luni, 31 august 2015

Recenzie Calatoarea de Diana Gabaldon

Prima parte din seria OUTLANDER

Povestea care a stat la baza serialului OUTLANDER

Anul 1945. Claire Randall, fosta sora medicala, se intoarce din razboi și pleaca cu sotul intr-o a doua luna de miere. Dar o stanca magica descoperita intr-un loc misterios o transforma intr-o calatoare in timp, care se trezește brusc intr-o Scotie macinata de lupta, in Anul Domnului… 1743.

Azvarlita intr-un alt secol de forte pe care nu le intelege, protagonista trebuie sa infrunte conspiratii și primejdii care ii ameninta viata… și ii pun la incercare inima. Destinul i-l scoate in cale pe tanarul razboinic James Frazer si Claire trebuie sa aleaga intre fidelitate si dorinta, intre doi barbati, intre doua vieti.




My opinion:

Well, luna asta chiar a fost una productiva in ceea ce priveste cititul. Adica, cartea asta plus monstruozitatea de Sticletele de Donna Tartt?! Asta da reusita.

S-a produs asa o mara valva in jurul acestei carti, cu serialul si tot, incat am zis ca nu vreau sa o citesc, nu vreau sa ma uit la serial, plus cartile nu o sa apara niciodata la noi. Ei, Nemira ne-a facut una dintre cele mai frumoase surprize ale verii 2015 si au publicat primul volum din serie. Si asa, am zis ca de ce nu, hai sa citesc si eu cartea. Sa vedem care e treaba cu ea.

In primul rand, trebuie sa vorbesc despre coperta. Chiar daca la inceput am fost putin trista ca nu au pastrat coperta originala, dupa ce am vazut-o in persoana…. WOW! Chiar merita Nemira toate laudele pentru o coperta atat de superba. Sunt curioasa cum o sa arate si urmatoarele volume.
Si acum sa intram in miezul problemei. Povestea… OMG! Scotia!? Credeam ca tarile mele preferate sunt doar  Italia, Egipt si Malta. Dar Scotia… cu siguranta mi-ar placea sa traiesc acolo. Si mai ales in perioada in care se desfasoara povestea. Cred ca perioada veche, cea de 1700-1800 e cea mai periculoasa si mai palpitanta perioada de trait.
Nu prea mai intalnesti in aceasta perioada autorii care sa au darul acela de a scrie. Dar cei drept cartea asta a fost scrisa in 1991. Va vine sa credeti ca doar acum a inceput sa prinda popularitatea pe care o are acum?! Asta inseamna sa scrii cu pasiune pentr lucrurile pe care le vrei, si pe care le doresti in primul rand pentru tine, si nu pentru bani.


Povestea e una speciala si fagnifica in acelasi timp. Descrierile locului, intamplarile, actiunele, scenele de sex. OMG! Ca si cum ai fi o parte din poveste. Traiesti prin toti porii povestea. Si acum, dupa cae am citit si eu cartea am inteles de ce atat de multa lume e nebuna dupa seria asta. Am fost data gata dupa prima carte, dar atunci ce sa zic de restul serii?! Daca sunt la fel sau si mai si ca prima carte, fac infart.
Personajele sunt asa de perfecte pentru acea perioada a Scotiei. Chiar daca Claire vine din viitor, se acomodeaza asa de repede de parca a apartinut acelui loc dintotdeuna. Imi place ca personajul ei nu e construit a fi puternic si sau a inspira acea putere feminina pe care o intalnim in aproape orice carte. Toata lumea iubeste personajul asta, dar mai adoram si faptul cand vedem personajul feminin asa cum e in realitate. Iar pe Claire o simti ca e reala. Ca e mai mult decat un personaj.










Iar James… OMG! Deci cred ca m-am indragostit pana peste cap de el. Puternic, sexy, stupid si idiot, tandru si grijuliu. Of, doamne, barbatul asta chiar e perfect si atunci cand nu e, sau cand nu vrei sa fie. O sa intalniti atatea momente in carte in care o sa vreti sa il urati din toata inima, si nu o sa puteti. Asta da personaj. :)


Ce pot sa spun mai multe fara sa va dau prea multe? Cartea merita citita si devorata pana la ultimul cuvant! Si rareori mai zic asta intr-o recenzie. Dar cartea asta… Nu stiu ce faceti acum, sau cititi acum, dar lasati totul balta si puneti mana pe ea ci cititi-o. Chiar nu o sa regretati! Mai ales, ca dupa ce cititi cartea, puteti sa vedeti si serialul! So, Enjoy my friends!




Cartea are 800 de pagini, coperta paperback si o puteti comanda de pe site-ul Editurii Nemira.


Favorite quotes:

“Don't be afraid. There's the two of us now.”

“For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary”

“You're tearin' my guts out, Claire.”

“Sometimes our best action result in things that are most regrettable.”


sâmbătă, 29 august 2015

Recenzie Sticletele de Donna Tartt

Theo Decker, un adolescent de treisprezece ani din New York, supraviețuiește ca prin minune unei explozii care îi omoară mama într-un muzeu de artă și intră fără voia lui în posesia unui mic tablou fascinant, preferatul mamei sale. Ani de zile mai târziu, după o copilărie aventuroasă, Theo lucrează într-un magazin de antichități, iar tabloul ascuns cu grijă ani de zile devine pe neașteptate poarta de acces către lumea subterană a traficului cu opere de artă.
O poveste plină de suspans, meșteșugită meticulos, asemenea unui tablou flamand, despre iubire și artă, despre pierdere și obsesie, despre supraviețuire și modelarea propriului destin, toate supuse întorsăturilor imprevizibile și nemiloase ale sorții.



My opinion:

Ei, asta da carte. Si nu ma refer doar la numarul de pagini si la formatul ei (si mama, cand a vazut-o a zis ca e o biblie, ceea ce e un compliment, insa incomod de citit). E o altfel de carte care te face sa o iubesti si sa o urasti in acelasi timp.
Povestea e fascinanta, insa toata descrierea aia te face sa incetinesti procesul de cititre si te tot gandesti la ce bun sa stii atatea lucruri pe care o sa le uiti. Adica, sunt inutile si nefolositoare, te gandesti. Asta pana dai de urmatorul capitol si te gandesti, well, wrong my friends. Fiecare detaliu are scopul lui, te ajuta sa intelegi mai bine personajul si imprejurarile in care se afla. Si tot odata il ajuta pe recenzor cand e in pana de idei. Muahahah…

Nu cred ca am mai citit de mult o carte care pune atat de mult accent pe detalii. Si deobicei nu prea imi plac astfel de carti, si incerc sa ma cam feresc de ele. Adica, ma incetinesc, si intru intr-o asa pasa de nu mai vreau sa citesc o vreme. Sunt multe carti care te plictisesc cu detalii si nu le vezi scopul, chiar daca zici ca pana la sfarsitul cartii o sa le gasesti scopul si boom, ai terminat cartea si nimic. Well, nu stiu cat ia luat autoarei sa scrie cartea asta, dar dupa modul in care a fost construita ori ia luat vreo cativa ani, ori autoarea asta chiar are un dar de a scrie carti. Si nu orice fel de carte.



Pe cat de complexa pare povestea, pe atat de simpla si placuta e cand deja patrunzi in miezul ei. Mi-a placut ca, in ciuda detaliilor, am putut sa ma pierd in ea si in lumea ei.
Povestea e atat de diferita de ce am citit pana acum, incat ma face sa cred ca e inspirata dintr-o intamplare reala. V-am spus, e chiar surprinzator modul cum autoarea cunoaste si cel mai mic detaliu al strazii, al suferintei lui Theo, de parca ar fi trait pe pielea ei tot parcursul cartii. Sau poate ca o facut-o. Nu avem de unde sa stim. Insa, in privinta asta, Donna Tartt a devenit unul dintre autorii mei preferati. Pentru ca nu multi au darul acesta de a te face sa iubesti detaliile intr-o carte, cand tu, inainte le urai.
 
Parcursul lui Theo e super emotionant si plin de drumuri intortocheate. E pur si simplu ca un tablou, ceea ce tu citesti. Si nu doar citesti, ci si poti privi. Donna iti ofera atatea perspective de gandire cu privire la viitorul baiatului, ca si culorile unui tablou. Daca nu era galben, oare cum arata pe rosu? Daca tatal lui Theo nu venea, oare cum era viata lui? Toata cartea e o simpla intrebare: Dar daca nu era asa? La asta poti sa rezumi cartea… la o simpla intrebare.
Dupa cum vedeti si in descrierea, povestea incepe cu un factor declansator si anume moartea mamei lui Theo. Si ce poate sa ti se intample mai rau decat moartea singurului parinte care stii ca e capabil sa te iubesca si cand omori un om. Iar iubirea intotdeuna te indeamna sa faci cele mai stupide lucruri…

Cred ca e cea mai diferita poveste pe care am citit-o vreodata si nu pot sa-i atribui niste elemente comune cu alte sute de carti pe care le-am citit. Ai parte de suferinta, dragoste, fericire, aventura, dezamagire… Tot ce poti sa iti doresti intr-o carte. Ceea ce pentru mine e un super mare bonus. Si cred ca si pentru voi. Pentru ca stiu ca multi dintre voi deja ati ochit cartea asta si ati dorit sa fie publicata si la noi. Asa ca sa le multumim celor de la Editura Litera pentru ca ne-au oferit sansa de o citi aceasta minunatie de carte.

So, fuguta si cumparati cartea sau imprumutati-o, da trebuie neaparat sa o cititi. Cartea asta trebuie sa fie pe plista voastra de must read. Si mai ales cand o sa avem parte si de filmul adaptat dupa ea. :) Enjoy!

Carte are 1108 de pagini, coperta hardcover si o puteti comanda de pe site-ul Editurii Litera.

Favorite quotes:

 “Stay away from the ones you love too much. Those are the ones who will kill you.”

“Caring too much for objects can destroy you. Only—if you care for a thing enough, it takes on a life of its own, doesn’t it? And isn’t the whole point of things—beautiful things—that they connect you to some larger beauty?”

“You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can also look at a picture for a second and think of it all your life”

“Sometimes we want what we want even if we know it’s going to kill us.”

Cover Reveal

Now that the 2015 Golden Flogger Award Winners have been announced, I can move forward with offering all three novels of The Divine Trilogy as one complete installment! I'm super excited to be able to do this for the readers who have been with me from the beginning and the new ones who've yet to meet Master Jayden and his Irish lass, Catherine.

Enter a world where pleasure and pain are one . . .
when in the hands of a skilled Master.


Cover Designed by J.C. Clarke of The Graphics Shed

Release Date: August 2015
Genre: BDSM Erotic Romance 
Length: Approximately 255k words / 754 pages Trade Paperback

Summary

An erotic read meant for adults, The Divine Trilogy is not your typical romance. 

When you first meet Catherine and Jayden they aren’t looking for love at all. Catherine O’Chancey is a young submissive whose second Dom turned out to be an abusive fake. This is the story of her subsequent recovery and reentry into the BDSM lifestyle with the help of a new Dominant, Jayden Masterson. Come with me, and I’ll take you on the journey alongside Catherine and Jayden while their bond grows and deepens. It’ll be sexy and intense, but never fear, you get to be there to see the tender side of her new Dom as he helps her through her past tragedies. 

The Divine Trilogy offers a different view of the BDSM world. 

One that will enlighten readers and show them that those who live this Lifestyle often do so because it is a deep-seated need within their psyche, something that can't be ignored. And that need is okay because, when practiced properly, BDSM is all about being Safe, Sane, and Consensual. Find within the pages a sampling of the different dynamics which can occur amongst kinksters. Everything from hardcore pain sluts to docile “littles” who want to be pampered and coddled, but the important thing to remember is that everyone has a place of acceptance, without judgement, in this Lifestyle.

Time and again reviewers have said they couldn’t put this book down . . . even when they don’t usually read this genre.

ADD it on GOODREADS



"Never has a trilogy made me feel like it has come full circle. As much as I didn't want the story to end, when it did, it left me feeling complete and not lacking for anything. It was hard to say goodbye to my new friends but their story will stay with me." 
~ Goodreads Reviewer

"How do you put into words the love that has grown as we watched Jayden and Erin start out as broken souls and evolve into the people they become in this book Surreal? The author has proven that with the right person, love and acceptance, you can bloom into the person you were meant to be all along and soar to heights that not even you could dream possible." 
~ Tbird, Beyond the Valley of the Books

"Overall this trilogy was amazing and is the perfect trilogy for fans of BDSM romance. The theme was well researched and RE Hargrave absolutely nailed it."
~ Kirsty, Sarah and Kirsty's Book Reviews

"Brilliantly written, and with wonderful character development, The Divine Series is simply one of the best I’ve had the privilege of reading. Surreal, the last in the series, is the icing on this most delicious, most decadent of cakes. Not only are the scenes unique as well as sizzling, Hargrave gives us the right balance between heat and passion and an absorbing storyline, one never detracting from the other." 
~ L.J. Harris, author of Just Like Pulling Teeth

BUY LINKS

THIS IS YOUR BEST DEAL!!!
Separately, these books would total $11.97 on Kindle or $54.49 for all three paperbacks. By condensing them into one volume, I'm able to offer you the full Trilogy at a reduced price.

Amazon Paperback $24.99 ~ Coming Soon


Follow R.E. Hargrave on Facebook or Twitter 
Email her at rehargrave@gmail.com





vineri, 28 august 2015

Recomandarea zilei


CUPRINS:
– Vegetal
– Furcacaudină
– ||
– Geamantanu
– Sute de inimi mici ca sute de sori prinşi sub pământ
– Sânu
– Chelia lui Valeriu
– Cea mai bună dintre lumile posibile
– Liniştea

Blog Tour

joi, 27 august 2015

In curand la Editura Trei



Recomandarea zilei

În timpul lansării noului produs al companiei high tech la care este angajat, Andrei, art director român stabilit în Elveţia, experimentează o viziune inexplicabilă, indusă de un desen al misterioasei Ioana. Încercând să afle identitatea acesteia și legătura dintre ei doi, devine implicat în acţiunile unui grup de artişti underground dintr-o reţea cosmopolită, grup care duce la extrem învăţăturile mentorului lor. Acuzat de crimă, trebuie să fugă. Este ghidat de Eliza, o tânără care pare să cunoască îndeaproape motivele ce i-au schimbat viaţa normală şi aproape anostă de până atunci. Pe parcursul a numai câtorva zile, Andrei realizează că adevărurile pe care le ştia despre propria persoană sunt doar o mică parte a unui puzzle care îl poartă fără voia lui prin Praga, Lausanne, Milano și un izolat sat din Banatul sârbesc.
În Malad, realitatea se întrepătrunde cu oniricul, ştiinţa cu alchimia, religia cu fanatismul, iar existenţa obiectivă se dovedeşte doar o umbră a unui alt substrat, mai adânc şi mai improbabil de conştientizat, unde moartea şi decadenţa sunt catalizatori reci ai destinului. În cele din urmă, iubirea poate să fie salvarea. Sau distrugerea, deopotrivă.

Song of the day

Book Nerd Problems | When Books Come In Box Sets

Blog Tour

miercuri, 26 august 2015

Recenzie All the bright places by Jennifer Niven

The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park. All the Bright Places is a compelling and beautiful story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die. Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself.
But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him. Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death. When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it's unclear who saves whom.
And when they pair up on a project to discover the 'natural wonders' of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It's only with Violet that Finch can be himself - a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who's not such a freak after all. And it's only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink.
How far will Violet go to save the boy she has come to love? An intense, gripping YA novel, perfect for fans of John Green, Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, Gayle Forman and Jenny Downham.

My opinion:

Ei, si am facut-o si pe asta. Voiam de ceva timp sa citesc cartea asta, mai ales ca my bff aka sis m-a batut la cap ca trebuie sa o citim. Asa ca am devenit si eu super hipe si am cumparat-o si doar acum am reusit sa ma apuc de ea. Dar nu-i problema. Mai bine mai tarziu decat niciodata, nu?

Stiu ca cartea asta are multa valva in jurul ei, si poate ca prea multa, as zice eu. Nu e o super carte. Insa se ocupa cu niste probleme, cu care multa lume le infunta zi de zi. Ei insisi, sau persoanele din jurul lor, si anume suicidul.
Cartea sta la baza unor fapte reale. Ceea ce o face mult mai realistica si sa fii mult mai intrigat de ea.
Parerea mea e ca se ocupa mai mult de problema asta decat de latura dragostei. Ceea ce e super. Insa, daca exista mai multa implicare si in aspectul iubirii, cartea era pentru mine, cartea anului 2015. Well, nu le poti avea pe toate.


Povestea celor doi te intriga, mai ales daca citesti descrierea, insa iti ofera si un mare spoiler in ceea ce priveste cartea. Dar cum am spus. Cartea asta e menita sa spuna povestea cuiva, relitatea cuiva, nu sa o indulceasca cu fericirea pana la adanci batraneti.
Cu siguranta ii lipseste ceva povestii, in opinia mea. Pentru ca nu am putut sa ma pierd asa de mult cum mi-as fi dorit. Problema cu care m-am confruntat eu, si cred ca multa lume, este faptul ca, cartea, reprezinta o realitate, ceea ce bine pana intr-un punct. Orice carte este menita sa ne ofere o lectie, atat noua, cat si autoriilor sa se descarce de sentimentele pe care acestea le au si nu au cui, sau cred ca nu au cui sa se confezeze. Insa, noi cititorii, citim carti pentru ca vrem sa scapam de acesta realitate. Dorim un strop de fictiune in orice carte. Si poate ca asta i-a lipsit cartii. Acel strop de nerealitate sper care tanjim toti.
 
Personajele au fost extrem de bine construite. Extrem de bine gandite, insa asa fel incat la final nu ai urat pe nimeni chiar daca voiai. Personajele reprezinta realitatea cartii si nu imprejurimile, intamplarile. Toate intamplarile sunt bazate pe caracterul fiecarui personaj. Chiar daca scena de la finalul cartii mi s-a parut putin trasa de coada si facandu-ma sa ma intreb de ce asa si nu invers, dupa o scurta perioada de gandire, mi-am dat seama ca asta e realitatea. Asta se intampla cu o persoana inzestrata de pura realitate si caracter. In acest caz, nu autorul a avut controlul asupra personajului, ci personajul asupra foi de hartie.


Mi-a placut conceptul cartii, si felul cum acesta a fost structurata, de la coperta, la capitole, la tot. Un plus ce il are cartea asta si pentru care a primit din parte mea 3 stele, e faptul ca la un moment dat, cei doi vorbesc pe facebook, insa nu o conversatie tipica, ci vorbesc prin citate. Ceea ce mi s-a parut pur si simplu adorabil ci cred ca noi cititorii ar trebui sa facem asta cu alti cititori, prieteni sau necunoscuti zi de zi.
Nu mi-a placut povestea asta de mult cum as fi dorit, insa asta e partea a doua. Cum am spus, e interesanta si chiar toti ar trebui sa o incercati. Poate, pe multi dintre voi o sa va surprinda, sau poate o sa va faca sa intelegeti anumite lucruri.
Dar, sa nu va asteptati la o poveste de dragoste tipic adolescentina. Sa va asteptati la o poveste in care el e in stare sa ii salveze viata ei cu costul vietii lui. Pur si simplu REALITATEA.

Cartea va aparea in curand la EDITURA TREI.

Favorite quotes:

„ The world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are strong at the broken places.”

„The thing is, there are good days and bad days.”

„So not today, because she smiled at me.”

„I feel we can’t go through another of those terrible times.”

„Arrange whatever pieces come your way.”

„I am rooted, but i flow.”

„Most nights, these are Songs That Will Change the World because they are that good and that deep and that damn amazing. But tonight I’m telling myself I don’t have anything in common with this Violet girl, no mstter how much I want to, and asking myself if the words between us were really that hot or if maybe it was just me imagining, me in overdrive for a girl I barely know, all because she’s the firt person I’ve met who seems to speak my language. A few words of it anyway.”

„If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.”

“You are all the colors in one, at full brightness.”

“You deserve better. I can’t promise you I’ll stay around, not because I don’t want to. It’s hard to explain. I’m a fuckup. I’m broken, and no one can fix it. I’ve tried. I’m still trying. I can’t love anyone because it’s not fair to anyone who loves me back. I’ll never hurt you, not like I want to hurt Roamer. But I can’t promise I won’t pick you apart, piece by piece, until you’re in a thousand pieces, just like me. You should know what you’re getting into before getting involved.”

“What if life could be this way? Only the happy parts, none of the terrible, not even the mildly unpleasant. What if we could just cut out the bad and keep the good?”

“The thing I realize is, that it's not what you take, it's what you leave.”

“We do not remember days, we remember moments.”



Cover Reveal

COVER REVEAL

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UNCONTROLLABLE
Author: CA Harms
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: The Key West Series #3
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Release Date: September 15, 2015
- SYNOPSIS -
Avery Nolan’s father has never been a part of her life.

As a result, she finds herself becoming a caretaker. Always trying to please other people, willing to tuck her own concerns aside for the happiness of others.

She is selfless.

She is a nurturer.

On the outside, it appears Kade Thomas has it all, but no one can understand the guilt and ache he feels daily.

He is haunted by his past. 

Every time he closes his eyes, he finds himself reliving the same nightmare, over and over again.

He blames himself for the loss of Jenna.

He pushed her too far and she paid the price. 

Avery saw something special in Kade, from the first day she met him—she could feel it. 

But the darkness that consumes him is…

Uncontrollable.

Will she finally be the one to break down the walls he’s built around his heart and soul?
Or will she find some walls are just Indestructible…


- COVER DESIGNER - 
Wicked by Design - Robin Harper

- COVER PHOTOGRAPHER -
FuriousFotog

- COVER MODEL - 
RJ Ritchie
https://www.facebook.com/rjorthofit


- ABOUT THE AUTHOR - 
CA Harms 
C.A. Harms is like any other addicted reader. She enjoys happy endings and HEA love stories. She hasn't always been a lover of Romance and had once been addicted to a good Mystery. Just recently she has taken on a new liking and now is a full blown Romance novel addict.

She lives in Illinois and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. You will always find her with her kindle or paperback in hand as it is her favorite pass time.

NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/1xsgHCS

marți, 25 august 2015

In curand la Editura Trei


Cover Reveal




Title: Twenty-One (21)
Author: Clarissa Wild
Publication Date: October 7th, 2015
Genre: Dark Romance (18+)
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25143793-twenty-one

Synopsis

21 years
On her 21st birthday she’s taken. Collected by a rich family as an unpaid debt. Her body sold. Her mind his.
21 weeks
For 21 weeks she carried a burden no girl should ever have to carry. Now she loses her freedom to a man born to destroy her.
21 days
His name: Angel DeLuca. His mission: to break her in 21 days before she sees through his lies. But she won’t give up without a fight.
21 minutes
It takes only 21 minutes for their lives to be forever entwined.
21 seconds
21 seconds to spill. Time is running out.

Secrets ruin them … but not all truths are worth the price.

This is a STANDALONE Dark Romance novel. WARNING: contains explicit situations, dubious consent, graphic violence, drug abuse, and other disturbing content.



Exclusive preorder on: iBooks




Excerpt:

(Copyright 2015 Clarissa Wild. Unedited. Subject to change.)

Day 1


Sky


A never-ending darkness shrouds me, the surrounding void like space, swallowing me whole. Eyes open or eyes shut, it doesn’t make a difference to the vast emptiness around me. It seeps into my bones like poison, clouding my mind from the memories that I had.
Where am I?
My body feels cold, and my limbs solid, like they’re not mine. I notice myself breathing, however. The only thing I hear is the steady, rhythmic beating of my heart. The only sound in this dark hole. Thud, thud … thud.
For a moment I doubt my own existence.
Who am I, even?
A drop of water falling onto a surface pulls me back into reality. I’m here, but how?
My fingers tighten and relax in an attempt to regain control. My muscles feel stiff, but slowly the sensation is returning to the tips of my fingers, giving me a small bit of hope that I might find out what happened to me.
With slow movements, I let my hand slide only a few inches, but it’s enough to determine that I’m lying on a concrete floor. My head begins to hurt and every passing second the pain increases. I move my fingers to my head and touch the back of my scalp. The searing pain stops me and tells me I’m wounded.
When I touch my face I gasp. There is a bag over my head with a hole near my mouth and nose through which I can breathe. For a second, I contemplate removing it, but then I realize they might be watching me.
A buzz moves through my body, bringing life back to my limbs. And even though I’m regaining my sense of touch, my vision is still impaired. However, my eyes feel fine as I touch them, so it must be the lack of light.
I push my elbows underneath me and lean up. A sudden queasiness overtakes me, causing me to buckle and heave. I puke on the floor beside me, which surprises me, because I hardly ever puke.
I tally up the sensations that I’m feeling. Nausea, loss of motor skills, buzzing nerves, botched memory … it all leads to one conclusion: I was drugged.
Stabilizing myself on the floor, I focus on regaining control over my body before moving again. This place is unfamiliar to me, and I dig into my mind to find clues as to how I ended up here. The pain that’s slowly creeping to the surface of my skin distracts me, but I still manage to catch a glimpse of a memory in the back of my mind.
Men with black masks and fire weapons dragging me out of a room. A cloth with a sharp odor pushed against my mouth. Drowsiness engulfing me. A big SUV, also black, doors sliding to the side. A blow to the back of my head. All lights went out.
My skin pricks with anxiety, and I shiver to shake off the fear. It doesn’t help, because I know deep down that there is more to come.
There is one question in my mind that can’t help but repeat itself. Why me?
This is the single question every victim of abduction asks.
Except, I already know the answer.
It was only a matter of time before they came for me.
My papa once told me that goodness always comes at a price. Now more than ever, do I realize the truth in his words. However, I don’t regret making the decision for even a second.
Now, I’m here in a darkness so deep it consumes me whole.
And still the light of rebellion sparks inside my heart, fueling a fire I haven’t felt before. An uncontrollable need to defy whoever is keeping me here.
But I will wait. Lying in the cold, harsh, emptiness of this space, I will await my captor’s arrival and take whatever he’s going to give me. Punishment. Pain. I’ll endure it all.
Because that’s what a good person does when they’ve made their choice.
They bear the burden of their choice, because it’s the only thing they can do.


***


I don’t know how many hours pass before a noise wakes me. I can’t remember when and how I fell asleep, but I must’ve been very tired from the ordeal. A metallic door is slid open, a crack of light splitting through the opening. The burlap bag over my head makes it difficult to see, but when I narrow my eyes and focus I can still determine where I am.
Only now do I see how small my cell really is.
The vast emptiness I thought would overwhelm me, turns out to be not much more than a bedroom-sized cell. A quick look at the walls reveals iron rings of all shapes and sizes, used to hook a chain around and snare whoever needs to be contained and subdued.
In other words; me.
Squinting, I watch as a man steps inside, and I focus solely on his presence. Even though the door is open, and freedom is luring me on the other side, I stay put and watch. No matter how much I’d try, I’d never be able to flee. Not like this, with my muscles weak and my body aching. There are probably a bunch of guards waiting outside, wondering whether I’m going to try anything.
So I won’t. I’ll sit right here on this cold, hard concrete, observing my captor as he walks into the room with a certain aloofness. His feet are bold, his body brawny, his face hiding behind a Guy Fawkes mask. If I weren’t so scared, I would’ve pondered why he chose that specific mask to conceal his identity, but now is not that time.
His footsteps sound more like sand scraping off a harsh surface as he circles around me like a snake ready to attack its prey. The door is left open like a silent seducer, a tool to entice me to run. I look up at my captor, giving him a deadly stare, and even though I can’t see him, I know he can feel the determination in me.
I won’t let myself be tempted to flee like a wounded deer.
Not when I know that this is merely a distraction, like a lollypop being dangled in front of a child while the adult knows full well he’s never going to give it to the child, and the child knows he can never reach far enough to grasp it.
I refuse to be that child.
My captor walks some more, and then returns to the door to close it.
His experiment failed.
I control my emotions.
He doesn’t know who he’s up against.
In the darkness I hear him come closer, the only sound being his steady breath and soft steps. He’s still testing me. Seeing if I’ll give in to the fear. Alone with him, the predator, in a cage filled with blackness. But I’m not afraid of the dark.
My soul has already been tainted and defiled. Nothing he does can hurt me. I already went past the breaking point once … and I survived.
“Up.”
The sound of his voice suddenly breaking through the façade makes me take in a breath. It’s familiar and yet so unknown, the way he speaks to me with full authority, resoluteness resounding in every spoken letter, even if there are few.
I crawl up from the ground, slowly, steadily, maintaining my posture. My aching back and pounding head won’t stop me from attempting to keep my dignity as I stand up straight and stare ahead.
My captor’s steps are everywhere, resounding in the darkness like echoes that disappear into the night. He’s confusing me, and I try not to concentrate on the sound, but on my own heartbeat instead.
Suddenly, he’s right in front of me, and the air is sucked out of my lungs. I struggle not to let my breath come out in short gasps, but I won’t let his tactics work on me.
His breathing sounds like that of a bull, short and loud, as if he’s readying for charge.
But he doesn’t move. He just stands there, gazing at me.
“Do you know where you are?” he asks with a low, gruff voice that brings goose bumps to my body.
I compose myself before I answer. “No.”
“Good.”
I can hear a faint smile behind that word, but the second my eyebrows move, he puts his hands on my chest and shoves me. I fall down backwards on the hard floor, bruising my groin.
After a while, he says. “Do you know why you’re here?”
I don’t answer. I refuse to. Why would I? He is only here to intimidate and hurt me. There’s no benefit for me in answering his questions. As a matter of fact, I think he owes me some answers instead.
“Why am I here?” I ask.
He’s silent for a few seconds, and then a smug laugh is dulled by the mask.
“Bold. I like that.”
“Who are you?” I ask, putting emphasis on every word as if they’re the last that’ll come from my mouth.
He muffles another laugh. “Who am I? I am the man who will break you.”
I shake my head, still lying on the floor as if I’m taunting him. Maybe I am. I want him to speak, and for that to happen, I have to be the one asking the questions, not the other way around.
“Where am I?”
“Where you belong,” he growls, and then he takes a step forward, grabs my arm, and pulls me up from the floor.
“Why—”
Smack. His hand hits my cheek, silencing me.
“You do not talk unless spoken to.”
My head is still to the right, as I refuse to look at him. I will not bow to his violence. If he hits me, my body will remain rigid, unmoving. Not an inch of pain will exude from me.
“You may be wondering why you’re here, but you’re forgetting the most important question. What have you done to be here?”
My lip quivers, so I force it to stop. I can’t show weakness. Not now, not ever.
He grabs my chin. “You don’t seem to remember, so let me refresh your memory,” he says. “You stole something. It’s time to give it back. You have twenty-one days to come up with an answer.” He pulls me closer with a pinch. “Lie and I’ll know. Do you understand?”
I nod while blankly staring at his mask. If I’m to obey to survive, I’ll do just that, but no one can take away my pride.
He let’s go of my chin and pushes me away. “It’s time for you to pay back what you owe.”
Fear ripples through my veins. “Pay what back?” I say, taking a step forward.
He shoves me so hard my back hits the wall and the air is ripped from my chest. I sink to my knees against it.
“Don’t think I will go easy on you. Just because I know about you, doesn’t mean I won’t rip you apart if you don’t tell me the truth.”
“What truth?” I gasp. “What do you know about me?”
He turns around, but waits, standing still in the darkness with only the sound of ragged breaths filling the room.
“You tell me,” he says, his voice softer than before, almost as if he himself doesn’t know the reason.
Frowning, I look up at him, and for some reason the way he cracks his knuckles feels so familiar.
But then the feeling immediately disappears as he starts walking toward the door.
“Wait, you haven’t told me why I’m here yet. How am I supposed to know what to tell you?”
I can hear him knock on the door. Then there’s a pause. “Oh … you’ll now soon enough.”
The forewarning brings chills to my skin.
The door opens with a squeak and in comes the blinding light again. It’s so bright, my captor’s clothes almost look pale as snow. But then I realize that’s only because I haven’t seen light in such a long time … and I won’t be seeing it any time soon.
The last words he speaks remain with me for the rest of the day, echoing in my mind over and over again. “Welcome to your own personal hell.”




Author

Clarissa Wild is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author, best known for the dark Romance novel Mr. X. Her novels include the Fierce Series, the Delirious Series, and Stalker. She is also a writer of erotic romance such as the Blissful Series, The Billionaire's Bet series, and the Enflamed Series. She is an avid reader and writer of sexy stories about hot men and feisty women. Her other loves include her furry cat friend and learning about different cultures. In her free time she enjoys watching all sorts of movies, reading tons of books and cooking her favorite meals.

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TOUCH ME NOT, a New Adult Romance by USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR, Apryl Baker, releases this September through Limitless Publishing!



 ✰ ✰ SYNOPSIS ✰ 
A past tragedy has left Lily James burdened with a devastating secret…

Since the death of her twin sister, Lily can’t bear to be touched. Not accidentally, not casually…and certainly not intimately. This makes it impossible for her to confess to her best friend Adam Roberts that she’s in love with him. She can’t give him the sort of relationship he needs, so she watches in silence while he plans his wedding with someone else.

Enter Nikoli Kinkaid, the campus manwhore…

Nikoli is a self-proclaimed connoisseur of women, and he wants to add Lily to his list of conquests, but she wants nothing to do with him—until he makes her an offer she can’t refuse. He’ll teach her to enjoy human contact again, giving her a chance to win over Adam, while Nikoli uses all his considerable charm to seduce her.

But Lily raises the stakes…

Lily loves cars. Her late father was a racer, and she grew up under the hood of a car and on the racetrack. Nikoli has a limited edition 1970 Plymouth Barracuda she covets, so she informs him the terms of their deal also require he not sleep with anyone for six months. If he does, she’ll win the car. If she surrenders and ends up in his bed, his beloved ’Cuda is his to keep.

In an intricate dance of control and surrender, a reluctant friendship becomes something more. Lily begins to crave things she never believed she could, and Nikoli realizes there is more at stake than his reputation.

If Lily overcomes her phobia, will she crave Adam’s touch as she’s starting to crave Nikoli’s? 
Or will she only find pleasure from the touch of a semi-reformed manwhore?



 ✰ ✰ ✰ MEET THE AUTHOR: APRYL BAKER  ✰ ✰ ✰
So who am I? Well, I’m the crazy girl with an imagination that never shuts up. I LOVE scary movies. My friends laugh at me when I scare myself watching them and tell me to stop watching them, but who doesn’t love to get scared? I grew up in a small town nestled in the southern mountains of West Virginia where I spent days roaming around in the woods, climbing trees, and causing general mayhem. Nights I would stay up reading Nancy Drew by flashlight under the covers until my parents yelled at me to go to sleep.

Growing up in a small town, I learned a lot of values and morals, I also learned parents have spies everywhere and there’s always someone to tell your mama you were seen kissing a particular boy on a particular day just a little too long. So when you get grounded, what is there left to do? Read! My Aunt Jo gave me my first real romance novel. It was a romance titled “Lord Margrave’s Deception.” I remember it fondly. But I also learned I had a deep and abiding love of mysteries and anything paranormal. As I grew up, I started to write just that and would entertain my friends with stories featuring them as main characters.

Now, I live Huntersville, NC where I entertain my niece and nephew and watch the cats get teased by the birds and laugh myself silly when they swoop down and then dive back up just out of reach. The cats start yelling something fierce…lol.

I love books, I love writing books, and I love entertaining people with my silly stories.