Libby Doyle shares The Passion Season, book 1 of the Covalent Series

Today, I have Libby Doyle over with her fabulous erotic urban fantasy: The Covalent Series. So let's check it out. I love the cover, right off!

The Passion Season:

Book I of the Covalent Series

An erotic urban fantasy by Libby Doyle

Publisher: Fairhill Publishing LLC

Date of Publication: March 20, 2016

Warning: This book contains foul language, violence, explicit sex, and descriptions of sexual violence. Adults only, please! Be aware, that as the first book in a series, the story continues. It is not a stand-alone novel.

In loving him, she overcomes her pain, but to discover his true identity would shred the reality she thought she knew.

He is Barakiel. Warrior. Exile. Hopeless romantic. Barakiel is Covalent, a race of ancient beings who use their great power to keep the elemental forces of Creation and Destruction in Balance. The Covalent Council exiled Barakiel to the Earthly Realm as the price of the treachery of his father, Lucifer, who wages perpetual war against it. Lucifer also relentlessly pursues his son. The Council thinks Lucifer views his son’s power as a threat, but Barakiel knows his father seeks to destroy even the memory of love.

She is Alexandra “Zan” O'Gara. FBI Agent. Army veteran. Recovering drunk. Zan’s troubled past left her with little interest in men, but she had never encountered anyone like the stunning Rainer Barakiel. Zan believes Rainer is a wealthy businessman with expertise in edged weapons who can help her with a case. From the moment she meets him she wants him more than she’s ever wanted anything, but her intense attraction is as frightening as it is thrilling.

This is their love story. As Zan’s deepening feelings for Rainer lead her to confront her emotional damage, he struggles to meet the demands of his home world so he will be free to love her, and to reveal his true nature. Through the gruesome crime that first brought Zan to his door, Barakiel learns that his presence in the Earthly Realm has placed some of its most vulnerable citizens in danger. Compelled to protect them, he undertakes a series of duties he may not survive, even as Zan rescues him from centuries of a deadened heart.

Amazon: http://goo.gl/Ix0v3V

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/dA_0qGTTZiE

Covalent City, Age of Lucifer’s Rebellion, Phase 12974

Barakiel stood on the edge of the terrace trying to calm his mind. He watched citizens cross the Great Plaza far below and admired the mammoth gates of Covalent City, glowing amber within the pale granite of the city walls. Warriors patrolled the ramparts beneath thin towers of vermilion light. He envied them their duty.

Beyond the occasional flash of the city’s protective barrier, the verge of the Stream glimmered sapphire on the horizon. Barakiel imagined losing himself in the dust of its electromagnetic storms, which might be preferable to the fate the Covalent Council was to decide for him. As the son of the traitor Lucifer, he was an object of hatred and fear, too young to hold anything but a dim promise of power. He had no idea how to resist their pronouncement.

Perhaps they will execute me. That would be one way to ensure my father does not lay waste to their shining city.

The attendant appeared and showed Barakiel into the Council Chamber. His father had described it to him once, when he was small. He told him how the thick, high pillars shimmered away and reformed, how the great table appeared as a reflecting pool, yet was as solid as stone. His father said the Chamber was meant to be an expression of the Council’s mastery over matter and energy. Then he laughed.

“Shallow tricks, that is all, by fools who have allowed comfort to make them forget what they are.”

The attendant directed Barakiel to stand by the head of the table. He resisted the urge to touch it. He was addressed by Ravellen, a traveler Covalent of pale beauty, clothed in the crimson robes of the Council president.

“We are sorry for the loss of your mother, Barakiel, that you were unable to save her.”

“She made her choice.”

“And you? What would you choose?”

“To continue my training. Already, I fight as well as warriors double my age.”

“We do not think this is possible. Your father obviously seeks your death or enslavement. He must see you as a threat.”

They think they know him better than I do. He tries to kill me because he loved me once.

Here's a teaser for book 2, The Pain Season:

Libby Doyle is an attorney and former journalist who took a walk around the corporate world and didn’t like it. She escapes the mundane by writing extravagant yarns, filled with sex and violence. She loves absurd humor, travel, punk rock, and her husband.

The Pain Season: Book II of the Covalent Series in coming this autumn. Be the first to know! Sign up for Libby’s mailing list at: http://eepurl.com/bWvolH

Other Ways to Connect with Libby:

Website: http://libbydoyle.com 

Blog: http://libbydoyle.com/blog.html

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecovalent/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/libbydoylewriter/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LibbyDoyle9 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01CUPIZOU 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/libbydoyle  

Pinterest: https://goo.gl/QCUsGO 

You Tube Channel: https://goo.gl/6UeUKD    

Liza gives you Kate Corcino with her debut, award winning, genre bending futuristic Sci Fi Rom: Spark Rising.

Hello, all! My name is Kate Corcino, and I'll be your guest blogger today. I am thrilled to be here to share an excerpt from my first novel with you. 

A technical definition of Spark Rising might be that it is an SFR Galaxy Award-winning, genre-bending futuristic fantasy that melds elements of science fiction romance with urban fantasy for a non-stop adventure. Personally, though, I tend to babble with excitement when describing it. That's because somewhere along the way, someone told me to write what I love, so I did. 

Agent Alejandro Reyes has spent half his life searching for the perfect weapon. He's finally found her... Spark Rising 

All that’s required to ignite a revolution is a single spark rising. Two hundred years after the cataclysm that annihilated fossil fuels,T Sparks keep electricity flowing through their control of energy-giving Dust. The Council of Nine rebuilt civilization on the backs of Sparks, offering citizens a comfortable life in a relo-city in exchange for power, particularly over the children able to fuel the future. The strongest of the boys are taken as Wards and raised to become elite agents, the Council’s enforcers and spies. 

Strong girls—those who could advance the rapidly-evolving matrilineal power—don’t exist. Not according to the Council. Lena Gracey died as a child, mourned publicly by parents desperate to keep her from the Council. She was raised in hiding until she fled the relo-city for solitary freedom in the desert. 

Lena lives off the grid, selling her power on the black market. Agent Alex Reyes was honed into a calculating weapon at the Ward School to do the Council’s dirty work. But Alex lives a double life. He’s leading the next generation of agents in a secret revolution to destroy those in power from within. The life Lena built to escape her past ends the day Alex arrives looking for a renegade Spark. ***  

As you can see from that blurb, Spark Rising is a fusion of science fiction, urban fantasy, romance, dystopia, superpowered love interests, and a hint of a spy thriller. I hope I'm not alone in being excited by this genre melting pot. 

My heroine and hero, Lena and Alex, share the spotlight in this dual point of view novel. The romance is what I describe as a long, slow burn. After all, there's a revolution brewing. These are two people who might be fascinated by each other, but certainly aren't even sure they like each other.

Of course, all that changes the more time they spend together... Below, you can read a snippet of their first meeting, from the opening of the book. I hope you enjoy it!

from SPARK RISING

“Nothing says ‘Home, Sweet Home’ like an abandoned gas station.”

The words came with a muffled snort from one of the two men following Lena. He probably hadn’t meant for her to hear them—probably—but the rich, husky tone of his voice carried them to her. Lena rolled her eyes, her back still to the client and his assistant. “Does my home offend you, Mr. Reyes?”

She kept her tone even and pleasant. It took effort. A lot of effort.

“No, no,” he answered from behind her. “I’m just trying to understand what would make someone see this place and say, ‘Now this…this is the place I want to call home.’” He paused. “Miss Gracey,” he added, mimicking her formality.

She could hear his amusement. It was nothing she hadn’t heard from other clients before. As far as she was concerned, he could keep trying. She highly doubted he’d get it.

When she’d arrived at the ancient gas station nine years before, she’d been fifteen and full of rage, fear, and pride over making her escape from a life of hiding in the city.

The empty building still stood firm against the onslaught of the world. Buckled, collapsed pavement at the far end of the lot showed where the tanks below ground had ignited during the cataclysm two centuries before. The void was filled with sand pushed by the wind—a shifting, fatal trap for the unwary. A tumbleweed bounced across the rubble of the road, smashing against teetering pump fourteen, shedding thorns and seeds as it rolled off again.

The desolation was a reflection of Lena’s grief. She’d staked her claim on the station and carved her home out of drifted sand and weeds. She didn’t expect those who lived in the comfort of a relo-city—surrounded by people and walls to keep the world at bay—to understand why it mattered to claim a corner of the wild as hers alone.

The cities that had grown out of the post-disaster relocation centers were the last hope of those clinging to the old ways. They were willing to give up a lot to live in safety. She knew safety was relative.

Now her client, and the assistant who’d powered the electric vehicle to get him out here, sized her home up as they followed her inside. The visual examination of the home she’d built for herself, the life alone, was typical of every client, every time.

This time the examination, and the judgment it implied, rankled. She spun around, mouth opened to snap at them. She stopped.

Alejandro Reyes had removed his antique sunglasses, and his dark eyes were focused on her. She tried to escape the intensity of them by looking down, but that was a mistake. Instead of a heated gaze, she caught his wide-chested, lean-hipped body as he slid closer to her like one of the big cats of the desert, stalking prey.

He’s not a hunter, Lena. Just another indolent client looking for a black market charge to make his easy life easier.  

I hope you enjoyed this taste of the novel. I love to hear from readers (and potential readers). Feel free to visit me at http://www.katecorcino.com or https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKateCorcino or drop me a line at katiecorcino[at]gmail.com 

If you’d like to keep reading, Spark Rising is available in paperback form through both Amazon and Barnes&Noble online.The e-book version of Spark Rising normally sells for $3.99, however, it is still listed at its sale price of 99 cents at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or iBooks. 

Have an amazing day! Whatever you choose to read, I hope it will include the multiple universes worth of adventure and love that can be found in Science Fiction Romance! 

 

Liza Reviews Junior Inquisitor by Lincoln Farish.

Debut author Lincoln Farish has written a fabulous story. While he calls it dark urban fantasy, I’m inclined to call it true horror. The protagonist of the story, Sebastian, was once just an ordinary fellow before a demonic monkey killed his wife in a gruesome manner. Since normal people don’t believe in creatures of evil, Sebastian was headed to prison for his wife’s murder if not for a secret sect of catholic priests who give their lives to keep the evil creatures of earth in check so normal people can go about with their happy lives. They invite Sebastian to become one of them. Given the choice of a life of prison, or the chance to revenge his wife’s death, he becomes Brother Sebastian, Junior Inquisitor.

I’ll admit, I don’t normally read or watch horror stories. They give me nightmares. But once I started reading this book, I could not put it down.  Be warned, when reading, the normal wall between you and horror may cease to protect you. Unlike many tales where you know they cannot happen, Farish has created these creatures and situations with such detail that you may start to believe he’s right and they do exist, and you have just been blind to the truth.  And that is when they creep into your sleep and give you nightmares.

If you are easily terrorized and fall into a well-written book too deeply, it’s best you don’t read this.

But if you are heavy reader of horror and dark urban fantasy and enjoy being terrorized, then this may become your favorite series ever.  Pounce upon it and dig your teeth into this extraordinary treat. You will find plenty of succulent flesh and strong bones beneath.  This story is as real as you get. I give it 5 stars or, in this case, 5 creepy monks.

Want to know more? Read on!

Brother Sebastian is halfway up a mountain in Vermont, hell-bent on interrogating an old woman in a shack, when he gets the order to abandon his quest for personal vengeance. He has to find a missing Inquisitor, or, more likely, his remains. He’s reluctant, to say the least. Not only will he have to stop chasing the best potential lead he’s had in years, this job—his first solo mission—will mean setting foot in the grubby black hole of Providence, Rhode Island. And, somehow, it only gets worse…

If he’d known he would end up ass deep in witches, werewolves, and ogres, and that this mission would jeopardize not only his sanity but also his immortal soul, he never would’ve answered the damn phone.

With deliberate movements, I again went from shadow to shadow, creeping away from my car and the shop. Even moving with care, I was sweating from fear and excitement, my heart still pumping rapidly. My brain was screaming, Run away, and I really wanted to listen to it. I wanted to just start running as fast as I could down the street. It would feel good for a few minutes, until I was caught.

I wiped my face before the stinging sweat blinded me. Last thing I needed was to twist my ankle on a pothole or unseen brick. I made it several more blocks in a generally south and east direction before I heard a car coming down the street toward me. I could just make it out—a panel van, the kind the cable company uses. This late at night, a vehicle like that was not going to be good for me. I ducked into a little stand of trees growing between two twelve-foot industrial fences and started running. 

Maybe they didn’t see me, or maybe it was just some burglars looking for a house to rob. 

The van’s engine revved, headed to where I’d been before my dash into the trees. Brakes, old and tired, squealed behind me. I tried to go faster, but the trees were thick, the light bad, and there was a lot of undergrowth and litter on the ground. At a full run, I would faceplant into a tree or step in a hole. The best I could manage was a slow trot. The hollow metallic bang of a vehicle door being thrown open crashed into the night. The howling came next. 

Check out the video if you dare...

Amazon - ebook

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Called an adventurer and quite possibly insane, Lincoln has traveled to many continents and countries on his own and at his country’s behest to determine from whence the darkness comes. Despite persistent rumors, Lincoln maintains that he had nothing to do with the tiger, was not involved in illicit wiener dog races, and has never used his knowledge of genetics to create a better life form. 

Connect with me online: 

Twitter: @LincolnFarish 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lincoln.farish.7 

Email: lincolnfarish@gmail.com 

Liza reels in a great vampire book: Second Nature by Maria Lavender

Today, I was out fishing for great books and caught a vampire novel.  Actually, I caught a young lady but a vampire thought it bait and latched on to her. It's by a best selling author, so I decided to reel it in. Hopefully, I won't get bit.

 Second Nature 

(book one of the Blood at First Sight Series)

Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

She never expected it…

Desiree Edwards has a problem.  She’s been attacked, kidnapped and forced to get along with a vampire of all things.  It’s something right out of the story books she reads, or her worst nightmare.  But, sometimes he’s not the monster he appears to be.  He seems so human-like that she can’t help it when her emotions betray her, when her body betrays her.  To make matters worse, she finds out more about herself than she ever wanted to know.

She was unlike any other…

Alec has a problem.  The animal in him wants Desiree.  But, so does the man.  The more he learns about her, the harder it is to deny what he wants.  But, he’s a freak, and she’s just a human.  The two species don’t mix that way.  Then an old enemy surfaces and Alec is forced to make a choice.  His life or hers. 

Can Alec’s soul be saved by this unique human?  Or will it be far too late?

The blood drained from her face. Oh my God. He had been that close when he was stalking her? That was eerie. She thought back to the festival and remembered that feeling of being watched. Natalie had brushed it off, but Desiree had sensed something was wrong. “What if … I had seen you?” she managed weakly.

“You didn’t.”

“But what if I had? Would you have given up your pursuit of me? Would you have lost interest?”

“No.”

“But why?”

“You don’t see your appeal at all, do you?”

She went silent. She honestly didn’t know what to say.

They entered a garage, or at least that’s what she thought it was. He turned the car off and got out. When he opened the passenger side, he caught her foot just in time before she nailed him. 

His eyes narrowed. “Play nice, sweetheart. I don’t have to be easy on you.”

“You’ve certainly proven that already.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” He grasped her body and jerked her out of the seat.

With the bright lights of the garage over them, she had a better look at him now. Alec was very tall, with wide shoulders and defined muscles that she could see through his black tee shirt. He had black hair that sprung over his head in spiky layers. His eyes were dark, almost without color, with such a hypnotic quality to them that she had to blink. He towered over her and the hard look in his eyes didn’t help any.

She shivered. But, that was his intention, wasn’t it? To keep her off-balanced and afraid? “You’re doing this because I know too much,” she said as she stood before him, even though she was still bound. She firmed her lips for a moment. “Take me back now and I won’t say a word to anyone. I swear. This never happened.”

He scowled. “Will that help you sleep at night? I told you that I hesitate to erase your memories because you’re too strong. Even if I believe what you just said, there’s something you’re forgetting.”

“What’s that?”

“I actually want you around.”

She grimaced. “You just want a body to spill into.”

He put his face in hers. Their lips were inches apart. Her heart began to thud wildly again. “If things were that simple, you wouldn’t be here. And the next time we’re that close, Desiree, you will still want me to spill into you. You may even beg for it.”

Despite the ropes cutting into her, she clenched her fists. “You monster!”

“Too bad you’ve already pegged me for what I am.” His eyes darkened with something like pain and for a moment, she regretted her bravado. 

AMAZON

Bestselling author of UPON YOUR RETURN and 19 other books. 2014 BTS Red Carpet Review Nominee. Finalist and Runner-up in the MARSocial's Author of the Year Competition. Honorable mention in the January 2014 Reader's Choice Award. Liebster Blogger Award for 2013 and 2014. Top 50 Authors on AuthorsDB.com. Winner of the Great One Liners Contest on the Directory of Published Authors.

Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for over twenty years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands.  Marie has published nineteen books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, mystery/thriller, literary fiction and poetry. Lavender releasedSecond Nature, a paranormal romance/urban fantasy book, in early December. Upon Your Honor, released in late April, is her second historical romance. Magick & Moonlight, a romance with fantasy elements, was released in March. Her current series are The Heiresses in Love Series, The Magick Series and The Blood at First Sight Series. Feel free to visit her website athttp://marielavender.com/ for further information about her books and her life. Marie is also on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.

A list of her books and pen names are as follows:

Marie Lavender: Upon Your Return; Magick & Moonlight; Upon Your Honor; Second Nature

Erica Sutherhome: Hard to Get; Memories; A Hint of Scandal; Without You; Strange Heat; Terror in the Night; Haunted; Pursuit;Perfect Game; A Touch of Dawn; Ransom; Leather and Lace

Kathryn Layne: A Misplaced Life

Heather Crouse: Express Café and Other Ramblings; Ramblings, Musings and Other Things; Soulful Ramblings and Other Worldly Things

Author Links

http://marielavender.com/
http://iloveromanceblog.wordpress.com/
http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/
http://marielavender.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/marie.lavender.58
https://www.facebook.com/MarieAnnLavender
https://twitter.com/marielavender1
https://plus.google.com/u/0/104926404745289477307/posts
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/marie-lavender/27/187/10a
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938764.Marie_Lavender
http://authorsdb.com/authors-directory/1578-marie-lavender
http://www.pw.org/content/marie_lavender
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJu8HjRVYCFOqcIoX6ZxdqQ/videos