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BOOK TOUR: Daemon Blood by Mary Maddox #Fantasy #Horror @Dreambeast7 @XpressoTours

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Daemon Blood
Mary Maddox
(Daemon World, #3)
Publication date: March 8th 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Horror

Our war will not unfold in your imaginary heaven. We will fight on Earth with human beings as pawns and weapons.

Lu Darlington is a seer, bound to the daemon Talion through ritual and blood. It’s not a role she enjoys, but she has little choice: daemons take what they want and destroy whoever stands in their way.

So Lu’s surprised when Talion doesn’t punish her for her newfound ability to keep him from possessing her whenever he likes. In fact he’s pleased. The stronger she is, he explains, the more powerful he becomes.

And he needs that power, because a war is brewing in the daemon world, a war that will be fought by—and through—humans.

Lu’s friend Lisa Duncan can’t see daemons but she’s seen what they can do and so has stayed far away from Lu for years. After a bizarre attack on Lisa leaves half a dozen people dead and she learns it’s just the first skirmish in the daemon war, Lisa realizes the safest place to be is with Lu.

Then Talion sends Lu away to teach her skills to another seer and Lisa must stay behind to look after Lu’s son Solly, conceived through a daemon ceremony with Talion. At four years old Solly’s seer abilities are already so strong Lisa is sometimes more afraid of Solly than for him.

As Talion’s enemies grow bolder, Lisa and Lu face attacks from every direction. There seems little hope any of them will survive—until Talion and his allies devise a plan.

The only problem is how much it will cost.

“With Daemon Blood, Mary Maddox has crafted a timeless tale of good against evil. With compelling characters and a keen sense of the darkness that lurks within us all, Daemon Blood will stay with you long after you turn the final thrilling page.”

— David Sodergren, Author of The Forgotten Island

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

The talented Ms. Maddox answered a question for us… Is there a particular book or movie that sparked your interest in fantasy and horror? How did it shape who you are as an author?

I was fascinated by horror movies as a kid, especially movies about vampires. As a grownup I transferred my fascination to books. Among my favorite authors are Shirley Jackson, Charlaine Harris, and Stephen King. But two books especially inspired me to write in the horror genre: Thomas Harris’s Silence of the Lambs and Karen Marie Moning’s Darkfever.

You could argue that Silence of the Lambs isn’t horror since it lacks supernatural elements. It does have a bona fide monster, though, in the character of Hannibal Lector. The novel sparked my interest in serial killers. I read around twenty nonfiction books on notorious killers and on the topic of serial murder in general. The result was Talion, which began as a thriller with Conrad “Rad” Sanders—a.k.a. The Professor of Death—as the villain.

I ran into a problem with the fifteen-year-old protagonist, Lu Jakes. The unwanted child of an alcoholic father and an abusive stepmother, she was defined mainly by her victimhood. And then she becomes Rad’s victim. She needed a source of inner strength, and I needed a way of making her more complex. So I gave her the gift (or delusion) of seeing spirits. One of them, Talion, tells her she is loved. Another one, Black Claw, offers her a means of killing her stepmother.

I let readers decide whether the spirits are real or the delusions of a troubled girl. The uncertainty bothers some readers—a lot. Ambiguity is common in all kinds of stories. It allows for different interpretations of a book or movie. But the ambiguity in Talion is just too much for these readers.

The nature of the spirits in Talion might have remained uncertain if I hadn’t found Darkfever. It wasn’t the kind of book I usually read, and I downloaded the ebook mainly because it was free at the time. I was hooked from the start and read the series through book five. MacKayla Lane appears to live in the ordinary world until she goes to Dublin to investigate her sister’s murder and discovers she can see the Fae. She is one of only a few human beings with this gift, which places her in immediate peril.

I thought at once of Lu and her spirits and decided to write Daemon Seer, a sequel to Talion. Moning draws upon Celtic mythology for her novels. I went a different route. Talion and the other daemons are spirits who need the bodies of living beings to tether them to the physical world. Lu can tether any number of daemons without them having to possess her body. Seers give daemons freedom to move about the world, increasing their power. The seers in Lu’s family have belonged to Talion for many generations, and he intends to keep things that way.

In Daemon Blood, Lu’s powers have grown stronger. Although she still can’t escape Talion, he now treats her with respect.

Author Bio:

Mary Maddox is a suspense, horror, and dark fantasy novelist with what The Charleston Times-Courier calls a “Ray Bradbury-like gift for deft, deep-shadowed description.” Born in Soldiers Summit, high in the mountains of Utah, Maddox graduated with honors in creative writing from Knox College, and went on to earn an MFA from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She taught writing at Eastern Illinois University and has published stories in various journals, including Yellow Silk, Farmer’s Market, The Scream Online, and Huffington Post. The Illinois Arts Council has honored her fiction with a Literary Award and an Artist’s Grant.

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BOOK BLITZ: Dead Ahead by Annie Anderson #urbanfantasy @annieande

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Dead Ahead
Annie Anderson
(Grave Talker, #5)
Publication date: February 22nd 2022
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

Some secrets should stay buried.

After accidentally freeing a demon, ticking off the werewolf alpha, and possibly inciting a war, Darby Adler’s Warden job is in serious peril.

With the council up in arms and a literal god on her doorstep, Darby needs to figure her life out and pronto.

If she can’t, losing her job might be the least of her problems.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

I was going to punch a god right in the face.

Sure, he was the actual God of Torment. Okay, so he probably didn’t deserve it. But I would sock him right in the mouth…

Just as soon as I got the nerve.

“Now, that’s just rude,” Deimos muttered, straightening the tie of his impossibly crisp suit as he stared me down. “I came here to have a civil discussion,” he tutted, as if I were a naughty puppy that had just piddled on his rug, “and all you can think of is violence.”

Yep. Definitely going to punch a god in the face.

It was one thing to come here—after the absolute catastrophe of the last twenty-four hours, I could get that—but to imply he was here for anything other than to beg my forgiveness for what his son had done to me, well…

“A civil discussion? A civil discussion?” The laugh that came out of my mouth made me sound cracked even to my own ears. “Maybe the reason all I want to do is hit something is because your son wormed his way inside my skull,” I seethed, roughly tapping my temple as I stepped forward, “and killed two people with my hands. Maybe it’s because he didn’t exactly ask permission first before he wore me like a skin suit while he got himself free. Maybe it’s because I have been violated beyond measure after losing half my damn family. Really, the possibilities are endless as to why violence is on the menu.”

Another unhinged giggle popped free of my mouth which had Deimos shuffling backward a pace or two.

Or five.

“You freed my son—”

“I didn’t free shit,” I spat, following him down the steps and across the ribbon of pavement that bisected the front yard. “Did you miss the part where he wore me without consent? Add to that, Azrael locked me inside my own mind, so I couldn’t even shove your son out either. Oh, no. You aren’t pinning this shit on me.”

And if it was possible that I may have yelled that at a god while slowly stalking him across the grass, well then, so be it.

Author Bio:

Annie Anderson is a military wife and United States Air Force veteran. Originally from Dallas, Texas, she is a southern girl at heart, but has lived all over the US and abroad. As soon as the military stops moving her family around, she’ll settle on a state, but for now she enjoys being a nomad with her husband, two daughters, an old man of a dog, and a young pup that makes life… interesting.

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BOOK BLITZ: Just a Taste by Scarlett Se Leva #contemporaryromance @letshavemocha

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Just A Taste
Scarlett Se Leva
(Determined, #1)
Publication date: February 17th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

A FRIENDS TO LOVERS, SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE.

Six years ago, I pushed her away, too afraid of the feeling she evoked.

Now here she sits in my kitchen, reawakening my desires.
I’ve never wanted something so badly in my life.

This time I won’t run.
I won’t stop.
Until she’s mine.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

Slipping off the bed, I reach my hand out. “I can take it.” I remove the plate from her dainty hand.

She pivots, moving away from me, but I’m not ready for her to go. My mind rakes for ways for her to stay longer. It’s been a long time since we’ve said more than a few hellos to each other.

“Where are you rushing off to?”

She turns. “Just to help Mom. Did you need anything else?” she asks. Her feet fidget. I see that nervous tendency hasn’t changed.

“Quick question… What grade are you in again?” I know the answer. My obsession with Simone had me keep track of the details I overheard her mom tell my dad. I’d hide in the corner listening to them talk, trying to glean any morsel of information I could about her. Every brief whisper of her name, each tale of accomplishment… I lapped it up.

“I’m a junior. Why?”

An idea takes root.

“Just needed help with my calculus class.” I sprinkle a dash of lie. The class has been kicking my ass. I overheard your mom bragging to Dad about you taking advanced calculus. I’m a straight-A student, but it will provide an opportunity for us to spend more time together, and in doing so, rekindle our friendship.

It’s a means to an end.

Her cheeks ripen like a red apple.

“Actually, numbers are the one thing I feel I comprehend.”

“Great, let me get my book. I can’t afford to fail this class.” Smiling to myself, I turn to my book bag laying on my desk across the room. Then I drift to the love seat in the corner. “Are you going to tutor me from over there, or are you going to sit?” I smirk.

She rolls her eyes at my comment.

“Come.” I pat the empty spot next to me.

She blinks and clears her throat. “I didn’t agree to tutor you. You asked a simple question. How did my answer get construed into me tutoring you?” Her face is void of any humor, and she eyes me with a slow burn from top to bottom.

There she is. My cannonball. She never liked me telling her what to do. I see that hasn’t changed.

Too cute.

I lean my head to the side, my brows knitting, squinting at her. I always got a kick out of her reactions. I poked, poked, and poked until she blew.

Her brows pinch together.

She’s always been a worthy opponent, and so fucking

Author Bio:

Scarlett Se Leva writes unexpected, steamy, suspenseful romance.

When Scar isn’t busy penning her next book, you can find her with her family watching movies, drinking wine, curled up in a corner with a book or running after her three daughters.

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BOOK BLITZ: Wishcraft by Ali Lucia Sky #paranormalromance @AliLuciaSky1 @XpressoTours

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Wishcraft
Ali Lucia Sky
(The Powers That Be, #2)
Publication date: February 8th 2022
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

With Michaela in the debt of Shayteen, Whisper is finally free of the Hell World he suffered in for hundreds of demon years. But there seems to be a price for Whisper’s all-new freedom and it has made Whisper’s life just as, or even more complicated. Whisper is serving his true nature and dealing with Michaela’s service to Shayteen, all while trying to hang on to a stubborn soulmate, who won’t forgive him for the most ridiculously perceived transgressions in this life, and one or two from some previous ones. Stuck in the middle of everything, is a broken hearted Gabriel, whose odd obsessions with cooking shows, has turned him into Suzy Homemaker.

~ It’s best to know, you leave those you care about before they leave you. I’m Theadora Langdon … and EVERYTHING sucks.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“Michaela. You are going to make it through this,” Whisper promised. He would know since he had been in Shayteen’s realm for hundreds of years. Time was different there. One month is equal to a year in the Hell World. I have no one else right now, which makes Whisper the unlucky recipient of my awkward hug. I bury my face into his chest and inhale. “You smell like him,” I say, and wrap my scrawny arms around his middle. He’s warm, something I never feel anymore. I’m perpetually cold.

He’s a moment of comfort and my lungs fill with something sweet, sexy, and excruciatingly mine.

Gabe.

Whisper’s arms tighten around my shoulders and one of his huge hands presses my face further into the material I want to dissolve myself into.

“I wish I could hear his voice.” My whisper ends in a terrible gasp as pain erupts inside my chest where my heart is supposed to reside.

Whisper tenses and then relaxes again. “I wish I could give you what you want, but you don’t trigger my magick anymore than I trigger it with my own wishes.”

I push away from him. I can’t feel up and sniff my only friend all day. It’s Sunday–my first day in an empty house. I have a goal for today. I’ve got a paper to write for Social Science about human trafficking. I didn’t pick the topic and the irony doesn’t escape me. It is due tomorrow, fourth period. I failed to hand in my first two drafts, so this paper better be BBC News quality to make up the two letter grades I have already been dinged with.

“I have homework to do.” I say to Whisper. “I’m not kicking you out, but I am telling you that you have to go.” I say, shooting finger pistols toward the front door.

“I was hoping that I could crash here for a few hours actually. I haven’t had much sleep lately,” Whisper calls over his shoulder and makes his way to the stairs. “I will be as quiet as a church mouse.”

“Don’t you have a bed in that fucking ritzy apartment you whipped up in that imaginary life you have in Hillsboro?” I follow after him.

“My imaginary life is brought to me by your stupidity. He-Who-Musn’t-Be-Thought-Of doesn’t sleep much. I can’t sleep because he makes a shit ton of noise all night, and keeps the volume on the TV up to forty so he can hear it in the kitchen from the living room. Then, I come here to babysit your nightmares. I read a blog post about how kids respond when parents split up. I think I’m suffering from those same struggles. However, none of the articles suggest what to do when two soulmates split up and prove to be major pains in the backside.” His heavy footfalls carry to the guest room, which has become his de facto bedroom. His last sentence disappears behind the closing door.

“Darius Albrecht! If you are staying, the fee is that fucking shirt. I want it. Don’t you dare sleep in it and get your cooties on it.” I bellow.

The door opens and I follow the foot falls as they thud through the ceiling above me toward my bedroom and then back to his. The door slams this time.

“Darius!” I yell again. “Don’t you sleep with those boots on the bed. Mom hates that!”

A loud crash comes from upstairs as a boot hits the wall. His muffled voice filters down through the ceiling. “Don’t use that name, Michaela! Shayteen will punish us both!”

“Fuck him,” I mumble. “He’s the one who told it to me.”

Author Bio:

Ali Lucia Sky is the author of The Powers That Be series. She lives in Southern California with her husband and a house full of kitty cats and a yard full of crows.

She loves laughing, drinking good coffee, the smell of pizza, and supporting animal rescues.

When she isn’t writing or dreaming of new stories, she can be found planning her next vacation because traveling is LIFE.

If you encounter her in the wild, don’t be offended if she should run away. She’s timid with strangers, but can be plied with shiny things and pictures of your cat or dog.

She’s a weirdo like that.

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Book Blitz: Once Upon Academy Vol 2 by Breezy Jones, Cara North, Elle Klass, Marie Long, Valerie Puri #paranormalromance @XpressoTours

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Once Upon Academy Vol 2
Breezy Jones, Cara North, Elle Klass, Marie Long, Valerie Puri
Publication date: January 7th 2022
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

To kick off the end of our first semester, Once Upon Academy is hosting the annual Winter Ball. A night full of magic, love and happy endings.

Join the descendants of classic fairytale characters as they navigate the prestigious halls of Once Upon Academy. Get boujee at the most magical night of the school year and experience a fairytale kiss under the mistletoe.

It’s a night you don’t want to miss.

Add to Goodreads / Purchase

—

SNEAK PEEKS:

-Perle of Love-

His gaze averted to the table and his untouched tea. She wasn’t going to the ball if he wasn’t. Why is she punishing herself like that? Her words, so full of genuine care and compassion, stung the mixed emotions in his mind. He was still afraid to fully open up his heart to her—to be the vulnerable wolf his family thought. She was the last spark of goodness that warmed his heart. And yet, he didn’t want to lose her like he’d lost his family. Why was this so hard? “I… I can’t stay here anymore. I’m going to go back to the school.”

—

-Magic and Mice-

“This…” Melanie started as I was finally able to peek my little face out from under the fabric that was my dress, just enough to see her. “Will make my revenge even sweeter.” She plucked my wand up from the ground and began twirling it between her fingers. Her smile turned wicked as she stood once again…

“Raven is so done now,” Lacy said as her face twisted into a nasty sneer. Melanie’s expression twisted to match as the three of them turned on their heels and walked away with a sashay of their hips.

Holy shit, Raven’s in trouble and I’m a fucking mouse.

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Book Blitz: Beast by Cambria Hebert #fairytales #retelling #romance @cambriahebert

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Beast
Cambria Hebert
(House of Misfits, #4)
Publication date: November 12th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fairy Tales, Retelling, Romance

A tale as old as time…

A charismatic man cannot see beyond his own
brilliant reflection, never learning that true beauty lies within.
His selfish behavior draws the ire of a witch with enchantment on her wicked tongue.
A fiery curse is unleashed, engulfing the self-centered man’s entire existence.
When at last the flames are extinguished,
he gazes upon his reflection to discover he is no longer breathtakingly handsome
but condemned with scorched flesh and twisted scars.
He is no longer a man at all… but a beast.
While the ferocious beast rages, alienating everyone far and wide,
a woman whose beauty is far more than skin-deep
dwells in a world much simpler than his.

The beauty’s quiet life is disrupted when she is ambushed, threatened,
and boldly steps in the path of her father’s debt.
However, it’s not the thugs on her tail or the roaring beast
testing her patience that threatens to be this sassy beauty’s downfall.
It’s the way her heart flutters whenever he is near.

But some curses just can’t be broken, and really…
How can she truly ever love a beast?

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“How long has it been since you’ve had a shower?”

“Are you saying I stink?” I yelled.

“Yes,” she deadpanned.

I drew back, shock rendering me silent.

“Damn. Is that all I had to do to get you to shut up all this time? Just tell you, you stink?”

I low growl vibrated my throat. It hurt, but I didn’t stop.

Her eyes rolled. Their color was beautiful, reminding me of roasted chestnuts from street vendors around the holidays.

I wondered if I’d even be able to walk the street this year. My face would probably scare everyone.

“I’m asking because now that your bandages and stitches are removed, it would be a good time to shower off before I re-cover it all.”

“I haven’t had a shower since before. Only a couple sponge baths.” Then a piece of the old me slipped out, a piece I’d thought had been gone for good. Leaning in with a slight smirk and naughty whisper, I asked, “You offering to give me a sponge bath?”

Without missing a beat, she also leaned in. “I guess I am.”

The messy room fell away, and for a moment, I forgot I was a hideous, exposed beast overwhelmed with discomfort and cast aside by the people I’d trusted. All that remained was a pair of hickory eyes regarding me with sassy mirth. Her crimson-stained lips pursed, and my eyes lingered upon them, suddenly so incredibly hungry. Unlike mine, her skin was flawless, smooth, and richly pigmented.

She’s beautiful.

The long column of her neck was graceful and always exposed because the curls on her head were short and wild. My fingers itched to wrap around it, gripping with just enough force to possess her while my mouth devoured hers.

“What’s the matter, Ander? Not used to someone calling your bluff?” Her voice was amused but hushed, and something deep inside me howled in delight that she might not be as composed as she portrayed.

I leaned closer, noting the way her nostrils flared. We were so close now we shared the same breath. Hers smelled faintly of mint and was more rapid than before. “Who said I was bluffing?” I whispered.

Her cheeks turned slightly reflective, taking on a glossy sheen, and she pulled back, eyes flaring just a bit. She was flustered.

Author Bio:

Cambria Hebert is an award winning, bestselling novelist of more than twenty books. She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair.

Besides writing, Cambria loves a caramel latte, staying up late, sleeping in, and watching movies. She considers math human torture and has an irrational fear of chickens (yes, chickens). You can often find her running on the treadmill (she’d rather be eating a donut), painting her toenails (because she bites her fingernails), or walking her chorkie (the real boss of the house).

Cambria has written within the young adult and new adult genres, penning many paranormal and contemporary titles. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense. A few of her most recognized titles are: The Hashtag Series, Text, Torch, and Tattoo.

Cambria Hebert owns and operates Cambria Hebert Books, LLC.

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Book Blitz: The Dark Queen by M. Dalto #newadult #fantasy @MDalto421

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The Dark Queen
M. Dalto
(The Empire Saga, #4)
Published by: Parliament House
Publication date: November 2nd 2021
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult

For fans of Elise Kova, Sarah J. Maas, and Holly Black.

For centuries, the Empire has been enslaved to an infallible, revered Prophecy—one that controlled every thought and action, banished those who questioned its integrity, and promised to bring peace and tranquility to those who followed blindly and believed unconditionally.

But the Prophecy is flawed.

Amid broken promises and mournful lamentations, fates are changed, and dreams are destroyed.

When an ancient force resurfaces and threatens to destroy all they know, new alliances are formed as the heirs to the Empire’s throne struggle to put aside personal differences for the good of their realm.

Before it’s too late.

The Empire Saga is best enjoyed in this order:

1. Two Thousand Years

2. Mark of the Empress

3. Beginning’s End

4. The Dark Queen

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

—

EXCERPT:

Prologue

Welcome back, Empress.

Alexstrayna felt cold.

It wasn’t like when she had been outside for too long without an overcoat or a cape. Or as if she were caught out in the rain without an umbrella and the chill of the evening air had penetrated through her clothes until it reached her bones.

No, it was the feeling of waking up in the middle of the night after a nightmare, body slick with sweat and heart racing.

This was the chill of fear.

Wherever she was, it was dark. She sensed the cool smoothness of stone around her, yet when she cast her arms out she couldn’t feel any walls. From the smell of damp rock, however, she knew they were there.

And they were cold.

It was paralyzing. Instead of running, or trying to find a way out, she wrapped her arms around herself as if to retain whatever last bit of inner warmth she possessed. Huddled within those biting, stone confines, she tried to keep her teeth from chattering and her body from seizing.

Where was she? And how did she get there in the first place?

She had just watched the others pack and head off on their trek to the Borderlands. She and Jamison had stayed behind, and as they were returning to the palace…

Crystal.

She had approached them with no limp, no hobble, no sign of any outward injuries. In fact, the way she had snuck up on Alex in the palace gardens, catching her completely unaware, it was as though she hadn’t been in the infirmary just moments before, allegedly healing from wounds inflicted upon her by Lexan.

She remembered seeing Jamison in the distance, sprawled on the ground, immobile. And that man…

She had never met him before, but those eyes—they bore into her soul as if she should have recognized him.

A sob choked in her throat as her head throbbed with pain.

Mom!

Despite the ache, Alex’s head whipped upward, and she stared desperately into the gloom. Sarayna? What was she doing there?

She tried to gather her legs beneath her, but they felt like lead. The pounding in her head—it was getting worse. Alex had to warn her daughter and maybe Sarayna could at least escape whatever this was, could tell Reylor and Treyan…

“Alexstrayna.”

Her name echoed off the stones as if someone were there with her, watching her all along.

“Who’s there?” she rasped; her throat was raw as if she had been screaming. Had she? She couldn’t remember anything since her path crossed Crystal’s in the gardens.

A smooth, feminine chuckle resounded around her. “Oh, we are going to have a fine time together, you and I.”

“Who are you?” Alex demanded, her voice growing louder. She finally regained her footing and pushed herself up into a standing position.

The pain within Alex’s skull was almost unbearable, but her eyes began to adjust slowly, taking in what was, indeed, a room. The moss-covered walls confirmed the smell of dampness and the sound of trickling water could be heard. There was a brightening light above, shining through the darkness from a window. It was as if the suns were rising on a new day—like a dawning ray of hope that she was going to escape this hell. Wherever it was.

Although every muscle in her body was tense, as if the frigid air was eating away at her from the inside out, she started toward the light.

And that voice remained all around her.

Laughing.

“Until we meet again, Empress,” it said, just as that light exploded within the room.

For a moment, illuminated by the flash, Alex swore she saw a throne—a black marble chaise carved into the wall. Upon that throne was a female clad in black.

A woman wearing her face.

Before she could take a step closer to investigate, that light exploded not only in that dark room, but also inside her head. The brightness intermingled with the pain that had been building between her eyes, bursting like a million pins and needles through every pore of her body.

Everything went dark as Alex screamed.

Author Bio:

M. Dalto is a bestselling New Adult author of adventurous romantic fantasy stories, having won a Watty award for excellence in digital storytelling for her debut novel, Two Thousand Years, in 2016. She spends her days as a full-time residential real estate paralegal, using her evenings to pursue her literary agenda, and when she’s not writing, she enjoys reading fantasy novels, playing video games, and drinking coffee. She currently lives in Massachusetts with her husband, their daughter, and their corgi named Loki.

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Book Blitz: Heart Stealer by Delaney Diamond #romanticsuspense @delaneydiamond

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Heart Stealer
Delaney Diamond
(The Cordoba Agency, #3)
Publication date: October 22nd 2021
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

The last thing he wants to do is play bodyguard to the woman who broke his heart.

As the wife of a pioneer in the field of biotechnology, Katherine Stallworth had an up-close view of the ugly underbelly of corporate espionage and the cutthroat nature of competition. When her husband is murdered and her life threatened, she turns to Raheem Miller, the one man she can trust–despite their sordid past.

Years ago, Raheem fell in love with Katherine–older, sophisticated, and way out of his league. And nothing has changed. While he’d rather avoid this assignment, he’ll never forgive himself if anything happened to her. In the middle of conducting an investigation into her husband’s death, he discovers a conspiracy that could rock the very foundation of the United States.

Now he must bring the culprits to justice while keeping Katherine alive and his desire in check. Easier said than done.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

—

EXCERPT:

Katherine Stallworth stared in horror at the carnage before her and the foul stench of death. Nothing could have prepared her for this.

Her husband’s body lay sprawled across the duvet in the dimly lit room, his dark shirt darker from the uneven circle of blood that covered his entire chest. Dead, and so were his bodyguards.

Keith lay face down at the foot of the bed, his arm at an awkward angle, his weapon butted up against the wall as if someone had kicked it away from his hand. His suit jacket was soaked with blood, and so was the cream-colored carpet beneath him.

Ivan was on the floor, slumped with his back against the bed and his temple touching the nightstand. He would look like someone who’d fallen asleep sitting up, except half his face had been blown off and his white shirt was drenched in blood.

Blood.

Blood everywhere.

Katherine walked slowly over to the bed on shaky knees. Her husband’s pale skin was ashen and drained of life, his mouth open as if in the middle of a scream, and his sightless eyes staring up at the ceiling.

She lifted both hands to her mouth as tears filled her eyes and pain wrenched her heart. “Thurgood,” she whispered into her cupped palms. Who had done this, and why?

Then she heard a noise in the walk-in closet. Her heart jumped, and her mouth fell open in silent panic. She wasn’t alone. The killer was still there!

She backed away slowly, chest tight as she tried hard not to make a sound. When her foot breeched the entrance to the door, a shadowy figure dressed in black exited the closet, and she turned swiftly, rushing down the hall toward the staircase. Breathing accelerated, she gripped the wooden railing with a trembling hand and moved down the stairs as quickly and silently as she could on her toes.

These shoes! The pretty gold heels she’d worn with such pride to the reception she now cursed for their impracticality. Her pounding heart was so loud in her ears and her breathing so shallow, she wondered if the intruder could hear the evidence of her fear.

Her driver and the other bodyguard had already left for the night, but she had to get out of there. She had to get to the garage.

“Hey!”

Halfway down the stairs, she stopped and turned.

A man stared at her from the catwalk. He wore a black ski mask over his head, with openings for his mouth and eyes—eyes that locked with hers and reeked of venom. His menacing posture and the death she’d witnessed provoked an immediate response.

Run!

Katherine took off down the stairs.

“Stop!” he bellowed.

There was no way she was stopping.

Almost to the bottom, a gunshot shattered the wood railing she clutched. She screamed and, in her panic, missed her footing on the stairs. She twisted her ankle. Sharp pain jiggered up her leg, and she went down. Her hands flew out instinctively to protect her face, but she skidded along the edge of the last two steps, scraping her knees, shins, palms, and forearms.

She lost one shoe and landed in an ungainly heap at the foot of the stairs in the foyer with her evening gown crumpled around her upper thighs. Heavy footsteps pounded behind her. Too terrified to turn around, Katherine ignored the burn of the bruises and scrambled to her feet as another man appeared in the open doorway to her right.

“Get her!” the one on the staircase yelled.

She kicked off the other shoe and gathered her full skirt to keep from tripping over the hem. She limped away from them both as fast as possible, fueled solely by adrenaline as she raced into a second hallway and pushed open the door to Thurgood’s study. She slammed it closed and quickly turned the lock but knew her actions would not keep them out for long.

There was a loud boom as one of the men slammed his body against the door, which sent her scrambling across the room. She stubbed her little toe on a chair and cried out, wincing at the debilitating pain but didn’t dare stop, and hopped over to the bookcase beside her husband’s desk.

The master bedroom, where Thurgood was murdered, was also a safe room. But fortunately, there was a second safe room inside his study.

She yanked away two books hiding a plain-looking piece of metal in the wall and pressed her thumb to the silver disc. Right away, the entire shelf popped out, and she swung the door open.

The office door was kicked in at that very moment. The frame splintered and pieces of wood spewed through the air. Both men rushed in, but Katherine slipped between the shelf and the wall and yanked the door closed.

Author Bio:

Delaney Diamond is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sensual, passionate romance novels, and was born and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She reads romance novels, mysteries, thrillers, and a fair amount of nonfiction. When she’s not busy reading or writing, she’s in the kitchen trying out new recipes, dining at one of her favorite restaurants, or traveling to an interesting locale. To get sneak peeks, notices of sale prices, and find out about new releases, visit her website and join her mailing list. Enjoy free stories on her website at http://www.delaneydiamond.com.

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Cover Reveal: The Unbroken by Destiny Hawkins #darkfantasy #dystopian @That_1_author

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The Unbroken
Destiny Hawkins
(The Descendants, #3)
Publication date: April 2022
Genres: Adult, Dark Fantasy, Dystopian, Science Fiction

Best-selling author Destiny Hawkins brings you the third installment of a gripping dark fantasy where a powerless girl must survive in a society that doesn’t accept the weak…or the defective.

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Author Bio:

Destiny Hawkins is a multi-genre author with a dark imagination and a love for magic.

She enjoys cooking, running, swimming, listening to music, reading, and of course watching anime filled with fantasy! Her favorite genres to read and work in are Fantasy, LGBT, Paranormal, Romance, Dystopian, Sci-fi, and young adult. She’s been a writer since she was nine years old, with Caged being her very first novel, and she has more to come!! Much…much more.

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Book Blitz: Generation of Vipers by Maria Ann Green #thriller #gothic @missmariaann @XpressoTours

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Generation of Vipers
Maria Ann Green
Publication date: June 18th 2021
Genres: Adult, Gothic, Psychological, Thriller

Rosabella Moore-Davis has just moved her husband halfway across the world, with a spur of the moment purchase–a glorious gothic mansion–while on vacation in France. It was love at first sight, and somehow she knew it was more than just some huge house; it was meant to be her home.

But not all things that are meant to be end happily ever after.

Rosabella soon finds herself waking in the middle of the night from more than just wind and creaking pipes. In the dark she discovers ghostly figures looking up into her windows from outside, rooms and treasures previously hidden for centuries, creeping crawling guests, and too many dark shadows lunging toward her. And still, somehow, instead of screaming and running away she researches, choosing knowledge over fear, and learns more about the house and the history of this place she loves so much.

Only when she stumbles into the past, meeting an aristocrat hiding enough deadly secrets to take down the patriarchy, does Rosabella start to regret her choices. And after having come this far, she worries it’s too late to turn back and save herself from a house that has more skeletons in its vast amount of closet space than anyone expected.

Rosabella isn’t the fleeing type, but she’s not sure she’ll survive the fight. Especially against a place with so many stories buried beneath it, burned into every fiber of the edifice, a house with a portal to dark places and troubles that shouldn’t be stirred up.

Generation of Vipers is a mix of crimson peak and Mike Flanagan’s Haunting of Hill House, with elements of Marisha Pessl’s Night Film mixed throughout.

If you like dark thrillers that border on horror, gothic elements, and deliciously dark twists that will keep you guessing, then Generation of Vipers might be your next favorite book. It’ll keep you reading just one more page all night long, too afraid to turn out the light and go to sleep.

It appeals to lovers of suspenseful plots, all things dark like thrillers and horrors, stories with murder and mayhem, dark romance elements, fans of American Horror Story, Shirley Jackson, Gilian Flynn, Ruth Ware, Tana French, J.A. Konrath, and the Timothy Blake Series by Jack Heath.

*Content Warning: graphic violence, sexual content, and language*

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—

EXCERPT:

My eyes snap open.

There’s no disorientation, even though there should be.

Between stone walls and wallpaper older than my three decades, the cold air isn’t a surprise.

But what does scare me isn’t the new setting or the snoring of my sweet husband but the feeling that something just left. Like I’d been watched and only noticed after it ended.

Or—okay, well that’s crazy.

Though, I don’t know if I was dreaming or if something external woke me up.

Milos’s breath is soft, even if it rumbles in the back of his throat just a little. And I’ve slept next to it for years without jarring awake like this. As another creak sounds, followed by a tiny clunk, I know I’m right.

Maléfique has old bones, and they must protest changes in temperature as we take our trips around the sun.

Though…

The little noises aren’t really enough to have woken me up either. I don’t think so anyway.

Still, whatever the reason, I’m up now. Wider awake than I was when we were taking in the newness of our manor earlier. My eyes flick to the clock Milo insists on bringing with us every vacation, and I correct myself. It was now yesterday that we bought this beautiful space, considering it’s three in the morning.

And I’m fucking wide awake.

I’ll never get back to sleep right now.

So I slip out from under the comforter and let my toes touch the chilly wood of the floor. I move slowly, quietly, even though I doubt Milo would wake up for anything less than my screaming.

Heaviest sleeper I’ve ever met. Which he proves with a snort as he moves to face the other way, still very much unconscious.

And as I move toward the huge window of our new bedroom, I roll my eyes at Milo for the second time in the last twenty-four hours. It happens without forethought, and of course I feel instantly guilty after.

That’s when a kinder smile touches my lips just before my fingertips, then my forehead, touch the thick glass, as I lean against the window and look down at the greenery of our property.

Well, it’s all shades of gray and black at the moment, with the moon behind the clouds.

I can still make out plenty, though.

The woods just beyond an overgrown garden, a path starting just between two picturesque weeping willows—the kind that beg for a swing, or a hammock strategically placed for reading. I can see all of it well enough, but when the moon peeks out between two wisps of cover, my eyes scan harder, searching for something. I’m not even sure what.

Maybe for what could have woken me up if it wasn’t Maléfique.

And I’ve all but given up as the tall grass waves in a darkening breeze when something sparkles and pulls my eyes back to the opening of the track, the archway between hanging branches.

Though, not something. No.

Someone.

Author Bio:

Maria, a badass USA Today and internationally bestselling indie author, lives in Minnesota despite the frozen winters. Actually, she prefers snow drifts and icicles over summer and all that sweat running everywhere. She writes about bitches, breakups, and bloodbaths – not in any particular order. She lives with her husband and little family, which includes a few lazy cats who make great lap warmers. You can usually find her whishing that she lived in a secret cabin in the woods where she could be a hermit reading and writing all of the time. Instead she lives the suburban life where she pretends to her neighbors and the other moms around that she doesn’t swear like a sailor, have hidden tattoos, and loves a good bottle of wine. She absolutely believes in unicorns and ghosts and hopes vampires and monsters are real too. She’s a coffee-in-the-morning and alcohol-in-the-evening kind of person, preferably with a nap in between. Maria prefers cats over dogs, books over people, and late nights over early mornings. She probably shouldn’t talk to anyone until she’s had her first cup of coffee, extra sugar. And if you ever want to hang out with her, you’ll have to be game for a horror movie or just a quick run to target for two (hundred) little things. Also, you couldn’t pay her to be in her twenties again; Thirties is where it’s at. She’s a creative, mouthy, introverted, proud bisexual, highly-sensitive INFJ, chronic pain spoonie warrior, Slytherpuff, dork with a sweet-tooth.

Maria devours books, reading mostly in bed or listening to audiobooks in the car. Writing has been one of her passions for pretty much her whole life. So creativity is a necessity for her, always. After working in the mental health field for almost a decade, she’s now living her dream as a stay-at-home writer, kiddo wrangler, professional snuggler, and constantly-tired-person. When it comes to her writing, she specializes in dark and twisted thrillers or gritty, angsty contemporary romances. But no matter the genre, she always prefers writing deeply flawed characters with dysfunctional relationships. She’s pretty sure the whole “unlikable character” thing is a conspiracy because every character she loves have been labeled this way. Ridiculous. And because of this, she’s pretty much found it impossible to write anything without at least a little mayhem.

Maria was once told she painted with her words, and that phrase stuck with her – because writing really is an art, and good stories are true masterpieces. She’s always trying to grow and improve in her craft, shooting for a masterpiece of her own someday. And she plans to write forever because writing gives Maria the ability to disappear into new worlds and create people within twisting plots, all from the comfort of her couch. She will always believe that though not every story is for her, and her stories aren’t for everyone, every story has a reader.

For more from Maria find all of her links, including a link to get more content at her newsletter, here: linktr.ee/mariainmadness

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