Angel Sefer's Blog, page 38

Excerpt from The Devil's Liege (Book 2 of the Mathias Saga) by Danielle DeVor

Excerpt from The Devil's Liege (Book 2 of the Mathias Saga)
by Danielle DeVor
“Thias.”The voice was near to his ear and seemed breathy. Sleep was his friend. He hunkered down further into his pillow. The darkness was a comfort to him. Safe.“Thias.” It was closer this time—right next to his ear. He didn’t want for this to be real, prayed that it wouldn’t be.Snick. Snick.Mathias jerked awake. His heart hammered in his chest. He looked around the room. Everything was where it was supposed to be. It was still too fancy for Mathias with the polished wood, the gold brocade curtains and the velvet chair next to the window with his stack of books beside it. Nothing was wrong. There was no insane woman about to cut him with a pair of rusty shears. With his eyes the way they were now, with his vampire’s ability to see in the dark, he didn’t need to reach over and turn on the light. He could see everything perfectly. It must have been a dream. At least, Mathias hoped that’s what it was.There was no one in his room but himself. “Fuck.”He closed his eyes for a minute and sighed. Ever since he’d killed Nic, the sorcerer who had caused him to become a vampire, Mathias had been dreaming about her and the past. It honestly was something he wished he could forget.Lilith, the former Queen, had tried to kill him just so he couldn’t tell the vampire world about the horrible things she’d done to him in a past life. She’d cultivated this kind and generous persona that wasn’t really like her at all. It wasn’t Mathias’ fault that Vlad had chosen to cross him over into a vampire. Being a vampire hadn’t been his choice. Hell, he would have rather had his parents back, but he guessed fate was just one of those things.He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand. Along with the dreams, he’d been breaking out in cold clammy sweats. Why the dreams were happening now, he didn’t know. It would have made more sense for them to happen after Nossy had killed Lilith, his mother, but maybe his brain was still being stupid. It wouldn’t surprise him.He got up, walked across the room to the window, and pushed the plush red brocade curtain out of the way. Staying with Vlad again was weird. The room was just too fancy. He preferred Nossy’s clutter. It felt more homey somehow. But, with Nossy being king, it was easier for Mathias to stay with Vlad. He understood that. He just wished things were less complicated.Outside, the frost on the ground was so thick that it made the grass look almost white. That was Siberia.  Winter came early here. Snow had been hitting the ground in intervals since October, with it now being November, well, the frost was a little bit of an improvement. That meant it wasn’t as cold today.He wrapped his wings around himself and sat down in the chair next to the window. It was still weird to have wings. They were longer than he was in order to support him in the air. They weren’t unlike the wings of a fruit bat, sort of. The glass reflected what Mathias still viewed as his new face. His brown hair was still long, his blue eyes were still jaded, but he was big now. Part of him still expected to see that fifteen-year-old kid in the mirror. Needless to say, the last year had been one hell of an experience. He looked at the bookcase opposite his chair, but nothing sparked his interest enough. Still, no sense in trying to go back to sleep now. The dreams would just start again. Mathias just wanted to rest, but his mind had other ideas.He leaned over the side of the chair and picked up the book he’d left on the floor. It wasn’t a fun read, but necessary. It was an old tome about ancient fighting techniques. Mathias thought that if he could learn about how the old techniques were taught, then maybe, he could rectify everything he remembered from the past with that things were like now. He sighed. His plan wasn’t working very well if his dreams were any indication. He didn’t want to remember more of her. It was getting to the point that when he saw a woman with long black hair, he’d have to suppress a shudder. Not normal at all.He let the book fall into his lap and stared out the window again. The frigid scenery was something better to focus on.I’m tired of being alive.The thought just kind of popped into his head, unwarranted and unwelcome. He hadn’t even been thinking, not really. He’d actually been trying not to think. But, he had to admit to himself, it was true in a way. The stress of his “testing” by Lilith, trying to remember who he was, and then finally getting his revenge on Nic kind of took the wind out of his sails. There was nothing left to look forward to now.  People who wanted to live forever had no idea how boring it was. And hell, in this life, he was only sixteen. It probably would have been better if he’d never remembered his past at all.He drummed his claws against the book, softly though, so as to not damage it. Suicide wasn’t an option. Being a vampire, he wasn’t very easy to kill and it wasn’t like he could cut off his own head. He didn’t think he could at least. It wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to do. So, he was stuck like this—probably forever. No wonder all the vamps he knew were fucking nuts.This never ending existence was the very reason he never wanted to be a vampire. The only things he had that meant anything to him were Nossy and Vlad. Too bad they weren’t enough. What he really wanted, and what he didn’t want to admit, was that he just wanted someone to take care of him. His pride wouldn’t let him ask for it.* * * * *Tallus stroked the parchment lovingly. This was his child after a sort. The candlelight made the parchment glow slightly golden. It was perfect. True, it had been a great expense to have the document forged, but that was no matter. Not when he’d have it all. Then, expenses would be something he had no reason to fret with. He chuckled at the cost.Some paid much more than others. The one who performed this forgery had paid the most.  He was now lying underneath several layers of ice—all covering his head. It was a great loss, but Tallus was willing to bear the guilt of the sacrifice. It was all for the greater good after all.He lowered the parchment to the table. When she had been around, none of this was possible. Lilith had always been so … suspicious. He didn’t dare try to act on anything then. In fact, he was always careful to be thinking of things not related to his try for the throne in her presence. It was safer that way. Tallus grinned. Her death had made things so much easier. Without her paranoia to make him hide in the shadows, he had everything he needed for his plan to work. In contrast, Nosferatu was an easy mark. He was too trusting, and sadly, the King thought Tallus was his ally. That was likely his first mistake. For being as old as he was, Nosferatu really was rather naive.He picked the parchment up off the table and kissed it. It was all so perfect. Soon, the plan could begin. He couldn’t wait.
* * * * *
Blurb:
Being a vampire isn't all it's cracked up to be- in fact, it kind of sucks.

After surviving his duel with Lilith, Mathias thought that he could relax. That is until he discovers that, Nossy, the new king, has been kidnapped.

When the investigating vampires seem to have no clue how to rescue Nosferatu, Mathias must step in. Everything is peachy until Mathias is named the next new king in order to stop the man behind Nossy’s kidnapping from taking over the throne.

Suddenly, his life is not his own again, and Mathias must make a choice: risk his life to find his friend, or sit back and watch disaster unfold.
Amazon / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

Named one of the Examiner's Women in Horror: 93 Horror Authors You Need to Read Right Now, Danielle DeVor has been spinning the spider webs, or rather, the keyboard for more frights and oddities. She spent her early years fantasizing about vampires and watching "Salem's Lot" way too many times. When not writing and reading about weird things, you will find her hanging out at the nearest coffee shop, enjoying a mocha frappuccino. Visit her at danielledevor.wordpress.com
Read here my review of the wonderful YA Paranormal Romance "Constructing Marcus" by Danielle DeVor

Excerpt from The Lady of the Pier – The Ebb by Effrosyni Moschoudi

Excerpt from The Lady of the Pier – The Ebbby Effrosyni Moschoudi
Outside the tearoom, Meg said goodbye quickly to rush back to her post, leaving Laura behind to have a look around. Feeling the most carefree she’d felt in a long time, the young girl sauntered to the eastern landing stage in order to enjoy the sea view.She sat on a bench and watched the world go by for a while. Generous views of the Hove and the open sea that stretched towards an indigo horizon made it a pleasure to be there, even though it was late afternoon. The remaining sunlight was fading fast. She stood up and walked to the railing, dreamily watching the sea horses breaking on the shore. The breeze had picked up in the past few minutes, and she was almost shivering now in her dress and woollen cardigan. She looked up to see clouds travelling to the west, growing darker and darker by the second as the feeble sunlight continued to be engulfed by the growing darkness.“Excuse me,” she heard a voice from behind her. She turned around to face a young man around her age. He didn’t look older than twenty-two, twenty-four at most. He had short dark hair and sparkling blue eyes. He wore a rather shabby-looking jacket, dark trousers, and a pair of worn out shoes that had seen better days. His choice of clothes would have been totally unworthy of notice had it not been for a thick, rusty-brown scarf that was tied snugly around his neck. He stood smiling at her rather awkwardly, his thin lips twitching and all the while, his eyes seemed to speak to her through their amazing sparkle. She felt drawn to them as if they were sending out signals she was meant to interpret. He was nervous; she was sure of that. It was evident in the way he had dug both his hands in his pockets, looking a bit lost for words. And yet, the look in his eyes seemed quite confident.“Yes?” she asked, mystified by his body language.“Hello Miss, sorry to disturb,” he finally said, rather unsurely.“Yes?” she asked again after another awkward pause.“Um, I was wondering if you could do me a favour…” His voice trailed off as he scratched his head.Laura gave him an encouraging nod. “How can I help you?” He still looked hesitant as he stood before her, shifting his weight from foot to foot but then, he finally spoke. “Well, I was wondering if you could pretend that we’re friends.” Laura knitted her brows. “I don’t understand.” “Could you offer me a handshake please? Or smile and give me a hug or something?” The half-smile he flashed her then, could also be perceived as a rather cheeky smirk.“What?” she protested. “What on earth for?”“You see that chap behind me, sitting on the bench?” He motioned with a slight movement of his head, shifting his eyes to one side. “No! Please don’t stare! He mustn’t suspect anything!” he pleaded, his blue eyes huge.“Why not? Who is he?” she asked even more intrigued now, as she darted her eyes surreptitiously to the young man on the bench once more. He wasn’t even looking, and she wondered what the fuss was all about. Silently, she thought the whole thing was rather amusing, but she wasn’t going to show that to the dashing lad before her. Instead, she fixed him with a stern stare that demanded an instant explanation.“Look, I’m sorry, all right? It’s just that I made a bet with him that I could prove that we’re friends. He sort of said you’re too beautiful for the likes of me, and I wanted to prove him wrong; that’s all!”“So you told him a lie about me and now you want me to help you confirm it?” she asked, trying to sound stern despite aching to dissolve into laughter by then.“In essence, yes!” he answered, giving her a smile that this time, could definitely pass for a cheeky smirk.“But how does this benefit me?” she retorted with a naughty look in her eyes.He cocked his eye at her, startled. “Excuse me?” “What is there for me to gain from helping you out?”“I’ll buy you a drink if you like!” he offered immediately, and she wondered if that had been his goal from the start.“No thanks!” she answered sternly.Instead of speaking again, the boy regarded her silently in response with sorrowful eyes. It was a sad look of such intensity that the thought that crossed her mind then was that he was doing it on purpose. In the end, she gave in anyway. He surely was heaven. She had to admit it. And he seemed harmless enough. She took a step towards him and offered her hand to him. He took it gratefully and to his surprise, totally unprompted, she reached up then and left a kiss on his cheek.“Thanks! It’s more than I hoped for,” he whispered.Laura chucked. “Now what?”Without moving his head, the boy darted his eyes sideways in a comical way and spoke behind his teeth. “Is he still there?”Laura tittered, but when she cast a glance at the bench behind him again, the smile on her face froze instantly. The lad was no longer alone there. A young girl, barely older than sixteen, was sitting next to him now. They seemed lost in conversation together, totally oblivious to what was going on around them.“You never spoke to that young man, did you? There is no bet, is there?” she put to him when realisation hit her. With her green eyes squinting at him, she placed a hand on her hip defensively, waiting, demanding the truth.The boy smirked and gave a wink. “My dad always said, ‘never lie to a beautiful girl, unless you’re after her heart.’ So I took my dad’s advice. Is that so bad?” he asked mischievously, tilting his head, amused by the stunned expression on her face.“Oh I see! So you were pretending to be nervous all this time. What an act! And for what?” she asked when she finally found her voice again.He shrugged his shoulders. “I got a kiss on the cheek, didn’t I?”“And?”“You make it sound so trivial.” “It is, isn't it?”"Oh, I beg to differ Miss... Miss.... Sorry, I didn't quite catch your name." “Huh! As if I’m going to tell you that! I’m not falling for another one of your tricks!” Laura turned around and started to walk away, but the spring in her step revealed that she was light-hearted.“You’re wrong though.” His voice trailed behind her, and she turned to face him again.“Wrong about what?” she demanded, her chin jutted out, her emerald eyes twinkling at him, her red hair flowing in the breeze, rendering him speechless for a few moments.“That the kiss you gave me was trivial. A kiss from a pretty girl like you will keep me warm after you go, all through the night,” he said with a grin and a hand over his heart.“Why don’t you get under a blanket to be sure,” she teased him and turned away. The echo of his laughter hung in the air between them as she strode off along the deck, her hand over her luscious, red lips, stifling her giggle.


Blurb: 
LOVE WILL GO ON FOREVER, SEEKING A SECOND CHANCE. 

BRIGHTON, 1937 
Dreaming of wealth and happiness, Laura Mayfield arrives in Brighton to pursue a new life. She falls for Christian Searle, a happy-go-lucky stagehand at the West Pier theater, but when she’s offered a chance to perform there, her love for him is put to the test. Charles Willard, a wealthy aristocrat, is fascinated by her and pursues her relentlessly. Will Laura choose love…or money? 

CORFU, 1987 
On a long holiday with her grandparents, Sofia Aspioti meets Danny Markson, a charming flirt who makes her laugh. Although she tries to keep him at arm’s length, worried that village gossip will get back to her strict family, she falls desperately in love. That’s when strange dreams about Brighton’s West Pier and a woman dressed in black begin to haunt her. Who is this grieving woman? And how is her lament related to Sofia’s feelings for Danny? 


Amazon / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble

Praise for The Lady of the Pier - The Ebb
"Ms. Moschoudi is proving to be a skilled storyteller who takes her readers on a wonderful ride."
~David M. Wind, author of Queen of Knights

"An inner glow, an inherent purity emanates from the pages to create a sense of completeness, like a dream you don't want to wake up from."
~MM Jaye, author of the Aegean Lovers series

"Effrosyni Moschoudi is a delightful and very talented author with a fascinating imagination."
~Lilian Roberts, author of The Immortal Rapture series
"It's a delightful trip and I strongly urge you to take it." ~Bob Rector, Author and Director of Letters From the Front

About the Author:
Effrosyni Moschoudi was born and raised in Athens, Greece. As a child, she often sat alone in her granny's garden scribbling rhymes about flowers, butterflies and ants. Through adolescence, she wrote dark poetry that suited her melancholic, romantic nature. She's passionate about books and movies and simply couldn't live without them. She lives in a quaint seaside town near Athens with her husband Andy and a naughty cat called Felix.
**Visit her website to download FREE excerpts, to watch book trailers and to hear the latest news about her works in progress:
http://www.effrosyniwrites.com

**Sign up to her newsletter to be notified first about her new releases and book promotions ($0.00-$0.99):
http://effrosyniwrites.com/newsletter/

**Like her on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/authoreffrosyni

**Follow her on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/frostiemoss

**Find her on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7362780.Effrosyni_Moschoudi

What others say about Effrosyni's books:

"Effrosyni layers her words on the page like music"
~Jackie Weger, National Best-selling Author

"I enjoyed immensely this breath of fresh air in the time travel fantasy genre."
~Angel Sefer, author of the Greek Isles Series

Effrosyni's books are available in kindle and print format.

http://www.effrosyniwrites.com
Read here my review of "The Necklace of Goddess Athena" by Effrosyni Moschoudi

My Review on Trigger by Jill Meengs

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating novel!, March 4, 2015By Angel - See all my reviewsThis review is from: Trigger (Kindle Edition)Trigger by Jill Meengs is a fascinating novel with a fast paced, interesting plot, exciting characters, and amazing locations.
Jordan Shaw is a strong, independent young woman, with a special “gift”. Her story of becoming the target of a dangerous, international organization while traveling around Europe with her best friend grabbed my attention right from the start.
While in this mess, the only one she could turn to for help was intriguing Chase Hudson. However, trusting Chase was another story.
I enjoyed every page of this novel, and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
Amazon / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count..."

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quo...

"The Heiress of Santorini" Trailer

"Deadly Secrets" Trailer

"Spellbound in His Arms" Trailer

In response to your queries regarding The Greek Isles Collection

In response to your emails and Facebook messages regarding The Greek Isles Collection, please note that as I have explained in previous posts the collection cannot be available any longer. Since Spellbound in His Arms—the first novel included in The Greek Isles Collection—was reissued by Amazon Publishing, it could no longer be a part of the collection published by Booktrope.

But don’t worry, all three books included in the collection:Spellbound in His Arms published by Amazon Publishing,Deadly Secrets published by Booktrope, and The Heiress of Santorini also published by Booktropeare still available as individual purchases both in ebook and paperback formats.
In addition, Dark Shadows of The Past, the fourth mystery romance novel in The Greek Isles Series, will soon be released by Booktrope.
Here is the blurb:
Dark Shadows of The Past
A deadly conspiracy…
Stunning jewelry designer Christina Connors wakes up laying on a freezing hard surface surrounded by spine-chilling darkness. Realizing she is dumped in an alley next to a dead body, she searches her mind for answers of how she got there but it’s terrifyingly blank. As the fog lifts, memories of dreadful events come crashing down on her.
A secret identity…
Christina finds herself caught in a deadly game of conspiracy, murder, and vengeance. She must discover how to play the game while concealing her real identity as Sophia Rosetti, the daughter of Mafia lord Paolo Rosetti.
Love or betrayal…Seductively handsome police detective Dan Mallory takes over Christina’s case and vows to protect the feisty enchantress. But when her real identity is revealed, the betrayal is mind blowing. Who is Christina really? Is she the innocent victim running for her life, or is she a deceitful charmer who stole his heart and led him into a conspiracy that could cost him not only his job but also his life.

My Review on Desiring Death by C.P. Mandara

5.0 out of 5 stars Tantalizing and delicious paranormal fantasy!, February 25, 2015By Angel - See all my reviewsThis review is from: Desiring Death (Evading Death Book 2) (Kindle Edition)Desiring Death by C.P. Mandara—the second novel in the Evading Death series—captivates the reader with the tantalizing story of beautiful and deadly vampire huntress Violetta and the seductive and unstoppable master of the vampire kind, Monsieur Martinet. Once you start reading this delicious paranormal fantasy, you just can’t put it down. Fascinating characters and sizzling sexual tension leave you craving for more.
Amazon / Amazon UK / Goodreads

My Review on Obsession Vol. 2 (Turbulent Desire Series) by Ericka Santana

5.0 out of 5 stars Sexy and entertaining, February 17, 2015By Angel - See all my reviewsThis review is from: Obsession vol.2 (Turbulent Desire Series): Risque proposal Salacious agreement (Kindle Edition)
This novel is sexy and entertaining. The relationship between the top fashion model Skylar and the rich playboy Jean Carlo DePandi is a roller coaster of emotions. Having broken each other's heart in the past, their passion is reignited, and there is no stopping it now.
Amazon / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble