The December Sci-Fi and Fantasy 99c Sale

The December Sci-Fi and Fantasy 99c Sale

Get these books fast! This promotion ends December 16th!

Never Trust A Vampire is included for the first time ever.

NEVER TRUST A VAMPIRE is $0.99 for December! #fridayreads #vampires #urbanfantasy

Dec. 1 - Dec. 31, Never Trust A Vampire is $0.99 for the first time ever! 

This book is normally $3.99.

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The people we save look at us like we’re superheroes, or guardian angels, but we bleed.

We break.

And sometimes, we even die. Becoming a paladin means sacrifice of self. 

Saving innocents is always top priority, so when the vampire Adam asks for Agent Seven's services to rescue children from L.A.’s reigning vampire, The Agency won't let her refuse. Company motto is the only good vampire is a dead one, so what makes this guy different from all the rest? This feels like a trap.

Will Adam prove her wrong, or be her downfall?

This story is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult situations.

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Strange Allies Box Set #1 release day

Strange Allies Box Set #1

This set contains I, Paladin, Never Trust A Vampire, and Cycle of Rebirths.

The people we save look at us like we’re superheroes, or guardian angels, but we bleed. We break. And sometimes, we even die.

This collection is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.

$9.99 - Smashwords | Apple | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Amazon |

More links to come.

VAMPIRE SACRIFICE release day! Strange Allies book 4 #vampires #paladins #urbanfantasyromance #fridayreads #newbook

Release day for the latest Strange Allies book!

Vampire Sacrifice - Strange Allies book #4

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With Charlotte and Simon off being happy newlyweds, Della has resumed her work with The Agency—and Adam is back to helping her when she allows it. When a vamp cares for your family like she’s his family, you have to give a little trust, though Della is hiding this new whatever-it-is from Amelia and The Council until she figures out what to do with him.

Adam was intrigued with Agent Seven from the moment they met and getting to know Della over the years has only intensified his feelings. Romance is impossible when her touch can burn him dead, but following her around the globe brings new life to his never-ending existence.

Until Adam’s personal boogeyman Vittore kidnaps them both, tricks her into using a Sword of Cato, and makes a vicious bargain—reunite Della’s spirit with her body in exchange for Adam’s immortality. The only way to save her is to enter the sword’s spell world, but the consequences will change Della and Adam forever.

This story is intended for readers over the age of 18 due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.

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Reviewers Wanted! #booksprout #bookblogger #fridayreads

Reviewers Wanted!

I'm looking for more reviews for my Strange Allies series.

Never Trust A Vampire

Cycle of Rebirths

I, Paladin

Vampire Sacrifice

ARCs are available exclusively at Booksprout. Reviews on Amazon are important, but everywhere else is more than welcome.

Amazon author page

Goodreads

Thanks!

Vampire Sacrifice chapter 1 preview

Vampire Sacrifice chapter one

With Charlotte and Simon off being happy newlyweds, Della has resumed her work with The Agency—and Adam is back to helping her when she allows it. When a vamp cares for your family like she’s his family, you have to give a little trust, though Della is hiding this new whatever-it-is from Amelia and The Council until she figures out what to do with him.

Adam was intrigued with Agent Seven from the moment they met and getting to know Della over the years has only intensified his feelings. Romance is impossible when her touch can burn him dead, but following her around the globe brings new life to his never-ending existence.

Until Adam’s personal boogeyman Vittore kidnaps them both, tricks her into using a Sword of Cato, and makes a vicious bargain—reunite Della’s spirit with her body in exchange for Adam’s immortality. The only way to save her is to enter the sword’s spell world, but the consequences will change Della and Adam forever.

This story is intended for readers over the age of 18 due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.

Chapter One

Della

2009

The Strange Allies series is growing - we have titles for books 4 and 5! #vampires #paladins #werewolves #gargoyle #seer #goddess #fridayreads

Strange Allies

Book #1 - Never Trust A Vampire - Smashwords | Apple | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AUS | Google Play | Paperback |

Book #2 - Cycle of Rebirths - Apple | Kobo | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords | Google Play | Also in paperback.

Book #3 - I, Paladin -  Agent Seven's origin story. Apple | Kobo | Barnes and Noble | Amazon | Google Play | Smashwords | Also in paperback.

Book #4 - Vampire Sacrifice - Apple | Kobo | Smashwords | Barnes and Noble |

Book #5 - A Paladin's Secrets - Apple | Kobo | Smashwords | Barnes and Noble |

Book #6 - work in progress - Apple | Kobo | Smashwords |

I, PALADIN release day! Strange Allies #3 available everywhere. #vampires #paladins #werewolves #fridayreads

I, Paladin 

The story of how I got drafted into the world-savin’ business isn’t so complicated.

Amelia Thornhill directed a vampire at me.

Turns out, I have a higher calling and I feel horrible every time I have to lie to Mama about my job. It's been the two of us since I was five years old, so leaving home is painful, but Amelia says I put people in danger by staying. Because I’m not a normal girl, there will be no college graduation ceremony, no wedding to a nice man, and no grandbabies for Mama to spoil, but I'll let her hold on to those dreams as long as possible. Making sure she's taken care of always comes first.

Agent Seven’s origin story.

This story is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language and situations.

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Strange Allies series:

Never Trust A Vampire

Cycle of Rebirths

I, Paladin

Book 4

Book 5

Book 6

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Check out the 3 previous posts for preview chapters!

I, PALADIN chapter 3 preview! #urbanfantasy #vampires #fridayreads

I, Paladin Chapter Three

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The story of how I got drafted into the world-savin’ business isn’t so complicated. 

Amelia Thornhill directed a vampire at me.

Turns out, I have a higher calling and I feel horrible every time I have to lie to Mama about my job. It's been the two of us since I was five years old, so leaving home is painful, but Amelia says I put people in danger by staying. Because I’m not a normal girl, there will be no college graduation ceremony, no wedding to a nice man, and no grandbabies for Mama to spoil, but I'll let her hold on to those dreams as long as possible. Making sure she's taken care of always comes first.

Agent Seven’s origin story.

This series is intended for readers over the age of 18 due to adult situations.

Chapter Three

I, PALADIN chapter 2 preview! #urbanfantasy #vampires #fridayreads

I, PALADIN

Strange Allies #3

The story of how I got drafted into the world-savin’ business isn’t so complicated. 

Amelia Thornhill directed a vampire at me.

Turns out, I have a higher calling and I feel horrible every time I have to lie to Mama about my job. It's been the two of us since I was five years old, so leaving home is painful, but Amelia says I put people in danger by staying.  Because I’m not a normal girl, there will be no college graduation ceremony, no wedding to a nice man, and no grandbabies for Mama to spoil, but I'll let her hold on to those dreams as long as possible. Making sure she’s taken care of always comes first.

Agent Seven’s origin story.

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Chapter Two

My days started early.  Mama dropped me off at school at 7:00AM on her way to the diner.  Breakfast service started at nine (except Sundays), but restaurants required a lot of prep work.  After school, I’d walk to the diner to put in my shift until sundown, and then walk home, or sometimes if it was a quiet night she’d let the staff run the dinner shift and we’d come home together.  I wasn’t going to be valedictorian, but I got good grades, participated in activities, and did some volunteer stuff. 

My focus was on college.  Didn’t know what came after that.

Sunday mornings, Mama and I went to church together, then she’d be at the diner for lunch hours while I did any Friday-assigned homework until youth group in the evening.

Like I said—normal.

Guthrie was a 10,000-ish-people town thirty minutes outside Oklahoma City.  The first capital of the state, matter of fact.  We had a Historic District and everything, but the major point was nothing exciting or seriously dangerous ever happened here.  I would know—my family had been in the area since the Land Rush in the 1800s.

By the weekend, there had been no more weirdness and I started to breathe easier.

Nothin’ but a bad dream. 

Until Mom came home Saturday. 

The crazy English lady met with my mother, spinning a compelling tale about representing a summer camp looking for smart teens with a penchant for service.  Humanitarian aid training, focus on the downtrodden…all the right buttons to push in a Bible-believin’ mother.  Bonus: they were offering a scholarship so I could attend for free.

“Mama, don’t you think it’s kinda weird she shows up out of the blue with offers on a silver platter?”

“Gladys from the Episcopalian church vouched for her. Oh, Della, it’s only a summer program. This’ll be good for you! You love hearing about faraway places when the missionaries visit.”

“I don’t wanna go. I don’t think she’s tellin’ us everything.”

Her pale blue gaze pinned mine.  “You’ve gotta trust people sometimes, Della Garvison. Now quit fussin’ about it. I already filled out the release form and that’s final. If you want out of Guthrie, we’re gonna need some help and this will look good on your college application.”

There was no arguing with her once she made up her mind.  “Yes, Mama.”  She wanted me to save the world with good intentions. 

Little did either of us know, it would mostly happen at the point of a sword, but I’m gettin’ ahead of myself.

I, Paladin preview! Read chapter 1 now! #urbanfantasy #vampires #fridayreads

The story of how I got drafted into the world-savin’ business isn’t so complicated. 

Amelia Thornhill directed a vampire at me.

Turns out, I have a higher calling and I feel horrible every time I have to lie to Mama about my job. It's been the two of us since I was five years old, so leaving home is painful, but Amelia says I put people in danger by staying. Because I’m not a normal girl, there will be no college graduation ceremony, no wedding to a nice man, and no grandbabies for Mama to spoil, but I'll let her hold on to those dreams as long as possible. Making sure she's taken care of always comes first.

Agent Seven’s origin story.

This series is intended for readers over the age of 18 due to adult situations.

Apple | Kobo | Barnes and Noble | Amazon |

It's been a traditional middle-America life. Until she had to defend herself from a vampire.

It was a warm night in Guthrie, Oklahoma, but not so warm to be uncomfortable for walking home.  I took the turn off Main Street and cut behind the drugstore.  When I say “drugstore”, I don’t mean a Walgreens or anything like that—it was a Mom-and-Pop store same as most of the businesses in Downtown.

“Little girls shouldn’t be alone in the dark at night,” a voice said.  A chill ran up my spine.

Turning in a circle, I looked around me.  The air was eerily quiet.  “Who’s there?”  Gravel on the asphalt crunched under my shoes.

A man came out of the shadows, tall and gaunt.  He was dressed like a homeless person, his clothes dirty, tattered, and torn.  Tightening my grip on the strap of my backpack, I prepared to run, backing away toward the public street.  Suddenly, he wasn’t in sight anymore.

My heart pounded against my ribs.

“Boo,” he said behind me.

I jumped and screamed.  Pretty quick on my feet, I thought I could make it inside the drugstore.  A sharp tug on my backpack pulled me backward and I almost landed on my butt.  The man pounced, smelling like garbage, something rotten and metallic.

I pushed his face away.  He howled in pain—maybe I poked his eye—and came at me again.  His eyes were red—not bloodshot, but with red irises.  They were nothin’ like movie eyes with the contacts you know are fake.

Some instinct within me said you’re going to die if you don’t do something now.  He kept trying to bite me and it was all I could do to flail my arms, trying to scrabble back from underneath him.  My hands landed on his face again and I pushed, my heart pounding in my ears to the point of making me deaf. 

Bright light, heat, and no more man.  Ashes floated down on my clothes and the asphalt.  “What the hell?”

“You tapped into your power.”  A woman walked into view from the corner of the building.  “Well done.” 

I scrambled to my feet.  “Stay away.”

She wore a tweed suit, wire-frame glasses, and her hair pulled back tight.  If she told me she was from The Watcher’s Council, I was going to hunt down whoever put hallucinogens in my Coke at the diner.  She held up her hands to show they were empty.  “There is no reason to fear me, Della.”

“How do you know my name?”  For every step she took forward, I retreated.

This was already too much scary for me.  This was Guthrie—nothing truly bad happened here!

“I was sent to find you. I represent an agency dedicated to protecting humanity from evil. You have a gift, Della. A higher purpose.”

“No offense, lady, but I think you’re off your meds. I’m goin’ home and you can go back to England or wherever it is you came from.”

“Please,” the blonde said.  “We can teach you to harness your talents. You just reduced a vampire to dust. Aren’t you the least bit curious how you did that?”

I laughed.  Doubled-over-belly-hurting-on-the-verge-of-manic kind of laughter.  A vampire?  How could she possibly expect me to believe that?  “Lady… I don’t know what happened tonight. I just wanna go home.” 

Got maybe five steps, when she added the incentive.

“We’ll pay for your education.”

I sighed.  She had done her research, somehow.  I wanted to be the first woman in my immediate family to go to college.  Much as the diner was home, I didn’t want to work there all my life like my mother and the generations before me. 

The blonde handed me a business card, holding it out by the tip of the paper.

I told her I’d think about it, and ran home. 

It was a relief to get safely inside our little house with its Country Home décor and the scent of Pledge.  Mama must’ve dusted before going into the diner today.  Parched from my run, I went straight to the fridge and guzzled an orange pop.  The adrenaline started wearing off, and despite it being May, the sweat on my back began to chill.  My hands shook.

Did my best to convince myself none of what happened before I got home was real, showered, and went to bed early.

It wasn’t real. 

Couldn’t be.

There was a logical explanation that had nothing to do with monsters from the movies.  Had to be.  In the morning, I’d continue sophomore year like the average middle-of-the-country kid I was and this would only be a blip.  A stupid little memory.  The business card would disappear in tomorrow’s trash.  There could be no vampires in Guthrie. 

CYCLE OF REBIRTHS is now in paperback! #reincarnation #doppelgangers #vampires #gargoyles #paranormalromance #urbanfantasy

Cycle of Rebirths now in paperback!

Buy the paperback of Cycle of Rebirths now.



When the vampire Adam starts helping Agent Seven’s cause, she doesn't trust him, especially when her latest case involves her cousin Charlotte.

Charlotte was a high-school music teacher when Nicholae Dragomir found her and charmed his way into managing her career. She’s happy with minor fame until she meets Simon, a mysterious Englishman she’s irresistibly drawn to.

Simon lost his wife Caroline in 1530 to a devastating curse—she’s reincarnated every generation with no memory of him and he spends his days trapped as a statue. If they don’t fall in love again by her twenty-fifth birthday, the search starts all over. He discovers her latest doppelganger in the form of Charlotte Taylor during a concert attended with his best friend Adam.

When Simon hesitates to divulge his past to Charlotte, it sends her straight into Nicholae’s clutches—a vampire in Juliet’s clan—and a path of destruction. If Agent Seven and Adam don’t save Charlotte in time, she and Simon will be cursed forever.

This story is intended for readers over the age of 18 due to adult situations.

Cycle of Rebirths chapter six preview #paranormalromance

Chapter Six

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Book #2 - Cycle of Rebirths - Apple | Barnes and Noble | Amazon |

When the vampire Adam starts helping Agent Seven’s cause, she doesn't trust him, especially when her latest case involves her cousin Charlotte.

Charlotte was a high-school music teacher when Nicholae Dragomir found her and charmed his way into managing her career. She’s happy with minor fame until she meets Simon, a mysterious Englishman she’s irresistibly drawn to.

Simon lost his wife Caroline in 1530 to a devastating curse—she’s reincarnated every generation with no memory of him and he spends his days trapped as a statue. If they don’t fall in love again by her twenty-fifth birthday, the search starts all over. He discovers her latest doppelganger in the form of Charlotte Taylor during a concert attended with his best friend Adam.

When Simon hesitates to divulge his past to Charlotte, it sends her straight into Nicholae’s clutches—a vampire in Juliet’s clan—and a path of destruction. If Agent Seven and Adam don’t save Charlotte in time, she and Simon will be cursed forever. 

This story is intended for readers over the age of 18 due to adult situations.

Chapter Six

Adam

Friday

Simon came out of the concert hall with hurried steps.  Opening the passenger-side door, he said, “Hotel.”

“Struck out, eh?”  The engine running, Adam put the car in gear and navigated the parking lot.

“They don’t allow audience members backstage and she didn’t come out the front.”

“It was a long-shot.”

Simon was undeterred.  “I can still run into her at the hotel. The night is early.”

Adam sighed.  “Maybe you do. Maybe you have dinner and charm her socks off. Then what? This concert was one-night-only, so she’ll be off to another town.”

“So? We’ll follow her.”

“What if she doesn’t like you?”

A side-glare.  “That only happened once.”

“Which doesn’t rule out a second time. If you stalk the girl she’ll only call the police on you. Again.”

Simon thumped the door panel.  “Bloody hell, Adam, it’s like you don’t want me to be happy!”

“That’s absurd and you know it. I’m counseling you to take it slow. A modern girl in her twenties knows to be wary of strange men. Exchange numbers or e-mail or something. Court her properly, or she’ll never fall in love with you and we’ll be doing this all over again twenty-five years from now.”

He went silent.  An acknowledgement Adam was right. 

He parked the car at the hotel.  Simon was out and heading inside as soon as Adam turned the engine off.  He wouldn’t see him again until he got his answer.

Upstairs in their room, Adam checked in on his son Darius by phone, then searched through the TV channels until finding something palatable.  L.A. wasn’t a city he could wander around in if he valued his hide, so he’d be glad to move on. 

Shortly after ten, Simon came in.  By the droop of his shoulders, he had bad news.

“What happened? Did you see her?”

“No.”

“Maybe you haven’t waited long enough.”

He shook his head.  “I had the front desk clerk ring her room. She turned in for the night.”  He took off his boots.  “Must’ve entered a different way. I was sure she’d come down to eat…”

“Tomorrow is another day.”

His head hung.  “The clerk said she’s scheduled to check out tomorrow.”

“Oh. Let me guess, during daylight?”

“Got it in one.”

Adam muted the TV.  “Look, now you have her name, we can call Darius and have him search the Web for her concert schedule. The hunt has just begun.”

“What happened to your cautionary speeches?”

“I want you to be careful, not give up.”

A flop back on the bed.  “Now you tell me.”

“Go on, then. You don’t need me to find the woman.”  Plenty of his searches before and after they met had been carried out alone.

“At least I have a woman to look forward to, mate.”

Not this tune again.  “Oh, no. I have no interest in a wife. Don’t even start.”

“Darius won’t be around forever, eventually I’ll be free of this curse, and then you’ll be alone again. And that wasn’t a pleasant Adam.”  Simon grinned.  “I know you like redheads.”

Just like him to bring that fact up.  She’d smelled like spring.  Not an ounce of fear and a whole lot of spunk.  The burn she left on his neck itched as it healed.  “I can fill my time without the company of females, mortal or otherwise.”  And especially without the intriguing red-haired paladin that confronted him at the concert hall. 

“But what fun is that? Just think on it. Immortality is a lot of years to fill. Believe me.”

Of course Adam knew that.  But Simon spoke from the heart of a man in love and couldn’t understand his comfort with solitude. 

Simon had snatched the remote.  Adam groaned at his selection.  He had a penchant for obnoxious reality shows.  Adam took the remote back and turned the TV off.

“Call Darius. Faster I unload you on your reincarnated wife, the better.”

Simon laughed.

With the wind back in his sails, his best friend was once again his insufferably-jolly self. 

The hunt was on.

Cycle of Rebirths chapter five preview #paranormalromance

Chapter Five

Book #2 - Cycle of Rebirths - Apple | Barnes and Noble | Amazon |

When the vampire Adam starts helping Agent Seven’s cause, she doesn't trust him, especially when her latest case involves her cousin Charlotte.

Charlotte was a high-school music teacher when Nicholae Dragomir found her and charmed his way into managing her career. She’s happy with minor fame until she meets Simon, a mysterious Englishman she’s irresistibly drawn to.

Simon lost his wife Caroline in 1530 to a devastating curse—she’s reincarnated every generation with no memory of him and he spends his days trapped as a statue. If they don’t fall in love again by her twenty-fifth birthday, the search starts all over. He discovers her latest doppelganger in the form of Charlotte Taylor during a concert attended with his best friend Adam.

When Simon hesitates to divulge his past to Charlotte, it sends her straight into Nicholae’s clutches—a vampire in Juliet’s clan—and a path of destruction. If they don’t save Charlotte in time, she and Simon will be cursed forever. 

This story is intended for readers over the age of 18 due to adult situations.

Chapter Five

Charlotte

Nicholae was sitting in Charlotte’s parlor when she returned from dinner with Della, her cousin from back home.  “Where have you been?”

“Supper. I told Reed to tell you I’d be back within two hours and I am. Reed, didn’t you tell him?”

“You shouldn’t leave the hotel alone,” Nicholae said.

This again.  He worried too much for nothing.

“I didn’t. Besides, it’s not my first time in California. I used to live here, you know.”  She went in the bedroom to change from shoes to slippers.  “Nothing happened.”

“Who were you with?”  He stood in the doorway.

“Family, okay? Nicholae, we’ve talked about this mother hen thing.”

“Your family came all the way here to visit you?”

“No, we happened to be in the same place. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to practice.”  It was the magic word that always got him to back off.

He turned to the side and let her by, back into the parlor to the baby grand.  She flexed her hands, cracking knuckles, and started a warm-up exercise before going into the piece she was performing Friday.

“Would you like to extend our stay?” he asked, and leaned against the piano, resting one elbow on the top while his body settled into the curve.

Her fingers froze on the keys.  “Why?”

“To spend time with your relative, of course.”

She glanced up.  “What about the schedule?”  Nicholae never altered the schedule.

“There is a bit of time, if you wish it. If you’d rather not spend more time with this person, then the discussion is moot.”

“No…today was fine. I’ll, um, see what she says. Thank you.”  She smiled.

He smiled back.  “My dear, I enjoy seeing you happy.”  He pushed off the piano and took a seat on one of the sofas.

“Are you sure it won’t be an inconvenience?”  She went to him.

He took her hands in his.  “Charlotte, do you think I would bring it up if it wouldn’t work?”

Well, when he put it that way…  “No. I guess not. I’m being silly, aren’t I?”  Nicholae takes such good care of me.

His expression was indulgent.  “A bit. Would you like some of that tea you like before bed?”

“No, I think I’ll sleep alright. Goodnight, gentlemen.”

Reed nodded from his chair by the door.  Nicholae kissed her hand and let her go. 

She went in the bedroom and closed the door.  They’d come from back east this morning and her internal clock was still two hours later than L.A. time. 

She would leave a message for Della tomorrow.

Cycle of Rebirths chapter four preview #paranormalromance

Chapter Four

Book #2 - Cycle of Rebirths - Apple | Barnes and Noble | Amazon |

When the vampire Adam starts helping Agent Seven’s cause, she doesn't trust him, especially when her latest case involves her cousin Charlotte.

Charlotte was a high-school music teacher when Nicholae Dragomir found her and charmed his way into managing her career. She’s happy with minor fame until she meets Simon, a mysterious Englishman she’s irresistibly drawn to.

Simon lost his wife Caroline in 1530 to a devastating curse—she’s reincarnated every generation with no memory of him and he spends his days trapped as a statue. If they don’t fall in love again by her twenty-fifth birthday, the search starts all over. He discovers her latest doppelganger in the form of Charlotte Taylor during a concert attended with his best friend Adam.

When Simon hesitates to divulge his past to Charlotte, it sends her straight into Nicholae’s clutches—a vampire in Juliet’s clan—and a path of destruction. If they don’t save Charlotte in time, she and Simon will be cursed forever. 

This story is intended for readers over the age of 18 due to adult situations.

Chapter Four

May 2007

Simon

Caroline was the most beautiful woman in the village, of fair countenance and even fairer heart.  Kind, virtuous, quick to laugh…I’d loved her since I was a boy.

Elevator or stairs—neither way was fast enough.

Simon raced back into their Biltmore hotel room.  “I found her!”

A long-suffering expression filled his friend’s supernaturally-perfect face.  “Not this again. What caught your eye this time: hair, a scent, a smile?”

Since 1750, they had looked for Simon’s lost wife reincarnated and there had been so many disappointments.  Of course the man was skeptical.

“I found her, Adam. It’s my wife.”

He muted the television.  “No, she is not, assuming you have the right young woman. She won’t know you.”

Simon huffed.  “I’m perfectly aware of this curse. Lived with it for five-hundred years. I’m telling you! She’s in this very hotel, mere floors above us. I’ve never been this close before.”

Adam’s eyes narrowed on him, a sign he was listening, finally.  “How do you know?”

“I ran into her in the lobby. She and a redhead went into the lift and only the redhead came back again.”

Adam sighed.  “That is only one reason both women did not leave again.”

Simon glared at him.  “You’re a right buzz-kill, mate.” 

And possibly correct.

“So I’ve been told. Doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”  His friend didn’t rise to the bait of his agitation.  “Simon, we’ve been down this road before. A thousand times.”

“This is different. The redhead told me my wife is a pianist and in town to play a concert. It can’t be hard to narrow down the venue.” 

Though doing it without the knife to his throat would’ve been more polite.  Young women that looked like they could possibly still be in high school weren’t known for pulling weapons on a bloke, but Simon had never been to Los Angeles before.

“No, it won’t. Did you get a name, by chance?” Adam asked.

“No.”

“Why not?”

Because it shocked and stunned him every time he caught a glimpse of his wife again, the longing and relief overwhelming his ability for good reason.  “Will you help me find her or not?”

“As your only friend, what else would I do?”

Simon crossed his arms over his chest.  “Best friend.”

“Potato, po-ta-to, old man.”

Adam’s skepticism was frustrating, but Simon couldn’t blame him.  His mate was only looking after him.  Looking out for his battered heart.

It was her, though. 

Finally.  Finally so close to making a connection with Caroline’s latest doppelganger.

And with a little Providence, they’d break this curse once and for all.

Cycle of Rebirths chapter three preview #paranormalromance

Chapter Three

Book #2 - Cycle of Rebirths - Apple | Barnes and Noble | Amazon |

Charlotte was a high-school music teacher when Nicholae Dragomir found her and charmed his way into managing her career. She’s happy with minor fame until she meets Simon, a mysterious Englishman she’s irresistibly drawn to. 

Simon lost his wife Caroline in 1530 to a devastating curse—she’s reincarnated every generation with no memory of him and he spends his days trapped as a statue. If they don’t fall in love again by her twenty-fifth birthday, the search starts all over. 

When Simon hesitates to divulge his past to Charlotte, it sends her straight into Nicholae’s arms—a vampire in Lady Juliet’s clan—and a path of destruction. Simon, Agent Seven, and Adam must save Charlotte in time or she and Simon will be cursed forever. 

This story is intended for readers over the age of 18 due to adult situations.

Chapter Three

The hotel was really too nice for Charlotte, but closest to the school while she waited for rental insurance to pay up. 

They had an old but well-maintained Steinway grand in the lounge.  With Nicholae coaxing her to sit at the bench, she tested it out.  “What do you want me to play?” she asked.

“Your choice. Your favorite, perhaps.”

She’d had a full-size keyboard at home growing up.  Knowing how to play was a requirement for a music major, of course, but she only played what she loved when alone.  Mother was pushy enough about her “exploring her gifts”, really missing her calling as a stage mom. 

Sitting in the lounge with Nicholae standing next to her, she closed her eyes and tapped into her teenage passion.  Losing herself in the music, she hadn’t felt him sit on the bench next to her.  When she finished, his eyes were gleaming like he’d just discovered the treasure of El Dorado. 

“I haven’t performed in a while, so—”

He touched his finger to her lips.  “Stop. You’re wonderful.”

“Thanks.”  Heat bloomed in her cheeks again. 

For a second, she thought he might kiss her.