Wanted
Annika James
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-77127-242-1
ASIN: B00B2EU7ZQ
Number of pages: 212
Word Count: 55,614
Cover Artist: Marion Sipe
Book Description:
Attacked as a young witch and left for dead, Ashlinn is deathly afraid of being bitten again. Having survived until she’s almost eighteen without donating blood to any of her vamp friends, Ashlinn figures she’ll continue to live bite-free.
After her crush reveals how powerful she is, however, the Vampire Council declares she be claimed as a familiar, which requires biting. Ashlinn doesn’t want to be owned, even by hot vamp, Conor.
Luckily, her best friend, Matt, volunteers for the job. She is given one week to choose her protector, and the list of willing biters keeps growing. Will she go with best friend Matt, hot vamp Conor, or someone else to protect her? Will she be able to get her power under control by then? Will she overcome her phobia of being bitten? And who says she needs to be protected, anyhow?
About the Author:
Annika James lives in small-town Wisconsin with her husband and two beautiful kiddos. She spends her days working to pay the bills and her nights dreaming of more fun ways to do so. Her passions include writing, reading, music and traveling with her family. She dreams of a world where vampires and powerful witches really exist, because life would be so much more interesting.
Short Excerpt
Wanted by Annika James
He leaned toward me, holding my gaze with his. I forgot how to breathe, how to think. Then his lips touched mine, electricity exploding up and down my body.
Soft and gentle, they probed, tasting, testing. I didn’t move to touch him, just remained frozen. There was only the kiss. His mouth moved to my jaw, kissing his way down to my neck. His teeth grazed my skin.
I unfroze and found my voice. “No!” I felt a surge of power push through me.
Conor flew backward across the room. He crashed into a bookcase, sending an avalanche of books over him as he fell to the floor. He slumped there, holding his head, dazed.
He looked up in confusion, mouth opened ready to speak. At that moment, my muscles remembered how to move and I ran for the door. It opened in front of me, not of my power, and Matt appeared. He’d probably felt my surge of power. I hadn’t meant to throw Conor. Panic had overtaken me and I had lost control for an instant.
I flew into Matt’s arms and he embraced me. Matt was my rock. His presence calmed me, it always did. He was like a protective big brother. I knew he understood the whole scene in the seconds before I’d found his arms. I buried my face in the T-shirt pulled tight across his strong chest, and breathed in his scent, a mix of fabric softener and cologne. It was familiarity, it was home, and it helped to center me. I peeked out at Conor. He stepped out of the pile of books and straightened his clothing.
“Is she yours, Matthew? I thought she was unclaimed.” Conor was now being formal. Vamps often addressed each other formally, even the teenage ones. He thought I was Matt’s, and to bite me would have been a serious offense to Matt’s family. I was not claimed, nor would I ever be. Matt’s arms tightened around me.
“No. I told you she’s not claimed. Did you try to bite her?” Each word seethed with anger. I had never heard so much menace in Matt’s voice. He trembled ever so slightly. Wasn’t Conor his friend? I felt like there was something else going on here I didn’t quite get.
“I just assumed she’d agree.” Conor’s voice came from right behind me. “I’ve never been turned down before.” His voice wasn’t cocky, not even confident. He stated it like he’d simply said his eyes were green.
“Did you ask her?”
Conor said nothing. Matt must have seen something in Conor’s face, though, because his grip on me tightened, voice outraged. “You didn’t even ask her?” He was furious. I raised my head. There was fire in his eyes, and if looks could kill,
Conor would have been so much more than dead.
I turned in Matt’s arms, forcing him to loosen his hold, although he didn’t let go completely. Conor’s brow furrowed, mouth drawn into a tight frown.
“I thought it was what she wanted.” His voice was soft and unsure.
Matt let go to put me behind him, further protecting me. “Ashlinn’s been bitten before. Without permission. Without the aid of making it feel good. Drained. Almost to the point of death.”
I shivered, remembering the night I met Matt. I would never forget the feeling of having life literally sucked out of me, of hovering so close to death. I was so young, at the time I hadn’t really known what was going on. Almost dying, however, would remain embedded in my memory forever. Matt had found me and knew what to do to nurse me back to health. He’d been my protector ever since.
I looked around Matt’s broad back. Conor’s wide-eyed gaze found mine. “I am so sorry, Ashlinn. I offended you. I meant you no harm. I was unaware of your past and thought you were giving me the okay.”
He spread his hands in a helpless gesture. I stepped out from behind Matt, to his side. Matt put an arm around my shoulders, still holding me close. I watched
Conor’s gaze slide over the embrace to Matt’s face, before coming back to mine.
He had apologized, now he waited for me to say it was okay.
“I suppose I probably was.” My voice was soft, though not wobbly. “Though I didn’t mean to.” I was pretty calm now, thanks to Matt. And I was almost sure Conor wasn’t going to attack me. I had unknowingly given him the green light, forgetting he wasn’t just a normal boy, and this wasn’t just a normal party. I liked him so much, I had sent him signals that probably seemed the same as “Bite me!”
“Sorry I threw you across the room.” I did feel bad. I hadn’t meant to hurt him.
Matt looked at me as Conor smiled slightly. “I deserved it.” Some of the confidence returned to his voice.
“It was quite impressive.”
“You did that?” Matt sounded surprised and a little proud. “Your power?”
I nodded. “I guess the panic took over. I reacted without thinking. And there he was, flying, crashing.” I gestured from where I’d read the poem to the pile of books on the floor.
Matt’s smile was big and genuine. “That is awesome, Ash.” He gave my shoulder a small squeeze.
Conor took a step toward us. I didn’t flinch. I knew he meant me no harm. If he had bitten me, my mind knew it would have felt amazing, completely opposite of how it had felt the last time I was bitten. Although, it would still have been against my will, without permission, and that was rape. No one was going to bite me again, ever. Even Conor. I didn’t want to be under anyone’s control but my own.
“You’re very powerful,” Conor observed.
I shrugged. “I guess.”
My Review
I loved this short vampire book, well, not just vampires. Has witches too, the main character is a powerful witch.
It’s a short sweet story, about a young witch who is coming into her full powers soon, and she is now under the threat of the vampires who want her for her power. They want to make her their familiar. Thing is, you need to be bitten for that, but she does not want to be bitten, ever.
She was attacked at 8 years old, almost drained, and would have died if not for her vampire friend who was also 8 at the time, He had saved her life by giving her some of his blood, so she lived.
Matt who is that savior has been her best friend through her life, and I found it sad that he came to love her, more than she does him, she loved him like a brother.
She has this major crush on another vampire, named Conor, and he gets interested in her after he “feels” her power, but there is much more therewith all that.
Things are way more complicated, with Matt and Conor. I loved the twist this story took.
I don’t want to give away anything major here, so will keep this short.
I think it was written very well, and highly recommend this to those paranormal lovers out there, like me. I was a little shocked at the ending, things were tied up pretty good, but not entirely, thinking this should be a series, but am not sure on that. If it is, great. If not, then this book ended too soon.
Either way, loved it, and give it 5 stars out of 5.
If you like my review, I would love for you to mark it as helpful at Amazon, link is Here. every bit helps. :)
Or you can Like it at Goodreads :) Here
Wanted Guest Blog Post
Thank you so much for having me today!
Top 10 Paranormal Series
I’ve been writing as long as I can remember, and I believe my love of writing stems from my love of reading. I fell in love with the paranormal in junior high when I discovered Christopher Pike, Richie Tankersley Cusick, the Fear Street books, and L.J. Smith. As I grew older, these remained my favorites, but I did branch out a little into some Stephen King. Then I found Laurell K. Hamilton and my love for vampires was renewed. Since then, I’ve read almost only paranormal series. Here’s a listing of my top 5 YA paranormal, and my top 5 adult. There are so many more that I love, but for brevity - I’ll only talk about these. I’m sure there are many more, feel free to give me recommendations. :) The following all probably influenced WANTED in some way since I love them so much.
YA (In no particular order)
Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine - What a great world Caine has created in this series. I’m not always sure if this falls in YA or adult, because Claire is a teenager, but it takes place at college. Vampires, ghosts, romance, action - all around fun.
House of Night by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast - I started reading this series and the VA at the same time, so they are similar to me - boarding schools for young vampires. Although, their worlds are completely different. I love how the Casts infused a religion into vampirism as well as the spell casting and working with the elements. They’re almost witch-vampires.
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - I love this one because Rose is so BA. I love tough women who can kick butt, and she definitely falls into that category.
Vampire Beach by Alec Duval - Vampires in Malibu. This is kind of a cross between a vampire book and Beverly Hills 90210. I think it’s where I got my inspiration to make my vamps impervious to sunlight, because the vamps in this series walk around during the day also. There’s romance and some action also - as well as a lot of secrets.
Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz - East Coast rich vampires. The world in this series is amazing and she even has a spin-off already. The forbidden love aspect in these makes it heartbreaking to read sometimes, but these books are awesome.
Adult (In no particular order)
Anita Blake by Laurell K. Hamilton - Probably the first paranormal series I picked up as an adult. She renewed my love of all thing vampire and Other. Though, I have had to struggle through the last couple books, there’s still something about your first love.
The Hollows by Kim Harrison - I’ve been with Rachel since the 2nd book came out. These are a “must buy right away” for me. I love the world of the Hollows, and want to have coffee with Rachel. Witches, vampires, pixies, shifters, this series has them all and they are all mainstreamed - which I love.
Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward - Probably my absolute favorite! I have been known to preorder these simply so I don’t have to wait. I can not wait for the next installment! Hunky, Alpha-male, vampire warriors - this series has action, romance, sexiness, heartache, joy - so so much. Ward has sucked me into this world and I never want to leave.
Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris - Ah, Sookie. I so loved these before True Blood. And since watching the TV show, I’ve had to go back and re-read all of these. I’m in book 5 right now, and remembering why I fell in love with these. Sookie is just hilarious and real. She is easy to fall in love with. Not to mention the great male characters throughout the series. Harris created another world where all paranormal exists. These books are a must buy, as well. I will always love Sookie.
Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill - I just got into this series and am so in love! Merit is my kind of woman! Vampires, shifters, witches - I’m big on world-building and this is another world I want to live in. Chicago is my hometown and I love reading books that take place there. I’m only in book 3 right now, and the tension between Merit and Ethan is awesome.
I know there is a ton more! These are the ones where I eagerly anticipate the next installment and usually buy it right away. What are your must buys?
You can find the rest of the tour for Wanted, here.
This book sounds great.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Holly! Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoy the book! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great review, Michelle! And thanks again for hosting me today! :)
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