Thursday, December 12, 2013

Book Blitz: Fallen by Laury Falter



Eran's account of the first time he met Magdalene:


"It was explosive. She fought me, hard...and well," he paused to chuckle while shaking his head in amazement at the memory. "I'd watched her fight before, but I wasn't ready for her strength. That part of her originates from her stubbornness. One of my favorite characteristics and it happens to be the core of her personality. It's what drives her to help others, to put her life on the line for strangers. That's Magdalene…my Magdalene."

He smirked.

"She didn't know it, but I had seen her around. I heard about this girl training others like her to survive our enemies. That was impressive. We have powerful enemies." His gaze fell to the floor in deep reflection. "I found her training," he laughed through his nose, "of course. And I was enthralled, completely and absolutely void of any reasonable thought after laying eyes on her. The way her brown hair swung around, catching the wind from her speed, the blaze in her eyes, and those wings. I'd never, and haven't to this day, seen whiter appendages. She was stunning. So much fury and love was wrapped up in that little frame of hers that I was completely taken from that very second on."

Slowly, he nodded with certainty. "At that point, I knew. I knew that I'd be her guardian. That beauty, that innocence needed protection, and I was going to see that she got it. Nothing," he insisted, "would stop me from it. What I didn't count on was her rejection. I-" One side of his lips lifted in a confident grin. "I'm fairly capable of influencing women. But not her. Magdalene took time, several centuries, in fact. It took countless arguments, coddling of her sensitive ego - don't tell her I said that - and an incredible amount of patience. The fight, I tell you, is in her blood."

He drew in a deep breath, as if to let the feeling of her settle over him, while a smile played across his lips.


"I sensed all this on that first sighting. So I kept my distance, looking for a way in to dissolve that stubbornness." He shrugged. "That was pointless. When we finally did meet, I had a good understanding of who she was, so again I wasn't surprised by the fight she gave me. What surprised me…," his eyes turned warm, remembering. "What I'll never forget, what will stay with me forever, was the passion in her eyes…because it was aimed directly at me."



 EXCERPT 1

“You appear and then vanish like a ghost. You aren’t injured from venomous snake bites. You aren’t killed by wayward, incredibly sharp arrows.” Then, I reiterated, “I am the only one who can see you…how is any of this possible?”
“You do pay attention,” he said, sounding almost regretful, though I didn’t understand why.
“Yes, now will you tell me how you are capable of all that?”
He paused, still looking at me, as he collected his thoughts. The muscles throughout his body visibly flexed, tensing as he prepared his answer. “I have certain…gifts…that not many others can claim…gifts of speed, healing, and regeneration, to name a few.”
He paused, waiting for my reaction.
“Don’t worry so much,” I said, teasingly. “I’m not going to run screaming for the door.”
We quietly laughed together for a brief moment.  When I felt like he was comfortable again, I asked my next question.
“So, where did you get these gifts? Did your parents take some sort of special drug?”
“Not exactly. I can’t answer that, as much as I know you’d like me to. Just suffice, Magdalene, to know that without these gifts, you wouldn’t be here right now.”


EXCERPT 2

“So you’re warning me away from you?” I was appalled. “Then why are you doing this…guarding me at all? Why the torment? Why watch over me when you know that…that we should be more?” I felt on the verge of tears, which amazed me. How could pain be so sharp in the afterlife? “Answer me, Eran. Why?”
He sighed. “Because it is my job.”
I gasped, more offended than I’d ever been. “I’m a job to you?” I stared at him and waited for his head to rise but he refused to look at me.
“Yes,” he said weakly, defeated. His beautiful, rugged voice released as a whimper and the pain inside me grew. “You are just a job.”
I didn’t think it was possible but the emptiness I’d felt with Eran being gone those many weeks held no comparison to the magnitude of what I was experiencing right now.
I felt as if I had been gutted.
“No…” I shook my head. “I don’t believe you because you see, Eran, I can feel your emotions run through me. Whether you want to admit them or not, I know how you feel about me.”
Stunned, his head jerked up, his brilliant blue-green eyes drilling into mine. “You feel me too? How can that be?”
“I don’t know. But I do know that I feel in you the same emotions I have.”
He groaned and turned away. “That’s not possible…” he muttered, pausing. When he spoke again his voice was strained, determined. I drew in a breath as the intensity of these emotions ran through me. “It doesn’t matter. I won’t let this happen. This will not happen…I will not let us be together.”
“Because you are my guardian? Then let me make it easy on us…You’re fired.”
“It doesn’t work that way, Magdalene,” he said, quieter but still resolute.
“I didn’t want you to watch over me, Eran. I never asked for it.”
As if he’d become an entirely new person, his reply was flat and detached. “You’re a messenger. You require a guardian. It’s as simple as that.”
“Then we’ve just solved the issue, didn’t we?” I said causing him to finally look up. “This will be my last message. It’s from me to you…goodbye Eran.”
Turning swiftly, I walked away just before the tears came.


EXCERPT 3
Abaddon’s eyes met mine, and I turned to head down the dark street toward a quieter spot, a less public place. I wasn’t sure what Abaddon had in mind, but I knew it wasn’t going to be pleasant. I didn’t want anyone to accidentally find us or to valiantly step in, trying to be a hero.
As I headed farther away from the commotion of Bourbon Street, into the darkness, I didn’t need to turn to make sure they were following me.
I could feel them.
As we got farther from safety, my radar grew more and more intense, as if it was sensing their anticipation of what was to come.
I approached a dark alleyway and figured this would be as good a place as any to do it. Only the hazy illumination of a streetlight reached here, and no doors or windows could be seen, just the back sides of two buildings.
An efficient place to die.
It was here and now. I turned to face Abaddon, startled to find him leaning down, merely an inch away.


EXCERPT 4
“I apologize for the delay, Abaddon.”
I turned my head to find Eran standing beside me, no more than a few inches away.
Excitement swelled inside me, so powerful I couldn’t have contained it if I’d wanted to. The nervousness now displayed on Abaddon’s face gave me even stronger encouragement.
I wanted so desperately to reach out and wrap my arms around Eran, wanted it more than anything in the world. My desperate yearning was only being held back because I still couldn’t move.
I’m not sure Eran would have allowed it anyways. He was a warrior, and he was now engaged in battle. Besides, I was nothing more to him than someone to save.
Eran didn’t look my way but kept his focus on Abaddon, who stepped back a few paces, his confidence faltering.
It was Sarai who strolled forward, self-assured, placing herself in the middle.  
As she strolled by Abaddon, she mused, “Don’t worry, I believe I can handle this one.” Her face curled up into a hideous grin as she continued her approach.
I knew then what she planned…but it was too late.
“Eran, so good to see you again…” she whispered in a low drawl.
 “No!” I screamed enraged, waiting for Eran to fall to the ground, whimpering with desperation as Rufus had done.
Eran remained standing.
A moment passed and Sarai’s face contorted, confusion setting in. Her state of shock became more defined, deepening further when he finally replied.
“You don’t work on me, Sarai…” I watched in disbelief as his gorgeous smirk, the one I missed so deeply, rose up. Eran turned and his stunning eyes settled on me, concentrating so intently I could not have mistaken his message. “I’m already in love.”
The world changed for me at that moment. As Eran’s confession hung in the air, I felt the passion and the power in me swell. Nothing was impossible now.
Sarai’s mouth fell open, a shaken sigh escaping. She then looked at me, her eyes narrowing in fury as Eran’s words sunk in.
Eran flippantly disregarded her, turning to address Abaddon. “You are outnumbered. You are overpowered. You have allowed yourself to be cornered. Shoddy work, Abaddon.”
As I watched their interaction, it dawned on me that Eran was enjoying this moment and that it appeared to have been long overdue. I felt a smile on my lips, nearly causing me to giggle.
It was then Abaddon released me. I fell to the ground, hitting it hard but overwhelmed with relief. I glanced up, wondering what power Eran had over Abaddon to give up his hold on me.
In an instant, I realized what had happened.
Abaddon had let me go willingly. He needed his energy – all of it – for another reason…
Leaning forward, Abaddon’s arms extended, his feet sweeping up from the ground, as he lunged for Eran.




Fallen by Laury Falter
Publication date: April 1st 2009
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Fallen – the first book in the bestselling Guardian Trilogy…

Maggie is unaware of the terrifying fate that awaits her. It isn’t until she lands in New Orleans for a full year at a private high school and her unknown enemies find her does she realize that her life is in danger.

As a mystifying stranger repeatedly intervenes and blocks the attempts on her life, she begins to learn that there is more to him than his need to protect her and that he may be the key to understanding why her enemies have just now arrived.




Purchase:


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AUTHOR BIO:

Laury Falter is a bestselling author of young adult romantic suspense and urban fantasy. She has three series out: the Guardian Trilogy, the Residue Series, and the Apocalypse Chronicles.


To learn more about Laury and her novels, visit her at:

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