Are
you looking for another book to add to your holiday stash?
For
that cold night huddled beneath your cosy blanket.
Maybe
there’s snow or rain outside.
How
about a day at the beach,
or
lounging by the pool,
sipping
your favorite drink,
and getting lost in a story?
No
matter what sort of holiday you’re planning or not, you can always escape into a book.
I can tell you about a brand new release on Amazon.
“Splinter”, is a paranormal romance written by debut
author, Rebecca Raine.
Think
magick, vampires, a murder mystery to solve, and a dire situation between
the heroine and hero.
Here’s the Blurb
Ignite the magick within, or be hunted
in the dark.
Rachel
Fallon has inherited the estate of her grandmother, Maddie, and believes she’s
finally found a place to call home. That is, until a terrifying experience
convinces her Maddie’s death was no accident, but murder. Now, her search for
answers will uncover a world brimming with magick, where vampires are real and
thirsty for blood.
Nick
Hunter has left behind his own splinter of reality to follow Maddie’s killer to
this place of disbelievers – where people have not learned to fear nightfall.
Despite his difficulty accessing the magick here, Nick is determined to find
the vampire and put an end to his madness.
Rachel’s
presence is both a complication and an all too tempting distraction – even with
the force of the magick she unknowingly possesses. When she becomes the focus
of the vampire’s attention, Nick and Rachel must work together to stop him. But
as the flames of desire burn hot between them, the truth about the night Maddie
died threatens to destroy them both.
“Splinter” is available now for the special Kindle
price of $0.71 US and $0.99 Aus.
Rebecca kindly provided an early preview of the story
with this excerpt.
“Prove
it.” Rachel jumped up off the step and jutted her chin out at him. “Right here,
right now. I want absolute, undeniable proof this so-called magic is real.”
Nick stared at her for a moment
before blinding her with a smile. Rachel’s insides melted at the sight. Dear
God, he could kill a woman doing that.
“All
right. What did you have in mind?”
“Huh?”
She stared at him, her brain not yet back to full working order.
He rubbed his hands together in what
could only be called gleeful enthusiasm. “You asked for proof. What kind of proof would you like?”
“I-I’m
not sure.” Thrown by his willingness to accommodate her, she was drawing a
blank. She’d expected him to come up with some excuse as to why it wasn’t
possible right now, like the planets weren’t aligned or he didn’t have his
lucky crystal or something. The thought of instant acquiescence hadn’t really
occurred to her. She had no idea what would happen next. It was kind of
exciting.
Anticipation made her pulse race as
she took a step closer. They stood facing each other, just centimetres apart. “What can you do for me, magic man?”
He thought for a moment before
suggesting, “How
about … fireworks?”
“But
you said the magic here was too hard to use.”
“Well,
sparkly lights in the sky aren’t exactly going to do much in a fight. They
don’t take a lot of magick, though, and they will provide your proof.” He
tilted his head slightly, his gaze dropping to her lips as a small grin tilted
the corners of his mouth. “I could give you fireworks.”
Distracted by the heat in his eyes,
she felt a pleasant shiver ripple through her. “I’ll just bet you could.”
He gave a deep-throated chuckle and
she almost groaned at the sound. “Fireworks it is.” Taking her hand in his, he pulled her
toward the side of the house. “Prepare to be amazed.”
She laughed at the theatrical tone
he used. “Where
are we going?”
“We’re
too close to the road here. You wouldn’t want fireworks appearing on your front
lawn where anyone driving past might see, would you? It’s the sort of thing
that gets the neighbours talking.”
“How
kind of you to think of my reputation.”
“I
aim to please,” he replied as they reached the rear of the house. He guided her
to a spot on the grass, a few metres from the back steps, before walking
further out into the yard.
“Are
you ready?” he asked, winking at her as he rubbed his hands together once more.
She snorted at his attempt at
dramatic flair. “Sure,
why not?” Her tone was nonchalant but in reality she kept her focus riveted to
him. She wanted to make sure she spotted whatever trick he was about to use on
her, so she could call him on it. He seemed much too confident about this.
Nick took several deep breaths, his
eyes sliding closed. He stood there, still as a statue, for at least a minute.
Rachel began to think he was going to claim he’d failed to harness the magic or something. Then, with a
few muttered words, he gestured into the air. A stream of red lights shot from
his fingertips and up a couple of metres, into the night sky. They began to
swirl and dance in intricate patterns, following the motions of his hands.
Rachel stared in awe, unable to comprehend what she was seeing, until the
lights began to fade into the night.
He turned to her, a smug expression
on his face. Her gaping jaw snapped shut. “Very pretty,” she conceded.
The grin widened. “Honey, you ain't seen nothing yet.”
A moment later, bright violet lights
flared and danced above their heads. They were joined by green lights, then
blue, then yellow. Nick rotated his hands and the lights obeyed, forming a
number eight in the sky.
As the rainbow of colours began to
dissipate, she stalked toward him. “Let me see your hands.”
He held his arms out, seeming happy
enough to oblige. “You
can look, but you won’t find anything,” he said, as she examined his palms and
pushed the short sleeves of his t-shirt up, doing her best not to be distracted
by the firmness of his biceps. Then he leaned a little closer and waggled his
eyebrows at her. “Would you like to check my pants, too?”
Ignoring him, she knelt down to
inspect the ground where he’d
been standing. “How did you do it? Huh?” She found nothing suspicious hidden in
the grass and stood to glare at him. “How?”
“You
know how, Rachel.” He reached out to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, his
voice low and husky. “This is not some illusion or sleight of hand. This is
magick. Real magick.”
The word struck a chord deep inside
her. Magick.
Could
it be true? She thrust the idea out of her head.
“No.” The denial burst from her on a
rush. There was no way she would allow herself to be fooled by yet another man.
She’d had enough of being lied to. “I’m not going to fall for a few flashy
tricks.”
“Flashy
tricks?” He stood with his hands on his hips as he glared at her with those
piercing eyes. “You are the most stubborn, narrow-minded woman I’ve ever met.”
“Maybe
you just have bad taste in women,” she snapped, feeling her own blood begin to
boil. “Gullible isn’t really my style.” At
least not anymore, a snarky voice sounded in her head.
“All
right, then.” He crossed his arms over his chest once again. “Explain to me how
I managed to make coloured lights dance across the sky. On demand, no less.” He
paused for a long moment, giving her every opportunity to speak, before
gesturing at her impatiently. “Come on, you’re so sure it was a trick. You must
have some idea how I did it.”
“I
don’t know,” she cried out, flinging her arms wide.
“Yes.
You do.” He sauntered over to stand at her side and his muscular chest brushed
against her arm. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek when he
spoke. “It drew me to you, Rachel. It’s coming off you in waves.” His hands
coasted over her body, close enough to make her skin sizzle but not close
enough to touch. If she looked down she was sure she’d see sparks of
electricity arc between them. She didn’t look down.
“There
is something inside you that knows who you really are. You need to deal with
it. Now.”
She drew a shaky breath when his
left hand lifted to cup her cheek. He turned her face, forcing her to meet his
gaze. “Oliver will come after you,
Rachel.” His voice darkened with warning. “You need to be gone before he does.”
Rachel opened her mouth to speak but
no words came. He was staring at her lips and his thumb began to stroke her
cheek. Butterflies took flight in her stomach as she waited for him to lower
his head, touch his lips to hers. Then he was gone, stalking away into the
night. Her eyes slid closed as she released a sigh, though she wasn’t sure if it was one of relief or
disappointment.
The coolness of the night air made
her shiver and she turned to make her way up the stairs on shaky legs. She let
herself into the house, and closed the door behind her.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
About Rebecca Raine
Rebecca is a long-timer lover of all things
romance. Whether it’s a book, movie, or real-life, she will always have more
fun if there’s a love interest thrown into the mix.
She lives in Queensland,
Australia with her very own hero husband, two adorable children and one big,
black dog.
Other than reading and writing books, her favorite things include
loud music, enjoying a glass of wine on the patio, organizing everything in
existence, and spending too much time on the Internet.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Connect with Rebecca
Enjoy your week,
Ashlyn
