one wants her heart, one wants her body, and one wants her dead - Guarded (The Silverton Chronicles #1) by Carmen Fox

For help, she must put her faith in others. A human, who might just be the one. A demon, who will, for a price, open the doors to her heritage. And a werewolf, who wants to protect her from herself.

Description:

Published: July 31st, 2015

Cover Artist: Ana Grigoriu

When everyone's existence depends on the lies they tell, trust doesn't come easy

Ivy’s neighbors have a secret. They aren’t human. But Ivy has a secret, too. She knows. As long as everyone keeps quiet, she’s happy working as a P.I. by day and chillaxing with her BFF Florian, a vampire, by night. When a routine pickup drops her in the middle of a murder, her two worlds collide. While Florian knows how to throw a punch, deep down he's a softie. His idea of scary? Running out of hair product. It’s time Ivy faced facts. Even with a vampire on stand-by, one gal can only kick so many asses.

For help, she must put her faith in others. A human, who might just be the one. A demon, who will, for a price, open the doors to her heritage. And a werewolf, who wants to protect her from herself.

Torn between these men, Ivy must tread carefully, because one wants her heart, one wants her body, and one wants her dead.

AUTHOR's INTERVIEW

Tell us about the role of women in your writing.

They’re strong. And I’m not talking about a token ‘feistiness’ to balance out an inherent need to find refuge in a man’s arms, but about an inner strength that allows them to weather any situation alone. If they choose to be with a man, it’s because they want to be, perhaps driven by passion or love, but never by a need for safety.

Who is Ivy?

Ivy, GUARDED’s main character, doesn’t let her past define her. Or so she thinks. In truth, her experiences have left her with emotional pressure points she doesn’t want anyone to poke. She deals with most situations with her special brand of humor, and although she’d do anything for her friends, she’s far from perfect. When people vie for your attention, perhaps it’s natural to take their support for granted. Worse, her curiosity often gets the better of her. It’s not that she deliberately walks into danger, but rather her idea of what is safe is a little skewed. Most of all she’s self-reliant. Not too proud to accept help, but she will act alone if she has to. In many respects she is who I want to be.

Why does Ivy have such a hard time deciding between the men in her life?

Ivy dithers between her sexual urges and her desire to be loved. Each of the three men offers her something different. One promises a normal future, the one she’s always wanted. Guy number two is incredibly hot and satisfies an itch the first man might not be able to scratch. And the third might be the most passionate, but also the most possessive of them. Sometimes, heart, body and mind simply cannot agree.

Tell us about Ivy’s relationship with Florian. 

Florian is Ivy’s best friend. I imagine he’s every woman’s ideal best friend. No matter the situation, he has her back. Plus, he’s funny, and a little goofy. The two of them just click. He’s quickly become the most memorable character, and I’ve had women tell me he’s their ideal book BFF.

Do you have a Florian in your life?

I used to have a Florian in my life, the kind of person I spent every free minute with without ever being bored. We’d do the craziest things. And the total absence of sexual tension made it easy for us to laze in front of the TV in our sweat pants, greasy hair or not. Sure, our closeness wasn’t always straightforward, especially for my boyfriends or his girlfriends, but we made it work.

Would you categorize GUARDED as urban fantasy or paranormal romance?

I wish I didn’t have to categorize it. An agent informed me that GUARDED is a romance, since it has a HEA, a happily ever after, which is the payoff readers of that genre expect. But some romance readers have struggled with the fact that they can’t immediately tell who Ivy is going to end up with. She experiences different chemistries with different men. It’s part of the fun. Also, there’s a strong non-romance plot, which shifts the book closer into the urban fantasy or suspense genres. To me, it’s an urban fantasy romance.

EXCERPT

TOUR SCHEDULE

A growl from behind made my skin crawl. I whipped around. Florian’s face was grim, his posture unnatural and stiff.

The hairs on my arms stood on end, and I suppressed a shudder. “Are you all right?”

“Can’t.” He propped his hand against the wall. “Not feeling well.”

My gaze followed the direction of his stare. Large crimson stains pooled on the immaculate living room carpet. Oh crap. Blood.

I turned back. Florian’s pupils dilated to form two black marbles, trained on me. His canines lengthened, coming to sharp and lethal points. The pounding of my heart overrode my motor skills, and for a second, I stood rooted to the spot.

This wasn’t how I’d envisioned his secret being revealed to me. I’d pictured cupcakes, and maybe tissues at the relief of finally being straight with each other, not a full-out blood frenzy.

Finally, the switch labeled “common sense” flipped and triggered me into action. I fingered the guards in my pockets. The small plates were my only chance.

*****

Parker placed both elbows on the table, rested his chin on one hand and regarded me for a moment. “So, Ivy. A P.I., eh?” He smacked his lips. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t exactly look like Philip Marlowe.”

“Your point being?” I squinted.

“You’re tiny. I mean, I’m sure you can take care of yourself. What if you need to overpower a 200-pound man, though? Do you at least know how to shoot your gun?”

“Shoot?” I scrunched my nose. “Yes. Aim and hit the target? Not so much. The last guy who made fun of my size still walks with a limp.”

“See, you hit one target right.” His eyes glinted.

I lifted my gaze. “I was aiming for his groin.” I squished my cupcake and shook my head. “No, I don’t carry a gun. And believe it or not, my size is an advantage. If you were an unfaithful husband and I followed you to a bar, trust me, I’d go unnoticed among the usual throng of people.”

Parker’s grin turned mischievous. “Well, Veronica Mars, I hate to be the bearer of bad news.” His voice reverberated through my nervous system. “I’d notice you.” He sipped his coffee. “If I was an unfaithful husband, that is.”

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About the author:

Carmen lives in the south of England with her beloved tea maker and a stuffed sheep called Fergus. An avid reader since childhood, she caught the writing bug when her Nana asked her to write a story. She also has a law degree, studied physics for a few years, dabbled in marketing and human resources, and speaks native-level German and fluent Geek. Her preferred niches of geekdom are tabletop games, comics, sci-fi and fantasy.

She writes about smart women with sassitude, about pretty cool guys too, and will chase that plot twist, no matter how elusive. 

Expect to be kept guessing.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER, Carmen’s first urban fantasy novel, was published in March 2015. To find out more, visit her at www.carmen-fox.com.

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