Synopsis
Malek and Gina are two vampires with big problems and pasts they can't let go of. Malek has never dealt with and accepted the death of his first mate, Carmen, and Gina has never been able to let go of the pain she suffered at the hands of her first mate, an abusive half-Dacian named Arman. But now that Malek and Gina have met, they had better start getting over their pasts, and fast, because Gina is Malek's new mate, and she's on the run from a pair of Dacian hunter-assassins out for blood vengeance.
Neither Gina nor Malek are eager to see her fill the role of mate, but biology and Mother Nature don't want to hear their excuses. The longer Malek and Gina fight the bond between them, the more they will suffer. Will they be able to get over their painful pasts and accept the healing they can give to each other before it's too late, or will they wait too long and lose each other forever?
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Malek has had 10 lifetimes to accept the death of his first mate Carmen, but he never could. Now that he has meet Gina, Sev's would be assassin, he has to decide if he can finally come to terms with Carmens death and move on. But being stuck in the past for so long he's not sure he wants to allow the truth to sink in and set him free.
Gina nearly made a fatal mistake when she came to Chicago to avenge to brother, but what she found there could break her, if she hadn't already been broken in the worst possible way. Her past is more horrible than most can imagine, and she thought she had dealt with it until Malek came along. Can these two broken souls come together and heal each other or will their pasts forever taint them?
Along with the story of Gina and Malek we also get sucked into the world of the AKM even more. Seeing characters we've already come to love in books past as well as new characters whom have made quite a splash and will no doubt make future books even more interesting. Return of the Assassin was jam packed with action and intrigue and another great story of the power love can have between to people. I have enjoyed each AKM book more and more and will anxiously await the next installment in this series. This time around though I do suggest keeping a few tissues at the ready, the emotional inpact from this one will do a number on ya!!
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Grand Prize #1: Coach bag and a $50 Amazon gift card
Grand Prize #2: The newest version of the Kindle Paper White, leather cover (winner's choice of color), and an AKM blanket
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AUTHOR BIO: Donya Lynne is the author of the award winning All the King's Men Series. Making her home in a wooded suburb north of Indianapolis with her husband, Donya has lived in Indiana most of her life and knew at a young age that she was destined to be a writer. She started writing poetry in grade school and won her first short story contest in fourth grade. In junior high, she began writing romantic stories for her friends, and by her sophomore year, they had dubbed her Most Likely to Become a Romance Novelist. In 2012, she made that dream come true by publishing her first two novels and two novellas. She has several more stories planned for the AKM Series, as well as two sister series that are in development.
Author Interview
What inspired you to write your first book?
I've been writing poetry and short stories since first grade, but it wasn't until after I saw The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers that I was inspired to write my first novel. I was fascinated by the elves and the idea of immortality and magical existence. And since I'm ultimately a romance writer, this tale of undying love that spans hundreds of years invaded my mind. I'm still working on that novel, which was the first in a series, but the concept is very complicated, and I'm not ready to finish it, yet. Besides, I'm too steeped in my All the King's Men (AKM) world to stop and work on that series right now.
As for the first book in AKM (Rise of the Fallen), I was inspired by multiple factors: 1) Micah Black was a roleplay character of mine for about a year and I had started writing his story in roleplay format in an online writing group. But then Micah told me he wanted to change things up and make it into a novel, so I did what he told me. 2) I was in a dark place in my life at the time I wrote Rise of the Fallen, and writing Micah's journey, which was so similar to my own, was therapeutic. He and I helped each other overcome our demons. 3) The song Hollow Life, by Korn, was the primary musical inspiration for the first half of the book. I was driving down the road, and that song came up in my music rotation, and I was hit by a vivid scene of Micah perched on his balcony in the cold, naked, void of emotion. It was very powerful.
What book are you reading now?
I'm reading Games People Play by Shelby Reed (excellent book for writers who want to learn how to paint word pictures), The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski, and Intuitive Living by Andrei Riedgeway. But my TBR list is massive.
Are there any new authors who have grasped your interest?
I have fallen in love with Gayle Forman. Oh my God, you have to read Just One Day. She is my new favorite author, hands down. I will everything she writes. I am so moved and inspired to write after I read one of her books. Another author I've recently discovered is Darynda Jones. She has found a way to make the paranormal fresh again…and still as sexy. And I just started reading a book by Shelby Reed called Games People Play, and after only one chapter, I think I've found someone with a very special writing style. She has a way of effortlessly building word pictures, and I LOVE that she writes in third person. So many books now are written in first, which makes it hard for authors like me, who write in third, to find mentors. Shelby Reed gives me new hope in third person POV.
Do you do an outline before writing your books or just go with the flow?
Both. I create what I call a "living outline," but the characters ultimately dictate the story. Sometimes they want to follow my outline, and sometimes they want to do their own thing. But I've learned if I don't listen to them, they shut the story down until I do.
Do you ever feel as though you are one of the characters you're writing?
Yes. I'm all of my characters. Let me explain. According to psychoanalysis, every book/character a writer writes reflects something of him- or herself. I just wrote a blog post that talked about this concept, as a matter of fact. When I wrote Rise of the Fallen, I was in a similarly dark place as Micah was, and his life reflected mine in so many ways. I was severely depressed, just like he was. His mental state was very much like mine at the beginning of the story. In Heart of the Warrior, both Severin and Arion struggled with revealing their true selves for fear of how others would treat them. This has been a common theme in my life, as well, because I am admittedly different. In Rebel Obsession, Miriam had to overcome an overbearing father, much like I did in my own life, and Io had to find a way to discard old beliefs for new ones. Again, that's something I've done. In Return of the Assassin, both Malek and Gina must overcome tragic, painful pasts to embrace the future. This is exactly what I'm working through in my own life. So, I guess you could say that each character is a reflection of a piece of me in some way.
Do you have a favorite scene in Return of the Assassin or one of your other books?
I have favorite scenes in every book. In Return of the Assassin, my favorite scene comes a little over halfway in, when Malek and Gina are having an intimate conversation. This scene starts when Gina realizes Malek is watching her read, and it extends to the end of the chapter. I also loved the climactic scenes in Return of the Assassin. I never saw them going the way they did until I wrote them, and the characters really hit a home run. Those scenes were the culmination of multiple characters working together to bring about one awesome, explosive climax.
In Rise of the Fallen, my favorite scene was toward the beginning, when Micah was perched naked on the banister. In Heart of the Warrior, my favorite scenes were Sev's and Ari's first love scene, when Ari got embarrassed, and the climactic scene when Ari was pleading with Sev not to die. In Rebel Obsession, one of my favorite scenes was when Sev and Trace showed up to save Io from the king's guards. Io refers to Sev as "Eighties Hair Band" in that scene, and Trace was spot-on perfect. I still laugh when I read that scene.
Is there a tentative release date for Trace's book?
Nope. I've got the first two Mark Strong books to finish, along with an AKM mini-prequel and the first of a series of stand-alone novels, but I'm drafting Bound Guardian Angel now. I refuse to let a year pass before Trace's book, but I have also vowed not to rush it. His story is too important to rush. But I already have about 50,000 words written, and a whole gaggle of notes, and the draft is speeding along much faster than the one for Return of the Assassin. Hopefully by the beginning of 2014 I'll have an idea on the timeline for Trace's book, as well as the mini-prequel and book on of the Mark Strong Chronicles.
Any chances of a teaser for Trace or a deleted scene for Return of the Assassin?
I can give you a portion of the drafted opening chapter of Bound Guardian Angel, as long as everybody keeps in mind that THIS IS ONLY A DRAFT and can change by the time the manuscript is finalized. In fact, it might very well change, but the concept will remain. In the following excerpt, Cordray has gone in search of an underground fight club known as Grudge Match, where she has discovered that at least four vampires were taken for use in Bishop's nasty lab experiments that she and the others found out about in Rebel Obsession. She is trying to work her way in to investigate while undercover. But before she is allowed to join the club, she has to defeat a trial known as the Gauntlet. Please keep in mind that this is still in the draft phase and could change by the time the book is published. Warning: Strong language and profanity are part of the excerpt.
"So you came to fight, huh?" he said, breathing in her face.
He needed a mint.
"Isn't that why they call it the Gauntlet?" She did not like this guy pulling on her braids.
"I think you want the GAP," he said. "This place isn't for dainty things and little women."
"Then what are you doing here, dick face?"
For a split-second, she thought he might laugh, but instead he scowled and pulled her hair harder. "That's some mouth you've got there, pretty thing." He gave her braids a sharp tug.
She'd had about enough with the hair.
"Since you're so keen on thinking I'm too much of a sissy to be here, let me clue you in on a little something," she said. "You never touch a lady's hair."
"Is that so?" His grip on her hair tightened. "And just what are you going to do about it?"
Oh, this mother fucker was so done.
"I don't think you understood me," she said.
He encroached farther into her personal space. "Then maybe you should spell it out for me."
This asshole was worse than Trace, if that was even possible.
"I said…" She made a fist and felt the metal of the brass knuckles bite into her palm. "DON'T!" Punch! "FUCKING!" Punch! "TOUCH!" Punch! "MY!" Punch! "HAIR!" Punch! She punctuated each word with a blow to his face that sent him backward then down to the ground. With the last strike to his nose, his head bounced back and smacked the wet pavement, knocking him out cold.
But at least he no longer had a lock on her hair.
She kicked his hand away, took a deep breath, straightened, and blew it out. "I warned you."
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