Reader's Edyn

Laura Kay West of Want Blitz

Holla! What’s up readers? I am crazy excited to be a part of Ms. Laura Kaye’s blog blitz today to celebrate the upcoming release of West of Want, book 2 in the Hearts of Anemoi series. I absolutely fell in love with Owen in book 1, North of Need and I am highly anticipating the rest of the series! I’m chomping at the bit people! *nods* When Ms. Kaye approached us asking if we wanted to be a part of this blitz, let’s just say I didn’t have to even think about it. Hell to the yeah was my response, so here we are. My lovlies, I am beyond pleased to introduce to you:

**Ms. Laura  Kaye**

*Blog  Blitz  Event**

Happy WEST OF WANT Preview & Prizes Event, everyone! Today, April 10, was the original release date for Book 2 in my Hearts of the Anemoi series, West of Want. And then some really cool things happened: my publisher, Entangled Publishing, signed a huge deal with the nation’s biggest book distributor, which means for the first time ever, my books will be shelved in brick-and-mortar bookstores. And then, West of Want received a very nice pre-sales estimate by the booksellers and Barnes and Nobles bought it for all their stores nationwide (and it got bought for airports, too—squee!). The only bad news in this whole scenario was this: the release date got pushed back, by three LONG months! LOL So, I thought I’d celebrate the original release date with a preview of the book and a big contest, and give you a small taste to whet your appetite until the actual release date arrives.

"Laura Kaye’s captivating writing and vibrant world-building will have readers hooked on the gods of the Anemoi. WEST OF WANT is steamy, spellbinding, and a must-read for all romance fantasy fans."

~Elisabeth Naughton, author of the Eternal Guardians series.

Insert Kendra ~~~> Elisabeth Naughton, Yo! Elisabeth Freakin’ Naughton! What more endorsement do you need????? *ahem – clears throat* Sorry. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Forty sites are celebrating with me today, and there are different posts at those different sites. To see the whole list of participants, click here. Now, without further ado, here’s the book blurb and one of four different never-before-seen excerpts from the book available for you to enjoy:

**UPCOMING  RELEASE**

**WEST  OF  WANT**

**Hearts  of  the  Anemoi,  Book  2**

Pre-order West of Want on Amazon | B&N

**BLURB**

Betrayal is all he's ever known, but in her, he'll find a love strong enough to be trusted...

When Marcella Raines' twin brother dies, she honors his request to be buried at sea, never expecting the violent storm that swamps her boat. Though she's gravely injured--and still emotionally damaged from her recent divorce--Ella fights to survive.

Zephyros Martius is the Supreme God of the West Wind and Spring, but being the strongest Anemoi hasn't protected him from betrayal and loss. Worse, he's sure his brother Eurus is behind it. When Zeph's heartbreak whips up a storm that shipwrecks a human, his guilt forces him to save her.

Ella is drawn to the vulnerability Zeph hides beneath his otherworldly masculinity and ancient blue eyes. And her honesty, empathy, and unique, calming influence leave Zeph wanting...everything. When Eurus threatens Ella, she and Zeph struggle to let go of the past, defend their future, and embrace what they most want--a love that can be trusted.

Kendra whispers ~~~> Need a little more of a push? Try this on for size …

“Using ancient winter mythology as an allegory for grief, Kaye has written a sexy story that packs a powerful emotional punch. NORTH OF NEED is pure winter magic and Kaye’s sparkling talent warms the heart.”

~Stephanie Draven, author of the Mythica series about

multi-award-winning Book 1 in the Anemoi series, North of Need.

Insert moi – again ~~~> Draven and Naughton???? For the love of all that is holy, I’d buy this book simply from these two endorsements! But for those skeptics out there, try this on for size …

**EXCERPT**

Ella was down the rabbit hole. No doubt about it. A beautiful and presumably gifted man with impossible powers. A miracle healing. Some sort of fraternal feud that had apparently put the crosshairs of a curse on her back.

And the weirdest thing? It all felt real. The oddness was as exhilarating as it was frightening. But she was going with it, for now. After all, he’d eased her pain, healed her injuries, and offered his protection against his own brother—what more would a man have to do to earn her faith? So, she believed Zephyros, believed in him. She just hoped she didn’t live to regret putting her faith in him. But at some point, she had to listen to her gut again, start trusting it.

Not everyone was Craig.

She returned the scissors to the counter, pushed them far from the edge. Everything looked like a mishap waiting to happen, now. She had no idea how someone could make you have bad luck, but something had to explain how she’d tripped and almost fallen, busted her toe, burned herself, and cut her hand, all in the past fifteen minutes.

She whirled on Zeph. “So, will you do this cleansing?”

He studied her face. “Perhaps you would like to hear what it entails first?”

Ella released a shallow breath. “Okay.” She shifted feet. “What do I—”

“You must be in water, and I must bathe you.” Ella gaped. “First in a salt bath, and then I must rinse you off in the shower.”

She scoffed. “Oh, that’s all?”

So, what d’ya think? Want more Zephyros and Ella? Visit more participating sites to read all the excerpts, meet the characters, see the the West of Want romance trading cards, and enter to win! Thanks for reading! July 10 can’t get here soon enough for me! *grins*

~Laura Kaye

And if you want to know more about book 1 in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, check out my review here of North of Need!

**CONTEST  ALERT  PART  ONE**
Seven participants who enter through the Rafflecopter form will win gift cards from winners’ choice of Amazon or B&N valued between $15 and $100! Those prize winners will be announced on West of Want’s release day, July 10, 2012. As a special thank you to those who have pre-ordered the print West of Want through Amazon or B&N, you'll receive extra entries - just enter your order confirmation number on the appropriate Rafflecopter line. Pre-orders are hugely important for an author because they determine how many books bookstores will actually stock and they count toward an author’s first-week sales which is when most authors have their best chance to hit the big bestseller lists. However, pre-orders/purchases are not required to enter. Commenting is the only required entry. Open to international.

For part one of the giveaway:  You MUST comment to enter AND fill out the Rafflecopter form. Other entries are optional.

**CONTEST  ALERT  PART  TWO**

One commenter from each participating blog site will win a West of Want bookmark and the romance trading cards for North of Need and West of Want. Simply comment to enter to win and be sure to leave your email address. These prizes will be announced soon after May 10. Open to international.

For part two of the giveaway:  You MUST comment on this post AND follow this blog. You may follow via GFC, Linky, or e-mail. Tell me how you followed and your username in a separate comment.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Laura Kaye:

Voted Breakout Author of the Year in the 2011 GraveTells Readers’ Choice Awards, Laura is a bestselling and award-winning author paranormal and contemporary romance. Hearts in Darkness is the EPIC eBook Award Winner for Best Novella, Forever Freed won the NJRW Golden Leaf Award for Best Paranormal of 2011, and North of Need, the first book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, was named GraveTells’ Best Book of 2011 and won their 5-STAR Gold Heart Award, and won Sizzling Hot Read of the Year at Sizzling Hot Books. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

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Until Next time readers …

HAPPY READING!!!