by Jenn Marie
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Release Date: July 3rd 2016
Summary from Goodreads:
Quiet seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Parker is looking forward to another mellow summer with her goofy relatives: sun tanning at the beach and staying out of trouble. Which is why the thought of her younger cousin participating in what is, clearly, a setup disguised as an initiation, worries her to the point of intervention.
One that backfires … big time …
Mistaken for her cousin, Elizabeth finds herself transported to an abandoned plantation, a place deeply haunted with unresolved mystery and where horror reigns every summer between July 20 and August 13.
It is there, locked in the pitch dark, where she finds herself paired with the strange and mysterious Adam Hunt—an unexpected trespasser with his own agenda. Together, they find a list of instructions—follow the clues to various possessions in the house, store them in the backpack provided, and find the key that will grant escape.
Having snuck in to document the haunting, Adam offers to help her find the key so long as she helps him record paranormal activity along the way. But as they make their way through the house, they soon discover unexplained anomalies …
For the first time in the plantation's recorded history, the haunting deviates from its known cycle of events, thrusting Elizabeth and Adam in a series of perilous circumstances that ensue long after the night is over.
As the last day of the haunting draws nearer, and as forces beyond their control ignite their growing attraction, Elizabeth and Adam must work together to uncover the plantations mysterious past before its too late.
Or die trying.
Warning: Occasional coarse language. Intended for Mature Young Adult audience.
Excerpt:
Behind the burlap, everything was dark.
White noise and
blustery wind pounded my ears, the surface beneath me hard and cold, designed
with uncomfortable ridges that met with every sharp point of my spine. Though
the air was warm, my arms were sheathed in goose bumps. Where was I? I stretched
my legs, my feet touching the inside of a—tailgate? I must be in the back of
someone’s truck. The tires veered, rolling me across the bed of the truck where
pain punched me between the eyes. I wanted to rub the spot, but my wrists were
duct-taped behind my back. I was in the worst position imaginable. No sight, no
hands, no way of knowing where to brace myself, or even when for that matter.
This was bad.
Who were these people? Some jackass had taped my mouth shut, shrouded my face,
and threw me in the back of his vehicle before I could get a word out. Didn’t
they realize they had the wrong girl? Had it been that dark?
The vehicle
lurched, toppling me back to the opposite side of the truck. The wind now
carried a strange echo, and combined with the occasional dip in the road, it
almost sounded as though we were crossing a bridge—the Cape Fear Memorial
Bridge? As I’ve crossed it several times during my summers here, I knew it was
the only one this close to April’s house.
Think, Elizabeth, think. They had to uncover me at some point,
didn’t they? But what if they did? If they wanted April—because of her ability
to take the possessions—then going back for her would be a certainty. And it
wasn’t like April wouldn’t go. She’d probably tie her own hands behind her
back. Shit. Okay. Calm down. April
would have to tell her mom where I was. She’d have to tell her the truth. And
then we’d both be safe. Right? If only I hadn’t dropped April’s cellphone. Not
that it mattered—according to April there’d be no reception, but still, it
would’ve been better than nothing …
Twenty minutes
later, tires screeched, the once-smooth road now turbulent, jostling me from
side to side. The vehicle lurched to a halt. My cheeks stung, the wind like a
distant echo on my skin. Were we here? The engine idled before shutting off. A
door opened. Gravel popped and crunched. Dread rippled down my spine. When I
heard the tailgate unlatch, I screamed as loud as I could through the duct
tape.
“Man, that
girl’s got a pair of lungs on her,” someone called from a distance.
I was thrown by
the direction of the voice—had it come from behind me?
“Yeah,” someone
else said. “Didn’t peg her for a screamer.” For some reason, they chortled at
this, and I realized they must’ve been referring to April.
I resumed screaming,
though it sounded more like a shrieking groan with my lips taped shut.
“Jesus, put a
muzzle on her.”
The bed of the
truck bounced. I thrashed, fending off the groping hands.
“C’mon, girlie,”
said a deep voice. “You’re coming with me.”
“I’m not April!”
I tried to squeal through the tape.
“Think maybe
she’s chickened out?”
Fingers gripped
my ankles, sliding me down the truck bed. “Sorry, girlie. Once you’re in,
you’re in. No backing out.” And I was flung over a shoulder. Shit! They couldn’t understand me. An
arm locked around the back of my knees, hampering my frantic squirming. “Let’s
go,” he said. A light blinked on, creating a dim glow within the fabric. And we
were on the move.
About the Author
Jenn Marie currently lives in sunny California with her wonderful husband and their runt kitty, Chloe. When she's not writing Young Adult Fiction, she can be found reading, plotting or spending time with her crazy, lovable family. Current obsessions include the movie, Frozen, the New Girl series, Arcade Fire's latest album, and avocados. Seriously, she can't get enough of it! Writing, for her, is a passion that refuses to be under prioritized. No matter what's going on in her life, whether good or bad, writing is always there to lift her spirits.
This sounds like a great read can't wait to get this book.
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