Gabrielle's Cauldron--Paranormal Romance

 
A Magical Ride with a Delicious Alpha Shifter
Buy Link @ Liquid Silver Books
Buy Line @ Amazon
Blurb:Gabrielle McCallaghan just lost her job. Seeing the writing on the wall, she quit to spare her uncle the embarrassment of having to fire her. With her bond fairy on her shoulder, she strides through a crowded neighborhood contemplating her options. Out of nowhere, a gorgeous, full blood magic wielder appears and makes a beeline right for her. Gabby knows her hybrid witch magic is no match for his, so she tries to evade him. The fairy does her best to help, but the contest is laughable. Even in his human form, the wolf-man is still stronger than she ever dreamed of being. It doesn’t take long before Gabby is drawn into a deadly game of intrigue that started over a thousand years before. The stakes are high and the timing abysmal, but she finds herself falling in love in spite of herself. Can she and her full blood lover make a life for themselves? Or will the long-running battle between full bloods and hybrids pound the fragile bond between them to dust?

Excerpt:

Gabrielle shook her head. She was shocked at how eager she was to be free of Brad and this office. Now that the possibility of independence sat there, beckoning to her, she couldn’t resist. “Thanks, Uncle Brad. You’ve been more than kind to me.”

He cleared his throat. “Well,” he said, voice surprisingly gentle, “keep in touch. If you stop by tomorrow, I’ll have your check for this last week.”

Gabrielle knew how little she’d done. “That’s okay. I’ll just grab my things and be out of your hair. I—” but she didn’t know what else to say. Suddenly uncomfortable, she turned away from her uncle and went to clear her few possessions out of her desk. After inadvertently slamming her long, dark hair in a desk drawer, she pulled it into an untidy pony tail. Ten minutes later, she let herself out the swinging glass door adorned with BRAD MCCALLAGHAN, CPA, in faded, dark blue letters.

“That wasn’t very smart,” she muttered to the pixie sitting on her shoulder. “What am I going to do now?”

Doesn’t matter, I’m free.

“No, we’re free,” Amalia corrected. The pixie was clearly in mind-reading mode. "It hasn’t been any fun at all being your bond fairy ever since you took that job. All you’ve done is grump around, hating life.”

Gabrielle stared balefully at the pixie. “You need to keep your opinions to yourself.”

“Why?” Amalia crossed one leg over the other. The foot that dangled beat a tattoo against Gabby’s breast.

“Never mind.” Knowing it would be wasted breath to try to get the pixie to do anything but what she wanted, Gabrielle sucked in crisp autumn air and walked toward the bus stop. It felt good to be outside. Not living a lie anymore was a big relief. She’d struggled with guilt for months about her antipathy for Microsoft Excel, Turbo Tax and Tax Cut. At least that part was over.

Strangers swirled around her. Seattle’s Capitol Hill was always full of people. Gabrielle looked longingly at a Starbuck’s sign, but three dollar coffees weren’t part of her new austerity plan. Actually, neither was the bus. What she needed to do was walk home. She had the time. And lower Queen Anne Hill wasn’t all that far away. She could be home in an hour.

What a joke. I have nothing but time now. Maybe if I walked more, I could get rid of some of this blubber. She tugged at the too-tight waistband of her too-short dark green skirt. Sitting eight hours a day hadn’t improved her figure at all. Gabrielle knew her height masked extra pounds; she also knew she’d gained a good ten since she started working for her uncle.

“Don’t stare,” Amalia hissed, sea-blue eyes wide with apprehension, “but that looks like trouble.” The pixie always reverted to mind speech when she felt threatened. Good thing too. Her constant dialogue had gotten Gabrielle into trouble more than once when someone had assumed she was the source of some smartass comment or other. Not all humans could hear pixies. It depended how much magic they had. The problem was when a person had no idea they had magic, but had been blessed—or cursed—with just enough to hear fairy chatter. Those folk were the ones who’d ended up in asylums a hundred years ago. Now doctors just crammed them full of mind-numbing drugs.

Gabrielle’s head snapped up. A hunk of a man who radiated power—wore it like an aura that screamed how much clout he had—strode down the opposite side of the street as if he owned the world. Coppery hair fell nearly to his waist. Well past six feet, he was dressed like a pirate in a cream-colored shirt with full, old-fashioned sleeves, a dark brown leather vest, and tight-fitting, black leather pants that left very little to the imagination. Knee-high boots of buff-colored suede fit over the pants. Apparently feeling her gaze on him, he slowed, head turning from side to side. Gabrielle could have sworn he was scenting the air like a dog.

“What is he?” Gabby sent. “I know he’s a full blood, but what kind?” Because pixies were entirely magical just like the full bloods, they were often quicker on the uptake. Gabby was a hybrid and her human blood often got in the way.

“Warg. He can see me, Gabby. Do something.” Amalia’s nails dug into her shoulder.

The pixie’s words had barely registered when a wolfish amber gaze settled on Gabrielle, boring into her. Heart racing, she ducked into the first shop she saw.

“Are you all right, miss?” A shopkeeper hurried over. Dyed red hair spiked in curls that fell past her shoulders. Sharp, green eyes took in Gabby and her off-the-rack J.C. Penney’s clothes.

Gabrielle looked around and saw she’d entered a lingerie store, and a pricey one at that judging from the tags hanging off flimsy bits of silk. She tried to quiet her breathing. “Yes. Just thought I’d, uh, look around a bit. I have a friend who’s, ah, getting married.” She offered up what she hoped was a convincing smile, reinforced by the tiniest leave me alone spell. The last thing she needed was for the salesclerk to boot her out of the store.

“There you are, darling.” A cultured baritone rang from the doorway. The voice had a definite German accent. “Nice of you to shop for something to entertain me.” The warg moved to her side and slid a hand under her elbow. A blast of sexual energy set Gabby’s nerves on fire. Her nipples pebbled instantly and her skin tingled with promise. Mostly so she wouldn’t throw herself into his arms, she took a step away and tried to settle her heart back into a normal rhythm. But the warg’s heat—and a delicious musky scent—followed her.

The shop girl’s eyes grew huge. She was practically salivating. Gabby could tell she was struggling to keep her gaze above the warg’s waist. “Welcome to my shop, sir,” she cooed. “We have things for men too.”

He raised a well-formed eyebrow. “Yes, dear. Your whole shop is actually for men.”

__________________

 

Comments

  1. A Time for Everything. Adore the cover! Thanks for the fun and Happy Holidays!
    zenfoxflowerATyahooDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Congrats, Elie!
      You are the winner for week two! I'll email you under separate cover.

      Delete
  2. Hi Elie,
    Welcome back! I'll go the drawing today for the last giveaway.Glad you like the ATFE cover. Valerie Tibbs is a great cover artist.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have had the pleasure of reading all of the Psyche's books and have really enjoyed them, but ATFE just stands out. I LOVE the cover! And the romance of the story....it's just timeless! (No pun intended) Since I have to choose, ATFE would have to be the one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Annette,
      Um-hum. The guy on the cover's quite the hottie, isn't he?

      Delete
  4. Dear Ann,

    I love your book that I had the pleasure of winning of Psyche's Prophecy but for me the one I would like is A time for everything and this sounds so great ! thanks for having this great giveaway Ann!

    Syl Stein

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sylvia,
      You're welcome. And welcome to my blog. Nice to have you here.

      Delete
  5. Followed by email. All the books are awesome, but if I have to pick one it would be, A Time For Everything. Thanks for having a great giveaway! olivianicks@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Olivia,
      Thanks for your kind words. Some of my short stories are free reads. There are a couple in the left panel if you're interested: Three Into Two Won't Go in the December Perihelion webzine and Freedom's Just Another Word in Title Goes Here's 2.9 webzine.

      Delete
    2. Whoops! Looks like I misspoke. Title Goes Here appear to have dismanted their website. It pays to check links every once in a while. Sorry about that.

      Delete
  6. No worries. The thought is much appreciated!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I followed via GFC and Networked Blogs :-)
    I would love to get Psyche's Promise!
    Penni Freels fantasy_angel381(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Penni,
      Great to have you here. I love your email addy. Fantasy_Angel sounds so cool!

      Delete
    2. Thanks! I have had this email since I was a young teenager lol It stemmed from my favorite game and my love of all things fantasy. I am a huge Final Fantasy game fan and my favorite charcter is Sephiroth (The One Winged Angel) 381 is what my friends and I used to sign notes with. It means 3 words 8 letters 1 meaning = I Love You.

      I'm looking forward to reading your books!

      Delete
    3. Psyche's Promise will go out to you in Monday's mail.
      Thanks for the explanation. I really like 381!

      Delete
  8. I would LOVE A Time for Everything! I love paranormal stories and there's something extra sexy about a Scottish man that draws me in! Thanks so much for the awesome giveaway and I look forward to reading your books!

    GFC follower as Joder.

    joderjo402 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome. I was fortunate enough to spend time in the Scottish Highlands last summer. They're every bit as magical as the stories about them.

      Delete
  9. I'm already a follower. I'd love to read Psyche's Prophecy sometime. sheiladeeth at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sheila,
      I chuckled when I saw your FB comment today that it occasionally stops raining in the UK! I'm sure it must, guess I just hit it on a bad month. Walking through the moors was challenging. Between the bogs and the rain I don't think I've ever been quite so wet.

      Delete
    2. Somehow we ended up living in Oregon after the UK (well, after a diversion to Utah where the skies are so frequently blue). My husband keeps telling me it actually rains even more in Oregon than in England.

      Delete
    3. Morning, Sheila.
      You've won youself a copy of Psyche's Prophecy! I'll email you separately to figure out how to get it to you.
      Cheers!
      Ann

      Delete
  10. I would love Witch's Promise.
    Your book sounds so good!
    I'm a new GFC follower-Janiera
    Here is my email- prettyhaydengurl at yahoo dot com
    Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Janiera!
      Welcome. Did you mean Witch's Price, or Psyche's Promise? Please let me know! (I do that all that time, look at a couple of things and intermingle them.)

      Delete
  11. New follower! Would love to take a look at a fellow FFP author's stuff with Witches' Price!
    Email is persephones_hell@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hello E!
    Welcome. I'll have to check out your books on FFP.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm pretty sure ours are really different, lol. my blog isn't linked to my profile, but you can see it here: http://eegrey.blogspot.com/

      Delete
    2. Nice blog! M/M romances sell well. Best of luck! You have several titles out, which helps.

      Delete
  13. Dear Ann,

    This morning I just finished read this e-book A Time For Everything are you going to write a series I really enjoy it this story well writen.
    I wish an Happy New year for 2013 and lots of success for all your books
    Cheers
    mannouchkalegendre@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hello Mannouchka,
    Thank you so much for your kind words about A Time For Everything. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I wasn't planning a series with Siobhan and Angus, but I have a brand new paranormal romance out, Gabrielle's Cauldron. You may enjoy that one, too. An excerpt is just above as part of this blog post.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Ann:
    Loved your latest book "Gabrielle's Cauldron". But I would love to know if this is going to be a series. I would love a story about the fairies.

    Happy New Year,
    Lynn
    lareynolds0316@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lynn,
      I'm so glad you liked Gabrielle's Cauldron. You're the second person who asked for another novella about the fairies. It would be fun to write. I'll think about how it might fit once I'm done with edits for another new paranormal romance novella. And I got your message about wanting A Time For Everything if you win.
      Best of luck and hope the New Year is treating you well.

      Delete
    2. Good Morning, Lynn!
      Congrats! You won the Kindle Fire. I'll email you separately to get your address.
      Cheers!
      Ann

      Delete
    3. Hi Ann: I finally bought "A Time for Everything" as my first book on the Fire. Thank you again. I will think of you everyime I use it.

      What a great way to start 2013,
      Lynn

      Delete
    4. Oh my goodness, thanks, Lynn. You're too kind. I hope you enjoy it. And because you just left me a comment during the First Love Blog Hop, you're automatically entered into four upcoming drawings for another of my books, either the ones currently out or any of my new releases slated for 2/18, 4/1, and 5/13. (There are two more contracted after that, but I don't have release dates for them yet.)
      Best of luck.
      Ann

      Delete
  16. I would like to read A Tme for Everything
    JWIsley(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  17. I think your book A Time For Everything sounds like one I would enjoy reading. Have a great new year.
    JFWisherd(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jackie,
      Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I hope your 2013 brings you everything you want.

      Delete
  18. Popped over from the WLC Blog Follow program on the World Literary Cafe! Great to connect!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Popped over from the WLC Blog Follow program on the World Literary Cafe! Great to connect!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I found your great blog through the WLC Blog Follows on the World Literary Cafe! Great to connect!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I found your great blog through the WLC Blog Follows on the World Literary Cafe! Great to connect!

    ReplyDelete
  22. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I found your great blog through the WLC Blog Follows on the World Literary Cafe! Great to connect!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete

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