Friday, January 31, 2014

Book Spotlight: INITIATE by Tara Maya



I honestly can't remember if I signed up for the monthly coffeehouse book club for January or not. I've read several books this month and reviewed 3 of them here on the blog in the last week. I'm currently in the middle of Rick Riordan's SEA OF MONSTERS (yes well, I never read the first Percy Jackson until last November, right? So give me a break!) but I've also been asked to preview Shawna Romkey's novel, a sequel to SPEAK OF THE DEVIL. THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT will be available in the spring.

But. Back to today's post, and that gorgeous cover...

Today I'm featuring a new-to-me author, Tara Maya, who writes fantasy... and has a really eye-catching book cover! I'm visiting her blog next month, and am excited to share book one of her new series, The Unfinished Song. I haven't read the book yet, but it sounds really intriguing.

INITIATE is FREE right now on Amazon, Smashwords and Kobo - there's an excerpt below for you to try, and the links follow if you want to go ahead and download the whole story. I'm certainly going to grab one, and will post a review when I finish.

About the Book:

DEADLY INITIATION

A DETERMINED GIRL...
Dindi can't do anything right, maybe because she spends more time dancing with pixies than doing her chores. Her clan hopes to marry her off and settle her down, but she dreams of becoming a Tavaedi, one of the powerful warrior-dancers whose secret magics are revealed only to those who pass a mysterious Test during the Initiation ceremony. The problem? No-one in Dindi's clan has ever passed the Test. Her grandmother died trying. But Dindi has a plan.


AN EXILED WARRIOR...
Kavio is the most powerful warrior-dancer in Faearth, but when he is exiled from the tribehold for a crime he didn't commit, he decides to shed his old life. If roving cannibals and hexers don't kill him first, this is his chance to escape the shadow of his father's wars and his mother's curse. But when he rescues a young Initiate girl, he finds himself drawn into as deadly a plot as any he left behind. He must decide whether to walk away or fight for her... assuming she would even accept the help of an exile.
 * ~ * ~ * ~ *

EXCERPT from INITIATE by Tara Maya:

Blue-skinned rusalki grappled Dindi under the churning surface of the river. She could feel their claws dig into her arms. Their riverweed-like hair entangled her legs when she tried to kick back to the surface. She only managed to gulp a few breaths of air before they pulled her under again.

She hadn't appreciated how fast and deep the river was. On her second gasp for air, she saw that the current was already dragging her out of sight of the screaming girls on the bank. A whirlpool of froth and fae roiled between two large rocks in the middle of the river. The rusalka and her sisters tugged Dindi toward it. Other water fae joined the rusalki. Long snouted pookas, turtle-like kappas and hairy-armed gwyllions all swam around her, leading her to the whirlpool, where even more fae swirled in the whitewater.

"Join our circle, Dindi!" the fae voices gurgled under the water. "Dance with us forever!"

"No!" She kicked and swam and stole another gasp for air before they snagged her again. There were so many of them now, all pulling her down, all singing to the tune of the rushing river. She tried to shout, "Dispel!" but swallowed water instead. Her head hit a rock, disorienting her. She sank, this time sure she wouldn't be coming up again.

"Dispel!" It was a man's voice.

Strong arms encircled her and lifted her until her arms and head broke the surface. Her rescuer swam with her toward the shore. He overpowered the current, he shrugged aside the hands of the water faeries stroking his hair and arms. When he reached the shallows, he scooped Dindi into his arms and carried her the rest of the way to the grassy bank. He set her down gently.

She coughed out some water while he supported her back.

"Better?" he asked.

She nodded. He was young--only a few years older than she. The aura of confidence and competence he radiated made him seem older. Without knowing quite why, she was certain he was a Tavaedi.

"Good." He had a gorgeous smile. A wisp of his dark bangs dangled over one eye. He brushed his dripping hair back over his head.

Dindi's hand touched skin--he was not wearing any shirt. Both of them were sopping wet. On him, that meant trickles of water coursed over a bedrock of muscle. As for her, the thin white wrap clung transparently to her body like a wet leaf. She blushed.

"It might have been easier to swim if you had let go of that," he teased. He touched her hand, which was closed around something. "What were you holding onto so tightly that it mattered more than drowning?"
 * ~ * ~ * ~ * 

Sound Interesting? You can grab the book for FREE right now and read the rest! The links are below! Want to read more about this author and this book? Stalk Find her online in the following hot spots...

LINKS
Tara’s blog http://bit.ly/12dFdNy
Tara’s Twitter http://bit.ly/162sCtE
The Unfinished Song on Facebook http://on.fb.me/1400mMq
Barnes and Noble http://bit.ly/13yM5Dr

Initiate is free everywhere except on Barnes and Noble (where it’s $0.99). You can download a free .epub version via Smashwords.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

COVER REVEAL: MISTAKEN by Heather Fleener

Oh. My. God.

I am in love with this cover - I'm so glad I signed up to be part of this cover reveal! Ready? Ready?
Oooh, I love this so much!! Must...read... And now for the blurb...

About the Book:



Enemies by circumstance of Creation
Sworn to their purpose, the Vampire and the Witch
were created to battle over the fate of mankind.

He was the First
Until one Vampire sought a Higher Purpose.

She was the Beginning
And one Witch’s faith brought Darkness into the Light.

Their love would turn the course of the Ancient War…
Before the Prophecy, an Ancient Queen and the Vampire she loved
would forge the path for those that would follow.


Mistaken
Ancients of Light #4
Spring 2014



What??? I have to wait until spring??? Arghhhh....

About the author:



Heather Fleener lives in Indiana with her husband, D.A. and their twins, Thomas and Alexandra. Professionally she has spent her career working in the area of Intellectual Property law.

Reading has been a passion of hers since she was young and she has adored romance novels her entire life. The romantic styles of Judith McNaught and Julie Garwood are her inspiration, though she has read and loved the stories of countless other authors. Her fascination with the paranormal began to form at the young age of six, watching late-night ghost and vampire movies with her Grandpa. Unfortunately, as a result, she also remains afraid of the dark to this day.

Combining her love of epic romances and the supernatural was a natural progression for her overactive imagination. When the idea for the Ancients of Light series began, it was an abstract story line rambling around in her head to help kill a few miles on the treadmill. As the stories and plotlines continued to grow, it finally became necessary to put the words to paper and build the characters that had been living in the Realm and having conversations in her head for months.

The series is a testament to many miles on the treadmill and lots of characters that insist on having their stories told.