{Excerpt/$10 GC Giveaway} CUTLASS by Ashley Nixon + Top Ten Reasons NOT to Cross a Pirate!

Check out my review of CUTLASS!

Cutlass (Cutlass #1)

by Ashley Nixon 

Release Date: 11/13/14

Summary from Goodreads:
Notorious pirate Barren Reed has one thing on his mind: Revenge against the man who killed his father. So kidnapping his enemy's fiancé seems a perfect plan…until he actually does it.

Larkin Lee is more than a pretty face and fiancé to a powerful man. Her fierce personality is enough to make any pirate want to push her overboard.

But when the King of the Orient comes to Barren with a task—to find the Bloodstone, a powerful gem thought only to exist in legend, Barren sees another opportunity to destroy his enemy. Together, Barren, Larkin and a crew of pirates set off to find the stone, only to discover it caused the death of Barren’s own mother and Larkin’s, too. As his strongest allies turn into his greatest enemies, and the life of the girl he kidnapped becomes more important than he ever dreamed, Barren’s quest for revenge becomes a fight to save the Orient.

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Here's an excerpt from 

CUTLASS!

            Larkin had a hard time trudging through the mushy path of water, rocks and mud wearing a ball gown. She tripped several times on the too long skirt, only to be caught up in the ever-present arms of her kidnapper.  It was infuriating. She would prefer being covered in mud, rather than allowing Barren’s constant attempts to keep her on her feet.

            She couldn’t really figure out how to feel—she was scared, yes, but also strangely intrigued. She knew why they’d taken her: as bait to lure William to sea. Her father had warned her that she might be targeted, and she felt stupid having been taken. Every time she looked at Barren, anger flared in her chest.

            She’d decided to leave the engagement party after spotting Barren. She’d gone through her options—returning home meant signaling a carriage and drawing attention, and while the castle might offer safety, it didn’t offer her peace. That’s why she’d chosen to head to shore—why would a pirate ever suspect she’d go there? She was a lady, after all. She’d thought she had been discreet on her way out, even escaping Barren Reed’s notice…but, instead, she’d drawn it.

            She fell again and jerked away when she felt his hand on her arm.

            “I am perfectly capable of standing on my own,” she spat.

            Barren gave a short laugh. “Really? Because you’ve been stumbling all over since we left the ship.”

            Larkin reached down and gathered her dress up as much as she could and continued forward. “If it is too bothersome for you, we can cut the skirt away.”

            Larkin twisted, almost slipping as she did. Her eyes fell upon Barren, narrow and unkind.

            “You will not touch me.”

            Barren held up his hands. “I was just offering an option to ease your struggling.”

            “I’m not struggling!”

            She turned around and to her great annoyance, fell again as the rocks and mud gave way beneath her feet. This time, Barren stood aside as she got to her feet again. She refused to look at him, her face burning with embarrassment.

Top 10 Reasons Not to Cross A Pirate

by Ashley Nixon

(***This guest post was first posted at A Backwards Story on May 6, 2014 during the CUTLASS Blog Tour!***)

10. Said pirate could kill you.

I feel like this says everything.

9. Said pirate might kidnap you and hold you for ransom.
No, really.

8. You *might* not be prepared to learn that many of the people you grew up with are friends with said pirate.

7. Said pirate will antagonize you.

6. Said pirate also does not react well when you do not listen to him. Expect harsh lessons to be learned.

5. You also might have to accompany him on an epic quest to save the world.

**No fingers will be lost...maybe.

4. If you don’t get killed, you’ll probably wish you had been after injuries sustained on said epic quest.

3. Said pirate might convince you that YOU’RE really the bad guy.

2. You *might* not be able to tell who the bad guys are—said pirate vs. EVERYONE YOU’VE EVER KNOWN.

1. And last…you *might* fall in love with said pirate.

About the Author

Ashley was born and raised in Oklahoma, where the wind really does sweep down the plains, and horses and carriages aren't used as much as she'd like. When she's not writing, she's hard at work on her Master's degree in Library Science and Information Technology, working out, or pretending she's Sherlock Holmes. Her obsession with writing began after reading the Lord of the Rings in the eighth grade. Since then, she's loved everything Fantasy--resulting in an unhealthy obsession with the 'geek' tab on Pinterest, where all things awesome go.

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