Book blitz! Excerpt & Giveaway: Awakening, The Dark Rituals #1 by Catrina Burgess

In Awakening, the first installment in the Dark Rituals series, a former healer turns to the Death Arts to seek revenge.

Seventeen-year-old Colina was born a healer. But after a horrific event forces her to leave her clan, she becomes desperate to learn the dark magic of the death dealers, mages who draw their power from the spirits of the dead. Colina was taught to fear and hate death dealers, but becoming one of them is the only way for her to get the revenge she seeks—and the only way for her to survive.

Colina asks a young death dealer named Luke to help her, but he’s reluctant to train her in the Death Arts. Little does she know convincing him to teach her will be the easiest part of her journey. To become a death dealer, Colina will need to undergo three dark rituals, each more terrifying than the last. At the same time, she’ll have to deal with her growing feelings for her mentor. Too bad the first ritual involves him strangling her to death.

As Colina undergoes the trials, she discovers an untapped darkness within herself. If she survives the horrific rituals and gains dark power, what will she become?

Catrina Burgess’ Dark Rituals series originally appeared on Wattpad with over three million reads. Awakening is the first book of four and was named Wattpad’s Best Suspense Story of 2014.

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I asked him to do it…to teach me the Death Arts, I reminded myself. The death dealers were feared for a reason. Their rituals were barbaric. Their magic powerful. No one should mess with the spirits of the dead. My shaking hand went up to touch the tender bruises at the base of my neck.

We crossed the stream. I could see the lights from Pagan’s house ahead of us.

“Are you all right?” Luke stopped and turned toward me.

“I wish you’d stop asking me that.” My voice was still coming out in a rasp.

“The ritual can be terrifying.”

“Was it for you?” I asked.

“It was something I’ll never forget. A moment like that never leaves you.”

“And the person that did it to you, do you still see them?”

He nodded his head. “Often. He’s my mentor.”

“How can you forgive him for what he did?” I demanded.

I hurt him with that question, I could tell. His eyes filled with a look of remorse when he answered. “By facing what happened and realizing it wasn’t personal. He wasn’t trying to hurt me. It was a necessary evil. I asked to be initiated into the Death Arts, and I had to accept all that came along with it.” He looked up at the stars. “There’s no good or evil to magic. Each person brings their own intentions, wishes, and dreams to it. Use it for the wrong purposes and it can become dangerous. It can get out of control—it can consume you in a way that you can’t stop.”

“And do you know this from personal experience?”

He looked at me again. “No. I never headed down that path. I always wanted to use my gifts to help people.”

“Death magic to help people?” It was a crazy notion.

He nodded his head. “Yes, it can be used that way.” He abruptly changed the course of the conversation. “Now that you’ve done the first ritual, you’ll be able to contact the dead. But killing you and bringing you back was only part of the ritual to claim your power over death. Next, you have to commune with the dead. The second ritual is possession.”

I was shocked. “Wh-what do you mean— What do you—” I swallowed, unable to get the words out.

“Don’t think of it now. We need to go back, and you need to rest. To get your strength back,” he said.

I took a deep breath and then another. Possession. What did that entail? I had no choice but to continue and find out.

His expression turned grim. “This next ritual is a hard one. It won’t be pleasant or easy.”

I couldn’t keep the horror I was feeling from showing on my face.

And dying was what? The easy part?

I’ve been known to eat pizza and cold Chinese food for breakfast, and I’m the queen of the board game Stratego. I’ve never been beaten. NEVER!

You can find me online at: 

Wattpad // catrinaburgess 

Website // http://www.catrinaburgess.com/

Owner/Operator Romance Junkies // http://www.romancejunkies.com I write because it helps keeps the darkness away and reminds me that there is magic in the world. I live with one husband, two dogs, and a cat named Shitty Kitty in a small mining town in Arizona. At night this place is definitely spooky. I swear I’ve heard the wind giggle, and sometimes there’s a very odd breeze. Luckily, I love all things that go bump in the night. I adore old movies. I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan.

RJ Blog // http://www.romancejunkies.com/rjblog/ // @RJBookReviews

   

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Book Blitz! Excerpt & Giveaway: Always Kiss Me Goodnight by Megan Gaudino

Sophia Destino is supposed to die. 

All seventeen-year-old Sophia wants is to coast through her junior year. But with her parents obsessed with her Olympic-swimming-hopeful brother, a psychic best friend with a penchant for reading tarot cards, and prophetic dreams that predict her death—that won’t be easy. As her nightmares begin to come true, Sophia finds herself dodging death and longing for the time when getting over her ex-boyfriend was her biggest problem. Until she meets Leo Knight. The mysterious stranger seems determined to keep her alive—and steal her heart. But Leo has a secret that is about to change everything and Sophia is about to learn that sometimes…your number is up

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When we made it to the living room Hercules began lapping up the puddles of water we left behind us. Leo yanked the gray blanket off of the armchair and wrapped it around me because I was suddenly shaking.

He moved a salt stone lamp out of his way and sat on top of the coffee table, motionlessly taking in my expression. Before he even spoke I just knew he was reading me all wrong. I felt like I could read him already too.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Sophia,” he groaned.

“For what? My idiotic carelessness or that you saved my life once again? You shouldn’t be sorry about either of those things.”

“I shouldn’t have let that happen. I shouldn’t have been sleeping still. I promised you I’d protect you and look what happened. Do you have any idea how close you were to dying? Even closer than you were last night. If I was just one second later I would’ve been too late.”

“I know. I was there. But you weren’t too late. It’s all over now—I’m fine.” He put his head in his hands and scrunched his hair in his palms. “Leo.” I reached forward and placed my hand on his arm. He was still so hot to the touch. “Why’s your skin so hot again?”

He flinched away from my hand, stood up, folded his arms across his chest and turned his back to me. His reaction made me question my gesture.

“It’ll go away.”

“Yeah but why does it happen at all?”

He hesitated for just a moment before he answered. “Because I keep saving your life.”

“I thought angels are supposed to save lives.”

“I already told you. I’m not an angel. I’m not supposed to save lives.”

Megan Gaudino works in a high school library by day and on her own books by night. She lives in Pittsburgh where you can find her reading, writing, and Instagraming.

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Excerpt & Giveaway! Bring Me Back, The Evans Trilogy #3 by Jennifer Collin

May be read as a standalone.

Andy Evans is on the move. For six long, lonely years, he’s been running from his past, leaving his family and his life as a drug-addicted rock star far behind. His latest move takes him to the sleepy seaside town of Oamaru, New Zealand, to sell cigar-box guitars to tourists. The only running he’ll need to do will be training for half-marathon in nearby Dunedin. But when Andy sets eyes on Steampunk HQ, Oamaru's main tourist attraction, he realises his days of running might not be over, especially if a certain Steampunk fan from his past catches up with him. Annie Martin is on the cusp of great success. Her career as a Steampunk academic is about to take off, as long as she can convince one disagreeable, New Zealand-based Professor to sign up to the anthology she’s putting together. Thankfully, Annie is a master at maintaining her poise and few people, no matter how nasty, can rattle her. Not any more. In fact, it’d been a good six years since anyone had gotten under her skin, after her best friend’s brother had vanished into thin air. When Annie finds her future career on a collision course with her secret past, Andy Evans is the last person she expects to find tangled up in the mess. With a vengeful drug-dealer or two hot on his heels, and a vindictive academic determined to ruin her credibility, can Annie bring Andy back to his family before it’s too late? Annie and Andy are used to being alone, but if they don’t work together, there’ll be much more at stake than her livelihood and his sobriety.

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Disastrous love life aside, Charlotte Evans is rather content with her life. Her quaint little art gallery is plodding along nicely, and her sister Emily’s artistic career is about to take off, thanks to her tireless promotion. She even gets to see her best friend every day and drink his delicious coffee in the café next door. But when dastardly property developer Craig Carmichael comes along, threatening to demolish her gallery and take everything away, Charlotte has an unexpected fight on her hands. Not only is she battling to stop Craig’s development, she’s also struggling against the mysterious magnetic pull that has her on a collision course with Craig himself. Craig Carmichael is fighting the Battle for Boundary Street on more than one front. The tenants of the building he wants to knock down are mounting a strong case against him and in a hot-headed moment he put his career on the line for a project that is threatening to fail. If the project doesn’t succeed he will lose everything, but for some reason he’s having trouble maintaining his focus. As their worlds begin to unravel around them, anyone could win. It’s what they might lose that has Charlotte and Craig wondering what it is they really want.

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Everything happens for a reason, they say. And sometimes the reason is you're stupid and make bad decisions. Sleeping with her sister's best friend is one of the dumbest things soon-to-be divorcee Emily Evans has ever done. But she's determined to put it behind her and move on. She's walked away from her cheating husband, managed to make a new friend, and found herself a real job and somewhere to live so she doesn't have to couch-surf any more. Everything should be falling into place but for one problem – there are some mistakes from which you can't move on. Meanwhile, Ben Cameron is getting on with his life. After all, it's the only thing to do once your heart has been stomped on by the woman of your dreams. Expanding his business and getting cosy with the girl next door are proving welcome distractions. He's even happy to babysit his nephew, as long as he can to hand him back when he's done! And thankfully, Emily Evans, the woman with the heavy boots, is avoiding him like the plague. But Emily can't avoid him forever, and when she drops a bombshell that turns Ben's world upside-down, suddenly, getting on with his life takes on a whole new meaning. 

‘Hey,’ she said, grabbing his arm and tugging, bringing him to a stop. He kept his eyes on the building ahead, listening to her catch her breath. 

‘You’re nervous, aren’t you?’ she asked. The hostility had gone from her voice and her fingers pressed into his forearm.

He looked down at her hand, then up at her face. The scowl was gone. Was she empathetic, now? He swallowed and thought perhaps he might prefer snippety. Don’t look at me like that, Annie. Don’t look at me like you care. 

He peeled her fingers off his arm and marshalled his frustration, intent on using it as a crutch. Without it, he might crumble.

‘Of course I’m nervous,’ he said. ‘Did you think this would be easy for me, Annie? Did you think it was just a matter of picking up the phone? You think so little of me, but you hardly know me. It might come as a surprise to you, but the past six years haven’t been a walk in the park. I haven’t exactly enjoyed myself, you know. I love my family. Leaving them and staying away from them – I can’t begin to describe how hard that’s been. And I know, Annie … I know what I’ve done to them. God, do you think I’m that cold-hearted I could do this without feeling nervous? That I would just waltz in and say hi as though nothing had changed? Everything has changed. Everything. Including me.’ He pointed at his chest. ‘Including them.’ He looked back to the terminal. ‘Bloody hell, Annie. I’m more than nervous, I’m terrified.’

He’d shocked her into silence.

‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured eventually. She was looking down at her feet. ‘I didn’t mean—’

‘Just forget it.’ He exhaled and started walking again. ‘Come on, I want to get inside. Mum might have already landed.’

At the arrival gates a small group of people were gathered, waiting for the passengers to come through Customs. 

They waited, Annie standing a step behind him on his left. His heart was thumping so hard he wondered if he’d pass out from the strain. His legs shook with the need to run. He lifted a hand to rub his eye and noticed it was shaking too. When he dropped it, Annie laid a hand on his arm, so lightly he thought he’d imagined it. He looked down to check and found her fingers on his skin. He looked up to find her watching him.

‘It’s going to be okay,’ she said. ‘She’s just going to want to hold you.’ 

‘I know,’ he said. He sighed and tried to force a smile. ‘I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I’m sorry.’ Smiling was hard with his stomach in knots, but this time he didn’t fight off her compassion. Looking into her warm brown eyes made him feel marginally better. 

They didn’t know each other well, it was true, but despite her tendency to think the worst of him, he was glad she was here. In fact, he couldn’t think of anyone else he would want with him. And he definitely didn’t want to be doing this alone.

She returned his smile with a stronger one of her own and ran her fingers down his arm until her hand slipped into his. Andy realised he’d never seen her smile, and like a kid watching a fairy-floss machine spin sugar into magic, he couldn’t tear his eyes away. He forgot where he was and why he was there. All he could think about was pressing his thumb against the corner of that smile so it wouldn’t fade too soon.

Jennifer Collin writes quirky, and sometimes gritty, love stories about ordinary people dealing with what life throws at them. She lives in Brisbane, Australia, with her husband, two noisy children and a cantankerous cat. She used to party, but now her idea of a good time is an uninterrupted sleep. These days, her characters do her partying for her, and she doesn't necessarily let them sleep. 

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Excerpt & Giveaway! Deliver Me by Faith Gibson

Taggart Lee has it all.

Fame.

Fortune.

Everything except love.

Tag is the jaded lead singer for 7’s Mistress, the biggest rock band in the world. After fifteen years in the business, he’s drowning in it all. When tragedy strikes, he takes a break from the road and the monotony his life has become. When he meets a gorgeous man on a park bench, he sees his lifeline.

Dr. Erik Henrikson thought he’d met the one.

He had.

The wrong one.

A year after his breakup, he still has a lock on his heart. Then he meets Lee, someone whose life has just been turned upside down. When he finds out Lee’s true identity, Erik throws away the key.

Tag has two weeks to make the doctor want him. He has three months to prove he won’t hurt him.

Tragedy brings them together.

Lies and betrayal push them apart.

Is love enough to deliver them?

Erik collapsed flat on the bed taking Tag with him. Tag held onto the condom and pulled out of Erik’s ass. He rolled off to the side so he didn’t crush the man. Normally, he would get out of the bed and take care of the condom. He would take a shower, alone, indicating it was time for whoever he’d fucked to leave. He’d only ever cuddled after with Cade and that’s because they were usually so strung out neither one of them could move. Now, he wanted to curl up into the heat of Erik and go to sleep. He had no idea how the doctor felt about that. Tag waited for some kind of sign. When Erik didn’t move, Tag took off the condom and found his way to the bathroom. He opened the small closet and grabbed a washcloth. After cleaning his cock, he rewet the cloth and went to care for Erik. When he sat down on the bed at the doctor’s hip, he allowed himself a moment to take in the beauty that was Erik Henrikson. Not only was he gorgeous on the outside, but he had a beautiful soul as well. It called to Tag on a level so deep, he felt something he’d never felt before. He refused to put a name to it. Not yet. He pushed Erik’s sweaty hair off his forehead. “Are you okay?” he asked. Erik opened one eye and grinned. “I’m more than okay. That was…” “Here, turn over. Let me clean you up.” Erik rolled onto his back and covered his eyes with his forearm. Tag washed the drying come off Erik’s flaccid dick and wiped at the mess on the sheets. “You can sleep in the wet spot,” he joked. Erik removed his arm from his eyes and frowned. “You’re spending the night?” Oh shit. Tag had been kidding, sort of. He’d also wanted to feel out the doctor to see where his head was. Guess that answered that.

Faith Gibson lives outside Nashville, Tennessee with the love of her life, and her two-legged best friends. She began writing in high school and over the years, penned many stories and poems. When her dreams continued to get crazier than the one before, she decided to keep a dream journal. Many of these night-time escapades have led to a line, a chapter, and even a complete story.

When asked what her purpose in life is, she will say to entertain the masses. Even if it’s one person at a time. When Faith isn’t hard at work on her next story, she can be found playing trivia while enjoying craft beer, reading, or riding her Harley.

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