Book Blitz: Sister of Embers & Echoes by Annie Anderson

Sister of Embers & Echoes
Annie Anderson
(Rogue Ethereal, #4)
Publication date: January 17th 2020
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

Demons, murder, and a trip straight to Hell…

I thought I’d get a little time off before the veritable poop hit the fan, but fate — or rather the Fates — have other ideas. The witch who tried to have my sister possessed has escaped, and not only do I find him dead, but I don’t have a clue who he was working with. Or working for…

Now I have a Council Member in human jail, a ragtag bunch of stuffy law-abiders to lead, and a solid inkling that the next person on the chopping block is me.

All of that would be bad enough, but I’ve got bigger problems. Maria isn’t quite right after a demon almost stole her body, and I have a hunch it’s going to require a trip to Hell to get it fixed.

Time to sharpen my athames, vacation time is over.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

My eyes narrowed over the rim of my teacup. My grandmother crossed her legs, matching my glare as she sipped her own tea. In all likelihood, she was holding in a laugh. Bernadette had seen oceans rise and fall, empires crumble to dust, entire civilizations wiped from the face of the earth. As one of the first demons in Hell, nothing short of a full-blown apocalypse was going to phase her.

Especially not my paltry little glare.

Fair enough.

Uncrossing my legs, I folded them underneath me, sucking down another sip of my tea as I settled deeper into the overstuffed armchair. I wasn’t a big tea kind of person, but the herbal blend I’d concocted in a fit of nerves last week seemed to be growing on me. I’d been doing a lot of things like that—things that Maria would have done herself if she’d just freaking wake up.

“I’m not setting foot in Aether until Maria wakes up, and that’s final.”

Final.

Like that word ever stopped my grandmother. I was pretty sure if she had even a single shred less class, she’d have given the Fates the old double middle-finger salute while telling them to kiss her ass.

That last bit might just be wishful thinking on my part. At least it was amusing to think about.

“It’s been a week, Maxima,” Bernadette chided softly, her voice full of understanding, but her message clear. I couldn’t wait much longer to interrogate Elias. The Fates were running out of patience, and I was running out of time.

“Have they gotten anything out of him at all?” I asked, unable to keep my gaze from shifting from Bernadette to Maria’s closed bedroom door.

I didn’t like being on this side of it. I didn’t like that I wasn’t watching her.

I didn’t like that I couldn’t figure out a way to help.

A week ago, Elias Flynn tried to use my sister as a sacrifice by offering her up to a demon as a host. Bernadette helped me stop him, but Maria still wasn’t awake. The longer her sleep lasted, the more I realized we might not have been as successful as I once thought.

If we were successful at all.

Author Bio:

Annie Anderson is a military wife and United States Air Force veteran. Originally from Dallas, Texas, she is a southern girl at heart, but has lived all over the US and abroad. As soon as the military stops moving her family around, she’ll settle on a state, but for now she enjoys being a nomad with her husband, two daughters, an old man of a dog, and a young pup that makes life… interesting.

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Book Blitz: Sons of Fire by Tracy Auerbach

Sons of Fire
Tracy Auerbach
Publication date: January 7th 2020
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

When Keegan’s father, the Demon King of Fire, attempted to produce an heir, a surge of light energy interrupted the process. One tiny piece of the newly forming demon broke off. That piece is Keegan. For years, he has attempted to lay low, watching from the shadows while his monstrous brother Aidan, the true Prince of Fire, is groomed for the throne.

Keegan’s shaky status quo is shattered when one of his father’s power-plays goes horribly wrong. He is cast to Earth and forced to work with a suddenly powerless Aidan. The two brothers must cooperate to complete an impossible task and avoid being cast forever into the abyss. As if having to spend time with his beastly other half wasn’t bad enough, Keegan must adapt to living on Earth, wielding his new human vessel, and dealing with his demonic appetite without harming the human creatures for whom he has always cared.

As Keegan and Aidan work to save themselves, questions arise. What exactly was the King of Fire up to, that sparked their Master’s interest enough to cast them from the Demon Realm? Can Aidan be trusted in his new human form, complete with emotions, or is he the same unfeeling creature he’s always been? And why are so many demons suddenly invested in the outcome of the brothers’ trial? The only thing Keegan knows for certain is that whether he succeeds or fails at the task, the consequences for the Demon Realm and for Earth itself will be catastrophic.

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—

EXCERPT:

The Demon Realm, Present Day

1

Adramelech, King of Fire, stood before all the souls he had gathered, admiring the fruits of his labor. Collecting and shepherding them to his realm had taken work, but it was nothing compared to all the time and effort he had expended to reach this moment: his moment of triumph. The pale energy orbs of the damned, thousands of them, floated above the parched brown floor, drifting aimlessly, bumping into each other or into the black-hot walls of stone around them. The stage was now set for him to finally seize control from his impotent ‘Master.’

“Come to me, Fire,” he called.

A moment passed before his offspring shimmered into being several paces away. The Prince cast a vacant stare upon Adramelech, awaiting orders. The young demon’s strong torso was bare, his dark hair hanging over the translucent skin of his face. Dragonfire swirled beneath the skin’s surface, lending the impression of movement to his form. His eyes were black with hunger while his handsome, human-like figure swelled with power.

The offspring was a paradox of mental weakness and physical fortitude that had taken two hundred years to create and shape. But now it had, at last, come to fruition and Adramelech knew that his efforts had been well spent. The being before him contained so much power that it only held its pretty visage through sheer force of will. And still it wanted more. Always hungry, always obedient, always his.

“It is time, my Fire,” crooned Adramelech. “Do you understand what you must do?”

The boy-shaped demon nodded.

“First, I will give unto you what remains of my power. When I leave, you must follow the instructions exactly as I have lain them out. Remember, above all else, that it is still my power. I will not become another Lucifer, who cast his strength into a sword and imprisoned himself in ice for all eternity. My sword will behave. If you fail, I shall be forced to resort to my back-up plan. And believe me that the alternate arrangement is something you would not want to experience.”

The Prince nodded, eyes still dull and hungry. Adramelech knew his Fire would not speak unless he himself requested it.

“Do you have any questions?”

The demon shook his head.

“Then let us begin.” Adramelech willed the power within every molecule of his own form to flow to the surface, watching his creation’s eyes glow in anticipation. Indeed, the only time his heir came to life was when a large feeding was expected. The boy-shaped demon opened its mouth as Adramelech began to speak. “I, Adramelech, Son of Lucifer, offer a portion of my power unto you.”

“I, Fire, Son of Adramelech…” the Prince began.

“You must include the ridiculous human title Paimon bestowed unto you,” Adramelech corrected. “It is your written name and therefore necessary for the ritual.”

“I, Aidan Fire, Son of Adramelech, accept the power and take it unto my form to hold, so that Adramelech, King of Fire, may wield both it and I as he sees fit.”

Adramelech focused his power into a beam of energy and shot it toward his creation. Even as the Prince’s power swelled and his eyes turned the golden hue of Dragonfire, he accepted the gift hungrily. Adramelech considered all that he had wrought and was pleased.

Author Bio:

Tracy Auerbach is an author of science fiction and fantasy for teens and adults. As an avid reader with a vivid imagination, she chose to study film, English, and education, and went on to teach and write STEM curriculum for the New York Department of Education. This helped to polish her writing skills and ignite her passion for science fiction and fantasy.

Her first scholarly article, published in Language Magazine, was about the value of active, creative learning in science.
On the fiction side, Tracy’s work has been featured in the online literary journal Micro-horror, The Writing Disorder fiction anthology, and the “(Dis)ability” short story anthology, in addition to her novels.

When she is not teaching or writing, Tracy is usually reading or spending time with her family. She lives in New York with her husband and sons.

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Cover Reveal: Trouble With Wolves by Danielle Annett

Trouble with Wolves
Danielle Annett
(Magic and Bone, #1)
Publication date: February 9th 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance, Urban Fantasy

Shifters and humans don’t mix …
But Red isn’t like any human I’ve met before.
He doesn’t fear shifters, and for some reason he wants to help me forge peace between my Pack and the town.
Our relationship morphs from unlikely allies to … more. And the more I’m around Red, the more I crave him.
But none of that matters when fate steps in, and I find myself leading the Pack.
My Pack will never accept him.
The people of Lethbridge will never accept me.
And a relationship with a human is the last thing I need.

If you love snarky heroines, forbidden romance, and shapeshifters, grab Trouble with Wolves today!

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Author Bio:

I’m just a girl with an obsession for Marvel movies, a love of all things Urban Fantasy, and a cheerleader for the underdog in any given story.
If you’re looking for a heroine you can root for … someone who defies the odds and gets up every time they’re knocked down … then look no further because that’s what you’ll find in my books.

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Book Blitz: Basics of Spellcraft by L.C. Mawson

Basics of Spellcraft
L.C. Mawson
(Ember Academy for Young Witches, #1)
Publication date: January 15th 2020
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

Ancient curses. Blocked memories. And an Academy for young witches that might just hold the answers.

I should have known something was wrong when my weird aunt arrived in town just as I started getting killer headaches.

But how was I supposed to know that it was a sign of repressed magic?

Or that an ancient witch had escaped her tomb and sent demons after me?

Demons who cursed my mother.

I wanted to stay with her, even if she wouldn’t wake, but I was sent to Ember Academy for Young Witches instead. Somewhere the demons hopefully can’t get me.

I need to find a way to lift the curse, but there’s a block on both my magic and memories that everyone is refusing to lift.

A block that might hold the answers as to why an ancient witch is after me in the first place.

If I can figure her out, maybe I can figure out this curse.

My teachers don’t want me digging into it, worried about the danger.

But I don’t care.

My mother was cursed because of me, and I’m not going to rest until she’s safe again.

BASICS OF SPELLCRAFT is the first book in the Ember Academy for Young Witches YA Urban Fantasy Academy series. If you love kick-ass heroines, Sapphic slow-burn romances, and magical boarding schools, you’ll love this latest fast-paced series in L.C. Mawson’s Snowverse.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Dad stayed at the hospital with Mum, so it was just me and my auntie.

“Go on, get some rest,” she said, nodding to my bed as we entered my room. “I’ll try to be quiet as I pack up your things.”

“All of my things?” I asked as I kicked off my boots and pulled my bra out from under my shirt, before getting into bed in my shirt and jeans.

“I’ll take all of your clothes, so you’re not left without choice on the weekends, though there is a uniform through the week. And then I’ll bring your make-up, tablet, medication and laptop, along with chargers, headphones, and other bits. If you’ve got your phone and purse in your handbag, that should cover everything you’ll need. Unless you can think of anything else.”

My hand reached under my covers and found the old, worn toy rabbit that I’d had since I was a child. Mr Fluffy. It seemed silly to ask to pack him – I was sixteen, and I doubted the other kids at Ember would be kind about me still having a soft toy – but still, I clutched him to my chest, feeling a little better for his presence.

To my surprise, Auntie Jess made her way over, smiling and leaning over to gently stroke where the rabbit’s ears popped out from the top of the covers.

“I’m surprised my charm lasted this long.”

“Charm?” I asked, my voice a little muffled from my cheek being pressed into my pillow.

“I spelled the rabbit with a soothing charm when you were little. Though, I doubted it would have lasted this long with just my magic. Maybe your sister-” She cut herself off, as if realising what she had just said.

I frowned. “What sister? Dad said before that he couldn’t lose ‘another’ daughter. What did he mean? Does it have something to do with why we were attacked tonight? They were after me, weren’t they?” As I spoke, another headache formed, the burning behind my eyes getting worse with each word that left my lips. But I couldn’t stop. Not until I had answers.

Auntie Jess sighed. “How’s your head?”

My frown deepened at the random question. “Killing. Why?”

“Because your father wasn’t the only one who had his memories tampered with.”

“Then untamper them.” My words had a little more bite than intended but I couldn’t bring myself to care. “If you took the memories, then surely you can give them back. Dad got his back.”

“I wasn’t the one to take your memories, Amy. And ‘taken’ isn’t really what happened, anyway. A block was placed on both your memories and your magic. The former was intentional, but the latter… Well, intentional or not, it gave you longer than most to have a normal childhood.

“Regardless, I don’t think I need to remove the block. You’ve been fighting it for the past few months, which is why I moved back here and why you’ve been getting the headaches. And why I’ve been pushing you to go to Ember Academy. Gail knows more about this kind of magic than me, so she can take a look in the morning and see if she can help.”

I nodded, holding Mr Fluffy tighter. “You didn’t answer any of my questions.”

“No, I didn’t. I think answering them will weaken the block further, and I don’t want to risk that until Gail has had a chance to have a look.”

I nodded, having to admit that I didn’t want her to mess with something in my head until we were sure it was safe, despite my need to understand.

Despite the fact that people kept referring to a sister that I couldn’t remember.

Who was she? Where was she now? Did she have magic like me?

Even just thinking the questions caused my vision to swim with pain.

Right. The more I pushed the block on my memories, the worse the headaches would get.

Still, there was one question I couldn’t let go.

“But those attackers, they were there for me, weren’t they?”

Author Bio:

Some say she’s an ancient creature of nightmare that was unleashed from beneath the ocean, come to devour the souls of men. Others say that she’s a cosmic being from the beyond the stars that has taken corporeal form to learn our ways for some unknown end…

In truth, L.C. Mawson lives in a tower in the middle of a haunted forest, far from civilisation and is definitely (probably?) not a witch who curses those who trespass upon her land. And she definitely cannot turn into a dragon that flies over cities in the dead of night and whose cries are often mistaken for an approaching storm. Where did you hear that? That’s absurd…

The only contact she has with humanity is publishing a book once a month, which is definitely just for fun and not part of an ancient contract with a trickster god.

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Cover Reveal: Priestess of Storms & Stone by Annie Anderson

Priestess of Storms & Stone
Annie Anderson
(Rogue Ethereal, #5)
Publication date: March 31st 2020
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

If there is one lesson I’ve been taught in my life, it’s that fairies are the absolute worst.

Finding a fledgling succubus in Faerie is like locating a needle inside a realm-sized haystack. With a guide I can’t trust and a goal more ephemeral than smoke, my odds of success are tenuous at best. Not to mention, as the last Elemental in existence, I have a giant target painted on my back.

Because one half of Faerie wants me dead, and the other half wants to use me as a sacrifice to open the gates to Earth. But I swore I would find my quarry, and I will. Even if I have to rip the entire realm apart to do it.

There is a storm coming to Faerie. And that storm is me.

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Author Bio:

Annie Anderson is a military wife and United States Air Force veteran. Originally from Dallas, Texas, she is a southern girl at heart, but has lived all over the US and abroad. As soon as the military stops moving her family around, she’ll settle on a state, but for now she enjoys being a nomad with her husband, two daughters, an old man of a dog, and a young pup that makes life… interesting.

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Book Blitz: Shadow Master by Debbie Cassidy

Shadow Master
Debbie Cassidy
(The Nightwatch Academy #4)
Publication date: January 9th 2020
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Urban Fantasy

The tide has turned, and chaos hovers on the horizon.

The Fomorians have taken my mate and left death in their wake. My instincts scream at me to go after them and take back what’s mine, but when the Shadow Master hands me his emblem, the choice is taken from me.

I’m needed here.

Order must be restored, and that duty falls on me.

Luckily, I have a plan.

But when unexpected visitors spill into the Academy from the human world, my plan is derailed. It’s time to think fast on my feet. If I’m going to hold on to the leadership of my knights then hard decisions will need to be made, and desperate actions taken.

When it’s time to go into enemy territory, there can be no looking back. There can be no second guessing, because the lives that matter most to me are on the line.

No one gets left behind.

It’s time to walk into the storm.

The Vampire Academy meets Game of Thrones in this kick-ass, supernatural academy, Urban Fantasy with a slow burn Why Choose Romance

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

I strode through the Academy doors and into the hallway. Commotion drifted out from the arch to the ballroom, drawing me toward it.

The Academy ballroom had been commandeered by the weavers. Lightning flashed, objects whizzed across the room, and mini explosions rained debris from the high-domed ceiling. I spotted Kash on the raised platform. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, surveying the weavers. His dark hair had been combed back off his forehead, and he was dressed in black combat trousers and a body-hugging T-shirt. He looked good.

And I guess the female weaver cadets thought the same. Several stood giggling to one side of the room, throwing glances his way. Which was fine. Look but don’t touch, right? But then one got bold enough to climb the podium and get close. She pressed a hand to Kash’s chest, and I couldn’t be entirely certain from this distance, but I was pretty sure she was fluttering her lashes at him. Her face was tilted up as she spoke to him.

Fuck her adoring gaze. I wanted to poke out her eyes. But it was up to Kash to tell her to back off. He frowned down at her, gripped her wrist, and removed her hand from his person. Relief trickled through me, and one word filled my head.

Mine.

He looked up at that exact moment, and our gazes snagged with an electric snap. His frown melted, and his eyes warmed. The weaver girl looked my way. Her lips thinned, and then she reached up to touch his face, to force him to look away from me and at her.

Something inside me snapped.

Jealousy reared up like a poisonous snake, and I was striding across the room before I could check myself. Weavers stumbled out of my path, yelping in shock. I leaped up onto the stage, grabbed the weaver girl’s wrist, and twisted. Not enough to break her bones, but enough to get her to back the fuck off.

She cried out in shock and stumbled away, rubbing her wrist with her hand.

“What the hell?” she snapped.

“What the hell, Shadow Master, to you.” I glared at her until she dropped her gaze.

“And just in case any of you were wondering…” I gripped Kash’s T-shirt, yanked him toward me, and kissed him.

It was meant to be a hard, short kiss. A kiss that staked my claim, but his mouth parted and then his tongue was touching mine, and I was lost in sensation, hands weaving through his luscious locks, our bodies pressed together as best as they could with the armor in the way, but hell, you get the picture. The room descended into absolute silence.

Fuck them, I was kissing my man.

Author Bio:

Debbie Cassidy lives in England, Bedfordshire, with her three kids and very supportive husband. Coffee and chocolate biscuits are her writing fuels of choice, and she is still working on getting that perfect tower of solitude built in her back garden. Obsessed with building new worlds and reading about them, she spends her spare time daydreaming and conversing with the characters in her head – in a totally non psychotic way of course. She writes Urban Fantasy, Fantasy and Reverse Harem Fantasy. All her books contain plenty of action, romance and twisty plots.

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Release Blitz and Giveaway: Blood Phoenix: Inferno by Alisha Costanzo

Broken World Book 4

Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

Date Published: January 3, 2020

Publisher: Transmundane Press

Drawing the Scarlet Queen to central New York’s training grounds, Ria’s remarkable blood triggers negotiations between two kingdoms.

Ria questions her own humanity when she finds herself aligned with Phea, the vampire queen—a woman who’s tortured her and her friends for months.

As all of her secrets unravel around her, Ria is forced to conform or sacrifice the people she loves.

If she doesn’t find a way to break their alliance, the balance of the universe will plunge deeper into chaos, and no one will be safe.

With a sprinkling of Twilight, a bite of Anita Blake, and a smattering of satirical Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you won’t want to miss this dark and witty vampire series.

About the Author

Wife of a disabled veteran, Alisha Costanzo writes about PTSD, environmentalism, violence, and conformity. With a mutually-fueled passion to change the world one person at a time, she often writes about her husband’s rants, conspiracy theories, and trains of logic that seem absurd until the connections line up, and mixes them into her obsession with cooking, coffee, and pop-culture monsters.

Contact Links

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Book Blitz: Stealing The Throne by Quirah Casey

Stealing The Throne
Quirah Casey
Publication date: December 20th 2019
Genres: Reverse Harem, Urban Fantasy

The people who burned down my old life will regret walking through the ashes.

As far as the citizens of Caelumine are concerned, Princess Amelia Deightyn died with the rest of her family in the burning of the Deightyn Kingdom. Roxanna Delamontee couldn’t agree more. The day her family was betrayed by the people they trusted most, her innocence went up in flames, and her identity as Amelia burned with it. She rose from the ashes as Roxanna, and she’s going to show the people who killed her family how it feels to burn. She’s spent years plotting her revenge, and no one can stop her. Or so she believes until she meets four of her enemies, men who are determined to steal her heart while she’s stealing the throne.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“I’m here to compete, obviously.” My words may have come out sounding strong and confident, even a little snarky, but on the inside I’m panicking. My heart is pounding, my stomach is twisting, and I feel like I’m about to break out in beads of sweat.

Calm your fucking self down.

All the years of preparation and hard work, and yet my nerves still won’t settle, even though I know I went over little every requirement and know I’m allowed to be here. Shit, I thought being a woman would bring a lot of attention in an all men’s event, but I know the rule book like the back of my hand.

I can be here. Not even Prince Elyjah can change that, so there’s no reason to worry. If I start to panic and anyone notices, they’ll pick me out to be a weak person, and I’m anything but that, especially when it comes to fighting. I had the best trainers who could kick anyone’s ass no matter the realm, and they taught me all they know. One of them trained with the Valkyries for goodness sake, which in and of itself lets me know that I can make it here.

My heartbeat starts to slow down and I hope none of the royals pick up on it with their sensitive hearing.

I find myself meeting Prince Elyjah’s eyes with arrogance.

The prince’s lips turn down, but amusement appears in his eyes for a brief moment before disappearing. “This is no place for a pretty girl like yourself.” He turns to look at the royal guards standing by the entrance with their hands on their swords and I tense up. “Escort the lady out, I’m afraid she’s in the wrong place.”

Like hell I am.

“I deserve to be here, and I can be here, there is nothing in the rule books that says otherwise”

The prince lets out what must be the most pretentious snort I’ve ever heard in my life, holding a hand out to instruct the approaching guards to stop walking. “I am sure the rules forbid a woman from competing in The Calling, and plus, you are without a doubt underage. What are you? Sixteen?” His words are clipped and reek of sarcasm.

It lights a fire under my ass.

Author Bio:

Quirah is still a new author, but not new to writing. She has been writing since the first grade, and has been winning awards since kindergarten, when she told her teacher about her trip to Chicago. Her teacher wrote down the story for her and she won the young authors contest at 5 years old! Quirah plans on working hard in the next couple of years to publish as many books as possible from her chöąts world.

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Book Blitz: The Last Atlantian by Mikki Noble

The Last Atlantian
Mikki Noble
Publication date: December 13th 2019
Genres: Mythology, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

Spencer did not plan to work on her birthday. She didn’t plan a lot of things, but they happened anyway. Like, when she touched a guy and he turned into a gold statue, or when some stranger appeared to tell her she was in danger. She didn’t plan to see her life forever changed by one simple act, and it still happened anyway.

What Spencer doesn’t know is why. Why is all this happening to her? Why does she have the power to turn people into gold all of a sudden. Who is she really?

And why is this cute guy calling her the last Atlantian?

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EXCERPT:

Steamy fog sprayed from the espresso machine as Spencer slammed the lever all the way down. She shouldn’t have had to work, today of all days. But the universe obviously hated her and it was punishing her.

That was the only explanation.

“Stop moping,” her best friend Cia said, shoving a tray of mugs beside the gurgling coffee machine. “Your boyfriend’s here.”

Spencer groaned and rolled her eyes. She tried not to be angry with her friend but refused to look at her. It was all right to be upset, but not good to show it. Although, technically her shift hadn’t even started yet, but Cia’s cute friend just had to have a latte and couldn’t wait, so Cia let him in, without asking Spencer first.

This left just enough time for him to show up and squeeze his skinny frame through the doors, according to Cia. Spencer would bet that Cia held the door open and even waved him over.

“Not my boyfriend,” Spencer told her through gritted teeth.

“But does he know that?” Cia asked, smirking in that annoying way she did. One side of her mouth turned up and her brown eyes went dark, almost black.

Spencer looked around the machine to see she was right. Josh, she thought his name was, stood at the counter taking off his gloves, eyes finding hers instantly. A smile lit up his face, although his cheeks had a slight color from the cooler December air. Spencer only nodded and went back to finishing up the latte order.

Josh was kind of cute, light eyes, strong chin. Although he had to be in his mid-twenties and he was just a touch creepy. He was in here every day and he stared when he thought she wasn’t looking. He would sip at his coffee and she’d feel his grey eyes on her. And he’d always be toying with this pretty blue pendant he wore on a black rope around his neck. Spencer only caught a glimpse of it one time, because he kept it hidden under his shirt or in his hand most of the time, but it was pretty. Some pitchfork looking thing.

“She will be right with you, Jeremy. She’s just finishing up an order.”

Jeremy, that was his name. Right. She never remembered his name.

Yeah, an order that I shouldn’t have to make for another… Spencer’s eyes went to the little clock on the wall in the back. Half an hour.

Spencer just wished that this guy would let someone else serve him, but no. If she was on shift, he would wait for her.

Why did she have to work today? At least, no one told him it was her birthday today. For some reason, she didn’t want him to know.

As luck would have it, the next words Cia uttered were, “She’s grumpy because she had to work on her birthday.” Spencer noticed that Cia leaned in close to him and pretended to whisper, even though Spencer heard her quite clearly.

Mainly because there were four people in the shop and only one person actually working.

“On her birthday? That’s too bad.” Jeremy smiled from ear to ear, running his thin fingers through his thick, black hair.

Yeah, and I thought I was lucky enough to have the day off school today. Then Cia’s parents had to call and shatter that hope.

Spencer decided she might as well get this part of her day over with so she could celebrate her day, tossed a lid on the latte, called out for Cia’s friend and then made her way over to Jeremy.

She offered him a smile, but it was robotic at best. Normally, she dismissed Jeremy’s actions as a bored guy with nothing better to do, but today, she didn’t feel like dealing with him. She just wanted to go out and hang out with her friends, do fun stuff. After all, she was seventeen today. But when her parents wouldn’t help her get a car, she decided that she’d get the thing herself. Fast forward to today, and she was stuck working.

“Hi, what can I get for you?” she asked, finger hovering over the computer screen, taking in the scent of his cologne. It wasn’t terrible, but it was too much, too powerful. It almost made her gag.

“No polite chitchat today?” he questioned, still smirking.

Spencer shuffled uncomfortably. The way he was looking at her made her insides crawl. Couldn’t her best friend in the whole world see how uncomfortable this guy made her? “Bad day. Would you like the usual?”

“Plain black. Straight cup of joe.”

“Anything else?”

His smile faltered a bit, but he still aimed his grey eyes at her and he was leaning over the counter so he could be closer to her. Seriously, Cia should see something is wrong here. Thanks for nothing, Cia. “I don’t suppose you’d give me your number.”

A loud bang from behind Spencer made her jump. Cia called out, “Sorry.”

Spencer used the opportunity to sneak away and grab Jeremy/Josh’s coffee order. On the off chance that he’d forget what he asked and she’d be home free by the time she slinked back over to the counter to bring him his coffee.

Spencer poured, noticing her hand was shaking. Normally she didn’t let it get to her but today seemed different. She couldn’t say why, but he seemed to crawl deeper under her skin today. She shivered and prayed it was almost time to open the shop. With people impatiently waiting on their caffeine fix, she didn’t have time to talk to him and Spencer liked it that way.

She stalled as long as she could. When Cia came out from the back with a stack of to-go cups, Spencer turned and gave the guy his coffee. He held out a twenty and she took it silently, hoping they didn’t have to talk anymore.

But then Cia went back to the back of the shop.

Spencer gave the guy a strained smile as she reached over to give him his change. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to him. “You should give me your number, Spencer. We’ve been dancing in circles for too long,” he whispered.

Spencer’s heartrate changed, sped up. She felt herself begin to sweat and shallow breaths were the only ones to reach her lungs. He was so close she could see his pupils dilate.

She tried to jerk her arm free, but he refused to let go.

“Just give me your number, Spencer. No need to play shy.”

Spencer shook her head and grabbed his hand to remove it.

It all happened so quickly, she could have blinked and missed the entire moment. Josh… or Jeremy… or whatever his name was, stood before her, a six-foot solid gold statue. The grey eyes that had just dilated in need for her and creeped her out, were now cold, metal and unseeing. A gasp slipped from her throat. She wanted to scream or cry. She wasn’t sure which.

The hand gripping her arm hurt and that’s where she decided to focus. It took her a few tries to twist her wrist from his grasp, but as soon as she shook loose and jumped back, Cia came back to the front of the shop.

She squealed and dropped the handful of coffee bags she’d been holding. “What the heck happened here? I run to the back for supplies and suddenly there’s a gold statue at the counter.” She stared at the statue, not looking over and seeing the terror on her best friend’s face.

Spencer couldn’t speak. She couldn’t open her mouth to form words. Her brain wouldn’t even form any words. If it was, it wasn’t relaying the message to her mouth.

Finally, Cia turned to Spencer and must have noticed the horror on her face. She took a step closer, kicking at one of the coffee bags. Spencer watched it slide along the tile until it hit the baseboard and bounce less than a centimeter. She backed away from Cia, for her own good. It was too risky and Spencer didn’t want to be touched. She didn’t understand what had happened and there was no way she’d risk hurting her best friend.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Spencer shook her head and shrugged. “I… I-I think I did that to him.” Spencer pointed, but she couldn’t quite look at the guy… the statue. “He… grabbed me and… I don’t know.”

“Him?” Cia’s eyes went from the statue to her friend and back. “Is that… That’s Jeremy?” She squinted at the statue and then it seemed like she was finally starting to understand. “He grabbed you?”

Spencer nodded, unable to continue speaking. Tears filled her eyes, causing her vision to blur.

“Good thing we haven’t opened yet,” Cia muttered. “Hey, do you think maybe we could melt him down and sell him?”

Author Bio:

As far back as she can remember, Mikki was creating characters and stories in her head. It wasn’t until fate brushed the tip of its wings over her eyes that she began to see that writing was what she was born to do. She loves animals, reading, everything supernatural related, and enjoys spending her free time on social media whenever she can.

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Cover Reveal: Stealing The Throne by Quirah Casey

Stealing The Throne
Quirah Casey
Publication date: December 20th 2019
Genres: Reverse Harem, Urban Fantasy

The people who burned down my old life will regret walking through the ashes.

As far as the citizens of Caelumine are concerned, Princess Amelia Deightyn died with the rest of her family in the burning of the Deightyn Kingdom. Roxanna Delamontee couldn’t agree more. The day her family was betrayed by the people they trusted most, her innocence went up in flames, and her identity as Amelia burned with it. She rose from the ashes as Roxanna, and she’s going to show the people who killed her family how it feels to burn. She’s spent years plotting her revenge, and no one can stop her. Or so she believes until she meets four of her enemies, men who are determined to steal her heart while she’s stealing the throne.

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Author Bio:

Quirah is still a new author, but not new to writing. She has been writing since the first grade, and has been winning awards since kindergarten, when she told her teacher about her trip to Chicago. Her teacher wrote down the story for her and she won the young authors contest at 5 years old! Quirah plans on working hard in the next couple of years to publish as many books as possible from her chöąts world.

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