Title: Emerge: Immortals of Indriel Book 1
Author: Melissa A. Craven
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Book Blurb:
They claim she is Immortal.
They say he is her equal, an Immortal who can match her power.
But she's just a normal girl.
Until she isn't.
Allie Carmichael is just your run of the mill, socially awkward redhead with a smart-mouth that gets her into trouble—which it does the morning she literally runs into Aidan McBrien. Her new next door neighbor.
She’s drawn to Aidan in a way she can’t explain. For the first time in her life someone actually gets her.
And then everything Allie thought she knew about herself falls apart.
As a latent immortal power awakens deep inside her, and her first gifts begin to emerge, Allie must learn to adapt to her power before it overwhelms her. But she’s years behind her immortal peers, with precious little time to catch up.
They say it is time to put her mortal life behind her, but she still feels like the normal girl she always thought she was.
But there is nothing normal about Allie Carmichael.
Excerpt:
Allie’s feet pounded against the hard packed dirt as she ran along the secluded trail, the sound of Saint Saeën’s Aquarium loud in her ears. It was still the middle of the night for most people, but she didn’t sleep much these days. She liked her new home on Kelleys Island, but the whole move to Cleveland, Ohio reeked of unanswered questions. Questions she knew not to ask.
Today was her first day at the prestigious Cliffton Academy, and she wasn’t looking forward to it. She’d changed schools often enough to know what to expect, and she hadn’t suffered from new school nerves in years. She just didn’t know if she had it in her to start over again.
Gavin would want me to try. She’d picked up the phone a dozen times over the weekend, but never finished dialing before she chickened out. She didn’t know what to say to him. In her mind, that door was closed. He was in the past, and as much as she missed him, she knew they both needed to move on. Calling him would only prolong their misery.
As the song changed to Pavane, Allie heard heavy footsteps echoing behind her. She had company. Another runner following at a discrete distance. He was curious and incredibly annoyed with her—if her instincts were right—which they almost always were.
She continued along the path, increasing her pace, but the footsteps grew louder as he left the trail to crash through the woods.
So much for my nice quiet morning.
She felt dizzy. Her head swam and her ears filled with a rush of white noise.
Should’ve had breakfast before I left.
Allie ran faster, hoping to push through the nausea. She looked over her shoulder expecting to catch a glimpse of him, but she crashed into something hard instead. She toppled to the ground in a tangle of tattooed limbs.
“Watch where you’re going!” a gruff voice sounded in her ear.
“Sorry!”
“Your knee is crushing my spine, sweetheart.”
“Crap, sorry!” She scrambled to her feet and reached to help him up.
His hand was warm and his grip, firm and confident. Allie waited for him to pull away with the flustered reaction she’d come to expect, but it never happened. She was completely thrown by his lack of response to her touch.
She met his steely gaze and her breath hitched in her throat. He towered over her—but almost everyone did. He was angry, but only one thought came to her mind.
Friend.
“Didn’t mean to scare you.” His cold demeanor faded along with his gruff tone. He couldn’t seem to tear his eyes from hers. “I tried to call out before I got too close, but either your hearing sucks or your music was freakishly loud.”
“Probably both.” She laughed nervously.
Don’t be a dork, Allie. She tended to fall apart in awkward social situations.
“Aidan McBrien.” He offered his hand like he was eager for the excuse to touch her again. “I live just up the beach. New to the city, right?”
“Um, yeah.” She nodded, distracted by the way his hand closed around hers so easily. He seemed relaxed and had an easygoing, friendly tone, but his body language said otherwise. He stared at their joined hands, fascinated by the contact. Their eyes met again, and they both smiled. The tension between them evaporated in that instant.
Something in Aidan’s eyes set her at ease. She couldn’t stop staring, mesmerized by the tattoos crossing his bare chest and arms. They reminded her of hieroglyphs and cuneiform markings, like a work in progress—a story only half told. The artist in her wanted to examine them more thoroughly, but the girl in her wanted to trace them with her fingertips.
“And you are?” he prodded. His mischievous smile was enough to send her into more nervous stuttering.
“Oh. Um, Alexis Carmichael.” She was mortified when she felt her face flush scarlet. “But I prefer Allie.”
“Nice to meet you. Sorry I scared you. Bad habit of mine.”
“No damage done.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Why is your featured book a must-read?
Fans of urban fantasy, twisty plots, and fated romances will devour this series!
Giveaway –
Enter to win an e-book bundle of all 23 books featured in the Young Adult Bookish Event:
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/92db775075 Open Internationally. Runs September 7 – 11, 2020. Winner will be drawn on September 18, 2020.
Author Biography:
Melissa A. Craven (the “A” stands for Ann—in case you were wondering) writes Young Adult Fantasy with crossover appeal to other genres and audiences of all ages. She believes in stories that make you think and she loves twisty plots, and playing with foreshadowing, leaving clues and hints for the careful reader. She draws inspiration from her background in architecture and interior design to help her with the small details in world-building and scene settings. Melissa is also the indie manager and a staff reviewer at YABooksCentral.com. You can follow her reviews and her contributions to the YABC blog at the link below. And if you love Sweet Romance and Contemporary Fiction, you can find Melissa’s books in those genres under her pen name, Ann Maree Craven.
Social Media Links:
Join Melissa’s Underground on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1122613464525315/
Visit Melissa at Melissaacraven.com
Facebook: facebook.com/emergenovel
Twitter: twitter.com/melissaacraven
Instagram: instagram.com/melissaacraven
BookBub: bookbub.com/authors/melissa-a-craven
Amazon: amazon.com/Melissa-A-Craven/e/B00VSPF86W