Welcome to this stop in the
Empathy Blog Tour,
sponsored by
Bewitching Book Tours!!
I'm featuring an excerpt,
along with a mini-review!
Empathy
(Emotional Chains, Book 1)
Carolyn Wren
Kindle Edition, 243 pages
Secret Cravings Publishing
March 23, 2015
Cover Artist: Dawn Dominique
Mystery, Paranormal Romance,
Urban Fantasy
Oliver Lord belongs to one of three special families, empaths who feel
emotions as a physical sense. Quiet and reserved, and accustomed to
keeping his abilities hidden, Oliver is drawn inexorably to a woman he’s
never met. The woman who made his brother’s last year of life so
happy.
When Zoe Daniels, talented sculptor, loses her fiancé before their
wedding, she can’t imagine finding love again, until she meets Jasper’s
unknown brother, a man so different, yet so achingly familiar to the man
she adored. What is Oliver’s secret, and why is he so determined to
keep her at arm’s length?
A violent kidnapping and murder forces the empaths from the shadows
to seek justice for one of their own. Oliver turns to Zoe, needing her
comfort and love. Can she accept him for who he is?
Oliver and two powerful empathic friends need to track down the
kidnappers before they strike again, but how do you solve a murder, when
your only clue is emotion?
This author has certainly caught my interest with this little gem of an excerpt! I want to get to know these characters, to see how they work together to resolve the unique conundrums they have been challenged with, and, most of all, to find out how their relationship pans out.
I especially like the fact that Zoe is a sculptor. The fact that she's also an empath must surely help her in her creative work. From this scene, it's also quite obvious that she's very much in tune with nature.
As for Oliver, I like the way he's drawn to her. He can peek into her mind, and therefore, knows that she's a good person. Yet, he tries not to intrude on her inner world, and feels guilty for having done so. This marks him as a good person, too.
I love the way this scene is set up, as well as the fact that they have a common link -- Jasper, the brother and friend they have both lost.
Wren's writing flows, and her plot is fascinating! I love the mixing of genres, too! I'm snapping up this book right away, even though I don't normally read e-books!
Update, 2:05 PM
Ms. Wren has just informed me
that this book will be
available in paperback later
on this year!!!
WOOT, WOOT!!!!!
Zoe sat with her
back to the tree as she always did, knees drawn up. Thin cords dangled from her
ears, attached to the smart phone at her hip. Her feet tapped out a rhythm to a
tune Oliver couldn’t hear. She put down the book in her hands and tilted her
head to the dappled sunlight peeking through the branches. A smile lit her face
as the beams played like mischievous children on her closed eyelids. The old
forest was lush and vibrant, a calm oasis of another age. Jasper had always
loved spending time here, lost in the peace and quiet. No doubt he’d brought
Zoe here. That she’d feel close to him in this isolated place they’d shared was
understandable.
Oliver shut his
eyes and reached out to read her. If he looked deep inside, he could find the
essence of the brother he missed so much. He tried not to. The first time it
had seemed an intrusion, but sometimes he couldn’t help himself. She was warmth
and goodness. Her calm was a soothing balm to his nerves and a link to a
beloved lost sibling. He indulged himself and took a tiny moment. She’ll never
know.
“Why don’t you
come out from behind that tree?”
Oliver’s eyes
flew open at the sound of her voice. He’d not planned on being seen, and
normally when he chose that option, he wasn’t. It was a simple, foolproof
empathic trick, one he’d been able to do since childhood. Remaining silent and
unmoving, he projected a low level of emotion in her direction. Disinterest.
Indifference. Boredom. Every gentle empathic nudge was designed to increase her
need to walk away and not look back.
She continued to
talk as she stood. Brushing leaves from her trousers, she walked toward him
with determination in her blue eyes. “If you keep lurking, it just looks
suspicious.”
The moment their
gazes met, he caught a flare of something. Surprise? Confusion? Oliver regained
his composure. “I’m sorry if I scared you. I was enjoying the sunshine. You
looked as if you were deep in thought. I didn’t want to disturb your privacy.”
“What about all
the other times? Were you concerned about my privacy then, too?”
She’d noticed
him before? Oliver’s much vaulted confidence of his own abilities took a
distinct dive. “I’m sorry. It’s a pleasant spot, somewhere I enjoy and find
calming.” Only because you’re here. “I won’t intrude on your peace any longer.”
“Do I know you?”
She tilted her head to one side. The filtered sun caught the blonde strands of
her short feathered haircut, making them shine.
“No.”
“Do you know who
I am?”
“No.”
“May I ask you
another question?”
Oliver frowned.
“Of course?”
“Why are you
lying to me? And who were you to Jasper?”
Carolyn Wren is the award-winning
author of a seven-part romantic suspense series called The Protectors. Having
spent her working life as a bookkeeper and finance officer for international
companies, she discovered a passion for fiction writing in 2009. Assuming it
was some sort of mid-life crisis, she kept it a secret for six months. In an
impulsive move, she entered "The Emerald", a prestigious writing contest for
unpublished authors run by the Romance Writers of Australia. Much to her utter
shock, she won it. This was followed shortly after by a finalist placing in the
International Daphne Du Maurier Awards for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense.
Carolyn received a seven-book
contract with Secret Cravings Publishing in 2011. Her debut published work, Diplomat’s Daughter,
won the RWA ‘Ella’ award for novella of the year.
To date, The Protectors series
has received four award nominations, resulting in two trophies.
Carolyn’s other works include a
very naughty ghost novella, Ghosts of Grace Cottage, that she wrote during
a stormy winter day. Her new series, the
murder/mystery/urban fantasy, Emotional Chains, is her latest obsession.
She writes full-time now, enjoys
every minute of it, and loves hearing from readers.
