Blurb:
Raven Corvus has always felt like she was on the outside looking in. Being adopted into a family of shifters without the ability to shift has put her life on hold. Never wanting to take part in the Moon Ceremony or choosing a mate, she tends to distance herself from her people. When an accident lets loose a side of her that had been hidden for her protection she is forced to come to terms with whom and what she really is.
Griffin Snow serves as a protector for the Goddess in the fight against Dexius, the Dark God. When an old enemy returns to threaten one of his charges, he jumps into action to protect Raven—only to discover that she is not just his charge, but his fated mate. Hiding out in the safety of Griffin's cabin only adds to the need growing inside of them.
Can Raven and Griffin save their people from the big, bad ugly or will they lose their chance at happiness?
Excerpt:
Raven watched as the sun set over the valley. The view from her front porch was utterly breathtaking in the spring. The stars lit up the sky like a blanket of glittering diamonds, the absence of the moon leaving them the only guides in the sky. It wouldn’t be long until she made her appearance known to Raven’s kind. The drawl of her moon song would be too strong to ignore. But no matter how loud the beat played in Raven’s head she wouldn’t be able to answer the call. Fate had given her a bum ride; she could hear and feel the drawl of the moon but her body wouldn’t respond. It was a cruel reality that she dealt with every month.
“Raven, get in here now! Your father needs your help getting ready for the ceremony.”
Her mother had a temper shorter than a dynamite fuse and it was burning fast from the stress of the Moon Ceremony. Once the moon showed herself in the eastern sky, in less than a week, their home would be flooded with other shifters preparing for the spring mating ritual.
“I’m coming, Mom.” She whispered a few choice expletives, but with a shifter’s hearing her mother had no trouble understanding her ramblings.
“Young lady, I know you are twenty-five, but you’re still my daughter and I will pull you over my knee.” Her mother’s goodhearted laugh let her know it wasn’t urgent. Nevertheless, the stress level was getting pretty damn high. “Now get out in the yard and help your father.”
Her father, TalfrynCorvus, had been planning the Moon Ceremony since he was chosen by the council last spring. He was to host the opening ceremonies of the mating ritual on their family lands. Ever since he had been chosen, he had become obsessed with every small detail, and had driven Raven to the brink of insanity.
She walked through the front doors and back into the chill night air. Her father was bent over placing stones around the center alter, preparing a small pit to contain the fire.
“Hey Dad, did you need me?”
“Yes, please take a seat.” He indicated one of the makeshift benches made from cut logs that now lined the yard. The smell of sawdust mixed with the sweet smell of spring. “Daughter, I think you understand how important this ceremony is to your mother and me. I need to know for sure that you understand your part. You don’t have to shift to be included in the ritual but you should try to commune with the Goddess. She will choose your mate.”
Upon their eighteenth birthday, shifters gathered at the change of each season under the first full moon to not only celebrate and dance but to find and seal the mating bond. Most shifters went into the ceremony with their intended mate, ready to make the commitment and start families. Others went with the intent of finding their mate among the flock. But not Raven.
“Dad, I understand. I’m just not ready.”
“You are twenty-five and have refused each chance at a mate. Why do you buck tradition? You could have any man in the flock you desire and yet you still choose none.”
Her father was right on one count. She did turn her nose up at the traditions of her people, and she couldn’t imagine tying herself to one person for the rest of her life. She wanted to be free, to be among the rest of humanity, and off of this damn mountain.
He was wrong to assume she had her choice of mates. Most of the men she knew were family, and the ones who could be potential mates kept a wide berth when she was around. She was born different from most shifters, with the moon closer to her heart than her non-existent beast, and it kept her from the one thing she really wanted.
“Daddy, you know how I feel about finding a mate. When the Goddess thinks I’m ready, she will bring him to me. Not a moment before.”
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Guest Post:
Romance v’s Paranormal Romance
Hey ladies and gents this is J.N
Johnson and I wanted to share a little about me and my latest release, Ravens
Legacy and my jump into the paranormal. Please bare with me if I begin to
ramble on, I have a cold and I keep going between a fever and chills. Kind of fits
the series that I am getting ready to introduce you to.
Ravens
Legacy, A Between Fire and Ice Novella was my first dive into the paranormal
pool. Until this book I have written contemporary romance or sweet romance. You
know the boy meets girl, drama comes crashing down and somehow, someway they
make it through the tough times to find their happily ever after. I wasn’t sure
how it was going to go, getting to make up neat little quirks and attributes
for my characters that would be way outside the normal was new to me. I was
used to the girl next door and the sexy leading man who could steal your heart
away. Add fangs, fur and feathers and things were starting to get a little
nuts.
I
found myself having to take more notes and keeping better track of my
characters ins and outs, their backgrounds and wants so that I didn’t screw up
and give the wrong character or my growing list of supporting family members
the wrong story. I had to create a way to keep them all straight. Could you
imagine my Phoenix shifting and all of the sudden her body was covered by fur
and fangs instead of feathers and talons?
I started off this journey by making
a spread sheet of names, family tree, who had what animal and who was going to
show up later down the road and throw a fork in my heroin’s travels. I had the gist of how I wanted the story to
go, I knew what Ravens troubles were going to be in the beginning but as I
wrote she decided which exit her imaginary trip was going to take and I just
jumped on for the ride. Things went wonky and I had to keep notes on who and
where we had been. It grew to be a long list but not all of it made an
appearance in this book.
Yes my leading lady decided to tell
me how book three was going to end before book one or two were even finished.
So I was trying to play keep up with her and her massive cast of supporting
characters before their stories were even written. Thank goodness for
post-it-notes and multi colored sharpies.
This book was emotionally draining
for me as well. I lost my writing buddy just as I was finishing it. My thirteen-year-old
best fur buddy Bo was my sounding board. I would bounce ideas off of him and
read aloud with him in the room. I knew if he started howling and ran for the
hills it was time to revise and rewrite. He was my inspiration for Griffins ice
blue eyes and the namesake for Bowe Mountain. This book is dedicated to him, he
passed away from heart failure and life still hasn’t bounced back.
I was in a crazy place when I wrote
the ending to Ravens Legacy, my normal life had just turned upside down, my
routine totally flip flopped by losing my best friend and I think my mindset
comes across in the anger that I wrote into my heroin and my villain.
This was also the first time I had
to write and outside conflict that was a living, breathing SOB. That was a
tough transition for me. How do you write someone that you want to beat with a
hammer and still have your reader believe in? I hope that I accomplished
something that readers will enjoy with Ravens Legacy because I had fun writing
it. More of my heart and soul is in this book than any of my previous works, even if most of it is make believe.
Thank
you for having me on your site today. I hope that you and your readers enjoy
the ramblings of a very sick and cold author. Now I am going to crawl back into
bed and visit Dean and Sam in their Supernatural Hell while under the influence
of Nyquil.
J.N
Growing up in her hometown of Charleston WV, J.N spends her days wrangling her two beautiful daughters and super dog Bo and is married to her high school sweetheart, who she considers the rock that keeps her grounded to reality when she would rather be lost in the paranormal. If a book contained something supernatural there is a good chance that she has read it. Whether its vamps, shifters, elves or fairies it is most likely setting on her shelf waiting to be re-read.
Looking for a new genre she found the world of romance and fell in love. The drama and conflict are different but still enough to get the adrenaline pumping and the heart thumping to keep her coming back for more. It wasn’t long until the need to write came knocking at the door and by the grace of her husband’s patience and her children’s bed times she got that chance. Her twisted mind found a new outlet on paper and now her story has found a way onto your shelf or reader and she hopes that you enjoy reading it as much as she enjoyed writing.
Where to Stalk J.N. Johnson:
Meagan's Review:
Okay so when I read the blurb on this book I still wasn't sure what I was going to get. And after finishing the book.....I still have a lot of questions that I need answered. So needless to say I'm super anxious to get my fingers on the next book. Now as it stands this was a great introduction book. I fell in the love with the characters and the story line and the plot and twists and everything about this book. But like I said I still need more. This was a super super quick read.
Our story starts out with Raven talking to her father. And I should mention that Raven is adopted into a shifter family and ohhh she can't shift. Has never been able to....which makes mating kind of awkward. So when I first started this book I kind of assumed that being a shifter and all they were all wolves....however once I finished this book....I don't think that's the case. A question I'm hoping will be answered in the next book when I see what a few others shift into. Anyways so while on her way to her aunts house, Raven trips and falls and there is a gash on her hand. Once this happens a whole slew of things happen to Raven and pretty quickly. A lot of her unanswered questions become answered. We learn about Raven's past; here real parents and why she can't sift. She also gets 2 surprises from this. One is a gift from the Goddess and the other is Griffin.
*Sigh* Griffin. Sexy. Protective. Hawt. Funny. Asshat Griffin. Ohh I should mention the thought of griffin turns me into a girl who can only process one word at a time. Anyways we meet Griffin and some more of the puzzle pieces fall into place. After meeting Griffin I was rooting for him and Raven because I think they'd be awesome together. But of course she fights it, because that's just who she is. Some pretty awesome things happen after this and I can't really give you anything else because it would ruin the book. This review was soooooo hard because the book was so short I don't want to give too much away. But it is definitely worth reading, especially with the cliff hanger at the end. You'll be itching your fingers for the next one too!!!
Soul Fire
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