BOOK BLITZ for "After Siege (As the World Dies, #4)" by Rhiannon Frater

After Siege
(As the World Dies, #4)
by Rhiannon Frater
Publication date: August 11th, 2020
Genres: Adult, Post-Apocalyptic, Zombies

This is the new world.

Not the old.

The dead walk, demand human flesh, and howl at the wall surrounding a Fort on a hill.

A group of Texans stands against the zombie hordes, fighting to create a new community in a dead world. Unknown to them, their legend is starting to spread far and wide.

Emma Valdez’s life was forever changed when the zombies destroyed the world. She spent all her time and energy systematically killing all the zombies in her town while searching for her missing son. After a yearlong search, she finally put him to rest and planned to take her own exit from the zombie infested world. But a dream about a mysterious woman with raven black hair wearing a red sweater compelled her to seek out a community of survivors in Ashley Oaks, Texas. Little did she realize this was the start of a new season in her life.

The Fort inhabitants, meanwhile, deal with the aftermath of the battle they fought against a massive horde of zombies and successfully redirected away from the town. Many mourn the loss of friends while helping repair and rebuild the Fort’s defenses. Danger still lurks on the outskirts of town as the horde continues its trek into the west. Emma arrives just in time for yet another harrowing battle outside the walls.

Guided by Juan De La Torre, who is nursing his own wounded heart, Emma finds her place among the Fort inhabitants and uses her excellent survival skills to help save others. It’s not easy being the newcomer among people who have formed a family since the rise of the zombies. She struggles with adjusting and is not always comfortable with the close proximity of so many other people. But the high walls promise safety and the friendly smiles are welcoming.

When a zombie of a former Fort inhabitant shows up outside the wall, Emma is part of a team that is sent out to investigate what happened to the group that abandoned the Fort before the big battle. What happened to them might alter the course of the Fort forever. 

After Siege takes place in the days following the battle in Siege: As The World Dies, Book 3. Emma’s background story is featured in The Untold Tales: As The World Dies, Book 3.5.

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—

EXCERPT:

Emma knew things were going to go wrong.
Though safe behind a high wall, hidden from view by the hunter’s blind, and armed with her grandfather’s rifle, her gut told her that shit was about to hit the fan. Without a doubt, Nerit and the others thought they had a good plan. Technically, she could see where it would probably work, but something felt off.
After diverting the massive horde of zombies, the people of the Fort looked exhausted and tensions were high. It was the type of emotional and physical state that resulted in mistakes. It was not an ideal atmosphere in which to make hurried decisions about how to obliterate yet another threat.
Listening to the constant stream of updates over the walkie-talkie, Emma leaned against the rail inside the hunting blind and peered out the open window cut into the fabric. The road ahead appeared clear except for the traps that were covered in cloth painted to look like the road from a distance. The layout was clever, designed to herd the zombies into the razor wire traps by setting off strategically placed fire traps.
Ingenious.
Still…
Over the walkie-talkie, a man’s voice said, “We have around twenty runners in pursuit. There are some slower ones scattered in the streets, but they’re not an issue. We’re about three blocks away from the traps.”
Emma rested her rifle butt on her hip while she listened. That many runners was a concern no matter how calm the man sounded.
“Runners are kinda smart,” she said, working through her concerns aloud.
In her periphery, she saw Katarina glance toward her. “Yeah. Sometimes.”
“In the early days of the z-poc, they were smart enough to open car doors. That’s when I learned to always lock them. They used tools too. One threw a brick through the window of a building I was hiding in. If these runners are new, they might not fall for the traps once the first one goes off.”
Katarina grunted. “Shit. You got a point.”
“I might be wrong.”
“Yeah, but if you’re right this might not be as easy as we thought. Let me call in.” Katarina tugged the walkie-talkie off her belt. “These last few weeks have got us burned out. We don’t need to be making stupid mistakes.”
Emma was uneasy expressing her concerns. Being known as the zombie killer of an entire town was not something she was comfortable with at all. People could get the wrong impression about her and assume that she was some kind of know-it-all. She hoped she wasn’t coming across as arrogant or condescending.
Again, Emma experienced a twinge of unease. Maybe it was because she wasn’t used to working with other people. Being responsible for only her life was vastly more comfortable than worrying about others. At the same time, it would be foolish to dismiss the longevity of the Fort in a dangerous new world. It was formidable, an impressive testament to the tenacity of the inhabitants and the effectiveness of the leadership.
Still…

Author Bio: 

Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies zombie trilogy (Tor) as well as independent works such as The Last Bastion of the Living. She also co-hosted the ZCast: a Z Nation Fan Podcast, interviewing the cast and crew of the SyFy show. Born and raised in Texas, she currently resides with her husband and furry children (a.k.a pets) in South Texas. She loves scary movies, sci-fi and horror shows, playing video games, cooking, dyeing her hair weird colors, and shopping for Betsey Johnson purses and shoes.  

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Bookbub / Tumblr / LinkedIn / Google+ / Amazon / Pinterest

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BOOK BLITZ for "Heart of the Storm (Storm Warden Chronicles, #4)" by Jessica Gunn

Heart of the Storm

(Storm Warden Chronicles, #4)

by Jessica Gunn

Publication date:  June 4th, 2020

Vera's journey as Warden of the Storm concludes in Heart of the Storm.

We won. But at what cost?

I've been swimming in a sea of storms for so long now, surrounded by darkness, that it hardly feels like a victory. It was just one fight in the new war. The Old Gods are still coming, and they won't be playing nice. Which means we have to do everything within our power to play for keeps.

Vampires, witches, werewolves, fae, dragonkind... the first Supernatural War saw us at each other's throats. But if we don't work together, the second Supernatural War will see our end.
All of us.

Goodreads / Amazon

Jessica Gunn is a New Adult author and avid science-fiction and fantasy fan. 

Her favorite stories are those that transport the reader to other, more exciting worlds. 

When not working or writing, she can be found binge-watching Firefly and Stargate, 

or feeding her fascination of the ancient world’s many mysteries.

To catch up with Jessica, follow her on Twitter (@JessGunnAuthor) 

or on her website, www.jessicagunn.com.

BLOG TOUR & AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Caitlin Lochner for "An Outcast and an Ally (A Soldier and a Liar, #2)"

An Outcast and an Ally
(A Soldier and a Liar, #2)
by Caitlin Lochner
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: April 21st, 2020
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Dark secrets and conflicting loyalties abound as four superpowered teens are torn apart by war in Caitlin Lochner’s An Outcast and an Ally, the epic YA sequel to A Soldier and a Liar. 

Lai, Jay, Al, and Erik are on the run after the military accuses them of being traitors. Tensions between everyone are high, but they have to stick together if they want to survive. And somehow stop the war that’s now in full swing. 

But when Erik returns to the rebels to find answers about his past, Lai, Al, and Jay have no choice but to go to the Order―a peace coalition bent on stopping the rebels and dissolving the enmity between gifted and ungifted. However, the longer the war drags on, the more Lai’s long-kept secrets threaten to destroy everything she’s ever worked for. Sparks fly as the team constantly questions whether they can trust one another and everyone tries to navigate a war that will change everything. 

Filled with the same high-stakes superpowered action and complex relationships as A Soldier and A Liar, Caitlin’s first book, An Outcast and an Ally brings this story to a dramatic and satisfying close.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

~ AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Caitlin Lochner ~

1) What gave you the inspiration for the storyline?

To be honest, the storyline has changed so much from the very first draft I wrote almost eight years ago that I don’t really remember how the current story arc came to be. It kind of just gradually evolved over time and multiple rewrites. I remember the general inspiration came after watching a superhero movie (I can’t remember which one, but it was when they were first starting to get big) and thinking how cool it’d be to play with characters who have superpowers but aren’t necessarily heroes. I’ve always loved playing with morally gray characters, and I wanted to see how having powers could muddle that even further.

2) Are there any hidden (or not so hidden) themes in the book that you hope readers will discover?

It’s not anything new—especially in dystopian works—but there’s very much a Them vs. Us theme going on. I wanted to speak to the wrongness of discrimination of any kind, though without hitting my readers over the head with it, so I hope that comes through in a more nuanced way. I also wanted to pose questions of identity and how our past can define us if we let it, as well as asking questions that don’t have a necessarily “right” or “good” answer. When the only options you have are bad ones, how do you act on that to do what’s right to the best of your ability and live with those decisions?

3) Are any of the characters based on real people you know?

Nope! Or at least, not that I consciously know of. I’ve drawn on a real life conversation for something minor that happens in A Soldier and a Liar, and I definitely recall my own past feelings/experiences to write some of the more emotional moments in my writing. But for the most part, my characters are entirely fictional.

4) Who has influenced you most as a writer?

I’d say one of my best friends, Kristin Dodson. We went to high school together (a lifetime ago??) and she encouraged me to keep writing, become better, and we exchanged work a lot (and still do!) to mutually fangirl over and give constructive feedback on. I think that mutual love for writing and desire to become better as well as help each other become better is what led to me pursuing writing seriously at all. I also had the most amazing thesis director, Brenda Peynado, who’s taught me a ton about theme and novel structure over the last two years and has pretty much changed the way I look at both of these things forever. As for writers I love and have tried to learn from on my own by reading and studying their books, Tamora Pierce, Cinda Williams Chima, Maggie Stiefvater, and, very recently, Megan Whalen Turner—who is on the fast track to being my favorite writer ever—have all played a big part in my writing.

5) If you could have any three literary characters over to your place for game night, who would you invite, what would you play, what would you serve, and why?

So this is hard because I feel like all of my favorite characters would probably either cheat or be terrible at game night?? Although everyone cheating and outmaneuvering one another would actually probably be pretty awesome to watch, now that I think about it. They’re from the same series, but I love their dynamic and back-and-forth of wits so much that I have to say Eugenides and Attolia from The Queen’s Thief series. As for my third, Aly from Trickster’s Choice would definitely complete the trio of masterminds. I would absolute lose at whatever game we all played where it was everyone for themselves, but it’d be really fun to do Master Labyrinth or a D&D campaign. I would probably serve brownies, a bunch of sweets, and wine because this is who I am as a person.

6) Do you feel that you can ever have too many books?

My overflowing bookcase with actual stacks of books piled at the foot says no, haha. I love surrounding myself with all kinds of different worlds and characters, and I’m always happy to support authors even if I won’t have a chance to read their book for awhile!

Author Bio:

I’m a nerd, traveler, and architecture enthusiast who worked as an assistant English teacher in Tokyo for three years before pursuing my MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Central Florida. I love reading and writing anything with magic, adventure, and complex found-family relationships. I can typically be found absorbed in books, games, or manga, or else obsessing over said books, games, and manga. 

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RELEASE BLITZ for "Storm of Fury (Storm Warden Chronicles, #3)" by Jessica Gunn

Storm of Fury

(Storm Warden Chronicles, #3)

by Jessica Gunn

Published: April 16, 2020

SUMMARY:

My name is Vera Varrone. Not that long ago, I won a dragon’s egg in a poker game 

and when that egg hatched, everything about my life changed.

Last night, I traveled to the fae weave to rescue my family and the missing dragon hatchlings from the clutches of the Winter Court. Instead of succeeding in that plan, 

I unwillingly unleashed a monstrosity of the Old Gods on all the mortal weaves.

I don’t know if my family is alive. I don’t know what happened to the dragon hatchlings. All I know is that the person who rescued me is the person whose image I was created in. The doppelgänger secret is out. And although I am the Warden of the Storm, it's about the only thing I know for sure anymore. What's worse is neither me, nor the Lair, 

nor the rest of the weaves has time to figure it out.

All we can do now is hope to act before it's too late. Before Keir succeeds with his plan 

and the Old Gods win. Before it's all lost for good.

Goodreads / Amazon

About the Author

Jessica Gunn is a New Adult author and avid science-fiction and fantasy fan. 
Her favorite stories are those that transport the reader to other, more exciting worlds. 
When not working or writing, she can be found binge-watching Firefly and Stargate, 
or feeding her fascination of the ancient world’s many mysteries.

Click here to read my 4-Star REVIEW of 

"Spark of Lightning (Storm Warden Chronicles, #1),"

and here for my 3-Star REVIEW of
"Strike of Magic (Storm Warden Chronicles, #0.5)."

FREE BOOKS: the "Power of Twelve" series by Miranda Martin

All 5 books in the

 post-apocalyptic urban fantasy series 

Power of Twelve

by Miranda Martin

will be FREE 

April 8 thru 12, 2020!

It was the end of the world as we knew it.

The Third Trumpet of the Revelation sounded and the world was ruled by the Shadow. Monsters, demons, undead and worse. Humans have retreated into underground bunkers to survive the Apocalypse.

I don’t belong anywhere. I’ve always been the odd girl out. Weird shit has happened around me all my life. You’d think with the world literally gone to hell I’d fit in better but no such luck. I’m still me, still an outcast, and still all alone.

Kicked out of the only home I've ever known, the first thing I do is run into four gorgeous men who call themselves mages. Remember the weird shit always happening? It's a fleeting encounter but I just can't stop thinking about them when I get to my new home in the bunker.

When Fate doesn’t just knock on my door but bursts it open with undead monstrosities, I’m saved by Efram, Rafe, and Nathanial. A Necroseer, a Demon, and an Angel. Yep, told you shit was weird. They help me escape the fall of the Bunker, and vow themselves as my protectors. I’ve got a destiny to fulfill. I’m special. More special than I ever thought. So they say.

It’s hard going from being solitary to having so many people in my life, people I might care about, but then I meet Tynan too.

He’s dominating. Controlling. Arrogant. Powerful.

Attractive, sexy, brooding, an alpha bad boy that makes my heart race.

And a Horseman of the Apocalypse fully under the control of the Shadow. That sucks.

They say I’m the one to save the world. That’s great, but how?

Apocalypse: The Beginning is a slow burn fantasy romance with magic, dragons, demons, angels and one headstrong heroine who has to not only save the world but navigate her way through multiple relationships.

It is Book One of The Power of Twelve, a five-book series. Previously unavailable in Kindle Unlimited and published as Divine Gift.

COVER REVEAL for "Drifters" by Carmen Webster Buxton

Title: Drifters

Author: Carmen Webster Buxton

Genre(s): YA science-fiction

Release Date: April 14, 2020

Cover Reveal Date: April 1, 2020

Cover Artist: Najla Qamber

Goodreads Link: Drifters

Pre-Order Links: Amazon Kindle | Books A Million

In the far future, sixteen-year-old Jehan Amato lives in New Hope City, on Menkar VII,

a colony world only recently rediscovered by the rest of the galaxy.

He lives with his single mom, and only rarely sees his father.

After a run-in with a dangerous gang

that wants to exploit his secret psy talent for opening locks without tools,

Jehan is sent to live in a Drifter caravan of float trains with his father.

He finds out the hard way that the plains the Drifters travel over

can be as dangerous as the worst parts of New Hope City.

But although Jehan is initially wary of the nomadic people and their unfamiliar customs,

in the caravan he comes to understand and appreciate their way of life.

And he learns things about his family and himself that will change his life forever.

About the Author:

Carmen Webster Buxton spent her youth reading every book published by Ursula LeGuin, Robert Heinlein and Georgette Heyer. This combination of far-future worlds, alien cultures, and old-fashioned courting customs influenced her writing, especially in her ThreeCon series.

Carmen was born in Honolulu

and experienced a childhood on the move, as her father was in the US Navy.

Having raised two wonderful children,

she now lives in Maryland with her husband Charlie, and a beagle named Cosmo.

She writes science fiction, YA (young adult) fiction, fantasy,  and romance,

Carmen is also an eclectic reader of science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, mystery,

romance, YA, and very occasionally, nonfiction.

Connect with the Author:

Blog

Amazon Author Page

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

BookBub

RELEASE BLITZ for "Roar of Thunder (Storm Warden Chronicles, #2)" by Jessica Gunn

Happy Book Birthday to

Roar of Thunder

(Storm Warden Chronicles, #2)

by Jessica Gunn

SUMMARY:

My name is Vera Varrone. Over the past few days, everything about my life has changed. But with the love of my dragon and the guidance of my Guardian, I have accepted my role. I am the Warden of the Storm.

Still, the dragons have enemies even in a post Supernatural War world. We thwarted Keir’s plans but the bastard son of the Winter and Summer fae courts still has something up his sleeves—I can sense it. Today, we’re bringing him back to the Summer Court to let justice be served, even as he taunts me with the truth of my identity.

Then the unthinkable happens, and now everyone I love is in danger. There's a larger plan in action, an agenda beyond our control. And a secret about myself that even I'm just now discovering... one that changes everything. 

Goodreads   /   Amazon

Click here to read my 4-Star REVIEW of 

"Spark of Lightning (Storm Warden Chronicles, #1),"

and here for my 3-Star REVIEW of 

"Strike of Magic (Storm Warden Chronicles, #0.5)."

BOOK REVIEW for "Spark of Lightning (Storm Warden Chronicles, #1)" by Jessica Gunn

Spark of Lightning
Storm Warden Chronicles, #1
by Jessica Gunn

SUMMARY:

A vampire, a werewolf, a fae, and me, a human, walk into a casino. Only one comes out winning the prize.

There are very few things I know to be true. I’ve worked hard to stay alive while waitressing at Lunar Royale, a premiere casino in Boston serving explicitly supernatural clientele since a meteor slammed into a ley-line ten years ago. Since the day the weaves collided, I’ve taken these risks because I need money to escape Boston and start over in a new city. That money isn’t coming fast enough and now this job might kill me before I can escape.

Tonight I plan on carefully maneuvering my way into the most important game of poker ever played at Lunar Royale. The stakes are high, and the players are Boston’s supernatural elite: the king of vampires, the matriarch of werewolves, and a bastard fae prince. To top it all off, by the time I realize it’s not money they’re playing for, I’m stuck in the game. The real prize? A dragon’s egg. Dragons were supposed to be hunted to extinction during the Supernatural War, but before that, they were powerful conduits of magic.

This egg, if real, is invaluable.

All I wanted was to escape the city, and winning this dragon’s egg might be my ticket out... if I can survive the game to the end. I just have to ignore the way the dragon’s magic hums, calling to me from across the room.

As if this dragon has belonged to me from the start...

Vera’s journey begins in SPARK OF LIGHTNING, an urban fantasy adventure with faeries, vampires, witches, dragons, magic, journeys to other worlds, 
and much more! 

Goodreads   /   Amazon

~ BOOK REVIEW for Spark of Lighning ~

****(4) out of 5 Stars!

This book starts out as Vera is running late to perpetuate the trick she is hoping to pull off of getting herself invited to join in a very high-stakes poker game.  Not a very auspicious beginning.  And things don't improve much for her from the get-go.  Yet somehow she manages to achieve her objective, even if it doesn't turn out how she anticipated.  Then again, anything having to do with supernaturals apparently has quite a lot of room for variation.

Vera had dreamed of winning enough money to get out of Boston and start her life anew.  Instead, she ends up the guardian of a very rare and much sought after dragon egg.  And egg which proceeds to do what eggs tend to to -- hatch!  Both owner and charge become targets for a host of supernaturals, all with their own methods of persuation, and of course their own personal agendas.  

Eventually, Vera is rescued by an unexpected source.  Although she soon comes to question how much of a rescue it truly was, and if she's actually better off than where she might otherwise have found herself.  Things go from bad to even worse fairly quickly, and just pretty much continue to go downhill from there.  

There are a handful of characters, in addition to those from the poker game, who appear as though they will be significant to the story.  It still remains to see who, if any, are actually on Vera's side.

I was extremely frustrated at the number of things that were alluded to yet never explained, and the general lack of information about the current situation, significant history, and her actual role in what was transpiring.  Vera herself is quite irked about how things are going, but she is much more patient and accomodating than I would be in a similar situation.  

Suffice it to say that by the end of this book we have many more questions than answers, and I suspect that this state of things will not change any time soon.  The current battle and political situation is kind of resolved at the end, but there leaves much to be completed.  Things promise to continue apace in the next volume, which I am hoping will provide at least some explanation as to what is going on.  

I received a free eBook copy of this title from the author,

and have willingly provided an honest review.

Click here to read my 3-Star REVIEW of the prequel,

"Strike of Magic (Storm Warden Chronicles, #0.5)"!

BOOK REVIEW for "Strike of Magic (Storm Warden Chronicles, #0.5)" by Jessica Gunn

Strike of Magic

Storm Warden Chronicles, #0.5

by Jessica Gunn

SYNOPSIS:

This is how it started.

I’m Vera Varrone. All I wanted to do was go out and celebrate the end of my sophomore year of high school. But a meteor strike changed everything, weakening the barriers between hidden worlds and introducing Boston to supernatural creatures that had once lived secretly amongst us.

I used to be a simple girl trying to graduate high school and get on with my life. Now I’m trying to find my sister, who’s lost in a supernaturally awakened world full of vampires, witches, werewolves, fae, and… is that a dragon in the sky?

I have to find my sister and get her home safely, but as the night ticks on, I’m running out of time. The world has just become a lot more dangerous…

Before Vera’s journey starts in Spark of Lightning, read how it all began. Strike of Magic is the prequel to the Storm Warden Chronicles, set ten years earlier.

Goodreads   /   Website

~ BOOK REVIEW for Strike of Magic ~

***(3) out of 5 Stars!

At only eight chapters, this is a rather quick introduction to the new world that Vera is going to be facing in future volumes of the series.  There's quite a bit of cursory backstory hastily crammed into these pages, almost as an afterthought to the action.  But there is some great world-building that occurs, painting a vivid picture for us of what life will look like going forward in this new Boston.  Much of that info is supplied by Vera's friend Alexis, who, much like the city, turns out to be more than she has always seemed as well.  I would have liked more depth to the characters and their relationships to one another, but that may be expecting too much from such a short work.  There are several episodes of heart-stopping intrigue that occur here, making me wonder how they all survived the next ten years until the subsequent book begins.  But I suppose that is a story for another day!  Overall, this seems like a good preface for what promises to be an intriguing series.    

I received a free eBook copy of this title from the author as a newsletter subscriber,

and have willingly provided an honest review.

BOOK BLITZ for "Sting" by Cindy R. Wilson

Sting
by Cindy R. Wilson
Published by: Entangled: Teen
Publication date: March 3rd, 2020
Genres: Dystopian, Romance, Young Adult

They call me the Scorpion because they don’t know who I really am. All they know is that someone is stealing from people with excess to help people with nothing survive another day. 

But then a trusted friend reveals who I am—“just” Tessa, “just” a girl—and sends me straight into the arms of the law. All those people I helped…couldn’t help me when I needed it. 

In prison, I find an unlikely ally in Pike, who would have been my enemy on the outside. He represents everything I’m against. Luxury. Excess. The world immediately falling for his gorgeous smile. How he ended up in the dirty cell next to mine is a mystery, but he wants out as much as I do. Together, we have a real chance at escape. 

With the sting of betrayal still fresh, Pike and I will seek revenge on those who wronged us. But uncovering all their secrets might turn deadly…

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

Excerpt:

His fingers brush mine when he takes the knife, and I fight back a shiver, trying to hold my ground.
“Scorpion,” he says softly.
I brace myself for more Pike wisdom, or maybe even a mention of the kisses we’ve shared that we haven’t mentioned.
Instead, he smiles. “You’ve been a very good teacher. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes.”
“If you say so.”
He takes his stance, gaze zeroed in on the board. He’s wearing a simple blue shirt, cut off at the shoulders, and his muscles flex when he lifts his arm.
I exhale just as he throws and the knife zooms to the board, hitting inside the widest ring, but not in the middle.
His eyes narrow. I smile.
“I’d like to see you do this with a distraction,” he says.
My heart flutters, but I nod. “No problem.”
I step to the line, a whole head shorter than Pike. I feel his eyes on me. In fact, he’s so close, I feel the heat from his body. But I’m focused, and all I can see is the red circle I’m aiming for.
I squeeze the blade between my fingers and hold my breath, preparing to throw.
Pike blows on my neck.
Chills race across my skin even as I fling the knife. The blade hits the board with a thud, straight in the middle.
Pike curses softly and shakes his head. I turn to him, unable to help the smile stretching wide across my face. “See? I know a little something about focus.”
“I’m impressed.”
“Looks like you could use some practice.”
“What about on the mat?” He lifts an eyebrow. “Do you have focus there?”
Uh…no. But Pike doesn’t need to know that. “I have focus anywhere.”
He points. “Mat. Now.”
I lift my chin, toss the last knife at the board, and smirk when it hits the center. Then I walk to the mat. I get into my stance before he joins me. I wouldn’t put it past him to attack right away. Pike’s a big fan of not being caught off guard, and he’s taught me accordingly.
Pike stalks the edge of the mat, knees bent. He feigns a lunge, then laughs when I tense.
“You’re lucky I don’t have a knife,” I say, mock warning in my tone.
He takes a step closer. “Luck has nothing to do with it. It’s all about being prepared. Besides, I don’t want a hole in my side like Mongo.”
“He deserved it.”
Pike gives me his dangerous smile and takes another step. Almost close enough to reach me. “You’re not saying I deserve to be stabbed, are you?”
My chest vibrates with a low laugh, but I’m still on guard. “No, Pike. Not today, anyway.”
His smile lights his eyes. And suddenly he stands fully, shoulders relaxing, and closes the gap between us.
I draw in a sharp breath. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?”
His hands skim my arms, making me shiver. I lift my chin to meet his eyes, lips parting slightly.
“Pike,” I say, my voice coming out breathless.
Then he sweeps my legs from beneath me. I hit the mat hard, banging my elbows. I kick out and almost catch Pike’s leg, but he’s too fast. He bends and snags my arm, twisting it behind my back as he pushes me flat on my stomach. My breath whooshes out, but I don’t struggle. Crap. So much for proving I can’t be distracted.

Author Bio:

Cindy began creating worlds as a kid, entertaining her siblings with spontaneous ghost stories before bed. She filled notebooks with novels and ideas and realized quickly she wanted to be a writer as an adult. 

Now Cindy lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and loves using Colorado towns and cities as inspiration for settings in her stories. She's the mother of three girls who provide plenty of fodder for her YA novels. Visit her website to learn more about her books or subscribe to her newsletter: https://www.cindyrwilsonauthor.com. 

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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