Book: Eighth Note (Fire Ballad One)
Author: Kimberly Stedronsky
Genre: Paranormal Horror Romance
Release Date: October 31, 2013
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
Eva Reed saved the world.
Actually, she saved two worlds, but who’s counting?
Finding herself in the middle of present day suburbia, married and a mom at only twenty years old, she’s beyond bored. Even with her popular music blog and her handsome husband Will catering to her every impulse, she longs to use the incredible powers that she possesses.
But Earth is no place for magic.
When Cole Mathison arrives, asking for Eva’s help in solving the death of a famous pop star, she cannot resist the overwhelming pull to use her abilities again.
Eva finds that there is more to the sinister murder than what the evidence shows.
People who listencontinue to die, and she must rely on her immortality to protect her from a frequency that is shattering minds and stopping hearts.
There are forces at work that she could never have imagined...
And evil will be heard.
Kimberly Stedronsky is an Ohio author who prefers an epic love story. She has a degree in Early Childhood Education, which she uses as an excuse to be as immature as possible on a daily basis.
She is married to a stand-up comedian Marine veteran, and their three children are appropriately sarcastic.
“I’ve spent the last thirty years proving to myself that I wasn’t crazy. I’ve… helped… people with paranormal activity.”
“You’re a ghost hunter?” I snorted, listening to the monitor crackle and Perry cry out softly. Will gave a deep, amused sigh, gesturing to the house.
“I am going to bed. Ten minutes, Eva.”
I automatically scowled at his order. “I’ll be up in a little while,” I countered, using all of my self control not to tell him off for treating me like a kid.
“Yes, love.” He bent to me, practically lifting me off the ground to catch me off guard with a possessive kiss. I could only hold on to his shoulders as his mouth moved over mine, and it took me five witless seconds to realize that the display was completely for Cole.
Men, marking their territory. Please.
“I won’t keep her long,” Cole promised, and Will responded with a quick nod before heading for the house. “All happily ever after here, I take it?”
I turned to him, tucking my hands under the sleeves of my hoodie. “Obviously. Now tell me what’s going on.”
He scratched his chin. “No, I’m not a ghost hunter. I just… lend a hand. When crazy, unexplainable shit happens.”
“I hate to tell you this, but people die. Every day. I’m sure the toxicology reports will come back with some fun party results.”
He stared at me, contemplating. I returned his look, waiting impatiently. Finally, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, handing it over to me.
“The security cameras caught her death. There’s no sound. Eva honey, are you sure you can handle this?”
I accepted his iPhone, shrugging. “Um, I set my father-in-law on fire from the inside out. I think I can handle watching someone die.”
His palm covered my hand, and his fingertip swept the screen open. His nails weren’t nearly as manicured as Will’s, and his calloused skin felt rough on mine. “No sound,” he repeated, and I nodded, trying not to appear as confused as I felt.
The street lamp flickered over our heads, and I waved my hand to turn the bulb completely off, leaving us in darkness.
The video began with an aerial view of Nina, black and white, in the studio. I could hear that the sound had been wiped from the video, and the continuous, looping whisper kept time with my heartbeat as my pulse began to pound in my ears.
Nina was tall and blonde, with adorable dimples that kept her looking years younger than her actual age. She had two fingers over her earpiece as she sang, and I watched her drag the back of her other hand over her brow in mid-verse.
She stopped singing, and the rushing sound intensified.
She was coughing; I watched her reach for something, and then tip her head back and take a long drink from a bottle of water.
Cole’s hand slid around my waist, and I almost screamed. I’d been so involved in the video, waiting, holding my breath, I’d almost forgotten he was next to me.
“Eva.” He warned. I ignored him, narrowing my eyes and focusing on the iPhone screen.
Nina stilled suddenly, and the water bottle slipped from her hand.
Long seconds passed as she stood there, frozen, still, and I started to lift my finger to touch the screen, checking to see if the video paused.
Her head jerked down violently, chin to chest. All of her hair surrounded her face.
When her head snapped upward to meet the camera face-on, my hand clamped over Cole’s arm.
Her mouth was a wide, dark O, no teeth, no sound… no pupils. Blackness seeped from the corners of her eyes, and she began to bend backward, further, further still, until her entire body was folded- backwards- at the waist.
Text copyright © 2013 Kimberly Stedronsky
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