SPOTLIGHT w/INTERVIEW - PNR - Guardians (Touched by Light, #1) by Lindsay Chamberlin

Guardians

Touched by Light, #1

by Lindsay Chamberlin

Date of Publication: October 31st 2018

Cover Artist: Jake Clark

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Tagline: You can save her. Follow your Light.

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Riley had spent her entire life terrified of the shadows and darkness that followed her everywhere she went. They ruined her chances at a normal childhood and tormented her throughout her teenage years, labeling her the freak in her hometown, but now was her chance to start over. After receiving her acceptance letter from Bradford University, a chance at a new life and new friends in a town far away from home filled Riley with such hope for the future, but never had she dreamed of meeting the most gorgeous guy on campus. Not only was he attractive, but the shadows were chased away whenever he was near. Riley hoped she could hold on to him, but how could she hope for so much when she had only ever had so little?

Reymend may look like just another student at Bradford University, but his world was greater than any mortal could understand. He was blessed by the Light, trained to be a Guardian, a warrior against the shadows of Midnight that plagued Touched souls in the never ending battle of Light and darkness. It was his duty to protect those souls, and his next Charge was Riley. She didn’t understand the shadows that followed her relentlessly, but one day, she was going to be stronger than any Guardian in the history of the Light, if the darkness didn’t claim her first.

READ MORE . . . GUARDIANS (Touched by Light, #1) . . . 

TOUR w/EXCERPT - Duchess By Design (The Gilded Age Girls Club, #1) by Maya Rodale

Duchess By Design

The Gilded Age Girls Club

by Maya Rodale

Publication Date: October 23rd 2018

Publisher: Avon Books

Genre: Adult, Historical Romance

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In Gilded Age Manhattan, anything can happen…

Seeking a wealthy American bride who can save his family’s estate, Brandon Fiennes, the duke of Kingston, is a rogue determined to do the right thing. But his search for an heiress goes deliciously awry when an enchanting seamstress tumbles into his arms instead.

…And true love is always in fashion

Miss Adeline Black aspires to be a fashionable dressmaker—not a duchess—and not even an impossibly seductive duke will distract her. But Kingston makes an offer she can’t refuse: join him at society events to display her gowns and advise him on which heiresses are duchess material. 

It’s the perfect plan–as long as they resist temptation, avoid a scandal and above all do not lose their hearts.

RED MORE - Duchess By Design (The Gilded Age Girls Club, #1) . . .

SPOTLIGHT w/INTERVIEW - PRN - The Harpist by Michele Roger and M. M. Genet

The Harpist

by Michele Roger and M. M. Genet

Date of Publication: September 20th 2018

Publisher: Meant To Be Press

Cover Artist: Joshua Roger

Genre: Paranormal Romance

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Elizabeth O’ Toole has finally gotten her life where she likes it.  She plays harp for the local symphony.  She shops high fashion labels at vintage stores.  She’d recovered from her tragic past and she has her friends Catherine and Alan to thank.  After suppressing her extra sensory perception with intense study of her harp, she finds her music is suddenly connecting with a new audience; particularly a young girl, Emma Brady, who has been murdered.  With each ghostly visit, the hauntings grow more intense and more terrifying. 

Investigating the case is ruggedly handsome Detective Mike Flannery.  Known for his fast thinking and bravery on the force, he has his own past and reputation he’s trying to keep at bay.  Coming from a rich and powerful family, he’s out to prove he can fight for justice ny being a good cop rather than moving up the ranks through nepotism.  Mike and Elizabeth’s paths collide at Emma’s funeral.

The daughter of a Senator, the family wishes to the investigation done quickly and quietly.  Mike can’t close the case because some of the pieces just don’t fit together.  Elizabeth holds the key to the murder mystery but will be believe her and her unusual connection to the dead victim?  Will she and Alan find a way for the dead to tell their stories?

A novel that spans two worlds and two time periods, this book is one part science fiction, one part paranormals mystery and all romance.  Intertwined is a love story of the most unlikely couple.  A killer is on the loose and both Elizabeth and Mike are on the hit list.  If they work together, Mike just might solve the case before more people fall victim.  But he can’t do it alone.  He’ll need the help of Elizabeth as she connects her living world to that of the dead.  She’ll need Mike’s protection and he’ll the talent and bravery of The Harpist.

READ MORE . . . THE HARPIST . . .

TOUR - GONE HUNTING (Weird Girls, #0.3) by Cecy Robson

GONE HUNTING

Weird Girls, #0.3 

by Cecy Robson
Publication Date: October 24th 2018
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Standalone, Prequel

Discover Cecy Robson’s sensational Weird Girls series for the first time—or go back to the beginning …

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The rest of the werewolf pack might consider Aric Connor to be omniscient and destined to save the world when evil returns to claim it. But for the most part, fifteen-year-old Aric ignores the confirmations of his powers, taking everything in stride until he meets her.

Celia Wird wasn’t supposed to awaken naked in the mountains of Colorado, not when she was just stalking her prey in a filthy alley several states away. She especially wasn’t supposed to meet Aric, the handsome werewolf who comes to her aid.

As a supernatural tasked with protecting the earth, Aric sympathizes with Celia’s dangerous situation. He’s also struck by her beauty and kindness. Yet, as much as Aric welcomes Celia, her arrival isn’t a peaceful one.

Dark forces stir in Celia’s presence, resolute on killing her. Aric and his inner beast are adamant about keeping Celia safe and with them. But there’s a time and a place for love, and Aric and Celia might not survive long enough to find it.

*NOTE* Gone Hunting is a prequel to the Weird Girls urban fantasy series. It can be read as a standalone.

READ MORE  . . . GONE HUNTING (Weird Girls, #.3) . . . 

BOOK BLITZ - LGBTQ+ - Nova Praetorian by N.R. Walker

Nova Praetorian

by N.R. Walker 

Publication date: October 26th 2018

Genres: Adult, Historical, LGBTQ+

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Quintus Furius Varus is one of the best lanistas in Rome. Tall and strong in build, fearsome in manner, and sharp of wit, he trains the best gladiators bound for the arenas of Rome. When Senator Servius Augendus seeks personal guards, he attends the Ludus Varus for purchase of the very best. He puts to Quintus an offer he cannot refuse, and Quintus finds himself in Neapolis, contracted as a trainer of guards instead of gladiators.

Kaeso Agorix was taken from his homelands of Iberia and delivered to Rome as a slave. Bought by a senator to be trained as a guard, his fate is handed to the man who would train him. Absent free will, Kaeso knows his life is no longer his own, though he soon realises the gods have favoured him when he learns his new master has a kind heart.

Quintus and Kaeso forge a bond that far exceeds the collar at Kaeso’s neck, and together they discover the senator’s move for promotion has an ulterior motive. Thrown into a world of politics and conspiracy, of keeping enemies close, they move against time to save Rome before traitors and the gods themselves see to their end.

And in doing so, see the dawn of the nova praetorian—the new guard—rise.

READ MORE . . . LGBTQ+ - Nova Praetorian . . .

BOOK BLTIZ - YA DYSTOPOIA - Sunscorched (Subterranean Series, #1) by Jen Crane

Sunscorched

Subterranean Series, #1

by Jen Crane

Publication date: October 23rd 2018

Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy, Young Adult

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Death at daylight. Danger at dark.

Life can’t possibly get more treacherous than a violent sun allergy in a solar-blighted world. At least that’s what seventeen-year-old Nori Chisholm thought before news of an impending sunscorch delivered her death sentence.

Desperate to survive the scorch, she’s forced to shelter underground and discovers a secret subterranean world where life is hard, and so are the people. Betrayed and left for dead by the man who pledged to help her, Nori is sold to a gritty pit fighting ring. There she makes a friend—and plenty of enemies.

Speeding by motorcycle through the underground world, Nori makes a shocking discovery that shatters everything she thought she knew. Can she use the knowledge to save what’s left of the world?

Winner of the Rosemary Award for excellence in young adult fiction, Sunscorched is a tale of survival and self-discovery at breakneck speed. Fans of Bella Forrest and Marie Lu, who crave dangerous heroes and dark secrets, will love the Sunscorched world.

READ MORE . . . SUNSCORCHED (Subterranean, #1) . . . 

BOOK BLITZ - CYBERPUNK - Light Tripper by Jo-Anne Tomlinson

Light Tripper

by Jo-Anne Tomlinson

Publication date: October 23rd 2018

Genres: Cyberpunk, Science Fiction

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In the 23rd century, bounty hunter, Sal Tripp is a girl with simple needs.

A decent replicated meal, a bullet-free head and keeping her ability to manipulate kinetic energy under wraps.


No easy task when your home is Morpheus, a sleazy band of planets populated by the scum of the outer systems or when your father is the infamous Morgan Tripp, a once proud pilot in the Planetary Alliance, now reduced to a drug addicted, has-been who owes credits to every gangster in the galaxy.


The upside? Light Tripper, their derelict ship. For Sal it is freedom and adventure, and when they get their hands on a new jump drive, it might even get them to Earth, which Sal has heard is beautiful and green.


That is until the day Light Tripper’s thrusters kick the bucket, delivering them right into the hands of the system’s most ruthless crime boss and crossing their path with a hardened soldier who knows far more about Sal and Morgan than he should. Then they find themselves face-to-face with the Planetary Alliance, who may not be the humble saviours the galaxy takes them for.


It’s up to Sal to clean up Morgan’s mess one more time and not get herself killed in the process. But with her powers evolving and the truths of her past threatening to undo her future, just who can Sal trust in a system where it’s every scumbag for themselves?

READ MORE . . . LIGHT TRIPPER . . .

BOOK BLITZ - MYSTERY THRILLER - A Heritage of Death (A Reverend Cici Gurule Mystery, #2) by Alexa Padgett

A Heritage of Death

(A Reverend Cici Gurule Mystery, #2)

by Alexa Padgett

Publication date: October 23rd 2018

Genres: Adult, Mystery, Thriller

An unconventional pastor. A brutal murder. To solve the case, one reverend will look for help from beyond the grave…

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Reverend Cecelia “Cici” Gurule dreams of a bruised and bloodied woman who looks alarmingly like Cici. She’d like to pretend the dream is a nightmare and nothing more, but there are too many coincidences in her waking life to write it off. Like the baby that turns up on her porch–a baby that disappeared weeks before.

Cici and Detective Sam Chastain race to find the woman, but the killer finds her first. As the trail grows cold, Cici’s only chance to solve the mystery before she becomes the next target may be a clue left by her ghostly twin.

A Heritage of Death is the second novel in a compelling female sleuth mystery series for fans of Ruth Ware and Gilly MacMillan. If you like convention-shattering heroines, vivid Southwest settings, and a touch of the paranormal, then you’ll love Alexa Padgett’s twisty mystery.

READ MORE . . . A HERITAGE OF DEATH (A Reverend Cici Gurule Mystery, #2) . . . 

BOOK BLITZ - MYSTERY - I Know You Like a Murder by Amy L. Sauder

I Know You Like a Murder

by Amy L. Sauder

Publication date: October 23rd 2018

Genres: Adult, Mystery

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A narrator always gets to know the reader before spilling their deepest secret.

I am a murderer.

She was just a silly nothing of a girl until I made her rise to fame. A pennything.

So, reader: sit down, cozy up. I’d offer a cup of tea, but you may worry it’s poisoned, and you may be correct.


But I can’t just tell you how she died. That’s too easy. Too quick. Buckle up: you’re in for a villainous monologue.


READ MORE . . . I KNOW YOU LIKE A MURDER . . . 

SPOTLIGHT w/Top 10 Literary Inspirations - Aries' Red Sky (Vergassy Chronicles, #1) by James Young Narrator: Jennifer Jill Araya

Aries' Red Sky

Vergassy Chronicles, #1

by James Young

Narrator: Jennifer Jill Araya
Length: 16 hours and 21 minutes
Released: August 27th 2018

Publisher: James L. Young Jr.
Genre: Science Fiction; Space Opera

Author James Young's Top 10 Literary Inspirations

#1 Alas, Babylon I read this book as a child and it’s always stuck with me. Frank does a very good job of dealing with disaster without sinking into the proverbial “grimdark” of later works. 

#2 Dies the Fire Another disaster book. This one really highlights S.M. Stirling’s writing style and his ability to make ordinary people into heroes. If I won the lottery and never had to work again in my life, this would be a series I would catch up on with my newfound spare time. 

#3 Red Storm Rising Another influence when I was young. I’ve always liked Clancy’s decision to go with the omniscient third person when necessary to convey the chaos that is unfolding across an entire engagement. 

#4 Robotech Series When I’m doing my elevator pitch for the Vergassy series, I tell people it’s like “Battlestar Galactica, Aliens, and Robotech thrown into a blender.” A small, niche fandom, the novelizations were written by multiple people under the pseudonym “Jack McKinney.” Regardless of who was doing things, this was a huge influence on me with regards to how I conceptualize space combat. 

#5 The Big E Although Barrett Tillman’s Enterprise takes advantage of a broader interview base on scholarship, this is a book that I consider the “gold standard” for recounting a vessel’s history. As with all my books, there are elements of it that interweave individual ship’s actions and discussion of their crews.

#6 The Girl With the Silver Eyes I liked this one for the way that Willo Roberts got us into the character’s mind and motivation. A good example of an outsider feeling so different...then realizing it’s a big world out there and that means there’s lots of other folks like oneself. 

#7 Bridge to Teribithia This was one of the first books I remember ever making me cry. In that way, it taught me the proper method for conducting a character’s demise, i.e., it serves the plot and cuts the reader. 

#8 The Impending Crisis, 1848-1861 A grim, somber walk through as to how the United States went from a nation with minor friction to folks actively shooting at one another in less than a decade. Does a very good job of showing how the majority of the country did not want a no kidding Civil War...yet the nation got one just the same. This helps to understand how people can so demonize and mischaracterize the other sides’ actions that it’s almost impossible to reconcile without a major defeat. 

#9 This Kind of War This book lays out the price of unpreparedness versus having a combat mindset. With regards to Aries’ Red Sky, I do model some of the Confederation Fleet’s unpreparedness off of the same issues the United States Army had in 1950. Preparedness is a mindset. 

#10 Team Yankee This is another “World War Three” novel. Unlike Red Storm Rising, it is very focused at the small unit level. I loved it in high school before I even left to join the Army. After I became an officer, I realized Harold Coyle really did have a good grip on small unit interactions and craziness. 

Honorable Mention-- When Worlds Collide / After Worlds Collide (Toss up so I just added both) This is the go to book for “The world is ending.” While it’s somewhat dated (from the 1930s), it’s somewhat prescient in how it foresees the horrors that the “European fascists” are capable of. While it’s down the road, one of the prequel novellas for my series will have several homages to these two books.

READ MORE . . . ARIES' RED SKY (Vergassy Chronicles, #1) . . . 

BOOK BLITZ - NA THRILLER - If She Were Blind (The After Twelve, #1) by Laney Wylde

If She Were Blind

The After Twelve, #1

by Laney Wylde

Publication date: October 22nd 2018

Published by: Crimson Tree Publishing

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance, Thriller

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Not everyone can get justice the traditional way—that’s where Estlyn Collins comes in. A young lawyer in Santa Monica, her “legal” service, After Twelve, works outside the courtroom to tip the scales when the justice system has failed.

For a price.

Thanks to her powerful underground network, Estlyn’s success rate is stellar, and her inbox stays filled with inquires from the desperate and vengeful. But when one of those names is a ghost from her past seeking vengeance against her, she’s shaken to her core. Off balance and scared to be alone, she makes an impulsive move for a guy. He’s a complication she doesn’t have time for, but it turns out he may also be an unlikely—if unwitting—asset.

Treading the rapidly thinning line between personal and professional, Estlyn pursues her target while outrunning the one on her own back—only to find she may be running into a lot more than she bargained for.

IF SHE WERE BLIND is the first book in the engaging New Adult series AFTER TWELVE by author Laney Wylde. Perfect for fans of the television shows REVENGE, SCANDAL, and VERONICA MARS, the AFTER TWELVE Series is a gritty social-issue drama that delivers steamy romance, intrigue, and the most bittersweet revenge plots. Estlyn’s determination to right every wrong is sure to quench your thirst for justice, yet leave you wanting more.

READ MORE . . . IF SHE WERE BLIND (The After Twelve, #1) . . . 

SPOTLIGHT w/EXCERPT - The Butterfly Bride (Advertisements For Love) by Vanessa Riley

The Butterfly Bride

Advertisements For Love Series

by Vanessa Riley

Publication Date: October 22nd 2018

Publisher: Entangled Amara

Genre: Adult, Historical Romance

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Frederica Burghley wants to be married by Yuletide. Or else her father will set her up with one of his friends. The bonbon-loving illegitimate daughter of the duke wants to choose her own husband. 

Advertising in the newspaper seems like the way to go. But a sinister response, with threats against her life, leads her to enlist the help of her very handsome, dear friend Jasper Fitzwilliam, Lord Hartwell.

A father and widower, Jasper is not only tasked with keeping Frederica safe but also with helping his vibrant friend choose a suitable husband. The more he tries to keep the ever-surprising woman alive and find her a good match, the more Jasper realizes he cares for her. The two friends risk their lives for each other, so they should be able to risk their feelings for a chance at a deep and true love together. But he’s not looking for marriage and she’s not looking for convenience.

READ MORE . . . THE BUTTERFLY BRIDE (Advertisements For Love) . . . 

Haunted Halloween Spooktacular - Enchanting Yuletide: A Multi-Author Anthology

From Children of the Moon

By Jena Baxter

Moonlight shines within my soul

Musical notes splash color

Violin, piano, from worlds of old

Stirs new life with blossoming wonder

Seabirds call in the distant sky

Warm breath of forgotten lovers

My heart stands with awe and wonder

Lost in a web of finest silk

Notes spiral through twilight endless

In a fine-spun web of enchantment.

READ MORE . . . Enchanting Yuletide: A Multi-Author Anthology . . . 

Haunted Halloween Spooktacular - Diamond Moon (Black Hills Wolves, #12) by Celia Breslin

Celia’s Picks for Halloween Binge-worthy Shows

My family loves to binge-watch paranormal movies and TV shows for Halloween, especially those involving vampires and werewolves. Here are our top ten picks for your All Hallows’ Eve viewing pleasure…

1. The Underworld movies.  Love all of those digitally rendered Lycans!

2. Wolf (1994), starring Jack Nicholson. Seriously, it’s *Jack Nicholson*. Enough said. :-)

3. An American Werewolf in London (1981).  Classic.

4. The Lost Boys (1987).  Naughty vampires, wicked good fun.

5.  Blade (1998).  Action!

6. From Dusk Till Dawn, (1996).  And more action!

7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series and its spin-off, Angel. Vampires, werewolves, and more, oh my!  Joss Whedon rules.

8. Vampire Diaries TV series and its spin-off, The Originals.  Sexy, naughty vampires, kickass werewolves, and a whole slew of entertaining witches.

9.  True Blood TV series. Vamps, wolves, witches, and the fae. Fun, funny, dark, and bloody.

10. One last movie, and my all-time fav, The Cabin in the Woods (2012).  Funny, a bit scary with some good and creepy transformation effects, and chock-full of great lines such as:  “Yeah, uh, I had to dismember that guy with a trowel. What have you been up to?” and, “Hey, shh, no. I totally get it. I’m sorry I let you get attacked by a werewolf and then ended the world.”

READ MORE . . . Diamond Moon (Black Hills Wolves, #12) . . .

Haunted Halloween Spooktacular - Immortal Descent by Carolyn M. Walker

Immortal Descent

by Carolyn M. Walker

Release Date: April 3rd 2018

Publisher: Clean Reads / Astrea Press
Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy

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Deep in the caves of rural Western Germany, the truth about immortality has remained a secret for centuries, but now that secret is about to break free...

Ethan West knows what it means to be different. With a haunted past and a strange sixth sense he sometimes can’t control, Ethan’s in search of a better future. Instead, he’s brutally attacked. Narrowly saved by the beautiful and mysterious Rue, Ethan quickly learns the world is darker and more bizarre than he had ever imagined. And sparing his life comes with a price: being reborn immortal. Now, a dark faction of ancient, cursed immortal beings known as Lorns are after him. And they want his rare, newly awakened soul.

Descended from the mythological Nephilim, Lorns are bound by either the divine force of order or the mortal force of chaos. Ethan is a rarity, bound by neither, yet he is ruled by both. Now, wielding an ancient and volatile power, Rue and her Alliance work to keep Ethan from spiraling out of control. At the heart of a terrifying underground war between Lorns, Ethan becomes the target of one side and a savior to the other. Amid everything, Ethan struggles to understand his own purpose and power—an ordeal that tests his loyalties, beliefs, and sanity in ways unimaginable. And the greatest danger is yet to come.

READ MORE . . . Immortal Descent . . .

Haunted Halloween Spooktacular - Prince of Dreams (House of Terriot, #4) by Nancy Gideon

Prince of Dreams

House of Terriot, #4

by Nancy Gideon

Date of Publication: October 2nd 2018

Cover Artist: Patricia Lazarus

Genre: Paranormal

Tagline:  Written in the cards . . . Who was this guy, her rescuer, her hero, her knight in shining 2-carats?

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Kip . . . Prince in the shapeshifter House of Terriot

He'd said he wasn't a mobster. . . She should have asked if he was a monster.

Who was this too good to be true, always ready in a crisis guy working a menial job for her father? Ophelia knew things. Something was not quite normal about the Kip Terriot hiding behind another name in lace-up dress shoes and a preppy wardrobe – something wild and exciting as all hell. A dangerous something calling to that restless difference in her own soul.

Ophelia . . . daughter of his enemy, girl of his dreams

So sassy, so sweet so perfect . . . and what he had to do would destroy her.

Kip was in New Orleans to save his clan and his kind, not to play white knight for Ophelia Brady with her quirky habits, curvy body and tormented past. His deception would rip the heart from her world, not help heal it. Was his family’s nemesis using his own daughter to make Kip the played instead of the player, pulling him between love and duty to make an impossible choice?

“Emotionally captivating! A brilliant conclusion to a unique series!” – Book Bling

READ MORE . . . Prince of Dreams . . .

Haunted Halloween Spooktacular - Haven (Tranquilli Bloodline, #1) by Celia Breslin

Celia’s Bewitching Halloween Tale

I grew up listening to my Irish grandmother’s stories about the Fae, including her encounter with a Banshee in her family’s cellar when she was a teenager. Of her many stories, this is my favorite, and I love to share it every Halloween.  Enjoy!

Bumped by the Banshee

by Celia Breslin

… I lived in a large two-story house with my parents, younger sister, and grandmother. It was a cold, winter evening, nothing special or out of the ordinary. My family dined together, then my sister and I cleaned up while our parents and grandmother drank tea. We joined them at the dining table to do our homework, but my grandmother said she was tired and went upstairs to bed. My parents followed shortly after that, but my father paused on the landing.

“Maeve, it’s going to be a cold night. Fetch us some coal, please.”

I abandoned my homework, grabbed the empty coal bucket from the kitchen, and went down into the cellar. I filled my bucket and returned to the stairs. I had one foot on the first step when the temperature in the cellar, already cold, dropped dramatically. Chills ran down my back. Behind me, someone moaned.

But how could that be? I was alone...

Terror rooted me to the spot. The keening grew louder. I dropped my bucket and covered my ears. A cold wind bumped against my back. I stumbled forward as the shrieking wind rushed over me and up the stairs.

But how could that be? The cellar had no windows...

Above me, the cellar door slammed shut. The sound broke me from my stupor. I screamed and ran up the stairs and out of the cellar, through the kitchen and dining room, and up the stairs to my room. My parents and sister found me under my bed, shaking like a puppy lost in a snowstorm.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” They asked me, while pulling me from my hiding place.

“I heard the Banshee wail.”

We stared at each other in silence, all of us reaching the same conclusion moments later. We hurried to my grandmother’s room.

She was dead.

Copyright 2018, Celia Breslin. All rights reserved.

READ MORE . . . Haven (Tranquilli Bloodline, #1) . . .