Book Tour: Demon Inhibitions By Gary Starta

Demon Inhibitions

by Gary Starta

About The Author:

Gary Starta is a former journalist who began writing multi-genre fiction in 2004. He likes to include science theory in his stories as well as elements of paranormal, fantasy, mystery and romance. 

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Genre: Paranormal Romance/Science-Fiction

Publisher: Self-Published at Amazon Kindle
Release Date: March 15, 2013
Amazon

Book Description:

Most people don't travel to another universe to get a new job, house and boyfriend but psychic investigator Caitlin Diggs did. Now she's living the life of her alternate self, working for the FBI's Preternatural Division where her first case just happens to include chasing a genetically engineered man hell bent on stealing souls. Well, there had to be consequences. 

Demon Inhibitions Excerpt

When she found I had visited Manners, Briana began scurrying about her house, scooping up a pair of scissors and a red candle. Before I could speak further, she came at me. I backed away from her in fright. Her placid face revealed nothing malevolent. But the shears were headed right for me. I tried to dive away from the contradiction. Who was the real Briana? The sweet woman who made cookies for me--or her shears wielding maniac counterpart now standing before me? She screamed not to worry. I heard a snip. I felt a strange sensation. Not pain. But something was no longer attached to me. It was a piece of my hair. She caught the floating lock in her hands as if it were a runaway feather.

"It is very important we get to work, Caitlin." Too stunned to process the weird moment, I could barely utter a groan.

Then she explained how she must protect me. "He'll surely make a visitation now that he has met you."

I tried to explain it was a good thing. I would probably get a vision of him and then I could determine his part in the slayings.

She interrupted. "A visitation is what he'll do to you. I don't know how to break this to you but the cat judge is an incubus. He'll surely come to you in your dreams. And in case he is our murderer, you'll need a protection spell, pronto."

I reminded her I carried a firearm. I had worked in the FBI.

"No earthbound weapons can harm the judge once he joins with you. An incubus enters your dream world."

'How do you know this?" My tone grew edgy. She had obviously withheld knowledge of Manners. Maybe the two were friends or even lovers. And she just admitted an incubus could have committed these crimes without fear of being harmed or caught.

"I know things because I'm a witch, Caitlin. That explanation will have to suffice for now."

If you're truly a witch, Briana, you must know he's our best suspect."<br<

"I do not wish to make sentence of him, yet. He could very well be innocent, even though he is not human. You must not be quick to judge. Don't forget you now have paranormal abilities. You wouldn't want to be labeled guilty just because of who you are."

She had me there.

I settled in for the spell.

"I will create a mind shield for you, Caitlin Diggs."

She began to chant, inviting me to join her.

"I call upon the helpful powers of my ancestors. Please protect and shield me from harm. By the ancient ancestral power, blessed be!"

Briana played soft Celtic music for me as we waited for the spell to take effect. I tried to distract myself with the lovely dulcet tones of harps and violins. It almost worked until my stomach rumbled--again. We never had supper. Briana was too intent on saving my ass. For what seemed hours we held hands waiting for the candle to burn down. I had plenty of time to drink in the ambience of the McFadden household. Floral print furniture and lacy doilies surrounded me. But most disturbing, a poster of Cher is depicting the actress as a witch in the film Witches of Eastwick, hung right before my eyes. When the candle finally expired I yawned and thanked Briana.

"Don't thank me yet. The night is now upon us. We must return to your house if we hope to engage the judge."

"Won't your presence discourage Manners from coming?"

"No." She paused to smile. "You could have twenty police armed to the hilt and he'd still come. Nothing from the waking world can harm him."

muttered something unintelligible even to me.

"I'll be in the next room to supervise so to speak. When he comes I'll sense it. I will then cast a binding spell so he can't attack you - or worse, drain you. Now the spell won't last indefinitely so you won't want to waste time with small talk. Hopefully you'll be able to determine his innocence or guilt in your dream."

had once interrogated an evil man named Crowley in a dream state. It didn't go so well. But at least he didn't threaten to harm me. Maybe he couldn't. I still don't know; but I was sure of one thing if the judge threatened me in anyway I would defend myself. I didn't care what Briana said about the dream and waking worlds. I went to bed packing a handgun.

My Review

I was given a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.

Caitlin Diggs had worked as a topnotch special agent for the FBI for fifteen years. Five months ago she resigned from her job; a job that she loved it was her life. She never planned on quitting but she lost her lover and partner and started seeing visions when she came in contact with people and it was hard for her to keep her emotions under control. She was afraid that people would start to figure out what was going on with her and she would end up in a straight jacket. So she left DC and moved to Salem, Massachusetts where all the paranormal was said to be.

She left DC because she couldn't continue living a lie; she had to tell people about her abilities. She moved to Salem to become a private investigator where she could use her abilities to help people. She was hoping that moving to a town like Salem, being the most celebrated town for paranormal activity, maybe she wouldn't end up in that straight jacket. She thought hey you know maybe she was called to Salem for that very reason to help people by using her abilities.

Someone was killing women in Salem and Caitlin believed it to be a demon, Mollini. She followed him to another realm an alternate world from the one she lived in. She met a man Manners there that she had met in her world. In this alternate world Caitlin had a twin of sorts, a double. There was not another Manners in this world. Not everyone had a double in both worlds. Caitlin had to try and stop this demon from killing women in her world. It was her job to stop demons from harming humans. Someone had to do it as they say but Caitlin loved her job or she loved working for the FBI. Caitlin cared about everyone humans and demons alike. It didn't matter to Caitlin if they were demons or humans, to her there was good and bad in any one of them. Caitlin was on the side of what was right no matter who you were. All she cared about was doing the right thing.

Demon Inhibitions had you on the edge of your seat the whole way through wondering what was going to happen next. There were so many twist and turns with just the right amount of mystery to keep you hanging on right up til the very end. You never knew what was happening. When a writer can keep you in the dark where you don't know what is going on until the end now that is what I would call a great writer.

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Blog Barrage: Curve My Appetite (1NS) by Melissa Kendall

Curve My Appetite (1NS)
by Melissa Kendall
Erotic Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Release Date: March 15, 2013
Heat Level: Sizzling
Word Count: 9,000

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Description:

Sally Austens' sexual experience is limited and unsatisfactory at best. Now, as she turns thirty, it looks like the relationship train has missed her stop. When a friend tells her about 1Night Stand and suggests it might just change her life, she's skeptical but shoots for the stars when asking for her perfect date. Go big or go home, right?

Dean Martorino lives in the public eye. Surrounded on a daily basis by society's idea of stunning beauty, he longs for a woman with curves he can get lost in. At the suggestion of his long-time friend and manager, Dean shares his secret with Madame Eve hoping she can find him a match to fill his arms and satisfy his desires.

Can Sally accept the beauty Dean sees in her long enough to curve his appetite or will they both go home hungry?

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains explicit sex scenes and/or situations and adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.

Excerpt:

For the umpteenth time, Dean checked his phone. Still no text. He sighed in frustration. Thirty minutes after they'd agreed to meet, and no sign of his date.

His misgivings about the 1Night Stand concept weren't eased by the fact she hadn't arrived yet. He longed for something different, but one-night stands were not his usual idea of fun. He preferred long-term relationships. Jerry, his best friend had assured him Madame Eve's services were more love matches than sex.

He'd laughed, at first, finding the whole idea ridiculous. He doubted even the mystical Madame Eve could find his perfect woman. Jerry had laughed, too, but then he got serious and asked, "What do you have to lose?"

Dean's regular fitness regime kept him in shape and looking good for thirty-five. The women he met were stick-thin, self-obsessed, and semi-plastic, typical of the industry he worked in. Most of them were pretty, and though he'd dated a few, they weren't what he fantasized about. No, in his dreams, the ladies all had natural and much curvier figures.

Big, curvy women had always fascinated him. Because he lived his life in the public eye, he'd been reluctant to go after what he wanted. At his age, though, with his career on the downhill slide, he realized he didn't care anymore. He'd had his time in the spotlight. He wanted to settle down and have a family. Hence, he'd decided to find someone who loved him, not his public persona. He'd spent too long denying his true identity.

A knock made his heart skip a beat. She's here. After a quick check in the mirror, he steeled himself and opened the door.

His mouth went dry and all coherent thought fled. Even if he had the words to express how she blew him away, he didn't think he could find his voice. He ogled the gorgeous, buxom brunette standing in the doorway. His admiration cut short, as her face paled.

"You're-" She stopped talking mid-sentence, her eyes rolled back into her skull.

Reacting on instinct, he reached out and wrapped his hands around her waist, trying to catch her before she hit the ground. However, instead of stopping her from falling, he was pulled to the carpet, too, both of them crashing in a heap.

Women fainted around him all the time. It no longer freaked him out. It was, however, the first time he'd fallen to the floor with one. Her pulse thumped strongly under his fingers. Relief washed over him; she was okay. The ridiculousness of it all hit him and a deep belly laugh escaped his lips.

Even with the less than successful start to his date, the feel of her in his arms had parts of him standing to attention. His curiosity dictated he find out more. Madame Eve had made an excellent choice. She might have found the perfect woman after all.

My Review:

I was given a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.

Dean worked out and tried to stay to stay in shape and he could have any woman he wanted. Women were always falling at his feet literally. Most of the women he met were skinny and more into their own self than any man. But Dean didn't fantasize about skinny women he fantasized about big curvy women. Dean liked his women with love handles. He wanted a woman that cared more for life and other people than she cared about herself and how she looked all the time. Dean heard about Madame Eve from a friend and thought he would give her agency a try; you know see what happens.

Sally has kept to herself not going out with men afraid that she would get hurt again. No man wanted to go out with a big curvy woman like herself. When she was in college she met a guy whom she thought cared about her a lot or at least that he is what he told her but she found out later that he was just a jerk. He did her wrong and hurt her very bad and she never trusted any man again. Sally believed because of her size that no man would or could ever love her. But after hearing about Madame Eve from a friend she decided that she would have one more night of wild night of sex before she gave up all hope.

I love the 1NS stories and would love to read all of them. I have truly enjoyed reading everyone that I have read so far. But there was something about Curve My Appetite that just touched my heart. I don't see or understand how Sally's boyfriend that she had while in college could do something like that to her. Anyone that can do that to another person has no heart. They are an evil, cruel and a poor excuse for a human being. The 1NS stories may be short but that is how they are supposed to be. If you have not read a 1NS story yet then you do not know what you are missing. Give them a chance who knows you may like them. Curve My Appetite is one 1NS story that will stay with me for a very long time.

About the Author:

Melissa is a 37 year-old stay at home mum and part-time Software Support Consultant. She lives in Perth Western Australia the most isolated capital city in the world.

She's always loved to read and write and spent most of her teens scribbling poetry and short stories on any scrap of paper she could get her hands on. Over the years as daily life pressures got in the way she lost the passion for it. After her son was born, she discovered online books and her interest in writing was rekindled. It has been a large part of her life ever since.

She writes a little bit of everything but contemporary erotic romance is her favourite genre. Check out the links below for details on her other works.

Website | Blog | Twitter

Giveaway:

Amazon Gift Card from Melissa Kendall
Open internationally and ends July 15. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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Promo Tour: The Crimson Key By Wes Dodd

The Crimson Key

by Wes Dodd

Wes Dodd was born in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1958, currently residing in Southside Virginia. He has two daughters and three grandchildren. Within the last couple years he has discovered a passion for creating and breathing life into great stories. He has published three novels: The Crimson Key, a mystery, The Secret Guardian, fantasy and Saving Faith, a romantic thriller.

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The Crimson Key

Genre:Mystery

Publisher: Outskirt Press

Release Date: July 2012

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Book Description:

David Paige, a young detective from Charleston, S.C., is about to embark on an investigation of a lifetime-his own. After an unexpected tragedy shatters his perfect world, he discovers that his mother had been keeping a life-long secret from him, revealing that he is not who he believed he was. With no family member to turn to, David has to rely on his detective skills and a mysterious item left to him from his mother-a crimson-colored key.

The search for the truth takes David to New York City, where he runs head on into lies, deception and murder, all in an attempt to cover up a string of dreadful crimes. Then if this is not enough to deal with, he falls for the daughter of a prominent man, both sharing an undeniable attraction-which complicates his life even further.

It isn't until a near-death experience, and help from his mother through several frightening nightmares, that the pieces of the puzzle finally begin to come together. The Crimson Key ultimately unveils many secrets, surprising many people including David-opening his eyes and heart as well.

Chapter 1

On a dark mid-November night in 1986, rain fell hard from the black sky above, rain bitterly cold like liquid ice. The fierce wind whipped it in sheets, punishing anything in its path. On the outskirts of Philadelphia in a suburban neighborhood, a fiery red Z28 slowly pulled to a curb in front of a small three-bedroom, single-story brick house. The driver, a distraught young woman, slowly leaned forward, resting her head on the leather-covered steering wheel. She cried uncontrollably. A few minutes passed before she finally reached up and turned off the ignition, silencing the motor and radio just as Michael Jackson's Thriller was ending. She sat up straight once again, wiping her face in an attempt to regain her composure for the clandestine mission ahead of her. She cast a pair of glassy eyes to her right, drawn to a small basket much like a picnic basket in the dark leather seat beside her. While she gazed relentlessly at the basket, she realized once again that she had made the right decision.

Alice Paige rose up in her bed, awakened by a pounding on her door. She peered at the clock-1:07 a.m. She carefully placed her book on the nightstand, the book she was reading when she drifted off. "Who is at my door at one in the morning?" she thought to herself as she slipped on her heavy brown robe. Reaching the front door, she pulled the curtain back carefully, just enough to peek outside. Though the front was dimly lit and the rain poured down, she instantly recognized the figure that stood on her front stoop. The long blonde hair and familiar curvatures of her slender face could be but one person. Alice slowly opened the door and invited her twin sister, Amber, inside.

Alice and Amber were identical twins at birth, though now complete opposites in many ways. Alice had light ash brown hair that she kept very short. She never wore makeup and was considered plain-looking and ordinary in her ways. Amber, on the other hand, was gifted with rare beauty and a voluptuous figure. She did very well in beauty pageants and at age eighteen went off to New York City in pursuit of a modeling career. Alice remained hidden in her shadow.

Amber entered slowly, carrying an odd-looking basket covered entirely with a blue blanket, wet from the rain. She tugged a large suitcase on wheels that seemed to be very heavy. She sat the basket down gingerly, as if what lay hidden within might be fragile. Amber then fell into her sister's arms, releasing a flood of emotions. She hugged Alice tightly, clinging firmly to her as if hanging on for dear life.   

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Bewitching Book Tours Sizzling Summer Giveaway

Bewitching Book Tours and over 35 Authors have joined together for a Sizzling Summer Giveaway. There are Four Giveaways Three of which are for Print Books, Ya Books, Ebooks and one Grand Giveaway for a Kindle Fire HD 8.9" Screen, 16GB, Wi-Fi. So check out all the giveaways below and enter one or all four.

Giveaway One: Kindle and swag packs

1 Kindle HD -30 authors joined together to offer a spectacular grand prize A Kindle Fire HD 8.9" screen , Wifi ,16GB $269 value Open to US shipping, if outside US you can receive an equal value Amazon Gift Card

1 huge package of book swag from Bewitching Book Tours filled with fun goodies from Bewitching Book Tours, owner Roxanne Rhoads and numerous Bewitching authors including a Starbucks giftcard from Gina Conkle

4 packages of book swag from Bewitching Book Tours- filled with fun goodies from Bewitching authors

1 mixed swag pack of various book swag from Milly Taiden

1 book swag from Constance Phillips

$15 Amazon gift card from Sky Purington

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Giveaway Two: Print Books

1 set of Bleeding Hearts (Demimonde #1) and Blood Rush (Demimonde #2) by Ash Krafton- US Shipping

2 sets of Her Dear & Loving Husband and Her Loving Husband's Curse by Meredith Allard open to US Shipping

1 Kidnapped by Maria Hammarbald us shipping

1 ROGUE ORACLE and DARK ORACLE by Alayna Williams- us shipping

1 EMBERS and SPARKS by Laura Bickle- US shipping

1 Fall of Sky City by SM Blooding US Shipping only

1 signed set of DARK LIGHT OF DAY and FIERY EDGE OF STEEL by Jill Archer

1 Life After the Undead and Death to the Undead by Pembroke Sinclair- US shipping

1 DiSemblance by Shanae Branham

1 Shield: Allie's War, Book Two by JC Andrijeski (or Revik: Allie's War, Early Years) by JC Andrijeski

1 signed copy of VICIOUS CIRCLE by Linda Robertson (or any other title written by her if winner already has VC)

1 DiSemblance by Shanae Branham open to International Shipping

1 The Necromancer's Seduction by Mimi Sebastian open to International Shipping

2 print copies of The Chosen by Annette Gisby, US/Canada and UK entrants

1 Print or ebook Copy of Night Hawk by JE Taylor to US residents or ebook (mobi or epub) for international folks. If US resident would prefer ebook - that can be done as well.

1 Print or ebook Copy of Hunting Season by JE Taylor to US residents or ebook (mobi or epub) for international folks. If US resident would prefer ebook - that can be done as well

1 Winner's choice of print or digital (.mobi or .epub) of Royal Street or River Road by Suzanne Johnson, in either U.S. or U.K. editions; open to international.

1 Winner's Choice of print, audio, or digital (.mobi only) of Redemption, Absolution, Omega, or Storm Force by Susannah Sandlin open to international.

1 All three books in the Phaeton Black, Paranormal Investigator series The Seduction of Phaeton Black, The Moonstone and Miss Jones, The Miss Education of Dr. Exeter by Jillian Stone. Print or eBook any format, reader's choice Ebook open international

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Giveaway Three: YA Books

1 Signed print copy Portal by Imogen Rose- US Shipping

1 Signed print copy of INITIATION by Imogen Rose- US Shipping

1 print copy Hollow's End by Marianne Morea- US Shipping

5 print copies Visionary Unleashed by N. Dunham US shipping

1 THE HALLOWED ONES by Laura Bickle- US Shipping

1 print copy The Ifs (middle grade book) by JD Pooker

1 print set of Reckoning and Relentless by Molly Hall- US shipping

1 ebook copy of Soul Meaning by AD Starrling

1 ebook copy of King's Crusade by AD Starrling

1 ebook copy Hollow's End by Marianne Morea

5 ecopies Visionary Unleashed by N. Dunham

5 ecopies of Portal by Imogen Rose

5 ecopies INITIATION by Imogen Rose

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Giveaway Four- Ebooks

1 ebook copy Flashback by Maria Hammarblad

10 ebook copies of Shield: Allie's War, Book Two by JC Andrijeski (or Revik: Allie's War, Early Years)

1 Tyrant of Tarsit (Time travel romance) by Holly Hunt

2 ebooks of New Zealand with a Hobbit Botherer by John Gisby (international)

1 each Bleeding Hearts (Demimonde #1) and Blood Rush (Demimonde #2) by Ash Krafton

2 copies each Her Dear & Loving Husband and Her Loving Husband's Curse by Meredith Allard

1 Winner's choice Caged Heat or Wolf Protector by Milly Taiden

1 ecopy Resurrecting Harry by Constance Phillips

1 The Cat's Meow by Stacey Kennedy

1 Stavros is giving away 1 of each- eBook copies of Dead Girl: A Romantic Zombie Tale of Revenge, Blood Junky, and Love in Vein

1 Murder on Mars (A New Orleans Mystery) by MM Shelley

1 Little Red Riding Wolf by Jessica Aspen, mobi or epub available

1 Cindy Spencer Paper is giving away an E-book - winner's choice of any available on her website.

1 eCopy of The MacLomain Series Boxed Set by Sky Purington (Books 1-4), PDF or gifted to Kindle

5 free copies of DRAGONSTONE by Paula Millhouse : pdf, emobi, ePub

5 ecopies of THREE WISHES by Paula Millhouse pdf, mobi, ePub

1 ecopy SMOKE AND MIRRORS (The Gifted, Book 1) by Marie Treanor

1 ecopy SERAFINA AND THE SILENT VAMPIRE (Serafina's, Book 1) by Marie Treanor

1 BLOOD GUILT (Blood Hunters, Book 1) by Marie Treanor

1 Annie Nicholas is giving away Reader's choice of any ebook from her backlist winner's choice of .pdf, epub, mobi.

1 one e-book set of the first two books in the Seven Seals Series (Seal of Destiny and Seal of Surrender) by Traci Douglass

1 ecopy Wucaii by Pembroke Sinclair

2 ebooks of Silent Screams by Annette Gisby (international)

2 ebooks of Shadows of the Rose by Annette Gisby (international)

3 EBOOKS (one set): THE CROSSE HARBOR TIME TRAVEL TRILOGY by Barbara Bretton

1 More Than Friends by Jessica Jayne (.epub, .pdf, .mobi)

1 In Flames by Jessica Jayne (.epub, .prc and .pdf)

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Release Day Blitz Of Consuming Fire By Micah Persell

Release Day Blitz

Of Consuming Fire

By Micah Persell

Paranormal Romance

Date Published: 7/8/2013

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After millennia of faithfully guarding his post in the Garden of Eden, the cherubim Jayden flees. He leaves everything—including his sword—behind, disobeying orders for the first time in his existence, and all because he can sense her: his Temptation. She’s close, and Jayden can’t allow himself to be weak: to fall the way his brothers have for centuries whenever they encounter their very human, very beautiful Temptations. But he has a job to finish. He must regain the integrity the Trees have lost through being tested by vile humans, and it will require blood. It’s his only purpose, and he will finish it, whether he wants to or not; the Compulsion will ensure he has no choice. And if seeking out the humans he must kill brings Jayden into contact with the one woman who could destroy everything he is, he may never be able to resist her.

   

 A victim of rape, Grace Tucker, Ph.D. knows that she can and must keep all men at a distance at any cost. She’s spent years perfecting her arsenal of man-deflecting weapons; her weight and acerbic wit are just two of her most effective munitions. Grace pours herself into her work, constantly seeking to fill the void of self-worth left empty by her attackers’ horrifying actions. And her latest job—translating a dead language engraved into an ancient sword—could be just the thing to finally launch her career and make Grace feel alive for the first time in years.

Neither Jayden nor Grace is prepared for what happens when they meet. A terrible accident places Grace at death’s door, and Jayden allows the unthinkable to take place out of guilt: he lets his intended victims heal her with the fruit from the Tree of Eternal Life. Grace immediately Impulse-pairs with him, an outcome he should have expected as she is the one woman on the earth who can bring him down.

EXCERPT

It hurt. God, it hurt so bad.

And why were they pushing on it so hard? Touching her. Jericho and Dahlia’s hands were weapons themselves, adding to her agony as they applied pressure to the gaping wound marring Grace’s gut.

She tried to tell them to stop, was sure that she had, but she only tasted blood on her tongue.

That thing—the most beautiful, terrifying being she had ever seen—had…killed her. She was dying.

And maybe that was okay. She was so tired of being afraid. Of looking for someone to hurt her around every corner. She wasn’t afraid right now, and it was the first time that’d happened in years. It almost made the pain worth it.

Almost.

Cold. Her teeth started to chatter. With a rush of relief she realized she could no longer feel their hands upon her. Her body was going blessedly numb.

But it was so cold.

Dahlia scooped her up into her arms and cradled her against her chest, rubbing her hands up and down Grace’s arms. “Shh,” she said. “It’ll be over soon, Red. Shh….”

Grace was still conscious enough to struggle, but when her efforts were unsuccessful, she realized her numb body did not react to Dahlia’s touch as it always reacted to human contact. Without the ability to feel the pain of Dahlia’s touch, Grace was shocked to discover that the other woman’s embrace was…pleasant. It was the first time someone had put their arms around her in—she couldn’t remember. A sudden, intense desire to live roared through her, and Grace tried to fight, to say something. But instead of a sound, her efforts brought another rush of blood.

The strength left her limbs, and she sagged into Dahlia’s lap. Black began to edge in on her vision, so Grace closed her eyes to prevent watching it.

Dahlia tucked Grace’s head into the curve of her neck and began to hum something soft and sweet. Grace smelled cinnamon. She relaxed. If she had to go—

As her senses dimmed, she heard a scuffle.

“Get away from her!” Jericho yelled. “Let her go in peace, for God’s sake.”

“She needs this,” said a voice Grace had only heard twice but immediately recognized as his. “Now! Right now—”

A heavy silence met his insistence, and Grace wondered for a second if she had slipped away into death, but then she felt slices of renewed pain that must mean Dahlia was laying her down again.

The fear that had abandoned her for a few blessed moments rushed back in. What were they doing? She had no way of knowing.

“Quickly,” she heard him say again, desperation dripping from his voice in a near moan.

Another rustle, and then the sweetest scent she’d ever encountered. A mix of peach and sun-warmed earth and sky. She tried to hum in approval, but cut off when she felt a curious sensation where the sword had sliced through her. It started off as a trickling tickle, but soon grew uncomfortably warm. It launched throughout her entire body, causing her back to bow.

She opened her mouth, and her scream rent the air. No flow of blood accompanied it this time, she realized dimly, as her limbs flinched and jerked on their own.

All pain disappeared and in its place was ecstasy. Pleasure like nothing she had ever felt warmed her to the tips of her fingers and toes. She moaned loudly as she turned to her side and curled in on herself. Her hands encountered the torn fabric of her blouse and jacket, but then felt smooth skin where moments ago had been carnage. The pleasure faded, and her fingers tentatively explored her abdomen.

The wound was…gone.

She opened her eyes to a world that was a blur. Colors blended with colors, shapes with shapes. Her fingers rose trembling to her eyes and bumped against her glasses. On instinct she whipped them away, and the world fell into immediate focus. She saw her surroundings with a clarity she had never known before; a clarity she instinctually knew was greater than human capability.

She was lying in a pool of her own blood, its vivid red color causing her to jerk upright. She looked around slowly. Jericho and Dahlia peered at her with cautious hope. “What—?” Grace’s hoarse voice gave out.

A harsh noise behind her caught her attention. “You’re alive,” he said on an exhalation of breath.

She jerked around, her eyes finding him immediately.

He stood close—too close—and his eyes roved over her in a way that could only be described as proprietary. He was gorgeous. He had the beautiful dusky coloring of the exotic Middle East: mouthwatering dark skin, warm black hair that cascaded in waves around his shoulders. She craned her neck back to take in his stature. He was huge—tall and broad—but instead of being terrified, she reveled in his height and the wings that spread behind him and glimmered in the glow of the emergency lights. She sucked in a breath as she glanced over the wide expanse of his chest and down the flowing white robe that covered his body. Her gaze traveled back to his face and was snared by lush, full lashes framing light, honeyed-green eyes.

“Angel…” she heard herself mutter.

And then the world tilted violently as a soft, strong Voice whispered inside her mind: He’s yours. The One.

Author Bio

Micah Persell holds a bachelor's degree in English and a double master's degree in literature and English pedagogy. She is an avid reader of all types of literature, but has a soft spot for romance. She currently teaches high school English classes in Southern California. Her paranormal romance series, Operation: Middle of the Garden, and her "wild and wanton" edition of Austen's classic Emma are available now through Crimson Romance.

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Promo Tour: Kiss Me in Paris By Kimberly Kinrade and Dmytry Karpov

Travel to the most romantic city in the world and fall in love with Winter and Cade!

If reviewers can be believed-and OF COURSE they can be-then Kiss Me in Paris is an epic tale of love, romance, family, friendship and forgiveness. For those of you who might think this book is just another insipid romance, not so my friend.

Not so.

You will pee your pants laughing and cry your eyes out weeping. You will become so angry you might need to punch something, and you will sigh in pure happiness. One reviewer even left part of her soul IN THE WORDS OF OUR BOOK.

Yes, this is the power of Kiss Me in Paris. It's SOUL STEALING, and we are not going to apologize for that.

You see, we are the authors, and we are married, living our own epic romance. So epic we even had a fan-following during the early days of our courtship. So we know love.

And we know you will love Kiss Me in Paris-a book that has garnered only FIVE STAR REVIEWS on Amazon as of the writing of this, and, we hope, forever and always!

This week is our wedding anniversary, and Kiss Me in Paris is our first book baby, so we're celebrating by offering this EPIC SAGA for only $2.99. That's $2 off launch price and less than the cost of a cup of coffee.

And it's fat free, gluten free, calorie free and won't stain your teeth.

It will also take you longer to read than a cup of coffee takes you drink, and it will give you an entire adventure in Paris. Unless you're drinking your coffee right there in the city of love, no coffee is going to do that for you.

If you are drinking your coffee in Paris right now, then firstly, we're jealous (send us a postcard, mmkay?), and secondly, still read this book, because PARIS. And LOVE. And EPICNESS.

Here's the part where we tell you about the book, but it's really not enough to do it justice. So let us first say that there is just so much in Kiss Me in Paris. Layered themes and a sexy cowboy studying to be an architect, and a girl who's a dreamer with a dark past, and gargoyles and Notre Dame and mazes designed by futuristic architects (because that's an actual thing, and Cade will tell you what that means), and heartbreak and love and happy endings and evil and just SO MUCH.

But here's the 'official' blurb about Kiss Me in Paris

.

Kiss Me In Paris

When the city of love brings two lost souls together, only their darkest secrets can tear them apart.

Winter Deveaux tried love once. It didn't end well. Unable to open herself up to another heartbreak, she hides in her romance novels as she struggles to break out as a real author. She thinks Paris holds the answer to a new start, but when her nightmare follows her across the world, she's forced to face the darkness living like cancer inside her soul. If she doesn't, she might miss her chance to become the kind of writer she's always wanted to be. But more than that, she'll miss out on the greatest love she's ever known.

Cade Savage is heir to the largest ranching family in Texas. Part cowboy, part architect, Cade has his feet forever in two worlds. When he receives an acceptance letter from the school of his dreams, he must decide between family and destiny. But ghosts from his past still haunt him, and circumstances beyond his control may decide his fate.

When Winter and Cade meet, everything they believe about life, love and what it means to be happy is put to the test.

Will the magic of Paris pull these two lost souls together? Or will their darkest secrets tear them apart?

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Full length novel: 87, 000 words

Kiss Me in Paris is a standalone novel in the Kiss Me Series. Travel the world with the Deveaux sisters as they find love, and trouble, in all the right places.

Reviews are in for Kiss Me in Paris

5 stars "I experienced every emotion as each character felt it. Every tear, every laugh, all of the fear, anxiety, and stress, I experienced every last bit of it. And even though this is a romance, there are tears. I cried more times reading Kiss Me in Paris than I did watching Nicholas Sparks' The Last Song. Kiss Me in Paris left me hollow when I finally finished it. I feel as if a piece of me was left in the words as I read <this is where the book STEALS SOULS>. And for once, I have a book to call my favorite." ~Merumei on Amazon

5 stars "A timeless and beautiful love story that will sweep you off your feet, but it's also much more than that. <We're not making this part up. These are real reviews.>" ~Amy Conley, Amazon

5 stars "Beautifully drawn characters and stunning pallets that bring you in to Paris itself. <Where else are you going to get a trip to Paris for $2.99. WHERE?>" ~Stormy, Amazon

Some favorite quotes from Kiss Me in Paris

• "One star breaks off from the others, shooting across the sky, a bright light trailing behind it, and I finally understand why people wish on dying stars. Because something always has to die for life to give birth to a new dream. "



• "Paris is pregnant with layers of history, colored with the ink of artists who dared to dream of a world only they could see."



• "It's like I'm giving birth from my mouth." <You'll understand this when you get to chapter 5. Then you'll pee your pants laughing.>



• "It's the nature of being human that, in our own blindness, we lash out and blind others."



• "I think of Winter, of her smile, her eyes, her arms wrapped around me, and I know where home is. It's wherever she is, and right now she is too far away. My heart has escaped my body and is walking Paris without me."



• "She opened herself to him, and, in that moment, she opened herself to the world. Let it hurt her. Let it burn her veins, boil her blood and scorch her heart. For where there could be pain, there could be pleasure and love. She would be cold no longer. She would melt the hearts of others, and in turn, they would melt hers. She would feel the full spectrum of emotions and cry. She would be human. And she would be happy."

And this is just a SAMPLE. It's like hearing an inside joke if you weren't at the party. So go to the party, and by this stretched metaphor we mean READ THE BOOK. Then you can laugh and *le sigh* and cry and be a part of the cool crowd.

Also, we have a blog post over at Kimberly Kinrade where we write about our first kiss. And we had our first kiss within 5 minutes of being face to face for the first time. Intrigued? Check it out here and enter more giveaways!>> Kiss Me in the Airport: Our first kiss

Pick up your copy of Kiss Me in Paris on Amazon, B&N, and wherever ebooks are sold (Except iBooks, sadly, because they are taking FOREVER to publish books. So if you have an iPad, iPhone or iAnything, get an Amazon app for free and you're set). Look for the paperback and hardback coming soon.

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About Kimberly Kinrade and Dmytry Karpov

Dmytry and Kimberly are the husband and wife writing team behind the KISS ME Series, Eye of Newt, Sunrise and Nightfall, Wanderlust, and The Fallen Series.

Kimberly is the award-winning, bestselling author of the New Adult paranormal romance series The Seduced Saga, the YA paranormal thriller/romance The Forbidden Trilogy, and children's fantasy series The Three Lost Kids.

Dmytry writes fantasy-be it urban, dark or epic-is a musical composer, pianist, and designs books covers (exclusively for his wife's and their co-authored books).

They live with three little girls who think they're ninja princesses with super powers and who are also showing a propensity for telling tall tales and using the written word to weave stories of wonder and magic.

Become a member of the Street Team for Kimberly and Dmytry

Connect with Kimberly online:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon | Goodreads

Connect with Dmytry online:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | Amazon | Goodreads

Giveaway:

Kiss Me in Paris swag bag
Custom charmed ribbon bookmark
Effeil Tower earrings
fun Paris goodies

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Review: Eyes Ever to the Sky By Katie French

Eyes Ever to the Sky
By Katie French
Series:The Sky Trilogy #1
Genre: Romance, Teens & YA
Number of Pages: 190
Source: NetGalley
Published: May 7, 2013

Amazon

Book Description from Goodreads:

When Hugh wakes up in a smoldering crater—no memory, no clothes—a single thought echoes in his head…trust no one. Frightened and alone, with no memory of who he is, he stumbles upon a grisly murder scene and is fatally shot. He wakes, only to find he can heal himself. He has superpowers, and he’s going to need them.

Desperate and bleeding, Hugh stumbles upon fifteen-year-old Cece, who’s got enough troubles of her own. Between caring for her bipolar mother and trying not to get evicted from her run-down trailer, Cece may be the only person struggling as much as Hugh. Drawn to Hugh, Cece finds a love she’s never known. But when the real killer—a man-hunting beast—chooses another victim, Hugh and Cece realize they must unlock the clues to their past if they have any chance at a future.

My Review:

I was received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.

Cece is a fifteen year old who lives in a trailer park with her mother who is bipolar. Mother and daughter rolls are turned around most of the time. Cece has to take care of her mother and be the parent most of the time. Cece has not seen any of her family since she was a little girl. Her mother won't have anything to do with her family and has a lot of secrets. Cece knows very little of her mother's family and nothing about her father's but that is to be expected because she doesn't even know who he is. Cece has reached her limit with taking care of her mother. She doesn't know what to do anymore; she has done all she can or knows how to do. She needs help and knows that she is going to have to call or find out more about her mother's family with her knowledge of course.

Hugh wakes up in a crater, a big hole in the ground with no clothes on and no memory of who is or where he came from. He knows enough to stay hid and out of sight of other people. He sneaks around at night trying to find something to wear and food. He meets Cece behind Lizzy's Ice Cream where she works. Cece is afraid at first but she can tell that Hugh is more afraid himself than she is. She doesn't know or understand why she trusts him and takes him home with her. Hugh knows not to trust anyone but for some reason he trust Cece besides he needs help and has to trust someone or he will starve to death. Hugh has a good heart although he has no money and no memory he still knows right from wrong. Hugh and Cece become to care about each other a lot and would risk their own lives to save the other. To save themselves and everyone else on earth they both realize that they both will have to find out who they are and about their past.

I have read all of Katie French's books and I do recommend them to anyone who likes a good read. Katie is an extremely fantastic author. I have loved everything she has written. If you like to read dystopian then you need to check out The Breeders Series. Eyes Ever to the Sky is not dystopian but it is definitely worth your time. I never wanted put down I wanted to keep reading until the end but sometimes you have no choice but to lay it down. When I was not reading it my mind was buzzing wanting to know who Hugh was and with wanting to know more about Cece and her friend Fer. I felt bad for Cece having to grow up too fast and having to take care of her mother. She missed out on her childhood she never really had the chance to be a child.

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Book Tour: The Penton Legacy By Susannah Sandlin

Omega
The Penton Legacy, Book 3
By Susannah Sandlin
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Date of Publication: February 5, 2013
ISBN: 978-1612183596
ASIN: B0073XV3L2
Number of pages: 328
Word Count: approx. 88,000

The bloody war between the Vampire Tribunal and the defiant scathe of Penton, Alabama, rages on, forcing its residents and their bonded humans to retreat into the underground fortress of last resort: Omega. There, Will Ludlam is charged with the care of Penton's humans, though he longs to fight alongside his vampire brethren. He knows the risks: as the renegade son of the Tribunal's vicious leader, Will's capture could doom the resistance.

Yet he is determined to prove his worth to his adopted scathe, to his vengeful father and to former US Army officer Randa Thomas, his beautiful, reluctant partner. Randa has little faith that a former member of the vampire elite has what it takes to fight a war. But as their enemies descend upon Omega, Will's polished charm and Randa's guarded heart finally give way to the warrior within.

Fans of Susannah Sandlin's Penton Legacy are sure to devour this long-awaited third installment of the steamy paranormal series.

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Excerpt:

Will stopped and scented the air again. There were two vampires nearby; one belonged to the Penton scathe, and one didn't.

He ignored both vampires and skirted to the back of the street where the burned shell of his house still smelled of smoke and ash after three days. Aligning his position with the oak tree twenty feet behind what was left of his chimney, he paced forty steps into the woods.

A thorny bramble that had been draped over a small, scrubby bush pricked his fingers when he pulled it back. Grasping the trunk of the bush, he eased it from its loose grasp in the soil, exposing the top of a metal box.

The loud click of a cocked pistol preceded the cold press of steel against the back of his head by less than a second.

He inhaled, annoyed. A rookie mistake. He'd gotten so engrossed in his task he'd let someone slip up on him.

Vampire.

Penton scathe.

Female.

Freaking Randa.

* * *

Randa grinned, enjoying the disgusted look on Will's face. "If I were your father, I'd already have the silver spoon back in your mouth, Willy. He'd have you trussed up like a rodeo calf by now, hauling you back to wherever it is he lives when he's not terrorizing innocent people."

Will Ludlam was the kind of guy Randa Thomas had hated as a human, and she didn't like him a bit more as a vampire. Less, in fact. Not only was he a spoiled rich boy, he was now a virtually immortal spoiled rich boy. He had probably been a blue-chip jock in school with a 4.0 GPA and a string of girls trailing his every step.

Plus, he annoyed the hell out of her. The consummate smartass.

"No, if you were my father, you'd have slit my throat-not enough to kill me, but enough to make sure I couldn't fight back." His voice was soft, calm. "Then you'd hand me over to your sadistic, freakshow of a second-in-command Shelton, who would play with me until I couldn't take it anymore. Only when I was good and broken would you return the silver spoon to my mouth."

Good God, would any father really do that? Will didn't sound as if he were joking. Randa relaxed her stance for only a split second before the world tilted and she hit the ground, landing on her back with Will stretched out on top of her in a full body press. And he had her gun.

"Damn it." She pushed against him but it was like pressing on bedrock.

He propped on his elbows and grinned down at her. His hat had fallen off in the scuffle and the moonlight glinted off his hair, making it look silver instead of a naturally streaked blond. And he had dimples, as if God hadn't already rewarded him with enough in the looks department.

"And if I were my father, you would be dead. Or worse. Believe me, with Matthias, there's always much worse. Give up?"

She squirmed again, but froze when she realized he was getting turned on by her movements. There was definitely more of him pressing on her than there had been a few seconds earlier.

He laughed, a white glint of teeth in the moonlight. "Oh, don't stop moving, sweetheart. This is getting more and more interesting."

Yeah, she could feel exactly how interested he was getting. She felt a very un-vampirelike flush of heat as he wedged a knee between her legs. Damn it. She clenched her teeth at her body's betrayal-which he'd be able to sense. She hated being a vampire; there was no sense of privacy. "Get. Off. Me. Now."

Will lowered his head and, damn him, inhaled deeply, with his face pressed against the side of her neck. Her carotid artery also thumped in a very unvampire-like cadence. She waited for the smartass comments to start.

Instead, he lifted his head and looked her in the eye. She could swear his heartbeat sped up, although it was hard to tell over the pounding of her own. Well, this was awkward.

He blinked and opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.

Well, that was one good thing. Will had been stricken dumb, at least for a moment. It wouldn't last.

Absolution
The Penton Legacy, Book 2
By Susannah Sandlin
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release date: October 9, 2012
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Format: Ebook
Number Of Pages 307

With the vampire world on the brink of civil war over the scarcity of untainted human blood, battle lines are being drawn between the once peaceful vampire and human enclave of Penton, Alabama, and the powerful Vampire Tribunal.

A Scottish gallowglass warrior turned vampire in the early 17th century, Mirren Kincaid once served the Tribunal as its most creative and ruthless executioner-a time when he was known as the Slayer. But when assigned a killing he found questionable, Mirren abandoned the Tribunal's political machinations and disappeared-only to resurface two centuries later as the protector and second-in-command of Penton. Now the Tribunal wants him back on their side-or dead.

To break their rogue agent, they capture Glory Cummings, the descendant of a shaman, and send her to restore Mirren's bloodthirsty nature. But instead of a monster, Glory sees a man burdened by the weight of his past. Could her magic touch-meant by the tribunal to bring out a violent killer-actually help Mirren break his bonds and discover the love he doesn't believe he deserves?

It's a town under siege, a powerful warrior in a battle with his past, and one woman who can make the earth move-literally-as the Penton Legacy continues.

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Excerpt:

What was Matthias thinking, throwing a human woman in the cell with a vampire who'd been locked up and starved for over a month?

Mirren waited on the bench, his back against the wall, his head down. Waited until Matthias climbed the steps, slammed the door, clicked the dead bolt home. Waited until he could get control of the hunger that had begun raging the second the woman stumbled down the stairway. She was invaccinate, and he wanted nothing more than to take her, blood and body, until there was nothing left.

If he did that, he'd be no better than the version of Mirren Kincaid he'd tried so hard to leave behind. He'd be the Slayer again. His hands could too easily remember the mindless sweep of the sword, the heavy fall of the battle-ax, the controlled back-thrust of a heavy firearm. If the cold darkness ever fell over him again, he feared he'd embrace it.

"Mister, you awake?"

Shit. She would have to be a talker. Mirren hated a talky woman. They always expected you to talk back.

He raised his head slowly and caught his breath. She was young, maybe mid-twenties, and pretty in a rode-hard kind of way.

"Your eyes are silver-I've seen enough vampires since I was kidnapped to know when your eyes get lighter, it means you're hungry. But I've never seen any like yours. How long has it been since you ate? Umm…Make that how long since you drank?"

If the stupid woman kept walking toward him, he wouldn't be held responsible. "Stay where you are." He narrowed his eyes at her, thinking. How could she help him without sending his need so far over the edge he lost control of it?

She eeked when he shifted on the bench and turned his back toward her. "Untie me."

She stumbled a little when she reached the bench and sat hard. The woman was stoned out of her gourd. He could smell the drugs on her. "Your wrists are all torn up. That has to hurt." She sat on the bench behind him, and Mirren breathed in her scent with his eyes closed. Damn, but he wanted to feed so badly his muscles ached.

She muttered as she worked, her drug-addled fingers slipping off the rope. "You're so big that I'm surprised this rope could hold you. I should be able to…Let's see here, it's too dark. Man, this is funky rope."

"Stop yapping, start untying." She had that broad, soft Southern accent he found sexy, but she used it way too much.

"Yeah, yeah, okay." She tugged harder on the ropes, burning his sensitive wrists with each pull. "Sorry, sorry. Why is it burning your skin like that?"

Mirren growled and spoke through gritted teeth. "It's laced with silver, and I'm a freaking vampire. Just untie me." Damn, he had to get himself under control, or he'd scare the woman to death and she wouldn't finish freeing his arms or feed him either one.

"Well, you've got the funny eyes, but I don't see any fangs."

God help him, he'd show her some fangs. "I said I was a vampire. Now finish untying me."

Mirren twisted his wrists and felt the rope give way-the woman had gotten it loose enough that he didn't need her help.

"But wait, how do I know you-"

She gasped as Mirren pulled his wrists apart, popped the rope onto the cell floor, and shifted around to face her. "Can you…?" She paused and swallowed hard, edging away from him on the bench. Mirren's gaze dropped to her mouth. "Can you feed without killing me?"

Mirren nodded slowly. Maybe. Maybe not.

Redemption
The Penton Legacy, Book 1
By Susannah Sandlin
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Format: Ebook
Number Of Pages 357

Following a worldwide pandemic whose vaccine left human blood deadly to vampires, the vampire community is on the verge of starvation and panic. Some have fanned into rural areas, where the vaccine was less prevalent, and are taking unsuspecting humans as blood slaves. Others are simply starving, which for a vampire is worse than death-a raging hunger in a creature too weak to feed.

Immune to these struggles-at first-is Penton, a tiny community in rural Chambers County, Alabama, an abandoned cotton mill town that has been repopulated by charismatic vampire Aidan Murphy, his scathe of 50 vampires, and their willingly bonded humans. Aidan has recruited his people carefully, believing in a peaceful community where the humans are respected and the vampires retain a bit of their humanity.

But an unresolved family feud and the paranoia of the Vampire Tribunal descend on Penton in the form of Aidan's brother, Owen Murphy. Owen has been issued a death warrant that can only be commuted if he destroys Penton-and Aidan, against whom he's held a grudge since both were turned vampire in 17th-century Ireland. Owen begins a systematic attack on the town, first killing its doctor, then attacking one of Aidan's own human familiars

To protect his people, Aidan is forced to go against his principles and kidnap an unvaccinated human doctor-and finds himself falling in love for the first time since the death of his wife in Ireland centuries ago.

Dr. Krystal Harris, forced into a world she never knew existed, must face up to her own abusive past to learn if the feelings she's developing for her kidnapper are real-or just a warped, supernatural kind of Stockholm Syndrome in which she's allowing herself to become a victim yet again.

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Excerpt:

Krystal Harris pulled to the shoulder of the two-lane road-highway was too grand a word-and punched the button to turn on the old green Corolla's dome light. She counted to five before thwacking it with the heel of her palm, and a dim light blinked as if considering her demand. It stayed on-this time.

The car was a dinosaur, but it was a paid-for dinosaur.

She dug a folded Alabama road map from beneath her briefcase on the passenger seat, smoothing the creases to make sure she hadn't driven past Penton, which she suspected was no more than a wide spot on a narrow road. She didn't want to get lost out here in the boonies.

Yep, County Road 70. The highway to Penton just looked like the express lane to nowhere.

A gust of wind rocked the car, sending icy air around the loose door seals. Maybe the chill of this night was an omen that she should take this job if they offered it, just so she could buy a more respectable form of transportation. Still, doubts nagged at her. What kind of clinic conducted a job interview at nine p.m.? She should never have agreed to it, but the Penton Clinic administrator had waved big bucks in front of her huge college and med school debts, and she'd trotted after them like a donkey after a carrot.

"You had the goody-two-shoes idea of practicing rural medicine, plus you're already here," she chided herself, clicking off the overhead and pulling back onto the road. "And you've gotta admit, this is rural."

Another omen, and not a good one: she was talking to herself. Out loud.

A couple of miles later, her headlights illuminated a battered wooden sign covered in peeling paint: Welcome to Penton, Alabama. Founded 1890. Population 3,275.

Twenty years ago, maybe. Krys had done her Penton homework, and that was the boomtown population, when the mammoth East Alabama Mill still churned out threads and batting. It had wheezed its final belch a decade ago, and the town had suffered a slow death by attrition even before the pandemic. The most recent listing Krys found online estimated a population of three hundred. She was surprised they could afford to hire a doctor, much less pay a more-than-competitive wage.

But this was what she wanted, right? A place to practice medicine and be her own boss, to find a community where she could belong? After growing up in Birmingham-the wrong side of Birmingham-she hated the grime and crowds and noise of the city.

Lost in thought as she approached the outskirts of town, she thought she saw an animal in the road-a deer or a bear, maybe-God only knew what wildlife lived out here. But it was a man. He wore a long coat that flapped in the wind and was backlit by a lone streetlight in front of an abandoned convenience store. She'd have blown past him if he hadn't moved into the middle of the road when the glare of her headlights hit him like a spotlight.

He stood with his hands in his pockets, feet planted apart, watching calmly as she floored the brakes. The Corolla's old tires squealed, stinking up the air with the smell of hot rubber and stressed brakes.

Good Lord. Was he nuts?

She got the car stopped and took a deep breath, hands frozen to the wheel, her muscles jittery from the aftershock. The man walked around and tapped on her driver's side window, motioning for her to lower it.

Krys's foot hovered over the accelerator, indecisive. Should she drive on and get the hell out of here?

No, by God, she should not. She'd at least lower the window enough to tell the jerk how close he'd come to ending his life as a hood ornament on a green Toyota Dinosaur.

He held up his empty hands in a gesture of peace. Right. Like he was going to hold up a sign that said Beware of Murderous Backwoods Whack Job.

She snaked her right hand to her purse in the passenger seat, wrapped cold fingers around the handle of a small pistol, and slipped it into the pocket of her suede jacket-after she was sure the man had seen it. The .38 Smith & Wesson snub-nose was her security blanket, and she knew how to use it.

His only reaction to the gun was a raised eyebrow. "I have a man injured here." His voice was deep and melodic, and he had a trace of an accent, as if he'd grown up not speaking English but had been around a few too many Southerners. "You the doctor coming to Penton for the interview?"

She lowered her window an inch and stared as he knelt next to the driver's side door, putting his face at eye level. And damned if it wasn't one of the most beautiful faces she'd seen since…maybe ever.

He'd pulled his dark hair into a short ponytail except for one wavy strand that had pulled loose and blew against his cheek. The streetlight cast enough illumination for her to see the dark lashes fringing blue eyes that reminded her not so much of summer skies or robin's eggs but of the richness of an arctic sea flowing over darker depths. They appeared to lighten as he studied her with an intensity that almost robbed her lungs of air. He had a strong jaw, full lips, and a slight cleft in his chin.

If he was a serial killer, he was at least a pretty one.

He cleared his throat. "Are you Dr. Harris?"

Krys caught her breath. Good Lord, what was wrong with her? She'd been practically drooling through a half-open window as though he were Adonis personified. He could be Charles Manson's separated-at-birth, unidentical twin.

Except he knew her name.

Author Interview:

The Avid Reader: What inspired you to write the Penton Legacy series?

Susannah Sandlin: Well, I had this raging 103-degree fever and…seriously! Don't laugh. Two or three years ago, when the H1N1 virus was starting to make the rounds and there still wasn't a vaccine for it, I got it. And While I was sick, I started thinking about pandemics and the ways a vaccine that changed human blood chemistry might impact a vampire. About the same time there was a big kidnapping case on the news and I started to thinking about Stockholm Syndrome. Somehow, it all ended up as a paranormal romance series!

The Avid Reader: When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Susannah Sandlin: I decided I wanted to be a journalist when I was a senior in high school. Up until then I either wanted to be a doctor or an artist-go figure. I could draw a little and I was good in math and science. But I've worked in feature writing and editing ever since. I only began writing fiction about five years ago, but I've always been in love with language.

The Avid Reader: What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?

Susannah Sandlin: I grew up in a really small town in Alabama, and I remember being in our tiny town library at age five or so, "reading" Beatrice Potter books. I think I'd read everything in the library-including some things I had no business reading-by the time I got out of elementary school. Somehow, at age eight or nine, most of the nuances of Gone with the Wind flew right over my head…you know, like the plot!

The Avid Reader: How cool is this? I am a Bama Girl myself.

The Avid Reader: What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

Susannah Sandlin: I'm a pretty democratic reader. I read a fair amount in my genres of paranormal romance and urban fantasy, but I also historical or sci fi or thriller. I read a lot of nonfiction because I'm always researching something for my writing. The only genres I tend to dislike are epic fantasy and space opera. Although I have threatened to read Game of Thrones.

The Avid Reader: What is your favorite book?

Susannah Sandlin: Like, ever? Yikes. Ah………I usually say Stephen King's The Stand, because it's the first book I remember obsessing over for weeks on end. But I also loved some of the early big family sagas of Susan Howatch.

The Avid Reader: Stephen King's The Stand is my favorite book as well. I own almost all of his books.

The Avid Reader: You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?

Susannah Sandlin: I'll trot out Stephen King again. I think he's a masterful storyteller, whether or not you like horror or psychological suspense. He's great at creating deep characters and building suspense until you can't put the book down.

The Avid Reader: Stephen King has been my favorite writer since high school. I know what your saying about him building suspense. Stephen actually has you sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what is happening. And just when you have almost given up on finding out what happens next bam he slams you in the face with it.

The Avid Reader: If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?

Susannah Sandlin: Am I kind of, like, immortal when I time-travel? Because where I'd really like to go would be a scary place-the little corner of Alabama where I grew up, at the time of the Civil War. My great-great-great grandfather, Daniel, sent three sons to fight in the Union cavalry…yes, that's right…the UNION cavalry. That's always fascinated me, and I was always proud that he stood up for what he believed in. All three sons died (if my gg-grandfather hadn't only been ten, he'd probably have gone too and I wouldn't be here). Daniel spent the last couple of years of the war hiding out because his Confederate neighbors wanted to hang him. I'd like to meet the stubborn old cuss.

The Avid Reader: When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?

Susannah Sandlin: The first draft is usually painful, but every book is different. I had fits with Redemption, the first Penton book, but Absolution was a breeze. It practically wrote itself. Omega was a nightmare until I finally cracked open the shell of my hero and was able to get inside his head.

The Avid Reader: Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?

Susannah Sandlin: I am a dog lover! I have two seniors right now. Shane, the Irish terrier, was a terror when she was younger, but she's 15 now and has slowed down. Tanker, the Black Chow-Golden Retriever mix, is 14 and deaf as a fence post. He barks all the time because since he can't hear himself, he seems to think I can't hear him either. He's very wrong.

The Avid Reader: What is your "to die for," favorite food/foods to eat?

Susannah Sandlin: OMG. The Shrimp and Alligator Sausage Cheesecake from Jacques-Imo's, my favorite restaurant in New Orleans. I lived there for almost 15 years and still consider it my hometown. I know it sounds strange, but trust me. It is absolutely to die for. I'm going to New Orleans in September and I'm already daydreaming about it!

The Avid Reader: Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?

Susannah Sandlin: Be prepared to work hard. I always tell people that there are a lot of other authors who outsell me, but there's no one else that outworks me. If you want to make a career of this, it takes a lot of work. A touch of OCD doesn't hurt!

Susannah Sandlin: Thanks for having me here, Nancy! I'd like to offer a giveaway of one of the Penton novels or the newest standalone, Storm Force, in choice of print or digital-or an author swag bag if the winner already has read the books! Just tell me your pets' names, if you have some.

The Avid Reader: Of course Susannah, a giveaway is great. We all love giveaways right? So, what do you say we have everyone who wants to enter leave a comment with their pets names?

About the Author:

Susannah Sandlin is the author of paranormal romance set in the Deep South, where there are always things that go bump in the night. A journalist by day, Susannah grew up in Alabama reading the gothic novels of Susan Howatch and the horror fantasy of Stephen King. (Um…it is fantasy, right?) The combination of Howatch and King probably explains a lot. Currently a resident of Auburn, Alabama, Susannah has also lived in Illinois, Texas, California, and Louisiana.

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