Title: Cross Waves
Author: Amanda Uhl
Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Book Blurb:
She can kill with a thought.
Gifted with an explosive psychic talent, Geneva Ericksen can’t risk letting Rolf Jorgensen in her life. If she does, she might accidentally kill him. But when Rolf’s sister goes missing, Geneva and her extraordinary abilities may be his only hope to find her.
He’s hiding a deadly secret.
Rolf’s not about to let Geneva slip away from him, even if it means protecting her from his dark gift. As Rolf and Geneva trail his sister, they soon uncover a life-threatening plot: someone is attempting to profit from stealing and trapping their power in crystals.
To outsmart the enemy, it will take all their combined strength. But can they trust each other enough to survive?
Excerpt:
“I won’t do it.”
“Take a seat.” Peter came from behind the desk and closed the door. “And stop the jiggling, would you. I’ve got a migraine.”
Geneva remained standing, her small hands fisted against each hip. She took a deep, harsh breath, held it a moment, then two, before releasing the spent air on a controlled exhale. The paperclips stilled. “Give me someone else. Anyone else. I’ll take your newest recruit if you’d like. Just keep Jorgensen far away from me.”
“I’m afraid that’s impossible,” Rolf said, stretching his legs in front of him and drawling the words since he knew it annoyed her. On instinct, he probed her mind and found a weak spot in her mental safeguards.
Her wide gaze settled on his. He caught the flash of fear and irritation flitting across her face. Her eyes narrowed and focused. A picture of a donkey’s ass appeared in his mind.
He clenched his jaw but managed a smile, refusing to acknowledge the mental imagery she sent. A gate slammed into his brain, forcing him to withdraw from her thoughts. An icy pain burned a pathway down his spinal cord. But it was worth it. It was always worth it. He fixed a grin on his face and waited.
Peter turned on his desk light and sighed, the sound slow and heavy. He squinted, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’ve never understood the animosity between you two. You worked well together on the Willard case. At least, you survived intact.”
Geneva stuck her nose in the air, reminding Rolf of an annoyed Cupid. “We were part of a team. And I wasn’t paired with Rolf. He’s impossible to work with.” Gauntlet thrown, her gaze locked on Rolf’s, challenging him to disagree.
“As you well know, your former partner has retired,” Peter said to Geneva. “You need a new one, and…your test results came back today.”
Her gaze flicked from Rolf’s to Peter’s. “And?”
“You two are a perfect match.”
Rolf frowned and uncurled his fingers. He didn’t need any government-run tests to know they’d be a match. He’d known her talent resonated with his since they were kids.
“Bullshit,” Geneva said.
Rolf pressed his twitching lips into a firm line before a smile slipped free.
Peter glanced at the pens, rattling in the canister on his desk, then back to Geneva, his brows raised. Geneva flushed. They all knew there was nothing more detrimental in their line of work than an out-of-control talent.
She waved a hand, and the pens stopped moving.
Peter took a sip of water from the glass in front of him. “The government doesn’t make mistakes where psychic talent is concerned, Geneva. And even if I agreed with your statement, and I don’t, the other mind hackers capable of channeling your energy are…nervous around you. Rolf, on the other hand, is not.”
“So, because he’s crazy, I get to partner with him? This is ridiculous.” The desk light flickered as power surged through the room.
“Is it?” Peter asked.
The hair on Rolf’s arms rose and his stomach dropped. Energy tunneled to the surface, attracted to her light. He ground his teeth together and took a measured breath, tamping it down.
Geneva flicked her hands in an upward motion. The light dimmed then returned to its normal level. Rolf let his breath out slow and easy. The tingling in his gut relaxed.
“I know neither of you are happy with this development,” Peter said, “but it’s for the best. Your country needs you—I need you—to set aside your differences and act like adults. As of today, you’re partners, so get used to it. I think you’ll both have a vested interest in your first assignment.”
“What first assignment?” Rolf asked.
Peter opened a Manila folder on his desk. “What do you know about the legend of the crystals?”
Geneva stiffened. “They exist.”
Peter shuffled the papers in the folder. “Correction. A few exist. The ones your mother and father found. The ones someone murdered your mother to steal.”
Geneva shielded her eyes with her hand. Her anxiety hit Rolf’s skull like a mallet. A phantom ghost of power brushed against his chest. He sucked in air. This was what made it so dangerous to work with her. Whenever she was upset, it wreaked havoc with his ability to control his own energy. He flared his nostrils as he’d been trained. This allowed him to release the air in his lungs in slow and even increments, eliminating the excess energy building inside him.
“Yes, and the one my former partner used to restore his wife’s memories,” she said, finally sitting in the chair. “I witnessed him activate the crystal. He said the stone had been in his family for decades.”
Rolf shifted his weight on the chair. Despite her air of confidence, Geneva had never fully recovered from her mother’s murder more than twenty years ago. A murder she had witnessed. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself in check and forced his brain to reason. Peter had brought up her mother’s death for a purpose. This entire meeting was a test of her control. The recent examination must have proven Geneva’s talent was stronger than the higher ups reckoned.
Peter tapped a pen on the desk. “That’s the only other crystal we’ve catalogued. Some say there are more, each with special properties, allowing them to absorb and project psychic talent. Many have searched long and hard for them without success.”
Rolf clenched his muscles to keep himself from moving and pretended his insides weren’t as jumpy as a grasshopper. “What do missing crystals have to do with me needing a new partner? And why did I need to rush here to learn this? Seems to me you could have put it all in a text.”
“When’s the last time you talked to your sister?”
He stilled. Dark energy stirred in his belly. “Friday morning,” he ground out. “Why?”
“She’s missing.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Amazon US = https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GQ17TZV
Barnes & Noble Nook = https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cross-waves-amanda-uhl/1137557422?ean=9781952581007
Apple Books = https://books.apple.com/us/book/cross-waves/id1529685286
November is a time to be thankful. What are you most thankful for this year?
I’m especially thankful this year for my health and that of my family and friends. I’m also grateful to be able to do what I love and meet so many wonderful readers.
Why is your featured book worth snuggling up to?
If you like page-turners where you can’t guess the ending, then you’re gonna love this book. Cross Waves is a labor of love. From start to finish, it took me four years to perfect the storyline. It’s fast-paced and keeps you reading. Early reviewers are using phrases like, “a non-stop reading experience,” “fast-paced,” “heart-pounding,” and (my personal favorite), “I couldn’t put the book down.” The characters are fun, unexpected, and likable. The heroine possesses a dangerous talent. The hero guards a dark secret. The hero’s grandmother plays a pivotal role. And one character, who you’ll meet towards the end of the book, surprised even me, seeming to appear on his own without conscious thought on my part and setting the series up nicely for the yet unwritten book three, Dream Waves.
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Open internationally
Runs November 1 – 30
Drawing will be held on December 1.
Author Biography:
Amanda Uhl has always had a fascination with the mystical. Having drawn her first breath in a century home rumored to be haunted, you might say she was "born" into it. After a brief stint in college as a paid psychic, Amanda graduated with a bachelor of fine arts in theatre and a master's degree in marketing. Over the past twenty years, she has worked as an admissions representative and graphic designer, owned her own freelance writing company, and managed communications for several Fortune 500 companies, most recently specializing in cyber security. Amanda is an avid reader and writes fast-paced, paranormal romantic suspense and humorous contemporary romance from her home in Cleveland, Ohio. When she's not reading or writing, you can find Amanda with her husband and three children, gathering beach glass on the Lake Erie shoreline or biking in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
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