Hi,
readers! We have a real treat in store for you today, a spotlight on a book by Fenyx Blue, a talented author! Fenyx, an author I met on my journey, has a
blog tour running right now. Let's
check out the details, shall we?
Battle of the Bullies by Fenyx Blue
Publication date: October 27th 2020 Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Ebony, Eris, and Emani Robertson have been through so much more than most high school freshmen. When they were younger, they survived a school shooting that killed their friend and left their oldest sister unable to speak. After giving homeschooling a try, they enroll in a promising new academy, hoping for the best.The Robertsons soon discover, however, that their new classmates are anything but kind. A mysterious group of bullies known as the Dimes rules the hallways and spreads fear everywhere they go. All three sisters end up being targets of the gang and have to find a way to defend themselves.The triplets couldn’t be more different, but their loyalty to each other and to their school never fails. Along with a diverse group of friends, the Robertsons do everything they can to uncover the identity of the Dimes and restore order to the school. As if their lives weren’t complicated enough, they also get sucked into a much bigger game—discovering who was responsible for the attack on their old school. Can they bring down the Dimes and bring the murderer to justice, all while trying to make it through ninth grade?
"Something
that I love to read about and it's probably because I experienced it
myself from students and teachers is books about bullying, so when I saw
this one come up for the tour - I knew I had to read it. It's
the perfect read for 15+, as it is edgy in places and does tackle some hard
topics that could easily trigger emotions and memories.
"- The Phantom Paragrapher, Amazon
☆☆☆☆☆
"Bullying
is a topic that needs to continue to be discussed, and I’m so happy to
see these types of stories being written. This was an interesting mix of
high school drama, bullying, and sisterly relationships.I
really enjoyed the back and forth that this story provided. We see the
story through a variety of characters' viewpoints, which made it easier
to connect with them. This was an interesting and exciting read!"- She Just Loves Books, Amazon
☆☆☆☆☆
"Fenyx
is a great writer. Her books are not only entertaining but teach
valuable life lessons to those who read. Strongly recommend!" - Mark Eichenlaub, Amazon
Intriguing! How about a look inside?
PROLOGUE
Anonymous
I can’t be late.
If
I’m late, they won’t let me in. I’ll be disqualified. This is the year I win. I
can’t be disqualified.
I
glance in the mirror and adjust my heather gray hood, slide on my black
sunglasses, tug on my gloves, and step out of the car. According to my
navigation system, this vacant house is my destination, and I have arrived.
Eight cars are already here.
The
white FOR SALE sign in the lawn gives
me some comfort that we may be safe here, but this annual meeting is risky.
Having all of us in one place tonight could mean revealing our identities to
outsiders.Anonymity is our strongest
weapon. We can never lose it.
I
glance at the cars, trying to match them to possible members in my mind. One
license plate reads QT PIE. How can we be a secret organization with our cars
on display like this? How can we remain secret if members refuse to be
discreet?
My
phone says 9:59 p.m. I throw it in the back seat where it slides under my AP
Physics book. I have to be inside this house by 10:01 p.m.Forget force, mass, or acceleration. I need
to run.
Ten
steps. I climb ten more giant steps, sliding into the room as the clock hand
clicks into place.
10:01.
A girl locks the door behind me.
An
envelope with my pseudonym written on it is on my chair. I amthe ninth girl to sit down. I resist the urge
to sit at the head of the table, but inside I know this is where I deserve to
sit.
One
year of effort comes down to this moment. I did my best. Ten people dropped out
of school because of me. No one at this table should be able to beat that stat.
Last
year, tears fell because of me! Terror reigned because of me! Break-ups,
friendships lost, hearts broken…. all due to me! But will it be enough to be
Number One?
We
open our envelopes simultaneously. Three years, I have ranked in the top five.
This is my senior year. There’s no more time to compete. I want to win. I
deserve this victory.
I
slide the paper out, trying to avoid eye contact with the other members in the
room knowing they will attack if they sense fear. Sadly, this envelope contains
what I feared:
A
picture.
An
envelope with a picture that does not contain a dime means I have a new target
for the school year. It also means someone in this room outranks me. It means I
am not Number One. Last year’s Number One did not choose me. She had the final
say. I should have had enough votes to win if everyone voted based on the
evidence.
One
at a time, we slide our Pictures toward the center of the table. Strangely, the
eighth picture I see looks just like the picture from my envelope. Do we have twins in this year’s mix?
I
look in my envelope once more thinking I might have overlooked my dime. Could
Number One have made a mistake and forgotten to put the coin in my envelope?
I
hear the sound of a dime hitting the glass table. The dime is reserved for
Number One.
Number
One rises from her seat and walks toward the head of the table. There are nine
heather gray hoods around the table, but only she wears the bedazzled crown.
I
watch her toss the dime on the table. When it lands flat on its side, we are
allowed to speak.
Silence
is replaced with the sound of nervous chatter. I watch and listen trying to
memorize each voice, height, weight, or any distinguishing feature like a tattoo
or a signature scent. Nine heather gray jogging suits.No jewelry. No nail polish. Gray gym shoes.
Gray socks.
I
believe I may know the identity of everyone in this room, but I’d love to be
one hundred percent certain. I have only worked directly with seven of them.
Four years of battling with and against them, but I still don’t know every
member.
“Enough
of the whining!” Number One exclaims. “The results are final. This is a new
year. This is a new battle. We don’t have time to fight one another.”
Chastened,
the room quiets instantly. Hesitantly, another member points to the two
pictures that seem to show the same caramel colored girl with almond eyes and
asks, “Are we…changing the rules? I mean, are we putting two girls on the same
target? Or are they identical twins?”
Number One adjusts her black
sunglasses.
“No,”
she replies with a fake British accent. “Actually, they are triplets.”She pulls out the picture from her own
envelope, showing the group a face with an X drawn across it. It’s the same
face as the one in my picture, but the triplet in the picture has dimples.
Number
One explains that the person who gets both their target and this triplet with
the deep dimples to drop out of school will wear the crown. I know that person
will be me. I don’t care which member will rank last, but I will rank first
this year even if it is only for a semester.
Thank you, Fenyx, for letting us know all about
your contemporary, YA fiction novel! It sounds like quite a story!
If author Fenyx Blue actually had a tattoo, it would be a heart. Ms. Blue has written every book with love. Blue is a teacher, coach, mentor, and motivational speaker focused on women and youth empowerment. She has written a young adult novel about bullying entitled Who Failed Johnny?, a poetry book about purpose named The Blue Ink Movement, and a children’s book about the power of a solid father-daughter relationship called Worth the Weight.
Fenyx believes in service to the community. After being chosen as teacher of the year for her school district, she continued to mentor teenagers and facilitate discussions about controversial topics like drugs, sex, violence, cyber-bullying, and mental health. She has been a guest poet for several women’s retreats and workshops and loves the energy she receives from a live audience.
Throughout her years as an educator and youth ministry leader, Blue created Team Bully-Free Forever, a poetry team for her school, and a mentoring group called D.I.V.A.S to address the needs of young people. She is dedicated to teaching the next generation to follow their dreams and feels it is her mission to equip them for the future. Ms. Fenyx Blue is a proud mother of three beautiful children who inspire her to write each day.
You can follow Ms. Fenyx Blue @FenyxBlueInk on Instagram and Youtube.
BIG
HALLOWEEN MULTI-AUTHOR BOOK AND SWAGGIVEAWAY ON #WRITMODAGE:
SHIFTERS, MONSTERS, AND OTHER
THRILLS!
Hello there, readers! Happy October! It’s that
time of year again. 😊
And guess what? That very exciting holiday,
Halloween, is creeping up on us…here’s a fun take on it, especially for
those wary of getting out with the risk of exposure to who-knows-what level of
germs. Am I right? 😉
This week, we’ll be running a fantastic
Halloween-themed giveaway here on the Writing in the Modern Age blog in
celebration of all things scary, supernaturally sexy, and mysterious! Thrillers
are welcome as well!
“Eh…that was a tad vague, Marie.”
Good point! Let me give
you more of an idea about what prizes you’ll find in this contest. I’ve asked
authors to donate a variety of different books which fit the Halloween theme.All monsters are welcome, from supernatural creatures to the
very human, yet terrifying murderer types. We're also offering some
lighthearted or humorous reads.
Be prepared to find paranormal
fiction of any kind, including some shapeshifter romance books, as well as
hard-boiled mystery, cozy mystery, suspense/thrillers, also fantasies featuring
magical talents, scary science fiction, horror reads, romantic suspense, and
urban fantasy. And the list just goes on! Expect these donations to range from
YA to more adult tales. Also, some cool swag! Just anything that fits our theme…
If you’re a loyal subscriber to this blog, then
you probably haven’t seen a Halloween giveaway here since 2015. We’ve always
either run contests for all book genres, or at least just romance novels. Now,
though, things are a little different.
Let’s learn some more information, huh?
As your blog moderator, I will be conducting the
contest. If you came to this year’s post-Christmas event, then you know I’ve
started using Rafflecopter to hold the individual contests, as the app helps
keep me much more organized than my previous methods. For example, rather than
giving me your reading preferences manually by posting a comment here, you will
instead place an entry each on only the prize contests that interest you. Sound
good? 😊
Now, I know some of you might’ve begun to abhor
Rafflecopter, due to all the steps involved in following each author’s social
media URLs. However, I’d advise you to press on this time, since I’m trying to
make it easier for contest participants. You can still do all those steps, of
course, but there’s also an automatic free entry included. Just as long as
you’ve signed in to Rafflecopter (you’ll be able to tell if it automatically
lets you place an entry on a contest), and I have a way to reach you in case you’ve
won a prize, then we’re good. As a bonus point, feel free to answer our polled
question at the end of the post. For mailed book donations, pay special
attention to the instructions about the winner’s location, as some of us might
struggle with shipping costs.
Also, if
you navigate to the top left sidebar of the page where it’s labeled ‘Aoede's
'Skeletons' song for October’ (and you have your speakers turned on), hit the
play button and you can hear something cool. The awesome songwriter/artist
Aeode (aka author Lisa A. Sniderman)
has kindly donated her song, ‘Skeletons’ to our cause. The song should've played automatically as the page loaded, though.You may also find more
about her album, Skeletons of the Muse, below…
Back to how this contest works. Rafflecopter
will keep all your entries and privacy secure, and the only time winners will
be announced is on this blog post, and when I reach out to you after the event
is over. But having said that, if you are shy about placing a contest entry
with the app (or technology really isn’t one of your strengths), you may
contact me directly at marieannlavender@gmail.com using the subject heading
‘WritModAge Halloween contest entry’. I will then manually place you in the
drawing.
Now…without further ado, how about we move on to
the list of donations? Sounds like a plan to me!
Let’s get started, shall we?
1.Haunting in Hartley by Janice
Tremayne
Genre: Supernatural Horror
Format of Prize: Paperback
(USA or UK winners only)
Format of Prize: Ebook – choice of PDF, Epub or MOBIformat
# of copies: 5
Blurb:
Some ghost towns are best left alone...
A Heart-thumping,
bone-chilling and thought-provoking ghost and supernatural experience.
Hartley is an
Australian ghost town that has made a revival for all the right reasons—but can
it shake off its evil past as the phantom returns to haunt its new residents?
Will Clarisse be
strong enough to reject the trade-off—the power to foretell future events of
her choosing and the horrors that come with the visions? What if she could predict
a tragedy for a loved one?
This is a haunting
tale of cursed taunts and mindless gmes of an angry and sarcastic phantasm
that occupies the basement, lonely and desperate for someone worthy to take
over his curse. The contract with the evil entity comes at a cost for
Clarisse—ingrained in her lust to control future events. This becomes an
affliction of the mind that she can no longer separate from her reality.
Enter her dark world
of greed and lust-driven by Clarisse's decision—to inherit the phantom’s curse
or confront it?
Before Father Grimaldi took another
step, he heard screeching on the wall directly in front of him. He gulped while
his heart started thumping harder. It had been an ominous sound, designed to
grab his attention.
He took a deep breath and held it
while looking disconcertingly toward the wall. A misty haze of light captured
his attention with speckles of dust forming patterns of floating particles. The
incandescent light came from nowhere, as there were no windows in this room.
He lifted his lamp above shoulder
height to improve his view in finding where the uncanny sound had come from
when, out of nowhere, an icy hand tapped him on his right shoulder then patted
him on his back. He stood frozen and tense as he gripped his hands into fists,
his heart racing and eyes glued directly in front of him. He shook his
shoulders more than once as a tickle went up his spine. It had a skeleton-like
feel, devoid of any life or tenderness. It was the hand of a dead man, but with
the metaphysical qualities to touch.
He turned around sharply to confront
the phantom, almost losing his grip on the lamp, to find nothing but darkness
in front of him. Was it playing games to appease itself? To control the
emotions of others wary of its presence?
Blurb: What
if the lamb falls in love with the wolf?
Sheryl is a curvy woman who loves her independence and has sworn off
relationships. It’s not like the men she’s interested in ever notice plus size
women like her anyway, or know how to treat them. But when she meets a
drop-dead gorgeous billionaire during a photo shoot, all bets are off. Sheryl
is drawn to him like a moth to a flame, and fatal attraction soon leads to much
more than she has bargained for.
Derek has a secret to protect and a career to manage. He’s a ruthless tycoon
who sticks to affairs. So why does this voluptuous, sassy woman get under his
skin and set his blood on fire? The wolf in him and the man in him want her—for
life. But will she run a mile once she knows his true nature?
* * *
The Lancaster Werewolves is an erotic paranormal romance series with
three werewolves who are brothers by choice and fall in love with plus-size
women. These books are intended for mature audiences 18+ due to explicit sexual
content. Each book can be read as a stand-alone with a 'happily ever after'.
Book 1: Big and Beautiful (Derek and Sheryl)
Book 2: Big and Brave (Damien and Gabrielle)
Book 3: Big and Bold (Dawson and Amy)
Derek
Lancaster stood in the open doorway to the room, and his presence slammed into
her like a bolt of lightning.
Holy mother
of God, the man was even more devastatingly handsome in the flesh than on
photos!
Towering
more than six feet, he took up the whole doorway, all muscle, sinew and strong
bones beneath the tailored suit. Meticulously pressed black pants hugged his
muscular thighs and sat low on his narrow hips. His black suit jacket molded to
his arms, hinting at biceps to die for, although he wasn’t too bulky. He wore a
white button-down shirt that stretched taut over a broad chest—and thanks to
the Internet filled with paparazzi shots, she knew that chiseled abs were
hidden beneath the shirt. His tie was the clearest shade of blue, like a summer
sky you only ever saw in paintings.
Realizing
that she was ogling him and probably drooling all over herself, Sheryl blushed
crimson and wrenched her gaze from his chest to look at his face.
Big
mistake.
Her cheeks
heated even more when she met his intense gaze. His eyes were the exact color
of his tie, and they seemed to stare right through her, into her. He’d caught
her staring, or so the tiniest of smirks told her when he curled one corner of
his mouth. His mouth, Lord have mercy! With its slightly fuller lower lip, it
looked as if his kisses would be lethal. Nope, not a good idea to imagine his
kisses. She couldn’t stop feasting her eyes on Mr. Lancaster, though. With his
cleft chin, his square jaw and his sharp, narrow nose, he appeared aristocratic
with a wild edge, like every girl’s dream come true. Certainly this girl’s
dream…
Blurb: His
duty is to protect her – but he’s the real danger.
Gabrielle hates her sheltered life. As a senator’s daughter, she’s surrounded
by journalists, staff and security. When a kidnapping attempt prompts her
famous father to make her hide with her sexy, infuriatingly in-control
bodyguard, her life is turned upside down. Why does this mysterious man attract
her so much and bring out a wild side she never knew she possessed?
Damien is a powerful wolf shifter who keeps the beast inside him under control
at all times because he knows what can happen if he snaps. What is it about
this vulnerable, curvy heiress to a political fortune that tempts him to throw
caution to the wind? He wants her desperately – but will his plus-size mate run
when she finds out about his dominant nature and dark secret?
“I have
decided it’s best to keep you safe until the campaign is over. We can’t risk
any more kidnapping attempts. Therefore, Mr. Lancaster will take you to a safe
house and stay there with you until things have settled down.”
For a
moment, Gabrielle was too shocked to react. He wanted her to do what? Vanish? Practically be imprisoned
with that unfeeling hunk of a man who’d never shown her more than mild disdain?
“But…but…”
She faltered, trying to get her brain into gear but not coming up with a single
valid argument.
“You heard
me.” Her father’s tone was final. He rose, pocketing one of his many shiny
phones and snapping his fingers at his assistant.
“Your
baggage will be packed and transferred to your escape vehicle while you’re
briefed for the press con and have a quick lunch. You won’t get a say in what’s
kept behind, for safety reasons. Someone might be tracking your laptop, phone,
and so forth. You’ll be allowed only what’s necessary. No questions asked.”
He
approached, that cold glint in his grey eyes that had slayed many opponents but
was hardly ever caught on screen.
“And I will
say this only once: You will obey Mr. Lancaster, no matter what. He knows best
what’s safe for you, and he’s in charge during the next seven days. If he says
run, you run. If he says you need to stay in bed all day and read, you do
that.”
Gabrielle
stared, her mouth opening and closing uselessly.
Her father
gave her shoulder a perfunctory pat, treated Damien Lancaster’s elbow to the
same gesture, and left the room.
The door
closed with a barely audible click, but to Gabrielle it sounded like a key
turning in the lock of a cell on death row.
Format of Prize:
autographed paperbacks (U.S. only)
# of copies: 3
Blurb: A hotshot female detective in a small town doesn't expect
to be searching for a serial killer. Luckily, her new partner is not only
gorgeous and sexy, he's good at his job. Can they find each other as they stop
these hideous murders?
Sightlessly,
the old woman stared up, the look of utter horror frozen forever on her face.
Her mouth gaped open, blue lips drawn back in a soundless scream. One of her
now gray hands lay, palm up, next to her face in a parody of a mother calling
in her child for supper.
Blurb:
An all-powerful sorcerer rules a primitive world of Aztec-like pyramids and
bloody rituals that apparently appease sanguinary gods when in fact satisfy a
deep-rooted bloodlust and sexual craving on innocent virgins. A young man from
another more-advanced world tries to stop the carnage. An intended victim
himself, blood and sex are the only weapons at his disposal. But the task is
far more than expected, and he will get more blood, sex and lies than he ever
bargained for when his technological future impacts this primordial past.
Sex in exchange of blood. That’s how Rowen
convinces Mylos to stop his violent ways. And Rowen, thrown into a primitive
world, is all too willing to save the innocent virgins sacrificed to bloodthirsty
gods if only the price didn’t include more sex, violence and lies than he’s
bargained for…
For Alex McKenna, high school is just a
distraction from the love of his life, Margaret, with whom he can't wait to spend
more time once they get to college.
In many respects, Alex is just an
average seventeen-year-old boy...except for the fact he's a transgender medium
born from a long line of Strega witches, possessing the ability to communicate
with ghosts.
A low, gravelly hum tainted his ears. Could
Margaret hear it? He shook his head. No, he was not about to call out and
give up her location. He shifted his eyes toward the right, his heart pounding.
The beast lunged forward and reached out with a translucent, icy hand. Alex
ducked and swerved. Spinning around, he ran straight for the door, and crossed
the threshold before it could stop him. He scrambled up the stairs and made the
mistake of turning back. It was a costly move. He tripped, and his body hit the
floorboards, scraping his knees. He could feel stinging cuts but chose to
ignore it.
A frozen
grip seized his leg and a layer of ice spread across the denim like a fungus.
Furiously, Alex kicked free and scrambled back to his feet, running for the
staircase to the second level. The entrance to the attic was in the hallway.
Once he got the spirit there, he could buy Margaret the time she needed.
He reached
the top of the staircase, rounded the corner, and reached for the knob. There
was no need. The door flew open, slamming it into the wall. Chips of plaster
exploded and nicked Alex near his left eye. He didn’t stop. Taking the steep
steps two at a time, he ran to the center of the room. He heard the door slam
and knew his plan had worked.
He was
alone with the dark soul and nowhere to go.
7.Title: Siren Descending by Katherine Eddinger Smits (and a complimentary ebook copy of the prequel, The Sea Witch and the Mage
to the same winners)
Genre/Subgenre: Romance/Paranormal Romance
Format of Prize: Ebook Set
# of copies: 5
Blurb:
Don’t look back.
How hard can that be? Siren
Descending, a contemporary paranormal romance, reimagines the Greek myth of
Orpheus. Athenia must avoid his tragic mistake, but it’s not as easy as it
sounds.
Sea Witch Athenia
betrayed Thorne by stealing his mage gifts and abandoning him to suffocate in
an underwater cave. He escaped, and now she works hard to regain his trust.
Attraction sizzles between them, but he remains aloof.
When a powerful being
sets his sights on Athenia and her magic, she must defend herself because
telling Thorne would risk his life. She can’t do that to him again. Yet, every
tactic Athenia employs makes things worse. Then she learns the identity of the
creature she is up against.
When the devil abducts
her lover to hell, Athenia risks everything to rescue the mage with her siren
song.
Can Athenia
save Thorne, or will she fail and lose her soul as well as her soulmate?
To summon the entity, she sang the ancient words, a throat-searing
gargle no human and few Nerei could master. To it she attached her musical
lure. That should capture his attention.
As energy pulsed along her nerve endings, she spoke to him.
“Dweller of the inferno, Surgat, you who can open all locks and provide
passages where none exist. Hear my song. Heed my invocation. Come to me and do
my bidding.”
After she repeated the invocation twice, she grabbed the athame,
sliced across her palm, and dripped blood into the flame representing earth.
An image formed at the edge of the circle of light, a tall man
dressed in black pants and shirt with bare feet. Though his dark eyes, hair,
and handsome face reminded her of someone, she couldn’t decide who.
No, not feet. Misshapen claws.
With a glance, he scanned the area. “Who conjures me here.”
In her most mesmerizing voice, she replied. “You will obey me.”
“Who are you?”
“Until you complete the task I demand, I am your ruler.”
Squinting, he leaned toward her. “Tell me your name.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not so foolish. Call
me ‘Siren’.”
With a grunt, he replied. “What do you want me to do?”
“Bring the mage, Thorne Sanderson, from Hades here to me.”
The being recoiled. “That I cannot do. No one may return once
they enter the underworld.”
Athenia cut her palm again and squeezed more drops over the
altar. “By the power of my blood, I command you.”
Surgat sank to his knees. “Forgive me, Mistress Siren, but I
will be punished if I do such a thing.”
With her most compelling song, she ordered him. “By the power of
my voice, I command you.”
Howling, he shielded his ears. “Indeed, I cannot, my strength is
not sufficient to raise the dead.”
Frustration welled. This is all so unfair. Tears
threatened, but she refused to give in to them. Must show him I’m strong
enough to control him. She forced patience into her tone. “Thorne is alive.
He’s been kidnapped to the underworld, but he lives, and I must help him.”
8.Title:
Olivia's Promise by Diane Merrill Wigginton
Genre/Subgenre: Paranormal/Historical Romance
Format of Prize: ebook
# of copies: 3
Blurb: If you had a unique set of skills and could
save your best friend from a fate worse than death, would you?
Lady Olivia Sophia Allen Townsend is not only
young and beautiful but considered by most in her polite social circle to be
far too eccentric for her own good. Olivia’s been able to see and speak to
spirits since she was very young, but the years of shunning by her peers caused
Olivia to turn her back on those who need her the most; the spirits caught
between two worlds. That is, until the night her best friend Lilly comes to her
asking for help. You see, Lilly can’t remember what happened to her, and finds herself
in need of Olivia’s unique gifts to help her figure it out.
Coco, Olivia’s younger sister, is also gifted.
She can touch someone and know their deepest, darkest secrets, often the very
secrets they would prefer to keep hidden.
Together, the sisters set off on a sea voyage,
from Ireland to America, intent on solving the mystery of Lilly’s untimely
death.
Some Author Links to Follow:
Brody and Quinton Beaumont are fine-looking,
eligible southern gentlemen: heirs to a successful cotton empire. They are also
twins, hiding a terrible secret. Their mother, Annabelle Beaumont, died on the
same night as their annual winter ball - eight years earlier - yet she continues
to rule over their plantation home with an iron fist.
When these two families come together, secrets
will be revealed, and mysteries unraveled.
Taking Coco’s hand in
mine, I touched her cheek, brushing back the stray hairs that had fallen
across her eyes. An angry red mark already forming on her forehead and cheek.
“What happened to you?” I demanded, as fear caused me to sound harsher
than I meant to.
“I’m fine, really.
I was looking for a book and the next thing I knew something hit me
in the face, and then I fell into the bookcase, hitting my face,” Coco
softly said, placing her hand over the mark on her forehead, then pulling it
away to check for blood. “Please, tell them to stop gawking at me,” Coco said,
with a flip of her head towards the door. “I am terribly embarrassed.”
I looked up at
Harrison, Brody, then Quinton, and noticed a strange look pass between the
three of them. A group of staff members had collected behind them. Harrison
reacted first. “Go back to work. There is nothing to see here. You heard her.
She merely slipped and bumped her head. Go on, be gone, the entire lot of you,”
he barked irritably.
Servants hesitated,
still standing in the doorway whispering. Quinton moved towards the door,
causing servants one by one grudgingly to disperse.
“Jane, make sure the
tea is hot and ready for breakfast, and see that Miss Coco gets a cold towel
for her head. Get the water from the well. It will be colder,” Quinton called
down the hallway.
“Right away, sir,”
Jane answered, hurrying off to do as she was told.
“Let’s get you off
this floor, little lady,” Harrison said, trying to sound cheerful and upbeat.
They were covering
something up. It didn’t matter how the three of them tried to play it off,
I sensed tension between them. It hung in the air like the terrible smell
that lingered in this room. Then I saw her, merely a shadow really,
lingering in the far corner. Our eyes met for a full minute, neither one of us
looking away. It was in that moment I knew Coco hadn’t simply slipped and
fallen. She had been pushed and somehow, I believe the Beaumont men knew
it too.
“Olivia, did you hear
what I said?” Brody asked, stepping between me and his mother. He touched
my arm to draw my eyes up to his. “Is everything alright?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t it
be?” I deflected. A part of me wanted him to know that I was on to
him, and that I knew he wasn’t being completely honest with me. A strange
look crossed Brody’s face before he masked it.
“Quinton and my father
took Coco to the sunroom for breakfast. I thought you might want to join
us,” he said, confused by my reaction.
“I would be
delighted to join everyone for breakfast. There seems to be far too many ghosts
residing in this room,” I snapped, looking him dead in the eye.
Gauging his reaction,
I knew I hit a nerve when his pupils grew larger. It was a slight
twitch before he blinked, laughing awkwardly as he took ahold of my hand and
led me down the hall to the sunroom. The remainder of the day was uneventful.
I knew Annabelle lurked in the shadows, refusing to show herself again
that day, but I felt her, and it made my skin crawl. I’d never had this
kind of reaction to a person’s spirit before.
9.Title - Bizarre Bipeds:
What IS humanity’s role in the universe? by Dr. Bob Rich
Genre: includes a YA
sci-fi/horror novella, then 3 short stories
Format of Prize: ebook
# of copies: 3
Blurb: This is a novella, and three shorter stories.
Liberator is the novella, which takes you to a
world where the peaceful life of the people is destroyed by invaders from outer
space. These monsters enslave the people, and commit incredible cruelties, just
so they can have free labor in their diamond mine. It takes a very special
person to bring them to justice.
Dummies in Dimensional Drive is a light-hearted love story with a few
twists. Environmental catastrophe has destroyed much of humanity, and the remainder
live in savagery. The Galactic Council comes to offer help, and have
terraformed Venus as the new home for some sixty million humans. Jim is one of
those chosen, and he uses his quick wit to ensure that the sexy-looking girl
who had been about to kill him will come too…
A Different Invasion shows that what you look like doesn’t
matter. Trevor turns out to be a horrible-looking alien, but Luci ends up
liking him anyway.
Cooked was written specifically for this book,
although Bob has been carrying the idea around in his head for years. A person
who normally lives in the center of the Galaxy blunders into our planetary
system. It wants to go home, so needs to organize an enormous nuclear
explosion. Some humans respond to this visitation with interest and friendship,
but the official authorities take a more warlike stance. The visitor is very
thankful for the human reaction, and shows its gratitude.
The treeless plain was
terrifying in its dark emptiness. An unblemished starry sky stretched above
Mirla as she sped toward the still all too distant river.
Ganla had told her, at
their last meeting, that they were going to hunt sodoros next. The huge
slitherers-with-legs were a famous delicacy, but few people of the village had
ever had the pleasure of the taste. The river had been just too distant. But
now that they were almost at the shore, people might as well taste sodoro
steaks.
Mirla stopped for a
moment, and took a deep drink from her waterskin. Then she bounded into motion
again, resting her most tired leg.
Sometime later, she
sensed movement somewhere to the south, and instantly dropped to hide in the
long grass. She knew that terrible beasts roamed the plains at night. She lay
there, heart thumping — but she just had to reach the shelter of
vegetation along the river before the light of day would reveal her presence.
So, slowly she raised herself. First she scanned all around, then turned all
three of her eyes southward. She was almost sure that she saw several shapes.
Probably it was a herd of grazers of some kind. She raised a leg and started to
bound again.
Slowly the stars moved
in the sky, and gradually the dark horizon became jagged ahead.
Puffing, at last she stopped among the trees
lining a near-vertical cliff, which she knew dropped down to the river. It had
to be one of the famous Cliffs of the Magic Stones. She drank the rest of her
water, then hunkered down and ate while waiting for dawn.
A glow attracted her
attention. It rapidly approached, then stopped less than eighty-one bounds
away. A blinding square of light appeared, then a moving, very complex shape
blocked it for a moment. Mirla wanted to run. She wanted to freeze and do
nothing. Instead, moving with stealth, she eased closer so that she could see
what went on.
Two bizarre shapes
carried a long, thin object. They just had to be the monstrous people from the
stars. Their height overawed her. One had a thick body. The other, slightly
shorter one was thin and wiry.
Mirla noted with
surprise that they only had two legs. How strange. Why didn’t they fall down?
Their pattern of walking was a sort of a lurch from foot to foot.
Also, they definitely
only had two arms, and there was an odd knob on top of the body. She didn’t
know which way they might be able to see, but assumed it would be in the
direction of their progress. She stayed behind, getting closer. She could now
hear their heavy breathing.
Then, with a shock she
saw that the object in their hands was the limp body of a third person of their
own kind. The thick-bodied monster held it under the arms, with the body’s two
arms and the top knob hanging down. The thin monster held the two legs.
They stopped at the
edge of the cliff, and she heard a very deep voice say something. The front one
turned around, then they stood parallel to the cliff. The put the body down,
and the smaller one kicked it hard, in the top knob, in the chest. The other
monster made a weird, deep, repetitive sound, something like “Har har har har.”
Both of them bent and
picked up the body. Three times they swung it, then hurled it out over space.
She heard a thud after
what felt like a long time.
Suddenly she realized
her danger, and slid behind the gnarled trunk of a tree. The two monsters
walked past her, still talking in their deep voices, making sounds that were
without sense to her. They entered their magical device, which flew off
northward.
That’s when she started shaking. How could
they kill one of their own kind? They were utterly alien of course, but there
was no mistaking their actions. The smaller one had been angry, and intending
to hurt. She didn’t know if their victim had been dead already, or merely
stunned, but it was certainly dead now!
10.Title: Possessed (Pagan Light Series book 1) by JoAnne Keltner
Genre/Subgenre: YA
paranormal
Format of Prize:
ebook
# of copies:
3
Blurb: Calling Jackie psychic makes her cringe. But Jackie’s no normal
seventeen-year-old. She picks up emotions from people and objects like a freak.
The emotions make her sick, and the guilt she feels for lying to her church
when she was twelve causes her to deny her psychic abilities. But when her
jealous friend Trish invites a demon to help her steal Jason's love for Jackie,
Jackie must learn how to use her gift to protect Jason and herself and to heal
the negative energies around them. To do so means she must overcome her guilt
and accept who she is before the demon claims her soul.
A multitude of voices
whispered around her [Jackie], but she couldn’t understand what they were
saying. In the mirror, Babu and Madam Sophie were hanging upside down from the
iconostasis in Holy Resurrection Church, their hands tied behind their back,
one leg crossed behind the other forming a triangle.
“Babu is a witch.
Babu is a witch,” the multitude of voices said.
The scene switched to
Babu standing at a meager wooden alter. Crippled and sick villagers were lined
before her. The two women from the photo were at Babu’s side, praying as Babu
laid her hands on each of the sick.
The mirror turned
dark, and all reflection was lost. Then out of the darkness, three figures
emerged, dressed in black dresses and headscarves. They were standing in front
of a wooden building, just like in Babu’s photo album.
11. Title: Spellbound (Pagan Light Series book 2) by
JoAnne Keltner
Genre/Subgenre: YA
Paranormal
Format of Prize:
ebook
# of copies: 3
Blurb: After battling a demon from her great-grandmother’s past, Jackie
Turov, a psychic and healer, accepts that all things are possible—even a
romantic relationship with the young seminarian, David. But after an elderly
church member, an immigrant from Russia, accuses Jackie and her great-grandmother,
Babu, of being witches, Jackie questions if Babu was once an evil witch or just
someone blessed with healing light. As Jackie sets out to find the truth about
Babu’s troubling past, and ultimately about herself, her future with David
hangs in the balance.
Jackie had never
encountered a ghost before. If the house had been haunted, pestered by a spirit
that wouldn’t rest, she supposed she’d use her healing energies to calm the spirit,
send it on its way. But this was more than a troubled soul. Ivan had a will of
iron. She feared that neither David’s tricks nor his prayers could bend it, nor
could her healing power.
Ivan stretched out his
arms. Electricity arced from his fingertips, and his voice was commanding yet
incoherent.
A gust swept in,
bending trees and rattling loose fence boards. Jackie’s hair whipped across her
face and her coattail battered in the wind. She shielded her eyes.
Loud shrieks, like
the sound of many tortured souls, issued from the distance, just like she had
heard in her dream. She peered from beneath her forearm. Out from the forest
near the road, like one large sooty cloud, the spirits drifted. Screaming, they
floated over the fence and into the yard, their wild hair and decaying burial
clothes billowing about them.
Cursed
by a Native American, the Bennet House is one of the most haunted locations in
Niagara Falls. This is where Emlyn Goode and all but one member of her writers’
group hunt for ghosts on Halloween. What they find in the house, isn’t a ghost,
though. It’s the body of Daniel Bennet, the missing group member.
A
few days earlier, Daniel had shown Emlyn a document he’d found in the Bennet
House, and told her it would anger people if made public. When the body is
found, the document is missing. Accused of Daniel’s murder, Emlyn is certain
that document will identify the true killer. But her search for it becomes
dangerous when her lover, police detective Roger Frey is shot in the Bennet
House, and then the killer comes after her. Without Roger’s protection, can
anything written in her ancient relative’s Book of Shadows save Emlyn this
time?
‘Writing
is Murder’ is a finalist for this year’s Chanticleer International Book Award.
Watching the TV programs Ghost Hunters, Haunted Collector, and Ghost
Adventures might give one the idea that western New York is the most
haunted corner of the United States. It actually might be. In Buffalo’s Central
Train Terminal, passengers from a bygone era still wait for loved ones who
never returned from World War II. The Iron Island Museum, once a funeral home,
has a man wandering the halls in search of his ashes, never claimed by his
family and abandoned in the basement. A soldier roams the Old Fort Niagara
Castle, hoping to recover his severed head, dropped into a well by another
soldier. In caves along the Erie Canal, tourists hear the voices of workmen who
perished carving the tunnels that brought power to factories lining the shores.
Then there’s the Rapids Theater where a long-dead actress still performs, the
Echo Club where a brutally slain woman still parties and Alexander Zelski, who
ran a credit union and prohibition bar in the building, moans through the
night. In addition, there’s the Holiday Inn on Grand Island and dozens of other
sites from Chautauqua County to Orleans County. Those who have sought spirits in
these dark places say they’ve actually seen
the ghosts.
None of these spirits
have been known to harm the living, though. Not directly. But in a few
instances, it’s said that one crept into the body and mind of the living and
caused him to kill. Such is the story of the Bennet House.
Local legend speaks
of Wilson Blaine, an early laborer on the Erie Canal, who was haunted by the
Tuscarora brave he shot to secure the land that now sits on Park Place in the
old section of Niagara Falls. It’s claimed that as the Tuscarora died, he cursed
Blaine and all who would thereafter live on his land. Whether the result of the
curse or of too much liquor, during a blizzard in 1827 Blaine slaughtered his
wife and two children—shot them, cut off their heads, arms, and legs, then shot
himself. That was the scene reported to the army at Fort Niagara when neighbors
stopped by the stone house after the spring thaw. Through the years, lightning
strikes burned rural structures built where Blaine once dwelled, and people
moving along the canal to settle in the West died while seeking shelter on that
land.
This is what the
guide told my father and me during a Halloween ghost tour when I was twelve. I
mention this particular legend, because five years ago the ghost of the
Tuscarora brave struck again. At least the attorney, Howard Kline, attempted
this defense at Richard Bennet’s trial for the murder of his wife in their home
on Park Place.
13.Title: SILENT FEAR (A novel inspired by true crimes) by Lance
and James Morcan
Genre/Subgenre: Horror/Sci-fi
Format of Prize: Kindle ebook
# of copies: 3
Blurb: Scotland Yard detective
Valerie Crowther is assigned to investigate the murder of a student at a
university for the deaf in London, England. The murder investigation coincides
with a deadly flu virus outbreak, resulting in the university being quarantined
from the outside world. When more deaf students are murdered, it becomes clear
there is a serial killer operating within the sealed-off university. A chilling
cat-and-mouse game evolves as the unknown killer targets Valerie and the virus
claims more lives.
Some sixth sense made Jamie look around. All seemed normal to
the deaf student and he returned his attention to the email he was writing.
Still behind the wardrobe, the intruder reached into his bag and
drew out a steel claw hammer. In three quick strides he was right behind Jamie.
Only now as the intruder’s shadow covered the desktop did the
Welsh student realise he wasn’t alone. Surprised, he spun around too late to
avoid the hammer the intruder brought down on his head. The blow was delivered
with sufficient force to knock Jamie out. Senseless, he slumped forward in his
chair, his bloodied forehead coming to rest on the laptop’s keyboard.
Jamie’s attacker glanced up at the smoke alarm on the ceiling
above the bed. He climbed onto the bed, reached up and disabled the alarm
before returning to his victim’s side. Then he reached into his bag again and
pulled out a tin of lighter fluid and two blue ear candles of the type used for
outer-ear hygiene. He unscrewed the tin’s cap and doused the still unconscious
student before returning the now empty tin to his bag. Next, he inserted the
candles in Jamie's ears and then, as calm as you like, he removed the glove
from his right hand, reached down inside the tracksuit pants he wore and began
fondling himself.
The sadistic intruder was soon groaning with pleasure, and he
came quickly.
14.Title: Rarity from the Hollow by Robert Eggleton
Genre/Subgenre: adult literary science fiction filled with tragedy,
comedy, and satire -- a children's story for adults
Format of Prize: ebook
# of copies: 1
Blurb:Lacy Dawn's father relives the never-ending
Gulf War, her mother's teeth are rotting out, and her best friend gets murdered
by the meanest daddy on Earth. Life in the hollow is hard. She has one
advantage - an android was inserted into her life and is working with her to
cure her parents. He wants something in exchange. It's up to her to save the
Universe. Lacy Dawn doesn't mind saving the universe, but her family and
friends come first.
“Around the bend, roundabend,
roundabendroundabendroundabend…,” Lacy chanted in just the right way to make
it happen. She walked out the back door, floated across the porch, and glided
up the dirt path toward DotCom’s ship. A year older, her magic had matured.
From under the porch, the family mutt watched the girl pass the trash pile and
the barrel used for burning. Her father’s truck door slammed. The sound echoed
off the hillsides. She stopped at the edge of the Woods and leaned on one of
the three big trees that kept watch over the path to Roundabend.
I hope Daddy’s leaving. “If you won’t shoot him, at least get us the
hell out of this hollow,” Lacy Dawn said to the maple tree as if it were her
mother.
“When we got married,
your father promised to teach me how to drive just as soon as I was old
enough,” the maple tree quoted in reply.
This was inspired by a passage in the
Spanish epic poem 'La Araucana', which I have translated. In the original story,
a Spanish soldier, after a battle, is accosted by an Indian woman who asks him
to lead her to her husband's body, to pay her last respects. In the original
story, she disappears. In Pearlman, the hero is contemporary, but he does time
and space travel to those legendary times, and the woman turns out to be
Auchimalgen, the Araucanian Moon Goddess. She seduces and enlightens him. There
is a backdrop of Chile, with its incredibly volatile ecosphere and long history
of protracted conflict.
The face of a
full moon, reciprocating its radiation on Tegualda’s face and eyes, beamed its
glittering reflections, as if casting off a diaphanous robe, to reveal the
perfect body of its illuminated rocks, bouncing back and forth around the
elaborated grid of our variegated metalwork – steel, bronze, silver and gold –
its luminosity almost suggesting that it would all come to life, radiant in the
flames of their smelting, almost as two armies facing each other. In turn, the
beams flooded our faces, giving an external flourish to our luminous vibrancy
charged from within.
She took my hand, and made it caress her
sealskin robe: “Please do the honors.” I lifted it at the bottom. My hands
reached up inside it until they could feel her firm but still slender waist.
Repeating my earlier gesture, she raised her arms in surrender and conquest,
the robe clouding into a transient veil over her noble features.
Then Tegualda cast off her gleaming white
cotton camisera for me with all the challenging flourish of a toreador. She tamed
me and fired me simultaneously with her lovely self-revelation.
Blurb: What if becoming a werewolf
was as simple as joining a club? Lori has no idea what she has gotten herself
into when she and her friend Tina try to join the Lycanthropic Society. She
thinks she is applying for membership in an outdoor group, although she really
just wants to get close to Dominick. He’s the sexy guy whose family runs the
Society, and he seems to know things about her instinctively. Lori is even
willing to go up against Angelique, her competition for Dominick’s affection.
But can she handle a man whose love bite draws blood? And what does he mean his
nipping her was her initiation?
Then I heard it; a long, eerie howl. The sound made me quiver,
and I knew it was Dominick. He was coming for me.
Silence reigned as I counted off the seconds. A twig snapped in
front of me, and I wondered if he could have found me so quickly. I pressed
against the tree to peer into the darkness, but I couldn’t see anything.
I heard someone breathing. It took me a minute before I realized
the sound came from directly behind me.
17.Title: Drinking
Partners (Vampire Territory Book 1) by Allie Ritch
Genre/Subgenre: Hot Vampire Romance (Erotica,
Paranormal Romance)
Format of Prize: ebook
# of copies: 1
Blurb: Being the master
vampire for the Mid-Atlantic Territory is a tough job. Between the Human
Rebellion trying to kill him with poisonous suicide donors and snobby born
vampires bucking his authority, Lucas Thane has his hands full. What he needs
is a regular drinking partner to feed from and a bigger power block. He finds
both in the form of Alexandra Gage, the master of the territory south of his.
Alex could use a little help herself, but she has no intention of letting
Lucas take over. Turned into a vampire against her will, she has had enough
control taken from her. She’ll never let Lucas usurp her right to rule, but
will she let him steal her heart? Passion ignites between them, and it’s
amazing what vampire bodies can do.
(Content warning: contains violence and graphic love scenes)
Lucas had made a good point about sending
a public message to her enemies. With that in mind, she let herself into the
abandoned unit next door. She found some plastic bags in the kitchen and used
them to hold the severed heads of her attackers. Not knowing where else to put
them, she stored them in the refrigerator, placing one on the shelf and the
other in the vegetable crisper.
Jolie Montgomery, a
twenty-one-year-old woman, wakes up in an alley next to her corpse. She has no
memories of her murder or the night she died. She didn’t even see the killer’s
face before he or she took her life. Wanting justice, Jolie seeks answers in
the only way a ghost can...by stalking the lead detective on the case.
Avrianna Heavenborn is
determined to find the person responsible for a young woman’s death. She gets
closer to the killer’s identity with every clue she uncovers, and Jolie is with
her every step of the way.
But if they don’t solve
her murder soon, Jolie will be an earth-bound spirit forever.
Jolie Montgomery
didn’t know how she died, but all of a sudden she stood over her body in an alley.
Her dark hair swam in a pool of blood. Her pale skin glowed in the moonlight,
making her look like a porcelain doll, and her blue eyes shone with the
metallic sheen of death.
Across her throat was
a deep slash. No blood pumped from the slit in her flesh as all her blood
pooled outside her body.
But I can’t be dead. I
want to graduate from college next year. I want to be a journalist. I want Cody
to propose to me. I want to pee on a stick and find out I’m pregnant. There is
so much I want to do. I’m only twenty-one. This can’t be it!
She reached toward her
body, wanting to make sense of what was happening, hoping she was dreaming, but
her fingers passed right through her shoulder. Springing to her feet, she
sucked in a panicked breath, but her chest didn’t rise. She spun in a circle,
searching for help.
This isn’t right! How
can I be dead? Why am I here? I don’t remember anything.
She never even saw her
killer. All she knew was that she didn’t feel real. Her heart wasn’t beating.
Her lungs weren’t expanding with breath. She was sure the alley stank with a
dozen vulgar scents, but she couldn’t smell anything—not even the large
quantity of blood at her feet.
Lifting her head,
Jolie peered at the poisonous black sky and let out a scream. “Help! Somebody
help me!”
Detective Reid Sanders
doesn’t believe in the supernatural, but when he’s faced with a crime scene
that defies the laws of nature, he has no other choice but to start believing.
And solving a magical murder involves working with a witch.
Liberty Sawyer embodies
the look of your classic evil witch, so, it’s no surprise when she uncovers the
murderer is a witch that she becomes Reid’s number one suspect. If she can’t
convince him otherwise, more people could lose their lives to dark magic,
including her.
Liberty Sawyer glided
swiftly through the horde of police officers, reporters, and on-lookers. Black
hair fell from a rigid part in the middle of her scalp to her hips. Her eyes
were a soul-stabbing blue and her lips were blood-red. She towered over the
other officers on the scene, and wore all black, which set off the pallor of
her skin.
Showing her badge to
the officer, she slipped under the crime scene tape. A few paces away, she
spotted Detective Corbin talking to his new partner, a man she knew by name but
hadn’t had the privilege of meeting yet.
“I cannot believe you
called her,” the new man was saying when she came up behind them. “We don’t
need a damn psychic!”
“Actually, I’m a
witch.” She smiled when Reid jolted and turned to face her. “I’m Detective
Liberty Sawyer.” She stuck out her hand.
“Detective Reid
Sanders,” he grunted back and took her hand.
The feel of his palm
against hers sent tingles of lust from the tips of her fingers to her shoulder
blade, and she knew he felt it too by the way he jerked his hand back. She
winked at him playfully, hoping it would unnerve him even more.
20.Title: Blood Instincts (Book 2 of the Blood at First
Sight Series) by Marie Lavender
Genre/Subgenre:
paranormal romance
Format of Prize:
eBook
# of copies: 1
Blurb: Enter the Other World at your own risk… What if you found out that you weren’t
exactly…human? Myah Sullivan is suddenly living that nightmare.
There are Others in the world, dangerous, supernatural creatures that make her
mind spin and cause her to question the reality she’s always known. Oliver King is her savior, a vampire who tries
to show her the way. Through her journey she learns far more than she ever
thought she would about herself, and about the past. Soon, she discovers that
there is so much more to meeting Oliver than mere happenstance. Can Myah accept her new reality, or will she
retreat into that normal, safe world she once thought was her own?
Note: Though
it is part of a series, this book can still be read as a standalone.
From
out of nowhere, a dark figure materialized at the foot of the bed. For a
moment, it grasped the iron rail with black claws. At least, she thought they
were. The shadow was tall and through the darkness, she could detect a pale
gaze.
Impossible.
She shut her eyes
tight, sure it was her imagination screwing with her head. Or at least a
dream’s remnants. When she opened them once more, the figure was gone. Like it
had never been.
21.Title: Bitten: A Club Blood Erotic Short #1 by Nicole Garcia
Genre/Subgenre:
erotic paranormal romance
Format of Prize:
audiobook
# of copies: 2
Blurb:
Born into light, made
to live in darkness, Caressa strives to keep her coven safe from the Hunters, a
group of killers trained to eradicate the vampire population.
Now, it's up to
Caressa to ensure the survival of not only herself, but her sisters as well.
Together they must make difficult decisions to recruit more soldiers to help
aid in the fight against the Hunters.
Everything is going
according to plan. That is, until Noah walks into Club Blood.
His gorgeous body and
infectious smile make him hard to resist. But, that's exactly what Caressa has
to do - resist him. Avoid him at all costs because the moment she lets her
guard down, he will surely claim her heart. A heart that is cold, dark, and
incapable of giving someone like him the love he deserves.
Can Caressa deny
herself the love she so desperately craves and turn away the only person
capable of giving her everything she has ever wanted? Or will she give in to
her heart's true desire and put her coven in even more danger than they already
were?
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22.Title: The Season of the Neuri Knight by Leigh
Podgorski
Genre/Subgenre: Science Fiction &
Fantasy/One Hour Short Reads, Metaphysical Fantasy
Format of Prize:eBook
# of copies: 3
Blurb:
THE SEASON OF THE NEURI KNIGHT is
the first glimpse into the fourth volume of the Stone Quest epic. Bridget Grace Stone, matured from the last time we
saw her, carries her father’s name, his blood, and his powerful metaphysical
gifts. She is in training as a Neuri Knight and Warrior, in preparation for the
battle, long prophesied, to come. In intensive training, as Bridget Grace grows
more formidable, an illicit relationship ignites between BG and her instructor.
The more powerful Bridget Grace becomes, the more she is haunted. Who is she?
Whose mission is she fulfilling—hers or her father’s?Is this even her fight? Or is she being used
as a pawn in the decades- long crusade between Luke Stone and his arch nemesis,
the black magician, Armand Jacobi?
Has she ever been told
the truth about anything…ever?
I don’t remember much of my own
transmogrification.
Jadwiga told me my
experience was what was called a spontaneous transmogrification brought about
by extreme emotional and psychological duress.
To which I replied,
“No, shit.”
The last thing I
remember was Downing trying to kill my father. I remember him drawing his gun.
I remember the gun glinting in the light of hundreds of lanterns. I remember
the gun pointed at my father’s heart, and the sound of the shot exploding
through the forest. I remember this pressure ricocheting through my body — this…
force… ripping through me like a blast of dynamite in my soul, and I was being
torn into a million pieces ….I remember a… rumbling… from the depths of my
being… and this… intensity… of sight, of sound… of smell… I remember throwing
my head back and howling into the wind.I remember a feeling of such vast freedom and belonging to the night and
the wind… my hair was turning grey and beige and covering my body… fur… not
hair… lifting with the soft breeze. My limbs were lean and strong and sure; my
black claws unbending… I remember seeing Downing cowering… and I sprinted
towards him… he tried to escape… but I was relentless… I ran him down… leapt
upon him…. his screams filled the forest as I swiped at him with my mighty
claw… leaving stripes of red blooming across his face, down his back, and blood
spurting from his neck…
From the
moment Slate Jake, tall, blonde and cool, burst into his life with a wide grin
splitting his face, a switchblade in his hands, and an introduction to the
universe of magic, nothing would ever be the same.
Was this just some crazy whacked world of mysterious games
Eric had entered, or had he just stepped off the razor’s edge into a universe
of pure evil that kept pulling him in deeper and deeper and from which there
was no escape?
Eric stopped frozen with terror.
The cool of Slate Jake cracked like thin ice. Grasping backwards with a
quivering hand, he reached for Eric just as a creature burst through the
underbrush. Eric and Slate shrieked into the canopy of trees. Thin and pale as
the fading moonlight, his hair long, greasy and unkempt, a scraggly beard
growing in patches on his chin, the creature lurched onto the pathway, panting,
and clutching a rusted knife.
“What do you want?” Eric
bellowed, finding his voice. “Get out of our way!”
“Eric! It’s me! It’s Sticks.”
The creature’s voice wavered just above a raspy whisper. “It’s Sticks Bruni.”
He wobbled and fell to his knees.
“Sticks?” Slate asked,
approaching him. “What the hell?”
Sticks reached up to his old
friend. “He tried to kill me. He wanted to kill me.”
Eric knelt down beside him.
“Who, Zack?”
But right on top of him, Slate
shot in, “That’s nuts, you know that, right! That’s crazy!”
Sticks stood up shakily. “Look
at me! Do you see what I look like?”
Genre/Subgenre:
Historical/present day psychological thriller
Format of
Prize: Ebook in either .mobi, pdf or epub
# of
copies: 3
Blurb: Two
men from two different generations, both initiated into a powerful organization
that throughout history has sought control and uses their power for
destruction. They leave behind a wake of murder, manipulation and ancient
secrets. The first man wreaks havoc in and around the Whitechapel district of
London, England in the 19th century. While the other stalks his victims in the
cosmopolitan city of Seville, Spain in the 21st century; knowing that only he
could uncover the true motives of one of the world's most infamous serial
killers—Jack the Ripper.
Annabella
Cordova quickly becomes embroiled in the conspiracy involving the university
she studies at. Annabella’s disability is a constant reminder of a harrowing
childhood event; leaving her without parents, and the ability to hear.
Annabella’s life is turned into chaos
when her friend disappears, and her past begins to haunt her present.
Annabella’s skills in interpreting facial and body language leads her to
discover parallels between the crimes from an earlier century.
Andres Valero, a mentally scarred
detective, returns from forced leave, only to be faced with horrific crimes
that brings his old memories to the surface.
Annabella and
Andres must stop this person at any cost, and reveal a conspiracy hidden for
centuries.
The young woman’s legs
gave way underneath her, her body collapsing to the ground. She lay there
motionless. She tried to get up, she had to get out of here, but her body
refused to move. Feeling her limp body slowly being lifted off the floor. Where
was she again? How had she got here? Her eyes followed her journey, entering a
room filled with hundreds of books.
She wanted to plead,
her eyes misted. Chains hung from the wall, draping onto the pristine white
sheets. She wanted to scream, why couldn’t she scream? Her eyes wandered the
room, trying to think, maybe she could find something. Her eyes lighted on an
object only a couple of feet away from her.
Her body jerked in protest, stomach swelling with nausea. Lying innocently on a
table was a long, black poker. But it wasn’t the innocence of that object that
terrified her; it was the smoldering hearth beside it. Ready to be ignited.
25.Title: Haunted: The Sparkly
Badgers' Anthology (donation by author Cindy Tomamichel)
Genre/Subgenre: horror, short stories
Format of Prize: ebook
# of copies: 2
Blurb:
Join us on a pumpkin spiced,
ghost-riddled, spooky journey amongst the imaginations of fifteen horrifyingly
excellent indie-authors. Let them take you on a candle-lit journey through the
minds of the depraved, departed and desperate as they treat you to their
haunting tales. Lock the doors, close the curtains and don’t turn off the
light!
A few lines to
“thrill” readers:
What keeps a ghost tethered to existence? Why would the old lady
appear every week for 40 years? Find out in the story ‘Waiting for Wednesdays’.
A ghost whisperer tale with a twist.
Claire Buss - You
can follow her Twitter handle @grasshopper2407, facebook.com/busswriterand visit her
website, www.cbvisions.weebly.com, for more information about Claire and her
writing.
Cursed, mated, and in for
the fight of their lives…
Warlock Nate Hawthorne just wants a cup
of coffee. Is that too much to ask? Apparently. Because instead of precious
caffeine, all he gets is cursed by a pack of werewolves who want to use him for
his magic. Now the only way to fix the damage is a mate bond to a grumpy and
oh-so-sexy alpha in the rival pack, who happens to hate him. This is so not how
he wanted to start his day.
Ian Armitage never intended to take Nate as his mate. The Hawthorne
family can’t be trusted. Ian knows that better than anyone.
The fact that he’s lusted after the way-too-gorgeous man for years? Totally
irrelevant. Ian’s just doing what is necessary to protect his pack. This whole
mating arrangement has nothing to do with love and never will. That’s his story
and he’s sticking to it.
Nate and Ian will have to work together if they have any hope of staving off
the pack’s enemies and averting disaster. That’s assuming they can stop arguing
(and keep their hands off each other) long enough to save the day… The Alpha’s Warlock is an explicit M/M
paranormal romance featuring a snarky warlock, a brooding alpha werewolf,
knotting, enchanted socks (long story), and a guaranteed happily ever after.
A second later his huge form blurred, rippled, and reshaped into
a man nearly as enormous compared to other humans as his wolf form was compared
to garden-variety wolves. Messy auburn hair curled around his temples, and his
freckles might have given him an air of innocence if it weren't for the cold, pale
blue eyes. Oh, and the shoulders and chest bulging with muscle. And the claws.
Either way, I knew he was the opposite of innocent, and I knew
damn well who he was.
My heart sank. Ian Armitage. My dead ex-lover Jared’s best
friend and cousin, the pack leader's second in command, and one of the most
feared werewolves in northern California. And he hated me.
The curse might still try to kill me,
but now it would probably have to get in line.
Blurb: Camille’s
father just inherited the family manor from his estranged uncle, forcing her to
leave her friends and city life just before her senior year of high school for
the small town of Woodville, England. After seeing a strange old woman lurking
on the estate grounds, she embarks on a mission to uncover the history of her
new home. What she finds is wilder than she could have imagined—the murder of
her ancestor, Caleb LeRoux, on the same day his six-year-old daughter vanished
without a trace. And an unforeseen connection to Camille herself, as the only
female LeRoux born to the family in over two hundred years. With the help of
her new school friends, Camille delves into the secrets of the manor,
uncovering an all-encompassing truth that will change the entire course of her
life—past, present, and future.
As she dragged the wiper
across the glass, she smiled in satisfaction to see the final dregs of dirt
wiped clear and her own reflection clearly emerged in its place.
And there was the old woman’s face again.
With a screech, Camille spun around, her window-cleaner
clattering to the floor.
“Camille! Are you okay?” her mother asked. “What happened?”
Camille opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She could only
point at the open bedroom door. “I… I saw her,” she finally said. “The woman. I
saw her reflection in the window. She was watching us from the doorway…”
Is true love fated or based
on free will? Before the attack, Jason Barton had a ‘friends
don’t date friends’ philosophy when it came to being with the person he adored,
Trini Davos. Trini, however, shared a different viewpoint and wanted nothing more
than to be with the boy next door. For the last five years, the two shared a
will they or won’t they relationship. Always friends, but nothing more. However, a brazen attack by a group of outlawed
werewolves changed everything the long-time friends shared. They narrowly
escaped death only to discover they became the wild beasts they feared.
Transformed into something else, the two go on a journey not only to discover
themselves, but to discover the true meaning of love. Jason’s Awakeningoffers a
fresh take on the paranormal romance genre. Filled with non-stop action, steamy
romance, and twists no one will see coming, this book will keep the reader
hooked from start to finish.
Jason was amazed on the pace Mohinder
carried as they ran. He then looked to his left and saw a small blonde female.
Her eyes were filled with tears and fear as she ran for her life. She noticed
Jason was staring at her and made eye contact with him. As the blonde continued
their silent connection, snowy fur blurred Jason’s vision of her. Jason gasped
at the sight, but no sound left his mouth witnessing the werewolf tear the
woman’s arm off with a clean swipe. This was enough to drive the terror into
Jason’s heart. “Fucking move! Move Faster!” Jason screamed pushing his friend.
“They are right behind us!”
29.Title - Hannah's Story: Vampire Love Never Dies by Giulietta Maria Spudich
Genre: Young Adult
Fiction/Paranormal
Format
of Prize: signed paperback (any location)
# of copies: 2
Blurb:
Hannah Tramont flees San Francisco and
settles into a new life in Cambridge, England. An ocean away from her
dangerous ex and his vampire gang, Hannah finds a safe haven and makes new
friends ... until her ex tracks her down. In this suspenseful tale of YA romantic
vampire love gone wrong, Hannah soon learns that her past is destined to catch
up with her . . . no matter how far she runs.
She couldn't move. Her legs felt like iron
rods shoved into the floor; there was no way to back away. The only way she
could go was forward, forward into him. She wanted him. Her blood wanted him.
She took a step towards him and he raced up to meet her. His grasp felt
stronger than before. He held her and now she couldn't move for a different
reason - his grasp was so strong. But she didn't want to move.
"One of us," he whispered, hot
against her neck. "One of us." He licked her. Her pulse flew to her
neck, to his lips, and then agony crashed through her. She saw lights, then saw
her hair and her face through his eyes. She tasted her own blood.
Format
of Prize: signed paperback (U.S. and Canada)
# of copies: 3
Blurb:
There’s something extraordinary hidden
beneath Wickwood’s picturesque façade.
Bree Tisdale is a jack-of-all trades blogger whose work history is nothing but
tragic. When she lands a job with a supposed ghost hunter—the mysterious Zack
Liller—he threatens to upend her world. With an eviction notice in her
back pocket, she doesn’t have much of a choice. Yet, as the mysteries pile up,
the impossible suddenly starts to seem possible…
…Even trusting in Zack and the fire he
lights inside her.
Zack Liller grew up with ghosts and has little time for fun and games.
Reservations that Bree will be a good fit for his sister’s company plague him,
but one day spent with the vivacious woman ends up convincing him Liller
Investigations can’t do without her.
Or at least, that he can’t.
But, as things heat up between them, he is forced to wonder if he can trust
Bree enough to be honest about his abilities.
When the house they’re investigating turns out to be one of the most active he
has ever experienced—and the most dangerous—he realizes he may not have a
choice.
Before Bree could give in to the urge to
run downstairs, she picked up the digital camera and snapped pictures where he
stared. As he took a few steps in that direction, she clicked the shutter
button, and didn’t stop. It couldn’t hurt to be thorough. The more pictures she
took, the more evidence there would be, one way or another.
His toes bumped into the chair in front of the window and the lights flickered
one more time before going out completely.
A gasp trapped in Bree’s throat and she
gripped the camera.
“Keep taking pictures.” Zack’s voice made her jump. “There’s a light sensor and
it’ll capture night vision shots in the dark.”
Bree did as he said, even though she
couldn’t see a thing. As she fought the panic clawing at her throat, she kept
taking pictures. She wasn’t afraid of the dark. She didn’t know why dread
filled her. It had nothing to do with ghosts. Nope. Because ghosts weren’t
real.
Everyone fears the hunter in the shadows—especially the
monsters…
Raine McCord, forged in the brutal maelstrom of magic and
science, is an elite hunter at home hunting monsters through the murky shadows
of the supernatural world of the Kyn. Not the easiest job when you’re trying to
keep the humans ignorant of the existence of creatures typically confined to campfire
tales. It gets harder when a series of disappearances and deaths in the Kyn
community suggests someone wants to rip the thin veil of secrecy aside and
expose the horror lurking behind the curtain.
To offset the challenge, Raine is forced to partner with another
hunter, the sexy and tantalizing Witch-Fey, Gavin Durand. Their partnership
proves to be as challenging and dangerous as the prey they hunt.
Especially when the trail leads back to the foundation that warped Raine’s
magic as a child and threatens to resurrect the nightmares of her past.
Determine to stop the threat to the Kyn, Raine and Gavin stalk
their prey through a maze of lies, murder, and greed, but will the price they
pay be too high?
***This revised edition contains the Kyn short story, SUBMERGED IN
SHADOWS.*** Treasures from the deep come in all shapes and
sizes…
Forced on an unwanted vacation, Raine McCord soon discovers that
boredom is the least of her worries when danger washes ashore, bringing
unexpected complications.
If you like fast-paced, suspense-filled, dark urban fantasy with a
thrilling edge, then grab your copy of Jami Gray's riveting SHADOW’S EDGE, the
first in her Kyn Kronicles series.
Coming down the short entryway, a few steps behind the two men,
she realized there was no odor. No blood, no raw meat. She let out the breath
she was holding. Only then picking up on the spine tingling traces of magic. It
raised bumps along her skin as she drew closer to the front room.
Two agents passed her, heading out of the house, small evidence
bags in their gloved hands. Osborn stopped just to the left of the front room’s
entryway. Gavin came to a halt in the middle of the opening, blocking her view.
Stepping around to his right she came to an abrupt stop, puzzled.
Bane Mayson was sprawled on the faded green couch under the
picture window. At first glance the scene didn’t make sense. There were no
visible wounds, no horrific mutilations, nothing to show how he died. Just the
skitter of magic down her spine, making the deceptively calm scene in front of
her much more ominous.
A reluctant psychic faces a psychopathic killer in a deadly game
where the past determines her future.
Changing the past is impossible, a fact ex-marine, Cynthia
Arden, understands all too well. Struggling with the aftermath of a botched
mission, a panicked phone call brings her home to face a psychopath’s game
and partner with the distracting Kayden Shaw, the one man she thought would
always have her back.
When their shared past comes back with a vengeance, can a reluctant
psychic trust the man who walked away before it's too late?
If you like heart-pounding, paranormal romance, don't miss HUNTED BY
THE PAST, an action-packed introduction to Jami Gray's psychic romantic
suspense series, PSY-IV Teams.
Behind me,
the sound of the door being shoved flat against the wall jerked my attention
back to the entryway. Cold sweat erupted down my spine.
The man
strong-arming my door stood at least six-two and he wasn’t selling
cookies. A black T-shirt outlined broad shoulders and a heavy chest,
explaining why my brilliant plan of knocking him back through the doorway had
been destined for failure.
My mind
took in details, trying to put the pieces together. Brown hair, thick and
shaggy, framed dark eyes in a startling savage face. Still reeling from using
my stupid ability, I couldn’t make the picture stick, but a niggling sense of
familiarity pecked at my mind. Besides, now wasn’t the time for polite
introductions.
An
impressive snarl emerged from inside the neatly trimmed goatee, “Hello, Cyn.”
His deep voice raised every hair on my body and sent my pulse into overdrive.
Blurb: After
a long week at school and writing her way through another vision, ten-year-old
Inez Finley leaves her small, seaside town of Bear Valley and heads into the
city with her mother, grandmother, and best friend, Quinn.
As Mom spends the day working, Inez—with Quinn and Grandma Esther—make way to a
nearby bookshop to search for more answers about the ancestor from Inez's
dreams: Mercy Finley.
At the shop, the events of the peaceful day turn into chaos. And Inez’s dreams,
yet again, come to life.
In the
small beach town of Bear Valley, Rhode Island lives ten-year-old Inez Finley, a
little girl has a very big gift handed down to her: an ability to see the
future.
34.Title: I was a Teenage Vegetarian Zombie Detective by H. M. Gooden
Genre/Subgenre: Cozy
paranormal mystery
Format
or Type of Prize: ebook
# of
copies: 10
Blurb: The clock is ticking.
When Alex wakes up after the worst food hangover
of her life to find out she's dead, the spinach truly hits the fan.
With the help of her best friend, Sam, the two
must discover why her Halloween costume is more authentic than she'd like this year,
not to mention try to figure out why the heck her parents have
disappeared.
If she
doesn't find the answers soon, will this Halloween be her last?
I tried to infuse my voice with as much
authority and wisdom as I could. But as I was about five-foot-two and recently
dead/newly alive, I wasn't sure I’d sold anyone on the plan.
She had every right to know what
happened. When I’d found out where she was, I’d been terrified. I could only
imagine the kind of things a mom would worry about. That didn’t mean I was going
to tell her everything, though.
Sometimes, you had to fudge the details
to protect the innocent.
With that thought in mind, I held a hand
out to the officer. "Thanks. Happy Halloween.”
Haunted by the death of her childhood friend,
journalist Eden St. Claire has dedicated her life to catching serial
killers--and she's always done so alone. But when the lethal murderer Eden is
tracking puts her in danger's crosshairs, she agrees to accept protection from
longtime friend Detective Cole Delaney.
Cole has secretly carried a torch for Eden for
years. She might not want to let anybody in, but the thought of losing her is
unbearable. Passions flare as the threats intensify. Can Cole convince Eden to
break her own rule to never fall in love...before the killer snuffs out their
happily-ever-after?
She choked and
dragged in breaths as fast as she could and moaned against the pain blazing
across her shoulders. She lifted heavy lids and stared down at the yellowed
laminate floor, nausea swirling as she swayed in the air.
Her face had gone
numb with cold, freezing the terrified tears on her cheeks. Not just cold air.
Blurb: In
his heart she was his woman.
In reality she could never be.
In a land where creatures shape-shift, a blind man sees, and where believing in
your gut instinct can save a life, a Herculean hero matches wits with a
beautiful huntress.
Cyrenne’s life is pledged in servitude to the deity of the forest. She believes
in obeying the deities, remaining chaste and that her abilities, as a warrior,
are better than any man. When she catches the attention of the Storm Deity, and
refuses his offer of immortality, he punishes her by besetting fear upon her.
Her comrades die when she is unable to fight. She swears she shall not return
home until she proves herself worthy and she sets out on a journey of
redemption.
Gareth has always hated the Upland deities. He has no use for a woman dedicated
to them, and who looks better in armor than most men. He believes his gut
instinct is always right, the deities are always wrong and a woman’s place is
in the home, any home but his. When the spirited woman with the iron resolve
saves his life, they set out on a journey that takes them through uncharted
territories where love teeters on the edge of danger.
In the dawn of
time mysterious, hideous creatures roamed the earth. The
gods ruled and mortal man gave thanks. On a quest to the Underworld, one man
fought against the mighty Deities: one woman stood in his way.
Details: Cool, Funny, or Scary Halloween Themed T-shirt for next year -
you can choose a goth, fun autumn shirt, or book lover t-shirt instead if you
don’t like those–
(winner will have a choice of the design, size, and possibly color background) –
U.S. only location as shipping is expensive for me
***NOTE: The product images above are a mere sampling
of the types of shirts you can choose from.
38.Title: Inception (The Spell Caster
Diaries, Book 1) by SF Benson
Genre/Subgenre: Paranormal
Suspense
Format
of Prize: Paperback (U.S. only)
# of
copies: 1 copy
Blurb:
Known throughout history as the Red
Witch, Elsbeth is responsible for introducing supernatural creatures to the New
World. For seven hundred long years, she’s dealt with everything from plagues
and witch hunts, to a crushing lost love.
Yet none of that prepared her for the
betrayal of the Blue Moon Coven rising up against her. Unsure of who to trust
and second guessing every decision, Elsbeth gathers a crude team of witches,
sorcerers, and a demonic incubus to prepare for the upcoming battle.
The stakes are higher than ever before.
Not only would failure mean death for countless numbers of supernaturals, but
Elsbeth’s escalating feelings towards the incubus have tied her immortality to
him. Now, whatever fate she suffers befalls him as well.
Eager to claim the happiness that’s
eluded her for centuries, can Elsbeth face her past before it costs her
everything?
Every
tale you may have ever heard of the Red Witch is erroneous. Only I know every
detail surrounding her auspicious beginning.
One
might wonder how a being like myself would come to know these things. I am that
demon who guided that human Dante and his pest of an assistant, Virgil. I am
also that demon who has waited an eternity to see my kind rein on Earth. I am
only too happy to convey all that I know—and some that I don’t.
I
know these things because I existed long before the fiery witch was ever born.
I was there on the eve her mother conceived her. On the night the mere human battled
to birth that duplicitous child, I took the form of a servant who watched from
afar. Only I, a demon from
the Malebolge, knows every facet of her life.
I’m here to tell the tale of how that witch—a soul doomed by
patronage—came to be.
Take heed all that read her story. Disbelief is the downfall of
many a man.
Blurb: With her pyrokinetic powers, Mia Koda has always thought she was
a freak. Since she was young, she could start fires with her mind. These powers
are now growing out of control.
Firefighter Cy Brennon's main goal is to make
sure everyone caught in a fire comes out safely and alive. When he breaks into
a burning house, the last thing he expects to find is a beautiful young woman,
untouched by the flames, in what he can only describe as a “fire-free zone”.
Pulled together after the fire and their
similar tragic childhoods, they search to discover more about Mia’s Native
American roots, and the powers she has always feared.
As dangerous passion builds between her and
Cy, Mia begins their journey. These long-hidden secrets will help Mia to better
understand her powers, as she and Cy leave their childhoods behind and learn
to reach into the hidden corners of each other’s hearts.
But is Mia starting the fires or is there
something sinister lurking in the shadows of the past?
Even at this short distance, she was so still Cy couldn't tell
if she was asleep, overtaken by smoke, or dead. The thought made his stomach
clench. She was lying silently on her back, her eyes closed, arms at her sides.
The intensity of the fire should be scorching her body.
What’s going on?
In the middle of all the devastation, she was beautiful.
Exquisite. She looked like a Native American priestess covered in a protective
bubble that had dropped down to rest in the middle of the room protecting her
from the flames.
“Shit. I am not part of some sci-fi movie,” Cy said
warily, looking around the room as he tried to come up with a rational
explanation for what was occurring.
For Updates about new releases as well as exclusive promotions,
visit Jennifer's website and sign up for the VIP mailing list. http://www.jenniferconnerbooks.com/
Blurb: Otherworldly beings put the
moves on down-to-earth women in these three stories in the erotica genre.
Dreams and fantasies prove to be open doors for a ghost, a demonic familiar and
an advertising icon.
The room became frigid
and there was a pale light glowing around us. At this point I couldn’t swear to
what was dream and what was waking state. All I knew was that I was paralyzed.
I couldn't even speak. Shana was still comatose, and I couldn’t do a thing to
wake her.
Then, in that
nonsensical way dreams have of making us aware of things, I felt myself rising
above the bed until I was able to see that the statue was growing in size. Not
only that but it was flexing its limbs and looking around. A generous gray
beard extended over its chest, and its muscles were accentuated by the light.
Once or twice this entity, whatever it was, turned its penetrating stare on me,
as if it were signaling an intent and I was powerless to resist.
Blurb:Silk on the
skin—luxurious, luscious...lethal.
London-Fall, 1888
The city is in a panic as Jack the
Ripper continues his murderous spree. While the Whitechapel police struggle to
find him, Detective Inspector Rudyard Bloodstone and his partner are working
feverishly to find their own serial killer. The British Museum's beautiful
gardens have become a killing ground for young women strangled as they stroll
through.
Their investigation has them brushing up
against Viscount Everhard, a powerful member of the House of Lords, and a
friend to Queen Victoria. When the circumstantial evidence points to him as a
suspect, Rudyard must deal with the political blowback, and knows if they are
going to go after the viscount, they'd better be right and have proof.
As the body count grows and the public
clamor for the detectives to do more, inter-department rivalries complicate the
already difficult case.
Dressing the dead required a certain dexterity and patience.
William surveyed his work with pride. A pity no one would see his
accomplishment. He doubted Isabeau’s maid could’ve done much better.
Sweat beaded his forehead and he used his dead lover’s
embroidered hanky to wipe his face and the film of perspiration from his chest.
The fire in the hearth had gone out while they made love, but even naked, the
room was like an oven. He started to pour a glass of wine then thought better
of it. Until the body was disposed of and the stage set for explaining her
death, he needed to keep a clear head. Instead, he rummaged through the
chiffonier hunting for petticoats. No respectable woman left the house without
proper underpinnings. A bottom drawer was filled with lace and ribbon-trimmed
petticoats. William took the top ones and managed to get them on and tied with
far less trouble than he had with the dress.
“Thank God,” William mumbled, snickering at the inappropriate
application of the phrase. “Now riding boots.”
Blurb:The summer
of 1889 was proving to be a strange one for Detective Inspector Rudyard
Bloodstone and his partner.
They had a sexual pervert loose. The man
didn’t actually harm women but threatened them at knife point, fondling them,
and ultimately stealing their stockings.
Far more serious were the murders of
influential men, which appeared random other than they were all killed by
arsenic poison. Never had he and his partner had cases with so little workable
evidence.
Also, the rivalry between him and his detective
nemesis at London’s other police department was intensifying. That nemesis was
the boxing champion of their department and looking to challenge Rudyard, who
never trained as a boxer.
Besides Rudyard’s pride being at stake,
and the pride of his station, his nemesis also had in his possession a
photograph of the woman Rudyard cares very much for. The new lady in Rudyard’s
life had captured his heart and he’d fight the devil himself to save her
reputation.
Graciela stood on the top stair
of the chapel cursing her luck when a man’s disturbingly familiar laugh
interrupted her thoughts. She took a quick step to the left and flattened
herself against one of the portico pillars. The horrible laugh rippled over
from close by. It sounded like Detective Bloodstone’s from the morning she’d
bailed out Addy. He’d said something that sent the shine boy scampering away
and had all the detectives snickering, including Bloodstone.
Taking a deep breath, she peered
around the edge of the pillar expecting to see the detective. His presence
would’ve been the perfect end to this entire St. Jude’s Chapel mission-turned-catastrophe.
To her great relief, it came from a carriage driver. She hadn’t noticed a group
of them gathered at the corner waiting to be hired. Graciela, you had no reason to be frightened. You’d done nothing wrong.
Stop being such a ninny.
She left the church and headed
home. Zachary would be getting up from her nap soon. The whole way home she
questioned her luck. A dozen people are murdered every day in London.
Blurb: The killer whispered, “A pretty damsel...worth a pretty risk.”
A veteran, Detective Rudyard Bloodstone
has fought a brutal battle and witnessed war horrors that haunt his nightmares.
Now one of those horrors has followed him home from Africa.
A vicious predator, the Cape cobra, can
kill a man in thirty minutes. A suspect using the snake as a weapon in
robberies is terrorizing London.
When the crimes escalate into murder, a
victim’s daughter, Honoria Underhill, becomes the focus of the killer. After
several attempts on her life, Scotland Yard threatens to take over the high-profile
case. With few leads to follow, Bloodstone and his partner must now fight
department politics and catch the killer before Underhill becomes another
murder victim.
On the other side of the yard and
several strides from where he hid was the dog’s grave with the statue. It was
next to another hedgerow not far from a brick icehouse positioned off the
alley. The ice storage house offered a full view of the townhome’s backdoor,
which he assumed led to the kitchen. He’d have preferred to set up by the
icehouse but he’d be in direct line with the door and exposed. Anyone exiting
the kitchen would see him immediately.
Kip slipped a hand into his satchel and
stroked the cool neck skin of the snake. “Once we finish here, Lovey, we’ll
have enough money to go to America. We’ll land in New York and continue on
until we reach one of those dirty towns in the west. That’s where we’ll settle.
I’ve seen pictures of those cattlemen types. Compared to rough-faced cowboys
and savage Indians, my face will offend far fewer.”
44.Title:
Daughter of the Twin Moons by Holly Bargo
Genre/Subgenre:
Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Format
or Type of Prize: eBook
#
of copies: 3
Blurb:Cancer. The terminal diagnosis paralyzes Catriona. Both saved and
imperiled, she must navigate a new, immortal life as mate to the Captain of the
Seelie Palace Guard.
In obedience to the oracle’s command, Thelan
abducts a human woman and takes her to the Deepwood where she is unmade and
remade by ancient magic. Thus given his mate, he quickly finds himself enamored
of her spirit, intelligence, and uncommon beauty. She arouses his passion and
challenges both his control and authority at every turn. Thelan needs to win
the heart and trust of this untraditional female whom he’s determined to keep
and protect from those who covet control over the moon-born’s legendary
influence.
Catriona resents the lack of choice. She also
resents not knowing the rules that now govern her life in this realm of myth
and impossibility. Forging her own path and upsetting ancient tradition, she
befriends the mysterious archivist, learns to live in a sentient palace, talks
to dragons, and discovers a puzzling attraction to cats. And she must come to
terms with the handsome and powerful fae male who claims her as his own and
stirs her blood like none other.
“The oracle sent you here to seek my help
without assurance that you would get it?” The unicorn huffed a dark laugh.
Thelan could not deny the unicorn’s perceptive guess.
“Will you help?” he repeated.
“I have nothing more entertaining to do
tonight,” the black unicorn admitted and raised his velvety muzzle to the midnight
sky. “Will you pay my price?”
“Anything.”
“Be careful of what you offer, Captain.”
“I offer anything that is within my power to
give, otherwise I have condemned an innocent soul to needless death,” Thelan
clarified.
“Very prettily said,” the unicorn commented.
“Be still.”
In a blindingly quick move too fast for even
fae eyes to follow, the midnight swift swiveled around and plunged his ebony
horn into the unconscious woman’s soft, plump belly. Thelan gasped in horror,
but held still as he watched the woman’s dark blood fountain from the wound.
The unicorn slowly withdrew his horn, silver-sparkled black venom and blacker
blood dripping from the sharp point.
Blurb:Shayla, Princess of the Fay,
must begin the journey to discover her true power by leaving the island. If
she's successful, she will become queen. Her plight won't be an easy one, for
there are those who would use Shayla as a means to solidify their own position
of power.
Kyle, Shayla's guide in the human
world, is destined to bring hope to the Fay even though his own future seems
bleak. With Kyle by her side, miracles can happen, offering the promise of the
return of the magic.
Once that happens, nothing is
impossible.
TEASER
As I entered the garden, the smell of succulent roses and jasmine
infused me. I continued upon an emerald and ruby path, glinting like a
wine-filled goblet. Gliding over pearls and bright quartz, I headed for the
waterfalls, the soft lining of moss caressing my feet.
“I am so glad you choose not to fight
this, Fay Queen. Do not fear. In mere moments, you shall be mine and suffer no
more.” Gwyn Ap Nuad appeared as he promised, to claim me upon my deathbed.
No longer the attractive man from the
cave, he wore a mantle of horns and teeth, a fearsome creature made of fire and
blood. My nostrils flared. I felt myself begin to gag.
“Not kinky? I think myself quite feral
and handsome, but loathe not. Even though your dread is quite alluring, when I
have your sex, I shall take on a more pleasing form. Stand and take my hand.
Fulfill your promise to me. Become my Nether Queen.”
I struggled from the ground, realizing I
was no longer in the throne room. The walls surrounding me were thick and black
with seeping blood, and the rotting stench was overpowering. This was not my
beautiful home, but a place of death and torture.
46.Title: Destination North Pole--5,000 km by bicycle,
by author Gary W. Wietgrefe
Genre/Subgenre:
Adventure Travel (scary and funny)
Format
of Prize: Hardcover - ONLY to U.S. and Canada winners
#
of copies: 5
Blurb: Destination North Poleis an endearing,
humorous, dangerous and sometimes quirky travelogue. An old guy on an old
bicycle supported by a sag-wagon (his loving wife) ventures north 5,000
kilometers toward the Arctic Circle for 40 days. Wildlife? Dangers? Risks?
Constantly! Hundreds of black bears and grizzlies blocked deer, elk, moose,
wood bison, wolves, bicyclists, and other critters from lush roadsides.
At one lodge an
older couple (older than me) pulled in with a white four-door pickup pulling a
camper. Both doors on the driver’s side were red. They had reservations two
weeks earlier but were delayed by a bear—not just any bear.
While staying in a cabin the wife got up at night to go to the
bathroom and saw a huge grizzly bear in the living room picture window. At her
scream, the bear scurried away.
You have likely heard the saying, “She was so scared she peed
her pants.” Apparently, she was not wearing any.
47.Title: The Blood
Prophecy Three: Queen’s Ascension by Barb Jones
Genre/Subgenre: Paranormal
Format of Prize: Ebook
# of copies: 10+
Blurb:
Bloodshed. Heartbreak. Revelation. When the darkness was
compelling and the heart knew no bounds, was there really a right choice? With
Michael’s life hanging in the balance, Amber had a choice: save her star-fated
love or keep on the crusade to unite the magical community. For Amber, her fate
was sealed even before her birth and it was her destiny to fight the great
battle ahead of her. But, when it came to her heart -- her friends, her great
love -- Amber’s torn. Not only was she the Queen, but she was a human in every
sense of the word. She was vulnerable. And so the very people -- Chloe and Michael
-- that gave her strength, quickly became her weakness. It wasn’t her fault she
loved too much, was it? Nevertheless, the Tall Dark Man had set a plan in
motion that could threaten the very existence of the Blood Prophecy. Would he
gather his dark forces and succeed in destroying Amber once and for all? Or,
would she assemble her powerful friends and save the world?
The spell was complete—he could feel it in his bones. Magic was
once again vibrating through the air. He opened his eyes and was surprised to
see Nimue rummaging through his shelves. She stopped and gasped as she held the
amulet in her hands.
Disappointment made its way into his heart as he returned to the
ground, the floor beneath his feet. How could she? After everything we’ve
shared? The magic? The love? He gathered his heartbroken sentiments and clenched
his jaw with a new sense of determination. She could not just betray him like
that. But, most importantly, because he’d taught her, she posed a danger not
just to those around her, but to magic itself.
Genre/Subgenre:
Multicultural & Interracial Romance / Fantasy & Futuristic Romance
Format
or Type of Prize: eBook
#
of copies: 2
Blurb: An ancient sect of gods, known as Sin-Eaters, have one last chance
to save humanity from an Emperor God bent on world domination. And it all
begins with Gluttony.
Tialoc had one mission, find
gluttony and return it to the tlazolli or sin box. He doesn’t expect to find
the sin wrapped in a sexy chocolate-skinned woman or that she is his mate.
CJ accepts a trip to paradise
to meet Tialoc. When an accident sidelines her before their first date, she’s
hesitant to go at all. What she isn’t prepared for is the passion or love they
share.
When their lovemaking has
unexpected consequences, time is of the essence. Tialoc must convince CJ to
embrace her destiny or lose him forever.
Some explicit descriptions of
sex, some violence, some strong language.
CJ gripped the sheet in her fists and
heat flooded her cheeks, desire ignited in her veins. Shocked at her reaction,
she gulped a deep breath.
“So when are they going to release you?”
This was from Avery.
CJ returned her attention to the couple
seated on her right. “I’m, uh, not sure. A doctor came in to see me, but I’m
not sure he was really here.”
Avery patted her hand. A rumble of
thunder filtered through the air. All looked toward the window.
“And the weatherman said no rain,”
Tessie quipped.
“What did the doctor look like, maybe we
passed him in the hall,” Avery suggested.
CJ shrugged. What could it hurt?
“Average height, dark hair, mean eyes.” She shuddered as she recalled the
coldness she’d seen. “His eyes were really mean.”
50.Title:
prize bundle (Wolf Blood Moon by Dana Littlejohn, The High Road Club - short eBook - and a $5 Amazon gift card)
Genre/Subgenre:erotic,
romance, fantasy, vampire
Format
or Type of Prize: ebook/gift card set
#
of copies: 1
Blurb for Wolf Blood Moon:The
newspaper that Daniyah Tyler worked for had been bought out by a big
conglomerate. The entire staff had been replaced except for her and one other
person. When her new boss showed up in her office, she was sure it was her turn
to be fired. Instead, he sent her on assignment to Chicago to cover a Halloween
party for the paper. Daniyah knew that refusal could jeopardize her job, but
would accepting jeopardize her very life?
“Yes. Every full moon we sacrifice
someone to him so that he will continue to let us live a long life with power,
but tonight is special,” Jack continued, leaning closer to her. “Because this
fall has been so warm this full moon is a blood moon. It doesn’t happen
that often so we like to call it the Wolf Blood Moon. When that happens
we offer him a woman, someone he could mate with. Someone beautiful and strong,
that would appeal to him,” he added with a grin.
Daniyah recoiled. She turned
her eyes upward. The large, bright orange moon hung overhead lighting the sky.
She had hoped to catch the sight of it before it started to wane, but this was
hardly the way she wanted to see the beautiful phenomenon.
"I promise, you won’t
feel a thing,” Jack told her in a soothing voice. “When the drug I gave you
takes full effect, your limbs will feel numb. You’ll be awake, but not
really."
About
- The High Road Club…
Genre:
military erotic romance
Blurb:
Ronika O'Neal took the long bus
ride back from visiting her sister in Tulsa. During a nap, the scent of spicy
cloves and cinnamon made her feel warm and cozy. She turned to get comfortable
and realized she was on someone's shoulder. Lieutenant Delaney didn't
complain when the beautiful woman he sat beside cozied up to him as she slept.
In fact, he welcomed it and hoped for more.
Detective Connor O’Reilly, a native of New Orleans, comes from a family
of police. He’s an honest cop but realizes there is corruption in the division.
His father may have died as part of that corruption. He meets Julie Ann, checks
out her mother’s death and finds it was badly handled. Julie Ann deserves the
truth and he wants to find it for her.
She touched the doorknob. A vision
passed in front of her. A man inside stood by the door. There was a flash. Her
mother crumpled to the ground.
Julie Ann dropped her hand and took half
a step back.
Damn her mother’s visions. She’d known
he was waiting, and she was going to die. That’s why she ran away from the
house. So she didn’t die inside. Thanks, Mom.
After a deep breath, Julie Ann opened
the door, hesitated and stepped inside. She stopped to survey the room.
An icy cold blasted through her body. It
felt like she had floated outside her body. She could see the room and herself
standing there staring at the space by the door where the man had waited. He was
fuzzy, not clear enough to describe.
52.At the Mercy of Her Pleasure by Kayelle Allen [Additional
Gift: Bro (prequel)]
Genre/Subgenre: science
fiction romance, MM romance
Format or Type of Prize:
ebooks
# of copies: 3
Blurb:
To free his enslaved brother from a
cruel master, Senth, an all-party-fun-and-games thief, must take on the hardest
assignment of his life: stealing from the Empress.
To make matters worse, he has no choice
but to work with the beautiful NarrAy, a by-the-book rebel captain whose
addictive pheromones could jeopardize the mission and destroy Senth's will.
When the unthinkable happens and NarrAy professes her love for him, Senth must
decide if what he feels is real, or fueled by pheromones.
Can he trust this woman? If he loves her
back, can he still save his brother? Or will Senth end up at the mercy of her
pleasure forever...
Senth had a man's hands, well-groomed
nails and sinewy forearms that revealed power and strength. His biceps bulged.
Angular jaw, a firm mouth with lips made for kissing. A hot flutter rose within
her and she tamped it down at once, refusing to let her pheromones get the
upper hand.
He was watching her, his gaze narrowed,
head tilted. His proximity heightened her desire. He smelled clean, fresh and
ruggedly male. A tingle signaled the imminent letdown of her pheromones and she
clenched her hands into fists, fighting to calm the spike of lust flickering
through her like a torch about to combust.
Senth's faint smile revealed nothing,
but he lifted his head, sniffing the air. Kin could smell emotion and desire.
Could HalfKin?
Prize Details: 1 copy
of the e-book Race to Redemption with a bottle of wine (1 $20.00 gift
card to wine.com) –The best way to experience a sexy sci-fi romance
is with a glass of wine. Throw in a sassy heroine, a deliciously damaged hero,
and world to save, and you'll have an evening to remember…– NOTE:
If a non-US entrant wins, the prize just
includes the e-book because the gift card is only available in the United
States.
Blurb for Race to Redemption:
Intergalactic
storm racing champion, Elaina Carteret, left the circuit in disgrace after a
horrendous accident. Willing to deal with the devil, aka her business manager,
she accepts a challenge for one last chance to fly again. The deal seemed easy
- pose as Lainie Carter, medical transport pilot, and spy on a hospital
outpost. Until she meets the director, Dr. Erik Johansen, who runs the station
with an iron hand, a permanent scowl and the tightest bod on the planet.
Erik keeps his emotions and laboratories locked up tight. He once trusted a
woman who turned out to be a spy—and millions died. When the sizzling hot
Lainie Carter sashay’s into his office with her endless legs, pouty mouth and
penchant for sneaking into forbidden areas, he knows she’s dangerous. If only
she would stop sneaking into his fantasies.
When the outpost is attacked by mercenaries, the Diva and Dr. Dictator are
thrown together in a race across the desert to save two sick children. As a
fragile trust grows between their damaged hearts, will it be strong enough to
survive the truths that threaten their growing bond?
Erik sat down on the
seat, their bodies forming a single line from foot up the leg, arms and
shoulders. Fuck it. He put his arm around her, leaned his lips to her temple.
“How are you doing?”
“You confuse me.”
No shit. He confused
himself.
His head lifted and
she turned toward him, eyes wide with questions. One finger under her
chin, he lifted her mouth to his and took a long, slow taste. Lainie opened to
him, her tongue darted sexy little flicks along his but her arms remained at
her sides.
“Even more puzzled
over here. I thought I was persona non grata. Top of your ten most likely to
screw the world over list.” Still angry. He couldn’t blame her.
“I can’t seem to stay
away.”
“But you want to.”
“Yes.” He kissed her
hard. “And no.”
“It’s
because I can cook, right?”
Blurb: Lily Bastien comes to mysterious St. Phillips Island
for a last fling with life. She knows her future is uncertain, and love is not
in her stars. Here, in a cottage haunted by lost love, she will discover a
secret that will rock her world. A ghost from the past is not the only
unexpected visitor to her private sanctuary. Imagine her surprise when she
finds Sexiest Man Alive, Blade Jensen, naked in her bedroom. They clash, at
first, but soon they can’t fight the attraction they feel for one another.
Sparks begin to fly and the passion they share changes everything. Lily can
only dream of forever, but Blade is determined to make her dreams come true. To
protect the man she loves, she tries to hide the painful truth from him. But
fate finds a way and Blade and Lily learn that sometimes a love is so great,
one lifetime together could never be enough.
Saxon Abbott is a hero. A crime fighter. An Equalizer. A computer genius. Truly
a man of unmatched abilities… until he meets his match. His nemesis. The
mysterious, A.G Hart. From the moment their paths cross, Saxon is blown away by
her beauty, and captivated by how much they have in common. He is as attracted
to her brain as he is to her sexy body. While they are incredibly drawn to one
another – they can’t seem to stop rubbing one another the wrong way.
Gaining acceptance into the boy’s club, that is the tech world, hasn't been
easy, but Alivia Gertrude Hart has never come across an obstacle she can't go
over or plow right through. She is driven and determined to succeed, spending
her time writing computer programs to catch serial killers, and creating robots
with artificial intelligence that will change the world. Having a man in her
life is a complication she intends to avoid – until a certain irresistible hunk
decides she will be his ultimate conquest.
Alivia manages to escape Saxon’s clutches until fate steps in and takes
control. When someone starts killing Texas beauty queens, Governor Kyle
Chancellor can think of only one person who is perfect to assist Saxon and his
fellow Equalizers in solving the case. A quick call from the Governor is all it
takes to draw Alivia into a new mystery to solve and put her in tight quarters
with the one man who sets her body, brain, and soul on fire. Now, this couple
of high-powered, self-proclaimed nerds are on the case and ready to solve the
murders, if they can keep from killing one another first…
She is desperately seeking for the incredible lover that has been setting her
dreams on fire. With the help of the powerful women in her family, she finds
him. Unfortunately, he is completely paralyzed from a devastating rock-climbing
accident.
Jade Landale, a conservative Texas Congressman falls head over heels for the
beautiful woman that refuses to give up on him. Soon, his world turns topsy turvy as he finds himself embroiled in a world of magic, murder and the
hottest, sweetest lovemaking imaginable.
Slipping down the stairs, she hoped she did not run
into anybody between her room and Jade’s. She didn’t think she could stand any
comments from her mother about her choice of sleeping attire. Another thing she
felt thankful for was the location of the room they would be sleeping in.
Thankfully, they were on a different floor and at opposite end of the house
from where the rest of the family slept.
She hesitated at the door. Her nerves were on edge and her body was tingling,
readying itself for his possession. Already, her breasts were swelling and both
nipples were as hard as rocks. She couldn’t wait to be in his arms again.
Taking the doorknob in her hand, she held it for a moment and then slowly
opened the door. When she entered the room, Jade waited, already in the bed.
Leaning back against the headboard, propped up by two or three soft pillows, he
looked like a dream. With no shirt on, the soft light of the lamp accentuated
his broad shoulders and golden skin. After finding out he had a Cherokee
grandparent, the color and smoothness of his skin made sense. He held the
covers back and patted the mattress in invitation.
Crossing to the bed, she removed her robe and swiftly crawled under the covers.
He eased down in the bed and turned on his side and facing her. “You are so
beautiful, Arabella.”
She lowered her eyes, unable to breathe if she continued to share his gaze. His
eyes were looking into her very soul. “No, you are beautiful, Jade. I have
never known anyone who makes me feel the way you do.”
“How many men am I competing with, sweetheart?” he asked in a soft, gentle
tone.
“What do you mean?”
“How many men are you dating? I’m sure there is a whole slew of them just
beating your door down, all wanting the privilege of your company.”
“There is no one.” Now that the truth would be revealed, he probably wouldn’t
be as interested in her.
“No one?”
“I’m sorry, Jade. I don’t have very much experience with men.” Her voice shook
slightly and she closed her eyes waiting for his reaction. How could she tell
him the local boys had all been afraid of her, or at least afraid of the
ridicule they would endure by dating the town witch?
Light, soft, sweet kisses began raining on her eyes and her cheeks. “Why are
you sorry, Bella? Don’t you know how exciting it is for a man to find out his
woman hasn’t known many other men?”
“Not exactly what I meant,” Arabella stammered. God, this was hard.
“Quit worrying, Arabella,” Jade assured her. “The other men are history. You’re
here with me now.”
“No, Jade.” She grabbed the hand caressing her neck and lightly playing over
the top of her full breasts. He wasn’t making this easy. “The only man I have
ever made love to is you—in our dreams.”
She waited for his
reaction. What if he didn’t want a twenty-four year-old virgin?
Genre/Subgenre: Contemporary
romance, western romance, paranormal romance
Format or Type of Prize: ebook (.mobi copy)
# of copies: 1
Blurb: Cowboys and Angels? Oh, hell yeah. A perfect combination.
Halos and Wings go perfectly with Stetsons and Spurs.
This is a lesson Big Canyon Brady will learn well.
The Tebow blacksmith hasn’t had it easy since losing his only child to cancer.
Putting one boot ahead of the other is a day to day battle.
But…something keeps him going.
He didn’t know how to define that something until Seren stepped out of his
dreams and into his arms. Skeptical at first, Canyon learns she is his own
personal miracle, a ray of sunshine in a world of sadness and despair. They
exist in a paradise of their own making until Seren makes a mistake which
brings their whole world crashing down around them. Fallen from grace, she must
learn to live without the only man who has ever been the center of her
existence.
When their paths cross once more, Seren is determined to protect him by keeping
her distance. This doesn’t work for long, for Canyon is inexorably drawn to her
like a moth to a flame.
His touch tempts her like nothing else ever could and only their love can
redeem them.
Dark clouds rise and fierce winds blow, but when the storms of life abate…
one great truth remains.
Heaven’s Loss is Canyon’s Gain.
Blurb: By day, actor John Wilkes Booth is a charming
Confederate spy; by night, a troubled man leading a double life.
As he attempts to
uncover Abraham Lincoln’s habits by speaking with his medium, Booth becomes
tormented by a malevolent spirit and devises a plan to assassinate the
President.
But in the midst of
his murderous plan, Booth falls in love with the beautiful actress, Alice Grey.
As their growing love tests their loyalties, will death or duty prevail?
★★★★★ - "Diana Rubino
combines authentic history with vivid descriptions to create a thriller with a
supernatural twist. As a Civil War fan, I found the characters were true and
the locations historically accurate."
★★★★★ - "Historical
fiction and supernatural thriller fantastically blended... I will definitely be
checking out other books by this writer."
★★★★★ - "An age-old story is given new life. Loved
this book."
“And I am Brutus, Marcus Brutus, I; Brutus, my country's friend;
know me for Brutus!" Booth declared to the proud reflections in his three
facing mirrors.
The center
mirror clouded over. Puzzled, he leaned into it to peer closer. His reflection
faded as if the mirror were clear glass, and another human form took shape,
becoming sharper as the mist faded. He was astonished to be looking into the
face of a man whose eyes bored into his, pinning him with an unnerving stare.
Booth took a step back, glancing to the left, then to the right, but his own
reflections were moving right along with him. He focused once more on the
stranger in the center, the Roman nose giving the weathered features
distinction. He’d seen this face before, but where?
The head nodded
and the hint of a pleased smile curled the thin lips. Without so much as a
word, the figure faded into the mirror’s eternal depths, and Booth was once
again looking at his own astonished face.
“Damn you! Who
are you?” He pounded the mirror and it wavered, his image jerking back and
forth with the moving glass.
Exasperated, he
turned away.
“I’ll find out
who you are if I die doing it.” He twirled around to face the mirror, seeing
only his three perplexed reflections.
Blurb: Cameron is your average, run of the
mill, seventeen-year-old kid. He did have some random thoughts over the years
that he wasn’t quite like others, but never talked about that with anyone—he
didn’t want to be labeled a “freak.” Aside from that, everything about his life
is about as normal as could be. He goes to school, has friends, has fun with
girls at parties, and just enjoys his altogether normal life, until the night
that everything is shattered.
Just before he turns eighteen, Cameron’s parents
are murdered by home invaders wearing masks; and that’s when all hell breaks
loose—literally.
Cameron is shoved head-first into a world that
he never would have believed could possibly be real. A world where monsters
truly exist, and not just the human kind, but the kind you read about in books
and see in films. It’s up to Cameron, and a select group of freedom fighters,
not only to save the earth, but also to save the galaxy and, along with it, his
true homeland—Elyria.
Blurb: Strangely
gifted Jacob King finds Cricket Nielson in his meditations between worlds.
Delightful Cricket is a woman trapped first by
injury and then her husband's villainy.
Captivated by her buoyant spirit, intrigued by
their elusive meetings, Jake uses his psychic talents to locate this imprisoned
beauty.
Their meetings on the astral plane reveal they
have loved each other for eons. This newly reignited love calls Jake to draw on
every spiritual resource at his disposal. He convinces sympathetic law enforcement
professionals to hear him out as he discovers a series of murders and knows
Cricket is next.
Will the forces of the universe unite Jake and
Cricket before the insidious serial killer strikes again?
Des squirmed, looked away,
and rubbed the back of his neck. “There was a couple I followed out. I had to
give them a private message, kinda ominous…” Jake nodded. “The kicker is, when
I walked back onto the dark stage, there was a woman, alone in the audience.”
Jake
shrugged, “Did she want a private reading?”
“Uh,
no. This woman went into a trance. This awful voice came out of her, not a
woman’s voice at all. Old Testament, Biblical…” he shuddered. “I mean, like a
monster voice…” Jake raised a brow. “It said, ‘The savior must act
quickly. Evil forces align against her. Tell him.’.”
Jake
gawked. “Tell whom? And who was she talking about?”
Des
frowned, opened his mouth to reply, and suddenly a voice, not his own, boomed
through the room. “The danger of the water is isolation. The danger of earth is
the distance. The danger of air is its absence. The danger of fire is the
destruction of evidence.”
“O’Neal!” Haden gasped, pulling up short
as he recognized the man from his previous run-ins with the law. Then, seeing
the revolver in his hand, he warned; “Look out, boss, he’s got a…”
Blurb: Bob Roberts, second in command of the starship
Argonaut becomes concerned when members of the crew are brutally murdered. Then
the ship’s doctor points something out, that all the victims are drained of
blood. When explosions force their space-born vessel to land for repairs on
their destination, the planet Nightshade, their sighs of relief turn to screams
of terror. For Nightshade is so very aptly named.
Marcus shrugged and carried on with his
work. Removing the circuit, he replaced it with another. The damned thing still
didn’t work. Just then something metallic, like a coin or a washer, tinkled
onto the bare metal of the deck and rolled about noisily for a moment,
accompanied by what might have been the barest hint of childish laughter.
Marcus looked up; his nervous fingers caused him to touch a live wire…
With the breakup of her marriage, Sophia
Reynolds’ mind isn’t completely on her job. Maybe that’s why she didn’t listen
to her husband’s previous warnings. Showing a house after dark shouldn’t have
been dangerous, but she’s viciously attacked, becoming a target for a sadistic
serial killer.
She escapes him barely alive, and when her estranged husband, Detective Levi
Reynolds, sees the damage that’s been inflicted, vengeance becomes his best
friend. He’s willing to do whatever he has to do to track down Stefan
Greenwald, the man who almost took his wife’s life.
As the evidence unfolds, it becomes clear Greenwald isn’t working alone, and
the fight to save Sophia’s life gets harder by the minute. Levi may have to lay
aside his badge to protect his wife the only way he knows how.
Though her mind frayed with panic, she remembered what
Levi had taught her. Her arms crept up between their bodies, and she lodged her
thumbnails into Stefan’s eyes, pressing until he screamed and rolled to his
side.
She scrambled to her feet. He grabbed for the knife, but
she stomped his fingers then kicked his face. Panic gave way to adrenaline, and
she was halfway out the window again when the knife caught her on the left
side, sinking deep. The pain moved to her back, and as the blade sank in,
breathing grew more difficult.
Stefan tried to drag her back into the empty bedroom
again, but Sophia knew she wouldn’t survive another round. So she fought
harder, using every self-defense skill she’d learned. And while she battled
him, she screamed. Until she heard the sirens in the background, and heard the
muffled curse from the man behind her.
Blurb: A small town. An herbal bakery. A wise old crone. A sexy
newcomer. A dangerous stranger. And a young graduate student who's not ready
for any of it. In the town of Wiccanton, North Carolina the leaves are
falling, and winter's on its way. Thena Kanakaredes is a young woman embarking
upon the daunting task of taking over the town's homeopathic bakery. But she is
terrorized by a dark figure that threatens her happiness, forcing her to
uncover hidden secrets from her past. Despite her grounding in academia, she
must now face astounding events as they unfold around her. The unwitting
recipient of visions that counter her scholastic knowledge of the world and the
way it works, she will be forced to face her demons or lose everything she
holds dear.
Mitch Tanner is a sexy, athletic, independent contractor with an
eye for the green-eyed siren who runs the town's most popular bakery. He can't
resist the temptation she offers him, and he doesn't want to. But how far will
he go to earn the heart of his green-eyed goddess? Will risking his life be
enough?
At the bottom of the stairs, Thena pushed open
the heavy metal door allowing leaves to blow inside and around her feet.
Stepping out into the alley, she bumped into a tall figure, looming over her.
Too late, she took a step back from him just as his arms wrapped around her.
“Hello again,” the
man's steely voice whispered into her ear, frightening her so much that she
dropped the key in her hand.
She tried twisting
free of his grip and was able to peer up at him. He looked startlingly like the
man from her dreams. She screamed, falling to her knees and scrambling to find
the dropped key. Her singular thought was to get back into the safety of her
apartment.
As he lost his grip on
her, his face contorted into that of an animal seeking its prey. Arms clad in
black snaked out, grasping her by the wrists. “I just want to talk to you,” he
said in a deceptively calm voice.
Blood pounded so
loudly in her ears that Thena barely heard her own screams as she was dragged
deeper into the alley. She pushed frantically against him, which simply
tightened his vice-like grip on her.
He stopped pulling her
when they cleared the streetlight. He pushed her to the ground, causing her
head to bounce as it hit the asphalt.
Her senses swam. Her
mind barely registered the amulet's chain being pulled taut around her neck
until it snapped and gave way. She whimpered, struggling with all her might to
cling to rational thought long enough to escape this mad man.
Suddenly, he released
her and stood up. The motion sent her body rolling away from him. He turned
from her then stopped. Someone was watching from the street.
64.Title: No Gravestone Unturned (Cobble Cove #5) by Debbie De
Louise
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Format of Prize: eBook
# of copies: 3 eBooks
(mobi or PDF copies as requested) provided to winners on October 31st
Blurb: It’s October in Cobble Cove, and Alicia is busy preparing for
the library’s Halloween party when she learns that John’s aunt from Florida has
died and that John’s cousins and their spouses are coming to town to bury their
mother. The day after the funeral, the caretaker’s son is found dead by John’s
grandfather’s gravestone, from a blow on the head. The only witness seems to be
Sneaky the library cat, who, having left the library, turned up at Alicia’s
door with blood and dirt on him.
As Alicia, Gilly, and Sheriff Ramsay investigate, a generation of family
secrets is uncovered. Are one of the guests staying at the inn a killer? Will
the humans solve the crime, and can Sneaky, Kittykai, and Salem, the inn’s
guest cat, team up to help?
Before
Noah could deflect the blow, the intruder raised his shovel and whacked the
caretaker’s son hard on the head. As the ground spun up to meet him and Noah
fell across the grave the vandal was digging, the last thing he saw as things
went black was the inscription on the stone:
Kurt
McKinney, beloved father of Gwendolyn, Kenneth, and John. (July 24, 1894 –
September 3, 1964).
But when Jared returns to New Orleans, he finds a
triumphant Adam alive and intent on seducing Kendra. Kendra, not knowing Jared
was forced to break off their engagement to save her life, has turned to a new
man, unaware he’s Adam who has vowed to kill the man she truly loves.
With help from an ancestor's spirit, Jared discovers the
motive behind the Montiefs' vengeance. He plans Adam's final destruction
while fighting to win back Kendra before she is drawn into Adam's world of
sadistic evil.
Angelique
Montief flicked her wrist and set the bamboo ceiling fan spinning. Kneeling on
a woven mat with sweat coating her body, she lifted a small wooden brass-bound
casket from the bottom of a large trunk, inserted a gold key, and opened the
lid. Inside two objects lay wrapped in thick cloth. She carefully unwrapped the
smaller bundle to reveal a pentagonal mirror, a gift handed down to her by her
grandmother, its ancient oak frame carved with tiny pentacles. She glanced over
her shoulder at her locked bedroom door, then stared into the mirror and
whispered, “Show him to me.”
When
the glass remained blank, fear clutched at her chest. Again, she said the
words, and the image of a plantation house engulfed in flames appeared. “No,
please, he can’t be dead.” Tears blurred her vision. The fiery image changed to
reveal a human form lying beneath flowering bougainvillea.
Hope
rising, Angelique peered closer.
“Show
me his face.”
She
saw his indigo blue eyes blink open.
“I’m
coming, my love.” He couldn’t hear her, but she hoped in his heart that he knew
she would find a way to get to him.
As
the smoke in the room thickened, she knew her time was running out. She
rewrapped the mirror and placed it into the smaller casket among cloth bags of
herbs and potion-filled vials. Relocking the lid, she hung the key on a chain
around her neck, dropped a jeweled dagger into her pocket, and tucked the
casket under her arm.
Blurb: Long before there were
texts, instant messaging, and endless social networks, we had landline phones
and stamped, postal mail. And if we wanted a date, we actually had to talk to
the other person first. This would often delay the inevitable, as we first had
to gather our nerves in order to ask out the intended person. This was the case
for young JR, who was looking forward to his long awaited Halloween date with
the girl of his dreams. When he finally got up the nerve to ask Destiny out,
she said yes. All he had to do was cut a few lawns to make a buck or two, and
then take his younger siblings trick-or-treating. After that, he was free to
enjoy his date, and join his friends at a legendary Halloween party. What could
go wrong?
The thrills start
early that Halloween day, when JR decides to get an application for a job,
while simultaneously ordering a burrito to go. The young woman, Debbie
McGruder, who took his order, had different plans. The spooky interaction left
JR reeling and wondering what had happened.
As he makes his way
through the day, he is met with a host of obstacles and evil beings trying to
eliminate him and his family. The implausible, chilling antics last throughout
Halloween day and into the night. How will JR respond? Can he save himself? Can
he save his family? And what about Destiny, can he salvage his date? Read Destiny’s
Lot: A Halloween Love Story and find out.
Blurb: Things are going well for Sham Jones. It’s his senior year in
high school and he’s in love. To top it off, it’s a Thursday and the last day
of school for the week leading to a four-day weekend. What could be better than
spending a long weekend with his girlfriend, Cali? As they make their way to
Cali’s car, an unfamiliar, but stylish Trans Am pulls into the spot next to
Cali’s. The driver gets out and immediately eyes Cali, who returns longing
glances. And just like that Sham is no longer Cali’s love interest, cast aside
like a broken Christmas ornament to make room for the new, shiny decoration.
Things get worse as the driver, simply known as Red, seems to seduce the entire
student body with seemingly evil intentions during the weeks leading to
Halloween. On Halloween, Red takes Cali, dressed in an angel costume, for a
drive to the area known as never-ever-land, where young ladies are presumed to
have disappeared and/or murdered. Sham and Cali’s best friend, Lin, wait all
night for her return.
When Cali doesn’t return, Sham and Lin set out to rescue Cali from an awful
fate on Dia de los Muertos—the Day of the Dead.
***NOTE: Once the contest is
over (October 27th), PLEASE be patient with us while we get your
prizes out. Some authors or publishers may have diverse Covid-19 shelter-in
policies than others, as we all hail from different parts of the world.
Wow, so many awesome prizes to choose from! 😉 This is such a
fantastic giveaway!
Let’s give a round of applause to all 70 authors and publicists who donated to this enormous
contest! With 220 prizes, that’s just impressive!
And for fun, PLEASE participate in our Halloween
poll below. You can earn a bonus entry for your giveaways!
QOTD: I know the Coronavirus has affected a lot of our plans in
2020, but how do you usually celebrate Halloween?
Do you take your kids trick-or-treating, dress
up for a costume party or masquerade ball, OR do you aim to have the
coolest decorated house on the block?
Feel free to add a comment to the post thread below
with your answer as well. But try to include one for sure if you answered
‘Other’. I’m always open to learning about unique holiday traditions! 😉
Once again, scroll up and select the giveaways you
are drawn to, and then place an entry on the Rafflecopter for each prize. If
you’d rather contact me directly, email me with the book titles you’re interested in, and I’ll individually place
you in the drawings for those contests. The big giveaway will run for a week.
We’re so excited to have you here! Happy prize hunting…and
have a wonderful autumn season!
