I'm back again and I'm sharing my very cool neighbor's totally awesome book. If you missed the awesome dragon series post from yesterday, you should check it out!! But first check out today's post, because this book is just as awesome :) Now, let me show you some goodies!!
Forged
in Fire
The
Vessel Trilogy
Book
One
Juliette
Cross
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Romance
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd
Date of Publication: January 27, 2015
ISBN: 9781619224919
ASIN: B00MHL2UR6
Number of pages: 318 pages
Word Count: 98,000
Cover Artist: Kanaxa
Book Description:
She never knew this demon world
existed. Now she just wants to survive it.
Genevieve Drake never needed a
man to come to her rescue. Not until the night of her twentieth birthday, when
some dude nearly chokes her to death in an alley behind a New Orleans Goth
club. And a hot stranger splits the guy in half, rips a monster from inside,
and incinerates it into ash.
The hunky rescuer? Jude
Delacroix—Dominus Daemonum, Master of Demons, now her guardian, whether she
likes it or not. But she’s seriously beginning to like it.
Her would-be murderer turns out
to be only the first of many minions of the demon prince, Danté, who has all
kinds of lascivious and sadistic plans. Which means when the formidably
beautiful Jude offers his protection, Genevieve has no problem accepting it.
For Jude and his fellow demon
hunters tell her she is a Vessel, one who is born to serve the Light, but can
be corrupted into a weapon of darkness. And to survive, she must trust a man whose
unearthly eyes promise heaven…but whose powers unleash hell.
Warning: Contains a
dark and brooding demon hunter who harbors even darker secrets, a snarky
heroine who’s being hunted by every demon in the underworld, and a sadistic
demon prince with a fancy for violent sexual encounters.
Excerpt: Chapter One
I glimpsed my
reflection in the mirror-backed elevator. Long legs in dark blue skinny jeans,
red top that fit a little too well, and straightened black hair falling to the
middle of my back. Along with Mindy’s Ferrari-red lipstick, I looked…
“Smokin’ hot.
You’ve got some serious junk in the trunk too.”
“Shut. Up.”
I glared in the
mirror at my best friend, her perfect blonde self beaming at me with a
syrupy-sweet smile.
“Seriously, I
will wipe that smirk off your face.”
“Oh, come on,
Gen. You look amazing, and you know it. I wish I had half your curves. Don’t be
so grumpy. Tonight, I want you to relax. Nothing else to worry about. Just have
fun.”
I glanced down
at her baby blues pleading with me to loosen up.
“Nothing to
worry about. Fun. Got it.” I smiled.
“Awesome. Now
let’s go celebrate!”
We were total
opposites in just about every way. She was petite, slender and tan. I had
inherited my height and dark hair from my dad. But my milk-pale skin and
ice-blue eyes came from my mother.
“Stop brooding,”
muttered Mindy.
“I’m not.”
Right before the
elevator doors opened, Mindy shifted and glanced sideways under long lashes. A
telltale sign of guilt I recognized from our long friendship.
“What, Mindy?
What did you do?”
“Nothing,” she
protested too innocently. “I forgot to mention that Steven is coming with us.”
The elevator
dinged. The door opened.
“You did not set
me up on a date tonight,” I grated out.
“No, I promise!
Not a date. He just wanted to come along. As a friend. That’s all.”
I eyed her with
suspicion. “Whatever. But, I am not on a date. This is my night, remember?”
“Yes! Of course!
Your night.”
She hooked her
arm through mine as we entered the lobby of her mother’s upscale New Orleans
condo. I was still surprised by what an unemployed divorcee could afford, but
then I glanced at Mindy. She was a perfect miniature of her mother. An endless
stream of wealthy men in this city were willing to bestow treasures on
attractive, charming women. I kept hoping Mindy would choose more wisely.
Sadly, she had the same sort of taste in men as her mother.
We waltzed into
the lobby, arm in arm, clip-clopping across white marble to a set of gold
brocade sofas. Her boyfriend, Dazzling Dave, jumped up along with his buddy,
Slippery Steve.
“Ladies, ladies.
You two look divine.”
Seriously? I
wish Mindy would find a new boyfriend and fast. His lines were nauseating. He
gave us his signature smile, beaming his super-straight and over-bleached
teeth.
“Hi, David,” she
gushed, instantly gluing herself to his side.
Steven stepped
up, eyeing me from top to toe. “Hello, Gen. You look awesome. Ready to
celebrate?”
“Hey, Steven.
Thanks. Ready as I’ll ever be.”
I tried not to
grind my teeth as we pushed through the glass doors into the night. I wanted to
stay angry at Mindy for dragging Steven along. She knew that our failed blind
date nearly a month ago still had me on edge every time someone mentioned going
to the movies. Seriously, I didn’t realize that watching a Will Ferrell comedy
in the dark was a contact sport—not until I went out with Slippery Steve.
The ride downtown
in David’s convertible definitely lightened my mood. Cool night air hinted at
autumn. Canal Street buzzed with life. Neon lights blazed from one end to the
other, highlighting everything from liquor stores to Commander’s Palace.
Partygoers laughed, sauntered, and half stumbled along the sidewalks. The din
of honking horns chorused energy and life. Rather than turn left toward the
French Quarter where the buzz became downright noisy, we hung a right. I had no
idea where we were going. Mindy had kept it all hush-hush, wanting to surprise
me.
The New Orleans
business district bustled during the daytime, but now the streets were near
empty. All the shops and offices stood dark and closed. Apparently something
was still open or Mindy wouldn’t have dragged us down here. David parallel
parked on a side street, folding the top up with a click on the dash.
“Let’s go,
ladies.”
“Come on, Gen!”
Mindy squealed as she scooted out.
I smoothed down
my hair, unable to keep from laughing at her enthusiasm. “I take it you’re
excited?”
“You’re going to
love this place. Promise.”
One block over,
David led us down a few steps into a basement club underneath a
fluorescent-green sign reading Tartarus. A broad, beefy guy took my license at
the door, scanning it without expression. He blinked twice, then handed it back
to me, saying in a monotone voice, “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks,
Sunshine.” I gave him my brightest smile.
His mouth
quirked at the corners, then straightened again to a grim line. I loved
throwing people off-balance.
Mindy pulled me,
literally, bouncing into the club. The beat pumped right through my body,
vibrating to my bones. Laser lights flicked and twisted around the room,
pulsing to the rhythm of the house music. While Tweedledee and Tweedledum went
for drinks, I pulled Mindy out to the dance floor. A drinker I was not, but
dancing? Hell yeah.
Making our way
through the throng to the middle of the dance floor, Mindy and I moved our
bodies to the rhythm pulsating around us. I loved this feeling of elation when
I relaxed my inhibitions. I spent so much of my time behaving calm and
controlled, but here, I could let loose and dance with my best friend. No
matter that we were crushed between sweaty bodies reeking of cigarette smoke,
hard liquor and musky cologne—I felt free. I laughed. Mindy threw her head back
and laughed with me.
A tall
sandy-haired guy beelined for us. He passed Mindy and started dancing behind
me. Why is it that every Timberlake-wannabe thinks he can grind on a girl when
she’s having a perfectly good time dancing without him? I maneuvered closer to
Mindy, rolling my eyes so he couldn’t see. She smirked with a sympathetic tilt
of the head, but the guy was not taking the hint. Seriously? I needed to warn
him off. He put his hands on my hips, pressing even closer. I restrained from
kneeing him in that most sensitive spot for men, wanting to keep my birthday as
trouble free as possible.
“No thanks.” I
pushed his hands away.
By some divine
fortune, he didn’t put them back, but leaned close, warm breath on my ear.
“You’re really
hot.”
I nodded. “Yeah,
you’re right. It’s really hot. Need something to drink.”
I pointed toward
the bar, pulling Mindy along with me. A quick glance back at gyrating boy had
me stumped. He stood perfectly still, staring after us as if confused. A
sinister red gleam flickered in his eyes as I turned away, a weird reflection
of lights or something. When I glanced back from the bar, he had started
dancing with another unlucky girl.
“Creeper!”
yelled Mindy in my ear.
The music kept
us from having any civil sort of conversation, so we leaned back against the
bar, where David passed us drinks. Blue lighting backlit the wall of liquor
bottles all the way to the ceiling, giving the dark room an eerie glow. Black
dominated the place, except for the bar lighting and the silver cages on either
side of the DJ’s stage. This is where especially drunk girls who wanted to be
center stage could make total asses of themselves. Right now, only one cage was
occupied by a barely standing blonde.
“Appletini.”
David passed Mindy a glass of green liquid. “And Coke Zero.”
“Thanks,” I
said, downing it.
“It is your
birthday,” said Mindy. “You could live a little, you know?”
Mindy and I were
still underage, but that didn’t stop most of the young-adult world stuck in
that purgatory between eighteen and twenty-one. Honestly, who came up with the
law to allow college students to enter a bar at eighteen but not be served
alcohol? For once, I’d love to see an undercover police officer shut down one
of these clubs, flashing his badge and attempting to arrest the vast number of
underage drinkers allowed into the place.
“Come on,” urged
Mindy.
She persuaded so
well.
“Fine,” I
sighed. “I’ll have a drink. A beer, please.”
Steven grinned
like an idiot, and I don’t know why. It’s not like one beer would suddenly make
him attractive. I leaned back against the bar, propping my elbows up behind me.
Scanning the scene, my eyes passed by a corner, then did a double-take, zoning
in on someone tall, dark and way-beyond-handsome.
He stood in the
shadows against the far wall behind the dance floor. Dark jeans, black
button-down, crossed arms, and seriously fine face fixed directly on…me. Never
before had my heart leapt into my throat. I tried to swallow, to make it go
back into my chest where it belonged. To no avail, mind you.
“Here,
beautiful.” Steven handed me an Abita Amber.
“Thanks,” I
muttered with a tight smile. Please, Steven. If you could see the competition
across the room, you’d tuck tail and run.
“Yay!” screamed
Mindy. “A birthday beer!” She giggled and clinked her glass against the lip of
my bottle.
The music pumped
hard and loud, wavering between old-school classics and modern tunes. Mindy
suddenly squealed with delight. I knew why without asking. The Cure’s song
“Fascination Street” started thrumming all around us. As much of a Barbie Doll
as she was, Mindy had eclectic taste in music, and anything by The Cure
required complete adoration. Taking my beer with me, I followed her back onto
the floor, squeezing through the sweaty bodies.
Unfortunately,
Steven did too. Persistence—I suppose that is a virtue in some people. Right
now, it was just annoying. I sipped on the Abita to avoid talking to him and
moved to the slow beat. Mindy and David shuffled off together, locked in an embrace.
I feigned interest, pretending to listen to Steven yammer about who-knows-what,
but all I wanted was to peer behind him at Mr. Rugged and Beautiful.
He hadn’t moved,
still watching from his solitary post with hooded eyes. Actually, from here, I
couldn’t really tell if his eyes were directed at me or simply in my general
vicinity.
Oh crap! Here
came sandy-haired gyrating boy again, more earnest than ever. His hands found
my hips, quickly moving south.
“Back off!” I
shouted over the music, elbowing him in the ribs.
Not too hard,
but hard enough to make the average guy get the hint. He didn’t.
“Dude, did you
hear her? Back off!” Steven stepped in.
For once, I was
thankful he was present. Steven grabbed the guy’s shoulder, but Sandy-hair
pushed Steven so hard he fell through the crowd into the DJ’s stage. Other
dancers sidestepped and turned back to their partners, probably thinking him
drunk. Sandy-hair swiveled to me. A cold expression shuddered across his face.
I stepped back, but he caught my wrist in an unbreakable grip. He pulled me
hard against his chest, knocking my bottle to the floor, pinning my arms under
his. He grinned. Primal fear flared inside me. Something was very wrong here.
Again, a flash of red skimmed across his eyes. Was I already tipsy from half a
bottle of beer?
“Let her go,” a
deep voice rumbled directly behind me.
Sandy-hair tore
his gaze from mine. One glance at the deep-voiced person over my shoulder, and
shock skittered over his expression. Or was it fear? He bared his teeth like a
cornered animal, then let me go, backing away toward the exit of the club.
I twisted
around, looking up, way up, into the face of Mr. R-and-B standing a head taller
than me. I was five eight and wearing boots. Dark eyes, so dark they were
almost black. An unreadable expression set in harsh lines. I couldn’t form a
coherent thought, much less a sentence. From far away, he was stunning. Up
close, I couldn’t even breathe. He gazed down at me for what seemed like an
eternity while lights and music pumped around us. Captivating. Hypnotizing. Was
he putting me under some spell? Why couldn’t I think straight? My mouth hung
agape as I tried to regain composure.
Finally, he
spoke. “Are you all right?”
Me? No! I’m
about to need resuscitation from lack of oxygen. Preferably mouth-to-mouth. And
from you, please.
“Yes. I’m fine,”
I whispered, clearing my throat.
All of a sudden,
it was very hot in here. Where was that beer?
He stared at me
a moment longer. He appeared to be somewhere in his late twenties or early
thirties, but something in those dark depths made him seem so much older. His
olive skin reminded me of warmer climates; not here in Cajun country but
somewhere distant, exotic. Wavy dark brown hair hung loosely across his
forehead and to the nape of his neck. He hadn’t shaved recently, and man, oh
man did I want to run my fingers across that scruffy jawline. I realized I was
staring, no, gawking at him. A ghost of a smile flickered across his face.
Without saying anything else, he pivoted and headed for the exit, which was
quite a pleasant view.
By this time,
Steven was back at my side, scowling.
“Where’s that
dude? I’m gonna smash his face in!”
Yeah. Whatever.
I couldn’t
figure out exactly what just happened. Of course I was thankful Mr. R-and-B
showed up, for more than one reason. There was something very wrong with
Sandy-hair. Maybe he was on drugs. Ecstasy could make people very touchy-feely,
so I was told. The way he glared at me, the sheer menace in those
strange-colored eyes—disturbing to say the least. Must be the laser lights in
here.
I waved the
bartender over and downed the beer the moment it was in my hands. I tried to
chill out. Glancing back at the dance floor, I saw David half carrying Mindy
toward the bar with a rip in her jeans at the knee.
“Mindy! What
happened?”
“Fell and
twisted it.” She winced with each step. I pulled up a stool.
“Let me go get
the car,” said David. “I’ll pull it around.”
“No, David,”
Mindy whined in her lilting drunk voice. “Stay with meeee.” She hooked her arm
tighter around his neck. One too many appletinis.
“I’ll go.” I set
my beer on the bar. “Wait here.”
Mindy grabbed my
arm. “Sorry.” She pouted with glazed eyes. “Didn’t mean to ruin your birthday.”
“You didn’t.” I
smiled. “Be right back.”
“I’ll come with
you.” Steven took David’s keys and followed me. We pushed through the crowd
back to the entrance, passing by big-and-beefy at the door.
“Later,
Sunshine,” I called with a wave.
He nodded with a
thin smile. Not a soul walked the street. I found it sort of strange to have a
bar located in the more industrial end of town. But it was an eccentric place.
Maybe that’s what they were going for. Exclusivity, to make it more appealing.
A gust of wind whooshed by, lifting my hair. I wrapped my arms around myself as
we angled down the side street toward the car.
“You cold?”
asked Steven behind me.
“No.” But
something made me shiver. “You have the keys?”
“Yeah, right—”
I heard the keys
jingle and fall to the pavement, then a thump. I spun to find Steven slumped
against the wall. Unconscious. Before I could register what happened, my body
slammed up against the brick wall behind me. Pinned in place by none other than
Sandy-hair, his hand grasping and squeezing my throat.
“Keep still.”
Voice low and gravelly. “Don’t scream.”
As if I could. How
could I, of all people, get myself into a defenseless position? I knew how to
fend off an attack in a hundred different ways, but he already had me in such a
tight grip. He crushed me against the wall, choking the life out of me. I
stared up at him, hoping to memorize his face for a police report later. If
there was a later. Spots hazed my vision, though I definitely recognized those
hate-filled eyes, blazing blood-red down at me. What the hell?
“Such a pretty
one.” A guttural murmur. “Such a shame to have to kill you.”
Kill me? What! I
squirmed, trying to pull free. Useless. A sinister hissing laugh in my ear.
Lightheaded. Dark spots at the corner of my vision. I couldn’t see anything
anymore. I drifted. I thought how sad my father would be that I died in such a
violent way as I slipped further into oblivion. I thought of my mother.
Suddenly, I
gulped air back into my lungs. I was free of him, sliding down the wall,
feeling my way along the cold brick behind me. A dark shape loomed, grappling
with my attacker. Finally catching my breath, chest still heaving, I focused to
see a shadowed figure lifting my would-be killer by the throat off the ground,
holding him midair. His words confused me even more.
“Stop
human-hopping, and come out to play.”
I knew that deep
voice from the dance floor: R-and-B. Sandy-hair held on to my hero’s arms. He
laughed that wicked laugh again.
“Make me,” he
hissed.
“I was hoping
you’d say that.”
R-and-B placed
his free hand on the guy’s forehead, still holding him aloft. He whispered
something I couldn’t hear. Sandy-hair screamed in agony. His body blurred. A
second head twisted, separated from the first. How was that even possible? The
second one was malformed and hideous with deep-set eyes, no nose at all and
gnashing fangs. R-and-B pulled the monstrous head, slowly ripping a writhing,
ghastly creature from inside Sandy-hair, letting the human host slump to the
pavement. The monster screeched and hissed as my dark rescuer chanted inaudible
words. Tiny hairs on my arms rose with a rippling chill. An aura of flickering
golden light swept wide above his head and shoulders, beaming off his back.
I rubbed my
eyes, sure I’d been slipped some mind-altering drugs in the club. R-and-B
whispered more vehemently, words I couldn’t quite hear in another language,
though they sounded familiar. The creature screamed, twisted, unable to free
itself. The size of a small child with bony, spindly limbs and gnashing teeth,
the thing beat and scratched and clawed the air. I heard the final words of the
creature’s captor, his aura flickering like flame.
“Go back to
hell.”
In a bright
flash of reddish-gold light, the beast disintegrated into smoke and powdery
black ash. The smell of sulfur wafted into the air, leaving a metallic taste on
my tongue. R-and-B dusted his hands off on his jeans, totally calm and
collected. He sighed, walked over to Sandy-hair and checked his pulse. A sharp
nod, then he walked toward me where I still sat against the wall, wondering
what in the world just happened. Squatting in front of me, he lifted my chin,
examining my throat.
“How do you
feel?”
I blinked,
trying to ignore the heated sensation of his touch on my skin and wondering if
I’d truly lost my mind.
“Well, I was
nearly choked to death, and I just saw you pull a monster out of another man,
then use some voodoo-mojo or something to crush it into dust.” I stopped to
cough, rubbing my throat, my voice raspy. “I’m feeling fine. How are you?”
I knew I should
be a little less snarky to the guy who just saved my life, but what an insane
question. His extremely distracting lips lifted into a smile.
“Better, then.”
He grinned. “Good.”
He had some sort
of accent, but I couldn’t place it. I took advantage of our proximity to
examine him closer. Above his top button, below his collarbone, I could see the
black etchings of a tattoo. I recognized the Celtic interlacing from my
mother’s artwork. The tattoo must be very big, and I wanted so much to see the
fine details. He reached out his hand and pulled my necklace out from
underneath my shirt. The action surprised me as he moved farther into my
personal space.
“Can I help
you?”
He observed the
medal dangling on the chain. “St. George. The dragon slayer.” One dark eyebrow
lifted in a question.
“My mother gave
it to me.”
“She is a smart
woman.”
“Was.”
Those midnight
eyes gazed directly into mine, searching. “I’m sorry.”
Sorrow whirled
in those depths. I felt overheated again so near him. My heart hammered away.
He hovered so close, too close, just staring at me like…like what? He seemed to
be trying to solve a puzzle. Finally, I found my voice.
“Thank you.” I
swallowed, my throat tight. Glancing at Sandy-hair still unconscious, I nodded
toward him. “What was that thing? The thing inside him?”
“A lower demon.
A rogue, apparently. Why would he want to kill you?”
“A what? Are you
kidding me?”
He shook his
head once. “Not a joke, I’m afraid. I don’t understand why he wanted to kill
you.”
His voice was so
calm, so normal. A lower demon nearly killed me, and he was playing paranormal
detective. What was a lower demon? And what did that make my rescuer? Steven
stirred nearby. I’d forgotten all about him.
“Your boyfriend
is unharmed. However, he’ll have a headache.”
“He is not my
boyfriend,” I enunciated very, very clearly.
Another ghost of
a smile crossed his face. My insides melted into a pile of goo.
“Come. Your
friends will worry.”
He offered his
hand and lifted me up. His hand enveloped mine, warm and rough from calluses. I
needed to let go, feeling overwhelmed by the sensation of his touch. I was never
overwhelmed. I was Genevieve Drake, the epitome of calm and collected. Steven
moved again. Damn him.
Tall, dark and
smolderingly sexy lifted my hand to his lips, brushing a soft kiss along my
knuckles. His lips lingered, spreading warmth from my hand to my arm and
throughout the rest of my body. What an old-fashioned gesture. I shivered. Not
from the cold. His eyes never left mine.
“Happy
birthday.” He let my hand slip from his.
What? How did he
know? Unable to hold his gaze any longer, I glanced down, chanting a brief
mantra in my head. Get—it—together. I took a deep shaky breath, finally
summoning the courage to ask for his number. When I looked up, he was gone.
My Review
So First, let me tell you that I accidentally found this author literally lives down the road from me with this book. I requested it from Netgalley. And I loved it. And I of course turned in my review, and in turn, the lovely author thanked me, then told me where she was from. So now, she will just have to live with me being the stalker down the road, because this book is fantastic. And thought I read it a good bit ago, I decided to reread it, so I could write a more thorough review. Now, let me share... This is a wonderful new series. Lots of demons and crazy happening. Genevieve is a bad ass and she's gunna hand it to you. And then for her 20th birthday, she's saved from her own murder by a sexy stranger. Jude Delacroix. He's the master of demons and he's protecting her. She's the target of a demon prince and he wants her alive. She's a vessel, which is a light soul who can hold a demon in her body and turn that demon pretty powerful. Her birthday got complicated, but she'll make the best of it with Jude :) Oh but there's more than one demon after her.
Gen is pretty awesome. She's put into a new world she never knew existed and she takes it well. She also doesn't want to give her life up for some demons to twist her into a dark evil weapon. And at first, she doesn't realize just how bad a situation she's in. But enter Jude. Jude is like sex on a walking stick. He's just HAWT. And pretty amazing. He's going to protect her, then maybe fall in love with her, then it's going to get complicated.
The writing is fantastic. I was definitely glued to the pages of this one. Great world building and excellent mysteries made this one a fantastic read. Plus, it's in NOLA, which I live near :) I can't wait to see where this series is going to go. And though I know that the book won't be out for a while, which I will add a little bit more to my review then, I thought you guys would like to know that this should be on your pick up now list. :) It's worth it! 5 PAWS!!!
Gen is pretty awesome. She's put into a new world she never knew existed and she takes it well. She also doesn't want to give her life up for some demons to twist her into a dark evil weapon. And at first, she doesn't realize just how bad a situation she's in. But enter Jude. Jude is like sex on a walking stick. He's just HAWT. And pretty amazing. He's going to protect her, then maybe fall in love with her, then it's going to get complicated.
The writing is fantastic. I was definitely glued to the pages of this one. Great world building and excellent mysteries made this one a fantastic read. Plus, it's in NOLA, which I live near :) I can't wait to see where this series is going to go. And though I know that the book won't be out for a while, which I will add a little bit more to my review then, I thought you guys would like to know that this should be on your pick up now list. :) It's worth it! 5 PAWS!!!
About
the Author:
Juliette calls lush, moss-laden
Louisiana home where the landscape curls into her imagination, creating
mystical settings for her stories. She has a B.A. in creative writing from
Louisiana State University, a M.Ed. in gifted education, and was privileged to
study under the award-winning author Ernest J. Gaines in grad school. Her love
of mythology, legends, and art serve as constant inspiration for her works.
From the moment she read JANE EYRE as a teenager, she fell in love with the
Gothic romance--brooding characters, mysterious settings, persevering heroines,
and dark, sexy heroes. Even then, she not only longed to read more novels set
in Gothic worlds, she wanted to create her own.
Website: https://www.juliettecross.com/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Juliette-Cross/e/B00MQ18Z1W/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Juliette__Cross
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/crossjuliette/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/XeKIn
Tour
giveaway
$25 Amazon GC
3 ecopies of FORGED IN FIRE
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