Tagline: Evil stalks the rainforest
Book Description:
When Professor Elena Lukas returns to her cozy Pacific Northwest hometown with a broken heart, she’s plunged back into the fate she tried to escape. Like her mother and grandmother before her, Elena must now dedicate her life to a powerful ancient Lithuanian goddess. Although she is prepared to live as a priestess hiding in a contemporary tourist town, she arrives to find that a series of so-called animal attacks have terrorized her forest.
With the help of a handsome detective from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Elena uses her expertise in invasive and endangered species to identify that these are no normal animal attacks. The woods are stalked by a dark, mystical creature bent on ravaging the area in an attempt to quell its insatiable hunger. When her little sister goes missing, Elena realizes that the beast can only be vanquished if she is brave enough to face it in-person, embrace her identity as a high priestess, and expose her powers to the man she is growing feelings for.
“A fantastic tale that weaves a spell of ancient mysticism and modern
charm." --Tim Marquitz, Author of the Demon Squad series, The Enemy of
My Enemy series, and more
Excerpt:
Regana – Home
Regana stood between the two worlds, watching her sleeping body. When
did I become so old?
The wrinkled face, spun-sugar mop, and gnarled fingers in Real-Time
bore little resemblance to her divine avatar in the Penumbra. Marks of
time mean nothing. She chuckled.
Lithe and nimble as a sprite, Regana kicked off from the boundary and
floated through the between, sorting threads of possibility as she
passed.
“Goddess of the Crossroads, why draw me here?” She waited for an
answer.
Thick fibers of probability whirled and pulsed with light around her,
while others faded into implausibility and blinked out.
Soon, her temper frayed. Braiding destinies and untangling misfortunes
amused Regana, but her fatigued human body in Real-Time called for rest.
“Show me the blasted job and let me get out,” Regana said. “Lady of
thresholds, doors, and portals, your priestess readies to serve you.”
Her cry echoed through the Penumbra. “What must I do?”
A scarlet rope, thick as an anaconda, whipped out of the tangle and
garroted her waist. Hot, near burning, it reeked of dark magic and
death.
“See.” The voice hit her like a hammer, and a kaleidoscope of images
overwhelmed her mind’s eye. “Be present,” ordered her goddess.
Galahad - McCleary, WA
Across the field, wind stirred the chimes, bells, and bamboo
noisemakers hanging from the eaves of the main house.
Galahad dozed in the pasture with an ancient horse blanket covering
him.
Frost on the grass and pasture fence resembled snowfall. A freezing fog
surged along the paddock, encircling his legs.
He woke. Something was different, unfamiliar. It wasn’t fear, it was
curiosity.
With drowsy eyes, he surveyed the tree line. His nostrils flared,
sampling the air. There. Hiding beneath the aroma of evergreens, a
sickly-sweet stench. A predator.
The old warrior’s heart sped as he readied for a fight. At sixteen
hands, he was massive and courageous. Last spring, he ran off a pack of
coyotes come to snatch a newborn kid.
Galahad snorted and shook his mane. The frigid air transformed his
breath into plumes of steam. He pawed the earth, kicking up divots of
soil.
The wind ceased. The chimes quieted.
It struck Galahad, mounting him from behind and wrapping its limbs
around Galahad’s belly. The horse arched his back as incisors sank into
his neck.
Claws raked his abdomen and up his flanks, scoring slashes through the
blanket into his hide. The metallic tang of his blood joined the beast’s
stench.
Galahad’s hind legs kicked into his attacker’s midsection, but it only
embedded its fangs deeper. Blood spurted from the wound.
The embrace tightened. He bucked, rearing and struggling for footing.
The attacker threw Galahad to the ground and remounted.
The stallion screamed.
Teeth ripped flesh from Galahad’s throat, severing his jugular. His
sight darkened, and his blood melted the frosted grass. Passing through
and away, the horse saw the blackness clinging to his murderer.
The malignant thread released, and Regana’s vision ended. In the
mundane world, her eyelids flew open, her heart hammering in her
chest.
“Blood-red magic rings the waxing moon.” Her voice croaked with the
remains of sleep. “Medžioklė begins.”
About the Author:
Raine Reiter weaves together an empowered, female-centered narrative with rich descriptions of nature and an ever-present sense of mystery. Her vivid, flowing prose takes readers of dark fantasy into a world that looks and feels real, while still evoking the enticing paranormal creativity shared by authors such as Richelle Mead and Kat Richardson.
A fifth-generation Washingtonian, Raine lives in the gloomy Pacific Northwest and prowls the rainforest with her silly spaniel, Luke.
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8 Comments
Such a lovely cover an very interesting story! Can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt and cover.
ReplyDeleteThe cover is so ornate and eye catching.
ReplyDeleteI love fantasy books and this one sounds fun.
ReplyDeleteI love the cover. The blurb sounds like a good fantasy read. Thanks for the chance.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure everyone else thinks this as well, but I absolutely LOVE the cover of this. So pretty! Also, the excerpt sounds so interesting! xo , starla.bates ATyahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI love the cover.
ReplyDeleteElena sounds like a strong woman. I would love to read her story.
ReplyDeletePlease try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.