New Adult Paranormal Spotlight: Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout + Inspire by Cora Carmack - Vilma Iris | Lifestyle Blogger

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New Adult Paranormal Spotlight: Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout + Inspire by Cora Carmack

NAPNR

Paranormal romance (PNR) is probably my very favorite genre of choice. I love the world building, the mystery and magic, the supernatural richness vitalizing a story that is all romance, suspense and sexiness. We’ve seen lots of Young Adult and Adult paranormal,  and finally, we’re seeing more New Adult titles on the burgeoning list of PNR must reads.

December is a particularly banner month with two of my favorite authors each releasing the first book in a new NA PNR series. I’m talking Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout and Inspire by Cora Carmack!!! And because I get all excited and giddy at discussing these books with you, I wanted to tempt you with an exclusive look at each of these books, with an exclusive excerpt as we countdown the days until these hit our ereaders. I’ll have reviews for both on USA Today, so you’ll have to stay tuned for my thoughts on each!

Wicked

Wicked is the first book in A Wicked Saga, and it is so freaking good! I loved it! The story is irresistibly sexy, wildly entertaining and teeming with Jennifer’s wry and memorable humor. But this time, the story is enlivened by the wickedness of the Fae, and the mystery and decadence that is New Orleans. Wicked will be out on December 8th.

★ Pre-order Wicked: AmazoniTunes ★

Synopsis

Dec-08

Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans.

Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.

Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.

But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.

Excerpt

He dipped his chin, and my heart jumped. “You going to let go of my shirt? I mean, you don’t have to, but you keep tugging on my shirt like that, I’m going to get all kinds of naughty ideas that I will, without a doubt, act on.”

At first I didn’t get it. What the hell was he rambling on about? Parts of my body got hung up on the naughty ideas he’d act on and got all kinds of happy about that. My gaze dropped and I saw my hands were fisting his shirt, and . . . his arms weren’t around me anymore.

Oh my God, I was groping him—his shirt. Could you grope a shirt? I was pretty sure I was groping his shirt.

Dropping my hands, I took a step back and bounced into the brick wall. Total stealth move right there. I wanted to kick myself.

Ren’s eyes glimmered in the fading sunlight filtering between the buildings. He didn’t speak for a moment, just holding my stare with his and then, “We should probably clear out of the area.”

Good idea. Great idea. Witnesses could have given our description, and those we had on the force might not be around to play interference. Drawing in a deep breath, I reined in my newly discovered active lady bits as he stepped aside gracefully. For such a large guy, he moved as if he was made of air. Actually everything about the way he moved was fascinating to watch.

Or I really, seriously, just needed to get laid.

I sighed.

Then the worst possible thing in the history of mankind and beyond burst out of my mouth. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

Holy shit balls on Sunday, I did not just ask that. Ren looked over his shoulder at me, one eyebrow arched. I did ask that. Those words really did come out of my mouth and I wanted to maim myself, but I waited to hear his answer.

Ren’s grin was like dark chocolate, smooth and rich. “Not yet.”

addtogoodreads

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Inspire

Inspire is Cora Carmack’s first foray into releasing a paranormal romance and I couldn’t be more excited!!! I know that Cora is a big reader of both paranormal and fantasy books, and I can’t wait to see what kind of story she delivers. Inspire’s protagonist, Kalliope, is an immortal muse who is tired of leading the same life, over and over again. It never changes, and all she really wants is something different… real. Then she meets Wilder Bell, who is everything she wants… but Kalli is the last thing he needs. If she stays with Wilder, she could find everything she’s hoped for, but ruin his life in the process. Expect the novel to be a little dark and edgy, with some sexiness, suspense and humor. Inspire is out December 15th.

★ Pre-order Inspire exclusively on iTunes ★

Synopsis

Dec-15

Kalliope lives with one purpose.

To inspire.

As an immortal muse, she doesn’t have any other choice. It’s part of how she was made. Musicians, artists, actors—they use her to advance their art, and she uses them to survive. She moves from one artist to the next, never staying long enough to get attached. But all she wants is a different life— a normal one. She’s spent thousands of years living lie after lie, and now she’s ready for something real.

Sweet, sexy, and steady, Wilder Bell feels more real than anything else in her long existence. And most importantly… he’s not an artist. He doesn’t want her for her ability. But she can’t turn off the way she influences people, not even to save a man she might love. Because in small doses, she can help make something beautiful, but her ability has just as much capacity to destroy as it does to create. The longer she stays, the more obsessed Wilder will become. It’s happened before, and it never turns out well for the mortal.

Her presence may inspire genius.

But it breeds madness, too.

Excerpt

She’s warring with herself. I can tell. And I just wish I knew what has her keeping her walls so high. I’ll take them down piece by piece if I have to.

“Wilder. I—“

“Tell me you remember how good it was. I’m not imagining that, am I? I get that you don’t do hook-ups, and that seeing me again is a reminder of that, but you don’t just throw a connection like that away because the timeline is wrong.”

“It’s not about that timeline.”

“Then tell me what it is. I want you. You want me. I’m not giving that up without a fight.”

“I’m not good for you.”

“First of all, bullshit. And second, what about what’s good for you? You’re in here alone while your friends are out there talking and laughing and drinking. You find someone you have mind-blowing chemistry with, and rather than seeing where it goes, you cut it off before it even gets started. Something happens in your life that throws you so off-kilter that you seek out comfort from a stranger. I don’t know what that is. I don’t know why. But I know you deserve more than one night. I know you deserve to laugh with your friends, not stand on the sidelines.”  I brace one hand on the counter beside her and lift the other to curve around her cheek. At my touch, her eyes flutter closed, and she exhales so strongly that I wonder how long she’s been holding her breath. “Stop telling yourself what you can’t have or shouldn’t have. You deserve more, Kalli.”

I throw my patience out the window, and bend to touch my mouth to hers. It’s just a light touch, but it causes a tug of desire at the base of my spine all the same. She doesn’t quite kiss me back, but her lips part, and I can feel the puff of her breath against my mouth, sharp and uncontrolled. I remember how much she liked it when I told her what I wanted to do to her, so I take a chance and push things a little further. I grab hold of her knees, and gently pull her legs apart. She gasps, and her eyes pop open, but she doesn’t move away. Our faces are an inch apart, eyes locked together as I settle between her thighs.

This,” I whisper against her mouth. “I remember how fucking good this was. To have your legs around me. The way we fit… it’s like you were made for me.  I remember how you taste. The sounds you made. If we were alone, I’d show you exactly what you deserve, sweet. You’d come apart on my fingers and my tongue and my cock.” Damn, just imagining what it would feel like to be inside her is enough to make me ache. “Then we’d do it all again. I’d make up for all the days that have passed since I last touched you. Would you let me do that? Or will you try to run from me again?” Her only answer is to close her eyes and let her head fall back. I lower my lips to the hollow of her neck and kiss her pulse. It beats franticly beneath her skin, and my touch is gentle even though all I want to do is crush her against me. “Maybe I should tie you to my bed,” I suggest. “You wouldn’t run then.”

Her right hand comes up to grip my bicep, and she squeezes hard.

“You like that?” Interesting. “You could let go with me, Kalli. I’d take care of you. If you’d let me.”

I pull back from her neck, passing my lips over her jaw first, then the corner of her mouth. But I don’t go any farther than that. I’m okay with being on the offensive, but I want her to be the one to drop the walls. If not, I’m only going to end up climbing them over and over again.

“I—“ She swallows, and her eyes flick back and forth between mine. “I don’t know if I can. If I can risk…” I brush my lips over hers, dragging my tongue over her bottom lip, and she moans. I swear to God, I can almost taste the sound on my tongue. So fucking sweet my head spins.

I want her to choose this, but clearly I’m not above playing a little dirty. All I can guess is that she’s been burned before, and she doesn’t want to chance it happening again.

“You’ve got to risk to get the reward,” I tell her, sliding a hand around her waist and inching her just a little closer. “I won’t hurt you, Kalli.”

She exhales sharply, and makes a noise that’s almost a laugh. Pressing her lips together, she looks as if she’s steeling herself. Whether to push me away or pull me closer, I’m not sure. And I don’t get the chance to find out.

Because at that moment, Lennox charges into the kitchen again. “Time for a drinking—damn it. I have the worst timing ever.”

Yes. Yes, she does.

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✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

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One Comment:


  1. Judy said:

    Thank you, for posting these lovely excerpts! Was already ridiculously excited for Wicked, but now I’m also really excited for Inspire!

    Reply

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