Healing
Eden
The
Eden Series
Book
Two
Rhenna
Morgan
Genre: Contemporary
Fantasy/Paranormal
Publisher: Kensington/Lyrical
Press
Date of Publication: 12/8/2015
ISBN: Ebook 978-1-61650-989-7 /
ISBN: Print 978-1-61650-990-3
ASIN: B00URQETZE
Number of pages: 233
Word Count: 88,373
Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde
Book Description:
In a world divided by war,
falling in love is the ultimate betrayal.
Galena Shantos has never
questioned her loyalty to Eden. As sister to the Myren king, she serves as a
healer, one of the best in the army fighting to suppress the brutal Lomos
Rebellion. She’s never doubted the importance of stopping the rebels bent on
enslaving humans, until she spots a warrior across enemy lines—and knows
instinctively that their destinies are entwined. . .
Rebellion warrior Reese Theron
has nothing left to lose. He’s been forced to fight on the wrong side of a war
he abhors in order to protect his family secret. His honor lost, as well as the
trust of his own people, Reese has thrown himself into a battle he cannot
possibly hope to survive. But after being rescued by a beautiful woman whose
exquisite eyes seem to see him for more than the traitor he’s become—he may
have just found a new reason to live. . .
Book Trailer https://youtu.be/93slHZJu4oA
Excerpt:
Chapter
1
A
lightning bolt sheared past Reese into the smoke-filled night sky and left an
acrid stench in its wake. Streaks of fire and blue-white fingers of electricity
flared so bright he could barely focus. He wasn’t getting out of this. Not this
battle, or this life, with any modicum of honor.
Darting
through the air, he dodged another electrical strike.
An
elite flashed into view and swung wide, his bloodied dagger aimed at Reese’s
gut.
Reese
barrel-rolled up and over his attacker, wrapped him in a chokehold, and masked
their presence from the rest of the fighters. Praise the Great One, he should
be fighting beside this warrior, not against him.
The
warrior flailed and tried to break free, the lack of footing giving him zero
leverage. He slumped, unconscious, into Reese’s ready hold seconds later.
He
lowered them both to the tree line at the battle’s edge, out of site from the
rebels. The man couldn’t be more than twenty years outside his awakening.
Probably barely into his elite torc and cuffs. Beneath Reese’s fingers, the
man’s pulse thrummed slow, but steady. At least this innocent’s death wouldn’t
be on his conscience.
A
twenty-five-foot wall of flame exploded across the open field and rattled the
air and earth around them. The bright flare faded under heavy night, and more
rebellion warriors thunked to the mottled field.
The
sharp rustle of leaves against the forest floor sounded down the tree line, one
quick shift and then silence.
Reese
backed deeper into the foliage and strengthened the mask that kept him hidden.
It couldn’t be a rebellion man. All those were engaged against the malran’s
warriors. Focusing his thoughts, he sought the soulless black thread that
represented the link he’d grudgingly created with Maxis Steysis, and traced his
location.
No,
not the rebellion leader either. His energy showed more than ten miles to the
east, well away from the fight. Reese levitated off the forest floor and
floated through the trees. Gnarled and leafless branches scraped his cheek and
shoulders. Darkness enveloped him, broken only by the bright attacks where the
forest opened to the battle beyond.
There.
Not five feet from the tree line, a figure knelt facing the battle.
He
drifted closer. The sweet, damp scent of soil and decomposing leaves
overpowered the metallic residue of electrical strikes floating on the wind.
Grunts, shouts, and the too-frequent thuds of perished men sounded in a
haphazard pattern.
A
flash spotlighted long, auburn hair. A woman. Bowed over a body, she cradled a
fallen companion’s head in her lap.
Reese
angled to better see her and nearly faltered in holding his mask. His heart
kicked in an awkward rhythm and reality faded to nothingness. Galena Shantos,
sister to the malran. The last person he wanted to witness his disgrace.
Seventy
years since he’d seen her this close. Her elegant features were still as
staggering as the days when he’d trained to serve the malran, but there was
more to her now. A confidence in the way she protected her charge and watched
the battle. Knowledge behind her tropical blue-green eyes that spoke of
experience and age.
And
he fought alongside the men who battled her brother.
Galena
flinched at another blast and hugged the limp body she cradled tight. As the
light dimmed, she uncurled from her burden.
Another
woman, her long blond hair stark against Galena’s black tunic and leggings, and
her sightless eyes aimed at the heavens.
No.
Surely not. Reese crept closer, pressure building at his temples. The zings and
thunder of battle rumbled louder, and his gut clenched.
Phybe.
She’d been alive when Reese left her, tucked away in a zeolite mine where Maxis
couldn’t trace her link. He touched down in the thick carpet of leaves at
Galena’s right and dropped his mask. “I failed her.”
Galena
jerked and reached for something beneath one leg. “Who are you?”
Smudges
marked Phybe’s ashen face, her blue gown torn and satin slippers stained.
Somehow Maxis had found her and finished the job he’d sent Reese to do. “He’ll
kill me for trying to save her.”
More
strikes burst through the thick residual smoke, the malran’s fighters airborne
and casting one attack after another. Fewer than twenty rebellion men still
lived, half retreating north.
“A
cause that fights without honor isn’t worth fighting, is it?” he said.
Galena
straightened and squared her shoulders. “I’d have a hard time counting on honor
from any man who fights with Maxis.”
“You’re
right. I gave that up the moment I agreed to his schemes.” He crouched beside
them.
Galena
tensed and tightened her grip on whatever she hid beneath her leg.
Reese
palmed Phybe’s forehead, cool and lifeless. May your journey be swift and
your spirit find peace with The Great One. The same Myren prayer he’d
offered his mother when she’d drawn her last breath. He stepped back. Maybe it
was time to find his own peace. On his own terms. “You don’t remember me do
you?”
She
shook her head. A terse, barely-there jerk as she eased from beneath her dead
charge, crouched on the balls of her feet and coiled for escape.
“My
name is Reese Theron.”
She
froze, flashes of light from the battle winking off the edge of her blade. She
assessed him head to toe, no spark of recognition.
Maybe
if he’d been braver all those years ago, he’d have had a chance with her. Or
broken his vow and killed Maxis himself when he’d had the chance. He shook the
memories off. He’d taken the wrong path and now it was time to pay. “Call your
guards. Make sure they know you’re in danger.”
A
gunshot rattled the skies and a woman’s blood-curdling scream sounded across
the battlefield.
Galena
lurched to a stand and then stopped, zigzagging her attention between the
shouts along the battlefield and Phybe’s body.
Now
was his chance. Either he took the brave farewell, or he’d die by Maxis’ hands.
“Your face is a good one to remember. Go with The Great One, Galena.” He shot
to the sky and built a violent ball of energy in his palm, sharp tendrils
darting from its center. Drawing back, he aimed the bogus attack at Galena.
Surely The Great One would understand.
An
elite guard spun from across the skies and drew back for counter- attack.
Reese
braced for impact.
A
streak of auburn flashed below him. Galena, spearing through the air, her
trajectory centered between the elite and Reese.
The
energy in his palm fizzled. Not her. Not Galena.
Lightning
fired from the elite’s palm, sheered past Galena’s cheek, and pierced his
shoulder. He jerked and spasmed, locked in place by the force of the strike.
Blue-black spots dotted his vision and his lungs seized.
A
woman’s scream ripped through the air.
Wind
whipped around him, dead weight as he fell, and darkness took
over.
About
the Author:
Rhenna Morgan writes for the same
reason she reads—to escape reality.
Yes, her life rocks—two beautiful
little girls, a great husband, a steady job, and the kind of friends that would
take you out back if you hurt her. But, like most women, she’s got obligations
stacked tight from dusk to dawn. So, when the world gets her down, she slips
into something…less realistic.
Romance is a must. So is a steamy
romp (or four). Nothing thrills her more than the fantasy of new, exciting
worlds, strong, intuitive men, and the sigh of, “Oh if only that could happen
to me.”
So, if you’re picking up one of
her books, expect portals into alternate realms and men who’ll fight to keep
the women they want. Romantic escape for the women who need it.
Interview:
Interview:
Where are you from?
I
live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. If you’re not familiar with the area, a lot of people
refer to it as Green Country, which is pretty accurate. Unlike Oklahoma City which
is more central to the state, Tulsa is closer to the Northeast corner and has a
lot more hills than some of our “plains” neighbors.
Tell us your latest news?
Well,
you’ve probably figured out that Healing Eden, book two in The Eden Series is now live!
Even more exciting is that we have an official date for book three, Waking
Eden, slated for July 26th,
2016. Not nearly as long of a wait as what we had between books one and two. I
expect the final book, Eden’s Deliverance, to follow about six months after.
When and why did you begin writing?
You
know that little voice in your head that keeps after you to do things? That’s
how writing romance was for me. I’ve been a writer for as long as I can
remember—short stories in school, music, you name it! Every time I’d pick up a
book (which was, and still is, often), that little voice would tell me, “You
should write a book.” Finally, I gave in…and it was magic. I haven’t quit
since.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
You
know, I have to give Kristen Lamb props on this one. (For those of you who
don’t know, she’s a social media maven who’s encouraged, nurtured, guided all
kinds of writers over the last several years.) I’d been writing about a year
and was shopping my book for an agent. During one of her online conferences,
she said, “If you’re writing, you’re a writer. There is no aspiring writer. You
either are, or you’re not.”
You
know what? She’s right. And after that moment, when people would ask me, “What
do you do?” I’d answer, “I’m a writer.”
What inspired you to write your first book?
The
aforementioned voice. Now, granted, it took about two years of that voice nudging
me to try. I’d been selling real estate at the time, which gave me LOADS of
time to daydream. The story I played with as I drove around fed a lot of the
first book in The Eden Series, Unexpected Eden.
Do you have a specific writing style?
Hmmm.
That’s tough. So far, I’m a third person writer, and tend to show both the hero
and the heroine’s point of view. What’s a little different for some people, is
that I also show the villain. Call me weird, but as a reader, I kind of like
watching the two threads and their impending collision. It kind of turns me
into the gawking bystander and draws me deeper into the story.
How did you come up with the title?
Ack.
Titles. Sometimes they’re super easy and sometimes they’re the very devil.
Surprisingly, after coming up with Unexpected Eden’s title, all the other stories in the series
have been easy peasy. I just figured out what the main focus of the story
was—in this case, healing, or redemption—and plunked it at the front.
Is there a message in your novel that you want
readers to grasp?
Always.
And for this book in particular, it’s super important. No one is beyond
redemption.
How much of the book is realistic?
Well,
in terms of the world, probably not much. Healing Eden takes place almost
exclusively in Eden and they’ve got some mighty impressive powers. After
reading the story, though, some of my beta readers have said they’ve caught
themselves wondering if they have their own Spiritu.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events
in your own life?
Not
in this one. In book one, Lexi dreaming of her powers came from a dream I’d
had, but that’s the only tie to the series. The rest is all purely Rhenna’s
overactive (and sometimes wishful) imagination.
What books have most influenced your life most?
In
the paranormal genre, I’d say Christine Feehan’s Dark series, and JR Ward’s
Black Dagger Brotherhood. Those were the two that really sparked my imagination
and made me think beyond the real world. They’re both extremely creative and
beautiful writers.
If you had to choose, which writer would you
consider a mentor?
Oh,
boy. Here comes my girl crush. J
Hands
down, Kristen Ashely. I love her writing, and I love her books, but more than
that, she just seems to be a kick ass lady. Very genuine and open, and someone
I’d love to model myself after.
What book are you reading now?
I’m
just about to start the third book in one of my close writer pal’s latest
contemporary series, The Gilded Chain by Lauren Smith. Lauren writes all kinds
of romance—Paranormal, Contemporary, and Historical. She definitely keeps our
local writers group hopping.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your
interest?
I’m
not sure if you can call her new or not. Maybe new to me? We started publishing
around the same time, but Juliette Cross is the bomb on paranormal. Everything I’ve read from
her I’ve gobbled up in no time. Seriously, if you love well written stories with
heroes to freaking DIE for, grab one of her books. Anything. Seriously, she’s
that good.
What are your current projects?
At
the moment, I’m halfway through writing the final book in The Eden Series, Eden’s
Deliverance, but I’ve also got a new
contemporary series in the works. It’s The Haven Brotherhood series and my
husband loving refers to it as, “The Crossfire series meets Sons of
Anarchy.” J
What would you like my readers to know?
My
stories are all about escapism. Like most women today, I’ve got more irons in
the fire than I know what to do with. When I read, I want to turn all of that
off. I want a heroine who’s smart. I want an alpha hero who will sweep me off
my feet along with the heroine and make me sigh. So, if that’s your gig too,
I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy the stories I’ve lined up. I hope you’ll pick up a
copy of Healing Eden,
and if you haven’t already, it’s predecessor, Unexpected Eden. Everyone deserves a trip to paradise,
right?
https://twitter.com/rhennamorgan
(@RhennaMorgan)
Tour
giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
open international
Eden Series Prize Pack(US Only) –
Signed print copies of Unexpected Eden and Healing Eden, an Eden Series Coffee
Mug, Eden Series Tote, Stylus/Pen, and Post-its.
This is such a great giveaway, would love to win!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting me today! <3
ReplyDeleteThank you for informing me about this book.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a great series! I would love to check them out!
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