Welcome to my stop on the Cherished Blog Tour! The awesome Belinda Boring, known to the blogging world as The Bookish Snob is here today promoting her second novella in her Mystic Wolves series, Cherished. Stick around for a teaser excerpt of this gripping story and show Belinda some comment love!
Read my review of Cherished here.
Book Excerpt:
Cherished by Belinda Boring
Cherished by Belinda Boring
Although the full story doesn’t come until a little later, I was excited to share snippets of how Darcy and Mason met in Cherished. They don’t have the typical “how we met” story and I loved being able to use it as a way to show the dynamics between Darcy and her mother. Like all hopeful parents, her mother is desperate to see her beloved daughter mated and established but is oblivious to how her methods make Darcy feel. But the beauty of it is, sometimes … just sometimes even the craziest of intentions work out for the best. After spending the night dreaming of a sexy mysterious man, nothing shocks Darcy more than to open the door to her blind date and find … Mason. I hope you enjoy this small excerpt.
She was unbending in her belief she could hear my biological clock ticking away into oblivion. I tried, desperately, to assure her there was plenty of time for mates and babies, but she was determined to have me bonded and shipped off as soon as I hit my twenties. I couldn’t remember how many eligible werewolves she paraded in front of me over the years, each one “the one.” As I turned every one of them down, I’d leave my poor mother an exasperated mess. She just didn’t get it. I was waiting for something … that spark, the moment where my stomach tipped as butterflies stirred. I wanted passion and the sense of certainty knowing I’d met my soul mate.
I’ll never forget the day I tried explaining that to her. It resulted in an angry tirade about how I was breaking her heart and being an ungrateful whelp. The love I was wanting wasn’t important, she claimed, all I needed was a strong werewolf mate who could provide and protect me. She almost choked on her tongue when I defiantly stood there, hands on hips and declared I didn’t even know if I’d marry a werewolf. I didn’t want to be controlled and dominated over. Her face turned a mottled shade of red before she stormed out of my house, muttering about how she didn’t know who I was. The next day I came home to all my beloved romance novels shredded and unceremoniously dumped into trash bags. A note was left on my dining room table.
Darcy, I blame the nonsense you read in these books for your insane idea of marriage. It’s time you realize there are no heroes to sweep you off your feet. Pick a mate and settle. It’s time.
Settle. Out of everything she’d said on the page that word jumped out like it was written on a neon sign. That’s one thing I’d never do. I’d rather die old and alone than ever settle for something less. It also made me sad wondering if that’s what she had done with my father.
We never did talk about the note and her destroying my books. We continued as we normally did, her sending me candidates and me tolerating her. I did find a better place to put my books and life carried on.
The day she called, she was excited about a man she met who she thought would be perfect for me.
“It’s like he stepped out of one of those books you love so much,” she chattered over the phone. “Surely you won’t find fault with him as well. Just wait until you meet him.” She continued to prattle on and I tuned her out.
I couldn’t help but groan. One thing I loathed was blind dates because they were just so painfully awkward. There was the overwhelming need to fill every moment with something so we wouldn’t spend the entire date in unbearable silence. Trying to think of a way to break it to the guy gently when it was obvious to me, it just wouldn’t work.
I was already beginning to think of how I could wheedle my way out of this meeting when the doorbell rang.
“Tell me you didn’t, Mother,” I interrupted. I had no doubt she knew what I was talking about. The woman had the ears of a hawk and would undoubtedly have heard the chimes.
“Just do this for me. I want grand babies, Darcy. Wear something pretty with your hair up. Men like that.” I swear she was oblivious to how uncomfortable these meetings made me.
“Can you at least tell me what his name is?” I asked before I went to my doom.
“His name is Mason. Mason O’Connor. Be nice to him Darcy or so help me I’ll ….” I cut her off mid rant as I quickly said goodbye and hung up. I’d heard her threats so many times I could rehearse them verbatim in my sleep.
The door chime rang again.
“Let’s go see who the lucky contestant is,” I grumbled under my breath. I swung the door open and was floored by the battering of emotions that hit me with such a force I staggered. I would’ve fallen if Mason hadn’t reached out and grabbed hold of my arm.
“Already falling for me?” He chuckled, his eyes never leaving my face, his stare devouring.
Any other time I would’ve felt uncomfortable being under such intense scrutiny, but the look of hunger and triumph made my skin tingle and my breath hitched.
***
Cherished by Belinda Boring
Mystic Wolves Series ~ Book Two
For a moment, Darcy almost convinced herself the last twelve hours didn’t happen. As image after image hits her, the sinking realization of all she’s lost overwhelms her and all she can think of is to run. Run far away where her shame can’t find her, and most of all, where she’ll never have to see the look of blame in Mason’s eyes. Feeling like a complete failure, she scrambles to make plans. But the voice of her mate-to-be penetrates her frantic thoughts, asking for the chance to show her just how much she is loved.
It hurts Mason deeply to hear Darcy’s thoughts, knowing the events of the previous night have completely rattled her. Grieving over the death of his beloved sister Jasmine, Mason knows he has to act fast. Darcy is all he’s ever wanted and the idea of life without her is unacceptable. Armed with his unswerving love and wolfish charm, he sets out to remind Darcy just how valuable she is and why there is no one else for him but her.
Can Darcy let go of the shame of failure consuming her or will Mason convince her that after all is said and done, she truly is… Cherished?
Cherished is available for purchase here:
About the Author:
A homesick Aussie living amongst the cactus and mountains of Arizona, Belinda Boring is a self proclaimed addict of romance and all things swoon worthy. When she’s not devouring her latest read, you can find her celebrating her passion for books on her blog The Bookish Snob.
With all that excitement, it wasn’t long before she began writing, pouring her imagination and creativity into the stories she dreams. Whether urban fantasy, paranormal romance or romance in general, Belinda strives to share great plots with heart and characters that you can’t help but connect with. Of course, she wouldn’t be Belinda without adding heroes she hopes will curl your toes.
Surrounded by a supportive cast of family, friends and the man she gives her heart and soul to, Belinda is living the good life. Happy reading!
For more information on Belinda, visit her here:
One lucky winner will win an e-copy of Cherished.
To enter, leave a comment for Belinda and fill out the Rafflecopter form below:
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Next Stop on Cherished Tour: Readergirls – October 11th
I would love to read this book. It sounds really good. Tore923@aol.com
thanks for this giveaway. i would like to read the book.
witchvela at web dot de
Hi everyone! Thank you so much Lori for having me on your blog today and letting me sharre a little from Cherished. This was such a fun story to write and I’m excited to see what everyone thinks … especially of Mason! Thanks to those that have commented – I appreciate you coming by and good luck in the giveaway 🙂 Happy reading!
This sounds so good really loved the first and can’t wait to read this one!I love what I just read so good! Thank you very much for the chance!
tishajean@ charter.net
that is such an awesome book cover!!
email: cruz042 at csusm dot edu
I’ve read Without Mercy and really liked it, would love to continue with the series. Would love to read Cherished!
angeldream3[AT]gmail[DOT]com
I enjoyed the excerpt! Thanks for the giveaway!
darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com
Congrats on the release! Im looking forward to reading it.
<3d the excerpt!!!
Cherished sounds really good and I’ve added it to my wishlist! Thanks for the giveaway!
yadkny@hotmail.com