Book Review: Rian by Michelle McLoughney


Rian by Michelle McLoughney
(The O’Malleys #2)
Publication date: February 10th 2015
Genres: Adult, Romance               See on Goodreads

Do you believe in soul mates?
Rian O’Malley knew the minute he saw Liadh O’Neil that she was the missing piece of his puzzle. They would be together forever. The only problem, they were both five years old at the time. When Rian lost Liadh, he shut away a part of his heart and no woman ever managed to capture the piece of his soul that belonged to Liadh.

Do you believe in true love?
Rian O’Malley is all grown up. Life is good as a sexy brooding multi millionaire businessman. Being CEO of the O’Malley Caribbean resorts affords Rian every luxury, but in love Rian is guarded, the guise of cheeky carefree playboy hides the depths of his fractured heart.

Liadh O’Neil is back in town.
Scarred by the fire that changed her physically and emotionally, Liadh O’Neil is changed. Although broken on the inside, outwardly Liadh is a confident and professional woman. Can Rian break through the façade and find the real Liadh? Old friendships are rekindled and old adversaries resurface, soon Rian must fight for Liadh’s life as well as her heart.

The magic is still there, the chemistry too hot to deny. Can Rian break down Liadh’s barriers when his own walls seem so impenetrable?

I like childhood romances. The type where you just saw each other as disgusting slobs during your childhood until you both grew up. I like these type of stories as it shows how you truly knew the person even before she or he became the gorgeous being that they are today.

And that is what Rian and Liadh have.

Rian is probably one of the most ideal boyfriend out there. He is perfect. He is every adjective you would want your boyfriend to have (or might already have). I love their interactions as it is both endearing, knowing how close they are in the past and still came to caring for each other despite the years. There are moments however that I found it quite unrealistic and yet, the book is good enough to inspire a little thought that happily ever afters may happen.

Rian is a good book to read for those looking for the ideal happily ever after with a guy who is perfect in every way.





Blog Tour: After The Fall by Abby Cavenaugh!


High-profile divorce? Check.

Time away to heal? Check. Six months.

Distance from her celebrity ex Michael Day? Almost.

After ending the relationship that defined her, Tina is desperate to get her life back. But, a sexy bartender who happens to be ten years her junior might not be the best way to do that.

Shaking off the pain of the past, Tina decides the old rules no longer apply. For the first time in a very long time, Tina is free to do what she wants with whomever she wants. And Tina wants Josh.

Tina's first fling after her divorce has the potential to be something more, if only Josh wasn't a struggling musician.

She watched Michael's career soar beyond his wildest dreams, only to get swallowed up by the fame and fortune that came with it. In the end, Tina was left with a broken marriage, a broken heart, and a custody agreement.

Tina wants to focus on herself, to finally find a place in the world that doesn't come from marrying a celebrity. But if she ends this thing with Josh and focuses on a career, she might lose her one shot at happiness.


AFTER THE FALL is Abby Cavenaugh's second novel and a follow-up to her bestselling GOING HOME AGAIN.
The story starts as the pair meets. The meeting of the two was a little cliche. Well, more than a little bit. The whole time slows down and love at first sight. Tina can't hold a single conversation when they first met. 

Tina was swept off her feet by her first husband at a young age. An age that was still gullible with true love. She is also a mother to a 12 year old boy and trying to be the greatest for him. But what happens when her happiness seems to be when she's with the charming bartender she met the other night? The one she told all her stories with?

Josh was also swept off by love. But that relationship turned into a big heartache. Now, he seems to be drawn with the woman that came to the bar he was working at. They share more than a stories but the life story of each other. 

After The Fall will show you how can still find love amidst the chaotic world that we have today. Even with broken hearts and angry minds, you will find love in the places and people you least expected. In this novel, age doesn't matter right?
Abby Cavenaugh is a writer of romantic women's fiction. She is a newspaper editor by day, but dreams of someday retiring to the North Carolina coast to write books full-time. She lives near Charlotte with her twin sister, also a writer, eight-year-old niece, three cats and a crazy puppy. She is driven by dreams and chocolate.

Release Week Blitz: NOWHERE BUT HERE by Katie McGarry!

Nowhere But Here RDL Banner  

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Release Day Launch for Katie McGarry's NOWHERE BUT HERE! NOWHERE BUT HERE is a Young Adult Contemporary Romance and is a part of Katie McGarry’sThunder Road Series, published by Harlequin Teen. Grab your copy today!!

Nowhere But Here - cover

Amazon ** Kobo ** BAM ** Barnes & Noble ** iBooks ** IndieBound

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

An unforgettable new series from acclaimed author Katie McGarry about taking risks, opening your heart and ending up in a place you never imagined possible Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both. Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down. No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.   Hand rider on handlebars, close-up
  NOWHERE BUT HERE Trailer:


Katie McGarry Author PhotoKatie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.  

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rom Oz's Point of View. Set up: Emily has been separated from her parents and after a long night of worrying, her emotions and exhaustion catch up to her and it causes Oz to have his first fluttering of emotion for Emily. 

WIND BLOWS IN FROM THE NORTH AND A FEW pieces of Emily’s dark hair sweep across her face. One min­ute Emily’s a bright flame, then a gust snuffs out her light. Her body sways like a top at the tail end of a spin and I lunge forward.
Emily’s knees give out and her eyes roll back into her head. I catch her inches before she crashes onto the porch. She’s light as I swing her into my arms and her head circles onto my shoulder, reminding me of one of those rag dolls Violet used to play with when we were kids.
“Emily!” Eli’s on top of me, attempting to yank her out of my arms. “Open your eyes.”
Her eyelids flutter, but remain closed as her hand limply clutches my shirt. Eli rams his arms underneath mine and he makes Emily a rope in a tug-of-war. I should let her go. I should want to let her go, but then Emily goes and screws it up for me. “Oz.” 
It was a damn whisper, but I heard my name on her lips and so did Eli. His eyes flash to mine and Cyrus’s words repeat in my mind. That girl trusts you. And screw us both for that.
“She’s exhausted,” I say. “Hasn’t slept at all tonight.”
Eli’s expression hardens as he glares at me. I’ve seen Eli throw a coma-inducing punch for less defiance and I readjust the sleeping girl in my arms. A reminder if he decks me now, he’ll be putting his daughter at risk.
Temporarily surrendering, Eli cups Emily’s face in his hands and angles her toward him. “Emily, please open your eyes.”
She does. It’s barely a crack and they’re completely glazed.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” Eli affirms.
“I want my mom and dad,” she mumbles.
“You’ll see them tomorrow.” Eli pushes a strand of hair from her cheek. “You’re safe here. I promise.”
She rejects Eli by curling into me. Her head fits perfectly in the crook of my neck and I loathe the wave of protective­ness that rumbles through my body. Emily’s fingers tighten their grip near my shoulders and the impulse is to shield her from the guys gawking at this intimate scene. Yeah, this is club business, but Emily never asked for any of this.

Cover Reveal: This Is One Moment by Mila Gray!

Mila Gray has a new book coming out on September 10th, THIS IS ONE MOMENT!!!

Mila Gray is the pen name for Sarah Alderson, author of Hunting Lila, Losing Lila, The Sound, Fated and Out of Control. Her first NA is Come Back To Me (My review here).


Book Review: Haunted Love by Jessica Frances


Haunted Love by Jessica Frances
Publication date: February 23rd 2015
Genres: Adult, Paranormal Romance
See on Goodreads
Buy links: Amazon 



 My name is Thea Bell and I was murdered.

I always assumed that death was the end. So when my life was cruelly taken away from me, I never thought I would get a second chance to say what I needed to.

But then I was given a choice, a choice that allowed me to see the people I had left behind, and I knew I had to take it.

I wanted to say a proper goodbye. I needed justice for what happened to me.

But even in death, things rarely go to plan.

I never expected to meet him. I didn’t anticipate falling in love. I hadn’t considered the repercussions of coming back. I never realized I would put another person in danger.

I didn’t know my actions were going to haunt us forever.



My name is Detective Aiden Mercer, and I think I have gone insane.

I am seeing the murder victim of my current case alive and in the flesh, and that is simply not possible.

I can see her, hear her, touch her. She’s real to me, however I know this cannot be real. Right?

But try telling my heart that, because as I grow closer to catching Thea’s killer, I also fall deeper into trouble.

Because love is rarely anything but trouble and I know this love will haunt me forever.

This story made me sad yet--well, I really couldn't say happy because of the events and ending that occurred. The best word that I can come up with to sum what I felt after turning the last page was satisfied.

I like how it's a perfect blend of mystery, romance and the supernatural. It did not feel off as their story progressed. They both learned a lesson from each other and the encounter that brought them together in the first place. 
If you are into the supernatural romance, then Haunted Love is a book you shouldn't miss.   



 I love reading and writing. I’m sure there is more to my life, but who cares, right? I love reading and writing paranormal and sci-fi, however I will read almost anything if it is written well. My kindle is FULL of books and I continue to add to them daily. I am a book hoarder and will never change. I love entering new worlds and finding new perspectives to view life through.

I don’t condone bullying and believe authors and readers should support each other.

Feel free to add me as a friend if you want or email me if you have any questions: jessicafrances_author@yahoo.com.au




Book Review: Guild Assassin by Berley Kerr






Book Title: Guild Assassin (Curse Breaker #1)
Author: Berley Kerr
Genre: Science Fiction, New Adult, Steampunk, Romance
copy from Netgalley
See on: Goodreads

Buy links: Amazon 

Wendy Magdalena Braca lived in a Victorian mansion under three moons in Jupiter City. But her privileged upbringing falters when after the death of her father and the murder of her mother, she is shipped away to Greenleaf Asylum for Troubled Girls and lived there for years until she is “rescued” by a strange guild that shows Wendy their world; the world of Guild Assassins made up of the Cæcus (normal humans), the Validus (magic-users), and Half-Breeds (demi-gods). In this world, Wendy discovers she is the most special and powerful Validus known to exist, the Curse Breaker

 


This book reminds me so much of the movie series Underworld. Only this time, it's that, mixed with a little of Percy Jackson and the Sorcerer's Apprentice. 

This book is really a good prelude to the upcoming books in this series. From the moment we catch a glimpse of Wendy's life before and during her stay in the asylum as well as her rescue from it. The story itself is interesting as it not only has a knowing-yourself-more aspect, there is even politics involved between and against the guilds. 

I'm excited to see what the second book brings. Will Wendy discover the extent of her powers and who she really is?  



Berley Elston Gordon Kerr III first answered the call to write while he was in his high school creative writing class. What he had originally hoped would turn into a career developing stories for role playing games evolved into a love of writing science fiction and fantasy novels as well as short stories. After spending over ten years writing novels and collecting rejection letters Berley finally got his big break with Curse Breaker: Guild Assassin.

Berley holds a Bachelor's Degree in English from California State University, Northridge and currently lives in Los Angeles, California. When he's not reading or writing, he's either at the movies,at the beach, at some local comic book store or somewhere in Southern California hanging out with his friends.


Blog Tour + Excerpt: A Darker Shade of Magic by by V.E. Schwab!

A Darker Shade of Magic (A Darker Shade of Magic #1)

Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit. 

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London—but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—trickier than they hoped.
Kell wore a very peculiar coat.

It had neither one side, which would be conventional, nor two, which would be unexpected, butseveral, which was, of course, impossible.

The first thing he did whenever he stepped out of one London and into another was take off the coat and turn it inside out once or twice (or even three times) until he found the side he needed. Not all of them were fashionable, but they each served a purpose. There were ones that blended in and ones that stood out, and one that served no purpose but of which he was just particularly fond.

So when Kell passed through the palace wall and into the anteroom, he took a moment to steady himself—it took its toll, moving between worlds—and then shrugged out of his red, high-collared coat and turned it inside out from right to left so that it became a simple black jacket. Well, a simple black jacket elegantly lined with silver thread and adorned with two gleaming columns of silver buttons. Just because he adopted a more modest palette when he was abroad (wishing neither to offend the local royalty nor to draw attention) didn’t mean he had to sacrifice style.

Oh, kings, thought Kell as he fastened the buttons on the coat. He was starting to think like Rhy.

On the wall behind him, he could just make out the ghosted symbol made by his passage. Like a footprint in sand, already fading.

He’d never bothered to mark the door from this side, simply because he never went back this way. Windsor’s distance from London was terribly inconvenient considering the fact that, when traveling between worlds, Kell could only move between a place in one and the sameexact place in another. Which was a problem because there was no Windsor Castle a day’s journey from RedLondon. In fact, Kell had just come through the stone wall of a courtyard belonging to a wealthy gentleman in a town called Disan. Disan was, on the whole, a very pleasant place.

Windsor was not.

Impressive, to be sure. But not pleasant.

A marble counter ran against the wall, and on it a basin of water waited for him, as it always did. He rinsed his bloody hand, as well as the silver crown he’d used for passage, then slipped the cord it hung on over his head, and tucked the coin back beneath his collar. In the hall beyond, he could hear the shuffle of feet, the low murmur of servants and guards. He’d chosen the anteroom specifically to avoid them. He knew very well how little the Prince Regent liked him being here, and the last thing Kell wanted was an audience, a cluster of ears and eyes and mouths reporting the details of his visit back to the throne.

Above the counter and the basin hung a mirror in a gilded frame, and Kell checked his reflection quickly—his hair, a reddish brown, swept down across one eye, and he did not fix it, though he did take a moment to smooth the shoulders of his coat—before passing through a set of doors to meet his host.

The room was stiflingly warm—the windows latched despite what looked like a lovely October day—and a fire raged oppressively in the hearth.

George III sat beside it, a robe dwarfing his withered frame and a tea tray untouched before his knees. When Kell came in, the king gripped the edges of his chair.

“Who’s there?” he called out without turning. “Robbers? Ghosts?”

“I don’t believe ghosts would answer, Your Majesty,” said Kell, announcing himself.

The ailing king broke into a rotting grin. “Master Kell,” he said. “You’ve kept me waiting.”

“No more than a month,” he said, stepping forward.

King George squinted his blind eyes. “It’s been longer, I’m sure.”

“I promise, it hasn’t.”

“Maybe not for you,” said the king. “But time isn’t the same for the mad and the blind.”

Kell smiled. The king was in good form today. It wasn’t always so. He was never sure what state he’d find his majesty in. Perhaps it had seemed like more than a month because the last time Kell visited, the king had been in one of his moods, and Kell had barely been able to calm his fraying nerves long enough to deliver his message.

“Maybe it’s the year that has changed,” continued the king, “and not the month.”

“Ah, but the year is the same.”

“And what year is that?”

Kell’s brow furrowed. “Eighteen nineteen,” he said.

A cloud passed across King George’s face, and then he simply shook his head and said, “Time,” as if that one word could be to blame for everything. “Sit, sit,” he added, gesturing at the room. “There must be another chair here somewhere.”

There wasn’t. The room was shockingly sparse, and Kell was certain the doors in the hall were locked and unlocked from without, not within.

The king held out a gnarled hand. They’d taken away his rings, to keep him from hurting himself, and his nails were cut to nothing.

“My letter,” he said, and for an instant Kell saw a glimmer of George as he once was. Regal.

Kell patted the pockets of his coat and realized he’d forgotten to take the notes out before changing. He shrugged out of the jacket and returned it for a moment to its red self, digging through its folds until he found the envelope. When he pressed it into the king’s hand, the latter fondled it and caressed the wax seal—the red throne’s emblem, a chalice with a rising sun— then brought the paper to his nose and inhaled.

“Roses,” he said wistfully.

He meant the magic. Kell never noticed the faint aromatic scent of Red London clinging to his clothes, but whenever he traveled, someone invariably told him that he smelled like freshly cut flowers. Some said tulips. Others stargazers. Chrysanthemums. Peonies. To the king of England, it was always roses. Kell was glad to know it was a pleasant scent, even if he couldn’t smell it. He could smell Grey London (smoke) and White London (blood), but to him, Red London simply smelled like home.

“Open it for me,” instructed the king. “But don’t mar the seal.”

Kell did as he was told, and withdrew the contents. For once, he was grateful the king could no longer see, so he could not know how brief the letter was. Three short lines. A courtesy paid to an ailing figurehead, but nothing more.

“It’s from my queen,” explained Kell.

Thanks for organizing the tour Pinoy Book Tours!!!!

Blog Tour: Eve Brenner: Zombie Girl by A. Giacomi!

(The Zombie Girl Saga #1)
Published by: Permuted Press
Publication date: January 25th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Zombies
Purchase: AMAZON | B&N
Eve used to be an ordinary girl, from an ordinary town, with ordinary dreams, but her dreams rapidly turn into nightmares when one grave mistake leaves her a little less than human and a lot less average.

Eve’s not quite the same girl she used to be. She desperately clings to her humanity as new desires, new abilities, and new urges take over with each passing day.

Eve Brenner: Zombie Girl is a tale that takes you on an emotional and terrifying journey as Eve struggles to cope with her new life and find a cure for her strange illness before time runs out. She desperately clings to her humanity as she tries to control the monster she knows is lurking inside her.

Turns out living was the easy part.
EVE
            As Cam holds me, I have an epiphany. I don’t share that epiphany with him. I keep it to myself, and no, it doesn't involve suicide. I will have to do something even more drastic, even more painful.
            I squeeze Cam back as hard as I can without hurting him. He smells like Cam, which is a combination of sweat, deodorant, and fabric softener. He would always lend me his sweaters in high school, and I would sniff them because his scent was so comforting. Perhaps I loved him then, but I was too stupid to know it or act on it. I love him so much more than I can ever tell him. There is no point now. I will be gone by morning.
            We sit in a magical embrace, and I absorb every second of it. It feels as though time has stopped for us. I hear nothing but his beating heart, which is so beautiful I could cry. I miss my own beating heart, but I know I am still capable of love, because this is heartbreaking.
When it’s time to break our embrace, I kiss Cam gently and tell him, “We need to go and help Alex.”
I explain the situation with the agents in Dr. August’s office and how they tasered Alex, thinking she was me. Cam’s horrified expression says it all, and we are on our feet and running in no time.
            As we’re running, we pass the parking lot. I forgot to tell Cam about the zombies that Claire created. He stops to gaze at the carnage. There are flattened bodies strewn everywhere. In a corner of the parking lot, there is a large van parked, and I can see agents placing the bodies in the vehicle. I guess it is time to clean up before too many questions are asked, or worse, the media catches this all on video and plasters it all over television and the internet.
I place my hand on Cam’s shoulder. I know he is in shock, but we have to keep moving. He turns to look at me; I can see in his eyes that he is wondering if I did this. I simply say, “Claire,” and he looks relieved.
We race towards Dr. August’s office. There are now agents stationed outside the door. Cam and I stop in the hallway, staring at them as they stare back.
“Cam, I’m going in there, and I’m not sure what I’m going to find. It may be better if you wait…”
Cam presses his finger to my lips and shakes his head. “I’m not leaving your side. Good or bad, we’re going in together.”
He kisses me hard. I want to faint under its power, but Alex is counting on us to save her ass, so I shake myself alert and ready. 
            We continue walking towards the guards, and they ask us to halt. One of them even takes out a gun to stop our approach. I glare at them. “Gentlemen, we don’t need to get violent here. I just want to see my friends. Take us in.”

A.Giacomi is the author of the wildly entertaining Zombie Girl Saga, a four part series from Permuted Press. Eve Brenner: Zombie Girl is A. Giacomi’s debut novel. You can catch the latest updates about her writing on her blog: www.poeticzombie.com 

A. Giacomi is a wife, and mother to one small human child. She is a Canadian born writer, educator, and artist. She proudly waves her York University Alumni flag and continues to thirst for knowledge and devour books. She is a zombie enthusiast, lover of all things Tim Burton, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Marvel, Star Wars and just generally just loves film, essentially she’s a fangirl.


Book Blitz + Signed Giveaway: Out of Control by Sarah Alderson!


Out of Control

Author: Sarah Alderson
Published by: Simon Pulse
Publication date: May 12th 2015
Genres: Thriller, Young Adult

Purchase:AmazonB&N

A girl looking to escape her past in New York City ends up on the run from a dangerous conspiracy in this sizzling, high-stakes novel.

When seventeen-year-old Liva came to New York City, all she wanted was to escape the painful memories of her past and finally find a fresh start. Her hopes for a new future were dashed the moment she became the sole witness to a brutal murder. When she’s taken into police custody—supposedly for her own protection—she realizes something isn’t right, but it’s too late. Soon, bullets start flying, and Liva realizes that she is not just a witness, but the target—and she needs to escape before it’s too late.

With the help of a sexy car thief that she met at the station, Liva manages to get away from the massacre unharmed, but now the two of them are alone in New York, trying to outrun and outwit the two killers who will stop at nothing to find them. Liva and Jay are living on the edge, but when you’re on the edge, there’s a long way to fall.
The boy snatches the key from my outstretched hand and jams it into the tiny hole. The cuff springs apart, freeing him.
Instantly, he throws himself on top of me. ‘Get down!’
A bullet smacks itself into a filing cabinet just behind us as we tumble to the ground. His chest presses down on mine, my face is buried in his shoulder. Quickly he rolls off me and pushes me towards a desk. I scoot underneath it, banging the side of my head on the sharp metal corner of a drawer unit. I let out a cry.
‘Shhh.’ His hand clamps over my mouth.
I tug his arm away. ‘What’s going on? What’s happening?’ I whisper.
Before he can answer me, the shooting stops and a silence falls that is even more terrifying than the gunfire. The boy and I both freeze, staring at each other unblinking, just a few millimetres between us. Together, enclosed in the tight space beneath the desk, we strain to listen, and over the radio static and the whir of the air conditioner overhead, I pick out faint cries coming from somewhere in the distance; the unnatural keening howl of a wounded animal.
The boy shifts his weight. His back is pressed to one cabinet, his feet to the drawer unit. Carefully, he peers around the edge of the desk then ducks quickly back, breathing fast. A bead of sweat trickles down the side of his face.
‘Shit,’ he murmurs, resting his head back against the cabinet and closing his eyes.
‘Wh— ’ I begin, but stop when I hear the sly creak of the door being pushed open. A boot crunches on glass. The boy’s eyes flash open and lock on mine, holding me in place, silencing the scream that has risen up my throat and is threatening to tear free. My legs begin to shake from holding still in a crouching position. The boy’s right hand squeezes my knee hard – another warning, his eyes wide and burning fiercely into mine, telling me: Do not move.
Something topples off a desk on the far side of the room and, over the boy’s shoulder, through a gap between two filing cabinets, I glimpse the back of a man’s leg. Whose? Is it a cop? Where is everyone else? What happened to the cops who ran out into the corridor?
No. I shut off the thought, not wanting to go there.
The man in the room is standing stock-still with his back to us. What is he doing? I can’t see. He’s facing the wall – the chalkboard with all the homicide cases listed on it. The seconds seem to extend into whole hours, days, centuries, and I’m holding my breath and the boy’s hand is still squeezing my knee and my heart is bursting, literally bursting, as though too much blood is pumping through it. My leg muscles are on fire and, without warning, my foot slips. Not far. But it bumps the edge of the desk. The man spins instantly in our direction. The air rushes from my lungs and the boy shifts beside me, a single word that I don’t catch, falling from his lips like a dying man’s prayer.
The man starts to head in our direction, is almost on us, when someone somewhere else in the building shouts something that’s instantly swallowed in a storm of gunfire and the man rushes out into the corridor.
The boy darts his head out and then he’s out from under the desk and reaching for me.


‘Move!’ he says, pulling me to my feet.
Having spent most of her life in London, Sarah quit her job in the non profit sector in 2009 and took off on a round the world trip with her husband and princess-obsessed daughter on a mission to find a new place to call home. After several months in India, Singapore, Australia and the US, they settled in Bali where Sarah now spends her days writing by the pool and trying to machete open coconuts without severing a limb.

She finished her first novel, Hunting Lila (winner of the Kingston Book Award), just before they left the UK, wrote the sequel on the beach in India and had signed a two book deal with Simon & Schuster by the time they had reached Bali.

A third book, Fated, about a teenage demon slayer, was published in January 2012.

The Sound, a thriller romance set in Nantucket, was published in August 2013 and this was followed by the critically acclaimed Out of Control in May 2014.

She also writes New Adult romance for Pan Macmillan (UK) / Simon & Schuster (US) under the pen name Mila Gray.

You can find Sarah on facebook and at www.sarahalderson.com or follow her blog at www.canwelivhere.com