Remember: Protectors of the Elemental Magic Relaunch

To celebrate the relaunch of Marnie Cate's beloved first novel, Remember: Protectors of the Elemental Magic, will be available on Kindle for $0.99 / £0.99 beginning  October 29, 2015 through November 4, 2015

Author: Marnie Cate
Title: Remember: Protectors of the Elemental Magic
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Synopsis
Hiding the truth from you is no longer protecting you. Sit and I will tell you what you need to know. 

With those words, the secrets of my great grandmother, Genevieve Silver, were unburied and my role as a protector of the elemental magic was revealed.

My name is Marina Addisyn Stone but Mara is what my friends and family call me.  I had always felt that there was something missing and that nothing was permanent. Why would I feel that way?  I was being raised with my little sister by my grandmother that loved and doted on me. Then, there was Cole Sands. Who could forget the blue-eyed boy that had stolen my heart? What more could a girl need?  I always thought I was just being dramatic and that bad things do happen to people but that is part of life.  People die.  People go away. Little did I know that with one secret, my life would change forever and my new world would be surrounded by the world of elemental magic?


Marnie Cate Biography


Marnie Cate was born and raised in Montana before adventuring to the warmer states of Arizona and California. Her love of Dame Judi

Dench and dreams of caticorns and rainbows inspired her to chase her dreams. One great sentence came to mind and the world of elemental magic and the humans they lived amongst filled her mind. With Remember, the story has begun.



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Excerpt

As I felt my determination build, the mirror in front of me began to change and the reflection filled with rippling water. The image made me think of the choppy water of Sparrow Lake. At first, the small waves were calm but the speed and intensity of each movement of the water grew. I found myself being splashed as the waves grew harder and began to slap against the mirror. Standing up, I moved away just in time to watch the mirror before me shatter and the violent water burst out towards me. 

The room began to fill with rushing water. Feeling around the room, I searched for an exit. Behind the shattered mirror, I only found solid rock. Looking to the ceiling, I could see the same hard stone. Feeling the emotions build inside me, I began search the floor and walls around me for any exit. 

"Damn! Damn! Damn it!" I cried. 

The water did not slow. Instead it continued to fill the room as I frantically searched for my escape. The water soon reached my knees and, what seemed like seconds later, I was wading through waist high water. As the water continued to rise, I was soon struggling to keep my head above water. It was not enough that the water was filling the room so rapidly but soon the water felt alive. The cold waves kept tossing me back and forth as the water rose and I began to feel like I was in a game of Ping-Pong where I was the ball. Soon, I found myself pulled under the icy water and surrounded by thousands of bubbles. Frantically kicking my feet to keep my head above water, I broke the surface. 

Remembering the swimming lessons my grandfather insisted on, I thought about the times I spent with my grandfather learning to swim. I began to feel less scared as I recalled his calm voice and gentle words telling me that I would be safe. As I floated in the

rising water, it seemed to respond to my emotions. The thrashing became calmer as I focused on my grandfather’s words. My brief moment of peace did not last. Before I knew it, I had almost reached the ceiling that had no exit and I began to panic. At this rate, I would be trapped and drowned in minutes. As if it was feeding off my fear, the water began to toss me around again. 


As the water began to rise up my neck and almost over the top of my head, I tried to calm myself. You are the granddaughter of Mae Veracor and the great granddaughter of Genevieve Silver. You are the descendent of strong women. You have nothing to fear. With these words, the water once again calmed and I was able to tilt my head back above the water. How am I going to get out of this?

Other Works by Marnie Cate

Exigency: Protectors of the Elemental Magic – Coming Soon
The story of Mara Stone continues.  Her world was shaken but she is a fighter.  Facing new adversaries, Mara is learning what it truly means to protect the magic. 

Awethology Light – Contribution Story  
Beginnings: Protectors of the Elemental Magic (Novellette) 

The story of Genevieve Silver and the origins of the protectors of the magic. With the balance of the elemental world shaken, four elementals take on the task of protecting the magic. 

School of Deaths Blog Tour

School of Deaths 

by Christopher Mannino

Thrust into a world of men, can a timid girl find bravery as the first female Death?

Thirteen-year-old Suzie Sarnio always believed the Grim Reaper was a fairy tale image of a skeleton with a scythe. Now, forced to enter the College of Deaths, she finds herself training to bring souls from the Living World to the Hereafter. The task is demanding enough, but as the only female in the all-male College, she quickly becomes a target. Attacked by both classmates and strangers, Suzie is alone in a world where even her teachers want her to fail. 

Scythes hungry for souls, Deaths who subjugate a race of mysterious magicians, and echoes of an ancient war with Dragons.

As her year progresses, Suzie suspects her presence isn't an accident. She uncovers a plot to overthrow the World of Deaths. Now she must also discover the reason she's been brought there: the first female Death in a million years.

AUTHOR BIO

Christopher Mannino’s life is best described as an unending creative outlet. He teaches high school theatre in Greenbelt, Maryland. In addition to his daily drama classes, he runs several after-school performance and production drama groups. He spends his summers writing and singing. Mannino holds a Master of Arts in Theatre Education from Catholic University, and has studied mythology and literature both in America and at Oxford University. His work with young people helped inspire him to write young adult fantasy, although it was his love of reading that truly brought his writing to life. 

AUTHOR LINKS

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EXCERPT

Reds, yellows, hots, colds. Sensations blended and faded. Suzie’s head spun in a whirlwind of sensation. Two suns appeared for an instant, and she watched the building where she’d signed the contract. Athanasius, the first ’Mental she’d met, seemed to smile at her, and then was gone.

Stars burned her.

Oceans drowned her.

Clouds suffocated her.

Noise deafened her.

The tether slackened. She opened her eyes.

Billy still held the scythe; the blade dripped with tiny beads of white light.

“You okay?” asked Frank, turning.

“Yeah,” she said. “Are we there?”

“Yes,” said Frank. “We’re in the Mortal World. The scythe will never bring you anywhere near anyone you ever met here. That’s one of the rules, but we’re here. This is the closest to home most of us will ever get.” His voice trailed off, and he looked away. Suzie patted his shoulder. She could imagine his pain.

“We’re not here to talk,” said Billy. “The target will be here in a minute.”

“The scythe tells you the target as you cross the portal,” explained Frank.

“They explained in Theory class,” she said. “But it’s still weird to be here.”

She looked around. They stood in an alley, with gleams of starlight visible above them. Flies buzzed over a trash can, overflowing with pizza boxes. A cool breeze blew candy wrappers across the pavement, to graffiti-covered walls. Behind her, a cement building rose, with barred windows. In front of them, a larger street met the alley, with part of a neon sign glowing around the corner. It smelled like urine.

She heard shouts in Spanish from a dilapidated cement building with iron bars. More shouts and someone pleading. Then a gunshot and the shouts moved away from them.

A young girl staggered into the alley. Suzie was about to speak, but Frank shook his head.

The girl fell onto her face, a pool of blood leaking out from under her. In the distance, Suzie heard another gunshot.

“We have to help her,” said Suzie.

“It’s too late,” said Frank.

The girl lay motionless. Time seemed to stop. Suzie had never witnessed someone’s death. Who was this girl? Who had shot her?

Even as the questions started to form in her mind, the girl sat up and stared at them. Suzie started to move, but Frank grabbed her arm, holding her.

“Where am I?” said the girl.

She was sitting up, but she was also laying face first on the ground. The sitting girl looked at Billy with terrified eyes and struggled to her feet. Suzie realized they were each wearing black robes; even with their training badges, they must look frightening. Billy still held the scythe.

“Is this a joke?” said the girl. “I’m not dead—”

“You are,” said Billy.

The standing girl had no gunshot wound in her chest. Her dress seemed to shine as she moved a step away. She never looked down at her own body, or the blood continuing to run.

“Who are you three?” asked the girl.

“We’re in training,” said Billy. Suzie admired how calm his voice was. He was cool and collected, while she wanted to yell.

The girl took another step back and tripped on something. She tried to get up again but Billy held up a hand.

“Please,” he said. “Allow me.”

He raised the scythe and let it fall. The girl screamed, and Suzie screamed as well.

CHARACTER INTERVIEW

An interview between author Christopher Mannino (CM) and Billy Black.


CM: Billy, I understand you're entering your second year as a Death. What is it like Reaping souls for a living?
BILLY: Honestly, it's just a job. We're in transportation, but the cargo happens to be souls. On a day to day basis, I don't think about death too often. Especially since this is only my second year. I went on three Reapings so far, and only held the scythe myself in one of them. Most of my time's spent at school studying.


CM: What do you think of your new housemate, Susan?
BILLY: I'm really conflicted. There's never been a girl here. A lot of the other Deaths, particularly the older ones, are complaining, saying she'll mess everything up. If she hadn't been housed with Jason and me, I'm not sure how her arrival would affect me, but living with her, even though it's only been a couple weeks so far, I think she's pretty nice. I was kind of annoyed at first, particularly since they had to choose my house to stick a girl in, but it's not that bad. She's a kid, just like all of us.

CM: Speaking of kids, how did you become a Death?
BILLY: Back in the Mortal World I started losing a lot of weight. Suddenly a Death showed up, swung his scythe, and offered me a contract. Live as a Death for a year, and then take a test. If I failed the test, I'd be a Death forever. If I didn't sign the contract, I'd die. Wasn't much of a choice. All Deaths are living kids, snatched in a similar manner. At first, you're really resentful, but once you get used to the World of Deaths, you find it's not so bad.

CM: So you failed your test, and were forced to remain a Death?
BILLY: Not exactly. In the end, I decided I liked being a Death. After Dad left us, life was... rough for my mother and me, to say the least. At the College of Deaths, I made friends. I'm on a boskery team, I do well in classes, and I even work a part-time job for money. I didn't feel compelled to go back.

CM: What's the one thing you miss most about the Mortal World?
BILLY: TV and computers. There are times when life feels a little slower in the World of Deaths On the other hand, that's not always a bad thing.

CM: So what do you do for fun?
BILLY: As I mentioned, I play boskery. I was one of only a few kids my age to make a team. It's meant as a way to see how well we use scythes. Deaths are monitored, and their positions in the Senior College are determined by skill with the blade, since scythe skills allow you to Reap more souls in a shorter time. But it feels more like a game, with four teams competing at once. We use double-blade scythes, which paralyze you if you get nicked. It's a really tough sport. When I'm not playing, I like to read, hang out with friends, or even head up to Mors, which is a city nearby. They have some rides there, like an amusement park.

CM: Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?
BILLY: I think everyone should give Susan a chance. She seems nice to me. I know the last time there was a female Death, she was a witch who betrayed the Deaths to Dragons, but Susan's different. Don't judge her before you get to know her.



Author Christopher Mannino $20 Amazon Giftcard

Naughty Dancer by Candi Silk

Candi's done it again. For everyone who enjoys her brand of intimate action this is a must read!



My review
Naughty Dancer is an exciting read filled with tantalizing action! Lexi and Dan are a youngish married couple. She’s unfulfilled sexually, however, she loves her husband. He has this habit before sex of asking her dirty, explicit details of her strip tease life. She concocts an idea to go back to stripping and private parties to earn extra cash to pay down their debt with the bonus of tons of enjoyable sex. He husband agrees and they set it up. The twist is Zoey, a good friend of theirs who’s desperate and willing.

The story gets sweaty and intimate immediately. I enjoyed Lexi’s cunning nature. She’s not innocent on any level and has a dirty, dirty mind. Candi’s characters put on a sizzling performance in Naughty Dancer.


Hot!

Buy links
Amazon - Naughty Dancer: Erotic Escapades (Naughty Collection Book 1)
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Journey by Regina Garson Book Review

Another one of the fabulous reads from my 2015 reading list!



My Review:

Journey is a short fiction that left my brain spinning. The tale is of a wife, Sydney, whose husband is in an asylum. She is the dutiful wife who visits daily. In fact, her life is nothing but routines. At night, in her dreams Ouida and Ariel visit. They understand her at least she thinks they do. In my opinion Sydney is one step away from joining her husband and the reason for his insanity.

I love how she fashioned Sydney and developed her character throughout the story. It’s amazing what Garson did with so few pages. I adore short fiction because with my busy life I can read an entire story in a day. But I also believe short fiction brings out an author’s true talents. It’s difficult to write so much in so few words. This story had suspense, mystery and really made me think.

Buy Links Amazon - Journey: A Short Fiction (The Lost Writing Series Book 1)
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Vampires in St. Augustine?

St. Augustine is the oldest city in the U.S. The city just a few weeks ago celebrated their 450th anniversary. There is a ton of history including pirate stories, the fountain of youth, and gruesome unsolved deaths. Ghosts, goblins and entities linger and the living inhabitants are sure to tell you the stories and spooky episodes they've witnessed. Urban legends run rampant, all in the name of fun and a fright.

A couple weeks ago as I finished editing and formatting my December surprise book release I began planning my next book. It's

Mantanza's Bay and Fort

a story that's been on my mind for at least a year but with so many other releases I put it on the back burner. Well now is the time for this story to come to life. The story takes place in St. Augustine. But it's not a ghost story instead its a vampire tale. In a city full of supernatural and paranormal activity, why not?

This brought me to do a google search for Vampires in St. Augustine which revealed on encounter in 1933. St. Augustine is in St. John's County Florida. I live in a bordering county, a short thirty minute drive away. I've taken it upon myself to find out if this "claim" is real or B.S.  You can read it here. The author says he bought an old paper at a tag sale with the headlines, "Vampire Stalks St. Augustine". My ghost hunt begins!

Yesterday, I drove to St. Augustine and visited the Historical Society. According to the above webpage a family of  5 died, their

name Turner, their bodies found Oct. 5, 1933, and the forgotten case remains unsolved to this day. Hmm... shouldn't be too hard to find. I searched death records for 1933. Two Turners died but not on the same day and not in October. I searched The St. Augustine Record, local paper of the time. I found a ton of info about the World series and union strikes but nothing about a family of five found dead and no headlines, "Vampire Stalks St. Augustine". They gave me a link to the genealogical society, check it yourself and I found the same Turners. Dead end? I checked Ancestry.com, same Turners. But not the Turners I'm searching for.

Next, I stopped at the sheriff's office on my way home - nothing! According to them, years ago now when they went digital, files that were "important" to the person doing the job were scanned in, others not. I was also told in the 1960's most of the files were destroyed. I was given a link to search that covers all crimes in Florida. A needle in a haystack? Yes. When I click on Unsolved Cases nothing pops up. Empty. There is no Cold Case link only Cold Case Playing Cards, non of which include the possible Cold Case I'm searching for.

Now if you read the article at the link above. He says it was a

Jacksonville paper. Jacksonville is Duval County. It borders St. John's and includes Old St. Augustine Rd. Could the murders have happened there? My next trek will be to Jacksonville's huge Main Library where I should have access to the Florida Times Union articles from 1933 and any other local magazines, newspapers from the times. Maybe even unsolved crimes. 

I'm not holding my breath but if this family existed and was murdered I'll find it. 

A special thanks to the folks at the Sheriff's office and Historical Society who took the time to help me. On to Jacksonville!

Love Aches by J.S. Luxor Book Review

Love Aches is the second box set in the series. It's a parody and I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. A definite read!



My review:

Love Aches is a hilarious parody, maybe my favorite in the series yet. Joanna and Tristan’s love is put through a battery of tests with naughty implicating pictures of each flying around, Joanna is kidnapped, and their hot air balloon after a romantic day flying high above the Earth settles in a tree in the mountains. Joanna’s camping skills come in handy to avoid the bears and survive until they are rescued.

Tristan is an insecure, controlling mess and Joanna it seems spends more time consoling him and proving her love for him than anything. She has a series of flirtatious events at work that send Tristan into a frenzy. She wasn’t flirting but someone else has a huge crush on her. Tristan has a blast from the past, a hidden past, that take both him and Joanna on a wild ride. This book is full of adventure and strange twists that kept me laughing. Through all this Luxor builds their characters and we really see who Tristan and Joanna are as individuals and as a couple.


An absolute charm!

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Firebird Book Blast

Book Blurb: 
FIREBIRD by Jennifer Loring

Stephanie Hartwell is a journalist chasing the story of her career...

When superstar hockey player and notorious bad boy Aleksandr Volynsky is traded to the Seattle Earthquakes in a blockbuster deal, Stephanie demands the opportunity to prove herself by scoring an exclusive interview with a man with no love for the media...the same man she once though, as a naive teenager, she'd someday marry.

An Olympian and Stanley Cup Champion, Aleksandr has achieved every goal he's ever set...

Now expected to carry a failing team on his shoulders, Aleksandr's troubles deepen when he encounters Stephanie after a season-opening loss. His lifestyle of drinking and random hookups has been a futile attempt to forget the beautiful tomboy who stole his heart nine years ago. And worse, fame and fortune have made it impossible for him to trust anyone--especially Stephanie, who is

engaged to another man.

Romance rekindles, but tragedy reveals Aleksandr's dark side...

Being with Aleksandr in the first place jeopardizes Stephanie's journalistic integrity and threatens her career, and when he spirals out of control, it reawakens fears from her own history, making her unable to commit to a future with him.

When Aleksandr discovers the truth behind his self-destructive behavior, will his newfound self-awareness be enough to convince Stephanie to give him one last chance...

Or will his revelation drive her away for good?

Author Bio:


Jennifer Loring's short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines, webzines, and anthologies. In 2013, she won Crystal Lake Publishing's inaugural Tales from the Lake writing

competition; in 2014, DarkFuse published her novella Conduits, and in May 2015, Omnium Gatherum released her debut novel, Those of My Kind. She recently signed a deal for a contemporary romance trilogy with Limitless Publishing; the first book, Firebird, is due out on October 20, 2015. Jennifer lives in Philadelphia, PA with her husband, a turtle, and two basset hounds. She is currently at work on the second book in the Firebird Trilogy as well as a paranormal romance.

Firebird (Book One) from JenniferLoring on 8tracks Radio.

One e-book copy of Firebird

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Kim Cormack Wild Thing Review

Within the last several months I introduced you to Kim Cormack's Children of the Ankh series with my reviews of Sweet Sleep and Enlightenment. Today I bring you another story in the series, Wild Thing.



My Review: 
Wild Thing by Kim Cormack is an exciting adventure into the author’s creative mind. As a young girl Lexy is subject to the worst forms of punishment and life one can imagine. The people on the dark farm keep he caged in a stall, feed her water of the dead and throw her into a pit of death. She watches a young girl whom she’d grown fond of die in her arms. Her life is the worst imaginable hell. But that life is what makes her a fierce. Dragon. She lacks emotion, and doesn’t care. She kills those who persecute or hunt her. Once she meets the Ankh, her life changes forever.


This book is gory, gritty, and suspenseful. Cormack weaves a violent web that had me cheering for Lexy and hating those who tormented her. Wild Thing is a spin-off of her Children of the Ankh series, where the reader is first introduced to Lexy. Wild Thing is Lexy’s story. The plot is similar as the reader follows Lexy’s life, her introduction to the Ankh, immortal life, and Enlightenment but it’s uniquely different as Kayn’s story was mild in comparison. The author’s take on immortal beings is distinctive. They aren’t necessarily glorious creatures or vampires. They are kids, each with their own story.

Buy Wild Thing
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The Hot Chick Diaries

My reviews
Sweet Sleep
Enlightenment
Enlightenment

Matthew Harril Blog Tour The ARC Chronicles

Author Bio:

Born and raised in Bristol, England, Matthew W Harrill is an international award-winning horror author. His series, 'The ARC Chronicles' consists of Hellbounce (which has received acclaim at the Halloween Book Festival, the London Book Festival and most recently the 2015 International Book Awards), Hellborne and the final book of the series, Hellbeast is imminent. 

In addition to his mentor David Farland (The Runelords, The Courtship of Princess Leia [as Dave Wolverton]), Matt is always thankful to know the British author Juliet E McKenna, who has

helped him countless times. He is a fan of fantasy, loving Robert Jordan's 'Wheel of Time' series. He also has a lot of time for the truly bizarre horror of H P Lovecraft, citing this as an influence on his work. He also cites the fictional author 'Hank Moody' as an influence.

Matthew has worked as a labourer, a barman, a cleaner, a joiners mate. In addition he has dabbled in commercial insurance and has for the past 12 years implemented share plans for Xerox.

When not working, Matthew enjoys tennis with his son, watching movies and television series such as Supernatural and Grimm, blogging and cookery.

Blurb

The fate of the world is balanced on a knife-edge. Despite everything Madden and Eva have been through to prevent it, the ARC Council is in disarray, demons roam the Earth. The Apocalypse is closer than ever. The solution couldn’t be further from her grasp.

Enter the final chapter of The ARC Chronicles, where Eva throws off the yolk of personal tragedy and follows her destiny to the one place she doesn’t want to go, the one place she cannot hope to avoid.

Hellbeast: Heroes don’t always walk in the light.

Excerpt

Two camels sat side-by-side, evidently content to wait for their owner to invite them to stand. One chewed feed, its jaw moving laterally. The animals did not need feeding but the treat helped cement the bond. Their owner had been with them for a while. He knew their temperament.
It was the middle of the afternoon; the temperature approached

forty-five degrees Celsius. The sun blazed in the cerulean desert sky, roasting the crusted hardpan. There was little, if any, moisture in the Gobi desert. Camels were the only creatures able cross the great expanses and not perish. They were also much more anonymous than off-roaders.
He had been crisscrossing the desert for six months now, seeking any sign of clues that related to a Holy City in the sky. The Convocation of the Sacred Fire had been convinced of the city’s existence long before its media debut only weeks ago. His job was to find the answers.
Now, an unprecedented event overshadowed even that. In mid-air, maybe three or four hundred feet above ground level, perhaps two miles in the distance, a cloud had formed, moisture spinning from nowhere to coalesce directly above the waves of heat radiating from the ground.
The cloud, which should have been forced up by the thermals, remained stationary, ever growing, black and threatening. Sparks of lightning began to appear around the outer rim of the cloud, dancing about its surface. Then something the watcher had never before witnessed began to occur. Bolts of lightning launched up from the ground, touching the base of the cloud and working their way up until a continual chain of lightning fed the center. The bright white core of the cloud began to expand; the noise that much concentrated heat combusting generated was almost too much for him.
And then, as quickly as the pyrotechnics had started, the show stopped. The lightning winked out and the cloud was finally forced into the sky. The only indication it was ever there was the tangy stink of concentrated ozone.

The observer reached under his robes, bringing out a sat- phone. He pressed one button, a prepared number.
“This is Baxter,” he said in a posh English accent. “Sir, it has begun.”

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Excerpt

Agent Marcus White, the pride of Anges de la Résurrection des Chevaliers, or ARC, prowled the tunnels of the facility known to the operatives as ‘Tartarus’. The base beneath Mount Gehenna, the scene of the demon horde’s last major attempted incursion just over nine months ago, was as secure as any facility on the planet. Only a skeleton crew remained; a mere hundred or so of the legion that had fought and died for Eva Scott, or Eva Ross depending on who one listened to. Marcus did a lot of listening to himself; there was usually nobody else on patrol with him for obvious reasons. Marcus knew as well as anybody of his affliction. He had embraced it. Despite his excellent record as a soldier, Marcus was quite crazy.
“My name is Legion, for I am many,” he uttered the words for the thousandth time, shouldering his Tavor TAR-21 bullpup rifle. Not standard issue. A gift from an Israeli friend, it was a weapon he would not be parted with. 
Marcus glowered out of the cave entrance to the mountain’s exterior, the scene of the grisly battle with the Behemoth.
“Come out to the coast, we’ll get together, have a few laughs,” he said, quoting one of his favorite movies. Marcus adjusted his parka against the wind blowing through the entrance and settled onto a gray metal bench that had been bolted to the cavern floor.

“Well yes, you would say that,” he replied to voices in his head, voices that told him he was a babysitter, nothing more. “This might look that way to you, but it is a great honor, a privilege even, to guard this entrance. Important things happened here. Earth nearly became Hell. We drove them back. We stopped it. Yes, you might say we did nothing of note, but you weren’t the ones out there fighting, none of you. I elected to stay here. I was chosen to protect this facility.”
The voices laughed at this proclamation of self-importance. He wished he could send them away, but he was lucky to hear himself think. Only when Marcus dreamed did the silence truly descend upon him.
“You can say what you want; I’m alert and ready. If they try it again, you can bet they won’t get through us.”
Marcus closed his eyes, attempting to force out all the faces that looked at him. Before long, they disappeared, along with any sense of the passing time.
With the denial of sight, he imagined flickers of light and shuffling feet approaching from his right. Opening his eyes, Marcus examined his watch. Twenty minutes had passed. The wind had died down and the crisp breeze mingled with the fresh tang of the ice inside the entrance. Invigorated, Marcus stood and stretched. 
“Babysitter,” he guffawed to the voices. “I babysit you more than this place. It wouldn’t exist but for me. I... shut up! Quiet!”
For once, the voices died down. In the distance, back down the tunnel where ice and natural rock formations were replaced by concrete, there was a flickering of red, a pulsing glimmer. Marcus picked up his rifle, checking that it was loaded and ready. He crept back down the tunnel to find the source of the glow.
Resisting the urge to call ahead, Marcus edged along the concrete corridor, leaning out ever so slightly into the junction from where the radiance came. It was a white corridor, square in construction and only recently hollowed out. The lights ended midway down. The far end of the hallway was in complete darkness. Except for the red glow beneath one door, that is. There were strange bumps and growls coming from inside the room. 
“Time for us to be heroes once again,” he muttered under his breath. The voices remained strangely quiet.
“My chance for glory,” Marcus continued, trying to fill himself with courage. Edging into the darkness, he refused the use of his night-scope, relying instead on the sullen glow. 
As Marcus reached the door, the light winked out.
“Hey, hey you!” he called, tapping the door with the butt of his rifle. “What are you doing in there? Open up!”
The noises ceased, and the door was pulled slightly ajar. 
Taking this as an invitation to enter, Marcus pushed the door wider and moved forward. He could see nothing. Instinct told him there were forms in front of him, maybe two or three. 
“What are you... hey!”
Quick as lightning, hands belonging to someone much, much stronger grabbed him. 
“Help!” Marcus screamed. The voices just laughed at him. He grabbed the door frame with one hand, trying to kick out at his shadowed nemesis. With his free hand, he reached around and pressed the emergency button, setting off the base alarm. 
Emergency lights glowed red, the bulbs cycling round in their plastic casing. Marcus screamed at what he saw.
The door slammed shut and the ARC soldier’s screams were abruptly cut off, the noise of sinew and cartilage crunching and pulling apart the only remaining sounds.

Ten minutes later, a squad of three ARC operatives entered the corridor clad in black, each wielding a standard-issue M16. Flicking the lights on, the leader observed the scene with disinterest.
“Who was up here?” 
“White. He was serving extended guard duty for his assault on the Afghan locals outside the main entrance. This was the safest, most

isolated place we could find.”
The leader nodded. “Makes sense. What have we here?”
A red trail led off down the corridor into the warren of hallways that honeycombed Gehenna beneath the surface. The leader pushed the door open with his rifle, shining a torch into the room.
The stink of offal and the heavy iron tang of blood assaulted him. Any lesser man would have puked, but the leader had seen worse in his time in Special Forces. “At least he’s out of his misery. Get the rest of the squad up here and secure all entrances.”
The leader pulled a sat-phone out of his pocket and hit a button. A pre-dialed series of numbers flashed up on the screen.
“Get me Director Guyomard.”

Barbara Chioffi Halloween Trickery Book Review

Barbara Chioffi is a new author who has only been publishing in the past year. Her latest book Halloween Trickery was just released!

My review for Angel Mine

My review for Lycan Love




My review:

Barbara Chioffi is an upcoming author to watch out for. I fell in love with her paranormal romances so when she released this book I had to buy and read it. Halloween Trickery displays her wide range in writing ability. The stories each have a touch of romance but don’t believe for a second that they are. They are thrillers that kept me on the edge and flipping pages. She builds the suspense with subtle clues and details. Each story is short and can easily be read while waiting at the doctor’s office.


Her style flows and she has a way with words that gives the reader a full visual description without drowning the reader with description. I love that about her style and it builds anticipation. Each story contains a twist that I didn’t see coming. I’mnot sure I could pick a favorite of the three stories - they are all excellent!

Find Barbara and her books
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Chris Birdy The Girl in Black Pajamas Review

Several months ago I started this series with Book 1 The Girl in White Pajamas. I enjoyed it so much that I just read the next book The Girl in Black Pajamas. I enjoyed this one even more.

My review of The Girl in White Pajamas



My Review:

The Girl in the Black Pajamas is the second book in the series. Bogie and Bailey are married, living in South Florida when Bogie’s partner in Boston is shot. He goes to Boston to investigate and brings precocious Isabella with him. Bailey, at home, holds down the fort with baby Hankster and Amanda. The drama goes back and forth keeping the reader on cue.

I enjoyed the first book enough to read the second which I enjoyed even more. Bailey seems to have matured. In the first bookshe was whiny and annoying in this book she’s a two time mommy and down to earth and take charge. I loved that side of her. Isabella is just as much a handful and I won’t lie at times a little scary. She’s far too smart for her age and very manipulative. At the same time she’s a four year old girl. Bogie is Bogie.


Birdy’s writing in this book seemed more plot focused and was easy to follow along. The story has a good flow and the suspense factor kept me turning pages. This is a really great off-beat murder mystery. 

I highly recommend it!

There is one more book in the series The Girl in Red Pajamas and yes I'll be reading it!

Chris Birdy's Amazon Page

Sale! Hurry!

In the Beginning Baby Girl Book 1 is perma-free everywhere! Even all Amazon stores. Yippee! 

Universal Amazon Link - http://hyperurl.co/3uav7m

Moonlighting in Paris Baby Girl Book 2  is always .99 everywhere,all the time.

Universal Link - http://hyperurl.co/jv8uyn

But City by the Bay Baby Girl Book 3 is .99 until tomorrow! Yikes!

Universal Link - http://hyperurl.co/ejyzqp

3 Books in the series for only 1.98!

Take advantage! 

Fight for the Fae Ariel Marie Blog Tour

Fight for the Fae
The Mirrored Prophecy 2
Author: Ariel Marie
Release Date: September 30, 2015
Genre: Paranormal Romance


Fight for the Fae BOOK BLURB

Arlina, Guardian of Faery, has sworn to protect all of those who consider the human and Faery realms home. She agrees to go to the Underworld and surrender herself to the Demon King. Discovering the missing supernaturals and his plan for them, she must stop the Demon King at all cost.

The Demon King’s banishment has been broken. His horde of creatures from the Underworld has been released onto the human realm, annihilating everything in their path. Once he conquers the entire human realm, Faery will be next. The power he harnesses from Faery will make him next to indestructible. 
Colin has made a promise to go after Arlina. He refuses to let his mate go, but devastating news about her makes its way from the Underworld, tearing his world apart while his past comes back to haunt him. 

Vampires, Shifters, Witches and the Fae must stand together in order to fight against the Demon King. Their belief in Arlina must not waiver. Their very likelihood depends on her powers and the destiny that she chooses. The Mirrored Prophecy has now been set in motion but Arlina refuses to roll over and let fate decide her future. Only she can control her destiny, no one else! 

More is at stake, now than ever, but will she prove that she can control her future, save the realms and reunite with her true love? 

It’s not everyday that you wake up with the world on your shoulders. Lina is determined, more than ever, to find a way to stop the Demon King. He underestimates her, like everyone else in battle, he sees her as a small Faery warrior. She will show him how powerful she has become. She refuses to fall on the side of evil in the Mirrored Prophecy!


~Fight for the Fae~ 



Our heroine, Arlina a.k.a Lina, finds herself a prisoner of the Demon King. He doesn’t trust her alone. Melomouzor appoints a

Demon guard detail to watch and protect her. He doesn’t want to take the chance that Colin and her brother Keegan will try to rescue her. Raber is chosen to lead the Demon guard to protect the soon to be Queen of the Underworld.

 ~Fight for the Fae~

Fight for the Fae purchase links

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon AU
Amazon CA



Fight for the Fae release party will be start on September 30, 2105! It will be a four day event, ending on October 3, 2015!! There will be a ton of authors to meet, games and giveaways!

https://www.facebook.com/events/753829338060908/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author
Ariel Marie fell in love with books at an early age. She can remember her first favorite book was Mickey Meets the Giant. She read the book so many times that it fell apart and she was

devastated! Fast-forward thirty years later, Ariel now writes books she hopes readers will fall in love with and read over and over. Paranormal romance is her favorite genre. Who doesn’t love Shifters, Witches, Faes and all the other paranormals? She just loves writing about couple’s first meeting, the magnetism of when their eyes first meet and the first kiss! Her favorite part of writing paranormals is creating the world that the characters live in. 

She married her high school sweetheart. Together, they are raising three beautiful children. When she's not writing or reading, she loves spending time with her husband and three munchkins.  She loves cooking and baking!. She's always trying new recipes! If you have a good recipe, send it to her! She just might try it!

She is a member of the Romance Writer's Association and loves interacting with readers on social media. Look for her on Facebook and Twitter where she is most active. She loves participating in "Take Over" parties, where she has fun chatting with readers and playing games!

Fight for the Fae
The Mirrored Prophecy 2
Chapter One (Sneak Peek)
~Lina~
Earlier that day…

She will lose a love, gain a love, bear love and sacrifice for love. What does that mean? The Seer’s words ring through my mind. My grandmother arranged a meeting with Epan, the Highest Druid Priest and one of his Seers, Yasmin, to discuss my future that she

has foretold. A lot has been going on in the last few weeks. 

It’s not every day that you learn that your fate is part of a mirrored prophecy that will determine the fate of the world.  Your first child will play a part in either destroying the world or saving it. That’s a lot for anyone to take in, but I have no choice but to accept my fate. I refuse to believe that I will play a part of destroying the human realm. Earth is as much my home as Faery is. Half of my childhood was spent here. My mother, Loredana Văduva, was a human Witch who died when I was fifteen years old in a Demon attack. Both sides of the family made sure that my brother Keegan and I spent time with my mother’s side of the family. My father Vamir Waldmar never denied my Witch side even though he is a full Fae. He is the Prince of the Light Fae to be exact, the future heir to the throne. 

The marriage between my parents was arranged to create a treaty between the Witches and the Fae. Both sides have honored this agreement since my parents exchanged their nuptials. In the past two years, supernaturals have gone missing and the Witches and Fae have been working together. Recently, they have teamed up with the Shifters and the Vampires. We were able to trace the disappearances to the current leader of the Underworld and King of the Demons, Melomouzor. Melomouzor was exiled to the Underworld over a millennium ago because he was trying to develop a super Demon and take over the human realm. 
Ten supernaturals, known as the Ancients, played a part in banishing him to the Underworld as a way to prevent him from conquering the human realm. He is on a mission to complete what he started and he needs my blood to help him cross over to the human realm. Any other day I would tell him to fuck himself, but he’s found a way to start bringing destruction to Earth. He’s had help bringing his Demons to the realm and kidnapping supernaturals. 

We don’t know if the victims are still alive. We have no clue except that he must have been experimenting on the supernaturals and Demons. There was a large Demon attack where he sent his new enhanced Demons. These Demons were stronger, faster and we could tell that they had been enhanced with supernatural traits. We fought the Demons hard but most escaped. One of the Demons was able to capture my brother Keegan and took him to the Underworld. I want my brother back. There is no way in hell that I will rest until my brother is back from the Underworld, even if I have to sacrifice myself. 

I leave the meeting that my grandmother arranged with Epan and Yasmin, stating that I am tired and want to rest before our other meeting that is scheduled in a few hours. I talk Colin into going back to check on his pack and the Legion’s progress with the Demons. Tonight’s meeting will be all supernatural leaders getting together to plan a way to defend the human realm against the new breed of Demons and keeping Melomouzor in the Underworld. 
I have a plan. My amulet that hangs around my neck warms at the plan that I came up with. I can’t tell anyone my plan; if I do they will try to talk me out of it. I sneak into my room locking the door behind me. There is someone that I have to talk to and I need to go to sleep to do this. Since I have the power of the Fae, I should be able to dream walk to reach him. Before gaining these powers I didn’t know I had, I had never dream walked. Once learning the depths of my powers, I was sent to Faery to train to learn how to use them before having to make an urgent return to the human realm. 


I should be able to dream walk without any problems. Having all the powers and accessing them should come easy for me. I just

need to use them and not think so much. I have no choice. It will be up to me to save Keegan and the realm. I lay across my bed trying to get comfortable. This will only work if I fall asleep. I relax my breathing to slow deep breaths. My body finally relaxes and I doze off to sleep.






Ariel Marie’s Social Media Links

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