Spotlight: Marked By Hades by Reese Monroe

**MAKE UP POST ~ ENTRY 10**

**Spotlight**

**MARKED BY HADES by Reese Monroe**

ZOMG! I have missed you all so much! I cannot even begin to describe how much I have missed all of this … the blog, reading, reviewing … EVERYTHING!!! I though the best way to mark my come back would be to make good on several posts that I missed when everything seemed to go downhill. I had every intention of getting these posts up, but life interfered big time and I feel like I should honor my word, even if it is rather late in the delivery. Sometimes posting information from several months back can be a bit tricky because sometimes the information changes. Covers may change, and book may have been re-released, a new publisher may come into play … basically a lot can happen in a matter of months. I believe that I have correct information in all of these posts, but if I missed anything, feel free to shoot me a note and I will be more than happy to update. With that said, these books and authors have waited far too long for their spotlights on the blog, so let’s get started. Without further delay, please allow me to introduce to the blog:

**REESE MONROE**

**BIO**

Reese Monroe holds a psychology degree from Southwest Minnesota State University and a master's degree in Mental Health Therapy from the University of Iowa. Her experience as a former Addictions Therapist and competitive athlete lends to stories about complex heroines and the men who dare to love them. Growing up in the land of 10,000 lakes and cold, snowy winters, Reese has been known to weave a little of that cool Minnesota climate into her stories, but these days, she much prefers desert living. She resides in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, and when she's not busy writing her next trilogy, she can be found pounding the pavement, training for her next endurance event.

 To find out more about Ms. Monroe, please visit:

@Rush_Monroe

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**MARKED BY HADES**

By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age.

If you are under the age of 18, please exit this site.

You are all in for a heck of a treat because I have an excerpt to share with you from this book. At the time of this promo, Marked By Hades was a new release. As far as I can tell, everything seems the same. However, if you notice anything that needs to be updated, please let me know. Following the promo is all of the information about the book. So be sure to check it out. Enjoy!

**MARKED BY HADES**

Genre: New Adult
Length: 188 pages
Release Date: April 2014
ISBN: 978-1-62266-307-1
Imprint: Embrace

**BLURB**

One choice away from eternity…

For 911 years, Gatekeeper companion Justin Bradford has denied the possibility of being mated to only one woman. He enjoys them all too much to settle down. So when he feels his mate’s Ahavah mark surface, his first instinct is to ignore it. But when he sees the leather-clad beauty in need of his help that’s easier said than done…

Yvonne wakes up naked on a cold park bench in a small town with no memory of who—or what—she is. All she knows is the gentle man who woke her was turned to dust when she touched him. And now the strange mark that appeared on her shoulder throbs in the presence of the raven-haired man now offering to help her…

As Justin and Yvonne navigate the mystery of her past, their bond grows, but the secrets they discover and the sacrifices that must be made could be enough to rip them apart for eternity.

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**EXCERPT**

Blinding pain ratcheted up Yvonne’s spine and exploded at the base of her skull. She grabbed her head with both hands, hoping to hold herself together. A bell echoed, sending a ripple through her body.
She opened her mouth to scream, but only silence followed. Pain swallowed her whole, crunching through every bone, liquefying her insides.
Help me.
And then it stopped.
But only for a second.
A blunt force rammed into her shoulder, and she rolled to the side. Cold, prickly ground stung her bare arms. Palming the gritty surface, she tried to push herself up. Instead, she flopped to the side with the coordination of a newborn.
Metallic warmth oozed into her mouth, but coughing didn’t push the liquid away. Lungs burning from lack of air, she gasped for much-needed oxygen.
“Miss?” A nudge startled her out of the black void.
She sat up straight, feeling as if she’d never taken a breath in her entire life. Only, the air had to be laced with acid for how much it stung.
“Stay calm, miss.” Something soft brushed against her legs, chest, and shoulders. A blanket of warmth. She shivered through a wave of arctic air frosting her to the bone.
After swallowing hard, her dry, scratchy throat made its presence painfully known. When had she last eaten? Wait, where was she?
“Miss, can you hear me?”
Yvonne opened her eyes and met a narrowed brown-eyed gaze. A black cap hid most of the man’s graying chestnut hair, and deep wrinkles marred his otherwise smooth face. Warmth radiated from his eyes as he scanned her.
“Are you hurt, miss?”
The raging pain that’d ripped her out of nothingness had begun to fade, leaving a throbbing ache in her shoulders and palms. She raised her hand, and the movement shifted the blanket. Icy air nipped at her bare skin.
Holy shit, she was naked.
Clutching the fabric to her chest, she sat up more. Rough wood poked her back, breaking through the skin.
“Hold on. It’s okay.” The stranger tucked the blanket more securely around her. “Go slow.”
His gloved hands grazed her bare shoulder. White plumed from his mouth, and he wore a thick jacket. There wasn’t any snow around, but there were bare trees behind her and a swing set off to her left. She was at a park?
Rolling her sore shoulder, she felt hair brush her arm. She looked down at a lock of shiny black hair. Wait, she had black hair? What color were her eyes? What was her name? She…
Yvonne. No last name came to mind, or her age, but she knew her name was Yvonne. Her heart hammered, echoing through her mind, but nothing else came.
It was as if her mind was blank, empty like the void she just came from.
“Miss. What’s your name?”
“Yvonne…” Hints of metallic stung her taste buds. Her tongue met dry, cracked lips…and something cold.
A tentative touch to her lips revealed a lip ring.
“Can you stand? We need to get you somewhere warm.” He rose to his full six-foot height and offered her his gloved hand.
She clutched the blanket and freed up a hand to take his. Once standing on wobbly legs, she wrapped the fabric all the way around her bare body.
“My car’s right over there.” He pointed to the small parking lot just past the park.
Darkness of late evening surrounded them. Bright stars sprinkled the black backdrop of the night sky. She pulled in a long, deep breath, and the crispness of it pitched her into a cough. She leaned forward, and the man grasped her shoulders.
Despite the barriers of thick gloves and a blanket, all she felt was his warmth and tenderness. Craving the contact as if she hadn’t been touched in years, the desire to move closer overwhelmed her. She nuzzled her cheek against his chest, and even through the coat he wore, she still felt close to him.
Safe.
“Do you have a last name, Yvonne?”
“I can’t remember.” Tears stung.
“That’s okay. We’ll get you to the hospital. Everything’s going to be fine.”
“Where am I?” Careful not to put too much space between herself and the warmth of this kind stranger, she straightened to take in her surroundings.
“You’re at Riley Park.”
“Where’s that?”
“Mento, Arizona.” He glanced around. “Population too small to even bother counting.”
“Oh.” She let him guide her forward. “What day is it?” That sounded so strange to ask, but she wasn’t sure. Winter maybe? It didn’t get cold in Arizona much, but she could see her breath. And how did she know that about winter in Arizona for that matter? She must be from here.
“It’s November.” He smiled, revealing beautiful straight teeth and a dimple surrounded by a dusting of gray along his cheeks and chin, as though he hadn’t shaved in a day or so. “And I’m thankful I stumbled across you. Too cold to be out here long.”
She glanced over her shoulder to where she’d been lying. A bench was fastened to a concrete slab near the playground equipment. She vaguely remembered landing first on that bench, then rolling to the ground. It didn’t make sense, though. How had she gotten there? “How did you find me?”
“The wife sent me on an errand, was passing by when I saw a light flash over here. Thought it strange, so I pulled in.” He guided her over the curb toward an SUV. “Just felt like I needed to check things out. Good thing, too.”
Purity poured off him. Innocent, genuine, helpful soul. She craved it. Needed to feel it. She reached toward his face to cup his cheek, but he intercepted her touch, grabbing her wrist.
“Stay covered. I don’t know how long you’ve been out in this cold. Can’t have you catching pneumonia on my watch.” He nodded. “You sure you’re not injured? No cuts or broken bones?”
“Just cold.” Tucking herself back into the blanket, she let him navigate her into the car.
Once she was settled into the plush leather seats, he shut the door and hurried around to his side. He revved the engine and clicked a button next to her seat. “Should warm up real fast.” He took off his gloves and dug into the glove compartment. “Let’s just get my phone out. I’ll call my missus and tell her we’re headed to the hospital.”
A stroke of fear jolted through her stomach. “No. Can’t go to the hospital.”
He retracted his hand from the glove compartment. “Why not?”
“I’m not sure.” She glanced around, suddenly worried someone was watching her. “Can’t, though. It doesn’t feel safe for me.”
“But—”
“No.” She cuffed his wrist with her fingers. “No hospitals.”
He froze, mouth open and eyes wide.
His fingertips crumbled into ash. No, it wasn’t ash, it was a pure white hourglass sand. Beautiful, like his soul.
The man’s head caved in on itself with a small poof, and his body dissolved until there was only a little pile of bright-white sand in the seat with sprinkles of it along the console and floor of the driver’s side.
A scream burned her throat as she scrambled for the door handle.
What the hell just happened?

So what do you think? I am interested! Ms. Monroe is new to me, but I like the idea of this story. I have also had pretty good luck with the Entangled line – any of their imprints. But I really want to know what you guys thought. Is this book something you would read? What did you like best about the featured book? Have you read Ms. Monroe’s books before? I welcome all comments. Your feedback is always wanted.  I hope you all enjoyed your time here today and I thank you for choosing to spend part of your day with us. 

As always, buy links are included in the post. If you are so inclined, purchase the book for yourself. There is no better way to support an author. I would like to thank each and every one of you for joining us today. I would also like to thank the wonderful Sizzling PR, the company that originally scheduled this post.  I hope you all had a blast getting to know a bit about Ms. Monroe and her book, MARKED BY HADES. Wishing you all a fabulous day. Until next time …

HAPPY READING!!!