Book & Author
Details:
Beneath the Cape:
The Superhero Anthology by Angela McPherson, Cheryl McIntyre, Christine
Zolendz, D. Nichole King, Laura Thalassa, Lynn Vroman, Magan Vernon, and
Sunniva Dee
Created with the
sole purpose of benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project.
Publication date:
July 1st, 2015.
Only available
through September 30th.
Genres:
Contemporary, New Adult, Superheroes, Military, Anthologies
Synopsis:
Superheroes. Save the world and protect mankind.
But what’s beneath the cape? Behind the mask? Under the steel-plated façade?
Eight bestselling New Adult romance authors have come together to bring you seven stories about superheroes and what it takes to win their hearts. From the skies, to the cities, to the ocean, our superheroes face death, fight villains, conquer evil and—
Find love.
The world is full of heroes. Every-day men and women who risk their lives for the sake of others—for life, liberty, freedom, and justice. Often these men and women are wounded—physically or mentally—in the line of duty. Therefore, we have created this anthology with the sole purpose of benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project.
Because heroes should never be forgotten.
The stories:
Reaping Angels by Laura Thalassa:The Executioner’s touch can kill.
Angel’s can heal.
A villain and a hero. One who stood for death, and the other for life. Mortal enemies until the impossible happened.
A touch.
A kiss.
And now, a manhunt.
Cat Love by Sunniva Dee:A sexy thriller about the animal in all of us.
Aidan uses his superpower to stabilize minds at the Hollyreed Specialist Hospital. Ulani uses hers to chase rats on rooftops. Until she’s caught and deposited in Aidan’s care.
At the hospital, Aidan finds Ulani's room empty—save for a cat, whose fur retracts in favor of silky skin and a vamp-gorgeous femme fatale.
Aidan’s obsession with Ulani grows, while patients go missing.
Making the couple use their powers to bring criminals to justice.
Aidan uses his superpower to stabilize minds at the Hollyreed Specialist Hospital. Ulani uses hers to chase rats on rooftops. Until she’s caught and deposited in Aidan’s care.
At the hospital, Aidan finds Ulani's room empty—save for a cat, whose fur retracts in favor of silky skin and a vamp-gorgeous femme fatale.
Aidan’s obsession with Ulani grows, while patients go missing.
Making the couple use their powers to bring criminals to justice.
Gypsy Love by Angela McPherson & Lynn Vroman:For two hundred years, Adrian vowed to seek revenge against the Gypsy woman who bound his spirit for eternity.
Until her.
The one man Mia wants only exists in dreams.
Until he doesn’t.
The curse may be broken, but not without a price.
One love must end for another to begin.
The Only Difference by Magan Vernon:The Only Difference between a hero and a villain is what they do with their power.
Leonel "Short Stack" Garcia-Shapiro's life changed the night he decided to stop one of his fraternity brothers from taking advantage of a girl. Now he can't stop thinking of that girl and how he can save her.
Heroes by Christine Zolendz:Kelly Black can’t believe she’ll be the new teaching assistant to Alexander Masters. The Alexander Masters—the head of the entire biology department. As soon as they begin to work together sparks fly and danger swirls around them.
Breaking Through by D. Nichole King:Two years after her brother Nate died during a Navy operation, aquator Nautia Olson’s nightmares began, and her ability to manipulate water became erratic. Anger, fear, joy, desire—they all trigger disaster.
Now, the Navy wants her for a top-secret mission, but Captain Riley Barton has his reservations. He’s read her file. He knows the damage she’s capable of, and yet—
If he can harness her ability—break through her walls—
She’ll be unstoppable.
Villain by Cheryl McIntyre:How can you tell a hero from a villain?
If you’re Ember Willis and the villain is Lanely Frost, you can’t.
How can you tell a superhero from a delusional young woman?
If you’re Lanely Frost and the woman is Ember Willis, you don’t care.
For both, finding the balance between right and wrong and love and lust are not the only battles they’ll face.
My Review: (ARC provided)
*Five I love this collection stars!*
Wow, what a great concept and wonderful way to help support the Wounded Warrior Project. Who doesn't love a hero? Every story in this book is distinct in it's own way. And some of the stories definitely leave you wanting more. In fact I'm anxious now to see where they are going to go. Some of them were darker, some were magical, some were suspenseful, some were hot and filled with sexual tension and some were sweet, but all had that hero vs.villain idea. It made you think sometimes the bad guys aren't always "bad" but maybe just misunderstood. I'm not going to go into an individual review for each book but know that you won't be disappointed in this anthology, these authors are amazing and do a wonderful job at bringing you new and imaginative stories. I think you will fall in love with the characters whether they be the hero/heroine's or villains, and some of these stories will blow your mind. I'm so excited to help support this project and feel honored to have been able to read and review it.
I highly recommend purchasing this book, you get to help benefit the Wounded Warriors as well as get some quality reading in. What could be better than that?
*Five I love this collection stars!*
Wow, what a great concept and wonderful way to help support the Wounded Warrior Project. Who doesn't love a hero? Every story in this book is distinct in it's own way. And some of the stories definitely leave you wanting more. In fact I'm anxious now to see where they are going to go. Some of them were darker, some were magical, some were suspenseful, some were hot and filled with sexual tension and some were sweet, but all had that hero vs.villain idea. It made you think sometimes the bad guys aren't always "bad" but maybe just misunderstood. I'm not going to go into an individual review for each book but know that you won't be disappointed in this anthology, these authors are amazing and do a wonderful job at bringing you new and imaginative stories. I think you will fall in love with the characters whether they be the hero/heroine's or villains, and some of these stories will blow your mind. I'm so excited to help support this project and feel honored to have been able to read and review it.
I highly recommend purchasing this book, you get to help benefit the Wounded Warriors as well as get some quality reading in. What could be better than that?
Purchase:
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/
BENEATH
THE CAPE: THE SUPERHERO ANTHOLOGY
—Excerpts—
Book
1: Reaping Angels by Laura Thalassa
The Executioner pulled off a
glove with his teeth. I eyed the bare skin like it was a venomous snake and
bucked against him.
“Last chance to do this the easy
way,” he said, his voice deep.
I thrashed under the weight of
his body, but he was simply too big and me too small.
My heart beat madly as his hand
crept closer. He drew out the action, probably believing that fear would make
me reevaluate his offer.
I lifted my chin and squared my
jaw. “Screw. You.”
Warm skin caressed the nape of my
neck. The Executioner’s hands were surprisingly gentle for a seasoned torturer.
My eyes moved to his face, cloaked in the shadow of his hood. A long moment
went by.
And then another. And another.
I blinked. The skin should’ve
bubbled and blistered, my insides should’ve been lit on fire. Instead, only the
soothing warmth of the Executioner’s body heat seeped into mine.
It wasn’t working. The fiercest
villain in the entire world had come here to break me, and he couldn’t.
Harry
Potter ain’t got nothing on me, bitches.
At some point, the Executioner
also realized it wasn’t working. He removed his grip from my neck and stared at
his hand. “It didn’t hurt you,” he said, stunned.
He reached out once more.
Oh
come on.
For a second time his deadly hand
touched the skin of my neck. There it rested.
I’d seen photos of his victims.
The bad ones were nothing more than charcoal, roasted from the inside out.
Those that held on a little longer … they could cling to an agonizing existence
for something like a week before they finally succumbed to the burns.
The Executioner and I stared at
each other. My heart beat steadily, and other than being crushed under a huge
dude, my breathing was stable.
Still wasn’t working.
You would’ve thought someone had
hit the man upside the head, he looked so stunned.
Rather than removing his hand,
the Executioner began stroking the
skin of my neck. His touch was cautious, almost … wondrous. His hand glided up
my neck to my jaw and his thumb grazed my lower lip. I heard his breathing
hitch and felt his body shudder.
I swallowed. Quiz me this: what
would a man want to do with the first woman he couldn’t willfully burn?
He lifted his hand long enough to
pull back his hood.
I sucked in a breath of air as I
got my first good look at the supervillain.
The Executioner was hot. No, hot didn’t begin to cover it. He was come-in-my-pants beautiful.
And of course, he had to be evil.
Why do all the sexy guys have to have
issues? Why?
Strands of nearly black hair
swept back from his face. Deep, dark eyes gazed back at me.
He leaned in, so close I could
feel his cool breath against my skin. His hand went to my cheek, his fingers
trailing over the skin there. His expression was full of wonder. Oh, and lust.
A crapload of lust was there as well. He glanced down at my mouth.
“Don’t,” I warned him.
He smiled. And then his lips met
mine.
Book
2: Cat Love by Sunniva Dee
A faint “yeeees?” muffles through when I knock on her
door. I let myself in and find her standing by the window. With one arm
extended, delicate fingertips support her against the top part of the frame.
She leans her forehead to her elbow as she surveys the patio like it’s her kingdom.
At my entrance, Ulani turns
slowly, a small smile twitching her lips. There’s no trace of the contempt I’d
read from her only half an hour ago. Now she oozes sex and delight, the rarest
of emotions around here.
“Hey,” is all I say at first
because I’m rattled and it’s better if she doesn’t understand how she affects
me.
“Hey, yourself.” She’s smug.
Cat-smug. Jesus, as much as she’s not
feline right now, she really still is. I can’t picture this woman without those
supernaturally graceful moves… and the mood swings.
Ulani lifts her hand again, hooks
her index finger to invite me closer. Besides being present, she’s done nothing
to instigate the tightness I’m experiencing in the crotch area. This woman is
dangerous.
I clear my throat. “You wanted a
chat?”
“Get me out of here.” A flicker
of shrewdness flavors the air at her words. “If Ms. Morgenstern could escape so
easily, it shouldn’t be hard for you to get me out, right?”
“Right, and what would you do out
there? Get caught streaking again?” I ask.
She huffs, anger skidding through
her surface. If she didn’t have feline genes, I’d assume she had bipolar
tendencies.
“Oh so you can fix my issues if I
stay? That’s nice, Aidan—let’s get on that then.” She folds her arms, boobs
pressing upward as she does. My attention draws to them automatically. I want
to adjust myself, but I don’t because she’s the kind of woman who will abuse
her power over a man.
Yes, Ulani could trick me if I
weren’t so careful. Right now, she wants something I can’t give her without
breaking hospital rules. She’s going to have to stay for observation until Dr. Reiss
decides otherwise, and if I hadn’t spent most of my life exercising
self-control, it’d be easy to lose my head and sneak her out for the promise
of—
Either way, I won’t fall into her
trap.
Book 3: Gypsy Love by Angela
McPherson and Lynn Vroman
"First things first." I went to her dresser, pulled
out a T-shirt and sweats, and tossed them to her. "You've got to cut me a
damn break."
Mia caught the clothes with a grin, that treacherous robe
revealing more skin. "You're sure?"
"No, but...look, I'm trying to be a gentleman. Humor
me."
She headed to the bathroom, mumbling, "My dream and he
calls the shots."
As the door
slammed, I laughed. The woman had strength, intelligence, and beauty. The
perfect trifecta.
Miryah's face
flashed through my mind, especially her anger as she plunged the dagger into my
chest. From witnessing firsthand her ability to suck me into a dream, Mia had
that kind of power, too, more than any other Kotorara I'd seen. Maybe even more
than Miryah.
A warning shot
through me as she walked back into the room, a shy smile lighting her face. Hopefully
Mia didn't have her ancestor's taste for revenge.
"So,
here's the deal. If I have to change, so do you." Mia chucked a wad of
clothes at me.
I barely caught them. "Excuse me?"
I barely caught them. "Excuse me?"
"Listen, I
love the whole pirate thing you've got going on, but seriously, you look like
you just stepped off the cover of a romance novel."
"Ah, what?" I looked down at my breeches and shirt
then held up the sweats and T-shirt. "And where did you get men's
clothes?"
"My dream,
my rules, remember?" She raised her brow. "Unless you changed your
mind? I have no problem getting naked."
She'd be the
death of me. Again. "Not fair."
"No one
said anything about fair. Go change, and then come on back so we can have our
little meet-and-greet."
I grinned and
headed to the bathroom. Gypsy magic.
Book
4: The Only Difference by Magan Vernon
She shook her head again. "No. It's fine. I can
walk."
Without even thinking I slid off my Chucks and then
pushed them toward her.
She looked down at the ground, then back at me,
raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"
I nudged my shoes toward her. "If you won't let
me drive you or get your shoes then take mine."
She shook her head. "I can't do that."
"Please. I insist." I rummaged through my
pocket until I pulled out my cell phone and typed a few numbers into it before
facing it toward her. "And here's my number. I'd put it in your phone
myself, but I don't want to reach down your shirt. I doubt you'll let me walk
you, so please just call me when you get there."
Her blue eyes were locked on me for what felt like
forever before she pulled her phone out of her shirt and typed on it. She
didn't speak. Not a single word. She just slowly slid my shoes on.
Reluctantly I let go of her arms and she walked
around me, only briefly glancing back before she was swallowed by the night.
I sat down on one of the benches and let out a deep
puff of air. My heart was beating so fast that I thought it was going to pound
right through my chest.
I never did things like that. I never stood up to my
brothers or invested that much time into girls. This was all new territory.
It could have been seconds. Minutes. Or even hours
that I sat there. It wasn't until my phone buzzed in my hand that I was knocked
out of my trance and looked down at it.
I'm home. Thanks for the shoes. See you around.
It may not have been much but
there was something about that text that made my heart beat even faster. Maybe
I wasn't a superhero, but whatever this adrenaline burst was, I didn't want it
to stop.
Book
5: Heroes by Christine Zolendz
His gaze darts quickly back and forth between
my eyes, then drops to my lips.
He's
looking at my lips.
We are so close right now; I can feel his
hands clench into fists and his muscles tense with restraint. The tips of my
fingers bristle with pins and needles and the desire to reach out and touch his
skin, to somehow slide it against mine, is maddening.
What
the hell is happening right now? If I didn't know any better, I'd think there
was some sort of chemical reaction in the space between us. Some sort of electromagnetic field of lust.
I want to laugh at my own absurdity.
His eyes widen though, as if he senses
something too.
"This is...," he whispers in a
hoarse, strained voice.
"What?" I ask self-consciously.
"Nothing," he says, blinking.
"Nothing. Would you…would you like a drink?" he asks, shaking
whatever thoughts he had from his head.
"God, yes," I sigh. Instantly, I'm
mortified with how breathy I sound.
He doesn't move though, he just focuses back
on my lips and leans in closer.
I'm about to start panicking. There's
something here between us, alive and heavy, some sensation, some presence of
mind I've never felt before. Almost like the spark of electric in the air just
before a thunderstorm.
"This isn't normal," he whispers,
making me breathe in sharply. He points his finger between us, "Whatever
this is–isn't supposed to be happening."
Our eyes lock and he holds my gaze for so
long that I continuously have to remind myself to breathe. There's definitely
something passing between us; it tingles over my lips, hums slowly up my spinal
cord, and spreads out across my shoulders.
The tip of his finger skims gently
over my arm and a current of blue static sparks burst across my skin.
Book
6: Breaking Through by D. Nichole King
Kray doesn’t move because he
knows I’m the cause of this spectacle. He cups my face until he has me in a
stare-down, attempting to calm me. “You want to know what really happened to
your brother? You want to find that classified information?” He squeezes my
cheeks with his hands, and I nod. “Then you learn how to control your ability
and get the Navy begging to have you
join up.”
I
bob my head and unclench my fists.
“Get
it under control,” Kray repeats and steps away from me so I can do what he
said.
With
everyone scrambling for the front door and bumping into me, distracting me, I’m
forced to concentrate harder than usual. I bow my head and close my eyes.
Calm
down. Relax. Slow your heart rate.
I repeat the words Cara taught me over and over until I feel them working.
“Come on, Nautia. You’ve got
this,” Kray encourages from somewhere behind me.
I squeeze my eyelids tighter,
focusing on the water and willing it back into the pipes. Drops roll down my
forehead, and I lick the excess off my lips.
Heaviness creeps into my
shoulders, flowing down, down into my fingertips. As it inches into my
extremities, I spread my fingers and lift my arms like I have a hundred pounds
in each palm—it feels like I actually do. My chin drops until it touches my
chest. Breathing in fast gasps, I force all of my power into my hands like I
was taught.
Energy moves through my veins,
the intensity threatening to rip my skin open. I feel it all over my body now,
consuming me, shaking me, shattering me.
“Don’t let it control you,” Kray
reminds me, his voice being drowned out by the power surging through me.
I’m about to break. I can’t hold
on any longer. The weight, the burden is too heavy.
Tears flow down my cheeks, mixing
with the water. In my mind, Nate’s face flashes in front of me. His black hair
is soaked and falling into his eyes, but he doesn’t push it away. He can’t
because he’s tied up. Water pours over him, and he can’t concentrate. He can’t
control it.
He
can’t breathe—
Energy flies from the tips of my
fingers, and I throw my head back and scream. Above me, the pipes break, the
noise ringing through the building.
Book
7: Villain by Cheryl McIntyre
Before
Ember has a chance to say anything more, a single snowflake lands on the tip of
her nose, melting on contact. She peers up at the sky, her mouth forming a wondrous
smile as more and more snow flutters slowly down upon us.
“That’s
beautiful,” she utters.
“Agreed,”
I rasp.
Her
smiles fades as she looks over at me, catching me staring. She pitches to her
side, eyes falling on my mouth.
“I’m
not going to kiss you,” I tell her, easily reading her thoughts, but it’s such
a weak warning. I won’t make the first move, but if she asks, I’m pretty
fucking sure I’ll comply. “You should be treated with respect and care. Always,
Ember. I just want to make sure you understand I’m trying to do that.” I shake
my head, dumbfounded with this unfamiliar side of me. No, it’s not unfamiliar,
it’s just been laying dormant, frozen for so long. I thought this part of me
was gone. Dead.
“I’m trying,” I repeat.
She
leans in, her mouth hovering just above mine. “You’ve been nothing but
respectful and caring with me, Lane, and I appreciate that. I do. But…”
“But?”
I lead, my voice low and barely audible. I feel my head lifting in her
direction on its own accord.
“But,”
she whispers, lips brushing mine softly. “You’ve made your point. I believe
you. Right now though, I don’t want to be handled with care. I want—”
I
cut her off, gripping her waist and rolling us so that I’m the one above her.
“What do you want, Ember?”
Her
fingers sink into the hair at the nape of my neck, pulling me to her. She
doesn’t answer. She doesn’t need to. Our mouths connect and she kisses me like
she did on New Year’s Eve. She kisses me like she’s trying to end me.
AUTHORS:
Angela McPherson: author of the new adult Distraction series and the paranormal Hope's Decree.
Cheryl McIntyre: author of the new adult Sometimes Never series, Dirty, Infinitely, the paranormal Dark Calling, and the erotica Hard.
Christine Zolendz: author of the paranormal Mad World series, the new adult Beautiful series, and Triple X.
D Nichole King: author of the paranormal Spirit trilogy, and the new adult Love Always series.
Laura Thalassa: author of the paranormal The Unearthly series, the sci-fi new adult The Vanishing Girl series, and the dystopian new adult The Queen of All that Dies series.
Lynn Vroman: author of the young adult fantasy The Energies series, the young adult lesbian Summer Confessions
Magan Vernon: author of the new adult short series Forever Wild, the young adult The Only series, the new adult My Paper Heart series, and the sci-fi My Alien Romance series, and the contemporary Life, Love, and Lemons.
Laura Thalassa: author of the paranormal The Unearthly series, the sci-fi new adult The Vanishing Girl series, and the dystopian new adult The Queen of All that Dies series.
Lynn Vroman: author of the young adult fantasy The Energies series, the young adult lesbian Summer Confessions
Magan Vernon: author of the new adult short series Forever Wild, the young adult The Only series, the new adult My Paper Heart series, and the sci-fi My Alien Romance series, and the contemporary Life, Love, and Lemons.
Sunniva Dee: author of the paranormal Halos series and the new adult/erotica Deepsilver series.
Connect with the authors:
Angela McPherson:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/abt3mcpherson
Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Angela-McPherson/e/B00EJ4535K
Instagram: https://instagram.com/angela.mcpherson/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/armcpherson/
Cheryl McIntyre:
Website: http://cherylmcintyrebooks.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CherylHMcIntyre
Christine Zolendz:
Website: http://www.christinezolendz.com
D Nichole King:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dNicholeKing
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/dnicholek/
Website: http://www.dnicholeking.com/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/-CsJD
Laura Thalassa:
Website: laurathalassa.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraThalassa
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraThalassa
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/laurathalassa/
Lynn Vroman:
Website: http://lynnvroman.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lynn_vroman
Magan Vernon:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaganVernon
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/authormagan/
Sunniva Dee:
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/SunnivaGR
Facebook: http://bit.ly/SunnivaFB
Twitter: http://bit.ly/SunnivaTW
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/SunnivaP
Instagram: http://bit.ly/SunnivaInst
Spotify: http://bit.ly/SunnivasSpotify
Tsu.co: http://www.tsu.co/SunnivaD
