Today I am so pleased to welcome Ava Marie Salinger to Joyfully Jay. Ava has come to talk to us about her latest release, Spellbound. She has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

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Excerpt

Eden Monroe couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being followed.  

She gripped the straps of her backpack, ducked into a side alley, and emerged onto Vallejo Street. Still, the eerie feeling persisted. She glanced uneasily over her shoulder. 

There was no one behind her. 

Eden frowned. 

I lost the Hexa guards at Lafayette Park. Who the hell could be trailing me now?

Having been the subject of the magic bureau’s monitoring for as long as she could remember, Eden didn’t doubt her instincts. She quickened her steps, hoping to lose whoever was tracking her. She really needed some comfort food today and her favorite burger place was only two streets over. 

A peal of laughter made her tense. Eden stopped, her head snapping around.

A group of girls was walking along the opposite pavement, their faces bright in the sunlight as they chatted animatedly. Her racing pulse slowed when she saw their uniforms.

They weren’t from Saint Helena High. 

Irritation surged through her as she slowly resumed walking. She’d promised herself she would stop caring about what happened at school. A grimace twisted her mouth. That was hard to do when her classmates seemed intent on provoking her, like they had done today. 

As the only child of the director of the San Francisco Hexa bureau, Eden was the focus of constant attention. But it wasn’t praise and admiration that were lavished on her on a daily basis by her peers. It was contempt and scorn.

Eden was the only student at Saint Helena High who couldn’t use magic. In fact, she was the only child of a powerful magic user born without magic in her soul core. Despite begging her mother for months to send her to an ordinary human school, Brianna Monroe had insisted on enrolling her at the main academy for magic users in San Francisco, where she would attend magic theory classes even if she couldn’t participate in the practical ones. Not only was Eden’s mother a benefactor of the private school, but it was also where the children of all influential magic users in the city went to learn to control and develop their powers. Brianna’s influence meant Eden had private tutors for normal, non-magic classes too.

She suspected her mother was aware of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her peers. Brianna had enough spies keeping an eye on her twenty-four-seven that she probably even knew her bathroom routine. As for the teachers at the academy, as long as no one harmed Eden physically, they would rather turn a blind eye to the bullying. She would only be at the school another two years and would never be anyone of importance in the magical community, so they saw no need to protect her or get in her good graces, despite running the risk of getting on her mother’s bad side. 

Eden spotted more students as she made her way to Union Street, their uniforms bright patches of color under the autumn sun. Located in the holy trifecta of Presidio Heights, Cow Hollow, and Pacific Heights, this area of San Francisco was home to most of the private schools in the city.

Eden shrugged past groups of girls and boys as she made her way to Wild Burgers, her shoulders hunched and her head down under the hood of her parka. Though she doubted any of them would recognize her, it didn’t hurt to be safe. Relief darted through her when she entered the restaurant. It wasn’t too crowded and there were plenty of empty seats left. She ordered a Wild Spicy chicken burger, fries, and a soda, and headed for the booth farthest back from the windows. It wouldn’t take long for Hexa to find her and she intended to finish her meal well before then. 

She’d just swallowed her last bite and was surreptitiously licking her fingers clean when the door opened and a guy walked in.

Eden stilled. So did most of the girls in the place.

The stranger’s face was arresting, his chiseled features perfectly formed, as if carved by the ancient Greek sculptors Eden liked to read about. His blue eyes were piercingly clear under his mop of honey-blond hair and he carried himself with a maturity that far exceeded his youthful appearance. He looked to be about eighteen and was currently wearing a heavy frown on said perfect face. 


Blurb

spellboundFallen Messengers, Book 2

Can Cassius and Morgan overcome an elusive enemy and save a young girl’s life?

Eden Monroe has spent her entire existence believing she has no magic. Shunned by her mother Brianna and the magical bureau Hexa, she runs away from home when she is forced to embrace a future she never chose, only to fall into the hands of ghastly monsters from the Nine Hells. After being rescued by a mysterious Dryad with secrets of his own, Eden realizes there is more to her past and future than she could ever have imagined.

When San Francisco PD asks Argonaut to assist them in solving a series of strange bank robberies, Cassius Black and Morgan King uncover a disturbing plot that points to an unknown artifact hidden somewhere in the city. Their investigation soon has them crossing paths with a desperate Brianna, who seeks their help in finding her missing daughter. When the witch reveals the shocking circumstances surrounding her daughter’s birth as well as the deadly magic sealed inside the young girl’s body, the Argonaut agents realize their case is linked to Eden and the weapon of devastating power the bank robbers are after.

Can Cassius and Morgan defeat the malevolent organization behind it all and save Eden from her cursed fate? Or will the young girl suffer a destiny worse than death itself?

Spellbound is the second novel in the gay urban fantasy romance series Fallen Messengers. If you like your paranormal adventures full of action, magic, snark, and a host of steamy angels and demons, then you’re not going to want to miss this jaw-dropping, fun-filled ride!


Bio

ava marie salinger avatarAva Marie Salinger is the pen name of an Amazon bestselling urban fantasy author who has always wanted to write scorching hot M/M urban fantasy. In 2021, she launches FALLEN MESSENGERS, her first M/M urban fantasy romance series. She also writes contemporary M/M romance as A.M. Salinger. When she’s not dreaming up hotties to write about, you’ll find Ava creating kickass music playlists to write to, spying on the wildlife in her garden, drooling over gadgets, and eating Chinese.

Subscribe to Ava’s Newsletter and receive a free prequel short story to Fractured Souls (Fallen Messengers #1) here: https://www.amsalinger.com/subscribe/

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Giveaway

To celebrate the thrilling release of Spellbound, Ava is giving away:

  • A signed Hardcover edition of Spellbound
  • A signed Paperback edition of Spellbound
  • A Special Sterling Silver Tree of Life necklace

Giveaway is open Internationally!! Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!

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