Archive for January 3, 2013

Welcome to my stop on the Dark Waltz Tour by A.M. Hargrove. I have lots of goodies for you. There’s a book excerpt, a description, my review, and a fantastic giveaway.

If you think the banner is pretty, check out the full cover  of Dark Waltz.

A Praestani Novel

Dark Waltz, a Praestani Novel (#1)

Add To Goodreads

Category: ADULT Romance…NOT appropriate for young readers. (Caution:  Major STEAM ahead)

Dark Waltz–A sizzling legend of loss, lust and love.
It’s the year 2030 and the human population has been annihilated by a virulent form of small pox.  Liasare Davidson is desperately searching for her brother, who has been missing for three months.  It’s been eighteen years since she was evacuated from Earth and she is horrified to see it’s become a cesspool of unimaginable things.
In her quest to find her brother, she meets Jurek, a powerful and enigmatic being that frightens her, yet she is unable to resist.  When things begin to unfold between them, they both discover a paralyzing truth that puts Liasare at grave risk.  She must make a choice to join Jurek and find her brother or fulfill a role she believes she is ill-equipped to undertake.
.
Here is an excerpt to give a taste of what’s inside.
.

Liasare checked out two more bars before she decided that the next would be her last for the night.  She plopped down on the first available seat with an oomph and ordered yet another beer.

What an interesting night.  Met a blonde girl who obviously knew Tommy, got bitten by a Xanthian, stabbed and killed a Xanthian, almost got myself killed by a Xanthian, was rescued by some awesomeness that then spoke into my mind, snagged an annihilator, got asked out on a date…what next?

The hairs on the back of her neck promptly stood at attention, followed by the rest of her body hair.  The room seemed to take on an intense heated electrical charge.  She wondered if it was just her, or did everyone else feel it?  Her eyes gazed around the room, trying to locate the source of her discomfort.  No one else appeared to be affected by this strange phenomenon.  She gave her head a firm shake and turned her focus back to her beer.  While beer had never been one of her favorite beverages, the iciness of it as it slid down her throat seemed to ease the discomfort caused by the strange sensations she was experiencing.  The bottle was quickly emptied as she sought to put out the fire that had erupted within her.

The bartender raised his brows and she nodded, indicating her desire for another.  Seconds later, another bottle was in her hands and its liquid contents were making their way down her parched throat.

Liasare began inspecting the patrons of the nightclub, hunting for whatever could possibly be making her feel so uncomfortable.  As her eyes scanned the room, they came to rest on a man who was intently staring at her.   He stood still as a marble statue, not so much as blinking an eye.  Dressed in snug black leather pants that sat low on his hips, his chest was bare, with the exception of an unbuttoned black leather vest.  He wore no shirt, nor did he need one; his sculpted muscles seemed to defy the presence of something so offensive.  His arms bore a myriad of black tattoos, which were perfectly symmetrical in their swirling yet angular beauty.  They looked perfectly delicious against his smooth tawny skin and Liasare had an irrepressible urge to touch and inspect them.  His face wasn’t beautiful in the classical sense, though from her vantage point, she could see he was compellingly attractive, so much so that she found herself craning her neck to get a better look at him.

What the hell am I thinking?  He could be a serial killer or something.

Jerking her gaze away from him, she forced herself to focus on drinking the rest of her beer.

As Liasare sat there, she couldn’t stop thinking about the strange man.  Turning her bar stool to get another look at him, she was disappointed to see he had left his place against the wall.  Her instincts and body told her he was still there.  It was in the air…hot, electrifying.  It wasn’t painful, yet it wasn’t comfortable either as she found herself squirming on her perch at the bar.  She took another long pull off her beer.

“Looking for me?” his warm breath cascaded over her ear and down her neck, sending currents of heat throughout every molecule, centering on that very spot at the pinnacle of her thighs she didn’t want to think about.  She choked on her beer and spit it out on the bar as she felt his lips leave of trail of molten kisses down the side of her neck.

The bartender, noticing her distress, immediately came to her aid with a towel.  He mopped up the mess and handed her a bunch of napkins.

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah, thanks,” she squeaked.

Her face was most likely the color of a tomato; it felt like it had gone up in flames when that husky voice whispered in her ear.  She knew he was gone for her nerve endings told her so.  She swiped her hand across her sweaty brow.  In her twenty-seven years of life, never had a man affected her like this.  It would be her luck, she thought, that something like this would happen on a night like tonight.

********

Jurek Herdekian leaned against the wall and eyed the chestnut haired human as she drank her beer.  His mere presence affected her, which surprised him since he was always careful to mute his powers.  The human’s extreme sensitivity to him was an aberration.  He was also disturbed by the fact that he had felt her distress when she had been surrounded by the Xanthians earlier in the night.  He had no doubt that they had planned to kill her.  That she had managed to kill one of them, impressed him beyond measure.  He must find out who she worked for and what she was after.

As she drank, she turned to examine the crowd.  When her gaze landed on him, it wasn’t a quick look, but a thorough inspection.  She liked what she saw and wanted to get a closer look.  Had Jurek been in a different setting, he might have thrown his head back and laughed at her audacity.  He opted for the next best thing.

Jurek moved stealthily through the crowd until he was directly behind her, whispered something, kissed her, and then left.  He would keep her in his sights now that he knew her scent as well as her thoughts.

He waited outside the bar and watched as the sky lightened with the morning sun.  The chestnut haired human left the bar and headed south toward the old Dillsworth area. Jurek followed her at a safe distance.  When he found out where she was going, he would assign a man to her.  She was fairly smart, this one.  She took all kinds of turns and cut through yards, to lose anyone following her.   She kept a constant check behind her; of course it would have been impossible to notice him, for he was traveling in his energy form which was undetectable to the human eye, or any eye for that matter.

She arrived at a garage and made her way inside.  He followed her and saw where she was staying.  Satisfied that she would be safe for the near future, he departed and headed back to Lare-Stell Base.

Now for my review!

What do I know? I know I’m lovin this series! It’s a waltz that takes you spinning through space before taking that final dip.

As I’ve already given you a description and an awesome excerpt, my review is going to be an emtotional one, more about how the story made me feel and how I connected with the characters. So, I’ll get started:)

The first thing that captured my attention was this story is about returning to Earth from another planet, not about venturing into space. The Earth of today is overrun with hostile, nasty beings and humans tread carefully when they venture out. We are no longer at the top of the food chain. In fact, we are now on the menu.

What really grabbed me with Dark Waltz was the characters. I love character driven novels and the stars of this novel are exceptional.

Lisare left Earth when she was a young teen and didn’t return for eighteen years. It’s so much worse now. She thinks she’s prepared for what awaits her as she searches for her missing brother, but she is very wrong. She’s going to need help, whether she likes it or not.

What I enjoyed about Lisare is her toughness along with her vulnerability. She’s taken huge risks just in coming to Earth. She’s run into some situations that left her trembling and doubting her resolve. And she now has a mysterious stranger, a magical being, whose magnetisium is becoming harder and harder to deny.

There’s a mental connection, but that’s now what has her worried. She fears her bodies yearning for Jurek, it’s demanding ache for his touch. An accident a long time ago left her physically and mentally scarred and she has no idea how to protect herself from these feelings.

This is what Jurek is up against as he becomes more and more drawn to Lisare. He’s never wanted anyone like he wants her, but she’ll have to be handled carefully, if she ever lets him handle her at all.

I enjoyed Jurek’s inner turmoil and frustration. He’s a powerful, demanding being and he’s not used to being snubbed and challenged, especially by a woman. He has his hands full with Lisare, trying to keep her safe and struggling to get past her tough exterior.

Jurek was a favorite character of mine in Determinant. It’s great to read his story here.

Jurek also felt the mental connection to Lisare, but his bodies lust for her comes as a surprise. He has no lack of female partners, but this girl has him feeling things he’s never experienced before. He knows it will be much more than a roll in the hay with her and that’s not all he has to consider.

Dark Waltz is exceptionally written, flowing smoothly and keeping you engaged from first page to last. I found myself wanting to race to the finish and forced myself to slow down. I didn’t want to miss a single thing.

The fight scenes are exciting, the creatures are hideous, the mysteries and secrets keep you guessing, and the sexual tension builds and builds. What a read.

Dark Waltz is a fantastic first chapter in The Praestani Novels. This adult series takes place several years after The YA Guardians of Vesturon Series. You don’t have to have read them, but I would recommend it. Guardians is where it all began. It makes me very happy to know it doesn’t end here.

       

And now for the giveaway.

First Prize winner (US/Canada Only) gets:

$15.00 gift card, Paperback of Dark Waltz, e-books of The Guardian’s of Vesturon Series, e-book of Edge of Disaster, Hale Maree by Misty Provencher & Mercy by Misty Provencher

Two Second Prize Winners (open worldwide) gets:

E-book of Dark Waltz, e-books of The Guardians’s of Vesturon Series, and an e-book of Edge of Disaster.

For a chance at these amazing prizes just click on the rafflecopter link.

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

Go here for the complete tour schedule. You don’t want to miss anything.

About the author and her books.
.

A.M. Hargrove

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn’t do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life.  So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase.  Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodgeball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head.  Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what lap top out the window.   She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone and hit #4 on her speed dial.

“Hello.”
“Boss, is that you?”
“Why yes, A. M., who else would be answering my phone?”
“Er… right.  Well, I’m calling to let you know you can pick up my luxury Ford Focus at Starbucks near the interstate.”
“Why ever would I want to do that?”
“Because I quit you idiot!”

A.M. hit the end button and speed dialed her husband.

“Hi hubs, can you pick me up at Starbucks?”
“Sure… Having some car trouble?”
“Not at all.  I don’t have a car to have trouble with because I just quit my job.”
“WHAT?!”
“It’s time for a new career and I am going to be a very famous novelist.”

So began A. M. Hargrove’s career as a young adult paranormal romance author of self-published ebooks.  Her series, The Guardians of Vesturon, centers around a family of six siblings and is a mix of humor, mystery, suspense and of course, love.
If you’re wondering, it didn’t happen EXACTLY that way, but….

Author links:

   Blog        http://www.amhargrove.blogspot.com/
   Twitter      http://www.twitter.com/amhargrove1

Goodreads   http://www.goodreads.com/amhargrove1

Click on images to purchase the books

 The Guardians of Vesturon Series

The Praestani Novels

More books by A. M. Hargrove

Other places to purchase.

   Amazon  http://amzn.to/QsoCQi
   B&N        http://bit.ly/RKpOv6
   Kobo       http://bit.ly/Qe9yG4

The House on Blackstone Moor by Carole Gill is free on Amazon right now!

Go here to get your copy. Don’t wait too long.

The House on Blackstone Moor

Add To Goodreads

The House on Blackstone Moor is a tale of vampirism, madness, obsession and devil worship as Rose Baines, only survivor of her family’s carnage, tells her story. Fragile, damaged by the tragedy, fate sends her to a desolate house on the haunted moors where demons dwell. The house and the moors have hideous secrets, yet there is love too; deep, abiding, eternal, but it comes with a price.

Sounds great doesn’t it? More good news. You can purchase Unholy Testaments – The Beginnings, Book Two for just 99 cents. On sale for a limited time.

Get your copy here.

Carole Gill

Add To Goodreads

The day Eco first laid eyes on Rose Baines was the day she discovered (The House on Blackstone Moor) her family’s savage butchery at the hands of her mad, incestuous father.

“I saw you leave the house that day, Rose, that terrible day you discovered your family butchered. I saw you…”

Eco realizing he has fallen in love with her pens a confession documenting all of his sins committed in the course of his immortal existence. The one request is that Rose reads his confession.

Rose, having become his captive, is forced to read this unholy testament of his.

From Ancient Egyptian vampire cults to Roman vampire brothels to The Dark Ages, The Crusades, The Black Death of 1348 to his meeting with child murderer and Satanist, Gilles de Rais, concluding with his wicked affair with the Blood Countess herself, Erzebat Bathory.

Eco is, if nothing else, frankly and brutally honest. The pages are filled with debauchery and vice and murder–yet, there is also love or what Eco swears is love.

The story is continued in Unholy Testament – Full Circle, to be released in early 2013.

Bonus material:

The first two chapters and book cover of Unholy Testament – Full Circle is included in this book.

For information about Carole and her many books click here.

Website