. I’m your neighbor. What’s your name?” “Evan.” His voice came out muffled from having his nose pressed into Gabe’s shoulder. “Hi, Evan. This big dog beside me is Jack Sparrow. We call him Jack.” The dog wagged his tail and licked Lauren’s face. “Jack, say ‘I love you’.” Both of Gabe’s hands were where visible, but Ben stayed on alert. When the dog yodeled his response, Evan turned his head. The kid’s eyes doubled in size. Lauren smiled. “Dogs can’t talk, right? And they can’t. But sometimes they can make noises that sound like they’re talking. And Jack’s a special dog. He’s trained to smell when people need help. Like me. I need his help a lot because I’m blind.” “You are?” Now Evan had turned completely around and peered into her face. “Yup, I am. Jack’s my guide dog. He helps me get places and do things.” “Wow.” Both Evan and Gabe gazed at Lauren with looks of awe on their faces. She smiled and kissed the dog’s neck. “He is wow. But what makes him even more wower is he can tell you’re a little scared and he wants to help you.” “He does?” “Yup. What he wants to do is to give you a kiss and let you hug him so you’ll feel better. I do it all the time with him when I’m scared. If you’re okay with trying, why don’t you give him your hand and see if it helps?” “Gabe?” Evan said, still glued to his dad. “It’s okay, Sprout, he won’t hurt you,” Gabe whispered. The kid reached out his palm. Jack put his paw on it and panted. “He wants me to shake his hand,” Evan announced, giving the furry foot a shake. When Jack licked his cheek, instead of screaming, he laughed. Acid burned in the pit of Ben’s stomach, from the way the man was eyeing Lauren. “Thank you. For everything,” he said to her. Lauren’s smile faded. “I didn’t do it for you.” “I know.” Ben cleared his throat but said nothing. She nodded. “Well, I better get back inside. Jack, you coming?” The dog whined back his answer. “He seems to want to hang out with your son.” Gabe had yet to blink much less look away. “It’s mutual. Would you mind if they played together for a little while?” Lauren bit her lip and Ben prayed she’d say no. “You wouldn’t hurt him would you?” “Do you think I would?” She shrugged. “You’re obviously capable of a lot more than I realized but no, I don’t think you will.” She got up from her spot. “He’ll come home when he’s ready to, or send him over when you guys are done, whichever happens first.”
PURCHASE LINKS Publisher | Amazon Reviews for Blind Love
“I absolutely fell in love with this story and quite honestly didn't want to put it down or for it to end.” -Bobbi of Bobbi’s Blog
“Lauren is both strong and vulnerable, and much the same could be said for Gabe. You have two people battling their own personal demons, lots of emotional baggage and an undeniable (and strong) mutual attraction that keeps pulling them together…Humorous banter, believable chemistry and a strong cast of supporting characters are just some of the things that make this book difficult to put down.” -Nessie Strange author of Living Dead World series
“I love, love, loved this story. I am a huge fan of contemporary romance, and this was perfect. One minute I was crying, the next laughing…The story is very well written, the characters are well developed,…a must read for any romance lover. There is a little suspense, and you'll want to keep some tissues near-by…Fans of Susan Mallery, Robyn Carr, Jennifer Bernard, and Jill Shalvis will love this novel.” -Nicole of Books and Pearls.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR From daring escapes by tough women to chivalrous men swooping in to save the day, the creativity switch to Kishan Paul’s brain is always in the “on” position. If daydreaming stories were a college course, Kish would have graduated with honors. Mother of two beautiful children, she has been married to her best friend for over seventeen years. With the help of supportive family and friends, she balances her family, a thriving counseling practice, and writing without sinking into insanity. Her novella, Taking the Plunge, is currently available in the Love Least Expected Anthology on Amazon. I was voted Best New Author at the Smexy and Fabulous Beach Reads and Blind Love got second place in the same competition for Best Contemporary Romance. Blind Love is also voted the Best Book of June, 2015 on Goodreads and is one of the Top Ten Books of Playwire's Reviews for June. She can be found at Website | Facebook | Twitter |
Pinterest
TSU | Amazon |
Sign up for her newsletter
July 23, 2015
Book Blast, Giveaway & Interview: Beyond Heights and Depths by Christian Brown @CBrownHI
Beyond Heights and Depths
Beyond Height and Depths Trilogy
Book One
Christian Brown
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Young Adult
Publisher: C. Brown Publisher
Date of Publication: January 22, 2013
ISBN: 9781301231515
ASIN: B00B5SKSOO
Number of pages: 200
Word Count: 67,170
Cover Artist: Charli Infante
Book Description:
As I awaken in the dark warmth of this terrifying place, laid out on the strangely uneven ground, I open my eyes to see the true horrors this place was built upon…She is supposed to be near where I landed. If I don’t reach her soon, we will be doomed to remain in eternal fire and pain forever.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Are soul mates real, or just a fairy tale? What if you found your soul mate, but you had to fight your way through heaven and hell to stay together. Could you sacrifice everything, even your own soul, for the one you love?
Emmett Goode moves to a more affluent neighborhood with the hope of leaving his troubled past behind, starting fresh at a new school, and more importantly, reconnecting with his lost love, Ash, who is dealing some personal demons of her own. A tragic accident brings them together; unfortunately, before they can enjoy their new relationship they find themselves at the center of a battle between good and evil that has existed since the beginning of humanity, and forced on a harrowing journey through this world and beyond to stay together. Their bond, and the supernatural power it creates, could mean the difference between saving the world, or its destruction.
Is love enough to overcome seemingly impossible odds?
Amazon BN Smashwords Kobo iTunes
As I awaken in the dark warmth of this terrifying place, laid out on the strangely uneven ground, I open my eyes to see the true horrors this place was built upon. The hills and valleys are not made of dirt at all but rather the bodies and remains of various humans and unidentifiable creatures. The uncomfortable warmth quickly turns to searing heat; with each second that passes my skin slowly burns away from my body, literally turning to ash and dispersing into the fiery air. The pain is excruciating. I want to scream in pain, but I quickly realize that all I can hear are the tortured screams and moans that seem to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I try to move and the skin on my legs tears away in large grotesque chunks. What am I doing here? I think to myself, and I remember that I am here for a very specific reason. Where is she? She is supposed to be near where I landed. If I don’t reach her soon, we will be doomed to remain in eternal fire and pain forever.
I turn franticly, looking everywhere, all the while hoping the pain that feels like burning needles in my eyes doesn’t mean that my eyes are about to fall out of my head. I feel a sharp jolt in my chest as I peer into the noxious haze that seems to be growing right before my burning eyes. There, there she is, she can’t be more than fifty feet away. I can make it to her, just as I thought. This plan has to work; I only have a minute or two to make this work. Just then, I realize just how difficult this is going to be. To my left are the shadows I had seen before, on my right I see the disfigured faces of what I can only imagine were once human beings descending upon me, and right in front of Ash is the menacing figure of a twenty foot tall man-beast. Suddenly the screams and moans stop, only to be replaced by something more sinister. All I can hear is the malevolent laughter of the creatures that have come to make sure that we never leave this unholy place. Wake up, Ash, please; I can’t do this without you.
Character Name: Emmett Goode and Ash – Ash asked not to be separated from Emmett.
Character Bio:
Emmett is a reluctant hero with troubled past. He has a history of smoking, drinking, and fighting. He was thrown out of two high schools. He loves the beach, almost as much as he loves Ash. Deep down, he is trying to be a better person. It’s a process.
Ash is a complicated girl, with demons of her own. She is gorgeous, but she doesn’t think so. She is working through some insecurities, as well as some parent issues. She is incredibly strong, fast, and clever. She says there is nothing she loves more than Emmett, but he says junk food, television, and movies rank pretty high too.
Describe yourself what is your worst and vest quality?
Em: I think my worst quality is that I can’t seem to stay out of trouble. My best would have to be Ash. She really is the better part of me.
Ash: Aw, thanks, but to be fair, he is a better cook than I am. I think my best quality is patience. My worst would have to be my taste in junk food.
What is the one thing you wish other people knew about you?
Em: I wish people knew there was more to me than my past. Most people just think I’m a loser.
Ash: I wish people knew how hard it has been for me to fit in all these years.
Em: Yeah, it must have been weird being a teenager for like 50 years.
Ash: Shush, next question.
What is your biggest secret something no one knows about?
Em: I am a huge Star Wars fan and I love musicals.
Ash: No way! I like musicals. Why didn’t you say something? We could be watching all kinds of, oh wait, now I see. You’re trying not to fuel my “obsession” with TV and movies.
Em: So, what’s your secret?
Ash: I always wanted to be a movie star, but people would catch on...
What are you most afraid of?
Em: Clowns
Ash: I’m not afraid of anything, except...
Em: I know, next question please.
What do you want more than anything?
World Peace, they both reply and laugh.
What is your relationship status?
The two of them look at each other and then glare back without an answer.
How would you describe your sense of fashion?
Em: I have none, but Ash loves fashion, so she picks out most of my clothes. I’m more of a board shorts and t-shirt guy, but I like her taste in clothes. At least I appear stylish, most of the time anyway.
Ash: I have impeccable taste. I keep up with every trend. It’s what helped me to fit in all these years.
How much of a rebel are you?
Em: I wouldn’t say either of us is particularly rebellious,
Ash: but there are many others that would beg to differ.
What do you considered to be your greatest achievement?
Em: I think surviving after all we’ve been through has to be it.
Ash: Yeah, you’re probably right.
What is your idea of happiness?
Em: Sunny days, big waves, good food, and Ash by my side.
Ash: I’ll always be by your side.
What is your current state of mind?
Em: Life is short. You never know when it could all end. I better enjoy every moment.
Ash: I kind of want a banana split.
Em: We should definitely go get one after this.
What is your most treasured possession?
Em: Probably Ash’s golden hair picks. Those things have gotten us out of some serious situations.
Ash: They have, but I treasure them for other reasons.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Em: Sarcasm
Ash: Nice, Em. Um, I guess you could say I’m always in the right place at the right time.
Em: Your eyes are pretty amazing too.
Ash blushes with no further response.
What is it that you most dislike?
Em: Demons
Ash: Things trying to hurt Emmett.
Which living person do you, most despise?
Ash: Just as a general rule, I try not to despise anyone, but Emmett’s dad goes above and beyond to make people despise him.
Em: Um, what she said.
What is your greatest regret?
Em: That Ash and I didn’t get together sooner.
Ash: That I didn’t get to spend more time with my parents.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Ash: Pass
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Em: Ash is everything I have ever wanted and could ever hope for.
Ash: Aw, you’re so much better at this than I am.
Who is your favorite hero in fiction?
Em: Maybe, Han Solo.
Ash: Ooh, a movie reference.
Em: Oh, stop, who’s yours?
Ash: I don’t know. Too many to choose from. I did like Captain America when I was a kid. My dad used to talk about him.
Em: I thought maybe you knew him.
Ash: Oh, you have jokes. I’m not that old.
Which living person do you most admire?
Em: The average guy out there living his life all normal and stuff. Our lives are amazing, but I kind of wish Ash and I could just live a normal quiet life, grow old together, you know.
Ash: I admire Em. He really is an amazing guy, even if he doesn’t think so.
If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?
Em: Some super powers would be nice.
Ash: I’d like to live in the moment more often and be more spontaneous.
What is your motto?
Em: Live life as best as you can, right now, I mean, really live.
Ash: You never know.
Christian Brown is a Pastor at Reunion Hawaii. He has been working with youth and young adults for most of the last 10 years. His passion is in helping others. He is the author of the Beyond Heights and Depths Trilogy and has other projects in the works. He currently lives in Honolulu, Hawaii with his wife and two young sons.
Blog - http://kahuchristian.blogspot.com/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/CBrownHI
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6936244.Christian_Brown
