Title: Dark Devotion
Author: Lauren Dawes
Series: Dark Series #3
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Momentum (Pan Macmillan)
Release Date: Feb 25 2016
Edition/Formats: eBook
Blurb/Synopsis:
The time of Odin is over. The Aesir gods now live among the humans in their bustling modern cities. Their brutal dominion over the other gods and their eradication of the entire dark elf race may have ended, but their actions have not been forgotten.
Beneath Rhys's skin lies a legendary and feared beast. Rhys is tormented by his daily struggle to contain the ruthless, cold-blooded creature sharing his body. But when his best friend Galen disappears, Rhys's careful restraint and self-control are finally broken. Fueled with a desire to find Galen, Rhys strikes an unlikely alliance with the only god who knows the truth about his dark past.
Taer has found her revenge, yet she's still
not happy. There's something missing from her life, but still she fights what
her heart is telling her. It's only when the incredibly infuriating and
dangerously sexy Aubrey goes missing that she can admit her true feelings for
him. Taer's racing against time to rescue Aubrey, but when will she finally
allow him into her heart?
Featuring myth's original antagonist, Loki,
Dark Devotion is perfect for fans of Gina Showalter and Patricia Briggs.
Book Links:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Google Play
iTunes/iBooks
Kobo
Momentum
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Excerpt:
Taer was up
in Raven, the nightclub on the second floor of the Eye. Bryn had asked her to
work a few hours up there before coming back downstairs later on in the
evening. Working the bar beside her was a guy called Dex who was shamelessly
flirting with her. He had piercings through his nose and eyebrow, two through
his lip, and countless others in his ears. He also had his septum pierced. Taer
had watched the women flock to him, all blatantly leaning over the bar just to
make their breasts spill out of their low-cut dresses and tops.
She shook
her head at the stupidity of the female species and got busy making the next
drink order. As she worked, she thought about the other night. Going to see
Aubrey hadn’t been a good idea, but she’d had to tell him, face-to-face, what
had happened with her and Darrion. Aubrey was the one who had trained her to
fight. It was because of him that she had survived.
And it was
because of him that she felt her resolve not to get involved with him lessen
every time she saw him. She’d been so very close to giving in when he came to
stand behind her in his kitchen, but she was afraid. Once Aubrey had gotten
what he wanted from her, he would simply disappear.
“Stop
thinking about him,” she chastised quietly under her breath. A
familiar scent filled her nostrils and she looked up. Her eyes found Aubrey
even through the crowd and the near darkness. It had been less than forty-eight
hours since she’d last seen him, but her heart stuttered and her stomach
clenched. Shaking her head, she refocused on the customer in front of her.
“That’ll be
twenty-five,” she said.
The guy
slapped a fifty on the bar and smiled. “Keep it.”
She
returned the gesture only because she’d learned that if she smiled more, she
got bigger tips. “Thanks.” She dragged the bill toward her, her breath catching
when Aubrey approached the bar.
“Winter
Fox,” he said with a wry smile.
Taer’s eyes
drifted down his body. Damn, he looked good. He was in a black suit and shirt
with a dark gray tie at his throat. Her whole body gave a little shudder and
she sucked in a sharp breath. If this was how she reacted without any physical
contact, she could only imagine how good it would be when she allowed him to touch
her intimately.
“Aubrey,”
she said. “What are you doing here?”
He glanced
from her to the customer she was serving, then back at her. For a moment there,
it seemed as if jealousy had flared in his eyes. “I came looking for you,” he
replied smoothly.
“You found
me,” she said.
From the
corner of her eye, Taer could see Dex watching them. After telling his customer
to wait a minute, Dex approached Taer and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Is
everything all right, Tay?” he asked.
A small
growl came from Aubrey.
Pulling
Dex’s arm away, Taer said, “Fine.”
Dex
shrugged off the snub casually. “Who is this guy?” He jerked his chin in
Aubrey's direction.
“I’m the
only man allowed to touch her like that,” Aubrey hissed, his pale eyes
darkening with rage.
Oh, fuck.
She had to diffuse the situation, and quickly. “He’s my boyfriend, Dex,” Taer
blurted out. Seeing the smug smile on Aubrey’s lips, she pulled on her apron
strings, wadded up the fabric and stowed it under the bar. “I need a minute.”
Shooting
Aubrey a look, she walked to the end of the bar and stepped out from behind it.
She watched the light elf saunter in her direction, a definite swagger in his
step.
“Boyfriend,
huh? Soon-to-be lover would have been a more accurate description.”
Taer
brushed off his comment with a huff. “Dex wasn’t going to leave any other way.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she said, “What are you really doing here,
Aubrey?”
He studied
her, seemingly drinking in every one of her features. “Where can I get you
alone?”
She bit her
bottom lip then sucked it into her mouth. “I’m working.”
“Take a
break.” Aubrey placed both hands on her waist and dragged her body into his
hips. Their faces were mere inches away and for a few seconds, Taer actually
let him hold her that way. Those few seconds were enough for him to show her
just how much he wanted her. Taer looked down at their bodies closely pressed
together. Gods, she wanted him too. All this time, she’d been telling herself
it wasn’t true, but she’d been lying.
And just
like that, her resolve crumbled.
~ * ~
Author Information:
Born in South Africa and raised in Sydney,
Lauren Dawes is an urban fantasy/paranormal romance writer and the author of
the Dark Series.
In 2009, she quit her full-time job
teaching English as a Second Language to finally begin writing "that
book", letting her over-active imagination pour out onto the digital
pages, much to everyone's horror. The catch phrase "I didn't know you had
such a dark imagination" only fueled her to write more, where her love for
Norse mythology and gods finally got the spotlight.
She currently lives with her husband and
daughter in whatever city they happen to be posted to, and her cat, Oscar, who
has inspired more than one character quirk or scene in her books.
To
find out more, visit www.authorlaurendawes.com
~ * ~
Other Works by Lauren
The Dark Series
Dark
Deceit #1
Dark
Desire #2
Half Blood Series
Half
Blood #1
Half
Truths #2
Half
Life #3
Half
Cast ~ Coming Soon
Thank you for hosting and sharing Dark Devotion by Lauren Dawes
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure :)
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