Blog Tour: Abraham's Men by Kristen Selleck

This blog tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.

Click HERE to go to the tour page.

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.

It is my pleasure to feature:

 Kristen Selleck and Abrahams Men.

 Kristen Selleck is avidly evil. Until recently, she worked as a mad scientist. After several diabolical attempts at world domination proved unsuccessful (most notably, building an army of robots from used pipettes, empty reagent boxes, and other things left lying around the lab), she decided to pick up the pen. She used the pen to poke an annoying lady at the gas station in the eyeball. Then she decided to write.

She has been known to speak with a strong Russian accent. This is inexplicable due to the fact that she was born in Detroit. It has also been documented that she likes vodka, roller coasters, things which are purple, and blowing things up with dry ice. She abhors kittens, wood paneling popularized in the 1970's, and her arch-nemesis Jimmy (the Evil Overlord of Specimen Processing). She was last known to reside in Grand Rapids, and may be in the company of two evil apprentices, and her devoted henchman, Shad. If seen, please contact the FBI immediately (she owes someone in Accounting a sandwich).

http://kristenselleck.webs.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5305353.Kristen_Selleck

http://www.amazon.com/Kristen-Selleck/e/B0060FB49U

https://twitter.com/Abrahamsmen

http://www.facebook.com/BirchHarborSeries

Abraham’s Men

Birch Harbor Series, Book 2
Kristen Selleck

Genre:  YA paranormal romance

Number of pages: 394

Word Count: 86,000

Cover Artist: Kristen Selleck

Book Description: 

College sophomore Chloe Adams returns to Birch Harbor determined to find the remnants of the secret society known as Abraham's Men.

Yet, the only clues she has are the words 'find Ian Rose' and a strange coded journal that once belonged to her father.

No longer able to hear the voices that have plagued her for most of her life, and finally having the loving home she has always dreamed of, Chloe struggles to define what she wants--

Until fate and her mentor conspire to offer her the chance to discover the truth.

Unfortunately, the truth might kill her.

Excerpt:

The faint buzz of her cell phone shocked Chloe Adams out of a light sleep.  Panicked at the thought of missing the call, she struggled to unwind her covers, gave up and lunged toward the windowsill, groping toward the illuminated screen.  She didn‘t recognize the number, which was a good sign that it was him.

                “Seth?” she asked, as the bad connection crackled against her ear.

                “Clo?” His voice was faint, sounding as far away as he actually was.

                “Can you hear me?” she asked louder.

                “Barely.  I don’t know how long I can keep the signal, we just got back to the village and it’s been…and I don’t know how long…just wanted…”

                The static washed over his voice in waves.

                “Seth, I can’t hear you. When does your plane come in? Did you find out if you could get the earlier flight?”

                “…that everything’s okay, that you’re doing alright.  If it starts again…Father Andrew’s…you can stay with him until I get back…”

                “I’m fine, everything’s fine, just tell me when you’ll be in, so I can-”

                “Are you there…I can‘t…? Clo?”

                The static conquered his voice entirely.

                Chloe pounded her fist against the windowsill in frustration.  She hated Costa Rica, hated forestry, hated Michigan State University for its wonderful Study Abroad programs.   Why was he calling in the middle of the night anyway?  There was just an hour’s time difference between Birch Harbor and…

                The time, according to the bedside clock, was only ten.  Only ten o’clock at night and she wasn’t in Birch Harbor any more, she was home.  Coming back to a place she hadn’t seen in years was odd.  She had to remind herself that these were her things…it was her clock, her bed, her windowsill…her room…the place where she had laid down to sleep almost every night for sixteen years.  It wasn’t the same anymore.  It seemed to belong to another girl who might come in at any moment and find her there. 

After two years away from home, she wasn’t even sure that her key would work when no one answered the door.  Exhausted after the nine hour drive from Birch Harbor, she had gone to her old room, dropped her bags, and collapsed on the bed.  She hadn’t been asleep very long when he called.

Blog Tour: Hands on Me by Kim Carmichael (Tour wide author giveaway too)

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.

Click HERE to see the tour schedule.

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.

It is my pleasure to feature 
Kim Carmichael and her book Hands on Me.

About the Author:

Kim Carmichael began writing eight years ago when her love of happy endings inspired her to create her own.  She has a weakness for bad boys and techno geeks, and married her own computer whiz after he proved he could keep all her gadgets running.  When not writing, she can usually be found slathered in sunscreen trolling Los Angeles and helping top doctors build their practices.

Website / Facebook / Twitter

Hands on Me Excerpt

"Stop!" A man yelled.

The barrel of another gun met her inches from her face. She tensed, not from the gun, but from the familiar inflection in his voice. The position of both their weapons hid the man's face.

"Get in and lower your gun, or we'll both lose."                    

"Back up and lower yours, or you won't have a hand left." No one told her what to do, not ever again. The click of her cocking her weapon echoed around them.

He stepped back. "Get in and close the door."

With her gun still raised, she stepped and waited for her opponent to flinch first.

"Now." He moved a fraction of an inch.

She did the same, and with the silent acknowledgement they would both comply, they lowered their guns in unison. She almost shot herself in the foot at the sight of the man who greeted her. Before she made a mistake, she de-cocked her gun and shook her head. "Colin?" Her body betrayed her by trembling. Was this her punishment?

"Gwen." He shoved the gun in his waistband. "You're the one. I would have never guessed."

Think. She screamed at herself to remember her training, and not allow him to best her or distract her. She glanced around the room, giving her time to not look at him. Agents were supposed to be everyday people and blend in, but Colin Alexander stood out. From the moment she quite literally fell into his lap through a two-story ceiling three years ago, she wasn't sure why his agency chose such a standout. She supposed his combed-back black hair and golden eyes were some bizarre form of female torture.

Hands On Me
Tramp Stamp Series Book One

Kim Carmichael

Genre:  Contemporary romance with some suspense elements.

Publisher:  Keith Publications

ISBN: 978-1-936372-46-1

ASIN: B0098LICZ2

Number of pages: 17

Word Count: 5000

Cover Artist: Elisa Elaine Luevanos

Book Description:

Agent Gwen Fredricks is a living target.  Captured after a failed mission, the code to crack a safe has literally been permanently hidden on her.  To free herself, she must retrieve a final key.  

All Agent Colin Alexander has to do to avoid a desk job is get a code said to be on an enemy agent.   He never dreamed it would actually be on the agent, especially Gwen.

The simple shoot-and-swoop mission takes a turn for these two sometime-lovers and full-time rivals when they call a truce to give into their desire.  Now with the promise to keep both hands on each other at all times, they share a night together.  Loyalties are tested when Gwen manages to swipe the key away, and Colin discovers the code carefully embedded into Gwen's tramp stamp tattoo in a glow of UV light.  When morning comes they must decide if what they feel for each other is worth betraying their agencies.

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8VFqFbRFiY&feature=plcp

Amazon

My thoughts:
This is a super short story, only 17 pages.  The story you get in those few pages is great.  You get action from the go.  I enjoyed the characters, but would love to know more.  It is obvious that they have a past, and are hoping for a future, but we don't get a lot of details in this short piece.  I like the writing style and loved the story.  Can't wait to read more about these two characters.

Tour wide giveaways open to US Shipping

6 prize packs filled with vintage harlequin novels, a necklace, skin care, and bookmark

2 prize packs with vintage harlequin novels, skin care and a bookmark

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Day Blitz! Smoke and Mirrors by Marie Treanor

This release day blitz is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.

Click HERE to see the schedule.

Welcome to The Wormhole and my stop on the 

Release Day Blitz!

Smoke and Mirrors

The Gifted, Book 1
Marie Treanor

                             

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Suspense

ISBN: 978-0-9573016-4-1

Number of pages: 241 (epub)

Word Count: 87,000

Cover Artist: Kimberly Killion (Hot Damn Designs)

Book Description:

Deceit and desire, and a treasure beyond price...

When struggling Scottish writer Nell Black accepts a one-off job with the police, translating for an arson suspect from the isolated ex-Soviet republic of Zavrekestan, she stumbles into a terrifying world of organized crime and paranormal abilities that turns her whole belief system upside down. Faced with an incomparable thief, hit men who spontaneously combust, gangsters, drug dealers, British Intelligence and a fiery goddess, Nell no longer knows who to trust. The man who saves her life is a criminal to whom deceit is second nature. He has more smoke screens and more plans in motion than anyone else can keep track of. He is, moreover, probably insane. Even his fellow gangsters are afraid of him. So why is he the one man Nell wants to touch her?

Rodion Kosar is in trouble. His convoluted plans all lead to one goal - the retrieval of his treasure - and to achieve that, he needs Nell to believe he isn't the bad guy. He has many reasons beyond his own desires to make love to her. Especially when a plan goes wrong and he has to play dead before someone really kills him - either the police, the menacing Russian crime lord known as the Bear, or the powerful Guardian of the Gifted whom he's defied once too often. Nell's burgeoning gift of second sight could be his best route to the treasure, and yet keeping her with him spells danger. For Nell has her own agenda, her own mission, and she could just as easily cause his final downfall.

Excerpt:

SMOKE AND MIRRORS (The Gifted, Book 1)

By MARIE TREANOR

Ebook $2.99 from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, 6th Nov.

Deceit and desire, and a treasure beyond price...

When struggling Scottish writer Nell Black accepts a one-off job with the police, translating for an arson suspect from the isolated ex-Soviet republic of Zavrekestan, she stumbles into a terrifying world of organized crime and paranormal abilities that turns her whole belief system upside down. Faced with an incomparable thief, hit men who spontaneously combust, gangsters, drug dealers, British Intelligence and a fiery goddess, Nell no longer knows who to trust. The man who saves her life is a criminal to whom deceit is second nature. He has more smoke screens and more plans in motion than anyone else can keep track of. He is, moreover, probably insane. Even his fellow gangsters are afraid of him. So why is he the one man Nell wants to touch her?

Rodion Kosar is in trouble. His convoluted plans all lead to one goal - the retrieval of his treasure - and to achieve that, he needs Nell to believe he isn't the bad guy. He has many reasons beyond his own desires to make love to her. Especially when a plan goes wrong and he has to play dead before someone really kills him - either the police, the menacing Russian crime lord known as the Bear, or the powerful Guardian of the Gifted whom he's defied once too often. Nell's burgeoning gift of second sight could be his best route to the treasure, and yet keeping her with him spells danger. For Nell has her own agenda, her own mission, and she could just as easily cause his final downfall.

*

Just walking across the beach and onto the cliff path made her sweat inside her borrowed oilskins, so she pulled her raincoat off and let the chilly breeze cool her down. A moment later, she realised Rodion was striding easily along beside her, and found her voice, small, hard, and definite.

“You’re wrong on two counts, Rodion Andreyevich. For the record, I don’t sleep with men on whims, however tempting they might imagine themselves. And even if I did, that wouldn’t and couldn’t help you find your treasure.”

For a moment, he said nothing. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d sped up and left the others to make sure she followed him back to the house. It was the kind of reaction she usually got to such a speech—a hasty backing off with the unspoken subtext: Whoops. Easy lay’s off. Try someone else.

But Rodion neither broke nor increased his stride. “What about fun?” he said.

She glanced at him, frowning. “What?”

He met her gaze in the darkness. “Do you ever sleep with a man for fun?”

“Do you imagine I close my eyes, grit my teeth, and think of England?” she retorted, although in some cases, it had come depressingly close. “Or Scotland…”

“I don’t know. And neither do you.” His teeth gleamed in the darkness. His fingers touched her wrist, a glancing, gliding caress that caught at her breath. “Not with me.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said loftily.

“I’ll show you.” Without warning, he nudged her off the path.

She staggered, but he held her upright with both hands at her waist, and pushed her two steps farther until her back came up against a tree. His hands were warm on her waist, and they stood breast to chest, his hips deliberately touching hers. Between, she could feel him growing and hardening, and heat flooded her. The heat of embarrassment and fear and, God help her, a shocking, raging lust.

“Fun,” he repeated. “You and me, having sex for fun. What would you think of that?”

For the space of several heartbeats—her heart was beating very fast—she stared up into his stormy blue eyes. Her stomach lurched, for there was real emotion there. She’d no idea what it signified, but it was profound, intense, and dangerously exciting.

“Are you actually offering to show me a good time?” she managed. “After lying to me, getting me shot at, kidnapping me, and forcing me on a drug smuggling trip?”

“Yes,” he said softly and bent his head so close she could feel his breath on her lips, her cheek. “What do you say, Nell? You and me, just for the fun of it.” He began to sway subtly against her, while his hands stroked her hips through her jeans. His breath stirred her ear. “I have this feeling—such a warm, sexy feeling—that we’d be good together. So awesomely good…”

All she could manage was, “You’re kidding yourself.”

“Am I? I want you very badly, Yelena Black.”

She closed her eyes, as if that could blot out the temptation of his soft, sexy voice. It did things to her she didn’t want to think about.

“Tough. I don’t want you,” she said brutally.

It didn’t faze him, didn’t stop his hips from pressing her into the tree or his face from sinking ever closer to hers. “Yes, you do. I’ve seen it in your eyes when I touch you. I could see it there now if you’d just open them.”

She opened her eyes and glared. But he only smiled, and that didn’t help at all. His erection pressed between her thighs with just the right amount of pressure to be gloriously exciting without any overt threat. Her whole body trembled, melting against his. Every time he moved, brushing against her nipples like a caress, she tingled. She couldn’t break eye contact, didn’t want to, although his own gaze kept dropping to her lips and back to her eyes, tantalizing, forcing her to wonder again with new desperation, how did he kiss?

She just bet he’d be good at it. She was already so aroused, her stomach would do backflips at the first touch of his lips. If she let it. If she let him.

“Yes, there it is,” he said huskily. A smile, curiously warm and tender sprang into his eyes. “Don’t look so alarmed. One kiss and then I’ll stop.” He brought up his hand and traced the shape of her upper lip with his forefinger.

There was no way she could explain her real terror, that one kiss with him and she wouldn’t be able to stop. She tried to speak, but the words dried in her desperate throat. She grabbed at the tree to stop herself holding on to him and saw the smile flicker across his face. One kiss and then I’ll stop. He bent even closer until she felt his breath on her lips, as he whispered, “If you want me to.”

His mouth closed on hers.

Giveaway:

$30 Amazon gift card prize tour wide 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Shadow's End by Courtney Rene

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.

It is my pleasure to feature: 

Courtney Rene and Shadow's End.

Courtney has joined us for an interview:

? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?  I didn’t actually have an epiphany like a lot of writers do.  Simply, I have always been a storyteller.  Since I was very small I have been making up stories and sharing them.  Being a writer was just the natural progression.

? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?  I haven’t held many different jobs throughout my life, as I don’t actually like change all that much.  I was a camp counselor for several years.  I worked at Subway from 16-18.  I worked as a customer sales representative from 18-19. The rest is as a Paralegal.  Nothing all that glamorous but it pays the bills.

? How long does it take you to write a book?  The writing it, in draft form, only takes me a few weeks.  Revisions and edits can take me months.  The story is the fun part, it doesn’t take me all that long at all to tell the story. 

? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?  I talk to myself a lot.  Well that is not entirely true.  To others I am talking to myself.  In my reality I am talking to my characters.  I know it sounds weird but when you are spending every spare moment in the mind of your story characters, then tend to become a tiny bit real.  At least that is true to me.  Maybe I am more weird than I realize. 

? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?  Not really, unless you count plugging in an ipod and blaring music to cover up any outside noise, a routine.  I can write anytime and anywhere generally as long as I can tune out the real world. 

? What is the first book you remember reading by yourself? The Gingerbread Man.  My sister made me read it and yelled at me the whole time. Her being a whole year older than me, made her smarter and apparently meaner.  I laugh about that now, but at the time, it really hurt my feelings. 

? What do you like to do when you are not writing?  You are expecting me to say, read, right?  Well yes, that is true, but I actually do like to do other things than just read and write.  One of those things would be cooking.  I love to cook.  Trying out new things and ideas is fun.  The worst part though is cleaning up.  I wish I could just do the cooking and have someone else clean up after me, when I was done making all the mess. 

? What is your favorite comfort food? Bread.  It’s an addiction.  Garlic bread, cheese bread, honey bread, butter bread, you name it, if it can be on bread, I will eat it. 

? What do you think makes a good story? The conflict first.  You gotta have a good conflict.  Second would be the falling in love.  I am good at the conflict.  That I can do.  The love parts are a little shaky and harder for me.  I don’t write too deep in the way of love, but that is one of my favorite things to read.  If I could get past the giggles, I think I would be better at it. 

? What book, if any, do you read over and over again?  I say the same book all the time.  Ride the Wind, by St. Clair.  This book is awesome!  It’s a thriller, it’s a historical, it’s a romance, it is wonderful.  I laugh, cry, get angry, and yes even get a little nauseous once or twice.  I love this book. 

Fun random questions: 

• dogs or cats?  I like either of them but dogs are my favorite.  Esp. the mastiff breeds.  I love those guys. 

• Coffee or tea?  Again either.  I like a nice cuppa tea in the afternoon, but there is nothing better to me than a hot Cup-o-Joe in the morning to get me started off.

• Dark or milk chocolate?  Milk Chocolate baby!  Oh I know dark is better for you, but I am not eating chocolate for my health.  I am eating it cause I like it and it makes me happy.

• Rocks or flowers? Flowers.  Especially white tulips or daisies. 

• Night or day?  Hmmm, depends on my mood.  I love the warmth of the sun on my skin, but there are times that I love the night when it’s cool and clear. 

• Favorite color?  Blue.

• Crayons or markers? Crayons. The good kind not the cheap waxy ones.  You know the ones I mean too.

• Pens or pencils?  Pencils.  The yellow #2 wooden kind.  Those are the best!

More About the Author:

Courtney Rene lives in Ohio with her husband and two children.  She is a graduate and member of the Institute of Children’s Literature.  Her writings include magazine articles, short fiction stories, several anthologies, as well as her novels, A Howl in the Night and the Shadow Dancer series, published through Rogue Phoenix Press.  For a complete listing, visit www.ctnyrene.blogspot.com

Links:

www.ctnyrene.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/Ctnyrene   

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shadow-Dancer/164433473646449

https://twitter.com/ctnyrene

http://www.amazon.com/Courtney-Rene/e/B004X6SS2Y/

Shadow’s End

Book 3 in the Shadow Dancer Series

Courtney Rene

Book Description:

The adventure and the struggle continue for Sunny, as the fight for control of Acadia is near.  Battle lines have been drawn, not just by King Gideon, but also by the rebels that were once Sunny’s allies. 

Due to unexpected trips to the ice realm and the fire realm, new allies are found to help build the Army of the Sun.  There are new worlds explored.  New friends and new enemies made. 

Ready or not, Sunny must prepare for what is coming as well as decide where she belongs within it all.  But…what about prom?  What about Leif?  What about home?  How can she, just a seventeen year old girl, rule a whole world?  She’s not even sure if she can get through finals. 

Short Excerpt:

Leif leaned toward Lucas until he was just a few inches away from his face, glared hard with half squinted eyes, and said, "They you also know she's mine. I found her. You don't get to have her."

That was it. I didn't care about the pain it was going to cause me. I purposefully and intentionally, pushed out a zap of energy at Leif where he held my arm. Not enough to really hurt him, but it was enough to have him jerk his hand off me in surprise and a bit of pain. Rage clouded his eyes for a moment as he directed his gaze on me.

I rounded on him with the full force of my own rage and completely ignored his. "You!" I said and poked a finger into his chest. "Don't get to own me! No one gets to own me."

He took a step back. I stepped forward and poked him again. "I get to decide who I want to be with and who gets to be with me." Again he took a step back, and me a step forward, and I poked him hard in the chest, hard enough to make my finger twinge in pain at the abuse, but I ignored it. "I get to decide. Do you hear me, Leif?"

"Sunny," Lucas said from behind me. "You have an audience."

Without taking my eyes from Leif, I swung an arm behind me with my hand up at him, hoping that I conveyed with that one action to shut up.

I did lower my voice at least. "You had your chance with me, but you chose to lie, to cheat, and to keep me in the dark at your mercy. You don't get to decide anything about me anymore."

I turned away from him and stepped back to my table where I again began to gather up the debris from lunch. "Go home, Leif. There's nothing here for you anymore."

"Yes, there is," he said softly from directly behind me. I hadn't heard him come up next to me. Then even softer he said, "This isn't over between us, Sunny. I'm not giving up."

I glanced over my shoulder at him. The man before me was the Leif I knew. The Leif I had fallen in love with. The ice was missing from his face and his eyes and my heart felt the pain of losing him all over again. Why did it still hurt to see him, to be next to him? "Leif," I whispered, "go home. Please."

Again without any regard to the people around him or the trouble he could cause, he phased into the shadows and was gone. Angry or not, my heart ached as he disappeared.

"Sunny?"

"Yeah, Lucas," I said as I stared at the place that Leif had vanished. I was suddenly so tired.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I'll live."

"Um…do you know that you have a slight glow of white around you?"

No. I didn't know that. I closed my eyes and sighed. "Great."

Blog Tour: Nothing But Trouble by Lisa Mondello

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.

Click HERE to see the tour schedule.

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.

It is my pleasure to feature:

Lisa Mondello and Nothing But Trouble.

Lisa Mondello (a.k.a. LA Mondello) has held many jobs in her life but being a published authors is the last job she'll ever have. She's not retiring! She blames the creation of the personal computer for her leap into writing novels. Otherwise, she'd still be penning stories with paper and pen.  Her first book, All I Want for Christmas is You, was the winner of the Golden Quill contest for Best First Book and to date has had over 400,000 downloads worldwide.

She is currently the author of 14 novels under the name Lisa Mondello and LA Mondello. You can find more information about Lisa Mondello at http://www.lisamondello.blogspot.com     www.LisaMondello.blogspot.com    @LisaMondello
http://www.facebook.com/lisa.mondello.1     

Nothing But Trouble by Lisa Mondello

Book Description:

What's a girl to do all alone with a rodeo cowboy for 1 month in the Wyoming wilderness? 

Melanie Summers has something to prove! Being a zoologist is her dream and the only thing standing in the way of her going on an African expedition is her father and his fear. 

So she strikes a deal. She has to spend a full month in the Wyoming wilderness and show her father she can handle being in a remote area while managing her Type 1 diabetes before he'll agree to fund the expedition to Africa and allow her to go. But her daddy isn't the only one convinced she'll fail... 

But she's not about to let any man underestimate what she can do. Especially not the sexy rodeo cowboy she's hired to help get her through the month in the wilderness.

Yes, he knows what he's doing. But so does she! Yes, he's ruggedly handsome...well, he can't help that, can he? But no sexy cowboy is going to keep her down!

Stoney Buxton needs to raise cash fast to save the family ranch after a barn fire injured his father and left the family finances in ruin. Re-entering the rodeo circuit seems like the best way to get the money he needs. That is until Melanie Summers shows up at his ranch flashing easy money. 

To everyone else, Melanie's offer seems like the answer to all his prayers. But one look at her long legs and pouting lips and Stoney knows this high society gal is going to be nothing but trouble...for his cowboy heart.

An Excerpt:

His jaw tightened. Yes, there was something definitely wrong here. And money had nothing to do with it. It had everything to do with this beauty standing in front of him, who was clueless about what she was getting her pretty little hide into. "No," he replied tersely.

"Mr. Buxton, I need your help."

"Tourist season is in full swing. I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding someone else."

He turned his back to her and began walking along the fence toward the barn, almost forgetting... Abruptly, he glanced up and saw the charred remains of the barn. The place where all his troubles had started just one year ago. It hadn't taken but a second for him to hear her boots digging into the dusty gravel behind him, jarring him from his thoughts.

"Then I'll do it myself," she said to his back.

His whole body stiffened. He angled back to read her face, to see if she was just being a spoiled rotten rich kid, trying to get her way, or if she was actually serious. Seeing her head held high and her arms crossed in front of her, he realized she was dead serious.

And dead she'd be if she stepped one boot into those mountains alone.

"You'll do no such thing."

Frustration flaring, he lifted his dusty hat and forced his fingers through the thick crop of black hair before returning the hat to his head.

"You just don't get it, do you? You're not asking me to take you on a theme park ride where you'll get to see the wonders of the world at a nice safe distance. This is God's country. The creatures that live up there don't know civilization, and you are no better than them. You could--probably will--get killed if you go out there alone." His lips twitched, taking a good long appraising look at the woman in front of him. "You might even chip a nail on that pretty hand of yours."

My thoughts:
Once again Lisa Mondello has created fantastic characters, the kind of people that you wish truly lived, and set them in a wonderful story.  The book reads fast, drawing you in at the very start; making you love the characters more and more with each turn of the page.  You feel what they feel and almost seem to be living through the struggles with them.  
She carries a feeling of strong family bonds and ties throughout her books.  
She is such a great storyteller.  Do not miss out on this or any of her other titles.  

Blog Tour: Eolyn by Karin Rita Gastreich (Giveaway too!)

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.

Click HERE to see the tour schedule.

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.

It is my pleasure to feature:

Eolyn by Karin Rita Gastreich

About the Author

KARIN RITA GASTREICH was born near Kansas City, Missouri. After living and working for ten years as a tropical ecologist in Costa Rica, she recently returned to her home town and is now a Professor of Biology at Avila University. Her past times include camping, hiking, music and flamenco dance.  Karin's fantasy novel EOLYN was released by Hadley Rille Books in May, 2011.  The companion novel, HIGH MAGA, is scheduled for release in 2013. Karin’s short stories have appeared in Zahir, Adventures for the Average Woman, 69 Flavors of Paranoia, and A Visitor to Sandahl.   She is a recipient of the Spring 2011 Andrews Forest Writer’s Residency.

Visit her at the blog for Eolyn, http://eolynchronicles.blogspot.com  and at Heroines of Fantasy, co-authored with Terri-Lynne DeFino and Kim Vandervorthttp://heroinesoffantasy.blogspot.com

Blog for Eolyn:  http://eolynchronicles.blogspot.com

Blog Heroines of Fantasy:  http://heroinesoffantasy.blogspot.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Eolyn/110814625640244

Eolyn
Karin Rita Gastreich

Genre:  Fantasy

Publisher:  Hadley Rille Books

ISBN:  978-0-9829467-4-9

Number of pages:  325

Word Count:  approximately 118,000

Amazon   Barnes and Noble

Book Description:

In a land ravaged by civil war, the Mage King Kedehen initiates a brutal purge of the Magas.

Fleeing his wrath, Eolyn, daughter of the last of the Magas and sole heiress to their forbidden tradition, seeks refuge in the South Woods.  There she meets the mysterious boy Akmael, and forms a friendship that thrives on shared magic.  Destiny leads them down a tortuous path of love, betrayal and war, until one day the Maga Eolyn takes up arms against the new Mage King.

Must Eolyn slay the man she loves in order to free herself and her people? 

The answer lies in the extraordinary magic she commands, and in the hidden power of a Maga’s heart. 

“Vigorously told deceptions and battle scenes. . . with a romantic thread." – Publishers Weekly

Short Excerpt Eolyn

Akmael set the jewel on a polished oak table, next to the ceremonial mask he had confiscated from Eolyn when they had brought her to him as a prisoner. The silver web sparkled under the flickering light of the torches, and the folds of her mask seemed to waver with the shadows. After a careful search, Akmael found what he sought: a coppery strand of her hair, glowing with her magic and still bearing traces of her exquisite aroma. With a quiet invocation to Dragon, he wove the hair into the heirloom of his mother, snaking it tightly through the intricate mesh. When he finished a sudden white glow flashed through the medallion, fusing the strand of hair to the web and rendering it indistinguishable from the other threads. Satisfied, Akmael stood and lifted the circle by its silver chain. He drew a breath and began a new incantation, one he had worked meticulously by integrating the lullaby of his mother with a spell designed to separate the seam of a Maga’s ward.

Ehekahtu

Elaeom enem, eleaom enem

Sepoenem fae

Elaeom enem, elaeom enem

Renoenem mae

Ehukae

As he repeated the verse, the stone walls melted around him and soft loam rose to his feet. The web had taken him to a forest, ancient in aspect though illuminated by energies very different from the South Woods. The pale light of the new moon filtered through the canopy. A breeze shifted restless against the trees. He thought he could feel Eolyn’s essence on the wind, but she was nowhere to be seen. Disappointed though not deterred, Akmael lifted the medallion to try again. Just as he spun the web to begin his invocation, a soft rustle in the underbrush detained him. Eolyn appeared a few paces away in the shape of Wolf, her true identity betrayed by the full spectrum of her magnificent aura.

Akmael caught his breath and held very still. The Gods must have favored him, for she did not at first detect his scent. Stepping into the clearing, she searched the leaf litter with her snout, her awareness focused on some favored smell emanating from the damp earth. Her coarse gray fur blended into the shadows. The faint moonlight glinted against her black eyes. She continued oblivious to him, until in a sudden shift of attention she paused and looked up. She sniffed at the air, her muscles tensed. Her ears turned in Akmael’s direction. She growled then bolted into the forest.

Calling upon the shape of Wolf, Akmael charged after her.

As a girl, Eolyn had been a swift runner. As a wolf, she seemed impossible to catch. She hurtled through the bushes, managing with nimble turns a rough terrain unknown to Akmael. Branches caught at his fur and scratched his snout. Tangled roots threatened to trip his paws. More than once she gained enough distance to lose sight of her, yet Akmael kept tight upon her scent and did not give up. His muscles began to burn. His tongue hung limp from his jowls. He panted hot clouds into the air as he pushed his limbs to move faster and faster.

Without warning the undergrowth disappeared. Akmael skidded into a small clearing. The she-wolf paced a confused circle in front of him, her whimpers soft and high pitched. A steep wall of rock had cut her flight short. Upon sensing Akmael, she swung around to confront him and bared her fangs in a vicious snarl. They stalked each other, heads low and tails ominously still, quiet growls and sharp barks building in a tense duet. Eolyn sprang first, striking his shoulders and digging her claws deep into his fur as her teeth sought his neck. Akmael twisted his throat out of her reach, forcing his snout underneath her muzzle, leaving her snapping at his ears instead. Again he ducked his head, barely avoiding the tearing hold of her canines. He had never seen Eolyn so intent on drawing blood. Wedging his paws up through her hold, he pushed against her muzzle and spread his claws over her face. With a sharp yelp, Eolyn stumbled back, breaking their grapple. Recovering her balance, she lunged low, fangs flashing in the moonlight. Just as her jaws snapped shut, Akmael reared up on his hind legs, leaving nothing for her to take hold of. Coming down upon her back, he caught the nape of her neck with his razor sharp teeth and forced her decisively to the ground.

Eolyn went very still, though her muscles remained tense. After several moments she tried to shift her position, scooting a few inches along the ground. He tightened his grip with a low growl, sending a clear signal that the strength of his muzzle could break her neck. Again she paused. He felt her pulse against his jowls, rapid and strong. The intensity of their conflict had left her fur warm and damp at the roots. Her rich musk rose about him in waves, saturating his senses to the point of dizziness. His loins tightened with need. Every instinct of Wolf was urging him to claim her right then and there. Was such a thing possible, he wondered. Did the Mages and Magas of old partake in the pleasure of the Gods even when they shape shifted?

Eolyn’s muzzle sank between her paws. Her ears twitched and she whimpered quietly. Her pulse slowed. The tension drained out of her haunches and into the midnight earth. Interpreting this as a sign of submission, Akmael loosened his hold and stepped away.

In an instant, Eolyn rose to her feet, resumed her human form and kicked him full in the stomach. The force of her strike surprised Akmael. He hit the ground with a yelp, and the shape of Wolf deserted him. His hand went instinctively to where the blow burned against his side.

“You have lost nothing of your strength and skill,” he said, “but don’t you think that move was a little unfair?”

Tour wide giveaway!
2 signed print copies of Eolyn.

a Rafflecopter giveaway