Touching
Evil
Book One
of The Leila Marx Novels
Amber Garr
Amber Garr
Genre: Urban Fantasy
ISBN: 978-1480021594
ISBN 10: 1480021598)
Number of
pages:
326
Word
Count: 81,000
Cover
Artist:
Amber Garr
Book
Trailer: http://youtu.be/1z7SEGu0jwo
Book Description:
Leila Marx is trying to put her life back together after her fiancé is
murdered. Her book illustrating career has limited her social contact and
nightmares have trapped her in the past. When a police acquaintance enlists her
help with a difficult case, Leila is surprisingly thankful to have a purpose.
Not only will this help to keep her mind focused, but she will be able to use
her talents as a touch clairvoyant that are frequently dismissed by skeptics.
Leila and Detective Garrick Pearson delve into the mystery behind a series of
missing teenage girls and mummified corpses while fighting their own growing
attraction to each other.
Conner Hoffman is an intriguing lawyer and striking half-demon who
enters Leila’s life unexpectedly. Although her visions are terrifying, she is
fascinated by his charm and his legacy. When it becomes evident that the
murders are linked to a paranormal event, Conner introduces Leila to a world
unbeknownst to ordinary society. She suddenly finds herself immersed in
supernatural politics, sorcery, and danger as she becomes the killer’s next
target. Staying alive will mean relying on friends, accepting the unbelievable,
and trusting in her heart again.
Short
Excerpt
What
does one wear when they commit the first felony of their life? I probably spent
two hours going through my closest trying to find something criminal. It had to
be black. Yes, definitely black. I finally settled on a turtleneck, spandex
workout pants, and the only pair of black sneakers I’d ever owned. They were
left over from my waitressing days and I was pleasantly surprised to see that
they were still in good shape, even if they did smell a little like grease.
I
just finished pulling my hair back into a low bun, like spy girls do in the
movies, when the doorbell rang. Conner was here and my heart fluttered
instantly. Last night had been a lot of fun and I really enjoyed my evening
with Garrick, but this was the first time any man had been to my house who
wasn’t a part of the police force since Russ was killed. This was also the
first time I’d ever had a half demon in the house, at least as far as I knew.
After another quick glance in the mirror, I bounced over to the door.
And
as soon as I opened it I realized how much of a dork I must have looked like.
There
was Conner, in a regular pair of jeans and a college sweatshirt doing all that
he could not to laugh at me. I glared up at him.
“What?
No one told me what to wear so I had to improvise.” He started laughing but
then choked it back down when I tried to close the door on him. His foot shot
out and blocked my attempt.
“I’m
sorry. You look good. Really.” He smiled fully at me and then bowed his head as
he put his hands together in a prayer-like position. “May I have permission to
enter my ninja warrior princess?”
I
could see his shoulders shake with amusement again and I refused to be
embarrassed. With an exaggerated sigh, I walked back into my bedroom, leaving
Conner to let himself in. I decided that he should wallow in uncomfortable
silence for a while, although when I came back into the living room and saw him
flipping through some of my illustrations, I realized he was unfazed.
“These
are really good. You’re quite talented.” I stood there, leaning against the
wall for a few seconds trying to judge if he was being serious or not. Just as
I started to give him the benefit of the doubt, he arched an eyebrow my way and
said, “A much better artist than fashionista.”
I
threw the sweatshirt I had in my hands at him and stomped over to the kitchen.
His laugh consumed the room and I was surprised to find a smile on my face as I
opened the refrigerator.
“Should
we take snacks?” I asked. We were going to drive to a spot close to the house
and wait until it was clear. I’d been told that it might take several hours and
I didn’t want the cambion getting hungry while we waited.
“Sure,
if you want. Maybe some water would be good.” It was obvious that he enjoyed my
lack of stake-out abilities.
I
grabbed one of my reusable grocery bags and filled it up with water, crackers,
and Twizzlers. All of the essentials. I briefly considered grabbing a bottle of
wine to control my anxiety, but decided against it in the end.
“So,
are we ready to go?” I asked as I hoisted the bag on my shoulder and grabbed
the sweatshirt back. He studied me for a moment and then pulled an object from
his back pocket.
“Not
until you put this on,” he said as he tossed something small and black at me.
It was a ski mask, one of those ones that covered everything except for your
eyes. I pulled it over my head and batted my lashes.
“Am
I ready now?”
He laughed and took the
snack bag off my shoulder. “Yes, Leila. I think you’re ready for a life of
crime.”
My Thoughts:
There is only one way to describe my reaction to this book: blown away! I had never read anything by this author before, so I was very excited to have a chance to read her book!
Leila is an amazing character! There is so much going on in her life, and she seems to preserver through everything, you can't help but fall in love with this character! She has a lot to work through in this book before she can let her guard down, but I think by the end she sees the value in trusting again!
Connor was great. Between him and Leila I could literally not put this book down!
Connor or Garrett? I went back and forth on who I was cheering for. But then again either chocie would be considered great. ;)
It is so hard to talk about this book and not give away too much! If you have not gotten a chance to pick up a copy of this bok I suggest you do so soon! You will not regret it! I
can not wait for the next book nor can I wait to read more by this author!!!!
My Rating: 4.5 Stars!!!
Giveaway!!!!!!!
1 Signed paperback copy of Touching Evil with SWAG (US Only)
2 ebook copies via coupons (INT)
About the Author:
Amber Garr spends her
days conducting scientific experiments and wondering if her next door neighbor
is secretly a vampire. Born in Pennsylvania, she lives in Florida with
her husband and their furry kids. Her childhood imaginary friend was a
witch, Halloween is sacred, and she is certain that she has a supernatural
sense of smell. She writes both adult and young adult urban fantasies and
when not obsessing over the unknown, she can be found dancing, reading, or
enjoying a good movie.
Website
Blog
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Thank you so much Alyssa! I'm excited to see that you enjoyed it. I appreciate you being a part of my tour. :)
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