Evernight Teen's Summer Kick off Blog Hop!

Welcome to Evernight Teen’s Summer Kick-off Blog Hop!

It’s a great opportunity to get to know Evernight Teen: Gritty Fiction for Today’s Young Adult. Our stories  include fresh teen fiction that’s raw, gritty and real.

My spotlight is on Bette Maybee’s PHOENIX: THE RISING:

Blurb:

Every 300 years, the immortal Phoenix returns to Mono Lake to be reborn—but this time it didn't return alone.  The Nephilim are back in force, trying to keep it from being reborn so one of them can claim its immortality. But first they have to figure out who the Phoenix is—and any red-haired, green-eyed, seventeen-year-old in the area is fair game. And so, the killing begins...

Julie Mason doesn't believe all this legend crap until she falls for Eli Sullivan, whose hallucination-inducing kiss not only saves her, but makes her the Nephilim’s prime target. But, it's worth the risk. Her death is inevitable...not even Eli can prevent it.  All she has to do is keep the Nephilim off Eli’s trail until The Rising. Once Eli is reborn and forgets his past life, Julie’s life is over, whether she’s dead or not. At least that's what she thinks...

14+ for brief violence and sexuality

Exclusive excerpt:

She knew the moment he stepped in the house he probably guessed it was empty. No parents. No pets. Only the ticking of the grandfather clock in the foyer would have greeted him. Julie held the ice on for a moment longer, then lowered the bag. She raised her eyes to his. Anger and tears welled as she chose her words.

“My father and his lovely wife are on a cruise.” She spat the word, filling it with the venom and hatred she felt towards the woman who had her father wrapped around her little finger.

Eli sat beside her. “So they left you here? Alone?”

She breathed in, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. “Of course. It’s not like it’s the first time, so don’t worry about it. I’m used to it.” She stood, walked across the room, and stared out her bedroom window into the darkness. “You can go now.”

Julie heard Eli move across the room, then felt his presence behind her. The air between them seemed to be charged with electricity. Her heart began to thrum.

“I’m not going anywhere. You can’t be alone tonight, not with Penemue on the warpath.”

Julie swallowed and turned to him. She held her chin high, praying that her eyes and her voice wouldn’t betray her. “I’m fine. Really.” Her voice cracked as a single tear broke through, sliding down her cheek and over her swollen, split lips.

Eli took a step closer and cupped her face in his hands, turning it up to meet his gaze.

“No, Jules, you’re not.” He traced the trail of the tear down her cheek. Her lips parted as his finger brushed them, and she watched in wonder as he lifted his finger, wet with her tear, to his own lips. She shook her head slowly in confirmation as more tears cascaded down her face.

“No. I’m not.”

She knew he was going to kiss her—and she wanted it to happen—more than she had wanted anything before in her life. Her breath hitched in her throat as vivid streaks of color flickered in the sapphire depths of Eli’s eyes, like tongues of fire in the night sky. She couldn’t wait any longer. Without another thought, she reached up and entwined her fingers in the back of his hair, pulling him close.

“Kiss me, Eli,” she pleaded breathlessly.

And he did.

Eli’s breath quickened as he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her softly—almost hesitantly—at first. Julie felt a slight sting on her tender, injured lips, and then a familiar sense of euphoria soaked in as the pain melted away and passion took its place. A passion she had never experienced before. Her mind whirled as colors flew in front of her eyes, and she felt Eli respond with the same urgency she was feeling, his kiss pulling her deeper into the maelstrom of lights that now blinded her. Too soon, the colors swirled into a spiral of white light, reduced to a pinpoint, and then disappeared from Julie’s vision.

 Phoenix: The Rising is available here!

What’s up for grabs?

•             One lucky hopper will win a KINDLE PAPERWHITE eREADER sponsored by Evernight Teen.

•             Every book blogger/reviewer site is giving away one free eBook from Evernight Teen (winner’s choice of any eBook from Evernight Teen’s website).

•             Plus, each author offers their own unique prize! So visit each blog hop stop for a host of fabulous prizes to win.

How to enter? Answer this:

Where does the phoenix return to be reborn?

Be sure to leave your answer and your email address in the comments below to be eligible to win a prize.

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