Break Week 2

After some thought I decided to go ahead and take off for two full weeks.  This is so we can catch up after being sick and dealing with life.  During this week you will be able to use the rafflecopter to enter another giveaway! Enjoy. 

#BookBlitz: The Lady of the Forest by @BarbaraBettis

When her elderly husband dies, Lady Katherine fakes her own death and disappears into the forest with others escaping the brutish new lord. Determined to protect her people, she knocks the wrong man senseless. But Lord Henry isnít an enemy, heís the brother of her childhood friend. Although his tender confidence tempts her, sheís bound by duty.

Henry of Chauvere has found the one lady he wants for his own, never mind sheís tied him hand and foot. When he learns the king has ordered her to wed Stonehillís ruthless new master, he insists Kate seek haven with his sister. But she wonít desert her friends. Henry vows to solve her problem, provided he catches a traitor before the threat from Kate's past catches her.

When a daring rescue compels Henry and Kate to join forces, their attraction grows into love. If only duty didnít drive them apart.

Break Week 2

After some thought I decided to go ahead and take off for two full weeks.  This is so we can catch up after being sick and dealing with life.  During this week you will be able to use the rafflecopter to enter another giveaway! Enjoy. 

Join @MedievalTimesFL for #SpringBreak! All seats are $35 with code SBFANS for all shows thru April 30th!

 

Come and join Medieval Times!

All seats are $35 with code SBFANS for all shows thru April 30th! 

Attached is an image and here is a landing page:  Click here to Order

#ReleaseDay: Aequus by @R_CooleyWilson @RedCoat_PR

Serenity is being with the one you love.

Despair is being kept apart.

After the rain comes the war.

What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours? For Serena St. Michael and Tristan Gallagher, this is reality. Tristan has accepted his impending nuptials. He’s returned to his realm and his betrothed. Their unification will create peace. Serena is still struggling with her protector’s choice. With a firm resolve, she will forsake her own future in order to save him. Their love will trigger an ancient war. Can Serena and Tristan rewrite their destinies? Or will the Vergina Sun prophecy be fulfilled, and the lovers fall to fate? Welcome back to the Royal Protector Academy.

Aequus is the second novel in the Royal Protector Academy series. This dangerously exciting and darkly romantic tale will take your breath away. It can be read as a stand-alone trilogy, or after the bestselling Revelation series. Intended for mature readers 18+ due to language, mild violence, and sexual situations.

Break Week 2

After some thought I decided to go ahead and take off for two full weeks.  This is so we can catch up after being sick and dealing with life.  During this week you will be able to use the rafflecopter to enter another giveaway! Enjoy. 

Join @MedievalTimesFL for #SpringBreak! All seats are $35 with code SBFANS for all shows thru April 30th!

 

Come and join Medieval Times!

All seats are $35 with code SBFANS for all shows thru April 30th! 

Attached is an image and here is a landing page:  Click here to Order

#FirstPage with @rachelkvincent (And a very Happy Book Birthday!)

I really love Rachel Vincents titles and I cant wait to share this one with you! We hope that you are enjoying today and our Spring Break giveaway! Check out this weeks First Page Tuesday below! 

#Audiobook Sample: A Crown of Wishes (The Star-Touched Queen #2) by @NotRashKnee

  Gauri, the princess of Bharata, has been taken as a prisoner of war by her kingdom’s enemies. Faced with a future of exile and scorn, Gauri has nothing left to lose. Hope unexpectedly comes in the form of Vikram, the cunning prince of a neighboring land and her sworn enemy kingdom. Unsatisfied with becoming a mere puppet king, Vikram offers Gauri a chance to win back her kingdom in exchange for her battle prowess. Together, they’ll have to set aside their differences and team up to win the Tournament of Wishes—a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor.

Reaching the tournament is just the beginning. Once they arrive, danger takes on new shapes: poisonous courtesans and mischievous story birds, a feast of fears and twisted fairy revels.

Every which way they turn new trials will test their wit and strength. But what Gauri and Vikram will soon discover is that there’s nothing more dangerous than what they most desire.

Break Week 2

After some thought I decided to go ahead and take off for two full weeks.  This is so we can catch up after being sick and dealing with life.  During this week you will be able to use the rafflecopter to enter another giveaway! Enjoy. 

Break Week 2

After some thought I decided to go ahead and take off for two full weeks.  This is so we can catch up after being sick and dealing with life.  During this week you will be able to use the rafflecopter to enter another giveaway! Enjoy. 

Join @MedievalTimesFL for #SpringBreak! All seats are $35 with code SBFANS for all shows thru April 30th!

 

Come and join Medieval Times!

All seats are $35 with code SBFANS for all shows thru April 30th! 

Attached is an image and here is a landing page:  Click here to Order

Spring Break Week 2

After some thought I decided to go ahead and take off for two full weeks.  This is so we can catch up after being sick and dealing with life.  During this week you will be able to use the rafflecopter to enter another giveaway! Enjoy. 

Spring Break #Giveaway Day Seven

Welcome to the last day to enter! 

  This year were taking off for Spring Break well be back April 2nd. But we didn't want to leave you guys hanging without something to do. So this giveaway is for 4 preorders of choice! You heard me the winner will win FOUR books that are coming out!  This is open to all. So make sure to come back all week and enter! 

Join @MedievalTimesFL for #SpringBreak! All seats are $35 with code SBFANS for all shows thru April 30th!

 

Come and join Medieval Times!

All seats are $35 with code SBFANS for all shows thru April 30th! 

Attached is an image and here is a landing page:  Click here to Order

Spring Break #Giveaway Day Six

Welcome to Day 6! 

Only 2 days left! 

  This year were taking off for Spring Break well be back April 2nd. But we didn't want to leave you guys hanging without something to do. So this giveaway is for 4 preorders of choice! You heard me the winner will win FOUR books that are coming out!  This is open to all. So make sure to come back all week and enter! 

Spring Break #Giveaway Day Five

Welcome to Day 5! 

  This year were taking off for Spring Break well be back April 2nd. But we didn't want to leave you guys hanging without something to do. So this giveaway is for 4 preorders of choice! You heard me the winner will win FOUR books that are coming out!  This is open to all. So make sure to come back all week and enter! 

Spring Break #Giveaway Day Four

Welcome to Day 4!

  This year were taking off for Spring Break well be back April 2nd. But we didn't want to leave you guys hanging without something to do. So this giveaway is for 4 preorders of choice! You heard me the winner will win FOUR books that are coming out!  This is open to all. So make sure to come back all week and enter! 

Spring Break #Giveaway Day Three

Welcome to Day 3!

  This year were taking off for Spring Break well be back April 2nd. But we didn't want to leave you guys hanging without something to do. So this giveaway is for 4 preorders of choice! You heard me the winner will win FOUR books that are coming out!  This is open to all. So make sure to come back all week and enter! 

Spring Break #Giveaway Day Two

Welcome to Day 2

This year were taking off for Spring Break well be back April 2nd. But we didn't want to leave you guys hanging without something to do. So this giveaway is for 4 preorders of choice! You heard me the winner will win FOUR books that are coming out!  This is open to all. So make sure to come back all week and enter! 

Spring Break #Giveaway Day One

Welcome to Day 1! 

  This year were taking off for Spring Break well be back April 2nd. But we didn't want to leave you guys hanging without something to do. So this giveaway is for 4 preorders of choice! You heard me the winner will win FOUR books that are coming out!  This is open to all. So make sure to come back all week and enter! 

Break Time! #Giveaway

Hey guys with everything thats been going on and it once again seems i'm getting sick. Knew those water rides in the cold was a bad idea.  Well anyway were going on a much need break!  This break will last from today until April 1st. There will be a giveaway running during this time period!  Each day there will be a new way to enter for each post. So make sure to come back each day and comment!  

#BookReview: Recruits by Thomas Locke

  For a decade now, seventeen-year-old twins Sean and Dillon Kirrell have been drawn to a mysterious alternate world they've translated into hand-drawn images covering their bedroom walls. It's a world they've only seen in their dreams until now--when a stranger recruits them to train for a mind-bending mission of survival.

#BookReview: Blood Rose Rebellion (Blood Rose Rebellion #1) by @RosalynEves @Netgalley

  The thrilling first book in a YA fantasy trilogy for fans of Red Queen. In a world where social prestige derives from a trifecta of blood, money, and magic, one girl has the ability to break the spell that holds the social order in place.

Sixteen-year-old Anna Arden is barred from society by a defect of blood. Though her family is part of the Luminate, powerful users of magic, she is Barren, unable to perform the simplest spells. Anna would do anything to belong. But her fate takes another course when, after inadvertently breaking her sister’s debutante spell—an important chance for a highborn young woman to show her prowess with magic—Anna finds herself exiled to her family’s once powerful but now crumbling native Hungary.

Her life might well be over.

In Hungary, Anna discovers that nothing is quite as it seems. Not the people around her, from her aloof cousin Noémi to the fierce and handsome Romani Gábor. Not the society she’s known all her life, for discontent with the Luminate is sweeping the land. And not her lack of magic. Isolated from the only world she cares about, Anna still can’t seem to stop herself from breaking spells.

As rebellion spreads across the region, Anna’s unique ability becomes the catalyst everyone is seeking. In the company of nobles, revolutionaries, and Romanies, Anna must choose: deny her unique power and cling to the life she’s always wanted, or embrace her ability and change that world forever. 
NOTE: Although I really do LOVE this blue cover which is on my ARC. We are not getting this cover. Our cover is White. 

Shelifies: Its all about the Rainbows!

This week were talking about rainbows!  Although I really love the look of the rainbow bookshelf. I just can't bring myself to do it. At least not in full. At one time I had my TBR shelf as a rainbow but as my TBR grew it became a hassle to keep up with it. And covers these days tend to be many colors vs. just one or two. So trying to put certain books into the right place was horrible.  So here is one rainbow shelfie I found on Pinterest. Its so pretty!!!! It was saved by Cozy Reads. 

#BookReview: The Romeo Catchers (The Casquette Girls #2) by @alysarden with #Giveaway

This title will be released on May 23, 2017.   Is blood thicker than magic in La Nouvelle-Orléans?

Tormented by the fate she condemned her mother to, and by the lies she’s forced to tell to cover it up, Adele scours Storm-ravaged New Orleans for the truth about her family’s magical past. But every turn leads her back to the one person she's determined to forget: Niccolò Medici. Not even the multitude of enchanted locks on the attic door trapping Nicco within can break their connection.

Sensing Nicco calling to Adele, Isaac tries relentlessly to keep her from exploring paths too dark that would endanger them all. But a new threat is rising: the Medici’s presence has attracted something else to New Orleans…an older enemy, one that will bring Isaac’s haunted past to life, test the witches’ friendships, and jeopardize Adele and Isaac’s blossoming relationship.

In this spellbinding continuation of The Casquette Girls saga, Adele must draw on the past—from seventeenth-century Florence, a time bubbling with alchemy and fraternal betrayal—and sort history from fantasy if she is to have any chance of saving her mother, her coven, and her magic.

Proof of Lies (Anastasia Phoenix #1) by Diana Rodriguez Wallach #BookReview

  Some secrets are best kept hidden… 

Anastasia Phoenix has always been the odd girl out, whether moving from city to international city with her scientist parents or being the black belt who speaks four languages.

And most definitely as the orphan whose sister is missing, presumed dead.

She’s the only one who believes Keira is still alive, and when new evidence surfaces, Anastasia sets out to follow the trail—and lands in the middle of a massive conspiracy. Now she isn’t sure who she can trust. At her side is Marcus, the bad boy with a sexy accent who’s as secretive as she is. He may have followed her to Rome to help, but something about him seems too good to be true.

Nothing is as it appears, and when everything she’s ever known is revealed to be a lie, Anastasia has to believe in one impossibility.

She will find her sister.

#Fangirl with @Emily_R_King

I am die hard in love with this title! Its not out until June but I just cant stop thinking about it!! It was beyond the best book I've read this year. 

#BookReview: Forbidden Promises (The O'Malleys, #4) by Katee Robert

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katee Robert delivers the next book in her sizzling O'Malleys family series, hailed as "The Godfather meets Romeo & Juliet." FORBIDDEN PROMISES features Sloan O'Malley and her mysterious new next-door neighbor, Jude MacNamara.

#BookReview #Giveaway: Royally Roma (The Royals #1) by @TeriWilsonauthr

  In this charming, modern retelling of the classic Audrey Hepburn film Roman Holiday, a royal prince tries to escape his hectic and rigid life and ends up leading a young graduate student on a chase through the Eternal City.

Julia Costa is too busy trying to complete her PhD while also holding down a full-time job as a private tour guide in Rome to keep up with celebrity gossip. So when she crosses paths with a real, actual prince, she mistakes him for a client and takes him on a daylong tour of the city.

Intrigued by the idea of spending time with someone who obviously has no idea who he is, and delighted at the prospect of a day free of royal obligations, Niccolo La Torre, Crown Prince of Lazaretto, acts on impulse and assumes the role of Julia’s client. He swears to himself that he’ll return to his royal duties after only half a day…but he’s having the time of his life.

Until Julia presents him with the bill. Since he snuck out of the hotel without so much as a dime, he tries to escape, only to discover that she won’t let him out of her sight until he can pay her back. She’s determined to get her money…and perhaps more from the handsome stranger she’s fallen for.

#BookReview of The Taking by @kimberlyderting

  A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing. 

When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day. 

Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men. 

Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

#WOW: #Reading with @LoriMLee & #Waiting for @pccastauthor & @KCastAuthor

\   I've been so busy with school (sadly) that getting through books has been waaaay too slow. I'm finally finished with The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi. Time to slowly move on to the rest of my TBR list. lol

#BookTour: Fanning The Flames (Going Down in Flames #4) by Chris Cannon

  Bryn McKenna has it all. Even though she’s a hybrid dragon, she’s finally fitting in the new shape-shifting dragon world that’s become her own. But her grandparent’s want to ruin everything by making Bryn’s nightmare of an arranged marriage to Jaxon Westgate a reality. It doesn’t help that Jaxon’s father is on a witch hunt for Rebel sympathizers and Bryn finds herself in his line of fire.

If she doesn’t say “I do,” she’ll lose everything. Good-bye flying. Good-bye best friends. Good-bye magic. But if she bends to her grandparents’ will and agrees to marry Jaxon she’ll lose the love of her life—her knight.

Unfolding by Jonathan Friesen #BookReview

  Jonah wishes he could get the girl, but he’s an outcast and she’s the most perfect girl he knows.

And their futures seemed destined to fork apart: Jonah’s physical condition is debilitating, and epileptic seizures fill his life with frustration. Whereas Stormi is seemingly carefree, and navigates life by sensing things before they happen. And her most recent premonition is urging her to leave town.

When Stormi begs Jonah for help, he finds himself swept into a dark mystery his small town has been keeping for years. And the answers Stormi needs about her own past could possibly destroy everything Jonah has ever known—including his growing relationship with Stormi herself.

Slightly South of Simple Kristy Woodson Harvey #BookReview

  From the next “major voice in Southern fiction” (New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand) comes the first in an all-new series chronicling the journeys of three sisters and their mother—and a secret from their past that has the potential to tear them apart and reshape their very definition of what it means to be a family.

Caroline Murphy swore she’d never set foot back in the small Southern town of Peachtree Bluff; she was a New York girl born and bred and the worst day of her life was when, in the wake of her father’s death, her mother selfishly forced her to move—during her senior year of high school, no less—back to that hick-infested rat trap where she'd spent her childhood summers. But now that her marriage to a New York high society heir has fallen apart in a very public, very embarrassing fashion, a pregnant Caroline decides to escape the gossipmongers with her nine-year-old daughter and head home to her mother, Ansley.

Ansley has always put her three daughters first, especially when she found out that her late husband, despite what he had always promised, left her with next to nothing. Now the proud owner of a charming waterfront design business and finally standing on her own two feet, Ansley welcomes Caroline and her brood back with open arms. But when her second daughter Sloane, whose military husband is overseas, and youngest daughter and successful actress Emerson join the fray, Ansley begins to feel like the piece of herself she had finally found might be slipping from her grasp. Even more discomfiting, when someone from her past reappears in Ansley's life, the secret she’s harbored from her daughters their entire lives might finally be forced into the open.

Exploring the powerful bonds between sisters and mothers and daughters, this engaging novel is filled with Southern charm, emotional drama, and plenty of heart.

#FirstPage with Catalyst (The Deception Game #1) by @Kristin Smith

This is one that was sent for review and I just fell in-love with the cover so much that I wanted to share the first page with you! 

Review of shelfjoy

 

We are the place for book lovers to discover amazing books from a wide variety of topics. All lovingly hand-curated by people who know and love reading.

#Booktube with @beourguest for Beauty and the Beast

 

Make sure to join us and the millions of other fans of beauty and the beast this upcoming Friday for the live action Beauty and the Beast. Because we sure can't wait to see it! Be sure to check out the official trailer below! 

#BookTour: A Crown of Wishes (The Star-Touched Queen #2) by @NotRashKnee #BookReview

  Gauri, the princess of Bharata, has been taken as a prisoner of war by her kingdom’s enemies. Faced with a future of exile and scorn, Gauri has nothing left to lose. Hope unexpectedly comes in the form of Vikram, the cunning prince of a neighboring land and her sworn enemy kingdom. Unsatisfied with becoming a mere puppet king, Vikram offers Gauri a chance to win back her kingdom in exchange for her battle prowess. Together, they’ll have to set aside their differences and team up to win the Tournament of Wishes—a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor.

Reaching the tournament is just the beginning. Once they arrive, danger takes on new shapes: poisonous courtesans and mischievous story birds, a feast of fears and twisted fairy revels.

Every which way they turn new trials will test their wit and strength. But what Gauri and Vikram will soon discover is that there’s nothing more dangerous than what they most desire.

The Star-Touched Queen (The Star-Touched Queen, #1) by @NotRashKnee #BookReview

  Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire…

But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself.

The Echoes of Love by Hannah Fielding #BookReview #Giveaway

  Set against the breathtaking beauty of Italy, The Echoes of Love is a passionate, heart-breaking romance to ignite the senses and rekindle your belief in the power of love. Seduction, passion and secrets... Venetia Aston-Montagu has escaped to Venice to work in her godmother's architectural practice, putting a lost love behind her. For the past ten years she has built a fortress around her heart, only to find the walls tumbling down one night of the carnival when she is rescued from masked assailants by an enigmatic stranger, Paolo Barone. Drawn to the powerfully seductive Paolo, despite warnings of his Don Juan reputation and rumours that he keeps a mistress, Venetia can't help being caught up in the smouldering passion that ignites between them. When she finds herself assigned to a project at his magnificent home deep in the Tuscan countryside, Venetia not only faces a beautiful young rival but also a sinister count and dark forces in the shadows, determined to come between them. Can Venetia trust that love will triumph, even over her own demons? Or will Paolo's carefully guarded, devastating secret tear them apart forever?

#Shadowhunters 'Love is a Devil'

 

Were back to Shadowhunters.  This last episode S2 E8 was ok at best. I still have high hopes for this one but that hope is slowly dying a slow death.  This episode was a little better than most but its still missing that one key element. The characters dont feel like they are family. Clary still hasnt really broken down about her mom. Its all just same old same old. 

"All opinions are 100% honest and my own." 

 Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information. Buying via these above links allows my site to get a % of the sale at no cost to you. This money gets used to buy items for giveaways. In accordance with FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials for bloggers, I would like my readers to know that many of the books I review are provided to me for free by the publisher or author of the book in exchange for an honest review. I am in no way compensated for any reviews on this site. All donations are to help keep this site running via costs from shipping, .com charges, and other giveaways.

Comments are DELICIOUS! and now that were using this new format for comments the TOP 3 Commenters will all win bookish goodies each month! So that is just one more reason to comment!  This is open to everyone!  So get commenting!  

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@CrossroadReview 

The Underground Culinary Tour by Damian Mogavero, Joseph D'Agnes #BookReview

  In the bestselling vein of "Moneyball" comes an entertaining, behind-the-scenes narrative about how the restaurant business is being transformed by the use of data, in an industry historically run by gut and intuition. From celebrity-run restaurants to today's cutting-edge culinary trendsetters, author Damian Mogavero looks at how the use of data is revolutionizing how restaurants are run, from hiring chefs and training staff to pioneering new recipes, reengineering menus, and transforming the dining experience from the inside out, so that no restaurant is out of anything you want, "ever." 
After earning his MBA from Harvard Business School, Damian Mogavero founded a pioneering software company to completely reorganize how the restaurant industry functions, from the food they order to the menus they create, from the chefs and waitstaff they hire to the wines they stock. The use of data has helped to re-create the dining experience, maximize customer satisfaction, grow revenues, and improve popularity and profits. 
Damian first forged a relationship with Jeffrey Frederick, a recently promoted executive in charge of food and beverage at one of the biggest properties on the Las Vegas strip, who was eager to prove himself in the high-stakes, cutthroat world of Las Vegas dining. Using data analytics, as well as weekly coaching sessions with Damian over the next 15 years, Frederick became one of the most successful restaurant executives in the industry. Damian shows how the use of data provides trendsetting new restaurants, luxury hotels and casinos, and even cruise ships, nightclubs, and beloved mom and pop restaurants with the information they need to transform the food we eat and create the dining experience we have come to expect.

#Shelfie with Rainbows

There are so many ways you can shelve your books. From ABC order by author's last name to Genere, to even Rainbows! This picture was submitted to our email by Janet. And we have to say we love it.  For me personally, all my books are set up via Oversized books, ARCs, Anthologies (or books with more than one author), then everything else. All in ABC order by author's last name.  

This week we want to know how you org. Your books.  Let us know in the comments! 

#BookTour: Garden of Thorns by Amber Mitchell

  After seven grueling years of captivity in the Garden—a burlesque troupe of slave girls—sixteen-year-old Rose finds an opportunity to escape during a performance for the emperor. But the hostage she randomly chose from the crowd to aid her isn’t one of the emperor’s men—not anymore. He’s the former heir to the throne, who is now leading a rebellion against it.

Rayce is a wanted man and dangerously charismatic, the worst person for Rose to get involved with, no matter what his smile promises. But he assumes Rose’s attempt to take him hostage is part of a plot to crush the rebellion, so he takes her as his hostage. Now Rose must prove where her loyalties lie, and she offers Rayce a deal—if he helps her rescue the other girls, she’ll tell him all the Garden’s secrets.

Except the one secret she’s kept for seven years that she’ll take to her grave if she must.

#BookTour: Rose Petal Graves (The Lost Clan #1) by Olivia Wildenstein

  ANCIENT SECRETS CANNOT REMAIN BURIED FOREVER.

Founded two centuries ago by a powerful tribe of Gottwa Indians, Rowan was a quiet town, so quiet that I fled after graduation. Staying away was the plan, but Mom died suddenly.

Dad said she suffered a stroke after she dug up one of the ancient graves in our backyard, which happens to be the town cemetery. Creepy, I know. Creepier still, there was no corpse inside the old coffin, only fresh rose petals.

As we made preparations for Mom’s burial, new people began arriving in Rowan, unnervingly handsome and odd people. I begged them to leave, but they stayed, because their enemies—my ancestors—were beginning to awaken.