Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for Damned, the first book in the Magnus Blackwell series, by Alexandrea Weis with Lucas Astor! Today, on our tour stop, we have an exclusive excerpt AND a tour-wide giveaway to share! Watch the book trailer, too! Check it out and grab your copy today! Don't forget to follow the tour, HERE!
Genre:
Adult
Paranormal/Supernatural Thriller
Historical Suspense/Fantasy
Series:
Magnus Blackwell, #1
Publish Date:
October 3, 2017
Publisher:
Vesuvian Books
Website:
Synopsis:
Over a hundred years after the death of Magnus Blackwell, Altmover Manor sits abandoned. Determined to rescue the neglected Mount Desert Island landmark, a well-known architect purchases the once grand home.
Will Bennet and his fiancée—the quirky and stubborn Lexie Arden—want to make Altmover Manor their showplace. But Magnus has other plans.
A spirit bound to his former residence, Magnus finds himself inexplicably drawn to the young woman. She has a supernatural gift; a gift Magnus wants to exploit to end his purgatory.
As Lexie and Will settle in, secrets from Magnus’s past begin to surface. Compelled to learn all she can about the former owner, Lexie finds herself drawn into a world of voodoo, curses, and the whereabouts of a mysterious dragon cane.
It soon becomes clear Magnus’s sins won’t be so easily forgotten. What Lexie unearths about his road to redemption is going to change the future … for both of them.
Will Bennet and his fiancée—the quirky and stubborn Lexie Arden—want to make Altmover Manor their showplace. But Magnus has other plans.
A spirit bound to his former residence, Magnus finds himself inexplicably drawn to the young woman. She has a supernatural gift; a gift Magnus wants to exploit to end his purgatory.
As Lexie and Will settle in, secrets from Magnus’s past begin to surface. Compelled to learn all she can about the former owner, Lexie finds herself drawn into a world of voodoo, curses, and the whereabouts of a mysterious dragon cane.
It soon becomes clear Magnus’s sins won’t be so easily forgotten. What Lexie unearths about his road to redemption is going to change the future … for both of them.
*Excerpt*
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Praise for DAMNED
"... seamlessly blends mystery, magic and matters of the heart to create and enthralling read." ―RT Book Reviews
"Damned is absolutely riveting, an absolute page turner. Just when you think the carnival ride is over you discover it's barley begun... If you only read one book, this should be it." ―Tracy Riva, Midwest Book Review
"Damned is full of intricate characters, voodoo, and a luxurious setting that will steal your breath away. You'll want to follow Magnus and Lexie to Hell and back, and that's stunningly likely." ―Mercedes B. Yardley, Bram Stoker Award-Winning Author of Little Dead Red
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Lexie changed into her white nightshirt and climbed into bed next to Will. He had his laptop open, going over his plans for the restoration. Lexie reached for the Oscar Wilde letters she’d left on her night table.
While the tapping of Will’s fingers on the computer keys disturbed the silence in the room, she devoured the correspondence between Magnus and Oscar Wilde.
“These two men met in New Orleans. Oscar makes several references in his letters to the time they spent there.”
Will didn’t look away from his laptop.
“Maybe the doll I found came from there,” Lexie went on. “Magnus might have brought the voodoo doll home from his trip.”
Will rolled his finger around on the mouse, rotating the house on the screen. “Most people bring home hurricane glasses as souvenirs. Our guy brought home a voodoo doll. Imagine that.”
With the letter in hand, Lexie sat up in the bed. “Listen to this. I implore you to stay away from O’Connor and his bride. I know your innermost feelings, my friend, and I fear what you may do. What do you think that means? I wonder who O’Connor was.”
“I have no idea,” he mumbled, sounding bored.
“He might be our architect.” Lexie slouched, remembering the grainy photograph she’d found in the attic. “But these letters are dated before the changes to the house in 1890, so it can’t be him.”
He pushed his laptop aside. “How do you know when the changes were made?”
“I found a picture in the attic made during the renovations and dated 1890.”
“Where’s this picture?” His voice dropped, a sure sign of his frustration.
She put down her letter. “The living room. I put it with a collection of old paintings I found.”
“Why don’t you get the picture for me?”
“But …” Lexie hesitated. She feared going into the living room alone at night.
“Lexie, you’d better not say anything about ghosts.”
“I know, Will. I’m not sure I can …”
He took a flashlight from his night table. “Then please get the picture. It might help with my notes.”
She didn’t want to argue. Lexie would rather face a boatload of Magnus Blackwells than have a confrontation with Will. She snatched the flashlight from him and climbed from the bed. After pulling on her fuzzy robe and finding her slippers, she looked at him.
“If I don’t return …” She yanked the door open.
In the hallway, she flipped the switch for the sconces lining the walls. The pale light comforted her but faded as she approached the black staircase. Lexie turned on the flashlight and pointed the beam down the stairs.
She made her way down the white marble-inlaid steps, but as the darkness from the first floor closed in around her, Lexie picked up her pace. When her slippers hit the marble floor, she ran to the light switch controlling the foyer’s lotus sconces. Jogging through the hallway toward the living room, Lexie fought to keep her dread from getting the better of her.
Once the lights in the living room came on, she let out a relieved sigh. The room was the same as she had left it. Paintings sat arranged against the walls, and Magnus Blackwell’s portrait remained where Will and Remi had left it. Eager to retrieve the picture, Lexie went to the pieces she’d brought from the attic and sifted through them.
The desired photograph in hand, she darted for the light switch, and an odd sensation came over her. She froze. Something wasn’t right. She stifled a cry when she discovered Magnus’s painting back above the mantel.
His condescending grin taunted her as if saying, “You can’t get rid of me so easily.”
She ran out of the living room without bothering to turn off the lights. In the hallway, she slapped the foyer light switch and rushed to the stairs.
Lexie trembled as the scales of the dragon undulated. She yanked her hand away from the banister and bounded up the last steps, eager to escape her nightmare.
Copyright © 2017 by Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor
~~~
Praise for DAMNED
"... seamlessly blends mystery, magic and matters of the heart to create and enthralling read." ―RT Book Reviews
"Damned is absolutely riveting, an absolute page turner. Just when you think the carnival ride is over you discover it's barley begun... If you only read one book, this should be it." ―Tracy Riva, Midwest Book Review
"Damned is full of intricate characters, voodoo, and a luxurious setting that will steal your breath away. You'll want to follow Magnus and Lexie to Hell and back, and that's stunningly likely." ―Mercedes B. Yardley, Bram Stoker Award-Winning Author of Little Dead Red
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Binge read the Magnus Blackwell series now...
(cover links to Goodreads)
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**Pre-order Seize (book 3) now**
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**Pre-order Seize (book 3) now**
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**About the Authors**
Alexandrea Weis, RN-CS, PhD, is a multi-award-winning author of over twenty-seven novels, a screenwriter, ICU Nurse, and historian who was born and raised in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Having grown up in the motion picture industry as the daughter of a director, she learned to tell stories from a different perspective and began writing at the age of eight. Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her novels, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story moving and memorable. A member of the Horror Writers Association and International Thriller Writers Association, Weis writes mystery, suspense, thrillers, horror, crime fiction, and romance. She lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans where she is a permitted/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries and rescues orphaned and injured animals.
Stay connected with Alexandrea Weis
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Lucas Astor is a multi-award-winning author from New York. He has resided in Central America, the Middle East, and traveled throughout Europe. He lives a very private, virtually reclusive lifestyle, preferring to spend time with a close-knit group of friends than be in the spotlight. He is a writer and poet with a penchant for telling stories that delve into the dark side of the human psyche. He likes to explore the evil that exists, not just in the world, but right next door behind a smiling face.
Photo Content from Alexandrea Weis & Lucas Astor
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***The Giveaway***
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