Monday, April 27, 2015

Review for That's a Lie by Victoria Klahr!!

That's a Lie Cover

Victoria Klahr will be on tour April 20-27 with her novel That's a Lie Seth is back.  When he walked back into my life, it almost felt like the pieces of my broken heart could be fixed. I thought we could go back to being best friends, but then I started to feel what I had been blocking out for years. I tried. Boy, did I try! But once I started to let him in, I wanted nothing more than to cross that line from friendship into something more…  Just when I think I can move on and let myself be happy, an ugly reminder from my past comes storming in and threatens to destroy the sliver of hope that’s been growing since Seth came back.  Do I even deserve to be loved? 

“I’m not asking to fix your heart. I’m not asking to mend you. I love each and every shattered piece of you. I’m asking that you let me love you. Let me love each piece of your broken heart, and I swear to you I will make up for every heartache you have ever experienced.”  I came back for Josie.  I knew I’d have to fight for her, but with the loss of her dad and the truth about what happened with her and Blake, I quickly realized that making her mine was going to be a lot harder than I first thought. The problem is, I can’t pretend like she’s just my best friend. I can’t pretend I don’t want more.  I’m willing to do anything to get her to admit she has the same passionate feelings for me, because I know once she opens up and stops lying to herself, I can show her what it really means to be loved. It’s a battle of wills, but my love for her is stronger than her will to stop me.  So I fight for her. I fight because I know she deserves it.

Please visit CLP Blog Tours for all the tour stops!

MY REVIEW:
 
OMG.... I was in love with Seth from the first book, and was devastated when he left.  He's back in this one, and he's determined to get Josie for good this time. Knowing that, makes me very happy.

I was hoping that they would get together in the first book, as Josie had feelings for him, but had convinced herself that he didn't feel anything towards her.  He didn't help matters by always keeping her at arms length.  She attempted to move on from her feelings, but that ended in disaster with Blake Porter. 

Josie is dealing with a lot of guilt over everything that happened before Seth left for two years.  Also, everything that happened six years ago, and then with Blake have left their mark... she doesn't want to destroy the friendship with Seth completely.  She wants him, but is afraid of what will happen. 

I so loved this book.  I so loved Seth in this book!!  Josie has been broken in the most horrible away, and he has always been there to protect her.  He's helped her get back to a new reality, and gone through self-defence classes with her to prevent it from happening again.  The last thing he sees her as is a victim, and she's determined not to be a victim again. 

Not wanting to push her too quickly, he bides his time with her.  He knows she's vulnerable from what she's gone through since he left, but he knows her like no one else, and only wants to be with her.

Absolutely loved Seth!!!!  Did I say that I'm in love with him???



CLP Blog Tours
Victoria Klahr
 
Author Bio: Victoria Klahr (pronounced “Claire”) lives in Elizabeth City, North Carolina with her husband and daughter, Stephen and Alexis. She loves her chug (Pug/Chihuahua), Bandit, and daughter to pieces. She is a huge and proud book nerd who looks at her bookshelf in admiration daily. When she’s not daydreaming about book boyfriends and fantasizing about being a badass heroine like Rose Hathaway, she’s busy doing schoolwork for her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and writing the stories that speak to her in her head. She loves peanut butter with Oreos, good friends, amazing gossip, driving in the middle of merge lanes, comedies, crude humor, pretending like she can dance, pretending like she can kick major ass, and a really, really good laugh. Social Media
 
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Thursday, April 23, 2015

Release Day Blitz for Lust By Leddy Harper!!

Title: Lust
Author: Leddy Harper         
Genre: Erotic Romance  
Release Date: April 23, 2015 
Hosted by: Lady Amber's Tours

Blurb:
Lust…
My darkness was born in it.
Her secret was created by it.
My job was immersed in it.
It would either ruin us or save us.
My name is Caden Morgan, and I am a sex surrogate.
After years of seclusion and fear-induced abstinence, Ivy Jaymes came to me to fix her. Her love of erotic books brought her out of hiding and into my office. I had done this sort of thing hundreds of times… but she was different.
Ivy’s secrets threatened my own.
Her darkness paralleled mine.
And my obsession for her was sure to break me.
Could we heal each other with love?
Or would we end up decimating one another with Lust?
Leddy Harper had to use her imagination often as a child. She grew up the only girl in a house full of boys. At the age of fourteen, she decided to use that imagination and wrote her first book, and never stopped. She often calls writing her therapy, using it as a way to deal with issues through the eyes of her characters.  She is now a mother of three girls, leaving her husband as the only man in a house full of females. The decision to publish her first book was made as a way of showing her children to go after whatever it is they want to. Love what you do and do it well. And to teach them what it means to overcome their fears.

Author Links: 
Amazon * Facebook * Facebook FanPage * Twitter * Web

Buy Links: 

Review of The Other Wife By Kathleen Irene Paterka!!

the other wife 

Kathleen Irene Paterka will be on tour April 20-27 with her novel The Other Wife Till death do us part… Eleanor Anderson has a beautiful home, a loving husband, a tranquil life. After thirty-eight years of marriage and her children now grown, she finally has time for herself. She’s not expecting any surprises; certainly not to wake up one morning and find her husband dead in bed beside her from a massive heart attack. It’s a devastating discovery… but not as much as the shock awaiting Eleanor when she learns the truth about her husband’s secret life. And then there’s the damaging document he signed before his death, which threatens to destroy her life. Claire Anderson isn’t your average thirtysomething. A professor of psychology at a prestigious university, Claire has a successful career, a handsome husband, and two young children at home. But nothing in her background, including her academic accomplishments, prepares Claire for the horrendous reality of discovering that the life she’d led was all a lie… fostered by a husband who’d promised to love and cherish her forever. Two women from two generations, bound together by denial, anger, and grief. How far will their misery and fear push them? Does compassion rule the day, or will a husband’s betrayal lead to a woman’s revenge? What happens when each of these women comes face-to-face with the other wife? Please visit CLP Blog Tours for all the tour stops! 

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THE REVIEW:

I read this book, thinking what most married women thing: This is my worst nightmare.

Eleanor Anderson is devastated when she finds her husband dead beside her one morning.  Things get worse when she finds out that he changed their insurance policy four years before without telling her. Her confusion grows when she realizes there is almost no money for her to live, and the house was re-financed.  After thirty-eight years of marriage, she assumed he would leave her enough to take care of her.  Hearing the beneficiary of the policy is left to a woman she's never heard of, leaves her with questions that she isn't too sure she wants to answers to.

Claire Anderson is a professor who is juggling work and two kids, and finding little time for herself.  Her husband is always out of town for work, which makes things hard, but she handles it.  When an insurance agent calls her out of the blue, telling her that her husband has died and that he's been buried two days before, she's hurt, confused and angry.  

Soon, Eleanor finds out who Claire is, and worse, there are children involved.  She's heartbroken and more so, livid. She's understandably mad at her late husband, but she's also mad at herself.  Mad that she allowed him to have control over everything, and mad that she didn't allow her voice to be heard.  

I felt for both women, as both were lied to and led to believe different things.  I was mad for both of them, more for Eleanor because he left her financially berift.  I also felt for Claire who is suddenly dealing with the reality of knowing her husband was not the man he thought she was.  

I thought this was a great book!!  One that will be read again!!  

THE EXCERPT:
Eleanor closed her eyes, blocking out the ugly sight of sibling rivalry. She couldn’t believe she was sitting there listening to her children squabble over their father’s money. Their money. Her money.
“He didn’t leave it to any of you,” Jim admitted. “I haven’t contacted the primary beneficiary yet.”
“Wait a minute. Let me get this straight.” Jeffrey tiredly rubbed his forehead. “You’re telling us that Dad left his money to someone else? Not to Mom, not to either of us, but to someone else? And that he has no idea he’s inherited millions?”
She has no idea.”
She? Eleanor shivered, uncertain whether she’d heard Jim correctly. She shook her head as if by doing so she could dislodge the words rattling around in her brain like loose pennies that somehow had ended up in the bottom of her purse. She? She was certain there must be some mistake. Richard never would have left his money to another woman.
Would he?
“Let’s stop the bullshit,” Jeffrey said. “We’re his family, Jim, and we have a right to know. You said you could release the name to Dad’s personal rep? Well, you’re looking at him. And I’m telling you right now, in my legal capacity as his personal representative: I want to know. I demand to know.”
Genevieve’s eyes narrowed. “Me too.”
“Eleanor?” Jim’s voice was a soothing stream of quiet concern. “Are you all right?”
What a stupid question, she thought to herself as she pulled her sweater tighter around herself. Of course she wasn’t all right. She’d had the oddest feeling when she’d woken that morning that today wouldn’t be a good day. Jim’s revelation was all the confirmation she needed to officially pound the last nail in the casket. Richard’s casket, so to speak. And now, if it wasn’t too much to ask, all she wanted was to be allowed to crawl back into bed, burrow down in the blankets, pull the covers over her head, and go to sleep. And maybe, when she woke up, she would discover all this had simply been a horrible nightmare. Richard would come strolling in the door, as he had countless times in the past, returning from yet another extended trip to the Middle East, his rolling suitcase filled with dirty socks and underwear, and a world-weary look about him. And after planting a kiss on her forehead, he would head upstairs where he would collapse in their bed, once sleeping for nearly sixteen hours straight, before he finally woke. Yes, that would be the way of it. She’d go upstairs and sleep off this nightmare. And when she was awake again, this ghastly business would have drifted away, leaving only mists of misery as a remembrance.
“Mom? Are you okay?”
Eleanor couldn’t remember hearing Jeffrey’s voice sound so distraught save for the day he’d returned from Hawaii, the day after Richard’s death. He’d broken down when he saw her, collapsing in her arms and crying unabashedly like he’d done as a little boy. She’d done the comforting when he was small, and she’d been the one to provide the comfort last week too, never questioning whether he’d been grieving over the loss of a father to whom he’d never been close or the lost opportunity to put things right between them. It hadn’t mattered then, and it didn’t matter now. Somehow she managed to summon the willpower to open her eyes and discovered the three of them staring at her.
“I’m fine.” Eleanor pulled in a deep breath. Much as she didn’t want to hear Jim’s news, she knew in her heart that she didn’t have a choice. “Jeffrey’s right. We need to hear the truth.”
Jim’s face was a cacophony of ethical concern versus friendship, and for a moment, she wondered if he would respect Jeffrey’s command and abide by her wishes. But thirty-plus years of friendship with their family finally won out.
“He left the money to a woman named Claire Anderson,” Jim finally admitted.
Claire Anderson? Eleanor frowned. The first name meant nothing to her, but the last name certainly did. It was the same name listed on her own driver’s license. She’d been Eleanor Anderson since she and Richard had exchanged wedding vows at the Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago thirty-eight years ago last month.
Claire Anderson. She couldn’t recall ever hearing Richard mention that particular name. He’d been an only child, so she couldn’t be a niece. A long-lost relative? A distant cousin? But if that was the case, surely he would have told her. Wouldn’t he? After all, she was his wife.
Correction, Eleanor reminded herself dully. She had been his wife. She was the one he should have turned to. All those years they were married. You’d think he would have told her something as important as this. She hung her head, hugging herself close, trying to remember the last time Richard had held her close.
On second thought, maybe he wouldn’t have told her.
On third thought, obviously he hadn’t told her.
“Claire Anderson?” Jeffrey’s voice cracked through the black void, trapping her like a clap of thunder. “Who the hell is Claire Anderson?”
“Yes. Who is Claire Anderson?” Eleanor echoed to no one in particular. Though, if Richard happened to be listening from beyond the grave, she would appreciate him providing some answers. She rubbed her forehead, sifting through the memories of those who’d crowded the funeral home, who’d followed them to the cemetery, who’d paid their respects at the house afterward. So many people, so many faces. The crush was overwhelming, yet she couldn’t remember seeing anyone she hadn’t known.
No woman she didn’t know.
“I’ve never met her.” Jim shifted in his chair, his face impassive. “I’ll be able to tell you more once I speak with her. She lives in Hyde Park. From what I understand, she’s a professor at the University of Chicago.”
“Why would Daddy leave his money to some dull old professor?” Genevieve’s bottom lip jutted out in a pretty pout, a trick Eleanor recalled her daughter perfecting as a toddler. “Who is she? What’s her connection to Daddy?”
“I don’t know,” Jim admitted.
She rolled her eyes and turned to her mother. “Do you know her?”
Eleanor shook her head. She couldn’t imagine what Richard had been thinking. Why would he change his insurance policy? They were his family. She was his wife. “No.”
“This is ridiculous,” Genevieve fumed. “I can’t believe no one knows her.”
“Obviously, Dad did,” Jeffrey muttered.
Genevieve slumped back in her chair, her arms forming a barricade across her chest. “Someone had better figure out who she is. I have plenty of questions for her.”
Eleanor stared wordlessly at her daughter. For once, the two of them were in complete agreement. Meanwhile, she had a few questions of her own.
Beginning with who exactly was Claire Anderson, and what kind of hold did she have on Richard?
 
  
Kathleen Irene Paterka 
 
Author Bio: Kathleen Irene Paterka is an Amazon Bestselling Author of smart women’s fiction. Her newest novel, The Other Wife, was published in February to critical acclaim. Kathleen’s popular James Bay series, set in Northern Michigan, includes: Fatty Patty, Home Fires, Lotto Lucy, and For I Have Sinned. Love weddings? Pick up a copy of her novel Royal Secrets for a fascinating glimpse into the world of royalty, romance and brides. Kathleen is the resident staff writer for a world renowned castle listed on the National Historic Register, and co-author of the non-fiction book For the Love of a Castle. Kathleen and her husband live in the beautiful north country of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, where she is busy working on her next James Bay novel. 
 
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Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Release Day Blitz for Kyle's Return by LP Dover!!


Title: Kyle’s Return
Author: LP Dover     
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: April 13, 2015 
Hosted by: Lady Amber's Tours

Blurb:
I promised myself I’d stay away from dangerous men, but I couldn’t live up to that when Kyle Andrews came back to town. He’s a manipulator, a guy who’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants, sabotaging anyone who gets in the way. After a fatal fight left him wounded, his UFC career comes to a close. He has nothing, but he’s determined to get it all back.
My name is Megan. I’ve known violence, pain, and what it feels like to be scared to live another day. All of that changed the moment I refused to be a victim. Now that my psychotic ex, Alex, can’t find me, I’ve been given a second chance. I owe my life to my friends. The same goes for Kyle. Without him, I wouldn’t be able to feel.
Everyone hates him. But for the life of me I don’t. There’s something about him I can’t ignore. Being with Kyle makes me want it all. However, in loving a hated man, I didn’t know it’d bring the life I fled from back to haunt me. Everywhere I go danger lurks and bad things happen. Kyle believes it’s because of him, but I’m starting to think otherwise. I think Alex has found me, and if so, this time he’s not going to let me go.

USA Today Bestselling author, L.P. Dover, is a southern belle residing in North Carolina along with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she even began her literary journey she worked in Periodontics enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries. Not only does she love to write, but she loves to play tennis, go on mountain hikes, white water rafting, and you can't forget the passion for singing. Her two number one fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime and those songs usually consist of Christmas carols. Aside from being a wife and mother, L.P. Dover has written over nine novels including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, and her standalone novel, Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read is romantic suspense and she also loves writing it. However, if she had to choose a setting to live in it would have to be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae. L.P. Dover is represented by Marisa Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary Agency. 
Links: 
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“The only way I’m going to let you come over is if you tell me you missed me this week.”
            “Really?” I shrieked.
            “Yep, now say the words, love.”
            “No. That’s ridiculous. I’m not gonna lie.”
            He snorted. “But you just did.”
            I opened my mouth to say something and then stopped; he got me with that one. And judging by the satisfied chuckle he tried to contain, he knew it too. “Fine. You want to play games? Then it looks like you won’t be hearing what I have to say. Bye-bye, French fry.”
            “Megan, wait—”
            Taking the upper hand, I hung up the phone. He was going to drive me insane. I had to hand it to him, he could definitely get my blood pumping. I did miss him, but I wasn’t about to give in to his antics. If anyone was going to submit first, I wanted it to be him. I got my wish when my phone started to ring. Deliberately, I refused to answer it, hoping it’d make him feel the restlessness I felt inside.
            With a smirk on my face, I pulled into my neighborhood. He was just going to have to sweat a bit longer.
            To my surprise, that wasn’t going to be very long. Because in my driveway, there Kyle stood, beside a sleek, black motorcycle. I hit the button to my garage and pulled past him. He walked up to my door and opened it with a smirk on his face. “You are one stubborn woman, you know that?”

Monday, April 13, 2015

Cover Reveal for The Voyeur Next Door by Airicka Phoenix!!!



Title: The Voyeur Next Door
Author: Airicka Phoenix    
Genre: NA Contemporary Erotic *Warnings: Strong sexual content & language. (18+ Only)*
Release Date: April 27, 2015
Hosted by: Lady Amber's Tours
Blurb:
He lived next door. Alison Eckrich was an expert at being invisible. Having been raised by a mother who saw only flaws, she had learned long ago to watch and never participate. Until him. He was gorgeous from what little she could make out through his bathroom window and he awakened things inside her she had always been told was wrong. But she didn’t care. She was addicted. Gabriel Madoc was no stranger to the cold sting of betrayal. His broken heart had left him hard and bitter and that was how he liked it. Until her. She was a vision in the soft twilight. Everything about her called to him. It didn’t even matter he couldn’t see her face. He wanted her. The rules were simple: No names. No faces. No attachments. They both had what the other needed so long as they never broke the rules. But what will happen when the mystery is unveiled and they both come face to face with the truth and each other? Is what they shared in the cloak of darkness enough to keep them together, or will reality tear them apart?


Airicka Phoenix is a hopeless romantic with a dark imagination and an incurable addiction to chocolate. She is also the author of several novels written for young adult and new adult romance readers who like bad boys, hot kisses and a gritty plot. Airicka prides herself in producing quality material her readers can fall in love with again and again.
When she's not hard at work bleeding words onto paper, Airicka can be found cuddling with her family, reading, watching TV shows, or just finding excuses to avoid doing chores.
To find out about upcoming books, teasers, giveaways and more, join her newsletter or check out her www.AirickaPhoenix.com!:










Friday, April 10, 2015

Cover Reveal for Lust by Leddy Harper!!

Title: Lust
Author: Leddy Harper         
Genre: Erotic Romance 
Expected Release Date: April 23, 2015 
Hosted by: Lady Amber's Tours

Blurb:
Lust…
My darkness was born in it.
Her secret was created by it.
My job was immersed in it.
It would either ruin us or save us.
My name is Caden Morgan, and I am a sex surrogate.
After years of seclusion and fear-induced abstinence, Ivy Jaymes came to me to fix her. Her love of erotic books brought her out of hiding and into my office. I had done this sort of thing hundreds of times… but she was different.
Ivy’s secrets threatened my own.
Her darkness paralleled mine.
And my obsession for her was sure to break me.
Could we heal each other with love?
Or would we end up decimating one another with Lust?
Leddy Harper had to use her imagination often as a child. She grew up the only girl in a house full of boys. At the age of fourteen, she decided to use that imagination and wrote her first book, and never stopped. She often calls writing her therapy, using it as a way to deal with issues through the eyes of her characters.  She is now a mother of three girls, leaving her husband as the only man in a house full of females. The decision to publish her first book was made as a way of showing her children to go after whatever it is they want to. Love what you do and do it well. And to teach them what it means to overcome their fears.

Author Links: Amazon * Facebook * Facebook FanPage * Twitter * Web

Book Blitz for Blood of Shadows by Mariana Thorn!!

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Title:   Blood of Shadows
Author:   Mariana Thorn
Published:  February 13th, 2015
Publisher:   Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing
Genre:  Fantasy
Content Warning:  Mild Violence

Synopsis:
War is coming to the Three Kingdoms, Malna, Zockii and Tirllyn.
Attacks along the borders are growing more frequent. Innocent people are dying. Princess Malayna and the rest of the elite fighters known as the Shadows are tasked with investigating and relocating the people, and rumors of a traitor among the Shadows has Layna stretched to her limits.
When she is paired with Kester, a partner she never wanted, she finds herself learning to trust and survive in more ways than she even knew existed. With lives at stake, Malayna must find a way to catch the traitor, protect her people and guard her heart, because someone she loves may not live to see tomorrow…
Amazon | GoodReads
 
Excerpt for Blood of Shadows by Mariana Thorn:
The morning had passed into early midday when Onyx's ear flickered and his stride faltered. It wasn't long before I heard what he was hearing. Hoof beats, coming fast and hard behind us. The first horse sounded like one of the light fast messenger horses. There were at least two other horses giving chase.
I signaled Onyx to move into the forest and pulled out my bow. I had an arrow notched by the time the messenger passed me. Hot on his heels were three brigand. I let the arrow fly and was surprised that it actually hit the lead rider in the throat. He fell in front of one of the other horses which didn't have time to miss him. The horse went down tripping over the body. The rider went flying, he would be easy to catch.
Now I just had to chase down the third rider. I pushed Onyx into a gallop, pulling my sword out at the same time. He glanced back and saw me, almost falling off his horse on his own. I would have laughed, but I was about to either take his life or capture him. Both options would not bode well for him. He pulled a sword. I could not risk getting injured or having my horse injured. He would have to die.
I rode up next to him, knocked his sword up leaving his side open. I thrust my sword up under his arm aiming for his heart. When I pulled it out blood spouted from the wound. He fell from the horse dead. I cringed a little when his foot got stuck in the stirrup. The horse took off dragging the body with him. That could be dealt with later. There was a cavalier outpost not far from here. They could clean up that mess.

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About the Author:
If you look in the local coffee shop or bookstore you might just find Mariana Thorn. She can usually be found with headphones in and deep into the worlds she has created. There is this thing about her pens, if you touch them you might receive a smack to the hand and the well-known glare of destruction. Besides writing, Mariana enjoys reading, photography, and playing with her dog. She lives in Western Washington, but loves to travel to Florida to sit on the beach to write. She is the author of Fantasy and Mystery stories. She currently has two titles in her Fur, Fangs, and Fairies series. There are three short stories available in her Skylar Wolfe Mysteries. There are many more books and series to come.
Giveaway Details:
There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:
  • An ebook set of the Skylar Wolfe Series (3 short ebooks)
  • An ebook of Seizing Darkness
  • 3 sets of bookmarks
Giveaway is International.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Book Blitz for The Extraction List By Renee N. Meland!!

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Title:  The Extraction List
Series:  The Extraction List Series, Book 1
Author:   Renee N. Meland
Published:  May 9th, 2014
Publisher:  Quandary Hill Publishing
Genre:  Sci-Fi Dystopian
Content Warning:  Minor violence and adult language
Recommended Age:  13+

Synopsis:
When fifteen-year-old Riley Crane finds out her best friend Olivia is being abused at home, she knows just who to turn to: her mother Claire, writer and spokesperson for President Gray’s Parental Morality Law. Under this law, Task Force Officers remove children from their homes if their parents do not meet certain guidelines, taking them to government-run boarding schools. Once they arrive, supervisors rehabilitate them, turning them into productive members of society. Or at least that was how it was supposed to work…

Now, after a government official threatens to make Riley the law’s latest victim, Riley and Claire must rely on Cain Foley, a gifted killer with a tongue as sharp as the knives he carries, to get them out of America alive. Though he slices through men’s necks as if they are warm butter, Riley can’t seem to keep her cheeks from flushing every time he speaks. But when they stumble upon a deserted boarding school, Riley sees that escaping the country is only part of their problem. Together, Riley and Cain figure out that a killer can save a life, and a mother can damn a nation.


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About the Author:
 
Renee N. Meland lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two dogs. She is currently working on the third book in The Extraction List Series (the second is available now). Her favorite obsessions are Rome, learning new recipes, and exploring the world around her. She is an avid reader of speculative fiction, and believes that telling stories is the best job in the world.


Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Blog

Excerpt from The Extraction List by Renee N. Meland:
 
Blackness covered the bar from top to bottom: black walls, black furniture. The only color came from the faces of the sweaty, shiny patrons who looked like they had seen better days. They didn’t seem to mind being surrounded by darkness. Most of them just stared at their beer mugs anyway, so I guessed the décor didn’t make much difference. The paint on the walls dangled off in flakes like fingernail polish, and I fought off the urge to go pick at it.
I kept my eyes straight ahead as we made our way toward the bartender. His head had a big gap in the middle where hair should be, and the hair that remained on the sides overlapped the top of his ears. His shirt had once been white, but streaks of yellow lined the armpits and stretched downward, much like his skin: overused and under-cared-for.
Bo set his bag on an empty barstool and waited for the bartender to turn around. His back was to us, but I could see that he was drying a glass over and over again. Mom waved at him. “Excuse me, where can we find a man named Cain?”
I was facing away from the bar’s customers, but I could swear I felt them staring at us after Mom spoke, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. The bartender set his glass down hard. He turned his greasy face toward us. And laughed.
“Haha, lady…you’re in waaay over your head. If Cain wants to find you, he’ll find you. Lookin’ like he already did.” His eyes moved toward the barstool where the bag of money had been. The stool sat empty.
“Oh my God! Where’d it go? Bo!” Mom’s head swirled around. Bo glared at the bartender.
“Don’t look at me, man, I didn’t take it. SHE did.” He pointed toward a doorway at the back of the bar. The beautiful, dark haired woman from the picture stood there, letting the bag dangle gracefully from her long fingers. She smiled.
“Misplace something?” She let the bag fall from her grasp, and Bo jetted over to grab it. When he was bending over to get it, Jordyn shoved it away with her foot and made him chase it a couple times before she gave in. The bartender found himself laughing at us once again. “Follow me.”
The doorway Jordyn had been standing in front of lead to a staircase. We formed a line behind her and followed her down into the darkness. Though there were no lights, Jordyn hit every step. I tried hard not to stumble but managed to snag my toe more than once.
Jordyn lectured us: “Did you see how easy that was? The three of you are going to have to be more careful if you’re gonna make this trip. I can give you clothes, shoes, and a route, but I can’t give you plain old common sense. Even Cain can’t give that to you.”
I almost tumbled headfirst down the stairs, but Jordyn caught me and stood me back up.
“I’ve never seen anything like it…just coming into a bar with a bag of money dressed like THIS?” She picked at Bo’s suit with two fingers, like he was infested with some contagious disease. Her eyes then turned to Mom. Jordyn looked her up and down, from her stilettos to the bobby pins that held her hair back. “Were you TRYING to stick out like a skinny kid at fat camp? If I hadn’t been there, those guys woulda stolen your money and had you thinkin’ they did you a favor. Then we’d all be screwed.”
When we reached the bottom of the stairs, I glanced backward. The staircase stood almost vertical, and it reminded me of an old fairy tale where a bear cub disobeyed the rules and wandered deeper and deeper into a cave. I remembered it didn’t turn out too well for the bear.
The room only had one light, and it hovered above a gray metal desk at the far end of the room. Though the desk was free of any office supplies that would help someone put it to some use, I saw a man sitting at it with his back toward us. He slouched in his chair.
Five cots lined the room, and each had only one thin blanket. The blankets barely covered the tops of the cots, and the fabric was stained brown with age. A black backpack sat at the edge of each of our beds. The cement floor clinked with each footstep, and I doubted we would be able to stay warm that night. The heat outside couldn’t seem to find its way in, and there was a chill in the basement that went straight to my bones.
Or maybe it was him.
“Cain, they’re here.”
The man turned in his chair.
I recognized him from the photo Bo showed us, but the photo had not done him any justice. His eyes were the blue of blue M&Ms. I didn’t think they made people with eyes that blue. The way he moved his hands was like they floated through the air, in one endless, graceful motion. His hair was the brown like the brown of Mom’s favorite dresser, the one where all the pictures of Aidan rested. I stifled a smile.
I noticed a long tattoo on his forearm, stretching the length of it in a deep brown, nearly matching his hair. I never wanted a tattoo myself, but I was always curious about what people loved enough to paint on their bodies with ink and needles. His tattoo was a long rectangle, stopping a couple inches below the top of his wrist to stretch out into two sections that wrapped around to the other side of his forearm. The long rectangle started again after the two offshoots jetted off, and the whole shape was covered in complicated patterns. I stared at it for a long time, squinting so that I could make out every detail. After he moved his arm slightly, I could see the other side of the tattoo. I realized the shape was a cross.
“Money?” Cain didn’t move from his slouching position. His fingers rested intertwined in front of his chest. Jordyn snatched the bag away from Bo and set it on the desk. It landed with a thud. Finally, Cain shot out of his chair and ripped the bag open while keeping his eyes on Bo. “Not nearly enough for your lot.” Cain pushed the bag over the side of the desk and let the money spill onto the floor in a storm of green snowflakes.
Bo’s voice quivered. “What do you mean? This is your asking price. So this is what I brought.”
Bo’s voice wasn’t supposed to quiver.
Cain smiled widely, in that way that people do when they think the person they’re speaking to is a complete idiot. “Look, we’ve got one government rat, that would be you, and a woman who’s the face of all this mess. With more risk comes more reward.” He smiled and gestured around the room. “That is supposed to be the American dream you people work for after all, right?” He stepped in a wad of green money and gently rubbed it into the floor with his foot. After he was done, he sat back at his desk, looking rather pleased with himself.
Mom stepped toward him. “Please, we swear we’ll get you your money. It’s not my daughter’s fault. We’re all she’s got!” Mom tried to stand strong and still, but I could see her hands were shaking.
I marched past her.
When I reached Cain’s desk, I hopped right on top of it and sat down. He may have been good-looking (really…really good-looking), but I wasn’t thrilled about the way he was talking to us. “You’re kind of a jerk, aren’t you? My mom’s been through enough tonight. If you aren’t gonna help us, just say so.”
He looked at me square in the eyes.
I stared right back.
He grinned. “I’d have to agree. Not much fear in you, huh, Riley?”
I shook my head. Right then another piece of information about him crept out of my memory, another clue that would help me rediscover him. Crossing my legs in a sitting yoga pose, I asked, “Did you really kill a man in a room with nothing but an orange, a glass of water, and a toothpick?”
Cain’s eyes met mine. He laughed. His laugh sounded like a children’s choir singing, short little notes one right after the other.
He leaned toward me like he was going to tell me a secret. I could smell fresh mint as his breath brushed my face. “Ah, you must have seen that TV report about me.” Of course. I had seen a documentary on him a few months earlier. And if I remembered correctly, the reporter didn’t exactly praise him with flying colors. “Mostly garbage, some truth.” He paused, running his hand gently across his desk. “I like you, so I’ll tell you…it was a grapefruit…and three men.” He winked. Looking around my shoulder, he declared, “Alright, I’ll do it.”
Mom thanked Cain for his understanding, but as the words fell from her lips, she gestured for me to back away from him and stand beside her. I could see Jordyn roll her eyes from across the room. She must not have gotten the message about leaving my mom alone. “Why don’t you want to help us? What did we do to you?”
“It’s nothing personal, just worried about how we are going to get THESE two across the border,” she pointed to Bo and Mom, “without getting ourselves killed in the process.” After looking them over once more, she sighed. “I have my work cut out for me. I hope nobody here has an aversion to dressing down.”
Cain smiled. “That’s why you’re the best, Jordyn. Get them dressed and ready…we’re leaving at first light. I need them ready to run out the door the minute I say so. Oh and you…” He pointed at Bo, then at the money on the floor. “Pick that up.”
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