Spotlight on #urbanfantasy: Beautifully Burned by @CJBurright
Hi Everyone!
I have a real treat for you today: a new book release from my writer pal, C. J. Burright! Magic, Dreamcasters, plus a tortured hero and a reluctant heroine who will stop at nothing to save those they love. BEAUTIFULLY BURNED is C.J.’s second book in her Dreamcaster series. You can check out the first Awesome Sauce story, Wonderfully Wicked, right here. Be sure to enter her giveaway (details below). Enjoy! 🙂
Title: Beautifully Burned Grandma warned me to resist him. I know what he is. Even if he doesn’t sparkle in the sun, hiss at holy water, or go by the traditional name of vampire, I know. He doesn’t want or need my blood. He wants my dreams…more specifically, my nightmares. And I’ve got oodles of those, so many they leak. He’s emotionally scarred, growly, dangerous, and kindles all my senses. Love isn’t on his agenda. Having him for a guardian isn’t on my list of fun, either. My touch sends him into darkness. I shouldn’t want him. I can’t want him. But I do. If I surrender instead of escape, I’ll lose everything–my sister, my will, my life. Gran forgot to tell me the most important detail of all: how am I supposed to resist him when he’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of? C. J. Burright’s Giveaway To celebrate her new release, C. J. is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card. Visit her Rafflecopter giveaway page to enter. |
EXCERPT
“Go home,” she said in the hushed, haunting persuasion voice she used on drunks and perverts. “Forget me. Forget Dany’s exists. Never come here again.”
He went utterly still.
A bewildering stab of loss staked her chest. She’d never see him again. He’d go back to his life and she’d return to hers, no harm done, no questions answered. For some insane reason, she wanted to curl up on the asphalt and have a long, hard sob-fest.
A tiny crease formed between his black eyebrows, and instead of obeying, he studied her with a scientist’s concentration. “Are you trying to compel me?” His voice was gently accusing. He leaned nearer. “I’m V’alkara. I can’t be compelled.”
Ella leaned hard on the cool frame of her truck. Compel was a good explanation for her uncanny persuasion powers, and if he recognized it, getting rid of him would be harder than she thought. “Who are you?”
“Daxen v’al Solanis.” He watched her, unblinking.
“And V’alkara?” She swallowed the sawdust in her throat. Was that another word for vampire? “What’s that?”
“Me.” His small smile made a snarling wolf look friendly. “Ready to talk now?”
“You had all night to talk to me.”
“I wanted you alone.”
A fire bell warning clanged in her head, a command to escape, yet she couldn’t peel her attention from his jaw. Stubble shadowed the hard angles, a darkness contrary to his pale neck. She had a sharp, nearly overwhelming urge to touch him there, to experience the disparity of prickly and smooth, to slide her fingers down his throat to the ridge of his collarbone.
Ella blinked rapidly and gripped the keys tight, breaking the spell. “Are you trying some hypnotic woo-woo on me? Not cool. Kindly remove your hand from my truck.”
He cocked his head and his eyes flashed. “Don’t you want help with your nightmares, Ella?”
About C. J. BurrightC.J Burright is a native Oregonian and refuses to leave. A member of Romance Writers of America and the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal special interest chapter, while she has worked for years in a law office, she chooses to avoid writing legal thrillers (for now) and instead invades the world of urban fantasy, paranormal romance, or fantasy. C.J. also has her 4th Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and believes a story isn’t complete without at least one fight scene. Her meager spare time is spent working out, refueling with mochas, gardening, gorging on Assassin’s Creed, and rooting on the Seattle Mariners…always with music. She shares life with her husband, daughter, and a devoted cat herd. Connect with C. J. Burright |
Celia Breslin
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