Book Spotlight - Laura Josephsen's Rising Book 2:Rebellion

So I have this friend, Laura Josephsen. She's brilliant, and I love her to death. Also, she's been working on a fantasy series for years and she just released the second one! I've bought it AND the first one because I'm so excited to read them, and I talked her into visitng my blog to tell us about them! I'm sure you're as excited as I am, so here we go!

Since it's a two-part series, Laura has sweetly offered to tell us about BOTH books, AND book one is on sale right now for .99! I'll post the buy links below. Look, look!

Blurb:
All Alphonse wants is a quiet summer at home before his final months at university. What he gets is a half-dead stranger on his doorstep and the task of delivering a package to the leader of his home country. Not long after he boards a train toward the capital, he's attacked by knights, elite soldiers of the neighboring king.

Alphonse is temporarily rescued by Mairwyn, a mechanic with a haunted past and a deep hatred of knights. Together, they attempt to carry out Alphonse's urgent errand, only to learn that if they fail, countless people will die.

And even if they succeed, they may not be able to prevent the war that lurks on the horizon.

(Book 1 of 2)

Excerpt:
 

By the time an infant's cries pierced the air, the sun was rising and Alphonse was ready to fall over—whether from exhaustion or relief that it had ended, he wasn't sure.

"Alphonse!" his mother called. "Alphonse, I need that knife!"

Alphonse dragged himself to his feet and ran into the house. He located the sterilized knife and took it to the bedroom door. When he knocked tentatively, his mother said, "You can come in. Meet our new neighbor."

Yes, because he wanted to see Nella for the first time in two years after he'd spent half the night listening to her labor pains. "I'd really prefer to stay out here."

The door opened and Alphonse's mother held out her hand for the knife. She looked exhausted, but there was both amusement and happiness on her face. "Very well. Thank you for staying close. You can—"

"Mrs. Redding?" Nella sounded equally exhausted and there was a sudden fear in her tone that made Alphonse's mother turn quickly, the knife in her hand pointed down.

This was the worst thing she could have done, for it gave Alphonse a wide view of the bedroom and the bloodied cloths and sheets. He got a glimpse of Nella on the bed, holding a baby whose umbilical cord hadn't yet been cut. Coupled with the sweat and blood smell wafting from the room, Alphonse's nausea and dizziness overwhelmed him and his vision went black. The next thing he knew, he was opening his eyes from the floor, his glasses pressed uncomfortably against his face.

"Alphonse, are you all right?" his mother asked.

"I'm…unnnghh…" Alphonse scooted backwards out of the bedroom. He must have only been out for a second or two, because the conversation within the bedroom continued as though he had not just fainted like a coward at the sight of blood.

Blood…

Alphonse pressed his face to his knees and decided maybe he should wait a moment before trying to stand up again. Though his mother might not know it yet, her chances of ever having a grandchild had just dropped to zero percent.

"What are these?" Nella asked. "These bumps on her back…is something wrong with her? Is my baby all right?"

There was a heavy silence, in which Alphonse imagined his mother to be examining the newborn. "Oh," his mother breathed. "Oh, Nella…these aren't bumps."

"Then what are they?" Bryce spoke this time, and he had more dread in his voice than fear, as though he already knew the answer and was afraid to say it.

His mother's reply was so quiet Alphonse almost didn't hear it. "They're wing buds."

Sounds AWESOME, right? Here's the buy links -- Grab it while it's only .99!

AMAZON 

BARNES and NOBLE 

AND here's the brand new sequel! 

 

Blurb:

Lachlan's had a rough summer. First, the girl he shares a painful history with didn't remember him. Then Brenna, the woman he loves, showed up after seven years away and wants nothing to do with him. To top it all off, he almost died with the rest of his people when soldiers invaded his country.
Now the enemy could be using Lachlan's people as assassins. When Brenna leaves to find the truth, Lachlan invites himself along.
As Lachlan struggles to rebuild the trust he lost with Brenna, they unravel the dark secret their enemy has worked long and hard to hide--and its consequences for them are greater than they could have known.

(Book 2 of 2)

Excerpt:

The wind blew tendrils of hair that had escaped Brenna's braid into her face. She didn't look at him, but something in her voice caught his attention when she murmured, "Same old Lachlan. Always the dreamer."

Lachlan's gaze fell on her hands, clasping the top of the gunwale so tightly they were white. He reached over and laid his hand on one of hers. Her face tilted up toward his, and her kohl-lined eyes were as tired as they'd been the night he'd woken up in the Viarre encampment.

"It's good to have dreams," he said quietly. "They keep us going."

Brenna's hand remained tense under his and she shook her head slightly. "The only dream I have is taking down King Tristran and his government."

Personally, he saw that as more of a goal than a dream, but he didn't say that. "And after that?"

Brenna laughed harshly. "You're assuming we'll survive this. There have already been so many times we should have died." She pulled her hand out from under his. "Dreaming about anything else only leads to disappointment and heartbreak."

"My life's already been full of both. So has yours." Lachlan turned fully toward her. "Some things are worth the risk of more disappointment and heartbreak."

"How can you say that? What in your life could possibly lead you to believe that?"

"Tegan. Reynold. Adria and Bailey and Ivy. Derrek, Lorelei, Riordan, and Mairwyn." Lachlan leaned toward her. "You."

Brenna leaned in even closer to him and whispered, "Then you're going to be very, very disappointed."

"Because you think you'll end up dead? Or because you think you're not worth the risk of heartbreak and disappointment?"

Brenna's face tightened just a bit and he knew he'd hit on something. She drew back from him. "Forget it, Lachlan. You let go of me in the years I was gone; stop trying to hold on again." She strode toward the ladder that led below deck and scrambled down it.

Lachlan hurried after her. "Brenna, wait."

She ignored him and pushed through their cabin door. He stepped through before she could close it in his face and shut it behind him. The tiny cabin was sweltering, and Brenna yanked the blanket out from under her shirt and threw it on a mat in the corner.

"Brenna." He caught her wrist.

She twisted out of his grasp. "I said forget it."

"I can't." Lachlan spread his arms. "You're wrong, Brenna. I had to accept that you left. I had to accept that I couldn't find you and I had to move on with my life, but even then…even then, I couldn't let go of you."

"Well, you should have." Brenna's voice was low, carefully controlled, but she folded her arms across her chest.

"Brenna—"

"No! Just shut up! You still don't get it!"

"Then tell me! What don't I get? What?"

"Everything I touch breaks, Lachlan! It dies and bleeds and falls apart. I'm not like you. You grow things and make them come alive, and all I do is destroy anything that matters. I swore I wouldn't let it happen again, I swore I would stay away, and then I had no choice because of Ziphas's weapon. I was prepared for what I might find when I got to Alatia again. I was prepared for you to have settled down and started a family. I was prepared for you to never want to see or speak to me again. The only thing I wasn't prepared for was this." Brenna waved a hand at him. "You, still waiting for me!"

BUY LINKS!!!

AMAZON 

BARNES and NOBLE 

SMASHWORDS 

 

Author Bio:
Laura Josephsen has authored several novels and works as a freelance editor. She likes to listen to music, watch sci-fi shows, and drink coffee. She believes there's no such thing as having too many socks. She lives in Tennessee with her awesome husband, imaginative children, and feisty cats.

Find Laura:
http://laurajosephsen.blogspot.com/ 
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