The Queen of Paranormal Romance, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gena Showalter, stuns with SHADOW AND ICE, the first title in her scorching new paranormal romance Gods of War Series. Check out the tour stop below and get your copy of SHADOW AND ICE today!
Gena Showalter, the New York Times bestselling author who brought you the Lords of the Underworld, introduces a scorching new paranormal romance series… Gods of War.
Knox of Iviland has spent his life competing in the All Wars, where vicious warriors with supernatural powers fight to the death to claim new realms. One winner takes everything—and all losers die. Enslaved as a child for his ability to control shadows, the most ruthless champion in history will stop at nothing to kill his king. But first he must win the battle for Earth. When a fearsome weapon imprisons every combatant in ice, centuries pass without progress…until she walks in.
Vale London craves a fun arctic getaway with her foster sister before settling down to open a bakery. Street-tough but vulnerable, she is unprepared to find ancient gods escaping a frozen cave—merciless beings who target her when she inadvertently enters their war.
Though Vale is now his enemy, Knox is consumed with lust and a fierce need to protect her. But only one combatant can prove victorious, and he will have to choose: live for freedom, or die for love.
EXCERPT:
As they continued trudging through the snow, she asked, “What are we going to call our donut shop, any-way?”
Nola had suggested The Donut Bar and Drunkin’ Donuts, since their sweet treats paid homage to dif¬ferent alcoholic beverages, but both names had been taken already.
“What about Tricks and Treats? Oh! I’ve got it.” Nola clapped her gloved hands. “Happy Hour Donuts.”
“Cute, but neither one says high end. Or revs my motor. I’m sorry!”
“Well, frick.”
Frick—Carrie’s favorite “curse” word. “We could simplify and go with Lee and London,” Vale said.
“I love it, but no one will know what we’re selling.”
“Maybe not at first, but we can leverage social media to spread the word.”
“True. What about Lady Carrie’s.”
Excitement instantly sparked. “Duuuude. Lady Car¬rie’s is perfect.”
“Well sprinkle sugar on my butt and call me a gour¬met donut. Did we just name our shop?”
Vale was just about to reply—Our timing is impecca¬ble, as always—when she spotted an ice hill up ahead. There was something about it… something odd. But what, exactly? Her eyes and brain said Nothing’s out of place.
Heart and legs picking up speed, she crossed the dis¬tance, gasped. A perfect six-foot hole had been cut into the side, leading to a perfect hollowed-out tunnel with a perfect upward tilt. Definitely man-made. What was inside? Or better yet, who was inside?
A whimper of anticipation broke free. If the tun¬nel led to a cavern—occupied or unoccupied, it didn’t matter—she could get Nola out of the elements sooner rather than later.
“Wait here,” she said when her sister reached the hill. “I’ll check out—”
“Nope, sorry. We go in together.”
“If there’s a wild animal squatting inside, only one of us should be its dinner.” Mmm. Dinner.
“You’re right. The other one will be dessert.”
Stubborn girl. “Fine.” Vale withdrew a long coil of rope from her pack, knotted one end around her sister’s waist and the other around her own. Nola isn’t falling to her death on my watch. Next, she withdrew ice axes. Two for each of them. “We’ll find a cavern, or drop. Whichever comes first.”
After zipping and adjusting her bag, she swung an ax, walked her spiked boots up several jagged steps, then swung the other ax. Rinse, repeat. Again and again. Nola did the same, below and to the right of her.
The higher they climbed, the darker the enclosure became, and the more her muscles protested.
Drip, drip. Drip, drip.
Ironically enough, the steady chorus of water drops tasted like melted vanilla ice cream on a hot summer day. Like hope. Hope gave her strength. Up, up. Higher still.
“I’m not sure… I can go…much farther,” Nola said heaving from exertion.
“You can. You will.” If they stopped now, they’d end up right back where they’d started. When a soft, warm—well, warmer—breeze caressed a patch of ex¬posed skin, she gasped. “There’s something ahead, so move your butt!”
The tunnel curved to the right and—
A small pinprick of light caught her attention. “I see something!” Vale climbed faster, closing in.
The light expanded, the tunnel leveling out, opening into…a cavern! Massive ice pillars propped up a domed ceiling at least eight feet high. There was enough space between each pillar to stretch out and get comfortable.
Trembling with relief, Vale crawled out of the tun¬nel, dropped her tools and bag, and helped her sister over the ledge.
As Nola sank to the ground, panting, Vale pulled the logs and kindling from her pack, and used a match to start a fire. Instant heat. Oh, such glorious heat. Smoke billowed, curling upward, and she removed her goggles and face mask.
“Thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you.” Nola removed each piece of headgear, as well, reveal¬ing a face so perfect she looked airbrushed. Dark eyes, a delicate nose, and model-plump lips, all surrounded by flawless brown skin and a fall of straight black hair.
Nola had no idea who her parents were. As an infant, someone left her near a Dumpster, with a note pinned to her shirt. All the note had said? “My name is Mag¬nolia Lee and I need a home.”
Frowning, Nola pointed to one of the walls. “Is that…ice graffiti?”
Vale used the axes and rope to create a hanging line to dry her hat and coat before approaching the wall. Hello. Images had been carved throughout, like ancient hieroglyphs or something, and depicted some kind of battle. Twenty giant men and four women held various types of weapons, and surrounded a taller cloaked fig-ure—the grim reaper, maybe? He clutched a scythe.
In front of the group was a headless body. She shud¬dered.
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“I love this world…this is Gena Showalter at her best!”—J.R. Ward, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“The Gods of War series is my new obsession.”—Christine Feehan, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Gena Showalter’s SHADOW AND ICE – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:
October 22nd
All Things Dark & Dirty – Review & Excerpt
Beneath The Covers – Review & Excerpt
Diane's Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Evermore Books – Review & Excerpt
It's All About the Romance – Excerpt
Little Red Reading Hood +1 – Excerpt
NallaReads – Review & Excerpt
Read more sleep less – Review & Excerpt
October 23rd
A Book Lover's Dream Book Blog – Review
Book Reader Chronicles – Review & Excerpt
Ceres Books World – Review
Declarations of a Fangirl – Review & Excerpt
For The Love of Fictional Worlds – Excerpt
Little Shop of Readers – Review & Excerpt
Moonlight Rendezvous – Review & Excerpt
October 24th
@reads_romance – Review
Bout-a-Book blog – Review
Crazii Bitches Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Lo’s Lo-Down on Books – Review & Excerpt
Milky Way of Books – Review
Romancing the Laser Pistol – Review & Excerpt
Somewhere Lost in Books – Review & Excerpt
October 25th
Bambi Unbridled – Review
Caitlin's World – Review & Excerpt
Feel the Book – Excerpt
Jen's Reading Obsession – Excerpt
Kay Daniels Romance – Review & Excerpt
Reading in Pajamas – Review & Excerpt
Reese's Reviews – Excerpt
October 26th
Cinta Garcia de la Rosa – Excerpt
Feeling Fictional – Review & Excerpt
Incidental Inspiration – Review & Excerpt
My Book Filled Life – Review & Excerpt
Nicole's Book Musings – Review
Sip Read Love – Review
The Ink Spell – Review
October 27th
Another Book Hangover – Excerpt
Bookgasms Book Blog – Review
Booknerd1107 – Review
Family, Books and Food – Excerpt
Rantings of a Reading Addict – Excerpt
The Reading Cafe – Review & Excerpt
October 28th
Bingeworthy Book Blog – Review
Clare & Lou’s Mad About Books – Review
Jax's Book Magic – Excerpt
Ginreads – Review & Excerpt
Mother/Gamer/Writer – Review & Excerpt
NC 2 DC – Review & Excerpt
Red's Midnight Readers – Review & Excerpt
October 29th
3 degrees of fiction – Review & Excerpt
Avephoenix Naughty Readings – Review & Excerpt
Books 2 Blog – Review & Excerpt
Just Reading Book Blog – Excerpt
Sharing Inspired Kreations – Review & Excerpt
The Book Dutchesses – Review & Excerpt
October 30th
Dirty Girl Romance – Review
Nerdy Dirty & flirty – Review & Excerpt
Reads All the Books – Review & Excerpt
Romancing the Readers – Review
Sassy Book Lovers – Review & Excerpt
Total Book Geek – Excerpt
Writes Forward – Review
October 31st
Book Lovers Hangout – Review & Excerpt
KDRBCK – Review & Excerpt
Mean Girls Luv Books – Review & Excerpt
Movies, Shows, & Books – Excerpt
Reviews from the Heart – Review & Excerpt
Shameless Book Club – Review & Excerpt
November 1st
Book Nook Nuts – Review & Excerpt
Busy Bumble Bee Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Dreamer's Book Blog – Excerpt
Jeri's Book Attic – Review
Romance Schmomance – Review & Excerpt
Smut Book Junkie Book Reviews – Excerpt
Up All Night w/ Books Blog – Review & Excerpt
November 2nd
Book Addict – Excerpt
Fundinmental – Review
Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Excerpt
Ruby's Books – Excerpt
Southern Vixens Book Obsessions – Review
The Book Maven – Review & Excerpt
About Gena Showalter:Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld and Angels of the Dark series, two young adult series--Everlife and the White Rabbit Chronicles--and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series. In addition to being a National Reader's Choice and two time RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan (Red Hot Read) and Seventeen magazine, she's appeared on Nightline and been mentioned in Orange is the New Black--if you ask her about it, she'll talk for hours…hours! Her books have been translated in multiple languages.
She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees. You can learn more about Gena, her menagerie of rescue dogs, and all her upcoming books at genashowalter.com or Facebook.com/genashowalterfans
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