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Title: Reaper's Novice (Soul Collector #1)
Author: Cecilia Roberts
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
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Book Description:
17- year- old Ana Maria Tei’s life has always been perfect: loving parents, good grades, and a future so bright it outshone the sun. But now words like “separation” and “divorce” are sending her world plummeting to hell. Determined to keep her family intact, Ana plans a family-bonding trip from Vienna to Tuscany. Except fate has other plans. Ana’s parents and siblings are killed in a car accident on their way to pick Ana up from school.
Enter Grim, aka Ernest. He promises to relinquish the four souls if Ana agrees to trade her soul for theirs and serve a lifetime as his novice. In order for Ana to graduate from her Reaper’s Novice station to a Soul Collector graduate, Grim puts her to test. To her horror, she finds out becoming a Reaper’s Novice didn’t happen by chance. It was preordained, and she is forced to make a choice: save her family’s souls or come to terms with who she really is and complete the task set for her.
17- year- old Ana Maria Tei’s life has always been perfect: loving parents, good grades, and a future so bright it outshone the sun. But now words like “separation” and “divorce” are sending her world plummeting to hell. Determined to keep her family intact, Ana plans a family-bonding trip from Vienna to Tuscany. Except fate has other plans. Ana’s parents and siblings are killed in a car accident on their way to pick Ana up from school.
Enter Grim, aka Ernest. He promises to relinquish the four souls if Ana agrees to trade her soul for theirs and serve a lifetime as his novice. In order for Ana to graduate from her Reaper’s Novice station to a Soul Collector graduate, Grim puts her to test. To her horror, she finds out becoming a Reaper’s Novice didn’t happen by chance. It was preordained, and she is forced to make a choice: save her family’s souls or come to terms with who she really is and complete the task set for her.
Book Excerpt:
It’s almost two
in the morning when Zig appears to escort me home. He hovers on the doorway,
his arms folded across his broad chest. “You don’t need to,” I say.
His eyebrows
shoot up. “Are you planning on walking home?”
I cross my arms
over my chest. “I can make it to my room without your help. I picked up a few
things during practise, you know.”
“Can you,
really?” He swaggers into the room. “A gentleman always sees the lady home and safely tucked in bed. Safely.”
I roll my eyes
as I tug the edge of my skirt lower. It’s so tiny it should be declared
illegal. My dinner gown was disposed of, or so I was told. Don’t they have
washing machines? I really loved that gown. “I’m not in the mood to argue,
Zig.”
He halts before
me, eyebrows raised, and smiles. “What are you in the mood for?”
“My
mood,” I snatch the clutch bag from the bed, “has nothing to do with you.” I’m
not sure the little shifting knowledge I mustered will help me reach home. All
I know is I want to get far away from Grim’s castle, lose myself, and not think
about tonight’s dinner. Even if it means getting lost shifting back home.
I brush past him
and towards the door. His strong fingers wrap around my wrist, yanking me
around. He narrows his eyes. “I have a theory.”
My heart thumps
violently until I feel as if my chest will rupture. Sweat beads on my forehead.
Does he know what happened in the library? I clear my throat and lift my chin
forwards. “What theory?”
“You’re trying
to pick a fight with me. Have to warn you, though, I always win.”
“What?” I squeak. My legs almost buckle
in relief.
It happens so
fast I don’t have enough time to process his actions. He slips one arm on my
waist, and the other glides up my back until his hand holds my head firmly in
place. I blink, and his lips are on mine, kissing me. Kissing me!
What on earth? I
twist my body to raise my arms. Too late. They are trapped between our bodies.
Considering his height, bulk, and strength, which I feel pressing onto my
bones, I’m at a disadvantage. His arm and hand are like steel around my waist
and head. How had I not seen this coming? I stop my struggles, hoping he’ll get
the hint. He doesn’t. His kisses taste like curiosity and peppermint. The eyes
staring into mine gleam with amusement and… a challenge.
This is nothing
close to Rolf’s sensual, toe-curling kisses. And I have a feeling Zig won’t
stop anytime soon.
I lift my
high-heeled foot and slam it down on his. Immediately, his lips leave mine. He
takes a step back, a grin on his face. Is he made of stone? I’m sure I used a lot of force.
“What the hell
do you think you’re doing?” I brush my tingling lips with the back of my
trembling hand.
“Cheering you
up.” He shoves his hands inside his pants pockets.
Heat spreads all
over my body until I feel as though I’ll explode into thousands of pieces. It
pools on my fisted hands, tangling with tonight’s frustration build-up. I lift
my right arm and swing. It lands perfectly on his chin, and I curse my height
for the misplaced aim. I was aiming for the nose. He smiles wider, as if I
patted him.
“Don’t you ever
kiss me again, Zig. Ever.” My
knuckles are on fire, and moisture gathers at the corners of my eyes. I swallow
the tears threatening to spill.
“You enjoyed it. Your eyes say so.”
Before I can
stop myself, I swing my left arm. It lands on his chest. His body doesn’t budge
an inch.
“You can do
better than that, lovely Ana.”
My tolerance
quota of the day has been reached and surpassed. “Are you angering me on
purpose?”
“Clearly, it’s
working.” He holds his palms up, facing me, legs braced to balance his weight.
“Come on.” With hands raised like he’s some sort of trainer, he looks hot.
I bite my lip as
I stare at him. “Why are you doing this?”
He shrugs, still
grinning, and beckons me with his hands. I kick my heels to the side and fold
my hands into fists. Tiny fists compared to his huge ones. I swing anyway.
Five minutes
later, I stop and lean forwards, wheezing unhealthily. Was that the best I
could do? Five minutes and breathing like I’ll drop dead in the next second? So
disgusting.
“You fight like
a girl.”
I gulp air, lift
my head, and glare at Zig. “I am a
girl.”
He chuckles and
pats my shoulder. “A girl who desperately needs fighting lessons.”
My chest is on
fire. “Why would I need those?” I wince as I massage my knuckles. I doubt my
fingers will manage to hold a pen in class in the morning. I should’ve taken
those defence classes Lea slaved away to complete two years ago. They seemed
like torture back then.
“Eternity is a
very long time. People tend to get bored doing nothing. Feeling better?”
“Extremely
invigorated.” I wanted to punch something during the course of the night. This
was a great escape. My breathing regulates. “Wasn’t there another way to get me
all worked up instead of kissing me?”
“I was thinking
on my feet.” He grins, brushing a thumb along his lips.
“Well, next time
try to think while sitting,” I snap at him.
“Oh, come on.
Don’t be angry with me. Let’s get you home.”
Seconds later,
we’re standing inside my bedroom. He strides towards the door, lifts his hand
in a small arc, and mutters under his breath to un-spell my door.
I really need to
learn that.
“You look
exhausted. Need help with anything?” he asks, stretching his long body.
“Can you change
forms and attend class for me in the morning?”
He chuckles.
“Sorry, can’t help you there, lovely Ana. I was never good in keeping with
school rules.”
Author Bio:
Cecilia Robert lives in Vienna with her two children, has an
incurable obsession with books, anything romantic, TV and medieval
architecture. When not working in her full time job, catching up with her two
children, writing or reading, she can be found, knitting or crocheting, taking
photos of old buildings.
Amazon Buy Link: Buy at Amazon
Links:
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5263768
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cecilia-Robert/e/B005X9UR74/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1363650960&sr=8-1
Blog/Web: http://cecereadandwrite.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CeCeMR
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