Guest Author Caris Roane: Warm Up Your Winter Blog Tour

Hi, everyone!  I want to thank Happily Ever After Thoughts for having me today as part of my WARM-UP-YOUR-WINTER BLOG TOUR.  On most of the blogs on this tour, I’ll be revealing excerpts from the sixth book in my vampire series called, GATES OF RAPTURE (12/24).  I created the tour with the hope that you might get to know my Guardians of Ascension, who are my most beloved winged vampire warriors.  I know the covers have wings on them, but the books aren’t about angels AT ALL…just vampires…with wings.  I also have goodies for you to win, details to follow!

GATES OF RAPTURE is the sixth installment of Guardians of Ascension and features Warrior Leto, a famous, ancient Warrior of the Blood, six-six, long straight black hair, piercing blue eyes, and built to battle death vampires for centuries and drive the ladies crazy!  Major yummy!  Romantic Times Magazine gave GATES OF RAPTURE a 4 ½ Star, TOP PICK review!  I couldn’t be happier!

As for the excerpt, I couldn’t resist.  If you’ve been following the tour, you’ll know that the excerpts are mostly in order.  And in this case, the portion I plucked from the manuscript picks up from the previous excerpt as Leto begins the process of opening up Grace’s blue obsidian flame power…yeah, I know…I really went for it when I built Guardians of Ascension!  Anyway, Leto is trying to break open Grace’s power in something I’ve called ‘deep mind engagement’.  But the couple is struggling to figure things out – imagine that!  So, here is a continuation of how Leto goes about attempting to open up Grace’s power…

EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER 7:

Not surprising, Leto withdrew from Grace’s mind.  The sensation felt a little rubbery, and as she opened her eyes, she had to blink several times before she could see him clearly. 

He leaned up on one elbow and rubbed her shoulder.  “I know you didn’t want me to go there with you.  I could feel how much it troubled you.  We don’t have to do this.”

There it was again, his light hands with her, his kindness, his patience.  If he had been strident, she might have recoiled, even made other decisions.  She might have worked to protect herself instead of moving forward.

Instead, she gripped his arm and nodded once.  “It’s okay.  I still want to do this.  I must do this.  I’m not going back to the life I knew.  I know this changes things, but so be it.  This is my path.”

He leaned over and kissed her full on the mouth.  “I’m so grateful that you’re here with me and that you’re so accepting of my beast-state.  I confess I don’t understand all that’s going on with the breh-hedden right now or with you and your obsidian soul-based power, but I want to be here for you as much as I can.”

She rolled toward him slightly and kissed him back.  “This is new ground for both of us.”

He looked so worried, his brow heavily furrowed.  “I just don’t want you to have expectations of me.  We’re being pushed toward this profound degree of connection, but I’m not sure how much of a heart I have to give.”

She sensed how troubled he was because of all he’d been through.  He carried with him a level of guilt that was a constant companion. 

She smiled and placed her hand on his cheek.  “How about we take everything one step at time, no matter how messy or strange it gets.”

He nodded, stroking her cheek with his thumb.  “Okay.”

“But I do have one suggestion.”

“Sure.  Anything.”

“Why don’t we lose the clothes.”

His eyes went wide and he grinned.  His expression was so male right now that she laughed.  Not a bad thing to lighten the mood.  “I’m in no way opposed to the idea, but why?”

She shrugged but felt her cheeks growing warm.  “For the closeness, I think, and maybe even the vulnerability.  If I can be open physically right now, I think it will help the rest of the process.  Besides, I’ve heard the whole thing becomes pretty exciting.”

He leaned over and kissed her, drew back, then waved a hand the length of his body.  Clothes gone.

She let her gaze drift over him.  He was so beautiful, his arms heavily muscled, his pecs thick, his abs sculpted. 

She returned the favor, also waving her hand to encompass her clothes.  When they disappeared, he let out a solid groan.  He reached over and put his hand on her stomach, touching the sapphire-studded ring at her navel.  But she caught his hand then rolled onto her back.  She chuckled.  “Try to focus, if you can.”

“What?  I didn’t quite hear what you said.” 

She met his gaze.  His beautiful blue eyes were suddenly alive with laughter.  She once more put her hand on his cheek.  “Okay, beast-man, come bust open my obsidian power, then I’ll let you do whatever you want to me.”

His body did a full shudder.  “Okay, so what do we do now?” he asked.

“Try diving into my mind again and this time I want you to go soul-hunting and not tunnel-searching.  I think I’m built a little differently than either Marguerite or Fiona.”

She closed her eyes and lowered every mental shield she could find.

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I hope you enjoyed the excerpt!  I’ve had an extraordinary time creating and writing this series!  Let Guardians of Ascension be a new journey for you.  GATES OF RAPTURE releases on December 24^th.

To Learn More about Gates of Rapture and to read the opening chapter:  CLICK HERE!!!

To Order GATES OF RAPTURE   Amazon   Barnes & Noble   iTunes

Here are the giveaway details (all international with appropriate compensatory prizes as needed):  On each stop of the tour, I’ll be giving away the same awesome collection of prizes as listed on the Rafflecopter form, so be sure to stop by each blog on the tour for a chance to win at each blog.  Be careful to follow the directions on the Rafflecopter form at each site.  And be very careful of the dates!  The contest at each site will last 3 days only, and those dates will be listed on the Rafflecopter form as well!!! 

For links to all the other blogs on the tour:  CLICK HERE!!!

The Grand Prize Drawing - VERY IMPORTANT:  to be eligible for the Grand Prize drawing of the Nook with Glowlight, you must leave a comment at the bottom of this blog!  (And for more chances to win the Nook, you can go to every site on the tour and enter that many times—totally up to you!  But comments must be left!)  The grand prize drawing will be selected by random.org in the following manner.  On January 18^th, three days after the tour ends, I will enter the number of blogsites into the random number generator, which will deliver up the winning site.  I will then go to the winning site, count up the comments one by one, and enter that number into random.org.  Random.org will then provide the Grand Prize winning number matched to the comments on the winning blogsite.  This means, that if you travel to all the blogs on this tour, you can enter the GRAND PRIZE contest on every single blog you visit by leaving a comment at each blogsite!  Good luck to all!

The Goodies as listed on the Rafflecopter form are :  a $10 gift card to Barnes & Noble (or similar for International),  a replica, antique typewriter key bracelet that spells ‘dream’,  a signed copy of ASCENSION (the first novel in the Guardians of Ascension series), Romance Trading Cards and bookmarks.   

The Grand Prize drawing for a Nook with Glowlight, will take place on January 18^th, three days after the tour officially ends!  Good luck!

For links to all the other blogs on the tour:  CLICK HERE!!!

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Caris Roane has published nine Paranormal novels and novellas and writing as Valerie King, fifty Regency works.  In 2005, Romantic Times gave her a Career Achievement award in Regency Romance.  As Caris Roane, she currently writes paranormal romance for St. Martin’s Press and also dabbles in a few self-pubbed projects.  www.carisroane.com  

TO FIND CARIS ROANE ON THE WEB…
Website Home Page:  www.carisroane.com
Twitter handle:  @carisroane
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/caris.roane
Email:  carisroane@gmail.com

Again,  to be eligible for the Nook with Glowlight, leave a comment below like this:  carisroane at gmail dot com!  Good luck to all!

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