North of Need Blog Tour: Guest Post, Excerpt & Giveaway

Reader Girls is the stop today for the North of Need Blog Tour. Author Laura Kaye is sharing a guest post and excerpt from her latest book, North of Need, the first title in her new exciting series, Hearts of Anemoi. We are also holding a giveaway fr one copy of the book (besides the many other giveaways from other tour participants which remain open).

About North of Need: Her tears called a powerful snow god to life, but only her love can grant the humanity he craves...

Desperate to escape agonizing memories of Christmas past, twenty-nine-year-old widow Megan Snow builds a snow family outside the mountain cabin she once shared with her husband, realizing too late that she's recreated the very thing she'll never have.

Called to life by Megan's tears, snow god Owen Winters appears unconscious on her doorstep in the midst of a raging blizzard. As she nurses him to health, Owen finds unexpected solace in her company and unimagined pleasure in the warmth of her body, and vows to win her heart for a chance at humanity.

Megan is drawn to Owen's mismatched eyes, otherworldly masculinity, and enthusiasm for the littlest things. But this Christmas miracle comes with an expiration--before the snow melts and the temperature rises, Megan must let go of her widow's grief and learn to trust love again, or she'll lose Owen forever.

The Characters in the World of the Anemoi By Laura Kaye

I’m so excited to be here at Reader Girls today! The Girls asked me to talk about the characters that inhabit the world of my new contemporary fantasy romance series, Hearts of the Anemoi. The Anemoi were directional wind gods the Greeks associated with the season. Book 1: North of Need released 11/1/11 and features a long self-exiled snow god who falls in love with a grieving woman. So, here’s a character breakdown of the series:

Henry as Owen

Owen Winters 
(North of Need)

Picture actor Henry Cavill [or go here and see a grittier, ahem, idea of Owen!] Owen is a snow god and the destined successor to Boreas. He’d exiled himself from the Realm of the Gods after a heartbreaking betrayal, and now has been summoned back. Three words that describe him would be passionate, playful, sweet.

Naomi as Megan

Megan Snow 
(North of Need)
Picture actress Naomi Watts. Megan has been widowed for two years and feels responsible for her husband’s death. She just can’t seem to get over it, and in the meantime she’s living a half-life at best. Three words that describe her would be widow, nurturing, hopeful.

Orlando as Boreas

Boreas 
(North of Need)

Supreme God of the North Wind and Winter. Picture Orlando Bloom as Legolas. Sorta! Boreas is one of the four cardinal Anemoi, son of Aeolus, the Supreme Storm God. Boreas lives in Hyperborea within the Realm of the Gods and feels he owes a special debt to Owen for a past deceit. Three words that describe him would be giant, stern, paternal. 

Hugh as Zephyros

Zephyros Martius
(West of Want)

Supreme God of the West Wind and Spring. Picture Hugh Jackman. As the god of spring, Zeph has powers of life, rebirth and regeneration, along with his weather-related powers. Being the strongest of the Anemoi hasn’t kept him from experiencing betrayal over and over—worse, he suspects it’s one of his brother’s faults. Three words that describe him would be lonely, compassionate, sexy. 

Kate as Marcella

Marcella Raines
(West of Want) 

Picture Kate Beckinsale. Ella, as she prefers to go by, has been through a string of recent tragedies and losses that have left her fearful of relationships and lonely. When she meets Zeph, she gets caught up in a world bigger than any she ever imagined, one that will change her life forever. Three words that would describe her are forgiving, protective, fighter. 

Chrysander Notos 
(South of Surrender) 
Supreme God of the South Wind and Summer. Picture Jason Lewis. Chrys is the youngest and the golden boy of the Anemoi, his father Aeolus’ favorite and the one who seems to have it all—looks, women, power. But as the half-brother of the other three Anemoi, Chrys has always felt an outsider and longs for a place to truly belong. Three words that describe him are beautiful, hilarious, loyal. 

Summer Gentry 
(South of Surrender)

Picture Louise Cliffe. Summer lost her sight by the time she was eighteen, and beforehand had become an accomplished equestrian. Now she runs a horse camp for blind children—a struggling camp. So when a very appealing volunteer shows up, she’s both intrigued and also leery of getting distracted. Three words that describe her are adventurous, intuitive, strong. 

Eurus Daimones
(East of Ecstasy)

Supreme God of the East Wind and the Harbinger of Misfortune. Picture Goran Visnjic [evil doesn’t have to be ugly, people!!!]. Third son of Aeolus—and most hated by him. Known for his ability to whip up violent storm winds and cause bad luck, misfortune, and chaos. He has a bag full of axes to grind, and his brothers are first in line. Three words that describe him are hateful, twisted, evil. 

Devlin Eston
(East of Ecstasy)
Picture this model. Dev is a fall storm god and destined successor of Eurus. Others see him as his father’s son, though what he hides is the deep hatred of his father for killing his older brother. When Dev discovers Eurus’ plot to destroy everything the Anemoi stand for, he flees to the human realm to plot against him—and he redeems himself along the way. Three words that describe him are broken, abused, desperate. 

Annalise Fallston 
(East of Ecstasy)

Picture Torrey DeVitto. She is an artist who puts her dreams on hold to take care of her father who has Alzheimer’s. And she just might put another dream on hold—true love—and accept the marriage proposal of a long time good friend. But when a bad boy blows into town, he makes her dream things she never imagined. Three words that describe her are sweet, compassionate, protective. 

So, who intrigues you the most?  Thanks for reading!   

- Laura Kaye 

Excerpt from North of Need:

Out of the darkness, from the heart of the howling snowstorm, a hunched-over man staggered up Megan’s front steps. She wrenched back from the door, her heart pounding in her chest. Panicked, she skittered behind a couch. 

Who the hell could he be? Nobody could have walked or driven here in this weather. Her breath came in fast rasps. The lights flickered again, then again. Her eyes trailed to the fireplace tools on the hearth.

Maybe she should grab the iron poker. Just in case.

The lights wavered, struggled to hold on. From outside, a solid, deadweight thump startled a gasp from Megan.

Help him.

The words were so quiet they might’ve been a thought, but in her current state she still whirled, fully expecting the impossible—that someone else was crouched next to her behind the sofa. Of course, she was alone. She peeked around the corner of the couch, her panic subsiding into a feeling of absurdity.

Help who? The man. Just a regular, ordinary man. Who must be in trouble. She remembered how he seemed to stumble on the steps and the thump. He’d fallen. She rushed from her hiding place like a sprinter at the sound of the gun. Peering through the sidelight, she whispered, “Oh, shit.” She was right.

She tore open the door. Jesus, he was big. No one she knew from the neighborhood, though there were always tourists renting surrounding cabins to take advantage of Deep Creek Lake and the Wisp Ski Resort.

God, he wasn’t dressed to be out in this weather. No coat. No shoes.

What the hell was she going to do with him?

Cold wind buffeted her and nipped at her skin, making her nearly frostbitten cheek tingle uncomfortably. Her hesitation wavered, then dropped away completely. What choice did she have? She couldn’t leave him out in this blizzard.

The bitter wind sank into her bones as she stepped shoeless and coatless—like him—onto the porch. She didn’t have to check for a pulse. Each shallow breath sent up a small fog from his mouth. Megan crouched behind his shoulders and wedged her hands underneath. Two fistfuls of red plaid flannel in hand, she pulled. He barely budged as she grunted and tugged. She tried two more times.

Shit, but it was mind-numbingly cold. “Come on, dude. Work with me, will ya?” she muttered, her hair whipping around her face.

Megan rethought the problem and stepped around to his bare feet. How could someone walk to this cabin without shoes? She shook her head and crouched, back facing him, between his legs. Securing an ankle under each armpit, she cupped his heels and pushed herself into a standing position. This time, when she moved, he moved. The guy was so big and heavy, she felt like Rudolph pulling Santa’s sleigh without the help of the other eight reindeer.

The warm air from inside the cabin embraced her body, its comforting tendrils drawing her over the threshold and into the slate-covered foyer. The lights flickered again, sending out a quiet electrical hum that raised the hair on her arms and the back of her neck. She tried to drag the man carefully, but his head still thumped as it crossed the shallow ridge of the doorjamb. She winced. “Sorry.”

As soon as he was clear of the door, she set his feet down and ran to close it. The indoor temperature had probably dropped twenty degrees while she’d been outside figuring how to lug his sorry butt in.

She engaged the dead bolt, and the lights died. She gasped and pivoted, flattened her back to the door. He lay, right where she left him, melting snow all over her hardwoods.

About Laura Kaye: A multi-published author of paranormal, contemporary and erotic romance, Laura Kaye’s hot, heartfelt stories are all about the universal desire for a place to belong. Laura is the author of the bestselling contemporary romance and award-nominated HEARTS IN DARKNESS and the bestselling and award-winning paranormal romance FOREVER FREED (NJRW Golden Leaf Award for Best Paranormal of 2011), as well as an erotic romance novella, JUST GOTTA SAY. Her fourth book, contemporary fantasy romance NORTH OF NEED, is the first in the 4-book Hearts of the Anemoi series. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.  

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WANT TO WIN NORTH OF NEED? 
The North of Need Book Launch Blog Tour ends today, but several giveaways remain open! 

Thanks to Entangled Publishing, we will giveaway ONE PRINT copy of North of Need to one commenter who answers Laura Kaye's question above (So, who intrigues you the most?) Please leave your answer and your email. This contest is open to US & Canadian Residents and will end on Sunday, December 4.

We thank Laura Kaye and Entangled Publishing. Our review will be up soon.