New Release: Wraith's Forest

by L.J. Leger


ISBN: 978-0-9834-1-0

Available on Amazon

Blurb:

Fairy tales and haunted woods lead us through L.J. Leger's Beauty and the Beast story of one girl with the weight of a village on her shoulders and the attention of a very unlikely soul.

Jenna is chosen for the coveted task of gathering the magical fruit to preserve the peaceful balance of the secret valley where she and many others live. During the harvest, one fruit is damaged and the task of healing the bruise falls on Jenna’s shoulders. She must enter the Wraith’s Forest, retrieve a magical blade from the specter who lives there so the valley will remain a utopia. But once she makes contact with the Wraith, her fear slowly disappears and her curiosity is aroused with more questions of why the Wraith is in the Forest and the true purpose for the harvest. If you love Beauty and Beast type fairy tales, Wraith’s Forest is the book to read. Perfect for Young Adults!

Excerpt:
Jenna came to a thicket of dense branches. She stumbled along the edge for a while, then pulled her dress hem from the back to the front and tucked it through her belt to make a pair of pants. She dropped to her hands and knees, hoping to find a way to the other side. The branches curved up from the base of the tall bushes. She slid between two of them, ignoring the overpowering scent of earth and decayed leaves. Too soon, the Wraith might stir her own scent with them, burying her forever. Struggling to forget that thought, she squirmed ahead. After several more feet, she broke free.


The fresh, clear air refreshed her. Her chest labored for each breath. Odors of rich earth still filled her nostrils. She scrubbed a grimy hand over her face. Dirt turned to mud where the cold sweat coated her cheeks. She suppressed a hopeless sob. Sitting on the damp ground, she flipped her dress hem up and tried to wipe some of the grim away. Several spots stung from tiny scratches.

"I will not cry. I will be strong," she whispered, hoping the sound of her voice might bring a measure of calmness to her. She glanced around.

The forest had brightened. The moon had risen, casting light through the towering canopy. Off to one side, ahead of her, the trees thinned. She shoved up from the ground and lurched along in that direction until she came to a small clearing.

No more than thirty feet across, the clearing's leaf-layered ground held several fallen limbs and a large, high-back chair. The chair, in itself, should have caused the chill bumps to cover Jenna's skin, but it didn't. Her gaze snagged and remained riveted on a tall, dark figure standing in the center of the open space. With her legs threatening to collapse, Jenna eased down beside the nearest tree without taking her gaze off the creature.

Moon beams lit on the form clothed in tattered black robes. Random sparkles sprang forth as the light touched the material. His face, hidden within the hood, tilted back toward the night sky. A gloved hand lifted and reached, his fingers moving slightly, to the stars above.
Sorrow radiated from the creature, almost tangible in its strength. A sharp pang pierced her chest, and tears threatened once more. Sympathy dissolved her fear in minute degrees. She felt a strange kinship to the Wraith. Today she had departed her home, thrilled for the end of her enforced labor, and now she hid not far away from the forest's spectra. Both of them were alone, denied family and home. Her life stretched before her as a dark empty void, much like his existence. She wanted more than that, wanted to refill the emptiness with love. Instinctively, the desire to comfort him leaped into her mind, demanding she go to him.

She stood and lifted one foot to step into the clearing. In the span of a second, the Wraith stood before her, pressing her against a tree. All thoughts of compassion fled under his assault. Her heart skipped a beat then accelerated. Fear returned in full force, sucking the very air from her lungs.

My friend Lillian Grant - Guest Appearance

Hey everyone, let's welcome my dear friend from down under, Lillian Grant.  She is not only a wonderful author but a great all around lady!  If you want an enduring romance be sure and check out her novel from Loose Id, Happy Birthday, Nancy Tobin. Here's the link to find the book at Loose Id   Lillian, it's your page, do what you do best!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Birthday, Nancy Tobin wasn’t the first book I ever wrote but it was the first one where I knew I really had something.  The characters were really strong and the story completely absorbed me for weeks.  Nancy shared her miserable existence, dark quirky sense of humor and the beautiful story of how her life was turned around by a man more than 14 years her junior with me.  Nancy’s life is a tale of triumph over despair, love snatched from misery and the discovery of a sensual side she had long thought dead.  Writing this book made me laugh and made me cry and I hope readers find the story as compelling to read as I found it to write.

Here is the blurb

Suddenly single on the eve of her fortieth birthday, Nancy Tobin’s not sure turning middle-aged is worth celebrating. She's stuck in a dead-end job as the boss’s bitch with only her morose Labrador for a companion. What does she have to party about? Maybe if she ignores the whole birthday thing, it will just go away.

Hot, twenty-six-year-old Jake Turner has other ideas. When he bumps into Nancy at the library, he sees a woman in need of a wake-up call. Determined to unleash the beauty hidden beneath the sad façade, he schemes to relight her spark. He wants to give her a birthday to remember but he ends up being the one who can't forget: a visit to his apartment becomes a weekend in his bed where he discovers an offbeat, unpredictable, sexually adventurous woman he never wants to let go.

With Jake, Nancy can do anything, her life can be whatever she chooses. But this new and exciting relationship teeters on the edge of destruction when her soon-to-be ex-husband reveals the reason for Jake’s initial interest in her. Can Nancy trust Jake when he finally tells her he loves her?

Thanks for dropping by, Lillian.  Wishing you a tremendous success on Nancy and all your future endeavors!

Jadette Paige's release day has finally happened. I am thrilled to say this is her debut novel and it's a hot one.  The characters in the book came to life on the pages. It is more than just an erotic m/m alternate fantasy novel, no, it is a love story. One I hope everyone will enjoy.

Blue Heaven

Take him from Heaven’s Seat. Bring him to me. We will protect his sacred head.



Stryver Zorti’s mission appears simple. Kidnap the Godchild and deliver him to his master. But with the first meeting of the holy man’s azure gaze, desire surges in him to strip bare the God and touch the man within.


Worshiped all his life, the Godchild is shocked by the stranger who dares lay hands on him, even if it is to save him from assassins. With a different name given by his new ally, Blue is freed from the constraints of the holy order for the first time. He revels in the extraordinary experiences opening to him, then in the passion that sparks between him and the hard-edged, oddly gentle Stryver.


But a god does not love, and if discovered, their precarious utopia will shatter, destroying any chance for a future together--that is, if the assassins don’t kill them first.


Except:

Stryver leaned against the broad trunk, waiting with waning patience. Blue had been fine until the rain. He had melted with the first drops, shivering and gasping until Stryver helped him move under the protection of the oak.



He frowned at Blue where he huddled among the roots’ knobs at the base of the trunk. His knees were drawn up against his chest, his thin arms wrapped around them.


Rain never hurt anyone. Why him? Stryver couldn’t figure it out.


Everything about the holy man confused him—in particular, the reason why someone wanted him dead. He didn’t appear to be a threat to anyone, yet from what Aidal said and what Stryver had witnessed in the cathedral, his life was in imminent danger.


Shaking his head, Stryver dug a cloth-covered bundle from his supply bag. He unrolled half a loaf of bread and a small wedge of cheese. He squatted next to Blue, his own back pressed against the bark. He stared at the holy man, his hand frozen in the act of offering him a share of the bread.


Head lowered, gaze caught on something next to him, Blue held one finger out. A small, black ant crawled onto the tip. He lifted his hand, his gaze centered on the ant.


Uncomfortable with the intensity of Blue’s survey of the insect, Stryver released a low laugh. “You act like you’ve never seen an ant.”


Blue’s gaze stayed riveted on the tiny creature as he murmured, “That is its name?”


Confused even more by the strange question, Stryver shook his head. “Yes. You’ve never seen one?”


“No. It’s different from us. So fragile.”


Disbelief replaced his confusion. “There had to be ants at the monastery.”

“No. Only the monks and myself. No other creatures were ever allowed to enter.”


Stryver looked at the ant. What sort of problems could an ant cause? “Why?”


“No distraction, nothing to influence or interrupt my growth. No threats to my development.”


Amazed at the calm, accepting manner with which Blue repeated this simple mantra, Stryver asked, needing an answer, anything to clear the muddle in his mind, “What is your ability?”


This question brought the azure gaze over to meet his. The gentle patter of the rain striking the dirt road and leaves surrounded them, enfolding them in a secluded place. For the space of a breath, Stryver forgot to look away. Then he blinked, focusing on the ant again, making sure not to stare into the innocent orbs studying him.


“I was instructed not to tell anyone.”


“You can’t tell me your name. Now, it’s your true power. Why the secrets? The last Godchild’s name was proclaimed across the land. People rejoiced in his abilities.”

The finger lowered to the ground. The ant hurried away to resume its work. Blue spoke low, and Stryver had to lean closer to hear. “Some things are best not known.”


Unease rippled along Stryver’s back. So there were reasons why the assassins tried to kill him. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”


“No.”


“Even if it means life or death for both of us?”


Fresh, crisp, rain-washed air breezed over Stryver’s face with the gentle shake of Blue’s head.


The answer struck Stryver full force. So the odds for this mission to fail had increased. His mortality loomed in front of him. All because of one small, quiet man. Compassion for him and unease for what the future held washed over Stryver.


When he broke the quiet, his words came out low and gruff. “Here. Eat. You have to keep your strength up.”


Blue’s slender fingers broke off a small hunk of bread. Stryver pulled the cheese apart and gave him the larger half.


As he chewed in the peaceful rain, he tried to find a way to discover the truth about the Godchild. His life depended on knowing it.

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