Angel's Assassin by Laurel O'Donnell book giveaway!!!

Laurel O’Donnell 's

ANGEL'S ASSASSIN

Damien is an assassin, a man with no home and a tortured past. Sold into slavery as a young boy, he is trained to kill with cold calculation, without remorse. As a reward for his ruthless success, he is given a chance to earn his freedom from his cruel master. One last mission. One final person to slay…

Lady Aurora of Acquitaine is the epitome of purity and goodness, beloved by all her people. She lives her life trying to atone for her mother’s cruelty by being a fair and just ruler. Secretly she fears that one day her mother’s murderer will return for her.

When Damien enters Aurora’s life, tempting her with promises of dark passion and forbidden lust, he threatens to tear her peaceful world apart.

Can Aurora’s light heal Damien’s dark spirit or will his evil consume her? The eternal battle of good versus evil, love versus hate, dark versus light, all come to a shattering climax in this historical romance set in medieval England.

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Enjoy an excerpt from Angel's Assassin

She was more than stunning.  She was an angel.

She looked down at a beggar who held an old, feeble hand out to her, his gnarled fingers stained with mud.  Outrage filled Damien that this dirty, decrepit man should accost her in such a manner.  But the lady did not shy away from his filth.  She did not turn her back on him.  She smiled at him.  Damien found himself wishing he were the beggar, wishing he were the recipient of such radiance.  Then she bent forward, touched the beggar’s shoulder, and spoke earnestly to the old man.

Damien inched forward, ignoring the crush of people around him as he moved closer to this goddess.  He could not hear her words, but the people around her smiled.

The beggar nodded his head enthusiastically at the regal lady and smiled a toothless grin.

Lady Aurora turned and moved leisurely into the square.  Her blue velvet surcoat swished about her long legs.  The lone guard walked before her, keeping the path clear.

One guard to protect her, Damien thought, disgusted.  If he were her father, he would hire an army of men to trail her and keep her safe.

People called out to her now.  She paused and spoke to many, giving them her undivided attention.  What would she say to him if he called out to her?  Did he care?  No, he wouldn’t care what words she uttered.  All he wanted was to see those luminescent eyes turn to gaze at him with the same undivided attention she so graciously offered everyone else.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a movement.  A shadow.  A slithering shape.  He searched the crowd, the feeling of unease growing much stronger now, spreading across the nape of his neck and shoulders.  His gaze darted through the throng, focusing on one villager and then another.  A mother smiling down at her child.  A farmer speaking with a short baker.  A monk gazing at Lady Aurora.

And then, mixed in the crowd, Damien found him.  He was a small man, dressed in a faded green tunic.  He hunched slightly, moving slowly between people, being careful not to touch anyone, being careful not to draw attention to himself.  But unlike the people who surrounded him, there was no serenity in his face, no adoration.  Only dark purpose.  The man focused on Lady Aurora with the intensity of a predator.

Damien recognized him immediately.  He was one of Roke’s elite guards, a killer, and an assassin.  A slave of Warin Roke just like him.  Damien didn’t know his name, but he knew the face.  And he knew the ugly gleam of determination in his eyes as he trapped his prey in his sights.  What the devil is he doing here? Damien silently demanded as fierce anger blasted through him.  What game is Roke playing?

Damien moved through the crowd, inching closer to him, not taking his stare away from the stalker.  He bumped into a farmer half his size.  The man grumbled something, but Damien moved on, ignoring him, concentrating on his target.

“M’lady!”

Damien heard the gruff call, but did not look up to see who it was.  He didn’t dare take his gaze off the man, lest he lose him in the thick crowd of villagers.  Damien watched the man’s reaction.  He saw him hesitate, watched his small eyes shift from Aurora to somewhere off to the left where the other voice had originated.

For a moment, Damien thought the puny man would turn and leave.  Is he here to make sure I complete my mission?  His eyes slowly narrowed.  No, that was not the reason he was here.  He knew Warin Roke well, well enough to realize he would never send anyone to watch over him.

Something glinted in the little man’s hand.

Damien’s eyes widened in realization.  The man isn’t here to follow me.  He is here to steal my freedom!  Damn you to hell, Roke.

The killer bent his legs and sprang forward, moving with a quickness his small stature belied.  He moved straight for Lady Aurora, his dagger flashing in the fiery sunlight.

 

Giveaway

The author is giving away one copy of "Angel's Assassin" and one copy of her medieval romance, "The Angel and The Prince". 

Meet the Author

Laurel O’Donnell has won numerous awards for her works, including the Holt Medallion for A Knight of Honor, the Happily Ever After contest for Angel’s Assassin, and the Indiana’s Golden Opportunity contest for Immortal Death. The Angel and the Prince was nominated by the Romance Writers of America for their prestigious Golden Heart award. O’Donnell lives in Illinois with her four cherished children, her beloved husband and her five cats. She finds precious time every day to escape into the medieval world and bring her characters to life in her writing.

Interview:

 Hello,_Laurel  Welcome to Deal Sharing Aunt!!!

I’m so delighted you’ve agreed to allow us to get to know you and your book better. 

1)    When you aren’t writing, what are you doing? (Aside from being a dad/mom)
   When I’m not writing and being Mom, I am playing Rock Band.  I love singing.  I’m not very good at it, but it’s a lot of fun.  Other then that, I get to watch some television.  Right now, my can’t miss shows are Breaking Bad and Walking Dead (can you tell my teenage son influences me greatly?)
2) You chose a specific genre, a place and time to write about, what made you choose it?
   I’ve always been interested in the medieval era.  The knights in shining armor, the castles.  I remember growing up with the soundtrack from Camelot in the background, the one with Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave.  I would always pretend I was tied to the stake waiting for my “hero” to come rescue me.  Unfortunately, my brother would be the knight and he never came to rescue me!  J 
When I was just out of high school, I worked at the Wisconsin Renaissance Faire.  I learned to sword fight there. 
3) In your opinion, what makes a book a great one?
   Characters.  Everything grows out of the characters.  Their conflicts, the plot.  If the characters aren’t strong, then the book won’t be good.
4) Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
   You can be the person you want to be.  Hope.  I think Angel’s Assassin is a message of hope and redemption. 
5) What is one thing in your writing space that you cannot do without? 
   My cats.  They bother me to no end when I’m writing.  They are like my children used to be.  Every time I sit down to write, they want my attention.  J  But seriously, I don’t think I could do without my coffee.  It’s a necessity!

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