Burning Bright (Going Down in Flames #5) by Chris Cannon Blog Tour with Giveaway :)
Burning Bright (Going Down in Flames #5)
by Chris Cannon
Publication Date: June 4, 2018
Publication Date: June 4, 2018
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Bryn is back for her senior year at the
Institute for Excellence, also known as shape-shifting dragon school.
She isn’t sure which is scarier, the life-force sucking dragons
stalking campus or the fact that she’s officially betrothed to
Jaxon, a guy who will never love her. Not that she could ever love
him, either… That’s just ridiculous.
Senior year should be fun. Her parents
are alive, she’s finally fitting in, and she’s learning how to be
a Medic. But what’s with Jaxon giving her strange looks? He runs
hot and cold, and he doesn’t even have the excuse of being a hybrid
fire-and-ice-breathing dragon like her. One minute they’re having a
great time and the next, she wants to blast a fireball at his head.
The marriage contract of doom looms over them--unless this match not
made in heaven kindles a flame…
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ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
Chris Cannon is the award-winning
author of the Going Down In Flames series and the Boyfriend
Chronicles. She lives in Southern Illinois with her husband and
several furry beasts. She believes coffee is the Elixir of Life. Most
evenings after work, you can find her sucking down caffeine and
writing fire-breathing paranormal adventures or romantic comedies.
You can find her online at www.chriscannonauthor.com.
***GUEST POST***
Deleted Scene
This scene takes place after Bryn
shoots a fireball at Jaxon’s head because he’s being a total
asshat. I ended up cutting it because it didn’t change her
outcomes. It was more like a venting session with her grandmother.
Since it didn’t move the story along, it had to go.
Once
she was back in her room, she wasn’t sure what to do. She could
call her mom, but her parents already wanted her to get out of her
marriage contract so that wasn’t a good idea. Who else could she
gripe to that would understand and maybe have helpful advice? No
one. She could call her grandmother but she was pretty sure any
advice given would be of the let him go his way and you go your way
variety. And that didn’t work for her at the moment.
When
her phone rang, she just stared at it. Did she want to engage with
anyone? It’s not like the person calling would know if she was in
her room. She needed to speak to someone about updating the campus
phones to have caller ID. Not that they’d go for it, but it would
make life so much easier if she knew who was calling.
The
phone stopped ringing, and she grabbed a pillow off her bed. Maybe
she’d nap on the couch. She’d barely closed her eyes when the
phone rang again.
“Fine.”
She stalked over, braced for impact, and answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Bryn,
I was hoping you’d be in your room. I wanted to stop by and have
you try on dresses for the Christmas Ball,” her grandmother said.
Crap.
“That sounds great,” Bryn said. “But you need to know that I’ve
changed my hair and you have to let me explain why before you lecture
me.”
“This
should be interesting,” her grandmother said. “I’ll see you in
fifteen minutes.”
Bryn
went to her bathroom mirror and stared at her hair. Should she soften
it a bit? Go back to the dark golden blond with a few blue and purple
stripes? No. She’d let her grandmother see it full on and that
would give her room to negotiate.
When
her grandmother knocked, Bryn ran to the door.
Her
grandmother nodded. “I see what you mean. Good thing you thought to
warn me.”
Bryn
stepped aside so her grandmother could come in along with a Red who
was carrying several large white rectangular boxes.
“You
can set those on the table,” her grandmother said, “and then wait
outside.”
“Yes
ma’am.” The guard did as she instructed and then retreated to the
hallway.
“What
on earth brought this on?” her grandmother asked.
Bryn
retreated to the couch. “Have a seat.”
Her
grandmother sat in one of the winged back chairs.
Where
to begin. “Okay this morning when I woke up I was all excited about
the snow.” Bryn proceeded to tell her grandmother about how Jaxon
behaved and then how he morphed into an asshat. “And it totally
caught me off guard. Do you have any helpful advice besides telling
me to ignore him when he’s being a jerk?”
Eyes
narrowed, her grandmother said. “His rude behavior, in public no
less is unacceptable.” She pointed at Bryn’s hair. “That is
also unacceptable. Your grandfather would have a coronary. Change
your hair back while we discuss your options.”
Dang
it. She really wanted to keep her hair blue but she didn’t want to
get on her grandfather’s bad side. “Can I keep it like this while
I’m at school but change it when I come home?”
“No.”
No
room for argument there. “Fine.” She closed her eyes and changed
her hair back to dark blond with a single cherry red stripe at her
temple.
“Let’s
look at dresses while we mull things over,” her grandmother said.
“Promise
that you’re not going to just tell me ignore him,” Bryn said.
“No.
His behavior warrants a well thought out response which will keep him
from engaging in this behavior ever again,” her grandmother said.
“Thank
you.” Bryn walked over and opened of the first dress box she came
to. Silver blue crystals winked at her from the bodice of a strapless
dress which looked like it was made from ice crystals. “Oh my gosh.
It’s beautiful.” Bryn pulled the dress from the box. “If this
fits I don’t think we even need to open the other boxes.”
Her
grandmother’s smile was genuine. “Try it on.”
Bryn
carefully carried the delicate dress into her bedroom and undressed
in a flash. The dress itself was made of some sort of silk covered in
a fine mesh of crystals. The dress was amazing, but the silver blue
color didn’t look as good on her as she’d hoped it would. It was
made for someone with tan golden skin.
Her
enthusiasm diminished as she walked back out to show her grandmother.
She felt like the dress was mocking her pale freckled skin. As she
walked, the crystals rustled against the fabric.
“What’s
wrong?” her grandmother asked. “Don’t you like it?”
Time
for a little diplomacy. “It’s amazing, but it’s noisy.” She
demonstrated by walking across the living room.
“Oh
dear,” her grandmother said. “I see your point. That’s a
shame.”
Bryn
grabbed the other two dress boxes. “Good thing you brought
options.”
In
her bedroom, she slipped off the noisy gown and opened the lids on
the other two boxes. There was a toga type dress made of black silk
and a strapless navy dress with silver accents on the bodice.
She
tried the black dress on. It was far more flattering to her coloring,
and it fit like it had been made for her. The slit on the thigh was a
bit more daring that she normally would have chosen, but it didn’t
look inappropriate.
She
walked out into the living room to model for her grandmother. “This
one works for me.”
“It
is elegant. We should keep it even if you don’t wear it for the
Christmas Ball. Try on the last dress for me.”
Bryn
went back into the bedroom and changed into the navy dress. It seemed
more formal for some reason. She headed back out to her grandmother.
“I think I like the black one the best.”
“Me
too.” Bryn carefully boxed up the dresses since she knew her
grandmother would take them both back to Sinclair Estates. Then she
came back out and plopped on the couch. “Have you come up with a
plan yet?”
“Several
actually. My first instinct is to call and ask him to come over here
and explain himself, but no matter what his reason whether it’s due
to unresolved feelings over Rhianna or fear of bonding with you his
behavior was unacceptable. And the fact that he acted as if you
weren’t part of the Clan is most disturbing. And he made up that
part about Blues eating breakfast together after the first snow.”
“What?”
Fire flared in Bryn’s gut.
“Exactly,”
her grandmother said. “So I think you should call him on his
bahavior so he knows that he can’t treat you like this again.”
“Didn’t
I do that?” Bryn asked.
“On
a small scale, yes.”
“I
could disinvite him from the Christmas Ball,” her grandmother said.
“That
would hurt Lillith more than him,” Bryn said.
“I
didn’t say Ferrin and Lillith would be off the list, just Jaxon.”
Bryn
could picture Jaxon in a snit as he was escorted from Sinclair
Estates, but then she’d be by herself at the party again. “No.
That would bother me as much as it bothered him.”
“Okay,
What does he own that he’s the most proud of?”
No
contest. “His car.”
“We
could try to have it recalled,” her grandmother said with an evil
grin. “If you donate enough money to a company they can become
surprisingly helpful.”
Bryn
smiled. “I like it, but what can we do that doesn’t involve his
favorite possession? Because I will have to live with him after
this…if I don’t kill him.”
“Good
point. And I’m proud that you’re planning on facing this head
on.”
“I
thought my hair was a good idea.”
“We’ll
save that as a last resort,” her grandmother said. “Part of me
wants to demand an explanation.”
“We
are on the same page,” Bryn said.
“Call
and invite him over. Don’t mention that I’m here.”
“Seriously?”
There were so many ways that could go wrong.
“You
want answers and you won’t get them unless you ask,” her
grandmother reminded her.
“I
know, but part of me is holding out hope that he’ll come to me and
apologize like he did last time,” Bryn said. “He has to know what
he did was wrong.”
“Well
whether he’s willing to make amends is an entirely different story.
How you let him treat you now is how he’ll treat you in the
future,” her grandmother warned.
“Did
I mention that I told him he was being a jerk and I shot a fireball
at his head?” She didn’t want her grandmother to think she let
Jaxon walk all over her.
“No,”
her grandmother smiled. “You did not. And while I shouldn’t
approve of your actions since other people witnessed the transaction,
I do.”
Cool.
“And I may have said that he’d be dodging fireballs for the rest
of his life if he acted like this again.”
“Since
that’s the case, maybe you should wait for him to come to you.”
“And
if he doesn’t?” Bryn asked.
“Then
you’ve given him fair warning,” her grandmother said. “And he
should act accordingly or suffer the consequences.”
Giveaway Details:
$20 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
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