Exsanguinate

EBook@Amazon

Author Killion Slade

Where Vampire Urban Fantasy Meets Paranormal Romance!

“They can’t touch you!” What could possibly go wrong at Orlando’s beloved Global Studios Halloween Scream Nights theme park?

Cheyenne O’Cuinn’s task is to study fear even though she is the biggest chicken on the planet. In order to carve out a slice of the billion dollar scare industry for her online role-play company, she researches what causes people to run screaming out of haunted attractions.

Determined to face her own fear of Oldhouseophobia, Cheyenne confronts her bloodcurdling obsession – the dreaded haunted house. Her worst nightmare manifested, Cheyenne is brutally attacked and left for dead by a rogue vampire. Splattered across the front page of the Orlando Sentinel, Cheyenne discovers her sisters are missing while she recovers in the hospital.

The ransom call from the kidnapper sets into motion the rabbit hole of a parallel supernatural reality she must play inside her game to rescue her family. In a race against the hourglass, Cheyenne confronts a double-agent vampire, a cyberchondriac werewolf, and a mafioso dragon. Can they be trusted to help her, or are they a part of the twisted scheme?

With her sister’s lives on the line, Cheyenne has no choice but to beat the kidnappers at their own game and ensnare them with her own brand of deception while fighting for her life and her heart.

Killion Slade

Killion Slade is a married writing team who met in the virtual realms of Second Life and virtually enjoy everything. Mrs. Slade writes and crafts the stories, while Mr. Slade formats and publishes. Members of the Horror Writers Association and the Paranormal Romance Guild, they storyboard their characters inside Second Life as their avatars reveal their stories. Tucked away in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Northern Montana, they stay busy chasing kids, corralling horses and cats, and enjoying the harvest from their garden. Married on Halloween – they love to live life to the fullest and embrace one another each and every day.

Killion Slade can be reached at the following:
Email:  Killion@killionslade.com   Facebook   Website   Amazon Author Page   Google+   Twitter

We all need a hero! Tell us about your protagonist(s)? Was there a real-life inspiration behind him or her?

I love it when equally there is a hero and heroine in a story.  Jewel of the Nile or Mr. & Mrs. Smith come to mind.  That is what I wanted for the World of Blood series.  Since I knew this wasn’t going to be a stand-alone one book, it gave us the opportunity to delve deeper into the two heros.  I can’t say that they are built on any one person other than our own avatar imaginations inside of Second Life.

Tell us a little bit about your cover art. Who designed it? Why did you go with that particular image/artwork?

We fell in love with Ravven when I came across her artwork on Facebook.  She is an expat who lives in the UK and she’s a gamer to boot.  Her artwork is clean, sexy, and inventive. http://www.ravven.com/  We love her mostly because she is truly genuine person and such an amazing artist.  She has a way of embedding such detail when you look at the cover up close, but ti doesn’t look too garbled.  Her lighting and textures are simply magnificent.  We can’t say enough good things about her.

What are two of your favorite characters in your books/series?

That is a tough question!  It’s like asking which child is your favorite.  On certain days you can answer that question, but usually you love them all for their weird quirks and snark.  I would have to say I truly enjoy Dakota’s character because she can truly say what is on her mind and get away with it.  Whereas, Cheyenne and Sheridan have to be provoked a bit more before they lose their grasp of hold the tongue before thou speaketh.

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

In Exsanguinate I enjoyed writing the scene ambiance as Cheyenne walked into the Halloween Horror Park.  So much of writing these days is show, not tell  – but be sure and don’t stop your action or the reader will get bored.  I had so much visual imagery to work from with Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights and Busch Gardens HalloScream that there wasn’t enough room in the book to write down everything I wanted to include. This is why we decided on having the interactive features in the book so readers could enjoy extended scenes if they wanted.

It’s kinda funny – there have been a couple people who didn’t understand the QR codes or the ebooks links into the website.  They thought the code links were ads or dvds to a game.  But then there are others who totally grooved on finding the hidden easter egg gems we have stashed away for fun on the website.

Silly stuff

Are you the driver or a passenger in your book? (Are you in control of where the story goes or does it sort of just happen?)

This is a fantastic question, Becca!  I would have to say both.  Often times I have paved the road they are walking down, given them props and people to play with and then often times, they’ll surprise me with the words that come out of their mouths.  Sometimes it’s shocking what they do! 

You’re having a party. What character from your book do you hope attends? Why?

Oh, I totally want Dakota, Harris and Beano to show up! Those two are forever getting their snark on and who can resist a loveable Beano puppy?

What character do you hope doesn’t attend? Why?

I don’t think I would want Edric.  He is truly a bad dude and just the thought of him totally creeps me out!

Characters often find themselves in situations they aren’t sure they can get themselves out of. When was the last time you found yourself in a situation that was hard to get out of and what did you do?

That is a truly relevant question and quite timely.  My editor, Mary Ann Peden-Coviello, tore me a new one recently.  It would seem as if my personal life was taken out on a few characters and I did some irreparable damage to the cast.  If I had published the story with some of the unkindness which spewed from Cheyenne, she would have lost respect from the readers and you can’t do that with your protagonists.  I’m thinking we will publish the “off the wtf were you thinking” scene onto the website.  That way readers can see how I almost destroyed the entire cast!

My editor knows my characters so well that she called me out on it immediately and said, “WTF were you thinking?”  LOL – Literally!  SO after we discussed what I was trying to accomplish [can’t tell cause it’s a spoiler for 2^nd book], who was in the scene, and they needed to react realistically – I rewrote the scene in two parts.  One portion from Cheyenne’s point of view [POV], and the other from Khaldon’s POV.  So the scene carries out two simultaneous conversations from each here’d point of view.  It was an extremely difficult chapter, but one that is critical to the growth of both my protags.

Who is your favorite “Book Boyfriend”? What series is it from and who wrote it?

Awww, man!  I think you’ve got me there.  I think it would have to Bones from the Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress Series.  I fell in love with his voice narration on the audiobooks and it made me love the written character even more.  He is a tender- hearted bad ass and he makes my toes curl up!

What books are on your nightstand or by your chair?

I’m not so sure what this says about me, but do grammar and self-editing books count?  The emotion thesaurus is an absolute must as well.  I have a kindle fire on my nightstand, so I literally have hundreds available to me at any given moment.  My TBR list is longer than my to edit list…

What’s next for you?

We are deep into Book 2 for the World of Blood series – not sure yet of the launch date, but we are striving for a winter 2014 release.

Don’t have time to read a paperback or don’t have a kindle?  Never fret!  We are deep into production for Exsanguinate the audiobook version which is due to release in November 2014!  We are very excited about this project because it truly brings the characters ALIVE when you can experience them in the venue. CLICK HERE for a FREE sample containing the prologue and chapter one of Exsanguinate.

Is there anything else you would like to say?

We get asked this question quite a bit.  Is there a real Beano? And the answer is Yes!!!  In the book however, Beano is portrayed as a male puppy dog, but our beloved Beano is female.

ENTER TO WIN 1 OF 5 GIVEAWAYS HERE! 

The Book Boyfriends of BEYOND FATE

In Fate of the Gods, there’s no shortage of book boyfriends for your reading pleasure – and BEYOND FATE, the third book in the trilogy, isn’t slacking when it comes to romantic male leads:

Looking for the tortured, soulful, loyal and trusting to a fault type? Thor is for you!

Prefer the bad boy who needs to be taught how to love? You’re definitely an Adam girl.

Want the boy next door, the best friend who won’t settle down seriously for anyone but his favorite anti-social girl? Marcus might be your true book-boyfriend love.

And poor Eve has her hands full avoiding their advances. Yes, I’ll admit it – there’s a love triangle (maybe even a square), but Fate of the Gods isn’t really about who Eve will choose for eternity. Eve doesn’t live her life with eternity in mind, for starters – she lives it like we do, one lifetime at a time. And that’s what makes her romances all the more difficult. Because no matter who she loves, they’re bound to die and so is she, to be reborn as a child somewhere new, somewhere different, and leave her children or grandchildren or great-grandchildren behind. And starting all over again, lifetime after lifetime, century after century, each one filled with more heartbreak than the last, it’s starting to take its toll.

The question then, in BEYOND FATE, isn’t who Eve will choose to love, to marry, to ride off with, into the sunset. The question is: After all these millennia and so much pain, can Eve find the strength to love at all?

And let me tell you, there are plenty of people depending on the answer to that question, starting with Eve’s daughter Elah, the new Goddess, and ending with the entirety of the world.

But don’t worry! Even if Eve can’t get a handle on her love life, it doesn’t have to stop you from enjoying all her book boyfriends to the fullest!

So who would you choose:

 

Thor, the God of Thunder?

Adam, the redeemable bad boy?

Or Marcus, the boy next door?

Amalia Dillin

Amalia Dillin began as a Biology major before taking Latin and falling in love with old heroes and older gods. After that, she couldn’t stop writing about them, with the occasional break for more contemporary subjects. Her short stories have been published by Daily Science Fiction and Birdville magazine, and she’s also the author of the FATE OF THE GODS series and HONOR AMONG ORCS, the first book in the Orc Saga. Amalia lives in upstate New York with her husband, and dreams of the day when she will own goats — to pull her chariot through the sky, of course.

Check out our promo of Beyond Fate!

Stay tuned for Dylan’s review of Beyond Fate coming soon!

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In honor of Book Boyfriends, here are a few of Dylan’s Favorites!!!

Daemon Black from Lux…YUM.

Ull Mhyr and Gunnar from ST. Bende’s Elsker

The boys of Reese Monroe’s Bound by Hades

And of course…Bran from Lia Riley’s Off the Map

Title: Lost Highlander

Author: Cassidy Cayman

Series: Lost Highlander

Published by: Little Black Cat

Date published: December 24, 2013

Genres: Paranormal, Historical

Book Length: 218 pages

Steam Rating: Steamy

Main Characters: Evie & Sam, Piper & Lochlan 

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“I thought that Cassidy Cayman did a decent job of making her time travel book unique and making me want to purchase the next one in the series.” ~Becca 

Grad student and cocktail waitress Evelyn Merkholtz has plenty to deal with. Too much to deal with. So, when her runaway best friend calls with a mysterious and urgent request to join her in Scotland, she is secretly more than happy to drop everything and oblige.

She’s faced with an ancient curse, an adorably hunky villager, and a super hot (but possibly murderous), Highland warrior from the 18th century – and realizes that getting burned at the stake is a really bad way to get out of writing her thesis.

After reading a few of the reviews for Lost Highlander…I was a little nervous about reading it. Most people didn’t have many positive things to say about it…other than that it was free. However, it being free is why I decided I would give it a shot even with the bad reviews…and I’m honestly very glad that I did.

This was my first Cassidy Cayman novel and I was surprised by the witty writing style that flawlessly mixed with a serious romance and mystery. I was thrilled by the paranormal aspect of the book and loved the fact that the story line kept me on my toes and had me reading well into the night.

I will agree with a few of the reviewers in saying that the beginning of the book was a tad bit slow…however, I felt like it served it’s purpose. By the time the “action” hit, I had a good understanding of the characters and who they were. The characters are each well developed and realistic and the way that they interact with one another is wonderful. Once things picked up and the “action” began…well lets just say that Lost Highlander was a book that I didn’t want to put down! There were so many twists and turns and bumps along the way that I never knew for sure what was going to happen next.

The “time travel” aspect of the book was awesome! It wasn’t too far fetched but at the same time it had some twists that kept it from being predictable. I thought it was really neat that the book touches on a variety of time periods through things found in the estate. I have never read a ton of time travel books, however I will say that the Dr. Who moments were definitely a plus for me hehe, and I honestly wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it. After reading, I am torn. I really liked the story line and I was totally into it…heck I was tearing up several times when people were being ripped away from those that they loved…but at the same time my mind starts to over think things sometimes.

The romance aspect of the book was interesting. We got the budding relationship between Evie and Sam as well as Lochlan and Piper. I loved that it didn’t just stick with one persons POV the whole way through…however, I would have enjoyed it even more had we gotten a taste of the men’s POVs from time to time. Lost Highlander has a touch of sex (two scenes to be exact…one for each couple)…it wasn’t risque or overly done…just a little bit steamy. I did wonder how things would end up…especially seeing as neither couple used protection…or maybe the author just didn’t write that realistic part in…who knows! Overall, the sex scenes were sweet and fit the story perfectly. I just couldn’t see some raunchy play by play scene fitting into this book.

I thought that Cassidy Cayman did a decent job of making her time travel book unique and making me want to purchase the next one in the series. I honestly want to go one-click it on Amazon right now just to find out what happens next! UGH…cliff hangers are evil! hehe Now to just get my hands on Reunited!

Do you drool over sexy Scottish guys….I sure do! What is your favorite thing about a highlander??

Title: DANTE’S FIRE

Author: Jennifer Probst

Published by: Cool Gus Publishing

Date published: August 26, 2014

Genres: Contemporary, paranormal

Book Length: 85 pages

Steam Rating: Steamy

Main Characters: Dante & Selina

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“To put it mildly, DANTE’S FIRE is an AMAZING novella that is filled to bursting with love, acceptance, suspense and action and provoked my emotions which kept me wanting more!” ~Becca

It’s Time To Meet A New Kind Of Hero… 

Dante Stark has a dark secret–a legacy left to him by his father which is both a blessing and a curse. A traumatic experience as a small boy gave him special powers of healing, but it comes with a price. Destined to wander the world alone to heal others, he’s accepted his fate. Until Selina Rogers forces him to confront his deepest fears, erotic desires, and question his capacity to love. 

Selina Rogers has made a name for herself at Inferno Enterprises. She’s tough, confident and prepared to succeed. She’s also built a world she believes is safe, until she’s attacked and then saved by a masked stranger. As he helps her heal physically and emotionally, she becomes fascinated by his overwhelming power and gentle touch. Determined to show Dante the love he’s been denying himself, Selina surrenders her heart, and dreams of a future with the mysterious man who completes her. 

But will his dark legacy destroy them…or save them both…

Wow! Just….wow! What a unique and unexpectedly heart-wrenching book! Jennifer Probst has truly found an amazing balance between action, suspense and romance in this one!

Dante’s Fire is a superhero romance like no other. The amount of raw emotion that Jennifer Probst managed to fit into these 85 pages is mind blowing. I found myself trembling, crying and even giggling on occasion. The witty banter between Daniel and Selina was just perfection. Dante’s Fire touches on some pretty intense issues and situations. The way Jennifer Probst writes creates a world that makes you feel like a part of what is going on…which means that my emotions were sky rocketing and then hurdling down only to spin like crazy…this book is a total roller coaster for your emotions.

So let’s talk story line for a minute.

Dante Stark is a superhero who doesn’t call himself a superhero. He has his public identity, Daniel, and his protector by night identity, Dante. His power is a little difficult to live with and honestly, while it was unique and really awesome, I felt like it’s believabilty (What? That could be a word!) was lacking. Basically what happens is this: A woman is being attacked/raped, Dante is magically transported to her location to save her, he then spends time with her at night when she needs him to help her readjust to the touch of a man. What isn’t believable about that right? Honestly…probably not what you are thinking. My mind over analyzes sometimes…I over think things…and come to conclusions such as this: Are women ONLY attacked/raped at night? What happens if he is delivering the mail and someone is being attacked? Couldn’t he find someone like Chase to help with the “after-effects” of being attacked? I’m pretty sure no woman is going to be “okay” with her husband running off (or well magically poofing out) to be with another woman..even if he is helping her…sorry kissing and touching without sex is still cheating!

Okay..so you see where my ramblings go…trust me they didn’t stop there! My mind is still reeling about Dante’s situation and how in the world he could live that way! It can’t go on forever! Besides…I just don’t see how any woman could be okay with some of his “services”.

See dang it! I’m still ranting and rambling! But…that’s a sign of a good book! I care so much about Dante and Selina that I can’t NOT fight for them and what they deserve. Jennifer Probst has written lovable, well developed, deep and relatable characters that draw you in and hook you deep.

Chemistry…is it there?

Sometimes these action/superhero novels don’t do the romance side of things very well. Dante’s Fire does it pretty dang well! Selina is torn between her day time friend and her midnight protector. She has grown to love them both for different reasons and can’t seem to figure out which one she should be with. I thought that the way Jennifer Probst works in both sides of Dante’s personality was genius! We learn so much about him that I don’t think we could have had the book been written differently. The dual POV, split between Selina and Dante/Daniel really adds a new level of depth to the story and captivates the readers attention.

The only issue I had with this book was the ending. After so much building up and tension and so many unknowns…I just felt let down. I felt like it was a little rushed. Part of me really wanted a set way of solving this “healing” issue that is running through my head which would have left me with more of a HEA, Happily Ever After, feeling. Also, while it’s one hell of a cliff hanger…I didn’t care for this new important character to be thrown in at literally the last second! But hey…it definitely has me on my toes and stalking for the next book!

To put it mildly, Dante’s Fire is an AMAZING novella that is filled to bursting with love, acceptance, suspense and action and provoked my emotions which kept me wanting more! This is one book that I definitely recommend!

Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She took a short hiatus to get married, get pregnant, buy a house, get pregnant again, pursue a master’s in English Literature, and rescue two shelter dogs. Now she is writing again.

She is the NYT and USA Today bestselling author of The Marriage Bargain. She is published both erotic and sexy contemporary romance with Entangled, Decadent, Red Sage and TWRP. She has also written a children’s book, Buffy and the Carrot, co-written with her twelve year old niece, along with a short story, “A Life Worth Living.” Visit her website for more info!

How do you feel about super hero romance novels?

Title: Divine and Dateless

Author: Tara West

Series: Eternally Yours

Published by: Shifting Sands

Date published: July 5, 2014

Genres: Fantasy, Satire/Humor, Paranormal

Book Length: 258 pages

Steam Rating: Steamy

Main Characters: Ash & Grim

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“The way that Tara writes draws me in and makes me feel like I could easily be living in the apartment next door and just watching things unfold through the peep-hole like a peeping tom. (hehe you know you love my descriptions!)” ~Becca

Good girls go to heaven. Bad girls go all the way…

What can be worse than electrocuting yourself while getting ready for your internet date? Realizing the hot stud you’ve been fondling is the Grim Reaper? Being chased by a sex-crazed, bloated, naked corpse?

How about an eternity of more bad hair days and horrific dates? Or lusting after the one guy in all the afterlife whose hydrophobia rivals his fear of commitment?

Yeah, that’s a whole lot worse.

Wow! What a book! This one has been on my TBR list for weeks…and by the time I finally got around to reading it I sort of forgot the details about it…let’s just say that it was priceless! I have never read any of Tara West’s books before, but I will definitely be digging through and finding time for them soon! Divine and Dateless is a little hard to review without spoilers…so this won’t be an uber long post! But I’m going to do my best…

Let’s start with the story!

I was flabbergasted by how utterly fantastic and mind blowing this story is! It is thought provoking while still managing to be 100% insanely hilarious! I can honestly say that I laughed so hard that I peed a little during this book! (Hey don’t judge me! I’ve had two kids…sometimes moms have that problem!!) So what made it so dang funny? 

Well…check out this little snippet…

Yeah…uh huh…read that without at least giggling! That’s what I thought!

Okay…so back to the story line! Ashley MacLeod is dead…but she doesn’t quite figure that out right away. The Grim Reaper, Aedan O’Conner, that shows up to get her is drop dead gorgeous (hahahahaha pun intended) and Ash thinks that he is her blind date. The rest of the story leads us through the most intriguing and well thought out idea of an afterlife that I have ever read!

Here are the basics:

• The afterlife has an interesting set up: Heaven (The Penthouse) and Hell (The Basement) with levels of purgatory in between.
• You have to earn credits in order to move up levels…this means that even once you are dead…you have to have a job!
• Your credits are also used for food and living expenses.

See, it’s simple and yet amazingly creative and unique! That’s about as far as I can go into the story line without give anything away…but…I can share another teaser image with you that definitely had my sides hurting!

Now let’s talk about the characters a bit…

Ash is a woman on a mission…or well she was! She is mouthy, sassy and opinionated and soooo not into community service or volunteer work!

Grim…mmmmm….Grim is sexy as sin and a gentleman to boot! At least he is when he isn’t being an jerk. 

When these two are around one another sparks fly and attitudes soar! The sexual tension is crazy and just made me want to pull my hair out because they kept pushing one another away. I was amazed by how strong my reactions were to this book! Again there isn’t a ton I can say here that wouldn’t spoil something for you…and you guys know how much I hate doing that!

Gosh, if I went into the amazing “extra” characters in the book I could be here forever! The way that Tara writes draws me in and makes me feel like I could easily be living in the apartment next door and just watching things unfold through the peep-hole like a peeping tom. (hehe you know you love my descriptions!)

Let me just go ahead and say what needs to be said…

Divine and Dateless by Tara West is laugh out loud funny and still manages to have so many AWE moments that I fell in love! The characters are sweet, deep and believable. (I do believe Ines is just perfect and Boner…wow…yeah you go Boner!) The story is unique, intriguing and captivating. Overall, this book is one that I definitely think you should pick up…just don’t do it unless you have the time to sit down from start to finish, I promise you won’t want to put this one down!

Want to know the best part?? Book 2 is coming soon!!

Tara West writes books about dragons, witches, and handsome heroes while eating chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate. She’s willing to share her dragons, witches and heroes. Keep your hands off her chocolate.

Tara West’s young adult and new adult romances have been Kindle bestsellers. A former high school English teacher, Tara is now a full-time writer and graphic artist. She enjoys spending time with her family, interacting with her fans, and fishing the Texas coast.

“Do you want to pick up where we left off earlier this evening?”

The rusty wheels churning in my brain came to a screeching halt. “Huh?”

He scooted over and pulled up his knee. A soft sigh escaped my lips as he grazed that sensitive juncture between my thighs. That’s when I realized my legs had somehow fallen open. Holy fuck! When did that happen? It was as if my inner-whore had taken over, robbing me of all sense of reason.

“We shared a kiss,” he said as he shifted his knee again, rubbing more moisture into my already soaking panties. “Do you want another?”

“Yes,” I rasped before jerking my head up. “No!” I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

What the hell was the matter with me? This hot stud so obviously wanted to fuck. I so obviously needed to fuck. I was a total idiot for turning him away.
Luckily for my starved libido, he wasn’t so easily deterred. “We’ll take it slow if you like,” he said as one corner of his mouth hitched up in an impossibly sexy grin.

“I’ll do anything you want, Ash.” His eyebrows dipped beneath the shadow of his thick hair as he clasped my hand in his. “Anything.”

When he brought my palm to his lips, trailing delicate kisses across my skin, I was done for. Sweet Hell on fire, I’d never been so turned on by a man before. Never.

The heat from his virile body encompassed me as he leaned closer. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I let his musky scent permeate my last thread of resistance and sink into my skin.

“Taste me,” he breathed against my lips.

And so I did, just one little nibble on his lower lip. Then another. When his tongue darted into my mouth, I opened to him, and he poured his warmth into me.

He tasted different than the first time we’d kissed, not bitter, not rough, but sweet, like chocolate cheesecake. Somewhere in the recesses of my hazy mind, I was reminded this man was not the same man I’d kissed earlier. This man was not even real, but hot damn, he sure was a fine kisser.
My legs spread like melted butter as his hand grazed inside of my thigh. I moaned into his mouth when he hitched up the flimsy fabric of my skirt and slipped a finger beneath the hem of my panties. He slid them off with ease, and I was vaguely aware of them falling to the floor. That’s when I wiggled my toes and felt nothing but air beneath me.

“We’re floating,” I gasped, reluctant though I was to break the kiss.

“It’s easier to undress you this way.” He slipped my little dress over my head before deftly unclasping my bra and tossing it to the floor. I was totally naked now, exposed and vulnerable, pinned beneath his big, virile body, floating somewhere under the rafters on a cloud of lust, and not caring one bit about my safety.

Don’t forget to check out our Monthly Giveaway page to see what else is included in this awesome giveaway!

Tara West is giving away an eBook of Divine and Dateless!

What would you do if the one good dating prospect you had knew that you shit your pants??

Title: Beyond Fate

Author: Amalia Dillin

Series: Fate of the Gods

Published by: World Weaver Press

Date published: Sept. 16, 2014

Genres: Contemporary Fantasy

Steam Rating: Sweet

Main Characters: Adam & Eve

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When Adam left Eve and their newborn daughter Elah, he thought he was saving the world…but how could he have known the blame for the world turning barren would fall on Eve?

Beyond Fate will be available in trade paperback and ebook via Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Kobo.com, WorldWeaverPress.com, and other online retailers, and for wholesale through Ingram. You can also find Beyond Fate on Goodreads.

Amalia Dillin

Amalia Dillin  began as a Biology major before taking Latin and falling in love with old heroes and older gods. After that, she couldn’t stop writing about them, with the occasional break for more contemporary subjects. Her short stories have been published by Daily Science Fiction and Birdville magazine, and she’s also the author of the “Fate of the Gods” series and Honor Among Orcs, the first book in the Orc Saga. Amalia lives in upstate New York with her husband, and dreams of the day when she will own goats — to pull her chariot through the sky, of course.

Find Amalia Online!

Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

As always with a new cover reveal, we are so excited to give you a glimpse for Heather Lyons’ THE COLLECTORS’ SERIES!

THE COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY is an Adult Romantic Fairy Tale, full of adventure and fantasy. This is Alice as you have never seen her before… THE COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY is set to be released on October 23^rd!

Cover design by Victoria Faye of Whit and Ware

THE COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY Goodreads

From the author of the Fate series and The Deep End of the Sea comes a fantastical romantic adventure that has Alice tumbling down the strangest rabbit hole yet. After years in Wonderland, Alice has returned to England as an adult, desperate to reclaim sanity and control over her life. An enigmatic gentleman with an intriguing job offer too tempting to resist changes her plans for a calm existence, though. Soon, she’s whisked to New York and initiated into the Collectors’ Society, a secret organization whose members confirm that famous stories are anything but straightforward and that what she knows about the world is only a fraction of the truth. It’s there she discovers villains are afoot—ones who want to shelve the lives of countless beings. Assigned to work with the mysterious and alluring Finn, Alice and the rest of the Collectors’ Society race against a doomsday clock in order to prevent further destruction . . . but will they make it before all their endings are erased?

  About Heather Lyons: Heather Lyons has always had a thing for words—She’s been writing stories since she was a kid. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. Heather is a rabid music fan, as evidenced by her (mostly) music-centric blog, and she’s married to an even larger music snob. They’re happily raising three kids who are mini music fiends who love to read and be read to.      

Website ** Author Goodreads ** Twitter ** Facebook

Title: Taming Fate

Author: Amalia Dillin

Series: Fate of the Gods

Published by: World Weaver Press

Date published: June 24, 2014

Pages: 171

Genres: Adult Historical Fantasy

Steam Rating: Sweet

Main Characters: Eve & Ryam DeLeon

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“it’s Dillin’s ability to create memorable characters like Eve and Ryam that will keep me reading her stories for novels to come.”

Dylan Quinn

For the first time in her many lives, Eve would rather be anywhere but home.

In 15th Century France, Eve would have burned as a witch if it hadn’t been for the too-timely arrival of the Marquis DeLeon to save her skin. But Eve didn’t ask to be rescued, and their hasty marriage is off to anything but a smooth start. As tensions in the town grow and plague threatens, Ryam DeLeon knows if he and Eve cannot find common ground, their first Christmas may be their last.

By Dylan Quinn 

Fate of the Gods Series

Amalia Dillin’s Fate of the Gods Series is epic. Though often considered a cliche reference to novels, epic is the only word I could come up with to do the series justice. It is larger than life in most instances, spanning thousands of years with tons of historical references mingled throughout. It was clear from the beginning that Dillin had done her historical homework, and even with my Master’s in English, I often felt challenged at many turns. That said, I’ve truly enjoyed the series.

The Fate of the Gods series revolves around the many lifetimes of Adam and Eve while Taming Fate focuses on one of Eve’s more challenging lives that later becomes a foundational element of the series. When Eve left the Garden of Eden with Reu, he was charged with her protection and the DeLeon descendents throughout time continue this legacy, becoming her family that she often returns to in future lives.

Taming Fate

Taming Fate begins when the Marquis, Ryam DeLeon gets word from Thor (yes, the Norse god of Thunder, a recurring character in the series), that Eve has been charged with Witchcraft and is facing a death sentence. This leads to Ryam’s rescue of Eve and a marriage in haste in order to calm the religious factions.Obviously Eve and Ryam do not marry for love, which begins their struggle from day one. And while Eve would generally be happy to return to her DeLeon family, Ryam quickly becomes challenging, and she finds herself frustrated and looking for an escape.

So here is my take on the situation. Eve is-well, Eve. She has seen and done it all, which can be intimidating to a strong-willed man like Ryam. Having lived many lifetimes, she is a strong, confident woman who is self-sufficient and not one to expect or depend on anybody for anything. Ryam, on the other hand, is very much a man’s man. A product of his environment, he lives in a time when there are certain expectations of men and woman, and their gender roles are clear and not to be altered. When Eve challenges everything Ryam knows about life and expects of a wife, he does not take it quietly and they find themselves fighting each other at every turn.

Taming Fate explores the challenges of a developing relationship between Ryam and Eve. From my perspective, the problem is not their differences, but rather their similar personalities. Both are stubborn with high expectations, and neither is willing to compromise. This challenges them both throughout the story, ultimately becoming a lesson of letting go of their individual needs in order to find common ground, while learning to love and respect each other along the way.

I love character-driven stories and Taming Fate did not disappoint. Eve is truly an impressive woman who, despite her already expansive lifetimes of experience, still manages to evolve. The ultimate female role model, Eve is a force to be reckoned with. I cheered for her happiness and in Taming Fate, for her relationship with Ryam. Her ability to sacrifice is what makes her a truly epic character, and it is Dillin’s ability to create memorable characters like Eve and Ryam that will keep me reading her stories in the future.

Amalia Dillin

Amalia Dillin began as a Biology major before taking Latin and falling in love with old heroes and older gods. After that, she couldn’t stop writing about them, with the occasional break for more contemporary subjects. Her short stories have been published by Daily Science Fiction and Birdville magazine, and she’s also the author of the FATE OF THE GODS series and HONOR AMONG ORCS, the first book in the Orc Saga. Amalia lives in upstate New York with her husband, and dreams of the day when she will own goats — to pull her chariot through the sky, of course.

Before

In the Garden, life had been simpler. And even after, when Adam had turned them out into the wide savannah, hoping they might starve, Eve had feared little. She had walked hand in hand with Reu, the second man made, the man she loved, and they had lived by their own rules and God’s law, protected by the lions she had tamed.

It hadn’t been until much later that she had been forced to hide herself. When her children and grandchildren, and the children and grandchildren of the others who had been Created at the dawn of time had begun to spread throughout the earth, and more children were born in villages where she had never been, and where those who remembered the Garden, who remembered their journey from it, no longer lived. When the people no longer believed her, when she told them who she was. Eve, born again, to protect them, to serve them as she could. Eve, God’s daughter, the woman who had freed them from Adam’s cruelty.

They began to look upon her as some strange, broken woman, and she learned quickly that it was better to keep the truths she knew to herself. If she wanted peace. If she wanted to live among them, freely. All the more so after Michael gave them Scripture, and the blame for the loss of paradise fell upon her shoulders for the sin of being the first to eat of God’s Fruit.

Even then, it was not so terrible. She was born among her own family often enough, and they always remembered. Reu’s sons always remembered, and the lions always knew her, acting as another proof to her words. Among her family, her lions, she was always able to live as Eve, and she looked forward to those lives when she was near enough to find them. A lifetime of peace and love and honesty gave her hope for the lifetimes in which she lived by lies more than truth. But the older the world became, and the more people who lived within it, the less often she was able to return. Until she began to fear that they too, might forget her, and she had no choice but to send the lions away, for their own safety.

More than anything, Eve had always loved coming home to her House of Lions.

At least until the Marquis had found her.

———————————————————————————————————–

The man who sat across the table was a stranger. Dark hair, dark eyes, his face so familiar, and yet so different. The Marquis DeLeon showed more affection to his dogs and his horses than he did to his wife. It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried, Eve reminded herself. That he didn’t still try. But from the moment she had not thrown herself into his arms, weeping with gratitude and relief, he had been at a loss as to what to do with her, how to move forward.

Oh, they’d married, of course. And even consummated their vows, not that the Church had not been known to ignore such evidence when it suited them. Which was why the Marquis wished to have children, as quickly as possible.

And he believed simply by saying so, by announcing this desire to her, for the security of their marriage and her own personal safety, she would welcome him unreservedly to her bed. And why shouldn’t she? Weren’t children the entire point of her existence? Shouldn’t she wish to carry on her line, expand her family? She pressed her lips together to keep them from curling at the memory of his words. His entire attitude.

Arrogant, pig-headed, insufferable man. From someone else, she might have expected it, but from a DeLeon—from her husband, when he knew her for what she was, knew she was more than just Anessa, daughter of some minor nobleman from Avignon—it was all the more frustrating.

Amalia is giving away an eBook of her new release, Taming Fate from the Fate of the Gods Series as well as some SWAG! Be sure to check out the entire series-review to be featured here soon!

Fate of the Gods Series by Amalia Dillin

Forged by Fate (Fate of the Gods, 1)

Tempting Fate (Fate of the Gods, 1.5)

Fate Forgotten (Fate of the Gods, 2)

Taming Fate (Fate of the Gods, 2.5)

Beyond Fate (Fate of the Gods, 3)—Coming September 2014