Giveaway and Book Review of Wanted
Sponsored by Bewitching Book Tours
Welcome to Books, Books, and More Books. I am pleased to share my review of this book
with you. Thank you for visiting and
please come again.
Wanted
Annika James
Genre:
YA Paranormal Romance
Publisher:
MuseItUp Publishing
ISBN:
978-1-77127-242-1
ASIN:
B00B2EU7ZQ
Number
of pages: 212
Word
Count: 55,614
Cover
Artist: Marion Sipe
Blurb
:
.jpg)
Attacked
as a young witch and left for dead, Ashlinn is deathly afraid of being bitten
again. Having survived until she’s almost eighteen without donating blood to
any of her vamp friends, Ashlinn figures she’ll continue to live bite-free.
After
her crush reveals how powerful she is, however, the Vampire Council declares
she be claimed as a familiar, which requires biting. Ashlinn doesn’t want to be
owned, even by hot vamp, Conor.
Luckily,
her best friend, Matt, volunteers for the job. She is given one week to choose
her protector, and the list of willing biters keeps growing. Will she go with
best friend Matt, hot vamp Conor, or someone else to protect her? Will she be
able to get her power under control by then? Will she overcome her phobia of
being bitten? And who says she needs to be protected, anyhow?
About the
Author:
Annika James lives in
small-town Wisconsin with her husband and two beautiful kiddos. She spends her
days working to pay the bills and her nights dreaming of more fun ways to do
so. Her passions include writing, reading, music and traveling with her family.
She dreams of a world where vampires and powerful witches really exist, because
life would be so much more interesting.
Contacts:
Giveaway:
Excerpt:
He
leaned toward me, holding my gaze with his. I forgot how to breathe, how to
think. Then his lips touched mine, electricity exploding up and down my body.
Soft
and gentle, they probed, tasting, testing. I didn’t move to touch him, just
remained frozen. There was only the kiss. His mouth moved to my jaw, kissing
his way down to my neck. His teeth grazed my skin.
I
unfroze and found my voice. “No!” I felt a surge of power push through me.
Conor
flew backward across the room. He crashed into a bookcase, sending an avalanche
of books over him as he fell to the floor. He slumped there, holding his head,
dazed.
.png)
He
looked up in confusion, mouth opened ready to speak. At that moment, my muscles
remembered how to move and I ran for the door. It opened in front of me, not of
my power, and Matt appeared. He’d probably felt my surge of power. I hadn’t
meant to throw Conor. Panic had overtaken me and I had lost control for an
instant.
I flew
into Matt’s arms and he embraced me. Matt was my rock. His presence calmed me,
it always did. He was like a protective big brother. I knew he understood the
whole scene in the seconds before I’d found his arms. I buried my face in the
T-shirt pulled tight across his strong chest, and breathed in his scent, a mix
of fabric softener and cologne. It was familiarity, it was home, and it helped
to center me. I peeked out at Conor. He stepped out of the pile of books and
straightened his clothing.
“Is
she yours, Matthew? I thought she was unclaimed.” Conor was now being formal.
Vamps often addressed each other formally, even the teenage ones. He thought I
was Matt’s, and to bite me would have been a serious offense to Matt’s family.
I was not claimed, nor would I ever be. Matt’s arms tightened around me.
“No. I
told you she’s not claimed. Did you try to bite her?” Each word seethed with
anger. I had never heard so much menace in Matt’s voice. He trembled ever so
slightly. Wasn’t Conor his friend? I felt like there was something else going
on here I didn’t quite get.
“I
just assumed she’d agree.” Conor’s voice came from right behind me. “I’ve never
been turned down before.” His voice wasn’t cocky, not even confident. He stated
it like he’d simply said his eyes were green.
“Did
you ask her?”
Conor
said nothing. Matt must have seen something in Conor’s face, though, because
his grip on me tightened, voice outraged. “You didn’t even ask her?” He was
furious. I raised my head. There was fire in his eyes, and if looks could kill,
Conor would have been so much more than dead.
I
turned in Matt’s arms, forcing him to loosen his hold, although he didn’t let
go completely. Conor’s brow furrowed, mouth drawn into a tight frown.
“I
thought it was what she wanted.” His voice was soft and unsure.
Matt
let go to put me behind him, further protecting me. “Ashlinn’s been bitten
before. Without permission. Without the aid of making it feel good. Drained.
Almost to the point of death.”
I
shivered, remembering the night I met Matt. I would never forget the feeling of
having life literally sucked out of me, of hovering so close to death. I was so
young, at the time I hadn’t really known what was going on. Almost dying,
however, would remain embedded in my memory forever. Matt had found me and knew
what to do to nurse me back to health. He’d been my protector ever since.
I
looked around Matt’s broad back. Conor’s wide-eyed gaze found mine. “I am so
sorry, Ashlinn. I offended you. I meant you no harm. I was unaware of your past
and thought you were giving me the okay.”
He
spread his hands in a helpless gesture. I stepped out from behind Matt, to his
side. Matt put an arm around my shoulders, still holding me close. I watched Conor’s
gaze slide over the embrace to Matt’s face, before coming back to mine.
He had
apologized, now he waited for me to say it was okay.
“I
suppose I probably was.” My voice was soft, though not wobbly. “Though I didn’t
mean to.” I was pretty calm now, thanks to Matt. And I was almost sure Conor
wasn’t going to attack me. I had unknowingly given him the green light,
forgetting he wasn’t just a normal boy, and this wasn’t just a normal party. I
liked him so much, I had sent him signals that probably seemed the same as
“Bite me!”
“Sorry
I threw you across the room.” I did feel bad. I hadn’t meant to hurt him.
Matt
looked at me as Conor smiled slightly. “I deserved it.” Some of the confidence
returned to his voice.
“It
was quite impressive.”
“You
did that?” Matt sounded surprised and a little proud. “Your power?”
I
nodded. “I guess the panic took over. I reacted without thinking. And there he
was, flying, crashing.” I gestured from where I’d read the poem to the pile of
books on the floor.
Matt’s
smile was big and genuine. “That is awesome, Ash.” He gave my shoulder a small
squeeze.
Conor
took a step toward us. I didn’t flinch. I knew he meant me no harm. If he had
bitten me, my mind knew it would have felt amazing, completely opposite of how
it had felt the last time I was bitten. Although, it would still have been
against my will, without permission, and that was rape. No one was going to
bite me again, ever. Even Conor. I didn’t want to be under anyone’s control but
my own.
“You’re
very powerful,” Conor observed.
I shrugged. “I guess.”
Review
Fabulous
book. I love vampire books, but I really
loved this one. It was dark and yet
still fun to read.
I give
this book 4.5 out of 5 clouds.
This
product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my
opinions or reviews.
