Excited to be a stop on Mel Ballew's blog tour for her new paranormal romance novel, Shattered Into Beautiful. Check out the excerpt below and don't forget to enter the giveaway!
Do you LOVE this cover or what???
Synopsis:
Her Magick is destined but true love forbidden.
After beautiful Sylver Kyllienne Brady meets death at the hands of her boyfriend, Roland Parks, she transcends into Summerland. There, she reunites with her mother and finds her soulmate, Zander. Pulled back to the earthly plane, she must embark on a journey of discovery. She uncovers a truth. She is the descendent of a long lineage of powerful Witches. She must learn to control her power, protect the family’s Amulet and Book of Shadows. Sylver has no idea what awaits her. And, this is only part of her discovery.
Lives unravel as secrets are discovered and mysteries unfold.
Everything changes when she meets Zander Emmett –a vampire. Zander is gorgeous, exotic, sexy and unbelievably wealthy. He is also the one person a witch, such as Sylver, must avoid. Their love is forbidden but their souls draw them together like a magnet. Their bodies ignite, passion soars and their souls are left discovering, not only each other, but their destiny. His life holds secrets and enticing mysteries of his own that propel the parallels of their worlds to climaxing heights.
Will their colliding worlds separate them? Will Sylver embrace her destiny? Will realizing what is expected of her and falling soul-fully in love with Zander - the vampire she is forbidden to love, just leave her breathless?
Or, will she forever be Shattered Into Beautiful?
Excerpt:
Abruptly, his entire demeanor changes. He has already carried me through his front door and put me down on the tiled floor just inside his threshold. He is distant, colder and more standoffish. I know he can hear my blood rushing through my veins. I cannot make it stop — cannot slow it down.
Our eyes meet; his are rigid, icier. Instantly, I am fully aware he is combating every natural animalistic urge within himself demanding that he seize me, feed from me and possess me, taking my blood. I tense. Mysteriously, and as crazy as it may be, there is another part of me that is absolutely fucking aroused by this. I step toward him, gently allowing myself to inch to him. His face has hardened. His posture is stiff. Every single rational sense in me is screaming at me to run out of this door. I cannot.
“Zander...” I start to speak at the same time as his eyes close.
In one fleeting moment, before I have the opportunity to steady by breathing, they hastily snap open. Amber reds stare at me, replacing the dazzling greens. I find myself wanting to surrender the first time my blues locked with his. I freeze, inhaling a swift breath. “Kitten. You need to step away. I’m struggling to maintain control and right now, I want to shatter you. I want to devour you. I want to own you. Your blood is pulsing.” Thump...Thump...Thump. “It’s inviting me, summoning me. Please, Sylver, please, just do us both a favor and step away. Leave. Let me call you a cab but walk away from me before I do something we will both regret. I’m sorry, I should have known better. I should have stayed away. I should have known I wouldn’t be able to control myself around you. I have waited way too long to find you —to feel you. The longing, the waiting, the need of you has overpowered my senses.”
His plea goes unanswered as I place my petite hand upon his cheek, affectionately reassuring him. I reply, “Zander, I am already shattered. You cannot break what is already broken. You may be the reason my blood is pulsing but it is me that is inviting you. My body invites you. My heart beats increase for you. My soul longs for you. Please, Z, please do not push me away. Life is too short to live with regrets. I do not want to fall asleep tonight or awake in the morning and regret having walked away. Do not ask that of me...not now. Not after all this time.”
I look up at him, giving the windows to my soul earnest permission to command him, convince him and starve the beast within him. I am not scared. I’m not. I reckon I should be.
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!
Giveaway includes:
1 (ONE) GRAND PRIZE lucky winner will receive:
Modern Enchantment™ Arrangement $59.99 value,
plus tax & shipping/handling
“Sunflowers,” he spits out, as I make my way
toward the door. “What? What about
them?” I ask, confused. His entire face
lights up, “You are my sunflower. They
always turn toward the sun to absorb its energy and light. I’m glad you chose that as your safe
word. You are my sun, Kitten. You are my ‘safe’; my sunflower. That is why I give them to you. In my darkness, you are my light. I just need
you to know.” (Zander to Sylver)
Like a field of burgeoning wildflowers, the
simple, yet stunning beauty of our truly original sunflower, lavender and pink
calcynia arrangement, accented with variegated pittsoporum, is enhanced by a
stylish glass cube vase lined in yellow. Handcrafted by our expert florists and
accented with a bright ribbon, it's a gift that makes an enchanting expression
of your feelings no matter what the occasion. Vase measures 5”H x 5”D
Arrangement measures approximately 10”H x 10”LOur florists select the freshest
flowers available so colors and varieties may vary.
·
On the rare occurrence this particular arrangement is not available for shipping to the winner's zip code locale, another similar style arrangement will be selected & shipped to their residence, equaling the same value as noted above. Due to shipping, US residents only for the arrangement. IF a grand prize winner is selected, the executive decision has been made to provide one Amazon gift card in the amount of $50.00 less the additional fees.
5 (FIVE) lucky
winners will each receive:
Shattered Into
Beautiful Coffee Mug™ $ 14.99/ea. value, plus tax &
shipping/handling
·
1/ea,
Custom made Shattered Into Beautiful Coffee Mug
5 (FIVE) lucky
winners will each receive:
·
Shattered
Into Beautiful Autographed Paperback copy - 1/ea
5 (FIVE) lucky
winners will each receive:
·
Shattered
Into Beautiful Ebook copy - 1/ea
20 (TWENTY)
lucky winners will each receive:
·
Shattered
Into Beautiful Autographed Postcard - 1/ea
Meet The Author:
Mel Ballew resides in rural Pennsylvania with her husband and daughter, along with their two adorable cats.
An avid reader, she has always had an equal passion for writing and has written her entire life, to date. Her mother initially birthed, inspired, and encouraged these loves. The two often discussed writing together but unfortunately, that dream never came to fruition.
Years later, this happened, that happened—life happened.
She stepped away from writing to place more focus on being wife and a full-time mom. Today, she would not have changed a thing. The day her daughter was born became the first day she realized a significant rhythm to her heart was also born. Her daughter, now preparing to go off to college, has grown into a beautiful and responsible young adult.
A twisted turn of events in September 2009 left Mel unable to work outside of the home. Forced to consider other options, and while embracing a therapeutic approach of transcribing all of the challenges facing her, post-accident, she returned to journaling. Once again, the writer within her has been re-birthed—awakened from slumber.
Mel is a hopeless romantic. Blessed, she has her very own soul mate, which she calls husband, best friend, and lover.
She is a simple country gal, with a profound love of true simplicity. She is just as hopeless in her love of nature and regards many of her writing aspirations to appreciating its beauty, although every single story is birthed from her dreams. Sometimes, in life, simply enjoying a chilled glass of sangria on a warm summer’s eve or indulging in her love of chocolate and peanut butter is an expression of enjoying such simplicity. For her, these moments are truly d’vine.
Ms. Ballew is my new role model. I became very ill in 2009; by 2010, I could no longer work outside the home. This caused me a great deal of emotional pain and depression; additionally, I've mostly lost use of my hands, so typing/writing is exhausting and excruciating. There are times that I have lost hope. Now I see someone who has suffered through a similar ordeal and emerged not only victorious, but doing what I originally dreamed of doing until my life got in my way. There is hope (maybe). Thank you...michelle_willms@yahoo.com
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