Giveaway: Beyond the Reach of Judgement by Jo Bissell

Beyond the Reach of Judgement
by Jo Bissell

“Did we leave any sin out?” she replied with a forced weak laugh.

“No. Between the two of us, I think we have managed to cover them all,” he mumbled as that uncomfortable lump in his gut returned.

Julien Rene Durant was once a good man. Born in France, he took the oath as a Jesuit Priest in the 1600s. He dedicated his life to spreading the Gospel. Now, he was a monster surviving off the blood of others; killing for survival even as he wished for nothing other than for his own extinction. After almost four centuries of guilt and hopelessness, he encounters someone who might just be able to rescue the good man trapped within the monster, but will his judgements deny him a second chance?

Mary Ruth Jacobson-Ryan is nothing special; a small town girl stuck in a rut. Married to the local Iraq and Afghanistan War Veteran and town hero who turned out not to be the perfect guy she fell in love with before the war, she is desperate for a way out. When things turn from bad to worse, she runs with plans to never look back. She quickly finds, however, that her search for a better future may lead her down a path with no future at all.

Genre: paranormal romance; paranormal tragedy
Number of pages: 294
Cover Artist: Char Adlesperger at Wicked Cover Designs

 

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Excerpt

He had waited too long. Intense hunger was all that drove him to fight the weakness that threatened to let him expire. Two days ago, his intentions were to let his end find him, but as usual, the extreme pain of his hunger became too much to fight any longer. His need pulled him like a magnet from his bed, down the elevator, and into the parking garage below the building. Crawling into the driver’s seat of his black two-seater, he brought the engine to life.

With a squeal of his tires, he pulled into the street toward Independence Avenue, his favorite hunting ground. His eyes found her standing stiffly on a corner with another female. As he slowed, her “friend” pushed her toward his vehicle and gave her a slap on the thigh. “Ooo, a Porsche. Lucky you. You can do this, girl,” she said with a drunken-sounding slur and a giggle. Once again, the streets of Kansas City had blessed him.

Rolling down the window, he forced his most charming smile. As their gaze met, he noticed the momentary flash of panic in her blue eyes. Had she noticed the lack of color in his sunken eyes? The fact that his once thick dark locks were greying and falling out? Or was it the pale skin, which now flaked away at his cheekbones, and the thinning of his eyebrows that caused her alarm?

Still, she leaned into the window, causing her long, dark hair to tumble over her shoulder. Her heat hit him like a wave, washing her intoxicating scent over him. Hearing her heart pounding in her chest, his eyes instinctively drifted down to the cleavage positioned so perfectly above the vital organ. She would be an excellent choice for his evening plans. He almost grabbed her then and there, but instead clenched the steering wheel tight in defense.

“This is a dangerous neighborhood, sweetheart.” Giving a slight smile, he shook his head with feigned empathy. “You really should not be out here so late... and all alone.” It was his usual line. “Allow me to take you somewhere a bit nicer, won’t you?” With a quick head motion to the passenger seat and a wink, he released the automatic locks.

“Aren’t you a gentleman?” A flush slipped across her cheeks as she smiled and laughed nervously. “A gentleman with cash, I assume.” she said in a sweet voice with a hint of southern cadence.

“Of course. Your company will be well compensated.”

As she walked around the car to the passenger door, he watched her movements like a cat watches a fish in a bowl. The shoes she wore were clearly too tight and too tall, based on her awkward gait, but the clingy green number she wore more than made up for it in the way it showed her soft curves. He wanted to take her right there, but he would have to be patient. How had he gotten so lucky tonight? This one would be worth the wait.

As she sat next to him, she reached a hand over to stroke his thigh with another nervous giggle. Instinctively, his body tensed, but she did not pull away. The warmth of her touch crept through his jeans and straight into his groin. He studied her from the corner of his eye. She was certainly younger than his usual selections, and more attractive. In fact, compared to most of his ladies, she seemed radiant. He almost felt guilty about taking her.

Almost.

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Jo Bissell started writing in middle school with fantasy stories inspired by books such as The Hobbit, and in fact once turned in a journal project written entirely in Dwarfish Ruins. She then explored fanfiction and short speculative fiction writing. Now, after many years of study, she spends most of her time working as a full time physician caring for hospitalized adults. When she is not writing or doctoring, she enjoys reading, watching movies, traveling, archery, thrift store shopping, and snowboarding. She currently resides in the Iowa City, IA area with her husband and two cats.

Beyond the Reach of Judgement is Jo Bissell’s first original novel which evolved out of a 2012 National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) project. She also has a short speculative fiction piece, His Eyes, available for Kindle. Future planned novels include a sequel to Beyond the Reach of Judgement, other works of urban fantasy and paranormal romances, and a science fiction novel. She continues to participate in NaNoWriMo.

http://jjobissell.wix.com/author
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jo-Bissell/540912922607472
https://twitter.com/jobissell
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.com/e/B00CEDZWHM
Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/JoBissell

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