Destiny's Flame by D.S. Schmeckpeper COVER REVEAL

About the Book

Author: D.S. Schmeckpeper

Title: Destiny's Flame, A Land of Destiny Novel (Book 2)

Word Count: 95,000

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Release date: April 21st, 2015 (tentative)

Synopsis:

Repercussions…

What happens after the battle is done? Do you think everyone lives happily ever after?

Lumernia has been left divided, leaderless. The ensuing power struggle cost the city more than just the knightly order, leaving the land and its people unguarded. Is the conquering army content with their prize, or do they have their sights set on more?

Celeste, Tarnelius, Arcus and Siobhan are back. After saving the land of Altierra from the threat of the ultimate evil, they expected life to return to normal and made plans to pay respects to a fallen friend. No good deed ever goes unpunished, though, and their actions have many consequences. Kuunkierto was defeated, but an ancient pact was broken and the first calls of war have sounded. Will they be able to right the wrongs of the world once more? Will they be strong enough to face what is coming?

Through the flames of war, new destinies arise.

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Victoria awoke with a start. She stared up at the ceiling, trying to figure out where she was. Turning slowly toward the center of the room, she was shocked to find herself face-to-face with Joseph, who was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. He had apparently moved the end table to the side at some point during the night.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
She sat up and stretched. “Morning. Have you been waiting for me to wake up?”
“More or less. I don’t sleep well. Night before last in Kayalost was the most rest I’ve had in a long time.”
“So instead of sleeping, you decided to watch me sleep?”
A ghost of a smile flickered over his face. “You looked just like an angel.”
“I don’t understand you at all. You are full of mixed signals. You kiss me with such passion and you watch me sleep, tell me I look like an angel … but you also push me away when I try to take our relationship further.”
“Give me time.”
“Since when do you need time?”
Joseph turned away. “See? That’s why I need time. I don’t want to make a mess of things. There is no rush. Right now, when you think of me, you only think of the women that came before you. You think of how I didn’t wait. You aren’t thinking of us at all. You aren’t thinking that maybe I don’t want a mere night of passion, that maybe I want something deeper. I guess the question is, what do you want?”
“Joseph, the only thing that I’m thinking of is that I don’t want to wait. You said it yourself: ‘nothing in this life is guaranteed.’ Can’t we enjoy however long we have together?”
Joseph closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought. For a moment, she was sure she’d won him over, but then he shook his head. “Just give me a little time, all right? I want everything to be special. You’re special. Being with you is special.”
“You’re infuriatingly charming, do you know that?”
He smiled a crooked smile at her. “One more thing for you to love about me.”
She patted the bed next to her. He rose to his feet and sat down. She climbed onto his lap and kissed him gently on the lips.
Joseph deepened the kiss, his hand rising up to cup her face, while his other hand held her in place on his lap. She tangled her fingers in his hair, shifting slightly. He groaned.
Pulling away, she murmured, “I do, you know.”
“What’s that, Vicki?”
“I do love you. You were right, and it is too fast, but something about you calls to me, to my very soul. I–I’ve never felt anything like this before. It frightens me.”
Joseph stared at her, a look of stunned happiness on his face. He didn’t speak a word, and after a few awkward moments, she pressed herself into him once more, kissing him with all the passion she wished she could verbalize. She gave him a little shove and he fell backward, landing on his back on the bed, with her atop him.
“Do you love me, too, Joseph?” she breathed.
Joseph rolled over, sliding her beneath him in the process. He kissed her chastely once, his weight resting on his elbows. “I do, Vicki. I tried to tell you last night. You know what else?”
“Hmm?”
“I think I’ve had enough time now.” He kissed her again, this time with an urgency that made her blood run hot.

Copyright © 2015 by D.S. Schmeckpeper

About the Author

D.S. Schmeckpeper (a.k.a. Dottie and Steve Schmeckpeper) live in Florida, USA. They are a husband and wife team who work together to create the Land of Destiny series. Both have loved the Fantasy genre for many years and have wasted way too much time playing fantasy-based games. Dottie was a vocal performance major in college, before she decided a liberal arts major was not for her. Ironic, huh? They have two wonderful twin boys, who are three at the time of this publication. They are the light of their parents’ lives. Steve does the artwork and comes up with many of the story concepts. Dottie brings the ideas to life.  When not working, writing or drawing, the pair love to take their children to Florida’s many amusement parks, and can often be found there.

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Time Winders by Blog Glatnek: GIVEAWAY

Title:   Time Winders

Author:   Blog Glatnek

Published:  March 17th, 2014

Publisher:   Stonetree Entertainment

Genre:  Sci-Fi

Content Warning:  Minor violence and sexual references

Recommended Age:  16+

Synopsis:  Tanya is a beautiful young Time Cop chasing criminals through Time. James is an 82-year old widower. How did these two get stuck together, tracking down a rogue agent? Is someone manipulating the outcome from the future? And what’s with the tea?

Find out how love, loyalty, and friendship can change everything you thought you knew about destiny, in Time Winders.

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Excerpt:

“Uh, Tanya? Do you ever, I don’t know, run into yourself? In Time?” “Don’t be silly. There’s only one of me.” “But, that doesn’t make sense.” “The way it was explained to us was, there are multiple iterations of Time, but you are a singularity.” And that was that. But it was only half the equation. “Look, that brings up something. I get that you travel through Time (he thought of Time as an entity, now, something he could almost touch), but how do you travel through space? How did we go from California at midnight, to Flanders at noon?” She nodded. “I had to take a course in advanced temporal-fluidics, and it was still difficult to understand. It’s even harder to explain, but … let me use the analogy my professor used. “When we travel through Time, think of our toes as leaving the surface of the Earth. In fact, that’s why it was so easy for me to carry you along when you were struggling; Time itself pulls us along. Then, as we step, the Earth rotates beneath us. I choose when and where to touch down.” James sort of got it. He knew the Earth was roughly 24,000 miles around, so with 24 hours in a day you’re moving about 1,000 miles an hour. If you could theoretically float above the surface (without being flung at 1,000 miles an hour when you left), the planet would rotate beneath you. It would be like traveling at 1,000 miles an hour.

About the Author:

Tanya, writing under pseudonym of Blog, is a female, living in Southern California. A biologist, writer and medical illustrator. Married.

Amazon Author Page | Twitter | GoodReads | Website

Giveaway Details:

There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:

• A $25 Amazon Gift Card

Giveaway is International.

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Curse Me Not by Elizabeth Fisher: Giveaway

Title:   Curse Me Not

Author:   Elizabeth Fisher

Published:  December 1st, 2014

Publisher:  Champagne Book Group

Genre:  Paranormal Romance

Content Warning:  Adult Sexual Content

Recommended Age:  17+

Synopsis:
Southern unsophisticate Elzetta Swan has gained the ability to see auras and the more lucrative ability to clean revenge curses from those auras. Embracing the gift faster than grass through a goose, Elzetta is about to finish her first year as a legally licensed bodywasher with a trendy new lifestyle and a countrified inner child that’s skipping all the way to the bank. But when a routine cleansing suddenly turns ugly, she begins to wonder if a powerful invoker has come to town—one who’s hooked on the rush of setting particularly nasty curses.

As Elzetta attempts to track down the culprit, she faces two fateful confrontations. Each will threaten her trendy new life and the hallelujah hankering she’s formed for the unlikeliest of urban white knights, but together those confrontations could do much worse. They could create in Elzetta a vengeful rage all her own.

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Excerpt:

Frustration became a bad taste in my mouth, as did disappointment. I’d sent Cal and his police buddies on a stupid, stupid goose chase and for what?
I thought of Book’s hostile and near-anorexic face and poor Miss Patrice looking lost in her nightgown and robe. I had cleansed a major curse when it should have been a minor one. I had seen a glimpse of something deadly in Book’s aura. While I’d never dealt with a saturated invoker before, I knew from my training Book could seriously hurt someone with his curses. He’d definitely hurt himself.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. I couldn’t allow the police to dismiss this, but how could I convince them to continue the search?
“Elzetta, is there something you can do as a bodywasher?” Cal asked. “That is, since you work with auras, maybe you can pick up something from this room you can use to track him.”
With sad resignation I opened my eyes to look up at the two men.
“Gentlemen, I’m not a psychic. I’m not clairvoyant or precognitive, and I’m definitely not an auravestigist which is exactly what you’re asking for. I don’t even think people can do ESP stuff, although I guess that must sound strange coming from me.”
I found myself having to turn away from their scrutiny before I could continue.
“But I do see auras if the person is in front of me. I know what an aura looks like when it’s healthy and I know what it looks like when a curse has been set on it. I know what an aura looks like at birth and at puberty. I even know what an aura looks like when a person is dying,” I said remembering that last day with Mom a little over a year ago.
With as much resolution as I could muster, I looked from Cal to Detective Griffin and back to Cal again. My eyes were starting to tear up and I forced myself not to blink.
“And I know, from what little I saw of his aura, Claude Book—heaven help him—is a very, very dangerous young man. Oh, I do so wish I could be of more help. I know this must seem like such a wasted effort.”
I stared at Cal willing him to understand. His poker face was back and the detective beside him no longer acted amused. I couldn’t tell if they truly grasped my fears or if they just thought I was wacko. If Griffin’s gentle, almost pitying smile was any indication, I’d put my money on wacko.
Finally, Cal turned toward the detective. “Dwayne, you want to pack up what we’re taking? I’ll walk Miz Swan to her car.”

About the Author:

Elizabeth Fisher lives in east Tennessee and has deep Appalachian roots that involve all the usual elements—moonshine stills, horse thieving ancestors and rumors of illicit banjo pickin’. Fortunately, due to her father’s less felonious North Carolina heritage, Fisher makes an honest living as an author, freelance writer, editor and graphic designer. In her spare time, she reads, hikes and attempts to oil paint. She believes she’s making great strides in creatively incorporating the errant hairs of her cats—Buck and Bozo—into her still lifes. Her loving husband, Tim, is not so sure.

Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Website

Giveaway Details:

There is a tour wide giveaway and there will be 3 winners. Prizes include the following:

• $20 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
• 2 x Khamsa Jewelry sets (US) 

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A Groovy Kind of Love: Giveaway

Title:  A Groovy Kind of Love

Series:  The Bibliophiles, Book 3

Author:  Karen Wojcik Berner

Published:  January 12th, 2015

Word Count:   approx. 69,000

Genre:  Women’s Fiction

Recommended Age:   13+

Synopsis:  Uptight British lit lover meets a free spirit at a book club, and his world is turned upside down!

After placating to his father’s demands that he play Little League baseball and major in computer programming in college rather than his beloved English literature, Thaddeus assumed that several years into his career, he would finally get some peace and quiet.

Then he met Spring Pearson, the younger, free-spirited daughter of Hippie parents, at a book club meeting. Instantly smitten, Thaddeus finally worked up the courage to ask Spring out. But will an old college pinkie-swear promise Spring made fifteen years ago get in the way of this bibliophilic romance?

“A Groovy Kind of Love” is the third and final installment of Karen Wojcik Berner’s Bibliophiles series. Written as stand-alone novels, each book focuses on one or two members of a fictional suburban classics book club, revealing their personal stories while the group explores tales spun by the masters.

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Excerpt from A Groovy Kind of  Love:

Copyright © 2014 by Karen Wojcik Berner

Chicago, 1970

We all have a first memory, one dug deepest in that part of the brain that commemorates the dawn of our cognizance. For some, maybe it’s their first plush toy. Others might recall bouncing on their fathers’ knees. Thaddeus had none of these. His awakening began the first day his mother brought him to the library.

            “Bundle up, sweetie.” Maureen Mumblegarden pulled five-year-old Thaddeus’s coat collar up around his neck. “Can’t forget the mittens.” She snapped them onto large strings dangling from his coat sleeves, and yelled down the empty hallway, “Let’s go, Addie.”

            His sister slogged to the foyer. “Why can’t I stay by myself? Granny’s right downstairs.”

            “You’re not old enough. What if you start a fire trying to heat up some SpaghettiOs?” Mother zipped up her Borgana coat. “The whole place would be up in flames before Granny could even make it up here.”

            “But I’m nine!”

            “Precisely.”

            “She’s gonna make me watch As the World Turns!”

            Mother grabbed her purse and keys. “Bring a book or something to occupy yourself while Granny watches her soap operas.”

            “But—”

            “Enough! This is a special day for your brother, and I won’t have you ruining it.”

            At the bus stop, Thaddeus stood perfectly still, afraid that if he moved even an inch, one of the cars whizzing past would roll over his foot and crush his big toes. His left hand grew sweaty inside its mitten from gripping his mother’s glove so tightly. A few feet away, cars lined up on the street in front of a dark-green shack. An older man with an apron tied around the waist of his parka handed newspapers through passenger-side windows. Pedestrians grabbed their copies from huge stacks and threw dimes in an old cup. Overstuffed racks held magazines, some of which Thaddeus recognized from the coffee table in the living room.

            Maureen purchased a copy of Highlights for him and a Ladies Home Journal for herself. “Something to keep us busy on the bus.” She tucked them into her purse. “Here it comes. Stay close.”

                                                                        ***

“Wake up, honey. This is our stop.” The mother nudged her boy awake.

            Thaddeus stumbled down the street, his post-nap haze lifting with each step. Businessmen marched down the sidewalk, briefcases swinging in unison. Car horns beeped. Messengers zigzagged through traffic with large canisters on their backs. Past restaurants and stores mother and son trod, tall office buildings blocking out the sun.

            Their destination was a massive gray building, one full block in size, which he thought looked like Aunt Barbara’s wedding cake, each tier more ornate than the one below, with arches and columns and words he had never seen before.

            “What is this place, Mother?”

            “It’s the library.” She opened the doors to reveal crisscrossing marble staircases.

            Little Thaddeus navigated the stairs, picking his legs up extra high so he didn’t fall. Mosaics of green-colored glass, gold leaf, and mother of pearl guided him toward the main room. His nostrils filled with the scent of paper and a hint of dust.

“What does that say?” He pointed to one of the many quotes lining the third floor’s outer hall.

            “‘He that loveth a book will never want a faithful friend, a wholesome counselor, a cheerful companion, or an effectual comforter.’ It’s from Isaac Barrow. Follow me, sweetie.”

            They entered a grand room capped with a gold-rimmed, blue–stained glass dome. The ornate ceiling sparkled when sunlight shone through. His mother bent down and whispered in his ear, “That is the world’s largest Tiffany dome. See those symbols at the top? Those are the signs of the zodiac. People born under the same sign usually have similar characteristics.”

            Thaddeus didn’t know who this Tiffany was, but she sure made some beautiful art—all those pieces of glass put just so. He couldn’t take his eyes off of it and ended up walking right into his mother, jostling them both.

            The woman perched behind the circulation desk peered down at him. “May I help you?”

            He gulped, his eyes begging for his mother’s assistance.

            “My son turned five last week. We would like to get him a library card.”

            Thaddeus puffed out his chest. After all, he was old enough to be in a magnificent place such as that.

            “Why certainly, ma’am.” The woman turned to Thaddeus. “Happy birthday, young man. Let’s get you started.”

            He printed “Thaddeus Mumblegarden IV” in his best hand, careful to make each letter small enough to fit on the line provided, while still being legible, quite a feat for one so young.

            The librarian returned and handed him his card. Thaddeus beamed. A glorious bibliophilic universe was at his disposal! Well, at least the children’s section.

            “Reading time starts in ten minutes downstairs in Room B. Enjoy your great adventure, young man.”

            On the way down, Maureen read him every quote adorning the walls, nuggets of wisdom passed down from great thinkers of every world region in praise of books and reading. Thaddeus didn’t understand it all, of course, but he could feel it was a sacred space, a special place where the tales of generations could be passed down to those who had the same card as he.

            An elderly gentleman clad in a tweed jacket and corduroy pants waved them into Room B. Thaddeus took a spot in the front row among the other children while Maureen joined the other mothers near the back.

“Greetings, young lad,” the man said. “I haven’t seen you here before.” They spoke the same language, yet he didn’t sound like anyone Thaddeus had ever heard.

“I got my library card today. My birthday was last week.” The boy beamed.

            “I see. You’ve just picked up your passport.”

            “Library card,” Thaddeus corrected.

            “Bring it here, son. Let me see.” The man examined the card carefully. “Ah, this is not merely a library card. With this, you can travel the jungles of Africa with Rudyard Kipling or traipse the moors with Emily Brontë.” He patted Thaddeus on the head and sent him back to his seat. “All right, children. Today we are going to read Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne, who happens to hail from my motherland of England.”

            The man’s voice danced in Thaddeus’s ears. Beautifully rounded vowels waltzed alongside perfectly pronounced consonants, all joining together to tell the story of Christopher Robin’s sweet teddy bear.

            Before catching the bus home, Thaddeus and Maureen Mumblegarden stopped in Marshall Field’s for a cup of hot cocoa and a cookie.

            “Mother, look!” Thaddeus tugged at her coat. He picked up a Pooh bear from a display and hugged it tightly.

He cuddled the bear throughout the entire ride home, careful not to drop his new friend on the dirty bus floor.

About the Author:

Karen Wojcik Berner writes contemporary women’s fiction, including the Amazon best-selling series, the Bibliophiles. An award-winning journalist, her work has appeared in several magazines, newspapers, and blogs, including the Chicago Tribune, Writer Unboxed, Women’s Fiction Writers, and Fresh Fiction. She currently serves on the Author Council of LoveToReadEbooks.com and is a member of the Chicago Writers’ Association.

When not writing, she can be found on the sidelines of her youngest’s football or lacrosse games, discussing the Celts with the oldest, or snuggling into a favorite reading chair with a good book and some tea.

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Giveaway Details:

There is an international tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:

• One lucky winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card. 

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The Bionics by Alicia Michaels: Blitz + Giveaway

~ About the Book ~

Title: The Bionics

Series: The Bionics Novels, Book 1

Author: Alicia Michaels

Published: February 10th, 2015

Publisher: Crimson Tree Publishing

Genre: NA Paranormal Romance

Coarse language, mild sexual innuendo

Recommended Age: 16+

~ Synopsis ~

All Blythe Sol ever wanted was to be a normal girl. Yet, her dreams of following in her father’s footsteps by joining the military after graduation are crushed when nuclear war comes to the United States in the year 4006. Tens of thousands are killed in a series of attacks on many major cities, while thousands more are left injured from the devastation of the blasts, or terminally ill from the effects of radiation.

When the government offers the sick and injured a second chance as part of the Restoration Project, how could they refuse? Hoping to put her life back together after the blasts take both her arm and her eye, Blythe enrolls in the program filled with hope. She never expects that the bionic additions will change her life so drastically. When it is discovered that those outfitted with the robotic parts have become enhanced beyond the limits of ordinary human ability, normal can never exist for her again.

The Bionics become targets of the government, as fear of them spreads across the nation, further enflamed by media propaganda and political conspiracy. Forced to go into hiding or face execution, society’s outcasts band together to form the Restoration Resistance—an underground rebellion which Blythe becomes a part of in order to survive. She could never imagine that joining them would thrust her at the forefront of an imminent revolution, or that it would put her in a confusing tug-of-war between two of her fellow soldiers—Gage Bronson, the mysterious new addition to the Resistance, and Dax Janner, her best friend. Even though Gage is rapidly capturing her heart, she is forced to face the possibility that her feelings for Dax might just go beyond friendship. However, with impending war and the threat of death hanging over her head, Blythe hardly has time to worry about anything as trivial as a love life…

~ About the Author ~

Ever since she first read books like Chronicles of Narnia or Goosebumps, Alicia has been a lover of mind-bending fiction. Wherever imagination takes her, she is more than happy to call that place her home. The mother of two and wife to an Army sergeant loves chocolate, coffee, and of course good books. When not writing, you can usually find her with her nose in a book, shopping for shoes and fabulous jewelry, or spending time with her loving family.

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~ Excerpt ~

When the airstrip comes into view, I know that we’re in deep shit. Jenica, Blythe, and the Professor haven’t even made it to the craft yet and are ducked down behind a row of hover bikes, taking cover. I can see our hijacked government craft several hundred yards away, its guns raised and swiveling on their turrets as Dax and Sayer try to help us pick off the MPs one by one. It is an impossible task—there are too many of them. The smart thing to do is run, but I know Dax won’t leave without the others. As I weigh my options as quickly as possible, I realize that there is no way we’re getting out of this together. I start across the tarmac, gun in one hand, raising my COMM device with the other.

“Janner!” I bark as Dax as I make a beeline for a craft parked on the other end of the airstrip. With so much manpower concentrated on the others, this craft is unguarded. I’ve never piloted a hovercraft in my life and what little I do know has come from watching Jenica at the controls, but I can’t think about that now. The MPs are closing in on Blythe and the others and there is nowhere for them to run. “Do you know how to fly one of these things?”

Dax’s voice—or rather, Sergeant Barnes’ voice—crackles over the speaker. “Not that particular model, but Strom does. What are you thinking, Bronson?”

“I’m thinking you need to get out of here and get our rescued prisoners home,” I say as I reach the hovercraft and proceed to climb up toward the closed hatch, all the while praying that it is unlocked.

“That’s a negative, Bronson,” Dax answers, yelling to be heard over the sound of gunfire. “We’re not leaving without our team intact.”

“That’s not exactly an option,” I answer, trying the hatch and find it open. I quickly scramble inside. “We’re going to have to split up. Put Strom on the line and tell him I need a five-minute piloting lesson. I’m going for Jenica, the Professor, and Blythe.”

Dax hesitates for a split second before I hear his heavy sigh over the speaker. “You’d better not get them killed,” he grumbles, and I can picture him grudgingly handling the COMM device to Sayer. “Or I will seriously kick your ass.”

“If I don’t do something, we’re screwed either way,” I retort before Sayer comes on the line.

“Strom here.”

“Strom, give me the basics,” I say as I run up the hovercraft’s center aisle and find the pilot’s chair. Rows of foreign buttons, gauges and screens line the panel in front of me. I watch through the window while the space between Jenica, Blythe and the Professor and the MPs grows smaller. I don’t have much time.

“See that clear plastic box to your right near the throttle?” Sayer asks over the COMM device.

I nod. “Yeah.”

“Pop it open and flip that red switch.”

I do as he says and immediately the hum of the hovercraft tells me it’s turned on. “Done.”

“There’s a series of silver switches to your left.”

I locate them. “Yeah, there are six of them.”

“Those control your elevation. Each one will lift you higher into the air. Flip the first two and that’ll get you high enough that you’re flying but still low enough to swoop down and grab Jenica, Blythe, and Professor Hinkley.”

I quickly follow his instructions and the hovercraft jolts as I flip the two switches, then it ascends, hovering several feet over the ground.

“Now what?” I ask, dropping into the pilot’s chair and fastening the harness. My hands shake as I grip the throttle.

“Fly,” Sayer answers before the connection is cut.

~ Giveaway ~

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Voodoo Moon by June Stevens: Blitz + Giveaway

~ About the Book ~

Title: Voodoo Moon: A Moon Sisters Novel

Series: The Paranorm World Series Book 1

Author: June Stevens

Published: February 10th, 2015

Publisher: Crimson Tree Publishing

Page Count: 290

Genre: NA mature Paranormal Romance

Content Warning: Contains adult and sexual content

Age Recommendation: 17+

~ Synopsis ~

A sinister magic is sweeping across Nash City…

To Fiona Moon, it’s just another day at work. And some days, well, they’re a helluva lot worse than others. As a member of the elite Black Blade Guard, Fiona is tasked with hunting down the most-dangerous Paranorm criminals. To find out who is kidnapping mages and sucking the life energy from their bodies, she has to work with the one man that embodies everything she despises.

Master Necromancer Ian Barroes, a rich professor of Necromantic Studies, wants only one thing in this world… Fiona.

They each hold secrets that could destroy them, but ones that could also be the key to destroying the evil Voodoo priest, Bokor. They must learn to trust each other and track down Bokor before more innocent lives are lost. When Fiona becomes a target of the evil madman, she is lured into his trap. Now, she and Ian have to fight for survival… and their very souls.

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~ About the Author ~

June Stevens is the pen name of DJ Westerfield.

DJ uses the pseudonym June Stevens to write ROMANTIC fiction in a variety of genres including contemporary, suspense, fantasy, paranormal, urban fantasy.

DJ is a wife, step-mom, sister, auntie, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, friend, and Mommy to four adorable and mischievous four-legged babies. She writes non-fiction, blogs, and co-hosts an internet radio show as DJ Westerfield.

Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Website | Blog

~ Excerpt ~

It only took Millie a few minutes to tally up the day’s business and put the money in the safe for Mr. Fegley to find the next morning. Quickly wiping down the counters, she made sure everything was tidy. She went into the back room, removed her apron, and took a quick look in the mirror that hung next to the back door. Wisps and strands of tawny hair had escaped the ribbon she tied it back in this morning, forming a messy halo around her pale, freckled face. In the threadbare, brown tunic and pants that were her normal work uniform, she looked drab and washed out. If she weren’t so clean, she could almost be mistaken for a beggar. She swiped at her hair, but it did no good. No matter. She didn’t have time to pretty up, and she wouldn’t be graded on her looks today, just her powers.

She jumped as the clock on the wall chimed the hour. There was less than half an hour left to get across town in order to make the evening test. If she were even a minute late, they would turn her away and she would have to wait six more months for another test date. Luckily, she’d saved up a whole buck so she could take the trolley.

Being sure to lock the door behind her, she ran out into the early evening twilight. She had just a few minutes to make it two blocks over to the magi-trolley line. Glancing down the street, she saw it was crowded with daytime shoppers hurrying home to dinner and the beginnings of nighttime shoppers coming out. Dusk and dawn were always the busiest time in this part of Old Nash City. The vampires who stayed out of the daylight to avoid severe sunburns and allergic reactions were venturing out and mingling with the norms and paranorms who had no such allergies to the sun. The shops and streets were usually crowded for the first hour or so past dusk.

Even as small and fast as Millie was, it would take her forever to slip through the crowd. She eyed the narrow alley to the right. The light from the blue-tinged crystal streetlights didn’t make it into the alley. It was dark and dirty. She hated walking through it even in the daylight, but she didn’t have much choice. Some things were just more important than her fear of the dark.

****

He leaned against the stone wall, deep in the shadows cast by the setting sun and the solar-crystal lights that illuminated the bustling street. This body was awkward and cumbersome. He’d used it too many nights now, and it was starting to get stiff. No matter. He would pick another from his store tomorrow. But for now, he needed to find new food—another worthy enough to fuel his body and perhaps become a vehicle for his spirit.

He scanned the crowd, using his second sight, his divine sight, to view the magical auras that pulsed around the unsuspecting people. They had no idea he was there, hunting, waiting for the perfect specimen. Of course, none of them had anything to worry about. Their auras were all dull and muddy. All no-to-medium powers. Not one bright aura in the bunch. None were worthy. He was just about ready to give up his search and move on to another street when a bright light caught his eye at the other end of the alley. He turned his full attention to the young girl moving quickly down the alley, as if she were afraid. Her magic burned brightly around her. Most people, common people, wouldn’t know what was inside the girl. But he did. Brilliant shades of purple and blue pulsed and shimmered around her. The colors of her aura were so dark and bright they were almost tangible. His fingers itched to reach out and touch it. She was brimming with untapped power. Oh yes, her power would be filling and delicious. She was worthy. He would have her.

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