L.L. Hunter's Blog, page 49
April 2, 2014
Touching Fire by Airicka Phoenix - Blog Tour
Airicka Phoenix International Best-Selling Author of The Touch Saga, Sons of Judgment Saga, Lost Girl Duology, Betraying Innocence & Games of Fire
Book Name: Touching Fire Author: Airicka Phoenix Series: Touch Saga, book 2 Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing Release date: March 28, 2014 Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance. Warnings: Strong language and mild sexual content Formats: eBook & Paperback Other Novels: Amazon Book ListFinding her past was supposed to end the nightmare. Only it was just the beginning. Entrusting the fate of the world, not to mention her and Isaiah’s life to a father she’s never met is a big leap of faith on Fallon’s part. But it’s a necessary risk. Ashton is the key to protecting Isaiah and keeping her out of Garrison’s clutches. He is also the only one who can tell her what she is, except what she learns is that she is from a world that is far more dangerous than anyone could possibly imagine. As her powers grow out of control, Fallon must pick between her mortality and a legacy that does not include Isaiah. She must summon the courage to face a destiny that will test the boundaries of everything she has ever known. But most of all, she must protect Isaiah from the monster within herself and trust the man whose toxic blood runs through her veins. Danger builds as power clashes between two evils, both seeking her to tip the scales to eternal darkness and suffering. Can humanity rise to face an ancient calling to which Fallon is powerless to stop? Can she protect those she cares about, or will their blood forever stain her hands? Touch Vengeance. Touch Malice. Touch Fire.
I was going to die in a park surrounded by little kids. There was probably some irony there; I just couldn’t bring myself to focus enough to find it. Truthfully, I probably couldn’t bring myself to find my own nose at that moment. The prospect of dying had that effect on me. The sun shone brightly, blanketing the grass in a yellow glow that hurt the eyes. Only in British Columbia could it be winter and sunny enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt. It was like the tropics of Canada. As final resting places went, it wasn’t too shabby. It was better than the dank, urine soaked alley we’d nearly died in last week, or the deodorant aisle at Walmart the week before that. It seemed like every week we found new and more creative places to meet our demise and frankly, it was getting tedious. There we were, adamant not to die while Garrison’s goons were adamant to change our minds, and we were just very stubborn people all around. We were at a park, in the middle of December, watching a kite flying contest. For someone who had survived some of the worst winters in Canada, only in British Columbia was something like that possible in a sundress without freezing your pants off. But even this boggling climate mystery wasn’t enough to overshadow the fact that it was nearly noon, which meant we were minutes away from meeting someone, a man … my father to be exact. My real father, not Garrison who was the genius behind me being cooked up in a lab like an omelet with animal DNA and who knew what else. Isaiah sat beside me, his confidence and assurance a toasty blanket. It took a great deal of resistance not to give in and curl up into his side. I knew he wouldn’t push me away. I knew he would draw me in close. It was solely the fact that we were surrounded by screaming children and their watchful parents that kept me at arm’s length. It was just a hunch, but I was almost certain they would not take too kindly to me jumping Isaiah and doing very non G-rated things to him in front of their offspring. Parents were just weird like that. They didn’t understand that I didn’t have a choice. Granted, even if I had, I would still jump the guy. He was freaking delicious and I was still just a teenage girl with raging hormones and a thirst for blood. You know, average. There were often times when we were trapped in a motel with nothing but a black and white TV for company and I would find myself watching him, studying the powerful silhouette he made in the dim light. In the last month since our escape from Garrison’s clutches, I had noticed a few interesting things about my companion. He never slouched. His body was perpetually frozen in an unyielding rigid tension that seemed to never lessen. It was as though his mind and body were continuously in attack mode. The first few nights after our escape, I understood. I was on edge, too. Every little noise had me bolting upright, heart wedged in my throat in panic. It was Isaiah who assured me nothing was out there. The guy had the senses of … well, a wolf. But eventually, I toned it down a notch. Isaiah, on the other hand, was hanging onto that promise he made to Ashton as though it were a brick of gold; he was going to protect me if it killed him. Sweet, right? Wrong. If someone could reach into my chest and tear out my heart and turn it into a living, breathing person, Isaiah would be it. He completed me. Most people had to live their whole lives wondering if they would ever find their other half, their soul mate. Well, I didn’t. I shared a soul with mine, literally. But there was nothing remotely romantic about it. Our love was genetically engineered to make us the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. So for all I knew, it wasn’t even real. Because being a teenager and worrying about break outs, pit stains and PMS wasn’t bad enough. I had a genuinely good reason to wonder if he really loved me or not. Plus, I perpetually had a guy in my head. Isaiah knew every one of my secrets without me ever telling him. He knew what I was thinking and feeling before even I did. It was a major pain in the ass. A girl needed her secrets, needed to be able to ogle a guy coming out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel without him getting a full wash of her not so G-rated thoughts. It didn’t help that the guy could elicit dirty thoughts wearing a snowsuit. I may have been biased, but he really was just that sexy, and all mine. As odd as it may sound, I wasn’t all too pleased about the latter. Guys like Isaiah didn’t pick girls like me in the real world. I knew that had, we met under normal circumstances, he would never have given me a second glance. He’d no doubt have his arm around some leggy blonde with big … personalities and … ugh! I couldn’t even think about it. The chick didn’t even exist and I wanted to throat punch her. That was how low I had sunk on the spectrum of things. I blamed Isaiah for driving myself crazy wondering if he would just go away one day. No. Wait. I blamed Terrell Garrison. He was the reason we were in this mess. He was the reason I was on the run. He was also the reason I would die if something happened to Isaiah, not just because I was just that deeply gone over the guy, but because I needed Isaiah’s blood to live. Seventeen years of human food, gone the minute I sunk my teeth into him. So when I say the guy was delicious, I don’t just mean someone better call Calvin Klein and let them know their underwear model was missing. The guy was literally delicious. His blood was just euphoric. There were no words for the taste. “Okay?” Isaiah took my hand from my lap. I started to nod, because I sometimes forgot I didn’t need to lie about how I felt. Mostly because lying was impossible when he already knew my answers. Maybe it was because he knew how uncomfortable it made me when he poked around in my head, but he always asked anyway. It was his way of making an effort to give me a shred of normalcy in our bizarre relationship. “Nervous.” I moistened my lips and darted an apprehensive glance over the sea of faces. “It’s kind of … open, here, isn’t it?” There was so much movement. Too many people that could get hurt if Garrison was there amongst them. “How would we know?” I said the last part out loud, already knowing Isaiah had heard the rest without words. “I would know.” He squeezed my hand. “He’s not here.” Even while I believed him, I still couldn’t bring myself to relax, because there were bigger things to worry about than just Garrison, although he was reason enough. “You look beautiful.” He pressed a kiss to my temple and stilled the restless picking I’d been doing at my clothes. “What if he doesn’t like me?” I hated myself for confessing such a vulnerable fear, but I couldn’t help it. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” “Fallon.” He nudged me lightly with his shoulder. I groaned, squeezing my eyes closed tight. He was right. I was overthinking it. Whether my dad wanted anything to do with me or not, I’d be fine. I was a survivor. It was the one thing my mom had spent my whole life teaching me. I just had to keep moving. I could do that. Being on the road was second nature to me. I didn’t need approval from a man I’d never met. “He’s here. Ashton,” he said quickly when I bolted to my feet, gaze searching wildly for an oncoming attack. “Oh!” Except, that was equally as bad. It was just a different sort of attack. I wiped the sweat off my palms onto my new dress, hoping he wouldn’t want to shake hands. I’d taken a shower that morning and had lathered on the vanilla scented deodorant, but it didn’t seem to be doing its job; my armpits were sticky with sweat. I also prayed he wouldn’t want to hug. Then, because freaking out was what I did best, I wondered about my makeup. I didn’t usually wear any, but it wasn’t a usual day. What if it was running down my face? Was my dress okay? Isaiah had sworn the soft, lavender sundress with its white knitted sweater brought out the mix of colors in my eyes, but he was a guy, what did he know about women’s clothing? Still sitting on the bench, Isaiah chuckled. “The sales lady agreed with me.” “She could have been lying just to make a sale.” I muttered, wringing my hands anxiously at my abdomen. “Will you get out of my head? It’s a mess up there without your prodding.” I knew it wasn’t his fault. I was the one who had to calm down. My overflow of emotions was what sucked him into my head in the first place. It didn’t help that I was being swept away in a storm of emotions at that moment. There was no real stopping it. He rose to his feet and took my shoulders in his firm grip. “Then you need to calm down.” I did take a deep breath, closed my eyes and willed myself to remain as calm as possible. Yet, the second I opened my eyes, I was pulled under by my uncertainties and fears. I didn’t know what I was looking for and that made it worse. I had shared no resemblance with my mother at all. For I knew, he could be six feet tall, black and a wrestler. Isaiah snorted a laugh. “He’s not.” He leaned into me and brushed the side of my head with a kiss. He’d been doing that a lot that morning, soothing me with his touches and kisses. It was his way of reminding me that I wasn’t alone. “You have his eyes and the color of his hair.” As though for emphasis, he wrapped a strand of my unbound hair around his finger and gave a playful tug that made me laugh. He smiled and I felt my heart stutter in my chest. The worry took a momentary backseat as I fell into his beautiful eyes, eyes so blue they could have been strips of raw electricity. They were surrounded by lashes that I would have killed for, long, thick and dark. They matched the perfect shade of ebony tumbling over his prominent brow and curling behind his ears. Glossy strands had escaped the band at the base of his skull and fluttered temptingly in the breeze. I was always so fascinated by his hair. Maybe because he rarely ever took it down from its confinement, but I always had an inexplicable urge to tear the band away and replace it with my fingers. I reached for him and touched the side of his rugged face in a feather light caress from temple to jaw. I caught a strand and nimbly tucked it behind his ear. “How do you do that?” I murmured, turning my body to his and being rewarded by the feel of his hands going to my waist. His head bent to the side. “What’s that?” “Make me feel not so crazy.” His eyes glittered as his lips pulled into a heart melting smile. “Maybe because you were never crazy to begin with.” He touched his brow to mine and I was drawn into his scent of toothpaste, soap, rain and leather. “Or maybe we’re both crazy.” I became painfully of his lips hovering dangerously close to mine and his hands burning through the fabric of my dress. The rest of the world faded as the rush of his blood racing through his veins roared in my ears, calling to me, begging me to do what I swore I wouldn’t. The gums above my canines began to itch deliciously. My fingers tightened in the fabric of his shirt. My lips parted, my breathing ragged even to my own ears. “Isaiah…” His gaze sharpened. They became dark slits of hunger I recognized all too well. His fingers gouged ten holes into my side as he tightened his grip on me. In a single yank, I was crushed into the shelter of his chest. His heart tattooed a desperate beat against mine. I trembled. My body ached in places I could do nothing about. I felt his fingers tangle into my hair to cup the base of my skull. His breath burned the side of my face, coming out gruff when he growled into my ear, “I told you to feed.” He had … insistently for a month. “You know we can’t.” My hands trembled and I was sure I was cutting holes into his shirt with my nails and causing irreparable damage to the fabric, but I couldn’t let him go. “We agreed—” His eyes narrowed, reflecting his anger and frustration. “I never agreed to anything.” What we were doing was playing with fire and toying with things that neither of us fully understood. What we did know was that our need for each other, our insatiable hunger was the thing that would burn the world to the ground. The fire between us was as wild and dangerous as it was beautiful. The world may not have wanted to burn in its glorious embrace, but I did. I wanted nothing else. Succumbing to the untamed temptation was vastly more alluring than the alternative, which was the perpetual distance I had to put between us. “There’s still time,” he murmured directly into my mind. “You’ll feel better once you’ve eaten.”Screw the world, this is what you want! A very persistent part of me insisted and it wasn’t wrong. I did want this. It wasn’t fair. Being strong and resisting wasn’t quite as simple when I was being prodded from all sides. He touched the side of my face, tracing the contours of my cheek with his finger and coaxing me to nuzzle his palm. My eyes closed as I leaned into him. There were insane moments when I saw no reason to stop, but then commonsense always prevailed and I forced myself to step back. Lately, those lucid moments were becoming few and far between. “I hope I’m not interrupting.” And just like that, the calm within me erupted. I was slammed with an avalanche of panic and dread that had my heart jumping into my throat. Sweat returned to my palms and I was left with no way to wipe them without giving away how nervous I was. “Ashton!” Isaiah stepped forward, hand extended to the other man. I heard the slap of palms and happily shared murmurs. I let it all wash over me, biding my time before facing the man responsible for bringing me into the world—more or less. He was handsome, all chiseled features, twinkling eyes and blinding smiles. He stood brushing six feet, slender with a head full of salt and pepper hair and eyes the same turquoise-blue with flakes of green, gray and brown as mine. He wore casual clothes; black slacks and a white dress shirt. There was nothing intimidating about him, or so I thought until he finally turned those eyes on me, and I froze like a deer caught in the headlights of a semi. “Fallon.” His smile was soft, sad, but blazing with a light only my mother had ever worn when looking at me—love. “You’ve grown.” It was a lame joke, yet it was kind of funny. The last time he’d seen me, I’d been four so, yeah, I had grown since then. “Yeah…” I voice hitched embarrassingly. As tense, awkward moments went, it was the worst. My mind remained stubbornly blank, probably giving me an air of idiocy. I didn’t know what to do with my hands; they suddenly seemed so big and dumb hanging at my sides uselessly and I couldn’t stop wondering if I was slouching. “How are you?” he asked. I did that stupid shoulder jerk thing. It was a toss between a shrug and a nervous twitch. “Okay. And you are? Okay, I mean. Are you okay?” I grimaced at my own rambling. “How are you?” His lips curled in the faintest smile. “Nervous.” It was comforting how easily he said it. It was also really good to know I wasn’t the only one. “I’ve been waiting for this moment a very long time.” He moved then. It was quick, or maybe I blinked, but he was suddenly in front of me and I was engulfed in a fierce embrace so tight I almost couldn’t breathe. I didn’t complain. It wasn’t tight enough. He smelled like a dad, or what I always imagined a dad would smell like—warm, loving and strong. “I’ve missed you,” he murmured vehemently into my temple. “I missed you, too,” I replied, still grappling with the knowledge that I had a dad, a dad I was told was dead my whole life. A dad who wanted me. He pushed me back to arm’s length and stared down at me, his eyes unnaturally large and bright. Mom used to get that look during romance movies, just before she started crying. But nothing about Ashton suggested he was a closet romance crier. No, he was impenetrable, resolute … sturdy. Still, his eyes shone down at me like liquid pools. My own were filmy. He smiled, giving my shoulders a squeeze. “Call me Ashton, unless you prefer Dad or Ash. Whatever is easier for you.” He paused, before adding, “You must have a million questions.” My smile quivered. “Yeah.” He gave my shoulders another squeeze. “Let me take you home. You must be starving.” Home … I’d never had one of those before. I grew up in motel rooms on greasy, cardboard food and plastic cups. I lived out of a single duffle bag, out of the back of my mom’s Impala. The closest thing I’d ever come to healthy living was the tomatoes and lettuce on my burger and remembering not to fall asleep against the car window while the sun was highest in the sky. But I didn’t eat food anymore. At least, I hadn’t in almost a month. “Actually, there are a few things we need to tell you first.” Isaiah took a step forward. Ashton glanced from me to Isaiah, curiosity bright in his eyes. He straightened, removing his hands from my shoulders, leaving a cold sensation behind. “Is here all right?” Isaiah glanced around at the people rushing around us. “Perhaps somewhere else?” Ashton nodded, all business now. He surveyed the park, the movement quick, but I knew it was thorough. He didn’t seem like the sort to leave anything half-assed. “There is a café down the block. It’s usually very quiet around this time and the staff doesn’t meddle.” I learned quickly what that meant. As soon as we walked into the tiny corner café, the staff vanished. Not into thin air, but they got one head nod from Ashton and walked a straight line into the back room, closing the door behind them. “I own the building,” Ashton said when he caught me staring in awe. “I guess being a doctor pays really well, huh?” I mused. “Doctor?” Ashton peered over his shoulder at me, his features perplexed. I looked towards Isaiah, waiting for him to explain, because he’d been the one to tell me my father was a doctor. But he was equally puzzled by Ashton’s confusion. “Oh!” Ashton seemed to realize something. He nodded. “Yes. Doctor.” He closed and locked the glass door behind us. He turned and motioned towards the fifteen or so empty tables around the place. “Why don’t we talk?” After a curious glance between me and Isaiah, we took the seat furthest from the wall of windows, right in the corner so we had a clear view of the whole café, including the front door. “You are a doctor, right?” I pressed. “I mean, that’s how you met Garrison, isn’t it?” He cleared his throat and I could tell right away I wasn’t going to like what he was about to tell me. “I’m not a doctor,” he said slowly, looking from me to Isaiah. “That was what I'd told your mother I was when we first met.” “So what are you then?” This was from Isaiah, who looked even more betrayed by the confession than I felt. Ashton lowered his gaze to the tabletop. “I’m many things,” he began slowly. “But all these years…” Isaiah shook his head. “You told me—” “I know.” Ashton looked him square in the face. “I will explain everything in due time, Isaiah. For now, I think we have more important things to discuss.” He cast me a pointed glance. The muscles in Isaiah’s jaw flexed, but he reined in the frustration I could feel pouring off him into me. I had to restrain the urge to reach for his hand. “Garrison has become more persistent in his hunt for Fallon,” Isaiah mumbled, unable to conceal the grudge in his tone. “We can hardly go a day without an attack. Whoever his tracker is, they’re very powerful. I haven’t been able to sense them anywhere near us, yet they always seem to know where we are.” Ashton nodded as though this made sense. “My sources have informed me of a great surge in numbers this last few weeks. Terrell has found a new source of power from somewhere and he’s not wasting any time using it. I think it’s only a matter of time before his forces close in on you.” “Are you a spy?” I blurted. Ashton blinked. Then he broke into a deep rumble of laugh. “No, but I make it my business to keep feelers in all things noteworthy, and Terrell has particular place in my interests.” “Isaiah tells me you’ve been rescuing the children Garrison—” “He’d be both wrong and right,” Ashton interrupted. “I do my best to rescue those I can, but they aren’t as many children as there once had been. There are a few, but those remaining, Terrell guards very closely. I haven’t rescued anyone in nearly a year.” “If not children, then what—” Ashton put his hand up, stopping my tumble of questions. “Let’s talk about all that later. Right now, I want to hear your news.” I wanted to press. I still had so many questions. But he was right. We could talk about those things later. We had, after all, all the time in the world. “I told you about our run in with Maia and Yuri,” Isaiah began. Ashton nodded. “Yes, how they found Fallon. Terrell no doubt sent them out of desperation. Maia is not someone Terrell would send if the situation hadn’t gotten out of hand. She’s the most evil creature I have ever encountered and that is saying quite a bit.” Isaiah nodded. “We managed to evade him for a while, before we were captured. We were taken to Garrison’s home just north of Whistler. I don’t know the exact location, but I can find it if I tried.” Ashton shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. I’ve known for a while where he calls home. However, had I known you were there, I would have come to get you myself.” “Contact was impossible,” Isaiah replied. “We were heavily guarded, right until the end when we managed to escape.” “And did he ever tell you what his plans were?” Ashton wondered. I shook my head before Isaiah could tell him otherwise. Ashton may have been my father, the man whose blood ran through my veins, but he’d also been partners with Garrison once upon a time and I was too paranoid to trust anyone. I trusted people who lied even less. Whether or not he’d ever been a doctor was a moot point. It was him lying about it that only increased my distrust. Plus I hadn’t forgotten Mom’s last warnings to me not to trust Ashton. Isaiah must have sensed my need not to share the fact that we were potential weapons of mass destruction, because he didn’t bring it up. Instead, he veered the topic back to our escape. “Fallon saved my life.” Isaiah cast me a level glance as though daring me to contradict his claim. He was wrong. I hadn’t saved his life. He may have gotten shot, but with his accelerated healing, he hadn’t been in any real danger. “Well, you did what you had to,” Ashton said at once, voice unwavering. “Had it not been them, it would have been you.” Was that how murderers looked themselves in the mirror? Justification? How did one justify taking a life? “After we escaped, we laid low for a couple of weeks and tried to regroup before we contacted you,” Isaiah finished at last. By laid low, he meant me vehemently dragging my feet on the whole situation and him needing a month to convince me that it was time I met my father. Despite my need for answer and safety, I could never shake the uncertainty the idea of meeting Ashton always provoked. But I was really tired of running. I was tired of not having options. I was tired of being tired. Plus, Isaiah was so adamant that Ashton was the good guy. Maybe he was right. Ashton, who had been listening attentively to Isaiah, beamed. “Remarkable!” he said, shaking his head. “Absolutely remarkable. I always knew Terrell was unstable, but this proves that his lunacy goes much deeper than face value.” You think? I wanted to say. His brilliant observation was, oh, seventeen years too late. “There’s more,” Isaiah murmured, hesitant. “Garrison’s still alive and out for blood.” Ashton nodded. “You’ll be safe at Luxuria. I made the mistake of letting you fend for yourself once. I won’t—” “I didn’t fend for myself!” My tone came out sharper than I’d intended. “I had Mom and we were doing fine until this crap happened.” Ashton visibly winced. “Yes, of course. I apologize.” He lowered his head. “I should have done more to protect you both and for that, I am eternally guilt ridden. I failed you.” “You couldn’t have known,” I murmured. He wouldn’t meet my eye. “Perhaps.” He placed a gentle hand on mine. “I can’t replace what you had with your mother, Fallon, but I promise that I will protect you in every way that I can. You’re safe now.” It was daunting to accept. It seemed too easy, and even as a part of me salivated at the possibility of being wholly and truly in the clear. Yet the part of me that had seen and done too much, refused to believe it. Also, I knew firsthand what Garrison was capable of. I knew that he would never give up looking for me. I was too valuable. But my options were slim. My life was in danger and because of me, Isaiah was in danger. In order to keep him safe, I had to trust Ashton. I had to believe that he meant what he said about keeping us away from Garrison. The shriek of Isaiah’s chair sliding viciously across the smooth laminate sent my heart scuttling up into my throat even before he shouted, “We need to go!” and grabbed my arm. I was hauled to my feet and dragged behind him. Ashton was up and out of his seat with much less haste. He twisted his body to the window even as his hand went around behind him. The movement was so quick, so fluid like he’d done it a million times, a frightening thought when, a second later, he was cradling a sleek, black handgun. It was almost reassuring to know my father packed heat like some mafia guy, if not a bit daunting. But even that wasn’t as blood chilling as the three familiar silhouettes making their way with great ease across the street in the direction of the cafe. “Take her through the back.” Ashton passed Isaiah the gun, who took it and seamlessly slipped it into the waistband of his jeans. “I’ll deal with them.” “Wait!” I lunged after him when he made for the door, ignoring Isaiah’s grip on me when I grabbed Ashton’s arm. “You can’t go out there without your gun! You have no idea—” Ashton smiled calmly at me. It was so off-putting considering the situation that I dropped my hand. “Don’t worry about me, dearest. I don’t need a weapon.” Then, with a wink that only sealed my theory that my dad was suicidal, he strolled out of the café to meet the Shadow Brothers.
***My Review***
Wow! The long awaited sequel to Touching Smoke is finally here and it is well worth the wait! Filled with action, beautiful descriptions, new worlds and characters and too many damn intimate scenes between Fallon and Isaiah - Airicka does good with the teasing- it's worth the read. It's well written and gorgeously described, I felt like I was actually living in Fallon's world. I felt like I was watching a movie or tv show, it was just that vivid. Now we'll have to wait a while for book 3 but I know it'll be worth the wait.5 bright shiny stars!!! a Rafflecopter giveaway ~ Facebook~ Touch Saga~ Design Page~ Morgana Phoenix Page~ Goodreads ~ Twitter~ Pinterest~ Wattpad~ LinkedIn~ Kobo~ Barns & Noble
Book Name: Touching Fire Author: Airicka Phoenix Series: Touch Saga, book 2 Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing Release date: March 28, 2014 Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance. Warnings: Strong language and mild sexual content Formats: eBook & Paperback Other Novels: Amazon Book ListFinding her past was supposed to end the nightmare. Only it was just the beginning. Entrusting the fate of the world, not to mention her and Isaiah’s life to a father she’s never met is a big leap of faith on Fallon’s part. But it’s a necessary risk. Ashton is the key to protecting Isaiah and keeping her out of Garrison’s clutches. He is also the only one who can tell her what she is, except what she learns is that she is from a world that is far more dangerous than anyone could possibly imagine. As her powers grow out of control, Fallon must pick between her mortality and a legacy that does not include Isaiah. She must summon the courage to face a destiny that will test the boundaries of everything she has ever known. But most of all, she must protect Isaiah from the monster within herself and trust the man whose toxic blood runs through her veins. Danger builds as power clashes between two evils, both seeking her to tip the scales to eternal darkness and suffering. Can humanity rise to face an ancient calling to which Fallon is powerless to stop? Can she protect those she cares about, or will their blood forever stain her hands? Touch Vengeance. Touch Malice. Touch Fire.
I was going to die in a park surrounded by little kids. There was probably some irony there; I just couldn’t bring myself to focus enough to find it. Truthfully, I probably couldn’t bring myself to find my own nose at that moment. The prospect of dying had that effect on me. The sun shone brightly, blanketing the grass in a yellow glow that hurt the eyes. Only in British Columbia could it be winter and sunny enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt. It was like the tropics of Canada. As final resting places went, it wasn’t too shabby. It was better than the dank, urine soaked alley we’d nearly died in last week, or the deodorant aisle at Walmart the week before that. It seemed like every week we found new and more creative places to meet our demise and frankly, it was getting tedious. There we were, adamant not to die while Garrison’s goons were adamant to change our minds, and we were just very stubborn people all around. We were at a park, in the middle of December, watching a kite flying contest. For someone who had survived some of the worst winters in Canada, only in British Columbia was something like that possible in a sundress without freezing your pants off. But even this boggling climate mystery wasn’t enough to overshadow the fact that it was nearly noon, which meant we were minutes away from meeting someone, a man … my father to be exact. My real father, not Garrison who was the genius behind me being cooked up in a lab like an omelet with animal DNA and who knew what else. Isaiah sat beside me, his confidence and assurance a toasty blanket. It took a great deal of resistance not to give in and curl up into his side. I knew he wouldn’t push me away. I knew he would draw me in close. It was solely the fact that we were surrounded by screaming children and their watchful parents that kept me at arm’s length. It was just a hunch, but I was almost certain they would not take too kindly to me jumping Isaiah and doing very non G-rated things to him in front of their offspring. Parents were just weird like that. They didn’t understand that I didn’t have a choice. Granted, even if I had, I would still jump the guy. He was freaking delicious and I was still just a teenage girl with raging hormones and a thirst for blood. You know, average. There were often times when we were trapped in a motel with nothing but a black and white TV for company and I would find myself watching him, studying the powerful silhouette he made in the dim light. In the last month since our escape from Garrison’s clutches, I had noticed a few interesting things about my companion. He never slouched. His body was perpetually frozen in an unyielding rigid tension that seemed to never lessen. It was as though his mind and body were continuously in attack mode. The first few nights after our escape, I understood. I was on edge, too. Every little noise had me bolting upright, heart wedged in my throat in panic. It was Isaiah who assured me nothing was out there. The guy had the senses of … well, a wolf. But eventually, I toned it down a notch. Isaiah, on the other hand, was hanging onto that promise he made to Ashton as though it were a brick of gold; he was going to protect me if it killed him. Sweet, right? Wrong. If someone could reach into my chest and tear out my heart and turn it into a living, breathing person, Isaiah would be it. He completed me. Most people had to live their whole lives wondering if they would ever find their other half, their soul mate. Well, I didn’t. I shared a soul with mine, literally. But there was nothing remotely romantic about it. Our love was genetically engineered to make us the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. So for all I knew, it wasn’t even real. Because being a teenager and worrying about break outs, pit stains and PMS wasn’t bad enough. I had a genuinely good reason to wonder if he really loved me or not. Plus, I perpetually had a guy in my head. Isaiah knew every one of my secrets without me ever telling him. He knew what I was thinking and feeling before even I did. It was a major pain in the ass. A girl needed her secrets, needed to be able to ogle a guy coming out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel without him getting a full wash of her not so G-rated thoughts. It didn’t help that the guy could elicit dirty thoughts wearing a snowsuit. I may have been biased, but he really was just that sexy, and all mine. As odd as it may sound, I wasn’t all too pleased about the latter. Guys like Isaiah didn’t pick girls like me in the real world. I knew that had, we met under normal circumstances, he would never have given me a second glance. He’d no doubt have his arm around some leggy blonde with big … personalities and … ugh! I couldn’t even think about it. The chick didn’t even exist and I wanted to throat punch her. That was how low I had sunk on the spectrum of things. I blamed Isaiah for driving myself crazy wondering if he would just go away one day. No. Wait. I blamed Terrell Garrison. He was the reason we were in this mess. He was the reason I was on the run. He was also the reason I would die if something happened to Isaiah, not just because I was just that deeply gone over the guy, but because I needed Isaiah’s blood to live. Seventeen years of human food, gone the minute I sunk my teeth into him. So when I say the guy was delicious, I don’t just mean someone better call Calvin Klein and let them know their underwear model was missing. The guy was literally delicious. His blood was just euphoric. There were no words for the taste. “Okay?” Isaiah took my hand from my lap. I started to nod, because I sometimes forgot I didn’t need to lie about how I felt. Mostly because lying was impossible when he already knew my answers. Maybe it was because he knew how uncomfortable it made me when he poked around in my head, but he always asked anyway. It was his way of making an effort to give me a shred of normalcy in our bizarre relationship. “Nervous.” I moistened my lips and darted an apprehensive glance over the sea of faces. “It’s kind of … open, here, isn’t it?” There was so much movement. Too many people that could get hurt if Garrison was there amongst them. “How would we know?” I said the last part out loud, already knowing Isaiah had heard the rest without words. “I would know.” He squeezed my hand. “He’s not here.” Even while I believed him, I still couldn’t bring myself to relax, because there were bigger things to worry about than just Garrison, although he was reason enough. “You look beautiful.” He pressed a kiss to my temple and stilled the restless picking I’d been doing at my clothes. “What if he doesn’t like me?” I hated myself for confessing such a vulnerable fear, but I couldn’t help it. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” “Fallon.” He nudged me lightly with his shoulder. I groaned, squeezing my eyes closed tight. He was right. I was overthinking it. Whether my dad wanted anything to do with me or not, I’d be fine. I was a survivor. It was the one thing my mom had spent my whole life teaching me. I just had to keep moving. I could do that. Being on the road was second nature to me. I didn’t need approval from a man I’d never met. “He’s here. Ashton,” he said quickly when I bolted to my feet, gaze searching wildly for an oncoming attack. “Oh!” Except, that was equally as bad. It was just a different sort of attack. I wiped the sweat off my palms onto my new dress, hoping he wouldn’t want to shake hands. I’d taken a shower that morning and had lathered on the vanilla scented deodorant, but it didn’t seem to be doing its job; my armpits were sticky with sweat. I also prayed he wouldn’t want to hug. Then, because freaking out was what I did best, I wondered about my makeup. I didn’t usually wear any, but it wasn’t a usual day. What if it was running down my face? Was my dress okay? Isaiah had sworn the soft, lavender sundress with its white knitted sweater brought out the mix of colors in my eyes, but he was a guy, what did he know about women’s clothing? Still sitting on the bench, Isaiah chuckled. “The sales lady agreed with me.” “She could have been lying just to make a sale.” I muttered, wringing my hands anxiously at my abdomen. “Will you get out of my head? It’s a mess up there without your prodding.” I knew it wasn’t his fault. I was the one who had to calm down. My overflow of emotions was what sucked him into my head in the first place. It didn’t help that I was being swept away in a storm of emotions at that moment. There was no real stopping it. He rose to his feet and took my shoulders in his firm grip. “Then you need to calm down.” I did take a deep breath, closed my eyes and willed myself to remain as calm as possible. Yet, the second I opened my eyes, I was pulled under by my uncertainties and fears. I didn’t know what I was looking for and that made it worse. I had shared no resemblance with my mother at all. For I knew, he could be six feet tall, black and a wrestler. Isaiah snorted a laugh. “He’s not.” He leaned into me and brushed the side of my head with a kiss. He’d been doing that a lot that morning, soothing me with his touches and kisses. It was his way of reminding me that I wasn’t alone. “You have his eyes and the color of his hair.” As though for emphasis, he wrapped a strand of my unbound hair around his finger and gave a playful tug that made me laugh. He smiled and I felt my heart stutter in my chest. The worry took a momentary backseat as I fell into his beautiful eyes, eyes so blue they could have been strips of raw electricity. They were surrounded by lashes that I would have killed for, long, thick and dark. They matched the perfect shade of ebony tumbling over his prominent brow and curling behind his ears. Glossy strands had escaped the band at the base of his skull and fluttered temptingly in the breeze. I was always so fascinated by his hair. Maybe because he rarely ever took it down from its confinement, but I always had an inexplicable urge to tear the band away and replace it with my fingers. I reached for him and touched the side of his rugged face in a feather light caress from temple to jaw. I caught a strand and nimbly tucked it behind his ear. “How do you do that?” I murmured, turning my body to his and being rewarded by the feel of his hands going to my waist. His head bent to the side. “What’s that?” “Make me feel not so crazy.” His eyes glittered as his lips pulled into a heart melting smile. “Maybe because you were never crazy to begin with.” He touched his brow to mine and I was drawn into his scent of toothpaste, soap, rain and leather. “Or maybe we’re both crazy.” I became painfully of his lips hovering dangerously close to mine and his hands burning through the fabric of my dress. The rest of the world faded as the rush of his blood racing through his veins roared in my ears, calling to me, begging me to do what I swore I wouldn’t. The gums above my canines began to itch deliciously. My fingers tightened in the fabric of his shirt. My lips parted, my breathing ragged even to my own ears. “Isaiah…” His gaze sharpened. They became dark slits of hunger I recognized all too well. His fingers gouged ten holes into my side as he tightened his grip on me. In a single yank, I was crushed into the shelter of his chest. His heart tattooed a desperate beat against mine. I trembled. My body ached in places I could do nothing about. I felt his fingers tangle into my hair to cup the base of my skull. His breath burned the side of my face, coming out gruff when he growled into my ear, “I told you to feed.” He had … insistently for a month. “You know we can’t.” My hands trembled and I was sure I was cutting holes into his shirt with my nails and causing irreparable damage to the fabric, but I couldn’t let him go. “We agreed—” His eyes narrowed, reflecting his anger and frustration. “I never agreed to anything.” What we were doing was playing with fire and toying with things that neither of us fully understood. What we did know was that our need for each other, our insatiable hunger was the thing that would burn the world to the ground. The fire between us was as wild and dangerous as it was beautiful. The world may not have wanted to burn in its glorious embrace, but I did. I wanted nothing else. Succumbing to the untamed temptation was vastly more alluring than the alternative, which was the perpetual distance I had to put between us. “There’s still time,” he murmured directly into my mind. “You’ll feel better once you’ve eaten.”Screw the world, this is what you want! A very persistent part of me insisted and it wasn’t wrong. I did want this. It wasn’t fair. Being strong and resisting wasn’t quite as simple when I was being prodded from all sides. He touched the side of my face, tracing the contours of my cheek with his finger and coaxing me to nuzzle his palm. My eyes closed as I leaned into him. There were insane moments when I saw no reason to stop, but then commonsense always prevailed and I forced myself to step back. Lately, those lucid moments were becoming few and far between. “I hope I’m not interrupting.” And just like that, the calm within me erupted. I was slammed with an avalanche of panic and dread that had my heart jumping into my throat. Sweat returned to my palms and I was left with no way to wipe them without giving away how nervous I was. “Ashton!” Isaiah stepped forward, hand extended to the other man. I heard the slap of palms and happily shared murmurs. I let it all wash over me, biding my time before facing the man responsible for bringing me into the world—more or less. He was handsome, all chiseled features, twinkling eyes and blinding smiles. He stood brushing six feet, slender with a head full of salt and pepper hair and eyes the same turquoise-blue with flakes of green, gray and brown as mine. He wore casual clothes; black slacks and a white dress shirt. There was nothing intimidating about him, or so I thought until he finally turned those eyes on me, and I froze like a deer caught in the headlights of a semi. “Fallon.” His smile was soft, sad, but blazing with a light only my mother had ever worn when looking at me—love. “You’ve grown.” It was a lame joke, yet it was kind of funny. The last time he’d seen me, I’d been four so, yeah, I had grown since then. “Yeah…” I voice hitched embarrassingly. As tense, awkward moments went, it was the worst. My mind remained stubbornly blank, probably giving me an air of idiocy. I didn’t know what to do with my hands; they suddenly seemed so big and dumb hanging at my sides uselessly and I couldn’t stop wondering if I was slouching. “How are you?” he asked. I did that stupid shoulder jerk thing. It was a toss between a shrug and a nervous twitch. “Okay. And you are? Okay, I mean. Are you okay?” I grimaced at my own rambling. “How are you?” His lips curled in the faintest smile. “Nervous.” It was comforting how easily he said it. It was also really good to know I wasn’t the only one. “I’ve been waiting for this moment a very long time.” He moved then. It was quick, or maybe I blinked, but he was suddenly in front of me and I was engulfed in a fierce embrace so tight I almost couldn’t breathe. I didn’t complain. It wasn’t tight enough. He smelled like a dad, or what I always imagined a dad would smell like—warm, loving and strong. “I’ve missed you,” he murmured vehemently into my temple. “I missed you, too,” I replied, still grappling with the knowledge that I had a dad, a dad I was told was dead my whole life. A dad who wanted me. He pushed me back to arm’s length and stared down at me, his eyes unnaturally large and bright. Mom used to get that look during romance movies, just before she started crying. But nothing about Ashton suggested he was a closet romance crier. No, he was impenetrable, resolute … sturdy. Still, his eyes shone down at me like liquid pools. My own were filmy. He smiled, giving my shoulders a squeeze. “Call me Ashton, unless you prefer Dad or Ash. Whatever is easier for you.” He paused, before adding, “You must have a million questions.” My smile quivered. “Yeah.” He gave my shoulders another squeeze. “Let me take you home. You must be starving.” Home … I’d never had one of those before. I grew up in motel rooms on greasy, cardboard food and plastic cups. I lived out of a single duffle bag, out of the back of my mom’s Impala. The closest thing I’d ever come to healthy living was the tomatoes and lettuce on my burger and remembering not to fall asleep against the car window while the sun was highest in the sky. But I didn’t eat food anymore. At least, I hadn’t in almost a month. “Actually, there are a few things we need to tell you first.” Isaiah took a step forward. Ashton glanced from me to Isaiah, curiosity bright in his eyes. He straightened, removing his hands from my shoulders, leaving a cold sensation behind. “Is here all right?” Isaiah glanced around at the people rushing around us. “Perhaps somewhere else?” Ashton nodded, all business now. He surveyed the park, the movement quick, but I knew it was thorough. He didn’t seem like the sort to leave anything half-assed. “There is a café down the block. It’s usually very quiet around this time and the staff doesn’t meddle.” I learned quickly what that meant. As soon as we walked into the tiny corner café, the staff vanished. Not into thin air, but they got one head nod from Ashton and walked a straight line into the back room, closing the door behind them. “I own the building,” Ashton said when he caught me staring in awe. “I guess being a doctor pays really well, huh?” I mused. “Doctor?” Ashton peered over his shoulder at me, his features perplexed. I looked towards Isaiah, waiting for him to explain, because he’d been the one to tell me my father was a doctor. But he was equally puzzled by Ashton’s confusion. “Oh!” Ashton seemed to realize something. He nodded. “Yes. Doctor.” He closed and locked the glass door behind us. He turned and motioned towards the fifteen or so empty tables around the place. “Why don’t we talk?” After a curious glance between me and Isaiah, we took the seat furthest from the wall of windows, right in the corner so we had a clear view of the whole café, including the front door. “You are a doctor, right?” I pressed. “I mean, that’s how you met Garrison, isn’t it?” He cleared his throat and I could tell right away I wasn’t going to like what he was about to tell me. “I’m not a doctor,” he said slowly, looking from me to Isaiah. “That was what I'd told your mother I was when we first met.” “So what are you then?” This was from Isaiah, who looked even more betrayed by the confession than I felt. Ashton lowered his gaze to the tabletop. “I’m many things,” he began slowly. “But all these years…” Isaiah shook his head. “You told me—” “I know.” Ashton looked him square in the face. “I will explain everything in due time, Isaiah. For now, I think we have more important things to discuss.” He cast me a pointed glance. The muscles in Isaiah’s jaw flexed, but he reined in the frustration I could feel pouring off him into me. I had to restrain the urge to reach for his hand. “Garrison has become more persistent in his hunt for Fallon,” Isaiah mumbled, unable to conceal the grudge in his tone. “We can hardly go a day without an attack. Whoever his tracker is, they’re very powerful. I haven’t been able to sense them anywhere near us, yet they always seem to know where we are.” Ashton nodded as though this made sense. “My sources have informed me of a great surge in numbers this last few weeks. Terrell has found a new source of power from somewhere and he’s not wasting any time using it. I think it’s only a matter of time before his forces close in on you.” “Are you a spy?” I blurted. Ashton blinked. Then he broke into a deep rumble of laugh. “No, but I make it my business to keep feelers in all things noteworthy, and Terrell has particular place in my interests.” “Isaiah tells me you’ve been rescuing the children Garrison—” “He’d be both wrong and right,” Ashton interrupted. “I do my best to rescue those I can, but they aren’t as many children as there once had been. There are a few, but those remaining, Terrell guards very closely. I haven’t rescued anyone in nearly a year.” “If not children, then what—” Ashton put his hand up, stopping my tumble of questions. “Let’s talk about all that later. Right now, I want to hear your news.” I wanted to press. I still had so many questions. But he was right. We could talk about those things later. We had, after all, all the time in the world. “I told you about our run in with Maia and Yuri,” Isaiah began. Ashton nodded. “Yes, how they found Fallon. Terrell no doubt sent them out of desperation. Maia is not someone Terrell would send if the situation hadn’t gotten out of hand. She’s the most evil creature I have ever encountered and that is saying quite a bit.” Isaiah nodded. “We managed to evade him for a while, before we were captured. We were taken to Garrison’s home just north of Whistler. I don’t know the exact location, but I can find it if I tried.” Ashton shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. I’ve known for a while where he calls home. However, had I known you were there, I would have come to get you myself.” “Contact was impossible,” Isaiah replied. “We were heavily guarded, right until the end when we managed to escape.” “And did he ever tell you what his plans were?” Ashton wondered. I shook my head before Isaiah could tell him otherwise. Ashton may have been my father, the man whose blood ran through my veins, but he’d also been partners with Garrison once upon a time and I was too paranoid to trust anyone. I trusted people who lied even less. Whether or not he’d ever been a doctor was a moot point. It was him lying about it that only increased my distrust. Plus I hadn’t forgotten Mom’s last warnings to me not to trust Ashton. Isaiah must have sensed my need not to share the fact that we were potential weapons of mass destruction, because he didn’t bring it up. Instead, he veered the topic back to our escape. “Fallon saved my life.” Isaiah cast me a level glance as though daring me to contradict his claim. He was wrong. I hadn’t saved his life. He may have gotten shot, but with his accelerated healing, he hadn’t been in any real danger. “Well, you did what you had to,” Ashton said at once, voice unwavering. “Had it not been them, it would have been you.” Was that how murderers looked themselves in the mirror? Justification? How did one justify taking a life? “After we escaped, we laid low for a couple of weeks and tried to regroup before we contacted you,” Isaiah finished at last. By laid low, he meant me vehemently dragging my feet on the whole situation and him needing a month to convince me that it was time I met my father. Despite my need for answer and safety, I could never shake the uncertainty the idea of meeting Ashton always provoked. But I was really tired of running. I was tired of not having options. I was tired of being tired. Plus, Isaiah was so adamant that Ashton was the good guy. Maybe he was right. Ashton, who had been listening attentively to Isaiah, beamed. “Remarkable!” he said, shaking his head. “Absolutely remarkable. I always knew Terrell was unstable, but this proves that his lunacy goes much deeper than face value.” You think? I wanted to say. His brilliant observation was, oh, seventeen years too late. “There’s more,” Isaiah murmured, hesitant. “Garrison’s still alive and out for blood.” Ashton nodded. “You’ll be safe at Luxuria. I made the mistake of letting you fend for yourself once. I won’t—” “I didn’t fend for myself!” My tone came out sharper than I’d intended. “I had Mom and we were doing fine until this crap happened.” Ashton visibly winced. “Yes, of course. I apologize.” He lowered his head. “I should have done more to protect you both and for that, I am eternally guilt ridden. I failed you.” “You couldn’t have known,” I murmured. He wouldn’t meet my eye. “Perhaps.” He placed a gentle hand on mine. “I can’t replace what you had with your mother, Fallon, but I promise that I will protect you in every way that I can. You’re safe now.” It was daunting to accept. It seemed too easy, and even as a part of me salivated at the possibility of being wholly and truly in the clear. Yet the part of me that had seen and done too much, refused to believe it. Also, I knew firsthand what Garrison was capable of. I knew that he would never give up looking for me. I was too valuable. But my options were slim. My life was in danger and because of me, Isaiah was in danger. In order to keep him safe, I had to trust Ashton. I had to believe that he meant what he said about keeping us away from Garrison. The shriek of Isaiah’s chair sliding viciously across the smooth laminate sent my heart scuttling up into my throat even before he shouted, “We need to go!” and grabbed my arm. I was hauled to my feet and dragged behind him. Ashton was up and out of his seat with much less haste. He twisted his body to the window even as his hand went around behind him. The movement was so quick, so fluid like he’d done it a million times, a frightening thought when, a second later, he was cradling a sleek, black handgun. It was almost reassuring to know my father packed heat like some mafia guy, if not a bit daunting. But even that wasn’t as blood chilling as the three familiar silhouettes making their way with great ease across the street in the direction of the cafe. “Take her through the back.” Ashton passed Isaiah the gun, who took it and seamlessly slipped it into the waistband of his jeans. “I’ll deal with them.” “Wait!” I lunged after him when he made for the door, ignoring Isaiah’s grip on me when I grabbed Ashton’s arm. “You can’t go out there without your gun! You have no idea—” Ashton smiled calmly at me. It was so off-putting considering the situation that I dropped my hand. “Don’t worry about me, dearest. I don’t need a weapon.” Then, with a wink that only sealed my theory that my dad was suicidal, he strolled out of the café to meet the Shadow Brothers.***My Review***
Wow! The long awaited sequel to Touching Smoke is finally here and it is well worth the wait! Filled with action, beautiful descriptions, new worlds and characters and too many damn intimate scenes between Fallon and Isaiah - Airicka does good with the teasing- it's worth the read. It's well written and gorgeously described, I felt like I was actually living in Fallon's world. I felt like I was watching a movie or tv show, it was just that vivid. Now we'll have to wait a while for book 3 but I know it'll be worth the wait.5 bright shiny stars!!! a Rafflecopter giveaway ~ Facebook~ Touch Saga~ Design Page~ Morgana Phoenix Page~ Goodreads ~ Twitter~ Pinterest~ Wattpad~ LinkedIn~ Kobo~ Barns & Noble
Absolution by Carlyle Lubuschagne - Cover Reveal
Absolution
Confessions of a cloneis book one in The Broken Diaries series of novellas.Can be read as a stand alone or as a companion novella to The Broken Novels
Expected release date: October 2014Genre: Upper YA Science Fiction
Cover Designed by Rachel Morgan - Morgan Media
(Unedited)So my secret is out you say? That would depend which secret you are referring to. That I am a clone? Everyone knows that by now. Or that I have a dark disease pulsating through my veins, one I am quite fond of? Big deal. It’s exciting, never to have to hold back, unpredictability is a drug. We all crave it. So what possible secret could I hold that is worth keeping? Imagine me giving you a sly smirk right now because I have not the misfortune of compassion that will cause me to spill my secrets. Without them there is no hand to be dealt.
Will my secret keep him close? Perhaps. But here is my confession, I have something better than secrecy. I have absolution. With me, he is not bound, it will be out of choice. With me, he never has to hold back. And I would love him for the good and especially in the bad. When I gave my word that I’d stop my tricks – I lied. That’s the thing with obsession. It does not care. It only wants, and it is so fixated on want, that it becomes need, and it shall have all it wants and needs. And while I have no time to ponder who I am, clone – what a stupid word, I am already on my way to loving him forever. That’s how I play it, because I just don’t care. Everyone knows I am nothing like my pathetic prime. That with me, it’s all bad intentions and violent, narcissistic adoration. That is not who I am. I am but one thing - in absolution.
About The Author
Carlyle Labuschagne is a South African award wining author working her way into the hearts of international readers with her first two books in the Broken Trilogy. Her first young adult dystopian novel "The Broken Destiny" reached top 3 in its YA debut Category. The Sequel Evanescent won YATR literary award for best Sci-Fi book 2013. Carlyle loves to swim, fights for the trees, and is a food lover who is driven by her passion for life. Carlyle also writes for IU e-magazine India, an inspirational non-profit magazine that aims at inspiring the world through words. The drive behind her author career is healing through words. Carlyle is also the founder of the first annual book drive – Help Build A Library in Africa Project. And hopes to launch her very own Indie book festival in Johannesburg March 2015.
“My goal as an author is to touch people’s lives, and help others love their differences and one another.
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April 1, 2014
Disruption by Jessica Shirvington - My review
This post is more of my thoughts about Jessica Shirvington's newest release, Disruption then it is about my two meetings with her in person. (Yes, i fangirled hard!)
Firstly, let me just say that Jess is a beautiful woman inside and out, and such an inspiration!
So, imagine my shock when she recognised me before we met in person, from our tweets and facebook messages alone. Not only did she know who i was, but is going to read my books! I don't think i can take it. I get nervous when my readers and fans read my books on any given day, so to have someone i admire and look up to turn around and say they've read my books is... whoa, i have no words!
Not only Jess, but Marianne Curley, bestsellling author or Old Magic and the Hidden series, who i can now call a friend has read my books also! And all this happened inside a week!
I won't go on, but that was one of the best weeks of my life. Not only did i attend my first ever book signing, but i met two of my writing idols. Let me tell you i cried happy tears!
Now onto my review
Whoa! Jess really hit the ground running with this one! It's totally different from her Embrace series, but in a good way. She has a freakish ability to write strong, hard - headed women that kick some serious booty. I love Maggie! She has to be my fave of Jess' characters (move over Violet!) because even though she is secretive, she knows what she wants and will take down anyone in the way of her goal. That is, until she meets the yummy Quentin. Sorry, Lincoln, Quentin takes the title of sexiest book boyfriend that Jess has ever written. I can really relate to the emotions going on between Maggie and Quentin, and i LOVE LOVE LOVE books with high chemistry between the two main characters. So swoon worthy! Also, i wish we had those M- Bands now! I would love to walk down the street and be able to see from a distance without actually talking to them whether they'd be the perfect match or the wrong one. It would make dating a whole lot easier, and fix alot of today's problems, which are talked about in the book.
This book is not short on action and it kept me eagerly flipping the pages to the very end to find out what happens next.
Let me just say that the ending is explosive! It blew me away!
Now all we have to do is wait for book 2, Corruption, which Jess says might be out towards the end of this year!
5/5 shooting stars!
Firstly, let me just say that Jess is a beautiful woman inside and out, and such an inspiration!
So, imagine my shock when she recognised me before we met in person, from our tweets and facebook messages alone. Not only did she know who i was, but is going to read my books! I don't think i can take it. I get nervous when my readers and fans read my books on any given day, so to have someone i admire and look up to turn around and say they've read my books is... whoa, i have no words!
Not only Jess, but Marianne Curley, bestsellling author or Old Magic and the Hidden series, who i can now call a friend has read my books also! And all this happened inside a week!
I won't go on, but that was one of the best weeks of my life. Not only did i attend my first ever book signing, but i met two of my writing idols. Let me tell you i cried happy tears!
Now onto my review
Whoa! Jess really hit the ground running with this one! It's totally different from her Embrace series, but in a good way. She has a freakish ability to write strong, hard - headed women that kick some serious booty. I love Maggie! She has to be my fave of Jess' characters (move over Violet!) because even though she is secretive, she knows what she wants and will take down anyone in the way of her goal. That is, until she meets the yummy Quentin. Sorry, Lincoln, Quentin takes the title of sexiest book boyfriend that Jess has ever written. I can really relate to the emotions going on between Maggie and Quentin, and i LOVE LOVE LOVE books with high chemistry between the two main characters. So swoon worthy! Also, i wish we had those M- Bands now! I would love to walk down the street and be able to see from a distance without actually talking to them whether they'd be the perfect match or the wrong one. It would make dating a whole lot easier, and fix alot of today's problems, which are talked about in the book.
This book is not short on action and it kept me eagerly flipping the pages to the very end to find out what happens next.
Let me just say that the ending is explosive! It blew me away!
Now all we have to do is wait for book 2, Corruption, which Jess says might be out towards the end of this year!
5/5 shooting stars!
March 31, 2014
The Aqua Secret is finally here!
After teasing you for months, my little dystopian novella is finally here!!!
The Aqua Secret was a battle to write all on its own. I just hope its what you guys are craving.
Title: The Aqua SecretSeries: The Aqua SagaGenre: YA Dystopian/ sci fiRelease Date: March 31st 2014Format: eBook and print
Blurb
The year is 2042 and the world has been consumed by water.Those who survived the great floods of 2012 clung to the debris of the Old World from which they rebuilt their lives. Pym Maddox thought life was good living on the floating city called Aqua. Harboring secret feelings for her best friend, the smoldering Rush Rodgers, was the least of her problems. Rush is the son of her father’s second in command, a boy whom her father approved of – or so she thought. After her people are moved onto her father’s navy vessel, a motion which is only the start of the torrent of secrets that begin to unravel. Pym’s search for answers lead her and Rush to a secret underwater lab that just might hold the answers to everything.Pym soon discovers that the world she grew up in is not what it seems, and her father may hold the key to unlocking the biggest secret of all – the reason Pym and Rush have a mysterious connection to the water.
Secrets and water have one thing in common: they get distorted on the surface.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21413206-the-aqua-secret
Here's a couple of excerpts from the book!
“Pym!” I heard my name and knew it mustbe Rush. He was coming after me, so I swam faster. His voice was closer now.“Pym!” Then came the persistent banging.“Pym, wake up!” Now I knew I wasn’t dreaming. Ignoring my lack of clothes, I groaned and slid out of the bunk I was in, landing on the cold, metal floor. How did I get here? Where am I? I didn’t have time to deliberate over the situation, because the person on the other side of the door kept banging. I hurried over to the door because the banging had gotten morepersistent by the second. “Coming. Hold your horses!” Iunlocked the bolt across the door and yanked it open. Rush tumbles in with fist raised to knock again.“Rush? What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here! My father will kill you.” I looked him over. He was in his pajamas as well. “What happen to our code?”“Can I talk to you?”“Sure, but in the morning.” I tried to shut the door in his face but his hand stopped it.“Please. I have to speak to you now.”“Fine.” I exhaled. “Come in before anyone sees you.” I grabbed his shirt and pulled him inside. He forgot about the lip all the watertight doors have and tripped over it, crashing into me, and sending us both tumbling backwards. He landed on top of me, and I couldn’t breathe. He raised his head and looked at me with those incredible blue eyes I love. My breath caught in my throat as something stirred inside me. Something I had been denying for years. His dark hair hung over those blue sapphires dashingly, driving me crazy. I pushed away the sudden urge to lean up and kiss him.“You’re crushing me,” I gasped.“Oh, sorry.” He uses the floor on either side of us to push himself up, and once he’s to his feet, he offered his hand for me.“Thank you.” I take it and his strong arm pulled me up. It was then that I felt naked and vulnerable as his teenage eyes took in my long bare legs, my very short boy-leg shorts, and my black training t-shirt.“Nice PJ’s.”“Thanks.” I attempted to hide my flushed cheeks when I shoved his chest. “Now say what you have to say before I throw you out.”He exhaled and looked up at my face. “I just want to say that I... I had a bad dream, and I can’t sleep.”“A dream about what?” I said as I sat down on the lower bunk bed.“I dreamt that Aqua was sinking.”I stare at him in disbelief. “Sinking? Impossible.”“It could happen, you know. If one of the other militias decides to set missiles on us.”“Rush, my dad has made it clear there are no other militias. There are no other communities but ours.”“That is where you’re wrong.”I stood up and began pacing. “No, it’s not true. My father has told methat...” “Your father is lying to you. Yourfather has been lying to all of us.” “Rush, that is a dangerousaccusation you’re making.” “I don’t care. I know what I saw.” My eyes widen. “What you saw?What are you talking about?” “I was out on patrol with my fatherthis morning when I saw something in the distance.”“It could be a mirage. You know how the ocean plays tricks on you.”“No, I know it’s another community. My dad even hinted at it.”“What?”“He knows something. I asked him what it could be, and he changed the subject as if he didn’t want me to know. I’m telling you, Pym, we’re not the only survivors.”I sat back down beside him. “Okay,let’s say it’s true. We can’t really go telling our parents about it. They’ll call us foolish children and brush us aside, or even worse, believe us and go killing them.”“We don’t even know what they’re like, the others,” Rush said.“Exactly.”“Which is the reason we should go and investigate. We could swim over there and...”“Are you insane?” I gripped his arm, nails biting into his flesh.“Yes, I am. Insane is my middle name,” he grinned. I wacked him.“I’m serious, Rush. Our parents would never allow it and...”“And they aren’t going to know. It’ll be our little secret.” He moved closer and placed a finger on my lips. In that moment, I was very aware of how close we were. Our thighs touched, and sodid our gazes. Years of crushing on him, loving him, boiled down to this very moment. I wanted to lean forward and kiss him so bad. I don’t know why a second later I changed the subject and moved back.“Where are we? We aren’t in my room or yours.”“I know. We’re in your father’s vessel.”“What? Why?” I knew this was serious. We never fled to the ship. It was only used on patrol missions.“Someone triggered the alarm. I don’t know who, but I was on my way to my room when I found your Mom standing outside with you. You fainted, Pym.”“Fainted?” This was so weird. I never fainted.“Yeah. I carried you onto the ship.” “Where were you?”“Out on patrol, like I said.”“Oh.” I looked down at my hands, looping my thumbs round and round each other. “So that’s why you weren’t at lunch.”“I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you, but my father pulled me away. He didn’t give me time to explain. Why? Were you worried about me?” He moved closer and smiled. I looked up at him and shoved him.“You’re such a loser.”He shoved me back. “You’re the loser.” He stood. “Anyway, I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow. Okay? Get some sleep.”“Hey, I was already sleeping. You woke me up because you couldn’t sleep.”“Funny. Sweet dreams. Okay?”“You, too.” I smiled at him and slipped back into bed as he let himselfout. I could’ve sworn I saw him wink on the way out.
If you don't know, i am in love with anything dystopian and devour just about any book with a dystopian theme. I've always wanted to write one, and i really hope i did my first try at the genre justice!I hope you'll fall in love with Pym and Rush just as much as i have!The Aqua Secret is available now in ebook form from the following retailersAmazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, SmashwordsIt'll be available soon on Sony, Kobo and in print from most online stores!
The Aqua Secret was a battle to write all on its own. I just hope its what you guys are craving.
Title: The Aqua SecretSeries: The Aqua SagaGenre: YA Dystopian/ sci fiRelease Date: March 31st 2014Format: eBook and print
Blurb
The year is 2042 and the world has been consumed by water.Those who survived the great floods of 2012 clung to the debris of the Old World from which they rebuilt their lives. Pym Maddox thought life was good living on the floating city called Aqua. Harboring secret feelings for her best friend, the smoldering Rush Rodgers, was the least of her problems. Rush is the son of her father’s second in command, a boy whom her father approved of – or so she thought. After her people are moved onto her father’s navy vessel, a motion which is only the start of the torrent of secrets that begin to unravel. Pym’s search for answers lead her and Rush to a secret underwater lab that just might hold the answers to everything.Pym soon discovers that the world she grew up in is not what it seems, and her father may hold the key to unlocking the biggest secret of all – the reason Pym and Rush have a mysterious connection to the water.
Secrets and water have one thing in common: they get distorted on the surface.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21413206-the-aqua-secret
Here's a couple of excerpts from the book!
“Pym!” I heard my name and knew it mustbe Rush. He was coming after me, so I swam faster. His voice was closer now.“Pym!” Then came the persistent banging.“Pym, wake up!” Now I knew I wasn’t dreaming. Ignoring my lack of clothes, I groaned and slid out of the bunk I was in, landing on the cold, metal floor. How did I get here? Where am I? I didn’t have time to deliberate over the situation, because the person on the other side of the door kept banging. I hurried over to the door because the banging had gotten morepersistent by the second. “Coming. Hold your horses!” Iunlocked the bolt across the door and yanked it open. Rush tumbles in with fist raised to knock again.“Rush? What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here! My father will kill you.” I looked him over. He was in his pajamas as well. “What happen to our code?”“Can I talk to you?”“Sure, but in the morning.” I tried to shut the door in his face but his hand stopped it.“Please. I have to speak to you now.”“Fine.” I exhaled. “Come in before anyone sees you.” I grabbed his shirt and pulled him inside. He forgot about the lip all the watertight doors have and tripped over it, crashing into me, and sending us both tumbling backwards. He landed on top of me, and I couldn’t breathe. He raised his head and looked at me with those incredible blue eyes I love. My breath caught in my throat as something stirred inside me. Something I had been denying for years. His dark hair hung over those blue sapphires dashingly, driving me crazy. I pushed away the sudden urge to lean up and kiss him.“You’re crushing me,” I gasped.“Oh, sorry.” He uses the floor on either side of us to push himself up, and once he’s to his feet, he offered his hand for me.“Thank you.” I take it and his strong arm pulled me up. It was then that I felt naked and vulnerable as his teenage eyes took in my long bare legs, my very short boy-leg shorts, and my black training t-shirt.“Nice PJ’s.”“Thanks.” I attempted to hide my flushed cheeks when I shoved his chest. “Now say what you have to say before I throw you out.”He exhaled and looked up at my face. “I just want to say that I... I had a bad dream, and I can’t sleep.”“A dream about what?” I said as I sat down on the lower bunk bed.“I dreamt that Aqua was sinking.”I stare at him in disbelief. “Sinking? Impossible.”“It could happen, you know. If one of the other militias decides to set missiles on us.”“Rush, my dad has made it clear there are no other militias. There are no other communities but ours.”“That is where you’re wrong.”I stood up and began pacing. “No, it’s not true. My father has told methat...” “Your father is lying to you. Yourfather has been lying to all of us.” “Rush, that is a dangerousaccusation you’re making.” “I don’t care. I know what I saw.” My eyes widen. “What you saw?What are you talking about?” “I was out on patrol with my fatherthis morning when I saw something in the distance.”“It could be a mirage. You know how the ocean plays tricks on you.”“No, I know it’s another community. My dad even hinted at it.”“What?”“He knows something. I asked him what it could be, and he changed the subject as if he didn’t want me to know. I’m telling you, Pym, we’re not the only survivors.”I sat back down beside him. “Okay,let’s say it’s true. We can’t really go telling our parents about it. They’ll call us foolish children and brush us aside, or even worse, believe us and go killing them.”“We don’t even know what they’re like, the others,” Rush said.“Exactly.”“Which is the reason we should go and investigate. We could swim over there and...”“Are you insane?” I gripped his arm, nails biting into his flesh.“Yes, I am. Insane is my middle name,” he grinned. I wacked him.“I’m serious, Rush. Our parents would never allow it and...”“And they aren’t going to know. It’ll be our little secret.” He moved closer and placed a finger on my lips. In that moment, I was very aware of how close we were. Our thighs touched, and sodid our gazes. Years of crushing on him, loving him, boiled down to this very moment. I wanted to lean forward and kiss him so bad. I don’t know why a second later I changed the subject and moved back.“Where are we? We aren’t in my room or yours.”“I know. We’re in your father’s vessel.”“What? Why?” I knew this was serious. We never fled to the ship. It was only used on patrol missions.“Someone triggered the alarm. I don’t know who, but I was on my way to my room when I found your Mom standing outside with you. You fainted, Pym.”“Fainted?” This was so weird. I never fainted.“Yeah. I carried you onto the ship.” “Where were you?”“Out on patrol, like I said.”“Oh.” I looked down at my hands, looping my thumbs round and round each other. “So that’s why you weren’t at lunch.”“I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you, but my father pulled me away. He didn’t give me time to explain. Why? Were you worried about me?” He moved closer and smiled. I looked up at him and shoved him.“You’re such a loser.”He shoved me back. “You’re the loser.” He stood. “Anyway, I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow. Okay? Get some sleep.”“Hey, I was already sleeping. You woke me up because you couldn’t sleep.”“Funny. Sweet dreams. Okay?”“You, too.” I smiled at him and slipped back into bed as he let himselfout. I could’ve sworn I saw him wink on the way out.
If you don't know, i am in love with anything dystopian and devour just about any book with a dystopian theme. I've always wanted to write one, and i really hope i did my first try at the genre justice!I hope you'll fall in love with Pym and Rush just as much as i have!The Aqua Secret is available now in ebook form from the following retailersAmazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, SmashwordsIt'll be available soon on Sony, Kobo and in print from most online stores!
March 28, 2014
Touching Fire by Airicka Phoenix - Release Day Blitz
Touching Fire Blitz
Airicka Phoenix International Best-Selling Author of The Touch Saga, Sons of Judgment Saga, Lost Girl Duology, Betraying Innocence & Games of Fire
Book Name: Touching Fire Author: Airicka Phoenix Series: Touch Saga, book 2 Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing Release date: March 28, 2014 Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance. Warnings: Strong language and mild sexual content Formats: eBook & Paperback Other Novels: Amazon Book ListFinding her past was supposed to end the nightmare. Only it was just the beginning. Entrusting the fate of the world, not to mention her and Isaiah’s life to a father she’s never met is a big leap of faith on Fallon’s part. But it’s a necessary risk. Ashton is the key to protecting Isaiah and keeping her out of Garrison’s clutches. He is also the only one who can tell her what she is, except what she learns is that she is from a world that is far more dangerous than anyone could possibly imagine. As her powers grow out of control, Fallon must pick between her mortality and a legacy that does not include Isaiah. She must summon the courage to face a destiny that will test the boundaries of everything she has ever known. But most of all, she must protect Isaiah from the monster within herself and trust the man whose toxic blood runs through her veins. Danger builds as power clashes between two evils, both seeking her to tip the scales to eternal darkness and suffering. Can humanity rise to face an ancient calling to which Fallon is powerless to stop? Can she protect those she cares about, or will their blood forever stain her hands? Touch Vengeance. Touch Malice. Touch Fire.a Rafflecopter giveaway ~ Facebook~ Touch Saga~ Design Page~ Morgana Phoenix Page~ Goodreads ~ Twitter~ Pinterest~ Wattpad~ LinkedIn~ Kobo~ Barns & Noble
Airicka Phoenix International Best-Selling Author of The Touch Saga, Sons of Judgment Saga, Lost Girl Duology, Betraying Innocence & Games of Fire
Book Name: Touching Fire Author: Airicka Phoenix Series: Touch Saga, book 2 Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing Release date: March 28, 2014 Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance. Warnings: Strong language and mild sexual content Formats: eBook & Paperback Other Novels: Amazon Book ListFinding her past was supposed to end the nightmare. Only it was just the beginning. Entrusting the fate of the world, not to mention her and Isaiah’s life to a father she’s never met is a big leap of faith on Fallon’s part. But it’s a necessary risk. Ashton is the key to protecting Isaiah and keeping her out of Garrison’s clutches. He is also the only one who can tell her what she is, except what she learns is that she is from a world that is far more dangerous than anyone could possibly imagine. As her powers grow out of control, Fallon must pick between her mortality and a legacy that does not include Isaiah. She must summon the courage to face a destiny that will test the boundaries of everything she has ever known. But most of all, she must protect Isaiah from the monster within herself and trust the man whose toxic blood runs through her veins. Danger builds as power clashes between two evils, both seeking her to tip the scales to eternal darkness and suffering. Can humanity rise to face an ancient calling to which Fallon is powerless to stop? Can she protect those she cares about, or will their blood forever stain her hands? Touch Vengeance. Touch Malice. Touch Fire.a Rafflecopter giveaway ~ Facebook~ Touch Saga~ Design Page~ Morgana Phoenix Page~ Goodreads ~ Twitter~ Pinterest~ Wattpad~ LinkedIn~ Kobo~ Barns & Noble
March 26, 2014
Heavenly Hunted by Aria Wlliams - Book spotlight
You'd think being stuck in the body of a beautiful seventeen year old girl forever would be a gift. But when you are a fallen, it is more like a curse.Indiana was a beautiful angel, enjoying the perks of Heaven, until she was tricked by a demon to fall in love with him. She was forced to fall from Heaven and remain in her seventeen year old form, banished to Earth, for all of eternity. Indiana has proven herself to Nate and he no longer wishes to kill her, but to lay his own life on the life to protect hers. There is a new threat in town named Bernie, and she has one thing on her mind Killing Indiana. Bernie is a force that should never be underestimated, as she has very special skills. She stalks her prey while keeping hidden in shadows, isolates her victim’s than attacks when least expected. Indiana feels that no one on this earth poses a risk to her and continues to throw herself into cases to help victims of abuse. Until Nate put his foot down and demands for her to stop, he feels her safety is more important. With both Connor and Nate putting their differences aside to protect Indy, will she get through this new threat or will she unintentionally put one of her friends lives at risk to satisfy her own selfish needs. Or will love the love from one special guy help her discover a new path and save the day?Amazon buying link- http://www.amazon.com/Heavenly-Hunted-Hell-Book-ebook/dp/B00J932FUW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1395898427&sr=1-1&keywords=Heavenly+Hunted
If you didn't know, Heavenly Hell is the first book to this wonderful series and you can find my review here
I devour just about anything to do with angels and i loved this! Worth checking out!
March 25, 2014
Dark Incidence by AG Liam - Book Blitz
Title: Dark IncidenceAuthor: A G Liam Genre: Paranormal RomacneBlitz Host: Lady Amber's ToursSynopsis:Dani is determined to change. Trodden down by her abusive stepdad, neglectful mother, and nonexistent social life, Dani decides to leave it all behind—she flees into the night and finds herself in a dark, and strangely wondrous, new world. A world unknown to most humans.However, destiny is an unpredictable force. Through a peculiar turn of events, she unknowingly gets entangled in a brutal war waging between two factions of vampires.The Ruemisuds are a technologically advanced, elite vampire society that wants absolute control. They will stop at nothing to get it, including experimenting on unsuspecting humans and decimating the Rhowels, a clandestine, rebel clan of vampires. This clan possesses a key to survival that the Ruemisuds desperately want, and they will protect it until the bitter end.Dani's riveting journey has just begun in this beautiful tale of love, hate, betrayal, and, above all, survival. The war is escalating quickly and Dani is determined to survive. Who will help her? Who will win the war?
A.G. grew up in a gloomy and quaint suburb near London, England, and now lives in sunny southern California with her family. She has been an avid horror and paranormal fan since she can remember, reading Goosebumps when she was a child, to watching twilight zone as a teenager with her grandpa. She earned her B.A. in psychology, but decided to follow her passion of storytelling instead. Dark Incidence is her first full length novel, a unique vampire science fiction told through the eyes of two siblings. A.G. also has directed numerous shorts and written children’s books. Her favorite pastime is watching paranormal and horror movies, painting landscapes and seascapes, and reading fiction novels. She can never turn down an invite to eat something home cooked.Links:Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21394075-dark-incidenceFacebook: www.facebook.com/darkincidenceTwitter: www.twitter.com/author_agliamWeb: www.darkincidence.com Buy Link:Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00J2ESFLG
Someone bangs against the mailbox behind us. I feel a knot in my throat as my adrenaline kicks in. My heart starts to race, pounding in my chest. We sprint as fast as we can with our hands clutched together. Dani keeps glancing back to make sure we aren’t being followed. She then looks at me with a sly half-smile. Only the left side of her lip stretches and reveals a little bit of her teeth. I recall that used to turn me on at school every time I saw it as she walked past me . . . and it still does. My left shoe becomes untied and I clumsily trip. I totally feel stupid and awkward.I look at Dani and she gives me a concerned look. She then continues to look back and to the sides. We both look at Bushing Park up ahead and nod in agreement.There might be a place to hide there. “Let’s chill in Bushing for a bit,” I suggest, breathing heavily.“OK, but you have to listen to me, please! This thing wants to kill you!” Dani blurts out hastily.“What? Are you serious?” I stop on a dime. “Dani, what the hell? What’s going on?” I smoked a little pot earlier, but my high is wearing off. My cloudy mind becomes alert. I finally notice Dani’s clothes are stained and she is a mess. A light goes off in my head. Dani is in some serious trouble, and so am I. Dammit. What are we going to do?I should’ve taken that martial arts class that I’ve been meaning to take for some time now. How am I going to protect her? Dammit. I can’t stop cursing at myself. We continue to run side by side, staying low and trying not to make any noise.Dani notices I’m out of breath and starts to slow down until she comes to a halt under a tree. I’m badly in need of a break from all the running. How the heck does this girl have so much stamina and energy? She’s hardly tired.“Matt, there’s this thing—it’s coming for you because you are human!” She grabs my arm tighter and ready to take off again.“What! Because I’m human? What the heck are you then?” I barely deliver those words as I exhale heavily. This is absurd. She must be high or something. I throw Dani’s grip away and point at her with authority. “You need to calm the hell down! I’m calling 9-1-1!” I reach for my cell phone but Dani forcibly holds my hand to not let me pull it out.She grabs my face with her hands and pulls my face close to hers. “Matt, please trust me! Just hide with me for a bit. I can explain everything!”A deep rumbling sweeps through the park, like one of those cars with heavy bass. Is someone driving their low-rider into the park? That can’t be right. I try to make sense of my surroundings as I begin to hear clashing metal on metal clanking near the kids’ playground. It sounds like chain mail going across the monkey bars. Shit. Dani might be onto something.I can hear rapid huffs and puffs of air. The last time I heard deep breathing like that was when we had a giant bull at my family’s ranch. Whatever this thing is that’s out there, I can tell it’s very large.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
March 23, 2014
Falling for an Angel by Laura Prior - Book Blitz
Title: Falling for an AngelAuthor: Laura PriorGenre: Paranormal Romance 16+ Blitz Host: Lady Amber's Tours
Synopsis: Falling for an Angel: When a mysterious stranger enters Jasmine's life with tales of Angels and Demons she refuses to listen to his warnings. Having been raised with dishonesty and treachery, she is under no illusion of the realities of human existence. Abandoned by her family and betrayed by her friends, she find this recent twist in her life too much to handle and spirals out of control. Zach is ancient warrior Angel. To his disgust he has been sent to guard Jasmine from the beasts that hunt her. Perplexed by her volatile human nature he struggles to control her and make her recognize the signs of the mythical world around her. Is it possible for two such dissimilar individuals to unite against the evil stalking them? Or will the tension between them explode - leaving catastrophic repercussions? The Falling series itself, follows Jasmine's story; a woman everyone can relate to. She has weaknesses and flaws and her journey is really a discovery to see if someone is really so flawed, can they overcome them enough to be accepted? Is it really about changing yourself or is it about changing other people's perceptions of you, letting them see that whatever fate has in store, those perceived weaknesses are actually important aspects of who you are?
My Review:
I just finished this and oh my goodness i am still reeling from the humungous cliffhanger at the end! Laura described this book as Twilight crossed with 50 shades of grey but it is so much more. It is without a doubt the steamiest thing i have read so far. Although not used to reading adult books i thoroughly enjoyed this. 5/5 stars!See my reviews for the rest of the Falling series below:Beware the Wolf (book 2)Death By Demon (book 3)Valkyrie in Training (book 4)
Laura Prior grew up in the north-east of England and has travelled the world while working as a nurse. She is currently living and working in Melbourne, Australia, with her partner. She enjoys snowboarding, long walks, shoe shopping, and cocktails. She loves reading passionate novels with strong female characters.
Links:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Falling-Angel-1-Laura-Prior/dp/1484128486/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394238753&sr=1-1&keywords=falling+for+an+angel Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Angel-Laura-Prior-ebook/dp/B00D1FAMUO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394238784&sr=8-1&keywords=laura+prior+falling+for+an+angel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FallingForAnAngel Web: http://laurapriorbooks.com/
March 19, 2014
Tethered Wings by Cameo Renae - Release Day Blitz
Title: Tethered Wings (Hidden Wings, 3)Author: Cameo RenaeGenre: Young Adult Fantasy Expected Release Date: March 21, 2014 Publisher: Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing Cover Design: Regina Wamba at Mae I Design Blitz Host: Lady Amber's Tours Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21417201-tethered-wings Facebook Party: https://www.facebook.com/events/260040757492209/Blurb: Back from their quest into the Underworld, with the threat of Lucian hanging over head, Emma is faced with yet another problem—the Immortal Bond. The bond surpasses any reason and is something so complex, not much is known about it. Once an Immortal Bond is made, it is forever.A conjoining of two fated hearts, destined to be perfect companions.Emma’s heart, already bonded with her Guardian, Kade, has unexpectedly and inconveniently bonded with Ethon, the son of Lucifer. Now she is faced with a decision she doesn't want to make. Both want nothing more than to love and protect her.With the arrival of new company and old friends, things are bound to get heated.
My family is what keeps my heart beating, and my world a happy place to be. I love reading great books that whisk me away from reality, even if for a little while. :) Writing is my passion. I love creating new worlds and new characters, and taking wondrous adventures with them. In My Dreams & Hidden Wings were both recently published through Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing. Descent (A Hidden Wings novella) will be released May 15, 2013, and Broken Wings (Book 2 in the Hidden Wings Series) will be released June 1, 2013. One day I will find my magic wardrobe, and ride away on my magical unicorn... ♥ Until then... I'll keep writing! ;)Follow Cameo on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CameoRenaeFanPageBlog: http://cameorenae.blogspot.com/Website: http://cameorenae.comTwitter: @CameoRenae
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cameo-Renae/e/B004X2PEH0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1394488931&sr=8-2-entLinks to the other book in the series:Hidden Wings (Book #1): http://smarturl.it/HiddenWingsDescent (Novella 1.5): http://smarturl.it/DescentNovellaBroken Wings (Book #2) : http://smarturl.it/BrokenWings
March 11, 2014
Tethered Wings by Cameo Renae- Cover Reveal
Title: Tethered Wings (Hidden Wings, 3)Author: Cameo RenaeGenre: Young Adult Fantasy Expected Release Date: March 21, 2014
Publisher: Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly PublishingCover Design: Regina Wamba at Mae I Design
Reveal Host: Lady Amber's Tours
Blurb: Back from their quest into the Underworld, with the threat of Lucian hanging over head, Emma is faced with yet another problem—the Immortal Bond. The bond surpasses any reason and is something so complex, not much is known about it. Once an Immortal Bond is made, it is forever.A conjoining of two fated hearts, destined to be perfect companions.Emma’s heart, already bonded with her Guardian, Kade, has unexpectedly and inconveniently bonded with Ethon, the son of Lucifer. Now she is faced with a decision she doesn't want to make. Both want nothing more than to love and protect her.With the arrival of new company and old friends, things are bound to get heated.
Follow Cameo on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CameoRenaeFa... Blog: http://cameorenae.blogspot.com/Website: http://cameorenae.comTwitter: @CameoRenae Amazon:My family is what keeps my heart beating, and my world a happy place to be. I love reading great books that whisk me away from reality, even if for a little while. :) Writing is my passion. I love creating new worlds and new characters, and taking wondrous adventures with them. In My Dreams & Hidden Wings were both recently published through Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing. Descent (A Hidden Wings novella) will be released May 15, 2013, and Broken Wings (Book 2 in the Hidden Wings Series) will be released June 1, 2013. One day I will find my magic wardrobe, and ride away on my magical unicorn... ♥ Until then... I'll keep writing! ;)
Links to the other book in the series:Hidden Wings (Book #1): http://smarturl.it/HiddenWingsDescent (Novella 1.5): http://smarturl.it/DescentNovellaBroken Wings (Book #2) : http://smarturl.it/BrokenWings
<3
What do you think about the cover for book 3 in the Hidden Wings series, Tethered Wings? It is my fave of the series so far! Can't wait to read this one!
