Spotlight: Marked Beauty by S.A. Larsen

Uncovering hidden secrets can sometimes kill you . . . or worse, steal your soul.

Anastasia Tate has a secret. She can feel the emotions of others through their life energy auras. Not a welcome gift for a teenager. Especially when a sinister presence begins stalking her.

Viktor Castle also has a secret. He’s tasked with protecting humanity yet cursed by an ancient evil to destroy it.

After Viktor saves Ana’s life, her abilities grow stronger. Drawn together, she senses Viktor has answers to lifelong questions. Only he shuns her at every turn, knowing he has saved her only to put her in more danger.

As Ana struggles with her attraction to Viktor, he tries everything to bury his unexpected feelings for her. But they must find a middle ground. For only together can they combat the dark forces threatening both their lives . . . and their souls.

Excerpt

The air shifted, clouds tumbling in the sky. Out of nowhere, heavy mist blanketed them and quickly collected into droplets. Viktor backed from Anastasia, making way for a few students to jog between them, but he kept his eyes on her; she didn’t look away either. More kids scurried past with backpacks and blankets jostling in their arms. Sara and Finn trotted toward them.

A funnel of smoke billowed from the bonfire and, at the same time, a presence washed over Viktor; actually, it was more than one. He ripped his gaze from Anastasia to scan the area. Had someone detected his link with her? Had he been that stupid?

Energy bursts popped up all over the field, which could only mean one thing: Elementals were here, either for their own reasons or for hire; neither prospect could be good. Usually they were brought in to create diversions.

He darted a glance at Anastasia, now a few yards away. A force of hot and sticky energy slammed into them. Viktor stiffened to absorb the energy, but Anastasia’s body dropped to the craggy grass, spilling out the contents of her satchel.

Spurts of cranberry, amber, and ultramarine embers shrieked into the sky. Globs of ash and shards of wood littered the field. Students’ panic was the only music now playing in the air. Anastasia pushed to her knees, strands of hair crisscrossing her face. She coughed and gawked at the fire, horror infecting her eyes.

Viktor raced to her. As he kneeled by her side, her scream pierced him. “Can you see it?”

Her terror crimped a piece of his soul.

His eyes roved over a solid black hole of energy hovering near the flames, the tug fierce on his Rifter half knowing what he saw. Separate shadows and shades of energy fanned eel-like tails toward the sky. He’d never seen a compilation of energy that daring. The source could be anyone who dealt in energy from blood magick to witchcraft. But what had Anastasia seen?

The area lit up with sirens and blue lights brighter than the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.

“I’ll get you out of here, Anastasia.”

“Not so fast, young man,” a voice of authority said.

Glancing up, Viktor saw a security guard in all the expected attire – useless sparkles of metal and a taser harnessed on his belt, which struggled to support his donut belly. A fancy uniform did not make a man. He wondered where they got these mall cops and opened his eyes, his pupils widening and flaring with lights. Having the ability to traipse around in the psyche of others, slipping them thoughts, did have its advantages on occasion. It took a lot out of Viktor, though.

The security guard dazed, turned around, and strolled away from them.

“Anastasia, take my hand,” Viktor said.

She gazed up at him like an innocent child wanting to know why. Surprisingly, she didn’t ask any questions. But the moment her hand slipped into his, it began.

Buy on Amazon | Barnes and Noble

About the Author

S.A. LARSEN is the author of the award-winning novel Motley Education, the first book in a fantasy-adventure series for middle grade readers. Her work has appeared in numerous local publications and young adult anthologies Gears of Brass and Under A Brass Moon by Curiosity Quills Press. Marked Beauty is her debut young adult novel. Find her in the land of snowy winters and the occasional Eh’ya with her husband of over twenty-five years, four children, a playful pooch, and three kittens. Visit her cyber home anytime at www.salarsenbooks.com.

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Blog | Goodreads

Spotlight: Duke of Desire by Elizabeth Hoyt

A LADY OF LIGHT
Refined, kind, and intelligent, Lady Iris Jordan finds herself the unlikely target of a diabolical kidnapping.  Her captors are the notoriously evil Lords of Chaos.  When one of the masked-and-nude!-Lords spirits her away to his carriage, she shoots him…only to find she may have been a trifle hasty.
 
A DUKE IN DEEPEST DARKNESS
Cynical, scarred, and brooding, Raphael de Chartres, the Duke of Dyemore, has made it his personal mission to infiltrate the Lords of Chaos and destroy them.  Rescuing Lady Jordan was never in his plans.  But now with the Lords out to kill them both, he has but one choice: marry the lady in order to keep her safe.
 
CAUGHT IN A WEB OF DANGER…AND DESIRE
Much to Raphael’s irritation, Iris insists on being the sort of duchess who involes herself in his life—and bed.  Soon he’s drawn to both to her quick wit and her fiery passion.  But when Iris discovers that Raphael’s past may be even more dangerous than the present, she falters.  Is their love strong enough to withstand not only the Lords of Chaos but also Raphael’s own demons?

Excerpt

Desperately she flung herself at the opposite seat and tugged it up. Thrust her hand in.

A pistol.

She cocked it, desperately praying that it was loaded.

She turned and aimed it at the door to the carriage just as the door swung open.

The Wolf loomed in the doorway—still nude—a lantern in one hand. She saw the eyes behind the mask flick to the pistol she held between her bound hands. He turned his head and said something in an incomprehensible language to someone outside.

Iris felt her breath sawing in and out of her chest.

He climbed into the carriage and closed the door, completely ignoring her and the pistol pointed at him. The Wolf hung the lantern on a hook and sat on the seat across from her.

Finally he glanced at her. “Put that down.”

His voice was calm. Quiet.

With just a hint of menace.

She backed into the opposite corner, as far away from him as possible, holding the pistol up. Level with his chest. Her heart was pounding so hard it nearly deafened her. “No.”

The carriage jolted into motion, making her stumble before she caught herself.

“T-tell them to stop the carriage,” she said, stuttering with terror despite her resolve. “Let me go now.”

“So that they can rape you to death out there?” He tilted his head to indicate the Lords. “No.”

“At the next village, then.”

“I think not.”

He reached for her and she knew she had no choice.

She shot him.

The blast blew him into the seat and threw her hands up and back, the pistol narrowly missing her nose.

Iris scrambled to her feet. The bullet was gone, but she could still use the pistol as a bludgeon.

The Wolf was sprawled across the seat, blood streaming from a gaping hole in his right shoulder. His mask had been knocked askew on his face.

She reached forward and snatched it off.

And then gasped.

The face that was revealed had once been as beautiful as an angel’s but was now horribly mutilated. A livid red scar ran from just below his hairline on the right side of his face, bisecting the eyebrow, somehow missing the eye itself but gouging a furrow into the lean cheek and catching the edge of his upper lip, making it twist. The scar ended in a missing divot of flesh in the line of the man’s severe jaw. He had inky black hair and, though they were closed now, Iris knew he had emotionless crystal-gray eyes.

She knew because she recognized him.

He was Raphael de Chartres, the Duke of Dyemore, and when she’d danced with him—once—three months ago at a ball, she’d thought he’d looked like Hades.

God of the underworld.

God of the dead.

She had no reason to change her opinion now.

Then he gasped, those frozen crystal eyes opened, and he glared at her. “You idiot woman. I’m trying to save you.”

Buy on Amazon | Barnes and Noble

About the Author

Elizabeth Hoyt is the New York Times bestselling author of over seventeen lush historical romances including the Maiden Lane series. Publishers Weekly has called her writing "mesmerizing." She also pens deliciously fun contemporary romances under the name Julia Harper. Elizabeth lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with three untrained dogs, a garden in constant need of weeding, and the long-suffering Mr. Hoyt.

Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Excerpt: This Dark Light by Nazarea Andrews

When their business partner and friend Scott dies, brothers Austin and Ezra retreat from the world, to regroup, to write a book, to grieve. They return to Lightpointe, a tiny village where Scott grew up, and take up residence in an abandoned lighthouse.

While Austin is drawn into the eccentric seaside village they live on the outskirts of, Ezra loses himself in the pain of his best friend’s death. He wanders the beach and their lighthouse, stuck in his grief and the life he left behind, until a handsome stranger on the beach intrigues him. He strikes up a friendship with the eccentric Milo, a quiet distraction as his brother begins dating again.

Both Austin and Ezra are falling in love. But as Austin learns more about the village, it becomes clear that Milo is hiding things about his past. 

And losing someone else might destroy Ezra. 

Excerpt

The days take on a kind of rhythm. I wake too early and spend an hour on the beach, drinking coffee and watching the waves, wishing like hell my best friend was at my side. Then I stumble back in, cold and windblown, and Austin will coax me out for breakfast. Then we’ll go our separate ways, like we can’t be around each other too long before we have to break apart, the weight of our dead friend driving us into different circles.
    I try to not think too hard about where Austin is going, about what he’s doing to cope with the grief that should be getting easier to bear, except it’s not. The kid has a good head on his shoulders, and I’m pretty sure whatever he’s doing, it’s more geeky than it is dangerous.
    At least he isn’t turning into a closet alcoholic, anyway. He’s ahead of me in the game if that's the case.
    The truth is I am trying. There are days where I can't breathe for the pain, the crushing loss. There are days when Austin can’t pull me out of my nest on the couch, and I feel bad about it every time it happens, but I also can’t make it stop.
    Austin sits close and quiet, until the pain recedes enough for me to emerge from the blankets and then he retreats, not bothering to acknowledge the awkward thanks I nod at him.
    But for the most part, I function. Gingerly. There are missteps and setbacks, but I function.
    Slowly.
    Painfully.
    I live. 

Buy on Amazon | Barnes and Noble

About the Author

Nazarea Andrews (N to almost everyone) is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. Which means she writes everything from zombies and dystopia to contemporary love stories.

When not writing, she can most often be found driving her kids to practice and burning dinner while she reads, or binge watching TV shows on Netflix. N loves chocolate, wine, and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids.

N is a self-professed geek and enjoys spending her spare time lost in her favorite fandoms and can often be found babbling about them on social media.

She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, spoiled cat and overgrown dog. She is the author of World Without End series, Neverland Found, Edge of the Falls, and The University of Branton Series. Stop by her twitter (@NazareaAndrews) and tell her what fantastic book she should read next.

Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Spotlight: Enduring You by S. T. Heller

Do any of us truly know the people we love and trust?

Keegan Henderson married the love of her life—twice.

And divorced him—twice. 

An intelligent and high-spirited thirty-four-year-old, Keegan finds herself once again living with her parents while juggling her duties as a mother to her preteen son and discovering who she is as a newly single woman.

Her ex-husband, Will, a state police investigator working undercover, is a man with a past. His buried secrets are catching up with him, forcing their way into his present, and as a result, he chooses to deceive those he loves in order to protect them.

On her journey to moving on, Keegan has a chance meeting with Jack Grady, a local firefighter, and their attraction to each other is one that neither can deny. But Jack also has baggage of his own that is proving to be too much for Keegan to handle.

As their vulnerabilities are exposed, a series of unexpected events occurs, shattering lives along the way.

Buy on Amazon | Barnes and Noble

About the Author

S.T. Heller was born and raised in Maryland. She now lives on a lake in southern Pennsylvania with her husband and dog. Retired from a local school system, she has two children and five grandchildren. Along with enjoying fun times on the lake with family and friends, her other pastimes include quilting and making pottery. She loves the sound of her grandchildren’s laughter, daydreaming on a beach by the water’s edge, getting lost in a good book, and floating on the lake at sunset.
 
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Spotlight & Audio Excerpt: Come Back to Me by Kathy Coopmans

From USA Today Bestselling Author Kathy Coopmans comes a soul crushing story of second chance love. 

Come Back To Me.

What does one do when everyone you love dies?
How much is a woman supposed to take before she crumbles?
How much?
Adriana Jensen is the woman to ask.
She’s lost too many people to count.
The one death that destroyed her the most
was her husband's.

Only... he didn't die.

What does one do when forced to walk away from his wife?
How much will it take to win her back?
How much?
Blake Jensen, Adriana's estranged husband, is the man to ask.
He has one question to ask himself.
How much will it take for her to come back to me?

Excerpt

Buy on Amazon

About the Author: Kathy Coopmans

USA Today Best Selling Author Kathy Coopmans is a Michigan native where she lives with her husband, Tony. They have two son's Aaron and Shane.
She is a sports nut. Her favorite sports include NASCAR, Baseball, and Football.
She has recently retired from her day job to become a full-time writer.
She has always been an avid reader and at the young age of 50 decided she wanted to write. She claims she can do several things at once and still stay on task. Her favorite quote is "I got this."

Connect: FacebookTwitterGoodreads

About the Narrator: Lacy Laurel

Lacy lives the life of a full time wife, mother and household manager. Needing a temporary escape from time to time Lacy returned back to her first love - reading! After devouring everything she could get her hands on she thought, -what if she could mix her love of performance and literature in a professional capacity? Once getting involved in the world of book narration she quickly became hooked and when not with her family you can find her in her studio working hard to grow in her own storytelling abilities.

Connect: WebsiteFacebookTwitter

About the Narrator: Logan McAllister

Logan McAllister first stepped into a sound booth in college while working part time for his school TV station. From those humble beginnings many years ago, and after many, many hours of study under some truly great coaches and teachers, he has developed a portfolio that includes multiple bestselling audiobooks, along with successful commercials, interviews, teasers, animation characters and the like. When he is not working long hours in the studio, Logan likes to stay active. For something completely different from his day job, he loves training, coaching and competing in mixed martial arts -- keeping the body fit and the mind clear helps him return to the mic refreshed and ready to bring stories to life!

Spotlight: The Skin Above My Knee by Marcia Butler

Classical oboist and debut author Marcia Butler recalls her earliest memory of music at just four years old. That’s when she first experienced the life-altering impact of music, a feeling she could only describe as a sublime, “squishy giddiness” felt deep within her core as she listened to her mother’s opera LPs. Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde resounded through their suburban Massachusetts home while her mother’s vacuum hummed along during weekend housework, and Butler was transported to a new world.  

Now, in her haunting, brutally honest, and beautiful memoir, THE SKIN ABOVE MY KNEE (Little, Brown; February 21, 2017 ISBN: 978-0-316-39228-0; $27.00 hardcover), Marcia Butler shares just how a young woman becomes a brilliant musician and a true artist. Growing up in an emotionally desolate home with an abusive father and a distant mother she longed to connect with, Butler was magnetically drawn to the oboe—an interest that marked her as unique among her fellow band students. She devoted herself to the discipline and rigor of learning the oboe and practiced obsessively. She quickly became a young prodigy, earning a full scholarship to music conservatory in New York City, and dove headfirst into the hyper-competitive classical music world.

Butler paints a vivid portrait of the sacrifices and joys of a life in music. She chronicles her troubling childhood and her desperate and frugal years in music conservatory, in which her staple meal of the day consisted solely of a head of iceberg lettuce—and then recounts the new challenges that arose as she became an in-demand freelance musician, who performed and recorded with such musical luminaries as pianist Andre Watts, soprano Dawn Upshaw, and jazz pianist/composer Keith Jarrett. She also performed with prestigious orchestras, as a soloist and chamber musician, at Carnegie Hall and on Broadway. Along the way, she succumbed to dangerous, abusive men, drugs, and a pattern of self-destructive behavior. She also grappled with illness and estrangement from her parents and her sister. But despite her turbulent life, Butler asked, in her darkest moments: could music truly save me?

THE SKIN ABOVE MY KNEE exquisitely depicts just how far beauty and art can take us. With fascinating insight into both the intense devotion and laser-like precision necessary for a career in professional music and the grit and glamour of chasing dreams in 1970s and 80s NYC, Butler’s searing memoir is ultimately the story of a true survivor.  

Excerpt

Seated inside a prestigious church on the Upper East Side of New York City, you prepare to begin a concert marathon of music called the St. Matthew Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach, telling the story of Jesus’s death on the cross. You’re not religious, yet religious content is immaterial to the profundity of the music. Nearly three hours long, the work requires you to play all three instruments in the oboe family: the oboe; the oboe d’amore, pitched a third below the oboe; and the English horn, pitched a fifth below the oboe. And yes, you have to make different reeds for each instrument.

For weeks, you prepare. You make lots of reeds in order to get exactly the right ones—those that will hold up and have the endurance necessary to perform this marathon work. Because it has numerous solo arias for the oboe, the Passion gives you a prominent voice. It’s like playing a concerto, many concertos, over the span of a three-hour concert. You want to put your own stamp of artistry on it yet at the same time be in service to the master composer of all time: Bach.

But there’s the endurance issue that worries you—and worries every oboist. Your mouth, your embouchure, which is the position of the mouth around the reed, has built up rigid, strong muscles over time, and you can surely play for long periods. But it is just muscle, after all, and you do get tired on occasion. And that is not a happy sensation, especially during a concert. The St. Matthew Passion tests the endurance of all oboists.

You are now into the performance at about the two-and-ahalf-hour mark. Jesus, hanging on the cross, has died a few minutes before. Your right arm begins to go tingly and numb. The heavy weight of the English horn and the position of your right arm cause this. You are about to play the big chorus with bass solo and orchestra, which is one of your favorite sections. But your mouth is extremely tired, and you are very worried that you won’t be able to get through the piece. Or even hold up your instrument.

The music restarts; you begin. The whole orchestra, and the chorus and the soloists, must sense the strain of the evening. Then, what feels like a cloud of energy begins to gather at your feet, milky and vaporous. And as you play, this cloud spreads across the floor and envelops the whole orchestra. And you are aware that not only do you have the energy required to play, your mouth also feels as if it is not even on your face. Your right arm is suspended as if by an invisible sling. And as you play and notice these unusual sensations, you look around the orchestra and imagine that every person playing is buoyed by the same incredible energy and life force. And you’re hearing all the notes, every single note, being played and sung by everyone. But not only that: you also hear or sense all the spaces between the notes.

You suddenly understand that there is no separation or distinction between the notes, the spaces between the notes, and the people playing the notes and the people listening to the notes and the church and the street and the city and the earth. Maybe even the universe. You understand in this very brief period of time that Bach’s intimate portrayal of the death of Jesus is one way to become connected to the universe. And you hold on to this for the rest of the concert. As you silently leave the stage after the concert, you look at the other musicians, wondering if they, too, understood or sensed what happened. It is art and it is love, communicated through the soul of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Buy on Amazon | Barnes and Noble

About the Author

Marcia Butler is the debut author of the nationally acclaimed memoir, The Skin Above My Knee. She was a professional oboist for twenty-five years until her retirement in 2008. During her musical career, she performed as a principal oboist and soloist on the most renowned of New York and international stages, with many high-profile musicians and orchestras – including pianist Andre Watts, and composer and pianist Keith Jarrett. Marcia was a 2015 recipient of a Writer-in-Residence through Aspen Words and the Catto Shaw Foundation. Her work has been published in Literary Hub, PANK Magazine, Psychology Today Magazine, The Aspen Institute, BioStories and others. She lives in New York City.