Deadly Rising by Jeri Westerson Book Tour and Giveaway :)
Deadly Rising
A Booke of the Hidden
Novel #2
by Jeri Westerson
Genre: Paranormal
Romance
Pub
Date: 10/23/18
Things
were quiet in Strange Herbs & Teas. For about a week.
Our
crossbow slinging hero and her ragtag gang of Wiccans tuned in to the
paranormal have earned some rest. But when Kylie learns that the
Booke may have released not one, but two creatures of horror out into
the world, it’s up to her to save Moody Bog. Again.
Calling
upon the devilishly handsome demon Erasmus once more for help,
Kylie’s determined to handle the mischief of the Booke and go back
to a normal life. But when digging through Moody Bog’s history
leads her to the ghost of her grandfather, the past she once knew is
turned upside down.
Can
Kylie save the town and her grandfather, or will the horrors of the
Booke be too much to handle?
A scene between the demon Erasmus Dark,
and the heroine, Kylie Strange discussing the Booke of the Hidden.
“Mortals,”
he muttered with a sneer. “I—who have been intimately intertwined
with the book, captured by its covers for thousands of years—I
don’t even know what it does or why. Do you think for one moment I
like this? That I
like being yanked about from century to century, to listen to the
mewling of each Chosen Host as she does her job. Do you think I
truly enjoy taking my—” He
stopped, shutting his lips as if locking a door on them. “Taking
your what?” “Never
mind,” he growled. “This is my
lot in life. I was created for this.
And I shall be part of it until the end of time.” “I
don’t think so.” “What
do you mean you ‘don’t think so’?” “I’m
stopping this Booke. This is the last generation of crap from it. Its
days of taking a Chosen Host are over. My family…” I laughed,
thinking about it. It’s our curse. Did we bring it over to the New
World? How long had my ancient ancestors been entrusted with this
thing? Cursed by it? “When I close the covers of this Booke, it
isn’t opening again for anyone else.” He
folded his arms. “Oh, how the arrogance of the human race astounds
me. Go on. Tell me. Explain exactly how you are going to do that?” I
shrugged. “I don’t know. But I’ve got my Wiccans. We’ll
figure something out. I’m not alone, you know.” His
expression faded and his arms fell away from his chest. “I see.
You … you think to succeed where others have failed. Well…the
others were
alone. Perhaps…perhaps there may be something to what you say.” That
gave me hope. No, I wasn’t alone. If those other Chosen Hosts had
struck out on their own without any back-up, then of course they had
little chance. Ha! I had my little army. There was
a chance. But then … “What
happens to you?” He
looked toward the floor, his long hair hanging over his face and
hiding his eyes. “Then I … cease.” “Cease.
What do you mean ‘cease’?” When
he lifted his face there was no expression either on his face or in
his usually expressive eyes. “I fail to exist. Or in your parlance,
I die.” “What?
No. That…can’t be right.” “My
sole existence is to serve the one who opens the book. There is no
other reason for my creation. When the book dies, so, too, do I.” “We’ll
find a way. We’ll find a way to … um … unbind you.” “And
why, by Beelze’s tail, would you want to do that?” I
breathed. There should have been a lot swirling around in my mind but
there wasn’t. Only the aspect of this stupid demon’s
non-existence. I couldn’t fathom it. I didn’t want to. Striding
forward I took his face in my hands and kissed him. There
were suddenly arms around me holding me close. His mouth opened and
his lips—so hot, so wet—kissed me urgently, as if it was his last
day on earth. I tried not to think about that and just surrendered
myself to simply feeling. He
nipped my bottom lip and grazed my chin with his teeth. His mouth was
on my neck and I arched toward him. I could feel his hardness through
our clothing and I had a flash of about a week ago of my bed, the
quilt, the body of a god, and the wildness as we let ourselves go. I
began vaguely wondering about the kitchen floor when he suddenly drew
back. I nearly fell backward when he released me and turned away. Stumbling,
I adjusted my stance and wiped the wet from my mouth. His
back was to me, and his shoulders were heaving with great gusting
breaths. “Damn you,” he murmured. “We … can’t.” “We
did once.” “That
was my arrogance. And my folly.” I
breathed, trying to control the tremors in my body. How he could get
me into such a lather I’ll never know. Even harking back to my
evening with Ed, it had been good with him … but it was never like
this. “Okay.
All right. Let’s focus on what’s important. My grandfather’s
notebook.”
Booke of the Hidden
A Booke of the Hidden
Novel #1
“Westerson
creates an utterly believable history of witches, demons, and magic
for her claustrophobic New England village including a heroine with
enough spark, smarts, and stubbornness to keep both the bad guys and
the deliciously dangerous love-interest on their toes.” —Kat
Richardson, author of the Greywalker series
To
get a fresh start away from a bad relationship, Kylie Strange moves
across the country to open a shop in a seemingly quiet town in rural
Maine. During renovations on Strange Herbs & Teas, she discovers
a peculiar and ancient codex, The
Booke of the Hidden,
bricked into the wall. Every small town has its legends and unusual
histories, and this artifact sends Kylie right into the center of
Moody Bog’s biggest secret.
While
puzzling over the tome’s oddly blank pages, Kylie gets an
unexpected visitor—Erasmus Dark, an inscrutable stranger who claims
to be a demon, knows she has the book, and warns her that she has
opened a portal to the netherworld. Kylie brushes off this nonsense,
until a series of bizarre murders put her, the newcomer, at the
center. With the help of the demon and a coven of witches she
befriends while dodging the handsome but sharp-eyed sheriff, Kylie
hunts for a killer—that might not be human.
Los Angeles native and award-winning author Jeri Westerson writes the critically acclaimed Crispin Guest Medieval Mysteries, historical novels, paranormal novels, and LGBT mysteries. To date, her medieval mysteries have garnered twelve industry award nominations, from the Agatha to the Shamus. Kirkus Review said of her latest Crispin Guest Medieval Mystery A MAIDEN WEEPING, “Once again Guest’s past misdeeds actually help him in the present in a case that includes plenty of red herrings and an interesting look at medieval jurisprudence.” Jeri is former president of the SoCal chapter of Mystery Writers of America and frequently guest lectures on medieval history at local colleges and museums. She lives in southern California with her home-brewing husband, a complacent tortoise, and 40,000 bees.
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