TLC Book Tours Book Review: Designer You

About Designer You

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: Crooked Cat Books

Pam Wheeler checked every box: Happy marriage? Check. Fantastic kid? Check. Booming career? Check.

So when her husband dies suddenly and their DIY empire goes on life support, Pam must fix the relationship with her troubled and grief-stricken daughter and save the family business.

Pam and Nate were a couple who just couldn’t get away from each other, sharing not only their bed, but also a successful lifestyle empire as DIY home renovators, bloggers, podcasters, and co-authors.

When Nate dies in a freak accident, Pam becomes a 44-year-old widow, at once too young and too old—too young to be thrust into widowhood and too old to rejoin the dating pool.

Now the single mother of a headstrong and grief-stricken teenager, Pam’s life becomes a juggling act between dealing with her loss and learning how to parent by herself. On top of all that she also must reinvent herself or lose the empire that she and Nate had built so carefully.

It is time for Pam to seize the opportunity to step up as a mother, come out from behind Nate’s shadow, and rise as the sole face of the Designer You brand, and maybe, possibly, hopefully, find love again.

Praise

‘‘Designer You [is] a brilliant, different story of grief, recovery, and change.” ~D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

‘‘A tenderly written story of a mother and daughter’s struggle to move on after loss, with characters so authentic you find yourself cheering and laughing.” ~Kelly Simmons, international selling author of ONE MORE DAY and THE FIFTH OF JULY

‘‘Sarahlyn Bruck’s touching debut is a beautifully written novel about love, grief, redemption—and the art of personal and professional recreation. This is a tender mother-daughter story that will stay in your heart long after you turn the final page.” ~Dawn Ius, author of ANNE & HENRY,OVERDRIVE, and LIZZIE

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

Review: The cover of this book is so darn cute, it was really a huge part in why I wanted to read it in the first place.

It was a very enjoyable read and one I didn't want to put down. I read it in one day, which is saying something for me, since I seem to have a short attention span these days. Its even more surprising since I couldn't connect with any of the characters.

I felt terribly sorry for Pam. She's a character that is close to my age and she's just lost her husband in a horrible way. You instantly feel sorry for her. She's half of DIY team but that team wasn't really a shared thing, so trying to keep things going instantly is hard for her.

Her struggles are very real.

Add to the mix a teenage daughter that is also struggling in a very bad way.

This is where it gets frustrating. Grace is a brat and Pam is struggling. This is where you'll want to reach through the pages to grab both of them and shake them both senseless. I kept screaming at the pages for both of them to get into therapy. After all, the loss of Nate wasn't something either was expecting and the world was wanting them to pick up the pieces pretty quickly, especially Pam.

Both needed help that they weren't getting.  The things Grace was doing were huge cries for help or something. The girl was a brat, and a nasty one at that. Truly, I didn't like her much. I probably would have put her up for adoption at 15 for the stuff she did.

They have a lot of struggles as they both start putting their lives back together.

The ending was a little too easy for me, but it was a perfect fit for both Pam and Grace, with a lot of hope for their future.

This was a wonderful read, that was light but not fluffy or too depressing.

Rating: 5 flowers

About Sarahlyn Bruck

Sarahlyn Bruck writes contemporary women's fiction and lives in Philadelphia with her husband and daughter. She is the author of Designer You, published by Crooked Cat Books on August 31, 2018. Sarahlyn teaches writing and literature at a local community college and also coaches writers for Author Accelerator.

Designer You is Sarahlyn's debut, and she is hard at work on her next book. Want the latest updates? Follow along for news, events, and announcements at sarahlynbruck.com. You can sign up for her monthly newsletter there, too.

Connect with Sarahlyn on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Goddess Fish Book Tours Book Review: Island On Fire

Island on Fire

by Sophie Schiller

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GENRE: historical thriller

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BLURB:

In the lush, tropical world of Martinique where slavery is a distant memory and voodoo holds sway, Emilie Dujon discovers that her fiancé, a rich sugar planter, has been unfaithful. Desperate to leave him, she elicits the aid of a voodoo witch doctor and is lured into a shadowy world of black magic and extortion. When the volcano known as Mount Pelée begins to rumble and spew ash, she joins a scientific committee sent to investigate the crater. During the journey she meets Lt. Denis Rémy, an army officer with a mysterious past. 
At the summit, the explorers discover that a second crater has formed and the volcano appears to be on the verge of eruption. But when they try to warn the governor, he orders them to bury the evidence for fear of upsetting the upcoming election. As the pressure builds, a deadly mudslide inundates Emilie’s plantation and she disappears. With ash and cinders raining down, chaos ensues. Left with no choice, Lt. Rémy deserts his post and sets off on a desperate quest to rescue Emilie. But with all roads blocked, can they escape the doomed city of St. Pierre before it’s too late?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

Emilie’s muslin dress was soaked with sweat. Heat and humidity hung in the air like a wet blanket. She glanced over at Lucien, but he was staring at the smoldering volcano with a mixture of fear and awe. Dear God, she prayed, please don’t let me die together with Lucien. Not here, not now. Shutters flew open as fearful residents peered out into the darkness. A few horses broke free of their reins and were galloping down the street, chased by their furious owners. How quickly panic took over the frightened residents. Emilie pushed open the carriage door and scrambled outside. Lucien and Violette joined her, and they stood by the side of the road, watching the scene unfold before them like spectators to a disaster. To their horror, ash and volcanic dust rained down on their heads while the ground continued to shake.

Emilie’s heart raced and she felt as if she was having a nightmare. Boom! An explosion like cannon fire rocked the carriage. In the distance, the mountain appeared to be glowing. The blast was followed by a loud rumbling noise and tremors that shook the earth. Her first thought was that the world was coming to an end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Review: Island On Fire is a little different from the type of historical that I usually read, mostly because of the setting, but there was something about this book that really grabbed my attention

Volcanoes, Voodoo and cheating fiances give this book a little something, something.

The setting is Martinique in 1902 and the story figures around the eruption of the volcano that devastated that island with 30,000 people dying as a result. The geologists at the time believe that volcano to be extinct. Hmm wonder what all the smoke is about then? 

As you read there are a lot of geologists and politicians that you'll want to shake, especially as most readers know going into the book that the eruption of Mt. Pelee causes a great loss of life.

Emilie discovers early on in the book that her soon to be husband isn't faithful and breaking the engagement is not something that is looked favorably upon at the time. Her family's finances are part of the reason she must marry well. She goes the route of voodoo, while falling for a soldier.

Emilie is a contradiction. She's a smart women. She understands that the volcano is not dormant. She also knows she doesn't want to be married to Lucien. Then she manages to get involved with a man who practices voodoo in order to rid herself of Lucien. She also does some foolish things with Denis that don't help her cause.

There are a lot of tense moments towards the end, but I wouldn't consider this book a thriller.


This is a wonderful historical novel with a touch of action and romance to add to its appeal. It is a well researched novel that will leave you wanting to learn more about what happened in Martinique on May 8, 1902.  This is a must read!

Rating: 4 flowers

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Sophie Schiller was born in Paterson, NJ and grew up in the West Indies. She loves stories that carry the reader back in time to exotic and far-flung locations. Kirkus Reviews called her "an accomplished thriller and historical adventure writer”. Her latest novel is Island on Fire, a thriller about the worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century, the Pompeii of the Caribbean. She was educated at American University, Washington, DC and lives in Brooklyn, NY

Links:

Website: https://sophieschiller.blogspot.com/

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/SchillerSophie/

Facebook Book Page: https://www.facebook.com/Island-on-Fire-898938183595340/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SophieSchiller

Buy Link for e-book:

https://www.amazon.com/Island-Fire-Sophie-Schiller-ebook/dp/B079QFVG49/

Paperback – Special low price of $10.99 at Amazon and B&N:

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/island-on-fire-sophie-schiller/1128211308?ean=9781986210782

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Island-Fire-Sophie-Schiller/dp/1986210782/

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Sophie Schiller will be awarding a travel size Exotic French noix de coco perfume and shower gel (US only) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f2733/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="28e4345f2733" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_wbz3jym9">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Day Blitz: Definition of Craving

Definition of Craving by Lia Peele

Definition Series Book 2

Published August 21, 2018

Contemporary/Erotica

Synopsis:

They could have it all ... if the others let him go. 

Scarlett Trent is a woman who is in control. She’s a successful business owner, a contender for the North East Businesswoman of the Year Award, and a woman of means. She knows who she is, what she wants, and where she’s headed. That is, until one extremely handsome distraction… someone from her past … throws her heart and mind into a tailspin. 

Dev Jackson is the embodiment of alpha male. He’s got nothing to prove; it’s there in his smile, his attitude, his swagger. He sees life through a rainbow coloured lens and that’s just fine with Scarlett. Life wasn’t always easy for him. He’s known hardship and experienced bigotry at close hand. The creator of three identities, managing three successful careers, he’s making sure he’ll never return to those days. 

When they reconnect, Scarlett shows him how to be simply Dev, and they soon become each other’s favourite pastime. 

Together they’re stamping their souls into a relationship that fits. Their obsession with each other grows stronger every day but Dev’s past constantly tests them, especially when the mysterious Demeter won’t leave him alone. 

He wants to move on with Scarlett. His past won’t let him.

The people he left in his wake? They can’t let him go. Don’t want to let him go. 

And these people? They’ll go to any length to persuade him to stay. 

Will his past indiscretions drive a wedge between them or will their undeniable passion keep them together?

AMAZON     UNIVERSAL LINK     GOODREADS

Demeter Green

I’m so disappointed. Gutted, would be the more appropriate word but it’s so uncouth and I don’t know … colloquial? I don’t know how or when they reunited, but they did. After lunch on Easter Sunday, I paid him a visit and heard them rutting like animals in the shower.

How could he? Why go back to her? Why does she have what I want, and with such little effort? It’s not fair. I was certain they’d ended it a couple of weeks ago and when he didn’t turn up at the airport, it confirmed it. That’s when I started to make plans to share a future with him.

Scarlett’s intrusion causes problems I hadn’t anticipated but it adds a frisson of excitement I’m addicted to. I get a thrill out of knowing I’m right next to them, but they have no idea.

I’m the beanie-hat-wearing person sitting close by in the restaurant.

I’m the glasses-wearing shadow slinking behind them as they visit the gym.

I’m the anonymous nobody watching their every move.

My disguises make me invisible. They’re the tools of my trade.

I think I’ve always been invisible to him.

Unfortunately, thanks to her, it looks as though I’ve got a little longer to wait. It doesn’t matter because I’ve been hiding in plain sight since watching him perform at Taboo in December.

What they don’t know is I’ve been here before with Carl Atkinson so I’ve got the willpower and the knowledge. They won’t find me until I want them to.

Following Carl wasn’t as much fun as I thought it’d be. I was smitten by him the first time he appeared on Geordie Bay but he threatened legal action if I insisted on contacting him.

I mean, really? Legal action? He’s a reality TV celeb. Surely any attention is better than no attention. As soon as I saw Adrian, I knew it was over with Carl and made the switch.

Now that I’m gone, I wonder if he misses me. 

AMAZON     UNIVERSAL LINK     GOODREADS

About the Author:

Lia Peele is a British author from the North East of England. 

She’s my alter ego; a creation of my imagination. I resigned from my job so she can write steamy adult contemporary romance. This means I can hide behind her, and she’s given free rein to set my smutty thoughts free.

http://www.liapeele.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLiaPeele/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/290905658085741/

https://twitter.com/LiaPeeleAuthor

https://www.instagram.com/liapeele/?hl=en

https://plus.google.com/105564308427814389169/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17298601.Lia_Peele_Contemporary_Erotic_Romance_Author

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/liapeele/pins

https://bookandmainbites.com/LiaPeele

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lia-peele

http://www.bookreviewtargeter.com/software/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lia-Peele/e/B0776F5VTW/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

http://liapeele.allauthor.com/

Lola's Book Tours Book Blitz: All That Doesn't

This is my stop during the book blitz for All That Doesn’t by Tracy Krimmer. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 20 till 21 August. See the tour schedule here.

All That Doesn’t (All That #2)
By Tracy Krimmer
Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Women’s Fiction
Age category: Adult
Release Date: August 20, 2018

Blurb:
After a devastating end to her marriage, Dory Walker has rebuilt her life in her hometown of Sycamore Bay. She’s left her music career behind and is only looking forward to her future with her rekindled love, Harris Malone.

Single dad Harris is doing his best to guide his young daughter and take the reins of his soon to be retired dad’s hardware store. With Dory by his side, he can do anything.

But just when Dory thought she had it all, a surprise visitor turns her world upside down with a revelation that threatens to tear her family apart. She turns to Harris for help, but he’s caught up trying to save his relationship with his daughter. Can the bond between Dory and Harris survive these turbulent times?

You can find All That Doesn’t on Goodreads

Don’t miss the special release day price of $2.99!
You can buy All That Doesn’t here:
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo
- iTunes
- All vendors

First book in this series

“A has-been country music star. A divorced dad from a small town. Almost a decade of bottled up passion...”

Links:
- Goodreads
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo
- iTunes
- All vendors link

About the Author:
Tracy Krimmer loves coffee, popcorn, Drew Barrymore, and the movie Saving Silverman. She enjoys reading great books (of course) and writing realistic characters for you to enjoy. When she listens to music she prefers the 80s and 90s music she grew up on. In a typical day you’ll find her writing at one of her favorite spots--on the couch, at the kitchen table, or at her favorite hometown coffee shop.

You can find and contact Tracy here:
- Website
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Reader Group
- Goodreads
- Amazon
- Bookbub
- Instagram
- Newsletter

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of All That Doesn’t. One winner will win a Bath & Body Works gift set. US Only.

The set contains:
- 1 Hello beautiful Shea & vitamin e shower gel
- 1 Hello beautiful fragrance mist
- 1 Hello beautiful Shea butter & coconut body lotion
See picture below


For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lola's Blog Tours Book Tour: The Girl On Camera

This is my stop during the blog tour for The Girl on Camera by Morgan Dun-Campbell. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 6 till 26 August. See the tour schedule here.

The Girl on Camera
By Morgan Dun-Campbell
Genre: Thriller
Age category: New adult, Adult
Release Date: March 14, 2018

Blurb:
Reality TV is about to get real...

"Are you ready to win the heart of the nation? Compete with seven other contestants for the cash prize? Change your life forever?"

Twenty-six-year old Rory Stevens is thrilled to be selected as one of eight contestants for new reality show: The Retreat.

However, on the second day of filming - during a televised broadcast from the show's host - all power shuts off with no explanation: leaving the contestants, quite literally, in the dark.

Completely stranded, it is now up to Rory and her seven companions to figure out what is happening.

And then one of them disappears...

For fans of Naomi Alderman, Dave Eggers and John Marrs.

You can find The Girl on Camera on Goodreads

You can buy The Girl on Camera on Amazon

Review:  I don't think I've really watched a reality show since the first few seasons of The Real World. So yeah, not a fan of that type of tv, yet this book really attracted my attention, because the nature of the entertainment, I could definitely see that happening.

I liked Rory, except I kept getting a visual of Amy Pond's husband in Doctor Who. I could understand her motives, and wanting to do something different with her life. She's trying to decide what she wants to do with her life. That's how she ends up replying to the email for The Retreat.

I really liked the other characters. They definitely felt like real players in show, even though I've never watched anything like that myself. Mariah was totally nasty, Freddie was more than he appeared to be. Carl was nice in an unexpected way.  Everyone's personality fit into what you'd expect to find on a reality show.

When Jess, a less stable cast member turns up missing after a revelation and a loss of power things start to get really weird.

This wasn't a thriller in the sense that you were on the edge of your seat, but there was enough strangeness and stuff to make you question what in the heck is really going on to keep you interested.

The mystery was solid and it paints a picture of why these shows are popular and that speaks volumes of what society is becoming. Its kind of a sad picture too.

The ending was not what I was expecting either, and that was part of why the book is so good.


Rating: 5 flowers

About the Author:
Morgan Dun-Campbell lives in London. She has an MA (Distinction) in Creative Writing and Publishing, has participated in two Arvon literary writing courses, and has worked as an intern for numerous publishing houses, including Penguin Random House and Bloomsbury. The Girl on Camera is her first novel.

You can find and contact Morgan Dun-Campbell here:
- Blog
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Amazon

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of The Girl on Camera. Five winners will each win a prize bundle including a signed copy of the book The Girl on Camera, a bookmark, and a small box of Celebrations. Giveaway is UK and US only.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

TLC Book Tours Book Review: The House At Saltwater Point

Author: Colleen Coble
Title: The House at Saltwater Point
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publish Date: July 3, 2018
Book Blurb: Ellie Blackmore is making a name for herself as a young house flipper. But when her sister disappears, she can’t focus on anything but finding out what really happened. Blood on the floor might indicate that MacKenzie was killed and her body was removed.

Ellie is at odds with Grayson Bradshaw, the handsome Coast Guard intelligence officer who thinks MacKenzie faked her own death and is off enjoying her ill-gotten gains: billions of dollars in cocaine.

They both want the truth, but truth—and family—is often more complex than it may first appear.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

Connect with Colleen

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Review: The House at Saltwater Point is a good example of what a Christian Thriller should be like. This was a character driven mystery that was unputdownable. (I love that word)

It wasn't without flaws though. Allow me to discuss those.

1. Ellie takes Grayson to Smokey's which is a BBQ joint and there's a picture of Paul McCartney on the wall, as in this is a place where he's eaten. Uh, erm. NO! I was checking under all the rocks I could find because I'm sure Colleen was living under one, because it's common knowledge that PAUL MCCARTNEY IS A VEGAN and has been that or a vegetarian for 40 years!

2. Ellie was way too good to be true in her feelings about her sister. I don't know how anyone could have that much faith in someone when presented with compelling evidence against her. I couldn't have that much faith in my sister if it looked like she did what Mac did.

3. Grayson having strange recollections of Lavender Tides, when he hasn't been there since he was two years old. I realize that some people can have some memories of their childhood, but this? Uh no, not believable. Of course, his backstory is really out there. Its fantastic, but it is out there.

I'm going to get away from those things now and say, I really enjoyed the story, because I loved Grayson and Ellie. Even though I though Ellie was a bit over the top in her loyalty, that's a trait to be admired. I also loved Grayson's back story as he discovered a family he didn't know he had. I loved how Shauna and her husband Zach were trying to reunite her family. I hope in future books we see Grayson reuniting with all of his family. I hope he finds it in his heart to forgive his adoptive mother at some point.

There was all of this going on with the disappearance of Ellie's sister and some cocaine that was stolen from the Coast Guard. Toss in some terrorists and a bomb oh and tall ships and this is really a book that is a page turner from start to finish.

It wasn't a perfect read, but it was a good one, and I won't hesitate to revisit this author.

Rating: 4 flowers

Barclay Book Tours Book Tour: Siren's Curse

SIREN'S CURSE, a dark and haunting standalone novel in the multi-author series, The Sea King's Daughters is LIVE!

In SIREN’S CURSE by NYT Bestselling Author, Katee Robert, a cursed mermaid has lost her powers and her ability to shapeshift and the only creature that can help her reclaim herself is one who may mean her the most harm…

Add SIREN’S CURSE to your TBR pile on Goodreads then keep reading to get a sneak peek excerpt and your chance enter the giveaway to win one of TEN (10) eBook copies of SIREN’S CURSE!

Title: Siren’s Curse

Author: Katee Robert

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Release Date: August 13, 2018

Publisher: Indie

Series: The Sea King’s Daughters

Page Count: 76 pages

Format: Digital

ASIN: B07DJK2HQR

Synopsis:

Lorelei Fischer is cursed. A mermaid who can’t shapeshift, can’t create portals, and is no longer fully who she was meant to be. Too ashamed to admit how badly she failed to her sisters, she takes refuge in a small town in northern California and opens a used bookstore. With no way to regain what she’s lost, she resigns herself to a life half-lived.

After nearly drowning under the dark of the new moon, there’s no escaping the truth. She’s being hunted, and this enemy will stop at nothing to take her.

Lorelei must find a way to reclaim her birthright and her abilities before it's too late. Because the sea holds more monsters than she could have dreamed—and one of them wants her dead.

Look for other stories in this exciting Urban Fantasy series from Philippa Ballantine, Stacia D. Kelly, Lauren Harris, and Asa Maria Bradley.

Available at:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2syiT2e

Enter to win one of TEN (10) eBook copies of SIREN’S CURSE!

Direct link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef29559/?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Siren’s Curse Excerpt

Copyright © 2018 Katee Robert

I start for home, the wind and water turning my hair into blond snakes that whip around my head. Less than a quarter mile to my house and it might as well be on the moon. I pull my jacket tighter around my body and pick up my pace. Each harsh breath makes my chest ache, reminding me about the way this morning started.

I shouldn’t be alive.

There’s no other way to say it. When I closed my eyes, parted my lips, and inhaled… I made my choice. That I hadn’t died. That I woke up on the beach… Someone put me there, though I can’t begin to guess their purpose.

Lorelei.

I jump and spin in a circle, searching for the source of the voice. There’s no one in sight. There isn’t even a single pair of headlights on the road. Just the trees whipping back and forth in front of me and the beach at my back. I turn slowly to face the beach—the water—and squint into the driving rain. No part of me is dry at this point, so I might as well investigate.

Lorelei.

There it is again, barely more than a whisper on the wind. Calling me back to the water.

I take a step before what’s left of my self-preservation kicks in. “No.” I don’t mean to say the word aloud, but it settles something inside me. I am not some weak-willed creature to be drawn in by curiosity. Whatever has the power to reach me here on dry land is something I want no part of. “Get the fuck out of my head.” That’s where I must be hearing him. There’s no way he’s actually speaking to me on the wind.

Whoever he is.

I have something you want.

I freeze. The faintest tugging in my stomach dials it up a notch. It never really goes away, even when I’m sequestered in the bookstore and surrounded by earth instead of sea. That tug tells me the exact direction my necklace—my powers—lay. I never get more than a hint of water that’s such a dark blue, it might as well be black, or an intense pressure that conveys exactly how far from the surface my necklace is kept. Too deep for humans and their machines.

Too deep for me.

I start for the beach before I can think better of it. For over two years, I’ve been missing a vital piece of myself, walking around as only half of a whole. I might not be completely helpless in my current state, but I’m easy pickings for any supernatural creature who decides to gun for me. Last night more than proved that the sea will take me, one way or another

It might as well be on my terms.

Lightning flashes, bright enough that spots dance over my vision for the several seconds of silence before thunder rattles my bones. The storm isn’t directly overhead yet, but it will be soon. I’m a damn fool if I’m still out by that point.

I yank off my boots and socks and toss them onto the beach just out of reach of the waves coming faster and faster. One step, maybe two, and I’ll be submerged up to my ankles. My finding power will spiral out of me, instinctively seeking the one item I want more than anything in this goddamn world.

Not my sisters.

Not even the portal home.

No, what I want more than anything is to be whole again.

I should just turn around and go home. Whoever this voice belongs to, they mean nothing good for me. There’s a proper way to reach out, and it’s not by drawing a finless one of the merfolk into the ocean and nearly drowning her human body. Stepping into the ocean will boost what little magic I have left, and it will create a clear channel for him to speak to me.

I take that first step, and then the second. My power streaks out into the deep and then rebounds, slamming me with a vision of my necklace. It’s different than it’s been in the past. Barely any pressure to speak of. Blue-gray water that stretches for miles and miles and miles around without encountering land. A vaguely fishy taste on my tongue.

Tentacles.

And then his voice is in my head, curling through me in a way that’s just shy of being invasive. Hello, pretty.

Telepathy isn’t one of my skills, but apparently his is so strong that it allows me to fire off a reply. Tell me what you want and get out of my head.

His chuckle is pure predator. More like I have something you want.

Surely not. The Deep Dwellers, sworn enemy to my people, wouldn’t be so foolish as to lose a coup like my necklace. In the endless history of wars between our kind, I can’t think of a single instance when they’ve managed to steal the very essence of what one of the merfolk is—to sever one of us from our power. It’s priceless. They wouldn’t have traded it—would have, in fact, guarded it with their lives. So why does this monster in my head have access to it?

I cross my arms over my chest and tell myself that the shiver racking my body is from the cold. I’m listening.

Come to me.

That surprises a laugh out of me. Pass.

You’d turn down a chance to regain yourself?

I’d turn down a chance to walk into a trap like an idiot. I shake my head. This is a waste of time. I turn for the shore when power slams into me, sending me to my knees. The water rushes in—or maybe I rush out—and the next thing I know, I’m up to my chest.

Don’t be a fool.

This deep, I finally have a sense of him. He must have held himself back up to this point, because he’s positively ancient. Older than anything I’ve ever felt—even my father—and so powerful that pain lances through my head. It would be so easy to give him what he wants, to stop fighting, to…

“Get the fuck out of my head!” I sprint for dry land. This deep, it’s more of a fast wade, but I curse and spit and fight the pull of the magic current trying to yank me off my feet. “No, no, no, no, get your stupid magic off me!”

He releases me all at once and I fly the last few feet and land in a heap just past the now-normal waves. I sit up and scrub sand from my face. Even without the water connection, his dark amusement slithers through me. Another time, pretty. His presence recedes faster than any tide, leaving the storm just a normal storm.

It’s official—I’m in even worse trouble than I could have imagined.

About Katee Robert

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her 2015 title, The Marriage Contract, was a RITA finalist, and RT Book Reviews named it 'a compulsively readable book with just the right amount of suspense and tension."  When not writing sexy contemporary and romantic suspense, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her children, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. 

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