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Monday, October 9, 2017

One Summer Night by Blog Tour







We're thrilled to host Caridad Pineiro's ONE SUMMER NIGHT Blog Tour this month! Please leave a comment or question for Caridad below!



Title:
ONE SUMMER NIGHT

Author: Caridad Pineiro

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Pages: 352

Genre: Contemporary Romance

BOOK
BLURB: 

An offer that’s impossible to accept . . .

Maggie Sinclair has tried
everything to save her family’s business, including mortgaging their beloved
beach house on the
Jersey Shore. But now, she’s out of options.
The Sinclair and Pierce families have been neighbors
and enemies for almost thirty years. That hasn’t stopped Owen Pierce from
crushing on Maggie, and he’s determined to invest in her success. Now he has to
convince her that he’s more than just trouble with a capital T…
Watch the Trailer at YouTube!

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Book Excerpt:



Tracy Parker was in love with being in love.
That worried her best friend and maid of honor Maggie Sinclair more than
she cared to admit.
In the middle of the temporary dance floor, Tracy
waltzed with her new husband in a satin-and-lace designer gown, gleaming with
seed pearls and twinkling sequins. But the sparkle dimmed in comparison to the
dreamy glow in Tracy’s eyes.
The sounds of wedding music competed with the gentle rustle of seagrasses
in the dunes and the crash of the waves down on the beach. The fragrance from
centerpiece flowers and bouquets battled with the kiss of fresh sea air.
Connie and Emma, Tracy’s two other best friends and members of the bridal
party, were standing beside Maggie on the edge of the dance floor that had been
set up on the great lawn of Maggie’s family’s beachfront mansion on the Jersey
Shore. Huddled together, Maggie and her friends watched the happy couple do a
final whirl.
“She’s got it so bad,” Maggie said, eyeing Connie and Emma
with concern past the rim of her rapidly disappearing glass of champagne.
“Do you think that this time he really is The One?” Connie asked.
“Doubt it,” Emma replied without hesitation.
As the DJ requested that other couples join the happy newlyweds, Maggie
and her friends returned to the bridal party dais set out on the patio.
Grabbing another glass of champagne, Maggie craned her neck around the gigantic
centerpiece piled with an almost obscene mound of white roses, ice-blue
hydrangea, lisianthus, sheer tulle, and twinkling fairy lights and examined the
assorted guests mingling around the great lawn and down by the boardwalk
leading to the beach.
She recognized Tracy’s family
from their various meetings over the years, as well as some of Tracy’s
sorority sisters, like Toni Van Houten, who in the six years since graduation
had managed to pop out a trio of boys who now circled her like sharks around a
swimmer. Although the wedding invite had indicated No Children, Toni had done as she
pleased. Since Tracy had not wanted
a scene at her dream beachfront wedding, Emma, who was doing double duty as the
wedding planner for the event, had scrambled to find space for the children at
the dinner tables.
“Is that Toni ‘I’ll never ruin my body with babies’ Toni?” Connie asked,
a perplexed look on her features.  At
Maggie’s nod, Connie’s eyes widened in surprise, and she said, “She
looks…happy.”
A cynical laugh erupted from Emma. “She looks crazed.”
Maggie couldn’t argue with either of their assessments. But as put-upon
as their old acquaintance seemed, the indulgent smile she gave her youngest
child was positively radiant.
Maggie skipped her gaze across the gathering to take note of all the
other married folk. It was easy enough to pick them out from her vantage point
on the dais where she and her friends sat on display like days’ old cakes in
the bakery. They were the last three unmarried women in an extended circle of
business and college acquaintances.
“How many times do you suppose we’ve been bridesmaids now?” Maggie
wondered aloud. She finished off her glass and motioned for the waiter to bring
another.
“Jointly or severally?” asked Connie, ever the lawyer.
“Way too many,” replied Emma, who, for a wedding planner, was the most
ardent disbeliever in the possibility of happily ever afters.
Maggie hadn’t given marriage a first thought, much less a second, in a
very long time. She’d had too many things going on in her life. Not that there
hadn’t been a few memorable moments, most of which revolved around the
absolutely worst man for her: Owen Pierce.
But for years now, she’d been dealing with her family’s business and its
money problems, which had spilled over into her personal finances. As she gazed
at the beauty of the manicured grounds and then back toward her family’s summer
home, it occurred to her that this might be the last time she hosted a
celebration like this here. She had mortgaged the property that she had
inherited to funnel money into the family’s struggling retail store division.
Unfortunately, thanks to her father’s stubborn refusal to make changes to
help the business, she spent way too much time at work, which left little time
for romance. Not to mention that none of her casual dates had piqued her
interest in that direction. Looking down from her perch, however, and seeing
the happiness on so many faces suddenly had her reconsidering the merits of
married life.
“Always a bridesmaid and never a bride,” she muttered, surprising herself
with the hint of wistfulness in her tone.
“That’s because the three of us are all too busy working to search for
Prince Charming,” Connie said, her defense as swift and impassioned as if she
were arguing a case in court.
“Who even believes in that fairy-tale crap?” Emma’s gaze grew distracted,
and she rose from her chair. “Excuse me for a moment. Carlo needs to see me
about something.”
Emma rushed off to the side of the dance floor, where her caterer
extraordinaire, Carlo Teixeira, raked a hand through his thick brown hair in
clear frustration. He wore a pristine white chef’s jacket and pants that
enhanced his dark good looks.
Emma laid a hand on Carlo’s forearm and leaned close to speak to him,
apparently trying to resolve a problem.
“She doesn’t believe in fairy tales, but her Prince Charming is standing
right in front of her,” Connie said with a sad shake of her head.
Maggie took another sip of her champagne and viewed the interaction
between Carlo and Emma. Definitely major sparkage going on, she thought.
“You’re totally right,” she said with an assertive nod.
Connie smiled like the proverbial cat, her exotic green-gold eyes
gleaming with mischief. “That’s why you hired me to represent your company as
soon as I finished law school. Nothing gets past me.”
“Really? So what else do you think you’ve seen tonight?”
Raising her glass, her friend gestured toward the right of the mansion’s
great lawn where some of the fraternity brothers from their alma mater had
gathered. One of the men slowly turned to sneak a peek at them.
“Owen has been watching you all night long,” Connie said with a shrewd
smile.
“Totally impossible, and you of all people should know it. Owen Pierce
has absolutely no interest in me.”
She set her glass on the table to hide the nervous tremble of her hand as
her gaze connected with his for the briefest of moments. Even that fleeting link
was enough to raise her core temperature a few degrees. But what woman wouldn’t respond like that?
In his designer tuxedo, Owen was the epitome of male
perfection—raven-black hair, a sexy gleam in his charcoal-gray eyes, broad
shoulders, and not an ounce of fat on him, which made her recall seeing him in
much, much less on a hot summer night on Sea Kiss Beach. She had been staying
in the quaint seaside town on the Jersey
Shore with her grandmother that
summer, much as she had all her life. As they also had for so many years, the
Pierce boys had been residing next door for the entire season.
The two beachfront mansions had been built side by side decades earlier,
before the start of the Pierce and Sinclair rift. The cost of waterfront real
estate had escalated so drastically since their construction that neither
family was willing to sell their beloved home to put some distance between the
warring clans.
Well, make that the warring fathers, because as far as Maggie was
concerned, she had no beef with Owen. They had played together down on the
beach as kids. She couldn’t count the many sand castles they’d built or the
time they’d spent out in the surf.
But after her mother had died, things had changed, and the carefree
spirit of those halcyon days had disappeared. The Pierce boys had stopped
coming down to the Shore for the next few years, and combined with the loss of
her mom, it had created an emptiness inside her that hadn’t really gone away.
By the time the Pierce brothers returned [HH1] years
later, the feud had gotten worse, and Owen and Jonathan had been instructed to
stay away. But an ill-timed and half-drunk kiss with Owen on a moonlit summer
night had proved that staying away was impossible. It had also helped the
emptiness recede for a bit. Since then, fate had seemed to toss them together
time and time again in both their business and personal lives, keeping alive
her fascination with him. She felt not quite so alone when he was around, not
that she should get used to that.
Owen Pierce had left her once before when she’d needed his friendship the
most: right after her mother’s death. His on-again, off-again presence in her
life proved that she couldn’t count on him.
Owen stood next to his younger brother, Jonathan, who couldn’t be more
different. While Owen was clean-cut and corporate, Jonathan had the scruffy
hipster look going on. It was appealing in its own way, but not to her.
“Trust me, Maggie. Your families might be at war, but Owen would clearly
love to sleep with the enemy,” Connie said.
She blew out a frustrated sigh. “More reason to avoid him. You know I’m
not the kind to sleep around.”
Emma returned, color riding high on her cheeks, but not in a good way.
“Something wrong?” Maggie asked.
Emma kneeled between the two of them and whispered, “It seems the groom
had a bit too much to drink and Tracy
caught him being hands-on with an old flame.”
“Not Amy? Tracy always lost
it if she spotted him with Amy,” Maggie whispered.
“Definitely Amy. Now Tracy is
refusing to come out and cut the cake. I have to say, this takes the cake,
literally. Married a few hours, and already there’s trouble.”
“Ever the hopeful romantic, Em,” she kidded.
“If you think you can do better, why don’t the two of you come help me
talk Tracy off the ledge?”





 [HH1]Seems
obvious, given what it follows, so suggest deleting to avoid feeling
repetitious.


Watch the Trailer!









About the Author





Caridad Pineiro is a transplanted Long Island
girl who has fallen in love with pork roll and the
Jersey
Shore, but still can’t get the hang of tomato pies. When
Caridad isn’t taking long strolls along the boardwalk to maintain her sanity
and burn off that pork roll, she’s also a NY Times and USA Today bestselling
author with over a million books sold worldwide. Caridad is passionate about
writing and helping others explore and develop their skills as writers. She is
a founding member of the Liberty States Fiction Writers and has presented
workshops at the RT Book Club Convention, Romance Writers of America National
Conference as well as various writing organizations throughout the country.

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Interview with Caridad Pineiro


How did you come up with name of this book?
The original title of the book was actually Sealed with a Kiss, but it really didn’t say enough about what the book was about.  Since the hero and heroine share their first real moment on a summer night and the story was set during summer and on the Jersey Shore, we decided that ONE SUMMER NIGHT really told readers a lot about theme of the romance.


Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
I am an avid reader who unfortunately doesn’t get as much time to read as she would like to because of work and writing obligations (I still have my day job).  When I read, it is usually contemporary romance.


Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
I can focus in almost any environment and prefer having noise around me.  In fact, in the winter I sit and write with the television on.  In the summer I got out on my little balcony and hear the sounds of the Jersey Shore.  Love the summer best!


What do you feel you can accomplish with this book?
I hope to entertain people, but also to inspire them in some way.  With ONE SUMMER NIGHT the goal was to show that in both life and love, you can fight for what you want and win in the end.


What is your next project?
I am currently working on #3 in the At the Shore series.  #2 – WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER - will be out in late spring 2018 and #3 will be out in late summer 2018.  I am hoping to write more stories set in Sea Kiss with some of the men and women you meet in #3.  I also will be rel-releasing some of my earlier contemporary romances and working on new stories in The Calling is Reborn Vampire Novel Series.





Book Blast for DEVIL'S GAMBLE by Michele Arris




DEVIL'S GAMBLE
by Michele Arris

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE:  Steamy Contemporary

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Sienna Keller saw how men used her mother, and from an early age she swore she’d never allow it to happen to her. So when she meets smooth-talking billionaire Gavin Crane, who uses his connections to help her art career, she resolves to keep things strictly professional—no matter how gorgeous he is.

Gavin might be the son of the head of the Kavanagh organized crime family, but he wants no part of that life. It’s important to him to prove to Sienna that he’s a good guy. But when she winds up in the hospital with a gunshot wound, he is driven to exact revenge. His father agrees to provide security to watch over her as well as find the man who shot her, but at a cost—Gavin must come back into the family business.

As Sienna begins to let her guard down around Gavin, seeing the kind, caring man he’s always wanted her to see, his secrets begin to pile up. Has she done the one thing she vowed never to do—trusted her heart to the wrong man?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Award winning author, Michele Arris, writes steamy contemporary romance.
Michele is always plotting out her characters’ next move. Even when she’s not seated in front of her laptop writing about strong-willed, professional heroines and the complex heroes who strive to have them, she’s plotting scenes in her head.
“I love to write story where my characters are guaranteed their Happily Ever After.”
In her spare time, Michele enjoys reading all types of romance genres. She loves paranormal romance as well as historical romances, enjoys watching period classics (Little Dorrit, The Buccaneers, and Persuasion to name a few), actually looks forward to working out, is a holistic enthusiast/vitamin junkie, and spending time with family and friends – simply enjoying life.

LINKS

WEBSITE: www.michelearris.com

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Michele-Arris-Author

TWITTER: @ArrisMichele

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2yGFpaA
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2fRe25X
iBooks: http://apple.co/2xBfv8a
 BAM: http://bit.ly/2wWspeG
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2xKIM1Z
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2frfTxG




~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
$20 Amazon/BN GC


a Rafflecopter giveaway




NBtM: Behind The Door by A. Gavazzoni




Behind The Door
by A. Gavazzoni


~~~~~~~~~~~~~


GENRE:   Psychological and erotic thriller


~~~~~~~~~~~~~


BLURB:


When Lara dies at the hands of a Manhattan lawyer during a sex game, his defense attorney, Carl, hires Simone, a psychiatrist, professor and author of books on sexual behavior to help him buttress his argument that Lara’s death was accidental. To help his defense, Carl’s client has written a detailed account of his steamy, year-long relationship with Lara. Carl gives the text to Simone for analysis. While evaluating the presumed killer’s writing, Simone continues to receive psychiatric patients with sexual disorders and unusual fantasies, and to research strange sexual behavior for her next book. Meanwhile, Simone’s clinical partner, friend and research colleague, Edward, is working with the police to capture a serial killer who is torturing and killing women. From hot and unusual sex and interesting psychiatric patients, to the swing houses of New York and Paris, this fast-paced page-turner is a blend of mystery, suspense, humor, romance and erotica.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Excerpt Two:


“Yes indeed, my friend. I’ve seen a lot in my short life. I’ve bent over backward to please. I’ve been a puppet. That wasn’t for me, so one day I decided to stop.”


More than a hint of pain showed in her eyes…unsettling to find in such a young and beautiful woman. Who could have hurt her so much that she’d come to behave as she did?


“I know how it is,” I said. “It’s like apnea. What’s pleasurable at the start of relationships doesn’t last because it’s not real. You’ve decided to be real, once and for all.”


“Apnea?”


I’d finally said something that had surprised her.


“Yes. I like to go diving. Sometimes I dive without air tanks. I hold my breath. It’s called apnea and you can do it for only so long. At the beginning of relationships, people hold their breath. When they can’t do it anymore, they go back to being who they are and relationships end.”


“I adore that description.”

My Review:
The main characters in the book are Simone and Carl. Simone is a a sexual disorder therapist and a writer. Carl is a lawyer. Simone is giving a lecture at a conference when Carl comes in asking questions about what is considered normal sexual behavior and not normal. Simone pretty much asks him to set down and hold is questions until she is done with her presentation. During a break Carl and Simone discuss his reasons for his questions. He tells her he has a client who during a sexual act killed his partner, and that he thinks it was accidental, and he needs help proving it for his case. Simone agrees to help him in between her regular clients. 

Simone's clinical partner Edward is also working on a huge case. He is working with the police department to catch a serial killer who is torturing women before killing them. 

Needless to say this is a pretty busy book. I usually get lost in Dual story books. But A Gacazzoni has done a wonderful job of separating the stories inside of this book, and I had no problem with getting lost. The book to me was very well written. The characters in the book were well written and well formed. They were very believable. The book is written about some rather unusual fantasies, but it is done with great tact. It gets down and  dirty in parts but nothing like some of the erotic thrillers I have read in the past that crosses the line straight to porn. This is a mystery with some sex thrown in. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


AUTHOR Bio and Links:



Gavazzoni is a Brazilian author. She just won The Golden Book Award 2017- Readers Choice for her first novel Behind The Door and also an honorable mention at Paris Book Festval 2017 Adriana is a lawyer, a former professor of law and a writer of novels and legal books, but she is also a voracious reader. She speaks four languages: English, French, Portuguese and Spanish. When she is not practicing law or writing, she enjoys many interests and is a very active person. She loves to dance (Tango) and workout. She loves to travel, loves good wine, and has been studying astrology for fifteen years. She paints and loves to cook. She has two poodles -Gaia and Juno -and loves all animals. She is an aunt of four nieces who enjoy to paint and cook alongside their aunt. She lives in Brazil and is in the process of writing her next novel.


LINKS SITE


BLOG


TWITTER


INSTAGRAM


FACEBOOK


E-MAIL


Buy links:




Book Videos:





Interview with 
A. Gavazzoni



Where do you get inspiration for your stories?


From people, from my legal job, observing people’s life stories

How did you do research for your book?


I use books, the internet, psychological texts from universities and associations, and I watched a lot of movies about serial killers and read a lot of books from former FBI agents. And I consult a former FBI´s special agent to solve my doubts.

Do you have another profession besides writing?


Yes, I’ve been a lawyer for twenty-seven years

If you could go back in time, where would you go?


To the last year of high school

If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you choose?


The Devil’s Advocate
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


GIVEAWAY INFORMATION


A. Gavazzoni will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.


Broken Chords release day book blitz

Delightfully Witchy by Acacia K. Parker








Delightfully Witchy
A Delightfully Witchy Novel
Book One
Acacia K. Parker

Genre: Paranormal Romance /
Action and Adventure

Publisher: Parker Publishing

Date of Publication: 9/14/2017

ISBN: 978-0-9989444-4-9
ASIN: B071SLRNVS

Number of pages: 417
Word Count: 135,000

Cover Artist: Acacia K. Parker

Tagline: Not everyone is good at being a witch.

Book Description:

Looking for true love? Having dreams you need to recall more clearly? How about that pesky curse that just won’t go away? Let Delightfully Witchy Herbal Shop conjure up the perfect charm for you!

Meet Emerson Harper—herbalist, shop owner, witch—exceptional at the first two, not so much on the last. She finds there are perks to living a quiet life, especially when those perks involve Lincoln Summers walking into her shop asking for a rare Stone. Powerful, wealthy, and famous, she finds it hard to resist selling him what he seeks when those dazzling blue eyes of his linger a little too long.

What Lincoln failed to mention, however, is someone evil is looking for the Stone; a witch who now has Emmie in his sights. Luckily, Emmie made more of an impression on the sexy stranger than she realized, and when he comes to her rescue she finds herself suddenly pulled into Lincoln’s world of dark magic and buried secrets.

In the fight to reclaim their lives—and save the world from a deranged witch hell-bent on destruction—Emmie is thrust into a journey of mystery, peril, and self-discovery, only to learn that sometimes . . .

All magic needs is a little push.

Excerpt:

I awoke
screaming and scared, feeling like I was locked in that trunk again, bound and
unsure of the outcome. I was dazed. I knew I was awake, but it was still hard
to tell what was real. I felt the mattress underneath me, and the clothes that
smelled of spices and were faintly musky and sweaty. There was a light beside
the bed I could turn on to show that I was perfectly safe. None of that
mattered, though, because I was frantic, tears falling down my face, trying to
get out of the confined space that had me caged in.
Someone was
talking to me, calmly and evenly. Whoever it was grabbed my arms and lifted
them, moving me so my back was to a chest, clearly not my sister’s. I yanked my
arms to get free, but whoever had me was too strong, the voice continuing to
speak, telling me I was all right, that I was safe, and there wasn’t anything
to be worried about.
“Emmie, it’s
just a dream, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Lincoln. It was
Lincoln’s voice that finally trickled through, and I realized where I was. He
had his arms wrapped around me, holding me still so I wouldn’t hurt myself—or
him, for that matter. My head was somewhere near the crook of his neck as I
craned it back, looking up at the black ceiling, its endless depths forbidding
and ominous. Tears fell, my breathing was labored, and my heart raced. He never
moved, even as my legs kicked the blankets away, hating myself for allowing
this to happen.
When I finally
got myself to calm down, Lincoln turned me and without a word pulled me into a
hug. I wrapped my arms around his waist, listening to his heartbeat as it
hammered violently in his chest. With his head resting on mine, I barely felt
the stubble scratching at my forehead, abrasive but welcome.
“You scared me.”
His voice was throaty, like he’d just woken up himself. “Are you okay?”
“I think so,” I
managed to say, pulling back, noticing the light on the nightstand was on, dim
in the darkness. “I’m so, so sorry. That was—”
“Expected . . .
considering.” He shrugged, his hand on my shoulder as I wiped the tears off my
face.
“I guess it’s a
good thing I don’t sleep naked,” I giggled, trying to lighten the mood.
“I think that
depends on who you’re asking.” He smirked.
And I blushed,
of course. I was feeling all warm and cozy with his hand still on my shoulder
and then I noticed he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Good Lord. Trust me, it was
everything I ever thought it would be. No, it was definitely better. He was
perfect; chiseled chest, washboard abs, thick arms, and a dark line of hair
leading from his belly button until it disappeared underneath his pajama pants.
I’m pretty sure if I kept looking I was going to start drooling, literally, and
that would be . . . just no. 
“What are you
thinking about?”
“Nothing! It’s
nothing.”
“It doesn’t look
like nothing,” he said, raising his brows.
“It’s not
important,” I answered nervously, biting my lower lip.
“Are you sure?”
“Yep.” I nodded.
“I’m sure.”
“Ok.” He
squeezed my shoulder lightly.



About the Author:

Acacia has been what some may call a "gypsy" for most of her life. With her father serving in the Air Force for twenty years, she's enjoyed many different homes in many different states, with a decent portion of her life lived overseas in Germany. Always one to be creative, she has been drawing since she could write, and writing has become a passion of hers since her teenage years where she discovered she loved telling stories and creating eccentric characters.

Currently residing in Phoenix, AZ with her husband Shawn and their two golden retrievers, Boomer and Sookie, the duo find any excuse to enjoy the weather (when it's permitted), and you can often find the them scuba diving (their favorite place is the Florida Keys), hiking, visiting one of the many beautiful lakes Arizona has to offer or finding winding, dirt roads to discover. Unfortunately, it's not all fun and games. A good chunk of Acacia's time is taken up to complete her Bachelors in Business Management at Grand Canyon University - although procrastination does ensue.

In her writing adventures, Acacia hopes that one day her stories may inspire others to follow their dreams - no matter how crazy they may seem.







Newsletter sign up: http://eepurl.com/cnROuP 

Interview with Acacia K. Parker

Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
From everywhere, honestly! Some of them I’ve had in my head for years and am not just getting the confidence to put them down on paper, some of them I happen to be doing something random and get an idea. It might just be the basic plot or a character, but I always write it down to save for a later date. 

How did you do research for your book?
Google, of course! Is there any other way? 

Do you have another profession besides writing?
At this point, I go to college full time! I’m working on my BA in Business Management (it’s boring, I know), but it’s really my back-up plan for if I am unable to make writing a full time career. While I’d love to be capable of doing it full time, I also understand there is a lot that goes into it, so hopefully one day I can make that happen!

If you could go back in time, where would you go?
Oh man! There are a ton of different era’s I’d love to see, but I think I’d probably love to peek in on the 1920’s! It just seems like it would be a fun time to hang around!

What is your next project?
My next project is a dark, adult, post-apocalyptic paranormal titled RECESS – it’s actually my debut novel that I’m re-releasing for a 2nd edition and is set to come out October 30th. It follows Avery and her two “brothers” – wolves she met along her travels – as she attempts to survive in no-man’s land in search of a last city standing. It’s very different feel and story than Delightfully Witchy! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway







Haunted Halloween Spooktacular Secret of Souls by Aubrie Nixon




         The
feeling the Iter gives me is unique. I have tried other drugs, of course, but
the Iter is specific with its high. I see things that are unexplainable, things
that any sane person would call disgusting. But since I am not sane, I continue
to crave the dark and disturbing visions that the Iter gives me.
          Some
of us don’t survive the Iter. You die flying on a cloud of pure bliss as you
fade into oblivion. Those of us who survive our first encounter are treated
like kings and queens. We are rich beyond measure and could have anything we
could ever dream of. Riches, cars, clothes, mansions, fame–anything we want, it
is ours. It is the least they can offer us. But, after having the Iter, we want
nothing but to feel the release and music it brings. We are the Iter’s muses,
and we need it as much as it needs us. We are one.
          I
lie there with black leather pants and a dark lacy bra on. My hair is done in
an elegant bun, and I have been painted with enough makeup that I might rival
them for their beauty. I cannot feel anything from the neck down. All of the
feeling in my body is gone. But for the time being, I can see things as they
do. The world is brighter. The colors I can see are vast–more than any human
brain can even begin to fathom. The first time I tried the Iter I wanted to cry
at the beauty that surrounded me. But of course I couldn’t. I have no control
of my body. I can do nothing but stare at the lovely room, and them.
          The
room is a garden in a large greenhouse near campus. The grassy ground is the
most lovely shade of pure emerald green. I can see dew drops on the flower
petals that surround me. I lie on a bed of fresh, blood-red roses on a table in
the middle of the garden. The trees are of varying heights and colors. Pinks
and reds, shades that I dream about when I am not here. The night sky is a dark
purple, and the stars shine brighter than even the sun.
          The
mirror on the ceiling shows me the scars on my pale skin. They are of varying
colors and age. The ones that mark my stomach are many sizes for different
organs. I watch as they place plates and trays around my body, filled with bloodied
meats and liquids. I am the main event tonight, the center of everyone’s
attention. Therefore, my table is the most exquisite. I watch as the masked
ones bring in the guests. They are the Elite, the powerful ones. They have paid
more money than I could ever accumulate in a lifetime to be here. They are here
to see me, to be able to be next to me. It is the highest honor to be the main
event.
          The
music starts as the Iter takes hold, and I become its puppet. I am surrounded
by a dozen of them. They are dressed in finery and expensive jewels. They
whisper excitedly as they take in the spread on of the table, and their eyes
rake over me hungrily. The chef welcomes them and introduces me: Elana Arravey,
20, of Norse descent. Diet: Sparkling water, strawberries, pineapples, and low
protein. The crowd applauds excitedly. The chef murmurs a few words in their
language, and then she cuts into me. Blood trickles down my chest as she cuts
open my skin. Servants catch my blood in champagne flutes, and pass it out to
the ravenous crowd. I feel the chef’s hand inside of my chest, as she reaches
inside me, through my sternum, and grabs my heart. I watch as she pulls it from
my chest. It pulses with life, blood squirting from the valves, painting the
chef’s pale, white hand like fondue. It’s beautiful. She places my heart in a
bowl.
          The
bidding starts at 1 million. I watch in the mirror as the heart is bid on by
the room. The pulsing never stops, filling the bowl with my blood. The crowd
grows frenzied as the bidding war continues. 2 million, 3, 4, 5 million. We are
down to three guests left bidding. 6, 7, 8 million. Two guests. 9, 9.5, 10
million. Going once, twice, three times, sold!
          My
heart, sold for 10 million dollars. A hush goes over the room. It is rare that
a heart goes for 10 million dollars, but it is the first time this organ has
been touched. It is a trophy to take someone’s heart for the first time. The
one that gets to taste my heart comes to claim his prize. I wish I could see
him. I hear the crowd murmur their excitement as the chef takes the bowl from
the servers and places my heart on a silver platter. I can hear him lick his
lips as he reaches for my heart. I smile as he licks it, the blood dripping
from his mouth. Just a taste.
          It
is over in mere seconds, as the chef whispers words in their language again and
places my heart back into my chest. She positions her fingers over my wound,
and my flesh magically closes. She motions for the servers to carry me away,
into the kitchens. I want to cry out because I know my time on the Iter is
coming to an end. My legs start to tingle as it wears off, and before I can ask
for more, my world goes dark.
          I
awake in my bedroom, the alarm blaring like a foghorn. I open my eyes,
everything around me blurry from the sleep in my eyes. I sigh as I sit up
slowly and place my feet on the cold floor. My body is numb except for the dull
ache in my chest. I smile at the pain, and start the shower.







Secret of Souls
Age of Endings
Book 1
Aubrie Nixon

Genre: New Adult fantasy

Publisher: Winterwolf Press

Date of Publication: November 24, 2017

ISBN: 978-0988585157

Number of pages: 250
Word Count: 79,000

Cover Artist: Laura C. Cantu
and Andreea Vraciu

Book Description:

The Empire of Lucent has stood for centuries as a beacon of strength and light. But now an otherworldly realm has unleashed an army of nightmarish creatures upon the peaceful empire, spreading a lethal plague called The Decay which consumes its victims mercilessly from the inside out.

The king of the Empire of Lucent calls upon “Lady of Death” Zephera Travelle—an infamous assassin with a weakness for braided cinnamon bread and a striking aptitude for murder and mayhem. He sends her on an impossible quest to find the one person who can concoct a cure and save the realm from total annihilation.

Together with her best friend Zadkiel, mage extraordinaire Brenner, girly city-guard Oriana, and broody warrior Daegan, she embarks on a journey that will test her wits, will, and sanity. Along the way, she discovers that no one—and nothing—is as it seems, including herself.

About the Author:

Aubrie plays mom to the cutest demon topside. When she isn’t writing she is daydreaming about hot brooding anti-heroes and sassy heroines. She loves Dragon Age, Game of Thrones and reading all things fantasy. She runs a local YA/NA bookclub with 3 chapters, and over 200 members. If she could have dinner with anyone living or dead it would be Alan Rickman because his voice is the sexiest sound on earth. He could read the dictionary and she would be enthralled. Her current mission in life is to collect creepy taxidermy animals because she finds them cute and hilarious. She resides just outside of Washington DC.


cover reveal for Making it Complicated by Clarisse David

Today is the cover reveal for Making it Complicated by Clarisse David. This cover reveal is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The cover designer is Daniel Tinagan.



Making it ComplicatedMaking it Complicated (I Heart Iloilo #2)

By Clarisse David

Genre: Romance

Age category: Young Adult, New Adult

Release Date: October 16, 2017



Blurb:

No promises. No expectations. Just one night on a paradise island that could mean everything.



Nineteen-year-old Cam has a metric ton of emotional baggage and is in no mood to unload them on anyone. After her parents' marriage imploded, stress-free is the only way she wants her life to be. And what could be more freeing than spending the summer on Boracay? Absolutely nothing... until she bumps heads with Hunter, the hot drummer who screams incoming heartbreak from a mile away.



Hunter has grand plans, none of which include angry-at-the-world Cam, best friend to the girl he always thought he'd end up with. He likes his life steady, thank you very much. But steady has now become synonymous with boring. His grand plans don't seem so grand anymore. So when Cam comes home to Iloilo City and reaches out to him, he surprises himself when the one answer he can think of is... yes. Definitely yes.



Sometimes, complications are the only things that make sense.




You can find Making it Complicated on Goodreads



You can pre-order Making it Complicated here on Amazon



Making it Complicated full wrap




The first book in this series is only $0.99!


Keeping the Distance


No bets. No fake relationships. Just a very real one that has to be kept under wraps.



Buy Keeping the Distance here for only $0.99 on Amazon




Clarisse DavidAbout the Author:

Clarisse David is a Young Adult and New Adult author from the land of epic heat waves a.k.a. the Philippines. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and cannot survive without red lipstick and books. When not hanging out on Twitter, she can be found working on her latest writing project.



You can find her on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. You can also send her an email at clarissedavidwrites[@]yahoo[.]com.



You can find and contact Clarisse here:

- Website

- Facebook

- Twitter

- Goodreads

- Instagram

- Pinterest

- Newsletter



Giveaway

There is a cover reveal wide giveaway for the cover reveal of Making it Complicated. Five winners will each win an e-copy of Making it Complicated by Clarisse David. Open International.



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