"Inspire" by Cora Carmack.(Photo: Cora Carmack)
USA TODAY and New York Times bestselling author Cora Carmack is making her first foray into paranormal romance with her latest release, Inspire. This New Adult paranormal delivers a story about an immortal muse, Kalliope, who is over the whole living forever thing. Nothing ever changes. She meets an artist, she works her magic, she moves on. Again and again. She wants something real, something different.
Enter Wilder Bell, who's everything she wants ... but Kalli is the last thing he needs. If she stays, she might finally know what it's like to really live, but she could ruin Wilder's life in the process.
Expect Inspire to be a little dark, definitely sexy, with some suspense and humor and a great balance of both world-building and romance.
I'm so excited to be able to share a never-before-seen excerpt from Inspire, below the synopsis.
Synopsis
Kalliope lives with one purpose.
To inspire.
As an immortal muse, she doesn't have any other choice. It's part of how she was made.
Musicians, artists, actors—they use her to advance their art, and she uses them to survive. She moves from one artist to the next, never staying long enough to get attached. But all she wants is a different life— a normal one. She's spent thousands of years living lie after lie, and now she's ready for something real.
Sweet, sexy, and steady, Wilder Bell feels more real than anything else in her long existence.
And most importantly… he's not an artist. He doesn't want her for her ability. But she can't turn off the way she influences people, not even to save a man she might love. Because in small doses, she can help make something beautiful, but her ability has just as much capacity to destroy as it does to create. The longer she stays, the more obsessed Wilder will become. It's happened before, and it never turns out well for the mortal.
Her presence may inspire genius.
But it breeds madness, too.
Excerpt
I've never allowed regret a foothold in my life. There's no point, not when you live as long as I do. If you miss out on something in one century, you'll catch it the next time history decides on a replay. Forever means unlimited opportunities to get things right.
But now I can taste the regret, clogging up my lungs and lining my throat. I'm very nearly choking on it because this, Wilder, is not something that history will ever repeat. It's now or it's never.
"Thanks for the ride, Kalli."
The whole car shudders with the thud of his door closing, and his strides up the sidewalk toward the house on the far right are quick, one step down from a jog.
Before I can think about it long enough to weigh the pros and cons, I turn off the car and bolt after him. I run. I've never in my existence run after anything. There was never that kind of urgency. Generally, if I'm running, I'm running away. Maybe it's the invisible cord around me buzzing with approval, but it feels right that Wilder should be the one that changes that.
"Wait. Wilder, wait!"
He's ascending the small flight of stairs to the front porch by the time I catch up to him. He turns, and I slow as I climb those last few steps. Time gets away from me then, making a mockery of all my thoughts of it being my constant. The seconds skip like a scratched record, and my heart jerks just as unpredictably in my chest. I take the one final step to put me beside him on the porch. There's a lantern suspended to the left of the door, and the glow reflects off his face, catching on his blond curls and turning them a reddish gold.
His expression is wary, but it's not as dark as it had been in the car. His hand is outstretched, paused in the act of reaching for the door handle, and I'm so terrified that he'll finish the movement and escape inside before I can put my thoughts into words that I step in front of him, blocking the way.
I take a breath, try to ignore the thunderstorm of emotions in my chest and say, "I'm sorry." When in doubt, apologize, right? "I know that you're angry."
His brows knit together, and that darkness is creeping back into his expression and his stance. I rush on to add, "I don't know how to say this. I don't know how to do any of this. But I—" Oh gods. There's no turning back after I say this. I'm at the ledge, and I either back away or leap over. There's no in between. My feet say jump. My knees and my hips and my belly and my breasts—they're all dying to move forward, to close the distance and reclaim that spot in his arms. But my head holds out.
Because this … experiment isn't just about me. He should have a say in this. But I can't explain, and even if I could, he wouldn't understand. If I'm wrong, if I'm unable to keep the two halves of my life separate … he'll be the one to pay the price.
"I—" The words won't come. They just won't. I look at him, lost and sorry and wanting, and then he takes the choice from me.
One large hand presses into my stomach, pushing me back against the outer glass door. The glass is cold even through the layers of clothes, but his hand is warm as it slips from my abdomen to my side. His body crowds mine, and I love the way he towers over me. The thread between us is nearly electric now, and it winds tighter and tighter as he moves closer. He plants a hand next to me on the door, and dips down enough that his forehead rests against mine. This close, our noses touch and our gazes collide, and I can feel his exhale on my lips.
I feel the urge to beg. For what… I don't even know. For something. For him.
"Yes or no, Kalli. You don't get it one moment at a time. Not anymore. I can't f***ing take that. You're in or you're out."
—
Inspire is out Dec. 15, and you can pre-order the book exclusively on iTunes. Read more about Inspire in the New Adult Paranormal Spotlight on Vilma's Book Blog. To learn more about Cora Carmack and her books, visit coracarmack.blogspot.com.
Vilma Gonzalez is a blogger, reader, marketer, wife and mom. She has an insatiable appetite for happily ever afters and a deep love of the written word. You can find more about her and read full book reviews at Vilma's Book Blog. Please e-mail Vilma at loveinsuspense@gmail.com about content related to this column. Due to the volume of mail, e-mails may not be answered personally, but all will be read.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1CXsh02
0 comments:
Post a Comment