His and Her Stories by Lauren Dane

In the wake of the Magister’s rampage, chaos rules. Left reeling, the Others and the humans scramble to create a some sort of unity in the face of growing unrest and violence from anti-Other hate groups federation—and ruthless PR guru Molly Ryan is the witch who can do it. She grew up in the human world but there’s nothing left for her there. She’s lost her PR firm, her friends and she’s decided to put all her fight toward aiding the Others in this dark, new reality. If there’s anything left for her there, she’s going to fight for it. But Gage Garrity, one of the few Others who survived the massacre, fears that the crusade will expose Molly to greater dangers than ever before.

Now, together, with magick on their side, they’re on the road in a desperate struggle to unite a torn world. From state houses to television news to legislative conference rooms across the country, they’re fighting the good fight. And it’s bringing out a passion in both of them they never expected—one as volatile, intense, and all-consuming as their relentless battle for world unity. A battle that could be their undoing…

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Sometimes a book tells the story of a couple equally. Sometimes the book is one I’d call his, and other times it’s clearly the heroine’s book.

 

When I first started to plan out GOING UNDER, it was supposed to be Gage’s book. I wanted to delve into his fear of messing up and not being able to protect. It’s his core issue. Their world is utterly thrown into chaos. He cannot protect everyone. It’s impossible.

 

I don’t usually start off with a sense of how that balance will work out, but as I write, it comes to me, one voice will stand out, one story will slowly fill my screen and by the time I type the end it’s clear it’s one of those types of books.

 

Laid Bare is Erin’s book. Oh sure, you learn about Todd’s backstory and Ben’s too. But the heart of the book is Erin. She’s just that way. Enforcer is Nina’s story. I think Relentless is Abbie’s story. But Mesmerized is Andrei’s book. Inside Out is the story of Cope and Ella – a couple book.

 

In my opinion, romance readers are the most reticent to really love a heroine. I think their standards are higher for a heroine than they are for a hero. There are theories for it, different reasons authors and readers have given for it.

 

But really, it doesn’t matter why. Readers’ preferences are what they are. Reading is an intimate thing.

 

So like I said, I had this sense, as I wrote the outline, that the story would be Gage’s to tell. But from the first time she appeared on the page, it was Molly who spoke to me. Molly whose struggles, whose inability to control her world spun utterly out of control, who became the heart of the book.

 

Molly, who has this spine, this sense of righteousness that guides her through this chaos, the violence and the hatred, the crumbling of everything she’s ever known and understood—Molly is the rudder of GOING UNDER. She’s the stars in the sky Gage navigates with.

 

She’s not a mega-powerful witch like Meriel. She’s not a warrior like Gage and Lark. She’s confused and scared and probably the most human of all the witches in the series.

 

She’s meticulous. She’s a planner. A control freak (like all witches in this universe). And she can’t control what is happening. (there are some parallels here, I’m an uber control freak and publishing is pretty much 96% out of my control so I know what it feels like on some level). But despite all that fear and worry, she understands what she has in Gage and what he has in her. She does not undervalue herself, even as she’s reeling.

 

I love that about her. And in the end, Gage can’t escape admitting that either.

 

I hope you all enjoy Gage and Molly and the often violent and chaotic story in GOING UNDER!

 

www.laurendane.com

 

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Lauren will be giving away a print copy of Going Under to one lucky reader. To be entered, leave a comment below. The winner will be drawn on Sunday so please check back to see if you won. Good luck! 😀

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RUSH by Maya Banks – Giveaway!

Berkley has sent us an extra copy of RUSH by Maya Banks and we are giving it away!

Gabe, Jace, and Ash: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Gabe, it’s making one particular fantasy come true with a woman who was forbidden fruit. Now she’s ripe for the picking…

When Gabe Hamilton saw Mia Crestwell walk into the ballroom for his hotel’s grand opening, he knew he was going to hell for what he had planned. After all, Mia is his best friend’s little sister. Except she’s not so little anymore. And Gabe has waited a long time to act on his desires.

Gabe has starred in Mia’s fantasies more than once, ever since she was a teenager with a huge crush on her brother’s best friend. So what if Gabe’s fourteen years older? Mia knows he’s way out of her league, but her attraction has only grown stronger with time. She’s an adult now, and there’s no reason not to act on her most secret desires.

As Gabe pulls her into his provocative world, she realizes there’s a lot she doesn’t know about him or how exacting his demands can be. Their relationship is intense and obsessive, but as they cross the line from secret sexual odyssey to something deeper, their affair runs the risk of being exposed—and vulnerable to a betrayal far more intimate than either expected.

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This giveaway is open to everyone. To be entered, just tell us what you are currently reading. The winner will be drawn on Sunday so please check back to see claim your prize. Good luck! 😀

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Read along with the Wolfies – Wolf Games excerpt

The wolfie read along continues with one of my favorite scene from Wolf Games, book 3 in the series. Maggie’s inner wolf is ready to play with her mate and it really doesn’t care what Maggie has to say about it, as becomes clear when Maggie talks to Missy. 😀

 

Excerpt:

“You really are a beach ball.”

“Shut up. Wait until you meet your mate and get pregnant. You’re not much taller than me. There’s nowhere for the baby to go but out, and this time with two of them…” Missy paused, then narrowed her eyes. Maggie felt her face heat up. “Crap, you’ve met your mate. Haven’t you?”

Maggie leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Anyone ever tell you it’s damn hard to have a conversation with you when you seem to know everything, about everybody, before they tell you? It was bad enough when we were young, but since you’ve accepted you’re an Omega, it’s gotten ridiculous.”

Missy snorted. “It’s worse than you think. With Tad being an Omega too, we occasionally have really freaky conversations. Quit stalling. Who is it?”

Maggie stared out the window. “I’m not ready for a mate.”

“Who is it?” Missy rubbed her hands together with glee. “Someone in Vancouver? Why didn’t he come with you? Or is he making arrangements to move north too?”

Maggie stood and wandered away a few steps. She didn’t need this. Not now. Did Missy not realize how difficult it was to be surrounded by wolves again for the first time in years? Had she forgotten what it was like to be truly afraid? The only reason Maggie had maintained any contact with their old pack was to keep in touch with Missy. As soon as Missy had mated with Tad, Maggie instantly severed all final ties with Whistler.

Her sister wouldn’t drop the topic. “You met him in Whitehorse? Mags, you do realize this might be the solution to your problem.”

Yeah, right. “Didn’t you listen to me? I don’t want to be tied to a mate. I’m still wondering if I made the right decision to come and be with your pack.” She looked down at her sister. “How can you be so comfortable around all these wolves? After everything they did to you? All those years of your life wasted because our Alpha—”

“Oh, honey, I’ve told you this so many times over the past two years. These wolves have been nothing but kind to me. Our Alpha wasn’t an Alpha—not in the truest sense of the word. Tad is more than twice the man my first husband ever was. I’m happy now, Mags, really I am. Yeah, it was a rotten situation, and I didn’t deserve to be treated like that, but I’ve moved on. Isn’t it time you did the same?”

The only person in the world Maggie knew who had gone through more hell than she had sat before her, huge with her second and third children. Living with a man she trusted, who went out of his way to make her smile.

Was it really possible to leave the past behind?

“Maggie. Tell me. Please.”

It was impossible to resist her.

“Erik.” Maggie squeezed her eyes tight as her body reacted to even saying his name. Her wolf woke again, this time with a slow and sensuous stretch itching up her spine. She hadn’t felt that sensation in years.

Complete and utter silence greeted her announcement. She poked open an eye to see Missy sitting with her mouth gaping open. “What?”

Missy giggled naughtily. “You don’t want to know.”

“Bullshit. You made me tell you who it is, now spill. Do you not trust him?”

Her sister gasped. “Not trust Erik? The Friendly Giant? Girl, there is no one I trust more, except Tad and my Alpha. I was just imagining…umm…the two of you together. That’s all.”

Oh God. Not what she needed right now. “Great. I tell you I found my mate and the first thing that jumps to your mind is how we’re going to manage sex. You’re such a bitch.”

They both laughed. “Yeah, well, sex is kinda up there on my ‘things to think about’ list these days since I’m not getting much.”

Maggie rolled her eyes. “Enough. I haven’t accepted the mating yet. I need to figure other things out first.”

Missy lifted her belly with her hands and wiggled to the front of her chair. “What you’re not taking into consideration is with Erik as your mate, he’ll help you figure those things out. You need help, and he’s the one able to give it. You need to trust him.”

“Stop being a bloody oracle.”

“I’m not being an oracle, I’m being an Omega. More importantly, I’m being your sister and I only want the best for you. Why are you fighting it so hard? Erik is a good man, and he’s gorgeous. If I wasn’t mated I’d be interested in a roll in the hay with him.”

A low growl burst from Maggie. She froze in shock.

“Oops, looks like your wolf isn’t as asleep as you thought.”

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There is still time to join the read along and enter the giveaway for some awesome prizes! Just click the wolfie graphic on our right sidebar to find all the details. Happy reading! 😀

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