I can't express how much I love paranormal romance! The fact that it's popping up in NEW ADULT books makes me very happy.
Forgiveness
softens even the hardest of hearts…
Forgiveness
softens even the hardest of hearts…
College senior Slade Bennet is so close to his degree he can
taste it…until his sister becomes tangled with a coven of demons and he must
trade his soul to save her. But first he must kill the assigned target: a
sexually charged beauty who ignites his protective instinct.
After the devastating loss of her Companion, the last thing
Halena Girard can stomach is the emotional connection to a Mate. She lives for
only two things: vanquishing demons, and seeking Artifacts rumored to lead to
Lucifer’s downfall. That is, until she’s attacked by a…frat boy? Worse, a
newly-demonic frat boy wearing the mark of her Mate.
Halena would rather kill Slade than give him her heart.
Unfortunately, the only way Slade can find his sister and Halena the Artifacts
is to work together. As they face the darkest of evil, Slade’s ability to crush
Halena’s carefully erected walls might prove to be the most lethal battle of
all.
BOOK EXCERPT
He finished the rest of his second cup of courage and slid off his stool.
As he approached, her laughter filtered through the heavy, alcohol-tainted air.
It sounded way better than the foreign music piping into this tiny pub.
He advanced and brushed his hand along the curve of her
spine, then curled his fingers around her waist. “What can I get you to drink?”
She glanced over her shoulder, her evergreen gems scrutinizing
him. “Brave little American, aren’t you?” Her eyebrow twitched up.
Damn that dress revealed too much of her to resist. “You’re
worth the risk.”
“Let me guess, college boy on holiday? Or maybe a dare
from your frat brothers.” She glanced around the small bar, then brought the
glass to her shiny lips.
“Got the college boy on holiday right.” He inched
closer. “What are you drinking?”
Holding up her glass up, she said, “Yanni makes a mean
Jack and Coke. Run along, little frat boy.”
“Then I’ll have to try one.” Slade lifted his chin
toward Yanni, and the guy nodded, his smirk widening.
Long red hair nestled atop her head exposed her
swanlike neck, and the wisps swayed as two men sauntered by. She cast a glance
at them, but the jerks stared like ogres.
Slade’s jaw tensed, and he leaned against the bar,
inches from her. She was in high demand and appeared to know everyone here. Not good.
“Here you go,” the bartender said, sliding Slade’s
drink toward him.
“Aren’t you going to card him, Yanni? He looks a mite…young.” She chuckled before taking a sip
of her drink.
“Kid’s got balls approaching you, figured I’d give him
one last drink before you chewed him up and spit him out.” Yanni winked at
Slade. “On the house, man.”
She laughed and gestured to the stool next to her. “Have
a seat…”
Author Bio
Originally from Minnesota, Reese Monroe currently enjoys
living in the sunny Arizona desert with her husband of seventeen years and her
loveable Shetland Sheep dog, Maddux. Monroe holds a degree in psychology from
Southwest Minnesota State University and a master's degree from the University
of Iowa. When she’s not busy writing her next trilogy, she can be found
pounding the pavement, training for her next endurance event.
Connect with Reese on Twitter (@Rush_Monroe), through
Facebook (Facebook.com/LynnRushWrites) or her website ReeseMonroe.net.
I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to give an interview with the author.
Interview
Questions
How did you get started writing?
I never grew up wanting to be a writer. I
fell into it after reading an awesome story about angels and demons. My own stories
started popping into my mind—along with some character voices—and they haven’t
stopped since.
How did you come up with your characters?
It varies. Someone I see walking down the
street or into a coffee shop can trigger an idea for a character. I can wake up
with a thought or phrase on my might and immediately picture the character who
says it. The main thing is that I am always open to it. If I have to stop what
I’m doing to write an idea down, so be it. I’ve even been known to stop in the
middle of a run to type something on my phone.
What inspired you to write the Bound by
Hades series?
I can’t identify anything in particular that
triggered it, but I have a deep passion for the whole good vs evil and fated
love theme. I know fated love isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I just love it.
Because even if you’re fated you don’t necessarily have to like it. Fighting it
and coming to terms with it is the fun part. So, I thought it was fun to have
couples get marked, showing they’re fated, but still show how they fall in love—no
matter how much they might resist. I just love love stories! **le sigh**
How difficult was it writing a three book
series, but with each book following different characters?
It was super fun. The stories just flowed,
really. As I was writing the first book, ideas came into mind about another
character I wanted to focus on. Same with the second. It made me want to hurry
and get to their book. **LOL**
In the whole series which was your favorite
to write?
Oh no. That’s like asking who is the
favorite child, right? J I think I have to
say Justin’s story might have been my favorite. He was a fun character and so
against Mates I was excited to see how we could break through that. What better
way than with a demon, right?
Which was the hardest one to write?
The third one was the most difficult because
it was the last. Tying up loose ends and having the trilogy end on a good note
is challenging…but it was really fun. I couldn’t have done it without the help
of my amazing editors at Entangled. They are worth their weight in gold.
How does it feel to complete a whole
trilogy?
Bitter sweet. I’ve spent quite some time
with these characters. It feels weird that I’m done with them. It’s like a
bunch of good friends have moved away.
Any new projects we can expect to see coming
out within the next year?
Super Agent, Nicole Resciniti, is shopping a
fun contemporary romance around. So you just never know what’ll happen with
that. I’ve written another trilogy with a couple spin-off characters from the
Bound by Hades trilogy, so we’ll see if that gets picked up. My alter ego, Lynn
Rush, will release print versions of the Touch of Frost trilogy end of the year
or early 2015. And don’t forget the voices. They’re talking up a storm, so I’ll
be writing a few more novels, I‘m sure. J I don’t worry too
much about what’s next. I just keep taking the next step on this journey.
Who are your favorite authors?
Rebecca Zanetti, Rebecca Yarros, Jus
Accardo, Gena Showalter, Kresley Cole, to name a
few.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Do not rush into anything. Get hooked up
with an established author and heed his/her advice. J
Even though you might hear some things you don’t want to. J
Don't miss out on the other books in the series!
Being the Gatekeeper to Hades is no small feat, and waiting almost a millennia to meet your mate is damn near impossible. But Theo Bradford’s mark has finally surfaced on his intended. Now all he has to do is find her and convince her to embrace her supernatural heritage. Young genius, Sadie Nowland, has got life figured out. Graduating college at the age of eighteen and accepting a six-figure job is just what she needs to prove she’s made something of herself. But when a strange tattoo mysteriously appears on her shoulder and Theo starts talking about Mates, it catapults her neatly laid out life into chaos.
Somehow a vicious demon banished to Hades defies Theo’s vanquish and returns, setting his target on Sadie, and she is thrust into the volatile world of Shomrei warriors and a connection to Theo her brain can’t comprehend and her body can’t deny. That primal bond proves more imperative to their survival than either could have ever imagined—and just may be the key to the world’s survival
Book #1 in trilogy: Forged by Fate
For 911 years, Gatekeeper companion Justin Bradford has denied the possibility of being mated to only one woman. He enjoys them all too much to settle down. So when he feels his mate’s Ahavah mark surface, his first instinct is to ignore it. But when he sees the leather-clad beauty in need of his help that’s easier said than done… Yvonne wakes up naked on a cold park bench in a small town with no memory of who—or what—she is. All she knows is the gentle man who woke her was turned to dust when she touched him.
And now the strange mark that appeared on her shoulder throbs in the presence of the raven-haired man now offering to help her… As Justin and Yvonne navigate the mystery of her past, their bond grows, but the secrets they discover and the sacrifices that must be made could be enough to rip them apart for eternity
Book #2 in trilogy: Marked by Hades
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