Of Blood and Bone by Courtney Cole Guest Post + Giveaway

Of Blood and Bone by Courtney Cole 

The Minaldi Legacy, #1

Release date: September 16, 2012

Genre and Age Group: (Ex. Fantasy/YA):  Women’s Contemporary/Dark Romance 

Purchase Of Blood and Bone

http://www.courtneycolewrites.com

Love is dangerous…



“I’m a monster, Eva. There is no saving a monster. But I love that you want to try.”
My heart constricts at the expression on his face. He has no hope for himself, so I have to hope for him.


“You’re not a monster,” I argue softly. “You’re a man, Luca. A man like any other, you’re made of blood and bone.”



As a little boy, Luca Minaldi was told he was a monster. 
As an adult, he knows it is true. 



He lives in Malta, a fairytale-like place filled with sunshine and sea, beauty and secrets. And Luca’s darkest of secrets is the best kept of them all. 



Eva Talbot is spending the summer in Malta to finish up her doctoral dissertation. When she meets Luca, a mysterious and handsome shipping tycoon, there is an instant attraction, a disturbing and beautiful energy that she has never felt before. But she senses the darkness that lives within him. 



Eva is hired to care for his mother, who suffers from dementia, but it is Luca who Eva will eventually risk everything to save. Her life becomes a swirling chaos of darkness and romance, of secrets and mystery. And the question that emerges will become the most important answer of all. 



Can she save Luca from the darkness that plagues him without losing herself? 



The answer is a matter of life or death.

Courtney Cole as You’ve Never Seen Her

So, you may know that my Twitter handle is @CourtwritesYA.  The YA, of course, stands for Young Adult.  I’ve written ten books and all of them are YA and NA.  EXCEPT for my newest release, Of Blood and Bone. 

What the heck?  Courtney Cole wrote adult fiction??  This seems to be a common question that I’m hearing this past week or two.   And the answer is…. Heck yeah, I did.   Of Blood and Bone contains a LOT of adult content…racy sex, seduction, violence.  There’s even some blood.   You know, the good stuff.  And it is not PG-13 in any way, shape or form.  

Why did I do this?   Well.  Simply put… I wanted to.  

One day, a couple of years ago, I was watching Dexter (the Showtime series about a serial killer) and for some reason, a storyline popped into my head about a woman who fell in love with a serial killer.  The more I thought about it, the more I tweaked it.  It would be a dark romance, not a thriller.  The MC wouldn’t be a serial killer, but he would be someone with dark issues.  He would be good on the inside, but he would be ‘damaged’ and he would hate himself because of this ’affliction.’ I eventually decided that he would have some sort of a Dr.Jekyll/Mr.Hyde complex.  The story kept evolving.  

And eventually Of Blood and Bone was born.  But I didn’t write it right away.  I put it off because it is so not something a YA writer should write. To do it up the right way, it should contain everything that YA shouldn’t. 

But with the release of so much darker stuff this year, I decided that now was the time.  And so I wrote it.  And I love it.  In my opinion, it’s the best thing I’ve done so far.  The two things that I hear the most about it are:  “Wow!  I’ve never seen Courtney Cole like that!”  and “It was amazing-- I thought about that book for days after I read it.”  Both things make me smile…because you truly haven’t seen Courtney Cole quite like this.

And a short excerpt (from Eva’s point of view): 

“Evangeline,” he says softly, his dark eyes glued to mine. “I’m so sorry about the other night.  I wish I could remember.  I wish I could take it back.”
“I don’t,” I tell him honestly.  “I really don’t.”
He gazes out the window for a scant moment more, seemingly deep in thought, before he crosses the room to me.  He kneels in front of me and looks into my eyes.  In this moment, he is as vulnerable as I’ve ever seen him, as I’ve ever seen anyone. He’s completely open to me, hiding nothing.
I want so desperately to kiss him.
“I can’t,” I tell his dark eyes, praying that I don’t fall into them.  “I want to kiss you right now.  But I can’t. You’re my patient.  There are ethics…”
Luca shakes his head, his hands on my knees and his gaze upon mine.  “You aren’t my doctor, Evangeline.  You’re my friend.  I’m simply talking to a friend who wants to help me tonight.  You’re not licensed to practice medicine in Malta, remember?  So where does that leave your ethics?”
He smiles wolfishly and waits without moving.  He’s offering himself to me.  I know that.  And it is against his better judgment. He has told me that, as well.  Yet here he is, on his knees in front of me.
I suck in a breath and inhale the air that is so charged with everything that Luca is.
Whatever that is.
It is dangerous on many levels.  I know that.
I reach out unsure fingers and trace the top of his shoulders, moving over the contours.  They are so broad, yet so slender at once.  He’s perfectly built.  Strong, lithe and powerful.  I drop my head.  I know that I don’t want to resist him anymore.  For the first time in my life, I’m going to do something that my heart wants to do, not what my head tells me to do.
I grip him tighter with my fingers and pull him to me.  He folds in between my knees, pressing me to his chest.  I can hear his heart thumping rhythmically against mine as my fingers linger on his warm back.
He dips his head and presses his forehead to mine, staring into my eyes.  His are a smoldering and stormy black.
“I’m afraid to get close to you,” he tells me.  “I’m afraid for you.”
“I’m not,” I whisper.  “I’m not afraid of you.  Kiss me, Luca.”
Even I can hear the thick desire in my voice and Luca hears it too.
He groans and covers my mouth with his own, muffling the sound with my lips.  He is pressed so close that he seems to absorb me.  Every plane of his body is against every plane of mine.  I don’t know where he stops and where I start, but it doesn’t matter.  All that matters is him and me and this.

* * * 

That scene continues on to become quite steamy.  Seriously, I had a fan on my desk for writing moments like those.  Haha.  I’m just kidding.  Or am I?

Of Blood and Bone is the first book in new trilogy, The Minaldi Legacy.  It is available here on Amazon and here on Barnes and Noble.com

Check it out and see why people are saying, “Holy moly!  I’ve never seen Courtney Cole like that!!”

I really hope that when you do, you’ll like what you see.

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Giveaway:

(3) Swag Packs that includes a $10 Amazon gift card, a t-shirt, as well as misc. Courtney Cole swag. Open to US/Canada. Giveaway ends 10/6/2012.   

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Thank you AToMR Tours! :)

Dante's Girl by Courtney Cole + Giveaway!

I absolutely adored Courtney Cole's Every Last Kiss. Her new book, Dante's Girl just sounds fabulous! So, lovelies, I'm here to share you a little something something about Dante's Girl. ;)

Dante’s Girl by Courtney Cole

Release date: July 2012

Genre and Age Group: Young Adult  

I have spent every summer since I was ten years old with my father in London. Every summer, since I was ten years old, has been uneventful and boring. 

Until this year. 

And this year, after a freak volcanic eruption strands me far from home, I have learned these things:

1. I can make do with one outfit for three days before I buy new clothes. 

2. If I hear the phrase, “You’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” even one more time, I might become a homicidal maniac.

3. I am horribly and embarrassingly allergic to jellyfish.

4. I am in love with Dante Giliberti, who just happens to be the beautiful, sophisticated son of the Prime Minister of a Mediterranean paradise. 

5. See number four above. Because it brings with it a whole slew of problems and I’ve learned something from every one of them.

Let’s start with the fact that Dante’s world is five light-years away from mine. He goes to black-tie functions and knows the Prime Minister of England on a first name basis. I was born and raised on a farm in Kansas and wear cut-off jeans paired with cowboy boots. See the difference? 

But hearts don’t care about differences. Hearts want what they want. And mine just wants to be Dante’s girl. 

My heart just might be crazy.

Excerpt: 

Mia shows me how to get water out of the tube when it leaks in by blowing it out sharply.  She tells me that the most common problem is when new divers get flustered when water gets into their tubes.  I’m supposed to keep calm and simply blow the water out.  That’s a little difficult to do when I’m so completely focused on watching for sharks. 

We swim and after a few minutes, more like thirty, I start to feel more at ease.

Every once in a while, Mia reaches out and grabs my hand and pulls me to a different place where we watch tropical fish leisurely swim in their little schools.  Or a sea turtle gliding gracefully by.  Or colorful tropical plants waving in the current.   

Under the surface, the water is perfect and aqua and silent. There is no drama, there are no mean girls and best friends and boys that I shouldn’t have crushes on but do anyway.  

I sort of love it. 

I kick my legs, letting the water flow fluidly over me.  I am weightless here.  I am relaxed and I haven’t been this comfortable in a long time.  

Just as I am thinking about how wrong I had been to be terrified of sharks and about how wonderful this is and how I have never been this comfortable or relaxed in my whole entire life, I spot something out of the corner of my eye that makes me freeze. 

A gray bump slowly coming toward me. 

I pull my head out of the water so that I can see better and find that Mia is nowhere near.  But the gray sleek bump is only a hundred yards away and getting closer by the minute.  I flail and splash, then remember from watching Shark Week on TV that you definitely don’t want to splash.  

Sweet Holy Monkeys.  What the eff do I do??

I yell for Mia, but don’t see her.   Has she been eaten?  

I look around frantically, but we’ve drifted to an isolated location and there isn’t anyone else here.  

Except for me and the shark.

And the shark is certainly taking his time to reach me.  

Oh my gosh. 

Oh my gosh. 

Oh. My. Gosh. 

My breathing comes in pants as I try to slowly and calmly paddle backward, away from the shark, toward land, away from the shark.  Toward Land.  Away. From. The. Shark. 

Then, a fin emerges.  A fin.  And I scream.  And scream.  And forget about not splashing.  I am splashing so much that every shark and sea creature in a hundred mile radius will know that I’m here. And I don’t care.  All I care about it surviving this shark attack.  Because it is going to attack me.  It’s stalking me right now like the prey that I am.  And very soon that water around me will be red because I’m going to die a bloody death.

And then I notice that the fin is made from hands.  A pair of hands.  

I freeze. 

What the eff?

Dante bursts from the water, wearing gray swim trunks and shaking droplets from his hair as he lunges to grab me with a roar.  

I scream again because it’s happened so fast and my brain hasn’t had a chance to truly realize that it is Dante and not a shark.  

I’m not going to die.

I’m not going to die. 

I’m not going to die.

I’m not going to become breakfast for JAWS.  

But I’m going to kill Dante.  

Get Dante's Girl:

Amazon || B&N

Connect with Courtney Cole:

Website || Twitter || Facebook

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GIVEAWAY!

Winner’s choice of a gifted ecopy (Kindle or Nook) of PRINCESS or SOUL KISSED. Open International. If winner lives within US/Canada, they will also receive  a signed 4x6 glossy of Dante’s Girl.

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REVIEW: Every Last Kiss by Courtney Cole

Title: Every Last Kiss (The Bloodstone Saga #1)
Author: Courtney Cole
Publisher: Lakehouse Press
Published: April 21, 2011
Format: Paperback* 250 pages

17-year old Macy Lockhart is as far from normal as any one girl can be. The problem is, she doesn’t know it yet.

After a bloodstone pendant is mysteriously left on her door, Macy’s life begins to change in ways she’d never dreamed. And while she will eventually come to realize that nothing is ever what it seems, that her life is a tangled web of lies and the Fates themselves pull the strings, for now she is left with only the explanations that they offer her.

Macy is led to believe that if she doesn’t return to a previous doomed life, one in which she served as Queen Cleopatra ‘s handmaiden, the fate of the entire world will be threatened in a way that would destroy history as we know it. She learns that she has lived thousands of lives, each one ending tragically…but none as tragic as this one.

After returning to ancient Egypt, she is faced with heart-wrenching decisions. Unless she interferes with Fate’s plan, the very thing she was born to protect, her soul mate will die leading Marc Antony’s forces against Rome. Can she really stand aside and watch the love of her life die all over again?

My Review: 
Every Last Kiss really starts strong with a powerful and gripping prologue and ends with a heart-warming and even better ending that definitely stayed with me for a very long time. 



I was completely blown away by how amazing Every Last Kiss was. I didn’t know what to expect with the story, but with Courtney Cole’s brilliant ability to weave simplistic and elegant writing with the perfect mixture of history, fantasy and paranormals aspects, I fell in love with the story so much. I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of past lives and Egyptian mythology. The plot was refreshing and complex and entirely riveting.

I was so mesmerized by the rich and vivid imagery that Courtney Cole used in Every Last Kiss. I didn’t just imagine Alexandria, I really felt like I was there. When I closed my eyes it felt like I was feeling the warm breeze blow my hair back or smelling the sweet scent of jasmine that basically became familiar the more I read the story with Charmian. It’s very rare for a book to actually take me to the setting like I was really there with the characters. It was a little surprising, but also beautiful all at once. I love the pacing because it slowly builds up to the action and the heart of the book.

I loved Macy/Charmian’s character. Although Macy and Charmian are one, I thought Macy was funny and cool and very easy going while Charmian was sassy, smart and tough. Together, they made one brilliant narrator. She had this inner strength that really showed throughout the book, but she also had this vulnerability that made her truly remarkable. Despite all the doubts she had, I thought Charmian made the right decisions based on her beliefs. I really thought that Charmian handled all the problems head on and she was so brave. I love her loyalty towards Cleopatra and her relationship with her. Charmian and Cleopatra were like best friends, practically sisters. Their affection for each other was very sweet and I adored how much both cared for one another.

Some books allow the romance to take over and have the plot center around it, but for Every Last Kiss it was a piece of it, a part of the whole picture. The romance didn’t overtake the plot, but it was still a vital piece to the story. However small or big the romance was, I did love Charmian and Hasani. Their relationship was much more mature and had much more depth compared to Macy and Derek’s. I saw how perfect Charmian and Hasani were for each other and I felt how much they loved one another. I had no doubt that these two were soul mates. I love how even though they both had duties, they still gave each other love and time. It was wonderful seeing Charmian light up around him, becoming a much calm person. Hasani was everything Charmian described and so much more. He was a true warrior, but he was beautiful, tall and regal. He had a tough exterior, but on the inside he was super sweet and he was kind and gentle. I can see why Charmian loved him so much.

I love the added aspect of altering the future, changing the past and seeing how a small change can bring everything into chaos. It really brought another perspective into the book and it also made me see how important it was that changing the past ultimately changes the future and this cannot always be a good thing know matter how much we want it to be. I like the tie in with the Bloodstone and how everything was centered around it. I enjoyed at wondering how much power the Bloodstone had. The mystery of it all made me want to know more. I did wish I got a little more information on the past lives before Charmian was Macy. I thought it would have been a nice addition to see how Charmian lived life after life just out of my own curiosity. I also wish I got to know more about the Order of the Moirae, but the glimpses of them along with the mysteriousness of it had me intrigued even more so I hope to learn more about the Order in the next books to come.



Overall, Every Last Kiss was a beautiful story filled with love, sacrifice and suspense. The plot and characters really take you to a time to when Egypt flourished. The whole book was enchanting and it definitely swept me off my feet.

My Rating: 

4.5 out of 5 stars

*Thanks to Courtney Cole for sending me review copy :)

Connect with Courtney Cole:

Webpage | Twitter  | Facebook

Purchase Every Last Kiss:

Kindle | Paperback

Teaser Tuesday #19

Teaser Tuesday is weekly meme hosted by MizB from Should Be Reading.

Every Last Kiss by Courtney Cole (The Bloodstone Saga #1)
Published: April 21, 2011

Leaning back into the silk cushions, she shook the snake lightly. It hissed, its large mouth yawning open ominously, revealing glistening fangs. As it stared at her, one drop of deadly venom dripped from its mouth. Nothing more. Impatient, Cleopatra shook it again. It struck her so quickly that I barely had time to register the movement before I heard her gasp.
    "It is done then," page 3

"You just saw me, very intimately I might add, this morning, my beauty." He bowed his head to kiss my forehead but that wasn't enough for me. I tilted my face and covered his soft lips with mine, hungrily wanting more of him. page 59-60

That's my teasers for this week! Hope you enjoyed. :)
Leave me your teaser links in the comments below! <3