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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Monday, March 9, 2020

As Above, So Below Series by Loren Rhoads and Brian Thomas

" I found myself liking the demons more than the angels in this book. If you enjoy theology and the idea of angels and demons at war among us, you need to check this book out. You won’t be disappointed. " David W., Goodreads


Description:

Lost Angels (#1)

When the succubus Lorelei sees Azaziel across Lost Angels, she knows he’s been kicked out of Heaven, but is not yet Fallen. She resolves to do whatever it takes to bring the angel down. 

Unfortunately, Lorelei doesn’t realize that Azaziel has an agenda of his own. Taking her back to a burned-out church, he forces a mortal girl’s soul into the devil girl’s flesh. Then the succubus needs to find an exorcist who can cast the ghost out of her. 

With all the supernatural warriors of Los Angeles looking on, neither the angel nor the succubus can imagine how love will derail their plans… 

EXCERPT

A section of the alley wall wavered. First the cinderblocks were solid, then oily blackness swallowed them. Out of this darkness stepped Asmodeus, trailed by two fiends in the form of large men, angular to the point of being misshapen.

Probing the refuse with his ebony walking stick, Asmodeus picked his way through the alley. Near the passage’s mouth, he halted. At his feet lay a crumple of shadow: Lorelei’s cast-off dress. The demon gestured down toward it.

Recognizing its master, the dress stirred, lifting a sleeve flirtatiously. When it brushed his hand, the cloth hurried upward into his grasp.

The demon rolled the fabric between his fingertips. Lycra had definitely been one of his engineering staff’s most useful inventions. He considered how tasty Lorelei had looked poured into this pinnacle of the art. What a shame the angel cast it away so maliciously.

Asmodeus raised the torn fabric to his face and breathed deep. Beneath the dark fragrance of Lorelei’s musk—wound amongst it—was the scent of the angel’s longing. He’d lain beside the succubus, kissed and caressed her, but his desire didn’t end there.

Unsmiling, the demon prince crushed the dress in his fist and let it dissolve.

Angelus Rose (#2) 

If Romeo had wings and Juliet a barbed tail, could they find happiness in the City of Angels? 

After their escape from the ashes of Lost Angels, the succubus Lorelei and the angel Azaziel want nothing more than to enjoy each other's company. Unfortunately, Asmodeus, the Demon Prince of LA, has threatened to devour Lorelei's new-grown soul if she doesn't bring about Azaziel's downfall. Meanwhile, Aza is keeping secrets of his own that threaten the tenuous peace between Heaven and Hell. 

Three archangels come to town to try to set things right, but friendships are fracturing. The demon in charge of fallen angels is sniffing around. And Los Angeles is about to be caught between a devil and the deep blue sea. 

EXCERPT

At the sound of a footfall beside the hotel bed, Aza jolted out of his meditation. Even as he summoned his sword to his hand, he moved to shield Lorelei. Instead of Muriel, as he expected, he found his sister Barbelo standing inside the room. She remained far enough from the bed to appear unthreatening. Barbelo’s warm hazel eyes twinkled as she offered folded clothing in her outstretched arms.

“Rise and shine, Big Brother,” she encouraged quietly.

Aza lifted the blankets and stepped to the floor, but Lorelei didn’t stir. He reached out, gentle as a breeze, and lifted a lock of her shadowy dark hair away from her throat. Her luscious, slightly parted lips invited him to leave a kiss, but he knew one kiss would lead to others. His sister waited.

He tore his gaze away and turned toward Barbelo to accept the clean—if not new—clothing. Relieved not to have to put his bloodied battle gear back on, Aza stepped into a comfortably worn pair of jeans. As he buttoned on a clean chambray shirt, Barbelo collected the torn clothing he’d worn to the nightclub, along with the blazer Lorelei had borrowed, and put everything into the bathtub. Barbelo burned the lot with a brief, bright flame.

Standing at the bedside to gaze down at the sleeping succubus, Aza knew—as clearly as he’d ever known anything—that he had to leave Lorelei. There were mortals in need, souls in torment. Aza knew at his core that he had been created to serve them. Still, he hated to leave Lorelei like this, without a goodbye.

As she’d anticipated his need of fresh clothing, his sister had also foreseen his difficulty in bidding the succubus adieu. Barbelo appeared at Aza’s elbow to offer him a single long-stemmed red rose.

Aza lifted the bud to his lips. Its petals were as warm and soft as Lorelei’s skin, without the electric musk of her perfume. He left a kiss on the rose for Lorelei to find later. The flower shimmered from crimson to a deeper, more passionate hue. He laid it on his pillow.

Then, without looking back, he followed Barbelo from the room. If he gave in to second thoughts, the succubus’s gravity would trap him. He set his shoulders and fought it.
About the author: 
Loren Rhoads is the co-author (with Brian Thomas) of the novel Lost Angels about a succubus who sets her sights on an angel and ends up possessed by a mortal girl's soul. The sequel, Angelus Rose, came out in February 2020. 

Loren is the author of The Dangerous Type, Kill By Numbers, and No More Heroes, a space opera trilogy set after a galactic war has wiped out much of humanity.

She is also the author of 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die and Wish You Were Here: Adventures in Cemetery Travel. She blogs about graveyards as travel destinations at CemeteryTravel.com. 

You won't be surprised to know that she likes long walks in the moonlight and old graveyards. 


Author's Giveaway

17 comments:

Loren Rhoads said...

Thanks for hosting our book tour!

Dale Wilken said...

The Books sound really great.

Nancy P said...

Interesting covers

CJ said...

I LOVE the covers for these books. Thanks for sharing the excerpt with all of us! :)

abfantom said...

I really like all the covers. They have great colors and graphics.

abfantom at yahoo dot com

SexyBrat said...

She looks strong. Always good to see strong women. :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the opportunity to win! And thanks for sharing the excerpt.

clc408 said...

The cover is very nice. Sounds like an interesting story.

Michele S. said...

Love all the covers they are beautiful....

tatertot374 said...

The cover is really pretty. thank you!

billwinsbig said...

My daughter would enjoy this book

Loren Rhoads said...

Thank you all for your kind words!

Bridgett Wilbur said...

Great covers.

Clair Shumack said...

That's a very pretty cover!!

Yipperbear said...

Interesting story.

Danielle said...

Like it!

Anonymous said...

I like the juxtaposition of the dark wings with the angelic figure on the cover art promoting angelic vs demonic qualities in a book. Looks good!