Saturday, 26 February 2022

The Invite - Sheryl Browne

Kaitlin has been looking forward to her engagement party for weeks. She’s finally introducing her fiancĂ© Greg to her best friend Zoe, but as the champagne corks pop, her dream party soon becomes her worst nightmare…


Staring at the stunning diamond solitaire on her finger, 
Kaitlin knows her relationship has been a whirlwind… but Greg looks after her, and he loves playing dad to her young daughter. How could she refuse when he’s already planned their romantic elopement?

As the guests arrive, Kaitlin wonders why Greg is suddenly acting so shifty. Is that a flicker of recognition on Zoe’s face? And why does she look terrified every time her phone rings?

Kaitlin watches as Zoe knocks back her white wine and makes a beeline for Greg. Then, after a heated conversation, her best friend stumbles outside without looking back.

Days later, the police knock at Kaitlin’s door – 
Zoe is missing.

When the police question Greg about the night of the party, Kaitlin knows he’s telling lies. But why would he? Can she really trust the man she’s marrying? And could her precious daughter’s life now be in danger too?

The Invite is an absolutely unmissable psychological thriller, perfect for fans of The Girl on the TrainGone Girl and The Wife. You’ll be hooked from the first page!

Author Bio:

Bestselling Author, Sheryl Browne, writes taut, twisty psychological thriller. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies where she completed her MA in Creative Writing. Sheryl has also obtained a Certificate of Achievement in Forensic Science and – according to readers – she makes an excellent psychopath. Sheryl’s latest psychological thriller THE INVITE comes to you from BOOKOUTURE. Her previous works include the DI Matthew Adams Crime Thriller series, along with contemporary fiction novels, The Rest of My Life and Learning to Love.

 

To find out more about Sheryl. go to www.sherylbrowne.com


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Audio:

Listen to a sample here:

My Review

The Invite is a gripping thriller that weaves together a number of different stories and threads. Zoe has returned home from Portugal after being betrayed by the man she thought loved her. Then she goes missing. Her friend Kaitlin is worried about what has happened, but as things unfold, it's clear that it's not only the people in Zoe's life who have been lying and perhaps Kaitlin is in as much danger as her friend.

I enjoyed this read and although I guessed a few things that happened, I wasn't really sure where it was all going to go. Both Zoe and Kaitlin seem to have had terrible luck with the men that they have been involved with and their life in general. I did feel that at points the plot does seem to jump a little and it took me a second to catch up, but that didn't really detract and the pace of this book worked really well. Overall it was a great read and one that I would recommend.



Wednesday, 16 February 2022

The Paris Network - Siobhan Curham

 Paris, 1940: He pressed the tattered book into her hands. ‘You must go to the cafĂ© and ask at the counter for Pierre Duras. Tell him that I sent you. Tell him you’re there to save the people of France.’


Sliding the coded message in between the crisp pages of the hardback novel, bookstore owner Laurence slips out into the cold night to meet her resistance contact, pulling her woollen beret down further over her face. The silence of the night is suddenly shattered by an Allied plane rushing overhead, its tail aflame, heading down towards the forest. Her every nerve stands on end. She must try to rescue the pilot.

But straying from her mission isn’t part of the plan, and if she is discovered it won’t only be her life at risk…

America, years later: when Jeanne uncovers a dusty old box in her father’s garage, her world as she knows it is turned upside down. She has inherited a bookstore in a tiny French village just outside of Paris from a mysterious woman named Laurence.

Travelling to France to search for answers about the woman her father has kept a secret for years, Jeanne
finds the store tucked away in a corner of the cobbled main square. Boarded up, it is in complete disrepair. Inside, she finds a tiny silver pendant hidden beneath the blackened, scorched floorboards.


As Jeanne pieces together Laurence’s incredible story, she discovers a woman whose bravery knew no bounds. But will the truth about who Laurence really is shatter Jeanne’s heart, or change her future?

Inspired by true events, an epic and emotional novel about one woman’s strength to survive in the most difficult circumstances and the power of love in the face of darkness. Fans of The Alice NetworkThe Nightingale and The Lost Girls of Paris will be completely gripped from the very first page.

Author Bio:

Siobhan Curham is an award-winning author, ghost writer, editor and writing coach. She has also written for many newspapers, magazines and websites, including The Guardian, Breathe magazine, Cosmopolitan, Writers’ Forum, DatingAdvice.com, and Spirit & Destiny. Siobhan has been a guest on various radio and TV shows, including Woman’s Hour, BBC News, GMTV and BBC Breakfast. And she has spoken at businesses, schools, universities and literary festivals around the world, including the BBC, Hay Festival, Cheltenham Festival, Bath Festival, Ilkley Festival, London Book Fair and Sharjah Reading Festival.

https://www.facebook.com/Siobhan-Curham-Author-398343120181969

https://www.instagram.com/SiobhanCurham/

https://twitter.com/SiobhanCurham


Buy Link:

Audio:

Listen to a sample here:

My Review

I've read a few books over the years about the French resistance. It's one of those inspiring time that just manages to hold us completely gripped as we try and contemplate both the horror of the war that surrounded them in occupied France and the strength and character of those who had the bravery to stand up and resist the Germans. The Paris Network tells such a story, set both during the war with the story of Laurence and in the '90s when Jeanne discovers who her mother was and what happened to her.

I particularly liked the idea of a book shop owner being part of the resistance, using the books to help encourage her friends and neighbors, to pass messages, and to also undertake an act of defiance. Setting out to read those books that were banned by the nazis. 

This was a great read and one that I really enjoyed. I don't think I've read anything by Siobhan Curham before, but I'll certainly be checking out her other titles in the future. 





Sunday, 13 February 2022

The Child I Never Had - Kate Hewitt

 If you had to make an impossible choice to save your long-lost daughter, you would… wouldn’t
you?


It’s a warm early summer’s evening when Mia’s doorbell rings. She opens the door to see a teenage girl standing in the shadow beyond the porch light—and in an instant she knows who it is. Daisy, the daughter she gave up as a baby. Daisy steps forward, as she says tearfully “I’m sorry I didn’t call first. But something happened. And I really needed… you.”

Seventeen years before, knowing she couldn’t possibly give her beautiful little girl Daisy the future she deserved, Mia made the hardest decision of her life—to give her up. And Suzanne seemed the perfect adoptive mother: calm, stable, and full of love for the daughter she’d always dreamed of having.

The two mothers promised to keep communication open, so Daisy could have Mia’s love and support along with Suzanne’s. But as the years passed, Mia moved away, and their visits happened less. Now Daisy is almost a stranger to Mia—angry, closed and broken—nothing like the tiny girl she once couldn’t bear to say goodbye to.

But now Daisy has arrived on Mia’s doorstep, and she says she has a terrible secret. One she can never tell Suzanne. And she believes the only person who can help her is Mia. Her birth mother.

Mia, however, has secrets of her own. Ones she is afraid to let Daisy or anyone else know. And while Suzanne desperately seeks a way to bring her child home, can Mia overcome her past to help the girl they both call their daughter in her darkest hour before it’s too late?

Totally gripping emotional women’s fiction from the author guaranteed to make readers cry. Kate Hewitt’s story will grab you by the heartstrings and never let you go. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain and Jojo Moyes.

Author Bio:

Kate Hewitt is the author of many romance and women’s fiction novels. A former New Yorker and now an American ex-pat, she lives in a small town on the Welsh border with her husband, five children, and their overly affectionate Golden Retriever. Whatever the genre, she enjoys telling stories that tackle real issues and touch people’s lives. 


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Audio Links:

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My Review

It's really easy to think that once a child is adopted into a loving family, then everyone lives happily ever after and all is right with the world. The Child I Never Had is a story about the way that adoption affects everyone who is involved in it.

The story is told from the point of view of Mia, the young woman who gave up her baby and Suzanne the woman who adopted her. There is also a little bit from Daisy, the girl who was adopted. Each of them is struggling with their role in life and each other's life when they come to terms with the reality of the adoption. While some chapters here do focus on various stages from Daisy's life, most of the action takes place when Daisy is almost 18, on the cusp of becoming an adult herself. The fact that the trauma of the adoption exists for all of the three women, then it really helps to show what an impact it has.

This was an interesting and gripping read. I wasn't entirely sure how it was going to play out or in what way the various characters might come to terms with their experience and place in life. I really enjoyed this read and I think if you want a story that really explores human emotions, then you'll really enjoy this. 





Friday, 4 February 2022

Audrey -Sean-Paul Thomas

Audrey
Sean-Paul Thomas
Publication date: May 21st 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

From the author of My Sister and I and The Old Man and The Princess (recently optioned to be a motion picture) – comes a new, suspenseful romantic tale that will knock you off your feet. A story that has a reminiscence of ‘500 days of Summer’ and ‘Midnight in Paris’ with a fair dollop of ‘The Graduate’ thrown in. And of course Audrey, a delightful, older female protagonist who takes the young and wayward ex-con Joe under her wing.

Just out of prison Joe, a young builder from Edinburgh who writes movie scripts in his spare time, randomly meets Audrey, a washed-up, hard-drinking, chain-smoking, middle-aged French film actress at his local film festival. After hitting it off and spending one crazy, magical night together, Audrey sees some potential in Joe and his writing and tries to help him win back his estranged daughter by getting his first screenplay made into a movie in Paris. And so, the adventure of a lifetime begins…

Goodreads / Amazon


Author Bio:

Scottish Author/Screenwriter.

Sean is an author from Edinburgh in Scotland. He is the best selling Kindle Author of 'The Old Man and The Princess' which was recently optioned to be a major motion picture.

Sean spent most of his childhood and teenage years on the move with his Scottish and Irish army Parents growing up in the likes of Cyprus, Germany, Wales, and England, as an army brat.

With a keen interest in both reading and writing, he was diagnosed with travel and writing bugs very early in life. Now, writing, travelling, reading, cinema, and Scottish football (Supporting the mighty Edinburgh City for his sins) are his main passions in life.

His main inspiration for writing today comes from living in such a beautiful, charming and hauntingly, Gothic city, such as Edinburgh. An awe-inspiring wee city that has given him so much amazing inspiration to write the more time he spends there.

Recently, Sean has been working on a couple of screenplay adaptations of his books. One of which 'The Old Man and The Princess' made the final of the Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting Competition 2018 and has since been optioned by an award-winning Director /Producer team. Scheduled to go into production in Ireland in the summer of 2021 filming has been postponed until 2022 due to the recent covid pandemic.

Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Amazon

Excerpt

So, what kind of movie nonsense are we going to see at this here film festival lark tonight?” Colm enquired, thankfully changing the subject to Joe’s relief.

It’s a movie called Dominique. It’s meant to be really good. The next cult classic in European cinema, they say.” Joe answered, trying to muster up as much enthusiasm as he could without overdoing it and scaring Colm off.

Colm wasn’t a complete movie hater, just a hater of low-budget, artsy, fartsy, independent cinema with a well-written script that actually made him think outside the box. The less dialogue spoken on screen and the less complex of a plot, the better, as far Colm was concerned.

Dominique, huh?” Colm pondered out loud, thinking on it a little deeper than Joe could ever have guessed he might. “Sounds feckin’ French, if you ask me.”

Joe took a long sip from his pint before answering.

It is French.”

Colm’s eyes opened wide at that.

It is? Jesus. But they’ll be speaking in English though, right?”

No. It’s a French movie. They’ll be speaking French, but with English subtitles.”

Suddenly Colm slammed his pint glass down upon the wooden bar counter in a very loud and overly dramatic fashion.

For feck’s sake, Joe. You could’ve told me this shite earlier!”

Well, you wouldn’t have come along with me if I had, would you?”

Colm sighed hard and shook his head in disappointment. He covered his face with his hands like he’d just been told he had full-blown bowel cancer.

 “Jesus Christ. I don’t go to the cinema to read feckin’ novels or to actually have to think about what’s happening up on the screen there. I thought it was gonna be like some relaxing experience, this film festival lark. Like leaving me bleedin’ brain at the popcorn counter and picking it back up again on the way back to the feckin’ pub. My mind’s far too small and narrow to learn a new language at this stage of me life.”

Jesus, Colm could be such a bloody drama queen at times, Joe thought. But he was funny at ranting and raving in that over-the-top demeanour of his. In fact, it was his speciality. He loved the attention of a good public audience for sure, like all good extroverts, but still, he could be a right insensitive prick after a few pints.

Come on. It will be relaxing. It’s been getting some pretty decent reviews. Plus, it’s the premiere tonight, so most of the cast and crew will be there. And, there’s even going to be a really cool Q and A after.”

No way? A really cool Q and feckin’ A with the cast and crew.” Colm replied in his sarcastic way. “So, not only do I have to sit through a book reading for ninety feckin’ minutes...” he continued to rant.

Two and a half hours actually.” Joe interrupted, casually correcting him and feeling that it was just funnier to wind him up now than calm him down.

Two and a half feckin’ hours? I could fly to bleedin’ France and back in that time, and I still have to sit through another hour of pish talk shite, listening to some dodgy, whiny, sound technician waffle more pish and shite about the latest audio technology in French feckin’ cinema?”

It’s only going to be the director, writer, and actors speaking. For me, it’s the best part of the evening to mingle with the cast and crew afterwards.” Joe said, trying his best to put his case in for the defence.

No way. Fuck that shite, fella. No feckin’ way. I’ll meet you back here just as soon as the credits roll, and that’s if I even make it that far, not having jammed me fat bleedin’ fingers into the nearest plug sockets first.”

You do know that we’ve got another movie at the Odeon straight after this one, right? A German-made World War II movie.”

They didn’t, but Joe enjoyed making the whiny, over-dramatic wanker squirm when he went off on a rant like that. Colm rolled his eyes in absolute disgust.

Jesus Bleedin’ Christ. You do know I could’ve stayed at home tonight watching reruns of The Crown and Downtown Abbey.”

Right on cue, the old man singing horrendously up on the stage finished rather abruptly or simply just died standing up. It was hard to tell which in the sudden silence that followed. Although, Joe’s eardrums began to swiftly de-swell by a good couple of inches immediately after, which he was extremely grateful for.

Right. I’m singing me bleedin’ song then we’ll go to this feckin’ book reading of yours.”

Colm swiftly downed the rest of his pint before heading up onto the stage at the back end of the semi-busy bar to sing his second carefully chosen song of the evening – a cover of Bon Jovi’s You Give Love a Bad Name, which he cheekily dedicated to Joe.

This song is dedicated to me best lad Joe over there at the far corner of the bar. Recently out of the slammer and now he can’t even get anyone to go to the cinema with him anymore apart from gullible old me, the poor bastard. Oh, it’s a cruel bleedin’ world out there, people. A cruel bleedin’ world.”



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Sunday, 30 January 2022

The Commandant's Daughter - Catherine Hokin

 A heartbreaking novel about the incredible courage of ordinary people during the Second World War. Fans of The Alice NetworkThe Nightingale and The Tattooist of Auschwitz will never forget this powerful story of hope found in the darkest days.


1933, Berlin. Ten-year-old Hanni Foss stands by her father watching the celebrations marking Adolf Hitler as Germany’s new leader. As the torchlights fade, her safe and happy childhood changes forever as Reiner, the father she adores, is corrupted by his new position as commandant of an infamous concentration camp…

Twelve years later. As the Nazi regime crumbles, Hanni hides from her father on the outskirts of Berlin. In stolen moments, she develops the photographs she took to record the horrors of the camp – the empty food bowls and desperate faces – and vows to get justice for the innocent people she couldn’t help as a child.

But her carefully constructed new life is threatened when Hanni discovers a body hidden in a bombed-out building, and meets Freddy, the tortured young detective in charge of the case. Could the fierce emotion in his brown eyes distract Hanni from her quest for atonement?

Or will Reiner stop her himself? Because on the day she plans to deliver her damning photographs to the Allies, Hanni comes face to face with her father again. Reiner Foss has a powerful new identity and he makes it clear just how dangerous it will be to expose him. Now she faces a devastating choice, between the past which haunts her, and the chance of a future with Freddy…

Author Bio:

I seem to have followed a rather meandering career, including marketing and teaching and politics (don't try and join the dots), to get where I have always wanted to be, which is writing historical fiction. I am a story lover as well as a story writer and nothing fascinates me more than a strong female protagonist and a quest. Hopefully those are what you will encounter when you pick up my books.

I am from the North of England but now live very happily in Glasgow with my American husband. Both my children have left home (one to London and one to Berlin) which may explain why I am finally writing. If I'm not at my desk you'll most probably find me in the cinema, or just follow the sound of very loud music.

I'd love to hear from you and there are lots of ways you can find me, so jump in via my website https://www.catherinehokin.com/ or on my Cat Hokin FB page or on twitter @cathokin

My review

The Commandant's Daughter is half historical novel and half a murder mystery. Although, in some ways that description might be a little misleading. We follow Hanni Winter, daughter of an SS commandant during the second world war and her friendship with Jewish survivor and policeman Freddy. The story focuses on the rebuilding of German society after the war and how the various people came to terms with what had been before. At the same time, Hanni and Freddie find themselves investigating a series of murders, never sure that they actually want to discover who is behind them.
Both Hanni and Freddy have things to come to terms within this new world. Hanni's father has reinvented himself and this leaves her fearful for her own safety and longing to unmask him. Things, of course, are rarely so simple.
I enjoyed both the side of this where Hanni and Freddy must come to terms with what they have lived through and the way that life has changed and the murder side, although in many ways, both aspects are closely intertwined. This is the start of a series, of I believe, four books. I'm interested to see where Hanni and Freddie's stories will go and how they will come to terms with all that they have experienced.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.




Wednesday, 26 January 2022

Come Together - Mia Kerick

Come Together
Mia Kerick
(If I Fell, #3)
Publication date: January 24th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

In the dramatic conclusion to award-winning author Mia Kerick’s IF I FELL Series, lovers Timmy Hale and Cole Ledger meet with danger when they attempt to mend broken family bonds.

Timmy and Cole faced brutal obstacles to their union from the moment they fell in love. It nearly drove them apart for good, but they overcame hostility, distance, and the deceptively alluring escape of alcohol. Now they’re ready to settle into the future as a married couple. With their spirited dog, Blackbird, and a close circle of friends, they’ve made a home and a happy life. But they don’t want to step into marriage until they’ve put complicated family problems behind them.

Cole’s son, Robbie, has turned bitter, refusing to accept his father’s engagement to the much younger man. His cold rejection threatens to destroy Cole. Meanwhile, Timmy’s dysfunctional family turns more treacherous than ever after the couple takes in his abandoned teenage niece, Lucy.

Soon, mysterious, threatening messages begin to appear.

When Cole leaves town on a trip to rebuild the severed bond with his son, the threats become real. Timmy’s brother—Lucy’s missing father—reappears. Addicted, violent, and homophobic he’s determined to either coax Lucy away from the shelter of the couple’s home…or destroy it.

Will the two families come together in an explosive collision or in reconciliation? The journey to marriage takes Cole and Timmy on one more wild ride. Through it all, can they hold on tight to their love and its promised happily-ever-after?

IF I FELL Series: age gap, hurt/comfort, contemporary MM romance

Book 1 Hide Your Love Away
Book 2 Blackbird
Book 3 Come Together

For maximum enjoyment, read in order.

Goodreads / Amazon


Author Bio:

Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children–all named after saints–and five nonpedigreed cats–all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.

Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men and their relationships, and she believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.

Mia is proud of her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.

My themes I always write about:

Sweetness. Unconventional love, tortured/damaged heroes- only love can save them.

Mia Kerick focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men within the boundaries of blossoming, supportive relationships. She believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. And Mia’s stories are centered around a certain theme: even heroes can be sweet. Sweet, but not completely innocent.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Amazon

My Review

Come Together might be able to be read as a standalone, but it really works better if you have read the first two books In these books we meet Timmy and Cole and learn about who they are and their relationship. This third book sees the conclusion of their romance, with them really discovering who they are to one and another and where they fit within each others families.

Like the previous two installments, Timmy and Cole have a lot to face as their relationship grows. Most of it comes from outside, but this book also explores the idea of keeping secrets and why you might hide something from someone you love even in an otherwise honest relationship.

I really enjoyed this final book in the series, having followed this couple through their earlier story. It was a nice way to finish and tied up any remaining loose ends. A good, if fairly quick, read. 

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Tuesday, 25 January 2022

Demon Huntress-- Elizabeth Mason

Demon Huntress: Love Me To Hell And Back
Elizabeth Mason
Publication date: September 18th 2021
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

A search for a cure. A journey fraught with danger. A fateful bond.

Determined demon-hunter, Maeve, must risk everything to obtain The Book of Raziel—a font of spells, divine magic, and ethereal knowledge—to cure her work partner of a deadly supernatural virus. And though she isn’t surprised to discover that the book is in the Garden of Eden, she is surprised to learn that the garden is situated in Hell!

Now Maeve faces her biggest challenge: fighting her inner demons¬, or be lost to the wanderlust of Hell forever.

Broken and reclusive, Ezra Virunas has one goal—kill the demon who stole the Sacred Seals, and, in return, he would regain his freedom. Never mind that Ezra has to use Maeve’s soul as bait to close the case, Ezra knows just how deceitful women can be, and he is convinced Maeve is no different. But he is mistaken, and despite fighting against it, her pure heart soon becomes a light to his darkened past.

As Maeve and Ezra’s bond deepens, so too does the danger awaiting them. Will they emerge from Hell unscathed?

Love Me To Hell And Back is a haunting tale of self-reflection and forgiveness.

Goodreads / Amazon


Author Bio:

Elizabeth is a Cali girl who should enjoy the California sun more than she does. She’s content being indoors writing and creating spooky stories with strong leading women and bad boy leading men. With a degree in psychology, Elizabeth is drawn to the complexities of human behavior. The diversity of personalities, interactions, emotions, and relationships reflect in her writing.

When Elizabeth isn’t busy typing away, she enjoys time with her husband, two boys, and her two Weimaraner pups. And thanks to her love for lattes, she enjoys reading paranormal romance late into the night. Her husband and her two boys inspired her to never give up, and thanks to them, she’s proud to announce her debut novel: Love Me To Hell And Back. A haunting tale of self-reflection and forgiveness, even in the darkness of Hell.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest

Excerpt

(Maeve):


According to an ancient scroll discovered a few hundred years ago, there will come a human with god-like powers— an Eda.”

I yawned. “Excuse me,” I muttered. “How does a human become an Eda?”

We only know what the scroll tells us, and according to the scroll, when the sacrifice is made, the Eda is born.”

He paused a moment and stared at me, seemingly deep in thought. Finally, slowly shaking his head, he spoke again. “This world is full of mysteries.”

Leaning back, I crossed my arms over my chest. “What were you thinking?”

When?”

Just now.”

I only hope this prophesied Eda is good. If you give a human ‘God-like’ powers,” he shook his head, “Well, let’s just say, I’ve never met a man who used power for good.”

I scoffed at him. “What makes you think it’ll be a man?”

He laughed as if what I had said was a joke. It was far from a joke. “Because women are too selfish to sacrifice themselves for someone else.” I heard the pure distrust he had for women in each word he spoke. It made my heart hurt.

We stayed quiet, staring at each other. I moved my eyes over his face. His eyes were sad, his lips turned down, and his jaw muscles were tense.

Maybe you’re right,” I said. Ezra lowered his brows, looking at me curiously. “But I’m pretty sure you’re wrong.”

Ezra folded his arms over his chest. “You disagree?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know, Ezra. I have faith in mankind. After all, you and I are going to Hell without greedy intentions.”

He made a steeple with his hands and touched his lips. I tilted my head, unsure again what he was thinking. “Are you sure about that?” he asked.

I shifted in my seat, unsure where this conversation was going. “What do you mean?”

He leaned forward, and a few gold strands fell over his strong cheekbones. “I sense a bit of regret in you.”

I jerked my head back as I was caught off guard. I didn’t think he’d say that. “Regret?”

You’re going to Hell to save a friend.” I nodded. “Or are you going to Hell to ease your guilt?”

I narrowed my eyes, glaring at him. Yup, I totally wasn’t expecting that. “And what guilt do I have, Ezra?”

His lips turned up into a cocky smile. “You tell me.”

Was he right?

Sure, I regret not listening to Emerich when he said not to go on this last hunt, but who would go to Hell just to ease their guilt? That’s a bit excessive. But I do believe someone would go to Hell to save a friend.

Right?

I held up a hand to ward off the truth behind his words. “You don’t know me, Ezra. Not well enough to judge me like that, anyway.”

You’re a strong fighter and damned skilled at throwing knives, but that isn’t enough to survive Hell.” What was he saying? I’m a trained jinn hunter. “I fear you’re weak here.” He pointed to his right temple. “That can make you weak here.” He brought his finger to his heart.

I stood up and pushed a pile of boxes at him. “If I’m so damn weak, then find someone else.” I was tired of everybody pointing at my weakness, telling me to hold back. Damn it. I need people to point out my strengths!

He caught the boxes before they slid off the table. Then, lightning-fast, he was on his feet and in front of me.

I formed fists and turned my head away from his prying eyes. I was breathing heavily, my chest rising and falling to the fast rhythm of my heartbeat. Ezra was close— too close. He had a clean, dangerous scent. I felt my knees tremble as his body heat seeped into me, and when he placed his finger under my chin, the shared heat and sensation thrilled me.

He gently turned my head, but I kept my eyes down. “Maeve,” he whispered, getting me to look at him. I allowed my eyes to wander, taking in his beauty. His sheer maleness overwhelmed me, and every instinct I had said he was different. I couldn’t put my finger on it. Still, there was something about him that was.... contrasting. I couldn’t quite figure him out. It was a feeling of lust mixed with a feeling of fear. Like a jinn, he was beautiful yet scary. There was something dangerous simmering under his cool façade. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I was captivated by that mysterious side of him. His eyes penetrated mine as if he were seeing into my soul. “I don’t want someone else,” he said.


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