I’m thrilled to announce the release of my new urban fantasy series:
Academy of Assassins – An Academy of Assassins Novel : Book 1
I think the cover artist, Amanda Kelsey, did a fantastic job, don’t you?
Here is a little blurb for you:
ONLY ONE THING STANDS BETWEEN HUMANS AND THE DEADLY SUPERNATURAL WORLD…THE ACADEMY OF ASSASSINS.
Abandoned as a child and unable to remember her past, Morgan was raised as a hunter, one of an elite group of fighters sworn to protect humans from the dangerous paranormal creatures who invade our world…creatures such as herself. Her life changes the day she’s summoned to the Academy of Assassins, a school that trains witches and hunters to eradicate paranormals who prey on humans. Her first assignment—find and eliminate the killer who is using the Academy as their own personal hunting ground.
As Morgan delves deeper into the investigation, she will need to dodge assassination attempts, avoid the distraction of romantic entanglements with the devilishly handsome security expert, Kincade, and his maddeningly overprotective teammates, while keeping the volatile magic in her blood concealed from those who would use it for their own purposes. When the danger increases and the school is threatened, Morgan must unearth her missing memories before someone finishes the job they started so long ago—killing her and unleashing a plague that will consume the world.
An Academy of Assassins Novel : Book 1
I’m really excited to see what everyone thinks of Morgan and her crew of assassins!
Since it’s Halloween, I couldn’t resist including an excerpt where Morgan and her men clear out a warehouse infested with gremlins!
Excerpt:
A shadow flew overhead. When Morgan tipped her head back, she saw a dozen creatures no more than two feet high leap the fifteen feet across the aisle. She threw a blade, managed to hit one, but her weapon bounced harmlessly off its hard, reptilian hide. They scampered up the shelving and disappeared into the boxes as her blade clanked harmlessly to the ground.
There appeared to be three different varieties. The majority of them were varying shades of green, covered with warts and black, oily spots. Those were the males. The younger ones were a light tan, slightly smaller, but no less deadly. A couple had bright yellow bellies, but no less hideous. They were the females. Their eyes were pure red, their black pupils narrow slits. Some had distinctive stripes, while others were marked with scars, whether from battle or decoration, she wasn’t sure.
One evil little critter, slightly bigger than the rest, glared down at her from his crouched position, his scars prominent on his body, a bold slash gouging deep ruts across his face. He was the commander, battle-hardened and vindictive about having his space invaded. His large ears were thin and leathery, swiveling to catch even the slightest sound, the left one kinked where it had nearly been torn off. His claw-tipped hands were wrapped around the metal grates of the shelving, his arms almost as long as his entire body, which made climbing and running on all fours easier.
This one appeared to be covered with some kind of goo that dripped down the shelves. The ammonia smell was nearly enough to knock her out. Tuffs of scraggly hair struck up from the top of his head. He sneered, revealing dozens and dozens of bloody, razor-sharp teeth.
He lifted his hand and gave her the finger, then quickly ducked behind the boxes with his mates.
Both sides of the shelving erupted in giggles.
“We’re sitting ducks down here. We need to head up.” She peered at Draven, and he backed up a step, as if reading something in her expression. Morgan smiled grimly. “How do you feel about being bait?”
He grimaced, then glanced up at the top of the shelving thirty feet in the air. “Better than I feel about being an acrobat. You’re faster than I am, more flexible.”
Morgan sheathed her weapon. When she went to retrieve the one that had fallen, he grabbed her arm. “No undue risks. Don’t let them draw you away. Yell if you get into trouble.”
“Understood. Go. I’ll let them follow you, then climb.”
Ryder hesitated a moment longer, clearly not wanting to leave her alone, then huffed out a resigned sigh. “Kincade is going to kill me.”
With that cryptic remark, he turned on his heel and ran down the aisle, whistling a jaunty tune. While a few remained behind to watch her, the majority clearly saw her as no threat, and clambered across the boxes in pursuit.
Not wasting a second, Morgan leapt up, grabbed the edge of the third shelf and began to climb. Angry chittering erupted above her, and she spotted four gremlins arguing, appearing distress when she didn’t collapse on the floor, weeping in terror at the sight of them.
When they fell silent, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She leaned back to get a good look at them, unnerved to find the four of them staring down at her with yellowish eyes and malicious smiles that didn’t bode well.
Two clambered down, one lashing out at Morgan’s hands and arms, aiming his claws for her face, while the other one dove for her legs. She swung at the one trying to gouge out her eyeballs, but it scampered out of arm’s reach. The second one latched onto her legs like a deranged monkey, using his teeth and claws to gnaw at her leathers like she was his own personal chew toy.
“Son of a bitch.” Pain shot up her leg as he began to shake his head, his teeth sawing back and forth, and she wondered if the little beast was trying to tear out a hunk of her flesh or rip her leg off altogether.
Not to be outdone, the first gremlin lunged for her face. Morgan swatted the claws away, and nearly lost her balance in the process.
All the while, the two remaining on top ripped open the boxes and began lobbing metal spoons at her, one going so far as to bean her on the head when she didn’t dodge fast enough.
“Enough.”
She never realized something so small could bedevil her so much.
She reached out, ignoring the claws digging into the fleshy part of her hand, snagged the toothpick-like leg of the nearest gremlin and flung the creature as far as she could. The gremlin gave a scream of anger as he flew through the air before splatting across the floor, leaving a black smear behind him, his little body ending up a twisted mess.
Then, to her consternation, he lumbered to his feet and limped off, dragging his damaged leg behind him, leaving a trail of dark ooze.
The monster on her leg gave a scream of rage and renewed his attack.
“Get.” She brought up her leg and slammed the creature into one of the metal posts. “Off.”
Slam.
“Me!”
The critter clanged against the metal like a gong, then dropped like a rock to the ground, landing with a surprisingly solid thud for something so small. He turned and hissed at her with evil eyes, quickly dragging himself under the shelving, and Morgan couldn’t help but shiver at the malice.
And received another bash across the back of her head, reminding her she still wasn’t alone. As she reached the top, one leaned over and screamed, the high-pitched sound threatening to make her ears bleed.
Not to be outdone, Morgan screamed back at him in frustration.
The gremlin was so startled, his mouth snapped shut, and he staggered back, hastily covering his ears.
Of course.
Their large ears meant they were sensitive to even the slightest noise.
Morgan snatched at the next spoon aimed for her head and beat it against the metal. The creatures cowered, grabbed their ears, twisting away to escape. In seconds, they turned tail and ran.
Morgan breathed a sigh of relief and dropped the spoon.
If there had been more of them, they would’ve overwhelmed her, using their sharp teeth and claws and whittled her flesh down to bones in a matter of minutes.
A deep foreboding tore through her chest, until she thought her heart was being ripped out. “Draven.”
I hope you enjoyed meeting the Assassins. To find out what happens next, be sure to visit Amazon.com:
I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween!
Way to go Stac!! Looks like another awesome book!
Thank you so much! The cover artist really outdid herself on this book. It was also a great fun to write. 🙂 I hope you and the peanuts had a great Halloween!
I’m in a massive book hangover now. This book was so incredibly written. I loved everything about it! I cannot wait for more!!
I’m so very pleased that you’ve enjoyed Morgan and her Assassins. I just love when I can fall into a book like that! I hope you have a great rest of the weekend!
I absolutely loved it! When is book 2 coming?!
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed the book! Unfortunately, I need to write Electric Curse first, so book two won’t come out until early to mid-next year. *fingers crossed* I’ll do my best to finish them both early. 🙂
NO!!! I can’t wait that long! This book was amazing!
This was a wonderful book. I ran across this on Amazon Kindle Unlimited and couldn’t put it down. I cannot wait to read the other books in this series as well as the ones I saw on Amazon. I am a grammar snob when it comes to books and this was well written with lots of depth. Thank you for a great read.
Thank you, Tamara! I’m so glad you enjoyed the characters and the story. Academy of Assassins was great fun to write! It will be interesting to see what’s next for the group. 🙂
Fantastic!
I loved the book. I actually read it all in one evening and stayed up past 2AM to finish it while still managing to make it to work by 8AM the following morning. To me that is proof of a good read, willingly sacrificing sleep to finish the story. Can’t wait for book #2!
That’s fantastic! I’m so glad you enjoyed the Academy. I love when a book can do that to me! Thank you so much for dropping me a note and letting me know.
I’m in agony!! I need another book. Will Ryder have to fight his feelings? What about kade and his past??? I loved it! I listed finished and read 12 chapters all night.
Thank you so much, Caroline! I’m so glad you enjoyed reading about Morgan and her Assassins. I had a blast writing about them. We will learn more about Kincade and Atlas in the next book. I think you’ll enjoy it. 🙂
Dear Stacey I discovered your book on amazom its the first time I read a book from you ,wow I just had to post a review
Now how about a reward -put book 2 on amazom sort of a xmas gift that we can buy for ourselves.
_____________________
Thanks Lisa.com,
Your latest customer review is live on Amazon. We and millions of shoppers on Amazon appreciate the time you took to share your experience with this item.
Academy of Assassins (An Academy of Assassins Novel Book 1) ★★★★★ from Amazon buyer on November 17, 2017
The one book worth buying and reading this year.
I want the sequel please ,kick ass Heroine who does not know how to flirt
Can fight and are fiercely loyal
Handsome hunks who would die for her
This book have left me hungry for more
Supernatural, a quest ,action and many loves
Something for everyone to read in this…
See your full review
Thank you so much for reading my book and writing a review! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed Academy of Assassins. I loved writing about the whole gang. I do have plans for book two, but it won’t be released until mid-next year. Sorry for the delay. I promised I would write Electric Curse (a book from my other series) first, but I’ll do my best to get them both done ASAP. 🙂
I so loved this book, the rich background on the characters and the new worlds you created. Once I got to chapter 3 or 4 I was hooked and barely put it down. I am very excited for the next release. OMG Ryder just draws you in by your heartstrings. To be honest, all the characters draw you in but Ryder is so special.
Woman, you can write!!!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, thank you for the hours of entertainment you provided. I’m going to start your other series now, Raven Investigations….
Thank you for taking the time to read my book! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I adored writing about the Assassins. Isn’t Ryder just scrumptious?! lol I hope you enjoy Raven and her pack just as much. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours as well!
Absolutely could bot put it down. I started it around 4 in afternoon and finished 4 in morning. Loved it. Loved all the characters. When will next one come out!!??
That’s awesome! I love when a book grabs me like that. I do have plans for book two, but I’m promised to finish Electric Curse first. That means it will be mid-next year for book 2. 🙂
Read this book in 1 day! Very impatient for the next one!!! Very good read!!!
Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed the book. I had a blast writing about the Academy and all the Assassins and villains. 🙂
I really enjoyed this book! I can’t wait to read the next one. The way you write is so captivating that I read the whole thing in one go.
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed the book. I’m excited to start the next book and see what kind of trouble the assassins can get into next. 🙂
When is the second book coming out, I really enjoy it
I’m glad you enjoyed Academy of Assassins! If all things go as planned, I hope to have the second book out by mid-next year.
Happened upon this book through Kindle unlimited. Well done. Enjoyed the story line and characters
Thank you so much for taking a chance reading my work. I’m so glad you enjoyed Morgan and her Assassins!
Wow I should read the first one slowly now I can’t wait till the middle of the new year but I cannot put it down absolutely loved your book
Thank you for posting, Deborah! I’m glad you enjoyed the Academy. I’m excited to start writing book two!
I cannot wait for book 2! Please tell there’s another book coming? I might die if not. I was so incredibly addicted to this book I couldn’t put it down! It was incredibly written, very unique and not like anything I’ve read before. Please send me what you have. I must know how this ends! I need something! I am so involved in this story it is absolutely ridiculous. Well done.
I’m so glad you enjoyed Academy of Assassins! Yes, there will be another book. Too much of their story isn’t done yet to stop. 🙂 I love Morgan and her guys, and can’t wait to share more about all the characters. Thank you so much for posting!
Will there be another book soon?
When is the release date?
I’ll answer both your posts here…
Yes, I do plan on having another book. If all goes well, I hope to have it released mid-next year. 🙂 I hope you enjoy!
Love love loved it! Cannot wait for the next book!
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed the Academy. I loved writing about the Assassins and their adventures. 🙂