{Giveaway/Excerpt} ONDINE by Emma Raveling

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present:

Book Blitz!

ONDINE
by Emma Raveling

Welcome to release week for ONDINE by Emma Raveling

and the Ondine Quartet Collection: Volume I!

WHAT A GREAT DEAL!

An e-book copy of ONDINE is only 99¢!
(ATM, ONDINE is only on Kindle)

The first book, WHIRL, is only $2.99, while BILLOW and CREST are $3.99!
Look for the final book, BREAKER, in 2014!

For a limited time, 
the Ondine Quartet Collection: Volume I,
a box set containing 
WHIRL, BILLOW, and novellas 
CHEVALIER and WARRIOR PRINCE 
can be had on sale for $3.99!!!!

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

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Here's an excerpt now!

EXCERPT I: 

           I tracked her.

Feet slid soundlessly across the mat. Thick atmosphere, taut with anticipation, pressed in, carrying the heavy odor of sweat, cleaning bleach, and plastic. 

Adrenaline crackled through my veins like a live wire, pulsing in time to the audience’s hum of excitement.

She neared, feinting a few strikes, but not close enough to do any damage.

Two years ago, I’d won nationals in my age and weight category. Our constant moving had prevented me from repeating it.

But this time, I was so close I could taste it. Winning this sparring match would secure the state championship. Next would be regionals, followed by nationals.

If you’re still here in two months.

The thought unnerved me.

That was all she needed.

I caught the blur of her arm a millisecond too late. Her fist slammed into my right ribcage, impact ricocheting up my torso.

Referee stood. “Point. Blue!”

Damn it. A careless mistake.

I felt the weight of her eyes boring into my back, heard the disappointed criticism repeated over the years.

Not good enough, Kendra.

I mentally shook myself. Two minutes left in the match and I was already behind.

Ref’s arm dropped. “Fight!”

Everything faded and the entirety of my focus zeroed onto the brunette in front of me.

I had to win.

Sara Ruggiero, reigning champion, had excellent form and a technique honed through years of disciplined practice.

She danced just out of reach, movements fluid and in control. Her hands, covered in protective blue mitts, guarded her face. She was good, very good even, with an aggressive style fueled by anger.

And right now, she was pissed. The deciding round of her last championship in high school was with a newcomer a year younger than her.

We circled, darted forward and back. Attack and retreat. With each step, pain radiated from my ribs.

She smirked. Hurt?

I let my eyes harden. Show me what you got.

Her torso twisted, foot shifting back in preparation for a jodan kick.

Empath sensed her vulnerability, the twinge of discomfort along her lower back from an old injury.

Gotcha.

Leg arced toward my face in a perfectly executed high kick. I whipped aside at the last second.

Off-balance, she tilted slightly toward the right, leaving her back open.

I pivoted behind her and my right fist hammered her kidney. She stumbled forward, a cry escaping her lips.

EXCERPT II: 

 He tensed. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I want in.” I settled on the corner of the desk and levelly met his look of disbelief. “I want you to take me to his place so —“

“No.”

“I can do this.”

Rui stood and walked back to the car.

“You don’t know what I can—“

“I don’t care what you think you can do.” He whipped around to face me, his expression hard. “You don’t know jack shit about my  —“

“I know what he does,” I said quietly. “I know what he did to you. To your broth—“

In one fluid movement, he swept me off the desk and shoved me against the wall. Two hundred pounds of muscle locked me into place and confirmed Troy’s story.

Rui’s actions revealed a high degree of training, a controlled, physical strength I’d initially suspected in the school courtyard.

An icy shiver shot down my spine. If we were thrown into a ring together, he really might give me a run for my money.

Muscled forearm pressed against my neck, effectively pinning me in place.

“Rui,” I said through my teeth. “I can stop him.”

The smart thing to do was walk away and let him, his father, and Troy sort out this mess. Sure, Troy would get the short end of the stick, but that wasn’t my problem.

Except my conscience wouldn’t stop prickling. I couldn’t let it go.

Maybe because Troy reminded me of past regrets and this was an opportunity to change the outcome. Maybe because the white-hot anger in Rui was a festering wound that felt all too familiar.

Hell, maybe I just really wanted to prove to my mother I could do this.

I could stop one human male.

Rui’s voice dropped to a whisper. “You don’t know shit.”

Cold eyes bored into me, hard and demanding. Magic bubbled through my veins. Beneath the anger, Empath sensed determination and worry. It was almost as if he was willing me to understand…

My gaze flickered up. Harsh light illuminated the ugly industrial walls of the garage, bouncing off metal and steel. Something winked in the corner.

Lens reflection meant surveillance. The entire place was probably bugged.

I blinked once. Slowly.

Rui studied me for a moment longer before the grinding pressure against my windpipe eased. I coughed, lungs desperately sucking in air.

Without another word, he exited the garage and I followed. Flickering yellow streetlights cast sickly triangular patches across the asphalt. Night air closed in, thick and humid.

The relentless drone of the Route 60 overpass grew louder and more insistent as we neared the main street.

“I’ve seen you,” he finally said. “At Rave.”

The club was only a few blocks away. “Yeah.”

“You like working the floor.” I felt the weight of his glance through the shadowy gloom. “But you don’t buy.”

“Not my thing.”

“You sound offended.”

I shrugged. “Needing something makes you weak.”

“Sometimes what we need is good for us. Sometimes it’s not. But we all got something we’re addicted to, girl.” He laughed, a harsh rumble of bitter amusement. “You’re just addicted to physical release.”

The scrutiny made me uncomfortable. “So what’s your addiction?”

“Belief.” He pulled out a pack of cigarettes. “You working with the cops?”

“Not exactly.”

Empath swept through him, attempting to make sense of the puzzle that was Rui Vergara. He wasn’t lying or concealing who he was. The pain was there, hot and unstable. A thread of something wistful, too. Sadness? Maybe regret.

But there was also ruthlessness and a barely controlled fury that came from being kicked down one too many times.

Who was it directed toward? His father? Troy? And how quickly could it shift to me?

The lighter’s flare briefly highlighted the solemnity etched into his skin. He seemed far older than his age.

“No, you’re not a rat.” He took a long drag and tilted his head. Wariness heightened at the shrewd look in his eyes. “Just another person who has something to hide.”

~*~

ONDINE by Emma Raveling 
(Ondine Quartet 0.5) 
Publication date: December 19, 2013
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adults

SUMMARY:

“I shouldn’t get involved.” 

Rebellious and headstrong, sixteen-year-old Kendra Irisavie doesn’t have much respect for authority. An ondine with the powerful gift of Virtue, she uses her tough attitude and Empath magic to navigate through high school and keep others away. 

Because being an ondine also means keeping secrets. 

Kendra and her mother are Rogue water elementals in the middle of an ancient war. They hide among humans, their survival constantly threatened by monstrous Aquidae demons. 

Along with a rigorous training regimen to mold Kendra into a lethal fighter, her mother has instituted four rules to keep her safe. 

Trust no one. Relationships are weaknesses. Emotional attachments are dangerous. Be responsible only for yourself. 

But when Kendra witnesses a classmate in trouble, she intervenes and her decision to break the rules comes at a price. 

Sometimes, humans could be more dangerous than demons. 

ONDINE is a short prequel novella for the young adult urban / paranormal fantasy series, the Ondine Quartet.

~*~

AUTHOR BIO

I’m a fantasy writer who lives a slightly eccentric life with my accommodating husband and our charming, neurotic dog. I'm currently working on the Ondine Quartet, a young adult urban fantasy/paranormal series featuring a kick-ass heroine, powerful magic, and the complex world of water elementals. 

I have a weird love of spreadsheets and organizational tools because they give me the illusion that I am somehow in control of the chaos that is my life. I adore beautiful art such as painting and sculpture, classical music, lyrical writing, and great graphic design. My all-time favorite books (as of this writing) are Immortality by Milan Kundera, 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.

Visit Emma on her website and follow her on Facebook and  Twitter!

  

****Giveaway*****

You could win...

An ebook copy of ONDINE (#0.5 prequel), WHIRL (Book 1), and BILLOW (Book 2)
Signed Ondine Quartet swag pack (includes bookmarks and stickers)

Open internationally.

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