The Gatekeeper
by J.A. Templeton
(Otherworld Series #1)
Publication date: May 1st 2014
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Paranormal Romance
~Synopsis~
Ever since I can remember, I’ve had strange dreams that always came true, and experienced terrifying powers that set me apart from everyone else.It’s not until my eighteenth birthday do I begin to understand what those dreams mean. When my grandfather is attacked and left for dead, I am thrust into the Otherworld—a medieval-like land of beautiful immortals with amazing gifts. One of these immortals has stolen the key between the realms, and it is up to me, Brynne Davies, the next gatekeeper, to reach the key before the power struggle that exists in the Otherworld occurs on earth.
Complicating my task are the members of the Royal House of Parthas, especially the king’s brother, the handsome Murdoc, Warlord of the king’s army, and then there’s the charming Fae prince who seems to always be one step ahead of me.
Time is running out for me to find the key and close the door. If I don’t, the world I left will never be the same…because of me.
The Gatekeeper (Otherworld series, #1) is a New Adult Fantasy/Paranormal Romance.
~Excerpt~
I walked with Murdoc deeper into the cave. The more we walked, the brighter the space, until the cave opened up to a space nearly as large as the castle’s great hall. In the center was a majestic waterfall, the water splashing on the crystals below.“Come.” His hand tightened on mine, and we walked carefully across a bridge toward the waterfall until we were standing directly behind it, the crystals like prisms of light breaking through the glass wall.
I had never seen anything so beautiful in all my life. I reached out a hand to allow the curtain of water to ripple over my fingers. When I looked over at Murdoc, he was watching me closely, the sides of his mouth lifting in a smile that made my pulse race.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” I said. “It’s beautiful.”
“You are beautiful.” The smile slowly left his lips, and he leaned in and kissed me.
Unlike Rein’s kiss, this kiss was meant to scorch. His lips were firm, demanding a response. His tongue teased the seam of my lips and I opened to him.
My hands were in his hair a second later, the kiss growing deeper by the second.
I don’t remember him pulling me close, but I felt his fingers brush along my spine slowly, up and down, before sliding over my butt. With my body pressed against his, I could feel what I was doing to him, could feel the heat between us. I could think of at least five reasons why I should walk away, a big fat number one being he had a fiancée, but God help me, I didn’t have the willpower.
Murdoc explored my mouth greedily, demanding a response that I couldn’t deny him. He groaned when my hands tentatively slid up and over his wide shoulders.
The sensations that shot through my body were so intense, I felt light-headed. This was nothing like the mild curiosity I’d felt with Staun when we’d first started dating. Now I knew what Nana meant when I’d once caught Pops wrapping her in his arms and giving her a smooch, and she’d laughed and said he could still make her toes curl.
My toes were definitely curling as I grasped his hair in my fists to steady myself and tilted my head so I could return his kiss. My heart pounded so hard against his that I was afraid he could hear it, and my breaths came out in short pants between kisses.
Long moments passed as we tasted each other, giving in to our impulses and losing ourselves in the joy of the moment. Eventually passion gave way to tenderness as he rained small kisses over my face, and my heart felt full with the sweetness of it.
He cupped my face with his hands and pulled away just enough to look into my eyes. He didn’t say anything, not a word, but I read so much in those ice-blue eyes that would haunt me for the rest of my life. Even more, he stared at me as if he were trying to memorize my features.
“We should get you back to the castle before my brother sends out an army to find you.”
“You didn’t tell him where we were going?”
“Nay, I wanted you to myself for just a little while.”
“I’m glad you brought me,” I said, and was rewarded with an irresistible grin that made my thighs tighten.
Murdoc took my hand, pulled a bracelet from his pocket, and slid it onto my wrist. It was the bracelet he’d made for me weeks ago, and it had been dipped in silver.
“Thank you.”
His fingers threaded through mine and I could feel the hard calluses there. We walked slowly, and I had the urge to stop him, to kiss him again, to just feel those arms around me.
“Do you want to make a wish?”
I nodded, and we stopped at the bridge.
“Go ahead,” he said, releasing my hand.
The wish was a no-brainer. I needed the chalice so I could return to Portland and close the gateway. I wished I didn’t have to return right now. A summer in Parthas would have been awesome…but there was no sense in wishing for something that could never be. If only, I thought to myself. If only things could be different. I don’t know. Could it be possible in the future that I could return to Parthas…and spend time with Seren. And maybe I was forgetting that I had no place in this world.
I closed my eyes, made my wish, and kissing the ring, I then tossed it into the waters below. My eyes widened when it took a good fifteen seconds to make a splash.
That was quite a drop.
With a backward glance at the glistening walls, I walked toward Murdoc and returned his smile. He didn’t take my hand this time, no doubt because the guards would be outside the cave.
Before we breached the entrance, he stopped and pulled me aside, against a small alcove. He cupped my face with both hands. “I want you to stay with me.”
Purchase:
Will be found here come release day: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The+Gatekeeper+Templeton&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AThe+Gatekeeper+Templeton
~AUTHOR BIO~
I wrote my first young adult novel over ten years ago, and took a slight detour from writing YA to publish nineteen adult romances. Now, I'm following my heart and writing in the genre I've been passionate about for so long, and about characters who don't exactly fit into any specific box.
Aside from writing and reading, I'm obsessed with history, love research, traveling, and riding motorcycles with my hubby, my first and only love, who stole my heart when I was fourteen and he was eighteen (yes, he robbed the cradle). I am also a medium, which gives me a unique perspective when writing about the paranormal and characters like Riley, who can see, hear, and feel spirits.
I'm passionate about books, and I'll never tire of writing love stories.
~Author links~
Aside from writing and reading, I'm obsessed with history, love research, traveling, and riding motorcycles with my hubby, my first and only love, who stole my heart when I was fourteen and he was eighteen (yes, he robbed the cradle). I am also a medium, which gives me a unique perspective when writing about the paranormal and characters like Riley, who can see, hear, and feel spirits.
I'm passionate about books, and I'll never tire of writing love stories.
~Author links~
~Giveaway~
One (1) ebook copy of The Gatekeeper.
Open internationally.
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