Desert
Blood
The
Wolves of Twin Moon Ranch
Book
2
Anna
Lowe
Genre: PNR
Publisher: Twin Moon Press
Date of Publication: April 2,
2015
ASIN: B00TIUEVL2
Number of pages: 117
Word Count: approx 31,000
Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde
Book Description:
Heather Luth knows nothing about
the paranormal world until one awful night changes everything. Now she’s on the
run―straight into the arms of forbidden love. Her mind knows better than to
fall for Cody Hawthorne’s sunny smile and mesmerizing voice, but her heart―and
destiny―have other ideas.
On the surface, Cody is warm,
witty, and fun, but beneath his carefree facade, Heather sees a real man
struggling to break free. Day by day, Heather and Cody grow closer and closer,
unable to resist their simmering passion―while day by day, a serial murderer
closes in on his prey. Duty fights desire; fear wrestles trust as the human
world clashes with the paranormal in a tale of forbidden love.
There’s more than meets the eye
on Twin Moon Ranch, home to a pack of shapeshifting wolves willing to battle
for life and love.
Excerpt
A knock on the door on a Sunday
night should have set off every alarm in Heather’s body. It should have had her
cowering, hoping that whoever it was, they’d please, please give up and go
away.
Part of her did cower. But the
other part was drawn forward—bold and unafraid. Reckless, even. As if her dog
Buddy were there, one step ahead, tail wagging in eager anticipation of a
trusted friend. That’s what the night air was signaling now: friend, not foe.
Slowly, carefully, she turned
the lock and cracked the door open, bracing to bash it closed, just in case.
It was him. Cody. More than a
friend; her heart knew that already. Each time he walked her to her car,
another section of her heart caved in. And two nights ago, his kiss had sent
the rest crumbling. She could still taste him on her lips, still feel his hand
on her hip. She’d been bumping into her own furniture, pouring tea into her
cereal, watching the clock for some unknown appointment.
Now, standing before her, Cody’s
eyes sparkled gold behind the brown, like coins in an ancient well. In faded
denim and a beige shirt, the man was all dry tones, but his hands cupped
something succulent and red. Behind him, the desert was hushed, leaning in to
eavesdrop. They stood staring at each other for a minute, or maybe ten, bathed
in silence except for the hum. It was very faint, like a power station
radiating electricity, but it came from between them, out of thin air. Or maybe
it was from the thirsty earth below, thrumming with the beat of a primal drum.
The
lazy, lusty heat of it wrapped around Heather’s legs and clambered up her
frame. Soon she’d be engulfed with that thumping need. Did he feel it, too? She
stood silent, wondering what it was that tore at her gut with a curt, urgent
message: Cody! Cody!
It
might have been the call a hibernating bear gets to wake up or a flower to
bloom. Every scrap of her was being pulled in his direction.
“Hi,” he breathed. His
voice, normally so smooth, had a bit of sandpaper in it tonight.
“Hi,” she said, or at least
mouthed it while her pulse hammered in her ears.
Warning bells sounded in her
mind. Don’t trust him! Don’t trust
anyone!
His lips parted as if to speak
then closed again. She could taste the kiss forming on them as he took her in.
Not the way some men did, appraising and crude. No, his gaze was gentle,
sincere. Hopeful, too. But he was holding back, giving her the power to
choreograph what happened next.
Danger!
Danger! You don’t know what he will do!
Heather shoved the spinster
aside and swung the door wide. “Would you like to come in?”
Grinning like a boy offered a
cookie jar and trying to remember his manners, Cody stepped over the threshold.
“Tina asked me to give you this.” He handed her a limp sheaf of papers.
Meanwhile, all his focus—his hopes—were pinned to his other hand. The one that
held out strawberries. Juicy. Sweet. Begging to be devoured.
Temptation, there for her to
take or reject.
She was shaking inside, her
mouth dry, her pulse racing. To take meant risk—risking her heart, maybe even
her life. To reject meant locking herself away from a life worth living.
She took, unable to deny
herself. It was sheer instinct; the inner voice had no time to intervene. Only
to react once it was too late. I hope you
know what you’re doing.
But she had no idea what she was
doing, just this crazy instinct to trust him. She rinsed the berries and
covertly watched Cody make a loop through her living room. He was taking it all
in, from the second-hand couch to the desert scenes she’d cut out of an old
wall calendar to decorate the walls. Everything was improvised, like the scrap
of cardboard evening out the legs of the rickety table. God, what would he
think?
He leaned over a framed photo.
“Nice dog.”
A
trick! A trick! Be careful!
“Buddy,” she said, smiling
automatically.
“Buddy?” he laughed.
“Hey, I was nine when I
named him!” Her hands went to her hips, prompting Cody to throw his palms up in
surrender. “He was the best.”
He studied the picture more
closely then shot her a skeptical look. “Him?”
That dog had been closer to her
than most of her family members. A shoulder for her to cry on through her
parents’ divorce and subsequent remarriages to partners who gradually pushed
Heather away. From her ninth birthday until that awful day a decade later when
Buddy died, he’d always been there for her. “The absolute best.”
Cody’s eyes danced. “Better than
Lassie?”
She laughed. He’d chosen the
right moment to lighten things up. She was much too tense. “Way better.”
“Better than Rin-Tin-Tin?”
“A totally different class.”
He raised his eyebrows. “What
about Benji? Benji could solve crimes, you know.” His eyes sparkled at some
inside joke.
She shook her head, unimpressed.
“Buddy didn’t need to solve crimes; he was so good at keeping trouble away.”
“Big dog.” Cody shook his
head skeptically.
“I like big dogs.”
His head tilted to one side.
“How big?”
“Big.” What was this, some
kind of Freudian analysis? She moved from the kitchenette, holding out the bowl
of strawberries, willing her hand not to shake. “Dessert?”
Cody grinned, and she
immediately felt her face heat in a flush.
Never
trust any man! the fearful voice cried. But this time, the
voice came from a distance, as if it had been grabbed by the scruff of its neck
and was being escorted out the back door, fading away into the night. Don’t trust anyone…
My Review
I have a new werewolf series to love!! And I haven't read the other books of the series but I'll make sure that changes soon! This was a fun read and it's got hot guys, cute kids, funny moments and bad guy vampires!! Loved it!
Heather Luther is a school teacher and she's grabbed everything she can after being attacked by something that shouldn't be real. She lost her best friend, her life, and her only love- teaching. She's terrified but when she finally stops in a little ranch town in Arizona, she finds a few reasons she wants to stay. She found a job teaching, some nice town folk, and some HAWT guys- one in particular. I loved that she wanted to over come her fears no matter how hard it was. And the vampire has followed her, while murdering along the way. I loved her especially at the end!!
Cody has always been the let down. His brother gets all the praise but also all the responsibility. His sister is in the same boat. Cody wants love and to live just a little bit without his father making his life miserable. And then he meets heather. She's off limits- she's a human!! And there's a vampire killing all over near him. It's the storm that won't end for him. He's so sweet but I gotta say, I wanted to kick his shin and tell him to grow a back bone. Yes I know- alphas are always right. Um no! Some things are worth fighting for and because of his stupid alpha father he almost lost heather. I do however love his genuine kindness and his child like mischievousness :)
I loved the sweet romance and the plot twist with the bad vampers! It's a quick read with great writing and awesome characters! I liked Cody's siblings. Especially Tina :) Ty I think will have to grow on me. I definitely look forward to going back to read the first book and I really look forward to reading book three!! 5 WOLFY PAWS!!!
About
the Author:
Anna Lowe loves putting the
"hero" back into heroine and letting location ignite a passionate
romance. She likes a heroine who is independent, intelligent, and imperfect — a
woman who's doing just fine on her own. But give the heroine a good man (not to
mention a chance to overcome her own inhibitions) and she'll never turn down
the chance for adventure, nor shy away from danger.
Anna is a middle school teacher
who divides her time between coastal Maine and a village in view of the
Austrian Alps. She loves dogs, sports, and travel — and letting those inspire
her fiction.
Once upon a time, she was a
long-distance triathlete and soccer player. Nowadays, she finds her balance
with yoga, writing, and family time with her husband and young children. On any
given weekend, you might find her hiking in the mountains or hunched over her
laptop, working on her latest story. Either way, the day will end with a chunk
of dark chocolate and a good read.
