Title: Guiding Gaia Author: Tish Thawer Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
She awoke to save us, but it may already be too late.
The world is in chaos. Stars are falling from the sky. Floods, hurricanes, and fires rage across the land. And the only being strong enough to stop it is stuck in teenage form … again.
Reborn, Gaia has come to Earth to battle through the strife and discover if the world is worth saving.
Tasked with guiding her, it falls to me to help her weather the storms, and hopefully, find a place where she can be at peace. But time is running out, and her patience is waning. Now, I fear if the human race doesn’t destroy the world … she will.
Our initial four months were hard. The dynamics of bringing back a goddess beyond her own will required a certain amount of cosmic interference—hence her being reborn a teenager instead of simply awakened as the true goddess she was. With myself an eternal thirty-five, I’d been able to witness the world throughout the centuries. However, the moment she awoke, we were deposited on Earth together, and found Gaia’s powers and memories to be limited, forcing her to learn all she could about the modern world and its customs today. Luckily, money wasn’t an issue, as I’d been divinely gifted a limitless amount in the form of a little, black charge card I’d been putting to good use. But no amount of computers, books, or even the iPod I bought her could negate the frustration of being cooped up in a hotel for four months while learning to ease her way back into a world she, herself, had created. Hence the random storms due to her emotional outbursts.
How could the gods put something like this on a teenager? I rubbed a hand over my face. “Honey, I know things haven’t been easy, but I’m truly honored to serve as your guardian, and it’s not something I take lightly.”
“Ugh … you’re always so uptight.” Laughing, she turned back to the dark-tinted window, her red hair shining in the soft morning light. “It’s so beautiful here.” I took a quiet breath, swallowing my sigh. Watching her process this world anew was often a heart-breaking task. She was the ancestral mother of all life, consort to Uranus—the creator of the heavens and the sky, and mother to the Titans themselves. She created all we see and know, and was now tasked to evaluate the chaos that enveloped that same world, deciding if it was worth saving or not. So far, I couldn’t tell which way she was leaning. It would take us completing our mission before she regained her full powers and all of her original memories—both of which she’d need to make her final decision. So, in times like these, when she still noticed the beauty around her … I took note.
Author Tish Thawer writes young adult fantasy and paranormal fiction. From her first paranormal cartoon, Isis, to the Twilight phenomenon, myth, magic, and superpowers have always held a special place in her heart.
Best known for her Witches of BlackBrook series, Tish’s detailed world-building and magic-laced stories have been compared to Nora Roberts, Sam Cheever, and Charlaine Harris.
Tish’s books have been featured in British Glamour and Elle Magazines. Tish has worked as a computer consultant, photographer, and graphic designer, and has bylines as a columnist for Gliterary Girl media, RT Magazine, and Literary Lunes Magazine. She currently resides in Missouri with her husband and three wonderful children, and operates Amber Leaf Designs, an online custom swag retail store.
They call me “The Devil.” Deranged and violent. Gorgeous but frightening.
I’m a businessman so when one of my debtors offers me his fiancé in exchange for a debt settled I figure why not.
Repayment comes in the form of a beautiful but haunted young woman.
The light in her tempts the darkness inside of me. Teases it, tortures it.
I want to hurt her. I want to break her. I want to keep her.
Luckily for Celia she fails to see that there is no goodness in me and when she attempts to draw me in with her innocence, and sweet naive heart I thrive to show her the cruel monster I am.
J.L. Beck is a USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR, she has written over fifty different romance novels. She started her journey of writing back in 2014 and hasn’t slowed down a second since then.
She’s captivated by real romance, and loves reading about strong “ALPHA” males, as well as sassy heroines that know or may not know what they want. She is best known for delivering a happily ever after but has ended things on a cliffhanger a time or two.
When she’s not typing away at her next book you can find her being a mom to her two adorable kiddos and wife to her high school sweetheart.
She’s obsessed with Starbucks, social media, and is definitely more of a dog person than cat.
Born and raised in Germany, Cassandra moved to the United States when she was eighteen. She always had a love for reading, that love slowly transpired into writing. She put fingers to the keyboard and started writing about the dark side of romance.
Cassandra is one half of the international bestselling author duo Beck & Hallman, who are most knows for the writing the Northwood University series.
Lieutenant Colonel Brenden Jasper lives a life of secrets, danger, and clandestine missions. As commander of the most elite Black Ops unit in the world, nothing is more important to him than protecting the country he loves. But there’s a reason only the toughest, battle-tested, alpha men can call themselves members of the Black 2131 brotherhood. None but those in the highest realms of government even know of its existence, and it’s Brenden’s job to avoid emotional entanglements so he can keep it that way.
Dr. Paige Nichols has spent her life ruled by logic and reason, teaching and analyzing art history, so nothing could have prepared her for the completely overwhelming attraction-at-first-sight when she sets eyes on Brenden. Their chance encounter at a party opens her up to a tantalizing dark side she never knew she had—and leaves her wanting so much more. But a man with a dark side often comes with way too many secrets…ones that could put her life in danger.
Though their chemistry burns hotter than ever, when danger comes knocking on Paige’s door, Brenden will have to walk a fine line between duty, honor, and love.
“Are you done hiding from me?” The smooth tenor jumpstarted her heart.
Paige whipped around to see Brenden leaning in the door frame. A smile curved his lips as she struggled through heavy breaths. “Hi… Hiding from you?” She gulped down a mixture of fear and excitement as butterflies began dancing in her stomach. She wasn’t sure if she wanted them to stop because at least the fluttery feeling confirmed she wasn’t dreaming.
He slid his hands into his pockets while his eyes intently scanned her face as if he were committing every inch to memory. “You didn’t give me a chance to tell you Happy New Year.”
A flush crept along her neck before stinging her cheeks. She peeked up, afraid of how the energy in her body was responding to Brenden. “Ditto,” she muttered. “Happy New Year! I guess chivalry does exist.”
He shrugged and began moving towards her. Face to face, he looked upon her, again studying her like a work of art. “Not sure if the thoughts I’m having of you would be deemed chivalrous, Paige.”
She felt her mouth form a little “o” while her heartbeat triple timed. The sincerity etched across Brenden’s face and the want laced within his husky voice began casting a spell, unraveling inhibitions she’d clung to for fear of failure or rejection.
“Why are you here by yourself?” He shifted his gaze beyond her to the ocean before taking a few steps to claim the space at the balcony rail.
“I could ask you the same,” she replied before returning to her place along the rail that was now a few feet from the sexiest man alive.
“True, but I suppose neither of us wants to share what we’d rather forget.”
Paige nodded. How did he know? She’d been trying to forget for the last twenty years. And now, seeing the sliver of tension twitch at Brenden’s jaw, it made her curious to learn what he wanted to forget.
“Forget?” she asked out loud, and not on purpose.
He faced her. Sweet Jesus, the man’s eyes could read a girl’s soul and betray her most private thoughts. “Don’t you want to?”
Something in him whispered to her deepest, darkest desires. Her body slowly began overriding her mind. “How?” she asked, desperate for her next breath. She then swallowed an inhale and reached up, pushing strands of his tousled hair from his face.
Brenden stepped in, closing the distance between them. He looked down into her eyes, lowered his head, and brushed his lips across hers. His fingers threaded the strands of her hair before he tilted her neck and pressed his lips to her bouncing pulse.
Her breaths became more unpredictable, fueling the sharpening ache between her legs that halted rational contemplation. Mind versus body. Never before had she been uncertain of which would win.
Another stuttering breath escaped her lips, and her eyes closed as Brenden’s teeth sank into her skin. “Mmmm…feels good.” “Tastes good.” His body pressed harder against hers. “And now you know my most indecent thoughts.”
C. Chilove is a southern girl residing in the beautiful Sunshine State. When she’s not writing, she’s cheering on her little ballerina, being protected by her daring ninja, cooking yummy dishes for her hubby, or exploring flea markets and antique stores for hidden treasures.
