Meet Eden, Magnolia, Everleigh, and Addison in this introduction prequel novella and learn about their pasts and how it'll forever haunt them.
Like the mighty Phoenix, these ladies will RISE.
DISCLAIMER: This is a background introduction novella, not a full story with a HEA. Please note, this is a dark romance with possible trigger warnings.Magnolia
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞 𝟙𝟛𝟡:𝟙𝟞
Everything in your life is already planned out for you before you even live it.
I was taught from a young age, living in an italian household that I was to do what my parents said without a fight, until the lines between what is right and wrong started to blur together.
I quickly realized the only person I could depend on was myself and my three best friends.
My life may have been planned out for me but there was no chance in Hell I was going to live that way.
My name is Magnolia Giordano and this is my story.
Everleigh
A word so potent, it drives you to do anything you can to shield their loved ones from destruction.
But true loyalty always demands a price...
I'd walk through the fires of Hell itself to protect my family, but what if those flames threaten to burn away everything they thought they knew about me?
The Devil himself is coming to collect the debt of my devotion.
A role to play. A cost to pay.
Will this unholy alliance singe the feathers of this caged bird?
Or can something greater rise from the ashes of this deal with the Devil?
My name is Everleigh Greene and this is my story.
Addison
𝕆𝕟𝕖 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕦𝕥𝕖 𝕞𝕪 𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥 and the next I had nothing. Everything ripped from me. Now, I have no family and all my friends forgot about me just as quickly. This was supposed to be my chance to start over, a new beginning.
Being forced to the stage was not my idea of starting over; but it 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 be my salvation.
My three best friends will do anything to keep me safe; but what I need, they can't save me from. I will rise from the ashes and discover my true self.
My name is Addison Snyder and this is my story.
ℂ𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕕
𝐀𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝟏𝟓 , 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞, 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞-𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨.
𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.
𝐌𝐲 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐝...𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠?
Nicole Rodrigues is a former High School English teacher turned romance author. She lives in NY with her own bearded, tattooed Portuguese bookhusband, three little minions and fur baby.
She loves to read, attempt Pinterest projects and lives on coffee or Red Bull. She has published eleven books from baseball players to "undercover bosses".
ALSO BY Nicole Rodrigues:
Saddler Series
The Double Play Series
Layla & Hudson Duet:
Cocky Hero Club
Aurora Rose Reynold’s HEA World
Sin and Secrets Collection
RISE
Delivered in Sin (Coming December 13, 2020)
Make sure to follow Nicole on social media for new release updates, giveaways, sales, etc!
Also By Cara Wade:
Sugar and Spice
The Publicist (Hollywood Lust #1)
The Playboy (Hollywood Lust #2)
The Starlet (Hollywood Lust #3)
Ever After
Infatuated (Black Stallion Ranch #1)
Enamored (Black Stallion Ranch #2)
Links:
Facebook Author Page: https://bit.ly/2tirOor
Cara’s Fictional Boyfriend Hub: https://goo.gl/ZFLrn3
Bookbub: https://bit.ly/2P0KyS4
Instagram: https://bit.ly/2xgGvun
Twitter: https://bit.ly/2D2oUvx
Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/2MNx12J
Goodreads: https://goo.gl/Eus1zL
Newsletter Sign up: http://bit.ly/cwadenews
Website: www.authorcarawade.com
Kali Brixton is the alter ego of a mild-mannered English teacher who adores the written word and a good ol'-fashioned love story (or song). Cinderella will forever be her bread, butter, and jelly, and glitter runs in her veins.
She believes in the healing power of hugs, humor, and HEAs. All things sparkly, cheesy, and Wizard of Oz-zy are guaranteed attention-grabbers.
Although rooted deep within the Appalachian Mountains, she has a heart full of wanderlust. Kali dreams of one day becoming a full-time author and traveling to faraway lands. Until then, she will continue to teach high school students the indisputable importance of Poe and puns.
Kali resides with her own Prince Charming/partner-in-crime/husband of more than a decade and the dreams that are now too big to stay within her wild imagination.
Want to stay in touch with Kali?
You can find her at the following social media haunts, boys and ghouls:
http://facebook.com/groups/kalismagicalmenagerie
ALSO BY Kali Brixton:
Now Available
Summer Sizzle: A Contemporary Romance Collection
Christmas Treats: A Rom-Com Anthology
* * *
Coming 2021
Sin and Secrets Collection
RISE
Star-Crossed Secrets (Coming in January 2021)
(Not So) Meet Cute Anthology
To Hold (Vows #2)
From This Day Forward (Vows #3)
'Til Death Do Us Part (Vows #4)
* * *
Coming 2022
For Richer or Poorer (Vows)
To Love and to Cherish (Vows)
In Sickness and in Health (Vows)
LINKS:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kalibrixton
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BrixtonKali
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kalibrixton
Shanna Swenson is a cardiac sonographer by day and a weaver of various fictional tales by night.
She’s been an avid reader all her life and began writing at the age of fourteen. She finally published her first novel, Abundance, after it sat patiently on her laptop for well over fifteen years and she hasn’t stopped writing since.
Shanna fits her zodiac sign of Cancer with a capital C and enjoys life’s simplest things—sunsets, rain, and coffee—to name a few.
When Shanna’s not supporting her fellow indies with her face buried in a book or writing her next novel/novella, she enjoys action and horror movies, pro football, hiking, working out, and traveling with her own “knight in shining armor”.
You can find her on the following social media platforms.
Her website is www.shannaswenson.com
ALSO BY Shanna Swenson:
~THE ABUNDANCE SERIES~
Starlight Valley: The prequel to Abundance (FREE ebook)
~THE GODS OF THE GRIDIRON SERIES~
PERSONAL FOUL: Prequel novella (FREE ebook)
* * *
~Aurora Rose Reynold’s HEA WORLD~
(Coming 2021)
~Sin and Secrets Collection~
RISE
(Coming March 2021)
LEARN MORE AT WWW.SHANNASWENSON.COM
Excerpts from RISE
Eden
I unwillingly inhale the acrid sweet scent of cigar smoke as I walk nervously up the stairs, clad in only a thin silk teddy, thong, and stiletto heels. I gulp as the sound of his chair turns and he faces me, that sick satisfied grin on his face forcing me to hold back the little contents in my stomach.
“Dance. Dance for me, my sweet girl.” The sound of his rough voice grates out as a smoke ring encircles his head; his suit is perfectly starched, his black hair is slicked back, the poignant stench of his woodsy cologne wafts my way and I want to run to his trash can and hurl.
Instead, I simply nod and move closer, my heart hammering in my chest.
I can hear the faint thumping of the music from the club in the background as I stand in front of him. He grips my curvy hips and moves his eyes over me, lust evident there. It sickens me. He sickens me.
I begin to dance, knowing things won’t work out well if I don’t do as he asks and he has to prompt me again. Uncle Vince doesn’t ask twice.
It isn’t long before I’m practically in his lap, of his movements not mine, and his hands are on me, moving familiarly over my womanly body like they’ve done so many times before.
“It’s been a long night. You’ve had lots of eyes on you,” he states as his hand rests on my thigh, he grips it a little more tightly than what’s comfortable. “But no hands. Never any hands. Because I’d break them into pieces if they touched what was mine.” He smirks and moves his fingertips down my inner thigh. I mentally cringe but try not to let him notice. “Do you know what these men want to do to my sexy little prima donna?”
I nod. But Uncle Vince scowls. He wants a verbal answer.
“They wanna…” I can’t say the words. I’m too mortified.
“They wanna fuck you. They wanna claim what’s mine…and we just won’t have that, will we?” It’s okay that I don’t answer him this time because his lips are falling on mine and kissing me, with a possession that always makes me recoil. But I don’t fight. I never fight. Because fighting is a moot point. He would only inflict more pain and that’s something he enjoys far too much; I won’t give him the satisfaction.
His hand falls between my legs. I cringe again. I try to relax against the tension in my body but it’s hard, so damn hard. Bile rises in my throat, I hold it back but my belly burns like it always does when he puts his hands on me. I feel his slimy tongue invade my mouth and let my mind reach—reach for anything that will take me away from this dismal place I’ve found myself trapped in. But there is no escape, no escape from his clutches as he pulls me across his lap and begins to grope me.
As he lays me down onto the leather couch next to his desk, the tears begin to fall down my cheeks, spilling forth and filling my eyes. I can’t stop them. I always try but there’s no way I can stop them. I think deep down Uncle Vince takes a sick kind of satisfaction in my tears.
“Eden, my sweet little pleasure garden, open your eyes and look at me,” he says as I hear the sound of his pants unbuckling and his zipper being unzipped.
Fuck him. The bastard. He knows I hate looking at him while he does this, knows I hate him.
I do as he asks—for God forbid I disobey—staring into his black eyes, eyes that I’ve grown to despise peering into while he takes me like he owns my body.
He touches my cheek. “So beautiful. Just like your mother.”
I wake to the sound of my own screaming. Like so many early school mornings. I’m glad my uncle isn’t here. He’s never here, thank God. He’s always at the club. Living, breathing, and sleeping the club. He always leaves my body guard, Marco, who at this point has gotten used to my nightmares—and middle-of-the-night screaming—and doesn’t come barging in like he used to do in the very beginning. Uncle Vincent is delusional, paranoid, and extremely overprotective of me.
My birth name is Cordelia Adaleden Riser by the way, although I go by Eden. Uncle Vince—my uncle by marriage—forced me to take his surname of Perelli two years ago when he adopted me. I’m seventeen years old. Seventeen…and trapped in a place where I’m completely and utterly miserable in my skin and my life. Trapped with a man who thinks he owns me, body and soul. Trapped in a body that I hate…for I’ve had curves since I was twelve, curves that he uses to his advantage, curves that I loathe because I feel abnormal because of them.
I lost my parents when I was just fifteen and this depraved man who got custody of me has tortured, beaten, and raped me from the first night I came to live with him. My uncle Vincent was obsessed with my mother, Lydia, whom I’m practically identical to, but ended up marrying my aunt Lauren, my maternal aunt, instead since my mother was happily married to my father. Aunt Lauren died of cancer when I was fourteen, much to my dismay, and not just because I wish she would have lived to be here for me now—she was a wonderful person. Although, if she were here, I would never have been treated this way, I’m sure of it. She would have gotten us out of this hell-hole somehow, for she was a fighter up to the very end.
I get up from my bed and tip-toe to the door. I need some water; my throat burns from screaming.
I open the door and see Marco sitting in his usual chair. He looks up at me as I step gingerly out.
“You ok, Eden?” he asks, concern darkening his big blue eyes.
I simply nod and drop my head. He’s bore witness to far too much, seen more of my naked body than I ever anticipated he would, been there to wipe my tears, pick me up off the floor, and bandage my cuts. He’s been my rock in the aftermath of my fall from grace. Every. Single. Time.
I love him like a second father…and maybe even more if I’m being completely honest with myself. How could I not though? He’s the only man in two years who’s shown me any type of compassion. I’ve even been forced into going to an all-girl school because my psycho uncle wants to make sure no other man lays a hand on me. He trusts Marco though and doesn’t know how much this man touches me, both figuratively and literally.
Even now, Marco stands and moves toward me, his giant frame stopping right in front of me. I look up. As big as he is, he wouldn’t hurt me for anything in the world. I’ve seen him beat people to death with his mere fists, but the gentleness he shows me is a stark contrast to that. His knuckle strokes down my cheekbone, and I close my eyes at how calm I become in his presence. How a man of his size can have such a feather-light touch has perplexed me since day one.
“Another nightmare, little dove?” he asks, his tone softening as if he’s speaking to a baby instead of a seventeen-year-old girl.
Again, I simply nod. “I want some water.”
Marco gives me a crooked smile and I melt a little inside. He’s such a teddy bear. “I’ll be right back.”
I shake my head. “You don’t hav—”
“I’ll be right back.” He winks and moves off.
I watch his big, retreating back, clad in a grey suit. Marco is the intimidator extraordinaire. His hair is jet black and his hands and biceps are inked. He looks as fierce as any tiger I’ve ever seen and his deep voice could rattle even the strongest spine, but with me, he’s practically putty and always has been.
I sit in his chair, the one positioned right outside my door, and look down at the magazine he’s been reading. It’s a Cosmopolitan. I could almost laugh aloud as I pick it up and begin to read the article he’s dog-eared, realizing it’s a test he’s in the process of taking. “Are you a sex goddess in bed?” I don’t know what surprises me more—that Marco is reading a Cosmo or that he’s taking a test to evaluate his sexual prowess.
I can only speculate as to the kind of lover he might be. He’s one of the biggest men I’ve ever seen in person, his chest and shoulders broad and thick in his button-down shirt, and he’s tall, like six-foot six. He’s like the Rock, only not as tan. Despite his size, I imagine his demeanor in the bedroom would be like his placid nature with me—easy, sensual, unhurried…the polar opposite of my uncle. Thinking about sex with any man is revolting now that my uncle has taken my virginity and beaten me into submission, but the thought of sex with Marco, who at thirteen years older than I am, is still younger than my uncle’s age of fifty, passes right through my head and embeds there, like a tick feeding on my blood.
When he comes back into the hallway from the kitchen, I smirk as I raise the magazine up and watch his cheeks flush. “I apologize for interrupting your test, tiger,” I say, mocking the name on the test, for Marco’s one of the few people I can truly be myself with.
“I was bored.” He shrugs and hands me the glass of ice water he’s retrieved.
I sip it greedily, downing half the contents in a matter of seconds. “Thanks,” I say, as I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.
Marco scowls at the cut on my lip my uncle gave me earlier that night when he slapped me for not getting to my knees fast enough, which I immediately realize I’ve re-opened in my speed to satisfy my thirst. He pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and steps forward, blotting at the corner of my mouth. I hiss as it burns. “Sorry,” he grumbles then swears under his breath. “It’s not always gonna be this way, Eden. He isn’t gonna be around forever, you know?”
“Why do you put up with his shit, Marc?” I ask and eye him.
He appears taken aback, as if I’ve said the unthinkable. He looks away for long moments then back into my eyes. “You don’t understand,” he dismisses.
“Enlighten me then.”
“Eden, you’re too—”
“Don’t tell me I’m too fucking young. I’ve endured and seen more than—”
“Enough!” he yells so loudly that I flinch. He swears again and hangs his head. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have raised my voice to you, but—I can’t possibly explain to you what I owe your uncle. What he’s done for me. What he—”
“Enough to let him rape me whenever he pleases and stand by and simply do nothing about it when you’re twice his size?” I ask, unearthly calm.
He looks back down at me; his face is so torn it rips into my heart. I tear my eyes from his, knowing I’m out of line with that comment.
“There’s nothing I can do. You do know that, right?”
How the fuck can he say that? He could kill my uncle with one hand if he wanted to, physically anyway. And he could get me out of here, out of the spotlight, away from the man who keeps me practically home or club-bound, save for going to school. But my uncle has a hold over Marco, something I’ll never understand if I try and something I’ll never know…apparently. Plus, my uncle is filthy rich, despite that it was accumulated under sketchy circumstances to say the least. Money equals power and power equals untouchable, at least in Marco’s eyes. Power only equals hate in my eyes, for my uncle’s power over me is all-encompassing, an ocean of plenty and I’m the fish stuck in the fish bowl hidden within a chest at the bottom of that ocean. I’m trapped and drowning and no one can help me, not even the man with the only feasible power to do so.
I look straight ahead, at nothing in particular—certainly not at the creepy picture of me and my uncle that stares back at me, taken outside of our mansion on a crisp Autumn morning, the fake smiles on our faces repulsing me. I begin to sob, despite the many times I’ve done so in the past, knowing that no amount of tears will change anything nor make my life any easier. To think, just four years ago my life was almost perfect. I had two adoring parents, a dog I loved, was on the cheerleading squad, had a boyfriend, and a group of girls I called friends and now, I’m subjected to physical and sexual torture on an almost daily basis for someone’s twisted gratification. That fact is completely crushing. To see how far off base my normal life has now become drives me further into despair and I cover my face as I’m consumed by tears.
Marco scoops me up into his big arms then and I rest against his solid chest, wrapping my arms around his thick neck and burying my nose into his shoulder. I inhale his scent, a sweet reprieve from the sharp woodsy one I’m used to. I sniffle as he lays me down on my bed and protest when he starts to pull away.
“No, please don’t leave me,” I desperately plead and grab for his shirt.
“Little dove, you know I’m not allowed on your bed.”
“He won’t know. I won’t tell him. You won’t tell him. Just until I fall asleep, please?” I beckon to those blue eyes that remind me of a summer sky, back when I was a child and free to enjoy life as I saw fit. “Please, Marco?” I whisper.
He sighs heavily, a man in turmoil, before finally coming back to my side.
The mattress sinks in as his big frame settles onto my large king-size sleigh bed and my tears begin to subside as I let his comforting aura encompass my senses. I’m merely an inch away and look back into his face.
Marco isn’t overtly handsome, he doesn’t have a baby face. He’s not “Brad Pitt handsome” by any means—he’s far too rugged. But he has a subtle allure about him that’s undeniable. Perhaps it’s those eyes that I find myself getting lost in. He touches my face again and I smile. I’m flirting with a dangerous line by having him so close, I know, but it doesn’t stop me from reveling in the solace I take in this moment, so I push the envelope. I brush my nose across his, just a brief touch, a craving for a softness I never get from my uncle.
He visibly shivers. I look into his eyes. There’s a hunger there I’m familiar with but it’s different too. His eyes reflect desire, a desire my uncle’s black eyes never have. Vince’s eyes mirror possession, dominance, and punishment—there’s none of that here in Marco’s. I separate the distance between us and tilt my head up, my lips falling to his in the briefest kiss. A thank you for the tenderness he’s shown me over the years. A gesture of warmth in this cold world we both have been plunged into.
The lips against mine are soft—nothing like what I’m used to—supple and unhurried. They pucker, kissing me back, but not with the urgent fierceness I’ve come to know and hate. I pull away, surprised by this newness and frown, confused, into Marco’s face.
He gives me a crooked grin in return and responds with, “Eden, my little dove, you shouldn’t kiss me like that.”
I don’t need to ask why, for I know the answer. I nod and ease back to my pillow, laying my dark hair across it as Marco’s big palm cups my cheek once more. His thumb begins to stroke my cheekbone, easy and soft, like a butterfly kiss and I close my eyes, my mind at ease.
He murmurs sweet nothings to me as slumber begins to take me, “Sleep well, you’re safe tonight.” I’m fading into sweet abyss with my dark knight, logic and worry and fear evaporating from me, when I think I hear Marco’s soft voice whisper in my ear, “One day, and soon, he won’t ever be able to hurt you again, my little dove.”
Rise
By
Cara Wade
Nicole Rodrigues
Kali Brixton
Shanna Swenson
Review
By
Heidi Lynn’s Book Reviews
First, I want to thank Cara Wade, Nicole Rodrigues, Kali Brixton, and Shanna Swenson for providing me with this book so I may provide you with this review.
I have been a fan of Cara Wade’s for a while now but in her new book she is showing her readers a brand new edgier side to her. She joins more talented authors such as Nicole Rodrigues, Kali Brixton, and Shanna Swenson in Rise. In this book you meet Eden, Magnolia, Everleigh, and Addison in this introduction prequel novella and learn about their pasts and how it will forever haunt them.
This book may not be for everyone as it does have some triggers. This book is considered Dark Romance. In a way this could also be considered a #METOO book too. There are multiple rapes, verbal abuse, forced marriage, physical abuse, etc.
Each author has their own character and will be having their own book out in the series. Each book should be read in order. Yes, I will be reading and reviewing each of them for them.
Cara did an amazing job creating the cover design for the cover. It was so perfect on so many levels for the book.
With many characters in the book my heart went out to them for shocking situations they were put in. Taboo situations that you don't read about in many books. Even though I may have not liked the situations they were in (and hated who put them in those situations) I couldn’t get enough of the storylines!
As you are introduced to each character you get to hear their story. Many times they are intertwined with another character's storyline.
The common thread in all of these characters I felt was family. Each one was in the situation they were because of their family. That and friendship and the bond that they have.
Many characters have mind blowing shocking secrets they are hiding from their friends and have been for years. However, they will all be revealed!
Each author did an incredible job bringing you into each of their storylines. Each of them is more interesting than the last. It was incredibly fast paced. They also made you feel empathy for what each girl was going through in her life.
Marco, I must say was my favorite out of all of them. He was sweet, had a heart, was the protector (in a way), and extremely good looking from the description. Plus, that sensual sex scene that was written was nice too.
Rise I think would be a great addition as a series on Netflix from just the teaser I got in the Prequel. I am looking forward to reading the girls other books in the series.
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