By Blood (By Blood #1)
Author: Tracy E. Banghart
Genre: YA Paranormal
Release Date: February 18, 2013
Description:
For 17-year-old Emma Wong, spending a summer in England should be a
dream come true. Gorgeous scenery? Check. Lots of hot guys with accents?
Yes, please.
Throw in an estranged mom, annoying new stepdad,
and drooling baby half-brother, and it’s a disaster even her favorite
cherry red leather jacket can’t fix. Even worse, there’s (hot) live-in
research assistant Josh to contend with. The only thing more
embarrassing than drunk-kissing him hours after they meet? Knowing
he’ll be witness to her family’s dysfunction all. summer. long.
But
when Emma meets a mysterious girl who happens to be a Druid,
her vacation suddenly promises to be far more intriguing than
she anticipated. Powerful rituals, new friends, an intoxicating sense
of freedom...and Simon, the sexy foreign stranger she was hoping
for. It’s all a perfect distraction from dirty diapers and awkward
family dinners.
Trouble is, intriguing doesn’t often mean simple. And Emma is about to discover just how not simple her life really is.
By Blood is a novel about the ways that blood can bind us to others – or tear us apart.
PRAISE FOR BY BLOOD:
“By Blood effortlessly transports
you to the cobblestone streets and small pubs of Oxford, and Emma’s
sassy voice pulls you right into the story with its hot British boys and
touch of magic. A must read!” —Susanne Winnacker, author of Impostor
and The Other Life
“A five star read from start to finish. Un-put-downable!” —Vanessa Garbin, author of the forthcoming Captivate
"Emma's
sarcastic, biting narrative and the lure of Celtic myth and magic
constructs a brilliant book to cosy up with...if you dare!" ~ 21st
Century Once Upon a Times blog
"Love this book! It's a
sweet little gem and I am glad that I got to read it! If you are looking
for a story that is fun and quick, then I would recommend this book.
You will want to know what happens to Emma in the matters of boys,
family and adventure!" ~ Sarah, Me My Shelf And I blog
The baby was still crying. For a split second, I imagined taking my
static-y, synthetic airplane pillow and pressing it against his face,
until the blood-curdling screams stopped and there was, finally,
silence.
I sighed.
“Come on, you little poop machine!” I
muttered, voice edging into desperation. I made yet another silly face
and wiggled my fingers at him. I tried bouncing him on my knee. Not that
it made a difference. He kept crying, his face an angry red verging on
purple. I peeked furtively at the other passengers; their dirty looks
were hard to ignore. At any moment the leathery, pack-a-day military guy
across the aisle was going to vent his obvious frustration, or the
flight attendant intervene.
Mom breathed deeply next to me, her
soft, doughy body slumped against the wall of the plane. Her black hair
was swept into a low bun, clearly exposing a neon orange ear plug.
“Mom,”
I whispered, nudging her more gently than she deserved. She didn’t
move. “Mom!” I hoisted the kid into her lap and her arms automatically
reached out to cuddle him close. Her eyes opened a slit.
When she saw me looking, she raised an eyebrow in question and removed the ear plug. And winced, as the baby’s wails redoubled.
”Please
take Vermin,” I begged, “I’m pretty sure the guys in Row 14 are trying
to figure out how they can kill us and make it look like an accident.”
Mom
glared. “Emma, don’t be silly. And don’t call him that. Your
grandfather would roll in his grave.” I opened my mouth to tell her I
didn’t care what Grandpa Fermin did in his grave, but her look when she
turned to gaze at her little mutant son stopped me. No scowl for him,
even though he was still huffing and sputtering in distress. She tickled
his belly – just like I’d done not two minutes ago – and elicited a
mostly toothless and more importantly silent smile. Her expression
melted into a look of love so obvious I thought for a moment I might be
sick. When I slumped back in my seat, my elbow cracked painfully against
the armrest.
With a happy gurgle, Vermin reached out and
grabbed a chunk of my hair. I gave him a grimace, the closest thing to a
smile I could manage. I tried to keep the revulsion from my face. It’s
not like he was ugly. He already had a full head of silky dark hair, and
wide, deceptively innocent eyes. He looked mostly Filipino, like Mom,
except for his milky skin.
It wasn’t his fault I hated him.
But
the fact remained that his presence meant my mom was having sex with
someone other than my father. His very existence meant that my family
would never be the same.
Tracy E. Banghart is a cheesy
movie–loving, fantasy football–playing (go Ravens!), globe-trotting Army
wife who began “practicing” her craft at the age of five, when she
wrote her first story. She loves visiting the international friends she
met while pursuing her MA in Publishing and spends a portion of every
summer at her family’s cabin in Canada, where she finds inspiration and
lots of time to relax on the dock. She lives with her husband, son, two
lazy dogs and one ornery cat. When not writing or spending time with
her family, she is on a mission to bake the perfect cupcake.
LINKS:
Grand Prize Giveaway:
Giveaway Prize Pack #1 (US only)
Signed paperback copy of By Blood
Plus (all hardcover):
Beauty Queens, by Libba Bray
Starcrossed, by Josephine Angelini
The Body Finder, by Kimberly Derting
Jane, by April Lindner
By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead, by Julie Anne Peters
Sean Griswold’s Head, by Lindsey Leavitt
Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi
Slide, by Jill Hathaway
Wither, by Lauren DeStefano
Imaginary Girls, by Nova Ren Suma
Giveaway Prize Pack #2 (Intl)
Signed paperback copy of By Blood + $50 Amazon Gift Card
a Rafflecopter giveaway
