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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Excerpt and Giveaway: Unclaimed (Book 1 of the Unclaimed Series) by Laurie Wetzel

Published: August 11th, 2014

Description:

Abandoned by her birth parents and ignored by her adoptive family, Maddy Page believes she is unlovable. She only allows herself to dream of falling in love. That changes when she meets MJ; handsome and kind, MJ penetrates Maddy's defenses. Maddy soon finds herself confiding in MJ like she has with no one else, revealing secrets even her closest friends don't know. He makes her feel safe--a feeling she's never experienced except in her dreams.

When Maddy witnesses MJ disappear and reappear in thin air, she realizes she might have been wrong about him. He could be dangerous--maybe even a killer. Determined to uncover the truth of who--or what--MJ is, Maddy ignores her instinct to run. But she soon realizes that getting close to MJ could cost more than a broken heart--it could cost Maddy her soul.

This story is unpredictable in the best kind of way. I literally raced to the end and couldn't put it down. I’m impatiently excited for the release of book two—I want more Maddy and MJ! - Goodreads

EXCERPT




My heart flutters. I really do like MJ. I blush and pop a few grapes into my mouth. As ecstatic as that makes me feel, I still don’t know, fully, if I can trust him—not until I know what he is. “So … you still haven’t answered my original question. Government experiment, superhero, or something else. Which is it?”

He sighs, shaking his head. “I wasn’t created in a lab somewhere.”

“What about an alien?”

“No.”

“Mutant?”

“No.”

“Warlock?”

“Wouldn’t that fall under the category of magician?”

“Magicians are usually fake. Warlocks and witches could be real. So are you one?”

“No.”

Stumped, I rest my chin on my hand and huff in exasperation.

“Give up?” he asks.

“No. But I’ve made some good progress on my list.”

“You have a list?”

“Uh huh.” I toss a few more grapes into my mouth.

“Of what you think I might be?”

I nod.

“I don’t suppose you could just let it go?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “If I did a bunch of crazy things that you couldn’t explain, would you let it go?”

He smirks and shakes his head. “You win.

*******

Justin covers his face in his hands and groans again while they slide down. Once his hands are back at his side, he grins. But it’s nothing like his earlier ones. It’s shifty.

Twisted. It reminds me of the Grinch. “Why did I expect this to be easy with you? Do you want to die? Is that it?”

“What? No.” My heart beats so hard, I can almost feel it hitting my ribcage. I take a few steps back while trying to regain control of myself and the situation.

His eyes soften as harsh lines on his face relax. “If you stay here, Mads, I won’t be responsible for what happens to you.”

I stare up at him, studying his expression for cracks in his I-suddenly-care-what-happens-to-you façade. The longer I look into his endless black eyes, they tighter the knots inside me get. “You’re not lying.”

*******

“Now say if you had changed even one of those things, your destiny would be completely different.”

I know which fork I would choose to redo if I could. It’s the same one I’ve regretted time and time again. If I could go back, I would have never rejected his first kiss.

Damien smiles. “Say, for example, this alternate-reality dream of yours is one where we kissed the first night. Everything would have been different between us. However, it is because you rejected my kiss that I looked at you differently. It is because you were sent away that I missed you. It is because you were promised to another man that I came there that night, which ultimately led to us being together now. As much as I wished we had kissed the first night, I am glad we did not. I, for one, like this path much better.”



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About the author:
Laurie Wetzel has always had a passion for writing, but it wasn’t until a New Years Resolution in 2011 that she finally shared her lifelong dream of being an author with her husband. He read the very first draft of Unclaimed and gave her the words she needed to hear, “This is what you need to be doing.” Three years later the first book in the Unclaimed series was published with the second book expected to be out in 2015. 

Laurie lives in Mankato, MN, with her husband and two young sons. When she’s not writing, working, or spending time with her family, she’s either reading, running, or catching up on her favorite shows on Netflix. For updates on the Unclaimed series as well as other works in progress, feel free to check her out online!