by Sheritta Bitikofer
Release date: January 10th, 2025
Genres: Adult, New Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Blurb:
His world was dark until she brought the light…
Chloe Kaspin has two dreams. Find a quiet place to recover from an abusive ex-boyfriend, and to make a living as a writer. The first dream is fulfilled when she inherits her beloved aunt’s cabin in the Georgia mountains. Now the second dream is up to her. Then she finds mysterious notes critiquing her work. Has a dangerous stranger managed to invade her refuge? Or is her cabin as haunted as the townsfolk say it is?
Gavin Caras immigrated from England to Georgia in 1733. While pursuing his dream of being a writer, his entire family is wiped out by a mysterious infection. Only Gavin survives, not only alone, but with a hunger that can only be satisfied by blood. For generations, he’s managed to hide in the basement of the cabin he built. But now his cabin is occupied by a woman who shares at least one of his passions: the world of the written word. Late one night, he finally reveals himself to her, not a ghost, but a man driven by an unholy hunger, a passion he would die to end if he could.
The autumn winds may be chilly but Gavin warms Chloe’s heart. Then children go missing in the nearby town. Has Gavin been lying to Chloe? She’s willing to help him find a way to end his blood-lust, but the cost may be too high. Chloe and Gavin can’t rewrite the past. Can they survive to write a new future together?
Purchase:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/
Excerpt:
“You needn’t change your schedule for my sake,” he said. She detected a quiver of a laugh in his voice, and it made her weak. “I would have preferred that you spend that time working on your novel.”
A frown formed between Chloe’s brows. He spoke as if he was her tutor or mentor rather than a colleague or—dare she think it—a friend. “Why is that so important to you?” she asked.
Just as she finished her question, her clumsy hand made the serrated edge of the knife slip across the smooth skin of the tomato and straight into her left index finger. Blood had been drawn.
Chloe hissed and dropped the knife in order to grip her finger. And all at once, the room began to spin. She wasn’t squeamish at the sight of blood, and the wound wasn’t deep enough to cause any debilitating pain.
What made her feel faint was the knowledge that Gavin was in the cabin, and fresh blood had been drawn just several feet away. Chloe’s whole body trembled, knowing these few stuttered breaths may be her last.
She had no idea what kind of control Gavin had over his hunger, and this was not part of her plan to find out. In fact, she never wanted to find out at all.
Chloe turned and looked to Gavin, whose full attention was fixed on her. The lines on his face had gone hard, and his muscles tightened like a predator ready to pounce. But he didn’t pounce. Instead, he took gliding steps forward, his shoes finally making the soft tapping noise that she had expected to hear all along.
As Gavin drew closer, she knew the smart thing would be to move away. Instead, she felt as if her body was not her own. Her legs moved without her bidding, turning her whole body to face him. And there she froze, fixated in one spot.
Chloe had never experienced a heart attack, but she imagined it felt similar to what was going on in her body at that exact moment. Not only because of how intimidating Gavin was, but also how handsome and still unabashedly captivating. She felt her heart would explode with the intense feelings that swelled in her constricted chest.
But she didn’t explode or even implode. She just stood there, shaking and holding her finger as blood oozed into her palm.
Then she noticed a change in Gavin’s eyes. The once brilliant green was growing darker and darker until his irises were completely black and expanding out to plume over the white around it. He was nearly on top of her when she saw the red ring, as bright and fierce as a roaring flame, take the place of the green she’d come to love.
What stared back at her were not the eyes of a handsome man but a vicious vampire. His lips parted ever so slightly and she could see his saliva glisten on his pointed fangs.
If Chloe had any control whatsoever, she would have lost it completely anyway. If it weren’t for the mysterious force that kept her standing, she’d have fallen into a puddle on the kitchen floor.
She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t think. Her core tightened for a few seconds as if to squeeze out the small tear that trickled down from the corner of her eye. She felt it glide over her cheek, cold and leaving a moist trail behind it. Could he see her cry? Did he care?
He was so close now; close enough to see the pores on his skin. Would he bite her now? Rip out her throat? Or just suck on her finger until there was nothing left in her whole body?
No. He did none of those things. Instead, he reached out and peeled back her hand that was holding her injured finger to reveal the mess beneath. Both palms were covered in her blood; the deep cut pounding sore and stinging. His touch was hot on her skin, burning and tingling with every stroke.
He took her injured hand and eyed it with an otherworldly fascination as if he hadn’t seen human blood before. Perhaps he hadn’t. Or maybe it had been too long since his last human meal that he’d forgotten.
Something broke the spell over his concentration, and Gavin looked towards the counter. There sat a roll of paper towels. He reached out and tore off a sheet, then began to clean up her wound.
“Do you have a first aid kit?” he asked.
GIVEAWAY
Blitz-wide giveaway (INT) ends January 23
- A signed paperback of Passions, a candle, coffee tumbler, sticker, and a pair of fluffy reading socks
AUTHOR BIO:
An author of paranormal and urban fantasy fiction, Sheritta Bitikofer lives for the deep, engaging stories that enthrall readers from cover to cover. As a wife and fur-mama of eclectic tastes, she can be found roaming Civil War battlefields, perusing the romance section of the bookstore, or relaxing with a plate of chili cheese fries.
Take a look at the books she has available and stay tuned for new releases.
Also visit her official author website at: www.sherittabitikofer.com and her writing blog at www.moonstruckwriting.
Author links:
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