Spotlight: An Angel for Avery by Ciara Lake @CiaraLakeWrites @Shades_of_Rose

An Angel for Avery by Ciara Lake

Angels are among us. When Avery encounters her own angel, he brings her tidings of great joy!

Avery Royce has recently landed her dream job-the prestigious position of head pastry chef at a quaint historic inn in Maine. But she's on her own for the first time in her life and things aren't going well. Homesick and surrounded by resentful co-workers, she needs to get away, but she can't get time off work. Then she purchases a beautifully crafted Christmas ornament, and her life is forever changed.

Entombed within the fine glass of the ornament by a powerful wizard, Aiden has spent an eternity waiting to be freed. When a beautiful mortal woman's tears finally frees Aiden from his prison, he's eternally grateful. Still, freed does not mean the danger has ended. When an old nemesis begins to stalk Avery, Aiden will have to fight to save her and the love they are destined to have.

Content Warning: contains explicit sex and some violence

Excerpt:

Confused, Avery didn't know whether to rush out of the cabin or sit down. This is so odd. "Dear God, I'm going bonkers." For several minutes, she sat there trying to rationalize what was going on.

When she looked up, she saw her crystal angel laying on the table only inches from her elbow. The ornament sparkled at her.

She picked it up. "How did you get here?" She caressed its wings. Again they looked as if they were in a different position.

Tears started rolling down her face. What's wrong with me? Her tears rained down on the ornament, washing it. She wiped them away with her fingers, and the ornament gleamed even brighter. She set it down and sighed. Obviously, I need a mental health evaluation.

"Be at peace, child. I bring you no harm," a deep male voice said.

Startled, Avery looked up. She gasped in fear at the sight of a man sitting next to her at the kitchen table. When she looked closer…it was the angel from the crystal ornament, now flesh and blood. He was vibrant and colorful, with black hair, dark eyes, and a nice tanned complexion. To be sure, she glanced down to where she'd placed the ornament on the table. It was gone. He truly was there, materialized into a full-sized man sitting next to her.

"You can and will accept my presence. All is well, Avery." Warmth emanated from him, making her feel flushed, but his words strangely relaxed her.

His features were strong, as perfect as they had been in crystal form. Surprisingly, he touched her arm as if to soothe her. A scream started to form her throat. Then she froze, unable to make a sound.

"Be at peace, young one." Huge white wings unfurled behind him. "I am a heavenly angel, I mean you no harm." Tilting his head to the side, he studied her. Once more, a calming sensation passed over her, chasing all fear away.

Avery coughed, nearly choking.

"Do not scream. All is well."

She sighed. As if hypnotized, all she could do was stare into his sparkling eyes. They were captivating. Intelligence and wisdom stared back at her. In the lamp light, his skin glowed with an unearthly radiance. When he smiled, his teeth were perfectly white.

"I am Aiden. I was trapped within the crystal prison until you freed me with your tears the night you brought me home."

"Are you my guardian angel?" Avery asked in a soft voice.

"No. I am a guardian angel, however, I have not been assigned to protect you. It is happenstance I am here and that you rescued me with the shedding of your sweet tears."

"My tears?"

"Yes, when your tears fell on my crystal prison, it reversed the wicked one's curse, freeing me from captivity."

"How come I'm not freaking out more about all of this?" she asked. "I'm oddly accepting."

"Yes, you are. It is perceptive of you to notice. I have calmed you with my words. For centuries, angels have appeared to men and reassured them with mere words. It is one of our special gifts."

"Oh."

"I have been imprisoned for more than a century. Much has changed."

"How do you know my name?" She pulled back from him.

"I heard Norm call your name."

"Did Norm see you?"

"Yes, and I allowed my presence, my angelic persuasion, to make him change his attitude and show you more respect."

"How?"

"I have a supernatural influence over people, especially weak ones. Norm is a simple man with a coward's heart. It was easy to sway his thoughts with only a glance from me." He chuckled. "Also, I know your name because the magazines are addressed to Ms. Avery Royce."

Avery studied her unusual guest. Even seated he was imposing, taking up most of the space in the room. His sword rested against his knee, shimmering in the light.

"Do you use your sword?" Avery nodded toward it.

"If and when necessary, but if my sword bothers you, I will put it away." He waved his hand, and in a flash, the sword disappeared. "I had grown used to needing it regularly when I was fighting off the wicked one. It seems my sword did me little good. Despite my efforts, the wicked one caught me and imprisoned me. Then he took my ward's life." He shook his head sadly. "I deeply regret my failure." Aiden stood up, towering over the table.

"Dear me, you're big." She looked him over.

"I am a warrior," he reminded her. "I protect those assigned to me with brute force as well as angelic abilities."

Buy Links: Beachwalk Press Amazon Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

Reading and writing is a wonderful diversion from an often-difficult world. I love to create my own stories and have control over how things will end. It's exciting to create brand new worlds and characters. My imagination can come alive.

In sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal stories, I can invent wonderful places and people. Anything is possible in these genres, it's limitless. I'm able to create an escape into a special world filled with unique and fantastic things and there is always a happy ending.

A high school teacher inspired me to write. However, instead of initially pursuing my writing career I became a lawyer. I work in divorce court, so erotic romance is a great escape. There can be true love and happy-endings, at least on my pages.

My two children and I have two good-humored dogs that share our home and ease our stress. I have traveled and lived all over the world, and these experiences have given me great creative ideas. I look forward to creating many more adventures in romance.

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Promo Blitz: Earthwalker By Kellie Wallace @kelliewallace85 @RABTBookTours

Earthwalker - PROMO Blitz

By Kellie Wallace

Urban Fantasy

Date Published: 1/29/2014

Noah is an angel whose job relies on collecting human souls who aren't ready to leave their vessels. To his brothers Michael and Gabriel, he is just another rookie, earning his arch angel wings. When Noah catches an earth bound demon in his form stealing a soul, he is sent back to Heaven to plead his case. But no one believes him. He is banished from heaven for a crime he didn't commit, given one year on earth to find the demon responsible for his framing. If he fails to do so, he will be dragged to hell for eternity.

On his first day on earth he meets publishing assistant Fern Holliday who helps him get back on his feet. She is reluctant in getting close to him, but agrees to help Noah find the demon. By following the signs Michael sends him, Noah and Fern travel the world in search of the demon. They grow closer every day until Fern is struck down by a mystery illness. Noah is at loss at what to do as her condition worsens. Before the year is up and he returns to heaven empty handed the demon appears agreeing to be taken back, only if Noah takes Fern's soul to Lucifer. Will he follow the strict rules of heaven or succumb to his heart? Meanwhile Lucifer's army is growing stronger.

EXCERPT

Noah entered the hospital foyer and shivered, his wet woollen coat dripping water onto the laminate floor. Around him people moaned, writhing in pain or comforted loved ones. He always hated coming to hospitals, the trip often leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

A young nurse engrossed in her paperwork passed him unaware of his stained clothes, wet from the rain. He must have stunk, having spent most of the night shivering in an alleyway, gaining the courage to come inside the building. He gazed at the nurses behind the reception desk taking calls and admitting new patients. They wouldn't notice if he snuck down the hall to Room 205.

He inadvertently lifted a hand to caress his left shoulder, branded with a handprint of an archangel. It stung tonight meaning his next soul was nearby. He remembered the night he'd gotten the brand, lying on his bathroom tiles dying of a heroin overdose in 1965. He didn't see who'd grabbed him from near death but he did remember their grip on his shoulder, their fingers boiling his skin like plastic. His soul, ripped from his body, pulled through the ceiling and into the stars. He woke up days later, hovering over a dead body. He didn't recognise them, or how they died but somehow he knew what to do. He rested his hand upon their shoulder and was temporarily impaired by a bright light. It was gone as quickly as it came, leaving behind a feeling of euphoria. Whatever he had done felt right. A baby's cry snapped Noah back to reality, back to the dripping coat and the chill in his bones. The smell of the hospital nauseated him. He tapped his notepad against his chest and remembered the job he had to do. He wandered down the hall passing the dead or dying in their hospital beds. They were not his tonight.

When he approached Room 205, he fished in his pocket and withdrew his leather-bound notepad. Embossed in gold was the name of his next soul. Damien Jacobs. According to Noah's Intel from Heaven, the man had terminal cancer, dead for at least an hour. But his soul was still affixed to the hospital, not ready to leave Earth.

Noah pressed a hand against the door and searched the halls. A nurse ducked into a room nearby, a patient hung by the cafeteria. No one paid him any attention, so he turned invisible, sucking energy from the objects around him. Reaping souls took stamina and energy, draining him quickly. He had a short window of time before he materialised again.

Noah stepped into the room and paused to listen to the sound of weeping. Damien lay dead in his bed, tubes still attached to his lifeless body. After all these years as an angel, he could never forget the colour of the human skin once a soul left the body. The fragile area around Damien's eyes appeared transparent and elastic. His family sat around him, hunched over, each gripping onto a piece of his blanket, desperate to capture his soul before it left his body. Noah saw movement in the corner of his eye. Damien stood beside him in a white hospital robe, his face blank and deadpan. "Am I dead?"

Noah froze, knowing his answer could change Damien's fragile frame of mind. When a soul is fresh from the body, there was no telling whether they would be agitated or bitter about their death. It all came down to the first interaction. An angel must treat them as though they were still alive, human.

He took a steady step towards Damien, his hand out stretched. "I am afraid it is true. But you must come with me now," he said gently.

Kellie Wallace

Born in Sydney, Australia Kellie Wallace developed a love for the written word early in life, recalling her earliest memory when she was three years old. Her father used to read to her when she was a child, establishing a deep love and respect for books. Kellie wrote a bit in high school, most memorably her first fantasy book called Giblin the Conquer, an X Files fan fiction and a military fiction. She didn't write another word until 2007.

After finishing high school, Kellie moved to the sunny Northern Beaches from the Central Coast and carved a successful career in the media/advertising industry writing for numerous Sydney based publications.

An aspiring novelist, Kellie fulfilled a dream in 2008 having her first book All She Ever Wanted published by Zeus Publications at the age of 22 years old.

In 2013, Kellie released her next catalogue of books Darkness before Dawn, Skylark. In her spare time she loves to write, game and draw. Her first crime fiction novel To lean of falling men will be out in 2014, along with EarthWalker and dystopian Edge of Tomorrow.

Authors Links

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PROMO Blitz: Scarlet Revenge by Ann McGinnis @RABTBookTours

Scarlet Revenge - PROMO Blitz

By Ann McGinnis

Romantic Suspense

The FBI doesn't know what to do with Analyst Caycee Scarlet. She's brash, brilliant & brutally relentless when tracking a serial killer. But she also has a temper, problems with authority figures and recognizing the chain of command.

Things go sideways for Caycee when she uncovers a lead that saves the Omega Killer's latest victim. Rather than working the system and making nice with her pompous boss, sparks fly and she gets into an altercation with the lead Special Agent on the case, resulting in a transfer to another assignment.

Caycee finds herself transferred to an FBI interrogation facility where she assesses the most dangerous of criminals in custody. She struggles to get over the loss of her dream job, but her new boss, handsome Special Agent Gil Graham, may soften the blow. Sparks, of a different variety, fly between the Special Agent and his new Analyst, as they work together to crack the most difficult cases.

Just when Caycee's wounds are healing from her expulsion on the Omega Killer team, she is dragged back into the thick of it. Caycee and her new team are front and center, focused on an interview of a bombing suspect, when Omega comes looking for revenge. His attack wounds her team, leaving Caycee with only one option for help-the devastatingly handsome bombing suspect. It will take all of Caycee's wits, and a kiss for luck, to stop Omega and save her co-worker.

EXCERPT

Chapter One

Our steps echoed down the stark hallway. Clean. Institutional. And utterly amazing. Caycee Scarlet was finally walking along the hallowed hallways of the FBI. It was a good day for me.

"Say nothing, Scarlet," Special Agent in Charge Tony Wilkes ordered. He threw me a look over his shoulder. "Even if someone asks you a question, keep your mouth shut." He laughed to himself. "No one will ask you a question."

Wilkes had already made it clear that I was the newest member of the Omega Killer Task Force. As such, I should listen more than talk, act fast when given orders, and let the seasoned team members guide my every move. It seemed like the equivalent of an FBI-whipping boy. Or girl, in my case. I didn't care. Everyone started at the bottom. I was ready to put in the time needed to earn their respect.

At least, I looked good in a form-fitting black suit. It was more than I could afford, but I figured I would live in the outfit. Besides, it sent a message. I valued my appearance, even if I had to dress like a man, I'd still look like a woman.

I'd had the suit cut to fit my curves, which were on the athletic side. My auburn hair pulled into a no-nonsense ponytail. It hung past my shoulders, showing off my best feature - my eyes. As a window into my soul, they were unflinching. I did admire my own intelligence, probably a character flaw, but hopefully that wouldn't show in my eyes. The traits I wanted to show: no nonsense, quick witted, relentless.

"You get the crap jobs," Wilkes said, acting as if his honesty was attractive. A few hours in the gym and hair implants, maybe. Not that I didn't find bald men attractive, just not this one. "I can't lie," he continued, "we'll be throwing you every crap job that this case delivers, but you're on a big case. That don't happen to many newbies."

I wasn't that new, but I guessed he didn't count the eight months of testing and background checks. I did. Or my training at Quantico. It all counted to me.

The agency gave us two years to prove ourselves. After that, candidates either earned their spot or were let go. I couldn't imagine putting in all that time and failing.

I had a feeling success would require long hours and serious ass-kissing. I just needed to find someone with a cute ass. It sure wasn't Wilkes.

We passed three large rooms filled with personnel. One looked to be the size of a football field filled with cubicles. "You'll be in here," Wilkes waved, "but first I want you to see the Dugout."

He led me to a large conference room, its walls filled with crime photos, running news feeds and a huge whiteboard for pertinent case data. "The Omega Killer is priority number one," Wilkes said, opening the conference room door for me. "This is where the main players are at bat."

I slowed at the door, sensing a real sports theme to the way he liked to operate. Perhaps one day, I'd be his most valuable player. It looked competitive, though. Wilkes's team already consisted of veteran agents and analysts. They seemed a cohesive group, working in unison to stop a psychotic killer.

Wilkes quickly ran through Omega's deadly stats, but he didn't need to bother. I knew the case inside and out. Killers were my hobby.

I made the mistake of saying that to a date once. I never saw a man escape faster, admonishing me by exclaiming: "You're sick, truly sick." Hopefully, my academic interest in killers wouldn't repel men in the FBI.

Not that I was here to find a man, but I was twenty-eight and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere in this organization was my perfect match. After all, I needed a man who liked to catch killers.

"Are you listening to me?" Wilkes sounded irritated.

"Yes, sir," I answered. "The Omega Killer marks his victims' forehead with the sign of the Omega. All indications are that it signals the moment he's ready to make the fatal cut, into his victim's left breast. Such a wound, based on other serial killers, suggests Omega has mommy issues, but I personally believe that it signals a desire to find love."

Wilkes made a face at me. Clearly he did not care for my analysis. "That's not what I was talking about. Geez, he wants to find love? Table that thought, quickly, and get back in the game."

He raised his arms, showing off the Dugout. "Welcome to the nerve center of our investigation. We call this the show," he said, then clapped his hands together to get the room's attention. "Everyone, this is Intelligence Analyst Caycee Scarlet."

The agents, analysts and techs turned from their work. Some at laptops along one side of a long mahogany conference table and others working on reports across from them. Several agents were standing, talking in a small group. They barely looked over at me, too busy for someone below them on the FBI food chain. The analysts nodded an acknowledgement. Matter-of-fact. No smiles. No words of welcome.

I gave a half-hearted nod to the room, hoping I'd make a better impression later. Probably much later, if I was reading the total lack of interest correctly. It must be the pressure of catching Omega. Tension hung in the room. With twelve victims to date, catching the killer had them all wound up.

Wilkes pointed to a side table stacked with boxes. The top one filled with old cell phones, victim personal effects and police reports. "We need them properly catalogued. You know, a searchable database. I'm told you were the most anal student in your class. Go at it."

His voice trailed off, but I didn't know if he'd stopped talking or I'd stopped listening. Maybe a little of both, because I read the whiteboard. One of the hand-scribbled numbers was written incorrectly.

Without thinking, I went over to the board and used the heel of my right hand to wipe off an area code. Everyone in the room stopped working and screamed at me.

"What have you done?" Wilkes shouted louder than anyone else.

I came out of my trance and blinked at him. Whatever I said next could make or break me, so I said nothing.

"Every piece of information is vital to solving the case," he scolded. He turned to the room. "Can we fix it? What was that number?"

Blank stares.

I quickly picked up a dry erase marker and wrote the numbers back on the board. It was only three digits.

Screams went up all around me again.

"What?" I asked. "That's the number I erased. But it's wrong. It's a phone number, right? Someone transposed the area code. 3-7-1 is not an area code, but 7-3-1 is New Jersey."

No one screamed at me that time, but their looks were deadly.

"Is that right?" Wilkes asked the room. His eyes darted from the whiteboard to the closest agent. He wanted confirmation before his head exploded.

"Shit," the agent said.

Wilkes grabbed his head.

The agent couldn't look at me. "She's right, sir."

"Okay, we're okay, fix it and double-check everything that goes on the board, people," Wilkes barked.

The agent took the dry erase marker from me and fixed the numbers. Wilkes waved two fingers at a petite woman with raven hair twisted into a bun. "Take care of this." He pointed at me.

FBI Analyst Nina Dunbar instantly responded. She rolled her eyes and grabbed a stack of boxes, indicating with her elbow that I was to take the rest. "Follow me," she sighed. "Consider this your first and last favor."

I shot a glance at Wilkes, but he already had his nose in a file folder, barking orders to the closest agent. He had no time for me. No one did. I exited the conference room, utterly deflated by my welcome to the FBI.

Ann McGinnis

Ann McGinnis started writing romantic suspense to combine two things- thrillers & foreplay! Connect with Ann and upcoming news about the Scarlet Suspense Series:

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On Pinterest: pinterest.com/scarletsuspense

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Release Day Blitz: Pan's Conquest By Aubrie Dionne @AuthorAubrie @GHBTours

Pan's Conquest

By Aubrie Dionne

Expected Publication Date- February 24th, 2014  

Syrinx pulled a fast one on Pan to escape his raging lust. The God of Chastity wasn't about to break her vows and succumb to his temptations. Transported to the twenty-first century, she runs a florist shop - fulfilling her fake, mortal life. Until the breathtaking Parker Thomas hires her to decorate his grand estate for a gala. Five hundred roses? Easy enough. Except Parker makes her feel things she can't ignore... 

As the God of Fertility, Pan is used to maidens flocking in droves to his pastures. So when Syrinx denies him, he's determined to win the one that got away. He poses as a mortal to get close to her, but he doesn't count on falling hard for his conquest - hard enough to make a life and stay. 

But Syrinx is falling in love with a man that doesn't exist. Can Pan hide his identity forever, or will the truth tear them apart?

 

  

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