Blog Tour: Excerpt, Character Interview, Review, and Giveaway for Crimson Cove by Eden Butler

Are you ready to have your mind blown? Prepare yourself for Bane and Janiver! Check out the excerpt from Crimson Cove, my interview with Bane and Janiver, my review, and then make sure you enter the mega giveaway!

Title: Crimson Cove

Author: Eden Butler

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Release Date: December 31, 2015

Tour Hosted by: As the Pages Turn

Synopsis

Ten years ago Janiver stole a kiss from the meanest boy in school.

He never forgot.

Senior year.

One minute before the tardy bell rang, Bane Illes would slip through the door.

He never smiled.

He never spoke.

Each day, that dark, dangerous boy gave Janiver Benoit a glance. And when she could not take another quiet stare, or the warmth that look sent over her skin, she took from Bane something he’d never give freely—one lingering, soul knocking kiss.

Ten years later, her family needs her, and Janiver will have to face the one person she promised herself she’d never see again.

The dangerous wizard that might make leaving Crimson Cove the last thing she wants to do.

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Excerpt

“Your secrets are your own,” he finally said, a little of his confidence dimmed, but his resolve stronger than ever.

Good, I thought. He’ll need it.

“They are.”

One step forward and Bane stared down at me. “Then why do I get the feeling that what’s behind that wall isn’t just for you?”

Beyond us, I sensed the weight of the lines trying to breech across the safeguard Bane had placed inside me. He sensed it too, even nodded toward it when I looked at him, expecting confirmation. But he wanted an answer, didn’t seem to care that his spell had worked on me.

“Don’t go poking, Bane. Not all secrets need telling.”

Bane was only a foot away from me, his mind likely lingering around the confusion of that day, ten years ago, and the heat he thought he’d imagined. But it had been real. Hell, it was still so damn real and even with him tempering the lines from me, Bane seemed to know it too.

“A warning,” he started looking as though he wasn’t sure if he wanted me or wanted to be angry with me. “I may not be able to have complete awareness of your thoughts, but I can tell what direction they’re heading toward.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning if I piss you off, I’m gonna know.” I shook my head, not caring if Bane knew how often he pissed me off. “Meaning that if I do something you like,” he moved his gaze down my body, then back up, “Well, I’ll know just how much you like what I do.”

“And if someone else does something I like?” He grunted, but remained silent. “I mean, if say, one of those primal, alpha shifters do something I really, really like…”

“I’ll damn well know.” The clip of his voice was a warning I took to heart.

“I see.”

There was little time left now for us to squabble or argue over what I kept from him so when I turned away, needing the distance, and he grabbed my arm, stopping me, and the shock was quick and, despite knowing him as I did, unexpected. “That daydream…” He pressed his lips together. “Felt damn real.”

My eyes kept steady on my wrist in his grip, as though on their own, they’d decided looking at Bane wouldn’t be smart. “Why are you touching me again?” Finally able to control 

myself, I looked up. “The spell is over.”

“Is it?”

There was something new, something strange to how Bane pulled me in. The lines weren’t calling me, insisting that I take him, claim him once again. They were, in fact, nothing more than a quiet whisper I could barely make out, begging now instead of insisting. The sensation had no bite, not as it did before Bane’s spell, but there was still a heat between us, that constant energy that no block could keep from us. We were drawn to each other even without the lines’ interference.

“Bane…” He inched closer and I held my breath as that pull—our pull—between us drew us closer. “What am I thinking now?”

He growled, rushing toward my mouth, warming it with just a brush of his lips. “The same damn thing I am.” He gripped my face between his fingers and kissed me hard, scorching against my mouth like he wanted to claim it. God, how I wish he would, and just that thought made that low, deep groan in Bane’s throat transform into a growl of pleasure.

The air around us dropped, the temperatures cooling the wind, bringing brittle leaves and small twigs from the trees around us. Nothing slipped into my thoughts as we came closer, as I forgot that I wasn’t supposed to touch Bane, that he belonged to someone else, that he was meant for something else in which I played no part. But just for that moment, I wanted to take him. I wanted his touch and taste all over me.

At the thought, Bane broke away, his hot, hurried breath fanning down my nose as he rested his forehead against mine. “This spell was an insanely bad idea.”

“Why?” Fingers fisted in his collar, he moved when I pulled him toward me, too eager, too anxious to keep from touching him.

“God, Jani, because now I know you’ve been thinking the same thing I have since the second I walked into your apartment.”

But I knew, I knew that it had all started for us far longer than a few days before.

“Bane…” Tell him no, I thought. Remind him who he is, who you are. But even thinking it was enough to settle him.

“I don’t think I much care,” he stopped me, answering my unspoken question about what would be or what should be. “God help me. I don’t fucking care about any of it.”

Like a flame igniting, like the rush of decision that is never given much thought, a decision that is more instinct than logic, we moved away from ourselves, from the people we were always supposed to be. There was no duty, no honor, no distinctions to be maintained, no expectations that need to be protected. We’d come this close before, the near making of something new, something forbidden, but this time I gave no thought to what would happen if I let Bane forget that I was not for him.

Just one flashing moment where we pulled against each other, where his touch felt like liquid fire on my skin, where my mouth against his throat made that huge man shudder at the feel of it.

“I don’t care either.”

It was all it took. Providence, destiny, the twist of some life altering event set in motion by the lines, by the gods, by whatever it was that bent our wills, directed our paths down the roads we took. My declaration, my small lie that I truly didn’t care, was enough to pick apart the moment that might keep us from it. It was enough to ricochet into something that could never be unmade.

That’s when the screaming started.

In the quiet din of darkness, with Bane holding me, devouring my mouth, insisting my body bend this way and that, a scream rent through the moment and torn it to pieces, followed by another, and another.

Character Interview

Guess who was able to grab a hold of Janiver and Bane before they got started looking for the missing Elam? That'd be me!

Okay Bane, you're up first.

Inquiring minds would like to know, boxers, briefs, boxer briefs, or commando? 

B: *Mumbles* Bullshit underwear. Loudly grumbles at me, "None of your fucking business." (Point taken).

Moving on.

Bane how'd you know Janiver was in distress and needed help?

B: Instinct. Also because we melded as kids. That's not some easy magic trick. 

If love and duty conflicted for you Bane, which would you choose?

B- Love. I'd always choose love over duty. It lasts longer. (The man has a point.)

At what point did you realize you were in trouble when it came to Janiver? 

B: When we were ten and she looked up at me with those big doe eyes like my punk ass knew how to protect her. I know then that I'd die trying to do just that very thing. (Swoon! I may need a minute to recover...)

Last question for you Bane, what do you like to do in your down time when you're not responsible for leading an entire town? And how do you feel now that Janiver is back? 

B: I like to be in the forest away from the noise and the people who make it. How do I feel? Like there's about to be a hell of a lot of noise in my life. 

I can totally see why you'd think that. Well all the best and thank you for answering my questions!

Now on to Janiver...

Hi Janiver. You left town and never looked back. Now you're back to save your family's reputation and face things you left. How are you feeling? 

J: Drunk. Well, mostly not drunk enough. (I think that's fair enough. If I had to deal with some citizens I'd drink too...)

How long do you think it'll take you to find what you're looking for?

J: Are we talking the Elam or Bane? Wait. Did I just say that aloud? I mean...finding the Elam, finishing the job shouldn't take long just as no one gets in my way.

Did you miss your family? What did you realize you missed most about Crimson Cove once you got back?

J: I missed my twin and I missed the food. You can't get good comfort food like we have in Crimson Cove in NYC. But mostly I missed the lines, how comforting they are, how much they sing to me.

Who do you think has the best gift out of all the citizens in the Cove? You've got finding skills, your twin has healing...

J: Can't answer that. Our gifts work as a collective. Every gift works hand in hand with others' gifts. It's a push and pull, give and take that we all need in order to function. 

One last question for you Janiver. If you had the opportunity to find out, what type of undies or lack there of would like Bane to rock? Hehe.

J: Duh. Commando. He doesn't have time for bullshit underwear. 

I was hoping you'd say that! Please let me know if you find out for sure! Thank you Bane and Janiver for your time! Good luck finding the Elam! 



Review

★★★★ 3/4 stars

Wow. I knew Eden Butler could write contemporary romance with angst, passion, and heart touching emotions. I should've known she'd being her writing talents to paranormal romance. Crimson Cove was everything I'd hoping it be; passionate, angsty, hot, and even emotional. It was a page turner I couldn't put down.

The best thing about this book for me was Bane, Janiver, and their chemistry. The book is told from Janiver's point of view, so how we see Bane and get to know him is through her eyes and interpretations of his actions. Bane however makes things easy for her and us by being up front about what he wants. I am a huge fan of Bane's no nonsense attitude. I loved how he was with Janiver, taking care of her, and always being there when she needed him. I even liked the way he let her be herself even when he knew he might be better suited to being in control. 

The attraction between them was so hot it was almost blistering. I kept wanting them to give in to it, even though they were both fighting to be noble and deal with not only the situation at hand of finding the Elam and restoring order, but also taking into account how things had changed since Jani had been gone. I loved how Bane could read Jani's emotions, and sometimes even her thoughts, but he never pushed the limits. He tried to get her to open up about what she was hiding, but he never barged through her mental barriers when he easily could have. That just mad me respect him even more. 

I liked how Eden Butler introduced this alternate reality and universe in the beginning of the book, but don't go too heavy into the details. The story was really easy to follow and focused mainly on finding the missing Elam and whatever storm was brewing between Jani and Bane. I must admit I liked how even though there were numerous paranormal beings present in the book, none were perfect, even if a few believed in their superiority over others because of lineage or material possessions; all of the characters were flawed, but real, and easy to relate to. I loved seeing Jani with her siblings and learning about what had distanced her from her father and caused her to run away from home and never look back. I even loved the mystery and suspense in the story, with Jani trying to find the Elam and those responsible for taking it and causing chaos. 

As much as I love her contemporary series, I would love to see more set in this world. I think there is a lot of untapped potential here and room to explore this alternate reality more. I'd love to get into Bane's head, that's for sure! I also hope she continues to write other paranormal books. Once again Eden Butler has written a fantastic tale of love, duty, honor, and courage. 

*Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*

About Eden Butler

Eden Butler is an editor and writer of New Adult Romance and SciFi and Fantasy novels and the nine-times great-granddaughter of an honest-to-God English pirate. This could explain her affinity for rule breaking and rum. Her debut novel, a New Adult, Contemporary (no cliffie) Romance, “Chasing Serenity” launched in October 2013 and quickly became an Amazon bestseller. When she’s not writing or wondering about her possibly Jack Sparrowesque ancestor, Eden edits, reads and spends way too much time watching rugby, Doctor Who and New Orleans Saints football. She is currently imprisoned under teenage rule alongside her husband in southeast Louisiana. Please send help.

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Enter the Giveaway

The following goodies are up for grabs!

• (3) Signed paperback copy of Crimson Cove (US Only)
• (5) eBook copy of Crimson Cove (International)
• (1) $50 gift cards for either Amazon or B&N, winner's choice (International)

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