New Release Giveaway – Light of the Spirit by Lisa Kessler

Title: Light of the Spirit
Series: The Muse Chronicles Book 4
Author: Lisa Kessler
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Lisa's Lair
Release Date: September 18, 2017
Pages: 256

New Release Giveaway

Light of the Spirit by Lisa Kessler

One Lucky Winner Will Receive

a $5 Amazon gift card and 1 eBook copy from Ms. Kessler’s backlist (winner’s choice)

**Giveaway eligible in US only**

Book blurb:

The gods never sleep…

As the mortal vessel for the Muse of Comedy, Lia Youlos lights up every room with laughter and smiles. But there are darker forces at work, and they want to snuff out her light forever.

Cooper Hanover is a hardworking paramedic who healed Lia after a fire, but something happened that day, something medical science couldn’t explain. And if he doesn’t figure out how it works soon, the next healing could kill him.

Lia’s smile and sharp wit tempt him to love again, and he’s not going to let anyone, not even the gods, take her from him.

The Prophecy – “Every generation the nine daughters of Zeus are reborn, and with their rebirth are also nine Guardians. They will be marked by the gods, and given gifts to protect his treasure. Their abilities will only be unlocked when they find their muse.”

Excerpt:

Cooper ground his teeth but then forced himself to speak. “He was gone. I couldn’t stop the bleeding. Whatever tore through his chest, nicked an artery. I was going to call it, but you asked me to try one more time. I stared in your eyes, and I saw the pain.” He shook his head. “Even though I knew he was dead, I tried one last time, and when I did…” He ran a hand down his face. “This sounds even crazier saying it out loud.”

“You’re not crazy.” She was serious, no hint of a smile.

He cocked a brow. “And how do you know that?”

“I cut hair for a living.” Her dark eyes glinted with playfulness, easing some of his jacked-up nerves. “I see crazy all the time. You’re not it.”

He wished he could be so certain. His gaze locked on hers. “When I touched him, something, some part of me, slipped away. There was light everywhere, and I guided it into the wound to stop the bleeding, and then there was this pull, like all my energy or my soul or something was being drained and sucked into his body. I heard his heartbeat, and then everything went dark.”

He waited for her to laugh or sprint out of the restaurant.

Instead, she reached across the table to take his hand. “You were part of a miracle.”

He swallowed the lump in his throat and squeezed her hand. “I don’t know what to do with this. Why did it happen? And what if it happens again? It almost killed me.”

She leaned back in her chair. “We should go swimming.”

He frowned, a surprise burst of laughter escaping his throat. “Swimming?”

Color flushed up her neck and into her cheeks. “Sorry. That was in my outside voice, huh?”

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “I’m not sure how my deepest fear is connected to swimming, but…”

“It’s not.” She ran her fingers back through her hair. “I don’t know how to explain this so it only seems sort of crazy and not padded-room crazy.”

“I just admitted my soul was drained to save your friend. Top that.”

She laughed and something warmed inside of him. Her dark eyes met his. “Have you ever had a secret that involved other people, and you couldn’t share it without exposing them? I have to be really careful.”

He rubbed his forehead. “And swimming is going to help?”

“It might.” She popped forward in her seat and covered his hand in both of hers. “Tell you what? Come swim with me, and I’ll give you a free haircut.”

He laughed again before he could stop himself. “You don’t have to bribe me for a chance to see you in a bathing suit.”

She flipped her hair back with a twinkle in her eyes. “Is that a yes?”

“Sure. When?”

“After pizza.”

“You have a pool?”

“Yeah. You have swim trunks?”

“Not on me.” He couldn’t help but laugh again. “But I’m wearing boxers, will that work?” She nodded, and he picked up his slice of pizza. “This is the weirdest date I’ve ever been on.”

She grinned. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

And it was. He’d had plenty of dates and a handful of relationships in the past, but he hadn’t laughed this much since… Hell, he couldn’t even remember.

***

Lia made Trinity swear to stay in the condo. If she was going to nonchalantly search Cooper for a crescent-shaped birthmark, she didn’t want witnesses. Lia stepped into the shallow end of the swimming pool, grateful it was heated. Not that Crystal City had much in the way of seasons. It was almost always sunny, but fall nights like tonight were chilly.

The back door opened, and Cooper walked toward the pool. Lord. She prayed her jaw wasn’t hanging open. His broad shoulders were muscled—heck, all of him was covered in muscles—and his skin was tan. On his bicep, he had a single tattoo of the caduceus, which symbolized medicine and healers.

She forced her eyes up to his face. “Come on in. The water’s fine.”

Instead of walking into the shallow end from the steps, he took two running strides and dove into the deep end. He was like a sexy bullet shooting through the water, breaking the surface right in front of her. Without thinking, she placed her hand on his chest.

He covered her hand with his and bent closer. “Is anyone going to come out needing you to set an alarm?”

“I’ll break their arm,” she said, her pulse racing.

He smiled as he closed the distance between their lips. His kiss was warm, soft, and knee weakening. She ran her hands up his chest, lacing her fingers around the back of his neck as his hands caressed the small of her back. The second her bare belly pressed against him, heat smoldered low inside of her.

Gradually, his tongue teased her lips, coaxing her to open for him. She moaned as she explored his mouth. He bent his knees, his hands sliding lower to grip the back of her thighs. He straightened, lifting her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. A rumble vibrated through his chest, and he tipped his head to the side, deepening the kiss until every inch of her ached for his attention.

She brushed her lips against his, her teeth catching his lower lip for a second before she made herself pull back. Blinking her eyes open, she gasped for air. “Okay. That was totally worth the wait.”

He brought one hand out of the water to cup her cheek and caressed her skin with his thumb. “Definitely.”

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About the author:

Lisa Kessler is a Best Selling author of dark paranormal fiction. She’s a two-time San Diego Book Award winner for Best Published Fantasy-Sci-fi-Horror and Best Published Romance. Her books have also won the PRISM award, the Award of Excellence, the National Excellence in Romantic Fiction Award, the Award of Merit from the Holt Medallion, and an International Digital Award for Best Paranormal.

Her short stories have been published in print anthologies and magazines, and her vampire story, Immortal Beloved, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award.

When she’s not writing, Lisa is a professional vocalist, and has performed with San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies in San Diego.

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