NBtM Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: Wicked Night by Evi Rhodes @GoddessFish

Wicked Night

by Evi Rhodes

GENRE: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

BLURB:

Follow the journey of a strong, independent, yet caring woman as she navigates the supernatural world she is thrust into. Gwen steps out of a dysfunctional family life and into a world filled with danger she never realized lives at every turn, fiery passion, and a love that is ever binding. How will she handle her strange new surroundings as well as the man with the intense and overbearing personality who threatens to destroy the emotional barriers around her heart?

Wicked, the next in line to become the vampire king, is caught off guard when he grudgingly agrees to take on a charge, something he never wanted to do. He is unsure how to handle the fierce and vibrant woman with the unsettling green eyes. It doesn't take long for them to clash, but will it end passionately or burn down around them?

Excerpt:

Wicked stood in the darkness staring at his soon-to-be charge and felt like a deer in the headlights. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her and just stared, blinking with wide eyes.   

  

“I didn’t expect you to be so beautiful,” he whispered to himself.  He was late meeting her but he could not face her yet, not until the blood in his veins cooled and his breathing returned to normal. The last thing he needed to do was make an ass of himself by acting like a high-school boy hyped up on hormones.  He had never in all his 148 years felt this kind of draw toward anyone. He had the strongest urge to reach out and touch her hair, to whisk her off her feet into his arms and kiss her until their lips hurt and she breathlessly begged him to stop.  His blood felt as if it were boiling in his veins as the image of this woman in his arms flickered across his mind.  

Out of the blue, she laughed aloud, seemingly for no apparent reason, but it was almost his undoing. It was like she was purring in his ear; he could feel her breath against his skin as if she were standing right beside him.  He growled under his breath and then turned around and closed his eyes as he ground his teeth together in response to his body’s reaction. Good God, he wanted to march across the short expanse separating them and do something that he would definitely regret later, like push her up against the wall   and take her right there.  He could picture ripping open her jacket and lifting her off the ground . . .

Interview with Evi Rhodes

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

I would have to say Wolf

How many hours a day do you put into your writing?

Unfortunately writing isn’t my full time job so I don’t get to write as much as I would like but I do try to sit down every single day. On really lucky days I will get to spend the whole day writing but other days I may only have an hour.

Do you read your book reviews? If yes, do they affect what you write in the future?

I do read them and try to thank everyone that takes the time to write about my book, but I don’t let what anyone says change the vision for my story. Whether it is a great review or a poor one, if something is said that I feel I can improve on without it taking away from the characters or plot then this is something I will consider. One must always keep in mind that you cannot please everyone and what one person loves another will hate, does it mean that either one of them is wrong? No, just that they each like different things. With that said it’s certainly not easy to read a harsh review and not let it affect you negatively when so much love has been put into your work.  

Do you leave hidden messages in your books that only a few people will find?

Yes all the time. Everything from little inside jokes to parts of people’s stories that I’m sharing with my readers. Those that are part of my books know and I can only hope when they read my work they feel I did their words or stories justice. I will also give homage to other authors I admire by putting little spots in my books where I mention them in some fashion. I like to incorporate a little love for anyone that has touched my world in some way.

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Wicked Night?

Wicked Night gives you a glimpse into a much larger cast of characters, but the few you meet and really interact with are Gwen, Wicked, Craze, Kayden, Hauk and Ice.

Gwen is our protagonist and she is who you follow through the entirety of the series. We are introduced to her and not really sure what to make of her. She comes off annoying, rude and a little self-pitying, but underneath all the bravado she is a whole lot more. Gwen learns to slowly show her true self to not only the characters around her but also to the reader and that is when you learn to like/love her. She is very important to the future of the race and her journey to get there is not going to be an easy one.

Wicked is our hero and once more when we meet him, we are just not sure what to make of this handsome yet egotistical male. Like Gwen though he is hiding a lot under the surface, he is tormented in ways he slowly begins to see and wants to change as their story continues. Being the next king comes with huge responsibility, can he hold up and will be he be able to break down the walls that stand in his way.

Hauk and his story is yet to come, but he is Wicked’s brother and the mild-mannered brother of the two. Older, wiser and much less volatile he comes across as the perfect male, but like all my characters, Hauk has flaws. As the journey continues you learn more about Hauk and why there is so much tension between him and Wicked.

Ice is our villain and yet in some ways you just can’t help but feel sorry for her. She is blinded by love and hurt, causing her to not only become our villain but also someone that you pity. She has a lot more to her and her character that we will learn as time goes on, but for now she is out to get our protagonist out of the picture so go ahead and hate her.

Kayden is Wicked’s best friend. They have been through just about everything together and have saved one another’s lives more times than they can count. Kayden has some dark demons that he wrestles with that are the type to never fully go away. His story is very closely entwined with our main two characters and as time goes on the reader will emotionally be all over the board where this particular character is concerned.

Last but certainly not least is Craze. What can we say about this character… he is the practical joker of the crowd and also one of the most talented and feared warriors. He quickly becomes Gwen’s friend and as the series continues so does their bond. He is much wiser than he makes himself appear but he is always in it for a laugh if he can. Craze is the friend we all wish we could find and never let go of, the one who will always have your back and make you smile.

Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the future?

Wicked Night is the very beginning of a journey that will span multiple books, there is no one-and-done with this series. Unusual Night the second book in A Warrior’s Promise Series is already available and it is a fast-paced book that has a lot of action and invokes a lot of emotion which will take the reader on a wild ride. It also touches on a unique romantic situation and a couple very serious topics. You will see growth in all our characters as they go through experiences that will test their basic natures and force them to adapt. The third book in the Series Orion’s Night focuses mostly on the warrior Orion and his story, but we still get to follow the main characters on their journey and have the opportunity to see what is going on in the world around them from a different POV. For all those that have picked a character they love that is not Gwen or Wicked, you can breathe a sigh of relief because there is a good chance that there will be a book dedicated to just them.

Do you allow yourself a certain number of hours to write or do you write as long as the words come?

I don’t have a set number of hours that I write. If I’m really in the zone I will write not noticing the time fly by or I can sit and write an hour and feel like that is enough for the day. I try not to write if I’m having trouble visualizing what I want to have happen in a scene or what I want the characters to say/do, I never want my work to feel forced.

Do you have a certain number of words or pages you write per day?

No certain number of pages or words; I’m not one to constrict myself to any sort of format. I simply write and see where I end up at the end of my session. Sometimes I will get to write for hours while other times only for short periods of time but multiple times in a day; I will do this quite a bit if I’m editing.

What inspires you to write?

I love telling a story, always have. If I can make someone laugh or smile and maybe impart a little wisdom when needed then I feel compelled to do so. I’ve always been the very old soul in the crowd and people naturally tend to open up and tell me their personal hardships and will ask for advice. These conversations always stuck with me and I wanted to write a fiction series with elements from real people. I cannot think of one specific moment that made me decide to become a writer. But I could say that I needed an outlet for what I was feeling and writing always made me feel at peace so it became that thing for me. Wicked Night and A Warrior’s Promise Series began as a single thought, to tell a story of a main character that is misunderstood and it simply grew from there. The characters were developed first and the story began to flow. I find that the world around us and every person in it has lived a life that we may only see a glimpse of in passing and I craved to know more, I craved to share these tales in part or whole in my work. The world and those in it inspire me; the paranormal aspect is just icing on the cake.

Would you rather

Read fiction or non-fiction?

Fiction because when I read I like to get lost in a world that someone has created, but I will read non-fiction if the topic/person intrigues me.

Read series or stand-alone?

Series, I love following characters from book to book.

Read Science fiction or horror?

Science Fiction I will read a horror book as I am a Stephen King fan but it’s just not something I’d read every day.

Read Stephen King or Dean Koontz?

Stephen King I am totally in love with his creepy writing style.

Read the book or watch the movie?

Book, I love both but there is just something about a great book that fills me with joy.

Read an ebook or paperback?

Paperback all the way. I love the feel and smell of a book in my hands.

Be trapped alone for one month in a library with no computer or a room with a computer and Wi-Fi only?

Library for sure, that sounds like a dream come true.

Do a cross-country book store tour or blog tour online?

Cross-Country Tour I like to interact and meet people in person.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Evi Rhodes has always had a passion for writing and likes to spend as much time as possible hanging out with the array of rescue animals on her farm in Ontario, sipping on a cup of coffee and typing on her laptop.

In addition to getting her degree in business as well as competing in her favourite equestrian sport, dressage, she is an entrepreneur, and has coached many of a riding enthusiast, but she has always found herself coming back to wanting to write full-time.

“I just want to be me and to be authentic. To tell a story that others can immerse themselves in and enjoy is what I have always wanted.”

Website ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads

BUY LINKS:

Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Indigo

Review the book on NetGalley

Giveaway:

$20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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