I sent an ARC of my upcoming release, Tall, Dark & Alpha out to several reviewers a couple of weeks ago to get some advance reviews for the book. One of the reviews came back five stars, but the reviewer said something that got me thinking. She said she doesn’t usually like apocalyptic fiction but that she really enjoyed TD&A. Her comment made me revisit why I enjoy apocalyptic fiction so much. I actually didn’t realize that I liked it until I stumbled into it while writing a story for Ellora’s Cave. But once I got a taste I couldn’t wait to jump into another story created in an apocalyptic world!
Adding to the yummy darkness of the world my characters live
in is a larger-than-life romance that spills beyond their self-proclaimed
boundaries and defies their attempts to ignore and eradicate it. And when the
h/h are forced to work together toward a common goal, their unwanted feelings
for each other may prove impossible to ignore.
I can’t wait to share Tall,
Dark & Apocalyptic with you on March 8th! In the meantime, here’s a
taste:
A grand passion in an apocalyptic world. A love beyond reason and
without boundaries.
He’s a warrior, a bounty hunter in a world turned upside
down. She’s a target, a creature of dark magic. His job is simple. Kill the
target. Her goal is more complex. She must stay alive until she finds and
destroys the source of death magic staining the twenty worlds. But the passion
burning within them may be their undoing. It’s going to take an apocalyptic
will to overcome the distraction their bodies are creating…and not lose
themselves in the process.
EXCERPT
Yeira clawed her way across the floor, her limbs locking and
clamping as horrific pain racked her slim frame. A fresh blade of agony speared
through her as she struggled to crawl just another sliver of space. The pain
jolted her to a stop as she sucked in a breath, sending her into a coughing
spasm. Blood sprayed the floor as she crawled. Her dazed, blue gaze stared down
at the bright droplets arrayed before her over the oily stone and she knew a
stark moment of pure fear.
What if she didn’t make it in time?
Beyond the thick, concrete walls of her hideaway, the sound
of explosions and chaos were a constant drone, an unrelenting impetus pushing
her ever forward.
With a monumental effort of will, Yeira gritted her teeth
and dug her fingers into the rough surface beneath them, dragging herself
another inch.
She barely noticed the spark of pain as her soft, exposed
belly was ripped open by shards of debris on the battle-ravaged floor. Her goal
was a mere five inches away.
She thought she could make it.
She had to.
Yeira closed her eyes as agony washed through her again and
lunged another inch. Her fingertips stretched…strained…mere inches from the
leather strap.
The world beyond the door exploded and Yeira’s head snapped
around. The blast had sounded close. Too close. Panic made her heart pound.
“No!” Tears filled her eyes as something heavy hit the door. He’d found her.
With a cry of desperation, Yeira dug her toes into the stone
and shoved. The pain erupted in a burst that made her vision gray. She screamed
as agony gripped her gut with icy needles, tearing and dislodging the ordered
cells of her flesh.
Yeira fell onto her back, her fingers clenching against the
torment. Warm, thick blood drenched her lips, dripping down her chin.
The door blasted inward, sending smoke and shrapnel through
the room and driving the razor-sharp projectiles into her flesh.
On some level, Yeira felt the pain of the tiny missiles
piercing her skin. But she was in the grip of a misery so complete that her
mind could barely form a thought. All she could do was scream, her fingers
closing convulsively around the thin strap of leather she’d been fighting to
reach.
Yeira’s gaze slid to the large shape framed in the door. He
was nothing more than a gray haze behind the smoke. A vision of massive male,
whose form all but filled the ragged hole that had once been the door.
A fine vision.
Yeira shook her head, offended by the thought even in her
tortured state. No! The man was there to kill her. She couldn’t lose sight…
The enormous figure shimmered and she realized he was moving
closer. On some level Yeira knew she needed to move. But the pain had finally
receded as her body gave out. It felt good not to be consumed by it. For just a
moment she longed to lie there, enjoying the numbness, and let her life slip
away.
Death.
Her fingers moved along the leather strip in her hand.
Oblivion would be bliss. Yeira slipped her hand inside the bag, feeling for a
smooth, oblong shape.
The sound of his footsteps across the littered floor was
like a series of canon blasts, and she winced under every one. His massive arms
arched from his sides as he walked, the huge hands loosely fisted. He held a
long knife in one hand. Thick, muscular legs stuck out from underneath a bloody
and tattered kilt, the burgundy and black pattern barely visible under the filth
of an extended battle.
Yeira noted the blade in his hand, knowing it was meant for
her.
He stopped a foot away, his intense, dark-blue gaze sweeping
over her. “My god, woman. You look like hell.”
Yeira’s lips opened and something gurgled in her throat. She
thought it might be a death rattle, but it emerged as a laugh. She licked her
lips as he cocked his head. “Bite me, Sorceri.”
Amazingly his wide mouth turned upward in a smile. “I don’t
swing that way, zombie.”
A dense cold crept up her legs, slipped along her spine. In
another minute she would be completely numb. She wouldn’t even feel the knife
he held down at his side as it sliced her head from her body. But though she
was a breath away from dying, Yeira couldn’t help tweaking him one last time.
“You haven’t got what it takes anyway, Kord.”
His smile slipped. The sexy gaze darkened. Yeira realized
the smoke was clearing and she could see him in all his glory…a dark avenging
angel sent to rip her from the living world. He inclined his dark head, the silky
strands of black hair framing a square chin, dark with shadow even when cleanly
shorn. “You could be right, woman. But…” He seemed to swallow. “There was a
time I would have wished for a different outcome.”
Her eyes widened. A different kind of pain ripped her chest
apart. She swore, her fingers closing over the slick, oblong object she sought.
So it was to be a death of a thousand cuts—the first cut
deeply severing her heart?
She licked her dry lips. “I never wish, Sorceri. Wishing is
for children and fools.” Holding his gaze with her own, she clutched the
ancient bluestone in her fist and envisioned her lair. The air above her
thinned, turning glossy, and her nemesis started to blur.
As his sexy gaze widened in realization, Yeira was brutally
ripped from the battered castle. Her lips open in a silent scream as the
ascension tore her apart at a cellular level and sent her plummeting through
the void between time.
But all was good. The last thing she heard as her earthly
form disintegrated, was the rage-filled roar of the deadly sexy Sorceri warrior
as he realized she’d escaped him again.
Tall, Dark
& Alpha Box Set
He makes your heart pound and melts your resistance away. He
promises you a world of passion and you find it impossible to resist his dark
charm. When he catches your eye across the room, you know he means business. He
could be an executive, cop, shape shifter, or a bad boy looking for a little
fun. Once he has you in his sights, you can't get away—and after one sizzling
night in his arms, you won't want to. He’s Tall, Dark & Alpha. The alpha
male is the ultimate indulgence…the richest dark chocolate…and we’re offering
him to you in abundance.
Delve into the sensual worlds of award-winning authors:
Randi Alexander, Koko Brown, Sam Cheever, Delaney Diamond, Eve Langlais, Afton
Locke, Dawn Montgomery, Farrah Rochon, Paige Tyler, and Eve Vaughn. Immerse
yourself in the alpha male experience.
Book
page with blurbs
Award winning Sam Cheever writes romantic paranormal/fantasy
and mystery/suspense, creating stories that celebrate the joy of love in all
its forms. Known for writing great characters, snappy dialogue, and unique and
exhilarating stories, Sam is the award-winning author of 50+ books and has been
writing for over a decade under several noms de plume.
6 comments:
Congrats on your newest, hot series, Sam, and wishing you all the best! Cheers!
Thanks, Sharon!
Awesome! I am loving your new series, Sam, and look forward to curling up with, umm, the book!
Hooo-ee, Sam! What an excerpt! You sure know how to torture your characters.
LOL, Sloane, I'd like to curl up with, ummm, the book myself. Or at least one tall, buff, sexy part of it. I think I fell just a little bit in love when I was writing it! #:0)
Hehehe, Vonnie! You busted me. My kids have left the nest and I have to torture somebody! DH won't let me torture him anymore...sigh LOL
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