A Demon’s Point of View
Demons are not my first choice of protagonist, yet my new
series centers on the demon Shaker, and his human Debbie, as their relationship
transitions from strictly business to romance. I’d already explored vampires,
shifters, and sorcerers/witches in my Lash and Promise Me Series, and wanted a
male with new powers and weaknesses. So Shaker, who previously appeared in bit
parts in both of these other series, finally got his chance for the spotlight.
A Good Year begins with Debbie feeling like she's being backed into a corner with
no way out, and then Shaker appears, offering her a solution which she is
hesitant about, but desperate and also pragmatic enough to take. Shaker begins
his service by saving her life from her colleague Rebecca's cursed bracelet, then
begins maneuvering behind the scenes to solve the problems facing Pandora
Productions, from acquiring scripts cheaply to orchestrating murders when
people won't comply to his psychic nudges. He helps Debbie assemble a team,
including human Sheila, the demons Song, Harp, and Rack, plus a few
supernatural investors which lets Pandora quickly go from a struggling company
about to be bought out to a real force in the indie film world. In short time,
the veneer covering the atrocities Shaker's willing to commit on Debbie's
behalf began to horrify her. Yet she's already committed, there's no turning
back.
There is something twistedly seductive in
having someone who is literally willing to do anything for you, and is bound to
obey your every command. That kind of power is both compelling and terrifying,
like a loaded gun; make the wrong decision and you might cause not only your
own death, but also the deaths of others. Debbie gets in deeper and deeper,
both in what she and Shaker are doing for Pandora Productions to be successful
and her feelings for Shaker, who in spite of his evil is essentially her slave,
with no hope of ever being anything else.
I thought of how a
real demon would feel facing master after master for eternity, never being
allowed to live your own life, always being judged for what you were born into,
with zero chance for redemption. They'd
be pretty miserable, perhaps using that misery to fuel the evil they feel
compelled to do by Satan. But doing evil makes a person feel regret, and I
think a demon would feel that, and the feeling would just get worse the older
the being got. Shaker is pretty jaded and resigned to his existence when he
meets Debbie, citing in defense of his actions repeatedly, “I’m a demon, and
this is what demons do.” But by the end of the book, he believes that as long
as they are bound he has a chance to be happy, however briefly, instead of the
hell outside Hell he's been living. Debbie gives Shaker that sense of being
more of a partner in their relationship, instead of her servant. But it
remains to be seen if Shaker can truly be redeemed, or what kind of future they
can hope to have.
Blurb:
Faced with
losing Pandora Productions as well as her best friend Rebecca to the smarmy
Paul, savvy film executive Debbie makes a pact with the demon Shaker, agreeing
to bind herself to him as his human master in return for killing Paul and
securing Pandora’s future. Yet even as Pandora gains accolades and renown,
Debbie’s strong resolve begins to crumble under the weight of her actions. And
the pleasure she finds in Shaker’s arms is becoming more than sex. Is Debbie
doomed to lose her heart as well as her soul to a demon who has only been
waiting for the chance to claim both?
Excerpt:
“I never asked you
to kill anyone,” Debbie said defensively. “I never asked you to—”
“You asked me to
save your company, and I’ve done it,” Shaker shouted, the boom of his voice
shaking the room like a small earthquake. He loomed over her. “What did you
think was going to happen? I’m a demon out of Hell! What did you think I would
do when you unleashed me on your enemies?”
“These are human
beings—”
“Who matter as much
as insects splattered on a windshield,” Shaker snarled. “Humans are just
another species who think that they are superior to all others…a prevalent
notion in all evolved creatures. They are not.” He stared down at her. “You are
not superior to me, Mistress.”
Debbie looked up at
him with tear-filled eyes. “But I am human. How do I know you won’t hurt me,
too, Shaker?”
“Honestly?” he said
gruffly, his expression softening. “You don’t. But the same could be said of
any human man you know, Mistress.” He leaned in closer, tilting his head. “And
I kiss better than most.”
Debbie didn’t know
what to do when the demon’s lips met hers. She leaned back involuntarily, but
Shaker just leaned forward farther, his lips pressing hers. His kiss was
nothing like she’d expected it to be: not brutally strong, or too hot, or even
too provocative. It began as a chaste kiss; gentle, languid, warm, with just a
hint of passion to come if the merest sign was given. The longer it went on,
the hotter Debbie got, the urge to open her mouth growing each moment. Just as
she gave in and relaxed into Shaker’s embrace, he pulled back from her, ending
the kiss, his red eyes staring into hers, his desire mirroring her desire.
Buy Links:
AMAZON: HTTPS://WWW.AMAZON.COM/GOOD-YEAR-UNHALLOWED-LOVE-BOOK-EBOOK/DP/B01MYBIYK7/
BARNES AND NOBLE
(PRINT AND NOOK): HTTP://WWW.BARNESANDNOBLE.COM/W/A-GOOD-YEAR-TARA-FOX-HALL/1125532941
MELANGE BOOKS (IBOOK
LINKS): HTTP://WWW.MELANGE-BOOKS.COM/AUTHORS/TARAFOXHALL/1GOODYEAR.HTML
Enter the
Rafflecopter for 5 signed print books until 3-31-16: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/625485ee21/
Goodreads
Giveaway for a signed copy from 3-15-16 to 3-31-16: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34145627-a-good-year
No comments:
Post a Comment