Thursday, February 8, 2018

Guest Post, Excerpt & Giveaway ~ ASSASSIN OF TRUTHS by Brenda Drake



Assassin of Truths (Library Jumpers, #3)
by: Brenda Drake
Series: Library Jumpers
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: February 6, 2018
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Amazon | Hardcover | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Goodreads

Letting him go will destroy her.

The gateways linking the great libraries of the world don’t require a library card, but they do harbor incredible dangers.

And it’s not your normal bump-in-the- night kind. The threats Gia Kearns faces are the kind with sharp teeth and knifelike claws. The kind that include an evil wizard hell-bent on taking her down.

Gia can end his devious plan, but only if she recovers seven keys hidden throughout the world’s most beautiful libraries. And then figures out exactly what to do with them.

The last thing she needs is a distraction in the form of falling in love. But when an impossible evil is unleashed, love might be the only thing left to help Gia save the world.


Brenda Drake’s words wisdom to her teenage self:

1) You won’t always be “Chicken Legs” or “Horse Teeth.” Don’t listen to the haters.

2) No matter how much old Mrs. English Teacher (name hidden to protect the not so innocent) tells you no one wants to read fantasy books—write something literary, don’t listen to her. Write what inspires you!

3) The boys you have crushes on now, will not be as cute when they’re older.

4) Do your homework. Stop trying to cram it in between classes and at lunch.

5) The next time a boy asks you to the dance, say yes. No matter how shy you are.

6) Stop trying to grow up fast. You’ll be an adult for a long time. Don’t rush it.

7) Don’t be afraid to share your stories. You can’t grow as a writer until you do.

8) Enjoy your friends. Spend as many fun times together. Some of your friends will go their separate ways and all you’ll have are the memories.

9) Don’t skip family occasions to spend time with friends. Some of your loved ones might not be around for long.

10) Breaking up with boyfriends will be tough, but know that there’s this amazing, loving, caring man waiting for you in the future.

I didn’t want to kill the girl, so I hesitated to throw another globe at her. Squaring my shoulders, I got ready for her attack. When the girl got close enough, I threw a kick to her gut and slammed my fist against her jaw. She stumbled back against the frozen railing. It broke free, and she fell over the side, landing on a table below. Her body was half on and half off the table, her neck bent at an odd angle and the bones underneath pushed against her skin.

Is she dead?

A shimmery light left the girl’s body and flew to me, smacking my chest. I took a step back, expecting to turn into a human Popsicle, but nothing happened, only a chill that rushed across my skin and quickly ended.

“You killed her,” Veronique yelled as she stepped up on a chair and onto a table. She charged the length of it, heading for me.

I dropped to my knees and flipped through the pages of the gateway book. My heart galloped like a thousand racehorses on steroids. I needed to escape.

Where do I go? I can’t lead her to the others. I stopped on the photograph of the Boston Athenæum. Home? To Nana. Afton. No. Veronique knew where Nana Kearns lived. I couldn’t risk going there. I tossed over more pages.

Just then, Veronique pulled herself up onto the balcony and let loose another fire globe. The flames licked the air and smoke trailed it like a comet. The fire grazed my cheek, pulling a sharp gasp from my chest.

Her breaths were loud—panting. The sound of a siren drew nearer. We’d have company soon.

A feral look on her face, Veronique plucked a dagger from her shoulder sheath. A velvet bag, weighed down by something heavy inside, was tied around her waist.

The other Chiavi? I had to get them. I grasped the strap of my messenger bag.

“You can’t win, Gia. You’re weak. Unskilled. A sniveling child.”

“I beat your ass, and I took care of your friends.” Meaning the three Sentinels lying dead on the floor below us. I forced my eyes to stay on hers, acting brave, though their deaths were like an overweight barbell on my conscience.

Her step forward caused me to step back. “That was dumb luck,” she said. “This will take skill.”

She ran for me. I drew my sword and swung at her. She ducked, the blade barely missing her. Before I could get another swing in, she tackled me, our bodies smacking into the bookcase, my sword knocked from my hand.

A satisfied look crossed Veronique’s face right before she stabbed my upper arm with her dagger, her blade cutting across my cheek. A horrified scream rattled my throat. My knees buckled and thudded against the floor.

“Shit!” The pain shocked me. I wanted to roll into a ball on the floor, to have this end.

She’s going to kill me. I’m going to die.

Fear gripped me.

Then anger.

Fight, Gia! The voice in my head was strong and forceful. It pushed me. Pushed me to my feet.

Pushed me to take action.

Purchase Assassin of Truths from:

The Library Jumpers Series:

Brenda Drake grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. Her fondest memories growing up is of her eccentric, Irish grandmother's animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling. With kids of all ages populating Brenda's world, it was only fitting that she would choose to write stories with a bend toward the fantastical for both younger readers and the young at heart. And because she married her prince charming, there's always a romance warming the pages. Her favorite books are The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, Kings Row by Henry Bellamann, and Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. When she's not writing, she hosts workshops and contests for writers such as Pitch Wars and Pitch Madness on her blog, and holds Twitter pitch parties on the hashtag, #PitMad. In her free time, Brenda enjoys hanging out with her family, haunting libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or just reading someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).

Places to find Brenda Drake:

You can follow the Assassin of Truths Blog Tour here.

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9 comments:

  1. Thanks for your recommendation and chance to win the giveaway

    ReplyDelete
  2. Replies
    1. If you look at the place where you put in your entries (I think it's called the Rafflecopter widget?)-- it's labeled with the word "Giveaway" at the top, in fancy script. Right above that is this:
      You can follow the Assassin of Truths Blog Tour here.
      The word "here" is a link that will take you to a schedule, up through the current date. All of the hosts' blogs are listed there.
      Hope this helps!
      --Ann

      Delete
    2. You're most welcome! Happy weekend, all.
      --Ann

      Delete
  3. I just had this random memory emerge, from early primary school: The librarian had our each on of us go and find where we (or, our book) would be sorted in the fiction shelves. While it was just a little exercise to help us learn how to locate books, it was kind of neat to go and find where we'd "be" in the library.
    --Ann

    ReplyDelete

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