Hello everyone! Today I'm going to share a book that I have been wanting to read for a long time, but still haven't got the time yet! Frost by Kate Avery Ellison! Check out the blurb below:
Title: Frost
Author: Kate Avery Ellison
Publication date: April 2012
Publisher: CreateSpace
Purchase: Amazon | B&N
Synopsis via Goodreads:
In the icy,
monster-plagued world of the Frost, compassion might get a person
killed, and Lia Weaver knows this better than anyone. After the monsters
kill her parents, she must keep the family farm running or risk losing
her siblings to reassignment by the village Elders. With dangers on all
sides, she can't afford to let her emotions lead her astray. But when
her sister finds a fugitive bleeding to death in the forest, a young man
from beyond the Frost named Gabe, Lia does the unthinkable. She saves
his life. Giving shelter to the fugitive could get her in trouble. The
Elders have always described the advanced society of people beyond the
Frost, the "Farthers," as ruthless and cruel. Lia is startled to find
that Gabe is empathetic and intelligent-and handsome. And she might even
be falling for him. But time is running out. The monsters in the forest
are growing bold and restless. The village leader is starting to ask
questions. Farther soldiers are searching for Gabe. Is compassion-and
love-worth the risk? Finally, when a startling discovery challenges
everything she thought was true about her life, Lia realizes exactly
what she must do.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I
live in Georgia with my wonderful husband and two spoiled cats. When
I'm not writing, I'm usually catching up on my extensive
Netflix queue, reading a book, giggling at something funny online, or
trying to convince my husband to give me just ONE bite of whatever he's
eating.
Learn more about my writing and books at my blog (http://thesouthernscrawl.blogspot.com/), find teasers for upcoming works on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/kateaveryellison), and subscribe to my new releases newsletter to be notified of new novels as soon as they hit stores (https://tinyletter.com/kateaveryellison)!
He came out of nowhere, hitting me hard from one side and knocking me over. We rolled together across the floor and he came out on top, his hands on either side of my head, holding my wrists down against the stones. His burning eyes bored into mine.
I couldn’t seem to find my breath. The whole world slowed down, and I realized with perfect clarity that he might kill me.
“Don’t scream,” he hissed.
I shook my head.
“How far is the village?” He whispered it, the words harsh and raspy in the air between us. I could see his mind working behind his eyes—was he calculating how long it would take him to try to struggle away on his own, how long before they found my lifeless body?
I was neither brave nor stupid. I told him what he wanted to know. “The village is less than a mile.”
He grimaced, and I realized he must be half-mad with the pain. Maybe if I moved suddenly, I could throw him off and get to the door...
He must have sensed my plan, for he pressed down harder on my wrists, keeping me pinned. “And the gate?”
“What gate? You mean the village gate?”
He didn’t explain. “The mountains, then.”
“The farm sits in its shadow,” I gasped. His hands were cutting off my circulation. “But killing me does nothing to help you. You are too weak to get far, and the Watchers fill the woods.”
His eyebrows drew together sharply, and he coughed. He was weakening—I could see it. “Kill you?”
His grip on my wrists slackened. I saw my chance, and I took advantage of it.
I slammed my elbow into his face. The Farther cried out, falling sideways like a puppet with its strings cut. I scrambled up for the door and yanked it open.
“Stop—wait—”
I turned. He was crumpled on the ground, his limbs shaking. I could see that he had no strength left.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you,” he gasped. “I just needed answers.”
I lingered, not running but not relaxing, either. “You would kill me for information, then?”
He pressed a hand against his side and wheezed a bewildered laugh. “I’m not a murderer of farm girls. Not even those who plan to harm me.”
“Harm you?” My words were sharp. “I’m sticking my neck out for you. I’m putting my family in danger for you. I’m sheltering and feeding you—and for what? It’s you who just tried to harm me.”
“I just needed information about my location,” he said, wincing at my words. He struggled up into a kneeling position and raised his dazzling blue eyes to mine. Blood colored his lip red. “I won’t try anything again, I promise, even though I know you want me dead.”
It was my turn to laugh, breathlessly. “You make no sense.” I grabbed the herbs from my pocket and brandished them at him. “I came to bring you these for your wound. I’m not going to kill you. I just want you gone before you can cause any more trouble.”
His expression turned inside out—the planes of his face softened in surprise, and his eyes widened slightly. But then they slitted shut, and I could tell he didn’t believe me. “You’re lying.”
“Why would I lie?” I snapped. “If I wanted to kill you, I’d have done it by now. I could have simply left you in the snow, or refused to clean your wounds, or refused to feed you.”
He was silent, considering this. Some of the wild terror on his face eased at the logic of what I’d said. “Why haven’t you? Left me to die, I mean?”
I didn’t answer that, because I didn’t know how to put my reasons into words. I didn’t even quite know what the reasons were.
****
Oh wow! That excerpt really gets me interested. Who is this mysterious guy? Why does Lia save him? Is it because he's impossibly handsome or maybe something bigger than that?
Raise your hand if you're planning to read this, because I sure do! ;)
Thanks for reading this, and I hope you're having a wonderful day! :)
This book blitz is hosted by: