Lauren Dawes : paranormal romance

, by Unknown

#NewBookSaturday: Dead Man Talking: A Cozy Paranormal Mystery (The Happily Everlasting Series Book 1) by Jana DeLeon

Happy New Book Saturday!

This week's sampling from Jana DeLeon. Admittedly, I've not heard of her before, but according to the cover of her biography on Amazon, she's a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author.

The cover really got my attention just because when I punched the words 'paranormal romance' into the search bar, I wasn't expecting to get this book. On closer inspection, the reviews are mostly positive, with the overall consensus of "Dead Man Talking" being a great, light read. Have a look for yourself...

Welcome to Everlasting, Maine, where there’s no such thing as normal.

Meteorologist Zoe Parker put Everlasting in her rearview mirror as soon as she had her college degree in hand. But when Sapphire, her eccentric great-aunt, takes a tumble down the stairs in her lighthouse home, Zoe returns to the tiny fishing hamlet to look after her. Zoe has barely crossed the county line when strange things start happening with the weather, and she discovers Sapphire’s fall was no accident. Someone is searching the lighthouse but Sapphire has no idea what they’re looking for. Determined to ensure her aunt’s ongoing safety, Zoe promises to expose the intruders, even though it means staying in Everlasting and confronting the past she thought she’d put behind her.

Dane Stanton never expected to see Zoe standing in the middle of her aunt’s living room, and was even more unprepared for the flood of emotion he experiences when coming face to face with his old flame. Zoe is just as independent and determined as he remembered, and Dane knows she won’t rest until Sapphire can return to the lighthouse in peace, so he offers to help her sort things out.

Armed with old legends, Sapphire’s ten cats, and a talking ghost, Zoe has to reconcile her feelings for Dane and embrace her destiny before it’s too late.

Like the sound of it? Get your own copy here:

Disclaimer: As always, I have no affiliation with this author, publisher or book. I simply chose it because I like it. Happy reading!

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, by Unknown

In #newbooksaturday, paranormal romance

#NewBookSaturday: Hoofin' It: A Magical Romantic Comedy (with a body count) by RJ Blain

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, by Unknown

In alphas, new book saturday

#NewBookSaturday: Omega: An Urban Fantasy Novel (War of the Alphas Book 1) by SM Reine

Happy New Book Saturday! This week's book is a little different. Surprisingly, it is not a phenomenal five-star reader. It's had mixed reviews on Amazon and Goodreads (4.2 star average & 3.7 star average respectively), but what caught my attention was this:

"This book took me for a loop. The ending very surprising. I would have never through it ended like it did. You must read it because the end is not common." ~ Amazon Review

"I like how the main character is undefined.. strong personality wise. The ending was a shocker, and a cliffhanger." ~ Amazon Review

"Was very good. Did not expect the ending. Looking forward to reading the other books in the series." ~ Amazon Review

"Why, oh why, did you have to end it that way? I was so distressed..." ~ Goodreads Review

Sensing a theme yet? From all accounts, the ending has a MASSIVE cliffhanger. What I can't tell is whether people like this cliffhanger, or not. From some reviews, it's pretty obvious they don't like it, but other reviews hardly mention it, so I'm intrigued.

If anyone has read this book, feel free to share your own thoughts on it in the comments below!

Ten years ago, Deirdre Tombs died. When she was reborn the next day, Deirdre had become a shapeshifter who can’t shift shapes. Nobody knows what animal she’s supposed to be. She’s definitely not a werewolf. The Alpha, Rylie Gresham, can’t force her to transform like other members of her pack.

Now Deirdre is considered an omega, the weakest shapeshifter in the pack—a vulnerable position when Everton Stark demands tribute from Rylie. He wants to be the dominant Alpha. The only Alpha. And he plans to make her pack submit whether they want to or not. Stark can make every shapeshifter obey him by force of will alone.

Every shapeshifter except Deirdre.

The shifter who can’t shift is the only hope for Rylie to win the war against Stark. It will take everything Deirdre has to survive undercover in his den. But can an omega’s will be stronger than that of a charismatic, deadly Alpha like Everton Stark?

Curious? Get your own copy

Disclaimer: As always, I have no affiliation with this author, publisher or book. I simply chose it because I liked it. Happy reading!

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, by Unknown

In Dark Devotion, Dark Series

Cover Reveal: Dark Devotion - e-book

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, by Unknown

In free copy, free reads

Huge Bundle Giveaway

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, by Unknown

In excerpt, Half Blood Series

Excerpt from "Omega" ~ Part 2

A lot of you have been asking whether there will be a fifth Helheim book. Well, the good news is YES there will be a fifth book. I'm currently working on writing it, but my life has been crazy so it's taking a lot longer than I expected.

It's Brax's story, but it's also the book that tidies up all the loose ends and hopefully gives you all a sense a satisfaction that the series is over. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to all of my wolves, but like all goods things...

So, without further ado, here's the second of three excerpts from "Omega".

** Please note that this work is copyright and is unedited and subject to change. **

Darkness.

That was all Andrea could see outside her bedroom window.

Darkness.

She exhaled, fogging up the glass. She was tired of waiting. Avon had told her she was leaving straight away—last night, in fact—but it was now six AM and she was still at Avon’s house. With her bag packed. And her anxiety was wrapping around her throat and chest, constricting, making it difficult to even drag in the next breath. Her gaze shifted to the horizon, waiting for the sun to penetrate the darkness. Because if it did, maybe it would burn away her unease too.

Andrea had no doubt Rick was watching the apartment, waiting for her to step outside alone. He would kill her if she did. She knew it like she knew her own face in the mirror. Just then a shiver slithered down her spine, goose bumps breaking out on her arms and on the back of her neck. Someone was watching her. Narrowing her eyes, she swept the space between the boundary fence running alongside the driveway and the forest not four feet from it. A small orange glow appeared in the darkest shadow directly across from her window, followed by pale grey smoke. A cigarette. Andrea’s heart tripped. Rick was out there. She searched her mated bond and found the pulse of his energy close. With her heart pounding in her ears, she let the drapes fall back into place and stepped back from the window.

Her phone pinged with a message from her bedside table. She looked in its direction with trepidation. After leaving Rick, Avon had given her a new phone with a new private number. Nobody had her digits, and she had given them to nobody. Avon had told her it was for emergencies only, in case she felt threatened at any time. Andrea picked up the phone, looked at the unknown number first then let her gaze drop to the message.

The phone fell with a dull thump to the white carpet.

Her legs gave out, and it was just lucky the bed was there otherwise she would have found herself crumpled on the floor. Her hands were shaking violently. She clenched them into fists, trying to stop the tremor, but it only travelled up her arms instead. Bile burned in her throat as she looked at the illuminated screen.

I will get you back, Andrea, and when I do, you will realize what pain is.

It was from Rick. It had to have been. But how had he got her number?

She stood up and, even though it hurt, she started to pace, her hip stiff and protesting every movement. Her mind was throwing up all kinds of scenarios about when Rick did get her back. The things he’d done to her would be nothing compared to what he’d planned now. How he would make her suffer, he would humiliate her. He would kill her and degrade her body and then throw her away like she was nothing, like she had meant nothing to him.

Now, Avon’s promise to get her out of there held even more meaning.

It wasn’t just a lifeline.

It was a death row pardon.

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In final, Half Blood Series

Excerpt from "Omega" ~ Part 1

** Please note that this work is copyright and is unedited and subject to change. **

The rumble of an engine hummed through the back of Saxon’s skull, dragging him into consciousness. He blinked up at the ceiling, trying to make sense of where he was and what was happening to him. But no matter how much he tried to focus on his surroundings, his mind was too sluggish to keep up.

A bump in the road’s surface brought a sharp, distinct ache to his shoulders. He held back the groan when a gentle tug confirmed his arms were tied behind his back. He tried to separate his wrists, testing the tightness of his bonds. He could feel the tell-tale bite of a cable tie around his wrists, and although he should have been able to break the plastic easily, Saxon struggled to do just that.

Over the sound of the engine, there were two voices. One belonged to Mark, the bastard who had seemingly fooled him and the entire Helheim pack into believing he was the victim of an accidental biting by a rogue wolf. Mark had shot Saxon with a tranquilizer dart while they tried to move a fallen tree from the road as he, Saxon and Casey had driven back to Casey’s pack over four hundred miles away.

At least Casey wasn’t in the van with her.

At least she had escaped.

“This is a mistake, Vivian,” Mark said, his voice tense. “He wasn’t who we needed.”

Saxon tilted his head back, straining to hear the conversation over the whir of the motor and the rush of asphalt racing beneath. The woman replied, but he couldn’t make out the words.

“—need to kill him.” Mark spoke again and Saxon’s heart raced in response to the cold tone he could hear in the other male’s voice.

“We can still use him,” The woman, Vivian, replied in a dark purr. He had never heard her voice before, and he certainly didn’t recognize her scent.

With his heart still pounding in his ears, Saxon knew he had to find a way out of there. His gaze slid to either side of his body, inspecting his surroundings. It looked as if he was in the back of a utility van – a brand new one judging by the new car smell still clinging to the upholstery on the front seats.

Saxon tried to bend his legs, but his range of movement was limited thanks to the matching set of cable ties on his ankles. They’d been tightened until the circulation was severed, making his toes numb.

Even if he were able to get the ties off, he wouldn’t make it very far on foot. His shoes had been taken off, and the bottom of his jeans had been hacked away, leaving his lower leg – from his knees to his ankles – exposed.

The van slowed down, veering to the right as it took an exit. Time was ticking away. Saxon had to find a way out, or at least be prepared for when they stopped because he would come out fighting.

The road they were driving on now was far more rutted than the last, the bumps jarring Saxon’s arms, sending the pain roaring through his overstrained shoulder joints. He counted the turns they took, making a mental note of them in case he had to retrace his steps to escape.

Left.

Left again.

Right.

He heard a dog barking—a big dog by the sound of it, kept in the yard behind a chain link fence which rattled with every booming bark.

Sharp right.

The van slowed down to a crawl, bouncing over a deep curb before gravel began pinging the undercarriage. The engine cut, then both doors opened. Playing possum, Saxon closed his eyes and lay still, ignoring the unnatural angle of his arms and the pain radiating out of them. The sliding side door opened, cold air rushing into the back and bringing with it the smell of pine needles and fresh snow.

“He’s still unconscious. How much did you give him?” Vivian asked.

“He should come around soon,” Mark replied.

A strong hand landed on his shoulder, pulling Saxon up. He was hoisted up onto Mark’s shoulders, his head thumping against the small of the guy’s back. Saxon was carried up a few steps, which creaked under their combined weight, and taken into a room that smelled of mildew.

“Where do you want him?” Mark asked.

“Against the wall, there.”

A moment later, Saxon was dropped onto a hardwood floor. He couldn’t stop the groan that erupted from his lips as the movement jostled his arms.

“What the fuck?”

Saxon opened his eyes and stared at the double-crossing bastard. “I’m going to skin you alive,” he growled, meaning every damn word.

Mark’s wolf shifted impatiently behind his eyes. “You’re not really in any position to make threats.”

“I’m not threatening,” Saxon replied. “I’m swearing a goddamn oath.”

The guy actually had the nerve to grin. “The last I checked, you were the one tied up.”

“Stop talking and tranquilize him again,” Vivian said impatiently, handing a small syringe to Mark. Saxon tried to jerk away, but it was useless. There was a sharp pinch on his thigh, then darkness chased away the light.