Review: A Bid for Love (Decadent's 1NightStand Series) by KT Grant

Title: A Bid for Love (Decadent's 1NightStand Series)

Author: KT Grant
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Length: 43 pages
Sub-Genres: Contemporary, May-December, M/M

Blurb:
Anthony Conlin is a forty-one year old workaholic in love with his twenty-nine year old neighbor, Reece Whitmore, who looks like he belongs on the cover of GQ magazine. Anthony longs for Reece to the point of obsession, but doesn’t think he stands a chance because of their difference in age, his graying hair and a less than rock hard physique.

When Anthony’s friend, Jagger Castillo urges Anthony to try the matching services of One Night Stand, Anthony still refuses because of his crush on Reece. But Jagger, along with the help of Madame Evangeline, the owner of the 1NS has something up their sleeves to make certain Anthony and Reece finally get together.

A charity auction sets the stage and rolls into motion a night Anthony and Reece will never forget.

Warning: MxM (Gay)

Don't read any further if you below 18.

A Bid for Love was romantic. Completely. I couldn't stop swooning. There were tons of aww's and come on's thrown in there too. Just a little warning to all the people who don't mind male on male. This book is graphic and not for young readers. Graphic but well written. KT Grant is awesome and her installment into the Night Stand series was excellent. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series written by other authors that will entail different other characters (duh).

Tony is my favorite character, he's an introvert and excessively shy. Well, so he says. I found all his qualities cute. And the fact that he's into his neighbor who is way younger than him makes his cute quality stronger. Old he may be but cute nonetheless. 

Reece is another story. He's incredibly hot and a used to be player. Now, he's saving himself for Tony. (I know right). Thing is they're both too scared to say anything to each other. (awh)

A Bid for Love is a short (40+ pages), sweet, romantic, and sexy (incredibly) read. Its good for one sitting and a reaaaal page turner. Love the part at the auction. :D

An Excerpt for your pleasure.

BUY LINK

The ride up to the fortieth floor was pure torture. Although they were alone in the elevator, they stood so close together their shoulders brushed. Sweat trickled down Anthony’s back and he shifted his legs to ease his throbbing hard-on. A minute more and he’d have his hands down Reece’s pants and him back against the wall.

The doors opened with a ding and his shoulders relaxed in relief.

“Are you okay?” Reece frowned, staring at him as they walked out of the elevator and down the hall. “Your face is red.”

“Stuffy in there. I don’t like closed-in spaces,” he mumbled and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.

Reece slid the key card into the lock. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about confined spaces much longer.”

Anthony followed him into a room double the size of his condo. The floor-to ceiling windows provided a breathtaking view of the glittering Vegas skyline. In the center of the room was a hot tub big enough for six people. A full bar and a table covered with a sumptuous array of candies, cakes, and other dessert items stood off to their left.

“Would you get a load of this.” Reece wandered into the bedroom and inspected one of the plush maroon pillows. He sat on the bed and bounced. “Pretty durable.”

He tried not to stare at the king size bed with a cherry wood headboard, and airy comforter most likely hiding high quality cotton bed sheets that would whisper against a sleeping person’s skin. Cutting off a groan, he walked over to the bar where a pair of iced champagne bottles bracketed a dish of chocolate-covered strawberries, a favorite of his. Reece re-entered the room, kicked off his shoes, and removed his socks.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going in the hot tub.” Reece began unbuttoning his shirt slowly as his eyes beckoned him to follow his lead.

Anthony focused on one of the strawberries. Clothes dropped to the floor, and then a deep, satisfied groan, and a small splash. He peered over his shoulder to find Reece, eyes closed and head resting against the edge of the tub, a satisfied expression on his handsome face.

I bet that’s how he looks after a night of lovemaking.

Author Bio:

KT Grant is a self-proclaimed eccentric redhead who not only loves to read a wide variety of romances, but also loves writing it. Under her alter-ego, she is a well-known book reviewer and blogger who doesn't shy away from voicing her opinion. A proud native of New Jersey, KT is multi-published and known for writing "out of the box" romances. KT has been mentioned in the Guardian.UK, Publisher's Weekly's Beyond the Book and at Bookseller.com. KT is a top ten best-selling author at Amazon, as well as being a multiple All Romance Ebooks best seller and a Night Owl Reviews Top Author Pick.

“Grant is an author to watch!”- National bestselling author, Julie James

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Review: Dead Sky Morning (Experiment in Terror #3) by Karina Halle

(Click image for goodreads page)
Title: Dead Sky Morning (The Experiment in Terror #3)
Author: Karina Halle
Started: 25/3/12
Finished: 26/3/12
Medium: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult: Horror, Young Adult: Paranormal
Buy: Amazon / The Book Depository / Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

With the Experiment in Terror show finding some success, amateur ghost hunters Perry Palomino and Dex Foray embark on their most terrifying investigation yet. A tiny, fog-shrouded island in the rough strait between British Columbia and Washington State has held a dark secret for decades: It was a former leper colony where over forty souls were left to rot, die and bury each other. Now a functioning campground, Perry and Dex spend an isolated weekend there to investigate potential hauntings but as the duo quickly find out, there is more to fear on D’Arcy Island than just ghosts. The island quickly pits partner against partner, spiraling the pair into madness that serves to destroy their sanity, their relationship and their very lives.

This is by far the scariest installment of the Experiment in Terror. I don't know what scared me the most, being on an isolated island filled with killer chinese leper ghosts, or the story behind it all. It terrifies me to no ends. The book kept me on my toes, and sent chills all over. I might be a little bit more easily to scare but it still almost kept me up at night. 

Everything expected and unexpected from the series were present. You've got the drama, the chilling frights and even some "loveee". I can't get over how addicting this series is. I just finished book two yesterday only to finish the third one not even a day later. I can't go any further cause I still have to get book four. :( 

Dead Sky Morning is an amazing installment to the series. Karina manages to write a better book each time. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the series and I'm hoping they'll be as addictive as the last three. A guaranteed unputdownable book from Karina Halle.

Review: Red Fox by Karina Halle

(Click image for goodreads page)
Title: Red Fox (The Experiment in Terror #2)
Author: Karina Halle
Started: 23/3/12
Finished: 25/3/12
Medium: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult: Horror, Young Adult: Paranormal
Buy: Amazon / The Book Depository / Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

The Experiment of Terror show just went live with its first episode online. Now, Dex and Perry are off to their new "Experiment" in Red Fox, New Mexico, where a Navajo couple are being tormented by things that aren't really there. Random strange animals start coming into their home late at night when the doors are locked and stones are being thrown at their windows by an unknown creature. Dex and Perry's first thought was a poltergeist but they're wrong. The truth of it all lies in an old Navajo myth that seems almost too unreal to be believable. But Dex and Perry has no choice but to trust each other and believe the unbelievable to stay alive.

Once again Karina Halle blows me away with her terrifyingly light horror series. I just can't get enough of it.

Perry Palomino is an amazing character. She's flawed and a bit crazy but she's fun and sometimes hilarious kind of girl. And the way Karina writes Perry's narration is beyond awesome. She really knows how to construct a character that any reader can connect to. To me Perry is like a big sister, the kind of big sister that has trouble getting a proper footing in life (reminds me of my own sister). The best thing about Perry is that she's not one of those whiny, awkward, strong and ridiculous protagonists we sometimes read about in the Young Adult (YA) genre. Perry is normal and incredibly realistic.

As for Declan Foray (Dex), you can say he is almost as normal as Perry. They're both almost alike. And no, hes not one of those extremely exaggerated hot men usually discussed in other paranormal books. This is definitely not your normal paranormal book.

My ultimate favorite parts of this book revolves around Dex and Perry's romance. I love how they both don't realize how they feel about each other until they're thrown into a situation where they had to act like a fake married couple. Thanks for that Karina!

Red Fox is the second installment to the Experiment of Terror series. It is not your normal supernatural book. Its horror at its lightest (almost) with the most real characters I've ever read. They're flawed and yet so entertaining. The Experiment of Terror Series is addictive and unbelievably unputdownable. A perfect mix of creepy, supernatural, originality and realism all rolled into a perfect blend of Dex and Perry! Red Fox was even better than the first book (Darkhouse).

Excerpt: Always You by Shilpa Mudiganti

Always You 

by Shilpa Mudiganti

Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: InkSpell Publishing
Publication Date: March 6th 2012
Format: eBook, Paperback, Kindle

Book Synopsis:

Lyla has to move on. She’s been stuck in a rut since her heart was broken five years ago. Trying to decide about life with her fiancé, Nick, she resolves to finish one last project before moving to Spain and starting a new life. That is until she is face to face with the one man who broke her heart all those years ago, Alexander Knight.

Five years ago, when Alex and Lyla meet at his friend, Andrew's grave, they fall deeply in love. But, Alex is hiding a secret that will destroy his relationship with Lyla and does. What Lyla doesn’t realize is that Alex has changed since their break-up, because of her love, only she still has hate in her heart towards him.

But now, fate has brought them together in such a way that they have no option but to remain dangerously close - dangerous enough for Lyla to fall in love with him again. How can she? Not after what she knows about Alex and what he did to Andrew.

It’s true that love can change people for the better. But is it enough? What will happen when two broken people with a past come together? Can they forgive and heal?

After the hour-long meeting, Alex sat alone in the conference room, long after his team had left for their coffee break. Today he’d touched Lyla again…his Lyla. He’d casually glanced up from his laptop when she walked unannounced into the room. To say he was stunned was an understatement. It had been five years, two months and sixteen days since he last saw her, and she looked as desirable as always, perhaps a bit more, considering how long he had waited impatiently for the day he’d see her again. 

In her white blouse with puffy sleeves and that black skirt hugging her figure intimately, she looked lovely and vulnerable. He didn’t miss the grimace on her face the moment she laid eyes on him but the look of recognition in her deep green eyes made him alive in a way he felt nowhere else. 

What he wanted to do was take her in his arms, and kiss her soft, velvety lips, but he knew how impossible that would have been. Neither the surroundings nor their past would allow that. 

He had lost her five years ago and failed to win her back. None of his calls and letters were ever answered. After a year of relentless pursuit, he gave up and quietly acknowledged that Lyla would be the one woman he could never have... 

It was not his nature to share how difficult it was to lose her. No one expected him to ever lose. After all, he was Alexander Knights, the man who could have any woman he wanted. But he terribly missed her each day and his body ached for her closeness each night. Yet she wouldn’t come back to him because of one mistake, the guilt of which he could never forget. 

He knew it was a huge mistake, but first she had to forgive him. He didn’t think it would take so long. However, he tried to move ahead and thought he had safely tucked her into a hidden corner of his heart. Seeing her today proved that wouldn’t work, not when she stood across the room from him, her dark lush hair brushing her soft cheeks? 

His stomach muscles clenched as he replayed the image of her shaking hands with everyone in the room, and how hesitantly she had shook his. As their hands connected, he had felt a tremor pass through her. Had she felt it too? Was it longing, pain, or love? Maybe she had. Maybe there was a chance for them yet. 

Author Bio:

Shilpa Mudiganti grew up creating stories in her head. She thought her career would be as an author until she completed her technical degree. The security of an IT job lured her into leaving her stories to brew in her head. Yet, she fell in step with what fate had planned for her and penned her first romance novella, Always You. There has been no looking back since then. Always You is now being published by Inkspell Publishing in March, 2012. Juggling her day job as an IT geek, she tries to put all her corporate learning into Inkspell. When she has time to breathe, she spends time blogging, connecting with her readers and spending time with her loving husband. She lives at Ridgefield Park, New Jersey. 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Publisher Website | Goodreads

And if you have time to spare, she would be delighted to have you on her blog: www.smmirza.blogspot.com.

Giveaway: Dark Angel's Ward (Angel Warden Series, Book 1) by Nia Shay

Dark Angel's Ward (Angel Warden Series, Book 1) by Nia Shay

Publisher: Self (Moonwild Press)
Length: 80,000 words
Sub-Genres: Contemporary, M/F, Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Synopsis:

Two years ago, Jandra Maxwell walked away from the secret Fairlight Society and started a new life in a quiet Texas town. When her former Ward, the dark angel Zeph, seeks her out and begs for her help, Jandra faces an impossible choice. She knows he can only offer her heartache, but she can’t turn her back on the only man she’s ever loved.

Zeph teeters on the brink of madness, pummeled by emotions his angelic blood once rendered him incapable of feeling. Driven to protect Jandra from a threat he can only glimpse in nightmares, he refuses to leave her side. As they explore the mystery of his recurring dreams, they discover the Fairlight Society has been keeping a terrible secret – one they’ll kill to protect.


Fighting for her life isn’t so easy when Jandra’s also fighting her heart. Her inexorable attraction to Zeph may save them...or may damn them both.

“Sound and fury,” I murmured aloud.

“Pardon?”

I didn’t repeat it; he probably wouldn’t have understood even if I had. Ever since I’d read that phrase in Macbeth I’d always associated it with this feeling. It was one thing to be selectively psychic – at least the only thoughts I usually heard were Zeph’s. But when he and I were truly joined, not just in body or in mind but in the very essence of our beings, I got a taste of what it was really like to be half angel. And I hated it. I couldn’t fathom how to cope with hearing the thoughts and prayers of half the damn city. Except maybe by dissociating large portions of my personality, like he had. Zeph’s mind could be a scary place.

“Jandra? Are you sure you’re all right?”

I dragged my attention back to the matter at hand. “I told you, yes.”

That seemed to satisfy him. At least he didn’t argue with me anymore. His fingertips brushed the side of my face. “Thank you.”

“Whatever.” I raised bleary eyes just in time to see his mouth descending on mine.

Our lips met before I could stop him, and once I felt his warmth I couldn’t quite bring myself to complain. I ended up moaning into his mouth instead of pulling away. Encouraged, he brushed his tongue across my lower lip, his hands stroking upward over my belly.

My body remembered this – his embrace, his touch. As I arched my back in unbidden reaction, he cupped my breasts, his long fingers splayed and caressing. I gasped, feeling his surge of fierce enjoyment as the pleasure he wrought in my body echoed through his own.

Which was just the reminder I needed. I wrenched away from him, hissing, “You are not allowed to touch me that way!”

“I can’t help it.” Zeph’s eyes were violet fire. “When you feel me and I feel you … how am I to resist?”

“Here’s a suggestion: how about going away and leaving me alone for the rest of my life? Wasn’t that the plan?”

He sighed, his gaze going distant. “I released you because you begged it of me, Jandra. Not because I desired it. Your pain was crushing us, and you couldn’t seem to heal while you were with me. But now you have healed. You are whole again, and strong.”

“So you’ve come to break me all over again?” I accused.

“I’ve no intention of hurting you.” He reached for me, but I evaded him. Instead, he pinned me with his gaze as he spoke his greatest lie. “I love you, Jandra.”

“No you don’t!” I shrieked, balling up a fist and darting forward to punch him in the chest. “You do not love anyone or anything. You are not capable of it!”

“Perhaps that’s true,” he said calmly, enfolding my fist in one large hand. “Or perhaps your love has changed me.”

The tears came as hot and fast as the resonance of his soul had, and they burned just as deeply. “I never loved you.”

He said nothing, merely released me and retreated to the doorway while I wept. As my sobs faded into racking gasps, he cast me a long look and muttered, “Yet I am the one reviled as a thief of souls.”

Buy Links: Smashwords | Amazon | B&N | Sony Reader  | Kobo | Are | iTunes

Author Bio:

Nia Shay is a reclusive weirdo who lives in a tiny concrete box in the middle of the Arizona desert. (No, seriously.) In between dealing with mild OCD and an epic caffeine addiction, she finds time to mold the voices in her head into cohesive sarcastic remarks, and sometimes even a story or two. She has been penning such tales, almost all of them with a decidedly paranormal flavor, since the second grade. Now that paranormal fiction is the "in thing," Nia has decided to overcome her extreme distaste for trends and jump on the ol' bandwagon. Join her on her harrowing journey through the twisted corridors of her own mind—that is…if you dare.

Email | Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

An eBook Copy of Dark Angel's Ward 

Open International 

Must be 17 and above

Ends March 31st, 2012

Comment below with your email and name

Enjoy the excerpt and good luck with the giveaway! 

Book Spotlight: The Forsaken Series by Elise Whyles and Ciara Lake

Today, I'm featuring... 

The Forsaken Series 

by Elise Whyles and Ciara Lake

 Series Overview: 

Among us walk immortal beings – cursed to hide within the shadows they live along side us as they have for centuries. Using, feeding, living off the mortals so reviled for their weakness – yet there are some who will be awakened and immortality will be given.

Now, an ancient evil stirs – rising to threaten not only the Immortal Realms but the mortal world. A cursed vampire General stirs, plotting his revenge on those who have forsaken him…but he’s forgotten about the innocent, who like him have been punished.

There are those who are Forsaken.

It could be anyone among us…

Series Website Elise Whyles Facebook Ciara Lake Facebook 

The first book, Forsaken Heart by Elise Whyles is set to release in April 2012. The second book Curse of a Dargon’s Claim by Ciara Lake will release shortly after.

Forsaken Heart 

Punished for sins not her own, can a mortal claim her vampire mate?

The world of immortals must unite to save both themselves and the mortals they co-exist with from an ancient evil.

For Bede MacTaggert this means trusting in the warrior sent for her sister—a man of mystery, of power, and one who could easily sweep her into a world she's destined to be part of.

An imperial guard to the king of vampires, Gawain has always tuned out the needs of the flesh. Dedicating himself to the service of the royals, he's lived on the fringes of his people for centuries. Now he's forced from the shadows and into the arms of a woman who will awaken his heart and body to a passion unequaled.

Content Warning: sexy alpha vampire, explicit sex, violence 

The series sounds good! I love me some sexy alpha vampires. 

Guestpost: What is in a Kiss...

Truly, Madly, Deeply, You.
by Cecilia Robert

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: InkSpell Publishing
Publication Date: March 21st 2012
Format: eBook, Kindle

Synopsis:

Four days before Valentine’s Day, Liese Hansfeld is determined to shut the door to her house, as well as her heart, for her annual four days of mourning her one true love. Little does she know her best friend Freytag Meier is just as determined to keep her from her ritual. He’s ready to pick the lock to her apartment door and camp in her living room if that’s what it takes.

What Freytag isn’t prepared for is the surge of deep-rooted emotions he feels for Liese, but two things stand in his way: the grief and guilt she still clutches close to her heart, and a man who threatens to snatch Liese from under Frey’s watchful eye. Frey is determined to distract her into forgetting her pain. But is that enough to ease her grief, or help her see he can be more than her best friend?

What is in a Kiss by Cecilia Robert

What is in a Kiss? I consider this one of the million euro or dollar question, because everyone has their own definition . Kisses can be sloppy, intoxicating, gentle, hungry and, and and,..

I believe there are different kiss flavours. No. I don’t mean minty, orange-y and such. I mean, in terms of seasons. Yes. You heard me. Seasons. A kiss can have the quality of Summer, Winter, Autumn or spring, or a combination of two seasons. Depending on who is administering the kiss. And how one reacts to that kiss.

In my book, Truly, Madly, Deeply, You, Frey and Liese are friends. How would either one react to the other’s kiss? Check out Frey’s reaction in this an excerpt from Truly Madly.


He saw hesitation in her eyes, uncertainty. If he didn’t goad her, she wasn’t going to kiss him. And right now, he wanted that more than the cold air he breathed. “Scared of an itsy bitsy little challenge?”

Her eyes narrowed at the challenging tone. Her full lips tightened, and then stretched into the amazing smile that always sent his heart to a full gallop inside his chest.

“As a matter of fact, no.” She leaned forward and brushed her lips over his, then pulled back and stared at him.

He rolled his eyes. “That was purely for show.” He leaned his head back, and lifted a brow at her. “Is that all you got for me, Miss Dare-Me-Anytime-of-the-Year?”

She inhaled sharply. Without warning, she slid her hands around his neck and yanked him closer. Her lips crashed into his, soft yet demanding. Caught off guard, he braced his hands behind her head on the car seat to keep his full weight from landing on her. This was the most awkward position he had ever kissed anyone in, or been kissed in, for that matter. Before he could adapt to the quality of the kiss, it changed. The demanding note was gone, and was replaced by a kiss so sensual it wiped the painful stitch from his side, along with any sense of coherent thought. He groaned and shifted his body. Without breaking the kiss, he climbed into the car, knelt in front of her, and urged her knees apart to accommodate his torso. And then it ended so fast he was left reeling and breathing heavily.

He leaned forward, touching his forehead to hers. He closed his eyes, trying to breathe in and out normally. He was aware of her rapid breathing, just as fast as his, and he knew the kiss affected her as it had affected him.

His eyes flew open at the soft chuckle, cutting through the charged-up air.

“So, what were you saying Mr Dare-To-Kiss-Me?” The hands dropped away from his face, but the warmth of them, and the kiss, lingered on.

“Intoxicating,” he said, as he attempted to step out of the car. He wasn’t sure if his legs would hold him up much longer to ensure he covered the distance to her house to retrieve the luggage, and back.

Thank you, Najla, for hosting me on Unputdownable Books in the duration of my book tour. 

You're welcome Cece! :D I can't wait to read your book. It sounds great!

Goodreads | Pre-order

About the Author:

Cecilia Robert enjoys the play and weave of words that make up a good story. She enjoys creating fantastical worlds and getting lost in them. She often meets a prince, a princess, a pirate, ordinary and badass boy or girl who take her through the wonderful world of dreaming and fantasy.

She doesn't have particular leanings to any kind of story as long as it captures her attention She reads and enjoys urban/dark fantasy romance, paranormal, contemporary, sci-fi, mystery or horror as much as her children's school books.

Some nights, you can find her reading Puss in Boots for her daughter, or trying to understand how to read Manga comics from her son.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Publisher

Review: Ditched: A Love Story by Robin Mellom

(Click image for goodreads page)
Title: Ditched A Love Story
Author: Robin Mellom

Publisher: Hyperion
Started: 27/2/12
Finished: 15/3/12
Medium: Hardbound
Genre: Young Adult: Contemporary Romance
Buy:  Amazon / The Book Depository / Barnes & Noble

The Book Depository Synopsis: 


High school senior Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels? Not her thing. So she never expected her best friend, Ian Clark, to ask her. Ian, who always passed her the baseball bat, handle first. Ian, who knew exactly when she needed red licorice. Ian, who promised her the most amazing night at prom. And then ditched her. Now, as the sun rises over her small town, and with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-Eleven, Justina must piece together -- stain by stain on her thrift-store dress -- exactly how she ended up dateless. A three-legged Chihuahua was involved. Along with a demolition derby-ready Cadillac. And there was that incident at the tattoo parlor. Plus the flying leap from Brian Sontag's moving car... But to get the whole story, Justina will have to face the boy who ditched her. And discover if losing out at prom can ultimately lead to true love. Filled with humor, charm, and romance, "Ditched: A Love Story" by debut novelist Robin Mellom will have readers dreaming of love on their own prom nights.

At the beginning of the book, I found myself a little confused with how the transition of each chapter was like. Justina (our protagonist) is telling this 7-Eleven Clerk Gilda, about how she got ditched, starting from the very beginning of the night and even the very beginning of friendships and relationships. The transition was hard to get used to at first but when you do. The flow is amazing and the writing style just blows you away.

Robin Mellom managed to write realistic events that happen to real teenagers. She also got how teenagers are now-a-days right! Some authors get their 16-year-old protagonist all wrong by constructing them to act and talk like 40-year-olds. Now, Justina was well written and so was all the other characters who each played a colorful part in Robin's book. I'm really amazed. Robin Mellom has such a unique writing style. The way she wrote Ditched was beyond creative.

By the middle of the book, I realized that the book was written almost like a John Hughes movie and I love John Hughes and all his movies. This book is like a combination of the Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles with its own originality. By the end of the book and coincidentally the author thanked John Hughes for shaping her formative years. My guess was right!

Ditched: A Love Story is an amazing fluffy young adult contemporary romance. It had its exciting bits, its crazy bits, its funny bits and most of all it had romance. If Robin Mollem wrote and made movies. She would be the next John Hughes.

This is a guaranteed unputdownable book that's a perfect read for the young adult romance enthusiast.

Have you read this? Let me know what you think. If you haven't go buy a copy now! :D

Cover Reveal: On Demon Wings (Experiment in Terror #5) by Karina Halle

On Demon Wings (Experiment in Terror #5)
by Karina Halle

Synopsis:

Everything has changed.

When the life you wanted has crumbled beneath your fingers, there’s nothing left to do but pick up the pieces and soldier on. You’ve done this before.


But what happens when you no longer feel like yourself anymore? When fires spontaneously start-up around you, when you hear growling coming from underneath your bed, and you no longer recognize your face in the mirror. What happens then?


Ghost-hunter Perry Palomino doesn’t have much time to find out. Now, the evil she used to hunt is a lot closer to home. It’s inside of her, taking over her life bit-by-terrifying bit, and there’s only one person who can help her.


If part of her doesn’t kill him first.

Naj's Note: Isn't the cover fabulous? I love the colors! What do you guys think of the cover? I can't wait to read the book. I'm still on the second book. (I know, I'm slow). You know how life is. :D Enjoy the excerpt! AND Thank you Karina for allowing me to be part of this! *hugs*

After she left, I gritted my teeth until my jaw began to hurt and eventually drifted off to sleep. I was soon awakened by a presence nearby. Ada must have been back in the room with me.
“Did you find the hot water bottle?” I mumbled into my pillow, not wanting to move or open my eyes.
I heard the door shut and felt Ada’s presence move toward me. She stopped at the foot of the bed.
Stopped.
And waited.
I could hear her breathing, it was low and ragged, like her lungs were filled with loose stones.
“Ada?” I asked again. “What are you doing?”
When she didn’t respond, I opened my eyes and raised my head in her direction.
There was no one there.
The door was closed but Ada wasn’t in my room. I was alone.
The back of my neck was enveloped in icy prickles. I had just heard someone, heard them breathing as clear as day.
“Hello?” I asked timidly, my voice sounding extra small. There was this indescribable feeling around me, my bedroom blanketed by a heavy, eerie vibe. Everything looked normal, except the air near the lamp in the corner seemed to bend and warp, like a sheet of moving plastic.
I rubbed my eyes and sat up slowly. I tried to focus on the anomaly until my eyes adjusted and everything looked fine again.
“Ada,” I said loudly, hoping she’d hear me wherever she was in the house. “Did you close my door?”
I waited for a response, waited to hear the breathing again. I held my own breath.
The doorbell rang, its clang causing my heart to seize. I gasped, surprised and thoroughly spooked.
It rang again.
And again.
Then stopped.
My alarm clock on my bedside table said it was 11:42 at night. Who on earth was ringing our doorbell at this hour? Was it Ash?
Rebecca?
Someone… else?
I felt a tightness in my chest at that last thought and carefully eased myself out of the bed and over to the window. I peered though it onto the driveway below. The motion detector lights weren’t on and I couldn’t see a car or anyone out there. I listened, hearing the front door open and my mother saying “hello?” into a darkness that didn’t answer back.
There was a single knock at my own door. I cried out, my heart hammering wildly, and spun around to see a shadow sliding underneath the door and into my room.
“Ada?”
Another knock. My door shook from its singular impact.
“Mom?” Now my voice was shaking.
Another knock, louder this time, as if to shut me up.
“Um, come in?”
I walked over to it, taking silent, slow steps, listening for whoever was on the other side. Whoever had knocked three times.
I heard that breathing again.
I paused in mid-stride then took one more step until I was up against the door. I reached for the handle in slow motion, hesitating before placing my hand on it, afraid of what I might find on the other side. I was always afraid of what I might find on the other side. I knew better now than to chalk up anything strange as pure paranoia.
If I thought there was a monster in my closet, there probably was a monster in my closet.
My eyes flitted to the shadow on the floor. As if to prove my point, the shadow slowly eased back under the doorframe until it was gone.
It was time to find out what was going on.
I grabbed the handle and flung the door open…
 

Add On Demon Wings to your Goodreads.

Paperback, epub and mobi copies will be available May 13^th at Amazon, Amazon Kindle and Smashwords. 

Promo Post + Giveaway : The Fallen One by Lenore Wolfe

Today, I'd like to share this new Paranormal Fantasy. Read on for more info! :D 

You can also win an ebook copy below. 

Title: The Fallen One
Series: Sons of the Dark Mother, #1
Author: Lenore Wolfe
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy
Publisher: Triquetra Press Publications
Ebook
Words: A little over 100,000

Synopsis:

An ancient race and a prophecy foretell of four dark princes, the sons of the dark mother, who will rise up with a nation of old vamps to stop the rogue factions from ruling over mankind. Justice is the first in that prophecy, from the ancient Jaguar People. He is the Prince of Fire. Jess is one of the three sisters of the Jaguar witches who must help him to stop these factions of rogue vamps--or none of their lives will ever be the same.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

Prologue


Chicago, Illinois, fifteen years before….

The children moved down the back-street alley, just as they had every day before, on their way to school. The crisp air bit at their noses. The gravel crunched beneath their feet, mixed with clean, white snow that, on any other day, would have had them playing and laughing with glee, leaving a trail of footprints behind them. Today was just an ordinary day, a day like any other day, a day that should have been light and happy, like any bright, sunny morning, on any clear, cold day.

But the children were not laughing. Even to a child, something about this day didn’t feel right.

Their older brother always walked them to school, then took himself off to class. The three girls glanced up at him now, almost in unison, beneath the dark, curly lashes of their matching yellow-green-gold eyes. The charge in the air was almost palpable for children as sensitive as these children. Something in the air simply wasn’t right.

Something didn’t bode well—for any of them.

Their brother’s name was Justice. And perhaps it was fortuitous that his parents had named him so, for nothing would prove this better than on this day, at this hour. He was about to live up to his name, and he always struggle with this responsibility, as well as the monster inside of him. But that couldn’t be helped—any more than what was about to happen.

Justice was just fourteen years old, and was a stout, muscular youth. His skin was darkly tanned by the sun. And he was his three little sisters’ knight in shining armor. He would do anything for them—and they knew it. His heart was big—much too big for the burden of what was about to happen, and that burden would weigh upon him for much of his life. He was also a gentle boy—except when gang members threatened his sisters.

Then he was anything but gentle.

The gang had a thing for him because of this. They had never quite been able to settle the score. And each time—the score grew bigger.

One of the gang members stepped out in front of them now, before they had even reached the end of the alley. Justice knew they had been waiting for him. This wasn’t the first time they’d laid a trap for him. Yet somehow, Justice knew, this time it would be the last.

He had beaten their asses last time—even with the odds at one against five. Anyone else probably would have decided to leave him alone after that. But somehow Justice had known that this vendetta they had for him had only intensified, and he had known they’d be back for more.

He yelled at his sisters to run, the way he had every other time, and run they did. And like every other time, it didn’t occur to any of them that their brother wouldn’t come out of this okay. After all, he always did; he was their hero.

They couldn’t know what these beatings did to him. Nor could they know what today would cost him, or what he would suffer—all for what was about to happen.

The gang was fed up with getting their asses beaten down. They were fed up, and they wanted revenge. They hadn’t taken any chances, and this time they’d brought some equalizers. Yes, Justice had a big heart when it came to his sisters—but this was war. And he was at home with war. He felt as if he’d fought in wars for lifetime after lifetime, as if he’d been going to war forever. He felt old, even though he was only fourteen.

His shoulders dropped upon eyeing the number of gang members they had brought this time. They weren’t interested in honor. They weren’t interested in making this a fair fight. It had occurred to him, more than once, to wonder why they didn’t just get it over with—and shoot him….

They had, however, never brought guns to these fights. The fact that they hadn’t was the only sign of honor they’d ever shown. Perhaps they had seen him as a worthy opponent, in some twisted way. Other than that, they’d shown no mercy.

And neither did he.

Justice fought without a shred of mercy. He was as strong as an ox, even at his young age, and the last time they had fought, he’d given these boys a beating that had laid them up for the past few weeks.
But they were ready for him this time, and the gang was sure that they were finally going to even the score.

One of them hit Justice with a heavy pipe: the sound of it hitting his flesh was a sickening thud in the cool morning air.He beat that kid’s face with his beefy fists, while the others fell upon him.

They hit him with chains, boards, and even a brick, while he unflinchingly kept pounding on the gang leader. He was going down, he could feel it, but he wasn’t going to go down alone—and he refused to waver.

However, he did worry. What would his sisters do now, with no one to protect them?
He was screaming inside; he was beyond rage. His family had fallen apart. Their parents had failed them and he had done everything he could for two years now to make up for the lack, to protect them, but now even he had failed them.

He bellowed like a wild animal, screaming his rage at the sky. His entire world was gone, and now theirs would be too. For without him, they wouldn’t last long. This gang hated him too much to let this end with him.

He screamed, bloody and beaten: screamed his frustration—screamed his rage. He had failed them. His chest burned, his body burned: he was on fire. He’d never felt anything so painful. The gang members just kept beating him down. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move anymore. He knew he was dying.
He wasn’t prepared for what happened next. He was a sensitive: he knew things, sensed things the rest of the world didn’t believe existed. But even he wasn’t prepared for the change that suddenly came over his body. He stared at the claws that had unexpectedly ripped out of the end of his arm. For a moment he could only stare. The members of the gang stared too, and first, and then, when he rolled easily to his feet, they backed warily away from him. He let out an eerie cry: the cry of a jungle cat. The gang backed farther away, glancing down the alley, clearly trying to gauge their chances for escape while shock turned their faces to chalk.

Menace filled his veins. He felt no pain now—and neither did he feel mercy. Nothing could stop him; and he didn’t stop, not even when they screamed, not even when their blood sprayed across the clean, white snow like art gone crazily awry. Everyone who witnessed the aftermath was left with a horrifying sense of nausea once they realized what must have taken place here this day.

He didn’t stop, not even when their blood filled his senses. He didn’t stop until they all lay in shreds—and when he finally did, he could only stare at what he had done.

He stared down at his now-human form, unable to absorb what had happened, what he had turned into, what he had done. He bent over double, bile filling his senses, along with the smell of their blood.
He had killed them.

He had killed them all. He couldn’t grasp the enormity of it. Nothing made sense; his head whirled and his heart pounded. He couldn’t absorb what he had become. Nothing could have prepared him for this, for what he’d changed into.

It started to rain, as though the Goddess knew exactly what he would need here, now, on this day: this day that would mar every other day of his life for years to come. The rain felt warm and melted the snow even as it washed away the blood. He stared up into the sky, amazed at how the cold, crisp morning had suddenly turned warm enough to allow the rain, even more so than he’d been by the beast that had ripped its way out of his body. He stared, letting the rain drench his skin, washing him clean.
He stared at the lifeless bodies of his enemies, watching their blood run down the alley in rivulets, and it finally occurred to him—with the sense of self-preservation finally pulsing through his brain—that he should get out of here before someone saw him.

He looked wildly around, expecting to see horrified faces staring at the monster he’d become: but no one was there—no one had seen what he had become. No one had witnessed his murderous acts: well, at least, no one who had stuck around afterward.

He straightened up and stumbled back down the alley like a drunk. He bent and ran, watching behind him, expecting at any moment for someone to chase him, for someone to scream, “There he is, the murdering monster, there he is, let’s get him…."

But they never came. No one ever came for him.

He’d just made it to the end of the alley when he saw her small face peeking out, staring in horror at her gentle, loving brother, her yellow-green-gold eyes wide with shock and terror, and he knew that she had brought the rain.

She controlled the weather, and whenever she was really upset, storms were sure to follow.
She was his youngest sister, and he had no idea how it was she had escaped from her other sisters, but there she was, hiding behind some cardboard boxes, staring at him in horror, with her small body shaking—but whether that was from what she had just witnessed or from the fact she was drenched, wet, and cold he couldn’t tell.

She looked at him as if he was the monster he now knew himself to be. And when he stepped toward her, she started screaming, her screams shaking him worse than anything else that had happened there that day. And then she ran.

He somehow made it home, although he wouldn’t remember how he had managed it for many months, nor would he remember how the people he had stumbled past had stared at him in horror and fear, often quickly crossing to other side of the street. He found his way into the bathroom, where he stared horrified at his own reflection in the mirror and touched his face. It felt surreal; he felt surreal. He felt numb, carefully touching his face while staring at—and watching himself—in stupefied horror. How could he possibly look the same? He’d become a monster. How could he look the same—ever again?
He tried to clean the blood off of himself using the buckets of water they had hauled from a friend’s house, since their water and electricity were now shut off. He tried to clean and examine his wounds. He peered through bleary eyes at his head. As near as he could tell, his head was split in five separate places.

He needed to go to a hospital. But how? How could he take himself to the hospital? Wouldn’t they connect the brutal slayings in the alley to him, because of the beating he had taken? He stared at the splits in his scalp. He didn’t have a choice. These would never heal by themselves. He stared at the gashes on his arms and on his chest. Blood covered him everywhere. Finally, with despair, he began to walk the six city blocks to the hospital. People stared at him, as they had before, giving him a wide berth.

By the time he stumbled into the emergency room, he’d lost too much blood. He spent the next three days in a hospital bed, and received more than eight hundred stitches. They sewed up the gashes in his arms, the knife wounds to his chest and ribs, and the gashes in his head. They told him he was incredibly lucky to have survived whatever had killed those gang members. They said it looked like an attack by a wild animal, and whatever beast it had been had cut those young men to shreds. They couldn’t imagine what kind of wild creature would have come this far into a large city, or how it had avoided detection. But it had, for sure, been a large, wild animal.

The police questioned him. The doctors questioned him. The news questioned him. And then it seemed as though all the wildlife, fish, and game experts in the US had come to question him. Finally, even the government came to question him.

They said it was the gang’s fate, for they were some of the worst scum around and had a reputation for not showing mercy.

As for Justice, they repeated that he was lucky to have lived. He had escaped both the gang and the crazed, wild animal, and he was the luckiest young man alive.
They couldn’t have known just how true those words were—or how he’d managed to stay that way. They couldn’t have known that the monster that had killed those gang members—had also saved his life.

But now Justice had a problem. How had he transformed? And why?

Open International

Ages 17 and above ONLY

Comment below with your email and an answer to this question:

Whats your Favorite Paranormal Book and Why?

ENDS MARCH 23, 2012

Author Bio: I grew up in Montana, and Alaska, and currently live in central US. I hold a BA in Sociology, from the University of Northern Colorado, with a minor in writing, and I am student of the Shaman path. And in spite of my struggles, I am living my dream by being able write and market my writing, and that’s a wonderful blessing. 

Find her at:

Website | Blog | The Fallen One Blog | Twitter | Goodreads

Free Reads Week at Inkspell Publishing!

Free Reads Week

This week, from March 12th to March 16th, InkSpell Publishing is organizing a free reads week. That means that you can read free short stories by some of the InkSpell Publishing authors. Check out what they have in store for you:

On March 12th, you can read Forever Yours by Shilpa Mudiganti, the author of contemporary romance novella Always You. In Forever Yours, main character Amelia loves Aaron, her fiancé. But she also loves Damon. Can one be in love with two men at the same time? How do you define infidelity? Or fidelity?

On March 13th, InkSpell releases Love, Lies and other Disasters, a contemporary romance short story by Cecilia Robert, the author of Truly, Madly, Deeply You. In Love, Lies and other Disasters, the one person Celina fought so hard to get over five years ago is back, and has kidnapped her. He says he wants a second chance to prove his love. Will she allow him to glide back into her life and heart?

On March 14th, you can read Beyond The Hidden Gate by Debbie Peterson, the author of paranormal romance novel Shadow of the Witte Wieven. In Beyond The Gate, Aynia doesn’t remember anything, save her name. Can Aeden help her remember who she is, the love they shared and the importance of the quest for which she risked her life? Or will the power of an evil warlock shatter all they hold dear?

On March 15th, InkSpell releases yet another contemporary romance short story, this time Coming Together by Naya Nikki, author of Familiar Ties. Life is complicated when you are pregnant at 17. But when the father doesn’t know and he’s marrying another right in front of you, it is bound to break your heart. What does Ellie do? Cry on her daughter’s shoulders?

Last but not least, on March 16th, author Stephanie Lawton’s short story After Taste will be released. In After Taste, nothing can shield him from the horrible dream. Nothing can protect her from a danger she can’t see.

If you want to read these mix of romantic, tense and suspenseful stories, then head over to the InkSpell Publishing website. And there’s more. Not only is InkSpell Publishing handing out free short stories to their readers, they’re also organizing a contest at the end of the week. Participants in the contest need to answer one question from each story correctly, and in return they can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card and an InkSpell novel of their choosing! What are you waiting for?

 ENJOY THEM! I know I will. :D

In My Mailbox #41 (Contemporary Edition)

A weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we post all books we have received where in the mail, bought or got from the library.

CONTEMPORARY EDITION

Why Contemporary? Well, lets just say, I'm straying from the paranormal genre for a bit. I'm pretty sure I'll get back to it. I can't live without the vampires! These are (contemporary and a few paranormal) books that came during the two (last week, and this week) weeks. 

This post also includes my first ever Print Book Cover! :D Yay! I've been designing book covers for about 7 months and finally I get a physical print book cover! 

Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

The Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams

Angel's Blood by Nalini Singh

The Source Field Investigations by David Wilcock

On the Fringe by Courtney King Walker

Amplified by Tara Kelly

Fade Out by Rachel Caine

Destined by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Ditched: A Love Story by Robin Mellom 

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong 

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

AND the cover I designed. :D 

Initiation by Imogen Rose

What did you guys get in your IMM? Did you get anything in the YA Contemporary Genre?