Exclusive Excerpt: Thicker Than Blood by Madeline Sheehan and Claire C. Riley

I am SO excited to read this book! There’s just something about the gritty cover, the synopsis, that simply beckons me. Thicker Than Blood is a new novel coming from the talented duo of Madeline Sheehan and Claire C. Riley. It’s a post-apocalyptic thriller with a dash of romance, which follows the lives of two best friends, their love for each other, and how far that love will take them. It is a standalone story, set in a series of books, and has a untraditional HEA.

Thicker Than Blood is coming January 12th, and you can pre-order from Barnes & Noble and iTunes now. The book will be available on Amazon the day of release.

✦ Barnes & Noble | iTunes ✦

Synopsis

True friendship never dies. 

Leisel and Evelyn lost everything. Husbands. Families. Friends. Lives that mad sense. All they had left was each other, and a friendship that could withstand anything…

Even an apocalypse.

Until one fateful night, the marginal safety they’d come to rely on comes to a vicious and brutal end. With the help of Alex and Jami, both unlikely allies, Leisel and Evelyn are able to escape their shattered sanctuary only to find themselves face-to-face with a much altered, much crueler life where they have to find the way—and the will—to stay alive in a world they no longer recognize.

Traveling across a broken and infection-ridden country; the road-weary group are pitted against endless violence, improbable circumstances, and the ultimate loss.
Everything comes at a price—especially safety, the cost of which could very well strip them of the one thing they’ve tried so hard to cling to: their humanity.

Yet along with all the trials they’re forced to endure, there’s also hope in the form of love. Having loved Leisel from afar, Alex attempts putting the pieces of her fractured heart back together. But in such a savage world, is there room for love?

In a place of nightmares-made-reality, where the living should be feared far more than the dead, an unbreakable friendship and a love amongst all odds can mean the difference between life and death.

Trailer

Excerpt

I continued searching, pushing and shoving my way through the mass of people, sweaty bodies pressing up against me, sweat trailing down my back,

A warm breath danced against my ear. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Startled, I turned, shocked at the sight of pitch black eyes meeting my own. Eyes that seemed to suck the air straight from my lungs. He was a large man, twice my size, and even taller than Alex. His arms were heavily tattooed, black skulls running up and down the length of them. His neck was thicker than my thigh, his dark hair shaved into a short trimmed Mohawk that began at his widow’s peak, ending at his neck. A beard, just as dark as his hair framed a squared and hard jawline. All in all he was an intimidating man, but it was his eyes that terrified me, an angry dark coal-burning black, with a deep-rooted intensity that made my stomach start to ache.

I glanced around, searching for Alex and Leisel but finding neither. Glancing back at the man, his features almost lost in the darkness, I swallowed hard.

“I can handle myself.”

A slow grin arose on his mouth. “Didn’t doubt it.”

Something akin to pride sparked to life inside of me. Maybe it was what he’d said—believing that I could actually handle myself—or maybe it was the way he’d said it. Either way, I found myself smiling at the compliment, my cheeks flushing.

Tilting his head, he gestured for me to follow him, and for some reason I did. Though I knew it was ridiculous, to follow this man, a complete stranger, and an intimidating one at that, yet I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Following closely behind him, watching his large frame move easily through the crowd.

Trailing after him, I watched his large frame move through the crowds, people everywhere hurriedly moved from his path. Who was he that they regarded him in such a way? Was it fear? Or was it respect?

We came to stop at a table, one of many set up in the far end of the room. He sat first, watching me as I emerged from the thick throng of people. Hot and sweaty, I wiped a hand across my forehead, feeling somewhat nervous, but infinitely more reckless. This place was a drug, an aphrodisiac tempting me on to a path that I knew was wrong.

Taking the seat opposite him, he laid his forearms on the table, enabling me to clearly see his many tattoos—numerous skulls—trailing up both arms, disappearing under the sleeves of his tee shirt.

He seemed even bigger now that he was seated, his imposing stature engulfing both his chair and the small table between us. My eyes darted up to meet his, finding him watching me intently, strange expression on his face, a mixture of longing and anger.

“Lots of skulls,” I said lamely, my gaze dropping to his arms.

“One for every kill,” he said matter-of-factly, as if this were something every person did when they killed an infected…

My thoughts trailed off as my eyebrows rose. “Infected?” I asked, “Or people?”

His grin grew, yet he didn’t bother responding.

—-

© Copyright Claire C. Riley & Madeline Sheehan 2015

About Madeline

Fantastical realm dweller Madeline Sheehan is the USA Today bestselling author of the Holy Trinity Trilogy and Undeniable Series.

A Social Distortion enthusiast, lover of mud and anything deemed socially inappropriate, Madeline was homegrown in Buffalo, New York, where she can be found engaging in food fights and video game marathons with her husband and son.

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About Claire

Claire C Riley is a Best Selling British Horror Author, whose work includes: Odium The Dead Saga and Limerence The Obsession Series.

She writes dark twisty words, is a lover of epic romances, and an eater of cake!

She writes characters that are realistic and kills them without mercy.

She lives in the UK with her three young daughters, husband, and scruffy dog.

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